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The Coupon Crate

Tips and Tricks

- Avoid shopping at the peak times such as right after work (5-7 PM) and weekends. Shopping during slow times will allow for you to look for the best deals and getting the best prices without becoming the object of basket-rage. This will also relieve the pressure of hearing everyone grunt and sigh when you pull out those coupons. You absolutely should use your couponing expertise, but why make it harder on yourself?
- Eat before you go grocery shopping. When you're shopping hungry... do I really need to go on? I'm certain everyone at some point has come home with bags and bags of snacks and ingredients for things you can make NOW. And don't think that the store offering hot to-go items is unintentional. Being hungry and smelling food increase impulse shopping!

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Cutting Grocery Costs without Cutting Nutrition

Simple, healthy, and affordable ways to weather the rising price of food

by Karen Collins, R.D., American Institute of Cancer Research

Grocery prices are projected to increase again in 2008 – that’s following 2007’s highest annual increase in 17 years. But surviving these tough economic times doesn’t have to mean sacrificing good nutrition. Some simple strategies can help you cut food costs and eat more healthfully, too.
To get started, look over several weeks worth of grocery receipts and see where you spend the most money. Changes here will likely offer the most savings. Meat is often one of the largest grocery expenses. Save money by adding a couple of bean-based, meatless meals each week. It’s easy:

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The Top 10 Pet-Owner Mistakes

Avoid common errors, and keep your four-legged pal healthy and well-behaved.

By Ashley Tate

Mistake 1: Buying a Pet Spontaneously. Why this is a mistake: That doggie in the window may be darling, but he might not be the right fit for your family or lifestyle.
How to avoid it: Fully inform yourself before you bring home a pet. Every dog or cat has its own needs, some of which are specific to the breed. Terriers tend to dig; Abyssinians explore and climb. If there's a breed that interests you, read up on it (try the website of the American Kennel Club, at akc.org, or the Cat Fanciers Association, at cfainc.org), talk to owners, and get to know someone else's Border collie or Persian.

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10 Tips for Improving Your Family's Eating Habits

With today’s busy lifestyles, families don’t always eat as healthfully as we would like. But by practicing healthy eating habits at home, you can make it easier for your family to eat right. Try these 10 tips designed to encourage healthy eating habits:

1. Be a good food role model. Telling children to eat nutritious foods is one thing — showing them is better. If you offer nutritious foods regularly — and if they see you eating them — your children likely will learn to like them.
2. Serve a variety of fruits and vegetables daily. In addition to bananas and apples, try something new like kiwi or papaya. Add vegetables to stir fries or casseroles.
3. Schedule a snack time and stick to it. Space snacks at least two to three hours before a meal.
4. Involve kids in meal planning and preparation. Children often will eat foods they help plan and prepare.

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How to Save on Your Grocery Bill

A full cart doesn’t have to leave you with an empty wallet

by Kati Neville

Don’t buy non grocery items at the supermarket. Health and beauty goods are usually cheaper at mass-market retailers, like Target. And you’ll find the best deals on paper products at warehouse clubs.
Purchase oranges, onions, and potatoes in bags rather than individually. You’ll pay roughly half the price.

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Basic Legal Recommendations for Women

by Michele Howe

According to Toledo attorney, Stephen Pennington, there are some fundamental legal concerns that every woman should understand, plan, and prepare for in order to best protect her financial assets in lieu of a possible divorce, death of a spouse, or for simple common sense financial survival. It is noteworthy that each of the potentially troubling monetary difficulties cited below arrives at a time when a woman is simultaneously coping with personal loss and pain, thus underscoring the need to take preparatory measures well in advance such major life events (upsets). For every woman who does prepare, there are countless more who do not and who pay the price both financially and emotionally.

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Single Moms - find here resources on financial aid, scholarships, help with basic needs, food, prescription drugs, health care, housing, legal info, and much more...

