I loved this post from Kosher on a Budget on 10 Things You Need to Know Before Shopping at ALDI.
Summer Bucket List
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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!
Shared Jul 7, 2015
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12 Goals for 2015: June Update (and a recap of our very full month!)
12 Goals for 2015: June Update (and a recap of our very full month!)
Whew! What a month June was! I had fun reviewing everything that happened and also wondering how it all happened in just 4 weeks. God’s grace was so evident to carry us through all of this… and there’s probably a good reason why I’m tired this week. 🙂
Here are some of the highlights from June:
We started out the month with a bang by launching my brand-new 14-day online course: Make Over Your Mornings. To date, we have sold over 14,000 courses and fully funded a really cool project in South Africa.
I’m humbly grateful and overwhelmed by you all and your incredible response to this resource. Thank you for the constant stream of emails you’ve been sending me about how it’s impacting your life.
We also launched something I’ve been wanting to launch for a long time — a weekly email newsletter from me personally. This email newsletter is filled with some behind-the-scenes stories and tidbits that you won’t read on the blog, some personal encouragement from me, plus helpful links and resources.
If you purchased a copy of Make Over Your Mornings, it should land in your inbox every Saturday morning. I’m having so much fun putting it together — and am loving getting to interact with a group of you on a more personal level (well, as personal as email can be!)
Silas went with me to San Francisco. It was a whirlwind trip, but we had so much fun getting to see new things — like the Golden Gate Bridge!
I spoke at a homeschool conference in Virginia.
Our kids went to Pine Cove’s Camp in the City at our church.
Kaitlynn and I got to see our beloved Jackie Evancho in concert with the Nashville Symphony.
Jesse and I got to enjoy quite a bit of one-on-one time while our kids were at camp during the day.
Kathrynne got to go with me to the Atlanta Say Goodbye to Survival Mode Event — and thought the spread in the green room they had for us was pretty amazing (so did I!)
We celebrated this beautiful girl’s eighth birthday with shopping and more fun one-on-one time fun together.
I faced some fear gremlins and flew to NYC (by myself!) and recorded a segment on John Stossel’s show on Fox Business.
We met up with my sister and her family in Atlanta for a few days of fun.
And then we came home and vegged for a few days before leaving again for a few days in Kansas for the 4th of July.
My 12 Goals for 2015
Marriage
- Read 1 book per month on marriage.
- Read in January: 52 Ways to Wow Your Husband
- Read in February: From This Day Forward
- Read in March: For Married Women Only
- Read in April: 50 Frugal Dates
- Read in May: Red Hot Romance Tips
- Read in June: 31 Days to a Happy Husband
- Write at least 1 love note to Jesse each week.
- Done in January
- Done in February
- Done in March
- Done in April
- Done in May
- Done in June
Motherhood
- Read at least 1 book aloud to the kids per month.
- Read in January: James and the Giant Peach
- Read in February: The Imagination Station Book 15
- Read in March: The Imagination Station Book 16, Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing
- Read in April: Caleb’s Story
- Read in May: Pedro’s Journal
- Read in June: McBroom’s Wonderful One-Acre Farm
- Write 1 love note to each child every month.
- Done in January.
- Done in February.
- Done in March.
- Done in April.
- Done in May.
- Done in June.
Myself
- Complete all She Reads Truth 2015 Bible Studies + memory work.
- Done in January — I absolutely loved the John study.
- Done in February — I really enjoyed the Esther study.
- Done in March — The Lent study was so, so good!
- Done in April — I loved the Timothy study!
- Done in May — I’m so enjoying the Women in the Word study.
- Done in June — I’m continuing to enjoy the Women in the Word study!
- Done in January — I absolutely loved the John study.
- Read 1 fiction book per month.
