Saving Families Money Since 2007
Others saw a pesky weed, he saw a beautiful flower to brighten his Mama’s day.
It’s all about perspective.
Become a noticer of the good and beautiful instead of focusing on the hard and ugly things. It will transform your attitude — and maybe even your entire life!
“Two men looked out from prison bars,
One saw the mud, the other saw stars.”
― Dale Carnegie, How to Stop Worrying and Start Living
Aldi
1 Corn Chips – $0.89
1 Flour Tortillas – $1.29
1 dozen Eggs – $1.29
1 Pineapple – $1.29
1 gallon Milk – $2.68
2 cans Green Beans – $0.49 each
1 package Butter – $2.49
1 package Cream Cheese – $0.99
1 packages Cheese – $1.99 each
1 Italian Dressing – $1.39
1 package Celery – $1.19
1 package Spinach – $1.69
3 Cucumbers – $0.59 each
1 package Carrots – $0.99
1 Half & Half – $1.69
1 package Strawberries – $1.29
1 Cantaloupe – $1.29
Total: $27.18
Dillons2 PictSweet Frozen Vegetables – $1, used 2 $0.50/1 coupon from the 3/2 RedPlum insert – $0.50 each after coupons
1 Kroger Frozen Chicken Breasts – $7.99, used $1.45/1 e-coupon – $6.54 after coupon
1 Fresh Organic Kale – $1.50
1 Romaine Lettuce – $0.99
1 Nabisco Wheat Thins – $2, used $0.50/1 printable (no longer available) – $1.50 after coupon
1 Barbara’s Cereal – $3.99 (On Sale Buy One Get One Free), used $1.50/1 printable – $0.49 after coupon
Total before coupons and sales: $24.68
Total with tax ($1.07) after coupons and sales: $13.09
Total for all grocery items: $40.27
Cereal, Homemade Granola, Oatmeal, Fresh Veggie/Fruit Juice
Cheese Quesadillas, Leftovers, Cheese/Crackers/Veggies, Baked Potatoes, Peanut Butter & Jelly on Rice Cakes
Spaghetti, Cantaloupe, Green Beans
Italian Chicken, Biscuits, Peas
Haystacks, Fruit Salad
Chicken Pockets, Tossed Salad, Pineapple
Dinner with family x 3 (We have family in town so we’ll be spending several evenings over at my parents.)
Years ago, I came across this adaption of 1 Corinthians 13 by Jim Fowler and it’s been greatly challenging and inspiring to me as a mom.
I’ve shared this poem at the last two conferences I’ve spoken at and multiple attendees requested that I would post it on my site as they were so blessed by it. So I wanted to share it to encourage those of you moms who are feeling weary right now.
1 Corinthians 13 for Moms
If I live in a house of spotless beauty with everything in its place,
but have not love,
I am a housekeeper not a homemaker.If I have time for waxing, polishing, and decorative achievements,
but have not love,
my children learn cleanliness not godliness.If I scream at my children when they don’t follow instructions,
get frustrated and fault them for every mess in our house,
and have no grace and love
my children learn that Mom cares more about having things done exactly her way
than about listening to the needs and hearts of her children.
Love leaves the dust in search of a child’s laugh.
Love smiles at the tiny fingerprints on a newly cleaned window.
Love wipes away the tears before it wipes up the spilled milk.
Love picks up the child before it picks up the toys.Love accepts the fact that I am the ever-present “mommy,”
the taxi-driver to every childhood event,
the counselor when my children fail or are hurt.Love crawls with the baby, walks with the toddler, and runs with the child,
then stands aside to let the youth walk into adulthood.
Before I became a mother I took glory in having it altogether.
Now I glory in knowing that God’s in control and His grace is sufficient for each day.All the projections I had for my house and my children
have faded away into insignificance,
And what remain are the memories of my kids.Now there abides in my home scratches on most of the furniture,
dishes with missing place settings,
and bedroom walls full of stickers, posters, and markings,
But the greatest of all is the Love
that permeates my relationships with my children.-adapted from 1 Corinthians 13 by Jim Fowler
A testimony from an anonymous reader
We’ve known for several years now that our HVAC system was dying. As a family, we were all uncomfortable and the unit often reminded us of its impending “death” with loud rattling that shook walls.
