Credit Card education

When I was much younger (because you know, now I am old), I didn't really know anything about credit cards nor did I learn how to choose a credit card based on the cards merits. I pretty much just applied and got them. When I was 18, I was so far in debt, I couldn't see a way out. I had done credit counseling, I had done debt consolidation and I had tried debt management. The problem was though that what I was earning didn't come near what I owed in terms of monthly payments. I ruined my credit only 3 years into having it.

Fast forward a few years. I was in a better place as far as maturity. I was older, wiser and more responsible, or so I thought. I had a great job that I enjoyed working for a dot com start-up company. I was making crazy good money for my age and so the cycle began again. It started out getting a credit card for "emergency purposes" and to help raise my credit score. Before I knew it though, I was laid off. So all the debt I had incurred in the name of "emergencies" and "charge and pay" habits was right back on my back.

I truly believe that credit now is one of the things in life I no longer can safely use. I don't possess a credit card. I have a savings account for "emergencies" and I am in the process of once again going through credit counseling. I firmly believe that a personal finance class should be required while students are in their junior or senior years of high school. A class that will teach them how to read the fine print of credit card offers and to truly learn how to choose a credit card wisely. A class that will break down the long term cost of irresponsible credit card usage and how it will impact them 10, 20 or even 30 years later in life. A class that will layout the ramifications of a low credit score.

I wish I had known at 18 what I know now about credit cards. I wish I had gone through a seminar or class in which I could learn how to choose a credit card wisely.

Responsibility

For the first time in my life I am really living on a budget. I don't mean that I am rigid in where money goes but I have a good system going. The first of the month I pay a few bills, rent being the biggest and most of that paycheck. The 15th of the month, I pay everything else. I like sitting down the night of the 15th, entering everything into Quicken and submitting it through BillPay. I genuinely like the feeling of being responsible with my money. Its not like there is a ton to toss around. I mean, the ends meet but just barely. It feels good though to see that every month, they are paid and on time. I called a couple places (PG&E, car insurance) and had them move the due date to after the 15th to make it work. And it does. And it feels great.

Whoda thunk it?

Alex's hearing test went perfect last week. It was kind of cool the way they do it. They had Alex and I in a dim room that was sound proofed. On each side of us there was a speak with a glass box attached to the speaker. Inside the box there was a stuffed animal and a light. The audiologist had the ability to play the sound, activate the light illuminating the stuffed animal or both. When she testing him on hearing voices, he passed no problem. Each time she spoke, he turned to the direction the sound was coming from without prompting and without the light coming on.

When she tested him on his ability to hear tones, he stopped responding. Completely. She came in, Alex got to run around the room for a bit and then we started testing again. Same thing. She told me that it could be he is too smart to look because who cares about tones. So for the next series, when she played the tone, she turned the light on and I pointed it out to Alex. When he looked, he got a kiss, a hug and a high 5. Then we got his attention back to her through the glass in the middle and did it again. Once he got the hang of what we wanted, he did fine. She tested him at 10, 15 and 20 decibels, all passed in each of the 3 tone pitches she tested.

I didn't realize how worried I was until I had tears rolling down my face when he was responding the way he should. I am SO relieved it is not his hearing. She said that she will send the results to his Ped and we should get a call from her on Monday or Tuesday with the next step. She said off the record, he is a bright kid that probably just has no interest in talking right now. Her son had 1 word until he was 23 months. When he started talking, it was full sentences from the get go. I'm hoping that is something similar for us.

Wizetrade

When I first start with the company I am at now, I was told a bunch things in regards to the stock that was part of my pay plan. I had NO stock education other than to know that people buy and sell them, that sometimes you lose money and sometimes you make money. I really wish I had seen Wizetrade then. I think I could have made a more educated decision about when to sell and when to buy.

There are so many places on the web now to learn about trading and investing. Wizetrade offers so many different educational services in regards to trading and investing. The services cover information for both the novice and the expert trader.

