Saving Families Money Since 2007
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Did you know you can make a nice little side stream of income by taking online surveys? I’ve used some of the sites listed here and it really worked!
Megan emailed in the following:
I read your post about the three most important things to do after you start a blog, and I enjoyed it. I do have a question though that I’ve had for a long time, and was excited to see you were accepting questions! It’s a question I have asked myself every day for the past 6 months: What do you do when you’ve tried everything the experts have said to do, it’s still not working and you don’t have any extra money to invest in any more courses, consultations, or books?
I’ve been blogging for over a year now. I have read your posts on blogging, have read Ruth’s book (How to Blog for Profit without Selling Your Soul), have read other books, have watched the Author’s Summit videos, have read article after article, changed ad placements, guest posted, added better pictures to posts, wrote personal posts, have done TV interviews, have reached out to other bloggers, constantly retweet other bloggers, share content from other bloggers, and have recently re-done my site.
I still struggle to get traffic and “conversions”. I may have 98 views on a coupon deal post, and only 1 coupon print. Honestly, I’m exhausted. I feel like I wasn’t “cut out” to be a blogger…only thing is, I love writing and always have. I’m at my wit’s end. I’ve tried everything I have ever read to do and it just doesn’t work…what am I supposed to do now?
I’m not sure if this is something everyone at some point has struggled with, or not. I just didn’t think I would still be struggling after a year. -Megan
Can I just encourage you, Megan? I think all of us have felt this way at one time or another. Personally, I know that I’ve felt this way multiple times. In fact, I probably feel like quitting every few months.
I well remember my first few years of trying to start a business from home. I would put in hours and hours and hours of work and see very, very little fruit from that effort. Every time it felt like I was starting to gain a little momentum, I’d experience another setback.
It was probably at least two solid years of really pouring, pouring, and pouring myself into this online business and blogging thing before I really started to see true fruit and return on my investment. And then it was another few years before I got to the place where I was earning enough to convince myself it was time to bring on more help so that I could actually have breathing room in my life.
But I didn’t just feel like quitting in the beginning; I still struggle with feeling like quitting now. Just in the past few months, I had some hard, hard things happen business-wise that were so discouraging there was a two-week stretch where I really, really wanted to quit.
I had invested a lot of money and time into multiple things that felt like they fell flat on their face, I was getting a boatload of critical comments and emails, I was discouraged and tired… and I wondered what I was even thinking doing this blogging thing. Should I just quit altogether? Was it even worth it?
I’m not trying to discourage you, I just want to be honest that sometimes, this owning your own business thing isn’t all its cracked up to be. It’s draining. It requires long hours. It involves a lot of setbacks. And it’s easy to get discouraged.
In those moments when I want to throw in the towel, here are 5 questions I ask myself:
It’s incredibly important to have a why for doing what you’re doing. It can’t be to make money — though it’s totally wonderful if that’s one of the results. It’s got to be deeper than that, though.
What is the reason you started? What is your heartbeat behind what you’re doing? What’s your motivating force and passion?
Is it to help people save money? To inspire people to get their lives in better order? To bring hope? Is it to brighten someone’s day or help someone have more purpose in their life?
Whatever it is, write that why down and refer to it often. Tell it to your closest friends and have them remind you of it when you are feeling like nothing you are doing is working.
So often, we think we know what we love. But until we actually dig in and do it for awhile, it’s hard to really know.
I know many bloggers, including myself, thought we were really passionate about a subject or idea. But after months of writing about it over and over again, we lost that passion and spark.
You might love writing, but make sure that the subject you’re writing on and the way you’re writing about it is fueling you instead of completely draining you.
For me, I like to write different kinds of posts on a wide variety of topics. If I always wrote the same kinds of posts and they were all on a very small, niche topic, I’d burn out quickly.
Giving myself permission in recent years to use this blog to write about whatever I’m inspired to write on has breathed new life into my writing. It’s allowed me to exercise new writing muscles, try new writing styles, and refine my writing voice better.
This is a hard one, but it’s important. I’ve tried chasing someone else’s dream before and it crashed and burned.
You see, when I had my first blog and was experimenting with monetizing that blog, I met a family who was making good money (something like $1400 per month) just by having ads on their sidebar.
The topic of their site was something I thought I could write on and, since we really needed the money, I spent a lot of time setting up that site and preparing it to launch. I remember calculating in my head all the money I’d be making from it and how it was going to be such a financial blessing to our family.
There was just one problem: the site never gained any momentum at all. Instead, it fell flat on its face. Why? Because I was chasing someone else’s dream.
