Don't toss those expensive clothes...ThredUP!
You know all those items in your closet you never wear but feel too guilty about buying to throw out? Now there’s a way to turn them into things you actually want. No, it’s not magic. It’s thredUP.
photo credit: miss_rogue
You can organize your travel itineraries with a free service online: www.tripit.com can keep track of your cars, flights, hotels – all in the handiest place you hope not to ever lose, your smart phone. Just forward your travel confirmation emails to plans@tripit.com.
For full details and to get started, go to www.tripit.com. As a realtor, many of my clients are frequent travelers (especially since we live in Dallas, with DFW being a draw for many international corporations).
If you live in the Dallas area and need to buy or sell a home, call me. I am a realtor specializing in North Dallas, Richardson, Plano, Wylie, Sachse, and Murphy (I’ve personally lived and commuted in all of the above). Let me help you find your home!
photo credit: somegeekintn
DALLAS, TX (KERA) -
My resolution in 2010 is to save money. Many of us are honing in on our grandparents, asking them to revisit those Depression-era habits that drove us crazy as kids: reusing coffee filters was my pet peeve at home. Did we really save doing that? I can see the value in using the clothes line vs. the dryer (mom always said, “Even when it’s freezing, hang laundry outside. When they’re dry, they’ll become unfrozen and wave in the wind.”) Here are some great pointers for 2010:
Use those new gift cards before you lose them. If a store goes bankrupt, or if the card is issued by a mall or a bank, your card could be subject to service fees and expiration dates. Another money-saving tip: If your gift card balance is below $10, you can receive it in cash.
Do not be suckered into “free trial” offers. They set you up for automatic debits or credit card charges, and often have a narrow window for cancellation before you wind up paying money. According to consumer warnings from the Better Business Bureau, Federal Trade Commission and Visa Inc., some companies offering free trials-on everything from colon cleansers to debt reduction plans-also create automatic deductions for special “services” or subscriptions. Read the fine print before opting for any “free trial” offers.
Pay off credit card debt. Use an online credit card calculator, such as at bankrate.com or credit.com. If you’ve got a $5,000 balance with an 18% interest rate and make only monthly minimum payments, it will take over ten years to pay off the card (IF you stop spending on it!). Not to mention how much you are really paying over that time period in interest charges. That new item may not have been so appealing if you saw what you are really paying in the end up front on the price tag. If you get a year-end gift or bonus, consider applying it to your January balances.
Evaluate your automatically billed services. Are you really using roadside service, ring tones, texting, premium tv channels (those great series do come out on DVD eventually – consider Netflix instead, and catch them in a few months). Or if you or your kids are continually hit with too many fees for text messages, switch to an unlimited plan. Don’t use your cell phone much? Consider switching to a prepaid phone. The smart phones are great fun, but can be a time drain if you play the games, and time is money, right?
Cut your utility bills. Just a few household changes can save hundreds of dollars a year over time. If you replace 20 household 100-watt light bulbs with 27-watt fluorescent bulbs, you can save over $200 a year (up front, they cost more, so it is a long-term savings). Shorter showers can save, too. A family of three dropping shower times from 17 minutes to 11 can save over $100 a year, not to mention conserving gallons of water. Turn off your television set manually: using the remote control power button only puts it on “idle”, and you’re paying to power the unused tv.
Take advantage of federal tax breaks, including those for purchasing a home (now for existing homeowners “moving up” as well as first time home buyers), paying college expenses or adding household energy improvements. “There’ve been a lot of things loosened up for consumers this year,” said John Hogg, who oversees 16 Jackson-Hewitt tax preparation offices in Sacramento. “Many of these credits have never been available before; others, like the new home buyer’s credit and college tuition credits, are worth more this year than last. If people take advantage of these, their tax liability could be significantly less for 2009.”
The first-time home buyer’s credit increased to $8,000 and was extended to April 30, 2010. Existing homeowners who haven’t purchased a home in the last three years can get a maximum $6,500. The tax credit for college students has been extended to a full four years and up to $2,500 annually, including textbooks. The vehicle sales tax deduction applies to any new purchase made by Dec. 31 this year.
For families, there’s also the child-tax credit and the earned income tax credit (EITC) for low- income households. For instance, a married couple with three children and family income of $22,000 could qualify for a federal refund of more than $9,000 through the combined credits. Due to layoffs and furloughs, many families with reduced incomes may qualify for the first time this year.
Don’t get sick: That’s one of the surest ways to save. Get plenty of sleep, exercise regularly, and make healthy food choices. And if you have a flexible spending account through your employer for health care expenses, don’t forget to submit your receipts for reimbursement by Dec. 31 or your company’s deadline. If you fill out the correct paperwork, you’ll get a nice check in the mail.
