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Sponsor Spotlight: Cents of Style
We’re excited to have Cents of Style as one of our sponsors! We had the opportunity to interview them and get to know their company a little more recently:
Tell us about the history of Cents of Style.
Cents of Style started in early 2007 when Idaho-raised sisters, Courtney Brown and Brennan Lau, took their love of fashion and bargain shopping and began an accessories company. Cents of Style offers the latest fashion accessories, shoes, jewelry, scarves, etc at affordable prices. Cents of Style lives by two guiding principles: one, you don’t have to spend a lot to look good, and two, when you look good you feel good and that tends to make you happier and more energetic about life.
Does Cents of Style have any new products or promotions coming up?
Every Friday, Cents of Style offers an incredible Fashion Friday deal every Friday, make sure to watch for it on Money Saving Mom®.
Does Cents of Style do any charity work that you’d like us to know about?
Cents of Style is always looking to give back through charity work, children’s and women’s charities are especially close to our heart. We have recently worked with Final Salute Inc, that provides housing for homeless female veterans and Children Awaiting Parents, that finds forever families for children in foster care.
Is there anything else you would like for MSM readers to know about Cents of Style?
More than anything here at Cents of Style, we strive to provide affordable and fashionable product that will allow moms, just like us, to feel better about themselves. We try to treat each customer, blogger and brand partner with the respect and kindness we in turn hope to receive.
Interested in becoming a monthly sponsor or advertising with us? Find more details here.
Do It Yourself: No-Sew Super Hero Cape
CreativeGreenLiving.com shows you how to make a homemade no-sew super hero cape.
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.
Shared Jan 29, 2014
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52 Different Ways to Save $100 Per Year: Make Your Own Snacks {Week 42}
52 Different Ways to Save $100 Per Year: Make Your Own Snacks {Week 42}
Each week for 52 weeks, I’m sharing a different way you can save $100 this year. If you do all of these things, you’ll be able to save over $5,000 this year alone! Many of these things will likely be things you’re already doing, but hopefully all of you will pick up at least a few new ideas or some inspiration from this series.
One way to save a lot of money is to make your own snacks. Not only are they often much more delicious than pre-packaged snacks, but they are usually much healthier for you!
8 Quick & Easy Homemade Snack Ideas
- Hard-Boiled Eggs
- Veggies
- Fruit
- Homemade Yogurt in the Crockpot
- Homemade Instant Oatmeal Packets
- Popcorn
- Homemade Crockpot Pear or Applesauce Sauce
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothies
8 Freezer-Friendly Snack Ideas
When you have a free day or a laid-back weekend, use some of that time to make meals and parts of meals to stick in your freezer. Things like homemade popsicles, homemade gogurts, homemade cookie dough, homemade muffins, and homemade smoothie kits are great to have on hand.
- Freezer-Friendly Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches
- Freezer-Friendly Banana Bread
- Easy Morning Glory Muffins
- Homemade Energy Bites
- Brown Bag Burritos
- Homemade Pizza Pockets
- Southwest Roll-ups
- Best Ever Chocolate Oatmeal Bars
Check out my list of 5 Freezer-Friendly Snacks + a Printable Grocery List
Bag Your Own Snacks
Tip submitted by Heather from Creative Family Moments
Food goes fast at my house, especially handy to-go snacks. A bag of chips? Forget about it. It’ll be gone before I can sneak a handful.
A baked pan of brownies? The smell lingers but I think I only got a taste test.
Pistachios? The bag is left for me, full of shells.
Part of the problem is that we decided long ago that we wanted our house to be a welcoming place for the kids’ friends. We made that decision when they were preschoolers. It was a no-brainer then.
Now that they are teen, tween, and elementary, these kids and their friends can eat! Afternoons, weekends, and summer means I see many pairs of hopeful eyes looking up at me before they ask, “Is there something I can have for a snack?”
Want to reduce your plastic bag usage? Lucy from Fly Away Home shows you how to make a fabric snack bag.
It was worth it though, for the relationships. Yet, packing cold lunches was my breaking point. Sending three kiddos and one husband off to school and work with a cold lunch meant I needed some handy to-go foods that would actually stick around long enough to make it into the thermal bags!
