Bookin' It in 2010: My Reading Goals and Book List

 

"You'll be the same person you were last year except for the books you read and the people you meet."

Books have had a profound impact upon me since I first began reading many years ago. They've helped to shape the way I think and the way I live. They stimulate me intellectually; they challenge me to improve as a person; and they teach me new concepts and ideas.

I set a goal at the beginning of 2009 to read 50 books over the course of the year. I didn't quite reach that goal, in fact, I only ended up reading 26 books in total. However, aiming high motivated me to find the time to read more than I likely would have had I not set that goal in the first place.

In 2010, I've committed to attempt to read 4 books per month--a book which encourages me spiritually, a practical book (on homemaking or homeschooling), a business-related book, and another book of my choice.

I'll be joining in with FishMama's Bookin' It Challenge and posting an monthly update with the books I've read and a short review on each of them. This is not only for my own personal accountability, but I hope it also serves to inspire you to consider making time in your life to read. You just might be surprised at how much you learn and change as a result of reading!

Here's my list of books I'm hoping to read this next year:

(Please note: My list is rather audacious and I don't necessarily think I'll actually find the time to read all of these in 2010, but I'm at least going to try! My husband and I are also reading through the Bible in a year using The MacArthur Daily Bible.)

January 

Bootcamp for Lousy Housekeepers

Flipping the Switch...: Unleash the Power of Personal Accountability Using the QBQ!

Still Growing: An Autobiography

Treasuring God in Our Traditions

February

What He Must Be: ...If He Wants to Marry My Daughter

Hired @ Home

First Things First: The Rules of Being a Warner

A Charlotte Mason Education

Six Pixels of Separation: Everyone Is Connected. Connect Your Business to Everyone.

March

America's Cheapest Family Gets You Right on the Money

How I Know God Answers Prayer

The Elements of Style

For the Children's Sake

April

The Complete Tightwad Gazette

The Heart of Homeschooling

Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking

May

Put More Cash in Your Pocket: Turn What You Know into Dough

Womanly Dominion: More Than A Gentle and Quiet Spirit

Parenting in the Pew: Guiding Your Children into the Joy of Worship

Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor: The Life and Reflections of Tom Carson

June

Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't

The Coupon Mom's Guide to Cutting Your Grocery Bills in Half

Calm My Anxious Heart: A Woman's Guide to Finding Contentment

Beloved Bride: The Letters of Stonewall Jackson to His Wife

For the Family's Sake: The Value of Home in Everyone's Life

July

Frugillionaire: 500 Fabulous Ways to Live Richly and Save a Fortune

In Praise of Stay-at-Home Moms

Revolution In World Missions

Creating an Intimate Marriage: Rekindle Romance Through Affection, Warmth and Encouragement

August

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity

Michael Phelps: The Untold Story of a Champion

The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate

Professionalizing Motherhood: Encouraging, Educating, and Equipping Mothers At Home

September

The Financially Confident Woman

Honey for a Child's Heart

Kohila

October

Living Rich for Less: Create the Lifestyle You Want by Giving, Saving, and Spending Smart

Created for Work: Practical Insights for Young Men

Francis Schaeffer: An Authentic Life

November

The Now Habit: A Strategic Program for Overcoming Procrastination and Enjoying Guilt-Free Play

Elizabeth Prentiss: More Love to Thee

A Mother's Heart: A Look at Values, Vision, and Character for the Christian Mother

December

Living Simply: Choosing Less in a World of More

My biggest problem when it comes to reading books is actually finishing them. I'm really good at starting books--and often have 4 to 6 started at once!--but I'm much less disciplined about finishing them.

I'm going to aim to only start and finish each month's designated books during the specified month. If I finish them all early, I'm giving myself license to read whatever--but not until I've finished that month's books. Yes, I'm really working on following through with things I've set out to do this year. :)

Photo credit: Yves

Review: Feed Your Family for $12 a Day

I was recently browsing titles at the library when my eye landed on Rhonda Barfield's book, Feed Your Family for $12 a Day. As you can imagine, I quickly scooped it up and added it to my pile of books to check out.

Although the prices in this book were outdated and most of the recipes looked very uninteresting, bland, and even downright bordering on unsavory, there were numerous practical tips, hints, and ideas in this book making it every bit worth the read.

I appreciated the author's understanding that not all of her ideas would work for every family. We're all in different seasons and situations so what method of cooking and grocery shopping works well for one family could be completely unpractical for another family. Feed Your Family for $12 a Day acknowledges this and offers a plethora of ideas which can be implemented to lower your grocery budget.

The book also addresses many common misconceptions regarding eating healthfully on a budget and walks the reader through a full year of ideas on how to make little changes to not only eat more healthfully but to greatly reduce your grocery bill in the process.

If you are just beginning to attempt to lower your grocery budget, Feed Your Family for $12 a Day would be a very helpful book to add to your reading list. And even if you're like me and have been shopping on a small budget for years, I'm quite certain you'd find inspiration and fresh ideas in these pages as well. At least I know I certainly did!

Have you read any helpful books on frugality or money recently? If so, tell us about them! I'm always looking for new book ideas to add to my reading list!

