Category: Family Ideas

Six Ways to Go Back to School on a Budget

The summer is coming to a close and the 2012-2013 school year is upon us.

The seemingly endless list of school supplies and clothes has to be handled now. It’s time to get the backpack and supplies. The kids need new clothes and shoes.

This year the average family with students from Kindergarten to 12th grade is expected to spend $689 on Back-to-School items. It’s up from $604 last year according to the National Retail Foundation.

“When it comes to their children, there’s nothing more important to a parent than making sure their children have everything they need, even in a tough economy—and especially when it comes to back-to-school shopping,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay.

Here are six ways you can save a little money and go back to school on a budget:

1. Know the Dress Code – Before you go out shopping for school clothes make sure you fully understand the dress code. We want to ensure the clothes we buy can all be worn to school.

2. Buy Supplies for the Whole Year – August is typically the cheapest month for school supplies. Many of the big office stores even price items below cost. Look for notebooks, paper, pencils, and other items on super discount and stock up.

3. Break Down Bulk Snacks – Save some money by purchasing larger packages and divide it up into individual portions.

4. Know When It’s Not a Deal – Tax free weekend, back to school sales, semi-annual clearance. You will hear plenty of creative names for sales. Check the prices and make sure it really is a deal.

5. Wait For The Clearance -Stores will begin marking down school supplies right after the rush. You can get some great deals if you can hold out a few more days.

6. Give Them a Budget – Let your kids get involved in the process by giving them a budget for school supplies and clothes. They will appreciate learning how to stretch the dollar and get the most out of their budget.

How do you handle this time of year to make sure you go back to school on a budget?

Average U.S. Households Almost Out of Financial Distress

by bmadmin

The Consumer Distress Index, published by CredAbility, found that the average U.S. household is under less financial stress these days, most likely due to factors such as added jobs and the mild winter weather this year.

Overall, U.S. households scored 69.9 out of 100 points, with a score under 70 indicating a state of financial distress. While still 0.1 points shy of beating the non-distress category, the score is an improvement from the previous quarter’s 67.6.

Also, 69.9 is the highest score since the 2008 third quarter and the 2.3 point increase from the previous quarter is the highest quarterly jump in seven years.

The index measures financial distress by taking into account five categories: employment, housing, credit, how families manage household budgets, and net worth.

“At long last, the average U.S. household is on the verge of moving out of financial distress,” said Mark Cole, chief operating officer of CredAbility and author of the index.

Cole added that while finances are still tight, so long as gains in employment and housing continue, the financial health of the average U.S. household will further stabilize.

CredAbility started measuring distress among households in the 25 largest metro statistical areas (MSAs) for the first quarter of 2012.

The five MSAs in the most financial distress were Tampa-St. Petersburg (57.9), Detroit (60), Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach (61.5), Atlanta (62.6), and Los Angeles, (62.7). All five areas lag the nation in employment and housing, accounting for their low scores.

The MSAs under the least amount of distress were Washington, D.C (74.1), Boston (73.1), Minneapolis-St. Paul (72.4), Honolulu (71.8), and Dallas-Fort Worth (70.1).

One common characteristic of the six most distressed MSAs was they all had financial distress scores under 50 in the employment category, with Los Angeles at the bottom with a score of 39.5.

Among the 50 states, the most distressed were Nevada (61.66), Georgia (64.04), Michigan (64.75), Mississippi (65.06) and Florida (65.70).

The states in the least amount of distress were North Dakota (84.01), South Dakota (80.21), Wyoming (79.21), Nebraska (79.18), and Vermont (77.75).

Overall, 28 states scored 70 or above during the first quarter.

Article courtesy of DSNews.com. CredAbility is a nonprofit credit counseling and education agency.

Boomerang Kids Returning Home

by bmadmin

Five million young adults are currently living with their parents, according to the Census Bureau – an astounding one in eight 25- to 34-year-olds.

But it’s no wonder: Unemployment for people in their early twenties now touches 14%, vs. the national average of 8.5%.

New grads are having a harder time finding first jobs, and layoffs are forcing some older twentysomethings, even thirtysomethings, to return home. If your kid comes boomeranging back, use these tips to help smooth the financial transition – for both of you.

1. Consider charging token rent if the kid has income and assigning responsibilities around the home. This establishes that you’re not replaying adolescence and trains new grads to manage financial obligations. Lay out expectations right away, but think about offering an initial grace period on rent.