Its also pretty cool to be able to see the trending of a stock and its performance compared to its original prediction. Wizetrade is an awesome service that offers just about anything one could want in regards to learning more information about the securities world.

Thrifty Living III

It seems like everyday, my son is outgrowing something. Here is how I manage to keep him in clothes without breaking the bank.

Clothes:
Consignment, thrift, hand me downs and ebay are obvious tips. That being said... some people are against used clothes. I found that the "gently used" stores here still wanted a fortune for something that had been previously worn. I buy my son's clothes off the clearance rack. I buy next years size in the past season's selection. I get t-shirts, shorts, jeans and pajamas for anywhere from $.75 to $4 an item. Target and Walmart mark things down further and further as they sit on the clearance rack. Last fall, I bought his summer clothes for this year (in this year's size) and spent around $25 for the whole season. You have to guess on sizes of course, it also means if you are off at all, you have a whole season you can sell as new with tags on ebay or craigslist.

Mervyn's and JC Penneys also have really good semi-annual sales and I stock up on "dress" clothes for him there. Outfits for church, pictures, etc. Most of the regular play clothes though are still only $5 to $6 an item at these sales. They also have shoes for cheap too. I bought a pair of Buster Browns tennis shoes for him, normally priced $32 for $8.

Thrifty Living Series II

Some of the biggest ways I have found to save money were with lifestyle choices.

Breastfeeding:
Aside from the immunity building benefits, breastmilk is free. Its better for you and for baby. The average infant can fo through 24-32 ounces of formula daily. Infants should remain on formula for a minimum of 12 month. That's roughly 10,080 ounces of formula.

Cosleeping:
Cosleeping is the natural act of your child sleeping with its parents in the "family" bed. Safety precautions must be taken when cosleeping but following Dr. Sears precautions will keep your child safe. Cosleeping is inexpensive in 2 ways. Your family is sharing body heat allowing the temp in your house to not need to be so high. It also means not having to buy a crib. Cribs, bassinets and changing tables are often more than $100 a piece.

Thrifty living series part 1- Toys

I am starting a multi part series in regards to living and raising a child inexpensively. If I have learned little these last 15 months, its that kids don't HAVE to cost a lot of money.

Of course hand-me down toys are the cheapest by far and often require the least amount of energy to obtain. What about those of us though that don't have someone passing down toys?

Pillow Friends:
Pillow Friends can be made easily using the following items:
1 adult size t-shirt
1 roll of iron on hem tape
cotton stuffing
assorted bits of felt
glue gun and glue sticks

Taking the iron on hem tape and seal openings of the bottom and arms of the t-shirt. Stuff the cotton inside the the t-shirt through the opening of the neck. Once the shirt is stuffed to the desired "squishy-ness", seal the neck of the t-shirt with the tape as well.

Use the bits of felt to create the face of your new friend. Glue on the face and Viola! You have a free new pillow friend for your child to snuggle with.

Board Books:
You'll need:
cardboard
old magazines
packing tape
glue

Cut out colorful objects and glue them into place on the cardboard. The cardboard can also be covered with colored paper or construction paper if you want a more colorful book. Underneath each picture, carefully print the name of the item, the color that it is or the quantity of it. Bind each of the cardboard pieces together and you now have a new board book. These are great for teaching colors, numbers, shapes and animals. The cardboard gives them a sturdiness that makes it hard for little hands to rip.

Music Makers:
You'll need:
Empty (clean) plastic bottle or can (I prefer plastic water bottles or soda bottles with the lid)
Masking tape
Beans, rice, pennies or dried pasta

Pour the beans, rice, pennies or dried pasta into your container leaving plenty of room at the top. Seal the container closed either with the original lid or layered masking tape. If you are using the original lid, it may be a good idea to tape it closed any way to prevent opening.

You now have a new musical toy.



With all of these objects, please supervise your child when they are playing with them.