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Shared Jul 30, 2013 comment

Gretchen’s CVS Shopping Trip: $54 worth of products for just $3.11 out of pocket!

Published: by Crystal Paine on July 30, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

CVS Shopping Trip

2 Herbal Essence Hair Care – $2.50 each
Used Buy One Get One Free coupon from the 7/28 P&G insert (automatically took off $4.99)

1 Schick Hydro Silk Razor Cartridge Refills (4 ct) – $9.49 (This is regularly priced at $18.99 but was on sale this week at my store as part of the Schick deal. It’s a lot better deal than buying the razor.)
Used $4/1 printable

2 Nature Bounty Vitamins – $6.29 (On Sale Buy One Get One Free)
Used 2 $2/1 coupon from the 7/28 SmartSource insert
And used $2/1 CVS coupon from the coupon machine

2 Colgate Total Advanced Toothpaste – $3.79 each
Used $2/2 coupon from the 7/28 SmartSource insert

1 Colgate Total Advanced Toothpaste – $4.49
Used $1/1 coupon from the 7/28 SmartSource insert
And used $2.50/$12+ toothpaste purchase CVS coupon from coupon machine

Used 30% off CVS coupon from my email inbox (took off $3.63)

And used $8 ECBs from my last CVS trip

Total before sales, coupons and ECBs: $54.30

Total with tax ($2.38) after sales, coupons and ECBs – $3.11 PLUS received $5 ECBs (for buying 3 Colgate products), $1 ECB (for buying 2 Herbal Essence products) and $4 ECBs (for buying 1 Schick razor)

See the full list of deals at CVS this week.

Shared Jul 30, 2013 comment

4 Ideas to Grow Your Income

Published: by Crystal Paine on July 30, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Guest post from Alexa of Single Moms Income

As a single mother, I have learned what it’s like to barely be able to fund a bare bones budget. At times, I have to scrimp and save every last dollar to keep the bills paid. I have found that when there is nothing left to cut out of your budget your only option is to increase your income.

I have gotten pretty good at finding different income sources to supplement the income from my day job. If you are in a situation like mine, you need to find a way to bring in a little extra money to pay for the necessities, too.

Here are some of the things I do:

1. Freelance Writing

Freelance writing has come to be one of the best sources of extra income for me. When I first started writing for money, I used content mills such as Text Broker or Interact Media. The pay offered by these is very low, usually in the ball park of $1-$5 per article when starting out. I became unsatisfied with the pay from these sites and ventured out on my own.

I decided to try to get writing jobs from freelance job boards. I also hunt down my own clients who I think may be interested in my services.

While I do spend a lot of time looking for clients the pay from these jobs is much, much better. In fact, I now make $25 – $40 per article. If there are months that I can’t find clients and need a few extra bucks, the content mills will always be there to fall back on.

2. Blogging

Blogging is a huge time commitment but I really enjoy it. It took me three months before making the first dime off my blog.

My blog is still relatively young and the income I make from it varies. So far, on a good month I’ll make $300, while on a bad month I may not make anything. With time and consistent hard work, I know I will see the income from this increase.

Note from Crystal: If you want to learn more about how to make money blogging, check out my series here.

3. Swagbucks & Inbox Dollars

I have accepted the fact that I simply do not have money to stash away for Christmas this year. However, I am also grateful for this. I will be forced to spend less and concentrate more on the true meaning of Christmas.

So, this year the majority of our Christmas presents will be funded by gift cards and cash earned through Swagbucks and Inbox Dollars.

The money earned through these outlets is not huge, but by working on them all year long, it can really add up. I use Swagbucks as my search engine to earn points and I read emails from Inbox Dollars and complete any special offers that interest me.

Neither one of these takes any real effort and can be done mindlessly. By the time Christmas rolls around, I should have at least a couple hundred dollars by doing each of these daily.

4. Stay Positive & Think Outside the Box

There are tons of people in the same position as I am. If you can barely pay your bills and have cut every imaginable expense out of your budget, your only option is to increase your income.

Think of things that you enjoy doing and find a way to make money from them. You could walk dogs, tutor children, give music lessons, clean houses, or offer landscaping services.

The options are limitless. If you can think outside of the box and focus on the positive rather than the negative you will enjoy earning the money. You never know, if you keep at it you may be able to turn your side income into a full time income, all while enjoying what you do and solving your budgeting problems.

