Today it’s much easier to ignore the letters you get from the bank on a regular basis. If you still receive physical mail, you likely file letters from your bank away in a pile, resolving to look at your income and expenses at a later date – perhaps as a big budgeting evening. Unfortunately, those days when you want to check your statement almost never come.

The majority of us don’t even receive letters anymore. As companies in the financial industry are trying to cut down on paper usage, electronic statements and online banking are becoming more common. You may even go months without checking on your balance. While staring at your money might not fill you with a sense of joy if you know you don’t have much in your savings, avoiding your bank statement can be one of the worst things you can do for your financial health. Here’s why you should start reading your statements again.

Visibility is Crucial to Good Budgeting

If you understand the four pillars of financial education for consumers, you understand that visibility is the key to overall financial health. The first and most important reason why you should be reading your bank statements on a regular basis is they give you an insight into the ongoing and outgoing expenses in your life. Only when you have this crucial information can you create an accurate budget.

Your budget, while it might seem restrictive at first, is actually there to protect your finances and ensure you’re only spending the money you can afford to lose. Without a good budget and an overview of your finances, you could risk constantly getting into debt. Your bank statement can even show you if your budgeting strategies are working by giving you an insight into whether you’re reaching your saving goals.

Your Bank Statements Will Help You Save Money

Crucially, reading your bank statements also makes it easier to highlight where you can save money. You’ll get an instant overview of where the majority of your cash is going, so you can make intelligent decisions about where and how to cut costs. You might notice you’re spending way too much money on paying off the interest for an old student loan. However, with a student loan refinance, you can minimize your monthly expenses and put more of your cash into your emergency fund for a rainy day.

You’ll also come face-to-face with some of your bad spending habits. While it can be embarrassing to look at your monthly statement and recognize how much you’re actually spending on fast food and other unnecessary expenses, it can also be a powerful wake-up call when you need it most. Seeing where you’re most likely to overspend will help you to put strategies in place to reduce your chances of breaking your budget in these areas.

Don’t Underestimate Your Bank Statement.

While a bank statement might not seem like the most exciting piece of mail you can receive (digitally or otherwise), learning how to read it regularly could be a crucial step in achieving true financial independence and good financial health, next time you receive a bank statement, make sure you make the most of it.

In a world where kids are exposed to unprecedented levels of digital media, parents find it more and more challenging to occupy young ones with anything else than screen time. Luckily, board games are a classic way to get your kids to play and learn at the same time.  

Board games also allow parents to spend time with their kids or allow them to play independently and learn on their own. There are tons of other benefits board games offer kids but here is a quick look at the top 5. 

Strategic Thinking

Learning to think strategically is an invaluable skill but it is not something that can be taught as easily as reading or writing. These strategic approaches are abstract and kids learn them through play, puzzles, riddles, and yes, board games.  

There are loads of strategy board games that require kids to think a few steps ahead and think on their feet as other players possibly foil their plans. Even a game as basic as Connect 4 will show kids how to think of a game plan and follow through on their decided course of action.

This way of thinking help kids to become independent learners and problem-solvers, encouraging independent learning and advancing their skills in math and science. 

The Value of Teamwork 

People often associate board games with winning or losing and while that in itself is a valuable lesson to be taught, teamwork also comes into play with board games. Unlike games like Monopoly or Catan where it is every man to himself, you will also find cooperative games where everyone works as a team against the game.

 Feed the Woozle is a game that will have kids and adults alike hysterically laughing as everyone tries to feed the Hungry Woozle some snacks before they run out. Everyone works together to get the snacks to the Woozle and kids quickly see how it is more important to cheer each other on than hope for an ill-timed trip up.

Even older kids can play a game like Pandemic along with the whole family. Everyone has a role to play and must work together to stop the viral outbreaks around the world.

Helps with Attention Span and Concentration 

In a time where kids are bombarded by fast and snappy 30-second video clips or sped-up DIY compilations, it seems near impossible to keep their attention for more than a few moments at a time.

