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Here’s a great Father’s Day gift idea! You can order a one-year subscription to Outside magazine for only $4.99 (up to 2 years) with code MONEYSAVING at checkout.
This offer expires Sunday night (April 17th, 2016) at midnight EST. About Outside Magazine: Created for the active reader, Outside is the magazine devoted to travel, fitness, outdoor gear and sports. Whether you like rock climbing or mountain biking, each issue provides the best coverage of these an other exciting outdoor activities. Vacation tips and profiles of outdoor enthusiasts, along with colorful action photography make this a great resource for the active soul!  
Guest Post from Kalyn of Creative Savings Blog It's awfully easy to look at your income and argue that life would be a lot simpler if you made just a little bit more. I have to admit, it would be nice, no thrilling, to have money for that unexpected repair, or enough wiggle room to replace a few pieces of furniture in our own home! But honestly? That thrill would last for a single moment. Don’t get me wrong — more money isn’t a bad thing. If you’re living paycheck-to-paycheck, it can help you get ahead of the curve. And if you’re drowning in debt, it provides additional resources to help chip away at that massive balance. But it’s not the magic potion that will suddenly fix ALL your problems. I know… not what you probably wanted to hear, but it’s true! Even well-known millionaires have proved this principle over and over again. It’s estimated that 80% of retired NFL players go broke within the first three years — men who averaged a salary of 2 million or more per year! Even multi-billionaire Donald Trump has filed for bankruptcy four different times. I think it’s safe to say that more money is not the key to financial success. Here’s why… If you can’t manage what you have now well, you won’t be able to manage more later. You’ll fall right into the same trap you were caught in before, except this time, with bigger numbers. A Life-Changing Principle There’s actually a term for this phenomenon, called Parkinson’s Law. In technical terms, this principle says work expands to fill the time available for its completion. Let me give you an example of this in more basic terms: If you have a project you think will be finished in three months, it’s going to take the entire three months to finish. But if you give yourself a week, it’s only going to take a week. This is Parkinson’s Law — time spent is equal to what you have. When we apply Parkinson's Law in a financial sense, we see that higher income often leads to higher expenses. Not because we intentionally set out to spend more, instead the extra money in our pocket gives us that false sense of security and more of a reason not to care. Because why hold back when you have enough to afford it anyway? I’ll let you in on a secret — most of us don’t. The Real Secret to Financial Success So if “more money” isn’t the end game, then what really defines financial success? And more importantly, how do we get there? The answer is two-fold: - By changing our mindset. Instead of chasing MORE, you develop an attitude of contentment for what you have. Simple to say, much harder to practice! A gratitude journal like Crystal’s is perfect for this, and I’m always amazed at how thankful I am when I take time to write down my daily blessings.
- By changing our habits. If you don’t follow up your new mindset with action, you’ll never make any real financial progress. This means a commitment to that b-word — “budget” — as well as a system to track everything you spend. Sometimes this requires a massive spending overhaul; other times, a more targeted focus on one or two expenses.
Ultimately, I want you to have the freedom to spend more where it really matters, but in order to do that, you have to spend less on the things you need. Remember, more money isn’t the answer…and it never will be. The real secret to financial success is in learning how to manage what you already have, even better. And once you find it, you’ll quickly realize you have more control over your finances than more money could ever provide. 
Note from Crystal: Kalyn’s new book, 31 Days to Radically Reduce Your Expenses, is just $0.99 today only when you download the ebook version on Amazon! In this resource, she walks you through every part of your budget, and give you the tools and resources to change your expenses for the better — even if you already think they're as low as they can go. Grab the Kindle ebook for just $0.99 here (today only!).
Have you found financial success? What is your best tip to maintain it? Kalyn Brooke is the founder of the popular frugal lifestyle blog, CreativeSavingsBlog.com, where she empowers women to make their money work smarter, so they can create the life they really want. Originally from Upstate NY, Kalyn now resides in sunny Southwest Florida with her husband, Joseph, and one terribly spoiled rabbit, named Cody.
