Work at Home Moms Articles – WAHM Articles

Financial debt can certainly consume you in more ways that one. It can rob you of sleep, it can cause major anxiety, it can interfere in your marriage, and it can cause you a severe bout of depression. While some of these go hand in hand, there are a growing number of financial debt affects that can result in an unhealthy lifestyle.

With the worldwide failing economy, there has to be certain things we can do to alleviate some of that burden. Well, there are quite a few practical money saving tips that can economically benefit you and your family. Let’s take a look at some of those things.

1) Drink Water: The beverage you drink on a daily basis should be water. Not only will this save you money, but consuming at least 8 full glasses of water each day is extremely healthy for you.

2) Eat Out Less: Stay at home and cook more often verses going out to eat. You can still have that scheduled Friday or Saturday night evening out, but otherwise stick to cooking at home more throughout the week and you will be surprised at how much you save in a year’s time.

3) Ditch That Daily Morning Latte: You know that daily morning latte that you think you have to have on the way back home from taking the kids to school? Ditch that, you don’t need it. Make your own at home and you’ll save a bundle in just a month’s time.

4) Dryer Vent Seal: Make for sure your clothes dryer has a dryer vent seal. This is an air leakage control device. We have one on ours and it’s definitely a money saver.

5) Grocery Shopping Online: Try doing your grocery shopping online. Sometimes you are able to save a considerable amount of your hard-earned dollars by doing this. An added plus, you will save on gas and time as well.

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When you think of frugal living you may think of saving money at the grocery store, but that’s not the only thing you need to think about. Spring is in the air and that means we’re going to be using more water. We’ll be watering the grass, on hot days the kids may want to run through the sprinkler, or they’ll need to fill up the pool.

Depending on the amount of water you need to save, another suggestion is to use a sprinkler that fits your yard more. There is no point in watering the sidewalk or driveway. It’s best to use a sprinkler that will fit your yard. Another idea is to water the edges by hand so you have control over the amount of water used and where it goes.

Another way to save money on water is to pay attention to the time of day you water. You’re going to need more water if you do it during the heat of the day. Your yard will do better if you water later at night or early in the morning. You’ll find the grass will be greener and will need less water when you do it this water.

It’s also a good idea to set a timer when you water. If you get busy or lose track of time you may forget about it and go back to move it after you have standing water in your yard because you watered it for 45 minutes or an hour. Depending on how dry your yard is you shouldn’t need to water more than 15 to 20 minutes for each spot.

One last way to save money is to redesign your yard. If you eliminate grass and other things that require water you won’t have to use the water as much. Now that doesn’t mean you need to completely eliminate it, but if you cut down on the amount of grass or flowers you’ll use less.

I’m not an expert at watering yards and keeping grass green, but I do know how I’ve saved money in the past. Having a nice yard with green grass makes you feel good, but it can come with a hefty bill. If you use these suggestions, it’s possible to have a nice yard and still have money in your pocket. Good luck!

If you’ve ever used your credit cards to pay your monthly bills, you know how stressful that can be. It’s worse when you become dependent on them each month to survive. What you may not be thinking about is the more you use the card, the higher the monthly payment will be, but what’s worse is when you get to a certain point, the credit card company will either lower your limit or they’ll tell you, the card can’t be used.

Another thing that may cause a problem is if you max your card out and the interest puts you over the limit. You’ll receive over the limit fees and your payment will increase to accommodate those fees. If this happens, the stress is going to go through the roof and you may find you feel like you’re losing it all. If you’re a work at home mom and you depend on the income you make from your business to keep you at home, this can be devastating.

While coming out of this may be really difficult and you may feel it’s nearly impossible, just remember, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. With a little hard work, dedication, and the control to not make purchases, you can turn this around and have the money you need. You may need to be creative in finding ways to make this happen through your business, but it is possible when you look at the big picture and you consider everything.

Last year one of my authors wrote an article about paying cash for your purchases. She talks about the Minimum Payment Warning and how long it will take you to pay off a credit card when you only pay the minimum due each month. Click here to see what she discovered and how she was going to handle things so she could purchase a new dishwasher.

This author knows how hard it will be, but when that monthly minimum payment number goes down and she begins to see the balance go down as well, she’ll be jumping up and down for joy because she won’t be paying large amounts of interest and her family will be able to do things they want to do. She won’t have to worry if her vehicle breaks down and she won’t have to worry if she’s going to have enough money for groceries.

This past week my boys have been out of school on spring break. Now most of you know my oldest son just turned 16, so he’s driving now and this week has been really nice. He’s been able to take himself and my youngest to the mall and other places, leaving me time to work and get my stuff done.