 

Child Care Resources


Find Here Advice and Resources on Childcare

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Finding child care and early education programs

The child care resource and referral agency (CCR&R) in the area where you now live can help you find available and affordable child care and early education in your location.


Contact Child Care Aware, a free, Federally funded service, at 800-424-2246 to find a local CCR&R.


The local CCR&R may also be able to help you find out if you qualify for free or subsidized child care. Links to State CCR&R agencies are available on the NCCIC Web site

Finding help paying for child care

A child care resource and referral agency (CCR&R) in the area where you now live may have information about child care programs that have special funding options or sliding fee scales.

Links to State CCR&R agencies are available on the NCCIC Web site.

You can also contact Child Care Aware, a free, Federally funded service, at 800-424-2246 to find a local CCR&R.


Child Care Aware's brochures:
English version - Spanish version

Early Head Start serves infants and toddlers, and Head Start serves children ages 3-5. In general, Head Start serves children whose family income is at or below the Federal Poverty Level.

To find a Early Head Start program in your area, visit the EHS Program Locator.

To find a Head Start program in your area, use the online HS Program Search Tool.

Child Care for Military Families

NACCRRA is working with the U.S. Military Services to help those who serve in the military find and afford child care that suits their unique needs. Through several innovative civilian/military efforts between the Services, NACCRRA and Child Care Resource and Referral agencies (CCR&Rs) are building the quality and capacity of child care throughout the country

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Parents' Perceptions of Child Care in the United States

Child Care is an under-appreciated feature in the infrastructure that supports the American economic system. Each week, about 11.3 million children under age 5 spend some time in a hcild care setting (U.S. Census Bureau, 2008). For many families, parents need to work to provide basic needs for their families, and child care is an economic necessity.

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Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) - LOUISIANA

The Child Care Assistance program helps low-income families to pay for child care while working, looking for work, attending school or training. Monthly payments are based on the number of hours the parents work, look for work, attend school or training, as well as the amount charged by the child care provider, family size and household income. Parents can select any Class A child care center, school-based before and after school program, registered family child day care home, or in-home provider that is active in the CCAP provider directory.



Do I Qualify for Child Care Assistance?

- Are you responsible for paying child care costs for a child under 13, or a disabled child under 18, who lives with you?
- Do you, your spouse, and any other parents of children who live in your home, work or attend an educational or training program, or need child care assistance to look for work? If not participating in one or a combination of these activities, do these persons receive disability income?
- Is your household's monthly gross earned income (before any deductions from paycheck) and unearned income less than the amount listed below for your household size?
2 persons-$2557
3 persons-$3158
4 persons-$3760
5 persons-$4362
6 persons-$4964
7 persons-$5076
8 persons-$5189
9 persons-$5302
If you answered YES to all of the above questions, you may be eligible for child care assistance.

How and Where Do I Apply?

Information on applying for Child Care Assistance Program
Completion Instructions for the Application for Child Care Assistance (CCAP 2)
The application can be submitted at any OFS Family Assistance parish office or you can call 1-888-LAHELPU (1-888-524-3578) for assistance.

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YMCA Programs for Child Care

YMCAs are dedicated to providing high-quality, affordable child care. As the nation's largest provider of child care programs, YMCAs provide family-centered, values-based programs to nurture children's healthy development.

Well-trained staff provide safe, affordable, high-quality care. Like all Y programs, child care is open to all, with financial aid available.

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Child Care Services - TEXAS

Child care is a support service for parents who work, attend school, or participate in job training.
Those eligible for child care assistance include children under the age of 13:
- whose parents are receiving or transitioning off public assistance
- who are receiving or needing protective services
- or whose families are low-income.

Local Workforce Development Boards (Boards) administer child care services through the Texas Workforce Centers. Eligibility requirements may vary by Board. For example, Boards may
- establish an income eligibility limit that best meets local needs, as long as it does not exceed 85 percent of the State Median Income for a family of the same size
- provide care for children with disabilities up to the age of 19
- determine the length of time a parent may be in education activities and receive child care services
- establish the parent’s share of cost
- establish the provider’s maximum reimbursement rate
- and establish attendance policies.

