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Patios provide more than additional square footage to your home. They also enhance the design of any house and add to the curb appeal, meaning any improvement you make can turn out to be a good investment later on, when you decide to sell.

When you look around Phoenix, Arizona, you will see a lot of patio covers, gazebos, and porches.Sure, they look good but they serve a much more important purpose. With the sun bearing down on the city 85% of the time in an average year, there’s a dire need for additional protection from the searing heat.

When you think about it, Phoenix is the perfect spot to harness the power of the sun. After all, it is listed as one of the sunniest cities in America. Locals get 3,800 to 4,000 hours of sunlight per year, so why not try to capture that?

Particularly since homeowners can also get incentives when they go for alternative power sources other than the traditional fossil fuels.

Often, the glass panels get installed on the roof where the sunlight hits them directly. Sometimes, you can also see them on the ground with unique mounts that allow the panels to follow the sun’s movement throughout the day.

Solar panels in the patio: Best of both worlds

While most solar mounts you’ll see are set on the roof of the house, not every structure is ideal for supporting their weight, which makes the patio a great alternative.

Converting your patio into a mount for solar panels gives homeowners both additional shade and a great alternative source of power. Over the years, installers have introduced innovative ways to install the panels on smaller scales on Phoenix homes. You have solar trees, solar cars, and ground solar.

But patio manufacturers give an additional platform for suppliers to install solar power on homes. Unlike with ground solar, patios do not require supplementary land.

If you are planning to build a patio on your property, you can hit two birds with one stone by also adding solar panels on the roof.

One option is to use the panels for your main roof instead of a solid cover or a pergola. The main advantage of this option is that you maximize the solar footprint. The drawback, however, is that it does not supply maximum protection from the sun.

If you already have a patio attached to your home, you may need to contact a service provider such as City Seamless Patio Covers, to check the durability of the columns and beams and confirm that they can support the additional weight of solar panels. This is a crucial step in the process, and the good news is that it’s a relatively easy fix to reinforce the posts if they’re not sturdy enough.

If you own a small restaurant or cafe, patios give you that extra footprint to expand your indoor space. As a result, you can add more tables and chairs for your customers. Businesses spend about $2 for every square foot of space.If you have 1,000 square feet of business space, including your patio, you are looking at $2,000 per month. One innovative way to cut your overhead costs is to go solar.

Imagine how much you would save if you could reduce your utility bills down to zero? You can use solar energy to heat your water or to power your heat, ventilation, and air conditioning system. If you store enough energy, you can send it back to the grid for extra credits.

And your smart home can also be powered by the energy you store from the solar panels. The average homeowner in Arizona, for instance, pays about $120 per month on electricity bills. You can reduce that to zero with the help of your photovoltaic panels.

More tips for homeowners

Why is wicker used for outdoor furniture?What’s the difference between faux leather and real leather sofas?How To Set Up a Killer Smoking Room at Home
The Kid-Friendly Home: Creating A Safe Haven For Your Little Explorers

Source: fancypantshomes.com

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When looking at overall financial planning, life insurance coverage can be an integral part. That’s because the profits from a life insurance policy can be used for a multitude of things, including the settlement of debt by survivors, ongoing payment of everyday bills by a spouse and other dependents, and/or for paying one’s funeral and other financial expenses.

In fact, even when just factoring in potential final costs, the dollar figure can often be more than $10,000 given the expense of a memorial service, flowers, and transportation, as well as a burial plot and headstone. (If an individual requires any uninsured medical or hospice expenses, the cost can be even higher for those you leave behind).

Before committing to acquire a life insurance policy, it is important to ensure that you are choosing the right type and amount of coverage. It is also essential to take a closer look at the insurance company you’re considering making your purchase through.

That is because you want to ensure that the insurer is secure and stable financially and that it has a reliable, positive name for paying out its policy holder claims. One insurance carrier that has a 100+ year history, and that meets these criteria – is Mutual Trust Life Insurance Company.

Table of Contents

The History of Mutual Trust Life Insurance Company

Mutual Trust Life Insurance Company traces its roots back to 1904. Over the past 110+ years, the company has grown and expanded exponentially, and it now offers its life insurance and annuity products in 49 of the U.S. states, as well as the District of Columbia.

Today, Mutual Trust is a wholly owned subsidiary of Pan American Life Insurance Group (PALIG), which is a leading provider of insurance and financial services throughout the Americas. Mutual Trust is headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois.

Mutual Trust Life Insurance Review

As its name implies, Mutual Trust Life Insurance Company is a mutual insurer. This means that the company has no shareholders, by rather it exists for the benefit of its policy holders. And, while not guaranteed, policy holders may be eligible to receive dividends from the company. These may be taken in the form of cash, or used for increasing the amount of insurance coverage that they have.

For the year 2016, Mutual Trust Life Insurance Company continued to experience positive financials, with a 16 percent increase in sales, and continuation of its dividend scale – even considering the historically low-interest rate environment in the United States.

At the end of 2016, Mutual Trust Life Insurance Company held capital more than $900 million, and assets of over $5.5 billion (when combined with that of Pan American Life Insurance Group). The company has also maintained a risk-based capital ratio of more than 600 percent.

With that in mind, Mutual Trust Life Insurance Company is a financially stable company. It also pays out its claims promptly to its policy holders and their beneficiaries.

Insurer Ratings and Better Business Bureau Grade

Due to its firm financial footing, Mutual Trust Life Insurance Company has attained outstanding ratings from the insurer rating agencies. These include an A (Excellent) from A.M. Best Company and an A (Stable) from Fitch Ratings.

Also, even though Mutual Trust is not currently an accredited business through the Better Business Bureau (BBB), the BBB has given the company a grade of A+. This is on an overall grade scale of A+ through F. Over the past three years, Mutual Trust has only had to close out one customer complaint through the Better Business Bureau (which occurred within the previous 12 months). This claim was based on problems with the company’s products and services.

Life Insurance Policies Offered by Mutual Trust Life Insurance Company

Mutual Trust Life Insurance Company offers a wide variety of life insurance policies to choose from. These include both term and permanent coverage. With term life insurance, you will have death benefit protection, without any cash value or savings build up. This can help to keep the policy affordable.

Term life insurance offers protection for a set number of years. The term life insurance plans that are offered through Mutual Trust Life Insurance Company have the options of 10 years, 15 years, 20 years, and 30 years. During the time that is chosen, the death benefit on the policy remains level, and the amount of the premium will not increase.

After the time has elapsed, policy holders have the option of keeping the coverage as an annually renewable plan, which provides a level amount of death benefit until the insured turns age 98. (The premium will, however, increase over time with this option).

These policies also have the option of being converted over to a permanent life insurance policy, without having to provide evidence of insurability. This conversion may occur at age 65, or at the insured’s issue age plus the length of the level premium period plus five years – whichever is the earliest.

There are also individual riders that may be added to one’s term life insurance policy through Mutual Trust. For example, with the addition of the optional waiver of premium rider, conversion is guaranteed – even if the term insurance policy is under a waiver claim. In this case, the premiums on the permanent policy can continue to be waived (provided that certain conditions have been met).

Mutual Trust also offers permanent life insurance coverage. With this form of life insurance, there is a death benefit, as well as a cash value component in the policy. Mutual Trust Life Insurance Company has a focus on offering whole life insurance through its Horizon Value plans. Here, the amount of the policy’s death benefit is guaranteed never to decrease (if the premiums are paid).

