
TheTrainToCrazy.com shows you how to make homemade maxi skirt.
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.

100 Creative Ideas for Frugal Fun with Kids!
Published: by Crystal Paine on | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

TheTrainToCrazy.com shows you how to make homemade maxi skirt.
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.
Published: by Crystal Paine on | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.
The past few months of our lives have been really full as we’ve been in the process of some pretty significant changes as a family. It’s all good stuff and we’re excited about what these changes mean, but it’s definitely stretched us to the max more than once in recent weeks.
However, we knew that if we just made it to October 20, things we’re going to settle down tremendously. We’re so grateful that God carried us through the past number of somewhat grueling weeks and we’re very thankful to be on the other side of those projects and changes.
In fact, it was so strange to look at my calendar this week — and for the next two months! — and realize how crazily calm it looked in comparison. There are seasons where one needs to just power through, by the grace of God, but I’m thankful that we’ve made it through and into a more peaceful season.
And I’m hoping this means I’ll be able to get back onto the bandwagon of consistent exercise, reading, and some of the other things I’ve been slacking on the past two months! 🙂
Goals from two weeks ago:
Family/Marriage/Mothering Goals
1.Read 2 chapters of The Borrowers to Kathrynne. Read 2 chapters of Caddie Woodlawn with Kaitlynn. Read a few picture books with Silas.
2. Write a love note to Jesse.Personal Goals
3. Work on memorizing & reviewing Romans 1:1-23.
4. Run 10 miles.
5. Read Daring Greatly, Leaving Yesterday, Bread & Wine, and
Wild Goose Chase.6. Write thank you’s.
Business Goals
7. Prep for the SCORRE Conference.
8. Write outline & rehearse for filming with MOPS next week.
9. Practice my updated talk for the MOPS & ReWrite Conferences next week.
10. Write one post for the 52 Ways to Save $100 a Year series.
This week’s goals:
Family/Marriage/Mothering Goals
1. Read 3 chapters of The Borrowers to Kathrynne. Read 3 chapters of Caddie Woodlawn with Kaitlynn. Read a few picture books with Silas.
2. Write a love note to Jesse.
3. Go on a date with Jesse.
Personal Goals
4. Work on memorizing & reviewing Romans 1:1-23.
5. Run 10 miles.
6. Read Daring Greatly, Leaving Yesterday, Bread & Wine, What’s So Amazing About Grace?, and Notes from a Blue Bike.
7. Write thank you’s.
Business Goals
8. Write op-eds for book launch.
9. Finish final book edits.
10. Write one post for the 52 Ways to Save $100 a Year series.
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.
Published: by Crystal Paine on | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.
Breakfasts
Oatmeal, Cereal, Eggs, and/or Fruit
Lunches
Mac & cheese, fruit
Snack-y lunch {veggies, cheese, yogurt, fruit, crackers, etc.}
PB&J, carrot sticks, apples
Cheese quesadillas, carrot sticks
Leftovers x 3Snacks
Fruit/veggies
Popcorn
Boiled eggs
Welcome Home Chocolate Chip MuffinsFreezer Cooking in an Hour (I’ll share more how this goes later on this week!)
Oatmeal Pumpkin Pancakes
20 Minute Barbecue Cups
Baked Chicken
Welcome Home Chocolate Chip MuffinsDinners
Breakfast for dinner: Oatmeal Pumpkin Pancakes, fruit, scrambled eggs
Three Bean Chili Chowder — bringing this to a get-together with friends on Friday night
Date with Jesse (using birthday gift card from my in-laws)
Meat, Potatoes, Onions, and Carrots in the crockpot, Chocolate Chip Muffins
Texas Lasagna, fruit, tossed salad
Dinner with extended family
Dinner out
What’s on your menu this week? Tell us in the comments or leave a link to your menu plan post.
Published: by Crystal Paine on | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.
Welcome to Frugal Photo Friday! This month, I am partnering with Rebekah from SimplyRebekah.com. Each Friday we are sharing pictures of simple ways that we save money.
I traveled to Colorado on Sunday for the SCORRE Conference (it was life-impacting in so many ways — I highly recommend this conference to every speaker or aspiring speaker. So very worth it!). I left SCORRE yesterday afternoon and flew to Kansas City with some of my team to speak and do some filming at MomCon today.
Then, we left Kansas City this afternoon to fly to Austin to speak at the ReWrite Conference tomorrow (I’m writing this on the plane!). So I’ve been living out of a suitcase this week.
Knowing that I had six flights this week, I was really determined to get everything into a carry-on. Because I couldn’t stand the thought of having to pay baggage fees on multiple flights.
It took some finagling, but I did it! All 8 outfits — including dressy outfits for speaking — stuffed into one carryon. It felt like quite an accomplishment and saved me some hefty baggage fees, too! 🙂
I’ve found that rolling clothes up is the best way to pack them — it takes up the least space and it also keeps them from getting wrinkled. Just take them out and hang them up as soon as you get to your destination and they will usually look nice and fresh within an hour or two.
Head on over to Simply Rebekah to see the savings that Rebekah is sharing today.
Now it is your turn to share the simple ways that you save. Post your link below or on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #FrugalPhotoFriday. All of the link-up details can be found here.
Published: by Brigette on | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.
This simple recipe for oven fried chicken requires only a few basic ingredients and is less time-consuming than regular fried chicken. It’s also healthier since it’s baked and not fried — plus you won’t stink up your house with a deep fryer! Win, win, win!

