Real Life Solutions

In this world today, prices seem to go higher every year. Saving money can sometimes be a hard job for many people. To help you save money, here are some pointers for you:

1. Determine the things that are important to you. Identify the items that you need and the items that you want to have. Always remember that you should only buy things that are important and needed in your lifestyle.

2. Make sure that you spend your money only on basic needs like food, transportation, shelter, and clothing. These basic needs are worth spending for because these are important for your health and security. They are the things that you cannot live without and should be allotted in your budget.

3. Make a list of the things that you want to buy and be sure that the items that you are buying are good enough to sustain your basic needs. You have to be satisfied with the things that you have now, as long as it is still useful and can accommodate your needs.

4. You may avoid unwanted purchases by trying the item first before buying it. This is to make sure that the item is worthy enough to acquire. There are instances that you tend to buy things without even knowing its effectiveness and quality. You have to keep in mind that you always need to spend your money wisely on items that have quality and are according to your budget.

5. You may try to budget your money in advance. You can make a plan first before spending your money. There are instances that you spend your money without even thinking that it is not the right time to have it. It also advisable to buy items at the end of the season, prices at this time of the year are low and cheap.

6. You may compare items on their prices. Do not limit your options to just one store only. You may find the best item that can be useful and affordable to you by window-shopping first rather than buying by impulse. Many stores out there carry the same items and can offer lower prices.

7. You can save more money in your household by conserving electricity. Be sure to turn off appliances that are not in use. You may compare your monthly electric bills regularly to check if you are maintaining your desired bill.

8. You can save on your transportation by traveling wisely. It is recommended that you make your itinerary to help you to not forget your destinations. Being organized will help you save money and time.

Stop by Frugal Living and get instant access to help for you and your budget.

Money Saving Lunch Ideas for Back to School

Hot lunch at school can become quite expensive.   Figure on average, hot lunch costs $2.10 per day if you include milk with the meal.  If you have three children, $6.30 a day, multiplied by five days, that’s $31.50 a week… just for lunch!  Is it convenient for parents? You betcha.  Can it be expensive?  You betcha!

I’m going to give you some excellent money saving lunch ideas.  It’s important to remember that you must not embarrass your children with the lunch you force them to take (egg salad sandwiches aren’t real popular in school).  You need to come up with some fun, tasty meals that will make your child the envy of the lunch table.  The object here is to save money and ensure your well thought-out lunch doesn’t end up at the bottom of the trash barrel.

I remember a day when it was cool to bring a thermos to school.  Mine had My Little Ponies (the original ones) and my brother’s was Lost in Space.  Kid’s thermoses are quite adorable, however a word of caution: they don’t keep hot foods as hot as the trusty metal and glass thermoses.  Just be certain to preheat the thermos with boiling water, and then put the hot food directly into the thermos.  Your hot food should stay warm until lunch time, four hours later.

Leftovers make great thermos food.  Make sure you get a wide mouth, shorter thermos. You could fill it with soup, stew, mac and cheese, hamburger helper, chili, spaghetti and even hotdogs.   Another idea is to fill the thermos with taco meat with the cheese already added.  Then put a hard taco shell or a soft tortilla into the lunch bag and your bambino is ready for a fiesta!
 
Of course you could also serve cold lunches in the thermos.  How about tuna salad, macaroni salad, or spaghetti salad?  Or fill it with antipasto – variety of meats and cheeses.  Don’t forget about celery and peanut butter or crackers and cheese.  Roll-ups go over well, too.  There are a couple different variations:  Cream cheese spread on a slice of salami, with a sweet pickle inside; or instead of rolling up a slice of salami, roll up a tortilla that is stuffed with ham and shredded cheese.

Forget those pre-made lunches in a cardboard box.  Forget the standard PBJ.  Think out of the box. Economical can also be fun. Your child’s friends will try to trade their lunch for the fun meal you packed!
 

YAY!! Isaac passed his High Brown Belt today with an overall grade of B+!! Whoohoo – It was so exciting to watch him and his classmates perform.

He had to pass a written test (last week) and the physical test (today). He performed his pattern really well then had to use two foot techniques to break a board.

They move so darn fast so most of my pics are blurry but here are a few.

(If he continues on this path he will test for High Brown belt In January and then Black Belt in May)

Performing the pattern

Getting Ready to Break the board (using a Spinning Side Kick)

Breaks the board on the 1st try

A Very Proud Isaac at the end of the test with his Instructor

“But Mom, I don’t want to do my homework now”, “This is going to take me all night to finish”.  Sound familiar?…  I think we as parents have probably heard every excuse in the book to prolong the homework routine.

Battles over reading, writing, and arithmetic too often drive a wedge between parents and their children. Many times these conflicts give the child a negative attitude towards homework in general and it usually leaves the parents wondering, “What are we going to do with this situation?”

