Kids Ain't Cheap

But They Sure Are Worth It

Archives for September 2014

How Do You Know When You’re Ready For Baby Number Two?

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having a second childMy husband and I were lucky in the sense that we didn’t get much slack from our family and friends about when the baby was coming as soon as we were married. We managed to enjoy each other’s company for three years before baby was born and we had a lot of baby-free fun. It is my opinion that, when possible, it is important that a couple to really get to know each other before welcoming someone else into the family.

In our three years pre-kid we got our house in order and had fun with friends and family, partaking on a few vacations that would otherwise be difficult with a child. Until we had our daughter we didn’t know just how empty our lives were.

Having our daughter was the best thing that ever happened to, not just my husband and I, but for our entire family. We were still healing the wounds from a very difficult year and she light our world up. She was proof that good things can and do happen in this world. I really don’t think there is a perfect time for a child but sometimes things have a way of working themselves out to seem so.

Though she was very much planned we weren’t prepared entirely. We were overwhelmed with how little we were prepared but in the end managed to scramble though my challenging pregnancy and follow-up maternity leave. When it comes time to have number two, how will we know when we’re ready?

There is nothing wrong with only having one child (there’s also absolutely nothing wrong with electing to have no children) and for the first 18 months of our daughter’s life we thought we may be done. We loved our little trio and didn’t want to disrupt our routines. We slowly came to the realization that we would in fact, eventually, try for another. Our sisters are our best friends and if we can provide that relationship for our daughter that would make us happy, but when, and how, will we know when it is the best time to add to our family?

Our Finances

We are comfortable with our current expenses. I can tell you we would not be comfortable increasing our daycare budget by much though. Until our debt is paid off by a significant amount, if not entirely, we will not be able to comfortably afford another child. If we have a son, we will also need to provide some things our daughter didn’t have, like a new wardrobe. Though I’m fine with a potential son playing with his sister’s toys, I draw the line at wearing dresses. We also need to be prepared for me potentially being put off work early again. Beefing up our emergency fund will be necessary.

My Health

I would be really upset if I got pregnant right now. Though I am healthy by definition, until I lose at least 15 more pounds I wouldn’t be comfortable going through another pregnancy.

Our Daughter

Prepping our first-born for the potential arrival of a sibling will take time. Even though we’re years from having a second child (two to three) we’ve already started asking her if she’d like a sibling. Planting the seed that there very well may be a new baby in the future. It doesn’t have to be overwhelming and you do have nine months of pregnancy to also introduce the child to upcoming change.

There is no perfect time for a child. There will always be that thing on your list that seems more important but that doesn’t mean you can’t be as prepared as possible for if and when it does happen.

How to Make Your Morning Run Smoothly

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make your mornings run smoothlyI wear many hats. Not only am a Mother, the most demanding job of all, but also a wife, a full-time employee, a freelance writer and blogger. I make time for friends and family and occasionally, myself. I like to go to the gym and love to have my nose in a good book. The problem? I need about 39 hours in a day to accomplish everything I set out to do.

With a lot on my plate every day, I need to do everything in my power to make sure my day starts out on the right foot. If my morning is chaotic, the rest of my day will follow suit. There are a few things that you can do to make sure your day starts out right and maximize the hours in your day.

Sleep

Trust me, I’m the guiltiest of this but lack of sleep will kill your day. Everyone has a number, for me it’s seven. Seven hours of sleep is exactly what I need to accomplish everything with energy. This doesn’t mean starting to get ready for bed at 11pm if you want to wake up at 6am. It means starting to wind down earlier and get ready to be asleep by 11pm.

Use Your Evenings Wisely

After my daughter goes to bed I make sure the mess from the evening is cleaned up (nothing worse than tripping over toys from the night before at 630am) and lunches are made. I don’t mean deep clean with floor scrubbed but at the very least make sure basic messes are cleaned and surfaced are cleared. If I attempted to leave making lunches for my family until the morning it simply wouldn’t get done and we’d all end up spending more money than we want because lunch wasn’t packed.

