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Shared Sep 10, 2010 comment

My Freezer Cooking Plan (and come link up yours!)

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My Freezer Cooking Plan (and come link up yours!)

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

FishMama and I are Freezer Cooking again this week. This time around, I’m not dedicating much time to it, just squeezing in a little extra baking/cooking throughout the week during our afternoon quiet time.

If you’re new here, you may be wondering “What is Freezer Cooking?” Basically, it’s just doing some prep work in bulk of meals, parts of meals or baked goods to save you time over the next few weeks. You can cook up an extra pan of lasagna or you can cook up thirty meals. It’s your choice. I just like to encourage you to consider doing a little extra cooking and baking at the beginning of the month to help make the rest of the month a little easier for you. Plus, it saves time, energy and money!

Since we’re keeping our meals so simple right now, it also cuts down on the time I need to spend in the kitchen and greatly simplifies Freezer Cooking as most of our meals don’t require much beforehand work other than making a salad or cutting up veggies or fruit.

My Freezer Cooking Plan

::Whole-Wheat Chocolate Chip Pancakes (I’m taking the recipe times six and will share it on Monday. The girls love these and they make for very quick and fairly healthful breakfasts and snacks.)

::Homemade Baking Mix (I’ll share the recipe on Monday.)

::Whole-Wheat Bread

::Two big bags of chicken breasts cooked (some diced, some sliced — to serve over salads that we eat every day for lunch)

::Three meal’s worth of Marinated Chicken (I’ll share this new recipe on Monday.)

All the recipes will be coming on Monday along with pictures, a vlog and a link-up opportunity for you to share about your Freezer Cooking accomplishments.

If you’re new to Freezer Cooking, you can check out my detailed tutorial and planning worksheets here. And FishMama has a very simple step-by-step post if you’re feeling overwhelmed and don’t know where to start. You also might enjoy checking out past posts on my Freezer Cooking Days.

Need Some Freezer-Friendly Recipes? Here Are a Few Favorite of Our Favorites:

Are you participating in Freezer Cooking? If so, post about your cooking plan on your blog and then come back here and leave your direct link below so we can all be inspired! Please note: links which do not link directly to your freezer cooking post or which do not contain your freezer cooking plan will be deleted.

Money Saving Mom
Shared Sep 10, 2010 comment

We Paid Cash! :: Our Wedding

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We Paid Cash! :: Our Wedding

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

We paid cash!

Three years ago, we got married. We budgeted $10,000 for the wedding, but only spent about $8,000! Here’s how:

1. By growing my savings account.

I was a school teacher at a private school, which didn’t leave much of a margin for savings. But when I graduated from college, I sat down with a mentor, and we worked out a budget. In five years, my car and school loans were both paid off, which meant I started a more general savings fund.

I also found other ways to grow my savings because of the hospitality of close friends who allowed me to rent, very cheaply, a room in their home.

When we got engaged, I had the budgeted $10,000 already saved up.

To make the most of that budget since the wedding was about a year away, I put about 80% of that into a 6-month CD, just to earn a little more without the risk of stocks; I actually had the account with an online company which offered a much higher rate than the local banks. I still had enough for down-payments on the photographer, DJ and event site.

2. By networking and finding the best deals on everything wedding.

Our photographer, videographer, event site, DJ, hairstylist, make-up artist, calligrapher, instrumentalists and wedding-day coordinator were somehow related to my circle of friends or colleagues. They gave me discounted rates or even provided free services.

Don’t be afraid to ask around – a former student’s mother had made decorations for the chapel we were to be married at, and she allowed me to borrow those and even came to help us decorate.

3. Decide what you’ll splurge on and what can be saved.

We paid cash for our wedding 1We splurged on the venue and its catering – I didn’t want to deal with $0.25 for each piece of silverware or renting chairs. But I made my own boutonnieres, flower girl pomades and bridesmaid bouquets from silk flowers.

I also bought my gown off the rack and found my own seamstress to take the size 10 to a size 1, for $300. I bought invitations and programs to print our own, and a friend with a nicer printer did those for us.

The final results were still a classy and chic wedding that reflected who we were, down to the final penny!

Esther, along with her husband and one-year-old, continue to be good stewards, consistently deciding how to save & splurge! She also is a new blogger at Discovering the Me in Mommy, documenting her growth now as a mom.

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

Money Saving Mom
Shared Sep 9, 2010 comment

How to Shop With Little Children — Part 2

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How to Shop With Little Children — Part 2

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

If you missed it, read Part 1 of How to Shop With Little Children here.

After my third child was born, I waited a few weeks to try shopping with all three at the store at once. When I finally did, I realized that it was doable, but it was a lot of work. In fact, it felt more like a three-ring circus act I was trying to oversee.

“Be careful, you’re going to smoosh the whole loaf of bread.”

“Sit down in the cart, please.”

“No, honey, we’re not going to buy those. Put them back on the shelf.”

“Please do not push your sister.”

“Has anyone seen the coupon for the ice cream? It was just right here.”

We’re working on first-time cheerful obedience, but we’ve far from completely mastered it at our house. And I’ve decided that I’d rather choose other places than the grocery store to work on child-training right now.

