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Shared Jan 26, 2012 comment

Gluten-Free Garbanzo Bean Blondies

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 26, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

So, I saw a recipe for Garbanzo Bean Blondies on Pinterest the other day. I just happened to have all of the ingredients and found the idea so intriguing that I whipped some up after dinner last night.

My children were all confused as to why I was blending up garbanzo beans in the VitaMix. In fact, Silas (2 1/2) saw me dump them in and immediately hollered out, “Ewwww!”

But no one turned up their noses at the finished result. They were different than a typical blondie–not quite as sweet and a bit of a different texture. But they were yummy, especially for being gluten-free and fairly healthful.

Have you tried any interesting recipes recently? I’d love to hear about it!

Shared Jan 26, 2012 comment

We Paid Cash: A Freezer

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 26, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

A testimony from Christina who blogs at Youthful Homemaker

I love freezer cooking. When we were newly married, my husband was amazed at how much I used the freezer. It quickly became apparent that the freezer attached to the refrigerator was too small, so our first major purchase as a married couple was a small chest freezer.

A few years later, we still used the little chest freezer daily, but we decided to change the way we bought meat. Instead of paying a premium at the grocery store, we bought a portion of a whole cow and kept it in our freezer.

This saved us hundreds of dollars, but meant we had little to no space in the freezer for other meals. So we made the decision to buy a new, bigger freezer and began saving for it immediately.

We tightened our budget by doing several little things, but they really added up:

We used coupons: I absolutely love to coupon and actually enjoyed trying to save ourselves even more money than the usual coupon savings.

We cut out expensive foods: Energy drinks and soda can really add up, so cutting these out of our budget really helped lower our grocery budget.

We cut our restaurant budget in half: Our restaurant budget had been around $80 a month, however, we decided to cut it in half and use out Restaurant.com gift certificates I got for free from Swagbucks to eat out without spending a lot.

We cut back on utilities: Lowering our electricity bill was where we saved the most money, and was by far the easiest thing we did.

It was not always fun to not be on a tighter budget than usual, but it was not as bad as we thought. Ultimately, it was a blessing because we learned (yet again) that we can usually find fun alternatives to our less-frugal habits.

In the end, we didn’t even use the money we’d saved to buy a freezer. My husband and I are college students and I had spent a lot of time applying for scholarships and grants. During the fall semester in 2010, we were blessed to have a lot more grants and scholarships than we expected.

It was very tempting for us to spend money on luxuries because we had been living on a ‘beans and rice, rice and beans’ budget. We did end up spending some money to pamper ourselves, but we used most of the money to buy an inexpensive freezer. My husband visited some of our local scratch-and-dent stores and found a commercial-grade freezer for only a quarter of its retail value!

It was a huge blessing to have a freezer paid for with the time I spent applying for scholarships. We put the money we had originally saved by cutting some areas in our budget toward our emergency fund.

Christina Wong is a young wife who writes a blog about no-drama homemaking on a budget. She loves finding ways to save money and live as frugally as possible, while still having fun. You can read more of her adventures in homemaking on her website Youthful Homemaker.

Have you saved up and paid cash for something — large or small? Submit your story for possible publication here.

Shared Jan 25, 2012 comment

Do-It-Yourself Experiment: Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 25, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Hundreds of you have raved about Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. I bought the book months ago, read it in Spring, and have since been trying out making the bread recipes.

The concept is simple: you take a few minutes to mix up some ingredients. You don’t knead the bread and instead let it rest for at least a few hours and then you can refrigerate it for up to two weeks to have fresh Artisan Bread with less than five minutes’ worth of work at any given time.

Truthfully, I was confused over the directions when I read the book the first time. I read and re-read the first chapter to figure out exactly what I was supposed to do with the dough once I made it.

I finally came across Mandy’s video (above) on how to make artisan bread and it all became much more clear. {Yes, I’m a visual learner if there ever was one!}

The bread was extremely easy to make, just like you all have been telling me. However, the first batch was way, way too salty. I followed the directions carefully and was quite disappointed in how it turned out. {Edit: I did use table salt instead of kosher salt the first time around and I’m guessing that could have been much of the issue.}

It looked beautiful, but it tasted gross. So gross, in fact, that I threw out the baked bread and the rest of the dough. And I was rather discouraged about the whole thing. This bread was supposed to revolutionize my baking. Instead, I threw it out. Um, that’s not exactly what I was envisioning with this recipe.

