Beating Broke

Personal Finance from the Broke Perspective

Celebrate a Frugal Valentine’s Day with Kids

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Valentine’s Day is typically an adult holiday, but kids like to get in on the action by exchanging Valentine’s Day cards and candy with friends.  As their parent, you can also make Valentine’s Day a special holiday for kids.  Best of all, having a fun, memorable Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to cost a lot with these strategies.

Make Valentine’s Day Food

There is so much fun you could have with this one!  For a sophisticated experience, you could melt chocolate and let your kids enjoy chocolate fondue.  Even better if you have the melting pot and metal skewers.  They’ll have fun dipping soft bread and fruits in the chocolate.

Another option is to make Valentine’s Day food.  One year, the kids and I made a heart-shaped cake.  Other ideas might be making heart-shaped pancakes or cookies.  Be creative, and with the help of Pinterest, you won’t be lacking for ideas.

Frugal Valentine's Day with Kids

Make Valentine’s Day Decorations

A few days before Valentine’s Day, prepare your house.  Cut out hearts from construction paper and string them together to make garland.  Drape them around your mantle, your windows, or your door way.

Another simple idea is to get gel clings at the 99 Cent Store or the discount section of Target and decorate the windows with those.  Or, take pink, white, and red pieces of tissue paper and cut them out in heart shapes to tape to your window.

Pamper Your Girls

If you have younger girls, they’ll love getting a spa-like experience from mom.  Paint their toenails and their fingernails.  Do their hair in a pretty, elaborate style.  Go all out.  They’ll definitely remember the day.

Watch a Movie Together

There are plenty of cute Valentine’s Day shows for kids.  Take the time to watch one together.  Some fun selections could be Lady and the Tramp, Beauty and the Beast, Shrek, Enchanted, WALL-E, Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown, or The Princess Bride.

Have a Fancy Dinner Together at Home

Too often we’re busy, so meals simply become whatever we can throw together quickly.  For Valentine’s Day, take the time to make something your kids love but don’t get very often.  I used to love lasagna, but my mom thought it was too much work and would only make it for my birthday.  I would have been thrilled to get it for Valentine’s Day.  Get your kids’ input for a meal that they would love to have you prepare.  What better way to show your love for them?

Give Them a Little Goody Basket

You don’t have to go overboard with the sweets on Valentine’s Day, but give them a little goody bag of their favorite treats, like candy hearts, and Hershey’s kisses.  Even more fun, turn the search for the goody bag into a scavenger hunt complete with clues.

Make Valentine’s Day Crafts Together

Pinterest to the rescue again!  Some fun ideas include making Valentine’s Day book-markers.  Simply get a paint sample strip in shades of red or pink and cut out a heart in each color.  Add a string at the top, and voila, you have a book marker.

Another cute idea is making a heart-shaped bird feeder to hang in the tree.

With a little creativity, you can design a Valentine’s Day your children will love.  Even better, it doesn’t have to cost a fortune!

What are your favorite ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day with your kids?

 

4 Insurance Policies That Will Save You Money in the Long Run

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When you’re trying to save money, making a monthly payment on an insurance policy you never seem to use can feel like a waste. While it does add a little extra to your budget, there are a few insurance policies that can prevent you from major financial disaster in case of an incident. Here are a few of the top coverages that everyone should carry.

1. Life Insurance

Many young people neglect life insurance because death seems so far away, but this disregard could make life incredibly difficult for your loved ones if you were to pass away. There are different amounts of coverage you can apply for, depending on your needs. Individuals who are the sole provider for a family need to apply for maximum coverage to care for the well-being of their loved ones.

There are many different things to consider when deciding which policy to get. It may take a spouse some time to find a job and daycare services are expensive. Take the time to determine the amount you and your family members would be comfortable with if they lost your income. Even if you have zero dependents, you’d hate to leave the financial burden of a funeral to your grieving loved ones. Even a small policy to cover end-of-life costs can make your passing less stressful on those you leave behind.

2. Health Insurance

After preparing for your death, you should focus on insurance to keep you alive. Health insurance is not only necessary to avoid hefty government fines, it also prevents you from facing debilitating medical bills. While you may be healthy the majority of the time, one trip to the emergency room for a broken bone could end up costing you thousands if you’re paying out of pocket. Add on follow-up visits or orthopedic surgery, and the decision to not carry insurance can become a burden you make payments on for years to come.

3. Disability Insurance

Much like life insurance, this coverage protects you if you are unable to work for a period of time, whether that is temporary or permanent. Since one third of Americans have need of disability insurance at some point in their lives, this is an important form of coverage for everyone, whether they have a family to provide for or not. Talk to a professional to determine the best coverage for you.

4. Car Insurance

Another insurance that you’ll be fined for not having is car insurance. The reason why this is so important is because car accidents are common and often cost thousands of dollars in repairs alone. You also need to consider the likelihood of injured persons needing medical bills covered. There are many different types of coverage, including liability, collision, comprehensive, and more. It’s important to talk with an insurance agency to determine the best plan for you, but always err on the side of too much coverage rather than not enough.

While spending a little each month on multiple insurance plans can seem counter-intuitive to saving money, the costs of not having them are far greater than any premiums. One destructive car accident or debilitating injury can lead to thousands of dollars in debt, making it smart to protect yourself and your finances by making sure you have adequate coverage and keep your policies current.

How to Start Making Money by Being a Trader

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This post brought to you by: CMC Markets

Be Prepared

To start any business you need a certain amount of start-up capital; how much, will depend on the business and your expectations of future earnings. You can speak to professionals, people who have experience in the field of trading – also reputable brokers such as CMC Markets CMC Markets who come with many years of experience. It is important not to follow a hit-and-miss attitude. Be prepared, find strategies, both on the internet and from traders who have been trading for some time, and remember that volatile markets are a given. Success is never guaranteed, but with the right attitude, studying the markets daily and by following basic principles you have a good chance of being successful.

Different Trading Vehicles

Decide what kind of trader you are: a day trader, swing trader or investor. Also do the research and decide what you want to trade: forex, commodities, futures, stocks or options. Although certain principles apply to all these, there are differences which you need to understand before you get going. Also remember that is very important to study trends over a period of time; there are no overnight indicators to show a pattern.

Stocks

The stock market operates on the premise of the future value of shares which are traded. If you are able to gauge the value of the stocks you want to trade, you have a good grasp of what the stock market is about. The type of stock you prefer to trade, will determine the way you trade. Some may prefer an approach whereby they act with high frequency and accept that profits will be smaller. These traders are called ‘scalpers’. Another category is referred to as the ‘intraday’ traders – they keep positions anywhere between a few minutes and a few hours, but never overnight; hence (intra-)day. The other category is the ‘swing trader’, the kind of day trader that keeps positions for days, and even weeks before exiting positions. The important thing is to never act on impulse: study the movement in the market and make your own informed decisions.

Forex

Trading forex has become a very popular Trading forex has become a very popular money making tool, whether you look at it as a full-time occupation, or a part-time business. Forex trading is easy, because you can do it anywhere, at any time of night or day, since it never ‘closes’, unlike other forms of trading. The object of forex trading is to buy and sell two different currencies at the same time (e.g. you buy USD as you sell EURO), hoping that you will gain profit by buying the currency that will show an increase in value as opposed to the one you got rid of. Just like in the stock market, it is important to know how currencies fluctuate. Make informed decisions before you trade.

Go Out and Make Money!

Once you have done your homework, understand important terminology and the principles of trading, it is up to you to get busy. With the right attitude and knowledge you can position yourself very favourably to make good money as a trader.