Helping kids appreciate money
It’s August and that means parents across the country are preparing for back to school with their kids. Shopping for back to school items can be a tedious and costly process. We’ve compiled the following 25 back-to-school shopping tips from several experts on the subject matter. This year, get everything you need on your back to school list for less by following these tips.
Read MoreAccording to the National Retail Federation's 2013 Back-to-School Survey, families will shell out less than they did in 2012 for school gear, but still an average of $634.78 for clothing and shoes, electronics, and other school supplies. One-way parents can save money is by taking advantage of temporary tax breaks offered on back-to-school items.
Read MoreAccording to a recent survey done by the Employee Benefit Research Institute, Americans’ expectations for retirement remain low. 28% of workers have no confidence they'll be able to afford a comfortable retirement. That's the highest level in the survey's 23-year history and only 57% of those surveyed reported having less than $25,000 in savings and investments (not counting the value of their homes and any defined benefit pension plans.) How do you stack up?
Read MoreGoal Accomplished = Joy
Take a look at the 30 second video below. At the end, I bet you'll be smiling and laughing along with him.
Your children may be toddlers, preschoolers, or only in their elementary years, but it’s never too early to begin saving for their college. College is still a good investment in your child’s future. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, “people with four-year degrees earn nearly twice as much as those with high school diplomas.” Fortunately, there are many resources available to guide parents along the path of saving for college.
Read MoreSpring has sprung and summer is just around the corner. Has your family been thinking about or begun planning a summer vacation? Are you seeking some fun, educational, and budget-friendly ideas? It’s not the cost of a vacation that makes it fun for parents and children; it’s the time spent together as a family. Take a look at some of these ideas for family vacations on a limited budget.
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Although times are better now than they were five years ago, colleges and universities continue raising tuition costs. According to Bloomberg, tuition and fees for public institutions rose 4.8 percent in 2012, to an average of $8,655 per academic year. Nonprofit private colleges didn't increase as much — 4.2 percent, but now average $29,056 per year; or around $116,244 for a four-year degree.
Read MoreAccording to research done by BIGresearch, in 2011 Americans spent $3.4 billion on dinners, $3.5 billion on jewelry, $1.1 billion for cards, and $1.7 billion for flowers on Valentine’s Day. A recent article in USA Today predicts that Americans will spend 8.5 percent more in 2013!
A quick Internet search of “Valentine’s on the Cheap” will yield some wonderfully romantic and inexpensive ideas for celebrating the ones you love this Valentine’s Day. The following is a small sampling of inexpensive or free ideas:
Read MoreIn today’s tight economy consumers are finding it crucial to be spend-savvy and creative in their holiday shopping. Following are some tried and true cost-cutting holiday shopping tips, as well as some new and innovative ways to save money this holiday season.
Read MoreHave you set-aside ample time to regularly sit down and have “money meetings” with your children to discuss their money habits? If not, why not start now? And in addition to a successful school year, your children will also learn life long positive money habits.
Read MoreParents are set to spend $688 in 2012 to get each of their children ready for the upcoming school year. That’s for clothing, supplies and electronics. Seems like a lot? That's nothing, online shoppers are set to spend $874, a 27% increase above the overall shopper average. Here are 5 really simple ways your kids can help you cut down on back to school costs.
Read MoreFamilyMint is organized and focused first and foremost on SMART goals. You can use this setup to track very simple loans as well.
Read MoreMost experts suggest that kids need a more interactive experience to learn things, obviously leveraging their desire to play video games. Your child needs quality time with a parent, and what better way is there than to use FamilyMint to learn about managing money and go through good books together and highlight what is important and what is not.
Read MoreIf you can explain and illustrate the power of compound interest to your kids, you are endowing them with the real vision of why saving money is cool; that when they put money away and leave it to its own mischief, it grows!
Read MoreIt's the first week of April and summer is still a couple of months off. There's plenty of time to start looking for that perfect summer job. Or is there? Hiring managers are confident they’ll need summer help and they are filling temporary positions earlier—as in right now.
Read MoreChristmas and birthdays are often a time when kids get a windfall of cash and gift cards. Should you let them run right out and spend it all? Whoa. Not so fast. An incredible teaching opportunity for your kids has just presented itself. Check out Bob's interview with Murray Feldman on Fox 2 Detroit about teaching your kids how to handle the gift of money.
Read MoreWhat if you could instantly increase the desire of your kids to save? Just by showing them a picture of what they might look like when they are older? Interested? Me too!
Read MoreWe're always on the lookout for ways to save money and engage the kids in some fun learning. This recipe is one of our Fall favorites and is inexpensive (especially if you buy the almonds in bulk), easy enough for kids to do themselves (with a little bit of oversight from mom or dad), and the result is a healthy snack that kids love. Well, relatively healthy, but absolutely mouth-wateringly yummy.
Read MoreWe had a mom write in with some ideas that she uses with her own kids at home. We thought they were great, so we wanted to share them with you.
Read MoreThe third little pig listened to his mother’s wise words and said “I don’t plan to live like the birds. No straw nor sticks will do for me; I plan to build my house solidly.” With his goal clearly defined and a budget in mind, the third little pig developed a plan and a timeline. “With a little hard work and some shopping around, I’ll have my brick house to keep me safe and sound,” said the third little pig.
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