Time To Say Goodbye. It’s a great song. I love how Bocelli does it, but that’s not where I’m headed with this. It’s been a long time since I’ve posted and I’m thinking I’m done. I’ve got nothing crafty to add these days. It’s just little old me, a stay at home mom with two tiny little boys who occupy my time from 7am until 7pm and then I’m on call from 7pm until 7am. Nothing new there. It’s been done a million times. I’ve now been a stay at home mom exactly as long as I was a working mom. But I was never really a “working mom” like one would think. We didn’t do day care. I worked from 4am-12pm and came home each day to my husband handing off the baby and heading to work. But you know that already.

I’m pretty sure there’s nothing to add. My story is the same now as millions of other women all over the world. The story of a mom.

I’ve decided I’m not one of those moms who can zap a million pics at every event my kids are at and in an instant, upload them to facebook, twitter and my blog all at once, then come home and blog about it all. It’s just not who I am. My brain is not wired to go in that many directions. I bow down to the moms out there who do these things, but I gotta tell ya, STOP because you’re making the rest of us look like slackers.

So I’m thinking RecessionMamas is going away. We’re not who we were in the beginning and that’s fine. We’re all pretty different women these days.

That’s where I am. If I were more computer savvy, I might have already clicked the “poof!” button and made it all go away, but I’m too tired to figure that out right now.

If you read our little stories along the way, thank you! But for some reason, I have the feeling that this little project is simply collecting dust out there far, far away in cyberspace. And if you know me, you know that I do not like things to linger.  And I hate dust.

I don’t mind working until I’m 70, but I really want the option and not the mandate.  It’s Memorial day, and I’m feeling a little blue.  I was invited to a pool party, but since I don’t want to wear a swimsuit in public right now, I’m feeling shy about going at all.  In a way, my finances are the same way.

I am sitting here on Memorial Day doing my bills.  I click over at a couple of retirement calculators, and the numbers look dismal.  Do I really have to save that much money to be able to live as I do now when I’m 70 years old?  Ugh!  It must be nice for those who can remember pensions.

I look at my social security earnings sometimes and think I can rely on that money to survive, but will it still be there when I turn 65?  Most financial experts believe it will be.  Will it be enough?  I’d like to hope so.  I really don’t like to worry about anything, especially not money.  It’s pretty much the reason I have saved up a year’s worth of expenses.

But I do still worry.  Like wearing a swimsuit and worrying about whether or not I can lose the weight I’d like to lose, I worry about whether I can wait out the fluctuations of the market and get my money’s worth in the end.  I worry about whether my downtown L.A. loft will increase in value enough by the time I want to sell it, and I worry about whether work will stay steady for me in the years to come so I can keep saving for a house AND for retirement.  I know…I just have to get to work on both my flabby abs and my savings goals instead of just worrying.

Everyone uses their money differently because we all have differing financial goals, and because we all have a different personal finance personality. That is why there are such different types of financial products because when you use the right products to suit your natural spending and savings habits, you can make the most of your natural behaviours allowing your good habits to shine and your bad habits to be curbed.

On the personal finance personality spectrum there are four main personalities, find out which one you are, and learn about the features you need to look for when comparing new financial products.

The Saver

If you are a saver you lament ever having to spend money, you look for every opportunity to save, from taking your own lunch to work, to driving with the windows down instead of turning on the air-conditioning. You are probably also the one who takes Monopoly a little too seriously.

While there is nothing wrong with crushing your family and friends on the game board, in real life managing your finances is not as easy as buying out your landlord and trying to avoid the twists of chance. Instead, you need to maintain a balance between spending and saving, playing to your natural inclination to horde your money and your sense of fiscal responsibility.

The best savings account for the saver:

• Rewards you for not withdrawing your funds. This is a behaviour you will follow naturally, so seek out a high interest savings account which pays you bonus interest in the months you don’t make any withdrawals.
• Long term high interest rates. You will be able to maintain your savings balance for the long term, so work towards a long term goal by choosing a savings account with a high ongoing rate. This may the time to consider a fixed term deposit savings account for some of your funds, where your interest rate will be fixed for a term up to five years.
• Has easy to read statements so you can easily track your savings. You can choose an account with paper or electronic statements, but either way make sure you can always remain informed by viewing your savings contributions, your interest earnings and the progress of your balance, since a saver always knows exactly where every cent of their savings is.

