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Camping and spending time in the wilderness are great bonding activities for families, especially those with kids. However, the great outdoors is unpredictable and parents should always prioritize safety to ensure the wellness of everyone in the family. When you come prepared and exercise caution, the risk of injuries and trouble are automatically minimized.

Have a fun-filled and worry-free outdoor adventure with these important camping safety tips for children:

Bring the appropriate clothing

You must remember, there is no adjusting the thermostat when you’re out in the woods, that’s why it’s important that children wear clothes appropriate to the weather whenever they’re outdoors. It’s ideal to check the weather forecast for the days of your trip to know the proper clothing to bring. Dress your little ones in layers so that it’s easy to adjust according to the weather. Don’t forget to bring the right footwear, too!

Learn about poisonous plants and insects

Children are naturally curious – so don’t be surprised if the first thing they do when you arrive at the campsite is to wander off and explore. They could easily come in contact with plants and insects that may be poisonous and cause them harm. To prevent this, show them photos of plants that they should stay away from. Be sure to have anti-allergy medicine and a complete first aid kit ready.

Bring your own water

Kids’ stomachs are way more sensitive compared to ours as adults. To avoid things like stomach ache, diarrhea and the like, bring drinking water from home. If your family will be hiking and need to pack light, pack some iodine tablets instead. Be sure to remind them not to drink from any other water source!

Give them instructions about emergency situations

The outdoors are truly unpredictable and the key to staying safe is to come prepared. Sit the little ones down and give them a talk about what they should do during emergency situations. They should know the first thing to do in case they get lost, encounter a wild animal or get injured.

Prepare a complete first aid kit

Everyone is prone to injuries when they’re outdoors, especially kids. This is unavoidable but what we can do is to be ready once they happen. Be sure to have tools and medication to treat minor cuts, burns and allergic reactions!

With the right preparation and tools, the risk of injuries decreases significantly. Follow these useful camping safety tips for children!

When you’re outdoors, the fun never stops – you can always find something enjoyable or interesting to do. But the case is different when you’re with the whole family, especially if you’re bringing kids along.

While kids are experts at keeping themselves entertained, preparing activities will make your trip an even more unforgettable experience for everyone. Playing games make a great bonding time, too!

Try these super fun camping games to play with the whole family:

Kick the Can

Kick the can is an old but classic outdoor game that is enjoyed by people of all ages. It has had plenty of versions over the years, and you yourself can make up your own rules based on the game.

What you need:

An empty can

Open space to play

At least 4 players

How to play Kick the Can:

Place the can in the center of the area where you’ll be playing. Assign someone to be the “It” among the players – he will be the one to “guard” the can. He will then turn around and count to 10 while the other players hide. The goal is for a player to kick the can without getting tagged by the “It”.

The game requires teamwork – one player must be the distraction, making the “It” chase him while another player attempts to kick the can.

Capture the Flag

Capture the Flag is another classic outdoor game that is a staple in summer camps. This game can also be enjoyed by both kids and adults!

What you need:

2 different colored flags (or you can tie a handkerchief to a stick)

Open space to play

At least 6 players

How to play Capture the Flag:

Divide the number of players into 2 teams. Divide the play area into 2 as well, then have each team go into their corner on opposite sides. Each team will hide their flag somewhere in their corner. The goal is to take the other team’s flag and bring it safely to your corner without getting tagged.

When a player attempts to go the other team’s corner and gets tagged, he will have to stay in their “jail”. He can only get out once a member of his team tags him without being caught by the opposing team.

Zoo cum botanical garden of Nandankanan covers an area of 400 hectares. The zoo came up way back in 1960. The place is part of World Association of Zoos and Aquariums since 2009. The Garden of Heavens is very near to the capital city of Orissa, Bhubaneswar.

Nandankanan Park is near Kanjia Lake. Since the advent of animals at the park, the Lake too has become a popular tourist spot. Both these places offer a great recreational experience.

First tiger came to the place from Calcutta in 1964. African lions, Puma and Mugger Crocodiles came along with the tiger. The visitors to the place enjoy viewing many species of mammals, birds and reptiles around the place. The forest is famous as a breeding ground for white tigers. Many endangered species of Nilgiri langur, Mouse deer, Sangal lion-tailed macaque and Indian crocodiles can be seen around the place. The zoo has a lovely collection of freshwater fishes in its wonderful Aquaria.

