Recently, I finished The Charge by Brendan Burchard and while I didn't love that there was a lot of language in the book (call me a prude, but I don't think you ever need to use four-letter words to make a point!), I found some of the parts really inspiring.
I especially loved this quote:
“You want to change? Then do not, under any circumstances, allow yourself to settle on a vision or a calling or a simple change in any arena that is uninspiring. If you’re going to have clarity on something in your life, make it something so big and bright and shiny that you will get out of bed and chase it until you grasp it or die. Bring forth a desire that knows no safe boundaries and even scares you a little bit, that will demand all the best that is in you, that takes you out of your own orbit and onto new and unfamiliar ground. That kind of desire changes your life, and it changes the world.”
What are your goals in life? Are you thinking long-term or just trying to live through the next hour? If your goal is just to survive, that's probably not going to give you a lot of excitement about life nor fuel much passion for existence.
If you want to live an amazingly fulfilling life, you must live for something bigger than yourself. Stop trying to make yourself happy or comfortable and start focusing on making a difference in someone else's life.
When I started living for bigger things than just the moment, it completely changed my drive and enthusiasm for life. Here are my current long-term ambitions for living:
Nurture a vibrant relationship with the Lord.
Invest time and effort into my marriage in order that it would be strong, thriving, and last for the long haul.
Raise children of character who will grow up to be world-changers.
Challenge families to get their finances in order so they can be generous givers.
Inspire women to live with intention and purpose.
Will I see all of these things to completion in my lifetime? Only God knows. But I do know that investing my life into things that matter makes every day worth waking up for.
Here are some of the best deals at Target this week, with thanks to Marcy from Stretching a Buck for her help in compiling them:
Tena Serenity – $4.99 Buy 2, Get $5 Target gift card Use 2 $5/1 coupon from the 7/14 SmartSource insert (regional coupon) Free after coupon plus $5 Target gift card back (Thanks, Totally Target!)
Market Pantry Strawberry, Chocolate & Vanilla Sugar Wafer Cookies – $1.26 Use $1/1 Target Mobile coupon And use 5% Off Market Pantry Cookies Target Cartwheel x11/2 $0.25 after coupons (Thanks, Totally Target!)
Chef Boyardee Pasta – $0.80 Buy 4 and use $0.50/4 coupon from the 8/4 SmartSource insert Or buy 5 and use $1/5 coupon from the 8/4 SmartSource insert As low as $0.60 each after coupon
Red Seedless Grapes – $1.79/lb Use $1/1 Target Mobile Coupon (FRESH) – (exp. 08/31/13) $0.79/lb after coupon
Milky Way or Snickers Bites – $2.66 Use $1/1 coupon from the 7/28 RedPlum insert And use $1/1 Target Mobile Coupon (exp 9/6)text OFFERS to 827438 $0.66 after coupons (Thanks, My Frugal Adventures!)
Market Pantry Candy Peg Bags – $1.25 Use $1/1 Shopkick app coupon And use 5% Market Panty Target Cartwheel app $0.23 after coupons (Thanks, For the Mommas!)
Sargento Cheese Slices – $2.50 Use $0.50/1 printable Or use $0.75/1 coupon from the 8/25 SmartSource insert Stack with $0.55/1 Target printable As low as $1.20 after coupons
MorningStar Farms Frozen Products – $3 Use $0.75/1 printable Or use $1/1 coupon from the 6/30 RedPlum insert Plus use $0.75/1 Ibotta And use $0.75/2 Target Mobile Coupon $1.25 each after coupons + Ibotta credit
Market Pantry Lunchmeat – $2.50 Buy 2 and use $1/2 Target printable And use 5% OFF Market Pantry Lunchmeat, Pre-Sliced Tubs (Target eCoupon) – Cartwheel.com – (exp. 08/31/13) $1.87 each after coupon
Suave Shampoo or Conditioner – $2.67 Buy 2 and use $0.50/2 coupon from the 8/25 RedPlum insert And use $3/$10 Target printable Plus use 5% OFF Suave Hair (Target eCoupon) – Cartwheel.com – (exp. 08/31/13) $1.53 each after coupons
Friskies Cat Food, 5.5 oz cans – $0.47 Buy 6 and use $1/6 coupon from the 7/28 RedPlum insert Use $1/24 coupon form the 7/28 RedPlum insert Plus use 5% OFF Friskies Cat Food, Wet & Dry Food (Target eCoupon) – Cartwheel.com – (exp. 08/31/13) And use $1/15 Target coupon from the 7/14 Target Purina insert $0.25 each after coupons
Did you find a great deal at Target? Just post about it on your blog and leave your link below. To make it easy for everyone to navigate quickly through the links, your link must link directly to your Target deals post. Links going to the homepage of your blog or any other part of your blog besides the direct link to your Target deals post will be deleted.
