MotherhoodOnADime.com shows you how to make a homemade Freezer Cooking Gift Basket.
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.
Summer Bucket List
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Early to Rise Challenge: Begin Your Day With Prayer
Welcome to the Early to Rise Challenge! Throughout the month of March, I’m challenging myself and my readers to make the most of their mornings. So every week day morning at 9 a.m. EST, I’m posting a short Early to Rise post. I’ll share a few of my thoughts on the day’s passage from Early to Rise, tell you what time I got up that morning, and encourage you to leave a comment to tell us what time you got up and how you’re doing on the challenge.
Begin Your Day With Prayer
One of my favorite parts of adopting an Early to Rise lifestyle is that I begin my day with quiet time. This is time when I read my Bible (I’m currently reading through the Bible, so I read a few chapters every day), write in my Gratitude Journal, and pray. It’s a time when I fill up my soul to give me energy and encouragement for the day.
This time is so important for the success of my day. It lays a foundation for my entire day — and on the days when I get up late and don’t get to spend that quality time reading the Bible and praying, I miss it so much. Plus, my whole day just feels rushed and “off”.
Can I encourage you to take time every morning to be quiet? To fill your soul up? To reflect on your blessings? If you’re a Christian, I especially encourage you to start your day with prayer and reading God’s Word — even if it’s just a few verses. It’s the best way to begin a successful day!
What Time Did You Get Up This Morning?
My husband had to work until 9 p.m. last night, so I stayed up until 10 p.m. and skipped my crazy-early morning wake-up time. It cracked me up how late 10 p.m. felt like last night — and how quickly we can retrain our perspective!
What time did you get up? Leave a comment and let us know!
Join in the Chatter!
Want to blog about this challenge? If you’re blogging through this challenge with me, be sure to leave your link to your direct post for today below. Plus, if you’d like to post your daily posts to the Early to Rise Group Board on my Pinterest page, just shoot me an email (moneysavingmom @ gmail dot com) and I’ll invite you.
Want to follow along on Twitter or Instagram? Each week day morning on my Facebook Page, my Twitter account, and my Instagram account, I’ll be posting a picture of my alarm clock as public accountability. I’d love to have you do the same or join in the discussion on Twitter and Instagram. Just follow hashtag #EarlytoRise to see what others are tweeting and Instagramming about this challenge!
Shared Mar 27, 2013
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52 Different Ways to Save $100 Per Year: Become Best Friends With Your Freezer {Week 12}
52 Different Ways to Save $100 Per Year: Become Best Friends With Your Freezer {Week 12}
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.
I have saved a tremendous amount of money over the years by using just about every nook and cranny of my freezer space. I use my freezer to store extras of great marked-down deals I find at the grocery store. I use my freezer to freeze almost-expiring groceries (such as milk) so that I’m able to save it to use later. And, as you all well know, I use my freezer to bake and cook food to have on hand for busy days.
There’s no telling how much money I save thanks to my freezer, but it is well, well over $100 each year. For those of you who want to maximize the mileage of your freezer, here are some suggestions to get you started:
1. When In Doubt, Don’t Throw It Out
If you have almost-expiring milk or bread, instead of dumping or tossing it, freeze it. You can use the milk in pancakes or waffles and you can save the bread and when you have a bag of it, make homemade croutons.
Save the bits of meat and veggies and stick them in the freezer to make soup or homemade vegetable broth in the crockpot.
2. Check Your Freezer When Planning Your Menu
It’s important that you don’t just freeze stuff, but that you also regularly use the stuff in your freezer. Otherwise, it’s kind of pointless to mess with freezing things!
I consult my freezer when planning my menu as there are often things in there that I’ve forgotten I had. You can use the ingredient search feature on AllRecipes.com to help you find menu inspiration for what you already have on hand.
3. Take An Hour Each Week to Prep Food For Your Freezer
Having food at-the-ready in my freezer has been such a huge help — and it’s saved us countless trips through the drive-thru lane, too. It’s not hard to make eating at home a priority when you already have food prepped in the freezer
If this idea sounds appealing but you can’t imagine finding a few hours in your schedule to actually pull off freezer cooking, consider just devoting 30 minutes to an hour on the weekends to baking and cooking ahead. Every little bit helps. (See some of my one-hour freezer cooking sessions here.)
You can also double meals you’re already making and serve one for dinner and stick the other in the freezer. It doesn’t take much more time now and will save you a lot of time later — plus, you won’t have to do dishes!