Knowing that we had waited and patched the units as long as we could, we began to get quotes for a new system. When the time came to receive our first quote I almost fell out of my chair when they handed me the paperwork showing a total cost of $12,000 to replace both our units and repair the duct work.
This company did however offer financing, and it looked like we might have to utilize the “financing option” to purchase the new HVAC system.
After a few more quotes and some discussions with the companies I started asking if we could get a discount if we paid in cash. To my shock, we were quickly offered discounts from 5-8% if we paid in cash! On a $12,000 bill that is not an insignificant amount of money.
With this new knowledge in hand, we put our nose to the ground and decided to save, save, save! We had less than one year to save before we would face another blistering summer in Georgia.
Here is what we did:
Our children are old enough to understand our budget and the need to replace the HVAC unit (they were hot!) After the family meeting, everyone was on the same page and we were all on board to save up for a more comfortable summer next year.
Already having a tight budget, at first we thought we would never be able to save enough, but soon, small decisions started adding up. Every time we saved any amount from a monthly bill, we diverted those funds directly into savings.
Because our budget was already tight we called our service providers for cell phones and internet and negotiated lower rates. The difference went straight to savings every month, we decreased the “food” budget which meant less eating out and we had very simple holidays. Soon we were on track to make our goal!
This weekend, we will have our new system installed and we will be paying CASH!
Our new HVAC system will cost us $8,000 — by paying cash and having the work completed before summer we were able to negotiate the best price, saving us $4,000. What a great feeling we have as a family to know that we all worked together to achieve our goal and we all be cooler this summer!
Have you saved up and paid cash for something — large or small? Submit your story for possible publication here.
We’re excited to have AOL Gathr as one of our sponsors. We had the opportunity to interview them and get to know their company a little more recently:
Gathr is an exciting new service by AOL that launched in three markets in fall 2013 and is now available nationwide. AOL has been in the business of helping people for more than 25 years, through informing them, entertaining them, connecting them, and providing them with great products and services.
With Gathr, customers can bundle together top brands and save up to 60%. Members can save big on subscriptions and credits toward music, movies, games, dining, books, shopping, and more.
We offer brands like Amazon.com, Target , Pandora One, Groupon, Sephora, Zappos.com, Barnes & Noble, LivingSocial, Domino’s, Toys”R”Us, Starbucks, Fandango, PBS Kids Play!, and Consumer Reports. Customers can create their own package of products, or choose from one of our pre-bundled packages that fit different lifestyles.
Gathr helps moms save big on brands they already use. For instance, our Playroom package includes a $10 Amazon.com Gift Card, a membership to PBS KIDS PLAY!, a subscription to National Geographic Little Kids Magazine, a $10 Toys”R”Us eGift Card, and access to 3,000+ online kids learning games through ABCmouse.com, all for only $20 a month – a 52% savings. Moms can keep their kids educated and entertained – all while saving money.
Or choose our Night In package and save money on a fun night for the whole family. It includes a $10 Amazon.com Gift Card, a $10 Domino’s eGift Card, a ShopRunner membership for free shipping and delivery, and a $6 Amazon Instant Video Gift Card, all for only $15 a month – a 57% savings.
Yes, we are offering Money Saving Mom® users $10 off their first month of Gathr*! They can enjoy savings off our popular Night In or Playroom packages, or any other package of their choice.
AOL is very supportive of charitable activity by employees, holding an annual company-wide volunteer day and offering employees two additional paid days of volunteer work each year. AOL matches employee’s contributions to charities up to $250 per year, and contributes to registration fees when employees participate in charitable walks/runs.