Guest post from Brigette Shevy
Crystal and I grew up in a family of seven children. Given our family size, and the fact that we had company over for meals at least once a week, our Mom was (is!) the Queen of simple, budget-friendly, crowd-pleasing meals.
Crystal and I were recently reminiscing about different recipes we grew up on and thought it would be fun to share some of our favorites with you.

Oven Fried Chicken was one of my Dad’s favorite meals.
My Mom got the recipe out of the church cookbook from the church my parents attended the first years of their marriage, and it has been a regular in our family for as long as I can remember.
Depending on what you serve with it, this chicken can be a fancy special occasion dinner or a hearty recipe for any night of the week!

Oven frying is a low-fat technique for cooking crumb-coated foods in a very hot oven in an effort to recreate that crisp and golden exterior of foods that have been deep fried.
This technique cuts down on fat and calories without sacrificing flavor.
Oven fried chicken is a perfect example of how to make your favorite fried foods a whole lot healthier!
Well for starters… it tastes amazing! The outside is perfectly crispy and crunchy while the meat is so tender and juicy.
I love that this simple recipe requires only a few basic ingredients and is less time-consuming than regular fried chicken.
Also, it’s so much healthier since it’s baked and not fried — plus you won’t stink up your house with a deep fryer!
NOTE: The original recipe calls for the skin to be left on, but I usually remove the skin. It’s good either way!

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
2. Melt butter in a shallow baking dish or bowl.
3. In another bowl, mix together flour, salt, pepper, and paprika.

4. Dip chicken pieces in melted butter…

5. And then dip the chicken into the flour mixture.

6. Place coated chicken pieces in a single layer on a greased shallow baking pan (skin side down – if you’ve left the skin on).

7. Bake at 400º for 30 minutes.
8. Flip chicken pieces over and continue baking for an additional 30 minutes.

We recommend setting your oven to 400ºF as that seems to be the best temperature to allow the chicken to fully cook without burning the deliciously crispy, crunchy crust!
The recommended “safe” temperature for cooking poultry is 165ºF. So the INTERNAL temperature of the chicken should be stable at 165ºF before eating.
You can use a simple instant-read thermometer to test the internal temperature — just make sure you’re not accidentally touching the thermometer to a bone (which will be much hotter).
And keep in mind that white meat usually cooks faster than dark meat.

As I mentioned above, oven fried chicken can be as fancy or as “every day” as you want it to be.
If you’re going for a hearty sit-down dinner, serve it up with baked or mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, homemade applesauce, and dinner rolls.
If you prefer a lighter meal, oven fried chicken pairs nicely with a simple Ceasar Salad and fresh fruit.
For a backyard barbeque, try serving it with baked beans, coleslaw, potato salad, and watermelon wedges.
On the off chance you have any leftover chicken, simply refrigerate it in a food storage container to reheat later.
It’s best to let the chicken cool completely before covering it in the refrigerator — this will help to prevent the crunchy coating to get soggy.
Oven fried chicken tastes amazing as leftovers — but it’s best to reheat it in the oven so you can enjoy the crispy crunchy coating again!
Preheat your oven to 400ºF again and place cold chicken on a foil-lined baking pan. It helps to let the chicken sit at room temperature while the oven preheats.
Pop the chicken in the oven for 15-20 minutes, checking after 10 to see how warm it is.

