An article by BudgetQueen All the planning, scrimping and saving is great, but remember that you are not the one who will ultimately be in charge of this kid’s future – he or she will be. I have spoken to some financially-strapped parents that have given me some great ideas on how they plan to tackle planning for college for the kids, while encouraging his or her kid to be responsible as well. Look through each and find what may work for you. You may even have a better idea of what is best for … [Read more...]
Help! I don’t have any money saved for my kid’s college! (Part Two)
An article by BudgetQueen Kids are great fun. They are unpredictable. They are naïve but sharp. They are completely lazy some times while completely motivated other times. You will be proud one day and then the next say, “What were they thinking?” When I look back at my friends who went to college, I see a wide variety of personalities. I saw kids whose parents paid for everything party like the end of the world was a few days away. I also saw the kids whose parents that were not able to help … [Read more...]
Help! I don’t have any money saved for my kid’s college! (Part One)
An article by BudgetQueen Your kids are getting older and suddenly you panic because you don’t have any money saved up for college. Instead of giving you a sliding scale of how much you need to donate right now and which plan, I want to ask you to ask yourself a few important questions to make sure your savings plan matches your lifestyle. Most of the time people have the best of intentions about savings and then things come up. Like daycare, sports, home repairs, falling on hard times, … [Read more...]
Help! My sibling is a mooch!
Dear Christine, My brother is 41 and he has been using people his whole life – and he gets away with it. He often gets my dad to pay his rent. He gets his girlfriend to buy him plane tickets. He even once charged my mom to plant flowers in her yard when she injured her back on Mother’s Day! I know that you are going to tell me that it is none of my business – most people do. But my parents are spending so much money on him when they can’t really afford it. I am also worried that he will never … [Read more...]
Are your kids off for the holiday? Have fun with them for less than $10 per day!
The kids are home for the summer, or for the holiday? You want to have fun with them but the budget may be tight. It is possible to have fun days without breaking the bank.I love hanging out with my kids but I also don’t like to spend too much money. My kids and I created a “Summer Bingo.” It has 80 days worth of things to do, and 90% of them are less than $10. Not only that, but 60% of these ideas are free! As you complete the bingo, there are rewards at the end (that are relatively inexpensive … [Read more...]
