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Shared Jan 8, 2013 comment

Reader Tip: Inexpensive Cell Phone Data Packages with Ting.com

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 8, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Lonni emailed in the following tip:

I work from home doing graphic design, with two young boys (3 and 1). My husband and I weren’t necessarily looking to cut our cell phone costs, but we wanted to switch to a plan where I could access email while I was away from home. We looked at the major carriers, but a data plan just simply was not an option on our current budget.

We searched around until we found a great low-cost cell phone carrier called Ting.com. They offer pay-as-you-go, no contract (and no fees to cancel), and “pay for what you use” cell phone plans. They also allow you to create an a la carte plan based on the amount of text, data, minutes you’d like to use.

So far, we’ve been able to use all the bells and whistles of a smartphone while paying LESS than we paid for a minutes-only plan with our other carrier. It’s truly amazing and so nice to know I can cancel my plan at any time if needed without penalty.

photo source

Shared Jan 7, 2013 comment

52 Different Ways to Save at Least $100 This Year: Bake Your Own Bread (Week #1)

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 7, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Every Monday 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.

Week #1: Bake Your Own Bread

There’s something about the smell of homemade bread wafting through your house. Not only does it smell so welcoming, but fresh-from-the-oven bread is beyond delicious! Best of all, you can save over $100 per year by making your own homemade bread!

I love to use my homemade bread machine to mix up the dough for homemade bread. It makes it so simple — and it takes less than five minutes to measure and dump all the ingredients into the machine and clean up the little bit of mess you made.

What If You Don’t Have a Bread Machine?

If you don’t have a bread machine, don’t go out and spend a bunch of money on one. Instead, ask around and see if any of your friends have a bread machine they aren’t using that you could borrow. Or check area garage sales, Craigslist, or thrift stores.

You can also use a KitchenAid or Bosch to mix the dough. Or, you can just do it the old-fashioned way and just knead it by hand — but that does make it more time-consuming.

How Much Can You Save By Making Your Own Homemade Bread?

Kristen from The Frugal Girl did a very thorough investigation into how much it you’ll save by making your own homemade bread. She estimated that you’ll save at least $0.50 per loaf if you typically buy the very cheapest bread on the market (that typically sells for $0.99 per loaf). However, if you typically buy a little bit higher quality bread (that usually retails for $2-$3 per loaf, than you’re going to be saving $1.50 to $2.50 per loaf.

So, if you usually buy 2 loaves of bread each week, that’s a savings of $156 to $260 per year. And if you make all of your own homemade breads, such as cinnamon rolls, pita pockets, breadsticks, rolls, and more, you’re going to save even more!

My Favorite Simple & Easy Homemade Bread Recipes

My Favorite Homemade Bread Recipe

Homemade Breadsticks in the Bread Machine

Homemade English Muffin Bread

Homemade Pita Pockets

Easy Italian Breadsticks

Bread Machine Buttery Rolls

Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls

Do you make your own homemade bread? What are some of your favorite homemade bread recipes?

Shared Jan 7, 2013 comment

10 Goals For This Week

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 7, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Have you set goals for this week yet? If not, what are you waiting for? Start by setting just a few small and simple goals, write them down, and work on them a little bit every day.

Here’s my list of goals for this week:

Family/Marriage/Mothering Goals

1. Play a game with the girls.

2. Write a love note to Jesse.

3. Weekend trip with Jesse for our 10 year anniversary!

Personal Goals

4. Memorize Romans 1:1-4.

5. Extra rest and liquids to help me recover from the flu.

6. Finish reading For the Children’s Sake, Lead Your Family Like Jesus, A Woman’s Place: A Novel and 20,000 Days and Counting: The Crash Course for Mastering Your Life Right Now.

Homemaking Goals

7. Do the Freezer Cooking in an Hour session.

8. Finish 25 rows of the scarf for Kathrynne (I finish Kaitlynn’s scarf a few weeks ago and am now working on a matching scarf for Kathrynne.)

