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Entertaining Money Activities For Kids

Financial literacy starts to develop while you are young. Discussing financial skills with your children through stories and practice is crucial to their development. Aside from this, they can learn through the examples you set. Hence, you have to find entertaining yet strategic ways to introduce some money concepts.

Teaching children how to count money does not have to be a snooze fest! Pass down positive financial matters through these money activities:

#1: CREATE FLUFFY ANIMAL BANKS

Introduce the concept of saving directed to a specific goal. Simply ask your children what they want to buy with their money. You may provide recommendations of the toys, video games, gadgets, and stationery items that they shall save money for. After identifying the end goal, provide your child with an assortment of art materials that they can use to create their own animal bank. Below are just some of the suggested materials that you can use:

a. hot glue gun
b. scissors
c. googly eyes
d. egg cartons
e. milk cans
f. empty coffee cups
g. baby food jars
h. newspaper
i. glitter glue
j. clear glue
k. markers and pencils

This project also presents an opportunity for you to introduce the importance of recycling. Gather recyclable supplies and be as creative as possible. Afterwards, you may have your children draw the specific item on the side of the animal bank. Through this, they will be motivated to get what they want.

#2: DIG THROUGH THE SLIME

Children love messy play! However, adults have a hard time cleaning it up. What if I told you that you can conduct a “messy play” activity with little mess? Well, start by buying a clear slime. Slime consists of non-toxic viscous material such as guar gum. Squishy and gooey are just some of the words that can best describe this toy.

Slime is a great sensory toy. Sensory toys are designed to tap the child’s five senses. By using slime, you can introduce new financial concepts by encouraging exploration. You can help your child understand the world around him or her by putting coins inside the slime. Ask your child to sort all the coins that he or she digs up. Interestingly, you may join your child as slime can have a calming effect on an adult. It shifts the focus from the demands of work to the unique texture of this toy.

Image Credits: stillplayingschool.com

#3: DRAW YOUR OWN NOTES

As a preschool teacher, I have witnessed how fond most kids are of scribbling and illustrating. They want to draw on different papers, tables, walls, and mirrors. Do not get me started with what they do when they are handed with a paint brush! Put this artistic energy to good use by asking your children to draw their own “Singapore notes”.

Encourage them to put the faces of each family member. This will evoke a fun reflection of how your child sees the people around him or her. Provide colorful papers with a measurement of 5″ by 2″. Then lay other art materials such as rulers, pencils, colored markers, and wavy scissors. Use these notes to help your child practice the basics of mathematics and the importance of currency.

#4: UPGRADE ON THE FIDGET SPINNER

For some reason, most boys are attracted to spinning objects. These spinning objects provide a distraction that can preoccupy them for countless of minutes. Mimic this effect by creating a coin spinner!

Start by getting an empty cereal box or any cardboard. Then, gather your hot glue gun, markers, pencils, and dollar coins. Use a cup to perfectly trace a circle along the cardboard. Cut accordingly. Then, cut a slit in the center that resembles the exact measurement of a dollar coin. Put the dollar in the center with the help of a hot glue gun. When you are done, you can easily peel off the glue without damaging the coin.

Image Credits: frugalfun4boys.com

Sources: 1, 2, & 3

How Do You Choose Between Love And Money?

As I was listening to Frank Sinatra’s song entitled “Love and Marriage”, I realized how different we perceive marriage today. The song highlights how marriage cannot exist without love. These two elements were believed to go together like a horse and a carriage. These days, marriage does not depend on the presence of love.

When Singaporeans are given a choice to weigh between the importance of love and marriage, answers will vary. Firstly, Singaporeans are heavily goal-oriented. They will ask you about the gains that they can reap when doing a specific task. Very few people will do something without asking what is in it for them. Perhaps this is due to the competitive education system or the exhausting high cost of living. There is simply no time left to mess around! Either way, the goal-driven mentality leaves little room for flexibility in a relationship. People constantly ask themselves what they can achieve within a potential relationship.

