1.  Educational activities: to help children retain much of what they learned during the previous school year, they must exercise their brain with math, spelling and reading activities daily. Now, this will be met with much resistance, so I recommend doing this right after breakfast before they have a chance to turn on the TV.

Math: purchase an age appropriate workbook from Walmart or Target and have them complete 3 pages.

Spelling: grab a dictionary and have your child find three new words that they must use in a sentence and write out each word at least 5 times.

Reading: have children read for at least 15 minutes and write a summary.

2.  Go to the library: libraries are great resources for free activities, plays, story telling, and of course, books

3.  Puzzles: purchase several jigsaw puzzles and crossword puzzle books from the dollar store. Have your child spend some time each day putting them together or have a race when doing to crossword puzzles to see who the find all the words first.. Tip: have them pick out the puzzles

4.  Educational computer games: try www.funbrain.com or do a search on Google for free online educational games

5.  Visit the zoo: check to see if there are free/discounted days over the summer

6.  Swimming: what kid does not like splashing in the water; visit your local park district and spend a day playing in the water

7.  Slip and Slide: Every parent remembers having fun on this water toy. This outside activity can provide hours of fun for about $20

8.  Bowling: AMF bowling is letting children bowl for free all summer. Go to kidsbowlfree.com for more information

9.  Movie Day: Certain AMC theaters are showing movies every Wednesday for only $1. Visit www.amctheaters.com/smc for more information or call your local movie theater and see if they are offering something similar.

10. Lemonade stand: this old classic is a great way to teach children the importance of hard work and money

11. Nature walk: Take a stroll through your nearest Forest Preserve. Tip: do this before naptime; the little ones will take a nice long nap afterwards

12. Circle or story time: play duck duck goose, or have the older children read books to the younger ones. Tip: have the younger children choose the books to read

13. Go to the museum: Bank of America offers free admission into several museums if you have a debit or credit card with them.  Visit www.museums.bankofamerica.com/ for more information.

14. Buy tons of coloring books and Play-doo: another old and messy classic that younger children will enjoy

Now that you have ample ideas on how to keep your children busy this summer, create a schedule. Schools and daycares are so effective because they are structured and children like structure. The schedule does not have to be minute by minute, always allow for flexibility. Sample schedules are listed below.

Movie Day

8am – 9am: breakfast

9am – 9:30am: clean up, get dressed and load up the car

9:30am – 12pm: movie time

12pm – 1pm: lunch time and clean up

1pm – 3:00pm: naptime or TV time (take a much needed break)

3pm – 3:30pm: snack time

3:30pm – 4:00pm – school work **

4:00pm – 4:30pm – puzzle, play-doo or coloring time**

4:30 – 6:00 – outside (free) play, but no TV or video games (use this time to prepare dinner)

6pm – clean up and get ready for dinner

Rainy Day

8am – 9am: breakfast

9am – 9:30am: school work**

9:30am – 11:30: visit the library

11:30 – 12pm:  free play (prepare lunch)

12pm – 1pm: lunch time and clean up

1pm – 3:00pm: naptime or TV time (take a much needed break)

3pm – 3:30pm: snack time

3:30pm – 4:00pm – circle time or game time**

4:00pm – 4:30pm – puzzle, play-doo or coloring time**

4:30 – 6:00 – outside (free) play, but no TV or video games (use this time to prepare dinner)

6pm – clean up and get ready for dinner

Hot Summer Day

8am – 9am: breakfast

9am – 9:30am: school work**

9:30am – 12pm: water play (prepare lunch)

12pm – 1pm: lunch time and clean up

1pm – 3:00pm: naptime or TV time (take a much needed break)

3pm – 3:30pm: snack time

3:30pm – 4:00pm – circle time or game time**

4:00pm – 4:30pm – puzzle, play-doo or coloring time**

4:30 – 6:00 – outside (free) play, but no TV or video games (use this time to prepare dinner)

6pm – clean up and get ready for dinner

**Parent interaction is required

I hope this list of activities will help keep your children, save you money, and make this an enjoyable, stress-free summer!!

