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Shared Mar 9, 2012 comment

Sign up for the Tyler, Texas Reader Meet-up (March 23, 2012)

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 9, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

{A group photo from the Reader Meet-up in Harrisburg, PA last year.}

I’ll be speaking at the MomLife Bootcamp in two weeks and I’m so excited to have squared away the details for a Reader Meet-up while I’m there!

The Meet-up will be on Friday afternoon, March 23, 2012, from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in Flint, Texas (near Tyler, Texas). It will be an informal time to get to meet and chat with other frugal folks in Texas, share stories and tips, and come away inspired.

We only have room for around 25 women, so we ask that you find childcare for your children. However, nursing babies are welcome!

If you’d like to attend the Meet-up, please fill out the form below and we’ll contact you with further details.

I’m looking forward to meeting some of you!

Shared Mar 9, 2012 comment

A Simple Way to Give: Blessings in a Backpack

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 9, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Carrie emailed in the following testimonial:

Three years ago, our church of 40 members started giving away backpacks and school supplies every August for needy children in our area. I secured a list of families from a local organization, sent out invitations, and began collecting donations from Target, Meijer, and individuals.

These donations were used to fill backpacks for 150 needy children. To top it off, they were invited to our church facility where a local salon set up hair cutting stations and gave the children free back-to-school haircuts. It was incredible!

Fast forward three years, to this past August. We had so many backpacks and supplies donated the we had leftovers. I called two local schools, asking them if they would like what we had left.

One said, “Yes. We can use those to send food home to children who need it.” I was astonished, heartbroken, and saddened–there were children in our area, who for whatever reason, were not being fed by their parents on the weekend.

Since this particular school already had a food program in place, I contacted the school that was taking the remainder of our backpacks and told the counselor my plan: We wanted to provide food for needy children in the school via a backpack each week.

That started the ball rolling. The school sent home surveys to parents to get a feel for who needed food, and how many people we would be dealing with. It turned out that there are 18 children who go home each Friday with a backpack of food to feed them for seven meals over the weekend. Our little church of 40 people is feeding 18 children week! I did some math, and when it came down to it, a backpack of weekend food can be filled for less than $10!

After a few months of this, I was made aware of a national organization called Blessings in a Backpack. Although our church isn’t doing the program through this organization, it seems to be an easy way to start helping others if you need something more “official” to present to a school for consideration.

The point of the Backpack Buddies is not to fill pantries for families, but instead to provide enough food to children to get them through the weekend.

Here is a list of food we decided to collect:

Canned vegetables and fruit (with easy open tops)

Canned meat or meat stews (with easy open tops)

Easy Mac or Ramen CUP of Soup

Juice Boxes

Shelf Stable Milk

Snacks (granola bars, peanut butter crackers, etc.)

Breakfast items (small boxes of cereal, granola bars, cereal bars, etc.)

We try to make the foods as kid-friendly as possible to open, prepare, and warm in the microwave.

I am so thankful to God that He has blessed us in a way that we can be a blessing to others! -Carrie

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Shared Mar 9, 2012 comment

Does budgeting really work?

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 9, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Do you despise budgeting or feel overwhelmed by the thought of trying to create and maintain a workable budget?

Hop on over to Amy’s blog for another installment of The Money Saving Mom®’s Budget Book Club. She’s talking budgets (or lack thereof!) today. I think you’ll be encouraged by what she and her commentors have to say!

And if you want step-by-step instructions on setting up and sticking with a budget, be sure to get a copy of my book, The Money Saving Mom®’s Budget. I tackle realistic budgeting in chapter three–and I break it down into bite-sized pieces so it’s not overwhelming. And it just might change your whole financial situation!

Shared Mar 8, 2012 comment

Supermarket Savings Tip #6: Ask yourself “Is this a good deal?”

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 8, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Want to cut your grocery bill?

Always ask yourself, “Is this a good deal?” when you pick something up to put it in your cart.

Here are four ways to know whether something is a good deal for you:

1) Will you use it?

This might seem like a no-brainer question, but it’s amazing how many items we’re tempted to buy that we won’t really end up using. Will you really use that 50-pound tub of coconut? If not, it’s not a good deal for you, even if it’s a great price.

2) Do you need it?

If you already have 69 bottles of shampoo at home in your bathroom cupboard, you probably don’t need to buy 10 more bottles–no matter how good the deal!

3) Can you afford it in your budget?

If you don’t have the money to pay for it, it’s not a good deal–even if it’s only $0.25!

4) Could you easily substitute something you already have for it?

Maybe that bottle of sweet tea is a great deal at the store, but could you easily whip up your own pitcher of sweet tea using ingredients you already have at home?

What questions do you ask yourself in order to determine whether or not something is a good deal?

