Ruth Soukup's Blog, page 91

Thrifty Thursday {Week 92}

Happy Thursday! I hope you are all having a fabulous week!  The month of January can definitely be a cold and dreary time, but I have also found that it is a great time to get re-focused and re-inspired!  I’m super excited about this free mini course happening right now, called 4 Steps to Rediscover Your Inner Creative Genius.  You can sign up here to have the 4 part course sent straight to your inbox, but don’t wait–it will only be available until January 20th!

In other news, our Secret 13 Essay Contest finalist this week was Claire from A Little CLAIREification. You can read her heart-wrenching story here.  Be sure to check it out–it is SO inspiring!  There is still plenty of time to submit your own entry for a chance to win an all expenses paid cruise for four on the Carnival Sunshine, so be sure to check out all the details HERE!

 

Here are the most clicked links from last week:

1. The Beautiful Useful Project  { Get Rid of It! Easy, Quick Tasks to Help You Banish the Clutter }
2. Family Balance Sheet { How We Cut $300 From our Monthly Budget }

3. Snail Pace Transformations { 52 Weeks to a Simplified Home }

4. Frugally Blonde {7 Ways I Saved Money in December}

5. A Life in Balance {5 Ways I Stay Organized Each Week}

6. Graceful Little Honey Bee {6 Healthy Freezer Meals in One Hour}

7. Faith Filled Food for Moms {Let’s Blow the Whistle on Outrageous Grocery Prices}
8. The Coupon High { My Dozen ALDI Staple Items }
9. A Grande Life {Getting Organized When You’re a Hoarder Like Me}
10. A Cultivated Nest {New Ways to Save Money in the New Year}
 
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, and the expanded 2nd edition is now available in paperback!  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

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Bloomin’ Olive Bread

Olives.  Most people either love ‘em or hate ‘em, and in my family there is definitely nothing but LOVE for the round little green and black treats.  My kids literally cannot get enough of them!

During a visit a few months ago, my friend Edie introduced us to the joys of olive bread, something I had never even heard of before.  She made it as an afterthought, a side dish to serve alongside a much more impressive main course, but my family was all about the bread.  In our house, where we favor simplicity, this is good enough to serve as a main course, but it also makes a great party dish to share!

My own version uses a sourdough round, but you could also simply spread the cheese mixture overtop of two halves of a loaf of french bread.

Here is what you need:

1 round loaf of sourdough bread, unsliced
½ 6 oz jar Pimiento-stuffed green olives
½ 6 oz can  black olives
1 bunch green onions 
1/2 stick butter, softened
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 8oz package shredded cheese (I like Mexican blend)
¼ teaspoon pepper

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil so that foil overlaps cookie sheet on all sides.

Step 2: With a sharp bread knife or electric knife, slice loaf almost to the bottom, then rotate bread and slice again as shown.  Be careful not to slice all the way through!  Place loaf on prepared cookie sheet and set aside.

Step 3: Slice olives; set aside.

Step 4: Slice green onions; set aside.

Step 5: In medium bowl, mix together butter, mayonnaise and pepper until well blended.

Step 6:  Mix in olives and green onions.

Step 7: Mix in shredded cheese.

Step 8: Stuff olive mixture into bread, working into all the spaces.

Step 9: Cover loaf with foil.  Bake for 15 minutes.

Step 10: Unwrap loaf.  Bake additional 10-15 minutes, until cheese is melty and bubbly.  Serve immediately.

    Print This!    




Recipe: Bloomin’ Olive Bread

Summary: This super easy semi-homemade bread recipe packs a ton of delicious flavor!

Ingredients

1 round loaf of sourdough bread, unsliced
½ 6 oz jar Pimiento-stuffed green olives
½ 6 oz can black olives
1 bunch green onions
1/2 stick butter, softened
1/4 cup Mayonnaise
1 8oz package shredded cheese (I like Mexican blend)
¼ teaspoon pepper



Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil so that foil overlaps cookie sheet on all sides.
With a sharp bread knife or electric knife, slice loaf almost to the bottom, then rotate bread and slice again as shown. Be careful not to slice all the way through! Place loaf on prepared cookie sheet and set aside.
Slice olives; set aside.
Slice green onions; set aside.
Mix in olives and green onions.
Stuff olive mixture into bread, working into all the spaces.
Cover loaf with foil. Bake for 15 minutes.
Unwrap loaf. Bake additional 10-15 minutes, until cheese is melty and bubbly. Serve immediately.

Preparation time: 5-7 minutes

Cooking time: 25-30 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 8

 

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Olives–do you love ‘em or hate ‘em?

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The Year We Lost Everything (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 second finalist in the Secret 13 Essay Contest. For more inspiring Secret 13 stories, be sure to check out our Blog Tour!

Hi everyone! My name is Claire and I blog over at A Little CLAIREification.  I live in Orlando with my Husband and three boys, even though the oldest is now away at college for the most part.  A little over six years ago we experienced a heartbreaking loss  and, until recently, I was unable to bring myself to write about it.

