Monthly Archives:

November 2014

Savings On The Go, With A Cup Of Joe: How to Save With Itemized Bill Books!

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Good morning, savvy savers! For this weeks Savings On The Go With A Cup of Joe series post, I wanted to discuss one of the easiest ways I have found to save my family money, an itemized savings book. Many bloggers will tell you that you need an expansive home management books, a series of expensive, embellished printable savings packets, or a series of blog-themed e-books and seminars in order to keep your finances in order. For me, for my family, I simply do not believe that these items are necessary.

In order to keep all of my bills, expenditures, savings account goals and deposits, as well as retirement savings projects in one place, I used an old-school, $2.99 4-column pad, from the Office Depot, to keep a log of my monthly expenses!

The book holds all my expenses at a glance. I divide the book as follows:

  • Space 1: Expenses Named
  • Column 1: Amount Owed, Per Month
  • Column 2: Amount Paid, Per Month
  • Column 3: Interest Accumulated
  • Column 4: Balance Owed

I find that having an actual book helps keep me accountable for my expenses. For me, physically writing down what I owe each month, seeing how much interest I pay, helps me keep not only my finances in order, but to have a piece of mind in knowing that my financial house of cards is in tip-top shape!

This is one method that has helped me stay financially responsible, and I hope it might help you as well.

Here’s to saving!

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The #MoneySavingMom Gratitude Journal Review & Giveaway!

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Hello again, savvy savers! Today finds us with an awesome new review, one very close my heart this week, that of the new Money Saving Mom’s Gratitude Journal. 

Why am I so excited about this journal? Because Money Saving Mom’s creator, the very talented Crystal Paine, graciously mailed me a copy of this journal to review on my blog. 

So you might ask, what’s so special about this journal?  Let me explain. 

Currently, I am at a great crossroads in my life. My husband and I are TTC, I clerk from home, run a blog, ETSY online store, as well as am in the process of opening a new upcycled, crafting shop, and all of this coupled with a doctors recommendation to lose five percent of my total body weight, as part of a new healthy lifestyle change. To say I often feel overwhelmed is an understatement.  

With all of this said, when I recently awoke several weeks ago, only to quietly walk into my kitchen, in the quiet still of the early morning light, it dawned on me.  Despite all of my stress, my life, my beautiful semi-charmed existence, is so blessed! I sat quietly drinking my lovely, steaming mug of chair tea, sat in my breakfast nook looking out of my bay windows. and cried at how beautiful the fall foliage seemed. 

Fast-forward two days ahead, and during my evening stroll through my emails I came across an email from one of my favorite bloggers, Crystal Paine, sharing her emotions surrounding all of her own personal blessings, and how these events influenced her to create a gratitude journal, I felt compelled to comment. In a comment of kitschy glee, I said, ” You should send out a few copies to other stressed out bloggers, for review. :)” I thought nothing more of the comment. 

To my chagrin, Crystal commented back, stating that she would be more than happy to do so, and this this review was born! 

Well, this week my brand new, hard covered, funky little journal arrived in all of its snazzy, much-needed glory! 

 

 

The journal, divided into monthly sections, laced with quotes and inspirational passages, carefully chosen to positively uplift the spirits of the journals keeper. Each monthly section contains several weekly lined pages, ready for daily gratitude denoting. The nature of the journal is one that encourages the keeper to participate in the journals maintenance, and unlike a lot of other journals, does not present either too few spaces, nor too many pre-fabricated suggestions and passages to swag the journaling habits of others. 

Though I will not be photographing several of my pages, I would like to say that the sense of cathartic sense of gratitude and personal clarity that I am currently working towards in my busy, cluttered life is easier to channel by way of this journal. This journal has already helped me to put forth my ideas of what I am not only grateful for, but to redefine my vision of the greater good I seek inside. 

The basic practice of using this journal is not only straightforward, but goes hand-in-hand with my whole living vision for my blog. Being able to wake up each morning, seeing the blessings in my life will help me be grateful for every blessing I have, from having a roof over my head, to a stockpile of groceries, to having a healthy family, in a likable, workable, functional edition.

This journal is the real deal. 

