Saving Families Money Since 2007
Today’s questions is from Christy:
It’s warming up here in Missouri and I am wondering what kind of meals you make to avoid heating up your house more than it already is. We are trying to avoid using our air conditioner this summer to save money, but every evening when I turn on the oven, the temperature rises. I would love some helpful recipes and tips! -Christy
Do you have a question you’d like to ask Money Saving Mom® readers? Read the submission guidelines and submit it here.
Liza emailed in the following tip:
You and your readers have been so helpful to me in the past, I just wanted to share a discovery I made in the hopes it will help other families.
In the past, when I have received medical bills, I have always just paid them.
Last week, I got a bill from a medical lab for an $80 blood test my doctor ordered as part of my routine annual checkup. Routine checkups are supposed to be covered in full by my health insurance, so I called to ask what was going on. They told me that the test wouldn’t be covered because I’m not 30 yet — even though I will be in 6 months!
I asked to appeal the insurance company’s decision, and it was surprisingly easy to do over the phone. When we finished my appeal, the health insurance person said, “Well, if we do cover this cost, we’ll only pay the lab $27.22, not $80. Why don’t you call them and offer to pay $27.22?”
I called the lab and offered to pay $27.22, rather than $80. They immediately agreed! Also, if the insurance company accepts my appeal, I’ll get my money back in about 60 days. If not, I’m only out $27.22, not $80.
Thirty minutes on the phone saved my family at least $52.78.
In the future, when I get a medical bill, I’m going to:
1. Call my insurance and ask them to cover it.
2. Appeal it if they don’t.
3. Ask how much they WOULD pay the provider, if they DID cover it.
4. Call the provider, and offer to pay them that (lower) amount.I wish I had known this years ago! Health insurance and medical companies don’t play by the same rules as everyone else — prices seem to be VERY negotiable. The bottom line is, don’t pay your medical bills without calling to see if they’ll accept a lower payment.
A few days ago, one of my children had a melt down over something another child had accidentally done. It wasn’t pretty (are melt downs ever, though??!) and they lost a significant privilege as a result.
As we were discussing the situation, this child blurted out, “But it isn’t fair, because so-and-so did ____ to me!” I reminded this child that what the other child did was an accident and even if it had been done purposefully, the melt down wasn’t warranted.
We went on to talk about how we often can’t choose our circumstances. Life happens, people hurt us, friends disappoint us, we struggle, we get knocked down, and things don’t always go our way.
But no matter how difficult or frustrating our circumstances, we can always choose our response to our circumstances. We can choose to be upset, angry, stressed, and frustrated. Or we can choose to be calm, courageous, and kind.
Our response is always our own choice.
We had a good talk about this and I was feeling fairly good about how things turned out. And then I blew it.
You see, Jesse had done something that was hurtful to me. He didn’t mean to hurt me, but instead of talking through it with him to understand his point of view, I got upset. And I lashed out at him with my words — in front of our kids.
Pretty soon, everyone was frustrated. And in the middle of it, my own words came back to eat at me: “You can’t always choose your circumstances, but you can always choose your response.”
Argh! That stopped me right in my tracks.
How could I expect my kids to have a right response, when clearly I’m not setting an example of a right response in front of them? The realization cut me to the core.
I had to go in my room and cool down for a bit, but then I came out and asked each member of my family to forgive me. It was humbling to have to confess to my children that I wasn’t practicing what I was preaching.
I was so sad to have upset them and hurt my husband with my frustrated words. But in the end, I think we all learned a powerful lesson: It might feel justified to respond by lashing out at someone, but it never solves any problems — it only magnifies them and does more damage.
It’s always worth it to choose to have a right response.
Today’s Swagbucks success story is from Sarah
After graduating from high school 10 years ago, I started my own home business selling decorated cakes. Sales started slow and stayed that way for quite some time, with just a handful of cakes sold each year.
