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Money Saving Mom

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Shared Oct 3, 2015 comment

Gretchen’s $59 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan

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Gretchen’s $59 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

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Homeland

2 pkg Oscar Meyer Turkey Dogs – $1.50 each, used $0.75/2 printable (doubled) – $0.75 each after coupon

1 C&H Pourable Brown Sugar – $2.29, used $0.75/1 coupon from the 9/13 RedPlum insert (doubled) – $0.79 after coupon

1 International Delight Creamer – $2.39, used $1/1 printable (doubled) – $0.39 after coupon

1 Kraft String Cheese – $2.99

4 Kraft Shredded Cheese – $1.99 each, use $1/2 mailer coupon (doubled) and $0.50/2 printable (doubled) – $1.24 each after coupons

2 Land O Lakes Butter – $2.50 each

2.11 lbs Bananas – $0.82, use $0.25 Checkout 51 rebate – $0.57 after rebate

1.85 lbs Apples – $1.83

2.48 lbs Grapes – $3.67

Total after coupons and sales: $21.95

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Dillons

1 Kroger Old Fashioned Oats – $1.50

2 Thomas Cinnamon Raisin Bagels – $1.99 each, used $1/2 printable – $1.49 each after coupon

1 bag Boulder Chips – Marked down to $0.89, used $0.20 Ibotta rebate – $0.79 after rebate

1 dozen Dillons Eggs – $3.23

1 loaf Nature’s Harvest – $2.50

1 Romaine Lettuce – $0.99, used $0.20 Ibottta rebate – $0.79 after rebate

1 Kroger Half & Half – $1.59

0.66 lbs Roma Tomatoes – $0.65

1 bag Organic Carrots – $1.69

1 Kroger Frozen Orange Juice – $1.59

1 pkg Pork Chops – Marked down to $5.05

1 Kroger Oatmeal – Marked down to $0.79

1 Farmland Bacon – $2.99

1 Kroger Sour Cream – $2

1 Kroger Cottage Cheese – $2

1 gallon Dillons Milk – $2.89, used $0.20 Ibotta rebate – $2.69 after rebate

1 Horizon Yogurt – Marked down to $1.79

1 bag Green Peppers – Marked down to $0.99

1 Kroger Cream Cheese – $1.79

Total after coupons and sales: $37.40

Total for both stores: $59.35

Menu Plan for This Week

Breakfasts

Cereal x 3

Toast & Eggs x 2

Oatmeal & Juice x 2

Lunches

Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches, Chips, Veggies x 2

Tuna Sandwiches, Fruit

Cheese, Crackers, Fruit, Veggies x 2

Hot Dogs, Veggies

Salad Bar

Dinners

Pork Chops, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, Rolls

Chicken Nuggets (from freezer), Tossed Salad

Baked Potatoes & Cottage Cheese, Broccoli (from freezer)

Pancakes, Eggs, Bacon

Bean Burritos, Steamed Peas

Leftovers

Out to eat

Money Saving Mom
Shared Oct 3, 2015 comment

Our First Day in South Africa… not at all what I expected!

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Our First Day in South Africa… not at all what I expected!

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Our First Day in South Africa... Not What I Expected!

Someone snapped this photo on the first day of our trip to South Africa and it aptly depicts how I was feeling when I got up.

It had been a hard morning…

  • I lost my really important bag with my medicine, supplements, glasses, and contacts at the airport. (They never found it and we can’t figure how or where it disappeared.)
  • I had been up for a few hours in the middle of the night with very cranky, jet-lagged kids.
  • I had tried to blow dry my hair and burned up the motor my blow dryer + flipped the breaker to a bunch of outlets.
  • I was tired, couldn’t see (because of not having contacts), and my head was throbbing because I didn’t have my allergy meds.

We finally all got out the door to our first destination and then Silas threw up.

Honestly, I was trying so hard to choose joy, but wondering if maybe we’d made a big mistake in coming to South Africa. I was so excited to be here, but it felt like everything was falling apart at the seams.

I decided that instead of being frustrated over things I couldn’t change or fix, I instead was just going to trust God and rest that He was going before me in this. And it was beautiful to see how the day ended up being so much better than I could have ever imagined!

Our First Day in South Africa

This was our first stop of the day. This picture might not look like much to you, but I could barely hold back tears when I walked into this workshop.

