I Am That Lady shows you how to make 25 Gluten-Free Meals for under $150 with ingredients purchased at ALDI.
Visit her site for the recipe links and shopping list. You can also purchase a detailed printable menu plan, if you prefer.
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Quick & Easy Fried Rice
Guest post from Aliesha of Feathers in Our Nest
Restaurant-style fried rice is easy to make at home! It’s a frugal recipe to serve for lunch (or alongside some homemade Asian food) and it is great for incorporating sale produce or using up veggies in your fridge that are about to go bad.
This recipe is very flexible – just use what you have on hand and adapt it to your family’s taste preferences. We like to make it using leftover rice from another meal, but you can definitely cook rice specifically for this recipe.
Quick & Easy Fried Rice
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 Tbsp. coconut oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 1-2 cups vegetables, cut in small pieces (such as carrots, broccoli, peas, mushrooms, etc.)
- 4 cups cooked rice (white or brown)
- 4 Tbsp. soy sauce (more or less to taste)
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup leftover cooked chicken (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
Heat coconut oil in a wok over medium-high heat.Add diced onion and the veggies that take longer to cook (like carrots). Sauté for a few minutes, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon.
Add in the other veggies and sauté. Add rice and stir thoroughly and quickly. Pour some soy sauce in and stir. Add more soy sauce until desired flavor is achieved.
Using the wooden spoon, make a “hole” in the center of the fried rice, exposing the bottom of the wok. Crack in 2 eggs (depending on the amount of fried rice you’re making) and stir quickly to scramble.
Mix in scrambled eggs with the rest of the fried rice. If desired, mix in leftover cooked chicken as well. Taste, and add more soy sauce if desired!
Aliesha is a stay-at-home wife and mom with three precious blessings ages three and under. Her blog home is Feathers in Our Nest, where she writes about family, ministry, food, and frugal living. Aliesha loves to read, shop thrift stores, drink coffee, and cook for her “foodie” husband.
Shared Aug 1, 2014
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5 Keys to Have a Strong Marriage — Even During the Storms of Life
5 Keys to Have a Strong Marriage — Even During the Storms of Life
Since we’ve moved to Tennessee and restructured the way we do life, I will be honest and tell you that it’s been a challenge for our marriage. It’s brought a lot of new issues to the surface and we’ve had many long, hard talks (and yes, some out-and-out arguments) as a result.
As we’ve struggled through together, our marriage has grown and it’s been good. Not easy, mind you, but good. And I know our marriage is going to come out stronger as a result.
Working through these things and not giving up until we find resolution and oneness has made me appreciate our marriage even more. Some days, we might be at odds and frustrated with each other, but because we are both committed to our marriage “till death do us part”, these storms are making us stronger instead of ripping us apart.
If you’re going through a tough time in your lives right now, I wanted to share five keys that have helped us to have a strong marriage — even during the recent storms of life:
1. Stop Coasting
A good marriage doesn’t just happen; it requires a LOT of work and time and effort. Just like you couldn’t expect to build a muscular body without putting in a lot of time weight-lifting, so you can’t expect to have a strong marriage if you’re not constantly building it up.
Make time for your spouse. Go throughout your day looking for ways to build up your spouse, encourage your spouse, and love your spouse. If you’re too busy to invest in your marriage, you’re just plain too busy.
2. Don’t Keep It G-Rated
Seriously, people. You are supposed to be lovers, not roommates. Act like it. 🙂
Look for ways to keep the spark alive. Flirt with your spouse. Whisper sweet-nothings. Think about what you used to do when you were dating, engaged, and newlyweds and bring some of that romance back into your marriage.
Truly, what happens in the bedroom will affect just about every other area of your life. In most cases, if you make romance a priority, it will clear up a host of other problems and issues.
Need some encouragement and practical advice in this area? I highly recommend reading Sheet Music, Red Hot Monogamy, and Rekindling the Romance.
3. Find the Good and Praise It
There are always a host of things we can point out, pick at, nag, and criticize. If we spend all our time focused on that, we’ll be frustrated with how far short our spouse is falling from where we want them to be.
On the flip side, there are always, always, always good things to praise. Become a noticer of the good.
Go throughout your day looking for things to be thankful for about your spouse. These could be little, everyday things or big, major things. The more you focus on the good, the more good you’ll probably see.
4. Ask Forgiveness Often
A good marriage is built around a lot of humility and the ability to say, “I was wrong, will you forgive me?” Those are hard words to say, but they are necessary.
We all make mistakes. We all say words we shouldn’t say. We all respond in anger at times. When that happens, be willing to admit you are wrong.
