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Shared May 21, 2014 comment

Gretchen’s Target Shopping Trip: Spent $5.14 out of pocket!

Published: by Crystal Paine on May 21, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Target Shopping Trip

4 Knorr Rice or Pasta Sides at $1.02 each – On Sale Buy 3 Get 1 Free, used $0.50/2 coupon from the 5/18 RedPlum insert – $0.64 each after coupon (These are great to use while camping and since we do a lot of that, I always stock up on them when there is a deal!)

2 Garnier Fructis Hair Care – $2.84 each, used 2 $2/1 coupon from the 5/4 SmartSource insert AND 2 $0.75/1 Target printable – $0.09 each after coupons

2 Oscar Mayer P3 Protein Packs – $1.79 each, used $1/2 Target printable AND 2 $1/1 printable – $0.29 each after coupons

2 Wet Ones Wipes at $1.99 each – On Sale Buy One Get One 50% off, used $1/2 coupon from the 4/27 SmartSource insert AND 2 $0.50/1 Target printable – $0.49 each after coupons

Total before coupons and sales: $19.06

Total with tax ($0.84) after coupons and sales: $5.14

Shared May 21, 2014 comment

Sponsor Spotlight: CompAndSave.com

Published: by MSM Team on May 21, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

We’re excited to have CompAndSave.com as one of our sponsors this month! We had the opportunity to interview them and get to know their company a little more recently:

Tell us about the history of CompAndSave.

My wife and I started in a cramped garage back in 2003. We had our first baby on the way and knew that we needed to do something extra to prepare for this joyous time in our life.

I had IT experience, so I bought and fixed laptops locally. This proved to be too time consuming and my goal was extra finances for my soon to be family and I did not want work to cut into my time.

The idea came to me when I needed to buy printer ink so I could print some flyers for my laptop repair business. I reluctantly paid $45.87 (yup, I remember the exact price) for the ink and while driving back home the idea for CompAndSave.com was born.

11 years and 2 kids later, we now operate out of a 20,000 square-foot warehouse in the San Francisco, Bay Area. We have grown our business to 40 employees and over 100,000 customer base each month.

Not only did we help provide for our family, but we help customers save a fortune on their replacement ink and toner cartridges, as we continue to grow bigger each year!

Tell us about your products.

CompAndSave.com provides printer ink and toner cartridges, besides other printer supplies, such as photo papers, printer accessories, etc… We have a wide range of ink and toners and our inventory offers thousands of different products.

It’s a fact that this market is full of ink and toner suppliers, and they all claim to help you save a lot. So what makes CompAndSave different than the others?

Well, it is the post-purchase service, or in other words: Peace of mind when ordering from CompAndSave.com! We offer one-year money back guarantee on every product we sell, and we are proud of having almost 99% customer satisfaction rate.

We are the perfect match for MoneySavingMom.com readers. Our name, CompAndSave.com, which stands for compare and save and we offer compatible or remanufactured ink & toner cartridges that saves you up to 80% in comparison to brand name contenders.

In the end, almost everyone has a printer, and needs replacement ink every other month. Why would you pay a fortune for inks when you can get the same quality for a cheaper price?

Does CompAndSave have any new products or promotions coming up?

We are proud to announce a massive $1 ink campaign exclusive to MoneySavingMom.com readers. We specifically picked the best-selling ink cartridges from our database, and priced them at $1 compared to $20-$30 brand-name ones. Just visit this page, and find your ink within the clearance items list, and place your order for a price of gum.

If your ink model is not listed within the clearance items list, don’t worry. You can still save 15% on top of our savings up to 80%. Just use the given coupon code at checkout, and enjoy unbeatable prices.

Is CompAndSave involved in any charity work?

In February, we donated $1 from every transaction to American Heart Association, and we accumulated over $10,000 in one month. Presently, we are working in conjunction with Food for the Poor. Starting from May 2014, we will be recycling ink & toner cartridges, and donating every penny to help orphans and those who are less fortunate.

I would like to invite everyone to ship back their empty ink & toner cartridges to CompAndSave.com, so that we can convert that garbage into much needed donations. Also, in October, we are also preparing for a big campaign that will help us to donate a generous amount to fight against breast cancer.

What would you most like your customers or future customers to know about CompAndSave?

