K.M. Logan at Free Homeschool Deals shows you 15 Easy Meals You Can Make In 15 Minutes Or Less.
Summer Bucket List
Classic View
Grid View
Building Authentic Friendships and Community
This month, I’m honored to be the featured guest as part of Mandi’s Live course.
The Live course is a 12-month journey to a life you love. No matter when you join, you’ll start by identifying your values and priorities and then working through each of the 12 modules, one month at a time.
This course provides:
- a step-by-step approach that helps you focus on one area of your life at a time to create real, lasting changes
- experts sharing fresh, exclusive content on each topic
- a variety of multimedia formats: written blog posts, podcasts, vlogs and printables
- a rolling format that allows you to join us in any month and cover the course material over the following 12 months
- lifetime membership so you can revisit the monthly themes year after year
- BONUS: offline content (PDF, .mobi and .epub)
- BONUS: access to a private Facebook group for encouragement and discussion
During the month of March, I’ve joined Mandi to talk about Connection, Friendship, and Community. We’re sharing lessons we’re learned about friendship, including:
- the benefits of friendship and community
- how to be a friend and build long-lasting friendships
- community versus individual friendships
- finding time for friendships when your life is already full
- the good and the bad of social media for connecting
- how to cultivate authentic friendships
- choosing which friendships to invest in
- knowing when and how to end a friendship
- how to deal with a friendship that ends suddenly
- and more
If you’re interested, you can sign up for the course here. You can choose to either sign up for the entire 12-month course, or just choose to purchase access to this month.
Shared Mar 7, 2015
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Brigette’s $63 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan for 6
Brigette’s $63 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan for 6
Aldi
1 gallon Milk – $2.99
1 3-ct pkg Romaine Hearts – $2.99
3 1-lb pkgs frozen Ground Turkey (not pictured) – $5.67
1 can Frozen Orange Juice Concentrate – $1.69
2 12-oz pkgs American Cheese – $3.78
1 32-oz container Greek Yogurt – $3.89
1 24-oz pkg Zucchini – $1.99
1 head Cabbage – $1.29
2 heads Cauliflower – $3.98
1 bunch Bananas – ($2.76lbs @ $0.44/lb) – $1.21, plus receive back $0.25 from Checkout 51 – $0.96 after rebate
8 0z Heavy Whipping Cream – $1.89
1 pkg assorted Mini Sweet Peppers – $1.99
2 5-lb bags Flour – $2.78
1 16-oz jar Salsa – $1.49
I 6-oz pkg Raspberries – $1.49
1 8-oz pkg Swiss Cheese – $1.79
Total after Rebate: $40.66
Harris Teeter
2 18-ct cartons Eggs – $3.54 (limit 2)
1 box Cheerios (B1G1 @ $3.39) – $1.70, used $0.75/1 printable (doubled) – $0.20 after coupon
2 9-oz Dawn Dish Detergent – $2.00, used 2 $0.25/1 Dawn Product, exp. 3/31/15 (P&G 03/01/15) (doubled) – $1.00/2 after coupons
2 8-oz chunks Cheese – $2.54 (limit 2)
2 Colgate Toothpaste – $2.00 (used a rain check from several weeks back), used 2 $0.50/1 Colgate Toothpaste, exp. 3/14/15 (SS 03/01/15) (doubled) – Free after coupons
3 4-ct pkgs Kozy Shack Chocolate Pudding (B1G1 @ $2.99) – $4.49, used 3 $0.75/1 Kozy Shack Pudding, exp. 3/31/15 (SS 01/18/15) (doubled) – Free after coupons
1 pkg Shirataki Miracle Noodles – $1.69
Fuji Apples (3.02lbs @ $0.99/lb) – $2.99
4 pkgs Gwaltney Hotdogs – $3.88, used 2 $0.75/2 Gwaltney Hot Dogs, exp. 3/15/15 (SS 02/01/15 R) (doubled) – $0.88/4 after coupons
Total: $13.09
Sawyer’s Produce
By far the score of the week was discovering – thanks to a sweet friend – a produce warehouse just a few miles from our house that was selling flats of organic strawberries for $5 each! They are sweet and not over-ripe. I am freezing most of them, and we will be enjoying them mixed into oatmeal, smoothies, yogurt, etc. for the next several months!
