Money Saving Mom®

Classic View

Grid View

Shared Jul 11, 2012 comment

4 Weeks of Frugal Family Fun: Elephant Toothpaste (Day 17)

Published: by Crystal Paine on July 11, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

We had a busy day today so we didn’t get to do our planned frugal family fun project until after Jesse came home tonight. He was quite impressed with the project and amazed at the creative idea I came up with (Thanks, Pinterest, for making me look like I’m a cool mom! :)).

The kids were scratching their heads when I told them we were making Elephant Toothpaste. “Elephants have to brush their teeth, too?” “Oh wow, so this is what their toothpaste is made of?”

They were a little disappointed when I broke the news to them that this wasn’t actually Elephant Toothpaste, but regardless, we sure had fun making up crazy stories with the idea, anyway. 🙂

We didn’t have 6% Hydrogen Peroxide like the recipe called for (only 3%), but I thought our end result was still pretty cool — and the kids had a blast watching it bubble up and overflow.

Did you do something fun and frugal as a family today? If you blogged about it, I’d love for you to leave a link to your blog post below. Or, you can just tell us what you did in the comments.

Note: Since the purpose of this series is to encourage you to be intentional about fun in your home this summer, please only link up posts showing pictures/sharing details of fun things you did as a family today (or within the last few days). Posts that do not adhere to these guidelines will be deleted in order to make it fair for those who are putting forth a lot of effort to participate in this challenge.

Shared Jul 11, 2012 comment

How to Avoid Spending Traps

Published: by Crystal Paine on July 11, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Renee emailed in the following tip:

Recently, I read this infographic about avoiding spending traps. Not long after, one of my local stores had Arm and Hammer detergent on sale Buy One, Get One For $0.01.

At eye level, they had containers with 35 loads, but on the top shelf, they had containers with 50 loads for the same price — also on sale Buy One, Get One For $0.01.

I don’t know that I would have thought to look above eye level if I hadn’t seen this post! -Renee

photo credit

Shared Jul 11, 2012 comment

Good-For-You Peanut Butter Freezer Fudge

Published: by Crystal Paine on July 11, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Are you looking for ways to satisfy your sweet tooth on a no-refined foods diet?

This recipe will hit the spot and become one of your favorite afternoon snacks. It’s the perfect pick-me-up — especially on a warm day!

This fudge is SO delicious, you won’t believe it’s actually good for you! 🙂

Peanut Butter Freezer Fudge

1 cup natural peanut butter
4 Tablespoons coconut oil
1 1/2 Tablespoons maple syrup
4 ounces quality dark chocolate (I used Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips.)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Spread mixture into a foil-lined 8×8 baking dish. If desired, drizzle with melted chocolate chips.

Freeze for at least two hours.

Remove from freeze and remove fudge from foil. Cut or break into one-inch squares and store in an airtight freezer bag.

Makes 20 servings.

Recipe adapted from Food Babe.

Shared Jul 11, 2012 comment

Ask the Readers: How can we save money in a rural area?

Published: by Crystal Paine on July 11, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Today’s question is from Christina:

My husband and I are recovering from a bankruptcy — which was the result of many, many financial mistakes and poor planning. I am realizing the value of saving money and even couponing to keep food on the table for our family of six. However, I have no idea how to save money because we live in an extremely small town where coupons are scarce and stores are even scarcer!

Other than a small Walmart, there isn’t a major grocery store (or Target) for over 100 miles! We just have a small, local grocery to choose from. Things seldom go on sale (hello $4 gallons of milk and $3 loaves of terrible bread) and there are no coupons or inserts in our papers!

How do you still save money when you are in this situation? -Christina

Do you have a question you’d like to ask Money Saving Mom® readers? Read the submission guidelines and submit it here.

Shared Jul 11, 2012 comment

Choosing Gratitude

Published: by Crystal Paine on July 11, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Guest post from Tracey of Our New Adventure

My husband and I celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary last month. One of the reasons we have a good marriage is because we choose to stay optimistic. Every night before we go to sleep, we name three good things. It’s wonderful way to end the day.

We started this early in our marriage and the habit has helped us through many difficult days, especially after our son was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in 2010.

Some days are hard and we’re often exhausted, but we always take the time to count our blessings. We’re teaching our son to do the same!

Here are some tips to help your children develop an attitude of gratitude:

1. Name Three Things

At bedtime, have your children think about what happened that day. What are they thankful for?