Do I Need to Get a Deep Freeze In Order to Save Money?
A deep freeze is wonderful, but I don’t recommend investing in one until you are absolutely sure you will use it. Use every single inch of your over-the-fridge first before looking to invest in a deep freeze.
And by the way, you can fit a lot into your over-the-fridge freezer. Here’s picture proof. Also, if you freeze things flat in freezer bags, you can turn them sideways and store them like file folders to save space
Does the Cost of Running a Freezer Outweigh the Savings?
Trent from The Simple Dollar did extensive analysis and he concluded that it costs about $11 per month to run a deep freeze. So in order to actually save money with a deep freeze and make it worth it, be sure you’re saving at least $25 per month by running your deep freeze. If it’s primarily empty, move what’s in it to your over-the-fridge freezer and unplug it!
Simple Things You Can Prep Ahead and Stick in the Freezer
Bananas
We peel, chop, and freeze bananas that are too ripe to use in smoothies. You can also peel them and freeze them whole to use in banana bread or muffins.
Shredded Carrots
If you make carrot muffins on a regular basis, it’s much more efficient to shred a big batch of shredded carrots all at once. Just divide into one-cup baggies and store in a freezer bag to use as needed.
Chicken
Cooking up chicken and then chopping and freezing it can save you a lot of time in meal preparation later. I like to bake my chicken breasts, as they seem to be a lot more moist that way. You can see how I do it here.
You can use the chopped chicken in homemade pizza, chicken casseroles, to sprinkle on salads, to throw into soups, or to just eat plain–as my children love to do!
Ground Beef
Having pre-browned ground beef in the freezer to stick in soups, on pizza, or put in casseroles is a big time-saver. Or, you can do what I often do and go ahead and just add onions, beans, and taco seasoning to the meat to make taco meat. You can always use the taco meat in soups or chili, if need be.
Baking Mixes
Do you make pancakes, waffles, or muffins on a regular basis? Save yourself some of the prep time by mixing up a quadruple batch of the dry ingredients and then portioning them into freezer bags.
Freezer-Friendly Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies
Cookie Dough
Most cookie doughs can be made ahead and then frozen for later use. You can rolls the dough into balls to freeze, freeze it in logs, or freeze the dough in a tub and scoop it out to use. The only issue is that you might want to hide it at the bottom of the freezer–especially if you actually want to be able to make any Chocolate Chip Cookies with the dough! 🙂
Recommended Freezer Cooking Links:
Crockpot Freezer Cooking Recipes
9 Tips to Simplify Freezer Cooking
A Beginner’s Guide to Freezer Cooking
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Do you have a deep freeze? How do you save money by using your freezer?
Homemade French Bread Success {Yay — finally!}
Armed with your wise advice on my French Bread Flop post, I set out again to attempt Homemade French Bread.
This time I used The Frugal Girl’s French Bread recipe.
I figured that if many, many of you recommended it, I should give that one a shot. It probably took me 15 minutes tops to mix, knead, and shape the dough.
Most of the time this recipe requires is just waiting for it to rise.
I actually did an egg wash this time… aren’t you all so proud of me?! 😉
I was a wee bit excited with how it turned out. It was so good!
It’s amazing what happens when you find a good recipe and actually follow it. Ahem.
Find the recipe I used here: The Frugal Girl’s Homemade French Bread.
5 Ways to Keep Your Sanity with a Newborn
Guest post from Kelly of Exceptionally Average
I’ve enjoyed reading many of the posts bloggers have been sharing about rising early during this month’s Early to Rise challenge, and I have read most of them at quite an early hour. However, I have been going back to bed as soon as possible afterward.
Why?
Not because I’m lazy, but because I have a new baby. I’ve traveled this road through Newborn Land once before, so this time I haven’t struggled as much about wishing I had my life more together, because I know that season will return again soon enough.
However, just knowing and believing doesn’t always ward off the negative feelings that appear when sleep deprivation and spit up replace routine and order.
I was inspired to come up with my own manifesto for all of us moms of babies after reading Crystal’s and Ann’s. I hope you find encouragement in it if you find yourself up at 12:30, 2:00, 4:00, and/or 6:00 in the morning with your little bundle.
1. Embrace grace.
You must do this. It’s sometimes easy to think you are the one who has it together when you’re living life without a baby.
Now that baby is here, acknowledge that she is God’s way of reminding you it’s only through Him that you can accomplish anything, let alone great things.
