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Money Saving Mom

Money Saving Mom®

Saving Families Money Since 2007

2hr Cleaning Checklist

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Shipping Costs
Shared Mar 11, 2013 comment

4 Strategies to Save on Shipping

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4 Strategies to Save on Shipping

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Shipping Costs

Guest post from Bernadine of Montebello Mom

Online shopping is wonderful, the convenience of shopping after the kids are tucked in and after I’ve had a shower is great for this working mom, but shipping costs can easily add $5 or more to a total, and that’s $5 I’m not willing to spend.

Here are the strategies I use to save on shipping at online retailers:

1. Search For Free Shipping Codes

Check RetailMeNot.com or do a quick Google search using the words “free shipping code” and the name of the online retailer. You’d be surprised how many places offer free shipping, but only if you have the code.

2. Meet Minimum Order Requirements

Fill your online shopping cart with enough merchandise to meet the minimum purchase requirements to qualify for free shipping. I sometimes will purchase a range of sizes to make sure my kids get the best fit and return the item that doesn’t fit well to the brick and mortar store for a refund.

3. Place the Order Through a Store

If an item is not in stock at the store, or if it is only available online, you can ask a store associate at the brick and mortar store to order it online for you. I’ve done this at Gymboree for swimsuits and at the Disney Store for princess attire. In both instances, the shipping fee was waived.

I’ve also just come right out and asked a store employee for a free online shipping code to order items that were not in stock at the store — and I got one!

4. Pick-Up In Store

When ordering online chose the “pick-up in store” or “ship-to-store option”. Usually you’ll have to go to customer service to pick up the item, or some stores have a special pick-up counter for online orders.

At Best Buy, I’ve used this option several times to guarantee that I get a copy of a video game or DVD at special limited time only pricing and not have to pay for shipping.

What are your favorite ways to save on online shipping costs?

Bernadine authors MontebelloMom.com, a free family-friendly events and bargains blog in the Los Angeles area. She is the official Blogger for the Shops at Montebello mall and an avid bargain hunter.

Money Saving Mom
Shared Mar 11, 2013 comment

Saturday’s trip to the health food store

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Saturday’s trip to the health food store

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I finally am back to posting about my grocery shopping trips — after a long self-imposed hiatus while I finished writing my second book. I know some of you have missed these posts and I’m excited to bring them back again!

I stopped by the health food store while I was out and about on Saturday and was so glad I did! Here’s what I got:

Health Food Store Shopping Trip

Blueberries — $1.99

3 3-lb. bags of potatoes — on sale for $0.69 per bag!

5 apples — $0.99/lb.

3 pears — $0.99/lb.

5 organic oranges — $0.99/lb.

8 grapefuit — on sale 4 for $1

I love it when I get deals on fresh produce — especially organic produce!

Have you gotten any great deals on product recently?

Money Saving Mom
Shared Mar 11, 2013 comment

This week’s menu

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This week’s menu

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Homemade Freezer Biscuits

Breakfasts

Oatmeal, Cereal, Eggs, and/or Fruit

Lunches

Mac & cheese, fruit
Snack-y lunch
PB&J, carrot sticks, apples
Lunch out at Applebee’s (We had a gift card.)
Cheese quesadillas, carrot sticks
Leftovers x 2

Chocolate Cranberry Energy Bites

Snacks

Fruit/veggies
Popcorn
Chocolate Cranberry Energy Bites

Freezer Cooking in an Hour (stay tuned on Thursday when I’ll share a play-by-play on how this goes!)

Homemade Freezer Biscuits
Amish Cinnamon Bread
Bean & Cheese Burritos

Dinners

Dinner with extended family
Cheesy Enchilada Casserole, tossed salad, fruit
Twice Baked Potato Soup, carrot stocks, Peanut Butter Chocolate Oat Muffins
Slow Cooker Lentil & Black Bean Soup, Homemade Freezer Biscuits, Fruit
Bean & Cheese Burritos
Dinner with extended family
Dinner out

What’s on your menu this week? Share details and/or your link to your menu plan in the comments.

