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Here's What's New - My Aldi Shopping Trip This Week: Spent $27.98
- Free ebooks: Amazing Grades, Organic Beauty, A Way Through the Sea, plus more
- Famous Footwear coupon: 30% off in-store and online
- Swagbucks Paid For Flights to Visit Family
- Video: What I’ve Learned So Far About Writing and Book-Publishing
- KinderMint: Clean out your kid’s closets and get paid for it!
- Affirmational Jewelry starting at $19.99
- Free Redbox Movie Rental Code
- Free Wedding Gowns for Military Brides
- Amazon.com: The Marriage Project by Kathi Lipp for just $2.99
- Printable coupons: Dannon, Onesies, Advil, Listerine, Degree, plus more
- The best freebies from this past week
- Ace Hardware Black Friday Ad 2013
- Free 2014 Monthly Blog Planner
- Less Paper Clutter, More Filing
- Sign up for the Pillsbury email list to get $250 in coupons and free samples
- Zulily: Nursing Bras, Tanks, and Sleepwear starting at $8.99
- Free Lipton Tea K-cup sample pack (Facebook offer)
- Recyclebank: $5 off $50 Target.com coupon for 50 points
- Gretchen’s $45 Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan
I stopped in for a quick trip to Aldi yesterday and here’s what I got: 1 can pinto beans — $1.19
2 cans of pumpkin — $0.89 each
1 can of chicken broth — $0.69
1 pomegranate — $0.49
1 bag of baby carrots — $0.99
3 blocks of cheese — $1.79 each
1 bag of apples (not pictured — I forgot about them when I took the picture!) — $1.88
1 bag tortillas — $1.69
1 jar salsa — $1.69
2 cans of tomatoes –$0.59 each
1 can kidney beans — $0.59
1 bag dark chocolate chips — $1.69 (I was excited to find these!)
1 can black beans — $0.59
1 bag of frozen chicken breast — $6.29 Total with tax: $27.98
Crystal is looking forward to speaking at all four Teach Them Diligently Conventions in 2014. These Christian homeschool, discipleship, and parenting events offer encouragement and fun for the entire family. We hope you'll join her there! Click here to learn more.    Related Stories Teach Them Diligently celebrates the focus of Christian families – that is, the discipleship of children to glorify God. More than simply a convention about home education, they purposefully develop the themes of missions, discipleship, and Christian parenting in addition to the traditional academic “how-to’s”. In addition to amazing speakers, you will also find a large exhibit hall with some of the best prices available on the resources you need. Check out the event closest to you to find out all that you can expect to experience at Teach Them Diligently! 
Get 30% off at Famous Footwear online today through October 27, 2013 when you use the promo code FFSHARE30. You should also be able to access a 30% off in-store printable coupon at the above link. It shows an error for me at first and then switches over to the printable coupon page. If it doesn’t work for you, you might try a different browser. Let us know if you can’t get it to work.
(Note: The link in this post is my referral link. Read my disclosure policy here.) Crystal is looking forward to speaking at all four Teach Them Diligently Conventions in 2014. These Christian homeschool, discipleship, and parenting events offer encouragement and fun for the entire family. We hope you'll join her there! Click here to learn more.  Related Stories 
Today's Swagbucks success story is from Emily: I am so thankful that a friend referred me to Swagbucks my freshmen year of college. I have been using it ever since and have been saving them for a few years now to be able to use them when I really needed them. When I was a junior in college, my father got a promotion and my family (mom, dad, and three younger sisters) had to move from Indianapolis, IN, only an hour from me, to Tampa, FL! This was a difficult time as it was quite the adjustment to go from seeing my family at least once a month to only seeing them a few times a year. It was even more difficult because I didn't have a reliable enough car to make the drive down to visit, so we had to buy plane tickets whenever I wanted to spend time with my family. Being a college student, and now a graduate student, that can be very hard on the budget! My family is extremely important to me, so I knew I had to do something to be able to go and visit them without placing as much of a financial burden on myself or my parents. That is where Swagbucks came into the picture! I completed activities and polls daily, as well as watched videos and completed surveys to be able to earn more Swagbucks. I also let all of my friends know about Swagbucks and how easy and fun it was to use so I could earn referral Swagbucks as well! I finally was able to save enough up to be able to purchase a Southwest Airlines gift card and found the perfect (least expensive!) flight I could find — and since Southwest doesn’t charge for bags, I was able to save money there too! I was very blessed to be able to enjoy time with my sisters and parents last summer. We were even able to get a family portrait taken, which we hadn’t done in a long time! I am excited to report that this worked out so well last summer that I have been saving up Swagbucks and will be flying to visit them again here in a few weeks!
