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Shared Jan 30, 2015 comment

Bloggers: Sign up to run a special deal with ePantry & earn free products!

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 30, 2015 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Bloggers: would you like to earn free all-natural household products like Mrs. Meyer’s products, Method products, and much more?

I’m working with ePantry to help them launch their Blogger Referral Program and they are looking for bloggers who would be interested in running a deal like this ($10 off + free product) for their audience. You’ll receive $10 in ePantry credit for every person who purchases through your link. It’s a win-win opportunity as you get to share a great deal with your readers and you will earn some free household products, as well.

You must have a well-established blog with a loyal following and at least 100,000 pageviews per month to be considered for this opportunity. You can be in any niche, but it’d be great if your core audience is those interested in natural products and/or those who are the main product buyers for their homes.

If you are interested in running an ePantry deal on your blog, just fill out the form below. We’ll be going through the submissions in the next few days and will choose 20-30 bloggers from those who sign up and I’ll contact you personally with further details.

Shared Jan 29, 2015 comment

Grocery Shopping in South Africa + Some New Foods I Tried While There

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 29, 2015 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

My first dinner on the plane: cheese ravioli. It was surprisingly good. And the cake was yummy, too!

One of the commitments I made to myself before leaving on my trip to South Africa was that I would try everything offered to me. Now, you might think that sounds rather simplistic and obvious… but you have to understand that I’m not really that much of an adventurous kind of person.

Nope. I like sameness. I take comfort in foods that I know exactly how they’ll taste. I’m the girl who will eat the same thing again and again and again and again and rarely ever grow tired of it.

So for me to decide I was going to try everything offered to me was kind of a risky and “out-there” move. And it paid off… because not only did I get to experience more of the tastes of South Africa as a result, I really found that it was fun to live a little bit on the “wild side”, if you can call it that! 😉

Lisa-Jo had recommended that we order Appletiser on the plane. It’s a true authentic South African drink — basically like carbonated apple juice. It was delicious!

One thing I noticed while in South Africa was that they drink a lot of juice and other non-water beverages. They also drink a LOT of tea but aren’t much into coffee. Well, some of the restaurants we went to had delicious coffee drinks, but they don’t have Starbucks there and I didn’t see many coffee shops. It may have just been the area, though.

I can tell you that the second night we went to over to one family’s house for a Braai and I saw an espresso maker at their house, I may have just heard angels singing. 🙂

I discovered that Morne (the host) was a coffee aficionado and he was thrilled to find someone else who shared his love of coffee. He saw to it that I had good coffee the rest of the trip — even bringing a thermos of hot coffee for us to drink while we were on the jeep driving through the Game Lodge.

The night we got into South Africa, we had a fairly traditional dinner (lasagna, salad, etc.), but after dinner, Lisa-Jo’s parents pulled out some new-to-me foods, including Lychee (shown above). I’d never even heard of this fruit and thought it was delicious. We also had fresh mango, which was amazing!

And this was only a taste of what was to come. Throughout the week Lisa-Jo’s dad was constantly cutting up different fresh fruit for us, including the juiciest peaches I’ve pretty much ever eaten and fresh figs (I’m not sure that I’ve ever eaten fresh figs before. They were pretty good!)

That night, we were also introduced to Biltong. The name and the look of it sounds a bit disturbing, but it tasted like really flavorful beef jerky.

Later in the week, Lisa-Jo’s mom took us to the meat shop where they actually dry the Biltong — it was hanging all over the place above the meat counter in long strips! — and we got fresh Biltong cut up right there for us.

The first full day we were there, we visited the Reagaboka Drop-In Centre where they feed, play games with, and do afterschool homework help for over 100 kids every day. We got there right before they were getting ready to feed all of the kids.

We got to see the Care Givers in action — serving lunch, working with the kids, etc. — and then they told us they had a special surprise: we got to eat some of what they served the kids plus some very traditional South African foods!

This was our lunch spread: Pap, Samp & Beans, Morogo, and Mealies (corn).

The Pap tasted really bland (I don’t think they put any kind of flavoring or seasoning in it because that’s typically how the kids eat it) and it was kind of overwhelming to realize that this is some of the only food that the poorer families have regularly.

The Samp & Beans was very delicious and would eat it every day for a meal and not get tired of it. 🙂

The Morogo was wild spinach, they told us, and it tasted just like that — fresh, very green leafy, and like it had just been picked. “Mealies” is what they call corn. They had boiled it, but it was still kind of fresh and crunchy.

The next day, we went on a sort of safari ride at a Game Lodge — where we saw elephants, cheetahs, a giraffe, a mother rhino and her baby, ostriches, dung beetles, and much more. All roaming in the wild!

It was kind of surreal — especially because we were about 10 feet away from two elephants at one point. (See the video here.)

We stopped for snacks and drinks and they suggested I try the Creme Soda. It’s not like our American cream soda at all. It’s green and very sweet. I basically never drink soda, so this was quite a leap for me.

While we continued on with our drive, Joy offered me some of her Skittles and I ate those, too. So there I sat, the non-sugar-and-food-coloring-eating, non-soda-drinking girl from Kansas drinking South African creme soda (that turned my tongue and mouth green) and eating Skittles while riding in a big jeep on the African terrain and seeing giraffes and elephants and rhinos and cheetahs in the wild. And I was savoring every minute of it!

