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Here's What's New 
This is the weekly list of Free Homeschool Curriculum and Resources compiled by Jamerrill from FreeHomeschoolDeals.com. If you aren't a homeschooler, but you're a parent, teacher, babysitter, or nanny, you'll probably find at least a few useful freebies in this list. You may also want to go through the Educational Deals and Freebies from earlier this week for more. Here are two Raggedy Ann themed freebies: Raggedy Ann Printable Puzzles and Raggedy Ann Resource Pack. Currclick is offering a free Christmas and Winter Notebooking Pages set. To add some fun to Language Arts learning download Vigorous Verb, Hero of the Sentence. Educents.com has 6 Snowman Math Centers for free. Get this free Christmas Learning Printable Pack that is over 180 pages! Free Christmas alphabet printables and eBook are available at 1+1+1=1. Hop over to Royal Baloo to download these free Christmas ABC puzzles. 
Homeschool Freebies: "Merry Christmas" Holiday Fun Package + Christmas Notebooking Pages, Foldable Cards, & Recipe Cards! Motherhood on a Dime has information posted on how to get a free Audio Version of A Christmas Carol Read by Jim Weiss! Print off these DIY Nativity Puppets and free Nativity Play Dough Mats from Blessed Beyond a Doubt. For a limited time you can get the Free eBook: WannaBe™-When I Grow Up I Want to be an Artist. 123Homeschool4Me has released FREE Cursive Bible Verses Copywork! She also offers Family Scripture Verses from A to Z. Download this FREE Graphic Organizer to help teach adjectives to young writers from This Reading Mama! 
FREEBIE: Bake the Cookies Winter Printable Review Set from All About Learning! Through December 14th only get the Free Bible Writer Curriculum: Copywork + Memory Verses. Here’s helpful information on Using Magic School Bus for Science Curriculum. Check out this free Julius Caesar unit study for elementary grades at Adventures in Mommydom. Create a fun holiday project with this free printable Christmas classroom quilt. Made with homeschool students in mind this Coupon Book for Homeschoolers is a fun stocking stuffer! Free Printable Writing Prompt for December from WriteShop! 
Download this free Winter ABC Printable Pack! How to Homeschool My Child has a lesson on How to Write a Christmas Letter + a free printable. FREE Beginning and Ending Sounds Printable Activity Pack. Your family may enjoy this free audio download of Leadership Secrets of the Salvation Army. Find this free writing workshop resource pack from The Homeschool Den. There are 30 pages of free writing printables in this pack. Apologia is offering a Free Christmas Download: Mary Remembers. Free Unit Studies: Christmas Around the World Unit Study, free Nutcracker Unit Study Resources, and the free Homeschooling Through the Nativity unit. And if you’re fighting any middle-of-the-year homeschooling hiccups be sure to read Housekeeping Confessions of a Homeschool Mom and Does Your Homeschool Need a Grace Year?You’ll be glad you did! Click here thousands of homeschool freebies! *Don't forget! If you are looking for additional free homeschool resources please check the huge growing list of free homeschool curriculum and resources on MoneySavingMom.com! Jamerrill is the homeschooling mother of a large and growing family. After seasons of spending $50 or less annually to homeschool her children, she started Free Homeschool Deals in 2012 to help all families afford the homeschool life. You can follow the homeschool goodness on Pinterest and Facebook. The post BIG List of Homeschool Curriculum and Freebies appeared first on Money Saving Mom®.    Related Stories 
The following is a guest post from a reader who asked to remain anonymous. If you missed part 1, be sure to read it here.
