Kids Ain't Cheap

But They Sure Are Worth It

Archives for 2019

how to evaluate the cost of extracurricular activities

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the cost of extracurricular activities

As my children grow older, I’m beginning to explore the need to keep them busy while 1) allowing unstructured time for them to play and 2) providing them with moderate access to technology. It’s an art, and I’m often wondering if I’ve found the best recipe. What are the optimal measurements of each?

Part of this exploration also involves determining how much my budget allows for extracurricular activities.

Because – like kids, extracurricular activities ain’t cheap. And it continues to rise.

Choosing The Right Extracurricular Activity

My daughter takes to things reasonably easy. She’s a quick learner, prone to beginner luck with almost every activity I’ve signed her up for – ballet, soccer, gymnastics, cheerleading, karate, art, piano – to name a few. But once it gets hard and she has to make an effort, she doesn’t enjoy it, and it becomes a power tug of war between the two of us. It’s a juxtaposition of forcing her to stick to her commitments vs. allowing her to explore her real interests.

However, to my delight, riding horses has proven to be something special. It wasn’t love-at-first-sight, but I watcher her desire to learn blossom a little each day. 

The Cost of Extracurricular Activities

What was not to my delight, equestrian hobbies come at high expense. Between weekly riding lessons, show clothes, and show fees – I spend approximately $300 a month, on average. And we don’t even own (or lease) a horse. (yet)

I could buy a car for that. Not a Testa, but a reasonable car – something like a Honda Civic. 

Once I realized that riding horses was something she was going to stick with, I realized I needed to adjust my budget. But truth-be-told, I wasn’t sure how – our budget is pretty tight, and I would prefer to pour all my money into paying off our mortgage. 

Is the Cost Worth It? A Cost / Benefit Approach

At this point, I wrestled with whether the cost of riding horses was something I was willing to bear. What value was this adding to her life? The merits can be debated, but where I landed was that riding a horse requires caring for a horse. 

She has to groom her horse before she can ride. Horse camp involves mucking out stalls. Caring for an animal like a horse develops responsibility, as well as respect for an animal. She’s also building her confidence as she showcases her skills in front of her peers and judges. 

I hope that her relationship with horses continues to grow and as she enters junior high and high school, she chooses to spend her time at the barn, rather than out partying (as I did at that age).

Making Adjustments To My Budget – Now and in the Future

Ultimately, I decided the cost was worth it. I took on some additional writing assignments to offset the cost, and I cut back on the amount I was allocating to my mortgage-free fund.  

My son, on the other hand – he’s a different beast. He has little to no interest in extracurricular activities, and he’s an introvert. This combination is something I’m aware needs special attention in the current society we live in. I need to make sure he develops his social skills, but balance this need with respect for his personality. 

He’s also extremely bright. Over the next few years, I believe I will find myself becoming a chess or Mathlete parent. I’m okay with that. Time will tell. And when it does, I’ll need to adjust my budget again.

 

How do you approach the cost of extracurricular activities for your children? Have you found them to be more expensive than you initially expected?

Read more:

Paying for Extracurriculars Without Breaking the Bank

Teaching Kids the Value of Hard Work

Four Money Habits You Need To Teach Your Children

The Best Ways to Pay for College: A Guide for Parents

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America is facing a crisis due to extreme student loan debt. There is currently $1.48 trillion in outstanding student loan debt throughout the country. If your kids are planning on heading off to college, it makes sense that you’d want to do everything you can to help pay for their education without taking on the burden of student loans.

But what are the alternatives to student loans when it comes to paying for college? We’ve got you covered. Read on to learn all about the best ways to pay for college!

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How To Afford Out-of-State Tuition

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how to make out of state tuition affordable

Every parent dreams of a full-ride scholarship for their child. I, personally, have high hopes on an Ivy League education. But full-ride scholarships aren’t always realistic. And what if your child wants to attend an out-of-state college?  

Out-of-state tuition can increase your education costs by over 100%. However, some options may make out-of-state tuition more affordable. 

Here are nine options to consider to make out-of-state tuition more affordable.