I kind of wondered if I was okay because it was so. not. like. me!

On the last day, we went to a South African grocery store — something I was very excited about. Because I’m weird and I think that grocery shopping is fun! Or at least it’s much more fun than clothes-shopping or shoe-shopping. 🙂

We went to Pick-n-Pay, which I am told is one of their less expensive grocery stores. They also have Woolworth’s Food, which I gathered was a nicer and higher-quality (and more expensive) grocery store.

The prices were very reasonable. At times, almost so low that we’d gasp. Not as low as they were in the Dominican Republic, but consistently quite a bit lower than in the states.

What was so weird is that the grocery store looked very identical to a grocery store in the U.S., but when you looked at the shelves, so much of what was on them were things we don’t have, brands I’d never heard of, and food I’d never eaten. Such as the half of aisle dedicated to every kind of rusks imaginable shown above.

It was a strange feeling to be able to read all of the boxes and brands and signs but to not be familiar with almost any of them. In fact, you’d have to look for quite awhile to see any packaging/brand/label that was the same as what you’d find in the U.S.

This is Annelien — an amazing South African woman who I absolutely adore and consider a dear friend now. She and her husband, Morne (the coffee-lover I mentioned above!) have two beautiful children and work closely with Lisa-Jo’s parents in the Take Action Ministry.

She used to work in a corporate job making a very good salary in Pretoria, but she recently left that job in order to work full-time with Help One Now and Take Action. She took a huge pay cut to do that, but by the fulfillment and joy the oozes from her, you’d never know. She was constantly beaming and is such a gracious and giving person. I want to live next door to her. But instead, I’m grateful for modern technology so we can keep up regularly!

We’re standing next to the Boerewors here — another very South African meat. It’s similar to what we’d call Brats in the states, only it’s more flavorful.

South African money is called “Rand” and 10 Rand equal $1 USD. So this package would be about $4.47 in US dollars. These were large packages of meat and $4.47 for one of them seemed like a steal to me!

After coming home and raving about the food in South Africa, Jesse found a local meat shop that makes Biltong and imports Appletiser. Without even telling me, earlier this week, he went there and bought me some Biltong and Appletiser. Then he came home and handed me this brown paper sack saying, “I have a surprise for you!”

I truly could not believe my eyes when I opened it up and found Biltong and imported Appletiser. I was one happy girl!

P.S. Many of you asked if Lisa-Jo’s 9-year-old son, Jackson, could share about his experiences on the trip. You’ll want to be sure to hop over to her blog to read the interview she did with him about his perspective on the trip and what he thought about it all. It’s SO good!

Shared Jan 28, 2015 comment

4 Books I Read The Past Two Weeks + 1 Book I Decided Not to Finish

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 28, 2015 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

So after starting this year out with a book-reading bang — and reading a book per day for the first 7 days, I definitely slacked off the past two weeks.

I had thought I’d get in LOTS of reading on my two 18-hour plane flights, but what I didn’t realize about international travel was that at least 10 hours of the flight they’d have all the lights off in the plane and the only polite things to do during that time are to sleep, watch a movie on the screen in front of your seat, or read something on a device. To read a real book — which is what I’m so partial to — would require me to turn on my over-the-seat light and probably wake people up around me.

In addition, I didn’t realize that if I took Dramamine, I’d be so tired that I’d sleep much of the flight and be groggy a lot of the rest of it! At any rate, my visions of reading 2-3 books (or more!) per flight didn’t happen. I ended up reading one small book and starting and deciding not to finish another.

Eating dinner on the plane to South Africa while reading Growth Hacker Marketing.

Books I Read the Past Two Weeks

James and the Giant Peach — We enjoyed reading this book aloud, though I have to say that some of the language and attitudes has surprised me for a children’s book. I edited it a bit and used other parts as opportunities to have discussions on how our words can be hurtful and shameful to others.

Growth Hacker Marketing — I picked up this little book on the recommendation of a reader. While it was a short read and I would have loved more “meat” and examples, it did have some good advice and thought-provoking information.

Glimpses of Grace — While I thought there were some encouraging ideas in this book, truth be told, I struggled to really get into the book because I found the writing style kind of laborious. I don’t think the author was a bad writer, I just think that something about the style of writing didn’t draw me in. That said, I thought there were a lot of good reminders for us as women as we go about our everyday lives.

The One Thing — I found this book thought-provoking albeit a little confusing. The author encourages you to really drill down on the one thing that is going to make the most difference in your life right now and to make that your priority. The questions he encouraged you to ask really made me think and examine my priorities. However, I found it confusing then when he encouraged you to come up with your one thing in multiple areas of your life. It seemed to somewhat contradict his message of only focus on one thing and one thing only if you were supposed to have multiple “one things” in multiple areas of your life. I may be the only person who found this confusing, though, as most all the other reviews I’ve read of this book have been rave reviews. 🙂

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie — Okay, so confession time: I just couldn’t get into this book. At all. It just was weird, plain weird, to me. I tried really hard, but after about 7 chapters, I decided that it was okay to just set it aside and not finish it as there are many, many more books I’d rather read and life’s too short to waste on making myself finish books that I’m not enjoying or benefiting from at all. Sorry, all of you Flavia de Luce fans!

