About Crystal

Hi there! I’m Crystal Paine, the blessed wife of Jesse and mom of six kids (Kathrynne, Kaitlynn, Silas, Kierstyn, David, and Micah). I’m first and foremost a child of God. I’m passionate about glorifying Him and making the most of my days on this earth. All I have and all I am is thanks to my Creator and Redeemer.

I’m also a homeschool graduate, sister to six, and daughter of parents who inspired me to be financially savvy.

My Journey to Becoming “Money Saving Mom”

My mom was the one who first introduced me to couponing, made me my coupon organization box, and gave me a copy of Miserly Moms. Not only that, but she also put me in charge of the grocery shopping, menu-planning, and cooking for our family of nine for a few years while I was still living at home. Talk about great practice for the future!

When my husband and I first married and were living on a beans-and-rice budget in order to stay out of debt while he went through law school, I thrived on coming up with creative ways to pinch pennies. I didn’t always enjoy barely making ends meet, but I certainly loved the thrill of getting the best bang for my buck.

One way we saved thousands of dollars during those lean years was to keep our grocery and household products budget to $35 a week. I had fun taking couponing to a whole new level — I spent at least a few hours each week becoming proficient in “couponese” and playing the “Drug Store Game.”

In 2006, I briefly shared a bit about bargain-shopping on a former blog of mine… and I was quickly inundated with questions on how we managed to live on such a small grocery budget.

The questions kept coming despite writing a blog series, an ebook, and an online course on the subject of Supermarket Savings.

As time marched on and the questions, requests, and emails continued to pour in, MoneySavingMom.com was born! It’s been quite the adventure and has far exceeded my wildest imaginations thanks to the many wonderful readers who have spread the word. In less than a year, it quickly became one of the highest-trafficked personal finance blogs on the web. And it just kept on growing!

Thanks in part to the revenue earned from advertising and affiliate sales on MoneySavingMom — and the fact that we stayed out of debt during law school! — we were able to save up enough to pay 100% down for our first home near the end of 2009.

We moved to the Nashville, TN area in 2014 and, after 4 more years of saving, bought a house with cash here in 2018. We’re committed to giving a percentage of all proceeds from MoneySavingMom.com to life-impacting ministries.

I’ve been married my husband, Jesse, for 21+ years. We met when we were 9 and 10 (listen to how we met and fell in love here). He is my biggest supporter, best friend, sounding board, and ever willing listening ear.

Jesse shut down his law firm in 2014 and came home full-time. In addition to getting to spend a lot more time with our kids, he oversees all the financial and legal aspects of running MoneySavingMom.com, helps with special projects, gives insight on product development and product launches, and is the co-host of many episodes of The Crystal Paine Show.

Things I Love

When I’m not bargain-shopping or blogging, I enjoy tweaking recipes and baking, working out, good movies, hanging out with friends, engaging in thought-provoking discussions, drinking a cup of decaf tea with cream while reading a good book, or spending a quiet day at home with my family.

I have published a few books, including: Time-Saving Mom, Love-Centered Parenting, 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life, Say Goodbye to Survival Mode, the Choose Love Journal, Choose Gratitude Journal, and Money-Making Mom.

I like to keep it simple, I love to constantly be learning and growing as a person, I like to laugh, and most of all, I love the Lord and my family. And that pretty much sums it up.