Category Archives: Housing

How To Buy A House With Bad Credit: 5 Steps to Ownership

Author | August 23rd, 2023 | Housing
Buying a home with bad credit or a low credit score is possible.

Buying a home with bad credit can really be challenging. And if you have a poor credit score it can be even tougher. If you’ve always dreamed of owning a home, but you’re struggling with saving a down payment or raising your credit score, we’ve got hope.

There are several steps you can take to repair credit, find a lender, and realize that goal of homeownership. This guide will help you find all the resources you need.

Step One: Work on Your Credit

Bad credit and a low credit score are major obstacles when purchasing a home. Lenders use your credit score to determine … Read more »

Need a Key Copy Made Nearby? 21 Places to Get Duplicate Keys Made

Author | March 26th, 2024 | Housing, Car Auto
Places to get Keys Copied near you - inexpensive and quick.

Have you ever found yourself frantically searching for a ‘key copy near me’ or wondering where you can ‘get a key made near you’ after a stressful loss of keys? 

You’re not alone. We’ve been there—specifically, when we lost not one, but two auto key fobs for our Toyotas. 

The experience wasn’t just nerve-wracking; it was also unexpectedly expensive. 

In this guide, we’re diving deep into the world of key duplication, sharing over 30 places where you can quickly and affordably get duplicate keys made. 

From home and car keys to those elusive mailbox and locker keys, we’ve researched home stores, grocers, drug stores, … Read more »

Pay Off Your Mortgage Early – Mortgage Free in 9 years Calculator

Author | January 24th, 2024 | Housing, Budgeting
Small brown ranch house with green grass and a maroon car parked out front. Paid off mortgage in 9 years

One of the pinnacles of financial stability and security is to Pay off your mortgage early. Owning your home free and clear may seem like a fantasy. But if you follow the 5 steps we took, it can be your reality too.

Some people pay their home off in 30 years, others 15. But there are a group of people who simply hate having a mortgage pay it off quicker.

We paid our home off in 9 years.

Our efforts to pay down our mortgage debt started with just one dollar extra each month . . . but quickly grew to much more. … Read more »

Linen Closet Organization Hacks: 9 Brilliant Tips, Tricks and Ideas

Author | January 11th, 2024 | Housing, Clothes
Linen Closet organization tips and hacks.

Reorganizing your linen closet probably isn’t at the top of your to-do list! But this task can really free up time and mental energy – here’s why and how.

The Last Time We Reorganized our Linen Closet

For us, it had been about 10 years since we organized our linen closet. With raising five kids,  writing books and speaking around the country, we had little time to think about this type of organizing task. We truly had lost track of what was in the linen closet.

 Watch the video at the bottom of this page where … Read more »

Great Fathers Day Ideas: Serving & Teaching Your Kids to Work

Author | June 7th, 2023 | Housing, Holidays
Fathers Day building memories and things with your kids

The typical Father’s Day celebration is to wait on Dad, hand, and foot, hand him the remote control, and let him do whatever he wants for the entire day.

Try a Different Kind of Father’s Day

This Father’s day we’d like to encourage Dads everywhere to have a different idea or outlook on the day. We’re challenging you to make it a day when you serve your family. Instead of being served, give your time and love to their wife and kids. And in doing so, you’ll receive much more in return. 

There is no better Father’s Day present to receive than to … Read more »

Easy! How to Save Money Cutting Glass at Home DIY

Author | May 3rd, 2023 | Housing, Crafts / Home Decor
How to Cut Glass and Save Money - A glass cutter, cutting a piece of glass.

Do you know how much it costs to have a piece of glass Cut?

Do you think that cutting glass at home is too hard, or dangerous?

Getting a piece of glass cut from a hardware store has become harder and much more expensive than 20 years ago.

Years Ago: We had 6 small pieces of glass cut for the outside lights/lanterns on our garage. We bought a large piece of glass for about $15 at Home Depot and they cut it for free.

Things have really changed since then.  We were looking at a $20 charge for 3 small pieces of glass.

Keep reading to learn … Read more »

How to Do a DIY Property Tax Appeal and Lower Your Taxes

Author | April 29th, 2020 | Housing
DIY Property Tax Appeal - how to lower your monthly payment.

Doing a DIY Property Tax Appeal is not something many homeowners think about. But, if you own a home or are getting ready to buy one, you should consider what you will pay in property taxes.

And you should probably look into what similarly sized homes are paying.

When you purchase a house, be aware that many counties base their revised valuations, in large part, on the sale price. The basis for the valuation may be correct, but the details of your property may be misrepresented, which can result in higher taxes.

No matter what the economy is doing, taxes don’t seem to … Read more »