Books I Plan to Read/Finish This Week

The Imagination Station: Surprise at Yorktown — We always enjoy the Imagination Station books. When this one came in the mail recently, Kathrynne and Kaitlynn wanted to pick it up and read it right away, but they said, “We’re not going to read it ourselves since we want to enjoy you reading it aloud to us!”

Long Walk to Freedom & Kaffir Boy — I didn’t get these finished before my South Africa trip — hoping to finish them soon!

Against All Grain — Multiple friends have mentioned this book to me and suggested I read it.

The Anxiety Cure — As someone who struggles with anxiety during different seasons of life, I’m on a mission to learn more about it and what I can do to help prevent or minimize it. I read Sleep: It Does a Family Good by Archibald Hart two years ago and learned so much from it that I picked up this title to check it out, too.

From This Day Forward — I saw an article about this book on Ann Voskamp’s site and was intrigued so I picked up a copy.

What did you read this past week? Any must-read book recommendations?

Shared Jan 28, 2015 comment

Have you ever thought about writing a book?

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 28, 2015 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Have you ever wanted to write a book?

I had a dream many years ago that I’d one day write a book. Little did I ever guess that I would have written 3 traditionally published books by the time I was 33 years old!

My book-writing journey has been one filled with many challenges and celebrations. I’ve grown through the critiques (though there have been moments when I’ve thought, “If one more person says something harsh about my writing, I just might throw out my laptop and buy a one-way ticket to Timbucktu!”), I’ve learned a lot of marketing techniques that don’t work, and I’ve spent countless hours and hours writing and editing — many times when there are many other things I would have rather been doing!

It’s been grueling, at times, and exhilarating, at other times. But I don’t regret any of it. The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that it’s a whole lot more work to write and edit and market a book than I ever could have imagined.

{Watch the video above for some strategies on marketing a book and mapping out a book launch plan, plus some of my honest thoughts on how much work goes into an effective marketing strategy. Oh and you also get to see my “fancied-up” hair and make-up — read the P.S. below to see what that’s all about! :)}

Wish Someone Could Walk You Through the Book-Writing Process?

If you are committed to the idea of writing a book, but you wish someone could walk you through the process of outlining, writing, editing, publishing, and marketing, there’s a brand-new course called Author Launch that you might want to check out.

It’s very pricey, but if you are really, really committed to the idea of publishing a book and you just don’t know where to start, I think it could be worth the investment.

I had the opportunity to participate in some of the filming for this 46-week course and I was very impressed with the caliber of the authors involved as well as the team who put the course together. It’s designed to take you through the process of writing your book from start to finish. Plus, you’ll be apart of a community of writers who are also working on their books at the same time.

Honestly, I think the community aspect of this course is what appeals to me the most. There have been many times that book-writing has felt like a lonely endeavor — especially when I was first starting out and didn’t know many other authors.

What Author Launch Includes:

46-weeks of step-by-step instruction to help you write a book from start to finish.
Weekly emails with detailed help and practical steps for each stage of the book-writing process. These emails will include videos taught by 10 authors from different genres and backgrounds. {My videos are on finding time to write in the midst of a busy schedule and how to effectively market a book.}
A 50,000-word PDF workbook to guide you through the steps outlined in the course.
Detailed help and instruction for every part of the book-writing process: from writing an outline, writing your chapters, finding time to write, refining your work, self-publishing, traditional publishing, mapping out your marketing plan, and much more.
Access to a private community of writers who are also working through the course with you.

If you are interested in finding out more about this course, head on over to the Author Launch Page here. Registration for this course closes on January 31, 2015.

Get Some Sneak Peeks of the Course Here

To see a few examples of the videos and course materials, check out this video from Jeff Goins on Determining Your Field of Expertise, Sarah Mae’s video on Writing With Confidence, Donald Miller’s video on Finalizing Your Title, and Joshua Becker’s video on The Benefits of Self-Publishing.

Note: As I mentioned before, this course is very pricey. If you are just considering writing a book and not sure you’re ready to commit yet, I’d recommend reading this post of mine for some free advice on getting started.

P.S. I hardly recognize myself with that make-up and hair… it’s a far cry from the usual quick make-up and pony tail look I often sport! 😉 Sarah Mae’s sister, Keitha, did our hair and make-up for the filming and I was told mine looked great.

Since I’m not one to often get all fancied up, I’m still not sure what I think about myself with all that hair product, face product, and fake eye lashes on! But it’s always fun to try new things out. 🙂

Shared Jan 27, 2015 comment

A Day In My Life (it wasn’t what I planned, but it was a GOOD day!)

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 27, 2015 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

A Day In My Life

A HUGE thank you to Tara from Deal Seeking Mom for sending over this post from her Feedly reader when I thought it had forever vanished into the deep black hole of cyberspace. For those of you who didn’t get a chance to read this post last night before I somehow completely deleted almost all of it this morning, here you go…

Yesterday didn’t end up like I’d planned, but it was a good day.

I woke up at 2:30 a.m. — partly from jet lag and partly because my heart was really burdened for a friend of mine. She had texted me before I went to bed and was really, really struggling. She’s going through a devastating life situation right now and my heart is pretty much just broken in two for her. So I woke up with her heavy on my heart and spent some time praying for her and trying to go back to sleep.

I had gone to bed before 7:30 p.m. the night before, so I went ahead and got up at 3:30 a.m.since it was clear I wasn’t going to be falling back to sleep. And I’m grateful I got up that early because of some of the unexpected things that happened later on in the day.

