Kids are home, grocery bill is up, and we have a solution!

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Has your grocery bill gone up since the kids got home for the summer? Do you feel like you are constantly going to the grocery yet the cupboards are still low? We understand! Check out this article from Dave Ramsey. He gives us 5 Simple Ways to Cut Your Grocery Bill without Coupons.

1. Redefine Dinner

If the word dinner conjures up a big homemade meal with a nice cut of meat, two steaming sides of fresh veggies from the local co-op, a crusty French loaf and a chocolaty finish, cut yourself some slack! This isn’t the 1950s and suppers don’t have to be a big deal.

Your kids and spouse will survive on BLTs, omelets or a nice salad several times a week. And summer is a great time for fruits—only feast once in a while. Don’t be afraid of serving simple meals. Reduce your guilt and your budget by rethinking the most misunderstood meal of the day.

2. Be Brand Un-Loyal

You know generic pasta is cheaper, but you’re still not convinced it won’t ruin your great-grandmother’s lasagna recipe. In a 2009 Consumer Reports study, 29 brand-name foods went up against their generic cousins. Of the 29 pairings, 19 scored “equally good” in the blind taste test.1 In other words, your less-expensive lasagna will taste just as delicious as Grandma’s.

Still not sold? According to a 2014 study, when chefs bought staples like salt, sugar and baking soda, they were much more likely to buy the generic than you and me.2 And they’re the food experts! The study concluded that if more of us purchased store brands, we as consumers could save roughly $44 billion. With that kind of money on the line, it pays to be brand un-loyal.

3. Try Different Grocery Stores

Why did you pick your current grocery store? Is it the friendliest? The most convenient? If we were honest, most of us go out of habit. Don’t let a comfortable routine cost you money.

If you’re still not sure which grocery stores are worth your time and money, ask around. People love talking about getting a good deal, and the ones who are getting the best deals will gladly gush about their favorite spots. Figuring out a new grocery store (or stores) may be frustrating at first, but it’s worth it to keep an extra $20 in your pocket.

4. Learn to Love a List

A list is just a game plan. Once you decide what you’ll make for breakfasts, lunches and dinners for the next week, write out each ingredient you’ll need for those meals—plus a few snacks, of course!

When you get to the store, stick to your list! That’s the key to staying on budget. And if you go shopping as a family, let your kids help plan the meals and let them find the items. It’s much easier to stay on budget when you’re shopping with a plan and working as a team. And when you get comfortable saying no to candy. A lot.

5. Keep Cash as King

The best way to stick to a lower food budget is to pay with cash. When you go to the store with cash in hand, you know exactly how much you can spend. Plus, you’ll stick to the meat-and-vegetables necessities rather than your ice cream-and-cookie impulse buys. Those little extras are okay—if you plan for them!

If you still find you’re eating high on the hog at the beginning of the month and scraping by on tuna by the end, make a cash run for groceries every two weeks instead of every month. That way, you’ll have a better picture of how much you can actually afford to spend each week.

Go straight to the article by Dave Ramsey by clicking, HERE!

World Productivity Day – Are you productive?

productivity-at-work-malta-hr-consultancy (1)Today is World Productivity Day, a day to focus on increasing your productivity at home and at work. We talked about the article, 24 Ways to be Uncommonly Productive Today. Check out this list below from Forbes.com. Which things do you need to work on today?

24 Ways To Become Highly Productive

1. Get up an hour earlier.

2. Use Sunday evening for planning the week.

3. Say no. (the power of constraints). Ignore. Focus only on the thing you’re looking to achieve.

4. Get a cleaner and stop spending your precious hours on this task each week (your time is worth a lot more)

5. Turn off your emails on your phone

6. Use a simple to-do-list and only put THREE things on it to get done each day

7. Plan your day according to the most important, biggest task, not the smallest and easiest.

8. Avoid meetings at all cost. If you have to go  have one specific outcome in mind

9. Know what the next step is at the end of every conversation

10. Use Leechblock (Firefox Extension) or Nanny (Google Chrome) to block out times when you can’t access social media and other distracting sites

11. Set a timer to go off at 30 minute intervals to focus on one activity and take a short 1 minute break to refocus

12. Take a proper break after 2 hours for 10-20 minutes and dance to your fave song, do some pushups, get out in the fresh air

13. Ask yourself “is what I’m doing right now getting me closer to what I want to achieve.

14. Know what you’re looking to achieve – what does finished look like?

15. Play motivating upbeat music while working to keep your energy levels high

16. Keep an idea book to dump your distractions in, and come back to them a week later

17. Keep a journal of WHAT you have achieved – either in a notebook or I recommend online journal Penzu

18. Work out what is important and what isn’t

19. Stop procrastinating and just DO it!

20. Throw out the TV – literally bury it in your back garden

21. Turn off the internet. If you’re writing or creating go to a coffee shop that has no internet

22. Outsource – have someone else design your blog in 2 days instead of you taking 3 weeks.

23. Don’t say should, say “I will”. Think like Yoda `There is no try, there is only do or do not’

24. Don’t answer the phone. Literally. If it’s important they’ll leave a message

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We also talked about the importance of instilling a productive mindset into children. Here are a 5 techniques that adults can pass down to children to teach habits of productivity. Click, HERE to read the article from productivity.com.

