New article posted at "Everything Finance"
Everything Finance
New article posted at "Everything Finance" |
|
|
5 Financial Things to Talk About Before You Move in Together Posted: 11 May 2014 09:11 PM PDT 5 Financial Things to Talk About Before You Move in Together is a post originally published on: Everything Finance - Everything Finance - Its all about Money!
You may think that figuring out how to pay the rent and utility bills is the only financial aspect you’ll have to worry about, but there is usually a lot more financial aspects involved when you begin to cohabitate. Paying the BillsPaying the rent may be the no-brainer—just split it down the middle, right? But what if one partner makes significantly more than the other partner? Perhaps you’re the breadwinner in the relationship and you’re thinking that it just makes things easier to split all bills 50-50. But what if you make 70% of the income, and your partner makes 30%? Perhaps they’re coming into the situation thinking they’ll only be responsible for 30% of the rent and bills. It’s great to just do a little check-in to make sure you’re both on the same page and aren’t assuming anything. Divying up the GroceriesSplitting the bills and utilities may be easy. Even gas-since you most likely each pay to fill up your own vehicles. But what about groceries? In most cases, you’re grocery shopping for two. And that includes all household supplies that you both also take advantage of. While it may be easy to say you’ll take turns, it can be easy to build up resentment if one of you gets set in a routine of shopping on your way home from work, and the other one simply eats whatever is around. Combined purchases?In addition to groceries and household supplies, what about the big ticket items that you purchase together as a couple? Like the couch, or the 50 inch flat screen TV. If you split the cost, then you’ll just need to figure out how to split it if the union doesn’t work out. Who pays for dinner?Now that you’re sharing everything else, does it make sense for only one of you to pay for your outings together? Will you take turns picking up the tab? As you switch from dating to living together, a lot of these financial things come up and it’s just best to figure out how you plan on handling these events so as to avoid any awkward moments when the check shows up on the table. Emergency fundsYou may think that saving on your own is the best option should anything arise in the house that needs fixing, you can each pay your share right? But are you sure that your partner is saving enough to cover their share? Make sure you both know that the other partner is financially sound rather than assume they’re on the same page as you.
RESOURCE CENTER
    
|
| You are subscribed to email updates from Everything Finance
To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. |
Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
Everything Finance
|
Frugal Activities for Toddlers: Entertaining One Year Olds Posted: 14 May 2014 12:01 AM PDT Frugal Activities for Toddlers: Entertaining One Year Olds is a post originally published on: Everything Finance - Everything Finance - Its all about Money!
Meetup.comMeetup.com is a free site that allows to create groups for the purpose of meeting up. Look for local mom groups in your area or start your own. One year olds may not know how to play together yet, but it can be fun to get together with other moms. Water PlayAt first, I thought a water table was a must-have, until I saw the price of them. Paying $35-50 for a plastic table that holds water for a baby/toddler is a little ridiculous in my book. Instead of investing in a water table, try making your own with a plastic box or under-bed storage container. You can also set out a big bowl of water with a little bit of dish soap for your baby to play in, wash their toys, or blow bubbles. You can even give them an affordable paintbrush so that they can “paint” with the water on driveway. Another fun idea is to make a colander by poking holes in a Styrofoam cup or bowl. Sensory BoxesIf you type in the phrase “Sensory Box” in Pinterest, you are going to find an abundance of ideas. Sensory boxes do not have to be anything complicated. In fact, we have two plastic shoe boxes full dried beans and split peas and rice and noodles. I also threw in an extra measuring cup and spoon I had in the box. The problem with sensory boxes is that babies can put the contents in their mouth, which is why supervision is important. Look around your house for everyday items that may appeal to your baby, then stick them in a box or basket, and let them have fun. The Free ZooWhat if I told you that your town has a free zoo? It’s true! It’s called the pet store and most one year olds love it. We live an hour and a half from the LA Zoo, so making a day trip would be costly. Instead, my daughter and I go to the pet store, Petsmart or Petco, about twice a month. We usually go on pet adoption day so that we can see all of the dogs and cats. You may not see a giraffe or elephant, but your little one will most likely love seeing a variety of birds, fish, and other small animals. One thing I have learned is that one year olds love to experience new things. They are so curious about the world around them, so it is only natural for them to want a change of scenery every now and then. These frugal activities for toddlers will help keep your baby busy while also helping them developmental skills. How do you keep your one year old entertained and out of trouble on a budget? Stay tuned for more frugal activities for toddlers. |
Everything Finance
|
How to Decide Whether You Should Go Back to Grad School Posted: 16 May 2014 02:31 PM PDT How to Decide Whether You Should Go Back to Grad School is a post originally published on: Everything Finance - Everything Finance - Its all about Money!
