The Ultimate Aldi, Costco & Sam's Club Price Comparison Chart and more...

Here's What's New The Ultimate Aldi, Costco & Sam's Club Price Comparison Chart 3 Ways To Be A Better Friend :: The Ultimate Aldi, Costco & Sam's Club Price Comparison Chart Passionate Penny Pincher put together the ultimate Aldi, Costco & Sam's Club price comparison chart. This is super helpful to know where to get the best prices on staple items. :: 3 Ways To Be A Better Friend Last weekend, I went to Maryland with my friend Tam to support her as she spoke at the Whole Women Weekend Conference. When Tam posted about this on her Instagram account, comments popped up about what a wonderful and caring friend I was. As I read the sweet and kind comments from Tam's followers, I kept thinking in the back up my mind, "But that's just what friends do…" We support each other. We have each others' backs. We rearrange our schedules for each other. Tam has done this time and time again for me and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to get to be on the cheering lines for her this time! The past few days, I've been reflecting on friendship and how this is an area I've learned a lot about and grown in during the past five years. And I've been thinking about what a blessing it is that I now have these kinds of relationships - the deep, authentic friendships that I craved and prayed for for so long. As I've shared here before, for many years, I craved authentic and meaningful friendships with other women but struggled to develop anything other than more surface-y relationships. As I've shared here before, I for a long time, I struggled to develop anything other than more surface-y friendships. And as time went on and I so longed for close friendships and it seemed like not many were happening, I began wondered if something was wrong with me, if I just wasn't connecting with the right people, or in the right circles. It took me a long time to realize that these types of relationships are out there, but you have to look for them and work at them. They don't just happen; they have to be cultivated. You have to be willing to open up, to make sacrifices, to go deep, to rearrange your schedule, to be vulnerable, and to keep reaching out. After years of praying for safe friendships and learning many lessons along the way, I'm so humbly grateful for the rich gifts of deep friendships in my life that I have with a number of beautiful women. These relationships didn't just happen; they were cultivated, developed, and nurtured. I'm a work in progress when it comes to relationships, but I've grown and learned a lot in the last few years. And because so many women have come to me in recent months sharing how lonely they are and how much they wish they could develop deeper relationships, I wanted to share three ways I'm learning to be a better friend. {These are simple things and I'm barely scratching the surface when it comes to relationship-building in this post, but I hope that these might inspire you to think of ways to further develop relationships with women in your own life and circles!} 1. Show Up. Sometimes it means sacrifice or rearranging schedules. Other times it may even mean getting less sleep. It might mean setting aside life for an hour or an afternoon to show up: to be with a friend, to call a friend, to drop everything to go sit with a friend who is struggling and just listen. When you make a commitment to show up, that's when friendships blossom. With Tam, we have a commitment to see each other every Monday evening. No matter what is going on in our lives, unless we are out of town or sick or some other something that can't be changed, we show up at the same time every week as families to just be together. As a result, our friendship has flourished. Showing up doesn't necessarily just mean being together in person. It could be showing up by texting a friend to ask how she's doing. It could be sending a card. It could be making a phone call. It could be sending a gift. It could be an offer to help. It could be dropping something on someone's front porch. It will look different in different situations. But in every case, it will mean us being willing to open up ourselves - our time, our schedule, our gifts, our hearts - to show someone that we care about them. 2. Go First With Vulnerability. Be the first to say "what's going on in your life?" and to share authentically. Sometimes we are fearful of opening up and letting others into the deep, raw, vulnerable places of our hearts and souls. When you choose to go first with vulnerability, it makes the other person feel comfortable to do the same as a natural response. Bravery and honesty in relationships are what breeds depth. When we say, "This hurts." Or, "This is hard." Or, "I'm struggling." Or, "Will you forgive me?" 3. Ask Great Questions and Then Listen. My mom taught me this. She is the most amazing "question asker" in existence. She can have a conversation with pretty much anyone for hours because she knows how to ask great questions. When you ask questions, it opens up the door for people to share with you because it shows you're interested. And the most important part is to listen after you ask the question. Wait for a response, and ask a follow-up question. One thing I like to ask people when I meet them but know very little about them is to say, "Tell me about yourself." It's an open-ended question that usually provides enough springboard for me to ask follow-up questions and then really get to know someone. If you struggle to know how to crack the door into deeper relationships, a few starter questions could be things like: "How are you really doing?", "What are you excited about right now?" "What is the hardest thing going on in your life?" or "What are you learning right now?" or "How can I pray for you?" These questions are so much better than just saying "How was your day?" These kinds of questions give you a peek into someone's heart and pave the way for closer, authentic friendships. How do you invest in your friendships? What suggestions or tips do you have for ways to be a better friend? Tell us in the comments. You received this email because you are registered on www.moneysavingmom.com with the email address panatllc1.kate@blogger.com. If you believe this has been sent to you in error, you can easily unsubscribe here. Money Saving Mom 2020 Fieldstone Parkway, Suite 900 #313 Franklin, TN 37069 © 2008-2015 Money Saving Mom, LLC. All rights reserved.