Feeling like a failure is a powerful thing to deal with.  Coupled with fear and embarrassment it can be paralyzing.  Hitting “publish” on this post was not easy. In fact, it was one of the hardest things I have ever done but I am so thankful that I was finally able to write it down and find the courage to share it.

I am submitting it here in hopes that any one of you that may have gone through something like this will understand you are not alone, and that sharing it is truly part of the healing process.  Also, the idea of winning a cruise for my family is pretty amazing after everything we have been through together and I am so grateful for this opportunity.

Here’s my story…

*    *    *

The Good Life.

I didn’t know what it meant but I used to think we had it.  And then, for a long time, I felt like we had lost it all and that we’d never really have it again.

 It’s taken some years… some time to set some distance between what happened for me to realize that “the Good Life” isn’t at all what we thought it was.

I guess that title sounds a little dramatic – we didn’t lose everything and certainly not the things that really matter.  I know that now, but it was a huge, heart wrenching loss that still hurts some days, nonetheless.

I think now that it’s over 6 years later, I can maybe talk about it.

Our story is so similar to many people who went through the economic crash in 2008, but it’s OUR story and I haven’t told it yet so here goes.

When Mr. Claire and I got married in 1998, all we wanted from our family was money for a down payment for a house.  We were able to buy a little 1920’s 2 bedroom / one bath bungalow in a historic area with a brick street for $85,000 (just typing that makes my head spin) and we only needed $5,000 down.

To call it a “bungalow” is a stretch.  It looked more like a run-down shack.  Throughout the years some of the shortcuts and random “fixes” that had been made before we moved in… well let’s just say this house needed a little more than TLC.

The floor was slightly sloped so the refrigerator door would slam shut whenever you tried to get something out.  At one point someone had decided that covering the original wood siding on the front of the house with large asphalt roofing shingles was a good idea.  There was dingy beige carpeting throughout.

But it was ours.  Our first home.

In fact, when we went on to renovate in 2000, my wood framer looked at me and said “Ma’am, with all due respect, are you sure you don’t want to just tear it down?”.

No, we wouldn’t be tearing it down.  In addition to my job I took on the role of “General Contractor” and, after our architect delivered the signed and stamped blueprints, I cannot tell you how many times I was down at City Hall pulling permits.  It was like my second home.  That and The Home Depot.

We started the renovation in the Summer of 2000 by pulling out a second mortgage based on the final plans. Contractors were hired and draw checks from the bank were printed and made out directly to those contractors.

I loved every bit of this process, mind you.  To try and explain what we did is hard if I want to keep this to less than 4 posts but basically we took an 885 sq foot bungalow, blew out the back and built back and up creating a two story, 3,500 sq ft., 5 bedroom, 3 bath home complete with a beautiful front porch.

Oh the holiday home tours I could do now…

The renovation was exhausting yet marvelous.  I was made for this.  Every little detail. I scoured salvage yards and antique shops and hand picked antique windows and doors.  I drove an hour away to buy an old claw foot tub for the guest bath and found an old Kohler corner pedestal sink on eBay from Texas.

I chose the oak flooring and the tiles. We even incorporated some special tiles we picked up in Edinburgh, Scotland on our honeymoon into the family room floor.  I chose every light fixture and faucet.

Yes, I loved every bit of it and in 2001 when we could FINALLY move back in… well I’ll never forget that day.  It was so beautiful and it was home.

Our two mortgages were wrapped together and the payments were completely reasonable.  Our initial mortgage was only 80K, remember?  Another re-fi in 2004 with a 3 year ARM (adjustable rate mortgage) made the payments even better.

We both still held full time jobs and went on to have two more children and then we decided to open a franchise in 2007 on the recommendation of a friend.  Another second mortgage, a business credit line and another renovation – this time for a new business.  Business was gangbusters for the first 3-4 months.

And then two things happened…

1) Business dropped off sharply because the economy started tanking.

2) A month after we opened the business, our ARM (remember that adjustable rate mortgage I mentioned?) kicked in.  Paired with our new second mortgage to open the business, our home mortgages shot up to about $5,000 a month.

Yes, you read that number correctly.

There was no way to refinance because the market had crashed down around us and we were suddenly upside down owing more than our home was worth.

We managed as best we could for 8 months or so and then… we just couldn’t.  I had never missed a mortgage payment before and it was a terrifying feeling.  If you think nobody cares about you try missing a mortgage payment.

I stopped answering the phone.

Even though we maintained our jobs, with three children and employees to pay we were suddenly drowning.  In the Fall of 2008 I knew we had to walk away from our home.

I didn’t know what to do but I felt I had utterly failed my family somehow and the thought of someone showing up and throwing us out made me sick.  It also meant I couldn’t sleep.

So I got in the car and I drove around with tears streaming down my face just praying that God would lead me to a rental that was in the same school district and downtown area I’d lived in for years.

And He did.  I had almost given up and then I turned down a street I had never been on.  I stopped and called immediately and the owner said the sign had just gone up that morning.  I waited there for him to come and somehow it all worked out.

