Nest Eggs For Single Moms

I'm not sure about most single parents but if you are like me, you are living month-to-month and barely have anything saved (if anything).  I do not really have a 'nest egg' for myself or children at all.  I keep thinking that THAT will happen when I am remarried (when ever that will happen, considering I am single and not even dating anyone right now) and I have most of the same bills (mainly mortgage and utilities) and a dual-income.


When I think of a nest egg, I can see meaning many different things.  Money to be set away for emergencies like unemployment, a disability, exceptionally large auto or hospital bill, etc.   I can also see a nest egg as money that I should have for when I am old and want to retire and can no longer work, or no longer want to work.  Part of that would be some type of retirement money, like a 504 plan or long-term investments.   Finally, I think of a nest egg as money that should be saved 'just in case.'  I have heard that it is a great plan for people to have three months of their average monthly income in savings.


For me, as a single parent, I have a two main assets my house and my car and a small amount of money saved in an ING account.  I also have some money saved (no not even close to enough) for my children for college.


All of this is something that I need to do soon, now, in the present.  Everyone says the future isn't certain, but it is certain that if someone is broke their whole like that they shouldn't be expecting a miracle when they are old and want to retire.


All of this I need to start on now.  It really comes down to saving more money, budgeting more and spending less.  Sounds easy, right?

My year-end goal is to have that three-month egg nest.  With my 2012 tax return I want to pay off my two (and only two) credit cards that I own.  After that....?  Savings for my retirement, childrens' college and maybe a small fund for a family vacation.


The definition of a nest egg might mean different things to each of us but it all is really about how much money we have set aside.  


It isn't easy being a single parent but ignoring the future isn't going to make it go away.




“I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Allstate blogging program, for a gift card worth $50. For more information on how you can participate, click here.” (make sure you link tohttp://allstate.socialmoms.com/about)

Ventura County Fair Entries

Two weeks ago I turned in a few art items of the kids as entries for the Ventura County Fair.  I had also brought down some Lego sets Daeton had build (some from a set and some he made with his own imagination) and one Lego heart Kaela had made.  But, it was the wrong day for 'models and sets and collections' and I never went back the following weekend.

I also turned in an entry for myself of some strawberry jam I had made.  This was the first time I've ever entered anything of my own.

We are going to try to make it to the fair this week! I'm excited to see how we placed on everything.

Thanks to Dads

It isn't Father's Day, nor his birthday.  Nothing special just happened either. But, in a day of ordinary days, it popped into my head about how much my dad does for me and my family, daily.

After working a 9 hour day and then running 10 miles he just ran to see the last 15-20 minutes of Daeton's football practice.  I love the great example he sets for myself and my kids, showing that the sky is the limit.

At 62 years old he runs more in a week than I probably do in a whole year.  He is in great shape and someone to look up to for motivation and inspiration.

I am blessed to have such a great dad.

Gardening This Week

Okay, so I haven't posted much because Daeton and I have had a head cold all week. So we are home sick and Kaela is grumpy because she is bored. I did get to Home Depot on Sunday, when the kids were at their dad's house and used about $50 in store credit and a little of my money and bought these plants;

Boys Will Be Boys

I hear hammering and go outside. Daeton informs me he is making his own remote control hot air balloon out of misc parts from a broken radio. I tell him to wear goggles and walk away!

Aquarium of the Pacific Educator Appreciation Day

Daeton and Kaela feeding the Loriketts.

We are at the Aquarium of the Pacific today. We came with my sister and her son. It is Educator Appreciation Day so I got 'me plus 3 tickets' for free and we only had to pay for one child ticket (and I used my AAA card for a discount).

Can You Make A Living From Mystery Shops?

I have a friend that is unemployed right now and called me, asking my opinion on mystery shops. She saw a 'help wanted' ad for mystery shops and the ad said she could make a full-time income doing them.

I've done Mystery Shopping on and off for a few years for about five different companies.  Most are similar in the required work and how the report needs to be turned in (scan receipts, answer detailed questions, etc).

I'm not going to give details on 'how to' do a mystery shop but wanted to give my opinion on them. First, there a few types.  You can go eat somewhere like a nice steak house and need to order a drink from their bar to and they'll reimburse you for the 'dinner for two with drinks and dessert' and maybe give you a $5-10 bonus.  Second, they might just pay you to go somewhere.  Go test drive a car and get $30, park your car at an airport parking garage (schedule this if you are planning to fly to get parking for free) and they'll reimburse you for your parking.  Sometimes they'll want you to purchase something, like a women's pair of jeans, try them on and wait one hour and then return them and they'll pay you $15, other times you have the option to return or keep the item.

So, there are a few types, but they mostly pay you $5-15 (the dealership ones seem to be an exceptionally large pay).  The mystery shop places will also added extra bonuses if they are on a tight deadline to get some of the shops done.

Here are a few legit companies that I have done mystery shops for:

http://beyondhello.com
http://www.sassieshop.com/site/
http://www.iccds.com

Do remember they have to be done in a timely manner and the online report (takes about 1 hour to fill in) usually needs to be done the same day.  If you do not do them correctly, they won't pay you.

