Each year, the cost of having a baby increases. From 1997 to 2007, the price tag associated with the hospital stay alone rose from $3,983 to $5,464—a hike of 37%. Once you add in all the other expenses - like car seats and diapers - it can feel like you're buried under a mountain of bills without an end in sight. Having a new baby is stressful enough without the added pressure of trying to make ends meet. Instead of spending sleepless nights worrying about whether you'll ever feel financially secure again, try some of these tips to stretch your dollars just a little further. Doctor … [Read more...]
Learn to Deal with Your Child’s Curiosity
May 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Image by Getty Images via @daylife Protecting your child’s innocence amongst all the media frenzy is a daunting task. You may be working hard to do this, but the other children might not be that well protected. Children are the most impressionable and susceptible to beliefs within their friend circle rather than their parents. So, it often becomes a tough task to decide what to disclose and what to hide. Apart from regularly monitoring the child’s television and Internet time, it is important for you to become a person who can satisfy his curiosity well. The trick is to let the … [Read more...]
Setting Aside Time for Yourself
May 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Young moms need to socialize and have fun. Having a child doesn’t change that. It does, however, make it much more difficult for you to find the time to go out on the town with your girlfriends. These tips can help you find a few spare hours that you can set aside just for you. Find a Babysitter Someone needs to watch your kids while you are enjoying yourself. Make sure your husband is pulling his weight around the house. If he hasn’t stayed in with the kids lately, then now is the time to call in a favor so that you can enjoy a bit of “me time.” If both of you want to get away from … [Read more...]
Technology and the Generations
February 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Back 50 years ago, technology was not a word commonly used by everyday people. Technology then was far simpler, but even that generation could tell you how much technology had changed since they were younger. Since that time, especially in the last ten years, technology has grown even more. As it has, people have changed as well. When you talk about technology, you have to start with the advent of things like television. While there were other technological advancements before that, it was the television that had the greatest impact on people and lifestyle. Now, people could interact with … [Read more...]
Upper Middleclass without Materialistic Traits
February 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Many people are moving up within the class system. The upper middle class is now larger than it was just a few decades ago. That means more people have more spendable income. While the recession has cut into this discretionary income, that does not mean that people will keep spending less. In fact, many people are moving up because of new opportunities and job growth. If this is happening to you, you may be able to spend a bit more, but you may be worried about doing just that. In some situations, it is easy to become too materialistic as your income rises. Now that you can afford more of … [Read more...]
Private Lives
February 14, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Marriage by definition means the joining of two lives into one. What was once "mine" now becomes "ours." However, there are people who insist on trying to live the single life while married. Every person deep down has a tendency towards selfishness. Right or wrong this tendency can try to rear it's ugly head in a marriage but wise spouses will take steps to strengthen a marriage instead. Private money is one way that people can be married but still separate. A couple may decide to keep separate bank accounts. This may be okay, but it can become dangerous when money becomes an "off limits" … [Read more...]
Improving communication
February 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Being in a relationship for awhile can make one, well, lazy. We begin to believe that our loved ones can practically read our minds but this simply is not the case. In order for any relationship to prosper, communication has to occur. No matter how long two people have been together they still need to talk in order to hear each other's heart. It's easy to project our own motivations and preconceived notions onto our spouses or loved ones and that is why talking is so important. Conversation doesn't have to be boring or routine, here are some ways to liven it up a bit. See how well you … [Read more...]
The upside of living with Grandma
February 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment
In this economy families are finding themselves staying with loved ones a lot longer than either side probably dreamed. Certain situations put families and sometimes extended families together and not always peacefully. There are families where a parent has been in an assisted living facility but once again because of the economy, can no longer afford the care. The decision to live with a parent or to bring a parent in to join the rest of the family can be a stressful one especially if the relationship is not strong to begin with. Of course there are some cons to this situation but … [Read more...]