| How to Know if You Can Afford to Be a Stay at Home Parent Posted: 19 Jun 2017 05:00 PM PDT Staying at home and raising your child is a fulfilling experience that allows you to be present in the child's early stages of development. Unfortunately, for many parents, being able to stay home and care for a child while not having a job is financially impossible. There are, however, ways that you can determine if having one parent at home is a viable choice for your family. By examining your expenses and income and making changes to your spending habits and lifestyle, you can determine if you can afford to stay at home with the kids. EditCalculating the Costs and Benefits of Staying at Home - Start a spreadsheet of your monthly expenses. Use a software program like Excel to track all of your expenses throughout the month. Doing this for two to three months will give you an accurate snapshot of how much money you spend throughout the year. Name the top row of your spreadsheet "expenses" and use the rows under it to list the name of the expenses that you accrue every month. In the next column list how much the expense costs.[1]
- Fixed costs include things like the cost of your mortgage, rent, insurance, and college or retirement payments. Examples of other expenses include utilities, car insurance, or a cell phone bill. [2]
- If your rent, utilities, and subscription services cost $1000 a month, your insurance costs $400 a month, and you spend $800 a month on food, your fixed monthly expenses are $2,200.
- Consider how staying home will affect your career. If you are on a fast track to becoming promoted and growing within the organization you're working at, you need to take a realistic look at how staying at home will impact your job offers if you decide to re-enter the workforce later. It may be harder to get the same quality job or prospects if you take time off, and you will lose money in potential wage growth. If you haven't started your career or finished your education, however, staying at home will have less of an impact on your earnings over time.[3]
- For an educated woman making $48,500 a year, taking a five-year hiatus from work makes her lose out on $244,811 in wage growth.
- Weigh the benefits on your child's development. Staying at home and caring for your child consistently and personally will aid them in their development and reduce their levels of stress and anxiety. Also, you'll get the emotional benefit of seeing your children grow up and you'll be able to witness things like their first words and the first time they stand and walk. Weigh how much this matters to you and determine if it outweighs the monetary or career benefits you'd get with working.[4]
EditDetermining the Costs and Benefits of Working - Consider the value of your salary or pay. If there are two parents currently working in the household, it's not as easy as halving your combined monthly income. Weigh the value of your salary to the other parent's salary and consider the percentage of income that you bring to the table by working. If you make a lot more than the other parent, then you may have to re-consider staying home.
- For instance, if you make $65,000 a year and your partner only makes $35,000 a year, staying at home will be much more costly for you compared to the other parent.
- Consider the value of a 401k, workplace benefits, and pensions. In addition to upfront assets in the form of a salary or paycheck, you also have other assets like a 401k plan for retirement or a pension that you can build up after being employed for a long time. Calculate how much money you'd be losing over the long term and include it in your decision to be a stay at home parent.[5]
- For instance, if you save $200 a month on health insurance because of your job, that's $2,400 in savings over a year.
- Determine how much money you spend when you have a job. Costs like gas for your car, income tax, dry cleaning, and lunch are all expenses that you can accumulate when you have a job. These costs will be reduced because you'll be staying at home. Track how much money you spend in a month going to work, and factor that into your overall budget.[6]
- For example, if you have to commute to work and spend $300 a month in gas, you can eliminate that expense on your spreadsheet.
- Calculate the expense of childcare. Not staying home with your child and going to work could also accrue an additional cost in childcare. Sometimes the cost of childcare can be immense and can exceed the cost of college tuition. The cost of childcare is dictated by where you're located, the quality of childcare, and the age of your child.[7]
- For babies and toddlers, the average cost of childcare in the U.S. is $11,666 per year.