Busy Morning Breakfasts That Can Be Made Ahead of Time and more...

Here's What's New Busy Morning Breakfasts That Can Be Made Ahead of Time Our Almost $0 Baby Budget For Our 1st Baby (How & Why We Did It) Join me for my daily LIVE Morning Motivation Show! Why I Buy Big Ticket Items from Costco :: Busy Morning Breakfasts That Can Be Made Ahead of Time Heavenly Homemakers has a great list of busy morning breakfasts that can be made ahead of time. :: Our Almost $0 Baby Budget For Our 1st Baby (How & Why We Did It) Ten and a half years ago, we welcomed our first child into the world - a beautiful baby girl, Kathrynne. Jesse was in law school at the time, I was trying to piece together enough income from various online pursuits to keep us afloat, and needless to say, we were poor as poor can be. We were so poor, in fact, that we spent right around $0 out of pocket on baby things. Not because we didn't want to spend anything, but because we literally had no extra money to spare. As best as I can recall, the only thing we spent money on was a baby blanket. For real. {I was overdue and we realized that we were going to be having this baby sooner rather than later and it was January, so we probably needed more than the one blanket we'd been given by a friend! We scrounged together a few dollars, went to Walmart and bought a blanket, and that was the last we spent until Kathrynne was close to one year old and we went and bought her a cute new outfit to get her pictures taken for Christmas gifts.} How did we spend almost zero out of pocket on baby things? Well, here's how: 1. We Used What We Were Given We were blessed with very generous friends. So blessed, in fact, that we ended up having three different showers thrown for us! One was by Jesse's co-workers, one was by our little church, and one was by our church back home. When people asked what we needed or wanted, we suggested practical things - like diapers, wipes, onesies, sleepers, and blankets. We ended up being gifted enough clothes to make it through almost the entire first year of Kathrynne's life without buying her any new clothes. A few people went in together and bought us some of the larger items - like a stroller, playpen, and carseat. 2. We Willingly Accepted Hand-Me-Downs Some friends kindly offered to let us borrow their baby items or passed along baby clothes to us. We willingly accepted all of these offers and they were a huge blessing! Yes, Kathrynne may not have been outfitted in name brand, brand-new clothes most of the time, but she survived just fine! Plus, I discovered that I didn't have to worry if something got stained or ripped because it was already used and worn. 3. We Focused on Needs Versus Wants It's nice to have some of the non-necessities, but I'm here to tell you that your baby will be just fine without them. Kathrynne didn't have very many outfits per size. In fact, in most sizes, she only had 6 outfits, plus PJs. Yes, this meant I had to keep up on laundry more, but she survived. We also had very few toys or baby gadgets. Some of the gadgets are nice and helpful, but very few could be considered actual necessities. {I wrote a post here with a list of what I consider to be the only items you really need to buy for your baby.} This might not work for you. You might not have friends who bless you with multiple showers or offer you hand-me-downs. But I hope that this post encourages you to think outside the box and to realize that babies can get by without all the bells and whistles. What are your best tips for saving money on baby things? I'd love to hear! Psst! One of my very favorite companies - ePantry - is offering a special Introductory Baby Bundle deal exclusively to MoneySavingMom.com readers this week only! This deal is valid for new or existing ePantry customers through September 7, 2015 only. The Introductory Baby Bundle is a $67 value, but MSM readers can get it for just $29 for the first month. The bundle comes with the following: 5 packs of Seventh Generation Diapers 2 packs of Seventh Generation 64-count Baby Wipes 1 Grove Collaborative Hand Sanitizer Here's how to get your $29 Introductory Baby Bundle. :: Join me for my daily LIVE Morning Motivation Show! Did you know that I'm doing a daily, LIVE video show each weekday morning around 7 a.m. CT? You can watch live, leave comments, ask questions, and interact with me. All in real-time! It's so much fun and I just love the personal interaction. Each show is usually 10 to 15 minutes long and I share practical and inspirational