Ruth Soukup's Blog, page 84

Thrifty Thursday {Week 103}

Happy Thursday, and Happy April!  Have you started your spring cleaning yet?  Be sure to check out our special offer this week from ePantry, which expires on Saturday! It includes a Free Mrs. Meyer’s Hand Soap, $10 Product Credit, and free shipping for first-time orders! You can get all the information right here!

Also, don’t forget that from now until April 14th, we are giving one scholarship per week to our spring session of Elite Blog Academy, which means you might have a chance to attend for FREE!  You can enter to win HERE. (Don’t worry–you only have to enter once to be entered into all remaining drawings!)

In other news, our Secret 13 Essay Contest finalist this week was Jennifer. You can read her journey here.

Here are the most clicked links from last week:

1. Always Learning { Stretching Her Husband’s Hard Earned Income }
2. The Frugal Farm Wife { The $20 Meal Plan }

3. Financially Wise on Heels { Mom’s 22 Tricks How to Save at The Grocery Store }

4. My Mothermode {Surviving and Thriving as a Single Income Family}

5. Budget Loving Military Wife {Do Your Frugal Habits Actually Save You Money?}

6. Frugal Family Home {Easy Ways to Stock the Freezer}

7. A Cultivated Nest {7 Money Saving Principles}
8. A Mind Full Mom {10 Foods You Think are Healthy But Are Not}
9. Graceful Little Honey Bee {30 Items You Can Make at Home to Save Money}
10. Life’s Sweet Ride {My Less Than $200 a Month Grocery Plan}
 
Never linked up before? Here’s how:

Scroll down, find the little blue “Add your Link” Button and click on that.
Follow the instructions on the next page – add a great image of your project and an interesting title. Make sure you link to the direct page of your budget friendly post – not the main page of your blog!
Try to visit at least a few other blogs at the party. Be sure to leave a comment to let them know you stopped by!
Please link back to this post somehow. There are badges available here; a simple text link is just fine too.

Feel free to tweet about Thrifty Thursday so others can join the fun, and don’t forget to check back here Sunday morning to see which posts have been featured this week at Weekend Wandering!

If this is your first time here I also invite you to check out my blogging guide, How to Blog for Profit (Without Selling Your Soul).  It is a fantastic resource if you are interested in building your blog, getting more traffic, or learning how to monetize!  Or, if you have read the book and are still looking to take your blog to the next level, I encourage you to check out Elite Blog Academy.

An InLinkz Link-up

Pin It

The post Thrifty Thursday {Week 103} appeared first on Living Well Spending Less®.

Deviled Eggs with Bacon

My husband is not really a recipe guy, but there are a few things that he makes better than anyone else on the planet.  The first is omelets.  The second is grilled cheese sandwiches.  And the third is deviled eggs.

He says the secret is in their simplicity–less is more (especially when it comes to mustard!) In any case, they are absolutely delicious.  And I figured, since most of us will have a sudden influx of hard-boiled eggs to contend with this weekend, this would be the perfect time to share his top secret recipe.

As a side note, the bacon is optional but highly recommended!  If you are planning to add it, be sure to check out our instructions for quick & easy no-mess bacon!

Here is what you need:

18 eggs
1 teaspoon spicy mustard
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1/2 cup mayonnaise + 1 tablespoon
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
dash of cayenne pepper or paprika
cooked bacon
 

Step 1:  Place eggs in pot; cover with water. Bring water to a rolling boil and boil for 9 minutes.

Step 2: Run cold water over eggs until cool enough to touch; drain water from pot.  Shake pot vigorously to crush the egg shells.

Step 3: Peel eggs under running water; dab dry with paper towel.

Step 4: Cut eggs in half lengthwise; gently scoop yellow yolks into medium size bowl.

Step 5: Mix in mayonnaise, mustards, and spices. mash well with fork.

Step 6: Spoon mixture into quart size ziplock bag. Cut small hole in corner and squeeze out mixture into egg white halves.

Step 7: Sprinkle with paprika or cayenne pepper and add bacon to the top.

 

    Print This!    




Recipe: Best Ever Deviled Eggs with Bacon

Summary: This classic recipe is updated with everyone’s favorite BACON!

Ingredients

18 eggs
1 teaspoon spicy mustard
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1/2 cup mayonnaise + 1 tablespoon
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
dash of cayenne pepper or paprika
cooked bacon



Instructions

Place eggs in pot; cover with water. Bring water to a rolling boil and boil for 9 minutes.
Run cold water over eggs until cool enough to touch; drain water from pot.
Peel eggs under running water; dab dry with paper towel.
Cut eggs in half lengthwise; gently scoop yellow yolks into medium size bowl.
Mix in mayonnaise, mustards, and spices. mash well with fork.
Spoon mixture into quart size ziplock bag. Cut small hole in corner and squeeze out mixture into egg white halves.
Sprinkle with paprika or cayenne pepper and add bacon to the top.

Preparation time: 3-5 minutes

Cooking time: 9 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 36

 

Pin It

The post Deviled Eggs with Bacon appeared first on Living Well Spending Less®.

From Messy to Miracle (Secret 13 Essay Contest Finalist)

Living Well Spending Less: 12 Secrets of the Good Life shares 12 secrets for seeking—and finding—the Good Life in our day to day lives. From time management and goal-setting to managing our homes and finances, these practical and concrete strategies can help each of us discover a life rich with purpose. Even so, a life well lived is not so much about what we have as who we are, and ultimately each one of us holds the key to our own secrets. Secret 13 is the truth that YOU have uncovered as you discover your own Good Life. 