Business Goals

9. Work on the second round of edits for chapters 4, 5, and 6 of my next book.

10. Finish two guest posts for other sites.

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 Jan 7, 2013 comment

This week’s really, really simple menu

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 7, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Silas, Kaitlynn, and I are recovering from the flu and Jesse and I are leaving on a weekend trip in a few days and the kids are staying with Grandma and Grandpa, so this week’s menu (for those days that we’re home) is super simple and easy:

Breakfasts

Oatmeal, Cereal, Eggs, and/or Fruit

Lunches

Mac & Cheese, fruit
Chicken Noodle Soup, crackers, veggies
Snack-y lunch
Cheese quesadillas, carrot sticks
Leftovers x 2

Snacks

Fruit/veggies
Popcorn

Freezer Cooking in an Hour (stay tuned on Thursday when I’ll share a play-by-play on how this goes!)

Homemade Freezer Biscuits
Banana Oatmeal Muffins
Taco Meat
Crockpot Apple Butter (I bought two big boxes of apples on a special a few months ago and froze some of them so I’m going to try using them in this recipe. We’ll see how it works with frozen apples!)

Dinners

Fend For Yourself (since I was sick — I think they had Cheese Quesadillas and soup that my friend brought over. Honestly, I was so out of it on yesterday that I’m not even sure!)
Chicken Noodle Soup, bread, fruit/veggies
Easy Crockpot Chicken Fajitas, fruit
Slow Cooker Fiesta Chicken Soup, biscuits, fruit/veggies
Chili Tortilla Bake, fruit

What’s on your menu this week? Share details and/or your link to your menu plan in the comments.

Shared Jan 7, 2013 comment

5 Ways to Improve Your Health AND Save Money

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 7, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Looking for a few easy ways to improve your health without breaking the bank? Keep reading for 5 simple, frugal ways to do just that!

Guest post from Pam.

The start of another New Year is the perfect time to make healthy changes in your life. Most of us start a new year feeling optimistic and ready for a change.

I know thousands of us will include “eating better” and “getting in shape” as some of our New Year’s Resolutions. However, a tight budget may make those resolutions seem difficult to achieve.

To help you out, I’ve compiled five ways you can improve your health and save money!

1. Look for gym deals.

January is the perfect time to join a gym. Most gyms are offering great sign up deals to cash in on the New Year “get fit” resolution.

In addition to traditional gyms, check out your local YMCA, fitness studios, and personal trainers. You might also look into joining with a friend – often a gym will give you a 2-for-1 discount if you just ask.

2. Eat in season.

Just because it’s not the middle of summer when the garden is full of produce doesn’t mean you can’t find seasonal food to enjoy.

When you visit the grocery store, look to see what is on sale in the produce department. Those items are most likely your seasonal ones, and will typically be the best price.

Look for winter markets – more and more cities are starting to add them to entice those of us who love the summer farmer’s market for our produce. Not sure what is local for your area? Check out this great guide.

3. Plan a Menu.

Once you start spending more on those organic food items, it becomes even more important to use them up! Menu planning is a great way to ensure you are only buying what you need (thus saving money).

However, don’t just plan out your dinners. Think about snack foods or breakfast items you can make early in the week and then enjoy all week long.

Plan menus that use that local and seasonal produce. Check your grocery ads to see what is on sale to help you create your menu plan.

4. Use those scraps.

Use up all the food you buy – if you’ve paid good money on that organic, free-range chicken and organic celery, it just makes sense to use the bones and scraps to make delicious chicken stock – it’s healthier and easy in the crock pot.

Have some heels from your loaf of bread? Make bread crumbs. Try to think like our ancestors and find ways to use all the little bits of leftovers. You’ll eat better and save money!

5. Set a savings/health goal.

Set a goal for yourself to find one area where you can save money and improve your health. Don’t overwhelm yourself by trying to do it all at once. Then, when you accomplish one, go ahead and try another.

Some great examples of simple goals: change your coffee routine – learn how to make a delicious coffee at home versus going out; make your own yogurt; start using one homemade “green” cleaner versus the store bought version.

The list could go on and on, but by making one change at a time, you’ll consistently be saving money and taking a small step towards better health.

Pam Howard is a Certified Holistic Health Coach located in Noblesville, IN. She works with busy moms (and others) to help them create a balanced, healthy, vibrant life.

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

Click here to sign up!

Shared Jan 5, 2013 comment

A Peek Into Our Week: A train trip to Kansas City, Legoland, New Year’s Eve, snow, and sickness

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 5, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

By popular demand, I’m bringing back the A Peek Into Our Week feature on Saturdays — to give you a little behind-the-scenes look into what’s gone on in our household each week.

It snowed this week — and it stayed cold enough that the snow actually stayed on the ground a little! My kids were so excited to play in it, even if it was freezing cold.

