We here at MomVesting are always looking for new angles on the "investing in..." theme and are pleased to take yet another path on the "investing in family" trail. Books, movies and music are a part of our life and our family's lives, and we'll take a look at some of the offerings on the shelves, screens and iPods out there to help you make an informed choice about whether said media is right for your family.

When we looked at return on invested capital a few weeks ago, we briefly touched on the weighted average cost of capital. While the brief definition helped us to define ROIC, it wasn't nearly as in-depth of a definition as this term deserves. So let's take a ride through the ins and outs of weighted average cost of capital (WACC).

WACC: The Basics

First, before we go too far, let's quickly redefine capital: capital is anything of cash value that the company owns, including cash and goods that can be sold for cash. Okay, now that that is out of the way, let's look at WACC.

I’m dressed like a homeless person at the moment. Sweat pants because they fit comfortably below my big preggo belly. A pink long-sleeved t-shirt and short-sleeved tee combo because they’re cute and comfy (even though they’re not quite long enough to cover the pot belly!). Tossed on a red hoodie because I was cold....then added a powder blue vest for more warmth. Oh, and I have red fuzzy slippers, and my frizzy curls were somewhat tamed back into a ponytail this morning.

Yes. Not. So. Pretty.

Recently, we brought you some ideas on how you can shave some of those pennies off the price of a gallon of gas. Now we're back with a few more ideas that can take the sting out of paying at the pump. With a bit of weighing your options and some planning on your part, you can help maximize the minimizing of your gas use.

Make A New Plan, Stan

I found it rather interesting lately that the media has portrayed our shrinking population growth as an alarming trend. Many sources have cited that the drop in the average growth rate to 1.9% isn't even enough to replace the numbers of people dying. This makes me wonder, though, if that's really so terrible. Do we honestly need to increase our population? Let me elaborate on my thoughts, if you'd be so kind, and then let's start a debate in the comments below.

Debunking the "Higher Population Equals World Domination" Theory

I got a Kindle for Christmas from my loving hubby, and I love it. I especially love the large selection of freebie ebooks out there (even if some of them could use some a bit more help in the editing and proofreading departments). Anyway, a couple of these free reads had a theme in them that caught my attention: workaholic dads/husbands. While this was not the main crux of the stories (one was the start of a zombie series and the other was a ghost story of sorts), the idea of the dad and/or husband working so much he barely knew his kids or had time to spend with his wife was there.

As we return to our stock term definitions, we come to another integral term: Return on Invested Capital (ROIC). This term can help investors determine if a company is using its money well to churn out returns. However, the ROIC is a little deeper than this; to really grasp ROIC in its entirety, we have to define "capital" and "cost of capital." Let's look at each of these and at ROIC a little more in depth.

From the Top: Capital

Well, it’s official. The search for low-cost baby items has begun. And it’s exhausting. Maybe because I just entered the third trimester? Maybe because I hate to shop? Maybe because I despise spending money? I don’t know. Whatever the case, I’ll be ready to have my baby-stuff stockpile completed…and to never have to shop again! (For a little while anyway…)

Our family, like many others, is always looking for ways to trim back our budget and save money. For me, it was starting to really plan out meals using what we had on hand and bumping up my couponing game. My dear hubby got swept up in the savings frenzy, too. Here's a bit of a personal experience on our foray into a rebate that managed to do absolutely nothing for us. Well, that's not fair – it did manage to give both of us headaches.

It All Started With An Ad

When I was a teller many moons ago, I had a customer who adamantly believed the bank wanted to rip him off. He thought that overdraft fees were simply a part of life and that there wasn't a single thing he could do to avoid them. Many other people believe the same; banks are evil and run by greedy trolls. That is simply not true (okay, maybe the greedy troll part could be accurate...). In any case, banks are not looking to make all of their money on your overdrafts, and there are many legitimate ways to make your own personal overdrafting ancient history. Let's count the ways.