A Few FREE Things for Single Moms

by | Sep 16, 2009

Join Pssst! And get free samples in the mail

A couple days ago I got a full-sized sample of a new healthy snack from nature valley. They are Granola bits, the nut lovers flavor. They are a bite-sized half-round granola and nut chunks. The flavor is not bad but I’m not crazy about the texture. I received about 7 or 8 $1.00 off coupons to give away to family and friends. If you’d like one just send me and email to samantha (at) richsinglemomma.com. The coupons will go to the first 7 people. To get free samples in the mail join Pssst!

The Netflix Alternative

If you love movies like my kids and I do then you’ll love Netflix. To me it’s a cheap alternative to cable. I’ve recently cut my cable service way back. Most of the time the TV wasn’t on or I just wouldn’t allow the kids to watch most of it. I had a bundled service including a home phone so since I rarely used the home phone I had the service disconnected, cut back to basic cable, but kept the high speed internet.

Netflix is my cheap alternative to cable in addition to having access to TV shows online through Hulu.com and Fancast.com. With Netfix I get one dvd in the mail which doesn’t have late fees. I also get instant movie viewing online. In addition to movies there are a lot of kid shows, TV series, and documentaries. The $10 monthly fee is worth it compared to the $50-60 cable fee I was paying every month.

Right now Netflix is offering a free trial for one month. Normally the trial period is 2 weeks but they are extending it for select people. If you want to give it a try send me an email and I’ll forward you the 1 month trial special invitation.

 As a bonus and to see if you’d really like the Netflix instant viewing experience you can see The Wizard of Oz for free October 3. You do not have to be a member and you’ll have 24 hours to view the movie.

 Escape to a National Park….For Free!

I just learned that all 391 National Parks will have free admission on September 26, 2009. That day is a day of service and celebration. It’s a time to visit the park and lend a hand to make improvements or simply enjoy it’s beauty. More details are at the National Parks Service website. To find a park near you click on your state at the NPS website.

Be sure to send me an email (samantha (at) richsinglemomma.com) if you want coupons for the Nature Valley Granola snack or a free 1 month trial of Netflix (expires October 31, 2009).

Is Single Motherhood Too Glorified?

by | Aug 17, 2009

Everyday I read about celebrity women deciding to become single moms for one reason or another. I find this disturbing for a number of reasons, the number one of which is the message is sends to the girls and young women who look up to them.

Another reason is, while they proudly flaunt their new status, they will likely never feel the pressure and stress of being a true single mom. They’ll have assistants and nannies to help them take care of the child. They’ll have their money to provide for the child and likely the father will be involved in some way if for no other reason than to claim some of the limelight. Their lifestyle is not threatened by the addition of a child and they will likely not feel the negative effects of their decision like “normal” people.

Different Struggles

The famous people like Halle Berry to the infamous Nadya Suleman do not necessarily have the same struggles as me or the other single moms I encounter each day. There are three ladies at my job who, like me, have to make tough decisions about healthcare, after school care, stretching the money, and dealing with an absent father. There is no one to get up at night and take care of a sick child but us. No assistant. No nanny.

Doing it All vs. Having it All Done for You

The average single mom has to do all the shopping, cooking, cleaning, tutoring, and chauffeuring, on top of working 8-10 hours a day, and keeping it together on the surface. In truth, single motherhood is hard on the body, mind, and spirit. Depression may always be underneath the surface. Recent studies show that single moms are 40% more likely to suffer from depression than married moms. The reasons for depression vary so there is no one size fits all treatment for every single mom.

Depression Trap

Depression can lead to suicidal thoughts and gradual withdrawal from society and their children. Some studies show that children of single moms are at greater risk for being abused. There are some days when I am just at the end of my rope. I can’t take hearing my name called one more time and if I do I just want to scream. So I go to the bathroom, lock the door, and just let the sobs and tears flow. This scenario is not necessarily the norm but it does happen more than I or other single moms would like. Celebrity single moms can just hand them over to the nanny and escape to a spa for a few hours.

Isolation vs. An Entourage

Isolation is a big issue for me and other single moms. The feeling of loneliness is pervasive and there seems to be no escape. The cycle of caretaking seems endless and day by day our emotional cups get drained with no hope in sight of being re-filled. I don’t expect my kids to take care of my emotional or physical needs but that doesn’t diminish the need to be filled. That is why taking a time out is so important and so is finding a way to get pampered. We may have to trade childcare, use coupons to get pampered, or save up to pay a sitter for a couple of hours while we escape to the movies or something. These resources are readily available to celebrity single moms and they likely have people around most of the time to interact with, which eases the feelings of loneliness

With all these things to contend with on a daily basis the average single mother would hardly glorify their status. Being a single mom is the hardest job on the planet and no matter how you or I came to be single moms, at the end of the day we get to do it all and can look forward to doing it again tomorrow. Hopefully our children, especially, our daughters will benefit from different circumstances, but for today let’s just love them in our current reality.

Make Money With Your Car?

by | Aug 12, 2009

adwrapcarI came across an article this morning on Yahoo! news about how to make up to $900 with your car. You know I am always looking for opportunities to make an extra buck or two so I decided to see what it was all about.

Turns out that I’d heard about this opportunity some years ago when it began. Here’s the deal; you are basically allowing a company to use your car for advertising for up to six months and they pay you for the use of your car. How do they “use” your car? They put a full or partial removable vinyl wrap on the car. You drive around like  you normally do and they send a check.

The car may be equipped with a GPS system so the company can track the amount of time that is actually spent driving. They also want to make sure that you are driving in the target area sufficiently too. Target areas are usually high traffic populations more than likely in urban areas.

I think I would be a good candidate for this program but I’d have to look into a bit further. Here are two websites to visit for more information:

Driven Media

MyFreeCar.com

Other Ways to Make Money with Your Car

I think there are other ways to make money with your car. The  most popular ways are pizza delivery, newspaper delivery, and errand services.

What other ways can you think of?

Communication with the Ex

by | Jul 20, 2009

image My friend RJ over at SingleDad.com just wrote a great article in answer to a member question. I thought it would be good to share with you. Here is an excerpt with a link to the rest of the article:

This past month, I have received several requests regarding Single Parent dating Advice. One of them caught my immediate attention, and it read something like this:

“I am dating a SingleDad and he communicates with his ex-wife too much, how do I stop him?”

I was interested in getting the rest of the story, so I made contact with the member to elaborate on what was going on in this relationship. For the sake of everyone’s privacy in this story, I’m going to call the girlfriend Mary, the single dad Mike, and the ex-wife Nancy.

So Mary’s telling me that she has been dating Mike for over two years now and she feels that her relationship is pretty committed….Read the rest

Heading Back to School as an Adult Student

by | Jul 18, 2009

If you are one of the millions of adults who are continuing their education, congratulations! It takes courage to return to the classroom after a long absence, but the rewards—monetary, intellectual and emotional—will be worth it. The transition might be a little bumpy at times, but your wisdom and determination can see you through. (more…)