More Inventive Ways of Meeting Potential Dates If you've exhausted your social circle, or you'd just like to try something new, here are some more unusual ways to meet potential dates. *Speed Dating - This new trend is the busy person's way to meet potential dates. These events allow you to meet a lot of men quickly. They're often held at coffee houses. Each woman gets a table, and the men rotate through each table in timed rounds. So, each man who attends will sit at your table and talk to you for approximately 3 minutes. You will each have a "score card" so that you can keep track of the people you'd like to get to know better after the speed dating night is over. You could easily walk away from such an event with three or four phone numbers or even scheduled dates. *Online Dating - This form of meeting people has become so commonplace, that it probably isn't even considered inventive any more. A few years ago, people who met online first were likely considered desperate, but today, online dating is thought to be perfectly acceptable. Plus, it's very convenient for a single parent. You can chat with potential dates online after your children are in bed. You don't even need to get a babysitter until you're ready to meet in person. Set up a profile on a few dating websites; keep your profile somewhat tame if you want to avoid men who are just looking for one fun night. Chat online until you feel totally comfortable, and then give him your phone number. Talk on the phone until you're comfortable meeting in person. Never give him your home address. When you're ready to make a date; arrange to meet in a public place. Don't let him come to your home. *Singles Clubs - These are social clubs that plan activities for singles. Once you've joined the club, you'll be invited to attend all sorts of parties, social hours and outdoor activities. Choose activities that truly interest you; that way, even if you don't meet a man you'd like to go out with, you'll at least have had a fun day or evening. These clubs can be a great way to meet friends who share your interests.
read more

3 Raising Your Child on Your Income: There's no question about it - one of the most difficult aspects of raising a child alone is financial. It's time to get real about your finances and find out how (and if) you can take care of your family on the money that currently comes in each month. Here are some things to think about. Getting a Handle on Your Expenses: You need to know how much you're spending each month, so that you can determine if you have enough. Make a list of every monthly expense your family incurs so that you have a realistic picture of your household expenses. *Housing - Is your current housing affordable for you on your income? Is your current housing something you can maintain on your own? For example, if you've just gone through a divorce or death, you may want to keep the house you shared with your ex. But, you need to take a hard look at whether or not that's reasonable. Can you afford it? Do you want to keep up with all the home maintenance and yard work that will be required? Would it be less expensive and less work to move to a townhouse with a small yard and little maintenance? *Child Care Expenses - If you weren't working before, but now find yourself going back into the workforce, childcare may be a new expense for you. You'll need reliable childcare that works with your work schedule - including availability during odd hours if that's how you work. *Car expenses - If you have a big car payment, you may need to think about downsizing your vehicle. New, expensive cars can be costly, between the monthly car payment and the insurance. Sometimes just scaling back to a slightly older model can save a lot of money. In addition, consider carpooling. Sharing transportation can reduce your monthly fuel costs significantly. *Other bills - Get out all of your bills and take stock. Are there some expenses you can get rid of now? Maybe that cable bill is more than you can afford. Do you really know how much you spend each month on groceries? Look for ways to cut costs and be sure that you know exactly where your money goes each month. Once you've taken a good hard look at your expenses, compare it to your income. Do they match up? If they don't, here are some things to consider.
read more

Making a Move: Where Will I Move? Consider your new location carefully. Do you wish to remain in the same school district? Are there special friends or family members that you want to stay close to? Do you want to remain within a certain distance of your job? Will I Buy or Rent? Of course, it's always to your financial advantage to own your home. Many single moms, particularly those whose income is less than they really need, believe that they can't afford to own a home. However, a monthly mortgage payment is often no more than you would spend in rent. I urge you to consider purchasing your own home. There are many special programs that can help you out.
read more

