Mothering Corner

When we were having breakfast with MIL the other morning, my boy asked if he could have a rabbit. MIL said no unless we have our own house. O.o

We have plans to move out in the future anyway, but only until the kids are older enough. Hubby travels a lot and leaving me with 2 young children at home is not something I prefer. Besides, we need to have proper financial planning before we move out. I’m not sure if the household expenses will be more or less as we currently share out the expenses with BIL. Staying in a big house with a lot of people will also mean that we have to spend more money as comparing to other families, even if it’s shared.

We have to list out all the expenses and taking into consideration the amount of money we are going to pay for Home insurance and Life insurance because we are currently paying a lot. Besides, I might need to have a car too. So, maybe we have to Compare car insurance too. Those are extra expenses and if total up, we may have to pay more money every month!

So, let’s just stay with my in-laws for a few more years. LOL!

Some of the older women thought me that I should not let my hubby know about how much I am making so that I can have my own personal money. Most of the women have this mentality that whatever belongs to the husbands, they own it too. But those that they have are not being shared with their husbands. Right or not, ladies?

But if I have to make my money grow faster and save it all up in the bank, by writing paid posts alone will not help much. If I know how to invest, then I might get some covered calls and PowerOptions® software to help me out in my investment. I know one of the blogger mommies are doing well in share options, and maybe I should think about this.

By using the software, maybe I have a better idea on what to sell or buy. Anyway, how much does it need to get started?

I know my kids are still young, but like all parents, we have to plan for their future. Hubby and I don’t like to force our kids into working too hard for the academy like most “kiasu” parents, but we have to admit that it’s the norm for most Chinese in Malaysia to be anxious about their kids’ performances.

I am not sure if my kids would like to go for tertiary education, but since both hubby and I graduated from universities, tertiary education is a completion of formal education to me. I hope that my kids will enroll in any universities of their choices, and as long as they graduate, I don’t mind if they are working as professionals or not. Thus, we have to plan for them financially. It’s not easy to get into local universities even if the school fees are so much cheaper. I graduated from local university, so I know how is the life in there. But for most middle class families, we will be saving up a lot if our kids are in the local universities, and we don’t have to worry about getting loans for them as the expenses are affordable.

But if you would like to send your kids to study abroad, then money is everything to get things done, besides great results. We got the kids insurance with investment in hope that the returns will be higher by the time they need the money for tertiary education. Of course, we have to save up as well because you will never know how much money is needed 15 years from now to study abroad. Luckily, we don’t have any mortgages and it’s easier to plan for a solid financial base. If we have to pay for a lot of financial commitments, I doubt our quality of lives will be as good as what we are having now.

So, do I still need to get a house? That question has always been on my mind…

A friend of mine reads my blogs everyday. He is my best friend and we have known each other for more than 17 years. I have always been urging him to get married since he has a steady girlfriend for a few years. Why keep delaying? I asked him that day. He said even if he’s making money, but he’s always broke. I almost laughed when I heard that.

That’s the thing about being single. You don’t have any worries when you spend. But once you have a family, you don’t think twice before splurging on some expensive stuffs? So, I told him, just get married! It’s not as hard as it seems, unless you are planning to get a house. Most of us are not lucky to have a house sponsored by rich parents. Thus, we have to come out with the down payment and installment, if we need to get a house before married. If you are from Oregon, you can consider getting the quotes from Oregon home mortgage. This companyhas many years of experience in helping their clients looking for the best loans that fit their budget. Besides that, if you already have a home, you can also consider Oregon mortgage refinance. They offer refinancing services too.

But after getting a house, we still have to work on the expenses for a wedding. But if you can just take things moderately, a wedding doesn’t need a lot of money. However, when the kids come along, there is where most of our money goes!

Most of the middle classed families are tied down with some form of debts, installments, liabilities and various financial commitments. However, more and more families are depending on credit cards to sustain their life styles as most of their cash has gone for the month installments first. I have some friends with Mercedes or nice cars, dress fancily, dine lavishly, but in actual fact, they are broke. But who knows? They look so good from the outer part, no one will least suspect anything. But I’m a close friend of them, so I know.

But don’t you underestimate the side effect of credit card debts as the interest rates can be pretty high. So, if you are looking for a Debt Relief, please check out the services provided by Clear Debt Solution as they have a comprehensive options of Credit Card Consolidation. Besides, if you manage to consolidate and pay of the debt faster, you are actually saving up on the interest and on your way for financial stability.

