Money Smarts for Mom and Dad: Fixing the Most Common Family Finance Problems

Few things are as common or as stressful as money problems. When you have children and a family to feed, making ends meet is a constant concern, especially if you are like most people in America today. Being without financial concerns is, sadly, something that few of us nowadays can enjoy. While many financial problems are completely out of our control, there are plenty of ways you can take control of your financial life. Doing so will allow you to take better care of your family and make sure they don’t have to struggle through tough financial times. Below we will look at some of the most common financial problems facing families today and how to address them.

Too much debt

Americans are drowning in debt. The average student debt alone is currently in excess of $30,000, while credit card debt for the average household is $15,000. Americans, meanwhile, are carrying mortgages that are, on average, $150,000. That’s a lot of debt and it doesn’t even include other debts, such as medical expenses and car loans, that can make paying the bills feel all but impossible. Many people rely on getting an instant loan just to keep up with their payments. However, if you are struggling with debt then you are going to have to take more drastic measures to address the problem. Usually, dealing with debt comes down to changing what your priorities are. If you treat debt as your main financial priority, then you will begin to see it come down. Focus on your high-interest debt first or talk to a credit counselor about possible solutions for paying down debt faster.

Lack of communication

Finances are a big reason why so many Americans today divorce, largely because a lot of couples fail to communicate effectively about money. Everybody has different financial goals and expectations, but if your spouse doesn’t know what they are then problems are going to erupt. Furthermore, most people have different personalities when it comes to money, with some enjoying the security that comes with saving and others enjoying the thrill of spending and acquiring new things. Even if you are a saver, don’t count on your husband or wife being the same. While it can be a difficult topic of conversation, sitting down and going over the family budget is important. Set limits on what each of you can spend a month and agree on what your priorities are going to be as a family. That sort of communicative approach will not only help your wallet, it could even save your relationship.

Sudden loss of income

You could suffer from a sudden loss of income in a variety of ways. Most obviously, you could simply end up losing your job or have your hours cut. Or maybe you have a baby on the way and you need to stay at home while your spouse goes to work. Or maybe your income was already too low to begin with and it’s preventing you from saving enough to get by. Dealing with this problem can be difficult. First, make sure you have a plan in case you lose your job one day. This means getting your finances in order fast and building up enough savings so that you will have some time to look for another job if you lose your current one. Having savings in place will also allow you to develop skills that may be necessary for finding a new job. While you have your current job, maybe consider going to night school (if you can afford it) so that you will have some new skills you can fall back on if the worst happens.

If you simply don’t have enough income as it is, then it is time for you to start cutting your expenses. That means doing up a budget and figuring out where your money is going each month. Chances are there are more than a few items you can do without. For example, if you have a good internet connection and can watch most of your favorite shows online then do you still need a cable subscription? And instead of buying a gym membership just to use their treadmill, why not go for morning runs or bike rides around your neighborhood? While such savings may not seem like much, they usually add up to thousands of dollars each year.

Supporting a family is tough, especially when the economy seems so uncertain. If you are struggling with money, then take the steps necessary to keep on top of your financial priorities so that your family can live more comfortably.

Tom Hanson shares his tips on all things relating to personal finance. He has worked as a personal finance consultant for several years, and as a Dad with 3 kids to support he himself knows how tough it can be.

Parenting

Positive Parenting: Make Your Child Feel Loved When You’re Not Around

Anne Younger Leave a comment

Sometimes it’s not possible for you to be with your children every day. Perhaps you are on active duty in the military, you have to make a business trip, or maybe you are a co-parent. This is not only tough for you, it can also be incredibly hard for your children. So why not make sure they know how much you love them even when you can’t be together. Here is a list of some small gestures you can make that will make your child feel special and loved every single day, even on those days when you can’t be there.

Give them a special gift: There’s nothing like personalized gifts to make your kids feel special. How about message t-shirts telling them how special they are? These will remind them of you every time they are worn. Here are some more personalized gift ideas.

Write them a letter: This is a very special way to share how you feel with your kids because they can keep it with them and read it over whenever they are missing you. Let them know what’s going on in your life and tell them how much you love them and miss them.

Make them a video: If you have young kids, why not make a goofy video of yourself to make them laugh. For older children, you could make them a “day in my life” video so they can see where you are and the things you do each day.

