Monday, November 25, 2013

Thanksgiving Week is HERE!

All - Thanksgiving week is here.

That means a few things to many and many things to a few.

1.) You and your family will either BE traveling or HOUSING travelers.

2.) You or someone will be waking up early on Friday or staying up late on Thursday to get some "early" shopping done.

3.) Kids will have a 5 day weekend from school.

4.) FOOTBALL!


In a post about a month ago, I talked about Black Friday/Cyber Monday. I also mentioned that I would be following a few items to see how their price fluctuated from week to week.

First, let's discuss those items:


As you can see, some items increased in value, but most decreased, which was to be expected.

The biggest take away from this is that regardless of price increases or decreases, Amazon is the lowest possible price.

Let's just say you're going to buy a 60" TV and Chromebook.  You drive to Wal-Mart, wait in line, use gas, pay sales tax, have to get the items into the car AND PAY $119.38 MORE! It seems like insanity to me, but hey...


You're welcome, I just took care of your shopping worries!

NEXT - Let's talk about if YOU are traveling somewhere for Thanksgiving.

1.) GET GAS TODAY! I recommend using the GasBuddy App or GasBuddy.com.

According to Reuters - Gas prices have increased for the first time in 2 months. I am going to assume that is due to the upcoming holidays. Around Lewis Center it looks like the cheapest gas is $3.18 (not including member discounts) and in Dayton, I see $3.07 in Tipp City or $3.19 at the Shell by Helke and Rt 40. 

2.) Plan your trip around rush hours.

If you're going on a long trip (or even just an hour trip), PLAN - YOUR TRIP - AROUND RUSH HOURS! There are going to be 3% more travelers this year than last. That may not seem significant, but according to a Dispatch article earlier this year, there are 687,000 commuters during rush hour in Columbus ALONE! If you increase that by 3%, you add 20,610 commuters or about 192 MORE commuters per square mile of highway in Columbus. 

3.) Get an Air Mattress!

What? - If you are having people over, GET AN AIR MATTRESS FOR THEM! If you buy it at Wal-Mart today, you can return it within 15 days (with receipt) and get store credit. And if you're a diligent shopper, you're going to buy some items there in the future anyways. They are very comfortable and more importantly, convenient. BE A GOOD HOST!

         Finally - The Kiddos are off of school!

1.) Get by with a little help from your friends! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MZRh3PFmBY)

Chances are, if you have kids that need to be watched, you know other people that have kids that need to be watched. SO ASK AROUND! You need to go shopping, clean your house, by an air mattress or two (for your guests) and make further plans for the holidays. Ask a friend if they wouldn't mind watching your kids for a few hours. Then, once you're all ready, you can return the favor. 

2.) Hire a babysitter!

Three recommended sites I have seen are Sittercity.com, Care4Hire.com and Sitters.com. I have very little experience in this realm, but based on reviews, these seem to be highly suggested and rated sites.

3.) Give them an early gift!

I almost hate to recommend this, but if you AREN'T going to buy them PS4 or XboxOne, but will maybe buy them some video games for older gaming systems, LET THE CONSOLE BABYSIT YOUR KIDS. Give them a new video game and let them play that for hours while you tidy up the main entertaining area.


One last suggestion if you need money or are going to be racking up debt on credit cards.

YOU CAN REFINANCE YOUR CURRENT HOME! Did you know, you can do a cash-out refinance up to 80% of the value of your house? Some people may think this is crazy. You know what's crazy? Paying 14.95% INTEREST OR HIGHER for Christmas shopping and other expenditures when you can pay 3.5 to 4.75% on it.

DOES THIS MAKE SENSE?

This is meant to make your life easier, if this doesn't make sense or you have advice for me, LET ME KNOW!

In person - I have ears to listen and a mouth to speak.
On my blog - I have eyes to read and fingers to type.

This is a two-way street ladies and gentleman. I know you're viewing because at last count I am at 850 Views! 
LET'S GET TO 1,000 before New Years!

Sports Betting - I am 8-1.

This week I am going to be picking the Thanksgiving Day games and will provide you with 6 Picks!

Green Bay (+5) at Detroit and Under (52.5)
Oakland (+9.5) at Dallas and Over (45.5)
Pittsburgh at Baltimore (+3) and Under (40.5)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!


