Kojo-Designs.com shows you how to make homemade baked sweet potato chips.
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.
Summer Bucket List
Classic View
Grid View
5 Ways to Stay Sane While Moving
For those who may be in the midst of a move or may be planning a move later on this year, I wanted to share five ways we’re staying sane while moving:
1. Start Early
As with most things in life, starting early can be the key to your organization and success. Back in November, when I found out we were moving, I started to mentally think of everything we’d need to do to prepare for this move.
In the past, I’ve made a notebook with sections for three months before, two months before, one month before, three weeks before, two weeks before, and then each day of the week of the move. This time around, I’ve relied more on Google Calendar to keep track of all the big and little tasks.
As I think of tasks that need to be done, I’ve added it to my Google Calendar and assigned each task a due date. I haven’t always gotten everything done on the specific day a task was assigned to, but the beauty of Google Calendar is that I can easily move things to a different day, if need be.
Figure out whether paper or paperless system will work best for you. Then, start brain dumping all of the tasks into your system. Getting them out of your head and assigned to a date will take a load off your shoulders and will help you stay on track.
Read my guest post on Living Well Spending Less on 7 Ways That Google Calendar Simplifies My Life.
2. Clear the Clutter
Before you begin packing, one of the best things you can do is get rid of as much excess clutter that you can. For the past four months, I’ve been slowly going through our home from top to bottom evaluating everything in our home and deciding what to keep and what to pass on, sell, or get rid of.
This time around, knowing we were moving cross country, I was highly motivated to let go of anything I wasn’t absolutely sure we loved and would use after we moved. Truly, it’s been really freeing for me!
And best of all, I’ve been surprised and encouraged with how simple packing has been. The effort to pare down and keep things pared down has paid off in big dividends.
Struggling to know what to keep and what to get rid of? Here are 5 Questions to Ask Yourself About Clutter.
3. Break Tasks Down
Instead of approaching tasks in big chunks, break them down into bite-sized pieces. Think of the steps you need to take to get to the finished task and then assign a few pieces of those steps to each day.
This is one of the benefits of starting early — you don’t have to cram a bunch of projects in at the last minute. You can just do a few bite-sized pieces of tasks and within a few weeks, you’ve accomplished a LOT.
I’ve been breaking up the packing by room and area. So for instance, instead of tackling a whole room, I’ll just tackle a closet, a few cupboard, or a section of the room at a time. By doing a few of these areas every day, we’ve made quick progress on packing — and it’s not felt overwhelming or exhausting!
4. Accept Help
If someone offers and you can use the help, take it! We’ve been blessed to have family members and friends help us with packing, getting our yard ready, hauling off large items, watching our kids, having us over for dinner so we didn’t have to mess with cooking, cooking dinner for us, encouraging us, and praying for us.
We feel so blessed to have such a great support system around us here… and it didn’t just happen; it’s because we’ve intentionally sought to foster community here and to be available as we were able to help and bless others, too. Relationships are about give and take and it’s such a gift when you have these kinds of friendships!
We are looking forward to planting roots and plugging into a new community where we’re moving to so that we can hopefully develop deep friendships and relationships there, too.
5. Pack With Unloading in Mind
When packing, think strategically about unloading and unpacking, too. For instance, we’ve not seen the house that we’re moving to, but I’ve taken time to study all of the pictures and videos we have so I can get a very good grasp of where we’ll put most of our furniture items, which rooms we’ll need to switch around, and what is going to go where. This makes unpacking so much more efficient and organized.
In addition, I cannot stress the importance of labeling your boxes well. We’ve been labeling boxes not only with details on what room they are from, but also with specifics on what’s in them.
I mentally know which rooms are getting transferred where in our house so I’ll be able to make sure the correct boxes (mostly!) end up in the correct rooms. This alone saves a lot of time. Plus, if the contents of the boxes are clearly labeled, it makes it much easier to find what you need quickly after you have the correct boxes in the correct rooms.
Finally, I try to think ahead to what we’re going to need as soon as the moving truck pulls up. We always pack a few boxes that have cleaning supplies, toilet paper, rags, and other essentials and put that box on the truck last. That way, it’s the first box unloaded when we arrive.
