Frugal Farm Wife shows you how to feed your family a healthy menu for just $20 per person per week. She shares a complete menu plan and shopping list — so inspiring!
Summer Bucket List
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Shared Jul 13, 2015
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Six Money Saving (and Life Changing) Lessons from Living in a School Bus
Six Money Saving (and Life Changing) Lessons from Living in a School Bus
Guest post from Katherine of Catching Eddies
When I tell people I live in a bus, I often hear, “That’s cool, but it’s not for me.” And you know what? They’re right!
Living in a bus or tiny house is not the best option for most people. In fact, even we don’t plan to live in our bus forever. Nevertheless, we have learned important lessons from tiny living that we can apply to our future.
1. Don’t rush into buying “bigger and better”.
By living in our bus as a couple, and now as new parents, we have saved money and grown my husband’s business.
There are seasons of life when one can practice certain forms of “extreme” frugal living that won’t be practical down the road. Those seasons can be times to prepare for the future.
2. Practice honest hospitality.
Inviting guests to the bus can be challenging. Larger get togethers have to wait for good weather when we can be outside, and we obviously don’t have a guest room.
However, I know I appreciate friends who say, “Come on over, we’d love to have you,” even when they are in the midst of real life, with real life mess, rather than waiting until they have the time (and money) host the perfect dinner party.
I am learning that offering what I have with love means so much more than hosting a grand, expensive gathering with the hope of impressing others.
3. Give and receive graciously.
The friends who welcomed our bus into their backyard once lived with friends while building a home. They are happy to be able to offer a similar blessing to others.
Of course, we asked how we could repay them and they requested that my handy husband help them out with projects.
Still, we recognize the gift we have received and it has driven us to look for big and small ways to give back to our community.
4. Get outdoors.
When I watch my daughter dig in the sand or splash in a lake, I am reminded that the size of our house does not have to determine the quality of her life.
City, state, and national parks and forests are places where we can spread out and run free at little cost, no matter the square footage of our homes.
I will continue to make use of those resource and support measures to keep them safe and clean.
5. Consider quality vs. quantity.
My husband has worked hard to make the interior of our bus beautiful. Therefore, living in the bus is different than living in 200 square feet of beat up travel trailer.
Later this summer, we are planning to build a home. We’re hoping that a good layout, simple but appealing finishing, and a bit of organization can make up for a “lack” of square footage and cut thousands of dollars off our mortgage.
6. Don’t let other people establish your priorities.
It can be hard to discern what is most important for our families, our health, and our spiritual lives. I have often mixed up my priorities by paying too much attention to what I perceived as other people’s expectations of me.
The cost of this confusion has been my own joy and contentment.
When I am able to let go of others opinions and focus on God’s calling for our family, I am a more joyful person.
How do you reflect your priorities in the way you live? Do the seasons of life affect the way you live out your priorities?
Katherine has worked as a whitewater rafting guide, ski instructor, and wilderness trip leader, but she embarked on her biggest adventure yet when she gave birth to her daughter last August. She blogs about tiny living, outdoor adventure with kids, crafting, and micro-homesteading at Catching Eddies.
12 Easy 2-Ingredient Ice Cream Recipes
My friends over at Living on a Dime have a round-up posted with 12 different 2-ingredient ice cream recipes. These look so easy and delicious!
5 Things I’m Loving This Week
{My apron from Fair Trade Friday.}
What have you been loving recently? Here are 5 things I’ve been loving:
1) FREE Custom Shampoo & Conditioner
Did you sign up for the FREE custom haircare samples I posted about last month? Mine showed up in the mail this week and I’ve been loving using them. And they smell so amazing!
2) An Inspiring Quote
I found this quote on Facebook and just absolutely loved it! So thought-provoking and wise.
3) Parenting the Wholehearted Child book
I’ve mentioned this book before, but I wanted to mention it again, because I’ve been reading 1-2 chapters every day this week and have been gleaning so, so much from it. It’s convicted, challenged, and encouraged me in my mothering and many of the truths in it will stay with me for years and years to come.
