Spring Cleaning with Young Kids – One Family’s Successes and Failures

by Andy Hill, April 19, 2018, in Family Focus

Spring is here! The days are getting longer and the sun is shining more brightly. It’s time for us to crawl out from under our winter rocks and take on the season of new beginnings with a smile.

Part of embracing spring for our family is setting aside time for a deep clean of the entire house. Although tedious and difficult to accomplish, having a truly clean home in the spring is a cathartic experience. If you have small kids like we do, your home can take quite a beating in the winter. The deep clean is a must for our family.

Since we have a 6-year old and a 3-year old, we had to get quite crafty with this year’s spring cleaning. Usually, we do this when our kids are out of the house (God bless Grandma).

Revealing the good, bad and the ugly, here’s how we approached our big house cleanse with two small humans in tow.

Set a Date and Time 

With our busy family schedule, nothing important gets completed if we don’t put it on our calendar. My wife and I sync our iPhone calendars together (through iCal) so we’re always aware of what’s happening each day.

For our big clean day, we set a date a few weeks in advance so we didn’t miss it. Blocking out an entire Sunday can be tricky, so I’d highly recommend doing it as soon as possible.  We blocked off 9:00 a.m – 6:00 p.m. for this family cleaning adventure.

Divide and Conquer

With two adults and two children, we decided to split up. My wife and son took on the upstairs while my daughter and I focused on the kitchen and first floor.

This helped in two areas:

1. Splitting up our kids so there would be fewer fights that we’d have to break up
2. Created focused one-on-one time (father and daughter, mother and son) made the process a little more special for all

Assign Age Appropriate Chores for the Kids

When it comes to kids and chores, it’s important not to overdo it. The last thing you want is a trip to the emergency room on spring cleaning day.

With my daughter being slightly older, she could help with some slightly more complicated tasks like wiping the counters, washing windows and emptying the garbage cans. My 3-year-old son pretty much-moved dirt from one spot to another with a broom. It was hilarious.

We eventually found a sweet spot for him with our small vacuum. He was able to do a chore that he liked, and it was actually helpful!

Having the kids performing their tasks nearby was the best way to go for us. That way we could support them with the tougher chores if needed. This decreased the likelihood of temper tantrums tenfold.

Include Break Time

When we got tired from cleaning, we took breaks. The kids’ breaks were much longer and more frequent than our breaks, but that gave my wife and I some time to get some major cleaning done.

Kids aside, when you’re doing any physically strenuous activity, you need to hydrate and to take a load off. If you keep pushing hard for too long, you may not be able to complete the big spring clean in one day. Two days of this kid-wrangling and deep-cleaning would be just too much.

Create “Do Not Enter” Zones

Right when we were nearly finished with a room, our kids (still on break) would come and start creating messes where we had just cleaned. It was beyond frustrating.

To remedy this, I decided to put up a sign that said, “Kitchen Closed: Do Not Enter for 1 Hour.” This communication tactic came from the book, How to Talk So You’re Kids Will Listen & Listen So Your Kids Will Talk, by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish. It essentially reduces the amount of yelling happening on Spring Cleaning Day, letting the sign do most of the work.

Surprisingly, the sign was met with curiosity and respect. It kept my 6-year old at bay for a decent period of time. 30 minutes later, there was a bag of chips dropped all over the kitchen floor… c’est la vie.

Make It Fun

Let’s face it. Spring cleaning and chores can be really boring especially for kids. That’s why it’s our job as parents to spice it up a little bit and make it fun.

Now some of these tricks might only work because my kids are younger, but I’m going to keep using them until they fail me.

1. Play fun music for the kids: My daughter likes to jam out to The Descendants and Moana soundtracks, while my son prefers Muse. Go with whatever makes your kids happy and motivated to keep cleaning.
2. Incorporate games into the house cleaning: The old counting trick always works. “Let’s see how fast you can put away your dirty laundry! I’ll count. Go! 1-2-3-4…”
3. Laugh and have fun with technology: Earlier this year, we got an Amazon Echo. While we were cleaning, we’d ask Alexa to tell us jokes. She’s got a wicked sense of humor.

Both my wife and I listened to audiobooks during our focused cleaning time without the kids (they were taking more breaks). Time flies when you’re into a really good book.

Realize You’re Going to Redo Your Kids Work…and That’s Okay

When all was said and done, my wife and I had to redo about half of the “work” that was done by our kids.

Would it have been a lot easier if they were at Grandma’s house again? Definitely.

Honestly, I still preferred it the way we did it. Although we really wanted a sparkling clean house, it was much more important that we spent the day together doing something for the betterment of our family.

After all, our kids will only be young and wild for so long. We better enjoy these beautiful and memorable spring days together while we still can.

