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Money Saving Mom

Money Saving Mom®

Saving Families Money Since 2007

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Shared Feb 5, 2014 comment

We Paid Cash: Our Baby Boy’s Delivery

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We Paid Cash: Our Baby Boy’s Delivery

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We paid cash!

A testimony from Jessica

Our “We Paid Cash” victory this past year came in the form of a baby!

I know, it’s a little odd for a “We Paid Cash” story, but as many other moms know, having a baby can be expensive! With no health insurance, and as a stay-at-home mom, we knew from the beginning that our 4th baby would be a stretch for us financially.

We were able to utilize a health discount program available in our state, with the only contingency being that all fees (doctor, hospital, lab work, etc.) were paid in advance. This meant that we needed to come up with roughly $5000 for my 4th c-section, in just 9 months, on an already very tight budget!

Here’s how we did it:

We continued to stick to our budget.

We worked hard at keeping our eating-out down, our spending minimal, and our grocery bill at $350/month for our family of 5.

I did a lot of freezer cooking and stock piled great deals from my local grocery stores.

I sold stuff.

I sold old books and children’s clothing on Craigslist and eBay. While it didn’t amount to a ton, it was something!

My husband took on extra jobs.

My husband was able to perform about 2 weddings each month. This money went straight to the hospital, and also gave us some built-in date nights as we celebrated with the lovely couples getting married!

Swagbucks.

I used Swagbucks to earn Amazon gift cards to pay for diapers, which freed up my diaper budget to go towards the new baby.

We sold our second car.

With my husband working 5 minutes from home, and with me homeschooling our children, we figured we didn’t presently need to be a two-car family.

This sale gave us cash in hand, as well as cut our monthly car insurance bill by $25.

My husband sold a guitar.

Sigh. This one was a little harder… BUT, the day after he decided he would sell his guitar to help pay for the baby, he was gifted another one that he really loves!

By the time our fourth child was born, we had paid off the doctor, the surgical assistant, the anesthesiologist, the hospital, all lab fees, two unexpected hospital visits, and the pediatrician!

The financial freedom after our little Levi was born was SO nice, and now we get to enjoy and love on the very best thing we could’ve ever “paid cash” for… our son!

our kiddos

Jessica is a wife and homeschooling mom of four children under 7. She blogs regularly about parenting, homeschooling, crafts, DIY, and yummy recipes at Mothering With Creativity.

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

Money Saving Mom
Shared Feb 4, 2014 comment

52 Different Ways to Save $100 Per Year: Use a Programmable Thermostat {Week 43}

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52 Different Ways to Save $100 Per Year: Use a Programmable Thermostat {Week 43}

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

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 great way to save a significant amount of money is to use a programmable thermostat. Here’s what Melody emailed in and said:

We save quite a bit of money by using my programmable thermostat wisely!

They say you can save about 10% off your heating bill by lowering the temp 3-4 degrees (this applies to your cooling bill in the summer, too). Of course, we keep our programmable thermostat cooler at night and during times we are out of the house, but I also have another trick I use for all day when I’m home. I keep the thermostat set for 62 degrees and then give myself permission to bump it up if I’m too cold.

I find about half the time I don’t even notice that it’s set so low, and if I do, it’s often in the afternoon so it’s only set higher for an hour or two. By starting at 62 degrees instead of 68 degrees I estimate that in our cold climate we save well over $100 a year! -Melody

Want to lower your house temperatures, but don’t want to feel freezing all the time? Here are some simple suggestions:

1. Stay Active

Clean your house, chase your kiddos around, do some jumping jacks, or walk up and down the stairs a few times. Get your heartrate pumping and you’ll forget that you turned the thermostat down!

Door Sixteen shows you how to make a homemade door stop to keep the draft out.

2. Drink Hot Tea

I love a cup of hot tea with a splash of milk and honey! And it’s a great way to warm your insides up on a cold day.

3. Bake Something

Spend some time baking something yummy in your kitchen and you’ll warm yourself — and your house! — up in the process. Plus, you’ll have some delicious, fresh-from-the-oven food to eat, too! 🙂

4. Wear Socks

Anytime we’re cold, my first suggestion is to put some socks on. If your feet are warm, it usually helps the rest of your body to stay warm.