We are a colorful and fun company who not only help you save money on printer supplies, but also offer an entertaining shopping experience (our newsletter subscribers and social media followers know what I mean). We have fun contests with great prizes.

Just last Christmas, we gave away a diamond ring to one lucky customer, as well as a big screen TV, and a couple of iPhones and iPads. And we also work hard to give back to the community by contributing in many charity activities.

How can your customers get the most out of CompAndSave?

By subscribing to our bi-weekly newsletters! Our team works hard to determine what our customers need and want most, and our email campaigns are always driven with this point in mind.

Is there anything else that you would like for MSM readers to know about CompAndSave?

We would like to thank Crystal for having such a great website. We have been a loyal follower of her deal updates for many years, and we learned how to be frugal but also enjoy good things without spending a fortune.

Now, it is a great honor taking our place on MSM, and offering your readers a great way to save on ink. We hope this special $1 ink deal reaches the individuals who need it the most, and weappreciate MSM’s existence for helping them stay on a budget!

Interested in becoming a monthly sponsor or advertising with us? Find more details here.

Shared May 20, 2014 comment

Gretchen’s Walgreens Shopping Trip: Spent $2.16 out of pocket

Published: by Crystal Paine on May 20, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Walgreens Shopping Trip

2 Bayer Chewable Aspirin at $2.99 each – On Sale Buy One Get One 50% off
Used 2 $1.50/1 coupon from the 5/4 SmartSource insert
And used $1/1 Walgreens coupon from the Walgreens Coupon book (Found in the front of the store)
Free after coupons

2 Suave Lotion – $2.50 each
Used 2 $1.50/1 coupon from the 5/18 RedPlum insert
$1 each after coupons

Total before coupons and sales: $12.66

Total with tax ($0.68) after coupons and sales: $2.16

Shared May 20, 2014 comment

How We’re Saving Over $900 Per Month

Published: by Crystal Paine on May 20, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Guest post from Jason of Home Life Organized

I hope our story both encourages and gives you ideas of your own for budgeting and scaling back on expenses.

Between selling our second car, cutting the cord on cable, switching to a pay-as-you-go family phone plan, refinancing our house, and wiping out our credit card debt, my wife and I have learned how to effectively manage our budget and still be able to enjoy life without feeling like we’re giving anything up.

So why did we decide to make all of these changes? It was mostly a matter of circumstance for us.

My wife was pregnant and just laid off from her job. Although she tried to find other work, she wasn’t able to find anything through her pregnancy.

Once the baby came, we decided that she would stay at home with him. This meant that our take-home income was cut in half; we went from a dual-income couple, to a single-income family with a baby.

I already kept a monthly budget to track all of our regular bills, so I began with looking at what we were spending and where we could cut.

Here is how we ended up saving over $900 per month:

We Switched to One Car

We both leased cars and since my wife is home with the baby, she needed a car during the day. We are about 25 minutes from the train station that I take into work — so it’s definitely a sacrifice, but it was also a big savings for us. By switching to one car we saved on the car payment, car insurance, gas, and maintenance.

Savings $400/ month.

We Cut the Cord on Cable

The cable bill was out of control at almost $200/month and we needed to do something about it. We decided to cut the cord on cable and use a combination of Roku, Aereo, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and our personal DVD collection for our TV watching. So far so good and we are still able to watch every show we used to.

Savings $100/month.

We Switched Cell Phone Plans

Before we were married we each had our own service through different carriers. We ended up switching to a family plan through MetroPCS which included unlimited talk, text, and data so we haven’t missed a thing.

Savings $70/month

We Refinanced Our House

We already had a great interest rate on our house, but we were paying PMI (private mortgage insurance). Through home improvements we had enough equity and just recently completed the refinance, got rid of PMI, and lowered our mortgage payment.

Savings $120/month

We Paid Off Credit Card Debt

We just finished paying off our final credit card. We used the snowball method of paying off the lowest balance cards first and adding that extra amount to the next card.

Savings $300/month

If you had to save $900 per month, could you do it? If so, how?

Jason Bazinet blogs at Home Life Organized. He’s happily married to Keri and father to his amazing son, Reid. He works full-time in marketing, and loves finding good deals, cooking healthful but convenient meals, and spending time with his family.photo source

Shared May 19, 2014 comment

Weekend recap: My first visit to Charming Charlie, a run-in with the escalator, and a fun evening with friends!

