Claiming Simplicity | Simplify Life, Natural Living, Homestead, Cooking from Scratch, Easy Meals

Latest Episodes:

EP 193 // Save Money on Groceries as Food Costs Continue to Increase with Inflation Sep 30, 2024

Hello Friend

Want an extra income -> https://www.claimingsimplicity.co/

Do you find that every time you go to the grocery store, you spend more than you budget? The food prices continue to rise and I want to give you some simple ideas today to start saving on groceries right now. Depending on where you live in the world, you may be able to start a garden and that is my #1 way to save money on food. You can have healthy food without any pesticides when you grow it yourself and that can sustain you for several months of the year depending on your season and how much you can preserve.

We try to eat seasonally as much as possible to save money on food, but that wasn’t always the case for me when we didn’t source our own chicken, eggs, pork and milk. Another thing that saves our family alot of money is hunting as we usually get several deer and sometimes bear. In the summer and winter we also catch as much fresh water fish as possible too.

Enjoy the episode and let me know your favorite ways to save money on food!

Monica

Email me at monica@claimingsimplicity.com

EP 192 // Simple 5 Step Plan to Have More Abundance in All Areas of Your Life Sep 25, 2024

Hey Friend

Simple Passive Income-> https://www.claimingsimplicity.co/

Take a moment to think about this: What would your life look like if you had complete freedom over your time, resources, and choices? Maybe it’s more time with your family, the ability to give more generously, or the freedom to travel.

In the Bible Proverbs 29:18 says, Where there is no vision, the people perish. It’s so important that we define our vision before anything else, because without it, we’re just going through the motions.

Now that you've got a vision, it’s time to create an income stream that supports that vision. I’ve talked before about the power of passive income, and I’ll say it again—having an income stream that doesn’t trade time for money is a game changer. In fact, I believe we all should have multiple income streams. I will do a podcast all about that soon!

Whether it's an online business, digital marketing, or a system you can work on just 2 hours a day, the point is to build something that gives you both income and freedom. I will link my favorite income stream in the show notes if you want to check it out! No pressure in this business at all, but I’m here if you do have any questions at all!

Matthew 25:14-30—the parable of the talents—teaches us the value of investing our resources wisely. You’ve been given skills, talents, and opportunities to create wealth not just for yourself, but for God’s Kingdom.

Your business, when aligned with God’s purpose, will bless not only your family but others around you. To me, it is such a blessing to be able to help others~especially in the economy we are living in now.

Abundance isn't about more; it’s about better. It’s about focusing on what truly matters. Step three is to simplify your life. Take inventory of how you spend your time, your energy, and your money. What can you cut out that is cluttering your life?

I love how the Bible has so many good verses about how we are to live.

God has given us resources to manage, whether it’s our time, money, or relationships. Step four is about stewardship.

Proverbs 21:5 tells us, The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.

This means creating a budget, planning how to grow your resources, and making decisions that are thoughtful and prayerful. When you become a good steward of the resources God has given you, you’ll see those resources multiply, and you’ll be in a better position to bless others.

Finally, step five is where everything comes together—use your abundance to impact others. Abundance isn’t meant to stop with us. God blesses us so that we can bless others.

2 Corinthians 9:8 says, And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

Once you’re living in abundance, ask yourself how you can use your resources, time, and energy to serve others. Maybe it's supporting a ministry, mentoring someone, or giving generously to causes that are close to your heart."

Remember, true abundance comes when we align our lives with God’s purpose, and we take intentional steps toward creating freedom, not just for ourselves but for those around us.

Have a blessed friend!

~Monica

EP 191 // Simplifying Your Daily Homestead Routine: 3 Tips to Make Farm Life Easier Sep 23, 2024

Hey Friend!

Simple Passive Income-> https://www.claimingsimplicity.co/

Today, we’re diving into the heart of homestead life with three practical tips to help you simplify your daily routine. Whether you're raising animals, growing your own food, or just trying to balance cooking from scratch, homeschooling and homestead tasks with family life, this episode is for you.

Tip 1: Streamline Chores by Creating a Rotating Schedule

One of the most common challenges on the homestead is managing the never-ending list of daily chores. The key to simplifying your routine is to stop treating everything as a daily emergency. Instead, break your chores down into manageable chunks by creating a rotating schedule.

For example, feed the animals and collect eggs daily, but stagger larger tasks like garden maintenance, deep cleaning animal pens, moving fencing or preserving food. This helps you focus on only what needs to be done each day, rather than trying to do everything at once. It’s also a way to involve the whole family, assigning specific days to different tasks.

Think of it like meal planning—once it’s written out, it’s one less thing to think about."

Tip 2: Invest in Time-Saving Tools

"One of the easiest ways to simplify your homesteading life is by investing in the right tools. Not every task should be manual—there are tools and technologies that can save hours of time and energy. A good drip irrigation system, an automatic chicken door, or even something as simple as a wagon for hauling feed can drastically cut down on time spent doing repetitive tasks. I know one thing that will be priority next year is setting up a no maintenance garden because the no till option did not work out so well for me, but at least I tried!

This may seem like an upfront expense, but remember: time is money, especially when you’re balancing so many responsibilities on the homestead. What tools can you implement today to shave off 10-20 minutes of your daily routine?

Tip 3: Group Similar Tasks Together

Another great way to simplify your homestead routine is by grouping similar tasks together. Instead of running back and forth across your property all day, make the most of your time by batching your activities. If you're headed to the garden to harvest vegetables, bring along any tools you might need for weeding or mulching. When you check on your animals in the morning, bring their feed and fresh water with you.

Grouping tasks can be a huge time saver and prevent you from feeling overwhelmed by the number of tasks that come with homesteading. Plus, it helps you stay focused and more efficient in everything you do and I am the queen of streamlining and simplifying. I’m sure my husband will be happy when our set up here is complete…..I’m not sure it ever will be completely, but if something isn’t running smooth or isn’t efficient -especially in the long winters we have here-I change it up to be more simplified. We will be going into winter with at least 12 piglets-unless we deliver anymore from a pig that got in with the boar 1 day, but so far she isn’t looking pregnant. We also have 5 grown pigs, 13 goats, and about 30or so chickens, so it has to be efficient with this amount of animals.

Homesteading doesn’t have to be overwhelming. With a few simple strategies, like a rotating schedule, time-saving tools, and grouping tasks, you can lighten your load and enjoy the lifestyle you’ve worked so hard to build. Simplifying isn’t about cutting corners—it’s about working smarter, not harder, so you can spend more time doing the things that matter most.

Thank you for joining me today. If you found these tips helpful, be sure to share this episode with a fellow homesteader, and stay tuned for more content on simplifying your life while creating a more sustainable future.

~Monica

EP 190 // 3 Simple Steps to Creating a Legacy the Lasts with Kingdom Impact Sep 20, 2024

Hey Friend!

Simple Passive Income-> https://www.claimingsimplicity.co/

Today, we dive deep into what it means to truly live for God’s purpose in every area of our lives. We are going to explore a powerful truth: Money means nothing if you don’t know what you’re going to do with it. If our hearts aren’t aligned with God’s Kingdom, even financial success can feel empty. So let’s talk about creating an impact that lasts, not just in this life but in eternity."

Matthew 6:19-21 (NIV):
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

We live in a world that tells us success is measured by our bank account or the things we own. But Jesus flips that on its head. He reminds us that true wealth is found in heavenly treasures, not earthly ones. What are those heavenly treasures? It’s the impact we make in the lives of others, the love we give, the way we bring God's Kingdom to earth.

This may convict you as you look at the amount you give to God’s Kingdom. Money is not evil, but what you do with your money matters. As you give freely, God gives freely. We have seen this over and over again. If we are praying about how much to give in a certain situation and the Holy Spirit gives a large number that seems out of reach to give to something. God always returns it in different ways as we listen and are obedient. Do not be someone that clenches your fist closed, but someone that lives with an open hand of generosity…..that is when you will see money easily flow in and flow out.

We live frugally so we can give freely. I don’t care if I have new vehicles or material items as trying to impress others isn’t my jam~I would rather be walking the straight, narrow, and obedient path with God because that is really the only way to find real lasting peace and joy.

Let’s get real for a moment. Money can provide comfort and security, but it’s not the end goal. If we chase wealth without knowing why we want it, we can easily lose sight of what’s truly important. As Christians, we need to ask ourselves: How are we using our resources—whether time, talent, or money—for God’s glory?

Luke 16:10 (NIV) says, Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.' This teaches us that it’s not about how much you have; it’s about how you use what God has given you.

Like I said before~Money in itself isn’t evil. It’s a tool. It can be used for good, to bless others, to grow ministries, to support families in need. But if we’re not intentional about making a Kingdom impact, that tool can become a trap. The real question is: What impact are you making? Are we using your resources to spread the gospel, to serve others and to make the world a reflection of God’s love?

In Proverbs 11:25, it says, A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.' When we focus on pouring into others, God pours back into us.

So how do we start creating a Kingdom impact with the resources we have? Here are a few

practical steps:

Align Your Finances with Your Faith:
Make sure you’re giving back—whether it’s to your church, missionaries, or charitable causes. Tithing is more than just a financial transaction; it’s a declaration that God comes first.
Invest in People, Not Things:
Use your resources to lift others up. This could be by mentoring someone, giving to those in need, or simply being there for people in your community. Your time is just as valuable as your money.
Pray for Wisdom:
James 1:5 tells us to ask for wisdom, and God will provide it generously. Pray for discernment in how you manage your resources and where God is calling you to invest for His Kingdom."

There was a time in my life when I was focused on financial goals, thinking that would bring me peace. But no matter how much I earned, there was a hole that nothing could fill. It wasn’t until I started using my resources to help others that I found true joy and fulfillment. The Bible was right all along: It's more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35)

2 Corinthians 9:8 (NIV):
'And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.'

"God is not only concerned with blessing us financially but also empowering us to use that blessing to create a lasting impact in His Kingdom. When we keep our eyes on Him and His purpose, everything else falls into place."

So I want to leave you with a challenge this week. Take some time to pray and ask God where He is calling you to make an impact. It could be with your time, your talents, or your finances. Remember, money means nothing if it’s not used for a higher purpose, and that purpose is to glorify God and expand His Kingdom.

If you are ready to start your online journey to impact His kingdom with other like minded Christians, I will put the link in the show notes.

The Bible if full of so many verses regarding money!

Thank you for tuning in today. If this episode blessed you, share it with someone who needs encouragement today. Let’s go out and make an eternal difference!

Until next time, stay blessed, and keep your eyes on the true prize—making an impact for God’s Kingdom

EP 189 // Simplicity-You are What You Think About - Change Your Mind & Change Your Life Sep 18, 2024

Hello Friend

Info to change your financial future -> https://www.claimingsimplicity.co/

I pray this podcast reaches ears all around the world to create a better life for yourself, so I know that you are here for a reason.

Last week, I listened to a friend tell me she couldn’t stay home with her baby because she had to work, so she will have to put this child in daycare even though she would love to be home raising her own kids. I have been there! I remember when I had 3 kids under 3 in daycare and the mom guilt was so real. I cried when my 3 year old son chased me out of the daycare’s driveway one day and that is when I made significant changes in my family’s life.

We simplified and I started working from home so I could bring in an income, but also be with my kids. That was a great option then, but I sure wish I would have known about working an online business way back then because I was still trading time for money then. That was over 25 years ago, so that is why I am a simple living expert~it was years of trials! If I would have stayed in that same accounting job throughout the years, I would have had many regrets and missed out on many memories and milestones. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want regrets as I age. I had to go from what is called normal (working a job full time) into creating a path that some others may have thought was a mistake. Now I am enjoying freedom and time with Grandkids during the week that I wouldn’t have been able to if I was still in that dead end job trading time for money. Life is short~make the best of it!

I wouldn’t change anything in my past as it has made me who I am and we live a pretty extraordinary life, so I have no complaints, but I realized that if you have a mindset to change, you will change your life. If you keep doing what you have been doing, you will keep getting what you have been getting. It takes courage and a positive mindset that can take anything negative and turn it into a positive thought.

If you are someone that thinks they can’t do something, you will get that outcome! You get what you think about!

This week, I want you to think of something you don’t think you can do, and think about and start visioning yourself doing that one thing. Put a note in your pocket or something that can remind you to think about that positively throughout the day and continue this every single day until you start making solutions. You can change your life by changing your

thoughts and I am super excited for what is to come for you friend if you put this into practice.

Just something I was thinking about today, so wanted to share it here.

Have a beautiful rest of the week and put this into action!!

~Monica

EP 188 // Want More Peace in Your Life? #1 Tip to Living with Less Stress Sep 16, 2024

Hey friend!

Here is the info to take control of your future ->https://www.claimingsimplicity.co/

I know if you are here, you are trying to live a simpler life! #1 Tip for more peace on today's episode!

In a world that seems so out of control right now, you can have peace and live with less stress.We all know God has a plan and He is the one in control, but thre are steps you can do to plan for your own future and that may include you making some changes like starting an online business so you can work from home.

Being able to be somewhat self reliant on our farm as much as possible might be a necessity in the near future, so being prepared for that is important to our family and might be something you think about as well but it can be stressful just thinking about it.

Psalm 29:11. The Lord gives strength to his people, the Lord blesses his people with peace.

Love ya friend!

Monica

EP 187 // Building a Life of Faith, Family, and Financial Freedom: Creating an Income Stream that Aligns with Your Values Sep 13, 2024

Hey friend

How to Make Simple Passive Income-> https://www.claimingsimplicity.co/

If you’re like me, you’ve probably thought long and hard about how to balance making an income and raising your kids. We know the world is full of influences that don’t always align with our faith, and for many of you listening, homeschooling your children is a big priority because it allows you to disciple them in the way you believe God is calling you to. But how do you balance it all?

What if I told you that you could work only 2 hours a day, create a passive income stream, and spend the rest of your time pouring into your kids? What if you could live out your values, homeschool your children, and still provide for your family without having to trade hours for dollars? In today’s episode, we’re going to explore exactly how that’s possible, and by the end, you’ll understand why this might just be the answer you’ve been praying for.

Let’s be honest for a moment. I know many of you out there are struggling to find balance. You want to be present for your children, to homeschool them, to teach them about God and life, but the reality of needing an income feels like a weight on your shoulders.

You’re working long hours, or maybe your spouse is working long hours, and you wonder:'Is this the life we really want?' You might feel like you’re missing out on some of the most important moments in your kids’ lives, or perhaps you’re worried that outside influences will pull them away from the values you’re working so hard to instill.

Trust me, I get it. The pull between providing financially and being there emotionally and spiritually is real. But what if there was a way to do both? What if you didn’t have to choose between making an income and raising your children in the way you know God is calling you to?”

Here’s the good news: You don’t have to choose. I’m about to tell you about a way to build a stream of income that allows you to spend more time with your family and live out your faith. And the best part? It only takes 2 hours a day.

Imagine this: You wake up, you start your day with devotionals with your kids, maybe some homeschooling lessons, and after a couple of hours of work, you’re done for the day. The rest of the day is yours to spend with your family, working on things that matter to you, without the stress of a 9-to-5 job. And yet, your income keeps coming in.

I want to bless you in what ever way I can. Please reach out with any questions.

Simple Passive Income-> https://www.claimingsimplicity.co/

Pinterest -> https://pin.it/4ulAVwr

You Tube -> https://www.youtube.com/@claimingsimplicity/

Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com

Blessings!

Monica

EP 186 // Freeze Drying Experience and 3 Tips to Prepare for Winter Sep 10, 2024

9-10-24 EP 186 // Freeze Drying Experience and 3 Tips to Prepare for Winter

Simple Passive Income-> https://www.claimingsimplicity.co/

Welcome back to Claiming Simplicity where I like to keep everything as simple as I can so you can live a more fruitful life! If we haven’t met, I’m Monica H Baker and I’m just a small town girl, just soaking up every minute on this earth doing God’s Will and helping as many people create an intentional life, homesteading and enjoy all God has created for us!

We have been busy here harvesting our food that has done quite well over the summer……I am now on my 2 batch of freeze dryer items and so far I am absolutely loving the ease of freeze drying food verses canning. I do love canning though and I have done quite a bit this season as well, but it takes a little more time than freeze drying.

Some of the items I have used in my freeze dryer so far are sweet corn, carrots, apples, pickle chips, and peppers. I really like that I don’t have to make space in the cupboard for jars, the food has more nutrition that canning or dehydrating, it is simple and it will stay good for several years!!!!!!

Now that we have it and it is set up, I can say it is very nice and we are going to be running as much as we can in the next month.

We have such a short growing season here, everything is ready at the same time, so there is such a short window of time to get everything harvested and so I want to give you 3 tips if that is where you are at right now as well.

One of my best tips is if you have room in your freezer for tomatoes, wash them and cut out the top and freeze them and make all your tomato items in the winter when you have down time. It is so slick when you take them out of the freezer and put in hot water and the skins just slip right off.
Next, focus on the item that will spoil the quickest. We like to wait with potatoes and carrots until the last thing as some of the produce like our sweet corn have to be processed right away as it doesn’t stay fresh very long.
Do the processing together. If you have friends and family that have food to process, it is not only very productive when you have more hands helping, but it is alot of fun. Enjoy the process and thank God for it all!!!!

Have a blessed day and make sure to share this podcast with any of your friends that want to simplify life!

EP 185 // Simple Steps to Make Money While You Sleep. 4 Steps to Build a Passive Income in 2 Hours a Day Sep 06, 2024

Hey Friend

Simple Passive Income-> https://www.claimingsimplicity.co/

Today on our Freedom Friday episode, we’re diving deep into something that’s on everyone’s mind—financial security and freedom. If you’ve ever felt like your 9-5 paycheck just isn’t enough, or if you’ve been stressed about rising living costs, this episode is for you.

We’re going to talk about why you need another income stream and, more importantly, how you can build a passive income stream in just 2 hours a day. Imagine waking up to money you made while you were sleeping.

Now, I’m not here to scare you, but the truth is—relying on just one paycheck is risky in today’s world. Even though we have always based our budget on 1 income, now we want to retire my husband early. Inflation is rising, the cost of living keeps going up, and we all know someone who has lost a job unexpectedly. In fact, if the last few years have taught us anything, it’s that financial stability can disappear overnight.
That’s why having multiple streams of income isn’t just a ‘nice-to-have’—it’s a necessity. Think of it as your financial safety net. If something happens to your main income, you have a backup plan. And hey, who doesn’t want a little extra cash flow on top of that regular paycheck? This isn’t about getting rich quick. It’s about securing your future and giving yourself options. Options like working less, spending more time with your family, or just living with less financial stress.

Here’s the good news—it’s simpler than ever to build an income stream online, and it doesn’t take as much time as you might think. Seriously, 2 hours a day is all you need to get started. I’m talking about setting up systems that will generate income even when you’re not actively working. Think about amazon….it runs 24/7~and if you have an online business set up the right way, you can have passive income like that as well!
The best part? You can do this on your own schedule. Maybe you’ve got a full-time job, or you’re a busy parent—2 hours a day is manageable for most people, and you’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish in that time. How many hours are you scrolling or watching TV? Just give that up to eventually have the life you have dreamed of!

God has really blessed us with an amazing opportunity that anyone can do if you have a phone or computer and I feel called to share it to everyone around the world as it is so SIMPLE but can FREE so many of you financially. It is 90% set up for you and gives you step by step instructions with what you need to do, even I was able to figure it out!!!!! It is affordable to anyone no matter what your situation and you can profit within a couple days of setting it up. It is 100% profit which is super exciting because it isn’t a MLM or network marketing which I love and you don’t have to sell to friends and family~in fact, they don’t even have to know what you are doing!!!!!!!! They don’t even know that your “little side hustle” is making you more in a couple hours a day than their 60 hours per week they are working!!!!! And there is the most amazing community of people doing the same thing and they are so supportive and helpful. I don’t know of any downfalls at all~most exciting thing I have ever done to fund my homestead!!!!!

Okay, now let’s get into the practical steps you can take right now to start building that income stream. If you’re listening and thinking, 'I don’t even know where to begin,' don’t worry. I’ve got you.

Step 1: Go to the link in the show notes and sign up for the emails I send out to give you more information. No spam ever and you can unsubscribe anytime if it isn’t for you!

Step 2: Reach out to me if you have any questions! This is 100% your own business, but you have a ton of support from me and others!

Step 3: Follow the process! It is simple and it works!!!!!! If a simple girl like me can do it, so can you friend!

Step 4: Automate. The beauty of passive income is that once it’s set up which they show you step by step, you don’t have to constantly manage it. Tools like email marketing platforms or social media schedulers allow you to automate most of the process. This is where the 'making money while you sleep' part comes in. The best business model ever!!!!!

Now, I know what some of you are thinking. 'But I don’t have the time,' or 'I don’t have the money to start this.' Let me tackle those real quick.

First, the time issue—if you can find just 2 hours a day, whether it’s early in the morning or after work, lunch hour, you can do this. You could even put in time on the weekend so less to do during the week. Trust me, once you start seeing results, it’ll feel worth every second.

And lastly, if you’re thinking this sounds too good to be true, let me assure you, it’s not. The truth is, passive income does require work upfront. But once you’ve built your systems, they can run with minimal effort from you. I’m not promising overnight success, but I am telling you that with consistent effort, you can create a reliable source of income.

So here’s my challenge to you: Spend time praying about this. You will know if a passive income stream is something God is putting on your heart to simplify your life. Sign up to get the emails that explain how it works and please email me if you have any questions. I want you to win and start enjoying your family and doing what you love without any income restrictions. God has big plans for you, friend!

Remember, it’s not about getting rich quick. It’s about building something sustainable that gives you more freedom and less financial stress. You can do this, and it’s simpler than you think. You just have to start.
Thanks for tuning in, and as always, I appreciate you spending time with me today. If you found value in this episode, make sure to share it with someone who needs to hear this message and could use an extra income stream. And don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

I’ll talk to you soon!

EP 184 // Feeling Overwhelmed and Stressed Out as a Busy Mom? 3 Tips to Reduce Your Workload so You Can Enjoy Your Fall Sep 03, 2024

Hello Friend!

It sure is feeling like Fall here in MN already!

Simple Passive Income-> https://www.claimingsimplicity.co/

Are you feeling overwhelmed with all of the activities and large to-do list at the end of summer and Fall? I want to help you reduce some of those items so you can have a more peaceful and enjoyable season.

First, I challenge you to delegate some of your workload. For me, I always have thousands of ideas of things I want to do in my head, but if I am doing tasks that someone else could do, I never get around to putting my ideas into practice. For me, I had to hire a teenager to help with produce because our garden this year wasn’t completely set up to be weed free like our ones in the past and so this has created extra unwanted work that I just don’t have time for. I truely enjoy weeding my garden. I put on my favorite podcast or go out with the sunrise and pray for hours and hours.This is so relaxing for me, but I don’t always have hours of time to do that, so I need someone who can help with that. I also have a teenager making sure my house stays clean and the dishes are done daily because I don’t want to waste my time on this when I can be creating or learning!

We now focus on slow living and intentionally plan our days and weeks. Don’t feel that you have to enroll your kids in everything, they need a break too. Our kids need downtime to reduce stress just as much as adults. There are so many demands put on kids these days that sometimes they don’t just get to be kids. Make sure they are getting plenty of time outdoors.Next, look at your schedule and decide what you can eliminate. And last, making meal planning simple. If you don’t grow your own garden, try to get to a farmers market in your area so you can eat seasonally. Simple healthy cooking doesn’t need to take alot of time and can be made even simpler that you imagine. Making food in bulk and freezer meals can be done on a rainy day or just plan 1 day a month so you don’t have to waste much time in the kitchen cooking. Keep morning meals simple such as eggs, smoothies, or homemade yogurt you have batched in the fridge. Lunch can be as simple as cheese and boiled eggs with some carrots and apples or salad or leftovers. Finger foods are great for lunches and they do not take much time. And your evening can be a dish with protein and vegetables. Don’t overthink cooking from scratch or meal planning~shop local for fresh ingredients and build your meals from there.

Chat next time!

Monica

EP 183 // Finding Time Freedom: Simplifying Life with Faith and Passive Income Aug 30, 2024

Hey Friend!

Simple Passive Income-> https://www.claimingsimplicity.co/

Today, I want to talk about something that's been weighing on my heart—time freedom. In our fast-paced world, it's so easy to get caught up in the hustle and forget what truly matters. But what if I told you there’s a way to reclaim your time, spend more precious moments with your kids, and simplify your life—all by working just 2 hours a day?

It might sound impossible, but with a simple, done-for-you automated system, it’s not only possible, it’s within reach for anyone, no matter where you are in the world. This system creates passive income, meaning you’re not trading hours for dollars anymore. Instead, you’re building a life where you have the freedom to do what you love, with the people you love creating memories.

Imagine the joy of waking up without the rush, being fully present for your children every single day, and ending each day with peace in your heart, knowing that you’re providing for your family without sacrificing your time with them. That’s the kind of life we all dream of, isn’t it?

As a Christian, I believe that our time here is precious and that we’re called to be good stewards of it. By freeing up your time through this system, you can focus on what truly matters—your faith, your family, and your purpose. Whether it’s attending every church service, being more involved in your community, or simply having the time to pray and reflect, this system allows you to live in alignment with your values.

And the best part? You don’t need any tech skills to get started. This system is designed to be simple and accessible, so anyone can use it to start earning passive income. It’s about creating a life that’s less complicated, more fulfilling, and truly blessed.

So, if you're ready to take that step toward time freedom, where you can focus on your family, your faith, and what really matters, then click the link in the show notes and let me know if you have any questions! I am so excited for you to start living a life of freedom!

Remember, you deserve a life where you’re not just surviving, but truly living. Let’s simplify, prioritize, and build something that not only supports your family financially but enriches your life spiritually. With God’s guidance and this proven system, anything is possible."

Website and Waitlist:

Claimingsimplicity.com

Simple Passive Income-> https://www.claimingsimplicity.co/

Pinterest -> https://pin.it/4ulAVwr

You Tube -> https://www.youtube.com/@claimingsimplicity/

Love ya!
Monica

EP 182 // Dream Again: The SIMPLE Path to Financial Freedom for Busy Families Aug 23, 2024

Hey Friend!

Welcome to a new series called Freedom Fridays to simplify life.

If you're juggling work, home, and everything in between, and you're exhausted from the daily grind of that 9-to-5, this episode is for you. Today, I want to talk about something that could change your life—making a significant passive income online in just 2 hours a day with a simple, automated system no matter where you live in the world. Imagine getting paid while you sleep

I want to show you how you can take back control of your time like I did, ease your financial worries, and—most importantly—start dreaming again.

Love Ya!

Monica

Simple Income Stream Info -> https://www.claimingsimplicity.co/

Simple Homesteading for Christians->

https://www.facebook.com/groups/claimingsimplicity/

Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

Pinterest -> https://www.pinterest.com/claimingsimplicity/

EP 181 // The Truth About Homesteading and Farming that You Need to Know Aug 21, 2024

Hey Friend!

Today I just want to be real about the less appealing part of homesteading because it was a rough week here a few weeks ago.

There is so much more to homesteading and farming than living a fairytale life . Yes, it sure feels like an incredible life and we enjoy it so much, but there are many ups and downs that people don’t talk about and I just want you to know what you are getting into as you grow your farm or homestead or just thinking about it.

First, homesteading and farming are 24 hours of every single day, 7 days a week if you have animals.

We now have 20 pigs with the piglets, 21 goats, 35-40 chickens, and even though we have everything set up streamlined and simple (as much as we can) there are many expected things that happen~it can be a rollercoaster of emotions and we have experienced many of them this last month.

Next, it can be a bigger investment than you think without an instant income. When you buy animals to breed or for meat, you have to take time for them to grow which takes alot of feed and it is extremely expensive right now and I’m sure it will increase even more with what is happening in our country.

We only live on 20 acres, so we can’t make enough hay for our animals and we have to buy that as well. Also, you have to think about the cost of infrastructure and fencing so you can rotate them. RIght now, our farm is funded by our other income streams because we don’t sell enough eggs, pork, or milk to even break even at this point, but knowing where our food comes from and being as self-sufficient as we can is important to us as well. We have to buy very little from the store, so our grocery bill is lower than having to buy that from someone else.

Also, if you are looking for an additional simple online income stream that could help you pay for your homestead in 2 hours a day and is not an MLM and anyone can do if you have a phone, please send me an email or check out the link below~It is our best income stream!!!!! I’m so passionate about helping families get away from the 9-5 and enjoy the choices and freedom that comes with that!

And lastly, every day isn’t easy - we have had some really hard days. Our kune kune pigs are such a part of our family. They have the most incredible personalities and have brought so much joy to our farm-and grandkids! They are not your average pig, that is for sure!

Thanks for listening today! Talk to you soon!

~Monica

How I make money online ->>> https://www.claimingsimplicity.co/

Simple Homesteading for Christians->

https://www.facebook.com/groups/claimingsimplicity/

Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

Pinterest -> https://www.pinterest.com/claimingsimplicity/

y/Pinterest -> https://pin.it/4ulAVwr

EP 180 // The Perfect Homestead Life is Simple Living and Intentional Time Creating Memories Jul 19, 2024

Hello Friend!

I'm just popping in today to let you know I am still here, just very busy on our homestead and making memories with kids and grandkids.

Summer is the perfect time to enjoy a more intentional life. Slow living and saying no to things that are not the most important is possible and attainable!

Love you!

Monic

Website and Waitlist:

Claimingsimplicity.com

Simple Homesteading for Christians->

https://www.facebook.com/groups/claimingsimplicity/

Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

EP 179 // 3 Reasons You Should be Using Essential Oils in Your Home to Save Money May 27, 2024

Happy Memorial Day Friend!

You have never tried using essential oils for your health and home? They are just a part of our every day life that I couldn’t ever imagine having to use anything else! We use them for cleaning, hair and body, laundry, having more energy, any illness we feel coming on, bug bites, preventing spiders or ticks-absolutely everything!!!

This last week, my husband had planter fasciitis and that helped with that too. Now I am not saying they cure things, but they sure help!!!!!

Once you realize that your cleaning supplies can be very minimal, you will save money!

It feels so good to use non toxic ingredients in our home and also on our animals. When they have a rash or anything, oils are our go to choice to help.

Check out all the amazing benefits for yourself and if you have not already, grab my free DIY cleaning recipes in the link below or on the website. Everything is simple to make and probably everything you have on hand in your home.

DIY Cleaners ->https://claiming-simplicity.ck.page/best-diy-cleaner

Have a Blessed Week!

Monica

Website and Waitlist:

Claimingsimplicity.com

Simple Homesteading for Christians->

https://www.facebook.com/groups/claimingsimplicity/

Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

Pinterest -> https://www.pinterest.com/claimingsimplicity/

EP 178 // Simplified Spring Cleaning Tips to Reduce Stress So You Can Enjoy Your Summer Outdoors or Gardening and Less Time Indoors Cleaning for Busy Families May 20, 2024

Hello Friend

I know you are looking forward to summer and if you want to spend most of your days outside instead of cleaning inside, you are going to want to do these steps now so you have less stress when summer comes! When you simplify your Spring cleaning system, you will feel less overwhelmed and more at peace.

There was a time when I felt that I was wasting so much time always cleaning, but that was before I simplified my life. It felt like a never ending cycle of cleaning one area and by the time I got to all the areas, I needed to clean the area I started with again and it was exhausting! I am not a type A person, so I’m always random because I always want to fit the most important part of my life first and I don’t want God or my family to just get leftovers.

As my life gets fuller and fuller with a larger family with more Grandkids, I want to spend time with them and not time cleaning and keeping up on the house and I bet you understand this as well!

You have to make a plan and what it is that you really want to get done. This is a big deal! When you plan your time and add it to your calendar, you are bound to get alot more done! Even 15 minutes at a time will help you get ahead!

Next, start decluttering. When you have less items to manage, you have less mental stress and less you have to keep up on, so I want you to start with one room of your house and eliminate anything you do not use. This may take a little bit of time, but I promise you, it will be worth it in the end! What a game changer it is to have to clean less because you have less to organize and manage! Once summer comes, you can be outside without having to waste time in the house cleaning or organizing!

Next, reduce what you clean with. I only use a few items for cleaning and this reduces overwhelm in having to keep up on what you have on hand so it keeps cleaning simple and also saves money! We have a multipurpose spray that we use for most of the cleaning, some toilet bombs, and vinegar with essential oils which covers almost everything!!!!! If you want the recipes for the DIY cleaners, I will leave the link in the show notes! I also have other simple items on that you might like as well! Enjoy!

If you don’t have a roomba, I suggest putting it in your budget when you can get it -we don’t have animals in our house, but it is works incredibly well. I have an app and have it scheduled for times it works for our family and it just automatically runs! It doesn’t get everything, but saves me from having to dust or mop the floors more than a few times a year or if it gets soiled!

I like to go through my clothes, cupboards and bathroom every Spring to just eliminate anything I don’t need. It doesn’t take me very long because after Christmas, I like to purge as much as I can too, so it is just a matter of seeing if there is anything you haven’t used or won’t use for the summer season.

I spend most of our time outside, with family or at our cabin in the summer if it works, so I don’t do any purging, decluttering or organizing usually until Fall, and that is usually a quick declutter of canning and preserving items and getting the summer clothes swapped out for our winter clothes. With less stuff, there is so much less cleaning and you can spend time doing what you love and being outdoors! So much less stress!

Blessings!

Monica

Website and Waitlist:

Claimingsimplicity.com

Simple Homesteading for Christians->

https://www.facebook.com/groups/claimingsimplicity/

Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

Pinterest -> https://www.pinterest.com/claimingsimplicity/

EP 177 // Stop Searching for Ways to Lose Weight and Instead Nourish Your Body with Nutrient Dense Foods May 13, 2024

Hello Friend

Are you constantly searching recipes for the fad diets that keep you on the roller coaster of diet trends for years that mess with your metabolism? I don’t even know what the newest thing is out there right now since we just switched to nutrient dense food years ago and cooking from scratch.

From that time, I started learning about what is in the food we eat and how to eat more nutrient rich foods so I don’t ever have to diet. We want our kids to know how important it is to look at what is in the food, the dyes and also if it has more than a couple ingredients, it probably is something I would skip.

Now, as I have simplified and created a whole system around this, we still will get things on occasion that don’t align with this and that is okay. It isnt all or nothing such as diets. Just so the majority of the time, you are opting for healthy choices.

Live your best life by treating your body well. You only have 1 body, so feed it good food. When you have an active everyday life, you are naturally able to get exercise into your schedule-habit stack on each thing you do throughout the day!

Our favorite nutrient dense foods right now are meats such as venison, pork, beef and chicken. Did you know that nutrient dense means less food with the most amount of nutrients. You don’t have to eat large amounts of nutrient dense foods because they are just packed with goodness. We eat seasonally so right now we are eating potatoes and trying to use up all our preserved produce before the new season arrives. Consumption of nutrient dense foods rich in protein, fiber, and essential vitamins and minerals are one of the keys to wellness!

Remember, With God~all things are possible!

~Monica

Website and Waitlist:

Claimingsimplicity.com

Simple Homesteading for Christians->

https://www.facebook.com/groups/claimingsimplicity/

Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

Pinterest -> https://www.pinterest.com/claimingsimplicity/

EP 176 // 3 Time Management Tips to Organize so You Can Create More Time in Your Busy Schedule Even With Possible ADHD May 06, 2024

Happy May Friend

Simplify your home-this will save you many hours of having to manage items and cleaning.This will truely create more time in your life. I didn’t realize how much my life would be simplified by decluttering. I now have less stress trying to manage all the stuff and if you have not done this yet, reach out and I will help you get started~the hardest part is figuring out where to start. When everything has a place, it tends to be super simple to keep up with and when you have a super simple systems, you are able to spend more time doing the things you love with the people you enjoy being with and it feels so much lighter to have less to manage.

DO NOT overbook your schedule. Keeping your schedule simple can reduce overwhelm as a busy mom. There are times when I want to squeeze something in, but then I remind myself, that never works, so I don’t even try anymore and if it is something that someone asks me to do or help with, I just politely say, “thanks for thinking of me, but at this time in my life, I have to pass. I stopped being a yes girl many years ago.

Know your energy. Do your creative projects when you have the most energy and are focused. I hope these time management tips help you create more time in your busy schedule so you can get more done in less time! I am all about simple and efficient things!

Have a great week!

Monica

Website and Waitlist:

Claimingsimplicity.com

Simple Homesteading for Christians->

https://www.facebook.com/groups/claimingsimplicity/

Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

Pinterest -> https://www.pinterest.com/claimingsimplicity/

EP 175 // Getting Creative with Your Simple Meals to Save Money on Groceries as the Grocery Prices Rise Apr 29, 2024

Hey Friend!

I still can’t believe how much prices have increased at the grocery store and I am extremely thankful we grow and raise as much food as possible, so we don’t have to spend much at the store, but there are always items you can’t grow in your location, so we do rely on the store a little and azure standard for our bulk items. I might notice it more as I don’t have to buy items very often and am still not used to it! If you are tight on money, start cleaning out your cupboards. No matter what, it is just a good practice to do so you don’t let any food go to waste. If you are like me, we do end up having a few random items expire and I don’t like to waste anything, so make sure to look at dates. This would be your freezer foods and canned foods.

As we were looking at the amount of hamburger and venison burger we had in the freezer, we realized that we wanted to save that because we are running low and we have 2 freezers full of pork now, so we have been trying different recipes that we typically use hamburger or venison for and replacing that with pork. Since we are now raising our own pork along with our chicken, we have an abundance. I just put a roast with potatoes, carrots and bone broth I took out from the freezer into the crockpot. This is such a simple meal as it sits on low all day and falls apart and tender

when it is ready to eat in the evening.

We are really trying to use as much as we can from our canned goods and freezers to use them up before the new gardening season starts to produce, so when you plan your meals every week, you want to look at what you have on hand and what you can make with those items and then your grocery list is usually quite short.

I took ground pork and added some ketchup, mustard and brown sugar for sloppy joes and my husband enjoyed that as much as beef, so that was good. I made up about 8 pounds and then froze several portions, so he always has a variety each week for his work lunches with different meals.

We also made taco meat with the ground pork along with tacos bowls. This is such a great way to have something in the fridge at all times for a quick meal. I just keep bowls of rice, corn, black beans that I soaked, and then add cheese, salsa, sour cream or any other items you like on your taco bowls. If you don’t want to have bowls, this can easily be made into burritos as well. This is one of my favorite meals actually-chipotle at home!

When you are using items you already have at home, you will save alot of money. Don’t let your food go to waste and just buy what you need. As always, remember to keep it simple! You can make several nourishing and nutrient dense meals in a short amount of time.

Have a blessed week friend

~Monica

Website and Waitlist:

Claimingsimplicity.com

Simple Homesteading for Christians->

https://www.facebook.com/groups/claimingsimplicity/

Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

Pinterest -> https://www.pinterest.com/claimingsimplicity/

EP 174 // Simplify Your Gardening Plans This Year with These 3 Strategies for Less Stress When Growing Your Own Food Mar 28, 2024

Happy Holy Week!

I didn’t grow up gardening and so I don’t even know how to do a normal garden! I started my gardening journey by tilling up an area of our yard-well, my husband tilled it for us and then we just planted seeds and plants. This kinda worked and we got some produce from it, but I could never keep the weeds under control as we have full lives and a cabin we would go to every week and family camp for 10 days over the 4th of July. I had to make some changes or I wouldn’t garden at all. I had to keep it simple or I would be overwhelmed and would quit gardening. Everything I do, I tweak into simple systems and this goes for gardening too~it has to be simple for me because our lives are very full! I don’t like to spend alot of time in the kitchen cooking and I don’t like to spend alot of time in the garden weeding either~I have grandkids to enjoy!!!!!!

If you live in the city, apartment, or are a suburban homesteader, you can plant your garden in pots or raised beds in a small area and just start out with a few items that you eat often just to learn how to garden. You can always add more and this will keep you from getting stressed out and overwhelmed with gardening.

If you are having trouble with growing food, one of the first suggestions I would say is to get your soil tested. We had very sandy soil, so we had to add alot to ours for it to grow better. I actually started vermicomposting several years ago as well and that has been so much help for our garden. Vermicomposting is something you can do in a suburban area, city or apartment as it doesn’t take up much space.

Let me know if you want more information on it, but listen to episode 32 to start with!!!! It is so simple and important for your garden! I’m going to order more worms and expand as I have a much larger garden space at our new home.

My 2nd tip is if you want to keep critters away, we sprinkle blood meal around our garden and a small amount around our plants and nothing goes near them. I do this also for my flowers that the chickens might attempt to eat. I actually now have my flower beds away from the chickens, but this also keeps the deer and rabbits away which is nice because they used to eat all my hostas and other plants just as they were coming up from the ground! I used to make a natural deer and rabbit spray with eggs and spices, but every time it rained I had to reapply and the animals seems to beat me to the plants, so the blood meal has been nice as I only usually have to spread it a couple times all year and you use such a little amount.

And lastly, this year I am going to try the no dig garden as it is supposed to be much better for the plants so I don’t know if I am going to need to do this or not, but in the past, we got smart with the weeds and layed out fabric and burnt holes in it to plant seeds or plants and we rarely had to weed. This worked amazingly for us and our garden was very plentiful. I posted a video of our garden in our facebook group if you want to see what it looked like. We would have a few weeds here and there, but most of it was covered so the weeds couldn’t get through. If you want to see these videos and be a part of our community, the link will be below!

And here is a bonus tip if you are able to do this. Set up an automatic watering system. Our last home was on the river, so we drilled in water lines to the garden and then had hose to each plant and had it on a timer, so I never had to worry about the garden getting watered if

we were away for an extended period of time and this was a life changer~especially during the summers when we got very little rain. I’m not sure how exactly my husband is planning on setting this up at our new home, but he probably has a plan as we have a hydrant close to one of the large gardens and he will most likely drill another line into the other one to keep everything running smoothly and without alot of hands on work. It does take time to set up simple systems, but once they are set up, it all runs systematically and is much less work!

I would love to know any simple tips to help keep your garden abundant and stress free!!!!!! Send me an email or join our community at the link below and let me know!

Website and Waitlist:

Claimingsimplicity.com

Simple Homesteading for Christians->

https://www.facebook.com/groups/claimingsimplicity/

Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

Pinterest -> https://www.pinterest.com/claimingsimplicity/

Pinterest -> https://pin.it/4ulAVwr

You Tube -> https://www.youtube.com/@claimingsimplicity/

Happy Easter!!!!!

Monica

EP 173 // 3 Steps to Stop Feeling Overwhelmed With All the Homesteading Things You Want to Do so You Can Have Less Stress, Enjoy the Journey, & Simplify Your Life Mar 25, 2024

Hello

I know you want to be doing all the homesteading things you see on instagram and social media, but the truth is, you are going to get burnt out trying to do it all. I want you to stop and think about what is important in your life. I know that when my kids were young, there is no way that I would’ve been able to do all the things that I do now that I have teenagers that are able to help out and are also independent and that makesa big difference. Littles need so much from you, so enjoy them while you can-they grow way too quick. I am so excited to be creating a program for you so you can learn how to do some of the homesteading skills you want to learn without feeling overwhelmed and stressed out. I want this to be a sustainable lifestyle for you! Join the waitlist at the link below so you get first dibs on the discounts I will offer to email subscribers only!!!! Everything I teach is simple and whether you work full time or are a busy full time Mom, you will be able to learn step by step just how simple it is!

First, you need to take an inventory of where you are spending your time. It may be shocking to you where you may be wasting time. I really encourage you to track this for a week or two. If you don’t pay attention, days, weeks, months, and then years are just going to pass you by and you are going to say…..I wish I would have done this or that and you can’t get that time back.

