Category Archives: Parenting

How to Become a Financially Savvy Parent

08/13/2020 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

Being a parent is a full time job in itself, and can also bring about other expenses that you once never had to think about. As a parent, it’s important to develop financial savvy habits as soon as possible. That way when you’re raising your child and learning how to manage your money, tasks will become simpler overtime, and only involve minor tweaks to your budget here and there..

The following tips can help you and your family stay on the right path to being financially healthy and responsible:

Know Your Cost Of Living

An initial adjustment that you may need to make to ensure your handling your finances correctly, is gaining information about your cost of living. This includes the expenses for your needs, such as keeping a roof over your head, clothes on your back, food in the cupboards and the lights on. In an average household these costs usually add up to 50% of your monthly income. If you find that you are spending far over the 50% mark on housing and other basic expenses, it may be time to look at what you can do to help cut down costs.

Luckily, there are plenty of options to do so. This task can be as small as limiting your utility usage to save on bills, while others can be as extreme as downsizing your home. Whichever route you take should be determined by your lifestyle and financial situation. Once you have gotten your cost of living to be centralized to around 50% of your monthly income the next step is to know what to do with the remaining money.

Create Your Spending Strategy

A spending strategy keeps your finances organized and allows you to spend money on certain things for fun, while also saving for those “just in case” moments. As a parent, it is important to follow this initiative, so you can maintain a successful budget, while also splurging on entertainment and family fun for creating memories with your children.

One of the easiest ways to ensure that you don’t overspend on non-essential items each month is by taking the residual income that is left from covering your monthly living costs and dividing it in half. Half of this income can be spent on doing fun things with your family, while the other half should be allocated towards financial goals you want to follow.

Craft a Savings Plan

Developing a savings plan is just as vital as organizing your spending strategy. This is essential in making sure you are not over spending on living costs and non-essential purchases. Creating the perfect savings plan isn’t always a simple process, but if you plan accordingly and complete the groundwork that is associated with your budget, your family can have more success moving forward into determining how much you want to save throughout the year.

To start, finalize a list of family-related expenses with a financial goal that you want to accomplish and determine an average for how much money each of those will cost. After concluding the costs for those total amounts, take the remaining money from your spending strategy and allocate 20% of that toward your savings and the remaining 70% towards the other financial goals you have. These goals may be saving for your child’s future education, paying off debts or even just paying bills on time. Having a set saving plan for each spending category makes this step easier to complete, which is to open a separate savings account only for family costs and that don’t include your personal ones. In doing so, seek options that are easy to use, mobile compatible for on the go organization and that have no hidden fees associated with account maintenance or overdraft. This will allow you to build up your savings without the fear of losing money due to these unnecessary monthly fees.

Share Your Plans With Your Family

To make sure you’re in good financial health, ensure that your spouse and children are on the same page with your spending and saving strategies. Having the communication surrounding your financial situation will help make this process go smoothly. As this could be a tough conversation, never avoid financial discussions with your partner. This will give you a clear understanding of your financial goals and how they will equate to more success in the future. Coming to an agreement on money matters will make both parties feel equally involved with decision making, and strengthen your role as parents.

As your child becomes older, take time to start teaching your children about the importance of money management. Your kids may have purchases they want to make as well, such as toys and games, so discussing this with them will help them understand when they can and cannot have these things bought for them. While it may be frustrating for them to be told no at first, it teaches great finance skills and also allows them to start learning to save for things on their own.

Being a parent can be stressful, especially when it comes down to your family finances. Becoming financially savvy as a parent will not only help you in the short term but can also help instill good financial habits in your children in the long run.

Life, Lifestyle, Parenting

Who Gets the House in a Divorce? The Court Will Decide Based on These 3 Factors

07/06/2020 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

The layers of divorce are an endless corridor of questions. There are three major things that decide who gets the home in a divorce, but how much does a divorce cost? Your home is a huge investment, and can very well be the most expensive thing in a relationship. This is why going for the cheapest option you find when it comes to lawyers can be the undoing of some people’s cases before they get going. There are lawyers out there like Peters May (petersmay.com) that specialize in separation and divorce, but before you get too deep into a divorce, keep these things in mind when trying to claim the home.

1. Children

The entire divorce process is traumatizing to kids of any age. That is why when the house is up for grabs, children become the pivotal reason the home goes to the primary caregiver. This is usually the person that spends the most time with the kids. Courts don’t like ripping children from the home they grew up in, or forcing them to change schools. Any of these things can disrupt their development, causing enough stress to completely change the outlook of their lives.

If both parents are working and there is a primary care person that lives outside of the home, things become less clear cut. In the rare case a divorce happens while the mother is on maternity leave, it will come down to an individual court’s opinion. But not matter which way you look at it, when children are involved, the primary caregiver will always have the advantage.

2. Was The Home Owned Before Marriage?

When the home is owned by one person before getting married, then there are a few things to consider. Do you have children together? How long have you been married? If there is a mortgage, who paid it during the duration of the marriage? The original owner has an edge in all of these scenarios, even when children are involved.

Paperwork of who took care of the mortgage, utilities and other home related bills are required for a divorce. Lack of paperwork is a cause for alarm, even if you are the homeowner. If you decide to add your spouse to the original deed after getting married, then a court will look at it as equal ownership. And yet again, when children are involved, the scale for ownership will tip more in the favor of the primary caregiver.