Delete unsolicited e-mails, calls or letters asking for personal financial information. Phony messages pretending to be from the IRS, FDIC and your bank can siphon money faster than you can click open their fraudulent online messages. Do not open attachments in e-mails unless you are expecting them. Computer viruses can cost you time and money (if not lost information).
Wishing you good luck and prosperity in 2010. If you are considering a home sale or purchase (or both) to take advantage of the new tax credit, contact me. Whether you are in my area or halfway across the country, I am partnered with a global network of the top brokers and can find the right realtor for you
I love this! What an incredible idea. Read on:
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Lojack For Laptops
A Security System That Can Recover Your Stolen Computer
Though we’ve entered a hopeful new decade, there are still people who’ll steal your stuff. And what’s more valuable than your personal computer? Keep the bad guys at bay with LoJack for Laptops (yes, that’s the real name), a tough piece of software that allows you (and law enforcement) to both track your computer and remotely delete sensitive data before a thief can use it. Once downloaded, the software maintains daily contact with a monitoring center in Vancouver whenever your computer is online. If the computer is reported lost or stolen, contact increases to every 15 minutes. This allows the company’s investigators to determine where the computer is and any activity that has occurred post-theft, at which point law enforcement is called. Regardless of recovery status, you can remotely delete applications, photos, bookmarks, browser cookies, financial information and stored passwords. The software is embedded in such a way that it continues to work even if the hard drive is reformatted. And, in some cases, the company is willing to pay up to $1000 if the computer isn’t found as part of their service agreement. Lojack for Laptops costs $39.99 a year (or $94.99 for a three year subscription). But compared to losing your computer (and all the data therein), it’s a small price to pay. |
My resolution in 2010 is to save money. Many of us are honing in on our grandparents, asking them to revisit those Depression-era habits that drove us crazy as kids: reusing coffee filters was my pet peeve at home. Did we really save doing that? I can see the value in using the clothes line vs. the dryer (mom always said, “Even when it’s freezing, hang laundry outside. When they’re dry, they’ll become unfrozen and wave in the wind.”) Here are some great pointers for 2010:
Use those new gift cards before you lose them. If a store goes bankrupt, or if the card is issued by a mall or a bank, your card could be subject to service fees and expiration dates. Another money-saving tip: If your gift card balance is below $10, you can receive it in cash.
Do not be suckered into “free trial” offers. They set you up for automatic debits or credit card charges, and often have a narrow window for cancellation before you wind up paying money. According to consumer warnings from the Better Business Bureau, Federal Trade Commission and Visa Inc., some companies offering free trials-on everything from colon cleansers to debt reduction plans-also create automatic deductions for special “services” or subscriptions. Read the fine print before opting for any “free trial” offers.
Pay off credit card debt. Use an online credit card calculator, such as at bankrate.com or credit.com. If you’ve got a $5,000 balance with an 18% interest rate and make only monthly minimum payments, it will take over ten years to pay off the card (IF you stop spending on it!). Not to mention how much you are really paying over that time period in interest charges. That new item may not have been so appealing if you saw what you are really paying in the end up front on the price tag. If you get a year-end gift or bonus, consider applying it to your January balances.
Evaluate your automatically billed services. Are you really using roadside service, ring tones, texting, premium tv channels (those great series do come out on DVD eventually – consider Netflix instead, and catch them in a few months). Or if you or your kids are continually hit with too many fees for text messages, switch to an unlimited plan. Don’t use your cell phone much? Consider switching to a prepaid phone. The smart phones are great fun, but can be a time drain if you play the games, and time is money, right?
Cut your utility bills. Just a few household changes can save hundreds of dollars a year over time. If you replace 20 household 100-watt light bulbs with 27-watt fluorescent bulbs, you can save over $200 a year (up front, they cost more, so it is a long-term savings). Shorter showers can save, too. A family of three dropping shower times from 17 minutes to 11 can save over $100 a year, not to mention conserving gallons of water. Turn off your television set manually: using the remote control power button only puts it on “idle”, and you’re paying to power the unused tv.
Take advantage of federal tax breaks, including those for purchasing a home (now for existing homeowners “moving up” as well as first time home buyers), paying college expenses or adding household energy improvements. “There’ve been a lot of things loosened up for consumers this year,” said John Hogg, who oversees 16 Jackson-Hewitt tax preparation offices in Sacramento. “Many of these credits have never been available before; others, like the new home buyer’s credit and college tuition credits, are worth more this year than last. If people take advantage of these, their tax liability could be significantly less for 2009.”
The first-time home buyer’s credit increased to $8,000 and was extended to April 30, 2010. Existing homeowners who haven’t purchased a home in the last three years can get a maximum $6,500. The tax credit for college students has been extended to a full four years and up to $2,500 annually, including textbooks. The vehicle sales tax deduction applies to any new purchase made by Dec. 31 this year.
