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Posts tagged as:
family
Are you ready to start planning your family’s summer vacation? In the past, this was an exciting time. However, the economy now has many Americans in a financial bind. If you are one of those Americans, planning your family vacation may no longer be as fun. In fact, it is something you may dread. Luckily, it doesn’t have to be. Although you are on a budget, there are many ways that you can plan a cheap, yet fun family vacation this summer. How?
1 – Stay Close to Home
When many of us think of summer vacations, plane rides and faraway destinations often come to mind. People like to getaway. A family from New York is likely to opt for Hawaii or Florida as their summer vacation destination. A family from Florida may opt for the Caribbean or New York City. These vacations are nice. After all, you get away and get to experience something new. Nevertheless, if you are on a budget this year, you should think closer to home. Plan a new activity each day and have a series of daylong vacations. For example, visit a state park with a natural pool and hiking trails on day one, travel to a nearby museum for day two, visit a semi-local amusement park on day three, and so forth.
2 – Let Your Children Help Choose Activities
Staying close to home is one of the best ways to save money on a summer vacation. If you plan a series of daylong vacations for the week, start close to home. Your family can sleep in their own beds each night. As you get farther away from home, book a hotel. Unfortunately, with this arrangement many parents feel like they are shortchanging their children, especially if they were used to the above mentioned faraway vacation destinations. Remember, you are operating with limited financial resources. Planning activities you can afford is more important. However, you can reduce boredom by letting your children help plan. For example, your teenage daughter can plan day two of your vacation, your ten-year-old son can help plan day three, and so forth.
3 – Give Camping a Try
If you don’t want to stay close to home, you are likely to book your airline reservations and a hotel room. Price compare to find the best deals. However, you should never pay more than $100 a night for a hotel room. This just gets too costly, especially if you are on a budget. A good and cheaper alternative is to camp. All across the country, you will find campground parks and state parks with camping accommodations. Camping rates vary greatly, but most charge no more than $25 a night!
4 – Wisely Choose Your Travel Dates
If you don’t want to stay close to home, wisely choose your travel dates. Since you are planning a summer vacation, you will find increased rates, but look at the little things. It is cheaper to vacation at the beginning or end of the summer. The middle is the most expensive. You will find higher hotel rates and fewer available rooms when there is a popular concert, sporting event, or convention in town.
5 – Don’t Wait for Last Minute Travel Deals
When it comes to finding travel deals and discounts, many mistakenly believe you should wait until the last minute. Yes, many hotels, airlines, and car rental companies offer last minute travel deals and discounts, but they are usually less common during the summer. The summer is a peak travel seasons and they rarely have problems filling planes and hotel rooms. For most, it is too risky to wait. If you are one of those individuals, plan your trip in advance, but always be on the lookout for moneysaving deals and discounts. Luckily, hotels, airlines, and car rental companies offer them all year round, not just at the last minute.
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Tighwad Group, Come Join!
I’ve recently been granted to take over the Tightwad group, a long time Yahoo tightwad living group.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tightwad
The group’s owner had disappeared long ago, leaving the group to spammers posting yucky stuff. I have deleted a lot of messages and hopefully got rid of all the nasty ones.
We are wanting to jump start the group again, bring it back to life, to what it was intended for… tightwad tips, frugal living, budgeting, freebies, and coupons. So I am asking my readers here to join up and share their freebies, tightwad tips, frugal recipes, coupons, etc. Basically any and everything that pertains to tightwad living.
The group posts are moderated to keep the icky spam out.
So come on and join and spread the word to your friends!
Tightwad
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tightwad
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Christmas parties are much less common than they once were. But it’s still great to be able to get together with our friends and family during the holidays. Why not throw a Christmas party of your own?
One reason that many people do not have Christmas parties is because of budget concerns. Throwing a party can be an expensive proposition. But it doesn’t necessarily have to be. If you follow these tips, you can have a splendid Christmas party without spending a fortune.
* Sending invitations to your guests can be surprisingly expensive. Store-bought invitations aren’t cheap, and you’ll also have to pay for postage. Keep your costs down by sending them by email or inviting guests by phone.
* Make it clear to guests if they are allowed to bring others to the party, and ask them to let you know how many people they will be bringing. It’s easier to plan for your party if you know how many people to expect.
* Forgo the catering and do the cooking yourself. It will take some work, but cooking everything at home is much less expensive than having someone else to make the food and bring it in. Have the family help to make it a little easier on yourself.
* Better yet, make it a potluck. If each guest brings a dish, there will be plenty to eat at very little expense to you. You could even have some guests bring drinks, plates, cups and plasticware if you like.
* Keep the decorations simple. Your Christmas tree could serve as the focal point. Use inexpensive tinsel or garland and Christmas lights around the house, and hang up a few sprigs of holly or mistletoe here and there. There’s no need to spend lots of money to make your home look festive.
* If there’s snow outside, put some in ice buckets and bring it in to chill drinks with. This adds a nice festive touch and saves you money because you won’t have to buy ice.
* To save money on entertainment, put a karaoke machine to use. If you don’t have one of your own, borrow or rent one. Make sure that get the singing on video if possible!
* Make handmade ornaments to give out as party favors. You can make them quickly and inexpensively out of plastic canvas and yarn in Christmas colors.
* If you want to make Christmas parties at your house a tradition, start planning for next year as soon as Christmas is over. You can get 50% or more off regular prices for decorations after the holiday.
Christmas parties are lots of fun, even if you don’t spend a lot of money on them. A frugal party is no less memorable than one where no expense was spared. So don’t wait for someone else to throw one. Take it upon yourself to organize the festivities!