But then I read online where someone suggested cutting the salt in half. I did that and it was a lot better.

(Note: I didn’t use a baking stone (I don’t have one) or the steam method on these loaves. I think that’s why they look undercooked, even though I baked them the full amount of time. I’m going to keep experimenting and am hoping I can land on the perfect amazing bread you all keep talking about!)

I have yet to dub Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day as the next best thing to sliced bread and I won’t be making it exclusively as I have a number of other bread recipes I really love, but I think the concept is fascinating, the bread is undeniably easy to make, and it’s definitely a recipe I’ll be adding to our regular bread recipes line-up.

Have you tried the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day Recipe? If so, I’d love to hear what you thought of it! (And feel feel to chime in on suggestions for me on what I’m doing wrong and how I can improve! I really want to make the beautiful loaves that the book pictures!)

Coming up tomorrow: My Homemade Detangler experiment.

Shared Jan 25, 2012 comment

Reader Tip: How I Organize My Spices

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 25, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Sharon from Mom on Dealz emailed in the following tip:

2012 is here! And with the New Year comes the need to throw out the old and organize what’s left. Around the New Year, I also like to identify small areas of my home that can be easily altered to make my life easier.

One area I focused on this year is the cupboard area above my stove. The cupboards are where we have stored our spices and seasonings since we moved into the house. Due to my 5’2″ height, every time I cook, this spot has been a nuisance to me. The contents are very difficult to reach and despite always keeping the most used items up front, at least once a week I have to grab a stool to reach something.

I finally decided to do something about it and am shocked that such a small organizational project has streamlined and improved my life so much. My big problem was simply (and cheaply) solved by one item — an over-the-door shoe rack!

As you can see I made labels and put them on each slot in alphabetical order. I even had some open slots at the bottom that I have filled with miscellaneous items and the very bottom row has become my sons’ snacking slots. I am loving this easy solution so much I am already planning other uses for future shoe racks! -Sharon

Have you ever used a shoe rack to organize items other than your shoes? I would love to hear more ideas!

Sharon is a wife and stay at home mom to her 2 amazing and very active boys. She also blogs at Momondealz where she helps her readers use coupons, freebies, and giveaways to stay within their budget. Her background as a former elementary school teacher also helps provide her fans with kids crafts that are educational, fun, and frugal!

Shared Jan 25, 2012 comment

Ask the Readers: How do you keep track of passwords?

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 25, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Today’s question is from Debbie:

As hard as I have tried to keep my password the same for most freebie links and websites, there is often a slightly different format required. It may be a minimum of six or eight characters, at least one capitalization, at least one number, etc. Inevitably, I waste time by requesting to reset my password which usually ends up to be another slight variation of the same password.

Other than documenting each website and password, I’m at a loss. Any advice as to how to keep track of my passwords would greatly help! -Debbie

Do you have a question you’d like to ask Money Saving Mom® readers? Read the submission guidelines and submit it here.

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Shared Jan 24, 2012 comment

Tonight’s Target Shopping Trip

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 24, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Silas and I made a quick trip to Target tonight while Jesse took the girls out. Here’s what we bought:

1 Kre-O Transformers Optimus Prime Set at $7.99
Use $8/1 Kre-O Transformers Optimus Prime Construction set printable coupon
Free after coupon

6 Market Pantry canned soup at $0.64 each
Used 2 $1/3 Target coupons
$0.31 per can after coupon

2 packages of Market Pantry cough drops at $1.36 each
Used 2 $1/1 Target coupons
$0.36 per bag after coupons

6 Hunt’s Canned Tomatoes (14.5 oz.) at $1.14 each
Used 2 $1/3 Target coupons
Stack with 2 $1/3 Hunts Tomatoes printable coupons
$0.48 per can after coupons

4 bags of Market Pantry frozen broccoli at $0.99 each
Used $1/4 Target coupon
$0.84 per bag after coupon

2 Bear Naked Soft Baked Cookies at $2.99
Use $2/1 Bear Naked coupon
$0.99 each after coupon

2 blocks of Market Pantry cheese at $2.49 each
Used 2 $1/1 Target coupons
$1.49 each after coupons

Total with tax: $14.79

I was disappointed that our Target didn’t have the free single rolls of paper towels and were still out of the free macaroni & cheese, but I was excited to find a Kre-O Transformers set on the shelf!

