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Dignity holds a special place in human nature – people would rather part with anything but dignity. If you have elderly parents, you know that engaging with them and trying to improve their lifestyle is like walking a tightrope with their self-esteem in your hands.

There’s only so much you can do, and you have to meet them half-way. If you have a hard time finding ways to improve your elderly parents’ lifestyle, here are three major tips on how to keep it graceful.

Clean out the household together

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A majority of retired individuals prefer to age in a familiar environment – namely, their home. One of the hallmarks of a functional home, especially if elderly people live there, is orderliness.

While the luxury of chaos could have been allowed up until a point, this is a time when it would be wise to help your parents clear out their stuff. This might be one of the foundational factors in improving their lifestyle, but it will probably take a lot of time.

The key aspect of the endeavor is to involve your parents as much as you can and negotiate with them about what to keep and what to donate or recycle. We know how the baby boomer generation was enamored with collectibles, but they represent nothing but hazardous clutter.

By cleaning out all of this stuff, you will create a pleasing home full of breathing room. Since you’ve involved your parents in the cleaning, they’ll pretty much remember where everything is now and, let’s be honest, the entire household, including the yard, simply looks better.

Just remember – to keep it graceful, discuss every group of items with your parents so they’ll know that their decision counts. This is important even if you’ve pretty much decided about certain things.

Encourage their walks with friends

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Physical activity and socialization are the cornerstones of health and longevity. They are also major contributors to the cognitive performance of elderly people. This is why you should encourage your parents to venture out into the neighborhood and visit their friends.

You can suggest that they go on walks with their friends and enjoy a breezy afternoon in a local park that offers ample seating opportunities. By doing this, you will kill two birds with one stone: your parents will spend more time with their peers as well as get some quality exercise.

The walks are particularly important. If they have not ventured out of the house or the backyard for the day, and they generally dislike physical exercise, it might be a good strategy to invite them for a walk with you, and use this opportunity for a heart-to-heart.

The more they are engaged in a conversation, the more likely they are to forget that they are walking before the tiredness settles in. Naturally, you have to familiarize yourself with their limits first and avoid pushing them beyond that.

Even if the constant, everyday nagging that they should walk more and socialize might become tiring for you, just remember that you are investing in the future. It is a long-term strategy to keep your parents as healthy and happy as possible for as long as possible.

Keep the family together

Image source:https://www.pexels.com/photo/adult-affection-baby-child-302083/

 

At the end of the day, carefully cultivated family relationships are our most valuable testament. The most cherished contribution to your parents’ dignified lifestyle is an effort to surround them with as many family members as possible.

However, you’ll notice that this turns out to be a balancing act as well since your parents might require some relaxing alone time now and then. Make sure to discuss the family visits with them before coordinating anything. They’ll likely hope to spend more time with their grandchildren than anyone else.

In addition to family gatherings, by organizing a reliable in-home caregiver, you’re practically guaranteeing that your parents never feel abandoned, or consider themselves a burden on the family.

Conclusion

Thankfully, we live in an age when eldercare is developing rapidly, and new methods of aiding our parents with dignity are cropping up all around. Still, one motif never changes no matter the time and place – and that is the aspiration of the retirees to age with dignity, grace, and surrounded by the love of their family.

This is why, no matter what technology, medicine, and eldercare devise, it will always come down to what you can bring to the table as a responsible adult.

The basement is usually the space most people don’t use on a daily basis, except for storing their junk. But, if you want to make this space functional and give it a purpose, you can convert it into a home office. This is something all working moms need, especially when they’re chasing deadlines. Most of us prefer working from home and feeling comfortable while trying to solve complex work-related issues. But, working from home also means you’ll have to deal with so many distractions – from your kids to the TV, and everything in between. This is one of the biggest advantages of the basement because it’s secluded and your family won’t be able to interrupt you while you’re working. So, how can you turn your basement into every mom’s perfect home office?

Inspect the space

Many homeowners have serious problems in their basements so it’s important to deal with potential repairs in the beginning. Check the insulation and waterproofing because these two issues can cause serious damage, especially if you redo the space before moving into it. In addition to that, flooring and ceiling are also a major risk if you haven’t been taking care of your basement properly. 

