Tis the season of giving. Shoppers crowd every store you go into trying to find that perfect gift for their loved ones. However, there is an entire population of people in Nashville (and everywhere for that matter) that won’t be getting gifts this year unless YOU give.
There a a large number of volunteer opportunities in Nashville from feeding the homeless to sponsoring underprivileged families to provide for their needs this Christmas. Here is a list from Hands On Nashville of many the ways you can help.
Contact Hands On Nashville at (615) 298-1108 or log onto www.hon.org and find out that it truly is better to give that receive.
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
- 1 cup oatmeal
- 1-1/4 cups hot water
- 3/4 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1-1/4 cups brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp. grated orange peel
- 1 egg
- 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1-1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1-1/4 cups chopped cranberries
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Preparation:
Bake at 350 degrees F for 55 to 65 minutes until bread is golden brown and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Cool 5 minutes, then carefully run a knife around the edges of the breads and remove to wire rack to cool. Wrap in plastic wrap to store.
The holiday shopping season is almost here, and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation’s consumer protection agency, wants to help you get ready. Whether you’re shopping at the mall, online, or by phone or mail, our tips can help you shop smart and stay on budget.
Make a list and set a budget. List the people you plan to buy gifts for, the type of gifts you plan to buy, and how much you plan to spend. Include the cost of cash gifts, holiday travel, extra food, wrappings, decorations, greeting cards, and postage. If it relates to the holiday season and it costs money, add it to your budget.
Shop around. A “sale” price isn’t always the “best” price. Some merchants may offer a sale price on the item you want for a limited time; other merchants may offer items at a discount everyday.
Look for price-matching policies. Some merchants will match, or even beat, a competitor’s prices.
Go online. Check out websites that compare prices. If you decide to buy from an online merchant, keep shipping costs and delivery time in mind.
Carefully consider bargain offers that are based on purchases of additional merchandise. For example, “Buy One, Get One Free” or “Free Gift with Purchase.” If you don’t really want or need the item, it’s not a deal.
Clip coupons. Coupons are useful when they save you money on what you’re already planning to buy. Check coupons for any restrictions. For example, do expiration dates apply, or do you have to spend a certain amount before you can use the coupon? Some retailers will accept expired coupons, and even coupons from their competitors. Check with the retailer before you leave home to learn their policy.
Ask about sale adjustments. If you buy an item at regular price and it goes on sale the next week, can you get a credit or refund for the discounted amount?
Consider layaway. Layaway purchase plans are designed for people who want to buy merchandise without using credit or paying the full price immediately. When you use layaway, you typically make a deposit – usually a percentage of the purchase price – and pay over time until you have paid for the item in full. In exchange, the retailer holds the merchandise for you. To avoid problems, get the store’s layaway policy in writing.
Keep an eye on your wallet. Don’t flash cash. Keep an eye on your credit or debit card during transactions, and get them back as quickly as possible. If your cards are lost or stolen, report the loss or theft immediately to the card issuers.
Use credit and debit cards with care. Save your receipts. You need them for returns and exchanges. Check credit and debit card sales and return receipts against your monthly bills and statements, and report any problems to the credit card issuer promptly.
Ask about refund and return policies. Many merchants may have different refund and return policies for sale items. For example, clearance merchandise may be on final sale, meaning no refunds or exchanges.
Keep good records. Whether you’re ordering by mail, phone, or online, it’s important to keep detailed information about the transaction, including your order number, shipping costs and dates, warranties, and refund and return policies.
Ship early. If you’re sending gifts to out-of-towners, factor in extra time for shipping. If you wait until the last minute, you may pay a hefty price for express or overnight shipping.
For More Information
To learn more about money management and shopping wisely, visit www.ftc.gov/moneymatters.
Source: FTC
Southern Living magazine has named East Nashville one of the South’s top 10 comeback neighborhoods. Look for the neighborhood to be featured in the magazine’s January issue. Rex Perry, Southern Living editor, did not comment on what aspects of East Nashville led to its inclusion but we all know why.
History, charm, culture, shopping and great food. What more could you want?!?
