Search Results for: blog preparing for worse times ahead

Thinking Ahead to the Colder Months

Since this week we had our first official day of fall I am starting to think about the upcoming winter months and how I can best prepare for them with my fitness routine. Walking outdoors will definitely become a thing of the past since I live in Wisconsin. However I could also look at shoveling snow as an alternative. At any rate, the colder months also tend to bring other unwanted things into the home, like illness. Colds, the sniffles and the flu are sure to hit my home. The thing about getting sick is that I know I will … Continue reading →

Confessions of a Foodie Mom: It was the Best of Times, it was the Worst of Times…

This week I finally dropped below the level where I’d plateaued for so long…and then, according to this morning’s scale, I put four pounds back on. In four days. I know that weight can vary by a couple of pounds just depending on whether you’re dehydrated or not, so I’m trying not to panic, but a four-pound gain does—and should—get my attention a bit better than a two-pound gain. It’s been a few weeks since I made time in my schedule to write everything down. I did, this week, fulfill the resolution I made to my diet group to spend … Continue reading →

Preparing for Worse Times Ahead 3

If you lost your income tomorrow or found that food prices went up again by another 50-100 percent, could you provide for your family? I have been discussing ways of using frugal living techniques to be prepared for worse economic times ahead. If you missed the first two posts, you can catch up here. Preparing for Worse Times Ahead and Preparing for Worse Times Ahead 2. Now let’s talk about adding to that emergency fund. You can also find little ways to make money even if you are at home or need to work around your kid’s schedules. Sell items … Continue reading →

Preparing for Worse Times Ahead 2

Leading experts tell us that the economy will continue to get worse before it can recover. Are you prepared? Check out the first article in this series and then read below for some ways to prepare for worse times ahead. To get that emergency fund going, sock away any extra money you have, whether it is one dollar or a hundred. Any unexpected income should go straight to savings. Skip eating out and put that money straight into an account before you spend it elsewhere. Reduce your driving to one day a week if you can and put the gas … Continue reading →

Preparing for Worse Times Ahead

While we would all hope that the economy is going to get better soon, the reality is that it will probably get worse before it starts getting better. Leading analysts say that it may be 2010 before we can expect an improvement. This means that there will be further job losses, higher prices and the possibility of shortages as business fail and manufacturers have to reduce their production. To give yourself peace of mind, start doing what you can to prepare. Ideally, you should have three to six months of living expenses squared away in an emergency fund. While this … Continue reading →

Three Home Businesses that Can Get You Out of Debt

To speed up your debt recover, consider starting a home business. It can help you earn extra income that can be applied directly to paying off your debt. Best of all? Most home businesses can be done at home, on your terms, and take as much time as you want to spend. This makes home businesses ideal for retirees, stay at home moms, stay at home dads, and even students. In fact, any one can start a home business to get out of debt. When selecting a home business to pursue for the goal of getting out of debt, it … Continue reading →

The Danger of Frugality

As much as I think of frugality as a positive way to live one’s life, I do have to admit that there are some ways that being frugal can be dangerous. Sometimes people who consider themselves frugal have dangerous practices from the beginning, and sometimes they just fall into dangerous areas. Here are some of the dangers of frugality and how you can avoid them. Health Issues Sometimes when you are doing something to be frugal, you really have to ask yourself if it is worth it in order to save money. Some practices are pretty obvious about leading to … Continue reading →

How to Stay Focused When Frugal

Someone who is capable of being frugal is also someone who can sometimes go crazy with all of the money saving bargains that are out there. often, we can spend time or even money chasing down ways to save money that just aren’t worth it. Here are some ways to stay focused in different areas of frugal living. Freebies Getting something for free can be wonderful, but if you spend all of your time answering surveys or filling out forms for items that you don’t really need or want, then you aren’t doing yourself any good. Focus on what it … Continue reading →

Using Scheduled Combinations to Save

This morning was a pretty busy day. We had a lot of people in and out and a lot of phone calls to make. This is because we used a pretty sturdy strategy to save both money and time. We used combinations. What are combinations? Well, you can have combinations in many different aspects of your schedule and your tasks. You can also call this multitasking, but I like to call it combinations, because unlike typical multitasking, combinations are planned out and don’t always happen at exactly the same time. Here is an example of our morning. We scheduled several … Continue reading →

How to Control Your Spending

Saving money is easy, the experts will tell you. It is just a matter of spending less than you make. But this simple explanation doesn’t take into account real life. Controlling your spending can be hard work. Here are some tips. Track your “no spending” days Challenge yourself, your relatives, your friends on Facebook, your friends here in the Families.com forums to no spending days. Basically, you see how far you can go without spending anything. Sometimes the days will be easy, such as when the weather is bad and you stay home. Other days will be harder, such as … Continue reading →