My Personal Finance Blog

Have you ever figured out how much money you will make in your lifetime? Looking at the total numbers can be both exciting and sobering. If you are 25 and make $40,000 a year, by the time you are 65, you could have earned over 1.6 million dollars – and that’s assuming you never get a raise. That’s quite a fortune.

But where does it all go? As you were growing up, your parents probably reminded you that “money doesn’t grow on trees”. As you have entered the working world, you probably understand that better now. But money can still seem to have a life of its own.

Family financial planning is not just about cutting coupons and denying yourself treats. It takes serious, careful thought and preparation, but the benefits are well worth the time and effort. The steps are simple.

Start Fresh

Before you can move ahead, you have to get yourself back to the starting line. Get rid of your debt. Once that hole is filled, you can really start to save money for the future. To get out of debt, you’ve got to start living off of what you can earn-not what you can borrow.

Credit card debt is a huge thorn in anyone’s side. Credit cards are a slippery slope, and though they can be handy in emergencies, they make spending money a little too easy. If you only pay the minimum payment each month on a $3,000.00 balance, it will take over 20 years to pay off, and you could pay over $4,000 in interest.

Luckily, getting out of debt is easier than you think. First, promise yourself that you’ll stop charging. Next, figure out how much you can comfortably spend every month in debt payments. Make it a reasonable number that you can stick to, but make it significantly higher than the minimum payments. Even paying $100 more per month on your payments can help out a LOT more than you think.

One last tip: Don’t send every penny you have to the credit card company in frustration. You’ll only end up with no cash when the electric bill comes in, and you’ll be forced to break your promise to yourself and start charging again.

Write it Down

It’s not unusual for a family not to be able to account for 10% or even 20% of their annual expenses. Make a comprehensive list and figure out where the money is going. Determine both how much you’ll spend annually and how much you intend to spend over your working lifetime. You can use the worksheet on the following page as a starting point.

You may be surprised to find out that you don’t know how much you’re spending on a lot of categories. Write down everything you spend for three months-yes, even that 50¢ Coke from the vending machine-and you’ll start to get some real averages.

Here are some categories to look at for savings:

Home

-Rent or Mortgage
-Home Insurance
-Home Maintenance
-Property Taxes

Utilities

-Electricity
-Telephone
-Water
-Garbage Pickup
-Homeowner/Condo Fees
-Internet Connection
-Natural Gas
-Cable TV

Food

-Groceries
-Dining Out
-Take Out

Transportation

-Car Loan
-Car insurance
-Gas
-Parking
-Car Maintenance & Repairs
-Subway, Tolls & Bus
-Registration & Inspection

Personal Care

-Hair Cuts
-Manicures/Pedicures
-Dry Cleaning
-Gym Memberships

Children & Education

-Educational Loans
-Daycare or Private School
-School Supplies
-School Fees
-Baby Supplies

Entertainment

-Renting or Going to Movies
-Family Outings
-Entertaining
-Tobacco
-Alcohol
-Vacations

Pets

-Pet Grooming
-Pet Boarding
-Pet Medical
-Pet Food

Services

-Housekeeper
-Gardner/Mower
-Babysitter

Medical

-Dentist
-Physician
-Eye Care
-Prescriptions
-Emergencies
-Medical Insurance
-Life & Disability Insurance

Consumer Items

-Magazines & Subscriptions (online game subscriptions, etc.)
-Other Memberships (ballet classes, season tickets, club dues)
-Books
-Hobby Expenses
-Tapes & CDs
-Clothes
-Furniture/Household
-Computers and Home Office
-Toys & Games
-Gifts
-Christmas Expenditures
-Other

Other Expenses

-Other Loans
-Credit Card Payments
-Child Support
-Late fees, bank charges, etc.
-Charity
-Alimony
-Income Tax

Savings

-Retirement Savings
-Emergency Savings
-Investments

Establish Goals

The vast majority of families would like to be better off, but have no specific goals. And no, “I’d like to be rich,” doesn’t count as a specific goal. Sit down with your significant other and talk it over. Where do we want to be in ten years, and how do we get there?

Make your goals specific and attainable. Know your rewards for cutting spending. If you decide to give up take-out food, cable TV and morning coffee at your favorite cafe, figure out how much you can save and what you’re going to do with the money. Will you save up to go to school again? Would you like to get a bigger house? Do you want to be able to retire earlier?

Calculate it out: How much money do you need to meet your goals, and how can you get it.

Save and Invest

Determine a set amount that you are going to set away each month and treat it like a bill. To start with, you’ll probably want to put your money in a savings account. But as your savings grows, you’ll want to start to use that money to make more money.

There are dozens of safe ways for you to invest your money and earn more interest than you will in basic savings. Here are a few you can look into:

CD’s Mutual Funds Bonds Money Market Accounts IRAs Treasury Bills and Notes

At Sec.gov, you can use the search function to find clear definitions of different types of accounts. And at Bankrate.com you can compare interest rates offered by banks in your area for basic savings, CD’s, mutual funds and more.

Educate Yourself

In the end, proper financial planning requires educated decisions. Don’t just blindly earn and spend. Pay attention to where your money goes. Household budgets, careful spending, savings, investments, and credit card control are only part of it. Not everyone likes dealing with financial aspects of their lives, but in the end, it’s worth it to bite the bullet, crunch the numbers, and learn how to handle the fortune you earn.