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Our problem this month was our 2001 Nissan Altima. It is started to shake when we went over 55 mph and it was puttering. The car has over 166K miles on it and we have no intentions on buying another car, so our only alternative is to get it fixed. My husband was a little upset, but I, the cheap, frugal, penny-pinching queen, was fine. Why? Because I know we have an emergency fund and I figured the repairs would not cost more than $1,000. I was almost right; the repairs needed to FIX the car only cost $1,000, but I was able to talk them down to $900 (yeah me!!) However, of course, they found everything else under the sun that needs to be fixed which would have cost an additional $700. We did not get those repairs done yet, mainly because they are not life threatening and because I just was not mentally to prepared to pay more than $1,000 even though we have the money.

But I started thinking, what if we did not have our emergency fun, our credit cards were maxed out or cancelled because credit card issuers are closing unused cards, we only had the one car that’s not working, and can no longer get to work. Result:  we take out a payday loan, (the worst thing ever invented) get fired because we could not get to work, some other problems comes up which prevents us from paying back to loan, and they take our car. I know this is an extreme situation, but it is a “very” real situation.

Thank God our emergency fund rescued us from this situation, but there are many people who are not as fortunate.

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Bank of America offers a program called Keep the Change which has to be the easiest way EVER to save money. It basically functions as your electronic penny jar. I remember reading awhile ago, when people were using cash,that change is to be saved and not used to purchase items. It stated that at the end of the day, all leftover change should be placed in a jar and used in emergency situations or for things like birthday and Christmas shopping. Times have changed and most people use a debit/check card for purchases. Some even use credit cards. I don’t have anything against using credit cards as long as the purchases fit into your monthly budget and you are able to pay off the balance to avoid interest charges. Bank of America has taken that ‘save your change’ concept and modernized it.

Here is what Bank of America has to say:

Save automatically with every Check Card purchase you make. Saving is a whole lot simpler when you don’t have to think about it. That’s the idea behind Keep the Change. When you enroll, each time you buy something with your Bank of America Check Card, we’ll round up your purchase to the nearest dollar amount and transfer the difference from your checking account to your savings account. You get to keep the change – so every cup of coffee, tank of gas, or bag of groceries adds up to more savings for you. What could be easier?

We’ll even match your savings¹
We’ll match your Keep the Change savings for the first 3 months, to the penny. After that, we’ll continue matching 5% a year. The maximum total match is $250 per year.

I am enrolled in this program, I love it, and have saved over $200 since January. My husband and I take advantage of this program when buying gas and tipping by going over the amount by $.01 instead of rounding to the nearest dollar. Meaning, we always fill up the tank so the total amount is $40.01 or give a tip to make our restaurant bill $33.01. That way, BOA will transfer $1.98 into our account. It does not sound like much, but a little bit here and there adds up.

I have been soooo tempted to spend the money, but I plan on using it for Christmas shopping. I will not spend the money until they have matched my savings for the year. I plan to use this money for Christmas shopping, but it can also be used towards building an emergency fund, paying off debt, or spending money on a vacation. I don’t think this should be your only means of saving money, but it is definitely another thought-less avenue for doing so.

I did read at www.wisebread.com a few minor cons about this program:

• If you overdraw your account for a day, you won’t get matched for that day. Only Bank of America checkcards count, so you won’t get it with a regular co-branded Visa.
• You have to report the promotional matching funds to the IRS (form 1099).
• They don’t start matching right away. According to the CSR, they will match your funds at the end of your anniversary
• You don’t get great interest rates on savings.
• You only make a good deal of money on this if you spend on tons of little items.

The enrollment in this program is not automatic. If you already have a Bank of America account, it is worth the 15 minutes you will spend at the branch or you can enroll online.

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The ladies plugging this deal were from MB Financial Bank. From my brief conversation with the ladies and material they gave me to read, there is no catch, just requirements that I think are realistic.

The account is called the MB Red Checking and it pays interest on your account balance.

The requirements are:

• Use your MB Debit MasterCard®, press “credit” at the checkout terminal and sign for at least 12 purchases each monthly statement cycle.
• Direct Deposit your payroll check (of at least $250/month) or pay one automatic bill payment (like your car or mortgage payment).
• Maintain a $500 average monthly balance.  

