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Shared May 20, 2013 comment

Clutter-Busting Challenge Day #15: I’m starting to have to dig pretty deep!

Published: by Crystal Paine on May 20, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Every week day in May, I’m challenging my readers to try to find at least 7 things to get rid of. These can be big or small things, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you actually throw them out, sell them, donate them, recycle them, or find someone else who can use them. Think you’re up for the challenge?

I’m starting to have to dig pretty deep to find things to get rid of — I think that’s a good problem!

Today’s things I got rid of:

1 battery
1 hanger
1 toy dinosaur
2 pieces of blue tube
1 activity book that has been all used
1 box with cologne my husband doesn’t like (he’s been a little inspired by my purging!)

How did your clutter-busting go today? Link up your blog post and/or Instagram pictures below. Or, leave a comment telling us how many things you got rid of. Let’s clear our homes of clutter so we can be more productive and efficient!

Shared May 20, 2013 comment

10 Goals For This Week

Published: by Crystal Paine on May 20, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I had a great time at the Nashville Teach Them Diligently Conference. It was so fun to meet some of you there!

While it’s been a wonderful few months, I’m also excited that my spring conference season is over, my book editing is done, and summer break is almost here! We’re looking forward to a time to regroup, refresh, and recharge. And I’m also looking forward to having some “lazy” and quiet summer days without looming deadlines. 🙂

Here’s an update on my goals:

Last week’s goals:

Family/Marriage/Mothering Goals

1. Finish reading Spiderweb for Two aloud to the children. Read three chapters of The Hardy Boys Book #1 with Kathrynne, read three chapters of Life With Lily with Kaitlynn, read a few picture books with Silas.

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

Personal Goals

3. Memorize Romans 1:14

~~4. Exercise five times.~~

5. Finish reading: 24/6, ~~Start~~, Unstoppable, and When the Game is Over It All Goes Back in the Box.

6. Get at least 7.5 to 9 hours of sleep every night. {Um, I totally bombed this one.}

Homemaking Goals

~~7. Continue on with the Clutter-Busting Challenge.~~

8. Work on my embroidery project for at least 30 minutes.

Business Goals

9. Practice the tweaked talk for the Teach Them Diligently conference this weekend {I overhauled one of my talks recently and this conference will be the first conference I’m giving it at. Excited to see how the changes work from stage!}

~~10. Finish magazine article.~~

This week’s goals:

Family/Marriage/Mothering Goals

1. Start reading The Trumpet of the Swan to the children. Read three chapters of The Hardy Boys Book #1 with Kathrynne, read three chapters of Life With Lily with Kaitlynn, read a few picture books with Silas.

2. Go on a date with Jesse.

3. Start Library Reading Program with kids.

Personal Goals

4. Memorize Romans 1:14. Review Romans 1:1-13.

5. Exercise five times — start Pilates program.

6. Finish reading: 24/6, Unstoppable, Operation Dinner,Candle in the Darkness, and When the Game is Over It All Goes Back in the Box.

7. Get at least 7.5 to 9 hours of sleep every night.

Homemaking Goals

8. Continue on with the Clutter-Busting Challenge.

9. Work on my embroidery project for at least 30 minutes.

Business Goals

10. Photo shoot for book cover.

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 May 20, 2013 comment

18 DOZEN Butterhorn Rolls — just $0.15 each!

Published: by Crystal Paine on May 20, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Emily from Our Frugal Happy Life emailed me this morning and I just had to share her email (she gave me permission):

Over the weekend, our church had a Pork Chop dinner and somehow I ended up making the homemade rolls (my husband is the pastor…that explains it! :)). My husband absolutely loves your Make-Ahead Butterhorns, so that’s what he thought I should make.

Little did I know, I needed to make 18 DOZEN Butterhorn rolls for this dinner! I did it over the course of three days using my bread machine (thank goodness for that!).

The rolls were a huge hit at the dinner; everyone was raving about them! There were some leftover, but people were buying those up very quickly because they loved them so much!