Also, most payments are made to you through Paypal.  So, once paid you will need to transfer the funds to your bank account. 

IMHO (in my humble opinion) you will not be rich, not be receiving full-time income, nor even part-time income doing mystery shops. They are added extras and can be fun and exciting but the ads offering $20-50K a year are false-advertising.

How To Make Strawberry Jam (Preserves) Water-Bath Canning

I made two double batches of strawberry jam (or technically preserves since it is super chunky) this week with the kids.  Kaela helped with the first batch and Daeton helped with the second batch.

I know a lot of people think it is too hard to do, or confusing, so I took some photos and thought I'd do a little intro to show how easy it is. 

First, you need lots of strawberries (you can use other fruits as well, we will be doing this with peaches in a few months when our tree is ripe).
Next you need a huge pot.  The measurements of all the ingredients will be less than 1/4 of the pot but once it is at the end and at a roiling boil the mixture will be to the top of this pot.
You also need a metal spoon (not shown) for stirring.


Third, if you want your jam to have a shelf-life, you need to heat the CLEAN jars and keep them in very hot water while you are making the jam.  The lids and rings need to be in here as well.


This is a before picture, on the counter top, of my jars, rings and lids.  I wanted to make sure to pair them up since I had some regular and some wide-mouth rings (better to figure it out now and not when the jam is ready to be poured).

FYI... jars can be reused, rings too. However, if you are doing it this way you need to buy new lids each time *More below about this.

So, we washed the strawberries, cut them up and mushed them a bit and put them in the pot and turned it to a medium flame.

Add the pectin and lemon juice.  **Complete recipe with measurements below.




Kaela cutting up strawberries. The green stems need to be removed.  If you are getting strawberries from a roadside stand ask for some 'older' ones.  They are a little mushy and will be sweeter (but you do not want moldy).

Me stirring the pot.  This needs to be done frequently when everything is heating up.  Once you get it to a boil you can slowly add the sugar, stirring every few cups as you add more.

Once all the sugar is mixed in, bring to a rolling boil for one solid minute, stirring constantly, and then remove from heat.

Ladle most of the white foamy stuff that is the top layer out from the pot and discard (I filled two cereal bowls of it).
Now your jam is done.  Have some damp washcloths and a potholder for the jars (they will be hot from the water and SUPER hot once the jam is inside- you do not want to drop a jar of hot jelly).




Jars are ready, in hot water, in the sink.

(pic of foam).  If you don't get it all out it is okay but it will look weird in the jar once the jelly has settled. If you don't remove it at all it will have a weird, frothy taste, so try to get as much as you can.

Ladle the jam into the jars (a second person for team work is great at this step).  Wipe the rim of the jar (to wipe away jelly that dripped there.
Put the lid on.
Put the ring on and tighten sometimes you can recheck once the jars aren't too hot and re-tighten one more time.

Not everyone does this but I learned to put the jars upside down after they are wiped off and to leave them for at least a day to set.


(pics aren't upside down yet). 

That is it.  Do NOT forget to label the jam if you are storing or giving to others.  In a cool pantry this jam should keep for a year.

It needs to be refrigerated once it has been opened and the seal is broken (it will make a 'pop' sound, like a grocery store jar).

Second double batch I made I kept a tiny bit that was left, kept in the pot and added bananas and more sugar and made strawberry-banana jam.  It is kinda gross looking (the bananas give it a brown-ish color) but it tastes great.

* If you are using (clean) old lids you can make freezer jam. It tastes the same but needs to be either frozen or refrigerated and eaten.  You can not store it in a pantry.

** Complete recipe below.  This is the same recipe I have been using for about 15+ years and is from a Better Homes and Garden's New Cook Book from the 1960's or 1970's.

Strawberry Jam.
8 cups strawberries, caps removed.
(1) 1 3/4 ounce package of powdered fruit pectin (I've tried gel pectin once and it worked the same).
2 Tablespoons lemon juice.
7 cups of sugar (do not skimp on this, trying to be healthy, it won't set right and won't be sweet. Substitutes, like Splenda can be used for diabetics, I've never tried it).

When all done recipe book says to put the jars in boiling water for 15 minutes to 'set' the jar lids.  I have never done this, it isn't the way my mom taught me how.  For me, the heat of the jar in hot water and the heat of the jelly always sealed the jar just fine and I've had the jam last at least a year.

Final note, for those allergic to ingredients in pectin, I learned a way to make pectin recently with fruit seeds, pith and cheesecloth. I have not tried it yet but will post if manage to figure it out.

So Random Photos

I like to take pictures of things that interest me, make me laugh, or intrigue me. This one was the latter two.

First, this truck is VERY sideways.

Second, it wasn't parked; someone was driving it, towards the freeway on-ramp.

Third, it is for sale. There is a dollar sign on the front and back and a phone number across the back.


Price was not disclosed.

Other 'so random' photos to come. I think I'll make it a weekly blog post! :-)

Niiiiiice Parking

I LAUGHED when I saw this woman park in a red zone so she could 'park close' and run in the gym for a few minutes.

