“All the thoughts and dreams of people throughout history, and all you need’s this little card to borrow ’em for free!”
Other children of the ’90s might recognize this lyric from the classic tune “Library Card,” rapped by the cast of the cartoon show Arthur. It’s a silly song, but it’s a solid reminder that libraries can be amazing sources of entertainment and education. And unlike a credit or debit card, swiping a library card doesn’t cost a thing.
But exactly how much can you save by choosing your library card over a credit or debit card?
I recently overhauled my budget, and in the process, I decided to put my local library to the test. The exercise saved me nearly $700 per year in dodged subscription costs—money I now use to make $57 of extra student loan payments per month. Here’s how it worked.
Cutting Back on Entertainment Subscriptions
I’m decent at setting and following a budget. But there I was, facing another month where my family netted $0.
Specifically, I was bugged by how many frivolous entertainment subscriptions we had. I subscribed to a video streaming service here; my husband signed up for a premium account there. Although each account seemed affordable or even cheap, they added up.
Upon review, I realized that in the past year or two, we’ve paid for a number of entertainment subscriptions:
$12 per month for Hulu Plus
$9 per month for Netflix
$15 per month for Audible
$11 per month for online newspapers and magazines
$10 per month for Spotify Premium
We’d mindlessly signed on for $57 per month in subscription fees that added up to $684 per year.
Don’t get me wrong, I think entertainment subscriptions can be a savings-savvy alternative to pricier options like paying for cable or seeing movies in theaters. The problem wasn’t the subscriptions themselves—it was the mindless spending they reflected.
Finding Free Entertainment at My Local Library
I thought I could find better uses for that cash if I canceled those services. But I didn’t love the idea of quitting cold turkey.
My Audible subscription caught my eye first. It cost me $15 per month. But I already used the OverDrive app, available through my local library, to request, check out, and listen to audiobooks for free. So I killed my Audible subscription and gained an extra $15 per month right there.
I wondered if I could replicate those results for other subscriptions. I dove into my library’s digital catalog and quickly found out.
Magazines
My library partners with RBdigital (formerly Zinio) to offer a range of digital magazines. I used the service to replace a subscription to ESPN The Magazine ($2.50 per month) and found lots of other reading material worth browsing.
Newspapers
The New York Times digital pass that’s part of my library membership grants me access to New York Times apps and unlimited articles at NYTimes.com. That meant I could cut $8 per month from my budget and still support an outlet I love.
PressReader is another decent replacement for subscriptions to periodicals, and I can access it for free through my library.
TV and movies
I took the plunge and ended up canceling my $9-per-month Netflix membership of more than eight years. Now, my family accesses documentaries and movies through Kanopy and OverDrive, thanks to our library accounts.
For my 4-year-old daughter, Nickelodeon shows on Hoopla are all the rage, so I was able to cancel my subscription for Hulu Plus and save $12 per month.
Music
My library card granted me access to music streaming and downloads through Hoopla and Freegal. Bye-bye, $8 Spotify Premium fee.
In all, I found $57 worth of monthly fees to cut from our budget. My family easily saves $684 per year while enjoying much of the same entertainment and content we’ve always loved.
5 Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your Library Card
Like most budgeting decisions, trading in your subscriptions doesn’t come without sacrifice. I’ve learned a few tricks along the way to make the most of my library card.
Don’t Forget Analog Entertainment
My main goal in cutting costs was replacing my entertainment subscriptions. However, I can’t always find a decent digital replacement. In many cases, I request a physical copy of the book, movie, TV show, or music album and pick it up during my next library visit.
Get Comfortable with a Little Delay and Inconvenience
A huge benefit of paid subscriptions is instant, convenient access to any content you want on a particular platform.
With library services, there might be a limit on how much content you can check out or access at a time. You might get put on a waiting list for a book or movie as well. It can be an annoying adjustment, but remember that you’re saving money.
Find Other Cost-Saving Materials and Services
Some library districts offer free tutoring services as well as resources to help students study for the SAT or graduate placement exams.
I also found out that my library card gives me access to Lynda.com’s online educational training. This allowed us to replace a $29-per-month membership my husband had been using to brush up on his web development skills and brought our annual savings up to $713.
Take a look at some of the streaming services available with your library card. You might have access to free workout videos, which could replace a gym membership.
