Money Saving Mom®

Classic View

Grid View

Shared Feb 20, 2012 comment

10 Goals for This Week

Published: by Crystal Paine on February 20, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I skipped posting goals last week since I took the week “off” so here’s my progress from my goals for two weeks ago:

Family/Mothering Goals

~~1. Read at least 5 chapters each from In Grandma’s Attic and Corrie Ten Boom aloud to the children.~~

~~2. Write letters to one of our Compassion children.~~

~~3. Write a love note to Jesse.~~

Personal Goals

4. Finish reading 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess, A Symphony in the Dark, An Organized Heart, and Thunder Dog.

~~5. Complete week 5 of the Couch to 5K program.~~

~~6. Write two handwritten notes.~~

Home Management

7. Go through house from top to bottom and clear out clutter {I didn’t get through the whole house, but I did make some good progress.}

~~8. Start Andalutheean Knitted Dishcloth.~~

~~9. Make Homemade Rice Milk.~~

Business Goals

10. Finish writing article for MomLifeToday.com.

This week’s goals:

Family/Mothering Goals

1. Finish reading In Grandma’s Attic and read at least 3 chapters of Corrie Ten Boom aloud to the children.

2. Begin our Countdown to Easter study as a family.

3. Write a love note to Jesse.

Personal Goals

4. Finish reading 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess and Rekindling the Romance: Loving the Love of Your Life.

5. Complete week 6 of the Couch to 5K program.

6. Start listening to The 10 Habits of Happy Mothers.

Home Management

7. Finish going through house from top to bottom and clear out clutter {I’ll be blogging some of this and encouraging you to join me!}.

8. Finish Andalutheean Knitted Dishcloth.

9. Make Homemade Naan.

Business Goals

10. Finish writing article for MomLifeToday.com and RooMag.com.

photo credit

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.

Shared Feb 19, 2012 comment

A little peek into my week “off” from blogging (and some posts you may have missed!)

Published: by Crystal Paine on February 19, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Thank you all for letting me take this past week “off” from blogging.

My husband and I were on the Love Like You Mean It Cruise almost the entire week this week. It was good to have a break and to spend most of the week unplugged (if you didn’t realize I was gone, that was because my fantastic team did such a great job of running the blog in my stead!).

We soaked up the sun, read some great books, talked and dreamed and planned for the future, ate interesting food, got a sunburn, heard inspiring messages, met some wonderful new friends, and went to bed before 8:30 p.m. almost every single night.

It was exhilarating and refreshing, but it’s good to be home and back to our three precious children. We missed them so much! And truthfully, we also really missed good coffee (there was not a decent batch of coffee to be found on the entire cruise ship–I wished I had brought my French Press so I could have made my own!) and solid ground (thankfully, the motion sickness pills helped soothe my queasy stomach!).

And I missed you all, too, and have so many post ideas my head is about ready to explode! 🙂 But for now, I’m getting ready to enjoy a quiet, media-free Sunday and I’ll be back to blogging as usual on Monday. I promise I’ll share a mini recap of our trip & some pictures, too!

Here were some of the best posts from this past week, in case you missed them:

Freebies and Deals:

100 Photo Prints from Snapfish for $7 Shipped

140 Free Swagbucks for New Sign-Ups

Free Tide Pods Samples

Kid’s Eat Free at Cici’s Pizza

Free Purex UltraPack Samples

Free Printable Vintage Paper Dolls

Free ebook: 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life

Four Posts You Should Read:

3 Steps to Simplifying Laundry

How We Manage Without a Washer and Dryer

Saving Money By Simplifying Meal Planning

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Waffle Recipe

Shared Feb 18, 2012 comment

A “100 Things” Decluttering Challenge

Published: by Crystal Paine on February 18, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Guest post from Deborah

My husband and I own a smaller home — around 1000 square feet with two bedrooms and two bathrooms. We don’t have children or hobbies that contribute to owning a great amount of stuff, but somehow the stuff seems to accumulate on its own!

The stuff seems to come into the home from several places:

I’m a librarian and my husband is a history professor — we receive many, many books that we won’t read.

My family is wonderful at giving items to each other for no reason — because we don’t want to throw them away!

As a professor, my husband often receives small gifts from students.

Friends often give us things that they think we’ll enjoy… and then those items sit in a closet or a cabinet for months without being touched.

I know we are blessed to receive so many free items from different people — but quite often, these items just sit around the house, gathering dust. It never seems to be enough stuff to have a yard sale, and nothing is usually worth enough to sell through Craigslist.

So once a year, and sometimes twice if I feel the house is getting cluttered, I do a “100 Things” project on a weekend.

It’s quite simple: I must find 100 things to get rid of in some way.

It might be a book I know I’ll never read. It might be a pair of holey socks tucked deep in a drawer that simply needs to be re-purposed as a dust rag or thrown away. It might be a stack of papers waiting to be filed. It might be a bunch of clothes I box up and take to Goodwill, or a box of magazines that I give away on Freecycle.

The bottom line is that 100 things need to leave my home or be put to some other use.

The last time I did this was in December of 2011. I gave away a box of 30 magazines to someone on Freecycle. I boxed up 20 books and donated them to a local organization hosting a book sale in order to raise money. I bagged up some clothing that we hadn’t worn in ages and sent them to Goodwill. When I pulled out the Christmas decorations, I went through everything and found broken items to throw away and other items to be sent to the local Goodwill store. And I always have a box in the garage ready to fill with random items to donate.

