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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.
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91 Ways to Save on Almost Anything
Here's how to stretch your dollars -- and pinch your pennies 'til they scream -- while you feel little or no pain.
by Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine
Want to save a buck? How about a few hundred or a couple thousand?
We took a look at eight spending categories in your budget and identified dozens of ways you can keep more money. Whether you need to plug leaks in your spending, learn where to find the best deals or even trick yourself into shaving expenses, we've got something for everyone.
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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.
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Basic Legal Recommendations for Women
by Michele Howe
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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.
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Lunchables
Reading nightly with your kids is crucial and fun. But did you know that more than a third of U.S. fourth graders are reading at or below a basic reading level?
Lunchables, along with non-profit literacy organization First Book, have created the Million Page Mission to help bring 4,000 books to children in needy communities. All parents have to do is log onto www.lunchablesmom.com to take a pledge to read 100 pages with their kids. For every pledge received, Lunchables will donate $1 up to $10,000 to First Book.
You can also download our free children’s book “The Adventures of Alpha Team” on our website www.lunchablesmom.com. It’s a really cute story about three kids who attend space cadet training and must complete various missions together to earn their merit badges.
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Livescribe SmartPen is one of the most significant technologies produced that is revolutionizing the workplace.
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ONLY AT SINGLEMOM.COM™
 Enter this drawing for your chance to win your choice of DVDs. Specify your choice of DVD. Winners will be chosen at random, and will have to provide complete name, address and phone number. Some restrictions apply. Recipients of Financial Gifting Awards or previous Monthly drawings eligible one time every 18 months. So enter today! The deadline to enter is November 30th, 2008.
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TAKE HOME NANNY
Take Home Nanny follows Nanny Emma Jenner as she brings a fresh new approach to raising children and maintaining family
harmony. Each week, Nanny Emma will work with a family with out-of-control kids. With only a few days before an important event in which the parents and children have to participate, Emma gets to work instilling her simple yet effective philosophy – be well mannered, be consistent and be patient - first with the parents and then with the kids. Finally, we’ll see Emma’s work put to the test at the big family event. Will the parents and kids be able to maintain their newfound harmony or will the family be embarrassed at their lack of discipline?
Finding a quality nanny is easy at Nannies4hire
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"Must Love Kids"
Presented by TLC, premieres July 15th. Its a new hour long docu-series that follows three single mothers as they embark on an emotional journey involving family, love, and self-worth. With an estimated 10.4 million single mothers in the U.S., these three single moms will undoubtedly inspire others to take the initiative and focus on their own happiness, while still being able to balance the responsibilities of a single parent. It's a real-life journey of love and family in an original relationship series unlike any other.
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The Blame Game
by Judith O’Reilly, Author of Wife in the North
As a parent, you accept from the start that it is all your fault. Every last inhibition, weakness and thing that goes wrong in your child's life is down to you -- however old they are. If they get bullied, bully, pick the wrong course at university or marry the wrong girl, it is all because you did it wrong. As a parent -- deep-down, you know you suck. You know it is not the kid's fault (however old the kid is) -- you made a hash of it.
You drank a glass of wine when you were pregnant which is why your nine-year-old has ADHD. You had a caesarian which is why he has "trust issues" with women. You threw him out of the house when he was 21, papered over the steam-trains to turn his bedroom into your craft room and he never got over it. You did not throw him out of the house and he is still there at 28 and counting. You smacked him; he grew up to have a problem with authority figures and cannot hold down a job. You did not smack him; he grew up to be a bastard. You let him have a small watered down glass of wine with Sunday dinner and he became an alcoholic at college. You did not let him touch alcohol at home and he became an alcoholic at college.
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50 ways to trim your budget
You don't have to give up the things you love to save money. You just have to be willing to look hard. Start with your fixed expenses, then review your discretionary costs.
by Liz Pulliam Weston
Lou knows his family is in a vicious cycle with credit cards. He's just not sure how to get out.
Bills and credit card payments eat up most of the Mansfield, Ohio, family's income, leaving them little left over to pay for groceries and other basics. So they wind up charging more.
"My family has about $12,000 in debt to credit card companies," Lou wrote in an e-mail. "We want to stop using these cards and get this fixed. But we are 'bridging the gap' with credit."
Like many families, Lou's clan already has trimmed some of the obvious expenses, such as eating in restaurants. But really getting your budget in line may require rethinking just about everything on which you spend money.
