3 Kids and Us

Money Lessons Every Teenager Should Learn Before Graduating

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Once your child enters high school, you’ve only got a few years before they become adults. Whether they plan on going to college, traveling the world for a year, or applying for a job right after graduation, having a clear understanding of financial management practices will help them along their journey. Besides putting coins in a piggy bank and paying for things they want, you must teach them the following:

Earning Money

You may have provided your child with an allowance for getting good grades on their report card and completing household chores, but now it’s time to take things up a notch. Your teenagers need to understand that mom and dad aren’t ATMs. Teach them the importance of earning a living.

There are a few ways you can teach your teenager this financial lesson. If they’re old enough, encourage them to apply for a part-time job. If a job is not an option, show your teen how to turn their skills and talents into earning opportunities. They can cut grass, remove snow, walk dogs, babysit, or assist family members and neighbors with home improvement tasks.

Budgeting

While you wouldn’t expect your teen to pay the rent, utilities, or groceries, there are personal expenses they can cover. They may be responsible for their portion of the cell phone bill, special meals or snacks, and entertainment. When your teenager starts earning income, show them how to create a budget. This shows them that to survive, they have to be responsible with their spending.

Banking

Tucking money away in a drawer, under a mattress, or in a piggybank was fine when they were younger, but it won’t work in adulthood. Now is the perfect time to teach your teenagers about banking. Open a free checking account at the bank of your choice. Show your teen how to make deposits, write checks, and manage their accounts through online banking.

Saving

Whether for future purchases or emergencies, saving is an essential financial management practice to teach your teens. When you open a checking account, consider opening a savings account. Based on the budget you created, talk to your teen about setting a little money aside each week.

Credit and Debt

From credit cards to student loans, teenagers are inundated with credit offers to finance their future. Without proper management, however, these credit options quickly get out of hand. Therefore, talk to your teen about credit and debt. Explain how credit works, what it means to be a responsible borrower, and what happens if you aren’t.

Allow them to view your credit report so they can see how accounts and payments are recorded. Express the importance of paying bills on time and not taking on too much debt to keep their credit in good standing. You should also communicate the importance of good credit to obtain personal loans, a house, a car, and, in some cases, a career.

Fortunately, there are a lot of teen credit card offers you can take advantage of. The cards allow you to deposit cash in an account and use just as you would any credit card. Your teen then gets a hands-on experience on what credit is and how to manage it. The best part is, you’ll be there to help them.

Giving

The last lesson parents should teach their teenagers is giving. There are so many causes and people in need that could use the support. While there are several ways to give, donating money is at the top of the list. Ask your teen what causes they’re interested in or how they’d like to give back to the community. Then, show them how to donate to that cause.

There’s no reason why your kids should have to learn about money through trial and error. As you probably already know, this concept often leads down a path of destruction. Give them a headstart towards a great future by investing time in teaching them the financial lessons listed above.

How Polo Funding Can Help You Get Debt-Free Before the Wedding

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The months leading up to your wedding can easily be among the most exciting times of your life. You are–as you should be–filled with happy anticipation. You, your family, and your friends plan the magic touches for the ceremony and celebrations surrounding it. You look forward to the upcoming bachelorette party, rehearsal dinner, and unforgettable reception. In your free time, you watch videos and devour wedding-related content online; Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram are your daydream playground. And you just can’t stop gazing deep into the eyes of your loved one.

Something that can dampen all of this bright festivity is the shadow of debt. If you have amassed a great deal of personal debt over the years, that debt can diminish the joy of wedding planning, wedge itself in between you and the people you love, and cause many a heartache. As you’ve probably heard, one of the main reasons otherwise perfect marriages run into trouble is financial difficulty. It’s important that you work to fix your financial picture before the big day.

Set Pre-Wedding Goals

Depending on how far in advance the date has been set, you may have a shorter amount of time to “whip yourself into shape” financially than you’d like. There is no time like the present to get started. Dive headlong into the project of turning your financial situation around with the same enthusiasm you muster for planning the other aspects of your wedding. Set new financial goals and work towards them fiercely.

Get Organized

Organize your finances by creating a budget, keeping track of your spending, and paying off your debts. At the beginning, this can feel overwhelming; large journeys do. However, if you break any large task into a series of much smaller steps, you have a higher chance of success.