Watch Out for Late Fees
Of course, it’s important to watch out for library card fees. One of the reasons I prefer digital library content is that it’s automatically returned when the time is up, so I never get a late fee.
But I’ve racked up some significant late fees and replacement fines for physical items I didn’t return to the library in a timely manner. If you’re not careful, your library fine could wind up in collections and damage your credit.
If you do check out physical copies, get in the habit of keeping track of them and making regular trips to return them on time.
Know When to Keep a Subscription
Some library districts are well-funded and have great selections. Others, not so much. If your library’s pickings are slim, you might decide you’d rather keep your paid subscriptions. Even a big library district with awesome options won’t be able to offer you everything you could hope for.
Although my library offers a robust selection of services, I decided to keep a few subscriptions. My Amazon Prime membership offers tremendous value for its $99-per-year price, including access to free shipping and streaming services for music, movies, and TV shows. My husband loves podcasts and decided he wanted to keep his $5-per-month Stitcher subscription to support the platform.
Take the challenge to turn to your library card before your credit card, and you might be surprised by the savings. And remember: When you cut out monthly subscriptions, you’re saving money not just once, but also every month thereafter.
You can take your new cash flow even further by using it to pay down credit card debt—a smart option, considering the average credit cardholder owes over $4,000. Or you could look for other ways to build lasting wealth, such as saving for retirement or building a side hustle. Find more ideas on how to save money without depriving yourself at Credit.com.
In this day and age, I think we can all agree that a little side hustle never hurt anybody! When approached and undertaken in all the above-board ways, making a little extra family income on top of the main parental or guardian salaries can help to relax the purse strings a little bit and open the door some more family fun throughout the year.
As the saying goes, ‘every little helps’, and if you are dedicated and creative enough, there are dozens and dozens of side projects you can take part in that will help to make some extra cash. To help you get in the right frame of mind, here are five of the most popular family side hustles that are a great idea to get involved with.
Tech Consulting
If you or an older teen in your home has a higher than average understanding of technology, then why not offer your services for hire in the form of lessons and consulting sessions? This can be a small or large scale as you like. For example, there are always elderly neighbours who want to get to better grips with the internet. For a small fee, you can give them a beginner’s guide lesson to make it easier for them to socially network with their family in different locations.
Sell Produce
If you have a lot of land at your disposal, then why not start selling your own produce? Local, organic fruits and vegetables are more popular now than ever before. Lots of neighbors and families from further afield will love the opportunity to buy goods that have come from their own area.
Rental Service
If you have a second property that isn’t always in use, make the most out of it by making it available for holiday rental. There are plenty of online facilities that allow you to advertise your property and set a nightly rate, enabling tourists and visitors to book up instead of staying in a hotel or bed and breakfast. This is a simple and effective way to make extra cash.
Arts & Crafts
If someone in your family is particularly gifted in the arts and crafts department, then you should consider opening up a small side hustle business for things like homemade greetings cards, labels, small sketches, knitted/crochet items or whatever. These types of businesses are especially popular during the Christmas and other celebratory seasons and with secure and safe parcel delivery through ParcelBroker, your small business can be really professional.
Reselling Goods
If your household is the kind that always has extra and unused items in it, then you can swap those items for cash through websites like eBay and Amazon Marketplace. Keep in mind that one person’s trash is another person’s treasure, so rather than simply throwing away the items that you don’t want, see if they gain any interest on the online marketplace sites. It’s an easy way to add to your family’s income.
All it takes is a little thought and effort and you can find side hustles to make extra cash with and for the family.
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During the school year, many parents find themselves on the sidelines of a field, watching their child participating in football, soccer, baseball, or some other sport. Some children may even opt for more unconventional sports, such as horseback riding. The benefits of childhood sports are well-documented. These types of activities help children learn to stay active, and they develop positive traits, such as perseverance and teamwork.
However, many parents may not understand the risks of playing sports or what kind of injuries can occur. While getting a scrape or a bruise here and there is just part of being a child, sometimes sports injuries can be devastating and costly, impacting a child’s life significantly. So, what you should know if your child plans on playing sports this year? Well, you need to be informed about the types of injures that could occur and what to do about them. Here is a list of the most common types of childhood injuries caused by sports:
Head Injuries
The head injuries that children can get from playing sports are called traumatic brain injuries, or TBIs. TBIs are can range from mild to severe, and they are one of the most common injuries caused by sports. They are seen most commonly in football players, since football is a contact-heavy sport. However, they can also be caused by other sports, such as basketball and soccer.
