Home prices have increased a lot over the past year and change. So much so that some prospective buyers are pumping the brakes, or at minimum, making sure the property they buy is really something they want to live in for the foreseeable future.
It’s kind of like the stock market. A year ago you could buy practically anything and realize a solid gain. Picture a dartboard. Today, you’ve got to be selective if you want to book a good return on your investment.
Of course, homes aren’t just investments. They’re for living in too, so today’s buyer should be really happy with the home in order to go through with the purchase, seeing that the price might not immediately surge higher.
The latest REALTORS® Confidence Index, which surveys more than 3,000 Realtors, found that the market is slowing, particularly because of higher home prices and a lack of inventory.
Respondents noted that buyers are approaching sellers as if it’s a buyer’s market when it’s in fact a seller’s market, meaning their lowball offers are going nowhere.
At the same time, appraisals are becoming an issue again, perhaps because home prices increased too much too quickly, and banks and lenders just aren’t willing to lend at such high valuations just yet.
The takeaway is that home prices are beginning to get tested. Perhaps we got a little ahead of ourselves. Time will tell.
Expectations for Home Price Growth Are a Bit More Muted Today
Over the next 12 months, Realtors don’t see home prices gaining all that much, especially in areas where inventory constraints aren’t an issue.
They believe the median national home price will rise 4%, with most states expected to chalk gains between 3% and 5%.
However, some states are still on track for even bigger gains thanks to a lack of inventory and strong home buyer demand.
For example, in Florida expected home price growth is 5-7% over the next 12 months thanks to both low inventory and all-cash sales.
Conversely, in states where income growth has been low, annual home price gains are expected to fall below 3%, which sure doesn’t sound like a compelling reason to purchase a home.
Unfortunately, affordability is rearing its ugly head again, even with mortgage rates still hovering around the very low 4% range.
But for many states, the best seems to be behind them, with more modest growth ahead. If you take a look at the map above, only a small handful of states are slated to see continued strong home price appreciation.
The winners include:
– California – Florida – Georgia – Hawaii – Nevada – Oregon
And by loser, I mean Realtors don’t even expect home prices to rise 3% over the course of a year. So if you’re buying in one of those states and your agent says it’s a great time to buy, ask them why.
At the end of the day, buying a home today is more about necessity or wanting to own as opposed to rent, not so much about the potential windfall.
Sure, time should heal all wounds as far as paying too much, but you might want to look at other investments if it’s purely a spec play.
Lawns are symbols of Los Angeles’ past. In this series, we spotlight yards with alternative, low-water landscaping built for the future.
On a closely packed street in Inglewood, where single-family home after single-family home overlooks a manicured lawn, a spectacular garden filled with California native plants reaches to the sky and spills onto the sidewalk.
In Brian Bautista’s yard, upright showy penstemon, aromatic hummingbird sage, hardy toyon trees, and two types of milkweed — dramatic plants requiring little water — attract birds, butterflies and bees and flourish amid the Bermuda grass lawns.
“I tore out both my front and back yards because they provided little value to the house,” Bautista said of the former patchwork of weeds and grass. “I had to mow it; it never looked good. And I had to keep spending money watering it and maintaining it.”
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Soon after Bautista and his wife, Debora Lee, purchased their first home in 2020 and the pandemic closed down the economy, the 38-year-old visual effects editor embarked on a do-it-yourself gardening overhaul despite having no previous gardening experience.
“All of a sudden, I had more spare time than I knew what to do with since I was no longer going into an office in Hollywood for 60 hours a week to work on movies,” he said. “It was time for an upgrade. I decided to do it myself because we had just bought a house and had no money.”
Living in drought-stricken California, the self-described “millennial with climate change anxiety” decided to remove his lawns and plant a drought-tolerant landscape filled with California native plants.
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To get a handle on how to proceed, he enrolled in the Department of Water and Power’s free hands-on “Lawn Be Gone” workshop conducted by the district’s contractor, the G3 Green Gardens Group.
In a two-day workshop held over two weekends, Bautista learned about garden design, turf removal, soil-building, rainwater capture, plant selection, planting and irrigation, and dry garden maintenance.
“They showed us how to use a sod cutter; we installed irrigation and dug a swale,” he said of the project site. “Everyone planted something.”
Armed with eight hours of instruction and a litany of Waterwise Community Youtube videos, Bautista removed the backyard first, “in case it didn’t work out,” he said with a laugh.