Flat Rate Tuition

Look for colleges that are on a flat-rate tuition policy. Flat rate tuition does not discriminate based on where you live; the cost is the same regardless of your residency.

An example of a university that charges the same tuition for in-state and out-of-state residents is Mississippi Valley University.

Student Exchange

Similar to studying abroad for a year, some schools allow an exchange to another university, for the same cost as your home school. Generally, these are available for one-year increments. Check out the National Student Exchange for more information.

Good Neighbor Policy

Neighboring states or counties may offer reduced tuition. It’s often not advertised, so it’s worth giving the financial aid office a call to ask what kind of assistance they can offer.

Low Out-of-State Tuition

Some colleges are cheaper than others, or the gap between in-state and out-of-state tuition is more narrow. West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas, is an example where the difference between in-state and out-of-state is less than $1,000 per year.

Waivers

Top performing students may be eligible for a non-resident tuition waiver. There may be certain restrictions, as every state has different regulations. For example, the student may need to be studying in a particular area. East Tennessee University has waiver options if you major in History. 

Reciprocity Agreements

Similar to good neighbor schools, some states hold agreements with other states to allow residents to swap states for the sake of saving on college tuition. The Western Undergraduate Exchange is an exchange of approximately 16 states on the West Coast that allow for reduced out-of-state tuition if you attend a school in one of the participating states. Deadlines are a big deal here – so make sure you apply early.

Legacy Scholarships

Legacy scholarships may be available for alumni of many colleges.

Tuition-Free Schools

In exchange for service, many schools offer free tuition. Alice Lloyd College in Kentucky is an example. Through a student work program, students may be eligible for free tuition. More schools are listed here.

Relocate

While not the most realistic of the options, it’s worth mentioning. Massive action produces massive results. If your child has their heart set on a specific school, and you have the flexibility to move – perhaps you work remote – this may be an option. It’s crucial to review residency requirements in each state as they often have loopholes that will hinder short term moves for the sake of paying in-state tuition.

 

Do you think out-of-state tuition is out of your reach? Share your concerns in the comments below.

Read more:

Are Parents Legally Obligated To Pay For College

Best Ways To Save On College Needs

7 Key Ways to Save for Your Kids’ College Education

What To Do When You Are Overspending at Christmas

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Overspending at Christmas

I have a confession.

I overspent my Christmas budget.

(And I’m not done shopping.)

Overspending At Christmas

I did everything right. I made a list of who I was shopping for and created an overall budget. All was going well until I deviated from my plan.

Typically I plan a vacation for Christmas. I prefer to gift experiences to my family over wrapped presents. Last year, we went to Disney World. The year before, we went to Great Wolf Lodge.

However, this year, my daughter wanted a saddle, and my son had been asking for some 1000+ piece Lego sets. These were items I’d buy for my kids outside of Christmas, so I thought let’s go ahead and have Santa buy them. We’ll stay home this year and spend our budget on Christmas presents.

I also expected this would create a more relaxed Christmas. I wouldn’t have to coordinate the logistics of travel, and I wasn’t planning to buy much for Christmas. After all, the presents I was going to buy weren’t extra for the sake of Christmas.

I was wrong.

It’s not more relaxed and I’m buying more presents than what was on my list.

Creating A Budget Buffer

Something I always do is that I plan to go over budget ahead of time. I do this by creating a budget buffer – usually 5 to 10% of my overall budget. Because overspending at Christmas is not an unrealistic scenario.

Since we’re home this year, I’ve been more inclined to accept invitations to Christmas parties. Also, because we are home, we’re going to my in-laws Christmas morning. This added additional people to shop for that were not on my original list.

But good plans are fluid, so I adjusted the budget per person to accommodate the extras.

Another thing that surprised me is my kids wanted to buy presents for other people. I appreciate this, and it was a simple budget obstacle to overcome.

They pitched ideas on what they would do in exchange for extra money. I was able to secure some “maid” service for the next few weeks in exchange for some small gifts. The amounts were small enough that it didn’t set me over budget because I had built in a buffer for unexpected purchases.