This solves so much frustration and guarantees that you’ll have at least some basics on hand right away. Life is always better when there’s toilet paper and cleaning supplies handy! 🙂
What are your best tips and tricks for staying sane while moving? I’d love to hear them!
Eating From the Pantry: Day 1
We kind of cheated a little today on the Eat From the Pantry Challenge… we’d already scheduled to go out to dinner with my parents tonight and my parents offered to bring dinner over for my kids and my siblings who are babysitting them.
So I didn’t have to make anything for dinner, but we are using a gift card for dinner that we’ve had sitting at our house for a long time and wanted to use up before we moved. I guess that counts for something, right? 🙂
Anyway, here’s what we ate today:
Breakfast: Oatmeal
Lunch: Turkey sandwiches, apples, and chips (I had a salad!)
Snack: Finished off some ice cream some friends had brought by last week.
Dinner: Out to eat with my parents using a gift card
Today was a pretty simple and rather uneventful Eating from the Pantry day, but I have a feeling it will get more interesting as this week progresses and our cupboards become more bare. Stay tuned. 🙂
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!
Shared Apr 21, 2014
comment
Enter to win a Two-Sided Organic Mattress from My Green Mattress!
Enter to win a Two-Sided Organic Mattress from My Green Mattress!
In celebration of Earth Week this week, My Green Mattress is giving away a two-sided Pure Echo Mattress with organic cotton/natural wool cover valued at $599!
This medium firm organic mattress includes comfort layers made of organic cotton and natural wool. It is not only chemical-free and pesticide-free mattress choice but because it’s two-sided, it can be flipped so it lasts longer!
Adding a second side to your mattress not only extends the life of a mattress but also is great if there are spills or if the bed develops a wear pattern. Just simply flip the mattress over and you have a new surface to work with!
This Pure Echo mattress is made from organic cotton. If you’re interested, you can read more here on why choosing organic cotton is important.
>>Click here to enter to win a Pure Echo Mattress from My Green Mattress!<<
You can enter to win up to six different times! This giveaway ends on Monday, April 28, 2014 at 11 a.m. EST.
(Note: This giveaway is underwritten by My Green Mattress. Read my disclosure policy here.)
How To Define Success For Yourself
Guest post from Jamie of From His Presence
Have you ever looked at successful people around you and felt discouraged? Have you ever felt like you can’t measure up?
I used to feel that way all the time. I had such big dreams, and was working so hard to achieve them. However, I was discouraged most of the time.
The opportunities I wanted just weren’t coming. Certain people weren’t responding the way I wanted them to. I couldn’t compare to all the accomplished people around me. My efforts to be successful were not working!
Then one day, I realized I was trying to copy other people’s success instead of running in my own lane. I realized I needed to define what “success” meant for my own life.
So I thought about it a bit and wrote down this definition of success for myself:
“Success for me means to make continual progress toward my destiny in this age and in the age to come.”
When I wrote that sentence, I suddenly felt a level of relaxation that I had not experienced in a long time. Before that day, I had been measuring my level of success by:
- How I compared to other people who were doing what I wanted to do;
- How people treated me or responded to me; and
- The opportunities that did or did not come my way.
However, when I defined success for myself, I realized that I did not need to compare myself to other people in order to live a successful life. I did not need to wait for people to give me the opportunities I wanted in order to feel successful. Instead, with God’s help, I can be successful in the way that He has called me to be.
Do you feel like you’re batting at thin air, trying to measure up to other people’s success? If so, why don’t you take a moment and define success for yourself? Here’s how:
1. Decide what are the most important things to you in life.
It would be horrible to get to the end of life and realize that you were successful at all the wrong things. So determine now what your priorities are. Write them down in order.
2. Make sure your definition of success only depends on things you can control.
You can’t control how people treat you. You can’t force opportunities to come your way. All you can do is what you can do.
However, you can live intentionally. You can control how you treat other people, or how you respond to tough situations. You can control how ready you will be when that longed-for opportunity comes your way.
3. Write down your definition of success.
Put it somewhere you can see it and refer to it often. It will help you remember what’s truly important in your life.
You weren’t made to fill someone else’s skin; you were made to fill your own. By defining what a successful life means to you, you can free yourself from always trying to measure up.