Since it’s back-to-school time, people are probably thinking a lot about the added expenses of going to school. I’ve found that one of the largest expenses is school lunches.
My children’s school charges $2.75 a day for lunch. That works out to be about $495 each school year (per child).
Since I’ve never been pleased with the school lunch options (a typical week at my child’s school looks like this: tacos, pizza, spaghetti, grilled cheese, nachos… ugh!), I decided to make sure my kids had a healthy, delicious lunch packed for them each day. It takes a little extra time each evening, but it’s worth it!
Entrees:
- Homemade pizza. An entire cheese pizza can be made for about $5. A slice in the lunchbox would cost about $0.60. - Quiche Cup: (Can be made in a cupcake tin) A dozen eggs and a brick of cheese can make 12 quiche cups. The cost per cup is about $0.30. - PB&J Sandwich: Costs about $0.35 to make at home.
Sides:
Organic baby carrots go on sale at my grocery store for $0.49 a bag. They run this sale about once a month. I always stock up, because one bag lasts me a week. That’s only $0.10 a day! It’s a perfect side item in the lunchbox!
Crackers can be found for about $2 a box (without coupons). One box should last about 2 weeks. That’s only $0.20 a day. Cheese bricks often go on sale for $2. You could slice it up and add it to the crackers. One 8 oz brick lasts me about one week. Only $0.40 a day.
Yogurt easily found on sale for $0.50 each.
You can easily put together a combination of these items for $1.50. And you can search through your stockpile to find items that might be even cheaper. At $1.50 a day, you’ll save $225 over the course of the school year. -Illyssa
We’re excited to have SmarterBucks® as one of our monthly sponsors in August.
I had the opportunity to interview them and get to know their company a little more recently:
1. Tell us about the history of your company.
SmarterBucks® was launched in 2012 by the same team behind SimpleTuition. Since 2006, SimpleTuition has helped over 20 million students and families better afford their college education.
Now, with SmarterBucks®, we are empowering them, and the one in five households in America living with student debt, with the tools and information needed to be smarter about their student debt management. Our rewards program is built around the power of interest: for every dollar you earn in SmarterBucks® that gets contributed toward your student loan debt, you save that dollar plus interest over the life of your loan. It’s that exponential effect that makes the SmarterBucks® rewards program so powerful, and enables us to help our users crush their student debt faster and for less.
2. What product or service does your company offer?
SmarterBucks® is a rewards program that helps its users pay down their student loans. To earn rewards, members currently have four options:
Shopping in our online rewards marketplace featuring hundreds of leading retailers like Target, Walmart, Groupon, J.Crew, and more
Inviting family and friends to make contributions or earn rewards on their behalf
Signing up is completely free, and once a user has earned $15 in SmarterBucks®, those rewards are automatically contributed as an extra payment to the student loan that the user has set up in the SmarterBucks® system. Our thought process: you are online shopping/in-store shopping/taking surveys/getting gifts (etc) already, so might as well put those everyday activities to work in getting you out of student debt. We try to make it as simple, powerful, hassle-free, and automated as possible, and there are never any caps on rewards earnings.