You see, when I was in South Africa in January, we had many discussions about the possibilities of helping the locals learn more marketable skills (most can’t think of jobs outside of being domestic workers or security guards or gardeners).

It was just a dream in January, now they have a real live work-working workshop, suppliers, trainees, and customers!!

And they have big, big visions of how this small operation might someday be a big scale operation making a huge difference in the lives of this very needy community!!

(This photo was taken just moments after Silas threw up all over the floor of this new workshop. Poor little guy!! Gratefully, we had plenty of wipes on hand + the South African equivalent of Gatorade and it wasn’t long before he was feeling as good as new! We think the time change and new foods just made his stomach out of sorts.)

Our First Day in South Africa

This is Peet. He is spear-heading the new wood-working shop. I wanted to stay and talk to him all day long!

I was so inspired and challenged by his passion, compassion, and vision. This wood-working shop is located in a very poor area of South Africa (Hammanskraal) and the long-term goal is to train and equip young entrepreneurs and provide a desperately-needed source of income for this community.

I wish you could have met Pete! He not only wants to teach South Africans craftsmanship, but he wants to help them develop a strong work ethic, a commitment to excellence, and an entrepreneurial spirit — three things that are not commonly taught or exemplified to the young people in this area.

As we left the shop, Pete handed me this beautiful tray that he had made especially for me. I was touched beyond words and cannot wait to display this new piece of South Africa in our home. It will serve as a constant reminder to me to pray for Pete and his family for God to richly bless their self-sacrificial efforts to make an impact in this community.

Next we went to Reagoboka. I’ll write a separate post about this whole experience after I get home because I don’t have enough wi-fi or time here to upload all the photos and write everything out right now, but suffice it to say, it was an absolutely incredible experience.

Our First Day in South Africa

There are no words to adequately describe the emotion that this picture and standing here invokes.

In January, we visited this center and I saw how all of these children were being taught out of a tiny little classroom. (They would rotate classes — one class at a time — in order to accommodate all of the children with the little space they had.)

The local chief had given them land for a new building and they had building plans, but there was no money, since every penny (rand) that this center receives from government grants goes to provide food and basic necessities for these children and the running of the center.

Each of you who bought a copy of Make Over Your Mornings the day it launched helped pay for the bricks and the concrete and the local labor and the classroom supplies to build this brand-new two-room classroom!!! And we got to unveil it to the teachers and children this week.

It. Was. Amazing!!! To think that all of us together are having a little part in making a BIG difference in this community of very vulnerable children — it’s surreal, humbling, and goose-bump-inducing.

THANK YOU for partnering with me to be the hands and feet of Jesus on this project!!! I wish you could have been there to share in the excitement and see and hear the gratitude they expressed to us.

Also, y’all: I’m just so madly in love with this country that my heart just might burst. The needs are so great, but there is so much hope and so many amazing opportunities for us to make a difference!

Our First Day in South Africa

This photo was my favorite from the first day.

My boy, Silas, was very nervous about this trip. He doesn’t do new or change or different very well. He’s shy. He introverted. And he would usually prefer to be right next to his mama when we’re in unfamiliar situations.

So when I looked over and saw this, my mama heart just about broke in two. These boys put their arms around Silas, held hands with him, and embraced him — like they knew he was awkward and shy and they wanted to make sure he felt welcome and one of them. It was beyond beautiful.

By the way, Lisa-Jo’s parents, whom we were staying with that night, were so, so amazing to not only help me track down contacts from an eye doctor here, but also the meds I needed (that was an interesting experience — Googling, talking to the pharmacist at the drug store, and having our pharmacist and doctor friends here help us figure out what would be comparable to what). I am so grateful — and it was so amazing to see the different ways that God provided so that I could get what I needed so I could function well on this trip!

Money Saving Mom
Shared Oct 2, 2015 comment

5 Tips on How to Love a Spender

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5 Tips on How to Love a Spender

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tips to love a spender

Guest post from Reelika of Financially Wise On Heels

Having a good relationship and communication with your partner is the key for a good life. Unfortunately, statistics show that many people get divorced due to financial issues. One of the problems may be that one person is a spender and the other is a saver.

If you and your significant other are at odds when it comes to financial issues, these 5 tips can help you better understand each other — and learn to love the spender in your life!

1. Listen, Share, and Communicate

Spenders think differently about money, saving, and spending. They are more impulsive and don’t consider the differences between “wants” and “needs”.