Mold spreads quite easily in the basement, so keep that in mind as well. Since you’ll be spending lots of time here, you need to think about your health and take care of any potential leaks that can cause mold. Even if you get everything fixed, invest in an air purifier just to make sure the air quality is at the highest level.

Insist on comfort and practicality

No matter how big your home office is, you need to remember that comfort is the key to productivity. That means you won’t be able to work unless you invest in some comfortable and ergonomic furniture. Think of it as a necessity for your health because all working moms are exhausted all the time, so sitting for hours in improper furniture might not be good for them.

For starters, think about adding a spacious desk that’s practical and functional. In addition to that, you’ll want to pair it with a suitable chair which will turn into the center of your workspace. If you want, you can even add another cozy chair where you can take a break, read something, or meet your business associates.

Basement entrance

If you don’t have doors on your basement, you need to think about investing in one. There are two possible problems if you opt for an open concept. First, your family will always be interrupting you, thinking you’re free to hang out and spend time with them. Secondly, you’ll be surrounded by so much noise that you won’t be able to focus on your work.

By adding doors, though, you’ll create a designated space which you’ll use only for your work and nothing else. You can always use practical barn doors that will add a stylish note but also serve as a practical room divider. If you have a big basement, it will also allow your family members to use the space without getting in your way.

Think about the lighting

 

The main problem when it comes to the basement is the lighting, especially if you want to give this space a new purpose. You can try sectioning the space and adding different types of lighting which will allow you to have plenty of light wherever you need it. Create one big source of lighting on the ceiling and use that as a primary source that will cover the entire space. 

In addition to that, think about all the parts of the basement where you’ll need light – your desk, the storage area, the reading space, etc. – so don’t be afraid to maximize the lighting when you need it. in the end, be sure to create multiple lighting sources, just to ensure your office is properly illuminated.

Projects like this one will help you utilize the free space you have in your home and make it functional. Having a home office in your basement will give you all the privacy you need in order to get all of your jobs done without interruptions, so it’s definitely an idea worth looking into.

Cyber security is a real threat nowadays. While you might think cyber crime only affects businesses and billionaires, that’s not the case. All types of individuals are targeted online, and that’s why you need to be extra careful.

One of the ways criminals gain access to your information is through video chat. While there are a number of free or affordable video chat tools online nowadays, how do you know which one is safe? Here’s how to choose a safe video chat to talk to your family with confidence.

 

1. Protect Your Computer

The first thing you should do is make sure your computer is protected. The good news is that most video chats are unlikely to be monitored or recorded by outsiders. Most data transmitted through any trusted video chat platform is encrypted within the browser, and that means it can’t be intercepted by a third-party.

However, you should take action to make sure your computer is safe from harmful viruses or malware. According to Cybersecurity Ventures, there are 2,645 records stolen from data breaches every minute. TYu need to make sure your computer is clean and safe, whether that means recruiting the help of a professional or installing anti-virus software.

 

2. Set Safety Rules

Next, before you can choose a safe video chat platform, it’s important to set clear safety rules. Many kids don’t have experience online or talking to family over the internet, so you want to set clear rules from the start. Make sure kids know how to verify the identity of family members and to always come to you if they experience any problems.

 

Image via Pexels

3. Check Security Features

Before choosing a video chat service, check safety features. Look for key things like encryption and privacy protection. Is it possible to have a private account that isn’t easy to find? How does this company keep your data safe from strangers?

These are important questions, and they might not always be clear upfront. If your kids will be using the chat tool to talk to family, are their child protection options to keep them from being contacted by strangers? Say Family Video Chat is an example of a platform built with family security in mind. It’s always a good practice to ensure safe internet usage, a big problem online can be identity theft and protecting your information is really important

 

4. How Easy Is It to Use?

Last but not least, make sure whatever video chat you use is easy for the whole family. If it’ll be used by grandparents and kids alike, everyone needs to know how to use it to their advantage. If it’s too complicated or confusing, this is when security mistakes are made.

