Diet of Financial Abuse - Have you Packed on the Pounds in Investment Defeating Costs of Living

Financial Abuse costs you more than money. The reality is when you abuse your budget you pay with retirement, child care costs, health costs, and other fees too numerous to mention. So what can you do about it?

These suggestions will help you put in place a financial management system that works effectively all the time, every time, to save you money.

Meal Time Planning and Freedom

As a parent you may believe, mistakenly, that if you don't prepare food for your child for every meal, your child will be permanently damaged. Sometimes you need to allow your children to fend for themselves, and prepare exactly what they want to eat. (I'm not talking two year old cooking stew here, I'm talking simple meals anyone can prepare.)

Growing up, my family had Fend for Yourself Night once a week. Everyone prepared something they wanted from a specific selection and had a great meal, filled up their belly, and didn't break the bank. From a selection of ramen noodles, frozen veggies, fresh veggies, fruit, breads, and a few small canned meats and soups, we were allowed to prepare what we wanted. The only rule was it couldn't be fast food, and it had to be somewhat healthy (no candy bar/soda pop dinners). My favorite meal was buttered wheat toast, fruit, and tea. My tummy was happy, mom was content, and I didn't have to work hard. It's still my favorite fast food meal.

How often do you grab McDonalds or Arby's because you're out of time? Is it really faster to drive across town than to pop bread into the toaster. Top toast with peanut butter and add a banana or an apple and you've got a healthy FAST meal, that only cost you pennies. No, you can't do that for every meal, but why abuse the fast food privilege? Why not use that option only for special times, when you really want to spend that money?

The best part of Fend for Yourself Night, it teaches children to prepare simple foods for themselves, a skill they'll need in college, that will keep them healthy and well fed on a limited and very SMALL budget?

I remember my daughter calling home and saying she'd been careless with her money, but she still had food for the last week of the month. I asked what she had, and she told me she still had peanut butter, two cans of tuna, two cans of pineapple, a case of ramen noodles, several cans of veggies and fruit, a can or two of pudding, and a box of tea bags. She had eighty-five cents for a loaf of bread. She restocked her supplies on the next paycheck, and was happy eating at the dorm until she got paid.