One of my favorite tips for encouraging good homework ethics in the home is that the parents schedule the same time each day for Homework studies. Also, use your child’s homework time as a time for you to model the importance of learning by simply opening a book and reading it for a few moments either along-side your child or in a nearby room.

At times, getting your child to complete homework without a fuss can be a struggle. So, here are some tips that you can use to help make the homework routine at your home go a tad smoother: http://www.reallifesolutions.net/family/homework.html

P.S. Here is the Complete Guide To Encouraging Good Study Habits And Ending The Homework Wars it is a wonderful resource for all parents of school-age children: http://www.reallifesolutions.net/homework-help.HTML

Save Money by Cooking with a Crock-pot

First introduced in 1971, the Crock-Pot revolutionized the way we cook meals.  The word Crock-Pot is actually trademarked by Rival Industries, but is used in every day conversations instead of the term slow cooker. Many recipes for the crock-pot require little preparation. The slow cooker can then safely be left to run unattended, making it a convenient cooking method.

Crock-pot meals can not only save you time in the kitchen, but they can also save you money as well. The reasons are as follows:

1. It keeps you out of the fast food line. If you had not loading up the crock-pot with the ingredients this morning you’d likely be in the drive through line at the local fast food restaurant this afternoon after work, grabbing a meal for your family. The average fast food meal for a family of four rings up over $20.

2. Stretches your dollar.  Most crock-pot recipes and meals can truly stretch your food dollar. Because you can put a whole chicken in the crock-pot to cook then cut it up for several meals, you can stretch your budget with the use your leftovers.

3. Cuts your grocery budget. You can save money at the butcher since the slow cooking process is especially useful to tenderize cheaper cuts of meat.

4. Saves on your energy bill. Instead of running a larger appliance like the stove you are running one small energy conservative appliance, the crock-pot, saving on your energy costs.

The convenience of the slow cooker not only saves you time, but will also save you money. Don’t you think it’s time to take it out of your closet (or wherever you have it packed away collecting dust) and make a Crock-Pot meal today?

Our happiness is directly related to our self-esteem. Self-esteem affects our confidence and general outlook in life. It is however important to note that building our self-esteem is up to each and every one of us.

Here are some self-esteem boosters:

• Don’t be afraid to learn and master new skills. Try a new hobby. Check out different classes offered in your local college. Learning new things can help you pay less attention to negative things you see in your self. Completing projects will give you a sense of accomplishment. This is a wonderful way to boost your self-esteem.

• Take care of yourself. Eat well, get some exercise and make sure you have enough sleep. All these things contribute to a great immune system and a better mood. Being in good physical condition allows you to think more clearly and be more relaxed and stress free. You will soon feel you’re self esteem go up.

• Face your responsibility. You are in charge of raising your own self-esteem. If your self-esteem is high and you feel good inside then it won’t matter if others show you any negativity. That is what “self” esteem is all about.

If you’re ready to boost your self esteem and live a happier life, I recommend picking up a copy of the Journey To Joy Guide. It’s your place for instant downloadable help, day or night.

Having a schedule is a fundamental part of time management.  You can imagine your schedule as a road-map.  It provides important information about where you are going and how you can get there.

Without it, you may take a wrong turn somewhere and find yourself lost.  Once someone is lost, it may take some time before they get back on track, and they usually arrive to their destination a bit later than they would have liked.
When you have a schedule, you can look at it and see what you need to do each day.  You’ll know if you are on track, and if you aren’t, what you need to do to get back on course.

How To Make a Schedule
One of the first things to do when making a schedule is to write down all the things you have to do on a piece of paper.  Some people keep separate work and family schedules, and if you decide that would work best for you, you can divvy those tasks up later.  For now, simply write out everything that needs to be done on a monthly, weekly, and daily basis.

Once you have everything written out and in front of you, it’s time to start sorting between the common themes. You can do this by assigning a highlighter color to each theme (such as family, work, daily, monthly, weekly) or by taking out another piece of paper and writing those columns on it, and rewriting all the tasks into the appropriate column.

Now that you have all of your tasks sorted out, try to give a time estimate to each one.  You may even want to time yourself for a week or two on these tasks, as you may be very surprised at how long some things take.

For instance, you may think it only takes 45 minutes to go to the grocery store, but in reality it could take an hour and 15 minutes.  You may think it only takes 15 minutes to run up to the school and pick up the kids, but may find it actually takes 25 minutes.

In many cases, people underestimate the time it takes to do things, and this is one of the reasons they think they aren’t getting enough done.  By timing yourself, you will get a visual picture of your time.  When you see how long it really takes to accomplish your regular tasks, you will be able to see how many things you can fit into a normal day.  You won’t constantly be trying to push yourself to do more.

Once you have written down your tasks and estimated the time it takes to accomplish them, you can start planning your schedule.  Some people like to have a daily schedule that is very organized with certain tasks assigned to certain times and others prefer to keep a weekly schedule that is more flexible.

Visit Time Managment For Moms soon and gather more easy to follow tips.

