“I Wish I Had A Million Dollars. Hot Dog!”

Remember George Bailey as a kid?  All he wanted to do was be a grown up and travel the world.  Remember the grown-up version of George Bailey, stuck in Bedford Falls, and resenting his family because he didn’t get to travel the world?  Remember how he was constantly worrying about money and bills?  Remember how he thought he was worth more dead than alive?  As we move from childhood into adulthood we realize that our plan for our life doesn’t necessarily execute the way we dreamed it would when we were kids.  We can learn a lot from George Bailey!

Kids & Cash: Grasshopper Teachings

As I was scouring the internet this week reading other financial blogs, I was excited to come across This One by our friends at How To Stuff Your Pig.  It’s all about financial gift giving for children.  I was amazed that the very first suggestion is the EXACT one we will be doing for Mini Monster this holiday season.  This got me to thinking.  I was a single parent for many years and I have always worked very hard to teach Mini the value of a dollar.  She knows that, second to love, money makes the world go ’round.

Hump Day Headlines: Financial Sneak-A-Peek

The holiday shopping season is upon us, and here at Mad Money Monster we’re trying to figure out how to save MORE money this month.  Craziness.  We’ve been going over our expenses with a fine-tooth-comb and feel as if there isn’t much more fat to trim.  Having one foot firmly planted in the Spend Less Camp and the other in the Earn More Camp, we are kind of at a stand still.  We’re exposing our financial selves (hehe) to you (our readers :) in hopes that Saint Nick soon will be here…Oops, wrong thought process!  Let’s try it again…in hopes that you can help us with money saving tips and tricks.  We also want to know:  How Low Can You Go?

Holiday Cleaning: Ho Ho Ho

Last weekend Mini Monster and I were sitting at the kitchen table talking about making the turkey for Thanksgiving.  I got her to agree to make the mashed potatoes, by the way.  She’s only 6 so they should taste interesting :)  During the discussion I told her that we were probably going to need to get rid of the area carpets we had in the kitchen.  Without hesitation, Mini Monster stated she would be sad if we didn’t have our carpet under the table.  I immediately assured her that we could get another one.  Again, without hesitation, Mini Monster asked how much we spent on the carpet under the table.  When I told her it was $300, her eyes nearly popped out of her head and she asked why we couldn’t just clean the ones we already own.  I was embarrassed that I didn’t think this was possible; at the same time, it was a VERY proud parenting moment.  Smiling from ear to ear. 

Christmas Challenge: Making It Special For Less

It’s November and we’ve officially hammered the final nail into the coffin of Halloween 2015.  It’s time to start thinking about buying gifts for all of our beloved family and friends!  Should I go for the Norelco beard trimmer for Mr. Money Monster?  Or, should I opt for a new nine iron so he can perfect his golf game?  So many choices!  I probably won’t go with either since Mr. Money Monster doesn’t have a beard and doesn’t play golf…but you get the idea :P

Despite it being a few weeks before Thanksgiving, (Trust me, we’re not blazing past the turkey bird!  It’s one of my favorite holidays so expect more on this in future posts :) it’s time to start plotting and planning our Christmas attack.  So, how do we do it without taking out a second mortgage?  Read on…