Also, the monetary value can increase on a tax deferred basis. There will be no tax due on the growth in the assets that are inside of the cash value unless or until they are withdrawn. Policy holders can either borrow or withdraw cash from the policy, for any need that they wish, including the payoff of debt, the supplementing of retirement income, or even for taking a pleasant, long-awaited vacation.

Also, because Mutual Trust Life Insurance Company is a mutual insurer, those who own a whole life plan may be eligible to receive dividends (although dividends are not guaranteed). When receiving a bonus, it is a return of premium, so it will not incur income tax.

The Horizon Value whole life insurance policies from Mutual Trust offer several additional benefits, including non-forfeiture, which means that the policy holder may opt to obtain either a reduced paid-up policy, or a term policy if his or her plans or budget changes.

Policy holders may also choose to add an accelerated death benefit rider – with chronic and terminal illness provisions – if they want to customize their coverage further. These options are available at no additional premium cost. With this type of addition, it can be possible to accelerate a portion of the policy’s death benefit if the insured becomes chronically, permanently, or terminally ill. Funds can be used for paying medical bills, or any other need that the policy holder sees fit.

Other Products and Services Sold

In addition to providing an extensive list of life insurance policy options, Mutual Trust also offers retirement annuities. Today, given our much longer life expectancies, one of the key worries of those who are retired (as well as those who are planning to retire soon), is outlasting their income.

An annuity can help with alleviating that concern by providing the option of a fixed lifetime income – regardless of how long you live. These products also offer certain tax advantages during the savings (or accumulation) phase.

Mutual Trust offers the Integrity Plus Series of flexible and single premium deferred annuities. With single premium annuity, only one single payment is required, while a flexible premium product allows you to make deposits over time.

All the annuities that are offered by Mutual Trust Life Insurance Company allow for the following:

  • Tax deferred gain inside of the account. This means that as your money grows, there will be no taxes due on the gain until the time of withdrawal. This can allow for funds to grow and compound exponentially over time.

  • Principal guarantee. This means that your money will be safe inside of the annuity, regardless of what occurs in the market – or even in the overall economy.
  • No upfront sales charges. With no sales charge or commission to pay up front, all your deposited funds can start working and earning interest right away.
  • Low minimum contributions. If you do not have a lot of money to start with, you can still purchase an annuity from Mutual Trust. That is because the flex annuities offered by the company can begin with a minimum premium of just $300, and the single premium annuity products may be started with a minimum contribution of $5,000.
  • Choice of different payout options. When the time comes to start withdrawing money from the annuity, there are a variety of different options to choose from. These can include taking out the entire lump sum or taking out an income stream on an annual, semi-annual, quarterly, or monthly basis. There is also the lifetime income option whereby the insurance company will continue to pay out an income to you for as long as you live – regardless of how long that may be. This can help with reducing the worry of outliving your retirement income.
  • Death benefit. Upon the passing of the owner/annuitant, the accumulated annuity value can pass directly to a named beneficiary (or more than one beneficiary). This can help to avoid the expense and the delay of having to go through probate.

How to Find the Best Premium Rates on Life Insurance Protection

If you are seeking the best premium rates on life insurance protection from Mutual Trust Life Insurance Company – or from any insurance carrier – it is typically recommended that you work with an independent life insurance agent or broker. You will be able to choose from many different policies, insurance companies, and premium costs – and from there you can decide which will be the top option for you.

When you are ready to purchase, we can assist. We are an independent insurance brokerage, and we work with many of the best life insurance companies in the market place today. We can provide you with all the essential factors you need for making a well-informed life insurance buying decision. We can do so for you swiftly and efficiently – all from your computer. If you are ready to see what coverage and premiums you qualify for, then just simply fill out our quote form to get started.

We understand that the purchase of life insurance may not always be an easy task. There are many different variables to choose from – and you want to make sure that you are going with the best plan possible for you – and your loved ones – needs.

But the good news is that – even with all the plans and alternatives to consider – this process can be made much easier when you are working with an expert in the field. So, contact us today – we’re here to help.

Source: goodfinancialcents.com

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Posted on: November 1, 2022

The current housing market may be red-hot, but that doesn’t mean that every home is selling for what they could be worth.

There are a number of factors that go into valuing a home, ranging from big items like home size and location to smaller items like natural lighting or views. Some of these factors can’t be changed, but there are plenty of things you can do to get your home to sell for a higher price.

Here are six important ways to help your home sell for a higher price.

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1. Follow your local market

Pricing your home can be tough, so using comps is a good way to get closer to the right number. Comps are similar homes that are on the market, and they’re often used to find a price range for homes coming onto the market.

Aside from comps, follow how quickly homes are being sold in your area and what buyers are looking for. If you can plan and time your sale correctly, you could end up getting more for your home.

2. Hire a seller’s agent

A seller’s agent is going to do a lot of the negotiating for your, helping you get a higher price for your home. Yes, a seller’s agent will cost money, but you should be able to more than recoup the cost with what they bring to the table.

The best way to find a good agent is to ask friends or family who they’ve used in the past. Many agents get a lot of their business off referrals, so you can end up finding some of the best agents this way.

3. Don’t over-price your home

High home prices are going to put off a lot of potential buyers. At the same time, you won’t want to under-value your home.

Find a fair, reasonable price to set your home at. It’s best to not get emotional at this point. The number you settle on might not be as high as you’d like, but you’ll be able to sell your home quicker. There’s also the real possibility that multiple buyers will be interested, and they could end up bidding the price of the home higher.

But you’re unlikely to get any interest in your home if you’re asking for way too much.

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4. Stage your home

Home staging is when you change the interior of your home to make it more appealing to buyers. Usually, this means removing clutter, cleaning up and possibly even moving out some furniture. The goal is to make your home seem big and welcoming –  two things buyers will want.

To get the most out of staging, it’s best to find a professional home stager. They have tons of experience, and they’ll do a good job of presenting your home while making your home seem more valuable in the eyes of buyers.

5. Freshen up the outside

Before anyone is going to tour your house, they’re going to see it from the outside. This first impression is huge because an unattractive exterior could immediately deter any would-be buyers.

If you want a higher price on your home, then you’ll want to get as many buyers interested as possible. They could end up trying to outbid each other, making the value of your home go even higher than you were prepared for.

To prepare, touch up the landscaping and repaint the outside of your house. It also helps to paint your front door a non-usual color, such as red or blue. This makes your home stand out, and buyers will be more likely to notice and remember it.

6. Time your move

Before you decide to suddenly put your home on the market and move, consider waiting for the right time. Summer is a buy time of the year for home buyers, but that might not be the best time to get a high price.

According to a Redfin report, homes sold in the winter tend to sell for 1.2% more than any other time of year. They also sold a week quicker than other times of the year.

Part of this is because there are fewer homes on the market during the winter, and that could potentially work against you if you need to find a new place to live. If that isn’t an issue, though, waiting could end up helping your home sell for a higher price.

<span data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":""" Check your VA home buying eligibility. Start here (Apr 30th, 2023)

Source: militaryvaloan.com

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Thinking about retiring early? The idea can be tempting, but before making any decisions, you’ll want to carefully consider your financial situation.

It is possible to retire early at age 55, but most people are not eligible for Social Security retirement benefits until they’re 62, and typically people must wait until age 59 ½ to make penalty-free withdrawals from 401(k)s or other retirement accounts.

People with 401(k)s at work may be able to to withdraw money early from those accounts penalty-free — if they leave their jobs at age 55 and up (this is often called the “rule of 55”).