Alexa is a single mother to two little girl’s ages three and four. She is on a mission to create a happy, fulfilled life for herself and her family. She chronicles her journey as a single mother trying to make it big at Single Moms Income.

photo source

Shared Jul 30, 2013 comment

Swagbucks Paid for Our New Kitchen Hardware

Published: by Crystal Paine on July 30, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Today’s Swagbucks success story is from Trisha:

I am a full time student and stay-at-home-mother to our busy three year old son. My husband is also a full-time student and in the Marine Corps Reserve. We are both twenty-three and have been married for five years.

Money is tight with both of us being full-time students, so if we want anything extra for ourselves or our home, we find different ways to earn money, like selling items we no longer use or by using Swagbucks.

I began using Swagbucks last year to help cut the costs of Christmas. After Christmas, I decided to save up to purchase Lowe’s gift cards so we could begin remodeling our kitchen and curb some of the costs. Lowe’s offers a 10 percent military discount so it helped stretch our gift cards a little further.

When my son would lay down for afternoon naps or fall asleep in the evenings, I would fill out surveys or special offers. My husband and I always use the toolbar to earn while searching the internet, and I made sure to fill out the daily polls and enter the special codes. I also downloaded the Swagbucks app so I could watch videos on my phone randomly during the day.

By devoting less than an hour each day, we were able to earn multiple gift cards. By May, we had enough Swagbucks saved up to buy 11 new brackets and handles for the kitchen cabinets that were freshly sanded and stained. The 11 new brackets and handles for our kitchen were $69.31 after our Lowe’s discounts and before taxes.

Being able to make the purchase with gift cards we got from Swagbucks was amazing, especially since hardware for our kitchen was the most expensive part of our cabinet redo. Going from navy blue cabinets to a nice wood with updated hardware really made our kitchen stand out. We are still saving up Swagbucks to buy nine more brackets and handles, after we finish adding a backsplash.

Shared Jul 30, 2013 comment

Do It Yourself: Homemade All-Fruit Popsicles

Published: by Crystal Paine on July 30, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Kojo-Designs.com shows you how to make homemade all-fruit popsicles.

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.

Shared Jul 29, 2013 comment

10 Guaranteed Ways to Never Run Out of Blog Post Ideas (#5)

Published: by Crystal Paine on July 29, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Missed the first posts in this series? Check them out here.

#5 Listen Intently

One the best ways to challenge your brain and have an never-ending stream of ideas and inspiration is to become a student of life. All of life can be a classroom — if we’re a willing learner.

Everyone — no matter who they are — can teach you something. And most people can teach you amazing things, if you’ll only but listen.

I’m not one who is usually short on words (I’m pretty sure my family would readily attest to that, too!), but when I am intentional about listening and asking good questions, I’m always amazed at how much I learn.

Focus on the Other Person

Most people really like to talk about themselves and their interests. The trick is to fully focus on whomever you are talking to, be genuinely interested, and to find out what gets them fired up and excited.

If I meet someone for the first time and I don’t have any background or context for that person, I’ll often say, “Tell me about yourself.” This is one of my favorite ways to open up a conversation with someone I don’t know — and you never know where it will lead!

I’ve learned about tragedies, triumphs, health issues, a person’s dreams and hopes, and so many other fascinating things as a result of this simple question. It’s extremely open-ended but it rarely fails to produce an interesting discussion with just about everyone.

Put Away Your Phone

If you want to have a meaningful conversation, you’ve got to stop multi-tasking. Don’t be texting another friend, checking Facebook or Twitter, or searching for something on the internet.

I love the efficiency that smartphones have brought into my life. But, on the flipside, I despise how we’re unable to disconnect from the noise so we can really listen to what someone else is saying.

If you need to be on your phone when in the middle of a conversation, explain why and take care of whatever it is you need to do. Then, turn it off and turn your attention fully to the person in front of you.

Ask Followup Questions

As another person is talking, listen carefully for interesting tidbits that you want to probe deeper into. I’m always amazed at how many things I learn just by asking questions that springboard from a statement someone makes.

Don’t be shy — even if you don’t really know much at all about what a person is interested in, you can still learn so much. In fact, sometimes it’s more fun to talk to someone who has little knowledge of a subject but immense interest.

