Be It Ever So Humble shows you how to make homemade liquid laundry detergent.
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.
2hr Cleaning Checklist
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Give Them Something Great to Imitate
Last week, one of my children made a really negative comment out of the blue.
It caught me off guard and I immediately got ready to launch into a dissertation on why we don’t say things like that. But right before I opened my mouth to give my big speech, I realized something: this child had heard a very similar comment from me recently.
No, it wasn’t a comment I made to them or even when I had realized they were listening, but nonetheless, I had said it and I’m pretty much positive that’s where this child picked it up from.
Ouch.
My children are watching. My children are listening. My children are observing.
It’s been wisely said that more is caught than taught. What are my children going to “catch” from me today? Enthusiasm for learning? Grace for difficult people? Grumbling about interruptions? Critical words toward others?
- If I want my children to have clean rooms, I need to do more than just tell them to keep their room clean. I need to set an example by keeping my room clean, too.
- If I want my children to be wise with money, I need to do more than just talk about the importance of financial freedom and stewardship. I need to set an example by practicing good money management skills in front of them.
- If I want my children to be respectful of other people — no matter who they are, I need to do more than just verbalize how imperative it is that we show respect. I need to set an example by constantly being respectful in my words and deeds for everyone I come in contact with.
- If I want my children to use their time wisely instead of squandering it, I need to do more than just remind them often to use their minutes well. I need to set an example of diligence and focus in my own time management.
I will never be a perfect parent. In fact, there is no such thing. I need God’s grace every moment of every day as a mother.
I struggle. I make mistakes. I have to ask forgiveness.
But in spite of my inadequacies, I want to do my best to give my children something great to imitate. Because at the end of the day, my children are going to learn more from the life I’m living before them than from the dissertations I give them.
10 Guaranteed Ways to Never Run Out of Blog Post Ideas (#1)
“How do you come up with post ideas?”
A few weeks ago, I was with one of my dear blogging friends and she asked me this question. She went on to explain how she wants to blog more often, but she struggles to come with inspiration for what she should post.
Honestly, I’ve never really thought about the how behind coming up with ideas. In fact, I usually have many more ideas than I have space and time to write.
But her question really got me to thinking about what fuels my blogging inspiration. And as I’ve mulled over it the past few weeks, I came up with a number of things that I find help me to always have post ideas and inspiration.
Since this is a question I’ve been asked before, I thought I’d share my list with you all in hopes that it might spark some ideas for those of you who are feeling like you’re in a blogging slump. I had initially planned to share this as one post, but it got so long that I decided to break it up and just share one idea per week day for the next two weeks so that it was easier to read — and not some massively long and impossible-to-read-in-one-sitting post!
#1 Live Vibrantly {Offline}
A vibrant offline life will fuel your online creativity. Make sure you have a healthy balance of face-to-face interaction with friends, family fun {that you don’t blog or tweet about}, and media-free time blocks in your day.
I can’t tell you any hard and fast rules on this, because what is healthy for one person might be unhealthy for another. I can say, however, that if your brain is constantly trying to conjure up a blog post from every experience or if the only reason you ever plan a party or do an activity with your kids or bake anything is only so you can blog about it, you probably need to step back and re-evaluate.
One of the best decisions we made when I first started blogging was that I would take Sundays off from blogging/social media. I’ve found that I often have to unplug in order to recharge. Stepping away from the online noise once a week clears my head and helps me to remember what matters.
Real-Life Example #1: The Circus Post
Some of my best posts come as the result of getting offline and just living life. I’ll be in the middle of real-life and a post just comes and smacks me right between the eyes.
Such was the case with the post I wrote after we went to the circus. As soon as the whole episode happened, the analogy came to me.
I told Jesse about it as we were walking to the car and he thought it was a great idea for a blog post. So I emailed myself a few random sentences on my phone in the car on the way home and then wrote the post, Whining For a Shiny Plastic Toy, when I had time a few days later.
To be continued tomorrow…
How do you maintain a healthy balance between your online life & your offline life? I’d love to hear!
If you are struggling to find a healthy balance between your online and offline life, I highly recommend Sarah Mae’s new ebook, The Unwired Mom.
I read it recently and found that it was packed with great suggestions, practical tips, and a lot of motivation and inspiration to not become too consumed with online activities and miss the life to be lived and blessings to be had right in our own homes and communities.
