No more paper plates!

Lets face it, they sure are convenient. With 4 kids, homework, dance, band, myself now employed & working, my husband working long hours, dishes, laundry, shopping, cleaning, life - using paper plates is just one of those things that makes life simpler.

I vowed long ago to give up paper plates. And though I don't use them near as often as I did, I'm still buying them. Last weekend, my husband got a new truck. He works his butt off for our family & he deserves that new truck. But with that new truck, came another vehicle payment (his previous truck had been paid off for years). I mentioned in the post below, another vehicle payment is not in our budget. It's not there. So I have to make it there.

I love a good challenge & I'm loving saving money anywhere I can. When I look back, seeing the amount of money we (especially, me!) have blown over the years literally makes me sick. I'm so ashamed. How stupid! I can't change the past, but I sure can change the present & the future. Foregoing paper plates might be just a tiny improvement, but every tiny improvement adds up. Granted, these paper plates only cost about $4 or so. But that $4 I'd rather have in my pocket!! Let me encourage you, ditch the paper plates. Put that $4 in your pocket, too!

You know what I always say - any change is better than no change at all!

As I come across areas where I'll be saving our family money, I'll be blogging those changes, so be sure to follow along. I'm just getting started & I have a long way to go. Project: Money Smart is underway!

Dani Johnson shared three money saving tips, so I'll post them for you. Maybe these tips will help your family, as well. No, Dani Johnson doesn't know I blog about her & I'm not compensated in any way. She's a smart lady & a huge inspiration. So I share, in hopes of learning from her wisdom. I also posted this information on my Facebook page the other day.

From Dani:

"I have 3 very simple tips I want to share with you today that are really going to show you some places where you may be losing money:

1. Avoid catalogs! Get rid of department store catalogs and get off of email lists today. CANCEL your catalogs from Victoria's Secret, Apple, electronic stores, nutrition stores, and the rest of the traps where you shop. Think about it... The only reason they have your address or your email address is to sell you something. These catalogs and emails are nothing but sales letters.

2. Sell your stuff! Have a garage sale. You don't need tons of stuff! It just takes time to manage, dust, and keep clean and organized. So sell it! Use the money to pay off debt or to invest. I once had a garage sale, and we made $2,600 in one weekend in my tiny little town. I also sold a bunch of my clothes and made $2,000. That's $4,600 from STUFF! Do I miss any of it? No way! Heck, I don't even remember what I sold! Neither will you...

3. Eat what is in your pantry! Do not go to the grocery store until all the food in your house is gone. For most people that is at least 30 days. (I've even had clients who said they didn't go to the grocery store for 6 months!) See, we have been trained to think that our refrigerators and pantries are supposed to be well-stocked. But, my friend, you have been duped by advertising. If you do not go to the grocery store for the next 30 days and eat everything in your pantry, that is CASH in your kitchen! Take the money you would have spent on food and attack your debt with it."

I have to giggle at the "Sell your stuff" because I have been saying for months now that we should all get rid of some of our stuff, because it's just more to dust! Ha! But that's the truth, isn't it? :)

Here's another post I did not long ago regarding little things I do to save our family money. Click here.

How are you saving your family money?

Follow me on Facebook for more fun stuff! Click here!

Where can you cut back?

It's no secret I LOVE Dani Johnson. Don't know her story? Click here!

Currently, it's safe to say I'm totally obsessed with Dani Johnson. She is such an amazing inspiration!! She is a 'no holds barred', 'cut to the chase' kind of lady. She doesn't fool around. And it has gotten her - everywhere!!

Yesterday I watched a video she did where she goes shopping. Love it, love it! So I thought I would share:

It's time to batten down the hatches around here at the Adoring the Simple home. My husband has no choice but to sell his 2004 Diesel.  He needs a newer, more reliable vehicle.  Truth is, we can't afford another vehicle payment. The funds are just not there. So I need to make it happen. I have to find the money. And I'm determined! I am going to be successful!  I LOVE money-saving tips. Any & all. Think about it. Like myself, you, too, would be surprised where you can find extra money, if we'd all just pay attention & be more conscious of our spending. I'm on it! I'm going to make this work. I don't have a choice! Care to join me? Because I'm starting NOW! *I learned of Dani Johnson through my Shaklee team. Dani Johnson is one of the awesome resources we get our Shaklee training from. For FREE. Dani has been a huge blessing for me, personally & professionally. I still have so much to learn from her & I am so excited & so ready to learn all I can! And for free? Yes, please! I will take that! Soon, I will be adding a page explaining how I work from home, making money from blogging. You can do it, too, if you desire to help others get healthy, desire financial gain & dream of being debt free. Your dream can become a reality! One of my teammates just paid off $55K in debt & put down a down payment on their dream house! She is just one of many happy, successful stories. Oh, & she makes 99% of her income from blogging & networking. She never leaves her home! Anyway, if any of that interests you, watch for my new link, coming soon. If it interests you NOW, shoot me an email right now! adoringthesimple@gmail.com You can hop on my team now & you can start making money NOW! I will teach you how to do what I do! What we all do! You will join our private Facebook page that is so incredible. Incredible team, incredible/invaluable teaching & incredible relationships! Find yourself again. Be in control. Find your worth, work your butt off & reap your dreams! Happy Friday! Follow me on Facebook! Click here!!