Money Saving Mom
Shared Mar 11, 2013 comment

Free Samples In My Mailbox

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Free Samples In My Mailbox

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Here are the free samples I’ve gotten over the past few weeks:

Free L’Oreal Haircare samples

Coupon for a FREE Pepsi Next 2-Liter

Free Lipton Tea samples

Free VitaMelts samples

Coupon for a FREE package of Oscar Mayer meat

Free CD case pouches

What freebies have arrived in your mailbox this week?

By the way, if you want to start getting great freebies in your mailbox, just start signing up for the freebies I post every day that interest you. Within 4-6 weeks, your mailbox will start filling up with great freebies!

Money Saving Mom
Shared Mar 11, 2013 comment

Early to Rise Challenge: “It’s Your World, So Change It”

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Early to Rise Challenge: “It’s Your World, So Change It”

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Welcome to the Early to Rise Challenge! Throughout the month of March, I’m challenging myself and my readers to make the most of their mornings. So every week day morning at 9 a.m. EST, I’m posting a short Early to Rise post. I’ll share a few of my thoughts on the day’s passage from Early to Rise, tell you what time I got up that morning, and encourage you to leave a comment to tell us what time you got up and how you’re doing on the challenge.

“It’s Your World, So Change It”

While getting out of bed was not something I loved this this morning (somewhat because of the time change, but mostly because I stayed up too late finishing Eve’s Daughters!), I loved, loved, loved Andy’s Day 11 reading in the Early to Rise book. Why? Because it’s something I’m passionate about.

We all want to do something with our lives. We want to make a difference. We want to change lives. We want to have an impact.

Sometimes, though, we make excuses. We want life to be perfect before we start in on our grand plans.

Here’s the thing: life will never be perfect. But that shouldn’t stop us from using today to make a difference.

You may be thinking: “But I’m not gifted or wealthy!” Maybe you don’t possess any amazingly noteworthy talents (though no matter who you are, you are an artist of some sort) and maybe you are barely scraping by, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do something right where you’re at.

Smile and look into the eyes of people you meet today. Express genuine gratitude. Send an email or text to tell someone how much you appreciate them. Have a tea party with your kids. Take a loaf of bread to a new neighbor. Call a friend to ask how she’s really doing. Look for something you can do each hour of today to brighten someone else’s life.

What are you going to do to change the world today? I want to hear about it. And don’t let this question stump you. If you don’t have any creative ideas, use one that I shared above or check out this list of great ideas. I promise that in reaching out to others, you yourself will be blessed, too!

What Time Did You Get Up This Morning?

Me? I got up at 5:32 a.m. this morning.

What time did you get up? Leave a comment and let us know!

Join in the Chatter!

Want to blog about this challenge? If you’re blogging through this challenge with me, be sure to leave your link to your direct post for today below. Plus, if you’d like to post your daily posts to the Early to Rise Group Board on my Pinterest page, just shoot me an email (moneysavingmom @ gmail dot com) and I’ll invite you.

Want to follow along on Twitter or Instagram? Each week day morning on my Facebook Page, my Twitter account, and my Instagram account, I’ll be posting a picture of my alarm clock as public accountability. I’d love to have you do the same or join in the discussion on Twitter and Instagram. Just follow hashtag #EarlytoRise to see what others are tweeting and Instagramming about this challenge!

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

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Money Saving Mom
Shared Mar 10, 2013 comment

A Peek Into Our Week: Scrabble, Mrs. Frisby & the Rats of Nimh, Freezer Cooking, Early to Rise Challenge, and Friendship Bracelets

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A Peek Into Our Week: Scrabble, Mrs. Frisby & the Rats of Nimh, Freezer Cooking, Early to Rise Challenge, and Friendship Bracelets

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We had an impromptu and rousing game of Scrabble one night. I was excited because I actually won (I think that might be a first!)!

I had five “early” mornings as part of the Early to Rise Challenge.

We finished Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh and it was a very sad day because we all thoroughly enjoyed this book — even Jesse. 🙂

Silas helped me do a Freezer Cooking in an Hour session — and all three recipes ended up being winners (see the recipe links and more details here)!