Chicken needs to be dry in order to get crispy in the oven — so make sure you pat the skin well with a paper towel before coating it with the egg + flour mixture.
In order to get a crispy coating on your chicken, you’ll need to use some type of flour or cornstarch in the breading. Make sure you drench the chicken in melted butter so all the yummy breading has something to stick to.
In addition to making sure the skin is nice and dry, you’ll want to have your oven nice and hot — at least 400ºF. And if you have a wire baking rack that fits in one of your baking pans, set the chicken on that so air can circulate around the entire piece of chicken.
This will mostly depend on your personal preferences. Deep-frying is faster than oven-fried chicken, however, it’s a lot messier and smellier. It also requires the use of a deep fryer and lots of oil. Oven fried chicken takes a bit longer to bake, but it’s healthier and a lot easier.

Make sure to share and save it on your favorite platform below!
Brigette is a full-time wife and mother who is blessed with three amazing bundles of energy (ages 6, 4, and 2). She enjoys music, experimenting in the kitchen, homeschooling her children, finding great deals, long-distance running, and anything chocolate.

Meal time just got so much easier!
Published: by Crystal Paine on | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.
During the month of October, I’m following along with Edie & Ruth on their 31 Days of Less & More journey. I’d love for you to join in by reading the posts and completing the projects, or just sit back and read along each day.
We live in a go-go-go and do-do-do society. It’s almost as if our worth is tied to how busy we can pack our schedules.
This frantic pace isn’t healthy and it prevents us from being able to take time to savor life. That’s why we have to be intentional about slowing down…
In the last year, we’ve been really putting forth effort to make time and take time to stop and smell the roses instead of just rushing through life. Here are three things that have helped:
1. Plan for Margin Time
When you plan your daily schedule, don’t pack it so full that you have no time to breathe. Cross some things off your list without doing them or just don’t even plan to do them at all so that you can free up at least two hours of margin time in your day.
This will immediately help you to feel more relaxed and less stressed, plus, it will mean that interruptions don’t frustrate or completely throw off your day.
2. Take Sundays Off
One of the best decisions we ever made was to make Sunday a media-free day of rest at our house. I’ve talked about this here before, but I’ll say it again: having one day off in a week makes such a difference in our lives.
Sundays are a day to recharge, refresh, and renew. It’s a day to refuel our tanks for the week ahead — and we look forward to it every week.
3. Stay Home At Least 2 Days Per Week
We don’t always accomplish this, but we really try to stay home at least two full days every week. I’ve found that this makes things so much calmer and quieter, plus, we seem to get a lot more done in a week when we stay home more!
What are your best tips and tricks for slowing down and savoring life more?
For more on this topic, check out Ruth’s post on Less Running Around and Edie’s post on More Nesting. I promise you’ll be inspired and blessed!
Published: by Crystal Paine on | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.
Aldi
1 Navel Oranges – $3.49
1 dozen Eggs – $1.39
1 gallon Milk – $1.99
1 Loaf Bread – $1.29
1 Flour Tortillas – $0.99
1 canned Pumpkin – $0.89 (So happy to see this on the shelf at Aldi!)
1 Tortilla Chips – $1.19
1 Extra Virgin Olive Oil – $2.99
1 Salsa – $1.69
1 Italian Dressing – $1.39
1 can Chili Beans – $0.59
Total with tax ($1.28): $19.17
Dillons
While shopping at CVS earlier today, my coupon box broke in the parking lot and coupons flew everywhere. About 1/3 of them were blown away in the wind and the ones I “rescued” are so disorganized and messed up that it is going to take me several hours to get them re-organized. 🙁 I spent about 15 minutes in the car digging through my coupons trying to find the ones I was going to use at Dillons…but I couldn’t bring all my coupons in with me since they were ALL over my car. I shopped without my coupon box and all my coupons (which was a first for me). After my experience today, I’m thinking maybe I should switch to a coupon binder instead of a box.
1 Tyson Frozen Chicken Breasts (3 lbs) – $7.99
1 Private Selection Frozen Strawberries – $2.49
1 Kroger Ice Cream – $2.50
1 Kroger Cheddar Cheese (24 oz) – $3.99
1 Kroger Plain Yogurt – $2.39
1 Kroger Cottage Cheese – $1.99
2 Food Should Taste Good Cheddar Chips – Marked down to $0.75 each
2 Milky Way Bites – $2.49 each, used 2 $2/1 printable – $0.49 each after coupons
1 Kroger Turkey Sandwich Meat – $2.50
6 Knorr Pasta Sides – $1 each, used $1.50/5 printable, Received 2 $1 catalinas – $0.41 each after coupon and catalinas (We like to use these while camping, which we do a lot of in the fall!)
0.66 lbs Broccoli @ $0.99/lb – $0.65
1 Romaine Lettuce – $0.99
2 Cucumbers – $0.75 each
3 Green Peppers – $0.75 each
1 Kroger Natural Peanut Butter – $1.88
1 Green Mountain K-Cups – $6.99, used $1/1 printable – $5.99 after coupon (This is my favorite brand of coffee and I rarely see a sale on it. This was a splurge for me!)
3 Larabar – $1 each, used $0.75/3 e-coupon AND $0.75/3 SavingStar.com rebate – $0.50 each after coupon and rebate
Total before sales and coupons: $70.31
Total after sales and coupons: $50.17
Total for all grocery items: $69.87
Smoothies x 4, Cereal, Toast
Tossed Salad and Cottage Cheese, Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches, Scrambled Eggs, Cheese Quesadillas, Cheese and Fruit
Homemade Cheese Pizza, Tossed Salad, Breadsticks
Chicken Drumsticks, Green Beans, Sliced Oranges, Steamed Broccoli
Beef, Cheese & Noodle Bake, Steamed Cauliflower, Fruit Salad
Stuffed Green Peppers (I’m using this recipe as a reference), 30 Minute Rolls, Tossed Salad
Three-Cheese Chicken Penne Florentine, Steamed Broccoli, Sliced Oranges
Belgian Waffles, Eggs, Hashbrowns
Date Night (Yay!)
Published: by Crystal Paine on | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.
Walgreens Shopping Trip
2 Advil PM – $1 each
Used 2 $1/1 coupon from the 10/13 RedPlum insert2 Oberto Beef Jerky – $2.99 each (My husband was pretty happy about this treat!)
Used Buy One Get One Free printable3 Gas-X – $4.99 each (I will donate this – but I couldn’t resist “buying” it since I got paid to get it.)
Used $2/1 Walgreens coupon from the October Walgreens booklet (took off $6)
And used $10/3 coupon from the 10/13 SmartSource insert1 Reach Total Care Floss – $2.99
Used $1/1 printableRedeemed 1,000 points (like $1)
Total before sales and coupons: $38.37
Total with tax ($1.85) after coupons and sales: $4.80
Published: by Crystal Paine on | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.
Today’s question is from Julie:
For many years, MoneySavingMom.com has helped me save hundreds of dollars. However, one of my children was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes and Celiac Disease, and our food budget has been obliterated as we make the necessary changes to a starch-free diet.
How can I get the best deals on nuts, seeds, coconut products, and the high volume of produce that we now consume? I am already preparing everything from scratch and am attempting to learn how to garden but would welcome any advice! -Julie
Do you have a question you’d like to ask Money Saving Mom® readers? Read the submission guidelines and submit it here.
Published: by Crystal Paine on | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.
CVS Shopping Trip
Transaction #1
2 Maxwell House K-Cups – $5.99 each
Used 2 $1/1 printable1 CVS Razor – $6.99
Used $5/1 CVS razor store coupon from the in-store coupon machine2 Suave Professionals 2-in-1 – $2
Used 2 $1.50/1 coupon from the 9/29 RedPlum insertUsed $13 ECBs from previous shopping trips
Free after coupons, Received $3 ECBs (for buying CVS razor) and $3 ECBs (for buying 2 Maxwell coffees)
Transaction #2
3 Ghirardelli Chocolate Bars – $3.59 each
Used 3 $1/1 printableUsed $6 ECBs from transaction #1
Paid $1.77 out of pocket, Received $2 ECBs (for buying 3 Ghirardelli)
Total before sales, coupons and ECBs: $33.74
Total after sales, coupons and ECBs: $1.77 PLUS $2 ECBs leftover
Published: by Crystal Paine on | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