Talk to them online: Although you may not be able to be in the same physical location as your kids, you can still communicate with them using Skype or FaceTime. Each offers a video platform to make audio and video calls and they’re both free. This is a great way to stay in touch and show your kids you care.

Write a journal: Keep a journal when you’re away from home and write in it every day so you can give it to them when you get back home.

Leave notes: Next time you’re getting ready to leave on your trip. Leave little notes in their room for them to find later, or if they’re coming to visit you, leave them around their room in your home. You could put them in a glove, a reading book, a lunchbox or under their pillow.

Leave messages: If you call and there’s no one home, leave a message on the answering service so that they can hear your voice when they get home, and they can play the messages as often as they like.

Give them a reminder: Give your kids something to remind them of you. Whether it’s one of your t-shirts, a photo, or your favorite toy from your childhood, it will make them feel closer to you when you’re away.

Make them a checklist: Pin them a hugs and kisses checklist on the fridge so they can get a daily dose of your love. This will also allow them to count off the days until they’ll see you again.

Give them something of yours to sleep in: Let them snuggle up at night in your PJ top or t-shirt so they will sleep soundly thinking of you.

Give them a surprise a day: Write them a note, draw them a picture or get them a card for each day that you are away. Put each surprise in a separate envelope with the day and the date written on the front. That way they have a new surprise to open every day while you’re gone.

Make them a paper chain calendar: Make a paper chain with a loop for each day so they can tear it off before bedtime to count the days until you come home.

Give them something to snuggle with at night: Get them a new soft toy or snuggle blanket so they won’t feel lonely in bed at night.

Get some stickers: Get some sheets of stickers and make a calendar with them so your kids have a special sticker each day that you are away.

Read them a story: Read them a bedtime story over the phone or on Skype or FaceTime.

No matter where you have to travel or how long you have to be away for, you can always let your kids know how much you love them every single day. This is important for them so they can grow feeling safe and secure and important for you, so you can feel close to your kids even when you can’t see them.

Eva Farrell writes about parenting. She is Mommy to a 7 year old and a 4 month old. Her articles appear on mommy and lifestyle blogs.

Totally Random

What Could You Learn from Speaking To a Psychic?

Anne Younger Leave a comment

There are many questions surrounding our lives that we simply can’t find the answers to. It’s frustrating at times, because we can’t see into the future to see if we’re going to come out on top. It’s also discouraging when we only see one side of the equation because of being too self-aware.

Speaking to a psychic gives you the opportunity to learn more about yourself, your situation, and those around you. This means you can suddenly get more answers about your past, current, and future – and this has the potential to really open up your world.

What a Psychic Offers You

There are all sorts of different psychics in the world. Some read tarot cards and can therefore see how the cards lie to explain how they affect you. Some are clairvoyants and can see what’s going on in the future as well as more of what’s going on around you. There are also psychics who can see the future and the past in order to provide you with more insight. You can easily explore the different readers available online at Psychic World if you’re unsure about which one is right for you.

Choosing one of these psychics means you could learn more about who you are. You can learn about what has caused some of your biggest problems and how to avoid making similar mistakes. You can also learn more about the relationships you currently have, including who you can and cannot trust. The future might also be explained so you know what you have to look forward to and when you can start to see things get better.

Asking the Important Questions

You have questions. Everyone does. What you want to know may be very different from what someone else wants to know. As you ask the questions to a psychic, they are able to tap into the mysteries of the universe in order to see what’s going on with you. They form a connection with you to see more about who you are and what’s going on in your life.

Some of the questions you might want to ask include:

What is it about me that makes it difficult to form meaningful relationships?
How can I overcome what happened to me in the past?
Will I get a raise at work?
What will happen if I choose this path in life?
Are the people I surround myself with loyal?

There are thousands of questions you could ask and each one is going to be personal to you and who you are. You might also ask different questions based upon what’s going on right now. This is why many people choose to have long-term relationships with their psychics. They end up with psychic advisors to help put their mind at ease when encounter problems in life. This might be something you want to consider as well. Then, any time you have a question or concern, you have the option to reach out to a psychic and let them use their intuition and abilities to guide you.

Guidance is what it is all really about. When you speak to a psychic, you learn more about the situation you’re facing so you can determine how you want to continue. It might help you with a decision or to relieve stress you’re feeling towards what’s going on.

The things you can learn from speaking to a psychic is never-ending – and it’s something worth exploring at least once in your life. You deserve to have answers and there are people who can tap into the universe to give them to you. All you have to do is decide to make the call. The answers you get could change your life.

