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Shared Jan 18, 2016 comment

500 Things Decluttering Challenge: Day 6

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 18, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

It’s Day #6 of the 500 Things Decluttering Challenge…

Today’s project was to go through your kitchen drawers and cupboards and find 50 things to get rid of.

I’ve already spent quite a bit of time decluttering in the kitchen with this challenge, so I had to dig sort of deep, but I found a few kitchen utensils that were broken, some duplicate Home Depot aprons, and a few rags we needed to dispense of, among other things.

All in all, I found 27 items to get rid of!!! I was so excited about it!

Today’s total: 27 items decluttered

Total for the entire challenge: 251 items so far!

I’m keeping a running total of all my items decluttered during this challenge as I thought it would be fun to not only do Daily Totals but also Overall Totals.

How many items did YOU declutter today?? Leave a comment and let us know.

P.S. You can read more about the Decluttering Course I’m going through here. If you’d like to join me in going through it in January and get the videos, information, and printables every day, you can go here to purchase and get it for just $5.99 right now!

Shared Jan 18, 2016 comment

5 Reasons to Become a Money-Making Mom

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 18, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Guest post from Erin of The Humbled Homemaker

Being a money-making mom has changed my life and the life of my family. In three years time, I went from being a stay-at-home mom who could barely afford it, to achieving seemingly impossible goals through my at-home business.

If you’re on the fence about whether or not to start a business of your own, you might want to consider these 5 reasons to become a money-making mom.

1. To get off government aid.

This one might not apply to you, but many American families have kept afloat financially with the help of government assistance since the 2008 recession. I know because our family was one of them.

I don’t condemn the use of government aid, but I also don’t condone it as a lifestyle.

Growing up in the upper middle class in suburban America, I never dreamed my family would one day be barely making it and supplementing our meager grocery budget with WIC checks… but for three years, we did just that.

Becoming a money-making mom afforded us with the income needed to support our family without the use of government aid. The day I called the WIC office to cancel our checks was monumental!

2. To pay off debt.

I’ve witnessed many friends crippled by the weight of massive credit card bills and student loans.

Even families with sizable incomes are often burdened with so much debt that they can barely make ends meet each month.

Becoming a money-making mom can help your family pay off debt faster!

3. To give your family breathing room.

Even if you’re not at poverty level and don’t have debt, many families are still at the point of not having much breathing room after all the bills are paid.

Perhaps you simply want to increase your grocery budget, so you can eat more quality food.

Or maybe you want enough margin in your budget for little splurges. Having some “mad money” can actually help keep you from overspending.

Being a money-making mom can provide for those extras that your primary income might not afford.

4. To provide for your children’s educations.

The number one reason I started my blog in 2011, was because I dreamed of one day sending our then-2-year-old to a university-model school in our town.

Since we were living on a low income at the time, this seemed like an unattainable goal, but, still, it was worth a shot.

Fast forward a few years, and not only were we able to send our little girl to this school for kindergarten (and now for first grade), but we were also to pay the entire year’s tuition in cash!

Being a money-making mom can provide for homeschool curriculum, private school tuition, or even help fund college savings accounts!

5. To give more.

This is my absolute favorite perk of being a money-making mom.

In three years’ time, we went from barely making it financially to being able to give more than we ever dreamed possible.

Not only that, but this past summer we were also able to take a family mission trip, where we were able to help with some community outreach projects and an Operation Christmas Child distribution.

One of the first charities my business was able to give to was Hope 4 Women, International, a program that helps impoverished widows and single mothers in 3rd-world countries become money-making moms themselves!

Notice that, of the five reasons I listed, I did not include “getting rich” or “becoming famous” as reasons to become a money-making mom.

Money is not evil, but the love of money is the root of all evil. Life is more than money, and to simply make more of it for the sake of getting rich or becoming famous will leave you empty-hearted.

The heartbeat behind Crystal’s book, Money-Making Mom, is that women can learn how to earn more money in order to make a difference in the lives of others. That is the essence of becoming a money-making mom.