Gathr is a new way to save! We know you work hard to provide the most for your family, so our priority is helping you save big on top brands. We offer 40 products and services from Amazon.com, Target, Pandora One, Groupon, Sephora, Zappos.com, Barnes & Noble, LivingSocial, Domino’s, Toys”R”Us, Starbucks, Fandango, PBS Kids Play!, Consumer Reports, and more. We continue to add new partners and would love to hear about new products moms want us to offer.
Sign up today with our special offer for Money Saving Mom® users and save $10 off your first month*. You’ll get extra savings in that first month, and then savings up to 60% each month after that. Make sure to use your subscriptions and redeem your gift cards each month at Gathr.com!
Interested in becoming a monthly sponsor or advertising with us? Find more details here.
*Offer expires 4/30/14. Offer may be used once per account, is not available to current Gathr customers, and may not be combined with other offers. Offer excludes taxes and has no cash value. Offer applies starting your first monthly billing period after using this promo code, and is valid up to the amount actually charged that month. We reserve the right to change or terminate this offer at any time.
CVS Shopping Trip
Transaction #1
2 Right Guard Deodorant – $3 each (Buy 2, Get $2 ECBs)
Used 2 $2/1 coupon from the 3/16 RedPlum insert3 Wet & Wild Cosmetic Items @ $0.99 each – On Sale Buy 2, Get 1 Free
Used 2 $1/1 coupon from the 4/6 RedPlum insert1 Crest Toothpaste – $2.99 (Buy 1, Get $2 ECBs)
Used $0.50/1 coupon from the 3/31 P&G insertUsed $4.50 ECBs from previous shopping trip
Total with tax ($0.85): $1.32, Received $4 ECBs
Transaction #2
1 CVS Women’s 5 Blade Razor – $7.29 (My CVS was out of the Venus razors and when I asked if they had anymore in stock, they said that since they didn’t, I could substitute a CVS brand razor. They even let me use my Venus coupon on it and gave me the $5 ECBs I would have received for buying the Venus razor. This is why I love CVS!)
Used $4/1 coupon from the 3/30 P&G insert
Used $4 ECBs from transaction #1 (They lowered this down to $3.29 since that was my total before tax and I didn’t have time to find a $0.71 item.)
Total (tax only): $0.59, Received $5 ECBs
Total for both transactions before coupons, sales and ECBs: $24.47
Total for both transactions after coupons, sales and ECBs: $1.91, plus $5 ECBs leftover
I can’t believe I am actually writing you, but I just feel like giving up. I bought your new book and read it. It was wonderful and filled with great ideas, but I truthfully don’t know where to start. I feel like I can’t keep my head above water. Do I focus on trying to tame the budget? Lose weight? Being more mindful when with my family?
I just feel like I am under so much stress all the time. My husband works a lot and I work from home as a freelance writer and we have two children, ages 10 and 11. My 11-year-old is on the autism spectrum and it is so draining — never-ending worries about this and that. We have no family around.
So what do you recommend as the best way to start getting things under control? Is it finances? (we do OK…but don’t have much savings) Get healthier? (I want to lose 10 pounds and frankly have no willpower and can’t say no to sweets) Get more organized?
Just feeling lost. – a reader
Hugs! I’m so sorry you have so much on your plate right now. I wish that you could come over and hang out with me at my house for a few hours and we could just talk over a cup of coffee.
But since there are miles and miles that separate us, I’ll do my best to share some of my thoughts to answer your questions in this post. I encourage you to just take whatever you find helpful and leave the rest. I’m all about grace not guilt!
The best thing you can do right now is to say “no” to everything that isn’t an absolute necessity. Make “no” your default answer to every request and opportunity.
Now is not the time to be taking on anything new. In fact, now is the time to be off-loading everything you possibly can. Remind yourself that saying “no” to the mediocre will then allow you to say “yes” to the best.
As I talk about in the first chapter of my book, giving myself permission to say “no” changed my life. I had thought that life was spinning out of control without my consent. But then I finally realized that most of the overwhelming things in my life were the result of my inability to say “no” and my feelings of obligation to other people — at the expense of my health and family.
When I realized that I was the problem, but I was also the solution, it changed my life. It allowed me to stop letting life happen to me and start happening to life.