Each week for 12 weeks we will select one finalist’s essay to feature here at Living Well Spending Less. At the end of the 12 weeks, Living Well Spending Less readers will vote on their favorite #Secret13 story, and the essay with the most votes will win a 7 day cruise for 4 on the Carnival Sunshine! Today’s post is our eleventh finalist in the Secret 13 Essay Contest. For more inspiring Secret 13 stories, be sure to check out our Blog Tour!

My name is Jennifer Sikora and I blog at Jen’s Journey. I have been married to my high school sweetheart for 21 years and have two amazing young adults that i get to call my children.

This is the story of how God turned my messy married life into the miracle that it is today. I am praying that one day, I will share this story in full completion between the pages of a book. Here is my condensed version of how God saved my life and my marriage.

I entered this contest because our family has always wanted to go on a cruise, but more than that, I wanted to share our story with you so that if one person is going through what I went through, they will know that sometimes — things work out. For me, this story is about sharing with other women on never giving up on a dream — ever. 

*    *    *

I gave my heart to Christ when I was only 25 years old. At that time, I was a hot tempered redhead with a mouth to match. During my lifetime, I had developed the attitude of “no one is going to tell me what to do or how to live” because I was an independent woman who didn’t need anything from anyone.

I got married early in life–at age 19. At the time, I did it because I wanted out of my parent’s house. Rules and discipline were not my cup of tea, so I moved out and got married. Those first seven years of marriage were the worst years of my adult life–honestly. Yes — I look happy, but that is because I liked people to think the best about me. The fact was I did not like marriage or being tied down.

I was not one who liked being told what to do or how to live, so I just kind of rebelled at having to answer to a husband. In fact, I remember thinking–this is not going to work for me. So I did what any sassy and independent woman would do in my marriage. I made everything about me.

I was the most selfish and obnoxious person you would have ever met. I was loud, bossy, a pushover, and I would embarrass you in a heartbeat if I thought you were trying to get over on me–and this is the type of attitude that my marriage was built on and it is exactly what I brought into the marriage. I had the “this is how I am–take it or leave it” kind of personality. It caused a lot of problems for me.

I grew up watching my momma and daddy fighting so I just assumed that this was how a normal and healthy relationship was conducted. I would get in Stephen’s face and dare him to hit me or to challenge me (my husband is 6′ 3″…and I am 5’2″–yeah–I know. Gutsy, huh?). We were constantly doing things to each other to hurt one another.

I felt bored and trapped so my outlet was other men. The sad thing is –he had no clue about it. I honestly think he did not really care that much because he had his own thing going on. His love at that time was fishing. He would go and stay gone all day fishing from dawn until dusk. He drank a lot during those early years–staying drunk on the weekends–working all hours just to stay away from our relationship. I think that was his way of handling the fact that even though we were married we were strangers.

While he was busy doing his own thing, I decided to delve into pornography. It is one of the worst things anyone can do to themselves. It latches on like a leech and is one of the hardest things to break.

While all of this was going on, I simply wanted someone to love me, so I figured a baby would be the answer. Our son came first and with that, I fell madly in love. Three years later our daughter arrived and while most women would love the fact that they had the perfect family, I began to feel suffocated and trapped once again.

I wanted out.  I wanted to be free. 

Then I landed a job for a big company that allowed me the ability to pursue a career in sales. I was told constantly that my job and clients came before my family and it wasn’t long until I started believing that. I treated my work family and my clients better than my own family. My boss made me feel appreciated and loved and respected–something that had been lacking in my marriage.

I left Kayla, Robert, and Stephen at home all the time while I was carted off to Vegas, Florida, and other places. I felt like a princess when I wasn’t at home. My boss would wine and dine me and introduce me to men who wanted nothing more than to give me whatever I wanted. I loved to pretend that I was a someone important who all she had to do was snap her fingers and she could have anyone and anything she wanted.

I started growing close to the men at my job and a few that worked with my husband and before long, my actions caused a marriage to fall and crumble. It hurt me to know that I broke up a marriage.

I hated who I was on the inside and on the outside. I would come home from work and shut myself off from the world, letting my mother in law care for our kids and take care of my home. It was just not something I wanted to be a part of.

The weekend that I decided I was leaving my husband AND kids behind (for another man of course), I was distraught. I was falling apart. My husband and I both were at a place that we were tired of trying, so we went to the only place we had always been told we would find comfort and peace — church.

I don’t know how God broke through that exterior hard shell of mine, but He did and when He got a hold of my heart, He made me fall in love with Him like I had never loved before.

He wooed me and called me to come to Him and when I surrendered to Him completely, the mess that I had made of my life was completely wiped away and in its place He gave me the miracle family I have always dreamed of.

My husband and I are more in love now than we ever were before. We have been happily married for 21 years and I know without a shadow of a doubt if God had not stepped in, we would not be where we are today.

Yes — my husband knows all about my past (you can read my full testimony here). But he chose to love me through it and forgive me. He is the true image of how Christ loves the church.  Grace is bigger than my mess–that’s my Secret 13!

*   *   *

Want to enter for a chance to win an all-expenses paid cruise for four on the Carnival Sunshine?  In 750-1200 words, please share your own Living Well Spending Less® story. It could be a challenge you faced in your own life and the lesson you learned as you overcame it, or a personal story about how something within one of the chapters of Living Well Spending Less: 12 Secrets of the Good Life personally affected or changed you.

Next, send a copy of your essay to secret13@livingwellspendingless.com. Be sure to also include your name and blog name (if you have a blog), as well as a photo of yourself and any other photos you’d like to include.  For more details about the contest and how to enter, please check out our Secret 13 Contest Page!

