Nothing If Not Intentional shows you how to make homemade snow cone syrup.
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.
Summer Bucket List
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We Paid Cash: An Anniversary Getaway
A testimony from Victoria who blogs at Snail Pace Transformations
Back in March, it dawned on my husband and I that both our boys would be in church camp for a week at the same time — within two weeks of our wedding anniversary! My daughter told us that she was more than willing to stay with friends for the week if we wanted to getaway just the two of us, and so a special anniversary getaway was born.
The next obstacle was paying for the getaway. We had already put away a small sum for a night out for two for our anniversary but it was not going to be enough to stretch into a 3-night, 4-day event.
I immediately suggested we go camping to keep costs down. At first, my husband was less than thrilled. But he soon warmed up to the idea.
We decided to stay at the Sand Dunes State Park in Indiana, located just a few hours away from us. We booked the spot in advance with some of the original money marked for our anniversary.
With the spot booked, we made an agreement that the rest of the funds for the trip would come from selling things we already owned and no longer needed. Here are some of the things we sold:
- First, I listed all the items we wanted to get rid of in an album on Facebook. I sold an iPod to a friend, some children’s clothes to another friend and a no-longer-working (but still in great shape) mower to a friend with a handy husband who was up to a challenge.
- I then used a local Facebook buy and sell group to sell a bike and an air conditioner.
- Using Craigslist, I sold a plumber’s snake and a reel style mower.
After the sales, we were just a bit short of the amount of money we thought we would need, so I held an Eat From the Pantry Week, and added the grocery money saved to our anniversary trip envelope. This gave us exactly the amount we wanted.
With our cash in hand, we set out on our trip and had a very relaxing time. We rented Redbox movies to watch in our travel trailer together, read side by side for hours, enjoyed bike rides and long hikes. In fact, except for dinners, we didn’t leave the park — which saved us a lot of money.
Both of us arrived home feeling well rested, and my once-reluctant-to-camp husband said he didn’t know camping alone would be so much fun. (Of course, having a travel trailer helps!)
We also came home with $184 left in our Getaway Envelope, which we have agreed to use to take the children camping soon.
Victoria is a homeschooling mom of three who writes at Snail Pace Transformations with the mission of helping moms find the time and money they need to pursue their passions while maintaining harmony in their homes. Her own passions include running, biking and knitting.
Have you saved up and paid cash for something — large or small? Submit your story for possible publication here.
Shared Jul 3, 2013
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Gretchen’s Target Shopping Trip: $14 worth of groceries for FREE!
Gretchen’s Target Shopping Trip: $14 worth of groceries for FREE!
Target Shopping Trip
0.75 lbs Tomatoes @ $1.39/lb – $1.04, used $1/1 Target mobile coupon – $0.04 after coupon
1.75 lbs Organic Bananas @ $0.72/lb – $1.26, used $1/1 Target mobile coupon – $0.26 after coupon
2 Market Pantry Pasta Sauce – $1.32 each, used $1/2 Target mobile coupon – $0.82 each after coupon
4 Jell-O Pudding @ $1.52 each – On Sale Buy 3 Get 1 Free, used 2 $0.80/2 coupon from the 6/9 SmartSource insert – $0.74 each after coupons
1 Dove Ice Cream Bars – $3.04, used $2/1 printable (no longer available) AND $1/1 Target mobile coupon – $0.04 after coupons
Used $5 gift card from last week’s shopping trip
Total before coupons and gift card: $14.06
Total after coupons and gift card: Free!
See the full list of deals at Target this week.
Shared Jul 3, 2013
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Reader testimonial: “I’m so glad we prioritized life insurance!”
Reader testimonial: “I’m so glad we prioritized life insurance!”
I was really touched by this email from Jenica and think you will be, too (she gave me permission to share it):
Six weeks ago my husband died in an accident. We were 36 and have three kids under six. I’m a stay-at-home mom and made it my job to cut costs and live frugally.
We lived by the pay cash principle and therefore have no debt but our house. We also had life insurance, term as suggested. Because of our choices I’m able to pay off the house and still stay home with our kids.