So often, we get so busy living life that we forget what it is we’re actually living for. Stop and consider what’s really going to matter in 25 years from now. This will likely change your perspective on what’s important and will make it much easier to prioritize.
I found it very helpful to create a Best Stuff List — a list of the few things that matter most right now and that I want to wrap my life around. I can exhaust myself trying to do it all, or I can choose to focus my time and energy on those few things that really matter.
My Best Stuff list serves as a guide for whether I say “yes” to commitments and opportunities that come my way. And it helps me to much more quickly be able to say “no” to those things that would only distract me from the Best Stuff.
If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten. You have to change something if you want to see change.
Where do you want to be in six months from now? Think of a few areas that will have the biggest impact on your life. If you’re not sure what to start with, consider which areas are the greatest stress-inducers right now. Is it your weight? Is it your lack of organization? Is it your finances?
Pick two areas that are causing the most stress and set a realistic, specific, and measurable goal for those two areas.
For instance, if you want to lose weight, set a goal to lose 10 pounds in six months. That’s a little less than two pounds in a month — or about a half pound every week.
Once you have the specific goal, it’s time determine your action plan. What specific things are you going to do each day to accomplish your goal of losing half pound a week? Write your action plan down and find an accountability partner you can check in with each week to report your progress and success.
The best way to change your life is to set a specific goal, create a doable action plan, put some accountability in place, and then go for it. Don’t over-think or over-plan. Just do it!
Focus on the progress you’re making, not on how far you still have to go. You probably won’t hit your goals every week, but so long as you don’t give in and give up, you’re still moving forward. And moving forward — even at a microscopic rate — is progress.
So celebrate your success — no matter how small — and keep charging ahead. Even if you just make four small changes each year, that’s 40 changes over the course of a decade — and that’s massive!
Don’t give up! You don’t have to live life stuck in survival mode, constantly feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. Instead, you can live with intention, enthusiasm, passion, and purpose. It’s an amazingly rewarding way to live — and it starts with taking tiny little steps in the right direction!
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Target Shopping Trip
Transaction #1
Buy 3 participating items, Get a $5 Target gift card
2 Suave Professionals Conditioner – $2.89 each, used 2 $1.50/1 printable – $1.39 each after coupons
1 Suave Professionals Conditioner – $2.99, used $1.50/1 printable – $1.49 after coupon
Total with tax ($0.27): $4.54, Received $5 Target gift card
Transaction #2
1 package Organic Carrots – $1.09, used $1/1 Target mobile coupon – $0.09 after coupon
2.83 lbs Bananas @ $0.54/lb – $1.53, used $1/1 Target mobile coupon – $0.53 after coupon
1 lb Ground Beef – $3.39, used $1/1 Target mobile coupon – $2.39 after coupon
1 package Playdoh – $2.79, used $1/1 printable AND 10% off Cartwheel coupon (-$0.28) – $1.51 after coupons
Used $5 Target gift card from transaction #1
Free after coupons and gift card
Total for both transactions before coupons and gift card: $14.12
Total for both transactions after coupons and gift card: $4.54
I tried my hand at making Homemade Cough & Cold Syrup last week.
It was really easy to make (ignore the fact that I didn’t use raw honey or fresh lemons — I’m all about using what I have!)
The end result was a little less syrup-y than I expected, but I warmed it up a bit and then it looked just perfect.
Overall, I was really happy with how the Homemade Cough & Cold Syrup turned out and am anxious to try using it the next time someone has a bad cough around here!
Note from Crystal: Mandi asked me if she could blog through my new book, Say Goodbye to Survival Mode. She’ll be sharing one post per chapter per month. I know many of you are reading through the book right now and I thought you’d enjoy hearing her thoughts — and joining in the discussion to share your thoughts, as well.
Guest post by Mandi Ehman from Life Your Way
This year I am working through Crystal’s new book, Say Goodbye to Survival Mode, one chapter at a time. After practicing not “doing it all” and saying yes to the best, this month’s focus was supposed to be on chapter 3, setting goals.
