Saving Families Money Since 2007
A lot of you have been emailing in and asking how you can see my Facebook Page updates now that Facebook has stopped showing them to everyone. Well, there is a way: it’s called Interest Lists.
Amy Lynn Andrews from Blogging With Amy has a very detailed post up on How to Make Sure You Don’t Miss Facebook Updates. In her post, she explains step-by-step how to set up Interest Lists so you can start seeing all of the posts from any Facebook Page that you’d like to!
Welcome to the 4 Weeks to a More Organized Home {Simplified} series!
From November 5 to December 7 (skipping the week of Thanksgiving), every weekday morning at 9 a.m. EST, I’ll be posting the day’s assignment and then every evening at 7 p.m. EST, I’ll be posting my progress and pictures, along with a link-up for you to share your progress and pictures, too.
::Get dressed in something that makes you feel great {there’s something about dressing in clothes that make you feel great that just gives you more energy and zest for life! Get your free copy of SarahMae’s ebook, Frumps to Pumps, if you need more motivation in this.}
::Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea, refer to your list of weekly goals, and make a list of no more than 5-7 specific things you want to accomplish today.
::Set the timer for 10 minutes and remove your couch cushions and clean out any crumbs, toys, or other miscellaneous items you find. Use an attachment on your vacuum to vacuum the cushions, underneath the cushions, and all crevices of your furniture. Spot clean the fabric, if needed.
::Set the timer for at least 15 minutes and do something you really enjoy and that relaxes and rejuvenates you. If you need ideas, here are a few: read, write, call a friend, pray, exercise, bake, play with your children, laugh with your husband, stop by the bookstore and browse the book selection, work in the garden, or take a nap! Take some time to just stop and enjoy life today!
Take pictures of your accomplishments and blog about them, if you’d like. And then come back here at 7 p.m. EST to share your progress posts or tell us about your accomplishments in a comment.
What you are going to do for your 15 minute rejuvenation assignment? I’d love to hear your ideas!
If you missed this morning’s assignment, you can find it here.
Today’s To Do List. Yes, it’s very similar to yesterday’s list. It seems like my weekdays often are very similar at this point in my life, especially now that I’m homeschooling all three children — which takes up a good chunk of each day.
I love the rhythm and hum of my life right now. Each day is filled with the people and things I love the most… my family, homeschooling, writing, running, reading with my children, learning together as a family in the evenings (we do some of our homeschooling in the evenings when Jesse is home as he loves to be apart of it!), and getting to share things I’m passionate about online and via radio.
Bathroom, pre-cleaning.
By the way, don’t get white hand towels in the bathroom — even if it’s the master bathroom. Just trust me on this. It’s not a smart idea.
{By the way, if you have any brilliant ideas for keeping white hand towels looking fresh and white without resorting to bleaching them every time they are washed, I’m all ears!}
Mommy’s little helper.
Bathroom, post-cleaning. I love me a shiny sink… actually, make that two shiny sinks! 🙂
I dug under all the couches and beds and this is my loot. It’s actually nothing near as bad as last time.
But after last time’s shriveled up carrot and this time’s apple and a very shriveled up pear, I need to investigate who is hiding the remnants of their lunch underneath the couch when I’m not looking. 🙂
How you do on Day 4? I’d love to have you share your progress and success with us so we can be inspired. Either post a link to your blog post below or leave a comment with your update.
I’ve been reading your blog for years, and now have moved out of the college dorm phase into newly-married life. Now that I am actually responsible for a household, I’ve been following your blog more closely.
We are trying to come up with a workable grocery budget, but I’m having a hard time doing that and stocking my pantry at the same time. Most of the menu planning and money-saving tips include “shop your pantry” or “make do with what you already have,” but I find myself going to the store every few days because I don’t have basic staples.
Do you have any suggestions for me and for others who are just starting out? -Emily
Congratulations on your recent marriage, Emily! And I love your desire to wisely steward the money and resources you have. Way to go!
