Can your family survive on 1 income

Can your family survive on 1 income3

Cricket Jones was a stay-at-home mom for 28 years and raised five children. Then she and her husband divorced.

The Boise, Idaho, woman doesn't regret staying home, but she does wish she'd finished her college degree and kept one foot in the work world with some kind of part-time employment.

"When I divorced, I was left without any skills to get a decent-paying job," Jones said. "I went back to school at the age of 48 and became employed a year later. Not the best way to do things."

Search for how much of your pay should you save on Bing

How much of your pay should you save?

Many discussions about becoming a stay-at-home parent focus on the benefits to the children and the immediate costs -- having to live on a budget, eating out less and so on.

But deciding to become a one-income family carries some long-term financial risks as well, especially to the person who's leaving the workplace. Without careful planning, the result can be more debt, less in retirement savings, atrophying job skills and greater vulnerability to economic setbacks.

The stay-at-home parent not only gives up current income but may also face lower lifetime earnings and retirement benefits because of time away from work. In her book "The Price of Motherhood," former New York Times economics reporter Ann Crittenden estimated her decision to stay at home cost her between $600,000 and $700,000 in reduced income and lost pension credits, while economist Shirley Burggraf calculated that a couple earning a combined income of $81,500 could lose more than $1 million if one partner stopped working. Even a lower-income couple where one partner earns $30,000 and the other $15,000 faces a $600,000 difference if the lower-earning spouse stays home.

Taking just a few years off from work wouldn't be as expensive, but labor economists warn that any substantial time away from the working world can result in lower earnings when you return.

When I asked my Facebook fans who lived on one income to offer their best advice, it boiled down to this: Prepare well in advance for what you're about to do.

"Plan, plan, plan," wrote one. "One of the best things we did was refinance our home at a low interest rate while we still had two incomes (so we could qualify) under stricter banking rules. Also, we started living without my husband's check to see if we could live on one income. His checks went into our emergency savings fund."

Kristina Olson of Delta, Utah, and her husband started living on one income while she was pregnant with their first child. Before that, they paid off $28,000 in credit card debt. Her one regret is that they didn't start living on one income earlier and retire all their nonmortgage debt.

"I do wish we had used more of my income to pay off more debt before that, but all of our rates on student loans and vehicles have always been lower than 5%," Olson said. "We have paid off some here and there, but probably could have been completely out of debt a long time ago."


Candace Thelen Rose of New Richmond, Wis., echoed that sentiment. The family trimmed utility, insurance and food costs, but such moves ultimately weren't enough to prevent her from having to go back to work.

"It would have been so much easier to stay on one income if we had not had $400 a month to pay on debts," Rose wrote.
Source:MSN.com

foods help you sleep

 Foods help you Sleep

 

10 Foods That Can Help You Sleep. Trying to get more shut-eye? Take a look at your diet. Eating the right foods in the hours before you hit the hay may help you fall asleep faster, say experts, and even improve the quality of your sleep. Keep reading for your get-sleepy grocery list, and remember to stop noshing two hours before bedtime to give your body enough time to properly digest.

Almonds
“Almonds are a winner,” says Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, medical director of the Fibromyalgia and Fatigue Centers, and author of the bestselling book From Fatigued to Fantastic! “They contain magnesium which promotes both sleep and muscle relaxation,” he says. “And they have the added benefit of supplying proteins that can help maintain a stable blood sugar level while sleeping, and help promote sleep by switching you from your alert adrenaline cycle to your rest-and-digest cycle.” Try this bedtime snack: Have a tablespoon of almond butter or a 1-ounce portion of almonds to help your body relax.

Tea
Yes, avoiding all caffeine in the evening hours is key, but some decaf varieties can help get you into sleep mode, says Dr. Teitelbaum. “Chamomile tea is a very helpful and safe sleep aid,” he says, adding that green tea is another good choice. “Green tea contains theanine, which helps promote sleep. Just be sure you get a decaf green tea if drinking it at bedtime.” Experts recommend trying a 1-cup serving of the hot stuff.

Miso Soup
You love to order this comforting, broth-based soup in Japanese restaurants, but keeping a few 8-ounce packs of instant miso soup at home may be key when you’re having trouble falling asleep, says Stella Metsovas, CN, a nutritionist in Laguna Beach, California. Here’s why: Miso contains amino acids that may boost the production of melatonin, a natural hormone that can help induce the yawns. Bonus: Research shows that warm liquids like soup and tea may also relieve cold symptoms, helping you sleep better when you're feeling under the weather.