I was especially excited because our Crockpot Refried Beans turned out beautifully!

Learning how to make friendship bracelets.

How was YOUR week?

Shared Mar 9, 2013 comment

3 Tips for Reverse Meal Planning

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3 Tips for Reverse Meal Planning

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photo3

Guest post by Kirsten of I Still Hate Pickles

Last year, we put our house on the market. Keeping a house in show-ready condition with two kids meant that my house and my time needed some de-cluttering. Couponing seemed to be one more thing I couldn’t handle, so I packed up my coupon folders and stopped checking online for the best coupon match-ups.

I didn’t want our grocery budget to blow up, so I came up with a system of reverse meal planning. This meant hitting the store with a basic list, buying the best deals, and planning my week around that.

If you are think this type of meal planning would work for you, here are 3 tips that helped me:

1. Pick One Store and Know It Well

Each store has its own advantages in terms of savings, whether by great weekly deals or a valued customer program. Find a store that you are familiar with and know you can find savings without coupons. Become familiar with their shopping policies.

My store became our local Kroger, even though it doesn’t always have the lowest prices. It has separate clearance sections for things like organic, meat, frozen, produce, and general store items. Before I really looked, I never saw these areas!

I also discovered what days of the week tended to have the best mark-downs and planned my trips accordingly.

2. Make a General List

Rather than a specific list of items, my grocery list might look like this: fruit, bread, meat, cheese. When I got to the store, I would hit the clearance areas first. Most weeks, I could buy 90% of the list on clearance. Then I filled the list with the best non-clearance deals. In knowing your store well, you’ll already know what prices are really good.

3. Stockpile the Great Deals

Having a stockpile means that for some things, like meat and cheese, if you find a great deal, you can buy a lot and freeze them. This carried me through weeks or months where I found no good deals on items like deli meat or chicken. It’s also a good idea to note what you have stockpiled before you hit the store.

This method requires a little more flexibility than traditional meal planning. These general principles, however, work really well in conjunction with couponing — know your store, have some flexibility if you find an unexpected deal, and stockpile.

Now that we are in a less stressful situation, I can combine coupon savings with clearance savings to maximize our grocery budget. I still do like planning in reverse—it feels a little like a game to me, and sometimes makes me more adventurous with foods I might not have chosen otherwise.

Kirsten Oliphant is a writer, blogger, and wrangler of children at home. Several of her books are available on Amazon and her blog, I Still Hate Pickles, features an eclectic mix of life, faith, recipes, and roller derby.

Money Saving Mom
Shared Mar 8, 2013 comment

Early to Rise Challenge: Find the Artist in You

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Early to Rise Challenge: Find the Artist in You

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

Welcome to the Early to Rise Challenge! Throughout the month of March, I’m challenging myself and my readers to make the most of their mornings. So every week day morning at 9 a.m. EST, I’m posting a short Early to Rise post. I’ll share a few of my thoughts on the day’s passage from Early to Rise, tell you what time I got up that morning, and encourage you to leave a comment to tell us what time you got up and how you’re doing on the challenge.

Find the Artist in You

Okay, so I have to be completely honest here: I’m not sure of the correlation between rising early and creating and “shipping” something that Andy makes in the Day 8 reading from the Early to Rise book. And I would have loved for him to unpack that a little more in what he wrote.

But regardless, I’m a big fan of creating art and shipping things. That is, I think everyone should be creating in some form or fashion. But our creations shouldn’t be kept behind closed doors; we need to “ship it” by sharing our art with the world.

And just about now, you might be thinking, “But I’m not an artist!” Well, if you’re talking about the paints and canvas sort of artist, than neither am I.

However, all of us have art in us: whether it’s decorating rooms, baking cakes, brainstorming marketing ideas, writing, speaking, singing, photographing… we all are artists in one form or another. And for us to keep those gifts hidden not only stifles our creativity, but it hinders us from many opportunities to bless others.

Yes, it’s work to make art and put it out there. You’re going to probably experience set backs and criticism along the way. But if you just keep doing it, I promise that you’ll find so much fulfillment in the process!

