by Heather Piedmont | Oct 7, 2020
Imagine this: A regular tool belt wrapped around a single special needs mom. In this belt there will not be the usual tools of such a belt but the tools necessary to make life simple, safe and positive for the wearer and her children. One of these tools is technology. As a single mom, technology is our greatest friend. Timers, iPads, iPhones etc. Both for our usage and for the usage of our children. Especially single needs moms. Whether to educate our children or even ourselves, not to mention help us out in our new lives, it works and it helps.
Just before the summer, I added a new title to my forte- Single Special Needs Mom. It has been a trying experience already but I am stronger for it. With this column I hope to strengthen other single needs single moms because let us face it, married or single, most special needs mom at one time or another or 24/7 feel single. So let’s get down to what we should have at the ready.
Today, we are going to look at the iPhone-particularly apps. “There’s an app for that,” will be a quote you will use quite a bit during your new life and with that you should take a sigh of relief. These are the following apps that I downloaded almost immediately:
MINT– Personal Finance and Budgeting
Let’s be honest. Alimony and Child Support is not immediate, nor a viable option to finance your life. Your husband could lose their job, quit their job, disappear, go to jail the list is endless. There’s a reason “single” is in our new name. We are singly responsible for our lives and the lives of our children. MINT therefore needs to be our newest partner.
MINT allows you to see on one screen all of your financial agendas. Money in, money out and money left. They track your spending and send you alerts on how much you have spent, earned and transaction alerts and gives you a weekly summary that will allow you to figure out your budget. They also give you small and large transaction alerts they hadn’t seen yet from you.
I use this to budget and I even go on the app to ask the “Can I afford this?” question wherever I am. It helps keep the financial sweat off. A great ally for your new fiscal future—which if you haven’t figured out is now in your hands only.
It sounds rinky-dinky but honestly it is a great app. This app allows you to have a tracker for amazing discounts or free items and coupons. If you have an iPhone allow it to alert you. Trust me you will see the payback in stride. I have gotten groceries, stuff for my son, and even self care items for me for amazing discounts. You have to take a few extra steps at times but thanks to COVID things like in-store pickup and delivery is available.
Imagine this: You walk into a Starbucks and get your child or children a treat. Walking out, you not only have said treat and a receipt but also a little stock in the company. Sound amazing? Then download this app. Every time you use your card from this company, you walk out with stock in the company. This not only gives you some financial assistance, it is an asset for the future. A few tips: Go on the app to pick what type of stocks you want them to buy for you and know this isn’t going to make you rich on its own but it will help you have some financial backbone.
I decided to keep this item open because frankly marriage is different, and every divorce is different not to mention the needs of the divorcing couple. For instance, I do not need a calendar for mine because my son’s schedule is majorly my responsibility and the visitation consistent, communication however is a need of mine. Therefore, texting and emailing is enough for me. However, 50/50 parents and parents that have a more fluid custody agreement may need more. Nonetheless, while the mom factor of you should get apps, so should the co-parent.
EVERY SHOPPING-RELATED COMPANY YOU ARE SUBSCRIBED TO
Shipt, Stop and Shop, Amazon etc. Apps for the shopping provider you use needs to be a click away. This is an app you need in your phone. Think of it as an app for outsourcing the crazy shopping trips you know you dread. Not only will they save you sanity but the greatest thing about these apps is they remember the previous shopping trips and that delivery is at the ready. I have all of the ones in a folder at the ready for me, including Thrive Market which I would greatly suggest especially for special needs moms. Think of it as Amazon for healthy foods.
When you think of these apps, use the tool belt visual. It will help you both pick and choose as well as use the apps for the best of your life. This is a tip of the iceberg but I think it’s offerings will give you the perspectives of what needs you have as a special needs single mom: Financial, Personal, Convenience, and Communication. If neither of these fits, I urge you to search related apps because while it’s not the best tool for you…it could be the start of your relationship with the most lucrative one for you.
by Samantha Gregory | Mar 25, 2020
Do you only find moths in your wallet at the end of each month? While it’s true that societal factors play a role, you do have some control over your budget. Chances are, you can find multiple places to pare. When you grow tired of feeling short on cash, give the...
by Samantha Gregory | Jan 30, 2020
Single mothers have to learn a variety of important lessons in order to achieve financial freedom, and you can make life easier on your children by helping them develop good habits from a young age. Kids who are introduced to personal finance early generally find it easier to manage their own money later in life.
