• Living on a Budget: Creative Cash (March Update)

    Last month I began a monthly challenge called Creative Cash.  Creative Cash is finding ways to come up with extra cash to share with others as well as work on our current goal.  I am working part time, a stay at home Mom, and wear many other hats from day to day, however, I feel that it is important to save money for our family by using coupons and buying items on sale but to earn a little money to help with the extra expenses and to share with others.  The extra amount I bring in on top of the work is what I call “Creative Cash” which means finding ways to make money creatively or with items and talents I have already.  I have tested this goal over the last couple months as I am challenging myself to make my life more simplified.   I plan to continue this goal for the remaining months of the year.  Despite the many financial obstacles that we have faced as a family we have been blessed with so much.  We believe it is important to be accountable with our finances and give to others.

    Explanation: The creative cash will be made throughout the entire month through various endeavors.  As it comes in the money is placed into our savings account and withdrawn at the end of the month so it can be split.  It is my goal to make at least $100 extra a month to help with our goals as well as share with others.  At the end of the month the money will be split 50 / 50 with half going towards our current goal we are working on (which at the moment is paying down debt) and the other half going to charity.

    March was a great month and I was able to  go over my goal of $100 (although not quite as good as my February Creative Cash since I didn’t have a bunch of coupons saved up).  I want to share with you the ways we did it so if you are looking for ways to make a little extra creative cash for your family hopefully we can be an inspiration in getting your creative juices flowing:

    • $85.92 – Items sold on Ebay:   The majority of items sold were coupons (I did sell a small office supply that I received free after rebate for about $8 of the amount sold).  I encourage you to look around at some of the coupons you get the mail, newspapers, magazines, in your stockpile, or other places and if you will not have the opportunity to use them then consider selling them for a little extra creative cash.
    • $30.00 – Items sold on Craigslist: I sold lawn care items/tools that we were no longer using.  We had really good luck on Craigslist again this month, it can be hit and miss on Craigslist depending on the week and what people are looking for on the site.
    • $6.40 – Other miscellaneous amounts earned  (a rebate, return, cash back,  extra money, etc…) that was added to my stash for the month.

    March’s “Creative Cash” total was $122.32 which means $61.16 extra that goes towards our current goal, paying down debt and $61.16 goes towards charity.  It was exciting to go above the $100 goal again and to know it helps us get a little closer to our goals as well as helps others along the way.  I have plan of action on ways to earn creative cash in April so stayed tuned, hopefully, it will be another month where we can get closer to our goal and share with others.  Each month I do a variety activities to accomplish this goal, the items above are just the ones I did specifically in March.  I look forward to sharing more of the things that work well for our family as I do them in the upcoming months.

    I will share with you the challenges, successes, and updates as I go through this journey so you can keep me accountable or even go through it with me by participating  and sharing your story. Taking the extra time to find ways to help our family as well as invest in the lives of others is important to us.  I hope that we have been able to encourage you to find ways to come up with some creative cash for your household as well.  Obviously, each situation and family is unique so decide what works for you and go for it!  Do you know of another way to earn creative cash?   I would love to hear your idea!

    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.

    Photo by StopNLook

  • Song: “Words I Would Say” by Sidewalk Prophets

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fpKwja0j50&feature=related

    I think it is important to share our joy with others.  Each one of us has the opportunity to make a positive impact on the lives of those around us.  It was great hearing Sidewalk Prophets in concert at Winter Jam 2011.  This is one of the songs they sang during the concert.  As I think about the song even after the concert the more I realize how convicting the message is because I often shy away from a chance to share with the people in my life.  Actions do speak louder than words but sometimes a simple word of encouragement or sharing a testimony of how God is working in your life may go long way!

  • Book: “The Millionaire Mind” by Thomas Stanley

    As I was thinking about the various books I have read over the past few years “The Millionaire Mind” by Thomas Stanley came to mind.  In this book Stanley explains the research he did on how America’s wealthy got there.  You don’t need to make a substantial amount to be smart with your money.  Living a flashy and fancy lifestyle isn’t what it takes to be wise with your finances.  I found it fascinating learning more regarding the millionaire “mindset” and the questions he asked in his research.

    Our family has been trying to stick to our budget and be more responsible with the blessings we have been given.  We are by no means millionaires but we feel it is important to always continue to learn and grow.  My husband and I listened to the audiobook version of this book together.  If you are trying to wrap your mind around finances this is fun book to read or listen to as you work through the process as a family.  I encourage you to communicate and pray as a family as you go on this journey together.  When we were first married it became very clear that Jake and I had different patterns and views on finances.  Taking the time to listen or read these types of books together helps encourage and strengthen your relationship while providing a positive outlook on finances.  What works for one family may not be doable for the next family, however, we all have been giving many blessings in life.  We still continue to make mistakes, pick ourselves back up, and learn from the lessons God continues to teach us.  We want to purposely chose to be wise with what we have been given so we have more opportunities to share with those around us.

