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Katrina’s World is just that – it’s all about me and my world. I’m Katrina Rauch, and I’m a mompreneur that loves to help people! Katrina’s World is all about helping you be a better mom, wife, and entrepreneur! My posts include tips on cleaning, cooking, couponing, crafting, giving, gardening, ways to save money and make money, and so much more! Enter your email on the left and join me so I can keep in contact with you!
6 Real Ways You Can Make Money As a Stay-At-Home-Mom

6 Real Ways You Can Make Money As a Stay-At-Home-Mom

StickyNote_6RealWaysToMakeMoneyAsASAHMIt’s no secret, I’m a stay-at-home-mom and I love it!  There are so many positives to being home with my kids all day!  I know I sound all “chummy” and“happy go lucky-the world is full of rainbows,” but I really do love that I get to be home with my kids and also create income doing some of the simple and complicated things I do as a mom.  If you have read a lot of my blog posts you know that I’m very business-minded, God just made me that way.  In high school I spent all my time running our school store, as well as being a part of every business club our school offered and competing at the National level in many of them for things like Job Interview and Desktop Publishing.  By the time I graduated I was determined to make a million dollars before I turned 30 with my own business.  I was an entrepreneur from the get-go.  Now, I’m proud to say I’m a MOMprenuer and love that I can have the best of both worlds.  You don’t have to put your dreams of working and creating an income on hold just because you are now a mom and spend the majority of your day cleaning up spit-up and dirty diapers.  Trust me moms, I know!  I’ve been there and I’ve just passed the potty training stage for my youngest and am literally doing the happy dance!  Through all the stages of my 3 kids, I’ve kept a candle burning for my business dreams and am happy I’ve not quit.  When the kids were babies I was not able to spend as much time working as I can today, but being a mom comes first above any work EVERY DAY.  I’ve learned ways to work in a little bit of work here and there while I’m doing the mom thing and I’ve gotten pretty good at it.  Here a couple quick ideas of ways to keep working during the day when you are in full-time mommy mode – then, I promise I will give you some REAL ways you can make some money:

  • Make A List (I actually keep 2 at all times): Keep a notebook/notepad with you when you are being mommy-chauffer taking kids to and from school, soccer practices and dance class.  Jot down a list of things you need to do that day for your personal life when you are a stop sign or waiting on your kids during practices – like chores, phone calls you need to make, cleaning you need to do, etc.  I’m slightly crazy, so I actually have 2 notebooks that I take everywhere – one is for my personal life and the other if for my business.  Anytime I think of things for either one I add it to the list.  Oh and because I’m always thinking about coupons/groceries, in my personal notebook I always have a running list for the grocery store.
  • K_Kenz_work_webSchedule Your Time:  This is a no-brainer.  In order to be effective both as a mom and as a MOMprenuer you MUST schedule your time.  I know so many moms who struggle with time management.  They get so wrapped up in doing something silly (like watching a quick program on TV) that all a sudden the whole morning is gone and they didn’t get anything done.  I’m a huge fan of scheduling – and I’ve found that when I get up early in the morning and start the day with a some strenuous exercise as well as a good cup of coffee and some quiet time with the Lord and my Bible I have a much better day.  That helps me get going and then I can attack the day.  I will then spend the next 10mins before kids are up to get out my personal notebook and make a list of all the things I want to get done that morning while my older kids are at school.  I try to block out about 45mins each morning to spend some time working in my office.  I allow my youngest son that time to pick out the educational games he wants to play on my iPad and this is his only chance during the day to play uninterrupted (from his older siblings) on my iPad.  It’s a win-win and I know exactly which tasks in my office I want to get done and I set right to it (because I had already made my list).
  • Get Off Facebook:  Yeah, I just went there!  I mean it.  Get off your phone.  I’m so bad at this, but I try to be present for my kids when they are awake.  Let’s be honest, there is nothing more annoying than trying to talk to someone who is also checking their Facebook or phone at the same time.  Imagine how this feels to your kids?  Plus, think of how much time you truly do WASTE on Facebook.  A lot huh?  I understand, I have the same problem!  But I’m really trying to work on it.