In addition to reaching their goals, Singaporeans are motivated to move out of their parents’ home. The primary obstacles blocking their paths are the housing laws governing the HDB properties. You see, only singles aged 35 and above can purchase HDB properties. Another alternative is to tackle the overwhelming prices of private properties and monthly rents. This is why many couples see marriage as a way out!

Say that you are waving the flag of commitment. Couples are given six months to tie the knot upon receiving keys to their new property. Otherwise, you can face a major monetary loss. Keep this in mind when deciding to propose.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Personally, I see how money leans on love and vice versa. You have to make a living at some point. No matter how smitten you are about this person, one or both you need to do something to pay the monthly expenses. Money is important to make your marriage work. Yes! Money may not be able to buy your happiness, but you can use your free time to work on things that you are passionate about. Lastly, things you do solely for love can be transformed into profitable ventures (e.g., passion projects).

Ultimately, taking control of your life is a choice. You get to choose how you spend your money. You get to choose whom you will spend it with. You get to choose who and what you will love. Hence, your challenge is to create a lifestyle that gives you freedom.

Sources: 1 & 2

Top Parenting Tips No One Will Tell You About

Most parents will agree that being a mom or dad is one of the most amazing and important tasks that we have to perform in life. A lot of smart and useful books are dedicated to this topic, explaining every nuance of upbringing children. But there are several important secrets of this process that you will never find on the pages of books. They will help you not only to educate your children properly but also to get mutual pleasure from it.

All parents lose patience sometimes

Being a parent means doing a lot of emotional, mental, and sometimes physical work. Not always your efforts will be evaluated, and you won’t see instant feedback from them. Sometimes, on the contrary, we encounter such fierce resistance that we are ready to give up. Therefore, it is quite natural sometimes that there is a desire to get mad and set your emotions free. Do not hold back and throw everything that has accumulated at your kids. If you don’t do that, the consequences will be much worse.

The parents buy the newest and most expensive toys for themselves first of all

Up to a certain age, a child is generally careless about the price of the toy. Children may substitute a toy with a plastic bowl, paper cups, and chestnuts. It is important to teach a daughter or son to enjoy simple things than to injure their psyche by numbers on a price tag.

You have the right to anger

Many parents, especially young people, believe that under any circumstances, they should love their child and show this love in every possible way. This is not true. Sometimes children turn into real monsters. Of course, you should hold back your desire to hand them over to the orphanage immediately because of this, but you need to show your real feelings.

Your ‘no’ will not kill them

Each child must have clearly defined boundaries. And your clear and firm ‘no’ serves to define them. They will sulk and cry, make scenes, or pretend that they accepted your refusal, but no tricks should mislead you and force you to solve what you consider harmful, dangerous or just stupid.

Children should have time for independence

If you constantly take care of your child, then it’s ridiculous to demand independence and self-sufficiency from them. Constant assistance prevents the emergence of the ability to overcome difficulties and develop creativity. Therefore, be sure to leave the children alone intentionally so that they can find a job and entertain themselves without help.

You have the right to rest

No matter how important the task of upbringing children is, you can get tired of it too. Let your children read, paint, and play with toys, while you calmly relax, meditate or just watch TV. Let them know that your time is inviolable and cannot be interrupted by their screams or other stuff.

Proper nutrition starts from an early age

Many parents, especially grandmothers, have completely wild ideas about child nutrition. Yes, it has its own characteristics, but this does not mean that the child needs to be fed with chips, pies, and ice cream. Very often, you can see a picture when parents try to stick to some restrictions in nutrition, and their children are fed all the advertised muck, justifying it with words, like “This stuff won’t do any harm to you while you’re young.” This is absolutely unacceptable.

You should have your own entertainment

Being a parent is not a punishment. This does not mean that you have to give up your personal life and completely dissolve in upbringing and care. If you go to a movie theater, club, to visit friends, or to the stadium without your kids, this doesn’t instantly make you a bad dad or mom! Just keep a reasonable balance.

The upbringing of children can be terribly difficult and a damn pleasant experience at the same time.

