Archives for January 2019

House hunting can be tricky when you have kids. Children are usually very excited when they enter a new home knowing they may soon live in it. It’s not unusual for kids to run and play during a home viewing, making it difficult for parents to watch their kids and view a home.

On the other hands, some kids are upset at the prospect of moving. They love their current living situation and parents must be sensitive to their thoughts and feelings.

All of which can make the home buying process a bit overwhelming. But it doesn’t have to be complicated.

Continue reading, as we’ve created this home buying checklist, with your kids in mind, to help you get through the process a little easier.

Be Strategic About Taking Your Kids to Home Viewings

Realtors suggest leaving kids age nine and under at home with a babysitter or with family.

Younger children are often more difficult to manage and distract parents from a home viewing. Afterward, many parents have trouble remembering important details about the homes they see. Remember, you want to have productive meetings when you see a house so you can make an informed decision about purchasing it.

Older kids are more mature and are fine to bring to home viewings. They can even be very helpful and point out features and concerns you may miss.

If you must bring your younger children, it’s advised to pick and choose which homes you bring them too. For example, you may not want to bring them to view a home still being lived in.

They may open a door and be surprised to see a large dog on the other side. Conversely, they will generally be safe at an open house, especially if it is empty and the owner has already moved out.

Acknowledge Your Children’s Concerns

Moving is an anxious time for everyone, and your kids are no exception. They often do not want to leave their school, friends and extra-curricular activities among other things.

Give your kids a positive picture of their new community. Make sure your real estate agent is willing to stop at schools, parks, churches, sports facilities — even the mall if needed. Another option is to plan family trips to your new community to let your kids see themselves in their new surroundings.

Involve Your Children in the Process

A great way to make your kids feel like a valued part of the decision-making process is to let them search the internet home listings with you. Reduce their frustration by asking them for their feedback on homes. Get their input about what is important to them in a new home and community.

If you’re taking your kids with you to viewings, give them tasks to keep them focused on what lies ahead. For example, your kids may enjoy taking pictures of the homes you view or keeping a detailed checklist of the best features each home offers.

Older kids may enjoy doing internet research about the town, landmarks, population and their best schools. Strong|Edge Realty is a great resource for real estate information.

The objective here is to give your children opportunities to focus on the future and feel connected to the process as well.

Recognize Your Child’s Limits

Most kids get excited when they view a new home. But even the most enthusiastic child can have a hard time with a full day of home viewings.

To that end, it’s usually a good idea to limit yourself to a few viewings per day. If you need to see more homes, consider taking a break at some point to let your child eat or play. We don’t recommend giving your children your smartphone or tablet during a viewing unless they are using educational apps to learn new skills.

Children do not have the same attention span as adults. The more mindful you are of their needs, the more likely they will be easy to accommodate while you are viewing homes.

Home Buying Checklist for Viewing Homes with Children: Wrap Up

Your children are unique and you may think of more items for your family’s home buying checklist.

Buying a home and dealing with children may be challenging, but it’s not impossible. Consider their feelings, keep them involved in the process and give them opportunities to see themselves in their new home and community.

If you found this article helpful, please check out more content with helpful housekeeping information.

As a new parent, you shouldn’t have to think about education expenses that will pop up 18 years down the road. However, with the rising cost of college, it’s something you can’t ignore.

During the last ten years, the average cost of university tuition and fees has increased to just under $35,000 a year for a single student. That’s a daunting figure, especially if your family is on a tight budget.

The good news is, saving for college is easier than it seems. You just need to explore your options and plan early.

Let’s go over some ways to kick start your child’s college savings fund.

Set Goals Right Away

The first thing you’ll need to do is come up with an amount you’ll need to put away each month.

This can be hard, as there’s no way to predict exactly how much the cost of college will rise. However, if current trends continue, you can expect to pay at least $50,000 per year once your child turns 18.

You can now calculate how much you want to put away each month. Make sure you don’t stretch yourself too thin and always take into account how much you’ll earn on interest.

