Living on a Budget

  • Gift Giving: 12 Days of Christmas

    It’s that time of year again…..excitement is building and the countdown to the final days of Christmas draws nearer.  This year we decided to spread the Holiday Cheer out at our house this year by doing the 12 Days of Christmas again.  I did this last year and  the year before; both years it was a huge hit!

    Christmas morning can be so busy and this allows an opportunity to spread the fun over 12 days instead of packing everything into one day.  Starting December 13th the girls will be able to open one a day with the last one being opened on Christmas Eve.  The cost in the previous years was less than $20 total, including boxes and wrapping paper, however, we decided to add their “big” gift to this stack.  Most of the gifts were bought on clearance over the past year and their big gift really wasn’t that much because we got a great deal on it.  We did a joint stack for both of our girls, although you can choose to do a stack for each person.

    12 Days of Christmas

    • Day 1:  Reindeer Christmas Socks (purchase last year after Christmas on clearance with rewards)
    • Day 2:  White Christmas Teddy Bear Shaped Soap (purchased last year after Christmas on clearance and with rewards)
    • Day 3:  “B” and “K” Candy Cane Striped Christmas Ornament for each girl (purchased last year after Christmas on clearance with rewards)
    • Day 4:  Christmas Stocking Sticker Craft (purchased on clearance with rewards)
    • Day 5:  Two Colgate Kids Christmas Toothpastes  (purchased on clearance with rewards)
    • Day 6:  Two Christmas Games – Pin the Star on the Tree & Christmas Checkers (purchased on clearance with rewards)
    • Day 7:  Christmas Bear Pez Dispensers and Pez Candy Packs (purchased with rewards on clearance)
    • Day 8:  Disney Cars Christmas Spiral Notebooks (purchased on clearance with rewards)
    • Day 9:  Gingerbread House Kit (purchased on clearance)
    • Day 10:  Princess and Frosty Hot Chocolate Tins Sets (found on clearance at Kmart and used gift card)
    • Day 11:  New Winter PJ’s for each to wear (picked up on sale)
    • Day 12: New Digital Camera’s (purchased when it was on sale with Swagbucks gift cards)

    Their cameras are their “big” items for Christmas this year.  Jake and I decided to give them to the girls for the last day of their 12 Days of Christmas so they would have the cameras to use on Christmas Day.  The girls are taking more and more pictures these days.  The inexpensive, non-English digital cameras that we bought for them several years ago have held up remarkably well.  Whenever their cameras are not working over the past several months they were asking to borrow mine to use so we decided to do a little research, save up (including earning Swagbucks) and get them a little better quality cameras this year since they both are showing a big interest in photography and creative writing.  The cameras made my typical $20 or less 12 Days of Christmas gifts a little higher this year but since it included their big gift for the Holidays I am okay with that because they will be so excited to start using them.  This time around we got the same camera, but in different colors to help keep track whose is whose without putting names on each camera.

    Other Ideas for 12 Days of Christmas:

    • Hair Accessories
    • Facial Cleansers or Make Up – if you have a teenager just starting to wear makeup or want to update your collection my Mary Kay contact is doing a 12 Day of Christmas set!  If your husband is looking for something awesome to get you he may want to contact Ann too.
    • Socks or Tights
    • Chapstick
    • Socks
    • Gloves or Scarf
    • Card Game
    • Construction Paper
    • Markers or Crayons
    • Matchbox cars
    • Small Toys
    • Baby Doll Clothes
    • Christmas Underwear
    • The ideas are endless!

    I wrapped them in the original boxes or found ones around the house to put the items into.  The Christmas paper was purchased on clearance and I used a coupon.  Many of the items we purchased on clearance throughout the year and / or used CVS – ECBs and Walgreens – Register Rewards, Swagbucks Gift Cards or Coupons.  I cannot remember the price for all the items but with the rewards it very reasonable price for 12 gifts and some days had multiple items in them.

    We did a joint stack for our girls to save money, however, the items we picked match their individual interests (for example, the pj’s were themed to match each girls tastes).  When the girls walked into the room and saw the stack of gifts they were super excited.  Love seeing their faces and hearing their comments when they first see the stack.

