Published on: 12 September 2018
Last Updated on: 25 November 2021
According to the EPI (Economic Policy Institute), while we can budget for our future, the average cost to raise a child in California is $233,610. There are different ways of saving money. The cost of living seems to be ever-rising along with the price of gas and other necessities, but it doesn’t mean that we can’t still have fun as a family.
Simple budget benders can include things like shopping around for the best bargains online, signing up for cashback websites and finding other savings on the internet. Perhaps saving money can become a family affair and kids can join with parent’s efforts on saving a few bucks.
For example, since many children nowadays are more tech-savvy, the next time they’re in the market for a new electronic gadget, perhaps a laptop for school or a new smartphone, task them with finding the best deal online.
1.HOME ON THE RANGE:
Instead of ordering pizza from the expensive Italian joint down the street, why not make one at home and the whole family can join in. Most national grocery chains now carry inexpensive, pre-made pizza dough and together with fresh vegetables and cheeses, whipping up a pie in our own kitchen is often cheaper than takeout or delivery. Plus the kids get the pride of creating and cooking their own pizza masterpiece. Saving The Money is an art and you cannot make things happen in one day.
2.FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT:
With things like Netflix, newer (or even older) movies can be had at a fraction of the cost of going to the theater. Make it fun for the kids and swap times when it’s the child’s choice to pick the movie or have a theme like Disney classics. Make healthy snacks at home and ditch the expensive, overly buttered popcorn and sugary sweet treats found at the cinema. Opt instead for air-popped corn and healthier granola, nuts and other lower fat finger foods.
3.ROAD TRIP CLOSER TO HOME:
Instead of traveling to an expensive theme park on the other side of the state or country, try checking out locations closer to home. Utilize a Google search for your city (or neighboring town) and input “top-ten destinations” and travel sites like Tripadvisor will return favorable results. Find parks, museums, historical sights and read their reviews to find locations that have picnic areas and other places where you can dine outdoors with your family. Again, bring your own menu of healthier menu choices, fresh fruits, and vegetables and skip the fast food fares.
4.TRY NEW THINGS:
Encourage your children to try new foods and activities that will make them happier and healthier. Instead of hanging around the house and playing video games, perhaps it would be more fun to go for a bike ride or hike along a nature trail. If the weather isn’t permissive, instead of watching cartoons, try the Animal Planet or tune into the History Channel.
Instead of processed chicken fingers and ranch dressing, a staple for many kids nowadays, why not try a much healthier salmon steak with a creamy dill sauce. Rather than opening another box of macaroni and cheese, how about tossing a children’s chef salad where the kids can pick different ingredients like sunflower seeds, healthy lean meats, and fresh vegetables.
Often we can get into a rut and simply fall victim to unhealthy foods and activities that we’ve been accustomed to and forget about being more active and eating better. If the family that plays together, stays together, perhaps those who try new things can find activities that can better connect them and help them to bond in new ways.
Final Take Away
Hence, these are some of the facts that you need to take care of while you want to save money in all aspects. You have to understand the facts before drawing any kind of conclusion. You must not make your choices in grey while you want to increase your savings in the right direction. Work out the plans that can help you to achieve your goals in the best possible manner.
Content Rally wrapped around an online publication where you can publish your own intellectuals. It is a publishing platform designed to make great stories by content creators. This is your era, your place to be online. So come forward share your views, thoughts and ideas via Content Rally.
We hope that you will find the person that you will spend the rest of your life with - somebody who will build a family with you. You should marry someone who has a vision for the future. You take enough time to get to know each other before you decide to settle down. Even then, you’re still uncertain if you have a keeper on your hands.
Sometimes you do whatever you like, and other times you do...what the other person wants. That is part of being in a strong relationship. However, you also required to spend time doing something that you both enjoy doing mutually. Whether that's traveling, wine tasting, binge-watching your preferred TV series, or even working unitedly, this is one of the most powerful, and simple, signs that you are joined to the right person. There are a few things that you should know before you marry someone.