motivation to help you begin your day well. I also take a few off-topic questions, tell you about my crazy adventures and mishaps, and give you a little peek behind-the-scenes at our every day lives. To join us, just download the Periscope app on your device and search for @MoneySavingMom to find my profile and my most recent video. You can choose to be notified each time I go live each morning so that you don't miss the live broadcasts. If you miss the live show, you can watch the re-broadcast link any time over the next 24 hours on the Periscope app. I also just set up a Katch.me account this week and all of my broadcasts will be available to watch there, as well. Check it out here. :: Why I Buy Big Ticket Items from Costco Becki emailed in the following tip: I thought I'd share why I always buy big ticket items at Costco. My husband really wanted to buy a treadmill many years ago. We used it for 3 1/2 years, and then the display panel broke. First he looked into repairing it, but the part cost almost as much as the treadmill. I knew Costco has a good return policy, but by the time I was considering returning it to Costco, we were at 4 1/2 years from the purchase date. I had no receipt… so I was shocked when I called to ask if I could return it, and they said, "Sure. Bring it in!" Since I knew the approximate purchase date, they looked it up on their computer by our membership card and gave us a FULL REFUND on a Costco gift card. I don't think I'll ever buy something Costco sells from another store again. That is an amazing return policy. You received this email because you are registered on www.moneysavingmom.com with the email address panatllc1.kate@blogger.com. If you believe this has been sent to you in error, you can easily unsubscribe here. Money Saving Mom 2020 Fieldstone Parkway, Suite 900 #313 Franklin, TN 37069 © 2008-2015 Money Saving Mom, LLC. All rights reserved.

Why We Didn't Use Cloth Diapers With Our 2nd and 3rd Kids

Here's What's New Why We Didn't Use Cloth Diapers With Our 2nd and 3rd Kids :: Why We Didn't Use Cloth Diapers With Our 2nd and 3rd Kids Cloth diapering is one of those things that is a frugal no-brainer, or so it seems. Using cloth diapers is often much less expensive. It's better for the environment. And it's a one-time investment that pays for itself again and again and again - especially if you have more than one child! However, while we exclusively cloth diapered for our first child, we chose not to use cloth diapers with our second and third kids. Why? Well here are 4 reasons: 1. Our Kids Had Extremely Sensitive Skin Kathrynne, our first daughter, had no issues with cloth diapers. Which was a huge blessing because we had no money at that season of our lives. And I do mean no money. Some friends of ours gifted us a full set of Fuzzi Bunz diapers and it was one of the best gifts ever. We never invested a dime in diapers - other than paying for the laundry supplies and electricity to run the washer and dryer. But when Kaitlynn came along, it was a different story. Every kind of cloth diaper broke her skin out. We tried a few different brands. I tried putting them on different ways. I tried washing them different ways. To no avail. Only Pampers diapers didn't break her out. So I finally just gave in and gave up on my plans to exclusively cloth diaper her, too. 2. I Learned How to Get Diapers for Free By the time Kaitlynn came along, I had discovered this thing called Drugstore Shopping. By carefully pairing coupons and sales with rebate deals, I was able to not only get groceries for free, but I was also able to get overage - and I used that overage to cover the cost of diapers. When Silas was born, I had learned about Swagbucks and I was able to use my points called SB to earn free Amazon gift cards that I used to buy diapers for him. Best of all, when he was a baby and toddler, Amazon Mom did all sorts of incredible promotions that netted all of us some of the hottest diaper steals. I kid you not, the prices were insane - like $1 to $2 per package of name brand diapers shipped! 3. I Found the Washing of Diapers to Be Very Time-Consuming Okay, so this might brand me as utterly lazy, but after a year and a half of washing diapers multiple times per week, I was just plain tired of washing them. You always had to stay ahead. You always had wet and dirty diapers in your laundry room and it seemed like you always, always needed to be washing more diapers. After my third child was born, I was stretched so thin and struggling with exhaustion and postpartum depression that messing with cloth diapers just felt overwhelming to me. Just being honest here…! 