Erin Odom is the creator of The Humbled Homemaker, a blog about motherhood, healthy living, saving money, and homemaking. After losing her home and surviving on government aid for three years, she is passionate about extending grace to families who are struggling and helping others see there is hope at the end of financial troubles.

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Shared Jan 18, 2016 comment

Get Up Early Challenge: Day 6

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 18, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

It’s Day 6 of the Get Up Early Challenge and today officially kicks off Week 2, Day 1 of the challenge (since we took the weekend off)!

I was asleep by 9:45 pm last night and woke up a few minutes before my 5 am alarm this morning! I think my body is starting to embrace this early to bed, early to rise schedule again!

I just finished reading God’s Word, journaling my blessings, reading the second to last chapter of It’s Not What You Think (a book that has been very thought-provoking — even if I’ve not agreed with all of it), and getting in some cardio on the treadmill.

Oh and coffee. Of course, coffee. One of the best parts of the morning! 😉

I’ll be hopping on Periscope at 7:30 a.m. to share some Morning Motivation encouragement and to some thoughts and insights from The 5AM Miracle book. I’d love for you to join me or watch the replay (just download the app and search for @MoneySavingMom).

Are you joining me for the Get Up Early Challenge? If so, leave a comment on this post to let me know how you did with your wake-up goal this morning.

We’re in this together… And if you didn’t hit your goal, that’s okay! Give yourself grace, don’t beat yourself up, and know that you can try again tomorrow!

P.S. Read more about the Get Up Early Challenge here. Need some help and inspiration to use your mornings well? Download Day 1 of Make Over Your Mornings for free (scroll to the bottom of this page to sign up for it!)

Shared Jan 16, 2016 comment

A Day in the Life of a Full-Time Working, Freelance-Writing, Blogging Mama

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 16, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Guest post from Sarah of The Frugal Millionaire

As I’m sure you gathered from the title of this post, I work a full-time job, I’m a freelance writer, a blogger and, most importantly, I am a wife and mom to my two precious toddler daughters. Life is busy and full, but I love it!

One of the most common questions I get asked is, “How do you do it all?”

First off, let me preface this by saying that it is truly impossible to “do it all”. Instead, I like to say I “do my best.”

My home is not always clean, I fall behind on both work and laundry, and meals are oftentimes thrown together last minute. But, I’m doing my best and I love my daughters fiercely. My time with them is the most important thing to me.

Another question I often receive is, “Why do you work full-time, freelance, and blog?”

The answer to that is simple: I’m looking to increase my freelancing and blogging income to the point where I can quit my full-time job, and then eventually my husband can quit his job if he so chooses. I’m sacrificing my time now so I can have more of it in the future. Plus, I absolutely love writing and blogging.

Now that I’ve given some background on what I do, here is a peek into my current schedule. As a side note, my family and I recently relocated from sunny Arizona to beautiful North Carolina. We purchased our first house out here a few months ago and are really just soaking in all that the state has to offer.

We spend our evenings and weekends exploring different parks, going on walks, and playing outside. Monday through Friday is for working, and here is a typical day for me!

A Day in My Life

5:00 AM

Wake up time! Thanks to Crystal’s Make Over Your Mornings course, I am now an early-riser! I accomplish so much more each day when I can start the morning by myself — whether that’s working or just enjoying a cup of coffee in silence.

Prior to her course, I started my mornings frazzled. My kids woke me up, and it seemed to go downhill from there. Now, I’m happy to see them each morning, knowing that I’ve had some alone time.

My girls are up by 6:00 (on a good day), so I never do anything too strenuous in the morning. I typically have a cup of coffee, plan out my day, do a few sets of exercises and get ready for the day ahead. I also get started with work on my full-time job by checking emails and doing my daily tasks.

9:00 AM

My daughters are in daycare part-time during the week. I drop them off at 9:00 and then head to my office. My full-time job is 40+ hours per week, but I am able to work from home, which is an added perk. I do go into the office three half-days per week, though.

1:00 PM

Right after lunch, I pick up my daughters from daycare and we head home for naps.

