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Moving is stressful on everyone, whether they’re children, middle-aged adults, or seniors. But uprooting a family is especially hard on children who heavily depend on familiarity. Leaving behind the neighborhood, friends, activities, and schools is upsetting and traumatic. You can make the process of moving less painful for your children by considering the timing of the move, breaking the news appropriately, and helping your kids adjust to their new school and neighborhood.

Timing the Move

When you’re moving with kids, it brings up an important question: should you move over the summer or during the school year? While it’s not always possible to choose the timing of your move, if you have a say-so, think about what would be best for you and your children, as there are pros and cons to both options.

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

Moving during the summer gives children the opportunity to finish their current grade without interruption, say goodbye to friends, and start the new school year fresh. Some kids find it easier to make new friends and adjust to new surroundings when peers are doing the same thing. However, enrolling in summer activities can be hard because tryouts/signups have ended. Also, many families in the new neighborhoods may be gone because they’re traveling or involved in summer programs.

Moving during the school year means your children are immediately introduced to other children. They quickly establish a routine, making the transition much easier. School exposes children to many opportunities like clubs and sports, as well as familiarization with their new neighborhood, so being able to jump right in is helpful.

Breaking the News

How you tell your children about the upcoming move will depend on their ages. No matter the age of your children, be direct and positive about the move. Be upfront about what’s going to happen, how hard it’ll be, and what it means for them. Younger children may not understand what it means to move. Use the simplest terms when explaining what it means to relocate. Try drawing pictures, acting it out, or finding a book on the topic.

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

Older children and teenagers may know what it means to move, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be understanding. They have established social lives, and will be understandably upset. Prepare yourself for complaints, accusations, or guilt trips. While you shouldn’t dismiss their emotions, show empathy with firmness. Acknowledge feelings while treating the move in a very matter-of-fact manner.

New Schools and New Friends

As a parent, finding a new school for your kids is one of the hardest parts of moving. Look online for resources that compare schools in the area to which you’re moving. For example, GreatSchools offers school ratings and reviews from parents. Help your children with the transition to a new school by visiting before classes start and giving them a chance to socialize with teachers and faculty.

Some children may need help fitting in and making connections. Hosting a get-together at your house introduces you to new neighbors and gives you the opportunity to find out about the same-aged children in the neighborhood. “Kids’ relationships can form quickly and are very portable, often moving from the living room into the classroom,” says GreatSchools.

Before, During, and After

During all points of the moving process, be sensitive to emotional changes in your children. Kids can fall into depression when dealing with major life changes. Watch for symptoms of irritability, low energy, social withdrawal, change in eating and/or sleeping patterns, and poor concentration. If you notice any signs, spend more time with your kids and talk to them about their feelings. You may need to seek advice from a child psychologist.

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

When you talk about moving, and even after the move has occurred, focus on the good and keep a positive outlook. A parent’s attitude can have a great affect on the attitudes of the children. Expressing fear and disappointment are okay, but show your children how to deal with those emotions while also staying positive.

Relocating your family to a new home all the way across the country seems like a daunting task. Helping your children come to terms with the move and making the transition as smooth as possible is important. By trying to choose the best timing for your family, aptly discussing the move, and helping your kids adjust to their new school and neighborhood, you’re alleviating much of the stress for your children during your family’s big move.

Author: Alex Robbins (SafetyToday.org)

Source: homie.com

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Like many Get Rich Slowly readers, I credit Your Money or Your Life with changing the way I approach my personal finances. This book transformed my relationship with money, and helped me to understand that by spending beyond my means, I was sacrificing a secure future for today’s passing pleasures.

One of the book’s key insights is that time really is money. Or, approaching it from the other direction, money is time. The authors write:

Money is something we choose to trade our life energy for. Our life energy is our allotment of time here on earth, the hours of precious life available to us. When we go to our jobs we are trading our life energy for money. This truth, while simple, is profound…

Our life energy is more real in our actual experience than money. You could even say money equals life energy. So, while money has no intrinsic reality, our life energy does — at least to us. It’s tangible, and it’s finite. Life energy is all we have.

I know this sounds a little hokey. In fact, when I first read Your Money or Your Life, I dismissed this section as New Age mysticism. That was a mistake. If you can look past the unfortunate terminology, there’s a lot of power to this concept. What Dominguez and Robin are actually saying is that time is money.

Your Money or Your Life uses this notion as the foundation to its philosophy of financial independence: time and money are intertwined, and the relationship between them frames all of our financial decisions. To illustrate, the authors encourage readers to calculate their real hourly wage.

Nominal Hourly Wage

We don’t earn as much as we think we do, write Dominguez and Robin. You may be paid $15 an hour, but your real hourly wage is less than that. Possibly much less.

Let’s say we have a friend named Joe and that he’s a plumber. Though Joe hopes to earn $250,000 a year eventually, he currently makes the national average for his profession, or about $48,000 a year for a 40-hour workweek. His nominal wage is approximately $24 per hour.

Based on these figures, if Joe the Plumber decides to buy an iPod nano ($150), he’s exchanging about six hours of his time for it. (6 hours worked x $24 per hour = $144 total wages, which is close enough.)

Ah, but it’s not that simple, argue Dominguez and Robin. Joe’s real hourly wage isn’t $24 — it’s something lower.

Hidden Expenses

Think about your job. Think of all the things you do and the money you spend that you wouldn’t if you did not work. How long does it take to drive to work? How much does the gas cost? Does your job require that you own a suit or a uniform? Do you have to take vacations to cope with the stress in your career?

