Check out how I’m continuing to organize areas of my home using thrifty finds! You DO NOT have to spend an arm and a leg to get organized, and I’m here to prove it!
Also, recently thanks to my friend Cas from the OrganizedClutterbug, I was able to collaborate with Peter Walsh on his organizing channel to share some of my favorite kitchen organization tips and tricks. Hope you’ll check it out!
*This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are genuinely my own.*
My family likes to eat healthfully and as naturally as possible (no we aren’t perfect), and our grocery budget for the week averages around $90 for three people. For everything. Here’s how I achieve those savings and don’t have to spend a lot of time. ‘Ain’t nobody got time for extreme couponing!
1) Meal Plan: This is the single most important element of saving on groceries. Sit down with your store flyer (or find them online) and find what meat is on sale (provided you eat meat). Plan everything around that main dish. Chicken on sale that week? Grab your favorite recipe and make sure you have all the ingredients. I have our family’s favorite recipes in a recipe binder so I can easily meal plan and I know the go-tos that everyone will love. You can see more on meal planning here.
2) Go meatless once a week. This give huge savings in and of itself. Get creative with beans, mushrooms, peppers, cheese. There are lots of yummy meatless meals out there that will save you at least $7-10 on your grocery bill every week. Here are a few of our favorites.
3) Stock up on good meat discounts: If there are really great meat markdowns, buy a few and freeze some, that way when chicken isn’t on sale, you have a stash of meat on hand. No coupons required. Just a small amount of advance planning. Check when your grocery store does markdowns. There will usually be a daily markdown, and a big weekly markdown (I usually aim to go to the store this day). We store extra in our deep freezer. You can see how I organize our stash here.
4) Download the FREE ibotta app. There are TONS of cash-back rebates on fresh produce (not joke) and other products you were probably going to buy anyway (lots of natural options.) You complete an easy task (like answering a poll, watching a 30 second video) and after scanning your store receipt, they credit your account with cash, and you can get giftcards, or straight up cash to paypal. I have been using this app for years and I have earned hundreds of dollars in savings. There isn’t any prep work. Just have your phone in store with you as you shop, and do it as you go. No extra time required. Click here to get the app!
5) Shop by BOGO. We plan most of our grocery trip around By On Get One (Free) sales. And word to the wise: you don’t have to buy two at most stores to get the savings! Lots of times you will find that these BOGO sales align with what is already on ibotta.
6) Stacking. Here’s where you can get a little fancy if you want. I don’t extreme coupon, but I do bring in 5-7 store coupons for additional savings (many that I can stack with what is on ibotta).
HOW TO GET COUPONS
8) Stock up for 6-8 weeks. More sales will be there. I promise. The next time the store has a sale (in about 6-8 weeks) you are ready to stock up again. And buy what you are actually going to use and eat. Otherwise you aren’t saving, you are just spending. See my point? There is always another deal and another day.
I hope this was helpful to you so you can see how I meal plan and get the most bang for my buck. Here is a video that walks you though how I use ibotta and stacked deals with coupons this shopping trip:
*YouTube has been such a blessing and I am fortunate to get to work with many brands that I love and use daily! I have been using Ibotta since 2013 and have saved hundreds using this app, so when the company approached me wanting me to share my rebates and grocery savings, I was really excited. Thanks to Ibotta for sponsoring this post and video. As always, all opinions are genuinely my own.*
In a few words: I was blown away.
I loved this book so much. It contained so many practical tips and information, it was almost overwhelming (how do I put this in a video!?!), but I wanted to share a few elements that really jumped out to me and inspired me.
Did you read this book? What inspired you? What were your biggest life application takeaways?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isGrkNxtzSs
*This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are genuinely my own. Links contain affiliates.*
It’s been 100 degrees outside. Call me a weenie, but it’s just not possible to stay outdoors all day long in that heat. And staying inside with nothing to do is almost worse 😉
Here are a few items we picked up from the Dollar Tree and Goodwill to make the heat a little more bearable and give us something to do during the day. Hope you enjoy!
Happy Father’s Day, y’all! (P.S. If you want to see our Happy Father’s Day Video, click here!)
