With four months left until our Disney trip we have been working on finalizing some of our plans. While discussing with friends the need for travel insurance on our trip in case something happens that would require us to cancel at the last minute or require us to leave and come home a discussion started about term life insurance. I had been considering the idea that my husband and myself need to get some sort of term life insurance coverage for ourselves. We are both in our thirties but we have three small children and debt that would need to be covered. While I was researching some of the details of my trip I decided to see what kind of term life insurance quotes online I could get. I don’t have any idea what this type of insurance was about but I quickly realized that for a very small investment I could have a peace of mind for the next 20 years that my kids would be cared for if something were to happen to my husband or I. It always amazes me how discussions with other moms about everyday things lead to us helping each other make life changing decisions. Now that I have the term life insurance taken care of it is time to decide if the original question of travel insurance is something I need. I know it is a small price to pay to know I am covered in an emergency. Sometimes being a responsible adult is not fun at all. Do you guys usually buy the travel insurance? Why or why not and who do you use?

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I am in the process of buying Christmas gifts for my family right now. I love to get gifts but the economy really puts a damper on shopping. I know what I want to buy for everyone but the costs associated with some of the gifts makes them not practical for our budget. I have children mostly complete. My girls are going to be having another American Girl Christmas with dolls and clothes and movies and accessories. I also am buying them each a cute outfit. They are at the age now where they like trendy clothes so I guess I will checking out Justice or something similar. Gone are the days of Gymboree. My son is getting more Imaginext things this year. You really can’t break those toys and he loves to pretend. He is getting the new remote controlled dinosaur. He is going to love it! I am also considering buying him an MP3 player. The problem is there are so many different types of Mp3 players that I just don’t know which one I should get him. He is only 5 but he walks around with my Ipod all the time. I don’t think he needs anything fancy. Just something to hold his Miley Cyrus, Dora the Explorer and Chicken Little songs. I don’t want it to be too small though or it will end up getting lost in his room. The rest of the gifts are where I am starting to have issues. I know who I need to buy for I just have to find the right gift at the right price. Thankfully I usually find good prices through my rewards site I do, Sunshine Rewards. I really wish I had a money tree…it would make gift giving so much easier. What are you doing to help pay for Christmas gifts this year?

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I have been on the prowl lately for a new program for planning and making dinners. I have been using Saving Dinner for quite some time but I have found that my family doesn’t really like a lot of the meals I make through her program. I also don’t like that they aren’t geared toward people who are trying to budget their grocery expenses.

I found a new site that I have been trying out. It is a site that is recommended by Dave Ramsey so I know it is for frugal shoppers. I like that the cost is minimal. It is $5 a month paid in quarterly installments. This will get you a menu plan for each week that is tailored to the type of plan you choose. These plans can be chosen based upon the store you will be shopping at. I chose Walmart since they didn’t offer Winn Dixie where I usually shop because of convenience. Then I got to choose between family meals or meals for two. I also got to tailor it to the types of foods I want, regular, low fat, points based or vegetarian.

Once I printed out my first set of menus and shopping list I quickly realized that these are meals my children and husband will eat. I also like that I can easily adjust to fit my family’s likes and dislikes by excluding items I know they won’t like. The entrées are basic enough that I know my family will like them and I can change the sides and desserts to fit my family’s tastes. I also like that the shopping list provides the items organized by the layout of the store. There is also a column for the price. I love this because I can start tracking what I actually pay for things and start deciding if I can find them cheaper  or use coupons.

I have two weeks of menus and shopping list made up and I am going to going to Walmart tomorrow to shop. I will let you know at the end of the two weeks how the menus did and what I think about the service. If any of you have used this service and have and tips or opinions I would love to hear them. Enjoy!

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I have told you guys many times that I am a member of Sunshine Rewards. I love this site because the owner Tricia is always trying to find ways to attract new members, make her current members happy and bring on new and exciting things for the members.

Today I noticed on Facebook Tricia had posted a question about what we thought the ideal contest for us would be on Sunshine Rewards. Now I guess I need to preface this by saying that this is a family owned business and not a major conglomerate so we are talking cruises (although they have given one away in the past) or trips (although the owners and members spend an awful lot of time at Disney) or cars (who needs cars when we can get everything we need online through SR) and finally they won’t be giving away a house (although you may find you get invited to the house of one or more members after being around for a while). So barring those things…what would you like to win? What would be enough of an incentive to make you enter and keep on entering a contest?

I said that I wanted some stress relieving, body beautifying, sanity keeping products or gift certificates to buy the same. Stress is at an all time high right now for me because it is the end of the school year and we are running constantly. I love to spend a little time on myself each night to relax and take care of my skin and body. I also love to find and try new products for the face and body.