Don’t stuff things and just try to be extra nice to make up for your short-comings. In addition, don’t blame your spouse. Owning our own mistakes and apologizing for them is the first step in restoration.
5. Learn Their Love Language
While I don’t like to box people into specific categories, every person has a unique love language — the way they feel most loved.
If you’re unfamiliar with the five love languages, they are: Words of Affirmation, Acts of Service, Receiving Gifts, Quality Time, and Physical Touch. In many cases, you’ll be a mix of a few of these, but you’ll almost always have one that is dominant. If you’re not sure what you love language is, you can take this quiz here (and be sure to have your spouse take it, too!)
Once you know what someone else’s love language is, it really helps you to be able to demonstrate love in a manner that means the most to them. For instance, my dominant love language is Words of Affirmation. It means the world to me when Jesse tells me how much he appreciates me and how proud he is of me. This speaks love to me much more than buying something for me does.
Jesse’s love language is quality time. It’s very important to him that we spend time together and just be together — without me acting rushed or like I’m busy. As a Type A person who does not have the love language of quality time, it’s been a learning experience for me to figure out that just being with him is extremely meaningful to him.
It’s taken us years to figure these things out about each other, but as we’ve put forth effort to learn each other’s love language and to be intentional about expressing it, our marriage has grown much stronger. And it’s been every bit worth the effort!
What are some ways that you have found help keep your marriage strong?
Note: This post was written for couples who are in healthy relationships where both parties love each other and want to work on issues together and personally. If your spouse is abusive, please, please, please don’t hide the abuse out of fear or let your spouse convince you it’s your fault. Get help immediately.
Shared Aug 1, 2014
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Brigette’s $27 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan for 6
Brigette’s $27 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan for 6
We are going to be traveling some over the next couple of weeks, so my grocery spending was lower this week because we won’t be eating every meal at home. This gives us some wiggle room to eat out when we’re on the road.
And… to be perfectly honest, I am guessing there will be at least one impromptu grocery shopping trip made by my husband and children at some point before we leave to buy “necessities” for our vacation. That kind of grocery trip is funded straight from the “splurge” fund, and my husband has strict instructions to put the receipt somewhere that I will never, EVER see it. 🙂
Fresh Produce from a Friend’s Garden — Free!
Harris Teeter
1 gallon milk – $2.97
2 16-oz packages Mueller’s Pot-Sized Spaghetti (B1G1 @ $1.75) – $1.75, used 2 $0.75/1 printable (doubled) – FREE after coupons (I actually got overage, making these a $1.25 MM, but that was because the coupons beeped and my cashier manually entered them in!)
2 Head & Shoulders Shampoo (@$5.00 each) – $10.00, used $5/2 Head & Shoulders Full Size Product, exp. 8/10/14 (P&G 07/27/14), plus $5/2 Harris Teeter evic – FREE after coupons
2 16-oz Kraft Salad Dressings (@$2.00 each) – $4.00, used 2 $0.75/1 printable (doubled), plus $1.00/2 Harris Teeter evic – FREE after coupons
2 boxes Kelloggs Rice Krispies cereal (@$1.99 each) – $3.98, used 2 $0.75/1 printable (doubled) from Kellogg’s Family Rewards – $0.49 each after coupons
4 cans Ortega Green Chilies (@4/$3.00) – $3.00, used 2 $1.00/2 printable – $0.25 each after coupons
9 cans Chicken of the Sea Light Tuna (B1G1 @ $1.29) – $5.80, used 3 $0.75/3 printables (doubled) from here and here – $1.30/9 cans after coupons
2 8-oz containers Land O’ Lakes Butter with Canola Oil (@$1.50 each) – $3.00, used 2 $0.50/1 printable (doubled) – $0.50 each after coupons
Total after Sales, Tax and Coupons: $6.70
Aldi
2 bags Carrots (@$0.69/each) – $1.38
1 pint Blueberries -$1.49
I package Sweet Mini Peppers -$2.29
2 packages Mushrooms (@$0.79/each) – $1.58
1 package Romaine Hearts – $1.99
1 head Cabbage – $1.29
1 package Zucchini – $1.29
1 carton Egg Whites – $1.99
1 bunch Bananas (@$0.49/lb) – $1.63
1 package (32-oz) Brown Rice – $1.29
Total: $16.22
CVS
1 Dawn Dish Detergent – $0.99, used a $1.00 off any 9-oz Dawn CVS email I received – FREE after coupon