Snack bags came to the rescue! On sale (and/or with coupon!) I can get a pack of 100 snack bags for under two dollars. So when I bake brownies, I instantly cut them up, set aside a few for dessert, and store them in snack bags (Hide them immediately for later use!).
Find pistachios on sale? Sweet! I split up the serving portions and store them. Any special treat that goes on sale with a handy coupon (like the free Skittles I got awhile ago), I’ve learned to split up immediately so they’ll last.
I have happy kids, and a happy husband, because they have treats and good snacks that are already in serving size bags and inhibit mindless eating. It helps food last much longer and thereby saves me money and sanity!
Create a Snack Bin
If you have a snack time every day, take a little time on the weekends to put together a snack bin. This will save you having to even think about what to serve for snack. In fact, you can just tell your kids to go pick out something from the snack bin!
Best Ever Chocolate Oatmeal Bars
Looking for more snack ideas? Check out this post on Quick & Inexpensive Snack Ideas.
What are some of your family’s favorite homemade snacks?
Reader Tip: Healthier Savings from SavingStar
Challice emailed in the following tip:
I have notice that SavingStar has recently been offering vegetable savings! Each week they have a “healthy savings fruit or vegetable” — and so far it’s been 20% back on however much you buy.
So if you buy $4 worth of broccoli, you would get $0.80 back through SavingStar.
I cash out once a month via SavingStar and it has really been helping me a lot with stretching money even further. 🙂
(Note: The link in this post is my referral link. Read my disclosure policy here.)
Shared Jan 29, 2014
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Say Goodbye to Survival Mode: Not Just for Extroverts & Type-A People!
Say Goodbye to Survival Mode: Not Just for Extroverts & Type-A People!
Thank you to everyone for your AMAZING support of the launch of my new book, Say Goodbye to Survival Mode. Your encouraging emails, comments, and reviews has blessed me so very much.
I loved this email that I received from a reader:
I thoroughly enjoyed the sample chapter from your new book, Crystal, and I was elated when my copy arrived just one day after the launch! However, over and over I see reviews written from Type A, over-achieving, busy-loving, and chaotic-enduring moms.
I’m not one of them. I am introverted, am constantly turning down “opportunities,” and am already trying to live a minimalist-style schedule. Even so, your book is for people like me, too!
We were hit hard last year with financial strain, three life-changing medical diagnoses, and a new baby (he is a blessing!), all while home schooling, living in a high-cost-of-living area, and sharing a single car despite being a 6-member family. On top of that, we’ve had to squeeze in multiple ER visits, several hospital stays, and numerous doctor’s appointments. To say that we’re in survival mode right now is an understatement!
Your suggestions to develop simple routines, to set goals and evaluate ministry opportunities in light of our future ambitions, and to admit to personal failures in an effort to improve are all very valuable, even to someone like me who is not currently bogged down with sports involvement, Bible study participation, or many other good-but-not-best endeavors.
Thank you for sharing your heart, for being honest with us (LOVED the part where you secretly wanted a pat on the back for your Supermom efforts!), and for your encouragement to thrive instead of survive, no matter what our current stage of life may be. -a reader
If you haven’t ordered your copy yet and want a sneak peek at the contents of the book, you can download a free chapter here. In this chapter, I share:
- A little background on why I wrote this book
- My own personal spiral to hitting rock bottom
- The words my husband said when I was in the pit of despair that changed my life
- Why I stopped using my personal Facebook profile
- The importance of creating a Personal Priorities List
- The four C’s to creating margin
If you haven’t ordered your copy of Say Goodbye to Survival Mode yet, you can order your copy on Amazon or through many other retailers here.
Comparison is one of the biggest traps…
Shared Jan 29, 2014
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Gretchen’s Target Shopping Trip: $43.80 worth of products for $16.41 out of pocket
Gretchen’s Target Shopping Trip: $43.80 worth of products for $16.41 out of pocket
Target Shopping Trip
2 Pull-Ups – $7.64 each, used 2 $2/1 Target printable AND 2 $2/1 printable – $3.64 each after coupons
2 Babyganics Diapers – $8.49 each, used 2 $4/1 Target printable AND 2 $1.50/1 printable – $2.99 each after coupons (That’s $0.08/diaper!) 🙂
2 Garnier Fructis Cream Gel – $3.49 each, used 2 $2/1 coupon from the 1/12 RedPlum insert AND 2 $0.75/1 Target printable – $0.74 each after coupons (This is my favorite hair gel so I was so excited about this price!)
