As the holidays approach, you should start thinking about your plans for the holidays whether it is food or gifts. Some families end up stressing out at Christmas or in its aftermath because of how the cost (emotional or financial) affects their family. I think we should all remember first that Christmas is first about the birth of Christ and that gifts are just a tradition that most of us follow. There should not be excess involved in food nor expenses. You are not going to fully enjoy something if you have a large cost associated with it or if you cannot afford it (whether is is putting on a…

Last week, I shared about taking a look at your budget periodically and doing a budget reset. When I posted that post, I was all excited about catching up on my leftover summer bills and feeling really comfortable with October. Then I received a very high water bill on Tuesday and started stressing out about it wondering if the utility company had made a mistake, how I would pay it, etc.. At other times, we have had unexpected bills from doctors or maybe an unplanned outing or vacation. What do you do when something like that threatens to break your budget? Medical bills First off, for anyone who doesn’t know,…

A budget reset to me is when I look at my monthly budget of income and bills and make adjustments to the different categories. Some bills alternate between seasons (gas bill is high in winter, electricity bill is high in summer), I may have a new grocery bill goal or there is a change in income. When should you do a budget reset? new job (increase or decrease in pay) loss of job when you realize your budget is not working for you when a recurring payment ends (car payment, medical bill) you want to save more How do you do a budget reset? I have attached a form that…

Has anyone figured out how to do allowance and chores in a fair manner? I change the way I do this with my kids every month or so because I haven’t found a perfect way to do it. I like to give my children money/allowance to help them learn several skills: saving (for something big or little) sharing (tithing for church or charities) planning (what will you use your money for) teach child that things are not free (they sometimes have to buy their own toys or treats) a little math (counting money and subtracting/counting up towards goal) Chores My children do not have a long list of chores: they…

Have you ever watched one of those tv shows that were popular for a while like “Extreme Couponing”? I was always amazed with the deals people would come across and impressed with their stock pile. However, the question is how much toothpaste do you actually go through in a year? Many of those deals were for toiletry and household items that either took lots of space or would last for a long while. These couponers also spent a lot of hours daily or weekly couponing. The following way is the way that I stockpile and my stockpile lasts about 2 months at the most. I do not stockpile on household…