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7 Tips for Stockpiling for a Move
Guest post by Lacey from Live Loved
My family and I recently moved to a new city and remodeled a house. My in-laws graciously allowed us to stay with them for a time, paying a minimal amount for rent and groceries. Although I was ecstatic to move into our home, I felt a growing amount of worry as the time came to do so — most of it had to do with our grocery budget.
I knew there were a lot of things we would need to buy to get our pantry re-established, especially since we do the majority of our cooking and eating at home. Groceries can add up fast and our tight budget didn’t allow for much wiggle room at all.
My worry was beginning to build.
And then, I began unpacking. And do you know what I found? All kinds of canned tomatoes, oils, spices, pastas, beans, rice, and more. I had completely forgotten that I had packed whatever things I could from our stockpile and kept it in storage at our in-laws. All of which helped to fill my empty pantry that I had been so worried about.
What’s the point of all of this? I think there a few things that can be learned from my experience, and I hope they might prove helpful for you:
1. Don’t worry!
I realized that my worry was very unnecessary. Besides the fact that worry doesn’t accomplish anything, I also claim to rest completely in the Lord and the fact that He knows our needs better than I do. He is the one who provides for our family.
2. Make the effort to stockpile.
If you are moving, list all the items you can stockpile, and then do it! Include cleaning products and dried pantry goods you know will hold up to traveling and storage.
3. Don’t go overboard.
The point is to help get your family’s pantry set-up, not feed the entire neighborhood. Packing and unpacking boxes is a chore even with just a few things, so don’t add too much to your load.
4. Protect your stockpile.
If things need to be in storage, make sure they are well-covered from dust and bugs. Some things I even wrapped in plastic bags and then put into a well-sealed box.
5. Store items in a climate controlled space.
Spices, nuts, oils, and baking goods won’t last forever, but especially not in extreme heat.
6. Write dates on everything.
That way you know how long you have before it goes bad. I might even include the date it went into storage so that you have a good idea of its condition.
7. Create menus that use up your stockpile.
Not having to spend as much on groceries is an added blessing! Some ideas include: spaghetti or pasta dishes, beans and rice, and soups and stews.
What are your best tips to stock-pile for a move?
Lacey is the wife to Kade, mommy to Selah, unashamed coffee addict, and daily recipient of the love of Jesus. She blogs over at Live Loved.
Do-It-Yourself: Homemade Play-Doh
Andrea from Simple Organized Living shows you how to make homemade Play-Doh for pennies… with just a few pantry staples!
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.
Comparison is the thief of joy
About six weeks ago, I had a little extra time one day and was perusing blogs. I somehow stumbled upon this beautiful blog written by an even more beautiful woman.
As I read her posts, I began to feel very inadequate. She was pretty, in shape, creative, witty, had a gorgeous home, had more children than me, and really seemed to have it altogether.
I started to feel ugly, disorganized, out of shape, and like a really pathetic woman in comparison to her. But I kept on reading–and continued to feel even worse.
Then I landed upon a post where she talked about this woman that she so admired and wanted to be like. I was shocked when I clicked on the link and discovered the woman she was referring to was me.
Yes, this woman whom I felt I paled in comparison to wanted to be like me.
And then I realized how silly this was. Here she wanted to be me and I was secretly wishing I were her.
It hit me anew just how easy it is to want what we don’t have–better hair, better decorating skills, a better personality, more creativity, more spunk… there’s always someone who it seems we’d like to trade places with because they have what we want.
But trading places with someone wouldn’t fix anything; we’d just inherit a new set of things we wish we could change. No one has it altogether. Everyone has struggles and difficulties.
Comparison only leads to discontentment.
We can’t change who we are, but we can make the most of our situation. We can’t choose the personality we are born with, but we can choose to be thankful–even in the midst of difficulty.
And we can choose to be intentional and purposeful in how we live our lives so that we make the most of all that we’ve been given instead of wishing we were someone else.
I loved this part of Amy Lynn Andrew’s post on The Trouble With Blogging:
…Never forget that what you see on the screen is not the whole picture.