5. Put on Extra Layers

Instead of turning the thermostat up, put another layer on. We all have hoodies that we wear in the winter — often over another two layers — and it’s amazing how warm these keep you!

I loved this idea from Jody who blogs at Because I’m Me:

For a long time, I’ve been on my kids to turn the lights off, unplug things we’re not using, close the doors, take shorter showers, etc. They were tired of hearing it and weren’t listening.

One day a light bulb went on in the brain and I presented my children with the following offer: Each month the electric bill was below $190 they’d get the dollar amount the bill was below $190 (i.e.: if the bill were $180 they’d get $10). That money would go towards a party, be it candy, ice cream, cake, pizza, chips, whatever they could buy with that money. I never buy food like that, so it would be a real treat for them.

The first month the bill was still up there around $200, an encouraging improvement but not what they needed.

By the second month, the bill was only $162. Yup, almost $65 less than usual! Not too shabby. And it gave them $28 to blow on junk food. I never expected them to get it as low as that!

In addition to a lower electric bill, my children were able to learn valuable lessons. For example, how to budget that $28 to get the best bang for their buck while pleasing all six kids.

They opted to purchase store brand soda, inexpensive ice cream, lots of buy one, get one free items, use coupons, and to pass on some items that were just too expensive. When all was said and done they managed to have enough junk food for one fine party and many days of treats afterward, and they contributed $10 to a dinner of Chinese take-out!

Last week one of my sons said he wished we’d get an electric bill every day so he could keep track of the amount of the bill throughout the month. I wasn’t going to pass up this opportunity for a “teachable moment”, so out came the electric bill, an explanation of how to read the meter and a brief “field trip” to the side of the house where the meter is. Now he can check every day, do the multiplication and addition and see if we’re staying on track.

We are now four months into this deal and the interest has not waned! –Jody

Related: 7 Tips to Reduce Your Heating Bill

How do you keep your heating bills lower? What are your best tricks for staying warm without turning up the heat?

photo source

Money Saving Mom
Shared Feb 4, 2014 comment

Psst! Wishing You Could Get a Copy of My Book for Valentine’s Day??

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Psst! Wishing You Could Get a Copy of My Book for Valentine’s Day??

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Say Goodbye to Survival Mode

A number of you have written in to say you’d love to get a copy of my new book, Say Goodbye to Survival Mode, for Valentine’s Day.

I mentioned this in a team meeting last week and my husband, Jesse, and my manager, Brian, both exclaimed, “We’ve GOT to find a way to make it really easy for men to get this book for their wives/girlfriends!”

The wheels started turning in their heads and pretty soon, they came up with the snazzy idea to have a form that women could fill out to email their husbands/boyfriends to let them know that this would be the perfect gift for them for Valentine’s Day.

Brian was like, “Do you know how much easier it would make my life if I just got a simple email that told me exactly what my wife wanted? I’d LOVE that!”

Say Goodbye to Survival Mode

So gals, if you’ve been wanting to get a copy of Say Goodbye to Survival Mode and think it might be a great idea for a Valentine’s gift for you, here’s all you need to do:

1. Fill out the form below with your address and your husband’s/boyfriend’s email address.





2. Verify the email we send you to give us permission to send an email to your husband/boyfriend.

3. As soon as you click to verify the email in your inbox, your husband/boyfriend will get a friendly email from me letting him know that you’d love a copy of my book and telling him where he can purchase it. He’ll only get one email from me, one time. That’s it!

Hopefully, this will make it really easy for your husband/boyfriend to bless you with this book for Valentine’s Day! Jesse and Brian have promised me that the husbands and boyfriends are going to love this! 🙂

P.S. If you’d love a copy of the book, but there is no way that your family can afford it in your budget right now and your library is unable to order it for you, my husband and I would like to bless you with it as our Valentine’s Day gift to you. Just email [email protected] with your mailing address and we’ll send you one.

Shared Feb 4, 2014 comment

3 Places to Earn Extra Money Transcribing

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3 Places to Earn Extra Money Transcribing

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3-Places-to-Earn-Extra-Money-Transcribing

Guest post from Miranda of WAHadventures.com

Many women who are seeking ways to make extra money online are looking for typing based home jobs. Most commonly searched are data entry positions. However, legit data entry jobs are few and far between. Even so, the genuine companies often have a timely waiting list.