I also make sure everything we need to run out the door is right there, by the door. I don’t want to waste 10 minutes in the morning looking for the car keys or my purse. If you have kids make sure their bags are also packed and waiting by the door.

Stay on top of Laundry

Have you ever attempted to get dressed in the morning only to find the shirt you need to downstairs still in the dryer? If you stay on top of the laundry, meaning when you start a load finish it, including putting it away your life will be so much easier. Staying on top of laundry also allows you to lay your clothes out at night if you’re so inclined.

I understand that some things will have to wait. If you can’t get the dishes done, at least pile them neatly and get them rinsed until you do manage to find a few minutes to get them done. You know your morning the best and you need to sit down and figure out what will make it work for you. Maybe setting your coffee on a timer is necessary? Whatever it takes to get your day going as smoothly as possible will make the rest of your life that much easier.

How do you manage the chaos of the morning?

5 Ways to Keep Young Kids Healthy

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a7edc980c8984f26adca9365dea5ca5aThe imagination, curiosity, and innocence of young children is captivating. They’re sweet and inquisitive yet stubborn and determined. Being a parent to a young child is one of the most challenging, yet rewarding jobs in the world.

And as a parent you want to make sure that your kids stay healthy. That’s why you need to start structuring routines that encourage good nutrition and exercise at a young age.

Here are five tips to get you started.

Be Generous with Fruits and Veggies

If you start feeding your children a generous amount of nutritious food at a young age they’ll be much more likely to stick with those habits.

Right now my kids enjoy eating lots of fruits and vegetables. They actually think eating salad is a treat!

If your kids are reluctant to eat their veggies get creative. Make faces out of carrots and peppers. Or cut up some veggies and let them use a veggie dip.

Get Flu Shots for the Family

Young kids don’t have fully developed immune systems. Without vaccinations you’ll find that you’re constantly battling some type of cold or flu.

In fact I’ve found with my kids that a cold or flu can be passed around the family for more than a month. Every time someone gets better another family member gets sick and it creates a vicious cycle.

You can eliminate much of this and protect your little ones from the flu by getting the entire family flu shots.

Get a Good Multivitamin

Your kids are growing like crazy. And since so much development is happening in those earlier years it’s important that your children are getting all the vitamins and minerals they need.

Getting a good multivitamin from a place like Chemmart Pharmacy can help your kids stay and feel healthy.

Encourage Plenty of Activity

We’re in a different world than we grew up in. Instead of kids playing outside they’re playing on Mom or Dad’s smart phone or tablet at super young ages. Physical activity isn’t as prevalent as it used to be.

Make sure your little one stays active. Take the gadgets away and go play outside.

Teach Good Hygiene Habits

Young kids are germ magnets. Most don’t care about getting dirty and consequently don’t care about getting clean. That’s why it’s important to start teaching good hygiene habits at early on in life.

But sometimes you need to get creative.

For instance, when I ask my youngest to brush her teeth you would think that I was trying to pull one of her teeth. In order to get her to practice good dental hygiene we’ve created a song to sing. As long as someone is singing the song she’s more than happy to brush her teeth. Nothing else works.

All kids are different. So while teaching basic hygiene is important sometimes it’s necessary to develop your teaching to the individual needs of the child.

Conclusion

Start implementing healthy routines while your kids are still young. What you teach them now is likely to stick with them for life!

Best Ways to Stop Your Kids From Making In-App Purchases on Your Mobile

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Tips to stop your kids from making in-app mobile purchases Smart phones are truly amazing. Your very daily existence is defined by a hub of activity that emanates from your fingers and onto the digital senses of your mobile friend. Calls, text messages, social networking, news, games and books are just some of the uses you get out of your smart phone during an average day.

With so much of your day consumed by this device, it’s unsurprising to learn that a recent study found that a smart phone user will check their phone nine times an hour on average. Unfortunately, along with the joys that a smart phone brings to your life, you also have to be wary of certain pitfalls. One of the potential issues that you should be aware of is leaving your phone unattended, particularly if you have children.

