Make It and Love it shows you how to make homemade Magnetic Paper Dolls.
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.
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3 Steps to Simplifying Laundry
Guest post from Jenae of I Can Teach My Child
Doing the laundry is one of my most loathed household tasks. Actually, I don’t really mind doing the laundry… it’s the folding and putting away that I especially dislike!
Laundry is also an ongoing task that never has a definite ending. By the time you have all your loads folded and put away, there will inevitably be another few garments waiting for you in the hamper.
However, laundry doesn’t have to be as complicated and time-consuming as we make it out to be. Here are three simple tips that have helped me streamline the laundry process in our home.
1. Find a laundry schedule that works for you.
I do laundry one day each week. I’ve found this works much better for our family to get it all done in one day rather than doing multiple loads throughout the week. Plus, since I need the dryer to do the next load and get it all done in one day, this holds me accountable to putting the laundry away immediately instead of letting the loads sit in the dryer for a few days!
I know many people who prefer to do a load of laundry once a day. If that works for you, great!
2. Use mesh bags for socks, underwear, etc.
More than any laundry-related task, I dislike pairing and folding little-kid socks! I began using mesh wash bags this fall with the advent of sock weather and it has revolutionized my laundry-doing life!
Now, I hang a mesh bag for each child close to his hamper. Instead of throwing the socks in the hamper with everything else, I put them in their mesh bag. When laundry day arrives, I secure the drawstring, throw it in with the laundry, and dump it into the sock drawer when clean. No pairing or folding needed!
3. Ditch the laundry basket.
When you remove clean laundry from your dryer and put it into a laundry basket, you are creating one more potential place for laundry to sit before it gets folded and put away.
Instead of using a laundry basket, grab the load with both arms and move it immediately to either your bed or the children’s beds. That way, the laundry must get folded before bedtime. Obviously, if you have to climb a flight of stairs to put laundry away, you’ll need to use a basket. Just make sure to dump it onto a bed once you get up (or down) the stairs.
These small, simple changes have made a huge impact towards my productivity when it comes to laundry.
What are your favorite laundry tips or shortcuts?
Jenae is a Master-degree holding former first grade teacher turned stay-at-home Momma. She loves finding creative ways to save money, spending time with her family, and sharing fun activities on her website I Can Teach My Child.
We Paid Cash: Two Night Get-Away to the Oregon Coast
A testimony from Abby who blogs at Oregon Mom on a Mission
My husband and I recently celebrated our third wedding anniversary. While those three years have seen my college graduation, a cross-country move, five months spent living with my family (all seven members), and the birth of our first child, we haven’t had any time away for just the two of us since our first anniversary.
Because we have conflicting work schedules, time together at home is also much rarer than either of us would like. In light of all of that, we decided to make it a priority to save money for a two-night getaway to the Oregon coast. Our goal was to have the money, $400, saved by the end of the summer so that we could take our vacation in the fall, when hotels would be offering off-season mid-week specials.
We didn’t want to take money from any of the areas in our budget, so I knew we would have to get creative.
In the middle of June we decided that any “extra” that came our way would be saved in a newly-made Vacation Jar. With our empty jar waiting, we developed a plan of action:
I began cashing the checks I receive for taking online surveys. In addition, we cashed in the spare change we’d been accumulating for several months. All of that together earned us $123.
I had been reading a lot about selling items on eBay, so I tried that, too. I sold my husband’s PlayStation 3 (with his permission, of course) along with several video games, DVDs, an iPod, and clothes. That netted us a total of $355, after we paid to ship everything.
Oregon offers a refund of $.05 each on aluminum cans and water bottles that you return to the store, so we finally turned in the cans we’d been hanging onto for quite some time. That alone earned us just over $23. I’ve already done the math; we redeemed 470 cans! Yes, my husband has a soda addiction, and yes, we’re working on that.
By the middle of July the Jar held $501.
The goal that we thought would take us two and a half months to reach was exceeded in less than a month, and my husband and I are both shocked that most of that money was just sitting around our house.
