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Shared Dec 18, 2013 comment

21 Days to a Simple Christmas: Day 16

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

It’s Day 16 of the 21 Days to a Simple Christmas Challenge!

Today, we’re talking about Christmas decorating. I encourage you to find some way to add a little Christmas decor or Christmas spirit to your home today — even just lighting a Christmas-scented candle, playing Christmas music, or making Homemade Christmas potpourri.

If you need some ideas, you might enjoy scrolling through the Simple Christmas posts I shared last year.

What are your favorite quick and simple ways to decorate for Christmas?

Day 16 Project

1. Read chapter 9 from Celebrating & Savoring a Simple Christmas. (Did you sign up for your free copy yet? If not, click here and fill out the form to be emailed a copy.)

2. Find one simple way to add a little Christmas decor or Christmas cheer to your home today.

3. Come back tonight around 8 p.m. and share about your Christmas decor or ways that you can simply add some Christmas cheer to your home. I’ll share some pictures of our Christmas decor, too.

Shared Dec 17, 2013 comment

What To Do When You Disappoint Someone

Published: by Crystal Paine on December 17, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

“You’re a bad mom,” the anonymous blog comment read. And it didn’t stop there. It went on to detail just how I was failing as a mother and how this person was so disappointed with me.

After I read the comment, I felt crushed and discouraged. Maybe it was true. I started questioning my mothering abilities and quickly began feeling like a big failure.

Before I sunk into a state of utter discouragement, though, I decided I should probably have Jesse read the comment to see if he thought there was truth in it.

After Jesse read the comment, his response was: “That anonymous commentor may be disappointed with you, but they don’t know what goes on in our home. I’m not disappointed with you and that’s what matters.”

This experience reminded me of the lesson I’ve been learning over and over as a blogger. I am always going to disappoint someone. It’s inevitable. As much as I wish I could please everyone all the time, I realize that it’s impossible.

When I say yes to playing with my kids, it might mean that I don’t get as many blog posts written and I disappoint my blog readers. Or, when I say yes to spending time with my husband, it might mean I don’t have time to respond to as many comments from readers as I’d like to get to respond to — probably disappointing someone that I didn’t respond to their question or kind comment.

No matter what I blog (or don’t blog) about or what I do (or don’t do) as a blogger, someone is going to be disappointed.

Some would love me to write more on a certain subject or share fewer of a certain type of post. Some wish I were more real and messy. Others wish I were more perfect and put-together. And just when I think I’ve finally found a way to strike a great balance, someone comes along and says that I’m totally missing the mark.

Whether you’re a blogger or not, you’ve likely experienced the same in your own life. You just can’t please everyone. You’re never going to measure up to everyone’s expectations for you. And no matter what you do, you’re always going to be disappointing some people — usually without meaning to do so.

So what do you do when you disappoint someone? Here are some suggestions I’ve learned from my journey out of living my life as a people-pleaser these past few years (it’s still a journey, and I’ve far from arrived!)

1. Don’t Beat Yourself Up

When you find out that you’ve disappointed someone, don’t immediately do what I did in the scenario above and start berating yourself. This never accomplishes anything good. Instead, nip this in the bud and make yourself think objectively (see step #2).

2. Step Back & Consider Their Perspective

Ask yourself (or a trusted friend or family member): “Is there merit in this person’s disappointment?”

Did you do something offensive that you need to ask forgiveness for (see step #3)? Is this a person who knows you well and has your best interests at heart? Or is this someone who is just making a false accusation?

3. Graciously Admit When You’re Wrong

I make mistakes. I struggle. I fall. I fail. I’m a work in progress and I’m learning right along with the rest of you.

When I make mistakes and it disappoints someone, I want to own up to that, admit that I was wrong, and ask forgiveness. Justifying my wrong behavior and/or pretending it never happened are never the right ways to respond — even if it wasn’t entirely my fault.

4. Determine Your Personal Priorities

What’s going to matter in 25 years from now? This question really helps me to figure out my priorities and what matters most. It also helps me to be okay when I’ve been a disappointment as a blogger if I know that my more important priorities (health, family, relationship with the Lord, etc.) are thriving.

Note: In my book, Say Goodbye to Survival Mode, I talk about how determining my Personal Priorities and creating what I call a “Best Stuff List” has revolutionized my life. It’s helped me to have much clearer focus and given me confidence to say no to things that aren’t the most important priorities in order to say yes to what’s really going to matter years from now. If this is an area you struggle with, I encourage you to order a copy of my book as I think you’ll be encouraged by my journey and the struggles I’ve had and the lessons I’ve learned.

