Saving Families Money Since 2007
Here are the freebies that arrived in my mailbox this past week:
Free Pampers Baby Kit
Coupon for a free cup of Yoplait Yogurt
Free Seattle’s Best Coffee sample
Free Bigelow tea sample
What freebies have arrived in your mailbox this week?
By the way, if you want to start getting great freebies in your mailbox, just start signing up for the freebies I post every day that interest you. Within 4-6 weeks, your mailbox will start filling up with great freebies!
Reader testimonial from Johanna
Several times in the past, when I try to make positive changes in my life, I tend to bite off more than I can chew. However, thanks to Crystal’s blog, over the last 12 months I’ve started simplifying and instead, making one small change at a time. I have seen the Lord bless many areas of my life by committing my work to Him, no matter how big or small.
Recently, I made a small change in my spiritual life: pray early in the morning before I do anything else.
I felt the Lord leading me to get up early before the kids wake up and spend time alone with Him. I dragged my feet for a few months, but then I knew I was only hurting myself if I did not humbly obey my loving Lord.
For the last few weeks I have been choosing to pray before I do anything else in the morning, even if it is only five minutes before my children wake up. Talking with the Lord in the early morning has filled my heart with joy. I am glad I was finally obedient. What a difference praying with Him every morning makes!
The second small change I made recently might sound silly, especially since I am a grown adult, but here it is: making my bed daily. Okay, you can laugh now, but this has been a bad habit of mine for almost 14 years, ever since I’ve been married.
For much of my married life I have struggled with making our bed and keeping my part of the bedroom clean. Even though I kept the rest of our house clean, I struggled with keeping my own bedroom clean. I chose to believe that if the rest of the house was clean, then I can have a messy bedroom.
That is when I decided to intentionally make the small change of making my bed daily. Once I saw how nice the bed looked all made up, I wanted my entire bedroom to look nice, as well!
Not only did my bedroom look great, but my husband was thrilled about it, and I liked how it made me feel. It’s been a month now, and I still enjoy walking into my bedroom and seeing my beautifully made bed with a clean bedroom everyday.
It only takes me sixty seconds to make my bed. I am not sure about you, but sixty seconds is worth the reward of how I feel with a nicely made bed.
I hope this inspires you, like Crystal inspired me, no matter how small of a change you desire. Success is difficult to be achieved unless we take one step at a time. Keep it simple, and make one small change.
Johanna Henderson is first and foremost a lover of Jesus Christ. She is happily married to her husband of almost 14 years and is a mother to three incredible boys. Johanna is a graphic designer and marketing consultant. She enjoys writing, co-leading their church Teen Group and Women’s Bible Studies Group.
Recently, someone asked me what I would counsel them to consider before starting a home business. As I thought about this, I came up with five questions I think everyone should ask themselves before they start a business (or blog):
If you want to be successful, your business idea must be your own. It can’t be a great idea that someone else told you that you should do.
It needs to be your brainchild, something you are wholeheartedly excited about and in love with. Because, believe me, you’re going to need that passion on those long and hard days when you feel like giving up.
I’ll never forget an email I received a few years back. It was someone I’d never heard from before and it came very out of the blue. They told me they wanted to start a website, but they couldn’t come up with a name. They said that they figured I probably had some good name ideas so could I please tell them what I thought they should name their website.
While I love helping budding entrepreneurs and try to answer as many questions emailed into me as I can, I knew that it would just be wasting my time to give this individual a name for their site. Why? Because they didn’t appear willing to work hard to see their idea succeed.
If they had emailed in with a list of ideas of possible names and a succinct vision for their site, I would have done my best to respond and give input. Instead, they wanted me to tell them my idea so they could use it.
If you’re wanting someone else to give you a big leg up with getting a business started, I can almost guarantee you that you’re not going to be successful. Because successful business owners take initiative. They are out there putting in the back-breaking personal effort to make things happen. They aren’t expecting someone else to spoon-feed them their success.