Emily: Can you email me so I can send you your $50 Amazon gift card as a thank you for submitting your story? Thanks so much! photo credit Crystal is looking forward to speaking at all four Teach Them Diligently Conventions in 2014. These Christian homeschool, discipleship, and parenting events offer encouragement and fun for the entire family. We hope you'll join her there! Click here to learn more.  Related Stories 
In the past few years, I’ve learned a lot about book publishing. Mostly, I’ve learned a lot of things NOT to do. (It seems I rarely ever learn anything the easy way. I have to make big mistakes instead. Sigh.) If you’re interested in publishing a book, you’ll want to check out this video interview I did recently with my friend, Bryan Allain. In it, I share: + Why I’ve loved traditional publishing
+ What major mistakes I made in writing my first book
+ Why I surround myself with solid writing from different genres
+ How I analyze every book I read
+ How my publisher had me define the audience for my next book — and how helpful it was
+ Why I almost never write in coffee shops
+ What my ideal writing conditions are and how I’ve set up my office to be conducive to that
And a bit of my goofy, scatter-brained personality comes through in the video, too.  Psst! As mentioned in the video, my new book, Say Goodbye to Survival Mode, comes out in January 2014. I can’t wait to tell you more about it soon. In the mean time, you can read more about it or pre-order a copy here. Crystal is looking forward to speaking at all four Teach Them Diligently Conventions in 2014. These Christian homeschool, discipleship, and parenting events offer encouragement and fun for the entire family. We hope you'll join her there! Click here to learn more.  Related Stories  
Have some kid’s clothes you no longer need? Send them to KinderMint and get paid. Have any of you used KinderMint before? One of my friends just did and it was the first I’d heard of this website before. I’d love to hear about your experiences! (Note: The link in this post is my referral link. Read my disclosure policy here.) Crystal is looking forward to speaking at all four Teach Them Diligently Conventions in 2014. These Christian homeschool, discipleship, and parenting events offer encouragement and fun for the entire family. We hope you'll join her there! Click here to learn more.  Related Stories  If you are looking for a special gift item, then you might want to check out the sales at Belle Chic, where you can find these beautiful Affirmational Necklaces starting at $19.99. Shipping is $4.99.
About: Little affirmations to bring women joy in their journey through life and made with bits of sparkle to be worn close to your heart. (Note: The link in this post is my referral link. Read my disclosure policy here.) Crystal is looking forward to speaking at all four Teach Them Diligently Conventions in 2014. These Christian homeschool, discipleship, and parenting events offer encouragement and fun for the entire family. We hope you'll join her there! Click here to learn more.  Related Stories 
Just a reminder that this Redbox code is still available! Use the code 9MXW2LPC to get a free one-night DVD rental from any Redbox kiosk. This code appears to only work at the kiosk and is valid once per card. This code has been verified to be working today and should be valid through November 7, 2013. Thanks, Moms by Heart! Crystal is looking forward to speaking at all four Teach Them Diligently Conventions in 2014. These Christian homeschool, discipleship, and parenting events offer encouragement and fun for the entire family. We hope you'll join her there! Click here to learn more.  Related Stories 
Brides Across America is offering free wedding dresses to qualified military brides. Participating bridal salons across the United States will be holding special events in November, and each store will be preparing a select number of gowns to give away. Most of the gowns are samples and overstocks, many from top designers. Sizes will vary, and alterations are extra. Limit one per bride, while supplies last. For more information, visit the Brides Across America website. Thanks, The Freebie Blogger! Crystal is looking forward to speaking at all four Teach Them Diligently Conventions in 2014. These Christian homeschool, discipleship, and parenting events offer encouragement and fun for the entire family. We hope you'll join her there! Click here to learn more.  Related Stories 