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Shared Mar 8, 2012 comment

The power of small steps

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 8, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

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

Click here to sign up!

Shared Mar 8, 2012 comment

We Paid Cash: A Kitchen Renovation

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 8, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

A testimony from Chelsea

My husband is an aspiring at-home chef, so while he was deployed to Iraq last year, I decided to remodel our kitchen as a surprise to him. However, we didn’t have much money to start with because we were putting most of our extra money toward getting our house and cars paid off before he returned.

I started with the cabinets, sanding them down and then priming and painting them an off white color myself. A local appliance company gave us a really good deal on a set of appliances (we had a nice newer stove so went with white to match). They had some dents on the sides, but you never see the sides so that didn’t matter!

A friend’s husband ran the lines and installed the dishwasher for me. Then I did the floor in faux slate peel and stick laminate tiles (it cost about $200 for the whole kitchen and only took me one evening after the kids went to bed).

I bought crown molding for the tops of the cabinets for about $20 at the hardware store and another friend’s husband took one of the cabinets I took out to fit the bigger fridge and made it into a built in-wine rack.

For the back splash, I used sheets of embossed tin (actually it’s plastic, but it looks like tin). The whole backsplash cost about $150!

I ordered a set of used but nice hardware on eBay, found a nice faucet and new curtains on eBay and voila… a new kitchen that took his breath away!

It was the perfect way to welcome home my soldier — all for under $1000!

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

Shared Mar 8, 2012 comment

7 Items Worth Splurging On

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 8, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

My husband emailed me an article from DaveRamsey.com yesterday on 7 Items That Are Worth the Extra Money.

The 7 items they suggested you should spend extra money on?

Toilet Paper

Trash Bags

Running Shoes

Food

Bed Sheets

Office Chair

Silverware

I found the list interesting and would agree that it is worth it to buy high-quality running shoes, office chairs, and trash bags. I also think it’s good to invest in wholesome food. However, I disagree that you have to pay a lot of extra money for any of these three things. If you are creative and know where to look, there are great deals to be had on high-quality items.

I also disagree that you need to spend extra on toilet paper, bed sheets, or silverware. If you come to our house, you get to use whatever toilet paper we got a good deal on. I know I’m in the minority here, but I’m not one to spend a lot of money on something you’re just flushing down the toilet. 🙂

And I’ve never gotten too hung up on sheet thread count. By the time I get into bed, I’m usually plenty tired that I don’t even notice the sheets.

Silverware is also another thing we don’t splurge on around here. We got a set from Walmart when we got married plus some odds and ends passed on from a friend. Our mismatched cheap set might not look too impressive, but it gets the job done.

That said, I know I have things that I splurge on that aren’t on the list–like a good hair cut. Many people just cut their own hair and that works great for them, but spending the money on a good hair cut is so worth it to me.

Do you agree or disagree with the list of 7 things you should splurge on? What other items do you feel are worth spending extra money on?

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Shared Mar 8, 2012 comment

Ask The Organizer: Is your family on board?

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 8, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Many, many of you have written in or commented in the last few months that you are really struggling with home organization. So I’m excited to let you know that I’ve teamed up with Andrea Dekker from Simple Organized Living to bring you a brand-new monthly feature called called “Ask the Organizer“.

Each month, we’ll feature one organizing question and let you weigh in your thoughts, answers, and opinions. Then later in the month, Andrea will pick one or two of the most popular responses and share her tips, ideas, and suggestions for dealing with those issues!

This month’s question is:

Is your family on board with your organizing goals?

If they are, what have you done to get them on board?

If not, what are you biggest struggles/obstacles to getting them on board?

Leave your answers below and then check back in a couple of weeks for Andrea’s expert organizing advice!

Shared Mar 7, 2012 comment

Freezer Cooking in an Hour Flop

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 7, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

So, today’s Freezer Cooking in an Hour felt like a royal flop. However, nothing actually ended up in the trash, so I guess it wasn’t a complete flop.

I had high hopes for these Coconut Flour Waffles. I should have realized that they would have tasted rather egg-y though, since they do happen to have six eggs and only 1/4 cup coconut flour. I guess I failed to notice that until after I was making the recipe. Oops.

At any rate, the batter cooked on the waffle iron okay, but they just didn’t taste all that great in my opinion. The children said they were fine, but they didn’t gobble them down like they usually do fresh-off-the-waffle-iron waffles.

I think we’ll stick to this Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free Waffle recipe.

And the Flourless Fudge Cookies looked so good, but I messed up the recipe by using whole eggs instead of egg whites. Don’t ask what I was thinking as I apparently wasn’t! I was chatting with my sister while I was making them and maybe that’s why I failed to think about the ramifications of that recipe tweak.

