Sometimes you know when you are going to go grocery shopping and other times you just have to grab a few things on the way home. Either way, it helps to be prepared. If you are prepared for your grocery shopping trip, you will save money, save time and have all of the groceries that you need to make your meals and snacks for the week. Keep These Items with You Have a bag stored in the car with a couple of items to make it easy to do your grocery shopping. Carry your coupons everywhere you go. You never … Continue reading →

If you have kids then you know that it is never too early to prepare for summer vacation. Your home life will change as the evenings grow longer and the children are home from school. Here are some ways that you can plan out those days and get your self prepared. The transition will be easier and less stressful that way. Make Note of Important Dates Do you know when the last day of school actually is? Are there half days coming up before then? Will there be parties, dances, fairs, last ditch school fundraisers going on. Make note and … Continue reading →

If you are heading out for Black Friday, you might want to consider making the following preparations now, to make sure that you don’t lose out on those bargains and at the same time, have everything be a positive and fun experience. Prepare a Budget Knowing how much you have to spend will keep you on track and make sure that you don’t get caught up in the bargain frenzy and overspend. Have you heard of the envelope system? Take out the same number of envelopes as you have people to buy gifts for. Place the amount of money you … Continue reading →

Have you ever found yourself at the last minute trying to find a tie or a belt or a clean dress shirt for someone? Between holiday parties and various holiday events, such as Christmas choir, I am afraid that I have found myself in that situation. I remember last year, having to run out the night before a concert to get dress pants, shirt and tie for my oldest son, who grew out of his dressy clothes. The run to the store was not fun, and I probably paid more than I should have paid, because I was in an … Continue reading →

Pregnancy is a wonderful time of life with a lot of unexpected moments here and there. If you can do a little preparation before you get pregnant, you can help things go smoothly for yourself, your baby and your household. Here are some ways that you can prepare for pregnancy even before you get pregnant. Most likely, you won’t realize that you are pregnant for the first three or four weeks of your pregnancy. Meanwhile, anything you ingest could affect your baby, such as prescription drugs or alcohol. A good rule of thumb is to act as though you are … Continue reading →

Are you always behind on preparing your Christmas cards or Holiday cards? Here are some easy steps that you can take to make the process smooth and fun this year. First, get your list started. This may simply be a review of last year’s list. If you don’t have a list, you’ll have to start from scratch. Figure out if you need separate lists for home and business. A good place to start is with your address books. Start with the people that you know you must send cards too. Prioritizing gives you some wiggle room. Instead of trying to … Continue reading →

Many of my friends who are also working parents are scrambling right now to get child care. Stay at home parents are scrambling to figure out what to do with the kids. A combination of half days off and full days off is throwing everyone off of schedule. And with the big holidays coming, things are going to get even more confusing. If you can do a little preparation now, your household will be in great shape, leaving you to take advantage of the school holidays, so everyone has a great time while they are off. Planning ahead will really … Continue reading →

Computers are almost a necessity these days. Everyone has one. There are many of us who use this technology to our advantage, especially when it comes to bill paying. I’m guilty of it. Paying bills and checking balances online is only a click away. What’s not to love about it? It’s easier and faster than worrying about putting a stamp on an envelope and then having to mail it. Not to mention, it’s less paper right? I know that in my house, less paper is a good thing! However, what would happen if your computer suddenly went cahoots on you? … Continue reading →

I use to think that with my frugal ways it just didn’t make sense to keep my pantry stocked. Instead, I would try only to purchase the items that I really needed for the next week or two of meals. However (and as many others have discovered), I was mistaken. As you stock your pantry, it may take a little bit more money to begin with, but you will save money in the end. For instance, you will learn to stock up on items when they are on sale, instead of being forced to pay bigger prices for things when … Continue reading →