I’m prone to take on too much. To pack my days too full. And to end up in a state of busyness. Which then leads to rush.
I wake up feeling behind and then go throughout the entire day feeling like I need to work as quickly as possible, to get as much done as possible, because I have too much to do.
When I feel like this, I don’t feel like I have time to stop and savor anything.
- I don’t have time to look into my child’s eyes and really listen to the story they are trying to tell me.
- I don’t have time to stop and call my good friend when she texts me to say she’s feeling completely overwhelmed.
- I don’t have time to sit and just be with my husband, even though his quality time love tank is running dry.
- And on and on it goes.
Instead, I’ve got “Very Important Things” to accomplish. But in the process of trying to accomplish all my “Very Important Things”, I shortchange the Very Most Important People in my life.
Over the past few years, I’ve been simplifying my life. Paring down and cutting out the non-essentials. Saying “no” to the mediocre or even the good in an effort to say “yes” to the best.
And most of all, I’ve been working on learning the art of being fully present in the moment. Not thinking ahead of where I need to be in 30 minutes or what I still need to accomplish. Not stressing over what hasn’t been done yet. Not mentally reviewing how far behind I am. Just giving myself wholeheartedly to what is in front of me.
As I said, I’m still working on this… and it may be a lifelong journey for me. Which is why I’m especially excited that my friend, Lysa TerKeurst, has another amazing book coming out called The Best Yes. I heard Lysa share a powerful message on this topic at the SheSpeaks Conference and it made me ever so eager to get a copy of this book and read it STAT.
There’s no such thing as hearing this message too often. Plus, knowing Lysa, this book is going to shake up my thinking, cause me to really analyze my decisions and priorities, and overall mess with me in a really good way. Because that’s just what Lysa’s writing and messages do for me.
I’m already preparing to have my toes stepped on. 
In the mean time, I’m following along with Lysa’s 7-Day Unrush Your Schedule Instagram Challenge. I’m looking for everyday opportunities to stop and take time to be fully present, to be quiet and just soak up my surroundings, and to really savor the life right in front of me.
For those who don’t follow me on Instagram, I thought it’d be fun to share some of my photos from the past few days here…
Day 1: Saturday
Enjoyed a few of my favorite things today: a quiet day at home, a mason jar full of The Shrinker, metal straws, comfy pj pants–at 4 pm in the afternoon(!), and purple nail polish (I’ve been experimenting with different DIY mani colors while working on growing my nails out and have discovered that purple makes me feel alive and energetic!)
Day 2: Sunday
We’re back on the road again today… This time on our way to Arkansas and Missouri for time with both of our extended families. Enjoying getting a lot of reading done on our drive, including this pre-release copy of Living Well Spending Less by Ruth Soukup.
Day 3: Monday
My view right now… So thankful for a quiet week to unplug at Bull Shoals Lake and for lots of laughter and memory-making with our extended family.
Day 4: Tuesday
A peek into my day today: Grandpa teaching Silas how to water ski, watching Kathrynne in her element on skis on the water, and Silas loving cheering for his sister’s success!
Day 5: Wednesday
Today: this man of mine (@jessepaine) took me to rent jet skis and we jetted away the afternoon together, soaking up the sunshine, the beautiful lake views, and the fresh air. It was good for my soul. And also? So thankful for this man and the life of adventure we share together. After 11 1/2 years and lots of ups and downs, I’d still marry him all over again in a heartbeat!
What about you? What have you done to “unrush your schedule” this week? Have you taken time to just stop and savor the everyday?
Want to join me in this challenge? If so, you can post your pictures on Instagram using the hashtag #unrushme. I’d love for you to tag me (@themoneysavingmom) so I can be inspired by how you’re slowing down and really soaking up life!
Katie recently emailed to tell us about her successful search for a deal on sunscreen:
I’ve been on the hunt for deals on sunscreen. Today, I hit the jackpot!
It’s just my husband and me, so I knew we wouldn’t need more than two bottles. But still, sunscreen is expensive. They can easily run $10+ per bottle! Totally not in our budget.
For weeks, I would watch the coupons & sales on sunscreen, to no avail. It was just too expensive still.
Well, today I stopped into my local CVS to return a Redbox movie (I used a free Redbox code thanks to a tip I found here on MoneySavingMom.com!) and pick up a gallon of milk ($2.69 after a $1 ExtraCare reward… which is a great deal on milk in our area!) Then, I spot them. Bottles of name-brand sunscreen marked 75% off!
I found a bottle of Aveeno for myself at $2.75 and a bottle of Banana Boat for men for $2.63. But wait. There’s more…
I quickly took out my phone and searched my Checkout 51 and iBotta apps. There was a $2 rebate on Checkout 51 for the bottle of Aveeno! Yay! There was also an iBotta rebate for $1.25 off the Banana Boat bottle. Score!
Here’s how my total broke down before tax:
Aveeno sunscreen:
$2.75 (the price after the 75% off discount at CVS) – $2 Checkout 51 rebate = $0.75
Banana Boat sunscreen:
$2.63 (the price after the 75% off discount at CVS) – $1.25 iBotta rebate = $1.38
I was so excited over this deal, I just had to share! I’m a drugstore deal gal time and time again… and today just happened to be my extra special day at CVS!
Katie works full-time at a local university and is pursuing her master’s degree. Her husband is teaching at a local university and working on his PhD. Thanks to tips from MoneySavingMom.com and lots of hard work, they’ll BOTH graduate debt-free!
A testimony from Kara
Almost a year ago, we found out I was pregnant AND that we needed a brand new HVAC system within a week's time. The dollar signs and a small amount of panic crept into my mind.
My husband and I are very frugal and have been good with our money, but we hadn't quite finished paying off my student loans. This meant that we needed to buckle down. We hate having debt (who doesn't), and having student loans and a mortgage was more than enough.
Here’s how we managed to pay for our HVAC system and save for the new baby without incurring any more debt:
- We we took the $1,000 we kept in our emergency fund and put it toward the HVAC system.
- We asked the HVAC company about discounts — apparently joining their membership program saved us 10% (which is a lot when you are spending a lot) and the membership ended up being free because of my husband's profession!
- We looked for ways to cut costs. We started making our own peanut butter and bread, which also has the perk of being healthier. We also chose to cloth diaper so that the expense of diapers would be a one-time thing.
- I sold stuff. I joined all of the Facebook garage sale groups in my area and I made some money.
- We used Swagbucks. I worked hard to earn as many Swagbucks as I could and used those toward Amazon gift cards which are the best bang for their buck to buy baby stuff.
- We lived on one income. While we usually like to use both of our incomes, we decided to put my total income towards savings instead of towards fun things. I work part-time, so it wasn't a ton, but it was something.
When our sweet little girl came over a month early we were so glad we did this! The doctors have no idea why she came so early with a healthy pregnancy, but we were so glad God had prepared us.
We were able to pay for her NICU bill and use the extra we had saved to pay off our HVAC system in full! That was just over $5,000 we were able to pay in cash in 7 months of saving.
Plus, during that time of savings, we were able to pay our taxes, continue to pay our mortgage, and double our payment toward school loans.
Bringing home a healthy baby girl without the worry of paying her bills was absolutely priceless.
Kara is a full-time wife and mother to one, and a part-time instructor of psychology at a community college. In their free time, Kara's family enjoys going on walks, reading, playing with their dog, and traveling.
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