Now on to the good stuff, 6 REAL Ways to Make Money as a Stay-at-Home-Mom and here they are:

  1. Start using coupons regularly.  Start to think of them as paper money, which they truly are.  Every single coupon you have is just like a couple quarters or a crisp dollar bill.  While they may not actually make you money – they will keep the money that you have made in your wallet by not having to pay as much for the items you need.   If you need help getting started with coupons download my FREE ebook – 7 Biggest Mistakes Couponers Make.
  2. Consign your old clothing.  This is a great way to make couple extra bucks on something you were going to donate or give away.  Go through your closet and your children’s closets and take all the stuff that is still current and in great shape to a consignment store and watch your account collect money!  You can get paid with a check, or you can buy clothing directly with the money you just made on the clothes you brought in.  It’s a win-win!
  3. Join an online selling group like VarageSale – it’s a local community app that you can put on your smartphone to buy and sell anything you have or want to have!  Clothing, household products, toys, shoes, etc.  All you do is take a picture of the item and pick a price and upload it to the group.  I personally love my community Varage Sale group and love that I can sell stuff without having to ship the items out.  Your community members just stop by your house or wherever you plan to meet them and yOu are done!  Check out VarageSale.com and see if your community has a group and get involved.
  4. Have a Garage Sale!  I love, love, love, love garage sales!  They are one of my favorite things to do from spring to fall.  You can make a great amount of money and get ride of a ton of stuff all in a matter of days!  It’s wonderful!  Make sure to check your community and home owner’s association for any rules they may have regarding garage sales.  My community is pretty strict, so I have to really be careful.
  5. Blogging is another great way to generate an income.  Set up a free blog and start writing.  What you have to say may go viral!  I love blogging, it’s a great way to relieve stress – it’s almost therapeutic to me.  Plus I love “meeting” new people online!  You never know what post will skyrocket your blog to the top of a search result.  Add some affiliates to your blog and you can start generating some income right away.
  6. Network Marketing – consider working part-time for a network marketing company.  There are many out there that have amazing products that you can share with people from makeup, to bags, to health and wellness products.  Choose whichever one fits you best and get online and start marketing your business.  Of course, I have my favorite that I think is best and would be happy to share it with you if you want to know how I make extra money.  Leave me a comment or shoot me an email and we can set up a time to talk to hear more info.  You also need to download this FREE eBook that I have written – 5 Financial Success Secrets For Stay-At-Home-Moms.

Hope this list helps!  If you have any questions, let me know! Love ya all!

 

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February 20, 20150 commentsRead More
How I Potty-Trained My Stubborn 3 Year Old

How I Potty-Trained My Stubborn 3 Year Old

 

How I Potty TrainedOk, this might be a dicey topic to tackle but I’m going to share my journey to potty-training my very stubborn, strong-willed 3 year old.  Meet Rylyn, my adorable, fun-loving, very adventurous, super strong-willed 3 year old son.  Rylyn turned 3 in November of last year, depending on who you ask he is either ‘way past the age he should be potty trained‘ or ‘just barely 3.’  If you are still scratching your head trying to figure out how old he is, he’s 3 years old and 3 months.  Ever since he turned 2 I’ve had friends, relatives and random moms I’ve met ask me when I’m going to get him potty-trained.  It’s like there is some unwritten rule that every child must be potty trained as soon as they have their second birthday or you as a mom are doing a terrible job being their mom.  I’m here to say, that is absolutely WRONG!  Hate me if you want, but it’s wrong.

Here’s my story.  I’m a mom of 3 children.  Rylyn is my third child.  Oh I can hear the gasps out there – yes he is my third child, this is myrylyn_jeep third time down the potty training road.  Before Rylyn was born I was on the same team that said you should really have your child potty trained sometime after they turn 2, and if it took until they were 3, then your mommy potty training skills must be lacking.   Let me take a minute to explain my older two children.  My oldest son, Coen, is a very inquisitive, too-smart-for-his-own-good type of child and he was interested in the toilet and how it worked when he was a year old.  By the time he was 18 months old he was asking to use the potty like a “big boy.”  Before his second birthday he was completely potty-trained, and at the time I totally thought that was because I was an amazing mommy that deserved a “gold star” in all things potty training.  In reality his personality was one that went hand in hand with being potty-trained early.  I got lucky, and he was my first!

My middle child, Makenzie, is a very agreeable, easy-going girl.  She loves to please and do what she is told and is always wanting to help mommy with everything.  I was due to have my third child, Rylyn,  in November, and had no intention at all of trying to potty-train Makenzie before he was born since she had just turned 2 in June.  I vividly remember being hugely pregnant with Rylyn, and planning to go grocery shopping with Makenzie one Sunday morning.  Before we left she very shyly asked me if she could wear panties that day.  We had never talked about potty training or even had her sitting on the potty or wearing Pull-ups.  I was surprised she asked, and thought it was the worst possible timing to potty train just weeks before Rylyn was born.  But, I said ok, and she never once had an accident in those panties.  She knew she was ready and it was a non-issue.  Done and done.  Now, again, I was giving myself a huge pat on the back and claiming my next mommy potty-training trophy.  In reality, she’s a girl, she just got it, and she decided she was ready.  I got really lucky with her too.  (She’s like this with a lot of things so far, she’s just a great kid and easy to be a mom to – she makes me look like I’m doing a good job being a mommy).

