Beating Broke

Personal Finance from the Broke Perspective

6 Questions to Ask a Potential Roofer

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If you’re familiar with the phrase, ‘having a roof over your head,’ you know just how important this truly is. It’s your first line of defense against the elements and falling debris. If a roof is leaky or unstable, it doesn’t matter how great the rest of the house is; it’s hard to live in. According to a report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are about 129,000 roofers in the United States. Finding a great roofer in such a massive pool requires tact. You have to ask the right questions. Here are some you can’t afford to leave out.

1. Do They Have Insurance?

Even if your home is already insured, as a homeowner, you don’t want to end up footing medical bills or paying for accidental damages to other parts of the house during the roof repair or replacement process. Therefore, the roofer you end up with must show they’ve got an active workers’ compensation and a general liability cover that absolves you of any liability your current home insurance doesn’t cover.

2. How Was Their Previous Clients’ Experience?

Asking to see previous projects or to speak with previous clients is not the same as going on a witch hunt. Buying or replacing a roof is a big decision, and you should carefully research the roofer’s work history. Be objective and address any concerns that come up straight on. Ensure their previous work aligns with the outcome you desire for your home.

3. What Credentials Does the Roofing Company Have?

Determine the credentials and licenses your local authorities require roofers to hold. Once you have this information, ask your potential roofer to show you their licenses and certifications. This way, you can weed out roofing companies trying to cut corners. If something goes wrong in the engagement, you’ll have a better chance for recourse if you deal with a legally sound roofer.

4. What Materials Do They Use?

Roofing materials aren’t all equal. They vary in price and quality. Your roof should serve you for decades without leaking or caving. So, the materials should support long-term use. For instance, if you install new asphalt shingles, according to Select Construction Company Inc., you will enjoy an impressive ROI of about 62%, whereas aluminum roofing, though much more affordable, has a lower ROI.

5. What Sizes of Projects Have They Handled Before?

The American Roofers Guild reports that the average residential roof in America is around 1,600 square feet. Granted, an experienced roofer may have handled projects in their tens or hundreds. Still, their scale may have been smaller than the work you want to contract them to do. Conversely, they may be experts at massive projects and must become familiar with the nuances of working on a much smaller-scale project.

6. Can the Roofer Give You a Work Plan?

Before you agree to anything, the roofer should provide you with a work plan that includes timelines, working hours, budget, payment terms, communication plan, contact persons, and other vital details that place you at the heart of the project. You shouldn’t be caught off-guard by anything, so try your best to read between the lines of any document offered to you. If a roofer doesn’t have a work plan, don’t hire them. With professional roofers, you won’t have to ask; a work plan is part of their project routine.

Roofing is a complex job, but these questions should set you on the path to a smooth engagement with your roofer. Build rapport with the company you choose to work with so you can ask for clarification at any stage of your roofing project. If you’re unsatisfied with a response to an issue that’s important to you, that’s a red flag. Keep looking until you find a roofer who’s willing to answer any question you may have, and before you put ink on paper, visit the internet for online reviews and comments about a particular roofer. The proof of roofing is in completed projects and satisfied clients.

4 Tips to Help You Afford Child Care

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When it comes to child care, the services can be expensive. Unfortunately, it’s not an area where you can afford to cut corners. Nothing comes before your child’s well-being, but that doesn’t stop you from needing to work or attend school. Fortunately, if you’re looking for ways to lower the cost, there are some options available.

1. Finding a Care Option that Meets Your Finances

Supporting your family is a huge responsibility. Most of the time, working hours are longer than school hours, meaning there will be times when your child needs to be cared for until they’re old enough to be home on their own.

You may need child care in the morning and after work. If your child is school-age, then you have the option of an early drop-off. Some daycare centers offer deals, especially if you’re dropping off more than one child. College students studying early childhood development look for jobs as nannies. If you can set aside the budget, your child will get the personalized attention they need.

2. Registering for After School Clubs and Extra-Curricular Activities

Schools often offer after-school programs, where your child can spend a few hours while you finish work for the day. As your child will already be in an academic setting, it is also an excellent time for them to get their homework done so that you can enjoy your evening together when you get home.

As well as general after-school programs, there are extracurricular activities. Joining a club, starting a sport, or embracing a creative field is excellent for overall child development while giving them a hobby and helping them gain much-needed confidence.

