Allowance Update and The Bagelful Spectacle

The first week of allowance went well. On the second day my daughter brought me her hairbrush and the detangler and asked me to braid her hair. Wow! Definitely worth the 10 cents for that task! (It’s on her morning routine list). They are really getting the hang of it. Yesterday I promised them 20 cents if they did what I asked without complaining to put things in their proper places (the house was in a bit of chaos and I was feeling desperate). You have never seen children more polite or more willing. I definitely rememberd to pay them out today

Allowance for Kids ~ Part 2 of 2

Perhaps I’ve over-thought it. I did a lot of research (Allowance for Kids ~ Part 1) on how to even start to establish allowance for our kids. How much, what lessons to teach, how can they earn extra money, what do they do when I pay them, when do I pay them, with cash or a ledger, etc. etc. Tracking the MoneyI signed up for a FREE online account using Allowance Manager. I liked these four helpful features that are on the site: Set an automatic weekly allowance Check how much allowance they have anytime, anywhere Simply edit debits / transactions when

Allowance for the Kids ~ Part 1 of 2

Our oldest is turning 7 this Sunday and our youngest was 5 in January. Rumblings of wanting an allowance have started to get louder. The kids will rush around to clean up and say “We did this! Can we get our allowance now?!”. So far I haven’t paid out since they forget about it and honestly, so do my husband and I. We don’t have a set system in place. I’m not sure if I should reward them for chores when they should be doing things to contribute in general as members of the family. Also, when they get their

Financial Priorities

This January 2012 has brought home organizing and financial goals/priority-setting to my attention. In September 2009, I wrote a summary of how to Becoming Financially Independent and I used that when I first started. I review this annually to make sure we are on track for our debt repayment and other financial goals. This year, I may consider setting a percentage of paying off a loan goal to further motivate us. I was looking back and some posts and I saw that in November 2008 I had set out a 5-year budgeting plan for paying off student loans. We paid

Getting Organized 2012

My post on organizing for the new year touched on two areas: finances and household management. On Friday I worked on organizing my tax information for last year. Last year I made the effort to note income and expenses at the end of each month. This gave me a more accurate picture of what we were actually spending and minimized the dreaded tax organizing I generally experience at the end of the year. I also had an ongoing estimate of what my taxes owing would be so I could put a savings plan into place and not be surprised at

Do You Set Annual Goals?

In January I often review my insurance policies, update my client contracts, prepare the previous year’s tax information. There are probably a few more things (I know it takes longer than it appears on the list) but that is the general idea of them. Plus there is goal setting for the coming year. Money Saving Mom has some key points to keep in mind when goal-setting: 1. Determine Your Priorities2. Create a List of Focus Areas3. Break Your Goals Down Into Bite-Sized Pieces4. Set an End Date5. Track Your Progress She also has some fantastic planning sheets and forms for household

Buy Local

I was reading Renee’s Joy Journey and she had a great idea. She is American so she challenged her readers to take back the American market place. I strongly believe we should support all of the local people, as Renee suggests. Wherever you live, why don’t you try these points for one week . I am going to try too. STRONG LOCAL COMMUNITIES EVERYWHERE ADDS UP TO A STRONG NATIONAL ECONOMY.*I have changed Canadian from the original America challenge as that is my country but if you are from another country, change it to yours! 1. Buy only Canadian Made this week. Share

Book Review ~ Secrets of the Millionaire Mind

Secrets of the Millionaire Mind: Mastering the Inner Game of Wealth by T. Harv Eker My rating: 4 of 5 stars Nice light holiday reading. Not really … more like thought provoking and new year resolution plotting. This book had a few “ah has” for me which makes it a good reference book for the future. Specifically I liked the idea of putting 10% of your earnings to put away to save for investing and another 10% into a savings or “spend” account. I think I need to look at the Canadian Tax Free Savings Account (which pays a high

Becoming Financially Independent: A How To

Yesterday I wrote My Life’s Purpose: A Revelation. Part two of this is the how I am going to do it inspiration I received from “Your Money or Your Life” by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin. Here is a summary of their steps that I am following and am getting great benefit and goal-setting in place for my husband and I to acquire financial independence in the near future. You may want to check out the book (I got my copy from the local library) to get more details on the steps. Step 1Summary of lifetime earningsCurrent list of assets,

My Life’s Purpose: A Revelation

After a few weeks of an increasing feeling unease and distance from my life (that I am normally very passionate about), I got my joy of life back. I’m finishing reading “Your Money or Your Life” by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin. The book is being ready by the Woman’s Money Group I meet with monthly. This was the same group that I read Suze Orman’s “Women and Money” book with. I give both these books my gratitude for educating me on personal finance as well as to live and work smarter. If you follow my blog, you understand that

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personal finance

Allowance Update and The Bagelful Spectacle

Allowance for Kids ~ Part 2 of 2

Allowance for the Kids ~ Part 1 of 2

Financial Priorities

Getting Organized 2012

Do You Set Annual Goals?

Buy Local

Book Review ~ Secrets of the Millionaire Mind

Becoming Financially Independent: A How To

My Life’s Purpose: A Revelation

Hi! I'm Elizabeth

Home Organization 101: The Office ~ Part 1

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