Pin It

The post From Messy to Miracle (Secret 13 Essay Contest Finalist) appeared first on Living Well Spending Less®.

How to Create a Gallery Wall

Several years ago I wrote this post about the big giant (12’ wide by 16’ tall in the center—in other words, HUGE) wall, the focal point of our great room.  For nearly eleven years now, this space has overwhelmed me with its sheer big-ness.  And so, for most of the time we’ve lived here, I have just left it empty and unfinished.

Even so, I had big dreams.

In my mind I envisioned a gallery wall of family pictures on canvases.  When we had pictures taken last year at the beach, I knew the resulting images were exactly the look and color I was going for.  Even so, the process of figuring out exactly what would work in this oversized space was slightly overwhelming.

And then, in October 2013, I met the amazing Dee from Red Letter Words while at the Allume Conference.  I explained my conundrum and how my fear of doing the wrong thing in this huge space had completely paralyzed me.  She assured me that helping people figure out how to configure their wall space was one of her very favorite things to do, and she promised to help.

Well.  It still took me another year to finally make a decision, but Dee was true to her word.  She helped pick out the pictures to use, and connected me to her husband’s company, Unit Prints, to have them printed larger than life.  She also helped me decide on the scale (big) and suggested the Amazing Grace art to go along with the pictures, since it ties in so perfectly to my own Amazing Grace story.

It all arrived on Christmas Eve, which was pretty much the best Christmas present I have ever received!  The gallery wall has completely transformed the entire room, and I couldn’t possibly love it any more.  It was SO worth the wait!

If you’ve been thinking about creating a gallery wall somewhere in your home, but aren’t quite sure where to begin, I would definitely recommend working with Dee.  She has a great eye and can suggest solutions that you might never come to on your own!  Of course, you will still have to do at least some of the legwork on your own!

Here are six simple steps for creating a gallery wall in your home:

1. Get Inspired

If you’re not even sure what you’re looking for, getting inspired by other people’s brilliant ideas is a great place to start.  I made this inspiration board many years ago, and would look at it often as I was trying to decide exactly what I wanted for my own space.  You might try looking at decorating magazines, or searching on Pinterest.

2. Pick Your Wall Space

Before you can create the perfect gallery wall in your home, you need to know exactly where it is going!  Will you be filling a long narrow hallway?  The wall along a staircase?  The main focal wall of your living room?  The kids’ room or playroom?  The function of the room and the size of the wall will make a big difference in what you decide to do.  Take note of the size and scale of the wall, as well as the general décor of the rest of the room.

3. Decide on a Theme

Once you know where your gallery wall will be placed, it is time to narrow down the specific look you are going for.  Do you want to showcase family pictures or do you want to show off a collection of artwork?  Do you want a simple, monochromatic look or are you interested in something more eclectic, like my friend Edie‘s wall below?  Do you want all frames, all canvases, or a combination of both?  What colors do you want to use?

Collect Your Art, Pictures, & Frames

This is the fun part!  As soon as you’ve decided on the theme or look you are going for, you can start pulling together the appropriate art, pictures, or frames to include in your gallery.  This may mean having pictures printed on canvas or purchasing custom art from a shop like Red Letter Words, like I did in my living room.  (As an aside, UnitPrints.com did an amazing job with our canvas prints! The quality is superb and their prices are very reasonable.)  It may also mean simply “shopping” your home to find pieces that you already have on hand, and then just pulling them together in a new and creative way.

Figure Out Your Arrangement

This is the tricky part—figuring out how to arrange your art in a way that is visually appealing.  The easiest way to do this is to lay everything out on the floor before you hang a single piece.  Move things around until you come up with a layout that is well balanced and easy on the eyes.  Start with your largest pieces as your anchors, then fill in gaps with the smaller pictures.

Hang Your Pictures

My engineer husband would tell you that in order to hang your pictures the right way, you will need picture hangers, a measuring tape, a level, a stud finder, and possibly some screws with drywall anchors.  I’ll be honest and tell you that I hung the pictures in our living room by moving thumbtacks around until they looked about right, and they have held up just fine thus far. You can also check out this tutorial for hanging a gallery wall, which I used for the kid’s artwork display wall in our rainbow family room a few years ago. It worked great.

However nit-picky you decide to get with your hanging, don’t let a fear of getting it wrong prevent you from trying!  You can always change it if you find it doesn’t look right–there are much worse things than a few extra holes in the wall.  (And they are easy to fix!)

*   *   *

A gallery wall is a fun and relatively inexpensive way way transform any room in your home.  All it takes is a little inspiration, a collection of pictures or artwork, and the patience to get it arranged and hung!

Pin It

The post How to Create a Gallery Wall appeared first on Living Well Spending Less®.

ePantry Spring Cleaning Special (Ends April 4th!)

I love this time of year!  Not only does springtime mean great weather and an end to the dreary days of winter, it also means my birthday (tomorrow) AND the perfect excuse to tackle some spring cleaning projects!  After all, it’s no secret around here that I like things clean, or that I’m a big believer in all-natural cleaning products! While I do love making my own green & thrifty cleaning products, I am not ashamed to admit that I do sometimes buy commercial products as well.

One of my very favorite brands is Mrs. Meyer’s. Not only are the bottles SUPER cute (because let’s face it–cute bottles are more fun to clean with!), the scents are amazing!  (Lemon Verbena is my all time FAV!)

Thus, in honor of spring cleaning season AND my birthday, I am super excited to partner with ePantry and offer all Living Well Spending Less readers a Free Mrs. Meyer’s Hand Soap, $10 Product Credit, and free shipping for first-time orders!