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Frugal Activities for the Whole Family
Get your copy of Frugal Activities for the Whole Family: Cool Frugal Summer Activities the Whole Family Will Love now.
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Let’s Get Organized
http://www.theorganizerlady.com/getorganized.html
Who else wants to relieve stress by bringing order to your life once and for all?
Are You Pulling Your Hair Out Because Your Life is a Disorganized Mess?
Feel like a chicken running around with your head cut off?
Is your house a mess? Papers piling up on your kitchen counter. You can no longer see what color the top of your desk is. And it’s getting harder and harder to feel comfortable in your own home with the mess. The hectic schedule. And the unorganized life.
There comes a point when you must say, “Enough! I need to get organized now if it kills me!”
Sometimes all it takes is a little push in the right direction to get started. To make just a few changes to a busy life that makes it more manageable.
Where can you get that push? Let me help you with my guide…
…Let’s Get Organized!
http://www.theorganizerlady.com/getorganized.html
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Often times, the family budget is a source of conflict. Most of the time, the major earner makes the final financial decision, which isn’t always a welcome deal for the rest. Since money is such an intrinsic part of family life, families need to achieve accord in this aspect. There is a four-step cycle in budgeting the family money to maintain peace and harmony.
1. Set your priorities.
Priorities are different from goals. They are aspects in your family’s life that you, as a family, want to set focus on, say health or children’s future. While goals are specific targets that support priorities.
In setting priorities, do not set too many as it defeats the purpose. Ideally, there should only be one, but because life is not ideal, 2 to 3 are reasonable.
As the priorities are set and agreed upon, write them down. Post the paper where everybody can see them to remind them of what your family is focused on for the next few years.
2. List down your goals.
Once the family has set and agreed on priorities, the next step is to set the goals. Goals are specific and measurable conditions that, when achieved, will support the priorities.
In setting goals, establish a target that is both challenging yet achievable. A 10-15% of the family’s income is a good savings target for a child’s future education: stretching yet reachable.
Try to limit your family into setting 1-2 goals per priority, to maintain focus.
3. Work towards your goals.
After setting your priorities and goals, start living by them. All of the family’s activities will be geared towards working at your goals. Track progress, particularly on financial goals, by using an income and expense-tracking tool. The simplest way is to get a notebook and list down all expenses and incomes and set a budget for future spending. There are those that invest in computer software or a family accountant. Whatever it is, the important thing is to have a system of monitoring the family’s performance towards achieving their goals.
4. Evaluate your family life.
At a certain point in time, when you feel like it’s time to evaluate your life, check how your family is doing against the goals. Goals that have been achieved can be checked off the list, and new ones can be formulated.
At times, in major changes, say a career move, or when a family member goes away, it may be time to re-evaluate priorities. When such a time comes, then the cycle begins, just like what it’s for: life!
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One of the least expensive, yet most fulfilling, types of vacations is the camping and backpacking trip. Hiking through the back country at one of the nation’s magnificent national parks, or just wandering around the wilderness of a state park closer to home, can be a great way to commune with nature, and a wonderful way for families to get away and enjoy being together.
One of the things that makes backpacking so attractive to budget minded trailers is the low cost it takes to get started. Little is needed other than a good quality backpack, a top quality tent and maybe a camp stove or similar appliance. Other than that, the main thing to pack is your sense of spirit and adventure. This article provides some valuable tips for the first time backpacker on a budget.
Invest in a good quality hiking map or guide and get to know the area you will be traveling to. Pay careful attention to the notes and precautions and try your best to match the terrain to your level of ability and experience. When estimating the time it will take to hike to your destination, always overestimate.
Be sure to obtain all necessary permits, and reserve the campsite you want, in advance of your trip. It is not unusual for campsites to sell out, particularly in popular national park destinations.
Always check local regulations regarding campfires, smoking, cleanup, etc. to avoid paying fines.
Research the weather patterns of the area and always be prepared for the worst weather. Always pack some sort of rain gear.
Dress appropriately, in layered clothing, no matter what time of year. Be sure to pack clothing that will allow you to be prepared for sudden changes in temperature or weather. It is best to wear breathable materials, such as polypropylene or wool, to allow perspiration and moisture to be wicked away quickly.
Learn how to operate your equipment before you hit the trail. It is important, for instance, to set up your tent at least once or twice at home. Get familiar with how everything goes together. Learn how to operate your camp stove before you leave home.
Determine how much weight you can comfortably carry, and pack appropriately. Many first time backpackers try to take too much gear, and end up unable to carry that gear during the trip. The weight of the backpack should be no more than one quarter of your weight, and it is best to take only what you need.
Pack more food than you think you will need. Hikers and backpackers burn far more calories than the average person, so be sure to eat sufficient amounts of high quality foods while on your journey. The best foods to pack are those that are high in carbohydrates, proteins and fats. These high quality backpacking foods include peanut butter, instant oatmeal, trail mix, pasta and dried fruit.
Learn where the water sources are on the trail and be sure to keep your water bottles filled in case the next source of water is farther away than anticipated. It is important to drink plenty of water when backpacking, even when the weather is cool.
Always cook your evening meal before it gets too dark. Extra food should always be stored in a bag and hung from a tree limb at night to protect it from local wildlife. Raccoons, skunks and bears have learned to look at backpackers, hikers and campers as easy sources of free meals.
Always pack a first aid kit and be prepared with some basic first aid training. Carry a GPS system or satellite phone if you will be traveling far into the back country, and leave a schedule with the local trail ranger and with friends at home.
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