Among the many household chores, bathrooms always fall to the bottom of the list.  Why? It’s a yucky job, but someone has to do it.  Here are some quick bathroom cleaning tips that you can incorporate into your daily routine.  More importantly, your family can help make it even easier for you.

* Take all of the trash out of the bathroom and put it in the garbage can.
* Put all of the dirty clothes in the hamper
* Use disinfectant to clean the sink, tub and counter.
* Use a bathroom cleanser and your shower spray to clean the tile inside the shower stall.
* Scrub the inside and outside of the toilet bowl with cleaner and brush.
* Clean the outside of the toilet bowl with disinfectant.
* Use glass spray to clean the mirrors.
* Sweep then mop the floor.

You’re done!  Great job!  Now let’s discuss how you can keep your bathroom at this level of cleanliness.   After each shower, wash down the tiles with the shower hose, and use the disinfectant to clean the tub, sink, toilet bowl and counter.  Ask your spouse to do the same, as well as your older children, if applicable.  Ensure that the pail in the bathroom is lined with a plastic bag.  This will make it easier for you to remove the trash.

Keep the cabinet under the sink tidy.  Arrange the items so that you can easily retrieve them.  Add hooks for your hair dryer, and any other appliance used.  Buy a plastic box in your local dollar store, and put all of the small items in it such as, curlers, pins, hair ties, and do the same for other items you may keep in there. Line the cabinet with Con-Tac to enable you to simply wash it down when necessary. 

Bathroom cleaning doesn’t have to be a chore; it can be as quick and easy as taking a shower!

It probably started in preschool when your son was playing with the truck and a big mean four and a half year old just came over and stole that dump truck right out of your sweet innocent little man’s precious little hands.  How dare he?!

The fact is, kids can be mean. Shoot, adults can be mean too.  Why do you think someone created the bumper sticker, “Mean people suck”?  You can’t be with your child 24/7 to protect him from the school bully.  You can’t control what other children do; but you can control how your child reacts. Or at least hopefully you can bully proof your student.

For starters you want to ensure your precious baby isn’t on the giving end of the bullying.  Not only is it rude and wrong, it could land your assertive child a suspension. (Assertive sounds so much better than aggressive, don’t you agree?)

You would do well to explain the psychology of a school bully before your child is faced with a situation where he (or she) is the one being bullied.   The “do unto others rule’ is a good place to start.  You can also explain that often children act like a bully to mask other feelings (anger, disappointment etc.)  If your student isn’t doing anything intentional to egg on the rough and tough, the odds are in his favor he may not be a target.

Only you know whether or not your child is mature enough to understand what makes a bully act in a certain manner.  If you still have “a situation” even after you’ve thoroughly and repeatedly discussed how to play nice and how to avoid instigating any negative playground behavior, it’s time for Plan B.

Make sure that your child’s teacher is aware of the situation.  That’s not considered tattling; it’s your responsibility.  Often school can and should put an end to it once they become aware.  Ok, so you tried all that and it still didn’t stop?  Assuming you already had the discussions about defending, not offending; using words not violence, then as a last resort your child should feel free to defend himself.  While most parents teach their child that fighting is bad, getting the snot kicked out of you is bad too.

If you personally don’t have the knowledge to equip your child, then enroll him in a martial arts class.  There is absolutely no correlation between children becoming violent after attending a few self defense lessons.  Don’t you want to bully proof your student?

With all that said, remind your child that the easiest way to remedy the situation may be to befriend the bully.

Three words to keep in mind when it comes to de-cluttering your home, storage, storage and storage.  De-cluttering simply comes down to finding a place for everything, making sure everything is in its proper place and getting rid of what you no longer need.  It won’t happen overnight, so now is the time to being making a plan of attack. 

First, get each bedroom area organized.  Take a day and sort through clothes and toys in the kids’ rooms, and either sell, give away or throw away what isn’t needed anymore.  Get age appropriate storage units, label things and help teach the kids to put their own things away.

Next, get a laundry basket for each family member and start with the least cluttered room of the house, so you’ll see success quicker and stay motivated.  Put everything in the baskets that doesn’t belong in that room. Then each person has a deadline to find a home for everything in the basket, or you will (even if it’s file thirteen).  Keep a big trash bag nearby for stuff you know needs to be gotten rid of immediately (like junk mail).  Do this for each room of the house.

Once everything is in the correct room, evaluate each room and decide what kind of storage is needed to keep things organized.  If there is very little clutter left in the room once the personal belongings are gone, then you’ve got less work to do. If the room still looks chaotic, decide if the items really need to be in that room or relocated, stored or sold/given away.  If you use the basket trick daily, going from room to room, it should be easy to stay on top of things. 

Different rooms have different storage needs, what works in the family room won’t necessarily work in the kitchen.  Take your time and research the options out there and find a system that works best for your family.

Visit http://www.reallifesolutions.net/getorganized.HTML  for a collection of 1,300 organizing tips, ideas and techniques to help you organize your home, your office and your life!