Today is Saturday. It is a beautiful fall day and we don’t want to sit in the house, so the only option is to go outside. We would like to do something as a family today, but we are concious of the looming economy and our money at this point, so we are pondering things that are free or cheap. Of course, going to a mall isn’t fun, educational or cheap so we opt for something that will make a lifetime memory - like going to the pumpkin patch or a corn maze. Perhaps we will be able to find a free festival close by - i think the pumpkin festival is this week.
No matter what you decide to do - you can figure out something that is free or cheap without breaking the bank and without sitting on the couch all day. Get out and play with your kids in this fresh fall air and make a lifetime memory today!
Things you can do:
Go to a fair or festival
visit a pumpkin patch or corn maze
make costumes or pick out items you can use to make costumes
pick leaves and glue them to paper and then go through books to figure out the type of leaf and what kind of tree it is
After last nights debate I am beginning to see a side of Sarah Palin that strikes a cord with me. Of course, I don’t know her - or much about her for that matter, but she seems to have a motherly spirit. The spirit in which us mother’s know all to well - the sweet smile, gentle wink and down to business attitude that makes a mom a mom. We are gentle and loving when we need to be, kiss boo-boos better and disperse our magic as needed, but if you mess with our home or our kids - WATCH OUT!
As I watched her last night on the debate, I seen her wink several times. I am sure that this was no way rehearsed, but it seemed to me like the mother of five kids who winks as she is reassuring her kids. Can she be America’s mother? We all know that Laura Bush hasn’t taken on this role and forget hearing anything out of Cheney’s wife. So, if we have a VP that is a women, will we hear more from her? Will we have that female heart that America needs at this moment of crisis?
So, with all of that said, I invite you to watch the debate and see what I mean by her personality and body language. She is a super-mom like us. She is an ALL NATURAL MOMMY!
Most of you reading this are very familiar with the 80’s. No one had any extra money, everyone wore hand-me-downs and cars were driven literally until the wheels fell off. We ate a lot of soup, watched our long-distance calls and lived on tight budgets. In addition to goofy hair styles, I also remember that we were generally HAPPY with our poorness. We had to enjoy one another because we couldn’t afford to run to the mall, the restaurant or just go “do” something. We had to stay home and all we had there was a few board games, crafts and each other. Guess what? IT’s BACK!
Not only are we all starting to feel the pinch of the economy, but very few of us are actually able to go out and spend whatever we want these days. We never know if gas is going to be three something or four something or how much a can of corn is going to spike in the next few days, we were are clutching our wallet and ignoring the “mommy, I wants” just because we don’t know what next week is going to look like.
With that said, what are YOU doing to prepare your family should there be a financial crisis in your family? Are you going to stash cash or simply stop spending or go on living life as you are.
Here are some tips for the upcoming hard-economics we are about to endure:
Start building your savings…even if pennies at a time…and have enough for 4 MONTHS of living expenses should the primary breadwinner lose their job.
Cut back on things you don’t really need - lose the cell phone - or lose the house phone….you don’t need two phones, but make sure if you lose the house phone that your cell phone provider has a system to dispatch 911 to your address in case of an emergency.
Lose the paid cable or cut back. In hard economic times the last thing we need is the boob toob.
Breastfeed your newborns. It’s not only better for your wallet…it’s better for your baby.
Pre-plan road trips. Don’t go out three times a week for groceries, etc. GO ONCE.
Get a job. If you are a mom you can work from home. There are several companies out there helping moms find work at home jobs and my new fav is hiremymom.com - check it out and let us know what you think.
Don’t stress out. Stressing out about money will hurt you, your family and your finances. Come up with a clear plan and stick to it like it was the last plan on earth. Even if you have a surplus this week, you may not next week - live within your budget and be happy with it.