Above, they found some tracks in the snow. So we spent some time that day researching various animal tracks on the internet and discussing the difference in the way animals leave tracks based upon whether they hop or walk on all fours. I then assigned Kathrynne the project of coming up with a hypothesis for what kind of animal it was, how it was walking (hopping or walking on all fours), and had her draw the tracks and her hypothesis.

This intertwining of our life with our learning is one of the parts of homeschooling that I just absolutely love — and the kids do, too! In addition, I’m pretty sure that they all end up getting a lot more out of it than if I were just reading textbooks alone.

Kaitlynn is turning into quite the little fashionista and I typically get a chuckle every morning when I see what she’s picked to wear. She’s definitely got her own style going and I don’t think she gets an iota of it from me. 🙂 Here, I think she may be trying to color block.

Oh and don’t miss the high heels. She wears them also every single day!

Our family gift for Christmas was a train trip to Kansas City. We’ve never ridden a train before — outside of something like the train ride at Silver Dollar City — and our kids have been asking us if we could take a family trip via train. Convinced by this guest post on riding the train, we booked our tickets for a train trip to Kansas City and got up at 2 a.m. to get to the train station for the train to leave at 3:30 a.m.

I’m not sure that we fell in love with the whole train trip experience, but our kids had an absolutely blast… especially because we went to Legoland while in Kansas City.

Apparently, we weren’t the only people who had the idea of going to Legoland! 😉

But waiting in line was worth it because we all really enjoyed ourselves. It’s always wonderful when every single person in the family thinks the trip was a home run success!

They had a karaoke area at Legoland complete with live mics and a choice of songs. Kaitlynn, of course, made a bee line for this.

Kathrynne and I were laughing talking about how different Kaitlynn is than the two of us. For sure, Kathrynne and I would never volunteer or be excited about doing karaoke in front of all sorts of people we don’t know at Legoland! 🙂

After our long Legoland excursion, we spent some time walking around Crowne Center and then headed to A Street Car Named Desire for dinner. Here’s three of our very tuckered out party.

It was fun to eat in a streetcar, but our excitement was a little hampered by the couples at a table really close to us who were performing acupuncture at their table. I kid you not, two of the folks at the table had four long needles sticking out of each of their wrists! It was definitely something I’ve not quite ever seen in a restaurant before!

It didn’t take long before both Silas and Kaitlynn completely crashed at dinner! The train left Kansas City at midnight and we made it back home around 5 a.m. It was a little exhausting but so much fun!

We celebrated New Year’s Eve by going on a double date with Jesse’s sister and her husband while Grandma and Grandpa babysat (the double date at a nice restaurant was a Christmas present from Jesse’s parents). It was a wonderful way to close out the year!

2013 has had a bit of a rocky beginning, but that’s life sometimes. Silas came down with a high fever on Wednesday evening and I spent the next two days pretty near glued to his side trying to comfort him and nurse him back to health. He started showing signs of improvement on Friday just in time for me to come down with it.

And now I feel even more sorry for him because this flu is nasty! At the same time, though, I’m grateful that it’s just the flu… there are many worse things in life to be dealing with than a high fever and achy body.

How was your week? Did anything interesting or exciting happen at your house? Tell us about it!

Shared Jan 5, 2013 comment

Freebies in My Mailbox: Betty Crocker, Nivea, Caress, and Herbal Essence

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 5, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Here are the freebies I’ve gotten in the mail over the past week:

Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix

Nivea Body Wash

Caress Body Wash

Coupon for a free 1.7-oz bottle of Herbal Essence

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!

Shared Jan 5, 2013 comment

It’s Amazing What You Can Do With Spare Change

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 5, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Testimony from Jan.

For several years now, we have been saving our change in a jar starting at the beginning of each new year.

Then, during the Holidays, we dump it out on the table, count and roll it, then go through the Gospel for Asia wish list to see what we can buy.

This past Christmas, we were able to buy:

a pair of pigs
a sheep
two chickens
a mosquito net
a blanket
a tambourine
a drum

Everyone in our family got to pick something and tell why they thought it would be a good idea, then we made our list.

This year we purchased all this and had 17 cents left toward next years gifts!

What do you do with your spare change?

