Finances Your Way

How to Deal with Distractions that Cost You Money

Christina — Mon, 13 May 2013 13:00:37 +0000

The following post is from Christina of Northern Cheapskate:

source: Rennett Stowe

Do you suffer from shiny object syndrome? Do you start one project only to flit to the next? Get sidetracked by some great new thing (shiny object)?

All of those little distractions can cost you money. While daydreaming, you get into a fender bender with your car. You get distracted by your kids in the store, so you aren’t able to focus on your shopping list. You get distracted at work (by co-workers, family issues at home, or the internet) and it costs you opportunities and promotions. You’re distracted by advertising and lured into buying things you may not actually need (or even really want).

There is so much competing for our attention these days – and so much information coming at us – that it is very easy to get distracted. When you’re distracted, it’s easier to make bad choices when it comes to your money. It’s easier to make impulse buys, make poor decisions, or make mistakes that cost you.

Have a plan.

Start every day with a plan. Make a list of the things you have to do and follow it. Never go to the grocery store without a shopping list. Set short-term and long-term goals and assess your progress regularly. If there’s a plan in place, it’s much harder to get sidetracked.

Take a minimalist approach.

Less is more! Do a massive purge of clutter. Unsubscribe to magazines and e-mail newsletters that you never read. Turn off the television. Unplug from all those gadgets. Eliminate all those little time wasters and things that tempt you into spending money.

Focus on a few causes or projects that are most important to you and let go of the rest. It’s easier to juggle everything when you have fewer balls in the air.

Set a timer.

Have you ever logged on to your computer to pay a bill or check your bank account and discover that you’ve lost 2 hours of your day to Pinterest and Facebook? Eliminate distractions by setting a kitchen timer or setting an alarm on your phone. When you give yourself a strict time limit to get things done, you’re less likely to get distracted. I’ve even known some women who set the parental controls on their TVs and computers to make sure they stay on task.

Keep a notebook handy.

Sometimes distractions pop up that you just can’t ignore. For those occasions, I try to keep a notebook around to jot down things I need to remember or deal with later. If I don’t have a notebook, I’ll use the notepad or memo function on my phone. This allows you to make sure you remember the things you need to remember without disrupting the project you’re currently working on.

Recognize what’s real and what’s hype.

It’s easy to get sucked into a good sales pitch or lured into the drama of a highly persuasive person. Make sure a deal is really a deal. Figure out how to tell what needs attention and what doesn’t.

Figure out what your time is worth.

When I find myself getting distracted, I stop to think about what my time is worth. For example, if you have a job that pays you $15 an hour, and you just spent the last hour playing Angry Birds, then you’ve just lost $15 in productivity. Stop to ask yourself if what you are doing is helping you reach your goals. If the answer is “No” then stop what you’re doing and go back to your plan.

It’s not easy avoiding all those shiny objects trying to get our attention. Having a few strategies can help.

How do you handle distractions?

	Christina Brown is the creator of Northern Cheapskate, a blog dedicated to frugal living through coupons, freebies, and money-saving ideas. She lives in the rural north woods of Minnesota where she clips coupons, pinches pennies, and chases her three boys (a 7-year-old and twin 5-year olds) as a stay-at-home mom.

How to Deal with Distractions that Cost You Money is a post from Life Your Way

© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Money Your Way subscribers. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited. If you are reading this content elsewhere, please send an email to contact@yourway.net to let us know. Thanks.

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Weekend Reading: May 11, 2013

Sat, 11 May 2013 12:01:15 GMT

source: mandiehman on Instagram

We’re currently at Disney World for the Disney Social Media Moms conference, and let me tell you…it truly is magical! Between the character sightings, the food, the fun giveaways and the free time to explore the parks we already know and love, our family is soaking up every moment. I’ll be sharing a little more about our trip next week, but in the meantime, you can follow me on Instagram (@mandiehman) to join us virtually!

