As a kid, I would go once a week to the library in the summer time. I loved to read and it was a good waste of a few hours for my stay at home mom to occupy me. As I got older, she’d drop me off for a few hours while she ran errands or did some grocery shopping.

As a self-proclaimed bookworm, I am embarrassed to admit that I had not been in my current town’s library, except when voting, since moving here in 2011. This is extra embarrassing, as the library is legit five minutes from our house. That horrible crime has was rectified in 2018 and I am now a proud library card carrying member of my community. They even gave me a free tee shirt when I signed up!

PoniesandFIREjr is 5 years old and the two of us now have a weekly date to the library on Monday nights when they stay open late. We’ve gone the past six months and we are loving it! The great things I remember about libraries from my childhood are the same and I have found some exciting new free stuff in ours too!

Here are my six reasons to check out your local library for some FREE entertainment:

1.       This is obvious, but BOOKS! I LOVE to read and if I’m being honest, I probably qualify as a book hoarder. The library gives me an unending supply of free books for myself and for bedtime stories for PoniesandFIREjr.
2.        My library has hundreds of movies on DVDs available to check out. This week we borrowed Cars 2. Last week was Lady and the Tramp. It will take poniesandFIREjr years to get through them all!
3.        On the same vein, DVDs of TV shows and stuff Mr. poniesandFIRE and I would want to watch too! Seriously – everything from Friends, to Breaking Bad to anything in between.
4.        My library has puzzles you can check out! I have no idea if this is a normal thing or not, but how cool! I love puzzles, as does my son, but I have zero desire to ever pay money for them or have them permanently take up space in my house. PROBLEM SOLVED!
5.        My library hosts free community events for kids. There are afternoon movies, crafts and back in October a super cool presentation from a wildlife rescuer that included a real life SLOTH!
6.       Librarians are awesomely nice! Our local librarian lets poniesandFIREjr run the scanner himself to check out his own books and movies and he thinks that is incredibly cool. They also give great suggestions of books we might love. Last, but not least, they sometimes give out free snacks! So many wins!
7. Our library is dog friendly. I suspect this isn't the case everywhere, but how cool is it to be able to bring you dog? 
 
All in all, there are so many things to love about libraries, most of which is that they are in EVERYONE’S budget! In honor of National Library Week, take some time to swing by your local library and check out all the amazing free stuff they have to offer.

Confession time - we do not follow the Dave Ramsey plan strictly. When we first started out, we were pretty strict with the plan, but we NEVER stopped contributing to our 401Ks. 

At first, our reason for not stopping was the hassle of the paperwork of stopping, but the more we researched and learned about personal finance, we came to peace with the choice to contribute up to the match amount during our Baby Step 2 journey of paying down our consumer debt. As we paid things off, we eventually upped our contributions and we now contribute 15% each to our plans and I receive a 4% match. My husband receives a 3% match.

If you have a 401k plan offered through your employer, I strongly recommend contributing, even if you start small. What makes a 401k so great? Let me share my thoughts with you.

1. They are portable. Anything you put away goes with you, even if you leave your employer in the future, unlike a pension plan.

2. The contributions go in PRE-TAX, which reduces your taxable income. This reduces what you owe in taxes and reduces how it hits your paycheck. 

3. Should you pass away, the funds in your 401k can be passed along to your spouse or children. 

4. No taxes are owed on the 401k or it's growth until you start making withdrawals. Likely, when you retire and take withdrawals, your tax rate will be lower than when you are working, so this will be a savings. Whatever stays invested, stays tax free. 

5. Many employers offer a match, which is a 100% return on investment when you invest up to the match. Where in life can you get a guaranteed 100% return?!? Really is not something to be missed. 

6. Compound interest. By starting early in your career even small contributions can compound into a large amount of money by the time you retire. If this is confusing to you, take a moment to google "Story of Ben and Arthur Dave Ramsey." This is a great showcasing of what can happen over time, even with small figures.

If you have the option to invest in a 401k at your work, start today! Don't let confusion or the hassle of paperwork hold you back, sign up and get started. Even if all you do is put in 3%, start there and raise it another percent each few months.