The most ironic part? I can’t even eat Butterhorns because I am gluten-free. I have actually never tasted one!

I thought you would get a smile out of this – thank you for such a great recipe! It is well-loved in our small town here in Wisconsin.

P.S. I did a bunch of math to figure out how much these cost me and based on my prices for the ingredients, they are about $0.15 each. Super frugal! (That’s the reason I made them for the dinner…buying rolls from the bakery would have cost significantly more!) -Emily from Our Frugal Happy Life

Shared May 20, 2013 comment

Reader Tip: Earn $5 for watching a video on Jingit!

Published: by Crystal Paine on May 20, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Here’s a hot tip from Jenna:

The first time I did one of the new Jingit offers, I bought paper towels at CVS. After I submitted my receipt scan to Jingit, I got a message that said it would be reviewed and I would be notified when it was approved. Well, the next day, I got the message that it was approved.

I logged back into my Jingit app to check and see if I had, in fact, been paid. There was a new video to watch about the new Jingit offers.

I watched it and was paid $5! YES, $5!

I told my parents and my husband, and they all did an offer and they got the $5 video offer, too! Not sure how long this will last, so you might want to hurry! -Jenna

(Note: The link in this post is my referral link. Read my disclosure policy here.)

Shared May 19, 2013 comment

Clutter-Busting Challenge Day #14: I found some more samples to get rid of!

Published: by Crystal Paine on May 19, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Every week day in May, I’m challenging my readers to try to find at least 7 things to get rid of. These can be big or small things, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you actually throw them out, sell them, donate them, recycle them, or find someone else who can use them. Think you’re up for the challenge?

It’s been a fantastic, but very full weekend at the Teach Them Diligently Conference. Not only did I speak four times, but I also got to attend a few sessions, and had a wonderful time getting to hang out with Todd and Angie Smith.

I’m late in getting this posted since I was offline so much this weekend, but I did collect another pile of samples earlier this weekend to get rid of. (I use almost all the free samples that come in the mail, but I find that there are a few I think I’ll use that then just end up hanging around in there forever and just take up space. So I cleaned these out and came up with eight samples to get rid of. Yay!

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

Click here to sign up!

Shared May 18, 2013 comment

67 Ideas for Fun & Learning This Summer

Published: by Crystal Paine on May 18, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Jenae from I Can Teach My Child has a great list of 67 Ideas for Fun & Learning This Summer.

Shared May 18, 2013 comment

New cashback offers on Jingit

Published: by Crystal Paine on May 18, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

There are some new Jingit offers to check out:

$0.25 cash back when you purchase ANY bread at a participating retailer (Target and CVS came up when I clicked it)

$0.25 cash back when you purchase ANY Hot Dogs at a participating retailer (idea: combine with new $0.75 off Ball Park Lean hot dogs coupon to get a great deal!)

$0.25 cash back when you purchase ANY Ketchup at a participating retailer

$0.25 cash back when you purchase any Lysol Disinfectant Wipes at Target

$0.25 cash back when you purchase Any Paper Towels at a participating retailer

$0.25 cash back when you purchase Any Potato Chips at a participating retailer

$0.25 cash back when you purchase Any box of Trash Bags at participating retailers

$0.25 cash back when you purchase Any Fabric Softener at participating retailers

$0.75 cash back when you purchase Wisk Deep Clean at Target, CVS, or Publix

$1.00 cash back when you purchase a RC TEN 12-Pack, Sunkist TEN 12-pack, Canada Dry 12-Pack, A&W TEN 12-Pack, or 7-Up TEN pack (these are a specific stores as well-so be sure to check first).

$1.00 cash back when you purchase 4- 2 Liters of TEN calorie Beverage (Canada Dry, A&W, 7-UP, Sunkist, or RC)

If you’re new to Jingit, check out this post to see how it works.

Thanks, Our Coupon Adventures!