If at all possible, set aside at least $3 to $5 each week from your grocery budget to invest in buying ahead. This will be things that are at rock bottom prices and that you’ll be storing in your pantry or freezer to use later.
Typically, since you’ll be pennies on the dollar to stock up on these items, $3 to $5 will stretch pretty far. If you don’t see any really amazing deals, just “roll” your stock-up money to the following week. If I know I’m going to be investing in a larger bulk purchase, I’ll often hold off on using my stock-up money for a month or so and just let it build up so that it can cover that larger purchase.
Tip: For those of you who are new here, you can view my Stock-Up Price List here to get an idea of what prices I aim to pay. You can also download the customizable Stock-Up Price List to track the sales and deals in your area.
Set a price-point for what you’ll pay for buying ahead. Maybe say that you won’t stock up on something unless it’s something you know you’ll use in the next 1-2 months and it’s $0.25 or less.
Creating boundaries for what you can buy with your stock-up money will help you to prioritize and not get sidetracked or sucked into buying things you don’t really need. It will also help you to maximize the mileage of your grocery money.
When you’re first getting started with buying ahead, you might feel like you don’t even have enough wiggle room to devote $3 to $5 to stocking up. In that case, I recommend talking with your husband about some short-term sacrifices you could make to free up money for stocking up.
For instance, maybe you decide that you’ll have two meatless meals each week for two months, or eat oatmeal for breakfast five days per week, or give up buying a certain treat that you love for 4 weeks.
The beauty of practicing the buy ahead principle is that the more you’re able to buy your groceries for pennies on the dollar, the farther your grocery money will stretch. Making short-term sacrifices can help you build your stockpile faster, thus freeing up money to then be able to afford the occasional treat or to invest in higher quality foods.
Tip: Check out my post on How to Survive on a $30 Weekly Grocery Budget. Also, be sure to see my sample $25 Menu and Grocery List.
You’re not going to stock your pantry overnight — unless you spend an arm and a leg to do so! However, if you consistently purchase 3-10 items each week at rock bottom prices to add to your stockpile, over time, you’ll really start to see a difference in your grocery budget.
Plus, it’s so nice to not have to worry about running to the store when you run out of toothpaste or shampoo. Instead, you can just get a new tube or bottle out of your stockpile closet — and be thankful that you purchased it when it was free or almost-free!
photo courtesy of Big Stock
Welcome to the 4 Weeks to a More Organized Home {Simplified} series!
From November 5 to December 7 (skipping the week of Thanksgiving), every weekday morning at 9 a.m. EST, I’ll be posting the day’s assignment and then every evening at 7 p.m. EST, I’ll be posting my progress and pictures, along with a link-up for you to share your progress and pictures, too.
Day 4 Assignment
::Get dressed in something that makes you feel great {there’s something about dressing in clothes that make you feel great that just gives you more energy and zest for life! Get your free copy of SarahMae’s ebook, Frumps to Pumps, if you need more motivation in this.}
::Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea, refer to your list of weekly goals, and make a list of no more than 5-7 specific things you want to accomplish today.
::Set the timer for 15 minutes and do a quick-clean of your most-used bathroom (if you have more than one bathroom!). Need specific directions? Read this article on How to Clean Your Bathroom in 15 Minutes.
::Set the timer for 10 minutes and quickly clean out underneath your beds and furniture. Remove clutter and trash and put it away or throw it away. If you have more time, move the furniture (if possible) and vacuum underneath.
Take pictures of your accomplishments and blog about them, if you’d like. And then come back here at 7 p.m. EST to share your progress posts or tell us about your accomplishments in a comment.
Are you joining me today?
Welcome to our series on 31 Ways to Earn Extra Cash Before Christmas. In this series, I’m highlighting simple and legitimate ways you can earn extra cash over the next few weeks for those of you who could use a little extra cash to help you pay for Christmas — or just for your living expenses if you’re in a tight spot right now.
If you’ve found a great way to make extra cash before Christmas that doesn’t require an outlay of cash upfront, please email me your tip. I’d love to hear it and possibly share it during this series!