There are many signs that you married the wrong person. You need to consider these things to know if you have someone who deserves to tie the knot with you.
You have the same views about starting a family
Before, it wasn’t an issue. People got married because they wanted to start a family. These days, some couples just want companionship. Having kids isn’t a priority. Therefore, if it’s a big deal for you to have kids, you shouldn’t marry someone firm in not having any. The issue will keep coming up and will be a source of unnecessary fights. You might have different parenting styles and views, but you can deal with them easily. If you differ significantly about the idea of having kids, it’s a different story.
You understand each other’s quirky attitudes
You will always have a negative aspect that most people find annoying. Or You tend to hide it at first, especially if you're into someone. However, at some point, that side will get revealed. If it's not a deal-breaker for your partner, it's a sign that you're compatible. Some people might say that a good partner will help you change. The truth is that you also need someone who tolerates you and accepts you for who you are. If you want to change, it needs to be on your terms and not because your partner told you to do so.
Between things like job and your kids, you don't regularly have the time to make your spouse a preference. When you're with the best person, though, that's not the crisis. It could be utterly saying "I love you," cleaning the vessels after dinner or getting them to that new restaurant they've been craving to try out.
The person has dreams and ambitions
No matter how crazy these dreams are, it’s good to know that you’re going to marry someone who has a vision for the future. You can’t settle down with a person who is already happy with the status quo. Even You can’t allow yourself to get derailed by someone who has no plans in life. You also don’t want to put all your dreams on hold because you have a partner who doesn’t seem to care.
Even the greatest connection can end in a break up due to financial discords and matters. You should both be on the equal page when it befalls to your financial purposes, such as how much cash you need to live a joyful and stress-free life and how you're working to save for solitude. However, there are endless-term dreams and ambitions that you should share. For example, if you want to have children but your partner doesn't, that could have dangerous implications for your wedding.
Having dreams and ambitions in our life is very important for both partners. You can see your future to a great extent through dreams and ambitions. A person who has dreams and ambitions is the right person for you and you can trust him/her throughout your life.
You can be honest with this person
Honesty is the foundation of every relationship. Without honesty, it means there's a lack of trust. If you've been together for several years and you still can't trust your partner, it means your relationship won't work out. If you already lie now, it could get even worse later. You should get out of the relationship if it's something that forces you to be who you're not or to keep how you truly feel inside.
I think honesty is the MOST important thing for a relationship to last and grow. It is a reason for everything else and is significant in all areas of a couples’ life unitedly. It is necessary when discussing and making judgments about children, finances, work, and cultural life, everything else is fractionable and unstable.
These are only some indications that you have found the one. It doesn’t mean you will stay together forever, but you can at least feel confident that you’re heading in the right direction. You can now start the wedding plans. Don’t forget to hire Omaha wedding photographers and capture every aspect of the wedding.
Read Also:
How To Get Copy Of A Divorce Decree
3 Tips For An Amazing Wedding Reception
5 Reasons Why Girls Should Propose To Boys
How To Get Maximal Value From Your Couples Therapy
Did you know that, according to statistics, the average cost of a divorce in the US is almost equal to the average cost of a wedding with all the bells and whistles ($20-25 000)? Sounds impressive, and not much fun, especially taking into consideration the fact that many people on the verge of divorce feel that they have already paid in full. Thus it's no wonder that some people who don't need their divorce to be a huge show, are looking for ways to save a little when drafting a divorce, without involving lawyers or mediators. But how to arrange such a cheap divorce? How to save money without missing any significant detail and to settle all the necessary issues in a fair and mutually beneficial way? There are several common conditions and ways of how to get a cheap divorce in Texas - let's sort it out.
Are you a good candidate for a simplified Texas divorce?