Meanwhile, don’t get embarrassed when you’re forgetful and unable to to keep up with the fast-paced world outside. Instead, thank God for the respite He’s giving you.
2. Hold that baby.
Soak up the beautiful simplicity of these days — savor the new baby smells, memorize the feeling of the cuddles, study the eyes taking in the world for the first time, and smile at a face that adores you and depends on you like no one else in the world does at this moment.
Soon enough, that baby will be crawling, toddling, and then running around when you’d rather take a few minutes to snuggle.
3. Spend five minutes filling your soul.
Maybe it’s just one minute some days with a solitary verse in the Bible, but do it.
This isn’t the time to study profound books on theology, but it’s a perfect time to admit your need for God’s strength…especially on those days following the nights where you only get an hour or two of sleep.
On those days, I seem to read my solitary verse a dozen times just so my brain can make sense of it. Doesn’t that count as meditating on it? 🙂
4. Set one attainable goal a day.
For the first week or so, my goal was to survive and feed the baby. Now that my little one has a couple of months on her, I can choose things like complete a load of laundry, including putting the clothes away.
I’m making it a point to take this time in my life to dream and plan. It’s crucial for my sanity to be slow in adding responsibilities back into my routine. The extra time to think ahead has made me want to get busy too quickly sometimes, and the needs of my kids bring me back to reality when I start getting ahead of myself.
5. Don’t get discouraged.
When you start to feel discouraged, remember that you are rising early, sometimes multiple times.
Give yourself a break and be sure to implement rest into your day. If you find yourself getting out of bed at 10 a.m. and dreaming of an afternoon nap, don’t sweat it. The time for routines and online challenges will come again, meanwhile enjoy this time holding your baby.
Related: How can I be organized when I have a toddler and a baby?
What advice do the rest of you have for moms of newborns or women who are in particularly busy and exhausting seasons of life?
Kelly is a stay-at-home mom who is passionate about encouraging others to join her in embracing confidence in the average, day-to-day ministry of motherhood, marriage, and friendship. She blogs at Exceptionally Average.
Breaking Up With Automatic Mode: The Spaghetti Shots ebook
Do you have a nicer camera but you don’t feel comfortable shooting in anything but auto mode? I know the feeling.
I’ve wanted to try to learn how to shoot in manual mode, but even just the words like aperture, ISO, f-stop, and shutter speed seem complicated to me. So I’ve mostly stuck with automatic mode.
However, after reading 10 pages of The Spaghetti Shots ebook this morning while I was on the treadmill, I was totally inspired to break up with automatic mode and actually get brave and experiment with manual. In fact, I wanted to jump off the treadmill and bust out the camera right them! 🙂
Courtney writes in a way that is very easy to understand. She uses lots of photos to show you exactly what she means and how you can do it on your camera, too. And she manages to take a fairly technical subject (settings on your camera) and make it fun and interesting.
I can’t wait to read the rest of her ebook. But I didn’t want to wait to tell you about it because she just launched it today and she’s offering it for the discounted price of $2.99 through March 29, 2013.
By the way, if you have a chance, go check out Courtney’s blog. Her pictures and story of her daughter, Brenna, who was born with a rare genetic skin disorder are absolutely priceless.
Early to Rise Challenge: Turn Frustrations to Gratitude
Welcome to the Early to Rise Challenge! Throughout the month of March, I’m challenging myself and my readers to make the most of their mornings. So every week day morning at 9 a.m. EST, I’m posting a short Early to Rise post. I’ll share a few of my thoughts on the day’s passage from Early to Rise, tell you what time I got up that morning, and encourage you to leave a comment to tell us what time you got up and how you’re doing on the challenge.
Turn Frustrations to Gratitude
One of the most important things to be successful in the Early to Rise challenge and use your mornings well is to wake up with a cheerful attitude. Maybe that cheerful attitude isn’t right as your feet hit the floor, but hopefully soon thereafter, you feel invigorated and excited about the day before you.
Joy fuels our energy. The more positive we can be about life, the more energy we’ll have. And the more energy we have, means the more productivity we have.
If you wake up frustrated by a situation, it’s hard to be joyful and positive. But life is full of frustrations and disappointments, so it’s only natural that we’re going to encounter them.
How you respond to frustrations will either make or break your day. As I often say, you can’t always change your circumstances, but you can always choose your attitude.
So today, if you are feeling frustrated or discouraged about something, challenge yourself to choose a good attitude. Choose to focus on the blessings in your life. Choose to list the things that you can be thankful for in a situation. Dwell on the positive, the good, the beautiful.
