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Shared Oct 10, 2014 comment

How We Saved Today: Watching baseball games without cable!

Published: by Crystal Paine on October 10, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

We are staunch Kansas City Royals fans… and have been for years. So we are thrilled that they have made it this far into the post-season!

There’s only one problem: the post season games aren’t on non-cable TV. So we’ve had to get creative. 🙂

Jesse purchased a subscription to MLB.com at the beginning of baseball season, so he was able to hook the video feed from that up to our TV. Then, he was able to get the audio feed from cable TV through MLB.com, too. The video and audio feed don’t match, but between the two of them, it’s almost like watching it live on cable.

It’s so fun to come up with creative solutions like this. Okay, so it’s not quite as great as watching the actual TV coverage — especially because the camera angles aren’t as great — but it works and it’s a lot less expensive than paying a cable bill every month. 🙂

This has nothing to do with saving money, but this was our excitement for the day…

We noticed our ceiling was all bubbled up and wet last night. We weren’t sure what was going on, but we discontinued using the bathroom/shower/tub right above that spot and called our landlords.

They sent a handyman out to investigate today. He checked our shower, our tub, and cut into the ceiling to see what was going on up there.

He ruled out some possibilities, but we still aren’t sure what’s up as nothing was conclusive. However, we’re watching it carefully and hoping to get to the bottom of things soon.

We’ve had so many interesting house issues recently: earwig infestations, drainage issues, pipe issues, caulking issues, refrigerator issues, and now this leak. Between all of this, it’s almost becoming abnormal to not have some repair person working at our house on any given day!

We’re so grateful for our kind and gracious landlords. They are certainly getting their money’s worth on the home warranty they purchased for this rental house. Yikes!

We feel so badly that we keep having to call them with another issue. And yet, we know it’s better to take care of things right away than to let them fester or grow worse.

~~Share How You Saved & Win a $50 Amazon Gift Card~~

~~How did YOU save today? Share a way that you saved money today and you could win a $50 Amazon gift card. Just for fun, I’ll choose one winner from the comments and will post that winner tomorrow.~~

This giveaway is over with. The winner is: nktimmerman@. You should have received an email with details on claiming your prize.

Yesterday’s winner was Sally {sallycoupons@}. You should have received an email with further details on how to claim your prize.

Shared Oct 10, 2014 comment

This Week’s Amazon Order: Pumpkin & Foil

Published: by Crystal Paine on October 10, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

As I’ve mentioned before, we usually make a few bulk purchases on Amazon each week using gift cards earned through Swagbucks. This week, I bought a box of canned organic pumpkin and two rolls of foil.

I’m guessing that the pumpkin should last us through the Fall baking season. And the foil will probably last us for months.

I love being able to use my Swagbucks credit to buy quality items from Amazon. And it’s so nice to make bulk purchases of things we use often so that I don’t have to worry about replenishing my supply as often!

Shared Oct 9, 2014 comment

This Week’s $130 Grocery Shopping Trip & Menu Plan

Published: by Crystal Paine on October 9, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

So, I told you last week that we’ve recently more than doubled our grocery budget. Here’s a picture of what $130 in groceries looks like for us.

We shopped at Aldi and Harris Teeter this week. And I somehow misplaced the Aldi receipt (dug through the trash and everything to try to locate it) and it’s nowhere to be found.

So I’m not going to give the break down of prices, because I’m not completely sure what they were. But I will try to do a better job of saving the receipt (maybe I’ll snap a photo of it as soon as I get home?) this coming week so that I can give you a detailed description of everything we bought and what we paid for it.

I also downloaded the Snap App and got $1.75 in cashback for these purchases. I loved that the Snap App gives you cashback for items purchased at any store — including ALDI — unlike some of the cashback apps that require you to purchase at a specific store. Plus, I got $1.75 back from Checkout 51 for the above purchases. Yay!

