Happy Halloween! Here we are on the last day of October already. The girls are ready to go trick or treating tonight. They are dressing up as Maleficent and a vampire. No more princesses for my girls. I am admittedly biased, but they look great! Do you have big plans for tonight? The girls still “permit” us to go trick or treating with them, so I’m enjoying that for as
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Kids are truly one of the greatest wonders in the world. They are often more resilient and tougher than we give them credit for being. They embrace what we expect them to dislike and revolt against ideas we thought they would love. This is why I always recommend starting money talks early. Your kids are more receptive and less likely to have any money bias. Of course, whether they are
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Every blogger will tell you that they didn’t exactly know what to expect when they started, and I was certainly no different. I had my mission and lots of passion around financial literacy, but wasn’t sure if anyone else would care. Well, thankfully you did! Today we’re going back to the beginning because when I find a new blogger to follow, I join them in progress and suspect many of
View Blog...I foolishly thought October would be a bit of a catch-my-breath month as September was hectic and soon the holiday season will upon us. And here we are heading into the last week of October and I’m wondering where the time went. But I can’t complain. My days are full and so good. My plate may overflow, but I love everything on it. #blessed.
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Editor’s Note: Tanya is back to share some frugal, year-round family activities with us. Kids (and adults) often become bored and frustrated when entertainment budgets are slashed during debt repayment. A prolonged lack of fun can make even the most dedicated family go a little stir crazy and splurge unwisely to alleviate boredom. But it doesn’t need to be that way. Tanya has some great ideas to put fun back
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Many parents worry money conversations with their kids will be difficult or uncomfortable, so they avoid having the “money talk” as long as possible. This is a common concern, but most parents discover that it’s much easier than they anticipated and can actually be a lot of fun. Of course, there are instances when those talks don’t produce the expected outcome.
View Blog...I can’t believe we’ve already reached the mid-point of October. We’re flying through Fall. Do you want to hear something scary? We’re less than 70 days away from Christmas! Sometimes I think it sneaks up on us because the stores put the decorations out so early. We roll our eyes and think we have months to figure out our holiday budget. Then we’re suddenly counting down the days.
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On Monday, I talked about how to stay motivated while you pay off debt. It is one of the more unfortunate ironies that it’s very easy to accumulate debt, but it’s much harder to get rid of it. It’s why it’s so important to find ways to keep yourself motivated and your resolve strong. Otherwise, a life with debt may seem like an acceptable alternative when compared to the years
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Most people don’t plan to go into debt. We tell ourselves that we’ll pay our credit card bill in full every month and do so. Until one month, the bill comes and we can’t afford it. We resolve to pay it off next month, but life happens and we creep a little bit further into debt. The descent into debt isn’t always one big mindless or frivolous expense. It is
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Allowances are always a hot topic among parents. Some parents are for them while others are not. I am all for children earning money but I’m not a fan of allowances that function as essentially entitlement programs. When people ask me what my thoughts are on allowance, my initial response is always, “What are you paying them for?”
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SHANNON RYAN, CFP®