Can I collect Social Security and other retirement benefits at age 55?

If you retire at age 55, you probably won’t be eligible to receive Social Security retirement benefits for several years or be able to withdraw money from your retirement accounts without paying a 10% early withdrawal penalty. Additionally, for most people, Medicare won’t kick in for another 10 years.

Typical minimum age for benefits

Social Security

Individual retirement accounts, or IRAs

Although you can begin receiving Social Security benefits at age 62, that’s often not the best time to start. The Social Security Administration reduces your check by as much as 30% for life if you start taking benefits before you reach full retirement age. However, you’ll receive 100% of your benefit if you elect to wait until full retirement age, and you’ll get a bonus for every year (up to age 70) that you delay taking benefits

.

One other thing to note is that the more you pay in Social Security tax (typically through payroll taxes withheld from your paychecks), the higher your Social Security retirement benefits are. Accordingly, leaving the workforce early could affect the size of your eventual Social Security retirement benefit

.

Estimate your Social Security retirement benefits

Your actual benefit may be lower or higher than estimate made with this calculator, because it does not take into account your actual earnings history.

We assume you have earnings every year until you begin receiving Social Security benefits. If you had several years of noncovered employment or your earnings changed significantly from year to year, this calculator will overestimate or underestimate your benefit.

How can I bridge an income gap if I retire at 55?

Although retiring early at age 55 doesn’t make you eligible for Social Security or most government benefits for retirees, there are a few exceptions and strategies to know that could help you bridge an income gap.

Exceptions to 401(k) early withdrawal rules

In most cases, you’ll be subject to a 10% early withdrawal penalty if you take money from your 401(k) before you’re 59 ½. But according to the IRS, these circumstances may allow you to skip the penalty:

Exceptions to IRA early withdrawal rules

Generally, money taken out of an IRA before age 59 ½ is subject to a 10% early withdrawal penalty unless one of these exceptions applies:

  • You become totally and permanently disabled.

  • You have qualified higher education expenses.

  • You agree to take “a series of substantially equal periodic payments over your life expectancy.”

  • You are a first-time home buyer (for withdrawals up to $10,000).

  • You had tax-deductible medical expenses that exceeded 7.5% of your adjusted gross income.

  • You were a reservist called to active duty

    .

Pension plans

Depending on where you’ve worked, you may be able to take withdrawals from a pension on or before you turn 55. Check with your employer to see if you’re eligible. Teachers in California, for example, might be able to retire at age 55 if they have at least five years of service credit

. Members of the U.S. military, meanwhile, typically can retire at any age after 20 years of service.

Nonretirement accounts

Although most types of retirement accounts limit how much you can contribute in a year, there are usually no limits to how much you can invest in high-yield savings accounts, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds or other investment vehicles. In particular, bonds, bond funds, dividend stocks and dividend funds might provide monthly income regardless of your age.

HELOCs

Do you own a home? If so, a home equity line of credit, or HELOC, may be an option. These loans let you borrow against the equity in your home without needing to sell or refinance your home. The fees for a HELOC vary, and you must repay the loan.

Source: nerdwallet.com

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Calavera Homes’ Unique Perspective on Home Decor, Featuring Designer Kristal Childs

(Loving Living Local) – Nestled in the quaint town of Jefferson, Texas, Calavera Homes offers a warm and comforting atmosphere for customers seeking unique and eye-catching home decor. Susan recently visited the store and spoke with Kristal Childs, Calavera Homes’ talented designer. Their conversation revealed a glimpse into the store’s distinctive approach to blending vintage, antique, and modern elements in perfect harmony.

Lasagna made easy!

As Susan walked through the store, she immediately noticed the warm and comforting ambiance that enveloped the space. Kristal attributes this to the careful incorporation of vintage and antique pieces with a modern twist. She believes that using a blend of styles allows each piece to shine and stand out, making them even more special.

vintage yet modern furniture

Kristal’s creative partnership with Calavera Homes allows her to stay true to her passion for blending styles while also being a part of a larger team. She affectionately describes their partnership with Calavera leather as “peanut butter and jelly,” showcasing the seamless harmony between her design approach and the store’s overall aesthetic.

To find the special pieces at Calavera Homes, Kristal will go to extraordinary lengths. She’ll stop on the side of the road, knock on doors, or visit estate sales and flea markets to find hidden gems. Her grandmother, who taught her to always carry cash and a flashlight, was the one who sparked her love for vintage and antiques, reminding her you never know when you’ll find that perfect piece.Kristal’s connection to Jefferson runs deep, as her grandmother was an antique dealer throughout East Texas and had a store in Jefferson as well. Returning to the town and being a part of the community has been a welcoming and rewarding experience for her. The community is equally delighted to have Kristal and Calavera Homes, offering a modern and charming shopping experience for locals and visitors alike.

To find the special pieces at Calavera Homes, Kristal will go to extraordinary lengths. She’ll stop on the side of the road, knock on doors, or visit estate sales and flea markets to find hidden gems. Her grandmother, who taught her to always carry cash and a flashlight, was the one who sparked her love for vintage and antiques, reminding her you never know when you’ll find that perfect piece.

100 Years of Maggio Family Business in Bossier City: A Celebration

Kristal’s connection to Jefferson runs deep, as her grandmother was an antique dealer throughout East Texas and had a store in Jefferson as well. Returning to the town and being a part of the community has been a welcoming and rewarding experience for her. The community is equally delighted to have Kristal and Calavera Homes, offering a modern and charming shopping experience for locals and visitors alike.

vintage paintings and mirrors

If you’re looking for a one-of-a-kind shopping experience, Calavera Homes in Jefferson, Texas, should be at the top of your list. With its unique blend of vintage and modern styles, coupled with the creative talents of designers like Kristal Childs, you will find something that speaks to your heart and captures your imagination.

Source: ktalnews.com

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Every day, we make decisions which help to protect our homes and properties.

We insure our vehicles, take out homeowners insurance, and make sure we sign up for the warranties on our items to ensure they are safe and covered for longer.

A home protection plan allows you to protect the essentials in your home in case of malfunction or breakdown.

TotalProtect can help you out by providing a plan which is designed to cover the expense of replacing or repairing your appliances if they go wrong—a fact which is inevitable over time following the general wear and tear of everyday life.

A home warranty means you are fully prepared for whatever life throws at you, and saves you from spending massive amounts on replacing your appliances.

About Home Warranties

A home warranty acts in a similar way to taking out an insurance policy on your home or vehicle.

Most homeowners have home insurance—a requirement for many mortgages—but this is limited to scenarios such as theft or damage to your property from fire or other disasters.

Any mechanical aspects of your home, from garage doors to dryers, will not be included, meaning you will be left with the headache of sourcing a repair person and facing a hefty bill if anything goes wrong.

What Home Warranties Cover

A home warranty, on the other hand, is designed to cover these appliances, as well as heating and cooling systems, plumbing, electrical, and more.

You pay a monthly sum and are fully covered for any repairs, replacements or breakdowns which occur during the life of the product.

In return for this regular payment, the company will provide technicians who can repair, replace or, in rare circumstances, offer a cash substitute for any items which have malfunctioned.

How Claims Are Processed

In the event of a claim, you can contact the customer services team by phone or email, and this resource is available 24/7, even during national and public holidays.

Upon receiving this call, the handler will be able to schedule a technician to visit your home and assess the situation, as well as carry out any repairs or replacements which are needed.

With over 40,000 pre-screened technicians, this is a fast and easy way to deal with the problem quickly.

