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Shared Mar 22, 2013 comment

Early to Rise Challenge: Find an Accountability Partner

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 22, 2013 | 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 an Accountability Partner

I’m a firm believer in what Andy encourages in Early to Rise today. If you want to be successful at anything in life, having an accountability partner will highly motivate you and keep you inspired when you don’t want to stick with it.

For this Early to Rise Challenge, you all have been my accountability partners. Truthfully, there have been a few days that I have would have loved to go back to bed, but knowing I had to post my alarm clock each morning was a very good motivation to get up and stay up. 🙂

So, thank you, each of you, for joining me in this challenge! Your tweets, Pinterest posts, comments, and blog posts have fired me up and blessed me.

Do you have an accountability partner? Tell us in the comments.

What Time Did You Get Up This Morning?

I got up at 6:01 a.m.

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!

Shared Mar 21, 2013 comment

Q&A: What books have most influenced you as a blogger & business owner?

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 21, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Continuing on with the Q&A series on blogging I started two weeks ago, Christa asks:

What books/resources would you recommend as being the most influential in your blogging/business mindset? I recently started reading Platform by Michael Hyatt. I know you highly recommend Dave Ramsey. Are there any other books you would recommend that have been foundational in developing your mindset? -Christa

I highly recommend that anyone who wants to succeed in life becomes an avid reader of good books. Books will inspire you, challenge you, and shape the way you think. Best of all, books allow you to be mentored by amazing and successful people.

I can’t stress enough how much of a priority everyone should place on reading. Even if it’s just reading 1-2 pages of a book each day. Read something to stimulate your mind and I promise you’ll grow as a person as a result.

Here are a few suggestions and book ideas:

1. Watch, Listen, and Learn From People You Want to Emulate

Do you want to develop the character or work ethic of someone else? Read everything you can get your hands on that they’ve written. Their books, blogs, and articles will give you a peek into what has helped them to develop into the person they are.

I read and listen to Dave Ramsey, Michael Hyatt, Jon Acuff, Robert D. Smith, Jeff Goins, Lysa TerKeurst, among many others, because these are people who inspire and motivate me and whom I constantly learn from. {Speaking of which, if you haven’t watched this short video by Lysa TerKeurst, you must. She’s brilliant and I’ve been learning so much from reading, listening, and observing her!}

2. Read Books By People Who Are Successful Business Owners

If you want to have a successful blog or business, read books by people who are successful bloggers and/or business owners. They don’t need to be in your field. In fact, they can be doing something completely unrelated to what you’re doing. But you can apply the principles they share to your unique situation.

Here are a few biographies I’ve read in the last few years that have given me a lot of great business insight:

Pour Your Heart Into It — the story of how Starbucks came to be. It’s fascinating!

Against All Odds by Chuck Norris — full of inspiration to face your fears and move outside your comfort zone.

Eat Mor Chikin: Inspire More People — the story of how Chik-fil-A was born.

The Duck Commander Family — While this book isn’t really a business primer at all, I found the many business insights and ideas from it. You’ll want to have watched Duck Dynasty some before reading it or you probably won’t get the personalities of this family. 🙂

3. Feed Yourself a Steady Diet of New Ideas and Inspiration

Never be content with the status quo. There is always so much more to learn, so many new ideas to try, and so many ways to improve as a person.

Challenge yourself to read books that will inspire you with new business ideas and help you develop strong character as a business owner. A few such books that I’ve enjoyed and been motivated by in the last few years are: What the Most Successful People Do on the Weekends; Developing the Leader Within You; The One-Minute Entrepreneur; Becoming a Person of Influence; ReWork; and Today Matters.

Related: I also posted a list of 7 Must-Read Books for Work-At-Home Moms last year.

4. Immerse Yourself in Good Writing

If you want to be a successful blogger, constantly be seeking to improve your craft. This means exposing yourself to people who are amazing writers in a variety of genres. One reason I’ve been reading more fiction (outside the obvious fact that I enjoy it!) is because I’m gleaning so many ideas about good storytelling from it.

Emily Freeman, Jeff Goins, the Incourage writers, and Angie Smith are all bloggers and authors who inspire me as a writer. They are wordsmiths who paint pictures with their laptop. I want to be like them when I grow up.

