Monthly Archives: September 2009

Starting An Opportunity Fund

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Over the last couple of years I’ve become a big fan of setting up separate savings accounts, or sub-accounts, for saving towards a specific goal. As a visual person, it helps me to see a goal description and a balance next to it to show how close (or how far) I am to reaching that particular savings goal.

We currently have a number of sinking funds established in an online savings account for things like Christmas shopping, vacations and insurance premiums. We also continue to save towards a fully-funded emergency fund of six months of expenses. However, I feel compelled to save towards a new goal.

Opportunity Fund

Ever had the chance to take a last-minute trip you wanted to take, but didn’t have the money for it? Maybe it was to attend a conference on a subject you are interested in, or to visit a place you have wanted to visit since childhood. With an opportunity fund you would be able to answer when opportunity knocks.

I am reluctant to use our savings for any reason other than what the money is intended to cover. For instance, I don’t dip into our emergency fund if I find a great deal on a new laptop, and I don’t pull money out of the Christmas Savings account to buy the kids a bike in June. For the same reason, I personally find it hard to take advantage of opportunities outside of the monthly budget, and outside of our targeted savings goals. Here are a few examples of occasions to use an opportunity fund:

  • Last-minute travel deals
  • Clearance prices on household supplies to stockpile
  • Pay cash for real estate (this is more of a “someday” goal)
  • Giving. How many times have you wanted to give money to a neighbor or loved one, but didn’t have any to spare?

Why Not Use a Credit Card?

Many people simply carry a credit card for covering life’s opportunities, which borders on impulsive spending, and we all know impulsive and credit cards don’t mix. Until I’ve reached debt freedom, I’ve sworn off credit card use. For now, I find it too tempting to swipe a credit card and pay it off. I still need the transactional pain of paying cash or watching it immediately leave my checking account through a debit card.

So, I think of an opportunity fund as sort of my own personal line of credit, except I don’t have to adhere to credit card issuers’ ridiculous rules and be subjected to their frequent rule changes. It is empowering to seize the moment, pay cash, and not have a debt following me around long after.

Where to Save For Opportunities

My wife and I have decided to park our Opportunity Fund in one of the top online banks at ING Direct. The money accumulates at a slightly higher rate of interest than at a traditional savings account, and I’m a big fan of their online interface and transfer options. If something comes up, we can transfer money to our checking account in only a couple days, or simply write a check from our local emergency fund and replenish it from the Opportunity Fund. Either way, it’s nice to have some cash on hand specifically for an opportunity- most of the time it doesn’t knock twice!

From the Boardroom to the Kitchen Table: Managing your Household like a Business

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The following guest post was submitted by Kevin, web content writer for Resqdebt.com. For more helpful tips on how to save money and stay out of debt, visit Resqdebt’s website at www.resqdebt.com.

People often can be successful in the business world but clueless when it comes to managing their own finances. A business-minded strategy is a great way to manage and organize your household finances.

“Business advice can translate into wise decisions for your personal finances,” said Heath Tudor, consumer liaison for Resqdebt, a financial health management company in Allen, Texas.  “Using simple business practices, you can easily make your house more profitable and efficient.”

Tudor suggests these steps for managing your household finances:

Create a Plan - All businesses begin with some sort of a plan, both short term and long term. Plans help guide decisions and direct you where you want to be in a certain amount of time. Build a plan around your goals. Budget for everyday expenses, emergencies and long term plans.

Track Spending – Businesses often use spreadsheets to track income and expenses. This lets them know the state of the company’s finances at anytime. Tracking your finances will help you visualize your situation and make better decisions. However, you don’t need an expensive or complicated bookkeeping program to track your finances. Check out free online bookkeeping tools, such as Quicken or Mvelopes or create your own spreadsheet. Record everything that you bring in, spend and owe.

What comes in must be more than what goes out- In business you want to bring in more than what you are spending; the same should apply at home. As you track your finances, look at your income and your spending habits. If you are coming up short every month or using your credit cards to cover purchases, you need to adjust your income-to-spending ratio.

Cut Down on Expenses - Businesses want to keep expenses low so that overhead does not cut into their profits. You can’t always change how much money you bring in but, you can change what you pay out. Examine your bills and find places where you can cut down on monthly expenses.

Conduct Reviews - Review your plan weekly, monthly and yearly. Make adjustments and track your goals.

Overall, the most important thing for your household finances is to stay organized. Know what you are spending and always remember the bottom line. These steps will help you become more profitable and the CEO of your house.

The 11 Year-Old Pay Stub

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Today I’m beginning the slow process of returning to a normal schedule. I do have plenty to say, it’s sitting down at the keyboard that’s the hard part. Thanks to all the condolences passed along from readers and fellow bloggers – really meant a lot to our family.

Those who have lost a loved one know the various phases of grieving we tend to go through. I’m still in the “numb” stage that seemed to last up to and immediately following the Memorial Service last Friday. Now I’m feeling a deep sadness, and am really missing my mom. I talked to or saw her every single day for 32 years.