16 1-lb cartons Organic Strawberries (plus a couple of oranges they sent home for us to sample) – $10.00
Total: $10.00
Weekly Total: $63.75
Weekly Menu Plan
Breakfasts
Oatmeal and Strawberries x 3
Cereal
Scrambled Eggs and Toast x 3
Lunches
Peanut Butter and Strawberry Chia Seed Jam Sandwiches x 2, Mini Peppers
Greek Yogurt Mac and Cheese, Sautéed Zucchini, Apples
Baked Potatoes with Toppings (Salsa, Greek Yogurt, Broccoli, Shredded Cheese), Raspberries
Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Roasted Cauliflower x 2
Leftovers
Dinners
Taco Salad, Oranges, Steamed Peas
Pakistani Kima over Brown Rice, Tossed Salad
Oatmeal Pecan Pancakes, Turkey Bacon, Bananas
Pan Fried Tilapia, Baked French Fries, Steamed Broccoli
One Million Vegetables Lentil Stew, Homemade Whole Wheat Bread
Chicken Tetrazzini (leaving out the mushrooms), Steamed Cauliflower, Italian Garlic Bread
Leftovers
Snacks
Pudding, Smoothies, Overnight Strawberry Refrigerator Oatmeal (for me), Strawberry Crumb Bars (for the family), Popcorn
5 Freebies I Got In My Mailbox This Week
Here are the freebies that showed up in my mailbox this past week:
- Frizz-Ease sample
- Zarbee’s Naturals Elderberry Gummies (these were yummy!)
- Candid Conversations with Connie — free book earned from Tyndale Rewards
- Adventures in Odyssey CD set — free with points earned from Tyndale Rewards
- Pride & Prejudice (can you believe I’ve never read it??) from PaperBackSwap — I’m so bummed that PaperBackSwap is now going to be charging a small amount per transaction. I had some credit in my account that had built up over the years that I was able to use to cover the cost of an unlimited yearly membership. But after that year expires, I’m not sure that I’ll continue to use them.
What freebies have arrived in your mailbox recently?
By the way, if you want to start getting great freebies in your mailbox, just start signing up for the freebies I post every day that interest you. Within 4-6 weeks, your mailbox will start filling up with great freebies!
5 Tips to Score the Best Prices at Kid’s Consignment Sales
Guest post from Kim of Thrifty Little Mom
Do you love kid’s consignment sales as much as I do? They give me a bigger shopping adrenaline rush than I get on Black Friday.
In the last 5 years I’ve learned a thing or two about scoring amazing deals at kid’s consignment sales and today I want to pass that wisdom on to you:
1. Get Into the Pre-sale
A pre-sale is when the sale organizers open the doors for a select few before they open them to the general public. The crowd is smaller, the environment is more relaxed and you get a choice of the best priced items in the best condition.
Typically, to get into a pre-sale you have to: be a seller, donate money, or volunteer for a shift.
2. Shop Prepared
Build your shopping list throughout the year. I keep a handy electronic list going at all times, and when I see or think of an item I’d really like my kid to have, I add it to the list on my phone. That way when the next sale comes around I know that I’m looking for.
Whatever the item, I can usually track it down between one or two of these sales and get an incredible deal on it. It’s kind of fun — like a scavenger hunt!
3. Compare Prices
Don’t just buy the first toy you see. More than likely there will be about 10 duplicates of the same toy all marked at different prices. When you find several of one item, compare the prices and condition and take the one marked at the best price.
4. Bring Cash
Often these sales are small businesses or non-profits who get hit with heavy fees for processing credit or debit cards. I always bring cash to avoid having a $1-$2 charge added to my bill.
This also keeps me from overspending. I give myself a cash only budget in order to make sure that I don’t spend more than that at the sale. It’s easy to get carried away!
5. Shop the Half Price Day
At most consignment sales, the last day is also ½ price day. You just look at the tag and if it’s marked “Yes” under “½ price” you know that it will be 50% at check-out. This is typically when I rack up on clothing, yet it often includes toys, shoes and other items at the sale.
Not all sellers participate in the half-price sale but there are enough who do that makes it worth it to head to the event on the last day.
As you begin your bargain hunting this Kid’s Consignment sale season I hope you will find these tips helpful and that you save yourself some big bucks!
Kim Anderson is a house spouse, mom, and blogger at Thrifty Little Mom. Her blog focuses on inspiring others to pursue financial freedom while finding joy in frugal living. She lives in Atlanta, GA with her electrical engineer husband, 3-year-old son and a Beagle named Bit.
10 Easy Ways to Save $5 or More Per Month
Rhonda emailed in the following tip:
Are you looking for a few simple ways to save $5 a month (or more)? Here are 10 ideas:
- Install the Walmart Savings Catcher app on your phone. Then scan those and pocket the savings if prices on your items are lower at area stores.
- Join Inbox Dollars and earn money through taking survey and reading e-mails.
- Make online purchases through Ebates and earn a percentage of your total back.
- Sell one item you want to get rid of on Craigslist or eBay
- Take aluminum cans, obsolete electronics, batteries, cell phones, old non-working metal items and others to the scrap/salvage yard to sell them.
- Go to the thrift store to buy one item that you would normally buy new.
- Use the $5 off $25 purchase from Dollar General (good most Saturdays of each month)
- Buy greeting cards in a box, at dollar stores, or make them yourself.
