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Shared Jul 12, 2011 comment

10 Reasons to Cancel Your Credit Cards

Published: by Crystal Paine on July 12, 2011 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I know credit cards tend to be a controversial issue around here, and I’m probably opening up a can of worms in posting this, but reader Aimee sent over this article from Smart Money called “10 Reasons I’m Canceling My Credit Cards” this morning. I read it and loved it — especially since it had some points you don’t often see made in articles on why you should stop using credit cards.

I’d encourage everyone to take the time to read this article and consider the points made. You may not agree with it, but I hope it causes you to think about why you’ve chosen to use credit cards or why you’ve chosen not to use them.

Here’s a snippet:

The dollar bill needs you.

A growing number of merchants won’t accept cash anymore. That includes a lot of airlines, which insist you pay by credit card if you want to buy a drink or a sandwich on board. And now comes news that the U.S. Treasury is printing fewer dollars, as we move towards an all-plastic economy.

Great news for the banks. Great news for the card companies. Great news for the marketing establishment, which can now pore through our transactions and our personal lives in greater and greater detail.

Me? Call me a contrarian, or just call me ornery, but I view this with gloom. This is not a step forward. It’s a step backwards. Personally, I’ve been moving the other way. I’ve cut down on my use of credit cards and debit cards. The latest news is the final push I needed to get them out of my life completely. I’m going all cash.

Read the full article.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this article. Since this can sometimes be a heated topic, please remember to be cordial in commenting.

Shared Jul 11, 2011 comment

This Week’s Menu Plan

Published: by Crystal Paine on July 11, 2011 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

We didn’t completely follow our menu last week because I was sick. I’m so grateful we had food in our freezer — it was a huge blessing when I didn’t feel like cooking. I’m finally on the mend and feeling more like myself again (thank you, God!).

It has been SO hot here — it was 111 degrees on Sunday! — so I’m not doing much cooking or baking in order to keep the house cooler. In fact, I’m hoping to only turn on the oven once or twice this week. Otherwise, we’re using the crock pot, grill, microwave, or eating something that doesn’t need to be heated.

Breakfasts
Blueberry Muffins
Oatmeal
Scrambled eggs and toast, fruit
Fruit Smoothies
Blueberry muffins, fruit, scrambled eggs
Mango Lassi, toast
Hard-boiled eggs, toast

Lunches
Lunch out with friends
Smoothies
Salad with hard-boiled eggs, bagels, fruit
Refried beans with rice, carrot sticks, fruit
Salad with chicken, fruit, peas
Leftovers x 2

Snacks
Watermelon Frosties
All Natural No Bake Energy Bites
Fruit/Veggies

Dinners
Leftovers
Southwest Rollups, steamed veggies, fruit salad
Italian Pasta Bake, Bread Machine Bread Sticks, edemame, fruit
Lemon Garlic Grilled Chicken, fruit, Bread Machine Bread Sticks
Steak, fruit, tossed salad, baked potatoes
Dinner with extended family
Asian Barbecue Chicken, rice, steamed veggies, fruit salad

Freezer-Cooking-In-An-Hour Plan (I’ll share pictures/details on how this goes on Thursday!)
Bread Machine Bread Sticks
Lemon Garlic Marinated Chicken
All Natural No Bake Energy Bites

Did you make a menu plan this week? If so, I’d love to have you share your link in the comments. Any great hot-weather recipe recommendations?

Shared Jul 11, 2011 comment

When Money is the Last Thing on Your Mind

Published: by Crystal Paine on July 11, 2011 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Note from Crystal: I think this is the most touching guest post I’ve ever shared before. Dana’s blog and the story of her son’s sudden death has had a profound impact upon me as a mother. I encourage you to take time to visit her blog and read through some of the archives. You’ll be moved, touched, and blessed.

Guest Post by Dana from Roscommon Acres

On December 13, 2010 we were faced with the most difficult decision of our lives: Did we want the white casket or the brown casket for our twenty-one-month-old son?

The following weeks were a blur of activity hidden in a cloud of grief. We went out to eat because we were out and the children were hungry and no one really ever thought about dinner. There were the funeral bills and the co-pays.