The only problem? Three weeks ago my husband had a power kiting accident, and we were thrown right back into actual survival mode by necessity.
Work, homeschool, chores — these things all still needed to happen, but I was suddenly responsible for all of it by myself, on top of taking care of the man I love while he dealt with several complications and the worst pain of his life. I also ended up with mastitis for the first time in my life, which made survival mode even more crucial.
So instead of talking about goals (truthfully, my goal at this point is to just get through each day without dropping any major balls!), I thought we’d pause a minute and talk about a few strategies to survive when the unexpected strikes:
The hardest part of the past three weeks has been the number of pre-scheduled activities on our calendar. The big girls had been preparing for months for the children’s musical at church, and the week after Sean’s accident included four straight days of practice and performances. Not to mention the pinewood derby we had signed up for during that same weekend.
While I know my girls would have bounced back if we’d needed to cancel one or both of those activities, they’d been working hard, and I didn’t want them to have to miss out. However, in order to make it through, we did have to cancel various play dates and parties.
Not only were we canceling outside activities, though; we also lowered our standards at home. Paper plates? Yes, please. Despite the fact that we’d been planning for a screen-free week, the TV ended up being on a little more often. And we’ve been eating a lot of simple fare, with a few more processed ingredients than usual. And while canceling school wasn’t an option because we’re just getting back in the groove after our baby boy’s arrival and we have standardized tests coming up, we did reduce the workload for everybody to focus on the basics.
Asking for help doesn’t come easily to me, not because I’m prideful and want to do it all myself, but because — as an introvert — sometimes trying to come up with ways for other people to help can be more stressful to me than just getting it done. But when a friend offered to set up a meal train, I gratefully said yes, and the pile of freezer meals we received from our local homeschool community made surviving those first couple of weeks possible.
I also had friends offering to watch the girls for doctor’s appointments and to make our crazy schedule that first week bearable, and my sister-in-law saved the day with her awesome pinewood derby skills (I’m not sure we would have made it to the derby without her help!). And when a friend offered to come meet with Sean to see if he could help him deal with the excruciating pain he was experiencing that first week, I was tempted to say no because it felt like such an inconvenience to their family, but we humbly said yes and it has made a huge difference in his recovery.
It’s not always easy to ask for or accept help, but it is worth it!
I am so very proud of how each of my girls has grown through this experience. They’ve taken on additional chores, they run to help daddy when he rings his bell (as funny as it sounds, I find a bell much easier to deal with than him yelling across the house when he needs assistance!). My oldest has taken over a huge amount of our breakfast and lunch preparations and can now make many recipes without any help at all. Our 8-year-old has spent hours holding or playing with the baby while I jump in the shower or take care of something someone else needs. And even our youngest daughter has grown up over the past few weeks.
As a side note, they’ve also needed time to decompress and cuddle up for a story or a hug, and I’m trying hard to balance both of those things. That first week was tough on all of us, and protecting their childhood is important to me, but I also think the responsibility and working together as a team has been a great lesson for them and one that I’m glad they’ve had time to practice.
If routines are important in every day life, they’re even more important when your family is actually in survival mode. I almost wrote that that’s especially true for children, but honestly, it makes a big difference for my own sanity as well!
Routines help everyone know what to expect and they also take the thinking out of certain tasks, which makes our days less stressful. For example, the only reason I was able to get all five kids out of the house by 7 a.m. on two consecutive mornings that first weekend was because we have our “Sunday morning” church routine down pat (early mornings are just not something we do the rest of the week!) and everybody was able to get ready with minimal help from me.
Most importantly, I’ve learned that joy is a choice. I haven’t always chosen joy perfectly through this journey, but I wake up every day ready to try again. And when I fail, I remind myself that it starts with my attitude and look for ways to turn things around.
Joy isn’t about pretending things are easy or okay when they’re not; it’s about choosing to see your circumstances in light of eternity and looking for ways to glorify God in the midst of them. That’s what I mean by a choice. It’s not an easy one, but it’s a choice nonetheless, and one I hope to keep practicing for all of my days.
