Jean Chatzky Talks Money

The official holiday shopping season begins in about a week with the Black Friday sales, and the tendency seems to be for most to overspend and then find themselves sitting in a pile of debt after the holidays.  That is no way to start the new year.  In fact according to Jean Chatzky, financial editor for the Today Show, 13 million Americans are still carrying debt from last years holiday shopping season!

Thankfully Jean gave some sound advice on how to enjoy the holidays without the added stress that overspending and guilt can add if you allow it.

Why is it that we feel that we have to spend elaborate amounts of money to prove to someone that we love them and they are special.  The retailers are counting on the guilt that comes when we can't afford to give our child the hottest new toy which often translates into the most expensive.

With unemployment at an all time high of 10.22% (the highest since 1980's) it's imperative that families take this time to teach their kids some valuable lessons about money.  There is nothing wrong with sitting down with your kids and explaining to them that you are choosing to use your finances for other things this year like sports and activities instead of large Christmas gifts this year.

Not only will it release the power that guilt can hold on parents, you'll be teaching your children that making smart financial decisions is more important than the newest gaming system.  Even if they don't agree with you know, these are lessons that you're teaching your kids that they will remember in their adulthood.  

Today I had the opportunity to learn first hand from Jean Chatzky best selling author and financial editor for The Today Show.  Some of the topics she covered were:

• How to save more for the holiday expenses.
• Offer advice on how much to spend for the holidays.
• Provide recommendations on how to get your finances back on track after the holidays.

Jean suggests coming up with a very "real" holiday budget which includes everything.  Christmas cards, wrapping supplies, baking supplies, gifts, tree, decorations, ect.  Once you have a budget, subtract 10% for error.

This is your budget.  Make a list of everyone you need to get a gift for and assign a dollar amount to each.  You can "borrow" from another persons amount as long as you don't go over budget.  Don't be motivated by guilt!  You can find incredible gifts for very little money this season.

Jean has a handy calculator tool on her site that will give you an idea of how much you should spend this year for the holidays that you can access here.

You could also consider making or baking gifts this Christmas instead of buying gifts.

While I don't necessarily advocate for credit cards, there are a couple of things to keep in mind if you are considering using them this year.

• Don't purchase more on credit than you can afford to pay off in full by February.  After all, you don't want to become one of the 13 million still paying a year later do you?
  

• Be careful with those special store credit cards.  You know the ones they offer right at the register.  The 10% you save isn't really worth opening and carrying another credit card.

• Anytime you apply for a credit card it puts a small ding in your credit score, so don't get suckered into opening ANY if possible.  

The Black Friday sales seem to have already begun for a lot of retailers.  You better believe they'll be fighting for your money this season.  It's good to be a wise consumer and not get caught up in the frenzy. 

K'nex Review

I have to say right up front that K'NEX are my son's favorite thing to do.

Every since he was a baby this boy has been building things.  It started with those wooden blocks and Lincoln Logs and then it moved onto the giant lego block and gears toys.

But when he received his first set of K'NEX it was love at first site for the boy and his mom.  Not only could he build until his hearts content, but it gave him hours of keeping busy while I was able to get things done around the house.

Let me tell you this boy has made some pretty amazing things with K'NEX.  And his mind is constantly thinking up new things to make.

The 400 piece box is THE perfect starter kit to get any kids going with K'NEX.  There are plenty of pieces to make different things, and the box comes with directions to make some simple projects.  And costing under $20 makes it the perfect holiday gift!

I'm telling you if you have a boy with a mechanical mind like mine, they'll quickly move on to make more advanced projects.

K’NEX is also holding a Make a K’NEXion contest. 

Now you and your readers have the chance to win over $1,000 worth of K’NEX Toys and be featured on the KNEX.com web site.   

How? 

Make a video and include select K’NEX products. The possibilities are endless. Construct your own story or showcase your child’s K’NEX building skills - use your imagination!

The 10 best videos will be featured on KNEX.com and the winning video will receive $1,000 worth of K’NEX Toys.

Yep, my son and his friend are all over this contest, $1000 in K'NEX is like a dream come true to them. 

And just in case you are a homeschooler like me, you might be interested in the fact that they have a whole section for educators to find neat ways to use these as a teaching tool!