There was Christmas. And there were five children from whom so much had been taken that it was hard to say “no” to anything at all. To top it off, my husband didn’t go back to work for a month.

Before Mattias died, I had written up a Master Plan, a sheet of goals for the property prioritized by the expected return on the investment. It was a three-year plan but to cope with our grief and loss, the money belt was loosened as we ordered trees for our orchard, ducklings, keets, chicks, and bees. We started remodeling the basement, building a wall right through where the accident happened.

For a passing moment, it seemed to me as if we were running through money like water, but suddenly I didn’t care about the money that was being spent. In fact, for an entire month, we didn’t think about money because there were bigger things on our plate than a budget.

This was only possible because for fifteen years, we had thought about money. We have a credit card, but it has been paid off in full every month since I was nineteen. Our cars are old and a little beaten up but they are ours. We have a mortgage, but it is far less than the 25% of our income that Dave Ramsey recommends. And we had managed to save six months worth of expenses in our emergency fund.

For a month, we didn’t have to think about money, and could instead concentrate on wading through the difficult process of figuring out what comes next after burying a child because for fifteen years we had thought about money.

Dana Hanley writes at Roscommon Acres about life more abundantly, from the joy of a baby’s smile to the almost unbearable grief of losing a son. She is seeking beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, a garment of praise instead of the spirit of despair (Isaiah 61:3).

Shared Jul 9, 2011 comment

Super Savings Saturday: 20 pounds of grass-fed ground beef!

Published: by Crystal Paine on July 9, 2011 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I’m super excited because, as I mentioned on my Facebook Page a few weeks ago, my husband surprised me with a new deep freezer! I’ve always just had over-the-fridge freezers (except for the short stint when we had the freezer disaster and ended up getting rid of the the blood-soaked and stinking freezer when we moved because we were too scared to try using it again!) so I was thrilled — especially because I wasn’t expecting that we were going to get a freezer for at least another year or two.

And one of the first things we did was buy twenty pounds of local grass-fed ground beef. My parents bought a cow a few weeks ago and they kindly let us buy some of the beef from them. It was $3.80 a pound — which is a great price for this high-quality beef. I can’t wait to make hamburgers, meatballs and meatloaf with it!

I also went to Target and purchased the items pictured above — you can see the full price breakdown here.

Also purchased and not pictured: chicken, butter, peanut butter, oats, fruit, and veggies from Aldi, farm-fresh eggs

Would you like to know what the best deals and coupon match-ups are for your local stores? Be sure to check out the Store Deals section of our site where we post the best deals and coupon match-ups each week for over 100 different stores across the country. You can sign up to receive the top deals in your email inbox each week as soon as they are posted!

Did you snag any great deals or bargains this week or save money in other ways? If so, be sure to post about them on your blog and leave your link below. Please remember that this weekly round-up is to share deals you personally got and/or money you were able to save this week. In order to keep this weekly round-up focused on helping and inspiring others in their efforts to save money, links which have little-to-no content other than promoting affiliate links, etc. will be deleted. Also, to make it easy for everyone to navigate quickly through the links, your link must link directly to your Super Savings Saturday post.

Shared Jul 8, 2011 comment

Monthly Financial Check-up

Published: by Crystal Paine on July 8, 2011 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

We made some good headway on the children’s educational savings this month. As I mentioned two months ago, we completed our goal for Kathrynne’s savings account and were making progress on Kaitlynn’s. This gave us both the momentum to just get it done. So we sat down and figured out some various savings we could re-allocate in order to free up more money for the educational savings accounts.

Ever since we replaced Jesse’s car last year, we have been setting aside money to replace the mini van I drive. It’s still running great and looks like it’s got lots of life left in it, so I convinced Jesse to dump that savings into the educational savings instead.

(We have a good emergency fund and Jesse has a very reliable car that our whole family can fit it in, so we have a back-up plan if the mini van up and dies tomorrow. I really don’t mind going back to being a one-car family for awhile if we have to and would rather have the children’s educational savings funded and drive our mini van for a few more years before replacing it.)