  • Gift Giving: Moisturizing Citrus Hand Scrub

    Moisturizing Citrus Hand Scrub

    Our family enjoys taking Christmas goodies to our neighbors every year around Christmas time. Since several of our neighbors are watching their sugar intake (due to diabetes) I wanted to find a gift that would be both practical and fun for them without all the sugar. Yes, the gift I eventually settled on last year did contain sugar but they didn’t eat it.  The gift kits were a big hit and the best part….it’s super easy (you even may have all the ingredients in your kitchen).  Several people have asked me for the recipe since last Christmas so I wanted to share it with you too in case you are looking for a homemade, inexpensive, and practical gift to share this year.

    Putting together gifts for neighbors and friends

    You could give away just the jars of Moisturizing Citrus Hand Scrub.  I decided to do a Moisturizing Citrus Scrub Kits for our neighbors and friends.  Each kit contained:

    • Moisturizing Citrus Hand Scrub
    • Hand Soap
    • Lotion
    • Note from our family with instructions on how to use the items in the kit

    Ingredients in the Moisturizing Citrus Hand Scrub

    The olive oil helps moisturize your hands while the lemons and oranges add a clean citrus scent.  The sugar and salt help exfoliate any dry skin and freshens the appearance of your hands.

    Moisturizing Citrus Hand Scrub

    • 3 cups Sugar
    • 2/3 cups Kosher Salt
    • Zest from 1 large Lemon
    • Zest from 1 large Orange
    • 2 cups Olive Oil
    • 1/4 teaspoon Pure Lemon Extract
    • 1/4 teaspoon Pure Orange Extract
    Gently wash and dry the fruit.  To zest the orange and lemon use your cheese grater and turn it to the side with the small openings/blades.  Grate the orange, turning it frequently.  You just want to take off the colored part of the peel (so try not to get too much of  the white portion).
    Now that you have your citrus zest put all the ingredients into a bowl and mix well.  Scoop into a mason jar.  Put lid on and decorate as you wish. The recipe makes enough for 2 pints (fills two – 1 pint mason jars).

    Optional:  If you would like a milder scent you can remove or reduce the amount of extract from the recipe.  Also, if you would prefer only doing Lemon or Orange instead of both just double the amount it calls for in the recipe and eliminate the other citrus ingredients.  You can add extra zest into your mix if you like too (see the first picture on this post, the one of the left has extra zest in it).

    Moisturizing Citrus Scrub ready to be put into the jars

    Filling up the mason jars

    Our note included in the the gift to our neighbors and friends!

    The red ones all ready to be delivered! You can see our “blue” note in the back of the kit.  The note also contained directions on it.  I taped on the note on the inside of the package.

    The white ones are ready now too!  All we have to do now is load them up and deliver them.

    It was a lot of fun putting these together for friends and neighbors.  Our family did a large batch and made 10 mason jars full.  Several people have asked for the recipe so I decided to share it here for others as well.  If you are looking for a practical and unique gift this is a great one that worked well for us.

  • Local Charity: Country Santa

    Some items the girls picked up themselves last year to donate to Country Santa

    For the past few years our family has donated to Country Santa.  The girls school is a collection point so it makes it easy for us to drop off the fun toys the kids pick out to donate.  We believe it is important to help those within our community (specifically kids in this situation) who would otherwise not have a Christmas or gifts to open for the Holiday Season.

    There have been years within our own family when Jake was out of work and funds were really tight.  We really didn’t have a lot in the budget to buy gifts for our kids.  Thankfully, the girls were younger so they didn’t notice that gifts that were under our tree were mostly from family and friends (not us).  We were able to give them a couple small gifts that we were able to get for free (using coupons or finding deals).

    We made sure that the Holidays were cheerful for the kids and we  focused on the many blessings we had in our lives, the true meaning of Christmas, and made sure to spend quality time together creating wonderful memories even during a stressful season.  We really didn’t have any extra cash to buy gifts for extended family and friends so we just didn’t do it (and prayed that everyone understood).

    Whether you are barely making ends meet or have extra this year there are ways to make the season a time of celebration for your kids.  If you live in our area and truly don’t have any extra you may qualify for this neat program.  If you are fortunate enough to have a little extra this year maybe you can donate to Country Santa or another similar program to help those less fortunate right within your own community.  You may be a huge blessing to some young kid this Christmas Season!