Much like adults, children love to constantly play with smart phones and tablets, and with hundreds of apps available, these devices are an invaluable way to keep them entertained and even educated for hours. However, the tendency of children to play with their parent’s smart phone devices unsuspectingly has started to land some people in murky financial waters.

Recently, some parents were face with large iTunes phone bills, as their children had unwittingly downloaded apps and in-app purchases. This ongoing issue resulted in Apple agreeing to fund at least $32.5 million (about £20 million) to those parents that had accrued enormous bills though in-app purchases in the US, as part of an agreement to settle a complaint from the Federal Trade commission. In this settlement, Apple was required to change its billing practices in order to help prevent the above mentioned scenario from reoccurring in the future.

If you have an Apple device, there are steps you can take to prevent your children from unintentionally purchasing unwanted apps on your phone and running up high bills. You’ll have such peace of mind once you’ve followed these steps, which you can even get Euro Palace on your Mobile and not worry about other family members playing online games without your knowledge.

Here are useful tips:

Enforce better restrictions

You should be aware that, when you enter a password on your Apple device, the password will not have to be entered for another 15 minutes. During this period, children could accidentally download expensive in-app purchases.  To prevent this from happening, go to Settings, tap on General, and then on Restrictions. Change the Require Password setting to Immediately. This will ensure that your children will have to type in a password before any in-app purchase is made.

Restrict or turn-off access to apps

You can also ensure that your child doesn’t download any apps by going to the Restrictions menu and changing the Installing Apps slider to off (will turn from green to white). You also have the option of turning off in-app purchases completely from this menu, by looking for the on/off slider towards the bottom of the restriction options.

Turn on device pass codes

Children can inadvertently purchase apps from any website. It is therefore advisable to set up general device pass codes that will prevent them from being able to access the phone at all. To set up this pass code, you simply need to go to Settings, tap on General, and then tap on Pass code Lock and Turn Pass code On.  Slide Simple Pass code to off and you’ll be able to type a word rather than a default 4-digit number.

Create a new Apple ID

If you have children over 13, Apple recommends that you should create an individual Apple ID for them. This will ensure that your child’s Apple ID does not have a credit card on file, which means that there won’t be money in the first place for them to spend.

4 Tips for First Time Home Buyers

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first time home buyersBuying your first home is an exciting time. The thought of looking at houses and finding that one house that you love is an amazing feeling.

But soon after you start your home search you begin to realize that being a first time home buyer comes with many responsibilities. And since buying a house will probably be the biggest purchase of your life you need to do things right.

Here are four important tips for first time home buyers.

Save a Large Down Payment

Your number one goal in purchasing a house should be saving a large down payment. There are three reasons why:

  1. If you don’t put at least twenty percent down on a home you’ll be stuck paying PMI. PMI, or private mortgage insurance, is simply insurance covering the bank if you default on your loan. It’s an extra expense to you and you need to avoid it.
  2. Many banks won’t loan money unless you’re able to put a large down payment on the home.
  3.  The more you put down on the house the less you owe. That might seem like common sense but is often overlooked. In today’s economy where jobs are uncertain it’s important to be financially prepared.

Don’t skimp on saving. I know that you’re anxious to buy your first home but you need to be financially prepared first.

Get a Fixed Loan

When it comes to mortgages there are two common types: fixed loans and adjustable rate mortgages.

With an adjustable rate mortgage your interest rate, and therefore mortgage payment, will change. And since interest rates are currently at an all-time low, chances are your ARM will only go up.  Fixed rate home loans make planning payments easier and allow you to budget more effectively for the future by locking in a set interest rate for a specific period of time.

Check Insurance Rates as Soon as Possible

The property tax and home owner’s insurance need to be factored into the cost of your home. And I’ve found that first time home buyers are often shocked at the price of homeowner’s insurance.  For instance, if you are purchasing an older home that is not near a fire department your cost of insurance will most likely be high.