This article will cover some of the most critical financial lessons you can teach your child. Make an effort to have regular conversations about money so that they understand the impact a healthy financial mindset will have on their life.
Credit Card Debt Is Bad
Consumer debt has been essentially normalized in the United States, and many people don’t see a problem with credit cards, student loans, or other forms of credit. While going into debt is sometimes the best choice, it’s important for people of all ages to understand the risks involved.
Credit cards, for example, typically come with interest rates of up to or even over 20 percent. Paying back a large credit card debt can be extremely difficult since the balance will continue to accumulate interest over time. It’s generally much better to avoid debt in the first place than to try to pay it back later.
Tip: Start an Emergency Fund
We often feel like debts are unavoidable in unpredictable circumstances, but you can prepare for these situations by contributing to an emergency fund. Your child should understand the importance of consistently saving money and having some cash to fall back on in a worst-case scenario.
Without an emergency fund, people can be forced into debt to pay for unexpected costs. While you can help your child by starting a savings account for them, it’s much more important for them to develop the habit of saving on their own and taking a more proactive approach to personal finance.
Consider Early Retirement
You probably don’t spend much time thinking about your child’s retirement, but it’s never too early to start considering their financial future. Putting off saving for retirement is one of the most common mistakes in personal finance, and it’s difficult to make up for lost time if you don’t start making contributions from a young age.
In contrast, putting extra money away for retirement is a great habit that will help your child reach his or her long-term financial goals. Twenty, for example, might seem too early to begin saving for retirement, but even just a few hundred dollars each year will make a significant difference over time.
Tip: Set up a Roth IRA
Most people assume that 18 is the youngest age at which people can contribute to an Individual Retirement Account, or IRA, but there’s actually no minimum age associated with these accounts. People of all ages can make and contribute to an IRA as long as they have at least some earned income.
While standard IRAs allow you to make contributions with pre-tax income, the money you put in a Roth IRA is not tax-deductible. On the other hand, contributions grow tax-free and aren’t subject to taxation when withdrawn during retirement.
Roth IRAs come with relatively low contribution limits—$6,000 in 2019 and 2020, for example—so you miss out on the tax advantages whenever you fail to make the maximum contribution. In contrast to some other retirement accounts, Roth IRA funds can be withdrawn at any time with no penalty.
In addition to the tax benefits associated with Roth IRAs, the money you contribute will typically grow much more quickly than in a conventional or high-yield savings account. Investment accounts carry more risk than accounts with fixed rates, but short-term fluctuations are generally outweighed by growth over time—especially when investing for a long-term goal like retirement.
The Importance of Budgeting
Many people avoid thinking about their finances because they’re worried about what they’ll find, and financial anxiety is one of the biggest obstacles toward developing a better money mindset. Simply reviewing your statements and understanding where your money is going is arguably the most important step in improving your approach to personal finance.
Without a clear budget, it’s easy to lose track of how you spend your money and end up consistently falling short of your personal and financial goals. You won’t even know what kinds of spending to cut back on if you’re interested in saving more money.
Tip: Start Budgeting Early
Rather than shifting to a budget later on, your children should understand the importance of a budget from a younger age. That way, they won’t have to adjust their financial habits to start working toward long-term financial goals like college and retirement.
Getting started with budgeting can be complicated, but there are more resources than ever before to help novices learn more about creating a budget. While there’s nothing wrong with budgeting in a notebook, your child may adjust more quickly using a website or mobile app.
Most kids aren’t as excited to save as they are to spend, but you should teach good habits by putting some of their allowance away. It’s important for children to see saving as a financial priority rather than something to do with any money that’s left over—people who think of saving as optional often have more trouble sticking to their targets.