Make sure that what you’re pursuing is actually your dream, your ideas, and your passions. Don’t run after the latest ideas and suggestions just because they are working well for someone else.
This is an important question to ask because it’s easy to overlook the good that’s happening and focus solely on the discouraging things… the lack of traffic, the drop in Facebook Likes, the fact that no one is retweeting our posts.
Are there good things happening, too, though? Maybe you’re seeing a slight increase in click-throughs from Pinterest, or some growth in your Facebook Page followers, or you’ve gotten a comment or two this past month.
Look for those positive things, those increases, those upward trends and make sure that you remind yourself of those when you want to be discouraged about other areas that are standing still or decreasing.
It’s also important to remember that there are ebbs and flows in blogging — and in any business.
Even now, we have months when we bring nothing home because all of the income is invested back into the business or into paying business expenses. When those low income months come or when traffic tanks, it’s easy to start getting nervous or stressed.
I have to remind myself that peaks and valleys are all part of running a business. And this is also why it’s important to have a good emergency fund in place for the business and to set aside the bulk of the extra income during those peak months to help offset the valley months.
In addition, it’s important to remember that traffic and income aren’t the only ways to gauge progress. If I’ve learned and grown individually, if my marriage has been strengthened, if I’ve had the opportunity to encourage and bless someone through my blog, if I’ve chosen to be offline in order to invest in people… if my stats are down because life is in a healthier place, that’s more important.
In the last few years, person after person after person has made comments to me like, “Man, it must be so nice to be you!” “It must be so nice to make a full-time income blogging, get invited to speaking gigs, get to travel, have a great team, have a successful blog…”
You fill in the blank, people have probably said it.
And here’s the truth: I’m incredibly grateful and humbled to be where I’m at today. I don’t take it for granted and I know that it is the result of God’s blessing, hard work, and all of you readers who show up here every week and read, comment, buy my books, and tell your friends.
But I want to be frank with you and tell you that this life of running my own successful business, speaking, traveling, having book deals, getting media opportunities, etc. is not always fun and glamorous.
For instance…
The week I recorded my audiobook, I was stuck in this tiny, drafty room in the basement of a house that had been turned into a recording studio. I was having voice problems and we had to break the recording into three days just to be able to get a good enough recording.
It was grueling work and I would go home beat every single night.
People often gush to me about how amazing it must be to get to travel all over the country and how cool it is that I get to see all these historic landmarks and interesting places.
The truth is: I spend most of my time on trips holed up in hotel rooms practicing my talks, getting slides ready, calming my nerves, keeping up with blogging, and missing my family.
I think people often get the impression that I spend my days with full-on makeup doing cool things like filming in front of bright lights and cameras.
The truth is: Most of my days look more like this.
And there are multiple nights per month that are like this where I’m up late after my family goes to bed, no makeup on, hair a mess, yoga pants donned, wearing my neck wrap because my neck aches, pressing through to finish a project for a looming deadline.
And while it’s fun to get to do gigs where you have a makeup artist on set to help you look your best, you never really get to enjoy it because you’re so nervous about whatever is coming next once the makeup artist is done. 🙂
I share these pictures and this reality because I think it’s good to remember that “success” of whatever kind doesn’t come without a lot of sacrifice.
It’s good to become experienced at doing hard things. At pushing forward even when you’re tired. At focusing on the positive even when it feels like there are so many negatives.
This resolve and perseverance is imperative if you want to blog or run your own business or do anything for the long haul.
So those are 5 questions I encourage you to ask yourself, Megan (and anyone else who feels like they are in a similar boat to Megan.) I also encourage you to ask those closest to you to answer these questions about you. I find that honest assessment from those who know me best is highly information and helpful.
In addition to asking yourself those 5 questions, I’d suggest possibly considering doing one or all of these four things:
P.S. Want some step-by-step help to get started making money blogging? Check out this post where I walk you through how do just that. Have a question on blogging or business that you’d love for me to answer in a post? Leave a comment with your question here.
Did you know that all U.S. States offer Free Fishing Days — when you can fish in public bodies of water without a fishing license?
Check to see when your state’s Free Fishing Days in 2015 are at this page here.
Thanks, My Frugal Adventures!
Lori emailed in the following tip:
It’s that time of year again…the tables are loaded, the garage doors are raised, and minivan after minivan begins circling the neighborhood.
Garage Sale Season is here and if you are anything like me, your favorite sales come in clusters — like large neighborhoods. However, if you are also like me, that can mean circling the same houses repeatedly, lost in the twists and turns or caught in the cul-de-sacs.