I am so glad that we prioritized the life insurance, even though we didn’t have a lot of money. I’m also so glad we lived the financial lifestyle we did.
I just thought this might be something your readers would also be interested in. It is a big relief to not have to worry about finances when I’m dealing with this huge loss. -Jenica
My Attempt At Making No-Knead Rolls {Ahem}
So, I can make some great bread. And usually I don’t have trouble with yeast bread. (Well, except for French Bread!)
But I got adventurous and decided to try making these two different No Knead Make Ahead Dinner Rolls and No Knead Dinner Rolls gluten-free since I only had gluten-free flour on hand. And um, that wasn’t a brilliant idea. 🙂
I’m positive that with regular flour, these rolls would be fantastic… just learn from my mistakes and don’t try experimenting with the flours. 🙂
See some of my favorite tried and true bread recipes here.
Shared Jul 2, 2013
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Gretchen’s Walgreen’s Shopping Trip: $18.57 worth of products, for $4.40 out of pocket
Gretchen’s Walgreen’s Shopping Trip: $18.57 worth of products, for $4.40 out of pocket
Walgreen’s Shopping Trip
Transaction #1
1 Re-Nu Contact Solution – $7.99
Used $2/1 printable1 Starbucks Refresher – $1
Used $4 Register Rewards from last week’s transactionPaid $3.64 out of pocket, Received 5,000 (like $5) Bonus Reward points (for buying Re-Nu), $1 Register Rewards (for buying Starbucks Refresher) and $1/2 Starbucks Refresher catalina
Transaction #2
2 Simply Lemonade – $1.99 each
Used 2 $0.75/1 printable
And 2 $0.50/1 Walgreens coupon from the July Coupon Booklet2 Starbucks Refresher – $1 each
Used $1/2 catalina from Transaction #11 Buy 1 GUM Toothbrushes – $2.49
Used $1/1 coupon from the 5/19 SmartSource insert1 Penway Folder – Marked down to $0.37 (filler item)
1 Spot On Energy – Marked down to $0.74 (I bought this so my total would be high enough to redeem 5,000 points. I will just give it away.)
Redeemed 5,000 Bonus Reward points (like $5)
Paid $0.76 out of pocket, Received $2.50 Register Rewards (for buying GUM toothbrush) and $1 Register Rewards (for buying Starbucks Refresher)
Total before coupons, Register Rewards and Bonus points for both transactions: $18.57
Total with tax (7.3% pre-coupons) after coupons, Register Rewards and Bonus points: $4.40 plus $4.50 Register Rewards leftover
Shared Jul 2, 2013
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“I Stayed Out of Debt in College By Living in My Van (for real!)”
“I Stayed Out of Debt in College By Living in My Van (for real!)”
Victoria from Snail Pace Transformations emailed me this story yesterday about a guy who stayed out of debt during college by living in his van. It definitely ranks up there as one of the more creative and original ways to pay cash for college.
Here’s a snippet of the story:
On the first night I tried to sleep in my van, I was lying in my sleeping bag sprawled out on the backseat, parked in a mostly empty Walmart parking lot. I’d wake up every 15 minutes because I was nervous that the security guard driving past my van would knock on my door and make me leave.
My new home had 60 square feet and four wheels. While most people would consider living in a van an embarrassment, a low point, or even a “rock bottom,” it would — though I didn’t realize it then — turn out to be the greatest financial decision I’d ever made.
No one would end up waking me up in the Walmart lot, and, over the next two years, almost all of my other fears would prove to be entirely unfounded.
Debt-free; Dirt Poor
In January 2009, when I’d decided to move into the van, I was nearly broke. I had just $4,000 in the bank and no possessions other than a laptop, camera, cellphone and a suitcase full of clothes and a backpack full of camping gear.
I had next to nothing because I’d just finished paying off my $32,000 undergraduate school debt. Still, after two-and-a-half years of working, I wanted nothing more than to go back to school and get my master’s degree in liberal studies at Duke University. But how could I afford tuition and not go back into debt?
My answer: a $1,500 ’94 Ford Econoline.
