Life Happens Laugh Anyway

Episode 37-When Should Adult Children Pay Rent?

Should adult children pay rent?

Summary: Getting those “baby birds” to fly is a thing. It’s a process for both parents and their grown children. What are parents to do if their children continue to live at home? In this episode, we will dive into that important topic.

Here's a link we used in researching this episode: At What Age Should Parents Stop Paying Bills for Their Kids?

Should you or should you not charge rent? That’s the question of the day and it’s a big one. The bottom line is a resounding YES, they should pay rent. This was the overwhelming consensus of all of our research. (Even though Tracy’s son swears that she and Muffin are the ONLY parents who charge their grown kids rent. Ha ha.) The internet says “Tracy and Muffin are correct.”

When should you charge rent? Should they pay up on their 18th birthday? Well, not quite. Every situation is different. So the answer is….it depends! It depends on the son or daughter. Are they still in school? Do they work? Are they able to support themselves financially even in part? Or maybe they are in school full time and work part time. 

We realize that circumstances vary, so here’s a rule of thumb: definitely charge rent before age 25. If your son or daughter isn’t in school, but is working, they probably should be paying rent. 

How much should they pay? Such a great question. My (Tracy’s) personal opinion is that the rent should be motivating but not exasperating. It should be enough to make them want to move out but not enough to empty their bank account. 

Our research showed a percentage of their income is recommended. That percentage is 10-25%. I suppose it might depend on your son or daughter’s other expenses and whether or not you want to help them with that as to which end of the spectrum you choose.

So...there ya have it. Yes! Charge them rent. Do so somewhere between 18 and 25 (the sooner you let them know this is the expectation, the better) and charge them anywhere between 10 and 25% of their income. Sounds like a plan. Now, are you going to do it? Let us know in the comments.

Our spiritual encouragement comes from Romans 13:8.

Thanks for tuning in!

Tracy and Cathrine

P.S. The goal of the Life Happens Laugh Anyway podcast is to present our audience with a relevant topic weekly in an entertaining way followed by some spiritual encouragement. #lifehappenslaughanyway #tracydegraaf

 

***MORE ABOUT TRACY DEGRAAF COMEDY***

Tracy DeGraaf is a U.S.A. national touring (when she can) comedian based in the Chicago area working primarily with churches and hospitals on outreach events. She is a Christian and a breast cancer survivor, so she combines two of her passions: Jesus and Mammograms into her comedy ministry. She loves Jesus, but doesn’t want women to meet Him just yet. At church shows she points the audience to Jesus. At hospital shows she encourages all to get and stay current on cancer screenings.

For more information go to TracyDeGraaf.com.

Check out Tracy’s social media. Facebook Youtube Instagram

 

Episode 36-Popular Phrases & Idioms

Popular Phrases and Idioms

 

Summary: Have you ever wondered about the origin of popular phrases and idioms? There are hundreds of them in everyday language. Idioms are a group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words (e.g., rain cats and dogs, see the light ). In this episode of the Life Happens Laugh Anyway podcast, we dive into these fun and funny sayings.

 

Origins of idioms: 

• Break a leg.
• Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.
• Off the cuff.
• Put a sock in it.
• Raining cats and dogs.
• Rule of thumb.
• Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.
• Don’t burn bridges.
• Ball’s in your court.
• Beat around the bush.
• Bite off more than you can chew.

Idioms we grew up with:

• Make a mountain out of a molehill.
• I give you an inch, you take a mile.
• Let’s went.
• Leave it for “dogsbody” Doreen.
• Six of one half a dozen of another.
• Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.
• Don’t cut off your nose to spite your face.
• Birds of a feather flock together.
• More than one fish in the sea.
• Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
• Every cloud has a silver lining.
• Can’t hoot with the owls if you want to soar with the eagles.
• Time waits for no one.

Be mindful to NOT be insulting with words: With idioms (and all language) we have to be so careful to make sure we aren’t insulting others.

Our spiritual encouragement comes from Proverbs 18:21

Thanks for tuning in!

Tracy and Cathrine

P.S. The goal of the Life Happens Laugh Anyway podcast is to present our audience with a relevant topic weekly in an entertaining way followed by some spiritual encouragement. #lifehappenslaughanyway #tracydegraaf

***MORE ABOUT COMEDIAN TRACY DEGRAAF***

Tracy DeGraaf is a U.S.A. national touring comedian based in the Chicago area working primarily with churches and hospitals on outreach events. She is a Christian and a breast cancer survivor, combining two of her passions: Jesus and Mammograms into her comedy ministry. She loves Jesus, but doesn’t want women to meet Him just yet. At the end of church shows she points the audience to Jesus, and at the end of her hospital shows she encourages all to get and stay current on cancer screenings. For more information go to TracyDeGraaf.com.

Check out Tracy’s social media. Facebook Youtube Instagram

Eps 35-Is It Too Late For A Big Change?

Is it too late for a big change?