- Donate items to Goodwill and receive a coupon worth 25% off your purchase of $15 or more – spend $20 and you will save $5 off the amount. Plus you get a tax deduction for your donation, which saves you money if you itemize deductions on your tax return. It’s a win-win situation!
- Cook a meal at home that you would have eaten at a restaurant.
What are your favorite ways to save at least $5 each month?
Gretchen’s $39 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan
Dillons
1.08 lbs Tomatoes – $1.39
1 Green Leaf Lettuce – $0.99
1 Moms Best Cereal – $1.50
1 Mountain Dew KickStart – $1, used Free e-coupon (no longer available) – Free after coupon
3 Totinos Frozen Pizzas – $1.33 each (Requested by my husband) 🙂
4 Ramen Noodles – $0.20 each (Another request by my husband)
2 gallons Dillons Milk – $1.99 each (I was so excited about this price!), used $0.25 rebate from Ibotta – 2/$3.73 after rebate
2 Kroger Peanut Butter – $1.49 each, used $0.25 rebate from Ibotta – 2/$2.73 after rebate
1 Kroger Frozen Orange Juice – $1.59
1 Kroger Spaghetti Sauce – $1
Total with tax ($1.39) after coupons and rebate: $19.12
Walmart
1 Mahatma Brown Rice – $1.16
1.80 lbs Bananas – $0.99, Received $0.25 back from Checkout 51 – $0.74 after rebate
1 pkg Celery – $0.89 (Price matched to Save A Lot’s ad)
1 (3 lbs) bag Gala Apples – $1.89 (Price matched to Aldi’s ad), Received $0.25 back from Ibotta AND received $0.25 back from Snap – $1.49 after rebates
2 pkgs Strawberries – $1.29 each (Price matched to Aldi’s ad)
1 Cantaloupe – $1.29 (Price matched to Aldi’s ad)
Total with tax after rebates: $7.65
Homeland
1 Bounty Basic Paper Towels – $1.25, used $0.50/1 coupon from the 3/1 P&G insert (doubled) AND received $0.25 back from Ibotta – Free after coupon and rebate
2 Grapefruit – $0.38 each
2 Cucumbers – $0.69 each
0.92 lbs Asparagus – $1.73, Received $0.25 back from Snap – $1.48 after rebate
1 Angel Soft Toilet Paper – $1, used $0.40/1 coupon from the 3/1 P&G insert (doubled) – $0.20 after coupon
1 pkg Hinode Brown Rice – $2.39, used $1/1 printable (doubled) – $0.39 after coupon
1 Hiland Cottage Cheese – $1.88, used $0.50/1 coupon from the 2/22 SmartSource insert – $0.88 after coupon
Items a part of the Buy 10, Get $10 off instantly:
2 Jell-O Pudding – $0.99 each, used $1/2 printable (doubled) – Free after coupon
2 Cool Whip – $0.79 each, used $0.50/2 printable (doubled) – $0.29 each after coupon
3 Kraft Shredded Cheese – $1.99, used $1.50/3 mailer coupon – $1.49 each after coupon
2 Kraft Philadelphia Cream Cheese – $1.49 each, used $1/2 printable (no longer available; doubled) – $0.49 after coupon
1 Kraft Marshmallows – $0.69
Total with tax ($1.52) after coupons, rebates and sales: $13.21
Total for all grocery items: $39.48
Menu Plan for This Week
Breakfasts
Cereal x 3
Scrambled Eggs & Toast x 4
Lunches
Fruit/Veggies/Cheese/Crackers x 3
Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches/Veggies x 2
Macaroni and Cheese/Fruit
Leftovers
Tossed Salad/Smoothies x 5 (for me)
Dinners
Bean Burritos (from the freezer), Chips
Chicken and Noodles, Steamed Asparagus, Oatmeal Raisin Muffins
Hamburgers, Fruit Salad, Chips
Chicken & Rice Casserole, Steamed Broccoli, Tossed Salad
Homemade Cheese Pizza, Breadsticks, Tossed Salad
Venison Meatloaf, Baked Potatoes, Steamed Asparagus
3 Bean Soup (from a mix-in-a-jar that was a gift), Homemade Bread, Grapefruit
Shared Mar 6, 2015
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48-Hour Giveaway: Dressing Your Truth Online Course and $200 Shopping Spree (1 Winner)
48-Hour Giveaway: Dressing Your Truth Online Course and $200 Shopping Spree (1 Winner)
I am SO excited about this giveaway! You see, I first heard about the Dressing Your Truth Course from a reader who highly recommended it to me and suggested that I look into it.
At first, I didn’t really think it was something for me. After all, I’m the girl with the minimalist wardrobe. The girl who only wore a few colors. The girl who would happily wear the same thing over and over and over again.
But as more and more people recommended it, I decided to just at least take a peek at it. I was intrigued enough that when the folks at Dressing Your Truth asked if I’d write a review of their program, I told them I’d consider it.