In 2012, I really had the desire to get my name out there more, as well as expand my offerings to all types of baked goods and sweets. I was accepted to our local farmers’ market and was excited to prepare everything for my booth.
One problem was that I intended to sell cheesecakes, cold pies, and cupcakes that needed refrigeration. I started to research refrigerators that would be small enough to transport every week, yet not be a low-quality dorm style that doesn’t maintain cold enough temperatures for food safety.
After finally finding a well-reviewed mini fridge, I checked several different retailers for the best price. Home Depot came out on top and had the added bonus of offering Swagbucks gift cards!
It had been 3 years since I joined Swagbucks, and I had accumulated enough bucks through searches and the daily poll to purchase 4 Home Depot gift cards. It wasn’t enough to cover the entire cost, but I was so happy to have a large chunk subtracted from what I had to pay out of pocket.
My mini refrigerator is still going strong, and I am now in my third season of the farmers’ market. There are several regular customers who come every week just for my cheesecake and mini pies, so it has been an investment well worth it! Thanks, Swagbucks!
After anticipating it and planning for it since November, it’s finally moving week! Our house is all packed up and almost all the last-minute details are done, so we’re excited to load up the moving truck, drive to TN, and start the adventure!
Since most of this week will be spent moving and unpacking boxes and settling into our new home in TN, I’m just going to set six goals again for this week:
Last Week’s Goals:
Marriage/Mothering/Homemaking Goals
1.Finish packing up the house.
2. Write a love note to Jesse.
3. Take the kids on a fun outing.Personal Goals
4. Work on memorizing & reviewing Romans 1:1-29.
5. Exercise four times. {I only got in exercising three times, but does packing boxes count for something?! ;)}
6. Finish reading Secrets of Dynamic Communication, The Busy Homeschool Mom’s Guide to Daylight, and Chasing Francis. {I basically didn’t pick up a book all week long — I think that may be some sort of record! And one I hope to break this week! ;)}
This Week’s Goals:
Marriage/Mothering/Homemaking Goals
1.
2. Write a love note to Jesse.
3. Read Captured on the High Seas aloud to the kids (while in the car driving to TN).
Personal Goals
4. Work on memorizing & reviewing Romans 1:1-29.
5. Exercise four times.
6. Finish reading Secrets of Dynamic Communication, The Busy Homeschool Mom’s Guide to Daylight, and Chasing Francis.
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.
Guest post from AnnaLaura of AnnaLauraBrown.com
Having fun with the family is important to increase family bonds; however, it can also get expensive if you aren’t careful. Here are 50 ways you can have fun with your family for $10 or less:
1. Go to the dollar movie theater.
2. Rent a Redbox movie.
3. Go swimming at the community pool.
4. Go ice skating at the community rink.
5. Play at the park.
6. Do chalk art on the side walk.
7. Play Frisbee.
8. Go rollerblading.
9. Go bowling.
10. Have fun with bubbles.
11. Play with silly string.
12. Get some books at the library or go to a library reading time.
13. Make homemade play dough.
14. Dance to music.
15. Play with paper dolls.
16. Explore community gardens.
17. Run through the sprinklers in your swimming suits.
18. Make homemade ice cream.
19. Play Pictionary.
20. Play hangman.
21. Have a Long Jump contest.
22. Play a card game.
23. Make edible playdough.
24. Bake cookies.
25. Plan a scavenger hunt.
26. Play foursquare.
27. Jump rope.
28. Make homemade flubber.
29. Act out a scene from a play.
30. Play hopscotch.
31. Paint with water colors.
32. Make paper airplanes and see how far you can throw them.
33. Play marbles.
34. Play a game of tennis together.
35. Have a teddy bear tea.
36. Learn some magic tricks and then have a magic trick competition.
37. Find a free puppet show to attend. (Libraries and community centers have them all the time.)
38. Get cheap craft supplies and create your own puppets.
39. Learn how to juggle.
40. Go bobbing for apples.
41. Make marshmallow & toothpick structures.
42. Play with silly putty.
43. Have a pillow fight.
44. Make Homemade Oobleck.
45. Make a tent with boxes and blankets and play house.
46. Go camping in the backyard.
47. Have a water balloon fight.
48. Find a children’s museum with a free admission day.
49. Make soup for someone who’s sick and take it to him or her.
50. Write letters to someone who is in the military or far away from home.
AnnaLaura Brown is a health and wellness coach who loves helping people get healthy and save money. Learn more about her on her blog at AnnaLauraBrown.com and get your free audio and over 100 healthy and inexpensive recipes.
Guest post from Mridu of Life is Organized
Wouldn’t you love HGTV to show up at your door for a surprise makeover? Reality check. It’s probably not going to happen. The good news is you can still experience a transformation without new furniture or adding a master suite.
Here are five no-cost and simple ways to makeover your home:
Explore around your home and look at each piece with a new eye. Ask yourself:
Bring forgotten gems back to life. Dust off and wipe down old items from the back of the garage or attic, like rugs, vases, or artwork. Polish your barely used silver and use it to decorate your home. Your antique tea set or candlesticks will add a new and refined look to any space.
Use a fresh coat of paint on worn furniture, cabinets, or walls. Change colors, add design, or simply freshen up. This is one of the easiest ways to home transformation.
Purge your spaces (rooms and closets) and make way for more space and freedom in your home. Ask yourself tough questions about everything you own like:
If you’re brutally honest, you’ll find yourself surrounded with only things you truly need, use, or love. And beyond the emotional and mental benefits of this exercise, your home will have a completely refreshed look and feel.
Move storage from one area to another or invest in vertical solutions. Make the most of square footage with a wall of shelves that provide storage for a variety of uses: office supplies, games, crafts, china, linens, or books. Consider freestanding pieces in smaller rooms and wall-to-wall built-ins in larger rooms.
Store everything by like items, whether they are in open or closed containers, from your blankets in a closet to your remotes in a basket on the coffee table. Effective storage can double the size of your space and freedom.
Are you using your rooms the way you really want to or how you think you should be using it?
If you use your dining room once a year but create a “make-shift office” on your kitchen table daily, it’s time to consider a change. Convert your dining area into the office of your dreams. As for that annual formal affair, dress up your kitchen table or rent a table and chairs for that one event.
Changing your rooms to suit your needs and habits is a rejuvenating feeling and one that will compel you ask, “why did I wait so long to do this?
Mridu Parikh is a Simplicity and Organization Junkie for women who are tired of feeling overwhelmed and stressed out. She’ll show you how to get your life running smoothly – without the drama. Prepare to smile, get uber motivated and take action with Mridu’s 5-day free organizing series.
Yesterday was a hard day. We had to say goodbye to a very dear friend who is one of my children’s closest friends. They’d been dreading this day for quite awhile, so I tried to come up with some fun things we could do to cheer them up. I decided we’d make a run to Sonic for drinks… not exactly eating from the pantry, but it definitely helped cheer some sad children up.
It was also one of those days that was full and busy and eating good meals altogether at the table didn’t really happen. It was more one of those eat-on-the-run days. It isn’t what I’d recommend, but it’s just what happens sometimes.
What we ate (yes, I know, kind of a pathetic list of unhealthy foods… just keeping it real here, though!):
Breakfast: Baked Oatmeal
Lunch: Chips, Muffins (from a friend), Salad
Snack: Ice Cream Cake, Drinks from Sonic
Dinner: Chips & Salsa (Jesse was gone, I was tired, and well, my plans for making pancakes & eggs just didn’t pan out!)
Are you eating from the pantry this week? If you are, leave a comment telling us what you ate today. Or, if you’re blogging about this challenge, leave a link to your direct blog post below that details what you ate for the Pantry Challenge today. I can’t wait to see your creative ideas!
