Time For New Year's Resolutions!

New Year's Eve is upon us, and I don't know what that means for you, but for me it means: NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS!!!

I LOVE making my list of resolutions, and I love the feeling of a fresh start at the beginning of the year. I'm really hoping that 2012 can make up for 2011... and especially 2010, which was the worst year of my life...

Four days into 2010 my brother Ryan committed suicide. It was the most awful thing I had ever experienced, and it essentially set the tone for the 12 months that followed. I developed a drug habit as an attempt to cope with the pain and then it was all downhill from there...

So today, just four days away from welcoming 2012 with open arms, I am anticipating my best year yet. Here are a few of my mile long list of things I plan to do differently in 2012:

• Start saving money
• Get back on the diet that I let fall by the wayside as soon as Thanksgiving rolled around
• Have my kids in bed by 9 (or 9:30, if I'm being realistic)
• Have myself in bed by 10:30
• Avoid Drive Thru restaurants at all costs
• Develop and stick to a routine
• Blog at least once a day
• Exercise
• Think about quitting smoking
• Buy a more economical car
• Move out of our one bedroom "cottage" and into a place where we're not tripping over eachother
• Get back into my couponing groove
• Stop buying scratch off lottery tickets

I would keep going but my lunch break is over and I'm already exhausted from realizing the big job I have ahead of me in even reaching three of the above mentioned goals...

Do you have any helpful resolutions that I may have left off my list?

Here's to making 2012 the BEST year so far!!!

A Second Chance at a Bank Account

As I mentioned before, I am in ChexSystems and unable to have a traditional bank account at a bank like Bank of America or Chase. For the most part it's okay because there are other options available, such as AccountNow which I talked about here, but if you ever find yourself in a position where you need to rent a car, for example, it can be nearly impossible without a debit card from a "Brick and Mortar" bank.

If you are in the same position and unable to open a checking account for whatever reason, you should register for Bank on San Jose. The program is run by United Way of Silicon Valley, and if you sign up and attend one of their financial classes you will receive a certificate that you can take to one of the participating banks or credit unions and they will help you open a "Second Chance Account".

Opening an account at a credit union is a great idea, especially if you anticipate trying to get a car loan in the near future. They usually have the best rates on loans, so I would suggest signing up for this program at yout earliest convenience. The website has the class schedule (they are all held in the evenings for the most part), the list of participating institutions, as well as the answers to just about every question you might have.

Make 2012 your year of financial independence!

Merry Christmas!

I just wanted to take a moment to wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas! I know my postings have been pretty sporadic (or non-existant) lately, but it's only because of the holiday chaos. I plan to be updating regularly again once things have calmed down. So stay posted, bare with me, and have a great Christmas everyone!

Waitlist Open For Ohlone Court Apartments In South San Jose

If you are looking for affordable housing in San Jose the Ohlone Court Apartments have opened their waitlist. Ohlone Court offers 1,2,3 and even 4 bedroom apartments, and based on the information I found online the rent for a four bedroom starts at just $1,323 a month.

If you are a single mom and feel like you could benefit from living with another single mom, you could probably qualify for one of these units and only pay a very reasonable amount of rent every month. If you want to meet other single parents you can always leave a comment with a little info about yourself on this page and if everything goes as planned another mom will see it and the two of you can start communicating!

Another Site Dedicated to Helping Those In Need

If you are struggling with a problem that other services listed on this blog can't really accomodate, you may want to check out ModestNeeds.org.
It is similar to 2hands.org, the site that I mentioned earlier today, in that it offers a platform to express a need to people all over the country who may be willing, and in a position, to help.
I was browsing the site today to get an idea of the types of assistance that they generally help fund, and I saw everything from financial help in order to get utilities restored, assistance in paying next months rent, assistance for car repairs and even purchasing a car altogether. There are also a lot of requests for help with costly medical procedures.
Sites like this always require patience on the behalf of the person requesting help, but if you have a genuine need people will realize that and there are people out there who want to help.

Just In Time For Christmas - This Program Sounds Amazing...

Since I have spent the majority of my twenties scouring the internet trying to find websites with information on programs and resources I sometimes feel like I have seen them all... So I am always really excited when I come across something new that I can share with the people around me.

Last night I received an email from a reader suggesting that I look at 2hands.org. I checked it out and was immediately blown away at this program, along with the fact that I had never heard of it!

The site describes itself as a "platform" for those in need to reach out to those in a position to help them meet that need. I read through some of the success stories and was almost brought to tears. Apparently this website is run by three volunteers, and naturally they are very busy this time of year, but they do say that they are dedicated to addressing every person who contacts them.

So whether you need a little help getting that one toy on your child's Christmas list, or God has really blessed you this year and you are in a position to do the helping, go ahead and take a look around the site, it's pretty amazing!

**A special thanks to Debbie N. who forwarded this information along, I am always open to suggestions!!!***

CoAbode - Interesting Resource for Single Moms

The other day I happened to stumble across CoAbode , a website dedicated to pairing up single moms with the same preferences, lifestyles and incomes to become roommates. The website claims that the program can cut living expenses by as much as 50% and that two single moms raising their children together have a much higher chance at success than those struggling alone...

So I just wanted to throw that out there, it may be something worth looking into!