Regarding back to school supplies, I have worked for 19 years in one of our school district's elementary schools. My first year I had a kindergartener, a second grader, and a beginning middle schooler. I had always stocked up on basic things when I found them because I had two older children. I had always sent things that were asked of at the beginning of the year. It wasn't until I started working in the school system that I saw how much waste really goes on, including with the teachers, unfortunately. Not all, but about 30%. My first year, when our third child was in kindergarten, at the end of the year, I saw emails going out full blast offering packs of notebook paper, reamssss of copy paper, FULL boxes of boxes with UNOPENED crayons, pens, rulers, scissors, protractors, glue and even the $100.00 calculators!😮 There were also things like bookshelves, borders for bulletin boards, folders, binders, and composition books. What I started doing was taking a wheelie cart at the end of the year and rolling it down the halls and collecting items that were just being thrown out. For my own children, I would buy (if I didn't have it in the stash) the items that were requested and I would only send half because what I also found out is (at least at the elementary level) is when they do the communal sharing bucket, there's always going to be some kid who's going to be the deliberate destroyer. And I know we're not supposed to use the term "always" or "never" but first-hand experience for the past 19 years has shown me every year there is "always" someone who destroys and "never" a year without at least one. I'm also the detention clerk so I can vouch for this. He or she is always going to break, smash, simply throw out things that those parents that have contributed & have worked hard to supply. I had absolutely no problem with sending a note with my child on the first day, or telling the teacher during open house, "these are my child's items. They are in her box with her name on it. If you require extra items, I will make a donation of certain supplies, but please be specific and send me a written request." I also would start up a classroom swap with parents who may have items that they no longer need that they would like to swap with each other specifically to assist each other. I am also the registration clerk (in addition to the detention clerk and clinic worker when needed) EACH FAMILY that I register to only send half of the supplies that are requested. I've even seen counselors throw out perfectly good book bags at the end of the year that have been donated to us. Why not donate them to a church or pantry?? What a slap in the face of those who have contributed. My principal orders a dumpster for teachers to purge items. If the items do not belong to the district, which sometimes it's hard to tell, they throw them out at the end of the year. I've retrieved cubby bins to organize my children's clothes, mail box cubbies for homework, field trip forms, bills, etc., and a rolling file cabinet for important documents before we started uploading things to the cloud. I'm just sharing what I know, not just what I think. Great feedback. Love the content.
All very well described in what and how U do your many jobs in a school system; above and beyond whatever is expected of U. I hope your school thst U work for has finally learned to heed your actions and do what U teach and 'preach'. Well written!
I learned early on there is no such thing as an unexpected expense. Everything has to be serviced, repaired, and eventually replaced. If I get a new car or refrigerator, I immediately start saving for the next one. There will always be money spent on birthday, graduation, wedding and baby gifts. You will be sending flowers to funerals, or buying food. Someone at work will be retiring. The list goes on and on.
I agree, but I also have to admit that I am a freak about taking good care of everything I own, especially things I use every day. Especially my tools and car. I have tools, well I'm 62, abs still have working power tools that I got in hight school back in the 80's. The hats part is getting my wife and children to do the same. LIKE WIPING DOWN THE KITCHEN SINK AND FAUCET AFTER EVERY USE TO PREVENT CORROSION FROM CRAPPY WATER- LINE SCALE, AND MINERALS THAT DESTROYS ALL FAUCET AND COUNTRY TOP MATERIALS. MY SECRET WEAPON, I PRAY EVERY DAY AS I USE WHATEVER IT IS I'M USING THAT GOD WILL KEEP THEM- WORKING AND WORKING, AND WORKING. 😊 ABS HE DOES. BLESS YOU
@@myaccount9498 God will always provide on those times you way to bless someone else. 🙏 Give God a chance to prove Himself real to you, ah He makes all things possible because of your kind heart. 😇 bless you!
Hope and Larry, you have made me so much more aware of food waste and I am so grateful! My food budget has decreased by 35% and we are still eating healthfully and deliciously. I love your focus on joyful frugality. Thank you both for your tips and encouragement. They are life changing.
When my hubby went for a mechanical maintenance degree at the little community college, he was told that he needed to have a relatively expensive calculating device. He told the teacher he thought the price as unreasonable and said he could do any figuring needed for the class by other means. Lo and behold: a “spare” instrument was found for him by the school. And he gave it back when he was done with the class.
So true but being retired and single on a fixed income, I find that I have to forgo a lot of the extra costs and focus on JUST the main ones that I can afford to do. Christmas, birthdays, holiday meals small things. I can't like some people grab money out of the sky! Do I feel guilty, yes sometimes wishing my money could stretch further. But I try my best. 💙
Always examine the bills in detail! I battled my insurance company for months because of a charge for circumcision for my newborn. {ahem} My newborn DAUGHTER! 🤣 I finally resorted to taking a photo of her without a diaper on the changing table and demanded to know why they were inflicting female genital mutilation without my knowledge or consent! They finally, reluctantly, removed the charge.
That gave me my belly laugh for the day. Oh my goodness! Well, you put them in their place. Although it had to be secretly a little more than satisfying to do so, what a pain in the BUTT that they couldn't read a chart that said, "Female" and remove the charge the FIRST time you asked them to do so. They don't hand out college degrees any more for common sense.
The first year after my spouse passed I also had to replace an old refrigerator, our car, our roof and some other appliances that all hit one after the other, as if I wasn’t already on overwhelm. But I found blessing in the things we had already discussed and were at least works in progress. When crisis hits it is hard to think, but what you have in practice or already discussed is more auto pilot where your brain otherwise is occupied. Spiritually and practically.
I couldn't afford the copay for physical therapy for as long and as many times they wanted me to go. So I went to one and asked them to just show me what to do.They also printed out the exercises.
A VERY timely vid. My April budget might be blown because i totally forgot my annual renewal of LifeLock, and Amazon Prime this month. 🤦🏾♀️I’m seriously considering letting one or both go. If I keep either/both I’m starting sinking funds for them. EDIT: I dropped LifeLock because unbeknownst to me, and thanks to my fave co-worker, I found out my AAA membership offers ID theft/credit monitoring service for free!🎉🎉
Sinking funds have been a game changer for me. Especially where my car is concerned. There is money for the expected expenses and a cushion for repairs.
Condolence funds to someone widowed is also a big deal, and usually unexpected. Those that did this for me was so helpful, and last year and a couple of years ago I had several dear friends who also became widowed and it was so nice to bless them at their unexpected loss and time of grief.
I have an under the average income but have a rainy-day sinking fund and a sinking gift fund for birthdays and christmas, and I am saving for a cheaper house in cash it's a three-year plan, so a separate account for that as well. I am only adding small amounts with each payday. It's a slow plan but working
We homeschool with a Waldorf curriculum. I nearly had heart failure when I saw that we would need block crayons for $36. It hurt deep to buy those 16 colors but I'm glad I did. Seven years into our homeschool journey we still have the original crayons,we still use them everyday, non are broken or missing and we value them, which is a lesson in itself.