This Week’s Menu Plan

Breakfasts

Bacon & Eggs or Oatmeal

Jesse also made Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Eggs & Cheese one morning. It was a new recipe and it was SO good. It might sound weird, but it was amazing!

Lunches

Sandwiches or Leftovers

I also made a Healthy Blueberry Crisp that I ate as lunch two days (recipe coming on the blog tomorrow — hopefully!)

Snacks

Popcorn
Fruit/Veggies
Cheese
Apples with Almond Butter
Snacks sent to us from Wild Oats Organic
Protein Shakes
Healthy Cake in a Mug

Dinners

Crustless Quiche
Crockpot Triple Cheeseburger Creation
Crockpot Stuffed Peppers with Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Chicken Pineapple Kabobs
Stuffed Chicken
Italian Sausage with Potatoes and Vinegar
Dinner with friends (we’re bringing a side dish — probably a veggie tray)

What’s on your menu this week? Leave a link to your menu plan or tell us in the comments.

Shared Oct 9, 2014 comment

How I Saved Today: Mending My Favorite Green Sweater (and share how you saved today and you could win a stack of books I loved!)

Published: by Crystal Paine on October 9, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

See my green sweater above? I ordered it sweater awhile back — I can’t even remember from where. I think it was from credit I’d earned by sharing a really hot deal to ThredUp?

At any rate, I’ve fallen in love with it. I love the color green, it fits me perfectly, and it’s a great way to add pop to a few of my outfits.

Well, we went on a double date with some new friends of ours here the other night and I wore it with my navy and white polka dot dress. I thought it looked so cute.

Then I got home and discovered that the sweater sleeve had a huge hole in it. And I’d worn it like that the whole night long. Yes, I’m such a fashionista. 😉

Even though I have limited sewing skills, I decided to try to mend it. I didn’t have any green thread, so I just used the grey thread I had on hand.

I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. It only took me about 10 minutes total to fix (and I played Swagbucks videos and earned some Swagbucks while doing so because I’m all about multi-tasking like that!)

~~Share How You Saved a Win Some Books!~~

~~How did YOU save today? I recently cleaned out my books and came up with a stack of books I have duplicates of or have gotten through PaperBackSwap that I’d like to pass onto a good home.~~

~~In this stack of books:~~

~~The Saturdays~~

~~Rhinestone Jesus~~

~~The Mouse and the Motorcycle~~

~~Mom’s Night Out~~

What’s In the Bible? DVD #12

In This House, We Will Giggle — I ordered a copy of this book and then the publisher sent me one, too! I haven’t read this yet, but am looking forward to soon!

Say Goodby to Survival Mode — This is an extra copy I had that is a little scuffed up.

~~Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook~~

It Will Be Okay — We love this book!

~~So, just for fun, one person who leaves a comment sharing how they saved today will win the stack of books shown above. I’ll choose and post a winner tomorrow.~~

This giveaway is now closed. The winner is Sally {sallycoupons@}

Shared Oct 9, 2014 comment

Why You Should Stop Saying “I Can’t Afford That”

Published: by Crystal Paine on October 9, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I loved this post from Andrea Dekker and thought it was so thought-provoking:

About 2 months ago, I shared a post about one of my pet peeves — when people complain about “not having enough time” for various activities.

The point of that post (which you can read in its entirety here) is that I almost never say “I don’t HAVE time for ______” because I know that if I really wanted or needed to, I could MAKE the time for that activity.

Instead I say, “I’m choosing not to MAKE the time for ___________ right now as I have other priorities.”

By simply changing the way I phrase things, I feel much more empowered, more in control of my time, and less defeated by everything I don’t get done each day. I know that I made the choice to do something else — whether it was tending to a sick child or taking advantage of really nice weather instead of doing my work or opting to make a big fancy meal instead of enjoying more free time — it was my choice.

Similarly, I almost never say, “We can’t afford that.”

This is not because we are “loaded” or have unlimited financial resources. It’s simply because I know that in almost every situation…”

Read the full post here.

