Mom’s Money

Mom Needs A Day At The Spa - But On A Budget?

Okay, Mom, it’s the middle of the winter, your hands are chapped, your skin is dry, the tension of the long, hard days have you just about in tears.  I feel your pain.  Every Mom should be fortunate enough to spend a day or two when needed at a luxury spa.  But, most of us can’t afford that particular luxury.  We’re trying to put food on the table and keep our family clothed.  How is it possible to spend a few moments pampering ourselves without the expense?

Our Mothers and Grandmothers felt the same need for a little rest and relaxation on occasion.  They, too, suffered from the long days and endless hours of taking care of a family.  However, they may have been a little wiser when it comes to finding ways to pamper themselves on a budget.  They looked at everyday household products to soothe away dry skin and stress.  Grandma may have gotten that lustrous head of hair not by using expensive spa products, but by smoothing mayonnaise into her hair a couple times each month.  When Mom removed her eye makeup, she probably did so with a cotton ball soaked in olive oil, not an expensive eye makeup remover.

Some other products you may already be familiar with, like cucumber slices to soothe your tired eyes.  But, have you ever used baking soda to wash your face?  How about a little honey or egg white masque?  One of my all time favorites is a milk bath.  No, you don’t have to go out and buy gallons and gallons of milk, just a little powdered milk added to your bath water will do the trick.  Or you may enjoy soaking in a bath steeped with green tea.

Exfoliating is another favorite pampering treat.  Although we wash our face and bodies every day, we don’t get the same cleansing and invigorating feeling we get when exfoliating.  Using natural products like grapefruit and salt makes this particular spa experience inexpensive and fragrant.

There are many household products that are suitable for your spa experience at home.  I am particularly fond of the edible items because I trust them.  If you can eat it, you can put it on your skin.  Take a minute for yourself today and give at least one of these ideas a try. 

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No More Expensive, And Toxic, Cleaning Products

If you’ve experienced sticker-shock recently in the store when you buy cleaning products, join the club.  It’s outrageous what we pay to pour down our drains, wipe up our floors, scrub our tubs, and boost our laundry detergent.  Not only is it expensive, but often toxic.  There is another way that’s cheap and safe.  Baking Soda.

Everyone I know has a box of Baking Soda in their fridge.  The refrigerator is a good place to become familiar with using Baking Soda.  Deodorize your refrigerator by opening up a box and setting in the door.  Be sure to replace the box about every 30 days so it keeps working at it’s best.  That’s why I set it in the door, so I don’t forget to replace it.

After your box of Baking Soda has deodorized your refrigerator for 30 days, take it out and use it to clean your kitchen or bathroom drains.  Sprinkle it down the drain, let it sit for 10 minutes, then run warm water down the drain.  This will help clean those nasty pipes and keep them fresh smelling.

Scrub up your bathtub, shower, and bathroom sink with Baking Soda.  Dampen the surface, then sprinkle the Baking Soda all over.  Let it sit for a minute.  Then with a clean, damp sponge, scrub the surface.  You don’t have to worry about scratching, so this is great for fiberglass.  Now, give the surface a good rinse and you can enjoy your bathroom without worrying about toxic residues touching your skin.

I love my laundry goodies, but hate the expense.  So, Baking Soda has become my new laundry love.  I add 1/2 cup of Baking Soda with my detergent in a full load to balance the pH of the water which makes the detergent work better and harder for me.  The final rinse is another perfect place to give my laundry a little boost.  I add 1/2 cup of Baking Soda in the rinse water to sweeten and freshen my laundry. 

Use Baking Soda as a food-safe cleaner in your kitchen.  Rather than spraying toxic cleaning products in your food preparation areas, dissolve a 1/2 cup of Baking Soda in a gallon of warm water.  Using a clean dishcloths or paper towels, wipe down the counters, stove top, cutting boards, and any other areas or appliances that come in contact with food.  Then, rinse thoroughly and you’ll be left with a grease-free, shiny surface that is non-toxic. 

These are just a few ways that I use Baking Soda.  And, yes, you can buy it in bigger boxes or bags now, so you don’t have to fill your pantry with those little boxes.  Give it a try and I’m betting that you will get rid of your old cleaners and find your new true love.  Baking Soda!