One of the most frustrating aspects of shopping large neighborhood sales is not being familiar with the area; therefore, not having a clue which way to turn when approaching the next intersection. You simply cannot remember whether you have already been down that street or not, until you slow down at the next sale to discover you’ve passed that Party Sized Palm Tree sitting by the curb three times already!
Today, however, that all changed for me. With the free “Map My Run” App downloaded to my phone, not only do I know where I’ve been, I can also see where I have yet to be! The app traces the route that I travel as I wind my way through the twisting and turning streets. As I approach an intersection, I have only to stop and check the “map” shown on the app to know whether to turn right or left.
No more circling endlessly, wondering if I have covered all the different sales being offered in an addition. By seeing that I have traveled each of the streets, I know I have “seen” all the sales available. This saved me so much time (and gas!) since I wasn’t backtracking or spending time circling the same section multiple times due to not being certain which street to take to get “out” to a main road. -Lori
Since I was under-budget last week, I decided to go ahead and take advantage of a decent sale on ground beef this week. I try to stretch ground beef as much as possible (or mix it with turkey), so this will probably last us for around 6 weeks. I also couldn’t pass up buying more cheese for that price. 🙂
1 2-lb bag Lemons – $2.49
1 3-lb bag Oranges – $2.99
1 head Cabbage – $1.29
1 head Cauliflower – $1.99
1 12-oz jar Almond Butter – $5.49
1 bag Kale – $1.99
1 20-oz pkg Zucchini – $1.99
1 3-lb bag Fuji Apples – $2.99, plus receive $0.25 back from Checkout 51 – $2.74
1 3-ct pkgs Romaine Hearts – $3.98
3 14.75oz cans Salmon – $6.87
2 dozen Eggs – $2.78
1 bag Mini Sweet Peppers – $1.69
1 1-lb bag Tilapia Fillets – $3.49
1 8-oz can Cocoa – $2.19
1 3-ct bag Avocados – $1.99
1 18-oz box Corn Flakes – $1.49
1 24-oz container Cottage Cheese – $2.29
1 8-oz can Baking Powder – $0.99
Total after Rebate: $48.73
1 Peter Pan Peanut Butter – $1.27
4 boxes Horizon Macaroni and Cheese – $5.00, used 2 $0.75/2 printable (doubled) – $2.00/4 after coupons
8.14lbs of Ground Beef ($2.99/lb) – $24.34
2 Softsoap Liquid Handsoap – $2.00
1 Colgate Enamel Health Toothpaste – $2.00, used $2/1 Colgate Optic White Express White, Optic White Platinum or Enamel Heath Toothpaste, exp. 5/9/15 (SS 04/26/15) – FREE after coupon
2 2-lb bags Carrots – $1.94
1 bag Simply Potatoes Hash Browns – $1.64, used $0.50/1 Simply Potatoes Hash Browns, exp. 05/23/15 (SS 03/29/15 R) – $0.64 after coupon
2 16-oz containers Friendship Cottage Cheese – $3.98, used 2 $0.55/1 printable (doubled) – $1.88/2 after coupons
2 16-oz packs Harris Teeter Bacon – $4.99
5 8-oz bags assorted Shredded Cheese – $6.50
1 gallon milk – $2.99
3 bags frozen Vegetables – $3.00
used $10/50 Publix Coupon (Competitor)
Total $38.84
Weekly Menu Plan
Breakfasts
Oatmeal with Strawberries (from the freezer) x 2
Smoothies (using frozen fruit and cottage cheese – sounds weird, but tastes great!), Toasted Easy Whole Wheat Bread x 2
Cereal x 2
Veggie Omelettes
Lunches
Macaroni and Cheese, Apples, Carrots x 2
Build-Your-Own-Tossed-Salad (salad greens, veggies, shredded cheese, sunflower seeds, hard boiled eggs, salmon) x 2
Peanut Butter and Honey Sandwiches, Oranges, Fresh Veggies with Dip
Leftovers x 2
Dinners
Lasagna Casserole, Tossed Salad, Easy Italian Breadsticks
Chinese Chicken Stir-Fry, Rice, Oranges
Breakfast for Dinner: Fluffy Pancakes, Scrambled Eggs, Bacon
Pan Fried Tilapia, Grilled Vegetables (cauliflower, peppers, zucchini), Grilled Three Cheese Potatoes
Meat Potato Quiche (using ham from the freezer), Broccoli, Easy Whole Wheat Bread (I will make a double batch of this to use for breakfasts too)
Leftovers x 2
Our friends at Blogelina contacted me tonight to let me know what they have some paid work-at-home internship positions available. Here’s what they say about this opportunity:
Here at Blogelina, we’re excited to be adding to our team again! We’re looking for a couple of motivated, organized, savvy people to work with us in providing top WordPress support and services to our readers and clients.