Reiterate Their Statements

I’m constantly asking why and forever prodding to get to the root of why a person responds a certain way, feels a certain way, or believes a certain way. One of the things I find is really helpful is to reiterate what I just heard someone say to me to make sure I understood and then to ask a followup question. “So you’re saying such and such, do you think that’s because of so and so?”

You might be completely off-base or maybe you misunderstood, so reiterating someone’s statements and then asking a followup question is a great way to make sure you’re both on the same page, to engage in a good conversation, and to never run out of interesting things to talk about!

By putting forth effort to listen and discuss things in-depth with others, not only is my brain expanded, but I also often come away with new ideas for blog posts or series as a result of these conversations!

What are your best suggestions for becoming a better listener? I’d love to hear!

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

Click here to sign up!

Shared Jul 29, 2013 comment

6 Goals for this week

Published: by Crystal Paine on July 29, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Last week’s goals:

Family/Marriage/Mothering Goals

1. Read 3 chapters of The Borrowers to the children. ~~Read 3 chapters of Viking Adventure with Kathrynne, read three chapters of Hugh Pine with Kaitlynn, read a few picture books with Silas.~~

~~2. Write a love note to Jesse.~~

Personal Goals

~~3. Work on memorizing & reviewing Romans 1:1-20.~~

4. Exercise six times. Run 10 miles total.

5. Finish ~~The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks~~, Hidden Places, ~~Crazy Busy~~, and Seasons of a Mother’s Heart.

Homemaking Goals

~~6. Work for 30 minutes on my embroidery project.~~

This week’s goals:

Family/Marriage/Mothering Goals

1. Read 3 chapters of The Borrowers to the children. Finish reading Viking Adventure with Kathrynne. Finish reading Hugh Pine with Kaitlynn. Read a few picture books with Silas.

2. Write a love note to Jesse.

Personal Goals

3. Work on memorizing & reviewing Romans 1:1-21.

4. Exercise six times. Run 10 miles total.

5. Finish Hidden Places, Almost Amish, The Great Gatsby, Grace, Gold, and Glory, A Little Salty to Cut the Sweet, and Seasons of a Mother’s Heart.

Homemaking Goals

6. 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 27, 2013 comment

Do It Yourself: Busy Bag Tutorial

Published: by Crystal Paine on July 27, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Infarrantly Creative shows you how to make busy bag that’s perfect for a Road Trip.

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.

Shared Jul 25, 2013 comment

We Paid Cash: A 5-Week Family Trip to Ecuador

Published: by Crystal Paine on July 25, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

A testimony from Keren Threlfall

A few years ago, we were a signature away from serving as overseas missionaries, and I’d always assumed we would raise our children abroad. To make a long story short, that opportunity didn’t end up panning out.

Although our future plans aren’t totally clear, what has remained is our desire to learn from and live among other cultures. As a growing family of five, we realized that there would be no perfect time, unless we created the opportunity, saved our money, and boarded an airplane.

How We Did It

After paying off my college debt, we set up a specific travel fund and started saving. Earlier this year, we found tickets to Ecuador at an unbelievable price — $399 round-trip for adults and $299 for children! With enough in our travel fund for tickets, we decided to take our overseas trip now — one we had previously thought would take several more years of saving.

Living in Ecuador

The cost of living in Ecuador is low compared to the U.S. We first purchased groceries in local markets, and ate at home. Soon, we realized that for the same price and far more cultural enrichment, we could eat one meal at a restaurant every day.

One place offered an elegant, organic, 4-course meal for just $3 a person! To get there, we walked 1.2 miles into town (and sometimes paid the $1 taxi ride home).

To fund our living costs while there, I found an at-home job on Craigslist, and finished it in about three weeks. It was nice to have these expenses covered before leaving the country!

Sparing a few days off for travel, my husband also worked full-time (and overtime!) while in Ecuador, which kept our cash inflow the same. The most expensive parts of the trip were actually Stateside — the rental car and hotel stays on either end of the trip.

Reflecting

Traveling internationally is often considered a luxury — most people believe it is something that only the wealthy can do (unless you’re missionaries or military). And trying to do so with three young children probably means you’re crazy!