Shared Jan 24, 2012 comment

Do-It-Yourself Experiment: Homemade Marshmallows

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 24, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Ever since watching Carrie’s video on making Homemade Marshmallows, I’ve wanted to give it a try myself.

And I finally did in December.

I used this recipe on Smitten Kitchen and found the step-by-step photos extremely helpful. I also found that my KitchenAid from my grandma was a huge help, too. In fact, I thought the recipe was quite easy to make, but I think it would have been a lot more time-consuming without the KitchenAid.

The end result was delicious homemade marshmallows that my whole family oohed and ahhed over.

They weren’t necessarily money-saving or time-saving to make, but I think they’d make a very fun and unique gift–especially when paired with a homemade hot cocoa mix.

Next time, I want to try making these Chocolate Dipped Marshmallows.

Up tomorrow: The long-awaited details on my Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day experiment.

Shared Jan 24, 2012 comment

Behind-the-scenes details on writing a book & the lessons I learned the hard way

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 24, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I was interviewed by ShePosts recently about writing The Money Saving Mom®’s Budget.

If you’d like to get a little peek behind-the-scenes into when I wrote the book, what I learned during the process, and some of the mistakes I made, hop on over to read the interview.

Shared Jan 24, 2012 comment

How to Save Money at Whole Foods Market

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 24, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Guest post from Nora of The Dollar Hollering Homemaker

If you normally shop at traditional grocery stores, you might face sticker shock if you visit Whole Foods Market. In general, prices are much more expensive, but I have discovered some tips for saving money at Whole Foods:

1. Check the Ad.

Locate the closest Whole Foods store on WholeFoods.com and see what your store specials are.

2. Pick up the “Whole Deal” coupon book.

Over the summer, they had a coupon where if you bought a rotisserie chicken, you could get a family size side for free. I also found a coupon for a free box of organic tea.

3. Sign up for the e-mail lists and subscribe to the Facebook page.

You will be notified of one-day-only sales and 3-day-only sales where you can really stock up. I’ve been able to get organic, grass-fed beef for $3.99 per lb and organic berries for $2 per lb. You can also sign up in the store deals section of MoneySavingMom.com to get the best deals at Whole Foods emailed to you each week.

4. Buy in bulk.

Whole Foods offers 10% case discounts when you buy in bulk. Case discounts can be combined with coupons for even better savings.

5. Compare prices.

Organic corn tortillas are $0.99 at Whole Foods and typically $0.20-$1.00 more expensive any place else. However, I tend to get bacon, sea salt, whole wheat, and white flour from other stores as the prices for those at Whole Foods aren’t as great.

6. Shop infrequently.

I shop at Whole Food’s every 4-6 weeks, unless there is an excellent one-day sale.

7. Remember that organic isn’t always better.

I always buy grass-fed beef, and if I’m not buying it directly from the farmer, Whole Foods is the next best choice because their beef is local.

That being said, I rarely buy produce at Whole Foods. They may have organic tomatoes, but they traveled here from Mexico and taste like cardboard. In my area, we have a great grocery store chain that carries local produce that is much more flavorful and tends to be lower on pesticides because it isn’t traveling as far.

If you don’t have a great local chain, try farmers’ markets and CSA’s. In addition to saving money, buying local means that I am supporting local farmers and businesses.

8. Stick with the basics.

Don’t spend all your money on the organic boxed/processed stuff. Generally speaking, it isn’t much healthier for you than the stuff you pick up in the regular store. If you are going to splurge on junk food, get what you really want and save your dough.

9. Save time.

To me, time is money. If I buy bread at Whole Foods, they’ll slice it for you for free. Same goes for meat: you can get it cut to order or ground for you. Why wouldn’t you take advantage of something that saves time and is free?

10. Bring your own bag.

Whole Foods gives you a discount for bringing your own reusable bag. You might as well take advantage of this!

How do you save money at Whole Foods?

Nora Duvigneaud is a twenty-something homemaker and D.C. native, residing in the Midwest. When she is not in her kitchen she loves hiking, old school mystery shows and simple living. She blogs at The Dollar Hollering Homemaker.

Shared Jan 24, 2012 comment

Do-It-Yourself: Homemade Frozen Waffles

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 24, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Whisk Together shows you how to make homemade frozen waffles .

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.

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

Click here to download!