Working from home has saved us so much money. Not only the savings on office parties and gifts, but gas and car insurance costs went down. We even noticed costs savings for work clothes and lunches.
To me the best baby shower gift is a case of baby wipes, or I will make a diaper cake. Our whole extended family decided years ago that each family would give a single homemade preferably consumable item worth less than $20 to each family for Christmas. My favorite was to make a homemade meat rub for chicken, pork or beef. Bulk spices are very affordable and I would save all our empty spice jars to fill them. We don’t give toys for cousins birthdays. We would give a $25 check for their college fund. Our kid’s school requested a reasonable flat fee for supplies that then they would purchase in bulk at a deep discount and every kid received exactly the supplies they needed. We loved never having to track down the supplies and they were cheaper than us buying them ourselves. I wish all schools would do this for parents.
Hi...me again😊 With regard to physical therapy, as the mom of wrestlers, lacrosse players, & football players, I found out that if we were to do a telehealth visit where are the doctor would actually look at the technique that my child was using, have them do the therapy online with the doctor looking and advising for the 30 minutes (I was also in the virtual room) while my child was doing the exercises, we didn't get charged the copay! This went on for 3 months where every other week was a telehealth session after the initial ones in the beginning. So the $50 to $75 copay of the in office visit only happened twice a month instead of every week. That was $100-$150 we were NOT shelling out AND our sons seemed more motivated Because they felt that they were putting more effort in rather than being in a room where two or three others may be getting therapy as well. Even if there's a curtain separating, it can still be intimidating to hear other people's issues wondering if they will heal just as well not.
Don't forget about pet expenses. Keeping them up to date on vaccinations, heartworm, and flea meds isn't cheap. I made a sinking fund for plants as well as my weakness (books). I try to wait until they are available at the library, but sometimes i just can't do it. Ebooks are easier for me. There are really very few truly unexpected expenses. Cars are going to need tires and roofs are going to need to be replaced. Great video.
See if you have any free book bins in your area. This is how I get my books. Also,garage sale,rummage sale,thrift stores,book fairs,etc. If you live in the Edgewater area, I can give you books,free. Mostly mysteries
Oh yes, pets can be so expensive! I normally budget 1500 € a year for extraordinary pet stuff like the vet or meds. Normally it's not this much. But this year I already paid 1240 € on the vet for one cat alone. She has a mystery illness and the tests are crazy expensive. (1500 € is nearly a whole netto paycheck for me because I don't have a very high salary.)
Insurances, oh my! Hubby has had good ins through his employer. He is retiring this summer. Between home, cars, my & our college sons' coverage and soon hubbys medicare + a medigap + part D drug plan, we will be paying more than 50% of our total budget for insurances!!! Here in the USA it is insane what seniors pay for health care!! Definitely did not anticipate that expense.😢
I’m buying a house soon, closing in May, I’m planning on keeping a ‘house fund’ besides my emergency fund. The purpose of the ‘house fund’ is for all routine things, repairs. One financial podcast I listened to said to keep 3% the total value of the house yearly in the ‘house fund’ . So on a $300,000 value house that’s $9,000.
Something I have done with regard to Christmas gifts is that THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, whenever I went into a store and saw something on sale and would think, "So-and-so would like that," I'd buy it (paying cash, of course). By October all my Christmas shopping was done except for little odds and ends. Not only that, there was no sudden huge expense in December and no credit card debt in the new year.
Your video made me realise I haven't budgeted for every category of possible expenses! I just did my quarterly summary of what I saved & where my money was spent. I was so proud of myself - til I saw this video. Its very hard squeezing more categories into an already tight budget!
This year, I did my first written budget in a long time. I had to laugh at myself when I got my hair cut a few weeks back and realized hair cut did not fit any category. 😂 I made adjustments and expect to adjust again a few times as things change.
Because of inflation we''ve had to increase the $ that go to our sinking funds - roof, appliances, auto and home maintenance and insurance, etc. The funds had to come from elsewhere - tough but we found areas we could cut thanks in great part to your advice. We also discovered some of our funds were fully funded so we were able to switch that money to other funds. Budgets are work but so valuable.
When I subscribe to any service or have a recurring expense, I add it to my online calendar. I create a "task" 3 days before the renewal date as a reminder to cancel the charge if I'm not sure I want to renew. That way, it pops up on my screen and I can decide if I want to keep the subscription or not.
My daddy just passed away in March. Daddy made it so easy for me, his oldest daughter/ successor of his trust, by setting up his cremation plan 7 yrs ago. We paid $100 down and locked in a price that would not increase and the balance to be paid by his estate. Just paid his total bill, including 10 certified death certificates) $1188.50. Thank you daddy🥹 10:16
I was glad my Dad had paid for his, I only had to pay the ground opening fee for his funeral. I've been trying for years to get my mom to be prepared but she's dragging her feet so I know my husband and I will be responsible for her funeral cost just as we were when his mom passed away years ago, it's a responsibility we have planned for
I have been trying to put together a longer-term budget. Thought I had it all worked out until I remembered the Funeral plan....it'll have to wait until I've saved enough to replace my car in 2-3 yrs but at least it's in the long-term plan (now)...
Hope and Larry always set such a great example for us of how to respond courteously and respectfully, even when discussing something with which they don’t agree, don’t they? I just can’t imagine them ever making a statement that is presumptuous, insulting, profane, or offensive in any way. Good examples for all of us.
Because of you, Hope, and Larry, I started sinking funds last year. So this year, when I have to replace the tires on the car and the eyeglasses on my face, the money is in the bank! I have also redone my budget to include an amount for giving each month. Your advice has been very valuable. Thank you!
I am with Hope..... fundraisers are a pet peeve. And I prefer to donate funds for what the group would receive from the product sale. Why should I pay an inflated price for something I probably don't need and usually don't want.
@@lindawilson8434 of course it "could", but she could shave her head and still look great. If you haven't got anything nice to say keep it to yourself.
I'm guessing she had it cut to that length bc of her shoulder injury. It's probably painful for her trying to comb and brush her hair at a longer length.
@@genevievebarker943 I think you don't get the nuance behind the comment. Either there's a language barrier or you're sheltered. Spend enough time either in the Southern states of the USA or in a Corporate America Fortune 500 company....you'd understand the absolute cattiness behind a seemingly innocuous comment.
Not directly a money saver but we have a "touch it once" rule (or put it away) so that we can find that item again to save us from buying another. Organization helps frugal people stay frugal 😅
Sometimes schools offer a package of school supplies that you can buy. I find School Supplies frustrating, more than once I have purchased School Supplies for my child trying to buy good quality supplies for the child, then I sent the supplies to school with my child. I expected the supplies I purchased to be used on my own child, occasionally I labeled every item. But it seems the teachers just put the supplies in a general basket and redistribute them throughout all the students of the class. Sometimes my child came home with supplies of less quality than the ones I had sent to school for her. I find it frustrating that the items I buy for my child are not used for her.
