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Shared Aug 25, 2014 comment

Have you tried a business idea that ended up failing?

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 25, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Have you tried a business idea that worked really well for someone else but didn’t work at all for you? Have you put a lot of effort into a business idea that ended up flopping?

If your answer is yes to either of these questions, I would love to consider featuring your story in one of the chapters of my upcoming book. You can leave a comment sharing the details of your story (what the business idea was, why you tried it, and what the results were) or you can email your story to crystal @ moneysavingmom.com

I may contact you for further details if I need more information or want to clarify something.

Please note: We will be using some of the comments and emails in the book. If you’d rather we not use your story or would like to remain anonymous, please say say when commenting or emailing.

Shared Aug 25, 2014 comment

Rise & Shine Challenge: Day 6 {Is it possible to have a great morning if you have kids who are early risers?}

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 25, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Did you enjoy your weekend? We had a busy day on Saturday with lots of projects to accomplish, but our Sunday afternoon and evening was spent just totally relaxing and hanging out… which was such a nice change of pace after a very full week last week.

The interesting thing was that, even though I had told myself I could sleep in as late as I wanted to, I woke up both mornings by 7:30 a.m.! This might seem really “late” to those of you who always get up by 5 a.m. on the weekends, but I was excited because I fully expected that I’d sleep in until 8:30 a.m. as I often do on weekends. But nope, I think my body is starting to fully embrace this early to bed, early to rise thing again! 🙂

Today’s Rise & Shine Assignment

Today’s assignment is to really make your morning ritual a habit. Because I’ve been getting up and doing practically the same routine for years, it is very ingrained in me as a habit.

It looks a little different every morning, but it’s very rare for me to not start my day with Bible reading, writing in my Blessings journal, reading at least a few pages from a book, and praying over my day. It’s amazing how this refuels my tank and starts my day off well!

Now, some of you might be reading this and thinking, that’s a great idea to start your day off with some quiet reading, prayer, and reflection, but that would never work for me because my kids get up so early. Or, they’ll get up as soon as I wake up, no matter what time it is!

If you’re feeling like that, I encourage you not to be discouraged! Here are a few suggestions:

Have your child get to watch a special movie or show during that time. Just plan on it so you don’t feel guilty.

Let your child play an educational app for an allotted amount of time.

Have your child go back to their bedroom with a special basket of toys and let them know they can play quietly and come out when the timer goes off.

Have the child snuggle with you if you’re sitting and reading/having devotions.

I’m sure some others have some great suggestions here that I didn’t list. I’d love to hear your thoughts and suggestions on this topic, too!

This Morning’s Report

Got up at 5:30 a.m. I’m still hoping to start consistently getting up at 4:30 a.m., but I’m really happy that I’m at least consistently getting up by 5:30 a.m. *and* getting 7 or more hours of sleep every night. That’s a big accomplishment for me right now!
Headed downstairs and made coffee. Did a quick clean of a few things in the kitchen.
Brought the laundry downstairs from the upstairs hampers and started a load of laundry.
Straightened our room and bathroom.
Sat down with my cup of coffee and read my Bible, read a chapter from a devotional book, wrote in my Blessings Journal, and prayed over my day.
Answered emails and comments. Scheduled some posts. Sent a few project emails out to my team members.
Placed an order on Amazon. Updated and scheduled some posts on Pinterest.
Got the kids up and around and started on their morning routines. Switched the laundry from the washer to the dryer and started another load. Made sure the kids did their chores correctly.
The kids ate breakfast with Jesse while I finished up a little more computer work.
Taught Silas Kindergarten while the girls got started on their morning school. {I’m loving getting to teach Kindergarten again! This is such a fun grade to teach… especially because Silas is usually always eager and excited to do school!}
I made myself a bowl of oatmeal with a little chocolate and almond butter mixed in (yum!) and then sat down to help the girls with their school.
We finally finished our morning homeschooling, had a quick lunch, I started the dishwasher, and then Jesse took the kids to swim practice and I got a chance to sit down and do some more blogging work and write this post.
I have a few more projects to wrap up this afternoon and then I’m going to exercise, finally get in a shower, and tackle a mountain of laundry. And then we’re off to have dinner with friends tonight!