Check insurance rates as soon as possible. You don’t want to be surprised by the cost when you go to close on the home you chose.

Get a Home Inspection

Last, but certainly not least, you need to get a home inspection.

Just because a home looks sound doesn’t mean that it is. A home inspector can take a look at the house and find issues like electric, plumbing, or structure that you’re not going to catch.  Home inspections typically cost a couple hundred dollars but are worth every penny.

Conclusion

Buying a home is exciting. But if you want to make a smart purchase you need to be prepared. Start saving for your home well in advance and check on all the other costs like interest rates and insurance. The more prepared you are the higher your chances of being a successful first time home owner will be.

Why Your Family Absolutely Needs an Emergency Fund

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emergency fundIf you don’t already have one I’m here to tell you why you, especially with  family to care for, you absolutely need an emergency fund established.

My husband is currently in a precarious position with his job. There are some possible issues on the horizon regarding the stability of the company and the direction he’ll go in professionally. He is well-liked and educated in his area of work and I know he’ll land on his feet but the thought of something happening while he’s lining all his ducks in a row scares me. We can’t afford to have him off work for more than a few days at this point in our lives.

We are not currently in a position to have a large emergency fund of the standard three to six months’ worth of expenses. While we’re working on paying off the rest of our student debt and car loan, we have a small emergency fund that won’t float us more than two weeks if something does happens to his job.

Losing a Job

Reason #42764 I want to get this debt paid off is to beef up our savings so if we’re ever in a situation with one of our jobs we don’t have to worry. Especially when children are involved you need to be prepared for the possibility that something may happen to your employment situation regardless of how secure your job may seem. Unforeseen circumstances are always a possibility. You need to be prepared if your financial safety net (ability to bring in income) come out from underneath you.

Medical Emergencies

The second biggest reason why your family needs an emergency fund is medically related. We always hope something doesn’t or won’t happen but bad things happen to good people all of the time and you need to be prepared. There’s nothing worse than having stresses, especially financial, on top of being sick or caring for a sick family member. There is a local family of five and both parents, within two weeks of each other, were diagnosed with two different forms of cancer. Life isn’t always fair. They have managed to rally the community together to help the children in any way possible because the family has a long road ahead of them. With a proper emergency fund in place the parents can focus on overcoming this illness rather than how they’re going to afford the childcare bill or keeping the house warm this winter.

It doesn’t have to be as dramatic as getting diagnosed with cancer though. My husband was diagnosed two years ago with something that requires regular medication, the initial few weeks of medication and supplies, even with private insurance, still cost us a few hundred, un-budgeted for, dollars. It was after this diagnosis that we started saving for our emergency fund. The stress of the unknowns, and how it could possibly effect his ability to work (leading to decrease in pay) was enough to scare me.

Life is unpredictable. No matter how well you forecast, there will always be unexpected expenses, if you have the funds in place to pay for them you can move through life relatively stress free.

How to Talk to Your Family About Life Insurance

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life insuranceLife insurance is an important financial tool meant to protect your family in the event that something happens to you or your spouse.

And when you have kids to watch out for life insurance becomes a must-have. But talking about life insurance and the kind of coverage you need can be a tough topic to bring up. No one wants to think about leaving their family, but unfortunately that will day will eventually come.

There are too many times when a family loses a loved one who was once responsible for the financial well-being of the family with no life insurance. In these cases the family suffers not only mentally and emotionally, but also financially.

If you want to keep your family protected but need to figure out a way to bring up life insurance here are some ideas.

Talk About the Future of Your Children

As parents we all like to think about the future of our children. And as a responsible parent you can recognize that finances play a part in a bright financial future.

While you and your spouse are talking about the future of your children bring up the idea of a will and life insurance. Talk about what would need to be done if something happened to one or both of you. Who would take care of your children? How much money would you need to leave?