5. Stop Living Your Life to Please Other People

You can’t please everyone or make everyone happy. But you can sure exhaust yourself trying.

Wrap your life around your personal priorities, be confident in the things you are called to do, be as gracious as you can, but accept that you will disappoint some people along the way. And that’s okay.

How do you deal with people who are disappointed with you? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this!

Shared Dec 17, 2013 comment

21 Days to a Simple Christmas: Day 15 {Update}

Published: by Crystal Paine on December 17, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

It’s Day 15 of the 21 Days to a Simple Christmas Challenge!

Today, I did some Christmas Freezer Cooking. I was planning to make three different recipes, but we spent all afternoon at the ice-skating rink, so we ended up only having enough time to make two recipes while we were making dinner tonight.

Here’s what we made:

Both recipes were a big success — which made me so happy! 🙂

Did you do any Christmas Freezer Cooking? If so, tell us what you made in the comments or share the link to your blog post (if you’re blogging about the challenge).

Shared Dec 17, 2013 comment

Q&A Tuesday: What do you write in your love notes to your husband?

Published: by Crystal Paine on December 17, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I keep seeing you put on your goal list to write a love note to your hubby and am curious as to what you choose to write about? -Emily

Since this is one of the most-asked questions on my blog, I figured it was high time I answer it in a post. 🙂

Why Love Notes?

First off, some of you may wonder why I write love notes and am intentional about trying to do it every week. My husband and I have been married for almost 11 years and the thing I’ve learned over the years is that a good marriage doesn’t just happen; it’s something you have to intentionally work at.

And you don’t just work at it a little bit and that tides you over for months. No, you keep investing in it day in, day out. It’s work. But it’s oh so worth it.

Writing love notes is just one of the little ways I seek to invest in our marriage on a regular basis. It’s simple, it doesn’t require much time, and it doesn’t cost anything, but my love notes often are a huge boost to my husband’s day. They let him know that I care, that I appreciate him, and that I’m thinking of him as I go throughout my day.

What Do You Write About?

The love notes I write to my husband are about all sorts of different things. There’s no set “right” way to write a love note. What matters is that Jesse feels loved when reading it.

Sometimes they are short and sweet. Sometimes, they are long and mushy. Depending upon what mood I’m in, they might be funny, serious, deep, or goofy.

Can You Give Me Some Examples?

Many women have written in to say that they’d love to write love notes to their husband, but they don’t know what to say. And they feel like they’d quickly run out of things to write.

The sky is the limit when it comes to love notes. Once you start thinking of ideas, I bet you’ll find they are a lot easier to come up with than you think.

Remember this: a love note doesn’t have to be long — and it doesn’t even have to be hand written! You can send a text, type up the note, write an email, or use a dry erase marker to write on your bathroom mirror.

Your method of writing it doesn’t matter as much as the fact that it comes from your heart.

To get you started, here are some suggestions to spark your creativity:

Thank him for something he’s done for you recently.
Praise a character quality.
Reminisce about some adventure you had together.
Write about something you’re looking forward to doing with him.
Express gratitude for the everyday things he does.
Flirt with him.
Write an acrostic for his name and come up with something you’re grateful for that starts with that letter.
Create a secret code and write your love note in that code for him to decipher.
Write a poem.
Share something you’ve been reading/learning about recently that would interest him.
Send him a text out of the blue to tell him you’re thinking of him.
Share with him what you prayed for him that morning.
For more ideas, check out this post on Creative & Cheap Ways to Say “I Love You”

When you begin to look for things to be grateful for, I guarantee you’ll see things you never noticed before! And your little notes of gratitude and love could mean more to him than you ever could have imagined.

Related: Four Ways to Celebrate Your Valentine — Any Day of the Year!

Shared Dec 17, 2013 comment

Do It Yourself: Kool-Aid Playdough Mix

Published: by Crystal Paine on December 17, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Pinspired Home shows you how to make homemade Kool-Aid Playdough Mix.

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.

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Shared Dec 17, 2013 comment

21 Days to a Simple Christmas: Day 15

Published: by Crystal Paine on December 17, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

It’s Day 15 of the 21 Days to a Simple Christmas Challenge!

Today, we’re doing some Christmas Freezer Cooking. If you missed this post with ideas on what to make, be sure to read it.

I’m planning to make:

What are you planning to make? Share the recipe links in the comments!

Day 15 Project

1. If you haven’t done so already, read chapter 8 from Celebrating & Savoring a Simple Christmas. (Did you sign up for your free copy yet? If not, click here and fill out the form to be emailed a copy.)