The next few hours were spent catching up on emails, comments/social media, scheduling out some posts, going through possible deals to post today, and writing blog posts.

Screen Shot 2015-01-26 at 7.22.01 PM

I then exercised and had planned to read my Bible and shower, but the kids were now up and Jesse had arrived home from the gym and the grocery store, so I went down to the kitchen to make breakfast, go over our plans for the day with Jesse, and hang out with everyone.

Screen Shot 2015-01-26 at 7.22.15 PM

We had Trim Healthy Mama Pancakes — and we rolled them like crepes. I love this recipe and so does everyone in our family, including Jesse.

I had taken a few pictures of my plate and then went over to get something else in the kitchen and when I turned around, this was what I saw:

Screen Shot 2015-01-26 at 8.22.04 PM

After he took pictures, he said, “I took 29 pictures for you, Mom. You can use them on your blog.”

It cracked me up and melted my heart. But not only that, this kid has some serious photography skills — or it was just a fluke, but pretty much all 29 photos looked like this –>

Screen Shot 2015-01-26 at 7.22.50 PM

After breakfast, the kids did their morning chores and Jesse put dinner in the crock pot (yes, he’s amazing like that!), while I cleaned up the kitchen and started in on getting caught back up on laundry. I also worked on getting some house projects done that I had shelved for the past few days since I was trying to get over jet lag.

Screen Shot 2015-01-26 at 7.21.38 PM

Jesse took Kathrynne and Silas to the dentist to get fillings. (Since discovering that all our children are cavity-prone in the past few months, we’ve switched over to following Dr. Ellie’s system and are so hoping that this will help significantly cut down on cavities in the future. It’s certainly been working well for Kaitlynn, so we’re hopeful it will work for all our kids. We’ll see!)

Kaitlynn and I stayed home and she worked on some projects and reading. I helped her and worked on laundry and finishing up my home projects/cleaning for the day. I then sat down to spend some time reading my Bible (I’m finishing up the She Reads Truth John Study) and write in my Blessings Journal.

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Kathrynne had been really nervous about going to the dentist and she ended up really having a hard there. So she was pretty exhausted/anxious/in pain when she arrived home. I went ahead and changed my plans for the rest of the day (I had planned to work on book edits for a few hours and do some writing) and spent the afternoon keeping her comfortable, making slushies, and reading aloud to the kids.

We read extra from our Morning Time Basket reads and finished up our current read-aloud book. It was such a relaxing afternoon and we had so much fun reading together and just hanging out!

Jesse took Kaitlynn and Silas to our Meaty Monday group and I stayed home with Kathrynne since she just didn’t feel up to going. I finally got to tackle the refrigerator.

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I told you it needed some TLC. And I wasn’t joking!

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So. much. better!

How was your day yesterday? Did you get any cleaning/household projects done?

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Click here to sign up!

Shared Jan 27, 2015 comment

Where the A Day In My Life post went… your guess is as good as mine! :)

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 27, 2015 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Update: Nevermind and yay! A HUGE thank you to Tara from Deal Seeking Mom who was able to recover the full post from her Feedly reader! You can read it here.

So, last night, I posted a long and detailed Day In My Life post full of pictures and tidbits on our day yesterday, as well as how my refrigerator cleaning went. Many, many of you clicked through on Facebook to read it and many of you saw it here.

This morning, I was reading through it and noticed a few typos. I went to fix those and clicked to update the post. I’m not sure what happened in the process, but the entire post — except for one picture and two sentences — completely disappeared!

I tried multiple methods to retrieve it and it appears to be gone forever. Sigh. Sometimes that’s just part of life — you spend a few hours on something only for it to be — poof! — gone.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know in case you wondered why it disappeared!

Also: I had meant to choose & post a winner for the last Day in My Life giveaway and forgot to do so. So without further ado, the winner of the above prize package is HoosierMom (blueskyandsunshine2006@). I emailed you this morning with details on claiming your prize.

Shared Jan 27, 2015 comment

How I’ve Found Balance… or not!

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 27, 2015 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I’m honored to be featured on the Brilliant Business Moms podcast again today talking about the subject of balance. I share how I manage my life, how I prioritize, and how I juggle multiple hats (blogging, mothering, writing, marriage, homeschooling, and having personal margin in my life).

If you’ve ever wondered “how does she do it?”, you’ll want to check out this post and podcast. I think you’ll be encouraged to know that I don’t do it all… and one of my biggest “secrets” to success is only focusing on a few priorities and seeking to do those few things well.

Shared Jan 27, 2015 comment

Interested in bringing the Say Goodbye to Survival Mode event to your area?

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 27, 2015 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

This year, our team is planning to do a select number of special Say Goodbye to Survival Mode events across the country. These will be one-night, high-energy events where I’ll be sharing two messages of encouragement:

Session #1: Say Goodbye to Survival Mode
Life doesn’t have to be one big chaotic mess of laundry, dishes, and to-do lists! This session is packed with empowering, practical encouragement and ideas you can implement to restore peace, purpose and passion into your lives.

Session #2: Unleash Your Best You
Ever wonder if you’re good enough? Wish you could make a difference in the world but feel trapped by doubts? In this session, you’ll discover three transforming truths that will help you move from insecurity to confidence so you can be all that God has called you to be.