However, I said I would only write a review on two conditions: 1) That I loved the program and found it to be very helpful and 2) if they’d do a giveaway for my readers.
In all honesty, I didn’t think I’d like the program. I thought I’d probably watch one or two of the lessons and decide it just wasn’t worth my time or your time. So I doubted I’ll actually end up even writing a review or running a giveaway.
Boy, was I ever wrong!
I actually ended up finding the entire course utterly fascinating! And many, many of you who have been with me in person over the past few months have not only heard me passionately sharing about it, you’ve also probably noticed that I’m gradually shifting over to wearing much more bold and bright colors.
Why? Because going through the course helped me to really solidify what type of person I am and what colors and styles really mesh with my inner personality and bents. It’s been amazing to me to realize that when I dress in accordance to the type of personality I have, I feel much more confident and energetic.
What is the Dressing Your Truth Course?
In the Dressing Your Truth course you’ll discover which of the 4 Types of beauty you express, plus learn the tools for how to express your true beauty through your clothes, accessories, makeup and hair.
This 3-hour course teaches you about the 5 elements of style—color, fabrication, texture, design lines, and pattern—and how to determine what type of person you are and how you should dress for that type. It shares in-depth suggestions for not only clothes, but also accessories, makeup, and hair.
By helping you learn exactly what looks best on you, the Dressing Your Truth course not only transforms your outward appearance to match your inner true personality, but it also saves you a lot of time and effort because you’ll be able to streamline your wardrobe down to those styles and colors and patterns that look best on you and fit your personality type.
Caveat: Some of the parts of the course are a little “out there” and borderline weird. But overall, I found the course to be very interesting and engaging, very thought-provoking, and very eye-opening to me. In fact, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to approach clothes and how I dress in the same way again as a result of going through this course.
Want to Go Through the Dressing Your Truth Course for FREE?
One reader will win both the Dressing Your Truth online course and a $200 shopping spree to spend in the Dressing Your Truth online store! This life-changing course also includes hours of personal style training, DYT Club Membership, outfit guides, monthly online events, and much more. The Dressing Your Truth online store features customized apparel, jewelry, accessories and makeup—all handpicked for each of the 4 Types of beauty.
To enter, click on the graphic below and type in your name and email address. One winner will be chosen and posted next week. This giveaway ends Sunday, March 8, at 11:59 pm, CST.
Gretchen’s Walgreens Shopping Trip: Spent $4.69 out-of-pocket
Walgreens Shopping Trip
Transaction #1
1 Pull-Ups Flushable Wipes – $1.99 (Buy 1, Get 1,000 points)
Used $1/1 printableTotal with tax ($0.14): $1.13, Received 1,000 Balance Rewards Points (like $1)
Transaction #2
1 Windex & 1 Shout – $3 each (Buy 2 participating items, Get $2 Register Rewards)
Used 2 $1.50/1 printable
Submitted for 2 separate $1 rebates on Checkout 511 Felt Door Hanger – Marked down to $0.09 (My son loves doing crafts and I’ve been on the lookout for cheap things like this to keep him busy. You can’t beat $0.09!)
Redeemed 1,000 Balance Rewards Points from Transaction #1
Total with tax ($0.44) after coupons, points and rebates: $0.53, Received $2 Register Rewards
Transaction #3:
3 Garnier Fructis Hair Care – 3/$10 (Buy 3, Get 3,000 points)
Used 3 $2/1 coupon from the 3/1 RedPlum insert1 Finger Paint Cards – Marked down to $0.29 (filler item)
Used $2 Register Rewards from Transaction #2
Total with tax ($0.74) after coupons and Register Rewards: $3.03, Received 3,000 Balance Rewards Points (like $3)
Total for all transactions: $4.69, Plus 3,000 points leftover
A Day In My Life
We didn’t get home until later last night than I expected and I had some unexpected things I had to take care of when I got home, so I opted to choose sleep over getting this post up last night as I’d hoped to. 🙂
Here’s a play-by-play of how my day went yesterday:
6:30 a.m. My alarm went off. I had had a very full weekend and was tired, so it took me about 20 minutes to wake up enough to get out of bed. I don’t always have the luxury of being able to sleep in a little longer, but this morning I did, so I took advantage of it.
I headed downstairs to make coffee, light a candle, and read my Bible/go through the She Reads Truth Lent study for the day, and write in my Gratitude Journal.
I then started in on my morning computer and blogging work. Silas and Kathrynne woke up around 7:30 a.m. and I printed out their Daily Lists and got them started on those while I finished up my computer work.
All on her own, Kathrynne has been working with Silas recently in an effort to help him improve on his reading skills, so she worked with him on reading and sight words. (See a video of a little part of their time together yesterday — so sweet!) While they were working on that, Kaitlynn woke up, too.
I was finished with my morning computer work so I worked with Silas on his Kindergarten lesson for the day while Kathrynne made oatmeal for breakfast for the kids, and then we all sat down and ate breakfast and had our Morning Time together.