Review: BISSELL Versus Bare Floor Vacuum

As many of you know, I'm a no-nonsense, keep-it-simple kind of gal. I prefer to stick to the basics in most areas and am definitely not a big fan of keeping up with having all the supposedly "latest and greatest" things on the market.

However, when BISSELL contacted me regarding doing a review of their brand-new Versus Bare Floor Vacuum I decided to try it since we'd just moved and I was struggling to figure out how to clean my new Pergo "wood" floors in our rental home. Since nothing I was doing seemed to be working well, I figured that trying this out wouldn't hurt anything. And, I'll admit, the thought of foregoing a broom and dustpan in favor of a new-fangled vacuum cleaner was quite intriguing to me.

Over the last few months, I've enjoyed trying out this modern homemaking contraption. And surprisingly, I've come to like it quite a lot. I'm still not convinced that I can entirely do away with a broom and dustpan, but the Versus Floor Vacuum is quite handy.

PROS

::The Versus Bare Floor Vacuum is very lightweight and easy to maneuver around. Since this vacuum is small, it's simple to pull out and quickly run over our floor surfaces. I've found that it has cut my sweeping time by about 30% as a result.

::The Versus Bare Floor Vacuum picks up the dirt as you go. This is a huge plus for a mom like me with little children. When using a broom and dustpan, I've found that I'll often be in the middle of sweeping and be interrupted by a child needing immediate attention. More often than not, my dirt pile will get messed up in the process and I'll have to redo what I just did. The Versus Floor Vacuum eliminates this problem.

::The Versus Bare Floor Vacuum does exceptionally well at cleaning up big floor messes. If you have young toddlers in your home, you are probably well acquainted with the frequent spills of Cheerios or other such small items on your floor surfaces. I've found that this is one of the greatest advantages of this vacuum--large messes can be quickly eliminated in minutes! And I certainly love that!

CONS

::The Versus Bare Floor Vacuum doesn't seem to clean edges and corners quite as well as a broom would. While this vacuum was specifically designed to easily-access hard-to-reach areas, I found that those areas were still harder to reach and clean with this vacuum than a broom would be.

::The Versus Bare Floor Vacuum costs quite a bit more than a broom and dust pan. As you'd expect, a vacuum of this sort is a bit on the pricey side; it's average retail price is $79.99. I'm not sure that I'd encourage you all to run out and buy one of these if you're happily content with a broom and dustpan.

To read more information about the Versus Floor Vacuum, you can check out the website here. And if you've tried this vacuum yourself, I'd love to hear what you thought.

Recommendation: Moritz Fine Designs

 

A few months ago, I was searching for a work-at-home mom to design some promotional post cards and business cards for me on a tight time schedule. I was delighted to happen upon Heather Moritz from Moritz Fine Designs.

Not only was Heather a pleasure to work with, she graciously went the extra mile in the design and graphic work she did. I was very impressed with her work ethic, her design skills, and her fast turn-around, but I was especially appreciative of her very reasonable pricing. And the end results were fabulous!

If you're a work-at-home mom or wife looking for someone to design and print affordable business cards or post cards for your business, definitely visit Moritz Fine Designs. Not only does Heather offer logo design, and custom business cards and post cards, she also has some adorable "Mommy Calling Cards" which would be great for those of you with blogs.

Ever been somewhere and wished you had your blog information on a cute little card to give out to someone who asks? Well, her Mommy Calling Cards are perfect for those occasions! And if you're looking for someone to do holiday photo cards for your family, Heather's got you covered, too. Check out her brand new line of unique holiday photo cards here.

No matter your design needs, Heather can likely handle it and do an excellent job of it. So be sure to stop by her website today; she comes highly recommended by me!

Review: Social Suppers

Recently, I had the opportunity to do a complimentary session at Social Suppers, a company with locations in Missouri and Kansas that offers meal assembly options for the busy family. I've always wanted to try out one of these stores and so I jumped on the opportunity to do a review in exchange for two weeks' worth of meals in my freezer.

I very much enjoyed my experience and was impressed overall with the concept of this business idea. While I am not convinced it would save a number of us (myself included) money, I definitely saw how it could be a great option for those of you who are extremely busy and have more money than time right now. It might also be something to consider splurging on for stressful and chaotic seasons of life (such as before or after a move, during pregnancy, or right after having a baby).

PROS

--The convenience is incredible. Walking in and having all of the recipes picked out for you, the groceries shopped for, the portions divided up, the chopping done, and everything ready to go is, well, quite an amazing thing. You just make your meals, package them up, and leave the dishes for someone else to wash! We made the equivalent of two weeks' worth of meals in about an hour and a half total. When else will that ever happen?

--Social Suppers is very child-friendly. The day I was scheduled for my session, I called and asked if my daughter could come with me. I fully expected that a place dealing with meal-prep and assembly would not be thrilled with me bringing along my three-year-old, even if I promised she'd behave. Contrary to what I expected, I was enthusiastically encouraged to bring my daughter with me.

The staff at Social Suppers was very helpful and inclusive of Kathrynne. They went out of their way to make sure she enjoyed herself and was able to participate in the meal assembly. Kathrynne and I made a very special memory during our mother-daughter meal preparation session and she's enjoyed eating the food more knowing that she helped to prepare it.

