Search Results for: blog how long until you start to make money

Be Content with What You Have and Save Time

Something funny happens when you start being content with what you have. You gain more time to do the things that you love. No longer are you having to hunt down and scheme for the material things in life, or work harder to afford them. Instead, you can sit back and enjoy the little things that make life worthwhile, all while saving time. Here is a good example. We used to spend most weekends or even weeknights running around doing shopping errands. You know, the typical trips to Target and Home Depot with maybe some groceries thrown in. While we … Continue reading →

Beach Fun on a Budget

April is almost over.  Time is marching on.  Soon, your spring flowers will be a distant memory as the dog days of summer hit and all you care about is watering yourself rather than your blossoms. Summer fun means picnics, barbeques and visits to the beach, but those good times can add up quickly if you aren’t careful.  To avoid busting your budget on trips featuring the sun, sand and surf, consider these money-saving ideas: DIY Beach Towel Large decorative beach towels don’t come cheap.  If you have a large family, buying a new towel for each member can put … Continue reading →

Teaching Money to Kids

At a Glance: Product:  Family Mint Money Management Certification Program Ages:  10 and up.  You can begin as early as 6 year old if you use the website as well. Use:  A family tool to teach children to how to handle money properly to ensure a secure financial future. Duration:  2 months Homeschool Method:  Any.  The program includes online resources and a workbook.  If you prefer the workbook only it is all inclusive and no internet needed. Cost:  $29.99 as a special introductory offer for the 60 page workbook plus a lifetime subscription to FamilyMint Premium and online only for $24.99 a year … Continue reading →

How to Prepare Your Child for a Real Job

If you don’t want to be the family with the 20-something adult child laying on your couch, then you have to get started early with helping to prepare your kid for his or her first real job, one that can support a basic lifestyle and have an expectation of self sufficiency. Ideally, you have been giving your child or children important money lessons since they were preschoolers, but the most critical time comes when they reach the age of 13 or 14. That is when they need to know that when they become adults, they will be expected to hold … Continue reading →

Little Hands = Big Help

Know how you can save money around the house?  Put your kids to work. Many parents shy away from assigning household jobs to their young children rationalizing that it takes less time and energy if they simply complete the tasks themselves.  Of course, a child is never going to learn how to make a bed, clean a toilet or fold laundry if his parent doesn’t allow him to get hands-on experience and make mistakes along the way.  Most kids learn from their errors, though that’s little consolation to the mom who has to refold an entire basket of clean laundry … Continue reading →

To Get Out of Debt, Start Small

The bills are piling up in the corner of your desk, and it seems that every day the mail brings a new stack to deal with. Although the collection agencies haven’t started calling yet, you know that it is only a matter of time before they do. You want to get out of debt and get back on track, but the whole thing seems so overwhelming. Fortunately, it really doesn’t have to be. Just start small and go from there. Most financial advice about debt will guide you toward paying off the debt with the highest interest rate first. This … Continue reading →

The Spending Diet Game Plan

Lose the extra weight from your budget by putting your spending habits on a diet. At the end of the month, you’ll have extra money that you can use to pay off some outstanding debt, and your budget will be slim and trim. Keep it up for six months or more, and your budget will be healthier than it has ever been. When you diet to lose weight, you must burn more calories than you take in if you want to be successful. A spending diet is similar, although in this case, you must take in more money than you … Continue reading →

James and the Emerald Night Train

An eleven year old boy who has autism saved up his money for years in order to buy a very special LEGO set. Imagine the disappointment he must have felt when, after reaching the amount he needed, it turned out that he still could not afford to buy it! Fortunately, this story is one that ended in a very happy way. You’ve heard of LEGO. It is the company that makes little colored plastic bricks of different shapes that can be easily snapped together. The bricks can be popped back apart later on, and used to build something else. LEGOs … Continue reading →

Let There Be Light

If it were a crime to be eating leftover Halloween candy in late November, I’d be in jail right now. There’s something not quite right about stuffing your face with Reese’s Peanut Butter Pumpkins while stringing up Christmas lights. Which is why I did the former rather than the latter today. Apparently, I was the only one. It seems all my neighbors were on the same page this weekend: “Let’s add some holiday twinkle to our homes while Michele polishes off her kid’s Halloween treats.” Mission accomplished. On both fronts. Listen, I’m all about decking the halls, but my family … Continue reading →

How to Use FreeCycle

Imagine getting everything from furniture to baby clothes for free? How about the opportunity to avoid dump fees on items you no longer want (and keeping them out of the landfill in the first place) while blessing others. That is the beauty of Freecycle. What is Freecycle All About? Freecycle is an organization that is broken into smaller, local groups. Each group is made up of freecycle members that live in a certain area. It is absolutely free to join, and each group usually uses Yahoo Groups to manage things. Volunteer monitors make sure that everything stays fair and safe, … Continue reading →