Our WordPress Tech positions will start on a trial basis at 10 hours/wk. – for 1 month. At the end of the month, there could be potential to increase your hours if you would like to! Our internship compensation is $10/hr.
The Tasks We’re Looking For Help With Are:
- Basic WordPress Setups
- Blogger To WordPress Transfers
- Basic WordPress Design Tweaks
- Offering Amazing Customer Service To Our Clients
Requirements:
- Some Experience with WordPress.org
- Familiar with Domains/Hosting
- Preference Given To Those With Some Experience with html and css coding
- Preference Given to Those Familiar with Studiopress themes
Think You’d Be A Good Fit?
While we definitely plan on offering some on-the-job training, please be sure to review our requirements above before applying. Complete the following form and we’ll be in touch with you if you’re a candidate!
The Process
We’ll select the top candidates from the entries we receive. We’ll let you know you’ve been selected – and we might ask you a few more questions. Then we have a small challenge for each of the chosen candidates to narrow the results down to our final hires.
Want to visit Legoland in San Diego? Don’t want to spend a lot of money? Check out these tried and true tips for enjoying Legoland on a budget from Jessica over at Life as Mom.
Recently, I wrote a post on 6 Things Our Family Has Chosen to Splurge On. This post was one of the most-read posts I’ve shared the past few months and many of you asked if I could do a follow-up post listing things we don’t spend money on.
So, today I present you with the flipside post — 6 things we rarely spend money on:
I’m constantly asked how we save money on kid’s clothes and, to be honest, this is an area where we keep things really simple. My kids could care less about brand names right now.
They do have their own unique styles, but they willingly wear pretty much whatever I find for them on used clothing sites or through online deals. In fact, I can’t remember them really ever complaining about not having certain kinds of clothes.
It probably helps that we homeschool (i.e. they don’t feel left out or less than that they don’t have whatever is the current “hit item” or “hot must-have” item that everyone at school is wearing/talking about). I think it also helps that Jesse and I both are really simplistic when it comes to clothes and we wear the same things over and over again. So they pretty much follow suit.
{A few of Kaitlynn’s favorite pieces from our free Schoola order!}
So the truth is: in the past two years, we’ve gotten most of our kid’s clothes used from Thred Up and Schoola using credit that I’ve earned by sharing deals here.
You might be thinking that that’s not really fair since I do have a blog that a lot of people read and you don’t have a blog. Well, I bet you have some mom friends who would be excited about the current deal from Schoola where they can get $15 in FREE credit + FREE shipping just by signing up.
Sign up and share your referral link with friends and they can get free clothes shipped for free and you can get $15 in free credit for every person who signs up and orders! Score!
We also sometimes use our Amazon gift cards earned through Swagbucks to supplement kid’s clothes purchases — especially if I’m not able to find the right size, etc. on ThredUp or Schoola.
Other than tortilla chips and Greek yogurt or yogurt tubes, we buy very little other prepared snack food. Instead, we usually make our own snack foods.
Some of our favorite quick and easy snacks are cheese quesadillas, popcorn, Energy Bites, hardboiled eggs, and fruit. I also try to have at least a few snack items pre-made and frozen all the time — whether that’s muffins, Banana Bread, burritos, cookies, or Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches.
We save a lot of money by eating mostly homemade snack foods. And as a side benefit, homemade is almost always healthier, too.
Confession time: We almost never get professional photos taken. I know, I know, that probably makes me a “bad mom” by some people’s standards, but it’s just never been a priority to us.
We do take lots of pictures and I try to document our daily lives on this blog, on Instagram, and on pictures I save on my computer. I prefer the real-life pictures that show some of the mess and chaos over staged pictures in a studio.
The few times we’ve gotten professional pictures done, it’s been so. much. work to get everyone looking presentable and smiling in pictures. The whole experience felt exhausting.
Plus, I’ve not really been too happy with the final results. So, for now, I’m just happy to mostly stick with taking pictures on my own camera and phone.
We budget for eating out once a week — which is definitely a luxury but something that we really enjoy. However, it’s usually an inexpensive meal at Chili’s, Chipotle, Cracker Barrel, or Chick-fil-A.
I can’t think of a time when we’ve taken the kids to a fancy restaurant and Jesse and I usually only going to a nice restaurant maybe once or twice a year, if that.