When I was recently putting together my book proposal for the book I’m currently writing, one of the exercises I did was actually create a fictitious person in my mind that this book was written for. I didn’t go so far as creating an actual name for her, but I wrote down how old she was, what her personality was, how many children she had, and more. This might seem a little over-the-top, but it really helped me to solidify in my mind who I was writing for, once I’d created a sort of face for my audience.
Before you can create a marketing plan or a vision for your business, you need to have a good idea of who you are trying to reach out to. Because you’ll want to take a completely different approach if you’re trying to reach teen guys versus middle-aged moms.
I believe strongly that you should never go into debt to start a business. Otherwise, you’re beginning with a noose around your neck.
If you don’t have the money needed for the start-up costs, I suggest that you either go back to the drawing board and downsize your idea, or that you save aggressively for six months or more in order to have the cash necessary to cover all of the start-up costs. Ideally, you’ll want to be able to cover the first three to six months’ worth of costs with your savings, without even making a dime of profit.
Not only will this cushion relieve a lot of stress that is often involved with starting a business, it will also allow you to invest some or all of your initial profits back into the business. This will give you an even stronger foundation for your business.
Most people are so eager to jump ahead and start the business that they don’t take enough time to really do their research. I recommend that you read at least 10-20 business-related books (here are 7 books I recommend that all work-at-home moms read) before you start a business. These will help you shape your business from the get-go and will also cause you to analyze your plan and preparations to make sure things are solid.
I also recommend that you talk to every person you know who has started a business or who works in the field or industry you’re wanting to go into. Tell them about your business idea, ask them for input, and pick their brain on the lessons they’ve learned along the way. This counsel could prove invaluable. Truly, every great idea I’ve ever come up with has been initially sparked by something I read or someone I talked to.
Once you’ve begun your business, don’t stop reading and growing as a person and a business owner. Challenge yourself to read at least one new business or leadership book every month, subscribe to a magazine like Inc., follow blogs like MichaelHyatt.com, and listen to podcasts like the EntreLeadership podcast. Always be experimenting with new ideas and never allow yourself to grow stagnant or content with the status quo.
If you jump out there and start new things, you are going to fail at least some of the time. Expect to succeed, but willingly accept failure. Not every business idea is going to be a homerun. In fact, most of them won’t be.
However, success is almost guaranteed to those who are willing to try, try again. Even if your first or third or fifth idea doesn’t work, you’ll eventually land on something that will be a success. Don’t give up!
What questions do you feel are imperative that someone should ask before starting a business or blog? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
I had a late start to my Freezer Cooking in an Hour session yesterday because I had some projects I had to finish before dinner. But it all ended up working out — despite the late start!
6:00 p.m. — Started on the Twice-Baked Taco Potatoes. I had already scrubbed and baked the potatoes and made the taco filling earlier in the day, so I sort of cheated there.
But an opportunity to “multi-task” opened up while Kathrynne and Kaitlynn were working independently on a writing project, so I just seized it. And when 6 p.m. rolled around and it was time to start on the potatoes, I was grateful.
6:13 — Jesse gets home. We chat about our days while I finish scooping all the insides of the potatoes out and mashing the filling together. Jesse sends the kids to get their PJs on (we often have them get ready for bed before dinner so that we can just focus on family time during and after dinner and then they can just brush their teeth and go straight to bed).
6:20 — Kaitlynn still had some homeschooling to finish and Jesse said he’d help her with it, so I stopped to show him what she needed to work on. They sat at the kitchen table and read together and worked on her handwriting while I finished up the potatoes. It was fun to have Jesse read Little House on the Prairie while I cooked. Kathrynne couldn’t resist coming in to listen, too.
6:25 — Finally done with the potatoes and I do a quick tidy of the kitchen.
6:30 — My trusty pajama-clad kitchen helper pulls up a chair to make the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins with me. We practice counting while measuring and dumping the ingredients in.