(Note: The link in this post is my referral link. Read my disclosure policy here.)

Shared May 18, 2013 comment

We Paid Cash: A Minivan

Published: by Crystal Paine on May 18, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Testimony from Rachel of Intentionally Simple

A few years ago, my husband and I started a car savings account. Our cars were both approaching 10 years old and we wanted to have some money set aside for repairs as well as have enough money saved to pay cash for our next vehicle.

We saved for a few years, and during that time, paid for routine maintenance, repairs and new tires for one of the vehicles out of our car savings fund.

A few months after the birth of our second son, we started talking about purchasing a mini van. We had around $5,000 in savings for a new vehicle and we had the luxury of time to look for a good deal since we didn’t truly need a van at this point.

We decided to put most of our tax return into car savings. The plan was to use the money in car savings (around $8,000) plus the sale of the truck (we were hoping to get around $3,500 for the truck) to pay cash for a new vehicle. We set our budget at $12,000 or less and started researching vans.

We had been researching a few months when my father-in-law told us that a neighbor had a van for sale. The van was a 2004 Nissan Quest with 88,000 miles. It was in wonderful condition and had features like heated leather seats, power sliding doors and lift gate, and a DVD player. The best part about this van, it was well under our budget!

We paid cash for the van without even selling my husband’s truck!

A few weeks later, we sold the truck for $4,500 ($1,000 more than we were hoping, apparently trucks hold their value!) We then put all of the money from the sale of the truck back into the car savings fund so we’re nearly half way to paying cash for our next vehicle.

And, those power sliding doors really are amazing!

Rachel is a wife and mama of two boys. You’ll find her at Intentionally Simple where she blogs about choosing a life of simplicity. Her family lives minimally in a small home and lives debt free.

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

Shared May 16, 2013 comment

Freezer Cooking in an Hour — or not!

Published: by Crystal Paine on May 16, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I had planned to get up early and do my Freezer Cooking in an Hour session this morning before I headed to the airport to fly to Nashville.

But, um, I made it as far as the taco meat and ran out of time.

Such is life, eh? I promise — barring some unforeseen events — that I’ll make the muffins next week. Because I really, really want to try them myself. And I know some of you are anxious to hear whether I like them or not. 🙂

By the way, thank you so much for how you all have been patient and forbearing with me as I’ve navigated this new season of life where I’m traveling and speaking more. It’s been a new adventure — and there have definitely been growing pains as a result.

We’ve put a lot of prayer and thought into the direction it seems God is leading us, and we’re excited about what the future holds. But in the process, I’m still working on finding a good balance so that I’m keeping up with the blog (which is a significant priority for me), while also making sure that my family is my most important priority — and that I’m taking care of my health, too. 🙂

I’m nowhere near doing a perfect job (and I don’t ever expect to figure out what anything near “perfect” looks like!), but I feel like we’re really starting to fall into a healthy groove and I’m so thankful. Thank you, each of you, who are sharing in this journey with us and are so patient and understanding. I appreciate you all so very much!

Shared May 16, 2013 comment

Clutter-Busting Challenge Day #13: I found 8 samples to get rid of!

Published: by Crystal Paine on May 16, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Every week day in May, I’m challenging my readers to try to find at least 7 things to get rid of. These can be big or small things, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you actually throw them out, sell them, donate them, recycle them, or find someone else who can use them. Think you’re up for the challenge?

I flew into Nashville today to speak at the Teach Them Diligently Conference this weekend. Both my flights were delayed about an hour each. But it all worked out and I got to spend the evening with a friend of mine, Angie Smith.

I was reminded all over again why I love her so very much! (If you’ve not read her books and don’t follow her blog, you should! She’s hilarious and inspiring!)

Before I left this morning, I cleaned out my sample tub. I use almost all the free samples that come in the mail, but I find that there are a few I think I’ll use that then just end up hanging around in there forever and just take up space. So I cleaned these out and came up with eight samples to get rid of. Yay!

