It’s warming up here in Missouri and I am wondering what kind of meals you make to avoid heating up your house more than it already is. We are trying to avoid using our air conditioner this summer to save money, but every evening when I turn on the oven, the temperature rises. I would love some helpful recipes and tips! -Christy
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You and your readers have been so helpful to me in the past, I just wanted to share a discovery I made in the hopes it will help other families.
In the past, when I have received medical bills, I have always just paid them.
Last week, I got a bill from a medical lab for an $80 blood test my doctor ordered as part of my routine annual checkup. Routine checkups are supposed to be covered in full by my health insurance, so I called to ask what was going on. They told me that the test wouldn’t be covered because I’m not 30 yet — even though I will be in 6 months!
I asked to appeal the insurance company’s decision, and it was surprisingly easy to do over the phone. When we finished my appeal, the health insurance person said, “Well, if we do cover this cost, we’ll only pay the lab $27.22, not $80. Why don’t you call them and offer to pay $27.22?”
I called the lab and offered to pay $27.22, rather than $80. They immediately agreed! Also, if the insurance company accepts my appeal, I’ll get my money back in about 60 days. If not, I’m only out $27.22, not $80.
Thirty minutes on the phone saved my family at least $52.78.
In the future, when I get a medical bill, I’m going to:
1. Call my insurance and ask them to cover it. 2. Appeal it if they don’t. 3. Ask how much they WOULD pay the provider, if they DID cover it. 4. Call the provider, and offer to pay them that (lower) amount.
I wish I had known this years ago! Health insurance and medical companies don’t play by the same rules as everyone else — prices seem to be VERY negotiable. The bottom line is, don’t pay your medical bills without calling to see if they’ll accept a lower payment.
A few days ago, one of my children had a melt down over something another child had accidentally done. It wasn’t pretty (are melt downs ever, though??!) and they lost a significant privilege as a result.
As we were discussing the situation, this child blurted out, “But it isn’t fair, because so-and-so did ____ to me!” I reminded this child that what the other child did was an accident and even if it had been done purposefully, the melt down wasn’t warranted.
We went on to talk about how we often can’t choose our circumstances. Life happens, people hurt us, friends disappoint us, we struggle, we get knocked down, and things don’t always go our way.
But no matter how difficult or frustrating our circumstances, we can always choose our response to our circumstances. We can choose to be upset, angry, stressed, and frustrated. Or we can choose to be calm, courageous, and kind.
Our response is always our own choice.
We had a good talk about this and I was feeling fairly good about how things turned out. And then I blew it.
You see, Jesse had done something that was hurtful to me. He didn’t mean to hurt me, but instead of talking through it with him to understand his point of view, I got upset. And I lashed out at him with my words — in front of our kids.
Pretty soon, everyone was frustrated. And in the middle of it, my own words came back to eat at me: “You can’t always choose your circumstances, but you can always choose your response.”
Argh! That stopped me right in my tracks.
How could I expect my kids to have a right response, when clearly I’m not setting an example of a right response in front of them? The realization cut me to the core.
I had to go in my room and cool down for a bit, but then I came out and asked each member of my family to forgive me. It was humbling to have to confess to my children that I wasn’t practicing what I was preaching.
I was so sad to have upset them and hurt my husband with my frustrated words. But in the end, I think we all learned a powerful lesson: It might feel justified to respond by lashing out at someone, but it never solves any problems — it only magnifies them and does more damage.
It’s always worth it to choose to have a right response.
Susan (susanhumes12@) Megan (megsicthus@) Rebekah (markandbeka@) Kelly (kellys810@) Rebecca (rebecca@)
Each of you should have received an email with further instructions on claiming your prize.
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Are you giving something away on your blog this week? If so, post your link below and let all the readers here know so they can get in on the action! Your giveaway must be family-friendly and no-strings-attached. In addition, to make it easy to navigate, your link must go directly to your giveaway post. Links going to the homepage of your blog or any other part of your blog besides the direct link to your giveaway post will be deleted. Links left solely for the purpose of promoting an affiliate link will also be deleted.
After graduating from high school 10 years ago, I started my own home business selling decorated cakes. Sales started slow and stayed that way for quite some time, with just a handful of cakes sold each year.
In 2012, I really had the desire to get my name out there more, as well as expand my offerings to all types of baked goods and sweets. I was accepted to our local farmers’ market and was excited to prepare everything for my booth.
One problem was that I intended to sell cheesecakes, cold pies, and cupcakes that needed refrigeration. I started to research refrigerators that would be small enough to transport every week, yet not be a low-quality dorm style that doesn’t maintain cold enough temperatures for food safety.
After finally finding a well-reviewed mini fridge, I checked several different retailers for the best price. Home Depot came out on top and had the added bonus of offering Swagbucks gift cards!
It had been 3 years since I joined Swagbucks, and I had accumulated enough bucks through searches and the daily poll to purchase 4 Home Depot gift cards. It wasn’t enough to cover the entire cost, but I was so happy to have a large chunk subtracted from what I had to pay out of pocket.
