Living frugal, practical, saving money and raising healthy children

[Grisu]

These are some of the values I would like my children to learn:

- Friends and skills are the most important things you can acquire in life.
- Money is a tool, not a goal. And: WE cannot prepare for the future by saving money.
- Take care of the earth. We depend on her, not she on us.
- We are all in this together. Your life should not be comfortable because someone else's is miserable.
- Treat others with respect if you want to be treated with respect.
- Life is not fair but that should not stop us from trying to make it so. ("Them as can do has to do for them as can’t. And someone has to speak up for them as has no voices.")
- Think for yourself and question everything. Don't let others do the thinking for you.

 

[Grisu]

View attachment 132345

Way too much accolades. That's just simple accounting and as profound as 1-1 = 0. I am just re-iterating the obvious:
http://www.businessinsider.com/the-...y-means-savings-for-the-private-sector-2011-2

 

[BrotherBart]

- Money is a tool

- And so are some people.

 

[mass_burner]

$7000 a year property tax bill

Wow that's high. I live in a pretty toney area with great schools and mine is $6200/yr on a 2000 sq ft, 1/2 acre. Do you have alot of land?.

 

[mass_burner]

+1 on the China education system. I will be impressed when they can leverage their brilliant "test takers" into a booming, innovative, private sector that includes opportunity for all classes.

 

[Highbeam]

Great thread guys. I have kids and am at that tipping point of deciding to dedicate more to work or more to life. Each has rewards.

 

[Badfish740]

Wow that's high. I live in a pretty toney area with great schools and mine is $6200/yr on a 2000 sq ft, 1/2 acre. Do you have alot of land?.

1/4 acre lot, 1000 SF 2 bedroom/1 bath 1960s era ranch. We are sort of at the extreme end here in NJ. Neighbors of ours have a four bedroom/2 bath house and nearly a half acre and they're paying over $10K a year. The property tax problem in NJ is due to our outdated school funding formulas, the fact that we have 500+ municipalities, 600+ school districts, everything is done at the local level, plus there are overlapping county and state government services and bureaucracies, etc...but that's besides the point. I was just making it clear that just because mom and dad both work outside the home and schedules are tight, it doesn't automatically mean we're doing it to fund the payments on our matching Mercedes convertibles and our yearly getaways to Fiji. That said, we still put our kids first, always make time for family dinner, and somehow, we get by. Oh, and we watch TV together as a family sometimes

Great thread guys. I have kids and am at that tipping point of deciding to dedicate more to work or more to life. Each has rewards.

I work for a public college here in NJ. Part of the reason I sought out this line of work after seven years of a very fast paced 24/7 kind of job was the work/life balance that higher education offers. I'm never going to be upper middle class, make as much money as my friends in banking, engineering, or the pharma industry do, but I do see my kids more than they do. I'm not starving by any means, and I have job security, but the line of work that my wife (a teacher) and I both chose means that we need to make hard choices sometimes and say "sorry, but we can't afford that." In the end though, the time with my children will have been more than worth it.

 

[mass_burner]

As of about 3 years ago, my philosophy has been to have the least amount of stuff possible. Been cleaning out my basement since then, box by box, nothing new goes in unless it has an immediate need. Made $2100 from selling all the unused stuff in basement I don't use. If i had my choice, my house would be furnished in the sparse Japanese style. no stuff, no need for structures to hold them.

 

[begreen]

Good plan. Sounds like you are ready to move on a boat.

PS: Want to come out and help me clean out crap? I have a lifetime of stuff including the original Amiga computer that should find a better home.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

Good plan. Sounds like you are ready to move on a boat.
PS: Want to come out and help me clean out crap? I have a lifetime of stuff including the original Amiga computer that should find a better home.

I spent the first 40 years of my life accumulating "stuff" and will spend the rest of it getting rid of most of it. Had a blast along the way though. At this point my time and what i do with it,is way more important than "stuff".

 

[Seasoned Oak]

I think most of us here are pretty good at managing our finances. Who would go to all the trouble to heat with wood and then blow money needlessly and unnecessarily on other stuff. At present im trying to plan for a month in hawaii next year with the wife and kids. Sounds like quality time to me. I think its doable.

 

[mass_burner]

Good plan. Sounds like you are ready to move on a boat.

PS: Want to come out and help me clean out crap? I have a lifetime of stuff including the original Amiga computer that should find a better home.

I can talk you through it. You know, I've become quite ruthless in the last 3 years in terms of "saving stuff for later". Are you attached to it or just haven't got around to getting rid of it? The latter is always easier.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

1960s era 2 bedroom 1 bath 1000SF ranch "starter home" with a $7000 a year property tax bill. .

