Handling Finances as a Single Mom

Since I am a single mom, who doesn’t receive any child support, money is really tight for me. I am fine with the fact that I don’t receive child support from my ex-husband.  It just means I have to be a little creative when it comes to spending money and planning my budget. My income can be steady or sporadic, it just depends on what I have going on.  I have learned to save for a rainy day or a rainy month.  It’s really important for me to plan for months that I may not have much money coming in.  I recently explained it to my friend as being a squirrel gathering nuts for the winter. I also use a lot of coupons, shop sales and go to the dollar store. My trips to the dollar store can be risky but I have gotten a lot better about buying random stuff. I can’t take Noah in there though; it is a disaster waiting to happen. Being a single mom is rough when you are the mom and dad. Once you throw in the financial burden it can be difficult without a plan. My good friends at Genworth have all kinds of tools that can help me plan for my present and future financial needs. I really like the Plan Workbook to help me plan long term.


 

I am happy that I am able to be home with my son and not have to worry about who will watch him after school or when he gets sick. I am pretty lucky. I feel that I would rather have this precious time with Noah than make a lot of money where I am working long hours away from him.

Someday, I would love to meet a nice guy and ultimately get married again. Daily Finance has a great article about tips to help protect your finances before you move in with someone.  After talking to some of my older friends, it is common for a husband and a wife to have separate bank accounts.  I know that sounds kind of odd. If you can’t share money, then maybe you shouldn’t get married or live together. I think it is more common when you have been married a couple times. It is extremely important not to share a bank account with the person you are living with, even if it a serious relationship. They could take all your money and be in the wind. You shouldn’t get an animal with the person you are dating.  When you want to just walk away, you are bound by doggie custody agreements and joint vet bills.  You can really lose everything you worked hard for.  Be sure to take a few extra steps to protect your assets before it is too late. Love can be blind and doesn’t always last.

This post was inspired by Genworth and Brandfluential. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Shopping Online to Save Money

There are a few stores I love to shop at. I don’t always have time to go to the mall, and shop. I rely heavily on shopping online. It is more convenient when you are a mom.  Two of the stores I love to shop at are Bath and Bodyworks and Victoria’s Secret.  Noah has classified these as girl stores and doesn’t like to go in either. I normally don’t take him in to Victoria’s Secret because it is an underwear store.  I do like for him to go to Bath and Bodyworks with me.  I like his opinion when I am purchasing hand soap because he uses it too.  I love to use coupons and coupon codes when I shop online. Every penny counts in my opinion. 

Bath and Bodyworks has semi-annual sales, which are great. They usually bring back some of the scents that are retired. When you are like me and most of your favorite scents are older it can be harder to find in stores, except during their semi-annual sales. Even then, you run in to not being able to find the scents you love. My most favorite scent is Pearberry, I wasn’t able to find it in stores this time. I know they have it online because I went back and forth trying to decide if I wanted to go to the store or order online.  I ended up getting Juniper Breeze, which I also really like. If I would have purchased online I would have been able to get both.

It’s really important to use coupon codes to save money. Even if it is a small savings it adds up. It’s funny because when I know my family or friends are shopping online, I always encourage them to use coupon codes.  It is worth the minute or two that it takes you to search for them.  When my mom and I would go grocery shopping when they had amazing coupon sales we used to pretend what we saved was what we earned on the trip, so if you think of online shopping the same way, it will be more of an incentive to take the time and use one. Some places like Victoria’s Secret you can stack coupons too, for extra savings or even a free gift.

What do I do with Noah's DVDs?

I can’t believe how old Noah is getting.  When he was three, he loved to watch Thomas, Barney and Caillou.  I would buy him DVD’s to watch. He would watch some of them many times.  When he was almost six, he informed me that those are baby shows.  I couldn’t believe what he was saying.  I knew he was going to grow out of Barney that was just going to happen.  I thought he would love Caillou for years. We didn’t watch Caillou’s Holiday Movie every time it was on at Christmas time.  He won’t watch anything on Sprout any more.  He has started watching less Nick Jr. I know soon he will no longer love Max and Ruby or Team Umizoomi.  He has moved on to more nonfiction shows.  He loves to still watch NASA of course. He also watches Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman, How it’s Made and of course anything to do with fish and sea life.  So what do I do with all the kid’s DVD's he has grown out of?  Since Noah is an only child, at the moment, I don’t want to save them. They are taking up so much space. He has so many Barney DVDs and Thomas DVD’s. I think at one point I counted 50 DVD's that he will no longer watch. I have given some away to friends with young children but I am still left with quite the collection. There are some that he won’t watch that I will keep because they were his first DVD's. I am definitely saving all of the Baby Faith DVD’s.

Thankfully, with the wonders of the internet, I can sell DVD's online. This way they get out of my house and go to a new home where they are loved just as they were once loved by Noah.  The DVD’s will bring joy to children. They are just sitting on a shelf collecting dust here.  I love sharing things with other people that I no longer need or want.  If I didn’t share my stuff, I would be one of those hoarder shows.  I love to see people smile when I am able to give them something.   I will say it makes me a little sad when Noah grows out of his favorite DVD’s or toys.  He is really growing up so fast.

What are some shows your children have grown out of?