April is an important month when it comes to spending money: Soon-to-be grads prep for the "real world" as parents contemplate the rising costs of summer camp for their kids.

Homeowners tackle pricey improvement projects during more favorable spring temperatures while others face the looming tax deadline for paying outstanding debt. With all the mounting financial woes Americans face this time of year, no wonder April has been dubbed National Financial Literacy Month in hopes of promoting financial health among consumers.

The journey towards financial wellness starts with a critical review of your spending habits. To get on the right track, brush up on these basic buying skills:

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We've all been there...it's time to cook dinner and you start to prepare the same old boring thing you fix every week.  :yawn:  Classic recipes are great and every home chef should have many of these go-to greats in their kitchen arsenal, but why fix the same ol' dish week after week, when you can zing up the traditional with a quick and easy twist?

Thankfully, Hellmann's has created the Chicken Change-Up event featuring celebrity Chef Tim Love.  The recipes featured will help us all take charge of our family dinners and serve quick, flavorful and budget-conscious dishes that the whole family will clamor over.  Keep reading to learn more about how Hellmann's helped me take a boring piece of chicken and transform it into one delectable meal!

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Fire up the grill and get ready for kickoff; football season is here. What goes hand-in-hand with football season? Tailgating of course. Fans everywhere are honing secret recipes and stocking up on supplies to make their party dominate the parking lot. It's important, however, to be mindful of spending, as the festivity's cost can quickly add up, from team memorabilia to beer and food.

Before you put the finishing touches on your tailgate plans, try out a few of these thrifty tips.

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Sign up for the Step2 Birthday Club and receive special offers, sales, new product details and promotional coupon codes! You'll also receive an email with a special offer one calendar month before your little one's birthday (To ensure you receive your birthday email, please provide your child's birthday month and year in your subscription profile at least 60 days before his or her birthday).

Step2 also won't clog up your inbox with a bunch of unwanted emails. It's just one or two emails each month. They'll also never sell, rent, or loan your email address to other companies.

Keep reading to see the fabulous deal going on this weekend!

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As businesses brace for the possibility of a double dip recession, brides and grooms should plan for the unexpected when planning their wedding day: job loss, vendors going out of business, rising prices and traveling limitations.

While weddings still take place even in a down economy, brides and grooms are scaling back and trimming the excess from their celebrations. The numbers show the dramatic shift:

The average cost of a wedding dropped $10,000 in a year after the recession began. Last year the cost began to recover, rising from $19,581 (2009) to $23,867, according to The Wedding Report. But the latest figures show weddings are taking a hit again, with the average cost of a wedding for the first half of 2011 sinking to $21,277.

Scarcity of jobs, a sour housing market and high fuel costs are making wedding planning a challenge - for couples and vendors alike. Florists, caterers, bakers and vendors providing wedding ceremony accessories are feeling the pinch of rising prices and are passing those costs onto their clients.

But there are ways to recession-proof your wedding and make your day of celebration a little easier on the wallet for everyone involved:

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We're all familiar with the three "R"s - reading, writing and arithmetic. Perhaps we need to add a fourth "r" - riches. According to the Council for Economic Education, less than one third of states require a financial literacy course be taught in high schools. April is Financial Literacy Month, so there is no better time to talk to your children about money.

"As parents, we want what's best for our kids. That should include providing them the skills they need to be financially independent," said Mary Brockhaus, Senior Vice President, M&I, a part of BMO Financial Group. "We have the opportunity to teach them to not make some of the same financial mistakes we may have made growing up."

You don't have to introduce your kids to your financial advisor, but it is important to introduce them to finance basics — because it's possible no one else will. Use the tips below to help your children or grandchildren develop money smarts, starting as soon as they can point to something in a store and say, "I want that!"

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