What kind of artist are you? I want you to dig down deep — if need be — and comment and tell us where your art gift lies. You have one. And if you don’t think you do, I want you to text or call some people close to you today and ask them to help you figure out what kind of artist you are.

Secondly, I want you to tell me one small thing you are going to do to make art in the next two weeks. It can be as simple as saying you are going to photograph something or someone and frame it. Or you’re going to sing for some small event. Or you’re going to write and submit an article on a certain subject to a certain publication. Or you’re going to make a throw pillow for your living room.

Don’t keep your gifts hidden! Bless the world with them — and you’ll be blessed and inspired in return!

In case you wonder what “art project” I’ve got up my sleeve: I’m working on creating five well-structured and inspiring presentations that I’ll be giving at two different conferences over the next two weeks. As I’m learning from much more experienced speakers, writing a presentation and delivering it is a craft. Viewing it as such has totally changed my perspective on public speaking — and fired me up with new passion to work on polishing and honing that craft!

What Time Did You Get Up This Morning?

Me? I got up at 6:19 a.m. this morning — without an alarm clock!

What time did you get up? Leave a comment and let us know!

Join in the Chatter!

Want to blog about this challenge? If you’re blogging through this challenge with me, be sure to leave your link to your direct post for today below. Plus, if you’d like to post your daily posts to the Early to Rise Group Board on my Pinterest page, just shoot me an email (moneysavingmom @ gmail dot com) and I’ll invite you.

Want to follow along on Twitter or Instagram? Each week day morning on my Facebook Page, my Twitter account, and my Instagram account, I’ll be posting a picture of my alarm clock as public accountability. I’d love to have you do the same or join in the discussion on Twitter and Instagram. Just follow hashtag #EarlytoRise to see what others are tweeting and Instagramming about this challenge!


Money Saving Mom
Shared Mar 7, 2013 comment

Freezer Cooking in an Hour: Crockpot Refried Beans, Chocolate Cranberry Energy Bites, and Vegan Banana Oatmeal Pancakes

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Freezer Cooking in an Hour: Crockpot Refried Beans, Chocolate Cranberry Energy Bites, and Vegan Banana Oatmeal Pancakes

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

I’m so excited because all of my Freezer Cooking in an Hour recipes tonight were a success. And best of all, they took me right around 45 minutes total to make, complete with interruptions.

I was anxious to try the Chocolate Cranberry Energy Bites — and was really happy with how they turned out.

I substituted sunflower seeds for the coconut and left out the nuts and they turned out deliciously.

The Vegan Banana Oatmeal Pancakes were also very successful. I was rather cynical that they’d actually work — but they turned out beautifully.

They were a bit banana-y, but yummy and hearty.

The Crockpot Refried Beans were so, so easy to make. If they turn out well, this is definitely a winner recipe. I’ll let you know tomorrow morning how they end up turning out.

So all in all, tonight’s quick Freezer Cooking session was a huge success. I love it when that happens!

Freezer Cooking Recipes:

Crockpot Refried Beans
Chocolate Cranberry Energy Bites
Vegan Banana Oatmeal Pancakes

Did you bake or cook anything for the freezer this week?

Money Saving Mom
Shared Mar 7, 2013 comment

The “Just $20 Per Month” Decision & Why We Said No

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The “Just $20 Per Month” Decision & Why We Said No

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Two days ago, my husband was calling AT&T to see why we’ve been having some issues with our email service. He found out that they are switching over to fiber optic instead of DSL and that’s been the cause of some of the login difficulties we’ve had on our end.

In the process of the phone call, Jesse asked them if they could give us a better rate than what we are currently paying. After a little discussion and back-and-forth, he was able to talk them down by $20 per month for our phone and internet package. (See? It never hurts to ask!)

But the AT&T guy on the phone was smart. He didn’t just give Jesse a lower bundle package price; he also tried to upsell him. “Or, you could keep your current plan and for just $20 extra per month, you can add on a TV package”, he told him.

Now, $20 per month is a far cry from the $70 some people pay for cable, but here Jesse was trying to save money — not pay extra, even if paying for extra meant we’d now have more channels than the three we currently get with if you position the TV just right and don’t move around in the same room while it’s on (no, I’m not exaggerating there!)