As a work at home blogger who has been sharing money-earning advice with women for over 4 years, I suggest turning to transcription.

Transcription is an excellent way to make money in your spare time and many have been successful creating online careers with full-time incomes as professional transcriptionists. These three companies do not require you to have previous experience or schooling to start working as a transcriber.

QuickTate

QuickTate is one of the most commonly known legitimate online transcription companies. They hire even the inexperienced to transcribe short audio files into text.

Although the work doesn’t pay much — $1 for every 400 words — it is a great place to make some extra pocket money.

QuickTate has been around for many years and has a long-standing history of always paying their transcriptionists on time. Keep in mind, QuickTate is best utilized as an extra income site rather than a way to make an income. Workload can be spotty with plenty of files to transcribe one week to nothing at all the next.

TranscribeMe

TranscribeMe offers a great way to get your foot in the door as a transcriptionist. They offer short audio files to be transcribed at a rate of $14 per audio hour — with potential to earn up to $20 per audio hour.

Notice it is per audio hour — meaning your speed and efficiency will determine your overall hourly rate. This pay is well below the standard for a professional, experienced, transcriptionist; however, it is a great way to become qualified for higher paying transcription careers.

Again, TranscribeMe is not reliable as work is not always available.

Tigerfish Transcription

Tigerfish is another transcription company that is known for hiring people without experience.

The pay at Tigerfish is a bit ambiguous but others have posted online they were able to manage as much as $15 per hour, or $60 per audio hour.

While this information is likely coming from someone with experience and speed – it is a nice indicator that Tigerfish may pay slightly better than the other two companies mentioned above.

What You Should Know About Becoming a Virtual Transcriptionist.

Most every online transcription company worth working for will require you to pass an entrance exam.

If you do not have formal experience as a transcriptionist, they will be looking for the skills needed to complete the job. It is important to have a typing speed of at least 60 words per minute, with 100% accuracy. Being a successful transcriber means you must be fluent in English with a detailed knowledge of correct grammar and punctuation.

Additionally, having exceptional listening skills is required. Transcription generally requires no distractions in order to excel. Listening to the audio files and typing what you hear verbatim requires all of your attention and focus.

Miranda Grimm — The creator of WAHadventures.com — has many passions in life, including the Lord, her family, and blogging! Miranda is living out her dream, working from home to be with her children while actually making money doing something she loves!

WANT TO SAVE $100 FAST?!Join the FREE 14-Day Savings Challenge!

Click here to sign up!
Money Saving Mom
Shared Feb 4, 2014 comment

Chat About: Earn rewards for participating in online discussions

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Chat About: Earn rewards for participating in online discussions

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Chat About

Have you checked out Chat About? It’s a site that rewards you for participating in online discussions. There are topical discussions, new discussions, questions and answers.

Chat About

Each time you leave a comment, answer a questions, refer your friends, or participate in their community, you are awarded points! Simply visit your profile page to cash those points for a range of great prizes shipped to you absolutely free!

Chat About

You can cash in your points for Amazon gift cards, Paypal credit, kid’s items, jewelry, accessories, and more! Here’s how their points system works:

Points System

2 – Leave a comment anywhere on Topics
3 – Reply to a comment anywhere on Topics
2 – Ask a question (Q&A section)
2 – Answer another member’s question (Q&A section)
2 – Reply to a news article (News Section)
10 – Write a review
20 – Write an article

Bonus Area – Added daily!

You can also refer your friends and earn 20% off what your friends earn for as long as they are active members.

Have you tried Chat About? If so, I’d love to hear what you think of it!

(Note: This post was underwritten by Chat About. Read my disclosure policy here.)

Money Saving Mom
Shared Feb 4, 2014 comment

Sponsor Spotlight: Marie-Madeline Studio

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Sponsor Spotlight: Marie-Madeline Studio

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marie-madeline studio

We’re excited to have Marie-Madeline Studio as one of our sponsors. We had the opportunity to interview them and get to know their company a little more recently:

Can you tell us a little more about how your company got started?

Marie-Madeline Studio is run by a mother and her four daughters. Started in the winter of 2008, a couple of girls decided to make a few handbags to sell.

