ICanTeachMyChild.com shows you how to make natural mosquito spray.
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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Is it wrong to splurge?
I really enjoyed and appreciated all of the comments on my Is Frugality Really Worth It? post last week (Click over and read it here, if you haven’t already.)
I’m pretty sure most all of us agree that having a purpose behind our frugality gives much more meaning and motivating for saving money. However, while I think it is a wonderful thing to live simply so that others can simply live, I don’t think this means we shouldn’t ever splurge, we should always buy the cheapest of everything, or that we should go without everything unnecessary lest we spend a penny more than we need to.
On the contrary, I think it’s important that we have balance and breathing room in our lives — and in our budgets. If we pack our schedules so full that we never have a moment to spare and can never just stop and smell the roses, we’ll likely end up rushing through life and missing out on some of the best moments of life altogether. We’ll also probably be frazzled, stressed, and exhausted much or all of the time.
In the same way, I believe it’s important that we give ourselves breathing room and find a healthy balance when it comes to our finances. It’s wonderful to be really focused and aggressive when it comes to paying off debt or saving to pay cash for something and it’s absolutely life-changing to be in a position where you can give generously, but I want to encourage you to not become so frugal that you forget to give yourself space in your budget to strategically splurge.
If we scrimp and save so much that we never have any wiggle room to enjoy and savor life, we’ll likely lead a miserable existence. That said, strategic splurging doesn’t have to mean you go and spend hundreds of dollars. It could be something as simple as ordering pizza once a month with a coupon or stopping by the bookstore every other week, ordering a coffee, and browsing books to add to your library list. Or having a fun family outing using a Groupon voucher every few months.
What matters most is not how much or little money you spend, but that you choose to strategically splurge on something that is important for your family, something that you love and enjoy, and something that will boost your morale and keep you going strong on your frugal journey.
Living frugally is not about living so miserly that you can’t ever enjoy life. In fact, going for years without breathing room in your budget will suffocate and frustrate you. So budget for strategic splurging — and then you’re able to enjoy it guiltlessly because it’s a line item in your budget!
*Note: For most of us, there will be seasons in life where there is little or no wiggle room in the budget. If you’re in one of those seasons, don’t lose heart. Constantly remind yourself that the frugal decisions you are making will pay off and be encouraged that you are doing so much better than you would be doing if you weren’t being so frugal. {Read my post here for more encouragement and ideas if you feel like you’re in a really desperate situation financially.}
Shared Jun 25, 2012
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4 Weeks of Frugal Family Fun: Picnic at the Park & Baking Chocolate Chip Muffins (Day 7)
4 Weeks of Frugal Family Fun: Picnic at the Park & Baking Chocolate Chip Muffins (Day 7)
All three children started swimming lessons this morning. Kathrynne had a blast (she’s been anticipating swimming lessons for weeks now!). Silas and Kaitlynn are still warming up to the idea.
But their instructors promised me that it’s perfectly normal for the first day for young children and that they’ll come around and be loving it soon, so I’m hoping that’s true. We’ll see how the next two weeks go. 🙂
After swimming lessons, we went to the park to play and have a picnic lunch.
Kathrynne had fun trying to climb a tree.
And Silas had fun watching her climb!
Kaitlynn enjoyed riding her bike around on the many sidewalks at the park.
While the children ate lunch, I read a few more chapters of Snow Treasure.
Later in the afternoon, Kaitlynn and Silas made chocolate chip muffins using a mix and child-sized pans that a kind friend gave to her for her birthday.
I think they might have made more messes than muffins and they adapted the recipe somewhat (hmm, I wouldn’t know where they would get that idea from?!?), but the final result turned out beautifully and it was a fun addition to dinner tonight.
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.
My 10 goals for this week
Last week’s goals:
Family/Mothering Goals
1. Read at least a few chapters of The Railway Children aloud to all 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. Special outing one-on-one with Kaitlynn for her birthday. {We didn’t get to do this because we were supposed to go out the afternoon that I ended up having to take Kathrynne into the doctor and then as soon as Kathrynne got well, Kaitlynn came down with the sickness! I’m hoping we’re able to do it this week instead because both Kaitlynn and I have been looking forward to it for quite some time!}
3. Write a love note to Jesse.
4. Special family outing for Kaitlynn’s birthday.Personal Goals
5. Finish reading The Referral Engine: Teaching Your Business to Market Itselfplus one fiction book
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6. Run at least five times for 45 minutes each; do weight-training program at least four days.
