By now you have plenty of tips on how to save money, and you might have already started counting those pennies and stockpiling that extra cash. But if you still need a little push in the right savings direction, these additional tips will help. Remember: Start out with one or two of them, get comfortable with the way it feels, and then strive to do more. Saving money can be a major lifestyle change, and as with any big change, it takes time to grow accustomed to it.

• Get inspired! Wander around the web and find instances of families cutting corners, saving pennies, and making a savings out of what seems to be nothing. Look for sites that offer cheap recipes, homemade solutions, and inspirational tidbits to start counting your dimes!
• Team up with friends. Don’t hit that bistro for lunch and then worry about the prices. Pack sack lunches and go on a bike ride instead. Plan on a leisurely walk around the neighborhood, and don’t bring along the checkbook — there’s too much temptation afoot! When museums or zoos have freebie days, get together with your kids and take them. Have a blast for free and save the money you would have spent.
• Use direct deposit. Out of sight, out of mind. Have a small amount of cash taken out of your paycheck and sent to your savings account before the money ever touches your hand. That way, you know you will be saving money, and you will work with what you have.
• Rid your home of temptation. Magazines, shopping on the television or the internet, and other money-grabbers have to go. Throw the magazines in the trash, block the television channels that try to sell you something, and avoid sites on the internet that suck your time and money.
• Got a raise? An extra check here or there? Save it. The smallest amounts really do add up over time. That five dollar rebate check or that tiny refund you weren’t expecting will look nice in your savings account.
• Actually get that savings account. Many people will decide that getting a savings account is a hassle, or they worry about bad credit, and so avoid the savings account altogether. But this makes it very easy to spend the money you do save. If you absolutely cannot open up a savings account, spring for a safe deposit box or some other option that will keep the money safe, but out of your immediate reach. This will alleviate those tempting “gotta have it now” moments of impulsive purchasing.

Many single moms fall victim to investment scams every year. They are targeted because they really do often need the money, and they hope to provide a better life for their children. Investment scams prey on the hopes and dreams of those who have been handed a tough hand in life, and single moms seem to be a prime target for those who just want to take the money and run.

Here are a few tips to help you avoid investment scams:

Demand proven results. Start-up ventures, investing in something such as cattle or crops, or investment firms that don’t pony up information when you ask for it should all be avoided. If they can’t give you firm numbers and people outside their own little circle to contact, don’t give them a dime.

Too good to be true? Even if the investment banker does give you a list of names to contact, and even if those contacts say it’s the greatest thing ever, stay alert for those moments that just don’t add up. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is — and it’s probably been quite effective in luring people in, unfortuantely. That’s what happened to many celebrities when Bernie Madoff wound up losing all of their money while running a Ponzi scheme.

Keep it in confidence? No way. If any investment requires that you keep the plan in the utmost confidence, or requests confidentiality in any form or fashion, run far and fast. If you’ve ever noticed the spam emails that offer a great deal of money but ask you to keep it hush-hush, you know how this works. The fewer people you tell, the more people they can hit with the scam. Besides that, the aura of secrecy is alluring to some who want to believe they have hit the big jackpot, and don’t want to let anyone else in on the plan.

Never give out your account numbers. No investment company will ask for your pin numbers, so never give them out. If anyone asks for that, simply hang up the phone or close out the email. Reputable investment corporations will invite you into their office and handle everything in an above-board manner.

Do your research. A young, start-up company can be here today, gone tomorrow. Check into the company you are thinking about investing with. Do they have a track record that spans several decades? Have they weathered ups and downs in the investment business? You’ve found yourself a winner. But if the paint is still wet on their shingle, wait and see what others do before you throw your hard-earned money into it.

How did they contact you? Here’s the biggest red flag of all. Did they contact you out of the blue for this opportunity? Reputable investment corporations will let you come to them, not the other way around. If your name was purchased from a list or somehow found at random, it’s not coming from a legitimate business, so steer clear!

When it feels like you are scraping the bottom of the money barrel every month, how can you possibly save anything? For a single mother, every penny counts. But it is also important to save money for a rainy day or those emergencies that always seem to pop up right when you don’t have the money to handle them. Here are a few more money-saving tips for single moms that might help you get on the right track:

Have a reason to spend. Ask yourself if you really need what you’re craving. You do? Then find a way to get it cheaper. If you do need a new sweater or coat, wait until you find one on clearance, or go to a thrift store. How much would you have paid on the impulse buy that particular day? Subtract how much you really spent from that and put the extra money in the bank.

Plan every purchase. Do you need to go grocery shopping? Plan ahead by looking at the week’s circulars and coupons. Buy only what you need, and don’t purchase anything on impulse. What is on your list is what you buy — period. Plan everything from the smallest purchase to the largest one, and sock away the money you save.

Never pay full price — ever. You can find great clothes at the thrift shop or the consignment store for a fraction of the price. Want designer duds? Shop at the designer outlet during their good sales right before the holidays. When you go out to dinner, make sure you have a coupon for the restaurant. Even if it’s a free soda, you’ve just saved about two dollars…and that adds up over time.

Make it last. When money is tight, it’s hard to replace things that are worn. You have no choice but to make it last. Give that outfit new life by changing the buttons and dressing it up. Don’t toss that ratty quilt — just give it a new top, made out of old linens and t-shirts you no longer wear. It’s what our ancestors did when there was little to go around and everything was made by hand. They made it last, and so can you.

Grab for freebies. If someone offers you something for free, accept it! A neighbor of mine had old t-shirts to give away, but they weren’t in my size. I took them anyway, and turned them into dust rags. Thanks to her, I haven’t purchased a dust rag or dish towel in over five years.