3 jars Ragu Spaghetti Sauce (@3/$5.00) – $5.00, used $0.40/2 Ragu Product, exp. 8/24/14 (RP 07/27/14 #2) – $4.60/3, plus receive $3 ECB
2 bottles Seltzer Water (@$1.00 each) – $2.00
used $3 ECB from a previous shopping trip, plus $3 complimentary ECB sent to me from CVS Beauty Rewards Club for my birthday
Total after Sales, Tax and Coupons: $0.60, plus receive $3 ECB back
Farm Market
1 head Reduced Cauliflower – $0.99
Fresh Local Peaches (@$0.99/lb) – $3.14
Total: $4.13
Weekly Total: $27.65
Menu Plan for This Week
Breakfasts
Cereal, Oatmeal, Eggs and Toast, Smoothies (using frozen fruit), Veggie Omelettes
Lunches
Tuna Sandwiches/Bananas/Carrot Sticks; Cheese Quesadillas/Cucumber Slices/Cantaloupe; Macaroni and Cheese/Peaches; Build-Your-Own-Salad Bar; Stir-Fry Veggies and Rice; PB&J Sandwiches/Blueberries/Pepper Slices
Dinners
Burritos (using homemade tortillas and ground venison for the taco meat), Green Rice, Sliced Peaches
Venison Roast in the Crockpot, Baked Potatoes, Steamed Carrots, Easy Whole Wheat Muffins
Easy Tuna Noodle Casserole, Sauteed Zucchini, Tomato and Cucumber Salad
Breakfast for Dinner: Best Ever Blueberry Muffins, Scrambled Eggs with Cheese, Hashbrowns
Spaghetti, Dill Bread, Tossed Salad, Green Beans
Leftovers
Do It Yourself: Homemade Petticoat
Marie-Madeline Studio shows you how to make a homemade child’s petticoat.
Do you have a fun and frugal DIY idea to share? I’d love to hear about it! Read the submission guidelines and submit it here.
A Beginner’s Guide to a Successful Yard Sale
Guest post from Yvie of Road-Schooling Gypsies
I was privileged to have a mother who shopped garage sales long before it was trendy. Hand-me-downs were no big deal — they were new to us!
We learned that, except food and toiletries, pretty much anything we needed could be bought secondhand. It’s a legacy that I began passing on to my children as soon as they understood what a quarter was.
Would you like to clean out your house and make a little egg money? Here are a few of my tips to help you have a successful yard sale:
What to Do Before the Sale:
The more stuff you have, the more traffic you’ll get — so ask your friends to join in on your yard sale, and make it a party.
Don’t pick a holiday weekend (or a weekend where there is a big, local event happening). Also, aim for the first of the month, right after folks get paid or get their SSI checks.
Check to see if you need a permit, or if there are area restrictions.
Advertise! Use your newspaper, Craigslist, Facebook groups, and put up signs. Make sure that your signs are legible, and large enough to be read by cars going past at 50mph.
Decide whether you’re selling stuff to make money, or to get rid of it. Price everything, and price accordingly.
Use bags to contain sets, puzzle pieces, etc. and then label the bags.
In the months prior, throw all your yard sale items together, so that you’re not trying to find it all the week of the sale.
A couple days before the sale, get cash: you’ll want a roll of quarters, a stack of at least twenty-five $1 bills, and a few $5 bills. Keep your money with you (fannypack?) at all times — don’t leave the cashbox sitting around.
If you are having a group sale, make sure to have a ledger to keep track of how much money goes to each person.
Stage your items just like they would stage them in a store. Place like items together, set those big items out front to draw customers, and cross-sell your items. If you have books, use a bookshelf to display them. If you have clothes, find a hanging rack. Show that you took care of your items, and they’ll be more likely to sell.
Have an extension cord handy in case someone asks to test an electrical item.
Use sheets to cover anything left in the garage that is NOT for sale. Otherwise, you’ll be fielding questions all day about what that is and how much you’d take for it.
After it’s staged, walk through your sale like a customer. It is easy to navigate? Are the prices reasonable?
What to Do the Day of Your Sale:
Turn on some background music — avoiding anything offensive.
Be friendly and greet people. If they want to chat, chat. Otherwise, leave them be. And don’t hover.
Be prepared for folks to bargain, but be less flexible at the beginning of the sale. Also remember that you don’t have to accept their offer.
Set up a big box with toys in the middle, this way moms can shop the perimeter while keeping an eye on kids that are being entertained. (If the toys are breakable/expensive, don’t put them in this pile.)
Keep your cash with you at all times, and keep an eye on your items as well. Shoplifting happens, even at garage sales.
