I recently found out that a good friend of mine is having her first baby. She’s very happy and is looking forward to buying all the cool baby stuff, like a crib and bassinet. She is also looking forward to going shopping for her baby shower. She really is very excited about it and will make an awesome mom.

Something she is not looking forward to is the weight gain associated with having a baby, she was tiny in high school then gained a bunch of weight in collage, after that she lost all of it and was so happy. Now she’s worried about not losing her weight once she has the baby. I told her most people lose much of their baby weight within a few weeks of having the baby, but she’s still looking into things like xenical to help with her weight loss. I eventually directed her to a weight gain estimator so that she could try to figure out how much she may gain. It’s really a very cool tool and one I would recommend to any soon to be mom.

I also looked up tips to help her keep in shape and not be so crazy once the baby is born. The best part about these tips is that they are all free! Just make sure to check with your doctor before you do any of these.

Before the baby is born

Walking about 20 minutes a day.
Doing sit ups as long as it’s comfortable

After the baby is born

Running
Take walks with your baby, even if it’s only in the house
Do not diet, this could actually cause you to gain weight.

Do you have any tips?

There are probably many things on your list for the end of summer, school shopping, last minute vacations or getting kids off to collage. Some of you may be teachers getting ready for the start of the new school year. What else could you possibly add to your list?

Yard sales, you should go to a few and have one yourself. Not only can you find things cheap at a yard sale, but you may even make some new friends. If you have your own sale you can make some cash and get rid of all of your junk. We had one this past weekend and though we only made $250 it was worth it. We live in the middle of nowhere and if we can make that much so can most of you reading this.

If your not sure when to have one check with your local community, many places have yard sales over labor day weekend or they may have a festival coming up and you can do something then. Either way you really should add these two things to your list as it can help you get a deal and get some money.

More and more people are starting home businesses. I myself have two home businesses and I love working from home. If your thinking of starting a home business you really should think about buying what you need to get started online as it can save you a lot of money. You can find things like, how to books, accounting and inventory software or furniture and accessories, you also can get great deals on printing and other marketing supplies.

Of course even if your not starting a business the internet can help you save money on things you need, buy groceries in bulk and have them delivered to your door, many places even offer free or very low cost shipping. Whatever your in the mood to buy I’m sure takeing the time to find it online could save you a lot of much needed cash.

Do you buy online? How much do you think you save?

People are spending more time at home. This also means that they are spending more on things for their home and yards then they use to. Many have taken up gardening or craft activities that may require the use of a shed. Now I know your thinking in your head of a metal shed that looks really bad and is a huge eyesore, but there are really some great looking sheds available that can help you preform these new home hobbies and increase the value and appeal of your home. I love sheds that look like log cabins they fit the outdoor theme and are just a really fun focal point for a yard. They could also increase the value of your home as people may decide to buy your home just for the shed.

Of course you could always just go with one of the many standared pent sheds that are available, they may not look as good but they do cost less and get the job done just as well. Another good reasion to invest in a shed is the growing home garden trend, haveing freash veggies and fruit is a great way to save money, if you have enough land you can even sell some of your crop and make a few dollars. You may even make enough to pay for that nice shed you bought to hold all of your garden stuff in.

If your like many Americans you have spent a lot of time and money one diet products. Things like diet shakes, fat burners and nutritional foods that are a huge business. Some of these work and some don’t, but people still are buying these items.

If you must have one or a few of these diet products follow a few tips to get the best prices:

One is to shop around. Different places offer different things. One store may have a sale one week, but the next another store has a better deal. If you buy often take a look at the prices at a few stores, call so you don’t waste money driving.

Another tip I learned is to contact the company directly. Ask if they have a coupon they could send you so that you can try their product, many companies will do something just to get your business.

The last tip I have is to really look at what you are buying, do you need that supplement or can you get it in another cheaper way. Don’t waste money you don’t have to.

Do you have a child that goes though video games like crazy? Do you spend over $200 a month on video games for them, or do they spend that much. Most video gamers beat the game and never play it again. With the increase in software development and games going in and out of style you or your child should check out renting games. You can rent them from your local video store or you could check out an online video game rental company that will allow you to keep the games as long as you want. Handy if your always spending money on games.

Everyone is saying it: Shop around for the best deals. Most people though do not and it’s really sad. In order to get the best deal you need to know what is out there. Now that doesn’t mean you have to switch companies or services but sometimes calling up your company and telling them that you have looked around is enough for them to lower your bill.

Lets use car insurance as an example. I always shop around for car insurance I have found for my needs that my company is usually cheaper, they also offer a discount to existing members when they renew. A year ago I shopped around and found that another company was around $10 a month cheaper then mine. I called my company up and talked to them, telling them I saw this price. They gave me a $15 a month discount just to keep my business. It works, now you go out there and see what deals you can find.

I know here in the northern hemisphere we have just started summer, but now is also a great time to prepare for winter. That means going though your old winter items and getting rid of what you don’t like, don’t need or things that just do not work anymore. The best part is you can donate them or sell the items at a yard sale, making you some much needed cash.

The beginning of summer is also a great time to start building your winter wardrobe as you can find sale items easily right now and the new winter items are just hitting the shelves. You should check out things like thermal clothing that will help you when your cold. We all know that even in the summer, night time can get very chilly and thermal clothing could come in handy. There is a great store in the UK called Damart that sells thermal Innovation products that use Thermolactyl fibers, a very interesting product because it offers so many benefits. The one I like the most is warmth without weight, meaning it’s lighter then most thermal clothing so it won’t feel like your wearing a huge overcoat. It also is machine washable and it has a low moisture absorption so it will keep you dry and warm.

If you live in the UK, you have another great reason to go shopping, you can help support heart research by shopping with Damart, they have a great program going where you buy a love your heart t-shirt, the profits will go to Heart Research UK. That alone is a great reason to spend some extra money.

So what are you waiting for? Get over to that closet and start getting rid of things. You will feel better once your done I promise.

I hear so many people say that they know how to save money, yet when I talk to them it’s always the same old thing that may work great for them, but doesn’t work great for anyone making under $50,000 a year. This group it seems is the group that is forgotten. If you make under that amount you may as well forget the advice of all of those people, they can afford a trip to Vegas and a night in one of the many Vegas hotels, while you just sit there wondering why you can’t have a decent running car.

My tip to you is to find someone who is poor, living on food stamps and follow them around for a while, they will teach you how to save money, it’s not just going to Sams and buying in bulk. It also is not shopping around for the best deals, really if you have kids you don’t have the time, energy or gas to be running from store to store. Find a women with more then three kids who is on assistance and you will hit gold. There is a reason people think that most people on food stamps have it good, these people learn to buy what is cheap on sale and all at once, that way they don’t have to come back to the store to buy anything. They freeze, eat leftovers and have a variety of recipes to use. They also only eat out maybe once a month. Tell that to most of the people you know giving you advice and I’m sure they can not say the same.

My point is, sometimes saving money involves thinking in new ways and forgoing many of life’s pleasures.