Preparing For The Worst
The talk of recession is really making me think a lot about my family finances. I think it could be a tough road ahead if I don’t start paying attention to the bottom. Elsewhere I have talked about precautions that I am taking against a probable recession, but I didn’t really think about the effect on my family’s finances. I guess it’s time that I take a look at our finances.
I have decided to focus on saving money. Like most people, we run balances on our credit cards, but lately we have been paying down our balances instead of saving the money. We have dealt with a lot of debt that way. The problem is that we have neglected our short term savings. That amount is precariously low.
We decided to drop our payments to the minimum amounts for a few months and put the rest into cash savings. It might cause us to lose to lose a little bit on interest charges, but I feel more comfortable with cash savings on hand…and yes I know that we could pay down the cards and just use the credit cards for emergencies. This might save a few dollars, but I still think it is better to have cash savings.
Five Great Family Movies
Family movies are a great way for families to bond. It’s important that the movies are very family oriented and that you family can use the time to get closer. I have put together a list of five great family movies for you to look at, comment on, and hopefully spend time watching with your family.
1. Facing the Giants - This is powerful movie that explores a man who is hitting rock bottom in his life but then turns to God and many of his problems cease to be problems.
2. George of the Jungle - Its simple humor is understood by all ages and the intelligent way that it handles situations will keep the interest of the adults. It’s an all time favorite in our household.
3. The Best Game Ever Played - This is a compelling story of the triumph of a young golfer against the best golfers in the world. You don’t need to understand or know golf to enjoy this true story.
4. Seabiscuit - This movie can be seen time and time again and you can keep coming back for more. It’s a captivating story of 3 lives that were forever changed around one dedicated horse.
5. Motorcycle Diaries - This is a movie that all should see. It is the story of Che Guevara and his path to understanding. There are a couple of scenes you might want to fast forward through but this film is worth it.
Saving Money On Monthly Bills
With the economy the way it is, one of the things my wife and I have done is focus on saving money. We have tried cutting our expenses and whittled down unneeded monthly bills. It’s saved us a little bit of money, but we have been looking for ways to save even more. That’s why I started looking at debt consolidation.
I always thought that debt consolidation was only for those people with debt problems, but after seeing the Bills.com debt consolidation information page, I realized that debt consolidation is for anyone wanting to save money on their monthly bills. They showed any different ways to consolidate debt and lower your monthly payments.
I was particularly interested in the home refinancing option they talked about. See home mortgage rates are some of the lowest rates you can get. If you pay off your credit card bills with their high interest using a second mortgage, you can save significant money, not only every month but also over the course of the loan. The savings can be quite significant indeed.
Now my wife and I will talk about this and see if we are going to go ahead and do this to reduce our monthly bills. I think it’s a great idea and can give us even more breathing room on our monthly budget.
Keep That Sizzle
Family is extremely important, but one thing I have noticed is that with three kids, it can be hard to keep up the sizzle in a relationship. It takes active participation on the part of the husband and wife. It’s important for them to focus entirely on making things interesting whenever they get the chance. You might remember that from your wedding night when your wife wore bridal lingerie, right? That’s the kind of sizzle that helps improve a relationship.
Do You Have Life Insurance?
Life insurance is one of the most important protection mechanism you can have for your family. It’s a way of guaranteeing that your family is taken care of no matter what may happen to you. Life insurance gives you peace of mind that your family will not be burdened financially if you are unable to provide for them. While life insurance is very important, it’s also important that you don’t pay more than you have to for life insurance. That’s why it pays to get life insurance quotes from an agent who will help you get the lowest rates possible.