Published: by Crystal Paine on May 19, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I had the privilege of speaking at Teach Them Diligently in DC this past weekend. It was held at the Gaylord at National Harbor and it was just gorgeous there! The views were amazing — and the area was so nice!

After a busy day of speaking, my business manager (Joy) and road manager (Liz) took me to Charming Charlie… And they helped me find a replacement purse for my diaper bag that I had been using as a purse for far too long (it was falling apart at the seams — as evidenced by this picture). They are taking the roles of manager and road manager to a whole new level — and I really like the bag they helped me pick out! 🙂

We have a running joke that every time I give my Say Goodbye to Survival Mode talk, there is always unexpected chaos or crazy on that day. And well, something crazy happened again… right after giving that talk, I got my dress stuck in the escalator!

I was so grateful part of my dress didn’t rip off and that I didn’t trip and fall down the escalator! Yikes!

Word to the wise: maxi dresses and escalators don’t mix. The good news: after a lot of scrubbing and stain remover, I may be able to salvage the dress. If you have any advice how to get the remaining grease out of the dress, I’d welcome it!

I flew home on Saturday night… it’s always so good to be home! I made up for lost sleep that night. And then we spent a really evening with our friends the Smiths and the Acuffs on Sunday evening.

All the kids tried to get on the slackline at once and it was quite hilarious to watch! We topped off the night with roasting marshmallows and great conversation and laughter around the campfire.

We continue to be so blessed by the friendships, authenticity, and community here. We are humbly grateful for all the folks who have reached out and opened up their hearts and homes to us. We are learning a whole new definition of “community” by being here and it’s a beautiful thing!

How was your weekend? Did anything exciting or interesting happen at your house? And any tips on getting the grease stains out of my dress?

WANT TO SAVE $100 FAST?!Join the FREE 14-Day Savings Challenge!

Click here to sign up!

Shared May 19, 2014 comment

This Week’s Menu Plan

Published: by Crystal Paine on May 19, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Breakfasts

Oatmeal, Cereal, Eggs, and/or Fruit

Lunches

Mac & cheese, fruit
Snack-y lunch {veggies, cheese, yogurt, fruit, crackers, etc.}
PB&J, carrot sticks, apples
Cheese quesadillas, carrot sticks
Leftovers x 3

Snacks

Fruit/veggies
Popcorn
Boiled eggs

Dinners

Meaty Monday (A local family coordinates this every week & they were so gracious to invite us to be apart — it’s a weekly informal gathering of friends — each familybrings some kind of meat for the grill and some kind of side.)
Pancakes, Eggs, Bacon
Spaghetti Pizza, fruit, steamed veggies
Southwest Roll-Ups, fruit, salad
Twisted Pizza Breadsticks, fruit, steamed veggies
Dinner Out
Dinner With Friends — bring veggies & fruit

What’s on your menu this week? Tell us in the comments or leave a link to your menu plan post.

Shared May 19, 2014 comment

10 Goals For This Week

Published: by Crystal Paine on May 19, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

So, um, last week was sort of a dud when it came to goal-setting. I was running full steam all week long, but just didn’t get a chance to tackle many of the planned items on my list. Oh well, I’ll try again this week. 🙂

By the way, I’ll be speaking at the Florida Homeschool Convention this Thursday through Saturday. If you’re going to be there, be sure to come find me after one of my sessions or stop by our booth. One of my favorite parts of speaking is getting to meet my readers face-to-face!

Last Week’s Goals:

Marriage/Mothering/Homemaking Goals

1. Get our closet organized.

2. Get the garage organized.

3. Get the bookshelf/school area organized.

4. Write a love note to Jesse.

5. Finish embroidering quilt square for my sister’s baby quilt.

Personal Goals

6. Work on memorizing & reviewing Romans 1:1-29.

~~7. Exercise four times.~~

8. Finish reading Red Hot Monogamy, ~~Secrets of Dynamic Communication~~, and Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook.