- For preschoolers, the average yearly cost of childcare in the U.S. is $8,800 per year.[8]
EditComparing the Results - Subtract expenses from your household income. Adding both of your monthly incomes together then subtracting your expenses will give you an outlook for how much money you are making each month, and how much profit you are netting to your savings account. Now go back and subtract your personal income from the combined household income. This will give you a good idea of how much money you'd have, or how much money you'd have to borrow to live off of one person's income.[9]
- For example, if you make $27,000 and your partner makes $30,000 that's a combined household income of $57,000. If you decide to stay at home, this number will be reduced to $30,000.
- If your fixed expenses are $2,200 a month, that comes out to $26,400 yearly. If your income is $30,000 a year it leaves your family with $3,600 before subtracting other expenses.
- Add unfixed costs and discretionary spending. Costs that tend to change from month to month can be considered discretionary spending and includes things such as gifts, eating out, or buying new clothes. These are items that you purchase occasionally and not at a regular frequency. Create another row on your spreadsheet called "discretionary spending" and make a list of things that you purchased throughout the month. This will give you an estimate of the amount of money that you need each month for discretionary spending.
- For example, if you spend $200 a month on dining out and around $200 a month on gifts and clothes, that comes out to a discretionary spending budget of $4,800.
- If you have $3,600 after your fixed expenses, adding in discretionary spending reduces your money to -$1,200 per year.
- Evaluate your results. Now that you have an idea of how much money you'd lose realistically if you stopped working, decide if it's possible for your family to do it. If you've done the calculations and your number is negative, it means your partner may have to find a better paying job or you'll have to make adjustments to your spending habits to accommodate one income. If there is still enough money left over for considerable savings, then you could stay home without it hurting your household.
EditMaking Adjustments to Your Budget - Be more frugal. After you've calculated your expenses and assets, don't refrain from staying at home because the numbers don't add up. Look for sales when you go shopping and take advantage of special offers and promotions. Use coupons and consider buying second-hand goods. This will cut down on your discretionary spending and allow you more freedom to use the funds elsewhere. Once you lower your monthly costs, calculate your expenses and see if it's viable for you to be a stay at home parent. [10]
- If you save $30 each week at the grocery store by purchasing generic brands or using coupons, that's a yearly savings of $1,560 per year.
- The point of evaluating your budget and expenses is to determine where you can reduce your spending.
- Downgrade or eliminate subscription services. Once you take a look at your fixed monthly costs, locate monthly services that you rarely use. This could include things like a magazine subscription, a website membership, a gym membership, an elaborate cable package, or high-speed internet. Consider your needs and see if you can renegotiate lower prices or downgrade your services to save money every month.[11]
- Cut out unnecessary spending every month. If you have a large discretionary spending budget, it's better to put that towards the bills and fixed expenses that you have to pay. Consider changing your lifestyle and cutting back on buying unnecessary things like expensive clothing, shoes, or jewelry. If you have an expensive habit like buying coffee or a smoothie in the morning, consider buying the ingredients to make it at home for a lower cost.
- Work part-time instead of full-time. If you do the math and you still can't afford to be at home regardless of what you cut out, do a calculation and see if you can survive working part-time. Talk to your employer and see if they can reduce your hours so that you can still make money, but have enough time to be at home for your child.[12]
- You can ask your boss by saying something like, "As you know, Mary was just born and I want to spend more time with her. I love this job and the atmosphere, but I need some extra time at home. Would you consider cutting down my hours so I can spend more time with her?"
- Work at home. Go on job boards and look for jobs that allow people to work from remote locations. Search for keywords like "remote" or "work from home." You can also use your online network on platforms like LinkedIn to find opportunities to work from home. Find a job that lets you set your own schedule so that you can work it around your child.[13]
- Some of the most popular work at home jobs include writers, consultants, customer service representatives, and engineers.[14]
EditSources and Citations
Cite error: <ref> tags exist, but no <references/> tag was found
|
| How to Check Your Pulse on Your Apple Watch Posted: 19 Jun 2017 09:00 AM PDT There are tons of fun things you can do with an Apple Watch, including various options to keep track of your health. If you want to keep track of your pulse rate (heart rate), the Apple Watch has you covered, too. - Pair your Apple Watch to your iPhone, if you haven't already done so.