The batter was really soupy, so I decided to try adding in some gluten-free oats and chocolate chips. It didn’t seem to make that much of a difference as the pan of cookies clearly shows. 🙂

My brother was over and he walked in the kitchen saying, “It smells so good in here, what are you making?” After seeing the pan of “cookies” (if you can call them that), he wasn’t quite as excited about the good smells. Instead he asked, “What is THAT?!”

Kathrynne, sweet girl that she is, tried to console me by saying, “Mom, I think they look good.”

Despite how flat, run together, and crumbly the cookies were, they actually tasted great. And I think the recipe would be really good if I used egg whites instead of whole eggs.

Oh when will I ever learn to stop making so many substitutions?!? 🙂

Have you had any recipe successes or failures recently?

Shared Mar 7, 2012 comment

Supermarket Savings Tip #5: Pay Attention When They Scan Your Coupons

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 7, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Elizabeth emailed in the following tip:

Both this week and last week when I used my coupons, the cashier had to manually enter a coupon — and she entered the wrong amount!

Last week the cashier entered two $3 off coupons as only $1 off! Today it was $0.10 off instead of $1 off. (and it was two different stores, two different cashiers)

Thankfully, I was paying attention and asked and it was quickly corrected. But today she fixed it in the middle of scanning my coupons and missed another coupon entirely. I didn’t catch that one until after I paid, but I went back quickly and she fixed that, too.

I am not always able to pay attention when they scan my coupons, whether it’s because of the children or because I’m loading the cart or whatever it might be, but I will definitely try harder in the future! It certainly saves money!

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

Click here to download!

Shared Mar 7, 2012 comment

Ask the Readers: What can kids do to make money?

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 7, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Today’s question is from Marijo:

What are some suggestions for ways kids can earn money? -Marijo

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

Shared Mar 6, 2012 comment

Supermarket Savings Tip #4: Check the sale ads when planning your menu

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 6, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Want to know a quick way to shave a little bit off your grocery bill each week?

Check the sale ads when you’re planning your menu.

Most larger store chains have their sale ads online, so you can quickly pull them up and browse them when making your menu. Not only will this give you some extra inspiration for meal ideas, but you’ll also be more apt to plan meals around what is on sale at the store instead of just going off of whatever sounds good.

It so simple, it only takes 10 extra minutes or so, and it can easily save you an extra $10 or more on your weekly grocery bill.

For more practical help, be sure to check out my Menu-Planning on a Budget: Part 1 and Menu-Planning on a Budget: Part 2 posts.

Shared Mar 6, 2012 comment

Q&A Tuesday: Should I try shopping at multiple stores?

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 6, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I live in a very large city & there are 3 of the very same grocery stores within a 5-mile radius of where I live. Will it do any good to check deals at each of those grocery stores or will one most likely have the same deals as the one around the corner? -Andrea

Great question, Andrea! I’d strongly suggest checking out all the stores that are within a 5-mile radius of your home, even if they are the same chain. Why? Well, here are three reasons:

1. Different stores have different markdown policies.

I’ve been amazed at the difference of markdown policies at our local Dillon’s stores. One store routinely marks things down at least $0.50 more than the other store. For instance, one store will mark down bagged salads to $1.69 while the other store will mark down the exact same salads to $0.99. By shopping at the store with lower markdowns, I can often save at least a few extra dollars each shopping trip.

2. Some stores are more coupon-friendly than others.

Stores in the same chain can vary widely in their friendliness toward coupons. Usually, if the manager is coupon-friendly, this will trickle down to all the staff. It will save you time and effort to shop at the store that is most accepting toward couponers.

3. Some stores have better stock than others.

If a store doesn’t keep their sale items in stock, it’s rather pointless to shop there regularly. Finding out which store in your area is the best at keeping their shelves stocked–especially when there’s a great deal or loss leader–can save you time and hassle.

Take Time to Investigate–and Then Shop With Confidence!

When you first move to an area (or are first starting to practice strategic shopping), take a few weeks or months to shop at different stores within a close radius of your home to check them out. After a few regular visits to different stores, you’ll probably have a good idea which one(s) are the best to routinely shop at. Once your investigative period is over with, you can streamline your life by doing all of your shopping at the store(s) you found to be the best.

Do you think it’s beneficial to check out all the stores in your area, even if they are the same chain? If so, why? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

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Shared Mar 6, 2012 comment

This week’s gluten-free menu

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 6, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

German Chocolate Fudge Bites I made last week–so good! {And yes, I added mini chocolate chips. Why, of course! :)}

Thank you all for the gluten-free lunch ideas. I really appreciated your suggestions and feel re-inspired again!