I know there might be women reading this who are just shaking their head in disbelief that I can’t get my act together as you effortlessly shop at five stores every week with your seven children under four. More power to you! 🙂

But personally, I don’t find it easy to shop at multiple stores, use coupons and bring three children with me. So instead of beating myself up over this, I’ve decided to rethink my Grocery Shopping Gameplan for our current season of life.

1. Simple is Good

To be perfectly honest, since having three children, I’ve cut way back on shopping and using coupons. Whereas it wasn’t uncommon at all for me to shop at four to five (or even more!) stores many weeks back in the earlier years of our marriage, I now rarely go to more than two stores in one week.

I try to have one or two weeks each month where I put forth some concentrated effort on stockpiling and then I usually stick with the barebones shopping the other two to three weeks, occasionally even skipping shopping entirely for a week (outside of a few things like milk).

We’re keeping our meals extremely simple, too, so that makes shopping easier as well. We usually just have oatmeal or cold cereal for breakfast, smoothies of some sort for a mid-morning snack, veggies/fruit and some kind of protein for lunch, and for dinner we just rotate between a beef or chicken for the main dish, and have salad, fruit and maybe some bread made in the bread machine for sides. Other snacks are usually yogurt, cereal, fruit, veggies, muffins (from the freezer), hard-boiled eggs, protein bars, peanut butter toast or something else which is equally simple.

I know that this menu plan probably wouldn’t work for many people as it’s just so Plain Jane and redundant, but my husband is happy, the children are happy and we’re eating a balanced, nutritious diet (well, at least it works for us and we feel energetic and healthy!).

2. Flexibility is Key

Instead of having one afternoon a week dedicated to marathon shopping, I’m learning to be more flexible and stick with fitting in shorter shopping trips whenever they fit in. If we’re going to be getting together with friends on the other side of town, I might swing by a store while we’re out. Or, if we have a free evening and my husband gets home early, I might run out to do a quick shopping trip with one child after dinner while my husband is home with the other two.

Some weeks, we have a free afternoon, I’m feeling energetic and things are running pretty smoothly so I’ll load up all the kids and we go do a marathon shopping trip. However, freeing myself up from feeling obligated to do a big stock-up trip with all the children every single week has been so helpful.

While we might not be as stocked up on everything as we once-upon-a-time were and while there are weeks when I feel like I wish I were more organized and always did the shopping on the same day like I used to do, rolling with the punches and fitting shopping in when it works is getting us by.

3. Help is Wonderful

I think the biggest shift in my thinking about grocery shopping (and life in general) since having three children has been that it’s okay to accept help. After Silas was born and I was struggling a great deal with postpartum depression, my husband hired a wonderful young lady from church to start coming over one day each week and helping our family. This has been one of the greatest blessings in my life and I’d highly recommend something like this to every mom who has young children!

Our helper comes over each Tuesday and does laundry, cleaning and whatever else I need done. After our morning school lessons are finished, I’ll often take one of the girls with me on a quick shopping trip while our helper stays with the other children and feeds them lunch/plays with them. It gives me the opportunity to get some quality one-on-one time with a child and also allows me to get some efficient grocery shopping done!

In addition, Jesse’s step-grandma comes over every Thursday morning to spend time with us and I’ll occasionally run errands or do some grocery shopping while she’s here, too. And on those really busy weeks, Jesse also will gladly stop by the store — sometimes even taking some (or all!) of the children with him!

Creative Alternatives to Hiring a Babysitter So You Can Go Grocery Shopping

If hiring a babysitter or helper is not an option and you don’t have family nearby, don’t despair! Here are some other ideas:

::Swap With a Friend — Know another young mom who is also struggling with grocery shopping with young children? How about asking her if she’d like to swap babysitting with you so you can both get your shopping done each week?

::Shop With Your Husband — If your husband is game, find a time that works to shop when he can come along with you. It can make it much easier for you and can be a fun outing, too!

::Shop When Your Husband is Home –If there’s a time which works out for your family, consider shopping when your husband is home and able to watch your children.

::Bring a Friend/Helper Along — If you have a friend who’d love to spend time with you and would willingly be an extra set of hands, ask her about coming along with you. If you have a few quick in-and-out trips, perhaps she could even just sit in the car with your children while you run in. Or, if you know a mature teenage girl who is looking for a small part-time job, you could ask her to come along with you. For a small hourly pay, you may be able to provide a lot more sanity to your shopping trips.

While these things I’ve learned might be helpful to some of you, there are others of you who have no alternative but to shop every week with little children. So for those of you, stay tuned for tomorrow’s post for my ideas and tricks for pulling off a successful shopping trip with young children in tow. And come prepared to share your tips, too. (I already know that my readers are going to have dozens of amazing ideas to share!)