How did your clutter-busting go today? Link up your blog post and/or Instagram pictures below. Or, leave a comment telling us how many things you got rid of. Let’s clear our homes of clutter so we can be more productive and efficient!

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

Click here to download!

Shared May 16, 2013 comment

Two ways to save $5-$10 on your grocery bill in less than 10 minutes!

Published: by Crystal Paine on May 16, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I’m excited to be speaking at the MOPS National Convention in Kansas City in October.

As part of their promotional campaign, they asked me to shoot a quick video with a money-saving tip. I thought some of you would enjoy watching this video with two quick ways to save at least $5 to $10 on your grocery bill in less than 10 minutes.

Links mentioned in the video:

Coupon Database

Local Store Deals & Coupon Match-ups

What’s your best tip for shaving $5-$10 off your grocery bill in 10 minutes or less?

Shared May 15, 2013 comment

Clutter-Busting Challenge Day #12: Yes, I’m late, but we did get rid of 7 things!

Published: by Crystal Paine on May 15, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Every week day in May, I’m challenging my readers to try to find at least 7 things to get rid of. These can be big or small things, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you actually throw them out, sell them, donate them, recycle them, or find someone else who can use them. Think you’re up for the challenge?

Confession time: I completely forgot to post this earlier! I had my items set out, I took the picture of them, and then I promptly forgot about posting it!

In my defense, I was gone almost the entire afternoon and evening running errands, having a date with Silas, and then attending a family activity evening at church.

But still… I’m sorry if you were anxiously waiting on this post — and had to wait half the day for it!

Today’s things I got rid of:

2 bags
1 pair of shoes
3 kid’s books
basket

How did your clutter-busting go today? Link up your blog post and/or Instagram pictures below. Or, leave a comment telling us how many things you got rid of. Let’s clear our homes of clutter so we can be more productive and efficient!

Shared May 15, 2013 comment

Gretchen’s $35 Weekly Grocery Shopping Trip and Menu Plan

Published: by Crystal Paine on May 15, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Since so many of you have been enjoying Gretchen’s grocery shopping trips, I asked her if she’d be interested in sharing her weekly big grocery trip and menu plan from time to time.

If you find this helpful, would you leave a comment or click on “Like” button in the top righthand corner of this post. That lets us know that these are posts you’d like to see more of. 🙂

And don’t worry, I’ll still keep posting some of my shopping trips and my weekly menu plans. My sister, Gretchen, is a lot more organized than me and on a tighter budget, so I thought that this would be especially helpful to some of you who may be in a similar season of life or like to see a menu plan on a budget all laid out in a step-by-step fashion!

Local Health Food Store

My first stop was our local Health Food store. We love their oranges so I always buy them there. I was hoping they would have some great deals on produce like usual, but I only found one mark-down. 🙁

6 Oranges @ 3/$1 – $2 total

Organic Girl Greens – Marked down to $0.99 (I like to use this in our smoothies and juice.)

Total with tax: $3.21

Aldi (and Walmart)

1 Bath Tissue – $0.99 (I really didn’t see any great coupon deals on toilet paper this week so I just got it at Aldi.)

1 Roma Tomatoes – $1.19

1 Gallon Milk – $1.99

2 Strawberries – $0.99 each

1 Cucumber – $0.49

I was planning on getting Baking Powder at Aldi but couldn’t find it. (The cashier said they were out and it was only a seasonal item?!?) So I ran into the small neighborhood Walmart right next to Aldi and got it there instead.

Baking Powder – $1.82

Total with tax (for both stores): $9.07

Dillons

1 Kroger Cheddar Cheese – $1.67

1 Simple Truth Bar – $0.89, used Free e-coupon (no longer available) – Free after coupon

1 Liberte Yogurt – $1, used Free e-coupon (no longer available) – Free after coupon

1 Ella Baby Food – $1.39, used $0.55/1 printable (doubled to $1) – $0.39 after coupon (My little boy loves these and while I’d prefer to get them free, I thought it would be fun to surprise him with a special treat!)