Look at the biggies first: The biggest savings often lie in the areas where you spend the most money: housing, transportation, food, insurance, health care and clothing. Here are some ideas for places to look for savings:
Housing and utilities
If you're struggling with an unaffordable mortgage or rent payment, moving to a cheaper place or getting a roommate may be options. Otherwise, some ways to lower your housing costs include: ...read more...
Transportation
Buying used cars and driving them for years is a great way to reduce your lifetime transportation expenditures. But there are other, more immediate ways to save, as well: ...read more...
Food
Dining out consumes about half the average family's food expenditures, so eating in more often is one of the fastest ways to trim your budget. (But first, read "Big night out, small price tag.") Other ways to control costs include: ...read more...
Personal insurance and retirement
You might be tempted to cut back on your 401(k) contributions to pay off debt, but that's not a good idea, if you can avoid it. Most companies with 401(k)s offer matching funds, so failing to contribute means you lose that free money. You also don't want to drop disability insurance, which protects you should illness or accident prevent you from working. Here are better areas to look for savings: ...read more...
Health care
Medical costs are rising at a rate much higher than general inflation, while employers are asking their workers to shoulder a bigger share of the expense. You can fight back if you: ...read more...
Clothing and services
Professional organizers say most people wear just a fraction of the clothes they own. If that describes you, consider selling stuff you don't wear and being more careful when you shop. You can also trim what you spend on personal care and other services. For example: ...read more...
Tuesdays in the Pocketbook: How to Keep Divorce from Devastating Your Family Finances
by DK Simoneau
Author of "We're Having a Tuesday"
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Let’s face it. Getting divorced is a financial blow to any family. It is quite a touchy subject. Even in the best of circumstances there are double the housing expenses because suddenly there are two homes to support. Ah you know, two phone bills, to cable bills, two water bills and so on. When there are kids involved and split-family living becomes the lifestyle of choice for the foreseeable future, finances can get even stickier. If you are on reasonable terms with your ex-spouse there are some ways to avoid common pitfalls of supporting your kids financially. If you are not, there are still limited actions you can take without having to involve the family lawyer, they just may not be as equitable.
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See what all 3 National Credit Bureaus are reporting about you with 3 Free Credit Reports & Scores.
Outing the Secret of the Injured Self
by Florence Falk
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After two divorces and more than two decades as a psychoanalyst, Falk is an expert on the concept of being a woman alone—a term she prefers because "as a distinct category within women's culture, it formally elevates our presence and status, helps us to achieve visibility and expression, and allows us to redress our marginalized state." Hyperbole aside, there's no denying that to embrace being a woman alone isn't easy in a society where "bachelors are always eligible," while " 'spinsters,' almost by definition, are ready for the dumpster."
About Author:
Florence Falk, author of On My Own, is a writer and teacher, and has been a psychotherapist in a private practice for more than twenty years.
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Single Parents Need Support
by Bernie Siegel, MD - Author of Love, Magic and Mudpies: Raising Your Kids to Feel Loved, Be Kind, and Make a Difference
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During his many years working with thousands of patients and their families, Dr. Bernie Siegel became an expert on how to turn sometimes trying situations into opportunities for personal growth. In his newest book, this husband of more than 50 years, father of five children, and grandparent of eight, shares the gems garnered from his practice and his own family life to show readers what he's learned about raising kids with love, wisdom, and humor.
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Miss Match's top 10 first-date do's and don'ts
Today Gets Personal’: Famed matchmaker Samantha Daniels' quick guide to putting your best foot forward (rather than your foot in your mouth!
by Samantha Daniels
Whew! At last, you’ve landed a date with someone who appears to be a hot prospect. It could be a set-up by someone you trust or even one arranged by a matchmaker, such as Samantha Daniels, the divorce attorney-turned-Cupid whose story has been turned into the NBC series “Miss Match.” This week, as part of our pre-Valentine “Today Gets Personal” series, Daniels is matching three singles with potential partners — and we get to hear how things went! Part of her service includes coaching on how to put your best foot forward on a first date. Here are her top ten dating dos and don’ts.
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Your 5-Minute Guide to Credit Cards
Up to your ankles, knees or neck in debt? Try these two dozen tips to help get your finances back on track.
At some point in our lives, most of us have borrowed too much. If you're in over your head, don't despair. But make no mistake: You must learn to live on what you earn.