We’ve deposited the contents of the Vacation Jar in a special savings account, where it will sit while I browse the internet, searching for an amazing deal. Wherever we end up staying, my husband and I will both be able to completely relax while we’re away, knowing that we won’t be coming home to the added stress of paying off a new debt!
Abby lives in Oregon with her husband, Jonathan; son, Griffin; and pony-size black lab, Tucker. She blogs about saving money and simplifying life at Oregon Mom on a Mission.
Have you saved up and paid cash for something — large or small? Submit your story for possible publication here.
Do-It-Yourself: Homemade Baked Doughnuts
Whisk Together shows you how to make homemade Baked Doughnuts.
Saving Money by Simplifying Meal Planning
Guest post from Carrie of Wholesome Womanhood
Menu planning and figuring out the best grocery deal scenarios has always been one of my favorite things to do. On Tuesdays, my grocery ads come in the mail and my husband always comes in, holding the ads, with a smile on his face, knowing that I’m about to do one of my favorite weekly activities: peruse the ads looking for good deals.
Last October, I posted one of my weekly meal plans on our blog and a friend commented asking some questions, including how much I spent on groceries. We emailed back and forth a couple of times and during the conversation, something she said sparked an idea in my mind.
Why did I have to plan so much variety in my menus?
We already had weekly pizza night. Sunday mornings we make pancakes and Fridays are waffle mornings. My family loved knowing they would be eating their favorite meals every week. I realized that the variety wasn’t for my family–it was for me. And when I really stopped to think about it, I realized that making a different meal every single night was actually adding a lot of stress in my life. So in November I decided to try an experiment.
We spend $250 a month on groceries, but in the month of November, I focused on planning meals that were meatless or used chicken, since chicken is regularly on sale for $0.99/pound or less. I planned one week’s worth of meals and repeated those same seven meals throughout the month.
My goal? Spend $100 on our monthly meal plan. That left me $150 for our Thanksgiving meal and some wiggle room to stock up on any good deals that might come up during the month.
November was a tough month! My family isn’t big on meatless meals and they do like an occasional dinner with ground beef; but we stuck with it. I kept our monthly expenses around $100, spent $75 on our Thanksgiving dinner and stocked up on good deals with the rest. I was able to stock up on ground beef when it was $1.99 a pound, alfredo sauce when it was $1a jar, and canned beans.
In December I decided to do it again, only this time I was able to actually plan meals I knew my family would enjoy, using the items I had stocked up on in November. Ground beef and pasta. Chili, Pork Loin and Chicken Alfredo. I was able to once again keep the cost of our monthly meals down and pay for our Christmas dinner and stock up on items for our January meals all while staying within our $250 budget.
It worked out so well, that I decided to do it again in January, although at the beginning of the month I realized my freezer and pantry were full! So I’m planning simple meals using what I have in the cupboard.
A weekly rotating menu simplifies my life and allows me to buy good deals each week, which will in turn give us some variety in next’s month rotating meal plan.
Carrie is a stay at home wife and mother. She loves to learn new ways to take care of her family while spending less money. She blogs with her twin sister at Wholesome Womanhood.
Shared Feb 16, 2012
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Are the Chaos and Clutter in Your Life Keeping You From Financial Success?
Are the Chaos and Clutter in Your Life Keeping You From Financial Success?
Head over to Amy’s Finer Things to discuss chapter two of The Money Saving Mom®’s Budget and how chaos and clutter in your life can directly impact your finances.
Amy’s going to host a Q&A with me on her blog in a few weeks, so if you have questions about clutter, time budgeting, or anything else else related to chapter two of my book, head on over to her blog and leave your questions there.
Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Waffle Recipe
Craving your favorite fluffy waffles but can’t eat gluten or dairy? We’ve got you coverd with this easy gluten-free, dairy-free waffle mix. Enjoy this yummy comfort food again today!
These Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Waffles are the BEST!
After searching for, testing, and tweaking many different recipes for gluten-free, dairy-free waffles, this one is our favorite!
They are a little lighter and crispier than typical waffles, but they are delicious and definitely a “winner” gluten-free, dairy-free recipe that we’ll keep around for a while.