You and I are faced with decisions like this almost daily. It’s easy to justify purchases and jump on what might seem like a “good deal”. But just because a price is low or an offer is good, doesn’t mean it’s a good deal for you or me.

For us, paying for TV just isn’t a wise decision. Sure, we might have bad reception on our current free TV plan, but aside from episodes of Duck Dynasty online and The Biggest Loser (quite the paradox there, I know!), we don’t watch network TV.

And truly, we like it that way. (Okay, to be completely honest, there are those moments when there’s a game on and Jesse isn’t able to watch it on one of our three channels, but those moments are far and few between!)

If we paid for our TV — even just $20 per month — we’d feel more obligated to watch it. This, in turn, would eat up time that we’ve chosen to devote to other things: relationships, business projects, reading, and more.

By declining a “just $20 per month” offer, we not only saved ourselves $240 per year, but we also bought ourselves many additional hours of time. And that, folks, is much more valuable than any “good deal” on cable ever could be!

P.S. This post was not written with any intent to make you or anyone else feel guilty if you pay for cable. We all have to pick and choose what is best for our family — and I can’t tell you what is best for yours. But I used it as a real-life example to encourage you to examine those “just $20 per month” decisions in your own life and make sure that they are a good deal for you.

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Money Saving Mom
Shared Mar 7, 2013 comment

Early to Rise Challenge: Change Your Life By Taking One Small Step at a Time

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Early to Rise Challenge: Change Your Life By Taking One Small Step at a Time

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

Welcome to the Early to Rise Challenge! Throughout the month of March, I’m challenging myself and my readers to make the most of their mornings. So every week day morning at 9 a.m. EST, I’m posting a short Early to Rise post. I’ll share a few of my thoughts on the day’s passage from Early to Rise, tell you what time I got up that morning, and encourage you to leave a comment to tell us what time you got up and how you’re doing on the challenge.

Change Your Life By Taking One Small Step at a Time

Day 7 in the Early to Rise book encourages us to focus on the little wins that add up to big change over time.

It’s so easy to want to overhaul our lives overnight. But you know what usually happens when we try that? We crash and burn within a few days.

Slow and easy. Step by step. Little by little. That’s what usually ends up making the biggest difference.

It’s those seemingly little, daily decisions that add up to a life changed. It might not seem like much, but those choices you make to exercise (or not), to eat healthfully (or not), to invest a little every day in that relationship (or not), to work for 15 minutes every day on that project (or not)… all of these little things add up.

To win in life you need to make winning choices on a daily basis. Don’t discount the “small things”. They truly do matter.

Tip: Andy recommends the Lift app to set goals or pick habits and then track your progress. Have any of you used it?

What about you? What small choice are you going to make today that is going to make a little impact in your life for the future?

What Time Did You Get Up This Morning?

Me? I got up at 5:31 a.m. And no I don’t sleep in the kitchen — it’s just the first place I go after waking up. It’s where I read my Bible, pray, and drink my morning coffee! 🙂

What time did you get up? Leave a comment and let us know!

Join in the Chatter!

Want to blog about this challenge? If you’re blogging through this challenge with me, be sure to leave your link to your direct post for today below. Plus, if you’d like to post your daily posts to the Early to Rise Group Board on my Pinterest page, just shoot me an email (moneysavingmom @ gmail dot com) and I’ll invite you.

Want to follow along on Twitter or Instagram? Each week day morning on my Facebook Page, my Twitter account, and my Instagram account, I’ll be posting a picture of my alarm clock as public accountability. I’d love to have you do the same or join in the discussion on Twitter and Instagram. Just follow hashtag #EarlytoRise to see what others are tweeting and Instagramming about this challenge!

Things you can do each night to set your next day up for success! SO simple and helpful!
Shared Mar 6, 2013 comment

11 Things to Do Tonight to Set You Up for Success Tomorrow

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11 Things to Do Tonight to Set You Up for Success Tomorrow

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Things you can do each night to set your next day up for success! SO simple and helpful!

