Single Mom Taking her Kids Financial Future in Her Own HAnds

    I have seen so many single moms, or dads, depend on other people and get lost if something does not come through. A perfect example would be the stimulus money that everyone was supposed to get. There were some people that did not get one, and it devastated them. I personally did get them, but it went towards bills and put up for the kids. Why? Because I have set myself up to not depend on what could possibly come in, because I know what money is coming in. If I get more money for that month, then it is just a bonus and I put it towards securing my financial future for my two kids. I have learned the art of planning for the financial future for me and my kids in almost every instance.

    To begin I started with minimal money being put up. Even if it was $5 a month. Everything I could put up counted towards my kids financial future. In the last few years I have learned ways of making money from home by working online, selling scrap or by simply picking up change in parking lots. Instead of looking at things as simple money, I think of it as an investment to my kids financial future. 

    Always find ways to save money. There is so many ways now to save money on buying almost everything. I even use every receipt I have to put on apps and I save an average of $50 a month by simply taking pictures of receipts. I have a more detailed post on my other blog about getting Free Money with Receipts if you want to learn more.

    Once I learned with all of the simple steps, I researched more ways of securing my kids financial future. I have life insurance, death and disability insurance, and and disability insurance in case something happens and I cannot work. Each of these are planning for the "What if's" in life. I pay about $200 a month with all of these, but I know if something happens, I have my kids financial future under control, at least for a year of so depending on what happens. 

    I am a single mom of two amazing kids, plus I have raised my nieces. I have struggled financially and received help from a lot of great people through the years, but I tried to never depend on the possibilities of someone helping. I do not get child support, I have not gotten help with state aid in more than five years, and all of the money coming in is what I have worked on in one way or another. I have had so many days where I wanted to quit. I wanted to give up because I did not think it was possible to get to where I am. I have had many struggles in life but I know my kids financial future is more important than anything. Do not give up on your life or the plans you have, because it can work. 

Read more about me and my family on the posts

Where I come from Financially and Where I am going

Finally Some Financial Success but More to go

Finally Graduating! (Hopefully)

For those that have been following me on here, as well as the other numerous sites that I work on, you know how crazy my life has been the last few years. Since I started school in August of 2012 I have been going non stop. Working full time at a convenience store (with the exception of a couple of months I took off do to injury) going to school full time (on average 15 credit hours each semester with the exception of 1 that I took 12 credit hours), and being a single mom of my amazing little boy.
In April my boyfriend died to carbon monoxide poisoning, and then last month my sister passed away from numerous health conditions. My sister left my mom and I to raise her 3 amazing kids.

With all of this going on, I am up for graduation next month. I only need this one class to get my Associates of Applied Science with an emphasis in management, and I am pretty sure I will pass. With the tremendous stress I have been under, I have had some difficulties. I am to the point of passing the class will be good enough for me. The class is statics, and it is very difficult. I held a 3.3 GPA throughout the last couple of years, this class will drop that GPA. Especially since it is the second time I have taken it, but that is ok. I have come a long way, and I am proud of this accomplishment.

This is one thing I have worked harder than I could have ever imagined to achieve, and I am seeing it through. I did not quit, and I can show other single moms that it can be done. If it is important to you, you can do anything.

Do not let ANYONE tell you it can't be done

Today I have been reading about the struggles of single moms, and believe me I know the struggles. One site I was reading the advice a girl was getting was that she needs to quit school and focus on raising her child and earning what little income she had coming in. This upset me because as a single mom I do not believe we should settle. Life is hard but we can get through it. I want to share my experiences of being a single mom. This is not a sympathy post, it is a motivational post. We all go through struggles in life, it is how we get through these struggles that make us who we are.

2010: For me, being a single mom started the day I found out I was pregnant. I knew that the father was my ex. We were together for 8 years, split up, tried to make up, but no luck. I found out I was pregnant a couple of months later. He was seeing someone else, and my name got ran in the mud. I was called a slut and much worse all over facebook. The word about me was supposedly I had been sleeping with numerous people during this time, which I was not. I had the support of my exs family and my family, but not having the father involved was hard. I could understand that it was hard to believe I was even pregnant. I had been told I would not have kids, and him and I were together for 8 years without even the worry of ever having a kid.