If you’re looking for a new allergy-friendly recipe to add to your collection, give this one a try!
Ingredients for Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Waffles
- 3 cups homemade rice milk
- 1 cup brown rice
- 2 cups gluten-free oats (you could also use millet or brown rice)
- 4 Tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 4 teaspoons vanilla
- 4 eggs
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
How to Make Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Waffles
1. In a Vita-Mix (or another powerful blender), combine rice milk, grains, coconut oil, eggs, and vanilla.
2. Blend on high for two minutes until the grain is completely ground and blended.
3. Add baking powder, salt, and baking soda and blend again.
4. Oil or butter the waffle iron.
5. When waffle iron is hot, cook waffles for 2-4 minutes each, or until done.
Recipe
Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Waffles
These waffles are a little lighter and crispier than typical waffles, but they are delicious and definitely a "winner" gluten-free, dairy-free recipe!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups rice milk
- 1 cup brown rice
- 2 cups gluten-free oats (you could also use millet or brown rice)
- 4 Tbls coconut oil melted
- 4 tsp vanilla
- 4 eggs
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
Instructions
- In a Vita-Mix (or another powerful blender), combine rice milk, grains, coconut oil, eggs, and vanilla.
- Blend on high for two minutes until the grain is completely ground and blended.
- Add baking powder, salt, and baking soda and blend again.
- Oil or butter the waffle iron.
- When waffle iron is hot, cook waffles for 2-4 minutes each, or until done.
Nutrition
Serving: 1waffle | Calories: 203kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 609mg | Potassium: 114mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 79IU | Calcium: 125mg | Iron: 1mg
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Thanks to Passionate Homemaking for inspiring this delicious recipe!
FREE 50+ Easy and Cheap Breakfast Ideas!!
Mornings just got so much easier with this FREE list of 50+ Easy & Cheap Breakfast Ideas for Busy Weekday Mornings!
How We Manage Without a Washer and Dryer
Guest post from Laura of Unpunctuated Life
We moved from a mid-sized city to a big city last April; and in the process, I discovered that apartments with a washer and dryer included are fewer and farther between than I had imagined.
“Washer/dryer” and “laundry room” were high on my list of “necessities” in a new place, but as we visited more apartments with only hookups (if that) I realized they weren’t as common as where we came from.
Our choice came down to location, and in the neighborhood where we wanted to live, the apartments just don’t have washers and dryers. We could have lived in a cheaper place, in a less desirable neighborhood, and had a washer and dryer, but we were charmed by the location and felt the sacrifice worth making.
Our apartment complex has a four-washer, four-dryer laundry room that is open to all residents. It costs $1 to wash and $1 to dry. The property manager recommended we look into an appliance rental place, where we could rent a washer and dryer for $35 a month. I also knew that we could find a great deal on them on either Craigslist or at a scratch-and-dent sale.
But the appliances themselves are not the only cost. Dryers are energy intensive, and we knew that in our new city, with its higher cost of living, the utility bills would already take some getting used to. So we’ve placed storage shelves in the space for a washer and dryer, making our 853 square foot apartment feel much more spacious!
Our New Laundry Routine:
Once a month, we walk to our local credit union and withdraw $30 in quarters. Sometimes the teller looks at us like we’re crazy, but other times he or she smiles and says, “Laundry money?”
My laundry budget for the month is $20, if all goes as planned. I wash our sheets and towels in two loads every other week, and clothes in 3-4 loads on the in between weeks. (Yes, we have a lot of clothes to be able to go that long!) I can do up to four large loads at once while I either read in the attached business center or exercise in our complex’s gym, so it’s a very efficient use of my time.
It’s impossible to calculate exactly how much using the washer and dryer would raise our utility bills, but it’s not just about the monthly expense for us. We save by not renting the machines, and we have peace of mind from not worrying about their depreciation if we owned them and the hassle of getting rid of them when the time comes.
It’s perhaps an unusual frugal decision, but one that works for us. For our stage of life it’s perfect!