How was your morning this morning? What are your suggestions for having a good morning routine or quiet time even if you have early risers?

Shared Aug 25, 2014 comment

5 Ways to Save Money on Doing Laundry

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 25, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Guest post from Sarah of Saving Money Never Goes Out of Style

The laundry room may be one of the last places most people think of when it comes to saving money. The truth is though, it is one of the easiest places to pinch your pennies! Here are some tips for saving money in the laundry room:

1. Make your own detergent.

One of the easiest ways to save money in the laundry room is to make your own detergent. You can do this with just a few low-cost ingredients and it really gets your clothing clean very well! The cost of making your soap is just pennies per load and when you do it this way, you save yourself from needless chemicals as well.

When the weather is warm, you can also save money by giving up your dryer. Hanging clothes to dry not only saves you money off your energy bill, but might extend the life of your clothing as well because you won’t be using any high heat. Plus, taking a break from using your dryer also extends the dryer’s life!

If making your own detergent sounds like it won’t work for you, (although it really only takes about 15 minutes of your time!) make sure to stock up on sales and use coupons when you can. This last year, I have seen Tide on sale for $3.99 and with my dollar off coupon, it only ends up being $2.99 for a 32 ounce jug.

2. Use less.

This applies to soap, but it also applies to fabric softener. If you feel you need fabric softener, opt for dryer sheets instead of the bar and cut them in half. You still get the great scent and softening of clothes that you like, and this will make a box last twice as long.

Did you know you can make your own scented “dryer sheets”? While they may not have the same effect on clothes to soften them, most people like dryer sheets because of the scent.

To get the same effect, just have a couple rags or make your own wool balls and try this trick. Drop a couple drops of essential oil onto your rag or wool ball and throw it in the dryer with your clothes. They will come out smelling amazing and each load costs you less than a cent!

3. Only do full loads.

You will be using the same amount of energy to wash and dry a half load as you will with a full load, so make sure each load that you do is full sized. That said, don’t over-stuff your machine as this damages it and could cost you more in repairs.

Doing a half-load doesn’t make much sense when you think about it in terms of saving money.

4. Have fewer clothes to wash in the first place.

Many of us have too many clothes! I know I was constantly doing the kids’ laundry and I wasn’t even sure how dirty it was.

One day, I just got sick of doing it every day. I thought to myself, “There’s no way they could possibly be wearing all these clothes.” Since then, I’ve scaled way back.

Each child is only allowed to have 20 outfits in their room at a time. That is almost 3 weeks of every day wear and more than plenty.

Believe it or not, I sold half of their clothes! I made money AND I don’t have to wash as many clothes!

5. Wear things more than once.

This is a money saver as well as a time saver. Some things can be worn or used multiple times before needing a good washing: jeans, bath towels, pajamas, etc. Even some things like what you wear to church for only one hour can sometimes be worn again before washing.

How do you like to save in the laundry room? Did I miss anything?

Sarah is a stay-at-home mom of two wonderful children. From homeless to well-off, this single debt-free mom is most known for her ability to live well on $18k/year. Sarah loves encouraging others that dreams do come true if they are willing to consistently work for it. Follow her blog: Saving Money Never Goes Out of Style.

Shared Aug 23, 2014 comment

Do you have a successful business or know someone who does? I want to hear from you!

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 23, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Thank you so very much for helping me with the researching process for my next book. I am so appreciative of your answers to my questions so far and have already included quite a few of your thoughts as quotes or examples in the book. Keep them coming!

Today, I’m writing to ask for more help:

I’m looking for women who have their own successful business. It can be an online business, an offline business, or a business that is a little of both.

I want to hear your stories — how you got started, how you’ve grown your business, and how you’ve been able to impact others through your business.

I’m especially looking to profile women who have started a business and been able to use part of the funds from their earnings to make a difference — either in their family’s finances, in their community, or globally. It can be something big — like starting an orphanage — or it can be that your business helped you pay cash for a vehicle for your family.

