I don't have children but, if I did, I would expect them to do a few small things around the house. I'm not sure if I would give them allowance for it since some financial experts say you shouldn't, but I think learning that work = pay would probably be a good lesson.
For those with skill, persistence, patience, and good luck voice overs is a fantastic career. HOWEVER, any person considering this as a possible "work at home" career path needs to be prepared that they'll most likely to spend a lot more than they'll get back for several years before it starts to become even a "part time" job. Many people think it sounds like a fun & easy thing to do, only to be disappointed after 4 years and thousands in expense, with NO return. So keep expectations realistic - the percentage of people booking off those voices-type websites is very slim... many report having to complete 100 or more auditions before booking their first - and that is even for professional level talent. I'm not sure if the booking margin is more slim for children, but it is best not to set up unrealistic expectations, just in case. Hope for the best, but be prepared for a long, expensive journey.
If the child is talented, the parents have extra cash to spend, and the child finds joy just in the pursuit of the work (regardless of booking) - then give it a shot! If & when those bookings do start to come in, it is worth the journey.
My kids get started with chores by helping fold wash cloths and empty trash at age two. Now that they are older they have more responsibility and help take care of our animals. Most of the time we do our chores as a family. Teamwork! Everybody pitches in.
Mr. Kling neglected to mention a few facts:
The voice over business is extremely competitive. Extremely. Thousands of people who think they have a "great voice" and access to the internet believe they can become a player. All this has flooded a market with wannabes who will work for next to nothing. It's ruining the marketplace for them, and for union professionals like myself. It's rare to find people who break into the business and start working immediately. It takes a lot of hard work. It's a full time job.
The name of the game is auditions. It could take a hundred auditions before booking a job. Does you kid have the patience for that?
It's expensive. It costs $1,000 and up to have a commercial demo professionally produced in Los Angeles. Good actors also have demos for animation, narration, video games, and more. Classes and workshops can run $600 to $1,000 for six to eight week sessions, or $100 an hour. Hopefully you can afford to spend this kind of dough on your kid.
Mom or Dad needs to learn how to become a recording engineer. If your kid is lucky enough to start working from home, you'll need good equipment, a quiet workspace, and the know-how to record and edit. This takes $$$ and time. Clients don't want to hear crappy audio.
Mr. Kling failed to mention that the "pay to play" websites require you to submit a bid on the job along with your audition. Are you prepared to do that?
Oh my goodness, so many things I want to try here. I also love it when people cook things like meatloaf or seitan in muffin tins and/or muffin form. They're perfectly sized and easy to pick up!
Great list - much better than the flimsy lists you normally see about this sort of thing with pretty unhelpful, beyond basic advice like "stay positive", "make a plan", "dream big"....keeping a journal and testing the waters first is a great advice. Sometimes diving in headfirst seems to work for some people, but I think they're the exception, rather than the rule. When I quit my day job several years ago it was only after lots of careful planning and testing
Great article. I use Llysine tablets and Llysine lip balm to keep cold sores under control. Also make sure you take Vitamin C tablets too to keep your imune system at full strength.
My daughter is 15 yrs old and she has had chores for years. Of course, she has homework and basketball practice, but she has to keep her room clean, wash her own clothes and put them away. She is also tasked with doing dishes and putting away food (dinner on weekdays and breakfast and dinner on the weekends).
She's such a good kid that she helps out whenever she can in other ways, too. I have had an allowance amount transferred from my credit union account to her account and she has an ATM (soon to be a debit card) to withdraw funds for her own expenditures. I've also taught her about the necessity of saving and making wise spending choices. She's learning the lessons well!
I used old fashioned oats. I Just let them sit about 10 min and I used vanilla instead of sugar. Turned out yummy! Make them for my Dad who is diabetic but loves his sweets!
I must live in a hateful town. I have stayed 2 weeks before and never gotten a good reference even though worked there many years with good evaluations. Always get unemployment benefits because they say the business could not have kept you this long if you were not doing a good job. When my daughter leaves her job I have encouraged her to just walk out the door. I got no kudos and only hateful attitudes for staying and teaching my position to others.
As for me, there is nothing wrong in eating in chain restaurants but if we do it always, that is another story, that is an unhealthy thing to do and at the same time an expensive way of eating. Although there are restaurants that offer nutritious and healthy foods but we cannot avoid to spend more money rather than making it by our selves.
Great Thanks Nora, to share these 21 ways(long list) to make a big financial change. I think, these are big life change tips not only financial change. I am already following some ways so I can say, these are effective ways.
Some brilliant tips there, thankyou. I especially like using the old shower curtain to prevent frost on the windscreen and also using toilet role tubes to detangle wires.