Foremost, we should understand what factors allow to minimize the whole cost of divorce, because, anyway, the main goal is a well-organized divorce without problems and without extra expenses which may arise in the future if you are not sufficiently attentive to the documents, agreement and so on. To understand what is really worth paying, and without what actions and expenses you can easily do, you need to decide on the type of divorce.
When filing for divorce, one of the provided by state law grounds for dissolution must be indicated in the petition. To make divorce easier it's better to file under the no-fault ground (surely, if the situation is not critical). No-fault divorce in Texas implies that the spouses want to divorce as they have some conflict of interest and just can't get along anymore. No one is obliged to prove or detail something before the court.
No-fault ground for divorce, in its turn, allows arranging an uncontested divorce, which means that the main terms of the case are decided by the spouses independently, not by the long-term court battles and the court's decisions.
So, if you feel that you are able to negotiate with your spouse about property division, child custody, and other important issues, you should try an uncontested, or as it’s also known “agreed” divorce. It's definitely cheaper, even both parties want to hire attorneys, and also, uncontested divorce typically takes less time.
It’s generally considered that not every couple is eligible for an uncontested divorce in Texas. Actually, there are some conditions that are preferred for filing for an uncontested divorce, like:
the spouses have no minor children together;
the spouses don’t have a lot of property together or retirement benefits to dividing;
neither spouse is going to seek alimony;
the wish to get a divorce is mutual.
However, if the spouses have minor children they also have the right to file for an uncontested divorce, though it might be a more time-consuming process. The point is that the parties should decide in advance all the controversial issues, make a written agreement and fill out the relevant forms for an uncontested divorce with children.
Anyway, the essence of an agreed divorce is your mutual ability and desire to settle all the differences in a most amicable way, to communicate honestly and directly, and, whenever possible, to arrange a divorce as a non-stressful and inexpensive process. If you and your ex are ready for this, let’s go further.
DIY divorce - when attention to detail is essential
To arrange a cheap divorce in Texas, you can fill out the forms yourself by checking your state's court website for divorce papers, or contacting the clerk of the family court of your county. Such a procedure is known as do-it-yourself divorce. And surely, there are some features and pitfalls you should definitely know about the topic before taking this step.
First, you need to clearly know what forms are necessary for your divorce circumstances.
The Texas Judicial Branch website provides a self-help guide with a number of recommended and state-approved links which may be useful for the self-represented litigants. You can find examples of filling out forms, useful videos, etc. Get ready for the fact that having a goal to save money, you probably will not always be able to save time. Without the help of specialists, you will have to dive into the legal nuances of uncontested divorce in Texas if you are interested in the best result.
After filling out the divorce forms and filing the Petition with the District Clerk of the county court according to the instructions you should serve your spouse with the copies. Since your desire to get a cheap divorce in Texas is mutual you may save some cost of service.
There is a divorce form called the Notice of Service of Process which usually accompanies the Petition for dissolution. This form is needed to notify the other party (called the Respondent) about the case and to receive his/her answer to the Petition. Speaking of uncontested divorce, it's assumed that both spouses know about each other intentions, and all the divorce terms outlined in the initial Petition are agreed by them in advance, meaning that they are going to cooperate working on the settlement. So, the Respondent may refuse from the service in writing, filing the special Waiver of service form (notice that even if the general title is the same there are different forms for divorce with or without children, you just need to choose the right set of forms).
