Kids Ain't Cheap

But They Sure Are Worth It

Five Ways Your Bank Can Help You Save for College

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College is a huge step in life, which is why it’s so important to make sure that you have enough saved up in order to get you through the next few years of education. It’s an exciting and life-changing experience, but one that adequately needs to be prepared for. There are quite a few ways that your bank can help you to save up for college and get ready for the next chapter in your life, and five of them are listed below.

  1. Open a savings account. This is really important, and it should be the first step you take with your bank. A savings account means that you can keep money separate from your spending, ensuring that you don’t spend it haphazardly and that you just keep adding to the amount every time you get paid. Everyone should have a savings account, and you may even be able to find one dedicated to saving up for things like college with your bank.
  2. Use online banking. Pretty much everyone uses online banking now, and if you aren’t then you definitely should start ASAP! You can even download the app for your bank onto your phone, allowing you to keep track of everything no matter where you are. You’ll be able to view personal, business, checkings, and savings accounts, and see what where the money is flowing in and out. You can even look at pending transactions so that you are fully prepared for anything that is leaving your accounts. It’s a great way to get organized and make sure you are saving (and not spending) money.
  3. Get paid early. During the end of the month crunch time, it can be a great idea to receive your paycheck from work early. Many banks now have a get paid early app that can be the perfect way to get those monthly bills paid without fretting. Banking systems like Chime allow you to receive your paycheck two days early. This is great for keeping on top of bills and rent as well as organizing your finances and ensuring that you have enough in savings.
  4. Get financial advice. When it’s time to prepare for college, it’s always worth making an appointment with a financial adviser your bank. You can usually do this in person, over the phone, or even online – which means there’s an option for everyone in every location. They will take you through good spending and saving habits to help you overcome any issues you’re having, as well as help you save as much as possible for your future education. These sessions are often free, but it’s important to check with your bank first.
  5. Learn more about interest rates. Some banks charge fees, and this can end up costing you quite a lot every year. Many online banks, however, have taken a modern approach and are now considered a no fee bank because you don’t need to pay in order to keep your money safe. Interest rates on savings accounts are also important to find out so that you know which type will work best for you. Accounts with higher interest rates are often good to pick as the more you deposit in them, the more the bank will give you, and there are plenty of free options to pick that have reasonable rates.

To Conclude. Hopefully, this has helped you with the first steps towards saving for college. It may take a while and can at first feel quite stressful, but your bank is here to help you out when you need them. There are loads of options for you, but make sure you start by opening up a good savings account and speaking with the financial adviser at your bank so that you have a clear idea of where to go. Happy saving – and learning!

 

5 Facts about Noise at Home and Your Children’s Health

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What is noise? By definition, noise is any unwanted sound that is a nuisance. However, you should not just dismiss noise as a nuisance, especially if you have young children. Excessive noise is harmful because it will interfere with your child’s daily activities such as talking and sleeping.

Here are some facts about how noise affects your children’s health:

Impairs Learning

Because it is hard to concentrate in a noise-filled environment, your child’s ability to learn will be affected negatively. Noise causes annoyance and reduces motivation thus affecting the complex cognitive learning abilities of a learner. Moreover, background noise that exceeds the volume of normal speech will affect audibility, making it hard to learn.

Interferes with Language and Speech

When a child is repeatedly exposed to loud noise during the critical development stages, it will affect his ability to acquire language and speech-related skills. This means that your child might not learn how to listen and read properly.

Disrupts Sleep

Noise will keep your child awake at odd hours and interfere with his or her sleep pattern. Sounds that seem trivial during daytime can become disruptive at night, especially if they occur abruptly. Even if your does not wake up completely, noises will affect his sleep cycles and stir him up slightly. This means that your child will not get a full night’s sleep and will be tired the following day.

Impairs Hearing

When your child lives in a noisy environment for a long time, he or she might develop tinnitus – a buzzing or ringing sound in the ear. This condition is associated with different types of hearing loss. When sounds are too loud, even for brief periods, they usually damage the sensitive parts of the inner ear, which results in noise induced hearing loss. This hearing loss can be permanent or temporary depending on the period of exposure.