While the feelings of losing Mom a week ago are still raw, I know she would be telling me to buckle down and get busy. I wish more of her tenacity rubbed off on me!

Over the weekend I had nervous energy and decided to grab a few crates down from the attic, and out of the garage, to look for opportunities to de-clutter. While looking through old pictures and documents I found something interesting – a pay stub dated June 1998. The hourly rate: $5.50.

That doesn’t tell the whole story. I only had 21 hours that pay period, and about 20 hours from my other part-time job. I was newly married, and without benefits, because neither part-time job would hire me full-time. My wife relocated to marry me, so she was unemployed for the first few months we were married.

When I did finally land a job earning $18,700 a year with benefits we thought we were rich. My wife was working for $6.00 an hour in a medical office. Combined, we didn’t earn $30,000 a year, but we lived like we earned $60,000.

Fast forward a decade. Now the situation is reversed. We are making a conscious effort to live on much less than we earn. Instead of living like we earn twice as much, soon we’ll be living on half of my income alone. What’s different? Our priorities.

Back then we got caught in the trap of keeping up with the Jones, and the media, and even what we thought to be an ideal lifestyle. I spent money to impress the new in-laws, to “provide” for our first child, and to buy a “safe” vehicle since I was now a family man.

Looking back, spending money didn’t impress my in-laws, it only made me look pretentious. And $100 toys meant nothing to my baby daughter, but a little floor time in the evenings helping her learn to crawl, watching her giggle and coo meant the world to her.

Hindsight really is 20/20. There are no such things as a financial mulligan, so I try not to spend too much time obsessing over the mistakes I made in my 20′s. Instead, I admit my mistakes, promise to never repeat them, and look to the future with optimism. And there is much to be excited about.

By the end of this year my wife and I will be debt free for the first time in our marriage. We are already car debt free, another first-time achievement as a couple. We’re also planning to have our fully-funded emergency fund in place by Christmas.

For years I’ve closed my eyes and day dreamed about how it must feel not to owe anyone a dime. How it must feel to know several thousand dollars are in the bank ready to handle your next emergency. How it must feel to budget your next paycheck and have money left after paying bills.

Dave Ramsey describes this feeling as “financial peace,” and I think that is a great description. It will definitely be a weight lifted off my spirit. For too long I toiled at bad jobs, worked through vacations, and put up with more crap than I should have because I had debt. Never again.

I sure am glad I saved that pay stub. It reminded me of all I have to be thankful for today, and how far we’ve come. Instead of being stashed away in the attic it now has a permanent spot on my bulletin board, serving as a reminder of the turnaround that’s possible when you really put your mind to it.

Ten Ways to Minimize the Cost of Raising Young Children

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This post is from Craig Ford at Money Help For Christians.  Relying on over ten years of ministry experience and his background in Biblical Studies Craig writes daily personal finance articles from a Christian perspective.  You can visit his site at www.moneyhelpforchristians.com or you can sign up to receive free daily email updates.

Many future parents are worried about the costs of raising children.  I certainly was.  However, with three little kids running around my house, my wife and I have discovered that there are some simple actions or attitude changes that greatly reduce the cost of raising children.  Since our family decided to live on one income, it became necessary to minimize our expenses.  We have practiced (or currently follow) all of the ten suggestions.  It has literally saved us thousands.

1. Consider cloth diapers

My four year old is old enough to know it’s nasty.  Recently, my four year old inquired, “Mommy, why are you putting your hand in the toilet?”  Mommy explained, “Because I need to rinse out your sister’s diaper.”  To which my daughter responded, “That’s nasty.”  It might be nasty, but it sure is cheap.  36 diapers and $50 will give you a 6 – 12 month supply.  By the way, if you are going to go with cloth, consider a Snappy (replacement for safety pins).  I never quite got the old safety pin thing.  They require focus, determination, and a lot of luck.  Cloth diapers would never have worked if a friend did not point us in the direction of a Snappy.

2. Forget your brand allegiance

Seriously, do you think your baby will be happy just because they are wearing Huggies?  Perhaps children who are washed with Johnson and Johnson body soap will be more adjusted in adulthood.  Everyone knows only Carter kids enjoy their childhood.  When it comes to babies, brands really play the trust card and leverage love.  Brands want you to ask yourself, “You do really love your kid, right?”  As a result, we feel like if we love them we need to give them the best so we somehow think spending more money on them is giving them the best.

3. Buy used furnishings

When we were expecting our first, we went and bought a used crib and change table. Some folks were concerned about the safety because standards change and we didn’t know the condition of the items.  Seriously, what is going to happen if the baby’s crib breaks and she falls a foot to the ground and lands on a mattress?  I think worse things will probably happen.  By the way, our third child is now enjoying the same furniture and it is still holding up.