Moreover, there are also several reasons to consider keeping a journal of gratitude yourself, such as :

  • Research by leading psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky, suggests that journaling helps workers to lead more effective lives.
  • Elaborating in detail about a particular thing for which you’re grateful carries more benefits than a superficial list of things.
  • Focusing on people to whom you are grateful for, will inevitably, and positively,  impact your life by forcing the journal keeper to redirect their focus from being on things, to emotions, relationships, and personal purpose. 
  • Gratitude Journaling  is an effective way of helping you reflect on what your life would be like without certain blessings, rather than just tallying up things..
  • Journaling  once or twice per week, can help you not only boost, but maintain, personal happiness long after journaling sessions stop. 

An Additive of Gratitude, Part III!

Hello again, savvy savers! I wanted to continue my weekly “Attitude of Gratitude-style” post. I will be following this trend for the rest of the holiday season, and each weeks reflections, will reflect the calendar date of each post. I encourage all of my fellow blogging friends, readers, family, and friends-at-large to join in as well. For me, this post series is greatly overdue.

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So, without further ado… here are the 23 REASONS I AM GRATEFUL THIS WEEK:

  1. This past month, my beloved husband, friend, and confident, Daniel, turned the big 4-0, in such a gracious manner, that I was truly proud of him!
  2. This past week, my husband brought home a new fur-baby, Glenda, a rescue, who after a clean bill of health from our family veterinarian, has already proven to be a loving, thoughtful companion, and helps prove that the old adage, “who rescued who,” to be more than the truth, in our case!
  3. I lost an additional two pounds, as part of my healthier lifestyle, and am hopeful to lose more!
  4. Last week my website hit 500,000 views; I am truly blessed to have reached so many readers since March of this year, and am grateful for all of my readers!
  5. I am having continued success with my ETSY shop, and am loving all of the positive comments, conversations, likes, favorites, and orders this holiday season!
  6. I have finished up my holiday shopping for this holiday season, and came in under budget!
  7. I plan to take some time this afternoon to clean out, organize, and inventory my deep freezer, freezer, and refrigerators; I am grateful for the abundance of groceries, food staples, and other blessings that couponing has allotted my family this past year. I plan to donate 20% of our non-perishable food staples this week to a local soup kitchen and my husband’s school food drive, so that we may pass our blessings onto others!
  8. I am grateful for falling leaves. I somehow love the quiet moments, early in the morning, where I alone can creep across my yard, to fetch the morning paper, while listening to the crunch of leaves beneath my feet, the glow of brilliant fall foliage in sight, and the feel of chill in the air. I long for the days of Autumn!
  9. Finally, I am grateful for my three overgrown puppies, Sassy, Roxie, and Lady. My girls were so ecstatic this morning to receive a new treat from the store, and just the fact that a binky and ball makes there day, makes mine, too; I strive to be the kind of person my pups think I am!
  10. I am grateful for warm, seasonal crockpot meals on cool Fall nights.
  11. I am grateful for having a husband who has not just a true heart for God, but a desire to help others in the process.
  12. I am grateful for being a product reviewer; being able to bring my readers, friends, and family new, affordable products that will make their lives easier, is comforting to me!
  13. I am grateful for silence; I enjoy nothing more than waking up on cool Fall mornings, to a silent house, a cup of warm chai, and the sound of nothingness. There is a contentedness that I find in silence that I long for and crave. 
  14. I am grateful for being a book reviewer; I have been afforded the opportunity to read so many amazing pre-released works from authors previously unknown to me, and the opportunity to share their works with others is always a shared blessing, in the ability to in the greatness of the written word. There is something to be said for the sense of accomplishment that one feel when a good book closes for the last time, on the last page, the sense of forlorn consideration that comes with having to leave newly made literary friends, that no sort of electronic reader can come close to! 
  15. I am grateful for silly pet moments; bringing home a new dog bed and smoked ham bones for my dogs brought forth grins and smiles all around this morning! 
  16. I am grateful for Sundays spent in pajamas and sweat pants; there is something to be said for being comfortable in one’s own home! 
  17. I am grateful for sturdy, funky, rubber gardening clogs… my true gardening buddies! 
  18. I am grateful for the increased number of healthy, organic produce deals on my favorite shopping apps; this past week I saved $11.00 on produce! 
  19.  I am grateful for my family budget plan; for the past three years my husband and I have gradually increased our savings, retirement accounts, and monthly charitable contributions due to the changes our budget has allotted us! 
  20.  I am grateful for a husband who enjoys helping our family recycle; the example he sets for others in this manner is stellar! 
  21.  I am grateful for lower gas prices nationally at the moment; I was able to fill my gas tank up Friday for under $25.00 for the first time in three years! 
  22.  I am grateful for a warm, low-humid Fall day; it was 74 degrees today and simply glorious to behold! 
  23. I am grateful for the gentleman today, who on his only day off this week, manned the Salvation Army Holiday Change Station, at my local Winn-Dixie, and despite his age, he displayed such a graceful attitude of gratitude, I was proud to know that gentleman such as this, live in my community. 