Locate the Workforce Center nearest you or more information about the eligibility requirements for subsidized child care.

Parents have the right to choose the type of child care that best suits their needs and to be informed of all child care options available, including:
- licensed child care centers
- licensed and registered family homes
- and relative care.

At www.211texas.org parents have a single point of access to search for either private or public-assisted care and for educational services for children.

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Care.com - Free this weekend: find your ideal caregiver, review background checks and references, get contact information and more...

Catholic Charities USA

Catholic Charities agencies serve people of all faiths. They provide a wide range of services, including services for single moms and children: housing, emergency services, health care, child care, adoption, counseling, financial assistance, food pantries, and other critical services.

Select your state from the drop down box, and find the services you need.

Some Charities have their own websites:
Catholic Charities, Diocese of Venice - FL
Catholic Charities Oklahoma
Catholic Charities of Los Angeles - CA
Catholic Charities Health and Human Services - OH
Catholic Charities, Archdiocese of Denver - CO, from the left side drop down menu select services.

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As Seen on TV - You can Make Big Profits from home

 

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Top 8 Tips for Reducing Kids Screen Time This Summer

Reducing time spent in front of televisions and computers is one of the easiest ways to improve your family's health. Here are eight simple ways to limit screen time so you can help crank up your kids’ energy, re-charge their minds, and improve their health.

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What would you change?

Weekly Column, by Annette Bridges

Change -- some people dread it, and others can’t get enough. It may be much like the idiom, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” When it comes to what we would alter or why we would make a modification, the answers vary because we all have different things we value, want, need and consider important.

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Being a Role Model

by Laurie Cesario-Overton

If I had to choose one sentence that would best describe what I feel parents need to learn, it would be this: Be your child's BEST ROLE MODEL in all the ways that truly count. Be your child's HERO. Whatever you do, do it for all the right reasons.

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How to Find the Best Car Loans for Single Moms

Financial Advice for Single Moms

The best car loans for single mothers might be just around the corner at your local car lot.

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3 Money Rules for Stay-at-Home Moms

As we all know, life is unpredictable. We lose jobs, get divorced and even become widowed...
Here are three steps stay-at-home parents should take to better manage their own and the family’s finances.

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You May Have Too Much Debt But You Also Have Options

How Life Works

If you feel like you're in over your head with personal debt, you're not alone. Millions of Americans have become overextended, many as a result of easy credit and the recessions. Credit cards, medical bills, personal loans and raising interest rates do not make a good financial mix.

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Could fat babies mean fat toddlers?

A new study from Harvard Medical School found that babies who gained weight quickly had a sharply higher risk of obesity. The study followed close to 600 babies and found those in the top quarter of weight for their length at 6 months had a 40 percent higher risk of obesity by age 3 than smaller babies.

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Crystal Bowersox - A Single Mom And A Real American Idol

Read how the amazing Crystal Bowersox. the runner-up of American Idol Season 9, handles fame and life as a single mom, raising her 17 month old son.

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5 Ways for Single Moms to Save Money

Single moms are always looking for ways to save money, and for good reason... It’s important to find ways to cut corners on the little things that perhaps you don’t think about too often, because those are usually where your biggest money drains are.

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Suze Orman's Recession Rescue Plan - helps you survive in times of financial crisis

OPRAH.com

Do you know what your family would do if you lost your job - or worse, your home? Financial expert Suze Orman is ready to help you devise a recession rescue plan to survive - and possibly thrive - during this deepening financial crisis...

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Your Just-in-Case Emergency Plan

by RealSimple

Who do you call if you can't make it home in time to meet the kids' bus? Who do you trust to take in your mail when you're on vacation? Who do you trust with the extra set of keys to your house?