Both presentations are engaging, authentic, and straight from my heart. I’ll be sharing personal stories, inspirational ideas, and giving you practical steps to take to:

Stop living life feeling stuck, exhausted, and overwhelmed
Determine your most important priorities & find time to invest in what really matters
Move past loneliness and build authentic friendships with other women
Break free from the lie that whispers “I’m not good enough”

We want to encourage as many women as possible to say goodbye to living life stuck in survival mode and start living life with passion and purpose, so we’re currently looking for a few more venues/churches to host a one-night Say Goodbye to Survival Mode event in 2015.

If you are apart of a local group or church that would be interested in hosting this event, we’d love to chat with you about bringing this event to your area. Just fill out this form here and we’ll be in touch with more information on dates we have available and how we can serve your church or women’s group.

Our team will work alongside you to help with details, marketing, publicity, and organization of the event. We want to make it as successful for you as possible!

Join Us for Our First Event in Mississippi on February 6, 2015!

Our first special one-night Say Goodbye to Survival Mode event will be held on February 6, 2015, in Purvis, Mississippi! If you live in the MS area and you haven’t done so already, be sure to find out more information about this event and purchase tickets here. We have a special group rate for those who’d like to invite a group of women to come.

Shared Jan 26, 2015 comment

Gretchen’s $41 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan

Published: by Gretchen on January 26, 2015 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Homeland

4 Lemons – $0.25 each

2 Angel Soft Tissue Paper – $1 each, used 2 $0.45/1 coupon from the 1/4 RedPlum insert (1st one doubled) – $0.33 each after coupons

1 Sargento Deli Cheese – $2.50, used $0.55/1 printable (doubled) – $1.40 after coupon

1 Carefree Liners – $1, used $0.50/1 printable (doubled) – Free after coupon

10 cans Red Gold Tomatoes – $0.29 each

2 cans Planters Peanuts – $1.69 each, used $1/2 printable (doubled) – $0.69 each after coupon

1 El Monterey Frozen Breakfast Burritos – $2.49, used $1/1 printable (doubled) – $0.49 after coupon

1 box Sara Lee Snacks – $2, used $1/1 printable (doubled) – Free after coupon

Total with tax ($1.19) after coupons and sales: $9.80

Dillons

1 Kroger Lemon Juice – $2.29

1 Kroger Frozen Orange Juice – $1.59

1 Romaine Lettuce – $0.99

1 gallon Dillons Milk – $2.50

1 Lady Speed Stick Deodorant – $0.89, used $0.50/1 printable – $0.39 after coupon

2 pkg Strawberries – $2 each

1 Muller Yogurt – $1, used Free e-coupon (no longer available) – Free after coupon

1 pkg Croissants – Marked down to $0.99

1 Softsoap Pump – $0.89, used $0.35/1 coupon from the 1/18 SmartSource insert – $0.54 after coupon

2 pkg Mission Tortillas – $1 each

1 Green Pepper – $0.99

0.80 lbs Roma Tomatoes – $1.19

1 Cucumber – $0.89

Items a part of the Mega Sale (Buy 6, Get $3 off instantly):

1 loaf Nature’s Harvest Bread – $1.50, used $0.55/1 peelie coupon – $0.95 after coupon

2 pkgs Kraft Shredded Cheese – $2.79 each, used $1/2 printable – $2.29 after coupon

4 7Up/A&W Pop ($0.75 each) and 2 pkg Pringles ($0.99 each) – Used 2 $1.50/3 printable – $0.33 each after coupons

1 Hormel Turkey Meat – $2.99, used $0.50/1 coupon from the 1/18 SmartSource insert – $2.49 after coupon

2 Ragu Pasta Sauce – $1.19 each, used $0.75/2 coupon from the 1/4 RedPlum insert – $0.81 each after coupon

Total with tax ($2.25) after coupons and sales: $31.74

Total for all grocery items: $41.54

Menu Plan for this Week

We will be gone for a couple days this week so I only planned for 5 meals.

Breakfasts

Cereal x 2, Leftover Blueberry Pancakes, Baked Oatmeal, Krispy Kreme Donuts (using a free coupon that was in the newspaper!)

Lunches

Turkey Sandwiches, Turkey/Cheese/Fruit/Veggies, Leftovers x 2, Cheese Quesadillas

Dinners

Blueberry Pancakes, Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, Fruit

Spaghetti Pie, Tossed Salad, Lemon Bars (A request from my husband) 🙂

Chicken Fajitas, Fruit, Steamed Carrots

Venison BBQ Meatballs, 30 Minute Rolls, Tossed Salad

Beef Enchiladas, Cornbread, Avocados, Tossed Salad

Shared Jan 26, 2015 comment

My Monday Morning Homemaking Plan + Today’s Cleaning Project

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 26, 2015 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

It’s Monday and guess what that means? That means it’s time for our weekly deep-cleaning project! Every Monday morning this year, I’ll be assigning us all a deep-cleaning project to tackle (well, that is, if want to join us!)

Today’s project is to tackle your refrigerator. And I selfishly assigned this one because mine needs some serious TLC! 🙂

Here’s my plan for this morning:

Read my Bible, exercise, and shower.
Get dressed to my shoes. (Thanks, Flylady!)
Eat some breakfast, read aloud to the kids, start a load of laundry.
Morning chores with the kids.
Jesse take Kathrynne & Silas to the dentist. Kaitlynn stay home with me to work on her school projects.
Switch the laundry.
Clean out the refrigerator — toss expired items, wipe down shelves & door, re-organize.
Morning Time with the kids.