Laura is a part-time administrative assistant at a Christian non-profit. She and her husband are settling into life in the big city and making frugal choices along the way! Laura is a voracious reader, a homebody with a streak of wanderlust, and a follower of Christ. She blogs about life, recipes, and thrift store bargains at Unpunctuated Life.
Ask the Readers: AAA Memberships
Today’s question is from Nicole:
I’ve had a AAA membership for over six years now, and have needed their services a total of two times! I have not needed to call for the last four years since we got a new-to-us car.
Do you think the peace of mind is worth $140 per year to keep this membership?
Do you have a question you’d like to ask Money Saving Mom® readers? Read the submission guidelines and submit it here.
How I Purged 91% of Our Stuff
Guest post from Sara.
If there were a competition for de-cluttering, I’d be the winner. I picture a Biggest Loser-style competition. Confetti would fall onto my smiling face immediately after they shouted “Sara Bell, you got rid of 91% of your personal belongings. You are the biggest de-clutter-er!”
No, really. I got rid of 91% of my personal belongings.
My husband and I love to travel, so we decided to move into a trailer and travel all over the U.S and Canada. At the time, we lived in a two-bedroom condo with a garage so we knew we’d have a lot to get rid of. We just had no idea just how much!
Here’s how we did it…
1. Get rid of multiples.
Do we really need two TVs when only one of us actually watches TV? No. Then do we really need two DVD players? No. Since our laptop plays DVDs and our Xbox is always hooked up to the TV, do we need a DVD player at all? No.
Do we really need a desktop computer when we are usually just on the laptop? No. Do we really need two bookshelves when neither is completely full and one is a little rickety? No. Do I really need five of the same-sized sauce pan when there are only four burners on my stove any ways? NO.
Once you’ve done that, congratulate yourself!
2. Get rid of the things you don’t/won’t use.
That vase was a gift but I think it’s ugly. I have hated every book I’ve attempted to read by that author, yet I still have three more of his/her books on my shelf. That dress hasn’t fit me since I was in high school. I don’t know whose that is, but I’m pretty sure it’s not even mine.
All of it has to go!
3. Get over it.
Yes this part is the hardest part, especially for me since I am a very sentimental person. I was crying during half of my de-cluttering process because I felt guilty for getting rid of things someone gave me.
I had movie ticket stubs dating back to 2002. I had sweaters I’d hated from the moment I’d unwrapped them, many with the tag still intact. I had colorful scribbles drawn by kids whose last names I couldn’t even remember. I had 24 notes from my little sister-in-law, even though they all say the exact same three sentences on them.
When I couldn’t bring myself to throw something away, I’d tell my husband. Some of the things he’d look at and say “See if your parents will store it.” Some he’d look at and say, “Just keep that.” Some he’d look at and say “You’re joking, right? Throw that away right now.”
If you can’t throw a lot of it away, have a friend or family member do that with you. They don’t have the strange emotional ties to the object that you do, so they’ll be able to logically see if it’s something you’ll regret throwing away or if it’s garbage.
4. Sell that junk!
We gave our friends and family members a lot of things — especially our furniture. We put many of pricier items up on Craigslist… and we had a big garage sale. Anything we couldn’t sell we either gave to Goodwill or threw away.
We didn’t bring anything back into our house once it was out in that driveway.
5. Don’t buy more.
Now I’ve trained myself not to buy things I don’t need. 91% of my belongings were things I didn’t really care about getting rid of. 91% of the things I’d spent money on were things I didn’t mind throwing away.
I don’t buy clutter anymore, so I have more money to experience life with. I don’t have a ton of clutter all over my tiny little trailer, so I don’t have much tidying up to do and I don’t really feel any stress in that area. I de-clutter again on the first of every month… but I have to tell you, I de-clutter less and less every month and I think you will too.
Sara Bell is a 20-something currently residing in Prescott, Arizona. When she isn’t bargain-shopping or cooking, she loves reading, writing, knitting, and photography. She and her husband recently moved into a trailer so they can travel the U.S. in it.
