Link Love: Budgeting Tips

I’ve recently subscribed to Barbara Payton’s blog.  She is a Domestic & Personal Management Specialist living in Indiana.  Her latest post has a list of budgeting tips that she’s referenced such as:

• personal budgeting tips
• food and grocery budgeting tips
• tips for creating a budget

Head over to Barbara Payton’s blog and see if any of these tips can help you out.

Free Gift to Moms from Suze Orman

I had the honor of participating in a live call with Suze Orman yesterday.  I use the word ‘participate’ loosely of course – I didn’t ask any questions, but I did listen. (On my BlackBerry on the road to my Tweet Up!)

Suze has partnered with Avon in an awesome way and the call was an opportunity to ask Suze questions about business and finances.  It was super informative and though provoking.

If you’re looking for a business opportunity, and want to learn more about Avon, click here.

Time Sensitive Free Offer:

You can get a free Will & Trust Kit from Suze if you act fast!

Just go to SuzeOrman.com and click the “Will & Trust Kit” link in the blue bar on the left-hand side of the home page. Click the orange “Gift Code” button and enter “Moms Rule” into the gift code field. Click the green “Submit” button and follow the instructions to redeem your free copy of the Will & Trust Kit. This gift code will be valid until Midnight EST on Saturday, April 25th.

Saved $30 on Groceries Using MTN Tips

If you use the tips that my fellow mom interns have been sharing on this site over the past several weeks, you can definitely reduce your costs at the grocery store.  I saved $30 shopping for groceries today!   I’m not a coupon person, per se,  but did take the time to browse through this week’s coupons and grocery store flyer to see what was on sale.  (Well, I made my husband do it, because he likes coupons more than I do.)  We planned our menu around what was on sale.

Then I took Penny Pinching Diva’s advice given in last week’s Buzz a Mom edition, and stocked up on sale items.   We now have a well stocked pantry and our coupons gave us $30 worth of savings!   And we racked up $1.00 off per gallon of gas at our next fill up too.

Thanks to all the interns who have posted such great tips on cutting costs over the past few weeks.  Ahem.  They really do work.

What Kind of Bargains Can You Find in a Recession?

With so much focus on the recession, we might not realize that this is also an opportune time to buy.  Keep in mind prices on many items have dropped drastically. 

This is the best time in nearly 20 years to buy a house or refinance a house.  It’s a great time to buy a TV, buy a car, get Lasik eye surgery, get braces for you or your kids, take a cruise, have a little plastic surgery or travel. 

According to this article, the price of Lasik has dropped 25%, orthodontic care is off by 40%, and wrinkle-reducing procedures are down too.  If you’ve always wanted to take a cruise or go on an African Safari, now’s the time.    

It’s also a great time to find lower interest credit cards or negogiate lower rates with anxious credit card companies eager to keep your business.  If you need repairs made on a house, contractor rates have dropped too. 

And keep an eye on energy policies as the country moves toward green energy and green technology.  It might make sense to buy even one share of stock in green.  If you’re brave enough to buy stock, know that prices are low, low, low.  

Are all businesses being hurt by the recession?  Guess again, because one very well known business is thriving.  Watch your expenses, but know that bargains are out there.

Link Love for Moms: Surviving the Recession

A gentle reminder to love thy neighbor in these recessionary times. Now, more than ever, we need to pay attention to our community and reach out to those who are struggling.

Tired of boring manila file folders? Try this pretty way to cheer up your workspace. Your bills may even thank you!

Has your family completely stopped dining out? Here are some great ways to save money and still eat out once in awhile.

Thinking about how you can reduce expenses? Find out about how you can find 100 different ways to save $100 this year.

Is it possible to feed your family for $2 per person per day? Thrifty Florida Mama has embarked on a three week challenge to feed her family of six for $12 a day.

Looking for frugal, original party favor ideas? Homemade children’s books are a fun idea! You may even want to make some for yourself!

No matter what is going on around us, let’s focus on God and others. Let’s remember to be thankful and look for opportunities to give.

Unusual Ways to Sell Your Home in a Foreclosure Market

For those of you who are selling a home now or will be in the next few months, my heart goes out to you. It is a terrible time to be a seller.

Buyers have a glut of homes to choose from, including an abundance of low-priced foreclosures. But if you must do it, know that this is a ridiculously upside down, competitive market.

Buyers are extremely picky. Your house must be better priced than anything near it and be updated as well. Buyers may look at your house for all of two minutes, while you have spent hours cleaning it for the appointment time. When you ask the realtor about it, she will tell you that the buyers have “20 other homes to see today.” Yikes! Read more

Download It For Free: Family Budget Checklist

If your family finances are getting a little unruly and you want to do more with you money and for your family, here’s a quick checklist guide to help you out. Find out what you should include in your budget (some things you may not have thought of before) and what to do with that information.

Click here to get yours (PDF)*

This is a PDF document and you will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader software to view it. If you don’t have this software, you can get it here.

Moms Best Financial Goals For The New Year

Each and every year, after the holiday credit card bill shows up, we make resolutions with the best of intentions. And, within a month or maybe less … we’ve given up completely. Why is that?

Vague Goals
The goals we oftentimes set are unrealistic or are too vague to be trackable. Here are some examples of resolutions Read more

When Do You Start?

I know that the holidays are just beginning and you probably don’t even want to begin thinking about next year, but it is inevitable that next year will come, and it will be here sooner than you think. The months just have a way of “flying by”. So, my question is “when do you start planning and saving for next year?” When do you begin to think about the expenses that you will have again this time next year in order to celebrate the holiday season?

One thing is for sure, we’d all be better off if we did think ahead, if we did begin to think and plan for the next holiday season as soon as this one ended. Instead of letting the months fly by and remembering too late that we have a long list of gifts to by, meals to fix, and holiday cards to send out. Expense after expense that throws us all into orbit each year, though we all know it is coming. No surprise, yet why do we always let it catch us by surprise and through us into a financial crisis year after year?

So this year, think smarter, and start earlier so that you can be prepared for the expenses of the next holiday season.

Holiday Budget Tips – Keep Things Under Control This Year

The holiday season is one of the many times of year when families find it hard to keep the budget in check. The following article gives you 10 ideas to reverse the vicious cycle.

10 Best Debt-Busting Holiday Strategies for 2008

By Cindy Morus, Creator of the Pay Debt Quickly System

According to a Gallup poll, the average American family will spend $801 this year on Holiday gifts. Remember an average means that some people spend way more and some people spend a lot less. With economic times tough this year for most people, it’s a good chance to talk to your friends and family about cutting back on Holiday gift giving, seeking alternatives or even eliminating it altogether. Most people have more than enough “stuff” and that’s why they are so hard to buy for. Read more

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