Mommy Has to Work

8 Ways to Pay Off Your Debt

October 28, 2014 By Anne

There are few feelings worse than drowning in debt. It’s not always easy to make your debt payments a priority, especially when you have so many bills and household expenses to take care of. Here are a few pain-free ways to get rid of your debt and start living with financial stability.

1. Pay your most expensive debt first (or the debt with the highest interest rate). It’s tempting to pay off your smaller debts right away, but you’ll make much more progress if you get the biggest, meanest debt out of the way first.

2. When it comes to your credit cards, never pay just the minimum balance – you’ll never get the card paid off! If you can’t pay the card off in full, at least pay double the monthly payment.

3. Struggling with paying your debt? If you need to make a payment stat, consider taking out an Idaho payday loan – you can pay it back in a couple of weeks when you receive your paycheck.

4. Balance transfers are a great option for people who need to consolidate their debt or avoid high interest rates. Open a card that boasts 0% interest for six or more months and then transfer one of your card balances to the new card. Keep in mind that this will only help you if you’re able to pay the balance in full before interest accrues.

5. For the time being, stop using your credit card – the last thing you need on top of debt is more debt!

6. Whenever you get unexpected money, put it towards your debt. So long as you have a budget in place, your bills and necessities should be covered – anything extra can go to your loans and credit cards.

7. Make a list of any recurring services you’re paying for. Which of those services or products do you really need? Get rid of anything that isn’t necessary. Recurring payments easily slip through the cracks because you don’t think about them until they’ve already been charged, but they can be a major drain on your income.

8. Part of paying off your debt is making sure that you’re not living above your means. Take a good look at your daily habits. What are you doing that’s wasting a lot of money? Change your schedule or routine to save some cash, then apply that saving to your debt.

Anne

I'm a mother of 2 who likes to get involved in too much! Besides writing here I started a non-profit, I'm on the PTO board, very active in my community and volunteer in the school. I enjoy music, reading, cooking, traveling and spending time with my family. We just adopted our 3rd cat and love them all!

Celebrate Mini Milestones with Netflix #StreamTeam

October 27, 2014 By Anne

I am a member of the Netflix Stream Team.

There are many mini milestones to celebrate all the time. Especially for the younger ones. But I sometimes forget to celebrate them. Netflix has great ideas on how to do just this!

Whatever “firsts” your family is celebrating this fall – from bringing home a new pet to a first school dance – Netflix can relate.

Here are a few that I’m sure will be coming up as I have a teenage son. How fun would it be to celebrate a road trip! Watch a few episodes of Diner, Drive-Ins and Dives and get ready to hit the road!

First Spelling Bee: Akeelah and the Bee

First Dance: Kickin’ It: S01E20, The Wrath of Swan

First Break-Up: Good Luck Charlie: S01E20, Girl Bite Dog

First Road Trip: Diners, Drive-ins and Dives

Netfilx even has crafts and desserts to make to celebrate. How fun to make this Memory Box.

Store all your milestone memories — like sports medals, vacation souvenirs, concert tickets and photos — in this DIY keepsake box. Click here to learn how to make your own.

And I love chocolate covered pretzels .Mini milestones deserve a mini reward, like the sweet-salty combo of chocolate-covered pretzels. Make them extra special by rolling pretzels in your kids’ favorite treats – from Oreo dust and coconut to chopped nuts and sprinkles, the sky’s the limit. Click here to learn how to make your own.

My daughter and I have been enjoying Netflix. We found some fun movies this weekend to watch, Nightmare Before Christmas, Baby’s Day Out and old seasons of Cutthroat Kitchen. I know that having the kid’s version on her tablet she is safe to watch all on her own.

Anne

LISTERINE Healthy Habit Heros #Sponsored #MC

October 27, 2014 By Anne

I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for LISTERINE. I received samples for this review and a promotional item to thank me for participating.

Our family has always had a routine when it to oral care. But this year somewhere in the middle of summer it got de-railed. It’s been hard getting back on track. The kids whine and I let one thing go then the next night the other and before you know it we’ve lost our routine!

