Living Well Shop

FAQs

Welcome to the Living Well Shop® FAQ page! We do our best to respond to as many questions, comments, and emails as we can, but unfortunately, there are many times we simply can’t get to them all.

Even so, we do love reading all your questions and comments, and even if we can’t always answer directly, we do hope you’ll keep ’em coming. In the meantime, here are some answers some of our most frequently asked questions.

GENERAL SHOP INFO

CAN I FIND THE LIVING WELL PLANNER® AT A STORE NEAR ME?

Currently, our products are exclusively available online here in the Living Well Shop®. 

WHAT PAYMENT METHODS DO YOU ACCEPT?

The Living Well Shop accepts all payment methods including most major credit cards, Paypal and Amazon Pay. Please verify your payment method is acceptable prior to your purchase.

HOW DO I SET UP THE ACCOUNT I CREATED AT CHECKOUT?

During the checkout process, you had the opportunity to create an account. You will be automatically emailed with a link to activate your account.  The email subject line is "Customer Account Activation". Be sure to check your spam or promotions folders if you do not see the email.

CAN I SHARE YOUR IMAGES ON SOCIAL MEDIA?

We're so happy you want to share your love for the products here at the Living Well Shop. Please credit us when using images from our sites and social media pages. Feel free to include our hashtags (#LivingWellShop or #LivingWellPlanner) and we may feature your images on our social media pages.

Have more questions? Feel free to contact us at support@ruthsoukup.com. 
  

SHIPPING AND RETURNS

WHAT TYPE OF SHIPPING DO YOU OFFER?  WHERE DO YOU SHIP?

We currently ship to the US and around the world. Shipping costs are based on weight and provided directly by our shipping provider. We do offer many shipping methods and strive to get our products out to you in a timely manner. 

HOW QUICKLY WILL MY ORDER SHIP?

We know you want to receive your Living Well Planner and other shop products as quickly as possible, and we will do our best to get every product in your hands as fast as we can.  How quickly you receive your planner will depend on which shipping method you choose at checkout.  

Orders are processed in the order received, usually shipping within 24 hours, though there may be a short delay during busy shipping seasons or for orders placed on a holiday or weekend. Orders placed after 11am ET on Friday will most likely ship on Monday, as the warehouse is open Monday to Friday from 9am-5pm.

CAN I CHANGE MY SHIPPING ADDRESS? 

Because our orders are generally processed immediately once they are received, we are unable to cancel orders or make changes to order information. Please verify your shipping address during the checkout process, prior to submitting your order.

DO YOU SHIP INTERNATIONALLY?

We do! International orders require extended shipping time and we are not responsible for delays at customs.  Shipping times vary greatly based on your international shipping address. Additionally, import duties, taxes or other charges are not included in our shipping price. Please consult your country's customs office prior to purchasing to determine these prices. 

WHAT IS YOUR RETURN POLICY?

We understand that committing to a planner is a big decision, and we want you to feel confident with your purchase. Please take the time to review all our photos, and confirm that the size and dimensions will suit your needs, as all planner sales are final once the order is placed.

If you receive a damaged or defective product, please email us at support@ruthsoukup.com immediately so that we can expedite a replacement.

PLANNER FAQs

HOW MUCH DOES THE LIVING WELL PLANNER COST?

The Living Well Planner has a regular price of $59.

HOW SOON SHOULD I ORDER TO GUARANTEE A COPY?

The Living Well Planner is extremely popular, and due to the nature of printing and manufacturing, quantities are limited.  Last year we sold out in record time before the first planner even began shipping.  This year we fully anticipate selling out again.  We strongly recommend ordering as soon as possible to guarantee your copy, as all planner orders will be shipped out in the order they are received. 

WHAT IS DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS YEAR'S PLANNER?

When it first debuted in 2015, we knew the Living Well Planner had the potential to be life changing. In the years since, the feedback we have received has been pretty incredible. This amazing tool really has changed lives! But we also knew we could do even better. And so we’ve continued to refine.  

Here are just a few of the improvements that we’ve made recently:  

As always, the Living Well Planner is printed in full color, and comes undated so that you can begin using it at any time. It offers space for planning out the year, as well as monthly goal-setting and monthly budget pages. It also includes labels for customizing your planner, including wrap-around monthly tab stickers that actually help reinforce the tabs while allowing you to easily find the month you are looking for.

WHAT DOES THE COVER LOOK LIKE? 