Do you have a creative alternative to hiring a babysitter not listed? Have you changed your gameplan when it comes to shopping as a result of having young children? I’d love to hear your thoughts and input!

photo by AlwaysBreaking

Shared Sep 9, 2010 comment

31 Days to a Better Grocery Budget: Buy in Bulk

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31 Days to a Better Grocery Budget: Buy in Bulk

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

One way we save at least $100 or so per year on our grocery bill is by buying select items in bulk. While I think that buying in bulk can definitely save you money, you need to be mindful of three things:

1. Bigger is Not Always Cheaper

It’s easy to get suckered into thinking that purchasing in bulk is always going to be cheaper. Oftentimes, the larger size is the same price — or even more than a smaller size. Always analyze the cost per ounce of items you are considering purchasing in bulk to determine whether or not it truly is a good deal to buy in bulk.

2. It’s Not a Good Deal If You Won’t Use It

I’m sure this is a no-brainer, but it’s not a good deal to buy 25-pound bag of coconut which expires in a year if you routinely only use four cups of coconut per year. Yes, I’m sure you could get creative and dig up a hundred new recipes which use coconut, but unless you got that 25-pound bag for a few dollars, it’s like better to save your money and buy items in bulk which you use on a very frequent basis.

3. Just Because You Buy Something in Bulk Doesn’t Mean You Should Use More

The biggest pitfall I’ve found to buying in bulk is that it’s easier to use more when you have more of something. For instance, I once bought a five-pound bag of chocolate chips at Sam’s Club. Usually, we go through around five pounds of chocolate chips in an entire year because we only buy a small bag or two at a time as needed. Instead, we’d used up that entire five-pound bag of chocolate chips in four months or less!

Now granted, we’re talking chocolate chips here, but I do think it’s important to make sure you aren’t consuming more of something because you’re buying it in bulk. If this is the case, you might consider portioning out the bulk package or else possibly just not buying that particular item in bulk.

How To Get Started Buying in Bulk

::Set Aside a Small Amount of Grocery Money for Bulk Purchases

The simplest way to slowly integrate bulk purchases into your grocery budget is to squeeze a little extra money out of your grocery budget each week and set it aside for bulk purchases. If you’re on a really tight budget, this might not seem feasible, but even $2 to $3 set aside over the course of two months can give you a large enough amount to make one bulk purchase.

And I’ve found that the more bulk purchases I make, the more it frees up wiggle room in my grocery budget to be able to set aside more money for more bulk purchases. It’s a domino effect — in a good direction.

::Prioritize Your List of Possible Bulk Purchases

I’d suggest writing down a short list of possible bulk purchases you’d like to make and then researching out the best places to purchase in bulk and how much the savings would be. Prioritize the list based upon the savings you’ll reap and the money you are able to set aside each month.

If it helps, you might even set goals. For instance, within two months, set a goal to have purchased two pounds of yeast. In four months, aim to have purchased a 50-pound bag of wheat. And so on. Start with the item(s) which you can afford with the money you’ve set aside.

Prioritizing your list and breaking it down into bite-sized goals will not only help to keep you organized, but it will also enable you to stick with your budget. Sure it might be nice to go plunk down $500 and have a completely stocked bulk pantry, but that’s just not really doable for most people.

Where To Buy in Bulk

There are many different options for buying in bulk. I’d suggest you start with perusing what’s available in your local area as well as online. Ask your friends, check the phone book, search on Craiglist, look for local co-ops and Amish Food Stores and contact local farms which sell to the public.

Getting a membership to Sam’s Club or Costco might be worth it for your family, but I’d encourage you to explore other possibilities before just settling on either of those stores as your only bulk purchasing option.

I’d also suggest you talk to your local grocery store or health food store or couple who run the farmer’s market stand you purchase from and ask what discounts they would give you if you’d purchase items in bulk. They might not give bulk discounts, but you never know until you ask!

If you’re really ambitious, you might even consider starting your own co-op.

What are your best tips for buying in bulk? I’d love to hear!

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Money Saving Mom
Shared Sep 8, 2010 comment

Good Reads: Choosing to SEE by Mary Beth Chapman

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Good Reads: Choosing to SEE by Mary Beth Chapman

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I stayed up way too late the other night because I had started Choosing to SEE: A Journey of Struggle and Hope and couldn’t put it down. The book chronicles the story of Steven Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman and their five-year-old adopted daughter’s tragic accident in 2008.

The story will make you laugh and cry — and will ultimately touch you at a very deep level. I especially appreciated Mary Beth’s raw honesty. She didn’t try to come across like she has it all figured out or has it altogether. Instead, she shares openly about her many struggles throughout her life.

After finishing this book, I was not only motivated to make sure I am cherishing each moment with my children, but I was also inspired to do more for orphans. I was especially excited to learn about the work of the Chapman’s ministry, Show Hope, an organization dedicated to providing support and help for orphans, in addition to giving financial assistance and grants to families who are raising money to adopt needy children.

After reading the book and researching more about Show Hope, my heart was very moved to support them. My husband and I discussed and prayed about it and felt that the Lord would have us be a part of this ministry. So I am thrilled beyond words to to tell you that, in addition to supporting Compassion International, beginning this month, MoneySavingMom.com will also be supporting Show Hope and helping to provide financial grants for families seeking to adopt.

I’m humbled to be a part of this and thank you from the bottom of my heart for the difference you are making in the lives of children around the world by reading here.

Discovered any Good Reads recently? Tell me about them in the comments and I’ll consider adding them to my long and ever-growing book list!