Shared Jan 4, 2013 comment

4 Guaranteed Ways to Wake Up More Excited About Your Day

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 4, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

4 Guaranteed Ways to Wake Up More Excited About Your Life

Do you leap out of bed every morning thrilled to meet the day and all its adventure? Or, do you find yourself dragging your feet around in the morning, dreading your day and all that it contains?

If the latter describes you, here are four ways to give yourself a boost in life and to help you start living with more zest:

1. Let Go of Complacency.

I’ve been reading 20,000 Days and Counting by Robert D. Smith and am inspired at his question: “100 years from now, what will you have left behind?”

He challenges readers to consider how many days you’ve lived so far. According to the calculator on his site, I’ve lived 11,418 days. That’s a lot of days and I know that I’ve not lived all of them to the fullest.

You’ve only got one shot at life, so don’t waste it. You were made for more than the status quo.

Do something. Start somewhere. Today is the first day of the rest of your life — however long you have to live. Don’t waste it!

2. Stop Living in Fear.

Fear cripples and suffocates the life from you. It keeps you from even trying. It whispers things in your ear like, “You’re not good enough.” “You’re not qualified enough.” “You’re a failure.”

If you want to stay forever stuck, keep listening and believing those lies. They will bring you down and suck the life out of you.

I read the autobiography of Chuck Norris last year and loved how he said (my paraphrase), “Instead of running from my fears, I force myself to face them head-on.”

He talked about how he was deathly scared of public speaking. He made himself accept speaking engagements and opportunities again and again until he finally got over his fear and now it doesn’t bother him at all.

What are you afraid of?

3. Quit Listening to the Naysayers

There will always be people who disagree with you, criticize the choices you’ve made in life, or are just plain negative. That’s a fact of life.

The surest way to live a miserable life is to try and please everyone. It’s impossible… but you can sure run yourself ragged trying.

Now, let me be clear: If you’ve offended a friend, you need to do your best to make things right. If someone has a legitimate concern about the direction you’re headed or something you’re doing, you definitely should listen to them and take their counsel into consideration.

However, if your life is being picked apart by Negative Nelly and there’s no basis for the negativity, you gotta stop letting her bring you down. You can’t control what other people say about you, but you can control how you let it affect you.

Did you get that? It’s their problem, not yours. Remind yourself of this when you can’t seem to do anything right by someone else. Most of the time, it’s not because there’s anything wrong with you; it’s because they are insecure themselves. And they try to make themselves feel better by criticizing someone else.

Tactfully remove yourself from negative people and situations as much as you can. When it’s not possible to avoid the negativity, picture an invisible shield between you and the negative person and tune out their unfounded attacks remembering that they are unfounded.

In addition, do not respond to negativity with negativity. That only fuels the fire more. Either don’t respond at all or respond with genuine love and kindness.

4. Jump Outside Your Comfort Zone

Jon Acuff posted the above quote that asks a fantastic question: “When was the last time you did something for the first time?”

Does jumping out of the safe zone scare you? Well, then take a tiny baby step. And then another tiny baby step. Whatever you do, though, don’t stay put.

One thing that helps me is to ask myself, “What’s the worst thing that can happen?” In most cases, there are pretty much only two “worst case scenarios” when trying something new: a) You try something and fail at it — which isn’t bad at all, as I already hopefully convinced you of just a minute ago. b) You try something and decide you don’t like it. In that case, there are a billion other possibilities of things you can try next.

I loved this quote from Michael Hyatt that I heard on his Platform University video that I watched yesterday morning:

“The most interesting things in life happen just outside your comfort zone.”

I’ve found this to be true in my own life. There are so many amazing experiences, relationships, and experiences I would have missed out on if I had stayed in the safe zone.

Sure, it’s scary, but if you’re willing to take the risk, I promise that you’ll end up finding it really rewarding. Plus, I’ve discovered that when you start pushing yourself outside your comfort zone, your comfort zone moves. Things that were once completely daunting to you can become exhilarating and invigorating.

And no matter what happens when you get outside of your comfort zone, I promise that it will be more inspiring than staying stuck in a rut.

What helps you wake up more excited about your day — and your life? I’d love to hear!

Shared Jan 3, 2013 comment

Change Your Life in 2013 With One Word

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 3, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Last year, I created an ambitious list of 12 habits — one for each month. This, in addition to a rather-overwhelming goals for 2012 list.

It was too much. I felt somewhat burdened by the long list and the big ambitions. And truthfully, I felt behind most of the year.