The best credit card for the saver:

• Has a long interest free period. This means you will always be able to avoid interest charges because you can use the bank’s money for groceries and bills throughout the month, while your wages earn interest, safe in your savings accounts. You can then transfer just the amount you need for your purchases to your credit card before the end of the interest free period.
• No annual fee. Since you will always be sure to spend only the amount you can afford on your credit card, you won’t have a rolling balance so with a credit card which also doesn’t have an annual fee, you will be able to operate your account entirely fee free, saving even more.

The Reluctant Saver

You know you should save because it is the financially responsible thing to do, you’re probably even trying to stick to a savings plan to meet a goal of a house, a wedding or a holiday. However, saving seems like such a hassle to you, plus your heart’s not really in it, so just as you reluctantly add to your savings, your savings reluctantly crawl towards your goal, when you could have your funds powering towards your dream purchase with the right financial products.

The best savings account for the reluctant saver:

• Rewards you for making deposits. Part of achieving a savings goal is sticking to a savings plan, so first look for a high interest savings account which will pay you bonus interest when you meet a minimum monthly deposit amount. Then make sure to set up an automatic debit from your wages each payday to meet that amount and you can be being rewarded for your savings efforts, which aren’t really a great effort at all are they?
• Allows you to set targets and track your savings goals. You may be reluctantly saving because you have more than one goal you need to meet and achieving those goals just seems so far away. Instead, choose a savings account which lets you save for more than one goal by creating sub-accounts for each target. You can set a goal amount and a goal date to achieve that amount, and your savings account statements and online banking system will show your progress on easy to understand graphs or tables, so you can see just how far you have come, and how there’s not really that far to go. This keeps you motivated and keeps your goals clear so the reluctance can slip away to be replaced by excitement at achieving your goals.

The best credit card for the reluctant saver:

• Is a debit card. You don’t need any more temptations to distract you from your spending goals, instead consider using a debit card which accesses your own money so you don’t accumulate a credit card debt which needs to be repaid at the end of the month. With one less bill to worry about, and your spending under control and within your means, you can concentrate on your savings and achieve your goals on target.

The Emotional Impulse Buyer

You just can’t help yourself, a bad day at work, a bad break up, an argument, a celebration and you’re off to hit the stores for new shoes or heading online to start bidding for a new television. No matter how good the shopping spree feels, you need to be able to strike a balance between something you enjoy – the impulse buying that makes you feel better – and something you know you should be doing – saving for a rainy day because shoes won’t pay the bills.

The best savings account for the emotional impulse buyer:

• A fixed savings account you can’t access in a moment of weakness. In truth, your spending and savings habits are not spiralling out of control, there is just the odd moment of weakness every now and then, so make sure that at least a portion of your savings is locked away in a fixed term deposit where you can’t get at it when you lose an important contract at work or the kids all throw a tantrum at the same time.
• Allows you to feed your habit in a healthy way. In conjunction with your fixed savings account, start a spending-savings account too. Deposit funds in here when things are going well and you have some spare cash left over at the end of the week. Then when you do need to make an emotional purchase or you see something you need to buy because you just can’t get it out of your head, you can use a part of your savings for that purchase so you don’t blow your budget on an impulse buy.

The best credit card for the emotional spender:

• Has a low interest rate if you need to roll over a balance. In truth, you may not always have enough in your spending-savings account to cover an emotion or impulse buy so rather than dipping into your rainy day emergency fund, you may resort to your credit card. If that is the case, make sure you are not penalised month after month with high interest charges if you can’t pay your balance back to zero. Instead a low interest rate credit card allows you to regain control of a credit card balance that gets away from you.

