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Money Saving Mom

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Saving Families Money Since 2007

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Shared Jul 23, 2015 comment

Gretchen’s $1.56 Target Shopping Trip

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Gretchen’s $1.56 Target Shopping Trip

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

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Target Shopping Trip

1 Hunts Snack Pack Pudding – $0.91, used 25% off Cartwheel coupon – $0.68 after coupon

2 Dr Pepper – $0.88 each, used $1/2 printable – $0.38 each after coupon

2 Bounty Basic Paper Towels – $0.97 each, used 2 $0.50/1 printable – $0.47 each after coupon

2 L’Oreal Hair Stylers – $3.99 each, used 2 $2/1 Target printable AND $1/1 printable AND $2/1 printable AND 10% off Cartwheel coupon – $0.29 each after coupons

2 Divergent DVD’s – $8 each (On Sale Buy One Get One 50% off), Used 2 $5/1 printable – $1 each after coupons

Used $5 Target gift card from last week’s shopping trip

Total after coupons: $1.56 (I only had to pay tax!)

Shared Jul 22, 2015 comment

4 Books You Should Read This Summer (July edition)

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4 Books You Should Read This Summer (July edition)

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4 Books You Should Read This Summer

In June, I started a little mini summer series with recommended reads. If you missed the first post, read the 4 Books I Think You Should Read This Summer (June edition).

1. Undone: Making Peace With an Unexpected Life

Do yourself a massive favor and read this book! I cannot recommend it highly enough. Michele is one of the most gifted communicators I’ve ever met, but more than that, she’s one of the most Jesus-filled people I’ve ever known. Michele’s story will inspire you, move you, and leave you feeling empowered that you, too, can face overwhelming odds and unknowns with courage and bravery.

You can read more about Michele and her journey here. I’m so grateful for her.

4 Books You Should Read This Summer

2. What Alice Forgot

I really enjoyed this book. While it wasn’t written from a Christian perspective and had some swear words in it, the book was well-written and really caused me to step back and examine my own marriage and relationships to see if I’m making small choices that would, over time, have devastating consequences. Highly recommended if you like novels that will really make you think and dig deep.

4 Books You Should Read This Summer

3. Anchored

Okay, confession time: I haven’t completely finished this book. But I’ve enjoyed it so much that I had to recommend it to you in this post. It will probably make you both laugh and cry… and you’ll wish you had enough time to read it in one sitting. But then you’ll want to make it last so that you can savor it, too! 🙂 You can read more of my thoughts on this book here.

4 Books You Should Read This Summer

4. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh

This book starts out a little slow and then quickly picks up the pace and becomes incredibly engaging. In fact, this has been one of our all-time favorite read alouds ever. Every single member of our family enjoyed it and was sad for it to be finished. Yes, even Jesse. 🙂 It’s a great book to read aloud and savor and enjoy as a family.

What have you been reading recently? What are 4 books you think everyone should read this summer?

Money Saving Mom
Shared Jul 22, 2015 comment

Overcoming My Shopping Addiction

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Overcoming My Shopping Addiction

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shopping addiction

Guest post Elizabeth of Witty ‘N’ Pretty

The world we live in values beauty above all else. The more beautiful a person is, the more value they have. It’s no wonder people, women in particular, lack confidence. We try to make up for our shortcomings in many ways.

For me, I tried to make up for mine by shopping because in my mind, the more expensive things I owned, the more value I had.

Every time I bought something, I experienced two things.

First, was happiness, because I felt prettier and more valuable.

Then I felt guilt, because I knew I couldn’t afford what I was buying.

When I bought something I couldn’t afford, it counteracted the happiness because my value was decreasing. The lifestyle I wanted was unattainable for a girl still in college.

For whatever reason, I couldn’t come to terms with that. I didn’t accept it until I maxed out a credit card and ended up using student loans to fund my shopping trips.

I knew I had to change, so I did.

Since I’m confessing my struggles to you, I may as well say that the temptations to shop and spend money never completely go away. However, I learned to ignore the little voice inside my head telling me to spend, spend, spend.

Eventually, you’ll learn how to do this too… here’s how I’m just doing that:

1. Cut up the credit card.

Yes, the most precious piece of plastic you own will be in little pieces after the scissors gets through with it.