So what is ePantry? ePantry is a convenient subscription service, carrying all-natural cleaning products as well as eco-friendly personal care.  It is similar to Amazon Subscribe & Save (which I also love!), but for all-natural cleaning & personal care products.   I originally discovered it through my friend Crystal, and have loved the convenience of having my favorite products shipped right to my door, especially because it helps me avoid needing to get them at Target!  (And we all know what happens when I go to Target!)  You just sign up, answer a few questions, and then create the perfect order schedule for your own needs. 

How to Get This Special Offer:

Sign up HERE. You’ll get a $10 product credit PLUS a free bottle of Mrs. Myers hand soap PLUS free shipping on your first order.
Answer a few easy questions (this takes a couple minutes at the most!) ePantry uses your answers to get a feel for what you like & to suggest products for future shipments.
Customize your basket! Try some new products and old favorites. You can add or remove as many products as you like.
Bring your total to $20.  Including the free hand soap and $10 off, your final total must come to at least $20. The minimum is for first-time orders only.
Finish & Pay. Once you have filled your basket, click Finish & Pay. Your free hand soap and $10 credit will already be included.

EXAMPLE BASKET: I personally think the best value is on the Mrs. Myers and Method cleaning products. I have put together an example basket to show you how to stock up and get each product for less than $2.50 apiece. (All of them normally retail in the $5-7 range!)

(3) Mrs. Meyer’s Hand Soap (1 will be free)
(2) Mrs. Meyer’s Dish Soap
(1) Method Daily Shower Spray (love this stuff!)
(1) Method Daily Wood Cleaner
(2) Mrs. Meyers Multi-Surface Cleaner

With your $10 Living Well Spending Less credit and free hand soap, the total for this basket comes to just $21.36, which is pretty amazing for $50+ worth of products!

NOTE: Just like Amazon’s Subscribe & Save program, if you want to continue receiving shipments, you can choose when you want to receive your next shipment and what you want to receive. You’ll receive an email 7 days before your next shipment is supposed to go out and you can go in and adjust your order or choose to cancel your subscription.

Refer friends and family, get $10 off!  On top of everything else, If you refer friends and family to ePantry, each person you refer will get $10 in credit for their first order! And, more good news! You will also receive $10 in credit for each person who checks out. It’s a win-win!

To top it all off, ePantry has fabulous customer service! They even offer an extra $2 off if you answer the question in the chat box. So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and try it out for yourself!

Pin It

The post ePantry Spring Cleaning Special (Ends April 4th!) appeared first on Living Well Spending Less®.

Weekend Wandering

Happy Weekend! Can you believe Easter is just a week away?  There were a ton of fun Easter recipes & DIY ideas linked up this week which has me feeling very inspired to get hopping on my own plans for the holiday.   Here is what I loved this week:

  *   *   *

First of all, this fun idea for Hard Boiled Egg Carrots from Hungry Happenings is so adorable!

And speaking of adorable eggs, these Hard Boiled Hatching Chicks, also from Hungry Happenings, are pretty stinking cute too!

This Italian Easter Bread from A Grande Life is is festive and beautiful!

I loved these Lemon Bunny Scones from A Mind Full Mom! Perfect for Easter morning!

Busy Mom’s Helper shared her recipe for The Easiest Cinnamon Rolls Ever–these would also be a delicious way to start the day!

These Lemony Marinated Vegetables with Quinoa from My Life Cookbook sounds so fresh and perfect for spring! We just started eating quinoa on a regular basis–such a great source of protein and fiber!

Moving on to the sweeter stuff….this Spring Candy Bark from Three Kids and a Fish looks like a recipe my family would really enjoy!

This recipe for Mini Egg Fudge from Annie’s Noms is super simple and only requires 5 ingredients!

These simple Pretzel Chicks from Simplee Thrifty couldn’t be any cuter….or easier!

Did you know you could make your own Marshmallow Peeps?  This simple tutorial from An Ordinary Housewife actually makes it look pretty easy.

These Washi Tape Eggs from Meatloaf and Melodrama are a fun (and neat) alternative to dyeing eggs!

These Spring Printables from Home Made Interest are free and available in four different colors!

My girls would be all over this cute Bunny Money from Crafty Journal!  Love this idea!

If you’ve been thinking of growing a vegetable garden but aren’t quite sure where to start, The Seasoned Homemaker has a great list of Easy Vegetables that Anyone Can Grow!

These 5 Tips for Saving Money on Easter Baskets from Saving the Family Money are perfect if you are low on cash and time!

Short Cut Saver shares her 8 Ways to Save This Spring. I love the information found in tip # 6!

These 6 strategies to Setting Your Saving Priorities from Creating My Happiness are easy to follow and include free printable worksheets.

Finally, The Budget Mama shares Creative Ways to Pay Off Student Loans that would be a great resource for those graduating in a couple of months!

*   *   *

What did you love this week?

Pin It

The post Weekend Wandering appeared first on Living Well Spending Less®.

10 Simple Habits That Might Just Change Your Life

It’s easy to think of all of the good habits we wish we had: putting money away each month, getting up earlier, working out every day.  As it turns out, setting good habits can be a powerful way to achieve our goals and help keep us focused and organized. Once a good habit is etched our brain, we’ll be much closer to achieving your goals without even thinking about it.

In his book, The Power of Habit, (one of my all time favorites), Charles Duhigg discusses the ways we use habits to achieve the things we want.  He explains that habits require three components—the cue, the reward and the routine. In order to successfully create any automatic response, we have to nail all three.