Last night, I shared a post with 15 Things You Can Do Each Morning to Set Your Day Up for Success. I thought it’d be fun to follow that post up with 11 things you can do tonight to set you up for success tomorrow:

1. Make a List for Tomorrow

Take a few moments before bed to look at the calendar for tomorrow and map out a simple plan and to-do list. This will help you wake up with ambition, intention, and motivation.

2. Cross Three Things Off Your List

After you make a to-do list, take a minute and challenge yourself to immediately cross three things off of it. By doing this, you’ll carefully consider everything on your list and weed out those things that aren’t really a priority.

3. Do a Quick Tidy & Pick Up

Take 5 to 15 minutes before bed to quickly pick up and put away things that are out of place in the main living areas of your home.

4. Shine Your Kitchen Sink

I love FlyLady’s advice to go to bed with a shiny sink. It’s such a wonderful thing to be greeted with a clean kitchen in the morning.

5. Take Your Vitamins

I’ve become a big fan of taking my vitamins before bed. When I make it part of my evening routine, I seem much more apt to remember to take them regularly — and I feel better the next day, too!

6. Get the Coffee Pot Ready

I don’t use a coffee pot (I love my French Press!), but for those who do, this can be a wonderful thing to wake up to!

7. Lay Out Your Clothes

Save yourself some time and effort in the morning by picking out your outfit for tomorrow. And don’t forget to dress for the day you want to have!

8. Start Winding Down Early

If you plan to go to bed at 10 p.m., don’t wait until 9:45 p.m. to start thinking about bedtime. Turn off the TV, turn the lights down, and start prepping for your bedtime at least 30 minutes to an hour before it’s supposed to happen.

9. Think of Three Highlights From Your Day

I don’t know about you, but I have a terrible tendency to spend time in the evening feeling badly about things that happened (or didn’t happen) during the day. I can’t change the past, though, so this helps nothing.

If you need to ask forgiveness or work through something, do it, and then make yourself focus on the positive aspects of the day — the blessings, the surprises, the highlights, the good things.

10. Fill Your Soul & Mind With Something Encouraging

Turn on some relaxing music or read a good book before bed. Choose things that will calm and soothe your soul, not make you feel antsy or anxious.

11. Go to Bed Early

And finally, just go to bed. As early as you possibly can. Take it from me: unless you’re staying up with a sick child or for some other very important reason, it’s usually pointless to burn the midnight oil.

Do yourself a favor and get to bed early if at all possible. That’s one of the best ways to set yourself up for a successful morning.

What are your best nighttime tips and tricks for setting yourself up for success the next day?

Make-Over-Your-Evenings_300x250

Want some practical help with setting up your day for success? It all starts the night before! Be sure to grab a copy of my brand-new online course, Make Over Your Evenings.

This 14-day online course includes videos, a workbook, and step-by-step projects and is designed to help you maximize your evenings in order to experience more success in your life, more order in your home, and more joy in your soul.

It’s time to stop sleep-walking through life and wake up to the amazing excitement and fulfillment that comes when you follow my simple plan to Make Over Your Evenings.

Find out more about it here.


Money Saving Mom
Shared Mar 6, 2013 comment

Q&A: What is the best thing you’ve done to grow your site?

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Q&A: What is the best thing you’ve done to grow your site?

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

Christa from Brown Sugar Toast emailed in three blogging questions that she’s given me permission to address as Q&A’s over the next three weeks. I thought some of you would find my advice to her helpful, so I’m posting my answers to her here.

Here’s her first question:

What are the best things you have done to grow your site? I suppose my main question is how to find women {or help them find me?} who “fit” in my blogging niche. The purpose statement of my blog is “to encourage women to live creative lives in Christ.” Should I be doing guest posts, participating in the dreaded linky parties ;), paying for advertising? Perhaps all of the above? -Christa

First off, the fact that you are asking questions and seeking to be intentional says a lot about your character, motivation, and drive. You have amazing potential, Christa! Your blog is beautiful and you have some fantastic ideas. Keep up the great work!