However, before you speak, listen carefully to what the spender has to share. Don’t get emotional, but instead, share your thoughts and find the mutual language. Don’t brag about how much you always save and don’t be judgmental.

2. Understand the Spender’s Background and the “Why”

How did the spender grow up? What were their family’s saving and spending habits? What are the real “whys” he or she wants to spend so much?

Maybe it is a relief of stress, or finally having the opportunity to buy something? Spenders just love spending, no matter what the cost is. It can be frustrating, but always look for the real “why”.

3. Create a Family Budget Plan Together

Having a family budget plan is crucial… and having the main spender involved is even more important. Create a plan together and discuss any splurges with the purpose of finding a solution.

Create a separate section for “free spending,” so it becomes part of your budget plan already… and determine the amount that you are both able to spend without breaking your budget.

This relieves the stress for both of you as the spender can enjoy spending, and it is already part of your family’s expenses.

4. Have Regular Family Meetings

Regular family meetings to discuss family finances can be very helpful. Don’t only discuss spending, but also the possibilities for increasing the number of income streams.

Make sure you don’t have the meeting after stressful day at work. This is never a good idea. Rather pick a weekend when you are not tired or rushing anywhere. It is important to make it a regular habit, otherwise the results are often only short term.

5. Balance Spending with Frugal Hacks

Spending and shopping are not necessarily bad habits. However, spending should be balanced with frugal hacks and/or savings.

One way to do it is to create a separate cash cushion for emergencies that potentially come up due to spending habits. Additionally, you should also consider cutting back on other items so the spender won’t feel stressed about his or her spending.

Being responsible with finances is very important.

Following these five tips should help you find understanding and compromise with the spender in your life. Just remember to make plans and decisions together that are comfortable for BOTH of you.

How do you better understand spenders? Or if you are spender, how can others better understand you?

Reelika is an entrepreneur and the founder of Financially Wise On Heels. She is a happy wife and mom, Christian, financial management lover, and passionate about coaching. She provides inspiration, tools and resources to Moms to better plan, budget and manage their finances without sacrificing the needs and dreams of their families.

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Shared Oct 2, 2015 comment

Brigette’s $51 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan for 6

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Brigette’s $51 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan for 6

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We had a wonderful time with family and friends in Branson this past week (it’s always an adventure travelling with 4 young children)! We’ve managed to get back into some sort of schedule that involved grocery shopping and menu planning – so that’s always good. 🙂 I am trying to use up some of the produce from the freezer this next week to make room for about 60 lbs of venison from the deer my husband shot (yay for hunting season and free meat!).

Aldi

1 32-oz jar Unsweetened Applesauce – $1.89

1 large box Corn Flakes – $1.49

1 bunch Bananas (1.95lbs @ 0.38/lb) – $0.74

1 3-lb bag Sweet Potatoes – $1.47

1 4-ct pkg Tomat0es – $1.49

1 2-lb bag Sweet Onions – $0.98

2 16-oz cartons Egg Whites – $5.18

1 3-ct pkg Romaine Hearts – $1.99

1 32-oz container Half and Half – $1.89

1 3-ct pkg Green Peppers – $1.19

2 16-oz cans Pumpkin – $1.78

1 head Cabbage – $1.29

2 cans Green Beans – $0.98

Total: $22.26

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Harris Teeter

10 8-oz bags assorted Shredded Cheese – $12.00

1 pkg Chicken Quarters (8.01lbs @ $0.69/lb) – $5.53

1 bag Red Seedless Grapes (2.32lbs @ $0.88/lb) – $2.04

6 boxes Horizon Organic Macaroni and Cheese – $6.00 (used a rain check) , used 3 $0.75/2 printable (doubled) – $1.50/5 after coupons

2 pkgs Mueller’s Pasta – $1.67, used 2 $0.55/1 printable (doubled) – FREE after coupons

2 16-oz pkgs Mahatma Brown Rice – $2.00, used 2 $0.50/1 Mahatma or Water Maid Rice, exp. 12/31/15 (RP 09/13/15) (doubled) – FREE after coupons

2 bags Chex Mix (B1G1) – $2.50, used 2 $0.60/2 printable (doubled) – $1.30/2 after coupons