I then spent some time thinking about it and found there were other things I would love to win. Some of these would include movie tickets/gift cards, restaurant gift cards, American Girl products, Wii Products…really I am easy to please. I love to win anything and remember jumping for joy when I won a terry cloth robe on Sunshine Rewards once. So what would you like to win?? I promise to pass your answers on to Tricia. If you haven’t ever joined Sunshine Rewards I highly recommend it. I have earned over $1500 that I have used towards Disney trips. The best thing is that you don’t have to love Disney…they have so many options for cashing out that everyone can find something to spend their free money on.

How do you earn money on Sunshine Rewards? I found the easiest and fastest way is to do all your shopping through their site. They have hundreds of merchants and usually have or can find coupons for most of them. This means you can get  discounts, free shipping or other deals in conjunction to the cash back you earn for you shopping. It is amazing to see the money add up for buying things you already were going to buy. Some of my favorite merchants are Disneyshopping.com, Shoebuy.com, Drugstore.com, Itunes, Apple Store, and Bath & Body Works.

There are other ways to earn that do not require you to spend money. One way is to complete surveys. There are three different surveys that members can attempt each day and earn money for answering questions. This alone can total $30+ a month. There are also freebie offers which require you to view and consider offers from companies and you get paid for your time and information.

One of the best parts of Sunshine Rewards is the community that exists in the forums. The members help each find deals and new and exciting products, complete offers and surveys and mostly they just keep in touch with each other’s lives. The forum is a must for anyone who joins so make sure you go there first after joining. It will make all the difference between earning and not earning.

So please check out Sunshine Rewards and let me know what you think you would like to win in a contest. You never know you might help to decide what the next contest is and also may be the one to win it! If you are on Facebook you can also do a search on there for SR and become a fan and see what they are doing over there.

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I was reading an article on AOL today about homeowner costs by state and I was not so shocked to find that Louisiana rates among the highest in homeowner insurance rates. They aren’t the highest. That position is held by Texas and the reason seems to be that Texas is vulnerable to just about every type of major disaster that could effect homeowners insurance. They are immune to nothing. Louisiana has risen in the past 5 years because of the succession of devastating hurricanes that have hit or affected the area. Florida also runs high because of their history with hurricanes. States like Oklahoma have higher than normal costs because of the tornadoes that have historically affected their areas.

I guess what I have been led to wonder is why there is a difference. Every state in the nation has some sort of weather condition or disaster that would affect its insurance usage. The whole point of having insurance is that it will help to replace lost property if one of these events occurs. So why do the prices go up when these events occur. Now I have a minor in Economics. I understand enough to know that the insurance companies make money because they hedge their bets on the fact that most people would never need to use the insurance. I think that is great. I have the piece of mind of knowing I may never need it but I have it if I do and the insurance company has years of my money where they never need to give any back to me. So why then does it become a problem or bring about rising insurance costs when the times come where they needed to used? Makes no sense.

Unfortunately those who have had to use their insurance know that it is way more important to have it and not need it than it is to need it and not have it. We have never had to use it on a major scale but it is certainly reassuring to know it is there if we do. Hurricane season is just about here. Now is the time to reevaluate your coverages and make sure you have everything in line just in case you might end up needing to call on your insurance to put your life back together.

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This is the time of year when many people start working on their resumes and doing job searches. People who are in college are about to graduate. People who work in education are considering their options for next school year. People in healthcare jobs may find this a good time to look for a change in facility or job title. The summer seems to get people motivated to make changes. On the other hand the economy is in a rough position so there are many people who are having trouble just finding a job much less changing jobs. In either case one of the most important things a person can do is to have a professional looking and sounding resume.

The resume is the first impression potential employers have of the person applying for a position. Most people do not know how to prepare a good resume. In the past I have used a specialized program that guides you through the process of choosing the wording to use and ordering of the information. I liked this idea when I first started but then I found that the resumes started to sound scripted. I then found that using the information given but changing the wording made the resume much more interesting. Employers want to know why they should hire you instead of someone else.

The cover letter of a resume can make all the difference in the world. This letter will give the person applying a chance to catch the employers attention and also to explain what they are looking for in a career and what they have to offer the employer in the way of experience and talent. This letter gives them a chance to show their personality in a way the actual resume doesn’t allow for. However, this does not mean that people should use colored font, cartoon fonts or outrageous colored paper to write their cover letter. Resumes and cover letters should be written in black ink and printer on white or cream colored paper. The font should be a professional font that would be used for any professional letter or document. 

The words are what make the difference. The first two lines need to catch the employers attention so that they will read the rest of the letter and move on to the resume itself. Make sure to point out the experience and skills that are pertinent to the job. A person could be the fastest typist in the world but it would make no difference to someone looking for a dental hygienist. Highlighting the skills that are necessary for the job and your experience in those areas will catch the employers eye and help them decide whether you can do the job they are advertising. 

