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| | |  | | :: How to Save Money on Makeup | | 
Guest post from Laura of Life as a Loewen I'm a girlie girl. I enjoy having my hair look cute and makeup on, even if it's not totally perfect. As a mom of 3 little ones, I don't have much time to primp… but just as Crystal said that getting dressed in the morning does wonders for her attitude and productivity in her Make Over Your Mornings Course, I think the same is true for putting a little makeup on. I'm no beauty blogger, but I do love feeling and looking put together, with minimal effort (and cost) to match my lifestyle. Here are some ways I've found to save money on cosmetics, so that you're not pinching every penny just for a swipe of lipgloss: 1. Know what colors look good on you. Before you can go about purchasing the cosmetics, it's important to know what colors will be flattering for your particular coloring. What you see on someone else won't necessarily look right on you, so it's important to do a little research to save you time and money. You can take fun and easy online quizzes, like this one, that direct you to some great choices for your personal coloring, skin concerns, and look you're trying to achieve. TIP: most quizzes like these will ask if you have cool or warm undertones, which is key in discovering which colors work for you. Looking at the underside of your wrist, if your veins appear blue, you have cool undertones. If they appear green, you have warm undertones. And finally, if you see both, you'd be considered to have neutral undertones.
I have fair skin, dark brown hair and blue eyes. I now know I can't wear all the same colors that my olive skinned, brown-eyed friends can wear. When I embrace how I was made and work with it, I can find shades that are much more flattering on me and waste less money constantly purchasing makeup that seems a little "off" on me. 2. Set up a date. With a professional, that is! Many cosmetics places are more than willing to help you find just what you need, whether it's the right mascara formula for your lashes or a total beauty look; the beauty professionals at a lot of makeup counters/stores are trained to help you look your very best. When I was looking for the perfect shade of bright red lipstick, I went into a Sephora store and asked a lady working there to help me find it. She was super nice and helpful, and gave me multiple options to try on, while giving me honest feedback if a shade of red wasn't quite right for me. I ended up purchasing a lipstick that I felt really good in, and it only took a few minutes of my time! 3. Keep practicing I've found that watching beauty bloggers' videos online is super helpful in learning new makeup tricks or how to put together complete makeup looks. I take what I want from them and then leave the rest. Pretty much all makeup brands have articles and videos online that will help you learn things like how to do a smokey eye or apply lipstick so it lasts all day. Using these tips and tricks, the key is to keep practicing! You'll feel more confident with the makeup you do have as well as the color and formula choices you're making, thus enabling you to spend a lot less on your makeup! TIP: While the jury's still out about this, I've found that primer seems to help my foundation look more streamline and stay on longer, and a bit applied to my eyelids, along with some concealer, really helps keep my eye-shadow in place.
You don't need to spend a fortune on expensive makeup to look put together, but it will help if you're armed with some knowledge to work within the budget and life you have! Laura is a mama of three littles {and in the adoption process}, delighting in the Gospel of grace. Attempting to be genuine and raw, Laura seeks to find the humor in everyday life. She shares her journey through faith, motherhood, and marriage at LIFE AS A LOEWEN blog. Passionate about issues of social justice, and always up for a Motown dance party, Laura seeks to live with spirited intentionality.
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| | | | :: How to Stop Living Paycheck to Paycheck | | 
I was honored to be interviewed by U.S. News & World Report about How to Stop Living the Paycheck-to-Paycheck Life. Here's a snippet: For Laura Jones, it wasn't a lack of savings that led to her living paycheck to paycheck. In fact, the 38-year-old Lawrenceburg, Indiana, resident had been diligently putting money away in her retirement account. However, when she lost a job, she realized her money was out of reach, and frugal living became a necessity. "We tell people to put money into [retirement] accounts where you can't touch them," Jones says, "but [I've learned] you still need an emergency fund." Jones eventually landed a job selling insurance and was able to put away enough in an accessible savings account for a year's worth of expenses but not before going through a period of stretching one paycheck to the next. People may end up living paycheck to paycheck for a number of reasons. They could be forced into the situation by events outside their control, or it could be the result of financial choices they made. Either way, it's not an enjoyable way to live. Here's how to get out of the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle and on a comfortable budget.
