Great post! The last time we were in a Trader Joe's, on the mainland, we bought another suitcase so that we could bring TJ stuff back to Hawaii. It's an office tradition that if you go to the mainland, you should bring back some of their great snacks to share.
You forgot to mention one of their most fun products: Two-Buck Chuck!
anyone have trouble printing this schedule. Mine has blank vertical lines in it leaving it unreadable. Checked my printer and it prints other things fine. Anyone????
Yes, because parents don't always seem to be doing it or don't have time for their kids, or just simply assume that kids will learn on their own. While not every responsibility should be transferred from parents to teachers, schools can offer reinforcement for some life skills.
I think having the knowledge and skills to manage one's personal finances is very important. However, I believe that this is not the responsibility of our schools. Have you looked, lately, to see what teachers are already asked to do in 180 days each year?
Economics was part of my high school curriculum, but at 18, I did not take it seriously. The lessons I learned about managing my personal finances came from my PARENTS. They modeled good management, and I learned from conversations around the dinner table, books I was given to read, and by the environment they created.
Adding another curriculum requirement to the schools can be an additional opportunity for parents to shirk responsibility. It is a valuable skill, but not one I want to leave to an already overstretched teacher to cover. Will he/she then have his/her effectiveness graded by how "in debt" the students are in ten years' time? Tongue in cheek, yes, but closer to the truth than most people realize.
I don't agree with you assumption that organic food is no healthier than any other food. I guess with those ideals, we'd all be just as healthy eating McDonald's burgers each day rather than say, a chicken I killed on my very own farm.
The word "organic" wouldn't even be a term had the agricultural industry not grown and morphed into what it is now...a system that is dedicated to feeding massive quantities of people and doing so in a way that they can have speedy production and large profits. Before the 20th century, basically all food was what we now call organic.
Synthetic pesticides are not only something I don't want in my body or my childrens', they can damage soil and water for future farming.
For example, if a woman in her early years of adolescence is consuming milk product that had been manufactured with the use of hormone and antibiotic cows and foods that were grown using harmful chemical pesticides, all of those *invisible* contributions are factoring into her future breast health, and could even be responsible for the rapid spike in breast cancer rates amongst women in the U.S. Everything that a person puts into their body contributes to their overall health, even if we don't realize it at the time of intake.
I agree that while organic food is more expensive, I believe it's worth it.
As Americans, I believe we all could afford to eat a little less anyway.
We really need financial literacy to be taught in schools otherwise we have a case of the blind leading the blind. Think of all the people who have made poor financial choices in recent years. How can we expect them to teach their children about personal finance when they are struggling themselves?
Some people say that personal finance is common sense. That's not the case these days. It's become a lot more complex. Australia is introducing personal finance into schools and one of the reasons they give is that it's a lot more challenging today than 30 or 40 years ago. Here are some more details: http://www.growingrichkids.com/2011/01/27/financial-literacy-in-schools-... (Not sure if that's breaking the rules by posting two blog links.)
Thanks for starting a discussion on this topic. Will be interesting to see what others think.
No way! It is a great idea in theory, but most teachers are not qualified to teach the subject. It would be like having a math teach trying to instruct our children in chemistry. Some could wing it, but others would flop. Do we really want to leave it to the untrained in that field. It is the parents' responsiblity, not the schools.
When using credit cards for car rental insurance, make sure to be clear on any terms and conditions or limitations of coverage. I know someone who rented a car for 30 days, declined coverage because they were using their credit card's and got into an accident on the last day of their rental when they were returning the car... only to find out that their credit card only covered rentals of 28 days or less!
Absolutely! I'm a parent that has taught my child well and I believe in personal responsibility. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people that just don't have the knowledge to pass on to their children. It's a downward spiral. Those with the knowledge get ahead. The rich get richer, the poor get poorer. Let's give everyone the knowledge to have a fighting chance.
YES, I think it should be taught in schools. Personal finance is something that EVERYONE experiences in life. If you're taught properly, you could save your child from a headache of debt later on in life. I think it should be a required course and not an elective.
Yes! Here in Tennessee it is now a required course for high school graduation. I would like to see it added to the middle school and elementary curriculum, as well!
I feel you on the hair thing, Andrea. I'm not totally gray yet, but I also found my first gray hair just after college (during a fitting for a bridesmaid's dress -- seriously). I have fantasies that I'll look like some awesome superhero when my hair finally switches over to mostly gray, but in reality, with my pale skin, I'll probably look more like some evil and dying ice-princess from a cut-rate fantasy movie.
Yes! I 100% believe that personal finance should be taught right alongside with calculus, grammar and biology. So many people are un- or mis-informed about personal finance - I really think some basic understanding of personal finance would save a lot of people from a lifetime of debt. (although there will always be those people who want what they can't afford ... that is another lesson to be taught!)
It should be taught in school -- and it IS taught in my kids' middle and high schools, as part of math, home & careers, and other subjects. My daughter is in 7th grade and just learned the difference between credit and debit cards and how to maintain a checkbook. Good stuff.