I’d cook in it, sleep in it, study in it, and live in it. I’d do whatever it would take not to go into debt again.
Read the full story and details on how much he saved here.
What do you think? Is this a creative and amazing? Or just plain ridiculous? Would you consider something like this in order to save money? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Swagbucks Paid for our Google Nexus Tablet
Today’s Swagbucks success story is from Laura:
I’m a stay-at-home mom to three precious, busy boys under age five. My husband works hard to provide financially for our family. He does not buy things for himself very often, so I really wanted to surprise him with something special last Christmas.
I knew that he would love to have a tablet, but there was no room for such a large purchase in our gift budget. I could not do any work outside of the home while caring for our boys, so I had to get creative.
I’ve enjoyed using Swagbucks for several years, but I normally just earned a small gift card every month for using the search engine and occasionally entering codes. My brother started using Swagbucks surveys, and he was raving about the ability to earn lots of extra Swagbucks through the program. Several months before Christmas, I decided to give it a try.
I completed surveys during naptime or while my husband and I were relaxing and watching television in the evenings. I chose to cash out my Swagbucks for Paypal deposits, and by Christmas, I had earned enough to purchase a 32 GB Google Nexus tablet from eBay!
My husband was completely surprised and thrilled with his gift. He is now active on Swagbucks, too, and he uses his tablet to complete surveys and earn extra gift cards and Paypal cash for our family.
Have you saved up and purchased something using your Swagbucks? If so, you could get a $50 gift card just for sharing your Swagbucks success stories with MoneySavingMom.com readers!
Note: Last month’s Swagbucks gift card winner was mdschlote — congratulations! You’ll be receiving your gift card from Swagbucks today.
Reader Tip: How to Get Your Kids to Eat Broccoli Stalks
A reader emailed me a few days ago with this pretty creative tip:
I wanted to share my money saving tip! My kids like to bite the tops off the broccoli and leave the rest. I got tired of WASTING the stems, so I peel them and use them for dips now.
Once you peel the skin off, they are surprisingly tender! The kids go nuts for them! -a reader
Do It Yourself: 4th of July Table Lanterns
CreativeGreenLiving.com shows you how to make homemade table lanterns.
OVER-SPENDING EVERY SINGLE MONTH?Grab these FREE Budgeting Sheets!
Click here to download!
Shared Jul 1, 2013
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This Week’s Menu {and 5 new recipes from Pinterest I’m planning to try this week!}
This Week’s Menu {and 5 new recipes from Pinterest I’m planning to try this week!}
Last week, I told you I was going to experiment with five new Pinterest recipes. I already shared my major success with the Best Ever Chocolate Oatmeal Bars. And I didn’t get a chance to make the Homemade Bath Bombs yet — hopefully this week!
I also made the three other recipes and can’t wait to tell you more how the Chocolate Chip Cookie in a Cup, No Knead Make Ahead Dinner Rolls, and the No Knead Dinner Rolls turned out. Let’s just say that there was one big success and two pretty severe failures. Hopefully I’ll have a chance to post pictures and details tomorrow afternoon.
But for tonight, here’s this week’s menu, plus some more Pinterest recipes I’m planning to try:
Breakfasts
Oatmeal, Cereal, Eggs, Peanut Butter Toast, and/or Fruit
Lunches
Mac & cheese, fruit
Snack-y lunch
PB&J, carrot sticks, apples
Cheese quesadillas, carrot sticks
Leftovers x 3Snacks
Fruit/veggies
Popcorn
Chocolate Chip Monkey Muffins
30 Minute Homemade Pretzels
Boiled eggsPinterest Recipes to Try (I’ll report on how these work!)
Homemade Bath Bombs (not exactly a “recipe” since these aren’t edible, but a DIY project I’m hoping to try this week!)
Double Chocolate Muffins
Vegan Coconut Oil Banana Muffins
Chocolate Chip Monkey Muffins
30 Minute Homemade PretzelsDinners
Build Your Own Haystacks
Breakfast for dinner: Pancakes, scrambled eggs, fruit
Simple Vegetable Frittata, fruit salad, Vegan Coconut Oil Banana Muffins
Fourth of July Celebration (I’m bringing something, but haven’t decided what yet. If you have a great suggestion of an amazing July 4th themed dish, I’ll take all the inspiration I can get!)