Having a credit card in your wallet tells you that even if you can’t afford something at that moment, your line of credit will let you buy it anyway.

Chop up those cards!

2. Write it down… with an actual pen.

Write down anything and everything you buy and exactly how much it cost. This allows you to see where your money goes and any trends in your spending.

I noticed two things about myself: I liked to drink overpriced coffee and I liked to look good doing it. Knowing this helped me take the next step toward addiction recovery.

3. Stop doing the things that cause you to spend money.

For one month, I didn’t allow myself to buy anything but food and gas. It didn’t matter what was on sale or how great of a deal it was (I love getting a bargain), I wasn’t going to buy it.

At first, this is like giving up the last life ring on a sinking ship. You feel like you’re going to drown. Just like anything else though, it becomes routine.

4. Retrain your brain.

For the longest time, I honestly believed that my worth and my attractiveness was based on how many Kate Spade bags I had and the car I drove.

During my month long shopping break, I focused on building my confidence up. I tried to find beauty in the talents I had and the personality I was born with. I talked with mentors and people I trusted to help me find my self-worth.

Truthfully, I’m still finding my worth. I believe it’s a journey though. It can’t be done in a month or even a year. I still appreciate pretty things, but I don’t place my worth in them.

Do I struggle with wanting these things? Of course, but I can say “no” to myself now. I understand and respect my financial limits and still see value in who I am.

Some may scoff and wonder what’s wrong with me, I can only tell them that everyone struggles with something and being addicted to shopping was my “something”.

Liz is a young, 20-something with a passion for living a beautiful, debt-free life. After graduating college, she realized how important it is for her to get her finances together and start sharing how you can have a great lifestyle for a lot less. She blogs at Witty ‘N’ Pretty.

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Shared Jul 21, 2015 comment

5 Surefire Solutions to Help You Stick With Your Budget

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5 Surefire Solutions to Help You Stick With Your Budget

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How to Stick to Your budget

Struggling to follow through with that budget you’ve set? Here are 5 tried and true tips, tricks, and tools to help you actually stick with your budget:

1. Create Motivational Goals

Want to have more momentum when it comes to saving more and spending less? Set some realistic but inspirational goals.

Goals give you purpose, passion, and drive. They make short-term sacrifices more worth it, because you know you have long-term benefits in mind.

Wishing you could pay cash for Christmas, pay down your credit card debt, save for a piece of furniture, or even pay off your mortgage faster? Sit down and look at your current budget. See if there are areas you could streamline or cut back in.

Do the math on how much you could save or put toward your debt if you were to cut back $10 or $30 or even $50 every week. Knowing that these cuts are going to propel you toward your end game more quickly will inspire you to follow through with them over the long haul.

5 Surefire Solutions to Help You Stick With Your Budget

2. Focus on the Bite-Sized Chunks

If you want to discourage yourself, look at your savings goal or debt left to pay off as a whole. It probably looks mammoth and insurmountable. And you’ll want to quit saving or paying down debt immediately because it feels so overwhelming.

This is why I’m a big fan of breaking your big goals down into small pieces. If you want to save up $500 to pay cash for Christmas this year, don’t think about the $500 amount as a whole. Cut it down into the amount you’d need to save each month (about $42) and then the amount you’d need to save each week (about $10.50).

When you look at the weekly amount, it feels much more doable. And you can start to get creative to come up with simple and outside-the-box ways to shave that $10.50/week off your current budget.

In addition, you’ll be much more apt to stick with your budget if you feel encouraged from the get-go and like pulling off your goal is actually a reality, not some far-fetched, pie-in-the-sky dream idea.

5 Surefire Solutions to Help You Stick With Your Budget

3. Pay With Cash or a Prepaid Card

You all well know that I’m a big advocate of using cash. The beauty of cash is that it gives you instant self-discipline: when the money’s gone, the money’s gone.

You can’t go over-budget when you only use cash. Well, I mean, you can, but you’ll be robbing another budget category to do so.

You also can’t spend more money than you actually have when you only use cash. It’s a very visual way to be able to track how much money you have to spend.

However, I know that cash is not always practical in every situation. It’s impossible to pay with cash online and some people find that it burns a big hole in their pocket — causing them to spend more money than they would if they swipe a card.