7. Listen to 2 hours of Stop Acting Rich.
8. Sleep for at least 8 hours every night.Home Management
9. Scrub the master bedroom shower.Business Goals
10. Continue blogging the 4 Weeks of Family Fun series.
This week’s goals:
Family/Mothering Goals
1. Read at least a few chapters of The Railway Children aloud to all 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. Start swimming lessons for all three children.
3. Write a love note to Jesse.
Personal Goals
4. Finish reading Choosing Gratitude 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 8 hours every night.
Home Management
8. Make Homemade Wheat Thins
9. Make Homemade Toothpaste.
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.
This week’s menu
Need a fun & easy Fourth of July Breakfast or Lunch? How about Red, White, & Blue Toast?
Breakfasts
Berry Cado Smoothie, Hard Boiled Eggs
Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Pancakes
Oatmeal
Oatmeal Pancakes
Toast, scrambled eggs, fresh juice
Cereal x 2Lunches
Oscar Mayer Beef Hot Dogs, peaches
Green Monster Smoothies, hard boiled eggs
Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches from the freezer, veggies, apple slices
Leftovers x 2
Quesadillas, raw veggies
Snack-y lunchSnacks
Chocolate Protein Truffles
Healthful Chocolate Freezer Fudge
Homemade Protein Bars
Popcorn
Fruit/VeggiesDinners
Dinner with extended family
Barbecued Meatballs, Easy Dinner Rolls, peaches, green salad
Ultimate Hawaiian Pizza with Freezer-Friendly Pizza Crust, fruit salad
Grilled Steak, grilled sweet corn, fruit salad, Easy Dinner Rolls
Crockpot Rotisserie Chicken, Biscuits with Homemade Baking Mix, peaches, steamed veggies
Homemade Pizza Pockets, green salad, fruit, steamed veggies
Dinner out
What’s on your menu this week? Share details and/or your link to your menu plan in the comments.
3 Financial Principles I Wish My Parents Had Taught Me
Guest post from Jason of Work Save Live
Looking back on my childhood, I can’t remember a time that my family taught me or talked to me about managing money. There was never a mention of anything regarding a budget, limiting spending, saving, or investing for retirement. Even when I left for college, I still hadn’t balanced a checkbook or written a check for that matter!
I realize now that some of my financial struggles as an adult could be directly related to the lack of teaching I received from my parents. The only teaching I received was from what I witnessed: the spending habits of my parents growing up and certainly the habits of the people I associated myself with during college.
Here are three financial principles I wish my parents had taught me:
1. You can’t have everything you want
Although I was raised by a single mother, I never remember going without. We didn’t live luxuriously by any means, if we went to the movies it was on $1 movie night and if we ate out it was typically at all-you-can-eat places where children ate free or at a discount. However, when it came to sports and Christmas presents, I always remember getting what I wanted.
Not only did this hurt my future financial well-being, it also gave me an impractical view of what life really looks like. The reality in life is that you can’t and won’t have (or get) everything you want.
2. You have to work to get paid
While I wasn’t given a strong financial foundation, I was taught a strong work ethic. I did the laundry, cleaned the house, and mowed the yard through my grade school and middle school years. I learned from an early age that I had to work hard if I wanted to succeed in life.
Furthermore, this principle also helped me become a better husband. While my wife and I continue to inch our way out of debt, it’s vital that we complement each other and are one team. When my wife works late I make sure to straighten up the house, cook dinner for the night, and prepare our lunches for the next day.
Not only did teaching me a strong work ethic eventually help my ability to generate income, it’s also strengthened our marriage in more ways than I could have ever imagined. I’m so thankful it was ingrained in me from the start that nothing in life is given to you and that, as a family, we must all work together and contribute to the household.
3. You can’t spend everything you earn
I wish my parents had taught me how to manage money. Instead, they modeled a life of spending everything they earned.
As I recall on my childhood, I distinctly remember trips to Walmart and the wonderful clearance racks that line parts of their stores. My mom would often buy things that we’d never use solely because the price was reduced.
