Point, Click, and Save

Point, Click, and Save: Mashup Mom’s Guide to Saving and Making Money Online by Rachel Singer Gordon of http://www.mashupmom.com is a great resource for moms looking to save money on groceries and other expenses and who also want to make a little extra money from home. Whether you’re a stay at home mom looking to supplement you family’s income or a working mom who needs to save and make a little more, this book is for you.

It is filled with practical tips on everything from couponing to blogging to organizing stockpiles and is a quick read. There are loads of helpful websites listed as well as an extensive resource list at the end of the book. The book also includes personal stories from other moms who have learned to save and make money online.

The mashupmom website is another great tool with links to printable coupons, deals, and freebies.

My Frugal Book

I recently pulled out a little book that I call my frugal book. It’s a journal that I began adding frugal tips, recipes, cleaners, and other ideas into a few years ago after I found myself checking out the same resources from the library over and over again in order to learn from them. Last year at about this time I had resolved to get really serious about lowering my monthly expenditures for gas, groceries, clothes, school supplies, gifts, craft supplies, etc by at least $200 a month. Instead, our spring schedule got typically crazy busy and I increased spending by more than double the amount I had intended to reduce it. I kept up that level and now, a year later, am determined to get our spending down to a much lower level. Most of the extra spending has been in eating out and convenience items picked up in a rush due to busyness and exhaustion. However, now with my husband in grad school to get his masters’ degree, many home repairs that need made, and a bit of a tax bill coming due, I have to stop and change direction. That’s where my frugal book comes in. In it are many recipes for foods and cleaners that I can make at home, as well as other money saving ideas that I have used at one time or another. It’s good to pull that little book out again and to remember that it is possible to make many of the things we usually buy. The goal now is to use the book much more regularly. I’ll be sharing some of the things from its pages on this blog. The first hint is something that I have been successful in doing recently. That is to eliminate paper plates. I used up the last of our paper plates some time in January and haven’t bought any more since. It really doesn’t take that much time to wash 4 plates for our family after supper each night.

Welcome

Welcome to Resolved Woman, a blog about growing in faith and practical wisdom. This space will be dedicated to helping women grow in matters of faith and in taking care of the home, living frugally, cooking, gardening, crafting, and other practical matters.

I am resolved to grow in these matters myself. There have been many resolutions made in the past; resolutions to live frugally, or to cook mostly from scratch, or to garden and can the harvest, or to stick with a regular quiet time, and many other such resolutions. I have done better in some areas than in others and have seen growth in most of these areas. This blog is my place to share what I am learning and to create a community of women resolved to grow closer to God and grow in practical skills.

As this is very much new and under construction, please check back to see what has been added and feel free to add suggestions of things you would like to see.