Saving Families Money Since 2007
Today’s questions is from Jessica:
I recently had my second child and left the corporate work force to stay at home with my children. Do your readers have any advice to make this transition go as smoothly as possible? I want to maximize my time with my children (2 years and 3 mo.) since I have been blessed with this opportunity.
Do you have a question you’d like to ask Money Saving Mom® readers? Read the submission guidelines and submit it here.
Target Shopping Trip
6 Dial for Men Bodywash – $2.99 each (Buy 3, Get 1 Dial Hand Soap refill FREE)
Used 3 $2/2 printable2 Dial Antibacterial Hand Soap Refill – $3.99 each (Free since I bought 6 Dial bodywash)
Used $1/2 printableUsed $5/$15 Target mobile coupon
Total before coupons and sales: $26.84
Total with tax ($0.92) after coupons and sales: $6.86 (I will also get $1 back from Ibotta for buying the Hand Soap.)
Are you joining us for the 12 Months to a Healthier You Challenge? If so, it’s time for our weekly check-in to post our progress.
We’re focusing on developing the habit reading more. I grow and learn so much through the books I read — which is why I included this as part of the 12 Months to a Healthier You challenge. I think filling our mind with good things can transform our whole life — from the inside out.
New to this challenge? Read more details on the plan for this year here.
My Reading Challenge for July
I’m hoping to read at least 20 books in July.
I’m also hoping to keep up with January’s habit of exercising at least 4-5 times every week, February’s goal of eating a big salad at least six times a week, March’s goal of drinking 8 glasses of water a day, April’s goal of cutting back on sugar, May’s goal of getting at least 7.5 hours of sleep every night, and June’s goal of sticking with my morning routine
I read 4 books last week — yay! That’s progress over last week’s 2 books. And since we’re taking a roadtrip this week, I’m hopeful that I’ll have time to read even more. We’ll see!
I hit my water goals six of the days, ate a salad six days, got around 8 hours of sleep almost every single night (woot!), did a fairly good job of sticking with my morning routine, exercised 4 times, and had dessert once. I’m so encouraged with how these challenges are actually turning into true habits for me — and hopefully lifelong changes!
How Are YOU Doing?
Leave a comment telling us how you did on your exercise goals this past week. If you’re blogging about this challenge, leave the direct link to your blog post about the challenge below. Are you on social media? You can also share your progress on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter by using hashtag #12MonthstoaHealthierYou.
We’re headed to North Carolina and South Carolina for a family road trip. Not only will we be enjoying some family time together, but I’ll be attending the SheSpeaks conference and we’ll be spending time with my older sister, Brigette, and her family. Because of this, I’m just setting six goals to keep things simple and realistic. 🙂
Last Week’s Goals:
Marriage/Mothering/Homemaking Goals
1. Read 4 chapters of The Four-Story Mistake and read 4 chapters of The Mouse and the Motorcycle. We did quite a bit of reading, but didn’t hit this
2. Have a movie night with Jesse.
3. Try making a Homemade Latte.4. Make more Homemade Lip Gloss with Kaitlynn.
Personal Goals
5. Work on reviewing and memorizing Romans 1 and Romans 2:1.
6. Exercise 4 times.7. Go to bed by 10:30 p.m. every week night.
8. Finish reading
Breathe, I Thought It Was Just Me (But It Isn’t),Wine Bar Theory,True Beauty, Atlas Girl,Unstuff, and The Traitor’s Wife.Business Goals
9. Shoot two videos for an upcoming media project.
10. Finish all the details and writing the copy for an upcoming product launch.
This Week’s Goals:
Marriage/Mothering/Homemaking Goals
1. Read 4 chapters of The Four-Story Mistake and read 4 chapters of The Mouse and the Motorcycle.
2. Have a movie night with Jesse.
3. Write a love note to Jesse.
Personal Goals
4. Work on reviewing and memorizing Romans 1 and Romans 2:1.
5. Finish reading I Thought It Was Just Me (But It Isn’t), Atlas Girl, Between Walden and the Whirlwind, The Opposite of Me, Made for More, Essentialism, and A Proper Pursuit.
Business Goals
6. Finish all the details and writing the copy for an upcoming product launch.
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.