We are not big stuff collectors — but I’m always amazed at the amount of stuff I can get rid of once a year when I really try. And I always feel that my home is a little less cluttered at the end of a “100 things” weekend!

Have you ever tried decluttering 100 things?

photos credit

Shared Feb 17, 2012 comment

Video Blog: Can my small efforts really make a difference?

Published: by Crystal Paine on February 17, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I’ve been so blessed by the comments and emails from you all about how this series of videos I’m doing with Chris Seay is impacting you (you can watch the first two videos here if you missed them).

Here’s a comment that Kelly posted today:

My husband and I have decided that during Lent, we’ll do two weeks of eating from three different countries – so six weeks total. We chose one from each continent that houses the largest number of poor people – Honduras (Feb 22 – March 6), Kenya (March 7-20), and Thailand (March 21 – April 8).

We got the list of staple foods from Chris Seay’s website and are designating a limited amount of foods to eat during each two-week period (mostly just the ones from that list, but a few others to round out some food groups plus account for our CSA subscription which we can’t back out of). I’m five months pregnant, so we were a bit limited in what we could do – I didn’t feel very comfortable doing any literal fasting (skipping meals) or having an exceptionally limited diet, so I think this will be a good way to connect with some particular countries, get a little “bored” with eating the same staple foods over and over again, etc.

During the two weeks that we’re focusing on each country, we’re going to pray for that country (using guides from the book Operation World) and research that country (using the internet, books from the library, plus a few books we already own, and maybe watch documentaries on Netflix, if available). In addition, we’re going to designate some money to charities that work in each of those three respective countries.

Thanks for the inspiration! We’ve been wanting to do something like this, but things have gotten in the way a few times before (we just stocked up on tons of groceries, we’ll have house guests for a lot of the time, etc.), so now we’re just going to make it happen!

Looking forward to seeing how God works in our hearts AND how we’re able to help others through this experience. -Kelly

In today’s video, Chris talks about how taking a 40-day fast from excess from has impacted their family. He also answers my question of, “Can our feeble, small efforts really make a difference or are the needs so great that it’s not really even worth it?”

If you only have time to watch one of the videos from Chris Seay, I’d heartily encourage you to take two minutes and watch today’s video. I think you’ll be inspired and motivated by it–at least I know I was!

Interview w. Money Saving Mom Part 3 from Chris Seay on Vimeo.

Shared Feb 17, 2012 comment

Do It Yourself: Magnetic Paper Dolls

Published: by Crystal Paine on February 17, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

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.

WANT TO SAVE $100 FAST?!Join the FREE 14-Day Savings Challenge!

Click here to sign up!

Shared Feb 17, 2012 comment

3 Steps to Simplifying Laundry

Published: by Crystal Paine on February 17, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

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.

photo credit

Shared Feb 16, 2012 comment

We Paid Cash: Two Night Get-Away to the Oregon Coast

Published: by Crystal Paine on February 16, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

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.

Shared Feb 16, 2012 comment

Do-It-Yourself: Homemade Baked Doughnuts

Published: by Crystal Paine on February 16, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Whisk Together shows you how to make homemade Baked Doughnuts.

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.

Shared Feb 16, 2012 comment

Saving Money by Simplifying Meal Planning

Published: by Crystal Paine on February 16, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

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.

photo credit

Shared Feb 16, 2012 comment

Are the Chaos and Clutter in Your Life Keeping You From Financial Success?

Published: by Crystal Paine on February 16, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

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.

OVER-SPENDING EVERY SINGLE MONTH?Grab these FREE Budgeting Sheets!

Click here to download!

Shared Feb 15, 2012 comment

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Waffle Recipe

Published: by Crystal Paine on February 15, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

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

Author Crystal Paine

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

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

Love this recipe?

Make sure to share and save it on your favorite platform below!

Pin Recipe

Thanks to Passionate Homemaking for inspiring this delicious recipe!

Shared Feb 15, 2012 comment

How We Manage Without a Washer and Dryer

Published: by Crystal Paine on February 15, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

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.

photo source

Shared Feb 15, 2012 comment

Ask the Readers: AAA Memberships

Published: by Crystal Paine on February 15, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

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.

Shared Feb 15, 2012 comment

How I Purged 91% of Our Stuff

Published: by Crystal Paine on February 15, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

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.

Shared Feb 15, 2012 comment

Video Blog: What a 40-Day Fast From Excess Might Look Like for Your Family

Published: by Crystal Paine on February 15, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

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.

Summer Bucket List

Summer Bucket List

FREE Summer Bucket List!!

Freebies and Deals:

Four Posts You Should Read:

The stuff seems to come into the home from several places:

Have you ever tried decluttering 100 things?

WANT TO SAVE $100 FAST?!Join the FREE 14-Day Savings Challenge!

1. Find a laundry schedule that works for you.

2. Use mesh bags for socks, underwear, etc.

3. Ditch the laundry basket.

What are your favorite laundry tips or shortcuts?

By the middle of July the Jar held $501.

OVER-SPENDING EVERY SINGLE MONTH?Grab these FREE Budgeting Sheets!

These Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Waffles are the BEST!

Ingredients for Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Waffles

How to Make Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Waffles

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Waffles

Equipment

Ingredients 1x2x3x

Instructions

Nutrition

Love this recipe?

FREE 50+ Easy and Cheap Breakfast Ideas!!

Our New Laundry Routine:

1. Get rid of multiples.

2. Get rid of the things you don’t/won’t use.

3. Get over it.

4. Sell that junk!

5. Don’t buy more.

Want a more ORGANIZED HOME?

Footer

Sign up for myHot Deals Newsletter

Ingredients