Saving Families Money Since 2007
Brooke emailed in:
I know that keeping the thermostat low in the winter and high in the summer can be a real money saver. My question what temperatures do people keep their homes at that balance saving money and comfort? -Brooke
We all have different families and circumstances, so what works for one family won’t necessarily work for others. However, just for fun, I’d love to hear what temperature you keep your house at in winter?
We’ve talked about a lot of different things in this series and I hope it’s been helpful and inspiring to you. But I want to close with a reminder:
Entrepreneurialism is something I’ve always been passionate about and I love to help people find creative ways to earn more money. However, it’s imperative to keep a balanced perspective.
Money doesn’t buy happiness. Money doesn’t equal fulfillment. If it did, Hollywood should have some of the happiest people in existence. In reality, many of them are struggling through divorce, depression, addictions, and more.
Consider why you want to earn more money: if it’s just so you can buy bigger and better stuff, I can tell you right now that it’s not worth it. The more you have, the more you’ll want. It will never be enough.
Properly stewarded, money can be an amazing tool. It can help feed and clothe the hungry. It can build houses, schools, hospitals in the poorest of countries. It can provide nourishment and medicine for malnourished children. It can help your disabled neighbor be able to pay her rent or your recently-widowed aunt be able to buy groceries.
Use your resources wisely. Invest your time carefully. And make the most of what you have been given so that you can bless others generously.
But remember that money is not the be-all and end-all of life. Don’t spend all your life chasing more and end up missing out on the richest moments of life.
There is more to life than a bigger paycheck.
My sister came over this afternoon and the children had so much fun making Teddy Bear Bread with her.
After it was finished, they blind-folded me and led me upstairs to see their creations.
Suffice it to say, they were a bit over-the-top excited. (I have a hunch they may have eaten quite a few chocolate chips while making it, from the looks of their faces!)
But it was a very special memory, despite the sticky chocolate mouths and finger prints on the kitchen wall. 🙂
Today’s questions is from Darice:
Does anyone hang their laundry inside during the winter? I am looking to minimize our use of the dryer this winter to cut back on our
electricity usage and would appreciate any techniques, tips or tricks you may have for drying your laundry inside without a dryer. Thanks! – Darice
Do you have a question you’d like to ask Money Saving Mom® readers? Read the submission guidelines and submit it here.
The Pinchers & Pom-Poms from our Busy Bag Swap has been a fun way to practice fine motor skills.
The Busy Bag that came in our swap had pom-poms, colored paper clips, and tongs. You should be able to get all of these items at the dollar store, if you don’t already have them on hand. Or, you can improvise using things you have.
The object of the Busy Bag is to use the pinchers to pick up the pom-poms and paper clips. I had Kaitlynn put them in a bowl. You could have a child sort them in piles by color. Or count out a certain number of objects.
Kaitlynn also enjoyed trying to pick up the pom-poms with the paper clips.
Find more Busy Bag ideas here.
So this Aldi shopping trip wasn’t as exciting as my Dillon’s shopping trip, but I here are the details:
Artisan Lettuce — $1.99 (I’m so happy to see Aldi carrying this and I hope they continue! It makes my salad-eating habit much more affordable!)
2 cans of diced tomatoes — $0.55 each
2 bags of frozen peas — $0.99 each
2 bags of corn chips — $0.99 each
2 bags of baby carrots — $0.99 each
1 bag of tortillas — $0.99
1 bag of chocolate chips — $1.69
2 8-oz. blocks of cheese — $1.99 each
Butter — $2.79
Feta cheese — $1.99
Dried cranberries — $1.39
Milk — $2.93
Total with tax: $26.60
It’s been awhile since I’ve had a really spectacular coupon-shopping trip. So I was pretty excited about tonight’s trip! Here’s what I bought:
2 boxes of Triscuits — $2.29 each, used $2/1 printable coupons = $0.29 each
2 Yoplait yogurts — $0.70 each, used $0.30/1 printable coupons (doubled) = $0.10 each
2 Schick Quattro razor packages — $3.50 each, used 2 $5/1 Ladies’ Quattro printable coupon = free plus overage
1 Schick Hydro Men’s razor — $6.29, used $5/1 Hydro printable coupon = $1.29 after coupon
2 Schick Quattro & Men’s Schick Xtreme razor — $3.16 & $3.50 each, used $6/2 printable coupon = $0.66 total for both
1 package Skittles — used free coupon
3 DOLE products — used 3 free coupons that Coupon Pro generously mailed me a few weeks ago
2 Clif LUNA bars — $1 each, used 2 $0.50/1 coupons (doubled) = free after coupons
1 Excedrin — $3.13, used $2/1 coupon (this printed at checkout the last time my husband went shopping) = $1.13 after coupon
Beech-Nut product — used free coupon
Before coupons and sales, my total was $58.18. After coupons and sales + a $5 catalina, the store owed me $0.73. I could have added on a small filler item, but I just decided to let the store have the small overage since I’d gotten overage myself already.
