Among all the hustle and bustle of the coming holiday season, this is the time of the year a great many companies will have open enrollment for their health care insurance plans. This is when employees can change or are forced to change the their health insurance. With health care costs going up and the amount of coverage going down, there may be some non-employer provided options that is better.

It was not to many years ago when my employer provided a family health care plan which included dental, and optical. The trade off was a deductible of only $10 per office visit, and only $5 per medication. Unfortunately, those days are long gone.

Last year I took a quick look at Open Enrollment. A couple weeks back I did a look at Health Insurance Overview. Today, I would like us to look at other Health Insurance Options. We don’t have to be lock into just what our employer has to offer us. Some of these other options maybe give us better coverage at a equal to or better price.

Late July and early August is the best time to go around to yard sales. This is the time to I find the best deals. People are cleaning out their garages for a little extra money. Parents are cleaning out their children’s closet getting ready to by new sets of school cloths.

Last week we stopped by this one yard sale where we were met by a little boy and girl offering to sell us bottled water or soda for $1 each. Their sales pitch was the money they earned would help pay for their back to school clothes. I smiled and thought it was great that such young children were learning the value of a dollar.

Last year was the first year we gave our daughter a budget for her to buy her school supplies and clothes. She amazed us how much she came within budget. So we decided it would be a good practice to do the same this year.

We are weeks away from Christmas. I you are like me, I am thinking more about having enough money for Christmas than what is happen with mortgage. However,  for those who are still looking to buy a new home there is a few update I want to share with you.

Considering everything that has happen in the past few years. Loans given out to people who should not of have gotten. Other folks who found themselves out of work facing foreclosure. Banks and loan institutions have tighten what qualifies for a home loan.

Craig Ballhagen over at MyFirstBoiseHome.com wrote on his blog about how Idaho mortgage guidelines are constantly changing.  It is very important for future home buyers to take the time to be informed.

Foreclosure is a word that has been striking fear, remorse and a lot of negative emotions in virtually every home owner in the past few years. News agencies have been reporting 1 in 10 home owners are facing foreclosure.

The most common foreclose is for failing to pay the mortgage. Foreclosure can all happen for failing to do something else not related to money. This can be not adhering to ruling and regulations of the neighborhood association.

Way back in 1995, I remember when I helped a young pest control business get their first computer. We set up their books with a new software from Quicken. Over the years, Quicken has been the only real money management software for personal of business use.

Since then there has been several of money management programs to come on the market and many of them leave. Then in 2005, Aaron Patzer said there could be something better. So in 2008 Mint.com came out of beta.

A few weeks ago, a friend and I were talking. Then out of the blue he blurred out like someone who was about to be tortured. “I am afraid that I am going to have to file for bankruptcy.”

I could see the pain in his eyes. He was the type of person who did not have a lot of money. He paid his bills. He took pride in providing for his family. The mere idea of bankruptcy was the worst possible thing that could happen. He believed that if he could not provide for his family he was the scum of the earth.

How much does a lawyer cost? Well that all depends what you need a lawyer to do for you.

According to Lawyers.com the national average is $284 per hour. Then depending on they type of lawyer you need and the area of the United States, that $284 per hour can quickly turn into over $1,000 per hour.

Note, I said per hour. Court appearances, filing fee, and research can put a person in the poor house before going to court. That does not say you are going to win your case.

Considering the world we live, where there are single parents or both parents are working, it is imperative that there is some kind of day care the the children. Some families use retired grandparents to help the greater good of the family. Others families are not so fortunate, it is a constant struggle until the child is old enough to take care of themselves for one or two hours after school.

Depending on the daycare this could be $100 to $400 maybe even more per week. Then there is the problem of getting the little ones back and forth to school.

Have you considered the YMCA? Yes, the YMCA is a lot more than yes an athletic club. The YMCA has evolved to a community resource center for people of all ages.

This past week, I came across an article from Nielsen Wire about the relationship of health and financial responsibility. The day before that, I got to sit in on a lecture by Dr. Stephen R. Covey. The underline theme of both messages was personal financial/health before professional financial health.

It got me thinking that attitudes carry over to all parts of our life. How we manage our personal, and home finances will tell how we manage our business finances. This will be reflected in our physical appearance.

Yes, you are going to find the occasional person walking around in old torn clothing, with a million dollars in the bank, but those people are the exceptions to the rule. Most of the people I come across can be read by their overall health and dress.