- Read in January: What Alice Forgot
- Read in February: The Cricket in Times Square (read aloud to the kids)
- Read in March: Lizzy & Jane
- Read in April: Dear Mr. Knightley
- Read in May: Walk the World’s Rim (read aloud to the kids)
- Read in June: Rare Bird (I know it’s not fiction, but I’m going to count it because I got sucked into the story like I would a fiction book. I started two other fiction books and ended up deciding not to finish either of them because they were too fluffy for me.)
MoneySavingMom.com
Hire a local personal assistant.- Done! And I’m so grateful! My new assistant, Ashley, is amazing!
- Done! And I’m so grateful! My new assistant, Ashley, is amazing!
- Launch 2 courses.
- Woot! Woot! We launched Make Over Your Mornings in May!
- We’re working hard on a free 5-day video course we’ll be launching with my new book, Money-Making Mom.
- Woot! Woot! We launched Make Over Your Mornings in May!
- Launch our new product line (slated to soft launch later this year).
- Release my third book (slated to come out November 2015).
- We’re in the middle of gearing up for marketing and publicity and are in the midst of the final edits. Can’t wait to tell you more about this book in the coming months!
- We’re in the middle of gearing up for marketing and publicity and are in the midst of the final edits. Can’t wait to tell you more about this book in the coming months!
Money
Increase last year’s overall giving totals by 10% in 2015.- Part of my going to South Africa was to investigate the possibility of our family personally supporting the work of Take Action. After coming home, we both felt this was the direction we were supposed to take and our partnership with them will allow us to meet this goal. We’re so thrilled with what God is doing there in South Africa and, for those who have joined us in this through the #TenDollarTribe.
- Part of my going to South Africa was to investigate the possibility of our family personally supporting the work of Take Action. After coming home, we both felt this was the direction we were supposed to take and our partnership with them will allow us to meet this goal. We’re so thrilled with what God is doing there in South Africa and, for those who have joined us in this through the #TenDollarTribe.
- Finish funding our Rental House #3 Savings Account.
- We’re at 75%. We’re starting to look at houses in earnest and getting excited about the possibility of buying another rental again.
How are you doing on YOUR goals for 2015?
If you set goals for this year, I’d love to hear how you are doing on them! Leave a comment telling us about your progress on them or leave the link to your blog post about them. Here’s to a year of living with purpose, intentional, impact, and meaning!
- We’re at 75%. We’re starting to look at houses in earnest and getting excited about the possibility of buying another rental again.
Tips & Recipes for Summer Freezer Meals
Jessica from Life as Mom has a comprehensive post up with tips and recipes for Summer Freezer Meals.
My 10 Goals For This Week (+ we’re ready for some R&R!)
{Read the story behind this crazy photo here. And yes, it was staged, but it was pretty accurate to how we were feeling at the time!}
June was an especially full month. It was full of good things, adventures, outings with friends, time with people we love, many projects completed, and five different trips.
Whew! I don’t regret the “yeses” we said, but the truth is: I am tired and ready to take some time to slow down and catch my breath. So that’s exactly what the next few weeks are for our family.
Other than a few commitments, we’re taking the next few weeks to really slow down, unplug, hang out together as a family, catch up on sleep, and be intentional about resting and recharging.
Goals from 2 weeks ago:
Marriage/Mothering/Homemaking Goals
1. Write love notes to each of the kids and to Jesse.
2. Have an at-home movie date with Jesse.
Personal Goals
3. Finish reading at least one book.
Local Ministry/Hospitality/Friendship Goals
4. Have a coffee date with a friend.
Business Goals
5. Finish writing an article for an upcoming project.
6. Finish reading and writing an endorsement for another author’s book.
This week’s goals:
Marriage/Mothering/Homemaking Goals
1. Write love notes to each of the kids and to Jesse.
2. Have an at-home Family Movie Night.
3. Have an at-home Movie Date with Jesse.
Personal Goals
4. Finish reading at least one book.
5. Track my macros on My Fitness App.
6. Do one thing every day to refresh myself/recharge my batteries.
Local Ministry/Hospitality/Friendship Goals
7. Have a coffee date with a friend.
Business Goals
8. Finish writing an article for an upcoming magazine feature.
9. Launch our new t-shirt line with Cents of Style. (So excited to show you these!!)
10. Work on outlining the video course for Money-Making Mom.
How did you do on last week’s goals? What are your goals for this week? I’d love to have you share your progress on last week’s goals and your goals for this coming week in the comments. Of, if you’ve blogged about it, leave your direct link below. Let’s cheer each other on to live purposeful and productive lives! You can download a free customizable weekly goal-planning sheet here.