So, it’s still a great choice as comparing to working hard and chasing the Rat Race to pay off the debt.

I bought the children insurance for both of my kids before they turned one. Not that I’m expecting anything bad *touch wood*, but I wish to get a higher return on the investments and use the money as their college fees when the time comes. Their policies concentrate more on investment and hospitalization, instead of life premium. Frankly, no parents wish to get the life premium of their kids. What kind of parents wish to have something like that?

I would rather invest my money for their future. Sometimes, saving up will not generate as much money as expected. Don’t you agree? If possible, I will do my best to provide a solid base for my kids to pursue their dreams. I guess every parent has this vision too.

I studied in university by taking a loan from the state government. Initially, I thought that I need to repay the loan later once I started working, so I went to the state government office and pay the personnel with RM1000. The lady was puzzled, and she didn’t know what to do with my money. I can’t remember if I was issued a receipt but she took my money. That is for sure!

Little that I know, I was not required to repay the loan because I graduated with first class honors and my loan was waived. My friends were laughing at me when they found out about this. Most of them didn’t not pay for the loans too.

Thus, I make it a point to save up as much as possible for my kids’ tertiary education. If they are planning to be a doctor, the school fee is as much as RM200K each!!! That is a lot of money! Of course, they can get Private Education Loans if they are going to private colleges, but I wonder if the loans will be waived if they score with flying colors? Most of the loans in private agencies have to be repaid in full besides their interest rates.

So, I better save up more for them, and if it’s still not enough, then hopefully they can get some scholarships. If not, they will have to get the study loan and repay it later when they are financially capable.

Before I was a mother, I didn’t care much about money. To me, money is always there, as long as you are willing to work for it. But now, my perspective changed. I can’t just think about myself, I have to think about the future of my children too. They taught me about being more responsible and reliable when it comes to money.

I try my best not to get any loans because I am only a SAHM and I’m unemployed. I have no idea how to repay the loan later, and I don’t want to give hubby any burden. Even if I know there are debt consolidation by some companies, but I’m trying my best not to take them now. I know that one day hubby will be tied down with a home loan, so no point I’m getting myself one and strain our financial abilities earlier than than.

However, if you have homes, you have the advantages of getting secured personal loans when you are in need of money. But that depends on the decision of the creditors if they are willing to borrow you the amount you need. Just remember that you will still have to repay the loan, and the money is only temporary relief to your financial crisis.

So, am I good at money? I am still not sure about that.

I try my best not to spoil my kids, even if I do spurge on them occasionally. I notice that they are so much happier with the gifts they get, but they don’t appreciate them if I’m getting too many stuffs for them in a short period of time. I used to be a shopaholic, and I slowly cut down on my shopping spree. Motherhood has put some sense and responsibilities into myself, and I treat money differently now.

I don’t want to see my kids ended up with the mentality that they can get anything they want with money or worse still, credit cards! My boy thought that he can pay anything with the cards and he asked for one for himself too when we are out.

It’s really bad to see my kids ended up with the wrong concept in money and get themselves into trouble like most youngsters do these days. A lot of them need help with bills and their parents’ money to get out of debt. Of course, some may also need the professional help from companies like Bill.com to consolidate their debts, but how long can they pay it off and be debt free?

Luckily, most youngster do not have houses yet, if not, they might also need mortgage help to pay for the house. If my kids ended up like this, I’m not sure if I should be helping them out or let them solve things out by themselves. So, I better put some positive money sense into them before it is too late.

 Getting a house is a big decision, so we are not rushing for one. But I like looking at houses, comparing the price, the number of rooms, functionality and also the locations of the houses. Maybe I haven’t own a house yet, so it is like window shopping to me.

But since I prefer to have a house with big garden, like those in the suburban, I may need to get help from real estate agents because most of the housing estates in central Ipoh don’t offer this type of houses due to the price of the land. So, getting a reputable real estate agent is very important in assuring that I manage to get the house I am looking for.

If you are looking for homes from Peoria AZ real estate, you may try to get help from Remax Rubek Team. They have MLS listings for Glendale, Peoria, Surprise, and Phoenix, Arizona. Since they have been in the business for so long, you can be assured of getting the best house offered at the most affordable prices.

Mmm….I’m not sure when will I get a house, but I know what I want. So, if you have anything in mind, let the real estate agent know about it and it will speed of the process of looking for your ideal house.