When someone you love has a tight budget, it can be hard to know the best way to help lighten the load or otherwise bless them — especially if you've never been there. Here are some tips to help you understand how you can help: Don't (Just) Offer To Help Out Like many people with limited finances, if you ask me if I need help, I'll usually say "no." We can almost always make ends meet. Accepting help can be humbling, and I just don't want to be that kind of person that has to always be on the receiving end; I'd much rather give. However, if you don't actually ask or offer – but simply help us out with a gas card or whatever, it can be a huge blessing! The other side of this idea is that if you do offer, please actually follow through. For most of my adult life, I've lived at a significant distance from family, and just traveling in to be with them for a holiday is often hard to swing. One year, things were particularly tight, and my dad offered to pay for our gas if we came in. We came, but he never delivered. I never asked, and we spent the next couple of months barely scraping by. Get Others To Pitch In I really love to give and entertain and play hostess, but it's really hard when money is tight. When I was single, my apartment was kind of the hub for my group of friends. As a result, I'd often end up buying and preparing the food when we'd get together. While I enjoyed doing this, it was really hard on my very limited budget. One time, I actually mentioned in an e-mail that it would be great if everyone would pitch in a few bucks. Many of my friends lived with their parents and made far more than I did, so I knew they could afford to help with food. When the evening came, I desperately hoped someone would remind everyone about pitching in, but no one did. Carefully Consider Gifts It can be awkward to receive certain kinds of gifts when money is tight. First, there's the gift that requires you to buy things in order to use it. Toys with batteries are infamous for this, but I've received other money-pit gifts, as well. One example was a tart warmer that required me to purchase tarts to use it. I've also received accessories like necklaces or scarves that I had no outfit to match. Next, there's the frivolous, extravagant gift that just doesn't seem to make sense when I live so paycheck-to-paycheck. I'd much rather receive something I can use or a small gift, along with a gift card, so I can buy that thing I've been eying at the store. Even $10 or $20 to spend on me can be so much fun when you rarely have extra spending money! I also love it when people ask if I have a "wish list." (I keep one up on Amazon.com for use when I earn gift cards from Swagbucks, Plink, or Viewpoints.) Third, there's the generous, anonymous gift. If you really want to spoil me, I may feel bad about your generosity because I can't begin to return the favor. That's when an anonymous gift can be the best gift of all. You can hear me telling everyone about how wonderful it was and secretly know that it was from you! The author is a freezer-cooking, baby-wearing, stay-at-home mama who does freelance writing while her 3 young kiddos nap. She's married to a wonderful man who's the pastor of a small country church and prefers to remain anonymous due to the content of this post.
photo source The post How to Bless the Less Fortunate Without Making Them Feel Like a Heel (Part 2) appeared first on Money Saving Mom®.  Related Stories 
 
Guest post from Brigette Shevy My mom has served this soup as part of lunch on Christmas Day for as long as I can remember! She always did a "Soup and Sandwich" theme, with several different kinds of soup and all the ingredients for make-your-own sub sandwiches. This kept Christmas meal preparations fairly simple, while still being a meal that we all looked forward to! 
White Chicken Chili is a nice change of pace from regular chili. The original recipe, which I've adapted somewhat, came from some dear family friends who are well-known for their hospitality and delicious recipes. This soup is no exception! It is cheesy, filling, and perfect on any chilly day of the year. 
White Chicken Chili - 3 cups cooked, diced chicken
- 3 16-ounce cans Great Northern beans, drained
- 1 8-ounce can chopped mild green chilies (use hot for a spicier version)
- 4 cups chicken broth or stock
- 16 ounces grated Monterey Jack cheese, divided (less works too J)
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 2 medium onions, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground oregano
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Salt and pepper to taste, if needed
In a large sauce pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook until translucent. Stir in garlic and remaining spices except salt and pepper. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Add chicken, beans, chilies, broth, and 12 ounces cheese. Simmer over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Serves 6-8 Brigette is a full-time wife and mother who is blessed with three amazing bundles of energy (ages 6, 4, and 2). She enjoys music, experimenting in the kitchen, homeschooling her children, finding great deals, long-distance running, and anything chocolate.
The post White Chicken Chili appeared first on Money Saving Mom®.  Related Stories
 Here's a round-up of current Natural & Organic Deals and Coupons, with thanks to Andrea from The Greenbacks Gal:
Natural and Organic Coupons: $1.00/1 Happy Tot Toddler Bars, $0.75/1 Earthbound Organics Frozen Fruit, $0.50/1 Amy’s Kitchen Dessert, $0.75/1 Organic Valley Product, $2.75/1 Xlear All-Natural Nasal Spray For a full list of Natural and Organic coupons, please click here. Target Unadvertised Gift Card Deals: Target has unadvertised gift card deals for Alba Organics, Burt’s Bees and Yes To products. These would make great stocking stuffers. Ekobrew Sale: Right now you can get an Ekobrew reuseable k-cup for only $6.74! These are the eco-friendly way to brew a cup of coffee in your Keurig. Shop Sam’s Club without a Membership or Purchase a Discounted Costco Membership: This weekend you can shop Sam’s Club without a membership and without a surcharge. Or, if you prefer Costco, you can get a discounted membership along with $50 in free product coupons now through 12/15. A while back I did a price comparison of Costco versus Sam’s Club if you’d like to see which offers the better bargain. Free Best Selling eBooks: Download the following titles free today: The Sneaky Green Mom Cookbook, Eating Clean to Stay Young, and The Easy Guide to Juicing. Andrea Green of The Greenbacks Gal is an organic coupon expert. What if you could find affordable organic and eco-friendly products on a budget? Eco-friendly moms need affordable solutions. Andrea finds the best green deals, helping hundreds of families save on the frugal, green lifestyle. Nothing makes her happier than to help people realize being organic doesn’t have to cost more.