It gradually led to designing our own bag patterns. A friend encouraged us to try to sell the patterns, and before we knew it several girls’ patterns had been designed!

At first, we were just selling the patterns, then found we had lots of excess fabric around so we thought we should sell that too. Now, we try to stock about 500+ bolts of beautiful, fun fabrics and a growing collection of our patterns.

What kinds of products do you offer?

Marie-Madeline Studio offers a line of boutique style sewing patterns for girls size 2/3 – 14/16. We also have some ladies skirts, aprons, and bag patterns. We also sell quilting weight designer cotton fabric that is suitable for garment sewing.

We love to help people save money here. Do you offer any money-saving specials?

Our patterns are printed with all sizes in one envelope so you can just trace off the size you need and continue to use the same pattern for years. This is also handy if you have more than one daughter in different sizes.

We offer sales regularly so our customers can purchase high quality fabric at a lesser price. Plus, all US orders over $100 receive free shipping when purchasing through our site.

What would you most like us to know about your business?

Here at Marie-Madeline Studio we like to design boutique patterns that aren’t excessive. Because fabric can be so expensive, we want you to get the most bang for your buck. Therefore our patterns are designed to be girl-pleasing in the details and parent-pleasing in the pocketbook.

How can our readers find out more about you?

Sign up for our newsletter so you can receive news on all our latest designs, plus a heads up on sales. Keep an eye on our blog for free tutorials, recipes, special blog-only sales, fashion posts, and other fun stuff.

Interested in becoming a monthly sponsor or advertising with us? Find more details here.

Money Saving Mom
Shared Feb 4, 2014 comment

Do It Yourself: Homemade Play Dough Valentine

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Do It Yourself: Homemade Play Dough Valentine

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pinterest-valentine-header-2

BuggyandBuddy.com shows you how to make a homemade play dough and cookie cutter Valentine.

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.

Money Saving Mom
Shared Feb 3, 2014 comment

Homemade All Purpose Cleaner

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Homemade All Purpose Cleaner

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Homemade All Purpose Cleaner

This Homemade All Purpose Cleaner was so easy to whip up! It literally took me maybe three minutes total, including getting out and putting away all the supplies!

Homemade All Purpose Cleaner

I was really happy with the end result. It’s a little strong on the vinegar side — but that may also be because I used Apple Cider vinegar instead of white vinegar (that’s what I happened to have on hand).

If you wanted to make it a little less vinegar-y, I think you could cut back on the vinegar and add more water instead. Or, you could add more essential oil.

The spray seems to work very effectively and this is definitely a homemade cleaner recipe I’d make again.

>>Download the Homemade All Purpose Cleaner recipe instructions.<<

More Homemade Cleaner Recipes I’ve Tried:

OVER-SPENDING EVERY SINGLE MONTH?Grab these FREE Budgeting Sheets!

Click here to download!
Money Saving Mom
Shared Feb 3, 2014 comment

This Week’s Menu + One-Hour Freezer Cooking Plan

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This Week’s Menu + One-Hour Freezer Cooking Plan

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Taco Meat

Breakfasts

Oatmeal, Cereal, Eggs, and/or Fruit

Lunches

Mac & cheese, fruit
Snack-y lunch {veggies, cheese, yogurt, fruit, crackers, etc.}
Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches from the freezer, carrot sticks, apples
Cheese quesadillas, carrot sticks
Leftovers x 3

Banana Bars

Snacks

Fruit/veggies
Popcorn
Boiled eggs
Banana Bars with Brown Butter Frosting

Freezer Cooking in an Hour Plan

Butterscotch Brownies
Giant Cinnamon Roll Cake
Baked Chicken
Taco Meat
Upside Down Pizza

Dinners

Homemade Chicken Salsa Pizza, veggies, fruit
Slow Cooker Southwest Soup, Homemade Soft Pretzels, fruit
Upside Down Pizza, fruit salad, steamed veggies
Breakfast for Dinner: Pancakes from the Freezer, scrambled eggs, fruit
Olympic-Ringed Pizza, fruit, steamed veggies
Dinner out
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.

Money Saving Mom
Shared Feb 3, 2014 comment

10 Goals for This Week

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10 Goals for This Week

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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. 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. {This is almost done!}

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. Read 4 chapters of Missionary Adventures of Bob & Arty aloud to the girls. Read 4 chapters of A Big Year for Lily to Kaitlynn. Read a few picture books with Silas.