Never forget that the people behind the blogs are, well, people…with unorganized cupboards, unmanaged time schedules (ahem!), cranky children (ahem again!), painful stories, crafty train wrecks, struggling marriages, unpaid bills and burnt meat loaf. (Those are the examples I use, because those have all been me behind the scenes.)
Never forget that their story and their journey and their choices apply to them, not to you.
You are who you are for a reason. You are where you are a for a reason. Don’t do what I do and beat yourself up for not being where someone else is. It’s a colossal waste of time.
Appreciate everyone else’s outside, but embrace your inside. (Read the full post here–it’s fantastic!)
4 Tips to Avoid a Daily Deal Scam
The following is a guest post from Maggie:
Daily deal sites are amazing, both for the deep discounts and for the new products you can discover through them. But in our rush to take advantage of the wonderful offers, we can sometimes overlook some basic buyer safety practices.
The daily deal format unfortunately makes it easy pickings for fly-by-night scammers offering fraudulent products. Follow these tips to stay safe while scoring hot deals.
1. Use well-respected daily deal sites.
There are countless daily deal sites in operation, with more popping up every day. Stick to those site where you’ve had successful transactions in the past, know someone who has, or have received a recommendation from a blogger you know and trust.
It’s great to support new daily deal start-ups, but make sure they have some sort of track record for delivering on their promises. Check their Facebook wall for a quick gauge of customer satisfaction.
2. Research the company offering the deal.
Most daily deal scams will come from companies offering products through daily deal sites, pocketing the money, and then not delivering. So if you’re purchasing a product from company you’ve never used before, take a minute before purchasing to research the company.
How long has their Facebook page been active, and are there tons of complains on the wall? Do they have a Better Business Bureau profile, and are there any complaints?
Be wary of companies that appear to have just been formed. In five minutes or less, you can get a feel for whether this is a company with a history of good service.
3. Pay through Paypal or other buyer protection service.
Paying through Paypal or something similar gives you a certain measure of safety, should the company never deliver on its promises. Be aware though of the limitations of these payment services. Many require claims or complaints be filed within a certain timeframe, and some (including Paypal) will not refund your money themselves in case of a dispute — they will only attempt to reclaim it from the seller.
4. Make sure you are not charged until the goods ship.
As daily deal veterans know, many daily deal sites issue vouchers that do not include shipping. Thus, when you go to the seller website and actually purchase the product, you sometimes have to issue payment directly to the company to cover shipping charges. When this happens, keep a close eye on when you are actually charged the money.
It is illegal for a company to charge you prior to shipping your order. So if you see a shipping charge on your credit card bill or Paypal statement before you receive a shipment confirmation, it’s a red flag.
Following these simple tips will help you avoid the many different daily deal scams that are out there these days.
Maggie Larche is a daily deal lover and the author of a children’s detective novel that teaches economic concepts, Striker Jones: Elementary Economics for Elementary Detectives. More information on her book is available at her website.
Family Fitness for Less
Guest post by Lisa.
Setting aside space for personal fitness as a busy parent can be difficult. Time-crunched families also long for ways to build meaningful memories and spend time with one another. Why not incorporate both?
Cultivate an attitude of healthy living and teamwork in your family without buying an expensive gym membership. The options are endless, the cost-free to minimal, but the memories are irreplaceable.
Adventure Hiking
Hiking paths, walking trails, and even city streets can be transformed into an adventure. Try out new places, talk about what you discover, create a scavenger hunt to complete along the charted route. Keep a marked map or a running record, of all the trails your family has traversed.
Visit a Track
Slip on sneakers and scout out your local track. Find a time when no teams are practicing or have an athletic event. Children enjoy trying out all the lanes, running down the long jump, and rolling through the center field grass. While kids burn off energy, parents can fit in steady laps or complete sprint intervals.
Swim Swaps
Pack up the family for a trip to the local pool. If your pool has a splash pad area, settle the kids in. One parent can supervise while the other takes twenty minutes to swim laps, then switch places. End your time together with some massive splashing.