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Shared Feb 15, 2012
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Video Blog: What a 40-Day Fast From Excess Might Look Like for Your Family
Video Blog: What a 40-Day Fast From Excess Might Look Like for Your Family
I introduced you to Chris Seay on Monday (watch the video here, if you missed it) and he shared a little of his heart for giving and reaching out to the poor.
In today’s video, Chris shares more about his yearly 40-day fast and how it looks for him and his family.
While what Chris and his family have chosen to do might not work for your family, I’d love to challenge you to consider what you could give up in your own life to experience in a tiny way what millions of those in poverty experience on a daily basis.
Perhaps you could considering eating oatmeal every morning for breakfast for a month. Or, have a meatless meal twice a week for an extended time period. Or, eat from the pantry for a few weeks. Or, maybe you do something entirely unrelated to food.
Watch the video short below and then I’d love to hear your ideas on how a 40-day fast from excess might work for your family:
Interview w. Money Saving Mom Part 2 from Chris Seay on Vimeo.
World’s Easiest Non-Dairy Whipped “Cream”
If you’re looking for an easy non-dairy alternative to whipped cream, this recipe is for you. With only 3 ingredients and a few minutes of hands-on time, you won’t even miss the actual “cream”!
Since one of my children is on a dairy-free, gluten-free diet, I’ve been on a mission to find some creative alternatives to things they usually eat that are healthful and yummy.
I’ve had a number of flops, but I’ve also hit on a few yummy recipes, too — like the Non-Dairy Whipped Cream I made last week.
It’s so simple and easy to make and we all agreed that it was yummy — especially if you can’t eat regular whipped cream!
Ingredients for Non-Dairy Whipped Cream
- 1 can coconut milk
- 1/4-1/2 cup powdered sugar (or other sweetener of your choice)
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon vanilla
How to Make Homemade Non-Dairy Whipped Cream
1. Refrigerate a can of coconut milk overnight.
2. The next day, open it and spoon out into a bowl (it should be somewhat hardened from refrigeration).
3. Add powdered sugar and vanilla.
4. Whip with a hand or stand mixer until it resembles whipped cream.
5. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe
Non-Dairy Whipped Cream
Ingredients
- 1 can coconut milk
- 1/4-1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Refrigerate a can of coconut milk overnight.
- The next day, open it and spoon out into a bowl (it should be somewhat hardened from refrigeration).
- Add powdered sugar and vanilla.
- Whip with a hand or stand mixer until it resembles whipped cream.
- Serve and enjoy!
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FREE DOWNLOAD: 60 Meals To Help You Avoid Takeout!
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How We’re “Selling” Our Way to Vacation
Guest post from Andria.
The last time I saw my grandmother was six years ago when my husband and I were on our honeymoon. We now live on the other side of the country and our two boys have never met their 90-year-old great-grandmother.
The Challenge
We are determined to make the 2,300-mile trip to visit her this year, and to do it debt-free!
The price tag for the trip is about $2,000. We are not going to use our savings or credit card. We are going to sell our way to California, and simultaneously accomplish our goals for the year: de-clutter, organize, and simplify our home!
I tend to be a neat freak, but in the past year, I have become increasingly overwhelmed by the amount of “stuff” accumulating in our home. Perhaps my sentimental tendencies are to blame; it’s hard for me to part with toys we have given to our boys, gifts we have been given, etc. But I’m running out of space and something has to be done!
The Plan
We set aside one evening a week and several hours on Saturdays to de-clutter our home. We tackle one room at a time – together. We feel it is important to stick together since we are making tough decisions as to what stays and what goes.
We start at one end of a room and go through every nook and cranny, getting rid of everything we can reasonably live without. This is a time-intensive task as the contents of drawers, countertops, shelves, and closets are examined and put to the test:
- Did we use or wear it in the past year?
- Is it broken or missing pieces?
- Is it getting in the way?
If something doesn’t pass the test, it goes in the trash or a “to sell” box.
Granted, the heartstrings of sentimental value have been tested at every turn, but we press on because we’re tired of clutter, and we want to reach our vacation goal!
So far we have tackled three rooms, and our home is already feeling much “lighter.”