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Money Saving Mom
Shared Sep 8, 2010 comment

How To Shop With Little Children — Part 1

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How To Shop With Little Children — Part 1

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

As a mom to 3 little ones, aged 3, 20 months and 3 months, I would love some tips and suggestions on getting through my shopping with them along. Right now, I typically wait until their daddy gets home from work and they’re in bed to get my shopping done. However, Daddy has taken a 3rd job to help us get out of debt, so that won’t really be an option anymore. Help! -Abbie

Great question, Abbie!

When we had one child, grocery shopping was fairly simple. We could get ready and out the door pretty easily (though it seemed like quite a bit of work back then!) and when we got to the store, I’d strap Kathrynne in a back carrier and we’d mosey through the store at a leisurely pace.

Grocery shopping was a nice diversion from our little basement apartment and I often shopped multiple times per week because I had more time than money in those days and was playing the Drugstore Game really hot and heavy in order to lower our grocery bill.

When child #2 came along, we were living with one car so we usually did our grocery shopping as a family — either in the evenings or on Saturdays. It was wonderful to have my husband along! He would push the cart and help entertain Kathrynne while I manned the coupons and grocery list with Kaitlynn in the sling.

As our social life was pretty nonexistent at the time (we had just moved to Kansas City and knew next to no one outside the people in the small church we attended), shopping together made for a fun family outing.

When we moved back to our hometown for my husband to start his own law firm, our quiet life changed dramatically. Not only did my husband’s firm take off at a much faster rate than we were anticipating (and soon he had to hire a full-time secretary because his workload was so heavy!), but we had so many social opportunities that we had to start turning some invitations down!

Gone were the days of slow-paced family grocery shopping outings. Instead, I started taking both little girls with me one day each week to hit two to four stores. This took an entire afternoon and it was a bit of a juggling act, but it worked fairly well and I came up with many different ideas for how to shop effectively with little children.

I thought I had a pretty good handle on things and was anticipating that adding in the third child wouldn’t be too much extra effort. But then I had baby #3. Contrary to what I had originally anticipated, I had to rethink my entire Grocery Shopping Game Plan from the ground up.

Stay tuned tomorrow for details on the creative compromise I’ve come to with grocery shopping at this season of my life. And on Friday, I’ll be sharing tricks and tips for successfully shopping with little ones.

photo by AlwaysBreaking

Money Saving Mom
Shared Sep 3, 2010 comment

We Paid Cash! :: A Trip to Singapore to Meet My Navy Submariner

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We Paid Cash! :: A Trip to Singapore to Meet My Navy Submariner

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

We paid cash!Story submitted by Kristen

My husband, a Navy Submariner, is deployed. On submarines, communication is extremely limited — no phone calls, IM’s or Skype sessions. We get email, but we go weeks, even months, without it. But there is one upside – port calls!

In the past, I would fly out to meet him in port, and charge up a storm to get there. This time, I made a goal that if the chance arose, I would be prepared, pay in cash and not touch my savings.

How I Did It

When he left, I:

  • Shrank the grocery bill and shopped in my pantry.
  • Ate out less, and split meals with friends.
  • Grouped errands together to save gas.
  • Read books when I was bored instead of shopping.
  • Worked longer hours so I could go home for lunch.

With only one person home, these small changes added up fast!

The Goal

Soon I learned he would port in Singapore. I cringed. Singapore is expensive!

I researched tickets, studied exchange rates, read about cheap/free things to do and sought advice on prices for everything.

When ticket prices dropped, I bought them straight from the checking account. Then I bought travel insurance that covered military cancellations. If there is one thing you learn in the Navy, it’s that the schedule is written in the sand, and the tide is coming in fast! I wanted to be covered in the event of a change.

The next big purchase was the hotel. I watched every day, and when prices dropped, I paid in full, saving me $220 per night! I chose carefully – free Internet, breakfast and drinks in the room, none of which is common there. It was also strategically located by the transit system, the cheapest way to travel.

Then it was budget crunch time. Meals, drinks and events are all more expensive in Singapore. And, I wanted to be able to shop for unique items.

For the first time, I successfully used the envelope system! Every time there was money leftover, I put it in a jar. Two days before the trip, I took the jar to the bank and had $250 for traveler’s checks!

A Great Trip Plus…

We Paid Cash Meeting My Submariner HusbandWhen it was time to go, I had $3,000 for food, taxis, shopping and sight-seeing for eight days and two people. But we didn’t spend near that much; I returned with an extra $1000!

Some may think this is too extravagant of a trip. But to see my husband, touch his face and talk to him, it’s worth every penny. To do it all with cash, stick to a budget and come home with wonderful memories and leftover money too? That is icing on the cake!

I should be clear – I’m not a mom, unless two big black dogs count. I read MoneySavingMom because the advice is practical, and the stories are motivating. Someday, I hope to be a mom. For now, it’s just me and the dogs, waiting on our sailor to come home safe! ~Kristen McDonald

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

Money Saving Mom
Shared Aug 31, 2010 comment

Q&A Tuesday: Do you ever take a day of rest?

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Q&A Tuesday: Do you ever take a day of rest?