That was a frustration to me also when my children were in school, then when my grandchildren went to school the list of supplies got even longer. Now I have great grandchildren in school and it is ridiculous. Teachers want so many different supplies which most never get used. The public is asked to donate school supplies and I get that because it can run up to over 50 dollars for just one child. Amazingly when I went to school we needed notebook paper, pencils and pens and produced great doctors, lawyers, teachers nurses, etc.
It's called creating a community. I also bought better quality as well as extra for others. I am lucky enough to be able to do more. Also teachers often have 25 kids. Do we want them spending thier time on tracking whi is using who's crayons
@@pennyhexter3475 I have no problem donating extra supplies for a ‘group’ of supplies to be used between all kids. And maybe it’s an old fashioned idea because my ( purchased for me) school supplies as a kid were for me only. My parents struggled to get together money to buy school supplies for me. You may call it ‘creating community’ and I may call it ‘socialism, or too close to socialism’.
I just got paroled from 16 months of physical therapy at $50 a pop twice a week. I truly needed it though but am so glad not to be paying that co-pay any longer.
I was pleasantly surprised when I was told because I was on social security, I was eligible for a special funding by my state for any expenses my insurance didn't cover, if it was incurred by the hospital where my clinic is located. 28:09 This has really saved me. I'm in Minnesota by the way.
We set a budgeted, monthly amount which we donate to the local Senior Center Food Pantry. We may or may not donate additionally to other causes but, because we have a designated budget and destination we do not allow ourselves to feel obligated or heart stringed by the numerous charities and causes we could elsewise support. As-needed, we will say that we already donate a reasonable sum monthly to a pre-selected charity.
One of the best things I did was buying a black and white only printer. I did that for my office too. A lot cheaper than color cartridges! It has saved me soooo much money!
What a great video! Thank you! A few years ago, we totaled the annual cost of all of these types of expenses and divided it into a weekly amount we needed to set aside. We have that amount, plus a cushion, automatically moved to a separate savings account when our direct deposit for payroll comes in. It felt painful for a couple of months until we adjusted, but boy, when we can simply move money from that savings account to our checking account to pay for quarterly taxes, or home or car maintenance, or vacation, etc. - it feels MARVELOUS knowing it's already there.
I would love to see a video on gift budgets. I can easily see over giving due to emotion. (I find that money and emotions don't mix well.). Thank you for these awesome ideas.
I’ve always bought “generic” or off brand toner and ink on Amazon for my printers. It’s usually 1/3 or 1/4 of the cost of brand names. I read reviews to make sure people have good luck with it.
I bought a printer to use while WFH during Covid and buy the ink from Ebay for very little cost. Best to check out ink costs before choosing the printer might pay more for the printer, but it the long term saves money.
I have what I call my TCMI fund: Taxes, Car, Medical, Insurance. I added up what bills I knew I would have (property taxes, prescriptions, premiums, oil changes, etc), divided by 12, and added extra for the unexpected. Saves money (as you said) by paying premiums annually, AND saves a huge amount of stress. It lives in my credit union checking account (as opposed to my regular-bill bank checking account, so I'm not tempted to dip into it.
Great share, guys. We have shared in holiday videos before about how people forget about the other stuff when budgeting for Christmas. We used to have a problem with forgetting about some of the once a year expenses, like car inspections and such. We now have a car sinking fun, for that. lol
Thank you to both of you I use your advice on my grocery and I organized check for sale Rotate my food Make a grocery list I don't waste what is call food Thanks again ❤
Regarding gifts for work "collegues" I always politely decline. It really doesn't bother me if my name is not on the card for a gift that I had absolutely no say/input in giving. I've worked at my job 19 yrs. Everyone that has come after me has gotten some little doodad at the fifth year, the 10th year, and their 15th year. The thanks that I have gotten is a paycheck when expected, my short and long-term disability coming through when I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and the fact that I get to work overtime when it is available. That's way far enough for me.
Hi Hope & Larry so good to see the both of you ❤ Fantastic video as always ❤ 😊 Group meal planning for when i cannot make meals for Cowboy and myself when i have my Full Hip Replacement Surgery. Making these plans with my Bible Study Group from Church to help us. ❤
Great tips that many overlook! We learned very early on to look at an entire calendar year and see what was due when to budget for the expenses that occur only quarterly, semi-annually, and annually. Haven't always called them sinking funds, but we have always saved ahead for those less than monthly expenses. The other thing we have done as much as possible for any larger purchase is start saving for the replacement soon after in case a repair is about as much as a replacement - for example, replacing an appliance or a car. Insurances and real estate taxes are our biggest expenses along with retirement savings. Looking ahead to retirement, we know insurance will be an even larger expense because we currently have low premiums for health care through our employers.
I look out for clearance on school supplies; after the month of September I start looking for deals for next year . I also threw out the year buy items I can gift 🎁 for birthdays 🎂 or Christmas 🎄
Always ask what you are actually paying for. What is covered. If doing any repairs,hire licensed and bonded contractors. Mechanics,go independent shop,not a dealership, because they charge insane amounts. Buying a vehicle, always have an independent mechanic go over the vehicle before you purchase. It will save you a lot of grief
I had made the calculation 6 years ago. Between the cost of the printer, papers and cartriges, it would have take me printing more than 6400 pages to make it less costly to print home than at the librairy. Plus it take so much time at home to be sure the printer (slowly) feed well the paper in and to hand-turn the paper to print both side.
As far as school supplies, I have him reuse what he can every year, such as his backpack, used they same one for three years. Same pencil box, and the like. I use sinking funds throughout the year for his supplies/clothes/shoes.
Here's what has come up lately: a trip for grandson's college graduation: therefore plane fare, hotel fare, gift, food. Next item: cat needs dental surgery; Then the car collapsed. All that happened after we bought new carpeting. At least we had saved for carpeting.
I budget starting in June for school supplies in August. I was surprised how expensive it was for my kids to do cross country in middle and high school. The high school coach was specific about snacks for the kids to eat and drink also. Many of the meets required a parking fee also. Another expense is spring time plants and mulch, this surprises me every year that I forget to budget for. I agree that medical expenses can take you by surprise too. I was surprised after having surgery this year how much I had to pay for lab fees. I didn't realize that I would have to pay for multiple lab fees.
