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DIY: How to do Luminaries In Your Neighborhood

10/29/2017

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Luminaries are a fantastic and beautiful way to bring your neighborhood and community together during the winter and holiday season. Check out my video to learn how to create a luminary event for your neighborhood!
I've included some great resources to save yourself some time or help you get started in your own neighborhood. Check out the below for some great tips, tricks, and templates to get you started.

  • 3 Key Steps
  • General Timeline
  • Day-Of Planning
  • Resources

www.lightupwarren.weebly.com


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Annual Home Maintenance By Room - Your Kitchen

8/10/2016

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Your Kitchen

​The thought of Home Maintenance is just too overwhelming. It's an all-encompassing, cumbersome, fund-draining word that takes up way too much space in our heads and on our to-do lists that make our hearts flutter with anxiety. I much prefer to break things up into manageable chunks, that help me breathe a little more easily. Instead of looking at the Entire Home, let's look at your Home One Room At A Time. All your room needs is a little TLC. Let's start with the kitchen.
The kitchen is where everyone in the home congregates and it takes on the brunt of abuse from a household. Think about the wear and tear of the fridge over time. In our household, I am convinced we probably open and close that thing at least 40 times each day! Don't even get me started on how often we open the cabinets when each member of our family is on the hunt for some special food to satisfy their craving. Kitchen maintenance is of utmost importance to make sure everything stays in tip top shape and running. Be proactive instead of reactive. Who wants a house full of hungry kids when the fridge stops working, the oven won't start, the sink starts leaking and the cabinets are falling off the hinges? No thanks!
Here are some quick and easy guidelines to follow for Annual Kitchen Maintenance. I also created a handy dandy checklist with examples to help you in your Annual Kitchen Maintenance journey!
1. Take an inventory and make a list of all of your kitchen items. This includes your foundational and semi-permanent items.
  • fridge, oven, stove, dishwasher, microwave, garbage disposal, countertops, backsplash, walls, ceiling, doors, windows, screens floors, sink, cabinetry, screens, lighting

2. Write down the name, brand, serial number, item number, warranty info, and age associated with each kitchen item as applicable. 
  • While this may seem like a time-consuming task, you will be so thrilled to have all of this info in one place and easily accessible. Things always break when you least expect it!

3. Make any notes about each kitchen item that you need that is considered, "important to note".
  • For example, "stove - no gas hookup, oven - parts discontinued"

4. Indentify any problems with each kitchen item. Then, figure out what the solution to the problem is and the estimated cost of repair if known.

5. Discuss Kitchen Decor
  • What do you like about your kitchen? What do you dislike? What would you like to  change?
  • After reviewing your current kitchen problems, now is a good time to review things you might like to change or update. Are all the appliances 20+ years old? Did you note that each appliance has a problem with it? Do you like all stainless steel appliances? Maybe instead of making endless appliance repairs,  you slowly start upgrading all of your appliances. Maybe you want to change the paint color, but realize that you need to put your money towards fixing the cabinets that are starting to crack and break. It's all about balance and budgeting for the more necessary issues that come up.

Your Annual Home Maintenance Plan for your Kitchen is complete! Do this check once a year. I recommend doing this in January after the new year. This is when we tend to have energy for a "fresh start" and getting our lives in order. Plus, once complete, you will see what your approximate costs will be for repairs. And with hopefully a nice tax return (can I use nice and tax in the same sentence?!) coming in the spring, you can use some of your return to complete the repairs. Put a date on the calendar and get started! 
Download Kitchen Maintenance Plan
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How To Buy A Car Part 3 - Buying Day

5/13/2016

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By Devin Almonte
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Buying Day Tips