2. Be Specific

Instead of just saying Dad, I’ll ask my son what about Dad? Maybe it was “bike riding with Dad” or “Dad is funny.”

3. Put it in Writing

Several years ago, we got our son a Thankful Notebook. He keeps it on his nightstand as a reminder to count his blessings. Our habit is to name good things right before bedtime prayers.

4. Play the Gratitude Game

At least once a week, we make a game of it. I’ll say a random date and he’ll look back in his notebook to see what fun things happened on that day.

We love to look back and be reminded of our joyful life!

Tracy is a Christian wife and television meteorologist turned stay-at-home mom, turned Doctor Mom. That last turn happened when her son, Matthew, was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. The goal of her blog, Our New Adventure, is to give practical, uplifting encouragement to other moms who have kids with Diabetes.

photo source

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

Click here to sign up!

Shared Jul 10, 2012 comment

4 Weeks of Frugal Family Fun: The Long Jump Contest (Day 16)

Published: by Crystal Paine on July 10, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Inspired by watching the Olympic trials recently, we had our own Long Jump contest in our basement.

Maybe we didn’t quite match the jumping style or finesse of those participating in the Olympic trials, but we sure had a grand time attempting to leap through the air.

I made a Long Jump line with yarn and then we recorded the jumps with pieces of tape.

Everyone had fun trying to beat their own best jump.

It also was a great way to expend a lot of energy, without wilting in the heat outside!

I think this is my favorite picture of all the ones I took. The way Silas lives life with such gusto and joy brings a smile to my face and a reminder to me to take time to celebrate the little things each day.

Did you do something fun and frugal as a family today? If you blogged about it, I’d love for you to leave a link to your blog post below. Or, you can just tell us what you did in the comments.

Note: Since the purpose of this series is to encourage you to be intentional about fun in your home this summer, please only link up posts showing pictures/sharing details of fun things you did as a family today (or within the last few days). Posts that do not adhere to these guidelines will be deleted in order to make it fair for those who are putting forth a lot of effort to participate in this challenge.

Shared Jul 10, 2012 comment

Do-It-Yourself: Turn a juice carton in a homemade herb planter

Published: by Crystal Paine on July 10, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

SometimesHomemade.com shows you how to make a homemade herb planter out of a juice carton.

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.

Shared Jul 9, 2012 comment

How I’m Learning to Replace Whining With Gratitude

Published: by Crystal Paine on July 9, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I recently finished reading through Choosing Gratitude by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. Her challenge for us to adopt a spirit of thankfulness — no matter our situation — caused me to step back and realize that I’ve become a whiner in recent months.

You see, I’m normally a pretty upbeat, look-on-the-bright-side-of things type of person. But I’ve had some lingering health and allergy issues that have not gone away for months.

I’ve tried so many different things: drastic change in diet (I’ve been off all refined and processed foods for a number of weeks), change in skincare routine, change in allergy medicines… nothing is really making a big difference and I’ve been waiting for quite some time to be able to get in for testing with an allergist.

In the mean time, I’ve been struggling with incessant cold-like symptoms and it’s been wearing on me. As a result, my poor husband has heard a lot of whining over the last few months. Instead of my usual early morning excitement about the day’s events or my cheery report when he gets home from work, he’s often getting the rundown on my latest health problems — which is pretty much the same old, same old every single day.

Reading Choosing Gratitude really helped me see how I’ve been focusing on the things I was struggling with, instead of choosing to be thankful. And not only that, but I felt so convicted at how I was griping over something so petty.

Sure, allergies are no fun (as I’m positive many of you can attest to), but seasonal allergies pale in comparison to some of the life-threatening, debilitating, and/or overwhelmingly incomprehensible issues so many people are facing right now. And I have much to be grateful for — much that I’ve been taking for granted while I was having a pity-party for myself.

Because of Nancy’s encouragement through Choosing Gratitude, I started a Gratitude Journal and I’ve challenged myself to make a daily habit of waking up each morning and starting my day by filling out an entire notebook page with things I’m thankful for.

At first, it seemed rather daunting — especially since I’ve gotten out of the exercise of journaling the past few years. But you know what I’m finding as the days go on? The notebook page is feeling smaller and smaller each morning!

There’s something about starting the day with counting your blessings that just helps change your whole attitude about the day. And the more I’m focusing on my blessings, the less my allergies and health issues have seemed to matter.