I just checked out the "Out of Reach" article referenced here and there's another map there - the Housing Wage Map - showing the hourly wage needed to afford a 2BR apartment in each state. I think those wage estimates may actually be low. For example, for my state, PA, the map says $16.06/hr is needed to afford rent on a two bedroom. Assuming I'm calculating right that comes to just over $835/month ($16.06x40x52/12 for the monthly salary, multiplied by .3 for the rent). But that's not what I'm finding now as I help my brother search for his very first apartment. The lowest rents we've found are around $900, and that's for a *one* bedroom. If we're hearing $900 for a one, the twos are probably at least $1100. Which means people looking for a two would need to make even more - possibly a lot more - than what that map says.
But really, any figures - wage *or* hours needed - for minimum-wage earners are moot because no landlord or property manager will approve an application with a salary that low. It used to be that applicants needed to make 3x the monthly rent, which basically matches what the Housing Wage Map is using. Some places may go lower but that's usually only if there are a lot of vacancies, which I doubt is the case now with the economy so bad that people can't afford to buy houses. And yet these rents are approaching what some people might pay for a mortgage - if they had good enough credit to qualify for one.
I've rented my whole adult life but not in the last few years and not in this area (PA) in >30. I'm currently staying in my parents' house and hope to move out in the next year, but after seeing what rents are going for I'm starting to despair of ever having my own place again; I have never in my life made 3x what these rents are, even when I wasn't working a minimum-wage job. I only hope my brother, whose salary isn't that high, will be able to find something he can afford.
I don't remember my parents arguing over money but I do remember them worrying about it, ie whether they could afford things; they'd both been young during the Depression and I think it really affected them. And that attitude stayed with them for the rest of their lives. As for me - Chapter 7 at age 54, almost all credit card debt. I have no credit cards now and don't ever want another one.
Yes, my four children both have had and continue to be required to contribute to the household. They also receive an allowance. It's good practice for adulthood.
I teach kindergarten but don't have kids of my own. As a teacher, I would really recommend having kids do chores. Keep it simple and something they can do independently after you've showed them a few times. That's what we do in our classroom!
My sons had various chores at different ages, including unloading silverware from the dishwasher when they were young, and emptying trash cans from various rooms. As they got older it progressed to setting & clearing the table, vacuuming the house, putting away laundry, washing dishes, etc. Starting about age 12 they were responsible for mowing the lawn & eventually edging. Some chores were general responsibilities, others were paid at times, for extra work.
While I appreciate all the advice and comments; I'm looking for an alternative to Comcast(Im in a condo and they are all that is available) but am an avid sports fan so I still would like to get most of the ESPN channels, Fox Sports, and NBS, CBS, ABC. I don't care about renting movies but I do like to watch some TV shows.
You bet! My kids are 15 and 17 and are required to put away the dish rack and dishwasher (sometimes goes undone and left for mom):( , clean their rooms, walk the dog, clean their bathrooms (privileged enough having their own!), and take out the garbage. Then they do one more chore on the weekend that contributes to the whole family ie dust, vacuum, sweep the floor, put up Xmas lights (tis the season, and although they may say bah humbug to the work, they love them!), and finally set & clear the table on Sundays . . . phew, that's a fairly substantial list when you think about it. (I guess I should stop nagging so much!). We don't pay them because we pay for their cell phone bills every month, which is more than adequate pay given their texting habits!
I realize this is an old post, but I enjoyed it and wanted to possibly add to the discussion.
In our house, we call being "frugal" -- "downsizing where we don't care to upsize where we do."
We do some so-called frugal items like making our own laundry soap. On the flip-side, we do what is frugal for us but probably not frugal by other standards such as buying gift certificates for ourselves around Christmas time.
Most blogs tell you to stop eating out. And I am sure good wine is considered a 'want' and not a need. But we try to save here buy buying gift certificates during the holidays because usually you'll get a bonus gift certificate with your purchase. We're going to make the purchases anyways, may as well let our dollars work as hard as possible.
Another bonus is the wine store we buy from has a large sale in February. We combine the savings here (usually percentage off all purchases) with the gift certificates to save even more. We do an entire year purchase in one month. We get to enjoy our lifestyle with good wine at approximately 40% off retail.
To really make the gift certificate idea work, you need to keep good track of what restaurants you regularly spend at and how much you spend in a year. Otherwise, you'll end up going out just because you have the cards.
I would add to the tip suggestion: When using gift certificates, always tip on the retail amount and not on what you paid after the gift certificate. Just because you are saving money is no reason to be cheap to the staff.
I usually bring a casserole with pasta, ground beef and tomato.
