Kids Ain't Cheap

But They Sure Are Worth It

Archives for June 2012

Who is the Best Personal Solicitor?

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judge solicitorHaving kids changes your life, there is no doubt about that. The fear that runs through my mind however is how to cover the costs of looking after my kids if i was ever injured. Luckily there are companies which will cover me if the accident wasn’t my fault.

Help When You Need It

Using this service I can ensure that bills are paid, there is food on the table and the kid’s wealth fare and my own are still put first. The most important thing you can do is try to recover from your injury, but that takes both time and money. You feel that you may be entitled to some form of reimbursement from the people who caused your accident, but are unsure of who to turn to for help. Getting help from a legal professional is seen as the ideal thing to do in such a scenario, but whom in particular do you approach?

How It Works

The reason why this is the case is that, when injured and out of pocket as a result of their injury, they want to try and make a compensation claim and get it done as quickly and professionally as possible. They also go to First4Lawyers as they deal regularly with cases relating to injuries caused by accidents on the road, at work and in public spaces all the time, so they have the relevant experience necessary in order to help you win the compensation you deserve for your plight.

There For Every Step

Among the things which they will do to help you include identifying whether you have a valid case, pointing out what you need to do during the claiming process and helping you every step of the way. Even on their website, they offer a 60-second test where you can find out for yourself if you can claim for compensation. If you’re looking to make a claim for compensation after your accident, you could do worse than going to First4Lawyers.

Have you ever filed a personal injury claim?

Redecorating on a Budget

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Painting a room is one way to redecorate on a budgetWhen considering moving to a new house, I am sure your mind will be filled with images of what new and beautiful things you would like to be surrounded with. I know for all three times that I have moved, I have bought one or two decorating magazines to get ideas about how to spruce up the place, add my touch, and make it at least a version of the place of my dreams.

I have also found though that moving on a budget is a trying and frustrating endeavor.  Imagine wanting all these pretty things, and some not even so expensive, only to add up all costs and find that you can afford maybe two of the twenty items you want to implement. If that is not an exercise in frustration I do not know what is.

Again, I have come up with my ways to redecorate on a budget and not only to save on money but also to save on feeling bad that you cannot get everything you want.

1. Recycle, recycle, recycle

This might be making bells ring in the heads of conservationists and environmentalists and, while I am all for saving our planet, I have to admit that that is not the first reason for this point.  When I moved into my second house, I found I greatly lacked in storage space. So, with the help of family, I was able to have new shelves and cabinetry added. Of course, my current house also lacked storage space (as most rental places seeming suffer from) so I ripped all this out and recycled all the wood. I didn’t stick them all in looking the exact same way, naturally, and I had to repairing them to match the paint of my new place, but it was still a whole lot cheaper considering I saved on the wood, the glass, and the fixtures.  I was also able to create a lot of new kinds of shelves and storage apace with all the wood as well.

2. Do-it-yourself

A lot of people need to have professionals do things for them.  I have to admit, my mom is one of these people. I watched as she sat and started mentally computing all the funds needed to pay pro’s to create an office nook, redecorate a certain Room, etc.  I had to break to her gently how she all of moi as her professional everything for this move. So, I put together an office nook by myself (using again old furniture, some repainted, some fixed up) and with little to almost no cost.  She was quite inspired because she was able to create a clothes line for laundry all by herself using my old lines and some handy foliage in the lot beside us. So now I don’t even need to buy steel racks for hanging!  Those cost about 4k rounded off per piece. That is a lot of money.  It is 2k shy of the cost of a .5 HP air conditioner.  But I digress. The point is, whenever and wherever you can, with whatever you have on hand, try to make/create what you need on your own. All you really need is a little creativity, your two hands, and some basic office tools.

3. Reinvention

This point is connected to points one and two.  As you recycle and start on your D.I.Y. tasks, you can also reinvent.  So, as I mentioned previously, I was able to create new kinds of storage from the old cabinet wood I brought with me from my old house.  And you can get as creative as you want.  I used old storage boxes as the table for my printer since my office is under the attic stairs and requires low and small furniture.  I used old plastic shower or bathroom racks as spice racks.  I just needed to take them apart to make them separate pieces, then paint them.  I used an old plastic trolley, took it off its wheels, took the three levels apart and created two separate, small shoe racks for the kids shoes- again, something that would fit a smaller space.

The point is, to save on professional fees, to forgo the heartache of letting go of signature pieces that you love but just cannot afford, try to look at what you have and get creative.  Priming, repainting, and reconnecting parts can all be done for a very minimal cost and taking things apart to make new things costs nothing at all.

What budget tips for redecorating can you share?

How to Navigate Life’s Major Financial Obstacles

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Buying a home is one of life's major obstaclesThe cost of living gets more expensive each year, but that doesn’t mean that you have to be continually strapped for cash. If you can learn the ins and outs of some of life’s most expensive rites of passage — such as having children and buying a home — you can make that knowledge work for you. Instead of stumbling through life, turn those financial obstacles into stepping stones with the advice below.

Buying a Home

Buying a home is likely to be the largest financial decision you will have to make in life. It is a huge commitment, but it is also well-worth it, considering that you want to provide a safe and comfortable environment for your children to grow up in. Given all of the uncertainty in the housing market, however, it’s understandable if you’re wary of becoming a homeowner at the moment.

The key to cushioning the blow that can come from the current housing market is taking your time to make smart, well-informed decisions. Don’t feel rushed to buy a home if you’re not ready; it is better to save up enough money for a down payment, which would be at least 20 percent of the total cost of the home in the best case scenario. You can also use this time to boost your credit, which is an important part of finding the best mortgage rates. Taking these steps can shave years off of your mortgage and thousands of dollars off of the total interest that you will pay on your home in the long run.

Having Children

When you think of growing your family, many things come to mind: little league baseball games, dance recitals, and family vacations, to name a few. But did you stop to consider a $227,000 bill? That’s how much you’ll have to fork over per child, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. And this only calculates costs up until age 18; a college education could easily increase that amount by as much as half.

Obviously, spending this more than $200,000 on your child will happen over the course of two decades, which should soften the blow. The most expensive areas of spending for a family include food, transportation, and child care, and if you can figure out ways to reduce these expenses, you can chip away at that astronomical cost. Couponing can reduce your grocery bill to practically nothing if you do it often and learn the tricks of the trade. And making an alternative plan for childcare (such as relying on a nearby relative or close friend) can help you save thousands of dollars each year. When it comes to college education, starting an education savings account early in their lives can significantly increase the amount of funds that your children have to rely on when they come of age.

Credit Card Usage

There are some areas of debt, such as education or home financing, that are considered positive because they make you a more valuable asset to your family, to your community, and to yourself. However, too often, parents get bogged down by credit card debt that quickly spirals out of control. The best thing you can do to help yourself chisel away at your card balances is to pay more than the minimum payment. Often, the just handing over very least you’re allow to pay each month won’t help you get out of debt; in fact, you may even see your account balance rise, even if you aren’t making any new charges on your card.

You should also consider switching your balances over to a zero percent interest card, which buys you time to pay them down. And if you struggle with budgeting, spending cash only is a great way to cut out unnecessary expenses.

Information is power, but in these cases, it can also equate to more money for you. There’s no handbook on how to provide for your family, but if you make it a point to constantly search for new ways to save and invest, you can put together a pretty helpful guide of your own.

What other obstacles do you foresee?