    Some of the goodies we have picked up for Country Santa this year.  The “monster feet” just make me smile! 🙂

    Here is a little bit more about Country Santa

    It all started with one first-grade girl, shortly after Cox and his wife Nell moved from Greenville, SC, to tiny Pumpkintown in the northwest corner of the state. The girl arrived at school needing new shoes, and Cox, a water-waste equipment sales engineer, heard about her plight and brought her a pair. It was then that he noticed the tattered condition of her doll. So that Christmas, a replacement doll, the biggest boxed doll I could find, says Cox – arrived under the girl’s Christmas tree.

    The next year, with names provided by the elementary schools, Cox provided toys to 10 children. By the fifth year the list had grown so long that Cox began soliciting toys, new and used, from the area’s more fortunate citizens. He signed up volunteer elves to help deliver them.

    In 1986, he built a 900-square-foot warehouse to store toys, which are gathered from collection points throughout the year. The Country Santa building is also where all the toys are bagged for delivery. Before the Country Santa building was built, Cox’s home doubled as Santa’s workshop. Toys were stacked in every room in the house.

    Country Santa doesn’t limit the gifts to one toy per child. Each child get several toys. Cox says “he try’s to give about $50.00 worth of new toys but some maybe used. He if has to give used toys, they have to be in excellent condition.

    Cox draws inspiration from his own youth. When he was 10, his dad walked out on the family, leaving his mother to support Buddy and two older sisters in the rural South Carolina town of Cross Hill. “She got a job as a bookkeeper, making $50 a week,” Buddy says, and “I know she struggled to put something under the tree for us at Christmas. I realized parents can hurt when they can’t give their kids something”.

    To learn more about Country Santa or how to get involved you can go to their website.

    While it breaks my heart to think that a kid would have a Christmas without a single present under the tree (if they even have a tree) I know that it is impossible for me to find and help every single one which is why giving to a local charity is important.  If everyone who can gives a little extra it really could go a long way.

    I love that the girls participating in the giving and are excited about doing it for children they will most likely never meet.  We don’t know who is actually getting our gifts, but we pray that God brings them to the place they will make the most positive impact.  Brainstorm and consider ways your family can be a blessing to someone else this Holiday Season.

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    I was able to get caught up on some stuff last week.  One of the girls decided she wanted to be up several times in the middle of the night so I was running on little sleep a couple nights but managed to get by.  Another one got sick so hopefully this week goes more smoothly.

    Last week’s goals

    Family Goals

    1. Read to the girls and have them read to me daily – one of the girls wasn’t feeling well and we had extra activities in the evenings too
    2. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    3. Daily School Activities & Homework Completed
    4. Attend After School Activities
    5. Plan one special Activity with the Family
    6. Finish Decorating for Christmas – most of the decorating is done but need to put the storage bins and items away
    7. Work on Christmas List – working on it

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise at least 5 days this week – a sick kid and interrupted sleep didn’t help this week
    2. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    3. Finish reading The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life by Hannah Whitall Smith – working on it
    4. Reading / listening through my Bible – doing the 90 day plan through YouVersion – caught up and staying on track after last week being off

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. Tackle Fall Cleaning & Organization Projects
    4. Pay all upcoming bills

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch – met a friend
    2. Write and Send Out Community Group Email – it was late (Wed) but I got it out

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4 – stayed within budget, but didn’t get pictures
    2. Payoff the Van – made an extra payment on the van this past week
    3. Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses (we are trying to build this back up because we had to take some out for unexpected expenses recently.) – working on it
    4. Stay within Christmas Budget – keeping track

    My goals for the upcoming week

    Family Goals

    1. Read to the girls and have them read to me daily
    2. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    3. Daily School Activities & Homework Completed
    4. Attend After School Activities
    5. Plan one special Activity with the Family
    6. Finish Decorating  & Putting up Christmas Bins
    7. Work on Christmas List
    8. Blessing Lives Everyday with Special Surprises (B.L.E.S.S.): 25 Days of Christmas Blessings
    9. Date Night with my Man

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise at least 5 days this week
    2. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    3. Finish reading The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life by Hannah Whitall Smith
    4. Reading / listening through my Bible – doing the 90 day plan through YouVersion
    5. Make my first fresh Wreath at a Wreath Party with Friends