Related: Two books on writing that I’ve loved this past year are: Every Writer Needs a Tribe and You Are a Writer.

5. Make All of Life Your Classroom

One of the greatest gifts my parents gave to me was a love for learning. When I graduated from high school, my education had just begun and all of the world was now my classroom.

As a blogger and business owner, you will never know everything there is to know about every subject. Every person you meet is a potential opportunity to learn something completely new. Ask questions, analyze, dig, experiment — and, most of all, enjoy the process. It’s an adventure!

Other Options to Develop as a Blogger & Business Owner

Listen to Podcasts & Audiobooks

I’m not much of a podcast listener but my husband regularly listens to Michael Hyatt’s podcast and the EntreLeadership podcast.

Reach Out to Wise People

Don’t be shy! It never hurts to ask for advice or input so long as you don’t feel hurt or offended if you never hear back or someone is unable to fulfill your request.

One suggestion: keep your requests short and succinct. A busy professional is much more apt to consider answering if you are asking a very simple question.

Find a Mentor

I’ve become a very firm believer in having mentors in your life. I’m blessed to have a mentor right now who meets with me once a week. She answers my questions, gives me counsel on situations, encourages me as I plan for the future, and inspires me to be the best I can be.

Hire a Coach

If you can afford it, hire someone short-term to help coach you in areas that you’re currently seeking to improve in.

I hired a proposal writer and ghost editor for the manuscript I recently wrote and she made a world of difference in the writing process — helping me think, process, plan, and write in a much more organized and efficient manner.

I also recently hired a speaking coach who is helping me craft all of my presentations. She is teaching me so much, helping to train me in how to wisely approach the art and craft of speaking, and shaving hours of prep time off my plate, too.

Related: Read this great article by Robert D. Smith on Do You Need to Hire a Coach?

Attend Conferences & Events

I cannot stress this option enough. The contacts and relationships I’ve made at conferences and events have been invaluable to me in helping to shape me as a blogger and business owner. If you have the opportunity to attend a writing, speaking, blogging, or business conference — GO! And go with gusto: use every minute to network and learn.

Ask questions of everyone you meet. Go talk to the keynote speakers and pick their brains. Take notes in all the sessions. Develop action plans. And then come home and put them in place!

What suggestions and ideas do the rest of you have for Christa? I’d love to hear!

Do you have a question on business or blogging that you’d love to have me answer as part of this series? You can email it to me here and I’ll be happy to consider doing so.

Shared Mar 21, 2013 comment

Freezer Cooking in an Hour: Pull Apart Oat Rolls, IHOP Pancakes, & Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Pancakes

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 21, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I mixed up the roll dough for the Pull Apart Rolls in the middle of our morning homeschooling while the girls were working on an independent project.

An hour later, the dough was done and ready to bake. Oh how I love my bread machine! 🙂

The rolls turned out beautifully (I forgot to brush them with butter, though!) and were very delicious. Plus, they froze well. By the way, these are so, so good with Crockpot Apple Butter.

Yay for another fantastic bread recipe to add to my line-up of favorite bread recipes!

I wasn’t sure how the Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Pancakes would turn out. It seemed like an awful lot of different ingredients to throw into one recipe.

I used buttermilk and bananas that I’d purchased marked down and had frozen. I love it when I can incorporate ingredients that I’ve gotten on a great sale into my freezer cooking.

Jesse and I both agreed we really liked the end result. They are hearty and delicious. Best of all, they pack a nutritious punch.

We like them best served cold without any sort of topping. And don’t get too hung up on the “pancake” part of their name. They are pancakes, but they reminded me a little more of breakfast cookies than pancakes in how they taste.

And finally, we LOVED the IHOP Pancakes. They were so fluffy and yummy. This is definitely a recipe I’ll be making again!

Did you cook or bake anything for your freezer this week? Share the recipe link in the comments; I’d love to check it out!