1 gallon Milk – $2.99

2 18-ct cartons Eggs (not pictured – used a rain check) – $3.96

Total: $29.32

Weekly Total: $51.58

Weekly Menu Plan

Breakfasts

Oatmeal with Fruit (from the freezer) x 3

Toast and Hard Boiled Eggs x 2

Homemade Granola x 2

Lunches

(We still have A LOT of apples to use up from a couple of bulk purchases about a month ago. We will be eating them EVERY day. 🙂)

Tuna fish Sandwiches, Apples, Green Peppers

Peanut Butter on Rice Cakes, Apples, Carrot Sticks

Baked Potatoes with Cheese, Apples, Green Peppers  x 2

Leftovers x 2

Dinners

Chicken Noodle Soup, Toasted Bagels, Grapes

Hamburgers/Hotdogs on the Grill, Tossed Salad, Macaroni and Cheese, Smores Bars (Hosting a Choir Party at our house with 40-50 people attending – but most people will bring additional food to contribute)

Venison Roast in the Crockpot, Potatoes, Carrots, Southern Biscuits

Chicken Gravy over Brown Rice, Broccoli (from the freezer), Southern Biscuits

Southwest Roll-ups, Spanish Rice, Tossed Salad, Grapes

Leftovers x 2

Snacks

Homemade Granola, Popcorn, Apples with Peanut Butter, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

WANT TO SAVE $100 FAST?!Join the FREE 14-Day Savings Challenge!

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Money Saving Mom
Shared Oct 1, 2015 comment

The Importance of Writing Down EVERY Purchase

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The Importance of Writing Down EVERY Purchase

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writing down every purchase

Guest post from Rachel

As someone who is fairly organized, occasionally even bordering on obsessive-compulsive, I had always just assumed that my grasp on budgeting and keeping track of my finances was fairly solid.

I’ve seen numerous friends and relatives struggle with spending outside of their means, but this has never felt like a struggle to me or my family. We don’t go on vacation particularly often, and when we do, it’s after finding a good deal on Groupon or the like; we don’t eat out except for special occasions; we don’t buy expensive clothing.

But I’ve found that it’s so easy to delude ourselves into thinking that if we aren’t spending on big things, then we aren’t overspending on small things either. However, this could not be further from the truth!

How could it be that I, the woman who spends hours researching hotels and airfare to find the best possible price, could be so lax about my spending in other, smaller, day-to-day areas?

The answer is simply: it just doesn’t seem worth it at the time.

In the moment, spending $3 or $4 on a cup of coffee seems like a small splurge to make, a small price to pay, for living in the moment. But a bit of careful planning would actually demonstrate how easy it is to get in the habit of letting these small charges grow and grow until they are no longer so small.

I’ve read countless articles on this topic over the years, all with the same message of how cutting corners here and there can yield large savings in the long run. I just never found it applicable to my own life until I spent one week where I wrote down literally every purchase I made.

$27 filling up gas

$78 on groceries

$7 for the café bill with my friend

$13 thanks to the bookshop next to the café 🙂

None of these sound unreasonable just yet… right?

Until I really stopped to think about it, none of my purchases sounded outlandish. What’s a few dollars in the big scheme of things, really?

But slowly, small realizations started creeping in on me. That $13 book is something I could have just as easily taken out of the library if I had been patient enough to reserve it instead of feeling the need to start reading it right then and there.

The $78 grocery shopping would have been cheaper if I’d been willing to go across town to the slightly less expensive, but slightly more crowded, supermarket.

I continued writing down each purchase, both the large and the small, and began noticing more trends in my own spending.

Becoming more aware of these little habits has helped me cut down on so many unnecessary expenses… even if it only saves me a few dollars each week, that really adds up over the course of a year.

I’ve continued to write down each purchase as I make it, which really forces me to stop and think about whether what I’m buying is absolutely necessary; and if it is, if I’m buying it at this particular shop due to its price or merely due to convenience.

The best news is – with all the money I’ve saved over the past year, we’re now looking to book another mini-vacation over winter break! Looks like it’s time to scour Groupon for the latest travel deals.

And you can bet that I’ll keep writing our purchases down even on vacation! Once you get in the good habit of writing everything down, it’s not something you want to break! Plus, it makes you really appreciate those things you do choose to spend your hard-earned cash on all the more.

Rachel teaches third graders, and in her spare time she enjoys writing, practicing yoga, and spending time with her loved ones; one day she will perfect the art of doing all three at the same time. Rachel calls the Midwest home, where she aims to live as naturally as possible.

