With the holidays fast approaching, I am trying to proactively control my spending.

One interesting article that I came across is called Fiscal Fitness: Eliminate Debt with 10 Successful Diet Principles at ZenHabits.net

Huh? Diet and debt? What do they have to do with each other? But as you think about it further, there really are similarities. The following points stuck with me:

• When you budget you track your spending, on a diet - your calories
• Check your spending/savings goals weekly, on a diet weigh in weekly
• Don’t expect overnight success from either your spending diet or your eating diet

And to tie the knot between the two diets a little tighter - if you diet more, your grocery bill is sure to go down. (ok, I know that is tacky! )

On a related note, Mehdi in a guest post at Get Rich Slowly offers 10 Ways to Build the Habit of Saving Money.

With all this good advice, my pockets should be jingling by December!

Today, as I collected my mail, I was approached by a young woman who was selling educational materials for kids.

Although she seemed friendly enough and she claimed to be a college student, I politely said I wasn’t interested and moved on.

I have a problem with door to door selling, as do many people that I know.

First off, if I didn’t need the product before the salesperson came to my door, I certainly don’t need it now.

Second, and most important, the salesperson is a stranger in my neighborhood. In this day and age I am weary of unfamiliar faces on my street. It is a shame that we must be so cautious, but it is necessary. In the case of a salesperson, not only does this stranger want to speak with me but they also want to sell me something, which would require some sort of money changing hands.

Not going to happen.

I wonder if companies actually make any sales via door to door selling. In the age of the internet, the door to door salesman has become a dinosaur.

Do you make money from blogging?

It is a question that many moms have asked me. Actually, they think I am a bit nutty to spend so much time online - and for what purpose?

Well, the short answer is No, I’m not making much money from blogging. But the potential is there. The potential is what keeps me blogging.

But, to get anywhere in the blogosphere, as it is called, I need a little guidance. One site that has given me some ideas is John Chow dot Com. John Chow’s site is all about making money online. Click over to his website and you will see that there is a lot of energy there. His is successful and enthusiastic about blogging (and he should be because it is working for him!)

If I can manage even a fraction of the success that John Chow has achieved, then I will be on the right path.

The first step is this post, because:

John Chow dot Com is a blog that helps you make money. If you review his blog, he’ll link to it and send you a lot of traffic.

FYI - the United State Postal Service (USPS) will increase rates on all classes of mail except periodicals on Monday May 14, 2007.

For most of us, that means that the cost of a stamp for a 1 ounce piece of first class mail will cost 2 cents more. The current rate is 39 cents and the new rate will be 41 cents.

To avoid lines at the post office you may want to buy your 41 cent stamps now. You can also get 2 cent stamps to add to any of your leftover .39’s.

Do your kids get an allowance?

When I was a kid, we didn’t get an allowance. If we really needed something my parents got it for us, otherwise we did without. However, most experts say - and I agree - that an allowance is a good tool to teach kids about managing money.

But an allowance is a lot of work for both parents and kids. So many questions need to be addressed:

• Should the kids get an allowance once a week,
• Should they be required to save part of the allowance,
• Should it be a reward for good behavior or doing chores,
• Should we have a say in how they spend the money,
• And how much should they get?

Our family has been through many incarnations of the allowance, but no one method seems to stick. It is definitely time for an allowance redesign.

How Much?
First and foremost, determining the amount is important. Some recommendations have been $1 for each year of age or for each grade level (i.e. a fifth grader would get $5 each week). But I think it is important to consider what we are expecting the children to buy with their allowance. If the allowance is just for “extras” and fun stuff, the amount may be lower. If we expect them to cover lunch money and certain necessities (and put some in savings) maybe giving a little more is justified. About.com has a good allowance calculator to check out.

How Often?
Paying out once a week has worked for us. I have the kids keep an allowance checkbook of sorts. On Sundays, we sit down and add the new allowance so they always know how much money they have.

Should They Work for the Money?
The going advice is that allowance should not be tied to chores. But I have a hard time just handing over money for free. As adults, we don’t get paid without working - wouldn’t that be nice?
I have certain expectations from my children. They have to do their homework, practice their instruments, pick up after themselves, fit in a chore or two a day to help out around the house (maybe more over the summer), and do it with a good attitude. Charts and checklists help them stay on track - but we don’t keep these up every week. I don’t take away their allowance if they don’t accomplish everything, everyday but I reserve the right to exercise my judgment. If they start slacking, I use the allowance as a reminder and incentive.

How Should They Spend the Wealth?
Every time they hit the snack machine I cringe but if that’s how they want to spend their allowance… However, I do make them put half, each week, aside for savings. Parenthood.com has a great article called Raising Money-Smart Kids: Allowance and Savings with some good allowance guidelines. In fact they take the savings concept one step further, and I quote:

For young kids, Harman recommends three glass jars: one is for spending now, one is for short-term savings, and one is for long-term savings. “It’s the jar that becomes their bank account that then becomes an investment account and starts to build their future and their net worth.” Allowance, gifts and earnings should always be divided among the three jars.

Some other bloggers have also pondered the allowance system. Check out their ideas at the following links:
When Should Kids Get an Allowance by Justin McHenry at Zen Personal Finance
Money Problems by dahGurl at The Parenting Post
How Do You Teach Kids the Value of Money by J.D. at Get Rich Slowly