So reallocating the vehicle money plus some other savings added with the money we were able to put in savings this past month gave us just enough to finish out our goal for Kaitlynn’s educational savings account.

We got both of their savings accounts set up this past month (they came with us to set them up and it was a great opportunity for us to explain what we were doing, why we were doing it and how compound interest works!) and now we’re working on funding Silas’ account. Since he’s younger, we’re putting less in his account, so I’m hopeful we can possibly have his funded by the end of August. I’m not sure on that, but we’ll see!

Here’s our current goals list:

Our Family’s Financial Goals for the Summer of 2010 through December 2011

1. Significantly increase our giving to needs in our community and around the world. This is an ongoing goal, so we’re keeping it uncrossed off from the list.

~~2. Pay cash for a replacement washer and dryer for our very used set.~~

~~3. Pay cash for a replacement for Old Blue Van.~~

~~4. Pay cash for a couch for our basement family room.~~

~~5. Pay cash for bunk beds for the girls.~~

~~6. Fully fund our IRAs.~~

~~7. Bump up our retirement savings to 10% of our income.~~

8. Fund our children’s educational savings. Kathrynne and Kaitlynn’s are done, now we’re working on Silas’.

9. Double our Emergency Fund Savings (Instead of having around six month’s worth of expenses set aside, we’re planning to set aside a year’s worth of expenses.)

10. Save for our next BHAG.

We’d love to hear about your recent financial goals and successes! You can post about it on your blog and leave your link in the comments. Or, just share about your progress/goals in the comments. Let’s all keep each other accountable to be better stewards of our resources!

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

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Looking for easy, FREE ways to keep your toddlers busy this summer? Check out these GREAT ideas!

Shared Jul 8, 2011 comment

8 Activities For Tots That Won’t Cost You Anything

Published: by Crystal Paine on July 8, 2011 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Looking for some ideas to keep your tots busy this summer? Here are eight ideas that you can do with items you probably already have on hand:

Water Painting

Bean Scooping

Water Scooping & Pouring

Apple Stamping (we’ve also done this with potatoes)

Ice Cube Boat-Making

Ice Cube Painting

Pudding Finger Painting (you can also make your own edible finger paint)

Peanut Butter Playdough Fun

What are your favorite no-cost activities for tots? Tell us in the comments!

Shared Jul 7, 2011 comment

Build-Your-Own Haystacks Recipe

Published: by Crystal Paine on July 7, 2011 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

This recipe is so flexible and forgiving; we adapt it based upon what we have on hand and what we get on sale. It’s been a favorite of ours for many years!

Build-Your-Own Haystacks

Fritos (or any other off-brand corn chips, crushed tortilla chips also work as a stand-in)
Lettuce, shredded or finely chopped
Tomatoes, chopped (I also sometimes substitute canned tomatoes if I’ve gotten a great deal on them.)
Taco Meat (brown ground beef with chopped onions and taco seasoning) mixed with cooked pinto beans
Shredded cheese (we typically use cheddar)
Salsa
Canned black olives (sliced or chopped), optional
Sour cream, optional
Guacamole (or chopped avocado), optional

Set out haystack toppings (we usually keep the taco meat in a crock pot or saucepan on the stove so it stays warm) and let everyone layer their own toppings on their individual plates in the order they prefer. Enjoy!

Growing up, we served this more times than I can count when we had a big group of guests over. It’s great paired with a fruit salad and Green Rice Casserole.

By the way, if you’re the kind of person who prefers exact measurements, I found this recipe on AllRecipes that is similar to the one we make.

Shared Jul 7, 2011 comment

4 Free Educational Sites for Young Children

Published: by Crystal Paine on July 7, 2011 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

(Kaitlynn when she was 22 months old. Isn’t she precious? I can’t believe she’s already 4 years old now!)

If you’re looking for free children’s educational sites, here are a few I recommend:

::DLTK Crafts for Kids features a variety of printable children’s crafts, coloring pages, worksheets and projects for holidays. The site covers almost every subject and holiday and would be great for preschool, homeschool, or afterschool educational activities. (Thanks for the link, 1 All Natural Mommy!)