3. The main focus on Money Saving Mom® is saving money and making our dollars stretch. How does your product help us to do that?
We call it the power of accumulated interest. Because SmarterBucks® rewards are contributed as extra payments, which are meant to be in addition to a user’s regular monthly payments, our users not only get out of debt faster, but they also save interest on the overall cost of their loan. That means that for every $1 earned and contributed in SmarterBucks®, a typical user is really saving up to $2-$3 over the life of their loan. A little math to drive home the point:
4. Does your company have any new products or promotions coming up?
Just for joining, SmarterBucks® members are always entered into our monthly student loan payment giveaways, worth anywhere between $1,000-$2,500 in SmarterBucks®.
In addition, until September 15th, we are running a special promotion to help people reach their first extra student loan payment: any new SmarterBucks® member who earns $5 in rewards (and sets up a valid student loan) will receive their next $10 in rewards on us. Click here for more information.
5. Does your company do any charity work that you’d like us to know about?
Though SmarterBucks® is a for-profit organization, we do consider ourselves social entrepreneurs in the business of smarter student debt management.
6. What would you most like your customers or future customers to know about your company?
Here at SmarterBucks®, we live, breathe, eat, and sleep our mission to help you get student debt-free faster and for less. We’re constantly brainstorming new ways for you to earn rewards, seeking out new inspiring #crushstudentdebt stories to share, and creating or curating new content to help you take control of your financial future. We don’t whine, brood, or vent about the struggle of paying off student loans. We’re action-oriented, and our products and content help you get debt-free faster.
Perhaps most importantly, however, is that we listen to our members. Our SmarterBucks® Ambassador community, a community open to all members who wish to share their feedback and opinions with us, has played, and will continue to play, a critical role in shaping the future of our program.
7. How can your customers get the most out of your product or service?
Make SmarterBucks® a part of your daily routine, and sign up for the SmarterBank® Visa® Debit card. When we look at our members who have gotten the most out of our program, they are the people who are taking a survey a day, doing all of their online shopping in the SmarterBucks Marketplace, asking friends and family for SmarterBucks contributions in lieu of birthday and holiday gifts, and using the SmarterBank® Visa® Debit card for all of their purchases, both in-store and online. It can be a bit of a behavior adjustment at first, but the rewards are worth it.
8. Is there anything else that you would like for Money Saving Mom® readers to know about your company?
SmarterBucks® is part of a unique suite of products, all brought to you from the same parent company, SimpleTuition, dedicated to leading the path to an affordable education. We’re serious about this mission and hope you will join us in our quest.
Interested in becoming a monthly sponsor or advertising with us? Find more details here.
$24 for $99 in Jules Gluten Free Products: Living Social is currently offering a 70% Savings at Jules Gluten Free! For just $30, you get a voucher for a baking and recipe package for new customers, which includes a baking and recipe package for new customers; 5 pounds of flour, cookie mix, cornbread mix, and pizza crust mix; and 5 e-books featuring 183 gluten-free recipes. On top of this great deal, when you use coupon code MELT20 at checkout with Living Social, you'll snag 20% off your purchase, dropping your price to $24!
Ranch Popchips $0.66/Bag Shipped: Amazon Warehouse currently has the Popchips Tortilla Chips, Ranch, 1-Ounce (Pack of 24) priced at $15.76 and eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping! That equals out to approximately $0.66 per bag shipped! This is a Warehouse deal, so quantities are limited.
Enjoy Life Plentils $0.86/Bag Shipped: Amazon Warehouse currently has the Enjoy Life Plentils Single-Serve Variety Pack, 0.8-Ounce (Pack of 24) priced at $20.54 (down from $29.41) and eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping! That equals out to approximately $0.86 per bag shipped! This is a Warehouse deal, so quantities are limited.