2. Plan & make 2-4 recipes to make today. These can be Christmas goodies or things for your Christmas meals. You choose!

3. Come back tonight around 8 p.m. and share how your freezer cooking went — and I’ll share about mine, too!

Shared Dec 16, 2013 comment

Being Thankful — Even When Dealing With the Stomach Flu

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

There aren’t a lot of things in life I loathe… but the stomach flu is definitely one of them. Dealing with vomit on any level is just, well, one of the last things I’d like to spend my time doing.

So when one of my children complained of their stomach hurting on Saturday morning, I was concerned. And my concerns proved to be warranted because later in the day, this child walked into my room looking terribly queasy and then proceeded to throw up all over our bed, our blankets, and the carpet.

I felt terribly for this sick child and immediately set to work cleaning them all up, getting them changed, and making a bed for them on the bathroom floor. Then, I went back to face the room strewn with vomit.

The scene was almost more than my weak stomach could handle. But Jesse was gone, so I didn’t have many options other than just diving in and starting on the clean-up.

As I contemplated the best method for tackling this mess, I quickly realized that my bad attitude was only going to make things worse. So I challenged myself to come up with as many things to be grateful for as I could about the situation. It was amazing how this changed my perspective!

Here were a few things from my mental gratitude list:

A washing machine — I shuddered to imagine what it would be like if I had to wash all the throw-up covered bedding by hand.
Running water — What if I had to go haul water from a well to bring into the house to clean the carpets and then wash the clothes?
A cheerful child — Even while feeling really miserably, this child had a happy demeanor and was even able to find humor in the situation.
A willing helper — One of my other children donned rubber gloves and volunteered to pitch in right beside me. Their servant’s spirit blessed me so much.
A carpet cleaner — Investing in a carpet cleaner a few years back has proven to come in handy time and again. Today, I was once again very grateful for how it sped up the clean-up process.
That the episode did not repeat itself — While the first episode took a significant amount of time to clean up, I was incredibly grateful that no vomit ended up on the carpet or bedding the rest of the night.
That only one child was sick — If all three had been sick at the same time, I can’t begin to imagine what that would have entailed!
That we were home — This could have happened in the car, at someone’s else house, or at the store!

Looking for things to be thankful for made the clean up go so much more quickly and it helped me have a much more pleasant attitude about the whole thing!

I know that a stomach bug is a very minor thing in comparison to what many of you are facing today. But can I challenge you in this? No matter what messes or struggles or difficulties you’re facing right now, choose gratitude in the midst of it. It might not change your circumstances, but it will certainly change your outlook!

Shared Dec 16, 2013 comment

21 Days to a Simple Christmas: Day 14 {Update}

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

It’s Day 14 of the 21 Days to a Simple Christmas Challenge and today we’re planning our Christmas Freezer Cooking!

I chose three new recipes to try tomorrow. Here were the three I chose:

Peppermint Brownies

Bake & Slice Chocolate Swirls

Reese’s Fudge

Looking for more Christmas Freezer Cooking ideas? Check out this post.

What recipes are you planning to make tomorrow (or later this week)? I’d love to have you share the links or a link to your blog post (if you posted about it).

Shared Dec 16, 2013 comment

52 Different Ways to Save $100 Per Year: Brown Bag It {Week 41}

Published: by Crystal Paine on December 16, 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.

Since we’ve been married, we’ve saved thousands of dollars alone just by packing sack lunches. While Jesse was in law school and we were living on a beans-and-rice budget, brown-bagging it was a must as there was no way we could afford even eating off the dollar menu on a regular occurrence.

But even though we brown-bagged it out of necessity, we found lots of ways to make it easy and yummy — so it really didn’t feel like a sacrifice. Plus, the money we saved made it every bit worth it!

How Much Can You Save?

If you’re willing to put in a little time to plan ahead so you have the necessary food on hand and then to take a few minutes every evening or morning to put together a sack lunch, the return on this small investment of time can be quite remarkable.

In fact, I figured out that most of the lunches I’ve packed for my husband cost anywhere between $0.75 to $1.50 each (remember, that’s mostly because I’ve shop the sales, used coupons, and stocked up on items when they are at their lowest prices!). A lunch at a fast food restaurant is likely going to cost at least $4-$5 at a minimum.

Based upon these calculations, it is very safe to say that packing a lunch has saved us at least $3 per day. Over the course of the year, that’s $750 saved!

And that’s a low figure. If someone is eating out at nicer restaurants most days and spending $7-$12 per lunch, the savings are significantly higher!

In addition to the savings, there’s also the added benefit of homemade lunches also often being much more healthful for you as well–especially when compared with fast food meals.

