How Your Teen Can Earn Money This Summer

With the summer job market being tight this year, your teens may have to come up with some unconventional ways to earn some money this summer. Here are some ideas for them to try. Host a Camp I know a couple of teens who created a thriving business hosting a camp in conjunction with the local ice rink. Parents can drop their kids off for fun and games with the hosts when they aren’t on the ice skating. Teens can check with local gymnastics programs, pools, bowling alleys and other places where a little extra child care would be welcome. … Continue reading

Are You Paying Too Much for Car Insurance?

I don’t want to sound like a television or Internet ad. I really don’t. But the fact is that most of us are paying too much for car insurance. Here are some ways that you can reduce that expense. Reduce the number of cars The quickest and most dramatic way to reduce your car insurance expenses is to reduce the number of cars that you drive. While this may seem obvious, consider it a way to start really examining whether or not you really need all of the cars that you currently have. Whether it is one car or five, … Continue reading

Deciperhing Teen Speak: Sex Words Parents Should Know

In a previous article Deciphering Teen Speak: Words parents should know I discussed a list words that teens use that parents need to know. I also wrote Deciperhing Teen Speak: Drug Related Words Parents Should Know. If you are the least bit concerned about your child being involved in drugs, you should know these words. Another area where teens use code words is when talking about sex. Here are some of the many euphemisms parents should know that indicate they are having or talking about sex. Euphemisms teens use for sex: Jeepin: I am sure you get the picture. While … Continue reading

What Do Men and Women Look for in an Affair?

If you want to protect your marriage from outside affairs, it might be helpful to understand what men and women look for when it comes to an affair. Usually (although not always!) there is something lacking in a relationship that prompts an affair. Affairs can be complicated things, so I don’t want to suggest that things are black and white or that any of these reasons justify having an affair. But numerous studies have suggested that men and women generally are looking for different things, depending on gender, when they are ready to become involved in an affair. I don’t … Continue reading

Frugal Month in Review: November 2008

November to be is the beginning of two things. The holiday season starts with Thanksgiving, and then there is winter. Despite the fact that winter doesn’t officially start until next month, the fall seems to give way to the winter in November anyway. We had a day of snow already. Here is looking ahead to December and the end of the year! November 1st Frugal Month in Review: October 2008 “Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.” – George Eliot. November 2 … Continue reading

Frugal Living Week in Review: November 3rd Through November 9th

I am so glad that we finally got through the elections this week. Now we can move forward and pull together behind our new leaders. One way that we are moving forward at home is to really take a look at some of the ways that we can make the biggest impact with frugal living practices. There is a treasure trove of frugal living articles in the archive, literally thousands, so take a few moments to curl up and browse through them for ideas. You can also get started by looking at the articles that were just posted this past … Continue reading

Getting Serious About Heat Conservation

We’ve been practicing frugal living in our home actively for about eight years. Most of those years have involved a lot of lifestyle changes, from having three kids to moving to a larger home. While we have kept up with being conservative about our spending, we haven’t been able to make any dramatic changes above and beyond what we do on a daily basis. This fall, we have made it a priority to work on heat and energy conservation even more than we already do. This is an area that we can always improve. We’ve completed most of the necessary … Continue reading

Frugal Living Month in Review: August 2008

With August passed, it will be hard to hold on to summer, but fortunately, we have a lot of memories of the “dog days.” We also have lots of great articles about saving money, something that is pretty important these days. Take a look at what was posted in August. August 1st Frugal Living Month in Review: July 2008 July went by so quickly for us! There were so many fun and frugal activities and events for us to explore, from a science camp to free movies and sand sculpting. I hope your July was equally fun and frugal. Summer … Continue reading

Frugal Living Week in Review: May 5th Through May 11th

Catch up on the latest tips and advice for frugal living! May 5th Frugal Cinco de Mayo Want to have a fun way to celebrate the day without spending a lot of money? Here are some fun ideas that you can use to celebrate today, Cinco de Mayo. Frugal Burgers The pleasant weather outside brings lots of great spring and summer food, especially food cooked on the grill. One of the favorite types of grill food is the hamburger. It used to be that hamburger in itself was frugal, but that is no longer the case. Exotic ingredients and fixings, … Continue reading

Money Training Begins at Home

I have actually met many parents who are resistant to really teaching their kids about money. Why is that? Some don’t give allowances because they then lose control over what their kids get to buy. Okay, but… how can your kids learn?? Putting your head in the sand about money won’t help your problems or teach your kids. Children need to learn good money management from their parents. Some basic financial concepts taught as early as the preschool years are short-term vs. long-term goals, delayed gratification, value of money and the power of saving. While these sound complicated; they are … Continue reading