 

Summary: Did you go to college, but for whatever reason, didn’t finish? You’re not alone. One study says that 40% of people are in that boat. This episode of the Life Happens Laugh Anyway Podcast talks about what steps to take if you’re feeling the itch to make a switch and possibly go back to school.

 

Should you make a major career change? That’s the big question and it’s also the first question that needs to be answered BEFORE anything else. Find your “why.” Why do you want to pursue a change? Check out http://www.crossroadscareer.org for more info.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    It is a non-profit faith-based organization helping people find their purpose through work and pointing everyone to faith in Jesus Christ.

 

Need money to go back to school?  7 Ways You Can Afford to Go Back to School  can help.

1. Fill out the Free Application for Federal Financial Aid (FAFSA).
2. Take advantage of tax breaks.
3. Open a 529 College-savings plan for yourself.
4. Look for nontraditional scholarships.
5. Call your financial aid office.
6. Take a free or low-cost course online.
7. Take an 9n-person college course.

Going back to college as an adult? Here’s what you need to know. 

 

Our spiritual encouragement comes from Psalm 32:8

 

Thanks for tuning in!

 

Tracy and Cathrine

 

P.S. The goal of the Life Happens Laugh Anyway podcast is to present our audience with a relevant topic weekly in an entertaining way followed by some spiritual encouragement. #lifehappenslaughanyway #tracydegraaf

 

***MORE ABOUT TRACY DEGRAAF COMEDY***

Tracy DeGraaf is a U.S.A. national touring comedian based in the Chicago area working primarily with churches and hospitals on outreach events. She is a Christian and a breast cancer survivor, so she combines two of her passions: Jesus and Mammograms into her comedy ministry. She loves Jesus, but doesn’t want women to meet Him just yet. At her church shows she points the audience to Jesus at the end and at her hospital shows she encourages all to get and stay current on cancer screenings. For more information go to TracyDeGraaf.com.

 

Check out Tracy’s social media. Facebook Youtube Instagram

Episode 34-Travel Tips

APPS, MAPS and MISHAPS: How to have stress free road trips.

What you'll get out of this episode... 

• APPS that'll make your road trip stress free!
• GPS not working? This episode tells you how to be prepared for that.
• Plus, we share what NOT to do on a road trip. Wink. Wink. NEVER agree to look at a stranger's clawfoot tub and don’t trust people who tie their dogs to a tree with a rope. True story.

7 apps we won't travel without.

1. Waze
2. Google Maps
3. Iexit
4. Mapquest
5. Goodwill
6. Whatshalfway
7. Meetways

These are great navigation apps and also help in planning fuel and food stops and random shopping trips to Goodwill if you happen to be addicted to...ya know, thrift shopping. (See Episode 7 of the Life Happens Laugh Anyway Podcast for more on thrifting.)

Remember paper? As in paper maps? Also known as an atlas?

What if something happens and you can’t get a wi-fi signal? What if your battery dies on your phone, and your vehicle doesn’t have GPS? How will you get to your destination? A good old fashioned paper map can be a life-saver. Our suggestion is to purchase a new atlas that has current roads and keep it in your vehicle so you have a back-up. Look at the route you are planning to take before heading out so you have a rough idea of how you’re getting to your final destination. We didn’t mention this on the broadcast, but a compass might come in handy as well. 

MISHAPS: Getting lost, shady garage sales and road side flea markets, and plenty of car trouble...because nobody wants to hear about uneventful road trips.

 In the MISHAPS portion of this episode, we share from our many road trip adventures like the time we ended up in St. Louis, but we were trying to get from Illinois to Alabama. And the time our two GPS devices were disagreeing with each other and one voice was male and one was female. Classic! 

Then there was the time we stopped along the road to buy stuff from what looked like a pop up flea market and a different time when we saw junk outside of someone’s house and we thought it was a yard sale, but when the man came out and we noticed his dog tied to a tree with a rope we decided umm, to leave!

Plus, we discuss car trouble, taking pictures of the engine and sending them to Muffin (Tracy’s husband) for repair advice, praying for Jesus to help us with the car that would stop randomly at the most inopportune times. That car also decided that it wasn’t looking back anymore and it would only go forward. There was no reverse. Let’s just say you become very mindful of where you’re going to park when you drive such a vehicle. 

Our spiritual encouragement comes from Deuteronomy 31:8.

Thanks for tuning in!

Tracy and Cathrine

P.S. The goal of the Life Happens Laugh Anyway podcast is to present our audience with a relevant topic weekly in an entertaining way followed by some spiritual encouragement. #lifehappenslaughanyway #tracydegraaf

***MORE ABOUT TRACY DEGRAAF COMEDY***

Tracy DeGraaf is a U.S.A. national touring (when she can) comedian based in the Chicago area working primarily with churches and hospitals on outreach events. She is a Christian and a breast cancer survivor, so she combines two of her passions: Jesus and Mammograms into her comedy ministry. She loves Jesus, but doesn’t want women to meet Him just yet. At her church shows she points the audience to Jesus at the end and at her hospital shows she encourages all to get and stay current on cancer screenings.