When I started MoneySavingMom.com, I had a huge advantage because I already had a mommy blog that I had grown to have around 4,000 to 5,000 pageviews per day (you can read the whole story on how I “fell into” blogging here). In addition, blogging was still pretty new so there weren’t so many incredible voices out there like there are today. Honestly, I think that’s one reason people read my blog — just because there weren’t that many others to choose from! 🙂

As far as specific things I did to grow my blog, here are some ideas:

1) I Set Big Goals

For years, I’ve been setting specific blogging goals. Not only detailed numbers that I wanted to grow my traffic and social media sites to each month and year, but how much income I wanted to make, features I wanted to add, series I wanted to write, people I wanted to network with, and more.

I haven’t always hit these goals, but they have motivated me to aim high, work hard, and think outside the box. Plus, they challenged me to step outside my comfort zone. It has well been said, “If your goals don’t scare you at least a little, they might not be big enough.”

2) I Linked to Others

You can never be too generous. So many, many people have graciously reached out and helped me — especially when I was first starting out.

I want to do the same for others. I can’t help everyone, but I do my best to try and help as many people as I can — especially when I see someone who is working really hard and being creative, not just hoping for someone to spoon feed them some success.

From the beginning, I’ve seen my blog as a conduit. I can’t meet everyone’s needs, but I hope that my blog can serve as a hub to point you in the direction of other sites, blogs, and resources that can be a huge help to you wherever you are at in life.

3) I Networked With Others

Building relationships with other bloggers, website owners, authors, and speakers is a great way to not only learn much, but also to open up doors for networking. Look for specific people whom you’d like to have a relationship with and then go out of your way to promote and encourage them. You never know what this might lead to.

Be creative. Think outside the box. Find ways to work with other bloggers that will be mutually beneficial. That’s what networking is all about!

4) I Wrote Guest Posts

Guest posts are a great way to get your name and writing in front of a new audience. Plus, they are a way to exercise new writing muscles and build up thick skin when you receive a rejection email.

Psst! I love to consider guest posts from my readers. See our guest post submission guidelines here.

5) I Didn’t Give Up

Honestly, I believe has been one of the main keys to my success. It’s so easy to want to give up. In fact, I still have days when I’m ready to close up shop (I had one just last week, in fact!). But if you stick with it and keep at it, eventually your efforts will pay off.

As far as what you should specifically be doing, Christa: I’d encourage you to make a list of all the ideas that come to your mind. These could be things like guest posting, commenting on other blogs, participating in Linky parties, experimenting with Pinterest, interacting on Twitter and Facebook, running giveaways on other blogs, and more.

Then, pick one or two ideas to experiment with for a few weeks. See what kind of response you get and track your results. Over time, you’ll start to learn things that work — and many things that don’t work. Chuck the things that flop and stick with the things that work.

Keep learning, keep asking questions, keep experimenting, and keep pressing on. I’m excited to see you succeed!

For more suggestions and ideas, be sure to check out my How to Make Money Blogging series. In the first few posts, I share some practical ideas for growing your blog traffic and setting up your blog for success.

What advice do the rest of you bloggers have for Christa?

photo credit

Money Saving Mom
Shared Mar 6, 2013 comment

We Paid Cash: a French Door Refrigerator

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We Paid Cash: a French Door Refrigerator

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

We paid cash!

A testimony from Leah of Simple. Home. Blessings.

It is kind of strange to have a serious attachment to a home appliance, but my husband and I did. We just didn’t know what we had until it was gone.

We had a beautiful stainless steel side by side refrigerator at our first home. It was lovely and worked wonderfully well. Apparently it was rather attractive for a refrigerator because when we sold our home the buyers specifically requested it. We didn’t want to lose the sale of the house over a beloved refrigerator; so, we took a deep breath, decided to part with it and promised ourselves we would find another one just like it.

But the one we had must have been one of a kind, because the one we got just didn’t fit our needs and work as well as our old one. Something would have to be done. So, we started dreaming big and dreaming long.

The dream: a French door refrigerator that would meet all of our needs.

But after a little while of dreaming, we decided that dreaming just wouldn’t make it appear. So we made a plan and figured out how long we would need to save up and came up with ideas to get extra money.