Guest post by Carrie Hurst at My Favorite Finds
For about four years, I have been cleaning out my closet every season with the goal of taking items to our local consignment shop. At first, I thought it was cool that I could go in there with a lot of stuff I didn’t want, maybe make a little bit of money and they would donate for me what wouldn’t sell. It was a win-win situation.
Within the last two years or so, I’ve become more serious and focused on what I take to our local consignment shop or our local kid’s consignment sale and what I donate so that I can get the best value for my time and money. Here are some ideas if you are considering consignment:
I sort our clothes (kids and adults) in three ways: a) To sell b) to donate and c) to throw out. I don’t wait until the end or beginning of a season to sort clothes into the above three categories; I do this on an ongoing basis.
I am also fairly realistic with my clothes. If I haven’t worn it at all that season or if it doesn’t fit right, I don’t keep it.
I keep a bin in my daughter’s room for things which will go to the yearly consignment sale. Anytime the kids outgrow something, or it is out of season, it goes in the bin if it’s able to be sold.
I keep a garbage bag or a big shopping bag in the laundry room for the clothes I donate to our local thrift shop. Finally, I also keep a storage bin in the laundry room for the adult clothes that I take to the consignment store.
When I walk into Worth Repeating, the local adult consignment shop I sell my extra clothes to, the lovely ladies there know me by name. They also know that I want to know what my store credit is, and they know that I’ll probably saunter through the kids’ section and probably find something. I love that.
I am also signed up for their email list and their Facebook page. That way, I know for sure when they are taking items. Since I typically have a few things sorted and ready to go, I can easily take them with me and drop them off at Worth Repeating when I’m out driving.
If I’m going to make an investment in my clothes, I’m going to get my money’s worth. That also means that when I buy something, I consider the brand and quality of the item because chances are, it’ll end up at the consignment shop in a few seasons.
This is especially true of my kids’ clothes. I have learned that the brands such as Carter’s, Gymboree, GAP, Children’s Place, etc., not only yield more at the consignment shop, they also sell faster. That doesn’t mean I pay full price at these stores — I shopped at the Children’s Place last summer and bought a few things for my daughter during their Monster Sale for $0.99. I am sure that I can easily sell those items and gain $3 at least at Worth Repeating.
Also, I don’t take the tags off of something until I know for sure my children or I am going to wear it. Clothes with tags attached yield more because they are “brand new”.
I consider if I would buy the item or not. I make sure the zippers work, the buttons are buttoned and that most of the clothes are on hangers. Not only is the consignment shop trying to make a profit, but so am I. The better condition the clothes are in, the higher they’ll price the item, making it more profit for me.
I don’t consign my items to make additional income. If I get a month’s worth of weekly Starbucks visits out of the deal, I’m happy.
I don’t like having or going to garage sales — so I have the ladies at Worth Repeating do the job for me! Thankfully, they’re honest and will tell me what will sell and what won’t and I have learned to be okay with that.
I will call them about every two weeks and ask what my store credit is. Sometimes it’s $12, sometimes it’s $30. It just varies.
When I get an email or see on Facebook that Worth Repeating is accepting items for the upcoming season, I’ll be ready within a few days to drop the bulk of my items off. I consider the fact that my items could spend a few days to possibly a week — depending how much they have to sort through and price — in the back room before it reaches the floor.
I want to get it there ASAP so that they can get it out and hopefully it can sell soon. They are on a 90-day consignment. So, after 30/60/90 days, the price is reduced.
If I take a lot of summer items in mid July — even though they’re still accepting them — more than likely I’ll get them back because they didn’t sell. Ninety days from mid-July is mid-October. By then, my items could be supremely discounted and people aren’t shopping for summer clothes anymore.
At Worth Repeating, they’ll either donate them to a worthy local cause, or they’ll give them back to you. I decide based on the group of items I have dropped off if I want them donated or returned.
Most of the time, I have the kids’ clothes returned so I can possibly sell them at the local consignment sale. I usually have the adult clothes donated.
