5 Tips to Create a Home Bar

So many businesses have been affected by the events of 2020, causing permanent and temporary closures of many of our favorite spots—including the corner bar. The local watering hole has always been a great place to meet friends, watch sports, and unwind after work.

Many homeowners have used this time at home to work on home improvement projects. Why not consider adding or improving a home bar to the list? Making simple changes can have a large impact.

1. Moody Paint – Carve out an unused nook and paint it a dark, masculine color. Think of the old speakeasy with dark wood and soft lighting.

2. Sophisticated Seating – If your space allows, create a lounge-style atmosphere with barstools or a bistro set.

Cumin. With a mild, earthy flavor, cumin goes great in curries without adding any heat, and has been known to aid digestion and improve your immune system.

Coriander. Did you know coriander seeds come from the cilantro plant? This spice has a nutty, mild flavor and is great for creating rubs, adding to homemade pickles or putting in a curry.

Smoked paprika. While paprika is derived from the pepper plant, it doesn’t pack the heat that its cousin cayenne does. And this smoky version can add depth to chilis and stews without firing up your mouth.

Turmeric. This bright root has a bold flavor, but no spicy zing, and is wonderful for treating inflammation. You can add it to smoothies, soups, stir-fry’s and more.

Sumac. Popular in middle-eastern

Is the Suburbs right for you?

The common assumption is that you live in the city when you’re young and then move to the suburbs when you’re ready to settle down. While no one can deny that raising children in an urban environment presents challenges, the truth is that not everyone is suited for the suburban lifestyle.

5 Reasons You Might Wish You Never Moved to the Suburbs

1. Chain Restaurants – Cities offer a wide variety of dining options—from steak houses to a world of ethnic restaurants, tapas bars, and microbreweries—all of which are open past 9 pm. In the suburbs, the choices are limited to chain restaurants. Limited suburban nightlife also translates to earlier closing times.

2. Chasing Contractors is a Way of Life – A big house

Technology seems to mutate with the speed of light, but is your home keeping up with the changes? Smarten it up with a few smart-home electronics that will boost safety, increase comfort and may even save you a few bucks:

Video Doorbell
The VTech Video Doorbell, about $115, lets you screen and even video chat with visitors before you answer the door. And the system takes a snapshot each time the doorbell is pressed, so you’ll always know who came a-knocking while you were away.

Smart Door Lock
The August Smart Lock uses keyless technology to keep your home safe no matter where you are. From your smartphone, you can let guests in, check to make sure you locked up before you left, keep a record of who has entered and exited, and unlock your

Avoid These Common FSBO Mistakes When Selling Your Home Online

There are many reasons homeowners decide to forgo the real estate agent and list their home for sales as an FSBO (For Sale by Owner). FSBO sellers can utilize many of the same national real estate websites used to showcase property online.

Most homebuyers start their house search online, so the online listing must showcase the home to generate offers. To sell quickly, one must avoid the common mistakes home sellers make online.

• Cell Phone Photos – Invest in professional photography. Pictures are the first thing buyers notice and poor-quality shots will prevent the buyer from noticing the home, or even setting up a showing.

• Responding Slowly – When a potential buyer reaches

Canceling a credit card that you rarely use or have paid off can feel good. It can give you a sense of accomplishment while lightening your wallet and giving you one less bill to worry about. It can, however, also cause your credit score to drop. But if you want to maintain your current credit score or improve it, then you may want to hold onto that card a little longer.

Closing the account doesn’t remove it from your credit report. Your payment history and credit history length will stay on there for 10 years. It will, however, affect your credit utilization, which is the percentage of the available credit used. The lower your credit utilization, the more it will increase your credit score. About 30 percent of a credit score comes from the credit

Reading books to your children is fun, and one of the great joys of parenthood is watching them learn to read by themselves.

Lessons about personal finance and how money works can be included in books you read to children, or in books they read with you or on their own.

Here are some good books about money that are aimed at kids, listed by title, grade level and price. Many can also be checked out for free at the library.

One Cent, Two Cents, Old Cent, New Cent: All About Money: K-2, $6. This book is by Bonnie Worth and illustrated by Aristides Ruiz, and has the look and feel of a Dr. Seuss book. However, it’s not by the original Dr. Seuss himself. It gives a big picture context to money lessons at this age, all in the fun style of Dr.

Your “Starter Home” Might Last Longer than You Think

New homebuyers often tell their agents that they are looking for their “starter home.” Several factors go into this approach. These are typically younger buyers, often without children. They may be looking for a maintenance-free home, like a condo, or they might assume that starter homes are more budget-friendly. There are plenty of good reasons to buy a home with the assumption that it’s only for a few years, but it’s usually wise to consider the fact that it might be for much longer.

As 2020 demonstrated so clearly, things can change without warning. Homebuyers choosing a small condo with the intention of living in it for only a few years might later find themselves trying to carve out space

When it comes to paying an unexpected medical bill, there’s often no easy way to do it. Unless you have an emergency fund or have plenty of money on hand, paying a big medical bill can be difficult.

Some dentists and other healthcare professionals, such as eye doctors, audiologists and even veterinarians, offer medical credit cards to help patients spread the cost of a procedure over time and make paying for it easier. The credit cards are used to pay for healthcare services that aren’t covered by insurance or Medicare, or to cover expenses a patient can’t afford.

Doctors who provide medical credit cards aren’t providing loans themselves, but are working with third-party companies that offer the cards.

Why Get a Medical Credit Card?
Medical

Reacting quickly is essential after you’ve been the victim of identity theft. It can lessen the damage by thieves and lower the stress of having your credit card lost or stolen.

You may notice when you get home that your credit card is missing. Or you may get an email from your credit card company that there is some suspicious activity on your account.

Whatever alerts you to identity theft, here are some steps to take immediately after realizing it:

Get on the phone

Depending on the circumstances, you may want to first call the police to report a crime. If someone just grabbed your purse and ran away, the police are obviously the first agency to contact.

Next, call your credit card company and ask that it cancel your credit card and