Kathi Lipp is one of my very favorite people in the world. I met her at the She Speaks Intensive in January and we’ve become incredibly close and dear friends. She’s a huge blessing — and also hilariously funny. Her friendship has been one of the biggest blessings in my life this year. And I’m really excited because her ebook, The Marriage Project, is just $2.99 on Amazon today. If you’ve been looking for some encouragement and inspiration to have more love and laughter in your marriage, you’ll want to grab a copy of this ebook. Crystal is looking forward to speaking at all four Teach Them Diligently Conventions in 2014. These Christian homeschool, discipleship, and parenting events offer encouragement and fun for the entire family. We hope you'll join her there! Click here to learn more.  Related Stories 
The Ace Hardware Black Friday Ad 2013 has been released online. Thanks to Passion for Savings for sharing! 20% off any 1 Item on Friday Only (In Ad Coupon) 50% off any 1 Item Under $30 on Saturday Only (In Ad Coupon) $10/$50 Purchase on Sunday Only (In Ad Coupon) 3 Station Buffet & Warming Tray, $14.99
Price Valid with Ace Rewards Card Ball Heritage Collection Mason Jars, $6.99 Hamilton Beach Slow Cooker (6 Qt), $19.99 Pizza Stone & Cutter Kit, $19.99 12′ Multi Ladder by Werner, $89.99
Price Valid with Ace Rewards Card DeWalt 20 Volt Max Lithium Ion Cordless Drill Kit, $99.99 Stanley Folding Sawhorse 2 Pack, $19.99 DeWalt Impact Ready 34-Piece Bit Set, $9.99
Price Valid with Ace Rewards Card DeWalt 12 Volt Max Drill/Driver & Reciprocating Saw Combo Kit, $129.99 DeWalt 24″ 2 in 1 Tote, $19.99 25′ Ace Brand Measuring Tape, $4.99 6 Piece SAE or Metric Gear Wrench Set, $9.99
Price Valid with Ace Rewards Card
See the full Ace Hardware Black Friday Ad here. Crystal is looking forward to speaking at all four Teach Them Diligently Conventions in 2014. These Christian homeschool, discipleship, and parenting events offer encouragement and fun for the entire family. We hope you'll join her there! Click here to learn more.  Related Stories 
During the month of October, I'm following along with Edie & Ruth on their 31 Days of Less & More journey. I'd love for you to join in by reading the posts and completing the projects, or just sit back and read along each day.
Less Paper Clutter As you well know, I kind of despise clutter. Or, probably more accurately: I can’t stand clutter. And it’s no different when it comes to paper clutter. Here are some things that we’ve found to be helpful: Adopt the No-Pile Rule — Except for my husband's dresser, we try to strictly adhere to a no-pile rule. I've found that a small pile quickly grows—without any effort. If you don't start a pile in the first place, you can avoid a lot of disorganization. In the Door, In Its Place — Instead of collecting piles of paper around the house until you have time to deal with them, take care of them immediately. When mail or other papers come into our home, I go through them right then and there and throw out everything that we don't have to keep. Then I put each item in its specific place. For instance, bills go on my husband’s dresser, magazines go in a basket in my office, freebies go in the household product stockpile closet, coupons in my coupon box, and junk mail in the trash. Avoid clutter-collecting furniture — We don't own furniture that tends to be obvious clutter hotspots. I've found that when there's no place to collect piles, you are much less apt to make them. Set up a special memorabilia storage space — I have two big storage containers with lids that I've designated specifically for storing mementos. Not only does this provide a place to put special cards or pictures that come in the mail, but it also keeps everything in one place and not overflowing into other parts of the house. When the bins start to get full, we go through them and pare things down a bit so that we can have more space.
 Though not exactly paper clutter, emails are something that are taking over many people’s lives. Need some help taming the email monster? Read my post on How I Keep My Inbox to Fewer Than 5 Emails.
More Filing I have to tell you, I’m more a fan of trashing than filing. But I’d rather have a file than a pile. So here are some of the things that have helped me keep on top of paper clutter: Create a Simple System — A system is only as good as it’s operator. Don’t over-complicate your filing system. Even just a few files in a file box can work. For more details on setting up a system for your important documents, check out the five-part series we ran last year on Organizing Your Important Documents. When In Doubt, Throw It Out — Okay, so some people might disagree with me on this, but I think there is no reason to hang onto something “just in case.” Give yourself permission to just chuck it without guilt. Use a Scanner — If you think you might need it later, scan the document and save it in a file so you’ll have it if you need it later. You can download an app for this or get a cheap scanner.
