The Importance of using Cartons

I have been teaching Noah about the environment. I think that it is important for him to know about how we have to protect our planet.  He has learned this at a young age. When he was five, he saw the palm trees being trimmed. He was very concerned. He decided to march around yelling “Save our Trees, Save our Trees.” He wasn’t accustomed to the fact that palm trees have to be trimmed for not only esthetic reasons, but for safety reasons.  I explained that they aren’t cutting them down; they are just helping them be safe.  I think when I read The Lorax to him; he really listened, even if he thought they were monkeys.  Recently, we were talking about rules, and he said, “You don’t have rules.” I explained that I do, I can’t litter. He told me I didn’t need a rule for that.  He knew that’s common sense.  I think I am doing a great job teaching him about saving the earth. We went to Boyd Hill Nature Preserve for Earth Day, and I know that the older adults were impressed to see a six year old know the answers to all their questions and could identify what trash items could confuse animals.  Noah is such a fantastic child.  We are an eco-aware family.

Noah loves to drink milk and juice. I have decided to switch from milk jugs to milk cartons, because not only does it keep the milk fresher, it also is better for the environment.  Milk jugs use a lot of plastic, and since cartons are cardboard they are easier to recycle.  Cartons are recyclable for more than 49 million U.S. households. Recycled cartons are used to make other paper products, including tissue, office paper and building materials. I prefer juices that come from cartons vs. concentrate.   I think there are better flavor options. When I use chicken broth I always buy the cartons because it’s more convenient and you don’t need a can opener.  You can also make really cute crafts out of milk cartons. I remember when I was in Brownies making a bird feeder out of a milk carton.  I would love to make all kinds of crafts out of milk cartons. I think that Noah would reuse anything he could.  Noah loves to plant things too.  We could use milk or juice cartons as planters.  I am sure that my adorable son would find a way to make something Star Wars out of a carton or maybe that he calls a Minecraft Craft.  Making this change will be awesome for the planet and an excuse to get out the craft supplies, not that we need one.

Do you drink milk and juice from cartons?

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.