Once breakfast and Morning Time were finished, the kids got busy on Morning Chores and their Daily Lists while I worked on cleaning up the kitchen, getting the laundry started, and doing a thorough pick-up of the whole house — including closets and under beds. (Since we’ll have a film crew at our house for the next few days, I wanted to make sure things were pretty thoroughly cleaned.)
Kathrynne got finished with a lot of her school work and chores early, so she asked me if she could do some Paid Chores. I “hired” her to help with the laundry. 🙂
Once Silas was finished with his Daily List, he asked if he could be “hired” to work on the laundry, too. So while I was finishing up all the house-cleaning and pick-up, they folded and put away 4 loads of laundry!!
It was such a blessing to me as I had a lot going on yesterday and having them take care of the laundry for me was such a huge help. And it also reminded me that all those years of investing and teaching and training them when they were younger are truly starting to pay off in big ways.
This girl. There are no words for her. She walked into the room all decked out like this for her outfit-of-the-day… I’m not quite sure what look she was going for, but it sure cracked us up! 🙂
Our poor kids. They just have zero personality.
😉
Once I was finished with getting the house all cleaned and the kids were done with the laundry, Jesse got home and he took over with the kids while I finally got in my run and shower.
Ashley (my assistant) showed up around then — she’d been working at the office space in the morning and then running some errands for me — to meet some people at our house to set some things up for the filming. I met with her to go over some details and projects for the rest of the day while Jesse got the kids ready to head out to Kathrynne’s swim team practice and Kaitlynn’s ice-skating practice.
Multiple folks showed up at our house around then to prep our house for the filming/hang curtains, etc. Ashley stayed at the house to oversee things and finish a few projects and I left to go to the coffee shop for a few hours. I soaked up some quiet, reviewed the script for this week’s filming, finished up my afternoon blogging projects, and wrote notes to the kids and Jesse.
And then I met up with Jesse and the kids, we grabbed some Chick-fil-A for dinner, and then we all headed to our friend, Taylor’s, basketball game.
{photo from Tam — because I totally forgot to take any pictures!}
Taylor’s team pretty well whipped the other team, so that was fun. 🙂 And then we headed out to get frozen yogurt at Sweet Cece’s with Taylor’s family and our friends, Brent and Tam. These two families are some of our very dearest friends here and we feel so incredibly blessed that God connected us a few days after we moved here.
Like usual, we laughed until we cried tears — this week sharing all of our crazy airline and flying experiences. And we ended up closing down Sweet Cece’s. 🙂
It was a full day, but it was such a good day. We continue to be so grateful for our life here in TN. It’s much different than we would have ever imagined our life would be and I know that our lifestyle wouldn’t work for many families, but our family, our marriage, and our kids are thriving so much… and that’s such a gift!
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My 12 Goals for 2015 & The Progress I Made in February
Compared to January, February was a harder month, but it was still a good month.
There were a number of discouraging things that happened and multiple dear friends are going through very painful circumstances/carrying heavy burdens and my heart hurts so much for them, so those two things coupled with a fairly heavy work load and being snowed in for a week, contributed to me feeling stressed, burdened, and discouraged for a lot of the month. You may have felt that some in my writing here.
In the middle of my discouragement, though, I felt so much blessing because some of my dearest friends rallied around me and spent a lot of time talking, listening, praying, and just encouraging me. And by the grace of God, I felt much more peace, calmness, and joy by the end of the month.
I’m also grateful that the sunshine has been out some this week. It’s amazing what a difference that makes!
Here’s an update on how I did on my goals for 2015 in February:
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
- Write at least 1 love note to Jesse each week.
- Done in January
- Done in February
Motherhood
- Read at least 1 book aloud to the kids per month.
- Read in January: James the the Giant Peach
- Read in February: The Imagination Station Book 15 & The Cricket in Times Square
- Write 1 love note to each child every month.
- Done in January.
- Done in February.
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 and am soaking up the Lent study.
- Read 1 fiction book per month.
- Read in January: What Alice Forgot
- Read in February: I started two fiction books, but didn’t get either finished. Does it count that I read two fiction books to the kids?
MoneySavingMom.com
Hire a local personal assistant.
- Done! And I’m so grateful! My new assistant, Ashley, started last week and she’s already been a huge blessing to my life!
- Launch 2 courses (we’re planning one for spring and one for fall — stay tuned!)
- We spent hours and hours of time working on the first course, Makeover Your Mornings. We’re beginning production/filming of it this week and we’re quite stoked. I think you’re going to LOVE it!
- Launch our new product line (slated to soft launch in the summer).
- Release my third book (slated to come out November 2015).
- We’re now in the midst of copy-edits. Yay!
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.
- Finish funding our Rental House #3 Savings Account (we’re beginning the year at 35% funded).
- This goal is currently on hold while we’re in the process of saving up enough to fully fund both of our IRA’s for this year.