::HomeschoolShare is a site I go to often when I’m planning out themed units for our homeschooling. You can search by subject and there are many free lapbooks, unit studies, printables, and more.

::Preschool Palace offers free daily lesson plans, song lists, activities, monthly calendar, book suggestions, craft ideas, and worksheets plus hundreds of free printables. The lesson plans are only released one month at a time for free during the school year, though. (Thanks, Deanna, for suggesting this site!)

::Starfall is one of my girls’ favorite sites. When I was very sick with morning sickness during the beginning of Silas’ pregnancy, the girls and I spent a lot of time exploring this site. There are lots of simple phonics games and more to teach young children the basics of reading.

Find many more free educational ebooks, downloads, and worksheets here.

What are your favorite free children’s educational sites or blogs? Tell us in the comments.

Shared Jul 6, 2011 comment

Breaking Writer’s Block

Published: by Crystal Paine on July 6, 2011 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Note from Crystal: I’m taking a break from the How to Make Money Blogging Series this week to let my friend, Jon Acuff, share a post on breaking writer’s block. I think many of you who are bloggers or freelance writers will enjoy his post. And be sure to stop by his blog — it’s one of my favorite blogs on the planet!

Guest post by Jon Acuff from JonAcuff.com

“Oh the irony, you can’t think of an opening sentence for a blog post that’s supposed to help people beat writer’s block!”

That’s the first sentence that came to my mind as I sat down to write this post. And as such, it had the honor of breaking through all that deafening white space on my laptop.

That’s something I do sometimes. I recruit whatever sentence is in my head to go first, to throw itself on the blank page grenade. To take one for the team and be that brave, often ugly sentence standing alone in that ocean of nothing. That big, often terrifying maw of blank that is waiting for you to fill it. With words and ideas and creativity and it’s just so empty.

You’ve got writer’s block. And maybe the “first sentence in my head goes first” approach doesn’t work for you. I’ve had writer’s block, too. In the last two years, I’ve written three books, dozens of freelance projects, and around a million words on my blogs.

I had writer’s block writing my new book, Quitter. I had writer’s block writing the content for the Quitter Conference. I’ve had 100 bouts with writers block. I will have 100 more.

Here is one way I’ve learned to beat it: Ask future you to be awesome. Whether you’re a writer or a car mechanic, the fear of perfectionism often talks us out of doing the things we’re called to do.

We don’t want to start because we’re afraid whatever it is we do won’t be perfect. So we sit and wait, scared to make a single move and write down a less than perfect sentence on our blogs.

What I do in those moments is ask future me to be awesome. I think to myself, “OK, right now, the stuff I write, might not be awesome. So Future Jon, the guy who will rewrite what I write tomorrow, will you please turn this into something awesome?”

And then I write. Future Jon’s got it all under control. That guy is going to do something amazing. Today Jon? His only responsibility is to get something, anything really, down on paper. It’s OK if it’s horrible. His job isn’t awesome. That’s Future Jon’s job.

The funny thing is that often, midway through writing the first few pages, I forget about that little arrangement I’ve made between Today Jon and Future Jon. I’ve never had a moment where hours later or days later, Future Jon has sat down to read what’s been written and thought, “Oh, this Today Jon is killing me. What kind of nonsense is this? How am I supposed to make this awesome?”

Nope, Future Jon is an appreciative fellow. He’s just glad that Today Jon got anything down on the piece of paper because that was really his only expectation.

Maybe that sounds weird to you and it probably should, because I’m weird. So let me say it in a different way. Next time you sit down to write, I want you to say one thing to yourself:

“Later, I’ll be awesome. Today, I’m just going to be productive.”

And then just start.

Have you ever struggled with writer’s block? What did you do to get over it?

Jon Acuff is a speaker, author, and launcher. He has written three books including the Wall Street Journal Bestseller Quitter: Closing the Gap Between Your Day Job and Your Dream Job and Stuff Christians Like. You can read more of his work on JonAcuff.com or follow him on Twitter @jonacuff.

photo credit

Shared Jul 6, 2011 comment

Ask the Readers: Alternatives to term life insurance?