Meatballs, steamed veggies, grapefruit, Chocolate Chip Monkey Muffins
Dinner out
Dinner with extended family x 2
What’s on your menu this week? Tell us in the comments or leave a link to your menu plan post.
8 Goals For This Week
Last week’s goals:
Family/Marriage/Mothering Goals
1.Read three chapters of The Trumpet of the Swan to the children. Read three chapters of Number the Stars with Kathrynne, read three chapters of A Nest for Celeste with Kaitlynn, read a few picture books with Silas.
2. Write a love note to Jesse.Personal Goals
3. Review Romans 1:1-16.4. Exercise six times. Run 12 miles. (I did exercise 6 different days, but most of those were really short sessions on the treadmill so I only ended up totaling 8 miles this past week.)
5. Finish The Charge, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, The Resolution for Women, Hidden Places, and I Still Believe. (I’ve been reading a little out of a few books almost every single day, but I didn’t actually finish any books this week. Oh well, hopefully this next week!)
6. Get at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night.Homemaking Goals
7. Work for 30 minutes on my embroidery project.Business Goals
8. Finish making the edits to the recipes for the new recipes page.(Yay! I finally got this done!! I’ll be rolling out the new page design as soon as my designer gets it up and running!)
This week’s goals:
Family/Marriage/Mothering Goals
1.
2. Write a love note to Jesse.
3. Spend intentional time just playing and having fun with the kids everyday.
Personal Goals
4. Work on memorizing & reviewing Romans 1:1-17.
5. Exercise six times. Run 10 miles total.
6. Finish The Charge, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, The Resolution for Women, Hidden Places, and I Still Believe. {Hopefully I’ll finish at least one book this next week!}
7. Get at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night.
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.
5 Ways to Help on a Tight Budget
Guest post from Courtney of Blessed by Brenna
“What can I do to help?”
For many, this is the first thought that comes to mind when you hear of a family who has just welcomed a new baby, someone who is battling health issues, or a family who is grieving in the midst of a death. However, it can be difficult to know how best to help a family in need, especially when there is not much extra money around.
When our daughter was born in December 2011, with a life-threatening skin condition, our community leaped into action to aid in whatever ways they could while we dealt with many health problems during her first year.
From that experience, we gained a much better understanding about what can be very helpful during a time of crisis or need. And assisting a family in need doesn’t have to hurt your tight budget, especially if you get a little creative.
1. Take charge and put your time to good use.
If you are close to a family in need, think about what you would want done in a similar situation, whether it’s a new baby or a health emergency. Gather a group of friends to clean a family’s home or let someone know you are going the store and ask what you can pick up for them, so that they don’t feel they are inconveniencing you to request groceries.
Or, tell the family when you are available on a certain day or time period, so that they know it’s not an inconvenience to ask for help during that time.
2. Organize meals.
There are online tools for this, such as MealTrain.com, that alleviate any stress of coordinating, as people who want to bring food can simply sign up with what food they are bringing. You can also tailor it for the family’s schedule, so that if getting meals every day is too much food, you can limit it to two or three days a week.
Creating a meal is a frugal way to make a positive difference to a family who doesn’t have time to worry about cooking and grocery shopping.
When it comes to food, you might also keep a couple of things in mind:
- Consider preparing a frozen meal instead of fresh. When a family has a new baby, they are likely getting a lot of food right away. With a frozen meal, they can put it away to enjoy at a time when the food supply has died down but life is just as hectic. Be sure to tightly wrap the food with foil and Saran Wrap and to label what it is, the date it was prepared and any cooking instructions.
- Breakfast and lunch items can be just as helpful as dinner items, and are often less expensive to prepare. Baking a batch of freezer-friendly muffins or bringing over deli sandwiches and soup is extremely appreciated by families who are likely getting only dinner meals.
- Package all your food into containers or Ziploc bags that can be thrown away when done, so the family doesn’t have to worry about returning a nice casserole dish to you.