I figure that if I didn’t want to wear it so much that I was hoping to consign it, or if it didn’t fit, I don’t want it back. But since I have a possibility of selling the kids’ clothes at the consignment sale or at the consignment store the next season, I go ahead and take them back to hopefully sell later.
As I weed out what my children will be able to wear next fall/winter, I store the out-of-season clothes in plastic bins with lids. I wash, dry and neatly fold their clothes that are going to the consignment shop next fall and put them in a stack in the basement.
I won’t remember what’s in those containers two weeks from now, let alone next fall. So, I make sure they are folded and ready to go when the season rolls around to take them to the shop.
My name is Carrie. I am a pastor’s wife, mom to twin boys and an 18-month-old daughter. I also work full-time outside of our home. I love to find ways to save money, be a better parent and a better Christian example to others. I’ve been a MSM reader/follower for over a year, and I’ve learned so much. If you have a chance, I’d love for you to visit my blog, My Favorite Finds.
Missed this morning’s assignment? Find it here.
Today’s To Do List — almost all accomplished… and I’m looking forward to the reward of enjoying a movie with Jesse tonight after the kids are in bed! 🙂
We took a quick overnight trip last night, so I had some backpacks and other paraphernalia strewn around our room when I went to clean it today.
And though you can’t see it from this photo, the carpet also was in great need of vacuuming.
All picked up and vacuumed. Much better!
The freezer wasn’t too bad. After discovering the camera lens cap in the freezer during the last 4 Weeks to a More Organized Home series, I’ve tried to be more vigilant about keeping it organized. 🙂
But I found a few things that needed to be tossed and I wiped the crumbs out of the shelves, too.
How you do on Day 3? I’d love to have you share your progress and success with us so we can be inspired. Either post a link to your blog post below or leave a comment with your update.
I had the privilege of meeting Erin from The Humbled Homemaker recently. She’s such a beautiful woman — both inside and out. Contentment and joy just radiates from her and you’d never know that she and her husband are living on a beans and rice budget.
That’s why I was so blessed to read this post from her on how they are surviving on a small income. If you are currently hoping to find a way to be a stay-at-home mom on a very small budget, I think you’ll be blessed immensely by her post. Here’s a snippet:
People often ask how I can be a stay-at-home mom when we can barely afford it.
“Rice and beans,” I tell them. “Rice and beans.”
But in all seriousness, to use the old cliche, when there is a will, there is {often} a way.
I won’t pretend it’s easy. My husband is a high school teacher (and a pretty amazing one, I might add!). He makes a true difference in the lives of his students. But the pay is slim. He gets paid the end of every month, and some months, our pantry and fridge are mostly bare those last few days.
Staying at home on a moderately low income means that when our third child was born, we decided we’d continue to live in the 2-bedroom townhouse we rent instead of paying several hundred more dollars a month for a 3-bedroom. That’s just beyond our means–and we strive to live at or below our means.
Read the full post.
If you signed up for all the free Target Beauty Bags that have been available recently, you may have a few extra Target Beauty Bags on hand. Snail Pace Transformations shares a great post with 10 Uses for Target Sample Bags.
Welcome to the 4 Weeks to a More Organized Home {Simplified} series!
From November 5 to December 7 (skipping the week of Thanksgiving), every weekday morning at 9 a.m. EST, I’ll be posting the day’s assignment and then every evening at 7 p.m. EST, I’ll be posting my progress and pictures, along with a link-up for you to share your progress and pictures, too.
Day 3 Assignment
::Get dressed in something that makes you feel great {there’s something about dressing in clothes that make you feel great that just gives you more energy and zest for life! Get your free copy of SarahMae’s ebook, Frumps to Pumps, if you need more motivation in this.}
::Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea, refer to your list of weekly goals, and make a list of no more than 5-7 specific things you want to accomplish today.
::Set the timer for 10 minutes and do a quick-clean of your bedroom: Do a quick clean-up, make your bed, and vacuum, if you have time.