Consolidate Debts

Sometimes paying off your debts isn’t so easy. Fortunately, there are companies like Polo Funding who can help you consolidate your credit card debt. These companies allow you to ditch the variable and high-interest rates that you’re probably paying to the credit card companies. Instead, they give you a manageable monthly payment at a more reasonable low-interest rate, allowing you to see light at the end of the tunnel.

Start Saving… and Make it a Habit

Sadly, it has become less “normal” for Americans to save money. Our costs of living–from housing to transportation to medical expenses–seem to be rising. This is especially true in some of the bigger cities, such as Los Angeles, Portland, New York, Miami, Chicago, and so on. If, after you’ve paid your monthly bills, you want to go out for dinner with your friends or buy a new outfit, you probably have to put it on a credit card.

Somehow you need to shift your relationship with money and stop spending what you don’t have. Instead, set aside what you do have. As an example, if you were to set aside $100 a month (roughly $50 a paycheck), you’d have an extra $1200 a year in savings. That may not sound like so much, but it’s a start.

Build an Emergency Fund

As you work to get back on track financially, one of the first projects you focus on should be building an emergency fund. Set aside money to give yourself (and your new partner) a financial cushion in the event of unexpected situations like an expensive car repair or a sudden job loss. A financial cushion can go a long way towards reducing the kinds of stress that make good marriages go haywire. An emergency fund can change an unforeseen trip to the veterinarian from a financial catastrophe to something you can take in stride.

Is Polo Funding Worth the Hype?

This is a valid question, but perhaps the more important one is whether you want to get yourself out of debt more quickly and for less money. With wedding bells in your near future, you might not have the luxury of trying to handle a mountain of high-interest credit card debt “a little at a time.” Companies like Polo Funding help consolidate your credit card high-interest payments into one simple, fixed-interest loan.

Life After Graduation

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Recent college grads are heading out into the real world for the first time. While it’s exciting to live life on your own, it’s also scary and overwhelming. You are in control of your future and the decisions you make now will affect your financial stability and health.

Securing a Place to Live

Your resume was impressive and landed you a good-paying job. Now, you need to find a place to live. Working in the city comes with both convenience and expenses. Finding an affordable apartment can be difficult, however, it is not impossible. If you have a friend from college who’s also in the market for an apartment, you could go in together. This will allow you to split the cost of the rent, utilities, and food. If you prefer to have your own space, then you’ll need to find something small or opt to live outside the city limits to afford to carry it on your own.

A Mode of Transportation

You need to buy a car to get to and from work and run errands. Checking your budget tells you that you need to find something in a modest price range. A good option is one fresh off a lease or one that is for sale by an owner. With no established credit, securing your first loan can be challenging. However, you can find a first time car buyer loan where your credit history is not a requirement.

A Healthy Diet

With only one person to take care of, you may end up ordering take out and eating out more than you should. Not only is this expensive, but it can also take a toll on your health. Fast food doesn’t require the nutrition your body needs to stay fit and energized. Instead, go to the supermarket and stock your fridge and cabinets with things like fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats, nuts, and yogurt. To save money, check the store’s fliers online to see who has the lowest prices on the things you need.

Free Entertainment

It takes an entire year of living on your own to figure out your true expenses. Spending money going out each weekend can put you at a greater risk of losing your apartment, your car, and your independence. Finding things to do that cost little or no money is important. Take a walk in the park and enjoy the fresh air, visit museums, go to the beach or rent a movie. If you want to spend an evening with friends, have everyone chip in for the drinks and snacks, and have fun at home.

Create a Budget

It’s essential to establish a household budget from the beginning. This will allow you to allocate money for weekend getaways and vacations and have money tucked away for emergencies. Make a list of your bills on a sheet of paper or print out a free budget worksheet and fill in the areas that apply. A budget will be your savior during the first crucial year and help you secure financial stability going forward.

Needs and Wants

With a new life in front of you and your first try at living on your own, you may want to go out and buy everything you need and want. Instead, be mindful of your expenses and make it a practice to weigh the pros and cons ahead of any major purchase. You need a table to eat at, so it makes sense to save money for this purchase. While you may want a gaming system, other needs are waiting in line.

Living on your own for the first time is exciting. You can survive the first year if you create a budget and limit your spending to things you need.

Cool Indoor Activities That Your Kids Will Love

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This year has forced so many of us to find ways in which we can entertain ourselves indoors. especially those who who have kids. Even the most creative of parents will have reached the end of their tether in terms of coming up with ideas which they can do in order to keep the kids entertained. One of the keys to helping the kids is understanding that they will be back to school soon and that educational indoor activities will help them to have fun whilst also preparing them for getting back to school. With this in mind, here are some ideas which you can try with your kids.

