How Will I Ever Pay For College?

My son just started high school this year, and while I notice that he has a sudden preoccupation with his grades as he realizes that everything now “counts” towards his prospects of getting into the college of his choice, I have found myself with a new preoccupation.   How in the world will I ever be able to pay for college in just four short years?

Yes, I’ve read all the articles about the importance of beginning to save for your child’s education from the moment of their birth.  But let’s face it – the extra money has not always been there to save.  First there was a new baby to feed, then another came along, and a new house, and all the other expenses that come along with living in today’s world.  I saved when I could, but sometimes I just didn’t have enough left over to put away for the future.  So now with college looming just four short years away, I’m starting to panic because I’m not quite sure how I’ll manage to pay for college!  And with the ever-rising costs of higher education these days and the ever-worsening economy, I’m determined to make myself an expert on how to go about finding ways to help finance my child’s education. [Read more]

Surviving Family Road Trips

Family road trips can be a source of great pleasure, or misery, depending on how prepared you are for the experience.  If your kids are the type that ask “are we there yet?” just moments after pulling out of the driveway, then arm yourself with some fun ways to pass the time on the road and you’ll soon be enjoying each other’s company as the miles pass you by.

Of course, in this great age of technological advancement, there are always gadgets to keep your kids busy and entertained when on family road trips, such as portable DVD players, IPODs, game boys and PSP players.  But if you can limit the amount of time they’re “plugged in” in the car, you can use the time spent in such close quarters to really have fun as a family, to laugh and to talk.  Car time can be a great source of togetherness and quality time, since all outside distractions are absent.

I have put together a list of some of the best classic travel games to entertain the whole family in the car, as well as a few other helpful hints to make your next family road trip run smoothly.  Most games can be adapted for kids of any age and some are games that you can either play as an entire family or you can just leave the kids to entertain themselves in the back seat while you enjoy a little peace and quiet with your spouse in the front. [Read more]

100 Text and IM Shortcuts So You Can Communicate With Your Kids

Being the mom of a teen and tween, I’ve certainly discovered that I am no longer the expert on everything.  I have officially reached the point in my parenting life where my kids can teach me as much as I teach them.  Some of what I learn from them leaves me baffled or shaking my head, but some of it I can embrace as a way to bridge the generation gap between us. 

That is certainly the case when it comes to texting and instant messaging.  When the kids first started IMing on the computer and then texting with their cell phones, I had a few lessons to teach them.  Don’t write anything you wouldn’t otherwise say to someone.  Remember that anything you write can be easily shared and can spread as quick as a wild fire so make sure it’s something that does not offend, embarrass or comprise yourself or anyone else.  And most importantly, when you have something important to say to someone, learn to say it to them face to face and don’t take the impersonal route of hiding behind a quick text or IM message. [Read more]

Community Service - Make it a Family Affair

Is community service right for your family?  There are two ways to approach the idea of getting your family involved with community service projects.  One is with the notion that you don’t have enough time in your day to spend it helping someone else when there’s so much you already need to do for yourself and your family.  The other one involves embracing not only what your family can do to help the community by getting involved, but appreciating what you can also receive in return. 

The first scenario creates a “me first” attitude.  Don’t do anything for others until you’ve done everything possible for yourself.  The second teaches our kids important lessons about the interaction of members of a community and also shows them that sometimes by helping others we also wind up helping ourselves in the process. [Read more]

25 Ways to Save at the Supermarket

In these days of financial strain, we’re all looking for ways to save money wherever we can.  When it comes to tightening up budgets, there are some obvious ways to trim expenses, such as eating out less often, spending less at the mall, and curbing entertainment expenses.  But we all have to eat on a daily basis, so not buying food is not an option for any of us.  Thankfully, there are some ways to save at the supermarket and trim your food bill without making your family go hungry.  Many of these supermarket saving tips are common sense, and some you’ve likely heard before, but if you combine as many of the tips as possible, they will add up to big savings at the supermarket over the course of the year!

25 Ways to Save at the Supermarket:

1. Make a list before you go.  And stick to it!  Supermarkets spend a lot of money to market items to consumers and get them to purchase on the spot and the majority of supermarket purchases are impulse buys.  Get into the habit of making a list of what you need before you enter the store and stick to the list so you don’t walk out spending more than you planned on. [Read more]

10 Easy “Green” Habits

Nowadays, everyone is extolling the virtues of ‘green living’.  It’s definitely about time that we took notice of our planet and what we need to do to save it, but sometimes I find that a lot of the eco-friendly talk revolves around products that are too expensive for the average consumer, or celebrities that have the money to completely revamp the way they live their lives, or methods that are such a big change from the way that we are used to living our daily lives that they seem unattainable.  But green living doesn’t have to be expensive and it doesn’t have to be a lot of work either.  There are so many ways to live in a more eco-friendly way that are easy to do and will actually save you money in the process.

As you may know, I’m all about the shortcuts that help to get things done quickly and easily.  I believe in working smart, rather than working hard, so I am always ready to embrace ideas that have a lot of impact without requiring a great deal of effort or sacrifice.  So I have included ten of the easiest ways to ‘go green’ while also saving some green.  As always, if you have any tips to add, please do so, because the more we can help each other, the better this world will be! [Read more]

5 “No Brainer” Fundraising Ideas

So, you’ve just been asked to help fundraise for your daughter’s school, your son’s baseball team, your church or synagogue, a cancer fundraising walk or the local playground, and you’re cringing because you know what’s in store for you - lots of frustration and lots of work to come up with the needed money.  Add to that the likelihood that most of your friends and neighbors may avoid you for the duration of your fundraising campaign, and it doesn’t exactly leave you excited to get started!

Well, like many other things in life, fundraising is clearly one of those efforts where there are ways to work hard or ways to work smart, and I always choose the latter.  Having been involved in many projects over the years to raise money for numerous organizations, teams, schools and such, I have found that there are ways to fundraise that don’t necessarily require a lot of work or the chance that your best friend may never talk to you again!  [Read more]

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