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This post is our honest review of a product that we received for free. All opinions expressed are solely mine.
Not sure where to start when it comes to budgeting? Need help squeezing more dollars from your limited budget? Looking for practical ideas for setting personal and financial goals that are both manageable and doable? The Money Saving Mom’s Budget will definitely be a help to you!
The Money Saving Mom’s Budget is written by Crystal Paine, a name you may recognize as the blogger behind the MoneySavingMom.com website. Crystal is also a homeschool graduate, currently a homeschool mom and is now sharing her knowledge of ways to radically change your budget for the better.
What’s Inside?
The The Money Saving Mom’s Budget is an easy read, full of practical and ready to implement ideas that will get you motivated to change your finances. Inside you will find:
~ How to set big goals and break them down into bite-sized pieces.
~ How to prioritize your time and life in order to live intentionally.
~ How to streamline your home and life in order to have breathing room to work toward your financial goals.
~ How to go from no budget at all to a full-fledged, realistic, written budget by following a simple three-step plan.
~ How to make a cash envelope system work for you.
~ How to cut your grocery bill in half (including 25 ways to save money without using coupons!).
~ How to save big on restaurants, travel, clothing, utility bills, prescription glasses, gym memberships, and much more.
~ And finally, how to cultivate contentment, embrace today, and live a rich and full life, no matter your income.
Although we have been using a cash budget for the last seven years now, this book gave us some gentle ‘nudging’ and we are re-prioritizing a few things thanks to the suggestions in the book from Crystal. I sat down to read the book and quickly found myself more than halfway through the book ~ it reads as if you are having a personal conversation with Crystal. She shares her personal story and the wisdom that she has gleaned over the years. I LOVE that about the book. :)
One thing that I find absolutely amazing and something that reveals Crystal’s true heart ~ ALL of the profits from The Money Saving Mom’s Budget are going to Compassion International, an organization that helps to feed and clothe needy children around the globe. That alone speaks volumes to me!
Purchase Your Copy Today!
The Money Saving Mom’s Budget is available to order online from Amazon.com, via download for your Kindle, or through BarnesandNoble.com. You can also pick up a copy at your local bookstore.
I was provided a copy of this book from MoneySavingMom.com in exchange for my honest review and opinion. All opinions expressed in this review are solely my own. I do not have to return my review copy ~ thank goodness.
The printables shared on this site are FREE of charge unless otherwise noted, and you are welcome to download them for your personal and/or classroom use only. However, free or purchased printables are NOT to be reproduced, hosted, sold, shared, or stored on any other website or electronic retrieval system (such as Scribd or Google docs). My printables are copyright protected and I appreciate your help in keeping them that way.
If you download and use some of my printables and then blog about them, please provide a link back to my blog and let me know - I'd love to see how you are using them! Please be sure to link to the blog post or web page and not directly to the file itself. Thank you!
one of the ways i save money in our house is by using coupons and moneysaving mom has been such a constant help in that area!
The best way is to have a budget and stick with it. We save lots of money that way. Also cooking at home and not eating out helps.
I use coupons, though not extremely, and we don’t eat out frequently.
One of the ways we save money is shopping the sale ads and matching your coupons. It also helps we have a great local grocery store with excellent sales.
We try to buy generic brands when we can (we check the unit price to see which is cheapest when we shop), cook as often as we can, and make our own coffee rather than hitting the drive-thru every day (though we do go as a special treat!). We also have fuel-efficient cars and *try* to limit impulse purchases (though we seem to be struggling with that one!). Oh, and we buy milk at the gas station rather than the grocery store – it’s SO much cheaper!
Check out drugstores,we always find it on sale
Only buy what is needed!
I agree that using cash can really help your budget. I also use coupons and buy things mostly on sale. I am curious to know if this book would have any additional steps that we could take to save more money.
We save money by being a 1 car family.
This would help with my household planner =)
Menu planning and making a grocery list and sticking to you helps me. Making sure I look at what is on sale and then applying coupons when I have them. I still need more help and this book sounds great. Nancy at mom2jebj@gmail.com
I save money by shopping the sale circulars at the grocery store, and using coupons.
