another question for you... can't decide what resort.. all star sports (save money) or caribbean beach?
thanks for writing the moms panel becky! that's a very tough question, and to be honest, it's one i struggle with when booking each and every disney vacation. first and foremost, i recommend considering your finances. you don't need the added stress of worrying about how much money you're spending while on vacation. if it's a financial stretch to stay at a moderate resort such as the caribbean beach, then i say go with all star sports. the value resorts really are incredible value with fantastic amenities. we stayed at all star music a few weeks ago and had a fantastic time. the bus service was great, as were the pools and activities, food court and rooms. you should know that the rooms are smaller than those at moderate resorts, and there is no pool slide or full service restaurant. that being said, the caribbean beach resort is beautiful! the rooms and pools have recently been remodeled. both the main and kiddie pools have slides and fountains, and the kiddie pool is zero-entry, great for toddlers! standard rooms re nemo-themed, and for the pirate fan, there are incredible pirate-themed rooms (for an additional fee). i hope this helps. look closely at your needs, and what best meets them, and know that no matter what resort you decide, it will be the start of a magical vacation!
i would keep casinos, i'm not addicted to those, they aren't killing me. it depends on both but i guess at first everyone pay attention to looks. there are lots of places along the california coast that are just as nice, and not quite as expensive. santa barbara, san luis obispo, san juan capistrano, san diego, santa rosa, etc.

san jose has what's called a "mediterranean" climate. so if your tastes run to europe, you could live in spain, italy, greece, etc. spain and greece are relatively inexpensive.

of course, the trick is finding a nice place, where you can also make a living. i can only give you estimates based on what we spend with a family of 4. i am a stay at home mom, my husband commutes about 20 minutes to work and i have a teenage driver (16 year old girl) and a teenage boy with a huge appetite. i am now spending about $200 a week on groceries with two teenagers. gas is costing us about $100 a week. car insurance is about $400 per year. our housing runs about $1,800 per month with insurance. we live in a nice neighborhood but our house is only about 2200 sq. ft. you can definitely get larger homes for less money in a less expensive neighborhood, but i would defintely stay on the east side -- sandy and draper are nice. if you go on the west side, be sure it's southwest -- south jordan, riverton, bluffdale. 

since i'm digressing, i'll just continue on this bent. your better schools are on the east side -- anywhere on the east side. if you want to go north of salt lake, consider bountiful, and fruit heights (good schools, but slightly more expensive) stay away from ogden, woods cross and layton. traffic into and out of davis county is horrendous.

if you go one county south (utah county) you have an excellent school district with alpine. avoid lehi. alpine and highland are lovely little suburbs with great schools and a great atmosphere nestled right up against the mountains. home prices and taxes are higher than other places (like american fork, pleasant grove and orem) but they are very sweet places to live. if you're not mormon i probably would'nt consider them -- they're about 98% mormon. mormons are very nice people typically (i know -- i am one) but you're kids might feel a bit left out not being one of the majority.

ok, back to the topic at hand. if you would like to email me, i would be happy to tell you what we make and how we live, but i'd rather not broadcast that all over the internet. email me at daves\_comet@yahoo.com. i would be happy to answer any questions you may have about moving to salt lake. let's just say that i moved here 20 years ago and i have never found a place i like better. i have lived in many cities in different parts of the world, but this is where i hang my heart.

good luck. thanks for the tip first, thank you for serving our nation.


second, it will be important to understand your stage in life. presumably, you may be turning 19 after your a-levels or 20 after your poly studies. either way, you are young and have a long investment runway ahead of you.


third, where can you place your money while you serve the nation for the next two years?


www.squirrelsave.com.sg


assuming you can get emergency funding if needed from your parents, then you must decide the risk you want to take in placing the money.


the safest (lowest risk) with no return is to literally keep your money in the safe. that’s not the best way frankly when there are slightly riskier ways to grow your money with decent returns.


one possibility is to place into a bank savings account in singapore, preferably in a fixed deposit which offers a higher return than the basic savings account.


however, i would recommend investing in a well-diversified global portfolio, especially when you have two years of runway to grow your money. after all, it will be good to have good returns after you complete your national service to help you meet expected expenses when you further your studies or take a well-deserved holiday.


investing globally is easy with robo-advisers. pick one which is fully automated where you don’t have to make decisions except how much to invest. in selecting the robo, check if the risk management is done by machine learning ai or if it is managed ultimately by a human manager. diversification requires massive data analytics, which is not humanly possible. yet it is easily done with the computing power available today.


before you start, you need to know or select your own risk profile. it is not easy as most people do not do what they say. further, conventional risk profiling poses technical questions which some people may not fully understand. instead, look for risk profiling tools which reflect your personality and risk-reward behaviour. using such a tool that can analyse your risk-reward attitude is a critical step to start your investing journey.


www.squirrelsave.com.sg it depends how much you would have to pay out on your current lease. either are good choices, but if price is a concern, then the hi broadway is a good choice. nothing is too far away in vancouver - transit is easy. it's better you have several water parks in utah. not meaning to be "testy", but with all there is to see in seattle area, to spend an afternoon at a water park seems like a waste.