In addition, ensure everyone in the family follows online safety rules like making a secure password and keeping your personal information private. As long as everyone’s on the same page about safety, odds are you’re ready to start video chatting right away.

 

Keep the Family Connected Safely

Video chat has come a long way, but it still poses a safety risk for families. Many families use video chat tools to keep in touch when separated long distances, but that doesn’t mean you should let your guard down. Like all tech tools, you need to be educated and safe.

These tips above will not only help you choose the best platform for your family, but they’ll make sure you’re using them safely. It’s time to get calling!

Reading is great for your kids, and inspiring them to do that as often as possible is vital. This is great for their mental and physical development, especially if you start doing it early on. However, it’s the parents who need to play a key role in this process. First, you need to read to your kids, and then encourage them to continue doing it on their own. So, if you too want to push your children towards books, here are some of the things you should do.

Read to them

Most parents are tired, exhausted, and agitated all the time, especially when they get their first child. That’s why they try to get as much rest as possible, and reading is the last thing on their mind. But, no matter how tired you are, you still to find the energy for your kids and talk to them. Even when they’re babies, they can hear your voice, recognize it, and find it soothing.

Once you establish this routine, moving on and starting reading to them will be easier. Studies show that you need to do that as soon as possible – even at the earliest age. Reading will encourage their language development, boost their intelligence, and create a new bond between you and them. Therefore, start reading to your kids straight away, and do that every single day.

Give them space

Once your kids grow up a bit, they’ll start reading on their own, and that’s great. Still, it’s important to give them space to do that on their own. Teach them how to read and show them what sort of books they can explore, and then leave them alone. Reading is an individual activity, and that’s something kids understand, so they’ll feel better doing that on their own.

Giving them space can be hard for parents, but try not to interfere. Of course, stay nearby and be involved, but be discreet. Give them new books and feed their curiosity, but also give them some food and drinks they love the most. Be there, but be invisible, and let your children feel important and all grown-up just because they’re reading alone.

Set up a reading nook

After your child falls in love with reading, you need to make the next step. Setting up their own reading nook is the best way to show them how much you encourage their passion. This space doesn’t have to be too extravagant, but it should be special and belong only to them. That’s why parents all over the world, from Australia to Canada, are designing reading spots for their kids.

These reading nooks should be cozy, so start by arranging some comfortable seating options. Also, add lots of cushions and pillows that will provide your kids comfort and support. Moreover, pay attention to the lighting and make sure it’s just perfect. This is something the aforementioned Australian parents are particularly careful about, for instance. That’s why they leave these things to the professionals instead of doing that on their own. So, they might want to look into an experienced electrician from Camden who knows everything about electricity. These people can provide their kids with amazing lighting for their reading nook, and inspire them to read more.

Build them a bookcase

After your child stops being a child, it’s time to upgrade their reading habit. Being a young adult is great because of all those books that are written for that age. So, keep encouraging you’re loved to read even more and discover new writers, new books, and new topics. Also, think about building them a proper bookcase that will fit all their books.

Doing this is easy, and it depends on the size of their room and the number of books they own. Just find some inspiration online and try to be creative. Get your kids involved as well and ask them to come up with a design of their own. This way, their bookcase will be even better and they’ll like it even more.

Getting your kids to fall in love with reading is a long process, but it’s worth your time and energy. It’s a good thing for their mental health, personal development, and imagination, so start reading to them right away!

Hiring a nanny, for many, is a logical step for a family. Some families are looking for someone to come in and take care of their children when they’re at work. Others are looking for just a little extra bit of household help during the day. Or, a family could be looking for a nanny to be with the family full-time, even accompanying them on vacations and trips. It could be all of the above as well!

Many more families are hiring nannies each year, looking for a bit of extra help around the household, so there’s no shame in searching the field for yourself.

It’s a big step for many, deciding whether or not to bring someone else into the picture. For better or for worse, this person can become an extension of your family depending on how much they are around.

Before taking the plunge, it’s important to avoid these mistakes so you don’t end up regretting your decisions later.

