Sunday, January 7, 2018

A Peek Into Our Life This Past Week (+ 2018 goal update #1) and more...

Welcome to my weekly post where we take a break from money-related posts and I share about what I'm loving right now and give you a little peek into our life from the past week. My friend, Bekah, made this […]

Intentional finance. Intentional family. Intentional business.

Photobucket

A Peek Into Our Life This Past Week (+ 2018 goal update #1)

Welcome to my weekly post where we take a break from money-related posts and I share about what I'm loving right now and give you a little peek into our life from the past week.

My friend, Bekah, made this for me as a reminder of my word of the year. Oh and I just have to say, that I am loving this word choice. It is already impacting me in big ways!

We rang in the new year with a bang… or more like, we stayed home and watched the ball drop on TV and made S’mores. Yes, we really know how to party! 😉

Quill has been becoming more and more accustomed to us and seems to enjoy interacting with us more and more. It’s been fun for him to start acting like he enjoys being held!  (Hedgehogs typically take a long time to warm up to people.)

Kathrynne started at her new school on Wednesday. She was really nervous about starting over again, not really knowing anyone, and not knowing what it was going to be like. But she faced her fears and it’s turned out to already seem like it’s going to be a great change for her. We’re so grateful!

What I Read This Past Week

Since I’ll be sharing 15 Books I Want to Read Aloud to my kids as my book post tomorrow, I wanted to share what books I’ve been reading recently in today’s post (I’ll usually share what I’ve been reading in Monday’s posts in 2018).

I’m finishing up reading The Story of the World and we’re also reading The Journey Back (note: this one has some language that I’m editing out as I read it aloud). We’ve been reading for just 10 minutes or so at dinner and that’s been a fun touchpoint in our day together.

I read Destination Simple and The Lucky Few this week. Destination Simple was a very quick read and a good reminder of ways to slow down and simplify. It was perfect for my Year of Slow.

The Lucky Few was a book that the publisher sent to me back in March when it was released. It sat on my shelf untouched since then and I almost got rid of it since I didn’t know anything about the authors.

I’m SO glad that I decided to add it to my list of 44 Books I Plan to Read This Year because it was such a heart-warming read. If you’ve ever considered adoption, if you’ve struggled with infertility, or if you’ve been called to a road that you would have never planned or really thought you wanted, I think this book’s story will encourage you.

What I Watched This Past Week

We didn’t watch any movies or TV shows this past week, but we did watch the Facebook live of the live implosion of the Lifeway building in downtown Nashville. It was kind of crazy to see — especially since I’ve been in that building multiple times!

We also watched a LOT of ice skating because the U.S. Figure Skating Championships were being held and they were choosing the 2018 Olympic figure skaters to represent the U.S. after the championships. We got to go to the Figure Skating Championships last year, so that made it even more fun to watch this year. I cannot WAIT for the Olympics!!!

2018 Goals Update

Personal Goals

1. Read 100 non-self-help books that will build me up/encourage me/inspire me/recharge me. (Fiction/story-driven/biographies/inspirational living books/devotionals.) See the list of 44 books I plan to read this year.

**Progress: 2 books read so far

2. Read through the entire Bible.

**Progress: I’m using the Robert Murray M’Cheyne plan and am on Day 7 — yay!

3. Write one handwritten note to someone every week.

**Progress: 2 notes written this past week

4. Run 500 miles.

**Progress: 10.5 miles run so far

Marriage Goal

5. Go on an overnight trip with Jesse without the kids.

Family Goals

6. Read 10 books aloud with the kids.

7. Take the kids to South Africa.

8. Go on a family road trip.

Financial Goals

9. Save up to pay cash to finish off an office for me and workout room for Jesse and me in the basement in our new house.

10. Replenish our Emergency Fund (we dipped into it to replace my car when it got totaled because of the carpet beetle infestation.)

Business Goals

11. Increase our gross income from the business by 8%.

12. Launch 5 new courses.

**Progress: 4 Weeks to a More Productive Life launched this past week!

Links You Should Check Out

    
 

Slow Day: Week 1

Welcome to my weekly Slow Day post, inspired by Monica from The Homespun Heart. My Word for 2018 is Slow and, in the spirit of that word, I’m taking one day each week (Wednesday) off — I’ll be unplugged and offline and plan to move at a slower pace, take time to do things that refresh me, and just really focus on being present and savoring the moment.

Each Saturday, I’ll be sharing a photographic peek into my Slow Day — and I’ll let the pictures almost 100% speak for themselves, instead of giving many explanations. Enjoy a little peek into our lives!

Shown in the pictures:

(Note: The links in this post are affiliate links, and we will be compensated when you make a purchase by clicking through our links. Read our disclosure policy here.)
    
 

Photobucket

Latest finds on Pinterest

   
Email subscriptions powered by FeedBlitz, LLC, 365 Boston Post Rd, Suite 123, Sudbury, MA 01776, USA.
   
   

Friday, January 5, 2018

10 Easy Ways to Earn FREE Christmas Gifts for Next Year and more...

"How do you budget for Christmas gifts?" A lot of people asked me this in messages and in comments and in person recently. Well, the honest answer is that I get creative throughout the year and look for ways to […]

Intentional finance. Intentional family. Intentional business.