1 Dillons Bread – $1

2 Dr. Pepper – $1.50 each, used Buy One Get One Free printable (Took off $1.99) – $0.50 each after coupon (I never buy pop but we are having company over this weekend who love pop and I want to be a good hostess.:))

1 Green Giant Veggie Chips – $1, used $0.50/1 printable (doubled) – Free after coupon

1 Chocolate Chips – $1.69

2 Vlasic Pickle Relish – $1 each, used 2 $1/1 printable – Free after coupons

1 Wishbone Salad Dressing – Marked down to $0.89

1 Dove Soap – $1, used $1/1 e-coupon – Free after coupon

1 Romaine Lettuce – $0.99

2 Broccoli Crowns – $1.34

1 Kroger Applesauce – $2.19

6 Clear Care Contact Solution – Marked down to $2 each! (I was SUPER thrilled to find these marked down. This is the only contact solution both my husband and I can use and it normally is priced $8-$12.)

Total before coupons and sales: $41.99. Total after coupons + tax: $25.22, used $2 catalina from last week’s shopping trip

Paid $23.22 out of pocket

Total for all grocery items: $35.50

Menu Plan for this Week

Breakfasts

Toast, Oatmeal, Cereal, Apple Pie Breakfast, Smoothies/Juice

Lunches

Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches, Leftovers, Homemade Mac & Cheese, Scrambled Eggs, Fruits & Veggies

Dinners

Homemade Cheese Pizza, Steamed Broccoli

World’s Best Pancakes (these are SO yummy!), Eggs, Hashbrowns, Oranges

Steak on the grill (gift from Crystal), Mashed Potatoes, Biscuits

Salad Bar, Strawberries

Crockpot Lasagna, Easy Homemade French Bread, Green Beans

Italian Chicken, Banana Muffins, Tossed Salad

Dinner with my parents

Shared May 15, 2013 comment

Free Adventures in Odyssey episode download

Published: by Crystal Paine on May 15, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

We’re big Adventures in Odyssey fans here so I told them we would be happy to participate in their summer A Call to Serve challenge designed to challenge your children to serve others.

Here are the details:

This summer, Adventures in Odyssey is joining with Christian bookstores across the country, inviting kids to participate in a Summer of Service. They’re promoting the biblical message, “When you serve, everybody wins,” encouraging kids to serve their families, their communities, and their world.

Whether it’s baking cookies for an elderly neighbor or putting together a care package for missionaries overseas, kids will discover that serving can be a blast!

How the A.C.T.S. (A Call to Service) challenge and contest works:

Kids who join A.C.T.S. can pick up a service log and collect fun character stickers for hours served at participating bookstores throughout the summer, or download a serving log online at whitsend.org. At the end of the summer, kids can record and upload a short video telling how they serve and why they’d like to become an Adventures in Odyssey Ambassador.

A hundred winners will get the brand-new AIO Album, and after online voting, two grand prize winners (one boy and one girl) will get to travel on an exciting Good-Goers Mission Based Adventure trip to another country with a parent!

The out-of-country destination will be announced on a live podcast May 22—hosted by AIO actors Katie Leigh (Connie) and Chris Anthony (Chris)—which you can watch at whitsend.org/acts. You don’t want to miss it!

To kick things off, they are offering a free Adventures in Odyssey episode and a free downloadable PDF with service ideas for kids.

Be sure to check back next week because I’ll have an Adventures in Odyssey giveaway for you all!

Shared May 15, 2013 comment

52 Different Ways to Save $100 This Year: Buy in Bulk {Week 19}

Published: by Crystal Paine on May 15, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Every week in 2013, I’m sharing a different way you can save $100 this year. If you do all of these things, you’ll be able to save over $5,000 this year alone! Many of these things will likely be things you’re already doing, but hopefully all of you will pick up at least a few new ideas or some inspiration from this series.