Recipe links:

Pull Apart Oat Rolls
Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Pancakes
IHOP-Knock-Off Pancakes

Shared Mar 21, 2013 comment

Utilizing a Vocational School’s Services to Save Money

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 21, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Amy emailed in the following tip:

We were recently told that we needed new brakes and rotors on our minivan, but we didn’t have the $346.24 quoted us to replace them. And we had just paid off one of our credit cards so we really didn’t want to throw almost $400 dollars back on the card just days after paying it off.

Instead, we saved a lot of money and gave the business to our local vocational high school. The grand total for getting our new brakes and rotors at the vocational school was only $161.59 — including the labor charge of only $30!

If you want comfy waiting rooms, quick service and a ride back home, this is definitely not the way for you to go. But if you want to save money and don’t mind being mildly inconvenienced, this is a great alternative.

We’ve used the services of this vocational school in the past for other jobs and it really is a fantastic option if you have one close by. All of the work is supervised and inspected by certified teachers who have often worked in their fields for many many years before deciding to teach. -Amy

Have you used the services of a vocational school before?

photo credit

Shared Mar 21, 2013 comment

Free samples in my mailbox this week

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 21, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

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

Free sample of Peet’s Coffee

Free 8-load bottle of Method laundry detergent

Free Fiber One protein bar

Coupon for a free NIVEA lip product

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!

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

Click here to sign up!

Shared Mar 21, 2013 comment

Giving Yourself Grace

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 21, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Guest post from Kate of Organization for the Type B

A little while ago, Crystal had a lovely post about giving your kids grace, not shame. Today I am writing to tell you that not only do you need to do this for your kids, but yourself also.

How often do you make a mistake? I make them all them time!

I have been participating in the “Early to Rise” Challenege, and the past couple mornings I have not gotten up at my goal time (in fact yesterday, I overslept a whole hour)! My first response was guilt, and I felt very down on myself. We all feel down on ourselves, whether it’s eating too much spending too much, etc.

However, instead of berating ourselves for making a bad decision, it’s time to show ourselves some grace.

Here is what I do:

1. Admit I made a mistake. I should not have ate/bought/did that — whatever it was. We all know the saying, “The first step to solving a problem is admitting you have one”. So, admit it to yourself.

2. Make an action plan for next time you find yourself in this situation. Tomorrow, I will set two alarms and promise to text my friend as soon as I get up. Or, I will go to the store and stock my pantry with healthy food. Or, I will stay home instead of going to the mall and tempting myself to overspend.

3. Do it! Feeling bad and shaming yourself will do NOTHING to make a difference next time. Only you DOING it differently will.

God shows us grace everyday, and we try to show our children and other people grace. So it’s about time we give ourselves some grace, too!

Learn to laugh with yourself. When you do, you will find it makes giving others grace easier!

Kate is a full time wife and mother and part time teacher outside the home. She blogs about organization, minimalism, frugal, and green Christian living at Organization for the Type B.

photo source

Shared Mar 21, 2013 comment

Early to Rise Challenge: Face Your Day With a Smile

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 21, 2013 | 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.

Face Your Day With a Smile

I thought today’s reading in Early to Rise was intriguing. And I get Andy’s point, but I have to tell you that I don’t really like the word “smirk”.

Why? Because, by definition, it seems somewhat haughty and self-serving. I know that wasn’t Andy’s intent, but I just don’t like the word.

I prefer, instead, to stick with the word “smile”. A genuine smile is not only blesses yourself, but it blesses everyone you meet.

When I wake up early, spend some time in quiet, and face the day with a game plan, I’m much more excited and energized about life. As a result, I smile more. This, in turn, allows me to bless others — and then I’m blessed back and that makes me smile even more.

Today, I want to challenge you to smile more. No matter what time you got up. No matter what struggles and trials you’re experiencing. No matter what difficulties you’ve already encountered this morning.

Face your day with cheerfulness and excitement. Bless others with a genuine smile — and you’ll be blessed and energized in return!

What Time Did You Get Up This Morning?

I got up at 6:02 a.m.

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!

Shared Mar 20, 2013 comment

52 Different Ways to Save at Least $100 Per Year: Use Cloth Diapers {Week 11}

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

At the beginning of every week in 2013, I’ll be 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.

We talked about eliminating disposable products earlier in this series, but I wanted talk more extensively about cloth diapering in a stand-alone post. Why? Because you can fairly easily save $100+ per year just by eliminating disposable diapers completely — or even just partially.