The Living Well Planner cover features a durable, high-quality, wipeable surface with a sophisticated navy, bright and cheery floral or stripe pattern and reinforced metal corners.   

WHAT MONTH DOES THE PLANNER START?

The Living Well Planner is undated so you can begin using it during any month of the year.  It comes with a starter set of labels that will allow you to customize the tabs.

WHAT MAKES THIS PLANNER DIFFERENT FROM OTHER PLANNERS?

The Living Well Planner is so much more than just a simple day planner. Based on the ideas and principles found at LivingWellSpendingLess.com, this all-in-one planner allows you to manage all the aspects of a busy life while keeping an eye on your long-term and short-term goals.  It features our exclusive Goal Crushing™ system, monthly budget planning worksheets, as well as expense tracking sheets, and also includes meal planning worksheets right alongside the weekly planning pages.  It is also printed in full color, with beautiful, color-coded pages that will keep you inspired all year long.

WHY FULL COLOR?

At LWSL Inc. we believe that staying organized and motivated is a whole lot easier when we have beautiful tools to work with. We chose to print in full color because we wanted to create something that was gorgeous and inspiring on the inside, on the pages where we actually use it every day.  Printing in full color meant that our costs would be higher, but we have done everything in our power to keep your costs down, while still maintaining our strict quality standards.

WHAT'S YOUR REFUND POLICY?

We understand that committing to a planner is a big decision, and we want you to feel confident with your purchase.  Please take the time to review all our photos in detail, as well as to confirm that the size and dimensions will suit your needs, as all planner sales, unless damaged or defective, are final once shipped.  

IS THE PLANNER AVAILABLE AS A PDF FILE? 

The Living Well Planner is not available in pdf format at this time.

DOES THE PLANNER HAVE DAILY PLANNING PAGES?

It is intended to be used as a day planner, although it doesn't have an individual page for each day. The two-page weekly planning spread features space for each day of the week, and hour-by-hour scheduling.

WHAT DAY DOES THE WEEK START? 

The Living Well Planner is set up so that the week begins on Monday.

CAN I PURCHASE THE PLANNER UNBOUND?

No. The Living Well Planner is not available unbound at this time.

IS THE PLANNER UNDATED? 

The Living Well Planner comes undated so that you can begin using it at any time. It comes with a handy label set that you can use to customize your divider tabs to create the perfect planner just for you.

DOES THE PLANNER CONTAIN BIBLE VERSES?

The Living Well Planner does not have Bible verses but does feature inspirational quotes.

BLOG QUESTIONS

WHY DID YOU CHANGE YOUR SITE DESIGN?  HOW DO I FIND THE MOST RECENT POSTS?

We wanted to restructure the site to make it more user-friendly, as well as more mobile-friendly, and to reorganize our vast array of content so that it was easier to find. If you prefer viewing the site in a traditional chronological blog format, you can do so under the BLOG tab.


WHAT IS LIVING WELL SPENDING LESS ALL ABOUT? 

Our mission at Living Well Spending Less is to eliminate overwhelm in the lives of women everywhere. All of our resources, articles and products are written and created with this in mind. Our goal is to help make life a little simpler so that you can have more time, money & energy to do all those things you really want to do. Ultimately, our philosophy is that a life well lived isn’t so much about what we have or how much we spend, but who we are.  You can read more about LWSL here.

I AM NEW TO THIS SITE.  WHERE SHOULD I START?

If you want to know a little bit more about who I am, where I’ve been, and how I tick, you might want to start by reading my depression story and how I finally found financial peace.  Where you should go after that will really depend on what you are most interested in. If you are looking to discover some new easy, budget-friendly recipes, you may want to check out our Food Made Simple section. On the other hand, you are looking for more personal inspiration, you might want to check out our Life Etc. Section. If you are looking for practical tips to get your home in order, you should head over to our Home 101 section. If you are in need of financial tips, you will definitely want to spend some time in our Smart Money section. Be sure to also check out our SHOP for a variety of incredible resources that will help you implement the helpful ideas found here at LWSL.

I'M NOT GETTING YOUR EMAILS. CAN YOU PLEASE HELP ME?

Please note that our emails generally come from “Ruth Soukup” and NOT “Living Well Spending Less”—this confuses people sometimes! Also, be sure to check both your spam and “promotion” folder for your confirmation. 98% of the time, the email will be in one of those two folders! If you still don’t see the email within 15 minutes of signing up, please email us at support@ruthsoukup.com.

WHY DO YOUR RECIPES SOMETIMES USE PROCESSED INGREDIENTS?

