By now, we have all seen our beloved Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree stand tall in all of its beauty. It’s commonly housed in a chunky, woven seagrass basket at least according to Pinterest.
But why not switch up things a bit and instead of baskets as pots, try using a bag – it’s this week’s Idea to Steal!
All you need is a tall raw canvas tote. You’ll certainly need a sturdy insert in order order for the fig leaf to hold its shape I’d likely cheat with a smaller planter inside.
Depending on the size of your plant or tree, I’m thinking that there are some great laundry bags that’ll do this trick quite nicely. I’m considering giving this one or these a try!
Find all of our favorite ideas to steal right here.
If you love birds, you’re not alone. Birds bring us joy with their bright colors and sweet melodies—and our friends on Reddit seem to agree. In fact, a recent survey found that these 12 magnificent feathered friends consistently topped the list as the most lovable birds around! From stunning parrots to majestic eagles, let’s take a look at what made these birds some of our favorites!
1. Cardinals
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One user said, “Have you guys ever stopped to look at a cardinal? They’re incredible. That pointed crest is adorable.”
Another user replied, “Just saw my first male. He was absolutely stunning.”
“I find both sexes to be mesmerizing. The female’s mottled plumage and blood-orange beak are so pretty. The males are definitely more eye-catching, though. I see them occasionally in the peach tree outside my window in early springtime. Always gets a smile out of me,” a third Redditor responded.
One commenter added, “Ever see a cardinal in the winter? The bright red stands out in a field of white snow. Truly beautiful.”
2. Pelicans
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One of the Redditors added, “I enjoy a good pelican.”
Another user shared his story, “When I first got married, my Mom bought me this weird pelican statue as a wedding present. It’s way outside her norm for gift-giving, so I thought she was joking. Ever since then, my late husband and I would buy her something pelican related every year since she suddenly seemed to like them so much.”
“They look nearly prehistoric. I surf, and they skim the waves in formation, flowing around the lineup of people. Really crazy beings… if you’re able to let go of your familiarity with seeing them for a moment, they look like g-dd-mn dinosaurs,” one replied.
3. Penguins
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One Redditor said simply, “Penguins.”
Another user replied, “You just instantly reminded me of this penguin named Lala I saw on YouTube recently. What a nice bird.”
“Penguins are my favorite all-time animal to the point where, upon seeing the favorite bird question, I simply skipped penguins because, in my mind, they don’t count as birds; they’re just penguins-my-favorite-animal. Anyways, seconded,” one user agreed.
4. Ravens
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One Redditor commented, “Raven.”
Another user replied, “Seconded.”
“There’s a cute young raven that visits my alleyway sometimes. He took a Dorito from us once,” one commenter shared.
5. Chickadees
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“Chickadee,” exclaimed one Redditor.
Another user added, “They have a lot more personality than many songbirds and are quite intelligent. Their warning call even says something about the type of danger. And they’ll stick around through winter while most of the other birds migrate. And I love how they grab one sunflower seed and fly off to a nearby tree to eat it, while other birds are more boring and just sit at the feeder shelling them.”
“Not only just grabbing a single seed, but they’ll take turns and even kinda line up, each one flying one spot closer as the bird at the head grabs a seed and flies off,” replied one user.
One user concluded, “I love chickadees! They are so small and round, and their call is super identifiable.”
6. Hummingbirds
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One Redditor shared, “Hummingbirds.”
A second replied, “So cool. Like there is the only thing that has adapted to move in all dimensions in the blink of an eye, no other fish or land animal can move anywhere near as precise or quickly. They’re the second fastest animal of any kind next to a falcon, even if they can only go that fast for like 2-3 seconds, but then they can also just stop on a dime. From a movement standpoint, by far the coolest animal.”
One user also agreed, “They’re magical!”
7. Crows
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“Personally, I love Crows. They’re underrated,” one user posted.
Another user also commented, “I’m not sure I would say they are underrated. They have huge followings and fans.”
One user also commented, “Compared to most other bird species, not really [underrated]. Long-tailed tit is underrated, as are hooded mergansers, pied-billed grebes, and Wilson’s phalaropes—amazing birds that aren’t likely to be known by the average non-birder. Crows are super rad, and I love them, but they are a pretty popular bird.”
8. Cedar Waxwings
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Another bird enthusiast user commented, “Cedar waxwing.”
One user also shared a story about them, “We have a serviceberry tree in our yard, and every year when the berries ripen, the migrating cedar waxwings stop for a few days. They will clean the tree of berries. I absolutely love watching them from my kitchen window. Such beautiful birds!”
One user concluded, “So very dapper.”
9. Blue Jays
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An ornithologist posted, “Ornithologist (bird scientist) here! I like Blue Jays (Cyanocitta cristata); their plumage is beautiful, they are intelligent songbirds (all of the Corvidae are smart birds), and they love peanuts! They are a bit loud but mimic other birds (sometimes mincing hawks to scare small birds away from feeders).”
Another user confirmed, “We have a bird feeder. The Blue Jays will mimic a hawk cry to scare off the other birds from the feeder before flying in.”
10. Ospreys
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“Osprey. One dived into the water less than 20 feet away from me; very, very cool,” one user commented.
Another user shared, “There are wetlands near where I work, and at the moment, Ospreys are nesting. They predict the eggs will hatch in the next 3 weeks or so.”
One Redditor exclaimed, “Ospreys are one of my favorites too!”
11. Grackles
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One user posted, “The grackle. The male is pretty in the sun, and they remind me of the zoo.”
Another user commented, “Oh, but have you been amidst a flock of grackles? They are LOUD.”
A third replied, “I like seeing the absolute hordes of them at dusk each night. In my area, you can usually find hundreds/thousands of bedding down for the night in some places (esp., grocery store parking lots with decent numbers of trees). It’s a nightly spectacle.”
12. Vultures
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A Redditor shared, “I love vultures. Especially turkey vultures, since they’re common in my area. They are seen as ugly and gross because they eat dead things, but I find them to be really beautiful when I see them soaring in the sky because their wings can look iridescent black in the sunlight. They live in huge family groups, so when it’s breeding season, there are tons of them. And to top it off, they do a very important job in the environment by taking care of the dead carcasses.”
Another user exclaimed, “I was looking for this answer. Vultures do their part AND look cool doing it.”
One user also shared the same sentiments and commented, “Oh boy, I love buzzards. I find them imposing and beautiful. They don’t like to be stared at, and they will either fly off or make their wings into long fingers and shake them at you. They are so fantastic, soaring in circles in the sky; I always think, ‘I wish I could do that.’
Do you agree with all the birds listed above? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Source: Reddit.
These are 10 Things That Completely Destroyed The Love in a Relationship
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There’s no question that relationships can be confusing, but here are some of the top things to avoid if you want to keep your relationship healthy!
10 Actors and Actresses People Refuse to Watch Ever Again
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We all have a favorite actor or actress, but most of us have a least-favorite as well. Check out this list of actors and actresses people never want to see performing again!
Top 10 Worst Human Inventions of All Time
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Some inventions are world-changing, and some of them, well, they change the world in the wrong ways. Here are some of the worst inventions Redditors could think of.
10 Famous Celebrities Who Look Like They Smell Terrible
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We’ve all had moments of hygiene faux pas—but these celebrities just look like they don’t take care of themselves at all.