This year, not only did I create a simpler list of goals, but I also decided against creating a list of habits to try and implement each month. Instead, I decided to choose a word to make as my focus for the year.

The idea of having a one-word focus is not original to me. Ann Voskamp has been blogging about it for the last three years and there’s even a book called My One Word that released just recently.

I spent the last two weeks of December contemplating which word would best encompass the direction God has been leading me in my life recently. I finally landed upon two words. I know, I know, that sort of ruins the “one word” thing, but I’ve never been one to follow the rules, have I?

My words for 2013? Margin and discipline.

Why I Chose the Word “Margin”

As most of you know, I tend to be a little Type A. Okay, maybe more like a lot Type A according to some people.

I like to have a plan. I like to be productive. I like to check things off a list.

I don’t like surprises or spontaneity. Well, unless it’s carefully planned. 😉

Ever since my 30 minutes of quiet this summer and reading Love Does, I’ve been challenged to work on becoming more laid back and focusing on enjoying the moment — instead of always trying to get things done and stay productive.

So I’m being intentional about allowing more room for margin in my life in 2013. More time to just be instead of do. More time to embrace the moment instead of stressing about productivity. More time to soak up the moments. More time for quiet.

Why I Chose the Word “Discipline”

So, this might sound like the exact opposite of Margin, but it’s actually not. In fact, I think that Margin and Discipline can be paired together beautifully. You see, by being disciplined in my everyday life, it enables me to enjoy margin. That might sound all whacked out to those who are Type B or Type Z, but you’ll just have to be gracious and cut this Type A gal some slack, okay? 🙂

The area that I’m specifically focusing on when it comes to discipline in 2013 is getting up at the same time (or around the same time — I’m shooting to be up no later than 6 a.m.) every single morning and then exercising, showering, and dressing by 8 a.m.

I’m really good about getting up early some mornings and really good about exercising, showering, and dressing at the beginning of the day some mornings, but it seems like it’s been more hit and miss recently. I’ll get up at 4 a.m. for a few mornings and then I’ll be so tired that I’ll sleep in until 8 a.m. on the weekends.

Some days I’ll run a few miles before the crack of dawn and be showered and dressed by 7 a.m. Other mornings, I never get in the exercise or shower.

While this might not seem to extreme or anything, this lack of consistency is having a trickle down affect in many areas. In addition, I want to set a good example for my children, just as my parents set for me.

After some long discussions with my husband, we both agreed that making this an every single day thing could be one of the best things I do for my year — and maybe for years to come. So that’s basically my desire with choosing discipline as one of my words for 2013.

Have you chosen one word for 2013? Tell us what it is in the comments.

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

Click here to download!

Shared Jan 2, 2013 comment

How to Change Your Life By Setting Goals

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 2, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

As you well know, I’m a fanatic about setting goals. Why? Because I’ve experienced firsthand the fruit and fulfillment that comes from setting a goal and working hard toward it. In addition, without goals, you have nothing that you’re aiming for. And complacency and floundering are often the result.

Goals give you passion, purpose, motivation, and drive. You wake up each day with intention: you have a plan and you have direction.

While you might not end up as far along as you’d hoped to be at the end of the year, if you set goals and whittle away at them each month, week, and day, I promise that you’ll be farther along than if you did nothing.

How to Get Started With Goal-Setting

If you’re brand-new to the idea of setting goals, please do yourself a tremendous favor and start small. The surefire way to experience goal-setting failure is to break off way more than you can chew.

Consider your priorities and where you want to be in a year from now. Think about the time you’ll have to invest. Then, choose 3-15 specific goals for the year. Write them down and put them in a very conspicuous place (i.e. on your fridge, as the screensaver on your iPhone, on your bathroom mirror.)

Free Printable Goal-Setting Worksheets

To help you out, here are two printable and customizable Goal Planning Forms you can download, type into, save, and print. Or, you can just print them and hand write your goals in. These printable forms were made to go along with the steps in this post.

Break Your Goals Down Into Bite-Sized Pieces

Once you have those Yearly Goals in place, take some time to map out a plan for how you’re going to accomplish your goals. Write down the specific steps you will take each month to get where you hope to be in a year from now.

I encourage you to take this two steps further and break your monthly goals down into weekly and daily goals. You don’t have to do this for the whole year right now, but definitely make a plan for January.

