Mama! If those were the first words ever uttered out of your mouth then you might understand the importance of the second  Sunday of May in the U.S., Mother’s Day.  However, Mother’s Day is celebrated all around the world, not just the U.S., on many different dates, however, the majority of these countries celebrate on the second Sunday of May, including Japan, Australia, Canada, India, and China.

Mother’s Day is rich in history and full of tradition, stories, and legends, and whether you call it the festival of Pâthâre Prabhu, La Dia de la Madre Boliviana, or celebrate it as the Empress Kōjun’s birthday, it all celebrates one thing in common – your Mother!

Traditionally, people celebrate mother’s day with carnations, flowers, jewelry, and kisses and all that is fine and dandy. However, for the mother who has enough trinkets and petals, how about a gift of time well spent?  How about a great new unique Mother’s Day gift that you can’t box and wrap up for a change?

Why not ask yourself some questions that may help you decide on a time-well-spent gift for your Mother this year:

1. What does your mother enjoy doing?

2. Does your mother mention needing to get around to something but just does not have the time? Find out what it is and reserve a block of your time as well as hers and escort her to this event.  How about taking her to get a pedicure, manicure, massage at the spa?

3. Does your mother need new clothes?  Do you have a mom that needs new clothes, socks, shoes, but just does not have the time? Take her to the mall and help her pick something out.

4. What kind of food does she like? Whatever the kind of food is, chances are there is a restaurant in the area that has good reviews.  Why not take your mom out on a date at a new restaurant with good reviews?

You really don’t want to force the situation, however, you do want to show your mother that you care and often it can be done without handing over a box.

Good luck searching for the right time-well-spent gift for your mother!

Other countries that celebrate Mother’s Day on the second Sunday of May.

Get quick payday advance cash to get your mother something nice on Mother’s Day.

US economy is improving yet many Americans are still struggling with their personal finances so if you are among millions of these fellow Americans, you are not alone.  There are many things you can do to make sure you can stretch your dollar and save money  some of them are as following:

1. Don’t eat out as often: Cooking at home will help you save some serious cash. When you eat out, you are not only paying for the cost of the food, but also the restaurants overhead (employees, operating costs, etc) as well as the restaurant profit. Also cooking at home is beneficial for your health as you have better control of what goes in your food.

2. Make your own tea or coffee: Average cost of espressos drinks are about $4 a cup and average cup of regular team coffee are $1.50 a cup. Just calculate how many cup of coffee or tea you drink a week, and calculate how much money you could be saving if you were to brew your own coffee or tea.  The point here is to do things by yourself using your own two hands. If you need to do some welding or polishing, get a work positioner to help you hold your work piece down instead of hiring help.

3. Avoid Impulsive shopping:  Whether you are going to grocery store or shopping for other items, make sure you make a list of the items you need and less of the items you want then stick to that list religiously.

4. Pay Your Bills On time:  Paying bills on time will save you some good cash end of the year because you will be avoiding late fees and possible interest rates. It will also help you maintain good credit.

5. Avoid ATM Fees: Traditional banks make great deal of their profit from ATM fees. When you are going to work or going out, make sure you have enough cash with you so you don’t have to use other banks ATM. If you need more cash that you have on you, try to look for your own bank’s local branch so you avoid ATM fees

6. Drive Less and Use Public Transportation More Often: Try to use public transportation where possible. If you must drive, take the shortest distance, and focus on getting to and from your destination. Gas is expensive. Average gas price is above $3 a gallon and you could be saving good amount of money if you reduce driving .

7. Plan Holidays and Vacation Ahead of Time: Hotels, airplane tickets, and car rentals will be much cheaper if you book them weeks possibly months in advance.

8.  Reduce Your Entertainment Spending:  We all need to be entertained in one way or another. Some like to go movies, some like to go to bars, clubs, golfing, or various activities.  By reducing how often you go out, and finding alternatives to entertain yourself (for example renting DVDs instead of going to the movies), you can save great deal of money.

9. Regulate Your Utility Usage: Turn of the unnecessarily lights, unplug your phone and laptop charger when not being used, turn off AC or heater while you are not at home, and don’t keep the water running if not using it. This will help you save both your money and the environment.

10. Recognize Where You Stand Financially:  You may have friends who like to buy new cars, eat out often, and buy new gadgets and furniture often. It is OK to have friends like them but before you get influenced by their lavish life style, make sure you know where you stand financially and don’t spend beyond your means.

These friendly suggestions brought to you by your direct payday lender, Pay1Day.com

February 14th: Option to Celebrate Valentine’s Day or Single Awareness Day

Every coin has two sides which is why I had received both praise and snickers on my previous post about Valentines’ Day: namely the one about the Biggest Valentine’s Day Mistakes and Creative Valentine’s Day Ideas. Therefore, in this post, I will address the antithesis of Valentine’s Day – Single Awareness Day!

Single Awareness Day (SAD) was created as an alternative to Valentine’s Day, celebrated by those who are not in a romantic relationship. You have a couple of options: if you’re in a relationship or dating on February 14th then you can celebrate Valentine’s Day. If you’re not dating or in a romantic relationship then you can have a few laughs by celebrating Single Awareness Day.

Why Celebrate Singles Awareness Day?

Some people think Valentine’s Day is a commercialized Hallmark Day created to force people to spend money on gifts, getaways, take out payday loans, new clothes and lingerie. Others feel pressured to perform on Valentine’s Day and believe that there shouldn’t be a designated day to prove one’s love or ability.
So if you’re one of these people and you also happen to be single, then Singles Awareness Day can be a humorous way to celebrate your independence and spoil yourself because who knows how to make you happy better than you?

