Here are my picks for good reads this week…

Good Morning America is doing a series called, “$100 a Day in May.” They show how you can find free money each day in May. Lots of great tips, but my favorite was May 18th when they sent two designers out to the Dollar General to find decorations for a party ($75 limit). They had some cute ideas that would be nice for a summer party or a child’s birthday party. Check back each day to get more ideas for ways you can be maximizing your dollars.

A Food Year is a great blog where you can get a new dinner idea for each and every single day! Ken Sloan is on a quest to try a new dish each day, document his review, gives you the recipe, and provides a photograph of his masterpiece.

Getting Out of Debt has some great frugal gardening tips, that could help even the most experienced gardener. I do not garden. I make things die…a rapid death. I love those who garden though so that is why I am including that one!

Boston Gal’s Open Wallet shares a great freebie that is worth looking into (if you are a contact wearer). Bausch & Lomb has created a Wear & Care program. If you sign-up they will send you a kit which includes 12 contact lens cases, wear & care CD, care and cleaning mirror stickers, free trial certificate for Bausch & Lomb PureVision contact lenses, information about Bausch & Lomb eye vitamins, and coupons for Bausch & Lomb ReNu MultiPlus solution.

Don’t forget to take this week’s poll on your favorite summertime activities!

We would like to congratulate Tonya Ramsey on being chosen as our Monday WAHM for MomAdvice.com. We wish her much success in her business and with her family.

If you are interested in being featured, we will be selecting a mom for each Monday of my blog. You can read more and apply. Email confirmations are sent to each mom if they are chosen.

Please remember to do your own research on these companies. If there are obvious red flags on BBB, I do not post them. Check my scam article to find out more about the potential dangers of work-at-home businesses.

Thank you to Tonya and her WAHM business, Life By Design, for taking the time to apply and be a part of my Monday feature!

Name: Tonya Ramsey

City/State: Beloit, WI

Name of Company: Life By Design

Website Name: www.lifebydesignsite.com

Two or Three Sentences About Your Company:

Life By Design is dedicated to helping working mothers learn how to balance their lives. Through coaching you will get the support you need to move forward by accomplishing your goals.

Two Tips for Moms Trying to Work-At-Home (these tips can be how you stay organized, how to be successful, how to get started- anything that you feel would help someone just starting out):

1. When starting out as a WAHM it may be frustrating because your time is unstructured. You might bounce back and forth between too much work time and not enough work time. Evaluate your day, decide what needs to be done both with work and with your regular family and home responsibilities. Then draw up a schedule, remember this is YOUR schedule you can be as flexible as you need to be as long as all your work and family to-do’s are met each day.

2. Sometimes being a WAHM means empty bottles and stray toys on your desk. By decreasing clutter you will be more productive when it is work time. Have a workspace that is separate and use only for work. At the end of the day remove all stray items that don’t belong. Stay organized by giving everything it’s own place and doing a daily clean up to make sure that items get returned to their place.

Thanks to everyone for taking our poll for the week. If you would like to review these results, you can view them here.

The results concluded that most of us have taught ourselves how to be frugal. We should all be so proud (*patting self on the back*) for learning how to save money.

I felt like I learned the most from a little book called, “The Tightwad Gazette.” If you haven’t gotten this book, I highly recommend it because it made such an impact on how I look at things in my home and how little I really need. Many of the ideas, to me, were very extreme and ones that I would not personally follow, but I am able to overlook that and look to the things that would truly benefit me & my family. Whenever I need a little frugal inspiration, I get my copy of this book out and start reading. Each time I come away with something new that I have learned (no matter how many times I have read it!)

I am also a self-taught frugal momma. I wanted to stay home with my son in the worst way and I was willing to do whatever it took to make that possible. I checked out books, read countless articles, visited websites, shared on forums and became a human sponge- absorbing everything & anything that I could get my hands on. We barely made ends meet for a long time and are just now experiencing a bit of breathing room in our finances. This “breathing room” is getting socked away for a rainy day so that we have this money if things should change unexpectedly.

Thank you all for taking the time to take our poll. Be sure to take our poll this week on your favorite summertime activities!

I am taking a day off from blogging today because it is our sixth wedding anniversary. My in-laws are watching the kiddos for us so that we can have an evening out together. It is not every day that you get an opportunity to have free babysitting AND a dinner out. I am just going to spend the day with the kids today, but feel a certain sense of obligation to let my “bosses” know where I am at. For all I know, I could be the only one reading this blog, but it never hurts to report to your superiors, right?