That’s why an alternative to cash you could consider would be using a prepaid card. It works very similarly to cash in that you can’t overspend with it — once the money is gone off the card, you are done being able to swipe it (unless you refill it). So it gives you instant self-discipline, too.

Using a prepaid card is especially a great option if you’re wanting to stick with a specific budget in a specific budget category. For instance, if you set a budget for your Christmas gifts and you want to make sure that you don’t go over it, if you designate your budget amount as the amount on the card and you don’t use anything but the card for Christmas gift purchases, you’ll be guaranteed more likely to stick with your budget. Plus, you can use the card both online and offline.

4. Use a Money-Tracking App

Money-tracking apps and websites can not only help you set up your budget, but they can help you continue to stay on track with it. There are a variety of apps and sites out there — each with their pros and cons.

These apps and websites typically take you step-by-step through the process of creating your budget and will then give you real-time reports on how much you have to spend in each budget category. As you make purchases or deposits, you can update your budget in just a few seconds.

Used well and updated daily, it’s almost like a virtual cash envelope system — without having to mess with any cash or coins at all. Plus, the pie charts and information available at your fingertips will help you better know exactly what your current financial picture looks like and encourage you to continue to stay on track with your budget.

5 Surefire Solutions to Help You Stick With Your Budget

5. Get an Accountability Partner

I cannot stress the importance of having some built-in accountability when it comes to budgeting. You need people to help you stay the course, even when the going gets tough.

Accountability can be found in many different places. It could be monthly Budget Meetings with your spouse. It could be posting your financial goals on your refrigerator in graph form and updating your progress on saving or paying down debt as you gain momentum. It could be a goal app like Commit.

It could be reading books and blogs that inspire you to practice better money management. It could be joining an online group or online community of others who are seeking to get out of debt.

For best results, choose multiple accountability sources — some that are in-person and regularly check-in with you and some that are just motivational online or offline resources that serve as reminders to stick with your budget and keep going.

You don’t have to always feel like you’re falling off the Budget Bandwagon! Implement at least a few of these tips and tools and you are bound to experience much more budgeting success!

What helps YOU stick with your budget? Tell us in the comments!

photo credit; photo credit; photo credit

Shared Jul 20, 2015 comment

6 Non-Phone Work at Home Options

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6 Non-Phone Work at Home Options

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

non-phone-msm

Guest post from Anna of Real Ways to Earn

Let’s face it — phone jobs are fairly common in the work-from-home world. A quick “work-from-home” keyword search on any popular job site will likely bring you pages and pages of results for phone-oriented work.

The obvious downside to phone jobs is that many people have legit reasons for not being able to do them. Maybe you have a loud background at home due to kids or pets. Maybe you’re hearing impaired. Maybe you don’t have a land line phone — or any phone — and can’t get one. Maybe you simply aren’t a people person and the idea of talking to strangers on the phone all day doesn’t appeal to you. Or maybe it’s a combination of all of the above!

Gratefully, there are quite a few non-phone options out there if a work-at-home phone job just isn’t in the cards for you. Here are 6 different options:

1. Chat Support

Chat-based customer support is the same as phone support, the obvious difference being that instead of helping customers via live conversation, you’re doing so via chat and email so it is completely non-phone.

Apple and Needle are two reputable companies that are frequently hiring chat agents to work at home.

2. Search Engine Evaluation

This type of work is also referred to as “Google Rating.” The work is more complex than I can explain in a few sentences, but to sum up, you are basically helping to ensure that major search engines like Google and Bing are providing the absolute best results possible for every search query typed in.

People who tend to excel at search engine evaluation are usually very internet savvy, good at doing online research, and well-versed in popular culture.

Some reputable companies to consider for search evaluation include Leapforce, Lionbridge, and Appen.

3. Freelance Writing

Freelance writers take on writing assignments from either personal clients or through content sites, blogs, and so forth. The great thing about freelance writing is that it’s one of the most flexible non-phone jobs out there. You can work any time of the day or night and take as many breaks as you need provided that deadlines are met.

Two companies that are almost always accepting new writers are Textbroker and Demand Media. However, you’ll earn the most money as a writer if you work to find private clients so you can set your own rates.