We save money by shopping after I plan a menu.
I save by using coupons, with four kids I stock up their clothes when they go on clearance and also buy meats at a local meat shop and fruit from local fruit market.
I could save money by planning my meals better!
I love moneysaving mom! I use her site to find great deals and coupons.
One way we save money is using coupons. My kids asked me the other day if I ever bought anything that was not on sale and with a coupon.
One way we save money is following Dave Ramsey’s advice. We use the cash system and FORBID credit cards!
amen, girl!! We do too! We made the debt free call to him almost 5 years ago ~ woohoo!!!
Life is so much happier and peacful when you do not have debt over your head! It is because we do not have any debt (except our mortgage) that I am able to stay home. When ppl say “Oh your a sahm, you’re so lucky, I wish I could do that”. I say, “Oh we are not lucky, my family sacrifices so I can stay home because family is our priority”. They get real quiet real fast and the consdescending attitude kinda melts away.
One way that we are working to save money is by planning a menu by the month. It takes all of that last minute, “Ugh … what am I going to cook tonight?” out of the equation. I also keep some quick, easy meal items on hand. That way, if our day turns out wonky, I still am able to prepare a meal and not eat out.
it definitely does!! That’s helped us out so much too!
I am actually buying a copy today.. why not when all the proceeds go to compassion.. but I would love to win a copy to give away to someone who needs it :-)
One way we save money in our house is we don’t have cable. We got rid of this and saved $50 a month.
Coupons!!! And I just started making homemade laundry soap.
Using coupons and shopping wisely. Shopping clearance for clothes.
This looks like a wonderful book of wisdom! Thanks for the giveaway!
I save money around my house by staying home more, which keeps me out of the stores!
haha ~ so true!!
Would love this to be a better manager of our finances.
We do not use credit cards to make purchases.
To save money in our house we use clipped coupons from the newspapers, on-line coupons if buying on-line, and swagbucks for amazon gift cards!
i use coupons! especially at drugstores where i “make money” and save a ton on diapers, hygeine products. ive pretty much eliminated that cost–which is nice with 2 little guys in diapers!
*kelly
kelly-tillotson@hotmail.com
We save money by shopping yard sales to buy clothes, things for the house and stock our homeschool shelves.
We use coupons for groceries, cut cable off (using Netflix) and the library rocks, what can I say!
We use cash envelopes for most of our regular monthly expenses {groceries, dining out, etc}. It’s amazing how much this helps!
I so need to make more envelopes ~ we’ve already gone through 5 sets. :) I found a tutorial online to make some and need to sit down and spend some time putting them together.
I make everything I possible can from scratch to save money :)
I try to use coupons when I can find them, but I am not always successful!
I save money by not buying stuff! I try not to buy stuff we do not need just cause it is on sale. I used to buy stuff cause it was a good deal and I “might” need it one day. Ive discovered that if I do need something, I can usually do a little research and find a coupon or a deal thats just as good.
We use coupons and only pay cash for our groceries! No Credit Card!
I use coupons!
This may sound silly, but I tear our wipies in half before cleaning baby’s bottom. This helps them last almost twice as long, and usually I will end up using one wipie instead of three.
I would love to win a copy of this book!
My biggest tip for saving money is–MENU PLAN! It saves time and money!
One of the ways we save money in our house is to shop second hand for clothes, shoes and other apparel items. We love the Goodwill!
I shop sales, use coupons, only buy the things I need, and try to run all of my errands at once to save gas.
Coupon!!!!
coupons, thrift shops, garage sale….goodwill- sometimes you get brand new stuff too.
We shop consignment stores and gaage sales for many of our needs!
We save money by meal planning and making our own detergent, and cleaners.
We use cloth diapers. On 2 kids over 4+ years, it’s been a tremendous savings.
We used cloth diapers as well
I use coupons as much as I can!!
Coupons and eating at home are two ways we save money.
One of the best ways I save money in my house is by having “pantry week”. One week every month we have to be creative and come up with meals out of what we already have rather than going to the grocery store and buying more.
coupons, yard sales and sites like MoneySavingMom help me to stay in budget.
I’ve been a fan of MSM’s blog for awhile now and am so excited about this giveaway!