4) A Husband Who Spoils Me
My friend, Leigh Kramer, posted a picture of these yesterday and I was ruined. Because once you see this package, you can’t un-see it.
I was so ruined by the picture that I had to show Jesse. I mean, really, I couldn’t keep news of this marriage of Oreos and Reese’s to myself. That would just be selfish and unloving. 😉
I forgot, though, that Jesse was headed to out to run some errands. Which meant that he just couldn’t help himself. He had to stop by Kroger to see if they happened to possibly, just maybe, perhaps have these lovelies on their shelf.
And then he came home and came into my office with this mischievous smirk plastered on his face and I knew what he had gone and done. Because he’s way too predictable like that… and he loves to find ways to spoil me!
5) My Choose Joy T-shirt
Okay, so I know I shared about these shirts in my last 5 Things I’m Loving post, but since we launched them on Tuesday, you’ll just have to humor me and let me mention them again. Because I’m kind of in love with them. 🙂
Also, I needed this Choose Joy reminder this week. Again and again. You can read more why I did here.
What about YOU? What are you loving this week?
Get a copy of God Made Light for just $10!
I’m celebrating with Jessica and Matthew Paul Turner today because their beautiful children’s book has been picked up by a publisher!
They poured years into this project, they got turned down by 11 different publishers, but not ones to be deterred, they decided to self-publish it and funded it with a significant portion of their savings.
I’m thrilled for them, because since the book has done so well in the market, a publisher picked it up and gave them a 2-book deal for this book plus another children’s book.
God Made Light is a playful, whimsical adventure through the creation of light. It encourages children to remember that they were created for a purpose — to shine and make a difference in this world.
This beautiful and so meaningful. The pictures are very well done and its rhyming lyrics make it so fun to read!
The original, self-published version of the book is only available while supplies — and they’ve lowered the price to just $10 per book on Amazon. Go read more about it here.
3 Ways an Organized Refrigerator Can Save You Money
Guest post from Megan of Frugal Finds During Naptime
I was looking for a place to shove the leftovers from dinner in my refrigerator when I spotted it. There was this green-looking gunk coming out from underneath one of the bottom drawers in my refrigerator.
“Yuck!” I said out loud, as I was completely grossed out by it.
Upon further investigation, I discovered it was a cucumber… rather, what was left of a cucumber. The remnants (that were not oozing out of the bottom produce drawer) were still in the produce bag from the grocery store.
As I began to clean up the mess, I found other leftovers I had forgotten about. Of course, these leftovers were no longer edible, and I was a little saddened by it. Not because I just love leftovers either, but because it made me realize how much “money” I was throwing away in my garbage can all because I didn’t have an organized refrigerator.
If you can relate, here are three ways having an organized refrigerator can save you money in the long run:
1. You Will Use Up Leftovers
If your refrigerator is organized, you can clearly see your leftovers, and can then make plans to use them in other meals.
For example, as I was throwing away a small container of leftover taco meat, I realized that it would have been just the right amount for my girls to have tacos for lunch.
2. You Won’t Overspend
When you can clearly see what is in your refrigerator, you won’t purchase the same items you already have.
As sad as it is, I found another (fresh) cucumber in my refrigerator as I was throwing away the remnants of the other cucumber. If my refrigerator had been clean, I would have known I had one and wouldn’t have purchased another cucumber the week before. I could have made plans to use the cucumber I already had before it was bad.
3. You’ll Use Less Energy
With a full refrigerator, you can’t find things quickly; therefore, you will (more than likely) be standing there with the door open longer. This, in turn, causes your refrigerator to work harder and your electric bill takes the hit.
All of these may seem like little things; however, they quickly add up over the course of a year, or even a month.
When you’re trying to lower your grocery bill, save money for a vacation, or get out of debt, taking an afternoon to organize your refrigerator, meal plan with the leftovers, and commit to keeping it organized can help you reach your goals!