Plan For Budget Obstacles

What I didn’t expect was nostalgia to travel over Christmas. Impulsively, I booked a 3-day trip to Legoland. I paid the full price for the hotel room and park tickets. I was able to use miles for two of our plane tickets and paid for the other two. This was the primary reason that led to my overspending at Christmas.

So what am I going to do now that I’m WAY over budget?

Good plans should be fluid and be able to accommodate roadblocks.

I have to sacrifice in other areas of my budget. I reduced the amount my husband is allowed to spend on me and I pulled from our travel savings account to cover the hotel and tickets.

To pay for the plane tickets, I pulled from January’s budget by cutting expenses. Food was cut back, clothing was eliminated, and I cut the flash cash budget in half.

What I Learned

Through this process, I have been reminded of how grateful I am that:

1) I have set my budget up to accommodate impulse decisions – knowing this is standard behavior for me,
2) I have diversified my income so that I know I can generate some back-up income when I needed, and
3) I am committed to remaining debt-free. A few years ago, I would’ve slapped the trip on a credit card and not thought twice about taking two years to pay for it.

 

Have you gone over budget this Christmas? How do you handle impulse purchases? Is your budget set up to accommodate your personality? Let us know in the comments.

Read more:

5 Ways to Buy Cheap Christmas Gifts for Kids

Three Things You Can Do to Make Money for Christmas

Favorite Family Christmas Traditions, Modernized!

 

4 Bad Habits that Are Costing Your Family Money

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Families, like individuals, can develop good and bad habits. And like people, most families have a few bad habits that they should try and break. What’s worse is that some behaviors aren’t just unhealthy or unproductive –– they’re actively bad for your financial well-being. Indeed, certain habits can cost families hundreds –– if not thousands –– of dollars every year. Here, we’ll list the four worst familial habits, and explain what you and your kin can do to break them once and for all:

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Are Parents Legally Obligated To Pay For College

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Are Parents Legally Obligated To Pay For College

In August 2013, a New Jersey girl sued her parents for the cost of her college tuition. Caitlyn Ricci won that case in 2014, and the decision was upheld in court later that year. The details of the lawsuit is worthy of soap opera. Amongst which is that Ms. Ricci is estranged from her parents for failure to follow the rules laid out by her parents. While we leave the legal merits of the case up to the judges, it begs the question, are parents are legally obligated to pay for college.

This topic is particularly personal for me. We save money for our children’s college. However, I don’t necessarily plan on spending that money on college. My parents didn’t pay for my college. The education I gained from that alone was worth as much as the cost of my degree.

There is No Hard and Fast Answer

While there is no black and white answer, there are some signs that point to yes, parents are expected to contribute financially to their children’s higher education. This may not always come in the form of payment for a child’s tuition; it can be through other means of financial support, such as providing housing or transportation.

The State You Live In Matters

The case referenced above was filed in the state of New Jersey, which is a progressive state in terms of state laws that have been established which define parental requirements in terms of financial contribution towards a college education.

Each state sets its own laws, and some states such as California are on the other end of the spectrum and limit parental obligations. Overall, there is no specific requirement for parents to pay for their children’s college education in most states. However, if a parent is divorced, this may be a game-changer.

It Will Depend On The Parents Marital Status

The obligation is more strict when the parents are divorced.

When a marriage ends in divorce, and parents and children get involved, the parent with custodial rights generally receives some sort of financial contribution from the other parent. This is agreed upon as part of the divorce settlement, and higher education costs are typically included in the agreement.

Again, each state will differ – here is a breakdown of requirements by state.

The Child Must Participate In The Cost

There is an expectation that the child should make a reasonable attempt to contribute to their college education. In the case referenced above, Ms. Ricci’s parents appealed on the grounds that she did not apply for all applicable scholarships and loans. The claim was ultimately rejected in favor of the parents due to the fact Ms. Ricci was emancipated from her parents. Thus she showed intent to be independent of her parents. The court applied that independence to financial support, as well.

 

Do you think parents should be legally obligated to pay for college? Are you planning to pay for yours? Share your opinion in the comments below.

