Family and Consumer Sciences

Live Smart Ohio

Ohio State University Extension

money

Save Money by Lowering Vacation Costs

Lower Vacation Costs While I was growing up my father would sometimes say this about vacations, “It is not what you are doing that makes it a vacation, it is what you are not doing.” While it is true that we never went to “Wally World” we did go on a vacation of sort every […]

WRITTEN BY: Ken Stewart, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Monroe County

REVIEWED BY: Dr. Roseanne Scammahorn, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Darke County

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • Photo by Ken Stewart

SOURCES:

  • https://www.kasasa.com/blog/travel/cheap-vacation-ideas "Cheap Vacation Ideas: 11 Tips for More Affordable Summer Travels" March 22, 2022
  • https://www.ramseysolutions.com/saving/cheap-vacation ideas "15 Cheap Vacation Ideas for your Whole Family"- March 9, 2022
  • https://www.travelinspiredliving.com/things-to-see-in-ohio/

REFERENCES:

  • http://www.senic.org/
  • http://www.travelinspiredliving.com/
  • http://www.withintheworld.com/no-money-traveling

Healthy Giving-Philanthropy and Charitable Giving

I read a story recently in Ohio State News that Nina and Ryan Day gave $1 million to establish mental health resilience fund at Ohio State. Governor and Mrs. DeWine holding an event promoting Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Ohio was also a recent topic. This program promotes literacy, by putting free books into the […]

WRITTEN BY: Ken Stewart, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Monroe County

REVIEWED BY: Lisa Barlage, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Ross County

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • https://media.istockphoto.com/photos/edonation-concept-picture-id1298626388?k=20&m=1298626388&s=612x612&w=0&h=UHdDhdDUlEv867TIk_axUPBq_IYY4bmDU5x4V77Ft5I=

SOURCES:

  • https://blog.philanthropy.iupui.edu/2021/11/23/smart-giving-for-the-holiday-season-the-rest-of-the-year-and-a-lifetime/
  • https://news.osu.edu/nina-and-ryan-day-give-1-million-to-establish-mental-health-resilience-fund-at-ohio-state/
  • https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/5_ways_giving_is_good_for_you
  • https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/FLM-FS-13-03-R10

Bad Credit, No Credit, What’s the Catch?

There are a couple of area car dealerships that advertise “Guaranteed Financing. Bad Credit! No Credit! No Problem! Guaranteed on the spot financing available.”  As the father of a teenage driver, I became curious to find out if this might be an option. What’s the catch? I also wondered would this option help build credit […]

WRITTEN BY: Ken Stewart, Extension Educator,Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Monroe County

REVIEWED BY: Lisa Barlage, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Ross County

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • Dan Gold-N7RiDzfF2iw-unsplash

SOURCES:

  • Credit Karma, Buy-here, pay-here financing: What you need to know (2022) Kim Porter
  • Lending Tree.com, Why you should skip the 'Buy Here Pay Here' Car Lots (2022)
  • Bank Rate What You Should Know About 0% APR Car Deals, Michelle Black

REFERENCES:

  • Consumer Financila Protection Bureau, https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/educator-tools/buying-a-car/#anchor_start.

Getting Financial Aid Without Getting Scammed

Avoiding financial aid scams.   My first year of college I was invited by a person from my dorm to attend a sales presentation. When they said that I would receive a FREE glass beer mug I agreed. I attended the presentation, thinking that I would stay only long enough to get my mug. It turned […]

WRITTEN BY: Ken Stewart, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Monroe County

REVIEWED BY: Courtney Warman

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • https://pixabay.com/photos/mentor-school-students-college-3513738/

SOURCES:

  • https://studentaid.gov/resources/scams
  •  http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-avoid-scholarship-and-financial-aid-scams
  • https://studentaid.gov/articles/student-loan-scams   

Your Financial Life~Claim Your Unclaimed Money

Looking for a financial windfall that is legitimate? There is a great possibility that personal property such as money with your name on it is just waiting for you to claim! Annually states return more than $3,000,000,000 in unclaimed property to one in every 10 persons. Lost and forgotten property is considered abandoned or unclaimed. […]

WRITTEN BY: Candace J. Heer, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Morrow County

REVIEWED BY: Courtney Woelfl, Program Specialist, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • https://pixabay.com/
  • https://www.missingmoney.com/en/Property/Search

SOURCES:

  • Unclaimed Money from the Government; https://www.usa.gov/unclaimed-money
  • National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators; https://unclaimed.org/
  • The Unclaimed Property Professionals Organization (UPPO), Gift Cards/Stored Value Cards; https://www.uppo.org/blogpost/925381/Unclaimed-Property-Focus?tag=Gift+Cards#:~:text=Dormant%20unredeemed%20gift%20cards%20and,that%20address's%20state%20will%20apply

REFERENCES:

  • National Conference of State Legislatures, Abandoned or Unclaimed Property and Escheatment Statutes; https://www.ncsl.org/research/financial-services-and-commerce/abandoned-or-unclaimed-property-statutes.aspx
  • The Office of the Ohio Attorney General; https://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/Home
  • Federal Trade Commission: Consumer Information; https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/scam-alerts

How to “buy” happiness and better health

My husband and I took my 15 year old daughter to see Hamilton a couple nights ago. Her birthday was January 29th, the same day that Hamilton opened in Columbus. She told me last summer that she would like to go to the show for her birthday. I informed her that I would try to […]

WRITTEN BY: Misty Harmon, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Perry County, harmon.417@osu.edu

REVIEWED BY: Shannon Carter, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Fairfield County

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • https://pixabay.com/en/african-african-american-american-3741972/
  • https://pixabay.com/en/couple-happy-old-grandfather-858694/

SOURCES:

  • Consumer Federation of America, (2018). 54 Ways to Save Money, America Saves. Retrieved from: https://americasaves.org/for-savers/make-a-plan-how-to-save-money/54-ways-to-save-money
  • Newman, K. (2016). Six Ways to Get More Happiness for Your Money. Greater Good Magazine. Found here: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/six_ways_to_get_more_happiness_for_your_money
  • Santi, J. (2015). Nine Tips to Make Your Giving Feel Good. Greater Good Magazine. Retrieved from: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/nine_tips_to_make_your_giving_feel_good
  • Wilblin, R. (2016). Everything you need to know about whether money makes you happy. 80,000 hours. Retrieved from: https://80000hours.org/articles/money-and-happiness/
  • University of Minnesota, (2016). How Can You Improve Your Relationship with Money? Taking Charge of Your Health and Wellbeing. Found here: https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/how-can-you-improve-your-relationship-money

REFERENCES:

  • Bea, S. (2016). Wanna Give? This Is Your Brain on a ‘Helper’s High’. Cleveland Clinic. Found here: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/why-giving-is-good-for-your-health/

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