The Spender

If you are the spender then your spending and savings habits could just be spiralling out of control. You could be a compulsive shopper buying something because it was on sale, because it came with a free something else or just because you were bored. You could be spending to keep up with the Jones’ or because you think you deserve every new gadget and you deserve it now. And you certainly don’t have any desire to save – why do you need to save when you’ll be paid again in a week?

This extreme personal finance personality is clearly out of control when you see it in black and white here, but it can be harder to identify that you are the spender when you’re busy spending. Once you realise that you are living week to week and your life and your house are cluttered with purchases you don’t need, and don’t even really want, the first thing you need to do is equip yourself with the right tools to curb your spending and start yourself on a savings plan.

The best savings account for the spender:

• You need an emergency fund because next week might not come. If you’ve been living week to week then stop, and open a high interest at call savings account which allows you to make regular contributions. Choose an account which allows you to link with your existing account so you can make automatic payments to your savings account each pay day. In this way you don’t have to think about saving, it’s being done automatically and you are taking the first step towards a happy medium.
• Fix your savings so you don’t slip. Once you have built up an emergency fund which covers those unexpected bills, and could pay approximately three months worth of bills if you couldn’t work or lost your job, it is time to secure the rest of your savings so you’re not tempted. Choose a fixed term deposit savings account which will still pay you high interest, and will not only help you control your spending, but can be the start of an investment portfolio too.

The best credit card for the spender:

• A debit card. While you get control of your spending you will need to stop living beyond your means and that means no more spending the bank’s money. Instead, link a debit card to your transaction account so you can only spend money you have, and you will soon learn to make the right choice between an impulse buy and the power bill.
• A balance transfer credit card. You’ll also need to get control of any credit card debt you accumulated in your frenzied spending so look for a balance transfer offer with a low rate, and enough time for you to budget to repay your balance. If you need to transfer the balance from several credit cards, or the balance is quite high, consider a for life balance transfer card which gives you all the time you need to pay off your credit card debt at the lower rate.

No matter which personal finance personality you fall into, we can all benefit from a healthy emergency fund, a regular savings plan and a little spending money to blow off steam. Therefore, consider the best financial products for your personality and your situation, to help you strike a healthy balance.

Alban is a personal finance writer. He helps people to compare and choose the best savings accounts online.   

April 15th is right around the corner.  Do you have your taxes done yet?  Throughout the years, I’ve fallen into many camps.  In my early years of working, I would file my taxes as soon as I received my W-2 in the mail.  Of course, back then, I was earning about $10/hour so I just filed a 1040EZ.  Last year, I think I came the closest to the deadline, filing on April 14th or maybe it was midnight on the 15th.

This year, I filed super early like I did when I was younger.  I knew I would be traveling for work, so I didn’t want to forget or run out of time.  I am so glad I did that since I received a refund months ago!  What a relief!

Now, how many of you received a refund this year?  How many of you had to pay?  I know the best is to balance it and not really get a refund, but it’s hard for me to do that.  I never really know what I’ll be making in a given year, so it’s hard for me to determine how much I should be putting down as deductions.  Anyone out there with a good way to calculate it?

Also, how many people do their own taxes?  Or do you have an accountant?  I do my own taxes pretty much every year.  It’s a lot easier now with Turbo Tax or Tax Act.  I just buy the extra tools/help/legal service when needed.  I guess it would be good to have a real accountant check things over, but I never seem to have the time to find a really good one.  A friend of mine is a CPA, but he’s busy helping companies during this time of the year so I try not to bother him with my taxes.  My brother goes to H&R Block every year, but I feel like those people are just like you and me, except with a few training courses under their belt.  Not sure what’s best at this point.  All I know is my taxes are done for the year, and I’m so happy about it.

A new conservatory school in Austin teaches innovative techniques aimed at putting an end to the starving artist stereotype.