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. Tackle Fall Cleaning & Organization Projects
    4. Pay all upcoming bills

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Write and Send Out Community Group Email
    3. Community Group Christmas Social at our House

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Payoff the Van
    3. Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses (we are trying to build this back up because we had to take some out for unexpected expenses recently.)
    4. Stay within Christmas Budget

    I think it is important to share and encourage each other as we seek to improve our lives and the lives of those around us.  I want to live intentionally not just hope all my dreams and goals come true.  When I focus on small steps of improvement I am able to see results as I get closer to my goals.  Some weeks I get closer to the goals I have in my life and other weeks a take a few steps back (life happens, emergencies occur, people get sick).  Once the goals are written down and shared it provides a guideline for what I aim to accomplish this week.

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    Thankful for a much better week now that I am feeling better and had some down time with my family.  We had a blast celebrating Thanksgiving, my birthday, starting to decorate for Christmas and more.  Hoping to have a really productive week (maybe I will get caught up on some tasks).

    Last week’s goals

    Family Goals

    1. Read to the girls and have them read to me daily – we read together, but I really didn’t keep track if we did it everyday last week
    2. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    3. Daily School Activities & Homework Completed – it was a short week of school with the Thanksgiving Holiday
    4. Attend After School Activities – we did the activities on Monday and Tuesday,  but took off the rest of the week for the Holiday
    5. Plan one special Activity with the Family
    6. Celebrate Thanksgiving
    7. Start Decorating for Christmas
    8. Family & Friends Game Night to kick off the Holiday Season – we had a blast
    9. Work on Christmas List – got started

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise at least 5 days this week – didn’t get it done with the Holidays
    2. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    3. Finish reading The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life by Hannah Whitall Smith – working on it
    4. Reading / listening through my Bible – doing the 90 day plan through YouVersion – I got a little behind on the reading when I was sick but almost caught up

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. Thanksgiving Meal – Menu, Prep, and Enjoy
    4. Tackle Fall Cleaning & Organization Projects (Focus – Cleaning for Thanksgiving Celebration)
    5. Pay all upcoming bills
    6. Winterize the Garden
    7. Put any new printed pictures that we receive this week in the photo album – got some of them put in albums but need more photo albums

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Write and Send Out Community Group Email
    3. Send out the Alms & Legs Food Team Meeting Notes

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Payoff the Van – working on it
    3. Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses (we are trying to build this back up because we had to take some out for unexpected expenses recently.) – getting there slowly
    4. Stay within Christmas Budget – staying on target at them moment

    My goals for the upcoming week

    Family Goals

    1. Read to the girls and have them read to me daily
    2. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    3. Daily School Activities & Homework Completed
    4. Attend After School Activities
    5. Plan one special Activity with the Family
    6. Finish Decorating for Christmas
    7. Work on Christmas List

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise at least 5 days this week
    2. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    3. Finish reading The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life by Hannah Whitall Smith
    4. Reading / listening through my Bible – doing the 90 day plan through YouVersion

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. Tackle Fall Cleaning & Organization Projects
    4. Pay all upcoming bills

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Write and Send Out Community Group Email

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Payoff the Van
    3. Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses (we are trying to build this back up because we had to take some out for unexpected expenses recently.)
    4. Stay within Christmas Budget

    I think it is important to share and encourage each other as we seek to improve our lives and the lives of those around us.  I want to live intentionally not just hope all my dreams and goals come true.  When I focus on small steps of improvement I am able to see results as I get closer to my goals.  Some weeks I get closer to the goals I have in my life and other weeks a take a few steps back (life happens, emergencies occur, people get sick).  Once the goals are written down and shared it provides a guideline for what I aim to accomplish this week.

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    Okay, so last week wasn’t one of my best ones.  Had to make my first trip in years to the doctor because I was sick. I went in the doctor on Monday and got some medicine.  On Thursday I still wasn’t better so went back in and got a shot along with different medicine.  Jake even had to take the girls to school and pick them up one day I felt so bad.  Thankfully, I am starting to get back to normal, however, my to do list didn’t get completely done (at least I made some progress).  With this week being Thanksgiving I am hoping to catch up on some items and spend the extra time with family so my list isn’t as big this week.