This evening, I’ll share a post about how my morning well and give you an update (with pictures) what I did and how my refrigerator-cleaning 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.

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Shared Jan 26, 2015 comment

10 Goals For This Week (& I think I’m finally getting over jet lag!)

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 26, 2015 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Whew! I had no idea that jet lag would hit me like it did when I got home. I have slept so, so much since I got back from South Africa!

I’m usually someone who can push through, if need be, when I’m tired. But jet lag has been a powerful force to be reckoned with! The first few days, I slept much more than I was awake. And now I’m finding that I can usually barely keep my eyes open after 7:30 p.m. at night!

The last few nights, as I’ve started dozing off so early, Silas will come up and shake me and say, “Mom, please don’t go to sleep again!”

Jesse and the kids have been incredibly kind to let me catch up on rest and they’ve done most of the cleaning, cooking, and laundry while I’ve been mostly a walking zombie. 🙂

Gratefully, the 8-hour time difference in South Africa has worked some in my favor because my body has adjusted to going to bed really early (7:30 to 8:30 p.m.) and getting up really early (I’m waking up — without an alarm clock! — at 2:30 to 3:30 a.m.) I had hoped to get back on a good early to bed/early to rise schedule in 2015 and this sure kick-started that habit!!

After taking the last five days mostly “off” from my normal responsibilities, I’m feeling mostly all rested and energetic and ready to jump back into the swing of things around here.

My goals for this week:

Marriage/Mothering/Homemaking Goals

1. Continue on with our Morning Time routine. Read aloud for at least 20 minutes every day.

2. Write a love note to Jesse.

3. Finally get our Christmas thank you’s mailed (can I plead the fact that I was in South Africa for the lateness of these??)

4. Clean out the refrigerator. Get caught back up on laundry.

5. Take Kathrynne on a special one-on-one outing for her birthday.

Personal Goals

6. Exercise at least 4 times (I’m trying out these BeFit in 30 workouts + doing a little jogging/running.)

7. Finish at least two books.

8. Knit a Cosy Posy Ear Warmer.

9. Try two new Trim Healthy Mama recipes: Sugar Free Hot Chocolate Mousse and Fancy Grilled Cheese on Coconut Flatbread.

Business Goals

10. Finish my first round of book edits.

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.

Shared Jan 24, 2015 comment

This Week’s 4 Most Popular Posts

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 24, 2015 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Why You Need to Embrace the Awkward In Order to Experience the Awesome

You’re a Lot Wealthier Than You Realize

I Left Part of My Heart in South Africa

How I Feed My Family of 4 an Organic, Gluten-Free Diet for $125 Per Week

Shared Jan 24, 2015 comment

Brigette’s $71 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan for 6

Published: by Brigette on January 24, 2015 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

It’s been gorgeous weather here in the South the past week! I ended up not making several of the meals on my menu plan last week so that we could grill out. In January.

With this being only my second winter here, and having spent the previous 6 winters in Detroit – this still blows my mind. I love it! This wasn’t an amazing grocery week as far as the sales went, but I did stockpile chicken and bread. And I jumped way out of my comfort zone and bought toilet paper at Aldi. 🙂

Aldi

1 24-oz package Zucchini – $1.99

1 bunch Bananas (3.12lbs @ $0.44/lb) – $1.37, plus receive $0.25 back from Checkout 51 – $1.12 after rebate

1 head Cabbage – $1.29

1 large bag Kale – $1.99 (I have never liked kale until recently – and I cannot get enough of the stuff now!)

3 6-oz containers Yogurt – $1.17

2 3-ct packages Romaine Hearts – $3.98

1 16-oz package Baby Carrots – $0.99

1 3-lb bag Tangerines – $1.99

1 3-lb bag Gala Apples – $2.99

1 3-lb bag Golden Delicious Apples – $2.99

1 1-lb package Ground Turkey – $1.89

1 head Cauliflower – $1.99

1 16-oz carton Strawberries – $1.49, plus receive $0.50 back from Checkout 51 – $0.99 after rebate

1 8oz package Mushrooms – $1.29

1 can Baking Powder – $0.99

1 gallon Milk – $3.39

1 12-double roll package Toilet Paper (Buying toilet paper at Aldi is a first for me…but there were no good sales that I saw at other stores and we needed it! :)) – $4.99

Total after Tax and Rebates – $36.38

Harris Teeter

1 gallon White Vinegar – $2.59

2 Chex Mix (B1G1) – $2.79, used $0.50/2 printable (doubled), plus $0/50/2 evic, plus$0.50/2 SavingStar – $0.79/2 after coupons

2 packages Mariani Dried Cranberries (B1G1) – $3.39, used 2 $0.50/1 Mariani Dried Fruit Snack, exp. 1/31/15 (SS 11/23/14) (doubled) – $1.39/2 after coupons

1 16-oz can Lite Coconut Milk – $1.50

2 5.5oz bags Riceworks Chips (B1G1) – $2.99, used 2 $1/1 Riceworks Product, exp. 1/24/15 (SS 12/07/14 #2 R) – $0.99/2 after coupons

