*Make sure you know the difference between and 'WANT' and a 'NEED', this is an issue that twenty years of marriage still has not resolved. If my husband wants it then he must surely need it. Hah! Around  our house we are cutting down on our wants and focusing on our needs in order to save money. For example we want our thermostat at 72 degrees in the winter months, but found that we can be comfortable at 70 degrees. We also want 200+ channels on our satellite but are very happy with the minimum package offered. A want is something that we can live without, its an extra that makes life more enjoyable but not less liveable. My husband and I realized recently that our wants are what have allowed us to gain weight and become out of shape. If we cut out most (notice I don't say ALL) of our wants at the grocery store, we not only save money, but we don't have a pantry full of snacks to munch on during NCIS. I have to say, this is still something of a struggle for us. We allow each member of our household to pick one junkie snack food for the week, it may be cookies, chips, soda etc. and that's it. I pick a case of Pepsi and allow myself two per day. Any other snacks have to be healthy, such as yogurt, grapes, granola etc. Stop and think of what you really want out of life. Now make a list of what you NEED to do in order to make this want attainable. For example: I want a secure future for my daughter, and an easier life then I have. My list looks like this 1) We need to cut back on spending  2) We need to save money  3) We need to pay off our debts  4) We need to budget for retirement. By doing these thing, hopefully I'll leave my daughter with a financial legacy that will secure her financial independence or in the very least, allow her to relax and enjoy her life without excessive worry over bills.

*Call your phone company and ask them if there is a package that can save you money. I did this and discovered that they could switch me to DISH NETWORK instead of DIRECTtv, bundle it in with my computer and phone service and I would save $35.00 per month! That's $420.00 per year!! I have the same basic channels and the service is comparable. Win-win.

*Use your cell phone less, or buy a prepaid phone. My husband and I stopped into our cell phone providers store and reviewed our phone usage. What we found out is that we only exceeded our minutes once in the last several years. We have a camera so we don't need one in our phone. We have free long-distance on our house phone so we wait until we get home to use our home phone. Remember 'Want vs. Need'? Do you NEED to call your friend from the mall to tell them about your evening, probably not, you just WANT to. If you're on a plan that allows free cell to cell calls thats great otherwise, think before you use. We downgraded to a package with fewer minutes and options and are now saving $20.00 per month, do the math and you save $240.00 a year!

*Hang out your clothes. What a novel idea. I now have not one, but two real cedar posts, sporting twin cotton lines between them, attached with bright shiney screw hooks. I not sure what the financial savings are going to be but I'd much rather have the money in my pocket then anyone elses. And here we are again at 'Want vs. Need', I want to use my dryer all of the time, but do I need to? No, and the exercise of walking to and from the clothesline, hanging the clothes and walking back inside again, is much better then the small amount of movement needed to put clothes from the washer into the dryer. 

*Cut down on eating out. We are down to twice a week and want to get down to only once per week. We love Chinese food but it costs us nearly $30.00 to eat out. So, I am learning to cook it. I make an fabulous Crab Rangoon, in fact better then we get at the restaurant, and my egg rolls are really good too. I'm still having trouble with my noodles though, and the fried rice flavor packets from the grocer leave something to be desired. The point is, I'm trying and I'm learning and you can too.

*Check out the BOOK FAIR's sponsored by your local city or county library. Our library sells paperback books for adults at .50 cents each and childrens books for .25 cents each. They also sell puzzles, games, movies and magazines and all are cheap cheap cheap. I try to stock up on reading material at our book fair and have surprisingly good luck finding new releases in all genres.

*Coupons. Hear the saying 'use it or lose it'? Coupons are in the paper and online, free for the taking. If you're not using coupons you're throwing away your money. Might as well drive down the road and throw $10.00 out the window. I save about $20.00 per week on average, and I don't try as hard as I should. I will never be one of the women who can get $150.00 worth of groceries for $40.00 but my money is awfully hard to come by, and I work like a crazy woman to earn it, so why should I just hand it over to Walmart without a fight. Even if all you manage is $2.00 per week that's $104.00 per year.