Everyone has their own experience with personal finance, but you can get your children off to a good start by teaching them about money from a young age. These are just a few of the most important topics to cover as your child begins to learn more about personal finance.
by Samantha Gregory | Mar 20, 2018
During this time of year, everyone has to report how much income they made last year. You will probably receive a tax refund of a few hundred or even a few thousand dollars. Hopefully, you are not one of those people that blow the money on useless things, worst yet on things that will not make you any money for the rest of the year.
The top 5 things tax refunds are used on are:
- Vacations
- Furniture
- Debt/Bills
- Electronics
- Savings
The ways financial experts say you should spend it include:
- Save it
- Invest it
- Splurge
- Fund College Education
In the past, I’ve used my tax refunds to pay down bills, go on vacation, buy computers and televisions, and give away to family or friends. I still have some of the things I bought including the computer I am using to type this article and the television my son is watching right now. I still have the vacation memories and pictures.
The money I gave away? Well, I’ll never see it again. Even the little portion I saved is gone because I had to use it for some “emergency”. I regret that I did not use the money more wisely. I enjoyed the things I spent the refund on for the moment, but it did not have a lasting benefit.
Now that tax season is here again I thought I’d share one of the smartest ways you can use your tax refund for the longest term benefit possible. Using this method will solve the number one problem single mothers have. That problem is not having enough money.
To solve that problem the “experts” say you should reduce your spending and cut cost on as many things as possible. It’s likely you are already doing that but not enough or absolutely no extra money is in your bank account.
So I propose you use a small portion of the tax refund windfall for a more solid investment. To make extra money you should start a part-time business. Now before you get all nervous because you don’t know the first thing about business, let me assure you that you don’t have to know about business to make extra money. When you buy a business in a box or business kit you will have a step-by-step guide from start to finish.
Now your heart is probably beating double time because the thought of buying a business in a box or any other kind of business probably brings up images of spending thousands of dollars like you would in a franchise. That is not what I’m talking about at all.
What I’m suggesting costs less than $50 for a complete business system. Here are seven business ideas to consider even if you don’t feel you have the talent or ability to do anything special.
Part-Time Cleaning Business
Everybody can clean, right? We all learn this skill at a very young age. A cleaning business is pretty much a no-brainer. You do what you would do at home, only 10 times better because you are getting paid. Speaking of getting paid you can make hundreds of extra money a week doing part-time work.
If you are thinking about the economy and that the cleaning business is taking a hit, you are partially right. Residential cleaning has slowed a bit because of layoffs but an office cleaning business is another story. There will always be doctors, dentists, car dealers, and many other offices that need cleaning. You might as well get a piece of the pie and you can get started for less than $50 dollars.
The great thing is you can start almost immediately because you will get the step-by-step instructions as well as all the forms you need to get started.
Tutoring Business
Like the cleaning business, you probably know a lot about one or two academic or career topics. If your favorite subject was history or math you can probably teach it to a student. You can make anywhere from $30-$50 an hour. If you have a degree you can teach your subject for a lot more money.
Starting a tutoring service is simple when you have an expert to show you how. Normally you’d have to pay a lot of money to have someone coach you through the process, but with a business kit, that outlines all the steps and includes forms as well as secrets to getting all the clients you can handle, the process is much easier.
As a bonus, you will be able to build a website from a template as well as interact with other tutors in other parts of the country. You’d have a built-in support system. And since it’s less than $50 you know your tax refund will go much further in benefiting your life than if you spend it on frivolous items.
Bookkeeping Business
If you are one of those people who are good with accounting and bookkeeping you can start your own bookkeeping business. For a few 
years, I worked as a bookkeeper and had other people asking me if I would help them with their books. It is an in-demand service, especially around tax time. People and businesses are scrambling to get a year’s worth of paperwork in order so they can get their taxes done.
Like the cleaning and tutoring service, you can do this part-time and still make great money in the process. All the instructions are included in the business kit and support is available for you all for less than $50.