While having them home has been nice, it’s also been a learning experience for them. One I thought wouldn’t come for a while, but I’m glad it did. It’s nice when you can show your family how you save money on everyday things at the store.

This week it started out with FREE gum at Safeway. There was a post in one of the Facebook groups I’m a part of that stated if you use the 55 cent coupon at Safeway they would double it to $1 and that would give you the gum for free. In our family, we go through a lot of gum so getting it for free is huge.

So I sent my boys to Safeway to see what they could do. Without them saying anything, I don’t think they believed me, but they gave me the satisfaction and they tried anyway. Needless to say, when they came home the receipt said $0 and they had a pack of gum. It’s too bad we didn’t have any more of that coupon, but it is what it is.

Now today the trick was to get a bottle of Dial Men’s Hair and Body Wash for 50 cents. Walmart had these on clearance and there is a $2 coupon you can use when you buy two. So I sent the boys to Walmart to get four bottles and I told them it would cost $2.30 for the four bottles. Once again the boys came home with four bottles and the cost was $2.30 for all four of them.

I love seeing the look on their faces when I tell them how to get something free or VERY low cost and they can make it happen. Saving money isn’t just for girls, boys can do it too. It shows them with a little time and work they can save money just like anyone else.

All it takes is a little time looking on the Internet and printing coupons and you can save money and get these types of things as well. There are a lot of groups on Facebook and websites online that are there to help you save money each time you go to the store.

Corrie Petersen runs a successful Virtual Assistant business. She has learned to set frugal goals to help save her family money. If you’re looking for ways to save money, click here to purchase her “Taking it to the Extreme: A Guide to Couponing” ebook. She’ll show you how to save money at the grocery store when you use coupons & price matching.

In this economy it is getting harder and harder for some families to make ends meet. There are articles galore on how to survive the economy, but many of those aren’t for people that are really in trouble. If you’ve had to take a different, lower-paying job, or if you were used to living on two incomes and you are now living on just one, or if higher prices are just sucking you dry, then you aren’t concerned about stock portfolios, you just want to survive every day. And you might not know how you can do such LITTLE THINGS to save BIG.

There are a lot of things that real families, in real trouble can do to pinch a penny and it will not hurt a bit.

Save on Your Utilities, Cable and Phone Services

We’ve all heard this one before, but I am going to mention it, because it is important. Raise your thermostat a few degrees in the summer and lower it in the winter. This can really add up to a lot of savings over a year’s time!

If you have a home phone, plus cell phones, ditch the home phone. You are paying a bill that has become completely unnecessary. And if you have astronomical cell phone bills due to overages, then consider a prepaid service. Prepaid isn’t what it once was. It is much better and smarter now. Most companies have some excellent prepaid plans that have unlimited options in regards to text messaging, nights and weekends, mobile to mobile, and other unlimited features. Of course with these plans you don’t usually get roll-over minutes, but you don’t get ANY surprises when it is time to pay the bill each month either. If you have Cricket service in your area, then check that one out first. It is perfect for teens!

If you don’t have a water-saving shower head on the shower, then invest in one. If you don’t have the money to invest in one (and many people just don’t right now), you can still save a ton of money by turning the water on only half way when you shower (or at the sink when you wash your hands). There is no reason to have the faucet going “full blast”. You can get just as clean on half the water. You are literally letting your money go down the drain. And never leave the water running while brushing your teeth.

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Our economy is troubling right now. Many people are losing their jobs, taking pay cuts, or losing hours so that businesses can continue to keep their doors open. The economic problems are affecting everyone, not just the people that are losing their jobs or taking pay cuts.

If you are a work at home mom or a stay at home mom, this can cause stress in your life. If your spouse has lost his job or taken a cut in pay or hours, you may be feeling the stress of knowing that you may have to go get a job to help make ends meet. I know this is something that you don’t want to do, so this article will show you some steps you can take to make sure you don’t have to get a job outside the home.

• Store

One way to save money at the store is to buy only the items that are essential. Don’t buy that awesome shirt that you just know would look great on you, don’t buy that must have pair of earrings to go with that new dress that you purchased, and don’t buy your husband that cool hat that would be an awesome addition to his hat collection. These are luxuries not necessities and so if it came right down to it, these could go by the way side.

Another way to save money at the store is to consider buying in bulk. If you have a Sam’s Club or Costco, you should consider buying your meats, chicken, and canned goods there instead of the grocery store. You will save money in the long run because these items can either be frozen or left on the shelf for several months.