Within one day or one hour, you will be able to fall several times in the abyss of disappointment and rise to heaven of exultation. You can experience a surge of severe anger with an interval of 10 minutes, which immediately will be replaced by tears. These are perfectly normal emotions that all normal parents experience. If you feel that you are not coping with this, and your reactions become too acute, then it’s time to seek help and take a small (or big) timeout. If you continue to violate yourself and your psyche, it can hurt not only you but your child.

You will always compare your child, and the result will always be the same

Your child is excellent. It is the fastest, smartest, cleverest, and quick-witted. And if someone doubts this, they’re obviously just jealous. And, you know, you’re absolutely right about that.

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How To Finally Stop Spending

Unfortunately waving a wand will not help you to cut down your spending. Instead, here are some practical tips that you may start with!

#1: THE 30-DAY RULE

When you spot a tempting item from the mall, wait until 30 days before purchasing it. Write it down on a list of pending items. When a month has passed, cross out the items that you are willing to skip on. The only exceptions to this rule are groceries and other fixed expenses.

#2: WORKING HARD IS NOT AN EXCUSE

How many times have you purchased an item that you “deserve”? Yes! You may be using your hard-earned money to enjoy finer things in life. However, hard work should not be an excuse to spend. Income does not automatically increase as your workload expands! Your budget must outweigh your work stress.

#3: PLASTIC IS NOT FANTASTIC

Leaving your credit cards at home is one of the easiest ways to stop spending. Equip yourself with the amount of cash that you are willing to spend in a grocery store or a shopping centre. You can only bring your card with you if you are planning to pay off an item through an installment plan.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Leaving these plastics behind will help you avoid the temptation of impulse purchases.

#4: SETTING SHORT-TERM FINANCIAL GOALS

As you alter your spending habits, setting realistic short-term financial goals is a great way to stay motivated. Having these goals will remind you of the reasons why you are making several sacrifices at the moment. It is important to be specific when it comes to thse goals as it will be easier to aim for. Instead of saying that you want to decrease your coffee budget, you may say that you will “decrease your monthly coffee costs from S$200 to S$100”.

#5: THE OPPORTUNITY COST

Lastly, re-frame your thoughts by looking at the brighter side of your goals. The technical term for this is opportunity cost. Opportunity cost is defined as “the loss of potential gain from other alternatives when one alternative is chosen.”

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Saving money and cutting back will give you an opportunity to reach your goals!

Sources: 1 & 2

What Happens To Your Finances When You Die In Singapore?

Technically speaking, all the monetary value that the deceased left behind belongs to his or her estate. This estate includes bank accounts, investments, and properties. The only exceptions are the assets held in the trust and the individual’s CPF money.

All the assets will be frozen once a person passes away. The professional assigned to go through the departed’s Will is known as an executor. An executor is usually a family lawyer or a trusted relative. He or she applies to be granted probate, which is a court order empowering the executor to settle all the remaining assets.

Say that the deceased did not make a legitimate Will and has an estate of about S$50,000. The surviving family members may go to the Public Trustee for them to divide the assets according to the Intestate Succession Act.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

This is why it is recommended to write your own Will while you are still alive. In fact, a straightforward online tool that can help you with that is called the WillMaker. It costs about S$89.

WILL YOU BE LIABLE FOR THE DECEASED’S DEBTS?

After the funeral costs are sorted out, the executor will liquefy the estate to pay off the deceased’s outstanding debts. Outstanding debts encompass the unpaid taxes, mortgages, credit card bills, utility bills, and so on. When the court is satisfied with all the debt payments, the remaining assets can be distributed to the beneficiaries according to the Will.

You are fortunate to know that the surviving family members are not legally responsible for the debts left behind by the deceased in Singapore. A surviving family member will only be held liable for the debts, if they have a joint loan account with the deceased.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Now, let us move on to the HDB flat left behind. HDB homeowners have a signed a mandatory insurance known as the Home Protection Scheme (HPS). This insurance protects families from losing their HDB flats in the event of death, total permanent disability, and terminal illness. HPS insures members up to age 65 or until the housing loans are paid.

Sources: 1 & 2

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