Next, if you want to stop feeling overwhelmed, you need to just focus on one thing first and then build on that. You only take on what you feel is simple and doesn’t cause you stress. If you are getting frustrated making sourdough bread, then just make some homemade bread with yeast~you friend, don’t have to do what everyone else is doing. Just by taking that one step, you will improve your family’s health by so much. Once you are in a routine of that every week or every month, then add one more simple skill. Maybe you decide to make all your own hand soap~remember, it is just as important to change the ingredients you are using on your skin as the food you are eating. It doesn’t make sense to eat healthy if you putting toxins on the largest organ of your body, you have to think about natural living as a whole. If you changing everything right away, you are most likely to fail, so little by little~there is no hurry.

Lastly, build your community of like minded people. If you don’t have any people around you, then find your people online. Living in a small town of 500 people, I understand this completely! Trying to explain to people that you are a podcaster or have an online business is foreign to them and they can’t fathom making money without going to a physical job to trade hours for dollars. As nice as it is to live in the middle of nowhere, it is so beneficial to have a tribe with similar values online too! We are really grateful to be surrounded by a community of homesteaders that we hang out with often, but sometimes it is hard to find your people locally! You need to find your people and you will feel less overwhelmed when you can really find people you resonate with.

Even online, I make sure that if I am watching or following someone, they are aligned with my values and my Christian faith. I just heard someone recently say that they thought they hung out with all Christians until they became one and then they realized all the ones that they thought were Christians really are not! I could relate to this so much. I remember someone telling me years ago that just be a good person and you will go to heaven. That is not correct at all!! You have to have to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior-it doesn’t matter what you have done, Jesus loves us all and He wants to have a relationship with you! If you have any questions about this, please email me! I would love to chat.

Love ya!

Monica

Website and Waitlist:

Claimingsimplicity.com

Simple Homesteading for Christians->

https://www.facebook.com/groups/claimingsimplicity/

Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

Pinterest -> https://www.pinterest.com/claimingsimplicity/

y/Pinterest -> https://pin.it/4ulAVwr

You Tube -> https://www.youtube.com/@claimingsimplicity/

Oils -> my.doterra.com/monicabaker/

Doterra -> https://referral.doterra.me/12623979

Tower Garden -> http://monicabaker.towergarden.com

DIY Cleaners ->https://claiming-simplicity.ck.page/best-diy-cleaner

EP 172 // What You Can Do When You Have Unlimited Eggs From Your Chickens Even When You Have a Busy Schedule Mar 21, 2024

Hey Friend

Now that we will have 100 laying hens, people always ask what we are going to do with all the eggs! Just for your information, we will not be keeping this amount of chickens, we are raising some to about 12 weeks for friends, 25 of them could be roosters or hens, so the roosters we will be butchering because we have our one and only gentle rooster named frank sinatra that we love so much and don’t need another rooster at this time, so we could be less than 75 before we know it!

My teenagers sell the eggs and this is a really good gig for them since we pay for the feed and they make the money on the eggs!

We boil at least a dozen or two boiled eggs during the week. It is a great grab and go snack for the whole family. Sometimes we will make deviled eggs out of them for a snack depending on if we have extra time.

One of my favorite ways to use a dozen at a time is to make egg bakes and freeze them. I usually will make 4-6 at a time and then we will take them out of the freezer the day or night before and let them thaw and bake them in the morning. We love to have egg bakes in the fridge all week-not only for breakfasts, but if we need to heat a quick meal up in between sports or an event. If you go to my website below and go to the blog, you will see our favoirite egg bake recipe. Everyone raves about this one and we have been using it for over 20 years along with a few of our other favorite ones.

We will scramble up dozens of eggs and cook them, cook sausage, and brown hashbrown and make breakfast bowls and freeze them and our family loves these as well.

It is really important to me that my kids get a nourishing breakfast every day before school with protein, fat and healthy carbs to sustain them. It has been many many years since I have bought breakfast cereals and items from the store. There is always something in the fridge they can access within a few minutes to make it convenient. These are our convenient foods! No package needed, nutritious, simple adn cheap!!!!

We like to make omlets and quiches, egg salad sandwiches, potato salad. There are just so many ways you can use eggs.

I will take a day and make months worth of sourdough noodles which take alot of eggs-the amount just depends how big I make the batch.

There are so many ways we can use eggs up in our house and it makes for simple and easy meals if you want something quick.

I just ordered a refurbished freeze dryer, so that is another way we will be able to preserve them for 20 plus years if needed! I can’t wait! I’m really going to have to get that you tube channel up and running for you so that you can see all my wins and failures as I test out so many food items.

Chickens are really worth getting because there are so many ways to use the eggs!

Happy Homesteading Friend!

~Monica

Website and Waitlist:

Claimingsimplicity.com

Simple Homesteading for Christians->

https://www.facebook.com/groups/claimingsimplicity/

Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

Pinterest -> https://www.pinterest.com/claimingsimplicity/

EP 171 // Simplify the Food You Buy at the Store Once You Understand Ingredients In Them and Imporove Your Family’s Health by Learning to Make Food from Scratch at Home Mar 18, 2024

I really do beleive that alot of it has to do with the food we eat. There are so many hidden poisons in packaged food that are banned in other countries, so I believe diving into food labels and simplifying our choices can have a profound impact on our health and well-being. This topic is close to every homesteader's heart – we all want to deciphering those food labels and embrace the beauty of minimal ingredients.

Picture this: you're standing in the grocery aisle, scanning rows of products, each has an array of ingredients you can barely pronounce. Sound familiar? It's time to reclaim control and return to simplicity!

Why should we care about those tiny print labels? Well, they're like treasure maps, guiding you to the healthiest choices. By adopting a "more is less" approach – aiming for foods with less than 2-3 ingredients – this will help you not just simplify your shopping trips, but also nourish your bodies with wholesome goodness.

So, what's the secret sauce to deciphering these labels? It's all about prioritizing quality over quantity. Look for real, recognizable ingredients – think fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins. Skip the lengthy chemical compounds and opt for foods that Mother Nature herself would recognize. When it says other natural ingredients, that should be avoided as well as you don’t really know what that is.

Look at your bread you have right now if you get it from the store. I looked at a loaf the other day when I was grocery shopping and there were about 15 ingredients in it! Bread is flour, water and yeast. If you don’t have time for sourdough, you do have time for regular bread-I have a recipe that takes less than 10 minutes plus bake time and you can make multiple loaves at a time. I make mine in bulk, so I only have to make it 1 day every 5-6 weeks and that gives me peace of mind that I am helping with my family’s health and wellbeing.

If you have not already, please get on the waitlist for my program that is going to help you start making simple swaps from the store step by step so you can fit this into your life no matter how busy you are. I am the queen of simplicity and I love teaching others to do the same! The link to my website to sign up will be below!

I get it – life gets busy, and convenience is king. That's why i’m not suggesting you ditch all pre-packaged foods entirely. Instead, just get savvy with your selections. Seek out brands committed to transparency and integrity, with short, sweet ingredient lists you can trust.

And let's not forget the joy of homemade food! Channel your inner homesteader and whip up your own pantry staples – from creamy nut butter to zesty salad dressings. Not only do you control what goes in, but you'll also savor the satisfaction of creating something from scratch. You won’t ever want to go back to store bought items after you see how simple they are to make and how you can save money!

So, dear friend, let's make a pact to simplify our plates and nourish our bodies with foods that speak the language of simplicity. Remember the journey to wellness begins with just 2-3 wholesome ingredients.

Until next time, keep claiming simplicity in every aspect of your life friends!

~Monica

Website and Waitlist:

Claimingsimplicity.com

Simple Homesteading for Christians->

https://www.facebook.com/groups/claimingsimplicity/

Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

Pinterest -> https://www.pinterest.com/claimingsimplicity/

EP 170 // 5 Simple Growth Mindset Tips to Help You Go From Scarcity Mode to Thriving with a Stress Free Simpler Life Mar 14, 2024

Hey Friend

As you know, I’m very passionate about personal development and growth mindset and I want to give you some simple tips today to help you get out of the scarcity mode and start living your dreams of a stress free simpler life!

Imagine your mind is like a garden. In this garden, there are two main types of mindsets: fixed and growth.

Picture a garden with rigid, unchanging plants. People with a fixed mindset believe that their abilities, intelligence, and talents are set in stone. They might think, "I'm just going to stay doing what I’m doing because it is comfortable even though they don’t love it," or "I'll never be able to learn that or do anything else
- Now, envision a garden full of thriving, flourishing plants. Individuals with a growth mindset understand that their abilities can be developed through dedication, effort, and learning. They see challenges as opportunities to grow and improve. Instead of saying, "I can't do this or I’ll stay stuck doing what I’m doing," they think, "I can't do this yet, but with practice and perseverance, I'll get there."
In essence, a growth mindset is all about embracing the idea that our potential is not fixed or limited. We have the capacity to learn, adapt, and improve throughout our lives.

Here are a few key points to remember about growth mindset:
- Instead of avoiding challenges, people with a growth mindset see them as opportunities to learn and develop new skills.
- They understand that success often requires effort and perseverance. Even when faced with setbacks, they keep going and view failure as a chance to learn and grow.
- Rather than feeling discouraged by criticism or feedback, individuals with a growth mindset use it as valuable information to guide their improvement.
- By embodying a growth mindset, we can inspire those around us to adopt a similar outlook on life, fostering a culture of resilience, curiosity, and continuous growth.
Growth mindset is like tending to a garden of possibilities. By nurturing our belief in our ability to learn and grow, we can cultivate a more fulfilling and enriching life journey.

Start your growth mindset with these practical tips.
1. Practice gratitude journaling, reframing negative thoughts or setting realistic goals.
2. Celebrate small victories along the way. Appreciate the progress, no matter how small it may seem because this can help build momentum and motivation for continued growth.
3. Identify your roadblocks or obstacles that may hinder progress towards a simpler, thriving life and learn as much as you can
4. Join a community of like minded people! I have an online community called Simple Homesteading for Christians and I will link that below. I also do a monthly homesteading gathering if you are in central MN and would like to join us
5. And one of the most important things you can do is to maintain a positive and uplifting attitude!
  I encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and get out of the scarcity mindset so you can do what God has called you to do and live with less stress doing what you love!
  
  Love ya friend!
  Monica
  Website and Waitlist:
  
  Claimingsimplicity.com
  
  Simple Homesteading for Christians->
  
  Community
  
  Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com
  
  Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/
  
  Pinterest -> https://www.pinterest.com/claimingsimplicity/

EP 169 // 5 Simple Habits to Nourish Your Body Every Day with Nutrient Dense Foods Mar 11, 2024

Hello!

There are so many health benefits to eating nutrient dense foods and our family has really prioritized health the last few years as we have become aware of what is in store bought food more and more. If there are more than a couple ingredients in anything you plan to buy-stay away from it and find an option to make it yourself. I just heard a dentist say on a podcast that more kids are having tooth decay from goldfish crackers than candy! I remember when I thought they were a good option to candy, so that was quite shocking to me! Look at your ingredients! Here are just a few benefits:

Nutrient-dense foods are rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber, and other essential nutrients that your body needs to function properly. These nutrients play crucial roles in various bodily processes, including metabolism, immunity, and cell repair.
Consuming a diet rich in nutrient-dense foods can help support overall health and well-being. Nutrients like vitamins A, C, and E, as well as minerals like calcium, magnesium, and potassium, are important for maintaining healthy bones, muscles, and organs.
Nutrient-dense foods tend to be lower in calories compared to processed and high-calorie foods. This means you can eat larger portions of nutrient-dense foods without consuming excess calories, which can help with weight management and maintenance.
A diet high in nutrient-dense foods has been associated with a reduced risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. The antioxidants and
- phytochemicals found in fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and whole grains have protective effects against oxidative stress and inflammation, which are underlying factors in many chronic conditions.
- Nutrient-dense foods rich in complex carbohydrates, fiber, and protein, provide sustained energy throughout the day. Unlike refined carbohydrates and sugary snacks, which can cause energy spikes and crashes, nutrient-dense foods help stabilize blood sugar levels and keep you feeling satisfied for longer periods.
- Many nutrient-dense foods are high in dietary fiber, which is important for digestive health. Fiber helps promote regular bowel movements, prevent constipation, and support a healthy gut microbiome by feeding beneficial bacteria in the digestive tract.
Here are some simple habits to nourish your body with nutrient dense foods.
1. Make sure you start your day out with something packed with vitamins, minerals, and fiber like leafy greens-they are great to add to smoothies or eggs in the morning. You can add berries which are rich in antioxidants and fiber, nut milk or flax seeds provide healthy fats, protein and essential nutrients, and that is an easy way to stay filled up so you don’t feel like you have to snack often and raise your blood sugar.
2. Preparing nutrient dense foods so they are easy to grab is another simple habit to get into. We like to make greek
  1. yogurt with raw milk which is high in protein, calcium and probiotics, we make our own granola with rolled oats because they are rich in fiber and antioxidants and can help support heart health and provide sustained energy. We always have a bowl or 2 of boiled eggs because they are simple to grab and go and are high in protein, vitamins and minerals like b12 and selenium. Deviled eggs are another great source and our family loves them.
  2. Eat at home as much as possible. A few years ago, we cut out all oils besides coconut oil, avocado oil and olive oil and when you get anything from a restaurant or deli, most likely they are not using high quality oils which makes such a big difference. Simple nutrient dense foods such as fish or salmon which is rich in omega 3 fatty acids, protein and vitamin D is a great meal and supports heart health and your brain. Add some greens and sweet potatoes that are packed with vitamins a and c, fiber and antioxidants. Meals can be so easy if you don’t overthink it.
  3. When you are shopping, try to shop on the outside walls, most of the inner isles are not filled with nutrient dense food.
  4. Source as much food from local farmers as possible. You might pay a little more, but the quality of what you eat matters.
  Some other foods that are easy to add into your diet are avocados which are a great source of healthy fats, fiber, potassium, and vitamin E and C. Legumes such as beans, lentils and chickpeas are excellent sources of protein, fiber and various vitamins and minerals. Cottage cheese is high in protein and calcium and
  
  makes a filling snack option. Bell peppers are high in vitamin C and are great to add to many dishes such as eggs bakes, fajitas and such. Cauliflower is great to sneak into any dish as well, i add riced cauliflower to smoothies, eggs, cheesy potatoes, and most dishes you don’t even know it is in there, but it is great for digestive health.
  
  Some simple ways to prepare nutrient dense foods would be roasting, steaming, grilling, sauteing, raw, blending, and salads.
  
  These simple cooking methods can help you prepare nutrient dense foods in a delicious and enjoyable way. Experiment with different ingredients and flavors to find combinations you love!
  
  Overall, incorporating a variety of nutrient-dense foods into your diet can contribute to better health outcomes, improved energy levels, and a reduced risk of chronic diseases. So Aim to fill your plate with colorful fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, healthy fats, and other nutrient-rich foods for optimal health and well-being.
  
  Blessings Friend
  Monica
  Website and Waitlist:
  
  Claimingsimplicity.com
  
  Simple Homesteading for Christians->
  
  https://www.facebook.com/groups/claimingsimplicity/
  
  Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com
  
  Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/
  
  Pinterest -> https://www.pinterest.com/claimingsimplicity/

EP 168 // Simple Laundry Detergent Made in Minutes and How to Make Your Own Washing Soda and Many Uses for it Mar 07, 2024

Hey Friend

I have been making my laundry soap for years because it is super simple and cost effective, but I was so excited that I just learned how to make my own washing soda and that is just as easy, so I wanted to share that with you along with several uses for it.

I made laundry soap over 20 years ago and I had to quit because it was gunking up the hoses, so my husband didn’t want me making it anymore until I found a good recipe that didn’t use the shredded bar of soap, so I found a recipe that didn’t use that and I have been using it for quite a while and it seems to work well, but this one is a powder and not a liquid like my other recipe. It is just……1/2 cup epsom salt, 1/1/2 c aluminum free baking soda, 1 ½ c washing soda, ¼ c sea salt and 20-25 drops essential oils and I store mine in mason jarsd which works well.

And now to reveal the simple washing soda recipe! It is just a layer of baking soda on a shallow baking dish or pan, put in a preheated 400 degree oven for 30 minutes, cool and store in an airtight container. Can you believe that is all it is? Me either-I could’ve been making this for several years. I like to buy baking soda in bulk because it has so many uses in the house and we also use it for the goats.

Enjoy the tips and join our Facebook group for more!

Monic

Website and Waitlist:

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Simple Homesteading for Christians->

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Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com

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Pinterest -> https://www.pinterest.com/claimingsimplicity/

EP 167 // Simple Strategy to Beat Food Inflation and Eat More Fresh Produce by Starting a Garden to Save Money and Enjoy Easy Healthier Meals Even with Limited Time as a Busy Mom Mar 04, 2024

Hello Friend!

Are you tired of spending hundreds of dollars at the grocery store each month? Since we have been gardening and growing our own food for several years, I was shocked at the cost of food at the grocery store! I had to buy more food this year because we moved and I wasn’t able to have a garden last year. It is no wonder why families can’t afford healthy food from the store. Not only is it so much more expensive, but even buying organic doesn’t guarantee that your food is toxic free. When you grow your own food, you know how the food is grown and guarantees that it wasn’t sprayed with anything toxic if you want organic food. I like knowing what seeds I have and the process that is used to grow our fruits and vegetables.

I am encouraging you to start a garden this year whether it be pots in a window in your apartment or your suburban homestead. You don’t need any special equipment. Many times you will find free pots listed on marketplace or garage sales and it doesn't even need to be pots, anything you can put soil in and plant is going to get you started on your journey. They have bags you can plant a garden in, we have used 50 gallon barrels cut in half and made raised beds, but those we had to put items with shallow roots as tomatoes needed a deeper raised bed. If you are overwhelmed thinking about growning a garden, I challenge you to just take some money from your food budget to buy a few seeds and try to grow just a few items that you and your family eat often and learn how to grow and preserve that item and then next year, add a few more. Just growing a few items can save money and stretch your grocery budget much further. Think about tomatoes-even if you don’t want to start them from seeds, get a few plants-you can preserve tomato sauce, tomato juice, tomato soup, crushed tomates, diced tomatoes, tomatoes paste, pizza sauce and then if you buy or grow a few other items like peppers, you can also make spaghetti sauce, marinara sauce, salsa, rotel and the list goes on and on.

I am going to teach you how to can and preserve some items in my program coming up, so get on waitlist if you haven’t already, so you are the first to know when it is released with special offers! I am so excited to teach you simple cooking from scratch, replacing simple grocery store items to save you money and also eliminate unnecessary ingredients that are making your food unhealthy. If you are busy, this program is for you. It is bite size, step by step videos in a short amount of time, so you can be confident in creating food from scratch in your home quickly!

I will reveal my list of seeds I will be growing in the facebook group, so join us there! Link is below!

Have a great week!

Monica

Website and Waitlist:

Claimingsimplicity.com

Simple Homesteading for Christians->

https://www.facebook.com/groups/claimingsimplicity/

Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com

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Pinterest -> https://www.pinterest.com/claimingsimplicity/

EP 166 // Why are You Scared to Declutter and Simplify Your Life? Feb 29, 2024

Hello!

Decluttering changed my life so many years ago. I used to think that I didn’t want to get rid of something just in case I would need it again, but that is not the case. If I have something that I havent used in years and it would be less than $50 to replace, I donate it because I know how much energy it takes to keep that item, but honestly I haven’t missed anything other than a few weeks ago I was missing my heart pan to make pizza on or a big heart cookie for valentines day, but that wasn’t something I was going to buy again. Usually I can get away with using something else instead of that item-even though sometimes you have to get creative.

I love that living with less gives you more freedom mentally and more time to do the things you enjoy and that you value. Time is a resource that you will never get back and you don’t want to have regrets.

Because of the choices we have made in our life, I am able to be available to kids, grandkids and friends because my life is so much more flexible than it was when I was working for an employer building their dream.

I want you to think of this:

If you don’t simplify your life and don’t declutter, it can prevent you from acheiving financial freedom, it will keep you from spending quality time with people you love and possibly missing events with family that you will regret later, it will deny you the opportunity to pursue your own dreams, and it means your priorities are in the wrong places when you have too much stuff which will affect your faith as well.

Decluttering will reduce stress and overwhelm and help you focus on the true meaning in this world. You are a pebble that can make a ripple in so many areas, so I encourage you to simplify, so you have the time to make a difference in the lives of others. You don’t want to be to busy doing things that don’t really matter.

Remember, focusing on eternal rewards is far better than any item on this earth will offer us. Once again, we can’t take our possessions to the grave, so stop stiving to keep collecting stuff. We are on this earth for such a short time, don’t waste your time on achieving money to buy things that your children will have to get rid of when you are gone. Your family won’t remember the things you bought them, but they will remember the time you spent with them.

Instead of buying stuff, why don’t you donate money to kids or family in need, take a mission trip, or something to help someone else. We are here to love others and make a difference. Simplify your life and ditch the clutter so you aren’t bogged down mentally and physically and be the change in this world.

Talk soon!

Monica

Website and Waitlist:

Claimingsimplicity.com

Simple Homesteading for Christians->

https://www.facebook.com/groups/claimingsimplicity/

Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com

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Pinterest -> https://www.pinterest.com/claimingsimplicity/

EP 165 //Simple Raising Chicks and Chicken Care Basics for Your New Homestead or for Your Backyard Chicken Coop Feb 26, 2024

Hello!

Do you want to learn how easy it is to raise chickens? I'll take you through the simple steps of beginning with chicks and what you need to know to get started with raising chickens in your backyard or homestead. They are the gateway to more sustainable living and most likely you will get goats next!!!!!!

I know you have concerns about keeping chickens alive, but it is pretty simple. It is quite easy to spot a sick chicken, but we have rarely had anything happen in all these years, but we also let our chickens free range all year besides winter so I’m sure that helps. I open the coop door in the morning and then they go back in there in the evening to roost, and I close the door at night so nothing can get into the coop. We have had a few chickens drop over but those were also chickens that were quite old.

I would suggest you get chickens that are ready to lay eggs or are laying when getting started because the only care they really need is fresh water, chicken feed, nesting boxes and a place to roost. None of this has to be fancy-in our coop, we have some branches my husband cut down and then has those across the coop for them to sit on at night.

If you are going to get baby chicks, here are some tips to getting started.

First, you will want to prepare a brooder box. That is just a clean, draft free container or large box to accommodate the number of chicks you are planning to raise. You can use a cardboard box, plastic tub, wooden crate, or what we use is an old water tank because it has rounded corners which lessens the chances of a chick getting

trapped or wedged in the corner. When chicks are cold or scared, sometimes they will huddle up in the corners, so we try to prevent that.

Next, you will want to have a reliable heat source the first week such as a heat lamp, infrared bulb. My husband has a cover he made out of some old scrap wood and chicken wire and he puts that on top of the tank and hangs the lights from that. Gradually reduce the temperature each week until the chicks are fully feathered. We will start out with the light hanging lower and them just adjust it higher as they get older. We don’t ever suggest spending alot of money on this because it is a very short time the chicks will be in here.

You will want to add some safe bedding materials for the chicks such as pine shavings, straw, or even paper towels to provide a soft and dry surface for the chicks to walk on. Avoid newspaper as it is slippery and can lead to leg problems and don’t use cedar chips as they have an aromatic oil that can be harmful to the chicks.

You will want to buy chick starter feed and ensure it contains 18-20% protein to support healthy growth. You will need shallow waterers to prevent drowning accidents. You can add smaller rocks in there to make it easier for chicks to drink without getting wet. Make sure to keep the

water clean and fresh to keep it free of contaminants and monitor water levels to prevent dehydration especially in hot weather.

Monitor chicks for signs of illness, injury or distress. Healthy chicks should be active, alert and curious. Try to minimize stressors such as loud noises and overcrowding as stress can weaken their immune systems. Avoid excessive handling during the first few days when they are most vulnerable. And my favorite tip for chicks is to talk to them so they become accustomed to human presence.

When chicks are around 6-8 weeks and fully feathered, you can gradually introduce them to their permanent house but don’t let them be in an outdoor area unsupervised.

These tips will provide them with the best possible start in life and help them transition into healthy chickens.

Now I want to talk about basic care requirements for all chickens:

They will need shelter and the chicken coop should provide protection from predators like foxes, raccoons, owls and large birds. It should also offer adequate ventilation to prevent moisture buildup and respiratory issues, but it doesn’t have to be fancy or cost alot of money. You will want 2-3 square foot coop space per chicken plus an outdoor run or free-range area where they can peck, scratch, and dust bathe.

Chickens require a balanced diet rich in protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. Commercial chicken feed comes in various formulations tailored to different stages of life (starter, grower, layer) and specific dietary needs.

Just like with the chicks, clean water should be available at all times, preferably in a gravity-fed or automatic waterer to minimize contamination. I like to put a splash of Apple cider vinegar in their water about once a week-its good for everything, right?

I have no doubt you will enjoy keeping chickens, they really are fun to observe! If you have any questions at all, join our Simple Homesteading Group and ask me anything!

Website and Waitlist:

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Simple Homesteading for Christians->

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Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com

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Pinterest -> https://www.pinterest.com/claimingsimplicity/

EP 164 // Are You Loving The Life You Have Created and What Can Make it Better When You are Hustling Every Day to Get Everything Done Feb 22, 2024

Hey Friend!

As I get older, I think about what I can do to help others as that is very rewarding for me. I love being a nurse for this reason and even though I only pick up a few shifts around my family’s schedule. Its in my nature to give great care just as I would want my family to be treated, but I also like building my own dream and not someone elses for the freedom it provides which includes helping others as well.

Are you loving your life right now? I remember being exhausted with all the running we did with kids and working all the time that I had to reevaluate why we were choosing that crazy whirlwind of everyday life and we made some changes. If you want to make changes in your life, you have to know what changes you want to make and then you need to break that goal down and start to take steps toward that bigger dream so you aren’t in the same spot the next year-you have to take action.

Many times this will start with getting out of debt so that you have options. I would start with selling things you don’t need or anything you have payments on. Debt will control your life, so when you get rid of it, it will free up your life to be able to live your dreams and as we talked about in an earlier episode, you will also be more content.

Remember, how you spend your time is how you spend your life. Don’t let it slip away.

In order to love the life you live, you will want to remember that no life is perfect, so even though some things may look perfect for others, you are just seeing the highlights, so do not compare your life to other people’s life.

Next, you need to be true to your values~your best life is going to be lived by aligning your life with what is most important to you. Invest your time, energy, and money into those most important values and make sure you set boundaries for those items that do not fall in there.

I believe that in order to move from where you are at to where you want to be, you need to invest in your growth. You will want to read books or listen to them, learn from others, investing in personal development and courses are so important for you to move forward to transform your life. But remember that you need to put into practice what you are learning.

I don’t want you to stay stuck, so take a chance. You may be afraid to make some changes, but sometimes you have to go through uncomfortable things for them to eventually be comfortable and become who you are truly meant to be. Don’t let fear stop you from your dreams friend and certainly don’t let other people discourage you. If I would have let the naysayers influence my dreams, I would not be where I am today. Your dream is not the same as anybody elses and God has given you different gifts that He wants you to use. Do not let security keep you stuck, take a step of faith as God leads you.

I hope you can take this seriously to move your life in the direction you want to go little by little, step by step. You and your family deserve it!

~Monica

Website and Waitlist:

Claimingsimplicity.com

Simple Homesteading for Christians->

https://www.facebook.com/groups/claimingsimplicity/

Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

Pinterest -> https://www.pinterest.com/claimingsimplicity/

EP 163 // Cooking From Scratch with Whole Foods and Nutrient Dense Foods Doesn’t Have to Be Complicated! Keep Cooking Simple Feb 20, 2024

Hello!!

I just got my vegetable seeds for my garden ordered! It sure seems like Spring here and so maybe I will be able to plant my seeds before the end of May this year! We have so much work to do on this new garden designed and trying to figure out where everything will go. We have plenty of land for several garden spaces, but we have to have good fencing as we have too many deer and animals that enjoy our vegetables and fruit just as much as we do.

I have never been one to buy prepared casseroles at the store that you just put in the oven because when I look at the cost of them compared to the ingredients to make that item, it didn’t ever make sense to me since I am frugal and I don’t like to spend extra money if it doesn’t make sense to me plus, I can’t imagine it would be as good as made fresh at home.

I will however, spend a little more on certain organic items just knowing that I don’t want pesticides on our food, but because it is more expensive, I can’t buy everything organic and that is why I choose to grow as much as I can at home and in our garden.

If you have not ever grown your own food, since I just ordered seeds, these prices are fresh in my mind. I can get many seed packets with 25-50 seeds in them for less than $7. Do you know how much produce just one of those seeds can produce? That just seems so crazy to me. I still have alot to learn about growing seeds, but to me, even if half of those seeds fail…….I am still hundreds of dollars ahead! I mean I just paid over $2 for just 1 pepper from the store, but 1 seed can produce multiple peppers. You are smart….do the math. You don’t need anything fancy to get seeds started, so I really encourage you to give it a shot!

Cooking with whole foods and nutrient dense food from scratch is not difficult. Once you realize how many meals you can make with just a few ingredients, you will be more likely to cook simple meals at home. My mostly used staples are potatoes, carrots, onions, peppers, broth, flour, sourdough, eggs and then whatever meat we have from the freezer. I love helping people create simple meals from the items they already have at home to save money. I am going to open up a few more client coaching calls to help you simplify your meals, help you save money on food and learn to cook from scratch in a short amount of time, so if you want to do a 15 minute discovery call to see if this is a good fit for you, I will leave a link to the schedule!

Here are a few examples.

Beef stew

Chicken Soup You can make a huge pot for under $10 that a whole family of 4 could eat for a whole week if you wanted to. We raise our chickens, grow the onion and carrots, make broth from bones and vegetable scraps and use flour and eggs for noodles and it is really simple to make. We don’t need alot of extra snacks around because we always have food like these ready in the fridge to eat.

The more nutrient dense your food is, the less your family is going to need extra expensive sugary snacks from the store because they are satisfied after eating nutritious food. Keep cooking from scratch and nutrient dense food simple so you don’t get overwhelmed!

Blessings!

Monica

Website and Waitlist:

Claimingsimplicity.com

Simple Homesteading for Christians->

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Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com

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Pinterest -> https://www.pinterest.com/claimingsimplicity/

EP 162 // Stress Free Steps to Transform Your Kitchen With Simple DIY Non Toxic Cleaning Recipes to Remove Toxins fromYour Home and Live More Naturally Feb 10, 2024

Hello!

I hope you are having a fantastic day!

Have you ever thought about what you are using to wash your dishes that goes on the plates and cups you eat from? I want you to know how simple it is to make your own dishsoap, dishwasher detergent, counter cleaner, and hand soap. These 4 items will take you very little time so you can easily transform your kitchen to using less toxins to become a more natural home.

Dishwasher

Dishsoap

Counter cleaner

Hand soap

If you are conscious of what you are eating, you will want to be aware of what you are using as well. It is super simple to make these DIY cleaning products and they will save you money and once you see how easy it is, you probably wont ever go back to using the toxic products anymore.

I’m so excited for you to try it, so please send an email and let me know if you have any questions and your experience once you make it!

~Monica

DIY Cleaners ->https://claiming-simplicity.ck.page/best-diy-cleaners

On Guard Concentrate -> On Guard Concentrate

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EP 161 // Preparing for a New Homestead Without Land and Learning Sufficiency Skills While You Wait Feb 09, 2024

I know, I know, you are dreaming of having a farm or homestead, but you are patiently waiting and you get stressed out wondering if it will ever happen.

One of the most important things you can do is get out of debt and the next step you need to take is to read and learn as much as you can whether you live in an apartment or city. There are thousands of skills you can learn, so really map out what you want to start with. Maybe it is learning to cook from scratch and preserve food, maybe it is to learn vermicomposting-both of these, along with many many other skills, you can learn right where you are at. I started my worms in 2 rubbermaid totes and that is what I have used for the last 5 years and you don’t need a large space for the totes, but you will be happy to have black gold for growing your vegetables-even if it is in pots because you don’t have space for a garden. There is so much to learn and if you do it before you move to your dream location, you will be more prepared and you can learn other skills you will need in a larger space when you get there. If you are preserving food-even from a farmers market while you live in the city, you won’t be as overwhelmed when you are producing a ton of fruits and vegetables on your own farm, because you will already know how to preserve them so that will take some of the stress away. You will be so happy that you are not wasting your time while waiting for your farm or land. Learning new skills is very exciting and fun! Learn how to ferment food, make kombucha, yogurt, and simple items so you can see how easy it really is. Buy raw milk and start making your own butter and cheese along with making your own bread and pasta. You will not regret it.

Picture what you want your future to look like. I have done this for years and I think it is something you should do as well. Write down what your life looks like 1 year from now as you are already doing it. Next, write down exactly what you want your life to look like in 5 years, details of the house you live in, the landscape of your land and details of the way you live. Feel it as you are living it now. You will be amazed what this will do for you. I started this many many years ago and so many things that I have envisioned have come to fruition. In fact, the last home we lived in was exactly what I had written down several years before I even knew of the home. It was acres of land on water, front porch, everything on the main level including main floor laundry, fireplace-it was incredible how close this place was to what I had described.

There are just so many things you can learn in the waiting, but one of the most important is mindset and prayer. You get what you think about. Are you asking God for direction?

Matthew 7:7 Ask and it will be given to you;seek and you will find;knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds and the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Thanks for joining me!

Monica

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EP 160 // No Spend Challenge Recap for 2024 Spending Only $14 on Groceries in January for Our Family of 4 Feb 08, 2024

Hi Friend

2-5-24 EP 160 // No Spend Challenge Recap for 2024 Spending Only $14 on Groceries in January for Our Family of 4.

Well, the January no spend challenge is finished and it was another successful month. We did buy a buck goat, but that was so we can breed 5 of our goats for 5 of our females that are ready for June babies. We also sold some of our pigs for processing and also processed another one for ourselves, so we had to get our tomatoes out of the freezer. In order to make spaghetti sauce, I did have to buy green peppers because we didn’t have a garden last year, so I didn’t have any frozen, but I did have all the other ingredients. I was a little disappointed since I was trying to not spend anything on groceries, but it was nice to get our spaghetti sauce done.

When I was at a getaway with a bunch of friends I found a set of white plates at a thrift store that I have been looking for nearly a year, so I did breakdown and spend the $21 and I did buy raw milk for $4 since we were out, but other than that, we didn’t spend anything else.

I am continuing to use pantry items in February, but I do need to order some heirloom seeds for the garden and some chickens before they are sold out. We like to get some new chickens every year just to continue eggs every year as some stop laying eggs. We also are probably going to get broilers this year as well as we are almost out of chicken we raised 2 years ago. And I found another kune kune piglet that we should be able to possibly breed next year if it is big enough. Growing our homestead is something we are passionate about as we become as self-sufficient as we can be.

As the grocery prices continue to rise, we continue to save money on food. We want to get stocked up again to have at least a few years of food preserved for our family and also our kid’s families that are away from home. Yes, they are spoiled. I’m going to have them start canning with me so they don’t ever have to go without canned food if I am unable to do it for them. I really believe this is a skill that is going to be a good one to know for the future. Cooking from scratch is a skill that isn’t difficult and can be simple to learn. I am super excited to teach you how you can cook simple from scratch meals and learn how to rely less on the grocery store by making simple items at home that you are currently overpaying for. It is worth your family's health to make these swaps and I can teach you to do it in very little time so you aren’t stressed and overwhelmed. Remember, if you want to get on the waitlist, I will have a link in the show notes to sign up so you will be the first to know when I have this ready to release.

Have a blessed week and thanks for being here!

~Monica

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EP 159 // Simple Foods to Cook From Scratch and Stop Buying at the Grocery Store No Matter How Busy You Are Feb 02, 2024

Hello!

So it has been brought to my attention that some of you might be thinking that cooking from scratch is not simple and it sounds overwhelming to you, so I want to break down a few items today that you can make yourself in a few minutes and I promise you-I don’t have time to do anything difficult or tedious and I have to keep it all simple because I honestly don’t like spending much time in my kitchen if I don’t have to~I would much rather be in the garden, with the animals, or just doing something outside!

As I have been learning more and more about the ingredients in the foods we buy and how food affects our bodies, the more I want to make as much as I can from scratch so I know what is in what we are eating, but I really don’t have much extra time, so quick and easy recipes are the only ones I make!

This is how simple it can be to make sour cream and it will be the best sour cream you have ever had and you won’t buy it from the store ever again!

Another thing that is very simple to make is crackers. I got this amazing healthy cracker recipoe from my friend shannon and it is so simple and my family also loves them!

These are just a few recipes that we love and if you are busy and are interested in learning how to make more simple recipes like this so you don’t have to rely on the grocery store, just go to claimingsimplicity.com and get on the waitlist!!!!! I’m doing videos to demonstrate each of the recipes and I think you are really going to love it!

Look for more simple recipes in the future to incorporate into your life!

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Love ya friend!

Monica

EP 158 // Do You Want to Live With More Contentment in Your Life so You Can Enjoy Time Doing What You Love Jan 31, 2024

Hello Friend!

Where are you looking for contentment in your life? Contentment refers to the state of being satisfied and at ease with one’s life and circumstances. Embracing contentment involves appreciating the present moment, finding joy in the little things, and cultivating a sense of fulfillment in the midst of life’s challenges. Contentment is the lifeblood of happiness. Your journey toward purpose and joy will be short lived without it.

Learning contentment is difficult in our society that says the more you have or do, the better, especially when you are constantly trying to keep up with others. If you are not content, discontentment will distract you from living with simplicity and deep meaning. That is why you have to CHOOSE contentment because otherwise discontentment will begin to take over. Every one of us has a different journey, but you can actually learn to be content with little and live an incredibly happy life when you aren’t always chasing stuff and wanting more.

Did you know that contentment not only brings you purpose and joy, but also reduces stress and makes your life enjoyable so you can live the life you were destined to live.

Are you looking for contentment in all the wrong places? When you realize that contentment is not found in accumulating more for yourself, but in giving more to others, your whole life can change. The less you need, the more you give. Giving your time and money will help you live a happier, more fulfilled life and generous people are healthier, happier and more satisfied with life and less inclined to search for it somewhere else.

I want you to think about this as you learn to be more content. A good friend is the best gift you can give-people naturally are attracted toward others who have an open heart to share. Giving of yourself improves lives and is an example to the world of a better way to live and can encourage others to do the same!

I want you to realize, you already have enough friend, so don’t be held hostage by the pursuit of more! Remember how really blessed you are.

Just like homesteading, when you start your contentment journey, keep it simple and start small. Maybe you could give of your time to a friend or someone in need. Make a meal for someone that had a baby or find a charity that aligns with your values and either volunteer or donate money.

As you start to give your time, money and energy, your life will feel lighter and you will start to learn to be content.

Website:

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Chat Soon!

Monica

EP 157 // 7 Simple Ways to Get Your Home Business or Homestead Organized this Year so You can Enjoy Less Stress and Less Overwhelm Jan 29, 2024

Hey there!

I don’t know if you are like me, but there are still some areas I am working on to get organized in my business and homestead. I feel like my home has great systems, but when it comes to business there are a few things I will have to pay extra attention to and track now that we have more animals.

I just want to give you 7 tips that are working to organize our homestead and online businesses.

Create a Master Plan: Outline your goals and priorities for both your business and homestead because having a clear plan will guide your organization efforts.
Set Priorities: We all know that there are a million things you could be doing in business and farm, so you need to identify the most crucial tasks and projects and focus on what truly matters to your business and homestead success.
Declutter your space: whether its your office or homestead, decluttering is key. Get rid of unnecessary items and creat a clean functional environment that you enjoy working in. Having clutter around me makes my brain spin, so I need everything to be in order so I can easily get projects started and finished.
Time Blocking: Allocating specific blocks of time for different activities so you can avoid multitasking and it will help keep you focused on one task at a time. This really helped my squirrly brain!
Digital Organization: I still have a hybrid system of paper and digital but I have been able to move alot of my business online which has helped for many things. Im hoping to add on team members to delegate work to soon, so I wanted to create a system that was not only for me to understand, but simple for anyone else to do as well. I’m still working on that as I would rather be working with my hands than spending time on an electronic device and I have alot to learn as I am technically challenged, but as learning! I just don’t like paper clutter either, so it has helped to get many projects paperless~that is a process as well.
Delegating Tasks: Don’t hesitate to give jobs to your kids or husband or hire a team member when it is the right time. There are many things that they may enjoy doing and that they may be better with. I would gladly give away any digital jobs because they take up so much more time than an experienced person could do in just a portion of the time it takes me.
Reflect and adjust: Take time to assess what is working and what needs improvement and then adjust your strategies accordingly

I hope this helps you organize part of your business or homestead. We all are so different that a one size doesn’t fit all, but just trying different ways to do it so that it works for you is key!

~Monic

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EP 156 // Staying Healthy Naturally During Cold and Flu Season on a Simple Budget Jan 26, 2024

Hi Friend

Since it is flu season and everyone seems to be getting sick, I just wanted to talk about what we do to stay healthy. It is very very rare that my family gets sick and even though we are around sick people often, we really haven’t been sick in years. I will pick up shift on occasion in urgent care with very sick people and still don’t get sick.

One of the things that we added to our health routine about 5 years ago was we started eating juice plus which is an extensively researched company and no matter how healthy we eat, our soil is depleted and just doesn’t have the nutrients that our body needs. I believe this is the most important change that we made from being sick to healthy for over 5 years. Let me know if you want more information and I would be happy to share it with you. There are some other products out there that look similar, but they don’t have the research studies that this company has. Many olympians and professional athletes take this also to improve their performance.

Next, we try to stay away from processed food. I used to think our family ate pretty healthy until I started reading labels and saw all the hidden ingredients and dyes. We have slowly switched to making all our own bread & pasta products, many dairy products, and swapping out as many snacks and other items as I can easily make from scratch at home. There really isn’t much time involved, it is just mostly figuring out how you can make the products you are already buying, so it does take a little research and planning, but I have a whole list of things I can’t wait to teach you so you don’t have to waste time doing that yourself!

We also stick to mostly drinking water and try to stay away from any expensive or unhealthy drinks. This keeps us hydrated and even in the winter it is just as important to stay hydrated for optimal health and wellness.

We do use home remedies too in case we start to feel off and that will usually take care of the illness before anything shows up.

I do believe that growing our own organic fruits and vegetables also helps keep us well. Many years ago we started buying the organic dirty dozen but it did get quite expensive, so that is another reason we choose to grow as much food in our garden as we can. Gardening doesn’t have to be complicated either. I did not grow up with a garden and so our garden is not a traditional garden, but we have made it so simple that I don’t have to worry about weeds, it gets watered on a timer and is simple so I can manage it even when on vacation for a few weeks. We had our garden like this for 3 years, so I am hoping to keep it as simple as possible at our new home as well.

Your health and wellness matter, so take control of it yourself and you will feel the difference!

Website:

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Fruits & Veggies -> monicabaker.juiceplus.com

~Monica

EP 155 // Did You Know Eating Seasonally as a Homesteader Can Save You Money on Food? 7 Ways to Reduce Your Grocery Budget in the Future Jan 24, 2024

Hey Friend

Eating seasonally refers to the practice of consuming foods that are naturally harvested and available during a specific time of the year. This approach involves aligning your diet with the natural growing cycles of various fruits, vegetables, and other food items.

Eating seasonally means choosing foods that are harvested at their peak ripeness during a particular season. For example, enjoying watermelon and berries in the summer, or butternut squash and apples in the fall.

Seasonal eating often involves selecting foods that are locally grown and available in your region. This supports local farmers and reduces the environmental impact of transporting produce over long distances

Seasonal foods are picked at their prime, offering the best taste and nutritional value. Freshness and flavor are heightened when you consume foods during their natural season.