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    DealPulp is another daily deal site (like Groupon & Living Social).  Today you can earn a $3 credit when you sign up here for a new DealPulp account!  You can then turn around and invite friends through your referral link on your account and give them a $3 Credit as well!  How it works!

    • Sign up here on DealPulp = $3 Credit from me!
    • Share your referral link with a friend by visiting today’s deal and clicking “invite.”
    • When your friend signs up for a DealPulp account = they receive $3 Credit from you!
    • You can help friends gain credits!

    This deal ends in less than 20 hours.  It costs nothing to sign up and you can use your $3 towards a future purchase at DealPulps.  I have received several great deals at DealPulp already!  The last two DealPulp deals I have purchased were $1 each therefore you could potentially get three unique deals for $1 each just for signing up and sharing.  In the spirit of sharing with others please feel free to post your referral code in a comment below so we can help others get their credits as well!

  • Recipe: Friendship Bread

    A friend, Jan Thornton, gave me my first Friendship Bread at my bridal shower and it was delicious.  I have always wondered about the starter for that recipe then a couple years ago Jake’s cousin Mandy gave me another starter recipe.  Here’s the starter recipes as well as the steps you need to follow to make the Friendship Bread:

    • 1 (.25 ounce) package Active Dry Yeast
    • 1/4 cup warm Water (approximately 110 degrees)
    • 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
    • 1 cup granulated white Sugar
    • 1 cup Milk

    Dissolve yeast in water and let stand for 10 minutes. In a non-metal bowl combine flour and sugar. Mix thoroughly. Slowly stir in the milk and dissolved yeast mixture. Cover the bowl loosely and let stand until batter is bubbly.  Do not refrigerate batter.

    1. Consider this Day 1 of the 10 day cycle. Leave loosely covered at room temperature or store in a ziplock bag.
    2. Day 2 – Squeeze Bag
    3. Day 3 – Squeeze Bag
    4. Day 4 – Squeeze Bag
    5. Day 5 – Squeeze Bag
    6. Day 6 – Add 1 cup of Sugar,  1 cup of Flour, and 1 cup of Milk and Mix in a Non-Metal Bowl
    7. Day 7 – Squeeze Bag
    8. Day 8 – Squeeze Bag
    9. Day 9 – Squeeze Bag
    10. Day 10 – Add 1 cup of Sugar,  1 cup of Flour, and 1 cup of Milk and Mix in a Non-Metal Bowl

    Scoop out 4 (1 cup) portions for of the starter mixture and put each cup in a separate ziplock bag.  Give 3 of the bags to friend and keep one for your family.  With the left over starter mixture add the following ingredients:

    • 1 cup Oil
    • 1/2 cup Milk
    • 3 Eggs
    • 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla

    Mix together thoroughly then add the remaining ingredients to the mixture:

    • 2 cups Flour
    • 1 cup Sugar
    • 1 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
    • 2 teaspoons Cinnamon
    • 1 large box of Vanilla Instant Pudding
    • Optional Items to Add – 1 cup nuts, Chocolate Chips, Coconut, Raisins and more!

    Mix the dough thoroughly then divide into two greased loaf pans.  Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour.

    Once you have made the starter (the 1 cup you kept for your family) you can consider it Day 1 and proceed to Day 2 the next day.  One of the problems I encountered the last time I did this recipe is that before long you have more Friendship Bread then you can give away.  If you are getting too much and want a break from doing Friendship Bread for a couple weeks you can freeze the starter batch measured out into 1 cups for later use.  The frozen starter bread will take at least 3 hours at room temperature to thaw before using.  This gives you the ability to always have it to restart but also an opportunity take a break for a little bit too!  Just remember to pull it out and start the process since it takes several days if you are planning on using it on a specific day!  You’ve hear the saying that “Good things come to those who wait…..”  this friendship bread is so delicious it is always worth the wait!

    Photo by Binder of Daemons

  • Life Simplified: Hosting in Our Home

    One of my goals in 2011 is to simplify my life more by enjoying the blessings and not wasting what God has given us.  I have been sharing with you the successes and challenges on those specific areas in my life as I go through them.  One of the areas I am working on is making the best use of my time.  While spending time hosting family and friends in our home is important to me I must also make sure there is time on the schedule to spend with my immediate family.  The girls are growing up fast and the times we have together are precious.  In order to make sure I don’t go overboard I am setting a goal for myself and asking for your help to keep me in line.

