Finance Archives - Page 3 of 12

Key Tips for Managing Your Family Finances

April 10, 2018 by Mandy

Having a family surrounding you every day is one of life’s biggest joys. Yet, with so many people to manage, you may often find it more difficult to spread your finances so easily. Owning a home, having kids, and feeding a family are all just a few reasons why people incur financial trouble in their lives. This can add extra stress on top of the family commitments and work you may already have, but it is something that can be easily avoided before it becomes a big problem. Even if you are not great at understanding finances, there are some tips you can implement quickly and easily into your family routine, without having to burden your mind.

Talk about money

One of the biggest mistakes families make when trying to manage their finances is to not talk about it. When you have a partner or kids who are old enough to understand the value of money, having regular talks about spending habits or how financially stable you are should become part of your lives. This may be tricky when you are struggling, but unless you are honest about what is going on, your kids will never be able to learn about family finance effectively. Not only this but as the parents in your home, any large expenditures or financial setbacks should be discussed, rather than being brushed under the table to be dealt with at a later date.

Make a monthly budget

One of the best ways to manage your money is by making a budget. While thinking on a monthly scale is tricky, it allows you to take into account a few weeks’ worths of spending and incomings, so you know the concessions you can make. Sitting down at the beginning of each month and making a loose plan of what needs to be paid for, what money you have coming in, and how much savings you can take for that month is a great place to start. If you have a large family, it is sometimes wise to employ an accountant for a short period of time to help you work out where your money is going.

Take note of spending habits

Over time, you will notice that there are some aspects of family life that you spend more money on than others. Although you may feel as though your budget accounts for this, you could be seeing a mismatch in numbers when it comes to the end of the month due to unrealistic expectations. Before you start your budget for the next month, remember to take note of how much money you have spent on food, schooling, and clothes before you set out to make a more accurate budget for the coming months.

Prepare for emergencies

Although you may have accounted for emergencies in your budget, there will be times when your backup fund doesn’t stretch far. This can be in the case of car accidents, an unexpected job redundancy, or a surprise tax bill. In this case, it can be easy to rely on credit cards to get you out of certain messes. While these are great for small emergencies, you can see huge interest rates on large ones which may become unmanageable. In times like this, you can use a payday loan to help cover any expenses that arise until you next get paid. The best thing about these loans is that they are usually available immediately and don’t require a long credit check, which means they are always there for you in your time of need.

Have a joint account

When you are your partner operate as a unit, it can be very easy to sign up for a joint account through which to get paid into and spend money from. This is ideal for those families where one partner is the sole breadwinner and those where both parties are working. This is because it makes it much easier to track spending, especially in times where money is tighter. The best thing to do is to build your own credit scores, but keep a joint pre-paid credit card for you to put your budget onto for the month. Not only will this enable spending to be easily tracked, but it means that you can put your life savings into another account without having to worry about any large expenditures.

Have a multiple savings accounts

When you start to mix your spending budget in with your savings, this is where confusion can occur over your finances. The last thing you want is to have your savings eaten into without you realizing, so it is key for you to have a separate account where you can put your savings. Ideally, you should have more than one, where you can specify for each area of your life. This could be for retirement, for family holidays, or for emergencies; in any case, you should keep it safe. In the chance that you would like to invest your savings into stocks, these accounts can become more important, as you don’t want to see any losses on your investment impact whether you can put food on the table that month.

Look to the future

When you have a lot going on in your home life, it can be impossible to think into the future when you need to focus on what is in front of you. Yet, having an account such as this will mean that your future is taken care of without so much as a second thought. If you put some savings away each month, you can create a great amount of your children’s college education or your own retirement.

Buy food in bulk

When you are a busy homeowner with lots of kids to feed, it can often be easier for you to go on quick trips to the store whenever you need any food in your house. However, these small trips can add up and become more expensive than if you buy in bulk. Although buying large amounts of food is a big expense up front, it will save you lots of money in the long run due to savings on multibuys. In the United States, couponing can help you save on household items such as toilet roll and washing up liquid, as well as on food. Making the time for a big store trip every few weeks means that you will only have to pop out for fresh foods to keep your family fed well.

Don’t shy away from second-hand

Whenever you are looking to buy some new clothes or update your home with some new furnishings, the first option many people jump to is to go to the closest store and pick up whatever they see. While this might work in the short term, in the long run, it means your expenses on such things will amount to a lot. If you have kids, then this amount will be even higher. Luckily, lots of secondhand online stores, or thrift shops, have more affordable items for you to choose from. Often, there will be many hidden gems that you won’t find anywhere else. Shopping at such stores is not sustainable, but if you can cut down on some spending here, you can save more money for better purchases in the future.