I guess there are a few catches; you need a minimum of $50 to open the account, if the monthly statement balance falls below $500 you will have to pay a $10 monthly processing fee, they APY drops to 1.00% on balances of $10,001 or more, and they don’t have that many locations and will charge ATM fees.  However, you do get 2 free monthly ATM transaction per month and the fees are free is your balances is at least $5,000.

I don’t think I would have a problem with the requirements and restrictions, but my husband works for Bank of America, need I say more. I did tell him about the checking account and he was amazed and quickly changed the subject because he knew where I was going LOL!! But this discussion is not over.

Does anyone have this account? If so, please share your thoughts.

Suze Orman states, “Certain eco-friendly upgrades to your home can qualify for federal tax credits through the end of this year. A credit is much more valuable to you than a standard tax deduction. A credit is a dollar for dollar reduction in your tax bill. A deduction’s value is based on your marginal tax bracket. For example, a $500 tax credit reduces your taxable income by $500. A $500 tax deduction for someone in the highest income tax bracket of 35% is only worth $175 ($500 x .35).”

The maximum lifetime energy credit you can claim for upgrades to your primary residence is $500 total. Among the energy-efficient upgrades that qualify for the credit are:

• New windows, storm windows, sky lights: credit on 10% of the cost up to $200 total for all windows.
• New Exterior doors: credit on 10% of the cost up to $500.
• Metal roofs: 10% of the cost up to $500.
• Insulation. Credit on 10% of the cost up to $500.
• Central air/heating: $300 credit.
• New Furnace: $150.
• Geo-Thermal Heat Pump: $300.
• New Water Heater: $300

You must complete IRS Form 5695 to claim a Residential Energy Credit. To access the form click here.

Since my husband will not let go of cable until I guess we have completely exhausted our emergency fund, wiped out our retirement funds and our house is in foreclosure, I, as usual, have to look for other ways to save money on our monthly bills. I will say that I have never paid more than $140 for my bundled cable package (phone, cable, and internet), but now that seems like too much money.

Every personal finance blog has talked about ways to reduce your cable bill, so I won’t really go into too much detail about that, but I do have my 2 cents to add.

1. Pay your bills on-time. They absolutely look at your payment history to determine if you are worthy of a discount.

2. Be nice. You always get more bees with honey.

3. Talk to the cancellation department when you are looking for a rate reduction. They have all the tricks up their sleeves and their job is to keep you as a customer.

4. Rinse and repeat. If you don’t get the price you want, hang up and call back later. The next time you call, you are likely to speak with a rep who will hook you up!!

Last week I got the hook up!

I called Comcast, ready to cancel just about everything, except the internet, but instead was only calling to cancel the phone. The lady a spoke with was very nice and asked why I wanted to cancel. I told her we were looking to save some money. So of course, she reached into her bag of tricks and pulled out the best package I have ever heard of in five years. Get this, I am now only paying $114 for extended digital cable, phone, internet, HBO and 2 DVR boxes…SCORE!! There is a catch, but not that horrible, I have to sign a contract stating that I will not reduce or cancel my package and that locks in that rate for ONE YEAR! At first, I was leery about the contract, but I figured we have a contract with our cell phone provider also and that is for two years. I have not signed the contract yet, but I will. If you don’t sign the contract, that price is only good for 6 months.

For now everybody is happy and I have avoided World War III in my house.

Ok, you might be thinking that you don’t use your credit card that much and it is not a big deal right, WRONG!! Revolving credit limits have a huge impact on your credit score. This is factored by your debt to credit ratio. You always want to have more available credit than debt, no brainer right. Well if they are going around closing credit cards, this will be a problem for everyone. Check your credit accounts, take steps the keep them from closing your card(basically, use the card), then check your FICA score.

I know I will.

I used to shop Old Navy until they put a Macy’s up the street from me and I discovered how much I could save when they have a BIG sale. But, of course, that is not enough, I also have to utilize coupons. So I patiently waited for Macy’s One Day Sale AND they had a $10 off coupon for every $25 spend; I printed out six coupons!!! The catch was the coupon did not apply to all items and the sale and the coupon ended at 1pm. But that was OK, because I knew that the only way I could buy good clothes within my budget was to wait for a sale and use coupons (rules everyone, especially frugal shoppers, must follow).