Published: by Crystal Paine on July 6, 2011 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Today’s question is from Julie:

My husband has a medical condition that disqualifies him from purchasing a term life insurance plan. Are there any other options for us to consider? -Julie

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 Jul 5, 2011 comment

This Week’s Menu

Published: by Crystal Paine on July 5, 2011 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Watermelon Frosties

Jesse’s had a really heavy case load at his law firm recently so he’s been working a lot of extra hours the last few weeks. So we were so happy to have him home over the fourth of July weekend. We slept in and just enjoyed relaxing family time for three whole days. It was so nice — and we were was sad when the extended weekend was over. Now it’s back to real-life again!

Breakfasts
Blueberry Pancakes, scrambled eggs
Oatmeal
Fruit Smoothies
Scrambled eggs and toast, fruit
French Toast, fruit
Fruit Smoothies
Scones, fruit, scrambled eggs

Lunches
Lunch out
Salad with hard boiled eggs, bagels, fruit
Homemade mac & cheese, fruit, peas
Mini pizzas, salad, fruit
Refried beans with cheese and rice, carrot sticks, fruit
Leftovers x 2

Snacks
Watermelon Frosties
Homemade Smoothie Popsicles
Fruit/Veggies

Build-Your-Own Haystacks

Dinners
Dinner with extended family (we brought watermelon)
Dinner with extended family (we brought the meat for grilling)
Build-Your-Own Haystacks, fruit
Pancakes, scrambled eggs, fruit (Jesse’s working late, so I’m making a simple dinner for the children and me.)
Cheese Quesadillas (Jesse’s working late, so I’m making a simple dinner for the children and me.)
Lemon Garlic Grilled Chicken, fruit, Bread Machine Bread Sticks
Steak, fruit, tossed salad, Oven Baked Parmesan Fries

Freezer-Cooking-In-An-Hour Plan (I’ll share pictures/details on how this goes on Thursday!)
Bread Machine Bread Sticks
Lemon Garlic Marinated Chicken
Pancakes

What’s on your menu this week? If you’ve blogged about it, I’d love for you to share your menu plan link in the comments.

Shared Jul 5, 2011 comment

Today’s Target Trip

Published: by Crystal Paine on July 5, 2011 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I took all of last week off from grocery shopping. It’s always nice to have a break and eat from the pantry, and then it always feels good to get back to coupons and bargains. I can’t stay away from them for long!

Here’s what I bought at Target today:

Shower Caddy — $9.99
Used ~~$10/1 Bathroom furnishing coupon~~ (no longer available)
Free after coupon

Sally Hansen Nail Product – $2.04
Used ~~$1/1 printable~~ (no longer available)
Stacked with ~~$1/1 Target printable~~ (no longer available)
$0.04 each after coupons

Suave Shampoo — $0.84
Used ~~$0.75/1 Target coupon~~ (no longer available)
$0.09 after coupon

Up & Up Pain Relief (24 ct) – $0.99
Used $0.50/1 Target printable
$0.49 after coupon

Ortega Green Chilies — $1.12 each
Bought 2 and used $1/2 any Ortega Products coupon
$0.62 each after coupon

1 jar Market Pantry Pasta Sauce ($1.34) & 1 box Market Pantry whole-wheat pasta ($1.04)
Used $1/2 Target coupon
$0.84 for the pasta sauce & $0.54 for the pasta after coupon

1 round King’s Hawaiian Bread Loaf — $2.99
Used $2/1 coupon
$0.99 after coupon

1 bag mini chocolate chips — $1.79

2 Market Pantry shredded cheese — $2.39 per bag
Used $1/2 coupon (no longer available)
$1.89 per bag after coupons

After coupons, my total was just over $11.

Shared Jul 5, 2011 comment

How to Organize Using What You Already Have

Published: by Crystal Paine on July 5, 2011 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Guest post by Kaui at Thrifty Military Mommy

I was taught that when you do something, you do it only one way and any other way is wrong. Likewise, if you have a product, you were only supposed to use it for what it was made for (i.e. a towel rack should only be used to hang towels and nothing else).

It wasn’t until we were dirt poor that I realized this kind of thinking was obsolete: we simply did not have the money to be picky about what we used. Even now that we make good money and we’re debt-free I still try to use what I already have on hand to organize before I go out to buy anything since it saves so much money.