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Savings Plan For Emergencies - Essential Part Of Your Budget

“I can’t possibly start a savings account when every penny we have goes toward necessities like food, clothing, and housing.”  Trust me, I know the dilemma.  You create a budget for your household and realize you have no money left over at the end of the month.  How can you possibly put money away in an emergency fund when you need it for essentials?  Let’s start by looking at the WHY, then move on to the HOW.

WHY should I put money away for emergencies?  Consider this; you’ve developed a good, working budget that gets all your bills paid and feeds your family. You’re doing just fine until the car breaks down.  You’re looking at $400 in repairs and don’t have the money, and now you can’t get to work.  Or, say you have an emergency room visit, and now you are saddled with paying off $800 in installments with interest attached.  As these additional burdens start to delay making your other monthly payments, you begin facing late charges on your utilities, mortgage, and other necessary monthly payments.  You get more and more behind and your budget is history.

HOW do I put money away for emergencies?  Put savings at the top of your budget, not at the bottom.  Start with a flat percentage of your take-home pay and work it into your budget as the first monthly expense.  List all your fixed expenses followed by your flexible expenses.  If you see a little cash left, move it back up to savings and re-figure your budget.  This budget method may take several attempts, but it’s worth the effort. When there is an emergency, you’ll be able to take care of it.

Your family budget is more than an outline of how you’re going to get your bills paid on time.  It’s a plan for financial freedom.  Without an emergency savings plan, your financial freedom may go up in smoke.  Start saving today and breathe a sigh of relief!

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Gas Price Honeymoon Is About To End

Have you been watching gasoline prices steadily climbing up, up, and up?  We knew it was coming, and with vacation season approaching, we can expect the prices to escalate even more this spring.  We need to revisit some of the gas-saving measures we were practicing when we all were paying $4 a gallon.  Just in case we got a little lax in our vigilance, let’s see if we can run down some of the best ways we can save a few dollars on gasoline.

1)  Have your car tuned up.  A healthy car runs better and is more efficient.  Include changing the oil and checking the coolant and antifreeze levels for good measure.

2)  Inflate your tires to the proper level.  Your tires should have a psi rating clearly marked.  You may also check your owner’s manual for the recommended tire pressure.  If you have to guess, 32 psi is pretty average.

3)  Go online to find the best gas prices in your area.  There are many reliable websites to try.  Plan your errands around these gas stations that offer lower prices; do not drive out of your way to fill up.

4)  Plan your errands to drive less.  If you are in a habit of going a particular route, make sure that is the shortest and fastest route before you embark on your trip. In other words, Map It!

5)  Remember car pools?  Time to rethink them.  Network with the parents at your child’s school and see what you can come up with.

6)  Bike, walk, and skip if you have to!  If you’re driving a mile or two down the road to pick up some milk at the convenience store, rethink that drive.  It takes a lot more gas to start up your cold car each time you make a short trip. 

7)  Unload your car.  If you are driving around with the trunk or back of your car loaded with junk, it just adds weight, therefore drag, to your vehicle. 

8)  Change the way you drive.  Do you really want to burn up gas with those “jack rabbit” starts?  Wasteful and dangerous.  Improve those driving habits.

These are just a few common sense ways to keep your gasoline usage under control in an effort to save you a few dollars.  If your bottom line is looking grim these days, it’s not going to hurt to give your budget a boost by implementing a few changes in your normal driving routines.

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Consignment Shopping Could Save You A Bundle

When you look at your budget, do you find a big gaping hole looking back at you?  Kids can consume an awful lot during their young lives.  Not only food, but clothing seems to be a never ending source of stress, and expense.  How, when, and where you shop for your family’s clothes can either make or break a budget.

Our family has tried many different ways to shop for clothes.  We’ve gone to the Big Stores for their Big Sales, we’ve driven around to yard sales, and we’ve been to the thrift shops like GoodWill, but none have yielded the kind of results like a consignment sale.

We’re fortunate in our community to have several good consignment shops that feature children’s clothing. Granted, the prices may be just a bit higher than you might find at a yard sale, but that’s just it… you’ve got to find the yard sales and hope they have a nice selection.  That could be a tremendous waste in gas and time if you’re not lucky.  At a consignment store, you have a certain destination and the likelihood that you will find some very good articles of clothing. 

Consignment shops are picky about their product.  You won’t find torn, stained, or otherwise damaged clothing at a good consignment shop.  Oftentimes, you will find clothes with the tags still on!  Parents often get too many clothes for gifts and, especially with babies, some of those little outfits are outgrown before they even get a chance to wear them.