Seasonal produce tends to be more nutrient-dense because it is allowed to fully ripen before harvest. This means you get a higher concentration of vitamins and minerals in your meals.

Eating seasonally fosters a connection with the changing seasons and the natural rhythm of agricultural cycles. It encourages a sense of mindfulness about the origin and availability of your food

Here are some budget friendly tips to saving money on food.

~Purchase fruits and vegetables from local farmers' markets or directly from farmers. Local produce is often more affordable, and you support local businesses if you are not growing your own produce.

~Take advantage of bulk discounts when seasonal items are abundant. You can freeze or preserve extras for later use, ensuring you have affordable, fresh options year-round. Since we moved last year, I had to buy more produce because I wasn’t able to grow everything myself last year. Actually, we just recently took our frozen tomatoes out of the freezer and made our spaghetti sauce.

~Farmers' markets often offer competitive prices, and you might find unique, seasonal produce that's more affordable than in supermarkets

~If you have any CSA programs around you, they allow you to buy a share of a local farm's harvest. This not only supports farmers but also provides you with a regular supply of seasonal produce at a potentially lower cost, so this is a great option too if you don’t grow your own food.

~Tailor your meal plans based on what's in season. This helps you take advantage of lower prices for in-season items and avoids the expense of out-of-season produce. We eat ALOT of zucchini in the summer……..zuchinni noodles, zucchini tots, fried zucchini, grilled zucchini and all kinds of great meals.

~When seasonal fruits and veggies are abundant and less expensive, consider preserving or freezing them for later. This allows you to enjoy seasonal flavors throughout the year without paying a premium price.

~Prepare larger quantities of meals when seasonal ingredients are affordable, and freeze portions for later. This can save you money by avoiding last-minute, more expensive food choices

By aligning your grocery shopping with the seasons and being mindful of where and how you purchase your food, you can savor the benefits of seasonal eating while keeping your budget in check

Overall, eating seasonally is a holistic approach that considers the natural cycles of food production, supports local agriculture, and enhances the taste and nutritional quality of your meals. It's a wonderful way to enjoy a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle

~Monica

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EP 154 // How to Have More Contentment in Your Everyday Life When it Seems Busy and Overwhelming Jan 22, 2024

Hello Friend!

God has put it on my heart to talk about contentment whether you are a beginning homesteader or just striving to get by every day as a busy mom. I think in this modern world we live in, we are so focused on what we have and who has more instead of just being happy where we are at. If you are doing work you hate to just have more things, you are missing the joy in every day. Day in and day out, you are just going through the motion instead of living the dream God has for you. When you seek after Him like never before, you will find peace and contentment.

I love John 14:27 Peace I leave with you: my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. This means that unlike worldy peace, Jesus' peace gives us confident assurance in any circumstance.

I often think about if I am living my daily life the same way as if I only had a week or month to live and there are times I need to step back-especially in business because I love to be productive and I love the work I am doing, so it is easy to spend more time on it and this is where I have to set my boundaries.

You can’t be happy if you are not content. It is hard to have joy and purpose if you are not happy and I believe social media has ramped up this feeling of discontent because you are only seeing the highlight reels. This is one reason I have a hard time posting on social. I don’t want everyone to be envious of this life we have created. I love it and enjoy it every day, but if you are still working toward this life of time freedom, it can make you become somewhat discontent and that is the last thing that I want for you friend.

So many of you are dreaming of a farmstead or homestead, but there are so many things you can do right where you are to get there someday. I can’t emphasize enough about learning! When you learn the skills right where you are now, you are less likely to become overwhelmed when you actually get to where you want to be. Remember, God’s timing is perfect, so stay content in where he has you right now whether it be an apartment or in the city and keep dreaming and asking God what His will is for you.

Not only will contentment bring you joy and purpose, but it also reduces stress and makes your life so much more enjoyable and there is such freedom in contentment to be who God created you to be and live the life you can only dream of.

Here are a few items for you to start your journey to contentment. First pray~this is the most important thing you can do in every situation in your life. Next, remove items from your home that you have not used recently and declutter as much as you can in your home and learn to be happy with less. There are many studies about clutter and mental health. Less stuff is so freeing and will also eliminate hours of time in managing the stuff and also less cleaning. I was recently with someone that was stressed out about getting her house cleaned before someone came over, but once you have simple systems in place and less stuff, your whole life can change because you will have more time to make memories and less time managing your home and you won’t have to worry about someone stopping over!

I pray that you can find more contentment and peace in your daily walk.

~Monica

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EP 153 // 5 Simple Routines to Keep Your Home Clean to Have Less Stress so You Don’t Have to Worry if Someone is Coming Over Unexpectedly Jan 19, 2024

Happy Day!

I want you to have a home that is easy to keep clean and manage. Once you get a system down, you don’t ever have to worry about unexpected guests coming over. Really-you shouldn’t worry about that anyway because they are probably over to just enjoy your company.

Every year, I have to go through our inventory and also evaluate if there is something that isn’t working. I talked a few episodes ago how things in our pantry were getting stacked up on the counter and we weren’t able to open the doors above that space and we had to put another stand in place to keep that from happening and this is similar to your systems for cleaning your house.

What is working? Are you able to keep the counters clean and clear of clutter? If not, what can you do to change that. If it is mail that is coming into the home and getting stacked up on the counter. Find a system that can stop that habit. Mail has never been an issue for me. I look through the mail as I come in from the mailbox, put any unwanted items in the garbage and then it you need to do something with some of it, have a bin for that and then have another bin for look at someday. This would be something like seed catalogs or something you want to look at but don’t have time right now. Did I mention seed catalogs? Anyone else getting excited for our season? Anyways…..If it is dishes on the counter and in the sink, can you make sure that you get them into the dishwasher or washed every evening so you don’t wake up to a mess right away in the morning? You could also rinse and put them right into the dishwasher during the day as you use them.

If you are having problem keeping your bathroom clean, one thing that is so simple to do is to make sure to have your cleaning spray right below your cabinet and clean the counter off and spray it down right after you are done getting ready in the morning. It just takes a few seconds. If there are clothes laying around, put a basket to put them into or make sure you are bringing them to the laundry instead of leaving them on the floor. If your toilet is dirty, just take a couple minutes to clean it after you are done using it. These things don’t take much time, but if you let them get out of hand, they can get much dirtier and harder to clean.

Maybe it is your entry way that gets cluttered up quickly. If it is coats, you hang some hooks so that it is easy to hang up. My family is more likely to hang their coat on a hook than open a closet door and put it on a hanger. Plus, many times, you hands are full when you walk in the door, so it is much simpler to have hooks. If we get too many shoes in that area, I have everyone take their shoes to their room because you can only wear 1 pair at a time. It seems like you have alot more shoes with girls than boys, thats for sure!

It could be your living room that is causing your stress and hard to keep clean. Once again, evaluate where the problem is. It may be that you have to declutter so you have less stuff to manage because that will not only keep your house cleaner, it will also clear your mind. What can you do without? If there is garbage laying around, have your whole family of putting it in the garbage. What can you do to streamline this process?

Start with one area of your home and create systems to keep that area clean and then once that is on autopilot, start on the next area of your home. I used to spend hours cleaning my home, but once I simplified everything, decluttered and made simple systems, I feel like I rarely ever clean. It just becomes a habit and you will have less stress once you get your systems in place.

Blessings!

Monica

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EP 152 // Why Do You Want to Live a More Intentional Life? Are You Ready to Have Less Stress in the Fast Paced World? Jan 17, 2024

Hello!

When you live your life intentionally, there doesn’t seem to be the feeling of friction which creates so much less stress is this crazy fast modern world. If you listened to the last episode, you will understand when I say that social media is not something I want to be intentional about. I would rather spend time with my real friends than the ones that just like everyones posts. I just don’t want to take time away from what matters to me most and maybe that is you too. What keeps you on these platforms? I often wonder when people say they are busy, what they have to show for it. Busy scrolling or busy with the people they love. I hope it is the latter of the 2.

You can’t ever get your time back and making memories and being intentional is key. I am so thankful we bought a little piece of land just off the lake years ago and the kids were able to make memories from when they were very young. We cleared the land, worked on it with cash as we went, put in electric and well, built a cabin and spent hundreds of weekends just making memories with family and friends. The best part is that we didn’t have any internet service. Now our grandkids love all the memories we make up there and on our farm.

We like to go on vacations a few times a year at least with our 2 kids that are still at home as they get to have many experiences as we have traveled around the US to many different locations. They only have 5 years left at home, so we want to be intentional about that as well. We like to take a few weeks at a time so we can see as much as possible. Sometimes we fly, but we would rather drive so we can do more.

My husband & I have had weekends away, but we have our whole life to travel by ourselves after the kids are gone, so we like them to experience as much as possible while they are with us. We don’t spend alot of money when we vacation and many times it is a business expense.

We like to hike and have visited many many national parks and since we make our own food from scratch, we usually rent houses with kitchens that we can cook from scratch ourselves so we keep our energy up and stay healthy. If there are some unique places to eat at with a fun experience, we will stop, but for the most part, we don’t like to waste our money on high priced unhealthy meals.

I encourage you to look at what you are doing intentionally in your life. Is there some memories you would like to make, would you like to start cooking from scratch or learning some new skills? We only have so much time on this earth, so I challenge you to stop scrolling and start living life! God has so much more in store for you friend! You will be so glad you did!

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EP 151 // 3 Simple Time Management Tips When Cooking from Scratch When You are Busy Jan 15, 2024

Hello Friend

I want to give you 3 simple time management tips to put into place when cooking from scratch because I know it can seem a little overwhelming at first.

First, I want you to decide on 1 new item you want to make. If there is a recipe that you would like to make, but don’t want to waste time researching, please just email me because I have tried many and if I find one is simpler than another and just as good, I will stick with the simple one! I don’t want you wasting time on pinterest or social media because that will keep you from getting into action. Once you have that recipe,make sure you have all the ingredients or make a list of ingredients you need and when you will go shopping for them.

Next, put it on the calendar to make so you know exactly which day you will be doing it. Allow for time to prepare and make sure you know the cook time-one of the worst things that could happen is that you have it on the calendar to make and you didn’t realize how long it was going to take and can’t eat until 10pm!

And Last, if you family likes this meal and it was simple for you to make, put it into a favorites recipe binder. This will help you stay organized and make it easy to pull out when you need a quick from scratch meal.

Repeat this process until you have a few weeks worth of recipes and that will make it super easy to plan your from scratch meals easily.

The key to not getting stressed out about cooking healthier is do it slowly. Try 1 meal a week to start out if doing more than that stresses you out. You don’t have to eat perfectly, but when you transition slowly, you will have lasting change.

Chat soon!

Website:

Claimingsimplicity.com

Join our Community of Christian Moms ->

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~Monica

EP 150 // Simple Recipes on a Budget to Save Money on Food this Month as a Busy Mom Jan 12, 2024

Hi Friend!

I want to give you some simple meal ideas to cut your grocery expense and eat nutritious healthy meals without a lot of time in the kitchen.

Some simple ways to cook is instant pot meals, easy casseroles or hot dishes, simple crockpot recipes for soups and chilies, egg bakes and any kind of breakfast food.

Make sure you don't waste time in the kitchen so you can spend life living more intentional.

Below is instagram link if you want to check out what is happening in my life

Website:

Claimingsimplicity.com

Join our Community of Christian Moms ->

https://www.facebook.com/groups/claimingsimplicity/

Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

Love ya friend!

Monica

EP 149 // 3 Areas in Your Budget You Can Easily Save Money. What Can You Do Without That You Won’t Miss as a Busy Overwhelmed Mom Jan 10, 2024

Hi Friend

I want to talk about the 3 areas of your budget where you can easily save money.

First, as we have talked about before, food can be one of the largest expenses for some families and it is also an area you can save quite a bit when you focus on more intentional spending. If you go into the grocery store with cash, you can only buy items that add up to less than that, so using cash can help you from buying extra items you don’t need. Make a list of meals you can make with the items in your fridge and see if there are a few ingredients you may need to go with the meals for the week When grocery shopping, make sure you go with a list and stick to the list so you just get what you need. You can also just order online and pick up-that way you know exactly how much you are spending and are less likely to get unnecessary items. So much of our food gets wasted because we have so much excess in our fridges and can’t eat it all. Another way to save on food is do not go out to eat the whole month-that could possibly save you hundreds of dollars if you go out as a family just a few times a month. I don’t know if you can even go to eat as a family of 4 for much less than $100 each time, so that could be a significant saving for you if that is something your family tends to do.

Next, make sure you are not buying any unnecessary items. Do you really need anything from amazon? If there is an item you are thinking you need, see if there is another alternative. Can you make something to do the same thing? Do you have a place to put this item? Being very conscious of each purchase is key and as I said in a previous episode, make sure you do not have your credit card linked to an online shopping accounts so it isn’t quite as automatic for you to spend money. Make it a game to put an item in the cart without buying it so you can look at the total and say you saved that amount! Online shopping is just so convenient and can easily get you off of your budget.

Lastly, you can do without any new clothes, shoes, purses, makeup or anything you buy that is not a necessity. This may be hard for you, but I promise, it won’t kill you. It is so amazing how much money is spent on frivolous items-most times just to give you a status or look good. How many people do you know that will buy outfits just for a picture~this is so self focused. You know the people that spend money on things to make them look good or feel like they are better than someone else, but God looks at what you do for others, so I want you to remember that when you are tempted to buy these materialistic items. Giving is so rewarding-it gives you so much joy _J-O-Y_ Jesus, Others, You. This should be the order every day, but not just this month.

I hope you have an incredibly blessed day friend!

Monica

Website:

Claimingsimplicity.com

Join our Community of Christian Moms ->

https://www.facebook.com/groups/claimingsimplicity/

Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

You Tube -> https://www.youtube.com/@claimingsimplicity/

EP 148 // Make Your Own Simple Toxin Free Products for a More Natural Home as a Busy Mom and Save Money in 2024 Jan 08, 2024

Happy Monday Friend

I am gearing up to make large batches of some of my soaps, lotions, laundry detergent, scent booster, stain removers, and I thought I would let you know how much money you can save by making your own products along with how much safer they are compared to anything at the store. I think of all the money I spent for years on products like dawn dishsoap, laundry detergent, dryer sheets, and so many other items that I could make myself for a fraction of the price and am so thankful I learned about what they were doing to my health about 20 years ago. I make my products in bulk because I don’t do it very often so I make large batches! It takes very little time to make a large amount of products and uses such few ingredients that anyone can make these.

Today I want to talk about a few of my favorite ingredients when making my supplies.

White Vinegar

Castile Soap

Baking Soda

Washing Soda

Coconut Oil

Essential Oils

Start out with a few items so you dont get overwhelmed. You will be amazed how easy it really is!

I have a free non toxic cleaning recipe guide on my website to help you get started quickly and they are all super simple.

Go to claimingsimplicity.com and get your free recipes and I have many many more recipes, so if there is something else you need a recipe for, just let me know!!!!!!

Remember to leave a rating and review if you have not already so you can be entered into our monthly giveaway starting with the first one in February

Happy Cleaning Friend!

DIY Cleaners ->https://claiming-simplicity.ck.page/best-diy-cleaners

Oils -> my.doterra.com/monicabaker/

Website:

Claimingsimplicity.com

Join our Community of Christian Moms ->

https://www.facebook.com/groups/claimingsimplicity/

Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

You Tube -> https://www.youtube.com/@claimingsimplicity/

EP 147 // Reflect and Reset for a Simpler Life So You Can Stop Being Busy and Have Time Freedom in 3 Simple Steps Jan 06, 2024

Hello

There is something freeing about having time freedom. I remember when I did daycare and the income looked good until I subtracted all the expenses and when you divide that by working 40 or 50 hours per week plus the time for shopping for food and daycare items, I made less than minimum wage and the value of our house went down because of wear and tear! Most daycare providers realized that they can’t get ahead and without having benefits or retirement it didn’t make sense so now it is hard to find home daycares. There are just so many more opportunities for you to make changes so you don’t have to trade time for money anymore!

We haven’t retired my husband yet, but that is the plan eventually!! Right now, all my grandkids live within 2 hours, so if they need something, have programs, or need me to watch them, guess what-I can do it because over 20 years ago, I made that as one of my goals and priorities as a Grandma! You can change your life without having to sacrifice what you value! You are not going to make a full time income selling eggs on your little homestead unless you sell 20000 or so a year, but there are so many other ways to make money right from home without sacrificing time!

Blessings!

Website:

Claimingsimplicity.com

Join our Community of Christian Moms ->

https://www.facebook.com/groups/claimingsimplicity/

Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

You Tube -> https://www.youtube.com/@claimingsimplicity/

EP 146 //3 Steps to Cooking Simple Recipes in Bulk Will Save You Many Hours of Time as a Busy Homesteader Trying to Keep Up With Everything Jan 05, 2024

I try to batch cook as much as possible and I want you to spend less time in the kitchen as well if that is what you choose.

When it comes to cooking, you do have to do a little planning if you are cooking in large amounts. You may not have all the ingredients on hand when making large quantities, so that is the first step. Take a look at the ingredients you have on hand and then get a recipe and figure out how many other ingredients you will need to either double or triple that recipe.

Once you know what you are making, you will want to plan a day that week that you have a longer amount of time in your schedule to cook a large amount of food. I try to do bulk cooking at least once a week to keep a large supply of meals on hand and that is the reason we rarely go out to eat. If you prepare meals and they are convenient to make quickly, it is more work to go somewhere else to eat!

Once you know what you are making, you will want to make sure it can be frozen and it may only be a portion that you will freeze, for instance, when I make my chicken noodle soup, I freeze all of it except the noodle and then when I heat it up, I will add the noodles about 10 minutes before the soup is ready. Many of the items like lasagnas, eggbakes, tacos and even sauces freeze very well.

It also helps if you have a list of your favorite recipes that you can easily make into large quantities that freeze well. Start out by making just 1 meal a week that you double or triple and then if you would like, take 1 morning a month and make a few extra recipes that you could have throughout the month and you will add quickly to meal surplus so you can easily have meals ready on the nights when you don’t have time to prepare a healthy meal. This will not only keep you from eating out as much, but it will also help you to eat healthier.

I like to make all my breads for the month in 1 day and freeze those as well, so I'm not spending time taking all the ingredients and equipment out several times a month plus then I only have to clean up once from that too! Keep your meals simple and add more time back to your life.

I’m all about keeping everything as simple as possible and these systems that I have learned over the years have really helped with that so I have time to do other things that I love.

Monica

Website:

Claimingsimplicity.com

Join our Community of Christian Moms ->

https://www.facebook.com/groups/claimingsimplicity/

Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

You Tube -> https://www.youtube.com/@claimingsimplicity/

EP 145 //Start Off the Year Right by Not Spending Money on Anything Unnecessarily So You Can Save Money in 2024 by Doing a No Spend Challenge Jan 04, 2024

Happy New Year Friend

I’m sure many of you overspent for Christmas and the no spend challenge we do in January is just like a detox from spending! You can do a sugar fast along with a spending fast to get life back on track!!!!

If you really want to save money in 2024, you need to reduce expenses. This challenge is so different for each person, but I want you to really evaluate what you actually NEED to spend money on for the month of January. We all need to pay our bills and we need food, but i’m guessing you could go through your cupboards and freezers to clean out as much as you can and get creative with your meals and just buy the bare minimum ingredients you need. Last year I only spend $73 on groceries for the month for a family of 4 and I can link that episode below on how I did that and this year I’m trying to spend nothing.That is a stretch challenge, but we do raise our own milk, eggs, chicken, and pork now along with making all my own breads, noodles, pizza dough and all things sourdough which just uses starter, flour and water, so it shouldn’t be too extremely difficult when we already cook from scratch.

I was just trying to think the other day when the last time we have gone out to eat was and I can’t even remember. When you cook from scratch, eating out isn’t that exciting~especially when you think about the ingredients they use-we feed our animals non gmo feed ~which is expensive and have to drive almost 2 hours to get it and order some online, but it is important to us what we put in our bodies as well as what we put on our bodies, so we choose to eat at home as much as possible, but it you eat out often, that is an area you can save so much money in just this one month!

Another great way to save some money would be to unlink your credit card from amazon, or any online store you may easily order online from. This one extra step could help you think a little more about your purchase and if it is really something you need. Our culture thinks we NEED so much more than we actually do! Don’t buy anything with credit cards. Just try it for a week or 2 and see how it goes for you. You might enjoy spending less money once you see how much extra money you really have.

There are so many great benefits to spending less. When you stop bringing clutter into the home, you also declutter your mind. One of the biggest benefits from spending less is that you may become less focused on wanting more and learn to be content with what you have. I suggest you try it for just one month.

EPISODE 74: https://www.podbean.com/pu/pbblog-2vz43-c15ea5

Great to have you back!

Monica

Website:

Claimingsimplicity.com

Join our Community of Christian Moms ->

https://www.facebook.com/groups/claimingsimplicity/

Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

You Tube -> https://www.youtube.com/@claimingsimplicity/

EP 144 //Feel Your Best and Have More Energy in 2024 with These 7 Tips that You Can Incoorporate into Your Busy Life Dec 29, 2023

Hey Friend!

So many people ask how I have so much energy, so I just want to share with you my top 7 things I do every single day to feel my best and have consistent energy so you can too in 2024!

Engage in activities that spark your creativity. It could be painting, writing, gardening, or anything that brings you joy. Expressing yourself creatively is a fantastic way to recharge your energy.

Get up early and start your day with a few minutes of quiet time. Whether it is enjoying a cup of coffee, praying, or taking a short walk, these peaceful moments can set a positive tone for the day. Embrace the calm before the chaos.

When life gets hectic, its tempting to grab quick snacks, so make sure to choose nutrient rich options such as protein, fruit or nuts. They are not only good for your health, but also provide sustained energy to keep you going.

Cultivate a habit of gratitude by jotting down 3 things you are thankful for each day. It is a wonderful way to shift your focus to the positive aspects of life, even on the busiest days.

Diffuse PURE essential oils that promote energy and motivation-I have been doing this for many years. My favorites are citrus oils like grapefruit, lemon, lime and orange because they are so uplifting, refreshing, energizing and all natural.

Don’t underestimate the power of water! Staying hydrated is crucial for maintaining energy levels. Keep a water bottle handy throughout the day to remind yourself to sip and stay refreshed. I try to drink at least 100 ounces per day and during the winter, I actually drink warm water so I drink enough because I hate to be cold!

Prioritize quality sleep by creating a cozy and dark sleep environment and aim for a consistent sleep schedule. A well-rested you is a more energized you! If you are having trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep, I do have some suggestions that have helped me and I will link those below as well!

It seems like a simple list, but if you arent doing all of these, start with just one and then once you are doing that consistently, add the next one. This is called habit stacking if you are not familiar with it. Once you create these systems one at a time, they become your habits!

Happy Happy New Year and Stay Safe!!!!

Monica

Favorite Home Products to get started:

https://doterra.me/hfV1oB

For Sleep: https://doterra.me/X6TEh2

Website:

Claimingsimplicity.com

Join our Community of Christian Moms ->

https://www.facebook.com/groups/claimingsimplicity/

Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

EP 143 // 4 Steps to Having Less Stress on Your Homestead or Farm This Year. How Planning in the Slower Months will Help You be Less Overwhelmed Because I Know You are Busy Dec 26, 2023

Hello Friend!

I know you can get overwhelmed with all the projects you may have on your homestead or farm, but if you begin by planning in the less busy season, you will feel less stress because you actually have a plan!

First, Start by listing all the projects outside you want to do this year. I will add everything I can think of when I am planning for the new year

Next list any more animals we want to get and now this year, I will add to the list when we plan to breed our animals.

After that I will add any inside projects we need to get done

I will add the things I want to learn or try in the kitchen and try to plan my canning as much as I am able and the things I want to add to the garden.

If you take time to write these things down and then plan a date or time frame for them, you are going to have less overwhelm because you know exactly what it is that you want to plan for the year and you will be prepared.

Simplifying all the systems is key!

Blessings to you!

Website:

Claimingsimplicity.com

Join our Community of Christian Moms ->

https://www.facebook.com/groups/claimingsimplicity/

Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

You Tube -> https://www.youtube.com/@claimingsimplicity/

10 Family Activites to Have Quality Time if You Want to Simplify Your Life and Enjoy Slow Living Dec 22, 2023

10 Family Activites to Have Quality Time if You Want to Simplify Your Life and Enjoy Slow Living

Hello!

Happy Friday! I hope you have enjoyed this week's tidbits every day!! Remember, you need to sign up before the end of the year to join our no spend challenge!

This is the last podcast before Christmas and if you have some time off and want to focus on slower living and being more intentional, and simplifying family time, here are a few activities you could focus on doing if it is colder where you are at this time of the year!

Take a Hike or Nature Walk: Explore the landscapes around your homestead or wherever you are-it is so important to get outside no matter what the weather is. It's a peaceful and beautiful way to connect with nature.

Build a Snow Fort or Snowman if you have snow: Let your creative side shine by building a winter wonderland right in your backyard. Snow forts are not just for kids—adults can have a blast too! Quality time together is cherished by all.

Ice Skating: If you have a frozen pond or a nearby rink, grab your skates and hit the ice. It's a great way to enjoy the season and get some exercise. This is an unusual winter here so far and I’m not sure we will have enough cold weather to skate this year, but there are places that also allow indoor ice skating, so that might be an option for you as well!

Sledding or Tubing: Find a nearby hill and indulge in some classic sledding fun. It's a timeless activity that's bound to bring smiles and laughter. I know here they are making snow, so we might go tubing during our time off.

Bonfire: Bundle up and gather around a bonfire with your family. Enjoy some relaxing time by the fire. Roast marshmallows, sip on hot cocoa if it is cold, and share stories to make it extra cozy.

Snowshoeing: Explore the winter landscape on snowshoes. It's a wonderful way to get some exercise while enjoying the serene beauty of the snow-covered outdoors.

Picnic: Pack a thermos of hot soup, some sandwiches, and your favorite winter snacks. Find a scenic spot, lay down a blanket, and enjoy a winter picnic with your family.

Indoor Movie Night: For those extra chilly days, snuggle up indoors with a family movie night. Pop some popcorn, grab blankets, and enjoy a movie marathon.

Play Board Games: One of my favorite activities, but we seem to do more when it is cold outside!

Baking or Cooking: Not only will you be spending quality time together, but you will be teaching life lessons, so this is crucial to your family's future!

Remember, the key is to savor the simplicity of these moments and create lasting memories. Happy winter adventures and Merry Merry Christmas! Enjoy celebrating our Savior’s Birthday!

Blessings!

Monica

Website:

Claimingsimplicity.com

Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

You Tube -> https://www.youtube.com/@claimingsimplicity/

5 Benefits and Regrets of Being Off Social Media for Business and Family Dec 21, 2023

Hey Friend

I just want to give you a recap of my year of rarely being on social media. I do have a few groups I am a part of, but for the most part, I have not missed it at all! I have posted on occasion on Instagram for others to see what is going on, but I honestly forget all about social media and since I am not on there posting consistently, people don’t even see the content when I do post, so it is not a focus at all for my business! Crazy thing is that my business this last year has grown faster than ever, so I like to focus my time on what is working and put my energy there and this next year it is not going to be on social platforms.

Benefits I have noticed without social media:

More free time

More time to do hobbies

More family time

Business growth

Less Stress with trying to keep posting every day at least 5 times to be seen!

Downfalls are that I don’t see pictures of family and friends and unaware of many events-which I guess can be good and bad-there is NO Fear of Missing out, but there has been a few times I wished I would have known about an event that would have been fun to go to, but that is really minor!

I’m going to evaluate this next year and see how I can build an online community of like minded ladies off of social media, so if you have a favorite way that you are doing it or a favorite platform, I would love to hear about it!

I’m building my VIP group through email so you can get all the tidbits to help you simplify and discounts before anyone else knows about them!

Chat tomorrow!

Monica

Website:

Claimingsimplicity.com

Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

You Tube -> https://www.youtube.com/@claimingsimplicity/

DIY Cleaners ->https://claiming-simplicity.ck.page/best-diy-cleaners

Are You Exhausted Trying to Keep Your Home Clean as a Busy Mom With Kids? My Best Secret for Keeping the Cleaning Schedule Simple Dec 20, 2023

Hello Friend!

I book, working on a beginner homesteading course, gathering animals on our farm and running kids with sports and yet I have been able to easily keep up with keeping a clean house.

I will tell you that I still have an enclosed trailer sitting in my yard that we have not emptied yet and to tell you the truth-I really don’t want to add anything else to our home right now. I’m leaving that stuff to do during the winter when we seem to have a little more down time!

Where are you on your declutter journey? Have you started? Do you need to start? It is so satisfying to me to remove items from our home, but I remember when I was in my 20s with 3 young kids, that was hard, but money was so tight and I had more of a scarcity mentality back then, but I havent’ had that for years now.

Let me help you get started so you can spend less time cleaning and more time enjoying the people around you or the things you love.

Start wherever you think will be the easiest. For me, it is always the bathroom. If you use something, keep it, but if you haven’t used an item in a while donate or toss it. Get rid of old makeup you don’t wear and jewelry you never wear. There is no reason to keep anything that just makes you more work. How many towels do you need? 1 or 2 per person that uses the bathroom is more than enough. Go through each and every item with a garbage bag and a donation box. This will take some time, but you will be so glad you did this so you don’t have to manage all that stuff. In this process, you will create a big mess, so if you don’t have a whole lot of time, just start with a few drawers or what you can complete and then next time start where you left off. Next go to a room that you want to get done and do the same thing, maybe start with drawers in the kitchen and then cupboards as you have time and then fridge.

If you truely want to free up your time from cleaning, you have to declutter otherwise you just continue to organize time after time. I love this minimal life and I think you will too! You clear your mental load just by eliminating clutter! Make this a must do task to start your new year out right and if you need some tips or coaching, let me know and I would love to help you out!

Here is to a decluttered home in 2024!

Monica

Website:

Claimingsimplicity.com

Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

Are You Putting Toxic Material on Your Skin or Do You Enjoy the Freedom of Natural Beauty by Keeping it Simple Dec 19, 2023

Hey Beautiful Friend!

The world tells you your beauty isn’t valued unless you show zero wrinkles, imperfections or blemishes, but I want you to embrace your natural, God given, unique, normal, beautiful self. There is beauty in simple and natural. God looks at the heart, not at outward appearances.

The comparison trap is real It is alot of pressure to keep up in today’s society .I could compare all day long to my business competitors, but I know that I am me and you friend are you. Be YOU! Be all God created you to be! He will reward you 10 fold!

Let your beauty shine! I have only worn foundation a few times in my life and my husband just hates it on anyone and I have never liked the feel of it and yes, I do have age spots and blemishes, but I have never been one to place value on surface things. Beauty is an inside job!

I talk to my teens about the chemicals that people put on their skin and how it is absorbed straight into their body, so hopefully they learn the importance of what they put on their skin and don’t make the choice to use anything that isn’t completely natural. It can affect energy, hormones, auto immune disorders, among many other problems.

I will provide the QR code below of a great natural skincare if you want to start using pure and natural products without the toxins. Ill also provide the natural home qr code too if you are interested in that.

What are some things you can do to change your natural beauty. Do some research and look at ingredients. Many countries wouldn’t even be allowed to sell some of the products we use here in the us.

If you want to wear a little mascara, just make sure it is completely natural. It is worth paying a little money up front so hopefully you don’t end up paying for thousands of dollars down the road on dr bills from disease.

Get out your Bible and learn who you are in Christ. Write them down and read them every day.

1.You are a child of God

2.You are chosen, holy, and beloved

3.You are God’s workmanship created to produce good works

You friend, are so precious to God and I don’t want you to ever forget it! So strip yourself of outward beauty and start shining today!!!!!!

Website:

Claimingsimplicity.com

Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

You Tube -> https://www.youtube.com/@claimingsimplicity/

DIY Cleaners ->https://claiming-simplicity.ck.page/best-diy-cleaners

Natural Home -> https://doterra.me/m7PuHL

Natural Skin Care -> https://doterra.me/G41E52

Let me know if you have any questions!

Monica

5 Tactical Tips to Nurture Relationships and Create Traditions While Living a Simple Life Dec 18, 2023

Hello!

Welcome to another episode of "Claiming Simplicity," the podcast dedicated to help you create more meaning with a simpler life! I'm your host, Monica H Baker and I'm thrilled to share today's topic with you right before you may be gathering more than any other time of the year. "5 Tactical Tips to Nurture Relationships and Create Traditions While Living a Simple Life. Seriously, there is nothing that makes me more joyous than creating memories and experiences with family and friends. We have been so blessed to be surrounded by the best people.

In our fast-paced world, it's easy to overlook the importance of nurturing relationships and creating traditions. But, as a homesteader in Minnesota who values slow living and intentional living, I've learned that these aspects are essential for a fulfilling and balanced life.

So, let's dive right into these 5 tactical tips that will help you strengthen your bonds and foster meaningful traditions, all while living a simpler life:

Tip 1: Unplug and Connect - We often get caught up in the digital world. Take some time to unplug from screens and connect with your loved ones. Whether it's a family game night, a shared meal, or simply sitting around a fire pit, these moments can be the foundation of lasting traditions. As you probably figured out, I don’t sit still at all, so for us it is usually doing something as we spend time together. Last weekend, the family that was not hunting was making meals and enjoying time the animals outside, but sometimes we are making gifts, projects, or we even enjoy making our non toxic cleaning supplies together.

Tip 2: Nature-Inspired Traditions - As a homesteader you have the perfect backdrop for creating traditions that embrace the wonders of nature-whether you live in town or country, you can find somewhere to enjoy the land and the beauty of God’s creation. Consider annual camping trips, hiking adventures, or even gardening together as a family. In the summer when we moved, my 13 year old said one of the things she was most sad about was that we weren't able to have a garden since we would be in between locations. We were very grateful to have such an awesome neighbor that let us do some gardening at her house, but it was really hard to keep on top of when we weren’t right there all the time. I like to go out to the garden at sunrise in the morning and just enjoy time with God and pull weeds, so we didn’t want to do that at someone else’s house! My kids like to watch the produce grow and enjoy gathering our harvest as well. I hope they always appreciate the little things in life.

Tip 3: Embrace Seasonal Celebrations - Living a simple life allows you to appreciate the changing seasons. Use this as an opportunity to celebrate the unique beauty and experiences that each season brings. From spring picnics to cozy winter gatherings, these rituals will connect you with the rhythms of nature. I love this time of the year as we go from camping at the cabin, to hunting, Fall birthday parties, and then it is Thanksgiving, Christmas cookie making and traditions and then Christmas. We are so unbelievably grateful to be able to spend even more time with family and friends this time of the year.

Tip 4: Handmade and Heartfelt Gifts - Encourage your family to create and exchange handmade gifts. This not only fosters creativity but also adds a personal touch to your traditions. It's a wonderful way to show love and appreciation. It has so much more meaning when you make something yourself and receive handmade items. We treasure homemade gifts.

Tip 5: Community Involvement - As a homesteader, you're likely part of a tight-knit community. Get involved in local events and initiatives. You'll not only nurture relationships within your family but also with your neighbors. This sense of community can be a rich tradition in itself. If you don’t have something around you that you would like to attend, maybe it is something you would like to start! I started a homesteading womens group at our home just because there wasn’t anything in our area and it is such an amazing bunch of ladies. I look forward to having them over each month and we all learn from each other!

Remember, simplicity doesn't mean sacrificing the depth of your relationships or the richness of your traditions. It's about savoring the moments that truly matter and letting go of unnecessary distractions.

I hope these tips inspire you to nurture your relationships and create traditions that resonate with your values. Also, I am so excited to start communicating to you with simple tips and recipes through our email group a few times per month. You can either go to the website and join our email family or download one of our free resources. I look forward to getting to know you a little more!!!!!!

Thank you for joining us on Claiming Simplicity. Until next time, slow down, live intentionally, and savor the beauty of a simpler life.

Love ya! Monic

Website:

Claimingsimplicity.com

Join our Community of Christian Moms ->

https://www.facebook.com/groups/claimingsimplicity/

Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

You Tube -> https://www.youtube.com/@claimingsimplicity/

DIY Cleaners ->https://claiming-simplicity.ck.page/best-diy-cleaners

Products for Recipes ->https://referral.doterra.me/12623979

It is OK to Pause This Time of the Year Without Having Regrets and Enjoy What Really Matters Becasue You Won’t Get This Time Back Dec 15, 2023

Hello!

It has been a full month already with activities and events we have had going on and with all of that, I have not got any baking done, my homemade gifts finished, or finished my list for the Grandkids, so I have to push pause on a few other things I have going on so that I can be present with my family and friends. Yes, this means that the rough draft of my book won’t be done by the end of the year, but I am ok with that knowing that I am putting my most important values ahead of everything else.

I don’t want you to stress out if you need to do this as well. I was having a hard time concentrating on writing the last few weeks because of all the things I still need to do as well as making this season as special as possible for my family and this may be you as well. You might not be writing a book, but I’m sure you are doing things that you really don’t need to do right now so that you can enjoy intentional time with family and friends. Christmas only comes once a year, so I am giving you permission to say no to things that do not align with your values and bring you joy right now.

This last weekend we went to a Christian Camp that we do every year with kids and Grandkids that have all kinds of Christmas activities to do and it is only 3 hours long with so many things to do and because it is spread out and we do alot of walking, we have to really decide what is important to us to do in that 3 hours because you can’t get to everything. It got me thinking about how this is how we should look at this whole season as well and enjoy the moments that we truely enjoy and make sure we priorize because we truely can’t do it all ~and certainly not without stress and overwhelm. I will say, one thing that I don’t enjoy is wrapping presents. I love love love to give meaningful gifts or experiences, but wrapping is not my favorite and right now my teenagers enjoy it, so I will give them gifts to wrap so that I can focus on the things I love and it is a win win for all of us! Funny thing is that I have put some of their gifts in boxes and they have even wrapped their own presents some years without even knowing it!!!!! I’m so grateful my girls also like doing the baking, so we all do that together and then the grandkids decorate their own that they get to bring home~because there is alot of finger licking at their young ages when they decorate!!!!

I want you to think if there is something you have been doing that you could put off until the new year? I promise….most things can wait and our time is so precious.

I did want to tell you that I will be doing the no spend challenge again this year in January! This time I am going to try and spend even less money on groceries if possible and get creative with what I have. I don’t have quite as much canned food as we had previous years since we didn’t have a garden this year because of the move, so this might be even more challenging, but on an exciting note, we are getting more eggs these last 2 weeks than we have gotten since july, so at least we should have eggs! We will see how many different ways we can fix them with sourdough and pork because we have lots of that!!! I would love to have you join me if you are ready to cut spending and live more intentional! Just send me an email to monica@claimingsimplicity.com and write no spend challenge in the subject line and I will add you to the group!!!!!!!!!

I hope you are able to pause and enjoy celebrating the birth of Jesus and intentional living with family and friends this time of the year.

Website:

Claimingsimplicity.com

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Chat soon!

Monica

Have Less Stress by Using These Gift Ideas so You Can Have Less Overwhelm and Create Memories to Have a More Meaningful Christmas. Dec 11, 2023

Hey!

Here is a reply of great gifts to give for Christmas! Enjoy having less stress and creating more intentional memories this Holiday season.

Love Ya!

Monica

Simplify Christmas This Year and Enjoy Slow Living and Being More Intentional with Your Family and Reduce Stress Dec 07, 2023

Hello Friend!!!!

Thanks for being here today!

If you want your life and holiday to be simpler, you have to learn how to do that so that when unexpected things happen in your schedule, it doesn’t throw you off!

I just want to share a few tips of how we keep our Christmas simple. We had an experience many years ago, that made us really make changes in how we did Christmas. We love going to church on Christmas Eve since this whole season is about celebrating the birth of Jesus and we want our kids to know that Jesus is the Reason for this season.

It always felt like we had to rush here and rush there and we weren’t really enjoying it because it was so chaotic. We now can really enjoy Christmas with the focus being on Christ and having one less place to travel simplified the whole holiday. We still see those family members for Christmas, we just do it on a different day, so it works out perfect!

We also simplified our schedules to keeping our time sacred and trying not to overplan activities. We used to host all kinds of gatherings from cookie exchanges to ugly sweater parties and we have reduced our activities so we can just enjoy the calm of the season because planning for all the activities along with everything else there is to do in about 4 weeks can be very exhausting and overwhelming.

We have also simplified gift giving. We really only buy for Grandkids, make gifts for friends and then our gift to the family is renting a place for all the kids and grandkids every year usually in February or March, so that is another great way to make even more memories when there is less to do when the temperatures are so cold here! People and Kids will forget the gifts you give them, but they will remember the memories made!

Another area we simplified on Christmas was to have soups or chillis ready in crockpots and dips and snack foods mostly prepared ahead of time when all the kids and grandkids are here, so nobody was having to spend the whole time in the kitchen. Having foods ready makes the whole experience relaxed and fun so you can spend treasured time together!!!! We play games and laugh alot! Kids have a blast with all their cousins and it just makes for a fantastic time!

I hope you have taken a few of these tips that you can implement into your busy season to enjoy slow living and being intentional with your time. Send me an email and let me know what your plan is this year! I would love to hear it!

Website:

Claimingsimplicity.com

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Talk soon Friend!

Monica

3 Simple Steps to Spend Less Money This Holiday Season for the Busy Overwhelmed Mom Dec 04, 2023

Hey Friend

Can you believe it is the fist day of December? What a whirlwind it has been! Did you know that you can keep your Christmas simple and spend less money? I want you to really think about how it makes you feel when you spend too much money for Christmas just because you feel like you have to. If you just buy your kids stuff they don’t really appreciate it either.

I’m going to give you some super simple ways to spend less money so you can feel good about the holiday and not have regrets. There was a time when I tried to keep up with other people’s Christmas spending and do all the things and there is so much regret when wasting money on unimportant things!!!!!!

When you are surrounded by materialistic people, you don’t have to participate with them! For us, it took a few years for people to catch on, but I grew up making things for people which makes Christmas so much more meaningful and I continued to do that as I got older. I would much rather get a gift that is homemade that someone put time into than something from the store because it actually means something and it is more likely it will be something we enjoy. I would rather spend my time enjoying the people I am with and there is nothing but pure joy making memories.

These three tips could be a game changer for you Christmas season.

First, know your values and make a list. If you want to keep Christmas simple, then find ways to do just that. For example, if you are a family that gives all the nieces and nephews gifts, think about picking names and doing an exchange. Kids have more than they need and trying to find things that they will keep long term is very rare. They might play with a toy for a couple days and then forget about it. Don’t feel bad when kids get less toys, you are teaching them that material items are not important. Think about playing a game like the white elephant gift where people bring an item from their home. Our family has so much fun with this and these memories are talked about for years! We have also done the siran wrap game and a few others, so check out different ideas you can do on pinterest!

Next, know your budget. If you have not saved all year for this, I suggest you know how much you spent this year and divide that by 12 and in January save that amount each month because we have Christmas every year and it isn’t an unexpected expense, so this amount should be in your budget. You will be so glad you did and you won’t have to stress over money. Include food, gifts, cards and postage if you send them and decor in that amount because it all adds up fast and is an extra expense each and every year.

Lastly, this may not be something you can do this year, but early in the new year, start making items for gifts for next year. Even if you are not crafty, there are so many awesome things you can make that people can use. Make some non toxic hand soaps or lotions-they are as easy as mixing and it is such a great gift that everyone can use! I’m not sure who listens to this that might be getting a Christmas gift from me this year, but I am making sourdough noodles with an attached recipe of homemade chicken soup and it is something that most people can use, friends love them, and it isn’t something everyone can make themselves, so it will make a nice gift and I know most people will be super excited about them and will appreciate them! I could have made them earlier and froze them, but I am making a few batches every few days because as you heard in the last episode-this year was hard. It is a process I really enjoy, so it doesn’t seem like work at all even though it does take time.