Are you joining us for the 12 Months to a Healthier You Challenge? If so, it’s the weekend and guess what that means? It’s time for our weekly check-in to post our progress.
We’re focusing on developing the habit of cutting back on sugar. I encourage you to set a simple and doable goal for eating less sugar and to stick with it.
New to this challenge? Read more details on the plan for this year here.
My Goals for Cutting Back on Sugar During April
My goal for April is to cut back on sugar — which is hard for a girl like me who has a strong sweet tooth!
I’m going to make it my goal to only eat dessert once a week and to cut back on the sugar I use in my coffee on a daily basis, too.
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, and March’s goal of drinking 8 glasses of water a day.
Okay, so I didn’t do so hot this week… so much for saying it was becoming a habit last week. 🙁 I had dessert when we were with friends, then again at Easter, and then I had some ice cream cake today, too. I did hit my water goals five out of the seven days, and ate a salad every day, but I only exercised two times.
I know, I kind of blew it. 🙁 But I decided I’m just going to give myself a pass this week since we were finishing up packing our house for our move next week and we had a lot of extra get-togethers and projects to do because of that. So it was a rather busy week and, sometimes, on weeks like this week, you’ve just got to give yourself grace. 🙂
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.
Testimonial from Keelie:
I wanted to share a bit of a testimony about your blog. About 5 months ago, you posted an article about earning extra Christmas cash with Fiverr. I found the most valuable information in that post, and it has absolutely changed my life!
My husband is a pastor, and recently, he has been feeling lead to take a break from ministry so our family can re-focus. It was a very difficult decision — both to leave his passion, and also to replace that income. I’ve always wanted to stay home with my boys while they were growing up, so the thought of working outside the home was heart-wrenching to say the least.
However, when I read the post about Fiverr, I decided to create a writing gig. Immediately, I began taking in orders from websites and correspondence. Since that day, I have been blessed with order after order; and recently, I was offered a full-time at-home job with a website — all because of my efforts at Fiverr!
Thanks so much for sharing that post — it has truly changed my life! -Keelie
CVS Shopping Trip
I needed to use up a bunch of ECBs that were expiring so I decided to do the L’Oreal deal.
Buy $30 in L’Oreal skin products, Get $10 ECBs
1 L’Oreal Collagen Daily Moisturizer – $14.99
Used $2/1 printable2 L’Oreal Ideal Clean Face Wash – $4.99 each
Used 2 $2/1 printable1 L’Oreal Go 360 Clean – $5.49
Used $2/1 printableAnd used $4/$20 skincare products CVS coupon from in-store coupon machine
And used $15.50 ECBs from previous trips
Total: $2.96, Plus received $10 ECBs back
We’re on day 4 of the Eating From the Pantry Challenge… and I had figured we’d be almost out of food by now. But I keep coming up with plenty for us to eat! 🙂
Silas woke up early this morning, sauntered out to the kitchen where I was, and asked if he could please make cookies. We had a cookie mix in the cupboard, so I said he could make them.
Other than me heating up the butter and putting the cookies sheets in the oven and pulling them out of the oven, he did everything else all by himself! And the cookies turned out pretty well!
Almost everything is boxed up now, so we’re starting to get creative with things to do around here once school is done. Today, it was playing with playdough I picked up this weekend at the dollar store.
What we ate:
Breakfast: Baked Oatmeal
Lunch: Chips, Banana Bread, salad
Snack: Crackers, cookies, apples with almond butter
Dinner: Fried eggs, toast, pineapple
Are you eating from the pantry this week? If you are, leave a comment telling us what you ate today. Or, if you’re blogging about this challenge, leave a link to your direct blog post below that details what you ate for the Pantry Challenge today. I can’t wait to see your creative ideas!
Today’s Swagbucks success story is from Anna:
I got my copy of Say Goodbye to Survival Mode for free using Swagbucks!