Introduce yourself to the owner of the consignment shop and you will be on your way to creating almost a “personal shopper” for your family.  If you maintain a friendly relationship, the owner will be more than happy to give you a call when she sees clothing come in that would suit your family’s needs. 

Also, consider consignment shops as a way for you to make a bit of extra cash.  They all have their own rules and percentages, so look around a little if you can.  Then, when it comes time to clean out your closets, you’ll be ready to take your unneeded items in to be sold.  This eliminates suffering through a yard sale of your own! 

Are you going to pay more when you shop the consignment sales?  Probably a little bit more.  Is it worth it?  Definitely, it’s worth it.  Once you find a good consignment shop, stick with it and you’ll be amazed at the quality and value you get for your money.  Quality and value never go out of style!

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Get Some REAL Deals And Save Your Family Budget

You’ve shopped only the sales, purchased just the items you needed and stayed within your budget, but it all seems so futile.  If you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, it could be you need to think outside that box.  Are there more creative ways to save your hard earned pennies? 

Money keeps trickling away and your budgeted lifestyle is getting really tedious, but there is hope.  Stretching that dollar through tough times has replaced pushups and situps as our family’s new daily exercise.  Smart folks have been putting the same energy into financial fitness as they have into physical fitness, resulting in some pretty inventive ways to save money and enjoy life again.  Let’s see how these inventive individuals are finding new ways to give families the break they need.

Trading has become a worldwide phenomenon. Just start surfing the internet and you’ll discover a whole new market opening up for people like you and me who have tangible items they no longer need, and items that they want.  Let’s get these people together and trade!  Almost every town either has a trading group set up somewhere, or people call in to a radio swap show, or more recently, trade online.  There are several reputable websites that have gained in popularity in the last year or so.  They are popular because they are honest, and they work.  You may also find skills traded, as well.  Do your homework and read the fine print, and never give any trading group money upfront.

Freebies are another up-and-coming industry.  Believe it or not, there are still people who would rather give something away than try to sell it.  They log onto an internet site and arrange for a pick-up of an item they want to give away.  It’s there for the taking the next time someone in need is searching for that item.  Isn’t it nice to be able to find something you need without sacrificing the food on your table?  There are local groups who arrange these services as well as internet groups dedicated to helping out one another.

Then there is borrowing.  How many times will you need that jig-saw once your project is done?  Can you really afford to go down to the “Big Store” and buy one?  Lending or borrowing circles are popping up all over the internet, and in neighborhoods, too!  Consider one the next time you need an item for a limited time.  Neighbor helping neighbor on the worldwide web.  Pretty slick.

These are just a few of the unique ways that family’s have discovered that allows them to stick to their budget and keep their heads above water in these tight economic times.  Along with coupon clipping, shopping at dollar stores, and clothing the family via thrift shops, creative trading and borrowing may just be your next best budgeting friend.

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Old Fashioned Money Journals May Solve Your Household Budget Problem

If you have followed all the rules for setting up a family budget, and still the bottom line never comes out in your favor, chances are you are one of many who are being “nickled-and-dimed-to-death”.  This is not unusual, nor is it an impossible problem to solve. Creating your family’s budget is the easy part. Sticking to your plan is much more difficult.  How does the money keep disappearing?

Money disappears the same way a magician gets us to see any object disappear - by getting us to take our eye off the trick.  No, your money is not disappearing magically.  It is disappearing because you have taken your eye off your money.  How so?  Do you know how much money you spent today?  Not paying bills, but spent? Are you seriously tracking your family’s expenses?  

If you were lucky enough to spend time with a grandparent, you may have seen or heard about “household journals”.  All households would have a book in which the person in charge of the money wrote in detail every single penny spent and what it was spent on.  If Mother gave Junior 25 cents for a haircut, she wrote it down.  If Father paid the neighbor 50 cents to sharpen his axe, he wrote it down.  They knew, to the penny, where they stood every day.

If this seems extreme, I challenge you to give it a try for one month.  After the month is up, tally the money spent on all the “incidentals”, those things that you did not consider including in your budget, and I guarantee you will be astounded at the money you just let trickle away… disappear.

If you’ve ever kept a change jar on your dresser, you know how quickly you can accumulate $50 to $70 without even trying.  This is the same principle.  Once you are aware of how everyone in the family is spending small change willy-nilly, you will be ready to adjust your family’s spending habits in order to save and build some real money for some real purpose.  You work too hard to let your money disappear!  Put it to work for you, for a change!