  1. ​The first thing a dealership will ask you is if you are financing and if you have a trade-in. Do not give them this information even if you know the answer is yes! They will use that as a weapon against you in the negotiation process.
  2. Tell them want to set the price first! Use TrueCar.com to secure a savings certificate online. Certified dealers must honor these certificates, so you know ahead of time exactly what you will be paying. TrueCar.com is amazing and gives you a reasonable price for the car you are interested in purchasing
  3. Once the price is set, then you can discuss trade-in. Since you already have several appraisals on your trade-in, know what your bottom line is and what you are willing to take for your trade-in. If you want to stay with your highest appraisal, then do that! Be prepared to walk out if they say they can’t meet that. They will gladly give you every excuse in the book as to why your trade-in is not worth that much. Don’t listen to the noise! And they may let you walk out. But trust me, they will be calling you in a day or two to come back in, if there isn’t already a message for you by the time you get home!
  4. Now financing. I’m not a fan of leases, but they do work for some people. And dealerships love leases. I’m not going to discuss lease options here, but only the full buy. You’ve shopped around for financing. Know what terms you are willing to go with based on your research. Don’t let them dictate this for you. They will gladly add 4% interest to the current interest rate just to tell you it was the best deal they could work out given your credit, given your money down, etc. Don’t listen to the noise!
  5. Take the kids. Yes, you heard that right. Since you are so armed with your research before stepping into the dealership, it should be a piece of cake. Having the kids run around the dealership like maniacs won’t bother or distract you, but it will bother everyone else in the dealership, including other potential customers! And they will want this deal to go very quickly so they can get you and your maniac kids out of there as fast as possible! You know what you are going to pay for the new car. You know what interest rate is okay for you, what value is right for your trade-in. If they can’t meet your terms, then you just leave and head to the next dealership.
  6. Bring your computer. Don’t be afraid to use it. Put it on the desk and pull out your spreadsheets and comparisons with other dealerships. This terrifies them! One salesmen asked me what I was doing and I told him I was comparing his prices, his invoices, ratings, reviews, hidden costs and so forth. I even had him look at it with me as I plugged in numbers. He was miserable! Remember, you are offense. They are defense.
  7. Best time to buy. Summer is a great time to buy as well as the end of the year. But I prefer the summer. Go at the end of the month in either July or August. They have to move inventory off their lots, so they are more likely to give you a deal. 

​Hopefully, at this point, you will have your new car at a reasonable and fair price! And you will be so happy that you spent the time to research. It can save you a fortune. It’s a lot of prep work, but you won't regret spending the time doing your homework when you see how much cash you can save.
 
Helpful sites:
www.bankrate.com
www.edmunds.com
www.truecar.com
www.kbb.com


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How To Buy A Car Part 2 - Who Has The Better Deal?

5/13/2016

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By Devin Almonte

How Has The Better Deal?

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Chart Analysis Breakdown

ACCESS CHART
MSRP:
Dealership #2 looks like the better deal.

Dealer Invoice:

The Invoice is also better with Dealership #2.

Bonus Cash/Rewards/Etc:

Dealership #1 is giving $5319.00 in bonus cash/rewards. Dealership #2 is giving $2500 in bonus cash/rewards. Now, that makes it “appear” that Dealership #1 has the better offer, as they are giving you twice as much bonus cash. Subtotal 2 also shows that they have the best offer at $30487.00, showing a savings of $1280.00.
 
Fees:
Now you can add in all your fees. Remember, fees should not be added to the price of your car (subtotal 1) or your financing! If the dealer tries to add this to the price of your car, then you will be paying taxes on these fees. You should not be paying taxes on these fees This also means that you would then be paying more interest each month as well. Not something you want to do!
 
Each dealership will vary to some degree when it comes to fees. This especially applies to Doc fees. Dealerships like to hide costs here depending on how the negotiation process goes. As you can see, Dealership #1 has much higher costs attached to their Doc fee and New Plate fee than Dealership #2. In some instances, they are trying to make up for some of the perceived losses from the large cash bonus incentives they are offering.
 
Notice some of the other line items-- Destination fee, Ad fee, and Prep Fee. What are these? Some dealerships will confidently tell you that these are necessary and all part of the process. They should already be included in the listed Dealership Invoice.

 
Taxes:
In most states, you are taxed on Subtotal 1. Dealerships would like to tell you otherwise.
 

Chart Recap:
In this scenario, Dealership #1 has a higher Dealership Invoice than Dealership #2. But Dealership #1 is offering double the amount in bonus cash incentives when compared to Dealership #2. That makes Dealership #1 look more appealing. “Over a $5000 cash bonus!”, they will say. After that, it makes it look like they are the better deal compared to Dealership #2, coming in $1200.00 under what you would pay with Dealership #2.
 