But board games will help kids focus on the task at hand or face losing the game if they get distracted. This is a hard lesson to learn the first few rounds but in no time, you will have kids begging to play lengthy games like Scrabble or Ticket to Ride.

There are even short and snappy games like Spot It that go by quickly, but kids need to concentrate to spot matching cards faster than everyone else. The hand-eye coordination involved with this one is another little bonus.  

Develops Creativity 

Board games allow kids to escape to all manner of fantasy worlds, exploring castles, building new realms, and designing their own adventures. These kinds of games leave everything to the imagination and kids can get creative like never before.

Dixit features a deck of beautifully illustrated cards that kids need to describe with simple words or phrases. They must think out of the box to avoid being too obvious as this will cost them the game.

Once Upon a Time has long been one of the best storytelling games around and kids love making up their own wild fantasy tales. Rory’s Storytelling Cubes is another fun game that can even travel around with families on the move. Soon, your kids will be able to join in on a lengthy game of Dungeons & Dragons, every geeky parent’s dream!

Develops Literacy

 There are various aspects of literacy that are covered by board games apart from the obvious aspects like reading and counting. A game like Monopoly is an invaluable asset to parents who want to help kids learn financial literacy and Sum Swamp is a fun game that features basic arithmetic.  

Games like Qwirkle, Sequence, and UNO also help kids with colors, numbers, and shape identification. The best part about it is that kids don’t even realize they are learning! All these games provide tons of fun and distraction while developing basic literacy skills across the board.

The glitz and glamour of Las Vegas, also known as Sin City, is the world’s undoubtedly gambling capital of the US. Yes, we can now play casino games on the web with an even more extensive catalog. However, online casinos haven’t quite caught up with Vegas’ atmosphere. It’s something you can only experience on-site in one of the hundreds of luxurious casinos on the Strip or elsewhere.

The main goal of going to Vegas is to play games in casinos. It’s an adventure of a lifetime that could also prove rewarding. Hundreds of people have won incredible sums of money on bets worth no more than a few cents while in Vegas, and luck may smile down on you. You can try and play Fire Joker to see if a chance is on your side today or any other jackpots. Blackjack is fun, but don’t count cards unless you want to be thrown out of the casino.

But even if you’re not there for gaming, Vegas is the USA’s entertainment capital. It’s the home for many music stars for long stretches, and there’s a long line of fantastic restaurants with mouth-watering menus. Rollercoasters, magic shows, and concerts are all part of the fun, so it’s not just the gambling capital anymore – it’s the US’ entertainment capital.

What to Do While in Vegas?

When you’re in Vegas, you’ll likely want to check out the casinos on the Strip, even if you’re not fond of gambling. These luxury buildings are worth a lot of money and are architectural marvels made possible by all the bets lost in the casino.

They don’t just operate casino floors. Apart from the hotel, they have spas and even concert halls where the world’s top superstars have incredible shows. And we’re not talking fringe names – you can often visit an Adele concert in the heart of Vegas or go to a Celine Dion show. Other acts also announce Las Vegas residencies that usually last for months, so on the musical side, Vegas’ offer is unmatched.

No entertainment capital can do without entertainment parks and crazy rollercoasters that will get your blood pumping. Vegas is home to some of the best rollercoasters in the USA, including the thrilling Inverter, SkyJump, The Big Apple Coaster, and High Roller. The latter is one the Strip and is aptly named.

Sights Around Vegas

If you’re willing to walk out on the bright neon lights, there are things to do around Vegas that will pique your interest. The Grand Canyon is not that far away, and it offers fun tours around coves and mountain peaks that provide a breathtaking sight of the USA’s main natural attraction.

We can suggest the half-day Emerald Cove kayak tour or a bus tour of the Grand Canyon, where you can take amazing pics for your IG account on the West Time. Just watch your step when taking them or filming videos. For those with a deeper pocket, you’ll find deluxe helicopter tours for some genuinely breathtaking sights from the air.