The cue is simply the circumstances surrounding the habit. Take, for example, brushing your teeth, which you (hopefully) do at least twice a day. Most likely you do it when you wake up and before going to bed. You probably brush in the bathroom. You’re also probably by yourself, or maybe your spouse is there, too. You may be triggered or “cued” to do it because, well, your mouth tastes mucky or you ate something with garlic. Most of us don’t think much about brushing our teeth; we just do it out of habit. We don’t spend hours anticipating the act or even thinking about it at all. It just gets done.

The reward is whatever helps trigger that “muscle memory” or Pavlovian response. In classical conditioning, animals (or humans) are given a cue to perform a task and then rewarded with a treat. Eventually, just the presence of the cue will trigger a response.  Whether it’s habits in budget-keeping, exercise or even dental hygiene, a reward is a mandatory part of the process.  Good habits produce good results.  In our teeth-brushing example, the reward is a clean mouth, a lower dental bill, a lack of mouth pain, and maybe even the fact that you’d rather happily avoid a lecture from your dental hygienist.

The routine is simply putting the cue, the act and the reward together. Once you combine these three components: 1. My mouth feels mucky, 2. I brush my teeth, 3. My mouth feels better—you have the recipe for a good habit.

But here’s the cool part, and the BIG reason creating good habits matters so much:  Habits, once established, use a different part of our brain.  We don’t have to think about them, we just do them, and they don’t drain our mental energy.  Thus, the more good habits we can create, the more productive, happier, and successful we can become.

It’s a good idea to spend time thinking about what habits you really want to form and identifying what’s most important to you. Journaling or just writing down your future good habits can really help. Here are a bunch of great habits (beyond brushing) to help you be more successful, happier and less stressed. Try applying some of these good habits to your daily life as “starter habits”—and it’s only up from there!

1. Keep Things Tidy

Picking up, keeping things organized, and even just making the bed helps us feel better. It prepares us for visitors, helps us be more efficient, allows for a better night’s sleep, and even helps us get along with our spouse and our children better.

It’s probably not realistic to expect to spend two hours every day cleaning from ceiling to floor. And vacuuming and dusting every single day? Not gonna happen. However, just sweeping through the house, picking up items lying around, cleaning up spills as they happen and rinsing your dishes and putting them in the dishwasher can make a world of difference. Most importantly? It keeps the mess from escalating, which keeps us from lashing out at our husbands and children, or from being angry with ourselves.

Try setting a timer when you’re just starting out forming this habit. Before you go to the bedroom or even before you settle down to watch some television—whatever your nightly routine—go through your house for just 15 minutes. Pick up items, straighten cushions and wipe off counters. Make it a habit to rinse the dish after you eat off it and to make your bed the moment you get up. Your day and attitude will benefit.

2. Get Moving

Successful, happy and productive people have a regular habit of getting in some healthy movement each day. This doesn’t necessarily mean a 5-mile run (unless that’s your thing, of course). Simply taking 20 minutes on your lunch break to do a lap around the block, taking the stairs more often, or even parking your car a little farther away from the grocery store can really add up.

If you have a difficult time making moving a habit, there are many apps and devices to help. Check out a fitness tracker, like Fitbit or Nike+ FuelBand. Many fitness trackers can be set to vibrate every hour or less to remind you to stay active. This doesn’t mean you need to work out every half hour or anything. Just move: getting up to get a glass of water or taking a quick jaunt to the copier can add more movement into your life. Make movement a habit.

3. Choose Gratitude

One habit that can definitely change your perspective almost immediately is to become intentional about choosing an attitude of gratitude. Universally, successful people are able to identify the positive things in their life and show appreciation for them. When I was having a particularly difficult time with a loved one, a friend told me to sit down and make a list of everything I appreciated about that person. Whenever I was frustrated or angry with them, I would revisit that list.  As silly as it sounds, it really did help.

Focusing on what you’re grateful for helps build an appreciation for what you have. It helps us feels blessed, so we can find beauty in life’s ordinary moments. When things are going wrong, remaining thankful helps us refocus on all the things going right.

Make a habit of identifying 3 things every day that you’re grateful for. This can be as simple as eating a yummy breakfast, hearing from a friend, or sleeping in a warm bed at night. If you focus on these 3 items each day and list them out every morning in your journal (or on your phone or anywhere you can easily revisit often), you’ll be amazed at how much you have to be happy about.

4. Stay Hydrated

By now we’ve all heard the many benefits of drinking water: more energy, clearer skin, better digestion.  Of course that doesn’t mean we always follow through.  Why not make it a habit to drink a glass of water first thing every morning, or to more water throughout the day? It’s not so much that you need to count your 8 glasses like a punishment, but think of it as a great way to fuel your body.

Dehydration can make us feel hungry, tired and cranky. We eat more, we make poor choices, and we tend to reach for unhealthy beverages (like soda) when we’re dehydrated. Carry a water bottle with you and refill it when you can. Think of how amazing it is that we have access to water nearly all day, every day. There are many places in the world where water is a precious commodity—where water is carried in, tightly conserved, and even fought over. We are so blessed every time we’re able to fill a water bottle with clean, drinkable, fresh H2O whenever we want. Drink it and appreciate it!

5. Plan Your Days

People who are successful plan it that way. They write down appointments (and keep them), utilize a daily task list, and use their calendars as a map toward achieving their goals.

For each to-do item, find a time on your calendar and write it in. Scheduling time for things like exercise, housekeeping, cooking and leisure time can feel a little funny at first, but once it becomes a habit, it’s a great way to get an overall view of your week. Scheduling helps you manage your time wisely, so you can maximize your “rewards” and anticipate your family’s needs.