Consider a 529 Savings Plan

This is one of the most common college savings plans. A 529 plan provides you with two options – prepaid tuition or an investment savings plan.

A prepaid tuition plan lets you put money away while securing tuition costs and avoiding fees. Or, you can invest in mutual funds that have similar risks and return rates as other stocks and bonds. If you go this route, check out investor mint to help you get started.

Keep in mind that a 529 plan is only for educational purposes. If your child ends up not attending college, there’s a chance you won’t be able to use the money for other things.

A Traditional Savings Account

Many people opt to use a standard savings account to put money away for their children’s education. This offers a level of flexibility you won’t get with a 529 plan or other investment options.

If you go this route, it’s important you stick your monthly plan. Consider setting up automatic transfers each month.

The primary disadvantage of using a traditional savings account is your money won’t earn much interest. There aren’t many tax benefits either.

Keep Your Retirement Savings Separate

At some point, you may feel tempted to tap into your retirement savings to pay for your child’s education. However, this is a mistake you don’t want to make.

You can always borrow money for college expenses if needed. This isn’t the case with retirement funds.

If you have a 401(k) through work, max out of it before contributing to a 529 plan. You should also keep putting money towards an IRA. This money won’t hurt your chances of getting financial aid if you need it down the road.

Start Saving for College Now

There’s little chance the price of a college education in America will drop. Preparing for the future now is the best way to stay financially secure while giving your child the opportunities they deserve.

Consider these tips when saving for college and find out what works best for you and your family.

Check out more articles for financial information and advice geared towards new parents.

You’ve spent nearly nine months preparing for this moment, and now you’re starting to panic. After all, you’re about to have a baby, and the reality of parenthood is starting to settle in.

You probably feel pulled in a million directions with too much to do and too little time, right? But don’t sweat it! We’ve compiled a solid preparing for baby checklist so that you can sit back and enjoy the beautiful (and wild) ride into parenthood.

Rest Up Early and Often

If your circle of friends and family includes lots of mothers, then you’ve probably already heard this piece of advice. But it doesn’t make it any less true or valuable. You need to rest up NOW… before you’ve got a little one to care for.

Babies don’t come with a pre-set schedule. So, you can expect a solid six weeks (or more) of sleeping schedule chaos. Put another way, you’re going to miss out on a lot of shut-eye.

That’s why it’s important to start out ahead of the game when it comes to beauty sleep. Then, once the baby’s born, prepare to catch a nap whenever they do.

We know it’s tempting to watch your precious bundle sleep. But trust us, you’ll need every stolen moment of sleep you can get.

Invest in Sensible Furniture

Yes, purchasing a super cute baby crib and creating a sweet nursery for your little one feels rewarding. Heck, it’s part of the whole nesting process.

That said, your baby will want to be close and stay close to you after they’re born. You’re their lifeline in this strange new world, so why would they want to be separated from you by a whole room?

But you still need sleep, and your baby needs to stay safe. We’ve all heard about the dangers of co-sleeping. Fortunately, there are great alternatives.

Invest in sensible furniture that keeps baby safe and happy like a co-sleeper bassinet. You can attach the co-sleeper to the side of your bed so that baby stays close but out of harm’s way. Trust us, you’ll both sleep better day and night!

Change Your Perspective

A good friend of mine actually crawled around her house on her hands and knees to see life from her baby’s perspective. This change in perspective helped her better baby-proof the environment for her little one.

While you may not currently feel like crawling around on the floor, especially if your due date’s right around the corner, you still need to think like a baby. Identify items near or on the floor that could be a hazard to them.

These include things like loose electrical cords and window blind cords. Also, make sure that furniture, such as dressers, and appliances like televisions are properly secured so that they don’t present fall hazards to your little one.

Finally, watch out for furniture that’s not baby-friendly. This includes tables and other pieces with sharp edges as well as glass and metal furnishings. You can wrap them with bubble wrap or purchase plastic guards to neutralize the threat.

You’ll also want to put breakable and fragile items out of baby’s reach.