If you have a success story to share, can you leave a comment on this post or email me (crystal @ moneysavingmom.com) telling me your story? I may follow up with you to clarify on details or ask for more information.

Also, if you know of someone who has a success story to share, could you direct them to this post and ask them to email me, too. I’m so excited to share some of your stories and introduce my readers to some of your businesses through the pages of my book!

Please note: We will be using some of the comments and emails in the book. If you’d rather we not use your story or would like to remain anonymous, please say say when commenting or emailing.

photo credit

Shared Aug 23, 2014 comment

Gretchen’s $55 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 23, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Aldi

2 Cucumbers – $0.59 each (I will get $0.25 back from Checkout 51.)

1 lb Butter – $2.69

1 Honey Bear – $2.99

1 loaf Bread – $0.99

1 Cantaloupe – $0.99

2 Strawberries – $1.25 each

2 Avocados – $0.33 each

1 bag Flour Tortillas – $1.19

1 pkg Kitchen Trash Bags – $4.99

1 can Refried Beans – $0.79

1 pkg Roma Tomatoes – $1.19 (I will get $0.25 back from Checkout 51.)

1 pkg Carrots – $0.99

Total with tax ($1.51): $22.66

Dillons

2 half gallons Milk – $1.34 each

1 half gallon Buttermilk – Marked down to $0.10 (I couldn’t pass this up! I’m going to make buttermilk biscuits and pancakes to freeze. I don’t think I’ve ever bought buttermilk before since I always just make my own so I’m curious to see if it tastes any better with the real stuff.) 🙂

1 Kroger Cottage Cheese – $1.25

1 pkg Raspberries – $0.99

0.71 lb Broccoli @ $1.59/lb – $1.13

1 Lettuce – $0.99

1 Kroger Frozen Hashbrowns – $1.99

1 Kroger Dishwasher Detergent – $3.49

2 cans Green Beans – $0.44

1 Kentucky Legend Ham Steak – $2.99

1 lb Simple Truth Ground Beef – Marked down to $3.34

2 bags Kroger Shredded Cheese – $2 each

1 pkg Chicken Drumsticks – $5.59

1 bag Life Is Good Coffee – Marked down to $2.25 (I’ve never tried this coffee before. It is normally over $9 but they had all the Life Is Good coffee on clearance. I’m anxious to try it!)

Total with tax ($2.18): $32.72

Total for all grocery items: $55.38 (And I will also get $0.50 back from Checkout 51.)

Menu Plan for This Week

Breakfasts

Oatmeal, Scrambled Eggs/Fruit, Toast, Cereal, Smoothies

Lunches

Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches, Macaroni & Cheese, Tossed Salad, Fruit/Veggies/Crackers, Leftovers

Dinners

Baked Chicken Drumsticks (this package will last us 2 meals so I will freeze half of it), Fruit

Beef & Cheese Noodle Bake, Tossed Salad, Peas (from freezer)

Hashbrown Casserole (I will be doubling this and putting one casserole in the freezer), Buttermilk Biscuits, Cantaloupe

Spaghetti with Garlic Chicken Gravy, Green Beans, Tossed Salad

Deer Roast, Potatoes, Carrots, Blueberry Muffins

Brown Bag Burritos (I will make the full recipe and freeze half of them), Tossed Salad

Date Night (using a gift card I earned from MyPoints.com)

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Shared Aug 22, 2014 comment

Rise & Shine Challenge: Day 5

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 22, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

We made it to Day 5! Are you still hanging in there and making progress?

I have definitely made progress this week… I haven’t had a perfect record this week of getting up at 4:30 a.m. every morning as I’d planned. But I am encouraged by the progress I’ve made.

Last night and this morning, I didn’t do so well, though. But it was for a good reason!

I had a chapter of my book due to turn into my editor by last night. When 9 p.m. rolled around, it still needed some more work. So I stayed up for an extra two hours to finish it.

Gratefully, I knew today was going to be a pretty quiet day with a short to-do list, so I was able to sleep in to make up for my late night last night.

