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Shared Sep 2, 2014 comment

Single moms: I need your input & stories!

Published: by Crystal Paine on September 2, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

One of the areas I want to address in my upcoming book is how single moms can effectively start their own business or find ways to increase their income. I know that single moms have extra burdens on their plate and I’d love your help and input as I seek to address these struggles.

Help Me Out!

If you are a single mom who has a successful business or has found ways to increase your income, would you leave a comment telling me a little about your story and how you’ve done so?

I’d also love to hear your tips and suggestions for creative childcare options that won’t break the bank.

If you’d prefer, you can email me at crystal @ moneysavingmom.com

Note: I will be using some of your comments and emails in my book. If you’d prefer to remain anonymous or prefer I don’t use your comment, please say so. Thanks so much!

Shared Sep 1, 2014 comment

Peek Into Our Week: Trim Healthy Mama (I quit sugar!), my love of essential oils, sewing, homeschooling, and a trip to Las Vegas

Published: by Crystal Paine on September 1, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Kaitlynn and I have been working on some sewing and handwork projects together — thanks to the supplies and book generously sent to us by Abigail from Marie-Madeline Studio. We’ll be sharing more pictures and details on our projects in a post in a few weeks.

My first attempt at making Trim Healthy Mama Pancakes. These are not your typical pancakes — they have oats, cottage cheese, and egg whites as the base.

I had read rave reviews of them so I was so sad that my attempt was an epic fail. Leave it to me to somehow ruin a recipe with five ingredients!

But I’m not a quitter, so I tried again the next day. And it was a success!!

{I kept the batter in the fridge overnight and used the griddle instead of the stove top. Both things seemed to make a big difference.}

I topped these with a little Greek yogurt and berries and they are delicious!! I’m going to try making a batch for the freezer as I’ve heard that they are freezer-friendly, too!

Speaking of Trim Healthy Mama, some of you may have picked up on the fact that I’ve radically changed my eating over the last few months. After rave reviews from my sister and another friend, I decided to take the plunge and just experiment with eating according to the Trim Healthy Mama guidelines.

Truthfully, I figured I’d feel miserable and would hate eating this week. But I completely surprised myself when I actually felt great and found that I loved eating this way.

I held off on mentioning much online because I didn’t know whether I’d actually stick with it (going almost entirely gluten-free and sugar-free is a pretty MASSIVE thing for this former carb-loving, homemade-brownie-loving girl).

But I’m going on my third month of eating this way and I’ve (mostly) stopped craving carbs and sweets — except for those on the Trim Healthy Mama plan — so I’d say it’s safe to say that there’s a good chance this is going to be a lifestyle change. Which is something I truly could have never believed was possible.

Y’all, if I can quit sugar, anyone can. {It feels so empowering to be able to say that!}

It’s hard for me to believe that my baby is in Kindergarten!! He’s loving school and just eating it up! {Excuse the mis-matched outfit… I think we need to have a week of classes on How to Match Clothes! :)}

These new essential oils that just came in the mail from Plant Therapy last week and we are loving them! I especially like that these are formulated specifically for kids and have directions on each bottle on how to properly dilute them for use. Look for a giveaway and review soon!

I’ve become a huge essential oil fan over the past year (my poor friends have been so patient with me as I’m often whipping out my traveling oil bag and saying, “I have an oil for that! Here just try this!” ;)), but I’m not partial to any brand specific brand. That said, I’ve found that Plant Therapy has a great selection of oils, the quality is good from what I’ve experienced and researched, and their prices are some of the best I’ve found anywhere.

{I just realized that I am sounding like a total crunchy weirdo talking about quitting sugar and essential oils in the same post. I’m afraid I am becoming that person I never thought I’d be… I promise I will draw the line at switching to cloth toilet paper, though. I have committed to my husband that I will never be that crunchy. Ever. Kudos to those of you who are, but a girl’s gotta draw the line somewhere! :)}

Last week, we had been planning for months to travel to North Carolina for me to hang out with a few of my dear friends (Kathi Lipp, Renee Swope, and Michele Cushatt) for a few days. But Michele’s dad passed away and instead the three of us were able to switch travel plans and go to Las Vegas instead for Michele’s dad’s memorial.