Business Goals

~~9. Finish tweaks/edits for my talks this weekend at the Teach Them Diligently conference in DC.~~

~~10. Write one guest post for another blog.~~

This Week’s Goals:

Marriage/Mothering/Homemaking Goals

1. Get our closet organized.

2. Get the garage organized.

3. Get the bookshelf/school area organized.

4. Write a love note to Jesse.

5. Finish embroidering quilt square for my sister’s baby quilt.

Personal Goals

6. Work on memorizing & reviewing Romans 1:1-29.

7. Exercise four times.

8. Finish reading Red Hot Monogamy, The Traitor’s Wife, and Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook.

Business Goals

9. Finish tweaks/edits for my talks this weekend at the Florida Homeschool Convention

10. Write one guest post for another blog.

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 May 19, 2014 comment

Freebies In My Mailbox: Colgate, Tide, Garnier Fructis, and more!

Published: by Crystal Paine on May 19, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Here are the freebies that arrived in my mailbox in the past week:

:: Colgate toothbrush

:: 2 Tide samples

:: Tums samples

:: Breathe Right samples

:: Eight O’Clock coffee sample

:: Garnier Fructis samples

What freebies have arrived in your mailbox this week?

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!

Shared May 19, 2014 comment

Reader Tip: Earn Extra Shop Your Way Rewards Points

Published: by Crystal Paine on May 19, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Jessica emailed in the following tip:

My husband and I signed up for the Shop Your Way Rewards Program last year and it has been our biggest contributor to purchasing free or close-to-free gifts for birthdays, holidays, Christmas, etc.

Shop Your Way Rewards is the rewards program for Sears, Kmart and Lands End. Without ever spending a cent at any of these store, we have received regular emails of free points — anywhere from $3 to $7, with no minimum purchase.

These points can then be redeemed in-store or online. If you are near a Sears or Kmart, you can purchase an item using points and elect for free store pickup. You can also take advantage of Shop Your Way MAX which gives you 3 months of free shipping.

Additionally, through May 26th, there is an online matching game giving you the opportunity to earn up to 1000 points a day, or 5000 points total. That is $1-$5 in free points! -Jessica

Shared May 19, 2014 comment

12 Months to a Healthier You Challenge: Week 20 Check-in

Published: by Crystal Paine on May 19, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Are you joining us for the 12 Months to a Healthier You Challenge? If so, it’s time for our weekly check-in to post our progress.

May’s Challenge:

We’re focusing on developing the habit of getting more rest. I encourage you to set a simple and doable goal for getting more rest and to stick with it.

New to this challenge? Read more details on the plan for this year here.

My Get More Rest Goal for May

My goal for May is to get at least 7.5 hours of sleep every night.

I’m also hoping to keep up with January’s habit of exercising at least 4-5 times every week, February’s goal of eating a big salad at least six times a week, March’s goal of drinking 8 glasses of water every day, and April’s goal of eating dessert once a week.

This Week’s Progress:

I pretty much bombed the challenge this past week. It was just one of those weeks. Lots of great things went on. Lots of wonderful time with wonderful people… and well, sleep just got bumped really low on the priority list.

In fact, I think I only got at least 7.5 hours of sleep two nights this past week. Bad, I know.

But that’s just life sometimes, isn’t it? I don’t recommend living like this on a regular basis, but there are times when you just have to power through and know that you’ll catch up on sleep the following week — which is my hope for this week!

I hit my water goals five days, exercised four days, ate a salad five of the days, and had dessert three times. So yes, I’m not hitting all of my goals perfectly, but I’m going to celebrate the progress I’m making!

How Are YOU Doing?

Leave a comment telling us how you did on your exercise goals this past week. If you’re blogging about this challenge, leave the direct link to your blog post about the challenge below. Are you on social media? You can also share your progress on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter by using hashtag #12MonthstoaHealthierYou.

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

Click here to download!

Shared May 17, 2014 comment

3 Crockpot Freezer Meals for Summer

Published: by Crystal Paine on May 17, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Guest post from Sarah of Sidetracked Sarah

A couple of years ago, I was browsing Pinterest, when I ran across a genius idea that I now know as Crockpot Freezer Meals. If you’re not familiar with Crockpot Freezer Meals, here’s a quick description.

1. Find several of your favorite slow cooker recipes (I prefer to do 6, which works out to be a week’s worth)

2. Prepare/chop all the ingredients for those recipes at once.

3. Assemble each individual recipe into a gallon size freezer bag.

4. Label that bag with the name of the recipe and any individual instructions and lay it flat to freeze.

5. Get the bag out the night before you plan to cook it (if possible) and then follow the cooking instructions on cooking day.

What I love about this plan is that I get freezer meals, without the processed freezer meal taste.