Set up a free box, and fill it with things that you just want gone. Everyone likes free stuff.
Run that lemonade stand, especially if it’s a hot day. Better yet, let your children run it. They’re cuter than you are, and people will be more likely to buy from them.
Consider doing “stuff-a-bag” or “half-price” for the second day. This will depend on how much you want stuff gone.
Have a plan for after the sale is done (see below) so that your stuff doesn’t all come back into your home.
What to Do After the Sale:
Use the ledger to divide up your money.
Consider having an impromptu “swap” amongst your friends. (Assuming you haven’t already spent the last two days shopping each others’ items.)
As you break down the sale, divide leftover items into categories such as: 1. used bookstore 2. consignment store 3. donate boxes, and 4. Craigslist/Ebay. The first 3 groups should never come back into the house — and if you’re going to sell anything on Craigslist or Ebay, make a plan to do that ASAP!
What are your best tips to host a successful yard sale?
Yvie is a homeschooling mother of two boys, who has been perfecting the art of frugality since childhood. Find her on Facebook at Road-Schooling Gypsies.
How to Prep 16 Crockpot Freezer Meals in Just an Hour
Ask the Readers: How can I save on college expenses?
Today’s question is from Dorothy:
I am a married, 27-year-old who works full-time and has no kids.
I have decided that the time is right for me to go back to school and finally complete my bachelor’s degree online. I will be continuing to work full-time, as will my husband, so all of our typical expenses (rent, bills, groceries, etc.) will still be covered. However, I am worried about the cost of returning to school (tuition, books, supplies, etc.).
Do you or any of your readers have any ideas on how to keep my costs low so I will need as few student loans as possible? -Dorothy
Do you have a question you’d like to ask Money Saving Mom® readers? Read the submission guidelines and submit it here.
Peek Into Our Week: FlameFest Ball, New Hairstyles, Growing My Nails Out, SheSpeaks Conference, Family Roadtrip, and Homemade Latte!
It’s been a full two weeks and I’m finally getting a chance to do a recap post… and wow is there a lot to recap!
I went to IL to speak at a Firefighter Wives’ Event called Flamefest. It was held at the Hyatt Lodge at the McDonald’s Campus (the McD headquarters, I guess?) Guess what kind of coffee they served at the hotel? Cracked me up to drink McDonald’s coffee from a McDonald’s cup — at a HYATT no less! 🙂
I was the keynote speaker at the Flamefest Ball on Friday evening, so I had fun getting dressed up for the occasion. 🙂 And I also learned a really powerful lesson about courage that night. Read it here.
I flew home Saturday morning. I was supposed to get in before lunch, but after multiple flight delays, I ended up getting back into town about three hours later than planned. But that’s just life sometimes, isn’t it?! I’m learning to roll with the punches… or at least I’m trying to! 🙂
On Saturday evening, we went to hang out with our good friends and neighbors, the Hodges. We spent the evening talking, laughing, sharing, and eating delicious homemade salsa and fresh-baked cookies.
While we were there, other friends dropped by to bring us all boxes of cookies and stayed to regale us with hilarious stories. Have I mentioned how much we are loving and being blessed by the community here??
Kaitlynn found a tutorial on YouTube for making homemade lip gloss with crayons and coconut oil and just had to try it. She made it almost entirely by herself — and it turned out really well!
This girl constantly impresses and inspires me… and I’m so grateful for the beauty and creativity she adds to our home and life!
Move over, Starbucks! I am so excited that I finally learned how to make her own DIY Breve Latte — without a Latte Machine. And it is delicious!! Get the recipe here.
It was cloudy and overcast one day… Perfect for snuggling up on the bed and reading chapter after chapter aloud together while the kids created with Legos. I love quiet, at-home days!
You know what warms my heart so much? It’s amazing young people like Kass Hodge who love on our kids.
We had another fun neighborhood get together at the Hodges house and while we were at their house, Kass gave Kaitlynn a makeover. You can imagine little fashionista Kaitlynn thought was the best thing ever!
I hope both of my daughters grow up to be as generous, kind, and warm as Kass is!
I began last week feeling a wee bit overwhelmed with everything that needed to be done, so I took a deep breath, made some Good Girl Moonshine and painted my now-growing-out nails.