I was grateful for some unexpected quiet on a flight that turned out to be much longer than expected this morning. I savored a Club Soda (one of my current “guilty pleasures”) and read the entire pre-release copy of The Fringe Hours.

It’s hard to describe in words how powerfully impacted I was by the memorial service for Michele’s dad. It was the most moving memorial service I’ve ever attended!

From both of his children giving dynamic messages and tributes to their dad, the worship time, Michele singing and playing, four men leading us in a time of prayer… To see the legacy of a life well lived left me inspired and changed to go home and pour into my family.

These four women are some of the very dearest women I know. We flew in from four different time zones to love on Michele and celebrate the legacy of her dad. After the memorial service, Michele’s family invited us over to celebrate this wonderful man.

We laughed, we teased, we shared our heart, and we cried buckets of tears. And it was beautiful.

We ended the day with Dilly Bars — Michele’s dad’s favorite. It was so very worth breaking my no-sugar commitment for one day in his honor. 🙂

So that was a peek into the last two weeks of my life. How has life been at your house? Tell us what’s been going on in your home recently!

Shared Sep 1, 2014 comment

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

Published: by Crystal Paine on September 1, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

If you noticed in August, my book posts were also noticeably absent. I did read some, but not at all as much as I was hoping to.

Since I feel like I’m living my life one week — or maybe even more like one day? — at a time right now, I decided to experiment with doing weekly book posts instead of monthly book posts.

This is an experiment. Therefore, it may fail or not work. But I figured it wouldn’t hurt to try! 🙂

This week, I’m reading:

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!

Made for More — I’m over halfway done with this book. I’ve been reading a little bit every morning as part of my morning devotion time. It’s been thought-provoking!

Essentialism — Michael Hyatt recommended this one and, so far, it’s been challenging and inspiring. I can’t wait to finish it and start implementing some of the principles!

The Cure for the “Perfect” Life — I started this one last week and am eating it up! I can so relate to the perfectionist tendencies they describe in this book and it’s an area that I’m really working on right now.

A Proper Pursuit — I’ve not started this book yet, but am hoping to have some down time this weekend 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!

The Mouse and the Motorcycle — We’re reading this aloud at lunch time and the kids are really enjoying it. It’s an easy read, but entertaining so far.

Last week, I read:

The Fringe Hours: Making Time for You — One of the perks of being an author & blogger is getting to read pre-release copies of great books like this! If you feel overwhelmed with life and can’t seem to find time to recharge your batteries, I wholeheartedly encourage you to pre-order a copy of this book.

I’ve long admired how Jessica manages to do so much, and yet still have time for things she loves — like hanging out with friends and family, scrapbooking, and blogging. In The Fringe Hours, she unveils her secrets to success and gives you the tools, tips, and techniques you can use to find time in your full schedule to refresh yourself and refill your tank, too. You can read more about this book here.

What are you reading right now? Any book recommendations for me?

Shared Sep 1, 2014 comment

10 Goals For This Week {and why I’ve been AWOL when it comes to goal-setting!}

Published: by Crystal Paine on September 1, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

So, um, did you notice I’ve not posted any goals since July? That would be because I sort of went AWOL when it came to goal-setting in August.

But I do have some fairly valid “excuses” for taking a break from goal-setting:

We started the month of August with just getting home from a 5-day trip, we took a 12-day trip in the middle of the month, and I ended the month with a trip to Las Vegas for my friend’s dad’s memorial service. So it felt like we just plain weren’t home much in August.
We also started back to homeschooling and it’s our first year to have three different grade levels (5th grade, 3rd grade, and Kindergarten). The first two weeks were pretty brutal as we all adjusted. Gratefully, I feel like we’re starting to get back into a rhythm and routine again!
I started writing my next book and am on a tight deadline (The manuscript is due December 1. I had months to think through and map out the idea and outline, though, and am working with an amazing ghost editor, so it’s not as audacious as it sounds. But it’s still a pretty tall order!)
All three kids started a more rigorous fall activity schedule than we’ve done before: Kathrynne is on swim team, Kaitlynn is getting private ice-skating coaching + taking group ice-skating lessons, and Silas is on a soccer team. Each of them have 2-3 practices/games each week, as a result. I never expected our kids would be so involved with extracurricular activities, but since Jesse is home now, he is the one who is mostly in charge of these. All three kids are very committed and truly excelling at their chosen sport and we’re excited to encourage them in their interests and giftings. Plus, we’re encouraged by the character we are seeing them build as a result.

Because of these additions to our schedule, I felt like I just needed to make “making it through the month of August” my goal for last month. That’s just how you have to roll sometimes, right??

By the grace of God, I survived August in one piece and, after a few grueling weeks where I lost my patience more than I’d like to admit, we’ve rearranged some things in our schedule, I’ve re-adjusted my expectations, I’ve delegated more, and I feel much better. And I’m so very ready to get back to goal-setting!

This Week’s Goals:

Marriage/Mothering/Homemaking Goals

1. Read 5 chapters of The Mouse and the Motorcycle aloud to the kids at lunch time.

2. Have a movie night with Jesse.

3. Write a love note to Jesse.

4. Work on decorating our house (finally!) with a generous friend who has offered to help me this weekend (because decorating is not my forte!)

Personal Goals

5. Work on reviewing and memorizing Romans 1 and Romans 2:1.

6. Finish reading I Thought It Was Just Me (But It Isn’t), Made for More, Essentialism, The Cure for the “Perfect” Life, and A Proper Pursuit.

7. Run or exercise at least 5 times.

Business Goals

8. Work on an article to submit to a magazine.

9. Put together answers for an upcoming online interview.

10. Edit chapters 1-4 of my book manuscript.

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 Sep 1, 2014 comment

12 Months to a Healthier You: September’s Challenge

Published: by Crystal Paine on September 1, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

12-Months-to-a-Healthier-You

Note: I kind of fell off the bandwagon with this series in August. My goal-setting post for this week (coming in a bit) will explain why. Thanks for your patience with me. I’m excited to get back to this series again!

One of my goals for 2014 is to focus on my health. It’s easy to let our health take a back burner to everything else on our to-do list. But as I share in my new book, Say Goodbye to Survival Mode, I’ve experienced what happens when you put your health last… and it’s not pretty!

With this in mind, I’m committed to making my health even more of a priority this year. And I’d love to have you join me for the 12 Months to a Healthier You Challenge.

We’re be focusing on one challenge area each month — all with the goal of being in a healthier place as a person by the end of next year. My hope is that as we work on instilling one new healthy habit each month, they won’t just be month-long challenges, but lifelong changes.

12 Months to a Healthier You Focus Areas for 2014

Here are the focus areas I’ve planned out for 2014:

January: Exercise Regularly
February: Eat More Fresh Fruits & Veggies
March: Drink More Water
April: Cut Back on Sugar
May: Get More Rest
June: Create a Morning Routine
July: Read More
August: Go to Bed Earlier
September: Declutter Your Home
October: Cut Back on Caffeine
November: Keep a Gratitude Journal
December: Simplify & Say No

How This Challenge Works:

At the beginning of the month, I’ll introduce the focus area and encourage you to set a small goal for that specific area and I’ll share my goals.

Then, every Friday, I’ll have a check-in post where I’ll encourage you to share your progress & struggles and I’ll share mine, as well. If you want to blog about your progress, I’ll include a link-up at the end of the post so you can share your blog posts on this challenge.

In addition to the Friday check-ins, I’ll also probably share a few posts and guest posts on the monthly topics each month, along with sharing about related books, resources, or websites that I’ve found helpful.

Are you on social media? You can also share your progress on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter by using hashtag #12MonthstoaHealthierYou.