This morning? We’re off to Merida’s Royal Coronation at the Magic Kingdom!

Our weekly newsletter is currently on hold , but be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss our next issue on June 1st!

Here are some of my favorite posts from this week. As always, check out what I’m reading to see the other posts that make me stop and think. You’ll find new posts all week long!

Family {Raising Adults}

A Nation of Wimps | Psychology Today

Diagnosing the Wrong Deficit | NYTimes.com

How To Keep Our Babies Safe | Glennon Melton

Health {And the Role Food Plays}

174,203 Ways to Measure Health (Besides the Scale) | Whole9

Avoiding Monosodium Glutamate: One Family’s Story | Simple Bites

Homeschooling {Enjoying the Journey}

5 Ways to Manage Home and School | SimpleHomeschool.net

How to Enjoy Homeschooling {A Few Things I’ve Learned Along the Way} | SarahMae.com

Have a great weekend!

	Mandi Ehman is the founder and publisher behind Life Your Way and the co-author of All in Good Time, as well as a wife and the homeschooling mom to four beautiful girls. She lives with her family on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia and loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.

Weekend Reading: May 11, 2013 is a post from Life Your Way

© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Life Your Way subscribers. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited. If you are reading this content elsewhere, please send an email to contact@yourway.net to let us know. Thanks.

10 Simple Ways Using the Library Can Save You Money

tiffany — Thu, 09 May 2013 21:30:58 +0000

The following post is from Tiffany of Mommy Goes Green:

source: University of California Berkeley

I adore the library and think it’s one of the most underutilized public programs we have available to us! Our local libraries offer so much more than just books, they have a wealth of material, programs and online resource available to save you money:

Internet Access

Using the Internet at the library can be a great way to chop $50 or more from your monthly budget.

If you don’t have a computer, they have one for you to use or you can bring your own and use their free Wi-fi.

Movies

We recently cancelled the DVD portion of our Netflix account because we can score both DVD and Blu-ray movies from the library for free. We also really like that most are available for check out for as long as one or two weeks. We reserve movies we want online, and I am notified by email when they are available.

Magazines

I am a magazine junkie, but I only subscribe to a few favorites. I’ve been known to climb in a comfy chair with a cup of coffee and a magazine at the library. I also like that the magazines there have a longer life because they are used by many readers.

eBooks

Here’s the thing about eBooks – you don’t even need to own an e-reader! Most of them are available for download to your computer or mobile device so take advantage of all the free eBooks your library has to offer.

Music

Sometimes I just need to listen to a CD a few times before to decide that I don’t need to buy it. I check them out from the library, blast them in my car for a week or two and then return them. I also take advantage of the library’s Freegal system, it allows me to download up to three MP3′s at a time and keep them as long as I’d like. I’ve saved myself a lot of impulse iTunes purchases this way.

Programming

The children’s programs have been particularly good for us during the winter when outside play is not always a good idea. Instead of paying for a pricey indoor play area, we can head over to the library for their weekly free programs. Our library offers crafts, movies, sing-a-longs and I’ve also seen teen classes for SAT prep and free tutoring.

Free Tickets and Passes

Our local library offers a family pass to the local museum, and the one I belonged to previously had tickets for every major museum, garden and historical venue in the area. It was a great benefit allowing us to try out many cultural events in our city for free. We ended up liking one of them so much that we paid for an annual membership.

Summer Reading Program

The reading programs offered by most libraries not only encourages kids to read throughout the summer, but you can often score several freebies for participating. We have gotten many free books, pizzas, ice cream cones and sporting event tickets when we completed the program.

Language Lessons

I’ve had my eye on some online language lessons, but then I discovered our library gives all members access to Mango Languages where we can study 11 different languages. They also offer an ESL course. This might be particularly helpful to homeschooling families.

Book Sales

I have stocked at least half our home library collection from the wonderful sales at local libraries. I try to attend several per year and have scored so many great books for $1 or less. Not only have I purchased many books in great condition, I’ve also purchased DVD’s, CD’s and puzzles. My advice: go early and go often, you will not regret it.