Rushing Through the Early Stages

When finding someone to look after your child, potentially live in your home and perform a whole other myriad of activities like preparing meals and running errands, you’d obviously like to find the perfect individual. Sometimes, though that can just take too long.

Whether you’ve gone nanny hunting on your own or are using an agency, it’s important to find someone who you know will match up with your, your home and your children. You don’t want to end up with a nanny who prefers to be indoors all the time if your child is always looking to run around outside.

Make sure and go through the interview process with due diligence and even consider a trial period. Rome wasn’t built in a day and chances are the perfect nanny isn’t going to descend from the heavens at a moment’s notice.

Additionally, you’ll want to be able to manage expectations about the nanny before coming in. If you rush about it, you may end up assigning the nanny to do too many jobs, way over the required amount. The last thing you want is for a nanny to walk out on you in the middle of the year and you’re left scrambling, trying to not repeat the process of before.

Saving the Finances for Later

Chances are, you’ve gone over your finances and budget for the nanny and have an idea of what you could be paying. You’ll want to set up required hours, frequency of pay and find out how much you can afford. It also helps to do a bit of research to see what the expected pay is, so you’re not undercutting your nanny or throwing the bank at them.

You also want to make sure you’re paying your nanny legally instead of under the table payments. This guarantees a bit more respect from both parties and keeps everyone honest.

While these are important steps, it’s equally as important to have your taxes figured out. You’ll need to find out if you have to pay the nanny tax, what that entails and how to go about reporting it on your taxes. Don’t wait till the end of the year to try and get everything in order, keep track of payments and be putting it together as the year goes by. If it gets confusing, search out someone who can help you.

Be smart and get ahead of it all so you’re not scrambling at the very end. Your nanny could be there only a short time and you’d hate to try and track them down to verify payments at a later date. It always helps to have a paper trail!

Not Making a Contract

This mistake kind of rolls the last two mistakes into one, but it’s vital you make a nanny contract. Not only can you lay out the financial rules for the nanny, but you’ll be able to also lay out expectations, job responsibilities, hours and so much more. That way, everything is out in the open and easy to read.

It will also make any disputes easier down the road. If you feel the nanny isn’t holding up their end of the contract, you can review the contract together and see what needs to be changed for the future.

At the end of the day, this person will have a big hand in taking care of your most prized possession, your children, and you need to place the highest value possible on a potential caretaker.

Big data is the most trending topic in the technology world, but it is a complicated thing also to consider. We have seen the rise and fall of many big data startups, and in light of this, we are trying to put forth some guidelines for big data startups to succeed. These guidelines are given by keeping the new-generation entrepreneurs in mind who want to get into emerging technology fields to succeed.

This is a long story; however, jotted down here in short. As a startup entrepreneur, you need to choose your business battles very wisely and try to build a community around what you offer. However, if it is big data, then it doesn’t require an additional cheerleader. Without further, ado let’s get into the point.

Guidelines to big data startup business aspirants

1. The infrastructure need is challenging

Building infrastructural tools for big data is difficult on the one hand, and selling them too is difficult on the other hand. This gets your troubles doubled, while you think of the big data tools like Hadoop, MapReduce, NoSQL DB, and real-time data streaming/processing systems, etc. The users need to have a lot of education and insights. This makes it mandatory for the providers to offer significant support to the users by addressing all their concerns timely and satisfactorily.

When it comes to big data applications, whether they are focused on specific workloads of various industries or applications to handle broader tasks like data visualization etc. are made easier. However, these sophisticated applications are harder to build, but the prospective customers can oversee how it can be made useful or this compared to what already exists. You will be able to sell big data applications directly into the lines of business without the need to invoke the central IT systems at all, which means that there is only less friction ultimately. Once if you start to talk about removing, replacing, or adding systems or putting sensitive data, things can be more complicated.

2. Friendliness of cloud computing

People have known that the cloud is a very efficient solution for businesses. Nowadays, even if you sell infrastructure or software applications, the cloud can be an efficient option to leverage. This doesn’t mean simply hosting on the cloud, but it can also be beneficial in delivery services to clients in a cloud environment. You can gain better control over your product or service and a deeper understanding of its potential as it can run optimally on a set of resources.