I try to buy more than one week of groceries at a time, such as getting bulk items to mix and match meals throughout the weeks. It really helps to streamline grocery costs especially if you can get them on sale! Feeding five people isn’t easy, especially with picky eaters, and two “men”! Takes alot to keep them satisfied!!
We save lots of money by menu planning and cooking at home…very little eating out.
Save by doubling up on coupons during buy one get one free sales! Use a store and manufacture coupon on both items to make many items free!
My husband saves us money with his never ending coupons and we TRY to cook at home as often as possible! We use to use a cash system and that kept us in great shape budget wise!!
I would love to win this!
One way that we save money is by actually using what is in our pantry/freezer. =0) I also can a ton of jams, produce throughout the summer and then enjoy it all winter long! =0)
I coupon and I try to buy only what we need. We have a cash budget and I am very frugal. I buy my kids cloths ahead of time and NEVER pay full price.
One way we save money in our house is we skip the brand name diapers and buy target up and up diapers. In my opinion they are way better and don’t have any perfume so my son doesn’t break out. We save about 20 cents a diaper, and when it something we use a lot of, that adds up quick!
We use only cash to make purchases. If we don’t have it in cash, we just can’t buy it. It really stinks sometimes, but that’s the best thing we’ve done.
Menu planning… make a shopping list and stick to the list… no add-ons in the grocery store. I also write down the price of everything I put in my cart and add it up before I check out to make sure I am staying within my grocery budget.
I save money by trying to be very deliberate with shopping. Just because it’s on sale doesn’t mean we buy it, but we do allow for purchases of those things we know we need to buy for gifts etc when they are a steal.
We just found a new way to save money thanks to the Money Saving Mom. We plan on canceling our cable bill and making our own hdtv antenna! We already have tivo with hulu and netflix enabled, and plan on going to AT&T for our internet. We’ll save about $100 a month!
The biggest way I save money is to use coupons and only purchase items when they are on sale. Using cash has also been a huge help in keeping us from overspending!
Not sure how to post comment here, but would love to win a copy of this book. I have just the right friend for it.
Coupons! :)
Buying in bulk when we can, using coupons/sales!
I would LOVE to win!!! Thank you for the opportunity!
Melanie
Melanie@OnlyABreath.com
One of the ways we save money in our house is shopping almost exclusively at Fresh & Easy, and never without one of their 20% off coupons.
I make sure to plan my meals out in advance with items that are on sale that week. Then I stick to the list when I’m at the store so I don’t buy things we don’t need.
I use a list, and stick to it when I go to the store.
We switched to cloth diapers!
One of the ways I save money is to menu plan. It really helps me to just buy what we need instead of throwing things in the cart and hoping I can make meals out of it. Also, detailed lists for the grocery store (especially if you are shopping with kids).
We save lots of money by menu planning and cooking at home…very little convenience foods and eating out.
I appreciate all the tips, coupons and savings opportunities she shares on her blog.
One of the ways that we are saving money in our home this year is by eliminating all fast food and by staying to a strict budget for groceries. We are doing more meatless meals and adding more veggies and fruits. We are making our snacks, instead of buying the processed junk. So far, so good! =]
If I find myself buying something – I ask myself if i WANT it or NEED it – if I want it, I wait a week and see if the desire is still there.
Thank you for the encouragement and helps given through your blog. We’ve been bare bones/only buy what’s needed for years, but there is always room for improvement. I keep meaning to try couponing, but always seem to forget the coupons when I get to the store. Then when I finally remember–they’ve expired!
One way we save money in our house is limiting and combining our trips with the van.
I save money by cooking big batches and freezing half. We always eat our leftovers too.
We use coupons and plan ahead for purchases, we wait until we have the cash to buy big ticket items.
I use coupons and combine them with a sale. We also do not go out to eat except for a special occasion.
Thanks! I really, really hope to win! We are currently working on Dave Ramsey’s Baby Step 2, so the money just isn’t in the budget to buy this right now, but I love Crystal’s blog, and really want this! One of the best ways we save money is I cut my husband’s and son’s hair each month. We would easily spend at least $25 a month on this if I didn’t do it for them.
anwhite29 at gmail dot com
Watching the sales, using coupons, and planning your meals around the sales is one way we save money.