Just so you know, there has been quite a bit of activity on our forum recently so feel free to browse around there and share some of your own tips! We also have our one month of slow cooking article up so you can take a break from that hot kitchen and enjoy your days outside this summer.

Saturday is usually reserved for posting the latest sales so you can click here and here for the best bargains around this month.

I hope you guys have a great Saturday and I will be reporting for duty tomorrow!

The Festival of Frugality (23rd Edition) is now posted and ready for your viewing pleasure.

My Saving on Groceries blog entry got in (just in time!) for this week’s festival.

This week’s was *seriously* packed with good information. Not that it isn’t every week, but this week it seemed like I got something out of every single entry. My favorites though were Trivial Untruth & Make It- Don’t Waste It.

Trivial Untruth really resonated with me because I could really understand where she was coming from. How many times have I thought it was the cashier’s fault if they don’t ring up my purchases and blame them for my own dishonesty? Her point about what that teaches our children really struck home and I am going to try and be more conscious of that in my daily life. I am a Christian so you would think that this would be a no-brainer, but unfortunately it isn’t. We know I have issues with The Man because I can’t stand for The Man to take my money, but not when it is compromising my honesty & how I appear to my children. I am not going to beat myself up over it, but I am going to be more aware of it!

Make It- Don’t Waste It….well, what’s not to love? Finding new ways to reuse things in our homes is always a great thing with me. I have plenty of stuff to work with over here! I particularly loved her idea of saving the cookie crumbs for ice cream & pudding toppings.

Thanks to Boston Gal’s Open Wallet for hosting another amazing festival. I hope you guys can check out the entries.

Don’t forget to take our poll today too (if you haven’t already). I am inquiring on who has helped influence you the most in your management of money.

Mothers could be drawn out of home by job market
Analysis says highly educated stay-at-home moms are a great match for booming job market…Read More

Tips for Reducing Shipping Costs When Selling Your Stuff
Shipping costs are increasing. As they are one of the key disciplines of being an profitable eBay seller, here are some tips to help you maximize profits…Read More

50-year Mortgage Hits the Market
Lenders have begun offering a half-century home loan as incentive in face of record-high home prices, rising interest rates, report says…Read More

Everything’s Negotiable- Buying a Car
Between financing and haggling over price, buying a new car can be a complicated and daunting process, but it doesn’t have to be…Read More

Lending Kids a Financial Hand
Getting their financial footing can be tough for young adults when first starting out. It’s OK for parents to offer their support — but how much is appropriate? Read More

How to Sell Gymboree on Ebay- The Truth
This is an old post that I ran across on selling clothing on Ebay. I have always wondered how the world of Ebay works. This lovely lady is sharing her Gymboree selling secrets…for free. No e-book, no hidden fees…just the cold hard truth…Read More

Please be sure to take this week’s poll & read the results from our grocery budget poll.

We would like to congratulate Kassandra Bragg on being chosen as our Monday WAHM for MomAdvice.com. We wish her much success in her business and with her family.If you are interested in being featured, we will be selecting a mom for each Monday of my blog. You can read more and apply. Email confirmations are sent to each mom if they are chosen.

Please remember to do your own research on these companies. If there are obvious red flags on BBB, I do not post them. Check my scam article to find out more about the potential dangers of work-at-home businesses.

Thanks again to Kassandra for being a part of our WAHM Spotlight!

Name: Kassandra Bragg

City/State: Carrollton, TX

Name of Company: Symmetry International

Website Name: http://www.weeklypay123.com

Two or Three Sentences About Your Company:

We are a new division of a 10 year old corporation based in Austin Texas. Presently we are operating in 18 countries, both profitably and debt free and expanding every year. Our executive staff has over 100 years of combined experience both in the field as well as the corporate setting. Most of my team members are in profit within their first 72 hours with my training & coaching.

Two Tips for Moms Trying to Work-At-Home (these tips can be how you stay organized, how to be successful, how to get started- anything that you feel would help someone just starting out):

1. Have a set schedule! Clock in and out just as you would if you were working in a career outside the home. You are a professional! Do your hair and make up, put on some heels and nylons, just as you would outside the home. Doing this will DRAMATICALLY increase your results immediately!

2. Get professionally trained. Set specific goals! Thisis by design, not by default. Be specific, pray daily, tithe, and keep your priorities in order. God first, spouse, children, health, and work. When you take care of these things, GOD will take care of you!