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I’m a new stay-at-home mom to a 5-week-old baby boy. I have been following your site for several years and I’ve always admired how much you accomplish in a day. At the time, I had full-time job and seemed to use that as my excuse to not do everything, but now that I’m a stay-at-home mom, I still can’t seem to do everything.

Do you ever have a day that you just relax and not worry about getting everything done? Your blog makes it seem like you always have everything put together. I know you probably have your own days but I feel like most days I stress out if I’m not getting to the one store where they have the “free” item, or if I’m not preparing a bunch of meals to put in the freezer, etc.

Just wanted to know if you just have more extra energy than the typical person or if you are seriously exhausted, but know that you have to keep going for your family. – Ashley

Edit: Somehow I read Ashley’s note as saying she had a five-month-old baby instead of a five-week-old baby. So I completely failed to address the very important fact that she needs to focus on keeping it super simple and just recovering and caring for her newborn. At any rate, be sure to read the comments from my readers as they are packed with words of wisdom concerning this!

Ashley, congratulations on your new baby boy and how exciting that you’re able to stay home with him.

Now, I need to set the record very straight: I do not accomplish even a tiny sliver of what I’d like (or hope!) to accomplish.

There are days when I fantasize about a to-do list which has everything crossed off and then I quickly realize that that is just not going to happen. So I have two choices: I can do the best I can do with the time and energy I have or I can spend my life frustrated at everything left undone.

I try to be real as a blogger: to share my struggles and my difficulties as well as my triumphs and victories. I don’t share a lot of pictures of my dirty laundry piles or my windows with sticky peanut butter fingerprints on them, though, because I want to keep this an upbeat place. And I doubt that most of you really would like to read post after post about the bodily fluids I cleaned up or the messes my children made in the last hour. 🙂

Since I am a minimalist and try to be organized, we tend to have fewer messes because we have less stuff. But believe me, we have plenty of messes — regardless of the lack of lots of stuff. And there are plenty of days when I want to pull my hair out and cry just because it’s so much work to be a mom to three young children. There are times when I get really tired of doing the same thing over and over and over again and feeling like my work is never done.

However, by God’s grace, I’ve purposed to embrace each day — spilled milk, dirty laundry and sticky peanut butter fingerprints — instead of concentrating on the difficulties of life (and we all have them in one shape or another). My desire is to focus on how blessed I am (though I don’t always succeed, just ask my husband!) and seek to live in the moment and make the most of it.

Simple Tips for Being a More Joyful and Productive Wife and Mom

::Realize you can’t get it all done. Give up on being Superwoman and be okay with that.

::Stop comparing yourself to other women who might seem like they have it altogether. I promise you, no woman does.

::Cherish each moment you have with your precious family.

::Make a simple routine for your days. Simple is the key word here. Don’t make some elaborate plan that is likely unattainable. But having a routine in place can make life go much more smoothly.

::Before you go to bed or when you get up in the morning, make a short list of five to eight things you’d like to accomplish that day. I’ve found I get so much more done when I have a plan instead of just being aimless. At the same time, though, remember that your list is just a guide. You likely won’t get everything done off of it — you may get nothing done off of it! — but you’ll probably be a lot more productive and focused throughout the day just by having some goals set.

Back to your original question: Do I ever take a day off? Mothering is a 24/7 thing, so I’ve quickly learned that there’s no such thing as a complete “day off.” That said, I definitely know my limits and try to take a few hours of respite and refreshment at least once a week. This might be sitting and reading a good book, snuggling and reading for an hour with my children, watching a movie with my husband, going to a coffee shop or shopping by myself, doing something with a friend, taking a bubble bath or a leisurely afternoon nap.

I also make it a point to get 7-8 hours of sleep almost every night and I try to exercise and put nourishing foods in my body, drink lots of water and get fresh air and sunshine every day. I think just as it is important that we be wise stewards of our finances, we also need to seek to be wise stewards of our bodies.

My Three Biggest Keys to Productivity

1. My Relationship with the Lord — I get up every morning and spend time reading God’s Word, praying and dedicating my day to the Lord. Throughout the day, when trials and difficulties come my way, I often just stop and pray and ask God to help me in my weakness and time of need. He always is faithful — even in the little things.

2. My Relationship with my Husband — I’m blessed to be married to an amazing man and the longer I live, the more I grow to love and admire him. Jesse loves me deeply, listens to me whole-heartedly, prays for me caringly and encourages me unceasingly. He is my biggest cheerleader and my best friend. We share everything together, we love to be together and he is constantly inspiring me to dream big dreams, set big goals and not settle for mediocrity.

3. Observing Media-Free Sundays — A few years ago, we made the commitment to keep Sundays media-free days at our house. This was one of the best decisions we ever made. Tuning out the noise for a whole day every week helps us to re-focus, re-energize and refresh. We spend the day worshiping in our local church, talking, reading, resting and spending time with family and friends. We look forward to this day all week long.

Related: If you’re a young mom, I encourage you to read a post I wrote a few weeks ago with a few words of encouragement for young moms.

