 | | | |
Here's What's New 
Cheryl emailed in the following tip: When I told my husband I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom, he was very skeptical about living on one income. I was very passionate about this however, so after a hesitant “yes” from my husband, I was determined to make it work. One of the major ways I keep our costs down is by utilizing thrift stores and garage sales. First of all, some of you may be thinking gunky, funky, and skunky. Usually, thrift stores don’t keep those kind of donations anyway. Some things may be too worn, but I don’t buy that stuff. I’ve trained my eyes to look for the good condition, quality items. I’ve found plenty. For example, I have name brand clothing in my closet that I normally would have never bought even if I was working, such as Banana Republic and Anne Taylor. But I found them at the thrift store. A new article of clothing with the tags still on is, at the most, $4. Usually I find things for $2-3, and an even better day is when they have 50% off all items in the store. I also find great books. I try not to buy books for myself anymore, however, I like my children to have good books on their shelf. I’ve found books such as: Corduroy, Black Beauty, Hardee Boys, Little House on the Prairie, I Spy, and Berenstain Bears all in excellent condition. I also find good quality educational toys, board games, movies, office supplies… and even a Hunter ceiling fan with a baseball theme for my son. I just checked the price of the fan online. The lowest price was $90. I got it for $12. There is nothing cosmetically wrong with it. If I discover that it doesn’t work, the store has a 30-day return policy for store credit. We live in Florida, so I love sandals. I would like a pair of leather Reef sandals, but they are so expensive. I figured I would ask for them as a birthday present, but I recently found my size at a local garage sale. They were worn, but not too much — and they were only $1!!! Sold. -Cheryl
photo source Make 2013 your most disciplined, productive year ever! Get 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life today! 
Dillons 1 Romaine Lettuce – $0.99 1.22 lbs Roma Tomatoes @ $0.99/lb – $1.21 2.21 lbs Bananas @ $0.35/lb – $0.77 Kroger Jelly – $2.45 Kroger Flour – $1.69 Pepsi Next - $1, used Free coupon - Free after coupon 2 Ronzoni Pasta – $1 each, used $1/2 printable - $0.50 each after coupon 1 Boulder Canyon Chips – $1.99, used $1/1 printable - $0.99 after coupon 8 Crest Toothpaste – $1 each, used 8 $0.50/1 coupon from the 5/8, 6/2 P&G insert, printable, and e-coupon - Free after coupons 1 Kroger Frozen Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (3 lbs) - $6.98 1 lb Simple Truth Ground Beef – $5.99, used $1/1 Dillons mailer coupon – $4.99 after coupon 2 Kroger Shredded Cheese – $1.67 each 1 Kroger Marshmallows – $1.10 1 Kroger Cotton Swabs – $1 1 Kroger Butter – $2.59 1 Kroger American Cheese – $1 1 gallon Dillons Milk – $2.98 2 Hormel Pepperoni – $1 each, used $1/2 printable - $0.50 each after coupon Total before coupons and sales: $76.63 Total with tax after coupons: $37.71 Menu Plan for this Week Breakfasts Cereal, Oatmeal, Toast, Bananas Lunches Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches, Baked Potatoes, Leftovers, Turkey Sandwiches Dinners Hamburgers (we had leftovers from last week that I froze to use again this week), Chips, Baked Beans Chicken Noodle Casserole, Rolls, Steamed Carrots (I stocked up on carrots a few weeks ago and we still have some left), Strawberries (from our garden) Pancakes, Eggs, Hashbrowns Cheese Pizza, Breadsticks, Tossed Salad Chicken with Cream of Mushroom Soup, Biscuits, Green Beans Pepperoni Rolls, Tossed Salad, Fruit Dinner with parents Make 2013 your most disciplined, productive year ever! Get 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life today! 
If you’ve come to any of my money-saving workshops in the past two years, you’ve probably heard me talk about eMeals. They are a service that creates budget-friendly menu plans for you based upon the sales at your local store. For those of you who want to follow a menu plan and struggle to come up with the time or ideas, eMeals might be a great fit. Here are some things I love about it: ::It's simple and easy to follow. You just log in each week, print your menu and grocery list and you're pretty well good to go. ::They offer healthful options. One of the reasons I used to not be a big fan of their meal plans was because they weren’t very healthful. But they’ve now added Paleo, Gluten Free, and Clean Eating meal plans to give many more healthful options! ::It's inexpensive. For as low as $1.25 per week, someone else will plan all your dinners and write up your grocery list for you. That's a pretty good return on your investment of money! {Psst! Use coupon code DADS to get 15% off!} ::It's detailed. The plans are very thorough and detailed, including prices, nutrition facts and more. ::It can help streamline your life. If you currently feel like your life is a juggling act and if you add in menu-planning you're going to start dropping balls everywhere, then paying for eMeals might be exactly the ticket to your sanity!
