December 2012 Archives
How not to get broken by the holiday break
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Just seven more days until Christmas, which for many of us means a trip -- maybe a short one, maybe a loooong one -- to visit family for the holiday break. The thrill! The excitement! The adventure!
Yeah, not really.
It can be great hanging out with grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, or even parents we don't see as often as we'd like, but it can also bring stress and tension and general awkwardness. You know, the stuff nobody wants to talk about because it's kind of a downer at a time when we're all supposed to be jolly and generous. And traveling itself is often a drag and sometimes, if you're unlucky thanks to weather or other circumstances, downright disastrous.
You can't control what your family members or nature or cars and planes are going to do, but you can take charge of your own destiny here and make this holiday trip as much of a "vacation" as you possibly can. Here's some advice from our Family Vacations section:
Wherever you spend the next week or two, whether it's on a cruise ship or Aunt Mildred's house or just at home sweet home, we hope you have some quality time with yourself and the people who are most important to you!
Yeah, not really.
It can be great hanging out with grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, or even parents we don't see as often as we'd like, but it can also bring stress and tension and general awkwardness. You know, the stuff nobody wants to talk about because it's kind of a downer at a time when we're all supposed to be jolly and generous. And traveling itself is often a drag and sometimes, if you're unlucky thanks to weather or other circumstances, downright disastrous. You can't control what your family members or nature or cars and planes are going to do, but you can take charge of your own destiny here and make this holiday trip as much of a "vacation" as you possibly can. Here's some advice from our Family Vacations section:
- Tips for surviving the Getting There part of your holiday.
- "Togetherness" ain't always a good thing, but here are some ideas for Keeping the Peace among family members.
- Dealing with Relatives can be challenging and yucky; read our suggestions on how to make the most of that challenge (and yuckiness).
- As always, check out what other IML'ers have written about memorable family vacations, and how they survived to tell the tale!
Wherever you spend the next week or two, whether it's on a cruise ship or Aunt Mildred's house or just at home sweet home, we hope you have some quality time with yourself and the people who are most important to you!
Spend, Save, and Share with the Moonjar Moneybox
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This is the time of year where everything that's stressful and confusing about money gets AMPLIFIED TIMES 100. Your family members are probably spending money, but also complaining about spending money. Charities and fundraisers are asking for money. You might be getting extra money as a gift or for doing holiday-related jobs and chores, but what should you do with it? Everywhere you look, there are messages to buy, buy, buy...usually coupled with messages to save, save, save (as in special sales and discounts).
GAH.
As you know, here at IML we offer a lot of advice on how to deal with money matters, as in Making Money, Managing Money, and getting Spending Smarts. We are always on the lookout for useful tools that will help tweens not just learn about money, but also make a plan for how to deal with it realistically and positively. Maybe even in a way that will set you up with good financial habits for life.
Recently, we discovered something called the Moonjar Moneybox, and we think it's pretty fantastic. The main idea behind it is this: "Throughout many cultures, there is a respect for money's three distinct purposes: spending, saving, and sharing." So the Moonjar is a bank, but it is a bank that encourages you to divide up your money into these categories by offering three separate containers for cash you want to Spend, Save, and Share. Spend would be money you want to bring with you to the fair for a souvenir, for instance, or a trip with friends to the arcade. Save is, of course, money you're stashing away for a big ticket item you've got your eye on, or for pocket cash on an upcoming vacation. Share would be money you'd like to donate to a local charity, or to buy your sister a birthday gift.
It's up to you to figure out how to divvy things up. You can split your money evenly across all three, or you can change it up depending on what's most important to you from one week to the next. We love that the Moonjar encourages us to think about our personal goals, wishes, and positive experiences. It's a great way to make a budget that works both for the things that stay the same in our lives and the things that change.
The Moonjar Moneybox comes with a "Passbook" to help you keep track of how much money you put in each jar, a rubber band to keep the three pieces together, and a guide to help you make a plan that works best for you. You can find it at online retailers as well as Toys R Us, and get more information at www.moonjar.com.
GAH.
As you know, here at IML we offer a lot of advice on how to deal with money matters, as in Making Money, Managing Money, and getting Spending Smarts. We are always on the lookout for useful tools that will help tweens not just learn about money, but also make a plan for how to deal with it realistically and positively. Maybe even in a way that will set you up with good financial habits for life.