2011: Before my son was born I new I would be moving. I was leaving Texas and heading towards the mountains. I was planning on South Dakota, but plans changed. My disabled sisters husband left her after 20+ years to raise 3 kids on her own, and my disabled mom also lived with us. Once my son was born June 10, 2011 I new I had to leave. We took a camping trip to Colorado and found the perfect spot. The day I was released from the doctor from my Cesarian we packed up two moving trucks and two trailers and moved to Colorado. My son was two months old when we made a 15 hour drive to where I currently live.

I was blessed with a job two weeks after we moved. The pay was not much, but I was able to pay most of the bills for my new large household. In December of 2011 I fell at work and permanently injured my right knee. 

2012: Everything was going fairly good in the beginning of the year but September 14, 2012 I fell at home and had a few bad injuries. My neck, back, right leg, and right arm was hurting bad. I am still dealing with the pain today. The doctor pulled me off work for a couple of weeks. Well I was a week away from being covered by FMLA, so I lost my job. I did receive unemployment after a couple of months, but it still was not enough to cover everything.

I did start taking 15 credit hours in college in August of 2012. 

2013: In February we found a much smaller place to live, but it was something we could afford on such limited incomes.

In April I was offered my job back at my former employer, and I took the position. I started working 40+ hours a week and was still taking 15 credit hours of school.

In July I was promoted to assistant manager because we had lost our entire crew, plus one of my coworkers was in a horrible accident. She was out for a little more than a month. During this time it was basically only the store manager and I. I was training three new people and he was covering mornings by himself. This means for about 2 months I worked 70 hours a week, no days off, still went to school full time, and still made sure my son was taken care of.

In October I had a customer start coming in regularly. Him and I talked a lot but not much else.

2014: The 1st week of January that customer finally asked for my number. We talked for hours every day, but did not actually have our first real date until Super Bowl Sunday because we kept having horrible snow storms. Even just on the phone we instantly hit it off on a very intimate level. I stayed at his place that Sunday because of the weather. Our first kiss was the most intense thing I had ever felt in my life. I knew from that moment that I would be with him forever, and I had avoided dating for 4 years. He was able to get into my heart further than anyone ever had. We spent as much time as possible together. My son loved him, and my mom even said he will be with you forever. She said we were perfect together.

Sunday April 13, 2014 I had spent the night at his house, he and I were both really sick when we woke up. He almost passed out walking me to my car, but he told me he would be fine. He was more worried about me, as always. He called me a little while later and told me that he had eaten and felt much better.

Monday April 14, 2014 I received a call from a detective. She wanted to meet. I knew what was coming. He died during the night due to carbon monoxide poisoning, which I was also suffering from the previous morning. His dog was with him, she survived but was put to rest a few days later. Losing him was horrible for me, my family, and especially my son. We had made so many plans, and he pushed me to do my best in everything.

The next few weeks I had to take finals, do final projects, and help with his final things.  I did fail one of my classes but it was the hardest thing I had ever been through, and honestly it still is most days. His parents have been the best, they even signed his truck over to me. They told me that he had finally found his soul mate. What seems to hurt his mom the most is that he had been through so much, and finally found someone that would be with him through everything. I made him want to change his life.

During this time I only took one day off of work. I still worked more than 45 hours a week, some weeks recently more than 55. I have taken the Summer off of school, but will finish my last class next semester.

As I read back through this post I realize  it shares a lot, but does not even begin to show the emotional and physical things I have went through since I have become a single mom. My son has kept me going. I also have to say with all of this, I still have my faith and a very positive attitude about life. There are days where I wish I would have been in that bed with my boyfriend, but then I realize that my son would have suffered way to much.

Do not let anyone tell you that you can't accomplish things in your life. There will always be struggles in life, but you can get through them. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. I have learned that the more positive you are about life, the better life is.

UPDATE 2019:

Well since this post I have still has many things happen. December of 2014 my sister passed away,  January my sons grandfather and my Aunt passed away, and since then I have lost my grandmother, a couple of cousins and my last great aunt. It has been hard but we have also had blessing.