T-Shirts, Childcare, Catering, Face Painting Businesses
These are just a few ways to make good use of your tax refund using the skills you have. If you just don’t feel cut out for any of those businesses consider starting a T-shirt business if you are feeling artistic or witty. T-shirts are still very popular and you can make great money designing and selling them.
If you love to cook and entertain you might think about putting your talents and tax refund to good use in a Catering Business. Food never goes out of style and neither does the need for a general or specialty caterer.
Love kids and have space and time because of unemployment? Why not start a home-based daycare? It doesn’t have to be the standard daycare set up for age 0-5 kids. You could do overnight, weekend, or special occasion child care. If you are feeling adventurous you could tutor kids in an after-school program.
Lastly, for a little fun, why not try being a face painter at all the events that cater to kids. Face Painting is one of the most popular attractions at local fairs and events. You could learn how to paint faces and turn it into a thriving part-time face painting business, all with a business-in-a-box to show you how.
I’ve given you many good ideas and reasons why you absolutely must use part of your tax refund to start a business. I’ve shown you how to do it with a business-in-a-box and I’ve explained how it can be done for less than $50. The benefits far outweigh the risk.
So many people, especially moms, have asked me how they can start making extra money and how they can start a business with no money. The reality is any good business requires an investment. But I’ve shown you how you can take what is essentially free money and use it to make the extra money you need for as long as you like with a business of your own.
Taking the initiative to learn how to make extra money is entirely up to you. I can’t imagine you would want to go another year feeling frustrated because you need extra money for bills, tires or repairs for the car, clothes for the kids, or other emergencies that come up. Unfortunately, the tax refund doesn’t last that long if it is not used properly and it is often not enough to cover all the extras that come up during the year.
You have the solution right at your fingertips. Now it’s up to you to take advantage of it and work the business that feels right for you and will help ease the financial burden you experience month after month. Here are the business kits I recommend you invest in. I’ve also included two free ebooks to show you how to start a business and how to market a business. Use them both to enhance the business kit you decide to purchase for under $50 with a small portion of your tax refund this year.
Part -time Cleaning Business
Be a high paid tutor
Bookkeeping Business
T-shirt Business
Home Daycare Business
Catering Business
Face Painting
______________________
Basic Business
Marketing Basics
P.S. I make a small commission on the business kit you purchase. Please consider it a love gift to me for bringing you such great content for the last three years!
by Samantha Gregory | Aug 29, 2017
Great grocery tips for single moms whether you are in school or not!
Whether you’re spending your Freshman year in off-campus housing or you just left a dorm—and meal plan—behind, one big change is on the horizon this school year: you need to make food for yourself with your own kitchen, two hands, and brain. And that means besides making time in your busy schedule to cook, you’ll also have to budget for the shopping as well, which can be tough on a college student income.
While it might seem overwhelming to feed and shop for yourself, you’ve totally got this. Let us help you put your money worries to rest with these grocery shopping tips. (Unfortunately, you’ll have to go somewhere else for help with calculus.)
1. Check Student-Friendly Stores
The easiest way to save money while shopping is to frequent local markets that offer student discounts. Usually, stores close to campus know they’ll get more customers if they offer a 5%–10% discount for those with university ID cards. Buying your weekly groceries from these shops at a discounted price is perfect for sticking to your budget.
2. Buy Generic or Store Brand Products
Most supermarket chains offer generic packaged products. These store brand products are usually cheaper than brand name products, even though they’re virtually the same. To save some cash, switch to store brand whenever possible.
3. Shop (Mostly) Vegetarian
Besides being bad for the environment, meat is pretty expensive. So whether you plan for Meatless Mondays or go completely vegetarian, you’ll definitely save money. And if you do buy a little meat, avoid steak and expensive seafood entirely, as those purchases will take up a lot of your budget.
4. Buy Frozen Vegetables
Perusing the produce section might be fun, but buying frozen vegetables is often the best way to go. Bags of frozen veggies are cheap, and as a busy student, you’ll save time by not having to chop and prep anything. Frozen vegetables still have lots of nutrients, so you can easily eat healthy with minimal effort.