Instead of budgeting, having a limit, and paying in cash, I remember the majority of the things we bought were purchased with credit cards. As time passed, the debt started to rack up (along with the associated stress and collection calls) and by the time I reached high school she had no choice but to file for bankruptcy.
Being a single mother with two growing boys couldn’t have been easy, but it was still possible to survive and prosper (due to living on a tight budget) despite the circumstances.
While some of us are destined to learn life’s lessons the hard way, it never hurts to ingrain these valuable principles early in your children’s lives.
Jason is a financial coach and advisor. He started Work Save Live in late 2011 in hopes of helping people change the way they think about money, life, and their careers.
“Don’t place your mistakes on your head…”
6 Ways to Save Money On Vitamins and Supplements
Guest post from Shelly of Coupon Teacher
While I never anticipated becoming an expert about saving on vitamins and supplements, the last nine months of my life changed my outlook. Recently, my chronic illness took hold of my body once again, and I have been on at least seven vitamins and supplements per day (most at my doctor’s recommendation).
If I paid regular price for my current vitamins and supplements, I would be spending in excess of $150 per month not including my prescription medication. Needless to say, we could not afford the expense, so I have become a woman on a mission to find the absolute lowest prices on my healthcare expenses.
This past month, using the following tips, I cut that in half by only paying about $75 out of pocket:
1. Buy high quality vitamins and supplements with your drug store rewards.
I recently was able to get my vitamin D3 for free after Extra Care Bucks, coupons, and a Buy One, Get One Free sale. Always check for the correct dosage and the expiration date to be sure what you are buying is really a deal.
2. Utilize your Swag Bucks account to get Amazon gift cards.
After plunking $30 down on a supplement at my doctor’s office, I looked for it online. I found it for the same price on Amazon from a reputable source, so I was able to order my next bottle for free with my Amazon credits.
3. Use store programs and coupons.
When I can’t get my supplements anywhere but the vitamin store, I use a coupon from their rewards program. I recently received a 20% off my purchase coupon, so I stocked up on the items I couldn’t find anywhere else.
4. Ask your doctor if the vitamins are available as prescriptions.
I pay a $12 co-pay on my generic prescriptions. I was recently able to get three months’ worth of a vitamin for only $12 via my prescription coverage.
5. Utilize sales at Vitacost.
They have great prices, flat rate and free shipping options, and their sales are good, too. I initially signed up for my free $10 credit, and I have since ordered from them (even without credit)! One of my supplements is half price over the local vitamin store. Vitacost also carries many allergen related foods.
6. Don’t stock up until you try it.
One of the supplements that was suggested to me didn’t work. In fact, it made me feel worse. A lot worse. If I had stocked up on a “great deal”, I would have been out the extra money.
How do you lower your cost for vitamins and supplements?
Shelly is a full-time fourth grade teacher and blogs at Coupon Teacher. She wants you to share and celebrate your successes with her, and she may give you a few tips along the way!
4 Weeks of Frugal Family Fun: Green Smoothies, Sidewalk Chalk, Snow Treasure, and a game of Old Maid (Day 6)
We had a very laid back Friday full of lots of frugal family fun. Here’s a little peek into our day:
We made our favorite Green Monster Smoothies.
So good and refreshing — especially after my daily run!
We went outside and played with sidewalk chalk on the deck.
We were hoping that maybe we could make the Fizzy Sidewalk Chalk by spraying the drawings with vinegar as outlined here. But apparently it only fizzes if you make Homemade Sidewalk Chalk Paint with baking soda. So we’ll have to try that idea again sometime soon!
But everyone had fun drawing and spraying, regardless!
While the children played, I read a few chapters of one of our current read-alouds — Snow Treasure. We are loving this book, by the way!
After playing outside, we came in and Kathrynne and I played a rousing game of Old Maid together.
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.
Courage does not always roar…
OVER-SPENDING EVERY SINGLE MONTH?Grab these FREE Budgeting Sheets!
Click here to download!
