While driving in my car the other day, I heard a radio commercial for a really popular home builder in this area. As someone who has rented an apartment, owned a home, and had a father who constantly taught fiscal responsibility, I tend to see the flip side of any type of new and exciting financial obligation (such as buying a home or car). This particular commercial touted that you could own a home for just as much as you pay in rent.
This is almost always a misleading statement and I really can’t believe that builders and sometimes realtors can tell people this with a straight face.
First of all The monthly mortgage that they typically advertise does not include property taxes and insurance.
Secondly
Renting an apartment does not include HOA fees which can be anywhere between $50 -$300 per month, depending on the neighborhood.
Thirdly
Most importantly, the advertised monthly price does not include the yearly maintenance, which is usually 1% of the home value per year, nor the decorating costs.
Obviously, you don’t have any of these costs when you are renting an apartment home at our community. I know that many of you have owned a home and understand the financial responsibility of home ownership.
For those who haven’t, keep this information in mind when listening to one of those commercials! There are many other peripheral benefits to renting but the choice is always yours.
This is Meatloaf the way it ought to be. Check it out. This BBQ Pit Boys style Meatloaf, smokin’ hot off the grill, is the [Best] way we serve this American Meat classic -traditional, or [beef't-up]burger style! -BBQ Pit Boys
Being a leader doesn’t mean that you always have to be in the spotlight. You don’t even have to have the title of CEO or be an executive. Being a leader is about having the right attitude and standing firm enough for someone else to follow you. Here are a few quotes from some of the leaders of our time. Let’s see what they have to say about leadership.
“Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.” ~Warren G. Bennis
“A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be.” ~Rosalynn Carter
“The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails.” ~John Maxwell
Here is a quote, one of my favorite, though the author is unknown the words are timeless.
“A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the quality of his actions and the integrity of his intent.” ~Unknown
What does being a leader mean to you?
Leave your comments and let us know.
You can also take a look at this video on leadership with Robin Sharma
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This kids have some really great talents and I hope to see more of them in the future. PS22 Chorus is not easily offended and you wont be either after you watch this video and hear what they have to say. Here is the Official PS22 Blog site.
I don’t know if you have seen it up, close and in person but you have probably already heard about the new high-tech piece of equipment called the iPad.
I believe that this digital internet media tablet will absolutely revolutionize our lives and how we surf the internet.
This has been said to be the most advance piece of equipment that many ‘High-Tycho’s’ have ever handled. I was watching a video on the iPad just recently and honestly I was amazed.
The iPad is in direct competition with the Archos 9. These internet tablets are in a new category of technology and they will fit into your lives just as is. You don’t have to alter the things that you do simply do what you do with more ease.
Internet in your hands on the go. I say Welcome to the future.
Here is a video of the iPad so you can watch for yourself and be amazed at where the future has come to.
There are so many factors that should be taken into consideration when deciding whether to buy or rent. Peer pressure (to buy a home) has often played into people’s decisions to purchase but every person’s finances, lifestyles, and needs/wants are different.
Check out this article from CNNMoney.com on renting and buying.
If you do the numbers you’ll see that we sleep close to one/third of our lives. Well 7 hours a day for 75 years you can round up to nearly 22 years in the bed having dream time. Though I’ve tried we really can’t avoid sleeping everyday. We all need our rest. Since we use so much time sleeping it is a good thing to make sure that our slumber is as beneficial as possible. Below are four ways to rest better
2. Make sure that you have a firm mattress. When your mattress is to hard you’ll find yourself restless during the night. However, if your mattress sinks to much then it may allow your spine to move to deeply into a curve. Find a balance between a firm and soft mattress. Investing a little more on a better mattress is a worth it because how you sleep impacts your performance while you are awake.1. Make sure the space in your room is neat and in some sort of order. The area around you has an great influence on your thoughts life and on your dreams. So if you have cluttered space then you may have a feeling of anxiety or unfinished business causing you to have bad dreams or sleepless nights.
3. Sleep on your sides or even your back. When you sleep on your belly it lets your lower back sink and could cause problems standing up straight. Line up your hips so that they are on top of each other. On a firm balance bed you have the support and posture to get a great nights rest.
4. Place a small or mid-sized pillow in between your legs to reduce pressure. A pillow between the legs also guards the curve in your spine and helps sleeping posture for better dreams and rest while asleep. You can also use a rolled up towel to support your neck or chin if the pillow between your legs doesn’t support you enough.
Mother’s Day is right around the corner which probably means that it’s either going to be the usual assorted chocolate, wool knitted sweater or tiny kitchen appliances, right? Well why don’t you act like you planned ahead this year? As great as even the big gifts could be, nothing still compares to quality time with your mom…. I should know because I am one!
Steel Magnolias
Terms of Endearment
Stepmom
Cheaper By the Dozen
Forrest Gump
Gone With the Wind
Sleepless in Seattle
Mermaids
Hope Floats
Throw Momma from the Train
Mr. Mom
Mother
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Mrs. Doubtfire
Mask
Mommie Dearest
Parenthood
Thelma & Louise
Love Actually
A League of Their Own
Dirty Dancing
Titanic
What’s Love Got to Do With It?
Casablanca
It Happened One Night
Laugh with your mother, cry with your mother… Make this Mother’s Day one to remember as you bond even more and let your Mother know that you appreciate her.
Here is a little movie clip from Steel Magnolia’s. Enjoy!
Many of us receive coupons in the mail to our favorite store which gives us a 15% or 20% discount on purchases in a given time period. While it may be very tempting to run right out to the store to get a “deal” on the latest style, gadget, etc., there are a few questions that you should ask yourself.
How much do I want this item?
Do I have cash to pay for the item(s) and
If I put this on my credit card, how much will I pay in interest to get this “deal”.
For example, a new laptop retails at XYZ store for $1250. You purchase this laptop at XYZ store using your 20% coupon and charge the purchase on your credit card. The discounted price is $1000 and you are feeling pretty wonderful about the deal on your laptop. If you just make the minimum payment on your credit card with an interest rate of 18%, you will end up paying $923.12 in interest over 113 months (9.4 years). In this example, the total to purchase this laptop was actually $1923.12 which is definitely NOT a “deal”!
Knowledge is power and it is so important that you make informed decisions when making a purchase, especially when purchasing with a credit card. Check out this online credit card interest calculator!