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Be a Better Parent in the New Year

What’s your New Years Resolution? Many people choose something related to weight loss, or money, or productivity. This year, why not pick a resolution that will be much more meaningful? Resolve to take steps to be a better parent in the new year. Parenting can be as rewarding as it is difficult. It is easy to see why parents often make mistakes. Everyone does it – nobody is perfect! Ideally, people learn from those mistakes so they do not repeat them. What I’m trying to say is that parenting is a skill that can always be improved upon. It is … Continue reading →

Tips for First Time Hosts of Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving is celebrated with family. It always includes a big dinner with tons of food. This can be overwhelming for first time hosts of Thanksgiving dinner. Don’t panic! Try these tips to help calm your nerves and make your first hosting a successful one. There are two things that can make a person who is hosting Thanksgiving dinner nervous. One is that the guests are going to expect specific foods that are made exactly the way that mom or grandma used to make. Their big expectations can be hard to live up to. The other difficulty, of course, is that … Continue reading →

Things You Should Do For Yourself Right Now

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Are you someone who makes an effort to help, comfort, and pamper your loved ones? It has been said that many people take much better care of their friends and family than they do of themselves. Typically, there are more women than men that have this tendency, but it does include both genders. Now is the time to start taking good care of yourself, too! Here are some things you can start with right this minute. LifeBuzz posted an article that contained 30 things that everyone should start doing for themselves. You can view it as a guide to better … Continue reading →

Swapdom Lets you Swap Kids Clothes with other Parents

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Are you looking for used baby items? The traditional way to find them is to ask your friends and neighbors if they are willing to give you the baby items that their children have grown out of. This method is generally “hit or miss” and requires a bit of networking skills. Swapdom.com offers a more efficient method for finding free baby items. There are many different methods that a parent can use if he or she is looking for free baby clothing (and other baby items). You could let your family members, friends, and co-workers know that you are in … Continue reading →

Do You Employ High-Tech Sitters?

What do you use to keep your children occupied while waiting for your food at a restaurant, driving to grandma’s house or zipping through the aisles at the grocery store? I doubt the answer is dancing, unless you’re doing it on a video that you posted to YouTube and can be viewed on your kid’s favorite electronic device. Don’t worry; you aren’t alone. According to a recent survey, nearly 60% of parents admit to using a tech toy to entertain their children, and experts predict that number will likely rise in the next decade. In other words, iPads, handheld video … Continue reading →

How to Live on One Income

Is your goal to live on one income so you or your spouse can be a stay-at-home parent, pursue schooling, keep house, or another establish another endeavor? Take the following steps to make sure that you are well prepared for your lifestyle change. Get a New Attitude If you are currently living on two incomes, you may need to make some changes, both drastic and non-drastic in order to make the one income work for your family. Embrace money-saving ideas, such as shopping at yard sales or thrift stores, cooking at home, and bargain hunting. Look at these practices as … Continue reading →

How to Avoid Library Fees

Using the library can save your family quite a bit of money each year. In fact, if you are careful, you may be able to eliminate your entertainment budget completely. From books to movies to games, there is so much to borrow at your local library. Plus, you can also take advantage of free crafts, clubs, educational events and even music concerts. Unfortunately, the down side to using the library is the danger of having to deal with library fees, which can range from a few cents for a book that is overdue by one day to a large fee … Continue reading →

Navigating Alone Time

How well do you do on your own without your spouse?  I certainly don’t need Jonathan to look after me, and I could support myself without him, but that’s not what I’m talking about.  What I mean is: if there are times that your spouse is away from home from an extended period of time, how do you feel about it? I’ve never liked living alone.  If I wasn’t married, I would prefer having a roommate to living by myself.  I spent the summer before I got married living on my own, and it was unpleasant.  So when Jon goes … Continue reading →

End of Month Spending Check

Tomorrow is the last day of the month, and it is time to do an end-of-month spending check. In January, I have been focusing on groceries and food, keeping track of our spending in those areas and saving as much as I can. Writing down what I spend on each trip to the grocery store has helped. While I still don’t have a lot of coupon use, I’m paying more attention to the sales and not buying things that we don’t need, purchasing more fruit and less snacks for example. This has made a difference. I’ve also been more conscious … Continue reading →

Speed Cleaning

Have you ever received that last minute call, “Guess who’s coming over for dinner tonight honey?”  Or you suddenly remembered that so-and-so was stopping by to go over notes for an upcoming meeting. Maybe you have family coming by but you got lost in a good book.  Suddenly you look at the clock and realize you have an hour before they arrive. All of these scenarios can leave anyone feeling overwhelmed and unprepared.  But this is where speed cleaning comes in. Speed cleaning requires fast movement.  In fact, you need to set a timer so that you have a deadline … Continue reading →