Here’s this week’s menu:

Breakfasts

PB&J Milkshakes
Oatmeal (used gluten-free oats)
Hard-boiled eggs, granola bars
Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie (we’ll sub the chocolate milk for homemade chocolate almond milk)
Coconut Flour Waffles, scrambled eggs, fruit
Peanut Butter Swirled Banana Shake
Cereal

Lunches

Hard-boiled eggs, almonds, veggies & fruit
Refried beans, chips, fruit & veggies
Beans & Rice, veggies
Salmon, veggies, fruit, corn chips
Baked potatoes with fixings, fruit
Leftovers x 2

Snacks

Fruit/veggies
Flourless Fudge Cookies

Dinners

Dinner with extended family
Dinner out
Easy Garlic Chicken, Rice, Steamed Veggies
Frito Chili Pie, fruit
Goulash, tossed salad
Hamburgers, Sweet Potato Fries, steamed veggies, fruit
Dinner with friends (we’re bringing dessert–I’m thinking these Triple Chocolate Flourless Brownies.)

Freezer Cooking

Coconut Flour Waffles
Flourless Fudge Cookies
Easy Garlic Chicken

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

Shared Mar 6, 2012 comment

When You Can’t Save More, Try Making More!

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 6, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Guest post from Laura Vanderkam

It’s the first commandment of personal finance: live within your means.

Sometimes that means spending less; but as Crystal has pointed out, there’s a second way to live within your means…

Increase your income.

There are lots of ways moms can earn money, even if you don’t want a regular full-time or part-time job, and even if you’ve been home with your kids for years. I also think there are lots of reasons savvy home economists should try to earn good money. After all, if you’ve learned to live on one income, becoming a two-income family means that anything you can bring in (after taxes and childcare expenses) can go toward big goals!

Unfortunately, because many moms do want to work from home, there are lots of scams out there. Your best bet to make sure you’re working for a reputable business is to start your own business. If becoming an entrepreneur sounds intimidating, just remember that entrepreneurs solve sticky problems in a brilliant fashion. What do moms do…? 🙂

So make a list of all the skills you have that someone might pay for. If you’re not sure what might be in demand, head over to sites like Urban Interns, Mom Corps, Elance, and even Craigslist to see what kinds of ads employers and job seekers are posting.

Do you have any of these skills, or could you learn them with some time spent at the library or reading up online?

Some options for at-home jobs include:

Ghostwriting
Copywriting
Editing and proofreading
Website help (development, design, trouble-shooting, virus repair, etc.)
Social media
Public relations
Virtual assistant work
Bookkeeping
Research

If you’re into creative and artistic work, you might hunt around on Etsy to see what’s selling, or through local artists’ markets.

If you don’t want to work from home all the time, there are plenty of other business concepts with flexible hours and low barriers to entry:

Party planning (and running)
Organizing
Staging yard sales or selling things online for people
Tutoring (school skills, musical instruments, foreign language, SAT/ACT, etc.)
Housekeeping
Errand running

What would you enjoy?

Choose one skill and focus your efforts on that concept. Hunt around for other people who are doing this. Research what they charge. Pick their brains for advice if they’re up for it. Make a list of why you’re good at this particular skill, such as relevant experience from the past, or any volunteer work you’ve done.

Next, make a portfolio of work. Can you show evidence of this skill by doing a project for a friend, your church, or a non-profit you work with? Get results you can point to: three high schoolers who raised their GPAs thanks to your tutoring; before and after photos of a messy office you organized; a brochure you wrote for a local non-profit that helped increase the number of names in their donor database by 25 percent. You get the idea.

Once you’ve got a portfolio, you’re ready to get out there. Email or call everyone you know and say you’re looking for leads. Mention your results. You may need to be persistent, but soon you’ll land your first paying gig. Do a bang up job on that and you’re on your way.

There’s more to running a business, of course, then just getting started. But you’ll pick up skills as you go. The important thing to remember is that you can do this. Don’t sell yourself short.

You’ve already been doing valuable work for years. Now, you’ll just get paid for it!

Laura Vanderkam is the author of All The Money In The World: What the Happiest People Know About Getting And Spending, out from Portfolio on March 1. She is also the author of 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think. She lives with her husband and three children and blogs at Laura Vanderkam.

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Organized Home

10 Weeks Organized Life

Want a more ORGANIZED HOME?

Here is a list of food we decided to collect:

Always ask yourself, “Is this a good deal?” when you pick something up to put it in your cart.

1) Will you use it?

2) Do you need it?

3) Can you afford it in your budget?

4) Could you easily substitute something you already have for it?

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

Is your family on board with your organizing goals?

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

Check the sale ads when you’re planning your menu.

1. Different stores have different markdown policies.

2. Some stores are more coupon-friendly than others.

3. Some stores have better stock than others.

Take Time to Investigate–and Then Shop With Confidence!

Breakfasts

Lunches

Snacks

Dinners

Freezer Cooking

Increase your income.

Some options for at-home jobs include:

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