Megan is a frugal, couponing, stay-at-home mom to two girls {ages 5 and 2}. She enjoys finding deals, and breaking it down to small, easy-to-do scenarios to help others learn to save money. You can find her at Frugal Finds During Naptime where she posts deals, money-saving tips, her trips to the grocery store, and writes about lessons she has learned as a mom.
Shared Jul 10, 2015
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Fair Trade Friday: An opportunity to impact, employ, and empower hundreds of women!
Fair Trade Friday: An opportunity to impact, employ, and empower hundreds of women!
Have you heard of Fair Trade Friday? It’s such a cool idea!
Fair Trade Friday is a monthly membership club that delivers high quality fair traded items to your door. The items in the box are fairly traded and provide employment to women all over the world.
FTF exists as an avenue for women to empower women. They are tackling poverty through job opportunity and empowerment rather than enablement.
100% of the proceeds support the artisans, more than 500 women and their children from all over the world. FTF is a ministry of Mercy House Kenya, a non-profit organization.
They currently have multiple monthly options: their original (and very popular) Fair Trade Friday subscription box—this include 3-4 surprise items (think stylish accessories, organic soap, coffee, etc); their next option is a one-time box to try out as a trial or give as a gift; and finally, their new option: Earring of the Month.
All of these options would make amazing gifts for a friend, for Christmas, or to brighten someone’s day. Best of all, you know that your purchase is making a big difference in lives of needy women in other parts of the world.
Isn’t this such a fun apron? It made me want to head straight to the kitchen and bake!
You can take a peek at the Mercy House Shop to get an idea of the kinds of products that will be in some of the boxes.
{If you aren’t a Subscription Box type of person, you can order individual products directly from the Mercy House Shop.}
The generous folks at Fair Trade Friday asked if they could send me a few sample products and I was very impressed with the detailed and meticulous handiwork.
My favorite part of all the sample products was that each product comes with a tag that tells where the product was made and who it was made by. It makes you feel like you have a personal connection with these artisans and their stories.
Above is a sample of what a Fair Trade Friday box might look like. Each month it will be a fun surprise to get in the mail!
Want to sign up for Fair Trade Friday or the Earring of the Month Club? Find out more information here.
Please note: Fair Trade Friday is currently open, but the Earring of the Month Club is not open just now. However, you can join the wait list and you’ll be notified as soon as they can accept new subscriptions!
After months of effort, we can finally introduce you to…
…Our brand-new t-shirt line that we created with Cents of Style.
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!
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.
When you add a shirt to your cart and go to checkout, you’ll also be offered a FREE pair of earrings at checkout.
The price won’t be this low again for quite some time, so if you want to get a shirt for yourself or a friend, now’s the time to grab one. Click here to purchase. Don’t forget to use coupon code CHOOSE at checkout.
This offer is only valid through Sunday evening.
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.
Gretchen’s $57 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan
(Items from both stores are pictured above.)
Aldi
1 dozen Eggs – $2.29
2 cans Green Beans – $0.48 each
1 bag Tortilla Chips – $1.19
Total: $4.44
Dillons
(I had a bunch of e-coupons that didn’t come off of my card when they scanned it. My Dillons won’t reimburse me either – they just tell me to email corporate. I came home slightly frustrated, but I always run that risk when I use e-coupons.)
1 Pssst Honey – $5.29
1 Green Pepper – $0.89
1 pkg Hormel Turkey – $3.79
1 bag Kroger Unbleached Flour – $1.79
0.89 lb Green Beans – $0.88
1 bag Kroger Frozen Chicken Breasts – $6.99
2 bag Kroger Shredded Cheese – $2 each
5 Muller Yogurts – $1 each
Grapes – $2.86
1 Lara Bar – $1
2 Kroger Spaghetti Sauce – $1.49 each
1 gallon Milk – $2.29
3 Totinos Pizza – $1.34
1.41 lbs Squash – $1.40
5 lbs Ground Beef – Marked down to $1.99 each (So excited about finding this!)
Total: $53.11
Total for both grocery stores: $57.55
Menu Plan for this Week
(We have a lot of fruit and veggies leftover in our refrigerator from the last several week of grocery shopping and our garden. We will be trying to use these up this week.)
