Next week starts Spring Break for my kids. One full week of no school and if we're lucky maybe a trip for a night or two a few hours away. What to do with all that free time so there is no blood shed by the following Monday? Here is some ideas that I will be implementing during next week. Keeping my fingers crossed the kids will be as excited about them as I am.
- Movie Day: With Netflix, Hulu, and Redbox there is no excuse not to enjoy a day filled with nothing but PJs, popcorn and movies. If you want to get out to see a movie, check to see if there are any dollar theaters in your area or any Spring Break specials.
- Game Day: Break out the board games and deck of cards. Have a friendly marathon and competition with the winner either getting to pick what's for supper or the next day's frugal activity.
- Craft Day: This one will require lots of glue, markers, Popsicle sticks, fuzzy pom poms, googly eyes, old t-shirts, clay, etc. All of which can be purchased at a Dollar Store. Let your kids' creative juices run wild for the day. Display their artwork through the rest of Spring Break for all to see.
- Park/Museum Day: Spend a day at the park if weather permits. Have a picnic lunch, kick back and relax while the kids burn off some energy playing and exploring. If the weather is yucky take the fun inside to either an inside play area or check out your local museums.
- Cooking Day: Let each kid pick out a recipe or two and spend the day baking. Great teaching moment as well for smaller ones to learn fractions and kitchen safety.
- Water Day: If it's nice weather, spend the day running through sprinkler and having water balloon fights.
- Day Trips: If your budget permits, check out some of the neat attractions 2-3 hours from your home. You might be surprised what you will find.
I hope that at least some of the ideas can save someone their sanity during the Spring Break vacation.
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Lifeway Personal Financial Coaching
No matter what a financial guru you are, these mistakes can happen to anyone. I even have to watch falling prey to a couple of them still.
- Impulse Buying: We all have done it from the candy bar at the check out counter to even a car (yes that's why I drive a Fuchsia Challenger). The best way to keep this from happening is to make a list when you go shopping, then make yourself a promise to stick to the list. Some of you may even need a shopping buddy (and I'm not talking about the kind that will tell you how cute you look in that sweater that's on sale). Take along a partner that will help you keep your shopping in check. Still can't do it? Then stay out of the problem store and either shop somewhere else or enlist someone to do the shopping for you. If you are using the cash envelope system then just put enough cash in the envelope to cover the needed items and leave your debit cards & checkbook at home.
- Not Doing Research: When you make big purchases, you should always research the product before you buy it. I'm not talking about walking around the showroom floor looking at the other items on display, but rather in depth research on the computer, books, magazines, friends, etc. Even though my Challenger was an impulse buy, I had actually been researching them for a couple of years. It just happened that the dealer got a rare color in I had been dreaming of owning and before I knew it, I was driving it off of the lot.
- Going into debt: When you have to go into debt to purchase an item (house excluded) then chances are you probably don't need the item. If it's something you do need, then that's a perfect example of why you should have an emergency fund in place. We live in a society of "hurry up and have it". Most of people's money problems could be lessened if they would practice a little self control (me included).
- Not Having A Plan: When you don't have a plan, a budget, you have no idea how much money you have, how much you need, or how much you've spent. When you have a plan, then you know where you were, where you are, and where you need to be. A budget will tell you where you need to cut back or spend more. It will show you where your problems areas are and where you are doing good. If you don't already do a budget every month, you need to start. Visit me over at Lifeway Personal Financial Coaching and I can show you how.
- Cosigning On A Loan: Think about this for a minute. If the bank doesn't think that this person is worthy of the loan on their own, it's because they don't think they will get their money. What makes you think they will pay if you cosign for them? Because it is your child? Your parents? If anything, that will make them even more likely to default and leave you holding the bag for the payments. By cosigning you are telling the lender when (not if) this person doesn't pay on the loan, you will pay off the loan for them. Do you really want another bill to pay?