Jamie Rohrbaugh is a wife, financial analyst, Sunday School teacher, musician, and unlikely worship leader from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Her passion is to encourage and equip people to live powerful lives and to function in their gifts. She blogs at From His Presence about how to live ordinary life in God’s manifest presence.
Join Us for an Impromptu Eat from the Pantry Challenge!
Since we’re moving to TN next week, I’m on a mission to use up everything in my freezer and refrigerator this week. So we’re doing an impromptu Eat from the Pantry Challenge.
We are going to buy milk, eggs, and bread. But other than that, I’m going to try to just use up what we already have here.
I’ll be posting an update every evening this week (through Friday evening), sharing what meals we came up with based upon what we already have on hand. I already have our basement pantry packed up, so this is going to make it even more of a fun challenge. 🙂
Want to join us? If you plan to join us for this Impromptu Eat from the Pantry Challenge, leave a link to your blog below. And then come back every evening and I’ll have a link-up for you to share what you ate from the Pantry that day. This should be interesting — and I can’t wait to see what you come up with to make!
6 Goals For This Week
We’re moving to Tennessee next week, so this week is focused on wrapping up the packing, last-minute details, and more goodbye get-togethers.
Last week was a hard week for me. I think the reality of the move really sunk in and I had to process and grieve what we’re leaving behind. I shared the above picture on Instagram and said:
Half of my house is now officially in boxes and ready to be moved to TN. It’s been a bittersweet week of goodbyes… But these flowers on my kitchen table remind me of the beauty of new beginnings, new adventures, and new community that is ahead. Thank you for your prayers and encouragement as we take another leap into the unknown and trust God to continue to guide us one step at a time.
I’m so grateful for the memories we’ve made in Kansas and the wonderful five and a half years we’ve had to live so close to family. Ever since we moved back in 2008, we felt like our time here was probably just a season, so we’ve tried to really treasure our time here. And we’re so very grateful for it!
After a week of processing, I woke up today feeling really excited about the future… There are many doors of possibility and opportunity awaiting us in TN and God has confirmed over and over again that this is where He’s leading us. So I’m looking forward to what’s in store for our family as we make this move. Whatever lies ahead, I know it’s going to be an adventure! 🙂
Here are my six goals for this week:
Last Week’s Goals:
Marriage/Mothering/Homemaking Goals
1.Finish reading More All-Of-A-Kind Family with the kids.
2. Write a love note to Jesse.
3. Have an at-home movie date with Jesse.Personal Goals
4. Work on memorizing & reviewing Romans 1:1-29.
5. Exercise four times.6. Finish reading
Though Waters Roar, In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day, andPraying for Boys.
This Week’s Goals:
Marriage/Mothering/Homemaking Goals
1.
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.
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.
Swagbucks Paid for My Snorkel Gear
Today’s Swagbucks success story is from Jen:
I’ve been using Swagbucks for almost 5 years now. I started after my first child was born when a frugal friend referred me.
Early on, I used Swagbucks to help pay for diapers and wipes on Amazon.com. Now I use them for almost anything from Starbucks gift cards or to help pay for birthday and Christmas gifts on Amazon.
My husband works a demanding job and I stay home with our 2 kids. His work recently rewarded him by sending him to a conference in Hawaii, and I got to go too! We were very excited, but we also knew that in general, Hawaii is a rather expensive place to visit.
I started researching frugal things to do in Hawaii, but my husband had the best idea — he loves snorkeling and said we should take our own gear. All the beaches in Hawaii are public, so we could snorkel almost anywhere.
I didn’t have gear, so my husband turned to Amazon to find something for me. He found a good set for around $40, and since I had been saving my Swagbucks for a while, I had more than enough saved to cover the cost of the snorkel set. I was so excited to show my husband that I got them for free as he sometimes makes fun of my Swagbuck addiction. 🙂
As far as earning Swagbucks, I devote a few minutes everyday to it — sometimes I spend a little more time depending on what’s going on at home and if there are any promotions. I only get on a computer once a week, so I do most of my earning on a smartphone.
- I always do the Daily Poll and the NOSO (No Obligation Special Offers). These are good for 3 easy Swagbucks.