Exercise DVDs
Many local libraries have extensive exercise DVD collections. Be creative with your workout equipment; children love to lift stuffed animals as weights or use a special blanket as an exercise mat. Kids’ interpretations are sure to create laughter.
Dig into Sports
Expose your children to many different sports. Compile a master list of all the sports your family wants to try and get moving. Changing things up is fun and helps your children discover the sports they enjoy most.
Ready to play? Run the bases at a local baseball diamond, give the tennis court a try, and gang up on Dad to score a soccer goal. Even young family members can work through a Frisbee golf course.
Work with the Seasons
Take full advantage of the opportunities at different times of the year present for fitness. Slip on rain boots and take a walk, jump through as many puddles as possible. Water balloon and squirt gun battles that include adults are sure to be a family favorite. Grab some hot cocoa and traverse a corn maze together. If snow comes to your area, bundle up and see how many times your family can climb the nearest sledding hill.
Stretch Imagination in Challenging Weather
When the weather prohibits outdoor activities bring the fun indoors. Take turns creating obstacle courses and completing them. Grab their favorite stuffed animals and have them complete silly relay races. Strip all the beds of comforters and pillows, unpack the sleeping bags, and pile them into a heap. Bounce away, all the giggling will make up for the cleanup afterward.
These are just a few of the frugal ways your family can stay fit… and create many memories in the process.
What are your best frugal family fun ideas?
Lisa is a freelance writer from Holland, Michigan. Her family seeks to live a life of giving, not excess. Lisa, her husband, and her two children have tried all these family fitness ideas. They have a lot of fun, laughter and general mishaps together. Adventure hiking is her children’s favorite activity.
If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time.
Most people want to do amazing things with their life. Very few actually do.
Why is that?
Well, I believe one of the biggest reasons people don’t get where they hope to go–or don’t really get anywhere in life!–is because they don’t set goals. Goals bridge the gap between dreams and reality.
It’s fairly easy to brainstorm. It’s very easy to day dream. It’s hard to get on your work clothes and get busy. But if you don’t know where you’re going in the first place, it’s almost guaranteed you’re never going to make it there.
How Goal-Setting Has Changed My Life
My husband is a world class goal-setter (well, in my book, at least!). He has goals for everything pretty much–from what he eats, to what he reads, to his personal fitness, to investing in the lives of our marriage and family, to running his business, to giving to others, to making an impact on the world.
When we got married, I had toyed with the idea of setting goals, but being the over-achiever I am, if I ever set goals, they were these huge impossible things that just set me up for defeat from the get-go. So I rarely actually got very far in my goals.
Over the past nine years, as I’ve observed my husband’s goal-setting, read books on goal-setting, and experimented with goal-setting in my own life, I’ve come to realize how life-transforming goal-setting can be–when done the right way. In fact, as I’ve learned how to set goals and how to follow through with them, I’ve been amazed at how much more productive and intentional I’ve been in my own life.
Instead of being really busy but having little to show for it, goal-setting has helped me to be much more purposeful in how I spend each and every day. In addition to accomplishing many more things that actually matter, I’m living a much more fulfilled life.
Don’t Be Intimidated!
Maybe you feel like you have so many things you want to do with your life that the thought of even knowing where to start is mind-boggling. Maybe you have set goals in the past only to fall short so you feel defeated when it comes to goal-setting. Maybe you just don’t even know where it is you want to go and or what it is you want to aim for.
Do not be intimidated! I was pretty much a goal-setting failure nine years ago. Oh, I had lots and lots of big dreams. But when it actually came down to going anywhere with them, most of them just fizzled out and lost steam because I didn’t know how to break those big dreams down into tiny step-by-step pieces.
Over the next two weeks, we’re going to be exploring goal-setting in-depth here. I’ll be sharing things I’ve learned over the past nine years and walking you through how to set goals in your own life and then how to actually follow through with them–and not get defeated or become overwhelmed in the process.
Are you ready to join me?
