The Grocery Shopping Challenge

The Grocery Shopping Challenge

Take the grocery shopping challenge and save time and money!Last week, we worked on a meal plan that will save our sanity for weeks to come. This week we will do the grocery shopping.

#1 Get the lay-out lists for the grocery stores you shop in

Near the front entrance of most stores is an aisle list for the most common ingredients. You’ll want this so you can put your shopping list in the order the items appear in your store.  If a store doesn’t have one, take time to go through the aisles noting the numbers (if any) and what can generally be found there. You can also do this with a grocery shopping app.

#2 Create a master shopping list

If you did your meal plan on paper, you’ll now combine totals for all ingredients needed to make the meals on your plan. In other words, you’ll know you need 8 pounds of chicken breast total for the month. You may wish to create a paper grocery list that is organized according to the aisle layout you obtained.

If you’re using a digital meal planner like Plan to Eat, the shopping list will be automatically generated for you. However, depending on how you entered the recipes, you may find that some of the ingredients aren’t listed for the correct aisle. This is where your aisle list can come in handy! Make sure all items are categorized properly so you don’t have them listed in different sections.

#3 Finish creating shopping list

To save the most time possible, you’ll want to have a master list of non-food items to purchase as well. If you don’t know how many items like paper towels and laundry detergent you purchase in a month, make note of the date you purchase them next and the date you run out for future planning. When you know how much of something you need each month, you are better able to take advantage of coupons and sales for bulk shopping.

If you don’t feel like being that organized, you can continue to organize the shopping list for your meals and just add these extra items to your weekly shopping list as needed. Your weekly shopping list will be much smaller with the advance shopping you’ll be doing.

#4 Shop and put items away

When I do monthly shopping, I go to two stores and have multiple carts. I need a clean vehicle and a helper or two. I definitely need space cleared for storage and lots of help to put items away. I recommend shopping when you have the most energy! If you’re using coupons or shopping sales, make sure you have everything you need organized. Oh, and don’t forget your purse! Yes, I have done this.

When you’re done, you will have saved lots of time in the upcoming month and probably money, too!

For more information on shopping for a monthly meal plan, read my free ebook, The Once-and-for-All Meal Plan.

Happy Shopping!

Here is the challenge on Periscope:

Here is a list of previous week’s challenges:

Organized Homeschool Challenge

Week 1: Daily Devotions Challenge

Week 2: Daily Routine Challenge

Week 3: To-Do List Challenge

Week 4: Memory Keeping Challenge

Week 5: The Decluttering Challenge

Week 6: The Organized Computer Challenge

 Week 7: The Marriage of Your Dreams Challenge

Week 8: The Confident Parent Challenge

Week 9: The Extended Family Challenge

Week 10: The Bring on the Spring Challenge

Week 11: The Spring Cleaning Challenge

Week 12: The Organized Easter Challenge

Week 13: The Serve the Church Challenge

Week 14: The Chore Challenge

Week 15: The Organize Your Finances Challenge

Week 16: The Curriculum Challenge

Week 17: The Friendship Challenge

Week 18: The Family Celebrations Challenge

Week 19: The Organized Clothing Challenge

Week 20: The Organized Vacation Challenge

Week 21: The Organized Summer Challenge

Week 22: The Outdoor Activity Challenge

Week 23: The Used Curriculum Challenge

Week 24: The Homeschool Space Challenge

Week 25: The Goal Setting Challenge

Week 26: The Homeschool Planning Challenge

Week 27: The Bible Time Challenge

Week 28: The Special Study Prep Challenge

Week 29: The Extra-Curricular Challenge

Week 30: The Core Curriculum Prep Challenge

Week 31: The Elective Curriculum Challenge

Week 32: The Back to School Challenge

Week 33: The Fall Bucket List Challenge

Week 34: The Organized Bedroom Challenge

Week 35: The Clean Out the Pantry Challenge

Week 36: The Meal Planning Challenge

Follow Dr. Melanie Wilson @psychowith6’s board Organized Homeschool on Pinterest.