3. Give a gift card.
If a family is in the midst of a health emergency and you want to help financially but can’t afford to give cash, consider giving a gift card to aid with meals, gas or groceries. You can utilize your Swagbucks points or other rewards systems to “purchase” a gift card for someone at no cost to you out of pocket.
For months, I was unable to clip coupons, shop around for the best prices, or meal plan, so being able to use a gift card to run into a single store or order a pizza was a huge relief on our budget and our emotional state.
4. Consider the container.
If you are bringing a gift to a family, such as for a new baby, “wrap” your presents in a decorative basket or storage container instead of spending the same amount on a large gift bag. Containers can be put to good use to help store toys, craft supplies or other household items whereas a gift bag will likely just be thrown away!
5. Send thoughts and prayers.
If your budget is really tight, don’t hesitate to simply reach out to someone and let them know that you are thinking of them and praying for them. Sending a heartfelt message with prayers can mean the world to someone who is trying to cope with a big change in their lives, good or bad.
Courtney Westlake is the author of the blog Blessed by Brenna, where she shares the challenges and triumphs of her family after her daughter Brenna was born with Harlequin Ichthyosis, a very rare and severe skin disease.
3 Things to Do to Have a Great Morning
Want to feel in control of your days? Wishing you could find a way to bring order instead of chaos into your life?
You need to have a better morning. It’s a surefire solution for more productive and peaceful days. Why? Because when you start the day on the right foot, the rest of the day falls into better place — without much effort at all.
1. Begin the Night Before
You’re tired at night. I totally get that. I am, too. In fact, most nights, I just want to get some comfy pants on, put my feet up, and enjoy a good book or movie.
But I’ve found that if I take 15 minutes to prep for the next day, I do myself a huge favor. I use these 15 minutes to do three things:
- Quickly clean up the main living areas of our home (if you’re using the Motivated Moms cleaning schedule, this would be a great time to tackle today’s projects, if you haven’t already).
- Look over our plans for the next day and make a short to-do list or loose schedule for the next day (you can use my free printable Daily Docket for this).
- Get together anything you need to get out the door the next day (purse, library books to return, etc.).
When I do this, I enjoy crawling into bed or curling up with a book a whole lot more because I know I’ve got things in great order for the next morning. Plus, those 15 minutes of effort often completely change my morning.
You see, this guarantees that not only do I wake up to a cleaned up house, but I wake up feeling in control of my day — because I already have a plan of action in place. Now all I have to do is just follow the plan!
Tip: When making your to do list, challenge yourself to immediately cross three things off, without even doing them. This will force you to carefully evaluate everything on the list and help you weed out what isn’t that important.
2. Get Up a Little Earlier
I know, I know. Getting up early is not fun, glamorous, or exciting. And if you’re currently in a stage of life where you’re getting up multiple times in the night due to illness, pregnancy, or caring for a fussy infant or child, you can skip this point entirely.
But the rest of you, hear me out. Getting up just 15 minutes earlier can make a tremendous impact on the overall success of your day — and quite possibly your entire life! I dare you to just try it for three weeks and see if you prove me wrong.
Instead of pulling yourself out of bed at the last minute and then rushing around like a mad woman so you can get out the door and get wherever you need to go, try waking up 15 minutes earlier than normal in order to spend quiet time praying, reading the Bible or an encouraging book, or writing in a journal. This will give you a calm start to your day and will allow you time to be still, count your blessings, and begin your day with a great attitude.
Tip: Find a friend to join you in your early rising challenge. It’s always so much easier — and more fun! — when you’re not going it alone. You might text each other each morning when you get up to help you stay accountable.
3. Attack the Hardest Thing First
I’m a master procrastinator. I can come up with all sorts of seemingly good things to do instead of doing what I really should be doing. But when I spend most of the day procrastinating, I feel behind and unfulfilled.
At the beginning of this year, I challenged myself to stop putting off things as long as I possibly could and committed to begin my day tackling those dreaded tasks first. I thought it was going to be hard — and it was!
But I also was delighted to discover that those tasks I was loathing really weren’t that hard when I just set my mind to do them and then did them. They took a lot less time than I thought they would and I always felt so good to check the hard things off my list early in the day.