And hopefully next month will include more goal setting — and achieving!
Mandi Ehman is an entrepreneur, online publisher and author who is passionate about encouraging other women to live intentionally. She’s the blogger behind Life Your Way, the author of Easy Homemade and the founder of BundleoftheWeek.com. Mandi and her husband have four spunky little girls plus one baby boy, and together they live, work and homeschool on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia.
Every week for 52 weeks, I’m sharing a different way you can save $100 this year. If you do all of these things, you’ll be able to save over $5,000 this year alone! Many of these things will likely be things you’re already doing, but hopefully all of you will pick up at least a few new ideas or some inspiration from this series.
My number one tip for keeping things simple and saving money is to stay home more. Staying home is one of the easiest ways to have more time, spend less money, accumulate less clutter, and well, to plain just live a less frantic lifestyle.
A lot of times I’m asked how I get so much done. Let me tell you, I’m no wonder woman, but I do know that one of my “secrets” to efficiency is that I stay home a lot.
I love quiet days at home and I find that we function best when we have at least a few days every week where we are home all day. It’s not always possible for this to happen every single week, but I do my best to make it a priority that we have at least 1-2 full days at home every single week.
I’ve purposely said “no” to a multitude of outside activities and opportunities because I know that running around with three children not only wears me out, it is a surefire way for me to spend more money (i.e. trips through the fast-food lane while we’re out, swinging by to check out a sale I see signs for when I don’t really need anything, or ordering carry out for dinner because I’m exhausted and didn’t have time to make anything for dinner) and get less done. It’s just not worth it, folks.
Now, am I saying you need to cut out every outside activity and commitment and never step foot outside your doorstep? No. What I am encouraging you to do is to carefully evaluate all outside commitments and see if there are some that are really necessities or if they are just cluttering up your life for no good reason.
It’s pretty much always true that the less you shop, the less you buy. Stay out of the stores and you won’t be tempted to purchase things you didn’t know you needed in the first place!
Challenge yourself to stop spending money for a period of time — whether that’s a day, a week, a month, or longer. {Well, start small if this is a brand-new idea to you!} You’ll likely find that you begin to have a whole new appreciation for what you already have… and you’ll realize that you spend a lot more money than you need to.
When you think that you need to buy a replacement or just something new altogether, see how long you can make do without it. I’ve sometimes gone for years without replacing something that I once that was a must-have!
When you feel like you “don’t have anything to wear”, shop your closet before going shopping at the mall. See if you can come up with some new outfit combinations that you hadn’t put together before. It will feel like you went shopping — and you didn’t leave your house or spend any money.
Not only are you less tempted to spend money on things when you don’t go out shopping, but you’ll also spend less money on gas and have less wear and tear on your vehicle. It’s a win all around!
One of the nice side effects of shopping so rarely is that we don’t have a lot of clutter. In fact, some would probably think our home looks really bare, but I’d much rather have only things we need, use, and love taking up residence in our home, than to have our rooms bulging with stuff we don’t need, haven’t used in a long time, and don’t like in the first place.
And when you have less clutter, you don’t need as much space and you will save money by being more organized.
I want to end this post by sharing a post I wrote back in 2008 on how much I learned from our law school years when we didn’t have money to spend and I spent almost all day, every day at home:
A lot of you know that my husband and I spent the first three and half years of our marriage with him in law school and us living on a part-time income. We never went hungry and we always had a roof over our head and clothes to wear, but it was a very lean time.
During those years, we lived in a little basement apartment that only had four windows on one side. I could plug the vacuum cleaner into one outlet and vacuum the entire apartment without ever switching outlets.
We only had one old vehicle almost the entire law school tenure and Jesse usually used it for transportation from work and school. We knew hardly anyone in town we lived in–in spite of many efforts to try and make friends–and there were really not any safe places I could walk to from our apartment.