Here are some of the items we have set aside to sell so far:
- trumpet/music books
- spare table and chairs
- old-fashioned stereo cabinet
- various electronics
- kitchen gadgets/cookbooks
- clothing/jewelry/purses
- blankets/quilts
- toys/baby items
- books/magazines
We set aside a large section of our garage as a holding area for the boxes of things to sell. Our goal is to finish the task by the end of February and have a celebratory garage sale in March. We will also be selling some items online (Facebook, eBay, Craigslist, etc.)
The hope of an exciting, debt-free family vacation is a powerful motivation for us as we de-clutter our home. The more we sell, the sooner we can go to California!
Andria Alexander lives in Pittsburgh, PA with her husband and two sons. She teaches coupon classes in the tri-state area, has a weekly coupon segment on KDKA TV, writes bi-monthly newspaper articles, and blogposts.
Video Blog: Introducing You to Chris Seay
We had the incredible opportunity of getting to have Chris Seay and his cameraman come to our home for a short visit last week. Chris is a pastor, author, and a man with an amazing heart for the poor. I was so blessed and inspired to meet him and get to hear a little of his heart.
Chris has traveled all over the world to visit those living in poverty. He’s seen suffering beyond what most of us could even begin to fathom (some of the stories he shared just blew my mind!). But he’s not just witnessed the poverty, he is actively seeking to live a life of walking with the poor–sacrificing his own comforts and wants in order to reach out to those in desperate need.
In his new book, A Place At the Table, Chris is issuing a challenge for us to not just talk about the dire needs and poverty around the globe, but for us to actually walk with the poor. His book challenges readers to consider a 40-day fast from excess.
This week, I’ll be sharing short clips from our interview and encouraging you to consider if there are sacrifices you feel called to make in your own life in order to help those who are in need in your own area–or in other parts of the world.
In the short video below, I share about two books that have impacted me recently when it comes to giving and living a simple life and Chris shares more about his heart for the poor (excuse the fact that this is the very first time I’ve ever conducted a video interview before so I’m a wee bit nervous about it!):
Interview w. Money Saving Mom Part 1 from Chris Seay on Vimeo.
A Lesson in Faithfulness
Guest post by Jen Leo
Three years ago…
My husband was laid off. I was five months pregnant and we had copious amounts of bills from spending six years of marriage living beyond our means. Gratefully, I was still able to work full-time, but the unemployment compensation was substantially less than what my husband had been making.
It took six months before my husband found another job, and in that amount of time, we learned that we could live on much less than we thought.
Fast forward a year…
My heart’s desire is to stay home with our son, and we’ve learned from those six months that we can make it work with a tighter budget. So I quit my full-time job and took a job as my church’s secretary working only about 12 hours a week.
My husband is still gainfully employed but our budget is tight so I start following blogs like MoneySavingMom.com to learn how to stretch our dollars. More importantly, I read a life-changing book by Dave Ramsey called The Total Money Makeover and decide to focus all of our energy into paying off debt.
This past year…
On a smaller income than we’ve ever had, we have managed to pay off two credit cards, two hospital bills, and one student loan (roughly $3000), plus put aside $1000 in an emergency fund.
After we paid off our final credit card, my husband was let go from his job…again. While this was a considerable blow to us emotionally, and our fervent prayer is for him to find work soon, I know that because of our diligence over the past year we can breathe a little easier on the financial front.
This layoff is going to be much different since I’m no longer working full time and we have a three-year-old at home. I’m not going to lie, I find myself stressing over how we’re going to make it. But I also look at the three years he was employed as a “transition”.
This job allowed us to pay off thousands of dollars of debt and has allowed us to have a small cushion to fall back on in this unexpected time. It’s also freed us up for my husband to find a job he really likes that may make less money than we’re used to because we don’t have this debt hanging over our heads.
I will choose to look at this time as another growing opportunity and another example of how God will bless us if we’re faithful.
Jen Leo shares her life with a wonderful husband, an amazing son, and two dogs. Next to her family, her greatest passions are quilting and finding a great deal!