I wanted to share a haul from Dollar Tree of some brand new organizing products and a few items that I’ve never seen before that are definitely worth a mention!
*This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are genuinely my own.*
I love natural cleaning, but there are lots of store-bought products that the natural options can’t compete with. Up until this point, one of those things has always been laundry detergent. Not to mention, I haven’t felt like I’ve had the time to make my own. (It’s more time-intensive than other natural products.) I work. I have a toddler. My house needs vacuuming.
Crystal Wash sent me their laundry “detergent” balls to try. I was super skeptical (they sat in the box for a while), but as soon as I tried them, I haven’t looked back. I completely shocked at how well they cleaned my clothes and how fresh they smelled. Not fresh like flowers, just fresh nothingness. Like they were cleaned in a natural spring and left to dry in the sun. No kidding.
Here’s the long and short of it. They..
For very hard stains, you still need to pre-treat just as you would with detergent. You can use a mixture of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and dish soap in a paste. Rub on, let sit, and wash as normal!
I have read some less than glowing review online, and for that reason I was super skeptical. But once I tried the product, and saw how well it worked for me personally, I knew I had to share it with you. We have been using them every day!
You can learn more here about how they work. If you use this link you can also get an additional 20% off (that’s a $10 savings.)
Do you use laundry detergent? Do you make your own? Have you tried Crystal Wash? Would love to know your comments below!
*Thank you to Crystal Wash for sending me their laundry balls for review and consideration and for partnering with me in this post. All opinions are 100% my own.*
Soukup is a Christian author in search of “The Good Life”, a theme that really resonated with me. Have you ever felt your life (and budget) were spiraling out of control? Do you struggle to find balance? So did Ruth, and her honesty and wisdom in this book (from the first few chapters I have begun to read) genuinely shares her heart and how she overcame depression and unbalance in her life in practical, biblical ways.
“Ruth Soukup knows firsthand how stressful an unorganized life and budget can be. Through personal stories, biblical truth, and practical action plans, she will inspire you to make real and lasting changes to your personal goals, home, and finances.” (book description)
Her advice is simple and easy to digest, and I can’t wait for you to join in our discussion and take meaningful steps to impact your life.
Please join the discussion on June 27th! You can listen to the audio book for free here.
*This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are genuinely my own. Links contain affiliates.*
In this video I share our recent meant for garbage find (it retails for over $100): a toddler roller coaster. Also, some amazing foam blocks from the Dollar Spot at Target and how to make your own indoor campfire.
Enjoy!
*This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are genuinely my own.*
There are a couple main player in my eyes in the Dollar Store game: Dollar Tree (where everything is $1), Family Dollar (where things are more than a Dollar, but still very inexpensive).
Here are some of my favorite organizational and decor products in recent weeks from these two stores. Easy, inexpensive, functional, AND beautiful! What more could you ask for?
*This is not a sponsored video. All opinions are genuinely my own.*
Keeping an organized laundry room doesn’t have to be stressful. Truly 🙂
Here’s are my favorite tips for keeping your laundry room organized and easy to maintain….
1) Have two laundry baskets. This sounds so simple, but not everyone does this! One for clean clothes on top of the dryer, and one for dirty clothes on top of the washer. It makes for an easy in-out, efficient system this is quick to put away 🙂
2) Do one load a day. I know this sounds excessive. But with HE washers, it actually is very water saving because the machine senses the amount of clothes and uses water accordingly. It’s easy to stay on top of little loads and put them away nightly. Big loads are the worst.
3) Get creative if you feel like your space isn’t pretty! I picked up a roll of shelf liner from the Dollar Tree to line the back of my cabinets to give them a more custom and pulled-together look.
4) Less is more! Don’t over-pack your space. You can see more on that here.
5) Forget Pinterest and go for function. Easy to access items should be the goal.
6) Organize items in a zig-zag pattern (so you can see everything) and it makes products not get lost in the back of the shelf.
6) Coral cords with a cuff from an old shirt. This trick really does work!
7) Get adhesive labels from the Dollar Tree to label your cabinets. They are easy to change out!
8) Under the Shelf Baskets are the BOMB. They can virtually double your space in tiny areas.
Enjoy! What are your best tips?
