Saving & Making Money

As a family of five with both parents in education, I am always looking for "easy" ways to make money! Here are some of the best ways I have tried out that take minimal effort!

• Open an Etsy Shop! $0.20 to list an item and 3.5% of the cost goes back to Etsy. Not too bad! This is great if you have a hobby or like to make digital products. I just spent $0.60 to open my shop with some digital files I had created for myself including schedule cards, a lesson plan book that will also have a notebook in the back (so tired of carrying so many things around at school!), and a 2016 planner. Yes, I realize it is only 2015, but I was in a mood :) Check it out! www.etsy.com/shop/TheOrganizedMe 
• Direct Sales are an option for people who have a bit more available time. I started selling Thirty-One about 2 years ago. I now have a team of people, and I average about $150 a month with only one party a month. Not all companies are the same, but I love Thirty-One. I do not need to keep any stock on hand, and I earn 25% commission on everything I sell. Plus I get some great rewards and incentives from the company and a small override from my team. Some months I have made as much as $700. Check it out! www.mythirtyone.com/348459/
• Ebates I signed up for Ebates in 2013, but I really didn't understand it or use it well. Living in a small town, I do the majority of my shopping (besides groceries) online. I shop at Amazon, Walmart, Target, The Children's Place, Barnes and Noble, and iTunes on a fairly regular basis (at least once a quarter). My kids use a lot of hand-me-downs, but sometimes I have to supplement with new clothing. I can also find all of the obscure items I can't find in my town. I try to shop local as much as possible, but then I move on to my online friends! Ebates will also show you all of the current coupons and deals for the store you are going to shop at, including the codes. You just log into Ebates, then search for your store. Ebates redirects you and then rewards you! Up to 6% at some stores, but most are 1-3%. 
• Nielsen Panel - You can download an app that tracks data from your phone, and you earn rewards that can get you actual items or gift cards. We love anything that can get a gift card. There are so many choices! I downloaded the app in December and am just racking up points right now for doing nothing besides sharing my information. Some people are really up posed to sharing information, but it doesn't bother me - definitely a personal choice!  
• Virtual Bee - If you have good typing skills, there are places that allow you to work from home and get paid by completing projects. At Virtual Bee, you take a three part "assessment" to evaluate your typing skills. The biggest challenge is following the complicated directions! You can take the assessment every 24 hours to improve your score. You are given a percentile and then may be offered jobs. I haven't completed any of the jobs so far, so I can't say any more about this one. 
• Walmart Savings Catcher - It is a free app that you download onto your phone. After shopping at Walmart, just scan the QR code on your receipt, and the app will compare what you paid to the nearby stores. If there is any lower advertised price than what you paid, you get the difference. You can get the money back in the form of a Walmart gift card. Since October, we have earned over $20 by scanning receipts. I am saving up for some items for the guest room! 
• Healthy Wage and Diet Bet - Two sites that allow you to "bet" on what you are going to lose. After entering your data, it shows you the returns you can earn on your money if you meet the goals. You have to have money in order to place a bet, however. 
• Thred Up and Like Twice - These online clothing thrift stores/consignment stores offer store credit for referrals as well as sending in your own clothes to sell. This won't be a huge money-maker, but it could help with clothing bills! 

I hope maybe one or more of these ideas can help you out! Rather than putting this money towards the general family fund, I find that I am more invested if I use it to save up for special things. On my current wish list: summer vacation splurges, trip to New York, fitness tracker, decorating the guest room, trip to Colorado, and patio furniture! Happy saving! 

5 Pounds!

I have had this post ready to go for awhile, but I just had to wait to celebrate! I have lost 5 pounds. That doesn't seem like a lot, but it represents about 6 months of gains! Since bringing home the kiddos, I have gained an average of 5 pounds every 6 months.