In that scenario, the original owner can easily be at a disadvantage that ends with the loss of their home.

3. Domestic Violence

Domestic violence is frowned upon worldwide. When it comes to domestic violence divorce settlements, things can get even more complicated. When dividing up the assets during a divorce, proof of domestic violence is a big deal. Not only will a court favor the abused, but they are more likely to kick the abuser out (or grant a speedy restraining order) to protect the victim. The experts at thefloridatriallawyer.com, explain that introducing domestic violence to a divorce proceeding is a huge deal, and no two cases are alike. Therefore the plaintiff needs to be sure about the pieces of evidence to support their claim.

Wrap Up

Don’t assume that there is a guarantee that you’ll get the home in a divorce. Be cautious about the things you do leading up to a separation, and document everything. It’s better to be prepared to lose a home than to go into court and get blindsided.

Going Healthy, Health, Life, Parenting

Seven Healthy Habits To Teach Your Kids

06/23/2020 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

When you’re a parent, it’s your sole job to take care of your children and help them to be healthy and well-rounded adults. It’s the healthy habits that we instill into our children that will carry them through life, but the problem is that adults have so many unhealthy ones that it’s hard to tell which you should be teaching. Adults aren’t always raised to be unhealthy, but the bad habits that we develop over time are those that we have to avoid teaching our children.
Children are clay to be moulded, unpainted canvases, and they deserve to have the very best start in life. It would help if you were on the ball to ensure that from the day that your child is born, they are shown only healthy and balanced habits that they can take in and imitate. The patterns that children learn early in life will be those that bring the best benefits to them, and as your children will look up to you, it’s up to you to set the best possible example. With that in mind, let’s talk through seven tips that will get your family started on the road to healthy behavior.

habits, health, parenting, kids, healthy — Image Source: Pexels

Embrace Positivity

We are bringing children into a cynical world. Well, let’s rephrase that: a scary world. There is a lot wrong with this planet, and it feels frightening to know that we brought children into a world of war, hunger and fear. The thing is, the world has a lot of positivity, too. You can help your children to develop a positive attitude by merely spinning all things negative into a positive. Yes, there is war, and yes, there are climate issues. However, if you can teach your children to recycle, to look after the world around them, those small movements can be massive. Focus on what CAN be done to help their world and not what can’t. Teach them kindness and positivity. Teach them how to look after the world around them and show them how to be better.

Reduce Screen Time

Health is so important with your children, and part of that will be in reducing the amount of screentime that they have. Blue light technology is something that prevents a good night of sleep and strains the eyes, but growing up in an increasingly digital world is hard enough. Children do not need to be exposed to social media at a young age, but people insist on allowing it. Children and teenager’s mental health is so important, and parents play a significant role in teaching them how to use their screens smartly. Enhancing their daily life with technology is one thing, but overuse can be damaging and addictive. Set limits and be a parent in this; screen discipline is so important.

Encourage Reading

Children are blessed with an imagination beyond anything else. When you sit and read with your children, not only are you embracing their passion for reading, you’re showing them a whole world that they can immerse themselves in. Reading gives them the chance to explore and discover, but it also gives you a chance to discuss and bond. You can talk to them about their own imagination and their hopes and dreams, too. When you teach your children to read, you teach them to embrace a new way of thinking and being. It teaches them social and emotional skills that are all going to build them into the best possible human being that they can be.

Make Meals Fun

Almost all children go through a fussy stage in their lives. They find it hard to try new things and eat fresh foods. Children have far more taste buds than we do, and encouraging them to try new things is essential. You can make meals as colorful as possible and encourage healthy habits with food. Fruits and vegetables from an early age can help your children to grow and feel good on the inside. Juices from goodnature.com/ can help your children to get the right nutrients as early as possible. With a plate filled with color, your children can have the right minerals, vitamins and the best start in life, and as a parent, it’s all you want.

Eat A Family Breakfast

Sitting together as a family every day for breakfast is one of the most important lessons to teach your kids. It’s the chance to sit and eat a balanced meal in each other’s company, and it’s going to teach your children how to keep their table manners. A protein-loaded breakfast will keep them fuller for longer, and it will mean that your children develop great morning habits when they watch you do it, too.

Embrace Exercise

As a family, you can workout together without making it a focus on working out. Cycling together, going to trampolining sessions, introducing martial arts and even taking a walk every day. It would help if you thought about all the ways you can incorporate activities for your children that get them off of Netflix and out into the world. Children can tire quickly, so keep it to around an hour at a time to avoid cranky behavior as a result. There’s bound to be something out there that they will enjoy doing!

Encourage Great Sleep

Children are continually growing and developing. If they can see that you have a healthy sleep routine, it will be easier for them to follow one for themselves. When you ensure that your children are comfortable in their room, you can ensure that their sleep is just as comfortable and makes them feel energized. A pleasant sleep environment is essential for your children, as is using the same techniques so that they can learn from you. Routine is vital, and you can keep the same routines, too. Teach your children to rest well, and you will teach them how to remain balanced and focused.
Children need you to be healthier and happier – start today and watch them grow up happy!