Author Archives: Families.com

How to Encourage Children to Give Back

Each child should learn the importance of giving back, a lesson that will stay with him or her for a lifetime. Giving our children the opportunity to build character and become excellent human beings is one of the responsibilities and the pleasures of being a parent. Not to take away from the importance of this lesson for our children in the future, encouraging children to give back also has the added bonus of eliminating much of the “gimmies” for us parents, right here and now. Did you know that kids are instinctual givers? They are proud to give of themselves, … Continue reading →

Which Debt Reduction Strategy is Right for You?

You are committed to doing whatever it takes to get out of debt and remove financial worries from your life. You see a promising future, filled not with stacks of bills or collection calls, but a paid-off home and enough liquid assets to be able to enjoy life and to provide a future for your children. What a wonderful goal and one that could come true with some good choices and perseverance. Gaining financial freedom first starts with getting out of debt, with forming your own debt reduction plan that contains solid and achievable goals. It is do it yourself … Continue reading →

Do Debt Consolidation Loans Work?

Consolidation loans, or consolidation of debt may work for you in your goals to get out of debt. Consolidation has some benefits, but it also have some risks as well. Find out if consolidation loans would work for you. To consolidate your debt, you would take out a new loan that covers the cost of all of your pressing debt. The new loan pays off all of the others, leaving you with one loan. This consolidation loan must still be paid off, of course. Consolidation loans can make it a little easier to keep up with your debt, since it … Continue reading →

The Best Healthy Food on a Budget

Most of us are familiar with the Ramen every night diet. It isn’t a plan to lose weight, rather a plan to actually afford food, and it has been made famous by college students or anyone just starting out with only a limited budget. But the Ramen Noodle diet isn’t exactly a healthy one. The “meal” contains high levels of sodium and carbs and pretty much zero nutrients. Yes, it will fill you up for less, but it isn’t something you can use to feed a family and keep them all healthy. Another source of cheap food that people often … Continue reading →

5 Things to Make From Scratch to Save Money

Homemade is usually best, especially when it comes to saving money. Here are five things you can make from scratch to save money. They include homemade cleaners, food prepared from scratch, baby items and more. Pizza Pizza dough is quick and easy when you make it in a bread machine. Even with loads of toppings, two large (restaurant large, not supermarket large) thin-crust pizzas will cost you around $4. For a little more money, you can buy prepared dough, but of course making your pizza completely from scratch means a lower cost as well as a lack of preservatives and … Continue reading →

5 Ways to Save on Gym Memberships and Workouts

Ready to fulfill those New Years Eve Resolutions for a healthier body and a more active lifestyle? Gym memberships are a great way to make a regular commitment with professional equipment and classes that are sure to keep you on track. Here are five ways to save money on a gym membership. 1. Negotiate the Gym Fee When you are considering making a commitment to a gym membership then it is time to speak up. Tell them that you are thinking about joining but want to save some money. The health club may go ahead and waive the sign up … Continue reading →

How to Turn Your Resolution to Save Money into a Reality

Make sure that you can turn your resolution to save money into a reality when you put the following steps into place. It isn’t enough just to resolve to be frugal or cut back. You have to make a commitment and then know where to begin and how to keep it going. It takes just 21 days, by conventional wisdom, to turn a resolution into a habit. That means with just a little effort each day for the next three weeks, you can start down a path of a lifetime of saving with the end result being financial solvency. The … Continue reading →

Three New Coupon Rules You Need to Know Now

Coupons can certainly help us save big on our grocery bill, but my how times have changed. Gone are all of the overage and cash back deals or using multiple coupons for the same products (although you still see some of these practices being done on Extreme Couponing shows, since the stores will usually waive their normal current policies in order to participate). In the wake of the extreme couponing craze, as well as extreme couponing fraud, stores and manufacturers have changed their policies, implemented new restrictions, issued less valuable coupons and made getting some coupons more difficult. In response, … Continue reading →

Earn Cash Back Online with Reward Websites

When you shop you can earn cash back online, which is especially nice now that the holidays aren’t too far away. There are several different rewards programs out there that will give you free money for every purchase that you make. If you aren’t using any of these websites, then you are missing out on valuable savings. Why would these websites give you money to shop? It must be a scheme, right? Not true. There are at least four major rebate or cash-back websites out there that are legitimate, giving money back on all of the purchases that a member … 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 →