If you’re looking for something more unique, you can visit the Titanic artifact exhibition that you can’t find anywhere else. It features a massive collection of items recovered from the legendary ship. From original boarding passes to unique tools and other stuff, the Titanic exhibition is not one you’d want to miss.

As you can see, Las Vegas is more than just the world’s gambling capital. Nevada’s fantastic nature offers plenty of breathtaking sights, and the entertainment nature of Vegas makes it an excellent pick for music and magic shows, and much more.

The first few years of your child’s life are critical in their development, personality, and future success. This makes it extremely important to ensure your child has the best early education possible. As a parent who wants the best for your child, you should consider the quality of your child’s early education and the role it plays in your child’s development:

What Does Preschool Education Include?

Preschool education focuses on play-based learning in most English-speaking countries, such as Singapore, the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Ireland. Children have free play time with adult supervision.

Preschool education is important for early childhood development. Parents may enroll their children in preschool to enhance their child’s learning ability and interaction with other people. You can enroll your child in an international school in Singapore for quality preschool learning.

1. Preschool Shapes Your Child’s Social Skills

Parents often think that their child’s preschool years will be nothing more than an introduction to education, but in reality, social skills are just as important. The time between your child’s birth and when they enter kindergarten is critical for learning valuable social lessons from their peers and adults around them.

Preschool helps students learn how to share: When children play in groups, they learn to share and cooperate with others. These important social skills help students be more considerate adults when they grow up.

If you have concerns about how your child acts in a group setting or they don’t seem interested in meeting new people, it might be because they aren’t comfortable interacting with those around them. Early-childhood education classes can give your young one a solid foundation of social skills that will benefit them in later years.

2. Preschool Sets the Foundation for Your Child’s Academic Success

From learning to read to develop critical-thinking skills, preschool is an important phase of your child’s early education. It helps children build a strong academic foundation that can lead to long-term success, both in school and life. And it starts with choosing a high-quality early childhood program or preschool for your child, which is defined by several key factors, including:

• Specially trained teachers with an educational background in early childhood development
• A curriculum includes activities to develop language, literacy, math, and science skills.
• An environment that helps foster social, emotional, and physical growth in children through hands-on learning experiences
• Full-day programs that provide plenty of playtime: preschools that offer full-day programs allow children to interact with their peers in structured environments.

3. Preschool Develops Your Child’s Communication and Language Skills Faster

Children who attend preschool develop their language skills faster and better than those who do not. Their brains are still relatively elastic, which allows teachers to shape them into better communicators.

Your child will pick a wider variety of vocabulary in their new learning environment. Learning a language requires practice, and your child will get the opportunity to practice new vocabulary with their peers and the teacher.

4. Preschool Is a Great Place To Make New Friends

Making friends is a great part of early education, and it’s important to help your child have fun in that regard. Preschoolers learn about friendship by playing with their peers and engaging with them regularly.

Don’t be afraid to get involved in your child’s class—it can help you make sure your little one is positively engaging with other children.

If they seem isolated or don’t like playing with other kids, there may be an issue that requires the teacher to step in. Enrolling your child at a preschool will also allow them to get accustomed to interacting with teachers and authority figures, which is important as well!

5. Preschool Triggers Your Child’s Curiosity in General

Studies show that children develop their education mindset while they’re in preschool. Children will know how to do things and know what they want to be when they grow up by being exposed to different subjects early on. Early education isn’t just for learning math and reading; it triggers kids’ curiosity about science, technology, and art.

Every subject matters in early education—so take advantage of that by exposing your child to various classes from an early age. Doing so will make them more comfortable learning new things as time goes on. A young mind is a sponge—and there are some great reasons you should think about your child’s education from an early age!

Conclusion

An important part of a child’s development happens early, especially in preschool. It’s no secret that later learning becomes easier for kids prepared for school and nurtured by a loving environment where they are encouraged to learn.