When You're Ready to Get Back Into Dating Many single parents believe that they'll never be able to find the time to begin dating again. Plus, they often feel that even if they did find the time for dating, it's not likely that a man would be interested in a woman with children. But, the world has definitely changed. With 60% of marriages today ending in divorce and more and more women choosing to have children alone; single parents abound, so there are plenty of men who are more than happy to date a woman with children. In fact, it's quite likely that one or more of your suitors will be single parents. You may also be concerned about how you'll be able to meet men. Well, there are plenty of places to meet men, and it doesn't require hours at the local singles bars with your girlfriends. You can meet single men in a wide variety of places- places you're already going. Let's take a look at some of the most common places to meet potential dates. *Your Child's School - Take a look around for dads who come alone to school functions or who are always the ones to pick up their kids. Particularly if you see a dad who always picks up on alternate Friday's, he's likely divorced. It will be easy to strike up a conversation with such a man; the two of you immediately have something in common. *Church - If you attend church regularly, you'll find that it offers a great opportunity to meet single men of your faith. If your church has a singles Sunday school class or organization, so much the better. Take every opportunity to attend social functions and meet people at church. You'll likely be able to meet some male and female friends. *Work - A large number of today's married couples met at work. You must be cautious about dating at work. First, be sure that your company doesn't have a policy that prohibits coworker dating. Secondly, don't even think about dating your boss or someone who reports to you. And thirdly, it's wise not to date someone with whom you work closely. Before you jump in, you should consider how awkward the situation at work might be if you date for a while, but then it doesn't work out. *Out and About - Keep a smile on your face as you're out and about. If you look friendly and approachable, you'll find it easier to strike up conversations with people. *Friend Fix-ups - No doubt you've got some friends who are dying to fix you up with someone. Take them up on it! What have you got to lose? I've known quite a few marriages that resulted from blind dates set up by mutual friends.
read more

Who'll Do Those Daddy Jobs? This question often comes up with single women who are raising a son. Issues like going to the toilet standing up, getting erections and questions about sex can be difficult for a mom to handle on her own. This is another reason why it pays to have a man in your child's life who can help out with these issues. If your son has a close relationship with an adult male, he can discuss such items with your son. They also come in handy for helping out with sports questions if you're not equipped to do so!
read more

DAY 2 - GET OUT THE BILLS: In order to get control of your life, it's critical to understand your financial situation. Particularly if your partner handled the finances in the past, you need to get a good handle on things for yourself. Here are some things you should look at. *Your mortgage or rent - If you own your home, how much do you owe on the mortgage? What is the monthly payment? Do you have a home equity line? If you're renting, how much is your rent payment? How much longer do you have on your lease? *Your car- How much do you owe on your car? How much is the monthly payment? When will it be paid off? How much are insurance payments? Do you pay insurance monthly? *Utilities - How much are your utilities on an average month? Be sure to include water and sewer, garbage collection, gas, phone, electric and cable. *Child Care - Are you currently paying for child care? If so, how much does your monthly childcare cost? *Credit Cards - How much do you own in credit card debt? If you add up your minimum monthly payments on each card, how much will you spend each month paying credit cards? *Other bills - Do you have other expenses? Look out for other loans or regular monthly expenses you may not have thought of. This can include gym memberships, book clubs, etc. It can be helpful to make a note of any expenses that you consider unnecessary. *Savings - Are you accustomed to putting a regular amount in savings each month? If so, figure this into your monthly expenses. Tally it all up. These are your basic expenses for the month. Keep in mind that this doesn't include miscellaneous expenses like groceries, gas, and spending money. If you have an idea of how much you spend in these areas make a note of it. You'll need to know all of your expenses in order to figure out your total financial picture.
read more

This organization is dedicated to providing assistance for single parent families. They offer advice and resources to improve the quality of life for the family headed by a single parent. Single Moms: www.singlemom.com This organization helps single mothers find all sorts of resources from employment to scholarships to legal assistance. Single Parents Network: www.singleparentsnetwork.com This site provides valuable information about parenting on your own. There are many articles to read and many links to other sites that can provide help and information. This online community is a great place to learn about parenting and meet others who share your situation. Department of Social Services: This department varies somewhat from state to state, but most will point you in the direction of financial assistance, child support collection and advising you of other programs you may qualify for. Single Mothers Share: www.making-ends-meet.org This organization is dedicated to helping single moms make ends meet. They have several programs, including one that provides gift cards to help moms handle emergency expenses. Another of their programs raises money to help with financial emergencies by pooling resources of participating mothers. Mothers who join the program add money to the "pot" each month as they are able. Participants take turns using the money accumulated by the entire group to ease emergency financial burdens, creating an informal "savings circle". Co-Abode: www.coabode.com Though this site is dedicated to home sharing for single mothers, they also provide information about other resources available to single mothers, such as state by state programs that can help single mothers with first time home purchases, etc. Department of Human Resources: This organization, like the Department of Social Services, varies state to state in the programs it offers. But, your state's DHR may be able to help with subsidized child care and Medicaid if you qualify. They may also offer emergency food and energy assistance.
read more

