Tired of all the paperwork and confusion when looking over your savings, investments and retirement accounts? It is so easy to just give up, but it is not the wisest to your pocketbook.

This month is the time to review and simplify your financial accounts. Do you have multiple mutual funds? Most importantly, look at how these funds are invested and how diverse is your portfolio. Is it time to re-balance or consolidate for a wiser, safer balance for your funds?

Do you have accounts at several providers and would consolidating them at one or two companies be wise? The benefits include lower account fees and fewer, less confusing statements (at least you only have to learn to read one style of statement this way :).

Take a look at your 401(k)s if you have several previous employers and consider rolling them over into one IRA. Seek advice on the best method to accomplish this rollover to avoid a tax bill.

More WFMW tips here…

Want to get some of those little annoying tasks done in your life? No big project, but the “every time I look at it I want to”… type of things that weigh you down mentally? Try this 15 minute cleaning tip, it works well for me!

I walk into a room and say, “What’s bugging me?” Sometimes it is that crooked picture on the wall or the pile of collected books on the nightstand. Or it could be quickly switching the table and chair to a new location. Or it can be just one part of a bigger project.

Set a timer for 10 – 15 minutes and give it a try! It is freeing to have those little annoyances done – I have spent more time thinking about doing it than it actually took me to do it. Why do I do that???

Each day for a week for 15 minutes I did this and here are some of the things that were accomplished:

Straightened the bedskirt.
Cleaned bathroom cabinet.
Washed my makeup brushes.
Reorganized my hanging clothes.
Cleaned one shelf in a closet.

You get the idea…I am setting the timer right now and am off to cut the consumer tags off the decorative bed pillows…

See more WFMW tips here.

Motherhood and a career – that is a balancing act that can be successful given the right support and planning. And there are quite a number of us trying this balancing act… Sixty percent of married women are balancing motherhood and their careers, according to recent data. Yet reading bedtime stories together, checking art projects, or just watching the baby sleep are not the purview of stay-at-home moms only. Mothers who are away from their homes are putting technology to work to stay close to kids.

Enterprising women are setting up webcams on home computers and checking in from offices or the road, allowing them to see and talk to sons and daughters at any time. Free services like Skype make it possible, and really savvy moms have figured out that no one needs to actually answer the receiving end of the call–moms control what they see at home and when (perfect for taking a peek at a napping newborn!)

We have provided you with details on setting up “Kiddie Cams” so you can try it for yourself. It’s simple and free and only requires an inexpensive webcam that’s readily available anywhere. (more…)

Taxes – here we go again… Using a tax prep software does help you find every deduction you are entitled to (personally it has been very helpful in saving money for us).

Not able to take deductions because receipts are missing? Take action now for next year’s taxes - set up a file to save your receipts and any notes regarding tax write offs for 2008. Better to save a document and then discard after preparing your taxes than to toss it too early.

While preparing your taxes, are there additional deductions which would be financially wise for you to pursue for this year? Take action now to explore the potential.

What takes so much time and is repeated over and over again daily? Providing food for ourselves and our families. While I enjoy many of the household tasks, menu and meal planning along with the decision making of what to eat has always been my least favorite task.

Ok, I’ll admit it, I hate meal planning. Oh, I’ve tried many plans and systems over the years and nothing has worked …until this easy to use plan. I have been using E-Mealz for awhile now and it not only works well for us, it is saving me money as well as time and aggravation. (more…)

When I received an email from Jennifer Hill Robenalt introducing us to this software planner for families, I was skeptical because most software organizers just don’t work well for multiple people. Also, how practical would this really be for a family – yes I am tough to impress at times :).

I checked out the link for Cozi and was favorably impressed. From the web site samples it does appear that they have accomplished their goal to provide a one-stop “organizing solution” for the entire family.

The technology could very well be the key in getting your older children to actually use the planner – wouldn’t that make life so much easier! The color coding of multiple family members and being able to see all the schedules at once earns my attention :).

We encourage you to take a quick tour and view all the features. You can try Cozi for free and see how the features work for you and your family. Sometimes you find solutions when you least expect it!

Some further information regarding this planning software: (more…)

Do you feel like clutter just keeps growing and is about to overtake you? Tired of digging and moving things to find what you want in the cabinet?

Here are a couple questions that I ask when cleaning -

1.    Am I really going to use this?  If it has been around for awhile, don’t think so! Out it goes…
2.    Does this belong here? It has to be valuable enough to me (used frequently) to gain the status of “prime real estate” (front of the cabinet, eye level shelf, main drawer, etc.). Otherwise: either out it goes or into a storage location (back or very top of the closet).
3.    Am I sick of this? Best intentions are to use it, but after this long and it isn’t used yet…
4.    Could someone else use this? Donate it to your friends, someone who could use some help, Goodwill, etc.

Not all that complicated, rather common sense really, so get started and feel the freedom of finding what you are looking for – quickly!

Have you noticed how grocery prices have risen recently? Just this week, while at my local Publix grocery store, I was talking to a nice retired lady about the increase in the price of a dozen eggs and we decided not to discuss the cost per pound for meat! A dear friend of mine just shared this cost saving site with me and after hearing about her weekly savings, I had to at least try it.

Any saving money method must meet these two requirements as far as I am concerned: It must be something I really would be buying (thus not just buying it because “it’s such a good deal”. The second requirement is that it must be easy to use (doesn’t take lots of preparation or effort at home or the store).

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