The reason I’m able to work from home is because I was blessed with two amazing nappers. They aren’t the best night-time sleepers and they do wake up extremely early, but I almost always get a three-hour nap out of them each afternoon!

From now until about 4:30, I’m able to work on my full-time job, answer personal emails, and brainstorm freelance writing and blogging topics if I have time.

4:30 PM

My girls are up from their naps and my husband is just getting home from work. This is when I start making dinner, assuming I’ve planned ahead. If not, we head to the store and decide on something as a family.

My husband is a rockstar in the kitchen and loves both grocery shopping and cooking. If it weren’t for him, we’d be eating chicken nuggets and spaghetti most nights!

Other than cooking and eating dinner, we reserve our evenings for family time. We’ll go to the neighborhood park, pick up some cookies from our favorite bakery, go on a “deer drive,” or stay in and play. Unless something urgent is on my calendar, I never open my laptop during this time.

7:30 PM

The girls are almost always in bed by 7:30pm (I am a strong believer in an early bedtime). If they’re not tired, I let them read quietly in their rooms for 30 minutes prior to lights-out.

Once they’re asleep, I get to working on my side jobs — freelancing and blogging. I average about $1,500 per month on both of these combined and work roughly 10 hours per week.

Honestly, this is a part of my day that I really look forward to, and I can’t wait until my income is enough to replace my day job so I can focus more on the things that I love.

9:30 PM

Can’t forget about the hubby! My husband and I stay connected throughout the day by calling and texting each other. He is also up early with me most days so we can chat and have some time to ourselves.

In addition, we make sure to always go to bed at the same time. We head to our room around 9:30 and talk or watch TV before falling asleep. This is another favorite part of my day — quiet, relaxing time with my favorite guy.

You may be wondering when I have time to clean the house. Well, I clean every morning before leaving for daycare/work and every evening before going to bed. Spending 30 minutes each morning and another 15 in the evening keeps my house in order.

On the weekends, I’ll spend another 30 minutes or so cleaning bathrooms, washing sheets and doing other lengthier chores. I also freelance and blog when the girls are napping on Saturdays, but reserve Sundays as a day of rest.

If you’re interested in making more money, I cannot recommend freelancing and blogging enough. Not only have I been able to make a decent amount of money from my couch, but I’ve met some wonderful ladies who I feel honored to call my best friends.

I started freelancing prior to blogging, but my blog is what launched me into my niche — personal finance. So, if you’re wondering where to start, I highly suggest starting with a blog.

Yes, my schedule is busy, but we’re all busy!

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that people prioritize things that are important to them. For me, I want more time and more freedom, and that is why I’m working so hard now!

Sarah Brooks is a full-time employee, freelance writer and blogger, but most importantly she is a mom to two little girls, Cami and Maisie. She has a passion for helping moms follow their dreams and create a life that they love. Sarah and her family recently relocated from Arizona to North Carolina and they love exploring their new town. When she’s not working or playing with her babies, you can find her baking cookies, relaxing outside with a good book or binge-watching Netflix with her husband.

Shared Jan 16, 2016 comment

Gretchen’s $48 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan

Published: by Gretchen on January 16, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Dillons

1 bag Corn Chips – $1.25

2.15 lbs Bananas – $1.27

1 Romaine Lettuce – $0.99

1 Celery – $1.99 (I normally buy this at Aldi, but they were out.)

1.69 lbs Apples – $1.67

5 Luna Bars – Marked down to $0.25 each

1 Kroger Cottage Cheese – $2

1 Farmland Bacon – $3.50, used $0.50/1 Ibotta rebate – $3 after rebate

Total: $13.42

Homeland

1 dozen Eggs – $1.05, used $0.25/1 Ibotta rebate – $0.80 after rebate

2 Starkist Tuna – $1.39 each, used $1/2 printable (doubled) – $0.39 each after coupon

2 bags Baby Carrots – $0.69 each

1 bag Romaine Salad – $1.24

4 boxes Cheerios – $1.67 each, used $1/2 printable (doubled) and $1/2 in-store coupon (doubled) – $0.67 each after coupons