Thank you! Thank you! It often seems that all I read are success stories on blogs... six months to a better life and all that, which I admire, but sometimes feel like--as my teens would say--I am fail! I am not, but walking each day toward reaching what I really want, and in many ways, so are you!
You also need to look at the intangibles related to the decision at hand. The most important being how important is it to have that debt payment out of your hair. My ex-roommate spent the first five years of his post-grad working to eliminate his loans. He admitted later that he didn't 'need' to and that the rates weren't that bad, but that he simply hated the idea of owing that money and so it was important for him to get rid of it. He could have invested it, or at the time even put it in a high yield money market (they were paying around 6% back then), but he wouldn't have had the same level of happiness and comfort as he did knowing that he was able to pay them off early. I think each person needs to ask themselves what level of importance it is to have a zero balance and take that into consideration as well.
Idling your car is bad for the environment and wastes gas.
Get an electric car heater (or a simple small warm fan put inside the car at night will do) to run overnight in your car.
If this is not an option - for example there is no electric socket nearby - get an aftermarket heater built-in which works with gas, its very convenient, doesnt cost a fortune, remote-controlled so you can turn it on 10-30 minutes before you get in the car, starts to deice the windows. You will not ever want a car without it once you try.
There are tons of alternatives to idling your car (which is by the way not good for your car, it is designed to heat up while driving, idling it cold will put unnecessary strain on the engine and other parts of the drivetrain).
I agree. We tried a no-spend 30 challenge but had to restock our shelves after the month was over. So to an extent, we differed the expense. However, I believe the real benefit comes in many of the non-food expenses. If you can curb your appetite for new clothes, the latest video game, or the New York Times' bestseller, then the no-spend challenge can be worthwhile.
Another often overlooked consideration is how to still get what you want on a small budget. So getting new books is perfectly fine. But do you buy each new one that comes out or use a site like swap.com to trade for books? So simply starving yourself of spending isn't necessarily productive. You need to find ways to still satiate just on a reduced budget.
Great post! The last time we were in a Trader Joe's, on the mainland, we bought another suitcase so that we could bring TJ stuff back to Hawaii. It's an office tradition that if you go to the mainland, you should bring back some of their great snacks to share.
You forgot to mention one of their most fun products: Two-Buck Chuck!
Unquestionably yes--this is one of the most practical skills one can learn, and unfortunately many won't quickly learn personal finance elsewhere.
Yes Personal Finance needs to be taught in Schools, but first please please please teach mathematics properly.
anyone have trouble printing this schedule. Mine has blank vertical lines in it leaving it unreadable. Checked my printer and it prints other things fine. Anyone????
Yes, because parents don't always seem to be doing it or don't have time for their kids, or just simply assume that kids will learn on their own. While not every responsibility should be transferred from parents to teachers, schools can offer reinforcement for some life skills.
I think having the knowledge and skills to manage one's personal finances is very important. However, I believe that this is not the responsibility of our schools. Have you looked, lately, to see what teachers are already asked to do in 180 days each year?
Economics was part of my high school curriculum, but at 18, I did not take it seriously. The lessons I learned about managing my personal finances came from my PARENTS. They modeled good management, and I learned from conversations around the dinner table, books I was given to read, and by the environment they created.
Adding another curriculum requirement to the schools can be an additional opportunity for parents to shirk responsibility. It is a valuable skill, but not one I want to leave to an already overstretched teacher to cover. Will he/she then have his/her effectiveness graded by how "in debt" the students are in ten years' time? Tongue in cheek, yes, but closer to the truth than most people realize.
Yes, definitely. At least the basics of how to balance a checkbook and how credit cards can dig a whole so quickly and basic and compound interest.
Most definitely! I so wish personal finances had been taught in school. I think I would have gotten off to a much better start to adulthood.
I don't agree with you assumption that organic food is no healthier than any other food. I guess with those ideals, we'd all be just as healthy eating McDonald's burgers each day rather than say, a chicken I killed on my very own farm.
The word "organic" wouldn't even be a term had the agricultural industry not grown and morphed into what it is now...a system that is dedicated to feeding massive quantities of people and doing so in a way that they can have speedy production and large profits. Before the 20th century, basically all food was what we now call organic.
Synthetic pesticides are not only something I don't want in my body or my childrens', they can damage soil and water for future farming.
For example, if a woman in her early years of adolescence is consuming milk product that had been manufactured with the use of hormone and antibiotic cows and foods that were grown using harmful chemical pesticides, all of those *invisible* contributions are factoring into her future breast health, and could even be responsible for the rapid spike in breast cancer rates amongst women in the U.S. Everything that a person puts into their body contributes to their overall health, even if we don't realize it at the time of intake.
I agree that while organic food is more expensive, I believe it's worth it.
As Americans, I believe we all could afford to eat a little less anyway.
I hadn't even considered the career possibilities of playing a dying evil ice princess in a cut-rate fantasy movie... hmm.....