    Here are the current challenges I am working on:

    Explanation of the Goal: As a family of four we LOVE hosting people in our home!  We are blessed to have a home to share with family and friends  whether it is for a party, game night or just to hang out together.  I would probably host a get together several times a week if we had the time, money, and energy to do it.  Part of learning how to simplify my life is making decisions on what to do with my time.  Hosting typically requires time for cleaning, cooking, prepping, and/or decorating for guests.  It is my goal to host at least one other family in our home once a month but no more than four.  When I spend time hosting that means I must give up some for something else.  Having up to 4 hosting events in our home means that there will be time to spend together as a family of four.  I want my girls to have the experience of hosting even at a young age.  Sharing our home and their toys is a valuable skill they can learn at an early age, but they like anyone, need a time to relax and refresh.

    We have already started working on this goal.  We had 3 families of three over in the month of January.   February is a busier month in our household not because of Valentine’s day but because we will be hosting the girls birthday party.  One of the many benefits to having twins or higher multiples is their birthday parties hit at the same time.  Brina and Karlie’s birthday party will be our major event this month and we have at least one other hosting event already on the schedule.

    I will share with you the challenges, successes, and updates as I go through this journey so you can keep me accountable or even go through it with me by participating  and sharing your story. Taking the extra time to invest in the lives of others is important to our family.  I hope that we have been able to host many people in our home without going over board.  It is important to me to make time for my family on the weekends as well as the people around us!

    Life Simplified is a series on getting rid of the extras in our life while learning how to enjoy what God has given us so we can continue to be a blessing to others.  Our homes can quickly start are bursting with “stuff”  and if you are like us we just have too much.  I am doing a series on ways we are learning to simplifying our food, homes, and lives.  When our hearts, lives, and homes get too cluttered we may start missing out on opportunities to serve and bless the people around us.

    Photo by MaryTClark

  • Life Simplified: Meal Delivery

    Dessert tray we delivered to a family!

    Every new year we set goals, challenge ourselves to reach new heights and to focus on what’s really important in life.  In 2011 I have made it a goal to simplify my life more by enjoying the blessings and not wasting what God has given me.  I will be sharing with you the successes and challenges on those specific areas in my life as I go through them.  I have already shared with you my 1st Life Simplified Goal of No Grocery Shopping for the month of January.  One of the most rewarding blessings in life is sharing what you have with others.  My second Life Simplified Goal goes along with that piece.

    My 2nd Life Simplified Goal:

    • Deliver 1 Meal a Month to a family outside of our household

    Explanation of the Goal: In 2010 I signed up to deliver meals to new Moms after they came home from the hospital, people who had surgery and various other volunteer opportunities.  There were a couple months I didn’t do any meals and other months I had several extra meals to prepare.  For example, in December I had 4 extra meals to prepare and deliver outside of our home before the week of Christmas, some of them being over an hour away, plus we had a Christmas Eve party at our house and guests staying with us for a week.  While I enjoy the blessing of helping others I need to work on saying “No” once I have met my limit.  After much prayer and talking with my husband we have decided it would be best for our family if I would stick to 1 meal delivery a month.  Once I have delivered a meal in a month I will have to say no to any additional inquiries.  There are so many people out there that need help, however, I have to decide what is best for our family too.  I want the girls to continue participating in these amazing acts of service and having a limit will give us the freedom to continue to do it without putting our family in a spot we are over our budget. I think with all the people in our church and community that if everyone did just one meal a month for someone needing a meal there would even be extra to go around.

    I will continue to deliver meals for people once a month.  Below are the opportunities that I am currently and will continue to be involved in:

    • Moms with Newborn Babies
    • People coming home from Surgery
    • Death in the Family
    • Other Volunteer Needs for Meal Delivery

    I have a hard time saying “no” to someone in need but in order for me to have the opportunity to continue ministering to others in this way I need to stick to the goal as well as respect my husband in his decision to help me with this area I love to volunteer.  I will share with you the challenges, successes along the way so you can keep me accountable or you can even go through the journey with me by participating  and sharing your story.

    Life Simplified is a series on getting rid of the extras in our life while learning how to enjoy what God has given us so we can continue to be a blessing to others.  Our homes can quickly start are bursting with “stuff”  and if you are like us we just have too much.  I am doing a series on ways we are learning to simplifying our food, homes, and lives.  When our hearts, lives, and homes get too cluttered we may start missing out on opportunities to serve and bless the people around us.

  • Recipe: Berry Shortbread Dreams

    I made these after our Christmas Baking Day for another event.  They are a super delicious treat for those looking for a fruity shortbread cookie to share this Holiday season.  I got this recipe originally from 2002 Taste of Home Annual Recipes and have done it several times with different flavors of jams, all of the ones I have tried have been awesome.  Chose a flavor that you enjoy for this recipe, we picked raspberry because it is one of our favorites.