I hope you are able to incorporate some of these tips this year so you can save money and reduce the overwhelm this Christmas season, but it is even more important to get ahead on next year if you can -especially on the budget!

Website:

Claimingsimplicity.com

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Blessings Friend!!

Monica

7 Simple Ways for You to Change Your Mindset to be More Thankful Through Good Times and Hard Times Especially During the Stressful Season or in the Season of Waiting Nov 29, 2023

Hey friend!

As I was reflecting on this year, I thought about how hard it was. It was hard to move away from a home we have done so much to and had so many memories over the last 10 years. It was hard to live in our fishhouse for 3 months. It was hard to move to a home that needed alot of work and still needs alot more. It is hard writing a book when you have so many many obligations and distractions-I want to do it all. It was hard to get so many outside projects done for all the animals we have acquired before the freezing temperatures we have now. I’m not sure about this winter farming when I’m having to haul pails of water from the shed to the barn because our outside pump froze up so that is hard too, but when you put your trust in Jesus, there is such a peace through it all. Knowing that we are living where God wants us to be is so reassuring. Through it all, he just keeps blessing us and confirming that we are doing what he has called us to do.

What are you going through? I really believe that you can have a mindset of doom and gloom or you can choose to have joy through all of it. It is a choice. There were a few days or maybe even weeks of being so extremely exhausted throughout this move this year, that I had a bad attitude after moving, but when I made the choice to focus on so many many positives, it changed my whole perspective. Our faith and having such a close relationship with the Holy Spirit has alot to do with my joy along with the confirmation and reassurance from Him that we are right where we need to be at this time.

I want you to look back at this last year, this last 5 years, and last 10 years. Look how far you have come! Sometimes as homesteaders, we forget all that we have accomplished just because we have so many more projects to do and so many amazing things yet to learn.

Right now, if you are the person dreaming of owning land someday, think about all the things you can learn while you are waiting. In the season of waiting, you can prepare and dream, and save money!!!!! Be grateful for what you have and stewart it well! Learn how to live a simple life now so that when an opportunity comes up, you are ready.

Here are 7 ways to cultivate positivity during a tough season or the season of waiting.

1. Gratitude Journaling: Start a gratitude journal to regularly jot down things you're thankful for. It could be the warmth of the sun, the sound of nature, or the support of your community or church.
2. Affirmations: Incorporate positive affirmations into your daily routine. Remind yourself of the strengths and capabilities that reside within, fostering a mindset of abundance and possibility.
3. Mindful Positivity: Practice mindful positivity by being aware of your thoughts. Redirect negative thoughts and replace them with affirming and optimistic ones
- 4. Celebrate Small Wins: Acknowledge and celebrate small achievements, both in your homesteading journey and personal life. Recognizing these victories, however minor, contributes to a positive and uplifting atmosphere.
- 5. Visualize Success: Use the power of visualization to imagine your goals coming to fruition.
- 6. Surround Yourself with Positivity: Connect with like-minded individuals who share a positive mindset. Engage in conversations that uplift and inspire, whether it's in your local community or through virtual platforms.
- 7. Being Adaptable and Resilient: Challenges are a natural part of life, and a positive mindset can help navigate them with grace and determination.
Positivity is not just a state of mind but a way of life. By infusing these ideas into your daily routine, you can create a ripple effect of positivity!
Website:

Claimingsimplicity.com

Join our Community of Christian Moms ->

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Talk Soon!

How to Reduce Stress for the Busy Mom During the Holiday so You Can Enjoy This Time with Family and Live More Intentional Nov 20, 2023

Hey Friend!

This is a past episode, so email me if you would like the recipes!

I know you need to reduce stress and simplify your holiday processes as a busy mom trying to do it all.

Create traditions, but keep it simple and enjoy more intentional living.

Find free events in your area to save money.

Make a list and plan your trips to town. Planning is key to keep everything simple and helping minimize it!

So many good tips here!

Website:

Claimingsimplicity.com

Join our Community of Christian Moms ->

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Enjoy!

Monica

Celebration is Important! Take the Time to Reward Yourself When You Accomplish a Milestone, Habit or Goal Big or Small Even as a Busy Mom Nov 13, 2023

Hey Friend!

You are the BEST!!!!!! I just want to say thank you! You are awesome and I love your support! We reached a huge milestone of 50,000 downloads last week!

I am celebrating being obedient and listening to the Holy Spirit! When the subject of podcasting came up, I didn’t even think twice about it since I wasn’t a podcast listener and I didn’t think speaking was one of my gifts. I however know when I need to obey and that is just what I did-I told God to do whatever He wanted in me and that I was available!

I had no idea how podcasting would change my life in so many ways. I want you to know that if there is something you are being called to do, but you are holding back, you can do it with God’s help and you don’t want to wait any longer. If you can help someone else with what you may think is something easy to you, they will be forever grateful.

I didn’t know this life of simple living would affect anyone else. It is just something that has been second nature to me as I was able to raise my babies all while finding creative ways to spend less money just so I could be a stay at home mom. It has blessed me so much to be able to teach others to do the same.

I’m so excited to let you know in celebration of this milestone and our fist email coming out this week, that anyone who signs up on the website for one of our free downloads will also be in a drawing for 2 winners to do a FREE 30 minute coaching call-that a $100 value! If you have already signed up, just shoot me a quick email at monica@claimingsimplicity.com and say hello and you will be in the drawing as well!

On the coaching call, I help you simplify your meals to save money on groceries, help you declutter and use a simple system to keep your home clean, or help you switch over to having a more natural home. Sign up by November 24th 2023 to get in on this deal!!!!!! I’m so passionate about helping others, that I get super excited when I see others getting results to change their lives from overwhelmed, stressed out and exhausted to beginning their simple living journey! Hope to chat soon!

Have a fabulous week and don’t forget to celebrate even your tiniest milestones!!!!!!

Website:

Claimingsimplicity.com

Join our Community of Christian Moms ->

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3 Practical Tips for the Busy Overwhelmed Mom to Find Contentment and Happiness in Your Daily Life Nov 09, 2023

Hey there!

I hear so many people say I will be happy when….I get this or that happens and always wanting more, more, more, but I know you can be happy right where you are right now.

I truely believe that when you are walking with Jesus daily and you have this amazing relationship with him, you can be happy in whatever your circumstance may be. There is such a joy in knowing that He is with you every step of the way.

Contentment is being satisfied and at peace with your current circumstances. It really is an essential element of living a simpler life that you want to have. There is also a connection between gratitude and contentment, so it is crucial that you are thanking God every day for what He has put in your life. There are so many things we take for granted and it is so important to appreciate and give thanks for each little things.

Here are three practical tips for you as a busy moms to find contentment in your daily life.

Creating a daily gratitude journal-this is something I used to do in the morning, but I now like to do this before bed because all the things throughout the day are fresh in my head and it helps to go to bed with a thankful heart
Embracing mindfulness and being present in the moment-don’t have your phone with you when you are doing anything with your child or even when you are together with friends. They know that they have to compete for your attention. Even as an infant. Being present and intentional is critical. I am so happy that I didn’t have to worry about a phone when my kids were young-it is one less thing that could distract me.
Simplifying your routines and schedules so you can focus solely on what truely matters to you in life. Always be true to what you value and that will help you be more content. Less is so much more.

I just wanted to share this message as we enter into the extra busy holiday season where you may get exhausted. Remember to keep it simple and practice contentment.

Blessings friend!

Evaluate What Material You are Consuming and Making Sure it is Biblically Sound so You Don’t Get Sucked into Something that is not of God Nov 06, 2023

Hello

I have an important topic to talk about and I’ll be diving into the essential aspect of ensuring that the sources you follow and the guidance you seek are rooted in our faith and values.

In today's digital age, we're bombarded with information from various sources. It can be challenging to discern which voices are in alignment with our biblical beliefs. Let's start by acknowledging the noise and confusion that surrounds us.

Information overload can lead to confusion and anxiety. I talk to my teenagers about this ALOT. There is alot of confusion when someone that labels themself as a Christian and promotes things that are not Biblically sound or twists Biblical information to fit what they want it to be or isn’t living as a changed person in Christ.

John 10:10 says the thief comes only to steal, killl and destroy, but I have come that they may have life and have it to the full. This verse just came to mind and I think about how sneaky and deceptive the devil is. The great news is that Jesus gives life!!!! The life he gives to us is abundantly rich and satisfying. It is eternal, although it begins immediately when you turn to follow him. Life in Christ is more deeply meaningful than life without him because of his overflowing forgiveness, love and guidance.

One of the key aspects of intentional living is discernment. It's about actively evaluating the content and people we follow to ensure they align with our faith. I’m still learning-sometimes I will be listening to a podcast who I thought was a Christian or calls themself that and then a topic comes up that makes it clear that they do not sharing Biblical values and I stop following them.

significance of connecting with like-minded individuals who share your values will do in your life. Also, make sure your Children are surrounded by other strong Christian friends because the enemy is sure trying to get into the schools, their phones and every aspect he can and they need a solid foundation in Christ. Teaching kids about Christ should be the most important and significant thing you can do

As you know, I’m not into social media much, but I just happened to see something on instagram about all the people that were baptized after the event at the Homesteaders of America conference. God is confirming that this simple life and these people we are choosing to be friends with align with our values. So many people were upset about this, but I believe God is raising up people in our community all for His Glory and I love seeing this. As the end gets nearer and things continue to line up for Jesus to come back to earth, I want to be ready and take as many people with me as I can. There are so many exciting things happening right now in the church, but we need to make sure we are not fooled.

Thank you for joining me on this journey towards intentional living and finding biblical guidance in a noisy world. Remember, it's all about taking small steps to make a big difference in your life.

I encourage you to take a deeper dive into the people you are hanging out with, following, listening to and make sure that they align with your values!

If you havn’t already, go to claimingsimplicity.com and check out the simple recipes listed and share this podcast with a friend that is interesting in beginner homesteading skills and a simpler life!

Website:

Claimingsimplicity.com

Join our Community of Christian Moms ->

https://www.facebook.com/groups/claimingsimplicity/

Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com

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You Tube -> https://www.youtube.com/@claimingsimplicity/

See ya next week!

Monica

Hunting for a Simpler, More Sustainable Homestead Life: Embracing Self-Sufficiency Nov 02, 2023

Hey! Hey!

Welcome back friend to another episode of Claiming Simplicity. I’m your host, Monica H Baker and your fellow homesteader here in the heart of Minnesota.

Before we even start, I should say that you do not need your own land to hunt on. There are many places you can hunt for free such as state land, but also remember that there are many farmers that don’t hunt and are happy to have someone that can use the meat to stop the deer from eating their crops, so if you want to hunt even living in town, there are many many options.

As we embrace the values of slow living and intentional living, hunting becomes more than just a source of sustenance. It's a journey, a connection with the land, and a celebration of nature's bounty. And through it, we'll uncover the many facets of self-sufficiency that enrich our lives.

Why is hunting so important for us as homesteaders? It really aligns perfectly with our commitment to sustainability and self-reliance

I did not grow up hunting, but all 5 of our kids know how to hunt and have experienced it on many different levels from hunting different animals, different techniches such as bow, rifle, and black power to how to processing them.

By harvesting our own wild game, we're not only ensuring a steady, organic source of protein but also reducing our dependency on commercial sources. This self-sufficiency empowers us to take control of our food sources and lead a simpler, more intentional life.

One of the most beautiful aspects of hunting is the connection it fosters with the natural world. As homesteaders, this deep bond with the land and its seasons is what we cherish.

When you're out in the wilderness, tracking game, and observing the beauty of nature, you're truly living the homesteading dream. This connection with nature is a cornerstone of self-sufficiency, as it reminds us of the importance of understanding and respecting the world around us.

Hunting is a family affair for us, a chance to pass down traditional skills to our children and create lasting memories. I have only hunted once with a bow and it was the perfect hunting story I am able to share and I have a hard time sitting still or being cold, so I get to enjoy kids, grandkids, cook meals and have fun as we anticipate all of our hunters coming back with deer! Evenings are full of game nights and stories and quality time together because it gets dark early here now and you can’t hunt past dark of course!

Teaching our kids the art of hunting is a way to ensure that these skills and values are carried forward. It's an incredible gift we can give to the next generation, ensuring that they have the knowledge and self-sufficiency to thrive in an ever-changing world.

Hunting can also be a vital tool for maintaining a balanced ecosystem on our homesteads. It helps manage local wildlife populations, which is crucial for protecting our gardens and crops.

By taking a responsible approach to hunting, we contribute to a healthier environment for all living creatures on our land, further emphasizing the importance of creating a harmonious and sustainable life.

Beyond hunting, let's take a moment to reflect on the broader benefits of self-sufficiency which means being less reliant on external systems. It allows us to save money, reduce waste, and create a more resilient and empowered life. It's about taking control of your own destiny and enjoying the freedom that comes with it.

I hope you've gained a deeper appreciation for the significance of hunting on our homesteads and the multiple dimensions of self-sufficiency that enrich our lives.

Website:

Claimingsimplicity.com

Join our Community of Christian Moms ->

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Happy Hunting!

Monica

5 Benefits to Simplifying your Life so You Can go From being Overwhelmed to Peaceful with Less Stress Oct 30, 2023

Hey there!

We are going to talk about 5 benefits of simplifying!

Let's kick things off by talking about one of the most profound benefits of simplifying your life: mental clarity. In our fast-paced world, it's easy to become overwhelmed by the constant noise and distractions. Simplifying your life allows you to declutter your mind, reduce stress, and make room for what truly matters

Simplicity isn't just about decluttering our physical spaces; it's also about simplifying our relationships. When we focus on meaningful connections, we can deepen our bonds with loved ones and create more fulfilling, authentic relationships.

Time is our most precious resource, and simplifying your life can help you reclaim it. Simplicity allows you to have more time for the things you love and the activities that bring you joy and time you never get back with loved ones. Time Freedom is the most amazing benefit to me. I don’t ever want to have regrets that I missed out on things.

Simplicity and intentional living can have a significant impact on your finances. There is so much freedom in not having debt.

Simplifying your life can lead to more mindful parenting as a busy mom.. Discover the joy of being present with your children and creating beautiful memories together."

If you enjoyed today's episode, don't forget to subscribe, share it with your friends, and leave a review. Your feedback means the world to me. And if you have any questions or topics you'd like me to cover in future episodes, feel free to reach out. Until then, stay cozy and live intentionally.

Website:

Claimingsimplicity.com

Join our Community of Christian Moms ->

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Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com

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God Bless and see you in the next episode!

Monica

Save Money on Groceries with Breakfast Food Swaps so You Can Feed Your Family Nutritious Food While Spending Less Money Oct 26, 2023

Wow, I’m so glad you are enjoying this podcast-if there is anything you want me to talk about, just send me an email. I always love to hear from you! Since you loved the last episode on saving money on snacks so much, I thought I would do a quick episode on saving money on breakfast foods.

Breakfast food is so simple to make and cheap compared to most other foods! When I want to stretch our budget even further, we will add breakfast meals as dinner meals. In the season we are in right now with limited time, in order for my family to eat nutritious food every morning without spending alot of time, I have to have meals prepared usually ahead of time. I like my kids to start out their day with a healthy protein. We butchered a couple pigs this Fall, so we have plenty of breakfast sausage,ham and bacon, and we usually have eggs with all of our chickens now, so I like to make up a bunch of breakfast sandwiches and have some in the fridge and some in the freezer. I also like to make up breakfast burritos with eggs, ham, sausage, bacon and cheese. I make big batches and it will last for several weeks. I try to make a bunch of sourdough bagels, english muffins, and croissants for different sandwiches because that is much cheaper and healthier than buying bread, bagels and muffins at the store, but even if you have to buy those from the store and make the sandwiches up yourself, you are going to save a bunch of money rather than buying made up sandwiches. Another thing we like to have is breakfast bowls and those are similar to the sandwiches, just without the bread. Eggs are some of the cheapest and healthiest meals you can make and they are so versatile.

Many times I will just fry up sausage patties and bacon and just have it in the fridge and we use as we need it. It is so easy to just make everything at once so you only have to clean up once and you feel productive. I also like to make large batches of sweet breads and muffins and freeze into different portions because they are just so handy to have around.

Homemade granola is super simple to make and I talked about making your own yogurt on the last podcast and with those we like to make yogurt cups with layered yogurt, granola and fruit. Anything we can grab and go in the morning is nice to have on hand.

Instead of buying packaged waffles or pancakes, make your own and freeze them. Seriously, it is simple and they taste so much better.

When I have an abundance of eggs, I will also make up some egg bakes and freeze them. I love to put them in the refrigerator the night before and bake in the morning, but we will also have these for dinners as well. I do have my favorite eggbake recipe on the blog at claimingsimplicity.com if you want to try it yourself! It is great as leftovers too!

Another quick healthy breakfast idea would be overnight oats. We rarely eat oatmeal in our home, but that is another simple low cost nutritious option.

Take a morning once a month and make some of these items. I promise you that if you are buying expensive packaged items and you switch to making some of your own simple breakfast, you will see your grocery budget shrink significantly. Even if you implement making 1 new item per month, that will help to lessen your grocery budget!

Let me know if you try the eggbake on the blog and how your family likes it! I have been making this eggbake for 25 years and even the pickiest eaters love it!

If you are enjoying this podcast, you would also enjoy my short and sweet emails with tips to simplify, save money, and all things homesteading~just go to claimingsimplicity.com and join our newsletter list or check out the blog with recipes!

Website:

Claimingsimplicity.com

Join our Community of Christian Moms ->

https://www.facebook.com/groups/claimingsimplicity/

Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com

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You Tube -> https://www.youtube.com/@claimingsimplicity/

Be Blessed Friend!

Monica

Simple Tips to Save Money on Snacks from the Grocery Store to Reduce Your Grocery Bill Oct 23, 2023

Happy Fall!!!

I have rarely ever bought packaged snacks simply because 25 years ago when my oldest kids were young, our grocery budget was very small and I had to stretch it with foods that filled my family up and lasted the longest.

In order for me to stay at home with our kids, I had to make sure I wasn’t overspending on any area because when the money was gone, it was gone because we didn’t have any credit cards. I got really good at spending very little by making everything homemade with ingredients that were cheap and filling. This often meant searching for recipes that used beans or pasta, but also delicious snacks.

I hear so many people spending several hundreds of dollars every week on snacks, so I just want to give you these super simple tips to make your dollar stretch further at the grocery store.

First, evaluate what snack you buy. Are they individually packed? Are you buying unnecessary items such as fancy waters or drinks? Could you make some of what you are buying very easily at home? The key to stretching your dollar further is knowing exactly what you are buying and what you can change.

So lets talk about individult packaged ANYTHING! I’m talking yogurts, chips, cookies, crackers……absolutely anything packaged this way is going to cost you so much extra money! So instead of buying individual bags of cheese its for example, buy a large box and separate into baggies yourself. This isn’t hard and it will save you a ton of money. If it is individual yogurts, just buy a large container and separate out into smaller containers. Instead

of buying individual packaged cheese, buy a big block and cut it yourself. I never did understand why someone would pay extra money for cheddar cheese in individual sticks-taste the same, but costs a ton more!!!!! These things do take a few minutes, but you will be happy when you see the savings you can make.

You may want to consider buying in bulk the things you use often. They may cost a little more up front, but last you much longer for a longer period of time.

Another way to save on groceries is to look at what you buy and see if you can easily make it. You know me…..i keep everything simple and I want you to also. You have no idea how simple some of your snacks can be to make. If it seems overwhelming to make your own snack, just start with one item a month and master that and add another the next month. Trail mix is a great snack that you can easily buy the ingredients in bulk and just dump together and it will a ton of save money. Another thing that is super simple to make is yogurt-not only is it simple to make, but it also is so much more nutritious.

I’m working on a course right now to teach you how to make these simple everyday products at home, so get on my email list if you want to be the first to learn about it when it is done!!!!!! The link to my website is in the description and you are not going to want to miss it! I had a granddaughter that liked uncrustables and I saw this tool for a couple bucks at the store the pinches edges together and they are another thing that is simple to make-you don’t have to have this tool to make them though! You can just cut the crust off of your peanut butter and jelly sandwich and place in a bag!

I absolutely love teaching you these simple systems to save money and make your life easier that I have learned over the years!

And next…..if you are buying muffins, cookies or snacks you can bake at home, find a recipe and if your kids are old enough, they can make them or you could make them together. When you price out ingredients to make several dozens of products, you will notice, you can only get a small portion of that for the same price. Sometimes it takes getting creative. If you think you don’t have time, then keep spending the extra money at the store! If you truely want to cut your grocery budget, this is something you can make time for and doesn’t take that long. Most recipes take less than 15 minutes to mix up!

I could go on and on and on about all the things you can make yourself, but I want to keep this episode short as always because I know you are a busy mom!

I would love for you to send me any of your favorite tips or tricks on saving money on snacks too because I always enjoy learning!!!!!!!

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Have a wonderful day friend!

Monica

Where is Your Money Going? Creating a Budget and Being Frugel Will Help You Save Money on Your Farm Whether You are a Beginning Homesteader or Seasoned Homesteader Oct 20, 2023

Hey Hey Friend

if you are not budgeting and spending large amounts of money and don’t know where every penny is going, it won’t seem like you are making anything and you need to be conscious of that. It is like a job, I’m sure you know people that get a pay increase, but because their spending goes up with it, they don’t even notice the additional income. I’m not saying that you won’t ever have a loss because there are season’s where you are doing alot of investing to grow and that is ok. I just want to give you some tips and encouragement if you feel like you can’t get ahead but you are dreaming of homesteading and simple living.

First, lets talk about mindset. You can do anything you put your mind to when you are partnering with God. You know that you get what you think about, so if you think you can’t make money, you probably won’t! If you think you can’t save money, you probably won't. Also, if you are in the scarcity mindset, that will keep you from achieving your goals as well. When you have control of where each penny goes, it will get you out of that mindset. Now, I’m not a mindset expert, so this is just from my experience and the experiences of people around me. When I gave a bigger % of my income away, I received more and that meant trusting God. Pay attention to what the Bible says……everything we have is His and when we steward well with little, he will give us much. Luke 16:10 from the Psssion Translation says the one who faithfully manages the little he has been given will be promoted and trusted with greater responsibilities. But those who cheat with the little they have been given will not be considered trustworthy to receive more. Sometimes we dont even realize we are not being faithful in the little things because it is something we have always done or it doesn’t seem like a big deal, but to God, those little things are big things. Pray for God to convict you of those little things that you are not even aware of.

Next, if you feel like everything is expensive, think about where you are looking for things. You don’t need a fancy looking chicken coop or buildings that costs you a fortune. You can also cut bottom of barrels off for waterers or feeding pails people give away, there are so many options when you think outside the box!

Now remember, I recommend starting small and growing as you learn because you don’t want to get in over your head financially or overwhelmed with too much to learn.

Buy used whenever possible. I was thinking about this as I have been putting off getting a new blender until I find one for a good price. I see kitchen aid mixers and big items like that on craigslist or swap and shops because sometimes people have good intentions to use something, but then don’t end up doing something they bought the item for. I get my kombucha jars free from restaurants and there are so many ways you can save money on your homestead!

I am always trying to find frugal ways to do things without being tacky or looking junky. So my handy husband goes to the dump and almost every time he brings something in, he finds something we can use on our farm. He has gotten wood we made animal pens with and raised gardens with. He got a rake to pull behind the 4 wheeler for our driveway and many many other item. He scores some pretty sweet deals so we don’t have to buy much new! Something else you can do is if you notice someone has something in their yard or field and they don’t use it, ask them if they want to sell. We have gotten pig huts and many other items that way as well. He gets free wood shavings from a lumber place and is always on the lookout for things we can use He is always picking up good pallets to build gates, shelters and other things too!

Our chicken coop just has tree branches across for the chickens to roost on and that has been amazing along with the free wood shavings he gets that we place on the floor that are easy to scoop up. A neighbor was putting new tin on their roof and he asked if he could take it and has made several buildings with that and they were happy they didn’t have to get rid of it. There are so many ways you can make your homestead nice without spending much money. We found used solar fencing this summer and that has been amazing to just put up and move the pigs easily in the woods. They sure enjoyed eating all those acorns!

Gas and groceries seem to be a large portion of our budget, so something you can do with gas is make your trips very intentional. Try to combine things together to make less trips if you can and the next episode I am going to talk about how to save money on snacks. I keep hearing people say that the snacks at the store have significantly increased in price, so I want to do an episode on how to save money on snack food from the grocery store.

I hope that you will consider trying out a few of these ways to save money and simplify so you can stop feeling stressed and overwhelmed and become profitable on your farm or homestead.

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Love ya friend!

Monica

Simple Ways to Make Money Homesteading So You Can Earn Money While Enjoying Living a Simpler Life Oct 16, 2023

Hey Friend!

Homesteading can be a fulfilling lifestyle, but it can also be challenging to make a living solely through homesteading activities. However, there are several ways to generate income while homesteading:

Sell your produce: Homesteaders can grow a variety of crops, fruits, and vegetables to sell at farmer's markets, local stores, or online marketplaces. You can also consider starting a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, where customers can purchase a share of your harvest at the beginning of the season and receive a weekly box of fresh produce. You can sell eggs and sourdough, but those are things you would have to sell alot of to make a living, but a great way to bring in extra income!
Raise livestock: You can raise animals such as chickens, cows, pigs, goats or sheep to sell their meat, milk, eggs, or fiber. You can also breed and sell livestock, or offer services like pet boarding, training, or shearing.
You can create value-added products such as cheese, butter, jam, honey, soap, or candles using your harvest or livestock. These products have a higher profit margin and can be sold online or at craft fairs.
You can host workshops, tours, or retreats on your homestead to teach people about homesteading skills, farming practices, or sustainable living. You can also offer lodging, camping, or glamping options for visitors.
You can offer your skills and expertise as a freelance writer, photographer, web designer, or consultant to other homesteaders or businesses in your niche.
If your homestead doesn't generate enough income, you can work with a company until you are making enough on your own or you can sell products from a company you use and align with your values. This is how I was able to transition from nursing. Growing a business while working full time lets you transition out of a job as you replace that income
It's essential to assess your skills, resources, and market demand before starting a homesteading business. You may need to obtain licenses, permits, or certifications depending on your business type and location. You should also develop a marketing plan, set realistic goals, and manage your finances carefully.
Love you friend!
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Complete Pantry Staples. What I Keep Stocked and How I Organize My Pantry So We Don’t Ever Run Out of Common Food Items Oct 13, 2023

Hello!

I'll discuss the essential supplies you need to keep your pantry well-stocked and becoming somewhat self-sufficient. Whether you're a seasoned homesteader or just starting your journey, you're bound to find some valuable insights in today's episode.

Let's talk about why having a well-stocked pantry is essential for homesteaders. In the last few years, the importance of self-sufficiency, food security, and being prepared had caused me to grow my pantry must haves to an even bigger list. Anything I don’t have to buy at the store is a bonus and I am continually learning! It is so amazing to me how simple it is to make many items and how you can save money on food making items yourself!

When deciding the amount of basic staple items to keep on hand, think about the amount of that item you use and how long you can store the item for. For instance, can goods last years, but items like flour only last 6 months in the pantry and you can put it in the fridge or freezer to last longer, but I don’t like to use up my room in those areas for flour, so I only buy enough for 6 months! Now I do go through alot of flour making sourdough, so I do buy it in bulk, but if you don’t use much of it, you can just buy a bag or 2 at a time.

One of the joys of homesteading is growing your food and preserving it! It sure grows your pantry quickly.

You will want your pantry to be fairly well-organized, and items should be rotated regularly. So that I use up the oldest item first, I always add what I buy the the back of the shelf so I am constantly using up the oldest items first to keep things from getting outdated.

Building a well-stocked pantry can be cost-effective if you know where to look. Buying in bulk on things you use alot of and also buying things when they are on sale can save money on your grocery bill.

Remember, your pantry is the heart of your homestead, providing you with security, sustenance, and the means to share with others. Whether you're a homesteading veteran or just starting out, building and maintaining a well-stocked pantry is a rewarding journey.

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See ya next week!

Monica

7 Proven Strategies to Save Big on Groceries Each Month and Why You Want to Start Your Homestead Journey Now Oct 09, 2023

Hello Friend!

Here are some ways to reduce your trips to the grocery store by producing and preserving your own food

First up, we have homestead meal planning. One of the keys to reducing your grocery store visits is planning your meals around what you produce on your homestead. Whether it's fresh vegetables, fruits, or even homemade dairy products, creating a monthly meal calendar based on what's in season and available can significantly cut down those trips to town and then plan weekly using up what you have. Find locally sourced raw milk, meat, eggs, and seasonly produce if possible! Collaborate with neighboring homesteaders to exchange surplus produce or goods. Bartering can be an excellent way to acquire items you don't produce yourself, further decreasing your reliance on outside sources

Next, let's talk about growing your own food. Consider cultivating crops like grains, beans, and root vegetables that can be stored for an extended period, but also growing what you use whether it be in pots or a small yard, you can grow all kinds of your own food even if you live in an apartment. By doing this, you'll reduce the need for frequent trips to stock up on staples. And if you can’t grow it, azure standard is a great place to order bulk or you may have a mennonite or amish store in your area that sells these items like we do!

Preservation is the name of the game on the homestead. You are going to want to learn various food preservation techniques like canning, dehydrating, fermenting, and root cellaring. These methods will help you extend the shelf life of your produce, reducing your reliance on store-bought goods.

Storing essentials in bulk is a tried-and-true method for minimizing grocery runs. Flour, sugar, grains—these are the items you can purchase in larger quantities to reduce the frequency of your shopping trips. I will add a quick bonus episode later this week with my pantry must haves that I always have on hand!

For those lucky enough to have farm animals, they can provide a consistent source of fresh eggs, milk, and meat. This reduces your reliance on store-bought protein sources and adds a unique dimension to your homesteading journey.

Another essential strategy is creating a cold storage solution. Whether it's a root cellar or a deep freezer, having a place to store vegetables, fruits, and meats for an extended period is invaluable.

Why not produce homemade items like bread, cheese, and yogurt using ingredients from your own homestead? This not only adds a personal touch to your meals but also reduces the need to buy these items from the store.

Continuously build your skills in food production and preservation. The more you know, the more self-sufficient you can become over time, reducing your dependence on external sources.

Lastly, don't forget the importance of community involvement. Join local homesteading or agricultural communities to share knowledge, resources, and experiences with like-minded individuals. Together, we can all strive for a more self-sufficient and sustainable way of life. I started a monthly homesteading women’s event last month and we had an amazing turnout and really looking forward to next month! It is such a blessing to be surrounded by like minded women! If your in Central MN and would like to join us, just reach out to me!!!

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xoxo,

Monica

Are You Living on Purpose? Breaking Away from the “Norm” and Simplifying Could Change Your Life Oct 02, 2023

Hey friend!

I hope you are having a fabulous day!

I just want to talk to you about living life on purpose, so today you may want to grab a pen and paper or if you are driving, you can always listen to this again. If you are just going through the motions to get by each and every day, but not doing what God has called you to do, you may be unhappy. I can’t believe the amount of people that go to college, get a job, but feel stuck and very unhappy in their every day to day life and look forward to the weekend instead of enjoying every single day, but feel that have to stay there. If that is you, I want you to know you can change that!

Something that will set you apart is personal development. Start reading some sort of personal development daily. I started this many many years ago and it has changed my life in so many ways!

Jesus tells us that whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, so start right where you are at….go to the library and rent a book-there are so many! Jim Rohn, John maxwell, napoleon hill, robert kiasayki just to name a few and that is a fabulous start to changing your life.

Next, I want you to think about your life and visualize what you want it to look and feel like. Write down all the details from the house you want to live in to the area you want to be to how it all makes you feel. What is stopping you from being there and doing what you love? Do you need to redirect what you are doing? What can you change? What is keeping you in the unfulfilled daily job? Really think deep about these questions.

Another thing I want you to think about Is an area in your life you could simplify so you don’t have to be stuck in the 9-5 rut and can start enjoying what you value most? I know so many people that say they can’t quit their job because they cant afford to.

It is amazing to me that people value material items more than their everyday life-think about that. Just in case you didn’t know this - you can’t take your possesions to heaven with you, so why are you doing something you arent enjoying just to gather stuff and try to look good for the people around you!

Look around, do you have things you spent money on that you didn’t really need? You can always downsize vehicles and your home to live the life you dream of. I applaud all the people moving from larger cities to rural towns to raise their families and live a slower life. It is so worth it!

I look back now and can see how God interveved and helped up to skip that speedbump to get to where we are now! I still do not know why we are where we are, but when God speaks loud and clear, we listen!

We really are living the dream right now and it is so incredibly enjoyable, but we had to go through many obstacles to get here. We had to say no to many things that would take us away from our dreams and it all takes time.

And my last advice would be to get out of debt as fast as you can. Make sacrifices, walk with Jesus daily, give abundantly and do with less for a short while and God will Bless you. The first step towards living this life is to do something out of the norm that most people won't do.

Send me a message and let me know what you are doing to take your first step to break away from what most people call the norm!!

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Love you friend! Chat with ya next week!

Monica

5 Simple Ways to Keep a Tidy and Clean Home Even as a Busy Mom with Kids Sep 18, 2023

Hello!

With having animals, moving and getting everything here ready for winter to make it convenient to feed and water all the animals,

we rarely spend time inside, so even being so busy, I wanted to give you 5 simple ways to keep your home clean when you have little time to do it. Once you get into a simple routine, you are more likely to keep it tidy!

First, you may have to just make a list of the things you want to get done in the morning, you might have to get up a little earlier than normal, but if you prepare the night before, you will be able to establish a very easy cleaning routine in less time to keep your house clean. I like to have lunches ready, clothes out, quick tidy, counters cleaned off and dishes put away in the evening. Then when morning comes, I can make coffe, toss a load of clothes in while I make coffee, read my Bible and pray. I then do chores outside, make bed, shower, put dirty clothes in laundry basket, make breakfast, clean up, put clothes in the dryer and we head out the door or I sit down to work. It is very simple and doesn’t need to take alot of time. The house is then clean when I leave or start working.

Next, this is key to keeping a tidy house - declutter so you have less stuff to manage! You know I am a huge fan of keeping it simple! If you have less stuff to put in its place, you will have less time you need to clean. The mess can add up much quicker if you have more items in your home. Since we just moved a few months ago, I’m still getting rid of things I don’t need or won’t use in this home. If it doesn’t have a place, you don’t need to keep it! It will be treasured by someone who can actually use the item, so freely donate items!

Third, is to have some sort of storage containers, hook or baskets for loose items. Look around and see what is causing the mess and if you could implement something to combat the items being piled up. This could be mail, clothes, or something you could catorgorize together. For instance, my husband loves to try different spices when he cooks, so we had a whole cupboard full of different meat rubs and spices and we could never fine anything, so I got some baskets and I put the spices I bake with in one basket life pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon and things like that in one basket, his spices for meat in another one and salt and pepper separate from that. It is so much easier to find now since we just pull the correct basket out and don’t have to dig throught the whole cupboard. Simple solution, but it saves so much time and I rarely have to spend time reorganizing it!

Fourth, take 15 minutes a day to do a quick tidy…..set your phone alarm and you will be amazed at what you can get done in that short amount of time. It is really refreshing when you have a clean house and you will be much more productive as well!

And Lastly, make sure the whole family is involved. I always say to my kids, if you see a need, fill it. So if they see that something needs to be done, don’t just walk by and ignore, just do it quickly. Teach them young and it will be the norm for them! It doesn’t mean they can’t make a mess…..when my girls are baking, making pasta or anything in the kitchen, it always looks like a bomb went off, but they know that when they get done, it needs to all be cleaned up and that is what they do! Very rarely do I even need to remind them anymore, but it does take time to make it a habit!

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God Bless!

Monica

Simple & Quick Healthy Lunches and Snacks for Busy Moms with Kids in Many Activities Sep 11, 2023

Hello!

I wanted to bring up some simple meals and snacks to send with your kids! If I don’t send nutritious snacks and drinks with the girls, they will end up going to a gas station and spending money they don’t need to on junk food, so I like to prepare as much as possible.

Something we always have on hand and the kids like is cheese sticks and summer sausage or beef sticks. Anything Made with eggs and boiled eggs are another one we always have around since we have chickens! We make our venison sausage every year at deer hunting and they enjoy it and it is a great snack! Sometimes I will make sourdough crackers, although they only last a day in our house and I haven’t figured out a longer storage solution where they stay nice and crisp for a longer period of time, so if you have any tricks with that, send me an email. But really…., they probably wouldn’t last that long anyway…they gobble them up quick!

We have an abundance of plums and apples on our apple trees right now, so apples and peanut butter is another good snack. I also like to buy cuties/clementines to keep on hand because they seem to last a little longer than berries. Frozen grapes are another fabulous snack that my kids love! Any kind of fruit, but these seem to be our go to that last the longest. Watermelon is a cheaper fruit and stored correctly can last for a few weeks! We really try to eat seasonally if at all possible, so this time of the year, we tend to have more fruit and less during the winter here.

We love to make sourdough bread and bagels, and that is a great thing to pack for lunches with ham or turkey and cheese. I try to stay away from things they have to heat up, but it has been very handy to have little thermoses if they want to take soup, chilli, or hotdishes because it stays warm for quite some time.

Breakfast muffins and sweet breads are super easy to make in big batches and keep in the freezer and yogurt, berries and granola are some other favorites that my kids enjoy and simple to pack.

We also can at least 150 quarts of pickles, so that is a super snack that travels well and everyone loves! Olives are another good food to add.

I could talk about this all day, but you really just need to prepare if you want to save money because otherwise you will spend money on expensive convenience snacks that are unhealthy and cost you so much more! If you want more recipes, I have just added the blog on my website and will be adding more and more simple recipes for you to help you save money that are nutritious so you feel confident giving your family quality foods at a low price. Go to claimingsimplicity.com and check it out! I will be adding more recipes soon that you can use with your garden produce!

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See ya next week!
Monica

Keeping Life Simple and as Minimal as Possible Means Surrounding Yourself with Other Homesteaders and Building Community With Other Like Minded People Sep 04, 2023

Hello and Happy Labor Day

Today I want to discuss how important community is as we have been so amazed by the neighbors within a few miles of our home. Everyone helps everyone and it has been such a blessing in so many ways. The weird thing is that we only moved 5 miles, but we have been surrounded with the most helpful people we call friends as they have helped us navigate so many things with adding 23 pigs and helping us get ready for our 4 dexters coming in about a month to helping us casterate piglets for the first time. We have had a huge learning curve on our farm as we have had chickens and goats for a long time, but this will be the first time with pigs and cows. So far it has been a fun experience with the pigs and we are really looking forward to the cows!!!!!

There are so many things to learn and it has been so fascinating what we are learning along the way! For us, we have worked on pens and fencing probably the last four weeks because as we needed more pens, we needed to make more space as the piglets get weened, another one will be having piglets anytime, so we had to move the boar out of that pen and then the boar cant be alone, so we put our American Guinea/Idaho Pasture Pigs in with him as they have most of our garden for next year rooted up. It is a great time for the pigs to be in the woods right now because there are so many acorns falling from the oak trees and they are in heaven with all the vegetation. It has been a process, but we are sure enjoying it!

With our cows coming next month, we had hay to cut and a neighbor borrowed us their machinery and we were able to buy a semi load of round bales from them as well as we will need a bunch for the winter because we never know how long that will be here!

When we got our pigs, another neighbor had borrowed us their trailer to haul them and that was so helpful as well. We have such incredible neighbors and we are able to pay back with heavy equipment work and my husband will be able to fix their equipment in the winter.

All this to say, reach out to those around you because it is so important to build community where you are at. We are all in this together. Reach out to others and see what you can help with and learn as much as you can from those that have gone before you.

It is so nice that we can learn from you tube, but there is so much more power in surrounding yourself with those right in your own community.

I’m so excited to share that I will be having our first Monthly Women’s Homesteading gathering next month, so if you are in central Minnesota, we would love to have you join us. DM me for the details or send me an email at monica@claimingsimplicity.com

https://fb.me/e/1dkvlPWsw

Have an awesome week friend! Talk to ya next week!

Monica

How to Build a Small Farm as Homesteading Beginners When You Work Outside the Home and Time is Limited Aug 28, 2023

Hello

I know you are busy and overwhelmed as a beginning homesteader working outside the home, but I want to help you to get started with less stress so you can enjoy the process of building your own homestead!

It can be exhausting thinking about all the things you want to do and could do, so I always suggest, start slow because there are so many things you can learn as you are trying to become somewhat self-sufficient!

One of the simplest things you can do is plant some fruit trees or bushes. At our home we just sold, that is something we wish we would have done sooner. We planted several different kinds of apple trees and were just enjoying the fruit the last couple years! There are so many things you can do with apples, but I suggest you research what grows best in your area. We have a long cold winter here in Minnesota, so we aren’t able to grow any kind of citrus trees here unfortunately, but we do use apples for many different things and the apples we arent able to use, the pigs, goats and chickens go nuts over!!!! Luckily we have several apple trees and plum trees to the farm we moved to. Another thing that I planted last weekend was rhubarb, it won’t be ready for a few years, but we use rhubarb for jams, jellies, pies, desserts and many other things and we like to freeze it so we have it all year long, so I wanted to get that going. I have some strawberry and raspberry shoots I will be getting from a friend, so we are going to get those planted as well this Fall. The nice thing about getting these fruits planted is that it is something you can do now and it doesn’t take much time, but then don’t have to do anything with them until the future, so find some time to get things like these planted!

If you have a small space or don’t have land, another activity you can do is learn how to preserve food just from either going to farmers markets and purchasing produce, or finding bulk items and learning different ways to make it. You don’t have to do a large amount if you don’t have the space to store it, but it is so good to figure out these methods! Learning skills is something that you can easily do in your extra spare time and you don’t need acreage to do this, so if you are wanting to eventually move to the country, learn all you can while you are waiting. You can learn how to make sourdough and cook from scratch with little time because I know you are busy!

Don’t complicate the process! Sometimes we wait for things to be perfect, but like I said before, they most likely will never be perfect! I like to simplify everything I do, so right now I am trying to make our pig pens, goat area and fencing as simple as I can for watering and feeding because I don’t have alot of extra time these days! I have had to switch this around several times because we keep moving fencing to rotate them, so this is a process as we have never had this many animals and it is ever changing!

I hope these give you a few ideas to get started now even as you are just beginning no matter what your living situation is!

Website:

Claimingsimplicity.com

Join our Community of Christian Moms ->

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Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com

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:) Monica

Perfection and the Pursuit of Homesteading as a Busy Overwhelmed Mom Aug 21, 2023

Hello

Let’s explore how the pursuit of perfection influences the homesteading lifestyle, and how the ideals of self-sufficiency and simplicity intersect with the human desire for perfection.

Do you strive for perfection in various aspects of life? I think of how perfection may stall you in your pursuit of homesteading. Most things here on our little farm are not perfect…in fact I don’t know of anything that is, but if I was waiting for perfection, most things may not get done. Here is an example from this last week. We got 21 pigs 2 days after I went to look at a couple piglets!!!! The neighbors down the road had to sell all their Kune Kune pigs because he was waiting on a transplant any day, so we looked at them on Friday and Saturday we were fencing and making pens because 3 of the sows had piglets and they each needed their own pens. We used wood around our place to make pens, cut 5 gallon pails off for their feed and watering dishes and made it work so that we could move them over to our farm on Sunday! We do really well on improvising so that we don’t have to spend alot of money, but that means things are not perfect!

