When you live in and oversee a busy household, it can be chaotic in the best of times. With several people living in one space, there are probably 100 things each day that can be left on, left open, knocked over, or broken that costs money. For instance, in an average morning a family getting ready for work and school will likely waste water, burn unnecessary lights, let the heat escape through an open door, or let the cold air escape from the refrigerator. With everyone so busy, it is very easy to overlook some efficiency problems that cost extra money.

How To Fix The Problem
It is easy to say ‘slow down a little; but much harder for a family to accomplish the task. Here are some ideas to help conquer the wastefulness of a busy family.

Schedule a Family Meeting
It may be worth it to schedule a family sit-down were parents can voice their concerns and ask for better cooperation amongst the kids. Of course, parents are just as guilty of wasting energy and other things so it is important to get all family members on board with the idea of being more efficient. Everyone must cooperate to find success. Allow all family members the opportunity to consider ways they can help save on electricity bills, grocery bills, and other costs then create a concrete list of the ideas and ways to incorporate changes into the busy household.

Dole Out Responsibilities
Make each child responsible for energy-saving tasks. For instance, have one child ensure all lights are turned off when no one is in the room or as the family is leaving the house. Each family member can be assigned a task based on the efficiency ideas developed in the family meeting.

Make a Chart
Having a visible reminder of duties can certainly help keep people on task until the new habits become like second nature. List the efficiency tasks for each child for the week and then rotate jobs throughout the month so everyone gets experience in the new habits.

Really, Slow Down
If your house is always on the go and you find you spend more at the fast food joints then you do at the grocery store, it may be time to schedule some down time into your routine. Consider appointing one day as family time where everyone can catch up and catch their breath. Review the list of activities both kids and parents have each week and see if there is anything that can be cut out or modified.

Plan Early
Everything from meals to chores to other details of regular life can be molded into a plan. If everyone is on the same page and feeling not so rush, the family as a whole will be more aware of their surroundings and their part of an effective family. Without all the pressure since everything is laid out in advance, families can reduce the amount of waste they produce, the amount of bad decisions they have made, and the increased health risks of always being on the go.

The best debt advice is never to incur any debt.  However, we are surrounded by debts everywhere – mortgages, student loans, credit cards, utility bills. According to “Credit action” report average amount of debt owed by every UK adult is ~ £30,000 (including mortgages). In the current time of economic recession it becomes very difficult to manage debts.  Figures released by “Credit Action” are striking – 1, 900 people are made redundant every day in the UK.  Debt problems can have a significant impact on your life – financial difficulties are leading to constant stress, which on its own can cause various health problems such as severe depression, anxiety and migraines to name just few. Excessive stress can throw your private life (relationship with family and friends) into disorder. Debt problems can have a negative impact on your workplace performance and productivity as well.

If you have debt problems it is essential not to panic. But don`t ignore the problem – it won`t disappear either.  If you are struggling with debt it may seems impossible to manage.  However, we will offer simple guidelines, following which you should be able to get your life back on track.

• Work out your personal budget, analyzing where your money goes.
• Find out how you can cut out your expenditures. Be realistic.
• Sort out how big is your debt.
• Prioritize any urgent debts (such as utility bills and rent).
• Find out if you can pay your debts off, if so, how much.
• If you are unable to pay your debts off with your current income, find out if you can increase your income.( You may want to think about renting out a spare room in your house or applying for the benefits you`re entitled to)

If you worked out all possible options and are still unable to pay your debts off, you can get free and independent debt advice from organizations like Citizens Advice or National Debtline (the list of those and similar organizations is given in the end of the article).  You can get help either online, by telephone or face to face.  Trained advisors will discuss your circumstances with you and offer the best solution.