What special perks or programs does your library offer?

	Tiffany is a wife and mom of two, living simply to indulge her family’s love of outdoor recreation and travel. You can find her contributing at Simple Homemade, The Creative Mama and her personal home on the web, Mommy Goes Green.

10 Simple Ways Using the Library Can Save You Money is a post from Life Your Way

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Weekend Reading: May 4, 2013

Sat, 04 May 2013 12:03:07 GMT

source: mandiehman on Instagram

Above: Our 5-year-old trying to work up the courage to jump in the pool. She did this for about 20 minutes before she finally jumped, and it just about broke my heart in two watching her internal struggle between fear and want-to!

The past week has been very busy and very full…in all the very best ways! We’ve had time with family and friends, spent hours and hours and hours in the pool, been to a baseball game and a dinosaur museum, indulged in frozen yogurt and ice cream, celebrated birthdays, shopped and shopped some more (mama needs clothes!) and even given the girls their standardized tests. (See a few snapshots of our vacation so far here!)

I was a little nervous that two weeks at my parents’ house might be too long for all of us, but the first 9 days have flown by, and I’m sure the rest will as well, especially with more family and friends visiting this weekend! On Thursday we’re heading to Orland for four days at Disney World and the Disney Social Media Moms conference, and we’re beyond excited to see Merida’s Royal Celebration (as she’s officially crowned a Disney Princess — did you know they did that?) and enjoy all of the other wonderful surprises they have planned for us.

This trip has definitely been a great way to celebrate the end of morning sickness and kick off the summer, and I’m actually working on some pretty big changes here at Life Your Way that I’ll be sharing with you soon as well!

Have you gotten your Ultimate Homemaking eBook Bundle? The sale ends today (5/4), and there won’t be any late sales, so you’ll want to do that soon!

Here are some of my favorite posts from this week. As always, check out what I’m reading to see the other posts that make me stop and think. You’ll find new posts all week long!

Motherhood {Grace for the Journey}

Your Hard Is Hard | The Extraordinary Ordinary

Investing in Myself | Modern Mrs. Darcy

40 Things You Need to Know Before You’re 40 | A Holy Experience

Green {Baby Steps Matter}

Simple Steps to Safe and Natural Personal Care | Keeper of the Home

Real Food Tips: 10 Ways to Be Less Wasteful | 100 Days of Real Food

6 Easy Ways to Conserve Water | Live Renewed

Family {Screen Free and Lovin’ It}

Screen Free Week 2013 | Simple Kids

21 Ways to Entertain and Educate Children… Without Technology | Lifehack

101 Screen-Free Activites | ScreenFree.org

Have a great weekend!

	Mandi Ehman is the founder and publisher behind Life Your Way and the co-author of All in Good Time, as well as a wife and the homeschooling mom to four beautiful girls. She lives with her family on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia and loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.

Weekend Reading: May 4, 2013 is a post from Life Your Way

Free Kindle Books {5/2/13}

hillary — Thu, 02 May 2013 11:00:55 +0000

One of the most popular features of our sister site, Jungle Deals & Steals, are our free Kindle book lists. With 15-20 free ebooks every day, these are a great way to load up your Kindle without breaking the bank, and Kindle books can also be read on smartphones, computers and tablets with the Kindle app from Amazon.

Here’s a quick list of some of the freebies that are currently available, but be sure to head over to Jungle Deals & Steals for new freebies today…or subscribe to our daily freebies email so you don’t miss a single book!