If your child gets a TBI from playing sports, it will most likely be a concussion. Parents of children who play sports should make sure they are familiar with the symptoms of a TBI. If left untreated, some TBIs can cause permanent damage. TBIs can also have delayed symptoms, so if your child suffers a head injury, it is important to seek a medical evaluation, even if there are no immediate symptoms.
There are several main signs to look out for that indicate a mild TBI. These include headaches, seeming dazed, fatigue, loss of consciousness for a short time, trouble sleeping, vomiting or nausea, sleeping more than usual, loss of balance, dizziness, blurry vision, ringing in the ears, speech issues, memory problems, mood swings, and sensitivity to light and/or sound.
A child with a more severe TBI will exhibit additional symptoms, such as the inability to awaken from sleep, seizures or convulsions, clear fluid from the nose or ears, numbness in the toes and fingers, slurred speech, profound confusion, and out-of-character behavior, such as sudden aggressiveness.
If you notice your child displaying any of these symptoms after a head injury, make sure you get them checked by a medical professional right away. TBIs can worsen if left untreated.
ACL Tears
The term “ACL tear” refers to a tear in the anterior cruciate ligament or, “ACL.” This is a serious knee injury common in young athletes. An ACL tear requires immediate medical treatment and can take a long time to heal. This injury can be caused by a variety of sports and can happen when an athlete is landing a jump, or when the knee is injured when an athlete collides with another player. When this happens, a loud popping sound can often be heard, and the injured player may feel a popping sensation in the knee. Generally, the player’s leg will then give way when weight is put on the knee. ACL tears often require surgery. People will this injury normally have to go through extensive physical therapy as well. If your child injures his or her knee during a game, don’t let them try to push through until the end. Pull them out and seek medical care immediately.
Sprains
Sprains are another common injury among children who play sports. Ankle sprains are probably the most common type of sprain caused by youth sports, but sprains are also common in the wrist and elbow. Mild sprains generally mean a child needs to take a short time to rest and heal, but more severe sprains require treatment. If your child has a difficult time walking or moving the impacted area, or if they are in continuous pain, take them to the doctor right away. An x-ray will show the true extent of the injury, and your doctor will help you and your child come up with the best treatment plan.
Additional Common Injures
Other common injuries parents should be on the lookout for include:
Dehydration
Hyperextension of the big toe (or “Turf Toe”)
Rotator cuff tendonitis
Little Leaguer’s Elbow
Hand and wrist fractures
Dislocated shoulder
Tips for Parents
The truth is, there is no way to guarantee your child won’t be injured while playing sports, but you can do a few things to reduce the risk. Whether your child is in preschool playing t-ball or in high school playing basketball, you should take all injuries seriously. As soon as you notice your child has an injury, you should get medical attention right away. Getting help quickly can be crucial if your child has a time sensitive injury, such as a TBI or fracture.
If your child wants to be active but hasn’t chosen a sport yet, you can try to steer him or her towards a “safer” sport and away from sports with high rates of injures. Sports like swimming and tennis have lower rates of injures.
Football is probably the most dangerous sport your child could choose to play, and that is because of the risk of a traumatic brain injury. Football is responsible for around 60% of all concussions caused by childhood sports. But what is even worse is that children who play football can end up with a long-term injury called chronic traumatic encephalopathy. This condition is caused by the repeated collisions that occur during football, and it can lead to lifelong problems with memory loss, poor judgement, and even things like impulse control.
Soccer and basketball also have a high rate of childhood injures, although the injuries caused by these sports are less likely to cause lifelong damage. Soccer tends to cause knee injuries, and ACL tears are common in soccer players. Basketball causes a lot of sprains and other injuries to the wrists, ankles and knees. Additionally, basketball causes the most dental related sports injuries in children. This is because players can sometimes collide, and the sport doesn’t require protective facial gear.
If your child is dead set on playing a more dangerous sport, and you want to let them follow their dream, you can still try to lower the risk of injury. First, you can sit down with your child and talk about the possible injuries that can occur. Make sure your child knows to let you or their coach know right away if they are injured. This way, you can get medical help right away. In addition, watch a few of your child’s practices to see what the environment of their team is like. If the coach is pushing the players too hard, or if there are aggressive children on the team, you may want to consider letting your child play somewhere else.