Personally, I think that while there are legitimate things we cannot afford and in the early years of our marriage, there were many things we didn’t have room for in our budget, we’ve found that saying “We’re choosing to spend our money differently” helps us to remember that these are choices we are making based upon priorities we’ve pre-determined. And this causes you to approach your finances with a completely different mindset.

In addition, I agree with Andrea that it makes you feel empowered. Your money is not in control of you; you are in control of your money. You are choosing how to spend it. Even if you only have a little bit of money to spend, you still can choose to spend that little bit as wisely as possible.

Do you agree with this article? Why or why not?

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

Click here to sign up!

Shared Oct 8, 2014 comment

How I Saved Today: A Laundry Party while listening to the free Psalty album!

Published: by Crystal Paine on October 8, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

This was actually from last night, but I wanted to share it anyway. 🙂

Remember the free Psalty album download I posted earlier this week? Well, we downloaded it and listened to it during last night’s Laundry Party. It was so fun to introduce my kids to songs from when I was a little girl.

Also? Laundry parties are one of my secret house-cleaning tips. We have so much fun and get so much done when we all work together. And when Mom’s excited about it, the attitude is usually contagious! 🙂

Want to see a video clip of my girls jammin’ and foldin’? Here you go. Notice their outfits? Cracks me up how two girls in the same family can be so, so different from each other! 🙂

Oh and thanks for your Swagbucks tips yesterday. I was excited that we earned 55 Swagbucks today — with very little extra time or effort. I scored 11 Swagbucks on my first search try and that helped bump up our total!

How did YOU save today? Did you have any frugal fun at your house?

Shared Oct 8, 2014 comment

Costco Price Comparison List

Published: by Crystal Paine on October 8, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Want to know what the Costco prices are to decide whether it would be worth it to have a membership or purchase items at Costco? Queen Bee Coupons has compiled a list of 850+ items at Costco and how much they cost per ounce to help you out.

Shared Oct 8, 2014 comment

3 Books I’m Reading This Week + What I Read Last Week

Published: by Crystal Paine on October 8, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I took a few weeks off from posting my book updates because in between life and writing my own book, I’ve just not found a lot of time to read more than 5-15 minutes per day, if that. At that rate, it takes me quite awhile to get through books! But I finally have an update for you!

Books I’ve Finished Recently:

All In — I’ve been so blessed by all three of the Mark Batterson books I’ve read so far and was excited to dive into this one. It did not disappoint. Mark always motivates me to dream big, aim high, and jump out and do. It’s not enough to plan or dream if I never do anything with those plans or dreams. This book challenges you to go “All In” for God. To not hold back. To not settle for less than everything you’ve got. You might not agree with everything you read (I rarely do when I read Batterson), but I guarantee you’ll be challenged.

Eight Twenty Eight — I knew very, very little about this couple before this book showed up on my doorstep from the publisher. Honestly, I’m not sure what I think about it. I didn’t particularly care for the writing style as it kept jumping back and forth between different time periods making it feel disjointed. I also don’t know what I think about marrying someone who was just your boyfriend and you’d only known for 10 months before the traumatic brain injury. I get why Larissa (his now wife) would want to stay by his side, because she genuinely loved him, but the book just left me feeling unsettled and hurting for her. That said, I don’t know them personally and it’s not my place to question decisions they’ve made. You can watch a video of Ian and Larissa here.

Manage Your Day-to-Day — This book came highly recommended to me by a friend whose book recommendations I value, and I found it to be very worthwhile. It inspired me to evaluate how I’m spending my days and make sure I’m putting first things first. I loved the differing perspectives and thoughts from multiple voices in this book.

Own Your Life — Since the time my children were babies, I have been so challenged by reading Sally Clarkson’s writings. She’s inspired me to embrace each day, find simple ways to cultivate beauty in my home, and take time to invest in myself so that I can better nurture and bless my family. If you are a busy woman who longs to live a life of meaning and purpose, you’ll be blessed by reading Own Your Life. It’s packed with heartfelt encouragement and practical strategies to savor life more and make each moment count. {I received a pre-release copy of this book. It releases in a few months.}

Books I Hope to Finish This Week

I Thought It Was Just Me (But It Isn’t) — I’ve had this one started for quite awhile, and it’s good. It’s just deep and it’s taking me awhile to get through!