4. Transcription

Transcribers listen to audio files and type what they hear. While this may sound easy enough, it actually requires a lot of patience and concentration. Simply put, not everyone is cut out for it. It’s one of those things you just have to try out and see if it’s a fit for you.

The three most common types of transcription are general, medical, and legal. General is the easiest type of transcription to break into as a beginner because many companies will consider you with no past experience.

Verbal Ink, Focus Forward, and Quicktate are a few reputable companies with regular openings.

5. Test Scoring

As a remote test scorer, you’ll be scoring student’s standardized tests and essays. This is usually project-based work. In most cases, you’ll need at minimum a college degree to qualify. Some companies may require that you have a teaching degree, too.

Reputable companies that frequently have home-based scoring openings include Pearson and ETS.

6. Virtual Assisting

Virtual assistants have clients who need help with day to day things and provide that help — virtually. While it’s true that there are many virtual assistants who do phone work, not all do.

Most virtual assistants have different skill sets and the work they do will revolve around these skills, such as writing, graphic design, or social media management.

Some well-known companies that regularly hire virtual assistants include Fancy Hands and Worldwide 101. You can also go into business for yourself as a VA and get some private clients. That’s usually the most lucrative route.

As you can see, there are plenty of non-phone options in the work from home world! Hopefully these suggestions will have you doing some serious thinking about which industry you should pursue for non-phone work and be well on your way to getting started.

What about you? Do you have a non-phone work at home job you love?

Anna Thurman is a work at home mom and blogger. She’s been researching and writing about work from home jobs since 2010. Her findings are published via her website, Real Ways to Earn.


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Money Saving Mom
Shared Jul 20, 2015 comment

20 Slow Cooker Meals from ALDI for just $150!

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20 Slow Cooker Meals from ALDI for just $150!

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

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I Am That Lady is back with another ALDI Freezer Cooking Plan! In this newest plan, she shows you how to make 20 Slow Cooker Meals in 90 minutes for just $150!

You can see all of the basic details on her blog for the plan or you can purchase the full details (instructions, shopping list, etc.) for a few dollars.

Money Saving Mom
Shared Jul 18, 2015 comment

5 Things I’m Loving This Week

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5 Things I’m Loving This Week

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5 Things I'm Loving

We were blessed to get to spend the last 6 days in Michigan at the Life Action Family Camp. Honestly, we came to camp this week knowing we were supposed to be there, but not really sure why.

We were tired and drained and thinking maybe it was a mistake to be headed to camp feeling so exhausted. But oh my goodness! I’m so glad we came!

The best part? All week long we had an amazing family assistant who was assigned solely to helping us/watching our kids/doing anything we need to do this entire week (I had heard that they assigned family assistants, but I had no idea that meant it’d be like a personal assistant/nanny!)

God knew what we needed and He clearly orchestrated us being here this past week. We left today feeling so refreshed, rested, and filled up!

Here are 5 things I’m loving this week:

5 Things I'm Loving

1. A Family Mud Run

We did the Jungle Mud Run at camp and what a blast it was. This picture doesn’t do it justice at all — because we got a lot muddier than we look and Silas really did have a fun time doing it.

(He was beyond DONE at this point. Camp was a little rough for this routine-minded little guy. But he hung in there.)

Kathrynne decided to start a new fashion trend by wearing her work boots with floral shorts. It cracks me up how little that girl cares about what she looks like or what other people think!

{See more pictures from the Mud Run over on my Instagram account.}

5 Things I'm Loving

2. A Date Night With Jesse

Can I just say that we are such nerds?? One night at camp, they have a Date Night where they plan activities for the kids and give the parents a night to do whatever they’d like.

What did we do? We drove to South Bend, IN (about 30 minutes from camp) and hung out at Barnes and Noble and looked at books on fitness and nutrition and reviewed our budget.

{By the way, Jesse is trying to turn me into a YouNeedABudget convert. I’m so not techie and kind of despise anything to do with money that does not come in green cash form, but I’m slowly seeing how this method of tracking our expenditures is a good fit for us.

Of course we still use cash for a lot of our budget categories, but if this makes budgeting more fun for Jesse, I’m all about it. Especially since I do not touch spreadsheets with a ten-foot pole and happily delegate all budgeting details to him to track.

