Name: Florence
Age:     41
Home:  Mays Landing, NJ

Family's Names and Ages:
Husband Lou 39
Daughter Amanda 18
Son Luke 15
Son Louis 9

Occupation:
I used to be an administrative assistant and quit that job to work as a special education aide. I am now a coordinator of a non-profit support group for families affected by Autism Spectrum Disorders. I do this for free.

If I had a day to myself...:
I'd take it outside no matter what time of the year. I would go fishing, hiking, skiing or to the beach.

Money Saving Tips:
Having two children with disabilities we have learned to live on less. I clip coupons and only buy what we would use.  We have breakfast for dinner one night a week and a few meatless meals during the week. 

Bargain Hunting Strategies:
I hunt the clearance racks and buy clothes out of season (Target, Old Navy, Kohls). I use my AAA card for movie discounts and shop ebay for those hard to find items. We use the public library for reading material and magazines.

Products we can't live without:
Rice, we eat tons of it and the internet because we don't use newspapers and magazines anymore.

In the Kitchen:
We have white plates, bowls and cups with no particular pattern. If any pieces get broken they can be easily replaced. I make my menu up on Sunday and shop the grocery store on Monday to avoid the crowds.

Organization:
With two autistic children in the house, index cards are crucial. I have them at eye level in different parts of the house to remind my children and myself of things like taking out the trash, making your lunch, brushing your teeth, picking up toys....I pick 5 important skills to work on and we tackle those first.  I do a lot of prep work at night because I'm not a morning person. We have launch pads set up for the morning and a central location for laundry.




 

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