A Proper Pursuit — I’ve not started this book yet, but am hoping to have some down time some evening this week so I can actually read a fiction book from cover to cover. It’s been quite awhile since I’ve done that and I’m itching to just get lost in a good story!

Love, Skip, Jump — Multiple readers have told me I must read this book. It looks good and I can’t wait to dive in!

Podcasts I Listened To:

Brilliant Business Moms — So someone suggested this podcast to me when I first started writing my next book (it’s on how to increase your income, increase your impact, and not lose your joy in the process). I turned on one episode and listened for a bit and wasn’t all that impressed. So I turned it off. In all honesty, I was just going to delete it off my iTunes playlist, but then, a few more people highly recommended it, so I listened again — this time to most of an episode. And I loved it.

I’m glad I gave this podcast a second try as I’ve learned so much and been inspired in very practical ways from it. Highly recommended — and be sure to listen to more than just 10 minutes of one episode. I’ve found that the value in these is really in listening to an entire episode. Hearing these women entrepreneurs unpack what has and hasn’t worked and share their stories is highly educational and beneficial!

Movies We Watched:

Captain America: The Winter Soldier — We’ve loved all of the movies in this series and, once again, we not disappointed with this one. I loved that there was a clear good versus evil storyline, that the film was very clean, and that it was action packed. In fact, Jesse and I were planning to watch half of it one night and then finish it the following night. But we got so caught up in it that we just couldn’t turn it off! 🙂

And, of course, we’ve been watching lots and lots of baseball. How about our Kansas City Royals?? Silas and Jesse are HUGE fans and it’s so fun for me to see their team doing so well in the post-season. 🙂 We’re pretty stoked about Friday night’s game! 🙂

What have you read recently? What are you planning to read this week? Any good book recommendations for me?

Shared Oct 8, 2014 comment

Gretchen’s Target Shopping Trip: Spent $3.94 out of pocket for 10 items!

Published: by Crystal Paine on October 8, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Target Shopping Trip

2 Pledge Floor Care – $3.50 each, used 2 $2/1 printable AND $2.50/2 Target printable AND $1 rebate from Checkout 51 – Free plus $0.50 overage after coupons and rebate

1 NYC Mascara – $1.97, used $1/1 printable – $0.97 after coupon

1 NYC Concealer – $1.79, used $1/1 printable – $0.79 after coupon

2 Celestial Seasonings Tea – $2.33 each, used 2 $1/1 coupon from the 10/5 SmartSource insert AND 20% off Cartwheel coupon – $0.86 each after coupons

4 Tresemme Hair Care (On Sale Buy 3, Get $5 Target gift card) – $3.99 each, used 2 $5/2 coupon from the 9/28 RedPlum insert – $0.24 each after coupons and “gift card” (The gift card sale did not ring up at the checkout and my cashier kindly offered to just take $5 off instead. So it ended up being $0.24 each after coupons and money off.)

Total before coupons, rebate and sales: $35.47

Total after coupons, rebate and sales: $3.94

Shared Oct 7, 2014 comment

A Week of Weight-Loss-Friendly Dinners for Under $35

Published: by Crystal Paine on October 7, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Amanda at Full Plate Living has a great post up on how to make A Week of Weight-Loss Friendly Dinners for Under $35. Here’s a snippet:

Maybe $35 isn’t an impressive price point for you. That averages out to $5 per dinner for two people. However, some of these recipes would serve 4 at my house. And I can pretty much guarantee there would be leftovers.

Perhaps $35 sounded good to begin with, and I just made it sound even better. You’re welcome.

Either way, you have a week of high-fiber dinner recipes just ahead.