There is no sport that is 100% safe, but if you and your child are informed and prepared, the chance of injuries and long-term damage can be minimized.
Are You An Overprotective Parent? 4 Ways To Let Go And Let Your Child Grow
Good parents want to be involved in their children’s lives, but for years educators and psychologists have been asking the question: How much parental involvement is too much? When does trying to help your children in school, sports, and myriad other ways go too far, hurt their development, and become over-protective?
The explosive college admissions scandal seemed to answer that question. Television actress Felicity Huffman was sentenced to jail for paying $15,000 to influence the boosting of her daughter’s SAT score. Fourteen other parents in the probe have also pleaded guilty.
While most parents don’t cross that legal line, early education expert Christine Kyriakakos Martin says too much parental involvement can be harmful in a variety of ways, sometimes leading to children becoming ill-prepared for the challenges of adulthood.
“The consequences of being an overprotective parent is that your child will lack self-confidence to make decisions and take risks,” says Martin (www.youvegotthisparenting.com), author of You’ve Got This! Keys To Effective Parenting For The Early Years. “They’ll lack the coping skills to get up when they fall down from a bad experience and try again.”
Martin offers four ways for parents to stop being overprotective and promote more strength and independence in their children:
Stop teaching fear. While there are non-negotiables when it comes to teaching your child safety — for example: wearing a helmet when biking, no talking to strangers, no texting when driving — Martin says sometimes parents overprotect when they create too many boundaries, which in turn may teach children to live fearfully. “When you don’t allow them to play outside much, you’re impeding their freedom,” Martin says. “Play develops the imagination and self-confidence. Overprotective parents don’t want their children to fall down, and getting back up and brushing themselves off is a necessary component for healthy growth and development.”
Don’t be their full-time problem-solver. Martin says many parents want to take care of all of their chidlrens’ problems and make things easier for them. At some point that needs to stop, she says, because adult life is rife with adversity and unforeseen obstacles that we must learn to deal with independently. “Teaching children problem-solving skills encourages them to be independent,” Martin says. “Learning to resolve conflict on their own and work through problems builds resilience and teaches them how to handle adversity.”
Teach responsibility. “If you make their beds and clean their room, you’re doing them a great disservice,” Martin says. “It’s about learning early lessons in responsibility. Doing these things for a prolonged time can debilitate your child and set them up for a lack of life skills as adults. Let your child take on reasonable responsibilities and let them feel a sense of accomplishment.”
Let them branch out. Sometimes parents develop a comfort zone with their child’s pursuits and restrict them when the child wants to expand. “Let your child have some freedom to make some of their own decisions about their interests,” Martin says. “Interests change, and the more varied experiences they have, the better for their ability to make decisions and adapt to different situations.”
“Parents are right to protect their children in a dangerous world,” Martin says. “But having them grow up in a bubble hurts them and their ability to deal with the world as adults. The best thing you can do for your children is to find that balance between protecting them and teaching them to be strong and self-sufficient.”
About Christine Kyriakakos Martin
Christine Kyriakakos Martin (www.youvegotthisparenting.com) is the author of You’ve Got This! Keys To Effective Parenting For The Early Years. An early education expert and consultant, Martin is the founder and owner of Sunshine Preschool in Hopkinton, Mass. She has spoken on child-development topics at national education conventions and colleges.
Am I ready? Do I really want to go through this again? Do I have the time? Most single moms go through these and a whole other list of questions before they even dip their toes into the dating pool. Dating when you are single and without kids can, at times, be overwhelming, but single parent dating is a whole other story. You are not only choosing a partner for yourself but also someone for your child or children. This makes it that much harder, but not to worry, there are certain steps you can take to make your re-entry into the dating world a bit easier.
Decide what you are looking for
When we have kids, our priorities tend to change substantially. This means that we start looking for some other qualities in men than we did when we were young and single. And it is important that you take your time and make a list of what you need in a future partner.
Be careful though, don’t make one about what you don’t want, that one is easy and tends to preoccupy us a lot more. No, you need to attract someone with a certain set of qualities and that is what you need to focus on.
So, do you want an older or a younger man, do they need to have kids, or would you like someone with whom you can extend your family? These are all important issues to think about.
After all, the values and character traits of your future partner is what you will be bringing home to your kids, and you want them to have a good of a role model as you have been to them so far.