I spent the next few years trying not to think of what we had lost. “The Good Life”, right?  I went through phases of feeling like a complete failure and honestly there are days I still feel down about it.  But, as it turns out the good life has nothing to do with a house or things we accumulate.

The idea of “The Good Life” for us has changed dramatically.  We have a stable income. We have a roof over our heads.  We have enough to eat. All the essential things and most importantly…

We. Have. Each. Other.

And that, my friends, is what I have learned.  It’s my #Secret13. And now I know I can do, and survive, ALL things… how about you?

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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!

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5 Tips for Taming Your Tongue

Chances are that we’ve all done it at one point or another.  Whether it be during a moment of anger or nervousness or insecurity, we’ve all said something that we later regret or wish we could take back.  We’ve stuck our foot in our mouths or let our words get the best of us.  It’s a sinking feeling, knowing we’ve caused someone else real pain, simply because we couldn’t keep our mouth shut.

The old childhood rhyme says sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.  Unfortunately, we all know that’s not true.  Words do hurt, sometimes deeply.  And whether we’ve been hurt by other people’s words or guilty of using our words as weapons to wound someone else, learning to tame the tongue is an essential skill we could all use practice in every now and then.

My friend Karen wrote about this very subject in her new book, Keep it Shut, which arrived in bookstores last week.  I was lucky enough to be able to read an advanced copy a few months ago, and then I spent some time this past weekend re-reading it again.  It has so many great reminders and practical tips for keeping your mouth in check, and if you haven’t already picked up your copy, I highly recommend it!  The book is jam-packed with wisdom, but here are just five of my favorite tips for taming the tongue:

Choose Grace

Every single day, multiple times per day, we have the option to be frustrated, hurt, irritated, angry, or judgmental about something someone else has done.  It could be that our husband left a mess in the kitchen or that our kids broke our favorite mug or that our best friend didn’t forgot our birthday.  It could be the mom whose child is having a temper tantrum in the grocery store or our sister bragging about her child’s success….again.

And while our default mode might be to feel disappointed or let down, in all of those situations we have the choice to choose grace.  Even when we don’t want to.  Even when they don’t really deserve it.  Especially when they don’t really deserve it.  After all, that’s exactly what grace is–undeserved.

Listen More Than You Speak

Every time I leave home to go to a conference or meeting, my husband kisses me goodbye and says, Remember honey, you have two ears and one mouth.  Be sure to listen twice as much as you speak.  He knows that I tend to get nervous in new social situations, and my nervousness can result in becoming extra chatty.  His little reminder helps me keep my nervous chatter to a minimum and helps me to be more intentional about making sure I am listening to the people around me at least as much as I am opening my mouth to share.

In Keep it Shut, Karen admits that her family sometimes calls her the “Gap Filler,” the one that is always eager and willing to fill any gap or pause in the conversation with words.  She recounts how she has learned, albeit the hard way, that some people need a little more time to collect their thoughts, and just because there is a lull in the conversation, doesn’t mean they are done talking.

Spending more time listening also helps us avoid misunderstandings.  It is easy to jump to the wrong conclusion, especially when we haven’t had a chance to hear all the facts.  While you might often regret speaking too soon, you will never regret taking the time to really listen.

Examine Your Motives

One of the best ways to keep your tongue in check is to examine your own motives behind the words that you feel like saying BEFORE you say them.  I don’t know about you, but I am definitely guilty of becoming ultra critical or snarky towards someone else when the truth is usually that I am feeling jealous or insecure.  I can offer backhanded compliments that are really meant to dig, or even try to puff up one of my own accomplishments in an effort to try to impress the person who I am feeling intimidated by.  Unfortunately, these solutions almost always leave me feeling worse than I did before I said them!  Being in tune with the way I am feeling and my own motivation behind the words I say helps temper what comes out.

Say Nothing

We’ve all heard the old proverb:  If you can’t say something nice, don’t say it at all.  While insincere flattery can get us in almost as much trouble as sharp words or criticism, silence truly is golden.  After all, no one can fault you for words you haven’t said!

Do whatever it takes to keep from blurting out things you might later regret, whether it be literally biting your tongue, or simply counting to 10, 20, or 100 before speaking.

Watch Your Words

Let the words you do speak be sweet like honey.  Ask yourself, before you begin talking, are the words I am about to speak the ones I really want to be remembered for?  Are they encouraging and constructive?  Are they truthful?  Are they kind?  Are they building someone up, rather than tearing them down?  Are they factual?  Are they wise?  Have I listened well?  If the answer to any of these questions is no, consider rephrasing them or not speaking at all.

Chances are we’ve all said something we wished we could take back at some point or another.  Taming the tongue can be a tricky job, and it takes a lot of practice!  Even so, when you focus on giving grace, listening more, examining your own motives, saying nothing when necessary, and really watching the words that do come out, your moments of regret will hopefully be far and few between!

P.S. If taming the tongue is something you really struggle with, I highly recommend picking up a copy of Karen Ehman’s book, Keep it Shut.  From one chatterbox to another, she offers solid, practical advice that you can implement right away!

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How do you keep your words in check?