During the month of October, I’m following along with Edie & Ruth on their 31 Days of Less & More journey. I’d love for you to join in by reading the posts and completing the projects, or just sit back and read along each day.
According to statistics, the average American watches over 30 hours of television per week. That’s a LOT of time!
Stop to think what you could do with that time. You could keep your house in amazing shape. You could exercise more. You could cook from scratch. You could have a profitable side business. You could write a book. You could invest in some close relationships.
The sky is the limit with what you could do with 30 hours per week!
I think we’d all agree that, in most cases, there are more productive things to do than to spend hours and hours each week sitting in front of a black box. But we have to be intentional in setting up our days so that television-watching doesn’t become our default.
Here are three practices that have helped us:
1. Turn It Off!
Okay, so this seems like a no-brainer, but how often do you have the TV on in the background as you go about your day? Try just turning it off. It will mean less distraction and less noise in your day — which doesn’t sound like a bad thing to me!
2. Don’t Pay for Cable
This is another simplistic tip, but it really works! If you can’t get that many shows on your TV, there’s a lot less temptation to turn it on or channel surf.
2. Have Set Times for Watching
We don’t watch a lot of TV, but we do have Movie Time at 5 p.m. every day. Establishing a specific time for having the TV on at our house has been so beneficial as then I don’t have to field questions all day on “when can we watch a movie”? And also, it provides a lot of motivation for our kids to get their school and chores done by 5 p.m.! 🙂
It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of reading. In fact, I enjoy it so much that I sometimes put it as a higher priority than sleep (which I don’t recommend!).
Making good books a part of your life isn’t something that will just naturally happen. Again, it’s something you need to be intentional about — especially if you’re not much of a reader.
Challenge yourself to read for 15 minutes when you get up in the morning or when you go to bed at night. Listen to audiobooks while you’re driving or working around the house. Read aloud as a family.
Set small goals to make reading a part of your everyday life. I promise it will be worth the effort!
For more ideas, check out my post on 15 Ways to Fit More Reading Into Your Day.
For more on this topic, check out Ruth’s post on Less Television and Edie’s post on More Gratitude. I promise you’ll be inspired and blessed!
Published: by Crystal Paine on | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.
Are you going to be at MomCon in Kansas City on Friday? If so and you like free stuff and saving money, I promise you’ll want to be at my workshop, 25 Ways to Significantly Cut Your Grocery Bill.
I love to give things away here on the blog, so I thought it would be so much fun to do that at my MomCon workshop, too! Everyone in the audience at my workshop on Friday will have the opportunity to take home a fun prize — like a Starbucks gift card or even an iPad.
It will be worth being there for, trust me on that! Oh and be sure to be there at least 10 minutes early to be eligible for the giveaways. 🙂
But the giveaways aside, I’d really love for you to be there because I would be honored to have the opportunity to meet you in person. Truly, meeting my readers in person is one of my most favorite things in all the world! So if you are there, please come say “hi” — it will make my day!
Published: by Crystal Paine on | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.
Are you using Bing Rewards? If not, you’ll want to sign up here.
Bing Rewards is a way to earn credits for searching online and participating in daily offers. By spending just a few minutes per day, you can easily earn a $5 Amazon gift card every month.
You can read all about how it works and how to use it in my post here.
(Note: The link in this post is my referral link. Read my disclosure policy here.)
Published: by Crystal Paine on | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

