If you’re like me, you’re not only the mom of the house, you’re also the accountant. And if you’re the accountant, you’re well aware of the high cost of health care and health insurance. It’s an unavoidable part of life, but just because it’s expensive, that doesn’t mean you can’t save money on it. Below are six ways to do exactly that.

THE EMERGENCY ROOM IS FOR EMERGENCIES ONLY – Every illness and injury might seem like an emergency, but knowing the difference between an emergency and a non-emergency can save you plenty of time and money. Many minor injuries and other ailments can be fixed with a trip to your local urgent care center or a trip to a convenience care clinic at CVS.

APPEAL DENIED INSURANCE CLAIMS – Insurance companies are notorious for trying to wiggle their way out of paying for various things. If they deny payment on a service you think they should pay for, give them a call and get some answers. If that doesn’t work, it might be time to file an appeal.

CHECK YOUR BILLS FOR ERRORS – As many as one half of all healthcare bills contain errors that could end up costing you more than your fair share. For that reason, review all bills carefully. If you find an error, contact your healthcare provider and/or insurance company and get it fixed.

GET INSURANCE! – Imagine driving your car without insurance or owning a home without insurance. Besides being illegal (in the case of the car) or a violation of your mortgage (for your home), it’s also incredibly risky. The same is true of health insurance. Yes, you might be healthy and strong now, but you can’t predict illness or accidents. And all it takes is one trip to the hospital to set you back $10,000 or more. Suddenly that health insurance isn’t such a bad investment, isn’t it?

DO YOUR HOMEWORK WHEN SHOPPING FOR A HEALTHCARE PLAN – You wouldn’t skip the research when shopping for a car or any other high cost item, so don’t skip the research when shopping for a healthcare plan. Not only will that research help you get the best rate (which saves you money), it’ll also help you get the best health coverage for your family.

HIGH DEDUCTIBLE, LOWER RATES – Like any insurance plan, the higher your deductible is, the lower your premiums will be. Here’s the catch: You’ll have a higher deductible (obviously), but if you don’t visit the doctor that often, it might be worth it in the long run.

If you are wanting to garden this year but don’t think you can afford the start up costs, think again! Planting your own backyard garden or even just adding to the landscape of your home does not need to be stressful or pricey. In fact, if you follow just a few simple tips and tricks, you can grow a beautiful garden and add some color to your yard on a dime! Don’t worry, I won’t suggest you pick your neighbors plants either! There are actually some very simple ways to get the yard you want without blowing your budget. Below, you will find some great tips for growing a garden on a dime!

Take a look at how easy it is to get a colorful yard for pennies. You may have a greener thumb, and wallet by doing so!

Tips for Growing a Garden on a Dime!

1. Keep an eye on Craigslist
Many gardeners need to thin out their plants in the spring, and hate to toss what is still good. Keep an eye on Craigslist to find gardeners giving away free plants. Many are happy to give starts away for free as long as you come and pick them up. This is a great way to score free plants.

2. Join the Home Depot Garden Club
Home Depot is offering a free gardening club where you can not only learn all sorts of great tips and tricks, but get some great freebies as well! All members will get a $5.00 off coupon to use this year which will surely score you some free plants! Enrollment is quick, easy, and free!

3. Visit your local Library
Local libraries may often free gardening clubs and plant swaps. Be sure to call yours and see if they are offering any this season. This is a great way to not only get some free info, but score some free plants and other gardening supplies.

4. Save your Seeds
Don’t toss those produce and veggies seeds, save them! Store them in a cool and dry place and plant as you would a packet of seeds. They are the same thing and you are getting them for free. You can even swap seeds with friends so you can all have a variety.

5. Offer to thin plants for the starts
Maybe your elderly neighbor has a beautiful lily patch but can’t thin them out each season. Offer to do it for her in exchange for keeping the starts you pull. When lilies cost $3.00 a plant at your local gardening center, this can really add up to be a great deal for you!

6. Attend home improvement workshops
Many home improvement stores offer free workshops for kids where a make and take activity is done. Check out your local stores and see if there are any available this spring. Your child might get a free seedling, tree, or birdhouse to accent the yard.

7. Look for natural, free accents
Don’t pay big bucks for expensive borders and yard decor. Instead, look for free river rock, old brick, discarded wood, etc. that you can use for your borders. Place old colorful dishes or shabby old painted furniture in the yard for some cottage decor. Add a little paint to spruce up what you already have!