When my sister passed away my mom and I got custody of her kids. Her son chose to live with his dad so I had her two daughters. So I was a single mom of my son and her two daughters. Thank God for having them though, they mean everything to me just like they were my own.

In April of 2015 we were homeless and stayed homeless until I was finally able to purchase a home in November of 2015. We had a lot of friends help us through this and I do not know what I would have done without them all.

I did get my business degree in 2015 even with all of the struggles that I was facing. So do not ever let anyone tell you things cannot be done. I did it and so can you.

We also have a new addition to the family, my daughter, Delila. She is now 14 months old. She is a hand full but an amazing baby.

On to the Third Semester of School

I have finally gotten well enough to return to work full time, and still going to school full time. Today is the last day of semester two, and it feels good to get through. Semester three starts May 26th.

School has gotten very difficult through the first two semesters. I think it is because I have had so many things going on, but school is hard. You have to work for your degree, no matter what personal problems you have in your life.

The best tip I can give any single mom on going back to school is to schedule your time and study hard from the first day. It is hard when you have a little one knocking at the door or yelling in your ear, but you have to figure out times that work best for you.

Personally I work until 10:30-11 p, then I study until about 2am. Some days it is even later. Nights are the best time for me to study in quiet. I can do a few things during the day, but I cannot grasp anything with the noise in my house during the day.

There have been days that I wanted to just give up, but then I think about my life. I would be stuck in a minimum wage job and never be able to move up. My business management degree is what I need to make me and my sons future better.

NEVER GIVE UP! It will be worth the hard work.

Thank God for the motivation and the opportunity.

Injured, Unemployed, Single Mom, and Going back to School.

Just the headline is a mouth full, but that is my current predicament. The last few weeks have been crazy. I have been trying to adjust to my classes, work online as much as I can, deal with doctors appointments, medical tests, taking pain pills, and still being a mom. It has been difficult, but I am adjusting fairly well.

The first couple of weeks in school were so confusing to me, but I am now ahead of the schedule in my classes. I have set up a perfect way for me to schedule each of my days, and know exactly what needs to be accomplished each day. It took me a little while to see what I needed to do. My process may be different for other single moms going back to school, but be sure that you determine a technique for you to be productive each day and not miss any assignments. Scheduling is a must for moms, single moms, students, and most people that want to have a productive life.

Tips for Passing Online College Courses

School is going great, but I am still trying to deal with this injury. I have injured my entire right side. I am having a MRI next Friday on my back, they believe I have slipped disks. In the next few weeks I will also have to have MRI's on my arm and leg. The process takes so much time, and it is driving me crazy. I lost my job due to this injury, so I need to find another job soon. I am in so much pain that I do not think I could begin a job, but I am also considering the fact that I would not want to begin a job and then find out I need surgery. Waiting drives me nuts!

Surviving as an Injured, Unemployed, Single Mom

I am taking all of this the best way I can. I happen to be a very positive and spiritual person. I know that God has a plan for me, and this is just a bump in my road. There is a reason in life for everything, we just have to ask for directions to getting to our destination. I have more time with my son, I am able to work more on my online business, and I have been able to concentrate on school. (all A's so far) Money is a concern, but I know it will work out one way or another.

I Start School Tomorrow

I finally get to start classes tomorrow. I am so nervous and excited. I keep thinking that I am going to mess up because it has been so long since I was in school, but i know once I get started I will be doing fine.

I have to go into Colorado Springs for my first class, and I have to be there by 8am. It is now 10 pm, and my adrenalin is going. I am going to have to get into a routine soon. Then I am hoping I can find a job before long which means I will have something else to work into that routine. I knew it was going to be a lot of work, and maybe me losing my job was meant to happen. This gives me a couple of weeks to get used to all of the big changes that being a single mom going to school full time will bring.

What this week of a single mommy has to come:

-Go to Reading classes Monday and Wednesday
-Doctors appointments Tuesday
-Determine when I will be taking my other 8 hours of online class time
-Then be a single mommy while doing it all

Oh and hopefully being able to find a job after my doctors appointments.

