A Five Year-Old's Education of Debt

I found out recently that in the local schools, if you forget your lunch money, you can still get lunch on credit. How wonderful that the sweet children won't be allowed to go hungry for a few hours.

As a result of this, if you forget your ice cream money, you can also get that on credit. If your friend forgets her ice cream money, you can get it for her on your credit, too. In fact, borrow to get a round of ice cream for all your besties! 

One Mom told me that her daughter was distressed because she had racked up $30 in lunch room debt by buying snacks for her friends. Thirty dollars isn't a big deal. Just write the check, right? It is a big deal because of what it teaches our kids. 

If we don't let our kids experience the negative consequences of their actions, we are teaching them that there are no negative consequences.

If the school system is teaching him that he can charge his lunch to his account, we have to work extra hard to teach him debt is bad.

Didn't plan ahead to pay the electric bill? Charge it. Didn't save up to buy a new car? Borrow for it. Can't pay rent? Mom and Dad will let me live with them. Want nicer stuff? Want to give generous presents? Charge it.

We have to teach out kids that it's not okay to borrow. You have to save up in order to buy the stuff you want. Be prepared for what might happen.

My son brings his lunch every day, but we put $10 in his account to be prepared for the day we might forget his lunch or not have time to make it. When I told him about that money in his account, he said "No no no no no, Mom. You don't have to do that. They give us a special card. It's like a credit card, but not, and you can get lunch with it." When I tried to explain to him that credit is bad, he just looked at me with his "I know I'm right, but I'll be quiet about it" face.

Headband Tutorial

I recently figured out how to wear headbands in a way that is not unflattering. I've always liked headbands, but I tried to wear them in a way that was actually functional, pulling all the hair away from my face. That looks horrible on me. So I wear my headbands in a nonfunctional way, with hair hanging out in front.

I went headband shopping today and since I couldn't find what I wanted, I went to the ribbon and lace section so I could make my own. The lace I found is two yards, so I thought I'd be able to make about eight headbands out of that. It turns out that I only made three. It would have been four, but I messed up.

Why did you do this, Sewing Machine?

Here's how to make your own headband with a lace or ribbon that is not stretchy.

1. Measure around your head where you would wear a headband.

 2. Cut your lace three inches shorter than your head measurement.

3. Cut your elastic to seven inches.

4. Pin two inches of your elastic onto the back side of your lace. My elastic is 3/4 inches wide and my lace is two inches wide, so I'm folding it over to sew it.

5. Sew two rows of zigzag stitches to make sure your lace doesn't unravel. Does everyone know to sew backwards a few stitches at the beginnings and ends of rows to prevent unraveling? Did everyone's mothers teach them that on their pink sewing machines? What? Are you saying that my  mother is the only who had a pink sewing machine? That's a shame. Can we all agree that the makers of sewing machines should take a page from Kitchen Aid mixers and come in every single color? Let's start a letter writing campaign.

6. Sew a zigzag row at the top of elastic.

7. Repeat steps five and six on the other side.

8. Wear in an impractical manner that doesn't keep hair out of your face.

This was so easy that I made two extra and I am going to mail them out to two of you! (As long as you live in America). Just share this post on Facebook or Pinterest, and then leave a comment below. I'll draw two names out of a hat (not a literal hat) on Monday and announce the winners!

I probably won't know if you don't actually share my blog.

Do you think there are at least two people who would like to win a headband?

Update: The giveaway is over, and Rachelle and Angela are the winners!

I do not admire your fancy schmancy car.

In my volunteer financial counseling, I have noticed that one of the biggest financial problems people have is a car payment. I was about to fill in the end of that sentence with restaurant spending, but I realized that's not the biggest problem. So I will tackle restaurant spending another day.

The average car payment is $460. If you are paying something like that each month, imagine what else you could be doing with that money. Stop and think right now, I'll wait.

Did you think of what you would do with that money? Tell me in the comments!

I have talked to several people who have bought new cars in the last year and have big car payments, but are living with their parents. If they were driving old, paid off cars, they could find a small apartment for the price of their car payment. At least in my area you can. A quick search on ApartmentFinder.com found several.

Many people think that they will always have a car payment, only new cars will be reliable, you should get a new car if yours reaches x amount of mileage,  you should sell your car before it starts breaking down, or that once it breaks down a few times, it's time to get a new one. In reality, unless you have the type of repair that costs several thousand dollars, it is cheaper to pay occasional repair bills than to get a loan on a new car and start paying car payments.

I hope this blog reaches you before you get a loan on a brand new car. But it's not too late if you have bought (and borrowed for) a new car. But you got a really good deal on it, you say? Why is it that everyone tells me they got a really good deal on their brand new car? Could it be that car salesmen are good at making us think that we got a good deal?

It's no secret that new cars lose a lot of their value as soon as you drive them off the lot. If you didn't have a down payment, you now owe more for your car than what you can sell it for. You can find out what your car is worth at kbb.com It will take a while for you to pay the loan down to what it is worth, but I suggest you do just that. Then sell it.