Hi Ashley, here is how I handle the “accounts” question…I have four separate accounts: Fixed Primary, Sinking Funds, Emergency Fund and a Household account. All accounts are held within the same bank. My primary account is where all my income goes into. All of my fixed expenses come out of this account (household, car insurance, cell phone, etc.). With my Sinking Funds account, on the first of each month, I transfer a set amount to the sinking funds account. I’ve average the amount from my prior year’s average costs and then rounded up to get a flat amount each month. When I pay toward a sinking fund expense (I.e. car registration), I then transfer the funds back into my main account to cover that expense. My household account is for expenses that fluctuate within the month - food, household expenses (toilet paper, laundry soap, etc.), dining out and gas. For any reason, if any funds are left in the fixed primary or household account at the end of the month, it goes to to my Emergency Fund or towards any debt incurred (I’m still learning how to live without credit cards 🤦♀️) I hope this helps a bit with your questions.
I am an elementary schoolteacher at a low income area. Maybe a fourth of my students brought in supplies and I have purchased supplies for the remainder of the school year. One thing I have learned is that even in our small community, there are a lot of community resources that offer free school supplies. I will make sure I am advertising to parents on back to school night and on the school website times and locations. We also have a resource in my area of a foundation who provides free supplies for teachers who work in title one schools. I try to use that resource as much as possibleto cut down on the things I actually have to pay for. I would also recommend that parents ask the teacher what supplies they really need. I could get by without notebooks in the class, but students have to have pencils.
There is a sinking fund few think of and that's an insurrance deductible fund. It not the highest priority fund for many but enough to cover the homeowner's/ renter's insurrance deductible, the deductible for each vehicle, the deductible for all the appliances and extended warranties, and a deductible for 1 in-patient hospitalization (this amount should cover an ER too). In general, you should be able to have a good 5 business days before needing to produce these deductibles so this fund can go into a less liquid account. With an actual fund, you have more options in deciding whether to go for a higher deductible for lower premiums too; or a more inclusive insurrance.
These are realistic items to consider, and years ago we made a sinking fund for these type of events come up during the year. Thanks for sharing ideas on how to help others.
Haven't seen you in awhile...love the hair hope...I often use my grocery points when I put on a meal and ask for some potluck and dessert we all share the leftovers... cheers
We have a special fund for 6 months premiums for Auto Insurance. The Property Taxes are Spring and Fall for our Retirement Ranch, and Homeowners Insurance.....Annual.....❤
A real way with the school supplies problem is by home by sending her to school for special things like art or theater or band or chorus or orchestra or sports. You can do that everywhere. That saves half and reduces stress. If a child goes to school full-time, they only spend 12.5% of their year in school. Too much anxt and money is spent. I did it. OH look at that you have addressed this issue. Now I really admire you.
I make a list by month at the beginning of the year of any holidays (Easter, for example, can be either March or April), any family birthdays, weddings, or graduations, expenses that we pay each year, and any other major events that I know are coming up. I can quickly see which months are going to be more expensive than others. Most of our bills we pay by the month, even though I know real estate taxes and insurance are slightly more expensive by the month - it's just easier for us to track that way because we do auto-debit. Once I see what months are anticipated to be more expensive, I stock up big time on standard supplies that I always buy at Sams in bulk (toilet paper, paper towels, garbage bags, laundry and dish detergent, some toiletries) during the less expensive months. I know this system might not be the most frugal, but it is an easy way for us to manage our budget because most of those items we do not count in our weekly food budget which is just for food and eating out. And the prices on those items at Sams do not tend to go on sale (and we can have them delivered to our door with free shipping with a Sams membership which is great for us because we are Senior citizens with limited mobility - the membership pays for itself in saved gas and Sams points which we use to buy food for the church pantry.)
I live in Denmark. and never had a lot of money, but for some years I donated part of what I earned teaching french on a private basis to young students and adolescents. I simply asked THEM to donate the equivalent of the first two lessons to a NGO of their own choice. This also served the youngsters a good life lesson! They were always very proud of what they did. Of course their parents were paying, as well as I paid with my time. - As for "unexpected expenses", I simply save more each month for this and I don't take extra income into account. On a yearly basis, it works.
Back to school expenses…I have two grandsons that are in school. I have worked in conjunction with their other Grandmother and together we take our grandsons, along with the list and do the “school supplies” shopping each year. We also take the boys to lunch. It is the extra thing we can do each year to help the parents. Thankfully there are no uniforms!! PS Funds to pay for this excursion is part of my emergency funds budget.
Thank you for all the informational video's that you post. I appreciate all the helpful tips you provide in addition to the emails I receive. Also, I love your haircut - beautiful!
Hi Hope and Larry,I live in the Netherlands,can’t tell you how helpful you’ve been,helped me out a lot,now I’m able to help and teach others, I have shown them some of your videos,great. Can I get your ebook too? Keep up the good work,thanks so much
Regarding back to school supplies, I have worked for 19 years in one of our school district's elementary schools.
My first year I had a kindergartener, a second grader, and a beginning middle schooler.
I had always stocked up on basic things when I found them because I had two older children. I had always sent things that were asked of at the beginning of the year.
It wasn't until I started working in the school system that I saw how much waste really goes on, including with the teachers, unfortunately. Not all, but about 30%.
My first year, when our third child was in kindergarten, at the end of the year, I saw emails going out full blast offering packs of notebook paper, reamssss of copy paper, FULL boxes of boxes with UNOPENED crayons, pens, rulers, scissors, protractors, glue and even the $100.00 calculators!😮
There were also things like bookshelves, borders for bulletin boards, folders, binders, and composition books.
What I started doing was taking a wheelie cart at the end of the year and rolling it down the halls and collecting items that were just being thrown out.
For my own children, I would buy (if I didn't have it in the stash) the items that were requested and I would only send half because what I also found out is (at least at the elementary level) is when they do the communal sharing bucket, there's always going to be some kid who's going to be the deliberate destroyer. And I know we're not supposed to use the term "always" or "never" but first-hand experience for the past 19 years has shown me every year there is "always" someone who destroys and "never" a year without at least one. I'm also the detention clerk so I can vouch for this.
He or she is always going to break, smash, simply throw out things that those parents that have contributed & have worked hard to supply.
I had absolutely no problem with sending a note with my child on the first day, or telling the teacher during open house, "these are my child's items. They are in her box with her name on it. If you require extra items, I will make a donation of certain supplies, but please be specific and send me a written request."
I also would start up a classroom swap with parents who may have items that they no longer need that they would like to swap with each other specifically to assist each other.
I am also the registration clerk (in addition to the detention clerk and clinic worker when needed) EACH FAMILY that I register to only send half of the supplies that are requested.
I've even seen counselors throw out perfectly good book bags at the end of the year that have been donated to us. Why not donate them to a church or pantry??
What a slap in the face of those who have contributed.
My principal orders a dumpster for teachers to purge items. If the items do not belong to the district, which sometimes it's hard to tell, they throw them out at the end of the year.
I've retrieved cubby bins to organize my children's clothes, mail box cubbies for homework, field trip forms, bills, etc., and a rolling file cabinet for important documents before we started uploading things to the cloud.