What TotalProtect Has to Offer

TotalProtect is among our top picks for home warranties.

A plan from TotalProtect is ideal for busy homeowners who do not want to be calling a technician every time something breaks down.

This takes up precious time and often proves more expensive. Instead, a single call to your provider will take care of everything for you.

One key bonus is the ability to pick and choose your plans—we will discuss these in more detail later—and this allows you to adapt your policy to your lifestyle and needs, ensuring that you are not paying for anything unnecessary.

You can select the items, systems, and appliances which you require cover for, and tailor your plan to suit you.

TotalProtect Plans

TotalProtect offers three plans.

These are:

Appliances Plan

This plan covers all appliances in your home, with a particular emphasis on kitchen and laundry appliances. Items covered include:

  • Stoves, ranges, and ovens, including wall ovens
  • Range exhaust hood
  • Refrigerators
  • Washers and dryers
  • Dishwashers
  • Built-in ice and water dispensers
  • Built-in microwave
  • Integrated trash compactor
  • Built-in dishwasher
  • Garbage disposal

Systems Plan

As the name suggests, the systems plan is designed to cover all critical systems within your home, such as:

  • Heating and air conditioning systems
  • Gas and electrical systems
  • Interior plumbing
  • Water heaters
  • Toilets
  • Plumbing lines
  • Plumbing stoppages
  • Sump pump
  • Whirlpool bath
  • Central vacuum
  • All doorbells and chimes
  • Garage door opener
  • Smoke detectors
  • Interior electrical lines
  • Interior gas lines
  • Attic or whole house exhaust fan

Combo Plan

The combo plan allows you to pick and choose the elements of the systems and appliances plans, to create the perfect combination for your needs and requirements.

It also comes with additional benefits, including:

  • Homeowners insurance discounts
  • Unknown pre-existing condition coverage
  • No inspections required before taking out the policy
  • Coverage for rust and corrosion
  • No annual aggregate caps
  • Coverage for your pool or spa

Exclusions

As with any policy, there are certain exceptions and exclusion which cannot be claimed.

Unlike some of their competitors, TotalProtect will cover a pre-existing condition which you were previously unaware of.

That means you will not be abandoned without support if one of your systems or appliances suddenly develops a fault.

There is typically a price cap of around $1,000 per item, which may leave some homeowners out of pocket if you have invested in a particularly pricey product.

Alternatives

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padding: 15px;
font-family: Montserrat, Verdana, sans-serif;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 header h3
font-size: 21px;
line-height: 21px;
font-weight: 700;
overflow-wrap: break-word;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .mg-widget-filter-sorting-wrapper
font-family: Montserrat, Verdana, sans-serif;
background-color: #f8f8f8;
text-align: center;
margin-bottom: 15px;
border-radius: 8px;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .mg-widget-filter-sorting-wrapper form
width: 100%;
position: relative;
padding: 1rem;
display: flex;
flex-direction: row;
justify-content: center;
align-items: center;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .mg-widget-filter-sorting-wrapper.has-sort form
justify-content: end;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .mg-widget-filter-sorting-wrapper.has-sort.has-zip form
justify-content: space-between;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .mg-widget-filter-sorting-wrapper form .loading
position: absolute;
z-index: 20;
display: none;
position: absolute;
width: 100%;
height: 100%;
top: 50%;
left: 50%;
background: #fff;
transform: translate(-50%, -50%);

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .mg-widget-filter-sorting-wrapper form .loading .loading__indicator
display: flex;
align-items: center !important;
justify-content: center !important;
border: none;
position: absolute;
left: 50%;
top: 50%;
opacity: 1;
transform: translate(-50%, -50%);
background: none;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .mg-widget-filter-sorting-wrapper form .loading .loading__indicator div
margin-right: 8px;
width: 6px;
background: #1261C9;
animation: mg-loading 1.2s cubic-bezier(0, 0.5, 0.5, 1) infinite;
animation-delay: 0s;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .mg-widget-filter-sorting-wrapper form .loading .loading__indicator div:nth-child(1)
animation-delay: -0.24s;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .mg-widget-filter-sorting-wrapper form .loading .loading__indicator div:nth-child(2)
animation-delay: -0.12s;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .mg-widget-filter-sorting-wrapper form .loading .loading__indicator div:nth-child(3)
animation-delay: 0s;

@keyframes mg-loading
0%
top: 0px;
height: 36px;

50%, 100%
top: 6px;
height: 24px;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .mg-widget-filter-sorting-wrapper form[aria-busy] .loading
display: flex;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .mg-widget-filter-sorting-wrapper .zip-filter
display: flex;
flex-direction: row;
align-items: center;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .mg-widget-filter-sorting-wrapper .zip-filter input
width: 120px;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .mg-widget-filter-sorting-wrapper .sorting-menu
display: flex;
flex-direction: row;
align-items: center;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .mg-widget-filter-sorting-wrapper .zip-filter .title,
#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .mg-widget-filter-sorting-wrapper .sorting-menu .title
margin-right: 1rem;
font-size: 16px;
font-weight: 700;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .mg-widget-filter-sorting-wrapper .sorting-menu .action-group
position: relative;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .mg-widget-filter-sorting-wrapper summary
padding: .5rem .75rem;
font-size: 14px;
line-height: 1.25;
color: #495057;
background-color: #fff;
background-image: none;
background-clip: padding-box;
border: 1px solid rgba(0,0,0,.15);
border-radius: .25rem;
transition: border-color ease-in-out .15s,box-shadow ease-in-out .15s;
display: flex;
align-items: center;
justify-content: space-between;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .mg-widget-filter-sorting-wrapper summary::marker,
#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .mg-widget-filter-sorting-wrapper summary::-webkit-details-marker
content: “”;
display: none;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .mg-widget-filter-sorting-wrapper .sorting-menu .action-group__dropdown
position: absolute;
top: 100%;
right: 0;
z-index: 1001;
min-width: 100%;
background-color: #fff;
border: 1px solid rgba(0,0,0,.15);
border-radius: .25rem;
box-shadow: 0 2px 4px rgba(0,0,0,0.2);
padding: 0.5rem;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .mg-widget-filter-sorting-wrapper .sorting-menu .action-group .action-group__item
display: flex;
align-items: stretch;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .mg-widget-filter-sorting-wrapper .sorting-menu .action-group .action-group__item a
display: flex;
flex-wrap: nowrap;
white-space: nowrap;
align-items: center;
justify-content: space-between;
padding: 0.35rem 0.5rem;
background-color: #fff;
color: #333;
text-decoration: none;
border-radius: 4px;
pointer: cursor;
width: 100%;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .mg-widget-filter-sorting-wrapper .sorting-menu .action-group .action-group__toggle:after,
#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .mg-widget-filter-sorting-wrapper .sorting-menu .action-group .action-group__item a:after
content: “”;
display: inline-block;
width: 0.75rem;
height: 0.75rem;
margin-left: 0.5rem;
background-repeat: no-repeat;
background-position: center;
background-size: contain;
background-image: url(‘data:image/svg+xml;utf8,’);

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .mg-widget-filter-sorting-wrapper .sorting-menu .action-group .action-group__toggle[aria-sort=”ascending”]:after,
#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .mg-widget-filter-sorting-wrapper .sorting-menu .action-group .action-group__item a[aria-sort=”ascending”]:after
background-image: url(‘data:image/svg+xml;utf8,’);