 ****  Organization can help a stressful situation:

*Toy bag: Pack crayons, coloring book, a deck of cards and several small cars, actions figures, animals, dolls etc. Toss in a clipboard to use as a firm writing surface. As the kids get older adjust the toys and books accordingly. This bag is great for those 30 minute rides in the car and perfect for those unexpected traffic jams. Our older children love to fill in the 'Mad-libs' as we go down the road and read them back to us.

*Back Pack: I get tired of carrying a purse, diaper bag and an infant. Instead I like to carry a back pack. They come in all shapes and sizes, with several compartments, they even have side pockets for sippie cups and cell phones. I carry a small pink one with skulls on it. I keep a puppy training pad, diapers, wipes and ointment in it so it's ready to go. All I have to do is throw in my wallet, cell phone and keys and then I'm ready to go and all I'm carrying is a baby.

*Totes: Buy your large totes during the holiday sales, usually about $3 each. I have a tote for each activity that way I just grab the appropriate tote and off we go. Our Paint tote contains water paint, washable non-toxic craft paint, finger paint, paper, brushes, sponges and smocks etc.; the Coloring tote has a smaller tote of crayons, coloring books and stencils; the Play dough tote has store bought 'dough toys', plastic cookie cutters, spoons, forks and dishes of various sizes and colors; we also have a Foam tote, full of sticky foam shapes that we use for dozens of craft ideas; a Sewing tote that contains scraps of cloth, ribbon and yarn, also used for crafts, and in here I keep the plastic mesh and a huge plastic craft needle for the little girls to practice their sewing techniques; a favorite is our  Dress-up tote with halloween costumes, wigs, beads, purses and old prom dresses etc. When we are done everything goes back into its tote and gets stacked in the closet.

*Changing Station: If you don't have a changing table (I don't) find a spot in your child's room to designate as a changing area. I have a 3-drawer plastic chest set in the corner of the room. The top drawer contains extra blankets, the middle drawer has diapers, wipes, diaper cream and a change of clothes, one for each child. The lowest drawer is where I store the puppy training pads and the plastic grocery bags. When one of my babies is sick I have all of their belongings in one spot, I can change them on a puppy pad and immediately dispose of it, so as not to spread any germs. If they need fresh clothes, I'm not running to the dresser or closet trying to find what I need.  I use the plastic grocery bags as trash bags so that any dirty diapers can be thrown out right away (keeps my house from smelling like diapers) and I put any soiled clothing in a bag for the parents to take home with them.

*Snack drawer: Pick one spot in your kitchen to store snacks that the kids are allowed to eat. At snacktime let the kids choose their own snack from the 'snack drawer'. This works so well that the little ones don't even ask for chips or cookies on another shelf. They run straight to their 'snack drawer' and make their choice. Of course every now and then they find a sweet surprise instead of the expected healthy snacks in the drawer.

*Color codes: Each one of my little ones has a specific color that I assign to them. Little Man gets blue, Sunshine gets green, Sissy gets orange and so on. Their sippie cups are this color as are their 'swatters', water and sandbox toys. When one of the kids gets into the fridge to get their sippie they know which one to grab and when I see one not 'on the table' I know who to correct. Color coded toys help cut down on the fighting as each child knows what color they get and I can tell if Little Man really did swipe Sunshines shovel.

*Time-Out: Toys sometimes are the ones who need the time out. When the little ones start fighting over a doll or a truck, I simply put the offending toy in time out. It goes on the other side of the child safety gate, both kids cry, and I explain that if they can't share or play nicely with that particular toy that they have to find something else to play with. Sometimes we have quite a pile of toys 'over the gate' at the end of the day. Now and then one of the kids will tell me that they are going to put something over the gate because they don't feel like playing nice with it, works for me.

*Craft Log: My husband will tell me that he has nothing to do, he's bored! So, I was nice enough to make a 'Honey-Do' book for him. It is a binder with clear plastic sleeves in it, and each sleeve contains a magazine page showing something I want built, painted or invented. All I have to do is show him the 'Honey-Do' book and he's busy. Oh...no...not doing anything from the book, but... he's not under my feet anymore, lol, suddenly he finds plenty to do. So I've decided to take that idea and use it for the kids craft projects. I'll use a binder, with plastic sleeves and as I read different magazines I can tear out the craft ideas that I want to do with the kids. Thinking out loud here....I may even divide the binder into sections: paint, coloring, paper, or some such way...maybe by holiday? Anyway, when I need a cute craft idea I can go to the binder and find it alot quicker then searching the internet or digging through a pile of old magazines.