Kat_Rylyn_zooNow, let’s move on to my third boy, Rylyn.  He is very sweet, but full of spice little boy.  He goes 100 miles an hour all the time, and would leap tall buildings if he was allowed to.  He’s very stubborn and loves to throw tantrums anytime he doesn’t get his way.  He’s like fire and ice – all the time.  Now, when this child turned 2 he had no idea what the potty was for and didn’t care one bit – all he cared about were his trains.  At 2 and half, I was hoping and praying he would get a clue about the potty, but still showed no interest and in fact cried when the little potty magically showed up in the bathroom one day.  Around this time a lot of his little friends were starting to use the potty, he still showed no interest at all.  When he turned 3, I was really starting to stress about it.  I had well-meaning friends and family members ask me over and over when I was going to get on the ball and get him potty trained.  I’ll tell you what mommas – I chose not to listen to any of them, and here is why.  I’m his mother and I know my child best.  Period.  What I know about my child was that he is stubborn and pushing him to do something was going to make him dig in his heels even more.  I also know that he is a very smart child – so trying to bribe him with little gifts, or toys, or candy wasn’t going to work (we had tried that for a few weeks and nothing was motivating him).   Thirdly, after having two other kids go down the potty training road, I do know that their body needs to be ready and so does their mind, the two have to work together in order for potty training to click – and Rylyn at the age of 3 just wasn’t ready – he just didn’t get it and he didn’t care.

So, we didn’t push him.  We noticed he was starting to put the pieces together when his favorite cousin was visiting for Christmas (his cousin is about 5 months younger) and was regularly using the potty.  For whatever reason, Rylyn really seemed to pay attention and we noticed he started to get embarrassed when his diaper was messy.   About three weeks later, out of the blue Rylyn asked me if we could go to the store and buy some Chuggington (his favorite thing in the world) underwear because he was ready to be a “big boy!”  And later that day, we did just that.  He picked out his new underwear and it was a done deal.  I knew he just needed to make up his own mind to do it and as much as I pushed him, he was going to push back.  So we just stopped pushing and removed all the pressure and he just decided.  He is now 3 years and 3 months old and wears his underwear proudly everyday and has had very few accidents.  I’m completely confident that he gets it and I don’t stress about him having an accident when we are out and about.  I’m so glad that I listened to my own intuition and I didn’t force it on him.   I’m very proud of my little guy and the potty-training journey we went on together!

My advice if you are knee-deep in potty training woes:

  • Don’t listen to what anyone else says is the right time for your child.
  • Listen to your intuition.
  • Pay attention to your child – after all you know them pretty well.
  • Don’t put any pressure on yourself or your child to be trained by a certain time or date.
  • Find what motivates them – if it’s a toy, or candy, etc – and use that to your advantage.  (For Rylyn it was being a “big-boy” like his siblings and getting special “big-boy” privileges such as going to the “big-boy” class a church rather than the nursery with the babies)
  • Encourage them through the whole process.
  • Learn to bite your tongue when you are frustrated or when they have an accident.

You got this momma!  Potty-training is so hard, but chin up!  One day you will look back and can have a party when you get to pass all those unused diapers on to someone else!  WAHOO!

Comment below and share with me what things you have tried on your very own potty training journey.  What worked?  What didn’t?  What mistakes did you make?  What do you wish you have done differently?  I’d love to help, if you need advice or tips let me know! Hugs!

How I Potty Trained

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February 4, 201529 commentsRead More
Help! I Use Coupons, Why Am I NOT Saving Money?

Help! I Use Coupons, Why Am I NOT Saving Money?

7BM_LandingPage2My my long anticipated couponing eBook, 7 Biggest Mistakes Couponers Make,  is finally finished.  I’ve been working on this eBook for the past several months and I’m so excited that I’ve finally finished it!  This is my very first eBook and I hope there are many more to follow in the months and years to come.  This particular eBook is full of practical advice and useful tips to help both the newbie and experienced couponer succeed with couponing!  All seven mistakes that I’ve discussed are my own personal mistakes that I’ve made on my coupon journey, and I wanted to share them so you can avoid the same mistakes I’ve made.  

