Financial Assistance For Single Mothers
Many sources claim to have information on financial assistance for single mothers, but many of those sources charge fees to get that information. Some sources want a phone number or address in order to send information on financial assistance to single mothers to the addressee. Some of the basic information is free and might seem to be just that: basic. Many single mothers might find some of these things hard to do, but the more a woman can adopt these habits, the less financial assistance to single mothers she will need from others.
Financial assistance to single mothers starts with a budget. Account for every penny of income and account for every penny spent. Many times, family members, children especially, will spend small amounts of money and not remember spending it. For people on a budget, these small amounts of money can add up quickly. Spending a few cents on a soft drink might not seem important, but if someone is buying one drink five days a week for four weeks, the money adds up over time. Suppose one buys one soft drink at sixty cents a can every day at work or school. That amounts to $3.00 a week and $12 a month. If one spends $3 a week on something that is $156 a year for that item. That?s $156 that ?disappears? every year because no one remembers spending sixty cents at the drink machine. Imagine how much more money is added up when no one pays attention to how it is spent.
As much as possible, any financial assistance to single mothers plan should think of the future. A mother should start saving for her children?s education the moment they are born. Many mothers will say that they can?t afford to do this, but they should remember that sixty cent drink. Imagine starting a savings account for a child when the child is born. If a mother put $3 a week into that account, the account would hold $156 by the child?s first birthday. Ignoring accrued interest, there would be over $2,000 in that account by the child?s 18th birthday. If the mother could find an account that had a good interest rate, the child would have a nice education fund by the time he or she was ready for school.
The same advice is necessary for the single mother. She should save some money for a retirement. She will probably work longer than the eighteen years to get a child ready for college, but the same plan would work for the mother. A mother with two children could save $1.80 a day (the cost of three cans of a soft drink) and manage to help send both children to school AND start a retirement fund. Just remember to get a drink of water and save that money for the soft drink. It will add up in time.
