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Here's What's New 
Reader testimonial from Tami We are a family of 4 — me, my husband, and 2 kids (ages 13 and 7.5). Recently, our income dropped significantly… and because of this, we made a few changes to how we do Christmas gifts. These simple changes helped eliminate the stress on our budget, reduce the amount of clutter in my kid’s rooms, and increase our time together as a family! I created a “box of fun” for each child. It took me all of 2013 to put these boxes together because I stretched the budget a little every month in order to buy all the gift cards, but it was so much fun and the kids loved it! This box has something fun for every month of the year in 2014:
- January = $20 gift card for movies (for one child) — enough for 2 visits
- February = $20 gift card for movies (for the other child) — enough for 2 visits
- March = two $50 gift cards for a year-round sports park membership that offers snow tubing, go-karts, miniature golf, etc. I used income tax refund money to pay for this — which is why I was able to spend $100 this month.
- April = $25 gift card for Barnes & Noble
- May = $25-gift card for Barnes & Noble.
- June = $20 gift card for a pedicure (for the girl)
- July = $20 gift card for iTunes (for the boy)
- August = $25 gift card for a pizza/arcade place
- September = $25 gift card for a pizza/arcade place
- October = $25 gift card for Sky Zone (trampoline place) — enough for 2 visits
- November = $25 gift card for Sky Zone — enough for 2 visits
- December = I bought “Santa gifts” (3 each)
This amounted to enough gift cards to give us 8 or 9 family activities throughout the year with the stipulation is that they can only use 1 gift in a month. We realized that by doing this, we would still need to pay for my husband and me to do the activities, however, when buying some of these gift cards for the kids, we also earned free gift cards for ourselves. In addition, when our family asked my husband and I what we wanted for Christmas, we requested gift cards to some of the same places — so that will help with the budget as well! I also made up a coupon book for my kids and put that in the box, too. For example, they both love baking and cooking with mom, so I made a few coupons for cooking a meal with me. They are able to pick a recipe, make a shopping list for that meal, and then help cook it. Another one was for date night/day with mom and one with dad. We figure this is when they could use their movie gift cards.  Another one was for game night, movie, and popcorn at home, a family activity of their choice (such as going on a bike ride), etc. All simple things that they love to do and are essentially free for us. We told them they could use 1 to 2 of these coupons per month. In the end, we have the perfect reason to have our “family time” and most of it is already paid for, so we cannot use the excuse that there is no money in the budget. I plan on doing the same thing in 2014, and have already adjusted our budget to cover the cost of buying a gift card once a month. The best part about this was the fact that my kids seemed to love the “box of fun” and it was the first thing they mentioned whenever someone asked them what they got for Christmas. It really made me feel like I made the right choice by deciding not to give them just “stuff” for Christmas. photo source The post How We Lowered Our Christmas Budget, Reduced our Clutter, and Created More Family Time! appeared first on Money Saving Mom®.    Related Stories  Here’s a magazine deal that we haven’t seen before! Order a one-year subscription to Digital Photo Magazine for only $4.99 when you use coupon code MONEYSAVING at checkout.
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Educents is offering $10 off your first order right now if you’re a new customer. They offer deals on educational products and downloads. Just sign up here and you’ll receive a voucher code good for $10 off your first order. The only restrictions on it are that you can’t use it for shipping and it can’t be combined with any other offer. You can also earn $1 for every friend who signs up through your referral link. Just sign up and then go into your account to find your referral link. Share this link with friends and encourage them to grab their free $10 voucher from Educents. You’ll earn $1 in credit for every person who signs up through your link. Thanks, Sarah! (Note: Some of the links in this post are my referral links. Read our disclosure policy here.) The post Get a free $10 voucher from Educents! appeared first on Money Saving Mom®.  Related Stories 
I’m so excited to be hosting my first ever Live Conference Call on January 7, 2014 at 9 p.m. EST and I’d love to have you join me! This Conference Call is free and can be accessed by phone or a streaming web audio player. On this call, I’ll be sharing about some of the key lessons from my book, Say Goodbye to Survival Mode. Plus, we’ll open up the floor for any questions you have for me — on any topic! Some of the Topics We’ll Be Talking About: - How I hit rock bottom a few years ago and found myself in a pit of despair — feeling burnt out, exhausted, and overwhelmed.
- The profound words my husband said to me that changed the course of my life.
- Practical steps you can take to stop living in survival mode and start living a life of purpose and intention.
I’ll also be answering as many of your questions as I can! You can either submit them when you register or ask them live on the call. I’m especially excited because my wonderful friend and manager, Joy Groblebe, will be hosting the call with me. You’re going to love her. She’s an amazing work-at-home mom of 4 children and will bring lots of great wisdom to the call, too! This call will be fun, fast-paced, and informal — kind of like we’re all sitting around a big table chatting together over coffee! I can’t wait! How to Register The free LIVE Say Goodbye to Survival Mode Conference Call will be on Tuesday, January 7, 2014 at 8:00 pm Central Time (9:00 pm Eastern, 7:00 pm Mountain, 6:00 pm Pacific). You can access it LIVE by phone or a streaming web audio player. The call will be an hour long. Note: Sign up is limited and we expect that it will fill up quickly. Be sure to register now to participate. Note: When you register, you’ll have the opportunity to submit any questions you’d like for me to cover on the call. I’ll also be taking questions live on the call, too. After you register, you’ll be emailed the access information for the phone call. If you have any other questions about the call, feel free to leave a comment and ask and I’ll do my best to answer it. The post Sign up for the FREE Say Goodbye To Survival Mode Live Conference Call on January 7 (space is limited!) appeared first on Money Saving Mom®.  Related Stories 
Just a reminder in case you missed this when I posted it earlier this week! Want to get your home organized in 2014? Motivated Moms is a chore planning system designed to help anyone keep a clean and organized home. Each day, you'll get a preplanned list of chores. Just consult the list, do the chores, check off the tasks, and you are done for the day! For a limited time, you can get a FREE Motivated Moms Printable Planner when you pre-order a copy of my new book, Say Goodbye to Survival Mode! 
Here's How to Get a FREE Motivated Moms Planner + More Discounts & Freebies From Companies We Love: 1. Pre-order a copy of Say Goodbye to Survival Mode from any retailer. It's available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, ChristianBook, iBooks, and Mardel. (You can pre-order the ebook here or read a sample chapter if you'd like a sneak peek.) 2. Once you've done that, just click this link and fill out the form. 3. That's it! As soon as you submit the form and verify your email address, you will get an automated email giving you access to the free Motivated Moms Printable Planner plus exclusive coupon codes and freebies from other companies we love. Psst! Want to buy a copy of Say Goodbye to Survival Mode for a friend? You can pre-order the book for them and gift them the planner + the discounts package! The post Get a FREE Motivated Moms Printable Planner when you pre-order my book! appeared first on Money Saving Mom®.  Related Stories | 
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