2 1-lb bag Carrots – $1.00

1 16-oz can Kraft Parmesan Cheese – $4.29, used $0.75/1 printable (doubled), plus $0.75/1 evic, plus receive $0.55 back from Snap by Groupon – $1.49 after coupons and rebate

1 18-ct carton Egglands Best Eggs – $2.77, used $0.50/1 Eggland’s Best Eggs, exp. 2/2/15 (SS 11/02/14) (doubled), plus receive $0.50 back from Checkout 51 – $1.27

5 bags (2.5lbs each) Frozen Chicken Tenderloins (B2G3) – $21.98

Total after Sales, Coupons and Rebates – $33.00

Flower Foods Bakery

9 packages of assorted bread (sliced sandwich bread, bagel thins, hamburger buns), reduced (4/$1.00) – $2.25

Weekly Total: $71.63

Weekly Menu Plan

Breakfasts

Oatmeal x 3

Eggs and Toast x 2

Gluten Free Apple Oat Muffins (adapting this recipe) and Yogurt

French Toast (Saturday)

Lunches

Peanut Butter and Honey Sandwiches, Bananas, Carrot Sticks x 2

Macaroni and Cheese, Strawberries

Build-Your-Own Salad with Tuna, Hard Boiled Eggs, Sunflower Seeds, Dried Cranberries and Fresh Veggies x 2

Leftovers x 2

Dinners

Chicken and Veggie Fried Rice (I make it like this but use vegetables my family eats), Tangerines

Venison Roast in the Crockpot (Yay for a hunter friend who shared some meat with us!), Creamy Milk Rice, Roasted Carrots

Hamburger Vegetable Soup, Easy Potato Bread

Spaghetti (using ground turkey and frozen homemade spaghetti sauce), Tossed Salad with Parmesan Italian Dressing, Steamed Broccoli, Leftover Easy Potato Bread

Fried Egg Sandwiches (meatless meal), Sautéed Zucchini, Apples

Chicken on the Grill, Parmesan Grilled Cauliflower, Apple Cranberry Tossed Salad

Leftovers

Shared Jan 24, 2015 comment

10 Tips to Build a Successful Etsy Business

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 24, 2015 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Guest post from Lauren of Funky Monkey Children

Often times when someone asks the question of how they can bring in extra income while staying home with their children, people respond with “how about setting up an Etsy shop?” While I think that is a wonderful suggestion, and one that I did myself back in 2012, it isn’t really as simple as just building a shop and having customers flow in.

Over the past 2 years of having my Etsy shop, Funky Monkey Children, I have learned some invaluable lessons about running and business. Here are a few things I wish I had known when I started mine:

1. Start by Brainstorming Ideas

What is a skill you have or a product you make that has a wide market of desirability? Are you willing to learn a new skill or craft that could someday turn into a product for sales? Do you have a side hobby that friends keep telling you to sell?

Brainstorming for a product idea is the very first step in setting up an Etsy shop. This may seem obvious, but make sure it is something you like doing. It would be unfortunate to “hit it big” with a product you really have no interest in continuing to make!

It’s also helpful to think long-term with your ideas – are there items you could add for a coordinating set down the road or ways that you could expand that product into a bigger or more complex line in the future?

2. Manage Your Inventory

When I first started Funky Monkey Children, I was open to anything people asked of me. I had no problem driving around to different fabric shops (with my two toddlers!) looking for a certain pattern that someone requested, or running out to the store to pick up a single item to monogram for a specific customer.

I quickly learned, however, that this consumed a huge amount of my time and wasn’t very profitable. I ended up with so much inventory and so many supplies that I wasn’t able to use on a continuous basis.

In order to streamline my business I decided to focus on just a few items (burp cloths, bibs, and shirts) and not expand so wide that I was drowning in inventory (and spending all my profits on more inventory!)

3. Create Specific Goals

When you start a business, it’s important to make very specific goals for the future… as well as a path to achieve those goals.

When I first started, my goal was for this to be a self-sustaining hobby. If I got busy and didn’t have more time to work, I closed my shop for a few days and never thought twice about it. As long as I could make enough money to buy more fabric to play around with in my free time, I was happy.

As time progressed, however, my goals changed in a big way. The goals that I have set for the business now are allowing us to save a 20-30% down payment in the next year to buy a house, which is something I never could have dreamed of a few years ago!

4. Pinpoint Your Market

In order to appeal to your buyer, you must know exactly WHO your buyer is. Once you know who you are appealing to, you can figure out how best to reach them and where to find them.

It is helpful to think in very specific terms; knowing that “women” are your target customers doesn’t really help. Knowing that your target customer is a 25-35 married woman who works outside of the home and lives on the West Coast is substantially more helpful.

5. Make Prototypes

You have to have something to advertise in order to get started. One of the best ways to get more traffic to an Etsy shop is to increase the number of items you have listed.

When I was starting out, I made tons of gifts for friends. Since I primarily make baby items, and I have young children myself, I had no shortage of people around me with babies.

With each and every item I made, I took a picture and listed it as a listing for sale. Eventually customers would ask for variations of the same product (different colors, fabrics, applique, etc) and each time I would take a picture of that item and list it separately.

There is a rumor around Etsy that 75 listings is the “magic number” to really increase the traffic flow to your shop. I’m not sure if that is true, but I can say that the amount of traffic to and subsequent sales in my shop increased substantially with more listings.