Just a little peek at some of the simple things from our day today…
Read-alouds and coloring pages (we’re studying Paul Revere in history and The Nutcracker Ballet in music this week)
Making Hasty Pudding for breakfast since we’re learning the words and story behind Yankee Doodle this week. (We all thought it tasted terrible, by the way!)
My yummy salad for lunch (I’ve been making an effort to eat at least one big salad every day since I feel so much better when I do!)
A fun Busy Bag (details and more pictures on this Busy Bag coming tomorrow!)
A bowl of cereal, thanks to some samples we got in the mail from FiberPlus–a big treat around here as I rarely buy cereal anymore.
Guest post by Alice from Farewell Office
When buying my son’s school uniforms, I often lament, “Why can’t I have a uniform, too?” Working in a professional environment can strain the clothing budget, but you can be well-dressed without spending a lot of money. Here are some rules I follow:
Buying clothes at discount stores is rarely cheaper in the long term. After repeated washings, a pair of $15.00 slacks will rarely look presentable for more than one season. Instead it is more cost effective to put that $15.00 towards a pair of quality slacks that will last for many seasons.
By shopping sales (especially clearance) and using coupons, a pair of good quality slacks rarely costs much more. Also, do not disqualify garage sales and thrift stores. You would be astonished at the stylish, high-quality clothes people throw out.
Stick to neutrals and simple styles. Stay away from skinny or wide leg cuts that will be out of style long before the item wears out.
Unless you live in a climate that is below freezing or scorching 11 months out of the year, you will get more wear out of season-less fabrics such as polyester/rayon/spandex blends. Also, I rarely buy long-sleeved shirts or sweaters.
One exception is cardigans. You will get more mileage from layering your pieces. For example, you can wear a short-sleeved shirt alone in the summer and then layer it under a cardigans in the winter.
Buy a skirt and blouse instead of a dress. This will create more combination outfits, giving you the appearance of a larger wardrobe.
This allows you to cheaply change your look.
If you only wear it one season, you won’t have wasted much.
Many of them send out coupons and paired with sales, high quality items rarely cost more discount store items.
Some stores offer discounts on certain days of the week, and certain retailers offer discounts to certain professions. For example, several stores offer additional discounts to teachers.
Be kind to your salespeople and they will gladly give you inside information like, “We make markdowns on Tuesday.” You then know that, if possible, you want to shop on Wednesday morning for the best selection.
Change your clothes when you get home from work and always wash in a high quality detergent. Finally, hang dry your clothes as the dryer’s heat breaks down the fibers prematurely.
Dressing well and professionally on a budget is possible; you simply need to be a savvy and resourceful shopper.
Alice is a wife and mother, who also works full-time outside of the home. Her goal is to do all work “as unto the Lord.” Her blog Farewell, Office chronicles her journey to do all of this on a time-budget.
Oatmeal with chocolate chips and raw sugar–yum!
Breakfasts
Granola bars
Oatmeal
Hasty Pudding (we’re memorizing Yankee Doodle in school this week, so we’re making this!)
Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Muffins (from the freezer), fried eggs
Steel Cut Oats, fruit
Morning Glory Muffins (from the freezer), scrambled eggs
Homemade Biscuits with Homemade Apple Butter, turkey sausage, scrambled eggsLunches
Macaroni & Cheese with Beef
Rice and beans, carrot sticks, apple slices
Tossed salad with feta cheese and dried cranberries
Egg salad sandwiches, carrot sticks, apples
Cheese quesadillas, grapes
Leftovers x 2Dinners
Parmesan Chicken, Twice Baked Potatoes, Steamed Broccoli
Frito Chili Pie, tossed salad, fruit salad
Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup, Soft Italian Breadsticks, apples, carrot sticks
Cheesy Beans and Rice, fruit salad
Dinner with Extended Family x 2
Dinner outFreezer Cooking Session (I’ll share more details and pictures on how this goes on Thursday.)
Chocolate Banana Bread
Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup
Soft Italian Breadsticks (recipe emailed in from reader Amy, if it turns out well, I’ll post it)
What’s on your menu this week? Share details and/or your link to your menu plan in the comments.
I’m continuing to intentionally seek to slow down and relish the simple things.
Pictures printed out from the internet and carefully colored by little hands to send to a small girl who lives far away and has very little in the way of earthly possessions.
Have you taken time from the rat-race of life to soak up and enjoy some simple things? I loved this post by Gretchen on not looking at the clock.
Well, last week I told you that I’d completely fallen off the bandwagon. This past week was much better. Not anywhere near where I’d like it to be, but sometimes I think I tend to have unrealistic expectations of myself.
I went to bed before midnight every night but Saturday night and I got up before 7 a.m. every morning but Sunday morning. That’s headway, at least.
And our homeschooling schedule went really well, we accomplished a lot fun projects and reading together, and I spent a lot more time playing with and just enjoying my children last week. That’s likely one thousand times more important than the other things that didn’t get crossed off the to-do list!
So I’m trying to just be thankful for the progress made and not be discouraged that I still have a very long way to go. Babysteps, babysteps, right? 🙂
Last week’s goals:
Family/Mothering Goals
1. Finish reading The Cabin Faced West and Sarah Witcher’s Story aloud to the children.
2. Take the children to the pumpkin patchand the corn maze (Yay for Groupons!).Personal Goals
3. Run 10 miles (total).
4. Finish reading Angel in the Rubble and A New Kind of Normal.Still working on EntreLeadership, The Rose Conspiracy, He Heard Hannah,5. Finish Rag Quilt and knitted dishcloth.
6. Go to bed by 10 p.m. every night. (If I follow through with this simple goal, my whole week should be incredibly improved!)
Home Management Goals
7. Spend 10 minutes picking up/cleaning our bedroom/bathroom every day (I’ve really been working with the children on keeping their room/bathroom cleaned and I realized that I’ve not been setting the best example for them!).8. Do one load of laundry from start to finish every day.
Business Goals
9. Shoot video for 31 Weeks to a Better Grocery Budget series.
10. Outline our workshop for the Relevant conference with my husband.
The knitted dishcloth I’m working on this week
Here are this week’s goals:
Family/Mothering Goals
1. Finish reading Paul Revere and The Imagination Station: Showdown With the Shepherd aloud to the children.
2. Take children to a soccer game.
3. Take at least 30 pictures of the children this week (I’ve been trying to train myself to take more pictures; I always seem to forget and then we miss having photos of some of our most special moments and memories!)
Personal Goals
4. Run 10 miles (total).
5. Finish reading EntreLeadership, The Rose Conspiracy, He Heard Hannah, Kisses from Katie, and In Search of Balance.
6. Finish Rag Quilt and knitted dishcloth.
7. Go to bed by 10:30 p.m. every night.
Home Management Goals
8. Follow this 15-minutes-a-day cleaning schedule (this is an experiment to see if this works any better than my current system!)
9. Do one load of laundry from start to finish every day.
Business Goals
10. Finish writing and do a run-through of our workshop the Relevant conference with my husband.
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.
As many of you know, I love scarves and think they are one of the best accessories for a minimalist wardrobe in the cooler months.
My friend, Angie, knows this and sent me this video with 25 ways to tie a scarf. I found at least 10 new scarf-tying ideas from it and thought I’d share it for those of you looking for new ways to creatively accessorize using scarves you already have!
