Investing in Family Time

This post is sponsored by Vanguard but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

Anyone else feel like the time goes by way too fast, with nowhere near enough of it spent with our loved ones? I definitely do. As a working mom, and especially in this season of the busiest time of the year, I struggle to make sure I’m paying attention to spending time with my family. Sure, we can do little things – cook dinner together, read a few extra stories – but are we really spending quality time together in the day to day? No, not nearly enough. We’re always stressed, tired, and just not looking for those special experiences – so it’s definitely something we need to work on.

I’m not a fan of resolutions, but making regular plans to spend quality time with the people I love is one I can get behind. Last weekend, we finally got the chance to visit our local Fall Festival – the one complete with hayrides, giant slides, playgrounds, a corn maze, and more.

We started with the slides, and I think my girls could have spent the entire day going down them if we let them. We saw pigs and goats, heard a rooster crow, and took a hay ride. It was just a few hours, but it was amazing to soak up that family time. Chris and I were saying to each other while we were there that in just a few years, the girls will want to run off with their friends rather than spending time with us. It’s going to be gone before we know it.

If you can believe it, we hadn’t been in about 3 years. Can you imagine? Such a fun event less than 15 minutes from us, and we set aside the time or money to make it a priority. It’s surprising how much these things cost, isn’t it? Now that we’re a family of four (and Ella is no longer free at most places), the cost adds up quickly. and it’s something we have to consider every time we go out as a family.

But money doesn’t grow on trees, right? So we’ve been consciously working on being smarter with that money, and how to invest it so we get the most out of it. According to recent data, if you hold $10,000 in cash, you could earn about $170 in a year, at the current average yields of money market mutual funds. In a bank savings account, you’d only make about $10.* That difference doesn’t seem like a lot, but can really add up!

What could you do with that extra $160? We could take more Fall Festival trips and not worry about the cost of eating lunch there so we could let the kids play a few more hours. If could be a weekly date night with your spouse, a family photo session for those countless memories, and so much more.

Going forward, I’m really trying to take a hard look at where I put our money, and how to get the most I can out of it. Companies like Vanguard are built in a way that better aligns to my interests. Make sure you look at yours periodically and ensure that your provider is working for you, and that they have your best interests at heart. For more on Vanguard’s options, head to their site (link here) to find out more!

So now I want to know – what would you do with that extra $160?

●This post is sponsored by Vanguard, but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.
●*This illustration uses 1.69% average yield for money market mutual funds and 0.09% national average yield for bank savings, both as of 9/30/2018, according to cranedata.com and bankrate.com. These rates are not guaranteed
●Vanguard is owned by its funds, which in turn are owned by their investors.
●All investing is subject to risk, including the possible loss of the money you invest. Bank deposits are guaranteed (within limits) as to principal and interest by an agency of the federal government. There may be other material differences between products that should be considered before investing.