Andrea Dekker

Weekend Giveaway: Money Saving Mom’s Budget Book

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure here.

UPDATE: This giveaway is now closed.

Even as a very small child, some of my favorite play-time activities were playing store {I was the cashier} and writing numbers in my “bank book” {see picture below}.

When I was six, my parents helped me open my first savings account and then make small deposits on a regular basis. You can probably imagine how excited I was to balance a REAL bank register after each deposit!

I opened a checking account when I was 18, and was extremely hesitant to spend even one penny more than I absolutely had to!  I used coupons to buy groceries all through college, and worked as many hours as I could to quickly pay off my student loans.

Now that I’m “all grown up” I’m still frugal, I still use coupons, I still don’t spend money if I don’t have to, and I still balance my bank register after every transaction {yes, I do online banking too!}

Basically, I’ve been frugal for as long as I can remember — thanks in large parts to my parents who have always encouraged me and my sisters to save, save, save!

Because of my love for frugal living, I am simply ecstatic about today’s giveaway — The Money Saving Mom’s Budget. It’s a brand new book written by one of my blogging friends, Crystal Paine of MoneySavingMom.com.

Crystal’s book is not only packed FULL of hundreds of tips and tricks to save more, spend less, and pay off debt; it also contains a wealth of information on how to simplify and organize your entire life… which I’m all in favor of 🙂

Plus the entire book is written from a “normal” person’s perspective on finances; so you won’t have to weed through financial jargon or constantly wonder if you’re understanding it correctly.

As I was reading her book, I kept thinking “I could have written this” because I honestly agree with pretty much everything she says. You can read more about her book here, but then come back and enter to win one of 5 copies!

The Giveaway:

Today, five lucky readers will win a copy of Crystal’s new book, The Money Saving Mom’s Budget! 

How to Enter:

1. Leave a comment. How are you trying to save more and spend less this year?

2. Like Simple Organized Living and/or Money Saving Mom on Facebook, and then leave a separate comment letting me know you did {or that you do already}.

If you are reading this in your email or feed reader, please visit the actual blog post to enter. Email entries, Facebook comments, and Twitter messages will NOT be counted.

Prizes:

(5) copies of The Money Saving Mom’s Budget as described above.

This giveaway ends at 10:00 pm on Tuesday, 1/17/2012 and is open to all U.S. and Canadian residents 18 years or older. I will use And the Winner Is to select the winning comments at random. Winners will be notified by email and noted at the top of this post. Winners must respond within 48 hours of notification to claim their prize or I will choose a new winner. Please see my full disclosure policy and contact me with any questions you have. Good luck!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Carol Spears says

    I have just “liked” Simple Organized Living and Money Saving Mom.

  5. Shari says

    In hopes to stay at home once I have a baby in July I’m trying to really watch what I spend and get into some serious couponing…something we haven’t done a lot of. And of course, pay with cash out of those lovely envelopes.

  7. Carol Spears says

    The first thing I’m doing to so spend consciously. Stop and think, no impulse buying.

  8. Shaunna Ulrick says

    I am using the cash system (kind of) and really trying to meal plan better.

  10. Charis says

    I feel like I save a lot of money by making a weekly meal menu and sticking with it! I’d love to win a copy of the book.

  12. Dawn says

    We cut back (or cut out) lots of expenses – only basic cable, rarely go out to eat, don’t really need new clothes, fewer magazine subscriptions, shop @ Aldi, decreased the amount spent on gifts, limited amount spent on hobbies, etc…

  14. lindsey witz says

    We have down sized homes, and of course coupons and we also make enough dinner at night to have lunch the next day so we make our dinners stretch so we save at the grocery store and we don’t eat out ! Win win !

  16. Crystal says

    I am trying to save more by using coupons and spend less by cutting out stuff we don’t really need.

  19. Kari says

    I’m finally tracking our expenses and setting a budget for our family. We are saving up to pay cash for a house and I’m hoping 2013 will be the year, so we really need to save in 2012.

  20. Jenny C. says

    Frequent consignment stores, thrift stores and clearance racks when I need something!

  22. Katherine summers says

    I am saving money (and my waistline) by eating out less. I always use coupons when I shop for food. I try to plan my meals around whatever is on sale that week.

  25. Suzie says

    Hi there!

    So far this year we’ve moved into a cheaper apartment which will hopefully help a lot with saving. We’ve also sold a lot of stuff (books, electronics, etc) on ebay/craigslist. And… most excitingly for me… we just bought a printer on sale for my new hobby… couponing!

  26. Dawn says

    I’m trying to put away any unplanned money we receive (gifts, etc.) away towards savings. And cut back on frivolous spending.

  30. Sharon Pickersgill says

    I would love a copy of the book. We have been working Dave Ramsey’s plan for a year now and are close to becoming debt free!!

  31. kathi pinkston says

    I am making a determined effort to menu plan around sales and coupons.

  33. Laura Teran says

    I am trying to use more coupons and planning weekly meals to avoid going to the grocery store more than once a week (except for milk and bread). Thanks for sharing.

  35. Leigh Ann says

    I’m trying to use what we have: use it up, wear it out, make do, or do without.
    Thanks for entering me!

  36. Heather G says

    This year I’m trying to spend less money to save for a house for my kids and myself. We are not going out to eat as often as we used to, and while they would always ask for stuff at stores, as kids can tend to do, now they are saying, “Well instead we can put that money into our house account.”

    I already liked this blog and have added Money Saving Mom too, I can’t wait to read the blog post from yesterday about not giving up, because that’s exactly what I feel like doing right now!

  37. Melissa says

    We are saving for our first Disney World trip (with three kids on one income). I use our Chase Disney Visa card for all my expenses to earn points toward tickets and lodging. I pay off the balance each month so I’m not paying interest fees. Coupons and deal matchups are also key to my budget savings.

  39. Phoebe says

    I am trying to save more and spend less this year by making more homemade foods and buying less pre-packaged/processed ones. And by switching over to simple cleaners instead of buying cleaners.

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