How can you turn your frustrations into gratitude today?
What Time Did You Get Up This Morning?
Yes, it was another crazy-early morning. You can read why I’m adopting this short-term schedule here.
What time did you get up? Leave a comment and let us know!
Join in the Chatter!
Want to blog about this challenge? If you’re blogging through this challenge with me, be sure to leave your link to your direct post for today below. Plus, if you’d like to post your daily posts to the Early to Rise Group Board on my Pinterest page, just shoot me an email (moneysavingmom @ gmail dot com) and I’ll invite you.
Want to follow along on Twitter or Instagram? Each week day morning on my Facebook Page, my Twitter account, and my Instagram account, I’ll be posting a picture of my alarm clock as public accountability. I’d love to have you do the same or join in the discussion on Twitter and Instagram. Just follow hashtag #EarlytoRise to see what others are tweeting and Instagramming about this challenge!
Shared Mar 26, 2013
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Pinterest Experiment: Baked Oven Fries (oh-so-time-consuming and oh-so-good!)
Pinterest Experiment: Baked Oven Fries (oh-so-time-consuming and oh-so-good!)
I find a lot of great ideas on Pinterest… but pinning something doesn’t do anything unless I actually, you know, try the idea. So I thought it’d be fun to challenge myself to do at least one Pinterest experiment every week — and blog my results.
I can’t promise that I’ll always have a Pinterest Experiment post up each week, because you know how I sometimes get distracted or on blog tangents. 🙂 But I’m at least going to try. By the way, you can follow my Pinterest account here, if you’re interested.
I found this recipe for Baked Oven Fries on Pinterest. And since I’d gotten a great deal on potatoes recently, I had to try it.
The actual recipe was a little bit more time-consuming than I was envisioning. {I don’t know why I always picture whipping up things like this in less than 10 minutes.}
Truthfully, when I was making these, I was thinking to myself, “Why did I want to try this recipe??”
And without even finishing the recipe or tasting these fries, I decided I was not going to be making this recipe again. It’s just way too many steps for a cook like me who prefers 5-minute recipes whenever possible.
But I persevered and I’m so glad I did. Because we loved the finished product. Jesse was thoroughly impressed that I’d made French Fries from scratch (sadly, yes, I think this was a first for me!) and he proclaimed them very, very good.
So now, I’m kind of torn on my verdict. I mean, I really was hoping that they weren’t very good. But now that I know that they are, I’m not so sure that I’m going to say I’ll never made them again.
However, if any of you have an easier homemade French Fries recipe that is equally amazing that you want to send my way, I will love you for it.
Want to see what ideas I’m thinking of trying next? Check out my Recipes I Want to Try board and my Do It Yourself board for things I’m considering trying next.
Have you tried any ideas or recipes you’ve found on Pinterest this week? If so, how did they turn out for you?
Ask Jesse: Where should we put our tax refund money?
Today’s question is from Jessica:
Jesse,
We recently moved into a home that needs work, we also received money from our tax refund and do not want to blow through this. Where should we put our money that will draw interest and be able to access if needed? This is the first time we will actually be able to save our tax refund instead of using it on our home taxes as our mortgage now is all included. -Jessica
Hi Jessica, getting a tax refund always feels good. Like you said, it is important not to blow through it and later find you could have used it more wisely instead of buying that big new toy you’ve always dreamed about.
If I were in your shoes, I would make sure our emergency fund is built up to what we would need should all other sources of income shut off for six months, especially if you are looking at making some sizable repairs to your house in the future that could be a drain on any excess income you have coming in.
I have always used either a money market account at our local bank or an online account that ties to my local bank that I could easily get to if needed for emergency fund and other savings. The reason was solely for the ease of access.
I never really took the interest rate into account (except for the fact that it was higher than the usual savings account) because quick access to me outweighed the return I would get due to interest because the account was not set up for long-term use, other than the emergency fund.
Jesse Paine is a licensed attorney who owns his own law firm. He’s married to Crystal and is the numbers nerd of the MoneySavingMom.com team! If you have a question you’d like him to answer in a future column, you can submit it here.
The content of this column intended for informational use only and is not to be construed as providing legal, investing, accounting, or other professional advice. Your situation is factually specific and you should accordingly seek qualified professional counsel concerning your specific legal, investing or accounting needs.
Do It Yourself: Pretty Fabric Flower Tutorial
CreativeSavingsBlog.com shows you how to make these pretty fabric flowers.