Wow I knew the property taxes were high in NJ but thats one hefty bill for that size house. And thats after tax money.Add in that you got to make around $10,000 at your job just to bring home the 7K for the bill. I guess i wont be complaining about my $460 a year tax bill for a 3000 Sf 100 Yr old Duplex in Pa. Percentage wise my taxes are about .075% of the homes value. A $7000 tax bill here would equate to a $1Million home value.

 

[mass_burner]

$460 a year tax bill---Percentage wise my taxes are about .075% of the homes value.

wait...what? are you sure about these numbers?

 

[Seasoned Oak]

wait...what? are you sure about these numbers?

Just added em up. One bill in the spring for $320 and one in the fall for $140 The casino rebate helps about $80 a yr on the one for $140, the school tax bill so that bill would be $80 more if not for the Casino rebate for all in PA. Was supposed to pay the whole thing when proposed but you know how that works ,everyones hand in the pot.

 

[mass_burner]

Just added em up. One bill in the spring for $320 and one in the fall for $140 The casino rebate helps about $80 a yr on the one for $140, the school tax bill so that bill would be $80 more if not for the Casino rebate for all in PA. Was supposed to pay the whole thing when proposed but you know how that works ,everyones hand in the pot.

sorry, i didn't notice you put the % in "my taxes are about .075%", I thought $460 was 7.5% of your home's value.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

Home is valued at about 60-70K Lot is only 7500Sf . Got the place for next to nothing , & rehabbed it.

 

[begreen]

Your property taxes are exceptionally low.

 

[Highbeam]

I can talk you through it. You know, I've become quite ruthless in the last 3 years in terms of "saving stuff for later". Are you attached to it or just haven't got around to getting rid of it? The latter is always easier.

I've got a pack rat problem. I want to get rid of it but it is too good to trash and to donate it would be a waste too. Things like steel stock, lengths of steel. What do you do with it to make money? Are you a craigslist type guy? I don't need to make much but a couple bucks is better than trashing it.

Things that I paid for, are every bit as valuable as they once were, but I have no need for them any more. Seems the time it takes to sell an item would eat up every bit of money I would expect to make.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

Your property taxes are exceptionally low.

Seems new houses are not so lucky. But old ones are not re-assessed very often. Not bad for 3000SF

 

[Woodman37]

I am 38 years old and the father of two healthy beautiful children. I guess what I try to get across to my kids is family is everything. I see the effects broken homes have on kids and I think that is what's wrong now a days. No one tries anymore divorce is easy. I have been married for 14 years which is unusual now a days particularly in my age group. I have worked for everything I have and do my best to provide a good home life for my family. I try hard to teach my kids what was taught to me by my grandfather. Things most young kids don't do now a days. Like changing your own oil and knowing a little bit about most things so you aren't helpless. It's the little things that I hope will give my kids a good head start in life.

 

[woodgeek]

Tastes and parenting styles swing back and forth...70s parents were as a group pretty laissez-faire and/or absent compared to today's. The culture that today's kids have to work and compete and find a mate in are pretty different too....if my kids grow up to be successful, it is going to be more due to how they are wired than anything I can take credit for. Give them food, security, a lot of laughs and decent role models for life and marriage, and get out of the way. Other than that, its all a roll of the dice.

Your kids know you better by the time they are 6 than you know yourself. They're watching your every move, and what you do and how you act with others are far more important than what you think you are doing and like to say about it.

Dana--frugality taken to extremes is a vice, and in a family environment can be very limiting and harmful. Many of us grow up to do/be the opposite of our parents. A lot of folks who are now over-indulging came from homes with the opposite values, taken to extremes.

 

[mass_burner]

I've got a pack rat problem. I want to get rid of it but it is too good to trash and to donate it would be a waste too. Things like steel stock, lengths of steel. What do you do with it to make money? Are you a craigslist type guy? I don't need to make much but a couple bucks is better than trashing it.

Things that I paid for, are every bit as valuable as they once were, but I have no need for them any more. Seems the time it takes to sell an item would eat up every bit of money I would expect to make.

Best option for you is to have a garage sale or 2 or 3. Yes, I have sold on CL, but only a few items, lots of flakes there. Most on ebay. Another option is finding a local junk hauler and make a deal that you want to pay nothing to get rid of the stuff, but then offer some valuable items so the guy can resell them. I found a guy like that locally. Point is to get rid of the stuff with minimal effort and no cost. You'll be surprised how quickly you forget about it, the hrad part is always letting go.

 

[mass_burner]

70s parents were as a group pretty laissez-faire and/or absent compared to today's.

yes, i loved it. couldn't imaging living like today's kids with parents all over you.

 

[Mrs. Krabappel]

Parenting rule#1 Visibly, openly, physically, unconditionally love on your kids all the time.
Parenting rule #2 See rule #1

Whether or not you buy them a car, don't buy them a car, shop black Friday, or shop the flea market is immaterial. It all comes out in the wash. Children belong to themselves. We only have the privilege of providing love, care, and possibly some basic skills if they are open to learning or emulating them.