    Last week’s goals:

    Family Goals

    1. Read to the girls and have them read to me daily – I was sick last week so this didn’t get done every day
    2. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before – not quite sure what I put in them but it got done and they weren’t complaining
    3. Daily School Activities & Homework Completed – have a couple things to fill out for the girls
    4. Attend After School Activities – missed one day with Momma being sick
    5. Plan one special Activity with the Family – had a celebration on Friday night! 🙂

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise at least 5 days this week – with being sick I didn’t exercise last week
    2. Drink 8 glasses of water each day – I drank a ton, trying to get better!!!
    3. Finish reading The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life by Hannah Whitall Smith – brought this to the doctor to read but felt so miserable I couldn’t concentrate on the words
    4. Reading / listening through my Bible – doing the 90 day plan through YouVersion – staying up to date and have past 60 days!

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day – took me 2 days to get it all done this week
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. Tackle Fall Cleaning & Organization Projects (Focus – Office / Garage) – not much extra stuff got done with me being sick
    4. Pay all upcoming bills
    5. Winterize the Garden – hoping to finish it this week
    6. Put any new printed pictures that we receive this week in the photo album

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts – barely got through the day to day tasks
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Write and Send Out Community Group Email – didn’t get this out
    3. Send out the Alms & Legs Food Meeting Reminder to the Team Members – got it out late, but did send it

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4 – only got a couple items, but didn’t take pictures or keep track this week
    2. Payoff the Van – working on it
    3. Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses (we are trying to build this back up because we had to take some out for unexpected expenses recently.) – slowly getting there
    4. Stay within Christmas Budget – so far so good, it’ll probably get harder the closer it gets to Christmas!

    My goals for the upcoming week:

    Family Goals

    1. Read to the girls and have them read to me daily
    2. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    3. Daily School Activities & Homework Completed
    4. Attend After School Activities
    5. Plan one special Activity with the Family
    6. Celebrate Thanksgiving
    7. Start Decorating for Christmas
    8. Family & Friends Game Night to kick off the Holiday Season
    9. Work on Christmas List

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise at least 5 days this week
    2. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    3. Finish reading The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life by Hannah Whitall Smith
    4. Reading / listening through my Bible – doing the 90 day plan through YouVersion

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. Thanksgiving Meal – Menu, Prep, and Enjoy
    4. Tackle Fall Cleaning & Organization Projects (Focus – Cleaning for Thanksgiving Celebration)
    5. Pay all upcoming bills
    6. Winterize the Garden
    7. Put any new printed pictures that we receive this week in the photo album

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Write and Send Out Community Group Email
    3. Send out the Alms & Legs Food Team Meeting Notes

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Payoff the Van
    3. Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses (we are trying to build this back up because we had to take some out for unexpected expenses recently.)
    4. Stay within Christmas Budget

    I think it is important to share and encourage each other as we seek to improve our lives and the lives of those around us.  I want to live intentionally not just hope all my dreams and goals come true.  When I focus on small steps of improvement I am able to see results as I get closer to my goals.  Some weeks I get closer to the goals I have in my life and other weeks a take a few steps back (life happens, emergencies occur, people get sick).  Once the goals are written down and shared it provides a guideline for what I aim to accomplish this week.

  • Giveaway & Review: “Celebrating & Savoring a Simple Christmas” ebook by Crystal Paine (24 HOURS ONLY)

    Do you want to have a meaningful, memorable, relaxed Christmas this year? Do you really want to be able to savor and enjoy this season-not just rush through it feeling overwhelmed and behind? Are you tired of overspending every Christmas in attempt to feel close to your loved ones?  I am excited to introduce you to Crystal Paine’s new ebook Celebrating & Savoring A Simple Christmas.   Crystal is the author of the popular Money Saving Mom blog and this is a positive and practical ebook that will encourage you to focus on the joy of Christmas while staying within the family budget!

    24 HOURS ONLY 1 lucky reader will win a FREE copy of the Celebrating & Savoring A Simple Christmas ebook by Crystal Paine!  ENTER NOW for a chance to win a copy of this great ebook (it only takes a couple seconds to leave a comment and be entered into the giveaway, please see all the giveaway details below)!

    You can get started reading  Celebrating & Savoring A Simple Christmas ebook by Crystal Paine for only $0.99 for the next 3 days only (November 13 – 15, 2012)!

    Who is This Book For?