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 over to your blog post about them. Here’s to a year of living with purpose, intentional, impact, and meaning!
Earn Money from Home via TeachersPayTeachers.com
Guest post from Sarah
About one year ago, my husband and I began experimenting with ways to supplement our income. As a long-time MoneySavingMom.com follower, I felt that I had a pretty good handle on a number of legitimate money-making ideas and began trying them, with varying degrees of success.
However, since I work full-time as a middle school teacher and am a mother to three children under the age of six, time is at a premium. I really wanted a more passive stream of income that would allow me to spend my evening and weekend hours how I wanted to — with my family.
That’s when I discovered Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT), a website that allows teachers to sell lesson plans, worksheets, and more. Teachers earn 60% of the profit off each item they sell. If they choose to upgrade from a Basic Seller account (by paying $59.95 a year), they can earn greater profit. Teachers are paid each month through a PayPal account.
Aha! I already had boxes and computer files full of worksheets, quizzes, lesson plans, and novel units that I had created over my years of teaching. Why not turn them into passive income?
I did… and have learned a few things along the way:
1. Strive For Quality Not Quantity
This may seem obvious, but it is actually the most important tip. Make sure that your products are high quality, interesting, user-friendly, and kid-tested. Check for spelling and grammar errors. No one will want to buy a worksheet with typos on it!
2. Create Unique Content
Try to find a niche area. Do a quick search of the TPT site and see how many items come up that are similar to yours. If the market is already flooded with “Frozen” themed addition practice, this may not be a good money-maker.
I’ve personally had success with novel units. For example, I had previously created a novel packet for the book, “A Boy At War”. A search showed that there were only two other unit packets for the novel, so I tweaked mine and posted it. It has been one of my biggest sellers.
3. Choose The Right Price
Pricing can be tricky. You want to demonstrate confidence in the value of your product, but you don’t want to scare customers away. First, search for similar products to see how they are priced.
Next, put yourself in the buyer’s shoes. How much would you be willing to spend on your product?
Finally, adjust. If something isn’t selling, have a sale to see if customers will buy it at a reduced price.
4. Utilize Pinterest
Whenever you post a new product, there is a sidebar that asks if you would like to Pin it. Always say yes! This allows your product to enter a new market and attract more customers.
There are also Collaborative Pinterest Threads on TPT. You pin another seller’s items to your board, and they will do the same for you.
I have found that, with a little up-front work, Teachers Pay Teachers is a great way to utilize my talents and gain a passive source of income.
Sarah Wright teaches middle school on purpose and loves it! She is wife to Dan and mom to three children under the age of six. In her spare time she loves to read — setting a reading goal of 100 books this year. She encourages her students to set their own “ridiculously big” goals and chase after them.
My Monday Morning Plan + Today’s Cleaning Project
We survived our very, very full week last week. And “survived” is definitely the word to use for how I felt… because some days I felt like I was just hanging on by a thread and being pulled in four different directions at once by people who really needed me right then and now.
I’m grateful that these types of weeks are much more of a rarity in our home these days than they used to be — and I’m also grateful that while this week is another full week, it should be much more manageable than last week.
Because last week was so packed, we got behind on laundry. So today’s cleaning project is to get completely caught up on laundry. I’m very hopeful that this actually happens because I’m kind of tired of digging through a big clean laundry pile to find something to wear. 😉
Here’s my plan for this morning:
- Bible reading/journaling — start laundry
- Blogging/Business work
- School with Silas — switch laundry/start another load
- Breakfast/Morning Time
- Chores/quick house clean up — switch laundry
- Get girls started on their independent work
- Exercise/shower
- Fold & put away all the laundry
- Ready to go — lunch made — head to work at our office space
This evening, I’ll share a post about how my morning well and give you an update (with pictures) on how my laundry project went.
Need some motivation? Check out my post on 10 Ways to Make Cleaning More Fun.
Want to join me? Leave a comment to let us know you’re participating! If you have time, tell us what your morning plan is, too.
Shared Mar 1, 2015
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A recap of February: Our morning & evening routines, some changes we made this month, & much more!
A recap of February: Our morning & evening routines, some changes we made this month, & much more!
I haven’t had a chance to post A Peek Into Our Week posts the past few weeks. So I thought I’d do a recap of February, instead. It was fun to review the month and see so many different things we did and tried and learned and experienced!
We started a Daily Morning Time in late January and it’s become one of my very favorite times of the day. We all gather before lunch to sing, read from a few different books (we’re reading from Aesop’s Fables, The Children’s Homer, Portraits of Integrity — a book on how historical figures demonstrated character qualities, plus our current read aloud), and review our memory work.
My kids’ excitement over spending this time together blesses me so much! These are the homeschooling and mothering moments I will forever hold in my heart and cherish. And homeschooling moms, I cannot recommend the concept of daily “Morning Time” highly enough. It has breathed such fresh new wind and life into our home and family.