I'm just sharing what I know, not just what I think.
Great feedback. Love the content.
All very well described in what and how U do your many jobs in a school system; above and beyond whatever is expected of U.
I hope your school thst U work for has finally learned to heed your actions and do what U teach and 'preach'.
Well written!
I learned early on there is no such thing as an unexpected expense. Everything has to be serviced, repaired, and eventually replaced. If I get a new car or refrigerator, I immediately start saving for the next one.
There will always be money spent on birthday, graduation, wedding and baby gifts. You will be sending flowers to funerals, or buying food. Someone at work will be retiring. The list goes on and on.
I agree, but I also have to admit that I am a freak about taking good care of everything I own, especially things I use every day. Especially my tools and car. I have tools, well I'm 62, abs still have working power tools that I got in hight school back in the 80's. The hats part is getting my wife and children to do the same. LIKE WIPING DOWN THE KITCHEN SINK AND FAUCET AFTER EVERY USE TO PREVENT CORROSION FROM CRAPPY WATER- LINE SCALE, AND MINERALS THAT DESTROYS ALL FAUCET AND COUNTRY TOP MATERIALS. MY SECRET WEAPON, I PRAY EVERY DAY AS I USE WHATEVER IT IS I'M USING THAT GOD WILL KEEP THEM- WORKING AND WORKING, AND WORKING. 😊 ABS HE DOES. BLESS YOU
Yes & the endless "bring a plate" to church events & other social events. A plate of sharing food doesn't doesn't drop out of the sky!
@@myaccount9498 God will always provide on those times you way to bless someone else. 🙏 Give God a chance to prove Himself real to you, ah He makes all things possible because of your kind heart. 😇 bless you!
@@gballmaier God is a wonderful provider, I agree 👍
Yes!
Hope and Larry, you have made me so much more aware of food waste and I am so grateful! My food budget has decreased by 35% and we are still eating healthfully and deliciously. I love your focus on joyful frugality. Thank you both for your tips and encouragement. They are life changing.
When my hubby went for a mechanical maintenance degree at the little community college, he was told that he needed to have a relatively expensive calculating device. He told the teacher he thought the price as unreasonable and said he could do any figuring needed for the class by other means. Lo and behold: a “spare” instrument was found for him by the school. And he gave it back when he was done with the class.
Your hair looks beautiful, Hope!
So true but being retired and single on a fixed income, I find that I have to forgo a lot of the extra costs and focus on JUST the main ones that I can afford to do. Christmas, birthdays, holiday meals small things.
I can't like some people grab money out of the sky!
Do I feel guilty, yes sometimes wishing my money could stretch further. But I try my best. 💙
Nice hair, Hope. Ahhhh!!! Enjoy the wedding!!!!
Always examine the bills in detail! I battled my insurance company for months because of a charge for circumcision for my newborn. {ahem} My newborn DAUGHTER! 🤣 I finally resorted to taking a photo of her without a diaper on the changing table and demanded to know why they were inflicting female genital mutilation without my knowledge or consent! They finally, reluctantly, removed the charge.
😅
That's unbelievable! Good on u for fighting them
@@myaccount9498 It was deeply annoying at the time, but wildly funny in retrospect.
That gave me my belly laugh for the day. Oh my goodness! Well, you put them in their place. Although it had to be secretly a little more than satisfying to do so, what a pain in the BUTT that they couldn't read a chart that said, "Female" and remove the charge the FIRST time you asked them to do so. They don't hand out college degrees any more for common sense.
@@UndertheMedian So true!
The first year after my spouse passed I also had to replace an old refrigerator, our car, our roof and some other appliances that all hit one after the other, as if I wasn’t already on overwhelm. But I found blessing in the things we had already discussed and were at least works in progress. When crisis hits it is hard to think, but what you have in practice or already discussed is more auto pilot where your brain otherwise is occupied. Spiritually and practically.
That ache at night, Hope, is healing process. When done, no pain. I pray it lessens.
I couldn't afford the copay for physical therapy for as long and as many times they wanted me to go. So I went to one and asked them to just show me what to do.They also printed out the exercises.
A VERY timely vid. My April budget might be blown because i totally forgot my annual renewal of LifeLock, and Amazon Prime this month. 🤦🏾♀️I’m seriously considering letting one or both go. If I keep either/both I’m starting sinking funds for them. EDIT: I dropped LifeLock because unbeknownst to me, and thanks to my fave co-worker, I found out my AAA membership offers ID theft/credit monitoring service for free!🎉🎉
Maybe forget Amazon?
Sinking funds have been a game changer for me. Especially where my car is concerned. There is money for the expected expenses and a cushion for repairs.
I have a sinking fund for car insurance, car maintenance and car registration. I need to start a car replacement fund.
Condolence funds to someone widowed is also a big deal, and usually unexpected. Those that did this for me was so helpful, and last year and a couple of years ago I had several dear friends who also became widowed and it was so nice to bless them at their unexpected loss and time of grief.
@@Joce123 Oh dear
I never thought about that. Unfortunately, a lot of people don't have life insurance so families have to pay for a basic funeral. and it is not cheap.
I have an under the average income but have a rainy-day sinking fund and a sinking gift fund for birthdays and christmas, and I am saving for a cheaper house in cash it's a three-year plan, so a separate account for that as well. I am only adding small amounts with each payday. It's a slow plan but working
We homeschool with a Waldorf curriculum. I nearly had heart failure when I saw that we would need block crayons for $36. It hurt deep to buy those 16 colors but I'm glad I did. Seven years into our homeschool journey we still have the original crayons,we still use them everyday, non are broken or missing and we value them, which is a lesson in itself.
Working from home has saved us so much money. Not only the savings on office parties and gifts, but gas and car insurance costs went down. We even noticed costs savings for work clothes and lunches.
To me the best baby shower gift is a case of baby wipes, or I will make a diaper cake. Our whole extended family decided years ago that each family would give a single homemade preferably consumable item worth less than $20 to each family for Christmas. My favorite was to make a homemade meat rub for chicken, pork or beef. Bulk spices are very affordable and I would save all our empty spice jars to fill them. We don’t give toys for cousins birthdays. We would give a $25 check for their college fund. Our kid’s school requested a reasonable flat fee for supplies that then they would purchase in bulk at a deep discount and every kid received exactly the supplies they needed. We loved never having to track down the supplies and they were cheaper than us buying them ourselves. I wish all schools would do this for parents.
Hi...me again😊
With regard to physical therapy, as the mom of wrestlers, lacrosse players, & football players, I found out that if we were to do a telehealth visit where are the doctor would actually look at the technique that my child was using, have them do the therapy online with the doctor looking and advising for the 30 minutes (I was also in the virtual room) while my child was doing the exercises, we didn't get charged the copay!
This went on for 3 months where every other week was a telehealth session after the initial ones in the beginning.