We’re extremely grateful for our income, but it’s not above average. In fact, at our income level, we technically still qualify for some of our state’s government assistance!

Like Laura Vanderkam emphasized in her book, All the Money in the World, people often spend excess money in socially acceptable areas without thinking twice. However, when we choose to put money toward something that is not mainstream, we either feel guilty about it or judge others’ choices.

We do a few things that save us money in more mainstream areas, but choose to spend it in less popular categories, like international travel! For example, we have no cable TV subscription, rarely eat out, use a cash envelope for groceries, and use only cloth diapers, to name a few. What would I rather do — spend $100 for my family to eat out a few times a month, or save $100 to pay for half of an international flight? 🙂

Regardless of the future, which we still hope includes living internationally, we now have a lifetime of memories from our Ecuador trip. And one of the best parts about memories? Making them!

Keren Threlfall is a mother of three and wife to Daniel. Although she holds a degree in Biology, Keren considers herself a lifelong renaissance soul. In her spare time, she enjoys exercising, reading, writing, and finding great deals.

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

Shared Jul 25, 2013 comment

Reader Tip: How Rebates Save Us Over $100 Per Year

Published: by Crystal Paine on July 25, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Kim emailed in the following tip:

Over the years, I have saved well over $100 per year by sending in rebates on items we were purchasing anyway.

I have received rebates on:

beauty and health care products from the P&G and Oil of Olay rebates

diapers and wipes

furnace filters

oil and oil filters for our cars

Christmas gifts (walkie-talkies, small appliances, toys, etc)

bread

coffee

candy

Almost none of these were in-store rebates where I was required to spend the rebate in the same store, I didn’t have to purchase an absurd amount of any item, and to date, I have received every single rebate I ever sent in.

One time I even received a coupon for a free item because a company didn’t think they sent the rebate back in a timely manner! So it really can pay to send in rebates!

photo source

Shared Jul 25, 2013 comment

Do It Yourself: 11 Recipes for Homemade Paint

Published: by Crystal Paine on July 25, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Nothing If Not Intentional shows you how to make 11 different types of homemade paint.

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.

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

Click here to download!

Shared Jul 25, 2013 comment

Faith’s CVS Shopping Trip: Spend $7.80, Received $10 ECBs back

Published: by Crystal Paine on July 25, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Head on over to Home Ec at Home to see how Faith got over $54 worth of items for just $7.80 out of pocket — and got $10 ECBs back!

See the full list of deals at CVS this week.

Shared Jul 24, 2013 comment

Gretchen’s $40 Grocery Shopping Trip and Menu

Published: by Crystal Paine on July 24, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Aldi

1 Flour Tortillas – $0.99

1 Cantaloupe – $0.99

1 Carrots – $0.99

1 Roma Tomatoes – $1.29

Total with tax: $4.56

Health Food Store

4 Ears Sweet Corn – $0.25 each

2 pints Blueberries – $1.99 each

2 Mangos – $0.33 each

0.61 lbs Apricots @ $3.49/lb – $2.13 (Wow! I thought the sign said $1.99/lb and I just realized that I must have read the wrong sign. That’s what happens when you have a very tired and hungry toddler with you while shopping…at least I didn’t buy 10 of them!)

Total with tax: $9.32

Dillons

1 Kroger Frozen Apple Juice – $1.29

4 M&M’s Candy – Marked down to $0.49, used 2 $0.50/2 printable (doubled) – Free after coupons

1 Kroger Brown Rice – $0.89

1 Annie’s Cheddar Bunnies – $2.50, used $0.50/1 printable (doubled) – $1.50 after coupon

1 Romaine Lettuce – $0.99

1 bag Dove Dark Chocolates – $3.50 (A huge splurge for me…and sometimes, you just need to splurge a little.) 🙂

2 Bayer Aspirin – $1.86 each, used 2 $2/1 coupon from the 6/23 RedPlum insert – Free plus overage after coupons

0.79 lbs Broccoli Crowns @ $0.99/lb – $0.78

2 Kroger Cheddar Cheese (block and shredded; 16 oz each) – $2.99 each

2 Larabars – $1 each, used $1/2 printable – $0.50 each after coupon

1 Cucumber – $0.59

1 Green Bell Pepper – $0.59

1 Great Grains Cranberry Almond Cereal – Marked down to $1.29

1 Hunts Spaghetti Sauce – $1, used $0.40/1 e-coupon – $0.60 after coupon

1 Kroger Butter – $2.59

4 Oranges – $0.69 each

Total before coupons and sales: $42.35

Total with tax after coupons and sales: $26.24

Total for all grocery items: $40.12

Menu Plan for this Week

Breakfasts

Cereal, Fruit, Oatmeal, Applesauce, Homemade Bread (I make this with freshly ground whole wheat and it is the best recipe EVER!)