6:37 — The muffins are ready to go into the oven and just about everyone gathers around to lick the remains of batter from the bowl. I can tell it’s going to be a well-liked recipe!
6:40 — I stop to join in Jesse and Kathrynne’s conversation about whether or not to pull her tooth. The tooth is practically hanging by a thread, but she’s determined not to pull it yet. We have fun teasing her about it.
6:43 — I start in on the Homemade Freezer Biscuits while everyone else sets the table and does a quick pick-up of the house before dinner. The biscuit recipe is so simple and doesn’t make all that many so I’m done fairly quickly and it’s time for dinner. It’s been a busy and productive day and I’m ready to sit down and enjoy some Twice Baked Taco Potatoes for dinner!
The Final Tally:
Homemade Freezer Biscuits — Made a dozen. I baked one and was very impressed with this recipe. SO good with homemade Apple Butter — yum! I think I’ll triple it next time around.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins — Made 16 muffins. These were delicious. I used half whole-wheat flour in them and they were still a hit.
Twice Baked Taco Potatoes — I doubled the recipe and it made enough for three dinners for us (including last night’s meal). We may use these for quick snacks/on-the-go lunches, too. Most everyone really liked this recipe.
See more Freezer Cooking in an Hour sessions here.
“The most guaranteed way to live a miserable life is to try and please everyone.”
{Artistic lettering done by my wonderful and creative assistant, Erika.}
I really admire your commitment to a positive attitude that I see comes through in your blog. Cultivating a positive attitude is something I’m currently working on, as I’ve recently seen how destructive my negative thoughts and attitudes have been in my goal-setting attempts in the past. I’ve also become aware of how clearly a negative attitude does not line up with my Christian faith.
I would love to hear your thoughts on how to develop a positive attitude, especially for someone who is working to transform poor habits that perpetuate a negative attitude. Thanks for all you do and the inspiration you provide! -Anna
Hi, Anna!
First off, I need to set the record straight. I don’t always have a positive attitude. In fact, there are definitely some days “positive” would probably be the last thing my husband would describe me as. 🙂
However, I do try to focus on the positive and keep an upbeat attitude about life. Because truly, life is so much more enjoyable when you look at the bright side, anyway!
As a Christian, I have a deep contentment that comes from my relationship with Christ. He gives me strength and joy in the midst of whatever circumstances I’m facing.
Beginning my day reading Scripture and meditating on God’s goodness really helps me to have Him as my focal point. I also am constantly praying throughout the day as I need wisdom, direction, guidance, and peace.
We can’t always change our circumstances, but we can always change our attitude. Choose to make the most of wherever you find yourself. Embrace the moments. Live with zest. Find joy in the little things.
For more ideas, read my article on 16 Ways to Become More Content.
Joy is infectious and contagious. Find some upbeat friends and people to spend time with on a regular basis and I can almost guarantee that their attitude will rub off on you.
There is always, always, always something to be grateful for. Challenge yourself to find three things to be thankful for
Last week, when I was on day four of being in bed with the flu, I was really starting to feel discouraged. It’s hard for me to be sick, especially since I love to be busy doing… and I also knew I had a trip coming up at the end of the week that I needed to be well for.
As I was lying there in bed feeling really tempted to feel sorry for myself, I decided to choose gratitude instead. I made myself start listing off everything I could think of to be grateful for.
You know what? Within minutes — literally! — I had a whole change of perspective. Yes, maybe I still felt feverish and achy, but I realized that I had so much to be thankful for — a warm house, a comfortable bed, food to eat, pain relievers I could take, friends and family who care so much about me… and on and on the list went.
Almost all of us need to lighten up more about life. Find the funny and silly and goofy and comical in the everyday and laugh about it. Call your husband at work to tell him that hilarious thing your child did or said. Share a funny photo you find with a friend. Or gather around the laptop and watch funny movies on YouTube before you head to bed at night.