Recently, we discovered something called the Moonjar Moneybox, and we think it's pretty fantastic. The main idea behind it is this: "Throughout many cultures, there is a respect for money's three distinct purposes: spending, saving, and sharing." So the Moonjar is a bank, but it is a bank that encourages you to divide up your money into these categories by offering three separate containers for cash you want to Spend, Save, and Share. Spend would be money you want to bring with you to the fair for a souvenir, for instance, or a trip with friends to the arcade. Save is, of course, money you're stashing away for a big ticket item you've got your eye on, or for pocket cash on an upcoming vacation. Share would be money you'd like to donate to a local charity, or to buy your sister a birthday gift. It's up to you to figure out how to divvy things up. You can split your money evenly across all three, or you can change it up depending on what's most important to you from one week to the next. We love that the Moonjar encourages us to think about our personal goals, wishes, and positive experiences. It's a great way to make a budget that works both for the things that stay the same in our lives and the things that change.
The Moonjar Moneybox comes with a "Passbook" to help you keep track of how much money you put in each jar, a rubber band to keep the three pieces together, and a guide to help you make a plan that works best for you. You can find it at online retailers as well as Toys R Us, and get more information at www.moonjar.com.
Green Holiday Idea #2: Wrappin' It Up
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One of the things that gives us instant holiday blues: all those piles
of post-gift-opening wrapping paper, crumpled and used and pretty darn
sad. It's sad because the hoopla is over, but it's extra-sad because
that's a lot of wasted paper. Did you know that half of the paper
consumed in the U.S. every year is used to wrap and decorate stuff?
Even if we're normally good about saving paper, it seems like the
holidays are a time when people forget about conserving resources. But
presents need to be pretty, right?
Ah,
but that's where you can really have some fun! Wrapping doesn't have to
mean cutting a huge swath of store-bought printed paper. It can be a
chance to get creative and express yourself, and make your gift
extra-special because you did something different and original with it.
Here are a few ideas:
And then it's time for the finishing touches! Give your gift some bling such as fabric or reused bows and ribbons, or take a walk in your backyard and scoop up leaves, fir or cedar branches, pine cones, and sticks. (Avoid berries, since they can be poisonous to young kids and pets.)
If you create something truly fantastic, snap a photo and email to us at itsmylife@pbs.org!
Ah,
but that's where you can really have some fun! Wrapping doesn't have to
mean cutting a huge swath of store-bought printed paper. It can be a
chance to get creative and express yourself, and make your gift
extra-special because you did something different and original with it.
Here are a few ideas:- First, the "duh." Save wrapping
paper to reuse by opening it neatly. If you need a large sheet, try
collaging together smaller ones.
- Paper can be found
everywhere. The Sunday comics is a time-tested favorite, as is torn out
sheets from magazines. Where else? Think about old calendars, posters,
unused wallpaper, and even old road maps. Fancy them up if you need to
with a layer of clear or colored cellophane.
- Tear open
brown paper grocery bags and decorate the insides. Buy a roll of
"butcher paper" at a craft or art store. If something's small enough,
grab a brown paper lunch bag. Decorate with drawings, painting,
stickers, rubber stamps, words cut out from magazines, glitter, etc.
- Put
something pretty (a ribbon, some glitter, beads, etc.) between two
pieces of wax paper; ironing it will glue them together and make a
single, spectacular sheet for wrapping.
- Consider
fabric, too -- fabric scraps make great wrapping material. If you or a
family member like to sew, make reusable fabric gift bags that can
maybe even become a holiday tradition in your home.
- We have a ton of those gift bags lying around from gifts we've received in the past. Doesn't everyone? This is a great time to put them to use, even if they're not decorated with a holiday theme. Paint them, collage them, sticker 'em up. Even small paper shopping bags with store logos can be tricked out, and don't forget the good ole brown paper lunch sacks that might already be in your kitchen cabinet.
- If you just have to buy wrapping paper, look out for the kind that's biodegradable or has recycled content.
And then it's time for the finishing touches! Give your gift some bling such as fabric or reused bows and ribbons, or take a walk in your backyard and scoop up leaves, fir or cedar branches, pine cones, and sticks. (Avoid berries, since they can be poisonous to young kids and pets.)
If you create something truly fantastic, snap a photo and email to us at itsmylife@pbs.org!