10 Goals for This Week
Considering everything that happened last week, I actually made some really good progress on my goals–which was encouraging! I totally fell off the running bandwagon, however, since I was quite sore from the accident for a few days, I decided that it was probably okay–and maybe even a good thing–to cut myself some slack and take the week off from running.
But I’ve declared a moratorium on the pajama-clad, bed-head look I sported for three days last week. Time to get back into the swing of things!
Here’s my list from last week:
Family/Mothering Goals
1. Finish reading The Imagination Station: Secret of the Prince’s Tomb.
2. Start ice-skating lessons for the children.
3. Have a date night with my husband to celebrate our nine-year anniversary!Personal Goals
4. Finish reading A Deeper Kind of Calm.5. Complete week 2 of the Couch to 5K program + run an additional 5 miles.
6. Write one handwritten note of encouragement.7. Finish listening to the Developing the Leader Within You audiobook.
8. Finish knitting the Squidge dishcloth.
Business Goals
9. Finish writing an article for AllYou.com.
10. Release my book, The Money Saving Mom®’s Budget {squee!!!! I have lots of fun things planned for the release week. Stay tuned for more details!}.
And here are my goals for this 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).
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.
My Debt-Free Dogs
The following is a guest post by Elizabeth from 20-Something Saver.
A few weeks ago someone gave me a newspaper article about a $1,300 dog collar. Yes, you’re reading that correctly — a dog collar.
There is no doubt that people enjoy spoiling their dogs, and I’m no exception. I can tell you, though, that Cocoa and Oreo are not wearing $1,300 dog collars. They aren’t even wearing $20 collars. They are normal dogs who eat breakfast, walk a few miles a day, and love the dog park and cuddle time.
It seems almost impossible to watch your spending with Fido, but it’s certainly doable.
When dogs eat well, they aren’t sick as often.
Dogs don’t need table scraps, their health is best with regular dry kibble. Buy your dog food in bulk using coupons — many big brands like Pedigree, Purina One, and Nutrish offer hot coupons on their websites.
I know people who try to save money by feeding their dog table scraps and guess what? They usually end up spending a lot of extra money at the vet!
The best things in life are free.
Find a free dog park in your area. Go once a week and make it a special time for Fido. Do your research and save yourself some money.
The biggest expense is grooming.
We spend about $90 at the groomers each time Cocoa and Oreo go. Because it’s so expensive, they only go every eight weeks — which is wonderful. In between visits they are brushed weekly and given a bath if needed.
Splurge on the necessary stuff.
There are some expenses that are worth the splurge. For us, it’s their flea and tick medication. We splurge on that because we’re in the south and it’s hot — therefore, more fleas and ticks. It varies by family, but remember that you don’t have to splurge on everything.
My biggest tip…
Before making a purchase, ask yourself “Would I be embarrassed to tell someone how much I spent on this?” This worked very well when I thought about buying a $49 tuxedo for Oreo.
Remember, your doggies will be happy by just being walked, fed, and loved. They are simple creatures created by God!
Elizabeth is a 20-something learning to live on less. She blogs about her journey of saving money with her dogs at 20-Something Saver.
A Peek Into Our Week
It was a bit on the crazy side here this week. Since I’ve never released a book before, I had no idea what to expect, but I guessed it was going to be busy.
Well, that’s an understatement.
Truthfully, for a few days, I barely moved from a chair because I was so busy fielding emails, phone calls, and just overseeing all the details of the launch. I’m so thankful to my husband, my team, and our mother’s helper who helped shoulder so much of the load the past few weeks in order to pull this book launch off.
It was exhausting and exhilarating at the same time. But I’m glad to have it behind me because it’s time to get back to normal life again after a few whirlwind weeks! 🙂
You all were so kind to share in the excitement and to do crazy things like taking pictures of yourself at the bookstore or pictures with your receipts. All the pictures from you all in my inbox were so fun to receive and I was cracked up at how many of you apologized about how you looked. If you could have seen my pajama-clad, bedhead self at the time, I think you would have felt a lot better!