I guess it kind of makes me feel better to confess I got up at 7:15 a.m. this morning when I read today’s email and assignment on Early Rising Isn’t For Everyone. 🙂

I’d also say that early rising is not for every season or every single day. Like last night, when I had a project that needed to be completed, I was good with giving myself grace and just re-arranging my schedule.

That’s life, isn’t it?

Starting My Day Off Well

One thing I’ve tried to make a habit of is starting my day with a few of the same things — no matter what time I get up. These are things that recharge my soul, refresh my spirit, and just plain get me ready to face the day.

For me, that’s writing in my Blessings Journal, reading a few chapters from the Bible, praying for the day (I often pray through my day — all the projects, the opportunities, and the potentially difficult or stressful things.), reading a chapter from my current devotional/inspirational book, and exercising.

It’s amazing how much of a difference it makes when I start my day with these things. If I get up later and don’t have a lot of time in the mornings, I will often just condense the time — maybe only read one chapter, skip the devotional reading, and pray while I’m running on the treadmill.

Taking 30 to 45 minutes every day to start my day in this way has made such a major impact on my life… and helps me start the day with the right focus and perspective.

This Morning’s Report

Got up at 7:15 a.m.
Made coffee. Read my Bible and devotional books. Prayed over my day.
Opened the laptop, answered emails, answered comments, and scheduled some posts. Got sucked into reading something online… and then wished I hadn’t because it was upsetting! 🙁
Did a quick pick up of the main living areas of the home (I didn’t get this done last night like I usually try to.)
Started some laundry, and got the kids up and helped them get ready for the morning. There was some whining and complaining going on because some people didn’t want to have eggs again and instead wanted oatmeal or cereal — but our bulk order of oatmeal and cereal hasn’t arrived yet from Amazon, so we had a good opportunity to talk about gratitude and contentment. And I tried to keep my cool when I wanted to be frustrated at the lack of good attitudes so early in the day. I was mostly successful.
While the kids were finishing up their morning routines, I quickly exercised, showered, and dressed.
And then it was time to start our day!

How was your morning? How do you start your day in a way that refreshes you? I’d love to hear!

Shared Aug 22, 2014 comment

What comes to mind when you hear the words “financial freedom”?

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 22, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Earlier this week, I gave you a little peek into what my next book is going to be about and told you that I was going to be asking for your help during the writing process.

THANK YOU to everyone who left comments or emailed in with your answers to my first two questions. Your insight was incredible helpful as I shape this book.

Thank you for sharing so openly about your struggles, difficulties, setbacks, and fears. My hope is to address as many of these as possible in the book.

Today, I have a quick question for you: What comes to your mind when you hear the words “financial freedom”? What does that mean to you? What does that look like for you?

Share your answers in the comments or email them to crystal @ moneysavingmom.com. There are no right or wrong answers. I’m especially looking for one-sentence answers to use in a section of the book.

Note: I will be using some of your answers in the book, so if you don’t feel comfortable having your comment or email published in the book, please note that when you submit it.

photo credit

Shared Aug 21, 2014 comment

Rise & Shine Challenge: Day 4

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

I’m very late in getting this posted, but this morning, afternoon, and evening just flew by and I finally have a chance to sit down and get this written! That’s life sometimes, isn’t it? Thanks for your patience as I’m not always the most dependable blogger ever. 🙂

I got up at 5:15 a.m. this morning. And I’m thrilled because today I felt really rested and energized when I got up. I’m hopeful that my body is starting to adjust to me being on an early-to-rise schedule again?

My One Nightly Must-Do: Create Tomorrow’s To-Do List

Today’s assignment is about creating a nightly checklist to encourage you to have better mornings. I love this idea and think it can be key to successful mornings.

I shared my evening routine yesterday — which sort of serves as my checklist. But I wanted to share one thing that has really helped me to wake up, jump into my day, and be more productive.

That one simple thing is to create a to-do list the night before. This one small thing makes a world of difference for my day. And I find that I sleep better, too, because I have mentally gone through the next day, thought through all the must-do’s and activities, and have created a plan for the day.

This simple exercise frees up so much space in my brain and truly relaxes me.