Money Saving Mom
Shared Aug 30, 2010 comment

Shopping for Feminine Clothes on a Budget

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Shopping for Feminine Clothes on a Budget

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Courtney from Women Living Well put together a helpful video on how to shop for feminine clothes on a budget.

When I had more time than money, I shopped almost exclusively at thrift stores on their Dollar Days so there was little in my closet which cost more than $1 each. I’ve relaxed that standard a some now that I have three young children and my life is more full, but I still aim to pay just a few dollars per item.

Since I keep my wardrobe very simple and usually have no more than six mix and match outfits, I can easily stick with my personal $15-per-month clothing budget. But can you believe that I’ve never purchased items for myself at a consignment store? I’ve been to lots of children’s consignment sales and stores, but Courtney has inspired me to check and see what our town offers in the way of women’s consignment stores.

By the way, Courtney says she shops at a chain consignment shop called Clothes Mentor.

For more thrifty ideas, check out Courtney’s post on How to Have a Clothing Swap.

Money Saving Mom
Shared Aug 30, 2010 comment

10 Ways to Protect Your Identity Online

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10 Ways to Protect Your Identity Online

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Guest post by Melissa from Mom’s Plans and Dining Out Challenge

One morning I tried to log into my eBay account but couldn’t. I contacted eBay and once I was able to get in, what I saw was over $1,000 in purchases.  My heart dropped, my cheeks flushed, my chest tightened and I felt like I couldn’t breathe. Anyone who has had their account compromised knows this feeling well.

What followed was a two day fast-course on protecting my identity online. Here is what I learned:

1. Change Passwords Frequently

I heard someone on NPR say that “passwords are like underwear. Change them frequently and don’t share them with anyone.” Try to change passwords every 30 to 60 days.

2. Make Passwords Difficult to Guess

You should have a combination of letters and numbers such as M7*dr36!aLd. Is it a pain to have more complicated passwords? Absolutely, but it is worth it to protect my identity.

3. Use A Different Password for Each Account

If thieves can hack into one account, they can hack into other accounts with the same password.

4. Use One Credit Card Solely For Online Purchases

If you use credit cards, have one that you use solely for online purchases and one that you use solely for all other purchases. If one credit card account is taken over — say the one you do NOT use for online purchases and suddenly online purchases begin showing up — the credit card company is much more likely to catch the theft because the charges will be outside your normal purchasing pattern.

5. Link Your Debit Card to a Special Bank Account

If you have an account only for debit card use and the card is compromised, the thieves will not be able to clean out your regular checking account that is used to pay bills. Worse case scenario they would only clean out the checking account specifically used for the debit card.

6. Link Your PayPal Account to a Special Account

Only use your designated credit card for on-line purchases or your designated bank account for your debit card. Do not use your regular credit card or checking account in case the account is compromised.

7. Order Your Free Credit Report Every Four Months

You can go to AnnualCreditReport.com and get your credit report for free from each of the three credit reporting agencies (Experian, TransUnion and Equifax) once a year. Order one every four months. For instance, one from Experian in January, one from TransUnion in May and one from Equifax in September.

8. Put a Fraud Alert on Your Credit Report If You Think Your Account Was Compromised

If you call one of the credit reporting agencies to authorize a fraud alert, they will call the other two agencies and convey the information for you.  (These are the numbers for the fraud departments: EQUIFAX: 800-525-6285, EXPERIAN: 888-397-3742, TRANSUNION: 800-680-7289.)

9. Put a Security Freeze on Your Credit Report

This is a radical step, but it will completely protect your identity. When you use a security freeze, you essentially lock down your credit. If you want to open a line of credit, you must first unfreeze your accounts. However, if your information is stolen and the thief tries to open up an account, they will be thwarted.

You must pay $10 to the credit reporting agency to freeze your credit. They will give you a special number as confirmation. Keep this number in a very safe place as you need it to unlock your credit.

10. Make Sure to Have a Firewall, Virus Scan, Spy Ware and Ad Ware Software

Many of these programs can be downloaded for free and offer the initial step of protection.

Identity theft on the Internet is a growing business and the damage can be done quickly. In less than 24 hours, someone used my account to purchase 3 cell phones at a cost of $1000. Imagine if I hadn’t caught it so quickly. Luckily eBay was wonderful and took care of the sales and the $1000.

I hope that my bad experience can help you protect yourself online.

Melissa blogs at Mom’s Plans and Dining Out Challenge. She’s a stay-at-home mom to a boy and two girls.

Do you have an idea for a guest post? I am always looking for high-quality, original (i.e. not published anywhere else online) content with tips and ideas Money Saving Mom® readers can use. If you would like to submit a guest post, please follow the Guest Posting Guidelines.

photo by Ed Yourdon

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Money Saving Mom
Shared Aug 28, 2010 comment

Becoming a Work-At-Home Mom: A blog series, an ebook and an ecourse

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Becoming a Work-At-Home Mom: A blog series, an ebook and an ecourse

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If you’re new here, be sure to read the first posts in this Becoming a Work-At-Home Mom series here.