Breakfast
Eggs & Toast x 3
Cereal x 2
Oatmeal
Cinnamon Rolls
Lunches
Veggies & Fruit, Yogurt x 2
Cheese/Turkey/Crackers/Fruit x 2
Fruit Smoothies (from frozen fruit), Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (from the freezer)
Turkey Sandwiches, Chips, Fruit
Macaroni and Cheese, Fruit & Veggies
Dinners
Roast (from the freezer), Potatoes, Green Beans
Bacon, Eggs, Biscuits
Spaghetti, Green Beans, Tossed Salad
Chicken/Squash Skillet Meal, Tossed Salad
Chicken Fajitas, Chips & Salsa
Bean Burritos, Tossed Salad
Salad Bar, Blueberry Muffins
10 Things You Need to Know Before Shopping at ALDI
OVER-SPENDING EVERY SINGLE MONTH?Grab these FREE Budgeting Sheets!
Click here to download!
Shared Jul 9, 2015
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“I’m thinking of starting a blog for autistic families. Is this a good idea?”
“I’m thinking of starting a blog for autistic families. Is this a good idea?”
I live in the Indianapolis area and have a 10 year old autistic son. For a few years, I have been toying with the idea to start a blog or website that helps other families. I want to share my stories (good and bad) as well as let people know different resources, events, help find babysitter for special needs, give reviews and restaurants and shops and what not for special needs and have blogs from special needs teachers and professionals. I’m just wondering if this really is a good idea and do you think it’s possible? -Danielle
Yes, I think there is definitely a market for this!
As I thought through your question, I wanted to answer it in more of a broad manner — because I think there are many people like you who have a blog idea or topic they see there’s a need for a blog about and are wondering what they should do with the idea.
So here are two questions I encourage you to ask yourself:
1. Do you have a passion for this topic?
Now, it’s clear to me that this is a topic you know well–this is very real part of your every day life. It’s something that you’ve researched and learned a lot about.
However, knowledge is different than passion.
For instance, my 6-year-old has fairly severe asthma and has severe indoor and outdoor allergies. The asthma showed up when he was 18-months old and has been something that has resulted in many sleepless nights, many scary experiences, much fatigue, many prayers, tremendous amounts of research, and countless hours in doctor’s offices.
People often come to me with questions on asthma and pediatric allergies because they know it’s something that’s been a daily part of my life since the time Silas was little. I can share our experiences with different kinds of natural remedies, I can point you in the direction of good doctors, I can discuss medications and steroids and nebulizers and inhalers and the pros and cons and risks involved with each.
I’m happy to help people with the knowledge I’ve gleaned from walking through this journey with a child with severe asthma. I’m so grateful that we’ve found some different treatments that are allowing him to have relief from constant major episodes and relapses. I’m so thankful that the changes we’ve made in his life and our lives to remove as many triggers as possible and to be very proactive when he starts flaring up have resulted in him being healthier and sleeping through the night on a fairly consistent basis (instead of being up multiple times — or much of the night — because of coughing and inability to breathe well).
But I don’t have a passion for the topic of asthma. Talking about it and researching it is not something that gets me excited. I have no desire to write about it or blog about it or speak on it. And if I saw that there was a huge need for a blog or book on the topic, I wouldn’t be the one to write the book or start the blog.
Why? Because I’d burn out very quickly.
I share all of this to encourage you to step back and really consider: Is your blog idea something you are fiercely passionate about? Does talking about it light a fire under your belly? Do your friends see you as the go-to person for the topic?
Could you talk about this topic for hours and hours without getting tired? Could you write 5,000 posts on the topic? Could you get excited about getting up and writing about this topic every single day for years to come?
2. Do you have time to devote to blogging?
Blogging successfully requires a big commitment of time. It will take time and effort to set up the blog, to learn basic HTML, to get the hang of how to upload links and pictures, and how to format your posts. You’ll probably also want to learn how to use social media well, how to set up an email newsletter, how to design graphics, and maybe even how to update your header or sidebar.