Coupons, consignment shops, garage sales, going through cupboards and utilizing what we have, and so much more.
Thanks for the chance to win this book! I am in serious need of help with budgeting.
We use cloth napkins most of the time, hang clothes on the clothesline a lot, and use coupons!
I would like to enter
I do not purchase anything online in the evening. I have a tendency to shop for things that I really do not NEED when I am tired.
I use cloth diapers :)
We use the cash envelope system.
I want to win!
We are big coupon clippers here. We try to buy generic and shop secondhand when possible
We are trying to save money by remembering to shut off appliances and all lights at night.
I try to maintain an accurate inventory of my freezer.
I’m working on just that today!
I save money by using all leftovers to reduce food waste
One way I save money is taking my lunch to work everyday!
Thanks so much!
We save money, by taking our lunches to work.
Sticking to our budget helps us to save money, as well as having a meal plan and making most of our food from scratch.
I can’t wait to read this book!
Thanks for supporting this book…I am looking forward to reading it
I save money by comparison shopping
I would love to win this book, I need some new ideas.
We have a paperless kitchen, i make my soap, laundry detergent..etc, don’t eat out frequently, menu planning and buying generic brands
One way we save is having a good stock of necessities, bought at sale/discount prices, so we don’t get caught having to overpay at premium prices. Coupons, extra bucks at CVS etc. and online using swag bucks etc help with that.
I’m working on just being content — then I won’t need to BUY things to make me content.
To save money,I shop my house.What can I reuse,recover make do with,to keep me from spending. Having soup day and beans and rice day once a week helps on grocries, Before I buy something ,I ask myself do I really need it.Most of the time don’t. Have a blessed day Sharon
I’m very excited about Crystal’s book and the giveaway!
Oh, and we save money by using budgeting software. It enables us to categorize all our spending, and set up envelopes. We’ve paid cash for 2 vacations since Jan. 2011!!
One of the ways I save money is follow money saving moms advice AND coupon shop!!
I try to use coupons as much as possible to save money in my home.
We save money by not eating out too often
Eating at home keeps our food budget under control!
I’d like to win a copy of this book.
I use coupons and check store sales with Money Saving Mom!
It would be great to win a copy. Thanks.
We use the envelope system here too, and that has helped us TREMENDOUSLY!
We save money by menu planning!
I save money by making most of our food from scratch. I also make our laundry detergent.
We save in every way possible lol! My best tip right now after holiday season- Sell/Auction/Donate to make Money/Space/Smiles! =) Good luck everyone!
I am big fan of money saving man. We clip coupons and limit our going out.
I save money by making food at home.
I save money by using store and manufacturer coupons on BOGO’s.
O.k. so one way we’re trying to save money is that we’re turning down the heating in our house so it’s not so warm in the winter and also we’re not eating out so much. Making a menu has certainly helped me with that.
i love money saving mom and all her awesome daily ideas:)!
Coupons
I make my own food like yogurt and bread, keep a garden and hang my clothes out to dry when the weather permits.
Thanks for the giveaway!
Ooops – sorry, didn’t know there was going to be an actual question – One way that I save money in our house is to follow my husband and turn out lights when he’s done in a room. :)
haha!! That’s great. :) I think my hubby is the one that follows me around. I need more light and he wants less {grins}.
Garden and raise chickens!
I love yard sales and I find christmas gifts for my children at them all summer long.
moneysavingmom.com was the first site that got me saving money. it’s simple format really showed me i could do it! i just learned that she is donating 100% of what she’s earned from the book deal and i think that’s amazing!
Isn’t that wonderful?? :) LOVE that!
I grow a garden!
we are definitely expanding ours next year!! Love that!
I shop for groceries only once every two weeks.
I am all for a cash budget – we love Dave Ramsey too! My struggle – a LOT of our purchasing is done online! So it’s hard to keep it all under wraps.
I know ~ we have to transfer cash into the checking account when that happens. That is hard, since we do a lot online too!
I use a coupon site along with Crystal’s site to help with my grocery shopping.