- Unlock your Apple Watch. Place it on your wrist closing the wrist strap around your arm, tap the Watch's face twice, and enter your pin.
- Access your Watch's clock face for a moment.
- Press the button just below the digital crown on the Watch. This will send you to what used to be called Glances (quick access widgets).
- Scroll through the list from left to right until you spot the "Heart Rate" widget. Tap on the glance/widget to access it.
- Give it a second to access your pulse. You won't be able to see it well, but on the Apple Watch version 3.0 (or later), when the Watch is reading your pulse, it'll send a green beam of light from the pulse sensor into your skin, which will radiate back the information.
- Review your pulse rate. Assuming you keep your iPhone paired with your Watch through the Bluetooth connection, your Pulse rate will be recorded as data on the Health app on your phone.
- Exit out of the glance if you'd like. Even if you exit, the Watch will continue to record this data for you. It'll take your pulse after about every 10-12 minutes while you're wearing the Watch.
|
| How to Diagnose the Cause of Essential Tremor Posted: 19 Jun 2017 01:00 AM PDT An essential tremor is an involuntary shaking movement that can affect your arms, head, eyelids, or other muscles. You may shake without trying to do so and find you cannot control the shaking once it starts. Essential tremors often occur in men and women over the age of 65.[1] To diagnose the cause of an essential tremor, get genetic tests done to see if it is a familial condition. Your doctor can also run other tests to help determine the cause. EditDetermining a Genetic Cause - Ask your family members if essential tremor runs in the family. Though the exact cause of essential tremor is unknown, it may be passed down through family genes. If any of your family members have essential tremor, such as a parent, you are more likely to have the gene that causes essential tremor. This is called familial tremor, where one parent has the gene, making you more susceptible to the condition.[2]
- Ask your parents if they have essential tremor. Speak to your family members to determine if they have essential tremor or if it runs in your family.
- Check if anyone in your family has symptoms of essential tremor. You can also note if any of your family members are starting to show signs of the condition. The symptoms tend to appear in people over the age of 65, though they can start to manifest in middle age. Look for symptoms like:[3]
- Head nodding.
- Shaking or quivering of their arms, head, and eyelids.
- A shaking or quivering sound to their voice, as the tremor can affect their voice box.
- Difficulties writing, drawing, drinking from a cup, or using tools.
- The tremors may come and go but often get worse over time. They may or may not affect both sides of the person's body in the same way.
- Ask your doctor to run a genetic test for essential tremor. If you suspect you may have inherited the gene for essential tremor, speak to your doctor about getting a test for the gene. Your doctor will test a swab taken from the inside of your mouth to see if you have the genetic mutation that causes essential tremor.[4]
- Genetic testing does not change treatment or management options, but it can help you predict whether or not you are genetically predisposed to having essential tremor.
EditGetting Medical Tests Done for Essential Tremor - Get tested for hyperthyroidism. There are several conditions that can cause tremor, including hyperthyroidism or an overactive thyroid. Your doctor can test you for this condition by conducting a physical exam. They will also review your medical history to see if you have any previous symptoms that could indicate you have hyperthyroidism.[5]
- Your doctor will do a blood test to see if you have abnormal levels of thyroxine and TSH in your blood. This can indicate you have hyperthyroidism.
- See a specialist for Parkinson's disease. This medical condition can cause essential tremor. It will need to be diagnosed by a specialist who works with patients with Parkinson's disease. The specialist will determine if you have Parkinson's disease by doing a physical exam and having you complete several neurological tests to check your agility, your balance, and your motor skills.[6]
- They will also look for other symptoms of Parkinson's besides your tremors, such as trouble with your balance, slowness of movement, and stiffness in your arms, legs, or torso.