Invest in Baby-Proofing Accessories

Now’s the time to invest in quality baby-proofing solutions. Make sure that you cover all electrical outlets as these can be a dangerous focus for baby’s curiosity.

Look for choking hazards that babies could come into contact with on or near the floor. Secure kitchen and bathroom cabinets with a safety latch so that your little one can’t get into dangerous items like cleaning solutions and chemicals.

Although it may feel a little rushed to start thinking about baby-proofing now, babies grow by leaps and bounds. They’ll be crawling and then running before you know it. These tips will give you peace of mind and keep them healthy and safe.

Stock Up on Quality Eats

Trust us, the last thing you’re going to feel like doing after coming home from the hospital is whipping up a gourmet meal. Making instant oatmeal will even feel like a chore. Instead, plan ahead by preparing and freezing meals.

When you have home cooked frozen meals ready to go, you can guarantee that you eat nutritiously while still having lots of time to rest and relax. You need to keep your energy up, so make life as streamlined and easy as possible.

Pump Up

If you’re planning on breastfeeding, then preparing for a baby also means getting ready for feedings. You need a quality breast pump. Yes, these can get expensive, but you have options.

In fact, you can rent a hospital-grade breast pump at your nearest hospital or lactation center. There are also a wide variety of products on the market to suit your unique needs and lifestyle.

You’ll want to invest in a nursing pillow so that both you and baby feel comfortable during feedings. Now is also the time to purchase maternity bras and tank tops with flaps for easy accessibility as well as nursing capes for public outings.

Get Monitor-Ready

There’s no way to keep your eyes on the baby at all times. Fortunately, technology has come a long way when it comes to baby monitors. These gadgets let you see what your little one is up to and hear when they’re crying.

Some monitors even come with an intercom option, which allows you to soothe and reassure your infant when you’re not in the room. Or, check out the Owlet Smart Sock Baby Monitor, a truly unique baby monitoring option.

Designate a Rest Area

Set up a comfy, quiet location where you can rock or glide your baby to sleep. This corner is also a great spot to place a swing or balance chair when you need to set the baby down and take a phone call, do a few chores, or go to the bathroom.

Find a quality swing or chair where baby can rest alone and then make sure the area is clear of clutter, choking hazards, cords, and other potential dangers.

Preparing for Baby Checklist

While there are many additional ways to prep for the arrival of your little one, our preparing for baby checklist focuses on the essentials. These items will help ensure your baby feels safe and happy once you bring them home.

Looking for more parenting tips to help you get ready for the amazing adventure of parenting? Check out our baby blog for answers to your most pressing baby questions.

Colorful red plastic kids lunch box filled with healthy food including fresh vegetables, a wholewheat ham sandwich and Rolex Roll on chappati with a fresh apple alongside

Is your kid too cool for a lunch box, making it difficult to find a container to carry his midday meal? Maybe you’re concerned about the items being kept cold enough for consumption.

Whatever your issues in finding the best lunch box for your child is, you can bet that there is a solution available! We are going to take a look at several tips for finding a lunch box that will keep your little one happy, safe, and healthy.

Additionally, we will attempt to put to rest any worries you may have about this helpful nutritional tool. Keep reading for more information!

1. Aesthetics Matter

School children can be quite judgemental over trivial things like lunch boxes. Allowing your child to choose a design that appeals to them may limit any bullying that may take place.

Also, if your child is proud of their lunch box, you will be met with far less resistance when it comes time to go to school.

If you aren’t against using ice packs to keep the lunch cold, consider a vintage lunch box. You may even find one or two that you want for yourself!

2. Structurally Sound

Many children stuff their lunch boxes into their book sacks or other random nooks and crannies. If the box is well-made, it will be able to stand up to this abuse.

If a solid lunch box seems more expensive than the others, remember that they will hold up to a full school year, and maybe even some summer trips. You don’t necessarily have to purchase a hard-sided lunch box to see these benefits either. You may just have to opt for sturdy materials.