As a parent, it is your responsibility to do all you can to ensure our children get a head start on their education. The best way you can do it is by enrolling your child in preschool for early education.

Marriage is one of the most significant steps in one’s life, and you must dive in only when you are ready. An upcoming wedding is perhaps the most exciting event for couples. The preparations, parties, and thrill are likely to be on top of your mind. With so much to be excited about, it is easy to miss out on wellness and self-care. But these are the last things you should skimp on because good health goes a long way in building a happy marriage.

It makes the relationship physically and emotionally fulfilling. Not to mention, good health gives you the glow every bride or groom deserves. Luckily, achieving it is easy and does not require humongous effort. Follow this pre-wedding wellness advice to look and feel good o your big day.

Eat Well and Stay Fit

Embracing a balanced diet before the wedding gives you a good start with wellness. You can consider seeing a nutritionist if weight loss is on your wishlist for the occasion. A fitness trainer can help you shed pounds and inches to get into the perfect shape for your dream wedding look. Being in shape will also keep you ahead of health issues. Start months ahead so that you have enough time to achieve your weight goals and wellness targets.

Pace Yourself to Avoid Stress

Last-moment prep can make marriage a stressful event, so you must pace yourself with ample time to plan the event. Remember that you will always have last-minute things to take care of. But preparing to-do lists and sticking to them can minimize the misses and keep you anxiety-free. Also, seek help from friends and family members by delegating tasks instead of doing everything alone.

Get Premarital Checkups

Couples seldom have medical issues in mind when they are in deep love and ready to commit. But it makes sense to get premarital checkups before exchanging the vows. Beyond checking for health issues and STDs, premarital screenings can help pinpoint genetic risks for your children in the future.

You can use consumption vouchers for testing without spending a fortune. Also, get medical advice to handle possible complications and have a happy life together.

Get Enough Rest

Sleep is another factor that deserves a place on your wellness checklist. Getting good sleep helps you stay fresh amid the hectic festivities. Moreover, you have to worry less about dark circles and low energy during the celebrations. Plan daytime events and stick with early shopping hours to avoid losing the eight hours of your daily sleep. Try remedies like meditation, aromatherapy, and hot baths to sleep better, even on the most stressful days.

Go the Extra Mile with Good Skincare

Good skincare is another aspect you should not skimp on when it comes to pre-wedding wellness. Experts suggest seeing a qualified esthetician for a facial skin analysis and medical aesthetics treatment to look perfect on your big day. Eat a low-sugar diet, hydrate well, and ramp up your skincare routine to look radiant and beautiful during the festivities.

Avoiding stress is another crucial part of good skincare.

Ensuring good health before your wedding should be a priority. Keep ahead with these simple measures to look great and feel good at your special event.

Home is where the heart is, so it only makes sense to include decor in it that reflects your personality and life. Even if you are aiming for a magazine-worthy interior design look, you needn’t sacrifice those feel good, personal touches. Often, it’s those simple details that make a big impact on the look and feel of an entire room. So, whether you enjoy a sleek, modern look or prefer a warm, cozy aesthetic, there are all sorts of ways to make your home your own.

The best part? Creating a beautiful space and including personal touches doesn’t have to cost a fortune. In fact, adding splashes of your personality is often much less costly than purchasing generic art or decor elements inspired by famous interior designers. Whether you hang a landscape diamond painting on the living room wall, design a family photo gallery for the den, or decorate using your favorite natural elements, your imagination is the only limit to personalizing your home. Keep reading to discover a few home decoration ideas that make your home feel more personalized.

1. Decorate with Diamond Art

If you are the crafty type, completing diamond paintings and framing them to use as wall decor is an excellent way to add a sparkling personal statement to any room. Even if you’re not someone who feels particularly crafty, diamond art kits make it easy for even absolute beginners to create stunning works of art. When you buy one of the best diamond painting kits from a trusted company, you’ll keep the frustration level at a minimum as the tools and everything else needed to complete a masterpiece are included.