2. Rather than offering cash outright – which doesn’t teach your kid any lessons and may threaten your own financial security – offer an unemployed kid a hand in finding work. If they just can’t find that perfect job, you may want to suggest that your child take a “for-now” job while continuing to look for the perfect gig.

3. First month’s rent, security deposit, and moving costs add up fast. So encourage your child to have some of every paycheck deposited in a “move-out fund.”

Follow these tips, and you just might get your empty nest back one day.

10 Ways to Save Money During the Holidays

by bmadmin

According to this year’s National Retail Federation holiday survey, the average American will spend just over $700 this season on gifts, cards, decorations, and more. This is one time when you want to be below average — way below. In fact, if you are in debt, just say no to gift buying this holiday. There is no reason for you to go further into debt buying gifts for others.

If you are buying presents this year, the key to avoiding a holiday season that drains your bank account is to start planning early. Here are the top 10 ways to save money during the holidays and starting the new year in better financial shape:

Plan it. Before you shop online or enter the chaos of the shopping mall, take ten minutes at home to create a spending plan that lists who you need to buy for and how much you will spend.

Use discounted gift cards. How would you like $100 worth of gifts for $80? You can purchase discounted gift cards for hundreds of online/offline retailers including the Apple Store, Radio Shack, Sears, Home Depot, and others. Discounts are usually 5%-30% off the face value of the card. Check out GiftCardRescue.com and GiftCards.com.

Use social media. Before you start shopping, start following your favorite retailers on Twitter and Facebook. Many companies offer discounts exclusively to their Twitter followers and Facebook friends. A quick search of their recent posts may reveal money-saving discount codes.

Barter online. When you’re shopping online, look for a “chat” or “live help” button. Tell the customer service rep you’d like to shop with them but you want a 15% discount. Ask them to check with their manager or you will abandon your shopping cart and click over to their competitor. This won’t work all of the time, but when it does it will save you money.

Find discount codes. I never buy anything online without trying to find a discount code first. I’ve literally saved hundreds of dollars and it doesn’t take more than a minute. Simply go to RetailMeNot.com, SecretPrices.com, or do a Google search for coupon codes to pull up all of the available discounts for your store. Use the discount code during the checkout process to get free shipping or to save 20% or more.

Get cash back. If you’re going to spend hundreds of dollars this year on gifts, you might as well try to get a few bucks back. Some stores offer programs to get free store cash if you spend a certain amount.

Bring on the envelopes, chuck the credit cards. Leave your credit cards and debit cards at home. Allocate an amount of money for each gift, and put that money in separate envelopes marked with the recipients’ names.

Give group gifts. When exchanging presents within large groups of people, even “token” gifts can really add up. Try a “white elephant” exchange, a secret Santa strategy, or going in with co-workers on a gift for your boss.

Make a promise that you won’t buy anything for yourself. When you’re shopping for gifts, it’s easy to be tempted to buy for yourself. Make this season about others, not you — and remember that the items you want will likely be less expensive during the after-season sales.

Avoid the “10% off, buy more” phenomenon. Stores often offer great deals when you sign up for their credit cards, but beware the high rate of interest these cards charge and ask yourself if you’ll really be saving money in the long run. And don’t spend more than you intended just because you’re now getting a discount on your purchase.

If you follow these money saving tips, I guarantee you will put more green — and less red — into holiday shopping this year.

Ho Ho Ho!

Simple Pumpkin Carving for the Whole Family

by bmadmin

I remember, as a child, watching people carve Halloween pumpkins. It was a struggle to cut out the small triangular features with an unwieldy kitchen knife. We didn’t always manage to get the teeth going in the right direction, and some of these jack-o’-lanterns were decidedly more successful than others.

Thankfully, there are now tool kits on the market created especially for carving pumpkins. With these tools to the rescue, carving pumpkins is easier than ever before and, therefore, the designs can be as amusing or enchanting as you wish to make them. You can mix and match pattern shapes or create some of your own — cookie cutters and coloring books are good sources for inspiration.

Although any actual cutting should be left for the adults, there are plenty of opportunities for children of all ages to participate. Going to the pumpkin patch to pick your own pumpkin is a great beginning.