I’d rather stretch our eating out money as far as possible, instead of spending it all on one dinner every other month. 🙂
Going to the theater to see a movie is also a very rare occurrence in our family. I’d say we probably take the kids to 1-2 movies per year and Jesse and I probably go see one ourselves maybe once a year.
Some of the reason is that it’s expensive, some of the reason is that Jesse and I don’t get babysitters very often, and some of the reason is that we’re so picky about movies that it’s hard to find a movie we think would be worth seeing in the theaters.
Plus, while I love good movies, I usually find it more relaxing to enjoy them all snuggled up together on our L-shaped couch with blankets and popcorn. And when it cost us pretty much zero out of pocket to do so (thanks to free Redbox codes, free Amazon Prime movies, and other shows that are available free online), it just always seems like a better option than going to the theater.
The last movie I saw in the theater was Unbroken and that one was definitely worth paying to see in the theater.
You all know how minimalistic I am at heart and how much I just plain don’t care when it comes to furniture and decor. I mean, I like clean and uncluttered and I like fresh flowers, but other than that, I care much more about functionality and practicality than I do about how nice something looks.
So over the years, we’ve spent very, very little on home furnishings. The majority of our furnishings have come from Craigslist or have been given to us.
We have kids and we live here all day, every day, so wear and tear is inevitable. Because we’ve paid very little out of pocket for most of our furnishings, I don’t have to worry about something getting ruined or stained or ripped or nicked.
What about YOUR family? What are some things you rarely spend money on? I’d love to hear your list!
Guest post from Asheritah of OneThingAlone.com
You’ll find plenty of great Mother’s Day ideas online, but so many of them require either a hefty sum of money or a complicated project that often results in glue gun scars, broken nails, or Pinterest fails.
If you’re looking for a thoughtful gift for your mom, your friend, or a subtle hint to drop your spouse, here are 5 gift ideas that won’t break the bank (or a nail):
It’s always good to be reminded of the good times on hard days. Pick special photos and put them to use. Place a photo in a larger frame with matting to look extra special. Make photo tile coasters or coffee mugs.
If you’re like me and can’t seem to find special photos (because you avoid the camera whenever possible), try to sneak in a picture together before Mother’s Day or find one on her Facebook page.
Pack a simple dinner in a picnic basket and give it to your friend (with an offer to babysit her kids, if applicable) for a surprising done-for-you date.
After days or weeks of constant mommy duty, what a relief to relax and not have to worry about dinner or the kids.
Here are some fun picnic basket ideas to get you started.
Write your favorite quotes or Bible verses on little cards and give them as a practical but encouraging gift. This is a give a mom friend the pep talk she needs to keep going.
Sometimes all a mama needs is five minutes to shut her eyes, lean back, and have a friend ease the tension from her shoulders.
Your friendship level will determine whether it’s a good idea to offer this or not, but if you don’t think it would be well-received, a 30-minute professional massage, while more expensive, will rarely be turned down.
When all else fails, a box of fine chocolates may hit the spot. You can make these easy chocolate truffles or cake balls (keeping some for yourself, of course), or pick up a box at your grocery store.
Whatever you gift you choose, remember it’s the thought that counts.
Your Mom and girlfriends will be pleasantly surprised that you remembered and made time to say, “You’re special to me.”
Asheritah helps overwhelmed women find joy in Jesus on her blog and through her books & art. She welcomes old and new friends to OneThingAlone.com to share a cup of tea and together pursue a relationship with Jesus. Also, she offers ready-to-print Scripture cards that might make a great Mother’s Day gift idea.
Target Shopping TripTransaction #1
3 Maybelline Mascara – $3.99 each (Buy 3, Get $5 Target gift card)
Used 3 $2/1 printableTotal after coupons: $5.97, Received $5 Target gift card
Transaction #2
2 pkgs Pull-Ups – $8.99 each
Used 2 $2/1 Target printable
And used 2 $2/1 printable
And used 5% off Cartwheel couponUsed $5 gift card from transaction #1
Total after coupons and gift card: $4.28
Total for both transactions before coupons and gift card: $29.95
Total for both transactions after coupons and gift card: $10.25
I was doing a phone interview for a magazine yesterday and the interviewer asked me how to save money kid’s toys. I get that question a lot and it’s hard to know how to answer.
Because the truth is: we don’t really have many toys at our house.
When our first daughter, Kathrynne, was a baby and a toddler, we lived in a little basement apartment, so there wasn’t room for many toys. We had a little basket of toys she’d been given from grandparents and friends and that was it.