It might seem weird to stop and do something like that when I had a long to-do list to tackle, but I’ve found that sometimes, when you feel like there’s too much to do, making yourself stop and breathe for 20 minutes is the best thing you can do. At least it’s definitely much better than hyperventilating! 🙂
{Also? I think I’ve discovered the secret to growing my nails out!! Not only does it involve keeping them painted in cute colors, but it also involves publicly blogging about your nail-biting habit. Somehow, going public with it, has made me much more disciplined about actually letting them grow out. And every time I look down at my longish nails, it makes me so very happy! So anyway, thank you all!}
We left six hours earlier than planned on Wednesday morning to head to North Carolina for me to attend the SheSpeaks Conference. There were storm clouds and rain much of the drive — which is my favorite weather to drive in!
I spent the drive wrapped up in this favorite blanket of mine, reading a good book, having discussions as a family, and getting in some blogging work since I was able to get good wi-fi in the car through my phone’s hotspot.
It’s really impossible for me to put into words just how blessed, refreshed, and filled up I was by being at SheSpeaks.
Spending time with these two women was one of the biggest highlights. Not only did we have deep conversations about heart things and struggles, but we also did a whole lot of laughing since both Edie and Ruth are hilarious — especially when you get them both together!
I think I’m sore from all the laughing we did, but it was so very worth it! We only wished that Edie could have stayed longer than just one day!
Lookee whose book just came out in paperback?!?! I’m so stinkin’ proud of my girl, Ruth Soukup, and all the amazing things she’s doing!!
Her book, How to Blog for Profit Without Selling Your Soul, is truly the BEST blogging book I’ve ever read.
It’s available as an ebook on Amazon or the new and expanded paperback version should be available on Amazon next week.
It was so fun to get to spend a little time with the amazing A.J. Gregory! She ghost-edited my last book, Say Goodbye to Survival Mode, and I’m so honored to be working with her again for my next book.
We’ve been mulling over the next book’s concept for months and are so excited to finally be ready to jump in and start the intensive writing process together. I think you’re going to LOVE the topic — or at least *I’m* super stoked about it! 🙂
Our plan is to have the manuscript finished by December 1 of this year and, if all goes according to plan, it should be in bookstores by the beginning of November 2015!
Listening to Michele is always a huge inspiration to me. I love her to pieces! If you’ve not had the chance to listen to her speak before, you are majorly missing out!
I won’t lie: the reason I went to SheSpeaks was because Ruth was speaking. So yes, I may have been having trouble containing my pride and excitement while she was up on the stage.
A few months ago, Ruth and I were talking on the phone. I was celebrating with her that she was going to be speaking at the SheSpeaks conference — a real honor to be asked to be apart of, but one Ruth was wholly deserving of.
Then she said something that I totally hadn’t considered, “You should come, too.”
Since I try to limit my traveling to only a few speaking/business trips per month, I didn’t think it would work out. However, my husband knows just how much Ruth’s friendship means to me and he concocted a plan to make it work, because he’s amazing like that. Truly.
His idea: we turned the trip into a family roadtrip/visit with my sister and her family who live nearby in South Carolina. While I was at the conference, he did fun activities with the kids and spent time with my sister’s husband and her kids.
These are some of the beautiful ladies I had the chance to get to know better at SheSpeaks. Courtney (who created the adorable Scripture cards above) is just a doll. Ruth and I instantly loved her! {Photo credit: Courtney}
{And notice my Cents of Style tee in the picture? I bought it during the last sale they ran on their t-shirt line and I absolutely adore it!}
One of the highlights of the conference was getting to see my dear friend, Renee, kill it in her morning keynote. I can’t tell you how blessed I am to know this woman in real-life.
This was my first opportunity to hear her speak in front of an audience, so I had to try to keep it together so I didn’t bust out with loud proclamations like, “Isn’t she AMAZING?!?!?” 🙂
I just LOVE these girls! Each one is a true gift in my life! Oh the laughter, memories, stories, deep conversations, love, heart-to-heart talks, cups of coffee, and experiences we shared at SheSpeaks! We may not have gotten much sleep, but it was so very worth it!!
We capped off the conference with a late night (and into the wee hours of the early morning) PJ party in a hotel suite most of us had shared together during the conference. It was a blast.
The above picture makes my heart feel like it just might burst. These women are some of the dearest women I know and we are committed to walking alongside one another in this journey and adventure of life. Their friendship is a true gift.
My family re-joined me at the hotel on Sunday and we spent the day sleeping and taking it easy before we drove over to meet up with my sister and her family.
All the cousins had a fantastic time being together. They are old enough now where they mostly play together really well and it’s so fun to observe them!
The dads took all the kids on Monday evening and Brigette and I went out shopping with a few gift cards we had. We tried to see how much we could get without spending any money out of pocket. We got some great deals, had a lot of fun, and only went a few dollars over the gift card amount at one store. Score!