Who are you in Christ?

This morning we dug into scripture about our identity in Christ. Jenna and Eddie used an article from best selling Christian author and founder of Freedom in Christ Ministries, Neil Anderson.

Take a few moments to let these truths sink into your hear this morning.

Who I am in Christ

  • I am Accepted in Christ
    John 1:12 I am God’s child
    John 15:15 I am Christ’s friend
    Romans 5:1 I have been justified
    ! Cor 6:17 I am united with the Lord and one with Him in spirit
    1 Cor 6:20 I have been bought with a price, I belong to God
    1 Cor 12:27 I am a member of Christ’s body
    Ephesians 1:1 I am a saint
    Ephesians 1:5 I have been adopted as God’s child
    Ephesians 2:18 I have direct access to God through the Holy Spirit
    Colossians 1:14 I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins
    Colossians 2:10 I am complete in Christ
    I am Secure in Christ
    Romans 8:1-2 I am free forever from condemnation
    Romans 8:28 I am assured that all things work together for good
    Rom 8:33-34 I am free from any condemning charges against me
    Romans 8:35 I cannot be separated from the love of God
    2 Cor 1:21 I have been established anointed and sealed by God
    Colossians 3:3 I am hidden with Christ in God
    Philippians 1:6 I am confident that the good work God has begun in me will be perfected
    Phil 3:20 I am a citizen of heaven
    2 Timothy 1:7 I have not been given a spirit of fear but of power love and a sound mind
    Hebrews 4:16 I can find grace and mercy in time of need
    1 John 5:18 I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me
    I Am Significant in Christ
    Matt5:13-14 I am the salt and light of the earth
    John 15:1,5 I am a branch of the true vine, a channel of His life
    John 15:16 I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit
    Acts 1:8 I am a personal witness of Christ’s
    1 Cor 3:16 I am God’s temple
    2 Cor 5:17-20 I am a minister of reconciliation
    2 Cor 6:1 I am God’s co-worker
    Ephesisans 2:6 I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realm
    Ephesians 2:10 I am God’s workmanship
    Ephesians 3:12 I may approach God with freedom and confidence
    Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me

    Download the article from Neil Anderson, HERE!

Relay for Life to benefit the American Cancer Society – TONIGHT!

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Big Blue will make a stop at Knox County’s Relay for Life tonight. This 12 hour event to support the American Cancer Society is being held at Mount Vernon High School. The relay starts at 7 p.m. tonight and runs until 7 a.m. tomorrow

 WNZR will be there as the event kicks off. Listen in from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. as we talk to local team members, bring you highlights from the survivors lap, the caregivers lap and tell you about the amazing luminaria ceremony. Please join our Big Blue Crew and support the American Cancer Society. WNZR is honored to join 29 teams and 266 participants in the fight against cancer.

All proceeds will go to the American Cancer Society who will distribute the money to programs that are actively fighting against cancer across the globe.

To prepare for the event, WNZR talked with various members of the Knox County Relay for Life Committee. They gave us all the details about this year’s event and what we can expect to see and experience tonight. They also talked about the impact of Relay for Life and the American Cancer Society on Knox County and the world as a whole.

Listen to our full conversation with the Relay for Life Committee members, HERE!

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To donate or see tonight’s schedule and activities, click HERE!

For more information about Relay for Life events, visit their website, HERE!

For more information about the American Cancer Society, check out there website, HERE!

Please join us and support the American Cancer Society and stop by Big Blue to enter to win our Clean Up, Dress Up prize basket! WNZR is honored to join the fight against cancer!

Congratulations to the 2017 Danville Howard Turkey Festival’s Little Mr Turkey and Little Miss Turkey!

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We talked with the 2017 Danville Howard Turkey Festival’s Little Miss Turkey, Emma Payne, and Little Mr. Turkey, Jonathan Stephens. They talked about their posters and their experience in the competition.

Listen in to hear from Emma and Jonathan, HERE!

For more pictures of the contestants and of the various activities from the first day of the Danville Howard Turkey festival, visit our Facebook page, HERE!

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The Morning Thing Fave 5 Honors Our Fathers!

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As we head into Father’s Day weekend, the WNZR staff members are excited to honor their dads. We shared why we love our dads and how they have impacted our lives for this week’s Morning Thing Fave 5.

The Morning Thing wishes a Happy Father’s Day to all Fathers!

Rachel Rinehart 

Marcy Rinehart 

Jenna Potts 

James Hubbard 

Lilly Buckley

Eddie Dilts 

Operation Christmas Child and the Turkey Festival!

operationchristmaschildlogo.jpgToday on the show we discussed Operation Christmas Child, and how they are still working even in the month of June to deliver gifts to kids all over the world.  If you’d like to read more on what they are doing right now click HERE.

Marcy also had a chance to have a very interesting chat with Sandy Gargas, Operation Christmas Child’s Regional Coordinator for the Dayton area about her recent rip to Rwanda to help deliver shoe boxes.  If you’d like to listen to it, click HERE.