Shared Jan 24, 2012 comment

This Week’s Menu

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 24, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Freshly-made Orange Carrot Juice

I’m back to posting regular menus here again, after taking four weeks off. Here’s what we’re planning to eat this week:

Breakfasts

Cereal
Fresh Carrot/orange juice, toasted bagels
Waffles, oranges
Oatmeal
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins, fruit
Raw Veggie Cereal (this sounds so intriguing that I just have to try it!)
Toasted bagels, eggs, fruit

Lunches

Tossed salad with sliced chicken
Macaroni & cheese, peas
PB&J, carrot sticks, apple slices
Refried beans with cheese, carrot sticks
Cheese quesadillas, carrot sticks, fruit
Leftovers x 2

Snacks

Chocolate Granola Bars
Healthy Chocolate Mousse
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Dinners

Steak, potatoes, broccoli, fruit
Black Bean & Taco Bake, tossed salad
Hamburgers, tater tots, steamed veggies
Cheesy Chicken & Rice Bake, tossed salad, grapefruit
Build Your Own Haystacks, fruit, brown rice
Dinner out
Dinner with extended family

Freezer Cooking

Beef and Black Bean Taco Bake
Chocolate Peanut Granola
Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread

What’s on your menu this week? Share details and/or your link to your menu plan in the comments.

Shared Jan 23, 2012 comment

How We Paid Cash for Our First Home

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 23, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I’m honored to be guest posting over on Get Rich Slowly today about How We Paid Cash for Our First Home. Here’s a snippet:

When my husband and I got married nine years ago, we had an audacious dream of paying cash for our first home. At that time, it was very much a far-off dream — we were just trying to survive the rigors and expenses of law school without going in debt. That alone was a seemingly gigantic feat.

But after three years of law school, my husband did graduate without debt, passed the bar, and we started planning for the future. Since we’d been renting for almost four years, my husband had a good job, and our second baby was on the way, pretty much everyone expected that buying a house would be in our immediate future.

I mean, after all, isn’t buying a house the responsible thing for a young couple to do? Well, maybe — or maybe not. We didn’t have much money in savings, and we weren’t sure how long we would be living in the town we were in, so we chose to go against conventional wisdom and continued renting.

Read the whole post.

There are lots of interesting comments in the comments section on the pros and cons of renting versus buying and mortgages versus cash that you might want to check out, as well. As I’ve mentioned many times before, remember that what worked for us won’t necessarily work for you in your own unique situation, but we hope that our story can serve as an inspiration for you to set big goals and work hard toward them.

Perseverance, persistence, and patience does pay off!

photo credit

Shared Jan 23, 2012 comment

The Power of Review

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 23, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Guest post from Lacey of Live Loved

I used to ride the New Year’s Resolution bandwagon…every single year.

The problem was, I always ended up falling off pretty quickly. I can’t tell you how many goals and resolutions I’ve made, only to forget about a month later: resolutions to lose weight, exercise more, spend less, drink less caffeine, and wash my hair more regularly.

And then, my eyes were opened to the beauty of a plan.

Thanks to Michael Hyatt’s Creating Your Personal Life Plan and Crystal’s insightful and practical posts on setting and carrying out goals, I’ve come to realize that what I needed was not more goals, or better goals, or more discipline. What I needed was a plan.

And so, I did just that. I followed the steps outlined in Hyatt’s life plan guide, and was really pleased to have a plan that covered all the areas of my life that were important to me, and that helped me to envision the future I wanted to see some day. I walked into that plan with so much excitement.

But I forgot one important thing: the importance of regular review. It’s not enough to create a well-thought out plan of action. It’s not just enough to take the time to break your goals down into bite-sized chunks like Crystal talks about so often. You have to take the time to review, to remind yourself of your plans and vision, to see how you’re doing in achieving your goals, and to prepare yourself for any hiccups your week might have.

It’s why Michael Hyatt suggests a weekly review, as well as a day or two once or twice a year to intentionally review your plan. It’s the same reason Crystal posts her weekly goals, as well as reviews the ones from the previous week.

Not sure what to do in your review time? Here are some suggestions:

Review the different parts of your plan. Is there anything you might want to tweak a little bit (5-10 minutes)

Think about your past week. How did you do in each of these areas you listed as a priority? What is your current reality? What areas of improvement do you see? (10-15 minutes)

Think about your upcoming week, noting all things you already have scheduled/planned. Do these things match up with your life plan? If they do not, what needs to change? (10-15 minutes)

Evaluate your week a little more closely, this time looking for days or times where it might be hard to carry out some of your action plans. For example, is there going to be an especially busy day where you won’t be able to make your normal work-out time? What can you do now to prepare for those trouble spots ahead (10-15 minutes)

Even if you were to use the maximum amount of time for each of these areas, you would spend less than an hour of your week reviewing your plan. But look at the results you would reap from that hour: accountability in keeping your plans, refreshment in reminding yourself what your goals are and your progress toward them, preparation for the week ahead.