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Shared Oct 1, 2015 comment

Last Chance: Apply to be a part of my Book Launch Team!

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Last Chance: Apply to be a part of my Book Launch Team!

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Money-Making Mom

*Applications are now closed. Thank you to everyone who applied to help us with the exciting launch!

Did you see the exciting news?! After months and months of effort on my part and my fantastic team, my newest book Money Making Mom: How Every Woman Can Earn Money and Make a Difference will be released on November 3, 2015! It is packed with both practical ideas and big-picture perspective to help you increase your income and increase your impact.

In case you missed it, I have an exclusive opportunity for you! I’d like to invite you to apply to be a part of my book launch team.

And today is the last chance for you to apply!

Join the Money-Making Mom Launch Team

We are putting together a special “Money-Making Mom Launch Team” — made up of people who are passionate about helping women and who want to join with us in helping to spread the word about this book.

As a launch team member you will get exclusive access to read a digital copy of the book in advance, the opportunity to interact with me and other launch team members as a community via a private Facebook group, and access to several other special resources (top secret stuff that we can’t share just yet :)).

To be a part of the Launch Team, we ask that you:

A) Read the digital copy in advance
B) Agree to help us spread the word in any way you can during the timeframe requested
C) Post a review on a retailer site
D) Interact with the launch team community by sharing ideas, etc.

We’ll provide everything you need to help get the word out. We have an amazing group of folks in place who will be running the Launch Team and you are going to love working with them!

If you’re interested in being apart of this opportunity, just fill out the Launch Team Sign Up Form here by the end of today, October 1, 2015.

We will select around 1000 people from all submissions and notify them via email. (I wish we could select everyone but in order to keep things manageable and enable us to interact one-on-one, we’ve decided it’s best to stick with just 1000 people on our launch team. However, even if you’re not one of those chosen, everyone who signs up will get a sneak preview download of the book!)

I’m so very grateful for each of you and the excitement you’ve already expressed about Money-Making Mom. Your support means more to me than words can express.

Sign up to be considered for the Launch Team today!

Money Saving Mom
Shared Sep 30, 2015 comment

We Made it To South Africa (+ how to follow along with our trip!)

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We Made it To South Africa (+ how to follow along with our trip!)

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Kathrynne woke up yesterday morning and said, “I can’t believe we’re flying to South Africa today!”

I couldn’t believe it either!

I was a mixed ball of excitement and sadness and nerves. I was so excited that I get to go back to South Africa — I’ve been so ready to go back ever since I left! And I’m thrilled beyond words that I get to bring my family with me this time!

Screen Shot 2015-09-29 at 5.56.51 PM

However, I feel sad because Joy and Lisa-Jo aren’t going this time. I will miss those girls so much. But I’m super, super happy that my other manager and good friend, Brian, is coming this time.

And there’s some anxiousness that I feel, too. Mostly about how my kids are going to do on the flights and with the time change and with all of the newness all at once.

We Made It to South Africa

I usually am fairly minimalist when packing. I mean, I’m the girl who can pack for 8 days in a carry-on.

But taking my family halfway around the world and being gone for 8 days made me set aside my minimalistic packing skills and go more for the Have Options & Prepare Well mode.

Because there’s nothing like (2) 15+-hour-long flights with 3 kids to make you want to make sure you have options!

Everyone got a backpack for the flights + a suitcase that we checked. Mom got the last say in what they brought (“Yes, you must bring an extra change of clothes in your backpack. Trust me, a LOT of accidents can happen in 15 hours!”)

Oh and you can see the final stack of books I opted to bring here.

We Made It to South Africa

South Africa may not be ready for us, but we’re coming for you… right before boarding our flight.

We Made It to South Africa

The best part of our flight to South Africa? They gave us Milano cookies (my very favorite)!

The worst part? The kids only slept a few hours and they DIDN’T have wifi (despite the fact that they advertised that they did and I’d kind of banked on it to get a few projects done!)

Oh well! I got to sleep (thanks, Dramamine!) and read a book and it was nice… Aside from some bad attitudes coming from the 10 and under crowd.

I have decided that if you want a good test of your inner character, take 3 kids on a 15-hour flight. I had quite a few prayers going up for extra patience during that last hour when it felt like we were on the verge of imploding.