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Weekend Wandering

Welcome back to Weekend Wandering! I hope your New Year has started off well!  I always love this time of year & I get so motivated to set new goals and try new things!  My biggest goal for this year is BALANCE which for me will probably mean learning to say no more than I say yes, something that is incredibly hard for me!  What is your biggest goal for 2015?  I’d love to hear it!

In other news, this past Tuesday we kicked off our Secret 13 Essay Contest with this powerful entry from Maggie at The Love Nerds.  If you haven’t had a chance to read it yet, be sure to check it out–it is really good!  There is still plenty of time to submit your own entry for a chance to win an all expenses paid cruise for four on the Carnival Sunshine, so be sure to check out all the details HERE!

And now, without further ado, here is what I loved this week:

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First of all, this Easy Chinese Orange Beef from Raspberries in the Rough sounds like the perfect alternative to takeout!

Of course this Shrimp with Lobster Sauce from The Woks of Life is totally calling my name! YUM!!

One of my goals this year is to host more friends for dinner.  This Red Wine-Braised Chicken and Mushrooms from at The Corner of Happy and Harried would be sure to impress!

The Savvy Saving Couple shares their recipe for Chunky, Homemade Heirloom Tomato Soup–the prefect meal to warm you from the inside out!

 Moving onto some foods that can tame that sweet tooth. This Granola Fruit Tart from Home. Made. Interest. will surely satisfy your sweet craving without all the guilt!

These Raspberry Pretzel Parfaits from Kleinworth & Co. could be enjoyed for breakfast, dessert or an after-school snack.

 These Chocolate Liqueur Cupcakes from With a Blast are infused with splash of chocolate liqueur. Yes please!!

 These Chocolate Covered Cherry Shortbread Cookies from Budget Girl look and sound absolutely amazing!

 Moving on to DIY….This super cute 1 Corinthians 13 “Love is” Banner from Christianity Cove is the perfect way to decorate for Valentine’s Day, and could be done in an afternoon!

We loved these 23 Ways to Save on Healthy Foods from Little House Living. My husband would totally agree with tip #22!

Did you know you can Save Money with a Pantry Staples List? Humble in a Heartbeat has 3 easy tips plus a free printable to get you started!

Happy Deal-Happy Day! has a list of 50 Major Brands That will Send You Coupons for Free! What a great resource!

These 5 Tips to Freshen Up Your Wardrobe on a Budget from The Budget Mama are a great way to start off the new year! I hadn’t thought of tip #2 before.

Finally, A Cultivated Nest lists 7 New Ways to Save Money in the New Year. These are great!

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What did you love this week?

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5 Ways to Stay in Shape Without Going Broke

 This is a guest post from Kalyn Brooke of Creative Savings

The New Year has begun and with it, at least for many of us, come resolutions for a better life – the most popular being a new and improved health routine, combined with eating right and finally losing that extra weight. Will this finally be the year of fitness success? We secretly hope so, although by March, most of us have already quit whatever we resolved to start!

Even though I personally make a commitment to stay fit every year, it’s certainly just as easy for me to go days {if not weeks} without exercising. I hate almost all forms of traditional exercise, and I have too much of a sweet tooth to give up sugar indefinitely. Plus, I just don’t want to spend money on things I won’t use, like a monthly gym membership, the latest fitness DVD, or a refrigerator full of clean, organic food that will go bad before I ever figure out a creative way to use them.

But before you deem me entirely hopeless, I have since found a few healthy habits to keep me on the straight and narrow, and the best part is, they don’t cost a thing. So, if living a healthy lifestyle is on your wish list for the new year, keep reading — you won’t want to miss these tips!

1. Keep a Food and Fitness Journal

I’m a notebook and journal junkie, and my most recent splurge is a pretty notebook turned Food and Fitness Journal. With so many things going digital these days, there’s something about the act of writing down food and exercise that helps keep you accountable. Plus, with the notebook sitting right on my desk, I’ll always remember to fill it out!

Right now, I keep track of all the foods I eat, when I ate them, how I felt after eating them, and any exercise or activity I did for the day. I also like to keep track of my sleep patterns and water intake to make sure I’m getting enough.

I used to track calories with My Fitness Pal {and this is still a great digital alternative if you don’t want to go the paper route}, but for now, I’m pretty happy with this method and the way it allows me to record much more information than just calories or weight.

2. Find an Activity You Love

While I wish I could imitate those who love their morning run, the fact is, I’m just not that kind of person. I’ve tried all sorts of couch to 5K programs, and today, I’m finally admitting defeat. I’m not a runner, and that’s okay!

If you’ve had similar thoughts, stop feeling bad about what you don’t like to do, and write down a list of activities that you do enjoy. It could be as simple as an evening walk with the dog, or a few yoga stretches before bed. For a more intense workout, experiment with free videos on Youtube. One of my new favorites is Cassey Ho from Blogilates. She has hundreds, if not thousands, of free videos that range from 6 minute high intensity workouts, or longer 30 minute ones.

I know 6-10 minutes of working out isn’t what the pros always recommend, but doing something is better than doing nothing. And the truth is, if it’s not something you love, you just won’t do it!

