by Mrs C | Dec 5, 2019 | Blog, Seasonal
The outdoor temperature might drop in the winter, but it’s not a season where your whole family has to be stuck inside the house. There are many outdoor winter activities to share with your family that don’t cost a lot of money. Plus, you will make memories that your kids will carry with them for the rest of their lives.
Camping
With preparation and the right gear, your family camping adventures don’t have to end in the winter. With the latest innovations in clothing and camping gear, you can still enjoy the great outdoors comfortably in the wintertime. Make sure to dress for the weather by wearing layers. Have sleeping gear that is made to handle the temperature in your area, and make sure you know how to start a fire for warmth. Winter camping gives your family a chance to see the world in a completely different way. Unlike summertime camping, blazing heat won’t tire you out when you hike and play. Winter could become your family’s favorite time to camp.
Ice Skating
Ice skating is a fun activity for the whole family that is best followed by steaming cups of hot chocolate! Outdoor rinks often offer discounts if you bring your own skates. It’s also possible to find frozen ponds to ice skate on for free, but you need to ensure the ice is solid enough to hold everyone before skating. The physical endurance required to ice skate makes it a great workout, and it’s also fun whether you are good at it or not. Kids love to watch their parents on the ice, and it’s a great opportunity for bonding.
Snowshoeing
Few activities require less equipment or skill than snowshoeing. Just grab your snowshoes and layer up in warm clothes. If you want walking poles for support, feel free to use them. Then, you simply head out on a beginner’s trail to enjoy a laid-back workout that will give you a chance to explore the snow-covered world. If your family enjoys snowshoeing, you can learn how to go up and down hills and try more advanced trails. Even just sticking to easy paths will offer opportunities for your family to observe nature in winter and have time together.
The arrival of winter doesn’t mean you need to stop enjoying outdoor activities. As long as you wear the right clothes and bring the right equipment, you can enjoy all that winter has to offer. Best of all, your whole family can enjoy and grow together.
For deals and discounts on winter activities for your family, check out these resources!
by Mrs C | Dec 3, 2019 | Christmas
For most people, Christmas is the most joyful time of the year, but it can also be the most stressful. The cost of buying Christmas gifts for loved ones can add up, and overspending can increase the post-Christmas blues. Follow these money-saving tips to have a finances-friendly Christmas without being overly frugal.
Shop Holiday Sales
Shopping holiday sales is a great way to save money. Many stores publish weekly flyers to advertise their markdowns. Most stores offer deep discounts on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, during which many retailers experience their largest sales profit of the year. Some stores even open in the evening on Thanksgiving, offering early-bird specials. As you’re out shopping, beware of the hazards of shopping among holiday crowds. As long as you’re careful, racing through the stores while shopping can be an excellent way to burn off some calories from that Thanksgiving feast! For those who would rather shop from the comfort of their homes (or offices) Cyber Monday is another option for markdowns. The Monday after Thanksgiving, Cyber Monday gets its name from shoppers who, instead of braving the long lines on Black Friday over Thanksgiving weekend, prefer to do their shopping with similar sales online. Electronics are a particularly discounted item on Cyber Monday, as people traditionally shop for computers, video game consoles, and cell phones. Prepare to log on early, as often the best deals are snapped up right after midnight.
Only Use Cash
Another way to save money on Christmas gifts this holiday season is to use only cash for purchases. Using credit cards to buy gifts now and pay for them later can be tempting when you don’t have a huge amount of money to spend, but it can end up costing more in the long run. Try leaving those credit cards at home, and heading to the nearest ATM. Using cash makes it easier to keep track of your spending, as you are more aware of what is left in your wallet and are less likely to go over budget. Additionally, you will not pay finance charges on your purchases, which drive up the final cost of your gift items if you don’t pay off your credit card right away.
Stick to Your Budget
Yet another way of keeping costs down on Christmas shopping this year is to stick to your budget. Write down your own version of a “Christmas List,” including the name of the recipient, the gift you plan on purchasing for that person and how much you intend to spend on said gift and STICK TO IT. Resist the urge to buy extra items and blow your budget. Another budget-busting trap is buying gifts for yourself. Resist the urge to buy items that are on sale, or are exclusively sold during the holidays, and wait for the post-Christmas markdowns. Not only will you get more bang for your buck, but you might have even received some gift cards for Christmas, which you can use for your purchases.
Buying Christmas presents can be a stressful experience if you don’t know how to manage your money, but following the above tips can help both your stress levels and your spending down. Keep these tips in mind, and you will have a great, discounted, budget-conscious Christmas that you won’t regret when credit card bills are due in January!
To save even more money, why not use some coupons? Check out our seasonal deals to make the most of your money this holiday season!
by Mrs C | Nov 21, 2019 | Blog, Christmas
The holiday season is a great time for getting together with family as well as eating some delicious food that you may not normally get a chance to eat. Another awesome thing about the holiday season is all of the great shopping and deals. With so many stores offering amazing prices, it can sometimes be difficult to decide which one to choose. Here are some tips to help make your shopping this holiday season go as smoothly as possible.