I’m very excited that Southern Living has honored East Nashville and I can’t wait to read the article. Pick it up at your local news stand this January.
Often times I am asked how much someone needs to save to buy a home. It’s all based on what you can afford (I can refer some great lenders to help you determine this) but here’s a quick look at the costs from a buyers perspective:
Down Payment: There are FHA loan products right now that offer as little as 3.5% of purchase price so if you are purchasing a $200,000 home, your down payment would be $7,000. Conventional financing usually is about 20% so about $40,000 on a $200,000 home. Putting 20% down will drastically reduce your monthly payment and help you avoid paying the bank mortgage insurance.
There are Tennessee Housing and Development Agency programs that can assist qualified home buyers with their down payment up to a certain amount.
Closing Costs: Closing Costs is actually a term used to sum up all the little (and big) fees charged to a buyer in order to close the sale. These costs are paid primarily to the lender and title company for their services and the government for taxes and recording etc. Closing costs can be negotiated into the sale of a home so that the Seller pays them, not the buyer.
Agent Commissions: Agent commissions are generally paid by the seller in Nashville. So as a buyer, you get an agent to represent you at virtually no cost!!! Some realty companies do have a nominal transaction fee.
Outside of Closing Costs: Sometimes there are certain fees paid outside of the closing. Most commonly the home inspection (about $300-$400) is paid by the buyer at the time of inspection. Also, some lenders charge the appraisal fee (about $400) up front.
Bottom line: you need to have some cash reserves to buy a home and the more the better. It can be done for very little though if you take advantage of programs like THDA and FHA. The best way to navigate the waters is to start saving then hire a great REALTOR and Lender to team to help you every step of the way.
Recently I had lunch with a friend of mine who said he had a place “I just had to try”. He was so excited about it, I decided yes, I do have to try it. Now first let me say the he has really good but adventurous taste so I never know what to expect but I’m always up for something new. He said we’re going to a little place in East Nashville called the Silly Goose.
I spend lots of time in East Nashville so I was a little surprised that I had not heard of it yet. When we pulled up, it’s right next to my favorite East Nashville Coffee Shop (Ugly Mugs), so I thought, how could I have missed this?
When we walked in, we were warmly greeted by the owner (who was also cooking). There were 6 or 7 tables and they were all full of happy people and their food looked amazing. I couldn’t wait to dive in.
We got a table about 5 minutes later and I excitedly started reading the menu. There was too much to choose from! They have several interesting couscous dishes, salads and gourmet sandwiches and wraps. I chose the Hot Johnson, an amazing sandwich with ham, apples, arugula and brie on rosemary focaccia with a side of couscous topped with a balsamic drizzle.
It was AMAZING! All the ingredients were fresh and blended perfectly together. It will be hard for me to get something different next time but I will because I’m sure it’s all that good. The service was friendly and speedy as well and the prices were very reasonable.
I give the Silly Goose two thumbs up and will definitely be back. Check it out next time you’re in East Nashville. You won’t be disappointed.
Cutting back unnecessary energy use is an easy way to keep your hard earned money in your pocket. Here are some suggestions you can do at home, at absolutely no cost to you.
Let the sunshine in. Open drapes and let the sun heat your home for free (get them closed again at sundown so they help insulate).
Rearrange your rooms. Move your furniture around so you are sitting near interior walls – exterior walls and older windows are likely to be drafty. Don’t sit in the draft.
Keep it shut. Traditional fireplaces are an energy loser – it’s best not to use them because they pull heated air out of the house and up the chimney. When not in use, make absolutely sure the damper is closed. Before closing the damper, make sure that you don’t have any smoldering embers. If you decide not to use a fireplace, then block off the chimney with a piece of rigid insulation from the hardware store that fits snugly into the space (dampers don’t shut fully without some leaking).
Eliminate wasted energy. Turn off lights in unoccupied rooms. Unplug that spare refrigerator in the garage if you don’t truly need it – this seemingly convenient way to keep extra drinks cold adds 10-25 percent to your electric bill. Turn off kitchen and bath-ventilating fans after they’ve done their job – these fans can blow out a house-full of heated air if inadvertently left on. Keep your fireplace damper closed unless a fire is burning to prevent up to 8 percent of your furnace-heated air from going up the chimney.