My mini refrigerator is still going strong, and I am now in my third season of the farmers’ market. There are several regular customers who come every week just for my cheesecake and mini pies, so it has been an investment well worth it! Thanks, Swagbucks!
Are you exhausted and overwhelmed with life? Do you wake up feeling like you’re already behind — and you haven’t even gotten out of bed? Do you spend most of your days just trying to make through the day?
If that’s you (or someone you know!), you need to get a copy of my book, Say Goodbye to Survival Mode. I wrote this book because I get it. I’ve walked the road of feeling spent, worn down, and burnt out. And after burning the candle at both ends for far too long and hurting my health, marriage, and family in the process, I finally reached a breaking point.
The day I finally hit rock bottom and said, “I can’t live like this any more!” was the day I realized I didn’t have to live in such a frantic, stressed, and overloaded way. There was a road out of survival mode!
In Say Goodbye to Survival Mode, I share candidly about the struggles I faced along the way and the strategies I learned for success. This book is not a fix-your-life-overnight handbook (sorry!). Instead, I’ll take your hand, and gently guide you through a step-by-step journey so that you, too, can:
feel healthier and more energetic by setting priorities and boundaries,
eliminate stress with savvy management of your time, money, and home,
get more done by setting realistic goals and embracing discipline,
and rediscover your passions—and the confidence to pursue them!
Get a Signed Copy of Say Goodbye to Survival Mode!
Many of you have asked if you could get a signed copy of my book for yourself or a friend. Through Saturday only, you can get a signed copy of Say Goodbye to Survival Mode for just $20 + shipping! This would be a great gift to give to yourself, your mom, or another mom friend for Mother’s Day!
P.S. If you don’t care about getting a signed copy or just want to get the best deal on this book, you can get a copy of Say Goodbye to Survival Mode on Amazon for $17.50 right now (the ebook is $14.99 and the audiobook is $12.33). And if you can’t afford a copy, I encourage you to ask your local library to carry it, if they don’t already.
After anticipating it and planning for it since November, it’s finally moving week! Our house is all packed up and almost all the last-minute details are done, so we’re excited to load up the moving truck, drive to TN, and start the adventure!
Since most of this week will be spent moving and unpacking boxes and settling into our new home in TN, I’m just going to set six goals again for this week:
How did you do on last week's goals? What are your goals for this week? I'd love to have you share your progress on last week's goals and your goals for this coming week in the comments. Of, if you've blogged about it, leave your direct link below. Let's cheer each other on to live purposeful and productive lives! You can download a free customizable weekly goal-planning sheet here.
Having fun with the family is important to increase family bonds; however, it can also get expensive if you aren’t careful. Here are 50 ways you can have fun with your family for $10 or less:
1. Go to the dollar movie theater. 2. Rent a Redbox movie. 3. Go swimming at the community pool. 4. Go ice skating at the community rink. 5. Play at the park. 6. Do chalk art on the side walk. 7. Play Frisbee. 8. Go rollerblading. 9. Go bowling. 10. Have fun with bubbles.
11. Play with silly string. 12. Get some books at the library or go to a library reading time. 13. Make homemade play dough. 14. Dance to music. 15. Play with paper dolls. 16. Explore community gardens. 17. Run through the sprinklers in your swimming suits. 18. Make homemade ice cream. 19. Play Pictionary. 20. Play hangman.
21. Have a Long Jump contest. 22. Play a card game. 23. Make edible playdough. 24. Bake cookies. 25. Plan a scavenger hunt. 26. Play foursquare. 27. Jump rope. 28. Make homemade flubber. 29. Act out a scene from a play. 30. Play hopscotch.
31. Paint with water colors. 32. Make paper airplanes and see how far you can throw them. 33. Play marbles. 34. Play a game of tennis together. 35. Have a teddy bear tea. 36. Learn some magic tricks and then have a magic trick competition. 37. Find a free puppet show to attend. (Libraries and community centers have them all the time.) 38. Get cheap craft supplies and create your own puppets. 39. Learn how to juggle. 40. Go bobbing for apples.
41. Make marshmallow & toothpick structures. 42. Play with silly putty. 43. Have a pillow fight. 44. Make Homemade Oobleck. 45. Make a tent with boxes and blankets and play house. 46. Go camping in the backyard. 47. Have a water balloon fight. 48. Find a children’s museum with a free admission day. 49. Make soup for someone who's sick and take it to him or her. 50. Write letters to someone who is in the military or far away from home.
What other ideas would you add to this list?
AnnaLaura Brown is a health and wellness coach who loves helping people get healthy and save money. Learn more about her on her blog at AnnaLauraBrown.com and get your free audio and over 100 healthy and inexpensive recipes.
Are you giving something away on your blog this week? If so, post your link below and let all the readers here know so they can get in on the action! Your giveaway must be family-friendly and no-strings-attached. In addition, to make it easy to navigate, your link must go directly to your giveaway post. Links going to the homepage of your blog or any other part of your blog besides the direct link to your giveaway post will be deleted. Links left solely for the purpose of promoting an affiliate link will also be deleted.
Finish packing up the house.
