Cha-Ching on a Shoestring™

Living Large on a Limited Budget

  • STORES
    • Coupon Database
    • CVS
    • Rite Aid
    • Walgreens
    • Target
    • Walmart
  • Restaurants
  • Online Deals
    • Amazon Deals
    • Amazon Subscribe & Save Deals
  • Freebies
    • Free Kindle Books
    • Free Stuff by Mail
    • Free Birthday Stuff
    • Free Stuff Online

How I Painlessly Broke Up With Social Media

February 6th, 2015 By Kaley
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I will make a small commission if you click and make a purchase.

Breaking Up with Social Media

This post is part of The Merry Little Living Project where I’m sharing about ways that I’m finding to make everyday life simpler and more joyful. You can sign up here to receive my monthly-ish newsletter with updates.

One day not too long ago it suddenly hit me:

Social media is making me lose my mind.

Not the “going crazy” kind of losing my mind (although some days that’s debatable.)

More like the “I’ve lost the ability to think for myself” kind of losing my mind. The fear of missing out drives me to my social media feeds countless times a day only to discover that I am indeed missing out! In the moments that I’ve been away, there have been amazing new developments, such that little Hedgehog’s Birthday Party or important updates in world news like the latest yoga pants wars.

Mind. Lost.

So last month I broke up with Social Media.

This is me waving good bye to social media for the month of January so I can focus on some other things. I’ll still be around if you need me – email, text, or even better, knock on my door. 🙂

A photo posted by Kaley Ehret (@kaleyehret) on Jan 4, 2015 at 1:35pm PST

Now, as a blogger and a fan of social media for a number of reasons, completely turning my back on this modern-day form of communication is not really an option for me. I do value the community that it can build especially while using services such as Social follow to help build your following and the people you can reach, the good that it can accomplish and the ability to connect with people at a moment’s notice. And yes, I am hoping you will share this post on Facebook. Ironic, I know.

But for the month of January, I decided to “break up” with social media. Essentially, that meant I wasn’t going to post anything on Facebook or Instagram (since those are my main distractions) and I wasn’t going to check my newsfeed. I did allow myself to check my notifications on Facebook since many of them are blog-related.

Here’s what I did instead of checking Facebook:

I read books. (Emphasis on the S.)

I had Downton Abbey-viewing parties with friends.

Downton Abbey

I daydreamed without checking my phone to be sure I wasn’t missing anything. I had completely forgotten how to do that.

I played in the snow with my boys…TWICE. (Yes, I am counting.)

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

I watched movies without checking my phone to be sure I wasn’t missing anything.

I spent more time making food than looking at other people’s pictures of food.

I potty trained my son – my apologies to Facebook for the lack of updates on our progress. I hope you’ll forgive me.

I organized my closet.

I played the piano – and was pleasantly surprised to discover that I still remember how!

Which led to singing special music with my son and some friends in church- something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time.

I had lunch dates and coffee dates and playdates without checking my phone to be sure I wasn’t missing anything.

I felt peaceful.

I felt kinder to my kids.

Here’s what my breakup with the world of social media made me realize.

1) I miss boredom.

Yes, you read the correctly. I miss being bored. I get my very best ideas when I’m bored because it allows me time to dream. This Bored and Brilliant series from NPR encourages people to try disconnecting from their phone for a week to embrace boredom and mental downtime. Brilliant, right?

2) I wonder if maybe social media is making us all kind of sad.

This thought occurred to me right before I decided to take a break. It was after I caught myself yet again mindlessly checking my newsfeed rather than engaging with real-life people. Truth be told, my break up with social media convinced me it’s true. Turns out, I’m not the only person who has wondered that.

3) I need more Focus in my life.

I had forgotten what it feels like to cook dinner without checking my phone or play with my kids without checking my phone or brush my teeth without checking my phone. It feels really good.

4) I still worry too much about how many people “like” me.

I thought I left those days behind in Jr. High, but I still care. Taking a break from caring about getting “likes” was nice.

5) Facebook has become more “spectator media” than “social media”.

The number one reason I always give for embracing Facebook is that it’s a great way to keep up with out-of-town family and old friends. But more and more, my newsfeed has become filled with viral videos, links to articles and the latest political or celebrity controversy. Rather than connecting with family and friends, it seems I am constantly trying to weed through the “stuff” to find them!

6) It’s possible to be distracted by just about anything.

Giving up social media didn’t make me immune to other mind-numbing distractions. But it definitely gave me more control over what I opt to allow to distract me.

My Thoughts on The Break Up:

I know it sounds scary, but stepping back from social media to embrace real life is actually kind of awesome. I think everyone should give it a try.

I do think that there is a way to balance social media with real life and I’m going to give that a try for now. If I start to feel like I’m “losing my mind”, I’ll now know how easy it is to break up again (sounds kind of like a bad jr. high romance, doesn’t it?)

