Are We There Yet?: Keeping Kids Happy When Travelling

05/30/2018 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

Whether it’s a car journey or a long flight, kids are likely to get bored without things to occupy them. In order to avoid tantrums and the dreaded ‘are we there yet?’ question, why not try some of the travel tricks to help keep your kids happy.

Bring a tablet

By tablets, we don’t mean paracetamol (unless the kids really are giving you a headache). IPads and Galaxy Tabs and other touchscreen devices are the ultimate distraction tool. They can be used to stream bike games or you could even download a few turn-based games for kids to share. They can also be used to stream movies. You can even download audio books and music for them to listen to (you could pack some headphones for them to use so that you can still listen to the radio). It’s more convenient than having to give your kids your phone, which you may need to use for GPS or your own entertainment.

Load up on snacks

In case kids get hungry, it’s worth packing a few snacks. You probably don’t want to pack too many sugary snacks as this could make kids hyper. That said, a couple sweets could be useful for a flight to help combat cabin pressure in the ears during landing. You may have to buy these snacks at the airport after going through security, so make sure you leave yourself enough time after check-in.

Play family games

Journeys can be a great time for family bonding – you could all pass the time by playing games. Obviously, during a car journey you don’t want anything too distracting for the driver – keep to simple games like i-spy and the pub sign car game. When it comes to flights, you may have more option. You can buy small fold-up version of board games like chess, Monopoly and Cluedo that are great for long journeys, as well as card games like solitaire. Bring a selection of games so that you’ve got lots of choice.

Plan toilet breaks

Be strategic when it comes to kids’ toilet breaks. Make sure that your kids use the toilet before boarding the flight as they may not be able to use the toilet on the plane until several minutes after take-off. When it comes to car journeys, stop every two hours and make sure kids use the toilet before getting back in the car – especially if they’ve eaten or drank something. This will prevent you having to deal with agitated kids that are desperate for the toilet.

Keep them cosy

Encourage you kids to nap during the journey by bringing a blanket and pillow. This could be much needed if you’re travelling early in the morning or in the evening and could prevent you having to deal with overtired kids. There are lightweight travel blankets and travel pillows that you can buy that are perfect for such journeys.

Life, Parenting

Top Saving Tips For Summer Camp

05/29/2018 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

Sending your kids to summer camp is an enriching experience for them. It can teach them all about team work, decision making and interacting with others. They get to learn new skills, and build up resilience, which will definitely benefit them in adulthood. However paying for summer camp can also be an expensive experience for parents. The average cost of a day camp is over $300 per child. If you are looking at private or speciality camps, these can cost between $500-$1000 per week. For many parents, this is a necessary cost, when they are juggling work and childcare over the summer months. So how can you make allowances in your budget to pay for summer camp?

Using a dedicated savings account

There is no way around it, keeping children entertained costs money. When they are young, it is worth setting up a dedicated savings account kept solely for funding things like summer camps and school field trips. By paying a little into this account regularly throughout the year, you will be able to budget better for the summer months when they aren’t at school, and need entertaining. Managing your family finance can be made easy, simply by setting up a regular payment into this dedicated account. For instance, if you know that you need to pay $300 for camp, you’ll need to put by $25 a month.

Have a clear out

Part of really good spring cleaning, is getting rid of all of the clothes that don’t fit anymore, and the toys that are no longer played with. Every year, set by a weekend to have a clear out. You could decide to have a yard sale – you will be surprised how useful your unwanted possessions are to others. With the average price of a yard sale item being 85c, it could potentially make you hundreds of dollars to put towards camp costs. Alternatively, it is worth listing items that are in good condition on eBay, Gumtree, Craigslist or one of the local Facebook selling pages. Not only will you be able to make a little money to put towards summer camp, but you will be making your home more organized and tidy.

Look into bursaries and grants

Many summer camp foundations offer a limited number of grants to children that they feel would really benefit from the camp, or that have done something community spirited during the year. These grants recognize that there may be families that can’t necessarily afford the cost of a summer camp experience, but have children that deserve to take part in engaging and interesting activities. These funding opportunities are open to everybody.

Summer camp is a wonderful and exciting experience for children. With some regular saving, your children can spend the school holidays learning new skills and meeting great friends.

Life

Why Everyone In Their Twenties Should Have Life Insurance

05/29/2018 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

Life insurance is something that many of us in our twenties won’t even consider as an issue we have to deal with. When we are young we often feel invincible, and the idea of planning for the future with life insurance doesn’t feel like something we need to do at all.

However, today we are going to talk about why every young adult should get a life insurance policy and why it is so important at a young age.

Lower premiums

When you are looking into life insurance, the main concern which you may have is the cost of the premiums. Life insurance can be pretty expensive when you take it out, but the younger you are, the lower your premium will be. As a young, healthy adult you will be accepted much quicker for a policy as the risk is lower. You can take a look at different life insurance policies and reviews such as this policygenius review to see what a difference it can make to your costs overall.

Get covered before illness

Illness is one of the main issues that older folk have when they sign up for a life insurance policy. It stands to reason that the older you are, the more likely you are to suffer an injury or illness. Having a serious condition can make you immediately uninsurable and this can stop you being able to protect yourself and your family if something does happen to you in the future. One of the insurances you should consider adding to your list is vision insurance.

Protect your family

If you are about the start a family or you have a young family at home already, the best thing you can do to protect them throughout their lives is to get a life insurance policy. Having life insurance ensures that if you suffer an untimely death, your family won’t struggle to pay the mortgage and other bills in the home. They will instead be able to cope with their lives financially and be left to grieve in peace, without stress.

More cash

It is a simple fact that the longer you pay your premiums for a life insurance policy, the more money you will have at the end of it to use for your family.
Saving up from a younger age, like you would with a pension, can make a huge difference to the final payout and it can make a positive difference to the lives of everyone you love after you die. You can even use the cash values to pay off any debts you have and help you stay financially stable throughout your life.

Preparing early for the future is something we all need to think about doing for our own sake and the sake of the people we love. It is important to get these things out of the way with early in life to allow you to live stress-free, knowing that if anything ever happens you are protected. Life insurance is a crucial thing for anyone, and you should take the time to open a policy this month.