Your Money or Your Life lists eight such possible job expenses, including a few which might be applicable to Joe:

  • Commuting — Joe’s office is 20 miles from his home. Every day, he spends an hour commuting to and from work in his 2000 Ford Focus, which costs about 38 cents per mile to operate. His weekly commute costs 5 hours and $76 (38 cents times 200 miles).
  • Clothing — It doesn’t take Joe extra time to get dressed in the morning, but it does cost him a little extra money. Several times each year, he has to buy new work clothes because the old ones keep wearing out. Maybe he spends $300/year doing this.
  • Food — Joe might take a sack lunch if he were on his own, but he works with a partner who prefers fast food. Joe likes McDonald’s and Subway, too, so he’s happy to go along for the ride. Each day, Joe spends about $5 and one hour for lunch.

Though Your Money or Your Life lists several other ways in which work can cost you money, these are Joe’s only expenses. His job costs him about 10 hours per week (or 500 hours per year) and about $107. We’ll round it down to $100 per week, so that’s about $5000 each year.

Real Hourly Wage

Once he’s estimated the extra time and money he spends on the job, Joe can compute his real hourly wage. The equation is actually very simple:

  1. First, Joe subtracts his work-related expenses from his annual salary to find his actual earnings.
  2. Next, he divides his actual earnings by the total number of hours he spends each year on work-related tasks (including business trips and Christmas parties, etc.).

This simple equation produces Joe’s real hourly wage.

Using our earlier figures, Joe the Plumber’s actual salary would be $43,000 per year ($48,000 base minus $5000 for commuting, clothing, and food). Joe leaves the house at 6:30 in the morning, and does not return until 4:30 in the afternoon, which means he’s devoting 50 hours per week — or about 2500 hours per year — to his job.

Joe is spending about 2500 hours per year to earn $43,000. His real hourly wage is $17.20. Not bad, but still much lower than the $24 per hour he thinks he’s earning.

Knowledge is Power

Why does your real hourly wage matter? Remember that time is money — literally. When he’s making $48,000 a year, it only takes Joe six hours to earn enough for an iPod. That’s less than a day’s work. But based on his real hourly wage, it would take Joe nearly nine hours to earn the same amount. To earn the money for anything he wants to purchase, Joe has to spend 40% more time working than he thinks he does.

Computing your real hourly wage allows you to see how much you’re really getting paid, which can change your perspective. When I first did this in 2004, it had an immediate effect.

At that time, I was spending a lot of money on comic books. After I calculated my real hourly wage and applied the number to my expenses, I was able to see how much time each book was costing me. Was it really worth three hours to buy a collection of Aquaman stories I’d probably never read? For me, the answer was “no”, and I began to reduce my spending.

This “real hourly wage” is also a great tool for comparing prospective jobs, especially when there are a lot of variables. All things being equal, a job with a higher real hourly wage is better.

Now that I’ve spent several hours of my life energy explaining this concept, later today I’ll describe an even better way to look at spending decisions, one that takes into account taxes and living expenses.

Note: If Joe really did earn $250,000 a year, and all our other assumptions remained the same, the iPod would only cost him an hour-and-a-half of his life energy.

How Much Time Does Stuff Actually Cost?

After you’ve computed your real hourly wage, you can use it to measure how much things cost. An iPod might cost nine hours of work, or a new sweater might cost three. (You don’t even want to consider how much a new car would cost…)

But does it really make sense to look at spending this way? Does this really tell the full story? During our discussion last week about unconventional money tips, BW wrote with a better way to look at spending. He points out that not every dollar can be counted as disposable income:

I don’t like to think about how many hours I worked for an item I want to buy because it makes the item seem too cheap…A better way to think about it is to subtract fixed expenses from pay first.

He’s right. Let’s say your nominal pay rate is $24 per hour. You compute your real hourly wage as recommended by Your Money or Your Life and find that it’s $17.20. But that’s not the end of the story.

From this money, you must pay taxes, purchase housing and transportation, buy food and insurance, and more. If we make the arbitrary assumption that your fixed expenses (including savings) consume 80% of your pay, your actual disposable income would be $3.44 per hour.

This provides a drastic change to the length of time needed to work for a $150 iPod:

Method Rate iPod Cost
Nominal Wage $24.00/hour 6.25 hours
Real Wage $17.20/hour 8.72 hours
After Expenses $3.44/hour 43.60 hours

Using this example, it doesn’t take you just a day to earn an iPod, but an entire week.

Now, I don’t recommend that you walk around evaluating every buying decision based on “real wage after expenses” units. While educational, this is likely to quickly drain the joy from living. (You might run the numbers once and examine some hypothetical scenarios.)

However, I do believe it’s important to be mindful of your spending. Evaluating your purchases based on the time required to pay for them is an excellent way to become more aware of the actual costs for the things you buy.

Source: getrichslowly.org

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If you’re looking to bring a little Southern charm into your home, you’re in the right place. Whether you’re moving to Raleigh, NC, living in Orlando, Florida, or calling Columbia, SC, home, there’s no denying the appeal of traditional Southern design. From the warm welcome of a front porch to the cozy comforts of a sunroom, Southern style is all about creating a space that is both inviting and stylish. In this article, we’ll share some tips and DIY tricks from experienced designers who specialize in Southern design. Whether you’re starting from scratch or looking to refresh your existing décor, these ideas will help you create a beautiful, Southern-inspired home.

1. Create a perfect blend of antique and modern elements

“One of my favorite ways to add a touch of Southern charm to your home decor is by mixing new pieces with antique and vintage finds. I recommend sticking to box stores for items such as couches or bedding and sourcing decorative items like ginger jars, coffee table books, and statement furniture from antique shops. This helps a space look updated, clean, yet lived-in and warm,” recommends Seaside Southern

2. Add a touch of Southern charm to your porch life with a joggling board

“Obviously, one of the great aspects, beyond interior design details, is how we celebrate life on the porch in the South with gas lanterns, beautiful shutter details, and a few Southern traditions like the joggling board,” shares Crane Island.

