Economies and Home Economics for Holiday Time

Throughout the recession money was tight. Many people had lost their jobs and few could expect a pay rise evenif they held on to theirs. Even though inflation was low and demand depressed, it did not stop some things rising in price, things such as utilities. With pressure on monthly income it became increasingly important to look for bargains, negotiate discounts, use special offers and avoid waste. Even though the recession has ended it is still valid to take the opportunities that present themselves. Certainly employment figures are getting better month on month but there is little sign that wages are rising across the majority of sectors.

A Young Family
A mother with a small family faces a number of challenges, balancing the needs of the household with keeping children interested in learning, amused in whatever way she can and encouraging them along the correct paths of behavior and respect. Money plays a major part in her life and in fact teaching her children some of the lessons about money is something that will give them a good grounding for their later years. If they do a simple chore to earn their allowance each week then that is the first step in learning about the value of money. A second step is perhaps saving a little each week towards buying something in the future, or to have a sum to use on a future holiday. 

Holiday seasons happen at different times of the year; Christmas, the summer and Thanksgiving are just three events worth mentioning. They are times that mom needs to focus on for a variety of reasons, not least the finance involved for the family to enjoy them. Finance is needed for presents, for the Thanksgiving Turkey and the other food and drink involved in the celebrations. There is also the holiday when the family all go away together to a resort of some kind. When the kids are a little older there is summer camp of course.

Money Management
It is not easy to manage money. It is not a school subject and sometimes there are hard lessons to learn before people get things right. Mom therefore faces plenty of challenges in paying the bills and putting a little aside for holiday time. There are many things that she can do that don’t relate directly to money which can make the holiday time more enjoyable. Children can be amused whilst developing their craft skills. How many youngsters don’t enjoy paint, glue and craft? 

They don’t intentionally make a mess you know. Mom will need to keep an eye things so that she hasn’t got a lot of cleaning up to do. The same thing applies in the kitchen perhaps cooking some cakes for a party?

For a family to be able to go away on holiday it often involves being able to save up. After the decision on where to go is made, most holidays can be booked on line by paying a small deposit. The best way to do this is by providing credit card details which will be secure thanks to the sophisticated payment gateways that have developed to combat potential fraud. It is important not to build up a balance on a credit card of course; a high rate of interest is applied to any amount that is not paid off at the end of the month. Card cards should be used purely for convenience. Those who build up a balance on a card, and there are plenty judging by the nationwide statistics in the USA should pay them off with more competitive & trusted realistic loans. It is sensible budgeting which is something every young mom should perfect.

Reduce Expenditure
The remainder of the holiday bill will not be due until a few weeks beforehand so there is time to save, not only for the bill but also for spending money. A holiday is something to look forward to especially on cold, dark and wet winter’s nights. There may be some obvious savings that can be made. Comparative websites provide a good basis for those people wanting to know what the best utility suppliers will charge or who are the most competitive insurance providers. You may even find a cheaper telephone network. Each of these are significant parts of monthly expenditure. 

The phrase ‘good housekeeping’ has become something that is used to describe anything that is well run, not necessarily frugal but certainly not wasteful.  A CEO of a large company would certainly like to hear the phrase used about the company. The origins of the phrase come back to the women in the house who prides herself on avoiding waste and making the most of available resources. If she does that she will have deserved her holiday and the kids ought to be extremely pleased as a result.

Beware Of Internet Fraud
There is a huge rise in criminals using the internet to scam  people out of there hard earned cash. We see these fraudsters act swiftly especially around the holidays when people are rushing around and not being vigilant. Take a look at www.onlinescam.net to learn how to protect yourself this holiday season!