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| | :: How Choosing Gratitude is Changing Our Home | | 
The following is a testimony from Deana of Redeeming the Days I have always lived life with unbridled positivity. For the past thirty-one years, I've prided myself in the fact that I can find a silver lining in just about any situation. That's why the last six months have hit me so hard. Back in late January, after much prayer, my husband and I realized a long-time dream of adoption when we adopted our fourth child through our state's foster care system. As we prepared to welcome our new son, I was sure that I could find a silver lining amidst all the hurt our new son had experienced in his seven years. Yet, as soon as he walked through the door, I struggled. The emotional grief of the losses he bore were heavy. And it wasn't easy to help him carry those griefs. It was hard to find the silver lining to his gray clouds of loss. Before I knew it, my usual positivity was nowhere to be found, and I felt emotionally down. It's been a difficult climb out of that valley, and I doubt that I'm completely out yet, as there is plenty of grief still to walk through with our little guy. But one day, during my daily check of MoneySavingMom.com, I saw where Crystal wrote about her Gratitude Journal and how much that daily discipline had affected her life. 
I decided to give it a try. Every day, I would write everything I was thankful for in my journal. Little by little, I began to notice that instead of feeling down so much, I was intentionally looking for things during the day that I could write in my blessing journal. The tough things of my day just weren't shining as brightly against all the blessings I had. The practice of the Gratitude Journal has been a lifesaver. As I got to thinking about how much I had benefited from the Gratitude Journal, I began wondering if my kids would enjoy it as much as I did. I didn't want to invest much into the idea, just in case they hated it, so I went to the grocery store and bought them each a fifty-cent composition book. Every morning they start our Bible Time writing their blessings in their Gratitude Journals. I had no idea how healing the practice would be to my children, but every day, each of them spend about 15 minutes working on their journals, writing, drawing, and counting their blessings. The other day, I almost couldn't contain my heart when our adopted son shared his blessings and said, "I am thankful for my mom and dad and my brother and sisters." That was truly a special moment that would not have happened without our Gratitude Journals. My positivity is no longer unbridled. It is forever tainted with the hurt, loss, and grief that my son has experienced and that my family and I now are very much willing to help him carry. Through the practice of daily gratitude, I'm learning that even suffering isn't all bad. Through life's struggles, we learn qualities like perseverance, endurance, and trust. And we learn that God is always good, no matter what. Deana is wife to Tim, and a homeschool mom to four beautiful children. She loves bird watching, front porch-sitting, and time spent in God's Word. She writes about homeschooling, adoption and foster care, and her faith at her blog, Redeeming the Days.
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| | :: Buy a 2016 Planner, Get a 2015 Planner for FREE! | | 
If you couldn't get the coupon code to work when I posted this earlier, I've fixed the link and the coupon code should be working and is valid through Monday, August 10, 2015.
If you're looking for a beautiful and easy-to-use Daily Planner for a homemaker/mom, you'll want to check out this giveaway. This Daily Planner is versatile and it helps a homemaker to organize her days and duties. 
Created by a mom of six (Sue Hooley) who wanted a planner that offered a lot of flexibility. I was very impressed with the sample planners Sue sent me and I think many of you will love these, too. Sue understood that a homemaker's day can rarely be scheduled and structured the same as the one before, nor can every task fit neatly into the time-slot allotted by other planners. Since her first publication in 2010, thousands of homemakers have benefited from the daily planner. 
The Planner is spiral bound for easy use and the cover is laminated for durability. Two pockets included. It has seven sectional tabs: - An overview of the year by month.
- Two-page spreads for entries each month.
- Two-page spreads for entries each week. This allows you to sketch out an entire week, day by day.
- A section to enter projected tasks.
- A section to enter specific projects.
- A section to keep a listing of personal contact information.
- A perforated shopping list section allows you to take the list with you.
Buy a 2016 Planner, Get a 2015 Planner for FREE! Right now, if you purchase a 2016 Planner, you'll get a 2015 Planner for free! That way, you don't have to wait until January to start getting organized! Use coupon code MSM48 to get an additional $1 off your order! |
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