Being a Successful Single Mom

I do not think any of us will do everything perfectly, but we can do our best. Being a successful single mom is important to me. I am trying hard to do just that. Since I found out I was pregnant my life has been all about my son. I want to do everything that i can to give him a better life than I had. I want to be a successful  single mom. I want to show people that not all single moms stay on welfare and not all of us just settle for just making it check to check. I wrote an article about being a successful single mom. It has been one of my top earning articles this week, so check it out.

How to be a Successful Single Mom

Single Mom on Welfare

I have been reading about different things online with single moms. I have noticed that there are so many people that try to put single moms down that are on welfare, and all of the stereotypes are so wrong. Believe me, I know that there are a lot of women out there that abuses the system, but not everyone.

I am a single mom on welfare, but I am using welfare to help me stay afloat without losing everything. I am also trying to improve my life. I work full time, I try to earn money online, and I am going to school in August so that I can better mine and my sons life. There are a lot of single moms that want to give there children a better life, and I wish all of them could realize that they can do it. No one said it would be easy. I know I have a constant day to day struggle, and it will be even harder for me once I start school. I plan on working hard to get off of welfare, but at the moment I honestly need it. So yes I am a single mom on welfare, and I am thankful that I am getting help to make sure my son is taken care of.

Now to those who do abuse the welfare system, what you do is wrong. If you can afford to spend money on your nails, hair, name brand clothing, expensive electronics, and other things that I know I could not afford, you do not need welfare. You are taking advantage of the system that should be helping others that are living on the street or may be losing everything, including there children, if they do not get help. This is especially to those that do not work, but leave there kids with there parents so that they can go drink and God only knows what else. I do think that there should be drug tests on anyone who receives welfare, because if they can afford drugs they do not need help. I give applause to single moms because it is hard, but some women just do not have there priorities in order.

Yes I am a single mom on welfare. I work full time, I start school in August, I get no child support at all and I do not plan to use welfare as a permanent crutch in my life. Welfare is temporary for me, as it should be for anyone. We should all want to be able to provide for our families without the governments assistance.



I saw this pic and completely agree. Welfare is not an occupation, it is just a form of help so that you can get through a tough time, not live on it forever.

It is Time to get My Health in Order

My baby boy will be a year old June 10th and recently I have realized that I have put myself last with everything in my life. I really should have realized it a while back, but I had a veil over my eyes. Before I got pregnant with my son I had lost more than 50 pounds by working hard. I started at 210 and went down to almost 150. My highest weight during my pregnancy was 205. Once my baby was born I lost 30 pounds. Some how I have been putting weight on a little at a time and I now weigh 186 pounds. This is affecting my health and my body.

In December I had a knee injury and I kept putting things off as far as getting back into shape. Thursday I had to go to the hospital with stomach problems and found out I have cysts on my ovaries as well as a few other problems. This has really given me a wake up call. If I could just lose 20 pound it could dramatically decrease my knee pain and my stomach issues. These problems are really affecting my life. I am now on pain pills for these issues. I hate taking any medicine, especially with a toddler running around the house.

It is time for this single mommy to get her health in order. I have put together a plan to make some serious changes in my diet. I want to lose a total of 50 pounds. The last time I did this in five months, so I know that it is very achievable. I am very motivated at the moment and I want this change. My health and my self esteem has been jeopardized by my lack of taking care of myself.

All moms need to remember that if we do not remember to take care of ourselves, we will not be able to take care of our children. It's funny how big of a difference it can make in there lives if we are healthy. I do not want my son to have to take care of me when he gets older. I want to be able to go on adventures with him when he is older.

Can I be a Single Mom and Work From Home

I have to say that I love my job, but I am wondering if it is worth it. I have missed two days this week because of being sick and I know my check will not be enough to pay the bills that I have to pay. In addition to that I just found out that the hours have been cut for the next couple of months. I know two or three hours do not sound like a lot, but $20 makes a huge difference in my pay. I NEED that money.

Since I am going to be starting school in August I am even more concerned about whether or not it is worth working full time, going to school full time, and being a full time single mom. I do not have healthcare through my job, and if I did sign up for it the cost would be half of my paycheck each month. The only bonus of my job is that I have a regular weekly check and a very caring group of people that I work with. We are a small family.