Banana
Worried about falling asleep tonight? Have a banana before bed, says Saundra Dalton-Smith, MD, an internist and the author of Set Free to Live Free: Breaking Through the 7 Lies Women Tell Themselves. “Bananas are an excellent source of magnesium and potassium, which help to relax overstressed muscles. They also contain tryptophan, which convert to serotonin and melatonin, the brain’s key calming hormones." Try this tasty and incredibly simple bedtime smoothie: Blend one banana with one cup of milk or soy milk (and ice, if desired). Pour and enjoy!

Dairy Milk
Yogurt, milk and cheese do contain tryptophan, notes Dr. Dalton-Smith, but also have a surprising sleep-inducing nutrient: “Calcium is effective in stress reduction and stabilization of nerve fibers, including those in the brain." That means a serving of your favorite Greek yogurt before bed can not only help you sleep, but also help you stop worrying about the weird thing your boss said earlier at work.

Oatmeal
You eat it for breakfast, but could a bowl of warm oatmeal help you get more rest? Yes, says Stephan Dorlandt, a clinical nutritionist based in Southern California. “Think about it,” he says. “Oatmeal is warm,soft, soothing, easy to prepare, inexpensive and nourishing. It’s rich in calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, silicon and potassium—the who's who of nutrients known to support sleep.” But go easy on the sweeteners; too much sugar before bed can have an anti-calming effect. Instead, consider topping your bowl with fruit, like bananas

Hard-Cooked Egg
If you have trouble staying asleep at night, it may be because you didn’t eat a pre-bedtime snack high in protein, or perhaps your snack was too high in simple, high-sugar carbohydrates, like cake and candy. “The problem with simple carbs is that they can put you on a ‘sugar roller coaster’ and drop your blood sugar while you're sleeping, causing you to wake at 2 or 3 in the morning,” says Dr. Teitelbaum. A better bet? “Eat an egg, cheese, nuts or other protein-rich snack instead,” he says, “so you can not only fall asleep, but stay asleep.

Edamame
Craving a salty snack before bed? Turn to lightly salted edamame, says Dr. Dalton-Smith—especially if you’re dealing with menopause-related symptoms. “The natural estrogen-like compounds found in soy-based products can be very beneficial in controlling those nighttime hot flashes that can disturb your sleep,” she says. If it’s crackers and dip you’re craving, try making this easy edamame recipe: In a food processor, blend together 2 cups of shelled, cooked edamame with 1 tsp salt, a drizzle of olive oil and 1 clove garlic (optional) until smooth.

Cherries
Oddly, a glass of cherry juice may be an effective way to fall asleep faster, says a team of researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and University of Rochester. In their study, they found that cherries, particularly tart cherries, naturally boosted the body’s supply of melatonin, which helped people with insomnia. While the jury is still out on how much juice or how many cherries are needed to make you sleepy, experts say sipping a glass of cherry juice (available at most natural foods stores) or having a serving of fresh, frozen or dried cherries before bedtime couldn’t hurt.

Cereal
There’s no need to feel guilty about having a small bowl of cereal before bed, especially if it’s a low-sugar, whole-grain cereal. Not only is it a healthy snack (make sure you top it with milk to give your body the protein it needs), but it may also help you snooze. “Complex carbohydrate–rich foods increase the availability of tryptophan in the bloodstream, increasing the sleep-inducing effects,” says Dr. Dalton-Smith. Bonus: Top your bowl with a sprinkling of dried cherries (see above) for extra help catching your zzz's.



Source: womansday

How to: Milkmaid braids

After I posted a picture of my hairstyle today on twitter, a tutorial was requested by a handful of people! I'm sure that a milkmaid braid tutorial has been done a hundred times...but I figured, why not? Why wouldn't my readers want to see an almost five-minute long video of me braiding my hair? hahah. But really, the video is kind of long but I didn't have time to make another condensed version or figure out how to speed it up.  So what you see is what you get! ;)

But anyway, happy braiding! This is the easiest hairstyle ever, and looks good on just about anyone. A few tips: I think the key to nice, thick looking braids in any style is to loosen them up as demonstrated in the video. Also, at the end, don't be concerned if hair is sticking up or out- tuck and pin is my motto! Don't be afraid to use bobby pins. A messier look is better with this hairstyle, so perfection is not what you are aiming for. You don't have to have a perfect part or symmetrical braids. And one last thing- dirty hair works best! My favorite kind of hair. haha. Enjoy!

*song is "Sweepstakes Prize" by Mirah.