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Cold Weather Cozy

As the temperature hits all time lows in many areas of the country, I’m reminded of my grandparents’ and parents’ advise, or some might say, order; “Put on a sweater!”  Now that I have children of my own, I see where this needs to be reiterated. 

With heating costs rising, budgets tightening, and temperatures dropping, there is no room for turning up the thermostat in our house.  We budget for a certain amount of money going toward heating and cooling.  When the weather gets brutally cold and the house is harder to heat, there is already a strain on our furnace even without turning up the heat.  How do we tolerate the chill in the air and stay cozy and warm in our house?  Just like Grandma did, by putting on a sweater.

My children came up to me during this cold spell and asked “Can we turn up the heat? We’re cold.”  As I look down at those sweet little faces, I realize that I’m looking at a leotard, t-shirt, shorts, and bare feet.  Of course, I don’t want my darlings to suffer from the cold, but they are barely dressed.  My Mom’s answer rings in my ears - “Go get dressed and put on some socks and shoes.”  

If your children are old enough to dress themselves, but not yet old enough to understand the concept of dressing for winter, lay out some proper clothing for them.  Long sleeve shirts, sweaters, pants, socks, slippers, or shoes are your answer to conserving energy and money spent heating your house.  If your family takes off their shoes at the door, purchase a few pairs of shoes or slippers to be worn only in the house.  And, be sure Mom and Dad follow suit.  Kids will learn first what they see, not what they are told to do. 

Bundle up and stay warm this winter.  Help your family stay cozy by snuggling inside nice big sweaters and fuzzy slippers.  Your furnace and heat bill will be so much happier that you did… and so will your family!

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It’s Only January And I’m Already Fretting About Income Tax Time

If you start thinking about filing your taxes as soon as the New Year comes, you are not alone.  This is not a pleasant topic, to be sure.  Most of us feel anxious, even a little queasy, waiting and watching for our W2 or 1099 to appear in the mail.

One thing you can do instead of gnashing your teeth and wringing your hands is gather your information.  This is a good use of your time, as you’ll be ready to hit the ground running as soon as you receive the income documents you need to file your taxes.  Depending on your particular circumstances this could include, but are not limited to, medical bill receipts, medical premium payments, utility bills, tuition bills, repair bills for your home or business, mortgage interest statements, dividend statements, job related travel information, and any other documentation you’ve typically used in previous years.  This list does not apply to everyone, nor is it all inclusive.  However, the point is to start gathering the information now; it will relieve some of the stress you feel now as well as some of the panic you feel on April 15th.

Have you always filed your own taxes, or have you used a tax filing service or tax accountant to file for you?  Every tax year you need to re-evaluate your previous experience and decide, once again, if this is the right way to go this year. Can you afford to hire someone else to do your taxes?  Can you afford NOT to?  Review your needs every year.

You have three months until tax time so don’t start to panic yet, but do start to prepare.  If you join the ranks of the tax preparation procrastinators, you not only succeed in creating a whole lot of stress for yourself and your family, but last minute tax preparers often make costly mistakes.  Isn’t it worth a few hours of preparation to save stress and money?  Always!

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Plan The Next School Break Getaway Within Your Budget

The kids are back to school after a nice, long break over the Holidays and, already, you’re trying to decide what you can afford to do for the next break.  Before you know it, the spring break will be upon us.  I know every parent hates to disappoint their kids, but with money the way it is, how are you going to prevent it from happening.  By doing the research first.

The turn in the economy could work to your advantage.  Have you noticed all the stores that are slashing prices?  Well, the tourist industry is doing the same.  I have seen several resort areas that are offering “stay three nights and we throw in the fourth night” deals.  These are resorts in heavily visited areas, which are not the spots that normally have to advertise such deals. 

If you plan to take a car trip, check out the get-aways near your own locality before planning to drive too far.  Gas prices are on the rise, and we can only assume it won’t get much better before spring. 

Take a second look at flying before you make your final decision.  Sign up for any of the flight search website’s alert email services, and you’ll be amazed at how many reduced fare specials you’ll find.  Keep your travel a little flexible, and you’ll reap the rewards.

Finally, let your children know what your budget restrictions are.  Don’t wait until the last minute to tell them that you are not going to be able to afford the same trip this spring that you have enjoyed in the past.  Be honest.  Your kids have a right to know and they will appreciate being kept in the loop and treated like a member of the family.

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