Editor’s Note: Today we’re introducing our new finance columnist and blogger Lorra Brown to the It’s Not Enough to Dream blogosphere. In this five-part series, she will share some great tips about how to trim dollars from the household budget.

Regardless of your spending habits, there are simple ways to trim the household budget. Changing habits can easily add up to thousands of dollars within a single year. Here are some tips to help you save.

Before you leap in, make a budget and evaluate it regularly. In order to develop your budget, keep all of your receipts for a month this will allow you to get a realistic sense of where you are in your present spending.

1.  Insurance

• Compare prices for auto, home, health, business and life insurance. Consolidating at one insurance company could lower your insurance costs. 
• Check with your agent to see if you‘re getting all the discounts you deserve, if not you may need to take your business elsewhere to save money. 
• Consider raising your deductible for lower rates. Sometimes working from home could mean a discount on auto insurance.

Like any good teacher, I often use real life examples to get a point across.  And I’ve come to realize that making the shift from ministry to business doesn’t have to be that difficult.  After all, some of the greatest success principles are shared between the two.

• Testimonies are powerful.

Whether given from a pulpit or a promotional business ad, success stories are always effective. People talk about how their lives have changed for the better and give credit to the source that made it happen.

The end result?  A bunch of new church members or customers who understand that if it can be done for someone else, it can be done for them too.

• Consider your audience when speaking.

It’s no good speaking to people in a language that they can’t understand.  You have to show that you can relate to those that you want to help.

The end result?  A congregation or database of clients that know, like and trust you — and look to you to lead them to a better way.

•  Do it to serve others.

The lady in the soup kitchen line who snarls and is stingy with the beans is just as ineffective as the ornery customer service representative on the phone.  They both hurt the feelings of the person on the receiving end and make the entire establishment look bad.  Assisting those in need should always be the driving force.

The end result?   Glad hearts and great reputations…all the way around.

I recently had a client who said that she wanted to find balance.  My response: “When you find it, give me a call because I’m looking for it too.”

If you’re anything like my clients and myself, you are an overachieving woman — always looking for that balance.  Balance implies that both sides of the scale have equal weight.  And for that to happen, things would have to be…well, perfect.  And I don’t have to tell you that perfection is beyond us mere mortals.

That’s why I prefer the term “harmony.” I learned it when I was going through some coaching with my life coach, Deaquelynn Williams.  This idea references harmony, like in music.  Do all of the instruments play all at once, for the same length of time?

The answer is no.  Each has its time.  Sometimes working together.  And sometimes solo.  But it all creates  a beautiful piece.

When I get frustrated about my “mom” stuff getting in the way of my business stuff, or my business stuff getting in the way of my wife stuff — I think about something that I came across a while back on a mompreneur’s blog site.

“When you’re a working mom, sometimes things get way out of balance.  Some days the scales are tipped really far in one direction.  The next day, you just tip them back the other way again!”

You know, like…”Coffee, Mrs. Adams?”

“Shall I bring the car around for you, Mrs. Adams?”

Don’t laugh.  You’ve had the same ideas.

Fast forward a few years and I now know that this particular logic served my ego, but not the bottom line in the business.  And, if your company keeps a roof over your head and feeds and clothes your family, you want to be helping the bottom line.   While your assistant is there to perhaps provide your coffee or set up your transportation, more importantly, they are there to help you so that you can earn more money.

But you can’t just grab any person off the street and give them the position.  Do your interviewing and research and make sure that your assistant possesses these characteristics:

• Intelligence

Seems elementary, right?  Unfortunately, every one isn’t the best thinker.  Contrary to popular belief, you don’t want your assistant to be someone who can only do what you tell them to do.  You want to be able to tell your assistant to draft a letter and they draft it.  You don’t want to have to dictate it and then spell check it.  By then, you could have done it yourself.  Remember, your assistant is doing the work so you don’t have to and you can be free to do other things.

• Creative

Sometimes, as the CEO, you have the best ideas, but can’t always translate them into something that is aesthetically or otherwise pleasing to your clients.  Your assistant should be able to help you — or at least help you hire someone — that helps you to get your point across.  Whether you are hosting an event, teaching a class or mailing letters, your assistant should have their eye on the little things that make a big difference in your branding and company reputation.

• Problem-Solving

Think about the relationship between a wedding coordinator and a bride.  The coordinator has a bag full of tricks — an extra pair of stockings, safety pins, bobby pins, anything that the bride might need should she have a mishap.  Similarly, good assistants are ready with a solution when things don’t go as planned in your business.

Here are three reasons why you might be unknowingly removing yourself from the running in the business race.

• Your website has the phrase ‘FREE site by ——-’ stamped at the bottom.  Can you say ‘ruins credibility’?

Now, I’m all for free, especially when you’re just starting.  But your potential clientele doesn’t have to know that it’s free.  Have some class and  pay the $20 to get that removed until you can afford a web designer.

• You have the demeanor of a turtle.