Want to break up with Social Media too? Here are some tips that helped me:

1) Choose a time period that is do-able.

I don’t recommend swearing off all social media forever and ever amen. You’ll likely have a hard time following through on that. Choose a time frame that you can stick with – even if it means just starting off for one day.

2) Announce your break-up on social media.

Yep. Make it Facebook-official. A little built-in accountability is never a bad idea.

3) Remove the apps from your phone.

They aren’t gone forever, I promise. It will be Ok.

4) Set up notifications if you are worried about missing out on something.

I have notifications set up for a few select people so I don’t miss out on life with those I really want to stay connected with. It’s my way of using social media in the way I think it was intended to be used.

5) Find other ways to connect.

Text, message, email, call, visit. You’ll be amazed how good it feels to personally connect with those you love rather than just “liking” what they have to say.

What do you think? Is breaking up with Social Media something you would consider – or is it too hard to do?

Filed Under: About Us, Merry Little Living, Simple Living

Merry Christmas from my Home to Yours!

December 24th, 2014 By Kaley
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I will make a small commission if you click and make a purchase.

Screen Shot 2014-12-24 at 1.01.23 PM

Our stockings are hung by the chimney with care…

Merry Christmas, dear readers! It has been such a pleasure to prepare for the holiday season with you.  And now we’ll be taking a little break to enjoy all our hard work!

I hope and pray that your Christmas day is a blessed one. I’m so thankful for you.

xo

Kaley

Filed Under: About Us Tagged With: Christmas Deals 2014

An Interview with Mint.com

September 1st, 2014 By Kaley
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I will make a small commission if you click and make a purchase.

mint

I was honored to be interviewed by Mint.com about my journey into the world of couponing and how others can save big with coupons.

Here’s a little clip from the interview. Click through if you’d like to read more!

“I used to hate couponing. Then in April of 2008, my husband joined the ranks of the unemployed when he was suddenly laid off from his job at a local college. Prior to that time, I considered us to be pretty frugal, but I was convinced that when God was handing out the couponing gene, he had skipped over me.

When I realized that we had no idea how long we would be without an income, I decided I had no choice but to dive headfirst into this world of couponing, freebie finding and deal hunting. Before long, I was completely hooked…”

Click to read more over at Mint.com.

Filed Under: About Us

Toddlers, Toilets and Expenses They Never Told Me About

July 29th, 2014 By Kaley
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I will make a small commission if you click and make a purchase.

10561727_10101525417718018_7596679557533792357_n I shared this picture on Instagram the other day along with this:

Meet Cade. Lover of Nutella and shover of 15 alphabet blocks down my bathroom toilet. #GoodThingHeIsCute

You can’t make this stuff up, people.

And as it turns out, it was actually 16 alphabet blocks. Plus an oddly-shaped block from a train set that never should have fit down the drain in the first place that my husband finally set free after taking a sledgehammer to the toilet.

Yes – our two-year-old broke our toilet. They always warn you about saving up for those huge college tuition bills – but somehow I missed the memo about setting aside some cash for toddler potty damage. We’ll have enough to get in touch with a company like Sarkinen plumbing in Portland, so we can get the toilet repaired. And tell me – how do you stay mad at a face like that for more than a minute?

Turns out we should add another line item to our budget – Cade.

Either that or we need to send him to plumbing school real soon.

How about you? Have any tales of woe about surprising expenses you were never warned about?

Filed Under: About Us

Welcome, Saving with 6abc Viewers!

February 4th, 2014 By Kaley
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I will make a small commission if you click and make a purchase.

6abc logo

Welcome, 6bc viewers!  If you found my site via my segment on the new Checkout 51 app, I’m glad you found me!

You can learn more about the awesome new app here.  And be sure to find out how to score FREE Halls Cough Drops and a FREE Glade Customizable Kit with the app through tomorrow (2/5)!

And while you’re here, go enter my HP ENVY 5530 e-All-in-One Printer giveaway.  Somebody has to win and it might as well be you, right?

If you didn’t see the segment on TV, you can watch it below:

Filed Under: About Us

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

December 25th, 2013 By Kaley
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I will make a small commission if you click and make a purchase.

Merry Little Christmas

Dear amazing readers,

We’ll be taking a few days off over here at Cha-Ching on a Shoestring to enjoy time with family and friends.   My prayer for you this Christmas is that you have time to breathe, love and be loved.

And from the bottom of my heart – thank you.  Without you, we wouldn’t be here.

With all my heart,

Kaley

 

Filed Under: About Us, Christmas

Extreme Office Makeover – The Closet Edition!

January 25th, 2013 By Kaley
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I will make a small commission if you click and make a purchase.

I shared on Facebook a little peek into our office makeover that took place yesterday. Here’s the full scoop on how a closet in our basement went from this…

IMG_4751 (480x640)

to this.