Every one of these tricks frees up a bit more money that can be put into the bank. The more careful you are, the more money you will accumulate. Use it only for emergencies, and enjoy the peace of mind!

How many times have you heard about the need for an emergency fund? It’s been mentioned several times on this blog, and you’ve probably heard a snippet of the same advice from every financial guru you have ever seen on television. It’s a fact that a savings account is a necessity for a rainy day — but how can you start one if you are living paycheck-to-paycheck?

When there is not enough money to go around, having a savings account is even more important. When you find yourself in a financial bind, sometimes you just can’t wait until that next paycheck — and then you find yourself dealing with a loan shark that charges impossible interest, or relying on the kindness of family and friends.

So start saving now, even if you think you can’t. Here are a few ways to put pennies into the bank until it adds up to a nice nest egg:

Compare before you decide. Are your kids dying to see that new movie? Compromise with a movie rental, and make your own popcorn at home. The cost of going to see a movie in a theater can run 40 or 50 dollars. The cost of a rental can be as little at 1.99, and the popcorn cost is about the same. You can save 30 bucks just by comparing your prices and making the wise choice. Then take that 30 dollars and put it in the bank!

Make your own. Do you normally go out to eat once a week? Put that money in a savings account instead and make a special meal at home. You can also purchase items at the store in bulk, and save more money in the long run. Choose to cook your meals at home from scratch and avoid convenience foods in order to save even more cash.

Ask for monetary gifts. When your birthday or Christmas rolls around, ask your friends and family to deposit money into your savings account instead of giving you a gift. Even if it’s five dollars, it eventually adds up, and they will be contributing to your peace of mind. As any single mom knows, that is a gift well spent!

Barter instead of buy. Join groups like Freecycle.org to give away or barter the things you no longer need. You can find furniture, books, kitchen necessities, and more if you take the time to look, and the money saved can go into the bank.

Count your change. Fifty cents here and there might not seem like much, but it does add up. Put your spare change into a jar and hide it away in the closet. When the jar is full, take it to the bank and let them count it for you. Then put the money into your account, and start keeping the jar all over again. You can accumulate a surprising amount of money this way.

Don’t give up! If it seems like you can’t put any money into the savings account, try to think of creative ways to make it work. You will soon have that emergency fund you need, and you will rest much easier at night, knowing that if something happens and you need the money, it’s right there waiting for you.

Everything worthwhile begins with a plan, and that’s what you need if you are a single mother. By this point you are probably great at planning — you’ve got to plan your day-to-day life, the future of your life with your kids, and even what your kids are going to do with their own futures. You are probably good at planning what bills to pay, too. But did you know you can find even more financial help by planning how you’re going to deal with those credit card companies and save money at the same time?

It might sound impossible, but it’s not. There are three steps to the plan, and you can handle every one of them.

First, keep your checking account in order. The checking account is the center of your financial life, so make sure it is as accurate and sound as it should be. If you are aware of exactly what is in your bank account, you can be clear about what you have to spend, and that will keep you from going overboard. Beyond this, you can see what you do spend your money on, and you can trim frivilous purchases. Consider the difference in “need” and “want” and look at your checking account statement…which category do each of those charges fall into?

Second, write down — in detail — where your money is going. Be bluntly honest about it, no matter how much it hurts or how bad it makes you feel. Are you spending the bulk of your money on fast food? How about clothes? Is your car taking up much more of your income than any car should? You can trim almost any cost in your checking account if you know what you should be targeting.

Third, make a commitment to yourself and to your children. You will cut out the extra expenses, and the money you have left over will go into an emergency fund. You will commit to do this for three months — 90 days — and at that point, you will revisit the plan and decide if it worked out. You might find yourself eating quite a bit of spaghetti and ramen noodles during that time, but in the end, it will be worth the sacrifice.

The key point in planning your financial life is to ensure that things will be easier down the road. Be ruthless. Know that you will have to sacrifice now for greater rewards later. Get a handle on your checking account first, and then you can start looking into more serious ways to save money and invest wisely for your child’s future.

If you are going to start investing, one option is to purchase stocks. Stocks, or shares in a company, can be very valuable if the company does well. They also, however, have the potential to cost you money. One way to get good advice about choosing stocks to work with a broker. However, you still want to make sure that you have some say in your investments. Here are some tips to help you find out which companies provide the best investment opportunity.

Never try to “wing it” when investing. This will almost always cost you money, unless you are incredibly lucky. Instead, take some time to research before investing. The best investment opportunities do not disappear overnight, so do your research.

The question, however, is how to do this research. First, you need to research the company. You can do this by gathering several public-disclosure documents that they file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You want to get your hands on the quarterly 10-Q that is the most recent, the DEF 14A (proxy statement), and the yearly 10-K.

As you study these documents, look at the amount of debt the company has. Too much debt will make it difficult for the company to grow. If a company is doing well, and these are the companies you want to invest in, they will be able to pay their debts with their existing cash flow.

The proxy statement tells you about the management of the company. It can show, for instance, the salaries the management receives. What you want to look at on this document is the number of shares that management and executives hold in the company. If the leadership has a vested interest in the company, it can be a good indicator that they will work for the benefit of the shareholders, since they are shareholders themselves.

You also want to look at the past stock record of the particular company. You want to find a stock that is showing steady growth over time, currently is at a good price, is offered by a company that has sufficient cash reserves, and appears to be from a company whose finances are in order. This is a good stock to buy.

Remember, on the stock market, there are no guarantees. You simply have to take an educated gamble and choose stocks that seem to be a good bet. With these tools, however, you will not be choosing blindly, and chances are fairly high you will get a good stock.