Afterwards, we came back to their house, put all the kids to bed, made snacks, and then stayed up way too late watching a movie. I knew we could all sleep in in the morning, so it was worth the late night. 🙂
We got up late this morning, took our time getting around, and left for home around noon.
It was a mostly uneventful and relaxing 8-hour drive home: rocking my first messy bun (thanks, YouTube!), enjoying some yummy and fairly healthful snacks (who says the gas station only sells candy bars and soda pop??), listening to my favorite playlist on repeat, knocking out some blog projects thanks to more good wi-fi in the car, and soaking up the beautiful scenery.
All in all, was a great trip, but it’s also so good to be HOME!
We’re happy to be back for the rest of this week so we can spend time with friends here and catch up on laundry and sleep before we leave again for a trip to Arkansas and Missouri next week. 🙂
How was YOUR last week (or two!)? Anything interesting or exciting happen at your house?
How to Find Great Kindle Ebook Deals
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Do It Yourself: Homemade Artwork Bag
Marie-Madeline Studio shows you how to make a homemade artwork bag.
What an Old Laundry Hamper Taught Me About Living Simply
Guest post from Abby of Mother on a Mission
When my husband and I got married nearly five years ago, we were gifted nearly everything we needed for our new home together.
One item we didn’t get, however, was a laundry hamper. It wasn’t a necessity because my husband still had his red mesh fold-up hamper left over from college, but it was something I really wanted.
Soon after our wedding, I made a trip to Target (armed with gift cards and a 20% off coupon) to purchase some remaining items from our registry. I began to fill my cart with things we needed: dish towels, shower curtain hooks, a broom, and dust pan.
When I reached the aisle of pretty woven laundry hampers, I was shocked. The cheapest basket on the shelf was $35; some cost upwards of $60. Until then, I’d just assumed I would purchase one. But then I had an ‘a-ha moment’ right there in Target.
Here are 3 things I learned:
I don’t need to impress anyone else.
I didn’t need a new laundry hamper. The one we already had was in adequate condition. I wanted one because they are pretty, and because it seemed to be necessary if I wanted to rid our bedroom of that dorm room feeling.
In reality, no one besides my husband and I would see the hamper, and my husband could care less what sort of device we used to store our dirty clothes.
I don’t always need what I want.
I really wanted a hamper. Maybe, for me, it was a big step in transitioning between childhood and adulthood.
Instead, I took another big step that day: thinking practically. I was a full-time student and full-time preschool teacher, and my husband was making a measly salary as a teacher at a private Christian school.
As much as I wanted to get rid of that old mesh hamper, it just wasn’t practical. Gone were the carefree college days when my spending decisions affected only myself. I had to think as a wife, and that meant putting aside my frivolous want in favor of our needs as a couple.
My frugality paid off with unexpected rewards.
Now, six years into our marriage, we still have that red mesh hamper — and I still plan to replace it one day!
For now, though, it’s still doing its job. My three-year-old son loves to help with the laundry, including returning that red hamper to our room after I’ve emptied it into the washing machine. It’s a simple thing, but I love watching him run down the hall, dragging it behind him — something he couldn’t do with a fancy hamper.
It’s funny to think how vital that new hamper seemed six years ago. Standing in the aisle at Target, I was pained by the decision to go without. But, since then, my life has been pretty unaffected by the absence of a pretty basket.
Now, when I’m debating purchases, I often ask myself if the item I’m about to buy will significantly improve my life, or the life of an immediate family member. If the answer is no, I usually don’t make the purchase.
I’ve learned that I only “need” as much as I think I do.
Abby is a wife, a mother of two, a high school teacher, and a wannabe game show contestant. She blogs at Mother on a Mission about getting crazy in the kitchen, her parenting (mis)adventures, and her baby steps toward creating a frugal, happy household. Abby’s mission is to be the mom — and make this world the kind of place — her children deserve.
When You Show Up With Bad Breath, Yoga Pants, and No Makeup
I started out this week feeling quite overwhelmed. There were so many things that needed to be accomplished before we went on our week-long family trip on Wednesday.
As I scanned my calendar and to-do’s, I saw meetings scheduled, homeschool lessons to do, blog and business projects to finish, many loose ends to tie up… not to mention the laundry that needed to be done, and figuring out and packing up outfits for the kids and me for the trip.
All I could see were hours and hours and hours of work and just a few days to accomplish it all. I reminded myself of the verse I’ve been camping out on the past many months: “Give us this day our daily bread.”
This verse has calmed my heart many a time as I meditate on the fact that God has promised to give me exactly what I need for each day. He won’t give me what I need for 3 months from now or even 3 days from now, but He will be faithful to give me exactly what I need when I need it.