OVER-SPENDING EVERY SINGLE MONTH?Grab these FREE Budgeting Sheets!
Click here to download!
Early to Rise Challenge: You’re Not Alone
Welcome to the Early to Rise Challenge! Throughout the month of March, I’m challenging myself and my readers to make the most of their mornings. So every week day morning at 9 a.m. EST, I’m posting a short Early to Rise post. I’ll share a few of my thoughts on the day’s passage from Early to Rise, tell you what time I got up that morning, and encourage you to leave a comment to tell us what time you got up and how you’re doing on the challenge.
You’re Not Alone
If you’re feeling alone in this Early to Rise challenge, today’s post is for you.
It’s hard to go against the flow. It’s difficult to feel like you’re the only one doing something, the only one who cares enough to make changes in your life.
But I promise that it’s worth it. Even if most of your friends think that you’re crazy for trying to live on less than you make, pay off debt, set goals, and/or get up early, do not let that deter you.
And know that you’re not alone. There are thousands of us out there who are with you in this. We’re all struggling along in our own way, but we “get” you.We understand that you want something more than the status quo and we wholeheartedly agree with you.
So keep pressing forward. Don’t give up. Keep looking for fellow comrades who get your “weirdness” and who aren’t afraid to support you — or even join you. They are out there, it just might take you a little while to find them!
Do you feel alone in this challenge — or just alone in your life and goals in general? If so, would you do me a favor and leave a comment on this post or email me directly. I’d love to take a minute to write and encourage you to let you know that we’re cheering for you.
And if you are looking for an online accountability partner, leave a comment, too, and maybe someone here can link up with you to be your accountability partner and encourager!
What Time Did You Get Up This Morning?
Yes, it was another crazy-early morning. You can read why I’m adopting this short-term schedule here.
What time did you get up? Leave a comment and let us know!
Join in the Chatter!
Want to blog about this challenge? If you’re blogging through this challenge with me, be sure to leave your link to your direct post for today below. Plus, if you’d like to post your daily posts to the Early to Rise Group Board on my Pinterest page, just shoot me an email (moneysavingmom @ gmail dot com) and I’ll invite you.
Want to follow along on Twitter or Instagram? Each week day morning on my Facebook Page, my Twitter account, and my Instagram account, I’ll be posting a picture of my alarm clock as public accountability. I’d love to have you do the same or join in the discussion on Twitter and Instagram. Just follow hashtag #EarlytoRise to see what others are tweeting and Instagramming about this challenge!
Shared Mar 25, 2013
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11 Things You Can Do Tonight to Set You Up for Success Tomorrow (free printable)
11 Things You Can Do Tonight to Set You Up for Success Tomorrow (free printable)
This free subway art printable would be perfect to print and hang in your bathroom, bedroom, or on your refrigerator to remind you to kick off your morning well.
Click to download the free printable.
Be sure to also print the 17 Ways to Set Your Morning Up for Success printable, too.
10 goals for this week
Well, last week was a good week, but I sorta bombed my goals. I did get a lot of reading aloud done with the kids, we had a great homeschool week, and Jesse and I had a great time at the Killer Tribes Conference. So I guess that’s gotta count for something, even if my goals list doesn’t look too impressive. 🙂
Last week’s goals:
Family/Marriage/Mothering Goals
1. Finish Vinegar Boy: Encounter Christ Through the Dramatic Story of Vinegar Boyaloud at lunch. Read four chapters of More About Paddington with Kathrynne, read four chapters of Life With Lily with Kaitlynn, read three chapters of The Adventure of Laura and Jack to Silas.
2. Write a love note to Jesse.
Personal Goals
3. Memorize Romans 1:9-10.
4. Exercise five times.
5. Continue with the Early to Rise Challenge.6. Finish reading Uneclipsing the Son, A Charlotte Mason Education, Sleep: It Does a Family Good, and The Chance.
Homemaking Goals
7. Do a Freezer Cooking in an Hour session.8. Work on embroidery project.
Business Goals
9. Go to Atlanta and speak at the Killer Tribes Conference.10. Finish updating the recipes for our new recipe page launch.
This week’s goals:
Family/Marriage/Mothering Goals
1.