AUSTIN, Texas, April 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The opening of Austin Conservatory of Professional Arts, ACPA, represents the establishment of a new standard in theatrical arts training. The conservatory, which opens its doors this fall, is principally focused on teaching artists how to perfect their craft and successfully make a living in the new economy. Founder Jim Hart says the standard set by ACPA “creates potential for innovation, leads to new audiences and job creation.” Hart aims to teach artists how to “survive and thrive by overcoming the starving artist stereotype. ”

Hart, a native Texan, studied acting at the renowned Yale School of Drama where received his MFA, and then went on to serve as an entrepreneur, theatre director, and actor. ACPA is the second conservatory Hart has built, the first being The International Theatre Academy Norway in Oslo, Norway. “I built my first conservatory around a large gap I perceived in American arts training. Artists are taught how to create works of art, but not how to make a living. That leads to stereotypes such as the starving artist and actors really being waiters. I honed my technique at the Theatre Academy in Norway and now am very excited to bring this program here to the states where it’s most needed. ”

Austin Conservatory of Professional Arts is a full-time conservatory program (intensive focus on craft and technique as they relate to its principle focus — arts entrepreneurship). Hart offers a time-tested technique that produces results. “Our students work to create opportunities for themselves,” says Hart. “When you teach artists how to understand their own value and then market it to the right audience, the results are undeniable. They truly gain the experience needed to be self sufficient and successful.”

“Artists want to make a living and have the right to do so. Artists go to ACPA to learn marketable skills that will increase their chances of making a living. The current standard (all arts technique and no business training) leads to widespread unemployment and disenfranchisement of artists. Entrepreneurship in the arts is destined to become the new standard, as it is a system that creates jobs, with the artists creating their own opportunities.”

Austin Conservatory of Professional Arts is a full-time program, offering artists an intensive study in entrepreneurial arts techniques. ACPA prides itself in its original curriculum, combining experiential learning, mentorship and advanced study in arts and entrepreneurship. The conservatory is located at Penn Field off of South Congress Ave. in Austin, TX.

ACPA is accepting applications now for the full-time conservatory program in entrepreneurial arts training. To apply, see http://bit.ly/a6jZfP. For more information about ACPA, visit http://www.austinconservatory.com or email: learnmore@austinconservatory.com.

SOURCE Austin Conservatory of Professional Arts

We live on a small street (about 10 houses) in a small sub-development in a suburb of a suburb of a suburb of Dallas. And on our small street roughly half of us were laid off in the early stages of the recession. Just like the news stories told us, most of them were men, and then there was me. A bunch of new “stay at home dads” and me. Um…nice to meet ya?

Most of us had never met but since we had all this “free” time on our hands (time not spent at the office…because working at home, as we all know, consists of a brutal amount of work), we’d wander out into our front yards and catch a conversation every now and then. That’s how I became closer with our next door neighbors. He was laid off the same week I was. Since his 2 boys were about the same age as mine, we’d swap stories about how staying at home with our kids was boggling our minds a little and how money was tight.

When we started trimming the budget back, one of the first things to go, along with my beloved housekeeper…were our team of lawn guys. They’d quietly show up in the early morning hours of a Saturday or maybe a Sunday, do their thing and be gone in a flash. All we did was stick a check on the front door. But when that perk went out the window, it meant the husband would take over that task and buy the lawn equipment needed to do the job. And guess who was taking notes? Yup, our next door neighbor. Granted, he’s since found a job…not making as much as he did before, but they’re in pretty good shape. Even still, he recently asked the husband’s advice on how to work his new lawn equipment. That’s right…he fired his lawn guys (our old lawn guys) and bought the tools of the trade for himself. His words, something like, “Well if you guys are doing your own lawn, I think I should too.”

Now THAT’s the kind of “Keepin’ Up With The Joneses” that I’m talkin’ about.

At this stage of the game: the “been laid off and still trying to cut corners without ending up totally losing my mind” game, you’d think I’d be all done trying to save money. I mean, it’s been over a year, so you’re probably thinking that I’ve got it all squared away…this saving money thing. Wrong.