And THANK YOU for keeping my book in the top 100 bestsellers on Amazon for the past four days. Your support has been amazing, overwhelming, and humbling.
Thank you all so much for bearing with me as I’ve taken a break from much of the usual blogging the last few weeks in order to focus on the book launch. Thank you for bearing with all the posts about the book this week. While I do have a few more special offers in store, I promise that I’m not going to be mentioning the book every other post for the next two years. 😉
Now, enough about the book, we did do some other things this week, too…
We also attended a beautiful wedding of two young people whose families we’ve known for years.
And we had lots of fun with our new bunny, whom the girls have named Fawn Sweet Pea Beauty. 🙂
Jesse and I have decided that pets take a lot of time–Fawn got out of her cage twice the first week and we spent a total of 4.5 hours trying to catch her and coax her back into the cage. You should have seen us running around our basement trying to catch her. If we hadn’t have been so determined to catch her, we probably would have been laughing at how hysterical we looked.
Kathrynne has been doing most all of the care-taking for Fawn and it’s been so encouraging to see her stepping up and taking such responsibility.
Jesse and I also celebrated our ninth anniversary two days late by going on a dinner date to a restaurant we had a gift card to. Come to find out, we had forgotten to bring the gift card with us. Oh well, we still had a wonderful evening out together.
And I also was in a minor accident and didn’t have my license with me. (I blame all the absentmindedness on all my brain cells being sucked out by my book release! :)) It could have been much worse, and while it was no fun to wait three hours when I really needed to go to the bathroom, I’m so thankful no one was hurt and the van only suffered a few scratches and scrapes.
Did anything exciting or interesting happen at your house this week?
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Shared Jan 13, 2012
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Good Reads: A Deeper Kind of Calm & Secret of the Prince’s Tomb
Good Reads: A Deeper Kind of Calm & Secret of the Prince’s Tomb
I’d read and loved Linda Dillow’s book, Calm My Anxious Heart, last year. So I decided to add two of her other books to this year’s reading list.
This week I finished reading A Deeper Kind of Calm. It’s a short book packed with much to consider and apply in my own life. While it’s a short book (there are only 5 chapters!), I wouldn’t recommend trying to digest it all in one session. In fact, I read one chapter per day and I felt like that was almost too much to chew on.
Linda has a great way of drawing readers in, sharing personal stories of her own struggles and difficulties and sharing testimonies from others who have walked difficult paths, too. While I liked Calm My Anxious Heart more than this book, it was a good read.
We were so excited that Focus on the Family released another book in The Imagination Station series. And, as usual, it didn’t disappoint.
Secret of the Prince’s Tomb is about the Hebrews in Egypt. Jesse read this aloud in the evenings and we all enjoyed it–even if it did end before we were ready for it to be over with.
Have you read any good books recently?
Do not give up–ever!
I posted Jason’s article on how they survived a $70,000 pay cut earlier tonight and wanted to follow up with some additional thoughts and encouragement to you all…
Some of you are in a position where living on less than you make seems like a pipe dream right now. And $70,000? That’s more than three times your current income and more money than you could ever dream of making in a year.
You might be feeling discouraged just thinking about how low your income is in comparison and how hard you’re working right now to just try to barely break even.
I have four words I want to share with you tonight:
Do not give up.
I well remember the days when I felt so desperate. We were barely squeaking by. I was pregnant with our first child. Jesse was in law school and working part-time. I was so sick with my pregnancy that I was unable to continue working and I wanted to stay home with our baby after she was born.
But it all felt so impossible. I was trying so hard to come up with something I could do from home and all my ideas were falling flat on their face.
I was scared and grasping at any straw I could find. I was praying–often pleading–and asking God to provide for us.
There were so many moments when I wanted to give into hopelessness. But, by the grace of God, I kept going, even when everything seemed so dark.
And I want to encourage you to do the same.
Do something–even if it seems miniscule. Set microscopic goals.
Check out books from the library on how to save money or increase your income. Read blogs or articles on the internet that will teach and inspire you.
