Search Results for: blog setting up your first budget as a couple

A Growing Family

My daughter recently got married, I think I’ve touched on it before. It’s a new world for me, this empty nest thing. Hailey and I have been alone for such a long time, a little family island unto ourselves. Now, I have a son in law and she has a husband. Our family is pretty spread out, we are in Utah and most of our relatives are on the east coast. Holidays are usually spent with friends. Now Hailey’s family has expanded in ways I never even thought about. Today we went to a baby shower for Hailey’s sister in … Continue reading →

Your Work, Your Worth

I just read a wonderful post by Richele McFarlin about how important it is to avoid taking on work that is not worth your time. I wholeheartedly agree, and I also think that sometimes home – based professionals have a tendency to underestimate what their time is worth simply because they feel so lucky to be able to work at home. It is a wonderful thing to be able to work at home, but it does not in any way diminish the value of your time. For example, if you are a writer who has been able to find and … Continue reading →

Your Family as a Business

One of my dear Facebook friends lists herself as the Chaos Manager for her family. The family is listed as a company: Last Name, Inc. I love it. If you think about it, running a household and family is like running a business. The family has regular expenses – rent, mortgage, utilities, and groceries – and income. How have you got your family business planned? Do you have a monthly and yearly budget? Do you know exactly where all your family’s money is going? Do you know how much you have coming in from all sources? In order to run … Continue reading →

Estate Planning and the Step Family

For too many of us, estate planning is the thing we’re always going to get to but often don’t. It’s like flossing, but with exponentially greater potential for harm. I understand why we procrastinate, believe me I do, but a failure to act in this department can have a devastating effect on your family. Our financial planner had been after us to create an estate plan for a year; as we began preparations for an extended trip through Mexico, it seemed irresponsible not to have something in place. We contacted an attorney who came highly recommended, and blithely scheduled an … Continue reading →

Setting Up Your First Budget as a Couple

Newlyweds face many challenges as they seek to form their own family unit. They struggle to get along with in-laws, they have to put up with their spouse’s snoring and bad habits, and they must learn to think in terms of “us” instead of “me.” Perhaps one of the most difficult challenges they face is that of constructing a budget for their new household. Engaged couples do well to sit down together and look over their financial status, making important decisions for their future. Will they both continue to work, or will one stay home? Will they keep both their … Continue reading →

Do It Your Self Credit Repair

Given our whole discussion on credit counseling and credit repair companies, you may wonder… can I just do it myself? The answer is… absolutely! Everything a credit repair company will do, you can do yourself instead. The advantage of DIY credit repair and debt management is you save yourself money AND prevent the hassles of finding a reputable company. Before you launch into this… there is one key thing to consider. Ask yourself seriously, how did I get into this credit and debt mess to begin with? You will have a lot of trouble with doing it yourself, if you … Continue reading →

Welcome to a Brand New Fiscal Year

While there are some of us who have adjusted our home business fiscal years to be something other than the January through December calendar year, most of the people I talk to are still on a typical calendar year when it comes to planning, budgeting, taxes, etc. For the past month or two, I have been writing about some of the “end of the year” things that affect the average small, home business. But, now we are here! The first day of the next twelve months. Tradition for me in my home business warrants that I spend some time cleaning … Continue reading →

More Posh Vacation Packages

If the word “budget” is not in your vocabulary and money is never an issue when it comes to planning a vacation, then you are exactly… the type of person I would love as a best friend. (Just kidding.) Actually, you are exactly the type of person elite travel companies are looking to woo with their latest and greatest extravagant vacation packages. Several high-end travel companies are offering once-in-a-lifetime experiences for big budget clients. For example, one travel agency specializing in luxury tours is offering globetrotters access to a private Silverjet aircraft—-for you and one, two, or 99 of your … Continue reading →

Organizing and Storing Homeschooling Materials

In Setting Up a Space for Homeschooling, Valorie discusses having a room specifically for homeschooling. I agree with her that having a room specifically for homeschooling would be a wonderful option, if you have room in the house for it. Sadly I don’t, and neither do a lot of other people including her. As she said, just because you have a room designated for homeschooling doesn’t mean you have to do all of your homeschooling in that room. If I had a room for homeschooling, its main purpose would be to have all of our homeschooling items in one place. … Continue reading →

Travel Deals For Expectant Parents

I’ve written about Babymoons in previous blogs, but this is one deal for expectant parents that’s hard to pass up. First, the setting is hard to beat—Honolulu, Hawaii. If you can’t find serenity in this island paradise then you may be in for a real shocker when your new bundle of joy arrives. Second: Free goodies. Here are the details on the hotel deal: W Honolulu Diamond Head (located at the end of Waikiki) is offering a “Baby Me” travel package for parents-to-be. It includes room, daily breakfast, and a gift basket filled with essentials for your new arrival. The … Continue reading →