Do you spend too much or do you have a spending problem?
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Do you spend too much or do you have a spending problem?

I will confess that I have a problem… if it’s my own money, I’m a cheapskate, a tightwad.. whatever you’d like to call it. But if it’s someone else’s money? Usually I would have no problem spending it. So maybe I used to have that problem, and occasionally it will still rear it’s ugly head. How did I stop this particular problem? By asking myself: Do you spend too much? And it wasn’t just where it concerned my own money, but any money. I started to consider what I had in terms of cash and credit. Cash, for me, had to become real money and credit cards were borrowed money. It was a hard lesson to learn and one that I’ll cover in a future…

How To Set Realistic Financial Goals for Neurodiverse Families

How To Set Realistic Financial Goals for Neurodiverse Families

I like setting goals. It helps me to visualize things in a clear way and by setting goals, I can work towards something at a reasonable and realistic pace. So it would make perfect sense for me to set financial goals, right? But is it really that easy? Of course it can be! Today, I want to talk about how and why parents of autistic children need to set financial goals. And, if you’re like me, maybe you’re already goal planning with your finances. Even if you aren’t, it’s never too late to get started. By setting financial goals and following other smart money management tips, you may also be avoiding some of the more common financial mistakes that people tend to make. We’ll also…

How To Stretch A Paycheck in a One Income Family

How To Stretch A Paycheck in a One Income Family

We are a one income family.. or at least, a one steady income family (and no, that one steady income is not me… yet).  As a mom of children with special needs, I’ve spent a good amount of time as a stay at home mom. Though one of my goals is to at least make a part time income with this blog, I’m not nearly there yet. So we have to be creative when it comes to the one paycheck and we’re learning how to stretch a paycheck. One way that we’ve done that is by creating a budget though there are several other ways to do this. Some we’re going to start and some we may do in the future. How To Stretch A…

A Mom’s Guide on How to Take Control Of Your Personal Finances

A Mom’s Guide on How to Take Control Of Your Personal Finances

As a mom of an autistic child, I have often found myself in the role of stay at home mom and secondary income. While I don’t mind this in the slightest, one of the things that I’ve learned to do is to take control of my personal finances.  Why You Need to Take Control of Your Personal Finances How often do you deal with your personal finances? When we really think about it, it may be more often than we realize. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that because personal finances are something that we should be thinking about. Whether it’s reducing any existing debt we might have, budgeting for the month, or repairing our credit score; personal finance issues arise daily. Face them head on….

How to Reduce the Stress of Buying a Car

How to Reduce the Stress of Buying a Car

Do you remember your first car buying experience? What was it like? How did you prepare for it ahead of time? Sometimes, even with all of the preparation and research beforehand, buying a car can be incredibly stressful. For our family, however, this is something that we need to face in the near future. We’re hoping that the experience will be as stress free as possible. We are bringing you a few tips for how to reduce the stress of buying a car. At this point in time, we are a one car family. It suits our needs perfectly fine and we don’t really have the need (yet) for another vehicle. But, the car that we do have could use some love. We have also…

How to Keep An Emergency Fund and Your SSI Benefits

How to Keep An Emergency Fund and Your SSI Benefits

Setting up an emergency fund is a great idea! However, it could affect your SSI benefits if you have saved too much. But how much is too much? Here’s how much to put in your emergency fund without affecting your SSI. While some are lucky enough to escape them, nearly everyone goes through some type of emergency in their lifetime. This might be a major emergency like an earthquake or flood that causes structural damage to a home. Or it could be a car accident that leads to extended time out of work. But do you need an emergency fund? Even with a family budget in place, you could budget for your emergency fund just like you would for a vacation fund. Having an emergency…