Other considerations that should be made as far as the structure is concerned is the number of pockets or dividers you’d like, and whether you’d like to place items side by side or stack them.

3. Contain Spills

Unfortunately, because of the amount of abuse a lunch box will take, it is likely that a drink, sauce, or some other liquid will spill. Luckily, because these containers are small, they are relatively easy to clean.

Do you know what’s not easy to clean?

An entire backpack filled with important papers, report cards, text and workbooks, and school supplies. Triple check your child’s lunch box to ensure that it will self-contain any spills that may occur.

Aside from keeping spills contained within the lunch box, read the labels before you purchase to find out the best way to clean the box. Some might have the ability to be tossed in with your laundry, while others may simply need to be wiped down with a cleaning solution or soap and water.

4. Insulation Is Important

Keeping food cold can be difficult. If you choose to use ice packs, you may end up with a few damp napkins, but the food will likely be safe. Choosing an insulated lunch box will do that much more to ensure your child’s food safety.

Depending on the style of lunch box that is chosen, you may be able to freeze the lunch pack the night before and opt out of ice packs altogether.

Another idea for keeping your child’s lunch cold can include using stainless steel containers, frozen prior to packing and freezing a water bottle the night before. The water will act as an ice pack and provide your child with a lunchtime beverage.

5. How to Carry

Some lunch boxes may only have a handle, while others may include a strap or carabiner to attach it to other various items. If your child has a lot of things to carry to and from school, attaching the lunch box to a bookbag could be important.

Look at the stitching of any handles to ensure that the box will be able to carry a full meal without the potential of breaking. Also, know that it isn’t unheard of for children to swing their lunch boxes or horse around–potentially breaking or tearing the material used to hold things in place.

6. Size Matters

You don’t want your child to go hungry while at school–which means you will want to pack a hearty lunch. However, if you choose a lunch box that is too small, you may end up with a packing nightmare each day.

Instead of choosing a lunch box that you believe is ‘just right’ in size, go for bigger than what you think you’ll need. After all, it is better to have a bit too much room than not enough.

While we’re talking about sizing and packing, take a look at how the lunch box will close. Does it zip, snap, or fold? This question will help you determine whether the container is age-appropriate, how well it can contain spills, and possibly how well it will keep food cold.

7. Environmentally Friendly Options

There are plenty of lunch boxes available that include small containers for packing. These small containers are both environmentally friendly and less costly than using disposable packing.

Generally, reusing your child’s lunch packing materials may take a bit more time but will end up saving you a fair amount of money. You will end up buying far fewer plastic baggies, which will also mean less plastic in landfills.

The Best Lunch Box? One You Love

Although there are plenty of tips on how to choose the best lunch box, it comes down to what works for you and your child. Ideally, the lunch box should keep food safe and contain spills.

However, if the lunch box itself isn’t designed to stay cold, ice packs can be used, and if spills happen, they can be cleaned. The most important part of a lunch box is that your child actually eats the meal you pack. If it’s in a 50’s cartoon lunchpail, so be it!

If you’d like some ideas of what to pack in your child’s lunch (or your lunch, for that matter,) take a minute to check out our budget-friendly meal planning resources!

If you own one of the nearly 90 million dogs in the United States, you know how much fun they can be for the whole family.

But, dogs can also take up a lot of your time, which can make it difficult to meet their needs while taking care of your family well.

Since you can’t be everywhere at once, we’ve come up with some tips on how to take care of dogs even if you’re incredibly busy!

Keep reading to learn about these dog care tips for the busy family.

How to Take Care of Dogs with No Time

Even first-time dog owners know dogs need food, attention, and exercise. As you’ll soon see, you can meet these needs without taking too much of your time away from the rest of your family.

Without further ado, here are our favorite ways to take care of a dog even if you have no time!

1. Get an Automatic Feeder

Automatic dog feeders are great for so many reasons. They allow you to “set it and forget it” so your dog doesn’t miss a meal and you don’t have to try to remember to feed him in the midst of the morning rush.