The recipes that I originally found were not a fit for my family, so I set out to find recipes that would work better for us. I was absolutely amazed at the results!

My family was better fed than they had been in a long time. We were eating dinner on time and not at erratic hours. Dinner preparation time was shortened by a lot!

Typically, I can assemble 6 meals in about 1-2 hours, depending on how complicated the recipes are.

Summer time is a great time to be using your slow cooker because it won’t heat up your house. Here’s 3 recipes that will help you get your freezer meals started!

Crockpot Sausage & Peppers

Ingredients:

2 lbs. sweet or hot Italian sausages
2 onions
3 red, yellow or green peppers, cut into 2″ slices
2 cloves of garlic
14 oz can diced tomatoes
6 oz can tomato paste
1/2 cup beef broth
1 T. dried Italian seasoning
1/4 t. pepper

Instructions (to cook immediately):

Brown the Italian Sausages in a skillet. (I usually start with them whole, then slice them up while they’re cooking. They stay intact and keep their shape better that way).
Layer half of the onions on bottom of slow cooker, then add half of the peppers.
Put all of the browned sausage on top of that, followed by the rest of the onions and peppers.
Mix together diced tomatoes, tomato paste and beef broth and pour over the top.
Cook on low for 6 hours.
One hour before mixture is done, add the spices. Stir.
Cover and cook an additional hour.

Instructions (to freeze and cook later):

Brown Italian Sausages
While browning, slice peppers and onions.
Place onions, peppers, and sausage in freezer-safe bag.
Mix together diced tomatoes, tomato paste and beef broth and place in a 2nd freezer bag.
Label & Freeze
Follow instructions on cooking day.

**It helps to at least have the sauce thawed out when you’re putting it in the slow cooker, but not required.

Crockpot Meat Loaf

Ingredients:

2 eggs, beaten
½ c milk
2/3 c bread crumbs
½ chopped onion
1 t salt
½ t sage
1 ½ lbs ground beef
ketchup or BBQ Sauce to cover with while cooking

Instructions (to cook immediately):

Mix all ingredients into 1 loaf (except Ketchup or BBQ Sauce).
Pour sauce over the top.
Cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.

Freezer to Slow Cooker Instructions:

Chop 1/2 of onion.
Mix all ingredients together, except Ketchup or BBQ Sauce.
Form into loaf.
Place in gallon size freezer safe bag.
Label & Freeze.
On cooking day, follow cooking instructions above.

Crockpot Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Ingredients:

4 pound pork roast (shoulder or butt)
2 large onions
1 cup Ginger Ale
1 bottle BBQ Sauce (your favorite flavor)
BBQ Sauce for serving (optional)
Hamburger Buns

Instructions (to cook immediately):

Slice onion and place in bottom of the crock pot.
Put in the roast and cover with the other onion.
Pour Ginger Ale over the top.
Cover and cook on low for about 12 hours (for older crocks) or about 8 hours (for newer crocks). I like to do mine overnight.
Once cooked, remove the meat, straining the onions, but discarding the liquid.
Shred the meat with 2 forks.
Discard any fat, bones or skin. Most of the fat should have melted away.
After it’s nicely shredded, return the meat and onions to the slow cooker and cover it with the BBQ sauce, stirring it in to cover the meat well.
Cook another 4 to 6 hours on low.
Serve on hamburger buns.

Instructions (to freeze and cook later):

Slice 2 onions
Place Onions and Roast into gallon size freezer safe bag.
Label & Freeze.
On cooking day, follow cooking instructions above.

Please Note: It is best to have your recipe thawed out, by removing it from the freezer and putting it in the refrigerator the night before.

Each recipe serves approximately 6 adults.

Sarah loves finding ways to make life easier for herself and others. She blogs about it at Sidetracked Sarah. She has 8 weeks of Crockpot Freezer Meals on her blog and she’s giving away a free one week printable menu to subscribers.

Shared May 16, 2014 comment

Sign up for the Author Platform Summit (FREE through May 18, 2014)

Published: by Crystal Paine on May 16, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Psst!! Want to write a book, build your blog platform, take your writing career to the next level, or just learn more about being an online entrepreneur? Do yourself a favor and go sign up for the Author Platform Summit today!

These videos are only available online for FREE through May 15-18, 2014. After that, they will be available to purchase.