Shared Jun 21, 2012
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4 Weeks of Frugal Family Fun: Marshmallow & Toothpick Structures (Day 5)
4 Weeks of Frugal Family Fun: Marshmallow & Toothpick Structures (Day 5)
I was inspired by Angie from Creating Our Home for today’s project! And I’m so glad we tried this because it was a huge hit — especially with Kathrynne.
All you need is a bag of mini marshmallows and some toothpicks. You might have both on hand, or you could pick them up at the Dollar Store or Walmart very inexpensively.
Show your children how to connect the toothpicks and marshmallows together to make structures and then let them be creative and see what they come up with!
I gave each of the children their own bowls of marshmallows to make it easier (and to prevent any possible arguments over who gets the marshmallow bag!).
And don’t forget to have a snack of marshmallows at the end!
I think Silas enjoyed the snacking on marshmallows at the end best of all! 🙂
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.
We Paid Cash: A New-To-Us Car
A testimony from Jessica who blogs at Jess and the Boys
In May 2009, my husband and I committed our first (of many) major money mistakes. I cringe as I even type this because looking back, I’m shocked that my common sense did not kick in at the time: we purchased two brand-new vehicles from a dealer on the same day.
We had just had our first son in March and I had quit my job as a case manager at girls’ shelter to stay-at-home with him. It’s safe to say we could not afford one new car, let alone two!
We were hit hard by a job loss that subsequently led to quite a bit of credit card debt and being several months behind on bills, but have slowly crept our way out of the red. One of our major goals, along with paying off the cards, has been to get rid of at least one of our car payments and pay for a car with cash.
In the fall of 2011, with the birth of our second son approaching, my husband and I decided enough was enough and sat down to discuss how we planned to get rid of the car. We knew if we sold it, we would want to buy an older SUV in cash and install a navigation system.
Here are some of the ways we saved:
- We stopped pulling my husband’s sales commissions as they came and let them build until the time was right or a good deal crossed our path.
- We scoured our budget to see where we were spending too much and made an action plan for reducing the overspending.
- We automated our savings withdrawals directly to an online savings account.
- We cut out all eating at restaurants, averaged the amount we spent every month and put that into an online savings account; we’ve learned to get creative with our at-home dates.
- We reduced our monthly grocery bill by eating less meat, having weeks of eating from the pantry instead of shopping, and cooking based on deals at the supermarket versus what we felt like having.
- We shopped around for car insurance to lower our monthly payment.
- I started doing some work from home — designing invitations, websites, and other odd jobs for an old employer to earn extra income.
By chance, my cousin happened to be looking for a new vehicle last month and was inquiring about my car; I jumped at the opportunity to let her know it was for sale! After a test drive, she was sold — both my cousin and the car.
Later that month, it just so happened that we came across a stellar deal on a Chevy Tahoe, one of my dream cars. My husband had saved up enough commission to buy the vehicle in cash, and our growing pile of cash was enough that not only were we able to outfit the Tahoe with a navigation system, but we added a DVD player as well!
It has been three weeks now that I’ve been driving it and I love it, especially since it reflects the fact that we are learning from our previous mistakes. With a positive attitude and some resourcefulness, I know we will have our second car sold and move even closer to our number one goal – being debt-free.
Jessica is a stay at home mother of two who lives in El Centro, CA. She shares stories about her life, recipes, home projects and other things at her blog, Jess and the Boys.
Have you saved up and paid cash for something — large or small? Submit your story for possible publication here.
How to Have Productive Mornings When You Have Early Risers
Guest post from Jessica of Mothering With Creativity
In lieu of the recent posts about waking up early, and being a part of the many commenters whose children are up by 5:30 a.m. in the morning, I thought I’d share some tips for making mornings easier, despite the early risers!
I have 3 children ages 4 and under. My baby still wakes up once in the middle of the night, and is up by 5:30 a.m. My two-year-old follows him 15 minutes later. My 4-year-old has learned to “sleep in” until 6:45 a.m. — woohoo! 🙂
I work part-time in the mornings teaching kindergarten, and my husband also leaves the house by 7:25 a.m. It occasionally happens that I have a productive morning with all the children running around and playing nicely. However, most mornings, that is not the case, and so I do not expect it.
Since parents of early risers typically have early-to-bedders, the evenings are often prime “prepping” time for the next day.