Social media and modern culture contribute to the pressure of presenting a perfect life-I mean if I would have taken a picture today, I was filthy from working on animal pens and there was nothing pretty about it, so when I see these beautiful pictures on instagram with beautiful women in dresses in the garden or barnyard, I realize that it isn’t realistic for most people.

There is such an appeal of a simpler, self-sufficient lifestyle in today's fast-paced world, but you do not have to wait until you know everything. It is good to start small and add, but you will learn as you go and you will never know everything. There are so many things to learn when you homestead and it seems there are a hundred ways to do each thing because everyone does things differently!

There are so many benefits of homesteading, such as reconnecting with nature, sustainable living, and community building and I encourage you to just get started!

With homesteading, you will have setbacks, failures, and the unpredictable nature of farming and living off the land, so you will have to let go of the need for perfection. I promise, you will find joy in the journey if you do!

Remember that the pursuit of perfection is a journey, but it is usually unrealistic with homesteading, so don’t let it steal your joy. Embracing imperfections and finding beauty in the process can lead to a more fulfilling and meaningful experience, both on the homestead and in life.

Website:

Claimingsimplicity.com

Join our Community of Christian Moms ->

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xoxo,

Monica

Slow Down or You May Get Exhausted or Burnt Out Because You Should Enjoy Life and The Things You Really Value and Most Things Can Wait Aug 18, 2023

Hello

I want you to think about your life right now. Do you feel like you are going 100 miles per hour at all times? If so, you need to slow down! My body was in exhaustion mode for about 3 weeks and I felt like I couldn’t add one more thing or I would crash, but I knew it was God’s way of telling me to step back and take a look at what I value and what is important.

This is not normally how I live as we have designed our life with putting our time and energy on the things we value most, so we had to evaluate what was really important-getting our house finished at a crazy pace or slow down and make time for more enjoyable moments. Getting our eyes off what is truely important will make us more vulnerable to Satan’s attack and I knew that I was getting up and working right away in the morning without spending my quiet time with God every day and that really got me off track! I’m happy to say that after I got back into my normal routine, everything just started falling back into place.

So first, step back to see where you have the most chaos.

Next, see what you can eliminate

Last, practice living in the present and enjoying it.

See ya next week!

Monica

Website:

Claimingsimplicity.com

Join our Community of Christian Moms ->

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Steps to Declutter Your House to Have More Peace and Less Stress as a Busy Overwhelmed Homestead Mom Aug 17, 2023

Hello

Another lessoned learned the last month is too much stuff is pure chaos. All areas of my life feel unorganized when I had stuff everywhere-I almost forget a few appointments, I had a doctor bill that got lost in the mess and I got a letter last week saying this is your last notice-what? I take pride on never being late on any bill as most are set up automatically, but that could have cost me extra money if I would have missed it, but I’m sure the address change had something to do with it as well. I ended up buying duplicate items because I had no idea where something was, so clutter can also cost you quite a bit of money, so if you want to save money, learn to live with less stuff!

Start decluttering your home if you have not! I still have a enclosed trailer full of stuff and I don’t even want to unpack it and we still have a storage unit with items in. I’m waiting until I have the time to organize and put where it needs to go, but now that we have used some of it in the last few months, I’m thinking we might downsize even further!

I am finally feeling somewhat better because I am finding a place for items in our home and anything that doesn’t have a place is going to the donation center. This home is quite a bit bigger….even though we wanted to downsize but this is where God wanted us, it seems to have less storage space because it is a more open concept and not like the farmhouse style we had before, so it has been tricky. I honestly don’t know how people function with stuff all over, it just mentally drained me. It is so much easier to have less stuff than to have to take up mental space for many items. Here are some things I want you to do right now.

First, look around your home and see if there is any garbage laying around and toss it. Train yourself and your family to put garbage away when you get done with it. It is something that you may consciously have to do for a while until it becomes a habit, but it will make such a difference for you. After that, look around if there are any dishes laying around where they should not be and put them into the kitchen where they belong. Make sure you are making note of where the problems are happening so you can incorporate new systems to keep the clutter at bay.

Another thing you should think about is every time you purchase an item is if you have a place for it and also what you are we going to get rid of-especially when you are thrift shopping because honestly, that can become clutter if you don’t keep on top of it! And if you are like me….you like a good deal! Remember it isn’t a good deal if it becomes clutter!

Plan your week…so much less chaos when you know what is happening and you have a plan. Take Sunday evening or Monday morning to look through what is going on so you don’t always feel scattered and flying by the seat of your pants!

Implement these first few items to get you on your way to simple living and more peace!!!

I can help you make a plan to simplify! If you want to win a ½ hour coaching call, you could be 1 of 4 people that begin to turn your chaos into calm and I would love to help you on that journey!!!!!

~Monica

Website:

Claimingsimplicity.com

Join our Community of Christian Moms ->

https://www.facebook.com/groups/claimingsimplicity/

Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com

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You Tube -> https://www.youtube.com/@claimingsimplicity/

Save Money Having Fun No Matter What Stage of Life You are in and There are so Many Activites and Day Trips You Can do for Free for Your Family Aug 16, 2023

Hello

I wanted to talk about having fun because at my parent’s 50th wedding anniversary party a couple weeks ago, my daughters were telling my nephews that they haven’t done anything this summer but work…..and yes, we have worked alot and they have been so much help, but they maybe forgot the many things they did do! They are so used to doing several day trips during the week and going to our cabin more which we didn’t get too much this summer! We normally do many things and we have had less time with friends this summer and volleyball practice starts every day, so I’m sure that is why they don’t think they have done much, so I was feeling a little Mom quilt knowing how much work we have done so we took a few days to just hang out last week and do what they wanted to do.

You don’t need to spend money on fun activities! We also like to tube down the river, go to random parks with hiking trails, we hiked the highest point in the county next to us in June, we go to the turtle races, movies in the park, parades, church events and festivities, barn dances, car shows, frisbee golf, pickle ball, strawberry patch, different beaches and county parks, splash pads, picnics, bike riding and we get together with friends and family often with bonfires, game nights and going to the lake just to name a few.

Our activities look different in the summer than the winter here, they look different at every age group but there are so many many things you can do without spending money and it is such good quality time together. Raise kids that enjoy the simple things in life and teach them that you don’t have to spend money to have fun.

We love nature, so most times our adventures aren’t shopping or spending money unless we go to some touristy lake towns to check out the events and little shops. Save money and live a quality life with simple living.

I truely believe teaching your kids that less is more is so important and to enjoy the little things in life.

Website:

Claimingsimplicity.com

Join our Community of Christian Moms ->

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Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com

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Simple Meal Planning is Important for Eating Healthy, Wasting Less Food, and Saving Money Aug 15, 2023

Hello Again! This is so fun to be with you every day this week!!!! Remember, it is my Birthday week and I am going to give away 4- ½ hour coaching calls because it is the last year that my age will start with a 4!!!!!! I help women simplify areas of their life they are struggling with…..it might be motherhood, saving money, decluttering, cooking from scratch, or homesteading so you can reduce overwhelm. I like to keep everything simple and I love helping others do the same. All you have to do to enter the giveaway is give a rating and review and send me an email at monica@claimingsimplicity.com and I will announce the winners on the August 28th podcast!!!!!!!

I have mentioned before how being off of a schedule and living out of a box for a few months has put a major damper on our healthy eating and boy can we tell in so many different areas from gut health, mood and the way we felt to weight gain! We went from eating most things homemade and from scratch and always having sourdough and fresh whole foods available with a garden to eating convenience foods from the store we normally don’t eat! After a few months of my teenagers eating the food they thought they wanted to eat because many of their friends eat that way - like hot pockets and anything they could make quickly in the airfryer -it wasn’t long and they were telling me they are sick of those foods! Something I never thought I would hear from them! I mentioned last week we finally got our kitchen table in our house and the night before we fed our sourdough (which by the way, we hadn’t fed in 3 months) and made 4 sourdough pizza crusts, flat bread, and bagels and they were so delicious!!!!!! Do you know how many things you can make with just starter, flour and water? I think we forgot how good real food tastes-I can’t imagine going a lifetime without it! I have a roast, potatoes and carrots in the crockpot ready for tomorrow along with some sourdough bread and rhubarb crisp and that has been a meal we haven’t had for a while either-yum! So simple, so healthy, and so good!

Something else that is important to eating healthy is only buying foods you can eat before they go bad. I was just buying groceries here and there without a plan and that not only cost extra money, but many times the food went bad before we got to it. I heard a statistic that I thought was outrageous that we waste up to 60% of our food! WHAT?? That is crazy. I love that our chickens and pigs can use any waste and my worms get some of that as well!

Last week, I unpacked my magnetic weekly plan that goes right on the fridge for everyone to see and we won’t have extra food in the fridge this week because I have a plan and will only buy the few ingredients we need. I plan my meals around what food is on hand as I look into the fridge on Sunday and plan for the week with the food we need to use up which saves on food going to waste and saves money! It is so much cheaper to make your own yogurt and granola and that is something that is so easy and much tasier! There are so many items like this you can make yourself that are simple to make, healthier, and will save you money!

Find yourself a good routine with healthy foods-I am back to eating bacon, eggs in the morning along with my apple cider vinegar since I need to make some more kombucha, and I feel so much better already and am gaining my energy back again. I also need to add my adrenal cocktails back into my routine because my adrenal glands get depleted very fast and that just helps with my high energy levels, so if you haven’t tried that, let me know and I can send you my recipe!

If you want to have more energy and less overwhelm, I suggest you start making some of your food from scratch with trusted ingredients because food affects all areas of your body and you need to be aware of what you are putting in it! Remember too that simple meals can be healthy meals!

Ok, that is all I have today, but I look forward to being with you tomorrow for my birthday!!!!!!! If you haven’t already, give a rating and review on apple podcasts and send me an email letting me know you did that and I will enter you in the drawing for 4 FREE ½ hour coaching calls to help you simplify your life! It only takes 30 seconds, but that free ½ call could change your life!

Talk to ya tomorrow!

Website:

Claimingsimplicity.com

Join our Community of Christian Moms ->

https://www.facebook.com/groups/claimingsimplicity/

Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com

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You Tube -> https://www.youtube.com/@claimingsimplicity/

Building a Homestead Takes Time and Everything Doesn’t Need to be Done Right Away So You Can Enjoy the Journey Aug 14, 2023

Hey There!

I am so excited to be doing this podcast every day this week and I hope to give you many nuggets that you can put into practice.

I am going to give away 4- ½ hour coaching calls because it is the last year that my age will start with a 4!!!!!! I don’t even think I have talked about my coaching on here, but I help women simplify areas of their life they are struggling with…..it might be motherhood, saving money, decluttering, cooking from scratch, or homesteading. You know me, I like to keep everything simple and I love helping others do the same. All you have to do to enter the giveaway is give a rating and review and send me an email at monica@claimingsimplicity.com and let me know you left a review and I will announce the winners on the August 28th podcast!!!!!!!

I’m going to bring you back a few months into a very insane few weeks for me. As we closed on our property, we started working right away. Our first concern was getting the goats some fencing up and get their home situated, get a chicken coop ready so we could get our chickens back so we could have fresh eggs again, and prepare a home in our overgrown fenced in garden area for a couple pigs so they could root up it up so we can plant next spring, but we were unprepared for all the work that needed to be done to the house and it took us over a month to even get furniture in it because it needed so much work. This is not something we expected as the house was built in 2005, so not even 20 years old!

After 2 weeks in, I broke down after working from 5am to 10pm every day and I just asked God why He wanted us to move here. You will see….was the only answer I needed to keep trudging away!

We had reservations at Family Camp for 10 days that I booked at the beginning of the year and even though I love the quality time so much each year, I was thinking I should cancel so I could keep working feverishly as we were getting our piglets right after those 10 days at camp and we had only been at our new home for 2 weeks. And then it hit me…..I needed that 10 days of down time!!!!! So we packed up and had the most wonderful time with friends and family. All of our kids and grandkids were able to come to camp, we celebrated our 1 year old Grandson’s Birthday there and it was a Fabulous time away.

See ya tomorrow! Monica

Website:

Claimingsimplicity.com

Join our Community of Christian Moms ->

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Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com

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Simple Living Means Slowing Down When You Need to Even When Homesteading So You Can Keep Your Priorities and Values in Order Aug 07, 2023

Hello!

Thanks for all the love and reaching out while I was in the trenches of this move! I will say that this was one of the hardest moves we have ever made even though we only went 5 miles! I’m not sure if it is because we are 10 years older, if it is because we had alot more animals and things that go along with that when you have a homestead, or if it is because we had so much work to do on the house before we even moved in! We are still working on the house and still have a storage unit full of things I’m not sure where we will even put, but we did get our kitchen table into the house yesterday, so we are making progress!!!!!

I just want you to know that I really do live this life I talk about. I had to say no to many things and to doing the podcast as it was just one more thing to do and I had to put my priorities in order and as much as I love podcasting and teaching, I had to keep my values in order as much as possible~and honestly, my body and mind were so tired and exhausted that I could only do so much as I was still running teenagers to their activites and camps and all the other obligations we had!

I am super excited to let you know that I have so much to talk about and teach you and I am going to give you 5 podcast episodes of the things that I have learned through this move next week. I know how you like the short episodes, so that is why I will do an episode each day!!!!

I love you so much! Thanks for listening to this podcast!!!!!! If you haven’t already, please take 30 seconds to rate and review the podcast and share it with others that want to live a simpler life!

Have a super week!

Monica

Website:

Claimingsimplicity.com

Join our Community of Christian Moms ->

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Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com

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Save Money by Purposely Creating a Natural Home and Eliminate Some of the Toxins in 3 Areas of Your Home Quickly & Easily Jun 05, 2023

Hey!

So why would you want to have a more natural home? I did not know when I was a young mom of all the toxins in soaps and cleaning supplies, plastics and so many other supplies I used every single day. The fact is……I am still learning! I noticed a big difference in going from mostly natural to being in contact with things I wouldn’t normally use. I have used natural cleaning supplies for many years, but I have been really trying to change over my whole home slowly but surely-as soon as something runs out, I try to find a natural way to make it-sometimes we like the first recipe and sometimes I have to go through many recipes to find a product we love. Here are some of the simple things I did in the beginning that saved me alot of money.

One of the first things I did and easiest things you can change is your multipurpose cleaner. This would be how I clean bathrooms, counter tops and really almost anything! I have 2 really good recipes. One of them, I mix equal parts of white vinegar and water and add a high quality refreshing essential oil. Be very careful to use a quality essential oil as most on the market are not pure. Being a nurse, I had to have the details, so I have done the research and I can give you my recommendations if you want them. I will have a link in the description, but feel free to email me as well! This multipurpose spray should be handy in each bathroom so you can easily clean as you need to. If you don’t keep one in each room, If you are like me, you might go into a different room and totally forget you were grabbing a bottle of spray!!!!!!! The other recipe uses on guard and I like to keep this in the kitchen for all surfaces. You will use these sprays all the time and it is a fraction of the price of cleaners in the store and works alot better!

The next thing I did was remove all candles and air fresheners that were not natural-do you know how bad it is to breathe those in? Even the sprays that say 100% essential oil is not true because there is no regulation of them, so get rid of them so your family isn’t inhaling those toxins into their lungs! I used to use the plug in or renuzit air fresheners around my house thinking that my house smelled better, but it makes me wonder now if that is why my kids were sick with colds and ear infections so much when they were young. I am more sensitive now to toxins because of the natural environment I have created, so many times I can notice them right away in someone else’s home! My eyes now water when I enter a garage or home that uses these toxic air freshners~so if you think it is helping your place smell better, think of what it is doing to your lungs and everyone that enters! I have noticed that many of the big stores such as Target that call their products natural just have really good marketing strategies to let people think the products are pure, but are not any healthier than the ones that are not labeled natural or 100% and that is why I make my own. I know exactly what is in them. I certainly love a great smelling home, so I have several favorite diffuser going throughout the day. My favorite are happy and energizing aromas, I love the fall and Christmas smells during those seasons, and when I have alot of work I need to focus on a large project or something, I have a diffuser with oils that help with that. So many that I love!

And the 3rd simple change we made was using a natural laundry detergent. We actually make our own so we know what is in it. If you are using any detergent or fabric softener that is not pure, you are letting the toxins soak into your skin and your kids skin every single day! Do the research for yourself because I wish I would have known all this information years ago-it wasn’t until our older kids were probably around 10 when I changed over, so it has been many many years and the detergent works really well. I did stop for a while because I was using a shredded felz napa bar soap and it ended up clogging up my HE washer. I then went to a free and clear from the store for a short time, but as I was spending so much more money, I decided to look for another option and now I use a detergent that I absolutely love, it doesn’t use bar soap so it doesn’t clog the hose and it smells so so fresh! It is super simple, it will save you thousands of dollars through the years and will make a big difference in your health friend!

Start your natural journey today! Free resource to my favorite recipes below!

Website:

Claimingsimplicity.com

DIY Cleaners ->https://claiming-simplicity.ck.page/best-diy-cleaners

Join our Community of Christian Moms ->

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Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com

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Oils -> my.doterra.com/monicabaker/

Fruits & Veggies -> https://www.monicabaker.juiceplus.com/

Blessings!

Monica

5 Benefits of Raw Milk. Have You Tried Using Raw Milk to Combat Health Issues? Jun 02, 2023

I’m lucky enough to have friends where I can get my raw milk from until next Spring when we hopefully have our own after our goats give birth, so I just wanted to talk today about the benefits of Raw milk which refers to unpasteurized milk obtained directly from cows, goats, or sheep. While some advocate for its consumption due to potential health benefits, it's important to note that raw milk can also pose health risks if not handled properly. Here are some potential benefits often attributed to raw milk:

Please note….I am not an expert, I am just passing on information to you in hopes that you try it yourself and see the benefits!

Raw milk is one of the most nutrient-dense foods available which means it has alot of nutrients but relatively few calories and it is known to be rich in essential vitamins which support the brain and nervous system, it also helps with development, focus and brain development, bone density, and balancing hormones. It contains minerals and electrolytes such as calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium and our muscles use certain chemicals together with water to make sure that the electrical charges in our bodies work properly. They allow us to perform functions such as thinking, seeing, moving and keep your heart beating. It also contains omega 3’s and short chain fatty acids that help control issues related to inflammation, slow metabolism and stress resistance and it is connected to cancer prevention, fat loss and healthier cholesterol levels-now why wouldn’t everyone want to drink raw milk in this fast paced world to help with this all of this?
Raw milk contains naturally occurring beneficial bacteria called probiotics and digestive enzymes that can support gut health. Probiotics are known to promote a healthy balance of gut flora, which is essential for digestion and overall well-being. Cultured dairy foods give the highest amounts of probiotic than any other food available.
Some proponents of raw milk claim that it can alleviate symptoms of milk allergies or lactose intolerance. They argue that the presence of enzymes and probiotics in raw milk may aid in the digestion of lactose and potentially reduce allergic reaction.
Raw milk enthusiasts suggest that the presence of immune-boosting components, such as antibodies and white blood cells, in unpasteurized milk may strengthen the immune system and improve overall health.
Many people prefer the taste of raw milk over pasteurized milk, finding it creamier and more flavorful. Taste is subjective, but some individuals choose raw milk for its sensory appeal.
Website:

Claimingsimplicity.com

Join our Community of Christian Moms ->

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Blessings~
Monica

What Could You Change So You Enjoy Your Life More and Why Do You Want to Make a Change? Practice Simple Living and Intentional Living so You Enjoy a More Peacefull Life with Less Stress May 30, 2023

As I was driving home yesterday, I was just thinking about you and if you are actually living how you want to be living. It is just so different when you are living in God’s will and what He wants you to do and you are not living as the world lives and how they think you “should” be living. So many people just go to college to get a job they don’t even enjoy and feel like they have to do it every day just to keep up with others and collect possessions that they don’t even have time to enjoy. Is this you? I am here to tell you that your life does not have to be this way.

Sometimes you have to step out in faith to do something different even when others don’t understand. Many people don’t even understand how to make money without working for someone else, but since 2020, it has been so nice to see even more people start businesses doing what they love and finding communities of like minded people is so much easier now which is so much to hang out with people with the same values. Surrounding yourself and your family around these positive friends can be so rewarding!

I want you to take a look at what is going well in your life and what you would like to change. Is your time aligned with your values or are you getting up to go to work for someone else every day, but wishing you were doing something else? Are you tired of the hustle just to get by day after day so that you can have those expensive vehicles so you can look good to those around you? Do you trade time for money and you are always hustling trying to get ahead?

I am here to let you know that it does not have to be that way-life is too short not to enjoy what you are doing.

I believe that everything you do should have God in the center of it all - family and business and when you put Him first and your roots are deep, you can withstand anything because you know He is the Rock on which it all stands. Many times it comes down to trusting - are you trusting Him with everything and have you surrendered it all to Him? I believe this is one of the first steps.

Next, look at that list. Where can you make changes right now? How can you reduce debt quickly? Sell anything you have payments on. If you could reduce one or 2 car payments, how would that change your debt? There are many reliable vehicles for a reasonable price if you are willing to drive something older. We like to find older vehicles with lower miles that we can pay cash for because not only will you be saving on a car payment, but older vehicles are cheaper to insure and you don’t have to have full coverage on them because you don’t have a loan on them. If you don’t have money to make repairs if they should come up, you might want to keep full coverage on them until you do have a nice little saving for those just in case moments, but you could save thousands of dollars on car payments and reduced insurance costs each year just on vehicles.

If you want to live a life of your dreams without debt, you are also going to want to stop impulse and frivolous spending. This doesn’t mean you go without, but it does mean that until you are living this debt free life, you try to be more intentional with your spending and purchases. Do you really need that brand name purse or decor? If you think certain brands make you a better person, you are wrong! In fact……most of us living our dream life don’t even know if you are wearing designer jeans or have a designer purse because we don’t focus on materialism. We focus on being more like Jesus and shining our light and not our possessions and you can too!!!! If you die tomorrow, do you really think people would talk about your purse or the vehicles you had, absolutely not!!!! They talk about the kind of person you were and the life you lived! Spread joy everywhere you go!

I want you to make that list today of where you could reduce your debt so that you can begin this journey of freedom to live the life you have always dreamed of! It takes time, but it is so worth it friend!

If you need help, please reach out to me!

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Have a blessed day!

Monica

Lessons From Homeschooling This Year With 2 Teenagers and What is Next as We Make a Move to a Different Location May 26, 2023

Hey Friend!

Well, we made it through another homeschooling year and here are the lessons we learned! I am so relieved that we homeschooled this year. So much drama in my daughters grades that I am just so happy that they can focus on their work at home and then go to sports and just enjoy their friends and sports without being intertwined in that. Not only are my kids learning the regular subjects and learning to put God in the center of it all, but they are learning so many life skills we just don’t have time to teach when they are away from home 12 hours a day with school and sports. It was really an enjoyable year for these girls and now they don’t want to go back to public school, there is not an option for Christian School for high school in our area and we are not going to be in the same school district with our new home, so they are going to make the choice as to if they go back to school and play sports or if they homeschool and don’t play sports. They want to play sports in the school district they did this year and since we won’t be living in that one, they can’t play high school sports there is the homeschool. It really is an unfortunate rule in MN, but whatever decision they make, God will be with them.

Some of our favorite activities this year were making noodles, sourdough recipes, preserving food even this winter, caring for our animals and some great self sufficient skills and lessons from running your own business.

It really amazes me how much kids rub off on each other and how pleasant they are when they aren’t having to compete with others and can just be themselves. We are grateful to be surrounded by so many with similar values which is so encouraging when the world is getting so dark! Continue to be the light and press on with keeping God in the center of your life and teaching your kids to do the same. As we are getting closer to end times, it is even more important that these kids have a solid spiritual foundation so they can help blesss others and discipleship them as well!

Keep Shining Bright Friend!

5 Simple Strategies to Manage Your Workload When You Feel Overwhelmed With all the Tasks That Need to be Done as a Busy Mom Trying to Simplify Life May 25, 2023

Hello!

Feeling overwhelmed by the tasks you need to complete is a common experience especially as a beginning homesteader and busy mom, but there are several strategies you can use to manage these feelings and stay on top of your work:

Prioritize tasks: Start by making a list of all the tasks you need to complete. Then, prioritize them based on urgency and importance. This will help you focus on the most critical tasks first and avoid feeling like you need to do everything at once.
Break tasks down: If a task feels too big or complex, break it down into smaller, more manageable pieces. This will help you feel like you're making progress and give you a sense of accomplishment as you complete each smaller task.
Set realistic goals: Be realistic about what you can accomplish in a given amount of time. Don't set yourself up for failure by trying to do too much too quickly. I honestly try to fit too many things into a day sometimes and it gets frustrating, so I have been working on being more realistic with my goals because I am not superwoman and neither are you….even though we feel like it sometimes!!!!!
Take breaks: It's important to take breaks throughout the day to recharge and refresh your mind. This can help you avoid burnout and stay focused on your tasks.
Get organized: Use tools like calendars, planners, and to-do lists to help you stay organized and on track. This can help you avoid feeling overwhelmed by keeping everything in one place and breaking down your work into smaller, more manageable pieces. I know I have mentioned this before, but I used to buy a calendar every year, but I am a visual person, so for me it it the weekly calendar on the fridge for the whole family with what is happening and meals and then my phone alerts on the calendar is what I do best with because I would use the paper planners at the beginning of the year, but didn’t follow through all year, so they just didn’t work for me~plus I didn’t have them with me all the time like I do with my phone if I need to add an appointment or activity.

Remember, feeling overwhelmed is normal, but there are things you can do to manage those feelings and stay on top of your work. With these strategies, you can approach your tasks with a clear mind and a sense of control.

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Blessings!

Monica

Is Convenience Better? What I Learned the Last Few Weeks About Saving Money, Buying Quick Convenient Foods and The Difference Between Eating Real Foods and How it Makes You Feel May 24, 2023

Hello Friend

There have been many lessons already learned in these first few weeks of living in the fishhouse and I am sure looking forward to getting settled even though we will have so much to do to get everything ready for the animals at our new home! I’m looking forward to it and even though it is alot of work, it is work we really enjoy! Making our homestead to fit our needs and designing it all can be overwhelming at times and I’m sure we will end up changing some of it eventually, but we want to make it as convenient for winter for us and the animals as possible!

One of my biggest takeaways from this whole move is that food affects your whole body and well being. We don’t have much storage right now for fresh produce and I haven’t been making sourdough items and cooking from scratch much at all and boy does it make a difference in digestion, sleep, and energy. Just even in these short few weeks, we can feel the difference. My teenagers even made a comment about how they feel when eating more pasta, bread from the store and convenient foods like bagels,waffles, chips crackers and pizza that we didn’t make from scratch. We have not been sleeping as well and it is amazing how in this short time, we are feeling more joint pain and bloating. I’m a big believer in food being our medicine in so many ways, but even more so after this experience.

Another take away is that our grocery bill has more than doubled, so if you want to save money and have less food expenses, I really suggest you learn how to make at least a few meals from scratch each week! It will make such a huge difference in your grocery budget. Remember, I don’t do anything complicated and I cook very simple meals, but it will help your health and your budget if you start now! Are you interested in learning how to make meals from scratch? If I get enough people that want to learn, I will put some meals together and do some videos to walk you step by step so you can see how easy it truely is!! I want you to save money on food because there are so many other things you can do with your money not to mention how many health benefits there are to eating real homegrown food.

I just want you to be aware of what you are putting in your body and take note of how it is making you feel because it really does affect your well being in so many ways.

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Have a great day!

Monica

5 Tips to Culinary Uses, Growing Conditions, and Health Benefits of Rhubarb that Beginner Homesteaders Should Know May 19, 2023

As our rhubarb is getting ready to harvest-well, my neighbor’s rhubarb is ready to harvest and she is going to let us have as much as we want because they still have a bunch from last year and my parents have 1 plant at their house and I was going to split their plant and plant at my new house, but I did see they have a plant as well-thank goodness!! Rhubarb is really hard to kill and very easy to split and transplant if you ever find someone that will share with you. It does take a few years for it to grow into a large plant and it does like rich black soil. We usually fertilize it with either chicken poop or cow poop in the fall. I don’t know about you, but I love me some rhubarb crisp, so I thought I would give you some tips today about rhubarb!! If you have not tried it, you are really missing out!

Rhubarb is a unique and versatile plant that is often used in culinary preparations due to its distinctive tart flavor. Despite its frequent use in desserts, rhubarb is actually a vegetable rather than a fruit. Its long, thick stalks range in color from pale green to vibrant red, with the redder varieties generally being sweeter and more flavorful. Rhubarb leaves, on the other hand, are toxic and should never be consumed.

Rhubarb is native to Asia, specifically China, where it has been cultivated for medicinal purposes for centuries. Today, it is grown in various regions around the world, including North America and Europe. It is a cold-season perennial plant that thrives in cooler climates, as it requires a period of dormancy during winter to grow successfully. Rhubarb plants typically grow in large clumps and can reach heights of up to three feet, with each stalk being harvested individually.

One of the most popular uses for rhubarb is in baking, particularly in pies, tarts, and crumbles. Its tartness adds a unique and refreshing contrast to the sweetness of other ingredients, creating a delightful balance of flavors. Rhubarb can also be cooked down into sauces and jams or used to make delicious beverages such as rhubarb lemonade or infused spirits. Additionally, rhubarb can be enjoyed in savory dishes, often paired with meats to provide a tangy element to complement the richness of the proteins. Its versatility and distinct taste make it a beloved ingredient in both sweet and savory culinary creations.

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Happy Harvesting!

Monica

Is Your Life Feeling Chaotic and Out of Control? 3 Ways to Change That Feeling of Overwhelmed to Organized and Peaceful May 17, 2023

Here are 3 ways to change the feeling of overwhelmed to organized or peaceful.

I believe if you know the main things that are happening within your week, you will have more peace and feel more organized. Take a look at your week on Friday or Sunday for the following week so you are prepared for the upcoming events. Write down anything you may need and if you can, have this written down where the whole family can see it. It will make it smoother for the whole family.

Next, as you know I believe in having less stuff because it is easier to manage, but also having a place for everything.

Do you have areas of your home that are like that all the time? What is one area you can work on right now to help you have more peace and less overwhelm so you don’t have to feeled as stressed out as you are right now. Simplify your even one area of you home and you will feel completely different!

And last, make sure are taking time for yourself. Im talking about going for a walk or getting outside for some fresh air every day at least for 30 minutes. I have not been able to get out and work on the yard and the garden and I can really tell the difference. God made this beautiful earth and all of our surroundings for us to enjoy, so go outside without your phone or a podcast and just thank Him for all He is and everything He has given you. This practice of being thankful along with getting outside could really change your mindset and help you have a more positive attitude, so head outdoors right now if you can. If you have kids, make sure they are getting outside each day as well.

I want you to put at least one of these 3 things into practice right now and watch your life go from chaotic and overwhelmed as a busy mom to having less stress and more peace!

Thanks for listening!

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Blessings!

Monica

Homesteading, Simple Living, Saving Money, and Frugal Living are Becoming More Popular and The Truth is That Living Intentional and Slow Living are so Rewarding May 05, 2023

Hey Friend!

I just wanted to reflect on this simple living lifestyle and intentional living. I say slow living sometimes, but honestly, sometimes-or most times, it isn’t slow, but it is very intentional. I think slow living is not sitting in front of the tv, but spending time doing things you enjoy doing. I thrive on getting stuff done and learning all I can in so many different areas. There are just so many many techniques and skills and everything can be tailored to how you want to live. Do you want to become somewhat self-sufficient?

I don’t believe we can be totally self -sufficient, but we can make as much as we can on our own so we don’t have to rely on the grocery store and that will help save quite a bit of money and also help you to have more nourishing foods for your body. If you haven’t started this homesteading journey, what are you waiting for? I would love to answer any questions you may have, just shoot me a message!

Tell me all……I want you to reach out and let me know what you are enjoying, what you would like to hear more of or just come and say hi! Thanks for blessing me with your presence!

Thanks again to everyone who added a rating and review and if you have not, just scroll down to the stars and where it says write a review! It will bless others that it may reach! If you are new here, make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss an episode!

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Blessing~

Monica

Ready to Learn Everything You Need to Get Started Raising Chickens? 7 Simple Must Have Supplies Needed to Start Raising Chickens Now to Save Money Even if You Have Never Raised Chickens Before. May 01, 2023

Happy May Day!!!!!

Thinking about starting your own backyard chicken coop and raising chickens, but feeling overwhelmed by all the supplies and information you need to get started? Don't worry, I've got you covered! In this episode, I'll cover the essential supplies you'll need, so you can be confident and prepared as you embark on this exciting new adventure.

First, you will want to have a place for them to stay. You can make a chicken coop out of recycled material and it doesn’t have to cost money or be fancy. You know what an advocate I am of making something look nice without spending alot of money! You will want to make sure predators can’t get into the coop, it has good ventilation, and they are protected from the elements. If you don’t have a place for the chickens to free range, you will alos want to make a chicken run so they can be outside.

Second, you will want to have a layer of bedding on the floor for the chickens so their poop can dry out faster and it will be easier to remove. You could use pine shavings, leaves, or even straw. They do also make products that reduce odor, but I can’t recommend any as I haven’t tried any of them. It might be worth it in the winter especially when they don’t spend much time outside and the coop stinks quickly!

Next, get a chicken feeder and hang it off the ground from the rafters if possible. This will help from having the chickens scratch their feed all over the ground and they won’t waste as much. I suggest getting a large feeder and fill to the top and you have to feed alot less often. You will also want to buy feed specifically for egg layers, or if they are meat chickens, get the feed specifically for meat birds. We buy our chicken feed from a local feed mill, but you can also mix your own feed which is even better for the chickens. Our chickens eat alot less feed in the summer because we open the coop door in the morning and they eat all day and clean up the bugs in the yard all day and then they go back to the coop at evening time. It is the end of April today and we had more snow-it was incredibly beautiful here for a NOVEMBER day, but like I have said several times in the past month-hopefully this is all the snow we get because our chickens would sure like to be out more as well and they don’t like to walk in the snow, so they will stay in the coop instead of coming out.

The Fourth thing that is super important is a chicken waterer. They always need to have access to water, but in the summer and hot weather, you want to be extra careful to make sure of it. We have a few waterers, but our large watering container you fill up, put a cover on and flip over and we keep that up on small wooden box to help keep all the dirt out because with all their scratching, they do get dirty quick, so you will want to give them fresh water every day. In the winter, you may want a heated waterer if you have temperatures that get below freezing just to make sure your chickens have water. We do like to add a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to their water for added immune support, but we don’t do that every day.

The fifth item you will want if you have laying hens and want to find your eggs are nesting boxes. You only need 1 nesting box for every 4-5 chickens and you can easily make those out of common materials most likely around your home. Pinterest has many great ideas for DIY nesting boxes!

Dust baths are something else you will want to have so the chickens can naturally prevent external parasites. This is another item you can find great DIY dust bathing ideas on pinterest and can be very inexpensive if you dont have dry soil for them around your yard. They just need enough area to spread their wings and ficker dust all over their body.

I am so confident that you will find out that raising chickens is simple and easier than you may have thought and I am so excited to hear from you if you decide to get them and get started!

Here is Some Important Information if You Plan to Raise Chickens as a Busy Mom and You Are Stressed Out Thinking About Adding More Responsibilities on Your Little Homestead Apr 27, 2023

If you are planning on raising chickens, this episode will give you some important information about them to give you peace of mind as a busy overwhelmed mom because I know…..it is just one more thing to take care of!

Really, truely caring for chickens can be simple. Caring for chickens involves providing for their basic needs including food, water, shelte and you are going to want to do your research before you get some! I want you to come away from this episode today feeling confident that you can raise your own backyard chickens and it is not difficult.

I would really suggest that you find someone that is selling or giving away larger chickens if you are just getting started. There is just a little bit more work to raising baby chicks that are just hatched. We have gotten several chickens from different people that were moving and giving them away or they were selling some to reduce their flock and this was nice for us when we got started even though they were not all laying anymore, they still took care of the bugs in the yard which I appreciate! And they really are so fun to have around!

Chickens are not needy at all-Keep them fed and watered and they will be fine! If you are going to be gone for a few days, they will be ok as long as they have access to both. We don’t feel tied down with chickens, we can still go away for a couple days and not worry a bit about them unlike other animals, but if we do go away longer than that, we will have someone come over every few days and make sure they have water and feed.

It is simple to raise chickens and they don’t take much time out of your day to care for at all! Keep them fed and watered and gather eggs! Every once in a while you will have some chickens picking on other ones, so you might have to deal with that, but really, for the most part, they are super simple!

I can’t wait for you to get started! I have one more episode coming that I will give you everything you need to start raising chickens so you can get started right away!

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Have a Blessed Day Friends!

Monica

Protein is Such an Important Piece of Your Diet, but it Can Get Expensive. 3 Simple Tips to Get More Protein in Your Diet on a Budget as a Busy Mom Apr 24, 2023

Hey There!

I hope you are having an awesome Monday! I can’t even believe this, but we are almost to 100 episodes, so I am so excited to be giving away a few $25 amazon cards when we hit the 100th episode!!!!! The only thing you need to do to be in on the drawing is add a 5 star rating and review and take a screenshot of it and email me at monica@claimingsimplicity.com. I will read your reviews and announce the winners on the 100th episode!!!!!!! Get your rating and review in now!!!! I can’t wait to hear from you!!!!!

Getting more protein in your diet on a budget can be challenging, but it's certainly possible with some smart planning and food choices. Here are 3 tipsto help you save money.

Incorporate more eggs into your diet. Eggs are excellent sources of protein and are generally more affordable even since the prices have gone up in price in the last year. There are so many different ways to make eggs. Since we do have chickens and have our own eggs, when we get more than we can eat, I will make up eggbakes, breakfast sandwiches, bowls and breakfast wraps and freeze them. This is such a great way to use up eggs, but also have the convenience of breakfast already ready on busy mornings when you don’t have time to make breakfast.
Another great way to get more protein on a budget is buy in bulk: Purchasing larger quantities of protein sources, such as chicken breast or ground beef, can save you money in the long run. You can portion them out and freeze them for later use. We usually buy ½ beef when farmers around us are butchering, and if you have the space to raise your own chickens-that is another way to cut cost and you probably won’t buy chickens from the store after that because homegrown taste so much better! Also, to save money, if you are buying meat from the store, you can opt for cheaper cuts of meat: Cheaper cuts of meat like chicken thighs, ground beef, and pork shoulder are just as nutritious as more expensive cuts like chicken breasts or steaks, and they often have more flavor. Slow cooking or marinating these cuts can make them tender and delicious.
Plan your meals: Planning your meals ahead of time can help you choose more affordable protein sources and prevent waste. You can also use leftovers to create new meals and save money.

This is just a start of how to save money and reduce grocery expenses for protein, but it can save you quite a bit of money over the years.

Hugs!

Monica

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Can You Live a Simplified Life Without Being a Minimalist? 5 Additional Ways For You to Simplify Your Life Apr 20, 2023

Can You Live a Simplified Life Without Being a Minimalist? 5 Additional Ways For You to Simplify Your Life

As I have been packing up our house to move, it made me realize that I would never be called a minimalist because when you homestead and preserve food, you do have alot of items. I have simplified my life so much that it seems very minimal and simplified, but I honestly didn’t even think about all the things we do have because everything had it’s place, but once you are packing and packing and packing, you realize quickly the amount you have. I wouldn’t say that we have anything in excessive amounts and I do get rid of anything we are not using, but canning supplies and jars can add up over the years, but we do use them over and over each year.

It is possible to live a simplified life without being a minimalist. While minimalism is a popular lifestyle trend that advocates for living with fewer possessions and reducing clutter, there are other ways to simplify your life.

For example, you could simplify your life by:

Cutting down on unnecessary commitments and obligations.
Streamlining your daily routine and eliminating non-essential activities.
Focusing on what's truly important to you and letting go of things that don't matter.
Prioritizing your time and energy on people and activities that bring you joy and fulfillment.
Cultivating mindfulness and being present in the moment.

The key is to identify what aspects of your life feel overwhelming or cluttered and find ways to simplify them in a way that feels authentic and sustainable to you.

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Love ya friend!

Monica

Do You Want to Raise Chickens in Your Backyard? 5 Benefits of Having Your Own Chickens When You Are a Beginning Homesteader Apr 17, 2023

Hello!

I am going to warn you right away…..we are talking about chickens and they can be an addiction! They are so fun to watch and I love having fresh eggs every day and I dont ever want to run out, so I like to get some new chicks each year and now we are up to about 24 chickens. Some are not laying daily, but they are so beautiful and they sure are good bug pickers, so I just can’t get rid of them!

Before we get into todays episode, I want to remind you that I will be doing a drawing and giving away $25 amazon cards with my 100th episode because I want you to know how much I appreciate all of you.

Have you thought about getting chickens, but are not even sure if it would work for you. I just want to give you the benefits of raising your own chickens.

Chickens are the first animal I would suggest when beginning your homesteading journey. Here are __ benefits to having your own.

One of the most obvious benefits to having chickens is having access to fresh eggs. Chickens can lay eggs almost every day and the eggs you collect from your chickens will be much fresher than the ones you buy at the grocery store. Home-raised eggs are considered to be much healthier and alot more flavorful.

Another thing I love about chickens is that they are natural pest controllers! They eat insects, slugs, snails, and even mice and snakes! This can be very helpful when you have a hobby farm, live in the country or have a garden. My favorite thing they like are woodticks, so we have had so very few woodticks the lst several years which is so very nice!

If you have a garden, you will find out what a great fertilizer chicken manure is! It is high in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium which are all important nutrients for plants.

Keeping Chickens can also become part of a larger self-sufficiency strategy. By producing your own eggs and raising meat chickens, you can reduce your dependency on grocery stores.

There are also so many educational benefits to raising chickens, especially if you homeschool your kids! It can teach valuable lessons about responsibility, animal care, and where our food comes from.

And one of my favorite benefits to having chickens is the entertainment they provide! They are just so fun to watch because they each have their own personalities and watching them interact with other chickens, animals and caretakers is such enjoyment.

Overall, chickens can be a fun and rewarding experience that provides many benefits including a source of fresh eggs or meat, helping with gardening, and educational and sustainability benefits.

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Have an incredible day!

Monica

Do You Like to be in Control? How to Have More Patience in the Season of Waiting Apr 13, 2023

Hello

Surrendering and giving control to God can mean different things to different people. However, here are some general steps that may help you surrender and give control to God:

Develop faith: Having faith in God is the first step towards surrendering to Him. Read the Bible, pray, meditate, and cultivate a sense of trust and confidence in God.
Let go of attachments: Identify any attachments or desires that are holding you back from surrendering to God. These could be material possessions, relationships, or even certain beliefs that are limiting your spiritual growth.
Practice mindfulness: Mindfulness is the practice of being fully present in the moment and observing your thoughts and emotions without judgment. This can help you let go of negative thoughts and surrender to God's will.
Practice surrender in small ways: Start by surrendering small aspects of your life to God. For example, you could surrender a decision about what to wear or what to eat to God. This will help you build trust and gradually surrender bigger aspects of your life.
Surrender your ego: The ego is the part of us that wants to control everything and often gets in the way of surrendering to God. Practice letting go of your ego and acknowledging that you are not in control of everything.
Seek guidance: Seek guidance from spiritual leaders or mentors who can help you on your journey of surrendering to God.

Remember that surrendering to God is a continuous process, and it may take time to fully let go and trust in God's plan. Keep practicing and cultivating your faith, and trust that God will guide you on your path.

Please rate and review this podcast on apple podcast or wherever you listen and you will be entered into a drawing for $25 amazon gift cards to celebrate 100 episodes! I appreciate you listening!