In fact, I haven’t even thought to give Jesse one of my normal moping health reports over the last few days. I guess that’s another thing I can add to my Gratitude List for tomorrow! 🙂

photo credit

Shared Jul 9, 2012 comment

4 Weeks of Frugal Family Fun: Ivory Soap Clouds (Day 15)

Published: by Crystal Paine on July 9, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

We made Ivory Soap Clouds for our Frugal Family Fun project. The kids were less than enthused when I first told them about it.

“Stick a bar of soap in the microwave? What’s the big deal about that?” They said nonchalantly.

Well, I had them all crowd around the microwave, despite their lackluster attitudes.

Within a minute, everyone had forgotten all about their lack of enthusiasm as their eyes were popping out with what the soap had turned into in the microwave.

They started begging me if they could please play with it — and they had so much fun breaking off pieces and being fascinated with the transformation of a simple bar of soap.

Did you do something fun and frugal as a family today? If you blogged about it, I’d love for you to leave a link to your blog post below. Or, you can just tell us what you did in the comments.

Note: Since the purpose of this series is to encourage you to be intentional about fun in your home this summer, please only link up posts showing pictures/sharing details of fun things you did as a family today (or within the last few days). Posts that do not adhere to these guidelines will be deleted in order to make it fair for those who are putting forth a lot of effort to participate in this challenge.

Shared Jul 9, 2012 comment

This week’s menu plan

Published: by Crystal Paine on July 9, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

A batch of Easy Dinner Rolls I made recently. I made the dough up the night before and then baked the rolls before breakfast so that it wouldn’t heat up the house too much!

We’re focusing on eating up all the produce and everything fresh we have in our house this week since we’re going to family camp in Texas next week.

Breakfasts

Oatmeal
Cereal
Strawberry Lassi
Scrambled eggs, toast, fruit
Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes

Lunches

Snack-y lunch
Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches from the freezer x 2, veggies, apple slices
Leftovers x 2
Quesadillas x 2, raw veggies

Snacks

Chocolate Protein Truffles
Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes
Fruit/Veggies

Dinners

Dinner with extended family
Mixed Greens with avocado, tomatoes, chopped cheese, and salmon, fruit, rolls
Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken served over rice, fruit salad
Grilled steak, grilled sweet corn, fruit salad, Homemade Bread in the Crockpot
Crockpot Rotisserie Chicken, Homemade Bread in the Crockpot, peaches, steamed veggies
Chicken Lime Tacos, fruit salad
Dinner out

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

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

Click here to download!

Shared Jul 9, 2012 comment

10 goals for this week

Published: by Crystal Paine on July 9, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Last week’s goals:

Family/Mothering Goals

1. Finish reading Snow Treasure aloud to the children. Read a few chapters of The Missing Video (reading to Kathrynne), and read at least two chapters of Little House in the Big Woods (reading to Kaitlynn).

~~2. Continue swimming lessons for all three children.~~

3. Write a love note to Jesse.

Personal Goals

~~4. Finish reading Building Her House plus one other book.~~

~~5. Run at least five times for 45 minutes each; do weight-training program at least four days.~~

6. Listen to 2 hours of Stop Acting Rich.

7. Sleep for at least 7 hours every night.

8. Start the Choosing Gratitude 30-Day Devotional.

Home Management/DIY Projects

9. Make Homemade Wheat Thins {Once again, it was way too hot to turn on the oven and make these. Maybe I should just wait until Fall to try and tackle this project?}

Business Goals
~~10. Continue blogging the 4 Weeks of Family Fun series.~~

This week’s goals:

Family/Mothering Goals

1. Start reading Wilma Rudolph: Olympic Runner aloud to the children. Read a few chapters of The Missing Video (reading to Kathrynne), and read at least two chapters of Little House in the Big Woods (reading to Kaitlynn).

2. Have at least one playdate with friends.

3. Write a love note to Jesse.

Personal Goals

4. Finish reading Radical Together plus one other book.

5. Run at least five times for 45 minutes each; do weight-training program at least four days.

6. Finish listening to Stop Acting Rich.

7. Sleep for at least 7 hours every night.

8. Continue on with the Choosing Gratitude 30-Day Devotional.

Home Management/DIY Projects

9. Try at least two new crockpot recipes.

Business Goals

10. Continue blogging the 4 Weeks of Family Fun 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.

Shared Jul 9, 2012 comment

5 Ways to Stretch Your Clothing Budget

Published: by Crystal Paine on July 9, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

A cardigan that I upcycled from a sweater I didn’t really like

Guest post from Kristen

For me, one of the many sacrifices I’ve made while trying to stay on a budget is not spending as much to purchase clothes for myself. Instead of spending a lot on new clothes, I have been focusing on getting some “new” pieces for my wardrobe by tweaking existing items in my closet.