I’m so glad that he finds joy in these types of things. Because if the tracking and spreadsheeting and charting and tallying were left to me, we’d be in a sorry financial mess.}

5 Things I'm Loving This Week

3. Anchored by Kayla Aimee

I loved finally getting to dive into the story of Kayla Aimee’s daughter being born as a micro-preemie and the pain and heartache and struggle that she walked through while fighting for her daughter’s life.

It’s funny AND heart-wrenching at the same time — which is a mark of a talented author, in my opinion. (I always say that I consider a highly talented author to be someone whose writing makes me laugh and tear up in the same page.)

After the first chapter, I found myself thinking, “I hope Kayla Aimee writes many more books because I want to read them all!” I love her down-to-earth funny and honest writing style.

{This book resonates with me at a very personal level because my husband was born at 27 weeks. His mom died when he was young and I never got the chance to meet her — which has always been hard for me because I wish so much that I could ask her all about what Jesse’s birth and long hospital stay was like for her. This book is giving me a glimpse into some of the emotions and heartache and fears Jesse’s mom must have experienced and it feels like such a gift to understand more of what that was like from her perspective.}

5 Things I'm Loving This Week

4. Swinging

One night, I spent some time swinging on the playground swing set at family camp. By myself. Don’t judge. 🙂

I love swinging. Always have, always will. Anyone else?

Just like coloring, there’s something incredibly cathartic about it for me. It makes me stop, breathe, quiet my heart, and just take in fresh air and the scenery from a different angle.

{Also, do you know how hard it is to get a selfie while swinging? Near impossible. I will spare you the multiple dork pictures I took while trying to get one that showed the swing, the sky, and part of my face.

I know I could have asked one of the adults watching their kids on the playground to take a picture of me, but, um, pretty sure they would have wondered about my sanity. I can just hear it now: “there was some grown woman swinging on the playground with abandon and, get this, she ASKED ME TO TAKE HER PICTURE while swinging. Like she’d just learned how to swing or something!”

Yeah. I figured the incognito selfies I shot while I was pretty sure no one was looking were the better option!}

 

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5. The Boomerang App for GMail

So my friend, Erin, told me that I must, must, must check out Boomerang.

Honestly, I figured it wouldn’t work at all for me and almost didn’t bother, but I’m so glad that I did because it is changing my life.

I kid you not.

I get hundreds of emails every day — many that need to be responded to and some that need rather lengthy responses. Some I can delegate to my team, but many are ones that need a direct response from me.

I had been filing emails in my To Answer file that I didn’t have time to get to right away, but it was quickly becoming so stacked with emails needing answers — and long answers, at that — that it would just make me feel defeated and bog me down.

So I decided to just try Boomerang and see if it made any difference. To my surprise, I’m falling madly in love.

In just a few days, I’m back to Inbox Zero again, I’m being so much more productive on emails, and staying so much more caught up.

I love that I’m now able to control when the longer emails come in and have them land in my inbox on days and at times when I’ve got blocks scheduled for working on email. In addition, I can space them out so that there aren’t 25 emails coming into my inbox in one afternoon needing 20-minute responses but that I only get a few of those each day.

I’m really hopeful that this simple solution is going to continue to make such a difference!

What are YOU loving this week? Tell us in the comments!

Money Saving Mom
Shared Jul 18, 2015 comment

Gretchen’s $51 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan

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Gretchen’s $51 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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Walmart

2 pkg Strawberries – $1.29 each (Price matched to Aldi), used $0.20 Ibotta rebate – $1.19 each after rebate

3 pkg Blueberries – $0.99 each (Price matched to Aldi)

1 Watermelon – $2.99 (Price matched to Aldi)

Total: $8.34

DSC_0196Homeland

2 Sour Patch Kids Candy – $1.49 each, used $1/2 coupon from the 6/14 SmartSource insert (doubled) – $0.49 each after coupon (This is one of my husband’s favorite candy – I love getting him surprises with coupons!) 🙂

