The holidays are just around the corner. I’m surprised how fast this year has flown buy. One of the best times of the year is just a couple months away. The holidays, whether it’s called Christmas, Kwanzaa, or Hanukkah, are all closing in fast.
What Are Your Holiday Plans
What are you going to for yourself and your kids? Are you planning a big holiday or just a quiet, family-only affair?
Do your kids already have their gift list ready (my son does) or do you expect them to shift into high gear after Halloween?
Gift Giving Love It or Hate It?
One thing about the holidays is gift-giving. We either love it or hate it. We love it because it feels good to give. Or we hate it because we probably don’t have enough money to buy nice presents or at least the ones the kids want.
I’ll address how to cut down on that stress and expectations of giving in another post for people who just need an alternative.
But for the people who want to rush into the madness and spread holiday cheer, there are three no-brainer ways to make an extra $1,000 for the holiday season.
No-Brainer #1 – Clean Out Your Closet to Make Extra Money
You’ve probably heard me talk about this before. I have posts here and here about selling your stuff for extra cash.
I talk about it because it really works. Trust me. You really don’t need all those appliances and outdated electronics. Sell them and get some extra cash. If you are crafty you could throw in a few items you have made and sell them too.
Use Quick Research and Craigslist to Sell Effectively
Craigslist is your friend as are other classified ad spaces online. Some local weekly papers allow you to post ads for free. You may have to do a bit of searching but I’m sure you can find two or three places to list your items for sale.
If you are not sure about how much to price your items for, quickly research what others are selling it for. Set a price you feel comfortable with and list it.
Sell Your Used Movies, Games, and Books on Amazon.com
A couple places to sell your used movies, games, and books are Amazon.com (just set up a seller account) and Half.com.
With all this selling you should be able to make $1,000 or close to it by the beginning of December. So you have time if you just get started.
Get Support with the Make $1,000 Sell Your Stuff Challenge!
I understand that sometimes it’s easier said than done so I’ve created a place to get support. I’m calling it the Make $1,000 Sell Your Stuff Challenge. Head on over to the community and let’s talk about how to make this a reality for you.
This challenge will run for the month of November so jump in as soon as possible.
There is truly power in community so join us. You can register with your Facebook account or you can set it up very quickly. I really would like to see you there and help motivate you to raise this money.
In the next post I will share another way to make $1,000 for the holidays.
Samantha A. Gregory is an author, consultant, and speaker. She’s a single-mom lifestyle, money, and parenting expert featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times, Essence Magazine, HuffPost, ABC News, and Mint.com.
Samantha founded the award-winning RichSingleMomma.com™, the first online magazine featuring personal finance, parenting, and personal development content and courses for single moms.
She aims to inspire women who are ready to thrive and not just survive in their single motherhood journey. Connect with her on Instagram @richsinglemomma.
In our current political climate it’s easy to feel uneasy about the way the world is going. As women we sometimes feel powerless as we watch grown men bicker, fight, and sabotage our world because of egos and power struggles.
But we have forgotten just how powerful we really are. We have to find our power and use it for good so our children’s future will be secure. We can do it without running the economy in the ground, without violent protests, and without waging wars that ultimately affects women and children worldwide.
We have to remember (or finally learn) that women truly rule the world. It’s time to take our power back. It’s time to use our gifts to influence the men in our lives (husbands, uncles, brothers, cousins, and friends).
Maybe this poem by William Ross Wallace will put things in perspective for you:
The Hand That Rocks the Cradle
Oh, no matter where the place;
Would that never storms assailed it,
Rainbows ever gently curled;
For the hand that rocks the cradle
Is the hand that rules the world.
Infancy’s the tender fountain,
Power may with beauty flow,
Mother’s first to guide the streamlets,
From them souls unresting grow–
Grow on for the good or evil,
Sunshine streamed or evil hurled;
For the hand that rocks the cradle
Is the hand that rules the world.
Woman, how divine your mission
Here upon our natal sod!
Keep, oh, keep the young heart open
Always to the breath of God!
All true trophies of the ages
Are from mother-love impearled;
For the hand that rocks the cradle
Is the hand that rules the world.
Blessings on the hand of women!
Fathers, sons, and daughters cry,
And the sacred song is mingled
With the worship in the sky–
Mingles where no tempest darkens,
Rainbows evermore are hurled;
For the hand that rocks the cradle
Is the hand that rules the world.
William Ross Wallace
and for a little modern reminder, courtesy of Summer’s Eve, “Hail to the V”! I love this commercial!