Office Makeover 5

You may recall an Office Makeover that I shared with you about a year and half ago.  My cousin Megan (a.k.a. My Design Hero), helped me turn our spare bedroom into a lovely office.

Then whaddya know…I believe it was about two weeks later that we discovered I was expecting number three.

Yep.  You guessed it.  No more office for me!

It was all good.  We turned the office into an adorable baby boy’s room a few month’s later and found a snug little corner in our dining room for my desk.  Not ideal, but we made it work.

Then Megan suggested a genius idea.  Why not turn a potential closet in our basement into an office?

And before we knew it…the dreaming, pinning, and DRILLING began!

IMG_4758 (480x640)

My husband embraced his inner handyman (confession: I think tool belts are HAWT) and several late nights later, we had ourselves the framework for my new office!

IMG_4764 (480x640)

Enter Megan.

The fact that she’s my childhood best friend aside – this girl can DECORATE like nobody’s business.

Side note: I’m so proud of her because she’s taking her skill to the next level and starting her own business.  You all totally need to head over and join her Facebook page – Glennon Interiors.  She will inspire you.

And if any of my local (Philadelphia area) readers need organizational/decorating help, HIRE that girl.   You won’t regret it and I have a feeling she is going to be busy soon!

She also has my passion for saving money and is the queen of thrifty.

Here are just a few examples:

Office Makeover 4Also, those curtains?  They are from a sheet set that she found on clearance at Target.  (BONUS!  I have an extra fitted sheet and pillow cases now!)

 The curtain rod?  On clearance for $2.71.

I also gave Megan permission to rummage through our storage room and she found purpose for items that had sat on our shelves for years.  Talk about saving money!

 

Office Makeover 3

I LOVE this idea that she threw together.  These little buckets are from the Target Dollar Spot and will make perfect holders for cream and sugar packets in my little coffee corner. 🙂

Design + Function + Thrifty = Perfection.

Office Makeover 2

I purchased these little chalkboards on a whim last year (my Mom would be proud!), but never could figure out how to make them work.  Megan knew exactly how to put them to use (plus they are hiding some ugliness on our old metal filing cabinet!).

Office Makeover 6I just love these file boxes ($1 each), don’t you?  They work perfectly for my coupons.

There you have it, folks.  What do you think of my mini Extreme Makeover?

I am in love. 🙂

p.s.  Don’t forget to head over and join Megan’s Facebook page.  I promise you won’t regret the beauty that shows up in your Facebook feed.

Filed Under: About Us, Organization, Saving money, Simple Living

Favorite Fall Recipe from my House: Pumpkin Chip Cookies

August 28th, 2012 By Kaley
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I will make a small commission if you click and make a purchase.

Heading Home from the Bus Stop

Yesterday was a big day in our house.  It was the first day of first grade for my oldest son, Griffin.  Since Kindergarten is only half day where we live, it seemed like a pretty big milestone for us.

My sister has always had the tradition of baking a fresh, gooey batch of Pumpkin Chip Cookies to celebrate the first day of school for her four growing children.  So I decided to steal borrow the idea for myself and begin a new tradition in our house.

Photo Credit

My Mom tells the story that this was the only recipe that she knew how to make when she got married.  And really…if there was only one recipe I could bake, I think I might just choose this one.

I’ve shared the recipe with you before, but here’s a re-cap in case you’d like to steal borrow it.  (Thanks to my sister for writing it up for us!)

Pumpkin Chip Cookies

1 cup pumpkin                         1 tsp. cinnamon
1 beaten egg                             1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup vegetable oil              1 tsp. milk
1 cup sugar                              1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour                              1 cup chocolate chips
2 tsp. baking powder             1/2 cup crushed walnuts
1/2 tsp. salt

Combine pumpkin, egg, oil and sugar; beat well.
Sift flour with baking powder, salt and cinnamon; stir into pumpkin mixture.
Mix soda and milk together; add to mixture.
Add vanilla, chocolate bits and walnuts.

Drop from teaspoons onto greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes. (I like mine a little gooey, but you might prefer them a little more well done.)

Warning: You may or may not be able to eat an entire plate of these cookies in one sitting because you may or may not convince yourself that they are healthy due to the addition of pumpkin, which is a vegetable afterall.  (Or is it a fruit?)  Either way, it’s gotta be healthy, right?

Just sayin’…

Filed Under: About Us, Just for fun, Living Large

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • …
  • 9
  • Next Page »

Welcome

About
Contact

My  name is Kaley. Wife, Mama, and Dreamer, I have a passion for saving money, living simply, and helping others find creative ways to live large on a limited budget.

My Favorite Things

Copyright © 2025 Kaley Ehret · Site Design by Sharon Hujik · Log in
Disclaimer | Disclosure Policy | Privacy Statement