After our second daughter, Kaitlynn, was born, we continued to just stick with the small basket of toys. It was somewhat due to my minimalist nature, somewhat due to the fact that we didn’t have money to buy toys, and somewhat due to the fact that our girls seemed to find plenty to do without many toys.
I thought that might change as they got older, but even with adding our third child to the mix, it never changed. And so, our kids are now 10, almost 8, and almost 6, and we have very few toys at our house.
I never really realize we don’t have many toys at our house except for when we have guests over who have little children. They’ll ask where the toy room is or where the toys are and I’m not sure how to answer. Because it’s not that we are anti-toys; it’s just not been something my kids have been all that interested in.
Yes, we do have a few toys: we have outdoor toys (like balls, bats, rollerblades, rip sticks, and bikes), we have board games and card games, we have LEGOs, we have a few stuffed animals that are special to our kids, and we have lots of arts and craft supplies. But other than maybe a few odds and ends here and there in the kids’ room, we don’t really have many other toys.
No one in our house seems to miss the lack of toys. Our kids are constantly on the go: creating art, engineering new LEGO puzzle boxes, helping cook in the kitchen, reading, playing games, listening to audiobooks, teasing each other, playing with the neighbors, making up contests and competitions, challenging each other to learn new tricks on the rip stick or trampoline, practicing their sports techniques, exercising… they rarely lack for ideas and inspiration.
After I got off the phone with the interviewer yesterday, I started thinking about how glad I am that we chose to keep things simple from the get-go, because it’s really benefited our whole family to not have many toys.
Here are 5 reasons why not having many toys has benefited our family:
Not having a lot of toys has encouraged our children to become more creative.
Kaitlynn is constantly working on new arts and crafts projects — whether that’s painting or a DIY recipe for lip gloss or practicing her sewing skills or writing notes to other people. Almost every day, it’s a new idea and she’ll often spend a few hours creating and tweaking and experimenting. I love to see what she comes up with — and how she never lacks for ideas using what we already have on hand.
Kathrynne is continually working on building and dreaming up new LEGO Puzzle Box designs. She loves to watch videos on YouTube of Puzzle Boxes that others create and then she takes their ideas and tweaks them to be her own. She’s also currently working on some long-term business ideas and is studying, experimenting, learning from other people, and developing skills to help her with these business ideas.
Silas loves to help me in the kitchen and work on math skills (he will do lessons and lessons of math in a day — just for fun!) He also loves to make simple LEGO creations.
Not having many toys not only means we don’t have to mess with figuring out toy storage solutions, but we also don’t have to spend as much time cleaning up — since there really aren’t any toys to clean up.In addition, we have more room since we don’t have to have a closet or area devoted to housing toys. Plus, we don’t have to worry about missing pieces, broken parts, and battery replacement.
One thing we’ve noticed is that when there aren’t many toy options, our kids will play with the same item over and over again — using it in many different ways.
For instance, a simple box could serve as a counter for their “store”. The next day, it’s a car. The next day, they’ll cut windows in it and decorate it and make it into a house for their stuffed animals.
I’ve also noticed that, because there aren’t a lot of toys to choose from, it seems to help them focus on a project or idea for a long time without being distracted.
Now, let me be clear, we still have discontentment issues going on at our house. But I feel like fewer toys seems to lend itself to fewer requests from kids to upgrade to something new or have something that their friends or the neighbor kids have.
It also helps that we encourage our kids to earn money by doing Paid Chores and then they are able to spend that money on fun things — usually more LEGOs, arts and craft supplies, or something similar.
Because there are few toys and a lot of room for creativity, our kids are constantly learning new things — new craft skills, reading new books, learning how to play new games, studying subjects that interest them… every week, they are trying new things and learning new things.
All three kids also love to discuss and scheme entrepreneurial ideas — and then to have us poke holes in their business plans (kind of Shark Tank style). Yes, we may be weird, but we all LOVE this kind of stuff. Writing business plans, calculating profits and losses, and analyzing how to make an idea more profitable are all part of our regular conversations.
One of my greatest hopes as a parent is that I’ll raise lifelong learners. Kids who are curious about life, constantly want to challenge their minds, and see all of life as their classroom. I think having fewer toys has really helped encourage this in them so far. And I’m so grateful!
Note: Please know that I’m not advocating that every family needs to do what we’ve done. Maybe having lots of toys has been a great thing for your family. I can’t say what will work for you, I’m only sharing what we’ve done, why we’ve chosen to do it, and why I’m glad we have. As always, do what works for you!
