Money Smart Moms

Dropping Cell Phones

I had a family share plan and three phones on my phone bill. Two of them combined were being used a total of maybe 5 minutes a month, and at the cost of close to $40 added to the phone bill, it just wasn’t worth it.

Today I called the phone company and dropped the two unused phones, keeping only my main line which I use. We got prepaid plans for the other “emergency only” type phones. My mom probably used the “family plan” phone a total of 5 minutes during all of 2006, so we got her something different. My husband a total of 5 minutes a month…by dropping these two non-used phones, our bill has been cut in half.

It went from $90 to $40+….big change!

What I noticed was the pressure to keep the phones on the plan, but I knew when their contract expired, waited until one day after and dropped those babies after paying for them for so long. It’s like a weight off my shoulders. I’m sorry, but you know when something isn’t being used at all, and you’re paying monthly for it, it can get annoying. Why didn’t I drop them earlier? I’d pay a cancellation fee equal to what it cost us to keep them on the plan!

Either way, today is a win-win! Money saved…and I wasn’t talked into another plan or another feature or another phone!

CoffeeBerry Extract

You may be hearing about a new antioxidant in skin care. CoffeeBerry is about to make it’s debut in a new skin care product. CoffeeBerry has been being used in studies and it appears that it has strong antioxidant properties that can help the skin.

In an article in Allure magazine it states that this new skin cream being used with CoffeeBerry will be “unveiled” at a Dermatology meeting.

Antioxidants fight against free radicals and help protect skin cells.

Words of Wisdom for the Holiday Season

Words of advice:

Remember that if you drink too much at the office party and get a little wild, those memories will live on at the water cooler. What happens at the office party, doesn’t stay at the office party. This isn’t Vegas, Baby!

….And have  very Merry Christmas!

Thx to disneyclips.com for the picture!

Fishing with Lures

Speaking of holiday lists, do you have an outdoorsman in your crew that you’re still looking for a few extra things? I came across a site called Willy Lures that specialize in fishing lures. It’s neat how many different types are out there, whether you are a fresh-water fisherman or salt-water fisherman.

When I was about 12, my father started me fishing, but I had to bait my own hooks! When it came to lures, I always wanted the shiny ones because they looked good to me, and I wasn’t so concerned how it looked to to fish! I haven’t gone fishing in a long time, but last visit down the shore, I sat in awe as the fisherman had their massive poles and tons of lures to choose from, as they cast their rods out to the ocean.

My father got involved in deep-sea fishing at a later point in his life, but I’m not one for boats in the ocean! I’ll stick to boating on a lake! You know, when I was watching those men on the beach going through their lures, I was amazed at how real some of them looked, and my eyes were still drawn to the shiny ones!

This post was brought to you by WillyLures.com

Dear Santa, I mean Honey

Dear Santa, I mean honey…

I’ve been a good girl mostly and decided to send you my Christmas list. Here are my top choices for 2006.

1.

I’ll take another truck, like the Charcoal Yukon or Tahoe…same difference.

2. Maybe a trip to a tropical warm spot…

3. Maybe even a laptop so I can write about my new truck on vacation…

And if those don’t make it to your shopping basket, it’s okay. I’ll settle for hugs and kisses and getting to be your wife. After all, being married to my husband is the best gift a girl could ever ask for. Oh…and warm, snuggly puppies are always on the list as well…I know, I know, 2 dogs are plenty. (well, I would be happy with 3!)

Love You Much, Deb

Magazine Savings

It’s a shame my son’s school just had a magazine drive! I just stocked up on my latest subscriptions to all my magazines, and I found a great site that offers super deals on magazine subscriptions! I find that buying a subscription to a magazine saves me so much money. When I buy an individual copy of a magazine at the grocery store, it ends up costing me 2 to 3 times more in the long run!

If you’re looking to save money on magazines, you have to check out MagsDirect.com ! Magazine subscriptions also make great gifts, so if you have any last minute shopping to do, check them out!

Bags You Can Borrow

Here’s a new twist on having the latest in fashion. I found an ad in the latest gossip mag for BagBorroworSteal.com and decided to check it out. This is the quick lo-down on how it works, but for more specific details, you’ll have to check out the site for the full scoop.

You sign up and select an item. After you recieve your item, you decide what you want to borrow next. If you decide you can’t part with the item, you can buy it! There isn’t a time limit on the borrowing, and as long as you have an account that is in good graces, all is good.  You’ll be charged weekly or monthly based on the item you choose.

The rate of borrwing is up to 3 at a time, and after you’ve been a member a bit, you can up it to 5 things.

I’d say the priority here is to read the Membership Agreement to see how the money exchange works. This is a monthly charge thing, so if you’ve been wanting a piece from the latest collection, this may be an option for you to have that piece for a while.

Their FAQ  is pretty full of the questions you’ll need answering, so you can check that out. It’s a neat idea and something that may be just what you are looking for!

I have not personally used this, so please don’t ask me for more information…head to the site for your info. I merely saw the ad in a magazine and thought it was a neat concept and wanted to let others know about it.

Anyone who knows me knows I am unhip/untrendy and love my sweats, but I know a great idea when I see one!

Gift List for Teens

I found a great gift list over at Amazon called “Everything Teen Boys Like“. I wanted to share it here. It has a great selection if you’re looking for last minute items. 

So…if you have some boys, ages 13-17 that you’re scratching your head trying to come up with new ideas…check out this handy list. Thanks Amazon!

Join(RED)

MEASU(RED) RESULTS
Thank you for purchasing (PRODUCT) RED items. (RED) sales in the U.S. in the first six weeks since launch have raised enough money to:

Provide more than 40,000 people with ARV treatment for a year
(Note: These treatments are only a small portion of a person’s overall treatment and represent just one year of lifelong treatment.)

Or

Provide more than 2 million peer educators with HIV training

Or

Provide a year’s worth of school materials and daily hot meals for more than 86,000 children orphaned by AIDS

Or

Provide more than 1 million Rapid Tests which detect HIV and deliver instant test results.*

Note: These are estimates based on preliminary tracking. Actual contributions are calculated and managed on a quarterly basis.

 The above information was taken from JoinRed.com

 I first heard about (RED) on Oprah when U2’s Bono came on to announce the project and launch some of the products. I immediately logged onto Gap and bought one of the (RED) shirts. Within hours, they were sold out….

They are restocked and with the holiday upon us, consider going (RED) while gift giving. Whether it’s phones, clothing, sunglasses or more, there are lots of ways to go (RED).

Go to JoinRED.com for more ways to help and for more news and information

Understanding Life and Kids

Nope, sorry this isn’t the book you’ve been looking for that will answer all your questions….this is more question than answer.

What exactly is it that allows our brains to accept that things that our children do are things we will allow and heal from, yet if somebody else says or does something that hurts us, we push them away or we fiercely defend ourselves.

Children, especially kids going through their change into adulthood and trying to reach into maturity can be tough. We had an incident this weekend, where we had to talk about the difference between how a boy would react and how a man would react. Sometimes it takes swallowing your pride, humbling yourself and saying what needs to be said. That can be hard for a kid who feels awkward. Difficult times call for difficult feelings at times, and that’s something we had to learn this weekend.

It’s an odd process watching emotional changes as a boy struggles to be a man and as a slowly emerging man struggles to remain a boy as long as possible.