Fiction

Maui Widow Waltz (Islands of Aloha Mystery Series) by JoAnn Bassett
Genre: Mysteries
Reviews: (81 reviews)

The Silver Locket (Choc Lit) by Margaret James
Genre: Historical Romance
Reviews: (6 reviews)

Beautiful Day — Free Preview — The First Three Chapters by Elin Hilderbrand
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Reviews: (1 review)

Signs and Wonders (Annie Grace adventures) by Alex Adena
Genre: Short Stories
Reviews: (1 review)

A Texas Legacy Christmas by DiAnn Mills
Genre: Christian
Reviews: (9 reviews)

Nonfiction

Power Verbs for Job Seekers: Hundreds of Verbs and Phrases to Bring Your Resumes, Cover Letters, and Job Interviews to Life by Michael Lawrence Faulkner
Genre: Guides
Reviews: (5 reviews)

Natural Cleaning Recipes: Essential Oils Recipes to Safely Clean Your Home, Save Money, and Protect Your Family (Essential Oils Books) by Becki Andrus
Genre: Cleaning & Caretaking
Reviews: (1 review)

Marketing Metrics: The Definitive Guide to Measuring Marketing Performance (2nd Edition) by Paul W. Farris
Genre: Research
Reviews: (17 reviews)

In Living Color: The Lord’s Prayer by Paul W. Meier
Genre: New Testament
Reviews: (13 reviews)

Breakfast Mug Menus: Quick & Easy Meals for Everyone by K.H. Gardner
Genre: Breakfast
Reviews: (1 review)

Children’s Books

ABC Animals – An Alphabetical Rhyming Children’s Picture Book ( Fun Ebooks For Kids ) by Mark Smith
Genre: Animals
Reviews: (18 reviews)

Childrens eBooks – Where Is Love by Barry J. McDonald
Genre: Christian
Reviews: (16 reviews)

The Flower Traube (Mystery Detective Bert # 3) by Elle A. Kagoena
Genre: Mysteries
Reviews: (3 reviews)

See more Kindle freebies here.

Free Kindle Books {5/2/13} is a post from Life Your Way

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Simple Ways to Get in the Habit of Saving

Christina — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 22:30:12 +0000

The following post is from Christina of Northern Cheapskate:

source: SeniorLiving.org

As my husband and I dug our way out of debt, we often reminded ourselves that getting to debt-free was a marathon, not a sprint. While it was easy to get into debt, it takes an incredible amount of time, energy, and determination to get rid of that debt.

So, if the journey out of debt is a marathon, then learning to save money is lot like marathon training. You have to condition those saving muscles so that you are able to keep saving even when things are tough. You’ve got to develop the stamina to keep moving toward your financial goals.

Here are several great ways to create a savings habit:

Pay yourself first.

One of the simplest ways to develop the savings habit is to pay yourself first. What does that mean? It means that whenever you come into money – whether it is a paycheck or a windfall – put some of it into savings before you do anything else. It’s easy to set up a direct deposit to your savings account, and you can make sure money is automatically transferred from your paycheck to a retirement account, too. Ideally, you should be setting aside 10 to 20 percent of your income into savings, but just remember that every little bit counts.

By putting money into savings first, you’re training yourself to live within your means. And because you’re making saving automatic, you won’t be as tempted to spend that money.

Save your spare change.

Another simple way to save is to put all of your spare change into a jar. Other folks pledge to put every $1 or every $5 bill they get into a savings jar. It doesn’t take long at all for that little bit of “extra” money to add up. And when you can visibly see your savings grow, you’ll be more motivated to save even more.

Focus on your goals.

Set good financial goals and regularly review them. If you’re saving for something special, post a picture of it on your bathroom mirror or put a snapshot of the item with your wallet. When you are reminded of what you are saving for, it becomes easier to stay on course.

Surround yourself with other savers.

Connect with family and friends who are also making it a goal to save money. You’ll be able to share experiences and frugal living ideas to help you reach your goals, and you won’t be tempted to spend money frivolously. Read inspiring money-saving books and websites to keep you motivated.

Celebrate your success.

Once you’re in the habit of developing savings habits, don’t forget to celebrate your success with a small reward. By treating yourself (maybe with a dinner out or a small gadget), you’re reminding yourself of the accomplishments you’ve made. Saving without goals and without rewards is far too daunting and makes you more likely to go back to spendthrift ways.