Now, keep in mind that when you follow the eMeals menu plan, you don't have the flexibility to plan your menus based upon your stockpile. While it's helpful they are planning the meals around store sales, they can't predict that you were able to buy a lot of sour cream, carrots and spinach marked down at your store last week. In the long run, planning your menus based upon what you have on hand in addition to what's on sale at the store, shopping at more than one store, shop the marked-down section of stores and stocking up when items are at rock-bottom prices will definitely reap you greater savings than following a pre-planned menu ever will. 
However, there are many things I like about eMeals and know that it’s a perfect fit for certain people — especially those who find menu-planning very tedious and time-consuming. You can read more of my readers’ thoughts on Emeals here.
If you are a blogger, you can join the eMeals Connect Blogger Network for special opportunities. In addition, be sure to follow eMeals on Facebook and Twitter. eMeals is offering two readers the opportunity to win a one-year complete menu plan (includes plans for all breakfasts, lunches, and dinners for a year). To enter to win, just click on the graphic below and type in your name and email address. Two winners will be chosen and posted on Tuesday. This giveaway ends Friday, June 7, at 11:59 pm, CST. 
Make 2013 your most disciplined, productive year ever! Get 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life today! 
I didn’t officially cross off any goals in May, but I made some good headway on many of them. And I’m reminding myself that slow and steady progress is how you change your life and habits. Even if I don’t have a lot of amazing progress to show for May, that day in, day out chipping away is going to add up over time.
If you're brand-new to goal-setting, be sure to read my post on How to Change Your Life By Setting Goals. Here's my list of 25 Goals for 2013 and an update on how I did in May:
Personal Goals Read through the Bible in a year using this plan. {I'm on track with this so far.}
Run in at least one 5K race. {Jesse’s running in one on Saturday and I was supposed to run with him, but I’ve stopped running for the time being as it seems like this was the major culprit of my recent neck/back issues.}
Complete the Couch to 10K program.
Memorize Romans 1 and 2 with Jesse. {This has been slow going, but I have the first half of Romans 1 almost all memorized.}
Wake up by 6 a.m. and exercise, shower, and dress by 8 a.m. every day. {Still working on this!}
Read 150 books/ebooks {See my list of 48 books I'm for sure planning to read here — I've read 63 books/ebooks so far in 2013, so I'm on a good track to hit my goal!} Marriage Goals Read 3 marriage books.
Finish reading through the Psalms together as a couple.
Have overnight stay (sans children) at least every other month. {Done in May.}
Go on at least one date per month. {Done in May.} Mothering Goals Continue memorizing together from the Grace and Truth memory book.
Ice-skating lessons for all three children during the first quarter of 2013.
Swimming lessons for all three children during the summer. {We signed the kids up and they start next week.}
Finish at least 37 read-aloud books. {We've finished 21 books so far this year, so we're on a good track here.} Ministry/Friendships/Extended Family Goals
Weekly accountability meetings with a friend.
Get together with friends for a playdate or lunch at least once a month. {Done once in May.}
Continue being involved in our local church, couple's group, and blogging accountability group.
Continue with weekly get-togethers with both sides of our extended family. Financial Goals Use a portion of the proceeds from my next book project to fund a well project.
Fund our Child Survival Program for 2013. {Done — yay!}
Buy a new bedroom set.
Invest in another rental property. Business/Blogging Goals Release two new ebooks.
Attend one speaking conference. {I attended the She Speaks Intensive in January.}
Finish and submit the manuscript for my next book.
photo credit Did you set goals for 2013? If so, tell us how you're doing in the comments or leave a link to your blog post update below. Let's encourage one another to live lives of intention and purpose! Make 2013 your most disciplined, productive year ever! Get 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life today!  Today’s question is from Story:
I used to have a good plan for my drug store and grocery shopping, but since I had my second baby (5 months; I also have a 2.5 year old), I haven’t been able to get back into a good routine. I’d love to know how other moms manage to get to multiple stores each week. Do you do it all in one day, or do you do it throughout the week? Do you take your kids with you?
Do you have a question you’d like to ask Money Saving Mom® readers? Read the submission guidelines and submit it here. Make 2013 your most disciplined, productive year ever! Get 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life today! 
I was recently introduced to a new online used kids’ clothing site called Seams Karmic. They gave me a free credit to try out the shop and I was thoroughly impressed. I purchased a few items for Silas and some clothes for my niece. The order was shipped promptly and the quality of the clothing was excellent. In addition, they even included a handwritten thank you note in the box — which just exemplified their attention to detail to me! Seams Karmic is offering a free $10 credit to all of my readers. Just use coupon code MSM10 to get $10 off any order from their site. This coupon code cannot be used toward shipping, but you should be able to get 2-3 items for free and just pay $5.95 for the shipping!