Gardening

Teaching your kids about garnering is more than just recruiting them to help keep your herb garden alive. This activity will help them in terms of understanding the important role that plants play in our lives and of course the source of food. Start with a simple pot plant and take it from seed to sprout with your kids taking responsibility.

Learning Board Games

Games ave changed over the years and whilst the computer games which we have now are often based around strategy, speed and skill traditional board games will teach your kids about much more. Board games like Monopoly or Yahtzee and Chess can really help your kids to learn something whilst they are playing and having fun.

The Night Sky

Most kids love the idea of becoming an astronaut one day and you can harness this energy and use it to teach your kids about the night sky and what it means. This will help them to begin to form an idea of what all of this is about and you can use some great apps which break down the stars and the constellations so that your kids can learn what to look for in the sky.

Science Experiments

Every action and reaction in life is based around science and there are so many incredibly fun experiments which you can do at home with them. Even something as basic as creating a volcano using coke and Mentos will fascinate them and you can find some great tutorials on YouTube which will break down what you need by way of resources in order to perform multiple science experiments. Science is always an area that kids love because they love to wonder so much.

Try out these activities with your kids to get their brains engaged once more.

Why Is Home Health So Important for Families With Kids?

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Home health is one element of general health that unfortunately tends to go by the wayside for a lot of people. It’s important that you remember to consider your home’s health with the same seriousness that you would the health of any family member. After all, your home’s health can have a serious impact on your family’s health. For families with kids, it’s even more important. Here’s how this home health checklist can be even more influential when you have kids.

Home Health Checklist
Home Health Checklist Created By:   JES

Structural Health

You need to pay close attention to your home’s structural health in general; after all, poor structural health could lead to extremely serious concerns, including complete structural failure. However, even minor structural health concerns can be more serious when you have children in the home.

Structural health often centers around your home’s foundation. A strong home foundation is definitely ideal, but there are many potential reasons for foundation concerns. These can range from issues with the soil around your home to problems regarding the initial pouring of a concrete foundation. Regardless of the problems, it’s important to fix them because structural problems can end up causing irreversible damage without a fix.

Basement Health

Do you have a basement? If you do, you might think that the most important thing for maintaining safety in your home’s basement is ensuring your kids stay out of it. True, having a child who falls down the basement stairs could be a serious problem. However, the biggest problem could actually be issues with basement waterproofing.

Basements tend to have a reputation for issues with waterproofing. This typically occurs because the basement is below the ground’s surface and has surrounding soil that can be very wet. If water enters through the basement walls and you’re unable to get rid of it, you can have a musty smell, mold, mildew, and other problems. These can seriously impact the health of young children.

Crawl Space Health

Even homes that don’t have a basement often have a crawl space. Crawl spaces are a great way for inspectors to get in and look at things like your home’s pipes and structural supports without having to dig into the home itself. However, the problem is that crawl spaces can run into the same problems as basements, oftentimes even with waterproofing problems as well.

One big problem with crawl spaces is that many people don’t think about how much of an impact crawl spaces have on the rest of the home. Sure, you probably know that your basement and your home share air with each other, but did you know that your home gets up to 50% of its air through your crawl space? If your crawl space’s air is unhealthy, your home’s air will be unhealthy, which can cause health concerns for your whole family.

Home Concrete Health

The last element of home health to pay attention to is concrete health. Almost everyone has some form of concrete around their home. You may have concrete on your driveway, in your home’s basement, on your patio, and many more areas. If this concrete isn’t healthy, you could end up with very serious overarching problems.

Trips and falls are extremely common with concrete issues. This may be because of cracked concrete, uneven concrete, or even just concrete that doesn’t have the right grip. These can be even more prominent with children, because children can trip over even very small uneven spaces between concrete slabs.

Conclusion

All home health hazards are important for any home, but this is especially true for many homes with children. If you have children, it’s important that you keep your home as safe and secure as possible for everyone’s sake. That may mean talking to a home health expert, such as a foundation repair expert, to learn more about your home health options. Remember, your entire family lives in your home. That should be reason enough to maintain its health, even if you need to call in outside help.

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We left our home in Sydney, Australia many moons ago in May 2012 and, other than a brief stint back in Perth for Christmas and a wedding in early 2014, we have been travelling the world nomadically ever since, running a business from our laptops and we’re here to show you how to do it!