Each 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
Finance
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
This 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
The Only 5 Things a Baby Needs
This is the second post in a series on what a baby needs. You can find the first HERE, and I will post the third part on this site some time next week (UPDATE: It’s now HERE).
I want to start by reiterating what I said in my first post. This list is meant to be a reflection on the bare-bones things that a baby needs.… Continue reading
Simplify Saturday: Shop with a Grocery Shopping List
Do you wander aimlessly through the grocery store? Do you try to figure out what you’re going to make for meals as you walk the aisles? Do you get home and realize that you bought a lot of food but not the items you need for the meals you were going to make? These things used to happen to me, more frequently than I really care to remember.… 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