Moms have eyes in the back of their pocketbooks

Mothers-and fathers-always deal with a certain amount of stress, but the current economic condition is only adding to their tension. More moms (40 percent) feel stressed about their family life than feel good about the way things are (33 percent), according to the recently released State of the American Mom Report from the Marketing to Moms Coalition. But in true mother fashion, these women saw it coming even before the Wall Street collapse. Almost all (90 percent) of the survey respondents said they expected the economy to get weaker.

The report, which surveyed 1,033 mothers nationwide, found that, in particular, full-time working mothers and those with lower incomes are seeing increased stress levels. "The State of the American Mom Report shows that moms are feeling more overwhelmed, more concerned about their children versus themselves," said Michal Clements, founding member of the Marketing to Moms Coalition and partner of Insight to Action, the research firm that fielded the study. "Moms are continuing to try to find ways to streamline and simplify their lives-now more than ever."

How? More than 60 percent of women with children are trying to do one-stop shopping to save time and money. Also, more than 60 percent are making meals at home, 55 percent are shopping and paying bills online, and 45 percent are buying in bulk.

The report parallels veterinary team members' responses to the September 2008 VetMetTeam.com survey. More than 57 percent of team members are worried about their practice's financial situation, and 85 percent have cut back on personal expenses. The top two cut backs: retail items like clothes and personal care like haircuts. Areas where team members are cutting back the least: Childcare and pet care.