VintageRomanceStyle.com shows you how to she completely renovated her bathroom for less than $100.
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.
I woke up this morning knowing something was really wrong.
One of my eyes seemed all cloudy and blurry.
I rubbed it. I washed my face. I tried going downstairs to see if a change of scenery would help.
I tried blinking multiple times. I waited ten minutes thinking maybe I just needed to wake up more or something.
Nothing. It was still all blurry and cloudy.
I started getting concerned… thinking through everything I’d done the day before, everything I’d eaten, how I’d slept.
Finally, I told Jesse that something was wrong with my eyesight. I confessed I was even worried I was going to slowly lose my eyesight (I know, I know, I’m a total worst case scenario person!)
And then it hit me: had I taken out both contacts last night? I was sure I had, but just to rule out every possibility, I stuck my finger in the eye that wasn’t blurry and starting swiping it to see if my contact was still there.
Um, yup. It totally was.
So instead of losing my eyesight, I appear to be losing my brain… because I somehow managed to only take out one contact last night before bed. Don’t ask me how, but I guess it’s better than accidentally showing up to some event and forgetting to get dressed (I have dreams that I do this all. the. time.)
I felt pretty dumb at this point. I mean, here I was running through all these scenarios of losing my eyesight and the problem was incredibly simple: I had a contact in one eye and didn’t have a contact in the other eye. This threw my vision out of whack and made one eye seem very, very blurry.
As I went about my morning, I not only felt relieved, but I also began thinking about how a change of perspective can change everything. Sometimes, it’s not exactly what meets the eye (pun fully intended).
For instance, not too long ago, I got a comment from a reader who was very upset that I had posted a picture of a Starbucks cup. She was upset that I’d spend so much money buying coffee when it’s so much cheaper to make it yourself. She went so far as to say she wasn’t sure if she could keep reading my blog because it seemed hypocritical for me to blog about frugal living and drink Starbucks at the same time.
While I completely understand that a picture of a Starbucks drink on MoneySavingMom.com might seem like a contradiction, it’s not always what it seems at first glance. In the case of the Starbucks cup, it was a coffee I’d bought at the airport, because you can’t bring homemade coffee through security (I wish!).
In addition, it was only plain coffee, not some fancy drink (coffee is actually one of the cheapest drinks you can buy at the airport). Plus, in this instance, the conference I was traveling to speak at, had given me a generous food allowance for everyday and was reimbursing me for all food expenses. And not only that, but I actually used a Starbucks gift card I’d earned from Swagbucks to pay for my coffee.
So you see, it’s not always what meets the eye. A change of perspective can make a big difference.
Now, I don’t say all of this because I feel the need to defend myself for occasionally drinking Starbucks coffee. I share this because it was a good lesson for me: I can be quick to jump to conclusions or judge based upon the appearance of what something seems when I don’t know all of the facts.
In the future, I want to remember that it’s not always what it seems. Before I criticize someone or get frustrated or worked up over something, I want to first make sure I know all the facts.
Because sometimes, I just need to change my perspective. Well, and make sure that I actually take both of my contacts out, too. 🙂
My friend, Ruth, who blogs over at Living Well Spending Less has a fantastic post up showing you how to make 10 Freezer Meals in just one hour!
There’s even a free printable with instructions and labels for your freezer meals.
I stopped by my local health food store this week right and scored quite a few good deals! I will be freezing a lot of these things so they will last longer.
5 pints Blueberries – $0.99 each (This is cheaper than Aldi!)