3. Read Health and Fitness Blogs

Whenever I’m in a icky healthy rut, I turn to my favorite fitness blogs to get me out of a funk and help motivate me again. Even reading weight loss stories and seeing pictures of the before and after can be so inspiring and push you onboard the health bandwagon again.

Fit Foodie Finds and Eat Yourself Skinny are fantastic blogs that post all sorts of healthy recipes that look, sound and taste amazing, while Don’t Waste the Crumbs is more of a Real Food/Clean Eating blog that teaches you how to eat well on a tight budget.

For more of a Christian view, follow Peak 313. Her Instagram photos are so inspiring, plus she has a lot of fun workout videos, monthly challenges, and nutritious recipes to help curb your cravings. I love her Apple Nachos and make this every time I’m craving a sweet snack!

4. Start a Healthy Living Pinterest Board

To keep track of all the healthy recipes, workout regimens, and inspirational articles to help you along in your fitness journey, start your own Healthy Living board on Pinterest. This is so you have a one-stop shop of ideas to keep you active and eating right, whenever you need to reference a new idea or switch up a routine.

One of my major problems with Pinterest, is pinning things that I want to try, but never get around to doing! Can any of you relate? To change this awful habit of mine, I’m committing to try one new healthy recipe a week. It’s doable, and will help me start going through all those pins I’ve collected. If I like the recipe, I’ll keep it on my board with a comment about how it turned out. But if I didn’t, I’ll ruthlessly delete it so my board isn’t cluttered with pins I won’t ever try again.

Feel free to adopt this idea too — that way, you can always have a running list of pins that you’ve tried, and ones you still need to add to your weekly meal plan.

5. Meal Plan from Home

Speaking of meal planning, it is SO important to cook up your own meals at home, not only to avoid the eating out trap that can get you into trouble financially, but to save on nutrition as well. Although it’s not impossible to eat foods that are good for you at local restaurants, its even better and healthier to make them yourself.

I know it can seem daunting to create a weekly meal plan, which is why I try not to plan by specific days, but rather 4-5 recipes for the week that we have ingredients for {or I’ll add them to my shopping list}. Then I have a few meal ideas to choose from based on what I’m feeling for dinner that night, without sticking to a strict schedule.

If you do have an extra $5.o0 a month to spend, eMeals is a great option that will do all the meal planning work for you! You can even try it free for two weeks to see if you like it!

My biggest advice to starting any new routine or life change, is to start small. Don’t feel like you have to do all of these things, and especially not at once. Choose just one, and let that become a habit before you move onto the next goal. Not only are you more likely to succeed, you’re also more likely to make healthy living just another part of your life!

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What are your favorite tips for staying in shape on a tight budget?

Kalyn Brooke is a full-time writer and blogger at CreativeSavingsBlog.com, where she gives a fresh perspective on frugal living, and the kick-in-the-pants you need to create a budget from scratch. She lives in beautiful Southwest Florida with her news-photographer husband and the most adorable bunny you’ve ever seen. She loves making to-do-lists, reading good books, eating chocolate peanut butter ice cream, and pursuing big big dreams… all carefully planned out, of course. 

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Thrifty Thursday {Week 91}

Happy New Year and WELCOME BACK to Thrifty Thursday!  It feels like forever since we’ve all gotten together, and I’ve missed you!!  I hope you are all had a wonderful holiday and that 2015 has been absolutely fantastic for you so far!  Here at Living Well Spending Less it has been an exciting couple of weeks.  My new book, Living Well Spending Less: 12 Secrets of the Good Life arrived in bookstores last Tuesday, which has been a lot of fun (and a little crazy!)

Then, this past Tuesday we kicked off our Secret 13 Essay Contest with this powerful entry from Maggie at The Love Nerds.  If you haven’t had a chance to read it yet, be sure to check it out–it is really good!  There is still plenty of time to submit your own entry for a chance to win an all expenses paid cruise for four on the Carnival Sunshine, so be sure to check out all the details HERE!

In other news, I just wanted to remind you that Weekend Wandering will now go live on Saturday mornings instead of Sundays.  One of my biggest goals this year is balance, which means trying to find one day of the week where I stay off the computer altogether.  Wish me luck!  (Oh, and if you want to follow my progress on meeting my goals this year, be sure to join our community site at LWSL Everyday.  Right now you can join absolutely free!)

Here are the most clicked links from last week:

1. Mission to Save  { 6 Must Buy Christmas Clearance Items (and I’m Not Just Talking About Lights) }
2. A Cultivated Nest { How to Prepare Your Budget for Next Year }

3. Equipping Godly Woman { 4 Gifts Your Husband Desperately Needs This Year }

4. Eat, Pray, Read, Love {9 Things Adults Need to Get Rid of to Become Better People}

5. The Budget Mama {4 Ways for SAHMs to Make Money}

6. Adventures in Coupons {10 Things Thrifty People Reuse to Save Money}

7. An Upstream Life {Real Food on a Budget}
8. Thrifty Frugal Mom { Our $200/mo. Grocery Budget }
9. Debt Free Divas {Make Hard Choices to Dump Debt Faster}
10. Budget Loving Military Wife {Debt to Wealth: 3 Years into Our Journey}
 
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, and the expanded 2nd edition is now available in paperback!  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

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Sweet & Spicy Chinese Chicken

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!  This juicy, flavorful sweet & spicy Chinese chicken was a huge hit with both my husband AND kids; in fact, my five year old, after cleaning her plate in about 2 minutes flat, went on and on in her little accent about how it was so yummy and she wanted “mo” and it was the best dinner “evoh.”  So there you go.