Home Decor

Cheap Ways To Make Your Home’s Décor Look Custom

Anne Younger Leave a comment

When you’re browsing your favorite high-end home decorating magazines or going through Pinterest, the houses that probably catch your eye most often tend to be the ones that feel custom. They have beautiful items that look like they were made specifically for that home, and there’s a lot of attention to detail. Some of these details may have been added during construction, while others might be decorating choices.

Regardless, there’s always something that’s more aesthetically appealing about a home that feels customized, but that can also mean that your budget takes a hit.

The following are some ways to integrate the beauty of custom home décor even on a budget.

Add Molding

Molding is probably the number one way to make your home look more expensive architecturally, but people don’t realize what a cheap and easy upgrade this is.

Adding moldings including things like crown molding and picture frame molding is relatively inexpensive, and with things like crown molding, the wider you go, the more custom and high-end your home will look. You can add molding in other areas as well such as baseboards, column molding, chair rails and more.

If you want your moldings to pop, paint them fresh, crisp while and your walls a contrasting color.

Window Coverings

If you’ve ever seen curtains that are too short or blinds that are too wide, you likely know the negative impact non-custom window coverings can have on the look of your home.

If you want to make a big upgrade that can be relatively low-cost, search online for custom or even semi-custom window covering companies. If your curtains, shades or blinds are a perfect fit, it will instantly up the wow factor of your space.

As an additional note, if you’re hanging curtains make sure you put them up high, somewhere around the edge of your crown molding. It will make your ceilings appear higher and give the room a more expensive, elegant feel.

Don’t Buy Furniture Sets

If you have ever gone into an expensive living room or bedroom, you probably noticed the furniture isn’t a matching set. When you go into a furniture store or shop online and buy a set of furniture, it looks just like you ripped it off the showroom floor.

On the other hand, try to choose pieces that complement one another but don’t match identically.

A good way to do this on a budget is to shop flea markets, vintage stores or yard sales and choose unique pieces that you can then customize with paint.

Layering

Layering is something that you can do with the items you already have, and it can up the appearance of your home quite a bit. You want to layer different colors and textures with one another, for a rich, custom decorated feel.

This could mean layering a soft fur or hide rug on top of a larger natural-fiber area rug or adding throws to your sofa. It could also mean adding a few oversized throw pillows in your living room or even layering accessories on your coffee table.

If you have a small budget but want a custom home, follow the tips above to transform your space creatively and inexpensively.

Travel, travel tips

Must Have Items When Traveling with Kids

Anne Younger Leave a comment

This post is brought to you by Metro Kia Atlanta, visit them online at http://www.metrokiaatlanta.com.

We spend a lot of time in our family minivan. With 5 kids of all different ages we are constantly on the go due to different events at different schools for each of them.

One thing I have learned over the years is to be prepared for anything when you have kids in the car, you never know what to expect. I learned a valuable lesson at a soccer game once when we forgot the diaper bag at home. Let’s just say my child ended up wearing a grocery bag and towel as a makeshift diaper.

Since that day, I have kept diapers and wipes in the glovebox of our cars in addition to having these items with us whenever we head out for a trip that will have the kids in the car for 30 or more minutes.

Must Have Items

Books – Keep a few age appropriate books in the car at all times and encourage them to hone their reading skills or create their own story based on the pictures. Books also give them something to do instead of them asking you over and over if you’re there yet.
Blanket(s) – It never fails that we are headed somewhere and I hear that someone is cold or tired and they ask for a blanket.
Baby Wipes – These are a must have with kids as they can be used for so much more than changing a diaper. You can bet that someone will spill, or get an owie or rub up onto something and get dirty.
Snacks – Make sure you have something on hand for when the inevitable I’m hungry comes out of their mouth. Fruit snacks, fruit bars, crackers, are all great snacks for in the car.
Beverages – Of course, if you’re going to have a snack, you’ll want to have a car friendly beverage such as bottled water, juice box or a sippy cup.
Clothes – Yes, you’re traveling, you have a suitcase of clothes but you should always have an extra outfit readily available for each kid in case someone gets sick or has an accident.
Garbage Bag(s) / Trash Receptacle – I don’t know how they manage to do it but it never fails that there is a mess in the car when you are traveling with kids. Have something handy for them to throw their trash in.

Do you have any must have items when traveling with your family?