4. Reuse items for all your children

I am the youngest of three boys.  I got used clothes.  Now that I am all grown up I still buy used clothes.  I don’t think I am “damaged” because of the experiences.  Until you know that you are done having kids find a place to store all your baby products, toys, and clothing, because they will come in handy again.

5. Network

You are probably not the first person who ever needed a crib.  In fact, there is probably someone at work or church who has a last child growing out of a crib.  They want nothing more than to find a good home for it to open up some space in their room.  Take notice of families who are a stage ahead of you and let them know if they are ever interested in selling used items that you would appreciate being notified.  We got our first car seat from a friend whose last baby outgrew his car seat around the time our baby was born.  Our rocking chair was given to us from a teacher friend who didn’t need it in the classroom anymore.

6. Trade services

One of the results of fatigue is increased spending. Typically, things that are more convenient cost more.  After a busy day and a cart full of crying kids you are more likely to find convenience foods.  Consider asking someone to take your kids for a while in exchange for taking theirs at a later time.  This time could be used for grocery shopping, catching up on house cleaning, and yes, just resting.

7. Skip the Happy Meal

Does a two year old really need all that food?  What we do when we head out is get a cheap sandwich, cut it in half and have the kids share fries.  The advantage is we save money, save food, and the kids leave full (which, by the way, is the goal of the fast food dining experience).  The disadvantage is that the kids don’t get a little toy that they will play with for about 6.8 seconds.

8. Focus on creating memorable experiences

Once a week we used to take our kids to a sit down restaurant because we wanted to have a special experience.  On my day off we have a family tradition of eating lunch on the porch.  One day our daughter said she likes eating on the porch much more than at the restaurant.  We learned a valuable lesson that spending more does not mean it is more important to your children.

9. Understand the relationship between toddlers and toys

Our bathtub is full of cute little bath toys.  We have a pudgy little pig that squirts water.  There is the happy hippo.  And of course, the cute cow.  In order to wash the kids’ hair we have a plastic cup we got with a meal at Olive Garden and a free promotion plastic cup I got from some event.  Want to know what the kids love to play with?  The cups!  Sometimes they also fight over an empty liquid soap container.  Kids are so creative and naturally playful that they can play without a ton of toys.  We have a Rubbermaid container where we store their toys.  The rule is that all the toys must fit in the container.  If they get new toys, then something from the toy collection must be given away.

10. Set appropriate gift boundaries

From the start, sit down with your spouse and decide on the function of gifts.  I know that sounds silly, but why do you give gifts?  What do you hope to communicate?  What does it reveal about yourself?  Gift giving expectations are created; they are not naturally there in children.  If you give large gifts (beyond your means) each birthday or Christmas, the kids will expect just as large of a gift.  You may need to cut back on gifts.  Remember, cutting back on gifts is not cutting back on love.  You can still show your children love and not give expensive gifts to them.

Lessons Learned from a Bicycle

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The following guest post is from Christina, the writer behind Northern Cheapskate, a frugal living blog dedicated to freebies, coupons and money-saving ideas. Christina writes from the woods of northern Minnesota, where she clips coupons, pinches pennies, and chases three little boys as a stay-at-home mom..

I grew up in a middle class family. I was the only child to a stay-at-home mom and a dad who worked as a millright. Money was tight most of the time, but I don’t recall feeling deprived. When we couldn’t afford to eat out, we improvised with whatever was in the pantry.  Bored? My mom would help me craft my own toys, teach me to crosstitch or invent my own games.

Now that I’m married and have three boys of my own, I’m trying hard to share those values I learned as a child. Our income is greater than that of mine or my husband’s families growing up. Our kids are very fortunate in that they haven’t ever experienced real hardship. They don’t always understand how other families live. I do what I can to teach them to enjoy frugality as a lifestyle choice. They help me bake cookies and clip coupons. We shop garage sales and thrift stores. We try to help others who are less fortunate when we can.

Of course, I will admit there are times when it is very hard to avoid raising a materialistic child.

One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced in teaching my sons about frugality is that my parents, who were once the epitome of thrift, now lavish our boys with gifts and meals out. They’ve worked hard to establish their retirement nest egg and love living near their grandchildren. It’s hard to teach the boys about money and values when well-intentioned grandparents give them whatever they want.

My four-year old has a bike with training wheels that I bought for him at a garage sale for $5. He would ride that bike for hours. My parents suggested that he needed a new bike.  I told them that the old bike worked well and that my son loved it.  They decided to buy him a brand new bike anyway.

And in one of my proudest parenting moments, my son thanked my parents for the new expensive bike, hopped back on his old bike and said, “I like the old one better.”

I was proud that my son thanked my parents for the new bike, and even more proud that he loved his old secondhand bike more. In a small way, I feel I was able to teach him that new and expensive isn’t always better.

It’s been a few weeks now, and he’s riding the new bike now. He tells me that he’s going to pass this bike down along with his secondhand bike to his twin brothers when they’re old enough.

And that’s fine with me.