1. Funny Face
For this Funny Face pumpkin cut two ear shapes (one from each side); then when you have completed the rest of the carving, put the tab inserts into the cutout holes and secure with straight pins. A little experience and a steady hand are required for the areas around the eyes. If in doubt, eliminate the teardrop shape directly under the eye to avoid carving the thinner strips. Pumpkins can be scooped out from the top or the bottom. Cut a lid or a bottom candle opening as desired.

2. Galaxy of Stars
Let the stars shine through, and a crescent moon as well, in this Galaxy of Stars design. Cut as many stars as fit your pumpkin and place the carved lantern on the doorstep or in a window to welcome trick-or-treaters.

3. Autumn Leaves
Falling leaves are the inspiration for this Autumn Leaves design. By scattering maple- and elm leaf-shaped patterns at angles, the result is a windblown look that is appropriate for the season.

4. Going Batty
Going Batty describes the cutout designs circling all around this carved creation. Two different sizes fly over the surface. As with Autumn Leaves and Galaxy of Stars, this pumpkin looks equally enchanting from all sides. When not on display, store your carved pumpkin in a refrigerator with plastic wrap covering all the carved areas.

What to Do

1. Choose a pumpkin that is an appropriate size and shape for the design you wish to carve. Tall pumpkins may lend themselves better to faces. For designs with lots of cutouts, look for large, round pumpkins with smooth surfaces. Look for a pumpkin with a flat bottom that will sit upright.

2. Wipe the pumpkin clean with a soft damp cloth and dry.

3. Decide which patterns you want to use, and trace the design — actual size or enlarged or reduced on a photocopier — onto tracing paper.

4. For a lid: Draw a 6-sided lid with a V-shaped notch at the back. This notch will serve as a guide to replace the lid. For a bottom: Draw an opening on the bottom of your pumpkin if you want to sit it over a candle. Be sure to draw the opening large enough so that it will be easy to reach inside and scoop out the contents when cut.

5. Only grownups should do the actual cutting. To do so, cut along the drawn lines for the lid or bottom opening with a sharp paring knife. Keep your non-carving hand away from the blade at all times. If cutting a lid, angle the blade toward the center of the pumpkin to create a ledge that supports the lid. If cutting a bottom, cut straight into the pumpkin.

6. Scoop out the seeds and strings from inside the pumpkin — a good step for kids. Use a large spoon or ice-cream scoop or the plastic scraper scoop that is made for this purpose.

7. Scrape the inner pulp away from the area of the pumpkin that you plan to carve until the pumpkin wall is approximately 1 inch thick. To check the thickness, insert a straight pin into the wall.

8. Tape the patterns to the pumpkin: It may be necessary to cut slashes in the edges of the paper for the patterns to fit smoothly in place.

9. To transfer the patterns to the pumpkin, use a pushpin, corsage pin or the tip of the poker tool to poke holes through the paper and into the pumpkin along the design lines about 1/16 inch to 1/8 inch apart. Make sure that all of the lines have been transferred. Remove paper, and use a pen or dull-point pencil to connect the dots. Save the paper patterns to refer to while carving.

10. Cradle the pumpkin in your lap, and keep the pumpkin saw or small paring knife at a 90-degree angle to the pumpkin while carving. Carve from dot to dot to cut out the pattern shapes; if using the saw, don’t try to slice with it, but saw with a gentle up-and-down motion, not back and forth. It is definitely easier to create smaller and rounded shapes with the saw that is made for this purpose. If an older child wants to help, the saw is much safer than a knife but still requires adult supervision. Do not exert too much pressure or the tools might break. Push the cut pieces into the pumpkin with your fingers. If a large piece becomes wedged, cut it into smaller pieces.

11. If you happen to cut through a pumpkin section by mistake, reattach the pieces with straight pins or toothpicks.

12. Rub all cut pumpkin edges with petroleum jelly to keep it fresh longer.

13. Insert a short column candle, votive or battery-operated light in the pumpkin. If the candle is not in a holder, form a holder from aluminum foil and secure the candle with a few drops of melted wax.

14. If candle smoke blackens the lid, cut a chimney hole in the lid top to vent the smoke and heat and preserve your design.

Post courtesy of RD.com

More pumpkin designs:

http://www.rd.com/images/content/101101/pumpkin_cutout_patterns.pdf

http://www.pumpkinmasters.com/free-patterns.html

http://www.spookmaster.com/pumpkin-carving-patterns-freebies.htm

http://www.pumpkinlady.com/pumpkin-carving-patterns/free-pumpkin-carving-patterns/