You know what else I discovered? I have more time than I thought I did!
When I stopped burning daylight and stalling in order to avoid the unpleasant tasks, it freed up a lot of extra time in my day. This, in turn, made me feel much less busy and able to go through my days more calmly and cheerfully because I wasn’t constantly feeling behind.
Tip: Have a dreaded task to tackle? Set a timer and challenge yourself to race against the clock. This will motivate you to work harder and faster — and will make it more like a game than a difficult task! You’ll probably find you get the project done in no time at all!
What things do YOU do to set yourself up for a great morning?
Want some practical help with setting up your day for success? Be sure to grab a copy of my brand-new online course, Make Over Your Mornings.
This 14-day online course includes videos, a workbook, and step-by-step projects and is designed to help you revolutionize your productivity, streamline your routines, invest your time in things that truly matter, and find more joy and peace in the process.
If you’ve ever wished that you could figure out how to get more done, have more organization in your life, and find time to spend on things you love, the Make Over Your Mornings Course is for you. Find out more about it here.
4 Websites Absolutely Anyone Can Use to Make Money Online
Guest post from Miranda of WAHadventures.com
Even you can make money online! Yes, it is true.
There are many legitimate ways to earn extra cash and supplemental income online. Nowadays, anyone can do it.
If you want to bring in some additional income to help with the household bills, save for a vacation or get yourself out of debt, there are many websites online to get you started. You don’t have to be highly experienced or have a long resume to work with any of these four websites to begin making money online.
1.Textbroker
Textbroker works with people from all over the United States to write very basic articles on a wide variety of topics. For instance, my first Textbroker article was on the topic of how to care for a mattress. I spent a few minutes finding a few articles online as my resource and quickly typed up the short article.
Although Textbroker does have an application process, it is very light and almost everyone who can use proper grammar, lives in the US, and speaks English is quickly accepted.
The greatest benefit of writing for Textbroker is their quick weekly pay to your PayPal account.
2. SliceThePie
SliceThePie has to be one of the coolest websites for making money online! Get paid to listen to a song and then write a brief review to give the artist your feedback.
Although this gig doesn’t pay enough to count as a job, it is something you can do any time, day or night. Additionally, SliceThePie pays to your PayPal account a few days after you withdraw your funds (provided you have reached the minimum $10 cash-out threshold).
There is no application process, just sign up and begin earning money. SliceThePie is a fun way to make some extra cash when you have a few spare moments through the day.
3. Fiverr
Fiverr is making a huge wave with freelancers online. Anyone can make money using Fiverr. Just create an account and begin thinking up things you can do virtually for five bucks!
Whatever your specialty may be, from proofreading articles to giving tips about how to feed an iguana, there is no limit! You can also make things (like a pair of earrings) and sell for five bucks, just add an additional shipping cost that the buyer will be responsible for.
Fiverr is afun way to make money, however, they do keep a portion of your earnings (everyone’s gotta make money). After Fiverr keps their portion and you pay your PayPal fees, you usually see around $3.77 per gig. So, keep that in mind when brainstorming the services you will offer at Fiverr.
4. QuickTate
QuickTate is a general transcription company that mostly deals with transcribing voice mail into text. It is a fun job, listening to other people’s phone’s voice messaging system and typing out what is said.
Unfortunately, QuickTate doesn’t pay much for this work, but their application process is very simple and easy to pass.
Many people use QuickTate as a way to gain some general transcription experience and ease their way into becoming a genuine freelance transcriptionist. Working online at QuickTate is a great way to hone your typing and listening skills.
Anyone can make money online. These are just four of many websites people often use to make a little extra cash or supplemental income. For more ways to make money online and even ways to work full time from home be sure to visit Work at Home Adventures for home based job leads, reviews of companies offering work from home jobs, and tips or advice for surviving the online freelance world.
Miranda Grimm- The creator of WAHadventures.com– has many passions in life. The Lord, her family, blogging and especially Web/Graphic Design. Miranda is living out her dream, working from home to be with her children while actually making money doing something she loves!