*911 Tackle Box: I took a hint from the EMT's on TV and bought a tackle box to use as a first aid kit. I found a red and white tackle box and used a large black permanent marker and wrote 'First Aid 911' on all sides and the top of it. I have every size bandage available [and Kotex just in case its an artery], poison kit, tape, ipecac, cotton balls, tweezers, scissors, Prid Salve, ointments of every sort for: burns, bug bites, cuts & scrapes and chapped lips, I also have Kleenex and antibacterial wipes and finally I put in two first aide books for good measure. One thing that I don't keep in my first aid kit are the oral medicines as that is to much of a risk. Those I keep locked up in a high cabinet.

*Bibs are one of the best investments you can make for your baby. First as an infant you'll have the inevitable spit up and later you'll need a handkerchief for the runny noses. Yes! A handkerchief! The first time you have to keep up with a toddler who has a runny nose you'll realize it's easier to sneak up on them if you aren't carrying a Kleenex in one hand. My toddlers see that Kleenex and off they run right onto the couch snot and all. I prefer bibs that snap or that slip over the head as they are alot harder to remove, the velcro bibs just get yanked off. I try to make sure to buy the softest bibs possible so they aren't as likely to make the toddlers noses sore. If they do start to get sore grease their noses up with vaseline or baby oil, this will also keep the 'crusty stuff' from sticking to their skin making it alot easier to clean off.

****  Menu Ideas for a crowd of kids:

• Boxed mac and cheese with diced hot dogs mixed in. fruit on the side. Sounds to simple but the kids request this on a regular basis.
• Pizza bagels: this is the greatest lunch ever! The kids do all of the work and think they are such big shots. Start by placing a 1/2  bagel on each plate. Also place about 2 TBS of pizza sauce, a 1/4 cup of shredded cheese, and several slices of mini pepperoni on the plate. Show the kids how to build their own pizza by smearing on pizza sauce, sprinkling cheese and topping with meat. No heating necessary, the kids love it cold, and it is surprisingly good this way. Be prepared for them to ask for seconds and even thirds.
• Dipping Days! Place about 2 TBS each of Ketchup, Ranch, spaghetti and BBQ sauce on a plate, add to this any finger foods the kids may like to dip. We do an assortment of veggies, hotdogs or lil smokies, string cheese, and a finger friut such as grapes or strawberries.
• Snack trays are the sneaky way to get your kids to eat the odds and ends that you have in the pantry and fridge. On days that I don't have enough of any one food to to make a meal of, I make a huge "snack tray" and place it in the middle of the table and tell the kids we are having snacks for lunch. They love the idea of eating only snacks and I get rid of the leftovers. The trick is to make it look like snack food, cut things into strips and chunks, arrange it in piles on a party tray. Give the kids fancy spoons to serve themselves.
• Lasagna, swear to goodness, this dish is so easy (and delicious) no one will think its all premade food thrown together. Brown one pound hamburger (or substitute turkey). Precook lasagna noodles 12-14, open two jars spaghetti sauce, I use one containing italian sausage and the other green peppers/onions. Open one 2-cup package of shredded mozzella cheese and one 2-cup package of shredded Colby/Jack cheese, open a small container of low-fat cottage cheese (optional). Begin by coating the bottom of a 9 x13 pan with spaghetti sauce; either flavor is o.k., place a layer of noodles, sprinkle on 1/2 of the hamburger, cover with Colby/Jack cheese, finish off first jar of spaghetti sauce spread evenly, if you wish to use cottage cheese place it randomly with a large tablespoon (in about 8 places), again layer noodles, meat, sauce  (you may not need all of the second jar) then Mozarella cheese. Sprinkle top with parmesian cheese, if desired. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until cheese begins to brown. HINT: for small children use rotini, penne, or bowtie noodles, it doesn't change the flavor of the dish and these noodles are easier for children to manipulate.