It requires commitment to continue to blog and answer emails. To continue to find fresh content and perspective. To deal with site issues that come up. To learn new skills and adapt as the market changes.
Step back and really consider if your schedule would allow for this commitment. Would blogging be a blessing or a burden to your family? Would it drag you down, frustrate you, make you feel stressed and guilty, or take over your life in a negative way?
You don’t have to blog regularly. There is no rule book, after all, and you are the boss. However, if you want to be successful as a blogger, you have to put some priority on blogging.
Posts don’t just write themselves. Pictures don’t just take and crop themselves. And social media doesn’t just post automatically.
You have to make that happen — and it’s a LOT more work than most people realize. It can also be a LOT more frustrating than it might seem like at face value. If you’re like me and you’re not naturally a techie person, you are going to have a steep learning curve ahead of you.
Minor tweaks might end up turning into major headaches. Simple changes might make you want to pull your hair out. And almost everything to do with blogging typically takes longer than you think it will.
The most successful bloggers and those who stick with it for the long-haul are those who go into blogging treating it like a business or real job: something that you have to show up for daily or at least multiple times per week.
Do you have the space in your calendar to make regular blogging happen? Do you have the desire to learn the skills necessary to successfully set up and run a blog? Do you love new challenges and experimentation?
Did You Answer “Yes” To Both Questions?
If you answered “yes” to both of these questions, then I think you should definitely strongly consider moving ahead with the blog idea. There is a lot of potential for this idea and a lot of need for encouragement in this area.
I think you could consider expanding beyond your local area — maybe even making your blog a resource for those nationwide or even worldwide, with a special emphasis on your local area?
And if you do start your blog, I will be cheering you on all the way!
For more helpful ideas, read my post on How to Make Money Blogging.
What advice & thoughts do the rest of you have for Danielle? I’d love for you to chime in in the comments!
When You Feel Lonely and Left Out
“She didn’t pick us, Mom.”
Her voice quivered. The tears ran down her cheeks. And my heart hurt so badly.
We were on our way home from a party that both of the girls had been invited to. As soon as they got in the car, I knew something was wrong.
Their faces bore hurt. Their eyes were brimming with tears just waiting to spill out.
I gently asked what was wrong and slowly the story emerged.
I discovered that a fun game had been played and part of the game involved the birthday girl picking individuals to be on her team playing against the other girls at the party.
The only problem was, neither of my girls got picked. And, over the course of playing the game, everyone else did get picked.
They felt intentionally left out and slighted. Like they were the new girls in town and they weren’t good enough. And it stung both of them deeply.
Honestly, as a mom, I wanted to rush in and scoop them up and protect them. I wanted to express anger and frustration and say things like, “That was so rude and mean… You can never play with those girls ever again!!”
I hurt for them. But I knew deep down in my heart that trying coddle and bubble wrap my kids is doing them a disservice. I cannot shield them from hard things forever.
Because there’s a world out there that will crush you in two if you don’t develop backbone, stand strong, know the truth that you’re enough, and lovingly forgive and believe the best about people.
So part of growing up is learning to love others even when they do unloving things to you. It’s forgiving when you are slighted or skipped over — whether intentional or accidental. It’s not harboring bitterness and anger toward people who don’t treat us fairly.
We talked about this in the car that day. And I was taken back to many times in my life when I’ve felt lonely and left out, too…
When I was at that dinner with a bunch of Christian speakers and writers and I got the cold shoulder over and over again when people discovered my blog wasn’t expressly “Christian”.
When I was talking to the women at an event who seemed so excited to see me until a Very Important Person walked past and, all of a sudden, she couldn’t care less about me and only wanted to talk to Mrs. Very Important.
When that person I thought was my very good friend wrote a post with all of her very good friends listed and I didn’t make the cut.
When I was at that dinner party where everyone else knew everyone else… and no one seemed to notice that I didn’t know anyone.
When that blogger I thought I had really connected with at that conference went and talked behind my back about how she didn’t like me.