However, making the switch to cloth diapering is a big decision and not one to rush into without some thought and research. It’s a commitment of time and energy and it’s also usually a financial commitment. But it can pay off in fairly big dividends.

Our Cloth-Diapering Story

When Kathrynne was born, Jesse was in law school and our budget was extremely tight. I had wondered how we were going to afford diapers.

Well, we didn’t end up having to worry about it at all because shortly after Kathrynne was born, some good friends of ours called us up out of the blue and generously said they wanted to give us an entire set of Fuzzi Bunz diapers. We were overwhelmed at their kindness and enthusiastically accepted their offer.

We exclusively cloth-diapered Kathrynne and loved it… plus, we saved so much money. In fact, I don’t know how we would have ever afforded to buy disposable diapers since there were many weeks in those days when we struggled to just pay for our food and rent.

When Kaitlynn was born 2 and 1/2 years later, we planned to cloth diaper her as well. However, she was extremely allergic to every cloth diaper and diaper we tried. I was determined to make it work, but after a few months and many, many severe diaper rashes, I finally concluded that she could only use Pampers.

Gratefully, by this time, I had discovered the Drugstore Game and was able to work in Pampers purchases to my overage (that was back in the good old days when overage was a whole lot easier to come by at CVS!).

What Are the Cloth Diapering Options?

There are many, many different cloth diaper options out there. I recommend researching them all so you understand the lingo. For a basic primer, check out these two articles: Having a Baby Without Breaking the Bank: Cloth Diapering and Cloth Diapering 101.

There are many different ways to build your cloth diaper stash other than buying them brand-new yourself:

Ask for Cloth Diapers for Gifts — If you’re a first-time mom and you’re planning to cloth diaper, asking for cloth diapers as gifts for your baby showers might be an option for you.

Buy Used — Check Craigslist, garage sales, eBay, and online diaper forums for used cloth diapers. This might not be appealing to some people, but it is an option.

Make Your Own — If you’re handy with a sewing machine (unlike me!), I’ve heard it’s fairly simple to make your own cloth diapers.

Get Creative — Willing to think outside the box a little? Check out these two articles: How to Cloth Diaper for Practically Free and Start Cloth Diapering at Home for $20 (no sewing required).

How Much Can You Save?

How much you save by cloth-diapering will vary a great deal depending upon how many children you have, what kind of diapers you buy, how much you’d usually pay for disposable diapers (if you read this blog and print coupons, you likely pay a lot less per disposable diaper than many people do!), how much your water and electricity costs, whether you line-dry your diapers or not, and so forth.

However, regardless of your situation, I can fairly safely say that you will save at least $100 per year by using cloth diapers at least half the time. And there’s a good possibility that you’ll save significantly more than that if you cloth diaper exclusively, don’t have high electricity and water costs, and use your diapers for more than one child.

BabyWorks has some interesting statistics and stories on how much you can save by cloth diapering. You can also read some of my readers’ answers to this question. And here’s a breakdown of a number of different diaper costs from Diaper Decisions.

Save Even More By Making Your Own Cloth Wipes

If you’re already cloth-diapering, it’s really simple to use cloth wipes, too. With Kathrynne, I just used baby washcloths and water. However, if you want something a little more handy, you can Make Homemade Reusable Baby Wipes.

Related: My Journey to Cloth Diapers

Have you tried cloth-diapering? If so, what tips and suggestions do you have to add to my post?

photo credit; photo credit; photo credit

Shared Mar 20, 2013 comment

Does TV-watching increase your spending?

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

I found this quote on Dave Ramsey’s Pinterest Board and thought it was very interesting. Do you agree or disagree with it?

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Shared Mar 20, 2013 comment

Earn Money By Watching Videos on Jingit

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

Jingit is a newer income-earning program that pays you to watch ads online. You can also earn money for downloading the mobile app, scanning items at Walmart, and answering a couple of questions.

How Do You Sign Up?

To sign up, just go here and follow the steps outlined. You’ll need to create an account, input your phone number, and type in the verification number they text to you.

How Do You Earn Cash?

