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

  1. Tara says

    I am trying to do better at menu planning. I already clip coupons and look for good deals.

  2. Dorcas Byler says

    Frugal living has always been in my genes. My mama feed and clothed twelve of us. We learned how to stretch a dollar. I still am constantly challenged to stretch that dollar–more then ever before with the gas prices and the food prices rising so dramatically.

  3. april says

    I now am following Simple Organized Living, and Money Saving mom on Facebook! Thanks again!!

  4. april says

    I am going to try and save money this year by clipping coupons, following your blog, and blogs that you have suggested, going to try not to eat out as much, and going to try to create meal plans weekly that we will stick to. I am a teacher, I have a 3 year old daughter, and a husband working on his doctorate. Living on a teacher’s salary is extremely hard, and I am hoping that I find a way to stretch our income more efficiently this year. Thanks for all of your help getting started!!

  6. Natasha says

    I am trying to cut my grocery budget by sticking to a menu plan and I’m also going to start shopping at one drug store (hopefully for free) in order to take advantage of the cash back options!

  7. frank says

    I liked on FB…

    I am trying to utilize coupons when I go shopping as well as I buy in bulk and vacuum pack in smaller quantities. I cook alot more and eat out a lot less. tastes better and I feel good doing something..

  13. Laura says

    We have applied the ‘waste not, want not’ approach to food. If it’s in the fridge it has to be used so I am doing a lot more meal planning, a lot less shopping and eating out AND I’m losing weight!

  16. Amber mooney says

    I’m already a fan of MSM on facebook! Would love this book!!!

  17. Beth says

    I am liking this site on FB. I love to find new ways to save money. Looking to save money by doing better at meal planning and co-ordinating meals with the items on sale that week.

  19. Megan B says

    We are cloth diapering our one and a half year old to save on diapers and trying for the first time ever to coupon! Not as easy as it looks!

  20. Briana says

    We’re cloth diapering both kiddos this year (previously just our 4mo, now our 2yo, too). We eat out only a couple times each month, and take our lunches to work to keep our food costs down.

  23. Lea Ann says

    I have joined Mint.com and as a new stay at home mom, have a goal this Winter of coming up with a budget for the first time.

  25. Peggy Ann says

    I am going to try to line dry some of my laundry to use the dryer less.
    I am also saving all of my survey payments and rebates towards Christmas 2012. I already have $20 in the kitty.

  26. Kimi says

    I love being inspired by anyone who can show me how to save money. I love your site and will defenitly be cutting way back!!! Thanks for the motivation Andrea!!

  27. Elena says

    We’re trying to save more/spend less by eating out less. We’ve made an “eating out” budget for the month which should help keep us in check:)

  29. Kathy T says

    To save money this year, we’re cutting back on non-essentials, like ditching the extra cable channels.

  30. Mel W says

    I’m looking for ways to keep me organized and to save more. I’ve already starting using the cash only system for groceries. I have liked Simple Organized Living on FB – had previously liked Money Saving Mom.

  33. Marci says

    I would just like to stay on top of what I’m spending. I’m starting with a new money tracking app for my phone. Maybe I’ll work my way up to trying an cash envelope system, even just for a few months.

  35. Susan Gay Jeffries says

    We have just redone our budget for the year, saving more. I am making some of my own cleaners now, and attempting to spend less at the grocery with a better plan. I have already looked at this book online, but in an attempt to save some money didn’t purchase it, it would be great to win it!

  36. Debbie says

    I am trying to pay more attention to my spending & track it better. Hope that will help curb some of it!:)

  37. Suzanne says

    We are trying to save every extra penny this year to pay off debt and take a trip out to Germany to see my husband’s family. I’ve made the resolution to thoroughly take the time and energy to go through all my coupon inserts and online coupons, plus use store coupons each week, and if it takes going to two stores a week, commit to that too.

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