CVS Shopping Trip
I had ECBs that were expiring and I wanted to use them up before my CVS wouldn’t take them. This wasn’t my best shopping trip to CVS but I was happy to come away with at least $5 ECBs for next time. 🙂
3 Colgate Mouthwash – $3.79 each (Buy $10, Get $5 ECBs)
Used 2 $2/1 coupon from the 4/12 SmartSource insert (I only had 2 of these.)2 Emerald Trail Mix – $1 each (Only one of these made it into the picture.)
Used 2 $0.50/1 printableUsed $7 ECBs from previous shopping trip
Total with tax ($1.09): $2.46, Received $5 ECBs
A testimony from Reelika
Having a baby is always a miracle and a real blessing for entire family. But with all this excitement, huge lists of medical and delivery expenses come, as well.
I was in a hospital already three days before my son was born. I always knew I wanted to have a private family room and not to share the room with three other women and their babies — yes, this is how it is here in Northern Europe. The shared room is covered by health insurance, but the private one is not.
I never knew I’d have to stay in a hospital that long. But due to an emergency c-section it totaled up to a week and the cost of a room was calculated based on the number of days I stayed there.
The total cost of staying one week in a delivery room was almost my full monthly salary. But I paid it fully in cash!
Here is how I did it:
Although I had saved a lot, the delivery room still cost more than I estimated. But since I stayed in a hospital longer due to the emergency c-section, I treated the situation as an emergency as well.
I decided to pull 15% of the delivery costs from my emergency fund and pay the remaining 85% with my savings. Just like that, my delivery and one-week stay at the hospital were paid off with cash!
Reelika is a working mom, entrepreneur, Christian, philanthropist at heart, financial management lover, travel enthusiast, and baking fanatic. She blogs at Financially Wise On Heels about personal finance and entrepreneurship.
Have you saved up and paid cash for something — large or small? Submit your story for possible publication here.
The past few days, I’ve talked about the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle and told you about some of the resources and why I think it would be beneficial for your family.
Some of you have been hesitant about purchasing and you’ve emailed in or commented with questions. It makes me so happy that you are carefully considering your purchasing and not just jumping in and buying something because it seems like a good deal.
I am here to help you spend your money in the wisest manner possible. I turn down many opportunities on a daily basis to promote things because I only want to promote the best of the best here.
If you are not in a financial place to purchase the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle, will you do me a huge favor and just skip this post? The last thing I want to do is to encourage you to buy something that you can’t afford.
For the rest of you, though, I want you to carefully consider whether purchasing the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle is a good deal for you.
As I told you earlier this week, I am very careful about what I promote here and turn down thousands and thousands of dollars in paid opportunities each year because I want to pick and choose only the very best stuff to promote here. And I believe with all my heart that the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle is worthy of being on my “very best stuff” list.
I want to share 9 reasons why I can rubber-stamp this deal and stand behind it:
Most people think that feeding your family healthfully is going to mean you have to majorly increase your grocery bill. But that doesn’t have to be the case. With resources like the Frugal Real Food Meal Plans, Happy Mom, Healthy Family Meal Planning Workshop + Cookbook, and Grocery University, you’ll learn practical ways to feed your family well — without breaking the bank!
Value: These resources by themselves are regularly priced at more than the cost of the entire bundle. So even if these are the only three books you read/courses you take, it will have been worth buying the bundle. Plus, the tricks and tips you learn for saving money on wholesome food will likely end up paying for the bundle in savings over and over again!
I feel like there’s so much value in constantly learned and growing as a person. I don’t ever want to become stagnant. And that’s why I’m always trying new things, reading new books, and attempting to learn new skills.
So, I have to be honest: One of the things I was most excited about when it came to this bundle was the FREE Craftsy Class of your choice — up to an $80 value! There are classes on Cake Decorating, Food & Cooking, Gardening, Knitting, Paper Crafts, Photography, Sewing, and much more.
I ordered one of the digital photography classes as this is an area I really want to improve in. I have glanced through the online class and been very impressed with what I see so far and I can’t WAIT to dive into it.
Value: With the Craftsy class, you can learn a new skill or improve in a skill you already know — from the comfort of your own home on your own time table. You might end up turning this skill into a part-time business or just use it as a way to bless others or refuel your own tank. Whatever you end up doing with the skills you learn from the online class, I have to say that I think this is one of the best bonus offers of this bundle!
Do you want to help your family eat better and feel better but you’re just overwhelmed by all of the information out there? The Ultimate Homemaking Bundle comes with hands-on help ebooks like the Your Grace-Filled Journey to Real Food, Supermarket Ninjas, and Supercharged Food for Kids.
Value: These 3 resources mentioned are (again!) worth more separately than you’ll pay for the entire bundle. And the money you could potentially save on doctor’s visits and medication could be substantial. But not only that, think of the gift you’ll be giving your family by helping them live healthier lives!