Once you’re signed up, you can begin watching videos or doing store check-ins. You should be offered at least a few videos you can watch right away. It looks like they add a few new videos each week.

Plus, if you have a smartphone, you can download the Jingit app and get paid to scan grocery UPC codes while you’re in store.

How Do You Get Paid?

To get paid, you just register for a Jingit Visa Debit Card (costs $3 from your Jingit balance to request it) and then add cash for your online Jingit balance to the Visa card.

How Much Can You Make?

There is an earning limit of $15 per week. When you initially join, you’ll have a lower earning limit but this can be raised to $15 by inviting friends to join.

Candi commented on my post about Jingit and said:

I have tried it and found that it is really very easy to make a couple of bucks. They videos you watch are super short, so it really doesn’t take too much time. I have also done the “check in” feature which has you scan in items Walmart and answer a couple of questions and you get money instantly! Fairly simple, but I have had it not scan a couple of items. I will only scan items in store if I need to be at Walmart anyway, you are only going to make a buck or two at a time so it is in no way worth the trip to the store for that. -Candi

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

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

Click here to download!

Shared Mar 20, 2013 comment

Early to Rise Challenge: Be Quiet

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 20, 2013 | 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.

Be Quiet

Andy talks about the lost art of quietness in today’s Early to Rise passage. Truly, this is one of the main reasons I get up early on a regular basis: because I savor that morning quiet.

It’s when I think, read, pray, plan, write, breathe, and dream. When I begin the day with quiet, the whole day feels calmer.

If you don’t have the ability to enjoy at least a few minutes of quiet in the morning, can I encourage you to find time elsewhere in the day for quiet? Maybe it’s when you’re commuting to work, or while your kids are playing outside in the backyard, or before bed.

Whenever it is, make a practice of finding white space in your day. It’s not healthy to fill up every nook and cranny of your day with to-do’s. That’s a way to suffocate, stifle, and exhaust yourself.

Breathe. Soak up the quiet. Savor the stillness. Even if it’s just for two minutes.

How are you going to make time for quiet today? Share your thoughts and ideas in the comments.

What Time Did You Get Up This Morning?

I got up at 6:32 a.m. — not quite so “early to rise” as usual, but I’ve determined that regardless of what time the clock said when I got up, today is still going to be a great day. 🙂

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!

Shared Mar 19, 2013 comment

Homemade Vegetable Stock… in a Slow Cooker

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

Guest post from Kate

If you tend to cook from scratch you probably have had several recipes that called for broth, and while canned broth isn’t very expensive, you can make it at home with hardly any effort for pennies!

This homemade vegetable broth recipe is very easy.

Step 1: Accumulate veggie scraps.

I save veggie scraps in a zip bag in the freezer. You don’t need to use new, fresh veggies for broth — old, frostbitten bits work just fine!

When I cut up an onion, I put the skin and bits I am not using into the bag. We buy a large bag of uncut carrots with the skins on, I put the tops and bottoms of the carrots into the bag too. Celery tops go straight into the bag, along with that last one or two pieces of celery that get limp before we use them. When I use garlic for sauces I put the left over bits into the bag.

Everything that goes into the bag is leftovers – totally free!

Once I have two or three gallon-size bags of veggies, I am ready to make broth.

Step 2: Cook veggie scraps in slow cooker.

I empty the bags of veggies into my slow cooker, add in a couple bay leaves, and fill with water. I turn the slow cooker on low for five hours and walk away.

After five hours, I can just scoop the broth out of the slow cooker and into containers.

It lasts in the fridge for a few days, or in the freezer for months!

Not only does this easily save me a couple dollars each week, it’s also quite “green” as I’m reusing veggie scraps I normally might throw out. Plus, I put the broth into a reusable container, so I am not throwing out or even recycling a package.

Win win!

Shared Mar 19, 2013 comment

Ask Jesse: When saving for a home, where should we keep our money?

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

We are debt-free and want to start saving for a 100% down payment for a house. Do you have any suggestions as to where the money should be held while saving? Savings account or money market? Any info would be appreciated. Thank you, Kelly

What a great goal! It can be daunting at times, but persevere and you will not regret it.