Why do people stay single?

There are several reasons why someone would stay single. Do you enjoy being single? Do you enjoy being quirklyalone? Staying single doesn’t necessarily mean that you are lonely or undesirable. In fact, you can be single and have a lot of self esteem, a great deal of flexibility, and time for personal reflection.

Take Jim for example, he’s been single for 10 years and has developed a great deal of confidence – he takes pride in knowing that he’s much better candidate than a serial killer or a suicide bomber and that people may not talk to him because they may observe that he is out of their league. His wisdom is to be appreciated as he believes a relationship takes chemistry, that’s why he thinks he should take a chemistry course “outside of working hours.”

For those who don’t consider February 14th single awareness day, we all know that it’s a day to reconfirm, or instigate a romantic relationship and prove that you are not boring!

There’s a reason why you’re in a relationship and if you can’t find a good reason, well, Valentine’s Day is the perfect day to find one!  No need to feel pressured as you still have 10 good days to avoid the most common Valentine’s Day mistakes and find something fun, exciting, and or romantic gifts or activities to plan.  With a little imagination or creativity, a little can go a long way.

Here are a list of thoughtful, practical, and fun Valentine’s gifts for both men and women that won’t break the bank or anyone’s heart.

Doggie Treats: Does your significant other have a pet?  Maybe your bitty boo has a little yorkie that needs a new knit sweater or your hunny’s pitbull needs a new spike collar.  I hear cock-a-poos love gourmet lamb treats.  Giving a Doggie Treat will be sure to please both the Shnookums and their Pooches.

Espresso Maker: Coffee… There’s something so refined, charming, intellectual, and romantic about it that people go out of their way to patron a coffee shop while sitting around people watching and discussing the latest global politics or local artistry scene. How about you bring that vibe into your Snuggle Bunny’s kitchen so the next time you guys are bored out of your mind with nothing to do, suggest that he or she make some espresso so that you two can discuss some exciting topics while enjoying a little cup of café au lait

Spa Getaway: OK, here’s a gift that men and women, but mostly women, would love that doesn’t require much effort on your part (i.e. ingenius no-effort gift disguised as big-time pampering). Who’s not going to want to be pampered in essential oils fully loaded with a professional massage, manicure, pedicure, and chill-time in the jacuzzi while being entertained with bottled flavored waters and a relaxation therapy cd playing in the background? All you have to do is get the spa gift certificate and let them do all the work while you pat yourself on the back for being so clever. Men, don’t be shy to go to one of these sometime as it can be very relaxing, and women, if you want this, hint this now so he can start some planning!

Food and Wine Tasting: If you’re thinking about giving chocolate in a heart-shaped box with a side of red roses to your honey, you might as well staple the words “Lame” or “Boring” or BOTH to your forehead and call it a day. Don’t bring the the food to your Sugar Cookie, take your Sugar Cookie to the food! That’s right, get up and go out somewhere for 1,2, or 3 days – be seen and be happy! How about a winery for some wine tasting or a chocolate factory to taste some of the best chocolates straight from the source. Or what about trying a restaurant known for its goat cheese fondue that you two have never been to together where they have a world-renown dishes, creative seating arrangements, spectacular views, and interesting utensils.

Dance Class: It’s been proven that when you work up a sweat either through exercise or dance, you get your momentum going and release happy hormones called endorphins. So if you do this with your Pookie Pie, you both will experience a healthy and natural high that will be sure to get you both going. So whether you decide to do the Samba, Tango, Salsa, Swing, or Cha-cha-cha, dance classes will be a great Valentine’s gift that you two can share together – Olé!

Feeling the vibe? Getting the idea? There are plenty of creative Valentines Day gifts that won’t make you go broke and if you need some resources to help you out like a cash loan or borrowing from a friend or family, well then go get it because you  want to break the chain of having another dreadful Valentine’s Day story to tell!

Understanding how your financial habits, values, past mistakes, and goals match up to your future spouse’s can help save a marriage and avoid a costly divorce.  Before tying the knot, consider sitting down with your partner and going through the following financial topics that may hold the key answers to future problems.

Financial Genetics

Talk about how you were raised when it comes to money.   How did your parents deal with finances and how did it affect how you and your partner will handle the issue?  This is the time to share how certain financial values that you grew up have influenced your decision making.  Answering these questions can help you and your partner understand your financial roots to make better choices in the future.

Credit

Going through your credit report can be informative, and in many cases, embarrassing. However, it may be a cut and dry way to go through your past and learn about what made your credit good or bad.  If it is good, you can share how you were able to maintain good credit with your partner.  If it is bad, it is a time to talk about what you did and how you learned from it.  In many cases, you can discuss how to improve your credit with your partner so that you can get the best rates on a home together.

Finance Control

Who gets to make the decision on finances? Who writes the checks?  Does the person who has made the most research make the choice?  How do you help the other person understand why you made the decision you made?  As making financial decisions is a control issue, it is important to talk to your partner about how you two will deal with it so that neither of you feel left in the dark.

Money Goals

Talk to your partner about what you would like to achieve in the future and listen to what he or she has to say.  Do you want to buy a house? If so, when and how?  Will each of you deposit a certain amount into a down payment savings account? How much do you want to save per month? What are your entertainment budgets like? How rich do you want to be? These are all questions that need to be answered to determine yours and your spouse’s money goals.

Although it may not seem like the most romantic conversation to have, having a deep financial conversation with your partner before marriage can help save it. Best of all, it is a free conversation that can save you a priceless marriage in the future.

This marriage financial tip was brought to you by Pay1Day.com, providing immediate financial assistance to borrowers.