Why I Give My Kids an Allowance

Why I Give my Kids an AllowanceEach week we give our boys an allowance.  We don’t tie receiving this money to anything in particular.  We consider doing chores and helping around the house to simply be part of living within our household; it is not reason for payment.  I think it’s important for kids to have their own money to spend, and I think the time to start an allowance is whenever they begin to realize the purpose and power of money.… Continue reading

A 3-year-old’s Lesson in Spending

Last week my 3-year-old walked up and handed me his little car, “I’m ready to give this to Ari,” he declared.  (Ari is the grandson of our next-door neighbor.  When my 3-year-old outgrows his clothes or toys, we pass them along to Ari.)

 

“Are you sure?” I asked.

 

“Yes.  I don’t like it any more.  I shouldn’t have bought it. … Continue reading

Simplify Saturday: Make a Master List of Auto-Payments

Simplify Saturday: Make a Master List of Auto-PaymentsThis last week we got a call from our credit card company asking us about some charges that didn’t seem consistent with our purchase history. It turns out, the charges were fraudulent.

 

While our credit card company was great about handling this (we won’t be responsible for any charges we didn’t make), it’s a bother to change the card number with all of the services we have bill that card on Auto-Pay.… Continue reading

Budget tip: Know your Prices

I periodically have people ask me how I feed my family of four grain-free, high-quality, organic food on a budget. While our food costs are higher than some people, I manage to keep them within the realm of reasonable [to be read: not completely-out-of-control high] by working hard to buy the food we need at the lowest possible prices.

While this may seem obvious, there’s a bit more to it then that.… Continue reading