How I Saved (and made) Money on My Daughter’s Figure Skating
The following is a testimony from Jennifer:
When my daughter completed the USFSA basic skills and freestyle programs a few years ago, the cost of her ice skating training skyrocketed.
First I tried to save a few dollars here and there.
- choosing a more affordable private coach (not such a good idea as it costs more time and money to fix bad habits)
- supplementing private lessons with jumps classes, juniors (semi private) lessons, and camps (very helpful)
- extra practice during summer public ice (freestyle ice time at our rink runs $15/50 minutes while public ice is $5/80 minutes once at day a noon)
- sewing my daughter’s skating dresses (this is where the story gets good)
A few years ago I thought I would attempt to sew my daughter a figure skating dress. I’ve always been able to sew, but the slippery lycra and power mesh (the see through — usually flesh tone — panels on skating dresses) took some time to master.
I made her first dress with some bright blue lycra, the wrong kind of elastic and my basic sewing machine. Once I added a few crystals, it didn’t look too bad, so I kept going.
A few dresses later (along with one overlock machine and some experiments with lining and specialty threads) I was making dresses for my daughter’s competitions and drafting my own patterns. Then I volunteered to make a few character dresses for my daughter’s synchro team’s spring show. They were a hit.
I started working with her coach, making all the team dresses in exchange for the cost of participating. Her coach provided the fabric, a higher-end overlock machine, an industrial coverlock machine, and a great opportunity to show off my designs.
I have since made dance dresses for a collegiate synchro team, dresses for learn-to-skate groups, and custom freestyle dresses that range from $150-$675. In the past 12 months, I have made 275 dresses!
My business has become a wonderful way to pay for my daughter’s skating and my son’s activities while still allowing me to be a stay-at-home-mom. It has also provided me with a fun creative outlet (and my daughter loves that I can make just about anything we can dream up)!
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Are You Throwing Money in the Trash?
Guest post from Asheritah of One Thing Alone
When my husband and I went minimalist, we quickly realized that our trash habits had to change too. With a little research and some planning, we saved over $684 — and lightened our carbon footprint.
Here’s how you can too:
1. Sell old appliances and electronics ($100)
Our electric company pays $50 for refrigerators that still function, and offer reimbursements for energy-efficient replacements. And when our laptop crashed, we bought a new one and sold the dead computer for $50 online. Easy-peasy!
2. Reuse veggie scraps ($204)
I save all my veggie scraps and rotisserie chicken bones in the freezer and make crock-pot stock once a month. One batch equals $17 savings, and if I’m not planning on making soup that week, I simply freeze the stock for later use. The other scraps go into our compost.
3. Recycle aluminum, glass, and plastic ($68)
The average American drinks roughly 16 oz of soda a day (source), the equivalent of two aluminum cans or one plastic bottle. If those containers were recycled, a household of five could recover at least $68, if not more in certain states. You can also recycle wine corks, cooking oil, tennis balls, and golf balls for cash.
4. Drive scrap metal to a junkyard ($48)
When we remodeled our bathroom a few years ago, we took the old cast-iron tub to a junkyard and got $48 for something we were going to throw out anyway. Since then, we’ve also sold old wiring, aluminum house paneling, our old water heater, and other miscellaneous metals.
5. Get a tax deduction for clothing and furniture (varies)
The best way to get money for things around the house is to have a yard sale. But for those of us who just don’t have that much to sell, donating items to thrift stores results in an easy tax deduction.