Apart from its Aquaria, the park is famous for its Reptile Park where one comes across lizards, snakes, crocodiles and turtles.

Orchid House at the zoo has a beautiful array of orchids to be viewed and enjoyed.

Zoo remains open to guests from 7.30 in the morning to 5.30 in the evening from April to September. From October to March visiting hours are eight in the morning to five in the evening. For regular maintenance work, the place remains close to visitors on Mondays.

A nominal fee of Rs.20/ is to be paid by an Indian adult as an entry fee. Foreign visitors need to pay Rs.100/. Physically impaired people get free admission to the place.

One can stay at a tourist cottage at Nandankanan on paying Rs.300/. A stay at the place is an enjoyable people who love photography. Photography is allowed at different fee towards still cameras, digital still cameras, video cameras and movie cameras.

There are lots of things one can do while at the Park. Lion Safari, White Tiger Safari, Rope Way, Toy Train, Paddle Boating and Family Boating can be enjoyed around the place.

One can travel to Nandankanan by bus, taxi or auto-rickshaw from Bhubaneshwar. Buses are also available to the park from Bhubaneshwar airport.

The more people are camping with you, the greater the responsibility. You’ll need a bigger campground, more food and more supplies to be able to accommodate everyone. It’s indeed a large feat to organize an outdoor trip for a large group, but with the right techniques, you’ll be able to organize a fun camping experience for each camper!

Let these top 5 tips for camping with a large group:

Decide on the perfect campground

Where you’ll be camping will influence your overall camping experience, especially in terms of comfort. Some important question you have to ask are “Is your group comprised of experienced campers?” and “Do you have children or seniors with you?”

If not everyone is an experienced camper, choosing a private or public campground with amenities (bathroom, water and electricity) is ideal.

Make reservations early

You don’t want to get everyone excited only to find out that the campground you made reservations at cannot accommodate your whole group. It’s important to do a thorough research of your chosen location and make reservations early. Make sure that you be clear with the number of people camping. Also, familiarize yourself with the campsite rules!

Choose an area packed with activities

A great way to give a great outdoor experience to the entire group is to choose a location that offers plenty of activities such as swimming, hiking, fishing, kayaking, bird watching etc. It’s also ideal to prepare other sources of entertainment such as building a campfire, playing games, treasure hunts (for kids) and more!

Assign groups

It’s important that each member of the group carries the weight of responsibility, as camping and the outdoors take a lot of work, especially if you’re in a large group. You can assign groups for specific tasks such as a set up crew, breakfast crew, dinner crew, fire crew, clean up crew etc. If your group is smaller, you can make a schedule and take turns doing the tasks.

Prepare a meal plan

Cooking for a huge crowd is no easy task. It’s ideal to create a meal plan for the whole group for the entire duration of your trip. Go for meals that can be prepared in bulk, such as soups and stews. Buying from the store in bulk would also save you money, so shop wisely before your trip!

Follow these quick tips for camping with a large group and your trip will be a breeze!

 

Making the most of your discretionary income

Discretionary income is what you have left over after paying your fixed costs. It is yours to spend on whatever you choose.

But…
How you spend this money can make a difference to your financial situation, but before this we have to ascertain what is discretionary income.

Rent/rates

Car running expenses

Power

Debt

Groceries etc.

People who have an addiction of some kind will prioritize their spending so that the addiction is included among their fixed expenses.

Everyone as an adult has freedom of choice unless they have debts which means their freedom is being eroded away in relation to their level of debt.

The old Proverb, “The borrower is a slave to the lender,” sums it up.

We all have some control over most of our fixed expenses such as groceries and power;we can cut down on these but with items such as rates/rent are fixed but even then we can choose to live in a more modest apartment or downsize.

The excess to your expenses is called discretionary income.

Another way of increasing your disposable (discretionary) income is to increase your income by getting a part-time job, getting a higher paying job, or selling stuff online.

Saving your discretionary spending for some greater purpose instead of frittering it away gives your life some meaning. Instead of just letting things happen you are making things happen. Many people in 10-20 years time wondered what happened.

There is a major difference between saving your money and investing it. Astute investors use their discretion to increase their wealth by investing in higher risk stocks and shares, gold, and cryptocurrency. There are enough online platforms where you are able to drip feed money into these things if you are still climbing up the investment ladder.