2 Organic Girl Greens – Marked down to $0.99 each
1 Super Crackers – Marked down to $0.99
1 Rudi’s Cracked Wheat Bread – Marked down to $0.99
1 Udi’s Gluten/Dairy Free Cinnamon Raisin Bread – Marked down to $0.99
1 pkg Pita Bread – Marked down to $0.99
Total with tax: $11.66
1 dozen Eggs – $1.29
1 gallon Milk – $2.69
1 Cottage Cheese – $2.29
1 Carrots – $0.99
1 can Black Beans – $0.59
1 bag Oranges – $2.99
1 Celery – $1.19
1 Flour Tortillas – $1.19
1 Old Fashioned Oats – $2.29
1 Cauliflower – $1.69
3 Cucumbers – $0.59 each
1 Strawberries – $1.25
1 Salsa – $1.69
Total with tax: $23.48
1 Welch’s Natural Jelly – $2.99
3 Chicken of the Sea Tuna – $0.79 each, used $0.75/3 printable – $0.54 each after coupon
1 Kroger Natural Peanut Butter – $1.67
2 Mott’s Fruit Snacks – $1.50 each, used $0.60/2 printable – $1.20 each after coupon and I will get $0.50 back from SavingStar
1 Angel Soft Bath Tissue – $1.25
1 Kroger Table Salt – $0.49
1 Kroger Baking Powder – $1.19
2 Chex Mix – $1 each, used $0.60/2 printable – $0.70 each after coupon and I will get $0.50 back from SavingStar (We have a vacation coming up in a few weeks and I thought these would be great for the trip. I always try to plan ahead and keep my eyes open for good deals on snacks starting several weeks before a vacation.)
1 Green Giant Sweet Potato Chips – $1, used $0.50/1 e-coupon – $0.50 after coupon
1 bag Kroger Brown Rice – $1
2.30 lbs Bananas @ $0.59/lb – $1.36
1 Red Leaf Lettuce – $0.99
0.55 lbs Broccoli Crowns @ $1.59/lb – $0.87
1 Kroger Detergent – $3.99, used Free coupon from mailer – Free after coupon
1 Suave Shampoo – $1.99, used $2/1 coupon from mailer – Free after coupon
3 Kraft Shredded Cheese – $2.99 each, used $1.50/1 e-coupon – $2.49 each after coupon (This e-coupon stated that I could use it up to 5 times in one transaction but it only came off once. I was terribly disappointed because I could have gotten the cheese cheaper at Aldi. Oh well!)
Total before coupons and sales: $50.52
Total with tax after coupons and sales: $27.31
Total for all grocery items: $62.45
Cereal, Oatmeal, Toast/Eggs, Homemade Juice, Smoothies
Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches, Tossed Salad x 2 with Cinnamon Raisin Toast, Fruit/Veggies/Crackers, Pita with Cheese
Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole, Tossed Salad
Spaghetti Pie, Blueberry Muffins, Tossed Salad, Green Beans
Black Bean Quesadillas, Steamed Cauliflower, Fruit
Salad Bar, Freezer Biscuits
Deer Roast, Carrots, Potatoes, Canned Peaches
Blueberry Waffles, Scrambled Eggs
Grilled Chicken, Tossed Salad, Steamed Cauliflower, Sliced Cucumbers
Guest post from Addi of Frugal Fanatic
Do you have a child starting college? Or are you going back to earn a degree? You may be shocked at the high cost of textbooks that are necessary for each class.
Well, there’s good news — even though you do have to purchase the books, you do NOT have to pay incredibly high prices!
Here are five ways that you can save money on college textbooks:
It may be the easiest route to take, but is always the most expensive way. Be sure to check online first. You may be able to find all the books you need for a lot cheaper than the bookstore.
Sites like Amazon often sell books for a discounted rate. There are a lot of sites out there that offer gently used books for a much lower price. Buying used books is a great way to save yourself a ton of money on your books.
You also have the option to rent the textbooks you need for each class. You can find several websites that offer book rentals for a much smaller cost than buying the book outright. Most likely you will not need the book after the course is complete so this is a nice option to save some cash.
Be sure to check with your professor if an eBook is allowed for the course. You will often save more than 50% by purchasing the eBook version. Plus you won’t need to carry a book around with you each time you head to class.
Find friends who have taken the same courses and ask them about swapping books. If you are able to trade books with a group of friends you can save a ton of money on your books.
These are just a few ways to save on the cost of college text books — I’d love to hear any other ideas you might add to my list.
Also, keep in mind that you can usually re-sell your textbooks when the class is over and put that money towards your books for the next semester!
Addi Ganley is a work-at-home mom of 3 young boys. Her blog, Frugal Fanatic, focuses on how to live a frugal lifestyle. She is passionate about saving money and believes that if you save where you can then you can spend where you want to. Frugal Fanatic is her way of helping other people learn how to manage their finances in every day life.
We’ve been traveling the past few weeks, visiting family and friends, so I haven’t done any weekly grocery shopping. I DID, however, visit a couple of my favorite places while we were back in Michigan (where we used to live).