Calculate how much money would be necessary to cover all of your debt and to leave money for expenses, like your children’s college education.

Set Up a Meeting with Your Insurance Agent

If you feel like you and your spouse have a lot of unanswered questions then call your insurance agent and set up a meeting.

Your agent can answer all of your questions, provide you with quotes, and help you calculate how much money you need to stay protected. Talking to an experienced advisor can help your feel at peace with the decisions you make.

Bring Up Some Statistics

State Farm recently conducted a survey on life insurance with some pretty interesting statistics. For instance, when asked if life insurance has been an important part of their family’s financial plan for generations, almost half (48 percent) of Americans agreed and 22 percent strongly agreed.

Another interesting insight from the survey was that parents of children under 18 are more likely than those who aren’t parents of children under 18 to say life insurance is an asset (58 percent versus 47 percent).

You can find more results from the life insurance survey on Good Neighbors. These points can help you spark a conversation with your significant other.

Getting Protected Isn’t Hard

Unless you have a health issue life insurance isn’t terribly expensive. Regardless, it should be a line item built into your budget and looked at as an asset rather than an expense.

As a parent you shouldn’t leave the fate of your children in someone else’s’ hands. Life insurance can help you map out a plan for your family’s futures.

Have you made life insurance part of your family’s financial plan yet?

Disclosure: This blog post was written as part of a sponsored program for State Farm to raise awareness about the importance of life insurance. All views expressed are entirely my own, and were not influenced or directed by State Farm. You can learn more about this blogger program and life insurance at GoodNeighbors.com, PlantingMoneySeeds.com, and by following #StartLiving on Twitter.

5 Tips for Planning a Cheap Family Getaway

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family vacationLast weekend I had the luxury of getting out of town with the family, even though we didn’t go very far it was so nice to just get out of our normal routine and boundaries. You don’t have to spend a ton of money to enjoy a family getaway. We managed a weekend away for less than $200 by finding some deals and capitalizing on cost savings, you can too.

Shop Around

We knew we’d need a hotel for the evening but weren’t interesting in spending a ton of money. I also knew we’d likely be spending a decent amount of time in our room given that we have a little on who is asleep fairly early so wanted it to be comfortable and spacious for my husband and I to enjoy while she was sleeping, without being overpriced. The internet makes searching for stuff like hotels a breeze. I found exactly what we needed for below the price we were willing to spend.

Look for Discount Options

We were planning to attend a specific event, if we signed up for notifications from the hosting vendor we would be granted a 25% discount on ticket price. Given that there we a total of seven of us traveling it saved us a decent chunk of money. We also saved on parking at the event itself because they considered us a carpool (more than 4 people), a nice surprise.

Enjoy and Seek Out Perks

I hate paying for parking at hotels, given the rate at which they charge you to sleep in a room I think it’s insane to charge upwards of $40 per day in some cities to park your car on top of room rate. I always look for hotels with free parking before ever paying. I also compare the room rate for breakfast vs. no breakfast included. At our particular hotel not only did we have free parking for only $10 more per night then the other hotel we were looking at, we got hot breakfast included. Our family of three certainly can’t eat (out) for less than $10. The hot breakfast is almost always worth the money to me.

Share Costs

A few family members were traveling with us to go to the same event to we decided to cut one of the cars out and share the cost in our vehicle instead. They save on wear and tear on their vehicle and we shared the cost of gas which was a help to both parties involved. We also shared a hotel room. Paying for the larger room and extra persons charge was still significantly cheaper than us each getting a room and it was nice to have the extra company!

Bring Your Own Snacks

Buying snacks on the road can get expensive. We always pack our collapsible cooler with drinks and light snacks for us and kiddo so we’re not tempted to waste money at gas stations and pit stop locations. We have a child who much prefers to graze throughout the day then eat larger meals so this works especially well for us.

With a little planning it is possible to plan a weekend away with your family and not break the bank. Proper budgeting will insure you can get away without worrying how you’re going to pay for it all when you get back!