I’ll answer one of the questions I hear most often, “I use coupons, but why am I not saving any money?”  This is a common misconception of couponing – just because you use coupons, doesn’t mean you are going to save money.  There are a lot more factors that contribute to big savings at the grocery store.  7 Biggest Mistakes Couponers Make discusses all of these misconceptions and provides practical advice on how to really save your family some money at the grocery store. 

Download my FREE eBook right now and please share it with your friends and family, and with anyone you know who needs help couponing!

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January 24, 20150 commentsRead More
Katrina’s DIY Tip #1 – Flowers LOVE Mouthwash

Katrina’s DIY Tip #1 – Flowers LOVE Mouthwash

flowersDid you know that fresh clipped and store bought bouquets of flowers LOVE mouthwash?  Oh, yes they do!  If your adoring husband or significant other, brings you a lovely bouquet of beautiful flowers, add just a couple teaspoons of mouthwash to the water in your vase and your flowers will keep much longer than just a few days!

The pictured flowers are from four days ago and they are still looking amazing! I can usually keep my flowers looking and smelling fresh for up to two weeks or more, depending on the flowers of course (Carnations do really well and can last for nearly a month).   Remember to add fresh water and mouthwash every few days (as you can see from the picture, I just use generic mouthwash – nothing too fancy – just use whatever you have a coupon for), as well as trim the stems if they are starting to get slimy.  I also trim my flowers of all leaves that are submerged in the water (just helps to keep the water cleaner).

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January 19, 20150 commentsRead More
Katrina’s Coupon Tip #4 – Hunt for FREE Inserts

Katrina’s Coupon Tip #4 – Hunt for FREE Inserts

CT4_HuntForFreeFREE coupon inserts can be found in all sorts of places!  You just need to be creative!  On Sundays mornings make a stop at your favorite bagel/coffee shop – you can usually find a discarded Sunday paper lying around.  Ask the owner if you can have the coupon inserts!  Try any place you can think of where people like to go sit and read the paper – places like bookstores, restaurants, coffee shops, even grocery store coffee shops.  Be honest and make sure you ask permission before you take home any inserts!

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January 14, 20150 commentsRead More
How Long Do Your Resolutions Stick?

How Long Do Your Resolutions Stick?

In the spirit of the new year, setting goals, and making resolutions, I’ve taken a moment to reflect. In years past I’ve noticed that my resolutions don’t stick very long, so here recently I haven’t made any. Last year I decided not to make any resolutions at all – mostly because they remind of goals that I don’t ever seem to accomplish. I think my problem is that the resolutions I would make were way too hard to fulfill, even for Superwoman (and deep down I really am Superwoman). I remember one year I resolved to make a million dollars by the time I was 30, seriously. Granted, I was 17 (going on like 25), I was in my senior year of high school, President of FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America), running our school’s store, and I thought I success_aheadwas going to be the most amazing business-woman alive. I had huge goals, huge dreams, and I had no idea how to accomplish them, but I resolved that they would come true. Well, I grew up, I turned 30 a few years back without my million dollars and somehow my Superwoman cape missing. I came to the realization that resolutions are just words with good intentions behind them.   They seem great and inspiring when you make them, but as time goes on and they are not coming true they are like a weight strapped to your ankle dragging you down. Talk about failure…yep, I feel like a failure to my own made-up dreams.

I’m older and I’d like to think I’m wiser now too, and the reality of feeling like a flop with my own dreams and goals has hit me hard this year. I went to an amazing Bible Study this morning and the speaker had a great devotional on resolutions. She talked about how she always sets New Year’s Resolutions that would cause her to strive for great stuff in her life, but she finds herself, year after year, failing at just about every resolution she sets. Striving and Failing. Think about both of those. I looked up both words in Webster’s Dictionary and below are the definitions.

Strive: to struggle vigorously, as in opposition or resistance

Fail: to fall short of success or achievement in something expected, attempted, desired, or approved

To struggle vigorously – that perfectly describes how I feel about a lot of my resolutions. I feel like I struggle a lot, I try to put in some effort to change behaviors, and then when I’m at my wits end, I just give up and find myself in the exact same spot I was the year before. It’s terribly frustrating and ever so futile.  I think the answer lies in my perspective. Rather than setting myself up to fall short this year, I’m going to change my perspective on my resolutions.