2 Yoplait Gogurt – $2.25 each, used $0.75/2 printable (doubled) – $1.50 each after coupon

Total after coupons and rebate: $10.25

Aldi

1 gallon Milk – $1.89

1 pkg Tilapia Fillets – $3.39

1 canister Oats – $2.39

1 bag Spinach – $1.49

2 Cucumbers – $0.79 each

1 Half & Half – $1.89

1 can Black Beans – $0.59

1 pkg Crackers – $1.49

1 Lemon Juice – $1.99

2 Grapefruit – $0.59 each, used $0.25/1 Checkout 51 rebate – $0.46 each after rebate

2 Avocados – $0.39 each

1 pkg Roma Tomatoes – $0.99

1 Frozen Orange Juice – $1.19

1 Butter – $2.69

1 pkg Rice Cakes – $1.29

1 pkg Cinnamon Bagels – $1.69

1 Raisins – $2.89

1 pkg Trail Mix – $0.59 (not pictured)

Used $5 off Aldi mailer coupon

Total after coupon and rebate: $24.74

Total for all items: $48.41

Menu Plan for This Week

Breakfasts

Scrambled Eggs and Spinach x 3

Cereal x 3

Baked Oatmeal

Lunches

Out to lunch (Special mommy-son date day)

Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches, Veggies

Fruit/Veggies/Cheese Crackers x 2

Baked Potato Bar

Tossed Salad Bar

Leftovers

Dinners

Haystacks

Chicken Fajitas, Grapefruit

Grilled Tilapia, Butterhorn Rolls, Green Beans

Papa John’s Pizza night 🙂

Lasagna, Tossed Salad

Italian Chicken, Rolls, Tossed Salad

Hamburger Vegetable Soup, Crackers, Fruit

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Shared Jan 15, 2016 comment

How to Look Forward to Cooking at Home (3 Easy Steps)

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 15, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

How to look forward to making dinner in three easy steps:

1) Send the kids upstairs to watch a movie.

2) Sneak out the bag of chocolate chips to snack on. 😉

3) Turn on a podcast or music you love. See some of my favorites here.

Ta-da! Instead of drudgery, dinner-making becomes something you look forward to!

Bonus ideas: 1) Only cook recipes you love. 2) Decide what you’re making before 5 pm. 3) Stick to simple recipes.

Need some quick, easy, and frugal recipe ideas? I’ve been posting some on Instagram this week.

Now that I’m back to doing a lot more cooking since I’m traveling a lot less and have cut back significantly on my work responsibilities, I’m loving getting to get back to meal-planning and cooking again… so that means you’ll probably see a lot more recipe and food-themed posts here from me. 🙂

Have any great tips to add to my list here on how to enjoy making dinner more? Share them in the comments!

Shared Jan 15, 2016 comment

500 Things Decluttering Challenge: Day 5 (Apparently, I’m a Spice Hoarder!)

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 15, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

It’s Day #5 of the 500 Things Decluttering Challenge… Hi! My name is Crystal and apparently I’m a spice hoarder!!

Today’s project for the #500Things #Decluttering Challenge was to go through your pantry and get rid of 25 items.

Our pantry didn’t need much decluttering, but 2 days ago, when I had done a quick decluttering of our kitchen cupboards, I discovered that our Spice Cupboard was kind of out of control!

I often get sent spices from companies, Jesse has bought a number of different spices this year… And, gulp, I even have some spices in there that we got as wedding presents — 13 years ago!!! Yikes!

Today: I went through all of them, checked dates, threw out all the expired items, combined the jars of non-expired duplicates, got the bags of flour and sugar dumped into the canisters they are supposed to go in, and wiped down the cupboard and reorganized it.

Today’s total: 26 things decluttered

Total for the entire challenge: 224 items so far!

I’m keeping a running total of all my items decluttered during this challenge as I thought it would be fun to not only do Daily Totals but also Overall Totals.

How many items did YOU declutter today?? Leave a comment and let us know.

