Vacations are not always as costly as you think them to be. You can really save a lot of money by simply planning ahead and by gathering necessary information beforehand. Given below are some simple but effective ideas to save money during your vacation, without loosing the fun factor.

First of all, vacations need not always be spent at faraway lands. You can spend your vacation time joyfully in local places of interest such as museum, water park or the amusement park. Rediscover the joy of your locality during the vacation. Collect the Entertainment Book of the place where you want to spend your vacation. These books have many coupons which you can redeem at the location and thus save money. You can purchase these books from your local store or from the Amazon website. Use all membership benefits to which you are entitled, such as CAA, AAA or Alumni. This leads to considerable saving of money. Use the benefits offered by timeshare during your vacation. In case you do not have timeshare yourself, borrow the excess timeshares of your family members and friends. With the help of the ideas mentioned above, you can enjoy a frugal but lovely vacation.

The Four Pillars of Investing book has garnered some serious attention ever since it was published. The book gives a comprehensive over view of the history of financial marketing, investment techniques and how people react to the stock market. The book covers a lot of material that might not be familiar to non- financial types, but it’s worth a look.

The first pillar discusses the background of the theory of investments and how the market has grown exponentially over the last century. It goes into detail about how ETFs work and how people should allocate their funds accordingly. The second pillar looks at the downfall of the financial market, focusing on the most popular crashes and speculation bubbles.

The third pillar discusses how most people think about the stock market, and how those with financial savvy think differently about investments. There are sections on some of the more common sales tactics, and what the average buyer thinks about. The final pillar looks at how mutual funds are managed, and shed new light on why this isn’t always the best investment path.

Overall, The Four Pillars is a good book for those looking to invest without any fund manager advising them. While it’s not a complete manual on financing, it gives good insights to common mistakes made by individual investors.

For a newly- wed couple, the biggest financial consideration after the wedding and house is their first child. This expenditure takes the cake as the cost gradually increases as the newborn grows into a toddler, and then into a young boy or girl, and then into a teenager.

Some estimates give the figure of around $ 300, 000 for the first decade of the child’s life, with little difference between raising a boy or girl. The first few years can be a bit more difficult as this is the adjustment period for the young couple. A lot of baby items can cost in the hundreds of dollars. This would be a good time to ask family and friends for old baby stuff like strollers and clothes in order to minimize expenses.

Aside from the essentials of food and clothes, the next consideration is the child’s education. Unlike a few decades ago where the biggest expenditure in education was college, today even pre- school can be a big expenditure. This is where a lot of research and referrals can come in handy.

In any case, there should also be an extra account for emergencies, whether it’s for an unseen medical condition, or a school activity that needs funding. These hidden items can increase the cost of raising a child beyond the usual means of a modern family.

Developing good money habits is important. If you are a mom or dad with children in the home, developing money habits that are healthy is a great way to get them started with a healthy relationship with money. Children are delicate creatures, if they see mommy handing out bucket loads of cash for a pair of shoes, they want to do the same thing.

To teach good money habits to your child and yourself, set aside a fund specifically for shopping. It’s as simple as placing a glass jar on your kitchen table, and dropping in loose change or single dollar bills that you aren’t using in your wallet. In time, you will notice that the jar is full, and you have a healthy amount of money to splurge on fun items. Explain to your children what the jar is for, and why you use it.

Once they see you practicing such healthy money habits, they will adapt to the same style when they are older. Another great tip for developing good financial habit’s, is to buy in bulk. Most warehouses are actually cheaper than a grocery store. You get more bang for your buck, and more food and household needs for your family.