Diamond art is the process of creating mosaic images using resin “diamonds” called drills. Drills can be either round or square shaped, and they come in every color imaginable. Using a special tool, you stick each diamond onto a self-adhesive canvas. The canvas is pre-printed to show you exactly where to place each color. Similar to both cross stitch and paint-by-number kits, diamond painting is an easy and enjoyable activity for people of all ages. It doesn’t require any experience or special skills, so anyone can create a breathtaking masterpiece with a diamond art kit. When you’re finished, frame your artwork and find a spot to display it in your home. Trust us — a diamond painting you made with your own hands is way better than a generic piece of art from a big box store.

2. Design a Family Photo Gallery

Displaying family photos is, of course, one of the easiest ways to personalize your decor. If you’re looking for something a bit fancier than photos taped on the fridge or displayed in a mishmash of generic frames, consider designing a family photo gallery. Check out these gallery wall ideas for inspiration!

To create your gallery, first, decide where you would like to display it and measure to determine how much space you have. Then, choose your photos. For a cohesive look, consider having them all printed in black and white and in the same size. If you’re going for a more eclectic look, use a variety of different sizes and shapes. Next, choose your frames. Simple matching frames of the same size work well for creating a neat grid layout, but colorful frames in various sizes and shapes are best if you want a more unique, eye-catching look. Frame your photos and arrange them on a single wall in an aesthetically pleasing arrangement. Looking for some unique ways to add a personal touch to your home décor? Check out our top 5 Tasmanian art prints that are sure to do the trick!

3. Bring the Outside in

Styling a room with flowers and greenery is a wonderful way to liven up any space. And whether you have a green thumb or a black one, there are suitable options for everyone. If you enjoy nurturing different kinds of flora, decorating with houseplants is a simple, straightforward option. Just be sure to pay attention to each plant’s particular needs. A tropical plant that thrives on sunlight and humidity won’t do well in a dimly lit family room. Likewise, a cactus or similar desert plant won’t thrive in a damp environment like a bathroom. Choose appropriate plants for the spaces in which you want to display them, or make the space more hospitable to a certain plant by adding grow lights, a humidifier, etc.

Tending plants not your thing? No problem! Go outside and see what kind of flowers, twigs, flowering branches, pinecones and other natural items catch your eye. Even an interesting rock can make a unique decor item. On their own or grouped together, it’s all about choosing things that you find appealing, rather than selecting items based on someone else’s aesthetics. Also, feel free to decorate using fresh-cut flowers from the grocery store. Just make sure you change them out regularly.

4. Display Travel Mementos

Regardless of your destination, going somewhere new always presents an opportunity to shop for meaningful home decor you won’t find elsewhere. Even if you’re just visiting a town a couple of hours from home, you can find unique pieces from local artists, postcards, and other items to display in your home. Scouring antique shops and secondhand stores in different cities is an excellent way to score meaningful mementos to showcase as well.

Some folks get caught up thinking that only art and trinkets from other countries are worthy of display, but that couldn’t be further from the truth! Anything that speaks to you on your journeys is capable of adding a personal touch to your home.

5. Show Off Family Heirlooms

Regardless of your style, there are many ways to incorporate family heirlooms into your home decor. You can easily modernize vintage pieces by adding the right accessories. For example, you can modernize an antique desk by pairing it with a modern chair and colorful desk accessories. Your great grandfather’s collection of pocket watches or your great aunt’s amazing antique buttons can be styled any number of ways inside a shadowbox frame or display style coffee table. Re-upholstering or refinishing a furniture piece can really breathe new life into a piece, as will adding a new color of paint. However, best to check first to see if the value of the piece lies in it remaining in “original condition”!

Conclusion

Your home should be your sanctuary. So, rather than fill it up with generic art and deck it out according to the latest design trends, use personal touches to make it truly feel like your home. Regardless of your style, the tips above are all great ways to personalize your home.