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:

2 bunches green onions
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
12 oz pineapple juice
1/4 cup chili sauce with garlic
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3-4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken
 

 

 Step 1: Chop green onion; set aside.

Step 2: In large bowl, whisk together olive oil, garlic, pineapple juice, chili sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, green onions and soy sauce.

Step 3: Divide chicken into two gallon size freezer bags (be sure to label bags first!)

Step 4: Divide sauce into bags over top of chicken.  Freeze until needed.

Step 5: Thaw; pour contents into slow cooker.  Cook on low for 4-5 hours or high for 2-3 hours, or place in casserole dish and bake at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Serve over cooked rice.

    Print This!    




Recipe: Sweet & Spicy Chinese Chicken

Summary: These delicious flavors bring the yin and yang to the dinner table.

Ingredients

2 bunches green onions
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
12 oz pineapple juice
1/4 cup chili garlic sauce
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3-4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken



Instructions

Chop green onion; set aside.
In large bowl, whisk together olive oil, garlic, pineapple juice, chili sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, green onions and soy sauce.
Divide chicken into two gallon size freezer bags (be sure to label bags first!)
Divide sauce into bags over top of chicken. Freeze until needed.
Thaw; pour contents into slow cooker. Cook on low for 4-5 hours or high for 2-3 hours, or place in casserole dish and bake at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Serve over cooked rice.

Preparation time: 5-7 minutes

Cooking time: 30-40 minutes in oven or 4-5 hours on low in slow cooker or 2-3 hour on high.

Number of servings (yield): 8

 

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It’s Okay to Change Your Plan (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 Secret 13 story, and the essay with the most votes will win a 7 day cruise for up to 4 on the Carnival Sunshine! Today’s post is our first finalist in the Secret 13 Essay Contest. For more inspiring Secret 13 stories, be sure to check out our Blog Tour!

Hi! My name is Maggie, and I’m the blogger at The Love Nerds. I live in Chicago with my husband, my nerdy partner in life. Two years ago I made a dramatic change in my life and on our budget: I stepped off the path I strived so hard for and left my teaching job to start my own business.

I wrote this blog post for me. I have a desire to be more open on the blog about our experiences – the good and the bad – and the hard work we are doing to earn our “good life”. However, I am entering this contest for my husband.

If not for my husband, I would still be teaching and most likely still be in constant pain from my migraines. As Ruth says, I would have kept my dreams on hold in order to be practical. After all, leaving my teaching job cut our budget in half. His unwavering support is truly incredible – never once making me feel bad for our new financial situation, always encouraging my ideas and vision, rearranging his schedule for blog projects and even patiently waiting for dinner as I snap a few photos. I am submitting this to the contest because he has had to make so many sacrifices for my health and my dreams that I would love to give him something wonderful in return – a vacation! Thank you for the opportunity!

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While sitting down and reading Living Well, Spending Less: 12 Secrets of the Good Life by Ruth Soukup, one quote really stuck out to me. It’s not because this quote is uncommonly profound. In many ways, it is just common sense. Instead, the quote seemed to in some way validate all the radical decisions I made over the last two years.

The Good Life is not what we think it is.

For years, I was on a clear path. I left college with a triple major and immediately began graduate school for literature while working full time as a special education assistant in my old high school. I was immensely busy but I had a purpose – graduate with both my master’s degree and teaching certificate while paying my own way and then get a teaching job. I did. In a time where finding a teaching job is tough, I was lucky enough to land a job where I student taught. Perfect!

Now … teach, get married (I was planning my wedding at the time), and continue to follow the path.

However, the path wasn’t working. Teaching brought on immense migraines at a frequency and severity I hadn’t experience since high school. I woke up every morning with a sense of dread – Would I be able to go to work? Would I need lesson plans? How can I be a good teacher when I can’t even get to school?

There were so many complicating factors – an hour plus commute in city traffic, an immensely stressful work environment where nothing was ever good enough, a boss who didn’t understand that migraines are not headaches, and so forth.

It all finally crashed down upon me in the spring of 2013. I came home from work in pain as I did most nights. Nights were no longer about watching a tv show with my husband or even making dinner. It was about getting my head to a pain level where maybe – just maybe – I could go to work the next day.

I complained, again, about wishing I could just sleep and not worry about work, that I just wanted to feel better, when my husband said that maybe work needed to be taken out of the equation.

Take work out of the equation? I thought he was nuts.

We were lucky enough to have housing included in my husband’s job on a college campus, but that was definitely reflected in his paychecks. Up until that moment, I brought home more money and I had plans for that money. Putting aside a down payment for when we left college housing, paying off a car, going on a family vacation that was already scheduled but not paid for.