We made it to South Africa!

15+ hours later… tired, but oh so thrilled to be here in South Africa!! Our kids were especially excited to have their very first stamp in their brand-new passports!

(Oh and it was amazing how the kids could barely seem to keep their eyes open and had all sorts of bad attitude going on the last hour of the flight, but as soon as we got off the plane, they were fired up and ready to go again!! They just finally all crashed and fell asleep 30 minutes ago and we’re hoping they stay asleep for a good, long time!)

We spent the evening with Lisa-Jo’s parents — eating, talking, laughing, and playing Bean Boozled. Tomorrow, we’re headed out to one of the communities where Take Action is ministering at. I’m so excited to get to go back and see the progress that has been made since I last visited!

We Made It to South Africa!

We got our very own South African scarves, courtesy of Lisa-Jo Baker’s parents — who are so graciously hosting us right now.

Isn’t my scarf absolutely the perfect color?? I love it!!

Also, I’m grateful to be sharing this South Africa trip with these two guys (my wonderful husband, Jesse, and my business manager, Brian), both who gave up a whole week of their lives and flew halfway around the world because they believe so passionately in what God has called us to be a part of here in South Africa!

What You Can Expect Here While I’m Gone

In case you are wondering, my wonderful assistant, Meg, will be sharing great deals here, answering comments, and posting on Facebook. I’ve been training her to take over for me this week and she’s already been doing an AMAZING job!

If you want to follow along with our trip adventures, be sure follow me on Instagram. I’ll likely be posting there most consistently.

I also discovered tonight that the wi-fi may, indeed, be strong enough for me to do a quick video on Periscope each day. You can watch tonight’s video here. And then download the Periscope app and search for MoneySavingMom to follow the rest of my scopes this week.

I also plan to blog at least every day or every other day to get you a peek into what we’re doing and learning and trying. No promises, but I’m hopeful I’ll have a chance to check in and post at least a few times while we’re here.

Thank you so much for your prayers, your encouragement, and your excitement about this trip. It’s truly a dream come true to be here with my family!

Money Saving Mom
Shared Sep 30, 2015 comment

My “Rules” For a Minimalist Wardrobe

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My “Rules” For a Minimalist Wardrobe

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ruls for a minimalist wardrobe

Guest post from Carly of Happy The Home

Like me, I’m sure many of you would love a $1,000 shopping spree to your favorite clothing store. Truth be told, some of us would be happy to spend $50 or $100! But for most of us, we can’t spend a lot of money on a whole new wardrobe at the drop of a hat.

A few months ago, I began trying to simplify things in my life and home in an effort to spend more time doing things that are important to me. I wanted more time for Bible study, so I get up earlier. I wanted less laundry, so I minimized my kid’s clothes. Now it was my closet’s turn. But OH MY! It was not going to be easy.

I looked for ideas and found good blogs and articles for help with what to keep and what to get rid of. The What I Wore blog, and How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe were very helpful. Additionally, I texted my sister for her advice, as she always looks cute and we tend to like the same things! I also made some rules of my own.

My 6 “Rules” for a Minimalist Wardrobe

1. I won’t keep something if it’s uncomfortable or doesn’t fit me well.

2. I won’t buy anything new (at least not for a while).

3. I won’t feel bad keeping some of my favorite t shirts and gym clothes, but I will sort through them.

4. I won’t consider any “dry clean only” items except coats.

5. I won’t hang on to gifted clothing simply due to nostalgia.

6. I won’t keep anything because it “might fit if I lost a few pounds”.

With those rules in mind I also looked through my clothes by pulling EVERYTHING out of my closet and dresser. I decided to keep the following:

  • 6 pants
  • 8 blouses
  • 8 sweaters/cardigans
  • 4 skirts
  • 4 dresses
  • 3 vests
  • 5 scarves
  • 4 pair of shoes
  • 2 belts
  • 2 tights

I don’t think there’s a magic number to how many items of clothing one should have… and the pictures I took are merely to show how many things you can create with a few of these items.

What you see in the pictures are: 3 pants + 5 shirts + 2 jackets + 1 dress + 1 scarf + 3 pair of shoes

minimalist wardrobe

By no means have I exhausted the possibilities, but it’s exciting to think that I can do more with less. I want to simplify to make things easier and I don’t want my life to be characterized by “excess” and “disorganization”.