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Ideas for Homeschooling at Every Stage

Ideas for Homeschooling at Every Stage

What makes this homeschooling resource Big-Book-promo-1different

Whether this will be your first year of homeschooling or you’ve been at this a while, you won’t want to miss this incredible resource.

So many homeschooling books are the advice of one homeschool mom, who writes in detail about one approach. But what if that homeschooling mother is nothing like you?

The Big Book of Homeschooling Ideas Click here to view more details is like getting advice from more than 50 homeschooling mothers on topics ranging from preschool to high school. This book will grow with you as your homeschooling needs change and there are bound to be authors who seem to be writing just for you. I would have loved to have had this resource at my fingertips when I started homeschooling!

The chapter I contributed

I did the next best thing and authored a chapter on a topic near and dear to my heart: starting a homeschool co-op. Few aspects of my homeschooling have had as dramatic an impact as co-ops. I would love for you to consider my experience and the step-by-step instructions I share for how to start a co-op that will be a blessing for you and your children.

Why you’ll want to add this book to your homeschooling library

Even if you have no need to start a co-op, I know you will find something of value in this book that is over 500 pages long! You can check out the table of contents before you buy. And because it’s digital, it won’t take up four inches of precious bookshelf space!

As an author, I’m an affiliate for The Big Book of Homeschool Ideas, but I would recommend it anyway. $10.99 for over 500 pages of homeschooling ideas? Yes, please!

Which chapters are you most looking forward to reading?

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The Elective Curriculum Prep Challenge: Week 31

The Elective Curriculum Prep Challenge: Week 31

The elective curriculum challenge. Get your art, music, home ec, and other subjects organized for school this week!Last week we got our core, or primary curriculum, organized for the upcoming year. This week we will take on our elective studies. This could be subjects like art, home ec, or music.

#1 Set up system of organization

You may have organized your materials during the  planning challenge. If not, you will take the time to complete any preparation required to teach these subjects. For example, I have to print the Hoffman Piano lesson materials and add them to my children’s binders. These binders have my children’s names on them and are added to their individual crates on our bookcase.

#2 Research

This is the day to do research for ideas or materials you need to make your elective subjects excellent. For example, if you are using a home ec curriculum, you may be able to find an appropriate video teaching kids how to bake bread on YouTube. Be sure to keep your research organized. I recommend Pinterest and Evernote if you prefer digital or a binder/file system if you don’t.

#3 Plan

Create a simple plan for each subject, unless your curriculum has done the planning for you. In this case, you may wish to delete any activities you don’t like and add activities to replace them you discovered during your research. Remember, this is one of the blessings of homeschooling. You decide what to teach!

#4 Shop / List Materials

Purchase any needed equipment or supplies needed to teach elective subjects or add them to your list. Be sure to read the Special Study Prep challenge for more on this. You may wish to delay purchasing basic school supplies until they are on sale or have no sales tax (if your area has this weekend).

Here is the  list of previous weeks’ challenges:

 

Organized Homeschool Challenge

Week 1: Daily Devotions Challenge

Week 2: Daily Routine Challenge

Week 3: To-Do List Challenge

Week 4: Memory Keeping Challenge

Week 5: The Decluttering Challenge

Week 6: The Organized Computer Challenge

 Week 7: The Marriage of Your Dreams Challenge

Week 8: The Confident Parent Challenge

Week 9: The Extended Family Challenge

Week 10: The Bring on the Spring Challenge

Week 11: The Spring Cleaning Challenge

Week 12: The Organized Easter Challenge

Week 13: The Serve the Church Challenge

Week 14: The Chore Challenge

Week 15: The Organize Your Finances Challenge

Week 16: The Curriculum Challenge

Week 17: The Friendship Challenge

Week 18: The Family Celebrations Challenge

Week 19: The Organized Clothing Challenge

Week 20: The Organized Vacation Challenge

Week 21: The Organized Summer Challenge

Week 22: The Outdoor Activity Challenge

Week 23: The Used Curriculum Challenge

Week 24: The Homeschool Space Challenge

Week 25: The Goal Setting Challenge

Week 26: The Homeschool Planning Challenge

Week 27: The Bible Time Challenge

Week 28: The Special Study Prep Challenge

Week 29: The Extra-Curricular Challenge

Week 30: The Core Curriculum Prep Challenge

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Get the Curriculum You Need for Less