$40 Voucher to GoPicnic for just $19: Groupon is currently running a 53% off deal on GoPicnic meals. GoPicnic makes portable, ready-to-eat meals and snacks with no refrigeration or prep needed; 500 calories or fewer with gluten-free, vegan, kosher options. Just head over to Groupon and purchase your $40 voucher, then head over to GoPicnic to snag your goodies! Bear in mind, shipping charges are not included in this deal. Shipping is FREE on orders over $69; otherwise, the charges are based on your order and location.
Janelle is wife to Brad, who is celiac, and mom to 2 sweet girls, one of whom is celiac, and the other showing signs of gluten intolerance. She blogs about the gluten free life on a budget, including coupons, deals, recipes, and other money-saving tips at Gluten Freely Frugal.
Every week in 2013, I'll be sharing a different way you can save $100 this year. If you do all of these things, you'll be able to save over $5,000 this year alone! Many of these things will likely be things you're already doing, but hopefully all of you will pick up at least a few new ideas or some inspiration from this series.
Menu Planning Saves You Stress and Frustration
Do you dread 5 p.m. because it's when you have to try to pull something together for dinner or feel guilty about ordering takeout yet again? Do you often find yourself running to the store at the last-minute in a frazzled state rushing through the aisles and throwing random things into your cart in hopes it will magically create a five-course dinner?
The truth is, you could throw away the 5 p.m. dread and almost completely eradicate the frazzled last-minute grocery store trips if you sat down at the beginning of the week and made a menu plan.
Menu Planning Saves You Money
I can't even begin to calculate how much we've saved over the years through the simple act of menu planning.
By planning ahead and buying all the groceries we'll need for the week in one shopping trip, we save numerous trips to the store throughout the week. In addition, when you have a plan in place for what you're supposed to be eating each meal and you've already purchased the ingredients for those recipes, it's a lot harder to justify chucking the plan for takeout.
There’s No Perfect Way to Menu Plan
Everyone is going to plan their menu a little bit differently — and that’s perfectly okay! What matters is that you do it, and that it works for your family.
For the record, I’ve tried multiple menu-planning methods. Some have worked better than others and some have worked better for us in certain seasons than in other seasons.
I always start by planning my menu around what I have on hand and what’s on sale at the store. I've found that freezer cooking definitely makes menu planning easier since it means you have meals already in the freezer ready to go.
I also keep a running list of Recipes I Want to Try on a Pinterest Board. I always consult this when making our weekly menu plan to get some fresh ideas and inspiration.
Finally, I add in things that I know I can get inexpensively — either at Aldi or elsewhere. I’m so thankful we have the luxury of having an Aldi close by!
There are times when my cupboards and freezers are pretty bare and it seems the sales are sparse. If that's the case, I see how much grocery money I have to work with, and I usually pull out some cookbooks to get the wheels in my head going. Or I'll go to some of my favorite food blogs for ideas. (You can also check out Menu Plan Monday for a plethora of menu ideas from around the blogosphere.)
We keep our meals simple around here, so that makes menu-planning a lot easier. I also pretty much never follow the menu plan to a tee — I’ll usually shuffle some things around, nix a recipe or two for lack of time or because I discovered another recipe that I think will work better.
Find a Method That Works For You
You might find it helpful to take 30 minutes and make a list of 30 meals your family loves to serve as inspiration if you're ever feeling a lack of creativity while menu-planning.
Mondays – pasta Tuesdays – soup, salad, and/or sandwiches Wednesdays – stir fry Thursdays – crock pot Fridays – pizza Saturdays – something new Sundays – something easy
Jenna from the Newlyweds blog left a comment sharing how she plans her menus:
I try to plan two meals around items I already have at home in the pantry or freezer, and then plan some meals based on what's on sale, and some based on what we would like to eat. I keep my plan flexible and allow for anything that will pop up. I also like to keep items on hand all the time for a few quick meals like taco soup and spaghetti. This way, if some comes up, I can whip these up in a jiffy. -Jenna @ Newlyweds
It might seem like a daunting task at first — especially if this is all new to you! — but don't be overwhelmed. Do the best you can do and remember that it's never going to be absolutely perfect. Over time, though, you'll likely begin to realize significant savings just by taking a few extra steps and putting the effort forth to make a plan.