I packed up the twins and the boys, because my husband had to work that day, and got to the store at 10am. I did not even feed the twins at home; I had my oldest son feed them when we got to the store.

I loaded up the cart with clearance items and sale items for my oldest boys, tried them on and headed for the register. Because I knew it was going to take some time at the register, I let several people go ahead of me in line. Finally, it was my turn at the register; the cashier was very patient with me in dividing up the clothes into the items that could be used with the $10 off coupon and those that could not be used with the coupon. Thirty minutes later, I had 3 transactions that totaled $250 and I purchased 29 items, which came to $8.62 per item. My receipts indicated that I saved $216…AMAZING!!!

But as my friend at www.frugalchick.net stated, it does not stop there. She has the same plan as I do to sell the clothes when they become too small. Since I am done having children and no longer have to save clothes for the next baby, I can start selling the twins clothes.  Now, I separate their clothes into what I will sell and what I will give away. I usually don’t get that much money, about $20 for clothes only. But, every penny counts, right?

Last month I was shopping in the frozen section at Aldi and decided to buy frozen cheese ravioli. I purchased it because I remembered my daycare provider mentioning that it was one of her favorite meals because it is quick and cheap. She is married and a mother of four boys and is always looking for a hearty meal that ways to save money. So it bought the ravioli, a jar of spaghetti sauce and a bag of frozen veggies.  Before tax, I only spent $5.

This meal literally took 10 minutes to prepare; I boiled the ravioli and veggies at the same time, while seasoning my sauce. After 10 minutes, the ravioli and veggies were ready, I poured the sauce over the ravioli and we were sitting down to eat. This meal will definitely be added to my monthly meal planning rotation.

I love this meal because it is kid-friendly, its quick and delicious and because everything is frozen. Because I do my grocery shopping once a month, I have to plan my meals according to freshness of meat and veggies, which means this meal can be prepared at any time.

I am sure everybody in the world is familiar with this meal and I am probably the last person on the planet to cook it, but I just in case I am not, I wanted to share my new favorite recipe.

I think it is important to say that I am a saver 100% of the time. However, I think the act of saving money has become and addiction and I am working to find a healthy balance between saving money and treating myself to something nice. I am even cautious with my spending when I go out with friends; I confessed to my friends not too long ago that I don’t drink, not because I don’t like the taste, but because I am TOO FLIPPING CHEAP! I would like to point out that I will buy decorative items for the house, spend way too much money Christmas shopping, or take an exciting vacation, but none of those things benefit me and only me.

A while back my husband and I started giving ourselves allowances. Now, my husband who works for a bank, takes out his money every Friday whereas, I hardly ever take out my allowance. The few times when I have taken out my allowance, I spent it on the kids. Why? Good question…mommy guilt. I would rather take that money and spend it on Friday night dinner with the family. Crazy, I know, and then I kick myself when I don’t have the perfect sweater or shoes for church.

Before Mother’s Day, I could not tell you the last time I went to a department store or hell even Wal-Mart or Target and bought something for me. The only reason I bought something after Mother’s Day was because my father made me promise I would not spend the money have gave me on the family. What is sad is that when I made that promise I became emotional because it gave me permission to treat myself.

I keep telling myself, that once we have our 9 month emergency fund saved (we are close), or once we are no longer paying for daycare or once the cars are paid off, I will feel more comfortable spending money. But I am concerned that that list of ‘once the’ will always be present. I so want to shred this list, but I just don’t know how. I have read articles and posts about mommy guilt, but none seem to address my issue. Am I the only one with this problem?

In the end, I really do have everything I need, my family is healthy and happy, my children don’t need for anything, we have a beautiful house, we take vacations every year and we are on track to retiring comfortably. So is Mommy Guilt really a bad thing? Or am I just TOO DARN CHEAP?

Until I get over this feeling of mommy guilt, I guess I will continue to save money