One last option to consider at the store is to purchase generic items when possible. If you think about it, can you really taste the difference between name brand and generic French fries or soup? There may be certain items like cheese or lunch meat that you will want to purchase a name brand rather than generic, but if you can consider generic as much as you can.

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January can be a difficult time of year for some. If you over spent during the Christmas season or you used credit cards to pay for your Christmas gifts, you may find yourself stressed about how you’re going to pay for everything. When this happens, it’s important to find a way to eliminate the stress and pay for the bills as they come in.

The best way to do this is to live frugally for a time. Depending on how much you need to save, you may need to do this for a few months or you may need to adopt the frugal living lifestyle. There are a number of ways to make to do this and a few of them are listed below.

Going out to eat is a habit we’ve all become a custom to and it can cost a lot more money than it would if you were to make your meals at home. Depending on where you live and the place you go, you could spend $30 to $60 or more on your meal. When you go to the store to make your purchases you will spend $5 to $15 on a meal depending on what you prepare. That’s a huge savings each time and that savings could go to pay the bills.

Another way to save money and live more frugally is to use price matching and couponing. Depending on the store you go to and the coupons you use, you could save as little as $5, but you could save a substantial amount which could total $50 or more each time you go. $50 could buy a tank of gas or pay your electric bill, so the savings with this option could be tremendous.

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The New Year is in nine days and if you’re struggling to make ends meet or if you want to set a goal to take a vacation in 2012 you may need to consider doing to frugal living in order for it to happen.

Setting frugal goals is a wonderful way to spend less and have more and the New Year is the perfect time to make that happen. There are a number of things you can do to make it happen, but it’s best to start now so you’ll know exactly what to do to make it happen. Here are a few suggestions to help you set the frugal goals for 2012.

I would say the area you’ll see the most savings when it comes to living frugally has to be at the grocery store. An easy way to save at the store is to purchase generic items whenever possible. Now you make find that’s not always possible or you may not like the generic item and if that’s the case you’ll need to purchase name brand, but if you can’t taste the difference, you should do it. For example, we don’t like generic cheese, but we don’t have a problem with generic soup when it’s used in a meal and not a stand alone item.

Another way to save money at the store is to use coupons. Now you must be careful on this because there may be times when you have a coupon for the name brand product, but if the price isn’t lower with the coupon and you don’t mind a generic, you need to go that route. You’ll need to pay close attention to the prices and quantities or you’ll end up spending more than what is necessary.

One last technique that will help you save money at the store is to use price matching. If your store offers this, you should take the time to write down the price of items you need at other stores and then ask the cashier to match it if it’s higher at the store you’re at. This is a practice that not all stores follow, so it’s important to check before you take the time to do it.

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If you are a work at home mom, you probably find yourself worrying about your finances quite often. When you are unsure of your income from month to month, this can add stress to your life. You know home is where you want to be and you know being your own boss is your dream, but worrying about the money was never supposed to be a part of the big picture.

There are many ways you can save money so you can live your life without stress. It honestly depends on you and your family and what you are willing to sacrifice or give up to be able to continue to stay at home.

As moms, we know how to stretch our dollar as far as possible. For some this may come very easily, but it may be really hard for others in the beginning. There are many things you can do to make this dream of yours continue.

Being a frugal mom is the way to go. This article will give you some tips and tricks that will help you stretch your dollar and make it go a long ways.

• Phone

For some, a landline is a must. That may be the only way you will have an internet connection. If this is the case, think about your cell phone. Do you really need one? Is it possible for your husband to have one and that’s it? If you spend your days at home and your evenings and weekends with your husband, what is the point in paying for the service?

Another thing you need to do is talk to your phone company to see what features you can eliminate to save you money. There is no point in paying for those features that you are not using.

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Christmas is a wonderful time of year, but it can put a huge financial stress on you if you don’t have the funds. If you’re already living paycheck to paycheck or you’re barely getting by, Christmas can push you over the edge.

Here are a few gift ideas that will help you save money and have the ability to give a gift you’ll be happy with.

Dessert mixes are the perfect gift idea and the cost will be much less than a gift would cost. The ingredients will make several mixes so you’ll have the ability give several of them as gifts. There are receipts online for brownie mixes, cookie mixes, and many others.

Another way to save money is to make treats and give them out as gifts. You can make a plate of cookies, a tin of fudge, or a bag of rice krispie treats. Ribbon and a bow make it even more special.

If you find the funds you’ll have for Christmas are low, using these frugal gift ideas, will give you the ability to have enough money to give the gifts you want to give and you’ll know the people receiving them will enjoy them.