My Goals for Decluttering My House in September

My goal for September is to spend at least 30 minutes to an hour every week this month focusing on decluttering. I plan to share a post with my pictures and results of my decluttering each Monday this month.

Will you be joining me for this September Challenge? If so, leave a comment letting us know you’re planning to join and what your decluttering goals are — whether it’s an area of the house you plan to tackle or a certain amount of time you plan to spend. Remember to keep them simple and doable!

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

Click here to sign up!

Shared Aug 29, 2014 comment

How to Make the Most of Your 24-Hour Day: Part 1

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 29, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

In recent months, many people have asked how I manage my time. While I’ve written on time management fairly extensively in the past, it’s been awhile since I’ve done so. And my season of life has changed quite a bit, which has changed how I manage my time and my days. So I figured it was time for another up-to-date series on the subject of time management.

I want to kick things off with one time management mindset that has radically shifted the way I think and live…

“I don’t have time.”

How often have you heard and said that phrase? I’d wager to guess you’ve said it a lot. I have, too.

But we all have the time 24 hours in each day. We all get to choose how we spend them.

Yes, you have choice.

Remember my post from earlier this week when I said that my was really full for the next few weeks? But I quickly stated that this is the life I’ve chosen.

I’ve chosen to write a book. We’ve chosen to homeschool our kids. I’ve chosen to run a blog.

I could have chosen not to take any one (or all!) of these things. Understanding this and owning this has changed my life.

I am not a slave to life. I don’t have to stay stuck in a situation if I’m miserable.

I can’t tell you how many times someone has said to me, “I wish I could get on a budget.” Or, “I wish we could save more money.” Or, “I wish I could find a way to earn money from home.”

All of those things are possible, if you choose to make them a priority.

And that means you’re going to have to say “no” to a lot of other things. Because you can’t do it all.

How you spend your 24 hours is up to you.

You can choose to be intentional. You can choose to set small goals and follow through with them. You can choose to seize each day and use it wisely.

Or, you can choose to wander through your days, going around in circles, procrastinating, and wasting time.

The choice is yours.

I wanted to start this series with a very foundational principle that has impacted and shaped the way I view time management. Beginning Tuesday, we’ll be diving in and getting really practical — starting off by talking about how I’ve made choices in what to say “yes” to and what to say “no” to and why.

Do you have any time management questions you’d love for me to try to answer or address in this series? If so, ask away in the comments and I’ll do my best to work in as many answers to your questions as possible as part of this series.

photo credit

Shared Aug 29, 2014 comment

Brigette’s $62 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan for 6

Published: by Brigette on August 29, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Produce and Jams from a Friend’s Garden

Aldi

2 cartons Oil (@$2.49 each) – $4.98

4 packages Blueberries (@$1.29 each) – $5.16

2 packages Frozen Boneless Chicken Breasts (@$5.99 each) – $11.98

1 package Mini Sweet Peppers – $2.29

1 bunch Bananas (@$0.44/lb) – $1.15

2 bags Carrots ($0.69 each) – $1.38

1 bag Limes – $0.79

1 bag Gala Apples – $3.29

1 package Chocolate Chips – $1.59

1 jar Black Pepper – $1.99

Total: $34.60

Farmer’s Mart

4 heads Cauliflower (marked down to $0.99 each)

Total: $3.97

Harris Teeter

1 gallon Milk – $2.97

10 bags of Shredded Cheese (@B2G3 free) – $11.98

5 boxes Kashi Cereal – $1.99 each, used 2 $0.70/1 Kashi printable (doubled), plus $1.00/2 Kashi printable – $6.20 after coupons

3 boxes Annie’s Macaroni and Cheese (@$1.00 each) – $3.00, used 3 $0.35/1 Annie’s printable – $0.30/each after coupons

1 carton So Delicious Almond Milk – $2.50, used $0.55/1 So Delicious printable, plus receive $1.00/1 Ibotta rebate – $0.40 after coupons

