Solo Mother

The school where the KoE goes has a required uniform. Not even a dress code. A uniform. And I think it’s a  good thing. All the kids are equal, and no one feels left out because he or she can’t afford the coolest sweater or the hippest jeans. There are no tween navels gazing serenely out at the class. There’s little in the way of bling.
My kid’s school didn’t really get a uniform swap together. Our PTO leader wanted to charge for the swap. I was hoping we could do a “bring three outfits, pick up two” sort of swap, …read more

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$$$
My spending habits have slipped lately. I’ve been dipping into Starbucks for their reduced-fat turkey bacon and egg sandwich in the morning, and a big cup of adequate coffee, to go. Five dollars and change several times a week. A stop at the grocery store yesterday and out flew $75 on the small stuff. Not a whole meal in the bag. Hardware store, $40 on a humidifier for my son’s bloody noses… I’ll get around to a humidifier for my bloody noses oh… maybe in February.
I’m not comfortable spending all money right now. The economy is tanking, my office is …read more

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As soon as I stop carpet-bagging around the National Conventions, I’m going to curl up in bed with a good book or three.
Cookbooks.
One of the most difficult things to do with little time and less money is prepare healthy, home-cooked meals for your family. Modern conveniences have made pressure cooking and Crockpots a must-have in busy homes. If you’re dealing with the double crunch of time and money, hop on over to ABC.com and copy the recipes from Five Budget-Conscious Main Courses into the back of your cookbook.
Here are some other thoughts on making meals a snap…

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Thanks BizzyWoman for pointing me to this great site. Denise Bergeron authors Financial Help for Single Moms, a site filled with articles about a wide variety of topics, from credit counseling to online degrees to budget worksheets. It doesn’t have that personal, one on one feel we’ve all come to love in the blogosphere, but someone has taken the time to put together some helpful resources, and I for one am grateful.
Maybe I’ll start looking at online degrees…

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I’m watching all of you solomoms and dads, all you families and young folks just starting out. I’m watching you open your wallets and watch the moths fly out from within empty, cavernous regions.
I’m listening to irate writers demanding more off-shore drilling, more drilling in Alaska.
I’m hearing crazy politicians try to stick it to the ‘orl sheeks’ and demand a drop in the cost of orl oil.

Andrew Leonard’s article in Salon (Why gas is so expensive) takes a valiant stab at sorting the whole mess out. Please read the whole thing, even as I reveal the punchline:
It seems …read more

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When I added up rent and utilities, loan payment, groceries, and summer camp for the King of Everything, then subtracted it from my take home pay, you know how much I have left?
$100.

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I think I’ve got two weeks of after work time to pack up our whole house and move to mid-town. The packing would go much more quickly if the King of Everything would stop stealing my boxes. Currently, he is doing cartwheels through the house inside the box.
Doubt me, do you?

He begged me for days for a box to play in… since I don’t have a car, it’s difficult to get boxes to the house, and these were delivered by the coolest mom in the universe, my own mama. But in the end, I sacrificed one box to the …read more

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I’m loving the charity movement through the Blogosphere this holiday season. Having rather recently been a woman who needed more charity than she could ever give back, I will never again doubt the ability of a caring, compassionate community to turn peoples’ lives around for the better.
Which is why I’m writing about IttyBiz today. Seems they have decided to donate the proceeds of anything bought through their Amazon affiliate links to an as-yet unnamed Charity. So if you are thinking of buying something for the holidays through Amazon.com, please consider clicking through their site. This post will explain the …read more

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You ladies are the best! This single mother has a handful of new tricks up her sleeve when it comes to financial responsibility, and I thought I’d share their wisdom out here on the front page, rather than leave it hidden in the comments…
If you’re struggling to make ends meet and put a little away, besides, listen to what these wise ladies have to say about taking care of the business of financial responsibility…

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The King of Everything’s new school sent home a rather impressive list of school supplies to bring with him on the first day. He also wears a uniform–and is growing like a weed.
It makes August a tight month.
I tried taking out my entire monthly budget in cash at the beginning of the month, but that didn’t work very well. I’d spend half of it in the first week and then limp along for the rest of the month, then have to spend more than I’d anticipated for this or that. So this month, I’m back to dealing with …read more

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