About Kara

Kara is the editor of Simple Kids . She lives in Indiana with her husband Christopher and their four children.

Stop living paycheck to paycheck {SimpleMom.net}

by Kara on June 7, 2013 • 110 Comments Money Management

How we stopped living (less than) paycheck to paycheck

In my last post, I introduced myself as a person in debt. I hoped to be a source of encouragement for anyone who might be struggling with money. I was touched by the comments that followed. Thank you.

One question seemed to come up: how did we get back on our feet when living less than paycheck to paycheck?

Some of you are in a tough spot through circumstance; maybe you’ve lost a job, you’ve faced illness, or worse.

Our money problem wasn’t an income problem, it was a spending problem. We made enough money, but we were far from careful with it.

Every situation is different, but here is what helped us get back on track:
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by Kara on April 5, 2013 • 117 Comments Money Management You

Hi, my name is Kara and I’m in debt.

“We’re debt free!” The words I long to be able to shout out loud. Hi, my name is Kara and I’m in debt.

Some of you know me as the editor of Simple Kids, but today I’m going to introduce myself to you as a person living in financial bondage. Or, to be less dramatic, I am a person trying to become debt free.

Our journey …

My family and I are in a significant amount of debt. Six figures significant, actually. That’s painful to write.

I won’t go into details, but we did some pretty dumb things with money in our 20′s, both as singles and as a young married couple. We’re spending our 30′s trying to dig out of that debt.

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by Kara on July 27, 2012 • 49 Comments Organizing Your Home

Yearly planning with a file crate system

As much as I love paperless planning and Pinterest, for some things there is just no substitute for actual paper planning.

I love technology, but when it comes to things like holiday recipes written in my grandmother’s hand, family wedding invitations, and articles from the print resources I use, I find it is just more practical, even meaningful, for me when they are in their original paper form.

And, truth be told, even though I am a blogger, I like to have certain aspects of my life “unplugged” and power-cord free.

However, those bits and pieces of paper that serve as part of the tool kit I use to keep organized during the year could easily dominate my desk, kitchen counters, and my life if it weren’t for a simple system I discovered four years ago: the file crate system.

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by Kara on July 9, 2010 • 34 Comments Going Outside Your Family

3 Simple Outdoor Activities that Encourage Family Fitness

I’m on maternity leave from June 11 to July 16: The following is a guest post from Simple Kids editor Kara Fleck.

In an era where more and more families are getting their exercise from video gaming systems, it is more important than ever to encourage outdoor family fitness. Yes, any exercise – even “plugged in” exercise – is better than no exercise, but with a generation of kids spending less time then ever outside, we need to remind our children that fitness and fun are possible without a TV screen and a video game controller.

Getting outdoors to exercise gives kids a chance to unplug from the television and air conditioning and get out into the fresh air and sunshine. Finding outdoor games to play that encourage family fitness gives Mom and Dad the perfect excuse to revisit some of their childhood favorite games, too.

Some of our family’s favorite activities that combine exercise with the outdoors include hula hooping, playing tag, and jumping games.
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