It’s not that I think grad school is a bad investment, but I was glad to be done with college, and the idea of going to school and dealing with homework, professors, and reading assignments was just not what I had in mind for my late 20s. After college, I seemed to float around in my career. I was working as a reporter for a medium-sized metro newspaper, but I didn’t really know what I wanted to do long-term. I had typical post-college questions:
And like most recent college grads who don’t know what they want to do, I decided that graduate school would be perfect for me. So I applied. Every year. For several years. Because every time I was accepted into grad school, I kept changing my mind about whether I actually wanted to go, and whether that was what I really wanted to do. The first year, I applied to journalism school. Not much of a reach, since I was already working as a reporter. Considering I was making $30k a year as a rookie reporter, the $90k USC journalism program quickly became out of financial reach. Then I applied to a public relations grad program. Which made sense, since my career now shifted into the PR world. Again, I postponed enrollment. The year after that, I decided I wanted to be a lawyer. Surprise, surprise, I was doing PR for a law firm. After studying for the LSAT and not understanding a single thing, I put that “dream” to rest real quick. All this time that I was spending trying to decide what to do with my career, I was actually working on my career. It wasn’t until I finally felt settled in what I wanted to do, and that I found out that my company would pay 75% of my degree, that I finally took the plunge and went back to school for my master’s in public administration. Here are my dos and don’ts when it comes to deciding on whether or not to go to graduate school: Don’t go back to school just because you don’t know what to do. Trust me, it’s not going to feel too great spending at least two years of your life and $20k on a degree you’re not even entirely sure about. Do go back to school if you are 99% sure an advanced degree will help your career. Don’t go back to school because all your friends are doing it. Do go back to school if your company will pay at least a portion of your degree. Don’t go back to school if you’re trying to switch career fields and think a degree will help you make the switch—employers will almost always prefer work experience to a degree, so go find an internship or entry level position in that field first before going back to school. Besides—you haven’t even worked in that field yet, what if you hate it and now you’re stuck with a graduate degree in it? |
Everything Finance
|
Frugal Activities for Toddlers: Ideas for Two Year Olds Posted: 18 May 2014 11:21 PM PDT Frugal Activities for Toddlers: Ideas for Two Year Olds is a post originally published on: Everything Finance - Everything Finance - Its all about Money!
Reuse Those Easter EggsNow that your little one has entered toddler land, they may have realized this year that those cheap plastic eggs are amazing with hidden candy in them. You don’t have to wait another year before busting out the Easter eggs again. If you didn’t save your Easter egg stash, you can probably find several on super clearance at craft stores or even grocery stores. There are a lot of fun things you can with leftover Easter eggs, but hiding them throughout the house will keep your two year old busy. You can either stick a small candy inside or non-candy rewards, like stickers, pennies, or beads. Another idea is to color the cups in an old egg carton to make it a color matching game with the Easter eggs. Sidewalk Chalk PaintChalk has been a big hit at my house, so I am excited to try out Mommy’s Kitchen’s recipe for sidewalk chalk paint. You probably already have cornstarch and food coloring in your cabinet, so this activity would be free. You can buy foam brushes for about .45-.50 cents at your local craft store or even put the sidewalk chalk paint in a squirt bottle. Crafting IdeasNot all of us parents are crafting geniuses (ahem, me most of all). However, this doesn’t mean we should stay away from crafts all together. The cheapest entertainment can come from very simple crafts, such as allowing your child to cut (child scissors, of course) pictures from an old magazine or catalog and pasting them on a piece of paper. If you are feeling extra adventurous, you can even allow your child to string Fruit Loops or beads on a string or even decorate with glitter glue. Most of the basic craft supplies are inexpensive and can be found at any craft store or even the dollar store. Michael’s Craft Store even carries .99-cent mini birdhouses or wooden boxes that your child can paint with a .50-cent foam brush and .45-cent bottle of paint. Yes, it will be messy (just strip them down to their undies and have them do the craft on a plastic table cloth on the grass), but your two year old will have a blast. The craft store does not have to be a pricey place. And before you say your child is not into crafts, I would bet that most rambunctious toddler boys would love to shred paper with a pair of scissors. Fun Bath TimeWhen it’s hot, tempers can get a little high too. What my little girl loves is when I let her take a bath in the middle of the day. I make it a little more fun with extra bubbles, food coloring, and perhaps a popsicle. You can even make your own bath paint recipe with this recipe. This works on so many levels because your toddler cools down, mommy gets a break, popsicle mess is easy to clean up, and hey, if Junior gets cleaned behind the ears too, then great! |