One great habit to get into is the habit of looking over your calendar and write out your to-do list right before you go to bed.  You can go to sleep knowing you have a plan for the next day, and often your subconscious will work out solutions to problems in your sleep.

6. Put Your Family First

Strengthening family relationships and considering the needs of your spouse and your children is one of the most important factors in any decision. In today’s culture, we talk a lot about “the life you want” and success of the “Me.” We also see a lot of unhappy marriages and a lot of divorce. These things are not always related, of course, but putting the needs of another person before your own really does make a difference.

I’m not saying to be a doormat or to always cave to the demands of your children, but I am saying that in every decision, make it a habit to consider, “Will this keep my children safe, happy and secure? Will this keep my spouse safe, happy and secure, and strengthen our relationship?” If you make it a habit to carefully and purposefully ask these questions first, before jumping into a decision, your entire family will benefit.

Make family time a priority and make your children a priority. Before you commit to another activity or jam another thing into an already packed schedule, be certain you’re not overriding the needs of those closest to you. Every marriage needs a little one-on-one time, a date night, or some romance to keep that spark alive. Say I love you and mean it—but also make it a habit.

7. Get Up Early

I’m an early-riser. It’s not so much that I’m a morning person, per se, but I find that if I want to achieve everything I set out to do on any given day, getting up early gives me time to get started. It gets me going before I’m faced with family needs and sets the tone and foundation for a successful day.

Set your alarm for the same time every day. Even on weekends. Want to get in the habit of getting up earlier? If you determine the best time and work back in ten-minute increments per week, you’ll be getting up earlier in no time. Get to bed at a similar time each night and if you need more sleep, get to bed earlier (rather than sleeping later). Don’t rob tomorrow of success to fit in another chapter tonight. Instead, put it away until later and let your body get the sleep you need.

This can be one of the most difficult habits to start, but once you do, you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it sooner. Early-risers are more productive and find more time to address problems at the start rather than playing catch up all day long. Even ten extra minutes in the morning can mean getting out the door on time and in an organized manner.

8. Prepare for Success the Night Before

Similar to getting up early, preparing before bed helps us get a jump on tomorrow. Make it a habit to put out your clothes for tomorrow, be sure lunch is ready to take, and prepare anything you’ll need for breakfast and lay it out the night before. What takes 10 or 15 minutes before bed can take 20 or 30 amidst morning chaos.

Make sure backpacks are ready to go, keys are on the counter and everything is in place for tomorrow’s success. If you make it a habit to be proactive and prepare for what lies ahead, you’ll head off any glitches in the morning. (We all know lost keys can absolutely devastate a schedule and a morning!)

9. Rest

While putting your family first is important, this doesn’t mean you should completely forgo your own needs. Truly happy, successful people know when they need to take a break and when they need to nurture themselves.

This doesn’t always have to mean a spa day or a shopping spree. Find little treats or gifts to give yourself throughout the day—savor a cup of coffee, smell it, sip it slowly, and feel the warmth between your hands and the steam on your face. Really think of it as a present. Take the time to focus on it and be mindful.

Connect with a friend for 10 minutes and truly engage in conversation without distraction. Do exercises that you like or go for a walk and admire the world around you. Listen to a song you love or take time to indulge in a magazine, a warm bath, or some long stretches. Savor a piece of dark chocolate or a delicious piece of fruit. Whatever you truly enjoy, take the time to be mindful and give yourself something special. Make this “me time” a habit and do it daily. It can be hard to find time to nurture yourself, but it’s important. Do it without guilt and enjoy it.

10. Mindfully Manage Your Money

One of the top habits of successful people? They’re mindful money managers. Spending can be habitual and automatic. When we get into the routine of swiping a credit card at every whim, it can quickly spiral out of control and become a dangerous mess.

One of the best ways to get in the habit of mindful money management is to take some time off from spending all together. This can be a challenge, but when it’s over, you’ll be amazed at how much more you think before you swipe that card.

Make it a habit to examine your bank account and budget daily. Just 5 minutes a day spent glancing at it and checking that things are going smoothly can catch problems right away. Put your money back in your wallet or place coins in a jar each time you spend. Make it a habit to stash the “extra” change away. Just wait and see how quickly it adds up.

Ditch some of your bad habits and start a few successful habits and you’ll quickly be able to use your valuable brain power and energy on other things. Make these little tweaks to your daily routine until they become a ritual and you’re well on your way to achievement!

Pin It

The post 10 Simple Habits That Might Just Change Your Life appeared first on Living Well Spending Less®.

Thrifty Thursday {Week 102}

Happy Thursday! I hope you are having a fantastic week!  Mine has been a whirlwind so far, but that is pretty much par for the course!  It has suddenly sunk in for me that my next book is due in just a few weeks and I still have a LOT of work to do, which has me feeling very motivated!  Nothing like a little pressure to get things rolling!

Don’t forget that from now until April 14th, we are giving one scholarship per week to our spring session of Elite Blog Academy, which means you might have a chance to attend for FREE!  You can enter to win HERE. (Don’t worry–you only have to enter once to be entered into all four remaining drawings!)

In other news, our Secret 13 Essay Contest finalist this week was Sierra. You can read her journey here.