8 individual Yoplait yogurts (@$0.37 each) – $2.96, used $0.60/8 Yoplait printable (doubled), plus $0.40/6 Harris Teeter evic, plus $0.40/6 Saving Star – $0.96/8 after coupons and rebate

Total after all sales, coupons and rebates – $23.01

Bakery Outlet

10 packages of assorted Buns (@$0.10 each!! They expire August 30th, so I will freeze most of them)

Total: $1.00

Weekly Total after all Sales and Coupons: $62.58

Weekly Menu Plan

Breakfasts

Oatmeal x 2, Veggie Omelettes, Scrambled Eggs with Toast/Jam, Cereal x 2, Smoothies

Lunches

PB&J/Carrots/Bananas, Tuna fish Sandwiches/Pepper slices/Apples, Leftovers x 3, Baked Potatoes with Cheese/Oranges, Build-Your-Own Salad Bar/Roasted Cauliflower

Dinners

Taco Salad, Steamed Cauliflower

Grilled Hobo Packets, Easy Whole Wheat Bread, Blueberries

Slow-Cooker Barbecue Sandwiches, Fresh Veggie Tray, Homemade Applesauce

Baked Macaroni and Cheese (meatless night), Roasted Cauliflower, Tossed Salad

Homemade Pizza, Steamed Broccoli

Dinner at a Friend’s House – I am bringing Ultimate Double Chocolate Brownies and Ice Cream

Classic Grilled Chicken, Cucumber and Tomato Salad, leftover Macaroni and Cheese, Blueberries

Shared Aug 29, 2014 comment

Get the Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle for FREE!

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 29, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

In case you missed my post earlier this week, I wanted to let you know about this really cool offer going on for a very limited time.

The Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle Sale — a sale offering over $1,000 worth of products for one low, low price — is going to be available for 5 days only in the next few weeks.

And they are offering something really special this time around: You can get all of the resources in this bundle + the really fun bonus offers for FREE if you refer 10 friends to sign up for the Ultimate Bundles email list!

When you enter you email address here, you’ll be redirected to a page with your referral link on it. Just share that link with your friends — either by email or on social media — and if 10 friends enter their email addresses, too, you’ll earn a completely FREE bundle.

The fun thing about this promotion is that when your friends sign up, they’ll get a referral link, too. And they can share their link with ten friends and earn their own bundle, too!

Best of all: No one has to purchase anything and you can unsubscribe from the list at any time. You can track how many friends you’ve referred on the page that has your referral link.

If you get 10 friends to sign up, you’ll receive on email on September 10 with details on how to claim your entirely FREE Healthy Living Bundle.

So what are you waiting for? Go sign up to get your referral link and start spreading the word!

Some of you have already taken advantage of this offer and have already earned yourself a completely free bundle. And that makes me so very happy… especially because I’ve seen a sneak peek at what the contents of the bundle are and it’s GOOD stuff.

Shared Aug 29, 2014 comment

Enter to win a free prize package from Modern Prairie Girl!

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 29, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Abi from Modern Prairie Girl is running a fun giveaway this weekend! She’s giving away two copies of her new book, Modern Prairie Sewing, and two handmade bags.

She sent me a copy of her new book and I was so impressed and inspired by it… and I’m not even someone who really sews! Abi also sent the materials for me to make two of the projects with Kaitlynn. Look for a post in a few weeks with pictures of our adventures in trying out hand at making these two projects!

Go enter to win here.

Shared Aug 28, 2014 comment

Sam’s Club vs. Costo: Who Really Has the Best Savings?

Published: by MSM Team on August 28, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Laurie and Shannon from Passionate Penny Pincher compared prices on dozens of products at Sam’s Club and Costco to discover Who Really Has the Best Savings?

Here’s a snippet from her post:

This might just be both my friend Shannon’s and my favorite post ever here on PPP! Because we’re a couple of penny pinchin’ nerds, we love to see the low-down-nitty-gritty of a good price, and always (always!) do the math to know just how much we’re spending.