1 Colgate Toothpaste – $1, used $0.50/1 coupon from the 7/12 SmartSource insert (doubled) – Free after coupon

2 Picante Salsa – $1.59 each, used $1/2 printable (doubled) – $0.59 each after coupon

2 Prego Sauce – $1.99 each, used $1/2 printable (doubled) – $0.99 each after coupon

Total after coupons: $4.14

DSC_0193Dillons

1/2 gallon Dillons Chocolate Milk – Marked down to $0.99

1 bag Kroger Frozen Peas – $1, used $0.20 Ibotta rebate – $0.80 after rebate

1 Gogurt Yogurt – $2

1 bag Kroger Frozen Chicken Breasts – $6.99

1 pkg Kroger Drumsticks – $4.69

3 Totinos Frozen Pizza – 3/$4, used $0.20 Ibotta rebate 

3 Muller Greek Yogurts – $1 each, used $1/3 e-coupon AND $0.20 Ibotta rebate – $0.60 each after coupon

2 Kroger Frozen Orange Juice – $1 each

1 gallon Dillons Milk – $2.79, used $0.20 Ibotta rebate – $2.59 after rebate

1 pkg Kroger Shredded Cheese – $1.99, used $0.20 Ibotta rebate – $1.79 after rebate

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

1 dozen Dillons Eggs – $2.53, used $0.20 Ibotta rebate – $2.33 after rebate

1 pkg Kroger Tortillas – $1.50

1 Pssst Oyster Crackers – $1.27

1 pkg Pretzels – Marked down to $0.89

1.02 lbs Tomatoes – $1.42, used $0.20 Ibotta rebate – $1.22 after rebate

0.92 lbs Peaches – $0.91

1 can Kroger Beans – $0.69

1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup – Marked down to $0.69

1 can Psst Soup – Marked down to $0.49

1 bag Kroger Brown Rice – $0.89

Total: $39.12

Total for all grocery items: $51.60

Menu Plan for This Week

Breakfasts

Cereal x 3

Eggs & Blueberry Muffins x 3

Oatmeal

Lunches

Cheese/Crackers/Fruit/Veggies x 2

Mac & Cheese, Carrot Sticks

Baked Potatoes, Cottage Cheese, Steamed Peas

Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches, Fruit

Leftovers x 2

Dinners

Hamburgers, Chips, Watermelon

Chicken & Rice Casserole, Tossed Salad

Mexican Lasagna, Steamed Peas, Watermelon

Spaghetti, Biscuits, Tossed Salad

Sour Cream Enchiladas, Strawberries

Homemade Cheese Pizza, Tossed Salad

Chicken Drumsticks, Rolls, Green Beans

Money Saving Mom
Shared Jul 17, 2015 comment

You Might Be Frugal If…

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You Might Be Frugal If…

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

you might be frugal if

Guest post from Jody:

You Might Be Frugal if…

You are wearing the same shirt in all your family’s vacation pictures – for the past four years.

Your family’s favorite part about going to Chuck E. Cheese is searching under the machines for stray tokens that other kids have dropped.

You plan road trips to hit the Sam’s Club and Costco stores at peak sample hours.

You tell your mother you are going to take the train to the family reunion, and her first instinct is to gasp and say, “You aren’t going to take a boxcar are you?”

You go to the grocery store and the employees ask you what the best deals of the week are at their store.

You wince to pay full price for something at the thrift store.

You don’t call a repairman when something breaks, instead, you look up a YouTube video on how to fix it.

You have an entire shelf of free dental floss, but you still reuse it.

You read Crystal’s book, which says, “I won’t teach you how to use dryer lint” and have a serious thought, “Dryer lint. Now that’s something I never thought of… I wonder if I could…”

What would you add to this list?

Jody might be frugal – since she can put a check mark next to each of the statements in the above “You Might Be Frugal” test 🙂

photo source

Money Saving Mom
Shared Jul 16, 2015 comment

Did you miss last week’s HOT deal on our new t-shirt line? I’ve got good news for you…

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Did you miss last week’s HOT deal on our new t-shirt line? I’ve got good news for you…

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

Choose Courage tee

Did you miss the deal I posted last week on our brand-new t-shirt line that we created with Cents of Style?

Well, I’ve got GREAT news! It was so popular, that Cents of Style has made it available again — for a few more days!