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6 Benefits of Living a Simpler Life and 5 Ways You Can Begin to Live More Intentionally Right Now, Enjoy Your Life More and Reduce Your Stress Apr 10, 2023

Happy Monday Friend!!

If you have been enjoying learning about living a simpler life on this podcast, please take 30 seconds and leave a rating and review and let me know what you are loving about this podcast because that is how more people can learn about this podcast! Thank you so much!!!!!

There are so many benefits to living a simpler life and after living the chaotic life for many years, I can’t even imagine going back to that. I never have guilt that I am unable to attend events and activities because now my schedule is flexible and I don’t have to miss out on anything and there is just an everyday enjoyment to life because my focus is on the things that matter to me and that I value. I want you to have this pure joy every day as well so here are 6 benefits you will enjoy when you slow down and live with more intention.

By simplifying your life, you can eliminate many of the things that cause you stress, such as clutter, excess possessions, and a hectic schedule. This can help you feel calmer and more relaxed. How would you like to reduce some of your stress?
Simplifying your life can also free up more time for the things that really matter, such as spending time with loved ones, pursuing hobbies and interests, and spending time doing things you enjoy. Who wouldn’t enjoy spending time your way.
Living a simpler life often means spending less money on things you don't really need, which can result in significant financial savings over time and I’m sure you are looking to save money right now since groceries and regular expenses keep increasing.
When you have fewer distractions in your life, you may find it easier to focus on what's important and make decisions with more clarity and purpose.
You may have more time to prepare healthy meals, exercise, and get enough rest when you simplify which will help with overall better health.
Living a simpler life often means consuming less and producing less waste, which can have positive environmental impact.

Getting started on a simpler life can be a gradual process, but here are some tips to help you begin:

Declutter: Start by getting rid of things you no longer need or use. This can help you create more physical space and mental clarity. Donate, sell, or recycle items that are still in good condition and focus on keeping the things that are truely important and meaningful to you.
Streamline and Simplify your schedule: Take a look at your daily schedule and see if there are any activities or commitments you can cut back on or eliminate altogether. Prioritize the things that bring you joy and fulfillment, and let go of the rest. Focus on saying "no" to commitments and activities that don't align with your values or goals so you can make sure you are doing things that are important to you.
Practice mindfulness and take time to be present and fully engaged in the moment. This can help you appreciate the simple things in life and reduce stress and anxiety.
Reduce screen time and digital distractions: Limit your use of technology and social media to help you disconnect. Focus on being present in the moment and engaging with the people and activities around you
Practice gratitude: Take time to appreciate and be thankful for the things you have in life. This can help you find contentment and satisfaction with a simpler lifestyle. Explore living with less and finding joy in the simple things in life.

Simplifying your life is a process and it won't happen overnight. Start with small steps and be gentle with yourself as you make changes. Over time, you may find that living a simpler life brings greater joy and fulfillment to your daily life.

Website:

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xoxo,

Monica

3 Easy Steps to the Best Boiled Eggs. It is Simple to Make the Perfect Easy to Peel Boiled Eggs and You Will Have Beautiful Deviled Eggs as Well. Apr 07, 2023

Here is a quick bonus episode!

I boiled 3 dozen eggs last night so I can make deviled eggs for Easter because we love deviled eggs even for a snack if they don’t all get eaten on Sunday and I remembered how many of my friends have trouble with getting their boiled eggs to peel easily and how long it took me to learn this simple way to make them, so here is a quick bonus episode so you can enjoy boiled eggs not only at Easter, but every day! It is such a good snack and we always have a bowl in our fridge and you can too!

First, bring plain water to a rolling boil.

Next, lower them carefully into the boiling water and try to be as gentle as possible so they dont crack and boil.

Lastly, drain hot water off of the eggs and run cold water on them and then put a bunch of ice over them. Let them sit and cool for at least ½ hour and then refrigerate.

Enjoy easily peeling them when you are ready! If you have ever had trouble with eggs not peeling well, you are going to be so excited to see how simple this is and well it works!

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Happy Easter!

Monica

Make This One Change to Reduce Food Expense! Homemade Bread or Sourdough Bread is Simple and Healthier Than Store Bought Bread Plus it Will Save Money Apr 06, 2023

Hello!

I can’t believe it is Easter this weekend! I hope you are able to celebrate the joy of Jesus' resurrection!

When it is cold outside, we like to bake an extra amount and then freeze items for when our schedules are full and we are extra busy. This works out great to always have food that is nutrient dense and keeps up from spending extra money at the store for convenience items.

When the prices in the store are rising, there is hope that you can save money and reduce expenses! Making your own bread is so much cheaper, healthier, and simpler than you may think. I now make sourdough on a regular basis, but even regular homemade bread doesn’t have all the harmful ingredients in them that a loaf of store bought bread has.

I always wondered if it would make sense to take the time to make my own bread as a busy mom when my family enjoys that walmart sandwich bread for a buck. And then I read the ingredients! So many benefits to making your own bread. Once I made it a few times, I then had a schedule down and we do buy bread every once in a great while, but for the most part, we always have fresh bread on hand or in the freezer.

I think so many people think that making bread is hard. It is so simple that you will wish you started making it yourself years ago. Sourdough bread only consists of 3 ingredients which are water, flour, and starter! I really enjoy making sourdough and when I first started making it, I bought a starter from king arthur and that is where I order my flour as well as from azure standard. Make sure you are using a high quality flour when making your sourdough. That may be the reason yours is not turning out, so try some good flour before you give up.

Make this one change for 6 months and see how you like it! I don’t think you will ever go back to buying ibread from the store!!!!!

Have a Blessed Easter Day!

Monica

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Having Peace Knowing God is in Control Can be a Result of Cultivating Faith and Trust in God. Here are 5 Simple and Practical Steps That Can Help You Find Peace in Your Chaotic Life as a Busy Mom Apr 03, 2023

Happy Monday!

We have been on this crazy journey the last month and there is so much peace knowing and trusting in God's plan. I know you can find this incredible peace as well even as a busy overwhelmed mom.

Here are 5 simple and practical tips that can help you have more peace Trusting God and knowing He is in control.

Spend time in quiet reflection, prayer, or meditation to connect with God and seek His guidance every single day. There sure is a difference in a day that starts out in prayer and being with the Lord and one that is rushed and out of control because it didn’t start with Him. This can help you build a deeper relationship with God and develop a sense of peace and trust in His plan.
Reading and studying the Bible can help you understand God's character, His promises, and His plan for your life. This can help you develop a greater sense of trust and peace in God's control.
Practice gratitude can be life changing. Focus on the blessings in your life and express gratitude for them. This can help shift your perspective to a more positive one, and help you trust that God is in control and working for your good.
Let go of worry and anxiety which can be hard: Worry and anxiety can be a barrier to trusting in God's control. Practice mindfulness, and when you feel anxious, focus on surrendering your worries to God and trusting that He will take care of you. I heard someone say that worrying is worshiping the problem~isn’t that the truth!
And Last, serning others is so important. Serving others can help you shift your focus away from yourself and onto helping others. This can help you develop a deeper sense of purpose and peace, and help you trust that God is using you to make a positive impact in the world.

Remember that developing peace and trust in God's control is a lifelong journey, and it may take time and practice. Keep seeking God's guidance and working to strengthen your faith and trust in Him.

I love hearing from you!

Website:

Claimingsimplicity.com

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xoxo,

Monica

5 Ways to Save Money and Simplify This Easter. Easy Tips for a Budget Friendly Celebreation as a Busy Overwhelmed Mom Mar 30, 2023

Hello

Easter and Holidays can get expensive if you let them, but I have some money saving tips and tricks to reduce expenses, so you can cut costs without sacrificing the fun. You can have an elegant budget friendly celebration without breaking the bank!

We usually host most holidays and it usually includes about 20-30 people, so not too crazy, but it does cost quite a bit of money and takes time to prepare all the food for that amount of people. If we aren’t careful we could easily overspend and can have a ridiculous amount of food that could go to waste, so you really need to think about the main portion of the meal first.

Make sure and ask for help. Many times each family will bring a dish to share, so that is another way to help with the cost to save money and also give you less to prepare, so that you have more time. You want to enjoy your time with family, so the less you have to do, the better!

Plan ahead! Start planning early and create a budget for expenses. This will help you avoid overspending and impulse purchases. Ideally, you would put this in the budget at the beginning of the year, but if this was missed, try to look at future holidays and put them in the budget now, so it doesn’t sneak up on you. If you have the items for your meal, you can watch for sales on those items and try to do your shopping at least a few weeks prior to the holiday because many times as you get closer to it, more people are shopping and sometimes they run out of items and also, you can watch for sales.

Next, reduce decorations or DIY decor because most people won't even notice and you could spend alot of time and money on something that really isn’t necessary. If you feel that you need to decorate, try to find something after the holiday to get on clearance that you can use year after year. I used to decorate as a young mom because I thought I had to, but now I realize what a waste of money and time it is and I would rather put my money towards something more meaningful. Now if you enjoy decorating, then plan your budget accordingly….it just isn’t something I value. I think of how many kids could be fed with that amount or what I could do for those in need with that money, but we all have different values and that is ok!

Reduce gift giving. Think about what this celebration is about. It is not about gifts or the Easter Bunny-it is all about Jesus, so keep the focus there. Some simple gift ideas would be some Christian books about Easter or something they may need.

With the seasons changing here, I do like to get an outfit for each kid as many times they grow out of their summer clothes from the season before, but I tend to stay away from too much candy. We do a small easter basket each year, but we have reused the same Easter baskets since they were young.

We do a large Easter Egg Hunt for all the kids, grandkids and cousins. I have small eggs that I fill for the younger kids and larger eggs for the older kids and that seems to work really well here and then we just reuse the eggs year to year. Also, you don’t have to get expensive candy. The kids just have so much fun finding the eggs! Our focus is more on our relationships with family than material items, so think about that this holiday season as well.

Most of all- keep it simple! Holidays are to enjoy time with people you love and not about perfection, so simplicity is key to reducing overwhelm.

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Monica

5 Tips to Help You Reduce Your Food Expenses. You Can Save Money Growing Your Own Food This Year Even as a Beginning Gardener Living in the City or in the Country Mar 27, 2023

Hey there!

This has been an interesting week and I decided I will go back to 1 episode per week unless I have some extra time each week to put out 2 probably for the next few months anyway.

If you haven’t listened in the last few weeks, God put it on my heart last month to put our house up for sale which makes no sense to us at all, so knowing that we need to be obedient, within a few weeks, we put our home up for sale and it sold within a couple days. I am a planner and at this time we don’t know where we are going to live because there is nothing available that we are looking for and we want to make sure we stay debt free and if we build, it probably won’t be done this year because most of the builders around here are already booked up, so we are trusting that God will make it obvious as He already has His plan for us and God’s plan is always perfect.

It has been 2 weeks now and waiting is so so hard sometimes. We do have a couple options, but God is saying to have patience and wait. We did rent 2 storage units, bought a 24’ enclosed trailer and plan to have a storage container delivered to our cabin because we have lived on our 10 acres for 10 years and have accumulated many items-especially having a little homestead. Our goats will go to our son and daughter in laws house and the chickens will be split up to a variety of places, so we are planning as much as we can at this time, but moving from this home will be very hard because we have put so much work into our place to make it just how we want it and we will most likely be starting from scratch again. I will keep you all up on this journey because I believe God has something for us that He wants the whole world to know about and I can’t wait to share it with you when I know more!

Today I want to talk to you about 5 tips to help you reduce your grocery bill by growing your own vegetable garden as a beginner gardener. If you have never planted a garden and you don’t know how to save seeds, you can still save money growing your own vegetables this year! Listen to episode 25 to learn more about seeds if you would like to save even more! Depending on where you are in the country, you might still be able to start seeds if you want to!

First, figure out where you are planning to have your garden and how much space you will have. If you are growing food in pots, then you will be a little limited as to what you can grow.If you have space, I recommend starting raspberry bushes or strawberry plants, because they will grow and you will yield more each year. Many people are happy to give away shoots from their raspberry plants and runners from their strawberry plants in the spring, so ask around or look on craigslist or marketplace so you don’t have to spend money. You won’t get much fruit the first year, but the second year you should be very pleased! If you have some extra money, plant a few fruit trees as well for your future.

Second, many times you can go to smaller greenhouses and they have smaller plants, but their prices for 1 plant is usually cheaper than buying whatever it produces at the store and each plant will produce multiple vegetables. Right now I’m thinking about peppers. It cost me almost $2 just for 1 pepper the other day in the store, but you can usually find pepper plants for less than that and it will produce several peppers. Just to compare-when you buy a packet of seeds, it is usually less than $2 as well and then each seed is a plant that produces several peppers, so you can see how planting seeds is even cheaper than buying a plant that is already started, but it is much more convenient to buy the plants than start seeds, so whatever works best for you-you will save so much money planting them yourself as long as you take care of them!

Third, you will be able to save money because you can preserve food for most of the year and then you won’t have to buy food in the off season because that can really get expensive when you buy food when it is out of season-here anyway when we can really only grow food about 4 months of the year. The bonus to learning how to can and preserve food is that it tastes amazing,knowing you grew it and that you can do it, and the huge amount of money you will save! You can do this - I want to help you start growing your own food because not only is it more nutritious, but it also gives you a sense of accomplishment. I can’t even tell you how much you will enjoy this process!

Fourth, If you are not able to grow your own food, you can buy from a farmers market or look for people giving produce away. Many people grow more food than they need and so they are many times looking for people to give it away to, so keep your ears open and learn to preserve the food so that when you are able to grow your own food, you know what to do with it. Just preserving food for the year will also save money even if you can’t grow it yourself right now and that is a huge step forward in your journey.

Fifth, have fun with it and don’t get discouraged. If you are a beginner gardener and some of of your produce doesn’t do well, use that information as a learning experience for the next year. We all have different soils and weather, and each year seems to be a little different, so don’t get frustrated. I have been gardening for quite a few years, but I still learn new information each and every year and there are so many different ways to grow food, so if something doesn’t work one year, try something else the next year.

As you probably already know, I like to keep everything streamlined and simple, so I know you do not need to complicate gardening either. Start small so you don’t overwhelm yourself! Get a few plants that you want to try and get started! Feel free to send me an email if you have any questions and I would be happy to help in any way I can! I will keep you updated on my new garden this year as it will be a new adventure for me with new territory starting from scratch with clay and rocks, so I don’t know what will grow this year and what won’t, but I am going to give it a try!

If you haven’t already, go to claimingsimplicity.com and sign up to get my recipes and simplifying tips that I will be sending out!

Website:

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Have a super week!

Monica

Are You a Stressed Out Mom Wearing the Busyness Badge of Honor, but Would Enjoy Simple Living and a More Intentional Life with Less Stress? 3 Tips to Break Free of Busy Mar 20, 2023

Hey Friend

I love to be doing something as I am very active and mutlitpassionate, so I really have to intentionally makes choices as to what takes up my time. I see you trying to do it all and feeling proud of yourself for getting so many things done, but sometimes it is like a busy badge of honor and can be very harmful to your health and relationships all around you and you can really only sustain this for a short time before you hit burnout. You want to have meaning and purpose in your life, but your busyness is taking that away from you.

I was at a christian leadership conference last month and Ally Worthington, who is a speaker, author, business coach, and podcaster was there and she has a book called Breaking Busy and even though I have not read it, it might be a place to start for you. I took a few of my tips from her, but most of what I want to teach you today is how I TRY to live each and every day.

We each have a different level of limits and you need to be aware of your limits or you will get burnt out quickly. Don’t ever compare yourself to someone else and what they are doing. They may be in a different season than you and oh my gosh do we have alot of seasons throughout our lives as moms! I mean seriously…having teenagers that can take care of themselves is way different than having babies and toddlers that need help with all their daily needs.

At our conference Ally talked about making the right list-don’t make a to do list, make a DONT DO list. I love this so much, because so many times we are thinking of all that we need to do, but if we eliminate the things we don’t like to do, then we will have less stress. If you want your life to be about what you are meant to do, then you need to stop doing what you think you SHOULD be doing.

Ally said to ask yourself these 2 questions. First, What is sucking the life out of you right now? And Second, Does this activity get you closer to reaching your goals?

Ask these 2 questions for every single activity you are doing right now. After analyzing all your activities, write down every activity that you are saying yes to that you think you “should” be doing, but in reality should be on your DON’T DO list! Get that list started!

Something I used to do was volunteer at my kid’s school. Sometimes when you work from home, you feel like you should do that, but honestly, that was exhausting for me and I didn’t enjoy it at all! Every once in a while was fine, but I did not enjoy it on a regular basis, so that is something I would have put on my DON’T DO list years ago.

Another tip for future things that come up to protect your time and happiness after you have your don’t do list is the 10-10-10 analysis where you ask yourself when making a decision, how will you feel about the decision 10 minutes from now, 10months from now, and in 10 years.

And my favorite tip from Ally was to say, thank you for thinking of me, but unfortunately in this season of my life, I’m over capacity, but thanks for asking me! Isn’t that awesome?

Right now I live my life so intentionally that I don’t have alot of things I would take off my plate, but if you are feeling stressed out trying to do too many things, the don’t do list would be a fabulous place to start for you! Everyday decisions and daily habits will break the busyness patterns if you simply start small.

Website:

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Love ya!

Monica

Large Mason Jars Can Be Expensive for Preserving Food. How to Find Jars so You Can Save Money when You Start Canning Your Own Food or Making Your Own Kombucha Mar 16, 2023

Hey there!

I know you are probably thinking about just growing seeds right now or possibly even planting your garden depending on where you are in the world, but I just wanted to give you this tip to save money so you can get started preserving your own food on a lower budget.

Over the years, I have gathered a large amount of canning jars, but when I first started preserving food, I couldn’t afford to buy jars. Thankfully I knew several people who canned in the past and they were happy to get rid of their jars as they didn’t preserve their food anymore, I would find them at garage sales and thrift stores too, but you have to make sure to feel the glass rim to make sure there aren’t any chips or they may not seal.

I started gathering my jars before the pandemic, so it was a little easier then, but when I started making kombucha last year, I needed large gallon glass jars and I got all of those jars for free and if you are looking for gallon jars, you could get as many as you want for free. At first, I went and bought a gallon jar of pickles from the store because that was actually cheaper than ordering a plain jar-of course my family couldn’t eat those pickles because they have been so spoiled with our homemade crispy dill pickles, but the chickens enjoyed them! My husband then found many jars from restaurants that were super happy to have someone take them off their hands, so if you are looking for jars, start there and you may find more than you dreamed of.

If you know anyone that buys Aldi alfredo or spaghetti sauce, those jars have measurement on the outside of them, so even though I don’t use them to preserve food, they do come in handy when making my own sour cream, mayonnaise and items like that.

Another things I like to do in the off season is get my lids. There is no reason why you have to wait until canning season to get your lids because most stores do supply them year round. It will be less likely that you have any shortage and when you want to can, you will hopefully have everything you need already ready!

I have not tried the reusable lids, but I have heard that people are enjoying them as well, so if you have the extra money and are just getting started, you may want to invest in them as it could also save you hundreds of dollars over the years and reduce expenses in the long run…..depending on how much you preserve.

If you know anyone else that wants to learn how to save money, reduce expenses, and grow their own food, please share this podcast with them! Thanks for being here and if there are any specific topics you want to learn about, please go to my website at claimingsimplicity.com and send me a message! I would love to hear from you!

Website:

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Blessings friend! See ya next time!

Monica

Do You Want a Calmer Home? 3 Areas of Your Home to Simplify Quickly to Feel More Peaceful and Enjoy Less Stress Mar 13, 2023

Hey there

I’m guessing that you most likely have chaos in so many areas of your life, so I want to give you simple tips you can quickly add more peace and less stress into your life. We are all so busy and I know you don’t need another thing to do, but I do want you to think about how easy a few of these things are to do to simplify and have a calmer home.

I do think having too much stuff can weigh you down mentally, so I want to give you a few tips if you struggle keeping your house stress free as much as possible.

First…..the Kitchen area Because this ends up being a drop off location for so many things, one of the simplest habits you can incoorporate is to get in the habit of tossing the mail that you do not need as you bring it in the door and make an area for the items that you need to do something with. When I grab the mail, I look through it and throw the junk mail in the garbage immediately and then put the other where it needs to go. If you are like me-out of sight, out of mind, so I have a cute basket on the wall of the items I need to do something with, so that I do not forget to do them. Also, make sure your dishes are done daily and keep your counters as clean as possible. Look at fridge-can you simplify? Are you wasting alot of food because it is so full? Put all the food that is going to expire into the front of the fridge and start making meals from those items.

Last-Living Room: Especially if this is where people enter-less looks so much cleaner. Look at everything that is in this room. Can you relocate some of these things in a different area. Basket works really well to put items in at the end of the day. Can you clean up this area in a few minutes before going to bed and if not, you may want to eliminate some of the items

I don’t want to give you too much to start out with because I know you are a busy mom, so tackle these 3 first and you will be on your way to a more calmer home!

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See ya next time!

Monica

Simplify Your Life, Live With Less Stress and Enjoy Moments With Your Family and Friends Because You Never Get Your Time Back. Some of the Best Quality Time Nobody Talks About Because of Slow Living. Mar 09, 2023

Hey Friend

We had another incredible 3 day weekend with grandkids and kids last weekend and even though the weekend ended up being very cold, we still had plenty of quality time spent together. It just amazes me how fast all the kids grow and I am so glad they all have a good time playing together! I am so so grateful for all the time we are all able to spend together.

This got me thinking about winter here. I don’t know where you live, but in MN, we have 4 very different seasons and there is something I love about each one of them! I sometimes wish winter was shorter, but it wasn’t too bad here this year with the really freezing temps, so that was nice. I enjoy the snow, but I like to be able to go out and enjoy snow shoeing, ice skating, ice fishing and all the winter activities we can do, so the -50 below with windchill really doesn’t appeal to me!

Some of the things people in colder climates don’t talk about when they have more time indoors are cozy time by the fire watching movies, game nights with friends, being able to do more puzzles, quality time together baking and warming up the house, more time for reading, crafting and indoor hobbies as well as all the outdoor hobbies when it is nice that I talked about earlier. None of these things take much money, but will give you a lifetime of memories.

Are you someone that looks at the positive things around you? When you start living a simpler life with less, you really do find more joy. You will end up really appreciating the little things in life, and notice how wonderful it is to be living a slower life with more time. What are you waiting for? Are you tired of the crazy busy life that sucks the life out of you? There is so much more for you friend! I want you to know there is so much freedom when you let go of having to keep up with other people and when you let go of possessions, you will feel so much lighter and alot happier!

I know people that are always scrambling to get the next best thing and then once they have that, they need more and more because they think that is going to make them feel better. That may only make you feel better temporarily, but when you simplify, you have more time which you can never get back, you can focus on other people, and not just yourself, and you will be so satisfied!

I challenge you to look at how you are feeling and what your focus is and see if there are things you can simplify or downsize so you can live your life happier with less stress.

Website:

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xoxo,

Monica

Why Would You Even Want to Homestead When You Didn’t Grow Up With it? Do You Want to Learn How to Preserve Food, Become More Self-Sufficient, Save Money and Reduce Expenses? Mar 06, 2023

Hey Friend!

Never grew up homesteading, but you want to start? I grew up on a dairy farm, so that is where I get my work ethic, but I didn’t grow up with a garden, canning or making too many things from scratch! It wasn’t until after I was married and had a few young kids in my early 20’s when I even had any interest! Much of it came out of necessity at that time. I wanted to raise my own kids, so I had to find creative ways to save money and that is just what I did!

When my 3 oldest kids were young, I started working for a company doing food taste testing parties and it grew into a full time income in just a few parties a week, so I that was my first experience with growing a business with less hours and it was perfect for me at the time because I was with the kids all day and then I would get my adult time in the evening with a bunch of women! It was perfect! Once they got a little older and got into sports, it was alot harder to do parties in the evenings, so I had to go a different route.

Working from home became a passion of mine and I started making things to sell and they just sold word of mouth. At that time, I didn’t have alot of technical ability……that was over 20 years ago….well, tech is still a struggle for me, but at least now there are so many more resources available online to figure things out, so that has been helpful. Now you can reach so many more people online that are in your niche which is fantastic!

I started in my early 20’s making spaghetti sauce with the help of a neighbor I used to babysit for and I was hooked on canning! My first few things I canned were green beans and spaghetti sauce and I didn’t grow the vegetables at first. I would just try new recipes over the years to add to my knowledge. There were a few years that I didn’t have a garden and I didn’t can and then my father in law borrowed my canner and lost the knob for the top, so I was just water bath canning and didn’t do any pressure cooked items for a while. At that time, I didn’t consider myself a homesteader, but I was really really good at saving money! I honestly hadn’t heard the homesteading word even used up until the last few years.

For me, living this lifestyle was about the enjoyment of preserving food, but mostly it was about saving money and having less expenses so I could stay at home with my kids. If I could stretch my dollar as far as I could, that would feel like success to me. Not to mention how much better everything tasted when you cook from scratch and make simple homemade meals. Even if you don’t consider yourself a homesteader you can still learn how to preserve food, grow a garden, and raise animals. (and if you want more info on what homesteading means, you can listen to podcast episode #70)

It wasn’t until 2020 that I decided that I wanted to live more self-sufficient and produce as much food as I could on our own so that I wouldn’t have to worry about not finding grocery items at the store and then I realized that so many people have no idea even where to start, so that is why I have been working on creating a course to teach you some very simple skills.

Remember that I keep everything very very simple. Slow living is the best living. It has been good for my body and my adrenal glands that get depleted very easy and it has been good for my family to not live the super fast paced life where they don’t even have time to enjoy the simple things in life. We make time for so many more things now and homesteading has been really fun to teach friends and family so that they can live this lifestyle for years to come. The bonus is that when the grocery prices started rising so fast, we needed very few items from the store since we had prepared and preserved whatever we could.

I know that you may be thinking that learning to grow and preserve your own food and homesteading is complicated, but let me tell you friend, I don’t have time or patience for anything complicated, so if I can do this, so can you. You can be a homesteader no matter where you live or what your background is. Come and join my email list so you can be the first to see when I roll out these simple classes to get you started to saving money!!!!

Website:

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As always, have a great week!

Monica

Do You Want to Learn How to Start a Garden and Buy Less Groceries? Simple Tips for Beginner Gardeners by Starting Seeds to Grow Your Own Food to Save Money and Reduce Food Expenses this year. Mar 03, 2023

Welcome Friend

I get so many questions about growing seeds and I am not an expert at all, but I will give you the information I know! Remember, if you don’t have time to grow your own seeds, you can buy them before you plant your garden from greenhouses that has done that part for you and that is what I did for many many years, but it is a little more expensive.

I just planted seeds and I know I had so many questions when I first started doing a garden. Depending on where you live, this may not even apply to you because you may have already planted yours, but if not-this info is for you and if you have, you can always use this info for next year!!! I don’t start all of my seeds, but tomatoes, peppers, and a few others is what I like to get started before we can bring outside to plant because our season in so short in MN.. It probably wont be ready to plant outside until late may, early June here!

First I want to talk about the different seed types. There are Heirloom seeds which means they have been around at least 50 years. If you save the heirloom seeds - they are going to be the exact same vegetable you had originally planted. Next is the hybrid and that just means that the plants have been cross pollinated to have qualities of 2 different plants that have created a better plant. It is a natural process and they are safe to use, but if you save the seeds from a hybrid, you are not going to get the same plant-you might get qualities from one of the parent plants the following year.

All the seeds are organic, so you don’t have to worry about if it says organic on the package and don’t want to pay more money for that.

Also, another myth is you have to look for GMO on package-you do not have to worry about that either.

This is only my second year starting seeds, so I am going to teach you what I have done! Look on the seed packet to see when you should plant-it will depend on your zone.

I use seed starting cells and a tray underneath & dome. It comes all together.

Never bring in outdoor soil to start seeds. If you bring that inside, you will bring in fungus, disease and insects. As soon as you bring it in, mold and disease will grow and kill your seedlings, so buy seed starting mix.

So once you are ready, you will put the dirt in the cells or cups with holes in the bottom, plant the seeds-you can use popsicle sticks to mark plants, and then you will put a small amount of water in the bottom tray (about ¼ full)so the water goes up into the plant-dump what is left of water after about 30 minutes. Once you see the plants are a lighter brown and dry water them, let them be dry for a day or so and then water from the bottom again. After 10-14 days of plant growing, you will want to fertilize with any water soluble fertilizer (but only use about ¼ of what it calls for) Do that about once a month (but be careful because you can do more harm if you use too much) I didn’t even use fertilizer last year and we had a very abundant garden, so im thinking it was because of our chicken and turkey poop fertilizer we had outside. It probably depends how long you have seeds indoors too.

Honestly, it is a trial every year. Last year our peppers didn’t grow as well and many people in our area said they had the same problem, so each year ends up a little different, so it you are just starting out growing your own food, don’t give up! Enjoy this replay and I will be back next week!

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Happy Planting!

Monica

What is Financial Success as a Christian? Take a Look at an Eternal Point of View of Money Feb 27, 2023

Hey Friend!

What is financial success to you? So many people define financial success as retiring early, a million dollars in the bank, material Items and how much they accumulate, but I believe it should look different as a Christian. I challenge you to look at this differently. As Christians, we are eternal beings and I believe that our life should not be measured by what we accumulate on earth, but by what we give.

Instead of fancy vehicles and focusing on material items, choose to give more to those in need and give all the glory to God. There are so many opportunities to give- missionaries, and so many many Christian based ministries. Your money is God’s money-keep your hands wide open for what He wants you to do with it. Once you change away from the world’s view of materialism, you may think about giving in a different way. When you value your priorities differently, you can change the world with God’s help. He can do big things through you, so don’t ever doubt that once you change your life, you will see a difference. We are proof that once you change the focus from yourself to others, everything changes. We have seen God’s hand in so many things more than ever these last 10 years.

Don’t ever place your worth in a dollar value. Look at financial success as God does. Eternity is forever, but our time on this earth is short. Make sure you are making the best of it and giving wherever you can. God sees you and it will not go unnoticed. Sometimes this means giving of your time if you don’t have the funds because serving is also considered giving.

I just wanted to bring this up because I had this conversation with a friend recently and we both thought most people don’t think like this, so this is just something for you to ponder on this lovely day!

Website:

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God Bless!

Monica

Are You Taking Time to Rest Each Day? In Order to Know God’s Will, You May Want to Slow Down and Have Simple Quiet Time So You Can Hear From God! Feb 23, 2023

Welcome to another episode

I can't even tell you how awesome it is not using social media! I didn't realize how much it zapped my energy even using it so sparingly!

I realize when I get too busy that I have less time for God which is the most important thing in my life. My life suffers when this happens and since I love to always be doing things and can get caught up in the hustle, I have to sit back, slow down and figure out what is going on and it almost always comes back to not having quiet time and listening to what God is trying to tell me. It doesn’t take alot of effort to take even 10 minutes every day to just sit in the quietness of the Lord. Praise Him for who He is and Thank God for what He is doing in your Life no matter how small it may seem and then just sit in His presence. He wants time with you. Start doing this daily- put an alarm on your phone during the day to take the time or get up 10 minutes earlier to take this time. It is incredibly simple to do and SO SO important!

I was at a Women’s Christian Leadership Retreat last weekend and during the worship time, God really spoke to me and even though I heard this message over a year ago, I know now that I can’t wonder if it is my thought or if it is God and I need to be Obedient. I will go into this story as things unfold and God reveals more to me, but as for now, I will take each step as it comes and I am more eager than ever to see what God has planned. We are in a season of change which isn’t always easy, but following God is not easy in the world we live in today where evil is good and good is evil. Keep doing good friend-you may be persecuted for it, but remember that eternity with Jesus forever is worth it! Continue to let Biblical scripture lead you and don’t be led astray. Be diligent in teaching your children and Grandchildren truth from the Word of God.

I just want to thank so many of you who have been reaching out-I truely appreciate you!! I would love to reach more people across the world to learn about Jesus, so if you could take a few seconds to give a rating and review, I would really appreciate it because then this podcast can continue to reach even more people! If you are someone who wants to learn more about Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, please reach out to me at monica@claimingsimplicity.com~I would love to hear from you!!!!

Make sure you take time to rest in the Lord’s presence each day friend! He loves you!!!!

Go to the website and join our email group for some good nuggets!

Website:

Claimingsimplicity.com

Join our Community of Christian Moms ->

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Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com

xoxo,

Monica

Why Do You Want to Live a Simpler Life in 2023? Do You Want to Enjoy More of Your Passions or Is It Simply Because You Want to Enjoy Making More Memories with Your Loved Ones? Feb 20, 2023

Hello

This last week with all of our grandkids here, it really reminded me of the reason I do what I do! On Friday after having a fish fry the night before with my parents, kids, and all the grandkids,I had to think……what day is it? Our closest Grandkids are 30 minutes away with the others about 1.5 hours away, so because we don’t live really close, it doesn’t always happen that we have everyone here for most of the week or for dinner on the weekdays, but it sure was fun! I have always loved being able to be flexible, but when my husband and I worked full time, there was little flexibility and we wouldn’t be able to take all the kids and get to all their events during the week if we hadn’t chosen this different path. This week the kids had fun ice skating and our 6 year old was so excited she was able to skate and do twirls instead of shuffling behind a chair, they went snowmobiling, sledding, ziplining, helped with the goats and chickens, went to a homeschool valentine’s party, baked with us and it was another week of memories. We sure cherish all the time we get with our Grandkids and family. You can’t ever take back these days and we have never regretted raising our own kids and I am so so forever grateful to be able to help out whenever we are needed with Grandkids too!

This got me thinking about you. Do you have joy in your everyday life or are you rushing through every day just wishing for more peace and time to enjoy life? Are you wishing you could slow down and live a simpler life? Do you want to be able to be at home and raise your own kids or be available for grandkids? What is holding you back? Is it finances? Do you just have too much debt to ever think about living on one income? If this is your reason, I want you to take a good look at your situation and where you can make some changes. When you think about possessions, remember Proverbs 22:7 - The rich rule over the poor and the borrower is slave to the lender. With debt - you are a slave-what does that mean to you? I realize each and every one of you are in a different situation, but if God has put this calling in your heart to live a simpler life, He will help you. You do have to do the work, but don’t forget that anything is possible with God.

Sometimes you have to make a different career choice-there has never been a better time to work from home or start a side hustle to replace your full time income. With the internet, you can reach people with your gifts all around the world! You have to think out of the box! You may feel stuck in your job because you spent alot of money and time in college doing what you do, but you don’t love it or it is stressful. I want you to remember, you have choices!

You may be doing what you do because you feel the need to keep up with friends but you are exhausted and you are not loving what you do. Start looking inside yourself and take the time to think about what really matters to you. Is it making memories or is it having the top of the line material items. You can’t take any of that to heaven with you, so why are you burning the candle at both ends just trying to keep up? You can only do that so long!

I would love for you to email me at monica@claimingsimplicity.com and tell me where you are struggling and what I can help you with - I also have a few 15 minute discovery calls left this month to help you get started on your simple living path because it is so rewarding and I don’t think it is something you will ever regret. Whether you want to start saving money, learn about raising your own food or just learn how to make simple food from scratch or your own non toxic household products, I can help you. Shoot me a message-I would be happy to help you if I can!

There really is nothing so special as being able to make memories. If I die tomorrow, I sure hope that my Grandkids learn enough from me to grow deep in their faith as they grow up because I believe that in the times we are living now, that they need to be equipped and strong in their faith with all that is thrown at them. Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it. Think about your own walk….are you growing in your faith so that your cup can overflow into others while you are making memories? I think this is so important!

Are you ready to make a change this year or are you going to continue to live as you are right now? I want you to live this abundant life God has for us.

Join our Community of Christian Moms ->

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Until next time-Be Blessed!

Monica

Eating Traditional Nutrient Dense Foods Like Our Ancestors Did to Help You Heal Your Body and Improve Metabolic Health Feb 16, 2023

Hey Friend

It is starting to warm up here at the time of this recording, but even though it has been cold, I have had so much incredible time with friends crafting for 4 days and then another weekend time with friends that I don’t see very often and another weekend at a Womens leadership retreat, we have been ice fishing and my family has caught a bunch of fish, so even when it is cold, we still gather and have quality time with people we love-even though it may not be outside!

Today I want to talk about the simple foods we eat. I no longer eat for what my body looks like, but for my metabolic health and to heal my body from the inside out. I have talked on here about how over the years up until 3 years ago, I have tried every diet there was including keto, paleo, vegan, and the list goes on and on, but when I had an abnormal EKG after doing Keto and then getting my body age, I realized that I needed to quit worrying about weight and worry more about health, so after doing alot of research,i realized that auto-immune disorders and our health problems come down to mostly what we eat. I knew that even though our soil is so depleted that we won’t benefit from all the nutrients our ancestors did, if we get closer to a nourishing ancestral diet with nutrient dense foods, we will be much healthier.

I had some testing done and I found out I had food allergies to milk, wheat, tomatoes, tuna, kidney beans, kale, and 10 other items, so when I started cooking from scratch with whole food ingredients, I noticed a huge difference in my gut health. I can’t wait to retest and see how many of these food allergies are gone. Since switching so much of what we eat, my family has become even healthier and it has saved thousands of dollars making it ourselves and growing the food. We buy organic whenever possible if we aren’t growing it as we are more aware of pesticides and also our gut health has improved immensly.

My list of nutrient-dense foods that we typically eat daily does not include a bunch of random super-foods that are expensive and hard to find. My diet has shifted to eating more Traditional Foods….or as I like to call it, following an Ancestral or Primal diet. Eating the way my ancestors have eaten for thousands of years.

Traditional foods are the types of nutrient dense foods I now focus on for our whole family.

These foods are for anyone, at any stage in life. They’re rich in nutrients that your body needs to thrive.

Nutrient Dense foods we eat every day

Eggs from our chickens

Raw Cheese

Fermented Veggies

Fruit

Raw Milk

Butter

Animal Protein

It sure makes a difference in how we feel. We still eat our fruit and veggie tablets daily, but that is because we couldn’t possibly get 30 different kinds of fruits and vegetables every day and those have kept our whole family free from sickness for over 3 years now. I will put the link below if you are interested!

When you nourish your body with the right foods, you will feel AND LOOK your best!!!

If you want to be part of our community of like minded women that want to learn more about making simple traditional nutrient dense foods, join our group-the link is below in the description!!

And if you are enjoying this podcast, please share it with a friend and as always, feel free to send me an emaili with any questions or things you would like to simplify~I seriously LOVE hearing from you!

Join our Community of Christian Moms ->

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Fruits & Veggies -> https://www.monicabaker.juiceplus.com/

God Bless!

Monica

3 Simple Ways You Can Save Money on Groceries in 2023 with Rising Prices of Food. Reduce Expenses All While Keeping Your Meals Simple, Thrifty and Healthy Feb 13, 2023

Hello Friend

It was really amazing how little I spent on food last month with our no spend challenge and I thought there is no reason we can’t eat like this all year because we wasted so much less. I honestly don’t like cooking anything that is putsy or takes alot of time, so my goal is to have simple, thrifty, and healthy meals!

Make a meal plan for the week using what you have in your refrigerator, pantry and freezer. Only buy what you need for those meals. Look at your schedule and see what is going on for the week. If you are buying in bulk, make sure you are rotating the items so they get used up and you are only buying foods you really like and use alot. The most expensive food is the food you don’t eat, so try to buy only what you are going to use that week.
Skip the unhealthy snacks because their cost adds up really fast. If you want snacks, find new recipes that you can make from scratch because they will be so much healthier and most likely much better tasting as well. Many times these items are super simple to make yourself and are quick snacks to make homemade. This tip alone could save you hundreds of dollars each month. Some really easy swaps are homemade yogurt and homemade granola, muffins, chips, dips, crackers and cheese-its, bars & cookies (which I think are so much tastier) and the list goes on and on-just remember to keep it to simple snack recipes so that you are likely to make them again because they are quick.
Swap out homemade items for staple pantry items you can make yourself quickly. This will save you ALOT money. When you start making your own condensed soups,dry mixes ect and see how simple it is, there won’t be a need to spend a larger amount of money on convenience items because you know how easy it is and also, you will know the ingredients you are using and it will taste so much better!!

Saving money and learning how to make your own foods is an important skill to have as we continue to see grocery prices rise. It is just an extra benefit to being able to have better tasting food that is healthier for you without all the additives and preservatives in the store bought food.

I am compiling a list of my favorite recipes that I like to use to swap out the expensive food/mixes from the store, so if you want to get on the wait list, just send me an email and say wait list!

Join our Community of Christian Moms ->

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Have a fantastic day!

Monica

Do You Want to Slow Down and Have a Simpler Life? 3 Steps to Begin Your Simple Living Journey That You Can Start Right Now No Matter How Busy You Are Feb 09, 2023

Welcome to another week of Claiming Simplicity

Are you wanting to pursue more simplicity in your life? Many years ago, I realized I wanted to spend my days with more meaning and not consuming and competing.

Pursuing a simplified life can be just as exhausting at times as pursuing the fast one because it doesn’t just happen on its own. You still have to manage balancing family life, work life, and personal life—while trying to maintain a slower life. You may have to learn new skills from budgeting differently to learning how to cook from scratch or preserving food and there is a learning curve if you don’t know how to do these things. It is so very rewarding though!

In my current season, serving my husband, children and grandchildren calls for most of my energy, so my business is often secondary. There’s a lot of No in my vocabulary right now because we say yes to better things, but with each new season, that will always be changing.

I have 2 daughters still at home that homeschool and are in sports year round, so that takes much of my focus because I know that season will be over in 6 years and I want them to know they are my priority right now. I also work my businesses early in the morning and free hours that we are not running with kids. Kids are only young for so long and I don’t want to miss it. I don’t want you to miss out either!

So what are you doing to make a change? If you don’t make a plan and start, you will be exactly where you were last year! Please please please make a plan to learn something new and begin to move forward so when you look at your goals for this year, you can look back and be proud of yourself!

I want to give you some skills because this is what my brand is all about!

Decide what a slower life and simpler living looks like to you. How many hours will you spend at a job? Will you raise your own food or preserve your own food? Do you want to get some animals to become more self-sufficient? Do you want to spend more quality time with your family? Do you want to live on less money and stop over consuming? This is the most important step because living a simple life looks very different for each person and if you don’t know what it looks like to you, you will never be able to attain this lifestyle.
Research and application. Like I always say….it is not a race, so you have to start slow so that you do not get overwhelmed. This is an amazing journey and it doesn’t happen instantly~there are skills to learn, research, and testing as to what works and you need to figure out what you enjoy. It is definitely a different lifestyle than than the fast pace the main stream is used to and there is a totally different mindset when you live this enjoyable life. You don’t feel the need to have everything the next person has and it is so much easier to go without things and not feel bad about it. There is so much support as simple living is becoming more popular and you will notice that more people want to save money and learn how to be more frugal. There are so many more resources than there ever used to be!
Work on getting out of debt because it will be hard to live slower and enjoy the things you value if you have alot of debt. First, stop buying unnecessary items and think about each purchase. Do you really need it or is there a different option that is cheaper? You also need to know why you want to get out of debt. Start by seeing if there is anything you have that you don’t really need and that you can sell. Can you have a cheaper vehicle so you don’t have a payment? Do you need the camper you have if you owe money on it? Think about all the extra snowmobiles, boats or items that you could do without or go a cheaper route. After that, start with your smallest bill to largest debt amount and pay extra on the smallest amount until it is paid off and then go to the next debt tacking on the amount from the debt you paid off until all debt is paid.
Join our Community of Christian Moms ->

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Blessings! Monica

Learn to Save Money, Live Intentionally and Escape the Trap of Overconsumption to Find Freedom in Frugality and the No Spend Challenge Recap Feb 06, 2023

Hello

I do this no spend challenge and freezer and pantry clean out every January, but it was really fun to do with other people this year! It is such a great way to begin the new year with new habits and many of those habits stay throughout the year. Being intentional about every single purchase is so good to be aware of. I value time, flexibility and freedom over consumerism and material items and I love teaching you to live a simpler, more natural and meaningful life so you can enjoy this incredible life God gave us. I think excessive consumption keeps people from financial security and builds kingdoms of clutter in our houses, schedules, bank statements and environment. I want you to buy less of what doesn’t matter so you can afford more of what does! I love helping people escape the trap of overconsumption to find freedom in frugality!