10 Terrible Fads People Are Glad Died Out
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Every fad has its time in the limelight, but some of them come and go faster than others; and some just need to die out right away. Check out this list of fads of which people were happy to see the last.
It’s no secret that celebrities have said some wild and outrageous things—both on-screen and off. From ridiculous demands to understanding complicated topics, these famous people will make you shake your head in disbelief. Whether it was a misinformed statement or something downright silly, prepare to be amazed by what they had to say or did! So get ready for an entertaining read as we explore the dumbest statements uttered by our beloved stars of stage and screen.
1. Not Fake a Hate Crime
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One user posted, “Jussie Smollett. Tracy Morgan said it best: ‘Yeah, they gave me a role on “Empire.” Contractually, they gave me millions of dollars. Contractually, all I gotta do is not fake a hate crime.’”
Another user replied, “Dave Chappelle’s bit about Jussie Smollett was pretty funny too. ‘The black community supported Jussie Smollett by keeping our mouths shut.’”
“This is the top one for me. It took so much careful planning and effort,” one commenter added.
2. If I Did It
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One Redditor posted, “Making a book called ‘If I Did It’ after being acquitted of murder.”
Another user replied, “The family of OJs victims got the rights of the book and made the ‘if’ incredibly small.”
One commenter added, “Also, the forward they added is called ‘He Did It.’”
Another Redditor said, “Kids today will never understand what a BIG FREAKIN’ DEAL the whole OJ thing was, from the car chase to the trial. So really, if it weren’t for OJ, we wouldn’t have The Kardashians.”
One user explained, “OJ was one of those athletes who managed to cross over to pop culture. He was on TV often between his acting and product endorsements. In addition to being considered one of the best football players, he had a squeaky-clean image. The closest parallel I can draw today is if Peyton Manning killed his wife and went on a police chase. Of course, there probably wouldn’t be a racial component as there was with OJ, but as far as images are concerned, OJ and Manning would be similar.”
3. Joining Scientology
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One user posted, “Joining Scientology, promoting it, and defending it.”
Another user replied, “Just look at Danny Masterson, they tried to cover up his [sexual] scandal, and thankfully he was convicted.”
4. Performing an Ukulele Apology
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“Playing the ukulele to ‘apologize’ for being creepy to kids you met on the internet,” one Redditor posted.
Another user commented, “There’s no quicker way to make people think you’re diddling kids than writing a song about it!”
One commenter responded, “I saw a meme about it today, and it was like ‘Common playing in A minor got you in this situation in the first place’ and I was crying laughing.”
5. Trying to Bring a Controlled Substance On an Airplane
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Another user added, “Former NBA player Damon Stoudamire tried to get over 1 ounce of [drugs] onto an airplane, but got caught at the metal detectors because he wrapped it in Aluminum Foil.”
One user asked, “Is that what happened to him?! I was wondering why he just got up and disappeared.”
“He’s the head coach of Georgia Tech,” one Redditor answered.
6. Being Bill Cosby
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A Redditor shared, “Bill Cosby for being Bill Cosby. Millions adored this man as the father figure they always wanted. Until he wasn’t the father figure anyone wanted.”
One replied, “This one hurt severely. The public loved him. He had great stand-up routines and tv shows. I got to see him perform once.
“Then, Boom. It turns out he’s [sexually assaulted and] drugged women. Ugh.”
Another user added, “It was absolutely heartbreaking. I watched every episode of The Cosby Show, some more than once. It made me feel good; happy memories; everything was okay. Until it wasn’t.”
7. The Streisand Effect
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“Barbra Streisand created Streisand effect. She didn’t want her home to be known on the internet, so she did everything in her power to remove pictures and addresses but wasn’t successful, and in return, her home became a hot topic,” one user added.
One user replied, “It seems dumb today, but the internet was pretty new and kind of unknown to most people. I imagine this was thought the same way as going after a tabloid. But instead, we witnessed an entirely new phenomenon.”
Another user added, “The funny thing was, prior to her lawsuit, the picture featuring her house had been viewed five times. Presumably, one of those was Streisand herself, and another was her lawyer. IIRC, the offending picture was part of a project to photograph the entirety of the California coastline. So thousands of images. One of which happened to show the back of her house. There was nothing in the picture that identified the house as hers.”
8. Antonio Brown Incidents
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One user posted, “Here’s a list of Antonio Brown incidents from another thread. He could have legit been a potential Hall Of Fame player, as he was arguably one of the best WRs in the NFL. Then… he took crazy to a level that makes Kanye look sane. The dude has a lot more time to add some stupid [things] to it, but here goes:
“Edit: The newest is buying an Arena Football Team to be an owner/player then not paying league dues… currently the target of a class-action lawsuit for withholding paychecks to players as well.
“•Kicked out of Florida International University after fighting a security guard…
“• His second year in the league, he took a personal stretch limo to a charity event, had them open every single expensive bottle of wine, and rejected it. They refused to pay for it (charity, remember), then left. -credit Nduguu77…
• Trashed a condo and threw furniture out a window 14th-floor window, which almost hit some people, notably a child…
“• Threw a fit over Juju winning team MVP and trashed him on social media…
“• Held out and refused to show up to training camp because the NFL would not approve his helmet because it was too old for their safety standards…
“• Got fined by the Raiders for not attending camp…
“• Tried to fight Mike Mayock, called him a cracker, had to be held back by Vontaze Burfict, then punted a football down the practice field and said, ‘Fine me for that.’ [He was fined.]…
“• Released a video where he used audio of Jon Gruden, who didn’t know he was being recorded, which is illegal in California (full disclosure, Gruden has said he gave permission, but the generally accepted theory is that he said that in the hope that it would help get him to show up to the facility and not alienate him.)
“• Demanded a release from the Raiders…
“• Made a lot of crazy tweets saying stuff like ‘Devil is a lie,’ a proverb about burning down a village… he made a lot of crazy tweets around this time is the point here…
“• Signed with the Patriots…
“• The sexual assault allegations came out (the one where he’s getting sued)
“• The sexual harassment allegations came out (the one where he’s not getting sued)
“• Threatened the woman not suing him in a group text that included his lawyer and had a picture of her kids in the text
“• Got released by the Patriots after one week
“• Went off on a tweet storm and said a lot of crazy [things] about a lot of people, and was supportive of people sending threats to the writer of the article detailing the sexual harassment allegations
“• Said he was done with the NFL
“• Went back to college via online classes
“• Tried to outsource his homework to Twitter
“• Wants to come back to the NFL
“• Filed several grievances to try and get more than $40 million from the Raiders and Patriots…
“• Tweeted a couple of bizarre tweets about the Raiders using him for HBO ratings and the Patriots trying to steal his stuff and kept using this weird chicken-based metaphor
“• Tried out for the Saints and brought an entourage and film crew to shoot a music video with him when specifically told not to do that…
“• Tweeted ‘No more white woman 2020.’…
“• Used a bunch of slurs and profane language toward cops in an Instagram video he posted
“• A police youth football league cut ties with him and returned a donation after the release of the video saying there was an ‘irreparable rift’ between the department and AB…
“• Was involved in a dispute with movers at his home, where he allegedly threw rocks at the movers and moving vans. He is currently being investigated for battery by the police…
“• Warrant issued for the arrest of AB…
“• Rumors spread about AB signing with Tampa or Seattle
“• AB announces his retirement (for what I believe is the third time, it’s hard to find a good record of the rest of them.) Two days later, AB wants to play again and is asking for the league to wrap up its investigation
“• The NFL announces an eight-game suspension for AB… under investigation for the bike-throwing incident
“• Allegedly acquired fake covid-19 card. Confirmed to have acquired a fake covid-19 card and subsequently suspended for three games
“• Removed jerseys and pads and threw them in the stands before exiting the game verse the Jets. Was subsequently cut from the Bucs for stripping on the field…”
9. Praising Nazi Germany
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“Losing a billion-dollar shoe deal b/c he couldn’t stop talking about how much he loves Hitler,” one user added.