Disturbs the Cardiovascular System

Children who live in noisy areas for long periods tend to have cardiovascular diseases and high blood pressure. This shows that noise affects the body at a cellular level by inducing the body’s fight or flight response. When this happens, the stress hormones in the body increase and they eventually cause vascular damage.

One of the major ways that noise affects cardiovascular health is by disrupting sleep. Noise that occurs in the night increases blood pressure even if the person does not awake.

How to Minimize the Risk

If you live near a loud factory, you should consider moving for your own sanity. However, if you cannot move for some reason, you should consider soundproofing your home. You should start by reading articles such as how to soundproof windows and doors.

You should also invest in thick rugs and carpets to minimize the noise that gets into your home through the floor. While at home, you should watch movies and listen to music at a low volume then encourage your children to do the same. Make sure that you also limit the amount of time that your kids spend participating in noisy activities.

However, if your child participates in noisy activities such as playing loud instruments regularly, you should have his or her hearing tested. You should teach your child the importance of walking away from loud noises whenever possible. If walking away is not possible, you should purchase some child-sized earmuffs to protect your child’s hearing.

Conclusion

The above facts show that noise has psychological and physical effects on children’s health. If your child is experiencing hearing problems, you should visit an audiologist to have his or her hearing tested. Just remember that prevention is better than cure.

 

Car Seat Recommendations: How To Find The Right One For Your Child

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car seat recommendations

Children of the 70s and 80s rode in the front seat of the car with their parents and sometimes in the back of a truck unrestrained. Nowadays, we know it’s safer to make sure our children are properly restrained. From the time a child is born until the child is between eight and ten, parents need to have a car seat.

Everyone agrees that children should be safe when riding in a vehicle but car seats can be pricey with some costing close to $1,000. Lucky parents may receive a car seat at a baby shower. But if you are not one of the lucky ones, you can find a great car seat that protects your children and still pay the rest of your bills. Here are some of our recommendations for finding the best car seat for your child.

Know the Requirements

All states require children to be properly restrained in a car seat from the time they are born until they are four. Past four, the laws vary, but some states require children to be in a proper car seat until they are 8-years-old, weigh 80 pounds, or are four feet, nine inches tall. You can find out your state’s requirements here.

What’s the Best Kind of Seat?

That depends on the age of your child and your budget. All car seats sold by retailers are required to meet federal safety standards. Infants must ride facing the back on the car. You can purchase a seat that accommodates your child until he or she is 20 pounds or so, or you can purchase a seat that converts to a toddler seat as your child grows. You may pay more upfront for a convertible seat, but in the long run, you’ll likely save some money. Many retailers sell car seat-stroller combinations.

Your child will eventually outgrow his or her infant seat and can graduate to a booster seat. These seats are less expensive with some priced at less than $25 at discount retailers.

Where to Find Deals and Where Not to Find Deals

Discount retailers often sell child safety seats at great prices. You can also try online coupon sites like Groupon for savings. But you may want to avoid garage sales and online yard sale sites unless you find one new in the box. Car seats do expire, on average in six years. The cheap car seat may not meet the safety requirements. Also, a damaged car seat could be unsafe.

Parents who are really strapped for cash can reach out to their community. Many organizations offer free car seats to low-income families.

A Final Word About Car Seats

Even the most expensive car seat is worthless if you don’t install it properly. The good news is, most communities offer help with installation. Some law enforcement agencies will install your car seat for free and inspect it to make sure it is safe. The hospital where you give birth may also offer free car seat installations. You can contact your local police department or other emergency management agency for more information.

Have you purchased a car seat recently? Share your experience with us in the comments below!

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How to Have a Fun Frugal Halloween

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frugal halloween ideas

Your kids are probably getting excited at the thought of all the trick or treating candy, but they are probably planning their costume, too. Costumes can get expensive with some as high as $100. That’s a lot of money for some families to spend on something your child will likely wear just once and then outgrow. But don’t worry. There are a number of great frugal Halloween ideas that will keep your kids happy without spending the money you are saving for Christmas.