I don't have children but, if I did, I would expect them to do a few small things around the house. I'm not sure if I would give them allowance for it since some financial experts say you shouldn't, but I think learning that work = pay would probably be a good lesson.
For those with skill, persistence, patience, and good luck voice overs is a fantastic career. HOWEVER, any person considering this as a possible "work at home" career path needs to be prepared that they'll most likely to spend a lot more than they'll get back for several years before it starts to become even a "part time" job. Many people think it sounds like a fun & easy thing to do, only to be disappointed after 4 years and thousands in expense, with NO return. So keep expectations realistic - the percentage of people booking off those voices-type websites is very slim... many report having to complete 100 or more auditions before booking their first - and that is even for professional level talent. I'm not sure if the booking margin is more slim for children, but it is best not to set up unrealistic expectations, just in case. Hope for the best, but be prepared for a long, expensive journey.
If the child is talented, the parents have extra cash to spend, and the child finds joy just in the pursuit of the work (regardless of booking) - then give it a shot! If & when those bookings do start to come in, it is worth the journey.
My kids get started with chores by helping fold wash cloths and empty trash at age two. Now that they are older they have more responsibility and help take care of our animals. Most of the time we do our chores as a family. Teamwork! Everybody pitches in.
Mr. Kling neglected to mention a few facts:
The voice over business is extremely competitive. Extremely. Thousands of people who think they have a "great voice" and access to the internet believe they can become a player. All this has flooded a market with wannabes who will work for next to nothing. It's ruining the marketplace for them, and for union professionals like myself. It's rare to find people who break into the business and start working immediately. It takes a lot of hard work. It's a full time job.
The name of the game is auditions. It could take a hundred auditions before booking a job. Does you kid have the patience for that?
It's expensive. It costs $1,000 and up to have a commercial demo professionally produced in Los Angeles. Good actors also have demos for animation, narration, video games, and more. Classes and workshops can run $600 to $1,000 for six to eight week sessions, or $100 an hour. Hopefully you can afford to spend this kind of dough on your kid.
Mom or Dad needs to learn how to become a recording engineer. If your kid is lucky enough to start working from home, you'll need good equipment, a quiet workspace, and the know-how to record and edit. This takes $$$ and time. Clients don't want to hear crappy audio.
Mr. Kling failed to mention that the "pay to play" websites require you to submit a bid on the job along with your audition. Are you prepared to do that?
Oh my goodness, so many things I want to try here. I also love it when people cook things like meatloaf or seitan in muffin tins and/or muffin form. They're perfectly sized and easy to pick up!
Great list - much better than the flimsy lists you normally see about this sort of thing with pretty unhelpful, beyond basic advice like "stay positive", "make a plan", "dream big"....keeping a journal and testing the waters first is a great advice. Sometimes diving in headfirst seems to work for some people, but I think they're the exception, rather than the rule. When I quit my day job several years ago it was only after lots of careful planning and testing
Great article. I use Llysine tablets and Llysine lip balm to keep cold sores under control. Also make sure you take Vitamin C tablets too to keep your imune system at full strength.
My daughter is 15 yrs old and she has had chores for years. Of course, she has homework and basketball practice, but she has to keep her room clean, wash her own clothes and put them away. She is also tasked with doing dishes and putting away food (dinner on weekdays and breakfast and dinner on the weekends).
She's such a good kid that she helps out whenever she can in other ways, too. I have had an allowance amount transferred from my credit union account to her account and she has an ATM (soon to be a debit card) to withdraw funds for her own expenditures. I've also taught her about the necessity of saving and making wise spending choices. She's learning the lessons well!
I used old fashioned oats. I Just let them sit about 10 min and I used vanilla instead of sugar. Turned out yummy! Make them for my Dad who is diabetic but loves his sweets!
I must live in a hateful town. I have stayed 2 weeks before and never gotten a good reference even though worked there many years with good evaluations. Always get unemployment benefits because they say the business could not have kept you this long if you were not doing a good job. When my daughter leaves her job I have encouraged her to just walk out the door. I got no kudos and only hateful attitudes for staying and teaching my position to others.
As for me, there is nothing wrong in eating in chain restaurants but if we do it always, that is another story, that is an unhealthy thing to do and at the same time an expensive way of eating. Although there are restaurants that offer nutritious and healthy foods but we cannot avoid to spend more money rather than making it by our selves.
Great Thanks Nora, to share these 21 ways(long list) to make a big financial change. I think, these are big life change tips not only financial change. I am already following some ways so I can say, these are effective ways.
Some brilliant tips there, thankyou. I especially like using the old shower curtain to prevent frost on the windscreen and also using toilet role tubes to detangle wires.