Read more:

Best Ways To Save On College Needs

7 Key Ways to Save for Your Kids’ College Education

5 Ways to Prepare Kids for College

How I Use Bank Accounts To Organize Our Money

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family bank account

I recently went out on my own and started a financial consulting and bookkeeping practice. As the primary (and sometimes only) breadwinner for my family, this has thrown a bit of a wrench in our personal finances. Not only am I not getting a regular paycheck every two weeks, but I lost my employer subsidised insurance and a 401k match.

Getting Financially Organized

I’ve spent the past few months researching our options for health insurance and identifying the best options for our retirement savings. I’ve also set up a process to make sure I save the appropriate amount for federal and state income tax because I don’t have an employer withdrawing it from my paycheck for me.

These changes were all things I was expecting. What I hadn’t realized the importance of was organizing our cash so it wasn’t all sitting in one big pile. To solve for this, I set up multiple bank accounts for the family.

Given that my self-employment income is variable, and that my largest client pays me once a month, having separate bank accounts to disseminate my cash to is critical. If I keep it all in one account, including my tax estimate, I will be tempted to spend it. I know myself too well.

I’ve re-organized the flow of our family’s cash into five bank accounts. Each account has a designated purpose that allows us to optimally manage our money. The five bank accounts we now have are a family checking account, an emergency savings account, a family savings account, a medical expense savings account, and a flash cash account.  Separately, I have a business checking account and a tax account.

Family Checking Account

This is the primary bank account. All money comes and goes through this account. I transfer cash from my business checking account once a month to the family checking account. My husband’s paychecks are also deposited here. All bill payments are drafted from this account. Money is transferred to our other bank accounts from here, all via automatic draft.

Emergency Savings Account

We have an emergency fund in place to cover unplanned events such as home or car repairs, but mostly I’m always worried about an emergency trip to the veterinarian. We have a mischievous Great Dane, along with a few other critters. I don’t want to find myself in a position of saying no to a life-saving surgery because we don’t have the funds.

Family Savings Account

I funnel funds for everything we want to do that requires some savings over time. Things such as the next family vacation to Walt Disney World or Myrtle Beach, season passes to the museum or a new SUV.

It’s also our rainy day account.

Health Savings Account

While not a traditional bank account, we set up a health savings account.  A Health Savings Account (HSA) is an account specifically for health-related expenses. It’s tax-free and typically has a debit card assigned directly for payments from the account. The benefits of an HSA include the contributions and any earnings are tax-free and it can be rolled over into the next year.

Monthly, we are transferring cash to the HSA to cover future medical expenses.

Flash Cash Account

Otherwise known as a slush fund or fun fund. All our money leftover after bills goes here. This money is used for date night, my Chai Tea Latte addiction, and money for all the fun things.

Sadly, it’s also used for not so fun things like the toilet seat cover we bought last night.

 

Does your family use multiple bank accounts? Let us know in the comments below.

Read more:

Five Ways Your Bank Can Help You Save for College

Child Savings – More Than Money in the Bank

Why We’re Opening a Bank Account For Our 3 Year Old

A Guide for Building A Child Trust Fund

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Child Trust Fund Guide

A Child trust fund isn’t just for the Rockefellers and the Rothschilds of the world. They’re also for normal moms like you and me who want to leave a legacy for our children and our grandchildren.

What Is A Child Trust Fund

Trust funds are a financial tool associated with estate planning. They represent a separate legal entity that holds assets such as cash and property for the future benefit of a child.  

Three terms that are helpful to understand are:

  • Trustee – the beneficiary of the trust, or the child
  • Grantor – the person who set up the trust
  • Trustee – the person or company that manages the assets of the trust

Why Do You Need One And How Does It Differ From A Will

The primary benefits of a trust include tax savings for the grantor and asset protection for the beneficiary.

A trust allows for the distribution of funds over time for a specific event, for example, monthly distributions to pay for a grandchild’s college expenses. With a trust, this is possible before the grantor’s death. A will does not go into effect until a person dies.

With a trust, the specific conditions set by the grantor are met. Where this is different than a will, is the property passed on through a will must enter probate, which can get messy, can cause delays, and can cost extra money. A trust is done outside of the court system so that you can avoid probate.