After the Petition is filed and the service is waived, an uncontested divorce is officially started. However, in Texas, there is a mandatory 60-day waiting period, before the expiration of which the divorce cannot be granted by the court, even if the case is simple and uncontested. For those who decide to organize a DIY divorce, these days may be spent working out a final agreement regarding property, alimony, custody of children, and other issues that seem to be important in a particular situation. The mutual desire of the spouses to complete the divorce as soon as possible and without disputes is very important, but it still doesn't guarantee that judicial intervention won't be required. Anyway, the settlement agreement must be submitted to the court and the judge must confirm that it is fair - namely, that the property is divided in a just way, that the child custody and support arrangement meets the best interest of the kid(s). So, if the spouses do not have claims against each other but their agreement is considered insufficient in the eye of the court (or it doesn't comply with state laws) the divorce will be probably delayed. Also, the spouses may be ordered to attend divorce mediation sessions to deal with their agreement. Although mediators' fees are still much cheaper than lawyers' fees, yet it's expenses. And if your case is simple enough your chance to get a really cheap divorce depends a lot on your sense of responsibility, and close attention to all the details. You shouldn't panic or rush, just keep calm and encourage your ex to take the work on an agreement seriously as well. As for uncontested divorce, a successful marital settlement agreement defines a character of a post-divorce life a lot, especially if the couple has kids and some kind of communication between the former spouses is still implied.
Online divorce - the helping hand
So, the cheapest way to get a divorce in Texas is a purely DIY divorce. At its best, the cost of a do-it-yourself divorce may be limited to the filing fee. Nevertheless, DIY divorce doesn't fit every couple, and all these court sites can be pretty tricky, while nowadays we are totally “spoiled” by developers who pay much attention to the ergonomics of apps and websites, so you know, there may be some difficulties with all that online bureaucracy... Also, different forms can be required within different states as well as fees, which are in addition to fees for document preparation. So, a lot of busy people seek a kind of middle way between, they want an inexpensive divorce to be fast, and so that they could use some help but without hiring an attorney.
Basing on all these conditions, online divorce companies are becoming an even more popular way for couples to terminate their marriage, speaking of uncontested divorce, of course.
Such websites prepare forms for you based on the information you provide. There is no specific package of services; you can choose the most suitable option. Thus some companies are the do-it-yourself type where you fill out the forms yourself, and others prepare your documents, many of the top sites will review the forms. Usually, they have attorneys or divorce paralegals who also can explain and provide detailed information on your divorce process.
What's really good, is that these divorce documents are customized to your county's rules, your children, your income, assets, and other factors in your case, and you don't need to seek all the information and nuances by yourself. You receive the prepared, ready to print, and sign divorce forms after a short online interview, without long completion or delivery periods. If time is money - we should use it well.
Read Also:
Divorce Lawyers In Houston Texas: A Short Guide On Saving Your Marriage
Are Payday Loans Really As Bad As People Say?
Top 7 Reasons To Hire A Private Detective Agency During Divorce Cases
The internet has reached nearly every part of the world. Studies show that one in every three kids in the United States, Europe, and other regions now uses the internet. Soon, the number of kids using the internet will continue to increase.
A recent study showed that kids in the West are begging to consider internet access as a basic right or necessity.
When used correctly, the internet is a good thing. It facilitates entertainment, offers learning opportunities, allows children to interact with their friends, and more. However, the internet is a double-edged sword.
On the flip side, it poses many threats to children, teens, and even adult users. Some of these threats include sexual harassment, sexting, invasion of the kids’ privacy, identity theft, and cyberbullying.
This is the main reason parents must monitor their children’s online activities. Your children trust you, and that’s your opportunity to talk to them about their online safety. Let them know that they can always turn to you whenever they sense danger online.
Generally, understanding what your kids and teens do online is essential when it comes to protecting them from internet-related threats. Here are three effective ways to ensure online safety for your kids and household.
1. Use An Encrypted Network At Home
Today’s home network includes a broad range of wireless devices such as phones, computers, smart TVs, IP Cameras, and other connected appliances.
Using a wireless connection requires an internet access point like a DSL modem or cable to a router (wireless). This sends a signal via air for as far as 100 feet. That means that the devices within range can access the internet via that signal.
Unless you take the right precautions, your neighbors and hackers nearby can access your network. They can ‘piggyback’ on that network and access data from your devices. In case an authorized person uses your household’s network to commit a crime, that activity will be traced to your account.