Just this week, I called the good, decent people at DISH and told them that I was cutting my Top 250 plan and switching to the Give Me The Cheapest Thing You’ve Got plan. They were bummed to lose me, then they charged me $5 to downgrade the plan, but at the end of the day…we’re saving $40 month. That’s what I probably would have referred to as chump change back when I was pulling in a nearly six-figure income, but these days, I see that as a luxury. Paying nearly $70 a month for TV was just wrong on so many levels.

I may only slightly miss seeing the outcome of The Real World, season 55; The Real Housewives of New York City, and the outcome of several other of my embarrassing reality show addictions, but the only thing that did weigh heavily on me was what my oldest son was going to miss. And I say “miss”, not him, not like he’d ever know the difference…he’s 3… but it did make me sad. So for about a week after we decided to downgrade, I recorded all of his favorite shows..all of the shows I knew we’d be losing. I made sure we would have plenty of Little Bear, Little Bill, Handy Manny, Dora the Explorer, Yo Gabba Gabba and his beloved Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on tap so that he’d never know the difference. And during that time, I had him watch more PBS than normal. He does ADORE his Curious George and Clifford The Big Red Dog, but that was about it. See, we didn’t let Donald watch television until he was 2. ANY TV. Nothing. That was just one year ago. And now he’s allowed a maximum of 2 hours per day. I was worried that us downsizing the collection of cable clutter would somehow bother him, but so far, so good. For cryin’ out loud, we have DVDs, coloring books, toys, the outdoors, friends, play-doh, play dates, crafts, and so on, but part of me just wept a little knowing that we weren’t going to be getting fresh, new episodes of Little Bear every afternoon.

In the downgrade, we also lost our music lineup. That included the Kids Music Station. It was on every minute of every single day…so I was worried how I’d fill that time…panicked about switching countless CDs or trying to keep my iTouch juiced up all day as it cranked out endless (and sometimes annoying) kids songs.

One very cool thing that really touched me, though, was that the kids music channel was the only music channel that was included in the Give Me The Cheapest Thing You’ve Got plan. Seeing that pop up was bittersweet. Thanks for not punishing my kids because I got laid off. That was pretty cool.

Well, I just got done showing these floors who’s boss (remind me to buy a house with more carpet in it next time, would ya?) and my eyes are starting to glaze over a little.

But I will toss this bit of advice in: If your Mom lives in a pretty cool “Active Senior Apartment Community” and they have a hair salon in there and your Mom tells you that the lady is really sweet and nice and only charges $18 for a trim…run. And then keep running.

Ah the joys of finding a job that you love. I had one of those for…well, for my entire career. Never once did I complain about “having” to go to work. The way I looked at it, I couldn’t believe those people were PAYING me to talk on the radio and have so much fun. And now, another position has fallen into my lap, one which I do love, but now I’m wondering if I’ve perhaps nibbled off a hair more than I can chew at this moment in time. Maybe not. I am part of 3 lovely Moms groups. Play groups. I love them all and have met really wonderful women and kids because of them, and it is that love that forced me to take on my latest position. One of the groups was on the brink of shutting down because the organizer could no longer take on the task. And since I didn’t want it to go away, I offered to take over. It pays nothing. And it cost me $72 to take over the web fee, which I do hope to recover via yearly dues.

That’s my latest gig. I’m thrilled. And I’m pooped. Trying to come up with fun and creative things for 100 women and kids can be exhausting. But I’m working on finding a balance. And I do now have a few awesome moms helping out as assistants.

Other big news. HUGE NEWS, I mean:

WBAP 820 AM in Dallas-Ft. Worth will begin simulcasting on 96.7 FM on Monday: WBAP Operations Manager TYLER COX said, “WBAP made history in 1922 when it signed on the air. WBAP is making history again as it becomes the first news/talk radio station in North Texas to offer its programming on both the AM and FM dial.

Ah yes and I’m scheduled to fill in on the anchor desk during the morning news show two days this week. Doesn’t get any better than that.

And finally, this economically related movie review: Don’t waste even a penny of your money on Motherhood. Uma and the old bald doctor from ER managed to ruin for me what would have otherwise been a lovely evening. It really hacked me off to see moms portrayed as messy, disheveled, sweaty pack-mules who complain about everything in their lives and long to work “real jobs” so that they can finally be happy. Honestly, I was so mad at the end, I was up half the night.