Our libraries didn’t have it, so I sent in an order request. However, I really wanted to get started reading Crystal’s book sooner. Then I remembered that I had a few Amazon.com gift cards (thanks to Swagbucks) and quickly got on Amazon to purchase the book.
Since 2009, Swagbucks has given our family $250 of Amazon gift cards so far.
I first learned about Swagbucks from MoneySavingMom.com and signed up based on the post and comments from other readers. I didn’t do much with it and got $5 every two months. It was not until I started paying attention to the Swagbucks Success Stories featured on MoneySavingMom.com that the wheels started turning for me. The most inspiring was Elsie’s story of using Swagbucks to start her soap business.
Since then, Swagbucks has paid for at least 23 items for our family — I’ve bought a Bible, Bible covers, 3DS game, books, DVDs, DVD album case, surge protector, Ethernet cable, coconut oil, US and world maps, and many more random things that I would have ended paying full price at a big-box store. I’ve also bought homeschooling books, woodworking supplies, and ebooks.
Every day, I try to reach my daily goal by doing the poll, NOSO, Encrave (under Discover/Activities) and Swagbucks TV. Sometimes, I do surveys, use coupons, and Shop and Save (used it for Autozone) and inbox videos.
Now I can get from $15-$20 of Amazon gift card each month! Plus, instead of sitting and waiting for each activity, like those Encrave videos, I started exercising. So, Swagbucks also helped me lose weight!
I tell anyone who will listen about Swagbucks!
It’s Day 3 of our Eating from the Pantry Challenge and the fridge and cupboards are getting barer. And we’re almost finished with all the packing, too. Just a few little odds and ends and part of our bedroom and we’re D-O-N-E! Yay!
It was a beautiful day and we made the most of it by spending a few hours in the afternoon with some friends at the park.
Don’t you just love the beauty of farm fresh eggs?
I found a club soda in the cupboard, so I introduced the kids to it. They weren’t big fans, but I loved it with a little lime juice. So refreshing!
Popcorn is a favorite snack at our house! It’s been a few weeks since we’ve made it, so it was a great from-the-pantry snack for today!
Here’s the run down on what we had today:
Breakfast: Baked Oatmeal
Lunch: Fried Eggs, oranges, Banana Bread (I had a salad.)
Snack: Popcorn, apples with almond butter
Dinner: Baked chicken with spices, oranges, green beans
Are you eating from the pantry this week? If you are, leave a comment telling us what you ate today. Or, if you’re blogging about this challenge, leave a link to your direct blog post below that details what you ate for the Pantry Challenge today. I can’t wait to see your creative ideas!
I just finished writing my first book and have been working on building a social media presence. I’m excited about these things, but I’d also really like to have the opportunity to speak at events. However, I’m not sure how to get started or how you go about building a speaking business. If you have any suggestions on where to begin, I value any input you can give me. -Jenny
Such a great question, Jenny! Congratulations on finishing your first book — how exciting!
I never set out to become a public speaker. In fact, as I shared in this post, it was truly one of the last things I would have ever seen myself doing. However, as the opportunities began coming my way and I realized this was something that God was calling me to do, I’ve sought to be intentional and strategic in developing myself as a public speaker.
Here are some suggestions I’d have for you:
Before you even start down the journey of becoming a public speaker, I think it’s important to define your market. What audiences do you see yourself speaking to? Are you a comedian, a corporate speaker, a Christian women’s speaker, etc?
Do you see yourself giving workshops and training seminars? Or do you picture yourself being up on a keynote stage giving inspirational messages? Or are you something entirely different or somewhere in between?
Take a long hard look at what audiences you want to reach. It could be multiple types of audiences, but from the get-go, don’t just say, “I’ll be happy to speak to anyone, anywhere.” Otherwise, you’re probably setting yourself up for frustration, exhaustion, or failure.
For instance, I have three topics that I speak on: intentional finance, intentional family, and intentional business. All of my presentations fall under one of these headings. If an audience of car mechanics asked me to come in and talk on how to fix your car, I’m not their girl.