Surround yourself with positive influences who will encourage and motivate you. Get up and exercise.
Laugh, smile and sing… even when you don’t feel like it. These can all be huge antidotes for warding off discouragement.
Choose to be thankful, even when life feels so overwhelming. Find something–anything–to be thankful for. There is always someone who would want to be in your shoes.
Make the most of your situation, even when it seems like you have so little to work with.
And never, never give up. Ever.
How to survive a $70,000 pay cut
Jason, over at Work Save Live, has a great post up on how they survived a $70,000 pay cut. I especially love this part:
Living on less than you make is extremely difficult. It’s one of those easier-said-than-done things. What typically happens in this country, regardless of income, is that we spend EVERYTHING we make (and most of us go into debt beyond that). I’ve coached people that make minimum wage, some that make $20/hr, and others that take home $10,000/month. And that statement applies to all of them. Everything is relative. Income and lifestyle adjust in the same direction.
The fact is, regardless of your income, you MUST learn to live on substantially less than you make. Doing that will allow you to take a lesser-paying job in the event that (1) you want to pursue your dream job or (2) you get fired/laid off and can only find work that comes with a reduction in pay.
We Paid Cash: Living Room Chairs
Guest post by Rachel from Frugal and Simple
When we were married, almost all of the furniture in our first apartment with was second hand. And after five years of marriage, our home is still furnished with those same cast-offs!
The couch that my husband brought into our marriage is a nice black leather sectional that is comfortable and still has many years of wear left. We have been talking about purchasing coordinating chairs for a few years now; however all the new chairs we liked and agreed on were way too expensive.
We scoured Craigslist and thrift stores for many months without any success. Again, the things we liked were way too expensive and the ones we could afford were way too dated!
Since we had recently started hosting a small group in our home and we had some excess money in our savings account, we decided to go ahead and use this money to purchase living room chairs. We agreed on budget of $600 for purchasing chairs and we started seriously looking.
One weekend, not long after we sat the dollar amount, we stopped in a small furniture store just two miles from our home. At the front of the store there was a red leather chair with a price of $229! We both loved the chair but red didn’t go with the existing decor in our living room.
We inquired and learned that particular chair did not come in black, which was the color we preferred, but that we could order similar chairs made by the same manufacturer for the price of $229! This was by far the best price we found for chairs that we liked. Also, by paying cash, we didn’t have to pay sales tax!
We ended up paying $458 cash for our two new black chairs. With the $142 we were under budget, we purchased an apple green leather ottoman for $104 so we could kick up our feet and have an additional seat for times when we have a house full of friends.
We now have two chairs that we needed and an ottoman–and we’re $38 under budget!
Rachel loves living a frugal and simple life with her husband and toddler and new baby. She blogs about saving money, contentment, and living minimally at Frugal and Simple.
Find more We Paid Cash stories here. Submit yours for possible publication here.
How We Saved $300 on a Dishwasher
I loved email from Jen of Dear Mommy Brain:
Craigslist is a fantastic way to buy second-hand merchandise instead of scouring garage sales or newspaper ads. We’ve scored deals on children’s toys, cloth diapers, and even my digital SLR camera.
But our most recent bargain can’t be beat.
For a couple of months, our dishwasher had been showing signs of wear. So I started searching store ads trying to get an idea of what a new dishwasher would cost. The cheapest model was still $300!
That’s when I thought of Craigslist. As I scrolled down the list, I found some pretty vintage dishwashers for $100-$150. Not too bad, but do they actually work?
Then one day I came across a listing for one that was “sitting on the curb waiting for pickup”. The picture showed a modern, clean, white dishwasher. I contacted the owner who said he had just redone their kitchen, purchased a different color, and needed the old machine picked up.
No charge.
The seller assured me that it worked, but my thought was, “Who cares! Even if it doesn’t work, it was free!”
When my husband returned from picking it up, he said he felt like he was stealing… and in a way he was right! We installed the dishwasher and it works great! -Jen from Dear Mommy Brain.