So there. I’ve saved you $1.

My birthday gift came early this year, and it will forever be the greatest early birthday gift in the world. We found out today that my (totally awesome) Mom does not have (and let me do that in my best radio news voice, “Again, does NOT have”) lung cancer. WOOOOOO HOO BABY! To everyone who prayed and supported Mom and our family, thank you!!! Prayers rock, y’all.

So now a little background on all this, because it has been a bumpy, confusing ride for the past month and a half. And keep in mind, I’m not a doctor, but here goes: Mom’s doctors have been keeping an eye on her heart for about the past year after she complained of shortness of breath. They ran X-Rays and CT scans, then followed up 6 months later and that’s when they noticed changes. They did discover a hole in her heart which they said she likely had since birth…no biggie. But they also stumbled upon these little nodules in her lungs. And since Mom is a (nearly 20 year) breast cancer survivor, they followed it closely. The follow-up scans indicated growth and changes. They tried a needle biopsy, but it failed. That was about a month and a half ago. A few weeks passed and they did a PET scan, where they looked at the cells. That doctor said at that point, it was too early to tell if it was cancer. “Dr. 50/50″ as I like to call him, seemed pretty bored with us and we quickly hit the door looking for someone with a little fire under their swively round doctor chair. That next doctor took a look at the same exact test that Dr. 50/50 looked at and told Mom that it was, in fact, cancer. Was. Cancer. But he said, “Prove me wrong with the open lung biopsy”. That was the test she had done today and she did prove him wrong! I asked the surgeon 100 times, “So, you’re positive it’s not cancer…?”, and he’d reply, “correct, it is not cancer”. I told him that I didn’t know if I should puke or cry, I was so excited…at which point he asked me to refrain from doing either. Ahhhhhhhhhh….it feels good.

I don’t know if I’m more ticked off at Dr. 50/50 or at Dr. FalsePoz, but I’m over it because the world is a happy place once again. My (totally awesome) Mom is resting comfortably at Medical City Dallas this evening, taking it all in and hoping to be released tomorrow.

If I haven’t personally returned your call or email, I will. It’s been a bit of a crazy day…with spreading the joyous news not only here, but to our family in Mexico City.

Now go hug someone you love…and MEAN IT! (do it…or you get a time-out)

It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Well, it looks like I’m a single parent right now. This little baby only has 1 Mama and she’s pretty darn busy these days. Katy and Heather are swamped these days with new twists and turns in their careers, which is so awesome. I, however, am only swamped with twists and turns in my personal life.

Don’t know how much I’ll be able to post in the coming days/weeks because I just found out a few days ago that my Mom (my best friend) has lung cancer. It’s mind-blowing at this point. She’s 64 and a nearly 20-year breast cancer survivor. I cannot imagine life without her. If you believe in the power of prayer, and I do, please pray.

As for me, I can honestly say that for the first time since my layoff just over a year ago, I finally feel like an honest-to-goodness stay-at-home-mom. I cook, clean, chase around two boys under age 3 all day and love every minute of it. I’m finding new interests in life…and finding new “Me’s”. It’s pretty cool. (For example, for my upcoming birthday I want a food dehydrator and a bird book. I used to be way cool. Honest)

But things aren’t 100% peachy around here, so don’t be fooled. (I’ll leave it at that for now.)

I’ve missed writing. Often, and mainly at night once the boys are down, I find myself thinking about all sorts of things to blog about. Then I drift off to sleep..only to forget everything by morning. D’Oh!

If you’re still here and you’re still reading, well then God bless ya…I’ll be around more, I promise.

On the job front, I’m still freelance anchoring at WBAP NewsTalk 820AM from time to time. I think I’ll be heading that way in a few weeks, in fact, and boy does it feel good. I love staying at home, but it feels so amazing to get back into the old groove again every now and then.

Keep those prayers for Mom flowing, please! And I promise to keep you posted.

—c