First, stop making excuses about why you're in debt. Don't blame the credit card companies or your parents. Put that energy into reducing your debt.
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Stay-at-home moms feeling the pinch
NEW YORK (AP) -- "I'm having 'em, so I wanna raise 'em." That's the philosophy that led Jenna Kagan to stop working when her daughter was born nine years ago. Two sons soon followed, and their mother remains firm in her belief that staying home with them is best.
But these days, the term "stay-at-home-mom" has taken on a new meaning. Economic stresses, particularly sky-high gas prices, have kept many of these mothers and their families closer to home base than they'd like, a development some find isolating and deeply frustrating.
"It used to be the term 'stay-at-home mother' was an oxymoron, because you had to get out of the house for your sanity!" says Jen Singer, creator of MommaSaid.net, a resource for stay-at-home mothers like herself.
"To the mall, the playground, playdates, to Target, just to go somewhere."
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The New Mom's Survival Guide - How to Reclaim Your Body, Your Health, Your Sanity, and Your Sex Life After Having a Baby
by Jennifer Wider, M.D.
The New Mom's Survival Guide , Answers These and Many Other Questions:
• Why can't I lose the extra weight?
• I'm just too tired to have sex -- and It hurts. What should I do?
• Can I catch croup from my child?
At last your baby has arrived, and you're experiencing all the joys that come with being a new mom. But you may not have bargained on acne and varicose veins, not to mention constipation, vaginal pain, mood swings, or perhaps one of the more serious conditions that pregnancy can trigger. In this compassionate, comprehensive guide, Dr. Jennifer Wider, a physician as well as the mother of two small children, delivers up-to-date medical information, candid answers to a host of questions, and expert advice on a range of postpartum issues, including:
• When the baby blues are more than just a phase
• Feelings of isolation for the stay-at-home mom
• Feelings of guilt for the back-to-work mom
• Cracked nipples and other breast-feeding concerns
• Thyroid problems, anemia, diabetes, urinary incontinence, and other conditions that can show up during or after pregnancy
From redefining yourself to taking care of yourself while caring for your baby, The New Mom's Survival Guide contains such a wealth of practical help that new moms will turn to it again and again.
About the author:
Jennifer Wider, MD, is a doctor, author, and radio personality who specializes in women's health issues. She is the medical advisor to the Society for Women's Health Research in Washington, D.C. Dr. Wider is a regular contributor to Cosmopolitan magazine and hosts a weekly segment on Cosmo Radio for Sirius Satellite. She has appeared as a health expert on The Today Show, CBS News, Good Day NY, Fox News, and a variety of cable channels. She lives with her physician husband, and their daughter and son, in Fairfield County, Connecticut.
Wise Answers To Old Wives' Tales
Experts reveal the truth behind the most popular (and persistent) health rumors stressing you out
by Ben Cramer, Prevention
Does reading in low light really hurt your eyes? How about sitting too close to the TV? (No, and no.) Why are you better off drinking exactly eight glasses of water per day? (You're not.) Thanks to quack culture, the Internet, and well-intentioned but poorly informed relatives, it's become harder than ever to separate fact from fiction. Whatever its origin, misleading health information can cause unnecessary anxiety and distract you from wellness habits that truly deserve your energy and attention. Here's a dissection of six watercooler myths that will give you all the authority you need to refute your brother's latest forwarded e-mails.
Cell phones are dangerous to use in hospitals because they can interfere with medical equipment.
Verdict: JURY'S OUT.
There's a chance that a cell phone call in the wrong spot can cause ventilators, syringe pumps, or even pacemakers to pulse incorrectly, according to a 2007 Dutch study. The researchers tested modern cell phones, including PDAs that use wireless Internet signals….
Bottom Line: Play it safe for now. Use a designated cell phone area at the hospital, which most now offer—or use a call as an excuse for a walk-and-talk outside for some fresh air and exercise….
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The Girl's Guide to Absolutely Everything
by Melissa Kirsch
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Finally, The Girl's Guide to Absolutely Everything!
And I do mean EVERYTHING. Okay, here it is in simple language- everything you've always wanted to know - from unclogging a toilet to health and body image. This being the new year, we're all trying to make changes in our lives, to improve ourselves, to learn new things, and we need a little boost of inspiration and encouragement along the way. The Girls Guide to Everything can be your bible to making that life transition. Got a question about almost anything? The book provides quick and easy answers at your finger tips.