Happy Sunday!

misty1

Weekly Reflections For The Week Ahead, 11/23-11/29!

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Hello again, savvy savers! I wanted to end my weekly posts by bring the week to a close with a post about the reflections on this past week.

The highs for the week:

  • Losing two pounds.
  • My chrysanthemums are being to bloom; I planted them last season in a candy corn color blocking pattern, and am psyched to see them this Autumn!
  • Trying to expand my family!
  • The ongoing re-purposing of two rooms in my home, and the beginning of my chalk painting adventures.
  • Continuing a daily devotional.
  • Saving $48.00 on my groceries; this allowed me to only spend $34.56 on groceries this week!
  • Being a co-host for the Merry Monday Linky Party! 

My lows for the week:

  • Diet plateau!
  • Being stressed about getting my Grandmother’s gifts to her, on time, for her upcoming 70th Birthday! 

Goals For The Coming Week:

  • Walk 1/2 mile daily.
  • Finish my Motivated Moms Planner Chores daily.
  • Read for 1 hour.
  • Have half of Thanksgiving prepped the night before, so I can watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Woot!
  • Finish four upcycled projects to post to the blog.
  • Sleep eight hours a night.

Goal for the Season ahead:

I would love to find several new reader, blogger, or otherwise friends online. I live in a very small community, and often conversation dealing with topics outside of service, children, and the weather is at a premium. I would love to met others, from various walks of life, that wish to discuss, post, and grow in sisterhood, online. If anyone is looking for a new friend, I’m your gal!

What are your goals for the week, I’d love to hear them below in a comment!

Happy Sunday!

misty1

Gardening On A Budget: Fall Leaf Collection!

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Hello again, savvy savers! For this weeks Gardening Update Post, I want to share some of the things I have been up to in my back yard this past week!

For my family, we have been in the midst of Fall leaves!

When I say leaves I mean leaves, leaves, leaves, and leaves; and I have a feeling that most of you are in the same boat as well! What’s difficult in my region, is that in Mississippi we have two sub-seasons this time of year.

First, we have a traditional Fall, from late August to the end of September, where leaves are falling but not the humidity! Then our season seemingly stops. The leaves remain partially green, perpetually a myriad of splotchy odd-ball colors, and the weather remains the same through Halloween. Then at last, my favorite time of the year, the true emergence of Autumn, where the humidity bottoms out, the foliage truly changes colors, and sadly, every square inch of my property becomes blanketed with the crunchy stuff!

This past week has found myself spending most of my spare time raking, sorting, and cleaning out my gardens from the same foliage, I longed for in the not so distant past.

 

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While my yard may look untouched, I am in the process of organizing my leaves, and here’s what I’ve been up to:

  1. Compost: Autumn leaves, which have been chopped and shredded with our leaf vac, act as a cheap, “brown,” high-carbon, layering material for our compost bin. Simply alternate layers of shredded leaves with the regular green materials, from our lawn mower to your compost pile to sit over the winter. I aerate my bin weekly.
  2. Lasagna Gardening: I use Fall leaves, layered between layers of organic peat moss in my bottom vegetable garden, which is left to decompose for the winter, and is tilled into the garden come Spring.
  3. Mow Them: My adorable husband, Daniel, has been gracious enough to keep uo with all aspects of our home mowing. He generally starts my getting on the roof, cleaning out the gutters, blowing out the leaves that have fallen from the roof and are in the beds, to the lawn, and are then mowed over; he takes three turns for each section of the yard essentially mulching the leaves into fine, compost layers which help insulate the lawn for winter. In terms of leaf removal, this one may be the easiest solution, as it involves no raking whatsoever, just 20-30 minutes of blowing. We do this weekly until the leaves are finished falling, and your lawn will look better for it next spring and summer.