3. Create a warm, inviting atmosphere: hospitality in Southern style homes

“I wholeheartedly believe that the most interesting and impactful decor often has an intentional connection to hospitality, something we’re truly known for in the South. While we design our homes to be spaces we love, we also desire to create an atmosphere that is warm, inviting, and a natural extension of our own sensibilities to be shared with guests as well,” says Rebecca Rose Events. 

“Never be afraid to mix old with new, blend bold and unexpected patterns, prints, and colors that suit your personality, and bring a little bit of the outdoors inside – or vice versa. The most beautiful, interesting, and inviting Southern homes are those that give friends and loved ones an instant feeling of authentic connection to the host.”

4. Create inviting color schemes, mix textures and patterns

“Adding Southern charm to a home is sure to make it a cozy and inviting place. Our favorite way to incorporate that feeling in design is by using color and pattern in purposeful ways,” suggests Southern Oak Provisions. “Try using color on trim and not just on a feature wall. Mix patterns by repeating a color scheme, but make sure to use a variety of small-scale and large-scale patterns. If you stick to your color scheme and vision, you’ll have a house full of charm in no time.”

5. Add a touch of Southern style by decorating with repurposed, vintage elements

“Southern Charm can be easily added to any decor. Think about a soft chenille throw, plush pillows, and vintage textiles that add charm to any room. Use vintage goods in repurposed ways to create interest. Antique chests, wooden boxes, large baskets, carpenter’s trunks, and vintage washing machines can all be repurposed into coffee tables,” recommends Southern Home and Farm.  

“Display any collections that you have. Vintage hats, aged ice cream buckets, or any other personal collection can become the focal point of any room. Be sure to match the materials and colors of frames and finishes. For example, use mostly wood frames in off-white colors. Use what you already have to avoid unnecessary spending. The best way to utilize your items is to repurpose them in new ways. Your space is a reflection of who you are, so create your own sanctuary by adding a bit of Southern Charm”

Courtesy of Southern Home and Farm

6. Add Southern charm to your curb appeal with colorful doors, flower pots, and plants

“Curb appeal is everything in the South, ” says Wine and Design. “Your guests should be wowed the moment they arrive and see your brightly colored peach or blue door. Consider the color choice of your door to flow and transition into your home. As your guests walk up to your porch, they can see the pillows, flower pots, and your brightly colored door visually come together. This theme continues to flow into your home through your tile selection, lighting, and incorporating more plants to bring the outdoors into your home.

At Wine & Design, we’ve seen a big surge in people creating pieces that combine soft elements like hydrangeas and peonies with stronger, textured elements. People are not only creating for the experience but for the opportunity to bring something warm and personal into their home. Southern living is not just a way of life, it’s a feeling of warmth and comfort that comes from being surrounded by the people and things you love.”

7. Blend classic and contemporary furniture for a timeless and modern look

“Southern charm is all about creating a harmonious blend of classic furnishings mixed with contemporary touches and color,” recommends Dorrie Ann Buccafusca from Simple Southern Charm. “I love a space that pairs a few classic foundational furnishings that evoke the warmth of traditional Southern style with bold and unexpected elements to keep the vibe fresh, exciting, and anything but cookie-cutter.”

8. Don’t forget to decorate your yard

“Southern charm begins at the door. After moving to Minden, Louisiana, I found and renovated a 1926 Louisiana cottage and was thrilled it had a front porch, essential in the South,” shares Simply Southern Cottage. 

“Whether you have a small entry or a nice long porch, create a warm and welcoming feel but with a personal twist.  Add a porch swing if possible and change the pillows for seasonal fun. Hang artwork or photographs which reflect your family history or personality.  Head to your local junk store and find a rustic lantern or terracotta vases, blending old and new. For a fun twist, add greenery from ferns and palm trees to topiaries. And, if you have a black thumb, artificial options will easily fool your neighbors.”

Photo Courtesy of Simply Southern Cottage

9. Create a welcoming seating arrangement for hosting guests

“One of the best ways to achieve this aesthetic is by incorporating bright colors, bold patterns, and seating arrangements that encourage conversation over a cold glass of sweet tea. A seating arrangement with bold pillow patterns is typically a staple in a Southern home,” suggests Z and Co Design Group.

“The more seats, the merrier. A long sofa can be balanced out with two pairs of comfortable upholstered chairs, and a skirted chair with an accent trim band can add a touch of elegance. While some may think rolled-arm upholstery is outdated, there are modern takes on it, such as curved, key, or modern scroll arms that accomplish the Southern upholstery look without the heavy, rolled pleated chair arm of our grandmothers’ houses. Situate this grouping under a large empire crystal chandelier, and you’ll instantly feel the Southern charm.”

10. Start with a neutral base, then add layers of design

“Designing with Southern charm in mind is a balancing act that can easily veer towards stuffy, formal sitting rooms with couches that no one can sit on. Who else had a Memaw with one of those? Says   Southern’spirations. Theyrecommend, “creating a welcoming and cozy space, while also incorporating Chinoiserie patterns, timeless blue and white accessories, and other heirloom-quality pieces, is to start with a neutral base, such as a neutral-colored couch. Then, add Southern charm in layers by hanging a favorite Chinoiserie pattern above it and placing a stack of design books and a ginger jar on the coffee table.”