Our recipes here at Living Well Spending Less are intended to be quick, easy, tasty, and family friendly, not gourmet.  We are not "foodies," we are busy wives and moms.  While we have no problem with whole foods, we also realize that many of our readers struggle with getting dinner on the table, and often resort to eating out or ordering takeout because life gets so crazy sometimes.

In the end, we think it is more important to be able to sit down with our families to a semi-homemade meal than not at all.  Most of the ingredients found in our recipes are pantry staples that go on sale frequently and can be easily stockpiled.  If you have more time available, we encourage you to research creating your own processed food alternatives from scratch, but you probably won't find those recipes here.

I LOVE YOUR SITE & WANT TO SUPPORT IT!  DO YOU ACCEPT DONATIONS?

While we do not accept donations to this website, we are grateful for our reader support! We invite you to support us by purchasing our products in the SHOP, and by sharing the word about our site with your family and friends.

IS RUTH AVAILABLE TO SPEAK AT OUR EVENT?

Ruth is currently not accepting any more speaking engagements.

HOW DOES THIS WEBSITE MAKE MONEY?

Living Well Spending Less Inc. is a for-profit S-corporation. On this website, we generate revenue in a variety of ways, including through advertising, sponsored content, affiliate links, and by selling our own products. You can read more about our advertising policies & our full disclosure HERE.

HOW DO I ADVERTISE ON LIVING WELL SPENDING LESS?

Please refer to our advertising page HERE.

CAN I SHARE OR COPY YOUR CONTENT? 

Please refer to the Living Well Spending Less Copyright and Reprint policy for all questions relating to reproducing content from the site.

WHERE CAN I FIND YOU ON SOCIAL MEDIA?

We highly recommend that you connect with Ruth (@RuthSoukup) on Instagram or Twitter. That said, you can also find Living Well Spending Less on Facebook and Pinterest.

COUPONING FAQs

I WANT TO USE COUPONS BUT I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO START.  CAN YOU HELP?

Yes!  Start here, with the LWSL Beginner’s Guide to Coupons.   It is an eight-week course that breaks down the whole process into manageable “baby steps.”  However, please note that coupons are not the only way to save money on food!  If you are not sure coupons are for you, check out this post on how to cut your grocery bill in half.

HOW MANY COUPONS CAN YOU USE AT ONCE?

A single item is considered a “purchase,” so “one coupon per purchase” really just means you can use one coupon per item.  Every once in a while, a coupon will state “one per transaction,” in which case you will only be able to use one at a time.

HOW DO YOU SAVE MONEY ON MEAT & PRODUCE?

Honestly, I save the most money on meat by not buying a whole lot of it.  I am vegetarian, and while my family is not, we do eat several meatless meals per week.  If cutting back on meat is not an option for you, then try to save on meat by watching prices and stocking up as much on possible when there is a good sale. For more ideas on saving money on meat you can reference this post 7 Easy Ways to Save Money on Meat As far as saving on produce, you can check out my tips here for 7 Ways to Save on Produce.

I DON'T HAVE A BIG FAMILY.  ARE COUPONS WORTH THE EFFORT?

Everyone can benefit from using coupons!  It doesn’t matter if you are single or have a huge family, have dietary restrictions or eat mostly organic.  Granted, the degree to which you save might not be as significant as someone (like me) who is very strict about buying and eating ONLY what is on sale, but any savings is better than none.  You can still use the methods and techniques outlined in this site to buy the things that are right for you and your family, in a quantity that is reasonable for the size of your family.  Saving $25 a week off your groceries will put an extra $1,300 a year in your pocket.

WHAT DO I DO IF MY COUPONS EXPIRE?

Don’t expect to use all your coupons.  Don’t even expect to use half of them.  The key to extreme coupon savings is matching up a coupon to a great sale price.  Lots of times, a coupon will expire before a sale comes up.  And that is okay.  More coupons and more sales will come along, and there will always be more match-ups.  But if you want to do something useful with your expired coupons, consider donating them to the troops, who can use coupons expired up to 6 months at the Commissary.

PRINTER INK IS TOO EXPENSIVE!  HOW CAN I PRINT CHEAPER?

If you are serious about saving money with coupons, then I highly recommend investing in an inexpensive black & white laser printer.  I personally use the Brother HL2140, but you can purchase the slightly newer Brother HL2240 on Amazon.com for less than $100.  A high-yield toner cartridge costs about the same as an ink-jet refill but will last anywhere from 4 months to a year.