Get the Curriculum You Need for Less

Build Your Own BundleAs we get ready for a new school year, the Build Your Own Bundle sale is a great opportunity to pick up a wide range of digital books, curriculum, and homeschooling helps at an amazing price. There is something here for everyone! I love the option of choosing what you need so much that I signed up as an affiliate for this sale. Some of the options that stand out to me are:

  • Math Mammoth materials (we’ve used them and loved them)
  • Homeschool scheduling forms
  • Writing Through the Bible (a great idea)
  • Christian Keyboarding (I need to make sure my kids aren’t hunting and pecking like their dad!) 🙂
  • Notebooking resources (there are so many topics to choose from)
  • We Choose Virtues materials (a great way of helping kids understand and implement character traits).

Go get ’em!

 

The first ever “Build Your Bundle” – Homeschool Edition sale is here!

For one week only (July 21-28) save up to 92% on bestselling
homeschooling products, including MANY on Cathy Duffy’s Top 100 list!

The bundles are AMAZING, including products such as Learning Language
Arts Through Literature
, A Child’s Geography, Character Concepts,
Picture Smart Bible, Math Mammoth, and more! There are SO
many incredible products to choose from, all bundled up in grades/themes
OR you can “Build Your Own!”


Build Your Bundle - Homeschool Edition Sale: July 21-28 Save up to 92% on Popular Homeschooling Curriculum, Many from Cathy Duffy's Top 100 Picks!
Our “Build Your Own” bundles offer you the opportunity to select
a certain number of products with a retail price of $19.99 or less for up
to 80% off! We have MANY items to choose from, including Cathy Duffy Top
100 Picks! When you purchase a combination of any 2 “Build Your Own”
bundles, you will get the 3rd one at 50% off!
Build Your Bundle - Homeschool Edition Sale: July 21-28 Save up to 92% on Popular Homeschooling Curriculum, Many from Cathy Duffy's Top 100 Picks!
Buy more & save more! Purchase 2 “build your
own” bundles and get the 3rd one 50% off! See
site for details.

You will also find the following pre-assembled bundles with saving up
to 92% off retail:
Tot/Pre-K Bundle, K-3 Bundle, 4-6 Elementary Bundle,
Middle School Bundle, High School Bundle, Charlotte Mason Bundle, & the
Homeschooling/Homemaking Mom Bundle!
Charlotte Mason Style Homeschooling Curriculum - Normally $377.35 - On Sale for ONLY $49.00 - One Week Only!Elementary Homeschooling Curriculum - Normally $220.35 - On Sale for ONLY $39.00 - One Week Only!Middle School Homeschooling Curriculum - Normally $361.77 - On Sale for ONLY $59.00 - One Week Only!
High School Homeschooling Curriculum - Normally $381.68 - On Sale for ONLY $69.00 - One Week Only!K-3 Homeschooling Curriculum - Normally $187.13 - On Sale for ONLY $39.00 - One Week Only!K-3 Homeschooling Curriculum - Normally $171.37 - On Sale for ONLY $29.00 - One Week Only!
K-3 Homeschooling Curriculum - Normally $118.19 - On Sale for ONLY $10.00 - One Week Only! Homeschooling Curriculum - You Choose What to Buy - Save up to 80% - One Week Only! Homeschooling Resources, Curriculum & More - Save up to 60% - One Week Only!
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A New Approach to Talent Education

A New Approach to Talent Education

Discover and Develop Your Child's TalentOn the Homeschool Sanity Show, I interview Jonathan Harris of 10k to Talent.com. I hope you will listen in!

He gave me a completely different vision of what it means to discover and then develop my children’s talent.

Honestly, I’ve been looking for skills that will make the judges of America’s Got Talent cry, and when I haven’t found them, I’ve felt exempt from talent education. Jonathan helped me see that this view of talent training doesn’t honor God and shortchanges my children’s future.