Here’s how I use my evenings to make my mornings more enjoyable:
Prepare Lunches
It can often take me 25 minutes to make five lunches for five very different people. (I know it would be easier to say “everyone eats the same thing!” but I do enjoy the special touches for each person, and so it’s something that’s worth it to me to spend a few extra minutes preparing.) Preparing lunches the night before saves that much time and stress from my morning.
Shower at Night
I hate showering at night. Did I mention I hate showering at night? However, I’ve been showering at night for almost three months now. I still hate it, though maybe not as much as I did three months ago!
I go to bed with wet hair (annoying) and I just straighten it in the morning (and use a little water to get out out any crazy kinks). Though I would prefer to shower in the morning, showering at night shaves a lot of time off of my morning routine.
Pick Out Clothes
For the indecisive child (or parent), making clothing choices the night before can save a lot of morning time stress. If my 2 and 4-year-olds know what they are going to wear ahead of time, they are capable of getting themselves dressed without me. This saves me the time, and allows them to practice valuable skills.
Fill Juice Cups
Does anybody else have a child with a one-track mind? I’m sure that in some regards this focus can be a blessing, but at 5:45 a.m., the insistence that “no one else moves until I get my almond milk” is enough to drive me up a wall.
The simple solution? Fill a sippy with almond milk (or juice, water, milk, etc.) the night before and place it in the fridge. As soon as they wake up, they can get their drink, and you don’t have to drop everything to fill a cup. On days when I remember to do this, my two-year-old gives me the biggest smiles.
Make Lists
I love lists. While trying to leave in the morning, do you ever find yourself running in and out of the house for all of the “forgotten” things?
Make a list of all the easily forgotten and necessary items on a sticky note and leave it on the counter or the garage door. Before you leave, be sure to give a quick glance over your list.
Remembering to do some, if not all, of these things helps make my morning with early-risers much more enjoyable and much more smooth.
And for the record, I wrote this in the early morning while my kids slept in. How’s that for irony? That usually never happens!
Do you have early risers at your house? I’d love to hear your tips and tricks for making the most of your mornings!
Jessica Locke is a wife and mom of three small children. She loves Jesus, being creative, eating sweet treats, and making her home a place where others can feel at safe and loved. She blogs about life as a mom at Mothering With Creativity.
Want some practical help with setting up your day for success? Be sure to grab a copy of my brand-new online course, Make Over Your Mornings.
This 14-day online course includes videos, a workbook, and step-by-step projects and is designed to help you revolutionize your productivity, streamline your routines, invest your time in things that truly matter, and find more joy and peace in the process.
If you’ve ever wished that you could figure out how to get more done, have more organization in your life, and find time to spend on things you love, the Make Over Your Mornings Course is for you. Find out more about it here.
Do-It-Yourself: Worm Composting Bin
QueenBeeCoupons.com shows you how to make a homemade worm composting bin.
Is frugality really worth it?
Recently, someone emailed in and asked if I died tomorrow would I regret the frugal choices I’ve made?
It was an excellent question and one that gave my husband and I pause — and produced a great discussion for us as a couple. Both of our answers were a resounding “No. We would absolutely not regret the frugal choices we’ve made.”
While we’ve made plenty of mistakes individually and as a family, we have zero regrets that we’ve chosen to live beneath our means, make sacrifices, delay purchases until we can pay cash for them, and live on a strict written budget.
To some people, not getting what you want right away or doing without might seem like a miserable existence. But truthfully, we’ve found it to be just the opposite: we live very fulfilled lives and we wake up excited about each day.
However, we both believe that the reason we feel fulfilled and passionate about life — even though we’ve made counter-cultural choices that some would balk at — is because frugality is a means to an end for us. If we were just frugal for being frugal’s sake, we’d likely quickly burn out or give up.
It’s not about saving money so we can continuously upgrade our lifestyle and always be buying bigger and better things. We want to live beneath our means so that we are able to give generously to others.
There’s a world of need around us. The more we steward our money well, the more abundance we will have to meet those needs. The more we save, the more we have to give.
Your efforts and my efforts might seem like a drop in the bucket when compared with all of the need that’s out there. But collectively, we can make a huge impact.
Let’s live simply so that others can simply live. Because truly, there is nothing more fulfilling than living a life with outstretched arms.