Shopping for “new” clothes at thrift stores.
One of the ways we save money in our house is by stockpiling items when they are on sale/have many coupons for the item. Then I don’t get stuck paying full price as often!
We try to save money by talking each other out of unnecessary purchases! We also are trying to meal plan more to avoid extra grocery store costs.
I would love to win this book, but if I don’t, I am very fortunate to have found over 25 new blogs to read and be involved with. I real win win situation. I love it!
For us, we really have to get creative, because there aren’t many ways to save where we live. The main one is to go to the store every few days with a list from the menu. Most places say to go as little as possible to the store, but if we do, we seem to lose quite a bit of produce (and sometimes even meat) to spoilage. I guess that would really make my best tip to know your area and plan ahead!
Coupons, Coupons, COUPONS!!!!!!!!!!!
Condense! I drive to town to bring my son to preschool so those are the days I book appointments, get together with friends and run errands so I don’t have to go into town on other days. Also, I condense my laundry loads in the dryer – I hang most of my husbands and my clothing to dry and then I combine wash loads in the dryer.
The best way I have learned to save money is by buying generic or what’s in sale, do all the grocery shopping and errands in one trip (instead of multiple times during the week), and shopping at thirft and consignment stores. I also live using Craigslist! That’s where we bought our ’08 Chrysler Town and Country, which has all the bells and whistles.
I save money by shopping around and buying used instead of new!
We use cloth diapers and wipes. We also use baby washcloths instead of kleenex and rags instead of paper towels!
I use swag bucks for searching onliine which earns me free gift cards to Amazon so I can purchase needed books and homeschool stuff.
The one thing I have been learning to do is coupon and it is making a huge difference!
thank you for the giveaway! schiperno@yahoo.com
One way we save money is by taking care of the things we already have. Repairing or being satisfied with older things is a lot cheaper than buying new ones.
I make a monthly menu with breakfasts, lunches, and dinners.
We have saved money by breastfeeding, clipping coupons {when I remember and have the time}, and by learning to be content right where we are! We will always struggle financially if we live outside our means!
Thank you for the opportunity to win this book!
I make my own sauce, soup, and dressing mixes.
I think, this would be helpful to me since I am planning to homeschool my kid. Thank you for sharing this one.
We buy in bulk when it makes sense
I don’t buy much prepared food, and I hang up my wash to dry!
One way we save money in my house is not impulse buying. We make a list and stick with it. Unless we find freebies of course!
The best way for me to save is to stay out of the stores. I grocery shop only once a week, that way I don’t run in for milk and come out with $45 worth of items. It really cuts down on impulse buying when you aren’t there!
I save money by turning a meal into multiple meals on “deal days”. For example Subway foot long is 3 meals for one. Eat at restaurants that offer kids meal free with adult purchase if you must eat out.
We use cloth diapers and I try to make a lot of food and cleaning products from scratch.
I use the opportunities in my community – such as, a thrift store which makes their excess available free! Much of our clothing comes from here.
Love your site and can’t wait to subscribe!
Saving money is so much easier when you cook from scratch…yummy too!
Thanks, Kristie ~ and I agree…cooking from scratch definitely helps save money {and makes me happy too!!}. :)
I use coupons everywhere and follow deal sites it really helps
Thanks,
Caterina
I go to consignment sales for my kids’ clothes.
About the only way I really save money is shopping used curriculum sales or using Amazon credit and Swag Bucks to buy our school books. That’s why I desperately need this book. I used to shop with coupons, but that’s hard to do when you aren’t using a lot of processed foods. I guess I need to give that another shot.
While I’ve been couponing for a while, which helps a lot, we recently started freezing dinners ahead of time. This helps preserve produce that would have gone bad, and it saves me time later on when a I have a crazy day! Still trying to get the hang of it, and would like to have a once a month cooking day!
We save by using the envelope system.