This Week’s Very Simple Oven-Free Menu
We’ve got a full week this week: swimming lessons every day, a family night at the rodeo, a visit with two dear out-of-town blogging friends & their children, a speaking engagement, a field trip, appointments, and a trip to Kansas City to meet up with more dear out-of-town blogging friends for a few days. Needless to say, so we’re keeping our menu really simple again. 🙂
Breakfasts
Oatmeal, Omelets, Cereal, Eggs, Peanut Butter Toast, and/or Fruit
Lunches
Mac & cheese, fruit
Snack-y lunch {Veggies, cheese, yogurt, fruit, crackers}
PB&J, carrot sticks, apples
Cheese quesadillas, carrot sticks
Leftovers x 3Snacks
Fruit/veggies
Popcorn
Boiled eggs
SmoothiesDinners
Breakfast for dinner: Pancakes, scrambled eggs, fruit
BLT Sandwiches, fruit, chips
Grilled fish, mashed potatoes, steamed veggies, fruit
Turkey Burgers, steamed veggies, mashed potatoes, fruit salad
Dinner with extended family
Dinner out x 2 {While we’re traveling.}
What’s on your menu this week? Tell us in the comments or leave a link to your menu plan post.
8 Goals For This Week
I’m excited about the progress I made on my goals last week!
Last week’s goals:
Family/Marriage/Mothering Goals
1.Finish reading The Trumpet of the Swan to the children. Read three chapters of Viking Adventure with Kathrynne, finishing reading A Nest for Celeste with Kaitlynn, read a few picture books with Silas.
2. Write a love note to Jesse.
3. Go on an overnight trip as a family.Personal Goals
4. Work on memorizing & reviewing Romans 1:1-18.
5. Exercise six times. Run 10 miles total.
6. Finish The Charge,The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Hidden Places, and I Still Believe.
7. Eat 7 servings of fruits & veggies every day.Homemaking Goals
8. Work for 30 minutes on my embroidery project.
Family/Marriage/Mothering Goals
1.
2. Write a love note to Jesse.
3. Go to the rodeo as a family.
Personal Goals
4. Work on memorizing & reviewing Romans 1:1-19.
5. Exercise six times. Run 10 miles total.
6. Finish The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Hidden Places, and I Still Believe.
7. Eat 7 servings of fruits & veggies every day.
Homemaking Goals
8. Work for 30 minutes on my embroidery project.
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 Jul 15, 2013
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Shopping at the same chain store in a different location could save you quite a bit of money!
Shopping at the same chain store in a different location could save you quite a bit of money!
Kate emailed in the following tip:
Recently, I shopped at several different national chain store locations outside my usual neighborhood locations and I was surprised to find how much price variation there was among nearby locations of the same national chain stores.
For instance, my neighborhood Giant sells 6-ounce jars of Gerber Stage 3 baby food for $0.68 each. Two other Giant stores within 5 miles price these at $0.78 and $0.82, respectively.
Likewise, my neighborhood CVS sells the women’s Venus Olay razor for $11.79; another local CVS stocks them for $12.59.
While it would not be cost-effective (due to the price of gas) or time-effective to re-route to the store location with the lowest price on every item, this discovery has prompted me to look a little more closely at price differences between branches of national chain stores.
After comparing a few other items at these stores, and finding that a couple of the alternate locations price nearly every item higher than my neighborhood location, I have vowed to avoid shopping at these locations when at all possible. -Kate
529 Test
Using Coupons — Even While in Labor!
Valerie emailed this in and I enjoyed reading it so much, that I asked permission from both Valerie & Dana if I could share it on my blog:
I wanted to tell you a funny story that happened to me and another reader of yours. I was out at Trivia Night with a group of friends including my very pregnant friend, Dana.
At one point I looked over at her and noticed she was writing some numbers down. I later realized she was timing her contractions! They were 5 minutes apart.
She asked the waitress for her bill then in between contractions asked the waitress if her coupon was valid! I told her Money Saving Mom would be so proud of her. 🙂
An hour and half later, she was the mom of a perfect little boy. I thought you should know how your website affects us and makes us think about saving money even when we’re in LABOR! 🙂
Thanks for all that you do! -Valerie
We Paid Cash: A New Dryer to Match Our Washing Machine
A testimony from Kat who blogs at k + n:
About 18 months ago, my sweet-as-pie parents bought us a new washing machine as a thank you for submitting an insurance claim for their house fire. It was (and still is) beautiful! I loved the front loader and the candy apple red color and couldn’t wait to save up and buy the matching dryer.