Can I really go back to school with my schedule? This is one of the biggest concerns of single parents. For many, the idea of trying to add school to their already hectic schedule can seem overwhelming. But, if you're committed to furthering your education, you can find ways to make the changes in your family life to accommodate meeting your goal. Here are some ideas to help you manage adding school to your already hectic life. *Consider taking online classes - The growth of classes and degree programs available online is probably the single best thing to happen to adult students in a century. There are actually degree programs that can be pursued entirely online. It's the perfect way to avoid having to work out details like childcare and transportation for pursuing your education. *Take Saturday classes - There are also many degree programs that offer some, or all of your classes on Saturday. This schedule can make it easier to fit your classes into your life. *Consider a Correspondence Course - There are many programs that can be completed through correspondence. These programs allow you to work at your own pace, sending in assignments on your own schedule. Once you've completed all the required assignments, you receive a certificate. These programs do not offer bachelor's degrees, but if you're interested in some fields like wedding planning, such a certificate may be all you need. *Take it slow - You're not likely to be able to go back to school full time right now, unless you're in a financial position to quit working for a while. However, even if you go to school part time, you'll find that before you know it, you'll have that degree.
read more

1 Adjusting to Life as a single mother: Accepting how you got here- There are nearly as many ways to wind up a single parent as there are single parents out there. Some of you are single parents by choice; you've given birth to or adopted a child on your own. You are probably more prepared for this than some of the other single moms out there, because you entered into this state willingly. Others are single parents because your husband or partner has died. You will need to take special care of yourself and your children for awhile, because you may not have been prepared to be alone, and you certainly did not choose to be parenting alone. Your children are dealing with grief and missing their father, and you are missing your partner. Healing takes time and you must give your whole family the time they need to adjust to your new circumstances. Most of you are here through divorce or the break up of a long term relationship. Your children's father may or may not be involved in their lives, and he may or may not help support them financially. But, certainly, you have realized that the bulk of the child rearing falls to you. You may need to negotiate with your children's father about the role he will - and will not- play in their lives. You may have to decide whether it's even appropriate for him to be involved, depending upon your circumstances. So, regardless of how you became a single mother, you have a lot on your plate. You'll have many decisions ahead about your child's welfare, and you'll have to make them alone, for the most part. And, you may be resentful that you're suddenly in this parenting thing alone; if that's not how you intended it to be. But, you can't change the past. It's time to live in the present and make a great life for you and your child(ren). You can do it - you can thrive at it, in fact! Let go of the past and any negative feelings you have about becoming a single parent and get on with it. One thing you should always remember when you feel down - you'll get a lot of respect from a lot of people for raising children alone. Anyone who's been a parent knows that it's not easy, whether you're part of a couple or doing it on your own. And, most people will respect you for the hard work you're doing. And, a few years from now, the people who will respect you the most are those children you're raising.
read more

Are you entitled to assistance? It's important to know about, and take advantage of, the assistance to which you're entitled. For example, if your husband has just died, your children should receive a social security check each month until they turn 18. In addition, you should receive social security benefits as the parent caring for your deceased husband's child. There is other assistance to which you may be entitled, depending upon your income, even if you are not a widow. Benefits vary by state, but typically include, housing allotments, food stamps and reduced cost day care. Your school age child may also qualify for free or reduced cost school lunches as well as reduced cost health care insurance. Check with your state's Department of Social Services to find out what benefits are available in your state and what you qualify to receive. In addition, look at the assistance that may be available in your community. Local churches and civic organizations may have programs that benefit you. For example, some churches with day care and preschool programs offer scholarships. You may be able to get reduced cost day care for your child by qualifying for such a scholarship.
read more