Shop locally

If you can make the time each week, it’s wise to skip your usual store food shop by seeing which food is available locally. Sometimes, you can find better quality fresh food that is cheaper because of how few food miles it must travel to reach the store. Not only this but if you can build a good relationship with nearby, local food businesses, they will be more inclined to give you the best produce they have available, as your business will mean a lot to them.

Grow your own food

You could go one step further to grow your own fresh produce at home. Meat, sweet treats, and milk will need to be bought in the store, but you can grow fresh fruit and vegetables in your garden to save lots of money on healthy eating each week. This will also help you instill healthy eating habits in your kids, and teach them to be self-sustaining. This can be a huge saving if your family consumes large amounts of fresh produce each week and cuts your shopping time in half once you have a healthy allotment growing.

Save your change

Much spending in the modern day is done by card, but there will be times when you take cash out to spend in the store, or in other places. This can mean that you are left with lots of spare change after some purchases, which is easy to assume is worthless. However, if you make a change jar and fill it with all the spare change you collect every day, then this can add up to a hefty amount in the long run. This change can be put towards your next holiday, a family meal out, or straight into your weekly shopping, where you can shower your family with treats.

Five Great Gift Ideas to Cheer Someone Up With

April 6, 2018 by Mandy

There will be times in your life when you go through hard times and may need to be cheered up by the people closest to you. This could be due to personal tragedy, a bad time at work, or other problems. In any case, it won’t just be you who struggles sometimes, and you may be at a loss when someone close to you is feeling down. Although a gift can’t solve everything, it is a great way of reminding someone how loved they are if you choose the right one. If you are stuck for ideas, make sure you take note of some old but golden gifts to inspire you when choosing one for your loved one.

A spa day

Spas are known to be somewhere that people can relax and unwind, where warm waters and massages can help reduce anxiety and release a steady flow of endorphins into the body. If you have some spare money in your bank, then it’s a great idea for you to book a spa day for you and your loved one, where they might also open up to you about their struggles to make it a truly cathartic experience. After this, they will feel refreshed and ready for a good night’s sleep, where they will hopefully find some reprieve from their difficult time in the morning.

Luxury chocolate

You will have heard is said many times that chocolate is someone’s best friend. As the perfect comfort food, you can go one step further than buying a regular chocolate bar from your local store and buy a luxury chocolate bar gift, which will add a touch of something special to it. On nights when the recipient is feeling alone, and you aren’t there to comfort them, they can take a bite of the chocolate and know you are always there.

A herbal tea set

Herbal tea has been known for thousands of years to bring about a sense of calm in those who drink it, with infusions like chamomile being developed to aid in a good night’s sleep. For the tea lover in your life, there is nothing better to cheer them up with than getting them a herbal tea gift set. You can either handpick your own selection or buy them online to ensure you are getting the best quality for your loved one to settle down with.

Soft blankets

Sometimes, all someone needs is a hug or few during a tough time. Yet, you won’t be able to always be there for them when you have numerous other commitments to attend to. Buying somebody a soft blanket is a comfort in itself, but it will also act as a warm hug from you in the times you can’t be with them. In some cases, you can even make your own weighted blanket to help reduce any worries they may have when they are sleeping.

A salt lamp

Himalayan salt lamps are a unique choice, and you may wish to opt for candles instead. However, they can emit a softer glow that helps improve the air quality of people surrounding them, which could be a reassuring presence for your loved one in their time of need.

5 Reasons for Moms to Consider Part-Time Work From Home

April 4, 2018 by Mandy

Being a mom and balancing a work schedule can be hard, but we have a solution! Here’s 5 reasons moms should consider part time work from home!

Being a mom is a tough gig. Most people don’t realize how exhausting it is until they try it.

These days, many moms feel like they have to be “super moms” to keep up with everyone else. They have to take care of their kids, the house, work outside the home, and look amazing while doing it.

This can get overwhelming really quick. It’s kind of tiring just reading that sentence!

What if there were a way to make all this easier? Have you ever considered taking on some part-time work from home instead of going to a job? Let’s look at 5 reasons why this is such a great idea.

Saves Time

Have you ever thought about how much time a job outside the home requires? We’re talking about aside from actual working hours. Take a moment to consider it.

Think about how much time you need to get ready in the morning. Add that to how much time you spend commuting each day. Multiply that by 5. Don’t forget to add in extras like washing your uniform or going to the dry cleaners to pick up your clothes.

For many of you, that can add up to the time a part-time job takes all by itself!

When you work from home the time spent commuting goes to zero. You might work in a fancy place like these offices. But how much better is it to work from home in your pajamas?