Unfortunately, we were newlyweds living away from home in a new state and a new house, so we had lots of other unexpected expenses that go with buying a 100-year-old house. My engineer husband was working 50 hour weeks while remodeling our house himself and I couldn’t find a full-time job, so the dryer went on the back burner. After all, we had a dryer already — it just didn’t match!
Fast forward 12 months, and my husband found out that his company was shutting down production at his plant and moving his program to Texas. We were blessed that they asked him to move with the program!
It was a long transition (selling the house, moving back in with my parents while he worked temporarily in Connecticut, and finally moving down to an apartment in Texas). After we moved down to Texas in February, we decided to make buying a dryer a serious priority as we didn’t have one at all anymore!
Using the found money method, we funneled all of our extra income into our savings account.
This included:
- A reimbursement check from our old cable company for returning their modem ($75),
- 2 different photography events my husband picked up through Craigslist ($385),
- Cashed out my husband’s smugmug account balance from selling prints and digital downloads ($185.08),
- Easter presents from my parents and my husband’s grandmother ($120),
- A reimbursement check from our old home insurance policy ($321.61).
All of these sources totaled $1,086.69. The dryer + needed duct and power cord + sales tax equaled $1,209.84. As you can tell, we were a little bit short, but! we decided to purchase right after Memorial Day weekend which allowed for $312.40 in discounts and we had a gift card with a remaining balance of $90.56 from a return, which made our out-of-pocket expenses $806.88. We also have cash back in the amount of $24.98 that will be disbursed on August 15th from Ebates!
With a little sacrifice and some focus, we paid for our dryer in cash and had an additional $279.81 for our emergency fund (not to mention a Big Fat Check from Ebates)!
Kat and her husband are first and foremost Orthodox Christians. Kat has been the lucky wife of Nick, an engineer who loves photography and cycling, for 2 years. They both work full-time while patiently waiting to be blessed with a family, and blog at k + n about their journey to becoming debt free.
Have you saved up and paid cash for something — large or small? Submit your story for possible publication here.
Shared Jul 10, 2013
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Ask The Readers: Can I take advantage of text & mobile coupon offers without a smartphone?
Ask The Readers: Can I take advantage of text & mobile coupon offers without a smartphone?
Today’s question is from Kimber:
My old phone is about to bite the dust and I am thinking about replacing it with a smart phone so I can take advantage of some of the awesome deals I’m seeing (like mobile coupons and Cartwheel).
My question is, if I get a smartphone without a data plan, can I still take advantage of the text and mobile coupon offers? Can I use wifi in the stores to pull up whatever info I need? I am pretty clueless about technology and would appreciate any tips! -Kimber
Do you have a question you’d like to ask Money Saving Mom® readers? Read the submission guidelines and submit it here.
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Kroger to Acquire Harris Teeter Stores
For those who haven’t heard, Kroger announced yesterday that they will be buying all the Harris Teeter stores.
While this will likely mean no more double and triple coupon events, the good news is that Kroger does regularly offer some great Mega Event sales and loss leader deals.
What do you think? Will this mean better deals or are you really disappointed about this change?
Shared Jul 9, 2013
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Be Present in Your Children’s Lives… It’s One of the Best Gifts You Can Give Them!
Be Present in Your Children’s Lives… It’s One of the Best Gifts You Can Give Them!
Last night, Kathrynne and I went to Dillon’s together to do some grocery shopping. It’s been awhile since just the two of us have gone grocery shopping together and we had a lot of fun scouting out deals, evaluating options, and picking the best values.
I let her help me figure out which items were the best bang for our buck — and a few times she came up with even better options than I’d thought of in the first place. On the way home, we talked more about money and stewardship and why we’ve made the choices we have with our finances.
All of this took time and energy — something I was feeling short on last night. Truth be told, I was planning to just rush to the store by myself after Jesse got home, get the items on my list, and get home as quickly as possible.
But if I had done that, I would have missed out on such a great teaching opportunity — and the special blessing of quality time and a heart-to-heart talk with Kathrynne. I’m so glad I said “yes” when she asked if she could come with me as I was getting ready to walk out the door.