6 Pillsbury Grands – $0.76 each, used 2 $2/3 Target printable AND 2 $0.40/3 coupon from the 1/26 SmartSource insert – Free after coupons
Total before coupons: $43.80
Total with tax ($1.88) after coupons: $16.41
Shared Jan 29, 2014
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Gretchen’s CVS Shopping Trip: $88.83 worth of products for $22.07!
Gretchen’s CVS Shopping Trip: $88.83 worth of products for $22.07!
CVS Shopping Trip
Transaction #1
2 Colgate Total Toothpaste – $2.99 each (Buy 1, Get $2 ECBs)
Used 2 $1/1 coupon from the 1/19 SmartSource insert1 Crest Pro-Health Mouthwash – $3.99 (Buy 1, Get $2.25 ECBs)
Used $0.75/1 coupon from the 1/26 P&G insert1 Crest 3D White Toothpaste – $3.99 (Buy 1, Get $2.50 ECBs)
Used $0.50/1 coupon from the 1/26 P&G insertUsed $2/$10 Toothpaste/Mouthwash CVS coupon from in-store coupon machine
And used $6.79 ECBs from previous shopping trip
Total with tax ($1.14): $3.06, Received $8.75 ECBs
Transaction #2
1 Estroven Energy – $10 (Buy 1, Get $10 ECBs)
Used $8.25 ECBs from transaction #1Total with tax ($0.81): $2.06, Received $10 ECBs
Transaction #3
1 Dawn Dish Soap – $0.99
Used $0.50/1 printable3 Puffs Tissues – $0.99 each
Used $1/3 mailer coupon3 Pampers Diapers – $8.99 each
Used $2/1 catalina coupon (I received this at Dillons, but since it was a manufacturer’s coupon my CVS let me use it.)
And used 2 $1.50/1 printableUsed $10 ECBs from Transaction #2
Total with tax ($2.52): $16.95, Received $10 ECBs (for buying $30 in participating items)
Total before sales, coupons and ECBs: $88.83
Total with tax after sales, coupons and ECBs: $22.07
This Week’s Menu Plan + Freezer Cooking in an Hour Plan
Breakfasts
Oatmeal, Cereal, Eggs, and/or Fruit
Lunches
Mac & cheese, fruit
Snack-y lunch {veggies, cheese, yogurt, fruit, crackers, etc.}
PB&J, carrot sticks, apples
Lunch with friends
Cheese quesadillas, carrot sticks
Leftovers x 2
Snacks
Fruit/veggies
Popcorn
Boiled eggsFreezer Cooking in an Hour
Banana Bars with Brown Butter Frosting
Crockpot Granola
Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches
Dinners
Italian Chicken, veggies, bread
Dinner out for Kathrynne’s birthday
Barbecue Chicken, rice pilaf, veggies, fruit
Sloppy Joe Pizza, veggies, fruit
Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes, eggs, fruit
Dinner with extended family x 2
What’s on your menu this week? Tell us in the comments or leave a link to your menu plan post.
OVER-SPENDING EVERY SINGLE MONTH?Grab these FREE Budgeting Sheets!
Click here to download!
10 Goals For This Week
Last Week’s Goals:
Marriage/Mothering/Homemaking Goals
1.
Finish reading Loony Coon aloud to the girls.
Read a few picture books with Silas.
2. Write a love note to Jesse.3. Make Non-Toxic All Purpose Cleaner.
4. Have a Family Movie Night.Personal Goals
5. Work on memorizing & reviewing Romans 1:1-25.6. Complete five days of the P90X Program. Run 3 miles.
7. Read Sarah’s Key,
His Word in My Heart, Eat Move Sleep, Samson, and On Every Side.
8. Make Simple to Knit Fingerless Gloves. Work for 30 minutes on my embroidery project.Blog/Business Goals
9. Write one guest post for my book launch.
10. Write three content pieces for my blog.
This Week’s Goals:
Marriage/Mothering/Homemaking Goals
1.