Learning to save money is hard, but when you start slowly and confidently, you will develop the skills to make saving automatic.

How do you stay motivated when it comes to saving money?

	Christina Brown is the creator of Northern Cheapskate, a blog dedicated to frugal living through coupons, freebies, and money-saving ideas. She lives in the rural north woods of Minnesota where she clips coupons, pinches pennies, and chases her three boys (a 7-year-old and twin 5-year olds) as a stay-at-home mom.

Simple Ways to Get in the Habit of Saving is a post from Life Your Way

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Weekend Reading: April 27, 2013

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 12:20:46 GMT

source: mandiehman on Instagram

Eighteen hours in the car with four tired little girls and a very curious puppy was well worth it for a full day spent swimming, eating fro-yo and hanging out with Nona and Pop yesterday…and the promise of many more of those days to come!

Our weekly newsletter is currently on hold as I muddle through the first trimester, but be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss future issues!

Here are some of my favorite posts from this week. As always, check out what I’m reading to see the other posts that make me stop and think. You’ll find new posts all week long!

Family {We’re Going to Disney World!}

Random Acts of Disney: 10 Magical Stories | Babble

Epic Fail: Disneyland Surprises Gone Wrong | Roadside Assistance

Home {Simple Living with Kids}

Decluttering & Kids: Inspiring Kids to Live Simply | Keeper of the Home

5 Ways to Manage Home and School | SimpleHomeschool.net

Life {Intentional and Joyful}

Speak Joy | Becoming Minimalist

Stuck in the Doldrums: An Attack Plan | Jen Hatmaker

Flowing with the Stresses of Kids (or anyone else) | ZenHabits

Have a great weekend!

	Mandi Ehman is the founder and publisher behind Life Your Way and the co-author of All in Good Time, as well as a wife and the homeschooling mom to four beautiful girls. She lives with her family on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia and loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.

Weekend Reading: April 27, 2013 is a post from Life Your Way

Free Kindle Books {4/25/13}

hillary — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 11:00:11 +0000

Fiction

EARTHLY TIES by Kimberly Silvinski
Genre: Science Fiction
Reviews: (15 reviews)

Florian’s Gate (Priceless Collection Book #1) by T. Davis Bunn
Genre: Action & Adventure
Reviews: (13 reviews)

Living with Fred (The Fred Books) by Brad Whittington
Genre: Coming of Age
Reviews: (22 reviews)

Love Comes Blindly (book 5) (The Fielding Brothers Saga) by Marie Higgins
Genre: Historical
Reviews: (3 reviews)

The Job Offer by Eleanor Webb
Genre: Contemporary
Reviews: (1 review)

Chasing Justice (Book 1) (Piper Anderson Series) by Danielle Stewart
Genre: Suspense
Reviews: (6 reviews)

Nonfiction

Natural Green Home Cleaning For Beginners:Best Innovative Eco-Friendly Cleaning Solutions for Your Home from Kitchen, to Children’s Toys, and Even Your Car and Microfiber Cleaning by R. Kishore
Genre: Cleaning & Caretaking
Reviews: (4 reviews)

Fall asleep! It’s Easy…The (miraculous) Kaleidoscope Method, How to get to sleep, sleep help, sleep problems, cure insomnia and have better sleep by Elli Yeates

Children’s Books

Dancing with the Snails (Running with snails) by Jonathan Smuda
Genre: Games
Reviews: (2 reviews)

99 Amazing Animals Book Bundle: 33 Cute Animals + 33 Dangerous Animals + 33 Ugly Animals by P.K. Miller
Genre: Animals
Reviews: (1 review)

The Mango Tree and Other Stories by Rachna Srivastava
Genre: Short Stories
Reviews: No Reviews Yet!

See more Kindle freebies here.

Free Kindle Books {4/25/13} is a post from Life Your Way

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