2. Include them in Your Family Time

With food taken care of, the next thing to think about is attention. Dogs crave your attention and want to spend time with you. So, how do you do that when you barely have time for yourself?

Simple. Include your dog in your family time. If you’re not already setting aside some family time every day or at least once a week, do so! Then, start looking for dog-friendly activities that your whole family can enjoy.

3. Hire a Dog Walker

The next thing your dog needs is exercise. That’s where a dog walker comes in. This is especially important for high-energy breeds that can quickly become destructive if left alone all day.

Fancy Paws Dog Walkers is a great example of a dog walking service that ensures your pet is taken care of, and it’s affordable to boot. You don’t have to live in a mansion to hire a dog walker anymore.

4. Use a Doggy Door

Another way you can ensure your dog gets enough exercise is to install a doggy door that allows them to come and go as they please. This isn’t ideal for dogs that get themselves into trouble when outside, so make sure you trust your dog first.

This can also help you avoid cleaning up accidents that happen in the house if you find yourself away from home for longer than expected, making this a win-win solution!

Want More Family Tips?

Now you know how to take care of dogs with no time. Hopefully, you can start applying even one of these tips to start saving you time so you can enjoy your pooch more!

If you want more family tips and tricks, check out our blog! There are tons of articles there to help you get the most out of your family time.

When you start thinking about having a child, one of the major questions that comes up is “How will we pay for their college?” Many parents want to be able to help put their kids through college, and as we all know, college is expensive. Saving for a college education can take decades.

At first glance, the prospect of saving up enough money to put a child through college can be incredibly daunting. But with a few solid principles, you can have enough money to get your child well on their way to a college education.

Read on to learn a few tips on how to save for college.

Do the Math

One of the most important early steps in saving for your child’s college education is figuring out how much that education is going to cost. If your child is young or not yet born, this may be more of a challenge because of tuition inflation rates. But having a solid plan will help you best achieve your college savings goals.

A good starting point is to figure out the average tuition for a four-year public university in your state. You’ll want to adjust that by 5 percent per year to account for inflation, and keep in mind that private schools can be nearly twice as expensive. And you should also decide what your goal is: do you want to pay fully for your child’s college, or do you want to simply help offset some of the costs?

Start Saving Early

Starting early is one of the best ways you can ensure you can meet your goals for your college savings. If you’ve ever read about financial planning, you probably know the impact compound savings can have on an account. The earlier you start saving, the better off you and your child will be.

Ideally, you’ll want to start saving as soon as your child is born. The general rule of thumb is that you should multiply your child’s age by $2,000 to determine the amount you should have saved for their college.

If you want to save for the possibility that they’ll want to pursue a more advanced degree, such as a degree from Ultimate Medical Academy, you’ll want to put a little more aside.

Keep Things in Your Name

One pro tip you may not know about when it comes to college savings is that you’ll want to keep their savings account in your name. It may be tempting to put their college fund in their name, as it will be their money one day.

But doing so can actually hurt any future financial aid they might be able to get.

When colleges are looking at how much financial aid a student needs, they look at how much they have in terms of assets. This includes college savings accounts, and if you’ve done it right, they’ll have quite a lot of money there.

For every dollar over $3,000 a student has in their name, schools remove $0.20 from their financial aid.

Do Some Investing

Now if you’ve started doing the math on exactly how much you’d have to save to cover your child’s college costs, you may be thinking it’s impossible. After all, very few of us have the means to save $1,000 or more every month.

Before you start panicking, remember that investments are a great way to help grow your money.

It may sound strange, but putting some of your child’s college savings fund into stocks can be a great way to help you meet your savings goals. Stocks have been shown to have the most consistent, largest return over long periods of time.

Talk to a financial advisor about how to invest your money so that in ten to twenty years, you’ll be able to pay for your child’s schooling free and clear.

Take Out a Prepaid Tuition Plan

While we’re on the subject of non-traditional savings accounts, taking out a prepaid tuition plan can be a good option for saving for college. These are a variation on a 529 state college savings account, which have great tax benefits.