Are you part of a two car family? Is there any way that you could make do with one car for a while? Do you live and work in a place for public transportation is reliable? Is there someone you can carpool with? If any of these is an option for you, you can do without a car while you save up cash to pay for a used car. If not, you should save up $1,000-$2,000 for a cheap used car. While you are driving the cheap used car, save up to buy a better used car, unless there is someone else more important to do with your money at this time. The good thing about a $1,000 car? It will hardly lose any value. When you go to sell it, it might still be worth $1,000.

When buying a car, always look at Consumer Reports. Your library might have it, or you may have to pay about $6 for a one month subscription. You can look up a car from any year and see how well it is expected to perform in several different areas. Then be patient. You won't see the best deal right away. Wait for the right one.

In my research, I learned that the average car is about eleven years old. Each year, this average goes up. That means cars are built better and are lasting longer, and age/miles is not a reason to get rid of your car.

Maybe it's just my age, but when I was a kid, I remember ten year old cars looking really old. Now, for the most part, they don't look old at all. Of course, I'm not interested in cars, and I don't pay attention to them except to wonder if the drivers of fancy schmancy cars are in debt up their eye balls. In fact, I am so uninterested in cars, that when I was in high school, and my parents bought a new used car, it took me about a year to be recognize it with confidence. This car was so nondescript that I always had a fear that I would walk up to someone else's car and get in and die of embarrassment.

Why does this car come up when I search for "most nondescript car"? This car is definitely fancy schmancy.

I believe this is the most nondescript car. It is practically parking lot camouflage.

So instead of admiring your friend's new cars, let's start a new trend of admiring your friend's oldest cars. Have a contest to see who can keep an old car the longest. We used to drive a car that was almost old enough to vote. We did not really love that car. When it rained, it poured. Inside. Especially when turning left. But we saved up while we drove it, and bought better cars for cash. Our current cars are six and eight years old, and they feel brand new. And they are going to last a long time.

The Varied Amazing Uses of Cardboard

Yesterday, you may have seen a $100+ kids teepee on my blog. Today, I will share with you instructions on how to make your own teepee.

1. Obtain three or more pieces of 1 x 2 wood five feet long.

2. Set them up in the teepee shape you want and tie them with twine wrapped around many times.

3. Measure the triangles formed between each piece of wood.

4.Get some canvas or other sturdy material of the appropriate measurements.
5. Cut the fabric in a zigzag pattern to best utilize the fabric.
6. Sew it together, then on to the wood.

Or, don't do that. Because kids don't need all that. Kids need to pretend. Sometimes pretending doesn't come naturally, and you have to teach them how to pretend. But after a few times of pretending them with them, they will be making up their own pretends. "Mommy, it's raining inside the house. This broom is my umbrella." If you have a teepee, it will look cute, but it may only be a teepee, when a cardboard box can be so many things.

Take this particular cardboard box. It started it's life by bringing us something wonderful from Amazon. It was stored in the garage with a few other boxes. Then it made itself useful as a drop cloth while we spray painted something blue. (Husband doesn't like it when I spray paint right on the grass, even though it will grow out. Gosh.) Cardboard boxes make the best drop cloths because they don't slide around much like actual cloth and plastic. If you're using it outside, it won't blow in the wind and attach itself to the painted surface like cloth and plastic.  When you're painting inside, it's so easy to push them up against the wall when they move. When you drip paint on them, they soak it up just enough to let it dry quickly, without letting paint soak through to the floor. Canvas drop cloths will let paint soak through. Plastic drop cloths will allow paint to puddle and not dry quickly. Then you can step on it and track it around. So it was used again as a drop cloth in the laundry room when I painted the walls.

Then the children wanted to make a train, so this box joined two other boxes, they all had hand holes cut in them for carrying purposes, and they followed Husband, the engine, around being coal cars and box cars. They were just walking around, following each other, carrying boxes and pretending they were train cars. Isn't pretending wonderful? Then the Children requested "shields" and Husband used this box to cut one triangle and one circle shield. Then this two year old requested a box this morning, and I noticed that it was now a little building with a perfect triangle door and circle window. I added some packing tape on the corners so it wouldn't be so floppy, and it's a perfect teepee.

See the blue paint?

See the white paint inside?

 

Windows don't make good doors, apparently. Please forgive me for taking a picture before I helped him get out.

I've also used cardboard to line the bottom of my reusable grocery bags. It makes them sturdier and easier to fold. The cashiers seem to appreciate the cardboard too.

So keep a small stack of cardboard handy for when you might need it. We store it behind a low shelf so it doesn't take up much room. 

What other uses have you found for cardboard?

Indie Craft Parade

I got to go to the Indie Craft Parade yesterday. I didn't think I was going to because I was sick and I did not really feel like I could concentrate enough to drive all the way downtown and find a parking spot by myself, but sweet Husband took me, dropped me off and took the kids to a park while I browsed. 