2. Write a love note to Jesse.

3. Clean out 4 drawers in our bedroom/bathroom.

4. Make Little House Inspired Molasses Candy with the kids (if we get the big snow that’s predicted to hit us!)

Personal Goals

5. Work on memorizing & reviewing Romans 1:1-27.

6. Complete five days of the P90X Program.

7. Read Sarah’s Key, Eat Move Sleep, Samson, Undaunted, and On Every Side.

8. Finish embroidery quilt square project. Make this Knit Headband.

Blog/Business Goals

9. Record the audiobook version of Say Goodbye to Survival Mode.

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.

Shared Feb 3, 2014 comment

How We Increased Our Savings by $136 a Month

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How We Increased Our Savings by $136 a Month

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Guest post by Anita of Traveling Along

2013 was a rough year financially.

Just the year before we were out of debt, put 20% down on a house and had finished paying off the last of our student loans. Then 2013 met us with a change of job, a lower salary, various expensive car repairs, remodeling, and a costly hospital stay for our sweet girl with Kawasakis disease.

At the end of the year we were worse off than when we started, with just over $3000 in debt and no remaining emergency fund, let alone savings. Blast!

So this year, we are switching things around and prioritizing savings.

The breakdown of the budget was a little bleak, the amount of waste was already super low… but, somehow we have managed to cut back. Every line item that we cut back is an actual dollar amount that we are putting into our savings account.

Here is how we went from saving $0 to $136 a month.

  • We started by deleting our Christmas savings of $40 per month. Christmas 2014 will include homemade gifts of wood, pottery, food, photography, and fun! I will also set out to earn at least one $5 gift card from Swagbucks every month. I do this primarily by using them as my search engine and watching cooking videos while I’m in the kitchen or folding laundry. Any Ebates cash back checks will also go in this fund.
  • We don’t have cable, but we did have Netflix for $7.99 per month. Not anymore!
  • I am making our own dog food. Having a large breed livestock guardian dog means at least $25 per month in dog food. We are now making it with leftover vegetable peelings, free organ meats, and rice. This costs only about $5-7 a month.
  • My husband got a very modest raise for 2014 and $40 of that will go directly into savings.
  • One goal for 2013 was to teach our kids how to manage their money. We will still continue on this route in 2014, but instead of allowances, we will allow them to do extra jobs for money if they desire. This means a savings of $20 per month.
  • Cut back on milk by half… or right around $10 per month. This needed to happen for some health issues, but it represents a savings so I am including it on our list.
  • Our next goal = POTTY TRAIN THE TWO-YEAR-OLD! This will save another $20-40 a month!

I’ve always “wished” I had a smoking or soda-drinking habit… then I could quit and save money! Well, I don’t. So, I’ll do what I can and find cash where I can.

Here’s a quick summary:

$40 = no Christmas fund
$8 = no Netflix
$18 = homemade dog food
$20 = no allowances
$40 = small raise
$10 = milk reduction

———————————————————-

$136 monthly to restart an emergency fund!

One more thing — take your small amounts, add them up, and put your savings on automatic monthly transfer for that amount. Money that isn’t allocated in a budget can be easily lost or used for other things!

Where can you cut back? How many little things can you add up to make something BIG?

Anita lives in Virginia with her husband and kids on a hopeful micro farm in the city. When she is not fine-tuning the budget, she can be found canning, cooking with spare parts, helping with math, praying the garden will grow, attending to a sick chicken or covered in mud at the potters wheel. She blogs at Traveling Along.

photo source

Money Saving Mom
Shared Feb 1, 2014 comment

12 Books I Plan to Read in February

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12 Books I Plan to Read in February

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12 Books I Plan to Read in February
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 for February:

12 Books I Plan to Read in February

12 Books I Plan to Read in January

I also am reading through the Bible using the plan in my Blessing Journal and reading one devotional from Jesus Today every day.

5 Books I Plan to Read to My Kids in February

5 Books I Plan to Read Aloud to My Kids

What books are you planning to read in February? Leave a comment and let us know — and then you can come back at the end of February to tell us what you ended up reading and what you thought of the books you read!