- I search throughout the day as I need information. I also use the search feature to connect to sites like Money Saving Mom. I’m going there anyway, so I take the second to type it into the search field at Swagbucks.
- I use the Swagbucks TV App on my phone which gives me 2 bucks for every 5 videos — a little better than doing it via the computer.
- I also check the Swagbucks Blog and Facebook pages every so often. There are often Swag Codes for 2-6 bucks. These sites keep me informed of promotions — for instance, every year on their birthday Swagbucks gives away tons of Swagbucks via Swag Codes.
- When I can get on a computer, I check the special offers on the homepage. I do occasionally find something that interests me.
I love Swagbucks. It has been a great way for us to fill in some of the holes in our budget over the years. It won’t make you rich, but it can give you that little something extra when you need it.
4 Ideas for Frugal Parent/Child Dates
Guest post by Kimber
This year, I’ve had a fun opportunity to spend two hours a week, one-on-one, with my sweet kindergartener. Once a week, my 3-year-old son is in preschool until 2:00pm, while she gets out at noon. I quickly realized that this little chunk of time is precious… so we instituted a tradition: Mommy-Daughter lunch dates!
I know what the most frugal idea is for a lunch date: make it yourself. But she and I both love going out to lunch, and frankly, it’s a splurge-worthy treat for “just the girls”!
Our lunch dates are a special thing for us, and it’s worth spending a little bit of money on. But our weekly adventures could easily end up costing us at least $50 a month. So here are a few tips I’ve learned to make our dates more affordable:
1. Use coupons.
This is a no-brainer, I know. But make sure you look all over as you never know where coupons might be “hiding”!
I’ve found Chick-Fil-A and Panera coupons in the back of our phone book. Schools and libraries often offer free kids meals as rewards. Check out RetailMeNot’s app (or website) to see what deals are available at your favorite restaurants.
If you have the Ibotta App, check for restaurant rebates. And if there are any restaurants you love, sign up for their e-mails and keep an eye out for great deals! Instead of asking, “Where should we eat today?”, I tell my daughter, “These are the places we have coupons for. What sounds the best?”
As an example, right now I have an iBotta rebate for $1.75 back if I buy an $8 “Southwest Pairings” meal at Chili’s. I also have a free kid’s meal coupon that they e-mailed me. So after my rebate comes through, I will have paid under $10, tip included, for a meal for both of us at our favorite lunch spot.
2. Don’t feel like you have to order two full meals.
If your children are like mine, a lot of the fun of going out to eat is to get a meal that comes with a little prize. But it’s okay to think outside the box. If I have a coupon for a free appetizer, we’ll share an appetizer and then share a meal. Or sometimes we’ll order several things off of the dollar menu.
In the past, when money has been really tight, I’ve fed my kids a big, healthy snack right before we’ve gone out to lunch. You’ll spend way less, but you’ll still have the fun of a lunch date.
3. Earn gift cards.
There are several ways I do this. One is to use Swagbucks – I’ve cashed in several times to pay for dates. Sometimes I will use other survey sites, cash out, and use my cash to pay for lunch. I’ve ordered gift cards using our credit card points. I’ve even used my Jingit debit card to pay for lunch at Sonic.
Since all of this is “extra” money, I don’t count it in my budget. And it’s fun to do a little bit of extra survey-ing (or Swagbucks-ing), knowing that the end result is a date with my sweet little girl.
One more tip – check out websites that sell discounted gift cards, like CardCash.com. I just cashed out my Swagbucks account for a $50 Paypal deposit. I am planning on turning around and using that money to buy discounted Chili’s and Applebee’s gift cards, saving me around 10%!
4. Ask for gift cards as gifts.
This isn’t something I’d ask for from many people – in fact, we specifically request no gifts at our kids’ birthday parties. But if you have family members who ask for gift ideas for birthdays or Christmas, you might suggest a gift card for lunch.
It doesn’t have to be expensive – I’ve told family members that even a $1 gift card to buy an ice cream cone would thrill my kids. I’d much rather my kids get a gift card (and a fun date with Mom) than more stuff.
These are a few of the things I’ve done to help pay for my special lunch dates with my daughter. Would I have saved money by staying home? Absolutely.
But I am so, SO glad that I’ve taken this special time once a week to create memories. We’ve had so much fun, and we’ve even stuck to our budget.
