Tips for Successful Personal Finances
Now that we are gearing up for the fall, I wanted to share with you some workshops I am teaching at Norwalk Community College (Norwalk, CT) in the Extended Studies Dept in the Fall term.
Take Control Of Your Finances
Welcome To The Real World: Teens and Money
Budgeting For The Fluctuating Income
For more information and/or to register click here.
You’ve heard the saying, if you don’t succeed, try again. We’ll that was try number two yesterday to get the results that we wanted.
Every August it’s the time in our home to negotiate the TV, internet and phone bill. It’s a time that I dislike, but it’s something that has to be done. Every year, we get that letter that our current package is e
xpiring and the cost will be increasing substantially. Ugh!
I phoned earlier in the month and was given a new package that didn’t meet our needs or budget. We have lowered our services in past years, so there isn’t a lower package with less channels (we’re on basic). Not being happy with the call, I research other companies and their options.
Yesterday, was call number two. Spoke with two different people and get the results we wanted. The price will be increasing less than $5. Yeah!
If you need to negotiate with a company to get the results you need / want, be prepared to make multiple calls. You might just get a person that will go the extra mile to find what you are looking for. We did and we are set for another year.
At this time of year we are getting ready for back to school. Along with all the things happening, somet
imes cybersecurity isn’t something that you are thinking about. But it should be.
Your kids are creating new accounts and with that comes passwords. I am reruning a past newsletter on How To Use A Unique Password For Every Account Without Going Crazy.
In addition, Lass Pass’ blog has a great post on .
Make sure to do these steps and share with your kids to be safer online. A little time now could save you hours later.
If you love to travel like we do, you better read on. Do you owe the IRS money? If you owe a
substantial money and haven’t made payment arrangements, your passport could be in jeopardy.
Here’s some more information from AARP’s travel newsletter.
Another reason to stay on top of your finances.
It’s August and there is still plenty of summer left. I know this, but it’s also the time of year that w
e start to get ready for winter.
Next week, we are having our trees trimmed. I want to lower dead limbs trimmed, so as not to come down with a winter storm. Also During this month, it’s time to inspect your home to get those last minute projects in before the cold weather sets in. One of the things on our list is to replace our front door. After that, it’s time to get the furnace cleaned before we need heat.
In the fall, it will be time to clean the gutters and make sure the snow blower is ready.
Preparing now and maintaining your home and equipment will save you money in the long run.
Enjoy the rest of the summer
Every year around my birthday is the time I check my social security.
No, I am not ready to apply. But it’s something I do annually to make sure all is correct. Every year socia
l security posts your income to your account (the same income you file on your federal tax return). I like to double check to make sure mine is correct. It’s much easier for me to check now, then to figure it out when I apply for social security down the road. My records are easily accessible and easy to review to double check.
When was the last time you looked at your social security account?
What to do in each port? That’s a difficult question. So much to do and so little time.
If it’s a new place, sometimes we just want to take a tour to get an overview. That’s the case for the first and last stop of this cruise. We are taking a cruise line shore excursion to see the coast and in another city we are doing a whale watch.
Yet another city, San Francisco with a two day stop (we have been there before), what to do? Our original thought was to go to Yosemite for the day. We even worked out the details to make it work for us. But now the wildfires may derail this plan.
For us, the research is critical to saving money. First, what do we want to do? To start, we look at the cruise line shore excursions for ideas. If we find something that appeals to us – great! Then the research begins. What other companies offer this excursion? The research piece begins with for these other companies:
These are important questions that we need the answers to.
Some of my favorite websites are Trip Advisor, Viator, Cruise Critic and more. I should tell you that Cruise Critic is the best. You join the chat room for your specific cruise and this puts you in touch with others sailing with you. This is a great resource, as we have shared private tours many time by joining others (and sometimes we have booked the tour and are looking for others to share with us).
All these are factors in determining what to do in port.
Those of you that are regular readers, we have an upcoming vacation for the fall. I am going to take you through the planning this week, to see how we save money.
Our airfare, hotels and cruise are booked and paid (a while back). We always fly in a day or more before a cruise (never want to miss the ship). Since we are arriving late the night before, we are staying close to the air
port.
Getting to the the ship in the morning, we have several options:
Our choices was the alternated transfer. This was our thought process, we have never been to this city and wanted to see some of it. We didn’t want to get to the ship too early and wait there to board. We found a cruise transfer tour company that will pick us up at the hotel and give us a 3 hour tour of the city and drop us off at the pier.
The savings for us:
Yes, this is more than the transfer alone, but we have never been to the city (I don’t count changing planes here years ago a visit). This way we will be familiar with the city before we spend the weekend after the cruise.
Last week I had the honor of teaching a Teens and Money class at Norwalk Community College – 5 afternoons of teens in grades 9 to 12.
We discussed money management, credit, credit cards, banking, car buying, paying for college, budgeting and more. Teaching teens is a passion of mine. This is something they don’t s
eem to be getting elsewhere.
Here are two of the teen comments:
Make sure to talk with your children about money and finances, so they can make educated choices based on knowledge that are right for them, making them look at their choices both the pros and cons.
If you are in the area, I will be teaching a shorten version of this class on Saturday, October 20 at NCC. To register, call NCC at 203-857-7237.
We adopted Willow this past weekend, so I wanted to rerun an article about the cost of pets.
I am passionate about travel, but it doesn’t compare to how I feel about my dogs. Brownie has been a member of the family for seven years now. We rescued her at about 8 weeks when she was only 12 pounds, a far cry for her 70 pounds now. We love her just as much as any of our other dogs.
But owning a pet can be a budget breaker. Pets are expensive. You need to consider their day to day costs – food, supplements and services – which can range in price from affordable to “how am I supposed to pay for that?”
The Initial Costs
According to peteducation.com, the first year can cost between $500-$6,600 depending on how much you’re willing to spend.
You have the simple comforts and necessities: bed, leash, collar, food bowls, toys – these aren’t too expensive individually, but can add up when you’re buying them all at once.
Then there are your legal requirements, like puppy shots, license and tags.
You may also want to consider having your puppy neutered and micro-chipped. Thank goodness where we rescue the cost of puppy neutering is included, so it’s not an extra cost for us. If you rescue, ask to see if you can save too.
Finally, depending on the dog’s personality or medical issues, you may have other expenses. Brownie went through the teething stage, as puppies do, but she wasn’t interested in inexpensive items like shoes or pillows. She chewed the molding around the door so that we needed a carpenter to make the repairs. That was expensive.
The Costs Going Forward
According to the Pet Education, the annual costs can be anywhere between $300-$2,500.
Brownie’s annual vet check-up and shots cost about as much as a car payment and are due every summer along with her license. That’s not including any extra trips to the vet for illness, injuries, etc. All these need to be planned for.
Your homeowners / renter insurance can increase depending on your dog’s breed.
Lastly there is caring after your dog’s emotional and physical well-being. Do you need to have a dog walker while you’re at work or to board your dogs when you’re traveling? More costs.
Lots to think about. Besides just selecting the right pet for your family, make sure to plan the financial part, too.