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How to save $10,000

By Liz Pulliam Weston

If you were hoping for a list of small tweaks you could make in your spending to save $10,000 a year, sorry. The reality is that $10,000 is a lot of money. And saving big money usually means making big changes in the areas where we spend the most, such as: Housing, Transportation, Food.

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The Super, Sexy, Single Mom on a Budget

by Renee Rayles

A quick reference guide designed for the busy, single mom who has

little time to read while running the mom taxi, cooking dinner, helping with homework, and trying to fit in a date night every now and then.

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Single Mothers &
Male Role-Models / Mentors

Single mothers carry an enormous load of responsibility, especially those having sole and/or primary custody of minor children. They nourish, they nurture, they teach, they discipline, they shelter, they protect, and they provide… all without the assistance of another equally-invested adult.

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Mom's Obesity Raises Newborn's Heart Risk

from the National Institute of Health

The more obese a woman is when she becomes pregnant, the greater the likelihood that her newborn baby will have a congenital heart defect, a new study suggests. The finding raises concerns because 1 in 5 women are obese at the start of pregnancy in the United States.

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The 10-Ingredient Shopping Trip

By Tara Parker-Pope and Mark Bittman

... In his latest “How to Cook Everything” segment on the Today Show, New York Times food writer Mark Bittman makes it surprisingly easy to cook a week’s worth of dinners with just a 10-ingredient shopping trip.

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Your 5-minute guide to protecting your identity

20 steps to protect yourself from identity theft, and seven ways to clean up things if you become a victim.

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TheOnlineMom.com offers parents and consumers a guide to the top-rated, age-appropriate, kid-tested and parent-approved tech toys and gifts.

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Single Moms in the News

6 Best Celebrity Single Moms
Read about Halle Berry, Sandra Bullock, Michelle Williams, Reese Witherspoon, Kimora Lee Simmons, Mary-Louise Parker... read more

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw

by Jeff Kinney

For those wondering why tween boys don’t read very much, the answer is that more books aren’t like this...

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Madlynn is Kid of the Month

Stressed mothers may raise fat children

Youngsters seek escape from family problems in unhealthy food

Millions of poor children in the United States may be getting fat before age 10 because their mothers are stressed out and the youngsters seek escape in unhealthy comfort food...

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Alcohol Prevention Web Site for Middle School Students

The Cool Spot Helps Young Teens Resist Peer Pressure and Alcohol Bethesda, Md. – A new version of The Cool Spot, a youth alcohol prevention Web site, launched this week. The site, aimed at 11- to 13-year-olds, was created by The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

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10 Bad Habits That Lead to Debt Disaster

Little things add up fast. Learn from these mistakes and try these tips to start paying off your debt.

Sometimes the only way to stop a snowballing problem is to go back to the top of the hill and find out what started it. If you're up to your eyeballs in credit card debt, take a step back and recount your money missteps. Knowing your weaknesses could help prevent you from falling back into the bad-credit pit and show you a way out.

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Miss Manners

Minimalism is the cutting edge now. My decorator calls it Dorm Chic. Wait, you'll see, everyone will have this look in a year or two. And then maybe I'll go out and get myself some overstuffed chairs." ...

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7 Secrets to Raising a Happy Child

What Makes a Child Happy?

We all want the same things for our kids. We want them to grow up to love and be loved, to follow their dreams, to find success. Mostly, though, we want them to be happy. But just how much control do we have over our children's happiness? My son, Jake, now 7, has been a rather somber child since birth, while my 5-year-old, Sophie, is perennially sunny. Jake wakes up grumpy. Always has. Sophie, on the other hand, greets every day with a smile. Evident from infancy, their temperaments come, at least in part, from their genes. But that doesn't mean their ultimate happiness is predetermined, assures Bob Murray, PhD, author of Raising an Optimistic Child: A Proven Plan for Depression-Proofing Young Children - for Life (McGraw-Hill).

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