As you can see, there are so many great ways to get plants and supplement your lawn and garden for little to nothing. You just have to be creative and think outside of the box. When you do, you will see how easy it is to develop your yard and keep money in your pocket at the same time. Happy gardening!

It’s yard sale season. And while you should definitely use yard sales to find great deals on furniture, toys, books and all sorts of other stuff, you should also consider throwing your own yard sale. You’ll not only get rid of some of your unwanted stuff, you make a few dollars (or several hundred dollars), too!

And while throwing a yard sale can be fun, it also takes a lot a planning to get it right. Here are five tips to help you do exactly that.

TREAT SHOPPERS LIKE FRIENDS – If you’re nice to people, they’ll be nice to you, which means they’ll be more likely to buy something and more likely to buy it for the price you asked. When shoppers arrive, don’t just sit in your lawn chair. Walk up to them, smile, greet them, and make small talk. Just like you would if a friend were visiting your home.

OFFER FREEBIES – Have you ever noticed that yard sales that offer free coffee, soda and snacks (doughnuts are a good choice) usually have the most people? That’s because people like free stuff. And even if they only stop by for the free soda, they’ll still take some time to look around and they might even buy something.

MAKE YOUR STUFF LOOKS NEW – Okay, you might not be able to make it look “new,” but you should at least take some time to dust it, clean it, or repair it as much as possible. This seems like common sense, but you’d be surprised how many sellers skip this step – and then wonder why no one wants to buy that barely used (but very grimy looking) toaster oven.

START EARLY – Yard sale shoppers get up early, which is why the peak yard sale hours are between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. With that in mind, you should definitely resist the temptation to sleep in until 8 and then take an hour to set up your yard sale. Wake up at 5 (on a Saturday? Yes!) and be set up and ready to sell by 6 a.m.

GRAB A FRIEND – Waking up at 5 a.m. and standing around your front lawn for four hours is a lot more fun with friends. For that reason, you should definitely invite a friend or two to bring some of their unwanted goodies and join you. You’ll not only have a companion to talk to during the slow periods, but all of your stuff put together will make your yard sale look bigger, and when it comes to yard sales, bigger is better!

Christmas seems so long ago, doesn’t it? It was actually only four months ago, but to your kids, that’s like forever – especially when it comes to the “newness” of their toys. By now, they’ve probably grown tired of many of Santa’s gifts, which means you’re buying new toys for the spring and summer season.

Before you shell out a small fortune to refresh your children’s toy box, you might consider trying a few of these money-saving tips. And in case you missed it, feel free to check out the other entry about saving on toys, which was posted back in January.

TAKE A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE – Today’s toys are all wires and technology, which means they’re a lot more expensive than toys were when we were kids. Ironically, the cheaper toys from our childhood were also a lot more durable. Revisit the good old days by investing in classic toys for your tots, including Mr. Potato Head, Lincoln Logs, and Legos.

HIT THE ROAD – Just about every list of money-saving tips (saving on clothes, saving on furniture) includes a trip around your neighborhood in search of a good yard sale. Toys are no exception. As long as they’re in good condition and can be cleaned, it’s one of the easiest ways to save money on toys.

GET CRAFTY – Kids are pretty resourceful, and can find joy in all sorts of everyday objects. Put this resourcefulness to the test while also saving money, by transforming things around the house into “brand new” toys.

SWAP WITH FRIENDS – You can throw a toy party, which we talked about in our last toy entry, or you can just throw your child’s unwanted toys in a box, ask a friend to do the same, and swap boxes. Now wasn’t that easy?

BUY FEWER TOYS – This one is easier said than done, but the simplest way to save money on anything is to buy less of it. Talk to your kids about consumerism (if they’re old enough to understand the lesson), and make a conscious effort to buy less and enjoy the toys they have a little more.

My husband and I have had several discussions recently about saving for the future. We feel like we are doing well saving for our retirement, but we do not feel like we are saving enough for the future for our girls. Our girls are still young, so luckily there’s still time to come up with a plan and save for their future. There’s so much to save for — first cars, college, weddings, and more.

If you are looking for a way to save for your children, look into the Kids Savings Account from Capital One 360!

Kids Savings Account

• Teach kids to be good Savers
  • A kid-friendly 0.75% variable Annual Percentage Yield (effective 10/10/2012)
  • No fees, no minimums
• Have the “money talk” early - Show youngsters that stashing cash away is not only easy, it’s fun.
• Play it safe - The money’s FDIC-insured and the grown-up’s in charge of all deposits and withdrawals.

Teach kids to be savers with a Capital One 360 Kids Savings Account. Fee-free. No minimums. Open now!