Shared Jan 15, 2016 comment

Brigette’s $42 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan for 6

Published: by Brigette on January 15, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

After 19 days of traveling (and 51 hours of driving time!), it feels great to be home! In full disclosure, I went to the grocery store as soon as we got back on Friday and that particular (LARGE) trip wasn’t posted here as there were too many other things to do. 🙂 So my total is lower than usual this week, but it’s helping to balance out that post-vacation grocery trip from last week!

Aldi

1 gallon milk – $2.49

64-oz Half and Half – $2.29

32-oz Cottage Cheese – $2.29

1 dozen Eggs – $1.59

2 cartons Egg Whites -$3.98

1 20-oz pkg Zucchini – $1.99

1 pkg Grape Tomatoes – $1.69

1 Avocado – $0.59

1 Cauliflower – $1.99

1 head Cabbage – $0.99

1 Spicy Brown Mustard – $0.99

1 3-pk Multi-Colored Peppers – $1.79

1 bag Spinach – $1.49

1 Artisan Lettuce – $1.99

2 16-oz bags Organic Baby Carrots – $1.98

2-lb bag Grapes – $3.99

1 bunch Bananas (@$0.29/lb) – $0.78

1 Pineapple – $1.79

1 pkg Blueberries – $1.79

1 can Green Beans – $0.49

Total – $36.97

Harris Teeter

2 pks Mueller Pasta – $1.69, used $1/2 printable – $0.69/2 after coupons

1 Cantaloupe – $2.00

1 Ginger Root – $0.60

1 Almond Milk – $2.00

1 4-pk Dannon Yogurt – $1.39, used $1/1 printable – $0.39 after coupon

Total: $5.68

Weekly Total: $42.65

Weekly Menu Plan

Breakfasts

Breakfast at church (I’m bringing fruit salad)

Cereal x 2

Oatmeal with Fruit x 2

Toast, Scrambled Eggs x 2

Lunches

Baked Potatoes with Cheese, Bananas x 2

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Carrots, Apples x 2

Rice Cakes with Almond Butter, Grapes, Pepper Strips

Leftovers x 2

Dinners

Ham and Spinach Quiche (I don’t normally buy ham, but someone gave us one for Christmas), Oranges, Toast

Hamburger Vegetable Soup (using ground venison), Big Daddy Biscuits

Taco Salad, Grapes

Homemade Pizza, Tossed Salad

Baked Chicken Nuggets (I make my own breadcrumbs), Homemade Baked French Fries, Roasted Broccoli

Venison Roast in the Crockpot, Roasted Cauliflower and Carrots, Milk Rice

Leftovers

Shared Jan 15, 2016 comment

Get Up Early Challenge: Day 5 (I woke up at 4:35 a.m. — on my own!)

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 15, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

It’s Day 5 of the Get Up Early Challenge and I woke up on my own at 4:35 a.m. — feeling quite rested!!! I stayed in bed until my alarm went off at 5 a.m. just to make sure it wasn’t a fluke… Well, and also because it gave me more time to snuggle with my husband. 😉

I cannot believe that my body is beginning to adjust so well, so quickly! Every day gets better, every day feels a little smoother, and every day I keep wondering if I’m missing something because my to do list feels so short!!

But I guess that’s one of the big perks to getting up and knocking out so many things before 9 a.m.!!

Are you joining me for the Get Up Early Challenge? If so, leave a comment on this post to let me know how you did with your wake-up goal this morning.

We’re in this together… And if you didn’t hit your goal, that’s okay! Give yourself grace, don’t beat yourself up, and know that you can try again tomorrow!

Shared Jan 14, 2016 comment

What To Do When You Wake Up Feeling Overwhelmed

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 14, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Do you ever wake up and just feel completely overwhelmed? Like there’s just too much to do that you feel defeated and discouraged before your feet even hit the floor?

Here are 3 strategies I use that help me on those days when I feel overwhelmed.

1. Start By Making a List of Your Top Priorities

Instead of just thinking in terms of a to do list, I want you to make out a list of priorities for your life.

Ask yourself, “What am I about? What’s going to matter in 25 years from now? What matters most right now? What do I want to wrap my time and energy around in this season of life?” These questions will help you determine your priorities are for your life right now.