2. Write a love note to Jesse.
3. Make Non-Toxic All Purpose Cleaner.
4. Family Night Out bowling to celebrate Kathrynne’s birthday.
Personal Goals
5. Work on memorizing & reviewing Romans 1:1-26.
6. Complete five days of the P90X Program.
7. Read Sarah’s Key, Eat Move Sleep, Samson, and On Every Side.
8. Finish embroidery quilt square project.
Blog/Business Goals
9. Write one guest post for my book launch.
10. Write three content pieces for my blog.
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.
How Organizing Saved My Sanity
Guest post from Kelli of Eat Pray {Read} Love
I am not an organizer by nature, or at least I wasn’t until recently. I’m quite sure I drove my mom crazy with an ever-chaotic bedroom growing up. And my car usually looks like someone lives in it.
But, since having my 4th child a little over a year ago, I have been on the quest to get my home in order.
It hasn’t been easy (it has caused me to reevaluate my overly-sentimental tendencies) but, it has saved my sanity in more ways than one!
After reading Crystal’s new book, Say Goodbye to Survival Mode, I have been even more motivated to get more areas of my life in order so that I don’t feel like I’m constantly hanging on by a thread!
Here are a few areas I’ve organized that have been a tremendous asset to living freely:
1. Homeschooling
Until this school year, I did most of our schooling in the breakfast area of our home. And while that worked okay, I got tired of having to move the books for lunch, immaculately clean the table after lunch, then haul everything back out. If we were in the middle of working on something, it made it much harder to get everything back in order after lunch.
So at the end of the summer, I spent a solid week in our new “school room,” which was formerly our playroom. I re-painted it, then got all of our books organized. I got all of our supplies in order so I didn’t have to spend 20 minutes looking for a pencil before starting school.
This school year has been much smoother. Although it took a while for the room to transition from “playroom” to “schoolroom” in my kids’ minds, it has helped so much to have a defined area for schooling.
When we’re in there, it’s school time, as opposed to being in the kitchen, where food is always on the mind!
2. Toys
I wrote an entire post dedicated to our toy organization (you can read it here), but the basic premises are: purge, purge, purge!
Then, when you’re down to what your kids actually play with, find unique ways to organize them that work for your family.
This is the key in all areas of organization — if it doesn’t work for your family, it won’t help you! We use a dresser in our living room to “hide” our toys when they aren’t being used. It’s one of my favorite organizational tools in our home!
3. Paperwork
This is one area of our home that I feel will always be a struggle for me, but I have found some ideas that have helped tame the paperwork beast a bit.
I use organizers on top of my desk to separate medical bills from kids’ shot records, etc. and that has helped tremendously. I also toss junk mail in our garage trash can before it ever even enters the house. Paying bills as soon as they arrive is also helpful — and you’ll never pay late fees again!
Although perfect organization is an illusion — especially in a home with six people — taking proactive steps to get a few areas of my life under control has been such a blessing for our family!
Kelli is woman who is never bored! Between loving on 4 kids and her husband, serving her church as the pastor’s wife, developing (and tasting!) new recipes, and looking for the next great book to read, she’s always on the go! You can follow her family’s adventures at Eat Pray {Read} Love.
Say yes to what matters most
Do It Yourself: Hot Chocolate on a Stick
Kojo-designs.com shows you how to make homemade hot chocolate on a stick.
Swagbucks Paid for Our Wedding Reception!
Today’s Swagbucks success story is from Simon
My wife had tried for years before we were married (and even before we were dating) to get me to use Swagbucks. However, I didn’t start using this fabulous rewards program until we were already engaged this past October — and the realization of paying for a wedding began to sink in!
I began using Swagbucks in earnest: surveys, videos, games, Internet searches, referrals, and by the time our reception rolled around in July, I had amassed nearly $250 in Walmart gift cards! The key to maximizing my earnings was to reach the My Daily Goal meter everyday and collect the monthly bonuses.
We decided to have an outdoor picnic for our reception to further cut down on the cost; and with our gift cards, we were able to purchase the hamburgers, hot dogs, cake, drinks, plates, cups, and cutlery to accommodate 120 guests.
We had so much left over that we were able to give the remaining food and accessories to our friends whose similar picnic-style reception was the following weekend. Thank you, Swagbucks, for helping pay for two receptions!
We’ve been so impressed with the buying power of Swagbucks that we’ve set our sights on a new goal — an anniversary cruise!
Simon: Can you email me so I can send you your $50 Amazon gift card as a thank you for submitting your story?