4. I Was Tired of the Stink And to be perfectly honest, I was tired of the stink. Despite what people will tell you, one of the unpleasant side effects of cloth diapers is that they do stink. You can put them in the most expensive stink-proof bags on the market, but when you dump them into the washing machine to wash them, it's going to stink… and it can be a pretty overpowering smell. Now here's the thing: I'm not turning my back on cloth diapers. I think they can be a great way to save money and I'm so glad we had that option when Kathrynne was a baby. However, I thought that an honest article like this on the cons of cloth diapering and why we didn't exclusively cloth diaper all of our kids might be helpful to some of you who are in the middle of deciding whether to take the plunge or not. As always, do what works best for you and your family. And don't feel guilty if it's completely different than another family! Do you use cloth diapers? Why or why not? I'd love to hear! Psst! One of my very favorite companies - ePantry - is offering a special Introductory Baby Bundle deal exclusively to MoneySavingMom.com readers this week only! This deal is valid for new or existing ePantry customers through September 7, 2015 only. The Introductory Baby Bundle is a $67 value, but MSM readers can get it for just $29 for the first month. The bundle comes with the following: 4 packs of Seventh Generation Diapers 2 packs of Seventh Generation 64-count Baby Wipes 1 Grove Collaborative Hand Sanitizer Here's how to get your $29 Introductory Baby Bundle. You received this email because you are registered on www.moneysavingmom.com with the email address panatllc1.kate@blogger.com. If you believe this has been sent to you in error, you can easily unsubscribe here. Money Saving Mom 2020 Fieldstone Parkway, Suite 900 #313 Franklin, TN 37069 © 2008-2015 Money Saving Mom, LLC. All rights reserved.

Sign up for a FREE training series on how to start your own bookkeeping business! and more...

Here's What's New Sign up for a FREE training series on how to start your own bookkeeping business! Possibly the Most Important Message You Will Hear This Week 6 Goals For This Week (& why I'm giving myself a break!) :: Sign up for a FREE training series on how to start your own bookkeeping business! Sign up for a FREE training series on how to start your own bookkeeping business! Are you looking to learn new skills to help you start up a business? CPA Ben Robinson is offering a unique opportunity through his Bookkeeper Business Academy right now! You can sign up for his FREE 3-part online training program on how to start your own bookkeeping business. In this training program, you will learn about how you can start and grow your own bookkeeping business, even if you know nothing about it. Every business is required to maintain bookkeeping records so a bookkeeping business can be a very profitable business idea! According to the 2010 U.S. Census, there are almost 30 million businesses in the United States alone, with the overwhelming majority of these businesses having fewer than 10 employees. This makes them prime candidates for needing the services of a great bookkeeper. These facts, along with recent enhancements to bookkeeping technology, have made bookkeepers very valuable professionals who are in high-demand. As Robinson teaches, one of the best aspects of owning a bookkeeping business is that it can be 100% virtual making this business a great option for a work-at-home parent. In addition to helping students determine if they are prime candidates for starting a bookkeeping business, the training series also covers: Income potential working part or full-time What separates great bookkeepers from regular bookkeepers How much it costs to start your bookkeeping business The technology and tools you need to be great Mindset you must have to be successful How to get clients even if sales terrifies you The next free training program begins on September 10, 2015. You can get more details at Bookkeeper Business Academy. Click here to sign up for Bookkeeper Business Academy's FREE training series on how to start your own bookkeeping business today! {Note: This post was underwritten by Bookkeeper Business Academy. Read our disclosure policy here.