3. Accepting Help from Loved Ones

If after-school programs or extracurricular activities are unrealistic for your situation, it may be time to turn to loved ones for support. It’s very common for family members to step in when necessary. 81% of all guardians are family members, so there’s no reason to feel guilty or embarrassed over the situation. Asking for help is never comfortable, but you probably have friends or family members that would happily watch your child. Think of people in your life with children of a similar age to your own, especially if they’re already close to your kid. After all, if they had to choose between being around people they don’t know well or spending a few hours with their cousins or friends, it’s pretty apparent which they’d pick.

Whoever you choose to look after your child while you’re at work should know if you’ll likely be home late. Your commute will probably mean sitting in traffic for a while as the roads become flooded with other people driving to school and work. All of the vehicles in America collectively travel trillions of miles every month, and while you’re rushing to pick up your child, it can feel like all those cars are on the road at once.

4. Considering Child Care for Special Events

Sometimes you only need child care for a night or a few days for an event like a wedding. Unfortunately, most weddings will happen when kids are out of school for the summer, as only 5% of weddings occur in the winter. If you cannot bring your child to the event, consider hiring a babysitter or getting a family member to stay in the hotel room.

Being able to afford child care can feel impossible, but if you’re mindful of the options available and plan, you’ll be able to plan your finances around having someone you trust to watch your child. Additionally, you can help them devote the time they’re not with you to their overall development by having them join an after-school program or extracurricular activity or leaving them with a nanny or family member that can give them personalized attention.

4 Meals from the Pantry to Save Money

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Woman looking at her pantry shelves and grabbing a jar

If you’re like me, you may find it harder and harder to stay within the grocery budget as food costs skyrocket due to inflation. So I try to find nutritious recipes that aren’t expensive. In addition, to save money, I try to have one week where I don’t make a complete grocery shopping trip and instead only buy some fresh fruits and vegetables and make my meals from the pantry to save money. Doing this allows me to use up what I have and stretch my grocery dollars.

Our Favorite Meals from the Pantry to Save Money

These are the pantry meals we make during the weeks I skip grocery shopping:

Spaghetti

My kids don’t mind a pantry meal when the meal is spaghetti. So I buy pasta and pasta sauce when they’re on sale, and I purchase canned mushrooms at Costco. I mix them together for a quick, cheap meal.

We recently upped our spaghetti game by making Pizza in a Bowl (I left out the creamed soup and only used half the cheese.) I was amazed at how this meal stretched—we had it for two meals!

Breakfast for Dinner

Omelette with mushrooms

Another favorite is breakfast for dinner. We might have omelets with green peppers and cheese and a piece of toast. Or, if we have many bread heels in the freezer, we make French toast and eggs. Sometimes we make a breakfast sandwich with ham, egg, and cheese on toast or an English muffin. Another economical recipe is Ham, Broccoli & Cheddar Frittata. (If money is tight, I leave out the ham, and it still tastes good.)

Broccoli, Potato, & Cheese Soup

I recently found this delicious recipe for Broccoli, Cheddar & Potato Soup. I like it because I can use frozen broccoli. (This recipe and the broccoli frittata recipe are the only ways I enjoy eating frozen broccoli.) Like Pizza in a Bowl, this recipe stretches and easily feeds the four of us for two meals.

Fried Rice

Another frugal yet filling meal is Chicken Fried Rice. We use a rotisserie chicken from Costco and save the bones to make homemade chicken stock. Since rotisserie chicken at Costco is only $4.99, the meat is cheap, and we add rice, frozen vegetables, a few eggs, and seasoning.

How We’re Able to Keep Our Meals Frugal

For years, I’ve stocked up on items when they’re on sale, so I pay the lowest price for groceries. We have a pantry in our basement, two deep freezers, and two refrigerators so we can keep a full supply.

When ground beef is on sale, I may buy 20 or 25 pounds. We have food intolerances and can’t eat dairy, so when our favorite vegan cheese, Daiya, goes on sale, I may buy 20 bags. Then I won’t buy any more until it’s on sale again. If we run out before it goes on sale, we do without until the next sale.

Shopping this way makes having a pantry cooking week easy.

Final Thoughts

Keeping within our allotted grocery budget is getting more challenging every month. One way we rein in expenses is by making meals from the pantry to forego a weekly shopping trip once a month.

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