The average American family walks around lugging $7,000 in annual consumer debt, according to CardTrak. That's a little more than $583 per month in extra money spent, if you want to see it in stark terms. Clearly, most people are living beyond their means.

My mother was the Goddess of Leftovers. I say that with all of the awe and respect she deserves. Around dinnertime, we would enter the kitchen drawn by smells that, although mouthwatering, we couldn't quite place. Was that cheese? Broccoli? Ham--no wait, hamburger.

When we asked her what was for dinner she would give us that "Mother's Secret" look and say it's a "Concoction!"

Now that you've begun to save money, you're ready to start looking at how to invest it. First, keep a three to six month emergency fund to cover your family's expenses. The best place to invest that money is in a money-market mutual fund, which you can find at a bank or through a mutual fund family.

Becoming a mother is a defining experience. In less than a year a woman's body is transformed by pregnancy, her limits are tested by labor and she is overwhelmed by the all-encompassing love she feels for her child.

In the midst of this turmoil, a woman must make a decision that will have a profound impact on her baby, her partner and her own sense of self: Should she return to work or stay home?

Whichever holiday(s) your family celebrates, the year often ends with a major blow to the checkbook. Family, friends, co-workers, caregivers--at this time of year, we all want to show our love and appreciation for them with gifts. And as the list grows, and prices rise, we often spend far more time saying "Bah Humbug" than celebrating the joy of the season.

One of the best ways to save money over the holidays is by giving homemade gifts. Depending on your level of craftiness and creativity, these can range from simple baked goods or ornaments to intricate quilts.

My current favorite homemade gifts are cookie and cocoa baskets, treasure boxes, and bath bombs. The directions for these, as well as suggestions for a few other inexpensive and easy-to-make gifts, are below.

Sometimes, I just gotta laugh when I hear folks debate the effects of parents working outside the home. It's not that the debate isn't serious, or that the stakes aren't high, it's just that the terms seem all wrong.

A reader recently asked how she could finance her business idea when she had used up her savings for education, and does not have family or friends to ask for money from.

I love to cook. I love to eat. I am picky and will not eat things that have no nutritional value (excluding chocolate, which I mentally justify for its medicinal value). I am also the type of mom who looks at recipes and instead of using them, I change them to my own liking and consider it MY personal idea.

In many families, morning is a hectic and hurried time. Frequently parents feel fortunate just to get everyone out the door fully dressed each day. Serve a hot cooked breakfast every morning? Not a chance. Breakfast (if it's served at all) often consists of grabbing a toaster pastry and a quick glass of juice as the family runs out the door racing headlong to work and school.

I've discovered that taking an hour or two on an occassional weekend to prepare breakfast items for the freezer, takes much of the insanity out of the weekday morning rush.