The End of Men? A new beginning.

2 facts jump out from this article in the Atlantic Monthly... "Earlier this year, women became the majority of the workforce for the first time in U.S. history. And for every two men who get a college degree this year, three women will do the same."

A little quick math suggests that some roles might be changing on the home front. They already have on mine...

I hear a lot of stories, many driven by the economy, of Daddy reluctantly doing, or not doing, various forms of "woman's work" when forced to play a new role at home. Get with the program, boys! Take those skills from the workplace, apply them to home/family and help the team win! It has been a wonderful and productive time for me; I really would not change a thing. A lot of us have just been asked to play a different position on the team because things are changing, economy and otherwise.

How many times do we hear about a player who is asked to doing something that they didn't sign up for on a team and refuse to do it with a smile? What's our reaction? "BUM! He's only looking out for himself!"  Many of us have been asked to play a new position on our team. This is a great opportunity for the entire family to leverage strengths placed in different areas. Change is good. You will discover things you didn't know were there. Focus on what's important, get priorities aligned, and put a plan in place. Then, take your team to new heights while being a great role model for a new generation.

No, not the end of men, but it is a new day.  Seize it and enjoy.

Do you really HAVE kids??

Text from iphone to eBlooger... One of the primary benefits of being @home is this time with the kids. Swim lessons today, priceless!

Reminds me of a hotel advertisement, of all things, that hangs in my office.

"You don't really have kids, 

you only borrow them for a few years."

Save like you have to UPDATE: courtesy NYTimes

“One of the reasons that the re- covery has lost momentum is that high-end consumers have become more jittery and more cautious,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody’s Analytics. (NYTimes 7-17-10)

We were just talking about this! Everyone is showing signs of saving like they have to. Whether you need to or not, it's a good idea to run a tight ship and save like you have to because someday, you just might have to. Looks like some of these folks are feeling like they have to. I hope it's not too late!

Calculate your cash flow number (or update it), and then reduce the income number. Go through that list of expenses and figure out what can/will be cut.

"Practice like it's a game so the game will feel like practice" #quote

Practice saving like you have to because someday your game may come.

Have you changed any personal finance habits lately?

Communicate Fun: Tumblr is rockin' & growing!

Tumblr is now a TOP 50 site! No wonder, it's easy and very cool.

A great way to improve your family communication while decreasing the threat of the dreaded pop-in... The blog of our crew is above. Tumblr is growing, give it a shot! Anything better? How do you keep in touch?

Organizing: Reality Check

There are so many awful economic numbers out there that don't seem to be getting any better...  There are are lots people in trouble, let's hope not many are saying, "it's the other guy, not me."  Pick a number, any number: 31% have NOT saved for retirement, average household has $8k credit card debt, 43% of families spend more than they make, by most accounts, 70% of American's live like the top 1%. So odds are that at least one of those really nice cars I saw on the road today must belong to one of our statistics, right? Do you know enough about your financial situation to know if that might be you?

We must clearly define your reality.

Take a close look.  Look at every label and under every rock while you take take complete inventory of what you use and spend.   Then look at what you can and cannot, or will not, live without.  We all have our personal comfort zones, which should be tested but we do have our limits... I will tell you right now, I am not yet at the point where I will make my own toothpaste. You? But I am crazy with the coupons, that's a project I can manage. It fits who I am. There are so many ideas and suggestions out there for saving/managing our money, we can't possibly do them all.  After you take that close look.  What will change?

Prioritize and take action.  (all you need is a spreadsheet with two columns.  ( 1.- what we spend $ on/ 2.- negotiable or not?)

Once you have an accurate picture of your current reality, only then can you make lasting changes.  Don't be another bad statistic.

Communicate FUN: Family Blog

"Send pictures of the ba-by!" Which # request is the one that makes you blow a gasket?! The family blog has ended those requests entirely, which is good for the sanity of all those involved... A family blog is a great way, easy and flexible, to keep everyone updated with what's happening with your crew.  The video feature on tumblr.com is fantastic!  There are may easy ways to get one up and rolling.

How do you keep in touch with your family?

New Blog. SMART goals.

I'm just getting started and I couldn't be more excited about the VALUE of my message yet I'm still poking around, talking, reading, listening and trying to learn about the best way to go about my business... There is so much great (and not so great) material out here, it is easy to get distracted, overwhelmed, and ultimately lost. So as I go through this process (I'm sure many of you can tell me how long I can expect it to last), I'm reminded of a few things but one struck me this morning... I must have goals. When we have goals, they must be SMART.

Specific

Measurable

Achievable

Realistic

Time-bound

Seems like most people know that there must be goals in here somewhere but without the guidelines of the widely applicable SMART acronym, we can get distracted, overwhelmed, and ultimately lost... sounds familiar.

Set goals. Be smart.

How do you stay on track??

Save like you need to

Foreclosure rates are up again in the first half of 2010, clearly, we are not out of our collective financial mess yet, even if the market is over 10,000. I wonder what percentage of this increase was due to poor budgeting, or planning, and a lack of self-control with credit and pursuit of the finer things... How much of this increase could have been prevented if only there was more attention to the details of the family balance sheet, and/or a greater focus on saving?

There is still plenty of job loss and tough situations that are difficult to overcome that I'm sure are represented in this increase and have little to do with a lack of discipline or responsibility. That should be reason enough for all of us to take some time to do a few things to make sure you be alright should the unexpected hit you!

They say the best time to look for a job is when you already have one. Maybe saving and strong budgeting and planning is best done when you really don't need to do it to make ends meet.

Take a few minutes to save like you have to. Look at your budget, your cash flow... What would you do differently if you or your spouse lost your job? What if certain variable expenses increased unexpectedly (heating, gas prices, insurance, etc) What would you do more or less of? Prioritize the things you could go without in the worst case scenario... then implement some of those withholdings on a trial basis, you might be surprised! BANG! You just saved a few extra bucks for those kids to get to college! When of course you are disciplined enough (as I know you are ;)) to save that money you just made.

I have gone through this exercise with my family (because we now have to and I wish I did this when I did NOT have to!) and we have some good new money habits. I have cut our grocery budget in half and everyone is a bit more aware of what we are spending and questioning whether or not its a good idea. The discussions about money with my two kids (both almost 10) have been outstanding. I can see how their feelings about money are being shaped as we speak. I hope we are doing a good job!

Save like you need to. Give it a shot because someday you might.