Then, at the end of January, review the progress you’ve made and create a plan for February. Continue to do this at the end of each month and I can guarantee you that you’ll have a very productive year.

Don’t Give Up

You’ll probably tweak some of your goals as the year goes on. You might even throw some goals out the window entirely. That’s totally okay.

Whatever happens, though, do not give up. If you get knocked down, pick yourself back up, dust yourself off, and keep going.

Little bit by little bit, you will change your life… all because you set goals, broke them down into bite-sized pieces, and followed through with them.

4 Related Posts You Should Read

4 Things That Will Keep You From Goal-Setting Success

Why You Should Set Financial Goals

Why Moms Need to Set Goals

Q&A: How Do You Decide Your Yearly Goals?

What’s your best advice for someone who is brand-new to the idea of setting goals?

photo credit

Shared Jan 2, 2013 comment

My 25 Goals for 2013

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 2, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

As I mentioned in my 2012 Goals Final Tally post, I’m trying to be much more specific and simplistic in my goals this year. I not only want to keep in mind what is realistic, but also make sure that all of my goals are clearly measurable.

If you’re brand-new to goal-setting, be sure to read my post on How to Change Your Life By Setting Goals.

Here’s my list of 25 Goals for 2013:

Personal Goals

Read through the Bible in a year using this plan.
Run in at least one 5K race.
Complete the Couch to 10K program.
Memorize Romans 1 and 2 with Jesse.
Wake up by 6 a.m. and exercise, shower, and dress by 8 a.m. every day. (I’ll explain more about this goal tomorrow when I share about my one word focus for 2013.)
Read 150 books/ebooks (see my list of 48 books I’m for sure planning to read here; the other 102 or so books will be ones that I discover throughout the year and want to read.)

Marriage Goals

Read 3 marriage books (I’m not sure which ones yet. Any recommendations?).
Finish reading through the Psalms together as a couple.
Have overnight stay (sans children) at least every other month.
Go on at least one date per month.

Mothering Goals

Continue Grace and Truth memory book.
Ice-skating lessons for all three children during the first quarter of 2013.
Swimming lessons for all three children during the summer.
Finish at least 37 read-aloud books (see my planned list here, along with details on how we incorporate a lot of read aloud time into our everyday lives).

Ministry/Friendships/Extended Family Goals

Begin weekly accountability meetings with my friend Jerica.
Get together with friends for a playdate or lunch at least once a month.
Continue being involved in our local church, couple’s group, and blogging accountability group.
Continue with weekly get-togethers with both sides of our extended family.

Financial Goals

Use a portion of the proceeds from my next book project to fund a well project.
Fund our Child Survival Program for 2013.
Buy a new bedroom set.
Invest in another rental property.

Business/Blogging Goals

Release two new ebooks.
Attend one speaking conference.
Finish and submit the manuscript for my next book.

photo credit

Have you set goals for 2013? If so, tell us what they are or leave a link to your blog post below.

At the end of each month in 2013, I’ll be posting an update on my goals and encouraging you to share the progress you’re making on your 2013 goals, too. Let’s encourage one another to live lives of intention and purpose!

Shared Jan 1, 2013 comment

48 Books I’m Planning to Read in 2013

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 1, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Okay, so I couldn’t help myself… I didn’t stick with 24 books on my list like I did the last two years. Instead, since I ended up reading over 135 books and ebooks in 2012, I decided that I could double the number of books I planned specifically to read in 2013. This would challenge me to start and finish some books that have been sitting on my shelf for too long but would still give me space to add in extra books that I come across during the year and want to read right away.

I chose 12 books each in four different categories: 12 spiritually encouraging books, 12 business/productivity/leadership books, 12 fiction/biography books, and 12 home/family-related books. My plan is to read one from each category every month.

By the way, if you missed my post from a few days ago, be sure to check out my Top 20 Favorite Reads in 2012.

And because I know someone is going to ask, if you wondering about when I have time to read, you can check out these posts: Q&A: How Do You Find Time to Read?, Change Your Life and Challenge Your Mind By Making Time for Reading Good Books, and 7 More Ways to Find Time to Read.