It would have been easy to have been swallowed up in despair and I won’t pretend there weren’t moments when I felt sorry for myself or wished we could be living in a little better circumstances. However, I decided, with God’s help, to try and make the most of what might seem like a less-than-ideal situation.
Maybe we didn’t have money to go out, but I challenged myself to think up creative ways we could still have fun without spending money. We’d check out a movie from the library and have homemade pizza. In the winter, we’d brew some coffee, pop some popcorn, and play a board game. Sometimes, we’d go to the park with a picnic or we’d browse the book selection at Barnes and Noble.
We didn’t have money to spend on decorating our home, but I still found ways to make it homey and inviting. For starters, I tried to always keep it clean and clutter-free–even if it wasn’t very pretty, at least it could smell nice and look clean! We tried to have music playing in the background and that always spruced up a rather bare home, too.
We couldn’t afford fancy foods or restaurant meals, but that didn’t mean we couldn’t eat well. I had fun trying new recipes, searching out good deals, and stretching our grocery budget as far as possible. I discovered AllRecipes.com and enjoyed using their ingredient search feature to come up with new recipes to use what I already had on hand.
Instead of going out and buying things, I’d go to the library and check out a stack of books. Sometimes we’d check out CD’s too, so we’d have new music to play in our home throughout the week.
It was also in this little basement apartment that I first began blogging and tinkering around with online entrepreneurial things. Had it not been for the free time and lack of friends, I would have never even considered pursuing blogging or had the time to learn about basic web design, online marketing, or producing an ebook or ecourse. Little did I dream that in a few years, those same skills would allow me to help supplement our family’s income by doing something I very much enjoy while keeping my priorities as a wife and mother first and foremost.
And guess what? It was holed up in this little basement apartment with sometimes only $20 to spare for groceries for the week that I was searching grocery deals online and came upon this store called CVS that everyone in a now-defunct savings forum was raving about. I could never have imagined what that simple search would uncover for me that day, nor how many thousands of other individuals I’d have the opportunity to introduce to CVS, as well!
Yes, living in that little basement apartment in an unfamiliar town barely squeaking by financially would never have been something I would have chosen for myself, but I’ll always be grateful God allowed me those three and half years of learning to be content, learning to love simplicity, and learning to make the most of what I had. And I hope I never forget those lessons.
A cheerful attitude can go a long way in less-than-ideal situations; you can either complain about the thorns or you can savor the roses which bloom in the midst of those thorns. Choose to bloom where you’re planted–even if it seems like it’s among thorns!
Last Week’s Goals:
Marriage/Mothering/Homemaking Goals
1.Read 6 chapters of A Big Year for Lily to the girls. Read 3 chapters of More All-Of-A-Kind Family. Read a few picture books with Silas.
2. Write a love note to Jesse.
3. Make one project from my Do-It-Yourself Projects I Want to Try list.
4. Have an at-home movie date with Jesse.Personal Goals
5. Work on memorizing & reviewing Romans 1:1-29.
6. Exercise four times.7. Finish reading I Thought It Was Just Me (But It Isn’t), Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook, The Measure of Success, The Traitor’s Wife, In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day, and Praying for Boys.
8. Drink 8 glasses of water every day.
Blog/Business Goals.
9. Finish tweaking my slides for the Teach Them Diligently South Carolina Conference.
10. Write three content pieces for my blog.
This Week’s Goals:
Marriage/Mothering/Homemaking Goals
1.
2. Write a love note to Jesse.
3. Make one project from my Do-It-Yourself Projects I Want to Try list.
4. Have an at-home movie date with Jesse.
Personal Goals
5. Work on memorizing & reviewing Romans 1:1-29.
6. Exercise four times.
7. Finish reading Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook, The Traitor’s Wife, In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day, and Praying for Boys.
8. Drink 8 glasses of water every day.
Blog/Business Goals.
9. Write one guest post for another blog.
10. Write three content pieces for my 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.
As I shared in January, I’m changing the way I’m approaching my reading goals in 2014. Instead of picking books for the whole year, I’m just choosing books a month at a time.
