Getting Serious

 First I wish to remind you that you have a chance to win 1 of 3 Chicken Soup for the Soul: Shaping the New You books right here. Easy, Smeasy. Just click and comment!  Make sure you do that as there are few entries.

It is February and time to get down to business.  My family is already coming to me to do their taxes.  Oh how I hate this time of year.  I have to figure out ours too.  And of course there is the FASFA to do for College Girl so she can continue with her education.  Oh and let's not forget renewing of financial forms for our medication providers too.  This gets me all bogged down.  I hate being the one who has to do the budget, pay the bills and be responsible all the time.  AARRRUUUUGGGGHHHHH!

Well in the mean time, since I am having to be the adult around here.  And because I do research on everything, I figure it is time also for me to find some ways to help out myself and my family.  The bills here are killing us.  And it is not going to get any easier.  Now we are a family that really lives very low on the grid.  We do not have a single credit card for anyone here.  Yes with Granny M all the way down to College Girl there is not a single one.  We do have a mortgage that should be paid off in 9 more years.  That is before I am 57 so that is good.  It was a late start on buying a home and we are doing it in 15 years so we are content there.  But other than cutting off the heat or air and going with out phones or television, what can we do to cut cost?  Or better yet budget better?  In The Real Cost of Living I am seeing that I still have some decisions to make.  I can't control all of College Girl and I do believe she is right to be in school.  I am unsure as to what her degree is going to do for her though.  And she is piling up a great deal of debt that I pray she will be able to get out from under in years to come.  But we have to make decisions as in do we prepay the mortgage or is the degree worthwhile and do we work from home or should we buy that latte?  So many ways to look at what we are doing.  I do agree with the fact that money is not going to bring us happiness.  Instead it is what we do with our lives that will make us happy.  Or as the poster in my room says, "The best things in life are not things."

So how have you made those decisions?  Do you work from home?  I know many bloggers are moms who have learned how to take the corporate world home with them.  And now have business lives right in their living rooms.  Did you know on February 21st there is going to be the 'bathrobe holiday'?  Yeah!  And you can join in.  It is to celebrate those work at home mom's and dad's.  “It’s a national day to support entrepreneurs everywhere who are taking their work and paychecks into their own hands,” says Kristie Rimmele, co-founder of WebMomz.com.   Doing business in your Bathrobe Day is a great way to tell others about the benefits of working at home.  You can pop over and check it out.  They are going to have prizes and of course you can also win a new bathrobe.  I know I could use one.  But more so you can also read more in I Love My Life! which is a mom's guide to working from home.  With all the time I put into reviews here and my own life of taking care of everyone else, I feel as if I have an at home business.  And it may not be one that draws a regular paycheck but it does help me balance the bills some.  How?  Well I use coupons to help with the food budget.  I am sure you do too.  Well how much time do you spend getting those coupons?  That is a business transaction to me.  And of course we all find ways to work together.  I may pick some watermelon from a friend who has too many.  There is some for me and my family but the others I pass on and give to the local food bank.  That is a way of  'purchasing' food yet not being out any cash.  Yes the ol trade and barter system is still alive.  But also how many of y'all have home based businesses?  Did you build them quickly or over time?  And how successful has it been?  Share with others at webmomz.com.  You know your a bathrobe boss but there are many just like you on the other side of this screen. 

There a good many dad's out there too.  Some who are at home and raising the kiddos.  And even those who are doing it alone.  My own brother in law raised his two children and if I say so myself has done a pretty good job of it.  Even when he had to move to Germany the kids went too.  Of course they learned so much more having the opportunity to travel like that.  Later on both of them joined Job Corp and built upon the skills they learned there.  Traveling to different places is nothing new to them now at all.  But how does a single dad know so he can raise his own kids to be healthy and happy.   I mean most programs and support is geared toward single women doing this job.  I mean there is not a manual out there you know!  But wait there is now!  Yeah Craig Baird did just that.  He wrote A Complete Guide for Single Dads:  Everything You Need to Know about Raising Healthy, Happy Children on your Own

DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copy of this book to facilitate this review. No other compensation was provided.