But then you may prefer to save for a holiday and tick off one or two items on your bucket list. The border closures will restrict your choice of places but here in New Zealand there are so many fantastic places to visit it is an opportunity to discover your own backyard.

Among the more popular activities in New Zealand are landing on the Franz and Fox Glaciers, going for a dip in the Hanmer Springs hot pools, visiting the wine region of Marlborough, or attending one of the sports meetings around the country. One thing I have to mention here is the Tranz Alpine Express train journey between Christchurch and Greymouth. It is rated one of the finest train journeys in the world and having experienced it I do not disagree. It has to be on everyone’s bucket list.

 

At a recent local investor meeting the question was raised, “should we use a sign in the yard, even if we only plan to wholesale the property?” Wedding photography melbourne

I have a very strong opinion about yard signs.

Yes – you should use a sign at every opportunity.

1. A sign in the yard is probably the best marketing tool you can use. We have an addendum we hand out to sellers giving us permission to start marketing as soon as we have the signed contract. By signing the addendum, they give us permission to put a lock box on the door and a sign in the yard, as well as show the property at pre-approved times. Naturally they don’t always sign and, when they don’t, we respect that. When they do sign, however, we jump right on it.

2. Because neighbors see our signs, they often call to say “can you buy my house, too?” or “I have someone who is interested in buying this house from you” (a friend, family member, co-worker). Signs often produce immediate feedback.

3. When doing a rehab, we immediately put a sign in the yard with a “Coming Soon” rider. The neighbors are thrilled to know the house is being renovated and, again, often have a buyer. Additionally, people driving the neighborhood do so because they have interest in the area or work nearby. A sign in the yard may be the only way they’ll know your house is for sale.

4. A sign protects your property. Neighbors call when they see anything suspicious going on: “lights have been left on at your house”, “water is running out of your house” (yes, we received this call..), “a tree fell on your house”, etc. Naturally, it’s not always bad news, but you get the idea.

5. Signs going up and coming back down quickly – because your property sells quickly – are enticing to those thinking of selling their own home.

6. Additionally, for years I’ve said that the number one way we rent properties is by signs in the yard. Don’t underestimate this inexpensive way to get your name and number out to the public.

People purchase, and own, multi – family houses, for a variety of reasons. Some, do so, because, they feel, it is a more affordable way, to enjoy the advantages of home ownership, because the rents, collected, help to offset the costs. Others, purchase these, for strictly, investment purposes, evaluating the historic advantages, Flower delivery hong kong

from a financial perspective, of using real estate, in an advantageous manner. In either case, however, it’s important, to proceed, wisely, and in a prepared way, to discover, whether, this is the best approach, for them. With that in mind, this article will attempt to, briefly, consider, examine, review, and discuss, both examples, of owning these types of properties, whether, for personal use, or as an investment vehicle.

1. Personal use: A 2 – family house, often, makes sense, for one, who no longer, wants to rent, where he lives, yet, finds it, extremely challenging, to afford, doing so! One should begin, by giving himself, a check – up, from the neck – up, and examining, whether he would be happy, living in a place, where he is also, a landlord? Are you, ready, willing, and able to assume these responsibilities, and having to, also cater, to a tenant? If so, then, the next step, should be, to do a financial analysis. This begins with looking at the anticipated rent, the apartment, you won’t use, might demand (and doing so, conservatively). Deduct three – quarters of that, from the amount of your monthly payments, including, mortgage interest and principal, real estate taxes, and maintenance, renovation, and reserve funds, needed. Will this approach make sense, and, be one, which helps you enjoy, your living experiences?

2. Investment purposes: If you won’t be living there, understand you will generally, need, different qualifications, to qualify, for a mortgage. In many cases, this requires a higher down – payment. It also, means, often, having to demonstrate, the rents, received, will, at least, cover the necessary expenses, etc. After you’ve qualified, it’s important to work – the – numbers, and see, if the rate – of – return, meets your investment standards. Also, you should consider the actual rate of return, both, based on the total purchase price, as well as on a cash flow, basis, and have the discipline, to maintain your standards. I suggest using a 6% calculation, for these purposes. For example, if your total monthly costs, amount to $2, 000, you need, to receive, a cash flow, exceeding $2,120, plus an additional 25% or $500, to ensure against any ramifications, including major/ minor repairs/ renovations, vacancies, etc. In addition, this $2,620 (the original $2,120, plus the additional $500), multiplied by 12, or, $31,440 per year, means, you should not spend more than $524,000 for this property. which represents a 6% rate of return.

