Managing a Budget for Future Family Fun

You already know that starting out is tough when you first have kids. Learning how to budget for a family takes some time and effort, but it is well worth the reward. Luckily, there are many ways to make additional income in your spare time. While you may be chuckling at the idea of free time, there are plenty of options that can be done from the comfort of your home or after the kids have gone to sleep.

Try Your Hand at Entrepreneurship

Take on a side job as a sales rep or brand ambassador that only takes up 10 to 15 hours of your time per month and brings in a substantial amount of income to your household. Companies such as Amway give you the power to start your own business and be your own boss. There are no scheduling restraints to abide by, allowing you to work as you please.

Some companies recruit brand ambassadors that are only needed intermittently during special events and festivals. Typically being a brand ambassador allows you to bring your family along with you to help out at the company's booth to help entice others to come and learn about them.

Get a Move On

Uber allows anyone with a clean driving record and a car newer than a 2004 model to become a taxi driver. This opens up a new set of working hours that won't butt in to your family time. Uber drivers work whenever they want to, sometimes only working for a couple hours on the weekend to bring in a few extra dollars for a future family vacation.

Put Your Skills to Good Use

If you have a special talent or skill, put it to good use to make some extra cash. For example, if you're a good writer, find freelance websites that are looking for copywriters and copyeditors. If you're crafty, set up a shop on Etsy to sell your goods. If you're the world's greatest baker, cater birthday parties or sell your treats at festivals and farmers markets. There are plenty of ways to monetize your skills in the age of technology; you just have to put in a little effort to find them.

Evaluating Your Need

You may not need to take on another source of income if you're properly managing your money. Take a look at your household income and your monthly expenses to get a better sense of how much expendable income you have to use for vacations, entertainment and so forth. If that amount is not substantial enough to fit your family's desires, consider one of the above options to meet your family's goals.

However, if you're close to your goal, you may be able to cut back on other expenses to save for something you really want. For example, eat at home rather than a restaurant one more day out of the week to save money. You also should consider meal prepping as a way to save on your grocery bill, carpooling to save on gas and repurposing items instead of buying new ones.

Renovations That Aren't Worth the Investment

Luxuries are nice, but unless you plan on remaining in your current residence for more than a few years, you should pick and choose upgrades wisely. Most Realtors and contractors know the best ways to spruce up before putting a home on the market, but what are the absolute worst renovation ideas if want to sell the place you dwell? These are the top renovations that are only nice to have if you don't expect to regain the cost.

Sunrooms or Solariums

These fall into the category of “nice if you already have one,” and potential buyers will ooh and ahh when viewing your home. However, they are cost-prohibitive as an investment. A good-quality custom sunroom can cost as much as $75,000, and you'll likely recover less than half that amount on resale. This is something that should only be added to your home if you're planning on enjoying it yourself.

Almost Interviewed for The TODAY Show, Bringing Confidence in my 40s, Quitting WW Because of Oprah? No Way!

So this happened today, and I'll share my Facebook post (you can find me on FB here!)  ...

ARGH! Had a chance to be interviewed on camera for TODAY show about my Weight Watchers annoyance (they found me through the blog!) ... but they asked last-minute and we were at the nature center and now on to religious ed. #allaboutthekids

while I was doing this ...

Ernie Miller Nature Center

and then I had to rush home to make some sort of thing that resembled dinner before rushing the three youngest kids to religious education class, where I volunteer as the English translator (learning so much more Spanish and loving it) so I can get it half price.

Was I freaked out about the prospect of being on television? Yep. It's not the first time I've had the chance to be on TV. I was actually interviewed in Downtown KC once when I was in my 20s about the decline of Downtown and did I remember how cool it used to be and all that? Yes, I do remember how cool it used to be and I miss the 1950s and 1960s and 1970s charm of it. I just looked at the reporter and spoke. No big.

But lately when I have been asked by ANYONE, including 18-year-old phenom Elijah Wright, I kind of freak out. I feel like my ADD brain is going to start stuttering and won't be able to focus on the question and will look like a full-on doofus.

TODAY was different, though. Get it? It happened today and also it was TODAY, a show I LOVE. Anyway, I'm 45 now and I have fewer craps to give. I'm caring more about what REALLY matters and that does not include me looking like a moron on television. If anything, I like to be the comic relief so why not give it a shot? I'm teaching my kids that the only failure is in not trying.

Also I am realizing that I am not horrible at winging it. Don't tell anyone, but I pretty much wing it every week at co-op so far this school year and it's always awesome! The kids have a great time and I just have a of pages of stuff and a lot of ideas and we just go with it. (doesn't hurt in PE that I have a helper who is actually knowledgeable about sports but surrounding yourself with awesome people never hurts in your journey)

Curious about what made me quit Weight Watchers? Read the post here. This post got a lot of attention, probably because of the inflammatory title. I don't mince words, usually. I used to LOVE them and now I won't go back. I got a FitBit One last week (free through Aron's work ... thank you, FMC!) and it replaces my ActiveLink quite nicely!