11. Design your classic Southern sunroom

“For me, the quintessential Southern sunroom is designed with classic floral drapery, rattan seating draped with cool summer linen throws, and accented with checks and plaids. Don’t be afraid to refurbish your grandmother’s chest by painting it a soft blue. One of my favorite places to spend summer evenings,” shares lead designer and owner of La Maison Raleigh, Martha Schneider.

12. Make a statement with wallpapered ceilings and trimmed walls

“Consider wallpapering the ceiling of the mudroom that’s off of the back porch. Perhaps you decide to drench the main floor powder room in a colorful floral wallpaper. These are commonly used spaces by both homeowners and guests, and they’re small. This makes them the perfect spaces to take a leap with daring designs. To complete the space, a dynamic light fixture is the perfect finishing touch to these rooms,” recommends Zandy Gammons, Owner and Principal Designer of Miretta Interiors.

“Additionally, I like to encourage our clients to paint their trim. Trim is often forgotten about or deemed to be ‘always white’ and that is simply not the case anymore. By painting your trim, it adds a colorful architectural interest to the room and is a wonderful way to weave in color found elsewhere in the room such as the draperies or sofa fabric. Paint is the simplest, most straightforward way to make a big impact.”

13. Enhancing your home’s interior and exterior with stained cedar columns and faux beams

“If you wish to include additional features to help bring out the ‘Southern Charm’ and appeal to the interior and exterior of your home, try adding these two features that will be sure to capture your heart. Think about the outstanding look of stained interior cedar columns with stained faux beams in a high ceiling room. This look provides warmth and welcoming comfort while relaxing in the most commonly used room of the house,” suggest Blake Hodnett, Builder and Manager at Southern Design Builders.

Courtesy of Southern Design Builders

Source: redfin.com

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On Thursday, I featured a guest post from Free Money Finance that proved to be surprisingly controversial. His five steps to six figures in seven years offered solid common-sense career advice for those looking to boost their incomes. Many readers disliked the post. (Though they didn’t hate it as much as FMF’s previous guest article.)

Though I don’t share all of your complaints, I do think some of you made an excellent point: Just as money is more about mind than it is about math, so too a rewarding career is more about personal fulfillment than it is about raking in big bucks. I agree that I’d rather work at a low-paying job that I loved than make $100,000 a year at a job I hated. I’d rather be happy than rich.

In response to FMF’s post on Thursday, Mike wrote to share his predicament. He’s hoping GRS readers can help him decide what to do:

I feel like I am at a crossroad in my career, and I truly don’t know what to do.

I am 31, married, and have two young children. My wife is well respected in her field and has a good salary; she likes what she’s doing, and has opportunities for advancement. We have a pretty hefty mortgage, but it is totally manageable with our current income stream. We also have a considerable monthly cost for day care. Overall, our financial situation is decent and improving.

Anyhow, those things aren’t the issue. The issue is me. I am in the IT field, but it is just not something I’m passionate about. My job pays well — $75,000 a year — but I am on call a lot and work a lot of hours that go un-noticed. I dread getting up and going into the office. My fear is that if I try to switch careers now, I won’t be making that much money. I’m not as happy as I used to be doing this type of work.

Part of my problem is that I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. I really enjoy working with my hands, and I am very handy. I have remodeled homes (mine, my parents, and some friends) and I have done some commercial construction projects (in-laws used to own a property management company).

I am just looking for something that drives me right now. I can honestly say that I am not a good leader, almost like I need someone to be a mentor to me, as I have never really had that. I am willing to work hard, and I know I would have the support of my wife and family with whatever choice I make. I just can’t justify leaving a good paying job right now without having a clue as to what I want to do next.

I need some help.

Mike’s situation is far from unique. In fact, I get e-mails like this all the time. There are many people who feel trapped in jobs that they hate, but who cannot quit because of the financial implications. What’s the solution?

The best thing, of course, is to find a career where these two intersect: a job you love that pays well. This isn’t always easy to do.

The first — and most difficult — step is to find out what it is you really want to do. What would make you happy? (And how can you be sure?) In researching my book, I’ve learned that meaningful work is one of the keys to personal fulfillment. Research shows that if you have a job that matches your personal values, you’re much more likely to be happy than if you’re doing something you find meaningless. But it can take a lot of soul-searching to determine what exactly “meaningful work” is for you.

I also think it’s important to reduce your lifestyle as much as possible in order to give yourself flexibility in your job search. The lower your expenses are, the more options you have. If your lifestyle costs $10,000 a month, your family needs to earn at least that much (more, after taxes) in order to maintain it. But if your lifestyle costs just $5,000 a month (or, better yet, $3,000 a month), you have a much wider range of career options.

In our e-mail discussion with Mike, FMF offered some good advice:

Is it really the IT field that you hate or something else? Maybe it’s the company you’re working at or the people you’re working with. Maybe it’s the aspect of IT you’re working in (for instance, you may hate database management but end up loving web security — or something else if you tried it.) Or maybe it’s the industry you’re in. Perhaps you’d be fulfilled as an IT consultant working on various projects for clients rather than trapped with one company doing the same thing over and over.

There are lots of factors to consider and I highly recommend you think about the various options before you ditch the career (and the valuable asset) you’ve built over the past several years.

I know that some people argue that a job isn’t something to be loved. Work is work and you should treat it as such. I don’t agree. I’ve had jobs I hated, and I’ve had jobs I loved. I believe it’s absolutely worth sacrificing income to find work that is meaningful and fulfilling.

But how much should you sacrifice? And how do you find this meaningful, fulfilling work? What steps should Mike take to change his situation so that he’s no longer miserable? And how does the current economy affect his options? If you were in Mike’s shoes, what would you do?