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .mg-widget-filter-sorting-wrapper .sorting-menu .action-group .action-group__toggle[aria-sort=”descending”]:after,
#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .mg-widget-filter-sorting-wrapper .sorting-menu .action-group .action-group__item a[aria-sort=”descending”]:after
background-image: url(‘data:image/svg+xml;utf8,’);
transform: rotate(180deg);
-webkit-transform: rotate(180deg);

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .mg-widget-filter-sorting-wrapper .sorting-menu .action-group .action-group__item a:hover
background-color: #f5f5f5;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .btn-primary
color: #ffffff;
background-color: #ff7207;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table-wrapper
box-shadow: 0 10px 27px 0 rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15);
border-radius: 8px

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 *
box-sizing: border-box

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2,
#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 p,
#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 span,
#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 ul,
#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 li,
#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 ol
font-family: Montserrat, Verdana, sans-serif;
font-size: 12px;
line-height: 1.4em;
letter-spacing: normal;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .primary-color
color: #3750DC;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table-header .col-1-header
width: 20%;
min-width: 200px;
padding-left: 15px;
font-size: 1.3em;
font-weight: 600

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table-header .col-2-header
flex-grow: 1;
padding-left: 15px;
font-size: 1.3em;
font-weight: 600

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item .ranking
color: #5C5C5C;
position: absolute;
font-weight: 400;
font-size: 14px;
text-align: center;
line-height: 24px;
display: inline-block;
background-color: #E8E8E8;
height: 24px;
min-width: 30px;
left: -2px;
top: -2px;
z-index: 1;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item.rank-1 .ranking
background-color: #1261C9;
color: #fff;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item.highlight .top-partner-banner
background: #3750DC;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item.highlight .top-partner-banner span
color: #ffffff;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2.shadow-none .company-table-wrapper
box-shadow: none;
border-radius: 0px

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table-header
display: flex;
flex-direction: row;
text-align: left;
padding: 12px 0;
border-bottom: 3px solid #F0F5F9;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table-header .col-1-header
width: 20%;
min-width: 200px;
padding-left: 15px;
font-size: 1.3em;
font-weight: 600

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table-header .col-2-header
flex-grow: 1;
padding-left: 15px;
font-size: 1.3em;
font-weight: 600

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table
display: flex;
flex-direction: column

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item
width: 100%;
min-height: 150px;
display: flex;
flex-direction: row;
align-items: center;
justify-content: space-between;
border-bottom: 3px solid #F0F5F9;
position: relative;
padding: 10px 0

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item .company-rating
display: inline;
color: #ff7207;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item .company-rating .fa
display: inline-block;
font-size: 14px;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item .company-rating .five-stars i
margin: 0 2px;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item .company-rating .five-stars i svg
width: 16px;
height: 14px;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item .logo-container
width: 20%;
min-width: 200px;
display: flex;
flex-direction: column;
align-items: center;
justify-content: center

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item .logo-container .logo-wrapper
padding: 5px 15px;
display: flex;
flex-direction: column;
align-items: center

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item .logo-container .logo-wrapper .company-logo
position: relative

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item .logo-container .logo-wrapper .company-logo a.logo-link
width: 100%;
height: auto;
display: block;
text-align: center

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item .logo-container .logo-wrapper .company-logo a.logo-link .fixed-container
position: relative;
width: 150px;
height: 130px

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item .logo-container .logo-wrapper .company-logo a.logo-link .fixed-container amp-img.contain img
object-fit: contain

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item .logo-container .logo-wrapper .company-logo a.logo-link img
max-width: 150px;
max-height: 130px

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item .overview
padding: 0 24px;
order: 2;
flex: 1;
transition: max-height .3s ease;
font-size: 1em;
font-family: inherit;
line-height: 1.4em

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item .overview .p1-highlight
font-weight: 700;
font-size: 1.1em;
line-height: 1.6em

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item .overview p
text-align: left;
margin: 0;
font-size: 1em

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item .overview ul
padding: 0;
margin: 0;
list-style-position: outside

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item .overview ul li
list-style-type: disc;
text-align: left;
margin-top: 5px;
margin-bottom: 5px;
font-size: 1em

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item .overview ul li p,
#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item .overview ul li span
font-size: 1em

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item .overview hr
margin-top: 0.5rem;
margin-bottom: 0.5rem;
border: 0;
border-top: 1px solid #F0F5F9;;
width: 100%;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item .overview .attrs-list
display: flex;
flex-wrap: wrap !important;
justify-content: space-between;
margin-bottom: 0.75rem;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item .overview .attrs-list .attrs-list__item
display: flex;
flex-direction: column;
margin: 0.5rem;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item .overview .attrs-list .attrs-list__item__value
font-size: 14px;
margin-top: 0.5rem;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item .cta
order: 3;
min-width: 200px;
text-align: center

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item .cta a.btn-primary
min-width: 120px;
border-radius: 100px;
font-size: 1.3em;
line-height: 1.3em;
font-weight: 600;
text-align: center;
padding: 12px 30px;
text-decoration: none;
display: inline-block;
transition: background-color .2s ease, border-color .2s ease, color .2s ease;
word-break: break-word

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item .cta a.btn-primary:hover
opacity: 0.92

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item .mobile-p1-highlight
display: none

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item .cb-item-toggle
width: 0;
height: 0;
opacity: 0;
overflow: hidden;
position: absolute;
pointer-events: none;
bottom: 0

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item .cb-item-toggle:checked~.overview
max-height: 150vw

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item .cb-item-toggle:checked~.overview-toggle::before
content: “See Less”

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item .cb-item-toggle:checked~.overview-toggle::after
transform: rotate(0)

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item .overview-toggle
display: none

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item.highlight .top-partner-banner
padding: 6px 40px 6px 10px;
overflow: hidden;
flex: 1 1 auto;
display: flex;
align-items: center;
justify-content: center;
position: absolute;
top: 8px

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item.highlight .top-partner-banner::before
position: absolute;
content: “”;
width: 0;
height: 0;
border-style: solid;
border-width: 20px 30px 20px 0;
border-color: transparent #fff transparent transparent;
right: 0

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item.highlight .top-partner-banner span
font-size: 1.3em;
font-weight: 600;
line-height: 1.2em;
margin: 0;
padding: 0;
text-align: center;
position: relative;
width: 100%;
hyphens: auto

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item.highlight .top-partner-banner::before
display: block

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item.highlight .logo-container
margin: 52px 0

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item:last-of-type
border-bottom: none

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2.shadow-none header
padding: 15px 0px;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2.shadow-none .company-table-header
border: 2px solid #F0F5F9;
border-bottom: none;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2.shadow-none .company-table .company-item
border: 2px solid #F0F5F9;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2.shadow-none .company-table .company-item:not(:first-child)
border-top: 0px;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2.shadow-none .company-table .company-item:last-of-type
border-bottom: 2px solid #F0F5F9;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item .our-partner
margin-top: 12px;
display: block;
font-size: 1em;
font-weight: 500;
color: #9B9B9B;

@media screen and (max-width: 768px)
body
padding: 0;
margin: 8px

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .mg-widget-filter-sorting-wrapper form
flex-direction: column;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .mg-widget-filter-sorting-wrapper .zip-filter
margin-bottom: 10px;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .mg-widget-filter-sorting-wrapper .zip-filter .title,
#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .mg-widget-filter-sorting-wrapper .sorting-menu .title
min-width: 80px;
font-size: 14px;
text-align: right;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .mg-widget-filter-sorting-wrapper .zip-filter,
#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .mg-widget-filter-sorting-wrapper .sorting-menu
width: 100%;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .mg-widget-filter-sorting-wrapper .zip-filter input,
#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .mg-widget-filter-sorting-wrapper .sorting-menu,
#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .mg-widget-filter-sorting-wrapper .sorting-menu .action-group
width: 100%;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table-wrapper
box-shadow: none

