Erin Sluka - Parenting Healthy

Taking control of your Budget using calculators and planning — Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

When I think back 10 years and 20 years ago, what a difference it has been when it comes to money, finances and where I stand with my budget. 20 years ago I started dating my ‘now’ husband and we both entered the relationship with so much debt. Today we are on track with little debt and a good outlook on our retirement future that is within 15 years away between the 2 of us. My long-term goals are to not have a mortgage payment and we are definitely on track for that by retirement age and to travel-lots of travel!

We had to be strict with our spending and wise in our credit choices when we started attacking our debt. We made decisions on how we spent money on bills, fun, blending credit accounts to pay them off which meant consolidating and how to begin retirement savings and choose medical plans. Budgeting is not simple and even in a tech world, I rely on online calculators or trusty apps.

A lot has changed in 20 years in regards to technology as well and planning is so easy much easier today with online tracking apps, including my bank app where I can customize notifications and keep up on what is happening in my accounts right in the palm of my hand!

There a few things you can do to start tackling debt and creating a realistic budget plan. If you are married or share finances with a partner, the first step is communication and coming to compromises and common goals. I frequently check my bank apps to see what notification options I have and how to set certain alerts. Consolidating smart and choosing to tackle one debt at a time (like getting rid of the high interest debt first) can help you feel like you are making progress. In our debt relief journey, I would have never guessed that I could actually become a tad obsessed with wanting to pay things off at any sacrifice because it is such a great feeling to clean up the budget.

You can always find online tools, such as card comparison calculators from calculator.me. Sites like these allow you to type in your budgets and see your options and goal results. If you have not started the budget talk lately, it is time to start again, especialy as we near the Holidays.

Watch Birthright Outlaw on Great American Pure Flix | Giveaway

October 13, 2023October 13, 2023 Erin Sluka

I had such a blast watching Birthright Outlaw on Great American Pure Flix. A bit different from recent films I have watched on this station, this movie brings some old west into the story. It is drama and some suspense. The film is a feel-good story as with all Great American Pure Flix films.

Synopsis

Her father said her birthright was sealed. A frontier pastor’s love told her otherwise. But
when their daughter is kidnapped by her outlaw grandfather, can this couple trust God—and each
other—to rewrite their destiny?

Watch Birthright Outlaw exclusively on Great American Pure Flix starting October 13th!

Enter to win! You can win 3 free months on Great American Pure Flix – no strings attach. Open to US winners who have not one a Pure Flix contest in 6 months. Enter below!

Many thanks to Great American Pure Flix for providing a sample of the product for this review. Opinions are 100% my own.

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Children's Books

Celebrating Hispanic Culture with these 2 books for kids and teens

October 4, 2023October 9, 2023 Erin Sluka

Water Day – El día del agua (spanish edition) is a children’s book about a young girls sharing the celebrations of her town the one day a week the water man visits to deliver water to her village. Water is so important and it is easy to take it for granted until you are community who lost it regular supply. Water Day is available on Amazon and book stores.

Farewell Cuba, Mi Isla is a middle grade novel about two girls fleeing 1960 Cuba with their family. There are 336 pages and is a story about the Author’s real family experience.

This book will share some raw moments about Cuban history and a young girls having to flee her home and be something somewhere else. They had 2 changes of clothes each and $5 and the family fled to America. Victoria needs to help her family settle in Miami. This is a great book about family, change and a fight for the future in the 1960’s Cuban state. Farewell Cuba, Mi Isla is available on Amazon and book stores.

Find more children’s books in my Storefron!

Books Reviews

Running Past Dark YA Book Review – when a teen loses her twin and needs to move forward

October 3, 2023October 9, 2023 Erin Sluka

What happens to the twi left behind? Book synopsis:

Scottie O’Doul isn’t looking forward to starting her senior year. Last May, her identical twin sister, Cait, died in a car crash involving the school’s beloved football coach. Scottie knows her twin would never take her own life, or someone else’s, but how can she prove it? As she faces bullying and hostility at school, she starts to wonder if what Cait said was even true. Turning to running to break through her grief, Scottie finds a new world and a new sense of self outside her twinness. She also reconnects with her old boyfriend, who had a terrible accident of his own the same day Cait died. Could there be a connection As she runs mile after mile, Scottie keeps trying to fit the jigsaw pieces together and find the true picture of what happened to Cait and what was really going on at school before the crash.

You don’t have to be a runner to feel Scottie’s energy in this book and the soul searching that happens when a twin is left behind at a young age. It is a bit of mystery with plenty of energy and you won’t want it to end. The book is available on Amazon and other favorite bookstore.