I really feel like my eating habits are under much better control, so now I need to focus on getting moving. Walking the dog, jumping on the trampoline with the kids, walking with friends, and bike riding are all good ways to include the family. If I need some down time, I can exercise in my room where I have made a space, in the family room with the Xbox, or on the elliptical. There really are no good excuses! I have the tools, now I need to use them. My husband and I agreed that at 10 pounds, I can order an activity tracker, so that is another incentive!

I need to remember that focusing on my health and wellness benefits my whole family as well. Nearly every parenting book for foster parents, biological parents, and/or adoptive parents includes a section dedicated to reminding the parents to take care of themselves.

Week 3 - Finding the Right Foods

Three weeks down! I have lost 4.4 pounds!

I think I have been more successful than in the past for several reasons: 

1) I am very motivated to make a change because I want to be able to wear all of my clothes and button all of my pants. 

2) I am more realistic than I have been in the past. I know that I can't kick caffeine completely right now or stay under my calorie goal every day. What I can do is limit my caffeine and set aside a cheat meal so I have something to look forward to if I have followed the rules the rest of the days. I don't feel deprived! 

3) I have been more successful at finding the right foods for me. In the past, I have tried tons of ingestible options to help me lose weight: supplements, meal replacement shakes, diet pills, no carbs, and so on. This time, I am focusing on finding the right foods for me. Those are foods that are high in protein and flavor, but they are still "real food." Let me explain. I can't make it if I have to live on shakes and diet food. Gross! I also have to have foods that work with my teacher schedule and keep me going all day. 

Here is a sample of what I eat in a day with my 1300 calories I am allowed (more if I exercise): 

Breakfast (about 300 calories) 

Key Lime greek yogurt (4.5 grams of fat, but tons of protein and flavor) 

Homemade protein bars, breakfast bars, or nuts (more protein) 

Morning Snack (about 100 calories) 

Fruit (Something sweet and around 100 calories - frozen grapes, frozen cherries, strawberries, banana)

Lunch (about 200 calories) 

Tamales (my favorite food in the world!) 

Diet Dr. Pepper (I just have to have something sweet) 

PM Snack (about 100 calories) 

Something salty such as air-popped popcorn, cheesestick, cottage cheese

Supper (about 600 calories) 

A nice home cooked meal with protein and veggies, maybe even a grain or starch. 

If I still have points, I will indulge in a glass of white or maybe a small bite of chocolate-covered fruit for dessert. 

This type of eating works the best for me because I don't feel deprived of sweet things and foods I love like my lime yogurt, Diet DP, tamales, and cheese! I know I need to add in some more veggies and fruits, and I plan on checking out some smoothie recipes to help out with that. I hate having to eat something different than my family, so, even though I am eating my biggest meal at the wrong time, I can eat what everyone else is eating. I love cooking too, so this works out great. 

Week 2 - Making Money, Cravings, and Measurement

Down 3.2 pounds! 

How will I stay motivated for 50 more weeks? What will I do when I have cravings?  

·      HealthyWage and DietBet: Perhaps the best motivator is money. These two websites allow you to place a bet (kind of like an entrance fee), and then get a guaranteed payout if you reach a goal. HealthyWage has you set a goal and a timeframe, then you choose an amount you will pay in each month. If you meet the goal and maintain the weight, you get your money back plus some winnings! You pick the goal and the timeframe – how great is that! Diet Bet is a little different. You pay a set entrance fee to join a certain challenge, and then all the participants in that challenge who meet the goal split the winnings. In both sights, you have to record yourself weighing in, and there are some other guidelines that prevent cheating. I will definitely be joining both of these sites to help with motivation!

·      20-Minute Rule: I read a blog where the author suggested waiting 20 minutes when you think you have a craving. During that 20 minutes, you think about other things, drink some water, and see if the craving passes. Last week I mentioned that I was having cravings in the afternoon, so I tried this 20-minute trick. It worked pretty well for me! When a craving hits, I drink a big class of water and then wait 20 minutes. If I am still hungry, I grab some protein. If I just can’t get the craving out of my mind, I can add it to my “cheat hour” (see below).