In my book, Say Goodbye to Survival Mode, I talk about the importance of making what I call a “Best Stuff List”. These are the best things in your life that you want to pour the majority of your time and effort into.

3 Things to Do When You Wake Up Overwhelmed

When you wake up completely stressed and feel like, “I have so much I should do” or “I have so many things I want to do”, start first with your Best Stuff List and compare it with your daily to do list or what you think should be on your daily to do list.

Are their things on your daily to do list (or that you think should be on your daily to do list) that aren’t in line with your Best Stuff list? If so, let them go. Delete, skip, or delegate them. You can only do what you can do… so focus on the most important things.

The same goes when people ask you to help out or invite you to attend something or be involved in something. If their requests do not line up with the things that you consider to be a priority, then you can guiltlessly saying, “no”.

3 Things To Do When You Wake Up Feeling Overwhelmed

2. Choose The Next Right Thing to Focus On

You can easily feel like there are so many things you should be doing.

I need to get a handle on that…

I need to do these things…

I must do that thing…

I have to get this done or else everyone will be disappointed in me…

Instead of being consumed with all of these thoughts, ask yourself this one question, “What’s the one thing that is going to make the biggest difference in my life right now?”

Based upon your answer to this question, then ask yourself, “What is the next best thing for me to do right now?”

Maybe that’s to read to your child, take a shower, call a friend, clean your kitchen, make dinner, write a blog post, run an errand, working on that project, or hang out with your husband.

Don’t try to conquer the whole world (or 7 different tasks!) in the next five minutes, just pick one thing that you are going to focus on next and then give it all you got.

Do that next thing, finish it, and then ask yourself again, “What is the next best thing for me to do right now?” And then do that.

Every night before I go to bed, I map out the following day. This helps me to relax and get a good night’s sleep.

There are some parts to my day that are routine and I keep the same from day to day. When I get up, I get up, make coffee, and go straight to my office or the living room and open my Bible to study God’s Word. Then I take a few minutes to write in my blessing journal.

When I’m done with the first two things on my list, I go to the next thing. I don’t have to ask, “what should I do next?”, because it is already mapped out. This keeps me from feeling overwhelmed.

5 Things to Do When You Wake Up Feeling Overwhelmed

By establishing habits, you won’t get out of bed every morning and thinking about of all the things you could do. Instead, you will know exactly what you need to get up and do.

You can also apply this idea to priorities in your life. Instead of trying to improve in 15 different areas and feeling overwhelmed, choose to focus on the one thing that will make the biggest difference in your life.

For example, maybe when you survey all of the priorities and goals you want to set, you realize that the biggest thing you really need to focus on right now is making it a priority to keep up on the laundry every day. You realize that it’s just been piling up all over the place and you really need to put in the time and energy it takes to wash, dry, fold, and put away the clothes everyday.

Make that your one and only main priority to focus on for the next 4-6 weeks. Stay on top of that one priority and get it down before moving on.

Many times, focusing on one priority only will have a trickle down effect in other areas of your life. For instance, as I shared about on Periscope this morning, making the priority of consistently getting up at 5 AM and following through with a Morning Routine every day this week has impacted so many other areas of my life.

Just by making early rising a priority and then following through with it, our house has stayed more organized, I’ve felt calmer, I’ve had more time to cook from scratch, I’ve had more time to devote to one-on-one time with Jesse and the kids, I’m getting more done, I have more breathing room in my life, and I’ve had more time to invest in other people, too.

3. Keep a Running List of Other Ideas

What about all those other things you feel like you have to make a priority? Keep a running list of those other ideas. It is natural to become motivated to do more when you feel accomplished in one area of your life.

When you are thinking: “I need to organize that. I should change that thing in my life. I need to teach my kids this important thing…” Write these ideas down, but don’t try to implement them yet.

Choose one idea or focus area to hone in on at one time. Then, when you feel like that idea or priority has become more of a habit, go to your running list and choose the next most important priority to focus on.

If you start working on these priorities one at a time and add a new one every month or two, just think of how much you will have accomplished by the end of the year! It all starts by taking it one step at a time, and pretty soon you are looking back to miles walked.