There is no entering into the customer accounts or setting up on the servers and OS they are running. However, there could be some customized work to connect services with the data sources of the customers, but all get more or less the same thing. In this, most of the provider energy may be spared for product development.

After all, cloud computing will make it easier for users to play around with their products. For startups, this makes things much easier to get started, play around with the product, and prove the value of their tools. However, this is not so in all the cases, especially when you are considering larger-scale enterprise software applications which have to handle a huge volume of data. Big data startups may feel such pressure from the larger businesses in the same platform to offer cloud services too as traditional software applications.

3. Developers as your friends

Cater to them if you are a big data solutions providers. On the other hand, if you are providing big data analytics services too as a part of your big data database services like RemoteDBA.com, then analysts are your best friends. Whatever your solutions are, ranging from database to development or analytics solutions, aiming your development efforts to marketing on your target audience is the key to success.

In this case, CIOs may not be the ideal target audience. On target the CIOs, the major problem is that you won’t catch them speaking the buzzwords or answering the specific questions about the overblown concerns as compared to contact the actual users. Instead of this, targeting the actual developers or analysts may be the ideal tactic to work well for cloud startups.

4. Deploy data scientists at the front and the center

This is as much as a strategic marketing approach as well as sales too. This is important as data scientists are the professional who will show the users what is possible for them with the use of data and your big data platform. Expert data analysts are those whom people will be listening to at conferences and presentations.

You can see that almost everyone in the technology sector is already sold on Hadoop as well as NoSQL DBMS technologies already. So, for the marketers, there is little need to explain the merits of these further, and there is also no need to reinforce in terms of variety, volume, and velocity, etc. Discussing integrations and configurations seems to be important, but it is more interesting in a smaller audience who closely follow it unless you are talking about things at a massive scale.

While presenting your big data startup solutions, don’t simply talk about data and the kind of infrastructure you can offer for storing data or processing it, but you need to show them what kind of products you can build with the help of it. You need to point out how such products will help their business to grow further and make use of the real data to fuel their operations. Show then what type of analysis they can run or at the minimum, put it across in such way that you are considering data in a broader context than conventional.

5. Open source really matters if you consider it

Many of the big data startups now tend to rely on open-source applications. Some of the technology they have borrowed like Hadoop and Storm etc. Some others which they create by their own also come into the picture. In many other cases, it could be a fine combination of both with added functionality as to things like HBase. These type of projects are so popular because of community support.

The goal of technology in the open source arena is to create a solid community of experts working on the same set of codes to improve and streamline it. In such a scenario, you need to really get out and try to promote the technology inquest and explain every turn of it as to why it is so important to get more people willing to hack on the technology.

However, you may not be able to always count on any random startup that opens sourced the code, but only those companies which are pushing their projects to win a bigger community around their technology only stand out.

A business startup in itself comes as a great display of its values and prepositions. The concept of “startup” is all about conceiving an innovative idea and then getting taking it up to a higher execution level and reap the results. All these; however, depending on the technology which is picked by the business administrators, which may give a powerful start and ongoing scalability to run the business operations with a proper technology toolkit.

In broader terms, a technology stack for any business is an inventory of software including programming languages to develop a website or mobile applications, a database to store information, and support for hosting, etc. When you start with a business for which one needs to go through various steps, the real issue is of choosing the apt, reliable, and solid technology to meet the objectives. Here, we will discuss a few essentials for the startup business owners in terms of picking the right technology.

Developing a talent pool

With a big number of technology tools available in the market, the technology stack choice may become an intensive debate and must be based on the most competent units. The technology choices should be made by an experienced technology architect and not the mere developers or administrators. The users may suggest a tech stack which they are familiar or with instead of the most effective solution from a business point of view.

However, remember that the technology stack should not be taken as gospel. One should learn the requirements in-depth and try to find a middle-ground in terms of time and cost. It may be difficult and costly to replace a team member in light of technology. So, it is always worth to ask to assess the expertise of the team members in terms of technology tools to make a final decision.

For example, putting a Dot Net developer into a Java development stack doesn’t make any sense. Instead, if it is only some minor technology utilities which your team member has not expertise, it can be easily patched.