For families, there’s also the child-tax credit and the earned income tax credit (EITC) for low- income households. For instance, a married couple with three children and family income of $22,000 could qualify for a federal refund of more than $9,000 through the combined credits. Due to layoffs and furloughs, many families with reduced incomes may qualify for the first time this year.
Don’t get sick: That’s one of the surest ways to save. Get plenty of sleep, exercise regularly, and make healthy food choices. And if you have a flexible spending account through your employer for health care expenses, don’t forget to submit your receipts for reimbursement by Dec. 31 or your company’s deadline. If you fill out the correct paperwork, you’ll get a nice check in the mail.
Delete unsolicited e-mails, calls or letters asking for personal financial information. Phony messages pretending to be from the IRS, FDIC and your bank can siphon money faster than you can click open their fraudulent online messages. Do not open attachments in e-mails unless you are expecting them. Computer viruses can cost you time and money (if not lost information).
Wishing you good luck and prosperity in 2010. If you are considering a home sale or purchase (or both) to take advantage of the new tax credit, contact me. Whether you are in my area or halfway across the country, I am partnered with a global network of the top brokers and can find the right realtor for you
Angie Stephens
Ebby Halliday Realtors
Collin County Texas Homes
469-236-9899
Reminder to protect pipes. The damage can be brutal if a slight crack forms! Here are some useful tips sent to me from DFW Realtors/Metrotex:
Frozen water in pipes leads to pipes bursting at their weakest point and can cause incredible damage to a residence. Pipes in attics, crawl spaces and outside walls are particularly vulnerable to freezing in extremely cold weather, where holes in your house’s outside wall for television, cable or telephone lines allow cold air to reach them. An eighth-inch crack in a pipe can leak up to 250 gallons of water a day. By taking a few simple precautions, you and your clients can save yourselves the mess, money and aggravation frozen pipes can cause.
To keep water in pipes from freezing, take the following steps:
•· Wrap outdoor pipes in newspapers or insulation and cover with plastic.
•· Insulate pipes in the crawl spaces and attic. These exposed pipes are most susceptible to freezing. The more insulation you use, the better protected your pipes will be.
•· Heat tape or thermostatically-controlled heat cables can be used to wrap pipes.
•· Seal leaks that allow cold air inside near where pipes are located. Look for air leaks around electrical wiring, dryer vents and pipes. Use caulk or insulation to keep the cold out and the heat in. With severe cold, even a tiny opening can let in enough cold air to cause a pipe to freeze.
•· Disconnect garden hoses and, if possible, use an indoor valve to shut off and drain water from pipes leading to outside faucets. This reduces the chance of freezing in the short span of pipe just inside the house. If you don’t have a separate valve to turn off outside water, wrap or cover faucets or hose bibs with an insulating material.
I am sad to report that the woman whose car ran into the north lake at Twin Lakes Park in Highlands North subdivision in north Dallas, just west of Richardson, TX near Coit and Campbell, has died.
I have heard that citizens tried to rush into the water to save her, but frigid water drove them back. Rescue workers, too, felt the onset of hypothermia as they broke the window and attempted to get the woman out.
There were no signs of skid marks on the street to indicate that the brakes were applied. I still wonder if it’s another case of the accelerator getting caught on the floormat or something. I’m sure it will be investigated.
There has been a car pulled from the north lake (or “pond”) of Twin Lakes Park in Dallas, TX. This is scary: we just moved out of a house in this neighborhood (yes, overlooking one of the two lakes) where this is taking place right now. I’m saying a prayer that nobody was seriously hurt. And wondering how a person lost control of her car in the middle of the day on a short street (with a big curb around the lake). That is a small car, big curb, big “pond” – how was she not able to stop? Is it a car defect? I’ve heard of cars having random, sudden, pedal-to-the-metal acceleration. I hope everything is ok here.
Car Pulled from Dallas’ Twin Lakes Park
This is in Highlands North, just west of Coit and Campbell, in Dallas (just west of Richardson, TX).
If you are considering buying or selling a home this year, then you may want to subscribe to a new newsletter which has the most up-to-date statistics and numbers on home values, sales prices, and trends customized to your market. With numbers and information provided by the National Association of Realtors, you can trust what you read as reliable and up-to-date.
Here is a link to the newsletter:
Housing Trends eNewsletter January 2010
If you are interested in buying or selling in Richardson, Garland, Plano, Wylie, Sachse, Murphy, St. Paul, Parker, or anywhere else in North Dallas or Collin County, I can help you. Call me at 469-236-9899 to begin planning your move.
Angie Stephens
179 N. Plano Road
Richardson, TX 7581
(469) 236-9899