} :: Possibly the Most Important Message You Will Hear This Week Today, I want to give you possibly the most important message you will hear this week… You are enough. Exactly as you are. You don't have to be more, try harder, or do more. You are enough. If you can really and truly believe this with all of your heart, it will change your entire life. As you probably know, if you've been reading here for any length of time, I'm a big believer in owning your own gifts. I think it's so important that we cheerlead and celebrate each other. One evening while my four blogging friends were at my house last week, we decided to intentionally encourage each other to pursue and embrace our individual gifts. We all sat at my kitchen table and went around and shared what our own gifts were. Then, each of us affirmed those gifts and shared other gifts we've seen in each friend. It was such a beautiful time of building each other up and celebrating who God has created each of us to be. When we got to one of my friends, she had a really difficult time verbally telling us what her gifts were. In fact, she said she was not even sure she had any gifts at all. It broke my heart, because when I look at this friend I see so much talent, ability, and potential. I could also identify, though, because that was me just a few years ago. I constantly felt like I didn't measure up. I compared myself to others around me. Break Down The Lies Inside Your Head I've been on a journey the past few years to break down the lies inside my own head that tell me I'm not good enough. For a long time I didn't want the gifts I had, and I fought against it. I wanted to be a gifted writer who inspired people with beautiful word pictures. I wanted to be domestic. I wanted to cook and sew and create beautiful things. But the truth is: When I try to write all artistically, it just falls flat. I can't seem to figure out how to arrange basic wall-hangings in the rooms of my house. And I am totally not a chef. You know what? I'm discovering that that is okay. I have other talents God has given me. I have the gift of encouraging people to pursue their dreams and goals. I have the gift of marketing and strategic thinking: I can look at a situation and pinpoint what needs to be done in order to increase your income. And I'm a communicator - with the gift of taking big picture ideas and breaking them down into bite-sized pieces. I could waste my life wishing these weren't my gifts or I can choose to invest my life owning the gifts that I've been given. I could fritter away countless hours wishing I were someone else, or I can embrace who God has created me to be. I want to stop playing the comparison game and instead choose to learn from others and be inspired by their special and unique gifts, and then own the gifts that I've been given. Because I've discovered that when I own my own gifts, I experience such fulfillment and excitement. You Can't Own Your Gifts If You Don't Believe You Have Them When my friend finally had the courage to voice a gift she had, it was like a dam broke inside of her. She cried and we cried with her because we were so excited for her to actually believe she had gifts and talents. And it's been so amazing to watch how that first small step of voicing her gifts out loud has started her on a journey of now wanting to embrace and exercise those gifts. It makes me thrilled! The world needs her gifts - and the world needs YOUR gifts, too! But until you believe you have gifts and until you can recognize them as gifts, you can't own, embrace, or exercise them. If you are not sure what your gifts are, think about what makes you come alive, what makes you excited, what you love to do. Also, ask people around you to share what gifts they see in you. Often, others can see our gifts more clearly than we can. I Feel Versus I Am Recently, I walked into a room to find my daughter staring at herself in the mirror. She started saying, "I'm not beautiful. I'm ugly." It broke my mama heart - especially because I think she is absolutely gorgeous and she has the sweetest spirit so much of the time. I told her she may feel like she's not beautiful, but the truth is that she is beautiful. We talked about the important difference between "I feel" and "I am". Sometimes, we might feel like we are not enough or like we are a failure, but that doesn't mean that we are these things. I told her that she's more than welcome to voice how she's feeling ("I feel ugly" etc.) In fact, I want to know when she's feeling like this so that I can encourage her and remind her of the truth. However, I told her that she's not allowed to say "I'm ugly." That's a