I just checked out the "Out of Reach" article referenced here and there's another map there - the Housing Wage Map - showing the hourly wage needed to afford a 2BR apartment in each state. I think those wage estimates may actually be low. For example, for my state, PA, the map says $16.06/hr is needed to afford rent on a two bedroom. Assuming I'm calculating right that comes to just over $835/month ($16.06x40x52/12 for the monthly salary, multiplied by .3 for the rent). But that's not what I'm finding now as I help my brother search for his very first apartment. The lowest rents we've found are around $900, and that's for a *one* bedroom. If we're hearing $900 for a one, the twos are probably at least $1100. Which means people looking for a two would need to make even more - possibly a lot more - than what that map says.
But really, any figures - wage *or* hours needed - for minimum-wage earners are moot because no landlord or property manager will approve an application with a salary that low. It used to be that applicants needed to make 3x the monthly rent, which basically matches what the Housing Wage Map is using. Some places may go lower but that's usually only if there are a lot of vacancies, which I doubt is the case now with the economy so bad that people can't afford to buy houses. And yet these rents are approaching what some people might pay for a mortgage - if they had good enough credit to qualify for one.
I've rented my whole adult life but not in the last few years and not in this area (PA) in >30. I'm currently staying in my parents' house and hope to move out in the next year, but after seeing what rents are going for I'm starting to despair of ever having my own place again; I have never in my life made 3x what these rents are, even when I wasn't working a minimum-wage job. I only hope my brother, whose salary isn't that high, will be able to find something he can afford.
I don't remember my parents arguing over money but I do remember them worrying about it, ie whether they could afford things; they'd both been young during the Depression and I think it really affected them. And that attitude stayed with them for the rest of their lives. As for me - Chapter 7 at age 54, almost all credit card debt. I have no credit cards now and don't ever want another one.
Yes, my four children both have had and continue to be required to contribute to the household. They also receive an allowance. It's good practice for adulthood.
I teach kindergarten but don't have kids of my own. As a teacher, I would really recommend having kids do chores. Keep it simple and something they can do independently after you've showed them a few times. That's what we do in our classroom!
My sons had various chores at different ages, including unloading silverware from the dishwasher when they were young, and emptying trash cans from various rooms. As they got older it progressed to setting & clearing the table, vacuuming the house, putting away laundry, washing dishes, etc. Starting about age 12 they were responsible for mowing the lawn & eventually edging. Some chores were general responsibilities, others were paid at times, for extra work.
home and garden, books, electronics.
Great tips. Steps 3, 4 and 16 are the most important. I'd recommend checking out BuckleDownFinance . com for step 5 and 6. Again, great post.
While I appreciate all the advice and comments; I'm looking for an alternative to Comcast(Im in a condo and they are all that is available) but am an avid sports fan so I still would like to get most of the ESPN channels, Fox Sports, and NBS, CBS, ABC. I don't care about renting movies but I do like to watch some TV shows.
You bet! My kids are 15 and 17 and are required to put away the dish rack and dishwasher (sometimes goes undone and left for mom):( , clean their rooms, walk the dog, clean their bathrooms (privileged enough having their own!), and take out the garbage. Then they do one more chore on the weekend that contributes to the whole family ie dust, vacuum, sweep the floor, put up Xmas lights (tis the season, and although they may say bah humbug to the work, they love them!), and finally set & clear the table on Sundays . . . phew, that's a fairly substantial list when you think about it. (I guess I should stop nagging so much!). We don't pay them because we pay for their cell phone bills every month, which is more than adequate pay given their texting habits!
Sorry about that, Steven! I've updated the piece.
I realize this is an old post, but I enjoyed it and wanted to possibly add to the discussion.
In our house, we call being "frugal" -- "downsizing where we don't care to upsize where we do."
We do some so-called frugal items like making our own laundry soap. On the flip-side, we do what is frugal for us but probably not frugal by other standards such as buying gift certificates for ourselves around Christmas time.
Most blogs tell you to stop eating out. And I am sure good wine is considered a 'want' and not a need. But we try to save here buy buying gift certificates during the holidays because usually you'll get a bonus gift certificate with your purchase. We're going to make the purchases anyways, may as well let our dollars work as hard as possible.
Another bonus is the wine store we buy from has a large sale in February. We combine the savings here (usually percentage off all purchases) with the gift certificates to save even more. We do an entire year purchase in one month. We get to enjoy our lifestyle with good wine at approximately 40% off retail.
To really make the gift certificate idea work, you need to keep good track of what restaurants you regularly spend at and how much you spend in a year. Otherwise, you'll end up going out just because you have the cards.
I would add to the tip suggestion: When using gift certificates, always tip on the retail amount and not on what you paid after the gift certificate. Just because you are saving money is no reason to be cheap to the staff.