Change Your Perspective

Throw all those beliefs out the window that say you need to buy something to help you organize your things. Chances are, you already have something at home you can use that requires just a few or no adjustments.

Our bed system turned into a pantry/bookshelf

Who cares if it’s not beautiful? Far too many people buy things because they’re pretty rather than recognizing that organization makes a home prettier. I get many more comments on how well organized my home is than on the beautiful book cases I have.

You can find many websites and blogs that will show you step-by-step how to make something prettier than it is. Using this method will still save you tons of money, even if you have to buy some paint to repaint your table.

Hanging towel rack turned into an organizer in our kitchen

Same hanging towel rack turned into an organizer in our bathroom

Just about everything we have can be used for multiple purposes. All it takes is a little bit of brain storming and creativity. Check out YouTube (just type in the word “organize” and you’ll get hundreds of videos) and I’m an Organizing Junkie for many great ideas.

It really is fun to transform something you already have into something chic and beautiful. You’re organizing, beautifying and saving all in one! Nothing is better than that!

Kaui Eiklor currently lives in Fort Lewis, WA with her husband and two beautiful kiddos. She stays at home with the kids and enjoys blogging on her website at Thrifty Military Mommy about military life, children, and thriftiness.

Shared Jul 1, 2011 comment

Books Read in June: Debt-Free U, Honey for a Child’s Heart, The Happiness Project + more

Published: by Crystal Paine on July 1, 2011 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Debt-Free U: How I Paid for an Outstanding College Education Without Loans, Scholarships, or Mooching off My Parents — So many people think it’s almost impossible to go to college without incurring debt. Zac Bissonette debunks this myth and shows you how it’s possible to pay cash for college without having to take twenty years or make six figures (or without parents having to cash in their 401Ks to pull it off).

The book promises it might save you $100,000 and I think it very well could. Despite what some may tell you, college doesn’t have to cost two arms and two legs. I know many, many young people who have gone to college and graduate school without debt and wholeheartedly believe it’s much more possible than most people realize.

Zac does a huge service to families everywhere in this well-written, much-needed book. You might disagree with some of his conclusions or suggestions, but I promise he’ll make you think and re-examine your beliefs regarding college and debt. If you are planning to go to college at some point in the future or have children who are planning to go to college, you must read this book.

Also Read:

Honey for a Child’s Heart — I really enjoyed this book. As some of you know, I’m not a huge fan of fiction for a variety of reasons (mostly because I like real-life stuff and just can’t seem to get into fiction knowing that it’s been made up — especially when I have lots of other books I really, really want to read!). However, this book challenged some of my long held opinions on fiction and helped me think of it in a new light. I didn’t agree with all of the authors conclusions on books we should read to our children, but I was inspired to continue to make reading a big part of our lives and to encourage my children to love good books. I also loved the book lists at the back of the book and added dozens of them to our long to-read list!

The Wounded Spirit — I read this book based upon Ann Voskamp’s recommendation. While I actually didn’t love Peretti’s writing style like I thought I would (I think I’ve only read one other book by him before), this book had some excellent gems in it. I was especially challenged to realize how much my words can effect others and how important it is for me to be careful to do my best to only say words that build up and encourage my children, my husband and all those I come in contact with. By the way, if you missed it, be sure to read Ann’s poignant post on this topic.

The Treasure Principle — I loved this book. It was short, concise, thought-provoking and all around excellent. If you’re a Christian struggling with what Biblical stewardship entails, this book will definitely encourage and challenge you. This book is well worth your time.

The Happiness Project — I was planning to read Three Cups of Tea this month, but after I was made aware of a lot of controversy over the book, I decided to replace it with The Happiness Project. This book is not my usual type of reading material and I really didn’t expect to like it, but some various friends of mine recommended it, so I read it. And I’m glad I did!

While I believe that the only way to experience true, lasting fulfillment and happiness in life is to live one’s life for Christ, this book made me re-examine my life and why I do what I do each day. I definitely disagreed wholeheartedly with some of the author’s conclusions, but I was inspired to think of small changes I can implement in my life to make our home and lives run more smoothly and cheerfully. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of choosing to sing in the morning instead of complain over a long to-do list and spilled milk!

