Search Results for: blog the lottery can be good for you

The Perils of Good Fortune

Many of us dream of the day when we receive a windfall of some sort. Whether it’s a winning lottery ticket, a bequest, a settlement, a bonus, or some other unexpected sum of money a windfall is a wonderful thing. However, there is something about getting money unexpectedly, especially lots of money, that can cause even fiscally responsible people to act in strange and unwise ways. It will probably come as no surprise that the most common mistake many people make when they come into money is to spend every last dollar of it. It is a very deeply rooted … Continue reading →

Three Things You Could Stop Buying

Did you know that there are a few things that many people buy that are, for the most part, pretty useless? Okay, so there probably more than a few useless things out there but I have decided to focus on just a handful of common items that are simply not worth the money that you spend on them. Please keep in mind that this is just my opinion – you might agree with some of the things on this list and disagree with others, or you may disagree with the whole thing. Many people do not need unlimited cell phone … Continue reading →

Money Can Buy Happiness

Did you buy your Mega Millions ticket yet? The jackpot is up to a staggering $355 million—-one of the largest jackpots in U.S. lottery history. In just a few hours some lucky duck could be rolling in enough dollar bills to cover the surface of the Earth… or something like that. Of course, the odds of winning are 1 in 176 million, but someone’s gotta win, right? If you are a parent struggling to make ends meet, then there’s a very good chance that you have already dug deep to scrape up the dollar it takes to purchase a single … Continue reading →

Do You Worry About Insurance?

Every time I read a news article that talks about someone else’s misfortune, I worry about insurance. When I read about a person who has gone into bankruptcy due to bills that an insurance company refused to pay, I feel bad for that person, and I worry about what I would do in the same situation. Often, while surfing the internet, I find news articles that predict that the cost of insurance is going to rise in the next few years. This makes me worry about my own ability to afford insurance, of any kind. It turns out that I … Continue reading →

How Bargains Can Come Back to Bite You

Bargain shopping can be a boon to your budget. But if it is done in the wrong way, it can actually cost your money. Bargains can be a sneaky thief, silently robbing you of your hard earned money without you knowing it. Here is how to avoid the trap. Instant gratification When something is a bargain, it is hard to resist. Seeing an item that is 25 percent off helps you rationalize and feel good about having it today. Always take some time to think about a purchase, preferably 24 hours. This will help you better understand whether or not … Continue reading →

Residual Income with Suite101 – Being Frugal With Your Time

As a work at home mom, I’m always looking for new ways to bring in money. Being a blogger for the Single Parenting, Home Schooling, and Frugal Living categories here at Families.com is one way to make a little bit of cash while doing something I love. However, there are a lot of scams and just a lot of bad deals on the Internet. Over the past 7 years I wasted more time than I care to think about. I simply learn the lesson and move on. Then again, there are places online where people make a lot of money, … Continue reading →

Hello Oscars, Goodbye “TRL”

It’s your chance to see your favorite stars up close and personal. If you have ever dreamed of snapping a photo alongside George Clooney or getting Tom Cruise to sign one of your body parts, this is it. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences just announced that 300 bleacher seats will be up for grabs in an online lottery. Beginning at 9 a.m. PDT Monday, September 22, 2008, you can enter for a chance to win a seat in front of the Kodak Theater for the Oscar telecast, which is scheduled to take air February 22, 2008. Stargazers … Continue reading →

Staying Open to Good Surprises…as a Family

The other day, I wrote a little piece about how it seems to be that some of the best things happen when we least expect them. As a single parent family, we can get used to being braced for trials and troubles and forget that there are plenty of good surprises that come our way too. What about making a family practice to celebrate and notice those wonderful good surprises instead of just bracing for the troublesome ones? Okay, so maybe we would all love to win the lottery and surely a windfall of that magnitude would be a happy … Continue reading →

Are You Jealous of Your Child or Children?

As parents, we may think of jealousy as something we have to manage in our personal lives, or one of those green-eyed problems to teach our children about. We cope with sibling rivalry, co-worker rivalries, and other forms of jealousy but we might not think about whether or not we are actually jealous of our own children and whether that is affecting our family dynamics or not. I try to teach my children (and remind myself) the difference between envy and jealousy. As I simplify it for my kids, “envy” is when we want something that someone else has and … Continue reading →

Your Chance to Dance with a Soap HUNK and How to Get Paid to be a Couch Potato

The hottest actor on daytime TV (at least in my opinion) is giving you a chance to learn his smooth moves… on the dance floor. Cameron Mathison has come up with an ingenious way to raise money for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, an industry-based HIV/AIDS fundraising organization. He’s putting himself up for auction and hoping all his female fans will fight for the chance to shimmy up to his hot bod. Where is that lottery payout when you need it? The 38-year-old star of the ABC daytime soap opera “All My Children” is offering private dance lessons and the opportunity … Continue reading →