Here are just a few ways to save money and stretch your wardrobe, with links to projects I’ve done:

Repair, don’t replace.

Are the heels on your work shoes worn down? Did you know that you can get them replaced for about $5-10 by either purchasing new tips online, or going to a shoe repair shop? You can also replace the soles. That may be all you need to bring your shoes back to feeling like new.

If a button falls off a shirt, pick up a needle and thread and sew it back on. Holes in seams can also easily be repaired.

Work around imperfections.

If you get a hole in the elbow of a shirt, cut the sleeves to a shorter length and give them a quick hem. Do you have a skirt that fits in the waist but is just a little too short? Add a wide band of decorative fabric at the bottom. When kids get stains on clothes, or holes in places that can’t be repaired, make a cute appliqué to cover it up.

If you find yourself not wearing a pair of pants because the pockets stick out, or the waist gaps, spend a little bit of money with a tailor to have the item fitted. Many alterations cost around $10, and some you can even do yourself.

Another cardigan that I upcycled from a sweater

Re-purpose items.

Turn a men’s button-up shirt into a woman’s skirt. Sew a tank top and a skirt together to make a dress. Turn a pullover sweater into a cardigan. Shorten an ankle-length skirt to right below the knees for a fresh look.

Dress up a tired sweater or shirt.

Make flowers from fabric or felt to create a fun pin. Add ribbon trim or ruffles to the edge of a sweater. Re-work existing bows or ribbons so they are more flattering. Change the style of a sweater to update it so you’re more likely to wear it.

Pair things together differently.

Do you find yourself always wearing the same pants with the same top? Challenge yourself to mix up your wardrobe. If you need help, have a friend come over to give input. You can brainstorm new ideas together, and your friend might have a vision for a look that you never even considered.

With a little creativity, you can get some “new” items by spending little or no money!

Kristen is a wife to a great husband, and mom to a wonderful two year-old boy, and a six year-old Golden. She works as an event manager, and loves crafting in her spare time.

Shared Jul 7, 2012 comment

How I Feed My Family of 7 for $400 per Month

Published: by Crystal Paine on July 7, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Guest post from Jamerrill of Holy Spirit Led Homeschooling and FreeHomeschoolDeals

When I tell people that I feed my family of 7 for $400 per month, I usually get the crazed-eye look. I know they wonder if we live on hot dogs — no, we don’t!

Here are a few tips from my experience that may help finetune your grocery budget and feed your growing family.

Once-a-Month Grocery Shopping:

I’ve been shopping once-a-month for my family for nearly three years. My grocery costs where literally cut in half by taking this step.

If I’m not in the store then I’m not spending money. I also have a better plan laid out since I must maximize my time and resources on this one trip.

Note: You can see an example of what I buy for my once-a-month shopping trip here. You can also read some answers to Frequently Asked Questions I get about shopping once-a-month here.

Shopping at One Store:

When I shop, I often go to two or three stores, but then again, it’s just one day per month. However, depending on my schedule, I can usually feed my family for the same $400 just by sticking to one store. It may not be bulk amounts, but it’s doable.

Buying in Bulk:

I buy rice and oatmeal in 25-pound bags for a cost of $16.59 per 25-pound bag of brown rice and $15 per 25-pound bag of quick oats. I divide these large bags into gallon storage bags and stretch them to last three months.

Home Cooking:

When I left the outside workforce to stay home full-time, I quickly learned that cooking from scratch was a wonderful money-saving method. Be sure to check out Crystal’s articles on freezer cooking and cooking from scratch.

Meal Planning:

It helps me to lay out a monthly meal plan before I go once-a-month grocery shopping. Make yourself a monthly calendar and save it to reuse the following month.

I usually cook a large meal and serve it various ways over several meals. There are many other ways to meal plan. Some moms even do once-a-month cooking!

Shopping Cabinets and Pantry:

Access everything you have in your pantry before giving in to the urge to run to the store. If you shop your pantry, you should be able to come up with a few extra meals.

Gardening & Canning:

This is the first year that we’ve made a large garden; I plan to teach myself how to can as well. I can’t wait to see the additional savings this gives our family.

I’m sure many of you garden and can fruits, vegetables, and jellies. I’d love to hear your tips and cost savings in the comments.