Types of Child Trust Funds

The most popular type of Child Trust Funds falls under the term, Irrevocable Trust Funds (ITF). There are two major types of ITFs – Section 2503 (b) and Section 2503 (c).

Section 2503 (b) Minor Trust Fund – Qualifies for the annual gift tax exclusion based on current limitations. Distributions of the trust income to the child or a custodial bank account must be made on a yearly basis or more frequent basis. Access to the principal at the age of 21 is not required.

Section 2503 (c) Minor Trust Fund – Qualifies for the annual gift tax exclusion. All the money (both principal and income) in the trust must be transferred to the child at the age of 21.

How To Set One Up

There is a lot to consider when setting up a trust fund for your children. Not only are there legal and tax issues to consider, but you’ll also have emotional impact to think about. For example, you’ll need to consider the individual personalities of your children. Do you believe they will be mature enough to receive a significant distribution of assets at the age of 21? If the answer is no, you’ll want to avoid the Section 2503 (c) fund.

Seek out the counsel of a qualified estate attorney during the process of setting up your trust. Their experience with the federal and state laws will ensure you, your children, and your assets are adequately protected.  

 

Do you have any experience setting up a trust fund for your kids? Tell us about it in the comments below.

Read more:

How to Prepare a Living Trust & Will for a Single Parent

7 Key Ways to Save for Your Kids’ College Education

Child Savings – More Than Money in the Bank

Four Money Habits You Need To Teach Your Children

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money habits for kids

If you want your child to grow up as a financially independent adult, start teaching them money habits young. Today, I’m talking about four money habits you need to teach your kids if you don’t want them living at home until they’re in their thirties.

1. Delayed Gratification

As technology has changed throughout the years, we’ve adapted to receiving instant gratification. Think about how irritated you become when it takes longer than two days to receive a shipment. Thanks, Amazon Prime! When you don’t know an answer, it takes less than 60 seconds to search for the answer. Thanks, Google!

While these are amazing benefits of living in our modern world, having instant access to whatever we desire can lead to bad habits. Force your children to wait for something they want, even if it’s just a few minutes. For example, increase their allowance by 10% if they wait for payment on Saturday, instead of Friday. Small changes in your day-to-day living that delay access can lead to increased resistance to instant gratification for your child.

2. Compound Interest

Go beyond teaching your children the value of saving. Teach them the benefits of saving early, specifically how compound interest can grow their money over time.

You’ll want to keep the concept simple and age-appropriate. You can pay compound interest on their allowance while encouraging them to save up for something specific (say the latest video game). If you’re struggling with coming up with a way to teach them, consider this marshmallow game.

3. Live Below Your Means

I know with my kids, the minute I hand over their allowance, they’re already figuring out how many Pokemon cards they can buy. I have to remind them to split their money up into giving, spending, and saving categories. We even have these special piggy banks to make it fun.

While using this 3x concept, they’re learning to save and give, which is amazing. However, I’m more interested in teaching them to live below their means. When they get ready to buy their first home, I want them to laugh at what the bank is offering them for a mortgage. They’ll instinctively know that they don’t want to spend as much as they can afford. Instead, they’ll understand the value in living below their means, so they have additional money to fund their emergency fund and to put in the church plate, and to help a friend out in need without requiring them to repay the loan.

4. Creating A Positive Money Story

As we grow into adults, we create our own money story, and that money story is directly attributable to how we spend and save our money. Help your children the best money story for themselves, one that will provide them with a strong sense of balance between saving and spending.

While her program is not kid-related, Natalie Bacon’s course, Money Mindset for Her, is where I learned how my money story was leading to poor money habits, specifically to overspending. She taught me to change that story, and it continues to have a positive impact on my life a year later. If you’re not clear on your money story, consider giving her course a try. Then teach the principles to your kiddos. And even better, teach by example.

Do you have any additional money tips for kids? Let us know in the comments below.

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Year-round Money Saving and Fun Activites for Parents and Kids

The Average Grocery Bill for a Family of Four (and How to Save on Yours)

3 Unexpected Options for Stay At Home Moms to Make Extra Money