    Berry Shortbread Dreams

    • 1 cup Butter, softened
    • 2/3 cup Sugar
    • 1/2 teaspoon Almond Extract
    • 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
    • 1/3 to 1/2 cup Seedless Raspberry Jam

    1.  In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar.  Beat in extract; gradually add flour until dough forms a ball.  Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle.

    2.  Preheat oven to 350° F.

    3.  Roll into 1 inch balls.  Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets.  Using the end of a wooden spoon handle, make an indentation in the center.  Fill the center with jam.

    4.  Bake for 14 to 18 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.  Remove and cool on wire racks.  Spoon additional jam into the cookies if you want.

    GLAZE

    • 1 cup Confectioner’s Sugar
    • 2 to 3 teaspoons of Water
    • 1/2 teaspoon Almond Extract

    Mix ingredients and drizzle over cookies slightly cooled cookies.  This recipe makes about 40 cookies.

    Photo by Taste of Home

  • Gift Giving: Delivering Christmas Goodies to Neighbors

    Brina & Karlie Delivering Christmas Gifts to our Neighbors

    We had a blast on our Christmas Baking day last weekend but I think the biggest joy came when we delivered the goodies to our neighbors.  Once the girls realized that we were not giving every morsel of the baking goodies away they were excited to share.  I think they were worried that we did all the baking and they wouldn’t be able to taste any of it.  Although, they definitely got their share of sampling the day of the event.

    Sunday afternoon we put the baked items into gift bags, added a photo mug of the girls full of candy, put in a Christmas Card with the traditional annual picture we give to the neighbors, and tied the packages with ribbons to deliver.  The girls got bundled up in their coats and mittens to help me deliver the goodies.  We have 6 neighbors on our street.  Most of our neighbors are retired couples that enjoy seeing the girls and getting their annual card with a picture.  I found out the hard way the one year how much the yearly pictures meant to our neighbors when we didn’t give out Christmas pictures and one of our neighbors showed me her refrigerator with pictures of the girls from every Christmas.  Oops!

    Karlie carrying the next gift!
    Brina rang the doorbell!

    It was cold and windy day delivering the goodies but our street is pretty small and we were so excited about handing out the presents to those on our street.  Only 3 of the 6 neighbors were home or answering their doors on a Sunday afternoon.  We headed back out on Monday to hand deliver the rest of the goodies, but it wasn’t until later in the week we were able to successful hand deliver all our treats to the neighbors.

    The amazing blessing came when we delivered the presents.  Seeing the smiles, joy and gratefulness on the faces of our neighbors made it worth all the time and energy it took to put together the packages.  It is a wonderful blessing being able to share with others.  Not to mention it opens doors into the lives and hearts of those on the street near you.  We look forward to more opportunities to share with our neighbors.

  • Recipe: Peanut Butter and Candy Cane Cookie Cups

    These are super easy and add fun to the any meal or snack.  We made these during our Christmas Baking Day.  I remember first making these yummy treat when I was in high school.  It is one of the easy recipes that I continue doing because they are such a hit with family and friends. It is basically a sugar cookie dough baked in a mini muffin pan with a Peanut Butter Cup or Candy Cane Kiss added at the end once it has started to cool.

    Peanut Butter & Candy Cane Cookie Cups

    • 1 package (18 ounces) refrigerator Sugar Cookie Dough OR here is our recipe for Sugar Cookie Dough if you want to make it from scratch.
    • All Purpose Flour (optional)
    • 12 unwrapped Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
    • 12 unwrapped Hershey’s Candy Cane Kisses

    1.  Preheat oven to 350° F.

    2.  Grease 24 (1 inch) mini muffin cups or you can put them directly into a greased mini muffin pan.

    3.  Make Sugar Cookie Dough according to directions or if you have purchased it from the store unwrap it.  Sprinkle the dough with a little flour to minimize sticking (if necessary).

    4.  Use a small cookie scoop or spoon to drop about 1 rounded tablespoon into each of the 24 mini muffin cups.

    5.  Bake at 350° F for 8 to 10 minutes.  Remove from oven. Let cool for about 5 minutes.  If you do not let it cool long enough the Peanut Butter Cups and Candy Cane Kisses will melt completely, you want them to remain recognizable. Press the 12 unwrapped Reese’s Peanut Cups and 12 unwrapped Hershey’s Candy Cane Kisses into the mini sugar cookies.  You should have half Peanut Butter and half Candy Cane.  Let cool for an additional 5 to 10 minutes then gently remove them from the pan and place on a decorative dish or wrap in a pretty bag to give to family and friends.