No energy.  Just creeping along letting people know that you are”‘trying” to “get a business started.”  That sounds like a personal problem.  One that should be shared with a mentor, coach or counselor — not potential clients. People won’t pay you if you aren’t confident in yourself and your abilities.

• Your 30-second commercial is ten minutes long and includes your entire life story.

They may hire you if they can remember what you did in the first place.  Chances are, they tuned you out after the first minute.  People don’t get excited about your company because they like you.  They get excited when they learn about how you can help them.

Too often, I sit down for a coaching session with a client to find that their business operations are way off balance.  Take a look at the personality types below to find out which best fits you.

The Planner:

This lady is plenty busy, but not very productive.  Her days are filled with research and phone calls so that she can map out her plan.  She thinks a lot and asks plenty of questions.  She networks and take classes.  But she doesn’t implement what she learns so that her business can actually grow.

The Employee:

This lady forgets that if she doesn’t get out there and bring in new clients for her business, she won’t have any.  She is most comfortable when doing client work and upon signing a client or two, easily settles into taking care of them with little to no regard for the future of her company.

The Marketer:

This lady is excited about her company and is very good about getting others excited as well.  She loves to increase her bottom line and can bring in new clients, but isn’t as excited about day-to-day work.  Her paperwork and files are a mess, and she doesn’t take the time to make sure that her current clients are having a great experience with the company.

The Personal Developer:

This lady thinks that if she could just attend one more workshop, retreat, or read one more book, then she’ll be in perfect shape to launch and do well in her business.  She’s waiting on the perfect time to get started.

The truth is, we all need to have a little of each of these traits to run a successful business.  You must plan.  You must take care of your clients.  You must bring in new clients.  And you must invest in yourself on a regular basis.

I’ve prepared a worksheet that my clients are using to help them with balance in their business.  I’ll be happy to share it with you.  Just send me an email  at adrienne@itsnotenoughtodream.com.  

So…which one are you?  Perhaps a combination of both?  Tell us in the comments.

There are several ways you can recognize Women’s History Month or International Women’s Day (on March 8!) to champion the causes, education and empowerment of women everywhere.

“Once largely limited to poor women and minorities, motherhood without marriage has settled deeply into middle America. The fastest growth in the last two decades has occurred among white women in their 20s who have some college education but no four-year degree, according to Child Trends, a Washington research group that analyzed government data.

Among mothers of all ages, a majority — 59 percent in 2009 — are married when they have children. But the surge of births outside marriage among younger women — nearly two-thirds of children in the United States are born to mothers under 30 — is both a symbol of the transforming family and a hint of coming generational change.”

“Marriage has become a luxury good,” Frank Furstenberg tells NYT.

But is this a change for the better. According to the report, “researchers have consistently found that children born outside marriage face elevated risks of falling into poverty, failing in school or suffering emotional and behavioral problems.”

Her soul-stirring voice, her heartfelt lyrics touched us in a career that spanned decades — before a somewhat ugly turn that we won’t ever speculate about here.

But one article in particular that caught our attention is the tribute from ESPN — yes, the sports network — about how Houston’s music inspired female athletes.

“‘#OneMomentInTime has propelled me to many of my grand slams victories. #whitneyhouston,’” Serena Williams tweeted Saturday night after Houston’s death.

Little girls in gyms and on courts across the nation drew inspiration from Houston’s ability to rock stages and screens. Her powerful vocals and take-charge attitude fueled their drive to win.

Fem-friendly anthem “I’m Every Woman,” which topped the dance charts in 1993, was great in-arena music for Manon Rheaume’s debut as the first, and to this day only, woman to play in an NHL exhibition game.

And in 1995, as “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)” hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts, Anne Donovan was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame, Swoopes became the first woman with her own Nike shoe, and the UConn women’s basketball team breezed to a 35-0 record and national title,” the article notes.

We thought this article was a fun yet poignant angle of Houston’s influence — the idea that little girls (and women) everywhere pushed themselves even further with her encouragement.

We found a great little post on Yahoo! Education about the subject and we wanted to share a few snippets.

Here are five careers that “are open to people who fall on the more bashful side of the spectrum,” Lisa Andrews, director of career services at the University of Maryland University College, tells Yahoo!.

“Any position where you work with data and ideas instead of people would be ideal careers for introverted people,” she says.

Career #1: Graphic Designer

Related degrees: Bachelor’s degree in graphic design or fine arts

Average earnings: $48,140*

Career # 2: Accountant

Related degrees: Bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance

Average earnings: $68,960*

Career #3: Computer Programmer

Related degrees: Bachelor’s degree in computer programming often required

Average earnings: $74,900*

Career #4: Actuary

Related degrees: Bachelor’s degree in areas like mathematics and statistics

Average earnings: $98,620*

Career #5: Dental Technician

Related degrees: Dental technicians must have a high school diploma. Formal education is available in the form of accredited dental laboratory technology programs

Average earnings: $37,980*

*All salary data comes from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics and is based upon median earnings from May 2010. Read full Yahoo! article here.