Introducing
The Money Saving Mom
Proverbs 22:6 says “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” This might just be the Biblical explanation for how Crystal Paine became a mompreneur.
When Crystal was a child her mom taught her how to coupon, she then put her in charge of the coupon box. She supplied her with the how to, and then went as far as putting her in charge of the grocery shopping, menu planning and cooking for their family of NINE. It turned out to be great practice for married life where she found creative ways to save money and stay out of debt while she completed law school. She discovered that she had a passion for “getting the best bang for your buck.” (Fun fact, they kept their grocery and household product budget at $35 a week!) Crystal’s obvious talent evolved and she became a successful blogger, podcaster, and all round inspiration to others. Today, Crystal teaches women how to save money but also how to live life with intention, joy, and purpose and how she believes the Gospel can radically change your life.
The gospel can radically change your life
Crystal first met her husband, Jesse when she was nine years, and married when she was 21. Seriously readers, their testimony and story is worth checking out, hear it on episode one of her podcast. They call Nashville, TN home where they live with their six children. After three children they experienced secondary infertility and during this answered a call to foster care. Remarkably, and against all medical odds, they went on to have two more children. From parenting teens to newborns, through growth and belief, their family is truly a testament to the power of God. Crystal enjoys baking, watching movies, hanging out with friends, deep conversations, drinking decaf tea (she gave up coffee), reading books, and spending time with family.
Crystal has been blogging for almost 20 years, before a time when social media was even a thing. She briefly shared on a blog about bargain shopping and remembers she was “immediately inundated with questions on how we lived on such a small grocery budget”. Crystal went on to write a blog series and eBook, and from there MoneySavingMom.com was born to help answer her audience’s questions, and to personally start saving money. Crystal has been financially rewarded for her efforts, and her business has exceeded all of her expectations while helping many families along the way. Additionally, Crystal has been able to donate to life-impacting ministries.
We had the chance to ask this seasoned blogger and influencer some questions and we wanted to share some insights with you as you travel your own mompreneur journey.
One thing we love about Crystal is her ability to influence and support other moms, she does this by sharing not only what has worked for her but what hasn’t. Crystal tells us “so much has changed since I started out. I think one thing I wish I would have known from the get-go is that it’s exhausting to try to defend yourself and your choices on the internet. I took a lot of things very personally in the beginning and wish I had developed thicker skin earlier on and spent a lot less time worrying about what other people thought, trying to win arguments, and crafting the perfect comeback and had just focused on serving and creating valuable content”.
- We asked Crystal how she balances family life and business so well, and we were inspired and fully encouraged by her response? “I focus on just prioritizing two areas each day. And I rotate those areas every day. For instance, today, I focused on family and business. Another day, I will focus on the house and friendships. Tomorrow, I’ll likely focus on family and my personal health. I have six priorities areas and my goal is to prioritize each of them twice a week. This way, over the course of a week, I’ve invested intentional, quality time in each area that matters most to me — but I’m not trying to focus on all my priorities every day”.
- Crystal’s best financial tip for moms trying to save money while raising a family is “to have a grocery budget and aim to lower it by 1-3% every month until you hit a number that feels challenging but not overwhelming. Lowering your grocery bill by 1-3% every month might not feel like it will make much difference, but it will add up to big savings over time — all without you burning yourself out in the process”.
- The option/temptation to ever leave Jesus out of her business equation, was as Crystal says “always an option, but for me, my faith is central to everything I am, so to leave Jesus out is not being true to who I am. In addition, my hope is that others will catch a glimpse of the lavish love that God has for them and how resting in His love can radically change their life. That said, I work hard to make sure that the bulk of what I do online is from the perspective that many in our audience don’t know Jesus. I never assume I’m speaking to an explicitly Christian audience”.
Crystal truly has dedicated her ministry to helping women and sharing the influence the Lord has had on her life. You can follow her on Instagram and see behind the scenes and capture her life as she discusses different topics. May we add that she has some pretty incredible guests on her podcast too! Crystal, Jesse and their family have clearly surrendered and give thanksgiving to the sovereignty God has over their lives. We really do encourage you to learn more about Crystal.
Connect with her here on Instagram
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