What are some ways that you’ve inexpensively “dated” your spouse, significant other, or children?
Kimber is the happy mom of two beautiful kids and the wife to a hardworking man. She has lived in five states, and she’s currently loving life in Texas. She loves reading, chatting, napping, and shopping year-round for Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes.
12 Months to a Healthier You Challenge: Week 15 Check-in
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.
April’s Challenge:
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.
This Week’s Progress:
Believe it or not, this eating less sugar thing is becoming a HABIT for me… which is something I never thought I’d say. I look forward to eating dessert once a week, but I’m not craving it every day like I used to. That’s a pretty massive shift for me! I’m also noticing that our family as a whole is eating healthier as a result of this challenge.
In other news, I hit my water goals four out of the seven days, exercised four times, and ate a salad at least every day.
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.
OVER-SPENDING EVERY SINGLE MONTH?Grab these FREE Budgeting Sheets!
Click here to download!
Shared Apr 18, 2014
comment
How We’re Saving $50 Per Month on Our Bills (and it just took two simple phone calls!)
How We’re Saving $50 Per Month on Our Bills (and it just took two simple phone calls!)
Guest post from Lydia of Five4FiveMeals.com
There are some bills you have no control over, like your electric bill. Yes, you can turn the air conditioner off and not use as many lights, but you are still at the mercy of what the power company charges per KWH.
However, there are some bills you can negotiate down with your service provider.
Last week, my husband called our internet service provider and cell phone carrier to see if we could lower our rates. We have been long-term customers of both and thought it wouldn’t hurt to see what they could do. Two phone calls later and we were saving a little more than $50 a month… and we could all use an extra $600 a year, right?
If you’d like to lower a few of your monthly bills, here are some of our tips:
1. Look for a cheaper package.
If you have had your same package for a long time, rates may have change. We found that was the case with our service provider, Verizon.
They had recently upgraded us to a larger data plan for free as part of a promotion to get us to buy a new phone. But we were not using the extra data and don’t need a new phone and asked to be bumped to a lower plan. That saved us about $25 a month.
2. Find where you’re wasting money.
Our internet bill was the next place we looked and we realized we were wasting money by renting our modem. We could purchase a modem for about $75, while we had been renting it for $7.95 a month for the past 26 months! If you do the math, that’s over $200!
Of course, if something happens to your modem you have to replace it on your own dime.
3. See if a long-term contract is worth the money.
We have very few internet service providers where we live. And we have had the same one for over two years. We realized it was about $15 a month cheaper to just go ahead and sign one-year contract with them.
Since I use the internet to run a business from home, I don’t see us cutting that expense within the next year — so that simply change saved us another $180 per year.
4. Ask the right questions.
My husband just flat out said, “Your competitor has a cheaper rate and we are thinking about switching, what can you do to change our minds?” That got a quick response and a small discount!
You might also ask if they have a customer appreciation discount. Some providers will knock a few dollars off your bill as a one-time discount if you ask politely. Politeness goes a long way.
These are just a few of the ways we’ve successfully lowered our monthly bills. Have you tried anything similar? Or do you have other ideas and suggestions?
Lydia Senn is a Jesus-lover, wife, Mama, blogger, writer, small business owner and reluctant domestic. She’s a former stressed out newspaper reporter who turned in her reporter’s notebook for cloth diapers and a simpler life. She lives in rural Alabama with her husband and two sons. You can visit her at Five4FiveMeals.com
Gretchen’s $55 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan
Aldi
1 Red Grapes – $3.18
1 loaf Bread – $1.29
1 gallon Milk – $2.68
1 Roma Tomatoes – $1.19
1 Baby Carrots – $0.69
1 bag Navel Oranges – $1.99
1 bag Tortilla Chips – $1.19
2 packages Cheese – $1.99 each
3 Cucumbers – $0.59 each (I will also get back $0.25 from Checkout 51!)
1 Italian Dressing – $1.39
1 Cauliflower – $1.69
1 Celery – $0.69
1 package Pecans – $2.99
1 can Refried Beans – $0.79
1 Flour Tortillas – $1.19
Total: $27.59
Dillons1 Kroger Unbleached Flour – $1.99, used $0.40/1 coupon from mailer – $1.59 after coupon