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table-header
display: none

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item
border-radius: 8px;
box-shadow: 0 0 4px 0 #9AAAB9;
margin-bottom: 18px;
flex-wrap: wrap;
align-items: stretch;
padding: 0

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item .logo-container
flex: 1;
width: 50%;
min-height: 140px

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item .cta
margin: 10px 0;
order: 2;
flex: 1;
min-width: auto;
width: 50%;
display: flex;
align-items: center;
justify-content: center

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item .cta a.btn-primary
min-width: 120px;
font-size: 1.1em;
padding: 16px 10px

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item .mobile-p1-highlight
padding: 0 8px;
order: 3;
width: 100%;
display: flex;
justify-content: center;
font-size: 1.2em;
font-weight: 600;
color: #333;
text-align: center

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item .overview
order: 4;
display: block;
line-height: 1.4em;
font-size: 1.1em;
overflow: hidden;
transition: max-height .3s ease;
max-height: 0

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item .overview .overview-inner
padding: 8px 15px 20px

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item .overview p
line-height: 1.4em;
text-align: left;
margin: 0

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item .overview .p1-highlight
display: none

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item .overview ul
padding: 0;
margin: 0

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item .overview ul li
text-align: left;
line-height: 1.4em

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item .overview-toggle
padding: 6px;
width: 100%;
max-height: 24px;
order: 4;
cursor: pointer;
font-weight: 700;
line-height: 1em;
font-size: 1em;
color: #7C92A7;
background-color: #F0F5F9;
display: flex;
align-items: center;
justify-content: center;
align-self: end;
border-bottom-left-radius: 8px;
border-bottom-right-radius: 8px

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item .overview-toggle::before
margin-right: 8px;
content: “See More”

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item .overview-toggle::after
content: “”;
width: 12px;
height: 12px;
background-image: url(data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCAxMiAxMiI+PHBhdGggZmlsbD0iIzdDOTJBNyIgZD0iTTExLjcgOEw2IDIuMy4zIDhjLS40LjQtLjQgMSAwIDEuNC40LjQgMSAuNCAxLjQgMEw2IDUuMWw0LjMgNC4zYy4yLjIuNC4zLjcuM3MuNS0uMS43LS4zYy40LS40LjQtMSAwLTEuNHoiLz48L3N2Zz4=);
transform: rotate(180deg);
background-repeat: no-repeat;
background-position: center center;
background-size: contain

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item.highlight .logo-container
margin: 45px 0 0 0

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item:first-of-type .logo-n-cta .logo
margin-top: 20px

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2.expand-bullets-on-mobile .company-table .company-item .overview-toggle
display: none

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2.expand-bullets-on-mobile .company-table .company-item .overview
max-height: 150vw

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .company-table .company-item .ranking
border-top-left-radius: 8px;
left: -2px;
top: 0px;

#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 header h3
margin-bottom: 0.5rem;
margin-top: 0.5rem;

@media (min-width: 576px)
#ap77488-w-placement-top10-v2 .d-sm-inline
display: inline;

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Should You Get a TotalProtect Home Warranty?

Pros

  • Work guarantee: 180-day guarantee on all work, repairs, and replacements, which usually far exceeds the warranty you may get from sourcing an independent technician or service
  • Customer service: 27/7 access to customer support, allowing you to make a claim at a time which is most convenient to you and your schedule
  • Flexible payments: Monthly repayments make this an affordable option, and it can work out as being better value than sourcing your own contractors and replacements, particularly if you are required to replace more than one item.
  • Easy booking: TotalProtect will provide the technician, saving you time and effort
  • Versatile plans: A range of plans, including the option to create your own providing flexibility and ensures that you are not paying for anything you don’t want or need

Cons

  • Limited selection: You are restricted to using the technicians and contractors supplied by TotalProtect. There is no option to choose your own supplier, even if you have a preference
  • Vague exclusions: TotalProtect is not clear on the exclusions from the policy. It is essential to be fully aware of any exceptions before agreeing to sign up
  • Low maximum: Price cap of around $1,000 per product for a repair or replacement, which could leave homeowners with more expensive items out of pocket

In Conclusion

A home warranty plan is an ideal way for busy and time-poor homeowners to ensure that every aspect of their home, systems, and appliances are fully covered.

It offers an affordable way to repair and replace any aspects which begin to malfunction and has the bonus of coming with a team of qualified technicians who can diagnose and address the problem in no time.

The option of low monthly repayments is also an appealing alternative to the cost of a new air conditioning system or refrigerator.

As with any policy or warranty, it is crucial to read the small print and be confident that you have all of the facts and information you need to make an informed decision. It is particularly important to consider the exclusions to the policy.

Make sure that this information is available to you at the start of the process to reduce the risk of any unpleasant surprises when you come to make a claim.

If you are looking for a convenient solution to take care of your appliances and home systems, a home protection warranty could be precisely what you need.

Source: goodfinancialcents.com

Apache is functioning normally

Both of my grandpas with me as a young girl on Easter.

 TIAA-CREF recently surveyed a number of grandparents and grandchildren across the country. I was interested to read that this was one of the findings from their survey:

We discovered that grandchildren not only want to talk to grandparents about money and savings, but also that they view their grandparents as positive role models when it comes to the importance and ability to save money.

Read more here.

I so agreed with this, because I attribute much of my own personal financial success to my grandparents — my grandpas especially. My parents were highly, highly instrumental in shaping my thoughts on finances, debt, spending, and saving, but it was my grandparents who first laid the foundation for them.

There is so much I could share about how my grandparents impacted me. My grandmas taught me so much and set such great examples for me in many areas. But when it comes to finances, it’s hard to think of anyone who has impacted me more than my grandpas.

Here are six things my grandpas taught me about financial success:

1) Be a Disciplined and Diligent Person

Both of my grandpas have lived lives of productivity.

My dad’s dad (whom we affectionately call “Pop”) was one of the hardest working men I’ve met — right up until he passed away. He was usually up before 6 a.m. and he’d go out and walk and then start in on his day. Even after he retired, he never stopped working. He was always fixing things, building things, and looking for people to help.

My mom’s dad, Grandpa Duane, is still going strong. He keeps everything in their home and in his shop in meticulous order. He cares for his wife, my step-grandma, and is always thinking of others. It amazes me how much he does, even in his eighties! In fact, just recently, he was out on my parents’ property flying one of his planes. I hope that I’m still as active and driven as he is when I’m a great-grandma!

Pop helping me with a present I’d just opened for my birthday while my older sister, Brigette, looks on.

2) Save Your Money Carefully

I can’t think of any time I’ve seen either of my grandpas spend money frivolously or extravagantly. Every purchase they’ve made has been made carefully. Time and time again, I’ve seen them wait to buy something they wanted until they had saved up for it and were sure they were getting a good deal.

At the same time, I’ve also seen them be generous with their wives, their children and their grandchildren. I truly believe that the thought and intention they put into wisely managing their money gave them the opportunity to be able to bless others more.

3) Never Pay Full Price for Anything

I remember when Pop passed away and we were going through his house, we found multiple brand-new pairs of the same kind of shoe he always wore. We were curious what this was about until we realized that he’d found a great sale on them (they still had the clearance prices on them), so he’d bought extra for the coming years.