We really need financial literacy to be taught in schools otherwise we have a case of the blind leading the blind. Think of all the people who have made poor financial choices in recent years. How can we expect them to teach their children about personal finance when they are struggling themselves?
I wrote a blog post about this last week http://www.growingrichkids.com/2011/02/04/blind-leading-the-blind-why-pa...
Some people say that personal finance is common sense. That's not the case these days. It's become a lot more complex. Australia is introducing personal finance into schools and one of the reasons they give is that it's a lot more challenging today than 30 or 40 years ago. Here are some more details: http://www.growingrichkids.com/2011/01/27/financial-literacy-in-schools-... (Not sure if that's breaking the rules by posting two blog links.)
Thanks for starting a discussion on this topic. Will be interesting to see what others think.
No way! It is a great idea in theory, but most teachers are not qualified to teach the subject. It would be like having a math teach trying to instruct our children in chemistry. Some could wing it, but others would flop. Do we really want to leave it to the untrained in that field. It is the parents' responsiblity, not the schools.
When using credit cards for car rental insurance, make sure to be clear on any terms and conditions or limitations of coverage. I know someone who rented a car for 30 days, declined coverage because they were using their credit card's and got into an accident on the last day of their rental when they were returning the car... only to find out that their credit card only covered rentals of 28 days or less!
YES! I work in a high school and kids can't count back change properly let alone balance a checkbook.
Absolutely! I'm a parent that has taught my child well and I believe in personal responsibility. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people that just don't have the knowledge to pass on to their children. It's a downward spiral. Those with the knowledge get ahead. The rich get richer, the poor get poorer. Let's give everyone the knowledge to have a fighting chance.
YES, I think it should be taught in schools. Personal finance is something that EVERYONE experiences in life. If you're taught properly, you could save your child from a headache of debt later on in life. I think it should be a required course and not an elective.
Yes! Here in Tennessee it is now a required course for high school graduation. I would like to see it added to the middle school and elementary curriculum, as well!
I feel you on the hair thing, Andrea. I'm not totally gray yet, but I also found my first gray hair just after college (during a fitting for a bridesmaid's dress -- seriously). I have fantasies that I'll look like some awesome superhero when my hair finally switches over to mostly gray, but in reality, with my pale skin, I'll probably look more like some evil and dying ice-princess from a cut-rate fantasy movie.
Yes! I 100% believe that personal finance should be taught right alongside with calculus, grammar and biology. So many people are un- or mis-informed about personal finance - I really think some basic understanding of personal finance would save a lot of people from a lifetime of debt. (although there will always be those people who want what they can't afford ... that is another lesson to be taught!)
It should be taught in school -- and it IS taught in my kids' middle and high schools, as part of math, home & careers, and other subjects. My daughter is in 7th grade and just learned the difference between credit and debit cards and how to maintain a checkbook. Good stuff.
Thank you! Thank you! It often seems that all I read are success stories on blogs... six months to a better life and all that, which I admire, but sometimes feel like--as my teens would say--I am fail! I am not, but walking each day toward reaching what I really want, and in many ways, so are you!
You also need to look at the intangibles related to the decision at hand. The most important being how important is it to have that debt payment out of your hair. My ex-roommate spent the first five years of his post-grad working to eliminate his loans. He admitted later that he didn't 'need' to and that the rates weren't that bad, but that he simply hated the idea of owing that money and so it was important for him to get rid of it. He could have invested it, or at the time even put it in a high yield money market (they were paying around 6% back then), but he wouldn't have had the same level of happiness and comfort as he did knowing that he was able to pay them off early. I think each person needs to ask themselves what level of importance it is to have a zero balance and take that into consideration as well.
I really worry about buying any type of meat from car boot sales - I don't like the idea of someone pitching up and selling meat and then going...
Hello Linsey,
Idling your car is bad for the environment and wastes gas.
Get an electric car heater (or a simple small warm fan put inside the car at night will do) to run overnight in your car.
If this is not an option - for example there is no electric socket nearby - get an aftermarket heater built-in which works with gas, its very convenient, doesnt cost a fortune, remote-controlled so you can turn it on 10-30 minutes before you get in the car, starts to deice the windows. You will not ever want a car without it once you try.
There are tons of alternatives to idling your car (which is by the way not good for your car, it is designed to heat up while driving, idling it cold will put unnecessary strain on the engine and other parts of the drivetrain).
Greetings,
Balazs
I agree. We tried a no-spend 30 challenge but had to restock our shelves after the month was over. So to an extent, we differed the expense. However, I believe the real benefit comes in many of the non-food expenses. If you can curb your appetite for new clothes, the latest video game, or the New York Times' bestseller, then the no-spend challenge can be worthwhile.
Another often overlooked consideration is how to still get what you want on a small budget. So getting new books is perfectly fine. But do you buy each new one that comes out or use a site like swap.com to trade for books? So simply starving yourself of spending isn't necessarily productive. You need to find ways to still satiate just on a reduced budget.