So the $50 to $75 copay of the in office visit only happened twice a month instead of every week. That was $100-$150 we were NOT shelling out AND our sons seemed more motivated Because they felt that they were putting more effort in rather than being in a room where two or three others may be getting therapy as well.
Even if there's a curtain separating, it can still be intimidating to hear other people's issues wondering if they will heal just as well not.
Don't forget about pet expenses. Keeping them up to date on vaccinations, heartworm, and flea meds isn't cheap. I made a sinking fund for plants as well as my weakness (books). I try to wait until they are available at the library, but sometimes i just can't do it. Ebooks are easier for me. There are really very few truly unexpected expenses. Cars are going to need tires and roofs are going to need to be replaced. Great video.
See if you have any free book bins in your area.
This is how I get my books.
Also,garage sale,rummage sale,thrift stores,book fairs,etc.
If you live in the Edgewater area, I can give you books,free.
Mostly mysteries
Oh yes, pets can be so expensive! I normally budget 1500 € a year for extraordinary pet stuff like the vet or meds. Normally it's not this much. But this year I already paid 1240 € on the vet for one cat alone. She has a mystery illness and the tests are crazy expensive. (1500 € is nearly a whole netto paycheck for me because I don't have a very high salary.)
Insurances, oh my! Hubby has had good ins through his employer. He is retiring this summer. Between home, cars, my & our college sons' coverage and soon hubbys medicare + a medigap + part D drug plan, we will be paying more than 50% of our total budget for insurances!!! Here in the USA it is insane what seniors pay for health care!! Definitely did not anticipate that expense.😢
I’m buying a house soon, closing in May, I’m planning on keeping a ‘house fund’ besides my emergency fund. The purpose of the ‘house fund’ is for all routine things, repairs. One financial podcast I listened to said to keep 3% the total value of the house yearly in the ‘house fund’ . So on a $300,000 value house that’s $9,000.
Your practical guidance takes the stress out of financial literacy, planning, and budgeting. I am so blessed by your videos.
Something I have done with regard to Christmas gifts is that THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, whenever I went into a store and saw something on sale and would think, "So-and-so would like that," I'd buy it (paying cash, of course). By October all my Christmas shopping was done except for little odds and ends. Not only that, there was no sudden huge expense in December and no credit card debt in the new year.
I agree Hope and Larry! Insurance is my number highest expense!
Your video made me realise I haven't budgeted for every category of possible expenses! I just did my quarterly summary of what I saved & where my money was spent. I was so proud of myself - til I saw this video. Its very hard squeezing more categories into an already tight budget!
This year, I did my first written budget in a long time. I had to laugh at myself when I got my hair cut a few weeks back and realized hair cut did not fit any category. 😂
I made adjustments and expect to adjust again a few times as things change.
I see envelope stuffers call it BEAUTY.
Make up, haircuts, mani pedis. Things like that.
Because of inflation we''ve had to increase the $ that go to our sinking funds - roof, appliances, auto and home maintenance and insurance, etc. The funds had to come from elsewhere - tough but we found areas we could cut thanks in great part to your advice. We also discovered some of our funds were fully funded so we were able to switch that money to other funds. Budgets are work but so valuable.
Every summer a couple weeks before school starts, Alabama has a tax free weekend on school supplies, including computers.
Same in New Mexico.
Texas has this too and it’s so nice.🥰
When I subscribe to any service or have a recurring expense, I add it to my online calendar. I create a "task" 3 days before the renewal date as a reminder to cancel the charge if I'm not sure I want to renew. That way, it pops up on my screen and I can decide if I want to keep the subscription or not.
Excellent.
During the summer, stores like Walmart and Target have amazing sales on school supplies!
Funerals can catch you off guard. Whether you're responsible for its cost or just sending flowers.
My daddy just passed away in March.
Daddy made it so easy for me, his oldest daughter/ successor of his trust, by setting up his cremation plan 7 yrs ago.
We paid $100 down and locked in a price that would not increase and the balance to be paid by his estate.
Just paid his total bill, including 10 certified death certificates) $1188.50.
Thank you daddy🥹 10:16
I was glad my Dad had paid for his, I only had to pay the ground opening fee for his funeral. I've been trying for years to get my mom to be prepared but she's dragging her feet so I know my husband and I will be responsible for her funeral cost just as we were when his mom passed away years ago, it's a responsibility we have planned for
I have been trying to put together a longer-term budget. Thought I had it all worked out until I remembered the Funeral plan....it'll have to wait until I've saved enough to replace my car in 2-3 yrs but at least it's in the long-term plan (now)...
Or taking the time and energy and money to travel to the funeral
Hope and Larry always set such a great example for us of how to respond courteously and respectfully, even when discussing something with which they don’t agree, don’t they?
I just can’t imagine them ever making a statement that is presumptuous, insulting, profane, or offensive in any way. Good examples for all of us.
Because of you, Hope, and Larry, I started sinking funds last year. So this year, when I have to replace the tires on the car and the eyeglasses on my face, the money is in the bank! I have also redone my budget to include an amount for giving each month. Your advice has been very valuable. Thank you!
Anybody else consider these two your internet mom and dad? Thanks, yall. I got some great ideas from this video!
I am with Hope..... fundraisers are a pet peeve. And I prefer to donate funds for what the group would receive from the product sale. Why should I pay an inflated price for something I probably don't need and usually don't want.
❤ing the new summer length hair Hope!
It could be a little shorter
@@lindawilson8434 of course it "could", but she could shave her head and still look great. If you haven't got anything nice to say keep it to yourself.
I'm guessing she had it cut to that length bc of her shoulder injury. It's probably painful for her trying to comb and brush her hair at a longer length.
@Shantelle6253 why do you misinterpreting ļthe comment? It was a comment, not a criticism.
@@genevievebarker943 I think you don't get the nuance behind the comment. Either there's a language barrier or you're sheltered. Spend enough time either in the Southern states of the USA or in a Corporate America Fortune 500 company....you'd understand the absolute cattiness behind a seemingly innocuous comment.
Not directly a money saver but we have a "touch it once" rule (or put it away) so that we can find that item again to save us from buying another. Organization helps frugal people stay frugal 😅
Sometimes schools offer a package of school supplies that you can buy. I find School Supplies frustrating, more than once I have purchased School Supplies for my child trying to buy good quality supplies for the child, then I sent the supplies to school with my child. I expected the supplies I purchased to be used on my own child, occasionally I labeled every item. But it seems the teachers just put the supplies in a general basket and redistribute them throughout all the students of the class. Sometimes my child came home with supplies of less quality than the ones I had sent to school for her. I find it frustrating that the items I buy for my child are not used for her.
That was a frustration to me also when my children were in school, then when my grandchildren went to school the list of supplies got even longer. Now I have great grandchildren in school and it is ridiculous. Teachers want so many different supplies which most never get used. The public is asked to donate school supplies and I get that because it can run up to over 50 dollars for just one child. Amazingly when I went to school we needed notebook paper, pencils and pens and produced great doctors, lawyers, teachers nurses, etc.
