Preparing yourself for what's coming

 These last few years have made a drastic impact on everybody's life, not only here in the US, but all over the world.
Covid happened and I'm not sure if we tackled it smartly or not but now we are experiencing the backlash and all the side effects of lockdowns and people getting sick.
The economy is bad, prices are hiking up and it's getting really hard to make both ends meet.
I am noticing it more since it is impacting my family terribly. From the beginning of our married life, I have been making the budget for the whole family and it has come on my shoulders to tackle and get our family out of this situation.
So the first thing is to figure out what are our needs, and wants.

Like eating out...
I noticed when we eat out we spend a lot of money doing it. So we started limiting eating out, I can't thank my mom enough who taught me how to cook amazing food. we were eating out more because I was just being lazy. Quite recently I realized I like cooking and I challenge myself every single day to try a new recipe. I noticed my family is pretty happy coz they get to eat new and different dishes all the time.



The next biggest expenditure was having coffee from a coffee shop, I used to get it for around $4 and now the same coffee is around $7, and if for some reason I drink it 2 times a day, it adds up pretty quick.

So, I bought a really cool coffee machine and the syrup from the same coffee shop we usually buy our coffee, now for a fraction of the money we get the same taste and save so much money.

The biggest expenditure, I had to really cut down on, was Gas.
To control that, we started carpooling and in the future walk more when the weather is decent. I have been implementing these changes in our lives but unfortunately, my family is still not on the same page. 
I don't blame my children coz they were never taught about this and have never faced situations like this, so I have been talking more about how we can save money and I include my kids to give suggestions so they also understand what is about to come when inflation hit us in a full swing. To help me keep everything organized, I came across this very beneficent site savings calculator. It is extremely easy to use and since it is my responsibility to teach my boys the hardships of life though they are young, again young minds learn fast, I ask them to add in the savings calculator our savings and the amount we will get/profit after a certain period of time. I am teaching them the biggest life hack that is not taught in school.

Now all the money I am saving, and my actual saved-up money, I want to smartly invest in real estate as that is the most flourishing industry. I am just looking for the right property and soon will make my first big investment and hopefully, it is going to be successful. Fingers crossed!!!

So how are you preparing yourself for what's coming?
Share all the tips and tricks 

Buying a Hybrid Car !! A Big Decision

These last 2 years are going to be remembered as long as we live,
Whenever I think about the way we were stuck in the house for so long, it is unbelievable and seems like a bad dream.






Those days were something, we would step out of the house only to buy groceries or maybe an occasional stroll around the house. I remember doing a lot of online shopping but still fearing Covid might travel through packages, somehow.
And then life slowly came back to normal, and with that came the shortage of things and prices hiking up, though the salaries remained the same.
Everything became expensive because of the gas prices, that was the time we decided to switch from regular cars to hybrid cars and I went crazy searching for the most suitable car for us.
Gas prices are outrageous and are getting higher and higher day by day. It seems like our cars are becoming gas-sucking machines taking in gas way faster than they used to.




It is the highest expense right now, and with the amount of traveling, we do, just an electric car might not be a very good option. Hybrid cars run around 35k to 50k, it is doable but need to figure out how to manage the payment. Once we decided what our next step will be, I had to come up with a plan to calculate payments smoothly, need to figure out where the extra money is coming from and how much can we pay a month to keep ourselves afloat. I was actively searching and came across a loan managing calculator. It made everything look so easy and smooth and the total cost after all the expenses seemed manageable.

We have Nissan Altima right now but need a bigger car. so we shortlisted Toyota Highlander hybrid LE all-wheel drive
We like Highlander Hybrid for its pliant ride, efficient powertrain, upscale cabin, and impressive array of driver aids.

2022 Toyota Highlander Hybrid LE (starting at $38,855)


    

it has all the features we are looking for in our new car


Our second option is

2022 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Bronze Edition (starting at $43,880)

2022 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Bronze Edition include
Hands-free power liftgate – With the key fob on your person, stick your foot under the rear bumper. The liftgate automatically opens.

Rain-sensing wipers – When the system senses moisture on the windshield, it automatically engages the wipers. The wiper speed adjusts according to the volume of the rain.

Driver-seat memory – Up to two drivers may program their seat settings, recalling them with the push of a button.

It is a big and necessary decision, we are almost sure what we want but still waiting for it to just happen.


We are planning to get a new car beginning of August, fingers crossed.


How long do you guys take to make big decisions? It seems forever for us. My partner is not an impulsive buyer like me so it makes sense.

Low Mortgage Rates, A Blessing For New Home Owners.

 Last year has been a blessing in disguise. We have been looking to buy a new house and the only thing stopping us for so long was the mortgage rates, soon enough pandemic happened, and the drop in mortgage rates was something that made it easy for us to consider buying a house,
but there was a drawback, the demand to buy a house has risen due to low mortgage rates but there aren't as many houses that are being sold at this time.

Best way to keep kids busy in these tough times.

 

My kids have been home ever since the pandemic happened and keeping them busy and occupied, hasn't been as easy as I thought. Most of the time they are bored and I have to constantly come up with new and innovative ways to keep them busy.

Pandemic; A reason or an excuse for a weight gain?

This pandemic has played a vital role in disrupting my lifestyle and many others. I realized that  I have been taking a lot of things for granted.
For instance, for gym membership I used to think I can do better why do I have to pay every month. Soon realized paying every month is an incentive to use the gym and stay healthy.
During the lockdown I could have gone out to get some exercise instead I was binge-watching Netflix and my eating habits changed too resulting in weight gain.

This pandemic made me aware of the biggest flaw and that was, I like to stay fit not for myself but for what others would say about how I look.

I noticed, my motivation to be active, was zero and me getting out of bed also seemed like a c

Does Jade Rolling Actually Do Anything ? Unboxing and Just my 2 cents

Ooo! just looking at it makes my skin pulsate.