Source: getrichslowly.org

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From saunas to serene city views, these are the most relaxing spa-style apartments in Denver.

As one of the most active and fastest-growing cities in the country, Denver has a lot to offer. With everything from skiing to river rafting to barhopping all close by, it can be tough to carve out time for yourself.

One way to make it easier to prioritize personal time is to move to an apartment complex that provides all the spa-style amenities you crave. The apartment communities that grace this list are some of the best-equipped abodes in Mile High City to help you unwind.

Source: Rent. / Bromwell

It’s darn near impossible to stay stressed at a rooftop spa. Bromwell provides residents with an expansive rooftop pool and hot tub area complete with cabanas, loungers and views of Alamo Placita and beyond.

Along with a luxury spa-style pool and hot tub area, Bromwell also boasts a number of indoor and outdoor shared spaces that all provide residents with everything they need to unwind and forget about the stresses of the week. Whether you’re a Sunday soaker or a cabana coffee drinker, there’s something for you at Bromwell.

Source: Rent. / The Seasons of Cherry Creek

The Seasons of Cherry Creek is one of the only apartment complexes in Denver that houses an on-site sauna. A great place to cure sore muscles, detox after a big weekend, improve circulation and more, it’s here that you’ll find the benefits of regular sauna sessions are all-encompassing.

Located in the highly sought-after Cherry Creek neighborhood, this beautiful complex also boasts a huge resort-style pool, wine cellar, private art collection and a communal firepit. The long list of amenities at this luxury complex provides resources to detox, retox and everything in between. Long story short, stress isn’t going to find you here.

Source: Rent. / The Quincey

The outdoor pool and spa at The Quincey are truly second to none. With two side-by-side rectangular hot tubs situated next to the large rectangular lap pool, this glass-lined pool area is always pristine and the pride and joy of this exclusive community.

This Central Business District apartment complex also has a spa specifically for the four-legged residents. This pet spa is so nice that it just might have your dog begging for bath time. Beyond that, The Quincey also provides residents with a yoga studio and stretching area that is the ideal spot to work out the demons of a long week or meditate before heading to work on a Monday morning.

Source: Rent. / The York on City Park

The York on City Park boasts one of the coolest communal areas you’re ever going to find. Centered around a mid-century modern fireplace, the indoor lounge at this City Park apartment complex invites residents to step back in time and unplug from the stresses of daily life by getting lost in the fire and wilderness view outside the large windows.

The York on City Park also boasts a beautiful outdoor pool area. While the pool may be slightly too small for swimming laps, it is the perfect size for relaxing, lounging and breathing in that fresh mountain air. Regardless of what’s going on with the weather, you always have somewhere to escape to at The York on City Park.

Source: Rent. / Gables Cherry Creek Apartments

With beautiful stonework around the spa and a stunning view from the pool, the rooftop at Gables Cherry Creek Apartments is one of the more relaxing places in Denver to spend a day (or an entire weekend).

This Belcaro beauty also houses an onsite pet spa, spin studio and multiple communal lounges with comfortable furniture, WiFi and unobstructed views of the city. Crack open a book, kick off a conversation with a neighbor or find a quiet place to sit and think about the twists and turns life takes. Regardless of what your relaxation goals are, all the resources you need to meet them can be found at Gables Cherry Creek Apartments.

Source: Rent. / EVIVA on Cherokee

The pool at EVIVA on Cherokee is one of the more distinctly styled apartment swimming areas you’re ever going to find. With an oval shape and city views alongside a half-circle-shaped green space equipped with lounge chairs and a hammock, this is a sweet place to hang out and let stress slip away.

This Capitol Hill apartment complex also boasts a light-filled, street-level lounge with floor-to-ceiling windows, designer furniture and a coffee bar. This is in addition to the on-site yoga studio and demonstration kitchen. Whether you like relaxing by the pool, working on your flexibility or whipping up a healthy meal, you can do it all just steps from your front door at EVIVA on Cherokee.

Source: Rent. / Gables Vista

The elevated pool area at Gables Vista is a serene place to soak up the sun and breathe in the mountain air. With a side-by-side pool and hot tub, lounge chairs under umbrellas, and stellar views of the city, Gables Vista is a great place to unwind and find your inner peace.

This Belcaro apartment complex also boasts a covered open-air dog run so you can walk your furry friend in the winter without having to traverse the snow. It’s forward-thinking amenities like this that make Gables Vista one of the premier spa-style apartments in Denver.

Source: Rent. / Steele Creek Apartments

Steele Creek Apartments is an undeniably relaxing place to call home. One of the main amenities that give it that distinction is the on-site yoga studio. With dark wood flooring, mirrored walls and a large flat screen for guided classes, you can always stretch and decompress in this serene space.

Located in the heart of Cherry Creek, this upscale apartment community also boasts a thin, rectangular rooftop pool with stunning views and an elevated fire table area, perfect for cold Denver days and chilly summer nights. Take a dip or take a sip. Either way, you’re soaking in a stellar view and breathing the fresh mountain air.

Source: Rent. / AMLI RiNo Apartments

AMLI RiNo is an amenity-heavy apartment community in Curtis Park. Curated to provide residents with everything they need to relax and unwind, this expansive 390-unit complex offers spa-like amenities at every turn.

AMLI RiNo boasts numerous luxuriously adorned indoor and outdoor communal areas, a resort-style pool and a rooftop deck. Beyond that, this complex backs right up to the South Platte River Trail. This beautiful treelined trail has water views and is the perfect place to clear your head or do some breathwork in peace.