My “brilliant” idea back in 2006 to start a website with quick and frugal ebooks and money-saving tips fell pretty much flat on its face. The website design was atrocious because I didn’t know the first thing about designing a site from scratch (I only have a basic knowledge of HTML — enough to make very minor tweaks, not design a site from the ground up!) and I ran out of time to invest into bettering it because my husband got a job in another city and we ended up having to move in less than a month’s time.

Between moving, pregnancy, being a wife and mom and running my blog and other business, life was full and my initial “grandiose” idea got shoved to the back burner.

But it wasn’t just because all of those things that I didn’t continue on with SimplyCentsible.com, the main reason I stopped trying to build it up was because no one really seemed interested and there was little to no traffic to it after I put in hours of work and promoted it rather heavily. I decided maybe there just really wasn’t that much interest out there on frugality. Or maybe I just wasn’t the person to be talking about it. So I dropped the idea and went back to blogging as usual.

However, around that time, I did happen to mention our (at that time) $35-per-week grocery budget sort of off-hand in one of my posts. Little did I dream the kind of interest that wold conjure up! People started delurking and emailing to ask, “How on earth do you feed your family for $35 per week?” Since I had been using coupons for over six years at that point, I had kind of forgotten that most people spent significantly more on groceries!

But as the barrage of questions began coming, I realized that our grocery budget was apparently way, way low compared with most of the rest of society. So I started answering the questions by doing a blog series on my personal blog on “Supermarket Savings.”

That blog series exploded into something I never could have imagined: people started telling their friends, who told their friends, who told their friends. Before I knew it, my little blog was getting around 5,000 visitors per day — and people were begging for more help with lowering their grocery budget and reducing their overall expenses.

I tweaked and expanded the Supermarket Savings series into an ebook and it sold incredibly well. I mentally gave a big sigh of relief that it was finished! I figured the questions and emails would now die down as the ebook pretty much covered all the basic details on using coupons, playing the drugstore game and getting the most bang for your buck at the grocery store.

Well, the questions didn’t stop. In fact, the emails started pouring in from people who were brand-new to couponing and had no idea where to start. Again and again, I realized that they just wanted someone to hold their hand and walk them through step-by-step how to drastically cut their grocery budget.

They needed more than just the basics; they needed very detailed specifics on how to work the deals. The thought of setting up a blog to share these details and specifics still hadn’t crossed my mind yet, but I did decide to teach an online course called “Supermarket Savings 101.” There was nothing out there like it from everything I researched and, based upon the response and emails I was receiving, there was a huge need for this.

So, two weeks after Kaitlynn was born, I opened up registration for the online class. My plan was to teach a small number of participants the materials in my Supermarket Savings ebook at a more in-depth level. There would be different audio lessons, handouts, free ebooks on frugal living and a forum for participants to interact. In addition, there would be assignments every week which the class members had to complete and turn in which I would give feedback on.

My hope was that I would use the materials from this pilot class to create a downloadable ecourse to sell. I knew that having the real-time feedback and questions would be invaluable in helping me to craft a course which could benefit the most people.

I set the class registration price at $17.95 for the two-week class and announced it on my blog. I’d never done something this ambitious before and my goal was to get 20 registrations. I figured that would be a good number to work with to provide enough differing backgrounds and areas of the country to cover a lot of the potential questions and situations people are in.

I was a little blown away when I ended up with over 70 registrants for the online class! I was very thrilled, but it was also a bit daunting because I had a great turn out of participants, but now I had to figure out what I was going to teach and how I was going to teach it — and how I was going to try and give feedback to 70 different class participants. I was hoping I wasn’t setting myself up for another disastrous failure!

…to be continued next Saturday

Money Saving Mom
Shared Aug 28, 2010 comment

Super Savings Saturday: Local eggs, bread and peaches

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Super Savings Saturday: Local eggs, bread and peaches

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I did very little shopping this week, as you can tell from the picture, as our freezer and cupboards are pretty full and there just wasn’t much that we needed.

I stopped by a local bread store to use a Groupon I had and bought a loaf of yummy whole-wheat bread (and ended up getting to introduce everyone in line behind me to Groupon since they couldn’t believe my total for the bread was so low!). I bought a dozen farm-fresh eggs. And my mom gave me some peaches they’d picked from a local orchard.

Other than buying two gallons of milk (not pictured), that was the extent of our grocery purchases this week.

So our total in grocery expenditures this week was around $9.

We did go out to eat more than our usual once-a-week because Silas and I went with my husband on a business trip to Kansas City for a few days. That said, we brought some of the food for the trip and we used a gift card we’d been given to Chick-fil-A for one of the meals, so we ended up not spending much out of pocket for food on the trip.

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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.

Money Saving Mom
Shared Aug 27, 2010 comment

We Paid Cash! :: Medical School

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We Paid Cash! :: Medical School

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We paid cash!Testimony from Sara

One of the best pieces of advice we got before my husband and I married, was to read The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey. We became huge fans of Dave’s advice and because we both came from frugal families, we felt equally yoked for our financial future — even knowing my husband wanted to go to medical school.

The Preparation

About six months before we got married (going on six years ago now!), my husband was accepted to medical school. Because we had a goal of staying debt free, we immediately started to devise a plan.