    Celebrating & Savoring A Simple Christmas is for you if:

    • You end every Christmas season frazzled, with a cold, and in need of a nap.
    • You dread the day after Thanksgiving and every day following up and until New Year’s Day.
    • You want your house to look beautiful for Christmas, but instead it’s a mess!
    • You end up overwhelming yourself by spending too much time on Christmas crafting and baking

    Why I love this book:

    I LOVE the Christmas Holidays and celebrating with my family!  Somehow with the busy activities, shopping, gift wrapping, delivering, programs, and everything else the “to do” list gets longer and before long I am exhausted.  Not to mention some years our budget has been stretched a little bit too much.  I like that Crystal encourages people to kept it simple and stay within your family budget.

    After reading Celebrating & Savoring A Simple Christmas I think it will help inspire you to make positive steps in the direction of a Simple Christmas as well.  My husband and I have already discussed our Christmas budget (and sticking to it) and several other items already.  I am looking forward to spending some time together to go over more of the topics I read about in Crystal’s book.  I know many of you will enjoy this ebook and find it to be a wonderful resource especially with the upcoming Christmas season!   Here’s just a few topics covered in this book:

    • How to organize your Christmas list
    • How to make & stick to a Christmas budget
    • Holiday freezer cooking
    • Simple and inexpensive homemade gifts
    • How to get and keep your home clean & organized
    • Printable worksheets for your Holiday planning
    • And Many More great tips to help you have a fun Christmas Holiday with your family.

    24 Hour Giveaway Details

    As a way to say thank you to my readers and to share Crystal Paine’s ebook I am hosting a giveaway!  1 WINNER will receive a free copy of Celebrating & Savoring A Simple Christmas ebook by Crystal Paine!

    Enter the Giveaway (up to 4 entries per person)!

    1. Sign up to receive Blessings Multiplied via email
    2. Follow Blessings Multiplied on Twitter – @BlessMultiplied
    3. Like Blessings Multiplied on Facebook – BlessingsMultiplied
    4. BONUS – you can get a bonus entry into the drawing if you leave a separate comment below sharing your favorite part of the Christmas Holidays.

    All comments must be made by Wednesday, November 14, 2012 10:00 PM EST to be entered into the drawing.

    I encourage you to check out more information on Celebrating & Savoring A Simple Christmas by Crystal Paine if you are interested in finding ways to help you to tackle all those Holiday projects and events!  This ebook book may give you the just right dose of motivation to get you on track for a simple and relaxing Christmas season!  What are you waiting for…….get a copy and start reading today!

    The Celebrating & Savoring A Simple Christmas ebook by Crystal Paine is currently available for $0.99 for the next 3 days ONLY (Tuesday, November 13 to Thursday, November 15, 2012) after that it will go up to $4.99. 

    I was given this ebook for free to write an informed review.  The ebook, specific product information, and pictures were provided by Crystal Paine, however, the opinions expressed in this post are my own.   I was not paid to write this post.  A special thanks to Crystal Paine for providing me a copy of her Celebrating & Savoring A Simple Christmas ebook to review as well as one to giveaway to my readers!

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    Last week did….not…go…as planned (ever have weeks that go like that, ha)?!  Jake was in Charleston for work, one of the girls got really sick, Skipper was barking all the time (even in the middle of the night), unexpected activities, time spent in the Urgent Care, last minute stuff, doctor visits and more in between all the normal weekly activities so many of the items on my list this week are still leftover from last week.  Hopefully this week will (go as planned or at least some what “normal”) and I will be able to tackle more items on my list!

    Last week’s goals:

    Family Goals

    1. Read to the girls and have them read to me daily
    2. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    3. Daily School Activities & Homework Completed
    4. Attend After School Activities
    5. Plan one special Activity with the Family
    6. Spend extra time with the Girls since they have a couple days off school

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise at least 5 days this week – with a couple nights without sleep with a sick little one and a barking dog this wasn’t my top priority
    2. Drink 8 glasses of water each day – all the doctor appointments and extra activities so I didn’t stay on top of how much I was drinking
    3. Finish reading The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life by Hannah Whitall Smith – still reading
    4. Reading / listening through my Bible – doing the 90 day plan through YouVersion – staying on track and continuing to listen faithfully
    5. Vote in the 2012 Election – voted! 🙂