What I hope you find is your own full life and it probably won’t look like mine, but you can start designing your own version of financial freedom and you may find you enjoy the pursuit of it!

We had some great things happen in the group! My favorite are more family time with homecooked meals and teaching kids the importance of spending less, trips to the library for the first time, fishing with family, family hiking, decluttering and just being aware of every single purchase and only buying essentials. When we live more intentionally, our lives become more significant in so many ways! When you live for treasure in heaven instead of treasures on earth, you have more time to enjoy the life you have and that is why I encourage people to simplify their lives to live better.

Money spent on groceries was very minimal and most members had to get a little creative when trying to use up pantry items and cleaning out the freezer.

When you do a shopping ban or challenge like this you need to figure out what you value. Vision what a values- aligned life looks like. I talk about this in episode 2 of the Claiming Simplicity Podcast. Value vs. Time Assessment. What motivates you? Does spending more time with family motivate you to spend less money? Do you want to stop trading hours for dollars? Do you want to be able to give insane amounts of money to people in need? Do you want to travel whenever you want to and have time freedom and flexability to do it whenever you want to? You have to have a reason that gets you excited to do this!

You also need to know what your challenges and excuses are. Most times these are just limiting mindsets. Change your mindset and you will change your outlook. You might think you are broke, but once you make a budget, you might find that you just overspend. Whatever you think is keeping you from paying off your debt, there is someone else in a situation like yours that has accomplished the same goal because of their mindset. There is alot of scientific studies to prove that mindset significantly implacts the way you make short and long term decisions, so here are some things you can do to improve your limiting mindset. Surround yourself with abundance thinkers and practice gratitude. You are capable of saving more than you can even imagine. Make a goal for yourself and plan to reach it!

You can do a challenge like this any month of the year and I encourage you to try it if you haven’t already. I am super proud of the members of our No spend challenge because most have never tried it before and for the ones that were active, they had success!

Join our Community of Christian Moms ->

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Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com

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Enjoy your week and God Bless!

Monica

How I Only Spent $73 for 1 Month of Groceries for a Family of 4 During the January No Spend Challenge. Reducing Your Grocery Budget is Much Easier When You Raise Alot of Your Own Food. Feb 02, 2023

Hey Friend!

I was pretty excited to only spend $73 on groceries last month-especially with the food prices right now!

I am so grateful that my family hunts and fishes, we grow and preserve our own food, and have chickens for meat and fresh eggs_especially with the price of eggs right now! I used to advise people to eat eggs for an evening meal at least once per week to save money, but now they aren’t going to save a whole lot on that!!

My first week of the challenge, I ended up spending $30 because I hadn’t been grocery shopping for a few weeks and I need to buy some extra fruit as we were running low and in our area of the country, we aren’t able to grow fresh fruit for months due to below freezing temps, so that seems to be our biggest expense because I like to buy organic as much as possible and I don’t can very much fruit because we like fresh fruit. I do freeze some fruits, but my frozen apples are gone, but we do still have strawberries. The rest of the week, we ate egg meals for breakfast because I was running low on milk, venison, potatoes and corn, I made a large pot of chicken wild rice soup because I had most of the supplies on hand and we make our own broth, we had a potato, burger and cheese hash, tacos, roast,potatoes, green beans.

The second week I made a huge pan of hash to last us most of the week. That is shredded hashbrowns, pork sausage, and eggs-sometimes I put peppers in this, but we didn’t have those on hand. I like to make alot because we like heating it up during the week for breakfast or lunch. I always make large batches of everything whenever I cook because then I have to cook alot less often. Our breakfast can be something as simple as yogurt, smoothies, sourdough dishes, eggs, oatmeal and then we can use leftovers for lunches so I only concentrate on a quick dinner meal.

I have not had enough ingredients to make double the meals to freeze like I usually do, but I’m sure I will get back to that when I am done trying to eat mostly out of the pantry and freezer. I had alot of cubed zucchini in the freezer and made some zuchinni lasagna with our canned spaghetti sauce, burger and cheese that we had-it is one of our favorite meals-so much flavor and it is really quick to make. I also made some chicken tacos with chicken in the freezer, venison sloppy joes and french fries, sourdough pizza crust pizza, and chilli. Of course we always have sourdough bread and treats throughout the week as well! So week 2 I only spent $26 because we still had fruit from the week before, but we did have to buy some raw milk to make our greek yogurt and also to have on hand as we ran out the first week along with a few other items..

The 3rd week I spent nothing and we had stroganoff with our homemade sour cream,and venison, one meal was chicken, potatoes, and corn, another was chicken fettuccine with our homemade noodles and homegrown chickens, venison burgers and our homemade french fries we freeze in the fall with the potato crop, , potato soup, omlets and spaghetti squash spaghetti and meatballs, canned pickles, and sourdough garlic bread. I’m being very intentional about what I buy at the store and I am not buying any extra food to stock the cupboards like I normally do when it is on sale.

And week 4. I only spent $17. Sourdough pizza, sourdough skillet, eggbake, roast and potatoes, burrito bowls, chicken and sweet potatoes, and fish and french fries. We also ate similar breakfasts to the weeks above and usually leftovers for lunches. The biggest expense we have saved on was not buying snacks and making them all homemade because my kids found some recipes using ingredients we already had, so that was another win from our challenge.

Even though I have only been buying the few items for the meals we need week by week, I have not felt deprived at all. It is so nice to have so many nutrient dense foods from our garden,chickens, hunting, and fishing. We will eventually need to buy more groceries just for the simple fact that our pantry staples like flour, sugar, olive oil and spices will eventually be getting low, but I’m actually encouraged to see how long I can actually go without spending more than 120-150/month. Could I do this most of the year? Possibly!I am going to try! And you possibly could too! I know months that we have Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, we wouldn’t be able to since we probably spend a few hundred each holiday for over 25 people, but most other months~especially in the summer and Fall when our garden is producing, we definitely could spend less. If you need help with this, let me know-send me your ingredients and I can help you get creative with your meals!

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Monica

Are You Listening to God or Are You Just Trying to Do Everything on Your Own? I Wrestled With God About Growing My Online Business With Social Media and He Made it Clear Jan 31, 2023

I am so glad you are here!

I am going into this 2nd year of podcasting and I just want to say that I never in my life ever had a dream to podcast, I’m not a natural speaker, and I didn’t think I had anything to talk about, but God….. He had plans, and if you are listening, you must want to live a simpler life because the podcast has grown to the top 2.5% globally, so that is exciting! This podcast is All God!

When I first started, it was because over the years, many people would say that they wish they could work their job around their life and I wanted to teach you that, so you could spend time with what was most important to you-see episode 2 on building a balanced life plan. But as the podcast evolved, I realized that most of people didn’t have the skills to live simpler and natural life, so now I am actually teaching you more simple homesteading skills, cooking from scratch with real food, sourdough, raising animals, preserving food, gardening, natural living, saving money and reducing expenses, so you can enjoy a slower life. Everything I do is simple, so no matter how busy you are, you can incorporate this into your life and hopefully you can begin living your dream life soon.

So naturally as I was planning for this 2nd year, I thought since I didn’t do any advertising and very little on social media that I should start doing more of that to grow our business even more. I teach people to simplify and put down social so they have intentional time doing what they value and so I really struggled with the thought of being on social more. I’m rarely on social and if I post something, I don’t sit and scroll, I do it because I feel like I have to and so as I have been praying about this for months because it is exhausting to me to have to post everything and then have to reply to all the comments, ect! God has really been speaking to me and telling me to lay it down completely and that it is through Him these businesses will grow in His timing, not an algorithm that is controlled by someone else-He is the everlasting algorithm! He keeps reminding me of philippians 4:13 -that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me and so can you!! If you aren’t familiar with this verse-it is a great reminder to persevere and be content in any situation-not on your own, but through Christ who will give you strength.

As of February, I am deleting my Instagram and Facebook from my phone again and I will go on my Private Claiming Simplicity Group from my computer and I plan to start actively sharing content to help you put some of my simple practices into your life. I will give this group a year and then reevaluate and see how that feels! I would love for you to join me-the link is below in the description. Come and join our community with other busy moms who love Jesus, want to slow down and live a more meaningful and intentional life.

One of my biggest problems I had with social media, is that I really really enjoy my life and I didn’t want anyone to feel insecure, inadequate or jealous because comparison is a struggle for many and that is one of the many reasons we have more mental health problems than ever and I don’t want to contribute to that and I don’t like the focus on me. I also don’t want to waste my memories with trying to make posts and capturing all we do when I can be just enjoying every intentional moment with family and friends.

I do love hearing from you, so if our community is not for you, please rate and review the podcast and always feel free to reach me by email listed below!

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Thanks for listening and remember-listen to God and He will lead you!!

Monica

20 Simple Ways to Become More Sustainable and Eco Friendly in 2023 Jan 30, 2023

Hello

There are so many easy ways you can become more sustainable and many of them you can implement immediately and they are frugal as well! Just as we talked about homesteading last week and going slow to avoid overwhelm, I suggest you start making small daily changes and habits to start out with becoming more green or eco friendly as well so that you become more sustainable and envirnonmentally responsible.

1.Grow your own fruit and vegetable garden.

Plant fruit trees
Use non toxic weed killers and fertilizers
Make a compost pile
Only water early in the morning or in the evening to prevent evaporation and have an automatic shut off
Recycle materials you can recycle
Make your own laundry soap
Switch to wool dryer balls
Use reusable ziplock bags
Make your own All purpose cleaners
Use reusable cloth towels instead of paper towels.
Cook from scratch
Remove teflon pans
Use towels more than once
Use non toxic body wash/shampoo/conditioners or make your own

16.Only use natural non toxic facial creams or make your own

17.Buy used clothes

18.Condense your wardrobe

Make your own baby wipes and lotions

20 Keep it simple!

We can all do our part to become more sustainable, as you run out of products you have, just replace them with more non toxic. I do have recipes for my favorite non toxic products, so just shoot me an email and I will send those to you. Email is in the description below. We would love to have you join our community and the link is below!

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May you be blessed this week friend!

Monica

Have You Started Planning for Your Homestead Projects for This Year? If You Don’t Have This Done, You are Going to Want to Plan Soon so You Don’t Run Out of Time to Get Projects Done! Jan 26, 2023

Hey Friend!

There are so many many things to do when you homestead, but with a plan, it will seem alot easier to get your projects around your homestead done.

First, Make a master list of all the things you want to do in the future. This may be adding some animals, growing a garden or adding to it, building a shed, shelter or shed, fencing, getting a freeze dryer, putting in a wood boiler and the list goes on and one. This could be a very huge list that you can do over several years-this is not a list you will accomplish this year.

Next, look at your finances and see how much money you have to spend on projects and also how much time you have to devote to something new.

After you know how much you have to spend and how much time you have, look through your projects and see where you want to start or what you want to get done this year. Once you break down the projects into smaller chunks, it won't seem so overwhelming.

This Year we want to make a chicken tractor to raise about 60 meat chickens. Add more potatoes/squash to our garden as we are almost out of both of them and it is only January! We also want to add a separate strawberry garden along with some other garden additions. We also plan to breed our goats in the Fall, so we want to finish the goat shed with a milking stand and get pens ready for babies Spring of 2024!!! I’m so excited about that! We will probably add a few more fruit trees and another small insulated shed for more animals and we would possible like to try to raise a few pigs to butcher which we have never done before, so this all seems very doable to us and not overwhelming even though we really have a very short season here to get it all done in!

The biggest key is taking it slow so you don’t overwhelm yourself. It is not worth being stressed out because you won’t enjoy the journey as much. I really don’t think there is a destination in homesteading because you can always do something new, so enjoy every minute of it.

As far as harvesting, I want to preserve more ready cooked meals this year, so when we have ballgames and activities, we can have a healthy homegrown meal right out of the jar. Some of those would be stew and soups that I would like to make more of.

Homesteading does not have to be hard. Growing your own food doesn’t have to be hard. Cooking traditional nutrient dense food does not have to be hard. I am here to tell you that everything I do is simple-I wouldn’t say it is always easy because you will have a learning curve, but it is simple and if I can do it, you can too!

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Remember~Rome wasn't built in a day!!!!!!!

Monica

What Does Homesteading Mean and How Can You Begin to Homestead and Live a Simpler Life with Less Stress and Less Overwhelm Jan 23, 2023

Welcome Friend!

I love love love to talk about all things natural, homemade, and living a simplified life, so today, I wanted to talk about what exactly homesteading is because there seems to be so many different ideas.

Homesteading is a lifestyle of self-sufficiency, so homesteading life for each of us can be so very different, so now you know why people have so many different thoughts about it!! You can live in an apartment, city, or in the middle of nowhere and you can still homestead no matter what your situation is. You can live a simple life with little money, so if this homesteading lifestyle is something you dream of, why not get started now?

If you live in an apartment or the thought of homesteading overwhelms you, begin your homesteading journey by learning simple ways to prepare and preserve food. If you don’t know where to start, I suggest you start by replacing foods you buy at the store that you can make. Honestly, if you are worried about homesteading and working full time, the things that I suggest you learn first are super simple and not time consuming at all! Dry mixes, cream soups, and breads are a fabulous place to start, but honestly the possibilities are endless as to what you can do to become more self-sufficient!!

Homesteading can actually save you alot of money when you start switching out homemade food for convenient foods, and it is alot healthier. Something else you can do is try to grow some garden plants indoors - start small and this will give you encouragement to possible someday have a bigger scale garden. I enjoy gardening, but many years the weeds have taken over, and it wasn’t good, but we do have a simple solution now with a method that automatically waters and I have very little weeds to pull, but I had much trial and error over the years. Some plants I can grow really well, and some plants I can’t and sometimes it will depend on the year, so please please please do not get discouraged, use it as a learning lesson. One lesson I learned a few years ago is that we will never use horse poop as fertilizer-we had weeds and thistles take over and it was out of control.

If you live in the city and want to start with animals, find out if you are allowed to have backyard chickens! They are a really easy way to start with animals and produce your own food. We have about 25 free range chickens and I almost feel like I need to hide my eggs with the price of them right now! We just raised our price at the beginning of the year and we are still cheaper than the store- fresh homegrown is the only way to go! Chickens are such an easy animal to begin with and my favorite thing about them is that we can feed and water them and still go away for the weekend and they are fine. You don’t have to make a fancy coop either. Depending on where you live and how harsh your winters are, you do have to take that into consideration though to make sure they are warm enough. We buy a dozen chicks every Spring or every other spring so that we always have fresh eggs when some of them stop laying. This year, we are going to get a rooster and try to hatch our own chickens, so I will have to let you know how that goes. We have had chickens for several years, but this will be our first year trying to hatch our own. That is the best thing about Homesteading-many learning experiences, but you have the flexibility to do it when it works for you-take it slow and enjoy the journey! It really is an amazing life!

This is truely an amazing lifestyle and it is so good for our children and grandchildren to learn these skills. So many people think that it costs alot of money to get started, but it can actually save you money if you start small. It will also reduce overwhelm if you take it slow. Learn one skill and then move to the next - and remember that you can keep it very simple like I have!

Subscribe to the podcast if you have not already so you don’t miss any episodes and I would really appreciate it if you take a few seconds to rate and review so that I can reach more listeners like you! Thanks for being here!

Monica

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5 Small Attainable Steps to Simplify Your Home and Clear Out the Clutter to Enjoy Peace in Your House and Spend Less Time Cleaning Jan 19, 2023

Hello and Welcome

For me, this is the best time of the year to declutter because I don’t have a whole lot of extra time in the other seasons here in MN. After spending months cooped up in the house with alot of snow and below zero temperatures, you won’t find me in the house once the sun starts melting the snow in the Spring, and then we are preparing, planting, and caring for the garden and animals in the summer, and Fall is very busy here with harvesting and hunting season starting with bear the first weekend in September and then getting ready for winter, so now is the time I do more of the household projects I want to get done and it is also a time for alot of planning.

It can seem overwhelming, but if you do it in small chunks, it will seem much simpler. Start in an area of your home that will be easier to tackle and just do 15 minutes at a time. Take a trash bag for trash and a box for things you are going to donate and then a basket for the items that belong in a different area of the house.

Now I have done some major overhauls in the past, so I have alot less stuff and it takes much less time, but throughout the year, we do seem to accumulate extra items, so I like to go through and eliminate wherever I can~especially after Christmas. As I am looking around my living room right now-this is an easy area to get it done quickly because we only have a few pieces of furniture, a shelf with some pictures and the only place I really need to even look it a couple end tables that have some books and newspapers in, so this room can be done within about 5 minutes. Find a place in your home that will be an easier task so that you can feel accomplished and you will gain momentum. The reason I like a simplified home is because it is quick to clean and I can spend more time with people I love and things I love to do instead of cleaning. This alone should encourage you!

Here is a list of 5 small steps you can easily do right away to begin your declutter journey.

Take a garbage bag and pick up any garbage throughout your house and throw it away.
Pick up any dishes laying and put them in the sink or dishwasher to be washed.
Make sure all your laundry is put away if it is clean or put in a laundry basket or your laundry room if it needs to be washed.
Clean off the kitchen counters-you will feel a difference once this is done and it feels so good!
Make sure any coats or shoes are put in a mudroom or entryway and not laying all over the house.
These are just a few places to start in bite size chunks so you can get started with your decluttering journey. If you just start with one of these 5 steps, you will be further ahead than you were before you started!

Remember……Small steps over time can make a big difference, so don’t give up!

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xoxo,

Monica

Simple Hack to Declutter Your Mind by Doing a Brain Dump or a Power Hour so You Can Reduce Stress and Anxiety Throughout the Week and Become More Organized and Productive Jan 16, 2023

Welcome Friend

It doesn’t matter what your title is a SAHM, Work full or part time, Work from home, we all have this never ending list of things to do. It is a continuous circling in our mind and if you don’t have a plan for it, you may miss some of the things you need to get done.

I like to do a 1 hour power hour brain dump every week! I like to clear all distractions when I do this-no phone and no interruptions..

If you are always thinking about all the things that you need to do and they are not written down, it can constantly come into your mind and hang over your head. It happens to me each week when I do not take the time to do this simple task.!

You are going to want to take notes today…..this is what you are going to do for your 1 hour-if you are driving or doing your dishes, you will want to listen again when you can write down this info.

Get a notebook or use your computer -jot down everything in your mind-all your thoughts and everything you need to do. a

Look at upcoming events-anything you need to do for them.

Put all of these things on the calendar -schedule them so they all get done.

You will feel so much lighter and getting everything written down will reduce your stress as well.

3 reason why you need to do a weekly to do brain dump:

First, Getting everything you need to do written down will help you become more organized and putting them in order will help get more accomplished in less time.

Next, it allows you to utilize your time and energy better so you feel less overwhelmed with everything you have to do.

Third, it increases productivity to get more done because you will have clear focus and concentration. You will know exactly what needs to be done without worry about other tasks that don’t need to be done until the future.

Like I have said in previous episodes, time is not the problem, it is how we use our time that is the issue. This will help you get more done in your busy schedule that you may feel like you have alot of extra time to do other tasks.

I would love to know if you do a consistent power hour. Send me a message and let me know how you do it!

Hope you enjoyed this episode, if you know someone that could use this, please share this podcast with them. Also, if you have not taken 30 seconds to give a review, I would appreciate it - it is the only way besides your messages you send me that I know you are loving the show and I read each and every one of them!

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Have a blessed week friend!

Monica

Make a Simple Change to Your Life & Enjoy Slow Living. 5 Tips to Learn How to Go From Being an Overwhelmed Busy Mom to Being More Peaceful With Less Stress & Anxiety & Enjoy Your Life Jan 12, 2023

Hey!

Did you know that being busy is destroying health, relationships, and connection to faith? Have you noticed how the busier you are, the more stress you have? Being pathologically busy is actually a threat to your well being!

I recently read a book my friend suggested from John Comer called The ruthless elimination of Hurry and if you have not read this, you should! This is such a great book! He says hurry is not of the devil, but hurry IS the devil, so slowing down can help you live a fulfilling life. The Bible says walk with Jesus, not sprint with Jesus!

New technology has made us busier because it is a huge sinkhole.

Trying to be everything and be everywhere is making you exhausted and I want you to commit the limited time you have to focus on the the things that are most important to you instead. Time is not the problem, it is how we use the time that is causing us stress and anxiety.

Here are some suggestions from the book:

Live as Jesus did. Be in the moment and engage in life. He was always fully present. Hurry and stress had no time in Jesus’s schedule. Prioritize what really matters.
Create time for silence and solitude daily-we need to lead emotionally healthy lives to reduce anxiety, exhastion, living in reactive mode.
Take a day off to rest and worship-notice the world around you and stop rushing through the week because you have no time to value what you have.
Consume less and share more. Stop buying things you don’t really need. Think of how many hours you had to work for each item you buy. Buying more goods not only cost money, but distract you from the time you have to live your life. Eliminating hurry means weaning cravings for the unnecessary items.You do not need money to enjoy life - prioritize your values instead of chasing the next thing to purchase.
Slow down your life and make it less efficient. That means possibly going to a dumb phone to slow down communications.

Living intentionally and paying attention to what can give you lots of time and peace of mind.

I pray you are able to simplify your life to enjoy slow living. Live more intentionally to reduce stress and anxiety and enjoy your life once again.

xoxo,

Monica

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Why You Spend Money Like You do and 3 Steps to Correct Your Bad Money Habits and Choices so You Can Have Financial Peace Jan 09, 2023

Hello!

We are going to continue working on learning financial peace this week!

We often allow human nature to take control of our financial decisions, so it is time we address the causes of most money problems by identifying and replacing natural human behaviors and tendencies with healthy financial habits. We will identify consequences and practical steps we can take to reduce their harm to our finances.

You are the average of the five people you surround yourself with which means you are influenced by those people, but not only those 5. Keeping up with them refers to reactively purchasing consumer items or experiences we notice they have purchased. Trying to keep up with the Joneses leads us to spend our limited resources on the unlimited items. You tend to wear what they wear, speak like they speak, and behave as they behave. Think about people you know-this is so true! This can certainly lead to overspending if the social groups tend to sustain a more expensive lifestyles than your own income can cover.

Here is how you can fight this. First, make a list of your personal values. This is NOT dollar amounts or purchases But the behaviors, beliefs, and achievements that matter most to you. With these in place, you can ward off temptations to overspend when confronted by the financial choices made by others. How? Because this list includes what is MOST meaningful in your life. This list removes the pressure anytime you start to wonder if you should have or do what the Joneses have or are doing. If you don’t find the purchase related to something on your list, it won’t bring you any lasting satisfaction. You will also want to set up your own spending plan based on your priorities and income. Prioritizing money does not mean going without, it is just shifting where you want your money to go.

Consumers can make purchase choices based on irrational reactions, such as the fear of missing out. Fear of getting left out of groups and their trends. Exclusion once meant getting left behind, alone, and fending for oneself. This fear remains a strong driver of consumer choices even today. The money problems arise when consumers make fear-based decisions and lack critical information. They tend to run from threats as fast as they can, not caring in which direction, as long as it takes them away from whatever danger they thought they saw.

If you don’t put this into action, you will be right where you were last year, so start now so you can lessen your financial stress this year! There is still time to join our NO SPEND CHALLENGE group this month-the link is in the description. Even getting in on a few weeks can help kickstart your savings!

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Have a blessed week!

Monica

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Do You Feel Anxious When You Think About Your Finances and Debt? 5 Simple Tips to Overcome Money Stress This Year for Busy Christian Moms Jan 05, 2023

Hello!

We are going to talk about finances these next few weeks.

During the global pandemic, many people lost their jobs and their peace of mind overnight. And now we’re more nervous than ever about our financial future. In fact, just over half of Americans admit to feeling somewhat anxious over their personal finances.

It will take time to feel confident about money again—and that’s okay. What happened was scary and real but the good news is, you don’t have to wait for the rest of the world to get it together before you get your money in order. There are practical ways to recover a sense of freedom and power in your financial future.

The state of your personal finances has a direct impact on the state of your mental health. You can’t feel safe when you’re indebted to a bank and can’t plan for your future.

Im here to tell you-there is hope. With the right plan, you can take control of your money and create a life that lets you sleep sound at night. It won’t be easy, but it’ll be worth it.

Here are _5_ tips for overcoming money stress.

Evaluate your relationship with money.
Work together with your spouse
Tune out media
Never, ever take on debt.
Live on a budget.

Money stress is real. It’s scary. Do you have to be a slave to your spending habits? No. Are you going to allow your debt to keep you from the life you thought you’d have by now? I sure hope not.

Money stress is not your destiny. You get to decide to leave your money mistakes in the past and start a new chapter. Remember you are worth being well in all areas of life—including your finances.

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See you next week!

Monica

Do You Really Want to Save Money in 2023? 3 Easy Ways to Reduce Expenses This Year Jan 02, 2023

Happy New Year

I can’t believe another year flew by so fast!

Lets look at saving money today so you can get ahead of your finances right away this year!

Do you really want to save money? This podcast will give you some tips to reduce expenses that you can easily put into place so you can reduce stress and anxiety with your money.

Join our Facebook Group and get ahead on saving money this year with the No Spend Challenge.

Join our Facebook Group ->

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Email -> claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

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Have a great week!

Monica

5 Steps to Set Your Intentions for Next Year & Review all Your Accomplishments From Last Year Dec 30, 2022

Welcome to Claiming Simplicity’s last episode of the year!

I hope you have been able to start to simplify your life by implementing some of the tips I have given you throughout the year.

When I look back on this year, it reminds me of how incredibly rewarding simple living is! Each year we dive deeper into making life even simpler so we can enjoy the life we value most! If you haven’t noticed, I love all the time I spend with family and friends which would not be possible if we had not created this life of freedom.

If you are at a job that you look forward to 5:00 every day or always looking toward the weekend and your job is not fulfilling, I encourage you to begin by simplifying-in all areas, but especially in your finances. Begin to design a life you don’t have to escape from!

We had another amazing year and I know if I hadn’t started doing this exercise years ago with God’s guidance, we would probably not be where we are today.

You are going to be looking back to see all you accomplished and set your intentions for next year. It is very encouraging to see everything big and small! This should not discourage you, we are looking at and focusing on all the positive things you did this year and not dwelling on the unaccomplished. We can all improve in all areas, and this will show you where you want to focus for the next year.

Join our FREE No Spend Challenge - link will be in the Facebook group!

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Have a Blessed and safe New Year!

Monica

How to Avoid Spending Money on Unnecessary Items Next Month to Improve Your Finances. 3 Ways a No Spend Challenge Can Help You Save Money Throughout the Year Dec 26, 2022

Hey Friend!

Can you believe this is the last week of the year? I hope you had a blessed Christmas celebrating our Savior’s Birth!

Are you ready for the New Year? I am getting excited to get all of our goals and dreams for this year started and right now I cant wait to be doing another no spend challenge next month!

This challenge doesn’t mean you don’t spend any money at all, but you try to spend the least amount as possible and especially cut out the extra unnecessary spending.

I want you to be set up for financial success throughout the year starting with the first month of the year!!

Here are 3 ways that not spending extra money for a month can help you save money.

1. You will be intentional about every dollar you spend

2. You will find out what you truely value and once you know, you won’t have to spend extra money on the less important things

3.You will learn to plan ahead so you won’t make impulse buys and that could save you a large amount of money as well!

If you want to learn more about the challenge and have accountability, join our free claiming simplicity facebook group! Also, thank you so much for hanging out with me this year! It has been incredible! I would really appreciate you taking 30 seconds to leave a rating and review so that others can learn about this show! I read each and every one of them and your comments have just blessed me this year! Thank you so much!

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Have a safe week and I will talk to you in the New Year!

Monica

Do You Know the Joy that Comes with Giving to the Less Fortunate? Will You Focus on Being a Blessing to Others? Dec 19, 2022

Merry Christmas Friend!

In this episode, I talk about the importance of giving to the less fortunate and some of the things you can do to help those in need. Are you giving at least 10% of your income away? You might want to evaluate your budget for the new year if you are not. God wants you to steward His money His way!

Enjoy your time with family and friends and have a great week everyone!

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Love,

Monica

Saving Money with Gift Giving this Christmas Season and No Spend Challenge Dec 12, 2022

Hey Friend

When I think about all the money spent on Christmas, the amount of gifts and stuff that is added to each household, and the thought of the small percent of those items that are even used or enjoyed, it makes me cringe!

I am not the best gift giver because I am so practical, but when I was a young mom with small kids trying to buy gifts just to have something for everyone even though we didn’t have much of a Christmas budget, I realized that this is not how Christmas was suppose to be.

The hustle and bustle of getting gifts for people in hopes they will like them and then finding time to do the dreaded job of wrapping them(thank goodness my teenagers enjoy doing that now!) and if they were like me-they probably didn’t even use the gift and it would eventually be put into a donation box so it wasn’t just taking up space in our home.

We never went into debt because we were too poor to have credit cards, but we did eat alot of cheap meals to save extra money in October, November, and December ~even more than the normal frugal meals, but I don’t think the kids really even noticed!

Throughout the years, we have changed the way we do things and made the Christmas Season all around much simpler and a whole lot cheaper. We do alot of baking because we enjoy doing that this time of the year, so we make up small plates of goodies to give people instead of gifts. If you don’t bake, buy a variety of goodies and split them up into different plates to give.

Fruit baskets are always great too! Usually much cheaper if you make your own! If we have families that we give to, we will do a little basket of hot cocoa with a few different toppings such as crushed andes mints or candy canes, mini chocolate chips, marshmallows, toffee bits, caramel sauce and redi whip and you know that will get used because it is a nice cozy treat when you live somewhere cold like we do!!!!

The simpler you keep the season, the more you are going to enjoy it and it is alot less stress when you are able to stay in your budget. I think sometimes people end up buying gifts for people just because they have always done it and probably don’t realize the other person would be happy to lessen their gift giving as well! Just talk to the other families if they want to do things differently! More and More people are moving toward simplicity and minimalism and most would be happy to have less stuff to find a place for and keep organized.

See you back next week! Make sure to join our free Facebook group below for the NO SPEND JANUARY Challenge!

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Have a fabulous week!

Monica

Finding Joy, Less Stress and Enjoying Traditions by Simplifying This Christmas Season Dec 05, 2022

Hey Friend!

Welcome back to another week! In this episode I talk about reducing stress so you can have more joy this Christmas Season. Enjoy traditions with family and friends and make memories all while celebrating Jesus Birthday!

I don't want you stressed out and anxious this holiday season so you can enjoy every minute. Christmas is not about how much money you spend, but focusing on what matters even when you are busy! Save money and time this holiday season!

Once you can wrap your mind about simplicity, your whole life can change for the better!

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Enjoy and have a super week!

Monica

Simplify Gift Giving to Useful Gifts so You Reduce Stress This Christmas Season and Can Focus on Creating Memories with Family Even as an Overwhelmed Busy Mom Nov 28, 2022

Happy Happy Holiday Season Friend!

I love this time of the year, but I like to keep it simple and meaningful! When I was a young Mom, I thought I had to have all the best gifts and many gifts, but over the years I learned that Christmas is about focusing on our Savior and creating memories with family and friends and my focus has really changed!!

In this episode, you will find useful gifts to give to people and ways to create memories instead of filling up someone's home with items they most likely won't use or don't even want. Time spent with people is more precious and has more value than any material item that loses it's shine.

I pray you are blessed by this podcast!

Love you and appreciate all of you listeners!

Email -> claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

Monica

Do This One Thing Daily and it Will Make You Happier and It is Something Simple You Can Do Even If You Are Busy. Make Next Year Your Best Year Yet! Nov 27, 2022

Happy Thanksgiving Friend

Thankfulness has really been on my heart lately and I figured this would be the perfect week to talk about it with Thanksgiving in the United States this week.

This podcast is about thankfulness and contentment which should make you happy!

Be Thankful in everything!

Love Ya!

Monica

Are You Stressed Out and Anxious Thinking About all the Things that Need to be Done for the Holidays? 3 Ways to Simplify So You Can Enjoy the Holiday Season Nov 15, 2022

Hey Friend

How are you doing this week? It is snowing here in MN and we have our Christmas oils diffusing, so we are enjoying another beautiful day! I know you are super stressed out about everything you need to get done in just over a month and the thought of it all is making you anxious, but it doesn’t have to be that way! You can enjoy this season even more when you simplify! Today I want to give you 3 ways you can do this easily and make more memories instead of more work for yourself!

Please take 30 seconds and rate and review this podcast so it can reach more people! Also, if you have any suggestions or topics you would like to hear about, please reach out to me! I appreciate all the love~you are all such a blessing to me!

Email -> claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

Have a wonderful week!

Monica

Do You Want to Have More Energy? 6 Simple Ways to Improve Energy and Get More Done as a Busy Mom Nov 07, 2022

Hello Friend

I am often asked how I do all that I do! Honestly, I don’t do it all because I have learned to say no, but I do have some simple tips to help me to have energy to do all the things I do get done. I should also tell you the things I don’t do-I don’t regularly get massages or my nails done and I am terrible about getting my haircut more than 3 times per year! I rarely watch TV or movies and I make lists to shop so I only have to go every few weeks for the most part because that takes time and I don’t like to waste any time and try to be as efficient as I can!

As we enter the holiday season, I think our energy gets depleted even faster with all the extra activities we have, so today I want to give 6 simple ways to improve your energy every day, so don’t take these lightly even though they seem simple and you will get so much more done every day.

Go to bed at the same time every night! d love to help you.
Drink water throughout the day.
Start a simple exercise routine at least 3-4 times/week. I
Intermittent Fasting has given me so much more energy as well.
Pay attention to when you have the most energy and you will maximize the amount of work you get done!
Whole food capsules every day.
I hope that you can implement a few of these simple ways to improve your energy and I would love to hear your results!!!!!!! Also, If you have not subscribed to my podcast, just hit the plus button and you will be able to listen every week!

Thank you so much!

Until next time friend, God Bless you!
Monica.
Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/
Essential Oils I recommend -> https://www.mydoterra.com/monicabaker/

Can You be Frugal, but Enjoy a Quality Life? 4 Secrets to Living a More Meaningful Life Without Sacrificing Anything or Spending Alot of Money. Oct 31, 2022

Hello Friend!!!!

I remember when a someone made a comment years ago about me being frugal and was trying to degrade me by saying that, but it made me proud to know that people see that I do not value material items, but value experiences and relationships more than having to “look good” for other people! Seriously friends, you can’t take your designer clothes, shoes, vehicles, or purses to heaven with you! Start living an amazing life of making a difference and enjoying each day!

I would love to hear from you!

Email -> claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

God Bless!

Monica

BONUS EPISODE! Free Amazon Gift Cards for You Because You are Amazing! Oct 26, 2022

Hello Friend!!!!

Thank you so much for you support of this podcast! I can't thank you enough! Im leaving on vacation and see my 1 year goal of 10,000 downloads has nearly been accomplished much ahead of time thanks to you, so I want to bless you for your support!

I appreciate each and every one of you and would love to know more of what you want to hear and what you are enjoying!

Please give me a 5 star review on Apple podcast so this podcast can reach more listeners and also share this with any other mom that may be interested in simplifying and living a more joyful life with more time and more meaning! Also, hit the plus button and subscribe so you don't miss any episodes because I have some really exciting things happening this next year!!!!!!

Please contact me and let me know what you are loving!

Email -> claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

Love you all!

Monica

Are You a Mom That Values Material Items or Experiences? Stop Trading Time for Money and Enjoy Every Day! Oct 24, 2022

Hey Friend

This week’s show is a very important topic to me because we can not get our time back. We all have the same amount of hours every week and I don’t want you to waste them. The years go so fast and if you aren’t spending time on what you value, you might be feeling less joy than you could be.

We are all wired different and we all have our own passions, but I see so many people get into the rut of the day to day grind and miss out on what their purpose really is and that breaks my heart! So many people are miserable, but feel like they have to work to buy all the material possessions to keep up with their neighbor! Yes, it is important to have an income because of the amazing impact you can make on others, but are you trading time for someone else’s dream? I have worked with so many people over the last 30 years that didn’t enjoy what they were doing, so first I want you to ask yourself to ask you if you are spending more than you make or breaking even? That might be a spending problem-in order to live a life you vision in your dreams, you need to live below your means and stop spending money on things you don’t need-many times spending is a coping mechanism for people that makes them feel good, but that is only temporary. My second question to you is, do you love what you are doing? If so, keep doing it!!!!!! Most likely your top values are balanced with your time.

If not, what is stopping you from living your dream of doing what you love? Find something where your income isn’t tied to the time you put in. Find a business where you can enjoy doing it every day, but you have flexibility to work it around your top values, so you have more balance and peace. You can turn your passions into your work no matter what it is, you just need to start to dream again, be persistent and most likely, you will enjoy the journey and probably make alot more money in less time than a 9 to 5 job.

It doesn’t matter what age you are, you can do anything! Many of you are not living your ideal life simply because you have to have brand name items,designer clothes, the newest phone or gadgets or fancy cars and houses, but after a while they don’t make you happy. I remember when we bought a newer suburban and I loved it because it fit all 5 of our kids in it comfortably even with 2 carseats, but then I had to make the first payment and I am not someone that has ever liked to have debt. I felt a burden of having that amount of debt and didn’t ever want a vehicle payment again!

I want you to have lasting JOY. If you want to be happier, you could start by shifting from material goods into experiences! What experiences do you like? Write down what you value-what you TRUELY VALUE. Experiences connect us and give us lasting memories! Do you want to travel and make memories with your family, do you want to raise your own kids with your own values and not the world’s values, do you just want to make your own schedule so someone else can’t tell you when you can and can’t take vacation? Take back control of your life!

Email -> claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

Blessing until next week!

Monica

3 Simple Truths to Lose Weight Fast for Moms That are Always Worried About Their Body Image Oct 17, 2022

Hello Friend!

Have you ever struggled with finding the right diet or exercise to lose weight fast? I have done the yoyo diets since I was probably 15 years old. Always worried about others think and low self esteem until about 3 years ago!

I did the keto diet for about 1 1/2 years until I had an abnormal EKG and I knew that even though it was effective, it wasn't worth the health risks and since I quit keto, the last 2 years my EKGs have been normal! Praise God!

Today, I will give you 3 truths about weight loss to help you in this journey.

Enjoy the episode and I would love to hear your feedback!

Email -> claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

Blessings,

Monica

How to Save Money on Halloween with Kids for Busy Moms that Dread Getting Costumes Ready for Everyone Oct 13, 2022

Hello Friend

I grew up with an amazingly crafty mom-she can make anything out of anything! My siblings and I always won first prize at every Halloween event because her costumes were always homemade and original. For instance, I was an elephant one year and she made the head out of a gray piece of carpet! It was cute and I have never seen anything like it, but all 4 of us kids always had the best costumes every year because my mom loved making them!

I will be honest though….after having kids, halloween was a dreaded holiday-probably mostly because my brain doesn’t work like that and I am not that imaginative. I couldn’t buy any store boughten cheaply made costumes because of having such great costumes growing up, and I couldn’t make them because I have very limited sewing abilities.

Here was my solution….I would look for items on clearance after halloween of wigs and accessories or find items all year long at thrift shops and I would keep rubbermaid bins with the items in so that when Halloween came around, my kids had a variety of items to choose from. They aren’t always original, but it beat the scramble of getting an outfit before Halloween and also, the kids enjoyed putting together things that they wanted.

I suggest you make a bin or 2 for halloween and gather items after Halloween this year when they are clearanced and then start looking throughout the year on swap and shops or thrift stores for fun items you can add to the bin!

I hope this helps you to have less stress with Halloween for years to come!

Email -> claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

Have a great week!

Monica

How to Process all the Potatoes from this Year’s Harvest. 4 Simple Ways to Preserve Potatoes to Last You for a Year! Oct 10, 2022

Welcome Friend!

Because it froze last week, we have been working hard processing what could have potentially froze and now we are starting to dig our potatoes since they are underground and we didn’t have to worry about them freezing. Have you seen the price of potatoes in the grocery store lately? This should be the time of the year where they are quite cheap as we are harvesting them, but they have at least double in price in the last few months. It makes me curious what they will get up to in the winter here in Minnesota when they are out of season. I’m thankful i will not have to worry about that because we have so many potatoes, I’m curious if we will have room for all of them in the freezer!

We do like to make fries and hash browns and this year I am also going to freeze mashed potatoes as well. With all the sports our kids are in, we have to have several meals ready to go when we are running so much because you know that I don’t like to waste money on fast food or convenience foods and homemade is so much healthier!

If you have a cellar or cold storage, the potatoes should keep most of the winter
Make french fries with french fry cutter, blanch them, dry them, and freeze them and then bag them.
Hashbrowns do the same as the fries, just cube them instead! We did shred some hashbrowns, but didn’t like the way they turned out as well!
Mashed potatoes- I will let you know how this goes and what we think of them!

I don’t think I will get around to it this year, but next year I want to can stew which will be another way to use the potatoes. It is really nice to have the meals all made up and we can just dump and heat for a quick meal when we need it.

There are so many different ways you can preserve potatoes and they are good with so many different meals!

Send me a message and let me know your favorite ways to preserve potatoes!

Join our Facebook Group -> Simple Gardening, Homesteading & Holistic Home for Beginners

Email -> claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

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Monica

Do You Need Help with Time Management in Your Home to Make Sure Things Get Done When You Get Distracted Easily. 5 Simple Hacks to Help You Get Things Done Consistently Everyday! Oct 03, 2022

Happy October Friend

Wow!!!! It was another fantastic weekend at a Christian Women’s Conference with one of my best friends! We don’t get to see each other too often, but we do schedule at least twice a year at conferences to catch up and I cherish every moment with her!! We grow in our faith and we get to catch up and It is always an incredible time!

I don’t know about you, but a schedule seems to backfire for me and every planner I have ever tried has never worked for me.

Prepare the week on Sunday evening with everything that is happening throughout the week along with meals, meetings, and activities so there are less surprises that come up or you feel like you are scrambling! When you have this planned, it makes each day run so much smoother.

Another key tip to time management is getting up early! If you follow what successful people do, they do not sleep in! When I sleep in until 6:30, I feel like I practically lost half of the day! So this tip is to create a morning routine that you can do every day and get up early!

It is really easy to put something away when you are done with it right away. If you choose not to do this, your house may feel like chaos at all times! If you use the blender in the morning, rinse it out and put it away. When you use your toothbrush, put it away where it belongs, it can be learned to be a regular habit just as it is to brush your teeth every morning! (or at least I hope you do!)

Create a simple way for you to keep track of what needs to be done and appointments. I can not keep a paper calendar consistently. I am that person that likes to buy them and start out the year really good, but then I don’t always have it with me when adding appointments, so I always go back to putting it on my phone calendar with alerts and that works wonderful for me! If I have to pick up something from the grocery store or make something for a potluck-it all goes into my phone calendar with an alert. It is super simple to do this and then things don’t get forgotten or late and you look organized-even if you aren’t!!!!!!

And #5-Make sure your kitchen is clean every night when you go to bed! There is nothing worse that waking up to make coffee and feeling defeated already becuse you didn’t do the dishes from the previous day and it honestly starts you off on the wrong foot!

