Future Homemakers of America.  Future Business Leaders of America.  Future Farmers of America.  You've probably heard of these groups, and maybe even participated in them in high school (for me, it was the FHA and FBLA).  How about Future Moneymakers?  I'm pretty sure they didn't have this when I was in school, but your local middle and high school could have its own variation of a kids' investment club. 

”Jack Sprat could eat no fat, His wife could eat no lean,
But just between the two of them, They licked the platter clean.”

“There once was a girl from Nantucket…” Just kidding–we won’t go any further into that limerick. But I do have a point to the Jack Sprat poem: Sometime opposites attract. One man could have fat-related indigestion while his wife is an Atkins fanatic. Another man could be a Packers fan while his wife is a die-hard Bears fan. A third man could save every penny while his wife is a spendthrift. Whatever the case, sometimes the most unlikely pair can be the strongest.

“If I ever go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't look any further than my own backyard.”  Those immortal words were spoken by none other than my hero: Dorothy Gale.  We Kansas girls have to stick together and all that. 

What about you?  When you make the decision to work from home, how will you get the word out?  Even with the snazziest of websites, if no one ever sees it, how can it help you?  Sure, you can pay money to get the word out, or you can network.

Creating Your Network

There was never a doubt in my mind that I would go to college. My mom drilled it into my head so much that I was a little flabbergasted by friends who decided to forego the undergraduate experience. Why would anyone decide to skip college? I thought a university education was the only way to get ahead.

Now, older (and wiser? — that’s still up for debate), I see that many of the friends who decided not to attend college don't seem to have paid much of a price for their decision. Their life looks awfully similar to mine, and they don’t earn a lick less than I do.

Another great week of posts, everyone!  I enjoyed reading them all.  Some of you made picking the posts to share this week very difficult, because everything you wrote was so good.  Of course, that's why I also link to your blogs, and not only one particular blog post. 

If you are unfamiliar with any of the blogs below, I highly suggest you check them out.  Have fun reading!

Let's face it -- when your surroundings are more organized, your life is more organized. The same holds true with finances. Creating a physical area in your home where you can store financial materials and track your financial progress is an essential step in the financial planning process.

Order Out of Chaos

At some point in my elementary school career, my mom took me to our small town's local bank and helped me open a savings account.  I had earned money off and on through my earlier years helping her out with her home-based wedding cake business, and it was time to move from keeping loose change and dollar bills in the piggy bank to depositing that money into a real bank.  It was a pretty neat experience.  I got the little brown book with my life's savings totaled in it, and every so often I would bring in a bit more to add to that total.  I kept at it, saving some here, taking a bit out here an

To continue our series on Relationships and Money, let's get down to brass tacks: how to talk about money in the first place. It's a point of contention for many couples, and the subject has caused countless broken marriages. Let's find out how to step gingerly on the minefield of money...

Why is Money Difficult to Talk About?

I'll never forget the fun, lovable characters from the Baby-sitters Club book series. Kristy, Claudia, Stacy—we all had a favorite. If you’re not familiar with the series, what those witty adolescents did was form a club of babysitters. Then they capitalized upon each others' strengths to help them make it through the trials and tribulations of three things: being a teenager, being a babysitter, and making money.

Most economists claim that the economy is turning around, however slowly, and many people are considering purchasing a home. The harshness of the economic downturn has left a wide variety of potential home buyers: those relocated by a change in work, previous owners who have had to change residences, first-time buyers, etc. While these individuals, families and couples may all come from different lifestyles, they may also have the same question: Is now a good time for me to buy a house?