Samantha A. Gregory is an author, consultant, and speaker. She’s a single-mom lifestyle, money, and parenting expert featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times, Essence Magazine, HuffPost, ABC News, and Mint.com.
Samantha founded the award-winning RichSingleMomma.com™, the first online magazine featuring personal finance, parenting, and personal development content and courses for single moms.
She aims to inspire women who are ready to thrive and not just survive in their single motherhood journey. Connect with her on Instagram @richsinglemomma.
A while ago I did an informal survey to find out the top stressors for single moms. Money was at the top of the list.
It’s no wonder because, let’s face it, most single moms do not make enough to meet all the bills, clothe, feed, and entertain the household.
In that survey 89% of respondents said they don’t have enough money. They also said the child support they receive is not enough to even purchase milk.
So, if your purse or checking account is a little light these days, you’ll want to take steps to reduce your financial hardship and relieve your stress.
There’s nothing more stressful than feeling like you can’t make ends meet. Here are some tips to help alleviate your stress.
1. Be realistic about your problem. Many people use avoidance to manage their money. Sometimes it’s scary to see what the real deal about our accounts. Have you ever had those days when you needed to buy groceries and was scared the card was going to be declined because there was not enough money in your account.
The problem with this is that you continue to have the same problems over and over. Every time you have to pay a bill, you end up feeling the same stress over and over. While you may have moments of freedom from care, deep down you’ll always be worried about money.
2. Track your spending. Part of getting real about your situation is to track how much money you spend. When you really see how much you have going out, you’re bound to find some places where you can make different choices that are more financially sound. Check out online financial tools like Mint.com and SmartPig.com to track your expenses. Another way is to review your online bank account daily or at least 3-4 times per week.
3. Trim expenses. Look for as many ways to trim expenses as possible. For some people that means letting go of their early morning coffee shop trip. For others it may mean to eliminate cable service. There are many luxuries we tend to think of as necessities. You need to get rid of any expenditures that are luxuries when you really can’t afford them. While you are trimming your expenses look for alternatives like making your own coffee at home or subscribing to a cheap DVD service.
4. Focus on free activities. If you look around, you’re bound to find things you can do in your community that are free or very inexpensive. This is a great way to save money on entertainment while still being able to relax and enjoy down time. Check your local newspaper online for activities or subscribe to local blogs that report on local happenings.
5. Look for ways to increase income. Sometimes just making a little more money can relieve your budget a lot. Try working seasonal, part-time, or temporary jobs to bring in a little extra money. Internet marketing also provides a way to work from home with flexible hours. Do a survey of your skills and begin offering them to make extra money. Tell your friends and families about your service.
6. Focus on the family. Life can be even more stressful when parents feel like they’re the only ones with the responsibility to deal with family finances. While you don’t need to burden your children with financial fears, you do need to teach them how to manage money. Let them be part of household financial decisions.
7. Improve job skills. When you need more income in your household, it may be time to improve your job skills. Workshops and certifications can help you to land a better, higher-paying job. There are many free and low cost online places to learn new or upgrade your skills. Check out Lynda.com for a low cost online learning solution.
8. Live within your means. Many people live in homes that are too expensive with car payments they really can’t afford. It may be time for you to downsize to a less expensive lifestyle in order to save yourself financially.
9.Focus on your health. When finances are stressful, other areas of your life tend to go along. In times of financial stress continue to eat healthy foods and get regular exercise. This will help to reduce stress and keep you healthy.
10. Improve relaxation. If your mind is busy with the stress of financial problems, it helps to take a few moments each day to get centered. Meditation for just a few minutes each day can help you to feel better. You can also try stretching your body to release tension.
It’s easy to be stressed about money. Hopefully you found a few tips above to begin changing this in your life.
I admit I still feel stressed sometimes about money. It can be habit forming, but it’s important for my health and peace of mind to find other ways to cope.
To recap: How to Beat Financial Stress for Single Moms
How do you handle financial stress? Which tip speaks to you?
Samantha A. Gregory is an author, consultant, and speaker. She’s a single-mom lifestyle, money, and parenting expert featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times, Essence Magazine, HuffPost, ABC News, and Mint.com.
Samantha founded the award-winning RichSingleMomma.com™, the first online magazine featuring personal finance, parenting, and personal development content and courses for single moms.
She aims to inspire women who are ready to thrive and not just survive in their single motherhood journey. Connect with her on Instagram @richsinglemomma.
To exercise or not to exercise is not the question. Many of us know that we should exercise however, if we’re being totally truthful, many of us would admit that we don’t want to. And as a single mom, it gets just a little bit more complicated…or so we think.