How it usually works is that I consult my Google Calendar (aka my “brain”) and see what is on tap for the next day — whether that’s a writing project that’s due, a phone call that must be made, an interview that is scheduled, an errand I need to run, or an activity one of my children has going on.

Once I’ve looked over my day, I then plan out our routine. We have a basic routine we follow everyday, but it varies based upon what needs to be done and what’s going on. So every evening, I write out my plan for the next day — including time blocks of when I plan to do everything.

This has been crucial for me, because it not only helps me go into the day with a Game Plan, but it also helps me to know if I need to bump some things I’d planned to do to another day or delete something I’d hoped to do altogether. I only have 24 hours in a day and planning accordingly instead of trying to cram in 36 hours’ worth of work into the day and then being frustrated and overwhelmed makes a huge difference!

I always try to include two to three hours of Margin Time — time when I don’t have anything scheduled. This is typically from 6-9 p.m. It doesn’t always end up being completely empty, but it allows wiggle room to finish things or catch up on laundry when inevitable interruptions or unexpected things come up throughout the day. It’s my sanity-saver!

This Morning’s Report

Got up at 5:15 a.m.
Read my Bible and devotional books. Prayed over my day.
Made some coffee, unloaded the dishwasher and reloaded it.
Started the laundry. Made Trim Healthy Mama Pancakes (My second try turned out beautifully — yay! You can see pictures of my first flop and my second success here.)
Exercised.
Finally had a chance to wash my hair. (I usually wash it every three days, but I had gone for six days without washing it. Yikes!)
Opened the laptop, answered emails, answered comments, scheduled some posts.
And then it was time to start homeschooling. 🙂

How has your morning been so far? Do you have a Nightly Checklist? If so, what’s on it? If not, what would you LIKE it to look like?

Shared Aug 21, 2014 comment

My Worst Critic

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

My friend and “neighbor” Jon Acuff has a fantastic post up today about your worst critic.

It’s so worth the read! Now to just live this.

{Note: Okay, so the Acuffs aren’t technically neighbors because they live like 7 minutes away, but that’s considered neighbors in these here parts of the country! :)}

Shared Aug 21, 2014 comment

The Cost of Raising a Child

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

I told you yesterday that I’d been asked to comment on a media story about the USDA’s prediction that it costs $245,000 to raise a child.

Your comments and thoughts on this topic were so interesting. There were lots of differing viewpoints and perspectives!

The article I was interviewed for was posted today on TheStir.com for those who are interested in reading it. Here’s a snippet:

Before even becoming a mom, one of the most common warnings you’ll hear from other parents is how expensive it can be to raise children. As it turns out, they’re right.

Families who had a baby in 2013 can expect to spend on average $245,340 until the child is 18, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s just-released annual report, Expenditures on Children by Families. That’s between $12,800 and $14,970 a year for a middle-income family with two parents, depending on the kids’ ages.

Angela Hawkins, 33, a mom of three in the suburbs of Houston, is living proof that the numbers don’t lie.

She shared her household budget with The Stir and estimated that she and her husband Shane will spend about $270,000 per child by the time they turn 18.

“The figures can be overwhelming,” Angela admits.

So where exactly does all that money go?

Read the full post here for the price breakdown details on how much this family is spending and some tips from other money-saving folks on how to cut costs (with one on cutting your food costs from yours truly!)

I found the figures she shared interesting and insightful. And, of course, my frugal brain came up with lots of suggestions and ideas for ways to possibly lower those costs. 🙂

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Shared Aug 20, 2014 comment

A Peek Into Our 12-Day Road Trip

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

It feels like we were on a road trip the whole month of August. Truthfully, it was only 12 days… but that’s a long time to be on the road! And it came right after a 5-day roadtrip to North Carolina and South Carolina, so that made it feel longer than it was, I think.

We’re not quite finished with road-tripping, because we’re headed back to South Carolina next week. I was planning to fly there for a few days to spend time with a few of my close friends, but as we looked at the map and realized it was well within an easy day’s driving distance, Jesse suggested we just drive and he’d take the kids sight-seeing during the days I was with my friends.

It’s weird because we used to not really be a road trip kind of family at all. But I think as our kiddos have gotten older and now that Jesse and I are both self-employed and can work anywhere, we’re probably going to become more and more of a road-tripping family.