Another user replied, “When Alex Jones is trying to reign you in, you know you’re spouting some crazy [things].”
One commenter shared, “That was such a bizarre interview. Alex REPEATEDLY gave him outs like, ‘As a fashion designer, surely you just appreciated their uniforms, RIGHT?’ And Kanye pretty much says, ‘Nah, I just like Hitler, man.’ Wtf?”
10. Staging a Hate Crime
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One user answered, “[Jussie Smollet] is a contender, although many choices exist. He stages a hate crime to gain leverage in contract negotiations… He hires meatheads to do the deed and pays them with a check. Of course, he lied the whole time, then the video turns up, and the DA figures it out.
“But being famous, he pulls strings and escapes prosecution for making a false claim. THEN…the political tide shifts, and he runs his mouth and refuses to reimburse the county for the cost of the investigation. And so the new DA says f- it and prosecutes him, and he gets convicted because he was obviously guilty.”
11. Posting a Video of Violent Death
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“Logan Paul posted a full YouTube video of someone hanging in a forest,” one user posted.
Another user commented, “Well, his whole family seems like crap, so no surprise he’s a huge [jerk].”
One Redditor added, “Even worse was that he was in Aokigahara, the ‘suicide forest’ in Japan. It’s unclear why that forest is such a popular place for people to un-alive themselves, but to revel in such a horrible event for internet fame is despicable.”
12. Saying You Could Have Saved Flight 11
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One user posted, “Mark Wahlberg saying if he had been on flight 11 (like he was supposed to), it wouldn’t have crashed because he would have killed the terrorists then figured out how to land the plane.”
Another user replied, “So he said what every person in Boston says daily.”
13. Debating Word Definitions
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One user shared, “That time Jennifer Garner corrected Conan O’Brien on the word snuck is one of my favorites. The fact that she throws in the bit about him going to Harvard makes it extra delicious.”
Another user replied, “His laugh when pulling out the dictionary to prove her wrong lives in my mind rent-free.”
14. Gwenyth Paltrow’s Goop
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“Gwenyth Paltrow and everything she promotes. Here’s a tea made with echinacea, random plants I got from cutting my yard. I stirred it with my [privates]. It’ll cure ED, lung cancer, whatever. Now available at Goop,” posted one user.
Another user replied, “Doesn’t everyone want a $100 candle that smells like my [body]..?”
15. A Math Called Terryology
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One user posted, “Terrance Howard ‘invented’ his own math called Terryology.”
Another user replied, “‘How can it equal one?’ he said. ‘If one [times] one equals one, that means that two is of no value because one [times] itself has no effect. One [times] one equals two because the square root of four is two, so what’s the square root of two? Should be one, but we’re told it’s two, and that cannot be.’”
Do you agree with the statements listed above? Share your thoughts!
Source: Reddit.
These are 10 Things That Completely Destroyed The Love in a Relationship
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There’s no question that relationships can be confusing, but here are some of the top things to avoid if you want to keep your relationship healthy!
10 Actors and Actresses People Refuse to Watch Ever Again
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We all have a favorite actor or actress, but most of us have a least-favorite as well. Check out this list of actors and actresses people never want to see performing again!
Top 10 Worst Human Inventions of All Time
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Some inventions are world-changing, and some of them, well, they change the world in the wrong ways. Here are some of the worst inventions Redditors could think of.
10 Famous Celebrities Who Look Like They Smell Terrible
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We’ve all had moments of hygiene faux pas—but these celebrities just look like they don’t take care of themselves at all.
10 Terrible Fads People Are Glad Died Out
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Every fad has its time in the limelight, but some of them come and go faster than others; and some just need to die out right away. Check out this list of fads of which people were happy to see the last.
Rule #1 by Phil Town is not a general personal finance book, and it’s not a book for beginning investors — it turns a lot of conventional investment wisdom on its ear. The book explores a philosophy ascribed to Columbia University’s Benjamin Graham (author of The Intelligent Investor), and popularized by Graham’s student, Warren Buffet (perhaps the most successful investor of all time).
What is The Rule? “There are only two rules of investing: Rule #1: Don’t lose money […] and Rule #2: Don’t forget Rule #1.” Town writes: “Most Americans are trapped in mutual funds that, at best, ride the waves of the market.” He believes that his method can help investors break free from these cycles.
At its heart, Town’s philosophy is simply “buy low, sell high”. He’s not pushing a get-rich-quick scheme (though at times, especially early in the book, that’s exactly how it comes across). But he’s certainly encouraging his readers to abandon traditional “get rich slowly (and surely)” techniques.
Town argues that there are three myths of investing:
You have to be an expert to manage money.
You can’t beat the market.
The best way to minimize risk is to diversify and hold for the long term.
Dollar-cost averaging will not protect you, he says. These statements may make some nervous about Town’s philosophy. In the recent Wall Street Journal article about personal finance books, one expert cautioned:
“Any book that suggests it has a new way to riches should probably be a little suspect,” says Prof. Kenneth Froewiss, a finance professor at New York University Stern School of Business. A good book about personal finance, he says, always elaborates on three simple themes: Save early, know your risk tolerance, and diversify.
Town says that “knowing you will make money comes from buying a wonderful business at an attractive price”. If you can find a wonderful business, know what it’s worth as a business, and then buy it at a discount, you will become rich. If you repeat these steps, you will become very rich. “The price of a thing is not always equal to its value,” he says, arguing against Efficient Market Theory. He points to the recent Tech Bubble as an example. (As you might expect, Town doesn’t care for A Random Walk Down Wall Street.)
Rule #1 describes how to evaluate the investment potential of a business. You want:
A company that means something to you (you know its inner workings because you’re passionate about it).
A company that has a wide moat, or protective buffer (whether this is a competitive advantage, a huge cash reserve, or an exclusive license).
A company with excellent management.
A company with a margin of safety (that is, a company priced so low that even if you miscalculate its target price, you’re not going to lose money).
Using Town’s method, an investor creates a watch list of companies that meet each of these four criteria. Each company’s financials are checked against five measures of fiscal health (return on investment, revenue growth rate, earnings-per-share growth rate, equity growth rate, and free-cash-flow growth rate) over periods of one, five, and ten years. If a company’s numbers look good, the investor develops a target price for it.
And then the waiting begins.
When the market price reaches 50% below what the calculations show it ought to be, the investor fully commits himself. Sort of. Ideally, says Town, you would hold a company’s stock forever. In reality, he argues that there are a couple of times to sell:
When a company has ceased to be wonderful.
When the market price is above the sticker price.