--Social Suppers offers a wide variety of fairly nutritional meals. I noticed very few meals with ingredients containing MSGs, corn syrup, or food coloring. Many of the meals had vegetables as part of the dish and the beef they use is higher quality. Another great thing about making up the meals yourself is that you can choose to omit ingredients according to your family's health needs and preferences. 

CONS

--The prices are rather high. While they claim to have meals which cost only $2.50 per serving, from my calculations, many of them are more like $4-$6/serving and that price does not include side dishes. Since I try to have our entire dinner be $2/person or less, the prices at Social Suppers are definitely higher than I am used to paying and seemed quite exorbitant to me. Granted, it is less expensive than eating out, but it's quite a bit more than I would normally feel comfortable paying.

--The menus are not out-of-this-world. We've now eaten the majority of the meals we made and while most of them were fairly good, we thought some of the dinners were rather bland and the servings were on the small side. Maybe it's because we eat a lot and maybe it's because I am forever tweaking recipes in order to get them "just right"? No matter the case, we weren't incredibly impressed with the taste factor for most of the meals.

Note: If any of you are interested in trying out Social Suppers, you can get free assembly on your meals from now through August 31, 2008 by using promo code MSM08. You can call ahead with your requests and then just stop by and pick them up.

24-Hour Giveaway: The Couponizer and Greatest Secrets of the Coupon Mom

To help keep spending in line with family financial goals, stay at home mom Amy Bergin created her own system for organizing and shopping with coupons. Her success in changing her spending routines and boosting her savings is what inspired her to offer her system to anyone who desires the same outcome.               
The Couponizer® is an organizing and shopping system for grocery coupons and other discounts including entertainment, restaurant, retail and services.  It is the #1 best selling coupon organizer on the market having sold out multiple times on QVC. It is the first shopping system to offer more than just a holder for coupons, but it is instead a whole system of tools to enable consistent savings.                       

 The entire 7 piece system includes:               

• The Couponizer® – 8" x 5 ¼” booklet with 18 grocery coupon pockets, 4 Non-grocery coupon pockets, 3 gift card/shopper loyalty sleeves, shopping pockets
• Shopping List – 20 page tear off list pad with cardboard backing
• CoupStacker – pre-sorting mat color coded to match the system pockets
• CoupTracker – 15 page spiral bound list pad with cardboard backing
• “Your Guide to Smart Savings” – instruction booklet with spending strategy and coupon tips
• Scissors – blunt tip
• Carrying Bag – clear vinyl zippered bag

Just for fun, I decided to transfer all of my coupons from my big coupon box to the Couponizer to see how it would work.

I loved the CoupStacker. It made it so easy to quickly organize coupons.

The front clear card holders are also a great addition to The Couponizer--you always know exactly where your store reward cards are!

As you can see, The Couponizer was a bit overwhelmed by my massive stash of coupons! It obviously is not incredibly practical for someone who clips and files most coupons like I do; however, I really think a large number of you would find The Couponizer perfectly suited for your situation.

If you follow the CouponMom system and keep your inserts whole and only clip the coupons you know you will be using, the Couponizer would be a perfect system for you. I also think that The Couponizer would be excellent for those who are just beginning to use coupons or for those who find mega-coupon-shopping to be overwhelming and only like to use a few coupons here and there.

Amy has generously donated two of The Couponizer organization systems for me to give away to two randomly-selected entrants. Plus, the winners will also receive a copy of Stephanie Nelson's book, Greatest Secrets of the Coupon Mom!

To enter to win one of The Couponizer systems and a copy of Greatest Secrets of the Coupon Mom, just leave a comment with your name and email address (so I can contact you if you win!). I'll randomly select two entrants Friday evening and post them along with the Super Savings Saturday post!

Book Review: Greatest Secrets of the Coupon Mom

Greatest Secrets of the Coupon Mom by Stephanie Nelson is a comprehensive and informative handbook on coupon shopping and getting the best deal at the grocery store. While seasoned bargain shoppers will likely have a grasp on most concepts shared in this book, it would serve as an excellent handbook for those just getting their feet wet.

Stephanie starts at the very beginning and tackles basic questions many newbie couponers often ask. She refutes major myths surrounding coupon-shopping and shares her simple and time-saving system for collecting coupons. While much of the material contained in this book would serve more as a user's manual for Stephanie's free website, CouponMom.com, you don't even need to use her website to benefit from the information she shares.

The last half of the book is dedicated to encouraging coupon shoppers to share from their abundance to help "Cut Out Hunger". Stephanie inspired me to look for more ways to give and help those in my own community.

If you are new to the world of coupons and feeling quite overwhelmed, I'd heartily recommend Stephanie's book. She'll answer more questions than you probably ever would think to ask and she'll likely inspire you to not only save a bundle on your own groceries but also to help out those who are needy in the process!

PSST! Can't afford to buy Stephanie's book? Stay tuned because we'll be giving away a few copies later this week! And if you've not done so already, you can get a free copy of her ebook, Advanced Grocery Savings Strategies here.