Salute to Parents!

Standing Tall is dedicated to helping children and families explore ways to live in excellence, no matter what their educational or socioeconomic background. We want to bring families vital life skills accumulated during lifetimes of hardships, making the most of the present, and paving the way for future success. We hope you will explore the tips and advice we have found in various resources to make life a bit easier. Where do we start? First, make a family budget. You can find one on Momhacks101.com in the free resource section, but you can make your own. It doesn't have to be fancy. Draw a big T on a piece of paper. On one side, list the income for the household. On the other side, list the bills such as rent, utilities, food, and all other expenses. This will give you the big picture. Next, make a list of needs and wants. See how you can accomplish your needs list. This will show you where your money is going. There may be a place where you may adjust your spending to stretch those precious dollars a little bit further. Third, one of the biggest needs is food for the family. With rising prices, food shopping can be very stressful. The best way is to go shopping on a full stomach, and fully prepared, with cyber and paper coupons. This is where the kids can be a huge help. Cutting coupons, making a shopping list, etc. Prior to the shopping trip, enlist your family in cleaning and organizing your food supply. You will know exactly what you have and what you need to replenish. You may also enlist the help of your kids. Say you have 6 cans of kidney beans on hand. Have a context to see how many recipes the kids can find that uses the beans. Check out www.myplate.gov. There is a ton of information on nutrition, shopping, etc.