I love the craft parade. I'm not sure what makes it a parade. But it does sound more hipster with that title. And there were hipsters everywhere! I don't get out much, but I'm fairly certain there was a much higher than normal concentration of hipsters at this event. I was afraid they would notice if I took their pictures, so I didn't.

This parade had the whole ball of wax: hair accessories, jewelry, clothing, purses, baskets, bags, scarves, dolls, doll clothes, tee pees, chairs, journals, bookmarks, stationary, food, tea towels, ceramics, paintings, yarn, and fiber crafts. Where else can you buy anatomical fiber art hearts complete with valves and blood vessels? Who is the target audience for this item? And none of these things are at bargain prices. Not that they should be. This is not Walmart. These are artists, and I know from personal experience that it takes a long time to make beautiful things. I think the reason I don't try to sell my crafts is that I would have to charge such a high amount in order to make a decent wage based on how long it took to make, plus the cost of the materials. I don't spend that much on things, so I couldn't bear to charge that much. At least, not at this time. Here's some of the lovely things I saw:

Awesome earrings I can't afford, but I'm sure they will find a happy home.

Amazing kids' teepee for more than $100. But as for me and my house, we will throw a blanket over some chairs and be content.

The sign for Overton Iron Works. They made shelves and signs and things from pipes.

These paintings are cool, but I think they would look better as an animated movie than as art on the walls.

I really like these dolls. But they are out of my price range.

I imagine that if I had some of these leather journals, I would write really amazing, best-selling stories in them. With a journal like that, my whole life would probably be more interesting.

You can see more pictures of what was for sale here. Maybe get some ideas for what you can make yourself. That's one of the reasons I went.

Here's what I bought:

Two skeins of roving that I can spin into yarn.

 Last year I bought some roving and made a scarf. But it was only enough for a very small scarf. So this year I bought two, and I hope to make it into a larger scarf. The colors aren't the same, though. So I appreciate your opinions. Should I combine these into one ball of yarn or two separate?

I crocheted them together so you can see how they look together. I love that surprising bit of yellow in there! She hand paints the roving from her own sheep over at Merciful Hearts Farm.

I also bought this infinity scarf. I wasn't going to buy it at $32, but I asked if she would offer a discount since it was almost closing time for the parade. I had my eye on a green one, but she had a pink one that hadn't sold very well, and she offered it to me for $25. I like the pink one, too, so it came home with me.

Me and my scarf after a lovely dinner in downtown Greenville.

As we were leaving, I thought I'd take some pictures of Greenville, in case you haven't been here. It's a beautiful city with lots of great shops that are generally not in my budget.

You should see Falls Park.

Maybe I'll take a walking tour soon and do the mouse scavenger hunt so you can see more pictures of my city.

This august monument was in a cemetery we passed after we went past the turn we meant to take. Does anyone else get interested in old cemeteries?

 Tell me in the comments, one skein, or two?

Goodbye Summer

Summer is coming to a close. Well, sort of. School has started and the neighborhood pool is closing, but we are still having ninety degree days here in South Carolina. With the closing of the pool imminent, we wanted to make sure we could get to the pool one last time and savor it as much as we could. In fact, we have been to the pool three times recently and each time I thought it would be our last chance to swim for the Summer. The forecast improved one time, and then we found out the pool would stay open one more week than we thought it would. But each of our three last times, I made a point to enjoy it and stay as long as we could. It is going to be about nine months before we can swim again. And I realized that because I had made a point to enjoy it, I really did appreciate it more.

Things are more precious when we know they are going to end.

Shouldn't we live every day like we know it is going to end? Enjoying things to the fullest, choosing to be happy? One day we will look back. And I hope that we remember that we did great things and had wonderful fun and did not sweat the small stuff. Some day my kids will be bigger and I will wish that I had played with them more.

I was going to mention, as part of my "saving money" theme, that when you don't buy stuff as often, that it is more enjoyable when you do. Scarcity being what makes things special. But I will just leave it at that.

Goodbye Summer.

Of course, I am excited about Fall.

Dyeing on the train tracks.

Did you know that you can use fabric dye on wood? I thought my sons' train tracks would be a little more fun if they were blue instead unstained wood color. You can dye any wood that is small enough to fit into your largest pot. It doesn't take as long to dye wood as it does to dye fabric. (I'm not very good at dyeing fabric). And dye is cheaper than stain.

Just stir it in the pot for a few minutes, fish it out with stainless steel tongs, rinse it in water, and dry it on paper towels.

Dye doesn't affect the plastic parts.

When you paint or stain, you have to do one side, let it dry, do another coat, let it dry, flip it over, repeat, repeat, make sure you don't get any paint or stain on the plastic. With dye, you can do ten at one time and you're done.

It's too bad I didn't have a pot big enough for this.

Look at that adorable chubby hand! Is it just me, or does Thomas look a little creepy?

I'd like to try dying wood for this project. Except I would use something larger than coffee stirrers. Something about the size of paint stirrers, but not paint stirrers, because I don't think the paint people would appreciate me absconding with that many paint stirrers when I don't have paint stirring in mind. Anyway, as I've mentioned, there's a better way to stir paint.