For more on this topic, check out Ruth's post on Less Paper Clutter and Edie's post on More Filing. I promise you'll be inspired and blessed! Crystal is looking forward to speaking at all four Teach Them Diligently Conventions in 2014. These Christian homeschool, discipleship, and parenting events offer encouragement and fun for the entire family. We hope you'll join her there! Click here to learn more.  Related Stories 
Click on the graphic above to sign up for the Pillsbury email list and get $250 in coupons each year, free samples, plus recipes, special offers, and more!
Note: If you couldn’t get this to work earlier, it should be working now. (Note: The link in this post is my referral link. Read my disclosure policy here.) Crystal is looking forward to speaking at all four Teach Them Diligently Conventions in 2014. These Christian homeschool, discipleship, and parenting events offer encouragement and fun for the entire family. We hope you'll join her there! Click here to learn more.  Related Stories 
Sign up for a free Lipton Tea K-cup sample pack. Thanks, FreeStuff.tv! Crystal is looking forward to speaking at all four Teach Them Diligently Conventions in 2014. These Christian homeschool, discipleship, and parenting events offer encouragement and fun for the entire family. We hope you'll join her there! Click here to learn more.  Related Stories 
Victoria from Snail Pace Transformations emailed me this afternoon and said: I just noticed that Recyclebank is currently offering a $5 off $50 coupon for Target.com for just 50 points. Considering you can earn 50 points easily in one day with some of their activities this might be a good deal for those who need to do a bit of Christmas shopping at Target.com. The coupon is good until the end of the year. -Victoria
Crystal is looking forward to speaking at all four Teach Them Diligently Conventions in 2014. These Christian homeschool, discipleship, and parenting events offer encouragement and fun for the entire family. We hope you'll join her there! Click here to learn more.  Related Stories 
Aldi 1 Mini Marshmallows – $0.89 1 Vegetable Oil – $2.39 1 gallon Milk – $1.99 1 Raisins – $2.79 Total with tax ($0.58): $8.64 
Dillons 2 Tyson Frozen Chicken Breasts (3 lb bags) – $5.07 each 3 Mars Fun Size Candy – $1.98 each, used $2/3 printable - $1.31 each after coupon 2 Snickers Peanut Butter Minis – $1.98 each, used 2 $1/1 printable - $0.98 each after coupon 2 Corn Nuts – $1 each, used 2 $0.75/1 printable - $0.25 each after coupon 1 Matzos Crackers – Marked down to $0.99 1 Kroger Unbleached Flour – $1.64 1 Honey Nut Chex – $2.50 1 Kroger Ice Cream – $2.50 2 canned Green Beans – $0.69 each 1 Fruit Water – $1, used Free e-coupon (no longer available) - Free after coupon 1 Kroger Black Beans – $0.67 1 Kroger Chocolate Chips – $1.59 2.28 lbs Bananas (Marked down to $0.35/lb) – $0.80 1 Romaine Lettuce – $0.99 0.75 lbs Broccoli @ 0.99/lb – $0.74 1 Cucumber – $0.75 1 Raspberries – $0.99 1 Suave Conditioner – $1.49, used $1.50/1 coupon from the 9/29 RedPlum insert – Free after coupon 4 Clif Bars – $0.69 each, used $1/4 coupon from the Summer 2013 Mambo Sprouts savings booklet – $0.44 after coupon Used $2 catalina from last shopping trip Total before coupons, sales and catalina: $71.07 Total with tax ($3.06) after coupons, sales and catalina: $35.90
Total for all grocery items: $44.54 Menu Plan for this Week Breakfasts Smoothies, Banana Muffins, Cereal, Oatmeal, Toast Lunches Tossed Salad, Cheese Quesadillas, Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches, Leftovers, Cheese and Crackers Dinners Spaghetti, Green Beans, Tossed Salad Baked Potato Bar, Sliced Oranges Hamburger Vegetable Soup, 30 Minute Rolls Chicken Rice Casserole, Steamed Broccoli, Sliced Apples Southwestern Burritos, Cornbread, Green Beans Pancakes, Eggs, Fruit Salad Dinner with family Crystal is looking forward to speaking at all four Teach Them Diligently Conventions in 2014. These Christian homeschool, discipleship, and parenting events offer encouragement and fun for the entire family. We hope you'll join her there! Click here to learn more.  Related Stories | | |
to download a free application that enables you to read Kindle ebooks on your PC.
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