Laughter is good for the soul.
You know one quick way to help change your attitude, especially if you’re feeling down? Do something for someone else.
When you take the focus off of yourself and start reaching out to other people, all of a sudden you’ll forget about your problems and worries. And you’ll probably find you have a lot more joy and fulfillment, too!
What about the rest of you? What helps you to have a more positive attitude and outlook on life?
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.
So, I guess you could say I have a thing for carbs… or at least it certainly seems like it since that’s what I’m usually pinning on my Recipes I Want to Try Board.
This week, I tried two recipe ideas I found on Pinterest and, believe it or not, both were successful. Yes, I know, that just might be a first! 🙂
I was intrigued by this Two-Ingredient Bread and just had to try it out. {Yes, I used pineapple yogurt. That’s what I had, so I figured it was worth a shot. Surprisingly, you couldn’t even taste the pineapple in the finished dough!}
While I wouldn’t say that it’s easier than my Bread Machine Bread recipe since it requires kneading, it was quite simple and it worked. I ended up using it as a pizza crust, since I had some extra cheese from the dinner I was making that night.
And I made the Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread yesterday. It was easy and so yummy. My family raved about it and the loaf didn’t last long at all. 🙂
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?
A testimony from Nancy who blogs at Saving for a Dream
When I quit my job to become a stay-at-home-mom (over three years ago) we knew money would be tight. We had to make a lot of changes to our budget and our spending habits.
One thing we did not want to sacrifice, though, was our annual family vacation. I have great memories of family trips when I was a kid, and I wanted my kids to be able to have similar experiences. Through careful budgeting and a ridiculously low monthly entertainment budget, we are able to set aside money for an annual vacation.
For a few years now, we’ve wanted to take our kids to San Antonio to visit the River Walk, SeaWorld, and a few other attractions. We are within 6 hours driving distance from San Antonio, so it sounded doable. But we had already gone on our big vacation this year, and every time I added up the expenses of making a separate trip to San Antonio, the costs started adding up to another “big” vacation.
As Thanksgiving approached and we prepared to visit family who live just two hours outside of San Antonio, we got the idea to do a quick stop-over in San Antonio since we would be closer. My mom also gave me money to spend on the kids’ Christmas presents since she is unable to shop for them, and I asked her if she minded if I spent part of her money on SeaWorld tickets for the kids. Grandma thought that was a great idea!
We drove to San Antonio on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and spent a night on the River Walk and a full day at SeaWorld. The weather was cool, the crowds were light, and the kids had a blast!
Here is a recap of all the ways we saved money on our mini-trip:
Total savings: $421
By saving money on the above things, we were able to pay cash for our trip expenses and enjoy ourselves without going into debt!
Nancy is a stay-at-home-mom of 3 kids in McKinney, Texas. You can read more about her trip to San Antonio on her blog, Saving for a Dream.
Have you saved up and paid cash for something — large or small? Submit your story for possible publication here.
Just a quick reminder that postage is going up by a penny for first-class mail on January 27, 2013. So instead of paying $0.45 per piece of mail, you’ll pay $0.46.
Now’s a great time to invest in Forever Stamps as they currently only cost $0.45 (until January 27, 2013), but they allow you to mail letters to anywhere in the U.S. indefinitely, no matter how much the price of a stamp increases.
Find more details here.
Tip: you can often get Forever Stamps for a few cents less per stamp by purchasing them on eBay.
Thanks, Rachel!
Today’s question is from Stephanie:
I am curious what an “average” clothing budget might be per person. Is there a figure of how much one should allot for clothing on a per-person basis? For example, I have a figure for food ($40/per person/per week) but what about clothes?
Do you have a question you’d like to ask Money Saving Mom® readers? Read the submission guidelines and submit it here.
I’ve been reading your book, 21 Day to a More Disciplined Life, and am loving it! It’s full of great advice for anyone looking to make more of their time. As I’m reading Day 12 I wondered if you had any thoughts about 100% focus vs. multi-tasking.
