Finances, For the Love of Family

What is an Emergency? Four ways to define the REAL thing.

A big side benefit of my husband working in home remodel and construction business, is being the benefactors of items others throw away – sinks, dishwashers, etc. Mind you, these things are not thrown away because they don’t work, or are old, but because they don’t fit the new décor. We (Gary and I) are okay with old décor; family members – not so much. One of our sons asked, “can’t we ever buy something new?” The answer? “Apparently not”, but I digress… This is our current dishwasher – new to us about ten years ago, and it is time […]

Finances, For the Love of Family

6 EASY Steps to Creating a Sinking Fund

We all have expected, yet non-immediate expenses that seem to creep up and rob our emergency fund, and financial peace. When following the seven baby steps to financial stability, funding a sinking fund is recommended while simultaneously working on steps four through seven. Creating this fund will add another layer of financial security to cover known yet usually unplanned expenses.   Sinking Fund money set aside to cover expected, yet not immediate needs; can also be used for unforeseen needs (like a garage door repair!) A sinking fund will cover expenses like appliance repair and replacement, car replacement, major house […]

Finances, For the Love of Family

Five Ways To Get Your Wardrobe Ready for Fall 2016

Happy Autumn. Cooler days and crisp nights, leaves changing colors, and endless personalized marketing  fuel  a desire for  a new fall wardrobe. New sweaters, tights, jackets and dresses in new fall colors have us dreaming. Changing seasons draw us in. We visit websites, we forgo the sale racks for the new impressive designs. Wearing new clothes offers a change, brings energy and gives a feeling of newness. For me personally, I feel beautiful and confident when sporting the newest and cutest! But…..appreciation, new energy and confidence can fade away with no plan in place, and unfortunately, even more so if […]

Finances, For the Love of Family, Raw Footage

Two Pair of Sandals for a Pair of Muck Boots (or when your financial coach gives in)

In my full-time job, I work for dairy farmers, and have the privilege of  visiting their farms quite often. Spring rain and snow in Colorado often necessitates the need for good shoe coverings or muck boots (muck, because you are in a lot of muck!). During one of my farm visits I encountered someone sporting cute muck boots. Immediately I knew these were a must-have item – for the benefit of my work, of course! After a short discussion on where and how much, it was decided. I must own a pair of CUTE muck boots. So off to the […]

Finances, For the Love of Family

How to Build Your Financial House – One Wall at a Time

At the very core of budgeting is taking care of the basic needs of yourself and/or family: shelter, food, transportation and clothing. If your spending plan (budget) is not working, start fresh, assuring that your basic needs are being covered. It is not unusual to pay the ‘loudest’ bill, and forget to take care of the very things that will provide security and a sense of control. The trick to preventing a crisis, is creating a haven of protection. If and when a financial crunch occurs, or when there is an unexpected interruption in income, security comes knowing the basic […]

Family, Finances, For the Love of Family

Ice Cream Truck Economics: Real Life Lessons

It’s summer! Enjoying the freedom of summer, sunshine and impromptu games in the yard, suddenly the familiar sound of the ice cream truck draws everyone’s attention. Run. Get your money. The ice cream truck is coming to the neighborhood. As I child I envisioned the wonderful life of city living, where an ice cream truck made daily stops in front of my home. How great that would be! Fast forward several years and reality hits: Living in a city, three children and the daily stop of the ice cream truck. Ice cream treats are $3 each, the inevitable fall of […]