Wait for It
Although you may see that new gadget you’ve been wanting so bad marked down 30% off, don’t jump on it just yet. The closer you get to the day of the holiday, the better the offers will get. November tends to be the best month to shop if you want to get the biggest discounts. Shopping on weekdays during this time of year will probably get you the most bang for your buck. On the other hand, there are lots of deals that happen after the Christmas holidays as well. So, unless the items you want are going to be given as holiday gifts, you may be able to catch an amazing deal by waiting until after the holidays.
Watch Out for Scams
Nowadays, shopping has never been easier since virtually everything can be purchased online. However, when it comes to online shopping during the holidays, just as with traditional shopping, you have to be extra cautious about getting ripped off. Knowing how to protect yourself online is important as scammers can go under the radar during the holiday season. If a deal seems too good to be true, then, in most cases, it probably is.
Comparison Shop
As tempting as it may be to grab an item that is listed as the last one or available for a limited time only, don’t do it. Instead, do some quick price checking first to make sure that you are actually getting a deal after all. Some companies tend to hike up the price so that when they offer you a supposed discount, you are actually paying full price, or close to it, anyway. By checking around first, you may find that you not only get a better deal, but you also find a better product than the one you were going to buy in the first place. There are lots of different apps and browser extensions out now that you can install to help you comparison shop without even leaving the website that you are on. However, you should still double-check the price yourself because these extensions may not have all the best offers that are out there.
Even if you plan on shopping at the last minute to catch the best deals, it is still a good idea to comparison shop. This helps you get an idea of what the actual prices are so that you don’t get sucked into the holiday-sale frenzy and end up overpaying. Sales happen all year long, so be mindful, be cautious and, most of all, be merry.
If you want to get some great holiday deals, check out our seasonal coupons and deals!
by Mrs C | Nov 20, 2019 | Blog
With the rise of social media as an integral part of life, children are jumping into this habit earlier than ever. Before you let your kids run their own social media accounts, it is vital that you educate them about using this medium responsibly. Failure to harness the power of social media for good can have lasting negative consequences on your child’s life and future opportunities. Here are three reasons why you need to teach your child about social media safety.
It Lasts Forever
Many kids erroneously believe that social media posts are temporary and fleeting. As a parent, you need to make sure that they understand that what they put out on the internet may last forever. Posting something inappropriate can come back to haunt them later if a potential employer or college admissions officer begins to dig around. Before you let your child engage in social media, you need to teach them that their reputation is at stake with every click of the button. This reputation needs to be protected at all costs.
What You Put Up There Matters
In addition to the social implications, there are a host of additional considerations that are not often taught. Did you know that social media posts can even impact your insurance claims? Because it is controlled by you personally, social media information gives a snapshot into your life. For this reason, it is important to carefully guard what gets released to the public to see. Prioritizing privacy and keeping everything that you allow your child to post on lockdown will help to ensure that it never gets into the wrong hands.
Understand That It’s Not Private
Many kids post with abandon, not considering that people other than the ones with direct access to their accounts will see the pictures and text. It is important to tell your kids that just like you monitor their account, other parents are checking out what their children and their contacts are posting. Before posting anything, your child should ask themselves if this is something that they also want all of the parents to see.
It is never too early to begin teaching your child about safe social media habits. Modeling this behavior for them will help them to see how to use this medium responsibly so that it does not ever negatively affect their life.
Looking to save money on everyday purchases? Check out our resources!
by Mrs C | Nov 18, 2019 | Blog
Updating your home can be a great way to increase the value of the space, get more joy out of your time there, and make it feel more welcoming. However, it’s easy to gather a lot of ideas and still not actually start your work.
Make Your Plan
Try not to start a remodeling venture that can make your home unlivable. If you’re updating the kitchen, invest in a foldable table and a small refrigerator that can serve as a temporary kitchen in another area of the house. If you’re moving walls, get out your tape measure and mark the floor where the new walls will be. Bring home large boxes and stack them in place of your new fireplace or your kitchen island. Find the cabinets, countertop, and carpet you like and get reliable estimates on materials and installation fees. Take those totals and bump them up by at least 30 percent to see if you can get financing. Finally, review your projected value house in comparison to similarly-sized properties in the area to see if you have enough space in the value of your home.
Financing Your Project
Even if you don’t have the equity in your home for the whole remodel, you can still get financing for the renovation. For example, if you’re making a large change to the footprint of the home, you might look at a construction loan. Ultimately, these loans have a shorter-term but can be refinanced into the mortgage when you’re done. You can also borrow against a retirement account for a home improvement plan and pay the interest to yourself. There are different types of financing you can choose from for your home improvement project.
Launch
One of the best ways to launch a home improvement timeline is to pack. Take the boxes you used to visualize your home improvement and pack up everything in your way. DIY demolition can save you quite a lot, but it’s still messy and disruptive. Once you’ve packed your items, put up plastic sheeting to keep down dust and cover the floor to avoid tracking debris through the house. During demo days, try to board your pets and ask Grandma to keep the kids for an overnight. This work takes focus to avoid accidents and injuries. Just make sure that if you board your pets that you send any medications or special food they need with them so they can be comfortable. The same goes for sending kids to Grandma’s.
Your remodel will add great value to your home and increase your sense of ownership. Once you get started, the next steps will follow easily. Stay flexible, be careful, and don’t lose your sense of humor. If you follow these tips, your home improvement project will be less stressful and over before you know it.
If you want to save money for your home improvement project, read more about how Rakuten can help you!