There’s an amazing line-up of speakers who are sharing at this Summit, including the following:

I had so much fun recording the video for this and have really enjoyed watching and learning from the other videos, too. The videos are packed with practical tips, down-to-earth ideas, and real-life inspiration.

And did I mention this is FREE through May 18, 2014? Yes, it is. What a great value!

Go sign up for the FREE Author Platform Summit here.

Shared May 16, 2014 comment

Gretchen’s $50 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan

Published: by Crystal Paine on May 16, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Dillons

Transaction #1

2 Pull-Ups – $8.99 each (On Sale Buy 2, Get $5 catalina), use 2 $3/1 printable – $5.99 each after coupons

6 Giant Green canned Green Beans (On Sale Buy 6, Get $3 catalina) – $1 each

Total: $17.98, Received $8 back in catalinas

Transaction #2

2 Quaker Granola Bars – $1.67 each, used 2 $1/1 coupon from the 5/4 RedPlum insert – $0.67 each after coupons

2 Nabisco Triscuits – $1.99 each, used 2 $1/1 coupon from the 4/13 SmartSource insert – $0.99 each after coupons

1 Kroger Donuts – Marked down to $0.59

1 Romaine Lettuce – $0.99

1.08 lbs Broccoli Crowns @ $1.59/lb – $1.72

1 Kroger Barbecue Sauce – $0.89

1.09 lbs Tomatoes @ $0.99/lb – $1.08

1 Green Bell Pepper – $0.89

1 Clif Bar – $1, used Free catalina coupon – Free after coupon

2 Horizon Mac & Cheese – $1 each

1 Kroger Unbleached Flour – $1.99

1 Kroger Butter Quarters – $2.50, used $0.40/1 mailer coupon – $2.10 after coupon

2 lbs Sterling Silver Ground Beef – $3.99 each

1 Tyson Frozen Chicken Breasts – $7.47, used $1/1 printable – $6.47 after coupon

3 Breyers Ice Cream – $2.99, used $3/3 coupon from the 5/4 RedPlum inset – $1.99 each after coupon (Such a great price for one of our favorite brands of ice cream!)

1 gallon Dillons Milk – $2.79

1 Kroger Cheddar Cheese – $1.99

Used $8 catalinas from Transaction #1

Total after coupons and catalina: $32.77

Total for both transactions: $50.75

Menu Plan for this Week

Breakfasts

Cereal, Banana Muffins, Baked Oatmeal, Applesauce

Lunches

Cheese Quesadillas, Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches, Macaroni and Cheese, Tossed Salad, Cheese/Crackers/Veggies

Dinners

Salad Bar, Peaches (We canned these last fall.)

Chicken Fajitas, Peas

Hamburgers, Chips, Tossed Salad

Breakfast for dinner (Pancakes, Eggs, etc)

Grilled Pizza, Steamed Broccoli

Leftovers

Dinner with friends

Shared May 15, 2014 comment

Business meetings, great friends, bacon & eggs, and a trip to DC!

Published: by Crystal Paine on May 15, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

My coffee table right now: a book I loved (Bread & Wine), a book I can’t wait to read (The Nesting Place), flowers I bought for a song, and fingerprints from little people I cherish. Love it!

It’s been an interesting and full few days. I flew home with Kaitlynn and Silas on Sunday while Jesse and Kathrynne stayed back for Jesse to tie up a few loose ends with his business in Kansas. He and Kathrynne drove our second vehicle back on Tuesday afternoon/evening.

They arrived home around 3:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning… and we were SO glad to see them (And I breathed a sigh of relief as it was hard for me to be at home waiting up for them while they were driving at night hoping they stayed safe!)

We all slept in late on Wednesday morning and then got up and around quickly for the busy day ahead of us. We had a big strategy/planning meeting scheduled with the new publicity team we recently started working with here in TN and my business manager, Joy, was flying in from Colorado for that.

Our friend, Lexi, came over to watch our kids while Jesse, Brian (my other business manager), Joy, and I headed to downtown Nashville for the all-afternoon meeting. We are so excited to be working with this publicity team and we all pretty much instantly connected and bonded!

In fact, and in a very short time, we were talking about our love languages, crazy quirks, swooning over Aldi, and introducing one of the gals who wasn’t feeling well to essential oils. In between all that, we also mapped out some short-term and long-term plans for the business. It’s always fun to brainstorm, discuss, and dream!