And for those video chats? You can pull your hair back, put on a little makeup and a work-appropriate blouse, and be done! You don’t even have to change out of your jammie pants if you don’t want to.

Money

About 66% of families have two income streams these days. In some families, it may be that both parents don’t have to work but they choose to do so for various reasons. In others, both parents working is necessary to get by.

Are you a mom that would rather stay home with your kids, but can’t because your family needs the extra income? A part-time work from home may be the answer for you.

You might think that you can’t possibly work part-time and still make enough money. But take a moment to look at the numbers.

Start with how much money your job costs you. This could be clothing and cleaning costs, gas or other transportation costs, and childcare expenses.

You might even add takeout meal costs if you pick up food often on the way home from work that you might otherwise prepare at home. That even has the added perk of providing your family with healthier meal options.

Deduct all that from your salary and compare it to what you could make working from home. The result might surprise you.

Be With Your Kids

When you work from home you get to spend more time with your kids. When they’re fighting or the baby’s crying all day, that might not seem like a good thing.

But trust us when we say that it is. You’ll be there for all the exciting milestones. You’ll hear the first words, you’ll see the first steps.

Those are moments that you’ll treasure. And if working is a have-to rather than a want-to, you may be heartbroken over missing them.

But when you do part-time work from home, you get to do both!

Keep Your Skills Sharp

You may plan to stay home with your kids, but re-enter the workforce when they start school. At the rate that things move these days, you could be behind career-wise in those few short years.

Working from home gives you the opportunity to keep your skills sharp for when you’re ready to return.

Or you may not plan to return to work, but unforeseen events require it. Divorce, death, or job loss are not things you plan for, but they happen.

Depending on what you do, it can take time to get your at-home work rolling. If you already have laid the groundwork, it’s easier to step up your income in the event it becomes necessary. That is some nice security to have.

A Feeling of Productivity

Raising kids is a very important job. Little kids can’t survive on their own. They are completely dependent upon their parents to provide for them and give them what they need.

If you’re already at home you know just how difficult being a mom can be. Somewhere in all the sacrifices of sleepless nights, washing baby poop off your clothes, and eating a cold meal–again–it’s worth it. But sometimes, it doesn’t feel like it.

If you take on a bit of part-time work from home, it can make you feel more productive. You’re still totally capable of doing something that doesn’t involve making silly faces or singing nursery rhymes.

The extra money is a nice bonus, of course. But for many moms having something to do outside of taking care of the kids is refreshing.

Find Your Part-Time Work From Home Niche

The Internet has opened a world of possibilities for those looking to work from home. You may have to get a little creative, but there’s a lot you can do with a computer and a good Internet connection.

Find your niche and who knows? You could end up finding something that you really enjoy!

How’s that for a perk? You get to stay home with your kids, save on work expenses, earn an income, and enjoy what you’re doing!

Did you find the information here helpful? We hope so! If you did, check out our site. We have tons of information ranging from education tips to how to protect your future health. We have something for every mom!

5 Most Important Rooms to Stage when Selling a House

March 27, 2018 by Mandy

Staging your home properly will directly affect how fast you can sell a home and how much you can ask for it. However, not all rooms are equally important in this process. So, instead of wasting time and possibly money staging rooms where it doesn’t matter, we’ll tell you the five most important rooms to stage when selling a house. We’ll also provide tips on how to stage these rooms with the greatest effect at the lowest price and least effort.

The Living Room

This room is a natural gathering point for everyone in the home, and it is where we generally entertain guests. This room should be staged so that it welcomes the potential home buyers and makes them envision themselves living here.

Any distraction will cost you. The carpets need to be cleaned or even replaced since every discoloration is a strike against your home. Remove stacks of books, toys, figurines and any other knick-knacks. Too much of your stuff makes it hard for buyers to imagine their items in this home. Remove your family photos, too, since that interferes with the visualization process.

The Kitchen

The kitchen is another area where everyone likes to congregate. For this reason alone, the kitchen needs to be staged as well. Ensure that counters and floors are clean. The sheer number of appliances in the room also leads to far greater scrutiny compared to the attention a dining area or playroom would receive.

People are going to check out the state of the appliances, especially anything that you’re going to leave behind as part of the sale. Staging the kitchen thus starts with ensuring the appliances are in working order and presentable.

Don’t forget the little details such as the kitchen faucet not leaking and verifying that the garbage disposal works without spewing residue all over the place. You should consider thinning the contents of the pantry so that it seems to have more space. Get cracked tiles fixed, while a worn linoleum floor may need to be replaced.

You can take steps to make the kitchen more inviting. A bowl of fruit is attractive and welcoming. The smell of freshly baked bread is inviting. And you’ll win extra points for putting out cookies that the visitors can enjoy.

