If you're building a home for the first time, congratulations! The construction period can be one of the most exciting time periods in any person's life, as he or she dreams of living in the final product, a home completely built around preference. However, the construction period can also be a nightmare, what with choice upon choice and deadline upon deadline to deal with. And those choices and deadlines often come with a hefty price, above and beyond the construction estimate.

On our trek through finance definitions, we cannot bypass a major influencing factor: economic cycles. These cycles have occurred since our economy began, and they are expected to continue well into the future. So let's take a closer look at economic cycles, at how they affect you and at what to do about them.

What are Economic Cycles?

I haven’t talked about my pregnancy on here recently. Thankfully, there’s not a lot to report: I feel absolutely wonderful; I walk 3.5 miles per day; and Baby Girl is growing like a weed in my belly. Oh, yeah, that’s right: It’s a girl!

As we continue to discuss ways to teach kids about money, we come to the task of introducing kids to the world of business. And particularly to cultivating their own businesses. Since business management can teach children about working together as a team, giving direction, going on sales calls and managing money, developing entrepreneurial skill sets is almost integral to life. And it's really not as difficult as it may seem at first glance. Let's look at some business ideas that can help give your kids an edge.

Lemonade Stand

As a stay-at-home mom, you know that your service to the good of the family is invaluable, but have you ever stopped to consider exactly how much you save your family in a given year? Follow along as we lay out the basic savings your job gives your family. Then sit back and contemplate your awesomeness!

Child Care

Although most people know it is unwise to pay in too much money in taxes every year, it's rather easy to do so. When tax overpayment happens, tax refunds are the result. This can often leave people wondering what to do with all that extra cash. Okay, maybe not wondering what to do (that new T.V. may be calling your name...), but it might leave you wondering what you should do with a hefty refund. Here are the basics about the wisest decisions for a windfall of cash.

Pay Down Debts

Here at MomVesting, we’ve started looking at the ins and outs of bankruptcy from an easier-to-understand, simple approach. So far, topics that have been touched on include assets, debts (including secured and unsecured), creditors and debtors. Today, we’ll touch on another important aspect of bankruptcy: exemptions.

What’s In It For Me?

This week was busy once again. Throw Valentine’s Day and a day out with a friend into my normal routine, and I’m just strapped for time! Fortunately, being busier than normal was very welcome: Valentine’s Day was lovely, and it’s always great to see my best girlfriend – especially since she’s leaving for a three week deployment in Italy on Saturday (lucky duck!).

All in all, it was a wonderful week, and I still found time to read a ton of awesome posts online. Here are some of the best. Enjoy!

The upside to couponing? Saving money, of course. The downside? Those piles of unused coupons. Whether you clip each coupon or keep the weekly inserts, there are most likely some coupons you didn't use before they expired. One obvious solution to help tame the mountain of savings-that-could-have-been is to simply toss whatever didn't make the cut at the store. However, before you give the round file a workout, why not consider collecting those expired coupons for a good cause?

There are a ton of toys out there that claim to teach kids any number of skills, from simple computers for your future techie to board games that encourage budding writers. For the future banker (or just a child who understands money basics), finance toys are available. But do they work? Let's take a look at a few.

Cash Registers and Play Money