While we don’t know what all the future holds, we are so honored to be working with such amazing people on the journey. I love how they challenge me to think big, aim high, keep growing and learning, and strive for excellence.

After the publicity meeting, Joy, Brian, Traci (Brian’s incredible wife) and their son came over to our house and we all hung out, ate P.F. Chang’s, laughed over crazy things, shared our hearts, and did a lot more business brainstorming.

I am so grateful for the wisdom and experience Brian and Joy bring to MoneySavingMom.com as my business managers, but, more importantly, I am so grateful for how they (and their spouses) pour into our lives and love us for exactly who we are and yet challenge us to be the best we can be. Friendships like these are such a gift… and ones we don’t take lightly!

Breakfast courtesy of Kaitlynn this morning

By Wednesday evening, we were all exhausted and we went to bed early and got a really good night’s rest (which felt SO good!). Kaitlynn made bacon and eggs for breakfast for us this morning (her first time to make breakfast all by herself — I was so proud of her!) and then we spent the morning and afternoon hanging out as a family, reading together, working on homeschool lessons, cleaning the house, and taking care of some other random things that needed to be done.

Waiting to board our flight at the Nashville airport.

Joy came over in the afternoon to meet with Jesse about some projects they are working on while I packed and got ready to leave for the Teach Them Diligently conference that I’m speaking at in DC this weekend. Joy and I left for the airport around 3 p.m. to catch our flight to DC tonight.

By the way, while the Nashville airport takes a little more time to get to and navigate, it’s so nice to now have the option of direct flights to some cities! Direct flights were almost unheard of in Kansas and getting to DC would have taken me at least half a day, as opposed to a few hours!

I’m excited to be speaking twice tomorrow and twice again on Saturday and I look forward to meeting some of you at the conference. {If you’re attending, be sure to come find me after one of my sessions or stop by our booth. One of my very favorite things about speaking at conferences is getting to meet my readers!}

Shared May 15, 2014 comment

5 Ways to Make Your Kids’ Toys Interesting Again

Published: by Crystal Paine on May 15, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Guest post from Katie of Embracing a Simpler Life

It’s the same old story; a closet full of clothes and nothing to wear.

My kids, and most kids I presume, have an over-abundance of toys. Nonetheless, they eventually lose interest. There they stand, bored, surrounded by a room full of delights. We’re left wondering what else we could buy to keep them entertained.

Over the years, I’ve resisted this temptation out of both necessity and principle. Instead, I’ve experimented with how to re-interest them in their toys.

Here is what I’ve found helpful:

1. Give toys a sabbatical.

This tried and true method is one of the best I’ve found. Box up toys and stick them in closet. After a few months, trade them out for others. This takes only a small effort and works wonders in reestablishing interest.

2. Pretend play with your children.

Kids need new ideas for old toys, not new toys for old ideas. Fifteen minutes of fully engaged, imaginative play on your part will likely produce hours of new material for your kids.

They never imagined that basket as an oven or those blocks as cake. They never saw the afghan as a picnic blanket or the stacking cups as teacups. Open their eyes to new possibilities through pretend play.

3. Assign toys to various different spots around the house.

Restricting toys to certain areas allows children to change environments throughout the day. My daughter plays dress up in her room, cars in her brother’s room, puzzles in the family room, coloring and stickers in the kitchen, etc.

Also, feel free to switch toys from room to room every so often. Seeing them in a new environment gives toys new life.

4. Reinvent them.

Figure out which toys would work in the bathtub, even if that’s not their original purpose. Which would work with play dough? Allow children to explore new applications of their existing toys.

5. Make accessories for toys together.

One of my fondest memories of my grandmother was when she and I made a baby doll bed from an empty oatmeal canister. This was a special memory, totally free, and it piqued my interest in baby dolls for months to come.

My dad tells stories of taping cardboard boxes to his Radio Flyer wagon and decorating them to look like race cars. Simple paper and cardboard accessories can be a great way to expand the use of toys without buying new ones.

How do you build your kids’ interest in old toys?

Hi! I’m Katie. I’m a young-ish, stay-at-home mom of two adorably-fun little ones, and I live a life devoted to Jesus. I love to write, and I focus my energy on living simply and well. My husband works for our church as a tech guy, I blog at Embracing a Simpler Life, and together we have a photography business.

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