A wise, well – considered, approach, is wisest, regardless of how, you might use, the home. Are you prepared, and disciplined, to do, what’s best, for you?

Don’t do it!! Don’t you dare do it!!” Some strong advice from a passionate financial expert. Barry Habib was discussing forbearance plans in a recent podcast geared toward real estate investors. I have followed Barry for a while, mostly because of his focus on lending and his extreme savvy when it comes to economics. Typically, his advice is aimed at lenders, but this was very firm advice to real estate investors. There is a lot of hype out there about forbearance agreements, and rightfully so, as they can be extremely attractive and super helpful. Some of the rumors make these sound too good to be true, so I went looking for the truth. Can ordinary investors, like you and me, take advantage of this even if we don’t financially need it? The short answer is yes, but it comes at a price. seamless leggings woman

A forbearance agreement in its simplest form is an agreement between a lender, or loan servicer, and a borrower to not make the scheduled payments as originally agreed. If we focus on real estate loans, a forbearance agreement would prevent a loan servicer from starting a foreclosure on the property during the term of the agreement. Up until now, if you entered into a forbearance agreement on a home loan, you would stop a foreclosure, but it would still be reported as missed payments on your credit.

So why all the hype? The CARES Act has made some dynamic changes around these agreements. First, loan servicers for government backed or government owned loans are required to issue forbearance agreements for anyone who wants them. Yes, that is right, anyone who wants them. In the past, these agreements were hard to get, and a borrower would need to qualify and document financial hardship. Now if the loan is owned or backed by the government, every borrower will get 180 days with no questions asked which they can extend for a second 180 period if they choose. There are no fees or penalties to take advantage of this. One important point that was a topic of confusion is that this money is not free. There may be no fees, but anyone entering into this agreement will need to make up the missed payments. An early misunderstanding was that borrowers would need to come up with one lump sum payment for all the payments that were not made. That would have created massive foreclosures, which created fear. It was because of this belief that many investors believed we would see another housing bubble burst. The truth is that each loan servicer will have the flexibly to come up with a repayment plan for each individual borrower. Although it is true that a lump sum payment is one of the five repayment options, it is not necessarily required. It is far more likely that there will be an affordable plan put in place which should prevent a massive increase in foreclosures. Other than the lump sum option, here are the four repayment options that a loan servicer could implement with each borrower.

 

• Borrowers allowed to repay past due amount within 12 months after forbearance ends.
• Extend the term of the mortgage by the exact number of months in forbearance.
• Add past due amounts into loan balance and extend the term of the loan by the number of months necessary to make the monthly payment the same as the previous payment.
• Add past due amounts into loan balance and extend term of loan for 40 years (480 months).

Basically, the borrower will be able to extend the loan term to make up these payments. These are specific to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Other lenders or servicer for other types of loans could have slightly different options.

 

So, if you automatically qualify and there are no fees, why would you not do this? Here are three deadly pitfalls, which is why I believe you should avoid doing forbearance agreements on your mortgages if you are able:

 

• Depending on your repayment option, you could accrue interest on these payments. Since most of your payment is likely interest, you will be accruing interest on interest which gets very expensive in the long run. It will limit your borrowing power. Let me explain, although it is true that the CARES Act will prevent loan servicers from reporting missed payments, the fact that you entered into this agreement will report. Not reporting the missed payment will keep your credit scores intact, but any lender looking at the payment history will see the forbearance agreement. I could not find clarity on this, but most experts believe that it will actually say, “forbearance agreement” right on the credit report for each agreement you enter into. I know this is true because three of the largest lenders in this country have already stated they will be creating underwriting guidelines around COVID caused forbearance agreements and will not extend credit for two to four years post forbearance agreement. That means by simply trying to work the system and not making payments, you could be out of the game for two to four years!! I am not sure that we will, but if this pandemic creates buying opportunities, it will certainly be before you are able to borrow again.
• By not making payments on loans, it hurts the overall housing market. Taking the ethics out of this decision, the more people that take advantage of the forbearance agreement, the less liquidity lenders will have, meaning the tougher the guidelines will get. This, of course, reduces demand for housing.