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Single By Chance, Mothers By Choice: How Women Are Choosing Parenthood Without Marriage and Creating the New American Family
Rosanna Hertz, M.A. & Ph.D.
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A remarkable number of women today are taking the daunting step of having children outside of marriage. In Single By Chance, Mothers By Choice: How Women Are Choosing Parenthood Without Marriage and Creating the New American Family, Rosanna Hertz offers the first full-scale account of this fast-growing phenomenon, revealing why these middle class women took this unorthodox path and how they have managed to make single parenthood work for them. Hertz interviewed 65 women--ranging from physicians and financial analysts to social workers, teachers, and secretaries--women who speak candidly about how they manage their lives and families as single mothers. What Hertz discovers are not ideologues but reluctant revolutionaries, women who--whether straight or gay--struggle to conform to the conventional definitions of mother, child, and family.
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Tumble & Tea café began out of the creative mind of Founder & CEO, Georgina DeCarlo. The concept arose out of necessity for Georgina during a period of transition and a bitter divorce. When her daughter Leila had just turned one she ended her seven year marriage and the divorce was nothing but civil. Her estranged husband liquidated all of the cash and savings from her personal bank accounts. At the same time, Georgina became a casualty of layoffs at her job and her closest family members were unable to be supportive on a daily basis due to living so far away. She was
left lonely, scared and depressed.
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The Super, Sexy, Single Mom on a Budget
by Renee Rayles
Whether it's time or money, budgeting is part of being a mom...
The book is 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.
Your 5-minute guide to protecting your identity
Here are 20 steps to protect yourself from identity theft -- and seven ways to clean up things if you become a victim.
Thieves may sell your information on the black market or use it to obtain money, credit or even expensive medical procedures. Unless you're vigilant in protecting your records, you'll have to work even harder to repair the damage to your credit.
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Running Low? How Would You Like FREE* Gasoline for One Year?
Find 7 More Hours in a Day
From O, The Oprah Magazine
• Handle things once
• Don't listen to the news first thing in the morning
• Make good use of waiting time
• Think "half-time"
• Be decisive and move on
• Lighten up on your cleaning standards
• Write it down
• Turn off technology during your high-energy time
• Monitor time-sapping addictions
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AMERICA'S WORST RESTAURANTS FOR KIDS REVEALED
Eat This, Not That! Authors Grade 43 National Chains; 6 Receive an "F"
New York (August 1, 2008)
Which kids' menus are most likely to make your children fat?
A year-long study of children's meals has revealed vast dietary differences among America's favorite fast-food and sit-down chain restaurants... and discovered that many of America's most popular chain restaurants are nutritional nightmares for America's children.
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Click here to make sure your body has the necessary vitamins and minerals to function optimally.
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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Viva Research converts your free time into hard cash! Take surveys from home and get paid from $5 to $75 per survey completed. It's FREE to JOIN. Instant surveys available! Click here to start!
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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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.
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Do You Want To Know How Your Nanny Is Doing Her Job?
Sources by Amanda Bach
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As we review some of the useful website each month, I want to introduce to you this new website HowsMyNanny.com - this website service started in the Fall of 2006 by Jill Starishevsk, a nine-year veteran of a District Attorney’s Office in New York City who works in the Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Bureau. While she was on maternity leave of her second child, she started this wonderful website. It is a service that provides license plates for strollers with a unique identifying number on them so if your nanny is out and about and does something bad to the baby or something praiseworthy, a passerby can get a message to the parent via the internet.
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The Well - a time for refreshment & encouragement for Single Moms in the East Tennessee Area.
There are over 10,000 single moms in Knoxville alone. Many are hurting and struggling to make ends meet both financially and emotionally. The Well is an opportunity to come and relax, to not worry about making dinner, and to meet ladies who know what they are going through and be mentored by ladies that have successfully made it through the storm. The Well meets one Friday night a month (usually 11 months each year, we take Dec. off). Dinner and childcare are provided at no cost. Children have dinner, activities, movie time and playground time in a safe, well supervised environment. The moms have dinner and then a time of sharing and teaching. Childcare & dinner begins at 6:00pm, and the mom’s dinner begins at 6:20. We do ask for reservations as our group is growing each month and we want to be sure to have enough food!
Call (865) 966-9791 to register for The Well and visit www.fbconcord.org/thewell for upcoming dates.
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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