Beating Broke

Personal Finance from the Broke Perspective

Here’s How to Secure Your Property

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Your home is most likely your most expensive possession, so it’s important that you secure it in the best way that you can. This will help you keep it valuable and comfortable. You’ll also enjoy a considerable amount of peace of mind when you know that your home and family are secure whether you’re at home or not. Here are some of the ways in which you can secure your property and make the most of your hard-earned investment.

Perform Regular Safety Inspections

It’s important to keep in mind the fact that risks to your home can come from both within and without. This means that you need to perform regular safety inspections of systems and appliances that could pose a risk if they’re damaged or compromised. Electricity and plumbing are the two main things that come to mind in this regard.

For the latter, note that the pipelines that cause the most incidents are those less than 10 years old. This makes it important for you to enlist the help of the relevant professionals in helping you make sure that your systems are in good shape. In case of anything, don’t waste any time fixing it because it poses a serious risk to your home.

Install a Security System

Next, it’s always advisable to set up a security system for your home. This should act as a deterrent against crime and also help you catch any culprits who are brazen enough to attempt anything. It doesn’t matter the size of your home, since it’s your peace of mind and security for your family that you’re trying to safeguard. Keep in mind that in Washington, an estate is considered to be a ‘small estate’ in cases where the decedent has assets amounting to less than $100,000. Remember that you can increase the value of your home by securing it, so this is something to think about.

Fortify the Doors and Windows

Your home’s doors and windows are the most common points of entry for criminals. That said, invest in secure latches and locks to make it hard for any burglars to gain access to your home. This way, you can rest easy whenever the doors and windows are shut because you’ll know that it’s not likely for anyone to gain access without a key.

You can also set up alarms so that in case someone tries to force entry, an alarm will be triggered to scare them off and alert officials of an issue. You don’t have to sacrifice appeal for security either. That’s because there are glass panes on the market that could prove impossible or extremely hard to break.

Secure Your Virtual World

With the world going digital at the rate at which it is, there’s a good chance that your home is already ‘smart’ to some degree. This introduces another possible area of risk for your home. Cybercriminals can hack your systems and get access to sensitive information such as passwords and bank information. To stay safe from this possibility, you must learn about the digital world and the various methods to stay safe in it.

While doing this, you may learn about basic facts such as that the typical land lease for a cell tower covers a small amount of space. That aside, your first line of security is setting secure passwords, especially for your Wi-Fi. This, as well as performing regular checks should help you stay safe in the current age.

These are some of the things that you need to do to secure your property. As you learn new safety measures and put them to use, you’ll enjoy keeping your family safe, the peace of mind of which will be priceless. Remember that any investment that you make into securing your home is going to be money that’s well-spent.

Raising a Child Does Not Cost as Much as the USDA Estimates

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According to the USDA’s 2010 report, raising a child costs at least $220,000.  This cost is the average cost a middle-class family pays for shelter, food, health care, clothing, transportation, child care, education and other expenses.  They further break down the average cost per child per year as $11,800 to $13,880.  Yikes!  If you are on the fence about having kids, this report will certainly sway you in the direction of remaining childless.

However, as a mom to three kids, I can attest (as many other parents including Beating Broke can), that it doesn’t have to be this way.    My husband and I have three kids, which, according to the report, should run us a minimum of $35,400 a year, not including our other expenses.  My husband is just completing his Ph.D. and starting his career.  While we count on him being able to make a large salary in the future, right now between his job and my part-time work from home, we are making a little less than $40,000.  We are most definitely not spending $35,400 a year on our kids.  Here is how we cut corners:

–Shop for clothes at garage sales.  Babies and little kids don’t really care about their clothes; you can find fashionable, barely worn clothing at garage sales for less than $1 per piece or outfit.  Save money this way.  I know it is tempting to buy those adorable, brand new baby clothes, but babies outgrow outfits in weeks.  Let someone else spend their money buying those clothes so you can snatch them up for pennies at a garage sale.  If you don’t go to garage sales, check out Craigslist or eBay.