Defining what I’m about has helped me to be selective on what speaking opportunities I’ll accept. And it also helps me and my team to be able to clearly communicate what I’m about when events are interested in having me come speak.
If there is one huge mistake you can make when preparing for an event, it’s to not prepare enough. I cannot stress enough how import it is to practice your talks over and over again when you are first starting out.
In fact, I’d encourage you to practice them standing up exactly as you plan to deliver them, including using your slide presentation and any props, at least 3 full times before you ever deliver a talk on stage. If possible, ask a few family members or friends to watch these practices and give their feedback.
Yes, this takes a LOT of time upfront, but it’s SO worth it. Why? Because not only does practice allow you to familiarize yourself with the material, but you’ll also likely find places you want to rework and refine. Each practice session will make the talk just a little bit better, helping you to then deliver it with confidence and ease once you’re up on stage.
In addition, when you practice your talk multiple times, you become really comfortable with it. When the inevitable mishap occurs — such as the mic not working right or the slides not working or some other tech issue (it seems there’s always something!) — you aren’t thrown off track because you know your material well.
One final note on practicing: I’ve become a big fan of giving the same presentations over and over again to different groups. Right now, I only have 10 talks that I give. If an event asks me to come speak, those are the talks I offer.
I always tweak my talks for the specific audience and always update them so that they are relevant and fresh, but for the most part, the bones of the talk stay the same once I get them to a place where I feel like they are really strong. I’ve found that by giving the same talks again and again, they just get better with time as I learn what works best with multiple audiences.
My favorite part of traveling & speaking is getting to meet readers face-to-face!
Once you’ve defined who your ideal audience is and you’ve created and practiced some talks, it’s time to get out there and start speaking! For many people, this can be the hardest part.
But here’s the thing: it doesn’t have to be really difficult to find audiences to speak to if you’re not too picky about who your audience is. There are many community centers, libraries, and even nursing homes that will allow you to come in and speak. All you have to do is call and offer!
Sure, there might only be a handful of people who show up, but speaking to just a small room of people can be great practice in the beginning. Plus, if you mess up or struggle through sections, you’ve only embarrassed yourself in front of a small group!
These small audiences might not be your long-term ideal audiences, but don’t be discouraged by that. Realize that every small opportunity is practice and preparation for the bigger opportunities. You usually have to do a lot of small things well before you are ready for the bigger opportunities. So give your very best to each audience, no matter the size!
As you become more comfortable with speaking, seek out other opportunities. Maybe offer to give a workshop at a local conference or church, offer to speak at schools or other community groups. You probably won’t get paid for these opportunities, but take them anyway. When you’re starting out, just be grateful for any opportunity to practice your presentations in front of a live audience!
After you’ve had 5-10 speaking opportunities, go back to the drawing board. Consider what’s working and what’s not.
When I first started speaking, I was just so grateful for any opportunity that I would speak on pretty much whatever I was asked to, within reason. I quickly learned what kinds of talks and subjects worked for me and what didn’t. I wouldn’t have known, though, had I not gone out there and tried.
Go back to step number one and see if you need to re-define your market at all. Start deciding which 3-5 talks are your favorites and really working on refining and tweaking those.
If possible, I wholeheartedly encourage you to hire a speaking coach. If you’re interested in hearing more about this, read this post on how my speaking coach, Michele, has completely changed my entire approach to speech preparation.
I also highly, highly, highly recommend attending the SCORRE conference. I went last year — mostly dragging my feet — and the whole process and training transformed me from the inside out.
Not only have I become a much more dynamic speaker as a result of SCORRE, but I’m all-around more confident in who I am, what I am about, and the message I’m called to share. If you want to improve as a communicator in any field — speaking, writing, blogging, and more — do yourself a huge favor and attend SCORRE.
For more tips on improving as a speaker, read my post on how I got over my lifelong fear of public speaking.