So, when I called Shannon on the way home from Costco the other day, we started discussing how fun it would be to price war Sam’s and Costco and see who actually won. I was very surprised with some of the results, but loved seeing them matched up evenly. This is just a small sample of the things we watched for this week, and if you all enjoy it, we may both make another trip back for more.

Click here to read the full post and see how each store compared to the other!

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

Click here to download!

Shared Aug 27, 2014 comment

Two Questions You Need to Ask If You Want to Make the Most of Your Life

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 27, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I am a part-time (2 nights/week) RN, and a full time wife & mommy! 🙂 On my days off, I attempt to live a “normal day shift” life. Any tips to get the most out of my mornings? -Andrea

This is such a great question, Andrea! And I think that my answer will be one that can apply to anyone who is wanting to make the most of their mornings.

As you consider and work on being intentional with your mornings, I encourage you to ask yourself two questions:

1. What do I need to do?

Think about what you must do in the morning. Or what you really should do. 🙂

Things like cleaning up, pulling something out of the freezer for dinner, organizing, laundry, bill-paying, phone calls, and errands.

Also, consider what you need to do to stay refreshed and energized. You might feel like this is not truly a need. But I believe it is.

Why? Because if you just keeping going, going, going and never stop to refuel your personal “tank”, you’ll soon be running on empty. And you can continue to try to press forward and live on fumes, but you’ll soon find that you are completely drained and lifeless.

So yes, it is a need to make time to refresh yourself. It’s not selfish. It’s something that needs to be high on the priority list.

Making time to recharge your batteries will make you more productive, more efficient, and more energetic. This, in turn, will cause you to be a better wife, mom, and employee. Plus, you’ll just enjoy life more.

Take some time to think through what energizes you. Maybe that’s taking a nap, reading, savoring quiet and a cup of coffee, decorating, crafting, cooking, spending time with friends, exercising, gardening… find at least a few things to include on your days off that will refuel your tank.

Practically Speaking

Once you’ve determined what you need to do every morning, create a morning routine based upon these things. For more help in creating a morning routine, check out this post on How to Develop a Morning Routine. I’d include 5-7 items on your morning routine list and make them a mix of things you must do and things that will refuel your tank.

Commit to following through with this morning routine every single “off-day” morning for the next three weeks. Ask a friend or two to help you stay accountable so that you stick with this commitment.

2. What do I want to do?

Once you’ve determined what you need to do and create your morning routine based upon this, then comes the much more fun part. Ask yourself: what do I want to do?

Take a pen and paper and start writing down anything that comes to your mind in answer to this question: re-decorating your living room, learning how to blog, investing in your elderly neighbor, taking a wood-working class, learning a foreign language, teaching a skill to your child, trying out a new grocery store. Whatever comes to your mind, write it down.

Then, take this long list and pick your top five priorities off the list. The top five most pressing things you want to tackle first or those that will make the greatest impact on your life. If five sounds overwhelming or like too much, start with 2-3.

Look at your list of these few priorities and think how can I make a little slow and steady progress each week to help me get where I want to be next year?

Start mapping out what this looks like for the next few weeks. For instance, if you want to learn a foreign language, find a 30-minute block on your off mornings that you can focus on taking an online foreign language course. Or if you want to teach your toddler a new skill, set aside 15 minutes early in the morning once your morning routine is done and they are up and dressed to work on this skill.

It’s amazing how 15 or 30 minutes of focused effort a few times per week can really start to add up to progress on our goals!

I encourage to work on your list of priorities right after you finish your morning routine. If you don’t do it first thing, there’s a good chance it won’t get done. In addition, it will make you feel fulfilled and more productive the rest of the day. So just do it!

Practically Speaking

You might find it helpful to assign themes to the days you’re off work. Maybe one day is your errands day, one day is your baking/cooking day, and one day is your extra projects day.

I also encourage you to try to have at least one day where you stay at home all day. For me, at least, there’s something very refreshing about a quiet day at home. And not only that, but I find that it helps me to be more productive if I have at least one day where I’m not running around doing different things but instead can focus on projects at home.