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. Tackle Fall Cleaning & Organization Projects (Focus – Office / Garage) – got some stuff done but with all the unexpected items I wasn’t able to get these two completed (I did make a little headway though)
    4. Pay all upcoming bills – have a couple that I need to pay this week
    5. Winterize the Garden – didn’t get it done
    6. Put printed pictures in the photo album – got the ones I had at home put into the albums and ordered another set
    7. Clean Out Fridge – cleaned out the fridge and freezer, something I been wanting to do for 2 weeks now! Yay, for small victories! 🙂 
    8. Recycle old Magazines & update with November editions

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention – I missed a few items with all the unexpected items but hopefully I can pick up the slack this week
    3. Send out invoices
    4. Finish scheduling November work dates

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Write and Send Out Community Group Email
    3. Re-organize the Alms & Legs Food Pantry – the girls helped me clean out, organize the pantry, and donate a bunch of items to PERC (Piedmont Emergency Relief Center).  They were a HUGE help and doing this together gave us a lot of opportunities to talk about the many amazing blessings in our lives.

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Payoff the Van – working on putting extra money aside
    3. Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses (we are trying to build this back up because we had to take some out for unexpected expenses recently.) – putting a little bit aside

    My goals for the upcoming week:

    Family Goals

    1. Read to the girls and have them read to me daily
    2. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    3. Daily School Activities & Homework Completed
    4. Attend After School Activities
    5. Plan one special Activity with the Family

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise at least 5 days this week
    2. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    3. Finish reading The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life by Hannah Whitall Smith
    4. Reading / listening through my Bible – doing the 90 day plan through YouVersion

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. Tackle Fall Cleaning & Organization Projects (Focus – Office / Garage)
    4. Pay all upcoming bills
    5. Winterize the Garden
    6. Put any new printed pictures that we receive this week in the photo album

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Write and Send Out Community Group Email
    3. Send out the Alms & Legs Food Meeting Reminder to the Team Members

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Payoff the Van
    3. Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses (we are trying to build this back up because we had to take some out for unexpected expenses recently.)
    4. Stay within Christmas Budget

    I think it is important to share and encourage each other as we seek to improve our lives and the lives of those around us.  I want to live intentionally not just hope all my dreams and goals come true.  When I focus on small steps of improvement I am able to see results as I get closer to my goals.  Some weeks I get closer to the goals I have in my life and other weeks a take a few steps back (life happens, emergencies occur, people get sick).  Once the goals are written down and shared it provides a guideline for what I aim to accomplish this week.

  • Living on a Budget: Groceries $40 for 4

    Groceries from Ingles & BiLo

    It was a whirlwind of a week with the girls off two days from school, elections, and numerous unexpected activities.  Despite the busyness I was determined to give you a grocery update this week (thanks for bearing with me).  I even remembered to take pictures this week!

    Jake has been in Charleston for some work meetings, so we are looking forward to spending time with him this weekend.  I did manage to get a lot of projects done (just not necessarily things that I planned to do).  Do you ever have weeks like that?  Here is my weekly update on our Groceries $40 for 4.

    Ingles Groceries:

    • $13.04 at Ingles for 2 containers Fresh Strawberries (marked down), 1 bag Lenders Bagels (sale), 1 (5 pound) bag Fresh Grapefruit (sale), 1 bag Fresh Bananas (marked down), 1 container Fresh Potatoes (marked down), 2 loaves Laura Lynn Bread (sale), 1 bag Fresh Spinach (marked down).  (Everything I purchased at Ingles was either on sale or marked down or I had a coupon.  All the produce was marked down some as low as 99 cents as you can see from the bright green stickers.)

    BiLo Groceries:

    • $2.48 at BiLo for 1 container Southern Home Butter Spread (This was on sale and it is about the only reasonable priced butter that we have found that is made out of soy instead of dairy since we have a family member not eating dairy right now.  I also received an additional 5 cent discount for bringing my own reusable bag.)

    Groceries from KMart

    KMart Groceries:

    • $6.00 at KMart for 6 big bags Smart Sense Wavy Potato Chips (I cannot remember the last time I found plain potato chips on sale for $1.00 recently.  With all the upcoming events and activities these will come in really handy!  Actually, I purchased them on Thursday and that same evening I used up one bag when a group of friends came over at last minute.)

