I received an advance copy of Say Goodbye to Survival Mode and was somewhat skeptical going into it – I figured it would rehash what I already knew.  Boy was I wrong!  In Say Goodbye to Survival Mode, Crystal Paine of MoneySavingMom.com shares her story of hitting rock bottom and then climbing her way back up becoming a better wife & mother on the way.  Crystal shares nine simple strategies that work!  Each chapter has a goal and a strategy to help you reach your goal.  The book promises to reduce stress (Amen!), increase sleep (Woohoo!), and restore your passion for life (Yeah!).

Setting priorities is the first step to leaving survival mode.  They have to be your priorities and not priorities that others have for you.   Then you only say yes to your best – don’t take on everything that people think you should – focus on your priorities and say no to the rest.  Set goals that are related to your priorities.  Without goals, you have nothing to focus on, nothing to work towards each day.

Discipline is a word that no one likes, yet it’s very important!  Self-discipline is what helps us work towards our goals.  Self-discipline will also require some sacrifice as you work to reach your goals or even surpass them.  Making small changes rather than trying to change everything at once is easier.  One of the best suggestions is to do the hardest thing first thing each day.  That way you have a feeling of success no matter what the rest of the day holds for you.

Part of leaving survival mode is getting your finances in order.  Having a budget as well as short and long term financial goals.  You need financial goals so you have something to aim for, something to work towards.  A reason for living below your means, for sacrificing in the short term.  Having your home in order will help you with your financial goals.  Keeping the clutter down so you can find things means you don’t spend money on something you already have.  Selling what you don’t need can help you put a little money away for emergencies.

With all of these steps, it’s easy to feel like a failure when you can’t do it all!  Not so says Crystal:

Failure is inevitable. Ouch! Even though this reality might
sting, the truth is, you are going to fail in life. At some point. At
something. Failure isn’t proof that you’re a loser, a mess-up, or
someone who will never get it together. On the contrary, failure
is evidence that you’re trying. And you know what shows even
more grit? It’s when you try again—after you’ve failed. (p.158)

Learn from your failure and try again – try a new strategy, a different approach, just don’t loose your focus – your goal.

Along your way to getting out of survival mode, look for ways to serve others.  Find ways to reach out in your community and beyond.  Practice giving (either money or time) – to your local food pantry, to your church, to a charity that you’re passionate about.

Finally, don’t forget about yourself!  You need to make sure that you have some time just for you – to help you recharge.  Find what works for you – everyone recharges differently.

Click on over to the survival mode website and read the first chapter.  Then come back here and preorder the book.

Links above are affiliate links.

When we first moved into our new home, there was no microwave.  That was fine, I was up for the challenge.  I quickly learned how to reheat food on the stove and while it didn’t really take anymore time, there are some things that are just so easy to do in the microwave – my husband loves melted cheese sandwiches – two slices of bread with a couple slices of cheese in between, microwave for 20 seconds.  Presto, yummy gooey sandwich.  My favorite thing to do in a microwave is this:

Melted chocolate and marshmallowy goodness!!

For Christmas, my parents got us a microwave.  I’m not sure who was more excited – my hubby or me (or my nine-year-old who knew and didn’t tell!).  However, we didn’t have a good place to put it.  Counter space is very limited!  We can’t do an over the stove microwave without some remodeling – there isn’t enough space between the stove and the cabinet.  Our best choice was to put it on a table near the dining room table.  We had a small end table that we use for our printer and telephone.  My parents thought it would be perfect…if it had another shelf.  Fortunately my dad is pretty creative with wood and he made a second shelf for it.  A little paint, some minor adjustments, a little touch-up painting, and voila – a microwave/printer stand.

Recently we went to a little playground.  There really wasn’t much there and it was geared for the 2-5 crowd (my youngest is 5).  My kids were the only ones there, so they entertained themselves by doing all the things that were against the rules.  They didn’t even know they were not playing the way they should – they were just playing, having fun, being kids.

Seriously, there were a lot of rules for that little playground – some of the stuff they don’t even have there.  Vertical ladders and whirls (if there weren’t pictures, I would’ve been clueless!)?  What’s wrong with monkey bars and merry-go-rounds?  Tell me why you can’t swing an empty swing?    I think they forgot one rule under swings – don’t jump off a moving swing (surely that’s more dangerous then swinging an emtpy swing?).  What kid doesn’t love to climb up a slide or slide down backwards or *gasp* head first??

I understand that if there were a lot of kids there, the rules are to help make it safe, but still, that’s a lot of rules.  It seems that if people used common sense, it would go a long ways.  Teaching kids some basic rules – like watch out for the little kids (I’m constantly reminding them of this),   My kids know they can climb up a slide only if no one is waiting to go down.  They’re taught that pushing and shoving are not acceptable.  Hurrying someone up the ladder is a no-no.  Going down the slide before the person at the bottom gets out the way is off limits (well, if it’s a sibling, then maybe it’s OK…).

In my world playgrounds are for having fun, trying new stuff (my youngest shimmies up  swingset poles), and not always following the rules.  What about you?