If your debt is between £3,000 and £15,000 you may want to consider Debt Management Plan (also known as DMP) – an agreement between you and your creditor to make monthly payment. It can be managed by yourself or by a third party (DMP `operator`) which can negotiate with your creditors on your behalf.  If you have surplus income (£200+ after essential living expenses) you will make one monthly payment, which then will be distributed between your creditors.  Most companies will charge for this service, but there are some organizations like National Debtline or Consumer Credit Counseling Service which will do it free of charge.

If you have a debt over £15, 000 you may want to consider Individual Voluntary Agreement.      This solution offers you an ability to pay off one portion of your debts and write off the debts you cannot afford to pay.  If you go for IVA your interest fees and debts will be frozen.

Options like Administration Orders, Informal Arrangements, Consolidating Debts are also available among others.  There are many ways of resolving debt problem and it is often confusing to choose between them. The best way is to use free and independent advice available to you through various organizations all over the UK.  Don`t neglect this opportunity and sort out your debt problems now.

The cost of a family outing is sometimes very expensive, especially for a family on a strict budget. Below are some suggestions for going out on the “cheap.”

Movies

Many cities and towns offer newly released movies at a discounted rate (less then half the price of a regular ticket) on certain days of the week. All that is required is that you sign up for a FREE movie card. In my city, there are several theaters that also offer a free popcorn along with the discounted movies on certain nights. My movie card keeps track of how many times I’ve visited the theater and I also receive other discounts – such as free drinks, free snacks and sometimes a free movie ticket. With the skyrocketing price of movies today, this really is a winner if you’re on a budget.

Meals

Pay attention to those coupon magazines and flyers you receive in the mail. Many times they offer big discounts on meals in your area. Restaurants often offer buy one/get one free coupons for lunch and dinner as well as a full breakfast for under $3.00 or $4.00. This could also be a great add-on to the discounted movie night with the family.

Bowling

After not having been to a bowling alley in a quite a while, I was surprised to see how much the price of this activity had gone up. However, I did discover that many alleys offer a free “birthday club” that you can sign your child up for and in some cases, even adults can participate in this. The alley will send you coupons for several free games of bowling during your birthday month. Many times coupons for bowling are also offered in those coupon magazines and flyers. You can also check out the bowling alley’s website, if they have one, for printable coupons that offer great discounts.

Nature Centers, Parks, Etc.

Nature centers offer children a free look at the way our wildlife lives. Children can often pet the smaller animals and feed them and free programs to learn about wildlife are offered. Our city’s parks seem to be expanding nowadays as well. Many of them provide a wide variety of things for children to play on and many parks have small “water areas” for the children to run through on hot days and full sized swimming pools. It might be an extra treat to follow that $3.00 breakfast with a trip to the park!

Cycdor, a company that offers outsourced sales teams to companies, has made a donation to Haiti Gospel Mission in Despinos, Haiti, which reminds us the importance of continuing to send aid to the country. Cycdor has sent twenty-five large boxes of items including first aid supplies, clothing and shoes.

Although the Haitian earthquake is several months behind us, there is still substantial long term need for the country of Haiti. Thousands upon thousands are homeless and the country’s infrastructure has been strained. Orphanages are now seeing double and triple their previous numbers. The gift from Cycdor reminds us that the country of Haiti will need charitable aid during the next several months and years.

“We were all humbled by the terrible tragedy in Haiti and wanted to help out in any way possible,” said Vera Quinn, senior vice president of operations of Cydcor. “We’re happy to be able to send items that will go to men, women, and children who lost everything in the earthquake.”

The company first learned about Haiti Gospel Mission (HGM) through the owner of the of the company’s sales offices. The owner of one of the offices does work through HGM and made the national organization aware of Cycdor about the needs of Haiti Gospel Mission. The company as a whole has made Haiti Gospel Mission as part of its community and plans to stay in touch with the organization so that future support and donations can be made.

Cycdor is a provider of face-to-face outsourced sales teams which offer services in a range of industries including telecommunications, office products, retail energy, and financial services. The company works with a network of independently owned sales offices with clients that have access to more than 2,700 sales professionals.