Technology platform

There are two most appealing houses not to choose for you as web and mobile. There are more than a dozen factors to be considered to find which could be ideal, but still, it may remain as a controversy. In fact, whichever choice you make, it won’t negate the other fully as both of these needs to be healthily co-exist in the modern-day technology gadgets.

The solution is to now the end-product of your business well. You should be aware of what and why it stands for and how to leverage it at best. Is it best to have your application a naturally looking mobile app, if in case it can be operated through simple swipes like authenticators, messengers, food ordering, or taxi services, etc.)? On the other hand, if the application requires many tons of options for filling data, more precise clicks, etc. for the best user experience like managing forums, torrent tracker, or movies platform, then web version can be a winner.

Business database, database migration, and security

The database is the heart of any online business. You may have come across Microsoft Excel and may agree to the usefulness of this stool to store and manipulate data effectively. Similar to it, the databases like MySQL or MS Access also helps you store digital data in tabular forms as tables with rows and columns. However, unlike MS Excel, the featured database is packed with a lot of advanced features to enable users to add and retrieve data using different criteria, do cross-reference of data with other databases, perform the most sophisticated calculations, and also use the tools for data visualization.

It is important to set up the startup business databases in a structured manner from scratch to ensure usability and scalability at a later stage. For organizations to ensure effective database management and security, it is advisable to avail the service of expert DBAs like RemoteDBA.com, which is fully worth the money spent on their services. There are desktop databases and server databases for startup businesses to choose from.

Some of the major desktop databases are:

• MS Access
• FoxPro
• FileMaker Pro
• Paradox
• Lotus Approach

Desktop databases are much cheaper than server databases, being suitable for the low-intensity databases accessed and updated by a single person and one at a time.

Server databases are:

• MS SQL Server
• Oracle
• MySQL
• IBM DB2
• Cloud-based Azure etc.

Compared to desktop databases, server databases are much powerful and multi-functional. You can customize them easily through programmer-friendly APIs. For bigger web applications, multiple users may have to access and edit the data, so server database is advisable.

Database security

Security is a crucial part in database administration as data is the most valuable asset of businesses and hackers out there may try to steal it. Poor database management practices also may lead to corruption of data and loss. As databases grow bigger, they also become more vulnerable, and you need to enhance the protection with the help of a firewall, digital signature, and malware protection, etc.

Technology trends

Despite the various options in the market, the startup businesses can still see the patterns as to certain technology tools being preferred over others when it comes to administering the startup projects successfully. Here, let’s have a quick over of some of such latest technology startups tend to consider in their stack in 2019.

• Programming languages: Python, PHP, Java, JavaScript, TypeScript, Go
• Frameworks: Angular.js, Node.js, Django
• Databases: MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB (NoSQL)
• DevOps: GitHub, Docker
• Servers: Apache, NGINX
• Business tools: Trello, Slack
• Utilities: Google Analytics

All these general overviews about technology stack for startup business we discuss actually only touches a minor fraction of the actual technology combinations one can consider to forge a system. Whether you choose .NET, Java, LAMP, RAR, or MEAN stack, one should take into consideration the scope and size of the future projects too as many a time it would be more important than the real perks offered by the aforementioned tech stacks.

Anyways, reliability is the key factor to consider while picking up your tech stack for startups. As a rule of thumb, the more matured tools you add to it will ensure the most consistency in performance and make the life of the technology administrators and stakeholder much easier and efficient.

Single moms are having greater chances of facing debt, bankruptcy, and lower credit scores. As per the findings of the National Bureau of Economic Research, around 85 percent of the single-parent homes are actually, headed by women and around 42 percent of the total single-parent household is currently in poverty. Most single moms are struggling to run their households smoothly as they need to cope up with housing payments, education expenses, utility bills, clothing, childcare, and food. Most single moms are having a cash crunch and are struggling hard to restore their credit scores and to stay away from opting for bankruptcy.