Not only do I love this story because it shows his wisdom in always planning ahead, but I also love it because it shows how simple he liked to keep things. He always wore the same kinds of clothes and shoes and once he found a brand/make that worked well and held up, he just stuck with that.

We’d often tease Pop about how he would buy extra of items like peanut butter if they were on a great sale. Looking back, I’m pretty sure he’s somewhat to blame for my bargain-shopping nature. And I’m incredibly grateful for the example he set and all the money he’s inspired me to save over the years!

Grandpa Duane with my brother, Dustin, my sister, Brigette, and me — yup, fingers in my mouth and all! 😉

4) Think Through Purchases

I’ve observed both of my grandpas purchase a house in my lifetime. In both cases, I saw them think through the purchases very carefully.

They took their time. They asked for counsel of others. They considered their options.

And they didn’t just run ahead and get something because it looked like a great option. They wanted to make sure it was the best option. And in each case, the time and thought they put into these big purchases turned out to serve them well.

5) Use It Up, Wear It Out

My grandpas were experts at this! Why buy something new when the old one will do just as well? They took very good care of all of their possessions and made them last as long as they could. And it’s amazing how long they could make something last!

We would often joke with Pop about the fact that maybe he should replace his hole-y sweat pants or t-shirts, but he’d keep wearing them until they were completely and 100% worn out. While I haven’t quite gone this far, I do wear and wear and wear my clothes and shoes, usually until they are very well-worn. And this not only simplifies my life, but it saves us a lot of money.

My dad’s mom holding me for the first time while Pop looks on and holds my older sister, Brigette.

6) Don’t Go Into Debt — Except for a House

One thing that Pop ingrained in my dad was that you should never go into debt for anything except a house. From the beginning of my parents’ marriage, they followed this principle.

And then they took it one step further.

When I was around six years old, my parents decided to do something radical and work hard to pay off their house. They then saved up everything they could.

When I was ten years old, we sold that house and bought land out in the country. My dad bought an old single-wide trailer for a few thousand dollars and moved it to the land.

The trailer didn’t have an oven, didn’t have heat or air conditioning, leaked crazily every time it rained, had a bad mice problem, and was in fairly disgusting shape when we got it. But after days of elbow grease, we got it in livable shape, moved most of our possessions into a storage unit, and moved the basic necessities into that trailer.

We spent seven months in that trailer while we were building our house. I could write a book of stories from that experience. But most all of the memories are very happy memories and I wouldn’t trade the experience for the world.

At the end of seven months, our new house was finished enough that we could move into it. And it was a huge celebration to make it to that day… and for my parents to have realized their dream of building a house debt-free.

Let me tell you: Pop’s encouragement to my dad to never go into debt except for a house and then seeing my parents take that advice and go even further with it, well, that has a profound effect on you as a child. Especially when you then see your parents go on and be in position to be able to give generously because they worked so hard to no longer have a house payment.

Truly, my husband and I owe so much to our parents and grandparents. I know beyond any shadow of a doubt that we would never be in the position we are in financially nor would we have paid cash for our first house were it not for my grandparents influence and examples. And we are eternally grateful.

Want to start a conversation between your kids and their grandparents about money and finances? Or are you a grandparent who would love to know how to talk to your grandkids about money? Check out these free downloadable resources for tips and ideas to start the conversation.

Note: This post was underwritten by TIAA-CREF. See my disclosure policy here.

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Source: moneysavingmom.com

Apache is functioning normally

By Peter Anderson 16 Comments – The content of this website often contains affiliate links and I may be compensated if you buy through those links (at no cost to you!). Learn more about how we make money. Last edited November 4, 2011.

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Christmas time is only a month and a half away! At our house it’s one of the most joyous times of the year as we celebrate the birth of our savior, and revel in all the blessings we have seen in our lives during the year. This year we’re celebrating the birth of our first born son – and he’s celebrating his first Christmas!

The most important parts of Christmas aren’t physical or material things, but in our culture it’s often expected to give gifts during the Christmas season. Because of that, if you’re not careful it can quickly become one of the most expensive times of year. If you’re trying to cut down on spending, like we are at our house, it can become a challenge to find creative gifts to give.

Check out the newly expanded list: 100 Frugal Christmas Gifts

Here in this post I thought I would put together a list of ideas for some good frugal gifts that you can give this Christmas.

NOTE: The frugality of the gifts vary from gift to gift, but I’ve linked some possibilities on Amazon. You can probably find some cheaper ways to put these things together yourself if you try. Feel free to chime in on the comments section down below with your own frugal gift ideas!