It's called creating a community. I also bought better quality as well as extra for others. I am lucky enough to be able to do more. Also teachers often have 25 kids. Do we want them spending thier time on tracking whi is using who's crayons
@@pennyhexter3475 I have no problem donating extra supplies for a ‘group’ of supplies to be used between all kids. And maybe it’s an old fashioned idea because my ( purchased for me) school supplies as a kid were for me only. My parents struggled to get together money to buy school supplies for me. You may call it ‘creating community’ and I may call it ‘socialism, or too close to socialism’.
I worked in an elementary school. They have tons of extra supplies. I think they do not audit the supplies list.
Yes recently we've both had Dental issues and we'll need to renew our Driver's License and License Plate Tags.
I just got paroled from 16 months of physical therapy at $50 a pop twice a week. I truly needed it though but am so glad not to be paying that co-pay any longer.
“Paroled” 😂
Love your new hair & nails Hope! You look beautiful xx
19:24
Love your haircut. AND your nails. :) Glad you got a little "me time". Love your show. ang
Number 10 was the killer for me insurance is so expensive nowadays and hope your hair looks so beautiful❤
I was pleasantly surprised when I was told because I was on social security, I was eligible for a special funding by my state for any expenses my insurance didn't cover, if it was incurred by the hospital where my clinic is located. 28:09 This has really saved me. I'm in Minnesota by the way.
We set a budgeted, monthly amount which we donate to the local Senior Center Food Pantry. We may or may not donate additionally to other causes but, because we have a designated budget and destination we do not allow ourselves to feel obligated or heart stringed by the numerous charities and causes we could elsewise support. As-needed, we will say that we already donate a reasonable sum monthly to a pre-selected charity.
Great list, I do overlook some of these. Love the bags Delaney makes, very clever.
One of the best things I did was buying a black and white only printer. I did that for my office too. A lot cheaper than color cartridges! It has saved me soooo much money!
What a great video! Thank you! A few years ago, we totaled the annual cost of all of these types of expenses and divided it into a weekly amount we needed to set aside. We have that amount, plus a cushion, automatically moved to a separate savings account when our direct deposit for payroll comes in. It felt painful for a couple of months until we adjusted, but boy, when we can simply move money from that savings account to our checking account to pay for quarterly taxes, or home or car maintenance, or vacation, etc. - it feels MARVELOUS knowing it's already there.
Anual things are split in 12 in my budget, it's so much easy. Medic expensives are very important. We need to save for that.
Its so easy to be frugal when you dont have any friends or family. 😊
They say that to be forewarned is to be forearmed and your videos drive that point home in the best way, thank you both!!
I would love to see a video on gift budgets. I can easily see over giving due to emotion. (I find that money and emotions don't mix well.).
Thank you for these awesome ideas.
How many people are you buying gifts for?
What can you afford to spend per person?
That's it.
Once you reach that limit you are done,period
Starting an expense tracker in a simple notebook is the best thing Ive done for my finances.
I’ve always bought “generic” or off brand toner and ink on Amazon for my printers. It’s usually 1/3 or 1/4 of the cost of brand names. I read reviews to make sure people have good luck with it.
I bought a printer to use while WFH during Covid and buy the ink from Ebay for very little cost. Best to check out ink costs before choosing the printer might pay more for the printer, but it the long term saves money.
Nice trim Hope! Looks like all the arms are all healed.
Love hosting potlucks.
Cuts cost big time .
I have what I call my TCMI fund: Taxes, Car, Medical, Insurance. I added up what bills I knew I would have (property taxes, prescriptions, premiums, oil changes, etc), divided by 12, and added extra for the unexpected. Saves money (as you said) by paying premiums annually, AND saves a huge amount of stress. It lives in my credit union checking account (as opposed to my regular-bill bank checking account, so I'm not tempted to dip into it.
@@Joce123 It does pay interest, but not even close to that percentage. (I'm in Indiana.)
Great share, guys. We have shared in holiday videos before about how people forget about the other stuff when budgeting for Christmas. We used to have a problem with forgetting about some of the once a year expenses, like car inspections and such. We now have a car sinking fun, for that. lol
I love Jesus and am so blessed by your wisdom
Thank you to both of you
I use your advice on my grocery and I organized check for sale
Rotate my food
Make a grocery list
I don't waste what is call food
Thanks again ❤
Regarding gifts for work "collegues" I always politely decline.
It really doesn't bother me if my name is not on the card for a gift that I had absolutely no say/input in giving.
I've worked at my job 19 yrs. Everyone that has come after me has gotten some little doodad at the fifth year, the 10th year, and their 15th year.
The thanks that I have gotten is a paycheck when expected, my short and long-term disability coming through when I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and the fact that I get to work overtime when it is available.
That's way far enough for me.
Hi Hope & Larry so good to see the both of you ❤ Fantastic video as always ❤ 😊 Group meal planning for when i cannot make meals for Cowboy and myself when i have my Full Hip Replacement Surgery. Making these plans with my Bible Study Group from Church to help us. ❤
Great tips that many overlook! We learned very early on to look at an entire calendar year and see what was due when to budget for the expenses that occur only quarterly, semi-annually, and annually. Haven't always called them sinking funds, but we have always saved ahead for those less than monthly expenses. The other thing we have done as much as possible for any larger purchase is start saving for the replacement soon after in case a repair is about as much as a replacement - for example, replacing an appliance or a car. Insurances and real estate taxes are our biggest expenses along with retirement savings. Looking ahead to retirement, we know insurance will be an even larger expense because we currently have low premiums for health care through our employers.
I look out for clearance on school supplies; after the month of September I start looking for deals for next year . I also threw out the year buy items I can gift 🎁 for birthdays 🎂 or Christmas 🎄
Always ask what you are actually paying for.
What is covered.
If doing any repairs,hire licensed and bonded contractors.
Mechanics,go independent shop,not a dealership, because they charge insane amounts.
Buying a vehicle, always have an independent mechanic go over the vehicle before you purchase.
It will save you a lot of grief
I don't print very often so I go to the library and print things out there on the rare occasion I need to print something. It's only 10 cents a page.
I had made the calculation 6 years ago. Between the cost of the printer, papers and cartriges, it would have take me printing more than 6400 pages to make it less costly to print home than at the librairy.
Plus it take so much time at home to be sure the printer (slowly) feed well the paper in and to hand-turn the paper to print both side.
Hope, your hair looks great!!
hope, first of all your hair looks awesome!!😊secondlyguysthe video is so awesomethank you and God bless you
As far as school supplies, I have him reuse what he can every year, such as his backpack, used they same one for three years. Same pencil box, and the like.
I use sinking funds throughout the year for his supplies/clothes/shoes.