Our kids love visiting new areas and studying the history, we can homeschool on the road (our core curriculum this year is the Monarch Online Homeschool Curriculum for the girls and LIFEPAC Kindergarten for Silas), and we’ve learned how to travel very inexpensively by using hotel points accrued through my business travel (we always sign up for the rewards programs for everywhere we stay and it’s amazing how quickly the points have built up this past year!), gift cards earned through Swagbucks (in big part to the many of you who have signed up through my referral link! Thank you!), and looking for the best deals in whatever area we’re going to be traveling to.

The first stop in our 12-day trip was to spend the week with my entire extended family on Bull Shoals Lake. This is a yearly tradition that we’ve had even before I was married.

Our kids had a blast being with all their cousins on my side of the family. It’s so fun to see them all growing up!

The highlight for me of our time at the lake was going jet-skiing with my husband. It’s been a big year for us as a family and there have been many hard moments in the midst of some pretty big life changes, and I’m so grateful that our marriage has stayed strong through it. Truly, I love my man so much more than I did than when I married him 11 years ago… and I didn’t think that was possible.

{Note: That does not mean that there haven’t been many tense moments and harsh words and even all out arguments. Trust me, we’ve had more arguments and fights in the past three months than we’ve probably had in our whole married life, but we’re truly growing together instead of apart. And I’m so very grateful for that. Our commitment these five things have been key to helping our marriage stay strong in the middle of the storms of life these past few months.}

Another wonderful memory of the trip was when my older sister (Brigette), my younger sister (Gretchen), and I somehow managed to all fit on the tube at the same time for a wild tube ride courtesy of Dad, the boat driver. There was much laughter, squealing, and holding on for dear life, but we had a blast! 🙂

After our time at Bull Shoals Lake, we headed for a day and a half in Springfield, MO to take a breather. And trust me, when I say “breather”, I mean that quite literally.

We slept, we watched movies, I worked on my next book some, and we just totally took it easy for a day and a half. We’ve found our kids need some “down” days on longer vacations otherwise it’s just too tiring for them and then that turns into a cranky situation… for kids and parents alike. 😉

We then went and met up with Jesse’s extended family in Branson, MO. Growing up, we went to Silver Dollar City just about every single year from the time I was a toddler. We have so many, many wonderful memories there and we’ve tried to take our kids there every year to carry on the tradition of my childhood.

After going to Disney World for the first time earlier this year, I realized that, for me, Silver Dollar City is one of my “happiest places on earth.” {Yes, I know, sorry Disney. You don’t hold a candle to Silver Dollar City, in my humble opinion.}

Word to the wise: if a ride at Silver Dollar City warns you that you will get bathtub wet, they aren’t kidding. We had so much fun, so it was worth being sopping wet.

{I was so soaked, I went in the restroom, and wrung my clothes out. I probably wrung out at least a few cups of water. I kid you not.}

Our last stop in Missouri: Bass Pro Shops… One of the boys’ favorite stores in existence. I’m pretty sure they could spend hours in there and never run out of things to look at. 🙂

As for me, I chose to have a cheerful attitude and go along with it even though it’s one of my least favorite stores. And it ended up being a fun family outing!

And this is my favorite picture of the whole trip. Why? Because it represents me punching my fears and “I can’ts” right smack dab in face. And it gives me courage to continue to showing up and living with wholehearted courage. You can read the story behind this picture here, in case you missed it.

How have the past two weeks gone for you? Did anything interesting or exciting happen at your house?

Shared Aug 20, 2014 comment

Gretchen’s Walgreens Shopping Trip: Spent $6.85 out of pocket for $34 worth of products

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

Walgreens Shopping Trip

Transaction #1

1 Almay Eye Shadow – $5.99 (Buy 1, Get $3 Register Rewards)
Used $4/1 coupon from the 8/10 SmartSource insert

1 Walgreens Perfection Tampons – $1.49 (Buy 1, Get $1.50 Register Rewards)

Total: $3.48, Received $4.50 Register Rewards

Transaction #2

1 Almay Mascara – $5.99 (Buy 1, Get $3 Register Rewards)
Used $4/1 coupon from the 8/10 SmartSource insert

1 (4 pk) Kid’s Plastic Bowls – Marked down to $0.50 (filler item)

Used $1.50 Register Rewards from Transaction #1

Total: $0.99, Received $3 Register Rewards

Transaction #3

We really needed diapers so I decided to use the rest of my Register Rewards to get them inexpensively.