When someone I had invested in for years and years and thought was a close friend didn’t even acknowledge or reach out to me when I went through a very hard season.
…and the list could go on and on. 
In each situation, I have a choice: I can be a victim or a victor. I can choose to be hurt, upset, angry, and bitter. I can feel sorry for myself. I can feel not good enough. I can live in fear of rejection.
Or, I can choose to believe the best. To trust that there was probably an oversight. To realize that the person probably didn’t intentionally mean to hurt me. Or, I can realize that it was a situation I need to walk away from or pull back from so that I can make room for deeper relationships with other people.
I also told the girls that the best remedy for times when you feel lonely and left out is to do something for someone else. Reach out to someone else. Be interested in other people’s lives. Look for ways to serve. Find opportunities to show love.
When you’re in a situation where you start to feel left out, look for someone else who might be hanging back by themselves, too. Strike up a conversation with them. Be the first to reach out.
When you’re tempted to feel hurt and upset that you got passed over for an opportunity, instead of taking it personally, look for the blessings in the situation and take the focus off yourself.
Just recently, we were having dinner with friends from out of town. At the end of the meal, they told us that they wanted to tell us thank you for what we did for them 5 years ago.
Honestly, I barely remembered what we had done. It was a gift we had given them during a hard time in their life. And, 5 years later, they traveled from out of town and took us out to dinner at this nice restaurant because they wanted to personally express just how much it meant to them.
As they shared with us what they were going through at the time and just how deeply our gift had touched them and inspired them over the years to give to others, I was taken aback. I had no idea that a simple gift would make such an impact.
But more than that, I realized why we had given them the gift. You see, the day I’d sent them the email saying we wanted to gift this thing to them, I was at one of the lowest times of my life. I’d just experienced a very hurtful and messy relationship breakup with a friend whom I’d thought was one of my closest friends.
It was ugly and hurtful and painful… there were misunderstandings, missteps, and miscommunications on both sides, and I was left feeling shredded and gutted and bleeding.
I wanted to run away from the pain. But I couldn’t. I woke up each day for months, with hurt and sorrow and sadness and a sick feeling in my stomach.
That day that I’d reached out to these out-of-town friends I’d hit one of my lowest spots. And I distinctly remember telling Jesse, “I have to do something for someone else! I just have to. Because I can’t sit here and wallow in this pain any longer.”
So he and I talked about what we could do and we hatched a plan to bless our friends. Taking the focus off of myself was one of the most healing things I could do.
It gave me perspective. It gave me a flicker of excitement again. And it helped me to stop focusing on how hurt I felt.
Little did we dream that our gift would deeply touch our friends in such a way that it would inspire them to pass on the blessing over and over again.
Here’s the thing: many times in my life, I haven’t chosen to be a victor, to reach past the pain and hurt and look for ways to bless others. I’ve sat and sulked. I’ve let the pain overtake me. I’ve held numerous pity-parties.
And I’ve missed out on many blessings as a result. Which is why I couldn’t let my girls just sit in the car and feel hurt and upset that they didn’t get picked at the party.
We acknowledged that it hurt. We talked about situations where they could inadvertently do the same thing to others and how they need to always be on the lookout for this. And then we talked about ways they could reach out to others who might also feel lonely and left out.
Just two weeks later, we were in the car again. And this time, Kathrynne said, “Mom, you know my friend so-and-so? I’ve noticed that they’ve seemed sad and out-of-place in situations recently. Could we invite them over to play? Because I really want them to be a better friend to them.”
There couldn’t have been a bigger beaming smile on my face if I had tried. Yes! This is what it’s all about.
The more you focus on others, the less time you’ll have to feel lonely and left out.
We Paid Cash: Starting A Blog
A testimony from Abby from Winstead Wandering
I’ve been blogging off and on since May of 2011. And in January of 2015, I decided to finally start the new blog I’d been brainstorming for months.
I had just suffered a miscarriage and I needed something to take me out of my own head. I knew, though, that I wanted to be serious and intentional in how I went about starting the new site; I wanted to buy my domain, I wanted to be self-hosted, and I didn’t want a free cookie cutter blog design.