The post Natural & Organic Coupons & Deals appeared first on Money Saving Mom®.  Related Stories 
Here’s a magazine deal that we don’t see too often! Right now, you can get a one-year subscription to Entrepreneur Magazine for only $4.50 per year when you use coupon code MONEYSAVING at checkout. You can order up to four years at this price! Enterpreneur magazine: Entrepreneur is the leading authority in small business news. Each issue is packed with advice from experts, business opportunities, advertising tips, and inspiring stories from successful people. This magazine subscription will show you how to create a name for your business, offer guidance on being an expert manager, help you with internet questions, and more.
This offer expires tonight 12/13/13 at 11:59 PM EST. Are you looking for other magazine titles? You can use coupon code MONEYSAVING to save 20% off of most titles at DiscountMags! (Note: The link in this post is my referral link. Read my disclosure policy here.) The post Entrepreneur magazine for only $4.50 per year appeared first on Money Saving Mom®.  Related Stories 
“I’m no Ann Voskamp.” The words spilled off my tongue last week as I was trying to explain my writing style to a company who wanted to possibly have me do some projects with them. After I got off the phone, I realized what a big deal it was that I said those words. And, more importantly, that I said them with courage and confidence. You see, for years, I wanted to be able to write poetically, beautifully, and poignantly. I wanted to be a wordsmith and an artist as a writer. I’d read books by these writers. I’d study their writing style. I’d convince myself that I could write like that. And then I’d try… and the final result would come up short. But I kept trying, because I thought that a writer had to write in beautiful phrases and word pictures. Otherwise, you weren’t a writer; you were a wannabe. Slowly, ever so slowly, these past few years, I’ve stopped trying to be who I thought I was “supposed” to be and started embracing who God has made me to be. I stopped wishing I had her gifts or her talents, and started owning the gifts and talents God had given me. And you know what? There’s been immense freedom and fulfillment in that. I won’t ever be as poetic as Ann or as picturesque as Angie or as deep as Brene, and that’s 100% okay. My gift is to take big-picture concepts and break them down into bite-sized pieces. My writing style is practical and actionable. My voice is conversational. That’s who God has created me to be as a writer… and I’m completely content with it. Yes, I want to grow as a writer. Yes, I want to improve. Yes, I hope that I continue to stretch and challenge myself so I don’t stay in the safe zone as a writer. But I’ve stopped wishing I were someone else and started owning my own voice. Because it’s the one I’ve been given. I have a message that others need to hear. I have a way of sharing things that will be different than Ann, or Angie, or Brene. Because I’m the best version of me that exists. I’m no longer a wannabe. I’m a writer. Will you join me in this journey of seeking to embrace who God has called us to be? You are the best version of YOU. Believe it, own it, and live it!
photo credit The post I’m No Longer a Wannabe appeared first on Money Saving Mom®.  Related Stories 
It’s Day 11 of the 21 Days to a Simple Christmas Challenge! 
I gathered together some of our Christmas and winter-themed books today to read to the children. Here’s what I came up with: - The Story of Christmas
- The Lost Milk Jar
- Three Happy Days
- Curious George in the Snow
- Happy Seasons
- The Christmas Story
- Uncle Rick’s Holiday Book
- Katy and the Big Snow
We also requested all of these books that were available from our library. 
And here are the two Christmas-related books I’m reading this December: A Winter Dream by Richard Paul Evans and The Greatest Gift by Ann Voskamp. What Christmas/Winter-themed books are you planning to read/reading this December? If so, I’d love to have you share your list or a link to your blog post (if you posted about it).
The post 21 Days to a Simple Christmas: Day 11 {Update} appeared first on Money Saving Mom®.  Related Stories
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to download a free application that enables you to read Kindle ebooks on your PC.
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