Amber emailed in and shared how they were saving $200+ per year by packing lunches:

We save $200+ a year by packing my son’s lunch for school. The daily lunch at our school costs $2.15, so for the 180-day school year, the cost of buying lunch is $387.00!

I have found that I am easily able to pack my son’s lunch including a healthy entree, salty side, fruit and “treat” for no more than $1 a day. I’m blessed that he prefers his filled water bottle to a more expensive drink, however, even adding a drink would still have significant savings over the purchase price.

This year we will save about $200 (I’m figuring there will probably be 10 lunches that will end up being purchased over the course of the year). Yahoo! Given the potential savings, I decided I would purchase a thermal entree container to send his favorite leftovers. It will be a $3.99 well spent.

And Illysa wrote and said she figured they were saving $225 per year by packing lunches:

My children’s school charges $2.75 a day for lunch. That works out to be about $495 each school year (per child).

Since I’ve never been pleased with the school lunch options (a typical week at my child’s school looks like this: tacos, pizza, spaghetti, grilled cheese, nachos… ugh!), I decided to make sure my kids had a healthy, delicious lunch packed for them each day. It takes a little extra time each evening, but it’s worth it!

Entrees:

– Homemade pizza. An entire cheese pizza can be made for about $5. A slice in the lunchbox would cost about $0.60.
– Quiche Cup: (Can be made in a cupcake tin) A dozen eggs and a brick of cheese can make 12 quiche cups. The cost per cup is about $0.30.
– PB&J Sandwich: Costs about $0.35 to make at home.

Sides:

Organic baby carrots go on sale at my grocery store for $0.49 a bag. They run this sale about once a month. I always stock up, because one bag lasts me a week. That’s only $0.10 a day! It’s a perfect side item in the lunchbox!

Crackers can be found for about $2 a box (without coupons). One box should last about 2 weeks. That’s only $0.20 a day. Cheese bricks often go on sale for $2. You could slice it up and add it to the crackers. One 8 oz brick lasts me about one week. Only $0.40
a day.

Yogurt easily found on sale for $0.50 each.

You can easily put together a combination of these items for $1.50. And you can search through your stockpile to find items that might be even cheaper. At $1.50 a day, you’ll save $225 over the course of the school year. -Illyssa

Download a free lunch box planner printable from A Little Delightful.

Sanity-Saving Sack Lunch Ideas:

One thing that has helped me in packing lunches is to divvy up serving-size portions of muffins and cookies in baggies and stick them in the freezer. Then, when I’m packing lunches, I can just pull a few of these baggies out to add to the lunch and round things out.

Baggies of muffins and cookies are also great to have on hand for when we’ll be out and about running errands. Being prepared with our own food means we divert the urge to make a quick stop through the drive thru!

I’ve also found that doing sack lunch prep the night before makes it so much easier. For some reason, I’m much more motivated and creative at nighttime than I am most mornings. Take a few minutes after dinner to figure out what you’ll be packing the next morning and even get as much as possible ready. You’ll never regret this in the morning!

If you’d like to pack lunches for your kids, but just don’t have the time to do it on busy school mornings, here’s a great idea from KJ:

I have four children, including a newborn. I drive my older two children to school so all of us need to be ready to go in the morning.

In order to make the mornings go smoother, I wanted to have my two school-aged children pack their own lunches. I also wanted a variety in their lunches and not all cheese sticks

So I posted this on the fridge:

(1) sandwich/granola bar/bread or muffin

(1) fruit/veggie/yogurt/cheese

(1) drink

(1) cracker

(1) dessert

Have your lunch packed by 7:45

Pray before you eat

Have a great day!

On the weekends, I will bag the desserts and crackers. I then put the baggies in a large bag labeled desserts or crackers in the pantry. I make the PB&J sandwiches (put in freezer), and bag the fruit or veggies. I will also make the granola bars or homemade muffins. There is also a shelf in the fridge that is “their shelf”. That is where we keep the drinks, fruit, homemade applesauce, etc… for their lunches.

I timed it once and that whole process from start to finish took me 20 minutes! Much quicker than trying to put everything together in the mornings.

I like it because it is one less thing I have to do in the mornings. They like it because they can choose what they put in their lunch that day. It works well for us!

One quick & easy way we’ve sped up sack lunch preparations is by making up a bunch of Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches for the freezer. Looking for more make-ahead sack lunch ideas? Check out my Lunchbox Freezer Cooking series.

Need some more budget-friendly sack lunch ideas? Check out the comments on this post.