**Although the product for this review/giveaway were supplied to me free of charge from K'NEX and Team Mom, all opinions expressed in this review are solely mine.

Don't Get Stuffed This Thanksgiving!

I am heading up north to my moms house for Thanksgiving in a couple of days.

I am super excited because I really need a break like this. There are no phone call to make or take, appointments to keep, errands to run, schedules to keep, bill to pay, ect.

I can sit around in my sweatpants all day long if I want to. Sleep until I can't sleep anymore. Read a book entirely. Write until my heart is content. Sit and stare out the window at a gorgeous view for hours. Watch the wildlife.

It is a moment in my life of absolute down time.

Another thing that we do a lot of is eat. We have a lot of great recipes between my mom, my sister, and I. And we bring out all the best recipes for this week together. This translates into very high fat and calorie foods.

And it never fails that we come home feeling like we've gained at least 15 pounds. So, I am trying to be a little more wise in my recipe selections with the help of this eBook I found online.

I'm sure the recipes in this book won't keep me from overeating the caramel apple pie that my sister is going to make, or the homemade stuffing my mom will make, but I'll feel a little less guilty if I can add a few good for you recipes into the mix.

After filling out a simple form, it will ask you about 10 health related questions. Skip all the extra offers (these are actually ads that cover the cost of the free cookbook)I think there were about 3 extra offer that I just clicked "No Thanks" for.

The cookbook includes these recipes:

• Blueberry Pancakes
• Sesame Chicken Fingers Appetizer
• Exotic Lobster Appetizer
• Smoked Salmon and Spinach Pizzas
• Butternut Squash with Veggies & Black Beans
• Strawberry Chicken Salad
• Brown Rice Milanase
• Pear Poppyseed Blintzes
• Lemon Sherbert with Crushed Almond Cookies

Don't Get Stuffed! Stay Slim This Holiday with These Recipes.    
Click Here to get your free cookbook.

We Joined the Circus....

Well, for last night anyways!

We had a blast at The Ringling Brothers Circus last night.  I went once when I was a kid, and I have the pictures to prove it.  But I do not remember it at all, so I was really excited to take my family to the circus.

There was certainly a lot to see and do.

It all started at 6:30 when they allow ticket holders a chance to come down to the circus floor and get a real feel of what it might be like to join the circus.

This is a free "extra" just for purchasing a ticket!  You can still take advantage of the special promotion for discounted tickets from This Side of Eternity that I shared with you here.

The show started off with a bang and continued to pick up speed as it went on.

I was not impressed with the striptease show at the begining of the show, and I think we could have done without the sexy biker dancers, I'm quite certain those were for some of the dads in the crowd and not the kids. But other than those two acts everything else was pretty spectacular!

We loved seeing the tigers, dogs, elephants, and even a porcupine. 



The motorbikes in the steel sphere were amazing!  The had 7 of them in the sphere going at once!



Of course there were plenty of trapeze artists and clowns.

The show will continue through November 22nd.  You can find all the details regarding show dates and times here.

My daughter said it was the coolest thing she ever saw!

Free Sample of Philosophy Gingerbread Man Shower Gel

Get a FREE sample of Philosophy Gingerbread Man Shower Gel and Bubble Bath simply by adding the Philosophy Share Magic Application to your Facebook page.

Go here to access the page. Once there, click on Add application in the left corner and you'll automatically be redirected to sign up for your freebie!

Your sample will arrive in 2-3 weeks, might make a neat stocking stuffer.

That's it, simple huh?

Twilight Barbies

Millions of girls, young and old, and a few boys too are looking forward to the upcoming premiere of the newest chapter in the Twilight Saga.  New Moon is coming, and the excitement in my house is brewing.  My daughter is a huge fan, and even my son and husband enjoyed the first movie.

I'll admit it, I'm looking forward to it too. I've read and enjoyed the books, and you may or may not catch me waiting in line at midnight on opening night with my daughter =)

I recently found out that Barbie has also joined in the Twilight craze.  You have to check out the new line of Twilight Barbies available right now.

Now little girls everywhere will want their very own Twilight Edward and Twilight Bella Barbie doll!

I'm curious to see how fast these will go this Christmas season with the release of the latest movie reigniting the Twilight craze!

Shop.com has all the best prices on the Twilight Barbies.  So if you are thinking of getting these for someone on your list, you can find the best price here!