·      The Cheat Hour: I cannot stick to a plan if I have to cut something out completely. If I can never have margaritas and chips and salsa, movie theatre popcorn and a Cherry Coke, or a big bowl of Talenti gelato or a DQ Blizzard, I will give up pretty quickly. I can stick to my calories and tracking 167 hours a week, but I need one hour a week where I can do whatever I want. When I was part of Curves a few years ago, this free hour helped me to lose 15% of my body weight in one year (about four sizes). In my first seven days, I didn’t use this cheat hour.  It went okay. By day 8, however, I was ready to use my hour. During that hour on Friday night, I ate chips, salsa, queso, and some chocolate. I didn’t make supper or have a balanced plate of food. I just ate as much of whatever I wanted. Truth be told, I was uncomfortable because my body hasn’t had that much garbage in quite a few days…but I would do it again! Rather than feeling guilty for breaking my plan and then giving up on my goals altogether, I avoided feelings of deprivation and had another 167 good hours.

·      Precision: Knowing exact calories is very important when trying to lose weight. In order to do that, I have to use tools: measuring cups, spoons, and a food scale. The first time I lost weight, the food scale and my measuring cups were my best friend. When I pour a glass of wine (or something more healthy), my five ounces can get a little heavy handed unless I measure. A chicken breast can be almost a pound at times, so the good scale comes in very handy. When putting in my food for the day, I try to make sure I am as precise as possible. Since my goal is to track literally everything I eat, precision counts!

Off to another great week!

Week 1 - Temptations and Cravings

I am on a roll streak of logging my food and activity. Some reflections on the past few days:

• Planning ahead: It is a LOT easier to be successful if I plan my calories the night before. If I try to do it throughout the day, I go over.
• Temptations: I have been tempted with yummy treats both days I have been back at work. On the first day, it was a cinnamon roll, so it was very easy to pass. Today, however, we had a party for a staff member. There were homemade cookies, two kinds of cake, and punch. I am not much of a cookie and cake eater, but I LOVE punch made with sherbet or sorbet! I was able to say no because I knew I had planned all my calories already, but it was hard! 
• Cravings: I have cravings from 2:00 in the afternoon until bedtime. After school used to consist of a snack or two, then supper, then a bedtime snack of popcorn or ice cream. No wonder I am in tough shape! What I plan to do to help my cravings is to spread out my breakfast (usually a granola bar or pack and a yogurt). I will eat some of it before school, and the rest during my daily meeting time. Then I will eat half my lunch and save the other part for plan time or after school at the end of the day. That way I am still eating the same number of calories, but I am spreading out the food and (hopefully) preventing some craving times. 
• Drinks: I also am increasing my water intake. I used to drink 1-3 diet sodas a day. Now I still have one a day, but the rest of the day is water with a flavor enhancer. I like water if it is ice cold, but I like it at any temperature with the enhancers. I am also minimizing my trips to the local coffee shop for my delicious latte....and no more wine with dinner! Seriously, I was drinking a ton of calories every day! 
• Exercise: I am still not exercising. I know I should. I have a million excuses (homework with kids, meetings, church, bath night, supper, tired feet, cold weather). If I wanted to, however, I would do it. If I wanted something badly enough (like coffee or wine or popcorn), I would be willing to do some exercising. Watching Jimmy Fallon while on the elliptical is pretty great, so maybe there is hope! 
• Sleep: My sleep habits have been horrible for the past several years...probably since 2010. I am keeping my electronics away from my bed, which has already increased my sleeping time, and I have been crawling into bed and starting to calm down about an hour earlier than I used to. I still hate mornings, but it is so nice to have time to do my daugther's hair, eat breakfast, and do my own hair nicely each day! I like sleep! 

In a few days, it will be time for me to weigh in again. I am hoping that I see the fruits of my labor, but I also know that it takes time. The first time I lost a lot of weight, I lost about 2 pounds a month for a year. I was able to keep that weight off for many years, so I know I can do it. I am not in my 30s, so it will probably be more difficult, but I have confidence - and accountability!