The cherry on top was Kathrynne telling me when we were almost home, “I think you do a really good job of teaching me to be wise with money.”
I don’t always take the time like I did last night. It’s easier to do things myself instead of letting the kids work and learn alongside me. It takes extra effort to let them help — and when they are toddlers it really isn’t “help” at all.
There are times when I don’t capitalize on teaching opportunities. There are times when I get frustrated at my childrens’ constant questions. There are many times when I set a poor example before my children and have to ask their forgiveness.
But when I do take the time to really listen and engage them in discussions, to invite them to join in with whatever I’m doing, to welcome their questions, and to let them learn alongside me, it’s always worth it. And those are the moments that really matter… much more than whatever seems so “pressing” right then.
So I’m challenging myself (and encourage you moms to join me in this challenge, too): let’s be more present in our childrens’ every day lives. In 25 years from now, we won’t regret it.
Pinterest Experiment: Chocolate Chip Cookie in a Cup
I find a lot of great ideas on Pinterest… but pinning something doesn’t do anything unless I actually, you know, try the idea. So I thought it’d be fun to challenge myself to do at least one Pinterest experiment every week — and blog my results.
I can’t promise that I’ll always have a Pinterest Experiment post up each week, because you know how I sometimes get distracted or on blog tangents.
But I’m at least going to try. By the way, you can follow my Pinterest account here, if you’re interested.
I promised to tell you how the Cookie in a Cup Experiment went… and I’m happy to report that it was a success.
It was super easy to whip up. It probably took me about 3 minutes from start to finish.
It turned out beautifully and tasted delicious. Though I have to say that it would have been even better with a big scoop of ice cream.
One thing I loved about this recipe is that it just makes a small amount — the perfect little dessert to share amongst two people (especially if you have that ice cream!). It doesn’t make much of a mess. It doesn’t heat up your house. And you don’t have three dozen cookies sitting around begging to be eaten later in the day. 🙂
I definitely liked this recipe better than the Chocolate Chip Cookies for Two recipe I made not too long ago. But if you want to make a larger batch of cookies ahead of time and aren’t worried about them disappearing and don’t mind using your oven, I highly recommend this Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie recipe.
Recipe link: Chocolate Chip Cookie in a Cup
Want to see what ideas I’m thinking of trying next? Check out my Recipes I Want to Try board and my Do It Yourself board for things I’m considering trying next.
Have you tried any ideas or recipes you’ve found on Pinterest this week? If so, how did they turn out for you?
Gretchen’s $43 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan
Aldi
1 Cauliflower – $1.69
2 Strawberries – $0.99 each
1 gallon Milk – $1.99
1 Corn Chips – $0.99
1 Blueberries – $1.69
Total with tax (7.3%) – $8.94
Dillons
Items a part of the Mega Sale (Buy 10, Get $5 off instantly):
4 Hefty Slider Bags – $0.99 each, used 2 $1/2 printable (no longer available) – $0.49 each after coupons
4 Schick Quattro Razors – $4.49 each, used 2 Buy One Get One Free coupon from the 6/30 SmartSource insert (took off $6.39 each) AND used $3/1 coupon from the 5/19 SmartSource insert AND used $2/1 coupon from the 6/23 SmartSource insert – $0.04 each after coupons
2 Town House Pita Crackers – $1.99 each, used 2 $0.70/1 printable (doubled to $1) – $0.99 each after coupons
Other Deals:
1 Kroger Frozen Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts – $6.98
2 Alexis Frozen Sauté Reds – Marked down to $1.05, used 2 $1/1 printable (no longer available) – $0.05 each after coupons
1 Rice Dream – $2.29, used $1/1 mailer coupon – $1.29 after coupon
1 Green Pepper – $0.69
1 Filippo Olive Oil – $5.89, used $1/1 printable – $4.89 after coupon (It’s hard to find a good deal on olive oil. I wish I could find it cheaper somewhere.)