Some little things I do to save our family money!

Saving money is something I strive for, but I'm not great at. I'm still learning as I go, however, & do what I can to cut back in certain areas. I tried the coupon thing but gosh, it didn't work for me. It took so much of my time & I burned out quick. Finally, I gave it up. I do not use coupons unless there's one on the item I'm purchasing or I just happen to have one handy, for whatever reason.

But. I do try, & here are a just a few things I do:

I rewash & reuse plastic utensils. I send them to school in my kids' lunches, they bring them back & I toss them in my dishwasher basket. No need to buy more when these get washed & work just fine.



I reuse grocery bags. Not only do I use them at my garage sales, but I also empty bathroom trash cans in them, I empty vacuum cleaner canisters in them, I throw out leftover food in them, & then I walk them straight out to the garage trash can. I use these to save my large, kitchen trash bags. I don't have to purchase my kitchen trash bags as often.



Bar mops. I love bar mops! I use them for almost everything. These are strictly for my kitchen. Instead of dirtying a plate, wasting a paper plate or paper towel, we use these for quick snacks, fruits or in place of a napkin. We use the same one throughout the day (unless it gets icky) & at the end of the day, we shake them out & toss them in the laundry. You can get a bundle of them for around $5 at Walmart.



Shaklee's Microfiber Window & Mirror cloth. This thing rocks & saves so many paper towels! And no, it doesn't leave streaks whatsoever. Wash & reuse, wash & reuse.



Plastic containers for school lunches. I've looked at many options & I'm considering some of them, but for now, I use these. Sandwiches/whatever go in the large ones & the smallers ones hold raisins, carrots, ranch, whatever. Wash & reuse & it saves from using so many baggies.



Homemade shaving lotion. Yes! We use it. My husband uses it! Cracks me up. I'm experimenting still to make it thicker, but it totally works & saves so much money from having to purchase shaving gels. Recipe here.



And of course, I am saving a bundle using Shaklee's cleaners. Seriously. I purchased my kit in May & I have not had to reorder anything but the Germ Off wipes (I use those all around my toilets) & Dish Washer Concentrate. I can pretty much guarantee I won't need to purchase Basic H (makes THREE amazing cleaners!) or Basic G (disinfectant!) for another 6 months, at least. My Scour Off is running low, so I may need to reorder that in a month or two. Not only are they non-toxic, they just last forever & they work incredibly well.



So that's it! That's what I do as of now & like I said, I'm always searching for other ways to save. What do you do to save money? Please share!

Wishing you & your families a very blessed, happy Thanksgiving!

Save money with Shaklee's Get Clean line!

Isn't that amazing? Cheaper than the Dollar Store! And no toxic chemicals - win/win/win! I purchased all of my Shaklee cleaners in May & I'm not even half way through them. I won't have to reorder until way into 2013! That makes me, & my family's lungs, skin & allergies, not to mention our budget, very happy indeed!

When I first ordered, I just ordered a Get Clean Starter Kit. Had everything I needed to get going & get my house chemical-free! There are several different kits to choose from! Prices range from $40 to $99! Easy peasy!



(Click on the image to read about the products.)

The only thing not included in the kits is Shaklee's Basic G disinfectant. You have to order it separately - it's a huge bottle, with a 3 year shelf life & trust, it will probably take close to 3 years to use it all! Basic G is truly incredible! It's the only non-toxic disinfectant I have ever been happy with & trust! I use it (or add it) for almost all of my cleaning chores! I love to disinfect!!

Want to try the Get Clean line? Order a kit! It will be delivered extremely quickly, right to your door & if you aren't happy with it, Shaklee offers a 100% money back guarantee! Simply return it! But that won't happen. You're going to love it!

To see all Shaklee products, visit my Shaklee site! Click here! You'll quickly discover why Shaklee has been in business for over 50 years!