Shorten showers. Simply reducing that lingering time by a few minutes can save hundreds of gallons of hot water per month for a family of four. Showers account for 2/3 of your water heating costs. Cutting your showers in half will reduce your water heating costs by 33 percent.
Use appliances efficiently. Do only full loads when using your dishwasher and clothes washer. Use the cold water setting on your clothes washer when you can. Using cold water reduces your washer’s energy use by 75 percent. Be sure to clean your clothes dryer’s lint trap after each use. Use the moisture-sensing automatic drying setting on your dryer if you have one.
Put your computer and monitor to sleep. Most computers come with the power management features turned off. On computers using Windows, open your power management software and set it so your computer goes to sleep if you’re away from your machine for 5 to 15 minutes. Those who use Macintosh computers look for the setting in your Control Panels called “Energy Saver” and set it accordingly. When you’re done using your computer, turn it off (see next tip). Do not leave it in sleep mode overnight as it is still drawing a small amount of power.
Plug “leaking energy” in electronics. Many new TVs, VCRs, chargers, computer peripherals and other electronics use electricity even when they are switched “off.” Although these “standby losses” are only a few watts each, they add up to more than 50 watts in a typical home that is consumed all the time. If possible, unplug electronic devices and chargers that have a block-shaped transformer on the plug when they are not in use. For computer scanners, printers and other devices that are plugged into a power strip, simply switch off the power strip after shutting down your computer. The best way to minimize these losses of electricity is to purchase ENERGY STAR® products
Source: www.consumerenergycenter.org
Slow and steadily our housing market continues to right itself and show promise. The numbers aren’t great yet but they’re improving every month.
Freddie Mac reports that ”House prices are slowly beginning to firm now. For instance, annual house price declines slowed for the sixth consecutive month in September, down only 3 percent, and represented the smallest decline since February 2008, according the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s purchase-only house price index.”
History has shown that slow and steady turns in the market (especially upturns) are better than erratic shifts because they tend to sustain for longer periods and aren’t disruptive. Also, it allows buyers and sellers to take advantage of the market when it presents the most opportunity.
Your best opportunity is NOW, in the midst of the shift. Don’t try to time it to get the best deal because when you see the best deal, then go get financing, then find the house and head to closing you will have most likely missed the best deal because it was 30-60 days ago when you saw the deal in the first place.
Don’t let this perfect storm of high inventory, low interest rates, and buyer incentives pass you by. Who knows when we’ll see this again. It’s too good to last.
4 eggs, slightly beaten
3 cups evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1 (2-layer) yellow cake mix
1/2 cup butter melted
1 cup chopped pecans
Combine all but last three ingredients. Pour into a 13 x 9 inch baking dish.
Sprinkle dry cake mix evenly over the top of the pumpkin mixture. Sprinkle pecans on top of cake mixture.
Drizzle melted butter over top.
Bake 350°F for 1 hour and 20 minutes.
Source: Cooks.com
Buyers tend to think in a slow market that they can take their time making their decision to pull the trigger once they have found the house they think is right for them. They assume that “slow” means no one else is looking at the same house but that is not the case.
Often times the house that is “perfect” for the buyer is the best house currently on the market and it is also “perfect” for another buyer. The people who are not ready to move quickly, often lose out. When they finally do write an offer, some other buyer has beaten them to the punch and already has an offer on the table.
So how does a buyer best prepare to make a swift move? First, talk to a lender and know exactly how much you can afford and are comfortable with spending. Second, know exactly what you want before you start looking. Make a list of 3 must haves and 5 wants. If a house has all 3 needs and 3 out of the 5 wants, it’s a good candidate. Third, have an agent who knows the process inside and out and can walk you through the offer and let you know how you are protected from making a bad decision.
Now you know, so when you find “that house” you can snag it. No matter what kind of market it is, the best houses go fast. Go get yours!