1 Lance XtraFulls Peanut Butter Crackers – $2.99, used $2.78/1 printable (my cashier went ahead and took off $2.99) – Free after coupon
1 Celery – $0.99
0.68 lbs Green Beans @ $1.69/lb – $1.15
2.23 lbs Bananas @ $0.52/lb – $1.16
1 Romaine Lettuce – $0.99
0.54 lbs Roma Tomatoes @ $0.99/lb – $0.53
2 Annie Ramen Noodles – Marked down to $0.99, used 2 $1/1 printable – Free after coupons
1 Bear Valley Cereal – $2.49
1 Kroger Natural Peanut Butter – $2.57
1 Kroger Just Fruit Jelly – $2.29
Total before sales and coupons: $92.66
Total with tax (7.3%) after sales and coupons: $34.44
Total for all grocery items: $43.38
Menu Plan for this Week
Breakfasts
Oatmeal, Cereal, Toast, Bananas
Lunches
Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches, Leftovers, Homemade Macaroni & Cheese, Tuna Sandwiches, Veggies & Fruit
Dinners
Chicken Tetrazzini, Tossed Salad
BBQ Meatballs (My parents gave us several pounds of grass-fed ground beef over the weekend!), Sautéed Green Beans, Biscuits, Strawberries
Baked Potato Bar, Tossed Salad, Sliced Oranges (I have a few leftover from the past 2 weeks grocery shopping trips.)
Chicken & Rice Casserole, Steamed Broccoli, 30-Minute Rolls
Haystacks, Corn Muffins, Steamed Cauliflower
Pancakes, Eggs, Fruit
Out to eat
Jessica’s CVS Trip: 13 items for just $0.45 out of pocket!
The following is an email I received from Jessica who blogs at This Blessed Life:
I just wanted to share with you (and your readers) how helpful I’ve found your site throughout different phases of my life! I first started following you back in 2007, when I was a new wife with a lot of time on her hands after work to cut coupons, look for deals, and plan my store trips.
Fast forward six years and I’m now a stay-at-home mom (still faithfully reading MoneySavingMom.com!) with a preschooler and an infant. My daughter was born in January with a lot of health problems, and while she is doing fine now, I still haven’t fully gotten back into my “coupon groove” like before.
Honestly, I just don’t have the time or desire right now to bring both of my kids to lots of stores and search out the best deals! As they get older, shopping will get easier, but right now what works for me is to focus on the local grocery store and CVS with the occasional Aldi or Target trip thrown in.
I’ve learned that it definitely doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Saving my family some money is better than not saving any money at all!
That said, every week I faithfully scan your CVS match-ups to see what deals I can do there. After I read your match-ups for inspiration and printable coupon links, I go ahead and look at the weekly ad online to see if there’s anything else there that interests me.
Two weeks ago you posted an amazing diaper deal that resulted in $12 Extra Bucks back when you spent $30 on diapers and wipes. I used your match-ups and printable internet coupons (doesn’t get any easier than that!) to purchase the diapers and wipes, netting me $12 ECB to roll toward this week’s deal. I was pretty happy with my out-of-pocket expense!
CVS Shopping Trip
Scott toilet paper – $7.77
4 boxes of Kleenex – $.99 each
5 cans of Bumble Bee tuna – $.77 each
Old Spice deodorant – $2.67
CVS baby wipes – $2.99
Rolo candy bar (filler item) – $1.19I used my $12 EB from two weeks ago and stacked it with:
– $4/$20 CVS purchase, via e-mail {I signed up for CVS e-mails ages ago, thanks to your tip!}
– $6 ECB from nearly a month ago that I meant to use on the diaper deal but couldn’t find it at the time. Whoops! 🙂My subtotal after the coupons was just $.43, with $.02 CT tax on top of that.
So everything in the picture above was just forty-five cents! PLUS my quarterly EB printed out from the coupon machine, giving me $2.50 to work with next week.
Are these items at rock-bottom prices? Definitely not. And I didn’t use a single coupon other than CVS coupons. But they were all true necessities for us this week (well, except for the Rolos – those were just filler and made my husband happy!), and doing easy deals like this at CVS is what works best for my situation right now.
And for less than two quarters?! Yes, please! 🙂
Jessica is a former elementary music teacher who is now a stay-at-home mom (and wife!). She is passionate about Jesus, her family, healthy eating, adoption, Starbucks coffee, decorating on a dime, and thrifting like it is her job. (If only!) You can catch Jessica at her blog, This Blessed Life.
Have you gotten a great deal thanks to a tip you’ve found here on MoneySavingMom.com? Take a picture of your deal/purchase and write a short post on the deal details and submit it here. If your submission is chosen to be posted, I’ll send you a $25 Amazon gift card! Note: the more creative, unique, and well-written your post, the more chance it will have of being posted.