Source: Rent. / Sentral Union Station

The lobby area just off the expansive fitness center at Sentral Union Station is one of the best-designed and most spacious apartment common areas in existence. With an aesthetic that’s part Apple Store, part WeWork and part serene escape, this is the perfect place to crack open a book or spark up a conversation. Either way, the stress of the day will never find you here.

Just blocks away from Coors Field, this complex benefits from being in the middle of it all. With all the hustle and bustle going on outside, Sentral Union Station does a great job of separating itself from the buzz of the outside world and provides residents with a safe haven to relax and recharge.

Decompress from your home in Denver

It doesn’t matter if your favorite form of relaxation is hopping in the pool, sitting around the fire, cracking open a good book or anything in between, the apartments on this list offer the most comprehensive spa-style amenities in Denver. Find the one that fits your lifestyle best and fill out your application today.

Featured image source: Rent. / Steele Creek Apartments

Source: rent.com

Apache is functioning normally

Ah, summer. The word itself is enough to ignite a smorgasbord of delicious scenarios. Lively pool parties as the sun goes down, lazily reading a trashy airport novel with a chilled glass of lemonade, or even a slightly over-intense game of volleyball with the fam are just a few of the nostalgic images summer brings to mind. Even if these aren’t your exact go-to’s, we’re sure your mind flits to at least one scenario involving that iconic staple of summer — pools.

While owning a pool has a five-star rating when it comes to entertaining, lounging, and exercise benefits, there’s also some practical issues to consider before deciding if a pool is right for your family. Just for our Homie readers, we taking a deep dive into the breakdown of the pros, cons, and best ways to maximize your pool investment.

The Pros and Cons of Pool Ownership

Before you tell the kids they’re going to have a watery wonderland to cavort in during the summer months ahead, it’s smart to carefully consider the upsides and downsides before you dip your toes into swimming pool ownership.

Pros of Owning a Pool

  • Social Benefits 
    • “Public pools are fun,” they said. So, you lather up the kiddies in sunscreen and claim a spot on one of the coveted loungers with your latest page-turner. Just as you’re about to find out who pushed Angela over the stair banister, you look up and to your horror, see the toddler next to your own kids squint and scrunch into their “bathroom face.” Long gone are the days of yelling, “Get out of the pool NOW!” to your kids in front of total strangers. Having your own pool in the backyard offers a host of social benefits. Pool parties, barbecues, Fourth of July celebrations, and lackadaisical days by the pool are just a few of the backyard bonanzas you can dream up when you have your own pool.
  • Landscaping Benefits 
    • While Arizona is known for its cotton-candy hued sunsets and earthy desert landscapes, having a pool gives homeowners the opportunity to contrast the stereotypical desert aesthetic and create a tropical landscape that leans on the side of aloha. Surrounding your pool with sherbet-orange birds of paradise, wispy emerald vines, and a gentle, natural rock waterfall can turn your backyard into your own private oasis. Do we need to come right out and say that a gorgeous pool will make you the envy of your street?
  • Increase Marketability
    • Owning a swimming pool will increase your home’s resale value and marketability, especially with those steamy, but beautiful Arizona summers. The vast majority of potential Homie buyers are going to view households with an in-ground pool as a huge plus. Because of its leisure and convenience aspect, Homie buyers may show more initial interest in a house listing with a pool simply because it plays to their grandiose imagination of summer pool ragers with friends and family.
  • Health Benefits
    • Another sweet benefit to owning a pool is that it has an almost magical ability to make physical activity fun. If you struggle to get the kids away from a TV or computer screen, watch what happens when you have a gleaming, blue expanse of delicious swimming goodness waiting just outside! Families can schedule in daily swimming time as a fun way to incorporate an exercise regimen for kids — and they’ll be none the wiser! While your kids are busily splashing away and hosting a who-can-swim-the-fastest contest, their video games, phones and TV binge-watching habits will dwindle.

Cons of Owning a Pool

  • Safety Issues
    • While we don’t like being a Debbie-downer, having a pool, although great in the wondrous summer months, increases the need for adult supervision. Pools in general can be dangerous for young children, especially in Arizona where drowning is one of the top reasons for childhood injury or death. Although it doesn’t dismiss all potential for unfortunate accidents, one effective way to minimize pool danger is to have added safety measures installed, such as a locked pool gate. With the desire to have everything in your house be Pinterest-worthy, there are pool gate design options so your pool doesn’t have to sacrifice charming designs for safety.
  • Low Equity Value
    • Still tossing the pros and cons of a pool around? If you are solely investing in a pool because you think it will increase the amount of equity a house has, we hate to break it to you, but owning a pool only adds around seven percent to equity. In the grand scheme of things, a seven percent equity isn’t much in comparison to the $30,000 average investment that goes into the construction and addition of a backyard pool. As the saying goes…there is no beauty without pain.
  • Neighborhood Value
    • The rule is to never judge a book by its cover, but in the world of real estate, your neighborhood can determine the value of your house, regardless of how much winter-white subway tile you hand-laid in your house. When it comes to swimming pools, the value of your house may only benefit depending on how great the real estate gods deem your neighborhood. If you live in a higher-end neighborhood where the majority of your friendly neighbors all own swimming pools, your home could gain value with the addition of a swimming pool. On the contrary, if your house is worth $200,000 without a pool and $225,000 with a pool, the financial benefit of owning a pool is significantly less.
  • Ongoing Cost and Maintenance
    • While we would all like to believe the tiny aquatic vacuum droid patrolling the pool floor is enough to keep your pool sparkling clean, the truth is that pools do need constant maintenance, and this requires both money and time. Buying chalky chlorine tabs, filtering out pool water, installing a pool heater, and repetitively scooping out leaves, debris, and the occasional toy car courtesy of Tommy are all costs to take into consideration. Hiring a pool cleaner is definitely an option, but also requires extra moola in the bank.
  • Additional Insurance – Images of the kids spewing water at each other from pool noodles or getting that toasted-marshmallow tan you’ve always wanted are reason enough to want your own swimming pool. But as your Homie friend, we do have to let you know pools come with their fair share of liability issues. Depending on where you live and your specific homeowner’s insurance company, you may have to pay additional insurance costs to cover your swimming pool.