Monday, November 18, 2013

Bi-Monthly Mortgage Insight - What I do

Team Sherman Savings! We are up to 800 views! I still want to get to 1,000 by the end of the year, so if you know anyone that needs a little savings help (i.e. they have a pulse, a job or a credit card), PLEASE encourage them to read on.

I recently realized that many people are NOT AWARE of what I do. I find this to be a shame because I talk about savings with people, but the biggest savings one can find in a single transaction, is through the purchase or refinance of a house.

I've told you how to save, $5 at dinner, $25 for utilities and $1,000s for a lifetime. However, choosing me as a lender versus another one, can save you $100s up front and $1000s more over the life of the loan.

In case, you haven't got it from my ANNOYING FACEBOOK posts, I work as a mortgage banker/loan officer. This means when you are looking to buy a house, I get your basic information and tell you the loans you qualify for. In addition, I give you the pros and cons of each loan. Finally, I get the more detailed information from you and you speak with ME from the beginning of the loan process until I come to your closing.

Why does the lender I choose matter?

Large Bank vs. Mortgage Company

What you get from a bank:
1.) You have many retail branches for convenience
2.) A loan officer that paid a fee to be "Registered" to originate loans
3.) You can wait up to 60 days to hear if your loan is approved
4.) You get quoted "4.25% from advertising" but when you dig deeper, see that the rate is actually 4.5%.
5.) They offer you 1/8% off of your rate for opening a checking account.
6.) Sell you the hot product

What you get from a mortgage company:
1.) Your loan is sold to a company that has many retail branches for convenience
2.) A loan officer that has to pass multiple tests to originate loans
3.) You may have to wait up to 48 hours from turning in your documentation to hear if your loan is approved
4.) You get quoted a rate, unless circumstances change (credit rating, market rates, etc) you get that rate.
5.) Your rate is already 1/8-1/4 better anyways, no need to open accounts.
6.) Tell you all your options and we can discuss in detail the best option for your situation

Should I go with who my realtor recommends?

In the "best interest" of the consumer the government has implemented many different regulations in regards to the mortgage industry.

1.) YOU have the right to choose whichever lender you want.

2.) YOUR REALTOR is required to offer you at least 3 different options for mortgage lending if you don't have any in mind.

3.) A GOOD FAITH ESTIMATE is required to be provided to you once an application has been taken.

4.) If your APR changes by MORE than .125% from your application date, your lender is required to provide an updated Truth in Lending statement at least 3 business days prior to your closing.

5.) When you "lock-in" your rate, it DOES prevent you from receiving a higher rate if market conditions get worse. WE offer a special rate negotiation where, if rates drop significantly from the time you lock your rate, we can lower your rate.

Who has learned something today?

If you didn't read last week's, I recommend you do. Because, guess what? YOU ATE OUT AT A RESTAURANT IN THE LAST WEEK!

If YOU WANT TO SAVE MORE MONEY, PLEASE EMAIL ME AT davids@eqfin.com and I help you!


Friday, November 8, 2013

Restaurant Savings!

First of all, I want to thank you for the thoughts, prayers, likes, smiles, tears or whatever emotion you may have had if you heard my grandmother passed away 1 week ago today. More than a normal grandmother, I lived with her, saw her most mornings I went to school from Elementary to High School and if I had to guess, she was the reason for my love of the Wheel of Fortune and hatred for soap operas. She was 80 1/2 years old and her mind outlived her body. Her soul will outlive it all. Her memory will never cease to exist. Her jokes were sometimes edgy, but always received a smile or laugh because they were so quick witted, despite the fact she was born before WWII had even started. RIP you beautiful old soul, we love you!


On with the post:

HAPPY VETERAN'S DAY!!!

I am posting a special FRIDAY post because this weekend is VERY important for Veteran's. 1st of all it is a time to honor them. Secondly  it is a great time for savings for them, but also I want to spin that into savings for you. Thank you Veteran's!

DID YOU KNOW?!?!