To address this issue, you must use encryption on your home’s wireless network. Encrypting the data you send over your home’s wireless network prevents nearby hackers from eavesdropping on your communications.
So, install a VPN router to ensure that all the traffic within your home’s network is encrypted. Also, a VPN router can successfully hide your IP address and encrypt other devices connected to it. This will block hackers from seeing your internet activity.
2. Keep All Your Devices’ OS Up-to-Date
Keeping your devices’ OS and other software up to date is an effective way of minimizing the risk of a security breach and malware infection. Most software updates include new features, security patches, and bug fixes.
Delaying or ignoring operating system updates exposes your home computers, phones, and other devices to internet security threats. Also, OS updates offer users new features and improved functionality.
Keep in mind that system updates are usually designed to protect users from various levels of cyberattacks. Ignoring them may prove critical to the overall functioning of your home devices. Sure, your children may not understand the importance of updating device systems. But you should always do it for them.
3. Install Parental Safety Software
Despite the AAP’s recommendation to choose and view online content with your kids, the advent of internet-connected devices has made it more challenging for parents to monitor and limit their kids’ online activities.
Today, children as young as nine years spend more than three hours daily accessing the internet, according to a recent study. These habits are likely to worsen, and this exposes your child to the dangers associated with various forms of internet content.
The chances are that you have already enacted robust protection features on your kids’ devices. However, you need to download and install parental control software.
This will help you monitor what your children are doing online. You will be able to know when your kid is being bullied or introduced to content that they shouldn’t be accessing.
There might be times when your teenagers might start getting into the rebellious part of their life. Everything you say to them might be taken in the opposite manner. This rebellious behavior has the potential of impairing their judgment and falling prey to online predators that can scar them physically and emotionally.
Using parental safety software can ensure that you are keeping track of who your child is talking and interacting with. If you want information, read more here.
Talk To Them About Online Safety
One of the best ways to protect your children online is by having an open and honest conversation about internet safety. Kids are curious, and while they might know how to navigate the digital world, they may not understand the dangers lurking around the corner.
That’s where you come in!
It’s important to talk to them and set clear expectations for their online behavior.
Explain The Risks
Start by explaining the risks, but don’t overwhelm them with too much information at once.
Break it down into things they can understand—like how some people online pretend to be someone they’re not or how sharing personal information can lead to trouble.
Ask them questions:
What do they already know about the dangers?
How do they feel when someone they don’t know tries to talk to them online?
This helps create a two-way conversation instead of a lecture.
Encourage Open Communication
Encourage your children to come to you whenever they encounter something that makes them uncomfortable. Let them know it’s okay to talk about anything, even if they’ve made a mistake online.
Building trust is crucial here. If they feel safe talking to you, they’ll be more likely to share when something goes wrong.
Set Clear Boundaries
Set boundaries for screen time and the types of websites or apps they can use. But instead of just telling them what not to do, explain why certain websites or interactions can be dangerous.
For younger kids, simple rules like "Don’t talk to strangers" or "Ask me before downloading anything" are easy to follow.
For older teens, focus more on the long-term consequences of risky behavior, like sharing inappropriate photos or chatting with strangers.
Lead By Example
Another great way to encourage safe internet habits is by leading by example. Show them how you protect your own privacy online.
Like using strong passwords, avoiding suspicious links, or turning off location services on apps. Kids are always watching and learning from what you do!
Create A Family Agreement
It’s also a good idea to create a family agreement for online use. This can be a simple list of rules everyone agrees to follow, from limiting screen time to being respectful in online interactions.
Make it a fun activity where everyone gets to contribute their ideas, so it doesn’t feel like just another set of rules imposed by the parents.
Today’s parents are raising a new generation of techie children. Teens text to communicate while toddlers are using tablets and iPads. It is the duty of the parents to ensure that their children are not exposed to internet threats.
Read Also:
5 Things You should know about Safety Alerts
Care Free Fun: 5 Fun and Family-Friendly Activities for Children With Special Needs