As a single mom who is struggling to make ends meet and going through a pretty bad financial situation, you need to look for expert debt management and financial counseling programs. If you are facing the problem of the ever-increasing debt burden, you may consider debt consolidation and other effective debt management programs before declaring bankruptcy. Even though the United States debt scenario is pretty grim with debts reaching 22 trillion this month, there are indicators that demonstrate that Americans are trying to make far more responsible debt decisions and trying their best to save some money and get out of debts. As per a study that was undertaken by Bankrate.com recently, we understand that 31 percent of the Americans are having enough savings to run six months of expenses. This is certainly the highest level of savings in the past seven years. This implies that consumers today, are trying to manage debt issues in a much better way and that they are strictly sticking to a monthly budget.

Some Tips to Boost Your Finances & Avoid Debts

Avoid Spending on Credit

You may be easily tempted to spend money that you are not having but you must refrain from using credit cards. Keep in mind that credit cards are cleverly designed for letting you carry a balance. However, it is critical not to forget that interest would be accruing every month or every payment cycle. This implies that you would be compelled to keep on paying for all those unaffordable purchases that you have already made, but also, you would be compelled to pay more over time. Try to make all payments in cash. This would be preventing you from going overboard and spending more money than you actually have.

Look for Credit Building Opportunities

You must remember to build a robust credit score. You must try to keep a specific line of credit accessible and paying off the balance every month would be an effective way of defraying costs for a number of weeks and an effective way of building a robust credit score. Do not think of spending more than you could afford to pay off straightaway in one single cycle. This would be helping you in avoiding accrual of interest and keeping your credit score nice and really high.

What Is Debt Consolidation?

As per https://www.huffpost.com, “Basically, debt consolidation takes debt you have from more than one source, such as multiple credit cards, and combines it into one lump sum. This makes it easier to pay off debt because you are no longer bound to multiple payments and due dates each month. There are two primary ways you can consolidate debt: balance transfers and personal loans.”

Debt consolidation, therefore, is an effective debt management method to stay on top of your current debts. However, debt consolidation should be done with effective professional assistance and expert guidance. Otherwise, you may commit certain debt consolidation mistakes that could impact your credit score adversely. Let us explore some of the debt consolidation mistakes often made by single moms.

Mistake: Failing to Consolidate the High-Interest Debts

One common mistake is to go on consolidating all your credit card debts into one single card specifically in a typical balance transfer way. If you stick to just transferring the balances of some of your cards with higher interest rate directly into a low-interest rate card, you may end up encountering many complications. You would require paying for all the consolidated cards.

Mistake: Not Analyzing Credit Reports

Before you put in your application for a debt consolidation loan, you must assess and evaluate your credit reports thoroughly. Excessive debts or too many errors present in your credit report would be making it really tough for you to effectively take out the debt consolidation loan. You must meticulously examine the credit report and get in touch with the relevant credit reporting agencies in case of any mistakes or discrepancies.

Mistake: Failing to Verify the Debt Consolidation Company

You must not blindly depend on any and every debt consolidation company you come across. You must necessarily do a thorough background check and examine the credentials, authenticity, and legitimacy of the debt consolidation firm before hiring them so that you could avoid unwanted scams.

Mistake: Not Doing Proper Research, Comparative Study or Shopping Around

You need to do thorough market research for grabbing the best available debt consolidation loans in terms of rate of interest and the loan term. You must compare different loans that are available in the market. This would help you choose the loan that best caters to your financial affordability. You must do adequate shopping. Only then you could at once, determine the loan that offers you the lowest interest rate. You must do adequate research and compare the features of a number of loans.

Mistake: Opting for the Wrong Choice

Often you do not devote much time to consider the advantages and disadvantages of different loans. You must keep your budget and financial affordability in mind while making the right choice. You must thoroughly understand the merits and demerits of a loan before opting for it so that you do not encounter any issues afterward.

Conclusion

Being a single mom is definitely, not a joke. Life is pretty challenging for a single mom. However, they need to be slightly more careful with their finances and debt management strategies. You need to avoid making the mistakes we have pointed out here. You must concentrate on spending judiciously. Always keep in mind that one mistake could prove to be crucial for you and may ruin your finances irrevocably.