Do you pack lunches? Why or why not?

photo credit; photo credit

Shared Dec 16, 2013 comment

This Week’s Menu Plan

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

Breakfasts

Oatmeal, Cereal, Eggs, and/or Fruit

Lunches

Mac & cheese, fruit
Snack-y lunch {veggies, cheese, yogurt, fruit, crackers, etc.}
PB&J, carrot sticks, apples
Cheese quesadillas, carrot sticks
Leftovers x 3

Snacks

Fruit/veggies
Popcorn
Boiled eggs

Dinners

Pancakes, scrambled eggs, fruit
PB&J sandwiches, carrots, fruit (Jesse will be gone, so I’m keeping it simple!)
Mini Chicken Pot Pies (I’m going to make homemade biscuit dough for these), fruit
Ham & Cheese Pockets, fruit salad, steamed veggies
Chicken & Stuffing Casserole, fruit salad, steamed veggies
Dinner out
Dinner with extended family

What’s on your menu this week? Tell us in the comments or leave a link to your menu plan post.

Ready to stress less about money?Start with our FREE 5-Day Budget Makeover!

Shared Dec 16, 2013 comment

An Inexpensive Family Christmas Activity

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

Guest post from Carissa of Pretty/Hungry

The most magical Christmases in my memory have been the ones where the people, the conversations, the laughter, and the love stand out above any of the gifts I gave or got.

It’s for this reason that I believe having a budget can truly enhance our Christmas spirit and our appreciation for special Holidays with those we love. The budget forces us to get creative… and oftentimes, it results in more “together” time because we’re choosing to play a game at home rather than go out to a movie theater or shopping mall.

One year in particular, I organized a Cookie Decorating contest. I had found a huge Christmas tree cookie cutter at a thrift store (for FREE!) and it became the centerpiece of our (now annual) Christmas tree decorating contest!

I baked up a big batch of cutout sugar cookies ahead of time (1 tree per person), and everyone contributed decorations and icing. We then had a big decorating party!

The idea was simple. After everybody in the family (young & old) had decorated a tree cookie, we then took a picture of each tree and posted the photos in a public album on Facebook. We asked people to “Like” any/all of the trees they thought were good. And at the end of the voting period, the tree with the most “likes” was declared the winner!

My brother-in-law surprised us all by decorating the winning cookie! (The brown one with Santa Claus on it.)

We all loved looking at each other’s creative ideas, and it was nearly impossible to choose a favorite! But even better than the lovely finished cookies, was the time we all spent together working on a common activity.

Many of us have gotten married since that year, which means we’re rarely all together for the same holidays anymore. That makes the memory of decorating those cookies together all the more special. I will never forget the fun of that Christmas!

Carissa is a wife and mother of a sweet 1-year old girl. She loves the Lord, her family, and cooking! In recent years her family has made drastic cuts to their budget in order to start saving to build a home. Carissa blogs at Pretty/Hungry about all her kitchen creations!

Shared Dec 16, 2013 comment

21 Days to a Simple Christmas: Day 14

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

It’s Day 14 of the 21 Days to a Simple Christmas Challenge!

Today, we’re gearing up for some Christmas Freezer Cooking. If you missed this post with ideas on what to make, be sure to read it.

I’ll be planning my list, making a shopping list, and buying groceries for the items I’ll be making.

What are some of your favorite Christmas foods to make ahead and freeze? Share the recipe links in the comments!

Day 14 Project

1. If you haven’t done so already, read chapter 8 from Celebrating & Savoring a Simple Christmas. (Did you sign up for your free copy yet? If not, click here and fill out the form to be emailed a copy.)

2. Choose at least 2-4 recipes to make this week and purchase any ingredients you need to buy to make them. These can be Christmas goodies or things for your Christmas meals. You choose! I’m going to be picking some Christmas goodies — probably things off my Recipes I Want to Try Pinterest board. I’ll let you know what I choose on Monday.

3. Come back tonight around 8 p.m. and share the list of what you’re planning to make — and I’ll share mine, too!

Shared Dec 16, 2013 comment

10 Goals For This Week

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

10 Goals For This Week

Last week’s goals:

Family/Marriage/Mothering Goals

~~1. Read 4 chapters of Loony Coon aloud to the girls. Read a few picture books with Silas.~~

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

~~3. Blog about the 21 Days to a Simple Christmas Challenge.~~

Personal Goals

~~4. Work on memorizing & reviewing Romans 1:1-24.~~

~~5. Run 9 miles.~~

6. Read Leaving Yesterday, Safe People, The Greatest Gift, ~~Into the Whirlwind~~, and ~~The Gifts of Imperfection~~.

~~7. Work for 30 minutes on my embroidery project.~~

~~8. Work on Christmas presents.~~

Business Goals

~~9. Write a guest post for book launch week.~~

~~10. Write one post for the 52 Ways to Save $100 a Year series.~~

This week’s goals:

Family/Marriage/Mothering Goals

1. Read 4 chapters of Loony Coon aloud to the girls. Read a few picture books with Silas.

2. Write a love note to Jesse.

3. Blog about the 21 Days to a Simple Christmas Challenge.

4. Christmas Freezer Cooking

Personal Goals

5. Work on memorizing & reviewing Romans 1:1-25.

6. Run 9 miles.

7. Read Leaving Yesterday, Safe People, The Greatest Gift, Who Calls Me Beautiful, A Winter Dream, Balance, Sell Your Book Like Wildfire, Freefall to Fly, and The Busy Homeschool Mom’s Guide to Romance.

8. Work for 30 minutes on my embroidery project.

9. Work on Christmas presents.

Business Goals

10. Write one post for the 52 Ways to Save $100 a Year series.

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.

Join the 21 Days to a Simple Christmas Challenge

Shared Dec 14, 2013 comment

21 Days to a Simple Christmas: Days 12 & 13

Published: by Crystal Paine on December 14, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

It’s Day 12 & 13 of the 21 Days to a Simple Christmas Challenge!

Delicious food is one of the best things about Christmas, in my opinion! 🙂 But who wants to slave away in the kitchen all day on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?

Here are a some ideas of things you can make ahead of time and freeze to make your Christmas meal preparations smoother and leave you more time to just savor the season:

1. Cookie Dough

Make up a double or triple batch of cookie dough and keep it in the freezer to give as gifts or to use when company drops by unexpectedly or you need a treat to take to a gathering at the last minute. Here’s one of my favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie recipes.

2. Baking Mix

Make Homemade Baking Mix in order to quickly whip up a pan of Cinnamon Roll Biscuits for Christmas morning. You can use it in place of Bisquick in any recipe.

3. Biscuit Dough

One year, I made biscuit dough ahead of time and stuck it in the freezer to be able to quickly make Brown Sugar Biscuit Twists for a Christmas Brunch at my family’s house the day after Christmas.

4. Scone Mixes

You can put together the dry ingredients from a scone recipe like this Glazed Cinnamon Scone recipe and freeze them. Then, it’s a snap to whip up a batch of scones since you’ll already have the dry ingredients measured out.

5. Scone Dough

If you want to really speed up prep time for scones, you can also make the dough up ahead of time and cut the scones and flash freeze them. Just pull them out, thaw, and bake to have fresh scones without almost zero effort! Our very favorite scone recipe is this Pumpkin Scone recipe.

6. Cinnamon Rolls

Fresh Cinnamon Rolls just can’t be beat, but they can be time-consuming to make! Reduce your workload by making the dough in the bread machine and then roll out, cut, and freeze them. Find detailed directions on how to freeze, thaw, and bake Cinnamon Rolls here.

7. Butterhorns

Looking for a delicious roll recipe that can be made ahead and frozen? Check out our family’s Butterhorn recipe. It’s a little time-intensive, but oh so worth it!

8. Christmas Candy

What’s Christmas without candy? My World’s Easiest Christmas Candy recipe is a winner–and it can be made ahead and frozen (if any of it lasts that long!)

9. Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

This Chocolate Chip Banana Bread freezes really well and is perfect to make ahead in little loaf pans and give as gifts or to serve for a Christmas brunch. Not a banana bread fan? Try my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffin recipe.

10. Drink Mixes

Homemade drink mixes are great to give as gifts or to have on hand to serve at Christmas get-togethers. Plus, you can keep them for months in the freezer!

What are some of your favorite Christmas foods to make ahead and freeze? Share the recipe links in the comments!

Day 12 & 13 Project

1. Read chapter 8 from Celebrating & Savoring a Simple Christmas. (Did you sign up for your free copy yet? If not, click here and fill out the form to be emailed a copy.)

2. Choose at least 2-4 recipes to make next week. These can be Christmas goodies or things for your Christmas meals. You choose! I’m going to be picking some Christmas goodies — probably things off my Recipes I Want to Try Pinterest board. I’ll let you know what I choose on Monday.

3. Take some time to just stop and enjoy your Sunday — even if it’s just 5 minutes of quiet or taking time to write down blessings from this past week. Step back and refresh, relax, and refuel. Life doesn’t always need to be lived at breakneck speed!