6. Sell books ($156)
You know those old college textbooks you’ve been hanging onto “in case you might want to refer back to them someday?” (Please tell me I’m not the only one.)
Five years after my graduation, I still hadn’t opened the cover on a single one, and I decided they had to go. Some I listed on Amazon and others I sold in bulk for easy payments. I also sell books I receive from publishers to do video book reviews, so I get to read books and make some money off of them. Voila! More shelf space and more money.
7. Pay less for trash collection ($108)
As a result of our collective effort to throw out less stuff, we found our 120-gallon trash bin was nearly empty each week. I now pay only when I need a pickup. We went from paying $10/month to $2 every two months, and they pick up our recycling for free!
Have you tried any of these methods? How else do you throw away less trash and make more money?
Asheritah helps overwhelmed women find joy in Jesus on her blog and through her books. She likes giving away free stuff to encourage women in their walks with God.
“Dancing” To a Successful eBay Business
Guest post by Kimberly of Garage Sale Heaven
My online selling success story began with a “dance”. Prior to selling online, I was working as a part-time writer and full-time homeschool teacher to my three children. My husband’s job as a public employee paid the bills, and the little bits of cash I made here and there for writing gigs paid for our little extras.
My oldest daughter, Madison, has danced since the age of three and in February 2013, she was accepted into Nashville Ballet’s Summer Intensive Program. Dance is her passion. She eats, sleeps, and breathes dance.
Needless to say, she was beyond excited to get this opportunity. The only problem was that it was going to cost over $3,000 to attend the 3-week program.
My husband and I knew what an incredible opportunity this would be for her, and we wanted her to have it, but we didn’t have an extra $3,000 sitting in the bank to pay for it.
While brainstorming different ideas, my husband remembered that he had several boxes of toys in the basement from his childhood. Since they were just collecting dust, we decided to try and sell them on eBay.
To our surprise, the toys sold quickly, and for great money! And to top it off, I really enjoyed selling and interacting with customers. After our success with the toys, we wondered what else might sell.
In June of 2013, I opened my online store, This and That Shack. In July 2013, Madison attended the Nashville Ballet Intensive, where she had the opportunity to follow her passion thanks to my eBay sales! And by a happy dance accident, I also found my passion. I haven’t looked back.
Since that time, I’ve expanded my sourcing to garage sales, auctions, antique malls, and the clearance racks of brick and mortar stores. I work, on average, about 25 hours per week. My sales have continued to grow, and I’m earning about $2,500 profit each month after expenses!
While dance is my daughter’s passion, eBay has become mine. I love sourcing and listing cool stuff, and I love hearing from happy customers that I helped them find exactly what they were looking for. This is definitely the most enjoyable and lucrative part-time job I’ve ever had, and I’m grateful for the opportunity.
My family is grateful, too. They are enjoying many more little extras since I started my new endeavor. We’ve enjoyed a few small vacations, and Madison has since attended another Ballet Intensive in Michigan.
For those of you who might be interested in selling on eBay too, here are a few tips:
1. You will need to set up a PayPal account. All payments on eBay are done via PayPal.
2. You’ll need to register as a new user on eBay. Just click the Sell your item button on the eBay home page, and you will be walked through this relatively quick process.
3. As far as tools/supplies, you’ll need a computer, tablet, or smartphone with internet access, a digital camera or phone that takes good pictures, a shipping scale, shipping tape, bubble wrap and boxes. You can order free Priority boxes from USPS.com.
4. You will need a space to keep your inventory neat and organized. Once you sell something, you don’t want to have to dig to find it.
5. If you’re wondering what sells on eBay, the answer is practically anything. The trick is always to buy low and sell high.
6. It’s a good idea to get the eBay app on your phone. When you are at garage sales, thrift stores, or auctions, you can easily look up items you’re interested in to see what they are selling for. Keep in mind that eBay and PayPal fees will take about 10-13% of each sale.
Any other tips from experienced eBay sellers?