1 Triscuits – $2, used $1/1 printable – $1 after coupon (I will also get $1 back from Checkout 51 making this free!)
3 Annie’s Mac & Cheese – $1 each
1 Kroger Frozen Chicken Breasts – $6.99, used $1.45/1 coupon from mailer – $5.54 after coupon
1 Kroger Sandwich Slims – $1.79
1 Kroger Ice Cream – $2.50, used $0.40/1 e-coupon – $2.10 after coupon
1 Hormel Natural Oven Roasted Turkey – $3.59, used $0.50/1 coupon from the 3/16 SmartSource insert – $3.09 after coupon
1 Thomas English Muffins at $2.99 – On Sale Buy One Get One Free, used $0.50/1 printable – $0.99 after coupon
4 packages Carrots – Marked down to $0.25 each
1 Lettuce – $0.99
1 Kroger Brown Rice – $1
1 Kroger Cherry Tomatoes – $2.99
0.96 lbs Broccoli @ $1.59/lb – $1.53
1 Green Bell Pepper – $0.99
Total before coupons and sales: $41.38
Total after coupons and sales: $27.60
Total for all grocery items: $55.19
Menu Plan for this Week
Breakfasts
Cereal, Homemade Granola, Homemade Veggie/Fruit Juice, Resurrection Cookies (I will be making these with my son on Saturday evening to eat Easter morning as a special treat!)
Lunches
Mac & Cheese, Fruit/Veggies/Crackers, Cheese Quesadillas, Leftovers, Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches
Dinners
Turkey Sandwiches, Chips, Fruit
Dinner with family (I’m bringing Herbed Carrots.)
Homemade Cheese Pizza, Breadsticks, Tossed Salad
Rice & Beans, Steamed Broccoli, Sliced Oranges
Deer Steak, Biscuits, Peas
Lasagna Casserole, 30 Minute Rolls, Tossed Salad, Green Beans
Oven Fried Chicken, Toasted English Muffins, Steamed Cauliflower
Shared Apr 18, 2014
comment
Gretchen’s Target Shopping Trip: $25.15 worth of products for $4.17 out of pocket!
Gretchen’s Target Shopping Trip: $25.15 worth of products for $4.17 out of pocket!
Target Shopping Trip
2 Ban Refresh Cloths – $2.99 each – used 2 Free coupons from the 4/13 SmartSource insert (took off $3.99 each) – Free plus overage after coupons
1 Almay Mascara – $6.98, used $4/1 coupon from the 4/13 SmartSource insert AND $3/1 Target catalina coupon – Free after coupons
1 Market Pantry Frozen Chicken Breasts – $5.99, used $1/1 Target Mobile coupon (Text RECIPE to 827438) AND 5% off Cartwheel coupon – $4.74 after coupons
2 Market Pantry dozen Eggs – $0.99 each, used $0.55/2 printable (no longer available) AND 2 $0.50/1 Target Mobile coupon (Text SPRING and THANKS to 827438) – $0.22 each after coupons
Total before coupons and sales: $25.15
Total with tax ($1.11) after coupons and sales: $4.17
Couponing Without Sacrificing Your Family’s Health
Emily emailed in the following tip:
My family of 3 eats a 90-100% organic, non-GMO diet… and we spend about $250-300 per month on our homemade meals. After buying as much local foods as we can, and growing what we can in the spring/summer, we use coupons and watch for store deals.
Here are a few sites where I find coupons for natural & organic products:
Mambo Sprouts
Common Kindness
The GreenBack’s Gal
Manufacturer’s websites (i.e. Enjoy Life, Stonyfield, Annie’s, San-J, Organic Valley, Horizon, Applegate, Simply Organic, Zevia)
Manufacturers Facebook pages (i.e. Maranatha, Green & Black’s)We make our weekly menu, then our grocery list, and then we go online to see which manufacturers offer printable coupons. We also check sales ads on store websites, and then check all the other sites for possible coupons for things on our list.
It takes a little extra time at first, but once you develop your routine, it’s pretty quick, and definitely worth it. We have saved just under 50% on a large grocery trip by using coupons and sales.
Also, don’t forget to check clearance items at grocery stores, too. Sometimes things are marked way down because they’re almost at their expiration date, but are easily preserved.
