Money Making Schemes

Nagesh answers:

I think most of the posters hit the nail on the head, but I do have a few suggestions to add. Your question was missing some key information, but I will do the best I can to offer you some helpful tips.

If any of your little ones are under the age of 3, you would not need to purchase tickets. Guests under the age of 3 are guests in the parks and do not need a ticket. Also, if you have children between the ages of 3 and 9, Disney is currently offering a “Kids Stay and Play Free” offer with free base tickets for kids. As with any promotion, availability is limited, so you will want to book fast if you see anything available for your travel dates. To book this, head to www.disneyworld.com, hover your mouse over “Tickets and Packages” and click on special offers.

One good way to save money on your vacation is to be flexible with your dates. March is a fairly popular time to come depending on your dates. The beginning of March is Regular Season and the end of March is Peak Season, which is the most popular time to visit. You will find that the parks are the most busy, and the resort prices are at their highest, second to only Christmas and New Years. If you can come in Value Season (which is January to mid-February, and again mid-August through September, you will find that the resort prices are much lower and the parks are much less crowded. You will be able to do everything you want in much less time!

You did not mention if your food on your vacation was factored into your budget. Do yourself a favor and add one of their dining plans. They offer a quick service dining plan (if you don’t care about doing any meals with the characters) that gives each person (over age 3) 2 meals and a snack each day. This is the most economic way to go, as eating at Disney can get pricey. Yes, you can go outside of Disney for your meals, but by the time you have done that, you have spent the same amount of money on gas and missed 2 hours in the parks. (I’ve tried that, and it’s not worth the time or effort!)

Disney is a wonderful place to take the kids to make memories that will last a lifetime. Please, do yourself a favor and plan your trip for next year, during value season. The weather is typically great in February! Book your trip early to ensure that you can get a Value Resort for the dates you want. Then if Disney offers a promotion for your dates, you are able to apply the discount to your reservation (if it is available). Bookmark their special offers page and check back often. Reserving for next year’s value season will give you a little more time to save up to make this a memorable trip.

Best of Luck to you!

Nagesh answers:

Buy World of Warcraft 😛 Hahah just kidding.

Try reading a book! That always helps me to pass time. Or how about working out? Gain some muscle and mass! Maybe go out for a long vacation, ask your parents or if you’re old enough go with some friends or even by yourself. Community service is great also to pass time and has benefits in the future if you are applying for a job or professional school. A job will also be great to pass time and build up some money for the future and for the game you are waiting for.

There’s lots to do!

Which game are you waiting for?

Gears of War 2? 😛

If you travel the speed of light (c) time slows down for you relative to earth’s frame of reference. If I was a twin, and one of my twins stayed on earth and I went into a ship and travelled the speed of light and I came back (inertia frame of reference, so turning around is a non-interia frame of reference – acceleration) I would have appeared to be younger than my twin relative to his frame of reference. (Einstein’s twin paradox)

The equation: t’ = t / sqrt(1-v^2/c^2)

So the only way to speed up time would be to create a time machine. Goodluck.

Nagesh answers:

Most people who overspend can learn to control their spending. However, your girlfriend does not believe she is overspending, and that’s a real problem. Because of that, she of course resents any criticism from you. And unless this can be resolved, I fear a grim future for your life together, and it will ruin your relationship.

Frankly, there needs to be a shock-and-awe moment that will get her undivided attention on this topic. I think you should seriously consider telling her that unless you two can work out a budget and prove that you both can live within it, there’s no wedding and no future. A budget does not mean eating dog food and living under a bridge – it’s simply a plan for how you are going to handle your money. It means you MUST set aside some money each month for savings because there will be unexpected expenses that should not pile up on a credit card.

Make sure she sees this is a joint effort and not you simply dictating how she has to account for every cent. If you run out of money mid-month, then make a WEEKLY budget and manage it with cash. No credit cards, no debit cards, just cash from the ATM each week. When the money is gone, so is the spending, but at least you’ll have money set aside every week and won’t run out in the middle of the month. The budget should include allocating money for the things she wants to buy. If she buys lots of gifts, you can’t say no more gifts. Just agree on how much can be spent weekly on gifts. And it’s up to her to learn how to manage within that allotment.

I guarantee you if you don’t get this settled now, it will not get any better later – it will get worse. If she agrees to live within the budget, then there has to be an agreement that breaking the budget will not happen unless you both agree in advance. And she needs to understand that this problem has the real potential for ruining your relationship and making you move on.

I would normally suggest getting counseling but I would understand that it would be difficult given your current unemployment. Counseling would help her understand WHY she spends like she does. For some people it’s to take their mind off of problems, for others it’s to show everyone else that they aren’t broke, and other people have other reasons. Some people go shopping for “something to do” and then can’t understand how they spent any money. If you don’t have money to spend, then you don’t go shopping. Maybe you can’t solve the WHY but she needs to agree that she is going to live within the budget no matter what or else, and that you honestly want to be with her – but it can’t be under the current conditions.

I wish you luck.

Nagesh answers:

Deliver a stack of flyers to all of the local schools and ask if they’ll distribute them to their math teachers, or leave them in the office for parents who inquire about tutoring. That’s how I’ve found most of my kids’ tutors; by asking their teachers or someone at the school.

Also, hang your flyers in places where kids/parents will see them, such as:

Libraries
YMCAs
Boys and Girls Clubs
Youth Athletic Clubs
Dance Studios
Gymnastics Clubs
Indoor Soccer Facilities
Karate Schools
Fast Food Restaurants

And anyplace where kids go with their parents… Because remember, it will probably be the parents calling you, not the kids! 🙂 Once you get a few clients, if you’re good, they will spread the word to their friends!

Nagesh answers:

There are some bad options, like selling stuff that you own (car, jewelry, etc), borrowing money from relatives. And there are much worse options like borrowing money at high rates from outfits that make loans even if you don’t have a job. And there are scams that give you promises of free money and hope and put you further behind.

What’s the plan? As a mom, you have a responsibility to your kid(s) to think deeply, figure out all your options and roll up your sleeves and get to work.