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If you were watching Today this morning, you know that today marks the end of my sixperiment (if you don’t know what I’m talking about, click that link for a briefer). I’ve officially made it through 30 days of wearing only six items of clothing, often updating Facebook, Twitter and this blog with my progress. It was fun, monotonous, frustrating, a little boring, and very often a bit of a relief. My morning routine was, to say the least, streamlined.
I also learned a lot about how to edit my closet – what I need, what I don’t need – and I have a few bags ready to be donated. To that end, I thought I’d share some tips with you. Even if you’re not ready or willing to limit yourself to six items of clothing – trust me, I understand – it can be really freeing to clean out your closet and live a little more simply, whatever that means to you. The extra money in your pocket is just icing on the cake. More…
Earlier this year, the CARD Act went into effect, changing the credit card market as we knew it. Many of the changes were in favor of the consumer: a grace period is now required on interest rate increases, there are new notification rules, and creditors have to consider payments made before 5pm on the due date as on time.
Another provision, though, was a huge game changer for college students: In order to get a credit card under age 21, you have to prove you have the income to make the payments, or get a co-signer. More…
This week, I invited Naomi Panzer, creator of mymommymanners.com, to help us deal with some of the awkward moments that pop up between moms every now and then. I hope you enjoy – and let us both know what you think in the comments.
Making friends with other moms can be downright daunting (and keeping them, just as exhausting). The constant, swirling mass of mom-on-mom judgment, criticism and competitiveness makes connecting with our parenting peers an endless cycle of frustration—from the mom at preschool who’s always one-upping you, to your old friend who thought it was fun to give your sugar-free daughter a frosted doughnut.
It’s no surprise that one of the touchiest topics among moms is money. Having too much, not having enough, where you spend it and how you handle it wiggles its way into motherhood and can sabotage even the closest of friendships. More…
This week, I asked Erin Chase, a fellow blogger and the author of The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook, to join us with a guest post. She’s a master at putting inexpensive – and easy – meals on the table, and offered to share two of her favorite recipes.
When it comes to making dinner in my kitchen, I’m always on the lookout for the easy, convenient and of course the least expensive way to get dinner on the table. I love this White Chicken Chili recipe because it is made from scratch, it slow cooks all day, and it satisfies the hungry masses come dinner time!
Making your own sauce from scratch saves both time and money. I recommend making up a large batch of homemade white sauce and freezing it in plastic containers, in 2 or 3 cup portions. I substitute 1 can of “cream of” soup for 2-3 cups of homemade white sauce.
Also, cooking dried beans in large batches, then freezing in meal size portions, adds to your time and money savings. Rather than cooking 1 cup of dried beans at a time, prepare the entire bag, drain, cool, then freeze the cooked beans in 2 cups portions. I find that 2 cups of cooked beans is the equivalent of 1 15 ounce can of beans. Cooking dried beans costs 50-75% less than buying canned beans.
By making your own sauce and cooking dried beans, this White Chicken Chili meal comes in well under the $5 mark! More…
This week, I invited one of my favorite sources on work/life balance – something we’re all striving for – to write a guest post about finding a job that works with your hectic schedule. Allison O’Kelly is CEO of Mom Corps, a flexible-employment staffing service. The company provides employers who are looking for part-time workers with a pool of candidates, and professionals with flexible job opportunities.
In today’s economy, it’s hard enough to find a job – let alone, a flexible one that suits your needs both as a professional and a working mom. But don’t despair – in actuality, this may be one of the BEST times to land the flexible gig you need to finally achieve and maintain some form of life/work fit.
While the economy has definitely taken a toll on the job market, it has also forced us companies and employees to reevaluate how we work – and we have seen flexibility placed at the forefront of this change. When companies couldn’t afford to reward and entice employees with bonuses or raises, they were forced to get creative and offer flexible work schedules, four-day work weeks, sabbaticals, and telecommuting options instead. When workers could not find full-time, traditional positions, they in turn started freelancing, contracting, and even interning. Both corporations and workers have seen the benefits of workplace flexibility in terms of morale and profits, and the average 9 to 5 has been redefined during the recession.
So how can you find a flexible job that matches your skill set and experience? More…
If you have a child either in or about to enter college, you likely know that we’re in the midst of FAFSA season. This one form – the Free Application for Federal Student Aid – gets the ball rolling on any financial aid your child may receive for school. In order to qualify for Pell grants, Stafford loans, PLUS loans, and work-study programs, you must fill it out.
Unfortunately, it’s also a form that has many parents pulling out their hair, year after year. If that’s you, I’ve compiled the top five ways to simplify the process. Much like doing your taxes, it’s never going to be painless, but these tips will certainly make it easier: More…
I was recently laid off, and after searching for a new job in the same field for several months, I’m considering starting over in a new field. What are some fields I should look into? – Emily, Massachusetts
Whether you’re in a job right now that you just can’t stand, or, in your case, looking to start over, it’s important to consider a few things. Ask yourself some questions – what are you good at? What industries need people with the skills you have? The U.S. Department of Labor offers an Occupational Outlook Handbook right on their website, which is a great way to find out what jobs your skills might match up with.
Once you’ve found a few jobs you think you’d be good at, you should start to look at what’s out there – not only on job-search sites like Monster.com and CareerBuilder.com, but by asking friends, fellow alumni, and anyone else who would be an asset to your business network. More…
Congratulations to Bridget Hewson of New York, the recipient of the Jean Chatzky Collection wallet! Now, we have our last weekly giveaway – the Franklin Covey Jean Chatzky Collection Card Case! It’s a perfect place to store your own business cards, and collect those of your friends and colleagues! Click here, type “CASE” in the message window, and submit to enter! Then, visit Franklin Covey’s Jean Chatzky Collection site to check out all of the other great products!
You’ve likely seen my weekly Money 911 segment on NBC’s Today – in fact, I post a video on this blog each week, in case you miss the live version.
I hope that the questions I’ve answered in those segments have helped you, and that they continue to do so. But it’s impossible for me to get to every question that hits my inbox. You no doubt have more money questions, and for those, I encourage you to check out my new book, also called Money 911, which is hitting shelves as we speak. More…
WHO: Alex Andon
WHAT: Jellyfish Art, a company that designs decorative, custom made and desktop jellyfish aquariums
WHEN: 2008
WHERE: San Francisco, CA
HOW: They often say that in order to be successful in business, you have to start out doing the dirty work. Just ask twenty-five-year-old Alex Andon, founder of Jellyfish Art. “Before starting Jellyfish Art I was working as a lab technician at a biotech company…my job was to process monkey, rat and human stool samples, which was a nauseating task,” says Andon. A marine biology student in college, Andon always had an interest in captive jellyfish breeding and knew how much of an attraction jellyfish were at public aquariums. “Jellyfish have been hugely popular since scientists discovered how to display them in captivity about ten years ago,” says Andon. More…