I hope you are able to take one of these tips and start implementing it into your routine to get things done at home consistently every single day!

I would love to hear from you and get your feedback! What do you want to learn about?

Email -> claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

Love Ya! Monica

Quick Tip to Eliminate Fruit Flies When You are Harvesting and Preserving Your Garden and Have So Much Produce Around Your Home Sep 30, 2022

Hey Friend!

Here is a very simple solution to eliminating the pesky fruit flies when you have so much produce sitting around while you are harvesting and preserving. I was out in the dark after a volleyball game for my kids last night trying to gather all the tomatoes as we had our first frost, so I have a ton of produce in my kitchen as I can only do so much at a time and those darn fruit flies seem to come into the house as well, so I just wanted to pass on this simple and easyt tip to get rid of them because I don’t know about you, but I sure don’t like them in my house!

First, you will put a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar into a little mug or cup-I like to use one we don’t drink out of! Then you will add a drop of dishsoap and then I use the kitchen sink sprayer to make a little layer of bubbles. The fruit flies come to the cup for the apple cider vinegar and then they get caught in the bubbles and when the bubbles go away, you will see them in the bottom of the cup. I keep this near my sink and usually once or twice a day, when the bubbles lessen, i just give it a little squirt to make more bubbles. This is a fantastic tip and it is quite satisfying when you see how many are in the bottom of your cup!

I just wanted to share this with you if you have never heard of it before because I have been doing this for years and anytime I have produce on my cupboards, I like to have a cup out and ready for the fruit flies!

Happy Harvesting!

Join our Facebook Group -> Simple Gardening, Homesteading & Holistic Home for Beginners

Email -> claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

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Monica

Are You a Mom Feeling Busier Than Ever? 3 Steps to Take to Simplify When You Feel Overwhelmed With So Much to Do Sep 26, 2022

Hello Friend

I had to take a few steps back and re evaluate all that I have been doing lately! I have so many irons in the fire and I was starting to feel like I was just barely staying above water this last month!

I love to do so many things and have so many passions! Sometimes my body can not keep up with my mind as I am a visionary but I do know that I need my 8 hours of sleep and I can’t do all things even though in my mind I would like to do it all!

I have been testing a new product out this last week and I am blown away at how much energy and mental clarity I have gained so that has been super encouraging-not to mention being able to sleep better!!!!!

I couldn’t have predicted/planned some of the things we have had happen in the last month, but I do know that even though I teach you how to live simple, I had to go back and ask myself these questions again and reevaluate and you may have to do the same if your season is crazy busy too!

Why are you feeling so busy?
Where can you make changes?
What do you value and is your time matching up?
So, make sure to ask yourself these questions when you start to get busier than you want to be or your life starts to get a little off balance.

I just want to leave you with a few verses for this week to give you more peace.

Matt 11:28

Psalm 73:26

John 14:27

Follow me on Instagram at Claiming Simplicity and send me a message and let me know some changes you are making to your life to simplify!

Join our Facebook Group -> Simple Gardening, Homesteading & Holistic Home for Beginners

Email -> claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

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Talk to you next week!
Monica

Do You Want to Know How to Ripen Tomatoes Quickly Before it Freezes? Another Great Gardening Tip and a Failure I Had This Week to Help You! Sep 19, 2022

Hey Friend!

What a fast week it was! I was very blessed to spend part of the week in Utah with some great friends! God has really surrounded me with the best Christian Women and I sometimes have to seriously hold back the tears when God reveals all that He is orchestrating. I have learned to be patient and wait on Him as He leads each and every step. I can only do what I am doing through Him and I truely give Him all the glory!!!!!

This week I want to pass on another amazing garden tip that I learned a few weeks ago and tested it out!

Did you know that you can ripen green and orange tomatoes within 2 days and you don’t have to set them on a table or a window seal to ripen them? I used to put mine in a single layer on a patio table this time of the year and then bring them into the garage at night in case it was going to freeze, but not anymore! This is another game changer in addition to my freezing tomato tip and I can’t believe how well it worked!

We had frost here one night last week and because of our crazy schedule lately, I hadn’t had time to pick all the tomatoes, but I thought that I better pick as many as I could before I left for Utah! It is really late for our tomatoes because we werent able to even plant them until early June!

I picked a few boxes of tomatoes and I froze all the ripe ones and had a full bag of unripened ones, so what I did was put my orange and green tomatoes in a paper grocery bag along with a few ripe tomatoes, I closed it tight, and I put it in the basement. After 24 hours, about ½ of the tomatoes were ripe, and the green tomatoes were starting to change color, so I froze the ripened ones and I thought that maybe a few extra days would be ok for them to ripen, but I was wrong! A few of larger tomatoes must have ripened and rotted very fast, so when I got home and picked up the bag, it totally bottomed out and my tomatoes splatted everywhere! It was a great learning lesson that it probably only takes 2-3 days for the tomatoes to ripen in the paper bag and not to leave them any longer.

I only lost a few tomatoes because most of them were big roma tomatoes, so they are thicker, but it sure was a mess to clean up! I guess it is better than having frozen tomatoes though! Im just really excited to know this tip and I hope this will help you with your harvesting as well

Join our Facebook Group -> Simple Gardening, Homesteading & Holistic Home for Beginners

Email -> claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

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Have a great week!

Monica

Does the Thought of Starting Your Own Homestead Make You Anxious with All the Things That You Want to Do? Keeping it as Simple as Possible is Key for Busy Moms with Little Time Sep 12, 2022

Hey FriendStarting a homestead does not have to cause you anxiety and it should not be stressful! If it is a dream of yours to begin a homestead but you are not living in your ideal place, start right where you are at! It doesn’t matter if you live in an apartment or live on a city lot, you can start learning the skills so that someday when you find your perfect property, you can grow your own food and raise your own livestock, but you will already have some of the skills needed. I hear it all the time that people don’t start because they can’t homestead where they live now, but that is the wrong way to look at it. Homesteading is about a lifestyle and it can start with your mindset! Stop looking at instagram because the people that seem to have it all have most likely been homesteading for many many years, they didn’t just do it all at once. Write down the dreams of how you want your life to be someday and then decide what you could do right where you are at. I am living the life that I wrote about over 20 years ago….but I certainly had no idea how I wasa going to get here at that time. Some of the things you can learn no matter where you are at are some cooking from scratch skills, sewing projects, preserving food, making your own natural cleaners and laundry soap, reading books about things you want to learn. It can be as simple as having something to cook with, so begin there! Maybe someday you want to milk animals to have your own milk to make your own butter, sour cream, yogurt, and cheese. For now, buy milk to learn the skills and then when you have animals, you can learn about how to raise them because you already know how to make the items from the milk! Build upon your skills~I tell people all the time, you can’t do it all at once, so enjoy the journey~it is incredibly rewarding! Maybe you want to learn how to sew or make your own quilts, take a class and learn it! There are so so many things you can do to enrich your life! If you want to learn how to grow herbs and make your own remedies, you don’t need a farm to do that, learn all you can about it from where you are at. If you want to learn how to preserve food, you don’t have to have a garden. I started canning food about 25 years ago when I was working full time with 3 kids under 3 and I didn’t have time or energy for a garden, but I did have friends that always had an abundance and they also taught me to preserve~we didn’t have pinterest or you tube back then (or at least I wasn’t on either of them at that time.) It was all about community and sharing which I think we all need to do more of! I love helping and teaching friends something that I know and I love to learn from them. It is so nice to have like minded friends that have similar values! Some other things you can learn is have to make sourdough, fermenting, and so much more! I think of it as an adventure!!! I truely love teaching these skills to my teens that still live at home and my grandkids. I wan

them to fall in love with this lifestyle and be able to have skills that they can pass on from generation to generation. I want to make an impact and I know that you can do the same! Remember, enjoy the ride, and if something is too overwhelming to you, don’t do it. Do what you love to do so you can live with joy every single day!

Reach out and let me know what kind of projects you are working on~I would love to hear about your homesteading journey!

Join our Facebook Group -> Simple Gardening, Homesteading & Holistic Home for Beginners

Email -> claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

See you next week!
Monica

Are You Feeling Overwhelmed with all the Stuff that Needs to be Done and the Kids Starting School? 2 Tips to Add More Peace in this Busy Season for the Whole Family Sep 05, 2022

Hello!

With the start of the new school year here in the United States, it seems like so many people are really scrambling to do all the things. Summer is winding down and now people have begun the shopping for school clothes and supplies, preparing for the homeschool year, and then adding new schedules such as sports and youth group, ect.~all the new activities the school year brings. Plus trying to get all of your produce harvested such as canning and freezing and it all can really be a very busy time. It all adds up and can make you a little overwhelmed. I totally understand! We have had to say no to several things in the next week because of all that we have going on right now! My kids love sports and since we homeschool and live 20 minutes from town, it tends to be alot of running with them both being on 2 separate teams. It is a way for them to see their friends every day and If they didn’t love it so much, our lives are full in so many other ways, that we probably would have to say no, but for right now, we are making the sacrifice. We did take a break in the summer as we don’t think they need to play year round and we have so many other interests and I’m not really sure where they would have fit that in.

First tip to finding peace in this season is to stop being so hard on yourself - social media and pinterest give us many ideas, but much of what is on there is very unrealistic. Do not make comparisons-there is so much pressure to try to keep up with the world, but you do not need to-give yourself permission to break free from the normal and simplify your life!!!! You don’t have to have the notes in the lunch box every day, or even pack your child’s lunch every day if they go to school. Let them eat hot lunch or if they are old enough, let them make their own lunch. Just have items on hand and most likely more of it will get eaten if they pack it themselves anyway!!!!!!

If you are trying to harvest your garden right now, try to schedule that to do a little each day because that will help with trying to do everything at once. Once day we froze corn, one day we made green beans, another day pickles, and so on! Another tip I have shared before with that is my best tomato tip ever…..cut the core out and put in the freezer and make your sauce in the winter. This has helped me so much with being too overloaded with garden work!

The second tip is to plan the week on sunday evening and have the week at a glance where the whole family can see it. This helps my family so much! I have talked about this before, but I just have a monday-sunday magnetic board from the dollar store on my fridge and each week, we write what is going on each day with the times such as games or practices and we also have our meals on there so we always know what needs to come out of the freezer or made ahead of time if we are gone most of the day. It has become so automatic that my 12 year old daughter that likes to be prepared and organized does the calendar before I even get to it sunday evenings!!!!! I don’t have anywhere in my home for a command center, so this seems to work amazing for our family and it is super simple!

Just remember friend-if you simplify, you are more likely to have more peace and know that you do not have to do everything everyone else is doing. Everything in your life can change once you learn to step back, slow down and make the decision to take your life back to what matters most.

See you back next week!
Monica

Join our Facebook Group -> Simple Gardening, Homesteading & Holistic Home for Beginners

Email -> claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

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3 Simple Ways to Save Money if You are an Impulse Shopper so You Can Stop Purchasing Items You Don’t Need to Save You Thousands of Dollars Aug 29, 2022

Hello! Welcome to Claiming Simplicity and if this is your first time listening, I am Monica H. Baker and I am so glad you are here! I am very passionate about helping you find more simplicity and meaning in your life to truely live the most enjoyment every single day!!!!!!

This was a super duper exciting week on our little farm as we added a newborn nigerian dwarf goat to our household!!!! She was born a week ago and is it is like having a new born baby around again with bottle feeding every 4 hours! We had to really decide if we wanted to add another kid to the herd since I have some things for the business in Utah next month and Colorado in October, but she will be old enough and thankfully we have some wonderful people that enjoy helping out!!! She is so so loved and is our snuggliest goat yet adn her name is Mildred, but we call her Millie, so now we have Fern, Mable and Millie. Im not a fan of having animals in the house, but we did have a box of hay for our newborn her first few days of life since she was only a few pounds and so tiny and I didn’t want her to be scared in the goat shed. I sure wish I would have known about goats years ago because they are my favorite animals I have ever had -plus, there is such a learning curve to goats that we want to learn as much as we can this next year and a half before we start milking them so we can make yogurt, sour cream, ice cream and cheese with all our own milk. Life is all about the journey and I hope you are enjoying it as much as we are!

This week I want to give you 3 simple ways to save money if you are an impulse shopper so you can stop purchasing items you don’t need! Have you ever purchased something and then a few days later wished you wouldn’t have? I have done this a few times and when I look back, I had to really examine why I purchased this item. As you know, I am not someone that has to have expensive things or brand names items or even care what brands are popular because I am just simply way too practical, but there was a short time in my life where I thought if I bought stuff to make me look good, it would make me feel better, but that is the absolute furthest from the truth! Thankfully it didn’t last, we had newer vehicles with loans on them, a very fancy home that we built with all the bells and whistles we could afford and we were living paycheck to paycheck. I absolutely hated not having a saving and I hated having debt hanging over our heads and we were not able to travel and enjoy experiences with our family because we had too much debt! And then my husband lost his job and it was very stressful. He took another job sometimes working in other states, but we knew we didn’t want to live a life like that. It was one of the hardest times in our life, but one of the best things that could have happened to us and I thank God for that experience because we learned so much about what we valued and what we didn’t. Once we put God first and knew our priorities, there was no need to impress anyone else. You don’t need brand name clothes or anything expensive-that does not impress God. We give all the glory to God in whatever we do as we live

for eternity now and know that everything we have is God’s, not ours. Keep and open hand friend as it is not ours to clench. As you keep your hands open to giving and receiving, God will give you more than you could ever imagine. Make sure to give him the glory-there is not anything we can do on our own. I seriously could not have even imagined this life we have even 10 years ago-listen to God’s Will and He will Provide-trust Him with everything!

Ok, so the first thing to do to save money is take your credit card number off of any online shopping apps. It makes it way too easy for you to just put in your cart and pay automatically. That extra step of having to go and get your card number could save you alot of money! Also, if you do shop online, make sure that if you do put an item in your cart, leave it there for a few days before purchasing, so that you really have to think about if you want the item or not. Is that item in your budget?

Second way to save money is to avoid going in the store when shopping. Most stores allow you to order online and then pick up. If you are going into the store, you will usually come out with alot more than just the items on your list and you tend to spend alot more. It also makes it much easier to stay within your budget because you can delete items if you are over budget and rethink your purchases when entering them online. Also, d

not use credit cards. Most people do not pay off their credit card balance every month, so if you are purchasing items without paying attention to the allotted amount, you could be going over your amount allocated and can easily slip into way more debt than you want to.

And lastly, ask yourself if this is a item you NEED. Is it something you could borrow? Do you have a place for this item? Is it in your budget? Will it improve your life? I think about our patio furniture. We have an old table and chairs that we bought used several years ago. It is comfortable and not broken, but it is very ugly! I could purchase a new set and bring this to our cabin which could really use some more old furniture, but I haven’t put it in the budget because right now, we are building some little sheds for our animals and even though the furniture is ugly, it still works great and I certainly wouldn’t want to go in debt for it. Also, when buying something, I do like to purchase quality items so they last a very long time, so I wouldn’t want to purchase something that we would have to replace in a short amount of time. I have had my kitchen rugs that I purchased at a craft fair about 15 years ago-they are heavy duty weaved rugs that we can wash and they may just last my lifetime because they are very durable. I usually buy a general color too instead of a fad item or color so I don’t have to try to keep up with having a modern home! If I pay good money for something, I want to use it for many years!

I hope you enjoyed this episode and you can use some of these money saving tips. Enjoy your week friend and really think about what is really important to you this week! Remember, when you look at where your money is spent, that is your value! Where are you giving your money?

XOXO,

Monica

Join our Facebook Group -> Simple Gardening, Homesteading & Holistic Home for Beginners

Email -> claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

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Are You Thinking About Homeschooling Your Kids but You Never Wanted to Homeschool? Going From Public School to Homeschooling Starting in Middle School and Jr High and the Lessons We Learned. Aug 22, 2022

Hello Friend!

If you are like me and never really wanted to homeschool, but knew it was the best for your kids, you are going to want to listen to this episode! We have only been homeschooling for 2 years and we started when our kids were 10 and 12 and even though it would be much easier to send them to public school, it has been so fun watching them blossom!

It has not been an easy journey, but when we realized how much better it was for them, we made sacrifices and have learned all we can. It doesn't have to be perfect! Learn from the people around you and surround your family with like minded friends!

Enjoy this episode!

Monica

Join our Facebook Group -> Simple Gardening, Homesteading & Holistic Home for Beginners

Email -> claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

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Simple Way to Make Amazing Pickles Without a Pressure Cooker or Water Bath Canner That Anyone Can Make Using Your Cucumbers. Aug 15, 2022

Hello!

I am so excited this time of the year. Harvesting so many different things from out garden and preserving as much as I can! Even with so much to do, it never seems like work!

In this episode, I will teach you a very simple way to make your own pickles without a pressure cooker or a water bath canner. It is so simple that you probably won't ever buy pickles from the store again! The flavor is amazing! If you don't grow your own cucumbers, go to a local farmers market and try to purchase some. You won't be disappointed!

I will also give you some other ideas to use your cucumbers up!

If you would like a free video with step by step directions, just email me!

Email -> claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

Join our Facebook Group -> Simple Gardening, Homesteading & Holistic Home for Beginners

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

Happy Pickling!!!

Monica

How to Easily Keep Animals from Eating Your Flowers, Vegetables or Anything Coming up in Your Garden or In Your Yard. Simple Natural Solution to Deterring Pests Away from Plants Aug 01, 2022

Hey Friend!

I thought you might enjoy this quick episode because I just found some mums recently that have been chewed on and I realized I need to do this again!

I do have a fenced in vegetable garden, but I have several other areas on our property that have flower beds, pots, and the riverbank that has alot of flowers and this works wonders to keep the rabbits, deer and most animals away from. I learned this tip from a neighbor who I thought was a gardening goddess. She has gardened for many many years and had alot of great tips!

In the Spring when my plants just pop through the ground, I will sprinkle a very small amount of blood meal on them-like a tablespoon or so on each plant and it keeps anything that likes to chew on my plants away. I like to do this mid summer too just in case the rain washes it all away which must be what happened to the few flowers that got munched on this week most likely by the deer. So glad it was only a few because I love those purple colors in the Fall. The best part about this is that it is a natural fertilizer as well and good for your plants, so I would encourage you to try this if you are having problems with rabbits and deer nibbling at your plants or flowers and do it right away in the spring!

Join our Facebook Group -> Simple Gardening, Homesteading & Holistic Home for Beginners

Email -> claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

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Enjoy your week!

Monica

Be Content Daily by Doing Something That Lights You Up! 3 Questions to Ask Yourself So You Can Choose How You Live Your Life Jul 25, 2022

Welcome back to another week of Claiming Simplicity!

One of my adult daughters reminded me recently that I don’t have to work as a nurse. She is totally correct because I was able build my businesses while I worked and we eliminated our debt. I now CHOOSE to work as a nurse on occasion because I love it and I don’t feel the pressure that I have to. I have the choice to work where I want and what I want to be doing. At some point when my businesses get too big to run in a short amount of time, I will either have to hire employees or quit my nursing job, but for now-it is working well to do both and I don’t feel overwhelmed at all in our home, online businesses or working as a nurse! I thank God every day for this life and I can’t even imagine it being any better.

Be content in the present and the payoff will be daily. Here are some questions to ask yourself as you evaluate your life. Grab a pen and paper and write these questions down.

Are you living with intentional abundance? Are you living a life with a fullness of joy and strength for your spirit, soul and body? If not, what changes can you make?

Do you live your life deliberately or are you just getting by and not enjoying it? What kind of work ethic do you have?

3.Do you take charge of your life and make the most of every day?

Ask yourself each day-what is it God wants for you and who can I bless. Through Christ you can do all things……..you may be surprised how God will use you when you ask Him every day

Join our Facebook Group -> Simple Gardening, Homesteading & Holistic Home for Beginners

Email -> claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

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Blessings!

Monica

Harvesting Worm Castings to Make Black Gold Fertilizer for Your Garden is Simple Jul 18, 2022

Today I want to let you know how we harvest our worm castings, but

First you will want to feed your worms in 1 corner a few weeks prior to harvesting so the worms go to 1 side. If some worms do get through, it is not a big deal. Having worms in your garden is great too!

After all the worms are to one side, you can scoop out the worm castings from the other side. If you want to scoop them and put them into a pail and don’t have a screen, you can just remove any lumps or chunks you may have and put back into the bin, but if you have some sort of large screen, you can also sift the castings through to get the chunks out. Any material that hasn’t been broken down can go back into the bin for the worms to break down as well.

I like to sprinkle this around my fruit trees and plants, but you don’t need too much. Remember, this is organic and it is completely safe, but you also don’t need much! Using the worm compost just assures you that you are not getting the chemicals in the food you are eating, so this is the most important reason for you to use worm castings as well!

Join our Facebook Group -> Simple Gardening, Homesteading & Holistic Home for Beginners

Email -> claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

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Talk soon!

Monica

How to Fight Inflation for Your Family with These 3 Steps Jul 11, 2022

Hello Friend!

I think it is more important than ever to try to fight inflation wherever we can with the quickly rising prices. I will give you three steps to make a difference in preparing for and helping your family with the inflation rates.

Join our Facebook Group -> Simple Gardening, Homesteading & Holistic Home for Beginners

Email -> claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

Enjoy your week!

Monica

Why Would You Even Want to Grow Your Own Garden as a Busy Mom? 3 Reasons You Should Grow Your Own Food Jul 04, 2022

Happy 4th of July!!!!!!

In this podcast, you will learn the 3 reasons you should be growing your own garden even as a busy mom! Our garden is beginning to produce strawberries so far as we got a late start because of the weather here, but as I was thinking about how delicious fresh food from the garden is, I wanted to give you 3 benefit of it!

Visit our Facebook group and get a garden tour when I get back from vacation!!! I would love to meet you! Nothing better than connecting with like minded friends

Join our Facebook Group -> Simple Gardening, Homesteading & Holistic Home for Beginners

Email -> claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity

Have a great week!

Monica

3 Steps to Determine Where Your Focus is so You Can Live in His Abundance Jun 27, 2022

Hello Friend!

Sometimes we can easily get wrapped up into ourselves and some people even see being “busy” as luxurious even though they hurt others in the process. You may not even realize how much your actions affect others just because you are so self focused.

I just want you to become aware of this so that you can live your best life because this life isn’t just about you. It can be hard to even notice because your life motto is "Me" is more. I have heard it called MEism and it is easy to see once you are aware of it!

3 steps to determine what your values are!

Love ya!

Monic

Join our Facebook Group -> Simple Gardening, Homesteading & Holistic Home for Beginners

Email -> claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

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How to Make Your Own Worm Composting Bins and How to Feed the Worms so You Can Use Them for Your Garden for an Organic Fertilizer Jun 21, 2022

Hello Friend

Are you ready to make some black gold? Today, I will tell you how to start your own worm bin at home and how and what to feed the worms so you can make your own organic fertilizer for your garden!

Let me know if you start your own bin!

Join our Facebook Group -> Simple Gardening, Homesteading & Holistic Home for Beginners

Email -> claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

Blessings!

Monica

Learn About Vermicomposting and 3 Benefits to Making it for Your Garden. Jun 13, 2022

Hey Friend

Have you ever heard of vermicomposting? It is an amazing way to repurpose waste and turn trash into nutrient-dense soil. In this episode, we will talk about what vermicomposting is, 3 benefits of it, and what kind of worms you will need.

So you are wondering what vermicomposting is?

Vermicomposting, is also known as worm composting, is the process of having worms eat natural material, such as vegetable and fruit peels, and then break it down through digestion.

Once the scraps pass through their system, they excrete it in what's known as worm castings. Before you get grossed out, know that those castings are a rich, nutrient-dense material that can turn soil into a paradise for plants. (It's often referred to as black gold!)

Vermicomposting and composting are similar in the sense that their goal is to break down organic matter into a nutrient-rich soil amendment that you can add to your garden.

The differences lie in the amount of time the two processes take, how and where they're done, and what their end results are.

Enjoy the episode!

Monica

Join our Facebook Group -> Simple Gardening, Homesteading & Holistic Home for Beginners

Email -> claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

Having an Abundant Life Even Through the Struggles and Hard Times Jun 06, 2022

Hello!

You can live the most abundant life~the choice is yours!!! Life of abundance doesn’t mean that you have all the money you want or the perfect life-it means that you have peace that passes all understanding and you have a spiritfilled life. When you are in the midst of pain, you can still feel fully abundant in the Lord!!!!!

Blessings!

Monica

Join our Facebook Group -> Simple Gardening, Homesteading & Holistic Home for Beginners

Email -> claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

Have You Ever Wondered if You Could Ferment Your Own Food? The Benefits of Fermenting Food, Safety, and Learning How Simple it is! May 30, 2022

Happy Memorial Day!

I want to help you this week with learning about how simple it really is to ferment your own food so you and your family can start enjoying the benefits of fermented food!

So many people are scared when it comes to doing it themselves, but your don't have to buy any special supplies, it is safer than you can even imagine, and it is super simple!

I can't wait to hear any recipe you try and I would love to know what your favorite fermented foods are!

Have a wonderful week!

Monica

Where Do You Begin When Planning to Homestead? First 3 Steps to Getting Started for Beginners May 23, 2022

Hello!

If you ever thought about homesteading or wanted to learn about where to begin, this episode will give you a good idea how to get started and some of the things you can do to prepare. It can be a very simple process and the journey is so different for each of us! There are some who homestead that don't even have animals, so it is up to you!

It is such a blessing to be able to give you this information. Reach out to me and let you know what you want to know more of!!!!!!

Keep in touch and have a great week!!!

Join our Facebook Group -> Simple Gardening, Homesteading & Holistic Home for Beginners

Email -> claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

Monica

Simplifying Your Home by Implementing Simple Systems, Routines, and Tips with Lauren White May 16, 2022

Hello!

You are going to really enjoy this episode with Lauren White from the Intentional Edit Podcast. She has amazing systems and routines for getting your house in order and keeping it in order.

You can find Lauren White: The Intentional Edit Podcast

Intentional Edit on all Social Platforms

www.intentionaledit.com

Can't wait to hear how you liked this-contact me below!!!!

Monica

Join our Facebook Group -> Simple Living for Busy Moms

Email -> claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

What I Learned in the First Few Weeks of Having Baby Goats, A Must Know Tip if you Have Deer or Rabbits Eating Your Flowers or Vegetables, and an Update of the Social Media Fast May 09, 2022

Hello Friend!

Thanks for being here! Today I want to let you know what I learned the first few weeks of owning baby Nigerian Dwarf Goats! It has been quite the learning curve!

I also want to let you know of a simple little secret that I use to keep rabbits and deer out of my garden and from nibbling on my flowers!

And Finally.....an update on my 8 week social media fast!

Join our Facebook Group -> Simple Gardening, Homesteading & Self Sufficient Lifestyle for Beginners

Email -> claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

Enjoy your week!

Monica

Turn Your Passion Into Purpose with Estela Kelley May 02, 2022

Hello Friend!

In this episode Estela is talking about having a passion and then turning that into a purpose. Sometimes we don't know how it comes about, but when we are doing what we love, we enjoy our work.

Estela's Podcast -> Estela Kelley Show

Estela's Website -> www.sharetheflippinfun/shop

I hope you enjoy this podcast!

Join our Facebook Group -> Simple Living for Busy Moms

Email -> claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

Monica

Do You Wonder Where to Start When Planting Seeds? Vegetable Seed Starting Basics and What I Ordered this Year for Our Garden!!! Apr 25, 2022

Hey Friend!

In this episode I will tell you about the different kinds of seeds and go step by step how to plant seeds to make it easy for beginner gardeners.

I just planted seeds and I know I had so many questions when I first started doing a garden. I don’t start all of my seeds, but tomatoes, peppers, and a few others is what I like to get started before we can bring outside to plant because our season in so short in MN.. It probably wont be ready to plant outside until late may, early June here! Look on your seed packet for detailed information of when you should plant.

Join our Facebook Group -> Simple Living for Busy Moms

Email -> claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

Have a great week!

Monica

EXCITING NEWS! What is Happening With This Podcast and What the Future Looks Like! Apr 18, 2022

Hello!

I can’t even tell you how excited I am to REALLY know the direction that God is leading me. As many of you probably know, I am very multi passionate & I love to do so many things! I absolutely enjoy being a nurse and the patients are amazing and being a helper is one of my gifts which I also find alot of value in at home being a wife, mom, and grandma! Working as needed at the clinic has been perfect for me, but honestly…..I am busier than ever at home! I am the type of person that has to be doing something and helping someone to be fulfilled-whether it be learning something new, trying something new or crafting and you definitely wont ever see me sitting around!! I grew up on a dairy farm and working hard is in my blood!

So……I just want to let you know what is happening around here and how I am going to be pivoting slightly. I want to teach more people to grow their own food and preserve it, raise their own animals, and become more self-sufficient as they begin their homesteading journey!

Join our Facebook Group -> Simple Living for Busy Moms

Email -> claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

See you next week!

Monica

Have You Thought About What is Really Important to You? Find Fulfillment in Your Life with these 4 actions. Apr 11, 2022

Hello Friend

Welcome back to another week-It was quite a week here and my original podcast has switched gears because this is what is on my heart this week!! Life is precious and we have such a short time here on earth, so we need to use it wisely. Even with all of the things that happened this week, I have so much peace. God's plan is perfect! I can’t control what goes on in this world, but I am ever so thankful to know the one who is in control.

Today, I just want you to go deep and look at what really matters to you. I give you 4 actions to find fulfillment in your life.

Join our Facebook Group -> Simple Living for Busy Moms

Email -> claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

Happy Easter! He is Risen!

Monica

Is Social Media and Electronics Controlling Your Precious Time? 4 Steps to Taking Back Control to What Matters Most! Apr 04, 2022

Hello

Have you ever thought about how much you could get done without electronics? This might be a hot topic today and I think most of us know the addiction, but just don’t know how to break it!

I am not anti-electronics because there are so many good things that come from electronics like being able to look up any information or even my podcasts being spread around the world, but the work ethic of society has really changed because of it.

When facebook went down last year for a short amount of time, people didn’t know what they were going to do because many relied on it for business. That was a great learning lesson to make sure to build a business you own! Social media is a dangerous and addictive side of technology that has crept up on us thanks to the very intentional work of social media engineers. I have heard social media be called the new Tobacco company, selling products to be as addictive as possible.

You may be wondering why I am talking about this, but I am seeing more and more people going to digital minimalism and I am all about that! It is the time honored philosophy that better living can come from less.

I can't wait to hear your feedback and how this blesses your family! I actually deleted my Apps shortly after this recording and I think you will like the changes it will make in your life!

Here is how to contact me!

Join our Facebook Group -> Simple Living for Busy Moms

Email -> claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

Have a great week friend!

Monica

If You Could Learn to Become More Self-sufficient while Fitting it into Your Busy Schedule, Would You be Interested? 4 Reasons to Learn These Skills so You are Prepared for the Rising Food Prices Mar 28, 2022

Hello!

If you could learn to become more self-sufficient while fitting it into your busy schedule, would you be interested? 4 reasons to learn these simple new skills so you and your family are prepared for the rising food prices and empty shelves.

It doesn't have to be hard or even time consuming to make your own food. I want to teach you a few things I have made recently that I won't ever have to worry about if they run out at the store and give you the 4 reasons you should try it yourself!

Join me on this simple life journey and let me know what kind of things you make homemade! I appreciate any tips or tricks as I learn as well!

Join our Facebook Group -> Simple Living for Busy Moms

Email -> claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

Have a Blessed Week Friends!

Monica

Does the Thought of Laundry Make You Cringe? Easy Morning Routines Along With Laundry Made Simple Even if You are Overwhelmed with Motherhood and Work Mar 21, 2022

Hey Friend!

Do you struggle with a simple morning routine and laundry makes you cringe just thinking about it? I have a simple solution for laundry and my easy morning routine and I hope this episode blesses you in some way.

I would love to hear what you do for a morning routine, so contact me on Instagram, email me, or post in our Simple Living for Busy Moms Facebook Group

Join our Facebook Family -> Simple Living for Busy Moms

Email -> claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

Blessings!

Monica

Quick and Easy Meals to Make in Less Than 15 Minutes if You are a Busy Working Mom Looking for a Simple Meal Plan Mar 14, 2022

Hello Friend!

Here is an episode that you have requested!!!

I hear you and I know you are busy and don’t have time to make meals, so I am going to give you a few really quick meal ideas that you will have ready for you when you get home in the evening or can make very quickly!!

First I want to talk a little bit about my simple system for our meals.

Here is how we organize it….. I have a magnetic board on our fridge from the dollar store with each day of the week. Obviously nothing fancy or pinterest worthy, but it is simple. I write if they have ballgames, youth group, practices or any other activities they may have so I know approximately the time we will be home. If it is later in the evening, we end up having something ready in the crockpot, or sometimes even leftovers. I only write our evening meals.

I'm telling you……your system doesn’t have to be fancy-it just has to work!

If you would like the recipes we talk about in this podcast, just email me or post it in the Claiming Simplicity Facebook Group!!!!

Join our Facebook Family -> Busy Moms Simplifying to Work Less and Balance Life

Email -> claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

Hugs!

Monica

Why Your Friends Matter and the Importance of Quality Friendships Mar 07, 2022

Hello

Friendships are a crucial part of living a fulfilling life. It’s so important that we surround ourselves with people who we have fun with, who support us, and people who make us better. You may already have beautiful friendships in your life, but if you’re still in the market for friends, it’s never too late to cultivate new relationships that will make your life even more magnificent. If you ask, God will lead you to some amazing friends! Remember, everything is in His timing, so keep praying about it!

I challenge you if you are struggling with finding good friends to join a new group of some sort, or if you live in a small area, there are many groups online where you can meet new lifetime friends as well!

Join our Facebook family -> Busy Moms Simplifying to Work Less and Balance Life

Email -> claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

Have a Fabulous Week!

Monica

Do You Know What it is Like to be Content? 4 WaysYou Can Practice Contentment in Your Life Even as a Busy Mom Feb 28, 2022

Hey Friend!

Do you even know what it is like to be content?

When you constantly desire more, you are never satisfied. Because no matter how much you accumulate or achieve, you can always have more.

Most everybody who acquires more, only continues to pursue it.

It is my goal to help others simplify and become more content. Is the rat race day after day worth it for you? When will you ever be happy?

In this episode, I share 4 ways you can practice contentment in your life even if you are busy!

Email -> claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity

Blessings!

Monica

Is Your Debt Keeping You Stuck in Your Job? 3 Steps to Begin the Process to Get Out of Debt so You Can Have Freedom Feb 21, 2022

Hello!

Today, Im giving you 3 actionable steps you can take right away to becoming debt free so that you can get out of debt which then will create choices for you in your life. In order for me to quit my job, I worked fulltime along with having 2 side businesses around my family so that we could pay off all debt. It was a temporary inconvenience for the freedom I experience now with working my own businesses part time around my kids. I also waited until God gave me a clear answer that he wanted me to make a change and oh boy did he make it clear!!!!!! I will tell you that you do have to have goals and the mindset to be dedicated to get out of debt or you will give up too soon.

I hope that you will take action because financial freedom is so rewarding!

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claiminsimplicity/

Email -> claiminsimplicity@gmail.com

If you enjoy this episode, I would love it if you could share it with a friend!

Send me a private message if you would like me to help you on your financial journey!

Enjoy!

Monica

Busy Moms Learn How to Make Habits Automatic and Get 1% Better Every Day. Feb 14, 2022

Hey!

I will go through some steps to help you automate habits you would like to incorporate. We discuss James Clear's book, Atomic Habits. He says a tiny change in your behavior will not transform your life overnight, but turn that behavior into a habit every day and it can lead to big changes. Changing your life is not about making big breakthroughs, but about building a positive system of habits that deliver results.

Post in the Claiming Simplicity Facebook Page what is just 1 habit you would like to add to your routine.

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

Email -> claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

If you enjoy this episode, I really encourage you to read the book!

Have a great week!

Monica

Is Living a Balanced Life Even Possible? 6 Simple Steps for a Busy Exhausted Mom to Implement Today to Pursue Balance Feb 07, 2022

Hello!

Have you ever wondered how to create life balance? In this episode, I will give you 6 simple steps for busy exhausted moms to implement to pursue balance that I want you to start with. Small steps will get you to where you want to be!

I would love to hear how you are implementing even one of these steps!

Join our Facebook Group -> Claiming Simplicity

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

email -> claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

Have a great week!

Monica

Importance of Simplifying to Have More Time for Yourself and the Value of Hobbies Jan 31, 2022

Hello!

In this episode, I will talk about the importance of learning to live minimally because you need time for yourself and the very much needed 6 reason why you need to have a hobby!

If you are so busy and overwhelmed, you will need to really look at your life and where you can simplify so you can start to put your values in order and begin to have time for yourself and enjoy a new hobby - or an old one if you just put it on the back burner!

I would love to hear from you!

Private Facebook Group -> Claiming Simplicity

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

Email -> claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

Have a wonderful week!

Monica

A Life with Less Stuff Means More Peace in Your Home for the Moms Who Want to Live with Less Stress Jan 24, 2022

Hey!

Do you want to feel peace and calm in your home so you have less stress? Once you begin decluttering, you may find that you actually love the peace and joy you feel in your home. When we simplify and declutter, we will feel less stressed physically and mentally.

Enjoy this episode!

Monica

Facebook Group -> Claiming Simplicity

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

Send me a message -> claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

Part 2 - 63 Things We Don’t Buy to Save Thousands of Dollars Jan 17, 2022

Hi Friend!

I am so happy you enjoyed part 1 in the last episode! Here is Part 2 of the things we don't buy to save thousands of dollars! It is all those little items that add up without you even realizing it!

->Send me a message claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

->Join our Private Claiming Simplicity Facebook Group

->Instagram https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity

Thanks for all your love!

Monica

Part 1 - 63 Things We Don’t Buy to Save Thousands of Dollars Jan 10, 2022

Hello!

In this episode, I am going to go through 30 of the 63 items we do not buy to save thousands of dollars. It is the every day items that you don't even realize you don't need that is costing you extra money you could be saving!

I would love to hear any money saving tips you have because I learn so much from you as well!!!!

Send me a message ->claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

We have started our decluttering challenge in our Private Claiming Simplicity Facebook Group and would love for you to join us!

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity

Enjoy this episode and I love reading your reviews, so please leave a review on Apple podcast and I may give you a shout out on the episode! I truly appreciate each and every one of them!

Monica

Importance of Minimizing Your Stuff and Eliminating the Things You Don‘t Need Jan 03, 2022

Happy New Year Friend!

In this episode, you will learn the importance of Minimizing your possessions and eliminating the things you don't need. Reducing items helps create the space and time necessary to pursue meaningful work, relationships and experiences.

We talk about the 5 realizations you will come to when you simplify your stuff!

Declutter challenge starts January 3rd in the Private Facebook Group->Claiming Simplicity I would love to see you there!

Instagram-> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

Send me a message ->claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

See you in the group soon!

Monica

Start to Dream and Set Goals This Next Year for the Moms Who Want to Eventually Quit Their Job and Work From Home Dec 27, 2021

Happy New Year Friend!!!!

In today's episode I talk about some questions to help you to dream again and set beginning goals so that you can either quit your day job and work from home or just beginning setting goals so you can achieve your ideal life!

I hope that you incorporate some of this and I can't wait to see how this New Year turns out for you!!!!

I love hearing from you!

Send me a message on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

Email me at claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

Blessings!

Monica

How to Easily Declutter from all the Extra Christmas Items before the New Year Dec 20, 2021

Hey Friend!

In this episode I talk about simple ways to keep declutter to a minimum so you can start the New Year Fresh! I will show you how to organize your Christmas Items so you can easily access them every year without a mess!

We are going to be doing a FREE Declutter Challenge starting in January in our Claiming Simplicity Facebook group and we would love for you to join us!

Send me a message on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

Email me at claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

Merry Christmas!

Monica

Minimizing Stress for the Busy Mom Trying to do it all During the Holidays Dec 13, 2021

Hey!

In this episode you will get some great tips for minimizing stress when you are trying to do all the things this Christmas season. Remember to slow down and that you can say no to things and activities.

Bless your Christmas Season!

Monica

Find the 10 ways to reduce stress and stay on Budget this holiday season and a few recipes at link tree below! Enjoy!

linktr.ee/monicahbaker

Find me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

Email me at claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

Join our Private Claiming Simplicity Facebook Group and our declutting challenge in January!!!!

Best Gift Giving Ideas this Christmas Season to Create Memories and Useful Gifts Dec 06, 2021

Hey Friend!

Today I am going to give you some ideas for the best gifts that you can give that will create memories and experiences along with gift ideas that people can actually use!

I thought it was incredible that so many people see gift giving as a competition-trying to out gift their family and friends! Imagine what the world would be like if we were all seeking Jesus like that!!!!!

I would love to hear your favorite gifts to give and to receive. Send me a dm at https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

Email me at claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

or join our Private Claiming Simplicity Facebook Group!

Enjoy the episode!

Monica

Create a Simple Budget and Learn How to Stick to it to Get Out of Debt for Busy Moms Nov 29, 2021

Hello!

If you want to learn the first steps to starting a budget, you are going to want to listen to this episode! You don't need a spreadsheet or budget program to begin the process, you just need to figure out where you are spending all your money. If you don't have a budget, your money just seems to disappear and you are going to want to start controlling that!!!!!!

Enjoy!

Monica

Problem Solving Framework to Create More Time for Working Moms Who Want to Work Less Nov 22, 2021

Hello!

----more----

In this episode, you will learn about the P.A.C.E. problem solving framework to teach you the first things you need to do to help you to take the steps towards moving into your calling and where God wants you to be so that you can work less.----more----

Join my Private Claiming Simplicity Facebook Group----more----

Follow me on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

Value vs. Time Assessment - Build a Balanced Life Plan for Tired Overworked Moms Nov 22, 2021

Hi Friend!----more----

In this episode I am going to teach you the Value vs. Time Assessment so you can build a balanced life. ----more----

Learn where you need to make changes in your life so you know exactly the areas you need to change.

----more----

Private Claiming Simplicity Facebook Group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/4364108200322076/

----more----

Follow me on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/

Why I Created This Podcast and What You Can Expect to Hear Nov 04, 2021

Trailer

Simplified Home*Debt & Expense Reduction*Faith*Personal Development

Are you a tired, exhausted, and overwhelmed mom looking to simplify your life? Do you want to get your priorities back in order so you can enjoy a balanced lifestyle? Are you tired of having debt and living paycheck to paycheck? Do you want to have time freedom to create memories and experiences with your family and friends?

In this podcast, you will learn how to reduce debt and expenses, simplify your home, and learn ways to balance your values and your time.

If you are ready to take back your time to what really matters most, you are going to want to listen to this podcast!

Hey Friend! I am Monica H Baker! I am a Jesus lover, wife, mom of 5 kids, grandma, nurse, and homeschool mom.

Over 20 years ago, 3 of my kids were 3 years old and under, I was working full-time in accounting and I heard something that CHANGED MY LIFE! I heard that if you compare your values and your time, you would have a clear picture of what is NOT working in your life! I realized that if I was going to put God and family first, I had to stop spending all my time at work. I had to create a plan in order to step into more balance. Together with God and my husband, I created a simplified life plan that allowed me to get out of debt, scale back my career, and still be able to live fruitfully with more purpose and time than ever before and I never looked back!

My mission is to get as many moms out of debt that I can, teach how to simplify, and connect faith so you can live the best life!

Follow me on instagram-＞ @claimingsimplicity
Email me-＞ claimingsimplicity@gmail.com

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