Month: February 2024
Email for Week of February 26, 2024
Subject: 8 Money Saving Tips for Planning Your Next Vacation
1. Set a budget- This will give you the parameters you need to work within when deciding how far you want to go and how long you want to stay.
2. Determine the length of your vacation and your destination. Are you looking for a vacation close to home, a cross-country trip or international tour? Your budget and your length of time you want to take off will determine this.
3. Be flexible with travel dates. Airplane tickets can vary by hundreds of dollars depending on the day of the week and time of day you choose to fly.
4. Spend some time researching hotels. Look at multiple booking sites for the best priced hotel with the best ratings. Some sites that offer deals are booking.com, kayak.com and expedia.com. When booking your hotel ask about special discounts such as AAA, senior, and military.
5. Be flexible with your rental car. Be flexible with the type of car you are renting and look for deals such as weekly rates. You can use the same site you used to book your hotel to find deals on car rentals.
6. Eat local. Instead of selecting chain or brand name expensive restaurants, do some research on local spots with the best food reviews. Depending on the type of accommodations, you may consider grocery shopping when you arrive to limit eating out. Packing picnics is always a fun and inexpensive option for families on a trip.
7. Research local beaches, state parks and hikes. These are usually low-cost or free activities that get you outdoors exploring the new area you chose to visit.
8. Enroll in travel rewards programs. Enrolling in travel rewards programs are free and can save you a lot of money especially if you do a lot of traveling. Enroll in hotel rewards programs and airline rewards programs to start collecting miles for free or discounted flights and rooms.
Planning a vacation and saving money at the same time can be a fun and rewarding experience. It takes just a little bit of research and planning to find the best deals while still staying in nice accommodations and eating great food.
Warmly,
XXXXXXX
Email for Week of February 19, 2024
Subject: time management
Time management is an important key to success. No matter what your profession, time management is essential for you to stay organized and productive and free up valuable time to spend doing some of the things you enjoy and spending it with those you love.
To properly manage your time, it is essential that you create a schedule and stick to it. Start to organize yourself by looking at those things in your life that you are saying yes to. Try giving yourself 24 hours to think about new commitments before saying yes.
Then go into your calendar and insert your personal non-negotiable items. Let’s say that every morning, you want to be at the gym at 6 o’clock, because that keeps you healthy. That’s a non-negotiable, put that in. Maybe every single day, you want to pick your kids up from school at 3 o’clock, get them home, get them started on their homework, and that’s a non-negotiable. Put those non-negotiable personal items in your calendar.
Determine your start and end time for work and then time block your work activities.
Reserve the morning for those items that need your focus and attention the most, the morning is when you are usually most productive.
Time block the rest of your activities so that you have structure to your day. Find ways to delegate low cost items as you can afford to do so. Utilize delivery services and cleaners to save time, if you are able to. Make sure you set 30 minutes a day aside for yourself.
Try keeping a time log for a week to help fine tune your efficiency, so you can see where you are spending most of your time.
You are going to be so glad that you have everything scheduled. It will give you a sense of peace, and a lot more freedom!
Warmly,
XXXXXXX
Email for Week of February 12, 2024
Subject: 10 Things you can do to “Add Value” to Your Home
1. Even though your home is not for sale, take a tour of your home pretending to be a potential buyer. Turn a critical eye to the small things you’ve overlooked or learned to live with. Make a list.
2. Most people are well aware of “problem” areas in their homes. Whether yours is a garage that needs organizing or bathroom tile that needs re-grouting, take care of it. Do the little things first.
3. There are many excellent books and videos on how to make rooms look larger: effective lighting, easy window treatments and creating a strong visual appeal. Obtain some, and analyze the impression your home makes on others.
4. How much storage space do you have? Is it neat, well organized and uncluttered? If not, consider some of the easy and inexpensive do-it-yourself closet systems available today.
5. Is the exterior of your dwelling all that it could be? If not, sometimes it is the little things that make a house look its best. Paint the trim, or just the front door. Add a bright new mailbox.
6. Speak to your local paint or wallpaper supplier. They are often willing to provide helpful information on selection and how to do it yourself.
7. Talk to your real estate professional about what buyers like and don’t like about houses that they see.
8. Pay particular attention to the foundation, walls, steps, railings, ceilings and floors. If they are in need of repair, it can create an impression, even if false, that the house is not structurally sound.
9. Your yard is another area to look at critically. Are the plants overgrown? Cut them back. Is it bare? Most counties have agricultural offices that can offer advice on the best and quickest growing plants and trees for your climate.
10. When you’ve done all the little things that help make your home its most appealing, decide if there are major improvements which will add value when you decide to sell.
For a competitive market analysis of your home, reply to this email and I would be happy to answer any questions you have.
For Real Estate Advice that pertains to financial, legal, or tax related information contact the professionals in those fields. The practice of Real Estate representation can vary by state. Ask your Real Estate Representative for agency information pertaining to your state and company.
Warmly,
XXXXXXX
Email for Week of February 5, 2024
Subject: How to start exercising and love it
You have heard it before; exercise is good for you. You know it; you don’t doubt it, you have probably even said it to others. But… you aren’t doing it. Somehow, you have gotten out of the habit of exercising regularly, and now you can’t remember the last time you had a good workout.
That’s okay, it happens to all of us, and it’s not your fault. There are family pressures, work issues, and time constraints. The bottom line is that for all kinds of good reasons, you no longer work out on a regular basis.
There is an easy solution. Just make the workouts fun and short. Make them enjoyable.
So, how to start exercising and enjoy it, so that you will continue to do it on a regular basis? First, make it a short workout. Do you think that within your busy life, you can figure out a way to exercise for 15 minutes a day? And that you can do that just 4 days a week? Of course you can.
Take your busiest three days each week, and put them aside. Plan on not exercising those three days each week. No matter how much you may want to exercise those three days, force yourself to not exercise those three days.
The second step, believe it or not, only involves your mind. Negative thoughts about exercise and the excuses we all have for not exercising come from where? They come from our minds. How many times have you thought things like; I don’t like to exercise, I don’t want to exercise, I’m too tired to exercise, I’m not athletic, and nothing I do will change that, exercising isn’t fun, etc.?
The good news is, you can replace those negative, exercise defeating thoughts with positive, exercise inducing thoughts. And you can do this just as fast and easy as thinking about it.
Let’s start out by replacing those negative thoughts. Right now, as you read this, tell yourself the following; I like to exercise, I want to exercise, I have plenty of energy to exercise, exercise is fun, and I look forward to becoming more athletic. Put these thoughts into your mind every day. As soon as you get up in the morning, repeat these positive thoughts. It often helps to write them out.
The third step is doing the actual 15-minute exercise program. Your mantra above will help, and you may want even to start going for a daily walk of 20-30 minutes today. With the right mindset, you will love it!
Warmly,
XXXXXXX