How could we take work out of the equation?

But we did. First with a medical leave that allowed me to take care of myself, get more rest and try a new medication. Within a week, I felt better. I felt like myself again. The job really did need to be taken out of the equation.

Unless you have experienced chronic pain, it is hard to imagine what the prolonged experience is like. For me, I became a different person. Every moment my head ached. Light hurt. Noise hurt. Movement made me nauseous and hurt. Nothing came easy. I became irritable, annoying, angry, sad … and it’s not hard to imagine that I wasn’t exactly being the best wife.

We had just promised through sickness and health and the sickness part took us very seriously. Our first year of marriage was baptism by fire and we thankfully emerged stronger.

I’m not sure I will ever love my husband more than for telling me I needed to find a different path and that it was okay. For giving me permission to realize “the good life [was] not what [I] thought it was”.

Here is what I know now though, my secret to a good life I guess I could say: In order to be living the good life, you must give yourself permission to rethink the life you thought you wanted in order to be happy.

Two years ago I was struggling to keep up with a job that wasn’t what I thought it would be and it was physically making me ill. And, if not for my husband, I probably still would be. Ruth says that she thinks “most of us have the tendency to put our dreams on hold in favor of the practical.” I agree with her. I would have. I would have worked through the pain to bring home that paycheck.

I am so thankful I didn’t.

The Love Nerds began during that short medical leave and has turned into a thriving blog and business. It sounds completely corny but The Love Nerds has turned into my good life, providing my opportunities I didn’t think I would ever have.

You know, I was asked the other day when I had my last migraine and I couldn’t remember. I had to actually pause and think about it. Pioneering this new path for myself has allowed me to take care of myself.

I won’t tell you that it wasn’t scary and still isn’t. When I left teaching, I cut our income by over half. HALF! There were tons of restless nights, hundreds of pep talks and many batches of comfort cookies when those pep talks didn’t work. There were also lots of fights about going out to eat and the purchase of video games or a new sweater. We had a car to pay off and student loans for both of us. We had to change our lifestyle, something Ruth talks a lot about and I will, too, more this year.

With the help of Ruth’s ideas in Living Well, Spending Less: 12 Secrets of the Good Life and some other financial authors she recommends, we are being intentional with our money and our happiness. Ruth even pointed out goals and desires I have for my good life that I didn’t really think about, even though my husband would probably say – of course that’s important to you. Sometimes we just need someone else help us change our perspective and make things clearer.

It took us about a year and me getting creative about how to make more money from home, but we are finally seeing an upswing toward the good life we truly want. It takes work but the work is worth it.

I truly believe that anything worth pursuing will be scary. We jumped anyway. Give yourself permission to step off the path that isn’t working for you and create the life you want.

*   *   *

Want to enter for a chance to win an all-expenses paid cruise for up to 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!

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How to be an Effective Goal Setter

If you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you’ve probably figured out that I am pretty passionate about goal setting.  (Some, including my husband, might call it obsessive.  I like to think of it as focused!)  And while for me, achieving my goals has usually meant getting up before dawn or working 12 hour days to get it all done, I also realize this isn’t necessarily what everyone wants—and this may not be realistic for many people.

Rest assured, that despite my best efforts, I still don’t always achieve everything I set out to do–not even close! More often than I’d like, there are days when I feel like I’m ten steps behind and my husband is frustrated because I said I would be off the computer in just a minute three hours ago, and my girls just spilled four buckets of legos all over the living room floor, and I have two articles due by the end of the day and I just remembered that I volunteered to take a meal to a neighbor AND I’m supposed to bake cookies for the PTO meeting tonight.

But I also know that those days happen to everyone, and no matter how badly one day ends, the next morning I’ll get to press the reset button and start all over again. I know that if I can keep my focus on the big picture and keep my goals in mind, eventually I’ll get there, despite the little setbacks that are bound to happen each day.

At some point you may have heard of SMART goals, which means that each goal you set should be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely.  This is a good guideline and certainly makes for effective goal setting, but what the SMART plan is sometimes lacks the most important part: follow-through. Anyone can set effective goals, but what we really want is to be an effective goal achiever.

Here’s how to set and achieve more goals…

Create a Mission Statement

Successful organizations and companies have a mission, a vision and guiding values to keep them focused. These statements capture their ultimate goals as an organization, how they see their organization’s role and legacy in the community and world, and the values they uphold to steer their course.

Last year I spent some time putting together a mission statement and core value statement for Living Well Spending Less, Inc., the company that has grown from running this blog.  With growth comes opportunity, and I knew that if I didn’t take a step back to focus, it would be easy to get pulled in a million different directions.  Ultimately, I realized that our mission is quite simply to inspire and empower women to pursue the Good Life by encouraging them to follow their dreams, reach their goals, serve their communities, and strengthen their faith.

Therefore, everything we do as a company has to fit within that framework.