How Bad Can It Be: Three Money Questions

by Patrick Chism, April 5, 2018, in Saving Money

We’ve all made money mistakes in our lives, whether it’s over-drafting on a checking account or impulse buys charged to credit cards. It’s best to be aware of these mistakes (and their consequences) before you find yourself making them. Let’s take a look at three common financial questions people have and the answers that make the most sense for your bottom line.

Should I Pay the Minimum on My Credit Card?

Answer: Yes – and then some!

Credit cards often get a bad reputation. And it’s easy to see why. In 2017, total credit card debt in the United States increased to over $1 trillion – the highest point in our history. Per American, that comes out to an average balance of $6,375.

If you just make the minimum monthly payment, you’re paying much more in interest and very little on the amount you actually owe.

Let’s assume that you’re the average American with $6,375 in credit card debt, and your card has an interest rate of 16.15% (the average in the U.S.). If you only pay your minimum payment each month, you’ll have a balance for 16 years and six months and pay a total of $11,613.06. That’s almost double what you originally owed! Once you get into credit card debt, it can be incredibly difficult to get out.

What Should I Do Instead?

Instead of paying the minimum on a credit card, either increase your monthly payment or consolidate debt with a lower-interest personal loan. This will speed up your debt payoff and lower the amount you would pay in interest. It’s a win-win, and it could save you thousands.

Can I Afford to Skip a Payment?

Answer: In most cases, no.

When you’re in a tough financial spot, it’s natural to look for places to cut back on expenses. However, if you don’t pay your debts, you (and your wallet) may experience some long-lasting difficulties. First and foremost, you’ll be charged a late fee. Depending on the type of loan, the amount of the late fee will vary.

The bigger concern is your credit, which can experience some significant drops if you skip payments. This, in turn, will make it more difficult to get financing, and the loans you’re qualified for will have a higher interest rate. In the end, not making a single payment could cost you big down the line.

The most significant consequence, however, is losing an asset that you’ve been paying for. Whether it’s a foreclosure on a home or a repossession of a car, not making your payments can create challenges for you and your family. It’s better to nip them in the bud before they get to this point.

In the event that you don’t have enough money to pay your bills, start by reaching out to your creditors. Call these companies and tell them you’re struggling. In most cases, they’ll help you find a solution. After all, creditors want to be paid. It’s in their best interests to help you come up with a plan to fix your situation, whether that means smaller monthly payments or removing late fees.

If you absolutely have to skip a payment, prioritize what you do and don’t pay. Start by paying the bills that most directly affect your life, such as your mortgage, car loan and utility bills. You may need to triage some of your other bills, such as student loans and credit cards. While this isn’t a perfect solution, it does give you a little time to get out of a money rut. If you decide to skip a payment, use this time to start cutting back on expenses and looking for opportunities to make more money on the side.

Debt can be scary, and it’s important to come at it with a cool head. To guard yourself against debt, start prepping an emergency fund today.

Should I Have a Savings Account?

Answer: Yes – but don’t overdo it.

Thirty-four percent of Americans don’t have a savings account, and of those who do, less than half have $1,000 tucked away. That means that if there’s a financial emergency – the loss of a job, a medical emergency, an expensive car bill, etc. – the majority of us will be in deep trouble.

So it’s important to have a savings account, specifically for building an emergency fund. For most of us, a well-stocked emergency fund requires three months’ worth of expenses. So if your family lives off of $5,000 a month, you’d need $15,000 tucked away in a savings account.

Sound impossible? The best way to grow your savings is through automation. Decide how much you want to save every month and have your bank automatically transfer that amount into your savings account. You’d be surprised how a little extra each month adds up in a big way. And if you’re still worried about your willpower, try an app that helps you save excess money during the month.

Go Beyond Savings

Once you have a fully funded emergency fund, don’t keep putting money in the savings account. While they’re great for emergency funds, they aren’t the best places to grow your wealth. Once you have three months’ worth of expenses saved, start putting your extra money into investments. With the stock market, you can typically expect 6 – 8% in returns, which is hands-down a better investment than leaving all your money in savings (which usually has less than a 1% rate of return). Let your money work for you!

The beauty of a savings account is that there’s little risk involved. The stock market can be more volatile. So start with an emergency fund and expand to investments when you’re ready.

Questions and Answers

Taking these steps can help you pay down your credit card debt and improve your financial health.

The 10 Best Apps for Home Buyers

by Kevin Graham, March 27, 2018, in Home Improvement

How do you go about looking for the perfect home? Long gone are the days when house hunting meant sifting through stacks of newspapers with your trusty highlighter. So what’s the latest and greatest way to buy a home?