What advice and suggestions do the rest of you have for Andrea? Share them in the comments!

photo credit; photo credit

Shared Aug 27, 2014 comment

Rise & Shine Challenge: Day 8 {How to add more fun into your day!}

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 27, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Thank you so much for your kind words on last night’s post. I hope to get to respond to each one personally, but until then, know that you blessed, uplifted, and encouraged me so very much!

It’s the last day of our Rise & Shine Challenge (since I skipped the weekend posts!). Can you believe it??

This challenge has been good for me and I’ve definitely learned from it. One of the things I think I may have taken away from it is that 4:30 a.m. is too early for me to consistently get up. I know that my body needs at least 7 hours of sleep every night and I’ve made it a big priority to get that amount of sleep (or more!) at least 5-6 nights per week.

But that means I have to go to bed by 9 p.m. and I’m finding that’s really hard to consistently make happen at this season of life. So I may just need to re-arrange some things in the schedule and shoot for 5:30 a.m. instead. That seems to be a better time for me so I think I’m going to stick with 5:30 a.m. for the next few weeks and then re-evaluate.

In addition, I learned that it’s hard to break bad habits. Slipping over the summer and letting myself go to bed so late and then get up late was a difficult habit to break. And it encouraged me to be more intentional about not slipping into bad habits like that again.

I’m thrilled that I feel like this challenge has been the jump start I needed to get back into the early-to-bed, early-to-rise mode. Overall, I’ve been much more productive, feeling more rested, and remembering why I used to love getting up early so much!

Today’s Rise & Shine Challenge Assignment

Today’s challenge is to focus on bringing back the fun into your mornings. This is such a good reminder — and something I need to work on as I tend to be more of a focused mom than a fun mom.

Some ideas I had were:

Starting the morning with lively music.
Watching a short YouTube clip in the morning that makes us all laugh.
Cracking a joke or teasing a family member about something (provided they enjoy being teased!)
Singing while we do our morning chores.
Being intentional about smiling more.
Planning a special breakfast.

What would you add to my list?

This Morning’s Report

Got up at 5:30 a.m.
Read my Bible, prayed, read a few devotions from two other books.
Made some coffee, checked email, and scheduled some posts and Facebook posts. Answered more comments and emails.
Write a few posts for today. Then, I exercised, showered, and got dressed.
Switched the laundry and took the big pile of clean laundry out to the living room couch to fold later this morning.
And then it was time to start in on our homeschooling for the day!

How was your morning? What ideas do you have for adding more fun into your mornings? What have you learned from this challenge?

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Shared Aug 27, 2014 comment

What are your most creative income-earning ideas?

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 27, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

One of the parts of my next book that I’m especially excited about is that I’ll not just be sharing how to start earning some additional income, but will be giving you a plethora of ideas of businesses you could start or ways to earn additional income.

I have put together a long list of ideas that I’ll be sharing in the book, but I’m positively certain that you all have some great ideas I’ve not thought of or wouldn’t come up with on my own.

So, I’d love to hear: What are your most creative income-earning ideas? I’d love to hear your input of things you’ve done successfully, know others who have done successfully, or just think would be a brilliant idea for someone to do. I’m especially looking for ideas that don’t require a significant amount of money to start.

Share your ideas in the comments or email them to me (crystal @ moneysavingmom.com). Thanks so much!

Note: Comments left on this post or emailed in may be published in the book. If you’d prefer that we don’t publish your comment or email or that it’s anonymous, please mention this in your comment or email.

Shared Aug 27, 2014 comment

We Paid Cash: A New-to-Us Car

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 27, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

A testimony from Victoria

With 2 young boys, our growing family wanted a bigger vehicle. It was complicated trying to pack 2 boys, 2 carseats, a stroller, and all the bags that go with young children into the trunk of a car!

I wasn’t ready for a minivan, and neither was my husband, so we began searching for an SUV with a third row.

Finding something in our price range was extremely difficult, but after a few months of searching, we found a vehicle that we loved. It did have more miles on it than what we wanted, but the price was right!