While it’s not exactly the same thing, looking at your life and family like a CEO and having a family mission statement can help you really narrow down what’s truly important to your family. Tammy, my friend from Grace Uncommon, wrote a great guest post on reclaiming your schedule, with specific guidelines on crafting a mission statement for your family. I urge you to sit down and do this today, if you haven’t already. It can really help direct your goals and create a context and framework.

Really Feel It

After you’ve created your family’s mission, envisioned the way you want your future to look, and thought about the guiding values you will use to steer yourself toward your goals, examine the real core feeling behind your goals.

I love the bucket list concept. It’s a lot of fun and it can be great for crossing the “I never…” items off your list. BUT if you’re looking for real success—achieving the meaty, hardcore goals most important to you and your family—you simply have to set goals you feel truly passionately about.  If you are only listing the things you think you should do, you’ll never be motivated enough to every accomplish them.

One of the biggest reasons I loved Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University class so much was that, for the first time, he was able to make me feel the importance of getting control over my finances.  He connected with me on an emotional level, and that made all the difference. My husband and I adopted a gazelle mentality and became completely focused on building our emergency fund and paying off debt.

Prioritize It

In my free Goal Setting Workbook, I outline a simple way to prioritize your goals.  First, list ALL the important things that currently take up your time. This can be everything from your monthly couples bowling league, to driving to-and-from your daughter’s ballet lessons, to Pinterest, to writing out your monthly budget.

Once you have your list, use a red marker to circle the things that take up most of your time. Then use a green marker to circle the things that are the most important to you and the items that truly fit with your mission and vision. Which overlap? List the five most important items in order of priority and make those your main focus.

Schedule It

Once you’ve determined your most important goals, it is time to get them on your calendar! Break down each step required to achieve each goal. If you’re hoping to become healthier by reducing your blood pressure, for example, you might break it down into steps such as: lower my sodium, lose ten pounds and exercise.

Now take those items and break them down further and set a timeframe.

“This week I will find five recipes with low or no sodium. I will find a salt alternative and use it to season my food. I will download a weight tracking app for my phone. I will set a goal to walk 10,000 steps per day on my pedometer and write them on my calendar. I will measure my blood pressure each day and record it on my calendar.”

Then, block out the time. Use your calendar app, a paper agenda or whatever you find the easiest to use and schedule those items in! Make an appointment for yourself to walk each night and make time to record your numbers on your calendar. It may seem silly to make an appointment to make appointments but you must block out time and make your goals your priority.

Make it a Visual

If you are a visual thinker, creating a vision board can be a powerful tool to help you focus on your goals. It can inspire you and motivate you to work towards the things you want. Attaching a picture, and even making a slideshow of our goals with music and images, can embed a reminder into our subconscious. Athletes often use this kind of creative visualization to help them focus on winning before a game. Vision is a powerful tool.

Whenever you find yourself losing focus, having a visual reminder of your goals can make you think about your priorities and help you keep your eye on the prize. It can be as simple as a list taped to your bathroom mirror that you read while you are brushing your teeth!  My husband and I like to keep a chalkboard in the kitchen of the goals we are working towards together–we have found we are much more focused when we are reminded of our goals every single day!

Believe in Yourself

If you really want to achieve your goals, believing in yourself is critically important.  If YOU don’t believe you can do it, no one else will either!  Resolve to stay positive and keep your eye on the prize, even when there are setbacks and frustrations along the way.  Because there WILL be setbacks and frustrations along the way!  It is all part of the process! Don’t beat yourself up when you fall; instead, give yourself grace and keep going.   The successful keep getting up, even in trying times.

It’s easy to get discouraged, especially if you’re new to goal setting. Part of breaking down the goals into small, bite-sized pieces is that they’re easier to achieve and that success can snowball into larger motivation. Each small victory should be celebrated. Keep yourself positive and never forget how far you’ve come!

Find accountability

Share your goals with your family, friends and colleagues. Social media can be a tool to share your victories and to gain some positive feedback. Don’t think of it as “bragging.” As long as you present your victory in a humble way, it can be very encouraging when others tell you, “Way to go!” You may even be an inspiration!

Runners and exercisers who set goals with friends are more likely to keep up on their plan. Why? Because it’s a lot harder to blow off the gym when a friend is counting on you to meet there. Find someone you can really rely on to keep you motivated, positive and yet accountable, and make them your goal buddy or accountability partner.

My friend Edie and I have been accountability partners for two years now, and let me tell you, it has made a huge difference in my goal-setting!  Having someone to bounce ideas off of is great, but she also holds my feet to the fire and lets me know when my priorities are out of whack.

Working with a coach or mentor can also be a very powerful tool. Choosing someone to help you examine your goals and check in on your progress can keep you on track. Oftentimes, we will be more likely to stick to a plan knowing we need to report to another person.

In the end, Goal setting and achievement is a lifelong process. We are never done.  Instead, we will always be growing, learning and changing and our goals and priorities should evolve and reflect those changes.

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I’d love to hear more about your goals for 2015, and, in case you missed it on Friday, this year I’ll be sharing my own personal goals and budget each month at LWSL Everyday, our community forum site for Living Well Spending Less readers! Right now you can join absolutely free.

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