This chapter focuses on 100% focus, without distractions and I can see how distractions can be death to a goal. On the other hand, as a busy mom, I find that multi-tasking is important and even necessary at times. Do you have any thoughts as to when to multi-task and when to focus? -Rebecca
Great question! I’m a big believer in focused intensity when it comes to comes to many projects.
In fact, I was participating in the BEECH Retreat weekly Thursday night Twitter chat last week when the question came up: “Have you ever sat down to write a blog post & got distracted by social media or email?”
My response? Yes. However, I usually make myself shut down distractions while blogging — otherwise I’ll never get posts written!
If you want to get anything worthwhile done in life, you’ve got to have FOCUS. And I like to take that one step further and make it focused intensity.
Focused Intensity is zeroing in on one specific project and giving it your entire concentration and energy for a determined length of time. I like to set a time limit on it and then challenge myself to see how much I can get done in that timeframe.
For instance, if I’m working on writing a blog post, an article, or a chapter in my next book, I’ll usually shut everything down on my computer, shut my office door, set the timer for 10 or 15 minutes, and work as hard as I can until the timer goes off.
When I work with this kind of focused intensity, I can get a lot done in a short amount of time. Whereas, if I’m all scattered all over the place — trying to write a post while checking and answering emails, keeping up with what’s going on on my Facebook Page, and refreshing my comments page, it will take me a very long time to get any writing done — and I probably won’t do a great job of it.
Everyone is different, but I’ve found that I cannot write well when there are a dozen distractions going on at once. I also find that I’m not able to think and process ideas and post outlines well if I’m constantly interrupted.
I’ve found it typically takes me three to five times longer to finish a post or writing project when I’m constantly interrupted than it does when I can work with focused intensity. So writing is one area where I always choose times of day when I know I can work with minimal interruptions (during the early morning hours, during afternoon quiet times, or on Saturdays.).
There are many, many other things I do that don’t require that same level of focus that writing does. And I’m all about multi-tasking if the end result means greater productivity.
I read while I do my walking warm-up and cool-down on the treadmill. I knit while I’m watching a movie with the family. I scrub my kitchen floor while I talk on the phone. Or, I put bread in the bread machine to mix while I’m chatting with a friend who is over.
There’s no point in just doing one thing, when you can as easily do two things well. I intentionally plan ahead for these opportunities — often even writing them on my daily to-do list. If I know I’m going to be heading to an appointment, I’ll make a note to bring a certain book or writing project, depending upon the appointment. If I know that we’re going to be having a family movie night or I’m having a friend over, I’ll make a note to make sure and get out my knitting or other handwork project.
By planning ahead like this, I’m able to use the time more productively, and in turn, I’m able to chip away at my weekly goal list — all while multi-tasking. So before I know it, projects are getting done without me putting a whole lot of extra effort into them.
That said, make sure when you are multi-tasking that you are actually being more productive. Sometimes, in trying to multi-task, you end up getting less done and just making a mess of multiple things.
What about the rest of you? Do you find that there are certain things you have to focus on without interruption to be productive? What are your favorite ways to multi-task that truly work?
Erin from The Humbled Homemaker emailed in and said:
Most Aldi stores have now released a temporary organic line to test whether there is a demand for these items! I was excited to see this announcement in their weekly flier.
I visited the store on Saturday and sure enough, our Aldi currently had raw milk organic cheese, organic string cheese, organic yogurt, organic frozen berries, organic canned tomatoes, organic jarred pasta sauce, and more! I always shop at Aldi first because their prices are so good. If they keep the organic line, I will be shopping there even more!