Here's what has come up lately: a trip for grandson's college graduation: therefore plane fare, hotel fare, gift, food. Next item: cat needs dental surgery; Then the car collapsed.
All that happened after we bought new carpeting. At least we had saved for carpeting.
Best thing of being frugal is you have extra money to give to others. It is so much fun.
Hope, I love the haircut.
Very flattering for you.
Larry,you look very nice,too.
I budget starting in June for school supplies in August. I was surprised how expensive it was for my kids to do cross country in middle and high school. The high school coach was specific about snacks for the kids to eat and drink also. Many of the meets required a parking fee also. Another expense is spring time plants and mulch, this surprises me every year that I forget to budget for. I agree that medical expenses can take you by surprise too. I was surprised after having surgery this year how much I had to pay for lab fees. I didn't realize that I would have to pay for multiple lab fees.
Thank u for this important information‼️ Hair & nails look pretty Hope♥️
YNAB has really helped me with this concept and way of budgeting
How to you separate all of your budgets? Separate accounts? Thank you so much for this video! Love your channel!
Hi Ashley, here is how I handle the “accounts” question…I have four separate accounts: Fixed Primary, Sinking Funds, Emergency Fund and a Household account. All accounts are held within the same bank.
My primary account is where all my income goes into. All of my fixed expenses come out of this account (household, car insurance, cell phone, etc.).
With my Sinking Funds account, on the first of each month, I transfer a set amount to the sinking funds account. I’ve average the amount from my prior year’s average costs and then rounded up to get a flat amount each month. When I pay toward a sinking fund expense (I.e. car registration), I then transfer the funds back into my main account to cover that expense.
My household account is for expenses that fluctuate within the month - food, household expenses (toilet paper, laundry soap, etc.), dining out and gas.
For any reason, if any funds are left in the fixed primary or household account at the end of the month, it goes to to my Emergency Fund or towards any debt incurred (I’m still learning how to live without credit cards 🤦♀️)
I hope this helps a bit with your questions.
I put it all in a high yield savings account and keep track on a spreadsheet what it is all saved for. Any interest goes into emergency fund catagory.
I am an elementary schoolteacher at a low income area. Maybe a fourth of my students brought in supplies and I have purchased supplies for the remainder of the school year. One thing I have learned is that even in our small community, there are a lot of community resources that offer free school supplies. I will make sure I am advertising to parents on back to school night and on the school website times and locations. We also have a resource in my area of a foundation who provides free supplies for teachers who work in title one schools. I try to use that resource as much as possibleto cut down on the things I actually have to pay for. I would also recommend that parents ask the teacher what supplies they really need. I could get by without notebooks in the class, but students have to have pencils.
Love this! Tithing and giving are so important. Glad to hear it! ❤
There is a sinking fund few think of and that's an insurrance deductible fund. It not the highest priority fund for many but enough to cover the homeowner's/ renter's insurrance deductible, the deductible for each vehicle, the deductible for all the appliances and extended warranties, and a deductible for 1 in-patient hospitalization (this amount should cover an ER too). In general, you should be able to have a good 5 business days before needing to produce these deductibles so this fund can go into a less liquid account. With an actual fund, you have more options in deciding whether to go for a higher deductible for lower premiums too; or a more inclusive insurrance.
Hope, your hair looks lovely. The Easter meal looks healthy and delicious.
Here in New York, everything has gone up, including income tax, it is so expensive, and hard to keep up.
Love this video! And you both look great love the haircut Hope!!!!!!❤
These are realistic items to consider, and years ago we made a sinking fund for these type of events come up during the year. Thanks for sharing ideas on how to help others.
❤💐 Always love your budget talks and Hope love your hair and nails
Love your nail color Hope!
Senior students have prom and graduation parties!!😁
And senior trips! 😮
Haven't seen you in awhile...love the hair hope...I often use my grocery points when I put on a meal and ask for some potluck and dessert we all share the leftovers... cheers
Love the haircut!
Your hair looks great! Thanks for all the information you share on your channel.
We have a special fund for 6 months premiums for Auto Insurance. The Property Taxes are Spring and Fall for our Retirement Ranch, and Homeowners Insurance.....Annual.....❤
A real way with the school supplies problem is by home by sending her to school for special things like art or theater or band or chorus or orchestra or sports. You can do that everywhere. That saves half and reduces stress. If a child goes to school full-time, they only spend 12.5% of their year in school. Too much anxt and money is spent. I did it. OH look at that you have addressed this issue. Now I really admire you.
I make a list by month at the beginning of the year of any holidays (Easter, for example, can be either March or April), any family birthdays, weddings, or graduations, expenses that we pay each year, and any other major events that I know are coming up. I can quickly see which months are going to be more expensive than others. Most of our bills we pay by the month, even though I know real estate taxes and insurance are slightly more expensive by the month - it's just easier for us to track that way because we do auto-debit. Once I see what months are anticipated to be more expensive, I stock up big time on standard supplies that I always buy at Sams in bulk (toilet paper, paper towels, garbage bags, laundry and dish detergent, some toiletries) during the less expensive months. I know this system might not be the most frugal, but it is an easy way for us to manage our budget because most of those items we do not count in our weekly food budget which is just for food and eating out. And the prices on those items at Sams do not tend to go on sale (and we can have them delivered to our door with free shipping with a Sams membership which is great for us because we are Senior citizens with limited mobility - the membership pays for itself in saved gas and Sams points which we use to buy food for the church pantry.)
I live in Denmark. and never had a lot of money, but for some years I donated part of what I earned teaching french on a private basis to young students and adolescents. I simply asked THEM to donate the equivalent of the first two lessons to a NGO of their own choice. This also served the youngsters a good life lesson! They were always very proud of what they did. Of course their parents were paying, as well as I paid with my time. - As for "unexpected expenses", I simply save more each month for this and I don't take extra income into account. On a yearly basis, it works.
Back to school expenses…I have two grandsons that are in school. I have worked in conjunction with their other Grandmother and together we take our grandsons, along with the list and do the “school supplies” shopping each year. We also take the boys to lunch. It is the extra thing we can do each year to help the parents. Thankfully there are no uniforms!! PS Funds to pay for this excursion is part of my emergency funds budget.
Excellent points to be considered and budgeted for!
Thank you for all the informational video's that you post. I appreciate all the helpful tips you provide in addition to the emails I receive. Also, I love your haircut - beautiful!
Looking nice Hope with new hair cut,nail paint etc,happy wedding,blessings to the newly weds
Love the basket so beautiful!
Hope you look lovely.....haircut and nails!
The basket by your daughter in law in a show stopper. I would purchase hands down.
Hi Hope and Larry,I live in the Netherlands,can’t tell you how helpful you’ve been,helped me out a lot,now I’m able to help and teach others, I have shown them some of your videos,great.
Can I get your ebook too?
Keep up the good work,thanks so much
Love the hair cut Hope.