Shared Dec 14, 2013 comment

52 Do-It-Yourself Natural Cleaners

Published: by Crystal Paine on December 14, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Guest post from Koren.

The alternative to conventional household cleaners is far simpler and cheaper than you probably imagine. With just a few all-natural staples you can quickly and easily make your own green cleaners.

Baking soda and vinegar are basically your best friends here, offering an astonishing range of applications across the whole house with antibacterial qualities to boot. Some people even clean from top to bottom using only these two stars.

But others (including me) aren’t huge fans of vinegar’s strong smell, even though it does dissipate rather quickly. That’s where fresh herbs, citrus fruit or peel infusions, and essential oils come in. A few drops here and there and that pungent vinegary smell is promptly replaced with a fresh, all-natural perfume.

Other products you’ll want to keep in your all-natural cleaning arsenal include olive oil, castile soap, hot water, and hydrogen peroxide. And quick word on that last one: despite its nasty-sounding name, hydrogen peroxide is simply water with an extra oxygen molecule that makes for a totally natural and super powerful sanitizer.

Armed with these few staples you’ll be able to make almost every cleaner listed below, plus a myriad others!

For the BATHROOM:

1. Homemade shower cleaner – baking soda, castile soap and essential oils combine to make this all-natural shower scrub.

2. Green clean the grout in your bathroom – a how-to walking you through three eco-friendly options to remove even the most stubborn grout grime.

3. Non-toxic bathtub cleaner – combine a little liquid soap, baking soda and essential oils to make a cleaner that can be stored for up to a year.

4. Clean your shower with a lemon – clean thick grime and dirt rings from your shower area with this incredibly simple scrub.

5. Non-toxic sink and tub scrub – a gentle baking soda and natural soap combination that will leave your bathroom sparkling clean.

6. Homemade toilet cleaner – three simple cleaning formulas including a tea tree bowl scrub and a heavy-duty lavender-lemon scrub.

7. Non-toxic citrus floor cleaner – a simple 4-ingredient cleaner that can also be used on countertops.

8. Budget no-streak glass cleaner – harness the streak-busting power of cornstarch and spend as little as 33 cents per 2 ½ cups.

9. Homemade air freshener spray – a little alcohol, water and essential oils combine to make a powerful air freshener that stores for one month.

10. The magic trick that hides all evidence of a #2 – this amusingly written piece on toilet smells tells you how to hide all evidence of a … well, you know.

11. Peppermint foaming hand soap – keep your hands clean with this fresh-smelling and super easy hand soap.

For the KITCHEN:

12. For your microwave – easily remove baked-on crud using just baking soda, white vinegar, water and a special technique.

13. No-rinse green refrigerator cleaner – vinegar, hot water and lavender essential oil will cut through grease, disinfect and leave a clean, natural scent.

14. Clean the stove – a surprisingly simple method using only hot water.

15. Homemade oven cleaner – another easy oven-cleaning option using baking soda and white vinegar.

16. Make burnt pans shine again – halve scrubbing time with a little help from vinegar, baking soda and water.

17. Clean tarnished silverware – this DIY, which uses just aluminum foil, baking soda and water, is almost miraculously easy.

18. Natural stainless steel sink cleaner – clean and deodorize your sink and even solve mild clogging issues with this easy technique.

19. Natural drain cleaner – unblock clogged and smelly drains using just baking soda, vinegar and hot water.

20. Homemade dishwasher detergent – a tried and true recipe for squeaky-clean dishes and glassware.

21. Make your own dishwasher tabs – a 5-ingredient recipe set in ice cube trays to make easy-to-use tabs.

22. Reusable peppermint kitchen wipes – a great way to recycle old clothes while harnessing the antibacterial power of peppermint essential oil.

23. Two-ingredient kitchen cabinet gunk remover – fight oil with oil for unblemished surfaces and cupboards.

For the LIVING ROOM:

24. DIY television and computer screen cleaner – just white vinegar and distilled water are needed for this streak-free cleaner.

25. Homemade dusting spray – a little natural soap, essential oil and water will have your surfaces spick and span in no time.

26. Remove spots and stains from upholstery – six green cleans for tough stains like red wine and coffee, including one method utilizing an egg yolk.

27. Make your own furniture polish – add shine to your furniture with just lemon, olive oil and vinegar.

28. Super-cheap leather cleaner – vinegar and olive oil combine to make an affordable cleaner and conditioner for leather seats and sofas.

29. Make your own wood polish – bring a lemony-fresh scent to your home with this simple furniture protector.

30. Carpet stain remover – an all-natural spot remover, perfect for when food goes flying.

31. Deep clean your carpets – if you can afford to hire a steam cleaner, you can professionally clean your own carpets without using any chemicals.