We were able to pay cash for this vehicle, while still maintaining a healthy emergency fund because my husband sold his beloved four-wheeler, and we put our entire 2013 tax refund towards the vehicle. We also got a nice trade-in value for our car, which helped a lot.

Helpful Hint: I suggest trading-in over selling privately. When you trade in, the trade in value comes off the purchase price of the car, therefore you pay much less tax!

Because we saved so much by paying cash and because the vehicle did have over 100,000 miles on it, we were also able to pay cash for a 4-year, bumper to bumper warranty. We hope this will also save us money some day!

Victoria is a wife and mother to two busy boys! She also works full-time as a mission trip coordinator for a non-profit in Indiana (best job in the world!). In her spare time she enjoys running, camping, and attempting to re-decorate her home.

Have you saved up and paid cash for something — large or small? Submit your story for possible publication here.

Shared Aug 27, 2014 comment

This is the Water Project & Vegetable Garden That Love Built (and a special request)

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 27, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Friends, remember when I encouraged you to Fall in Love With the World Next Door for Valentine’s Day? And you all blew me away by stepping up, reaching out, and donating thousands of dollars of the Maubane Community.

Well, today I have a lump in my throat and goosebumps as I get to write this post and show you the pictures of the completed Water Project and Vegetable Garden…

Talk about love in action! Aren’t those pictures just incredible? {You can see more pictures of these projects here.}

It just thrills my heart to think about all the hundreds of people who gave $10 and $20 — or whatever they could squeeze out of their budget — and collectively, this is what happened! Just beautiful and breath-taking.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your heart for the Maubane Community. Your generosity touches me and inspires!

Today, I’m also coming to you to ask that you consider helping finish funding the Maubane Community Kitchen and Welcome Center. It’s only $4,000 away from being fully funded!

Would you prayerfully consider giving $10 or $20 or more today to help fully fund this project? I’d LOVE to see the whole project funded by tonight! Wouldn’t that be fantastic??

If you can only give a dollar, give a dollar. If you have more wiggle room in your budget, would you prayerfully consider giving whatever amount it is that you can give?

And if you don’t have any extra wiggle room to give, would you consider sharing this post or Lisa-Jo’s post with your friends or on your social media channels?

Special Bonuses

1. Give a donation of at least $20 and I’ll send you a copy of my book, Say Goodbye to Survival Mode. Just forward the email you receive after you donate to [email protected] and include the amount you donated and your mailing address and I’ll send you a copy.

2. Give a donation of at least $40 and I’ll send you a copy of my book, Say Goodbye to Survival Mode, and I’ll buy you a copy of Lisa-Jo’s book, Surprised By Motherhood. Just forward the email you receive after you donate to [email protected] and include the amount you donated and your mailing address and I’ll send you a copy of my book and buy you a copy of Lisa-Jo’s book.

Thank you so very much for being apart of this project that is so near and dear to my heart! I can’t wait to get to show you pictures of the completely finished Maubane Community Kitchen & Welcome Center! Thank you for partnering with me to change lives!

Summer Bucket List

Summer Bucket List

FREE Summer Bucket List!!

Help Me Out!

This week, I’m reading:

Last week, I read:

What are you reading right now? Any book recommendations for me?

12 Months to a Healthier You Focus Areas for 2014

How This Challenge Works:

My Goals for Decluttering My House in September

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

Produce and Jams from a Friend’s Garden

Aldi

Farmer’s Mart

Harris Teeter

Bakery Outlet

Weekly Total after all Sales and Coupons: $62.58

Weekly Menu Plan

Breakfasts

Lunches

Dinners

So what are you waiting for? Go sign up to get your referral link and start spreading the word!

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

1. What do I need to do?

Practically Speaking

2. What do I want to do?

Practically Speaking

What advice and suggestions do the rest of you have for Andrea? Share them in the comments!

Today’s Rise & Shine Challenge Assignment

This Morning’s Report

How was your morning? What ideas do you have for adding more fun into your mornings? What have you learned from this challenge?

Special Bonuses

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