So I took a deep breath and asked God for the grace for each day — and for Him to multiply my time and give me a lot of productivity and energy. And would you believe it? When Wednesday morning rolled around, the laundry was done, the house was picked up, and the suitcases were packed. I’m not even sure how that happened, but it did!
And what was really impressive is that we were planning to leave around 4 p.m., but instead we got around early, and left at 10 a.m.
For. real.
Yes, HOLD THE PHONE. The Paine family left on vacation SIX HOURS EARLY!!! Those of you who know us well know what an amazing feat this fact is. I’m still not sure I believe it.
{And all of those always-so-very-early people are reading the previous paragraph and wondering what the big deal is. Because you consider yourself “so behind” if you’re not all packed up at least 24 hours before you leave on vacation instead of starting to think about packing an hour before you’re supposed to leave… not saying I have personal experience with that or anything. Ahem.
You probably also have all your Christmas presents all handmade for the next two years, have them wrapped in homemade wrapping paper, and probably have them sorted in categorized bins, and alphabetized on a spreadsheet. Yeah. If that describes you, I think you’re amazing, but I’m not sure we can be friends. ;)}
So, basically the whole drive to North Carolina, I was feeling so pumped because we are so. on. the. ball. We kept commenting how good it felt to be so organized and early and ahead of schedule.
I had visions of how we’d get to the hotel early, we’d go to bed early, and we’d get up the next day and get ourselves looking presentable before we drove over to the hotel where the SheSpeaks conference was being held.
All was going along perfectly. Well, okay, except for mom getting a wee bit frustrated at the noise level in the car and a few issues with whining children.
{Truth: I had to ask for forgiveness from one of my children for snapping at them… before we even left the driveway. Yep, totally Best Mom Ever moment.}
We finally made it to our hotel around 8:15 p.m. and were looking forward to getting to our hotel room and getting to bed after a long day of traveling. But when Jesse went to check-in, he discovered that there was some mix-up with the hotel and they had booked our rooms in August — not July.
All of their rooms were already booked for that night, so they checked multiple other hotels in the area and finally found one that had one more room available. Jesse snatched that one right up.
When Jesse got back out to the car and broke the news to me about the hotel, I suggested that maybe he should call the hotel to double check that they had our reservation and a room available. Just to be sure, you know.
Jesse called this other hotel and told them our name and that a sister hotel should have just put a reservation on file for us. Well would you believe it? They told him, “I’m so sorry. We just booked our last room.”
Sigh.
At this point, we were just hoping to get a hotel room room somewhere. We talked about our options and decided to call the hotel that the SheSpeaks conference was going to be at. We’d been told they had been sold out earlier, but they had a few cancellations and were able to get us in.
By now, it’s past 9 p.m. and I’m just grateful that we have a hotel room somewhere.
But then it hits me: I was so focused on getting out the door early that I never took a shower, still had on the yoga pants and t-shirt I’d worn to bed, never had fixed my hair or put on makeup, and hadn’t brushed my teeth in hours. My kids were all disheveled from hours of being in the car, too.
I take this all in and realize that all of us are going to troop into the hotel — where hundreds of women are already gathered for the SheSpeaks conference — completely disheveled, unshowered, and me still in my PJ’s.
But then I thought: I bet we can sneak in really quickly and no one will see us or notice us.
Of course, that’s not what ended up happening. 🙂
When we pulled up to the hotel, my good friend, Ruth, was pulling up at the very same time. We’d been counting the days until we got to see each other, so I was so thrilled to see her that I forgot completely about my messy, yoga-panted, no-makeup appearance and just jumped out of the car, squealed, and ran to her.
We hugged and laughed and acted like giddy little girls. And I couldn’t care less.
After checking into our hotel room, taking a quick shower, and getting a little makeup on, I spent the next hour and a half hanging out with Ruth and Michele — which was an unexpected gift that wouldn’t have happened had we not left as early as we did or had the hotel mix-up.
Most of all, I felt so grateful to have friends like Ruth. Not only is she a brilliant blogger and online entrepreneur, but she’s an amazing friend. She loves me for exactly who I am while also encouraging me to be the best version of myself I can be.
That, folks, is a very rare gift. And I don’t take it for granted.
I’m so very grateful to have friends who look past the messy imperfections in my life and who love me for exactly who I am — even when I show up in my PJ’s. 🙂
P.S. Want to hear the story of how Ruth and I met? Check out her blog post from this week here.