It is time to get back out there
You do want to have someone in your life, someone to rely on, someone who will love you and whom you will love. But you, as many women who have gone through several disappointing relationships and who have children, are afraid of failure and even more so you don’t want to disappoint your children, so there is a tendency to avoid the dating game altogether.
This is never a good option, so just to start you off, you might want to pay a visit to some renowned dating sites. See what is available out there in the dating pool. But make sure to be honest when you create your own profile, state clearly that you have children and how important it is to you to find someone who knows what that means.
Don’t worry, this won’t diminish your chances of finding the right date. On the contrary, you will attract those who are interested in you as a single mom and a hot-blooded woman, not just one or the other.
After you have seen what is out there in the online world, you might want to check out the real one. Dress up, get a sitter and have a night out with your friends, maybe you’ll get to meet someone new at your local cafe or restaurant.
Finally, don’t say no to being set up. Yes, people might think they know what you want, but once in a while they actually might get it right. And at least a blind date or two will get you out of the house and back into the dating game.
Don’t get easily discouraged
Wouldn’t it be nice to get that prince charming on the first try? Well, you might get lucky, but you also need to be prepared to kiss a few frogs first. Starting dating again means that you will get to meet a lot of different men, some might be similar to what you are looking for and some the complete opposite.
However, the most important thing is that you are finally out there, meeting new people, going out and having fun. So, if the first few dates don’t go exactly as you wanted them to, it’s ok, that happens, there is someone out there for you, just don’t get discouraged.
Also, don’t settle if you find only one of his ten jokes funny, and you don’t seem to have that much in common, you can say thank you, next (well, not to his face).
Dating someone just to avoid being alone will prevent you from meeting the person you should be with. So, stay in the game until you find exactly what you are looking for, or until he finds you.
No one said reentering the dating game as a single mom is going to be easy, but hey, you are raising a child alone and there is nothing, and we mean nothing, that can scare you.
That said, take some ‘me’ time, get dressed so that you feel fabulous and get out there, your future Mr. Right might be closer than you think!
Jennifer R Glass is CEO at Business Growth Strategies International, LLC (formerly Credit Cards, NJ). BGSI, through its various divisions – bgsipayments, bgsicoaching, bgsiacademy.com, bgsimarketing & ccnjhost.com – provide a robust and best-in-class solution for business owners looking to grow their business and revenues.
Ms. Glass is frequently asked to speak on numerous stages, including being a three-time top college speaker, the Small Business Development Center – an organization that works with thousands of small businesses each year and presents on topics such as “QUICKLY Get More SALES & REVENUES the EASY Way,” “The 3 Secrets to Getting More Customers,” “Optimize YOUR LinkedIn Profile to Maximize Your Revenues,” “The 9-Point Sales Process to Getting More Revenue,” and her keynote address “Does Success Equate to Happiness?”
Ms. Glass recently co-authored “Reach Your Greatness” with ABC’s “Secret Millionaire,” James Malinchak and has her book, “It’s the Bottom Line That Matters: Quick Tips & Strategies You Can Use Right Now to Grow Your Business in the Next 12-Months” scheduled to come out shortly.
Because of the work Ms. Glass has done over the last 15+ years, she has been featured in numerous media outlets, including ABC, CBS, NBC & Fox, recognized as a leader in business by more than 1,000 organizations, the Small Business Development Center, SCORE, several top global accounting firms, commercial and investment banks and was even named as a top woman in business leader by Acquisition International Magazine among other publications. Ms. Glass is also highly sought after by business owners, entrepreneurs, and professionals looking to increase their business via social media and other channels.
Be one of the first 5 people to reach out to Jennifer on social media by August 15, to get 30-Days free access to BGSIStartupAcademy.com (value of $97).
“Mariana Silva-Buck is an entrepreneur, author and a single mother of a lovely 7 year old girl named Sofia.
Mariana is originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and currently live in Massachusetts with her daughter and her “”inherited”” dog Abby. She has an MBA from BAU International University and a BA in communications from UMass.
Mariana launched a children’s book in 2013, inspired by her daughter and a childhood dream, she decided to release it in Portuguese and in English as an independent author in the USA and Brazil.
In 2014 she launched BWI Magazine, a luxury digital interactive magazine. More recently she launched voguemycloset.com
this year, she also helped her 7-year-old launch her own brand of lemonade over the summer. Due to the lemonade success, the lemonade will become a full business next year.
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...