The first day of the Danville Howard Turkey Festival is today as well, and we will be at the festival giving anyone who signs up in person or online a chance to win.  For more information on our contest, head to our website wnzr.fm, and for information on what is happening at the Turkey Festival today and tomorrow click HERE.

Also remember to get your Dad signed up for Take Dad To Dinner because we are drawing winners tomorrow, you can find more information on this contest at wnzr.fm.

How do you say “I love you” to your dog?

Hey dog lovers – this blog is for you! The Morning Thing crew found 5 ways to tell your dogs that you love them in their own language.

The 5 tips (and the cute pictures) come from www.iheartdogs.com
(Click HERE to reach the full article and get more details on each tip)

1. Gaze Deeply Into Their Eyes

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2. Raise Your Eyebrows

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3. Lean on Them 

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4. Let Them Sleep With You

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5. Just Be Yourself

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Control: what to do when you don’t have it

downloadThis morning we focused on control. Jenna and Eddie talked about how to evaluate situations in your life and what to do when things are out of your control.

Throughout the show we noticed a trend: we can control ourselves, our reactions, and our attitudes but we can’t control others. With this in mind we dug into an article from Bustle, 9 Ways To Deal With Things You Can’t Control, So You Can Feel Less Stressed Everyday. 

1. Ask Yourself, “Can I Control This?”

2. Reframe Your Perspective

3. Check Your Narrative

4. Accept Imperfections

5. Embrace Change

6. Think About What You Can Control

7. Throw Yourself Into Plan B

8. Think About How Your Reaction Will Affect You

9. Be Aware Of Your Body

Read the full article from Bustle, HERE!

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Don’t forget, this is your last week to register your dad for our Take Dad to Dinner Promotion! All you have to do is give us your dad’s information and a special message to be read on The Morning Thing and he will be registered to win our prize basket!

Our 4 winning Dads will each receive a $25.00 gift card to Parkside Restaurant and $15 in gift cards to Wendys, and $20 to Gospel Christian Life Shop. The winning Dads will also win a DVD copy of the movie Unbroken – Legacy of Faith Edition from Pure Flix Entertainment, plus a copy of the NEW book “Hello My Name Is – Discover Your True Identity” by Matthew West and Worthy Publishing.

Make sure to register your Dad HERE!
All entries must be received by midnight on Thursday, June 15th.

How much do you know about onions? The Morning Thing shared the powerful secrets of this vegetable.

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Do you know the real power of the onion?  On Monday’s show, we shared the exceptional benefits of onions – for your health and skin!

Check out this list of 43 benefits of the smelly, but very powerful onion!
Click HERE for the full article.
Here are some of our favorite benefits:

  1. Onions have antibiotic, antiseptic, antimicrobial and carminative properties to help you stay away from infections.
  2. Onions are rich in sulphur, fibers, potassium, calcium, vitamin B, vitamin C and they are low in fat, cholesterol and sodium. Here is a detailed Onion Nutrition chart:

Onion Nutrition chart

3. It is an immediate cure for fever, common cold, cough, sore throat, allergies, etc. A mixture of onion juice and honey can cure these problems easily.
4. A small piece of onion can work against side effects of fever if it is kept on the forehead.
5. An onion a day can cure insomnia or sleeping disorders. This will surely give you a good night’s sleep.
6. Onions can improve the digestive system. If you have a digestion problem, then onions can cure it by increasing the release of the digestion juices.
7. Onion juice can cure burnt skin or an insect bite or a bee bite. It may burn more but it can heal it very effectively.
8. You can protect yourself from osteoporosis and atherosclerosis by consuming onions daily.
9. Onions increase the insulin in the body and also treat diabetes by controlling the sugar levels in the blood.
10. The bad cholesterol that causes heart problems can be burnt or removed if an onion is consumed daily. It keeps you safe from the coronary diseases and also protects the good cholesterol.
11. One of the well-known tricks to remove dark patches or pigments on your face is to apply onion and turmeric juice on that area.
12. Onions cure menstrual disorders. Raw onions should be consumed before a few days of the beginning of your cycle.
13. Use onion juice on the hair or the scalp to get rid of lice and hair fall. This is one of the most prominent of onion benefits for hair.
14. Onions contain water, protein, fats, starch, fibers, minerals, calcium, vitamin C, iron and B complex. You should consume between 100 – 150 grams of onions in any form depending on your likes and dislikes.

Skin Benefits

This humble vegetable can provide you with a healthy and glowing skin, thanks to the presence of rich amounts of the antioxidant vitamins A, C and E. Both the consumption and the topical application of onions can provide numerous benefits to your skin.

Click HERE for the full article with more skin and hair benefits.

Overnight wonder: Put an onion in your sock before going to bed.

This trick sounds too good to be true. It’s a 100% natural way to detox your body without actually having to do anything. That’s because you can literally do this cleansing trick in your sleep! The secret is in our feet, and in a particular vegetable that has some very special properties.

Click HERE to see the video!

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