2. Write a love note to Jesse.
Personal Goals
3. Memorize Romans 1:9-10.
4. Exercise five times.
5. Finish the Early to Rise Challenge.
6. Finish reading Uneclipsing the Son, A Charlotte Mason Education, Sleep: It Does a Family Good, and The Chance.
7. Follow my planned early to bed, early to rise schedule.
Homemaking Goals
8. Do a Freezer Cooking in an Hour session.
9. Work on embroidery project.
Business Goals
10. Get three chapters of my book edited per my editor’s suggestions.
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.
This week’s menu plan
I’m keeping things simple food-wise here this week in order to streamline and focus on editing.
Breakfasts
Oatmeal, Cereal, Eggs, and/or Fruit
Lunches
Mac & cheese, fruit
Snack-y lunch
PB&J, carrot sticks, apples
Cheese quesadillas, carrot sticks
Pancakes, eggs, fruit
Leftovers x 2
Making Slow Cooker Lentil & Black Bean Soup
Snacks
Fruit/veggies
Popcorn
Quinoa CookiesFreezer Cooking in an Hour (stay tuned on Thursday when I’ll share a play-by-play on how this goes!)
Whole Wheat Blender Pancakes
Crusty Baguettes
Quinoa Cookies
Freezer-Friendly Bean & Cheese Burritos
Dinners
Dinner with extended family
Slow Cooker Lentil & Black Bean Soup, Pull Apart Oat Rolls, fruit
Black Bean & Corn-Topped Potatoes, fruit, tossed salad
Whole Wheat Blender Pancakes, scrambled eggs, fruit
Bean & Cheese Burritos, fruit, veggies
Dinner with extended family
Dinner out
What’s on your menu this week? Share details and/or your link to your menu plan in the comments.
My Year of Kindness Challenge
Guest post from Dallas of Day-by-Day Masterpiece
In December 2012, I read The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin and 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker. Both books inspired me greatly, and I spent a lot of time thinking about how to be a better person.
How could I give more, do more, brighten more, serve more? And then the Sandy Hook tragedy occurred, and I mourned with the rest of our nation.
In my shock and grief, three questions kept rising to the forefront of my thoughts, refusing to be ignored:
- How can I refocus and remember what truly matters?
- How can I bring more love and joy to others?
- How can I use my blessings to make a difference for others?
I want to be grateful and I want to be joyful; and in my experience, the best way to do so is to give gratefully and joyfully to others. I want to work on stepping outside myself {my petty grievances, my small problems, my unhelpful worries} and focus on the people and neighbors and global community around me.
So on the first week of January 2013, I started my “Year of Kindness Challenge” by pledging to do a random act of kindness for every week of the year. Some examples of kind acts I’ve done so far include:
- donating canned goods to a food pantry
- giving hot chocolate to someone out in the cold
- writing and mailing a kind note
- delivering Valentines to a nursing home.
- baking cookies for a neighbor
- leaving quarters on Laundromat washers & dryers
As a newly engaged graduate student trying to save money for my wedding, I knew when I started this challenge that I would not have much money to spare. So I am intentionally choosing every kind act to be inexpensive — some are even free! Also, they all take a short amount of time, so they can easily fit into a busy schedule.
What I’ve learned…
You do not need a lot of money to brighten the lives of those around you. Nor does it take much money to brighten your own life.
All you really need is a kind and open heart, a little creativity, and the willingness to make a positive difference. Who knows the ripple effects of kindness that will spread from your kind acts?
It’s very rewarding to keep track and reflect on acts of kindness – both the kind acts you do and the kindnesses others do for you. Chronicling my experiences on my blog every week has been a wonderful way to relive the joy of the kind act I did that week, and it’s also made me feel more aware and grateful for all the blessings in my life.
Whether it’s a sweet note I received in the mail, a door held open for me when my hands were full, or a free refill of green tea at Starbucks, taking a moment at the end of the day to write down and remember the little kindnesses I received fills my heart with contentment.
My weekly kindness challenge quickly became a priority in my life. It might only take fifteen minutes, but it undoubtedly boosts my own happiness and feelings of connection and positivity throughout the entire week.
Kindness really is contagious! The more I give, the more I want to give and give and give.
Will you join me?
Dallas Woodburn blogs about joyful, healthy living at Day-by-Day Masterpiece. She is also the author of two collections of short stories for children and teens; her latest, 3 a.m., was featured on the PBS book talk show “Between the Lines” and is available on Amazon.com. A passionate advocate for young writers and readers, Dallas is the founder of the nonprofit organization Write On! For Literacy and the publishing company Write On! Books, through which she edited and published the acclaimed anthology “Dancing With The Pen: a collection of today’s best youth writing.”