The Most Cost Effective Types of Pools

If we lived in a perfect world, we would all have enormous pools complete with a jade waterfall, full-sized bubbling jacuzzi and automatic fancy drink dispensers. But alas, this is the real world, and in this world, big luxuries cost big dollars. Although the swimming pools you see on Million Dollar Listing are not the most feasible for the average household, don’t despair. There are great, cost-effective ways to enjoy having your own pool. Here’s a bite-sized overview:

  • Build a Smaller Pool
    • Smaller pools cost less money. Who knew! It’s almost too obvious to state, but one of the best ways to reduce the cost of your in-ground pool is to make it smaller. Even if you have ample room in your backyard, a smaller pool means more room for other great summer fixtures, such as backyard furniture, a swing set or jungle gym for the kids, or even a lush patch of grass for Fido. While pools entertain guests in the summer, having other backyard features like the ones listed above can provide easy, breezy entertainment all year round.
  • Go Vinyl
    • When it comes to initial installation, vinyl pools are the kindest option to your wallet. Its counterparts — concrete and fiberglass pools — sport a significantly higher price tag and can take longer to install, which means you’ll be sadly standing around in your swimming trunks pool-less for longer. Before hopping on the vinyl pool train, however, know that vinyl liners last for about five to nine years before needing to be replaced. The replacement cost? $4,500 on average.
  • Hold out for Autumn
    • Swimming pools are synonymously rejoiced alongside summer, which means the demand for pool installation is highest during the summer or spring seasons. If you’re okay putting your pineapple-patterned one-piece away and getting your thrills watching new Netflix series, one way you may be able to save money is by installing a pool during the fall. By holding off on pool construction until the autumn season, pool contractors may be more open to negotiating a killer deal since business will have simmered down.
  • Buy a Pool Kit
    • For the do-it-yourself gurus, purchasing an in-ground pool kit gives you all the materials you need to build your own pool. If installing furniture from a certain Swedish company often leaves you in a crumpled, soggy mess of a human, we’d recommend giving the pool construction to someone else. To potentially save you some extra cash, buy a DIY pool kit and then hire an expert contractor to do the heavy lifting for you. When searching for your potential contractor, let them know you have all the necessary materials and want to know how much the cost of installation will be.

How to Maximize Your Pool Investment

If you’re reading this, we know you’re smart with your hard-won cash. After all, you did make the intelligent choice of being in fabulous cahoots with Homie. We appreciate the fact you like knowing the most efficient ways to stretch a dollar, and pools are no exception. If you decide to get a pool for your own benefit or for the benefit of selling your home, here are some tips to help you get the most splash for your cash in your pool investment.

  • Use a Pool Cover
    • Reduce the amount of time and prevent future problems by utilizing a pool cover. Having a pool cover will keep your pool free from strange floating debris and lower the chances of having to deal with any drain blockage down the road.
  • Use the Power of the Sun
    • If you’re going to live in the scorching deserts of Arizona, you might as well use the power of the sun to your advantage. Installing solar panels to heat your pool can not only save you money, but also extends the life of your swimming pool into the colder months. Heated dips into the pool with a mug of velvety cocoa? We think yes.
  • Reduce Filtration
    • When you’re not using the pool, save energy by reducing filtration in your pool. Be careful not to completely stop all filtration though. Just like it’s important to keep our body’s circulation happy and humming, a pool’s circulation is important to maintaining the cleanliness of your pool no matter the season.

Whether you are on the pro or con side of the pool gate, make sure to float your ideas to your partner and make an informed decision with the help of your friends at Homie. To infinity pool and beyond!

Source: homie.com

Apache is functioning normally

It’s not yet clear if we’re in for another “sold-out summer,” but it’s clear that we’re in for an expensive one — at least on the airline side.

If you’re searching for summer flights, chances are you’ve run into some serious sticker shock.

Fares for flights across the board are more expensive than they have been since the pandemic began, and in many cases, they are passing pre-pandemic summer levels.

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There are two main factors driving prices up, and both mean that if you’re planning to get away while the weather is warm, you might want to finalize your plans on the sooner side.

Fares are higher and demand is surging

For myriad reasons, airlines are simply charging more for flights this summer than they have in the past.

Data provided by the Airlines Reporting Corporation, a travel intelligence firm and ticket processor, shows that fares have largely risen across the board for flights this summer compared to both 2022 and 2019, the last full year before the pandemic.

The average price of fares for the top 10 summer travel destinations was 9% to 37% higher than in 2022, according to ARC’s data.

Prices increased even more compared to 2019, with average fares for each destination climbing between 23% and 54%.

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Rank Destination (airport) Average ticket price Change vs. 2022 Change vs. 2019
1. Cancun International Airport (CUN). $599. +10%. +40%.
2. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). $478. +31%. +38%.
3. Orlando International Airport (MCO). $425. +12%. +36%.
4. Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport (FCO). $1,683. +13%. +44%.
5. Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). $525. +37%. +51%.
6. Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL). $787. +23%. +23%.
7. Heathrow Airport (LHR). $1,662. +15%. +54%.
8. Boston Logan International Airport (BOS). $456. +19%. +39%.
9. Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ). $790. +17%. +24%.
10. Harry Reid International Airport (LAS). $471. +9%. +47%.