Here’s my list for April (some of these are repeats from my March list since I didn’t get all the books read in March that I’d hoped to):
I also am reading through the Bible using the plan in my Blessing Journal and reading one devotional from Jesus Today every day.
What books are you planning to read in April? Leave a comment and let us know — and then you can come back at the end of April to tell us what you ended up reading and what you thought of the books you read!
This creamy and delicious Fettuccine Alfredo recipe is much less expensive and has fewer calories than your typical restaurant version. And, you won’t believe how easy it is to make!
Guest post from Brooke of Skinny Mom
Who doesn’t love Fettuccine Alfredo?
It’s a favorite with my family. My little man, E, loves to slurp up the creamy noodles one at a time and his little fettuccine-covered face creates an Instagram moment every time we have it for dinner.
This used to be a meal that we splurged on when eating out at our favorite Italian restaurant but I was determined to create a more affordable, and more waist-line friendly, version that I could prepare at home.
The most economical aspect of this recipe is that you likely have most of the ingredients needed already (butter, garlic, flour, milk, etc.). The few items you may have to add to your shopping list are the whole wheat fettuccine, which can also be substituted for spinach fettuccine depending on which one might be on sale or you have a coupon for.
In addition to the cheese, the recipe calls for fresh parsley, but if you don’t have this on hand, you can opt for the dried seasoning in your spice cabinet to save a few dollars.
Preparing homemade sauces, dressings, and other condiments can usually be surprisingly less expensive than you might expect when you realize the foundation ingredients are already in your pantry and refrigerator. This is a great way to control the amount of artificial ingredients, added sodium, calories, and fat that can be hidden in the canned and jarred ready-to-use options.
Don’t be afraid to make more of this recipe than you need for one meal. I promise, your family will love it and it’s just as scrumptious served as leftovers the next day. You can even jazz it up with some of your pantry staples by adding tomatoes (canned or fresh) and/or some spinach (frozen or fresh) when you serve it for lunch or dinner the next day to mix up the presentation.
Cook and drain pasta according to package directions.
Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium high heat.
Add minced garlic, cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring often.
Stir in flour and gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk.
Cook 5-6 minutes until mixture starts to thicken, making sure to stir constantly.
Add Parmigiano-Reggiano, cream cheese, salt, and black pepper. Stir with a whisk until cheese melts and sauce becomes creamy and thick.
Toss sauce with pasta.
Sprinkle pasta with additional Parmesan cheese and parsley. Serve immediately!
Enjoy!
Make sure to share and save it on your favorite platform below!
Brooke is the founder and CEO of Skinny Mom, the digital lifestyle brand that gives moms the skinny on healthy living. Brooke is also a certified personal trainer and fitness enthusiast, however Brooke’s most important job is being a single mom to her 3 year old son. In her spare time Brooke loves cooking skinny meals and running outdoors.
Be sure to also check out all the easy MSM recipes here!
Done-For-You Dinner Recipes With Simple Ingredients and a Grocery Shopping List!
Are you joining us for the 12 Months to a Healthier You Challenge? If so, it’s the weekend and guess what that means? It’s time for our weekly check-in to post our progress.
We’re focusing on developing the habit of cutting back on sugar. I encourage you to set a simple and doable goal for drinking more water and to stick with it.
New to this challenge? Read more details on the plan for this year here.
My Goals for Cutting Back on Sugar During April
My goal for April is to cut back on sugar — which is hard for a girl like me who has a strong sweet tooth!
I’m going to make it my goal to only eat dessert once a week and to cut back on the sugar I use in my coffee on a daily basis, too.
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, and March’s goal of drinking 8 glasses of water a day.
I quickly figured out that this challenge is going to be a true CHALLENGE this month… but it’s good for me! And I’ve stuck with it so far. Yay!!! Okay, so we’re only 5 days into the month… but still, I’m going to celebrate the success. 🙂
And I hit my water goals four out of the seven days, exercised three days, and ate a salad every day. I’m so excited that some of these monthly challenges are really starting to become more of a habit!
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.