Make 2013 your most disciplined, productive year ever! Get 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life today! 
CVS Shopping Trip Transaction #1 1 Physician's Formula Cosmetic or Skin Care - $7.49 Used $1 ECBs from last week’s shopping trip Paid $7.04 out of pocket, Received $7 ECBs Transaction #2 1 CVS Body Wash – $3.99
Used free coupon from promotion 1 Oral B Cross Action Power Brush - $5.99
Used $3/1 coupon from the 6/2 P&G insert 1 Tena Liners – $3.79 Used $7 ECBs from Transaction #1 Paid $0.79 out of pocket, Received $2 ECBS (for buying Oral B) and $3 ECBS (for buying Tena) Total before coupons and ECBs: $22.81 Total with tax after coupons and ECBs: $7.83 plus $5 ECBs leftover
See more deals at CVS this week here. Make 2013 your most disciplined, productive year ever! Get 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life today!  Order a 1 year subscription to Bon Appetit magazine for only $4.99 (up to 3 years) with code MONEYSAVINGat checkout.
This offer expires tonight (June 5th, 2013) at midnight EST. About Bon Appetit Magazine: Bon Appetit is THE guide to fabulous food. This magazine subscription is America’s leading food, wine, and entertainment magazine. Each issue is filled with a range of recipes from easy to fine dining, elegant entertainment ideas, and wine reviews. Bon Appetit will teach you how to cook like pro simply. (Note: The links in this post are my referral links. Read my disclosure policy here.) Make 2013 your most disciplined, productive year ever! Get 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life today! 
I know, I know… summer is supposed to be the time when you throw the schedule out the window. But here’s the thing: if you have no plan for your summer days, your summer days will slip by with nothing to show for them. And before you know it, summer will be gone! In addition, without a plan for the summer, you’ll likely feel like your life is chaotic, disorganized, and out of control. That’s why you need a plan. 
Summer Schedule from I Heart Organizing You Need a Routine Not a Schedule I’m a big fan of a routine instead of a rigid schedule — especially in the summer. A routine allows you to have a plan and some order, but it doesn’t become a straightjacket with very little wiggle room for spontaneous fun. Your routine can be really simple and loose, with a few hours of the day completely unscheduled. But I encourage you to at least have a morning routine and an evening routine as these bookends to your day will provide enough structure and order to keep you on pretty good track. (You can print a free morning and evening routine checklist for kids here.) 
Free printable and customizable Morning, Afternoon, and Evening Routine cards. How to Develop a Realistic Routine A routine is just that, a routine. It is not a spreadsheet with every 15 minutes of the day mapped out. And it doesn’t even need to have times if you find that works better. If you have no routine at all right now, start out small — with just 3-5 things that you do every morning when you get up. Focus on these 3-5 things and do them every single morning for 3-4 weeks until you really feel like you are cementing the habit. Don’t add new things to your routine until you’ve got a solid morning routine going. It’s better to start little by little and stick with it than to try to overhaul your life overnight and crash and burn! 
For more step-by-step help, read my series on How to Develop a Routine That Works — And Stick With It!
Consider Having Theme Days It’s fun to have some variety in your week and theme days are the perfect way to pull this off! Basically, this just means that each day of the week you have a different focus or project. I’d recommend making sure you have a two or three hour time blocked off in your day for the daily theme. Don’t just try to squeeze it into your busy day somewhere — as that’s just setting yourself up for frustrating and feelings of failure! 
Summer Themed Days from Somewhat Simple Our Summer Routine To give you an example, I thought I’d share our summer routine. We’re doing swimming lessons at the swim club all summer in the mornings instead of our usual homeschooling time. Then, we’re just having a short homeschool time when we get home. This will allow us to (hopefully) continue working on learning throughout the summer but will provide a nice change of pace. 5:00 a.m. — Mom up
8:30 a.m. — Kids up/Breakfast/Bible time/Scripture memory
9:00 a.m. — Kids get ready for swimming lessons/chores
10:15 a.m. — Swimming lessons
12:15 p.m. — Home — lunch/read aloud/clean up
1:15 p.m. — School with Kathrynne
–Kaitlynn read, Silas watch Leapfrog
1:45 p.m. — School with Kaitlynn
–Kathrynne read to Silas
2:15 p.m. — School with Silas
–Kathrynne/Kaitlynn do computer school on separate computers
3-6 p.m. — Free time
6 p.m. — Dinner/family time/reading Do you typically have a routine during the summer months? Why or why not? Make 2013 your most disciplined, productive year ever! Get 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life today! | | |
to download a free application that enables you to read Kindle ebooks on your PC.
No comments:
Post a Comment