When we were saving for our house, we put every last penny we could squeeze out of our budget in a money market account. The reason we chose to use a money market account was because they do tend to pay more in interest per month than a regular savings account. Plus, you have the benefit of being able to write checks against the account when you want to take money out.

With a savings account, you need to transfer money and do not have as easy access to it. That said, if you like the idea of having an extra safeguard in place so you cannot get at your money very easily for discipline purposes, a savings account is still an okay choice. It all comes down to the reasons for doing what are doing.

Money markets traditionally pay out more in interest because they are tied to a market and carry a little more risk than a savings account. So, if the money markets change, you run the possibility of having your interest rates fluctuate.

In all my times of utilizing this tool, I have never lost money. I have only seen the rate interest is paid out increase or decrease, depending on how the economy is doing.

Jesse Paine is a licensed attorney who owns his own law firm. He’s married to Crystal and is the numbers nerd of the MoneySavingMom.com team! If you have a question you’d like him to answer in a future column, you can submit it here.

The content of this column intended for informational use only and is not to be construed as providing legal, investing, accounting, or other professional advice. Your situation is factually specific and you should accordingly seek qualified professional counsel concerning your specific legal, investing or accounting needs.

Shared Mar 19, 2013 comment

Is it always a good deal to do-it-yourself?

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

Megan emailed in recently and said:

We always look for ways to cut money — I coupon regularly and take surveys to save and earn money to be able to provide fun money for our family. We try to do most things ourselves and hate to hire since, most of the time, we can do it much cheaper (and better) than a “professional” can.

For six years, my husband and I always bought mulch in bulk and then spent several hours over several days carting it all over the yard with a wheelbarrow and making our islands look nice. Each scoop cost about $32 plus tax and we did it one truck load at a time plus we had to add in gas, time, and wear and tear on the truck.

Doing this up to 20 times in the matter of a weekend can really start to add up and zap the joy out of “doing it yourself”. We even tried having the mulch delivered for a small delivery charge, but we still had the same amount of labor involved.

Well, last spring, it was time to put new mulch out again and we were absolutely dreading it so we hired someone to do it for us. {GASP!}

We decided that it was just too much to do while trying to get my husband’s new company off and running, too. It was a very good decision.

One year later, my husband’s company is providing paychecks and health insurance to eight different employees and we are hiring the same guy to install our mulch again this year.

We have developed a relationship with this man who owns his own landscape company, and because we are repeat customers, he has given us a better price than we could probably get elsewhere. He purchases the mulch we like, brings eight scoops at a time, and has his workers install it — all for $45 a scoop.

It blows my mind that, when it comes down to it, we did all that physical manual labor just to save $8 per scoop! I know when you multiply $8 by 20 scoops, the savings does add up — but, at this season of our lives, it just isn’t worth it to us to both work for almost two days straight in order to only save $160 total.

We will gladly pay the $160 on top of the mulch price for this valuable service.

While we technically aren’t saving any money, we are choosing to pay someone a small amount of money in order to save valuable time — time that we’d rather spend with our children than mulching our yard!

Do you feel like sometimes it’s a good value to pay to have something done instead of trying to do it yourself?

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Shared Mar 19, 2013 comment

Do It Yourself: Patterned Easter Eggs

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

CreativeGreenLiving.com shows you how to make patterned Easter Eggs with silk ties.

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

Summer Bucket List

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Find an Accountability Partner

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1. Watch, Listen, and Learn From People You Want to Emulate

2. Read Books By People Who Are Successful Business Owners

3. Feed Yourself a Steady Diet of New Ideas and Inspiration

4. Immerse Yourself in Good Writing

5. Make All of Life Your Classroom

Other Options to Develop as a Blogger & Business Owner

Listen to Podcasts & Audiobooks

Reach Out to Wise People

Find a Mentor

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What suggestions and ideas do the rest of you have for Christa? I’d love to hear!

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Our Cloth-Diapering Story

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Save Even More By Making Your Own Cloth Wipes

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Be Quiet

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Step 1: Accumulate veggie scraps.

Step 2: Cook veggie scraps in slow cooker.

Do you feel like sometimes it’s a good value to pay to have something done instead of trying to do it yourself?

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