Coupons:

I’m still learning this one. I wonder how much more I could save by couponing, furthermore how many extras I could stock up on?

As I’m able, I page through the coupon information here on MoneySavingMom.com, slowly learning this skill. At this point, even without couponing my pantry and freezers are full!

What are your best ways to save on your monthly grocery bill?

Jamerrill Stewart‘s passion is to help families afford the homeschool life. She offers free stuff, goodies, and bargains daily for this purpose at FreeHomeschoolDeals.com. Join Jamerrill and her family as they live the life of faith at HolySpiritLedHomeschooling.net

Shared Jul 6, 2012 comment

Homemade Hawaiian Pizza Recipe

Published: by Crystal Paine on July 6, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Looking for an easy weeknight meal the whole family will love? Try Hawaiian pizza!

I whipped up some Hawaiian Pizza on Sunday, inspired by this recipe. It was a fantastic success — at least according to my family!

Since I used homemade pizza dough from my freezer, I literally had this in the oven in minutes.

And judging by the enthusiastic responses from my family, you would have thought that I had spent hours slaving in the kitchen.

The crust puffed up a little weird (I think maybe because I had let the thawed pizza dough sit in the fridge for a few days?), but no one seemed to care since it tasted so good!

Ingredients for Hawaiian Pizza

1 homemade frozen pizza crust, thawed
1/3 to 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
1/2 cup cooked ham, chopped
1/2 cup canned pineapple chunks (or fresh pineapple chopped into chunks)
1/8 to 1/4 cup green onions, finely chopped
2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I used white cheddar. I think mozzarella or Monterey Jack would also be delicious.)

How to Make Hawaiian Pizza

1. Preheat oven to 500ºF.

2. Roll out pizza dough onto a greased pizza pan or jelly roll pan.

3. Sprinkle the rest of the ingredients onto the pizza dough. If you prefer, you can sprinkle the cilantro on after you bake the pizza.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until crust is lightly browned. Or, if you want to keep your house cool on a hot summer day, you can bake the pizza on the grill per the instructions here.

Recipe

Homemade Hawaiian Pizza

Author Crystal Paine

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 10

Ingredients

1 homemade frozen pizza crust thawed
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
1/2 cup cooked ham chopped
1/2 cup pineapple chunks
1/8 cup green onions finely chopped
2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro chopped
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese I used white cheddar. I think mozzarella or Monterey Jack would also be delicious.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 500ºF.
Roll out pizza dough onto a greased pizza pan or jelly roll pan.
Sprinkle the rest of the ingredients onto the pizza dough. If you prefer, you can sprinkle the cilantro on after you bake the pizza.
Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until crust is lightly browned.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Cheeky Kitchen. See the original recipe for some other topping ideas.

Nutrition

Love this recipe?

Make sure to share and save it on your favorite platform below!

Pin Recipe

Shared Jul 6, 2012 comment

Milford Man Pays Off Mortgage With 800 Pounds of Pennies

Published: by Crystal Paine on July 6, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Here’s a little bit of a humorous way to pay off your mortgage:

BOSTON (CBS) – He says it became an obsession, but a 35-year-old dream became a reality for a Milford man as he paid off his mortgage with pennies.

“It started out as a joke,” says Thomas Daigle. “I said I’m going to pay the last mortgage payment off on this place in pennies.”

Read the full article.

This man gives a whole new meaning to the phrase “every penny counts”!

Thanks to SarahMae for passing along this article.

photo credit

2hr Cleaning Checklist

2hr Cleaning Checklist

FREE DOWNLOAD: 2-Hour Cleaning Checklist!

Peanut Butter Freezer Fudge

1. Name Three Things

2. Be Specific

3. Put it in Writing

4. Play the Gratitude Game

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

Breakfasts

Lunches

Snacks

Dinners

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

Repair, don’t replace.

Work around imperfections.

Re-purpose items.

Dress up a tired sweater or shirt.

Pair things together differently.

Once-a-Month Grocery Shopping:

Shopping at One Store:

Buying in Bulk:

Home Cooking:

Meal Planning:

Shopping Cabinets and Pantry:

Gardening & Canning:

Coupons:

Ingredients for Hawaiian Pizza

How to Make Hawaiian Pizza

Homemade Hawaiian Pizza

Ingredients 1x2x3x

Instructions

Notes

Nutrition

Love this recipe?

FREE One Week Menu Plan!

Footer

Sign up for myHot Deals Newsletter

Ingredients