6. Price Your Items Appropriately

Make sure you aren’t under-pricing your items! In addition to making people think the item is less valuable than it really is (or cheaply made), if you don’t add in a profit for yourself you are doing a lot of work for no reward.

Another thing to think about is the time involved in each item. When I first started, I priced each item the same. Every shirt had a certain price, every burp cloth, etc. Now when I price something I take into account the amount of time that particular item takes to make.

Since I can only do one item at a time, it doesn’t benefit me to sell an item that takes an hour and an item that takes twenty minutes for the same price.

7. Learn about Tags and Titles

Titles and tags are huge on Etsy. Learning about the basics of SEO (particularly as it relates to Etsy’s relevancy formula) will be extremely beneficial to your shop.

While Etsy brings in a lot of traffic on its own, there are millions of Etsy shops open today, so you need to set yourself apart to see success.

8. Take Good Photos

This is something that is incredibly hard to do when you are first beginning, and something that I continue to struggle with in my own shop. Since Etsy is a very visual platform, clear and bright photographs are a must for any successful shop.

Learning the basics of a good quality camera is helpful, as is finding a consistent light source (whether that is outside or a lightbox). Amazon has some inexpensive and decent quality lightboxes that can be very helpful if you don’t live in a particularly clear climate.

Having consistent product placement and the same background in every picture also helps to build your brand and have a cohesive image of your shop as a whole.

9. Provide Excellent Customer Service

Etsy customers expect top-notch customer service. Because Etsy started as a strictly “handmade” platform for selling (it has since evolved beyond that), a typical Etsy buyer is expecting a more personal interaction than they would get from a traditional store.

This means that often times, buyers will message you for more information, ask lots of questions, and generally expect a dialogue about the product or service as they go. Providing good customer service goes a long way in developing a loyal fan base.

10. Learn Your Limits

This has been one of the toughest lessons for me as my shop has grown and sales have increased. Because Etsy provides a more personal platform for interaction between sellers and buyers, there can be some unreasonable requests at times.

It isn’t totally unheard of for people to message asking for a discount, for overnight shipping at no extra charge, to make an item and ship it out by today, or even for totally free items just because.

As someone who very much wants to make the customer happy, it is hard for me to say no. However, I also have learned to value my time and recognize that the time that I am working is time that is taken away from my family.

Through the years of doing this I have had to find a balance between providing excellent customer service and also not being “on-call” to answer messages, send emails, and jump up and make an item for a customer at all hours of the day. Learning this limit will go a long way in keeping your family on board for your new Etsy venture!

Do you (or have you) run an Etsy business? If so, do you have any other tips to add to my list?

Lauren Keplinger is a part-time working mommy of 2 young children who bring joy and chaos to her life. Her hobbies include sewing, running, cooking and reading, but she spends most of her “free” time now working on her Etsy shop, Funky Monkey Children.

Shared Jan 23, 2015 comment

Why You Need to Embrace the Awkward if You Want to Experience the Awesome

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 23, 2015 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Yesterday, I read this beautiful post on Why We Should Stop Living a Safe Life. And I so agree.

But here’s the thing: stepping outside your comfort zone and taking risks isn’t usually glamorous business.

I think we sometimes idealize and fantasize what risk-taking will be like.

We picture wild adventures. Thrilling exploits. Amazing feats. While that is often some of what happens, there’s usually a whole lot of awkward and hard work in between.

Lisa-Jo and I experienced that last week. We had such a great trip, but I can guarantee you that every minute was not filled with incredible mountain-top experiences.

In fact, in between all the wonderful things, there was also a fair share of sweat, dirt, vomit, and tears involved. I’m learning that’s part of the whole stepping-outside-your-comfort-zone gig.

One very wise piece of advice Lisa-Jo gave me before we embarked on the trip was this, “It’s going to feel awkward at times. That’s okay. In fact, that’s more than okay. That’s normal.”

There were a lot of awkward moments on the trip last week…

There were many times (especially at first) when I couldn’t understand someone’s accent. After asking them to repeat themselves three times and you still didn’t understand, it was hard to know what to do or say.

There were multiple times when I replied with the completely wrong thing because I thought they were talking about something entirely different. (South Africans and Americans both speak English, but the words and phrases often mean different things.)

There were times when all the kids and adults were dancing their hearts out singing a song that I didn’t know the words or hand motions to. Not to mention the fact that I’m not really the dancing type of person! 🙂

There were times when I could tell that the person I was talking to didn’t have any idea what I was saying because they couldn’t understand my accent or American phrases.

There were times when I would start speaking in English to someone only to realize they didn’t understand English (most South Africans speak English, but there are a small minority of those who don’t).

There were times when I was given food to eat that was very different than anything I was used to.

There were times when it seemed everyone else knew what was going on and I didn’t have a clue.

There were times when a child would do or say something that broke your heart so much you could barely hold in the tears.

Yes, there was a lot of awkwardness mixed in with the trip. There were many times when I didn’t know what to do, say, or be.

But if I had chosen to avoid those awkward moments, I would have missed out on so many awesome moments. Moments that were goose-bump-inducing and incredibly amazing.

And so I encourage you: stop playing it safe. Step out. Step up. Jump out. Take risks.

It will be awkward, tiring, exhausting, and monotonous at times. But don’t let that hold you back.

Embrace the awkward and you’ll get to experience the awesome.

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