The Big List Of Frugal Gifts

  1. Baked goods: I don’t know any guy who wouldn’t love to get a box full of cookies, banana bread and pastries! (Hint: not good for someone on a diet)
  2. If you’ve got an old laptop, make a frugal digital picture frame out of it!: At 14-15″ it’ll be bigger than most you buy at the stores, and cheaper since you’ll be using old parts!
  3. Personalized Calendars: Most photo processing places will have these personalized calendars you can buy, or pick up pre-made ones in Target’s dollar bins. Get photos of you and the person you’re giving the gift to in each season, and place them in the appropriate month/season of the year!
  4. Themed gift baskets: Give a themed gift basket. For example, a movie night theme basket with microwave popcorn, a movie or two, and some cheapo popcorn buckets from Target dollar bin.
  5. Custom t-shirts: Create your own custom t-shirt for a family member on Cafepress. It can be cheaper than you think!
  6. Scrapbooks: Make a scrapbook for a close friend showing moments you’ve shared together. My wife did this for a friend’s wedding. Very meaningful.
  7. Donation to a local charity: Give to a local charity in someone’s name. Make sure it’s a charity that they would actually give to.
  8. Handmade Christmas ornaments: make personalized Christmas ornaments for your friends and family!
  9. Board Games: buy a board game, a gift that gets the family together and keeps on giving all year long! Even better, if you can find some board games at garage sales or on ebay, create a themed game night gift basket (see above)!
  10. Family history DVD: Put together a family history DVD with photos, written family histories, family tree, video and anything else you can think of.
  11. Framed family picture: Take a picture at a family event, frame it, and give it as a gift!
  12. Coupon Books: Make a personalized coupon book with such favorite coupons as “back rub”, “dinner” or “clean the house”.
  13. Make a blanket: make a nice fleece blanket. Instructions here.
  14. Make some custom painted wine glasses: Make some custom painted wine glasses, and then give them along with a bottle of wine. Instructions here.
  15. Give a magazine subscription: My brother loves reading National Geographic and the Economist. We gave him subscriptions as a gift.
  16. Romantic evening gift set: Candles and silk flower petals! Cheap and fun!
  17. Keeping warm gift set: Give a gift set of hat, scarf and gloves. Add long underwear as well if you wish!
  18. Leatherbound journal: buy a nice leatherbound journal at your local Borders or Barnes and Noble. They make for a nice gift. Add a nice pen if you want to pay a little more.
  19. Craft Kit: Put together a crafting kit with things like markers, glitter, scissors, clay, crayons, glue, paper, etc.
  20. Photo Collage: If you’re handy with Photoshop or another image editing software, create a photo collage/montage, print it out and frame it! Or if you don’t have Photoshop, print separate pictures and create a collage.
  21. Movie Tickets: Buy a pair of movie passes or a movie gift card for someone to go see a movie. Not as cheap as it used to be :).
  22. Buy a single stock: Buy a family member a single stock to get them started, and give them a copy of a finance book like Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover (although you may want to stress that you’re giving it because it has helped you. People can get touchy about money related gifts)
  23. Flannel Sheets and PJs: Buy a keeping comfy gift pack with flannel sheets and pajamas!
  24. Coffee lovers gift pack: Buy some gourmet coffee and a personalized coffee cup for the coffee lover on your list.
  25. Set of soaps, towels and soap dish: Put together a nice matching set of hand towel and soap dish, and then give some handmade soaps.
  26. Big breakfast gift pack: Put together a gift pack with pancake mix, batter dispenser, syrup and pancake mix-ins.
  27. Puzzle day: Give a gift pack of a puzzle and snacks to eat while you do the puzzle!
  28. BBQ Kit: Get some BBQ sauce from local source, and add it to a nice BBQ Utensil kit.
  29. Basket of spices and seasonings: Put together a basket of seasonings and spices from a local spice or grocery store. Make sure to get a good mix for cooking, BBQs, etc.
  30. Netflix subscription: Pay for someone to have netflix for a couple of months. If they have a connected device, they can even stream movies!
  31. Deck of cards and book of card games: Buy a cheap pack of cards, and a book listing the rules of different card games. Good for hours of fun!
  32. Cheap keychain digital picture viewer: Buy someone a cheap digital picture viewer keychain (around $20?) and fill it with pictures.
  33. Bath time gift pack: Buy a nice wash clothe, some bath oils/beads and even some lotions at your local bath store.
  34. Laser Etched Crystal: Need a unique Christmas gift? Turn any photo into a 3D crystal image. While this isn’t the most frugal option on the list, if you’re looking for something special, you can find something well under $100.  Use coupon code HOLIDAYCHEER to save 30%.
  35. Botanicals: buy a nice low maintenance plant to brighten up their day, along with a small watering can.
  36. Make a recipe box: If you’re good with wood, make a nice recipe box, and fill it with blank recipe cards.
  37. An appreciation book: Get a nice journal, and write in it to the person about how much you appreciate them, things you love about them, shared moments and experiences and general encouragement. Even add a few photos.
  38. Book gift pack: Find some books on your own shelf that you’ve already read, and put together a gift pack of books
  39. Chocolate attack!: Put together a gift pack with all kinds of chocolate. Hot chocolate, chocolate bars, truffles, etc.
  40. Car wash kit: Put together a kit for washing the car. Can include things like sponge, tire brush, bug remover, car soap, etc.
  41. Regifted items: Did you get a 2nd crock pot last Christmas that you haven’t used? Give it away this Christmas (to someone other than who you received it from)
  42. “That’s a spicy meatball” gift pack: Give them a nice italian dinner with a pasta bowl, pasta, strainer, fancy olive oil, pasta utensils and even some sauce.
  43. Give your service: Good at cooking? Offer to come over and cook a gourment meal. Are you a designer? Offer your design services for free. Good with computers? Offer free tech support. You get the idea.
  44. Wine and cheese gift pack: Buy a variety of specialty cheeses, crackers and a bottle of wine. Put it together and you have one gourment evening!
  45. Picnic pack: Put together a picnic pack with a blanket, a basket, some cheap utensils and plates.
  46. Sewing Kit & lessons: put together all the sewing essentials (thread, needles, pins, etc) and then give the person lessons on how to sew.
  47. Gardening gift pack: Buy the person gardening gloves, gardening tools and some seeds. Put them all in a small bucket or waterging can.
  48. Handmade jewelry: Make a handmade necklace or bracelet at a local bead or craft store. Give it as a meaningful gift.
  49. Music lover’s delight: give an itunes gift card, along with a book about their favorite artist or band
  50. Beer afficionado gift pack: Give a beer mug, snacks and gift card from a local brew pub.
  51. A Birdhouse: Give your loved one of these bluebird houses so they can relax on the porch and watch the colorful avians.
  52. Outdoorsman gift pack: Put together a gift pack with a leatherman mini, a pair of choppers, and an aluminum water bottle (or your choice of other outdoor gear)
  53. Used electronics: Have an extra MP3 player and know someone who needs one? Clean up your spare and give it as a gift!
  54. Art lovers gift pack: Get a free photo canvas of one of your favorite photos, along with supplies to hang it. If the person is artistic, put together a gift pack with art supplies!
  55. Give a memory photo book: Give the person a photo book that includes memories of you and that person together.
  56. Active lifestyle gift pack: Put together some small gifts like a BPA free water bottle, workout video or video game and some wristbands. Be careful not to offend anyone with this one. 😉
  57. Accessories: Know someone with an Ipod? Give them an Ipod accessories pack. Father with a cell phone? Give him cell phone accessories.
  58. Host a party: Instead of giving gifts to a large group of friends, invite them over for a Christmas party that you host.
  59. Gingerbread house kit: Give all the things needed to make gingerbread houses, along with recipes for frosting and building instructions. (Best if given before Christmas)
  60. Give the gift of a blog: Know someone who might enjoy blogging? Buy them a domain name, setup their blog and host them on your hosting account if you have one! Buy a copy of my ebook for them!
  61. Give the gift of communication: Know an older member of the family who doesn’t have a cell phone? Buy them a cheap pre-paid phone and a small amount of air time. As cheap as $20-30!
  62. Take someone out to dinner: Take a friend or family member out to dinner at a reasonably priced restaurant on the house!
  63. Tea gift pack: Give a nice teacup along with a selection of teas.
  64. Make a music mix: Purchase some of your favorite music for someone from Itunes and put it on a thumb drive or CD-RW! (no illegal content distribution folks!)
  65. Make a memories CD for a parent: If you’re younger make a memories CD for your mom and dad with photos, audio or video of you talking about good times you’ve shared, and maybe some written memories.
  66. Yard Work Coupons: Have an elderly family member or friend? Make up some nice looking coupons for free yard work or other odd jobs on your computer.
  67. Scrappers gift pack: If you know someone who enjoys scrapbooking, put together a nice canvas bag with scrapbooking materials, and maybe a gift card to Michael’s or other craft store.
  68. Sports gift pack: Know a kid who enjoys sports? Put together a sports gift pack with equipment for several different sports.
  69. Recipe gift pack:  Give the gift of several of your favorite recipes, and a gift card to a local grocery store.
  70. Create a memory jar:  Have a bunch of friends write down favorite memories of the person receiving the gift – get as many as you can.  Then put them all on small pieces of paper, and put them in a decorated jar with the instructions to open one fun memory every day.
  71. Put on a concert:  If you’re musically talented, put on a Christmas concert for family and friends.  If you want to give to others, go to a local nursing home and play!
  72. Football gift pack: Have someone obsessed with football?  Get them a t-shirt for their favorite team, a team blanket for cuddling up and watching games on Sunday and some snacks!
  73. Write a poem:  Write a “Where I’m From Poem”, either about yourself for the gift receiver, or about them.  Details here.
  74. Custom  collage notebook:  One year my brother made me a notebook that had a fun photo and magazine clipping collage on the cover. It was creative and I used that notebook for quite a while.
  75. Movie based on a book:  Buy someone a book that you enjoyed, as well as the movie based on that book.

Now that I’ve given you some ideas for some frugal Christmas gifts, why don’t you give us your own ideas! Leave a comment with your idea for a good frugal Christmas gift below!

More Frugal Christmas Gifts & Ideas

75 ideas not enough? Here’s some more ideas for a frugal Christmas!

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Source: biblemoneymatters.com