    This week I spent $21.52  on groceries.   I went under on the budget this week, YAY!!!   I was happy to get some produce deals and stock back up on a few items we were needing to replenish in our fridge and pantry.  Hopefully next week we can come under budget and November will be a better month for us!

    It is my goal to give you regular updates on this budget section so you can celebrate the good weeks with me and thump me on the bad weeks!  :) As always you are welcomed to join the journey with me.  I would love to hear your story and how you are doing too.  The purpose of our family doing this it to watch our grocery spending while allowing us to feed our family, enjoy life, share with others, and yet stay on track with our budget.

    Living on a Budget is a series of ways our family uses a budget to help keep us accountable with our finances.  Life doesn’t always go as planned.  We have used some of the ideas I will be sharing for years while others are ones we are just starting to implement as we continue finding ways to be creative and have fun with what we have been given.  Having a plan in place allows us the freedom to be smart with what we have been given, get more creative when it is a tight (week, month, year or a season) and when necessary live a much more simplified life.  A budget helps us stay on track so we have more opportunities to enjoy the many blessings we have been given as well as share what we have with others.  There is so much more to life than having all the stuff.  We may not have the newest or greatest items in our house, we drive used cars, and wear hand-me-down clothing…..however, if our family is taken care of and have love for each other and others we have more than all the riches in the world.

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    The girls have a four day weekend so I am enjoying a little extra time with them. YAY!  Jake was on-call all weekend so we stayed close to home but were able to get some items done around the house.  Glad we stayed close to home because he had a lot of calls and work items that needed his attention.   Hopefully this week I will be able to tackle more items on my list!

    Last week’s goals:

    Family Goals

    1. Read to the girls and have them read to me daily- we missed Halloween night because we were out celebrating
    2. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    3. Daily School Activities & Homework Completed
    4. Attend After School Activities
    5. Plan one special Activity with the Family
    6. Celebrate Halloween with the Family

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise at least 5 days this week – missed a couple of days
    2. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    3. Finish reading The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life by Hannah Whitall Smith – working on it
    4. Reading / listening through my Bible – doing the 90 day plan through YouVersion – faithfully reading through it

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. Tackle Fall Cleaning & Organization Project (Focus – Office / Garage) – made some headway, both were big projects!
    4. Pay all upcoming bills
    5. Finishing cleaning up from Community Group Camp out
    6. Put away all the Halloween Items – have everything picked up just need to put them in the container & into the attic

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming (November) blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. Schedule November work dates – have a couple days left to put on the calendar

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Write and Send Out Community Group Email

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Payoff the Van – was able to put a little extra on it this month
    3. Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses (we are trying to build this back up because we had to take some out for unexpected expenses recently.) – working on it (with paying off the van this isn’t our first priority but we are moving forward slowly).

    My goals for the upcoming week:

    Family Goals

    1. Read to the girls and have them read to me daily
    2. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    3. Daily School Activities & Homework Completed
    4. Attend After School Activities
    5. Plan one special Activity with the Family
    6. Spend extra time with the Girls since they have a couple days off school

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise at least 5 days this week
    2. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    3. Finish reading The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life by Hannah Whitall Smith
    4. Reading / listening through my Bible – doing the 90 day plan through YouVersion
    5. Vote in the 2012 Election

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. Tackle Fall Cleaning & Organization Projects (Focus – Office / Garage)
    4. Pay all upcoming bills
    5. Winterize the Garden
    6. Put printed pictures in the photo album
    7. Clean Out Fridge
    8. Recycle old Magazines & update with November editions

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. Send out invoices
    4. Finish scheduling November work dates

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Write and Send Out Community Group Email
    3. Re-organize the Alms & Legs Food Pantry

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Payoff the Van
    3. Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses (we are trying to build this back up because we had to take some out for unexpected expenses recently.)

    I think it is important to share and encourage each other as we seek to improve our lives and the lives of those around us.  I want to live intentionally not just hope all my dreams and goals come true.  When I focus on small steps of improvement I am able to see results as I get closer to my goals.  Some weeks I get closer to the goals I have in my life and other weeks a take a few steps back (life happens, emergencies occur, people get sick).  Once the goals are written down and shared it provides a guideline for what I aim to accomplish this week.