Are you planning to remodel your existing home décor? Or are you planning to furnish a new home? If, you really are looking ahead to do all this then you should ensure refreshment of the everlasting finish to every appearance of your lovely and beautiful home. Because, it’s an expenditure of a lifetime and you should always plan it to design accordingly for the generations to come and to make it that way you must ensure that you use best available materials with best and long life.

Flooring is one such area of home, and even of offices improvement which really needs to be taken care of, since it is that part of the house or the office which eventually face a lot of foot moving traffic along with various things, that needs to be moved here and there. Flooring issues, if not being taken care of, may cost a lot in a manner of damages which might prove a very costly thing to get repaired. Thus, it becomes compulsory to select a good type of flooring which can bear all the harsh usage, and yet look eye catching and luxurious for years and years to come. And, this can be achieved by using natural stone for flooring.

However, using natural stone in home or office floorings is not the latest approach. The natural stone is being used for floorings since many centuries. However, the improved technology has helped a lot to carve and polish these stones. Various scientists had strived hard, and later come up with cost effective fake stone tiles but they were of no use. And, there are various types of natural stones available in the market. Amongst all the stone floorings, the ones that are being commonly used are marble floorings, granite floorings, slate floorings, limestone floorings, and the travertine floorings.

All these stone come in particular category, like the travertine stone and the limestone comes in the category of sedimentary stone, whereas, granite comes in the category of igneous stone and slate and marble like stones are of the metamorphic stone category. Out of all these stones, Granite is the one which is being commonly used rather than the costly natural stone tile flooring which consist quartz, orthoclase and mica. These costly stones have also been used in ancient monuments.

So, it is totally up to you only, which stone should be used or which should not be used for floorings of your home or office.

We are in our late 40′s, we lost a third of our retirement in the stock market two years ago. We got scared and took our money out of the stock market and put it into safe low yield investments that we figured was better than just losing it all. The stock market rebounded and we weren’t in it to take advantage of the increase. Things started looking up so we reentered on a limited percentage, the stock market is dropping significantly so here we go again, losing money.

Now, I understand that the stock market is not a quick moneymaker; it takes years of patience and not panicking. The philosophy is that over a lifetime, there are more up years than down and at retirement, you should be in the positive with a healthy nest egg.

The mattress idea was sounding better a couple of years ago, at least we wouldn’t have lost a third of our retirement. It is scary to think about retirement with so little saved up. Investment Banking in Houston can give sound ideas and strategies for investing. They have the expertise, experience and professionalism to help grow your money and protect it at the same time. Real estate is shaky also with very volatile markets, but done right can yield great returns.

Nothing is fool proof, all investments have risks but a good Houston Investment Bank can make a difference for your personal or business investment portfolio. Is has got to be better then sticking a life savings under the mattress.

What is the best tube bird feeder? How do you tell the difference and is there a difference? The best tube bird feeder is one that suits your needs, not someone else’s. The best tube bird feeder will stand up to time, be easy to fill and clean, doesn’t clog easily and is affordable. For most people, this pretty much sums it up. However, do you know what to look for when you choose your next tube bird feeder? Well, we are going to give you 5 easy tips to assist you on your next purchase.

Materials. Most tube bird feeders are made of an 18″ long clear, plastic tube with holes arranged in a staggered way to allow 3-6 birds to eat comfortably. The best plastic tube feeder will be made with the UV stabilized polycarbonate tubes that won’t yellow with age. This tube is very flexible when you squeeze it. Hard plastic tube feeders look more durable but after a short time in the harsh elements, they become very brittle and crack easily. Portals. In the industry, we call the holes birds sit and eat from “portals.” They look almost like a ship’s window, openings surrounded by metal. Portals can be made of plastic, wood, or metal. Plastic breaks easy and can be chewed, but is cheaper. Same goes for wooden portals. Metal portals made of aluminum die-castings last a lifetime and resist even the sharpest teeth. Hole Arrangement. This is one area that backyard birders never look for. Take a look at how the portals are arranged down the tube. The best tube bird feeders make sure that the holes are not on top of one another, they should be staggered around the tube. Overcrowding stresses the birds. Less stress means wild birds will stay longer in your yard. Tops & Bottoms. The best tube bird feeders are made with easy-opening tops and bottoms, without needing special tools. You open the top to fill the feeder and remove the bottom of an empty feeder to allow for simple cleaning. Due to their design, tube bird feeders are notorious for trapping moisture. The bottom of any tube feeder is the area that causes hardening of the seeds inside. You need complete access to remove old, moldy seed. Hangar. Another overlooked component of tube feeders. Strings, ropes and cords are not the best choice to hang a tube feeder because they snag and break too easy. The best tube bird feeder will have a metal loop-shaped hangar at the top. This is usually attached to the feeder on the sides and holds the top in place. You simply slide the top up the sturdy metal hangar to fill the feeder.

Use these 5 tips to help you choose the best tube bird feeder for you. Look over each tube bird feeder, feel the materials, look at the portals, tops, bottoms and hangar. With this new knowledge, you can be sure that the best value for you is not the cheap, throwaway models. After purchasing 3 or 4 of these in one season, you will have already covered the cost of the best tube bird feeder you can find.

Still need help choosing? After two decades of serving the backyard bird feeding public, we believe these are the best tube bird feeders available. No-questions-asked lifetime warranties, all metal construction, UV resistant tubes and ornithologically correct portals put them at the top of the birding world. If you are not able to purchase these products in your area, simply visit our website www.wildbirddepot.com for the entire line at value prices. Start now and enjoy your birds.

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