Are you worried that your kids might not be learning enough during their time at home? Or maybe you already homeschool and want to help your kids brush up on their money skills? Personally I have dyscalculia so learning money was a struggle for me when I was younger. But learning games helped me master some skills when I was younger.

Something that I really like about playing money games is that there are no ads on the games at all. From someone who gets distracted easily, I know how hard it is to focus when there are ads everywhere on your screen.

All the games on the site are free and there are a LOT. Some of my personal favorites are Penguin Cafe which is adorable  & Cash Back 

In Penguin Cafe, you own a little cafe business that moves every day to a new location. You have a set goal of how much your tips should be for the day and to get tips, you need to make your customers happy. With your tips, you can purchase upgrades for the cafe and yourself so you can earn even more. I love the fact that this helps kids learn to save money to buy bigger purchases and to be smart with their spending decisions.

In Cash Back, you are the cashier and each customer comes to make a purchase. They always need cash back and you have to click to make them the exact amount of change needed. I really love this one a lot for kids who struggle with making change. I can make change if I am told the amount the change will be but I can't do bigger types of math in my head so this is perfect for practice. You can also change the difficulty level as well as your child advances.

So if you're looking for something fun for your kids to do while they are home, let them learn and have fun doing it with some money games!

Consider What Type of Vehicle You Will Use

Plan Your Stops Before the Trip Begins

Know Where You Will Stay

Research Your Destinations Ahead of Time

Make Sure to Pack Appropriate Clothing

How many times have you looked in your fridge, only to see food that has been forgotten about?  Either way, you’re not alone. So many people forget about the ingredients that they have in their fridge, but there are ways for you to try and stop this kind of waste from putting a dent in your budget. If you want to creatively use your leftovers then this is the guide for you.

Create Leftovers

When you are planning your meals, it is a good idea for you to think about how you can use the extras. This can help you to get more meals for your budget. If you prepare twice the number of vegetables for one meal then you may find that you have enough to cook a soup with the next day. If you know you tend to have a lot of roast chicken leftover then cook extra rice so you have tomorrow’s lunch sorted. Little things like this can make a huge difference to the amount of time you spend in the kitchen and it can also help you to use your leftovers.

Store Smartly

Glass storage containers are great as you can reuse them as many times as you want, and you can always see what is inside. You won’t lose track of your leftovers if you do this, so make sure that you keep this in mind. You can also use some zip-lock bags, as you can label them with the date and contents with ease.

Have Lunch

Another money and time-saver would be for you to create a lunch-sized portion of your dinner and put it into a container so you can have it the next day. With a little bit of planning, you will soon find that you can create a week’s worth of lunches with ease. This can save you a great deal of money so make sure that you do not overlook this if possible.

Ingredients not Leftovers

If you have some cooked vegetables or some extra pasta then why not turn this into a frittata? Why not blend your vegetables with some whole tomatoes and then create a pasta sauce? You can also make your own burritos by using leftover rice, or meat. If you want to get really creative then why not use this cheesy and delicious hashbrown casserole recipe?

Make some Soup

If you have some steamed, grilled or even roasted vegetables then you can easily turn all of this into a soup for the next day. Take your blender and puree the vegetables and add some cups of chicken broth. You can then warm the whole thing in a pot. Make sure that you season it with some salt and pepper, before finishing it with some croutons, olive oil and pesto.

Using Stale Bread

If you have a loaf of bread from your local bakery then you may find that this loses its freshness after a day. You can half the bread and then rub it with some olive oil. You can then take half a ripe tomato and then rub the cut side with it. When you have done this, wrap it up with some tin foil and then bake it until it is warm.

I have been self employed for eight years now. I work from home and have enjoyed every minute of it up until the time I started to want to buy our home. We had been renting the house we lived in for five years and after a years of asking, our landlord was willing to sell to us! It was like a dream come true that we could possibly own our home. But we still had to figure out how to get approved for a home loan.

Getting a home loan when you're self employed isn't impossible but it's harder than if you had a 9-5 job. When you're self employed, they don't look at your gross income like if you had a normal job. They go by your net income which is your income after every single deduction. So if you take a lot of deductions every year, chances are you might not qualify.

That's what happened to us for the first two years of trying to get a home loan. We had taken too many self employment deductions in our taxes so it brought our net income down too low. Of course we could still afford the house payment but when it came to the bottom line, it looked like we couldn't. So we had to wait two more years.

When you're self employed, a mortgage company will look at the past two years of tax returns. Sometimes even three. That way they can see if your income is steady or if it's declining.

It wasn't until early in 2018 did I try to apply again after waiting and I was approved for our home loan! My income had gotten higher and it showed I had a steady income throughout the year. It was finally official in late June 2018 when we signed our mortgage papers. We were officially homeowners!

If you're wanting to buy a home and you're self employed too, don't give up! Here are some tips that we used that might be able to work for you as well:

1. Plan ahead. It's harder to get a loan when you're self employed so you will need to have a good track of your taxes for the past two years. If you had low income in the past year, you will need to wait until the next year so you can show it's increasing.
2. Take less deductions. Yes, I know this one can be so hard but it works. If you take less deductions, you will have a higher net income and the higher it is, the more banks will be willing to give you a home loan. If you need help with this, you can look into switching accountants to help you.
3. Shop Around. There are a lot of places that will work with people who are self employed for home loans. Shopping around will help you be able to find some promising companies to see what they can offer your situation. Call them on the phone and explain your situation first though before doing an entire application. That way it doesn't hurt your credit score. 

Has the coronavirus had an impact on the plans you were putting together for your family vacation? Well, you’re certainly not alone. A lot of people are beginning to realise that the original plans they had for this year’s family vacation are now no longer possible and potentially not even safe. But that doesn’t mean that you should give up on the family holiday completely. Here are some alternatives that you may want to keep in mind. 

Take Them Camping 

Social distancing is the best way to avoid contracting the virus right now. So, rather than taking the kids to Disney World, it might be worth going camping instead. It’s worth noting that while Disney World and Universal Studios are both open, it’s highly unlikely that either is safe. Even with social distancing measures in place, it’s difficult to claim that either can protect the public completely. You will be far better off heading out on your own into the wilderness. If you are interested in this option, then you should definitely plan a camping trip. 

The trick here is to find somewhere that will be secluded while offering plenty for you and your family to enjoy together. For instance, you can think about heading out fishing. If you do this, then you need to make sure that you get the right supplies and that’s going to depend on the fish you want to catch. Looking for the right carp bait selection for summer fishing is important so be thorough with your research. 

Have A Staycation 

Alternatively, you might just want to stay at home for your vacation this year. A big benefit of doing this is that it means you won’t have to go anywhere. It also gives you the chance to make your home more fun for the kids. Perhaps it’s finally time to invest in that swimming pool. An option like this is more budget-friendly than most people realize and will provide you with years of fun before it’s time to move. 

Road Trip

Or finally, you could think about heading out on a road trip. This could be a long road trip or a shorter weekend journey. It depends on what your plans are and where you want to go. It’s still worth avoiding highly populated areas. Perhaps instead, you can focus on seeing some areas of the country that you have missed in the past. You might just discover some hidden secrets and exciting possibilities. If you are taking a road trip, remember to adhere to the right guidelines. Wear your masks where necessary and keep socially distanced. You also need to pack your car and prepare the vehicle in the correct way. 

We hope this helps you understand some of the best options available to you if you are still wanting to plan something special for you and your family this year. Regardless of which option you choose, you could have a fantastic time. It’s just a matter of being smart and staying safe until this pandemic comes to an end.