32. Clean wooden floors with tea – use the tannic acid in tea to smooth over scratches and bring out the natural shine of wood floors.

For the LAUNDRY:

33. Pre-wash laundry stain and spot remover – mix up a batch of this all-natural spray and keep on hand to squirt on stubborn stains before washing.

34. Remove pungent smells from laundry naturally – use baking soda to eradicate a range of smells, from smoke and sweat to baby spit-up.

35. Natural laundry soap or liquid detergent – a low-sudsing cleaner suitable for top or front loaders that can easily be made into a powder or liquid.

36. Homemade laundry detergent for cloth diapers – this special formula avoids castile soap, which can build up and cause diapers to repel moisture.

37. Get great smelling laundry without softener – five ideas for adding a natural scent to your freshly washed laundry.

38. Scented vinegar rinse – use fresh plants like lavender, mint, basil, chamomile or thyme in this fabric softener alternative.

39. Homemade bleach alternative – a 4-ingredient mix that will brighten whites and is also safe to use on colors.

40. Natural sheet and fabric softener – just add 1 cup of baking soda to your washing machine for naturally soft clothes and linen.

41. Make your own wool dryer balls – reduce wrinkles and soften your clothes while saving electricity with these DIY dryer balls.

42. Use aluminum foil balls to keep clothes static-free – an incredibly simple and frugal technique that can be reused over and over again.

For the TRASH (and more):

43. Naturally control insects in the kitchen – a list of natural and frugal ways to deal with pests including fruit flies and ants.

44. Natural fly spray – combine apple cider vinegar and citronella essential oil for a powerful spray to keep bugs at bay.

45. Freshen your trash bins – this easy solution eliminates garbage smells!

46. Homemade garbage disposal refresher – made with lemon peel, these little tabs will instantly cure a smelly garbage disposal.

ALL-PURPOSE CLEANERS:

47. Homemade citrus vinegar cleaner – a lemony-fresh-smelling all-purpose cleaning concentrate that can be used for surfaces of every variety.

48. Simple lemon lavender cleaner – for those who don’t like the smell of vinegar, a naturally scented cleaner that’s great for using up the lemon peel.

49. All-purpose cleaner – a 3-ingredient cleaner perfect for everything from streak-free mirrors to wiping out the cat litter box.

50. Miracle all-purpose cleaner – great for the kitchen, bathroom, stubborn stains and anything else, you’ll need baking soda and hydrogen peroxide.

51. Homemade disinfectant – a quick spray harnessing the germ-killing qualities of lemon and thyme essential oils.

52. Window and glass cleaner – this easy DIY cleaning solution is all natural and works wonders on your windows and glass!

Next time you’re hunched over your cleaning, scrubbing like mad and inhaling all manner of store-bought cleaner fumes — spare a thought for this list. Because here you have enough natural cleaning products to try something new every week for an entire year, in every corner of your home.

You’ll soon find there’s almost nothing an all-natural cleaner can’t handle. Many recipes are surprisingly simple to make, and you’ll wonder why you ever forked out the money for expensive and harsh chemicals in the past.

So go on. Pop over to your pantry, pull out the baking soda and vinegar, and get green cleaning. Your family and your wallet will thank you and your house will smell fresh as a daisy – a real one.

Koren Helbig is an Australian who likes to live well without spending the earth.

Day 16 Project

1. Don’t Beat Yourself Up

2. Step Back & Consider Their Perspective

3. Graciously Admit When You’re Wrong

4. Determine Your Personal Priorities

5. Stop Living Your Life to Please Other People

How do you deal with people who are disappointed with you? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this!

Why Love Notes?

What Do You Write About?

Can You Give Me Some Examples?

Budget-Friendly Gift GuidesGift Great Gifts Without Overspending!

Day 15 Project

How Much Can You Save?

Sanity-Saving Sack Lunch Ideas:

Do you pack lunches? Why or why not?

Breakfasts

Lunches

Snacks

Dinners

Ready to stress less about money?Start with our FREE 5-Day Budget Makeover!

Day 14 Project

1. Cookie Dough

2. Baking Mix

3. Biscuit Dough

4. Scone Mixes

5. Scone Dough

6. Cinnamon Rolls

7. Butterhorns

8. Christmas Candy

9. Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

10. Drink Mixes

Day 12 & 13 Project

For the BATHROOM:

For the KITCHEN:

For the LIVING ROOM:

For the LAUNDRY:

For the TRASH (and more):

ALL-PURPOSE CLEANERS:

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