When you have a when you know your priorities and you have a plan, it will go a long way to beat those overwhelmed feeling you can have in the mornings.

Want some practical help with setting up your day for success? Be sure to grab a copy of my brand-new online course, Make Over Your Mornings.

This 14-day online course includes videos, a workbook, and step-by-step projects and is designed to help you revolutionize your productivity, streamline your routines, invest your time in things that truly matter, and find more joy and peace in the process.

If you’ve ever wished that you could figure out how to get more done, have more organization in your life, and find time to spend on things you love, the Make Over Your Mornings Course is for you. Find out more about it here.

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Shared Jan 14, 2016 comment

500 Things Decluttering Challenge: Day 4 (60 more items decluttered!)

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 14, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

It’s Day #4 of the 500 Things Decluttering Challenge! Today, we were supposed to clean out the home office — whether that’s an actual room or a corner of a room or a pile on the kitchen counter. We were challenged to get rid of 50 items.

In all honesty, I didn’t think I’d find many items to get rid of. I thought we kept our offices pretty pared down (Jesse has an office and I have an office that also serves as our guest bedroom & Kaitlynn’s closet/storage).

Well, when I started going through all of the drawers, I was surprised that I came up with not just 50 items, but 60 items to declutter — things like paper, a selfie stick we don’t use, outdated business cards (I didn’t count each card or the numbers would have been WAY higher!), notebooks we no longer use, and more!

Today’s total: 60 things decluttered

Total for the entire challenge: 198 items so far!

I’m keeping a running total of all my items decluttered during this challenge as I thought it would be fun to not only do Daily Totals but also Overall Totals.

How many items did YOU declutter today?? Leave a comment and let us know.

Shared Jan 14, 2016 comment

Get Up Early Challenge: Day 4

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 14, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

It’s Day 4 of the Get Up Early Challenge and today was the first day of this challenge that I didn’t feel exhausted when I woke up — probably because my body was very ready to go to bed at a much more decent hour last night for the first time this week!

The last 3 days have felt pretty brutal, but I think we’re turning a corner and I couldn’t be more excited!

Habits don’t form overnight. Change doesn’t happen instantaneously. It requires effort, sacrifice, and perseverance. But it pays off!

Also, I can’t believe how much more I’m getting done and how much more margin I have in my life by getting up early! Now I remember why I’m such a big fan of this!! 😉

Are you joining me for the Get Up Early Challenge? If so, leave a comment on this post to let me know how you did with your wake-up goal this morning.

We’re in this together… And if you didn’t hit your goal, that’s okay! Give yourself grace, don’t beat yourself up, and know that you can try again tomorrow!

Shared Jan 13, 2016 comment

How one woman built a successful subscription business, and how you can too!

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 13, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Justine Brooks about how she used CrateJoy to start The Bookish Box subscription service — a subscription service that is now generating a full-time income from home for her family!

As someone who is always looking for outside-the-box (pun fully intended!) ideas, I was intrigued by Justine’s story and thought it might inspire some of you who are looking for creative ways to increase your income. And as a fellow book-lover, I adored the idea of a book-related subscription box.

Justine is a stay-at-home mom who lives in the Phoenix suburbs with her two daughters, ages five and two. She was originally inspired by her persistent, hard-working mother who made a successful career for herself without any background education, all while raising 5 children. Justine knew if her mother could follow her dreams while being a mom, she could do the same.

As an avid reader, Justine began her entrepreneurial journey by opening an apparel shop called Appraisal Pages so she could pay for all of her reading and book-reviewing habits. (I love how she thinks! I totally geeked out in the early years of blogging when I discovered that I could often get review copies of books I was interested in — for free!)

Over time, as she did an increasing number of book reviews, author meet-and-greets, and book signings, she decided to smart a small e-commerce shop selling t-shirts and apparel with literary and fandom references and grace notes. The e-commerce shop was started with a business partner, but she took over the business completely 18 months ago.

Since Justine has a background in art and design, she was excited to take on the challenge of growing a business from home while being a stay-at-home mom. She found that being a stay-at-home mom gave her the opportunity to keep and maintain momentum, while growing the business slowly at the pace that worked best for her and her family.