Being able to work from home would make a huge difference in my life once school starts, but would I be able to make enough. At the moment I have no savings, do not make enough to pay all of the bills every month, and still have to consider all of the baby expenses. I was making a residual income of about $500 a month last year at this time, but I lost my motivation once the baby was born. I also did not have a lot of time to focus on my home income once I started working full time. If I took the time each day that I go to work I think it would be possible financially. It is the possibility of it not working out that scares me. I am the only provider for my son.

There is still a couple of months for me to decide and we all know that everything can change in a couple of months. I am going to try and make the decision that is the best for my son. I have to have financial stability for him, so we will see what is to come with my online income and life before I make the final decision about working from home or not.

Happy Valentines Day to all the Single Moms

I wanted to take time out to tell all of the single moms out there Happy Valentines Day. Whether you have a man in your life or not, know that you are loved. Your kids have an unconditional love for you, and they will always be there for you. Be thankful for the love that they have and don't be so concerned about having someone else in your life.

Back to School

I have made a big step in my five year plan, I am returning to school. I already received my acceptance letter from Pike Peakes Community College in Colorado Springs, CO. I will be going to get my associates degree in applied science focused on business management.It is a two year program and there are so many opportunities for this field of work.

I decided to choose something that I know and I am good at. I have seen so many single moms decide to take courses in medicine or other things, that they do not use. There are at least five women that I personally know that has a degree in some medical field, but they are sitting at home not using the skills they learned because they were not really interested in the field. They actually thought it would be easy money, and nothing in life is easy.

I am scared of this big step in my life. It is even scarier to me than becoming a single mom. I have faith though, I will work hard and focus on our future. This is something that I am doing for both my son and I. Life is to short to just wait for something to happen, we have to make things happen, and that is exactly what I am doing. I am making my life better for me and my family.

Single Moms Needs advice if Anyone Can Help

A few months ago I posted about another single mom needing help. The single mom was my sister and I am now trying to take care of her kids as well as my son. My sister and mom both live with me, but they are disabled and fighting for there disability. We all moved to Colorado with a plan and the plan would have worked if her husband would have continued paying child support. Instead of wanting us to succeed he has told everyone back in Texas that he wants us to fail completely, so he quit paying the child support. He wants us to lose our home,  refuses to help with the kids clothes or school, he has even quit paying for the vehicle,.  so we will be losing the vehicle before long and everything is falling on my shoulders.

My family is not a burden to me and I would give anything for them. Those kids did not ask to be in this situation and I am going to do what I can to make it all work. I am currently working a full time job and looking for another one until the child support office can garnish his wadges. I am getting overwhelmed with everything and need some advice from anyone who can help.

Questions:

Is there anyone in Colorado that may help with a vehicle?
I write online and do other things, but is there somewhere that pays a good income?
Who would as ask to see about assistance with rent?

Situation:

Applying for state assistance this week.
Currently earn $1200 a month, bills without car or kids school expenses are more than $2000.

This is just a small breakdown of what is going on around me at the moment. If anyone knows any way of getting help please let me know. I am not one to ask for help, but these kids need help and I do not know what to do until I can get a second or even a third job. These kids all deserve to know that things are taken care of, and I want to give them that security.

Surviving (and Thriving) as a Single Mom

Since I have learned that I was pregnant, my thought process has changed completely. I don't know if getting pregnant at a younger age would have effected me in such a way. I am worried only about making sure that my son (Torrie) is taken care of. I am not worried about dating, going out, or much else other than him. I just want to have a plan for him and I. I honestly believe I think about it a little to much at times :).

I know I am not alone in this, there are many women in today's world that are single moms. I read a lot of articles and blogs about what other single moms do, and they have helped a lot. I found one article that I found inspiring, it is Surviving (and Thriving) as a single Mom. The article is not long, but it had a few things that just inspired me. The biggest thing was focusing on short term, rather than trying to make a plan for everything NOW.

All single moms can get through the tough times. My mom did it with 4 kids, so I know I can do it with one. I have to enjoy the fact that I am going to be a mom, then plan on what I want to do for our future. He will always be the most important thing to me, so I know I will do everything I can to make sure he is taken care of.