SAM SAJAN THOMAS–Breastfeed if possible.  Not every woman is able or willing to breastfeed, but if you are, breastfeeding can save nearly $1,000 that would have to be spent on formula for the first year of the child’s life.

–Use cloth diapers.  Cloth diapers do require a large financial investment upfront, but they will last for the two to three years your child is in diapers, and they may even last for use by your next child.  If cloth diapers make you squeamish, make sure to never pay retail for disposable diapers.  By finding deals and using coupons, you should be able to reduce your diaper cost significantly.

–Accept all hand-me-downs.  If you are the lucky recipient of hand-me-downs, please take them.  Honestly, for a newborn, the only thing you need to buy brand new is a crib mattress and a car seat, for safety reasons.  Everything else such as strollers, toys, cribs, clothes, etc. can be given as a hand-me-down or bought second hand.

There are some costs that you can’t save money on such as day care and health care.  In all the other areas, there are ways to cut corners.  Get in the practice of cutting corners when children are small and save the difference.  Forgo the brand new outfits and large ticket items like a crib and instead go secondhand and save the difference.  Bigger expenses loom ahead such as college.  As Beating Broke stated in an earlier post, Stop Adding Up the Cost of Raising Children.  It is possible to raise them for significantly less than the government suggests.

What are your suggestions for saving money when raising children?

photo credit: Sukanto Debnath

4 Signs It’s Time to Look at Nursing Homes for Your Parents

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As we age, we become more dependent on others to help us, and with time, this progresses to the point that consistent aid is required. If you have elderly parents, you may have noticed signs that show they may require more help and might not be able to continue the same lifestyle as they did before. Read on to learn more about the signs it’s time to start looking for a nursing home.

1. Your Parent Anxiously and Increasingly Calls You at Night

People with dementia tend to become confused, agitated, and anxious. With time, as the condition progresses, so too does their behavior. If you have consistently received calls at night from a worried or anxious mum or dad living on their own, then you know something is making them feel insecure. Your parent may be acting erratically because of dementia. It’s said that over one-fifth of U.S. nursing home residents have prescriptions for antipsychotic medications. People with dementia will eventually need constant minding and care.

2. They Have Suffered a Fall

A bad fall for an elderly person can bring about a dramatic change in their lifestyle. They may have been fully independent and could still drive their car to the shops and buy groceries. Falls can cause breaks and fractures and can lead to disability which is an even higher risk in a senior individual.

Statistics per the Centers for disease control (CDC) suggested that almost 132 million patients occupy emergency rooms in the United States annually, with around 30% of those incidents relating to injuries. After a severe injury and immobility suffered by a senior, it is most likely they will need 24/7 care at a nursing facility

3. The Home Is Not the Cleanest and Best Place to Live

You may notice that the home has become extremely run down. You may see filthy and stacked up dishes, spoilt food in the refrigerator and cabinets, a dilapidated garden makes up the outdoors, and the place is clearly not fit to live in under these conditions. Your senior parent may need a lifestyle change, and getting assistance from a nursing home can be of great benefit. If they have reached the point where taking care of themselves and doing simple chores has become too difficult, then they may need help.

4. They Struggle To Remember To Take Medication

As seniors’ memory slowly fades, they can struggle to remember important things like taking their medication. Some people are on serious medications that, when missed, can cause other health concerns. They may need live-in assistance or a nursing home to help with this and other things

According to Finance Buzz, 50% of people have emergency kits in their homes. Despite this large number, around 23% of those people think their emergency kit may be lacking essential items. Keeping an emergency kit in your home if your senior parent is living with you is handy to have. You may also have an emergency kit in your parent’s home and a panic button to call for help should something happen to them.

Does your elderly parent show any of these signs? You can have them examined at a doctor’s practice also to check whether they are capable of being on their own or if it is time to change their lifestyle. You may not put your parents in a nursing home right away. Instead, you can have them move in with you. Still, with time, having to look after a senior parent with dementia, mobility concerns, or other difficulties can put immense pressure on the child who is caring for them and could also strain the relationship.

There are also many alternatives, like in-home assistance, independent living communities with on-site medical staff and doctors, assisted living communities, and Hospice care to name a few.