After crunching numbers and spending a good portion of my Christmas break doing research, I decided I needed $200 to buy the things I wanted: my domain name, 36 months of hosting, and a blog design.
I know it’s completely possible to start a blog without spending a penny, but it was important to me to treat my new site seriously — like the business I eventually hoped it would be — right from the beginning.
I also hoped that working hard to earn the money would make the commitment more real to me.
Here’s how I earned $200:
Selling Textbooks
I took four college classes in the summer of 2014, and while I’d always intended to sell my used textbooks, I never got around to it. Needing blog money was the motivation I needed to finally list them on ebay. My timing aligned with colleges resuming classes after winter break, so my books sold quickly, earning me $125.
Teachers Pay Teachers Store
As a high school teacher, I have a Teachers Pay Teachers store where I sell the random forms, worksheets, and activities I prepare for my classes. I typically bring in $30-$40 in passive income each month, but seeing as January was the beginning of a new semester, I was able to set aside my entire $75 paycheck from that month.
Ibotta
I’ve used Ibotta to earn cash back on groceries since the app was first introduced, but I rarely cash out. I prefer to allow my savings to build up and then cash out when I have a specific purchase in mind. Because it had been a while since I’d done that, I was able to deposit $40 from Ibotta into my PayPal account.
It took me less than one month to earn the cash I needed to start my blog. I used the extra — and I continue to use the cash generated from my TpT account — to participate in giveaways and buy odds and ends like pretty dishes to photograph my recipes in.
My goal, of course, is that my blog will eventually bring in a small part-time income to supplement what my husband and I make as teachers. For now though, I love knowing that I started this adventure without tapping into my family’s monthly budget!
Abby is an Oregonian-turned-Mississippian, teaching high school Business and Technology. When she isn’t learning cool new slang at school, she likes to hang out at the golf course with her husband and aspiring (L)PGA toddlers. Abby blogs at Winstead Wandering.
Have you saved up and paid cash for something — large or small? Submit your story for possible publication here.
Work-At-Home Job Opening: Blog Assistant/Project Manager
My friends over at 100 Days of Real Food are looking to hire a part-time blog assistant and project manager. This person’s job will include the following areas of oversight and administration:
- Rapid Response Proofing – Proof email campaigns and Facebook, Instagram, and blog posts (blog posts have usually already been run through an editor, but not always) on command during normal job hours.
- Project Management – Manage various projects to achieve defined goals. For example, set up the infrastructure to sell a digital product.
- Ongoing Tasks – Be the go-to person for some customer service and blog maintenance activities. For example, pre- or post-sales questions for digital products, generating reports, managing giveaways, improving SEO of old posts, etc.
- Administrative Task List – Work through an ever-changing administrative task list as time allows. Examples include editing affiliate links, research, A/B testing, fixing bad formatting, etc.
- Continuous Improvement – Use analytics (Google, Hotjar, SumoMe, Optinmonster, etc.), A/B testing, reader feedback, discussions with the owners and other employees, and your own insight to improve the user experience, user interface, site performance, and profitability of the website and related properties/products.
Read more about the job description and requirements here.
Thanks, This Georgia Girl!
5 Things I’m Loving This Week
I usually post this on Saturday night, but we were traveling back from Kansas on Saturday, so I didn’t get this posted then. But I figured you wouldn’t mind if I shared it on a Tuesday night instead. 🙂
1. Fun Selfies With My Kids
We had so much fun taking the above picture and laughed so hard doing it. I mean, it’s a shame we have no personality at our house. None whatsoever.
{The short story behind the photo: Jesse encouraged me to start tracking my nutrition since I’ve been kind of dragging recently. By doing so, I realize I need to be eating more good carbs and protein, so I’m working on that.
Jesse suggested I try one of his shakes since “it’s loaded with good carbs,” he told me. It looked good when he gave it to me in the shaker bottle, I thought it was a chocolate shake, and I promptly took a big swig… And quickly discovered it tasted and smelled nothing like I expected. Blech! It smelled like garden veggies and tasted plain wrong!