You might decide to keep way less than I did. But this is a start for me. Hope you enjoy watching a fashionably-impaired person enjoy a day of dress up!

Carly is a stay-at-home mother to four boys. She blogs at Happy The Home about faith, family, homemaking and all that lies between!

Shared Sep 30, 2015 comment

Do It Yourself: Make Your Own Christmas Gift Bags

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Do It Yourself: Make Your Own Christmas Gift Bags

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Make Your Own Christmas Gift Bags

ToWorkWithMyHands.com shows you how to make your own Christmas gift bags.

Do you have a fun and frugal DIY idea to share? I’d love to hear about it! Read the submission guidelines and submit it here.

OVER-SPENDING EVERY SINGLE MONTH?Grab these FREE Budgeting Sheets!

Click here to download!
Money Saving Mom
Shared Sep 29, 2015 comment

Do It Yourself: Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

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Do It Yourself: Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Screen Shot 2015-09-22 at 12.48.31 PM

WinsteadWandering.com shows you how to make homemade buttermilk ranch dressing.

Do you have a fun and frugal DIY idea to share? I’d love to hear about it! Read the submission guidelines and submit it here.

Money Saving Mom
Shared Sep 28, 2015 comment

Apply to be a part of my Book Launch Team!

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Apply to be a part of my Book Launch Team!

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Money-Making Mom

*Applications are now closed. Thank you to everyone who applied to help us with the exciting launch!

I have some incredibly exciting news to share with you today! After months and months and months of effort on my part and the part of my fantastic team, my new book is done and headed to the printers.

Money-Making Mom: How Every Woman Can Earn More & Make a Difference will officially release on November 3, 2015. It’s packed with both practical ideas and big-picture perspective to help you increase your income and increase your impact.

I’m so very thankful and humbled to have the opportunity to share a message in it that I’m not only immensely passionate about, but that I also believe has the power to impact hundreds of thousands of families across the globe.

I’ll be sharing much more about the book in the weeks to come, but for this post, I’m writing to invite you to join me in an exclusive opportunity.

Join the Money-Making Mom Launch Team

We are putting together a special “Money-Making Mom Launch Team” — made up of people who are passionate about helping women and who want to join with us in helping to spread the word about this book.

As a launch team member you will get exclusive access to read a digital copy of the book in advance, the opportunity to interact with me and other launch team members as a community via a private Facebook group, and access to several other special resources (top secret stuff that we can’t share just yet :)).

To be a part of the Launch Team, we ask that you:

A) Read the digital copy in advance
B) Agree to help us spread the word in any way you can during the timeframe requested
C) Post a review on a retailer site
D) Interact with the launch team community by sharing ideas, etc.

We’ll provide everything you need to help get the word out. We have an amazing group of folks in place who will be running the Launch Team and you are going to love working with them!

If you’re interested in being apart of this opportunity, just fill out the Launch Team Sign Up Form here by September 30, 2015.

At the beginning of October, we will select around 1000 people from all submissions and notify them via email. (I wish we could select everyone but in order to keep things manageable and enable us to interact one-on-one, we’ve decided it’s best to stick with just 1000 people on our launch team. However, even if you’re not one of those chosen, everyone who signs up will get a sneak preview download of the book!)

I’m so very grateful for each of you and the excitement you’ve already expressed about Money-Making Mom. Your support means more to me than words can express.

Sign up to be considered for the Launch Team today!

Shared Sep 28, 2015 comment

Want some encouragement to go through Make Over Your Mornings?

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Want some encouragement to go through Make Over Your Mornings?

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Get Make Over Your Mornings for just $10!

Want to go through the Make Over Your Mornings Course but wish you could have some accountability while doing so?

Crystal who blogs at Expressions By Red is going to be blogging through the course over the next 14 days and would love for you to join her. You can either just read her posts and be inspired or you can download the course and go through it along with her!

This is a great way to have accountability each day as you go through the course! Also, be sure to read her testimony of how Make Over Your Mornings impacted her life.

Shared Sep 28, 2015 comment

17 Crockpot Chili Recipes That You Can Freeze Without Any Cooking

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17 Crockpot Chili Recipes That You Can Freeze Without Any Cooking

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

17 Crockpot Chili Recipes

Kelly from New Leaf Wellness put together a great list of 17 crockpot chili recipes that you can freeze without any cooking ahead of time.