Here are the most clicked links from last week:

1. Laura Sue Shaw { 5 Powerful Ways to Save }
2. Six Figures Under { Things I Won’t Buy Secondhand }

3. Thrifty Little Mom { The Just How Frugal are You Quiz }

4. The Budget Mama {3 Things Bloggers Should Stop Doing}

5. MBA SAHM {18 Lifestyle Upgrades that Everyone Should Own}

6. Frugal Debt Free Life {15 Money Saving Kitchen Tips}

7. Snail Pace Transformations {41 Websites & Apps Thrifty People Use to Save Money}
8. Frugally Blonde {5 Tricks to Stop Clutter}
9. A Cultivated Nest {Debt Success Stories}
10. Vickie’s Kitchen and Garden{My Frugal Ways This Week}
 
Never linked up before? Here’s how:

Scroll down, find the little blue “Add your Link” Button and click on that.
Follow the instructions on the next page – add a great image of your project and an interesting title. Make sure you link to the direct page of your budget friendly post – not the main page of your blog!
Try to visit at least a few other blogs at the party. Be sure to leave a comment to let them know you stopped by!
Please link back to this post somehow. There are badges available here; a simple text link is just fine too.

Feel free to tweet about Thrifty Thursday so others can join the fun, and don’t forget to check back here Sunday morning to see which posts have been featured this week at Weekend Wandering!

If this is your first time here I also invite you to check out my blogging guide, How to Blog for Profit (Without Selling Your Soul).  It is a fantastic resource if you are interested in building your blog, getting more traffic, or learning how to monetize!  Or, if you have read the book and are still looking to take your blog to the next level, I encourage you to check out Elite Blog Academy.

An InLinkz Link-up

Pin It

The post Thrifty Thursday {Week 102} appeared first on Living Well Spending Less®.

Honey Sesame Chicken

As you all probably know by now, my personal theory is that you can never have too many quick & easy freezer meals ready to go, especially ones that use budget-friendly chicken!  If you haven’t started using these quick & easy cheater freezer recipes, you are definitely missing the boat.  I honestly don’t know what we would do without them!

This flavor packed honey sesame chicken earned rave reviews from both my husband AND kids; in fact, my husband declared it one of his new favorites, which is saying something!  To make it as part of a freezer cooking day, just split the sauce & chicken into multiple bags, then throw it right into the freezer–no cooking required!  Making it ahead of time is not necessary, though, as it is equally delicious just marinated at room temperature.

You can use any type of chicken but my family much prefers the boneless, skinless chicken thighs, which are a darker, juicier meat and also tend to be cheaper than the boneless skinless breasts.

Here is what you need:

3-4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 large onion
1 bunch green onions
6 cloves garlic
1/2 cup honey
1/2  cup soy sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
sesame seeds (for cooking day)

Step 1: Chop onion and green onions; set aside.

Step 2: Mince garlic; set aside

Step 3: Mix together honey, soy sauce, ketchup, olive oil, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, onion, garlic and green onions.

Step 4: Divide chicken into 2 gallon size freezer bags ( be sure to label bags first.) Divide honey mixture over top of chicken.

Step 5: Thaw if frozen; pour contents into crockpot. Cook on low for 4-6 hours or on high for 2-3 hours, or place in casserole dish and bake at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until chicken is cooked.

Step 6: Serve over rice; sprinkle with sesame seeds.

 

 

    Print This!    




Recipe: Honey Sesame Chicken

Summary: This super easy and flavorful recipe is sure to be a family favorite!

Ingredients

3-4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 large onion
1 bunch green onions
6 cloves garlic
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
sesame seeds (for cooking day)



Instructions

Chop onion and green onions; set aside.
Mince garlic; set aside.
Mix together honey, soy sauce, ketchup, olive oil, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, onion, garlic and green onions.
Divide chicken into 2 gallon size freezer bags ( be sure to label bags first.) Divide honey mixture over top of chicken.
Thaw if frozen; pour contents into crockpot. Cook on low for 4-6 hours or on high for 2-3 hours, or place in casserole dish and bake at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until chicken is cooked.
Serve over rice; sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Preparation time: 5-7 minutes

Cooking time: 4-6 hours on low or 2-3 hours on high in crockpot

Number of servings (yield): 8

 

 

Pin It

The post Honey Sesame Chicken appeared first on Living Well Spending Less®.

No Mountain Too High (Secret 13 Essay Contest Finalist)

Living Well Spending Less: 12 Secrets of the Good Life shares 12 secrets for seeking—and finding—the Good Life in our day to day lives. From time management and goal-setting to managing our homes and finances, these practical and concrete strategies can help each of us discover a life rich with purpose. Even so, a life well lived is not so much about what we have as who we are, and ultimately each one of us holds the key to our own secrets. Secret 13 is the truth that YOU have uncovered as you discover your own Good Life. 

Each week for 12 weeks we will select one finalist’s essay to feature here at Living Well Spending Less. At the end of the 12 weeks, Living Well Spending Less readers will vote on their favorite #Secret13 story, and the essay with the most votes will win a 7 day cruise for 4 on the Carnival Sunshine! Today’s post is our tenth finalist in the Secret 13 Essay Contest. For more inspiring Secret 13 stories, be sure to check out our Blog Tour!

Hello, from beautiful Colorado Springs, Colorado! My name is Sierra, and I live a small cozy house that has a spectacular view of the mountains. I am married to my handsome lumber jack (I have always wanted to marry a man with a beard), and we are expecting our first baby girl in April. I go back and forth between feelings of complete bliss and feelings of pure panic when I think about becoming a parent. Anyone relate???

I am currently a part-time elementary music teacher who is soon resigning to become a full-time mom. I decided to enter this contest because I am a wanna-be writer, and because my husband and I were actually planning a cruise on the Carnival Sunshine last year but didn’t have the money for it. We had everything booked and then had to back out. Bummer! So I am super excited for this opportunity!