You can save at least 20% off the price of many staple products by buying them in bulk. If you’re going to be using the bulk amount of something over the course of a year and it can be stored for a long period of time, you might as well purchase it in quantity at a discount, right?

Where To Find Bulk Deals

There are many places to check for bulk deals, here are a few of the best places to look:

1. Warehouse stores

This is sort of the default, but it’s worth mentioning. I save around $27 per year by buying yeast from Sam’s Club instead of at the grocery store. However, I don’t find it is worth it to pay for the membership. Instead, I just go in on the get in free days that they have a few times per year.

Be aware that not all warehouse packages are a good deal. In fact, many times, you’ll pay more per ounce for buying the large package than you’d pay if you bought multiple smaller packages when they are on a great sale at the grocery store.

2. Local farms

You can often purchase large quantities of produce seconds for great prices from local farms (check LocalHarvest.org to see if there are farms near you that sell to the public). And if you like high-quality meat, you’re almost always going to save at least $1 per pound by buying it in bulk.

If you don’t have freezer space for large amounts of meat or products, consider splitting a bulk order with a few friends. That way, you all get the discount, but none of you have to buy a new freezer to store it in!

3. Azure Standard or Other Health Food Co-ops

If you grind your own wheat or eat a lot of oats, rice, beans, or other staple ingredients, check into the prices of nearby health food co-ops or Azure Standard.

3. Health food stores and grocery stores

If don’t find great sources for buying in bulk from health food co-ops and Azure Standard doesn’t deliver to your area, check and see if your health food stores or grocery stores would give you a discount for buying in bulk. It never hurts to ask!

You might also just buy in bulk by practicing the Buy Ahead principle — buying multiples of items at your grocery store when they are at their rock-bottom prices!

What To Buy in Bulk

What you should buy in bulk will vary from family to family. I recommend looking at what you already purchase a lot of that has a long shelf life or would keep in the freezer for six months and see if you can find sources for purchasing it in quantities at a discount.

These will usually be things like grains, beans, canned goods, and meat. But it could also include other items like toilet paper, diapers, or cleaning supplies.

When Not to Buy In Bulk

You can save a lot of money by buying in bulk, but there are a few pitfalls you want to be aware of:

1. Don’t buy things you won’t use up in time

There’s no point in buying a big bulk package of something if you’re just going to end up throwing it out because it goes bad. Kind of like my cappuccino mix. Ahem. 🙂

If you want to buy a big bulk purchase but you’re not sure you’ll use it all up, see if a friend or two will split the order with you.

2. Don’t buy things you don’t already know that you love.

If you aren’t 100% sure your family loves it, don’t buy a bunch of it. Because no matter how inexpensive it was, if you’re not going to use it, it wasn’t a good deal for you.

3. Don’t store your bulk items carelessly.

If you buy grains, make sure you store them properly and check them often. The last thing you want to do is find your big bag of oats is bug-infested!

And do not make the $614 mistake we did and buy a bunch of grass-fed meat from a local farm, stick it in your freezer in the garage, and then leave town for two weeks. That is a lesson we hope we never have to learn again!

Do you buy in bulk? If so, what do you buy and where do you but it from?

photo credit; photo credit; photo credit

Summer Bucket List

Summer Bucket List

FREE Summer Bucket List!!

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

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

What’s your best tip for shaving $5-$10 off your grocery bill in 10 minutes or less?

Local Health Food Store

Aldi (and Walmart)

Dillons

Menu Plan for this Week

Breakfasts

Lunches

Dinners

Where To Find Bulk Deals

1. Warehouse stores

2. Local farms

3. Azure Standard or Other Health Food Co-ops

3. Health food stores and grocery stores

What To Buy in Bulk

When Not to Buy In Bulk

1. Don’t buy things you won’t use up in time

2. Don’t buy things you don’t already know that you love.

3. Don’t store your bulk items carelessly.

Do you buy in bulk? If so, what do you buy and where do you but it from?

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