- Not Having an EF: If you don't have an emergency fund then you need to start one NOW!! Ready, Set, Go!!!! Almost all debt for middle class America could be eliminated with just a simple $1000-2000 emergency fund. This would cover most car repairs, most household repairs, medical emergencies, etc. I'm not talking about a total overhaul of the engine, a new roof, or a heart transplant. I'm talking about every day stuff like, the fuel pump, water heater, or broken arm. Think about how many times you've laid plastic down to pay for these types of items and how long it took you to pay it off. I've used my EF many times. If I have to use it, I stop all debt repayment until it's built back up again and then restart debt reduction. Doesn't have to be anything fancy. Even hiding $1000 somewhere in your house will work......so long as you don't consider the pizza delivery an emergency!!
There ya go! Are you guilty of any of these? If so, just recognizing you need to work in that area is a major step. Think about what action steps are needed in order for you to correct the problems and then just start doing it. Don't expect to be perfect all the time because nobody is, but if you slip up pick yourself up and start at it again!
Brought to you by
Lifeway Personal Financial Coaching
Nothing makes a house feel like a home more than putting your personal touch on it. I was so excited when we purchased a brand new home last fall because it gave me a chance to put our mark on it right from the start. The challenge? Trying to do it without going into debt or emptying out our bank account. You see, we had a 3000+ sq ft modular home placed on an acre of land that was a mess (putting it kindly) and had to be cleared first.
This had been my inlaws home years ago. My mother-in-law passed away in 2006 and everything just sat until last year. Needless to say......we had our work cut out for us (and still do).
We
still have major landscaping to do, but that's all in time & with cash. We will do the majority of the work ourselves.
How I was able to decorate stylishly and keep it cheap while we also had the costs of cleaning up the land?
We moved from a 1400 sq ft home to one that was over 3000 sq ft PLUS we were blending our families together by having my husband's three kids come live with us as well. Can you say "freaking out"?
I had to take what I already had and make do or update but I also had to find new furniture as well. I put my Sherlock Holmes attire on and set to work.
Here is the living room before:
Living room after:
The furniture you see is the result of many hours of hunting for the right look at rock bottom prices. I didn't pay full price for any of the new items. The loveseat (will is a sleeper) was purchased at an auction for $50. With a $30 slip cover from Bed Bath & Beyond and a couple of clearance accent pillows from Kohls. I had a new sofa sleeper for under $100!! The accent chairs were purchased on ebay for $40 each. The accent table was my grandmother's and I threw a decorative table cover we found while cleaning out my MIL's place over it to hide some water circles. The telephone chair and big mirror with drawers came from the auction as well. The pictures on the wall were purchased from art.com on sale and then placed in half priced frams from Hobby Lobby. I did splurge on good paint and curtains from JC Penny. All the curtains and window accents in the house came from Penny's during a half off sale last summer. I had a 30% off coupon for all of the paint.
Dining Room before:
Dining Room after:
This is my favorite room because this it totally my style no compromising because of budget. I paid a friend less than $50 to texturize the far wall. I then used oil based paint and covered it with a copper glaze to give it a look of aged copper. I then used nothing but a rag and same glaze on the side walls giving them an appearance of an adobe wall. The small hutch was bought a a garage sale for $20. I painted it with a brown enamal. All accents were bought at Hobby Lobby on sale, WalMart on sale, or marked down at a second hand store. Again window dressing from JC Penny half price.
The dining room table is one of my favorite projects. It went from something like this:
To this:
I used a good primer made for finished wood so I woudn't spend forever sanding. After I painted the base coat on the wood, I used several colors & sponged them on the tiles. I covered everything with a few coats of poly eurothane to protect.
I also used this same technique to turn my son's dark brown wood bunk beds into something fit for a 10 year old girl and a 14 year old girl. A little sponging and some stencils and POOF:
My last project involved taking plain light wood bar stools I had and turning them into something unique to match our cool new bar. I used the crackle technique on them & stencil on the seat.
It's been six months since we moved in and it's still an ongoing project. We still have many blank walls waiting on the right inspiration or the right price. I want this home to reflect our tastes so when our friends walk in, they feel at home because our home gives off our personality.
With time and patience, you too can decorate cheaply and without going into debt.
Posted by: Michelle Osborn
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