Get Creative With a Homemade Costume

Many mid-size to larger cities have specialty Halloween stores that sell costumes that can be quite pricey. Save your money and get creative. Many costume ideas cost less, but will take some artistic skill. One of my favorites is the Lego costume made from cardboard. In fact, you can make a lot of costumes using cardboard boxes.

Trim the box edge, wrap it in old Christmas paper and add a bow and you have a Christmas gift. Look around your house for old crafting materials. Pinterest has a wealth of ideas. And in staying with the box theme, they have an adorable UPS costume!

Homemade costumes have an added bonus – your kids will have a one-of-a-kind outfit and stand out among the Spidermans, Batmans, and Incredibles.

A side note: Going to the Halloween store and buying a Halloween costume on clearance is probably not a good idea. Kids grow so fast it may not fit next year and you are stuck with a 2018 trendy costume they can’t wear.

Halloween Decorating on a Dime — What About a Halloween Tree?

halloween tree

Fall and Halloween decorating rival Christmas. You can craft some cute decorations (again I refer you to Pinterest) but what about a Halloween tree? This is something I actually did a few years ago. I purchased some orange paint and pumpkin form for less than $10 at Michaels and painted them. I also took some clear Christmas balls and filled them with orange glitter.

For the tree topper, I took some white material I had left over. I draped it over a foam ball, clinched it at the neck with a ribbon and added some eyes. Voila! I had a ghost tree topper. You can add some clear lights to give it some pizzazz!

But It’s All About the Candy

The saying “you have to spend money to make money” also applies to Halloween. Your kids will be coming home with a ton of candy on Oct. 31, but you need to be prepared with treats of your own to hand out or send to school for Halloween parties.

Busy parents don’t have time to scour all of the sale ads so I use Flipp. It has all of the ads in one place and I can use their search engine to look for what I want. You can also check your coupon and discount sites for other deals.

Whether you trick-or-treat, trunk-or-treat, or just have a fun party, you don’t have to take out a loan to celebrate Halloween. What are some of your ideas for a spooky good time?

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Child Savings – More Than Money in the Bank

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How early is too early to start saving?

Warren Buffett’s multi-billion empire arguably started at age 6, when he bought packs of gum at his grandfather’s grocery store and spent his evenings selling them door-to-door in his neighborhood. The successful gum enterprise soon led to selling six-packs of Coca-Cola, which led to delivering the Washington Post and later to magazine subscriptions. Throughout his childhood, Buffett challenged himself to earn more and save more. By the time he was 11, he had saved $114 (or about $2,000 in 2018 dollars) and invested in his first stock. The rest, as they say, is history.

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School Is In Session! Protect Yourself From Scams

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Beware of Back-to-School Credit Card Fraud

back to school tips, beware of scams, credit card scams

With the school season starting again, education is job number one for students and parents alike. A proper education includes an education in personal finance, and one of the best ways to start is to learn how to protect yourself against scams.

You can and should learn fast, too, because scams can become more common during the back-to-school buying season. Here are some practical suggestions on how to avoid credit and debit card fraudsters:

    • Only patronize known retailers.
    • Avoid jackpot online deals that offer items like $3,000 laptops for $400. These are often scams.
    • “Good PC hygiene” cannot be overstated for every handheld device, laptop, and phone. Anti-virus and anti-malware programs are key to staying safer online.
    • Avoid pooling or sharing credit card information in a dorm setting. There is no reason for students to share credit or share their logins and access to their online accounts with each other.
    • Watch out for “card cracking,” or “card popping,” which targets younger people in particular via their frequent port of call – a social media site. It may be a post announcing a contest, but soon you’re being asked for your banking information. That’s it – run away, it’s a scam.
    • Make sure to monitor each of your credit card accounts for unfamiliar transactions, and report any suspicious account activity to your card issuer directly.

 

  • Check with your financial institution: Many credit card companies now offer online fraud alerts that warn the card issuer of any unusual activity, and several card issuers also provide credit card controls that enable you to literally turn your payment cards on and off at will.

In all cases, the key thing is for the student to be paying attention and proactive – qualities known to be helpful in other areas of study!

This article was provided by our partners at MoneyTips.com.

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