Choosing nursery essentials is an exciting part of getting ready before your baby arrives. The problem is that you may feel overwhelmed by the tons of items available in the baby market. You might even buy things you certainly do not need.

Here we will spell out exactly what necessities to care for and buy for your baby. We will start with the essentials that make your baby sound asleep. Listed down are seven must-haves in your baby’s nursery.

Bassinet

Although your baby cannot use bassinets for a long time due to their weight limit, their portability, protection, and storage system are a godsend. You can keep an eye on your baby in all rooms of your house because you can easily move this baby bedroom furniture around. The best part of it is that you can have your baby close to you during their multiple wake-ups.

Since it is portable and lightweight, bassinets are also great for traveling. It has protective, removable hoods that cover your baby from sunlight, helping them sleep better and longer. Bassinets also have storage systems to keep almost all your baby essentials near your arms’ reach.

Change Table

Changing your baby’s nappies is no easy business. It is very messy, smelly, and constant, around 10 to 12 times a day (or more on a bad day!). Changing nappies on a coffee table, floor, sofa, or bed is okay, but most of the time, you may hurt your knees and back.

Having a changing table is the best practical solution. It is safe stand-alone furniture for changing nappies, bathing babies, and even storing nappy-changing supplies in one place. It is purposely built at a suitable height, so mommies would not have a hard time. Additionally, most change tables nowadays have wheels, so they are now more portable.

Rockers

Babies having no sense of night or day and feeding around the clock can make mommies crazily exhausted. The good thing is You can easily calm a fussy baby when sitting on a rocking chair. Also, rocking babies in rockers is safer and easier for worn-out and half asleep mommies than doing it on their feet back and forth for hours.

Rocking can also promote babies’ social, emotional, and motor development. The rocking motion stimulates babies’ balance mechanism of their inner ear, which eventually improves their ability to be alert and attentive. In addition, opting for a rocking chair helps mommies recover faster and lose weight since rocking burns about 150 calories an hour.

Night Light

A night light is another baby bedroom furniture that is scientifically proven to improve your babies’ biological development. Many doctors have been recommending this to boost babies’ vision and brain development, specifically from birth to four months of age.

It is also practical and indispensable furniture during middle-of-the-night night feedings and nappy changes. Its dim light is gentle on blurry eyes, enough for you not to fumble while doing your pre-dawn activities, and good to keep your babies in sleep-time mode.

Nursing Pillow

Babies tend to feed 8-12 times a day, and one feed may last for an hour or so. However, doing this can be very taxing on mommies’ bodies. With a nursing pillow, your baby’s position is at the right height for breastfeeding and bottle-feeding, so your back, shoulders, and neck are supported and can relax. Having babies in position encourages good latching as well.

You can also use nursing pillows to practice tummy time, where you turn your baby upside down and make them lie on their tummy during their waking hours under your supervision. Tummy time can strengthen your baby’s core muscles like arms, legs, neck, and back.

Play Mats

Another baby bedroom essential that promotes tummy time is play mats. They are spacious, safe, and soft enough for your baby to play on their front, back, right, and left back sides. Moreover, allowing them to move around strengthens your baby’s core muscles, which will lead to the development of their gross motor skills, including reaching, grasping, crawling, and sitting.

Babies have nearsightedness at birth, so things with highly-contrasting colors like play mats may improve their depth perception. Additionally, play mats of different colors, textures, and sounds can stimulate and develop babies’ awareness of sensory stimuli like visual and auditory.

Baby Monitor

Baby monitors allow parents to pay attention to their babies continuously. It can allow you to get multiple sneak peeks, entertain, and calm your babies in just one click from afar. As a result, you can improve your sleep and ensure your baby’s safety and health. Having this gives you peace of mind, especially if you are a working parent.

Final Thoughts

Make sure that the nursery essentials you will buy are necessary and helpful for your baby. Babies are typically simple, so it is also definitely fine if your nursery is simple as well. In general, it is a matter of must-haves and not nice-to-haves.