DomesticSerenity.org shows you how to make a homemade Lemon & Rosemary Air Freshener.
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.
Published: by Crystal Paine on | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.
We’re excited to have Teach Them Diligently as one of our monthly sponsors in October. WE had the opportunity to interview them and get to know their company a little more recently:
Teach Them Diligently was started in 2011 out of a mission board called Worldwide Tentmakers. The event was meant to provide financial support for its overseas ministries. This is the reason for the strong Gospel and Family Discipleship focus of the event. It was born out of a mission board in which the entire purpose for its existence is the Great Commission.
The first event was in 2012 in Spartanburg, SC, and we hosted 7,000 at that first event, and we were overwhelmed with positive testimonials as to how the Lord used the event in the hearts and lives of families. After much prayer, we expanded in 2013 to Spartanburg, SC; Nashville, TN; and Omaha, NE. We hosted 7,000, 7,000 and 5,000 respectively at each of those events.
Now we are expanding again slowly into online media and adding a fourth event. In 2014, our events will be in Nashville, TN; Spartanburg, SC; Washington, DC; and Dallas, TX. We’re excitedly looking forward to seeing thousands of homeschoolers at our events again in 2014!
We have an exhibit hall with hundreds of booths from companies interested in reaching families attending our events with their products, curriculum, and resources. In most cases, the prices at our events are lower than these companies offer all year.
Additionally, we are offering an exclusive discount code to get $8 off the early bird registration price for our events for MoneySavingMom.com readers. Just use coupon code MSMBESTSAVINGS at checkout to get this special discount! This discount code is valid through November 1, 2013.
A portion of every dollar of registration fees goes toward supporting Christian ministries overseas.
Our events are encouraging. They are specifically Christian homeschool events, but anyone is welcome.
At Teach Them Diligently events, you can expect to have your vision renewed and refreshed toward the reason why you started homeschooling. Additionally, we want to encourage parents that homeschooling is about discipleship not just academics.
We believe that what parents do every day in their homes is part of the Great Commission and an extension of Christ’s command to reach out. We are equipping our children to go out into the world and make a difference.
Interested in becoming a monthly sponsor or advertising with us? Find more details here.
And I'll send you 1 to 2 daily emails with the best hand-picked hot deals as they become available!