Ever heard someone say there’s an app for that? Well, there definitely are some great apps for prospective home buyers.

Your smartphone has the ability to lead you right to the home of your dreams. From three-bedroom ranches to grandiose mansions, here are the best home buying apps to help you find your perfect place and then make it yours, and all of them are available on iOS and Android.

How Much Can You Afford?

Before you go and look at just any home, you’re going to want to know your exact budget. This will prevent you from looking at $400,000 houses when realistically, your budget is $250,000.

Here are a couple of Quicken Loans apps that can help with that.

Mortgage Calculator App

Are you looking to buy a home, but you’re not sure whether you can afford it yet? Check out the Mortgage Calculator by Quicken Loans app. The cool thing is, it’s actually several calculators combined into a larger app.

The home affordability section of the app will let you input your debts and your income along with an interest rate to get an idea of what you can afford. If you’re not sure what a realistic rate would be, you can view our current rates within the app. Once you input all of your information, it’ll let you know how much you might be able to be preapproved for based on your estimates.

The purchase calculator works similarly. But once the process is completed, it will show you what you can expect your monthly payment to be.

In addition to these resources for home buyers, existing homeowners can see how much they would save by refinancing. Our Amortization Calculator will also show you how much interest you can save over time by making extra payments toward the principal of your loan.

Rocket Mortgage

If the Mortgage Calculator is a hypothetical, the Rocket Mortgage app is what you use to get an official preapproval regarding how much you can borrow for a home.

Whereas the calculator app inputs your debt and income, you can use the Rocket Mortgage app in order to actually import your tax information and bank statements so we can see your income and assets. Pulling your credit with the app allows us to see all the existing debts you have, calculate your debt-to-income ratio (DTI) and check your credit score. This helps us determine what loans you qualify for as well as how much you can afford.

Getting a preapproval is the single most important thing a home buyer can do to show a seller they’re serious. It shows you worked to secure financing for the offer you’re making. You can even get a rock solid preapproval in minutes* if you want.

House Hunting Apps

Once you have your financing in place, the fun part starts. Now you get to shop. All of the following apps will help in your home search.

Redfin

The Redfin app says its listings are updated every 15 – 30 minutes. The app enables you to draw a map around the area you’re looking and only see homes in that area. Areas are also rated on how walkable they are.

Realtor.com

The nice thing about The Realtor.com app is that it’s backed by the National Association of REALTORS®. This means that it will have all the listings in your local area that are handled by members of that organization. It’s a pretty big nationwide organization of real estate professionals. There is a large variety of houses on this app.

Zillow and Trulia

In terms of big-name real estate sites and apps that many people are familiar with, there used to be two big names in the game: Zillow and Trulia.

Then in 2015, these competitors in the real estate space turned friends in a merger, and they’re now owned by the same parent company. As a result, this section is a two-for-one.

Zillow and Trulia both offer listings for both purchase and rent. Because these companies have been the big names in the online listings game for a while, they have many listings, including those that aren’t necessarily listed by a real estate agent because the general public can list their own properties. Having a cross section of these two apps will enable you to have the best overall picture of your local market.

Help with Your Homeowners Claim

When you’re about to close on your home, you’ll have to get homeowners insurance in case your home needs to be rebuilt or renovated in the event of damage.

One of the things covered by most homeowners insurance policies is personal property protection. If your property is stolen or damaged in a disaster, your homeowners insurance policy can help you replace your belongings up to a certain amount.

However, you’ll need proof of ownership for the items you want replaced when you make a claim. That’s where the Encircle app comes in.

Even available for BlackBerry, Encircle allows you to take pictures of all of your stuff. As you buy things, you can put in the receipts and document the purchase price. Filing a claim is much easier with documented evidence.

Home Decor Apps

The final three items on this list are great apps for decorating your home. This is the part where you get to make your space truly yours.

Homestyler

Have you ever wondered whether that leather couch you’ve got your eye on will fit in the space you want to put it, let alone look good there? Homestyler can help you answer these questions.

The Homestyler app will let you take a picture of your room, choose color and flooring options and get a good idea of how different types of furniture would look in the space. It’s a design playground without any commitment.

Houzz

Houzz, also available on the Windows Phone, allows you to get design ideas and helps provide you with the resources you need for completing a remodel or decor project. Not only can you share ideas and shop for products, but you can also get advice and find professionals who can help you with anything that goes beyond DIY.

Benjamin Moore Color Capture

The Color Capture app from Benjamin Moore takes a simple concept and executes it well. If you see a paint color you like, take a picture with your smartphone or tablet. With this app, you can find out what the color is so you can re-create the effect in your home.

It’s worth noting that all the major paint manufacturers have an app like this, so for the most variety in color palettes, you might check out multiple apps.