Here’s what I mapped out for 2013:

January

20,000 Days and Counting: The Crash Course for Mastering Your Life Right Now

You Can Raise a Well-Mannered Child

A Woman’s Place: A Novel

The Circle Maker: Praying Circles Around Your Biggest Dreams and Greatest Fears

February

Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World

A Charlotte Mason Education

Life Without Limits: Inspiration for a Ridiculously Good Life

Idol Lies: Facing the Truth About Our Deepest Desires

March

Making Room for Life: Trading Chaotic Lifestyles for Connected Relationships

Seasons of a Mother’s Heart, 2nd edition

Love Has a Face: Mascara, a Machete and One Woman’s Miraculous Journey with Jesus in Sudan

One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are

April

The Charge: Activating the 10 Human Drives That Make You Feel Alive

Families Where Grace Is in Place: Building a Home Free of Manipulation, Legalism, and Shame

Lady in Waiting: A Novel

When the Game Is Over, It All Goes Back in the Box

May

Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In

The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts

Unstoppable: The Incredible Power of Faith in Action

Multiply: Disciples Making Disciples

June

The Mentor Leader: Secrets to Building People and Teams That Win Consistently

Grace-Based Parenting

Just a Minute: In the Heart of a Child, One Moment … Can Last Forever

The Resolution for Women

July

Love Works: Seven Timeless Principles for Effective Leaders

The Faithful Parent: A Biblical Guide to Raising a Family

While We’re Far Apart

She’s Got Issues: Seriously Good News for Stressed-Out, Secretly Scared Control Freaks Like Us

August

Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul

The Heart of Homeschooling: Teaching & Living What Really Matters

She Makes It Look Easy: A Novel

Wild Goose Chase: Reclaim the Adventure of Pursuing God

September

The Elements of Style (4th Edition)

Lessons at Blackberry Inn: Adventures with the Gentle Art of Learning

Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace

If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat

October

The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses

Cleaning House: A Mom’s Twelve-Month Experiment to Rid Her Home of Youth Entitlement

The Jade Bracelet: A Novel

Everything: What You Give and What You Gain to Become Like Jesus

November

For Better or For Work: A Survival Guide for Entrepreneurs and Their Families

Children Are Wet Cement

On Every Side

Let. It. Go.: How to Stop Running the Show and Start Walking in Faith

December

Free Marketing: 101 Low and No-Cost Ways to Grow Your Business, Online and Off

When Children Love to Learn: A Practical Application of Charlotte Mason’s Philosophy for Today

Candle in the Darkness (Refiner’s Fire, Book 1)

Undaunted: Daring to do what God calls you to do

What books are you planning to read in 2013? If you’ve blogged about it, be sure to leave your link in the comments.

Shared Jan 1, 2013 comment

37 Books I Plan to Read Aloud to My Kids in 2013

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 1, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I’ve been planning out what books I want to personally read for the last two years. It’s been such a helpful thing that I decided it was high time I start doing this for our read-alouds, too.

37 read alouds might seem like a lot to some, but reading is a very big part of our lives. I feel like raising my children to love learning and teaching them how to love good books is one of the greatest gifts I can give to them as a mom. Therefore, we do a lot of reading at our house. And we’ve sought to weave it into our everyday lives so that it just naturally happens.

As you’ll notice, we typically combine meals and reading aloud. My mom often read to us at lunch when I was growing up and I loved it, so we’re carrying on the tradition in our home, too. I’ve also been meeting one-on-one with each child each weekday and we usually spend at least 15 to 20 minutes of that time reading a book together.

By just doing these things, I’ve been amazed at how much reading we get through. It also helps that my kids are usually begging for me to read extra chapters since I try to choose books that will be especially engaging to them. 🙂

If you want to start reading aloud to your children but you have no idea where to begin, check out my post with tips on how to start reading aloud to your children. For more book ideas, check out this list of Books We Read Aloud in 2011 and our list of Books We Read Aloud in 2012.

Please note: Most of these books are ones we haven’t read before. Therefore, just because they are on my list does not mean I am endorsing them. 🙂

Devotionals (Breakfast Read Alouds)

Growing Together in Forgiveness: Read-Aloud Stories for Families Book Series

God’s Amazing Creatures & Me! Devotions for Boys and Girls Ages 6 to 10 (Devotions for Boys and Girls Ages 6-10)

God’s Promises

The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name

God’s Alphabet for Life: Devotions for Young Children

THE TRACT PRIMER: First Lessons in Sound Doctrine for Young Children

Lunch Read-Alouds

Vinegar Boy: Encounter Christ Through the Dramatic Story of Vinegar Boy

Rascal

The Trumpet of the Swan

In Search of the Lost Missionary

Loony Coon

Understood Betsy

Caddie Woodlawn

Justin Morgan Had a Horse

The Queen’s Smuggler: William Tyndale

Annie Henry and the Secret Mission: Adventures in the American Revolution – Book 1

Beyond the River

Viking Adventure

Do you have any books you’re planning to read together as a family this year?

