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Single Mom Survival Guide: 5 Tips to Improve Your Life

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single mom survival guide

So I’m a single mom. It sucks, but it’s also not the end of the world. Sometimes things don’t work out. But it doesn’t mean it’s the end of the game for you just yet as a single parent. There are some things you can do to better your life and better the lives of your children.

It can be very touch to actually see the light at the end of the tunnel, but if you push through and keep a positive attitude, it is possible to turn your life around. I know this because I myself was in a dark spot at one point, but I pushed through and made things better for myself and my kids. If I can, then you certainly can too.

Here are a few single mom survival tips to make things just a bit better for yourself and your children.

1. Go Back to School

This often means you need to consider going back to school because, well, it’s hard to provide enough for your kids on a minimum wage, no skill job. There are a number of programs such as scholarships for single moms that can help you go back to school. There are also some legit grants for single mothers that can also help you out financially. Check out sites like finaid.org which can also help you find ways to pay for school such as student loans, student grants, scholarships, and such.

2. Focus on Bettering Your Career

Yes, it can be financially tough to make things happen as a single mom. Trust me, I know this. I’ve been living on a dime myself and it’s a tough, tough world to survive in, especially when you have to manage your kids and providing an income by yourself. Making money is tough enough, but trying to do so while having kids is even tougher. However, it’s worth focusing on your career. This may often mean going back to school or looking for a new, better paying job. You put yourself out there looking for another job, but it can be seriously worth it financially.

I recommend you look at monster.com — it’s one of the worlds largest job posting websites, but they also have some good information about how to build your resume, how to apply for a job, how to ace your interview and other such relevant information. You should absolutely look at this info before applying for better jobs.

3. Live on a Budget

If you don’t know how to budget and save money, it’s time to learn. My mother used to tell me that a ‘penny saved is a penny earned.’ This is true. You might not make that much money, but you can surely save money if you put your mind to it.

There are a few things that can help you stick to a budget:

  • Use Coupons
  • Buy Bulk Food
  • Cook Meals at Home
  • Go to Food Banks
  • Get Government Food Assistance

4. Focus on yourself and your kids

While it can be tough being single and a mom, but if you’ve just gotten out of a relationship, I recommend you spend time focusing on yourself and your kids, rather than trolling the marketplace for another man. Don’t force love, let it happen. One of the worst mistakes you can do is to get out there in the dating marketplace just because you are afraid to be alone, then make a bad relationship choice just because you are lonely. Don’t settle for less than you deserve.

5. Keep Healthy and Fit

One final point: eat healthy and do daily exercise. I can’t tell you how much of a difference eating healthy and doing cardio/fitness can make on keeping your spirits up. Eating healthy gives your body the best fuel to perform at its best while doing 30 or so minutes of exercise 4 or 5 times a week not only helps you keep your weight down and heart healthy, but releases a lot of natural endorphin’s in your body which make you feel happy. Don’t underestimate how important this is.

As this is my running website, I advocate you try running every day — even if you only start out with 10 or 15 minutes a day. Eventually you can build up your stamina to 30 or so minutes a day. And trust me, running every day does a LOT to keep you feeling healthy and HAPPY.

Resources for Single Moms

I’ve looked around the web for some resources that I personally find useful

Singlemoms.org — the best single mom website on the web. They’ve got TONS of information for how to get government help or assistance. There’s also a mix of other info such as health, diet, parting advice and more. Worth reading

Parenting.com — I love this magazine. There’s some good tips about being a parent and even some stuff for single moms.

Parents.com — another parenting website. General parenting info.

Runningworld.com — the world’s BEST running website. GO here for any sort of running advice.

 


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