I had been working for a few months at my first “real job” and was already starting to see savings build little by little. Neither one of us had any previous debt as we had college paid for by scholarships, and I had worked my way through graduate school as a Graduate Assistant. So we were already off to a good start.

We knew how much medical school tuition would cost, and added in some extra for books, equipment and miscellaneous items he might need. And we really started to pray. We prayed for God’s direction, for discipline, and patience. After all, I’d just finished school myself, and after working hard to get through it, it was tempting to want to splurge.

You know what? God provided!

First, we found out a few months after his acceptance that my husband had received a scholarship to cover the first semester — what a blessing! It gave us a little more time to save. Secondly, God blessed my work, and we saw little savings grow more and more into reaching our goals!

The Result

By staying the course and keeping to our commitment, at the end of my husband’s second year of school, we had already saved enough for all four years! After counting tuition, fees, equipment, National testing, and all the books he needed, we paid around $50,000. God is so good! We can look back and see His hand and blessing the entire way.

The Bumps in the Road and God’s Provision

Not everything came without some sweat — literally.

First, at the beginning of the third year of school, my husband’s car just went kaput. You couldn’t drive it over about 50 mph without feeling like you were trying to use your body to hold down the steering wheel. The tires were worn out, the engine needed some serious work and it had no air conditioning. And let me tell ya, here in Mississippi, that was a big deal! Rob had just started clinical rotations and was dressing up for work so he would leave before daylight, to keep himself from sweating too badly. Eventually, we were able to pay cash for a used car for him.

We paid cash for medical school!Secondly, and very sweetly, our first little bundle came into the world the middle of the third year (our second came a month before Rob graduated). I never knew I’d want to stay home with him so badly. I cried and cried, thinking in my heart that God’s timing was not right for me to stay at home — especially while we had no other income.

The month I went back to work, the company I worked for announced that, for the first time ever, wanted to hire someone part-time in my area! God was so faithful. He gave me the desire to be home with my son, and He provided the means!

So, I worked part-time until January of this year when I quit my job to stay home full-time. By saving up enough for medical school early and living frugally along the way, we were able have set aside enough money in the bank to supplement my husband’s income until he finished residency.

You want to know the cool thing? It’s been eight months, and we still haven’t used a dime of our savings!

And the Rest of the Story?

My husband is in his second year of residency now, and we stay committed to our goal. Rob doesn’t make much as a resident, and still has three years to go. However, we know that living frugally now gives us a peace about where we’ll be in the future.

We are so happy and so thankful to be debt-free! So many of my husbands friends and classmates came out of school with six-figure debt. God has taught us a lot through the past six years; it’s not always been easy, but it’s been so worth it.

Sara and Rob, with Rhett (2) and Colt (1), live in Jackson, Mississippi.

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

Money Saving Mom
Shared Aug 26, 2010 comment

Ask the Readers: How far will you travel for good deals?

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Ask the Readers: How far will you travel for good deals?

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I live in the northeast US and I feel like we don’t have the best grocery stores up here. But, I recently found an Aldi about a half hour to 45 minutes away from my house. You seem like a big supporter of Aldi so I was just wondering if you thought it would be frugal of me to make the drive there every month or so to do some grocery shopping or would it just be a waste of gas, money and time? What are your thoughts? -Becky

If I personally lived in an area where there were few grocery stores with good deals, I would definitely consider it worth my time and the expense of gas to drive 30 minutes to Aldi once every four to six weeks.

However, to make it worth the drive, you’d want to be strategic about it. You’d want to stock up on enough items which were significantly lower than the prices you would usually pay to last you for another four to six weeks (or until your next trip). I’d also look to see if there were any other great stores in the same area that I could also stop by to make my trip even more worthwhile.

I would likely buy enough fresh produce to last me for a week or two (depending upon what the produce is, sometimes it will last longer than that). I’d also stock up on staple items such as baking supplies and canned goods. And finally, I’d buy perishable items which can be frozen. You can freeze bread, butter, cheese, milk, fresh fruit (for smoothies or baking) and so much more. So I’d likely freeze most of the perishable items which we couldn’t use up in a week in order to extend their life.

I would track my expenditures at Aldi compared to the prices I could get at the local stores to make sure that I was saving enough money to make it worth the trip. Since it would be at least an hour of driving plus some gas money for the trip, I’d need to be saving at least $50 per trip to make it worth my time and expense.

Most importantly, I’d continue to do the best I could to find deals at my local stores. Sometimes, high-priced stores which don’t double coupons will have incredible loss leaders or catalina deals. Keep your eyes peeled! (By the way, have you signed up to receive the best deals at your local stores in your inbox every week? We do the work for you so make sure and take advantage of this free resource!)

Would you drive to Aldi if you were in Becky’s shoes? How far will you travel for good deals? I’d love to hear your answers!

Money Saving Mom
Shared Aug 26, 2010 comment

Beyond baking soda and vinegar

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Beyond baking soda and vinegar

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Tammy has a great post up on ways to get beyond commercial products that don’t just involve the standard baking soda and vinegar you often hear of.

I’m seriously considering trying making my own toothpaste and deodorant after I make homemade laundry detergent. It might be a total fail, but you never know until you try!