We came up with these ideas:

1. We set aside a specific amount of money from our budget each month. The money would have likely been spent on stuff we couldn’t remember after the month was over. So we gave our money a direction and put it aside in view of our goal.

2. We saved all our five dollar bills. We made a commitment (sometimes hard to keep) to put aside EVERY $5 bill that passed through our hands. When we got ready to buy the refrigerator we had a LOT of $5 bills (instead of frustrating the sales clerk, we cashed them in for larger bills).

3. We had a garage sale and put aside most of the proceeds from the sale for our goal. We turned what we no longer wanted or used into something we had been dreaming of.

4. We sold our most recent fridge to a friend who had just purchased her first home. We didn’t get a large amount of money for it, but every little bit helps.

After a little over a year of saving, we finally had almost all the money to purchase our new French door fridge. So we started shopping around and were blessed and pleasantly surprised to find one in our price range with extra options and FREE delivery!

We did it! We paid cash for something we really wanted and were rewarded with a great deal AND the satisfaction of a paid-for appliance. Somehow I think it keeps the ice just a tad bit colder and the veggies just a tad bit fresher than if we had put it on credit!

Leah is a wife to her wonderful husband and mother to 2 girls under 2. She loves homemaking and believes God has called her to be an at-home wife and mother. She tries to find the joy in the everyday and writes about it over at Simple. Home. Blessings.

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

Money Saving Mom
Shared Mar 6, 2013 comment

3 Ways Menu-Planning Saves Time and Money

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3 Ways Menu-Planning Saves Time and Money

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

The guest post of Abby of Mother on a Mission

I’ve been reading money saving and homemaking blogs long enough to know the lowdown on this meal planning thing. I’ve menu-planned off and on since my husband and I got married nearly five years ago, but I’ve been doing it regularly since my daughter was born seven months ago. Since then, I’ve found a few strategies that keep things running smoothly for us.

1. I don’t “schedule” leftovers.

In the past, when I planned our monthly menus, I would allocate at least one night a week for leftovers. That made sense to me, so that we didn’t throw away money in the form of food that didn’t get eaten.

The problem was that I didn’t have a backup plan for those nights when I couldn’t pull dinner together in time. All too often, I found myself asking my husband to “just pick something up” for dinner.

Now, I don’t include leftovers in the menu plan. I love knowing that, if meal preparation just isn’t happening one night, I have an easy go-to option. The best part is that my family isn’t eating unhealthy, over-priced takeout anymore. Instead, they’re getting healthful meals that I’ve prepared myself, which means I know exactly what they’re eating.

2. I cook chicken once a month.

I plan our supper menus a month at a time. That means that when I do a major grocery shopping trip the beginning of each month, I already know what meals I’ll be cooking for the next four weeks.

To save myself time throughout the month, I prepare all the chicken we’ll need right after I bring it home from the store. I bake it, shred it, and portion it out into freezer bags labeled with the name of the recipe I’ll be using it for. When I need chicken for a specific recipe, I just pull a bag from the freezer.

3. I cook when I can.

More often than not, I actually prepare our evening meal early in the day, when both kids are napping. I’ve found that I can make in twenty minutes what would take me at least twice that long to prepare if both kids were awake.

The result is that I get a little solo time in the kitchen, which I love, and I breathe a big sigh of relief come supper time when all I have to do is cook or reheat what I prepared earlier. I’m also a big fan of doing things this way because it allows me to spend my children’s waking hours fully focused and present with them, not distracted by several different chores and projects.

Some people view menu planning as boring and restrictive, but I feel the opposite. Knowing what we’ll be eating for each meal makes our days go smoothly and allows me to focus my attention on more important things, like my husband and children.

Note from Crystal: Be sure to check out our free downloadable menu planners.

What are your best tips and tricks for successful menu-planning?

Abby is Mom to two energetic blessings and wife to a handsome high school science teacher. She co-owns the Etsy shop Three Thousand Miles and blogs at Mother on a Mission, where she writes about her journey to make the world the kind of place she wants to raise her children in.