Use coupon code CHOOSE at checkout to get the shirts for just $14.95 each + free shipping + a free pair of earrings.unnamed

There are four different designs: Choose Gratitude, Choose Love, Choose Joy, and Choose Courage. Each of these phrases has had significant meaning and impact in my life and I’m excited to be able to have such a tangible reminder to wear and remind me to live with intention and purpose.

Y’all. I can’t tell you how excited I am about these!

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Are they not the cutest ever??

This week only, you can get any of the four designs for just $14.95 shipped when you use coupon code CHOOSE at checkout.

Get a free pair of earrings when you order a t-shirt!

When you add a shirt to your cart and go to checkout, you’ll also be offered a FREE pair of earrings at checkout.

This would be a great time to grab a shirt for yourself or a friend. Click here to purchase. Don’t forget to use coupon code CHOOSE at checkout.

This offer is valid through Sunday evening, July 19, 2015.

Choose Love tees

Also, if you want to see a hilarious picture of me with one of the shirts on, check this out (and be sure to read the caption!). My kids also made an adorable “commercial” for the shirt line that you can watch here.

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

Click here to download!
Money Saving Mom
Shared Jul 16, 2015 comment

Gretchen’s $12.49 CVS Shopping Trip

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Gretchen’s $12.49 CVS Shopping Trip

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

DSC_0198CVS Shopping Trip

2 Physicians Formula Cosmetics – $9.49 and $11.49 (Buy $20 worth, Get $14 ECBs)
Used $5/$15 CVS coupon from in-store machine

2 All Laundry Detergent – $3.49 each (Buy 2, Get $2 ECBs)
Used 2 $1.50/1 printable

1 Gum Toothbrush (2 pk) – $1.99
Used $1/1 CVS coupon from in-store machine

1 Softsoap Bodywash – $2.99
Used $1.50/1 CVS coupon from the in-store machine

Used $10 ECBs from previous shopping trip

Total after coupons and ECBs: $12.45, Plus received $16 ECBs 

Shared Jul 15, 2015 comment

Nominate your favorite teacher to win $2500 for classroom supplies!

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Nominate your favorite teacher to win $2500 for classroom supplies!

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

Nominate Your Favorite Teacher

ThredUP — a site that offers gently used clothing — has partnered with AdoptAClassroom.org to recognize and thank teachers for their hard work and the way that they invest in children’s lives.

Teachers are extremely generous with their time and money, often spending out-of-pocket on supplies and even clothing for students who can’t afford these essentials, so ThredUP is giving away some great prizes to say “thank you” to teachers.

  • Three teachers each win $2,500 for classroom supplies and $500 to thredUP.
  • 50 runner-up winners receive $100 to thredUP.

Go here to nominate your favorite teacher.

Winners will be announced on Tuesday, September 8 (following Labor Day weekend).

{This post was underwritten by ThredUp. Read our disclosure policy here.}

Money Saving Mom
Shared Jul 15, 2015 comment

Gretchen’s $4.24 Target Shopping Trip

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Gretchen’s $4.24 Target Shopping Trip

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

DSC_0195

Target Shopping Trip

Transaction #1

1 Banana Boat Sport Sunblock Lotion – $5.99
1 Banana Boat Aloe After Sun Lotion – $4.99 (Buy 2 Banana Boat items, Get $5 Target gift card)
Used $4/2 printable 

Used $5 Target gift card from previous shopping trip

Total with tax ($0.48): $2.46, Received $5 Target gift card

Transaction #2

1 Up & Up Facial Tissue (4 pk) – $0.99
Used $0.50/1 Target mobile coupon (text OFFERS to 827438) AND 5% off Cartwheel coupon

3 Herbel Essence Mousse – $2.99 each (Buy 3, Get $5 Target gift card)
Used $3/2 coupon from the 7/5 P&G insert

Used $5 gift card from Transaction #1

Total with tax ($0.35): $1.78, Received $5 Target gift card

Total for both transactions: $4.24, Plus $5 Target gift card leftover

Money Saving Mom
Shared Jul 15, 2015 comment

5 Tips to Save on Traffic Tickets

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5 Tips to Save on Traffic Tickets

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

traffic tickets

Guest post from Rosemarie of The Busy Budgeter

Disclaimer: This is an opinion article about saving money and should not be taken as legal advice. Please consult an attorney for legal advice.

