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How We do an Allowance for our Children
A lot of us parents wonder should I give my kids an allowance? If so, how much? Do you tie it to chores? This post is an explanation as to how we do an allowance and why in order to give you a glimpse into how we handle our kids and money. Like a lot of parenthood, we’re just winging it, but after giving our son and daughter an allowance for a few years, we feel like we’ve found something that really works for us. How Much We Give and Why Both of our children, who are aged seven and eleven, get an allowance and the amount they receive is…
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Rich Relationships are Necessary for Health and Wealth
There has been a lot of discussion lately about the toll loneliness is taking on American society. And while material wealth is necessary to have a good life, I think it is the quality of our relationships which makes for a truly good life. Theoretically, I always knew this, but when we moved I came to really appreciate how it is other people who give life color. I also learned that although making friends and building community is hard work, it is worth it.
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Nasty Nachos
Nacho casserole, a.k.a. nasty nachos, is a delicious mess of a dish that is the perfect excuse to serve nachos for dinner. It’s easy to double and is popular with both adults and kids. In fact, when I made it this week in order to photograph it, my daughter squealed with delight when I served her the leftovers the next day.
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Where does all your money go? Most Likely to Things That Didn’t Even Used to Exist
A few days ago I did our budget, and like a few other months, I found we didn’t have quiiitttteee enough left over to reach all our savings goals. Grumbling and a bit ashamed of my spring fever induced high spending ways, I thought to myself “Where does it all go?” Then today I opened up the great economic tome The Rise and Fall of American Growth by Robert Gordon and was reminded that most of it is going to things my ancestors wouldn’t even recognize. So much which today feel like necessities didn’t even exist prior to 1870. You probably can think of a lot of them, for example, cars…
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Baumol’s Disease Affects Millennials’ Financial Health
The millennial generation in America is suffering from the ill effects of Baumol’s disease. But despite its name, Baumol’s disease isn’t an illness, it’s an economic phenomenon. First described in the 1960s by William J. Baumol and William G. Bowen, it explains how we can possess luxuries barely dreamed of in our childhoods—like smart phones and 60” televisions—while the necessities such as quality housing, medical care, childcare and education are too often drowning young adults under piles of debt.
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Wild Salad Swag
If you love to eat fresh, delicious and free, the time is now! Spring is when all things beautiful and verdant come to life and you’d be surprised how many of the plants in your backyard and community are edible and often downright tasty. This post features three of my favorite wild finds: purple violets, chickweed and red bud. Together with some conventional lettuce and my favorite vinaigrette, these edibles make a salad that is as tasty to eat as it is beautiful to look at. I picked two of the three wild edibles in this salad right from my lawn. We happen to have a whole field of violets…
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Why We Fund a Spousal IRA
In October 2016, right before the presidential election, we finally fully funded an IRA (Individual Retirement Account) for me. And since I don’t currently make a significant amount of money being a SAHM, we created what is called a “Spousal IRA” in my name, which allows us to use my husband’s income to fund an IRA for me since I don’t have enough income to meet the IRS qualifications to fund an IRA. We’re blessed to have the luxury of having enough income from my husband’s work to fund it, and this is the first year we have had enough to contribute enough to reach the yearly limit of $5500.…
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Maga’s Beef Vegetable Soup
This recipe is a favorite from my childhood, when my mom would always keep some on hand for when I got sick. It’s a hearty, old-fashioned, slow-cooked bone soup, full of nutrition and well-developed flavors. The cabbage melts into the soup by the end of cooking time, adding a silkiness to the broth, while the tomatoes lend an acidic sweetness. Depending on appetites, this soup can produce up to 25 servings and is excellent for freezing. It takes about 5 hours to make, but most of that is hands off and the results are well worth it. And not only does it feed a crowd, it’s also easy on the…
food, finance, life