He came into the room and saw me plugging my nose and trying to down it and just laughed. And then I about gagged when he told me it was a sweet potato shake. Excuse me? Sweet potatoes are what you eat with steak, they do NOT belong in a shake. Trust me on this.}
2. Josh Groban’s Album: Stages
It’s no secret that I’m a huge Groban fan. In fact, I may reach Groupie levels.
Yes, I’m the kind of fan that my husband knew even frugal me wouldn’t object to paying for VIP tickets to his concert… and then I felt all excited over the fact that when he came out into the audience, I was just about ten seats away from being able to shake his hand.
TEN SEATS, people. That’s basically like he and I are best buds.
I mean, really, what are a few chairs between us and the fact that he doesn’t know me from Adam and the fact that he’d be completely scared off by my inability to act like a normal non-stalker fan if I actually did, indeed, get close enough to say hello sometime??
Yes, we’re practically close friends. So, of course, I have to support my friends and spend my Swagbucks-earned credit on their albums. Because I don’t want my friends to be starving artists or anything.
Sarcasm aside, I adored almost every song on this album. And it’s been on repeat while I’ve been working online recently. You can listen to clips of all of the songs here.
3. Creativity
I love how Kaitlynn always sees possibility and potential everywhere she looks. She’s always creating. Whether it’s cards for other people, paintings to hang on the wall, loom band creations for a friend, or some kind of needlework, her hands are never still.
With her skillful eye for beauty, scraps of paper, bits of yarn, or broken crayons are not things to be discarded, but things to transform into art. She sees all of life as her “studio” for expressing new artistic ideas, experimenting with new art forms, and combining various YouTube tutorials into her own variations on a pattern. This week, one of her creations was this baby hat complete with pompom side decor.
Her fierce independence and strong personality has kept me on my knees many a time as a mom and there have been many days when I wanted to throw up my hands in despair, but more and more, I see how her tenacity is going to be one of her greatest gifts to the world. I’m excited to see what God has in store for her future!
She’s taught me so much about being brave and bold, about being true to yourself, and about always looking for the beauty in the middle of the brokenness. Because you might not see it at first, but it is there, just waiting for someone to notice and nurture it.
4. Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock App
I feel as if I’m finally transitioning into the 21st century this past year because I’ve actually started using my phone for something other than talking on the phone, texting, and checking email.
Yes, I’ve discovered this new-fangled thing they call “apps”! And while I’m still only using a few of them, the few I use are actually really impacting my life in positive ways.
My recent new favorite app is the Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock App. This app tracks your sleep and wakes you at the most optimal time in your sleep pattern to be woken up.
Not only am I waking up feeling more rested, but I’m finding that the statistics on how well you slept and how long you slept are really enlightening — and they are encouraging me to figure out different things that really improve my quality of sleep.
5. Cute New Shirts from Cents of Style
Squee!! Our new t-shirt line with Cents of Style is finally here!
I walked down the stairs yesterday afternoon and asked Jesse if he could snap a few pictures of me modeling the shirts because I wanted to use the pics in a blog post.
Only problem was, I yelled into the kitchen as I was walking down the stairs: “Honey, can you take a picture of me since I have my shirt on!” And then I turned and saw that one of the older neighbor boys was standing right there off to the side of the bottom of the stairs.
I pretended like it was no big deal, but inside I was dying from embarrassment and laughter thinking what that request must have sounded like to him!!
And then of course, I didn’t know Jesse was actually taking pictures when I was trying to tell him to take a few shots just getting the text section of the shirt. This photo looked so ridiculous that I had to share.
{The shirts have some of my favorite phrases on them that have served to transform my perspective on life: Choose Love, Choose Gratitude, Choose Joy, and Choose Courage! You can get one for yourself for just $14.95 shipped this week only when you use coupon code CHOOSE at checkout. See all the designs here.}
What have you been loving recently? Tell us in the comments!