I am hoping that if enough people shop while they are testing the line or write to request that they keep it that Aldi will decide to keep it around–and expand on it! Please encourage people to write to Aldi on their Facebook page or email them through their contact form and ask that they continue offering this line of organic products. -Erin
Lindsey emailed in the following tip:
Did you know that there are many Christian publishers who offer free books to bloggers in exchange for a review on the book? I have personally done this and gotten countless children’s books and DVDs, marriage books, cookbooks, devotions, and Bibles from well-known authors such as Mark Driscoll, Max Lucado, Randy Alcorn, Joshua Harris, and countless others.
The companies that I use are:
I think that last year, we received well over $1,000 worth of books completely free. The companies pay for the shipping to your home and you get to keep the book! Some of them I love and end up keeping, but with most of the books, I end up donating to a church library and passing on a good read to someone else or giving them as a special gift to someone who I know will enjoy them.
Every Monday in 2013, I’ll be sharing a different way you can save $100 this year. If you do all of these things, you’ll be able to save over $5,000 this year alone! Many of these things will likely be things you’re already doing, but hopefully all of you will pick up at least a few new ideas or some inspiration from this series.
This week’s way to save $100 per year is a no-brainer for many of you. In fact, some of you probably haven’t seen the inside of a coffeeshop in years.
But I have a pretty good idea that a number of you are regularly frequenting your local coffeeshop — and it’s probably making a fairly big dent in your wallet.
Don’t worry! I’m not going to say that you can’t ever step foot in a coffeeshop. I think it can be a fun treat on occasion, but you’ll save a whole lot of money if you can learn to make the stops at the coffeeshop an occasional treat rather than an almost-daily habit.
How Much Can You Save By Making Coffee At Home?
The Simple Dollar estimates that the cost of a 16-oz. brewed at home cup of coffee will cost you no more than $0.50 to $0.60 each, including the cost of energy, cream, sugar, etc. When I calculated it myself, I was coming up with the same costs for high-quality coffee. If you get a good deal on the coffee beans, your savings is going to be even higher.
So, if you’re typically paying $1.50 per cup of coffee, that’s a savings of around $1 per cup five times per week — or $20 per month or $240 per year. If you typically pay $4 for a fancy cup, you’re saving at least $17.50 per week, $70 per month, or $840 per year! Crazy, eh?
After lots of practice, I’ve learned how to make coffee at home just exactly how Jesse and I love it. In fact, we both agree that I can brew a better cup of coffee than any coffee shop we’ve visited.
Here are some of my tips:
1. Invest in Good Coffee Beans
I personally love Starbucks Breakfast Blend, Starbucks Pike Roast, or Avodah Mocha Java. Experiment and try different blends and kinds until you find one you love. Or, just purchase what you typically drink at your local coffeeshop.
It’s probably going to cost quite a bit more than some off-brand at the grocery store, but it’s worth the extra cost if it means you’ll actually make coffee at home!
2. Grind Your Beans Fresh and Coarse
There is a huge difference in taste and freshness when you grind your own beans. And coffee bean grinders are very inexpensive to purchase (you can pick one up on Amazon for around $20) and so worth it.
3. Use a French Press
The French Press makes coffee much more flavorful. It’s totally worth the investment (you can pick one up at Target or Walmart for around $20 to $30) — especially compared to a regular coffeemaker.
However, don’t go invest in a coffee bean grinder and French Press unless you are sure you will actually use them on a very regular basis. Consider borrowing these items from a friend, if you know someone who has these on hand and isn’t using them. Or, you might check your local thrift stores.
4. Use a Coffee Cup You Love
I know it’s a little silly, but I find it’s so much more enjoyable to enjoy a good cup of coffee when you are drinking it from a cup you love. So reward yourself for two weeks of drinking coffee from home by purchasing yourself a coffee cup you love. (By the way, if you’re looking for a good to-go cup, we love the Copco cups.)
Coffee Recipes: How to Make Your Own Homemade Latte Without an Espresso Machine and Homemade Pumpkin Spice Lattes.
Do you make coffee at home? If so, what tricks and tips do you have for making a really amazing cup of coffee?