Click here to read the full post.

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

Click here to download!

Shared Oct 7, 2014 comment

Get FREE Personalized Organizational Help + Join the Get Organized Challenge!

Published: by MSM Team on October 7, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Do you need some help getting organized? Davonne Parks is offering Free Personalized Organizational help to those who struggle to get organized.

Just submit photos of your mess with a short list of questions about that mess. Davonne will reply within 72 hours with encouragement and specific steps you can take to declutter and get organized.

PLUS, anyone whose mess is featured on her blog will receive a free copy of her new book, Chaos to Clutter-Free. (Your mess can be featured anonymously.)

In addition, Davonne is doing a Get Organized Challenge. Anyone who joins and completes the challenge will receive a either a $5 gift card to a coffee shop or a free copy of one of her ebooks.

As an added bonus, everyone who submits their mess by Thursday, October 30, 2014 at 11:59pm EST will automatically be entered to win a $50 Amazon gift card!

Head over to DavonneParks.com to learn more and join the Get Organized Challenge.

Shared Oct 6, 2014 comment

Cutting Back on Caffeine (whose idea was this anyway??)

Published: by Crystal Paine on October 6, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

So, I’m working on cutting back on caffeine this month, as part of the 12 Months to a Healthier You Challenge. And yikes, this is harder than I thought.

I switched to only using cream or half and half in my coffee a few months ago (I know, no sugar, people! Can you believe it??), but I do love me my coffee.

However, I’m determined to follow through with this challenge, so I’ve cut back to 1 and 3/4 cups per day instead of my usual two cups. I plan to slowly keep cutting back until I’m at 1 cup per day by the end of the month.

I’ve already decided this may not be a habit I decide to stick with. Because coffee is one of life’s little pleasures to me and something I savor every day! 🙂

How are YOU doing on cutting back on caffeine?

P.S. Pictured above was my lunch today. I “Trim Healthy Mama-fied” the Blueberry Crisp from Bread & Wine and it is SO good! I cannot believe how much I love this way of eating… I never thought that sweet-tooth, carb-loving me would survive without sugar and lots of carbs. But I’m not just surviving; I’m thriving — and it’s been five months now, so I think we might be able to officially declare it a lifestyle change??

Shared Oct 6, 2014 comment

10 Goals For This Week

Published: by Crystal Paine on October 6, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

So last week wasn’t the most productive week goal-wise, but we had out-of-town guests for two days, I had a half day of coaching with some folks who flew in from New York, and I spent hours and hours on my book manuscript. It was definitely productive, just in a different sense!

The good news? My manuscript is getting closer and closer to being done — I’m working on chapters 8-10 the next few weeks and then I’ll be sending it out to a few different people to critique, then it will be another round of edits, and then I’ll officially turn it in! Yay!

I’ve poured my heart and soul into this and I can’t wait to share it with you when it’s published. I’m also excited to be in the home stretch because it means that I’ll have more regular sleeping routines, more of a social life, get to hang out with the people I love more, and get to actually read more of other people’s books again! 🙂

Last week’s goals:

Marriage/Mothering/Homemaking Goals

1. Finish reading Teddy’s Button aloud to the kids at lunch time.

~~2. Have a movie night with Jesse.~~

~~3. Write a love note to Jesse.~~

~~4. Spend 30 minutes decluttering our house.~~

5. Work on another craft/sewing project with Kaitlynn.

Personal Goals

6. Work on reviewing and memorizing Romans 1 and Romans 2:1-2.

7. Finish reading I Thought It Was Just Me (But It Isn’t), A Proper Pursuit, and Love, Skip, Jump.

8. Run or exercise at least 5 times.

Business Goals

~~9. Work on chapters 7 and 8 of my book manuscript.~~

~~10. Work on Price Comparison project for All You magazine (I’m gathering some local prices for an upcoming feature they are doing in their magazine.)~~

This week’s goals:

Marriage/Mothering/Homemaking Goals

1. Finish reading Teddy’s Button aloud to the kids at lunch time.

2. Have a movie night with Jesse.

3. Write a love note to Jesse.

4. Write thank you notes for my birthday gifts. {Yes, I turned 33 last week. I can hardly believe it! But I’ve loved every one of my 33 years, so I’ll take it… even if it does sound old!}

5. Work on another craft/sewing project with Kaitlynn.

Personal Goals

6. Work on reviewing and memorizing Romans 1 and Romans 2:1-2.

7. Finish reading I Thought It Was Just Me (But It Isn’t), A Proper Pursuit, and Love, Skip, Jump.

8. Run or exercise at least 5 times.

Business Goals

9. Work on chapters 8 and 9 of my book manuscript.

10. Work on draft of my first article for an upcoming magazine column. {Pretty stoked about this opportunity and cannot wait to share more in a few months!}

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 Oct 6, 2014 comment

What you do think of when you hear the phrase “find your purpose”?

Published: by Crystal Paine on October 6, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

For one section in my upcoming book, I’m exploring the concept of purpose, living on purpose, and how to discover and live out your purpose.

I’d love to get your input. What comes to mind when you hear the phrase “find your purpose”? Leave a comment or shoot me an email (crystal @ moneysavingmom.com) with whatever comes to mind. There are no right or wrong answers!

Thanks so much! And remember that all comments and emails you submit may be published in my book so if you’re not comfortable with that or would prefer to remain anonymous, please let me know when submitting your comment.

Thank you SO much for your help with this book project! I am thrilled with how it’s coming together and cannot wait to share the finished product with you! It’s supposed to be out in bookstores November 2015. Yay!

Shared Oct 5, 2014 comment

How I Saved Today: Goodwill 50% off sale + my favorite way to eat oatmeal

Published: by Crystal Paine on October 5, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

My neighbor had told me the week we moved here that all Nashville-area Goodwill stores run a 50% off everything in the store the first Saturday of every month. I’ve been meaning to check it out every single month since we moved, but it finally worked out for it to happen today.

Silas had an early soccer game and Kaitlynn had ice skating at the same time, so I took Silas to his game and Jesse took Kaitlynn and Kathrynne to ice-skating. After soccer, Silas & I went over to Goodwill (it was right on our way home!) to check it out.

The store was quite crowded — and I could see why! The prices after the 50% off sale made most items less than $3, with many as low as $0.99! For the most part, almost the entire store was at garage sale prices or better.

The only downside? There was a LONG line at checkout. Even though they had multiple registers open, I guessed that you’d probably have to stand in line for at 30 minutes just to make it to checkout. So I decided that there wasn’t anything I needed enough to stand in that long of a line today. But it was fun to check it out and I hope to go back some other first Saturday of the month when I have more time and am prepared to stand in a long line! 🙂

One way we save a lot of money is by eating oatmeal. We typically eat it at least 3-4 per week. Usually for breakfast, but sometimes for lunch or a snack.

Today I had oatmeal for lunch. I cooked it my favorite way — just a little crispy on the stovetop and then added a heaping teaspoon of coconut oil and a half teaspoon of vanilla. It’s plain and simple, but it’s filling, nutritious, and inexpensive. Plus, it’s a quick and easy meal or snack to make!

How did YOU save today? I’d love to hear!

Summer Bucket List

Summer Bucket List

FREE Summer Bucket List!!

Share How You Saved & Win a $50 Amazon Gift Card

This Week’s Menu Plan

Share How You Saved a Win Some Books!

Similarly, I almost never say, “We can’t afford that.”

Do you agree with this article? Why or why not?

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

How did YOU save today? Did you have any frugal fun at your house?

Books I’ve Finished Recently:

Books I Hope to Finish This Week

Podcasts I Listened To:

Movies We Watched:

Target Shopping Trip

Click here to read the full post.

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

How are YOU doing on cutting back on caffeine?

How did YOU save today? I’d love to hear!

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