Lunches

Cheese Quesadillas, Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches, Leftovers, Fruit, Cheese & Crackers, Baked Potatoes

Dinners

Spaghetti, Sautéed Green Beans, Biscuits

Chicken Fajitas, Cantaloupe

Vegetable Soup, 30 Minute Rolls

Chicken & Rice Casserole, Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins, Steamed Broccoli, Tossed Salad

Savory Crescent Chicken Squares, Corn on the Cob, Tossed Salad

Pancakes, Eggs, Hashbrowns, Fruit Salad

Dinner with my parents

Shared Jul 24, 2013 comment

How to Make 5 Summer Meals from 5 Chicken Breasts

Published: by Crystal Paine on July 24, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

JessieLeigh from Parenting Miracles shows you how to make five summer meals from five chicken breasts. Very inspiring!

Shared Jul 24, 2013 comment

Swagbucks Paid For My Husband’s Wedding Ring

Published: by Crystal Paine on July 24, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Today’s Swagbucks success story is from Lydia:

My fiance and I were on the search for the perfect wedding rings. We went to a local jeweler and picked out a white gold wedding band for my husband.

The price tag was $500. My fiance did not care about the metal, and I didn’t like the look of the ring.

The search continued, and we looked in another jewelry store. The tungsten and titanium rings were around $150… however, my fiance turned to Amazon.com and found a similar ring for only $25!

I had been earning Swagbucks by using Swagbucks.com as my homepage and as my main search engine. I also earned a fair number of Swagbucks by watching Swagbucks tv on my iPod touch (I just mute the iPod and let it do its thing).

So with those Swagbucks, we easily had enough to completely pay for the $25 ring! I love the ring that he purchased, and also love that Swagbucks paid for everything! -Lydia

Note to Lydia: Could you email me? There wasn’t an email address submitted with your post and we want to make sure you get your $50 Amazon gift card.

Shared Jul 24, 2013 comment

Gretchen’s Target Shopping Trip: $29+ worth of products for just $7.04 out of pocket!

Published: by Crystal Paine on July 24, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Target Shopping Trip

Transaction #1

4 Suave Professionals Shampoo/Conditioner – $1.99 each, used 2 $1.10/2 printable – $1.44 each after coupons

Total with tax: $5.97, Received $5 Target gift card (for buying 4 Suave products)

Transaction #2

1 Driscoll’s Strawberries – $1.99, used $1/1 Target mobile coupon – $0.99 after coupon

2 Coppertone Sport Sunscreen (bonus Sport Lip Balm included in each package as well) – Marked down to $5.58, used $5/2 coupon from the 6/23 SmartSource insert AND 2 $1/1 Target printable – $2.08 each after coupons

2 Right Guard Xtreme Bodywash – $3.49, used 2 $1.50/1 coupon from the 7/14 RedPlum insert AND 2 $2/1 Target printable – Free after coupons

Used $5 gift card from Transaction #1

Total with tax: $1.07

Total for both transactions before coupons, sales and gift card: $29.24

Total for both transactions after coupons, sales and gift card: $7.04

Summer Bucket List

Summer Bucket List

FREE Summer Bucket List!!

CVS Shopping Trip

1. Freelance Writing

2. Blogging

3. Swagbucks & Inbox Dollars

4. Stay Positive & Think Outside the Box

#5 Listen Intently

Focus on the Other Person

Put Away Your Phone

Ask Followup Questions

Reiterate Their Statements

What are your best suggestions for becoming a better listener? I’d love to hear!

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

How We Did It

Living in Ecuador

Reflecting

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

Aldi

Health Food Store

Dillons

Menu Plan for this Week

Breakfasts

Lunches

Dinners

Target Shopping Trip

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