Watch the video here to get a peek into our Daily Morning Time. 🙂
We had our very first Say Goodbye to Survival Mode one-night event in Mississippi and were thrilled that over 140 people showed up — especially because the church that hosted it was in the tiny town of Purvis, MS!
The women in Purvis were amazing! So warm, friendly, gracious, and welcoming. I was incredible blessed and encouraged to be there. Thank you, all, for having me!
{Our next Say Goodbye to Survival Mode one-night event will be on June 20, 2015 in Acworth, Georgia — right outside of Atlanta. I’d love to get to meet you there!
There are a number of other churches and groups very interested in hosting a similar event in other areas of the country, so stayed tuned for more details on where all we’ll be holding these events in the coming months! In addition, if you’d like to bring this event to your church or women’s group, you can find more information on how to do so here.}
While I was in Mississippi, Jesse took the kids to a fun Movie Night at our church. They were supposed to wear PJs and had popcorn, movie candy, and this fun photo booth!
As the kids get older and we’re training them to be able to help with more and more chores, I just can’t believe how much of a difference it makes in our workload and how much cleaner our house stays — without me having to do much work at all!
Moms of littles: keep on and know that one day soon, your hard work is going to pay off and you’ll be working yourself out of job… Don’t give up!
This was a fun surprise to get in the mail in February! My first book, The Money Saving Mom®’s Budget, got published in Chinese. It’s my first time to have a book translated into another language and it feels rather surreal!
Our little kitchen helper… This guy’s heart to serve blesses me so much! There’s rarely a cooking job that he’s not anxious, excited, and willing to help with.
My kiddos bought this bear for me for Valentine’s Day. And it just makes me so happy!
Every time I look at it, I smile… Not because I’m a big stuffed animal person, but because I know that so much heart and love for their mama is represented by this gift.
As a mom, I often make mistakes and have to ask forgiveness, but I’m so grateful for my children’s forbearance with me and their willingness to love me despite my shortcomings. God is good.
We took a trip back to Kansas for 5 days (and it was so busy the whole trip that I failed to get one single picture!). We came back to TN to a blanket of snow on the ground.
This might not look like much snow, but in TN, this was a LOT of snow — and it ended up mostly shutting down the city for 5 whole days. There was a thick sheet of ice underneath the snow and, because the temperatures were so cold, it took days for things to finally thaw out.
We ended up staying home all day for five whole days because all of our activities were cancelled and the roads were icy. So we just stayed put.
I’m usually a homebody, but I ended up feeling quite cooped up after a few days — especially because it was so cold that I just wanted to stay cozied up under a blanket all day long. So then I had troubled motivating myself to get up and clean the house, which meant that it quickly got messy!
Someday, I’m going to miss the days of busy little people in my house who leave a trail of books, craft odds and ends, papers, stuffed animals, and random scores from claw machines behind in their wake. (My kids are actually claw machine pros — studying techniques on YouTube videos and constantly perfecting their abilities. Cracks me up since it flies in the face of my minimalistic, frugal nature. But they LOVE it, are so good at it, and they can usually get quite a lot for just a few of their quarters. So I just go with it since I figure there are many much worse vices and, in most all other respects, they are usually really great at money management!)
One of my favorite times of each day is the quiet morning hour before the house is awake. My routine is something like this: light a candle, spend time in God’s Word, go through the the current #SheReadsTruth study, and read a few chapters from the current devotional/spiritually encouraging book I’m reading.
This is my fuel and foundation for the day. A few years ago when I only had babies and toddlers, this wasn’t possible (I was doing great to get in 5 minutes of Bible/prayer most days!). Moms of littles: know that someday you will actually be able to have a consistent daily quiet time!
For now, just soak up the season you’re in, pray while you’re cooking or nursing or changing diapers, listen to the Bible and uplifting music on your phone throughout the day, and sneak in moments here and there to refresh and encourage your heart!
It only took me about five hours of frustrated failed attempts and watching multiple YouTube videos, but I finally perfected the seed stitch! And now I’m working on making a head wrap for the cold winter days we’ve been having here.
It feels so gratifying to have learned a new skill, even if I’m a v-e-r-y slow learner. I love challenging myself to try different things and never grow stagnant as a person. I’m a better wife, mom, friend, writer, and business owner as a result.
Kathrynne was feeling a bit under the weather one day a few weeks back so Silas volunteered to make her one of her favorites: boiled eggs. With my supervision, he boiled them, rinsed them, peeled them, and then served them with a smile.
When my kids take initiative to serve their siblings it’s one of the best momma-gifts there are!
My bedtime routine is even more enjoyable than my morning routine. Here’s how it usually goes: clean up the kitchen with Jesse while our kids get ready for bed, snuggle with the kiddos/chat and then tell them goodnight, make myself a cup of herbal tea with cream, take my pills/vitamins & wash/moisturize my face, write out my to-do list for the next day, and then settle into bed with a good book or to watch an episode of Downton Abbey with Jesse and work on a knitting project.