As a personal finance blogger who has spent the last 9 years working as a police officer, I’m in a unique position to shed some light on how you can save money on traffic tickets. This is also a good guide to refer to if you have a teenage driver who has received a traffic ticket.

The most important thing to realize, whether it be you in this situation or someone that you’re trying to help, is that everyone makes mistakes. Getting a ticket doesn’t make you a bad driver or a bad person. No one is perfect. Rules exist for a reason though, and tickets do need to be issued to ensure that our roads are safe.

I get asked constantly how to “get out of” a ticket. While there is no surefire way to “get out of” a ticket, I thought this would be a good post to give you the best shot of having a ticket end in a favorable decision for you.

It’s important to note, that this advice is for minor traffic tickets. I’m not covering serious offenses, misdemeanors, felonies, driving while intoxicated, and any offense that carries the possibility of jail time with this guide.

Your best chance at minimizing the financial impact of a traffic ticket is by following these 5 tips:

#1: Follow the rules.

The easiest way to avoid ever getting a ticket is to abide by all traffic laws. It’s an almost foolproof plan!

Pay attention to the rules of the road, wear your seat belt and take the laws seriously. Never drink and drive. Put your phone down while you drive.

I can tell you in all seriousness, that a traffic ticket is not the worst thing that can happen if you violate the law. At the end of the day, we want everyone to arrive alive at their destination.

#2: Be polite.

If and when you are pulled over, try to understand that the officer or trooper is simply doing his or her job. Just like in many jobs, law enforcement officers have a little bit of discretion.

Most likely, if you are being pulled over for a violation, you will get a ticket. However, there is a small chance that you can avoid the ticket by being polite and courteous to the officer.

On the opposite side of this, there is a better chance that you will receive a ticket if you are rude and angry. If you feel that you were pulled over in error, this doesn’t mean that you have to admit to something that you don’t feel you did.

You should just communicate in a way that shows respect and courtesy. The time to argue is not on the side of the road.

#3: Go to court.

There are a few rare instances where going to court may not make sense. For instance, if the ticket is a pre-payable (a “non-moving violation” with a low fine amount that doesn’t carry any points on your license) you may want to pre-pay if it would cost you money to get the day off of work to attend court. In almost all other situations though, you should attend court.

This gives you a chance to show the judge that you’re taking the ticket seriously and gives you an opportunity to speak in your defense. In 9 years, I’ve never seen someone penalized for coming to court, and I’ve seen countless cases of people given a break for coming to court.

Dress appropriately (clean jeans and a nice shirt are fine). Make sure to treat the judge with just as much respect as you did the officer.

#4: Accept responsibility.

As long as you believe that you did commit the violation you were charged with, and you don’t plan on getting an attorney (who may not want you to admit fault if it’s a case he/she is representing you in), I would recommend honesty in this situation.

Apologize for the mistake, bring proof of a good prior driving record, and show that you’re taking the ticket seriously.

If speed was a factor in your ticket, get your speedometer calibrated from a local auto shop. Often if your speedometer was incorrect, that can help you in court.

Under no circumstances, should you ever admit fault in a situation that you believe you were not at fault in.

#5: Ask for the outcome you hope to have.

Don’t be afraid to ask for the outcome that you would like. An outright dismissal of the charges may be unlikely, but reducing the traffic ticket to a non-moving violation, asking to attend traffic school in lieu of a conviction, or asking to have the fine waived are all possibilities.

With a good prior driving record, and following the first four steps, getting an outcome like this is very possible. If a favorable outcome doesn’t happen under these circumstances, there probably isn’t anything else that you could have done.

If you’re looking at a serious violation, like a misdemeanor or any violation that has the possibility of jail time, consider consulting an attorney to determine the best course of action.

Have you ever had a traffic ticket? What was the outcome?

Rosemarie Groner is a formerly stressed, overworked and exhausted mom who loves blogging almost as much as she loves brownies. She writes at The Busy Budgeter about how she used the free Ultimate Money Saving Workbook to reduce their spending enough to be able to quit her job, stay home with her kids and then found way to make up her salary at home. She’s still working on the cure for exhaustion.

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