I know that being a single parent is hard for both moms and dads who go at it alone. Add to that the lack of child support and it seems to be a losing battle. I am sure there are single parents out there who are very successful and are able to care for their children without financial concern. I wish I were one of them. I chose not to pursue child support because I knew that with child support would be visitation. I didn’t want the father of my child to have visitation. I made the financial sacrifice in … Continue reading →

It takes two to tango and with that comes responsibility. Is your baby’s other parent trying to ditch their obligation to contribute with child support payments? Do not let it happen. It is so difficult to raise a child on your own even with additional financial help. Without the extra money it is that much more difficult. As the parent taking the most responsibility of child care, your child deserves to have the necessities provided for. One parent should definitely not shoulder this responsibility all alone. If you are having a problem getting the other parent to help out financially … Continue reading →

I know that the sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and your kids are getting all excited about playing outdoors. The single parent, being the practical people that they are, must think about winter for a bit before getting all carried away about the upcoming summer season. Now is the time that you can rake in the savings on clothes for your kids for next winter. If this past years winter coat looks a bit ragged on your son or daughter, pick up a new one for mega savings. Do the same with hats and gloves. You might even … Continue reading →

Having a birthday party can take a chunk out of your wallet. Having more than a couple of kids to give a party for can lead us to the poorhouse if we are not careful. This is true for parents everywhere, but a single parent or families with one income can feel the pinch that much worse. With the faltering economy being what it is most of us are leery about spending money unnecessarily. Just about every kid’s place in town now offers to “host” your child’s birthday party. This is great because that leaves the parents with one very … Continue reading →

If you are a single parent with custody of your child, you should be collecting child support. However, that isn’t always the case. Did you know that according to the National Coalition for Child Support, there is $89 Billion in past-due child support currently uncollected in the United States. That doesn’t even include the parents who haven’t even sought child support yet. With so many people collecting child support out there, it seems that several myths have cropped up and here they are: Myth: Child Support goes to the child or children. Fact: Child support is exactly that – support. … Continue reading →

In my years as a single parent, there are a few strategies that I have found quite beneficial—not only do they make my life a little easier, but they give me peace of mind and just make good sense. Wherever possible, I try to make sure that I do not run out of important things. This can be challenging when a person has limited storage space (I live in a townhouse and do not have a pantry, garage, or abundant storage) and when a single parent leads a busy, active life. If there was ever anyone who needed to be … Continue reading →

Yesterday, I was moving throughout the grocery store and for some reason, the prices of the items on the shelves and in the cases were really catching my attention. While I am a fairly budget-minded single mom and I do keep close watch on where all the money goes, I have not really given much thought to how much so many of the daily needs and basics have increased in price. As tempted as I am to make a big ruckus over how challenging it is for the average family to make ends meet, I realized that there really was … Continue reading →

You know you SHOULD do a budget, but you may find yourself living paycheck to paycheck and being too tired, overwhelmed or uneducated to know how to go about designing a budget that will actually reflect your family finances and help you to plan for expenses. Where can you turn for help and what can a single parent do to learn more about budgeting? Help with budgeting may be as close as your bank or credit union. Many have customer service individuals who may be able to help you and more and more banks have budgeting information available with online … Continue reading →