Money Woes

By Ben, The CND Intern

     I think something we all have in common is the hope of someday having enough money to not worry about it.

     Bankrate.com has some good tips for maintaining your needs and looking for something better. 

The authors of their site offer this sound advice:

"Single parents are often reluctant to reach out for help out of fear that it shows vulnerability or weakness. Sometimes pride prevents them from taking advantage of support networks, friends and family, but all are effective tools to reduce stress.

Being able to say 'this is beyond me' and 'I need support' is an important first step for people to take."

    
     Other tips include setting better spending habits, understanding all the tax breaks you can get for kids and the importance of keeping on top of financial documents.

Check out more detail at their site: Bankrate.com

Start Your Own Babysitting Co-op

A babysitting co-op is a group of parents who agree to exchange babysitting time.  

Unlike most one-to-one babysitting arrangements, members do not have to pay cash or make an even exchange of hours with the other parents.  Parents may fill and request sits according to their own schedule with anyone in the group.  Most co-ops work on some kind of point system:  you earn points when you watch someone else’s kid, and you spend points when someone sits yours.

Each group determines their own rules such as: Who can join? Will administrative dues be charged? How will points be tracked? Who will lead the group? Many co-ops have rotating coordinators and/or secretaries, often paid with sitting points. Luckily, there is a lot of information available on the Web so a new group doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel! Three very helpful websites are:

http://www.frugal-mama.com

http://www.moneycrashers.com/start-babysitting-coop-exchange

http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/how-form-community-babysitting-co-op.html

There is even a free webinar on “How to Start a Babysitting Co-op” available at:

https://www.newdream.org/resources/webinars/babysitting-coop

Also, if you would like to connect with other parents who are interested in starting a babysitting co-op, you may leave a comment on this site with instructions on how you would like to be contacted. And keep us posted on how things work out!

13 Life Hacks for Career-loving Parents

By Ben, The CND Intern

A friend posted this on Facebook recently, I don't usually look at things like this (I don't have the time) but for some reason I did and some of these ideas are fantastic!

For example 

Idea #2 

Keep your bathrobe on over your work clothes until you walk out the front door. This will help you avoid any morning messes—spit up, sippy cups, bottles, or unidentified sticky messes flung across the room—so you won’t have to waste time changing an entire outfit.

Another idea on the list that might make my life a lot less frustrating (and honestly is good for almost everyone I can think of) is

Idea # 7

Use location-based reminder apps . These apps, like Checkmark , chirp out an alert when you’re near a designated location, reminding you to do something. For example, you can set a reminder that alerts you the next time you’re at Ridley's to buy milk, or the next time you’re near a post office to buy stamps.





Obviously these tips won't fix all of your problems, but if you're anything like me these may just change your life. 

This information came from https://www.themuse.com/ check them out for more great info on careers and life planning.