Photobucket

10 Easy Ways to Earn FREE Christmas Gifts for Next Year

“How do you budget for Christmas gifts?” A lot of people asked me this in messages and in comments and in person recently.

Well, the honest answer is that I get creative throughout the year and look for ways to earn free gift cards and free credit to sites that then we can “buy” Christmas gifts from come Christmas time.

Sure, I have a blog and a lot of followers on social media, so it’s a little easier for me to accrue credit through some of these sites then if you don’t have a blog or don’t have many people who follow you on social media.

BUT, even if you only have 50 friends on Facebook or Instagram, I bet that some of them would be interested in having you share deals or freebies or money-saving tips with them that you’ve discovered from these sites — and then you’ll earn a little referral credit if they click through your link and sign up or make a purchase.

Here’s a big tip to make this work well — especially on your personal social media: Tell people details on how it worked for you. Don’t just say, “Hey, sign up through my link!” You might get a few people interested if you do that, but you’re probably not going to earn much credit.

Instead, share your own personal experience and people will pay attention. For instance, share your own pictures and say, “Hey, look what I for only $12 from Zulily! You can get great deals from Zulily when you sign up here…”

OR, “I can’t believe we only paid $22 for all 5 of us to go to an Escape Room thanks to Groupon! If you haven’t signed up for Groupon yet, be sure to sign up and see what deals they offer for your local area…”

The more personal and real-life and hands-on you can make it, the more people will be intrigued and want to actually check it out!

10 Easy Ways to Earn FREE Christmas Gifts

So, here are 10 sites that will pay you (in cash or referral credit) when you refer others or that you can earn Christmas cash from:

  1. Groupon — Earn $10 in Groupon Bucks per person you refer who signs up through your link and makes a purchase. Groupon Bucks can be used toward any purchase on Groupon. (We bought multiple Christmas gifts from them this year — they have lots of fun gifts in their Groupon Goods section!)
  2. Zulily —  Earn $15 in Zulily credit for every person who signs up through your link and makes a purchase. Zulily credit can be used toward anything on the Zulily site and can be used toward shipping, too. We’ve gotten lots of great gifts from here over the years.
  3. Swagbucks — Earn $3 in Swagbucks credit for every person who signs up. Plus, you’ll earn 10% of their earnings for LIFE! This is a fantastic referral program because not only is there ongoing credit potential from it, but it also doesn’t require people to spend any money out of pocket for you to earn credit. And the more you can encourage your friends to earn Swagbucks, the more you earn, too! It’s a win-win! You can cash in your SBs for gift cards to Amazon, Starbucks, and more. I can’t even begin to tell you how many gifts we have given over the years as a result of gift cards we’ve earned from Swagbucks! Read more about how to earn more Swagbucks here.
  4. ibotta — Earn $5 cash for every person who signs up through your link and then earns their $10 Welcome Bonus (which is really easy to do!) They also offer special incentives throughout the year. This is another great program to promote because you are helping your friends save money and you are earning money by doing so! Read more about how ibotta works here.
  5. Ebates — Earn a $15 bonus for every person who signs up through your link and makes a minimum purchase that qualifies for a cashback. They send you a check for your earnings every quarter — if you meet their payout minimum. Read more about how Ebates works here.
  6. My Reader Rewards — Earn 10 points for every person who signs up through your link. You can also earn points for taking surveys and taking a few other actions. You can then cash in these points for free books. The books they offer are always changing and there are many different titles that might work for gift ideas!
  7. Shopkick –Earn 250 kicks for every person you refer — up to 25,000 kicks. Shopkick is an app that rewards you for going into stores or taking actions in stores (you don’t have to buy anything!). You can cash in your kicks for gift cards. Read more about how Shopkick works here.
  8. Amazon Trade In — Earn Amazon credit for trading in your used books, CDs, DVDs, and electronics. You can then use the Amazon credit to buy Christmas gifts. (Note: There is no referral program for Amazon Trade-In that I know of.)
  9. InstaGC — Earn 10 points for every person who signs up through your link. In addition, you’ll earn 10% of all their earnings, except for bonuses. InstaGC is similar to Swagbucks in that you earn points for watching videos, filling out surveys, and taking other actions. You can cash in your points for gift cards.
  10. Surveys — You can earn gift cards and cash by filling out surveys and referring friends! See my list of 6 legitimate survey companies to sign up with here.

Also, another fun way to get free Christmas gifts is to sign up for freebies throughout the year. Many of these are ones that could be used in fun gift baskets!

Have you used any of these referral programs before? Are there any referral programs that I didn’t mention that you think I should add to my list?

    
 

85 Simple Flour-Free, Sugar-Free Healthy Snack Ideas

(Note: The links in this post are affiliate links, and we will be compensated when you make a purchase by clicking through our links. Read our disclosure policy here.)

Trying to eat healthier as a family in the new year? Sign up for this FREE list of 85 Simple Flour-Free, Sugar-Free Healthy Snack Ideas.

    
 

Photobucket

Latest finds on Pinterest

   
Email subscriptions powered by FeedBlitz, LLC, 365 Boston Post Rd, Suite 123, Sudbury, MA 01776, USA.
   
   
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)