*    *    *

I think I was always supposed to live among mountains. My name means “jagged mountains” in Spanish. It is a very common name used for mountain ranges, such as the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California.  Most people think my name would help me to scale my mountains. But more often than not, I feel the same way as everyone else does about the “mountains” in my life. They are daunting.

I have never been the most organized and goal-oriented person. I go with the flow, I procrastinate, I let things slide, and I sometimes don’t feel motivated to do the things I need or even want to do. I don’t do routine, and I don’t do boring. Both of these two seem to go together in my mind.  Following a schedule and developing good habits with my time has always seemed like an impossible task—like scaling a big scary mountain. I often waste time on Pinterest and Facebook because doing the things on my list feels too overwhelming. I have searched for a “cure” to my personality my whole life. But I searched in vain…until I came upon Ruth’s book Living Well, Spending Less. It was by reading her book that I found out that I need not be ashamed of who I am. I need to let the God who made me guide me over the mountains that He purposely put in my path.

I picked up the book thinking it would cure me of my bad habits and help me overcome the fear of the “mountains” that have been building up in my daily life. When I started LWSL, I related to many of the experiences and thoughts Ruth mentioned in her struggle for contentment and living well. My eyes filled with tears because I saw my name so clearly on the pages. Ruth’s words are chosen very carefully, spoken in love and truth. God’s truth radiates off every page—truths I have heard many times before but never really let sink into my heart. I haven’t been cured or changed drastically, but I have been awakened to the truth that I do not have to climb these mountains alone. I was never meant to scale them without the hand of God guiding me along the way.

 

One of the mountains I have faced since before my college years is practicing the piano. Even just mentioning it on this page makes it seem so small compared to most mountains, but it is a huge mountain to me. I do not hate playing the piano, but I get discouraged to practice because it doesn’t come easy for me. I was never a child prodigy at the piano, but I have loved music since I was a toddler. I began college as a music education major with very beginner piano skills, which is a little like starting a journalism degree with poor writing skills.

Throughout college, I struggled to stay motivated to practice both piano and voice (my instrument of choice). Singing is my passion, so I often put more effort into my voice lessons. Many times I received comments from my professors that if I didn’t improve my piano skills, I would not be able to find a job after graduation. The pressure made things worse. Every time I did practice, I felt like I would never be good enough. I eventually gave up and hoped my vocal skills would make up for my lack of piano skills when it came time to look for a job.

College ended, I got married, and I fortunately found a job teaching elementary music. I could get by without playing the piano and the ivories collected dust over the next couple years. It wasn’t until I read Chapter 4, “Written Goals Can Change Your Life” in LWSL that I figured out I had never actually thought of my own reasons for playing the piano.

I realized that playing the piano better would help me fulfill one of my long-term goals. I have wanted to be a professional choir director ever since my high school choir director instilled her love of music into me. I want to get my master’s degree in Choral Conducting so I can direct high school choirs, church choirs, community choirs, and more. Conducting and music are my passion, and one of the requirements for a master’s degree is piano proficiency. The critic in me often tells me I will never be good enough to get into grad school.

While reading Chapter 4, this quote inspired me to take action:

Taking the time to write down your vision of the future not only forces you to self-evaluate and decide what is most important, but it also motivates you to act on those dreams. Writing them down makes them real. And once they are real you can’t ignore them.”

I wrote down my goal to get my master’s degree, and it did suddenly become very real. Practicing the piano mattered. I took Ruth’s advice and wrote down the things I wanted to get done in the morning during my most productive time of the day. One of them is to practice the piano for 30 minutes a day at least 5 days a week. I started following my plan, and my piano time suddenly became very important. I would get up earlier in order to make time for this important step towards my long-term goal. No longer am I practicing out of fear. Now I am practicing because I have a goal to reach and a dream to fulfill. And hopefully, when the time is right, I will be prepared for the piano proficiency requirement for a master’s degree.

God gave me the dream to become a choir director and receive my master’s degree. He won’t make me climb this mountain alone. He will show me the right paths to take along the way and help me over any obstacles that may try to stop me.

More often than not, my mind is my own worst obstacle. There are still days where practicing feels like too much, and I would rather do something easier. There are days where I don’t know if it will be worth the effort in the end.On those days, I go back to my notebook and reread the goal I wrote down. If I get into the habit of sitting down on the ground every time it feels too hard, I will never reach the peak and see the beauty on the other side of the mountain. I want to feel the wind of relief and the sunshine of a job well done when I reach the top.

Sometimes the most worthwhile things in life are the ones that take the most effort. So if you ever drive into my neighborhood, I hope you hear me plunking out my piano exercises from the keyboard in my basement.  Then I hope you look at the Rocky Mountains towering above my beloved city and remember my Secret 13–that no mountain is too high to climb when you have the Creator of those purple mountain majesties by your side.

*   *   *

Want to enter for a chance to win an all-expenses paid cruise for four on the Carnival Sunshine?  In 750-1200 words, please share your own Living Well Spending Less® story. It could be a challenge you faced in your own life and the lesson you learned as you overcame it, or a personal story about how something within one of the chapters of Living Well Spending Less: 12 Secrets of the Good Life personally affected or changed you.

Next, send a copy of your essay to secret13@livingwellspendingless.com. Be sure to also include your name and blog name (if you have a blog), as well as a photo of yourself and any other photos you’d like to include.  For more details about the contest and how to enter, please check out our Secret 13 Contest Page!

Pin It

The post No Mountain Too High (Secret 13 Essay Contest Finalist) appeared first on Living Well Spending Less®.