Do you wish you could find a to follow through with all your great intentions when it comes to exercise and taking care of yourself? The Homemaking Bundle comes with a FREE $80 credit to the online Healthy Moving Class — a class designed to help you restore your natural physical alignment and take better care of yourself.
But that’s not all! It also comes with two high-value courses — The Healthy Home (a $95 value) and A Parent’s Guide to Natural Remedies (a $99 value). Both of these courses will help you find ways to have healthier homes and healthier lives.
Value: These two natural living courses and the Healthy Moving Online Class are regularly priced at $260 total — that’s almost a tenth of the cost of the entire bundle! So even if you only use one of these three things and that is the only resource from the entire bundle that you use, it will be worth paying $29.97 just for that one resource!
Wish you could have some hands-on help to cut your budget and put more money in savings? Help is here! The Ultimate Homemaking Bundle offers multiple books and courses, including the 21 Day Savings Challenge, Become a Frugalista: Money-Saving Secrets for the Frugal Family Manager, Build a Budget that Works, and How To Save Money: A 21-Day Challenge To Save $500/Month that will walk you step-by-step though how to use your finances more wisely and put more money in the bank.
Value: Spend $29.97 to learn how to save a few hundred dollars per month? That’s what I call a deal! {Note: some of you really amazing frugal folks might already be doing everything outlined in these books… if so, you can always request a full refund — see below.}
I receive many emails from women wanting to find a way to earn an income from home. I also receive many emails from moms who have a home business and are struggling with figuring out how to juggle everything.
The good news? This course has ebooks to help you with both. How to Blog for Profit (Without Selling Your Soul) is one of the BEST blogging books out there and I can’t recommend it highly enough, How to be a Work at Home Mom will give you some very practical ideas on how to set up a successful business, and How She Does It will help you figure out how to actually balance and juggle working, homemaking, and being a wife and mom.
Value: These three resources may be some of the most valuable resources in the whole bundle. Why? Because they might teach you ways to earn 5-10 times what you spent on the bundle — every. single. month. Now that’s what I call a good return on your investment!
One of my very favorite things about the Healthy Living Bundle is that you are allowed to gift any resources or bonuses you don’t plan on using or reading. Yes, you read that right! So if you only are interested in 10 of the ebooks, 2 of the courses, and 2 of the bonuses, you can give all the others away!
You could use these as gifts for a friend’s birthday or an upcoming special occasion. You could split them up as gifts for multiple friends. Or, you could just share them as a way to bless someone who is interested in healthy living.
The bonuses would especially make great gifts! When you purchase the bundle, you’ll get a FREE $15 Credit to Hope Ink PLUS 2 FREE 8×10 Art Prints, a FREE Kids Discovery Box from Green Kid Crafts (note: this is a subscription offer so you’ll need to cancel after you receive the first shipment!), a FREE Stylish Spring Scarf from Deborah & Co., and a FREE book of your choice from Tyndale Rewards.
Value: If you used three of the bonuses/ebooks as gifts for friends for upcoming occasions, that could pay for the cost of the bundle itself — because you wouldn’t need to spend any money (but the cost of shipping) on gifts for those three occasions!
If you are looking for recipes, encouragement, or inspiration for how to cook, bake, freezer cook, and menu plan when you have food allergies or you’d just love some menu-planning inspiration, this bundle is bursting with help!
You’ll find a plethora of ideas in the ebooks like No Cook Freezer Meals, Gluten Free & Grain Free Breads, Batters, and Doughs, The Healthy Breakfast Book, Treat Yourself: Real Food Desserts, 7 Simple Steps to Better Grain-Free Baking, Gluten Free Aldi Meal Plan, and more!
Plus, this bundle comes with a FREE 90-day subscription to the She Plans Dinner Menu Planning service.
Value: You won’t have to scratch your head and throw up your hands in despair wondering what you’re going to cook or bake. These ebooks will come alongside you and help you to feel like you can do this! You’ll find new recipes to cook, freezer meals to make, and lots of tried and true gluten-free recipes!
If you are still sitting on the fence right now wondering whether or not you should take the plunge and buy the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle, here’s why you should: it’s a risk-free purchase.
That’s right! There’s a 100% money-back guarantee on it for up to 30 days! So if you purchase it and then decide it’s not as helpful as you’d hoped or that it’s not worth the price you paid, you can get a full refund — no questions asked.
P.S. Remember, this offer ends tonight (April 27, 2015) at midnight! Get it while you can!
