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Your Mother Can Save You From Bankruptcy

mothers teach their kids about moneySometimes, Mother really does know best.

When you were younger, Mom nagged you to brush your teeth, eat your veggies, and clean your room.

You didn’t listen.

When you got a little older, she might have imparted more mature words of wisdom. You probably didn’t listen then, either.

Funny, but as you become more mature, your mother’s advice starts to make more sense, and you might realize that her advice wasn’t as dumb as you always thought it was.

For instance, she told you, “Money doesn’t grow on trees.” Amazingly enough, that is unfortunately true.  Money has to be earned, and earning money is a lot more difficult than picking it off of trees.  Earning money is WORK.

When you have to work for your money, you should be a little more conscious about how you spend it. After all, that new gizmo you want? It will take 45 hours, or more than a solid week, of work to pay for it. When you look at objects in terms of work required to purchase, it might help you to be more discriminating about what you really want.

Of course, there’s always a credit card. Banks are more than willing to lend you money to buy the things you want. And it’s easy enough to whip out the plastic when you want to buy something. But you need to consider the consequences of not paying that item off right away. Add another 10 hours to its real cost, because of the interest you will pay on the credit. Now, is that gizmo really worth 55 hours of your time?

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Family

Save Money While Traveling With Family

Traveling-with-kids-familyYour finances make for a crucial aspect of your trip planning process- no matter whether you’re traveling solo, with friends or with family. Your mode of transport, accommodation, and itinerary- almost everything will depend on your budget. However, as a frequent traveler you should not miss out on chances of making up the most of your vacation within your budget. It’s imperative that you keep track of the latest discounts or the holiday packages offered specifically on the destination of your choice.  You may not be able to afford to stay at the best Boutique Hotel in new york, but you can have a great vacation no matter where you stay as long as you are with the people you love.

Here is a rundown on ways to save money while you’re traveling with your family.

Plan your trip wisely

One of the crucial steps to saving up substantially while traveling would be to travel during the shoulder season. This is the time when accommodation, flight tickets and hotel room rents are much less expensive. The trick would be to plan your trip between the peak and the completely off-peak (for instance, the hurricane) season. Choose a time that falls between these two seasons- shoulder season. For instance, if you’re traveling to Europe it would be advised that you do it either during April- May or from mid-August till October. The climate remains soothing and there’s no real rush of tourists as well. There are solo trippers who choose the school year as well but that would be a little difficult if you are traveling with family. Even after you have booked your resort or hotel, whether that’s a Luxury Hotel in Downtown Cleveland or something a little more modest,  you can go back online in order to check if there are better deals available or are posted until the time you leave. If you can find something of that sort, do ask for those deals.

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Family

What You Should Tell Your Kids About Family Finances

family finance tipsEveryone has their opinion on what you should and shouldn’t share with your children about your family’s financial situation.  Some say you should be really honest and if your family is struggling financially, then the kids should be made aware of it.  Others say that you shouldn’t tell your kids anything at all as it’s not their problem.

I would venture to say that neither approach is healthy.  If a child is in a family that is currently experiencing financial difficulties, it’s a good idea for them to be kept in the loop to a certain degree, but certainly not to the extent that they feel burdened and pressured to find a job to help support the family.

I can say this from experience.  When I was growing up, my mother was a single parent for most of my formative years.  We lived on an extremely tight budget, and while I was aware that things were tight, I was never led to believe that we were going to go hungry or become homeless.  My mother never told me that we were in trouble, even if we might have been.

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Family

Where To Find Affordable Afterschool Programs For Kids

afterschool programs for kdisAfterschool programs are a wise choice for you child every afternoon. Afterschool programs not only provide parents with piece of mind and security after 3 pm, but they also provide kids will lots of learning and socializing opportunities that can help advance their development and take advantage of their free time in the afternoons. Here are some useful tips and resources to help you find affordable, quality afterschool programs for your child.

Using the Internet is a great way to find out about before and after school programs in Forest Hill, MD (or elsewhere more relevant for you) that can cater to your child’s interests. You can access databases online through a search engine so that you will be able to identify programs in your specific area. This can help you find day care options or facilities that offer educational programs or even trips! Some sites even allow parents to write reviews for your reference.

Another option is to contact your child’s school. Often schools provide free afterschool programs themselves. These can range from clubs and sports teams to tutoring opportunities or groups that go on educational trips after school hours. Reaching out to your child’s teachers or even the principal can help you to find out about great opportunities that they have the inside scoop about. Also, these individuals will have a good idea about which programs may best suit your child’s needs, personality or interests for an ideal fit.

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Family

Top 5 Frugal Family Travel Tips

inexpensive family travel tipsSummer is the time of year when people choose to travel the most often. But when you’re taking the entire family along, understandably, your expenses can really start to add up. Just what it costs for four people to go to dinner and a movie can easily run you a couple of hundred dollars.

That’s why we wanted to provide you with a few frugal family travel tips. That way, you can still go on vacation and have a great time, but you won’t have to go over budget in the process.

Plan ahead. There are a lot of people who end up spending more than they need to on things like plane tickets and hotel accommodations all because they didn’t take the time to do some thorough planning beforehand. If you book travel and lodging 4-5 weeks in advance, you are sure to find some pretty good discounts (sometimes as much as 25-40 percent off).

Go all-inclusive. If you’re planning on going to another state, overseas or take a cruise, look for all-inclusive packages. Although you may be able to find some on your own by going to your favorite search engine and putting “all-inclusive travel packages” in the search field, we recommend that you consider going with a travel agent; they are professionally trained to look for the best deals, plus they tend to have already established relationships with various companies and vendors.

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