Free Menu Planning Worksheet and Grocery Shopping Lists
To aid you in your menu-planning and grocery-list-making, Joy from FiveJ's and I put together some free downloads for you. (By the way, Joy put together a snazzy free downloads page here so you can access all the free downloads we currently have available. Enjoy!)
Meal Planning Worksheet:: This brainstorming form contains spaces to write down store deals, coupons, items on hand, and recipes that can be made from those items.
Shopping List :: Contains space for the items to purchase, the cost of the item, whether there is a coupon for it, and how much the coupon is for. Also includes a space for notes where you can record extra information about your shopping trip.
Two-Store Shopping List :: Two separate shopping lists on one page, each of which includes space for the items to purchase, the cost of the item, and whether there is a coupon for it. Also includes a space for notes where you can record extra information about your shopping trip.
Psst! If you don’t have the time or energy to mess with planning a menu, but you really would like to benefit from the organization and cost-savings of having a menu plan, I’d recommend checking out eMeals.
Do you have some menu-planning tips & tricks to add to my list?
Ever have a day when you want to blog something, but you just feel like you have nothing to say or no energy to come up with a creative idea? Well, here are 11 tried and true ideas for you:
1. Ask a question
People love to share their opinions and thoughts. A lot of the questions that readers submit to me via email are ones that I post as reader questions. I learn so much from the input that you all post!
As you’re going about your day, look for simple things you do that others might find helpful. Maybe a time-saving tip, a kitchen tip, an organization tip… anything you do that makes your life easier and might be helpful to someone else, too.
Sometimes it’s the simplest ideas that are people’s favorite posts!
When you are reading articles or books, write down quotes you love or thought-provoking ideas you come across. A simple quote or idea from a book can be a great springboard for an insightful post.
I keep a running log of these ideas/quotes and they are instant blog fodder on days when I need a quick post idea.
Did something funny or interesting happen to you that day or week? Share it as a post — especially if there’s a great example or lesson you learned from the story.
7. Answer a comment or email from a reader as a post
If you get an email from a reader that asks a question you think others would be interested in hearing the answer to, turn it into a post. (Be sure to remove details that the emailer might not want publicly shared or get their permission to post the question on your blog first.)
In addition, if you’re answering a comment and your answer begins to get lengthy, consider turning it into a blog post instead.
Are you trying to decide which paint color to use, craft project to try, or book to read next? Why not ask your readers? I bet they’d love to give their input — and these types of posts always bring out lots of responses and fun engagement.
Top 10 posts are always a hit — and they are usually pretty simple to put together, too. Best of all, the possibilities for Top 10 lists are just about endless. Can’t come up with 10 ideas, share 9 and ask your readers to supply #10.
Readers love giveaways. And they love them even more when you give away something of your own — even if it’s something small. Put together a fun little package of goodies and write about why you chose each item and then give the package away to one commentor.
5. Continue with the ChaLean Extreme Program. Run 6 miles. {I’m so enjoying running again that I ran out of time to work on the ChaLean program… I’m not sure whether that’s a good problem or a bad problem, but I’m aiming to do both this coming week.}
How did you do on last week's goals? What are your goals for this week? I'd love to have you share your progress on last week's goals and your goals for this coming week in the comments. Of, if you've blogged about it, leave your direct link below. Let's cheer each other on to live purposeful and productive lives!
The following shopping trip was submitted by Anna who blogs at Frugal For You:
We moved to Virginia almost two years ago. All of the grocery stores were new to me and I had no idea what to expect. Money Saving Mom® has a database for regional store deals. I was able to find coupon match-ups for grocery stores in my area and start saving money. I even used this to search for grocery deals when we vacationed in California!
With the help of the store deals page, not only did I find match-ups, but I also found a local frugal blogger in our area. I even met her in person at a coupon swap she hosted at the library!