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Here are some of the best educational deals and freebies available right now from Katie who writes at Cincinnati Cents: LEGO Creator Park Animals for $11.99: Amazon has their LEGO Creator Park Animals Set on sale for $11.99. With this set, kids can build a dog, a duck, and 3 ducklings. And for added fun, the same pieces can be rebuilt into either a wise owl or a busy squirrel. Times Tales Animated DVD for $19.99: Educents has their Times Tales Animated DVD on sale for $19.99. Times Tales makes learning the upper times tables easy and fun for kids. The videos use cute, simple stories that provide students with a "memory peg" that allows them to quickly recall otherwise abstract multiplication facts. As kids progress through the video, they'll learn their multiplication facts without even realizing that they've done so! This is a great companion or introduction to teaching multiplication. The set includes the updated Times Tales Upper Times Tables DVD as well as a bonus Division CD. Zoobooks Magazine Subscription for $10: Groupon is currently offering customers a one-year subscription to Zoobooks, Zoobies, or Zootles Magazine for just $10. You can also purchase a 2-year subscription to any of the above magazines for $19. Our family has enjoyed these magazines in the past, and they have been a fun addition to our homeschooling curriculum. Free Creative Cake Pops Class: Craftsy is featuring a FREE Creative Cake Pops Class. Participants will learn to create gorgeous cake pops by Wilton decorator, Valerie Pradhan. Throughout the course, you'll learn how to create the base of the pop, create a smooth coating, and decorate the pop with swirling sprinkles, impressive marbling techniques, and beautiful drizzled candy. These cake pops are ideal for birthdays, showers, weddings, holidays, and more. You'll receive 4 HD video lessons that can be accessed anytime, anywhere as well as detailed instructions, explanations, and demonstrations. You can find more free classes from Craftsy here. Melissa & Doug Caterpillar Xylophone for $12.99: Amazon has their Melissa & Doug Caterpillar Xylophone Toy on sale for $12.99. This rainbow-colored xylophone includes an octave of notes, encouraging children to become familiar with octaves, intervals, and rhythms. The self-storing wooden mallets become the caterpillar's antennas, and the set is ideal for creative play, artistic expression, and developing fine motor skills. Thomas & Friends Magazine for $14.99: Purchase a one-year subscription to Thomas & Friends Magazine for just $14.99. Thomas & Friends Magazine is designed for children ages 2-7 years old. Each issue has stories featuring the adventures of Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends. There are a variety of activities in each publication, such as a workbook, a collectible poster, games, and puzzles. Green Toys Seacopter for $10.39: Amazon has their Green Toys Seacopter on sale for $10.39. Regularly priced at $19.99, this toy features stabilizing, oversized fill-and-spill pontoons to keep the boat afloat. It also has a large top rotor and an additional tail rotor for play at in the bath or at the beach. Free Apple Life Cycle Printables: Proverbial Homemaker has a free set of Apple Life Cycle printables available for download. This set includes more than 30 pages, and it features math, puzzles, a word search, parts of an apple, vocabulary, and more. Learning Resources Super Magnet Lab for $26.24: Amazon has their Learning Resources Super Magnet Lab on sale for $26.24. This set received a 4.5-star rating from more than 100 reviews, and it includes 100 magnetic chips, 100 magnetic paper clips, 10 marbles, 7 magnetic wands, 2 metal ring magnets, 2 mini metal horseshoe magnets, 2 metal bar magnets, 5″ plastic horseshoe magnet, Activity Guide, and storage box. Caterpillar Construction 5-Pack for $6.39: Amazon has their Caterpillar Construction Mini Machine 5-Pack on sale for $6.39. Regularly priced at $9.99, this set includes 5 free-wheeling machines – a dump truck, bulldozer, wheel loader, backhoe, and road compactor. American Girl Mini Doll & Book Sets for $14.81: Amazon has several of their American Girl Mini Doll & Book Sets on sale for $14.81. The following sets are included in this sale – Grace, Kit, Maryellen, Julie, Josefina, and Addy. Free Patterns from Craftsy: Are you looking for a new craft project to start (and maybe even finish!) this spring? If so, Craftsy has several patterns available for free including patterns for quilting, knitting, sewing, jewelry-making, and more.
Katie is a wife and homeschooling mother of four who writes at Cincinnati Cents about saving money and having fun as a family without breaking the bank. She enjoys sharing new recipes, ideas for frugal family fun, and tips for spending less at the grocery store.  
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Thanks, For The Mommas!  
Just a reminder to get your free ice cream tomorrow! Ben & Jerry’s is once again having their Free Cone Day this year! Stop in on April 12 from 12 to 8 p.m. to get a free scoop of ice cream in a cone or a cup. No coupon required. Just mention this promotion. Limit 1 free cone per customer. Thanks, Freebie Shark!  
In the last few months, as I’ve had space in my life to breathe (thanks to The Year of Rest), I’ve come face to face with how much anxiety I’ve struggled with since the time I was a young girl. I’m discovering that a lot of this anxiety is related to my intense and unhealthy desire to be in control of all the things in my life. I want to have all my ducks in a row, I want to always have a really good plan in place, I don’t want there to be unknowns, and I don’t like to feel like things aren’t orderly and neat and well prepared. In an effort to break free from some of these lifelong control issues, I’ve not only been doing a lot of praying and soul-searching, but I’ve also been challenging myself to stop trying to live life in such a safe, controlled, orderly, and risk-free manner. One area I’m doing this is with my handlettering. I’m working on trying new handlettering styles and not obsessing over getting things perfect. My nature is to want to re-do things over and over again until I get it exactly how I want it, but I’m challenging myself to just write it out once and be okay with it not being anywhere near “perfect.” Going forward, I want to live all of my life in the freedom and joy that comes from knowing that, ultimately, I’m not in control of anything. Instead of trying to micromanage my life and stressing out that it’s not working, I want to rest in the God of the Universe… the One Who knows the end from the beginning, Who loves me with an everlasting love, and Whose plans for my life are far better than any I could ever dream up or imagine.  
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