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New Year’s Resolutions for Your Family

The start of a brand new year inspires many people to make some New Year’s resolutions. They make a promise to themselves to work on something specific that they believe will make them happier or healthier. This year, take the opportunity to make some New Year’s resolutions that focus on your family. You can make family New Year’s resolutions as part of your New Year’s Eve celebration. Sit down with your family and make some resolutions together. Decide on things that your family members want to work on as a team. The best part of family resolutions is that everyone … Continue reading →

Your Kids, Video Games and Fruit

If you have a tough time getting your children to eat fruit, you might consider unplugging their video games. In what some may consider a complete waste of time and money, researchers in the Netherlands have unearthed a fact that most parents have known for a while:  Kids who play video games promoting fruit don’t crave apples, oranges, grapes, kiwi or any other type of fresh produce upon completing the online challenges. According to the new study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Dutch scientists expected their young research participants to crave more wholesome snacks after playing video … Continue reading →

Don’t Forget the College Spending Money

Once you get through paying for tuition, text books, room and board, supplies and activity fees, there is one more expense you have to count in–the monthly spending money that your college kids will need. Most college websites are very helpful with suggestions of how much money your student will need, with suggestions averaging $200-$300 a month, minimum, to cover expenses from laundry to shampoo to late night pizza runs. While these suggestions are helpful, the real amount is going to depend on your student, where he or she goes to school and what kind of lifestyle he or she … Continue reading →

8 Things Kids Need to Know about Money

It is never too early to start teaching your children about money. While many parents shy away from discussing financial issues with their kids, this can be one of the biggest mistakes that they make. Instilling good habits and a basic understanding about how finances work can give your child an edge that will stay with him or her for a lifetime. 1. There is a difference between the things that you want and the things that you need. Wants versus needs can be a tough concept for kids to understand, but teaching them that real necessities must be met … Continue reading →

Are You Treating Yourself Right?

Before I started working from home, I never really thought of myself as a lone wolf. In fact, I fancy myself to be quite a social animal. Recently, though, I have been hearing stories from friends which have solidified my opinion that working for myself, by myself is really the way to go. The things that people experience as a part of their employment never cease to amaze me. Talented people being let go suddenly, other talented people being placed in situations that show their employer’s total lack of regard for anything personal including family, the list goes on. I … Continue reading →

One of Our Tough Choices

There is no magic formula for getting out of debt, and many times there are tough choices to be made. In the end, it is all worth it, since the sacrifices can lead to greater good down the road. But still, when you are in the middle of the hard choices, and the last thing that you want to do is make them, life can be full of anxiety. We have one such choice we are facing right now. My daughter is a competitive figure skater. This is a sport that requires a bit of money to maintain. Although she … Continue reading →

Do You Shield Your Child?

Today is Pearl Harbor Day, the 70th anniversary of a sneak attack that devastated a nation. I’ve studied this event a bit in the past, and it’s pretty gruesome. I want my children to understand facets of history, and yet I worry about giving them too much information before they’re ready for it. This is one of the ways in which parents are uniquely qualified to teach their children—they understand their child’s maturity level and they know what that child can and cannot handle. I have a daughter who can’t hear any bad news on the radio or it distresses … Continue reading →

Tough Times, Tough Choices

Many families are feeling the squeeze of tight budgets these days, and the rising prices on essential items like gasoline and food are making tight budgets even tighter by the day. As we find that our dollars are not able to stretch nearly as far as they used to, many of us are confronted with difficult financial choices. While the exact choices that your family faces are sure to be different than those experienced by me or by the people next door, you are not alone in having to make decisions that you never thought that you would have to … Continue reading →

Choices in Weight Loss

There are so many ways that one can successfully lose weight. One person’s weight loss road will be unique from another person’s weight loss road. It is a personal choice in which way to lose weight that only you can determine on your own. You may not even know which path to choose until you get started. You may start one way and then end up going a totally different route. Often our dieting choices will take shape by trial and error. You will find that what you thought might work for you turns out to be unsuccessful for you … Continue reading →

Staging your home yourself for a faster sale

Just about everyone who is trying to sell a house in this tough buyers market is advised to have their home staged. Paying for a home stager however, may not be in the budget, especially if you are trying to sell under duress as it is your only option to prevent foreclosure. The average cost of professional home staging is $2300 with the price range being from $1000 to $5000. There are also survices for a few hundred dollars that will lay out a do-it-yourself plan for you. While these services are very helpful, should you be short on money, … Continue reading →