I think we could all agree it would be an hour well spent.

Do you take the time to review your plans and goals on a regular basis? If so, what tips do you have for others in doing so? If not, what could you do to help yourself take this time this week?

Lacey lives in Lubbock, Texas with her husband, Kade, and sweet daughter, Selah. She regularly captures her musings on all things related to being wife, mommy, and recipient of grace at her Live Loved. There’s usually a cup of coffee involved.

photo credit

Shared Jan 23, 2012 comment

10 Goals for This Week

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 23, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I’m so encouraged to look over my Goals for 2012 and see that I’m slowly chipping away at them. Settings goals for each month and breaking those down further into goals for each week is helping tremendously. It’s amazing how just making a plan and working the plan little by little can start adding up to a lot of progress!

Here are my goals from last week:

Family/Mothering Goals

1. Finish reading The Boxcar Children aloud to the children.

~~2. Go to Florida with Kaitlynn for a FamilyLife speakers/MomLife writers.~~

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

Personal Goals

~~4. Finish reading How to Write a Book Proposal & The Now Habit.~~

~~5. Complete week 2 of the Couch to 5K program.~~

6. Finish listening to the Developing the Leader Within You audiobook.

Home Management

7. Put together two weeks of pages for my Project Life album.

8. Finish knitting the Squidge dishcloth.

Business Goals

~~9. Finish writing an article for RooMag.com.~~

~~10. Participate in Twitter chat with @TwitterBooks on Friday (we’d love to have you join us! It’s slated for 3-4 p.m. EST).~~

This week’s goals:

Family/Mothering Goals

1. Finish reading The Boxcar Children aloud to the children.

2. Take Kathrynne out on a mother-daughter date for her birthday.

3. Take the children to an indoor play area for Kathrynne’s birthday.

Personal Goals

4. Finish Loving the Little Years and finish listening to the Developing the Leader Within You audiobook.

5. Complete week 3 of the Couch to 5K program.

Home Management

6. Put together two weeks of pages for my Project Life album.

7. Finish knitting the Squidge dishcloth.

8. Make Homemade Hair Detangler.

Business Goals

9. Finish writing an article for AllYou.com.

10. Put together photos and talking points for my appearance on the 700 Club.

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 Jan 23, 2012 comment

Saturday’s Shopping Trip

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 23, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

After taking almost six weeks off from using coupons, I’m excited to be back and at it again! I went to Dillon’s, Target, the health food store, and Bath & Body Works on Saturday and here’s what I ended up getting:

Total spent for all items shown above: $11.35

Here’s the price breakdown:

Bath & Body Works — picked up the free Chiffon lotion

Health Food Store — Bought: 4 grapefruit at $0.25 each — $1, 10 oranges at $0.20 each — $2, 5-lb. bag of organic carrots — $2.49, Organic leaf lettuce — $1.79, Rudi’s Bagel Thins — marked down to $0.99. Total with tax: $8.87

Dillon’s — Bought: 10 LUNA bars priced at $1.09 each. Used 10 $0.50/1 coupons (doubled — my mom had picked these up in some coupon booklets at the health food store). Total with tax: $1.33

Target — Bought: Fantastik — $1.97, used $1/1 coupon (no longer available) = $0.97, Reach Floss — $0.97, used $1/1 coupon (no longer available) = free. Total with tax: $1.15

I was disappointed that Target was out of almost everything I was hoping to buy–including the free KRE-O sets. Oh well! This week, I’ll try to make it there before Saturday so that I can (hopefully!) find more items in stock!

Summer Bucket List

Summer Bucket List

FREE Summer Bucket List!!

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

1. Check the Ad.

2. Pick up the “Whole Deal” coupon book.

3. Sign up for the e-mail lists and subscribe to the Facebook page.

4. Buy in bulk.

5. Compare prices.

6. Shop infrequently.

7. Remember that organic isn’t always better.

8. Stick with the basics.

9. Save time.

10. Bring your own bag.

How do you save money at Whole Foods?

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

Breakfasts

Lunches

Snacks

Dinners

Freezer Cooking

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