With a veteran or military ID this weekend you can get:
Free Breakfasts (Baker's Square)
Free Chickens (Boston Market)
Free Appetizers (Carabba's) (11-9 to 11-11)
Free Burgers and Fries (Champps)
Free Entrees (Chili's, Olive Garden, Uno's)
Free Doughnut and Coffee (Krispy Kreme)
Free Meal (O'Charley's)
Free Bloomin Onion & Drink (Outback)
Free Lunch (Sizzler)

Some places are even offering family discounts.

But you don't have to be a veteran on Veteran's Day to get discounted or even free food.

Do you have an email address? Do you have a birthday? YOU TOO CAN GET FOOD FOR LESS!

Benihana - I entered my name, DOB, email and ZIP: $30 Birthday Certificate on Birthday

BJ's Brewhouse - Name, DOB, email, ZIP: Free Pizooki Dessert on Birthday

Chili's - Name, email and DOB: Free Chips and Guac, Salsa or Queso

Max and Erma's - Name, email and DOB: $5 Off when you Spend $20

O'Charley's - Name, Email, DOB, ZIP: Free Appetizer & Birthday Gift

Red Lobster - Name, email, DOB, address, ZIP: Free Birthday Surprise & Free Appetize or Dessert


BUT WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER NIGHTS SHERM!?

For those nights that don't happen to be your birthday OR those nights that you didn't just sign up to be a part of the email club, here are some recommendations:

RESTAURANT.COM!
If you can find a place on here that you like, you can have MUCHO SAVINGS!

For example, I love to go to North City Tavern on 23 near Lazelle. I can buy a $10 gift card for only $4. Every time I go in there, I save $6. Most of the time you can only use 1 gift card and have a minimum to spend. In addition, these are usually places that are TRYING to get business or have started LOSING business. Like I said, if you find a place you like, this can mean a GREAT deal of savings.

GROUPON.COM!
NOT JUST FOR MASSAGES ANYMORE!
Current Columbus Groupons: 
Spaghetti Warehouse - $12 for $20 Worth
Basil (Thai) - $10 for $20 Worth
King Gyro's Greek - $12 for $20 Worth
Señor Tequila's - $11 for $20 Worth

Those are 4 good restaurants, that are offering GREAT DEALS! 


GIFT CARDS!
Say what? There are actually 2 different ways to save with Gift Cards.

1.) Some places will give you a bonus gift card for purchasing one. As an example, O'Charley's is offering a $5 gift card if you purchase a $25 gift card. Taco Bell sometimes offers $5 gift cards for purchasing $20 ones. Chances are if you're eating there now, you'll be eating there again. Why not save $5 for every $30 you spend?

2.) Purchasing gift cards at places such as Giant Eagle and Kroger can offer rewards for Fuel.
Giant Eagle - $0.20 off/gallon of gas for every $50 you spend on Gift Cards.
Kroger - $0.10 off/gallon of gas for every $50 you spend on Gift Cards.

3.) (Bonus) - If you work in a job that has a lot of non-reimbursed expenses (i.e. you drive for work, take clients out for entertainment, etc) you can buy gift cards and write them off as business expenses. THEN when you use them for dinner, you can write the expenses off once again. DOUBLE BENEFIT!

NIGHT SPECIFIC DINING!
Have you been craving Hot Head Burrito of late? Or Bang Bang Shrimp from Bonefish Grill? What about wings from Quaker Steak and Lube? These are just a few places that offer NIGHT SPECIFIC SPECIALS!

Sunday - Hot Head Burrito - 2 Burritos for $10.99
Monday - Buffalo Wings and Rings - Kids Eat Free!
Tuesday - Quaker Steak - All You Eat Wings
Thursday - BW3's - $0.50 Boneless Wings (I guess this is still a deal)

Just to name a few. Curious about other nights or your favorite restaurants? Give them a quick call!

RECEIPTS!
Wait? I thought those were after dinner?

Here are a couple of examples:
1.) Wendy's - $2 off a salad or chicken sandwich (Survey)
2.) BW3's - $5 off (Survey)
3.) Chili's - Free Appetizer (Survey)



Now back to my lead-pipe locks:
I am currently 7-0. ALTHOUGH, I will give credit to Rachel for last weeks picks as I picked Carolina based on her alone.

This week - Stick with Carolina for her, Carolina to cover the 6 point spread against SF AND Over 43 again.

Don't forget to contact me about your personal financial analysis! I can, I will, I shall save you money! - davids@eqfin.com