I worked through the How to Discover and Develop Your Child’s First 100 Hours ebook with a focus on my 14-year-old and have been really happy with the results. My son has a “talent” for tennis and drum, but I was surprised to discover that these interests and abilities are more likely hobbies that will continue to enjoy in the future. Drum may be a way for him to serve in a church, but his interests in money and rules, together with having an uncle in personal finance, has convinced me that business coursework is something he should explore in his first year of high school.

I liked this course so much that I wanted to promote it as an affiliate. You can check out Jonathan’s talent education course and his How to Showcase Your Talent on a Blog course at this link.

I love the idea of having kids write a blog as a means of developing their talent. As a passionate blogger and a homeschooler who is crazy about language arts, I think the idea allows students to learn many things at once. Jonathan’s course could be part of your language arts studies or another high school course. My kids don’t know it yet, but they’re going to be blogging! I’ll post the links to their blogs here when they’re up and running.

 

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The Core Curriculum Prep Challenge: Week 30

The Core Curriculum Prep Challenge: Week 30

The core curriculum prep challenge. Get ready to teach the major subjects in your homeschool.By core curriculum, I mean either a complete curriculum, like My Father’s World, or core subjects like math, language arts, science, and social studies. This could be a busy week or an easy one, depending on what curriculum you are using in the next year. We will go through the same process we went through with special studies, so we are organized early.

#1 Set up system of organization

You may or may not need an organizational system for each subject. If you didn’t do the  planning challenge, you may need to make sure lessons are noted in your child’s planners and books are accessible to him.

#2 Research

This is the day to do research for ideas or materials you need to make your core subjects excellent. For example, I will be researching videos to add to my Mystery of History playlist on YouTube. I have to get busy on Volume II. As with special studies, you may want to see if someone has done the work for you, coming up with crafts, videos, songs, experiments, etc. to go with your chosen core curriculum. Organize your research digitally or using binders / file folders.

#3 Plan

Plan each subject, if necessary. I say “if necessary” because many subjects can be taught as written in the curriculum, with no extra planning necessary. If you need to plan in detail, consider creating an undated plan that you can add to a dated planner one week at a time. Nothing is more frustrating than creating all these dated lessons, only to get off schedule. Again, keep it simple. It’s much easier to add ideas than it is to delete them and still feel like you’re on top of your schooling. Extra time allows for some delight-directed learning, too. I love it when we do history and the kids ask to spend time learning more about a subject.

#4 Shop / List Materials

Purchase what you need for core curriculum now, if you haven’t already. Things lab kits and craft supplies are appropriate here. Be sure to read the Special Study Prep challenge for more on this. You may wish to delay purchasing basic school supplies until they are on sale or have no sales tax (if your area has this weekend).

Here is the July Organized Homeschool Calendar and a list of previous weeks’ challenges:

 

Daily missions to organize your homeschool July 2014

Organized Homeschool Challenge

Week 1: Daily Devotions Challenge

Week 2: Daily Routine Challenge

Week 3: To-Do List Challenge

Week 4: Memory Keeping Challenge

Week 5: The Decluttering Challenge

Week 6: The Organized Computer Challenge

 Week 7: The Marriage of Your Dreams Challenge

Week 8: The Confident Parent Challenge

Week 9: The Extended Family Challenge

Week 10: The Bring on the Spring Challenge

Week 11: The Spring Cleaning Challenge

Week 12: The Organized Easter Challenge

Week 13: The Serve the Church Challenge

Week 14: The Chore Challenge

Week 15: The Organize Your Finances Challenge

Week 16: The Curriculum Challenge

Week 17: The Friendship Challenge

Week 18: The Family Celebrations Challenge

Week 19: The Organized Clothing Challenge

Week 20: The Organized Vacation Challenge

Week 21: The Organized Summer Challenge

Week 22: The Outdoor Activity Challenge

Week 23: The Used Curriculum Challenge

Week 24: The Homeschool Space Challenge

Week 25: The Goal Setting Challenge

Week 26: The Homeschool Planning Challenge

Week 27: The Bible Time Challenge

Week 28: The Special Study Prep Challenge

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