I don’t always follow this perfectly, but I’ve found that even a loose before-bed routine followed consistently makes such a difference in our home. We all reap the benefits — not only in calmer evenings and better sleep — but it paves the way for a more peaceful morning the following day.
One afternoon last week, I had to opportunity to do some filming with Kelsey Humphreys for her upcoming online TV show.
Every time I sit in front of a camera or stand on a stage, I’m reminded of the fact that God often chooses those who are least qualified so that He is glorified. I ran away from opportunities like this for years out of fear and insecurity.
I still struggle with feeling afraid and not good enough, but I’ve learned that when I step outside my comfort zone and say “yes!”, I get to see God show up and do great and mighty things on my behalf. What He can do through broken vessels who are willing to be obedient to His call — even when it feels so scary! — constantly amazes me!
Speaking of stepping outside my comfort zone, I spent too much time last week putting together 14 different outfits for the 14-day course we’re filming this coming week. This is a minimalist’s nightmare — especially because it involves the trying on of many different outfits and attempting to piece together as many varieties as I can from what I already own.
I’d probably rather be slowly piercing my eyeballs with a burning stick. However, part of running a business is dealing with dreaded details like this. And so, I persevere in the spirit of pursuing a high-quality finished product and not utterly boring fashionistas worldwide with 14 days of the same outfit. 🙂
In February, I read the book The Adrenal Reset Diet and committed to doing a better job of eating a high-protein breakfast evening morning, getting more sleep at night, and not drinking coffee after noon. So far, these simple changes are making a great impact.
We tried out Sarah’s idea to use Daily Lists to help my kids stay on task in February. The kids were fairly resistant to the idea at first, but after a little convincing and encouragement, they seemed to have a complete change of heart. And then, they’ve ended up loving it and it really has seemed to help them stay motivated and focused!
As a bonus, they’ve needed a lot fewer reminders from me on what they are supposed to be doing or encouragement to steer them back on course. We’ll see how it plays out long-term, but I’m really loving the idea so far! The kids get so much done, the house is staying so much cleaner, and everyone is happier all around. I highly recommend this idea!
TOP 3 POSTS FROM FEBRUARY:
Want to get a peek into my every day life or hear about things I’m learning, trying, or mulling over in my every day life? Be sure follow my personal account on Instagram here.
5 Fun & Free Ways to Shake Off the Winter Blues
Guest post from Asheritah of One Thing Alone
If you’re anything like me right now, you’re counting the days until the temperatures rise and all the white stuff on the ground has melted and spring has arrived. And while booking a cruise to a tropical island sounds like a great idea right now, most of us just can’t afford that.
So to help you ward off the winter blues, here are 5 fun and free ways to make the most of these last few weeks of winter:
1. Build a snowman.
I know, I hear you: delving into the snow sounds like the last thing you want to do. But sometimes, heading outside can help make fun memories that make the time go by faster. So grab a friend (or your kids), bundle up, and head out in the snow. Who knows — you might just enjoy yourself.
2. Book a Movie Night
Getting snowed in is the perfect excuse to pop in your favorite movie and enjoy a bowl of popcorn. And since it still gets dark early in the evening, there’s no reason not to plan a movie night during the week, too.
(Bonus points if you set up a themed movie night. Morrocan dinner and Casablanca? Yes, please!)
3. Catch up on your Reading List
Most of us have reading lists a mile long. Rather than scrolling through our Facebook feed our watching yet another cat video on YouTube, pick up that book you’ve been meaning to read.
You’ll soon find yourself immersed in another world, and the snowstorm outside your window won’t seem half as bad.
(For tips on how to read more as a busy mom, check out this post by Crystal.)
4. Join a Lent Challenge
Typically, Easter comes right around the dawn of spring, so why not spend the 7 weeks leading up to it doing something that will give you a sense of purpose?
Lots of people give up something for Lent and find the practice very fulfilling. Others read through portions of the Bible with a group of friends.
This year, every day leading up to Easter, I’m thanking the people who make my life special. If you’re interested, you can join me in the #40Thanks challenge here.
5. Cozy up under the covers.
So this might not be for everyone, but for those of us who are married, there may be a lot of free entertainment waiting in our bedrooms. Why not take these last weeks of winter to spark the passion in your marriage and rediscover why you fell in love with your husband in the first place? You’ll likely spark a fondness that will grow all year long.
These may sound simple, but a little creativity goes a long way in making the bleak midwinter just a little brighter. Try one idea for each of the next five weeks, and before you know it, the warm sun will be warming your face — no credit cards required.
Asheritah helps overwhelmed women find joy in Jesus on her blog and through her books. She’s also the instigator of the #40Thanks movement, a challenge to see Jesus in the kindness of others.