Instead of a making Resolutions: the act of resolving or determining upon an action, – I’m changing them to Goals: - the result or achievement toward which effort is directed. To me, a goal is something you achieve when effort is placed toward it. A resolution is just making up your mind to change, or willing something to happen, but you are missing the action. When you make a conscience effort to work toward a goal, you absolutely achieve every time. Part of changing your perspective is not getting so wrapped up in the “what” or the “how much” you achieve, but celebrating that you have achieved something toward your goal, and to keep on achieving.

I’m also choosing to make a list of Aspirations: a goal or objective that is strongly desired that are more lofty and harder to reach, but are something I do wish to attain, but won’t feel like a failure if I don’t reach them.

So, what are you goals and aspirations this upcoming year? I’d love to hear some. Want to hear mine? My top business goals this upcoming year are to reach 500 followers on my facebook.com/MomKatrinasWorld page, publish 3 ebooks, and grow my business by 3 levels.  One of my aspirations is to finally go on a fancy vacation with my hubby – somewhere with a nice warm beach.  Tell me yours!  Dave Ramsey says, “If you aim at nothing, you will reach it every time.” Aim high and then go get it!

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January 9, 20150 commentsRead More
Success Of Your Business Is Up To You

Success Of Your Business Is Up To You

Your business is what YOU make of it.  Really, it is.  The success of your business is all up to you.

Thanks for the slap in the face Katrina! Geesh!  All joking aside, this fact was proven true this weekend as I was cleaning out some old business card buscardsholders that I had. I pulled out hundreds and hundreds of old business cards from the last 8 years. As I read over them and remembered the amazing people I met and then realized just how many of them were not in business in anymore I was struck with the startling realization that I’m not in that same business anymore either! I’m one of those thrown away business cards too! I know for some of those people in my throw-away stack their businesses failed. For others, their business is still thriving, and for still some others, they have just moved on to new businesses and dreams. This is where I find myself. I’ve laid my old business venture to rest but am still pursuing a new dream and business venture full force! I’m not counting on anyone else on my team to make me successful, I’m building my business and am excited for anyone who wants to join me in my pursuit!

You can’t count on anyone else to make you successful. Your business is not about the next great lead, or the next big bid you sign, or the next great “go-getter” you sign up. It’s really all about you and how much effort you dedicate to your business. You ARE the business, if you don’t make it successful no one else is going to either.

For all the business owners and the MLM’ers out there, you totally know what I’m talking about. You may have a brand new sign up who totally seems like they are going to go out and sign up every person they know and won’t stop until they have reached the top. You are stoked because you might finally get to take a few days off and relax a little bit on your own efforts because this new sign up is going to really grow your team. Then 3 months down the road when they realize that business takes real work and effort, they are not only slowing down, but decide to bail and jump ship. Now you have lost what you thought was going to be your “golden ticket” and you realize that if your business is going to be successful, you better get out there and start selling again.

There are no guarantees in life, that’s the great thing about life. It can be exciting and exhausting all at the same time! But, remember this, your business is your responsibility. If you want to be successful, then you have to do something about it. Don’t wait for someone else to make your dreams come true!

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January 5, 20150 commentsRead More
Katrina’s Coupon Tip #2 – Get Organized

Katrina’s Coupon Tip #2 – Get Organized

CT2_GetOrganizedYou must have a system to stay organized.  There are a bunch of different systems you can utilize, you have to find what works best for you.  I love my coupon binder.  It’s big, has a handle, zips up, and I take it with me to the grocery every time I shop.

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January 1, 20150 commentsRead More
Katrina’s Coupon Tip #3 – Utilize Rebates

Katrina’s Coupon Tip #3 – Utilize Rebates

rebateRebates are a MUST-DO by anyone looking to save money and score FREE stuff! Are you now scratching you head wondering what I’m talking about? Free product rebates are usually found in the newspaper coupon inserts and will say,“Try Me Free.” These are available because the manufacturer wants to get consumers to try out a new product.  That is exactly what you do! You pick up the product at the grocery store and mail in your receipt and you receive a rebate check or gift card in the mail! You just scored a FREE product!

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0 commentsRead More
Katrina’s Coupon Tip #1 – Don’t Be Greedy

Katrina’s Coupon Tip #1 – Don’t Be Greedy

CT1_DontBeGreedyDon’t become greedy by not letting any coupon you have to go waste.  Just because it’s on sale, and you have coupon, doesn’t mean you actually need it.  If you can’t use, don’t need it, or know someone who does need it, then don’t buy it.  Leave it for someone who actually needs it to purchase it.

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December 29, 20140 commentsRead More