Anyway, when I thought maybe I could get away with doing an email interview (hahaha!), here is the response I gave the reporter:

Hi there! I apologize, but I am driving with the kids and won't be able to call anytime soon today. But I would love to weigh in on your piece. Oprah did not have anything to do with my decision. I grew up on Oprah starting in the 80s and always loved her so she didn't factor into my leaving decision at all. What I hated was that they kept changing the plan every single year to keep it fresh. I know a lot of people would like that but I don't understand why they couldn't still somehow offer the old options for older members from years back and then start new options to bring in new members. I think that someone could have figured out a better way to accommodate more people rather than alienating the longtime members. Around the same time their contract with Phillips ended so there went my active link, which is a clip onto your bra fit bit type thing. Please forgive me if any of this doesn't make sense like I said I'm driving.

Yes so basically I was left with no fitness monitor and a brand-new plan that was telling me that I was eating a six point yogurt instead of a three point yogurt and it was just frustrating. I have been off and on the plan since 2005 or 2006 so I feel like I know what I'm talking about as far as knowing the different changes.

I did go to an app called Lose It! but I find that I am not really tracking my food ever. And my phone does a crappy job of tracking my steps. Last week I got a fit bit one free through my husband's work, and I am loving that it is counting my actual steps and even keeps track of sleep.

I don't really see myself going back to Weight Watchers ever because $50 a month is too high for us and I can track certain aspects of my diet in a free app that works just fine. 

Please feel free to write me back for any clarification. If you really need to do some sort of interview over the phone I am happy to do that and we can figure out some sort of time for that! I hope this helped and I'm looking forward to your piece.

Sometimes I am professional and sometimes I dictate crazy emails to reporters like an insane person. Whatever. As long as the point gets across it's all good.

Please consider signing up for an email subscription when the dealy-jobber pops up. If you have signed up before using Feedburner, I already have your info and you'll be added to my MailChimp newsletter when I get that thing going weekly :-) Thanks for reading!

Cleaning a Little Deeper Every Once in a While

Cleaning. We've all got to do it, but very few of us like it. Of course, we like the results of not doing it even less. So on a daily basis, we exchange a little of our precious time in exchange for feeling comfortable and proud of our homes.

The daily maintenance of keeping a house can mean we often let the little things slip. We're so busy washing dishes, wiping down sticky surfaces and going through our kids rooms that everything else is forgotten. We clean on the surface, glance around, decide it's good enough and go on with our lives.

Then the occasion hits. Let's dip into fantasy and look at the kind of scenario that brings about The Horror. You've got a new TV. You're excited; the kids are already arguing about what to watch; your husband is talking longingly of sport. You free the new product from its box, remove the old one, and pull out the TV cabinet to get everything set up.

Image from Wikipedia

You're greeted by a cable monster. Accompanying the mass of cables is enough dust and lint to viably consider an entire Hallowe'en costume made of the stuff. While from a distance the TV and its stand looked fine, behind is another story.

Show Your Bathroom Some Love: Flirtatious Ideas To Wow Your Guests

For most of us, the bathroom is a room distinctly lacking in passion. The walls are generic. The tub is unloved. And it can feel claustrophobic. But fear not. Your bathroom needn’t be inhibited. Follow these design tips to make your bathroom flirtatious, and wow your guests with style.

Use Wood Illusions

Getting wood into the bathroom can be difficult. Wood doesn’t tend to stand up very well to the humid environment. And most people who try it usually end up with problems. But now retailers, such as Made Blinds have faux wood designs in their portfolio. These are an excellent way to get wood effect into your bathroom without any of the hassles. And they help give the room a more natural, earthy feel.

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Maximise Storage Areas

Nothing is more impressive than great bathroom storage. It’s a way of making the bathroom more practical, as well as including attractive furniture. Don’t just go for a generic, white mirrored cupboard. Choose something that really stands out and is unusual. Remember, the bathroom is still a room you live in, so there’s no reason why you can’t do a little experimentation.

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The best examples of this are long, low dressers that follow one of the walls. Dressers create a big impact in the bathroom, precisely because they are so unexpected.

Make Minor Upgrades

You don’t have to spend thousands renovating your bathroom to improve it significantly. Instead, you can create the illusion of a revamp just by getting smart with minor upgrades. According to the experts, repainting the walls and replacing leaking old taps offer the best bang for the buck. But there’s nothing to stop you from upcycling old bathroom furniture. If you’ve got an old chair in your bathroom that’s looking a little worse for wear, think about ways you could improve it. Remember, you don’t have to stick with the original design. You could transform a dull, old piece of furniture into something that’s bright and looks new.

Other minor modifications also make a big difference. Swapping out old and unattractive towel bars always makes a vast improvement to bathroom aesthetics. So too does changing light fittings to something a little more contemporary.

Beautify With Accessories.

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Having a bathroom that’s clean and bright is good. But if you want to take your bathroom to the next level, you have to invest in accessories. Accessories are what truly make or break the appeal of the room, and can create a spa-like experience. There are many ways that you can accessorize, depending on the theme of your room. If you’re going for an elegant or luxurious look, you could include bottles of bath oils and natural loofahs. If you’re going for something a little softer and more relaxing, how about adding candles and scented soaps?

Use Flowers

Flowers have always been a symbol of love. And there’s no better way to show your bathroom some love than by giving it flowers. Orchids always tend to pair well with bathrooms. For starters, they’re beautiful. But they’re also suitable as indoor plants, due to their low water requirements.

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