Tag Archives: savings

Getting Your Finances Straight Before the Hospital Bills Arrive

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When it comes to paying for prenatal care and labor and delivery, get your ducks in a row before you give birth. While eight months may not be enough time to get completely prepared financially, preparing for the large stack of bills before they arrive will give you the upper hand and reduce your stress. First of all, figure out what you can afford. Not many people have the kind of cash it takes to pay a hospital bill in full when it is due, so most of us end up making monthly payments. Figure out what the maximum monthly … Continue reading →

Higher Prices, Lower Crowds at Disney World

Things are going up and down at Disney World these days. The first thing that’s up is the general ticket costs. That shouldn’t be news to anyone who’s considered a Disney vacation in the past few years. Every year Disney keeps raising their prices; since the last time we covered this topic, a one-day one-park adult admission price has gone up again. Now it costs adults $79 to visit a single park for one day, and child tickets have climbed to $68. And that’s not the only price hike that happened in ’09. Many of the prices for the park’s … Continue reading →

Single Parents—Saving Up for Major Purchases

Budgeting is one of the least favorite topics of many single parents—maybe because it is so important to all of us. If the every day budgeting for groceries, clothes and living expenses is not challenging enough, there is the daunting task of saving up for major purchases—a car, house, or other big expensive item. While the nature of saving is the same, it can feel a bit tougher and more challenging to save up for major purchases for the average single parent. It may take more time for a single parent to save up for a major purchase, but I … Continue reading →

Pump up the Savings

One of the clear ways to save money is to use less. We all know that, right? It might surprise you to know that there are certain common things that people usually use too much of, or at least more than they need to use. That extra doesn’t add any benefit, but it does use up our resources sooner, forcing us to buy more and spend money. We are so blessed in our lives. We have the ability to go out and get practically anything we need, from food to health and beauty supplies. What would our ancestors from other … Continue reading →

Year End Savings in January

Many people think once the year is over, and December is gone that the sales and savings stop. This is simply not true. Most stores are in a massive inventory reduction mode to get rid of all the old product. This is not exclusive to discount chains. Most stores in the mall, and retail chains are also getting rid of their 2007 merchandise. The New Year brings new orders, new inventory and a major store clearance event. It doesn’t take much to find them either. Often you will see a huge red or yellow banner hanging on the outside of … Continue reading →

Finding Ways to use up “Bargain” Products

Sometimes, those super bargains are not quite the great value we’re expecting. It happens. It’s just too good of a deal to pass up, or so it seems at the time, but later you find that it wasn’t really the bargain you bargained for. Still, once you have made a purchase, you don’t want to let the product go to waste. Maybe it isn’t as effective or convenient to use as promised, or maybe just not for its intended purpose. Recently, I made such a purchase. I bought laundry detergent -a decent brand name- for a fraction of the price … Continue reading →

What are you doing on this Black Friday?

Did you wake up before dawn reciting your attack strategy in your head as you dressed for the biggest shopping day of the year? Were you one of the brave ones who fearlessly faced the crowds vying for great gifts at unbelievable prices? If so, I hope it was all you expected. I’m taking the day off not only from Black Friday but also from housework. I have no houseguests this year, so cleaning will be minimal and there are plenty of leftovers so while some warming up may occur, there will be no cooking. I am going to eat … Continue reading →

Good Old-Fashioned Savings

Finances are one of those stressful topics that come up again and again for the average single parent. We struggle to make enough money and make what we do have stretch as far as it can. There are questions about insurance, education, and credit and all sorts of other financial concerns that pop up again and again. Even for those of us on the tightest budgets, there is something to be said for good, old-fashioned savings… I think that it doesn’t matter how little we make, we can still put some away in savings. I am not talking about living … Continue reading →

How to Choose a Good Bank

Your money is a treasure. Deciding where to keep it can be a tough decision. These days there are a wide range of options – all better than keeping your money stashed under your mattress! Usually a larger well-known bank is the safest choice; although they are also less likely to offer you quality customer service. Many recommend instead choosing a smaller local bank with a high rating to get the best of both worlds. How to determine a highly rated bank? First ensure they are part of the FDIC, also known as the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. This institution … Continue reading →

Smashing Your Piggy Bank

Whenever you watch a show that focuses on kids earning money, it usually ends with the child reaching their goal and getting out a hammer to smash their piggy bank. This image has always bothered me. I think that it is because I cringe at the idea of breaking something that way. Whenever I wanted to get my money out, I would fish the money out slowly or shake it out of the bank. Similarly as adults how do we react when we reach a savings goal? The savings goal could be enough money for a down payment on a … Continue reading →