Money Saving Mom®

Note from Crystal: After Rachel read my post on How One Word Can Change Your Life in 2013, she asked me if she could write a guest post. As she’s the co-author of My One Word, I was delighted to have her share from her experience here — especially since this is my first year to choose one word and she’s been doing this for years!

Guest post from Rachel of RachelOlsen.com

Have you ever notice how the start of a new year prompts us to make long lists of goals?

We promise things like:

• I’m going to exercise five days a week and lose weight.
• I’m going to get my entire house organized and keep it that way.
• I’m going to get up early and read my Bible every single morning.

Then we rush out and spend money on stuff we think we need to make these resolutions a reality. We buy new workout wear and join a gym. We buy 18 different organizing bins in four different sizes. We purchase a hefty new study Bible, highlighters, and a new journal.

What happens? After a couple weeks of effort, life interrupts or our will power fizzles and we discover these purchased items have no power to change us. We conclude that we just can’t change, and nurse our feelings of failure with some chocolate, or nachos.

What if I told you that what you need isn’t a bigger house, high-end running shoes, or an 8 lb.Bible? What if I told you all you really need is focus?

Here’s what I’ve discovered:

Change is possible; but focus is required.

You might be thinking that focus is something you either have or you don’t, but that’s not true. Focus is something you DO. And focus can come into your daily practice in the form of one single word.

For the last six years, my church and I have ditched our lists of resolutions in favor of choosing one word to be our focus for the year. Just one word that represents what we most hope will manifest in and through us in the year ahead. Thousands have since joined us in doing something about one thing via one word, rather than little about a whole list of resolutions.

Let me encourage you to replace of your list of promises to exercise more, read the Bible, and maintain an organized home — all great goals, by the way — and spend a year with the one word DISCIPLINED.

Got different goals? You could focus this year on saving money, paying down your debt, and learning to happily live within your means with the one word CONTENTMENT. Or you could focus on taming your tongue and cultivating loving relationships with the one word GENTLE.

Your one word is memorable and has a way of driving down to matters of the heart — and that’s where our behaviors ultimately flow from. That’s where our lives change.

So pick a word for 2013 and let your one word govern your actions and decisions. Let it be your focus and your daily prayer. Let it cast a vision for who you can become over the course of an entire year.

Resolutions can be broken. A single word cannot. Why not choose a one word for this year and see what changes a little focus can bring?

What is your one word?

Rachel Olsen is the co-author of My One Word: Change Your Life with Just One Word. She is also a national speaker on the subject of change, and a life coach. She blogs at RachelOlsen.com. And at www.MyOneWord.org, where you can post your one word.  

photo from Big Stock

Guest post from Tricia of TriciaGoyer.com

I’m an author, and I love readers (of course!). I get excited when I know someone out there is so engrossed in one of my novels that she misses sleep. However, I also love when readers don’t buy my books.

Do you have an author you love? Instead of buying the book ask your local library to purchase a copy… or two.

Here’s why I love my readers turn to their local libraries to get my books:

1. If the library has it, then checking it out tells the librarian it’s good. This means the library orders the next one I write.

2. If the library doesn’t have it, you can ask the librarian to order it. Most libraries have a system for recommendations. Libraries have a budget for books, and they are happy to oblige.

3. When you request a book it gets put on the shelf and others pick it up. If they read it—and love it—that means more fans for me!

4. And if you read a book that you really enjoyed, let your librarian know! Librarians are one of the greatest resources on the planet. They get asked daily for recommendations. If you have an author you love, spread the word.

5. Finally, when you’re talking to that librarian make sure you thank her (or him!) for buying all those books so you don’t have to! Just think of all the thousands of resources and literary adventures available to all of us for FREE!

How often do you frequent your local library?

Tricia Goyer wife, mom of six, author of 34 books… and a familiar face at her local library. You can read more about Tricia at TriciaGoyer.com or at at Mom Life Today.

photo source

Guest post from Amy of Permission to Peruse

A year ago, I was running to the grocery store nearly every day. I panicked about dinner every afternoon. I’d run to the grocery store last minute, if I could even think of something to make. Many nights, we’d head for take-out.

Now, I’m grocery shopping once a week, making homemade meals nearly every night, and saving hundreds of dollars.