It is here that the Rule #1 system begins to resemble day trading. When you’ve found your ideal business, and when it passes the Rule #1 criteria and is selling at half-off the sticker price, you begin buying and selling the stock based on market conditions. You use a set of tools to make your decisions, constantly moving in and out of the stock. You’re committed to the stock for the long haul, it’s true, but you’re attempting to use market timing to maximize your returns. (Town stresses that these tools should not be used to find and value stocks, but only to time the re-purchase (or sale) of a stock to which you’re already committed.)
The book jacket incorrectly touts this as a “fifteen-minute-a-week” system (which makes it sound even more like a get-rich-quick scheme). The author, though, is clear that more time is needed to make this work. He admits that constructing a watch list takes several hours per company. It’s only after the watch list is created that the time investment declines.
I can’t recommend this book, but that’s because it’s beyond my ken. I don’t hate it. In fact, I find the ideas fascinating, even plausible, but I lack both the experience and the expertise to evaluate Town’s system. It seems to be made of equal parts sound advice and gimmicks. I’d love to read a review from somebody more firmly rooted in investment theory.
One saving grace — and it’s a big one — is that the system includes a built-in escape hatch. By using the “margin of safety”, you are buying heavily discounted stocks of good companies. It’s unlikely that they could fall further. (But not impossible.)
For more information on Rule #1, check the following web sites:
Rule One Investor is the book’s official site. It includes additional information, including handy calculators. (Which is good, because much of this system requires number-crunching.) Free registration required.
The Rule #1 Blog is author Phil Town’s personal site where he answers questions and provides additional insight. I like the fact that Town makes himself publically available. This, too, makes me less inclined to classify this as a “get rich quick” scheme.
A review of the book at Fat Pitch Financials also seems ambivalent about the system. The author writes “I really wish Phil would have shared more information about his past performance using his investment techniques.” I agree.
This was an actual weekend harvest from our garden last August.
At Get Rich Slowly, we get many requests for information about starting a vegetable garden. This is huge topic, and really enough fodder for an entire website. If you’re a novice gardener you will benefit by asking yourself six questions before mail-ordering seeds or heading to your local nursery. Now is the time to do your research so that you’ll be ready for planting season.
Do you actually like to eat vegetables?
If not, focus on fruits and herbs, edible and ornamental flowers, and a favorite veggie or two. A well-tended garden will produce a lot of vegetables. If you are lukewarm about zucchini then pass up that beautiful seedling. (Or go introduce yourself to your five nearest neighbors so that you can share come July).
What is your gardening space like?
This is probably the most important question for the novice gardener. If you are starting from bare dirt or, more likely, a patch of lawn, you have some work to do. The plot needs to be evaluated for sun and wind exposure, moisture/drainage, soil pH and elemental content, pests, and other factors.
When we moved to the new house, J.D. used math to determine our garden location.
Crop gardens need a sunny spot. But remember that the angle of the sun in the summer months will be different than it is now. Nonetheless, try to watch over the next few weeks to determine where the sun hits your property. If I have to choose between morning sun and evening, I prefer morning sun — it is less intense, which means watering needs are decreased. Here in Portland, however, it’s hard to give a garden too much sun.
Get online and tap the resources at your local university’s extension offices. You can usually find them just by searching for your state’s name and “extension service”. Many states offer free soil testing, which will tell you how to amend the soil if nutrients or organic matter are lacking, or if the pH of the soil needs to be adjusted. Your county’s Master Gardener program may also offer this service. Each crop has an optimum pH growing range. We add acid for our blueberries and strawberries; kale and peas like a slightly alkaline soil. If your soil is close to neutral (pH 7), you can probably proceed as-is.
These tomatoes were started from seed in February. In May they’re ready to be transplanted!
Even if your soil is terrible, you still have options. On a small scale, container gardening can be rewarding. A cherry tomato, well-watered, can do well in a large pot on a patio. Better yet, build some raised beds. These will require an initial investment for the soil to fill them and construction materials, but they provide better drainage, warmer soil temperatures in the spring (and thus earlier crops), and reduced weeding. (Please avoid pressure-treated lumber, though, there is some evidence that the toxic chemicals leach into the soil. Okay for a picnic table, but not for the dirt where your eggplant is growing!)
If this all seems rather intimidating, I encourage you to start small. Don’t roto-till the entire lawn under until you really decide that crop gardening is for you. If your gardening space is less than ideal but you’d like to take the plunge, perhaps one 6’x12′ foot raised bed is the perfect beginning. Or try growing herbs.
During our second summer, we tore up sod to expand the garden space.
Herbs are one of the most forgiving classes of plants to grow — almost as easy as weeds — especially the hardy perennial herbs. Except for excessively moist soil and total shade, almost any conditions will support herbs. They thrive in sunny, dry areas. Herbs are also some of the most frugal crops you can grow because they are outrageously priced at the grocery store and can be used to make even basic ingredients into a stand-out meal. It’s worth the cost to start with herb plants rather than seeds so that you can use them right away.
Perennial herbs like sage, rosemary, thyme, lemon verbena, mints, chives and oregano require very little work. Again, do your homework for your climate. And a word to the wise: some herbs are invasive. Mints have spreading roots that will take over your entire city block. They are best in a container with a solid bottom rather than planted directly in the ground. Others, like oregano and fennel, spread easily by dropping their seeds. If you want to avoid little fennel and oregano families, be sure to trim off the flowers before they go to seed.
Last year we added an herb garden.
Short term, long term, or both?
Plants generally fall into two categories: annuals or perennials.
Annual crops start from a seed, mature and bear fruit (or vegetable) in one season, then die. In our region, corn is an annual, as are cucumbers, watermelons, and tomatoes. Plants that can survive the winter to regrow for another crop season are typically perennials, Examples include asparagus, blueberries, artichoke, and rhubarb. This also applies to flowers, of course: sunflower (annual) versus rose (perennial). I tend to think of fruits in the perennial group: fruit trees and berries are perennials. Most vegetables (again, this is for my climate) are annuals. Obviously there are exceptions to this generalization, like the melon family.
To decide where to focus your gardening energies, you should know your climate zone. This will help you determine the length of your growing season and which annual crops are going to have time to ripen.
Perennials usually cost more than annuals initially (buying an apple tree sapling, for example), and will require patience. We planted asparagus two springs ago and are hoping for our first taste this April. But these plants are longer living, and give you bigger returns for relatively little work. Asparagus plants can live for twenty years before needing replacements; an apple tree may not bear a crop for the first five years, but may live to be one-hundred.
If you’re just getting your gardening feet muddy for the first time, I recommend annuals. Tomatoes are extremely rewarding, as are other salad fixings such as lettuce, spinach, cucumbers, radishes and carrots. Other easy crops to start with are beans, onions (or leeks/shallots), potatoes, and pumpkin (although this needs room to spread). Besides the instant gratification they provide, mistakes with annuals are easily corrected the next season without much expense. Did the birds eat all your peas? Try something next year to protect them. Has your corn crop failed? Next spring, try it in a sunnier place.
Our strawberry plants have spread like crazy in the past three years.
If you have enough space and the inclination, try a bit of both annuals and perennials. A strawberry patch won’t produce much the first year, but the plants will reproduce and spread to give you a bounteous crop. Dwarf fruit trees are a nice option if you are looking for an ornamental small tree; most have beautiful blossoms, too. And don’t forget those herbs!