I do my best to recreate a restaurant experience in our home rather than going out. IHOP and Olive Garden are the two I’m best at! lol Each time we do it, we are saving a minimum of $50 (we are a family of 6) and often up to $100 in savings. We used to dine out several times a month and now we keep it to once every few months. Honestly, we are usually somewhat disappointed in what we get for our money after learning how to do it at home, which makes it even rarer for us to decide to go out! lol
We have been using cash for almost 3 years now. I don’t know if I could live any other way. My envelope system has long bit the dust. To save money, I purchased index cards that are meant to be bookmarks. There is a color strip across the top where I write the name of the fund. I file these all in the bill fold section of my wallet. It has worked great!
We save money by combining store sales with coupons, buying used when possible, using Amazon gift cards earned through Swagbucks and shopping clearance sales for things that we need.
We never pay full price for anything. We wait for the item to go on sale and then use a coupon.
This would be so amazing to win and share with others!
Definitly envelope system is a good way to save money. We use it and it works!!!
One of the ways we save money is ordering bulk items online. They ship for free to our house and i don’t have to waste gas, or time with my two little ones going to the store or trying to get there when it’s a sale. I may not be saving 90% off but it saves me time and frustration and that is well worth it!
We have always shopped sales in the grocery store, clearance racks, thrift stores and yard sales. I started couponing about 2 years ago and it saves me the most money by far!
I save money by buying a lot of half price items at the grocery store.
we now do the cash envelope system. it’s amazing how much less you spend on things you don’t need! when the cash is gone, it’s gone
One way we save money is to use an cash envelope system. When the $$ from an envelope is gone, you are done spending (well, theoretically ;)
we thrift shop to save money
monicaandrew25@hotmail.com
I would love to get my hands on this book. I really like her blog and I’m sure this would help our family apply some good principles. Thanks!
Would love to win…love MSM! I menu plan and that helps us to use what we have and grocery shop according to our plan…so much easier to stick to a budget!
To save money for our family of six, we reserve dinner nights out for birthdays. That means six nice dinners out a year. We can plan for that. Right!
One way we save money in our house is to not take the girls shopping with us and to stick to the list!
I buy my kid’s clothes a year in advance and buy them on clearance
Saving money?? Love to shop after-holidays deals and stock up for next year!!
One way I save money in our house is spending less. We try skip watching ads. on TV so we are less explore “new” & “useful” stuff. Try to be less temped by ads.
Even if the speed limit is 70mph, I always try to stay between 55 and 60 to maximize gas mileage.
This looks like a great book…I have heard of her, but not read anything by her yet (or seen her blog…I think she has one). Thank you for this giveaway!
Woops…I didn’t see the directions part. We save money in our household by making our own laundry detergent, making our own air freshner, and saving extra parmesan cheese & red pepper packets (and filling our containers) when we get pizza. :-)
one way i save money in my home is by couponing…im rather new to it but im slowly starting to see the savings =D.
Would love to win a copy of this great book!
I’ve read a bit of a sample chapter of this book and would love to read the rest….
One way that I’ve found that we save money is to not be swayed by coupons to buy something we normally wouldn’t just because there’s a great coupon. We don’t normally buy a lot of prepared goods so ignoring coupons actually helps.
In our house, we save money by using coupons, shopping at discount grocery stores, and buying as much children’s clothing as possible at garage sales or resell shops.
We do a lot of laundry with four Boy/Cub Scouts in the house. The guys love being outdoors, and I do the laundry to prove it! LOL I’ve been making my own soap for almost five years now–splurged on a front load washer and dryer with our tax return money a couple of years ago–and although I still use dryer sheets, I buy them on sale and rip them into 3-4 strips, using one strip per load. Sheets and towels go on the line.
One way I save money is to simply put off purchases until an item is on sale (even better when you have a coupon). For instance at Kohl’s and Joann’s I don’t buy it if it isn’t on sale or if I don’t have a coupon. I prefer to wait until it goes on sale when I have an elgible coupon. Postponing purchases saves me lots of $$$
We try to buy used stuff like clothes, cars and furniture.
One way I save money in our house is by using our credit card! I know it sounds funny, but I am able to see my purchases and review them weekly. It has been very successful for my family! – Lynnette P.
I wanted to say thank you so much!!! I started reading the book the other day. But It was super exciting to get this in the mail :) Thanks again I really love your Blog with such GREAT creative projects for My Little one:)