The difference is that with a prepaid tuition plan, the state takes on much of the risk with the account.

The big downside to these plans is that your child must go to school in the state the plan is in. If they want to go to an out-of-state college, you could experience a serious penalty to get your money back. But if your state has excellent college options, this can be a fantastic option.

Know Your Savings Account Options

In addition to the prepaid tuition plans, there are a number of other savings account options you can look into. Which one you choose depends on how much you want to save, what your savings goals are, and a number of other factors.

Talking to a financial advisor about which account is the best fit for you is a good idea.

If you will be 59 ½ when your child goes to college, putting money into a Roth IRA can actually be a great way to save for college. There are also Coverdell Education Savings Accounts, known as Education IRAs, that will grow tax-free.

Whether you go for a tax-deferred account or not will depend largely on your current annual income.

Stay Consistent

When you’re saving for your child’s college, the most important thing you can do is stay consistent. Whether you use an IRA account or a prepaid tuition plan, start saving early or late, just be consistent. Putting money into the account regularly is the best way to reach your savings goals.

Try to build your monthly savings contribution into your budget so that you aren’t trying to find where it’s coming from every month. If possible, you might want to set up an auto-transfer so the deposit takes care of itself.

However you prefer to do it, make a plan to ensure that you can contribute to the account on a regular basis.

Learn More About How to Save for College

Saving enough for a college education takes discipline and time, but it is one of the greatest gifts you can give your child. If you follow these tips for how to save for college, you can meet your savings goals.

If you’d like to find more tips on how to pay for a child, visit the rest of our site at Kids Ain’t Cheap. We know how expensive it can be, and we have tips and tricks to help you afford to give your child the best.

Check out our money management toolkit today.

Tired mom and foreground arguing son and father on background. Problem of addiction to computer among teenagers.

There are so many joys to parenting – your kids become the center of your world, however old they are.

Sadly, like the parents of 21.5 million other Americans, when one of your children becomes addicted to drugs, we understand that it can feel like the world is crashing down.

But there’s hope! Your years of careful parenting and nurturing have not gone to waste – and you still have a crucial role to play.

Read on for some important advice for parents of addicts.

Analyze Your Own Behavior

One of the best pieces of advice for the parents of addicts is to take a hard look at themselves. Are you unintentionally enabling your child’s addiction?

This could be through financial support, covering for them when they can’t make it to work or making excuses for them that minimize the addiction.

One of the kindest things you can do is take a firm line and refuse to support your child’s addiction. That leads us to…

Promote the Positive

As you withdraw anything that supports their addiction, you need to replace it with behavior that will support their recovery.

This can include:

• Being willing to forgive
• Having positive, encouraging conversations
• Lending a listening ear
• Not overreacting to difficult behavior

This will help them not to see themselves as a failure and show you have confidence that they can turn their life around. Crucial to this is…

Support Them Through Treatment

At first, even convincing your child that they need to get some treatment for their addiction may be a challenge. But showing them that you’ll be there for them through treatment can be a powerful incentive to get help.

Once they are there, supporting your child through a spell in an inpatient drug rehab center is a crucial role that you can play.

Family support is a great help to addicts. Families can help them to seek help, understand the problem themselves and follow strategies to best support their family member through treatment.

Care For Yourself

As the parent of an addict, it’s easy to focus all your efforts on your child and neglect yourself. However, this is dangerous as you could face burnout or worse.

Take time to care for your own health. Allow yourself some respite. Accept help from family and friends.

Counseling for parents of drug addicts is also available. This may help you to set priorities through this challenging time.

The Takeaway: The Best Advice for Parents of Addicts

This may be the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your life so far – but it can also become one of the biggest successes.

Following this advice for parents of addicts will help you to be positive, firm and kind. Reinforce behaviors that will assist them to get on – and stay on – the road to recovery.

It will be a tough journey at times, but they will thank you in the long run.

We know that time with family is precious – but how can you make the most of it?

Check out our blogs on how to get the best out of family time.