We planted two apples, a pear, and prune. We also have a filbert and walnut. (We never get many filberts — our yard is home to a Kingdom of Squirrels.)
Who are your gardening neighbors?
Tap those resources. Most gardeners love to talk about their plants. You can learn a lot about what works for your area by listening to their stories of success and failure. If you do a bit of pre-planning, you could also take part in a seed co-op. A typical tomato seed packet may hold 30 seeds — more than enough to split among four gardeners. Many vegetable starts are sold as single pots, but some come in six-packs that can be easily shared. With knowledge and experience, you can even harvest seeds from local gardens (with permission, of course) to plant the following spring. And if you’re lucky, when it’s time for the woman across the street to divide her lavender bush, she’ll share half with you!
Can you control yourself?
Most seed packets run only $2-$3, so they are tempting. But spending money and wasting your time on plants that won’t do well in your garden is an exercise in summer-long frustration. Evaluate your space and the soil and sun conditions. Learn to avoid catalog phrases such as “spreads quickly” or “freely self-sows” unless that’s what you really want. Don’t trust the catalog! The pictures are tempting, but they often show the plant only at its peak — what will it look like the rest of the time? Is it invasive? Poisonous? Hard-to-grow? Will it require constant maintenance? Use the internet and your library’s garden references to research seeds and plants before you buy them. I have found the internet to be a wonderful alternative to a knowledgeable nursery employee.
Do you have the time and money to grow your own food?
Gardening, initially, isn’t cheap. Besides plants and seeds, you’ll need garden tools, fertilizers, soil amendments, watering devices and a million other small things. But for those who savor its rewards, gardening is a labor of love. With time, and smart choices, having a kitchen garden does pay off financially. Herbs will pay for themselves quickly, and over the years, so will the berry bushes and canes, fruit trees and fresh vegetables. J.D. and I literally ate several hundred dollars of free homegrown berries this past spring and summer — all from a bit of our own labor, a few supplies and the investment of the canes and bushes. And that crop will only be bigger next year.
We’ve also dug up the lawn to plant grapes and caneberries.
Most gardens, even sizable ones, can be maintained with thirty minutes of work per day. Hoe weeds while they’re small, mulch properly, water wisely and be timely about harvesting. But if you let the garden tasks slip for a week or two, you may face a daunting task of huge weeds, spoiled crops or everything dead from lack of water. Gardening requires a time commitment if you want to reap the benefits.
Other Thoughts
If you are a beginning gardener, start small. Build on your successes. Be wise: it’s easy to dive in headfirst and then be overwhelmed. Research the plants you want to grow and the conditions they require, build a manageable raised bed if you’re starting from scratch, and use local resources to gain knowledge and cut costs.
Gardening requires a bit of seed money to begin, but the rewards are many! Healthier, fresher food, time in the great outdoors and a connection to nature, as well as engaging in an activity that can build community. And I haven’t even mentioned how much more excited kids are to eat their vegetables when they helped grow them or how people appreciate a homemade gift from the garden — whether a beautiful bouquet, and bunch of fragrant herbs, a fresh salad or a jewel-toned jar of jam.
In January fresh tomatoes are but a gardener’s dream.
Final Note
I recommend keeping your vegetable/fruit garden as organic as possible. One of the greatest benefits of growing your own is avoiding the pesticides (et al) on grocery-store goods. Insect diversity in your yard may be enough to keep pests in check; if you have an outbreak, simply try spraying with lightly soapy water, or other low-impact methods. If your soil is healthy and the plants are well-nourished, the plants will be strong and the bugs will be kept at bay.
This may not be practical in all climates, but here in Oregon, a few minutes each night hoeing will keep down the weeds, and the plants can take some munching by a bug or two once they’re established. With fertilizers, most choices are fine. I like an organic foliar spray — one that goes directly onto the leaves of my plants — but the crystalline concentrates that you mix with water can be fine as well, as long as your soil is already full of good organic matter and friendly worms.
The bond market isn’t necessarily expecting the jobs report to come in higher or lower than expected (after all, how can you expect something other than expectations?), but if it were to come in higher, that would be just the sort of terrible luck that seems to have befallen bonds this week. In the midst of curve-driven repricing (markets shifting to focus on 10yr yield volatility instead of 2yr), bonds have been hit by higher Treasury borrowing needs, lower buyback plans, a ratings downgrade, and the largest foreign holder embarking on big selling campaigns to control its own yield curve (Bank of Japan). It was the latter that hit the hardest overnight and resulted in moderate follow-through during the domestic hours. 2yr notes escaped nearly unchanged whereas 10s spiked 10bps by 4pm.
Jobless Claims
227k vs 227k f’cast, 221k prev
Labor Costs
1.6 vs 2.6 f’cast, 3.3 prev
ISM Services PMI
52.7 vs 53.0 f’cast, 53.9 prev
11:31 AM
Sharply weaker overnight with yields up to more new long-term highs. More weakness early, but maybe stabilizing now? 10yr up 8bps at 4.171. MBS down 3/8ths.
03:55 PM
Fairly flat all day after early weakness. MBS still down 3/8ths. 10yr near highs, up 9.7bps at 4.187.
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By: Rob Chrisman
13 Min, 13 Secs ago
Planet Home’s Michael B. reminds me, “I miss every shot I don’t take.” The topics here in Orlando at the FAMP convention include not only prospecting, prospecting, and… prospecting, but also not missing a shot by offering clients more than a couple products. Freddie, Fannie, FHA, and VA are fine, but every client and referral source is precious, and what happens if someone walks through the door and needs a loan for a renovation (remodel), or a condotel, or a non-warrantable condo, or qualifies for a bond program, or… the list goes on. In the category of leads, have you looked into any local real estate investment clubs as a source of business? What about going after leads from divorce attorneys or local hard money lenders? Persistence! Another big topic at the FAMP conference is saving money, and STRATMOR’s current blog is titled, “Improving Revenue Might Be Right Under Your Nose.” (Today’s podcast can be found here and is sponsored by Candor. Candor’s patented automated underwriting decision engine, CogniTech, is a state-of-the-art, 100 percent machine platform that can handle infinite loan scenarios. Listen to an interview with Ally Home’s Glenn Brunker on the homebuyer affordability issue and potential ways to alleviate it.)
Lender and Broker Software, Products, and Services
School is back in session for the majority of America’s youth. But just because you are an adult doesn’t mean you should pass up on opportunities to polish your professional skillset. Surefire℠, Black Knight’s CRM and Mortgage Marketing Engine, has created Mortgage Marketing University (MMU) with free 101, 201 and 301-level courses designed to help brokers, LOs, LOAs and your marketing team get up to speed on best mortgage marketing practices and stay on top of their game. The MMU companion eBook is an ideal resource for your team to keep at its fingertips. Download the MMU eBook today.
Debuting Rebel Chics Media! “We understand the needs of the real estate industry and are here to help you engage, “edutain” and inspire homebuyers with branded social content. Our agency-quality subscription content, along with writing prompts, allows you to address the questions and concerns of potential homeowners. This content is ideal for LOs, banks, credit unions, and Realtors looking to build a strong social brand. Benefit from 50+ years of combined industry experience of our founders, Jillian Sorensen & Dana Trajcevski. Move beyond generic posts like Spring Cleaning tips and Pumpkin Pie recipes, and instead, unlock the power of storytelling. Now is the perfect time to build your brand, and Rebel Chics Media is here to support you. We understand that you’re busy and don’t have the time, energy, or tools to create content yourself. Leave that to us and focus on growing your brand and connecting with your audience.”