I hope she is getting exercise other ways!

Okay, being sarcastic, but seriously hate when people block entrances, park illegally in red zones or handicap spots AND of all places, are going to the gym!

We were in the store next door, waiting for Daeton to get his haircut, so I noticed she was only there about 15 minutes.

Just a pet peeve. Like people waiting for me to pull out at the grocery store to have my spot, but there is a spot open 5 spaces down.

Disney Sale For Kids' Birthdays

Michelle and I have been hanging out with our daughters at the mall or (today) park while Daeton and her son are in their strings camp. We went to the Disney Store yesterday and I found these on clearance. The 'Mickey Head' chip and dip bowl was $4.99 (regularly $12.50) and the 'snack platters' were $2.99 (regularly $14.50 each).

Boys Will Be Boys

Crazy morning! All three of us were too tired to get up. Daeton was the worst. I was ready, had water bottles, snacks, and the car loaded. Kaela was in it and ready sans putting on shoes.
Daeton was still in bed! So, I start the car and pull out of the garage, knowing full well Daeton will come-a-runnin'. And he did. In 'pajamas' (a t-shirt and boxers) and carrying his clothes.
Before pulling out he begs me to get his toothbrush; he forgot to brush his teeth but is too cold to get out of the car.
I run in, grab his toothbrush, wet it, put a DAB of toothpaste on it, grab a Ziplock bag to put his toothbrush in afterwards and hop in the car.
I start driving and I see THIS (see photo).

I somehow missed that Daeton FULLY brushed his teeth, using the drinking water to rinse and spit, and he spit it all in the bag, sealed it, and left the bag on the car seat (which Kaela later handed me with a 'Here's Daeton's spit bag' in front of Michelle and her daughter! 

All I can say is 100% boy! 

Does anyone have any crazy 'my kid ....' stories?

Free Gloves Or Safety Glasses For Men

Here is a cool freebie.  Click here to get a free pair of either gloves or safety glasses.  Gloves are men sizes.  Shipping is free too. Limited to one per household.

:-)

Band Camp (strings) For the Week

This week is going to be a busy one.  Today through Friday Daeton has band camp.  It is all string instruments (viola, violin and cello. Daeton plays violin).  The camp is 8:45-12 noon every day.  Kaela and I are hanging out with my friend, Michelle, and her daughter (Kaela's age) and we have been exploring the city of Saugus.  Today we went to Starbucks and hung out for a while and then went to a HUGE mall.  Not sure the name of it but it looks like an outdoor mall with about 50 stores but there are a few differences to enter an indoor mall (we entered from ground level outside to second floor inside).  We went to Justice For Girls and the girls shopped through the clothes.  There was a decent selection of 40% off and Michelle found an online coupon on her cell phone for '40% off your entire purchase' too but we didn't have time to stay.  By the time we found the place we were limited on when we had to go back and pick up Daeton and Michelle's son (also in the band camp, playing cello).

Tomorrow we have the plan to go back there, immediately after dropping off the boys, so we have more time to explore.  Malls are NOT my 'thing' and I do not like shopping but it is fun to be with Michelle and for the girls to hang out so it is worth it.

I'm also going to have to take a lot of pics tomorrow.  There is a theme at the mall of 'wild west' and there are HUGE decorated/painted bears at all the entrances.  It reminded me of the cow thing New York did or the horse one some other state did. New York Cows This link has some pics of the cows.

I doubt we can climb on the bears but I'm sure, with the four of us, we can think of some crazy poses for the photographs.  The bears, all by themselves, are simply amazing too.

Big Z game

Kaela and I at Big Z's.

Big Z's fun place!

Up next? Big Z's. We are here for pizza and video games. Kids are going to run around and play (and hopefully get tired) we might drop by the park afterwards. And, end of the day is to drop them off to their dad's house.

Farmer's Market in Simi

Found out we have a brand new Farmer's Market in Simi. This one is by TGIF's and the Regal theater. We went and saw Judy Moody's Not So Bummer Summer and walked over to this afterwards. Movie tickets were $13 for all three of us. I bought two for $9 from Living Social (will post link later). The third tickets was an expired code I had that still gave me 1/2 credit. :-)

Next book on my list: Super Freakonomics

If you've read Freakonomics you were probably wowed, like me.  I just learned about a sequel, Super Freakenomics.  Same two authors, new statistics for our society.

How patriotic are prostitutes? Can you make more money at McDonalds than dealing drugs?  Which is more dangerous, a gun or a swimming pool? 

These questions and more are answered in both books. Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner are brilliant men that think outside the box. 

I'd love to have a book discussion with others after we all read the second one (don't skip the first, read it fast).

First post from cell phone! Super cool that I figured this out (on accident). We were at Lassen's Health Food Store and Kaela saw these and was jumping up and down for me to buy them! Why? Because she ate them at Amy's house and love them. These should be fully mature in 62 days! I have do not know how to cook, prepare them bur will have to figure it out soon!