lie and we don't allow lying at our house. Those might seem like strong words, but I want to raise my children with the clear understanding of the truth: they were created for a purpose, they have unique gifts and talents, and there are always going to be voices (real or in our heads) that will try to put us down and make us feel like we're not enough. I want my kids to go out into the world equipped and empowered to know the difference between lies and truth and to know how to replace wrong beliefs when they get stuck in their head and make them feel less than. Because here's the thing: If you believe a lie long enough, it becomes truth to you and you begin under that lie. You'll not only think it, but you'll believe it and you'll let it cloud everything in life - from your relationships, your friendships, your work, your art, your parenting, and more. We have to fight for the truth! The truth that says that we are enough. That we have worth. That we have unique stories, unique gifts, and unique perspective. That we don't need to be more, try harder, or reach a certain milestone in order to be enough. You are enough - exactly as you are. Replace the lies you've been believing with truths. Embrace who you God has created you to be. It's a conscious effort and something you have to do over and over again. But if you commit to replacing the lies with the truth every time they pop into your head, eventually it will become a habit, and the lies will dissipate as you live under the truth. Own your gifts. Embrace the truth. And watch it beautifully transform your life from the inside out! What are YOUR gifts? How are you embracing them? Tell us in the comments! :: 6 Goals For This Week (& why I'm giving myself a break!) The past 10 days have felt like an emotional roller coaster ride for me. There were a lot of unexpected things thrown at me all at once. By the grace of God, I made it through. But it left me feeling drained and physically and emotionally exhausted… and more than a little tired! Case in point: I wrote this on Instagram on Friday when I was in Maryland at a conference with my friend, Tam: The hair dresser says my hair is blond. I don't usually think so, but maybe it is considering that in the last 24 hours I have: 1) Almost left my hotel room to go to an event only wearing one big earring. 2) Forgotten which hotel room # I was staying in (had to go down to the front desk to ask!!). 3) Couldn't find the blow dryer in my hotel room and looked everywhere for it in my entire room only to discover it was right on the wall in the bathroom. 4) Got out of the shower to discover I had only shaved one leg! 5) Could not figure out how to get the blow dryer to work. Tried and tried and tried and was starting to just think I was going to have to show up with wet hair when I finally realized that IT WASN'T PLUGGED IN! As a result, I know that the best thing for me this week - especially since I'm having surgery on Friday - is to have a quiet week with very short to-do lists and lots of margin time. Because I clearly need some rest and down time! With this in mind, I'm sticking to six simple goals for this week… My Goals From 2 Weeks Ago: Marriage/Mothering/Homemaking Goals 1. Start our fall homeschool schedule. 2. Finish reading one read aloud book with the kids. 3. Write a love note to Jesse. 4. Write thank you letters with the kids. Personal Goals 5. Exercise at least 5 times. 6. Finish at least two books. Ministry/Hospitality/Friendship Goals 7. Host friends from out of town for a little Blogging Retreat this weekend. 8. Write notes to the Compassion children we sponsor. Business Goals 9. Write an article for an upcoming piece in a magazine. 10. Get everything ready for our big Make Over Your Mornings sale. This Week's Goals: Marriage/Mothering/Homemaking Goals 1. Finish reading one read aloud book with the kids. 2. Write a love note to Jesse. 3. Have an at-home Movie Date with Jesse. Personal Goals 4. Get at least 7+ hours of sleep every night. 5. Finish reading two fiction books. Ministry/Hospitality/Friendship Goals 6. Write notes to the Compassion children we sponsor. 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. You received this email because you are registered on www.moneysavingmom.com with the email address panatllc1.kate@blogger.com. If you believe this has been sent to you in error, you can easily unsubscribe here. Money Saving Mom 2020 Fieldstone Parkway, Suite 900 #313 Franklin, TN 37069 © 2008-2015 Money Saving Mom, LLC. All rights reserved.