Category: Finances

Finances and money affects all aspects of family life, but it doesn’t need to control your family life. The blessing of working and earning is also a responsibility. Learning and disciplining ourselves and family to live within our means can sometimes be a struggle, yet rewarding.

Finances

Unraveling the Credit Score Mystery

Imagine a three-digit code that seemingly defines your financial stability, providing information to creditors about your ability to pay credit obligations as well as provide you financial confidence. This mysterious code, your credit score, seems to dictate your financial future. But should it? Is it a good representation of your financial stability? Yes and no. It reflects your payment history, but not your ability to pay in the future or your savings and investments. Provides information to creditors about your ability to pay? Maybe. Provide financial confidence? It shouldn’t. Your confidence should be in how you manage your money and […]

Finances

Know Your Benefits. Change Your Future.

If you are not taking full advantage of the benefit package your employer offers you, you could be leaving money behind. And it could have detrimental effects on your future.  You owe it to yourself to know what is offered and seek to understand those offerings. The benefits offered are part of your salary – take advantage of the gift.  Benefit packages differ between employers. Offerings are dependent on size of the employer, your length of employment and possibly the ‘wait’ period before available to you as the employee.      Not meant to be all inclusive, here are the […]

Family, Finances, For the Love of Family

Showing Love and Appreciation for Valentine’s Day

February. The month we celebrate Valentine’s Day and the month we get to celcbrate love and show appreciation for the people in our lives. Admittedly, this is my favorite holiday. For me, it isn’t an overly assumptive romantic holiday, but a holiday to celebrate others by showing love and appreciation. Here are my top ideas for budget-friendly Valentine’s celebration: For your spouse or special friend: Cook their favorite dinner at home. Light some candles. Play favorite memory tunes. Write a love letter. Spray perfume on the envelope. Write a message on the mirror (use lipstick or dry-erase markers) Using kid-friendly […]

Family, Finances

The Beauty of Rhythm and Routine

  What if the rhythm of our life and routines created were all we needed to move forward towards our desired outcomes? Honestly, in my past, this would have been a boring proposition. After all, doesn’t a meaningful life include taking risks and being adventurous? Yet, life has taught me that my desired outcomes for this week, next month or in 2023 and beyond must be pursued with intentionality; and that intentionality includes my daily, weekly and monthly routines and/or habits which reflect the natural rhythms of life. Our world has natural rhythms: sunlight turns to dark which leads to […]

Finances

How Sinking Funds Help Control Your Money

A sinking fund is a strategic way to save money for a specific purchase by setting aside a little bit each month. I love sinking funds. Sinking funds give me a sense of security over and beyond my emergency fund. A sinking fund is a barrier to protect your emergency fund from known, yet sometimes unexpected (due to timing) expenses. For example, we know appliances and tires need to be replaced, yet need to be replaced at the most inconvenient time. Why inconvenient? Because we had not prepared and had other priorities. After you have created a steady habit of monthly […]

Finances, Food, For the Love of Family

No Check-Out Required

Today, in Seattle, the Amazon Go store will open its doors. This newest endeavor in shopping experiences is highly technical, easy and convenient. You enter the store, pick up what you need, and exit, without interacting with the cash register or entering the checkout line. It sounds intriguing. It sounds different. It sounds impossible. Yet, like many other things in our lives today, technology makes almost anything possible and is changing how we live, and especially how we shop. There are many opinions, discussions, debates about Amazon Go. Yet, regardless whether we agree or disagree with the concept of Amazon […]