“The common way that people give up their power is thinking they don’t have any” –Alice Walker
Perhaps you’ve wanted to lose a few pounds that you’ve been carrying around since your last child was born. You want to wear your skinny jeans. You want to walk up a flight of stairs without stopping every few seconds. You want to run and play with your children effortlessly. You want more energy. You want to feel good and look good naked.
Sadly, you FEEL that life as a single parent, working full time, perhaps with a second job or attending school coupled with the responsibilities of maintaining your household doesn’t leave time to take care of you.
How can I say this gently…YOU make time for those tasks that are important to you! If you feel offended…that’s your ego, tell it to go on an extended vacation.
What are you telling yourself subconsciously when you don’t make time to exercise and what message are you sending to your children when you continuously place them and everyone else ahead of you.
Now I’m not suggesting that you shun your responsibilities. What I am suggesting is that you begin to get real with yourself about what you can do to get more active.
For starters, first identify what type of activity you enjoy. Is it running, dancing, yoga, Pilates, swimming or something else? This is something for everyone.
If you can’t attend a live class and as a single parent I understand, there are many programs that you can go through via a DVD or with a virtual coach. Go to bed a little earlier and rise a little earlier before the kids get up and get your work out in.
Perhaps you and your children can work out together. Now how’s that for quality family time? Now you’re demonstrating, not just giving lip service, to your kids the importance of exercise.
I also want to encourage you to be realistic with your goals. For example, if you haven’t been working out for a while then perhaps you want to set your goal to exercise a minimum of 2-3 days a week for 30 minutes. That’s a very doable goal.
You want to set yourself up for success. From there, you can adjust your goals as you see fit but remember to keep them specific.
Right now, I’m training for a 5k. I haven’t been running in a while so I’m easing my way back into training and this is a very doable goal. Next stop…half marathon. If this single mom can do it, then so can you.
Remember, a healthy mommy is a happy mommy and a happy mommy equals a happy household.
Golda Smith, a nutritional cleansing coach, is focused on helping moms achieve their weight loss goals. She has a FREE report entitled “The Biggest Mistake People Make During Weight Loss”. Don’t let this be YOU, get this NOW!
Yesterday the kids and I travelled with the church youth group about an hour north of Atlanta to visit Amnicola Falls State Park in Georgia. It was a beautiful day with crisp clear skies and changing leaves.
The intention was to go hiking up to the falls but it was getting too late and by the time we started out it would have been dark on the way back.
So we ate, had fun playing around and talking. The boys tossed the ball around and we finally headed back.
The MoonShine Festival
On the way we ran into what looked like a fair in the town of Dawsonville. We had to detour several miles to get to the falls. The traffic was horrible because of the event happening in that town. Turns out it was the annual Moonshine Festival. Yep, it is apparently very popular in that neck of the woods.
The question of the day was, “Do people still make moonshine?”. Could be true. I do know there are people who make beer in their homes. It’s quite a hobby for some people. Definitely a good way to save money on beer if you drink it often
It looked like one of the highlights of the festival was classic cars. We saw some really beautiful ones as we took our detour and went past the festival. There were hundreds of them, from old Packards, T-Models, and convertibles.
Daylight Savings Time Ending Soon
In my neck of the woods it feels like winter has already arrived. It’s been in the 30s these last couple of nights and frost was on the ground in the morning.
I’m not ready for this and hopefully the schizophrenic Georgia weather will kick in and we will be back to the upper 70s and low 80s.
Daylight savings time will be over in early November this year. I have mixed feelings about DST and the change to lengthen it. It just drags things out and my body’s clock gets all confused.
Daylight savings time end on November 6, 2011.
How do you prepare for the time change? Does it take you a long time to get used to it?
Samantha A. Gregory is an author, consultant, and speaker. She’s a single-mom lifestyle, money, and parenting expert featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times, Essence Magazine, HuffPost, ABC News, and Mint.com.
Samantha founded the award-winning RichSingleMomma.com™, the first online magazine featuring personal finance, parenting, and personal development content and courses for single moms.
She aims to inspire women who are ready to thrive and not just survive in their single motherhood journey. Connect with her on Instagram @richsinglemomma.
Hi! Welcome to RichSingleMomma.com. I started this website almost a decade ago because I couldn't find any blogs back then that helped single moms with money. I was having some success in that area so I decided to share what I knew about side hustles, making extra money, and managing money. Read more...
(just set up a seller account) and Half.com.