Now, about my shopping trip. I was able to buy $137 worth of items for only $24. Martin’s is often more expensive, but they sometimes have great sales. Also, Martin’s still doubles coupons, unlike our area Kroger stores.
This is what I bought in two transactions:
Evol Fire Grilled Steak – $4.99 – Used FREE coupon from contacting company!
Pepsi Next – $1.79 – Used FREE coupon from mailer!
5 Nature Valley Oatmeal Squares and Bars ($2.50 each) – $4.75 – Used various coupons (these doubled up to $1.00)
2 Quaker Chewy Bars – $2.00 each – Used $1/2 coupon from 8/4 RedPlum insert
6 Twizzlers – 3 for $5.00 – Used two $1/3 coupons from 7/28 SmartSource insert
1 Nabisco Premium Rounds – $1.99 – Used $1 off coupon from 8/11 SmartSource insert
3 Belvita Breakfast Cookies – $2.50 each – Used three $1 off coupons from coupon booklets
4 Teddy Grahams – $2.50 each – Used three $1 off coupons from coupon booklets
6 Classico Sauces – $2.50 each – Used two $1 off coupons
Silk Almond Milk – $2.60 – Used $1 off coupon from register
12 Angry Birds Gummy Snacks – $0.27 each – 75% off markdown
Grapes ($0.88 per lb) – $1.94
Bananas ($0.39 per lb) – $1.02
Cantaloupe – $2.00
Craisins – $1.00
Three store promos, two Catalina deals, store coupons, and a “return” helped to lower my out-of-pocket costs:
Buy $20, get $10 off instantly for Nature Valley, Quaker, other breakfast products
Buy 7 snack items, get $5 off instantly (for Nabisco and Twizzlers)
Get $2 Catalina back for 3 Classico sauces (did this twice)
Get $3 Catalina back for 5+ Nature Valley items
$5 off $40 purchase from the local newspaper
Customer service gave me $11.34 refund, honoring their 200% money-back freshness guarantee. I asked for a refund at customer service for meat that went bad before the sell-by date (my first time asking them for a refund!).
Total out-of-pocket: $24, plus I got a $2 Catalina for next time and I will get $5 from Saving Star for buying $15 in Classico Sauces
Some money-saving tips I used in this shopping trip:
Sign-up for Saving Star to get extra savings on top of coupons.
Check the Sunday paper for extra coupons. The $5 off $40 Martin’s coupon was in the front page section of the paper, not in the coupon inserts.
Check out stand-alone product displays since they usually have tearpads or coupon booklets.
Some libraries allow certain coupon printing (another source for extra coupons).
Know the store’s satisfaction guarantee. Martin’s gives 200% refund with receipt and the product doesn’t have to be returned.
Anna Thomas blogs at Frugal For You. In 2009, she Googled “frugal mommy blogs” and came across Money Saving Mom®. She learned better couponing skills that allowed her to be a stay-at-home mom and homeschool her kids. Anne is still in awe of the gifts that a frugal lifestyle has given her family.
Have you gotten a great deal thanks to a tip you’ve found here on MoneySavingMom.com? Take a picture of your deal/purchase and write a short post on the deal details and submit it here. If your submission is chosen to be posted, I’ll send you a $25 Amazon gift card! Note: the more creative, unique, and well-written your post, the more chance it will have of being posted.
Did you find a great deal at Target? Just post about it on your blog and leave your link below. To make it easy for everyone to navigate quickly through the links, your link must link directly to your Target deals post. Links going to the homepage of your blog or any other part of your blog besides the direct link to your Target deals post will be deleted.
Do you have a fun and frugal DIY idea to share? I’d love to hear about it! Read the submission guidelines and submit it 
priced at $15.76 and eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping! That equals out to approximately $0.66 per bag shipped! This is a Warehouse deal, so quantities are limited.
priced at $20.54 (down from $29.41) and eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping! That equals out to approximately $0.86 per bag shipped! This is a Warehouse deal, so quantities are limited.
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