5. Plan Your Meals (and Stick to That Plan)
One of the most important things you should do before grocery shopping is plan out your meals for the week. A meal plan will help you stay on track and (hopefully) under budget when shopping because you’ll know exactly what you need. You can save a lot of money—and start to drop that Freshman 15—by skipping over those impulse buys like Cheez-Its and Oreos.
6. Use Coupons—Seriously
While it might seem silly to pick up a newspaper or coupon booklet, you should make the effort to clip coupons before shopping. You can plan your meals around items that are on sale, and you might even end up trying a new food or recipe. The cents and dollars you save will really add up. Plus, even if you’re against wasting paper or money on newspapers, you can still find plenty of coupons online.
7. Save Money on Bags
Some states have implemented bag taxes to reduce waste, meaning plastic bags at the grocery store cost money. Bring your own bag (any free bag from a college club will do) to both save the environment and save money. Those few cents would make a dent in your wallet after a few weeks.
8. Eat Before You Shop
Studies indicate that being hungry while looking at food only leads to greater perceived hunger—which could lead to more impulsive thoughts about food. Make sure to grab a snack at home or have a friend grab you something from the dining hall before you head to the store. That way, you can avoid spending more on things that excite your hungry stomach.
9. Use Technology to Your Advantage
These days, there’s an app for everything. Grocery shopping is no different. As a tech-savvy college student, you can easily download several apps that help you keep track of your pantry’s inventory, budget effectively, or eat healthier. There are quite a few different apps out there, so give several a try to find out which ones make your shopping experience easier.
10. Don’t Waste Anything
Along similar lines, you should use Supercook.com to turn whatever’s left in your fridge and pantry into a meal. All you have to do is plug in what you have, and then your edible odds and ends can be used instead of thrown away. It’s easier than you’d expect to make food—even older food—taste good.
11. Check Out the Dollar Store
Surprisingly enough, you can actually find plenty of affordable groceries at the dollar store. If there’s one near campus, make sure to frequent it to get great deals on basic necessities like bread, milk, and peanut butter. If there isn’t a dollar store nearby, make a trip every once in a while to stock up on shelf-stable food items like pasta or canned goods.
12. Shop Alone
Going shopping with friends can be fun, but shopping on a budget is not a social activity. If you’re serious about saving some cash, hang out with your friends another time. Shopping with others will increase the number of unplanned purchases you make, whether that’s desserts, extra snacks, or weird produce they want you to try on a dare.
13. Buy What’s in Season
Produce that’s out of season can be unreasonably expensive, so you might not want to buy strawberries year-round. Instead, check out the USDA’s website to see when your favorite produce buys are in season.
14. Freeze Anything and Everything
Yogurt, bread, vegetables, tomato sauce, you name it—almost everything lasts longer when you throw it in the freezer. Freezing leftovers from meals works great, too. Put some individual servings in the freezer to eat when you have to cram instead of cook.
15. Be Alert at the Cash Register
Make sure all the sale items you purchase are sold to you at the correct price. Be attentive when you’re checking out, and don’t be embarrassed to ask questions. After all, everyone knows college students work with slim budgets. If a can of beans or a bag of frozen chicken rings up incorrectly, simply ask the cashier to double check the price.
16. Avoid Perishable Bulk Item Deals
While some deals might seem really tempting, it’s not worth it for a college student with limited space and money to buy four gallons of milk, 10 pineapples, or seven cucumbers just to get a cheaper price per unit. The food will definitely go bad before you use it up, and then you didn’t really save money at all. If you want to buy in bulk, opt for nonperishable items like oats or rice.
If you’ve used all these steps and are still worried about your food budget each month, a credit card—used responsibly—could be the answer. Many cards offer rewards for groceries, which could help you earn a bit of cash back on purchases you’d make anyway. Read our guide on Credit Cards for Students, and don’t forget to check your credit report for free at Credit.com before applying.
The post Grocery Shopping in College: 16 Ways to Save Money appeared first on Credit.com.
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