For more information go to TracyDeGraaf.com.

Check out Tracy’s social media. Facebook Youtube Instagram

Episode 33-Etiquette Post Covid

Hey Humor Consumers,

This is episode number 33 of the Life Happens Laugh Anyway Podcast. Today, we are talking about etiquette. What is the history of it? Do you know what it means in French? We’re going to get into it. We will also discuss Post Covid19 Etiquette and how to handle the various perspectives people have about what is socially acceptable following a worldwide pandemic.

A huge THANK U to our husbands Ron and Kenny (a.k.a. Muffin and Pooh) and the financial partners of Tracy DeGraaf Ministries who have supported this podcast and make it possible for us to bring it to you. 

Spiritual encouragement comes from Colossians 4:5-6

Virtual Hugs and Genuine LOVE,

Tracy and Cathrine

p.s. We love hearing from our listeners so please contact us with your feedback, suggestions and comments. Please consider leaving us a review. We promise to set a goal for ourselves to figure out how to find those reviews and read them on the podcast. ;0)

Episode 32- Pet Peeves & Interrupting

Hey Humor Consumers,

This is episode number 32 of the Life Happens Laugh Anyway Podcast. Today, we are talking about pet peeves. You will learn how to cope and let it go, how to change yourself (not other people since that is a fairy tale anyway) and you will learn how to laugh at yourself. This is big stuff.

A huge THANK U to our husbands Ron and Kenny (a.k.a. Muffin and Pooh) and the financial partners of Tracy DeGraaf Ministries who have supported this podcast and make it possible for us to bring it to you. 

Spiritual encouragement comes from Ephesians 4:2.

Virtual Hugs and Genuine LOVE,

Tracy and Cathrine

p.s. We love hearing from our listeners so please contact us with your feedback, suggestions and comments. Please consider leaving us a review. We promise to set a goal for ourselves to figure out how to find those reviews and read them on the podcast. ;0)

Purse & Personality

Hey Humor Consumers,

This is episode number 31 of the Life Happens Laugh Anyway Podcast. Today, we are talking about purses. Who doesn’t LOVE a good purse chat? The call to action is for all of us to keep a good perspective when making decisions.

We will reveal the contents of our purses, we’ll talk about crossbodys and also chat about how your purse style reflects your personality.

A huge THANK U to our husbands Ron and Kenny (a.k.a. Muffin and Pooh) and the financial partners of Tracy DeGraaf Ministries who have supported this podcast and make it possible for us to bring it to you. 

Spiritual encouragement comes from Proverbs 31:16 and Proverbs 31:24.

Virtual Hugs and Genuine LOVE,

Tracy and Cathrine

p.s. We love hearing from our listeners so please contact us with your feedback, suggestions and comments. Please consider leaving us a review. We promise to set a goal for ourselves to figure out how to find those reviews and read them on the podcast. ;0)

 

Here’s the link to the Reader’s Digest article mentioned today.

Episode 30-Friendships

Hey Humor Consumers,

Friendship is the topic of the day, and who better to talk about friendship than two best friends? We will take a close look at Biblical friendship, how to build close friendships and what to do when friendship needs forgiveness. All of that and more is discussed on this episode of the Life Happens Laugh Anyway Podcast Episode 30.

A huge THANK U to our husbands Ron and Kenny (a.k.a. Muffin and Pooh) and the financial partners of Tracy DeGraaf Ministries who have supported this podcast and make it possible for us to bring it to you. 

Spiritual encouragement comes from Proverbs 17:17, Colossians 3:13 and Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Our call to action is for you to read the book of John and discover the beauty and benefit of friendship through the life and actions of Jesus.

Virtual Hugs and Genuine LOVE,

Tracy and Cathrine

p.s. Below are the links we mentioned from Dr. Charles Stanley

Thinking Through Your Friendships

Strong Friendships Part 1

Strong Friendships Part 2

Episode 29_ Benefits of Goal Setting

Hey Humor Consumers,

This is episode number 29 of the Life Happens Laugh Anyway Podcast. Today, we are talking about goal setting. Get ready to set some goals! The call to action is for you to set three goals for yourself. 

We will cover why it’s important to set goals, why people often fail to reach their goals and tips on how you can set some goals today.

A huge THANK U to our husbands Ron and Kenny (a.k.a. Muffin and Pooh) and the financial partners of Tracy DeGraaf Ministries who have supported this podcast and make it possible for us to bring it to you. 

Spiritual encouragement comes from Proverbs 3:5-6 and Proverbs 16:9.

Virtual Hugs and Genuine LOVE,

Tracy and Cathrine

p.s. We love hearing from our listeners so please contact us with your feedback, suggestions and comments. Please consider leaving us a review. We promise to set a goal for ourselves to figure out how to find those reviews and read them on the podcast. ;0)

Order Brian Tracy’s book GOALS! How to Get Everything You Want - Faster than you Ever Thought Possible

Epiosode 28-Self Talk