The Master Bedroom

Since homebuyers will spend at least a third of their time in this room, expect it to be scrutinized. Buyers are looking for a bedroom that feels relaxing and inviting. They’ll also be checking a number of features in this space since it matters so much to them.

You’ll want to check on mechanical issues like making certain the closet doors work and the shelving isn’t going to fall down. You need to clear out your clutter from the closet so they don’t walk away thinking the master closets are too small. If possible, don’t use more than a third of the closet space. Keep the floor clear, as well.

Also, take care to remove a lot of your clutter from around the master bedroom. Extra furniture aside from the bed and dressers needs to go. Pick up clothes from the floor and ensure that the closet or laundry hamper doesn’t smell bad. The stack of books on the floor by the night table needs to go.

Ideally, the room is painted in neutral or calm colors. If you don’t have the time or budget, ensure that the bedding has neutral or calm colors. Pull back the blinds to let natural light in. Conversely, you’ll also need to make sure all the lights work, and all the cobwebs and dust are gone.

The bed itself needs to look good. Invest in some nice bamboo sheets. Clean new sheets like these already make the bed look newer and the space more refreshed. Then there’s the fact that no one will be allergic to them, while new sheets made from bamboo could be selected to resemble those from a hotel. Don’t forget to make the bed, too, any time you leave the room. An attractive bed in neutral colors could make or break the room regardless of the rest of the décor.

The Dining Room

The dining room is another major congregation point in the home, though it isn’t as important as the living room and kitchen. One major issue here is making sure the dining room is comfortable. Don’t have a pile of chairs in the back corner or a cluttered desk crammed in next to the dining room table.

Make sure the lights work, including lights in the chandelier if you have one. Clean the table and make certain you clear out any signs of dust. You can add ambiance to the room by having a lovely centerpiece or flowers on the dining room table.

The Bathroom

Bathrooms are another room that people scrutinize because they’re used so often. First and foremost, the room needs to be clean and neat. Make sure it smells fresh and make sure that you clean it thoroughly, as any signs of uncleanliness will leave a lasting impression.

The second step is removing all the clutter. Remove toiletries and personal products if you can’t hide them in the medicine cabinet. The toddler’s bath toys and health aids need to disappear.

Another issue is functionality. The toilet should flush easily with the press of a lever and without any strange noises. The faucets and shower should work without leaking. And any DIY projects in the bathroom like makeshift handles need to be repaired as soon as possible.

Note that this advice should apply to both the master bathroom and any other bathrooms in the house.

Conclusion

Home staging is a science and a great alternative to costly renovation. If you’re on a limited budget, concentrate more time on these rooms, but keep the rest of your home clean and in good working order too. Then you’ve set the stage for selling your home quickly and at a good price.

Learn How Some People Make/Save Money With Storage Units

March 23, 2018 by Mandy

Source

Storage units are all over the place, aren’t they? And when you’re dealing with a lot of different things that can come up in the midst of it all, you want to be sure that you’re doing everything possible to make the most of it. Have you ever thought about taking the time to try and make money through the use of storage units? Here are some tips that you can try.

Selling Auxiliary Items

If you’re near a place that offers self storage or you’re there a lot, consider offering auxiliary items that people may need in order to know that they can get things done with their storage units. For example, you may want to sell things like tape, boxes, shelving units, locks, and whatever else that you believe that someone may need in order to stay ahead and make sense of what it is that you’re going to need to purchase as well.

Going to Storage Auctions and Flipping (Yes, Like Storage Wars!)

Living near a self-storage place can be really advantageous. Why? Because it allows you to know when auctions are going on and when you need to go and look for them. By taking that time to check out the auctions at storage units Orange, you will often find that there are a lot of different things that you can purchase there with ease, and then you can flip them to make more money in the future too.

Investing in Their Own Storage Unit Property

Buying your own storage unit property is something that can be a huge deal when you’re trying to make sure that you can do whatever is necessary to make some cash. Look into the ins and outs of making that happen and figure out what it is that you may need to do in order to get a property that you can be proud to own.

Consider Putting Together a Community Unit

A community storage unit that is open to the people in your community can be a very big deal for those who may need a little help from time to time. Yes, this is a way to save money – if you have one available, people can donate items and then also take what it is that they may need from the unit when they need it. It’s a way to give back the community and to make sure everyone is provided for as well.

Other Methods to Make Money

There are a ton of ways in which you can try to make some cash by using self storage units. By taking the time to see what you can do and by investing your money the right way, you will find that there are a lot of methods that are involved in helping you to stay ahead of everything. Look into what it is that you could get your hands on and see what works the best and, in the long run, that’s going to be what benefits you the most.