Kimberly is a wife, mom, teacher, and eBay Top Rated Seller. She created her blog, Garage Sale Heaven, in order to share her frugal finds and reselling adventures. She loves a good garage sale! If you feel the same way, she hopes you’ll stop by.
“5 Reasons I Loved Make Over Your Mornings”
I loved this review from Simple Catholic Living on 5 reasons she loved Make Over Your Mornings.
If you’ve been considering purchasing this program, but aren’t sure whether it will work for you, I think you’ll find her review helpful.
We Paid Cash: A Homeschooling Room
A testimony from Mandy from MissMaesDays.com
The day had come when I had had it with storing all of our school supplies, projects, lesson plans, and books in our kitchen drawers and cupboards. For years, I was using the kitchen island and drawers for homeschooling our kiddos and it just was not working.
I had an “a-ha moment” when I looked at our hardly-used formal living room…it was the perfect space for a classroom! When I saw it in my mind I knew it could be done.
But we didn’t have the extra cash to transform an entire room in our house into a school room. How in the world could I afford the furniture and supplies to make the conversion?!
Then it hit me like a ton of bricks! Sell the formal living room furniture — the couches, tables, lamps, and decor. Then, USE that money to purchase the items I need for our school room!
Voilà! A school room paid in full, without using credit cards.
Here’s how I did it:
- I listed my formal, living room furniture on Craigslist.
- I sold smaller items on eBay.
- I purged my entire home of unused, unwanted items, readying them for a garage sale. (Any items that didn’t sell on Craigslist and eBay were sold in the garage sale.)
- I planned and orchestrated a successful garage sale.
After my efforts to create some extra cash, I found that I had over $1,000 cash IN HAND. So, I set out to get some deals!
How did I do it?
- I shopped garage sales for furniture pieces.
- I shopped discount stores for decor, teaching supplies, classroom supplies, manipulatives, and games.
- I researched curriculum to invest in. I found coupons and deals to purchase curriculum.
- I scoured the internet for deals on things that you simply can’t find locally.
- I sought the internet for my “dream, can’t live without” pieces. (Mine was a double-sided whiteboard easel on wheels!)
- I shopped for discounted paints/supplies at my local hardware store for decorating my school room space.
Once all of my hard work had paid off, I sat back and prepared to design our homeschool room knowing that we paid CASH for it! It was the greatest feeling in the world. (Here’s a look at our finished room).
MissMaesDays.com is the creation of Mandy Mae; wife, mother, teacher, and frugal-DIY-enthusiast. Hoping to inspire mothers to take action in making a positive influence in the lives of their children with simple, DIY, crafting, thrifting, and teaching projects, Mandy Mae enjoys sharing both her successes and hiccups with easy-to-follow tips & tutorials.
Have you saved up and paid cash for something — large or small? Submit your story for possible publication here.
My Daughter’s Make Over Your Mornings Video (adorable!)
Rachel gave me permission to share this email and video:
Thank you for your Make Over Your Mornings program! You were the jumpstart I needed to get my morning routine going again now that my third daughter is 8 months old. Thank you so much for inspiring me to set goals again and get back into regular Bible reading, prayer, and working out!
You have a genuine gift for motivating women in practical ways. I finished your program about a week ago and I am excited to continue what I learned and the habits I started. I am finding such joy and peace starting my days ahead rather than feeling like I am behind and trying to catch up all day.
I challenged another friend to do the course as well and now we are keeping each other accountable as well as exercising together several mornings a week before our kids wake up.
My 4 and 5 year old daughters saw me watching your videos some morning when they woke up. Soon, they became little accountability partners! One night recently I heard them chattering in their room after bedtime. I went in and found out that they were “being Crystal Paine ” and pretending to be on a video.
So I recorded them doing their Crystal Paine impression yesterday and wanted to share it with you! You are inspiring little girls too! By the way, my daughter Annika made up the whole script herself. -Rachel
Oh my goodness! Is that video not the cutest thing ever?? I had to watch it multiple times because I just couldn’t help myself!