- Get tested for multiple sclerosis. Another condition associated with essential tremor is multiple sclerosis. It can be diagnosed by getting blood tests done by your doctor. Your doctor may also perform a spinal tap to test a sample of your spinal fluid. They may conduct an MRI to check for lesions on your spinal chord and your brain.[7]
- They may review your medical history to see if you have previous symptoms or a pattern of symptoms that may indicate you have multiple sclerosis.
- Determine if you've had a stroke. Having essential tremor may indicate that you have had a stroke. Your doctor will perform a physical exam and conduct a blood test to determine if you have had a stroke. They will also do a CT scan and an MRI of your brain to see if there are signs of a stroke.[8]
- They may also perform a carotid ultrasound, a cerebral angiogram, and an echocardiogram to confirm you have had a stroke.
- Speak to your doctor about substance abuse issues, if applicable. The overuse of drugs like amphetamines, corticosteroids, and pharmaceutical drugs can lead to the development of essential tremor. Alcohol abuse can also cause tremor. If you have any substance abuse issues, tell your doctor and discuss whether this may be the cause of your essential tremor.[9]
- You may also experience essential tremor when going through substance withdrawal.
- Ask your doctor about other health issues that can cause essential tremor. Other health issues like mercury poisoning and liver failure can also cause essential tremor. If you suspect you may have these health issues, speak to your doctor and get tests done to confirm the diagnosis.[10]
- Keep in mind that sometimes there is no overt cause of essential tremor. The cause may be a variety of health factors or there may be no clear cause.
EditTreating an Essential Tremor - Take medication for essential tremor. If your symptoms are mild, you may not need to take medication for essential tremor. But if your symptoms are severe and getting in the way of your everyday life, your doctor may prescribe medication like beta blockers, anti-seizure medications, and tranquilizers. Speak to your doctor about any side effects of the medications and any issues the medication may cause with medication you are already taking.[11]
- Another medication that is sometimes recommended for essential tremor is Botox injections. The injections can improve tremors for up to three months at a time, but it can cause weakness in your fingers if used on your hands.
- Get physical therapy. Your doctor may suggest that you do physical or occupational therapy to help with the tremors. Physical therapy can help improve your muscle strength and control. Your doctor can refer you to an occupational therapist.[12]
- As part of the therapy sessions, you may use adaptive devices to make doing daily activities easier. Using heavier glasses and utensils, wrist weights, and wide, heavier writing tools can help make living with essential tremor more manageable.
- Make lifestyle changes. As part of your treatment plan, you may make lifestyle changes like using the hand less affected by the tremor more often. You may also reduce your level of stress and anxiety on a day to day basis, as this can make the tremors worse.[13]
- For example, you may take up a relaxing hobby that requires little physical activity, like reading, listening to music, or watching movies.
- You can also do deep breathing and meditation to help you relax, without putting too much stress on your body.
- Change your diet. Making dietary changes can make the tremors more manageable. Cut out caffeine and other stimulants as well as alcohol in your diet. Your doctor may recommend a specific diet that you can go on to reduce your tremors.[14]
- The diet may consist of fresh fruits and vegetables as well as prepared meals at home, rather than prepackaged meals. Your doctor may instruct you to avoid artificial sugar, additives, and dyes, as these can trigger your tremors.
- If you live with others, ask them to help you prepare these special meals, as you may struggle to prepare food on your own due to your tremors.
- Seek support from family and friends. Your doctor may recommend that you lean on family and friends for support as you deal with essential tremor. You may join a support group to help you cope with essential tremor and hire a caretaker, if needed, to make living with essential tremor easier.[15]
- Depending on the severity of your essential tremor, your doctor may recommend that you have a live in caretaker or someone, such as a friend or family member, who checks in with you on a daily basis. This may be a good option if you struggle to do daily tasks on your own due to your essential tremor.
EditSources and Citations
Cite error: <ref> tags exist, but no <references/> tag was found
|
No comments:
Post a Comment