1 Huggies Diapers – $9

2 Wexford Eraser Caps – $0.19 each with in-ad coupon

Used $6 Register Rewards from Transactions #1 & #2

Redeemed 1,000 points (like $1)

Total: $2.38

Total for all transactions before coupons, sales and Register Rewards: $34.14

Total for all transactions after coupons, sales and Register Rewards: $6.85

Shared Aug 20, 2014 comment

We Paid Cash: A New Patio

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

A testimony from Julie from The Family CEO

When we bought our house 13 years ago, one of the things we liked best about it was the patio off the dining room. We loved the shape of the patio, the curved steps leading down to it, and the fact that it allowed us to enjoy our private back yard with a tree line running the length of it.

Fast forward ten years or so, and that same patio was shifting and settling and becoming less and less enjoyable, even a little bit dangerous.

We nursed the patio through another summer or two because we wanted to pay for the improvements in cash. Eventually we had the money to tear out the old patio and put in a new one without using any debt. We kept the same shape of the patio and the curved steps we loved. But we made it larger and including a seating wall and some outdoor lighting.

Now we’re enjoying not only the new patio, but the satisfaction of knowing that it was paid for in cash.

Here’s what helped us pull it off:

1. We’ve paid off a lot of debt.

Getting rid of a couple of car payments, some credit card balances, and a home equity loan in the last five years or so has meant that more of our cash flow each month is ours to keep. In the time leading up to the new patio construction, we were able to add to our savings most months and also set aside a bonus or two, which would have normally been applied to debt.

2. We delayed gratification.

We weren’t able to replace the patio at the first sign of an unsettled brick. We had to live through a few years of settling and even some exposed rebar before we felt ready to take on the expense of replacement.

3. We scaled back our expectations.

Our original plan was to build a deck off the kitchen that wrapped around the house and met up with the new patio off the dining room. We got several bids on that and realized that the cost of doing that – along with an easement complication – meant that plan wasn’t in the cards.

We adjusted our plan to include only the new patio off the dining room, with some terraced steps leading down to the lower part of the yard. It’s not quite what we had envisioned, but it’s still a lovely space. And we may someday do the deck in a scaled back “phase 2”.

Julie is a freelance writer and blogger specializing in personal finance and lifestyle topics. She blogs at The Family CEO.

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

Shared Aug 20, 2014 comment

Does it cost $245,340 to raise a child?

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

I was asked by a news outlet today if I would share some commentary around this recent report from the USDA on how much it costs to raise a child. Here’s the blurb on it from The Boston Globe:

A message for new parents: Get ready for sticker shock.

A child born in 2013 will cost a middle-income American family an average of $245,340 until he or she reaches age 18. And it’s more in the Northeast, roughly $282,480, according to a report out Monday.

The cost does not include college, or expenses if a child lives at home after age 17.

Those costs that are included — food, housing, child care, and education — rose 1.8 percent over the previous year, the Agriculture Department report said. Adjusting for projected inflation, a child born last year could cost a middle-income family an average of $304,480, the report added.

In 1960, the first year the report was issued, a middle-income family could spend about $25,230, equivalent to $198,560 in 2013 dollars, to raise a child. Housing costs are the greatest child-rearing expense, as they were in the 1960s, but current-day costs like child care were negligible back then. Housing expenses made up roughly 30 percent of the total cost of raising a child.

I found the prices fascinating and enjoyed getting to answer some questions on how to cut costs for this particular media piece. (I’ll let you know if and when it goes live — they may or may not use any of my commentary, but regardless, it was a great exercise to think through.)