Read aloud to the children: Little Town on the Prairie, All of a Kind Family, Voyage With the Vikings, and Attack at the Arena. We thoroughly enjoyed all of these, though I’d say the Adventures in Odyssey books were definitely their favorites.

24 Books I Plan to Read in 2011

Business and Financial Books I Plan to Read and Review This Year:

January — 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think
February — Organized Simplicity: The Clutter-Free Approach to Intentional Living
~~March — Becoming a Person of Influence~~
~~April — Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking~~
~~May — Life on the Wire: Avoid Burnout and Succeed in Work and Life~~
~~June — Debt-Free U: How I Paid for an Outstanding College Education Without Loans, Scholarships, or Mooching off My Parents~~
July — Have a New You by Friday: How to Accept Yourself, Boost Your Confidence & Change Your Life in 5 Days
August — Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t
September — America’s Cheapest Family Gets You Right on the Money
October — Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
November — Shift Your Habit: Easy Ways to Save Money, Simplify Your Life, and Save the Planet
December –Personal Investing: The Missing Manual

Other Books I Plan to Read This Year:
~~January — Calm My Anxious Heart: A Woman’s Guide to Finding Contentment~~
~~February — Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time~~
~~March — The Possibilities of Prayer~~
~~April — The Blessing of Boundaries~~
~~May — The Happiness Project~~
~~June — Honey for a Child’s Heart~~
July — One With Christ
August — A Charlotte Mason Companion: Personal Reflections on the Gentle Art of Learning
September — Womanly Dominion: More Than A Gentle and Quiet Spirit
October — The Rose Conspiracy
November — Disciplines of a Godly Woman
December –Benjamin Rush: Signer of the Declaration of Independence

What books did you read in June? Any great recommendations for me to add to my to-read list?

(Note: The Amazon.com links in this post are affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy here.)

Shared Jul 1, 2011 comment

We Paid Cash: A New-To-Us Sectional

Published: by Crystal Paine on July 1, 2011 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

A testimony from Jennifer

From the time my husband and I moved into our house 4 1/2 years ago we dreamed of replacing our garage sale chair and freebie sofa with a sectional. While waiting for our dream to come true, we settled on purchasing slip covers for each to at least make them match.

My husband and I are both planners by nature and try to think long-term — especially when making decisions that will cost us a substantial amount of money. We didn’t want just any sectional, we wanted one with a chase lounge (for me), pull out sofa (for when our guest room inevitably becomes another kid’s room), and recliner (for my husband).

So our search began in the most logical place: Craigslist! At first I was a little grossed out about buying a used sectional, but quickly got over it when we realized the price of a brand new sectional. We looked and looked and looked but couldn’t find what we wanted.

Fast forward three years, two dogs, our first child, and a lost job later our dream was still alive, but just barely. Losing a job can really make you think out of the box — and that’s exactly what we did. We sold all the large items in our basement (stereo system, couch, chair, elliptical, and coffee table) on Craigslist and made $475!

We now had $475 burning a hole in our pockets, and the hunt was on again for our new-to-us sectional. We were blessed to find exactly what we wanted within a week, which surprised me since we had been looking for three years and never found anything! I didn’t waste any time, we contacted the seller, went to take a look at the sectional. It turned out to be perfect in every way!

The sectional belonged to an older couple with grown children who have only had it a few years and took great care of it. The pull-out bed had never been used (a huge plus for the gross out factor!) and their home was immaculately clean. To top it off it was a Lazy-Boy. I never dreamed we would actually get a name-brand sectional!

The price listed was $425. We were able to pay cash for it and have enough leftover to rent a truck to move it.

At the end of the day we were able to get our dream sectional without touching our bank account or credit card (which are now all paid off!!) It just took a little time, a lot of patience, and some clever thinking.

Jennifer Willis lives in Olathe, Kansas and runs an in-home daycare. She has a son named Henry who is 1 1/2 years old and another son on the way! She has been married to her husband, John, for 4 1/2 years.

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

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