Brokers can now shop, lock, and deliver on one platform that seamlessly connects brokers, lenders, and originators. In this market, hustle is everything. You can’t afford to waste a single deal… or a single minute. That’s why ReadyPrice has launched its innovative new Shop, Lock & Deliver loan exchange platform, designed to help independent mortgage brokers like you save time and money. Now you can shop competitive loan offerings from multiple lenders, get rate lock guarantees in real time, receive underwriting findings, and deliver the borrower’s complete loan file to lenders, and all on a single platform, at no cost to brokers. It’s the industry’s most powerful universal delivery portal, and it’s already helping thousands of brokers around the country thrive and compete in even the toughest market environments. Multiple lenders. One platform. Zero b.s. Come check ReadyPrice out today.
TPO Programs for Brokers and Correspondents
Profitable mortgage companies are focused on the long-term value of the customer relationship. Essex Mortgage’s partners enjoy greater customer retention, GNMA pass-thru pricing, no overlays, no LLPAs, NO EPOs, and NO EPDs. They also receive Tax Deferred asset growth and a long-term cash flow stream without having to be a GNMA issuer themselves. Please contact us to discuss how the Essex GNMA Excess MSR program can help retain and enhance your customer relationship, broaden guidelines, and expand into new markets. Please contact Kimberly Schenck.
Push strongly through the summer buying season with Luxury Mortgage Corp. (“LMC”). LMC is offering a 100-bps price special for newly locked Full and Alt Doc (Bank Statement, 1099 Only, Asset Qualifier) purchase loans until August 31st. LMC’s elite team isn’t stopping there; they are also offering a 50-bps pricing improvement on DSCR purchase loans! Click here for full details of the specials. Are you, not an approved broker? It’s time to align with true partners who will be here for you and execute at the highest levels. Take your business to sustainable new heights with the elite team. Click here to become an approved wholesale broker.
Investor and Agency News
Ginnie Mae launched a New Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Composite and Webpage, view the Press Release.
USDA Rural Development issued Updated HB-1-3555, Chapter 3, Lender Approval bulletin on 07/24/2023.
On 7/26/2023, with Amendment No. 6 to DR-4720, FEMA declared federal disaster aid with individual assistance made available to Vermont’s Orleans County affected by severe storms, flooding, landslides, & mudslides from 7/7/2023 and continuing. See AmeriHome Mortgage Disaster Announcement 20230706-CL for inspection requirements.
AmeriHome Correspondent 20230702-CL Disaster Announcement. On 7/14/2023, with DR-4720, FEMA declared federal disaster aid with individual assistance has been made available to 6 Vermont Counties; Chittenden, Lamoille, Rutland, Washington, Windham and Windsor affected by severe flooding from 7/7/2023, and continuing. See the attached announcement for inspection requirements.
PHH Mortgage had a Disaster Alert for Vermont and California. “The following disaster declaration is being issued or modified today pertaining to: Vermont DR-4720: New Disaster declared 07/14/23, and California DR-4699: Update to End Date of Occurrence.
Citi Correspondent Lending Bulletin 2023-06 includes credit policy updates on mortgage assumptions, public assistance & Section 8 income, and unplanned buydowns. Mandated screening – submitting non-obligated party detail notification, and clarifications on restricted stock & non-vested stock, and Chinese assets.
Collectively, average older homeowners sit on over $9 trillion in equity and have an average retirement savings is less than $60,000. But through a reverse mortgage, senior homeowners can maximize their financial stability by unlocking the accumulated equity without selling their property, allowing them to access the increased value of their homes and provide a financial cushion in a rising housing market. The time is now to build your reverse mortgage business with Plaza Home Mortgage®. We have the programs, including FHA HECM. Plus, we offer training and dedicated reverse mortgage staff to get you rolling into this right. Email [email protected] to get in touch or submit your details for a full reverse pre-qual.
In Pennymac announcement-23-49, the go-live date of Extended Lock Commitments was revised to “TBD,” and the updated schedule will be communicated through a future announcement.
American Heritage Lending Wholesale offers DSCR No Doc Loans including Non-Warrantable Condos.
On June 27, 2023, FHA published ML-2023-13 announcing that it is adopting the Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac Form 1103, Supplemental Consumer Information Form (SCIF) for mortgage applications dated on or after August 28, 2023. See AmeriHome Mortgage Product Announcement 20230705-CL.
Fairway Wholesale Lending Client Announcement 2022-07-27 issued a reminder about its new Admin Fee schedule that went into effect for all applications dated on or after 7/26. They will work through a transition period with the Admin Fee as this change becomes effective with applications taken & loans disclosed on & after Wednesday, 7/26. Fairway will begin using the new fee schedule for all loans we issue initial disclosures effective Wednesday, 7/26.
Capital Markets
Call it whatever you want, or believe whatever you want, in the rating agency Fitch’s downgrade of U.S. Treasury debt, one of things highlighted was the Jan. 6 insurrection. Once again, a reminder that politics, interest rates, and mortgage banking are intertwined. But overall, despite the increased hikes by the Federal Reserve, for the most part the U.S. economy continues to chug along.
Today we saw the “first Friday of the month” jobs situation figures. But it seems that the unemployment rate is not a leading economic indicator. Looking back at changes in U.S. unemployment rate data since 1953, a period including 10 recessions, on average the unemployment rate has not noticeably changed during the 12 months leading up to a recession. Dr. Elliot Eisenberg, Ph.D. points out that, “But once the recession begins, the unemployment rate slowly rises and peaks 12 months later at a level three percentage points higher than when the recession began.”
Yesterday began with the Bank of England raising UK rates to a 15-year high, though investors domestically continued to react to the U.S. credit downgrade by Fitch Ratings, which led to another “bear steepener” in the bond markets. “Risk-off” themes were present, and Wednesday’s route in U.S. Treasuries spilled over into yesterday’s session. The 10-year yield rose to a 9-month high as market participants took a closer look at rising debt-service levels.
The downgrade of U.S. government debt to AA+ from AAA by Fitch on Tuesday won’t affect the U.S. economy much and puts the Fitch rating at the same level as S&P, which made the downgrade in 2011. A couple other reasons not to worry include debt ratings mattering much more for emerging economies, most bond traders will keep buying U.S. debt at the same level, and the Fed can essentially set the interest rates on U.S. debt, anyway.
On the data front, weekly jobless claims increased by 6k to 227k while the ISM Non-Manufacturing Index and the Manufacturing PMI report showed a deceleration in growth consistent with reports from other major economies. Services sector activity continued to expand in July, but at a slower pace than the prior month. Even so, the report said that the majority of respondents remain cautiously optimistic about business conditions and the economy. Finally, productivity increased 3.7 percent in the second quarter, well above 1.7 percent expectations, with output up 2.4 percent and hours worked down 1.3 percent. Unit labor costs, meanwhile, were up 1.6 percent, lower than expected and which reflected a 5.5 percent increase in hourly compensation and a 3.7 percent increase in productivity. The pickup in productivity and the deceleration in unit labor costs is a good combination for the soft-landing view. After one of the better-than-expected releases this week was the ADP report which reported 324k in private jobs creation versus 189k expected, risks for an upside surprise in nonfarm payrolls were raised.