Want Step-By-Step Help To Start Eating Healthier?
Looking for more ideas, practical tips, recipes, and step-by-step help to live a healthy lifestyle? Through midnight tonight (Monday, September 15, 2014), you can get The Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle for just $29.97. This Bundle is packed with ebooks, e-courses, and some cool free bonuses.
Here’s a sampling of what you’ll get for just $29.97:
- The Nourished Metabolism ebook — $30 value
- The Eczema Cure ebook — $29.95 value
- Natural Homestead ebook — $24.95
- All Natural Living: 75 Non-Toxic Recipes for Home & Beauty ebook — $2.99 value
- Kids Eat Real Food ebook — $16.99
- 7-Day Real Food Challenge — $19 value
- 30-Day Green Smoothie Challenge — $15 value
- Whole Foods For the Everyday Cook — $6.99 value
- Allergy-Free Cooking — $20 value
- Fit 2 Be 5×5 e-Course — $10 value
- Essential Oils & Natural Health Online Course — $95 value
- FREE 4-month Online Yoga Class Course — $23.97 value
- FREE 3-month menu-planning service from Tradishen — $45 value
And much, much more! See all the contents of this bundle here (it’s over $1,000 value!).
Go grab your copy before the sale ends tonight!
Get the latest coupons delivered right to your door for
as low as $1 per week with Discounted Newspapers!
The #1 Reason Most People Fail
In 2004, I started an online business. My long-term goal was to build something that would earn a part-time side income and allow me to stay home while my husband was in law school.
I never would have dreamed that ten years later, I would be running a large blog, writing books, speaking to audiences around the country, and have an amazing team working for me.
Many times, people look at me and only see the accomplishments and success. What people don’t see is the hours, days, weeks, months, and years I worked very, very hard and saw little return on all my investment. They don’t see the many, many times I’ve come this close to shutting it all down from frustration and discouragement.
There have been some gloriously rewarding moments in the process, but there have been many more mundane and difficult seasons along the way.
But I believe one of the greatest reasons this blog has been so successful is not because I’m really smart (I’m not — I struggled in many subjects in school), or because I’m naturally techie, (oh goodness, it’s scary how pathetically non-techie I am!), or because I had a background in marketing (In reality, I didn’t go to college and I was a waitress and a violin teacher in my teen years).
The reason this blog has been so successful is because I refuse to give up.
When my first few online business attempts didn’t work, I didn’t give up. When I only sold a few copies of my first ebooks in the first few months, I didn’t give up. When I about pulled my hair out over technical issues while trying to set up my first few blogs, I didn’t give up. When the articles I submitted for publication were rejected, I didn’t give up. When other people told me I was crazy to pursue many of my ideas, I didn’t give up.
For the first few years, it really felt like I was spinning my wheels and making very little progress. But I kept researching, kept experimenting, kept networking, kept reading books, kept watching what other people were doing, kept asking questions of anyone who had any experience at all with running a business, and kept getting back up when I failed yet again.
And little bit by little bit, the hard work, the long hours, and the effort began to pay off. It didn’t feel like much return at all at first, but those little trickles of traffic eventually turned into a small stream that morphed into a river.
I don’t say all of this to hold myself up as someone who has arrived or has it altogether. Honestly, there are still many days when I feel like I’m so inadequate, I still fail regularly, and I still often have moments when I want to pull my hair out. Instead, I share this to encourage those of you who are struggling to start something right now.
Maybe you’re a few months (or a few years!) into a project or idea and it just feels like it’s not working or getting anywhere. Perhaps you set a goal or dreamed a big dream, went for it, and now it seems like it’s all crumbling right in front of you.
Whatever it is, wherever you’re at in life right now, I want to encourage you: don’t give up. You may need to change your plans, tweak your dreams, or alter your course. You might need to shelve the idea and start a new one. You may need to extend the deadline or revise your game plan. That’s all part of learning and growing.
But no matter what, don’t give up. Winners aren’t quitters. Keep going, keep pressing forward, keep learning, keep experimenting… and someday soon, you will start to see fruit from your effort.
Note: This post was inspired by Jon Acuff’s post: We want greenhouses but don’t get them.