Now that school is here and the kids have a regular routine, I’m putting our Oral Health Care Routine back on it’s tracks.

LISTERINE sent me a package with all the things I need for our family.

LISTERINE Smart Rinse Barbie Style which is pink and my daughter got so excited when she saw it. Smart Rinse helps prevent cavities and removes particles brushing may have missed. It’s very easy for my daughter to use. Just squeeze the bottle to fill the cup at the top, swish and rinse.

The LISTERINE ULTRACLEAN Flosser is for me! I unfortunately have spaces that need to flossed after every meal and this tool is perfect to get those hard to reach places.

The LISTERINE POCKETPAKS are a great way to freshen your mouth on the go. It doesn’t just give you nice breath, it kills bacteria for truly fresh breath! I use to buy these for my stepsons for Christmas. Right in the stocking they went. They loved them and it was so easly to place in their pockets.

To find out where you can buy LISTERINE products go to: http://www.listerine.com/shop-now

For more tips on oral care go to: http://www.listerine.com/

And check out The LISTERINE YouTube page featuring the Healthy Habit Heroes video series: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNMyQw1ILN3DOxiCv96_qAA

Do you and your family have a routine? Do you find it hard to maintain?

Anne

Halloween Treats, No Tricks

October 22, 2014 By Anne

This is a sponsored post with Foodie.com.

I love the Fall! Holidays are coming. Good Food. Fun Times. Great Memories. While I’m not crazy about cold weather I really do enjoy this time of year.

Everyone is gearing up for Halloween and I thought it would be fun to share some fun Halloween Treats with you. My daughter and I always have fun making fun and spooky treats to share with neighbors. I think the Owl Cupcakes will a big hit this year.

What Halloween Treats will you be making this year?

Anne

The Hardest Peace by Kara Tippetts (giveaway)

October 21, 2014 By Libby Blumberg

Kara Tippetts opens her heart and her mind honestly and truthfully to bring us in to her life, beginning with childhood up through her continued struggle with cancer. Her confessions and stories are difficult to read at times, but consistently coupled with the strength she receives from her spirituality. Her story is a true testament to the power of believing in a higher being and releasing all seemingly impossible things to that being. She uses the names God, Him, Holy Spirit, and Jesus. She often quotes the Bible. This may seem religious or dogmatic, but the message comes through so clearly, and I think anyone who lives their life connected to a higher being can benefit from her story.
She uses the word “hard” quite often. But the more she uses it, the softer the word gets. She gains a complete acceptance of her “hard” because of her ability to release it to God. But that’s not even the end of it. She also sees that “hard is beautiful”. Even in the darkest, most painful of times, she sees the beauty in her “hard”. The last line of a letter written by her husband sums it up. “I am a witness that it is hard, but it is beautiful.” P. 174
A paragraph toward the end of the book (p. 148) really struck me. It spoke directly to me as a mother. It makes me think of yoga and how very important it is to me. I take yoga class three times a week, but I wish I were better at living yoga every day. I stay in mommy mode most of the time, getting frustrated with my daughter when she misbehaves, or being so tired that I can’t even think straight. Kara is telling me “to slow down, to rest, to stop…to tune in.” Really very simple.

The Hardest Peace is perfectly titled. It is a straight forward account of the way we can all feel peace, no matter what. Kara admits that it is hard to do, but once you open yourself to the answer, it actually gets pretty easy. As “easy” as a devastation like cancer can be. As she quotes A.A. Milne in her acknowledgements (p. 183), I think she says it best.
“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”

Would you like to win a copy of The Hardest Peace?

Mommy Has to Work has one copy to giveaway to one reader.

To enter leave a comment why you want a copy.

Libby Blumberg

www.mamagonewild.wordpress.com www.ohbabee.wordpress.com Libby is a SAHM with one daughter, Emma, and husband, Jeff. She is a blogger, business owner, and active community member in the Town of Nocatee in Ponte Vedra, FL.