I’ll do you a favor and show you a picture of me when I was showered and out of my yoga pants! 😉 I was so blessed to get to hang out with Ruth and meet the amazing Edie for the first time this weekend. Spending time with these two was so refreshing and encouraging. Not to mention they are both hilarious… I think I’m sore from all the laughing we did, but it was so very worth it! 🙂
4 Tips to Stop Eating Out – Even if You Hate to Cook
Guest post from Alexa of Single Mums Income
It pains to me admit this, but June was the first time I haven’t eaten out for an entire month in years.
You see, over the past year I had developed a really bad habit: I started eating out all the time. To be honest, I was going through a drive thru about five times a week.
Something had to change.
In May of this year, I started cutting way back on our eating out; and in June, I stopped completely — cold turkey. I can proudly say that we didn’t eat at a restaurant one. single. time!
And it felt good.
I know there are many others out there, like me, who may be embarrassed to admit they have this same problem. So I want to offer you a solution. Here are a few suggestions to help you stop eating out, even if you hate to cook:
1.Get a Dishwasher
I’ve never had a dishwasher. My parents have never had a dishwasher.
After meals were cooked and the mess was made it was then time to roll up my sleeves and hand wash the dishes the old fashioned way. And between working and picking up after two young kids, cleaning up a big kitchen mess was the last thing I wanted to do.
That changed this year when I finally had access to a dishwasher. I cannot even begin to explain what a huge help this has been to me.
I discovered that I really didn’t hate cooking. I hated cleaning up the mess. The dishwasher I have is pretty old and could probably be found on Craigslist for $50 or less. But it gets the job done!
2. Stock Up at the Grocery Store
This might seem a little ironic but I’m actually pretty cheap. Yes, I would go through the drive thru five times a week but when it came to grocery shopping I wanted to spend as little money as possible.
I would buy the bare minimum.
At the beginning of June I decided I’d have to change my ways. Instead of buying the bare minimums I started stocking up on the things that I needed. This included buying several bags of chicken breasts when Kroger recently had a sale and also stocking up on flour, sugar, and other staples.
I also have a garden, so we’ve been using the produce from that for side dishes.
3. Keep Dinners Simple
Simple dinners work for me. I’m also incredibly lucky that my girls LOVE vegetables.
A dinner for us would be some type of meat (chicken several times per week) either cooked on the grill, crockpot, or baked and cut up vegetables on the side.
We’ve also made several batches of the best zucchini bread ever and froze a few loaves. I’ll often thaw some out and add it as a side.
4. Have Crockpot Dinners Handy
After seeing the 40 crockpot meals in 4 hours post I decided I’d do something similar. Instead of cooking 40 meals though, I keep about five in my freezer.
A family friend recently gave me a ton of roast they had from one of their cows and I’ve put several small roasts into freezer bags along with other ingredients.
Now on those busy days when I know I’m not going to cook I can just empty my freezer bag meals into the crockpot and come home to a nice, hot meal.
And the cleanup is a breeze.
My month-long experiment has taught me several things — one of the most important is that home cooked meals are so much better than anything you can get from a dollar menu.
I feel like I’ve turned a new leaf. Not only am I feeding me and my children healthier, more nutritious food, but I’m also saving hundreds of dollars a month!
FREE DOWNLOAD: 60 Meals To Help You Avoid Takeout!
Meal time just got so much easier!
Alexa is a work-from-home-mom who loves online business. When she’s not playing with her kids you can find her glued to her computer. She chronicles her journey as a single mother trying to make it big at Single Mums Income.
Swagbucks Paid for Our Emergency Kits
Today’s Swagbucks success story is from Emily:
I’m not by any means a “Doomsday Prepper” but I do have a realistic fear of some sort of catastrophe. I live in Las Vegas where water is supplied to the masses from the ever-shrinking Lake Mead. Should something happen that prevented water delivery to the city, I’m prepared thanks to Swagbucks!
I started using Swagbucks after seeing the numerous postings about it here on MoneySavingMom.com. I quickly got a good system going, and managed to get $25-50 each month while staying home with my little one. I used my Swagbucks for the Amazon Gift Cards and started ordering my emergency gear.
We now have three kits (as seen in the picture above). One kit for each vehicle and one for the house. Included are: emergency water packets, water purification tablets, lifestraw, emergency rations, Mylar blankets, hand crank radio/emergency beacon, and moist towelettes.
This is by no means a long term survival kit but I feel better knowing I have enough water to get my family to a more stable location. I use Swagbucks everyday so that I can get more supplies, such as first aid books, large water storage containers, and books regarding local plants and animals.