by Kelly Greene

It’s that time of year again! Many moms celebrate the end of a summer full of video games, “I’m bored” and coming home to a sink full of dishes and cups (and what is up with those cups?!? How many cups does one child need in a day?) Celebrating aside, this time of year can cause some financial stress.  School supplies, activity fees and equipment and of course, CLOTHES. It seems the older your kids get the more costly these things become.  So what are some ways to save money?

1. Recycle school supplies from last year.  Most kids didn’t use the entire box of 24 pencils or 12 glue sticks that were on last year’s list. Scissors last an eternity, markers still have some juice and a backpack can be washed. 
2. Stock up for next year during this year’s back to school clearance sales. I’ve seen prices slashed up to 80% a few weeks after school has started. 
3. Look on Craig’s List, Offer Up and...

We all grew up with various ideas about money instilled in us by our parents, some good and some not so good. How do we, as parents, model healthy financial behaviors for our children?

Teach your kids the value of money at an early age.  

I know how tempting it is to buy your child every single toy or book they want, especially around birthdays and holidays whether it's to avoid a tantrum or just because they’re so darn cute, buying your children anything and everything they want doesn’t teach them the value of money. 

Encourage your kids to save money.  

It can be very tempting to spend birthday and holiday money on one trip to Target, only for your child to be bored with their purchase a week later. Motivate your child to set a goal and save up for it. One of my sons is currently saving for a Nintendo Switch. It's a lofty goal for him, but I know he’ll feel a sense of accomplishment.

I recently took two of my kids to open up an account...

Do you dread opening your mail? Has your debt gotten so out of control you feel like you’ll never be able to see a $0 balance on your credit card statement?  It doesn't have to be this way!

Start with these easy simple tips to move your way towards a debt-free life:

1. Take a cold, hard, HONEST look at your debt. With bills arriving at different times of the month, we can easily have tunnel vision for the true amount of debt we have. Collect all your bills and lay them out. Look at the BIG picture. It may not be pretty but this is a good start on getting real with yourself.

2. Call your credit card companies to negotiate a lower interest rate. This really does work. Explain to your credit card company how you’ve been a loyal customer and would hate to have to transfer your balance to a different lower interest card. (This can also work wonders with internet and cable companies!) 

3. Check your credit score. Mistakes do happen. Be sure everything is in...