As for that BLS report, nonfarm payrolls increased 187k versus 200k expectations and back months were revised down 49k jobs. The unemployment rate dropped to 3.5 percent, and average earnings are still solid versus 0.3 percent month-over-month and 4.2 percent year-over-year expectations. After any knee jerk reaction, the Treasury market will begin setting up for next week’s $103 billion Quarterly Refunding beginning Tuesday with $42 billion 3-year notes followed on Wednesday and Thursday by $38 billion 10-year notes and $23 billion 30-year bonds. Both 3-years and 30-years were increased by $2 billion and 10-years by $3 billion versus the prior Quarterly Refunding. We begin the day with Agency MBS prices unchanged from Thursday, the 10-year yielding 4.19 after closing yesterday at 4.19 percent, and the 2-year up to 4.89.
Jobs and Transitions
William “Bill” Sohan, an industry veteran and former Senior Vice President with Academy Mortgage, has joined employee-owned USA Mortgage as a regional Vice President. Sohan will oversee USA’s Maryland operations and work to expand its national footprint. “I found USA’s loan-officer-first mentality, freedom for their regional leaders, and transparent work environment very attractive,” he said. “I am in business for myself, but not by myself. It’s a huge advantage that USA is run by former high-producing loan officers who understand the needs of their salespeople. I’m excited to give my sales team access to some great new resources, while still maintaining their access to Fannie and Freddie direct and dozens of loan programs.” Founded in St. Louis in 2001, USA has offices in 34 states and is licensed in 49 states plus the District of Columbia. For a confidential conversation about joining USA, contact Brooke Anderson at 609-500-1520.
Presidential Bank Mortgage is expanding into the Southeast! John Pruitt, former Director of Fidelity Bank Mortgage in Atlanta, has joined the senior management team of the Bethesda, Maryland-based Community Bank as SVP of Production and Strategic Initiatives. “I’m so excited to join Presidential at this opportune time in the industry to help grow a best-in-class mortgage lending platform,” Pruitt said. “The combination of a solid Community Bank and entrepreneurial mortgage lending model is truly unique in our industry.” Expansion plans are underway to open full-service lending markets in Georgia and the Carolinas. Leadership, Sales, and Operations positions are available throughout the region. Please send your confidential inquiry to John Pruitt.
Academy Mortgage is proud to be among the small number of lenders who have been selected to offer the Freddie Mac BorrowSmart Access℠ program. This equitable housing program allows qualified first-time homebuyers looking to purchase a home within one of 10 eligible metropolitan markets to obtain a credit for their down payment and/or closing costs through combined contributions from Freddie Mac and Academy Mortgage. Through this assistance, borrowers can fund 100 percent of the cash required to close; prepare for long-term sustainability through homeownership; and receive pre-purchase homebuyer counseling through the Freddie Mac BorrowSmart Access program. Academy is proud to support this initiative to bring equitable housing opportunities to traditionally underserved communities. Academy is committed to fulfilling its Vision to Inspire Hope, Deliver Dreams, and Build Prosperity in all communities by helping its clients build generational prosperity through homeownership. Join a team with the loan products and the Vision to advance housing for underserved communities: contact Scott Starr to explore the possibilities that await at Academy.
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Mortgage rates will probably make a downward turn this year — but not in July. Instead, rates are likely to creep upward this summer or stay about the same.
Forecasting mortgage rates is always an iffy proposition, and that’s especially the case for July because of uncertainty about the trajectory of the inflation rate and what the Federal Reserve will do about it.
The Fed has a goal of reducing the inflation rate to 2%. The central bank made progress in 2022, but inflation’s downward movement stalled in early 2023. The core personal consumption expenditures price index (the Fed’s favored inflation measurement) has been stuck at 4.6% to 4.7% in 2023.
Without decisive improvement on the inflation front, the Fed is likely to raise the short-term federal funds rate at the end of its July 25-26 meeting. Mortgage rates often rise in the run-up to Fed rate increases. That’s the most likely course for mortgage rates in July.
How the forecast could go off course
Someday, inflation will decrease, the Fed will ease off on its rate increases, and mortgage rates will drop. But the Fed’s monetary policymakers don’t seem to think that will happen this summer. In their June summary of economic projections, they signaled that they expect to raise the federal funds rate another half a percentage point this year. That probably would take the form of two more rate increases of a quarter of a percentage point each.
An unmistakable downturn in the inflation rate could cause the Fed to rethink its expectation of two rate hikes. It’s possible, but not probable, that this month the Fed will see signs of decreasing inflation. That seems more likely to happen in August or September and not in July.
What other forecasters say
Fannie Mae predicts that the Fed will continue raising rates “until it is abundantly clear that inflation pressures from the labor market have eased.” But in Fannie’s estimation, it’s scarcely clear that this evidence will show up soon enough to avoid a recession. Fannie expects mortgage rates to rise slightly from July through September, then drop in the final quarter of 2023 as the economy cools.
By contrast, Freddie Mac predicts that the economy will avoid recession as inflation cools and that mortgage rates will remain above 6% all year.
What happened in June
At the end of May, I predicted that mortgage rates could rise through the first half of June, then level off or fall in the second half. That’s not what happened. Instead, mortgage rates fell from one week to the next, with the 30-year mortgage averaging 7.02% in the week ending June 1 and 6.66% in the week ending June 29.
Two major factors gave mortgage rates room to fall: the deal to resolve the debt ceiling standoff early in the month and the Fed’s rate hike pause in the middle of the month. At a minimum, both developments relieved upward pressure on mortgage rates, and they might have even pushed rates lower.
Holden Lewis writes for NerdWallet. Email: [email protected]. Twitter: @HoldenL.
Real estate focused artificial intelligence firm Restb.ai has formed a strategic alliance with Black Knight, according to an announcement on Monday. Through this new partnership, all Black Knight Paragon MLS platform users will have access to the Restb.ai MLS Product Suite, as it will be integrated into Paragon.
With Restb.ai, Paragon users will now have the ability to automate listing creation processes, unlock new data sets, and instantly validate property listings imagery to support compliance with MLS guidelines.
“Black Knight is known for delivering highly innovative, proven and cutting-edge real estate solutions that strengthen customer relationships and help agents work faster and smarter, not harder,” Ben Graboske, the president of Black Knight Data & Analytics, said in a statement. “With Restb.ai, we’re helping our MLS clients deliver more value to brokers and agents nationwide. Agents will be able to spend significantly less time on manually entering listings, enabling them to focus instead on interacting with homebuyers and sellers.”
Using the listing photos uploaded by the agent, Restb.ai automatically detects each image’s interior and exterior features, architecture style, and room type.
Restb.ai also has a photo compliance solution that can evaluate logos, watermarks, yard signs, people, license plates, and duplicate images, enabling it to auto-detect misuses of listing photos and corresponding violations based on MLS and Realtor association rules and regulations.
“Building Restb.ai into Black Knight’s MLS platform will radically transform how MLS subscribers interact with MLS Listing data. This enhanced AI automation will provide users with a new listing entry experience along with unique visual search capabilities for over 200 MLSs,” Lisa Larson, Restb.ai’s managing director for North America, said in a statement.
According to the press release, Restb.ai processes more than 1 billion images a month.