::Set your timer for 10 minutes and do a quick clean-out of your freezer. If you have a deep freeze, don’t worry about cleaning it out unless you have extra time today. Have a lot of time and want some step-by-step help? Read this guide on How to Clean Out Your Freezer.
Take pictures of your accomplishments and blog about them, if you’d like. And then come back here at 6 p.m. EST to share your progress posts or tell us about your accomplishments in a comment.
Are you joining me today?
If you missed this morning’s assignment, you can read it here.
Y’all, it was a monumental day. I didn’t wear my PJ pants all day, unlike yesterday. So Kathrynne took this blurry photo to record this momentous occasion. 😉
Today’s short list of goals… I got all but one of them done and the day’s not over with yet. Woot! 🙂
I was so glad we were working in the kitchen today, because this was what I was greeted by when I walked into the kitchen this morning… apparently, a little 3-year-old who lives at my house had decided he wanted to attempt to make popcorn for breakfast! 🙂
Kitchen after clean-up
Kitchen after clean-up… now if we just don’t eat anything, it can stay like that. 😉
Fridge before being cleaned out.
And the fridge post clean-out. Not any huge changes, but I promise that it’s cleaner and more organized now, even if it doesn’t look much different. 🙂
How you do on Day 2? I’d love to have you share your progress and success with us so we can be inspired. Either post a link to your blog post below or leave a comment with your update.
I’m over at MomLife talking about saying yes to messes. Here’s a snippet of my post:
It was late Thursday afternoon. It had been a long day and I was very ready for my husband to walk in the door so I could have some back-up help with our three busy children.
Silas, my three-year-old, walked up to me with a bottle of nail polish and excitedly asked if he could paint my nails. He’s seen his girly-girl sister paint my nails before and I guess he thought it looked like something he would enjoy doing for me, as well.
I appreciated his sweet sentiment, but I could only picture nail polish splattered all over the floor, all over his clothes, and all over me. After a long day, the thought of scrubbing all that mess up was very unappealing.
Rebekah from SimplyRebekah shows you how to make a Thankful Tree. What a great idea to help everyone in your family focus on all the wonderful blessings we’ve been given!
Do you have a fun and frugal Thanksgiving DIY idea to share? I’d love to hear about it! Read the submission guidelines and submit it here.
I received this email in my inbox yesterday and I asked Michele if I could post it as I felt it was important for my readers to be aware of the needs left in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy:
I am a faithful reader of yours from northern New Jersey. Today marks our seventh day without power or heat as our area struggles to recover from the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy. We finally recovered cell service yesterday and so today I am catching up on your blog posts. It is comforting to do something “normal” during these very abnormal times.
I wanted to write with a compliment and a request. First, I had to tell you that your frugal teachings have helped my family immensely this past week. Because of couponing, freezer cooking, etc, we have had plenty to eat. This was crucial as the supermarkets are also without power.
Using our outdoor grill, we have been able to cook or reheat from our freezer and pantry stockpile, and not had to waste precious gasoline or money on faraway restaurants for our meals. We’ve eaten nutritiously and heartily thanks in part to what I have learned from you. I can only guess how much money and stress we have saved because of you.
Secondly, I would like to ask you to use your widespread readership to bring awareness to the devastation suffered in New Jersey and New York. I count myself among the fortunate, because although we have no power, heat, or hot water, our home was not damaged and we have warm clothing to protect us from the cold.
Many have not been so lucky and are displaced to shelters throughout the region. Unfortunately, they will be displaced for many months as they repair or rebuild their homes and lives.
Could you ask your readers to lend their support and prayers? The Red Cross, United Way and many other organizations have been working tirelessly to help our communities.
Any donations of money, supplies, and time will be so appreciated by everyone here. Crystal, on behalf of your NJ and NY followers–we are thankful for you!
Sincerely, Michele (Hopatcong, NJ)
Note from Crystal: If you want to donate, be sure to check out this post with how you can donate to the American Red Cross through Swagbucks. For other ways to donate, check out this post on my Facebook Page.