Resume writing is an art form for some so if all else fails and you are unsure of your ability to create a professional and workable resume it is worth the money to pay a professional to help you build a resume and cover letter. It could make all the difference between finding a position immediately and waiting around for months for a phone call.  

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I have to tell you guys about one of my favorite sites for ordering checks. I have ordered so many boxes of checks over the years from them that they are stacked up waiting for me to use now. I LOVE the products offered by Checks Unlimited and the prices are so good that it is hard to pass them up when I see something I like. They carry Disney checks and many other designs. I have ordered the horses print from their animal designs which my husband uses. I also have ordered Disney designs from Mickey Mouse to the Princesses before.

Another great product that Checks Unlimited carries are address labels. I use these for mailing bills but more often I use them for giving to people who require my information. I have gone to home shows and trade shows and taken these along to put on the little forms they want you to fill out for door prizes. I also put them on index cards to hand out to friends and parents of my children at school. I love that you can choose designs to match your checks or pick something totally different.

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Why is it that the careers that seem to help get us in to a recession are almost exclusively omitted from the lists of careers that withstand recessions well?  You don’t see many finance jobs available these days. It seems the bankers and hedge fund managers and mortgage brokers are all looking for jobs in the same market that has banks going under, funds losing money hand over fist and mortgages being foreclosed upon. Luckily those of us who are just trying to make it through the recession with a semblance of what we had when it started can still find jobs in other markets. Some of the best markets to pursue right now are health care, energy or utilities, education, police & fire, alcohol, and debt management. These are areas that people can not cut back on much or that people tend to increase their use of when times are hard. People tend to drink more alcohol when they are stressed. Police don’t have many layoffs because these times also see an increase in crimes like theft and burglary. While no one wants to have to consider career changes late in life hard times call for hard choices. People who are willing to move from one industry to another will find it easier to adapt to changing economic conditions than those tied to one industry.

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This time of year always has me thinking about our finances and what we need to do to protect them. One of the things I realized is that we don’t have life insurance policies on either one of us. I got to thinking and wondering where you can find cheap term life insurance rates. I don’t want to pay a fortune to get coverage but I do realize how important it is that we have a policy in place until our home is paid off and our youngest child is out of high school. We need to have enough to pay off our home and vehicles if something were to happen to one of us. It seems that the rates I have found so far seem to be pretty reasonable. It would be a small price to pay for the peace of mind to know that we would be protected if something happened to one of us.

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It is that time of year where we have to start getting things organized and check up on all of our important information. One of the first things I do each year in late December and early January is to check up on my insurance policies. I check to make sure I have the coverages I need, that the policies are active, that the premiums are all paid and that the prices are competitive.

One of the problems I have come across is that people will get a policy and then just keep renewing it without checking to be sure that they don’t need to be modified. Coverage needs change yearly based on several factors.

For automobile policies make sure you have at least the state minimum coverage and that you are comfortable with the deductible amounts. I have found that when I was younger I would keep low deductibles and paid higher monthly premiums because it would have been harder for me to come up with the deductible amount if something happened. Now that we are more secure I can raise those deductibles because it isn’t so hard to come up with the lump sum if I need to.

For mortgage insurances you have to consider construction costs, replacement costs and appraisals amounts on the home. If the homes appraised value stays the same but the cost to replace the house goes up because of higher construction or material costs then it may mean that higher limits would be needed. Another option could be to get mortgage life insurance to cover the possibility that death or injury would make it difficult to pay the mortgage on the home. Finally, make sure that any major items in the home are specifically included on the policy for replacement. If they are not it may be more difficult to get them covered and replaced if they are destroyed.

The final set of policies to check are the health coverage. Make sure you know what your coverages will be for the coming year. January is the time when many companies change insurance carriers. They also will often change the coverages of their policies. Know what your deductibles are and also your maximum out of pocket costs for the year. Check that your primary doctors are still part of the network. Make a list of when your major check ups should be made. I make a list of when I need to call for the kids’ yearly check up and immunizations. I also put their dental cleanings and check ups on the calender. Finally I add in my yearly check up and mammogram and bone density test times on there.

Evaluating insurance needs can often save you from a load of aggravation if a loss occurs and the policies must be used. Often these evaluations can save you money as you find you can get reduced premiums. You can request that these companies check your credit report and adjust your premiums accordingly once per year. If you believe your credit scores may have risen because of good credit handling in the past year then have the company evaluate your scores and adjust your policy premiums. In short, be proactive with your policies and make them work for you to get the most out of your money while still protecting your assets and your personal health.

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