She knew it was important to plant the seeds that she could afford to plant, let the business grow, reinvest, and wait again while it grew. So to increase her revenue and grow her business, she decided to try starting her own subscription box service.

She researched her options and chose to set up her subscription box service through CrateJoy. She loved the all-in-one platform that CrateJoy offered and she found that this made the process much easier and smoother.

Justine knew she wanted to stay in the literary realm as she built this new subscription out of her shop, because that’s a passion of hers and she has found book lovers and fans to be so inclusive and welcoming. With this in mind, The Bookish Box was born. She was delighted to discover that her idea was a success — and her subscription numbers went from 300 to 1200 really quickly!

Using CrateJoy’s platform and focusing on slow and steady growth, she’s been able to stay in the black with her business the entire time she’s been in operation (something that can be a challenge to do — especially when starting a business selling physical products!)

She said that while running a business has its challenges, she’s so grateful that it allows her and her husband the chance to spend more time with their children and with each other.

Have you ever thought about starting a Subscription Box service?

If you are, definitely check out CrateJoy. I was recently introduced to them and have been very impressed with what I’ve seen.

They offer an easy-to-use platform that lets anyone start a subscription box business. Users can select templates and host their business on the site without needing any programming or design experience. How simple is that?!

Find out more about CrateJoy here.

This post is underwritten by CrateJoy. Read our disclosure policy here.

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500 Things Decluttering Challenge: Day 3

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 13, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

It’s Day #3 of the 500 Things Decluttering Challenge! Today, we were supposed to clean off the kitchen countertops.

I’m sort of a Clean Countertop Fanatic, so I broke the rules and went through some of my kitchen cupboards instead. And I came up with 30 random items to get rid of — including lids, tea I don’t like, a few mugs that I never use, and some spices.

Today’s total: 30 things decluttered

Total for the entire challenge: 138 items so far!

I’m keeping a running total of all my items decluttered during this challenge as I thought it would be fun to not only do Daily Totals but also Overall Totals.

How many paper (or other!) items did YOU declutter today?? Leave a comment and let us know.

Shared Jan 13, 2016 comment

Get Up Early Challenge: Day 3 (the day I forgot to set my alarm!!)

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 13, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

It’s Day #3 of the Get Up Early Challenge… Today, I forgot to set my alarm clock last night (cheesy mistake, but true! I was SO tired when I went to bed!)… So when I woke up on my own at 6:12 am, I chose not to beat myself up or feel like I’d failed.

Instead, I celebrated the fact that 1) I woke up fairly early — without an alarm! 2) I probably needed to extra sleep. 3) I abbreviated my morning routine so that I’d be back on track by 8 am.

We aren’t going to do things perfectly, and when we make mistakes, it’s an opportunity for us to give grace, focus on the good, and make Plan B!

I’ll be hopping on Periscope at 7:45 a.m. to share some Morning Motivation encouragement and to some thoughts and insights from The 5AM Miracle book. I’d love for you to join me or watch the replay (just download the app and search for @MoneySavingMom).

Are you joining me for the Get Up Early Challenge? If so, leave a comment on this post to let me know how you did with your wake-up goal this morning.

We’re in this together… And if you didn’t hit your goal, that’s okay! Give yourself grace, don’t beat yourself up, and know that you can try again tomorrow!

Summer Bucket List

Summer Bucket List

FREE Summer Bucket List!!

1. To get off government aid.

2. To pay off debt.

3. To give your family breathing room.

4. To provide for your children’s educations.

5. To give more.

A Day in My Life

Dillons

Homeland

Aldi

Menu Plan for This Week

Breakfasts

Lunches

Dinners

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Aldi

Harris Teeter

Weekly Total: $42.65

Weekly Menu Plan

Breakfasts

Lunches

Dinners

1. Start By Making a List of Your Top Priorities

2. Choose The Next Right Thing to Focus On

3. Keep a Running List of Other Ideas

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Have you ever thought about starting a Subscription Box service?

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