Here are 5 steps that worked for me:

1. Quit Assigning Meals to Days

On most traditional menu-planning posts, I see meals attached to days.  My Type A, literal self couldn’t handle the pressure of cooking exactly that meal on that day.

What if I didn’t have time? 

What if we didn’t “feel” like eating that meal that day? 

Would the menu-planning police come after me when I switched the days around? 

One thing my best friend told me last spring completely changed my view of menu planning. It’s so simple, it seems silly now. I plan out meals for the week but don’t assign days to them.

A light bulb went off!

Now, I choose an average of 5 meals for the week. I cook whatever strikes my fancy each day from that list. If I get down to the last meal and really don’t want it, I can resort to the breakfast-for-dinner trick and save the meal.

By not assigning days, I opened my Type A self to menu planning and that is the first and absolute key to shopping once a week.

2. Learn Your Regulars

The second step was to list our regular meals and learn the ingredients. I have a list of regular Crockpot meals on my blog with at most three ingredients.

Don’t feel like you’re failing if you’re having just a few of the same meals over and over. Many of us remember having the same meal every week growing up. It creates tradition, not boredom.

Once you have a database in your head of recipes, you’re one step closer to shopping once a week.

3. Quit Writing a Menu

Next, I quit writing a menu. I know, it goes against all menu planning rules, but it was key. You’ll see in the next step how I plan my meals.

4. Plan Meals Around Sales

At the store, I find what meats are on sale. I run through the meals I know and decide which I can make. I keep doing that until I get to 5 meals.

Once I have main courses, I spend the rest of the shopping choosing sides around sale items.

5. Choose One Shopping Day

The final step is to choose one shopping day — and stick with it. Saturday mornings work for me.

By carving out one day, I set family plans around shopping and know how long items need to last until the next week.

To you write-ahead day-assigning menu planners, absolutely keep doing what works! But if menu planning and shopping once a week have eluded you, perhaps these steps might help.

How do you handle menu planning and grocery shopping?

Amy is a work at home mom of two girls. She writes about faith, family, food and fashion at Permission to Peruse.

Reader testimonial from Johanna

Several times in the past, when I try to make positive changes in my life, I tend to bite off more than I can chew. However, thanks to Crystal’s blog, over the last 12 months I’ve started simplifying and instead, making one small change at a time. I have seen the Lord bless many areas of my life by committing my work to Him, no matter how big or small.

Small Step #1: Praying First Thing in the Morning

Recently, I made a small change in my spiritual life: pray early in the morning before I do anything else.

I felt the Lord leading me to get up early before the kids wake up and spend time alone with Him. I dragged my feet for a few months, but then I knew I was only hurting myself if I did not humbly obey my loving Lord.

For the last few weeks I have been choosing to pray before I do anything else in the morning, even if it is only five minutes before my children wake up. Talking with the Lord in the early morning has filled my heart with joy. I am glad I was finally obedient. What a difference praying with Him every morning makes!

Small Step #2: Making My Bed Daily

The second small change I made recently might sound silly, especially since I am a grown adult, but here it is: making my bed daily. Okay, you can laugh now, but this has been a bad habit of mine for almost 14 years, ever since I’ve been married.

For much of my married life I have struggled with making our bed and keeping my part of the bedroom clean. Even though I kept the rest of our house clean, I struggled with keeping my own bedroom clean. I chose to believe that if the rest of the house was clean, then I can have a messy bedroom.

That is when I decided to intentionally make the small change of making my bed daily. Once I saw how nice the bed looked all made up, I wanted my entire bedroom to look nice, as well!

Not only did my bedroom look great, but my husband was thrilled about it, and I liked how it made me feel. It’s been a month now, and I still enjoy walking into my bedroom and seeing my beautifully made bed with a clean bedroom everyday.

It only takes me sixty seconds to make my bed. I am not sure about you, but sixty seconds is worth the reward of how I feel with a nicely made bed.

I hope this inspires you, like Crystal inspired me, no matter how small of a change you desire. Success is difficult to be achieved unless we take one step at a time. Keep it simple, and make one small change.

Johanna Henderson is first and foremost a lover of Jesus Christ. She is happily married to her husband of almost 14 years and is a mother to three incredible boys. Johanna is a graphic designer and marketing consultant. She enjoys writing, co-leading their church Teen Group and Women’s Bible Studies Group.