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Save Time, Save Money & Save Your Sanity! www.HelpingMomsAtHome.com September 4, 2009 Volume 3 Issue 3 http://www.HelpingMomsAtHome.com In This Issue * Avoid the Rush - Organize Your Mornings * 5 Ways to Save $20 a Month * Just for Fun * Important Info. "The only rock I know that stays steady, the only institution I know that works is the family." Lee Iacocca ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * Wow it's hard to believe summers almost over! The kids are in school already and now is the perfect time to make some small changes to your routine. The articles included this month offer a bunch of small changes that can save you money and some of your sanity. I hope the first article is a little sanity-saver for you. It talks about a couple things you can do to control the chaos and help your mornings run smoother. If you're a mom, you know that mornings can get crazy with kids not wanting to get up, wanting to wear dress ups to school, or not wanting to go to school at all. The second article gives you 5 ways to save $20 a month. Nowadays, who couldn't use an extra 20 bucks in their wallet. So enjoy the newsletter and have a wonderful month! Kim ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * Please Support Our Sponsors Moms remember what your body looked like before your kids? You can get that back. No really! Try these fast, fun workouts you can do from home. 15 minutes a day is all it takes! You've got to check this out! http://shavattk.fitmummy.hop.clickbank.net/ Living on a Dime ebook series. Incredible ebooks that give real life examples on how to live frugally. Dining On A Dime Cookbook: Eat Better, Spend Less!, Penny Pinchin' Mama: 500 ways I lived on $500 a month, and Dig Out of Debt: Over 1000 of the Best Ideas From LivingOnADime.com which I have personally read and highly recommend! http://shavattk.livingonad.hop.clickbank.net/ To Advertise Here visit www.HelpingMomsAtHome.com ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * Avoid the Rush - Organize Your Mornings Hate having to rush around every morning looking for a missing shoe. Can't find little Johnny's homework? No time to fix a real breakfast? Well, now that the kids have gone back to school it's time to get organized. Here are a couple really easy ways to help your life run a bit smoother in the mornings. To start off, you need to focus on when your kids get home from school in the afternoon. I know I said we'd talk about getting your mornings to run smoother, but hang in there. When your kids come home immediately go through their book bags. Take out the lunch boxes, any notes from their teachers, handouts, and sign any papers. While the kids are working on their homework, you can fill their lunchboxes with juice, napkin, etc. I like to wait until morning to make sandwiches so they are less mushy. Once their homework is done it goes directly into their book bags and they are placed in it's designated spot by the door. That way all their homework and signed papers are in the book bag ready to go in the morning. Once a week let your kids help pick out enough outfits for the entire week. Purchase a hanging clothes organizer that are labeled each day of the week. That way the kids can see what they are going to be wearing. This will help cut down on the arguing over what to wear in the mornings, because you've already approved a couple outfits ahead of time. In addition to clothes, add any items necessary for that day. For example if Tuesday, little Johnny has swimming lessons be sure to include his swim trucks and goggles for that day. Some items won't fit in your organizer, so a simple chart posted near the door or on the refrigerator will help you remember miscellaneous items such as musical instruments, sports gear, and library books. Kids thrive on routines. They know what to expect and things run smoother. For younger kids you can create a little chart of pictures showing make bed, get dressed, eat breakfast, brush teeth, comb hair, put shoes on, go to school, etc. One sure fire way to help make your mornings run smoother is to get up and ready before you wake the kids up. If you've gotten up, showered, fixed your hair, put on make-up, maybe had a cup of coffee - you will feel more prepared for the day and have more time to devote to your kids. These are just a few things that have worked for me and I hope they help your family have calmer, more enjoyable mornings. To receive a fre*e printable family planner visit http://www.helpingmomsathome.com/weeklyfamilycalendar.pdf ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Kimberly Shavatt is the owner of HelpingMomsAtHome.com and Helping Moms @ Home Blog. She offers lots of hints, tips, time saving, and money saving ideas and resources for moms. ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * 5 Ways to Save $20 a Month What could you do with an extra $20, $60 or $100 a month? Now, $20 may not seem like a lot of money to some, but if you tuck that $20 away it adds up to $240 a year. Now were talking about some substantial money. Here are 5 ways you can easily save $20 a month. 1. Trim 1 trip out for lunch a week. The cost of a value/combo meal at most fast food restaurants will run you $5 to $7 each. By bringing a bag lunch 1 day a week you can easily save $5 a week or $20 a month. The key is to bring leftovers or something already on hand from home. 2. Use cloth napkins and dish clothes instead of paper towels. Not only is this better for the environment, but it's also better for your wallet. Paper towels can run anywhere from $1 for one roll to $12 for 8 rolls. Ouch! 3. Shave off $5 a week in gas. Some ways to cut down on gasoline usage are to car pool to work or kids activities, run multiple errands instead of one each day, and obviously stay home more often. 4. Cut out your $5 movie rental each week. Start utilizing your local library - many offer free DVD rentals. Another way to save is to trade movies with friends. Just make sure you return them to avoid fees at the library and damaging relationships with friends. Another option is to rent a movie at any RedBox location. The DVDs are only $1 a night and many include newly released DVDs. 5. It may be difficult in this trying economy, but pay your bills on time. Some companies charge $35 a month in late fees. Also, by paying your bills on time, you will have a better credit score and that will help you qualify for better interest rates saving you money. Some of these tips are easy and some more difficult, but all are worth the effort to save you money each month. $5 a week may not sound like much, but that adds up for $240 a year for just one of the ways listed. How many more ways can you think of? ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Kimberly Shavatt is the owner of HelpingMomsAtHome.com and Helping Moms @ Home Blog. She offers lots of hints, tips, time saving, and money saving ideas and resources for moms. ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * Just For Fun http://www.discoverfun.com/ This site has a really neat list of 500 fun things you can do. It's broken down into about 30 categories. See how many you can do this year. Have fun! Tip of the Month Don't know what to fix for dinner. Try typing in "recipes, *" into your favorite search engine. Just substitute the "*" for the ingredients you have on hand. Also, consider adding "easy", a type of cuisine, or type of meal such as a soup or roast. Great Site http://www.Picnik.com This is a really fun site. Upload any of your photos to their site. Then have fun editing, adding text, frames, stickers, etc. Then save and download to your computer or you can send it to Twitter, Facebook, and many more sites at no cost. What's Ahead Next newsletter will be out October 2, 2009. Important Information Please feel free to forward this issue in it's entirety to friends and associates. Anyone can subscribe for free: To contact us: Kimberly Shavatt HelpingMomsAtHome HelpingMomsAtHome@hotmail.com 449 Maryland Avenue Pasadena, MD 21122 To subscribe, change your information or unsubscribe please complete the form below or visit www.HelpingMomsAtHome.com To advertise in this newsletter visit http://www.HelpingMomsAtHome.com/advertising.html |
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