The data reflects tickets sold in the U.S. and processed through ARC’s systems between Jan. 1 and April 6, 2023, for travel during the summer season — between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

Demand is higher than it has been since the pandemic began. Even as airline capacity broadly remains slightly below 2019 levels, a supply-and-demand mismatch is driving prices sky-high. In fact, the U.S. Travel Association, an industry trade group, says domestic leisure demand has surpassed pre-pandemic levels.

ARC’s chief commercial officer Steve Solomon told TPG that the supply-and-demand asymmetry is the main driver of high prices.

“Increased demand is partly driving more expensive airfare as we’re seeing ticket transactions for the top summer destinations up year over year,” Solomon said. “Demand, coupled with other factors including increased labor costs, jet fuel up around 40% year over year, and not every airline operating at 2019 capacity levels, all contribute to higher prices paid by travelers.”

People are booking their vacation flights earlier

Alongside the increase in demand is a return to a pre-pandemic norm — leisure travelers are making their plans further in advance.

During the first two post-vaccine summers, travelers tended to finalize their plans only at the last minute. Uncertainty surrounding case outbreaks, personal illness or infection, travel restrictions and more made consumers wary about committing early. This was particularly true if reservations were nonrefundable or could only be canceled in exchange for a credit.

Plus, business travel was still significantly down. With business travelers more inclined to book close-in flights and typically less sensitive to prices than vacationers, airlines raised fares as departure dates moved closer. With the leisure booking curve shortening, those last-minute prices tended to look more palatable.

Now, airlines are seeing that leisure booking curve elongating again. Coupled with the high demand, that has made for some intense booking cycles.

For instance, Delta Air Lines said earlier this month that about 75% of seats on international flights this summer were already booked. Many of those bookings were made in February and early March: At a JP Morgan conference on March 14, Delta CEO Ed Bastian noted that the airline was experiencing record-breaking ticket sales.

“In the last 30 days, we’ve had the 10 highest sales days in our company’s history,” Bastian said.

“People remember last spring and summer, how hard it was to get those trips that they wanted to go on,” he added. “So we’ve seen a little bit of a pull forward in terms of the advanced bookings.”

United, too, has seen “a clear change in seasonality that is causing peak leisure demand months, March through October, to be even stronger,” CEO Scott Kirby said during an earnings call this month.

“Both international and domestic are booking further out. International more extreme than domestic,” United executive vice president Andrew Nocella added.

ARC’s data confirms that people are booking earlier, particularly for international trips. In March, the number of tickets sold for each of the top 10 European destinations increased dramatically over 2022:

Rank Destination (airport) Year-over-year change in tickets sold
1. Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport (FCO). +82%.
2. Heathrow Airport (LHR). +63%.
3. Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG). +66%.
4. Athens International Airport (ATH). +52%.
5. Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport (BCN). +86%.
6. Istanbul Airport (IST). +183%.
7. Dublin Airport (DUB) +10%.
8. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS). +130%.
9. Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD). +70%.
10. Keflavik International Airport (KEF). +74%

That increased demand in Europe, plus earlier bookings, can also reflect greater consumer confidence over 2022. Gas prices are remaining lower, and there are fewer fears of Russia’s conflict in Ukraine spilling over to other parts of Europe.

For the top 10 U.S. domestic destinations, the changes compared to 2022 were more mixed, reflecting shifting travel preferences domestically and likely greater confidence in travel abroad:

Rank Destination (airport) Year-over-year change in tickets sold
1. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). +52%.
2. Orlando International Airport (MCO). -18%.
3. Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). -1%.
4. Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL). -6%.
5. Boston Logan International Airport (BOS). +11%.
6. Harry Reid International Airport (LAS). -11%.
7. O’Hare International Airport (ORD). +11%.
8. San Francisco International Airport (SFO). +2%.
9. Denver International Airport (DEN). -1%.
10. John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). +12%.

Early planners have already snatched up the cheapest fares, and those that are left are pricier.

Looking ahead and planning your summer vacation

Still, there may be good news ahead, according to Hayley Berg, lead economist at flight-booking service Hopper — but it depends on where you want to go.

Fares for domestic flights in July have decreased slightly in recent weeks, Berg said. She noted a pattern that seems “typical of normal summer pricing, which starts high in late winter and early spring, drops in April/May before rising in the last month or so ahead of departure dates.”

While overall average domestic fares for June and July are roughly 7% below 2022 levels, they remain 16% higher than they were at the same time in 2019. Berg said that she expects those prices to remain steady before spiking two to three weeks before departure.

However, if you’re looking to pay lower fares to fly abroad, you may be out of luck, Berg said.

“International airfare remains significantly higher than pre-pandemic given low supply of seats, high demand and overall higher costs, including high jet fuel prices,” Berg said. A report by Hopper forecast airfare to Europe over the next six months to be 24% higher than pre-pandemic, on average. Fares to Asia are expected to surge around 60%.

Even so, there are still sporadic deals, according to Katy Nastro, a travel expert at flight-deals subscription service Going.com.

“Airfare is volatile, and so prices you see today don’t necessarily reflect what you see tomorrow,” Nastro said. Even as prices climb on a particular flight or deal, “that doesn’t mean the flight won’t drop again — as we know airfare isn’t static — but the likelihood of it dropping majorly … is less.”

If you’re hoping to take a trip this summer and haven’t found anything for the right price yet, don’t lose hope: Stay tuned to TPG for the latest flight and hotel deals, as well as everything you need to know about traveling this summer.

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Source: thepointsguy.com