However, after carefully reviewing the fees, you see that Dealership #1 is trying to possibly make up for lost cash in their fees section. Many people wrongly assume these fees are set and not changeable, nor negotiable. Notice that Dealership #1 is charging you again for the Destination Fee and Ad Fees. You are already charged for this in the Dealership Invoice! There shouldn’t be a charge here. The Prep Fee – this is a junk fee and should be completely removed. They aren’t doing anything to “Prep” your car for you. Question the Registration fee. This is usually accounted for in the Doc Fee. And ask them for a breakdown of the Doc Fee and what is included in that, as they are charging quite a bit for it. New plates – this shouldn’t be much, but they may overcharge you for it. Find out what your state’s motor vehicle fees are so you know exactly what you should be charged for such items.

Dealerships know every trick in the book. After all, they do this for a living. They can only hide costs so many places. Often it will be in the invoice, a lower trade-in value, cash incentives, deals with the manufacturer, or in the doc fees. And then, if you choose to add on accessories, look out! They love to overcharge for accessories and installation!
 
Lastly, you can’t get the car for free and the dealerships do need to make a profit. They can’t meet you “at-cost”  on everything or else you will no longer have a dealership to do business with because they will be out of business!

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How to Buy A Car Part 1 - What You Need To Know

5/13/2016

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By Devin Almonte
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What You Need To Know
​

Car Salesmen
Remember that they are in business.  Remember that you hold the cards because you have the money. They are not there to be your friend. You can like them, but they are not your friend. As much as they may seem interested in you and your family, they are not.  I once had a salesman email me some hate mail because he said I betrayed him by going to another dealership. I was happy to explain myself, but he continued his rant and that he needed to make a living and I was jeopardizing his livelihood.

Dealership Invoice
This is the cost of the car from the manufacturer. Basically, it is what the dealer pays to the manufacturer. But keep in mind, that this too, is often inflated and not necessarily what the dealerships pays the manufacturer. The invoice should and will most likely include destination fees, ad fees, etc. that are associated with the vehicle.
Make sure that the dealership does not try to charge you for these fees separately. It should all be wrapped up in the actual dealership invoice. If you notice these particular fees as separate line items, question it.
 
Trade-In
Dealerships love to get your trade-ins and they love to get it below it’s value. Don't fall for it. Have your car appraised by at least 3-4 different sources so that you have an idea of what your car’s value actually is.  Where to do this:
  • Online – Edmunds
  • Car Max – Tend to be pretty fair in their appraisals
  • Dealership – This will give you a range, but often they like to undercut you here. Go to two different dealerships so you have a range of what they are offering for your vehicle. Just get the trade-in appraisal. Don't get sucked into taking about a new car purchase just yet. You can tell them you will be looking for a new car soon, possibly with them, but don't tell them anything else. The reason? They love to try and negotiate this too by pretending to give you a really good deal on the car you want to purchase, but then tell you that your trade-in is worth $8,000.00 when it is really worth $11, 000.00.  Or they will give you more on your trade-in, but then charge you more for the car.
  • Get print-outs of all trade-in values and go with the highest one.

Taxes
Make sure you are being taxed appropriately. You should be taxed on the dealer invoice cost after your trade-in value has been factored in. Most states require that sales tax be paid only on the difference between the price of your trade-in and the new vehicle you are buying, not the full price of the new car you bought. 
 
Financing
Same rules apply as taxes. Make sure you are financing on the difference between the price of your trade-in and the new vehicle you are buying, not the full price of the new car you bought. 

Interest varies and dealerships also like to hide costs here as well and could be easily taking another $2K from you during the life of the loan if you aren’t paying attention. Get three outside lenders to give you an idea of what rates you can qualify for before seeking financing through the dealership so you are prepared.
 
Average Fees (vary by state)
Doc Fees:
Shouldn’t be more than $400. $200-$300 is more of the range. Can sometimes be negotiated. Have dealership give you a breakdown of what is included in this fee. Often, the title and registration fee may be part of the doc fee.
 
Title Fees:
$60-$100
 
Registration:
$60-$80

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    Life Assembled

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    Devin Almonte
    Health & Wellness Expert - Health, Fitness, Wellness, Beauty

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