We discovered the Amish bulk foods store by accident one day, years ago, when driving around. It is not advertised and doesn’t have a phone number or website! It is the cheapest place I have ever found wheat kernels (no tax or shipping!), and I have been a loyal, happy customer for many years.
I divide the 50-lb bags into ziptop bags and store them in the freezer
(2204 29 Mile Rd, Homer, MI 49245)
1 50-lb bag Prairie Gold Hard White Spring Wheat Kernels – $27.95
1 50-lb bag Oats – marked down to $16.95
1 3-lb bag Cocoa Powder – $14.95
(16 oz Cinnamon – $2.49) My sister-in-law actually bought this for me and gave it to me ahead of time – but I am including it in the picture because it came from this store and I was planning on purchasing it.
4 oz. Ground Ginger- $1.99
Total: $61.84
(13521 Allman Road, Concord, MI 49237)
1 gallon (12.5lbs) of Raw Honey – $37.50 (We actually bought four gallons while we were there, but only one is for us. This is the best, cheapest place I have ever found raw honey. We’ve paid as little as $25 a gallon over the years we’ve been buying from them, but apparently this was a really bad year for the bees and there is a shortage of honey so the prices are up. It’s still worth it to this honey-loving family!)
Total: $37.50
2 (54-oz) jars Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil @ $15.00 each – $30.00
Total: $30.00
I didn’t plan a weekly menu this week as my kitchen is undergoing a major renovation over the next few days and it’s almost impossible for me to cook in it right now. My older three children are staying with grandparents all week, so my husband and I are kind of in eat-whatever-you-can-find-that-doesn’t-require-kitchen-prep mode, supplemented by the occasional out-to-eat treat. 🙂 Looking forward to getting back to a more normal schedule soon!
Today’s Swagbucks success story is from Mallory
I love to bake, so when I found out I was allergic to wheat and gluten about two years ago, it was a rough transition. I eventually found some good recipes and resources — the next challenge was finding the right ingredients.
It’s difficult to find gluten-free flours for a good price in our small town, but after doing some research, I found a good deal on Bob’s Red Mill brand cases of gluten free flour on Amazon.com and starting ordering from there.
Then, a little over a year ago, I learned about Swagbucks and how it worked here on MoneySavingMom.com!
When I first signed up with Swagbucks, I didn’t really know what I was doing and felt like I was doing well if I earned enough for a $5 gift card every month. Now, I am able to get $15-$20 per month by doing the following:
1. Doing the NOSO every day
2. Answering the poll and doing to corresponding activity
3. Using the toolbar
4. Running videos for a large chunk of the day
5. Using the search bar
This has been a great help and has paid for many cases of gluten-free flours. Now I can continue to bake and feed good food to the people I love!
Amanda emailed in the following tip:
I just had an exciting frugal occurrence and I wanted to share! My husband and I are on a tight budget as we just started our own business. This week, we had an unexpected $200 expense (not work related) and that made our grocery budget extra tight.
As I was looking over our pantry and fridge, I realized I had an abundance of coconut oil and coconut flour. I posted the extras to my local moms group on Facebook asking if anyone would be willing to trade some meat for either of those items. Today I met with another mom who traded me for a chicken, 3 packages of bacon, and 6 pounds of ground beef (all pastured-raised, grass-fed)!
Apparently she had been planning to purchase a gallon of coconut oil anyway, so we both left feeling like we had helped each other and saved money at the same time!
I just wanted to encourage other families in tight situations to remember that bartering can be an option! -Amanda
Tuesday was one of those days.
You know the kind… where it feels like you wake up behind, you feel frustrated, there are countless interruptions, and the more the day goes on, the worse it gets.
By the grace of God, I didn’t fly off the handle at anyone, but I certainly felt like it could happen at any moment. I was anxious, unsettled, and just plain irritable.
The house was messy, the kids were needy, I got some discouraging feedback on a project I’d put a lot of effort into, and I never made it out of my PJ’s.
Late afternoon, I had a conference call with my managers about a contract we’re negotiating. Since they are like family, when they started the conversation asking me how I was, they got the honest answer.
