Could you Cover an Unexpected Bill in Cash?

cash

For many years our household could not cover an unexpected bill in cash. We simply did not have a plan for our money even though we had a large income. We were living paycheck to paycheck. This meant no cash savings. When an unexpected bill …

Read More

Powerball Payout – Smaller Jackpots, More Winners

I’m pretty confident we’ve all daydreamed about a 100 million dollar Powerball payout. Winning the lottery provides a windfall of money that would instantly change our lives. The winnings would give us the ability to clear any debts, possibly help family, friends, and pursue just …

Read More

What Happens If You Don’t Pay Your Student Loans?

debt snow ball

Students loans are beneficial to millions of students across the globe. Most needy students are grateful for this option since it enables them to complete their studies. Governments often organize student loans in many countries, and they usually have very reasonable interest rates. Upon successful …

Read More

What’s Your Version of the American Dream?

american flag

My version of the American dream formed pretty early on. I think the fact that I wanted to be married have a family and own my own home came from my early surrounding and upbringing. I’m the youngest of five children, we always lived in …

Read More

The Cost and Fear of Moving Out

moving out

Have you ever considered moving out, and living on your own? That thought might mean eating peanut butter straight from the container, watching whatever you want on TV, staying up until sunrise without bugging anyone — living on your own is great. That freedom comes …

Read More

Money Songs We Love

money songs

I have been inspired by some recent posts over at Budgets are Sexy outlining some lyrical lessons from two recent pop song hits. It got me thinking about other songs about money that might help motivate and inspire you. Here’s my list of money songs, …

Read More

Travel Tips How To Save Money On A Family Vacation

travel tips

Do you need travel tips to keep your vacation on a budget? Traveling with your family can quickly become one of your most treasured memories. The new experiences, adventures, and bonding opportunities it brings can allow families to take a break from the everyday stresses …

Read More

Am I Frugal or Cheap?

Am I frugal or cheap is a question I recently asked myself. I consider a lot of things when trying to come to a conclusion. I considered my income, the things I am willing to pay for, and the things I am not.

After much thought, while mowing my lawn, I’m not sure of the answer. So I’d figure I’d open it up for discussion here on the blog in hopes to come to come to a final solution on my frugality or cheapness.

Before we do that, let me state my case. Here ‘s the overview of the three areas I consider when trying to answer the question myself.

Income

Now income, as a number I don’t believe can define someone as frugal or cheap but helps sets a baseline. The starting point for comparisons. Someone making twenty-five thousand dollars a year would have a different baseline than someone making seventy-five thousand a year for their level of frugality or cheapness.

Our family makes a six-figure income. So our baseline in pretty high. We do live in the Northeast. Long Island, New York to be exact, where property taxes are high, and general cost of living is above average. Here’s is one of my favorite memes to explain.

frugal or cheap

Read More

Kid Finance: Money Teachings And A Dad’s Bleating

As part of Financial Literacy Month (#FLM2018), I’m featuring guest posts and interviews on the topic all month-long. Please welcome Carl, from 1500 Days to discuss kids and money.

My youngest daughter is afraid of money, at least in the form of coins. If she notices a quarter on the ground, she’ll go out of her way to keep a safe distance. I’m not sure where this irrational fear comes from (Not me! I love money!), but she won’t go near buttons either. We had to ask her school to make an exception to the dress code because she won’t go near a shirt with buttons. She is not a fan of small, round objects.

My older daughter loves money. She has piggy dinosaur banks that she stores it in:

money

And once Older Daughter has money, she’s incredibly careful about spending it. We give her free will to spend her money on whatever she wants; she earned it after all. However, more often than not, she’ll go home from the store empty-handed. Older Daughter has always been this way.

Money fearing Younger Daughter isn’t the same. If she has dollars (No coins!), she’ll spend freely.

I think that my wife and I have done a good job of raising them equally, but that doesn’t mean that they’ll grow up with the same values. We nurture them the same, but nature has its say too. Our children are vastly different people.

money

I want my daughters to be many things, but this post is about money, so let’s focus on that. Instilling good financial values in children isn’t easy.

How should I go about teaching them about money?

When is a good time to start?

What is the public school’s responsibility in financial education?

How do you teach an 8-year-old that saving is important?

How do I get through to my girls’ different personalities?

Before I get to that, let’s take a trip down memory lane.

Read More

Teaching Kids About Money

teaching kids about money

Let me just start by saying teaching kids about money is hard. Hey, y’all! I’m Hannah Rounds, a writer and occasional blogger (UnplannedFinance.com is my site). My husband and I have two kids, Kenny age 4 and Shirley age 2. For Rob and I, the …

Read More

Financial Literacy Month

Each year April is dedicated to Financial Literacy Month here in the United States. It has been officially recognized since 2003. Fifteen years into the initiative how are we doing? Well, according to a recent national financial literacy test conducted in 2017 by the National Financial Educators Council only 48% of the 17,000 participants received a passing grade. Seven in 10 seniors (69%) who graduated from public and nonprofit colleges in 2014 had student loan debt, with an average of $28,950 per borrower.

I could share various data points from a number of sources all day, to make the point that American’s as a whole lack financial education. The real question is how did we get to this point? Currently, only seventeen states require students to take a high school course in personal finances, and only twenty to take a course in economics. Of the seventeen schools that require the course, only five provide it as a stand-alone class.

Data shows that those students in the seventeen states where a personal finance course was required display positive financial behaviors, including being more likely to save, pay credit cards in full each month, and manage money better later in life.

So if data shows we are behind in our financial education, and financial education, in fact, does positively impact individuals, why aren’t we doing more of it?

financial literacy

Read More