What do YOU think? Does it cost $245,340 or more to raise a child to age 17? Have you ever calculated how much you’re spending on raising your kids? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Shared Aug 20, 2014 comment

Rise & Shine Challenge: Day 3

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

Good morning! How’s your morning going so far today? I “slept in” until 5:30 a.m. this morning.

I was in bed by 9:45 p.m., but when my alarm went off at 4:30 a.m. this morning, I could tell an extra hour of sleep would do my body good. Because I’m trying to do a much better job of giving myself grace these days, I set my alarm for 5:30 a.m. and went back to bed. And it felt so good.

Today’s assignment is about getting better sleep. I typically sleep really well. In fact, my husband jokes that it’s basically impossible to wake me up in the middle of the night if a child needs me and that he’s the one who always takes the night shift if a child is sick… which is somewhat accurate — at least the part about me being hard to wake up! 🙂

Unless I have some big something the following day and am feeling anxious or nervous about it, I sleep like a rock most nights. And I feel blessed that sleep is not an issue that I struggle with most of the time, because I know that many people do struggle with it.

That said, since committing to going to bed earlier, I’ve noticed that I’ve struggled to get to sleep at night. So I like the idea of being intentional about winding down at night in order to encourage restful sleep.

As I thought about it more, I realized that I actually do have a pretty solid Evening Routine/Before Bed Ritual — or whatever you want to call it. 🙂

My Current Bedtime Ritual

Here’s how it typically looks for me (note that I don’t always do all of these things, but I usually do most of these in this order):

::Do a quick clean up the kitchen/main living areas of the home — There’s something about waking up to a clean house in the morning that just feels SO good!

::Consult Google Calendar and write a to-do list for the following day.

::Wash face, take out my contacts, take pills/vitamins.

::Snuggle with my kiddos and send them off to bed. (Confession: I sometimes fall asleep right here — and then Jesse has to send them off to bed!)

::Make a cup of soothing tea and slather some essential oils or lotion on my feet.

::Turn off the electronics.

::Climb into bed. Chat with my hubby. Fall asleep.

The biggest thing for me is to start planning to go to bed at least an hour and a half before I actually plan to get in bed. It seems to take me that long to get everything done without feeling like I’m rushing through!

This Morning’s Report

Got up at 5:30 a.m.
Read my Bible and devotional books. Prayed over my day.
Made some coffee, opened my laptop and answered emails & comments.
Scheduled some posts — including this one asking for your input on my book.
Jesse came back from the gym and got Kathrynne up. They made breakfast together, and then she started on her independent work. We decided to let Silas & Kaitlynn sleep in this morning as they both seemed like they could use the extra sleep. 🙂
Finished this post.
And now I’m off exercise and shower, start the laundry, make some breakfast for myself (I’m going to try the Trim Healthy Mama Pancakes this morning), and help the kids with their chores and start in on our homeschooling for the day. We’re getting a later start because I “slept in” but we have a quieter day today so I think it will work out. And here’s to hoping I get in bed by my actual bedtime of 9:00 p.m. tonight!

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Summer Bucket List

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Today’s Rise & Shine Assignment

This Morning’s Report

How was your morning this morning? What are your suggestions for having a good morning routine or quiet time even if you have early risers?

1. Make your own detergent.

2. Use less.

3. Only do full loads.

4. Have fewer clothes to wash in the first place.

5. Wear things more than once.

Aldi

Dillons

Menu Plan for This Week

Breakfasts

Lunches

Dinners

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Starting My Day Off Well

This Morning’s Report

How was your morning? How do you start your day in a way that refreshes you? I’d love to hear!

My One Nightly Must-Do: Create Tomorrow’s To-Do List

This Morning’s Report

How has your morning been so far? Do you have a Nightly Checklist? If so, what’s on it? If not, what would you LIKE it to look like?

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How have the past two weeks gone for you? Did anything interesting or exciting happen at your house?

Walgreens Shopping Trip

1. We’ve paid off a lot of debt.

2. We delayed gratification.

3. We scaled back our expectations.

My Current Bedtime Ritual

This Morning’s Report

How has your morning been so far? Do you have a bedtime routine of sorts? If so, what does it look like? If not, what would you LIKE it to look like?

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