“Well, I’ve not showered today. I’m still in my pajamas. And I basically feel like I’m failing at everything in life… I’m a failure as a wife, as a mom, as a friend, and as a businesswoman.”
Overly dramatic and almost entirely unfounded, I know, but that’s just how I was feeling that day.
I want to be honest in my relationships instead of sucking in my feelings and pretending everything’s okay. Plus, confiding in true friends and letting them pray for you and encourage you can often be the best remedy when you’re having a tough day.
After we got off the phone call, instead of wasting more time and making my day even worse by beating myself up over having a bad day, I decided to assess what went wrong so I could help prevent the rest of the week from going downhill, too.
As I analyzed my day, I realized there were six key things that were major contributing factors to my bad day. And I thought I’d list them as a reminder to me (and anyone else) for the future.
So here are six ways to guarantee you’ll have a bad day:
1) Don’t Get Enough Sleep the Night Before
I stayed up way too late the night before… and it wasn’t because I was working on some world-changing project. Nope, I was mindlessly browsing the internet. I know, sooo noble and worth losing precious sleep over.
2) Don’t Have a Plan for the Day
I woke up late and tired. Without a plan. And just let life hit me as it came.
Eventually, I got around to writing out a to-do list for the day. But by that time, I was so behind it was just more discouraging than it was helpful.
3) Don’t Shower or Dressed
Yup. It’s true. I was still in my PJ’s at 5 p.m. and I finally just gave up hope of changing out of them.
So I felt gross and messy and unkempt all day… which totally makes you feel cheerful and excited about life. Or not.
4) Don’t Stay Focused
Some interruptions came my way and I let them suck way too much time and energy from me. Instead of waiting to answer that non-urgent email and phone call until I had a time block to deal with it, I let the inbox and phone control my morning — which is always a recipe for my day getting out of whack.
And it was a recipe for complete chaos and frustration when my day was already off to such a poor start.
5) Don’t Count Your Blessings
I spent too much time fretting over a negative comment someone made and let that frustrate and irritate me until I couldn’t see any of the blessings of my day. Which then, in turn, only made the day seem clouded over with more frustration.
6) Do Beat Yourself Up for All the Ways You’re Failing
This final point is KEY for having a bad day. Take a lot of time to mull over everything single last thing you’re doing wrong and every area of your life that needs improvement. It will seal the deal for you and your bad day.
So there you have it! Six guaranteed ways to have a bad day. Did I miss any points? If so, let us know in the comments.
And do yourself and your family a favor: don’t try this six-step plan at home.
I’m f-i-n-a-l-l-y getting around to telling you about my very successful one-hour freezer cooking session that I did recently.
So this Peppermint Skinny Chocolate was a winner. I was kind of hesitant about how it would turn out, but I followed the recipe exactly — including the tips the blog suggested — and it was delicious. In fact, it was so good that I was tempted to literally lick the bowl out. Instead, I scraped it clean (see above).
If you are looking for a delicious and healthy chocolate recipe, I recommend this Peppermint Skinny Chocolate.
I cut it in small pieces and stored it in the freezer and it’s the perfect treat on a hot day!
Next up, I made a batch of Homemade Energy Bites. These are the snack of choice for my kids this summer. And I love it that they are packed with pretty healthy ingredients.
One batch lasts the three kids about a week. But I can’t always keep up with the demand, so Kathrynne asked me if she could learn how to make them, too. See pictures of how her batch turned out here. 🙂
And while I was busy making Skinny Chocolate and Energy Bites, the guys were whipping up a batch of Whole-Wheat Pancakes.
I love baking and cooking together in the kitchen as a family. And now that we’ve overhauled our lifestyle with the move to TN, it’s becoming a fairly regular occurrence around here — which is so much fun!
Recipes made:
Peppermint Skinny Chocolate
Whole-Wheat Pancakes
Homemade Energy Bites
As I shared in January, I’m changing the way I’m approaching my reading goals in 2014. Instead of picking books for the whole year, I’m just choosing books a month at a time.
Here’s my list of what I’m planning to read in July:
I also am reading through the Bible using the plan in my Blessing Journal and reading one devotional from Jesus Today every day.
What books are you planning to read in July? Leave a comment and let us know — and then you can come back at the beginning of August to tell us what you ended up reading and what you thought of the books you read!