So, what have you been up to this week, gardening-wise? I’d love to hear about it!

Here’s to Fall,

misty1

LeapFrogTv Review! #LeapTV

 (This post contains information about a sponsored review product.)

 

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Hello again, savvy savers! Today finds us with another great product review, and this time the #LeapTv by #LeapFrog! Please note, this post brought to you by LeapFrog.

Recently, I had the opportunity to review LeapFrog’s new LeapTV gaming system. LeapFrog’s LeapTV Gaming System for Kids, its an all new gaming system designed to get small, precious minds, bodies, and spirits up and moving; although this system was it was created for kids ages 4 to 7, older kids would enjoy this system as well! 

What makes LeapTV special?

There are 3 ways to play:

  1. Body motion: the camera catches them and they can see themselves on the TV!
  2. Classic control: it can tilt and shake for gaming fun.
  3. Pointer play: the control transforms into a pointer!

Other points of interest in the product:

  • Designed specifically for young children with age-appropriate games
  • Reinforces learning through movement 
  • Games adapt to your child; the games automatically level as your child’s progress in proficiency

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One aspect I really liked about #LeapTV, was that the initial set-up only took a couple of minutes, and the use the controls themselves, took moments to master, making this system one of the more functional kids gaming systems I have tried! Our system came loaded with Kart Racing, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Sofia the First, and some others. Please note, while out systems were pre-loaded for review purposes, #LeapFrog does affordably sell a large library of 125 plus game cartridges, all nationally approved by primary and secondary education associations for every education level; games are also available online for download.

What’s even nicer? The system has WiFi standard, so you can download games with our account without having to be at your laptop. Everyone in our home seemed to enjoy this game, from the family to my husband, even out fur-babies, our three overgrown fuzzy dog babies, looked interested in the motion being created in the participatory function of these games! 

Why did I love LeapTV? As a tech-savvy, budget-conscious gal,  I cheer whenever I see educational elements, promoting both educational and physical fun for children in a healthy, engaging, wholesome capacity! While our family made the conscious decision to limit each of our expose to television the internet, when unwarranted, I like that when we have #LeapTV time, we are exercising, learning, and sharing in quality family time together! 

Also worth noting, this system would make a great Christmas purchase, as this new gaming system would make an excellent addition to a Christmas wish list for kids 4 to 7.

What’s the top toy on your kiddos’ wish list this year?

Well done, LeapFrog! 

misty1

 

 

Wednesday Ways to Save: Walmart Online Holiday Price Matching With Online Retailers!

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Calling all Walmart shoppers! For this weeks Wednesday Ways to Save, I wanted to post about a fun new way to help you save throughout the holiday gift buying season! Through January 4th, 2015, Walmart will start price matching online retailers like Amazon.com, Target.com, BestBuy.com, and Walmart.com! Beyond January 4th, select markets in Tennessee, Arkansas, and Florida will continue online price matching, through their customer service desk counters. Please note, the item you are price matching does need to be in stock at the online retailer’s website, the store manager does have the final decision for matching an online price, and that online price match is not available in Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico.

Note that Walmart will NOT price match the following:

  • Membership Clubs or Auctions sites 
  • Bundle offers, Instant Rebates, Mail-in offers, and Offers that include financing
  • Clearance, Closeout, or Liquidation offers
  • Walmart One Hour Guarantee items 

This should help open up new ways for us all to shop at Walmart this holiday season! Be sure to check out my online coupon center to see if newly updated offers on personal care products, accessories, toys, or the like can be combined with these above mentioned price matching offers! 

Here’s to saving,

Misty