While you could use a spreadsheet program like Excel that would probably get the job done, you need to take a look, and jump to Mint (www.mint.com). From my experience using Mint for the past few months has made my financial life that much easier.

Mint does a great job making my life easier because it’s able to link all my bank accounts, investment accounts, and liability accounts. The most attractive feature is the way it tracks your spending. It will analyze the way you spend, save, and invest your money. It also will make suggestions to stretch your money farther, without all those annoying pop-ups. Also as a security feature, Mint does not store any password or account information on their systems. The only con to that is you can not transfer funds from one account to another account from Mint.

Now don’t get me wrong, Mint is not the be-all-end-all when referring to personal finance software. For example, since Mint is a web based program, it takes a few seconds for the data to load on your screen. I would love the day when page load times are under 5 seconds. Also, if you’re dealing with online billing, Mint can’t remind you of bills to pay every month. So for a person who religiously pays 95% of his bills online, Mint comes up short. However it does do a good job of telling you when your bank accounts are running low, or when a credit card is due.

All in all, Mint maybe all you need for some people. As for myself I currently use Mint and supplement Quicken for the other stuff. Other people may already be using desktop personal finance programs like Quicken and Microsoft Money. Or online programs like Wesabe, and Yodelle. The key is to always be proactive and always be on the look out for the best piece of money management software that will make your life easier, and get your financial house in order.

A Quick Way To Get Your Financial House In Order is a post from: Moolah-Moolah

So how do single mothers manage pulling in enough money to feed their family and manage to spend time with your kids?

There are various government assistance programs that some single moms are eligible for. They can either be through private organizations or the federal welfare program. These programs are great and can very helpful if you can actually get into them.

How do you know if you qualify for assistance?

The best way to find out is by going to your local welfare office and seeing if you have a low enough income to apply for one of the support programs. A way you can qualify is by having a low enough income. These welfare programs offer you a variety of forms of money. Some will give you stock or bank accounts, things that can be turned into cash for you use. When applying for a welfare program, include the amount of money you make and other hardships you and your family might have gone through.

So what happens if you don’t qualify for a welfare program but are still struggling?

If you can’t qualify for welfare programs then you will have to apply for a grant from the US government. There are about 900 grants from 26 different grant-making agencies that are willing to help you with your hardships. The grants come from the U.S government and the only way you can get your hands on one is by doing something for financial assistance .This usually implies that you might have to do a service project or some other task. Then you can receive the grant.

More Resources

The government isn’t the only place out there that offers grants to people. Schools, private companies, and many non-profit organizations are willing to help single moms through their hardship. These days they are many schools that offer specific scholarships for single moms who are trying to go to college. If you are curious about this type of assistance, you should go and talk to the financial advisor of the school that you would like to go to.

Other organizations that offer help to single moms is sites like Singlemom.com. They offer financial help to single moms in need. Depending on the organization you turn to, they are willing to give out a cash grant every month to deserving single moms. Receiving a grant could help you get through the month, and allow you a little bit of breathing room.

If you get a grant in the future, then make sure you use it for the benefit of the entire family. Misusing a grant or welfare program is not what they are intended for. These financial aids systems are meant for helping single moms who are truly struggling to keep their head above water. Use them correctly.

One Last Note

I know this article is focused on single mothers who are going through financial hardship. But, I just like to acknowledge and praise all the single mothers who have very successful careers and taking great care of their children. Many of us wouldn’t be where we are today if it wasn’t for the sacrifice and hard work that our mothers went through in life.

How Single Mothers Can Get Financial Assistance During Tough Times is a post from: Moolah-Moolah