Amanda recently sent J.D. an e-mail looking for advice about gift-giving:
My husband and I have made huge lifestyle changes since our son was born with congenital heart disease four years ago. He’s had five open-heart-surgeries, and we’ve had some killer medical bills. My husband stays home with both of our kids to help prevent Liam from getting sick too often, so we’ve gone down to one income, one car, basic cable, and a really aggressive budget.
One of our worst budget breakers however is gifts. I have eleven nieces and nephews, two kids, etc. At Christmas we’ve convinced both sides to just do a name exchange and then we only have to buy for two nieces/nephews on either side, which helps and we’ve just outright stopped exchanging gifts with our brothers & sisters, but there are still our parents, his grandparents, kids of friends who have birthday parties, and graduations, weddings, and baby showers!
We actually do plan most of these things into discretionary spending since we know when people have birthdays, but it’s always those gotchas like weddings and new babies (and we didn’t pre-think graduations with this year’s planning).
Could you offer any advice on fitting generosity and gift giving into a frugal budget? No one wants to be a grinch, but it really adds up some months. Sometimes, it’s half of our discretionary spending just to get small gifts (we only spend $10-15/kid!).
Ah, Amanda, I hear you! Gifts can be a budgeter’s downfall! Many of us readily accept our own sacrifices in the name of being frugal, but don’t want to seem “cheap” when it comes to giving gifts to others. I’ve struggled with both sides of this issue.
One side of me likes choosing and giving gifts, likes having those gifts appreciated, likes receiving gifts in return. But the other side opposes the commercialism and expectations that accompany holidays and occasions. Too often, hastily-purchased gifts can seem like a substitute for the spare time and energy we don’t have to make a gift meaningful. These gifts can be merely an obligation, which is no fun for either giver or recipient.
For big family gift-oriented occasions like Christmas (Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc), you must have “The Talk”. In some families, money is a difficult subject, but your options are either to continue spending more than you want on presents, or to mystify everyone when you cut them off cold turkey. A good way to start is to explain your budget goals, as in, “We’re starting to save for the kids’ education funds,” “…to buy a house,” “to be able to afford to live on one salary,” “pay off the credit cards” or something like that — just make sure you’re being honest.
Whatever you do, don’t insist that everyone stop giving gifts to you (or your kids). You have the right to stop giving gifts, but for many people, being generous with presents is a true pleasure and you should avoid depriving them of that pleasure. It may seem wrong to accept without giving, but you can give back in other ways. Of course, your relatives and friends may be relieved at the prospect of the never-ending gift-exchange ending — maybe they were just too shy to bring it up.
If you don’t want to stop all gifts, here are some ideas to cut costs.
Draw names. As Amanda does, this can allow you to focus on one or two recipients instead of the whole clan. There are various arrangements. Some families write their name and a gift suggestion or two on a slip of paper. In some systems, adults pick an adult and each kid gives to a kid (with adult help as needed). Or, if everyone is gathering together, each person can bring one gift (marked as adult or child) and you can do a sort of “Yankee swap” exchange where unwrapped presents can be stolen or traded until everyone ends up with someone.
Be creative. On J.D.’s side of the family, we have been doing $5 gifts for several years. Everyone (7 adults, 4 kids) buys a $5 (or under) gift for everyone else. (This was my sister-in-law’s idea.) J.D.’s mother asked to be excepted — she loves piling gifts on everyone and exercises her grandmotherly rights to do so. The $5 limit has forced us to be bargain hunters and the results are often both surprising and hilarious. We found a practically new set of drafting pens for a brother’s gift: $80 new, marked as $10 at a garage sale but we bargained it down to five!
Emphasize the experience. Some people have more time than money. If you fit in that category, you can use it to your advantage for all sorts of occasions. Do friends have a new baby? Deliver dinner to the new parents, then stay to hold the baby while they eat the meal. Clean up afterwards, of course. Nieces and nephews? For that special occasion, invite them to join your family for camping, a hike, miniature golf — whatever your family does for fun. You’ll all get to know each other better, too. Parents and grandparents often would rather have you spend time than money on them, as well. Invite them over for brunch, or go feed the ducks at the park, or hear a free concert together.
Don’t turn your nose up at used. Aren’t we silly Americans! We talk about how great recycling is but we want everything we get to be new, new, new! It’s all about mindset. For kids’ toys, as long as they’re in safe condition, the fact that they’re “pre-owned” means little to a child — unless non-stop commercialism has already gotten to them! J.D. and I found two wooden sleds set out for the trash pickup in a ritzy neighborhood. After swallowing our hesitation, we grabbed them. With a cleaning and a few minor repairs, they were good to go — and looked great under the Christmas tree. Keep your eyes open all year for bargains, or arrange a toy exchange or toy hand-me-down system with friends and neighbors. Get to know people’s tastes and decorating styles so you can choose gifts they will appreciate.
Kids love the dollar store. I know, I know — everything’s made in foreign countries by underpaid workers. But seriously, if you are spending more than $3 for a kid’s birthday party gift, you need to visit a dollar store. The kids I know are fascinated by dollar store stuff until age 6 or 7. The parents may turn up their noses, but what kid wouldn’t love growing giant lizards or sharks (600% growth — just soak ’em in water!), red-white-and-blue glow necklaces, or a hundred fuzzy animal stickers?
Agree that gifts are only for the kids. Not having kids myself, I wouldn’t vote for this option, but I know many families like it. I think a better choice if you’re going to do this is to have adults buy small gifts for the kids ($5-10), and let kids make homemade gifts for the adults. I think this gets kids to think about giving as well as receiving.
Use homemade gifts. I’m a big fan for using the homemade gift for most every occasion. Special birthdays get a bouquet of garden flowers in a mason jar. Or, I take the time to write a sincere note in a beautiful card. If someone’s a fan of sweets, I’ll whip up a batch of cookies. If the season’s right, I might present them with fresh berries or a holly and cedar swag. The cost for all these gifts is minimal, but the gesture is still meaningful.
Mass produce. Last year, English Major offered a great tip about gift-giving ideas. You can save lots of dough by the assembly line approach. Pick a gift that will be appropriate for your list of recipients and buy craft items, ingredients, or components in bulk. Before you start, figure out how many gifts you’ll need and the cost per assembled gift. Check the figures against your budget. To maximize this idea, choose an idea that still allows for some personalization, say in the color or style of gift.
Just speak up. At my workplace, the envelope is constantly being passed for one event or another. The loss of a parent, a new baby, a retirement, etc. The flowers or gifts purchased with the collected cash may very well be much appreciated. But if your budget prevents you from chipping in, instead write a heartfelt note or tell the person face-to-face. A verbal expression of sympathy or support may be just what they need.
Shrug it off. Unfortunately, some people are all about the goods. If the people in your life aren’t going to appreciate or adjust to your frugal mindset, you have a choice to make. Keep spending to keep up with the Joneses, or go your own way and hold your head high. Find ways to show you care that don’t just involve handing over your debit card. Give when you can; give what you want to.
The side benefit of implementing any of these ideas is that it moves the whole concept of giving gifts back to thoughtfulness, effort, and individual creativity, rather than the focus on prices and packaging. Think of it as one small chink in the great wall of marketing and consumerism!
These are just some thoughts on the topic to get the discussion rolling. I’m sure there are scores of creative solutions out there.