Shared Dec 31, 2012 comment

31 Days of Giving on a Budget: The More We Save, The More We Have to Give

Published: by Crystal Paine on December 31, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Welcome to December’s series on 31 Days of Giving on a Budget. In this series, I’ll be sharing inspiring stories from my readers and posts with practical ways to give — even on a limited income.

If you have a Giving on a Budget story to share of a way you or your family has given to others this year or this holiday season, please email me your story and a picture to go along with it, if possible. I’d love to hear it and possibly share it during this series!

Recently, someone emailed in and asked if I died tomorrow would I regret the frugal choices I’ve made?

It was an excellent question and one that gave my husband and I pause — and produced a great discussion for us as a couple. Both of our answers were a resounding“No. We would absolutely not regret the frugal choices we’ve made.”

While we’ve made plenty of mistakes individually and as a family, we have zero regrets that we’ve chosen to live beneath our means, make sacrifices, delay purchases until we can pay cash for them, and live on a strict written budget.

To some people, not getting what you want right away or doing without might seem like a miserable existence. But truthfully, we’ve found it to be just the opposite: we live very fulfilled lives and we wake up excited about each day.

However, we both believe that the reason we feel fulfilled and passionate about life — even though we’ve made counter-cultural choices that some would balk at — is because frugality is a means to an end for us. If we were just frugal for being frugal’s sake, we’d likely quickly burn out or give up.

It’s not about saving money so we can continuously upgrade our lifestyle and always be buying bigger and better things. We want to live beneath our means so that we are able to give generously to others.

There’s a world of need around us. The more we steward our money well, the more abundance we will have to meet those needs.

The more we save, the more we have to give.

Your efforts and my efforts might seem like a drop in the bucket when compared with all of the need that’s out there. But collectively, we can make a huge impact.

Let’s live simply so that others can simply live. Because truly, there is nothing more fulfilling than living a life with outstretched arms.

photo credit

Summer Bucket List

Summer Bucket List

FREE Summer Bucket List!!

Week #1: Bake Your Own Bread

What If You Don’t Have a Bread Machine?

How Much Can You Save By Making Your Own Homemade Bread?

My Favorite Simple & Easy Homemade Bread Recipes

Breakfasts

Lunches

Snacks

Freezer Cooking in an Hour (stay tuned on Thursday when I’ll share a play-by-play on how this goes!)

Dinners

1. Look for gym deals.

2. Eat in season.

3. Plan a Menu.

4. Use those scraps.

5. Set a savings/health goal.

FREE DOWNLOAD: 60 Meals To Help You Avoid Takeout!

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

How was your week? Did anything interesting or exciting happen at your house? Tell us about it!

What do you do with your spare change?

1. Let Go of Complacency.

2. Stop Living in Fear.

3. Quit Listening to the Naysayers

4. Jump Outside Your Comfort Zone

What helps you wake up more excited about your day — and your life? I’d love to hear!

Why I Chose the Word “Margin”

Why I Chose the Word “Discipline”

Have you chosen one word for 2013? Tell us what it is in the comments.

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

How to Get Started With Goal-Setting

Free Printable Goal-Setting Worksheets

Break Your Goals Down Into Bite-Sized Pieces

Don’t Give Up

4 Related Posts You Should Read

What’s your best advice for someone who is brand-new to the idea of setting goals?

Personal Goals

Marriage Goals

Mothering Goals

Ministry/Friendships/Extended Family Goals

Financial Goals

Business/Blogging Goals

Have you set goals for 2013? If so, tell us what they are or leave a link to your blog post below.

Devotionals (Breakfast Read Alouds)

Lunch Read-Alouds

Dinner Table Read-Alouds

To Read Aloud With Kathrynne (She’ll be 8 this month.)

To Read Aloud With Kaitlynn (She’ll be 6 in June.)

To Read Aloud With Silas (He’ll be 4 in May.)

Do you have any books you’re planning to read together as a family this year?

The more we save, the more we have to give.

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