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Working over six months, he removed the hardscape and bricks and ripped out the old metal irrigation pipes, which were leaking. He then proceeded to sheet mulch the lawn using empty cardboard boxes left over from the couple’s move and a truckload of compost and mulch from U.S. Rock Corp. (In sheet mulching, cardboard or newspaper is placed on a close-cropped lawn to block the sun and prevent growth. The cardboard is then topped with compost and mulch; eventually, the “lasagna” layers decompose to create healthy soil without chemicals or pesticides.)
“It’s a magical process,” he said of sheet mulching. “It didn’t take long at all.”
Once the compost and mulch had been laid, Bautista started planting, and the garden began to take shape: Bright lemon-yellow Palmer’s Indian mallow, tall spikes of Pozo Blue sage and De La Mina verbena, pink flowering heuchera (Martha Roderick and Canyon Duet) and three types of dudleya (Giant Chalk dudleya, Green Form, Fingertips).
He also added gutters and underground pipes to move the gutter water to a new swale (a stormwater retention feature is required to receive a turf removal rebate) that now infiltrates rainwater into the groundwater basin and feeds a 30-year-old guava tree.
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“A swale is cheap and affordable and can handle much more water than a rain barrel,” Bautista said. During this year’s record rainfall, Bautista was delighted to see that the swale he installed handled the overflow water “like a champ.”
Regarding landscape design and plant selection, Bautista relied on the California Native Plant Society’s Calscape website and the Waterwise Garden Planner for Southern California as guides. Most plants came from Theodore Payne Nursery in Sun Valley and Artemisia Nursery in El Sereno.
“I wanted a low-water, colorful, smell-good garden that works for Inglewood, and those two websites helped me tremendously,” Bautista said. “The site will tell you the plants that naturally grow in your neighborhood. You can research sun exposure, plant type and water needs.”
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Before he installed the plants, he applied for a turf removal rebate from the city by scanning a sheet of graph paper into his computer and using Photoshop. (The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s turf replacement rebates fluctuate and are currently $2 a square foot for a maximum of 5,000 square feet per year, but some water agencies may offer additional incentives.)
When finished, he received a rebate of $3,309 for removing 1,100 square feet of turf. (He spent $10,993 before the rebate.)
Because applicants can only receive one turf removal rebate per fiscal year, Bautista tackled his front yard a year later. Once again, Bautista started by digging up the first inch of Bermuda grass in the front yard by hand and then sheet mulched the lawn.
This time, the process was quicker. “It took me two months end to end,” Bautista said, including gutters, hardscape, edging and building a trench to the swale in the backyard. “I knew what I was doing this time. I knew the order of operations, and it was much less complicated. My mantra was ‘Demo, dig, go!’” Bautista received $2,995 for removing 765 square feet of turf in the front yard after spending $8,480 on the transformation.
Three years later, Bautista has fallen in love with gardening and California native plants. “I would love to walk down the street and see more gardens like this,” Bautista said as he pointed out a ruby-throated hummingbird nibbling on one of his sage plants. “It’s like a symphony. Hopefully, we can help nature reclaim some space and provide more habitat for our birds, butterflies and bees and get some precious rainwater into the ground instead of down the street and into the storm drains.”
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When he first installed the garden, he watered the plants every day by hand to make sure they were well-hydrated. Down the road, he watered them once a week for a month. Then, it was once a month for a year. A year later, he started using drip irrigation in the front yard. Now that the backyard is 3 years old, he hasn’t watered it since it rained. “I’m still watering the front yard once a month,” he added. “Soon, I’ll stop watering the plants in the spring.”
Not one to sit still, Bautista recently added a laundry-to-landscape greywater system that he says was relatively easy to install. “It was a lot of digging,” Bautista said. “I dug a trench, and it was pretty easy because it didn’t have to be super deep. The mulch absorbs the water, and that water seeps into the ground and feeds the roots. It’s super cool because I am a plant nerd, so it lets me plant high-water plants that grow near a creek. Now when we wash our clothes, we’re watering them.”
While any visitor can appreciate Bautista’s gorgeous landscape, he is determined to help friends and family who want to tear out their lawns and plant drought-tolerant landscapes.
Francis Mekhail, a neighbor, met Bautista when he was redoing his front yard and plans to install a micro-forest in his backyard with Bautista in the fall.
“Brian is endlessly optimistic and enthusiastic about California natives,” Mekhail said in an email. “He is on an incredible mission to help convert at least an acre of land into native California plants. My wife and I didn’t know where to start, so Brian was an invaluable resource and a tremendous help. We assumed Brian would passively make a few plant suggestions. Still, we ended up getting a spreadsheet with general garden info, soil test results, construction schedule, materials (with links), plant design, irrigation design (with purchase list), a blooming schedule, plant list (with links) and to round things out a list of preferred vendors. He also helped us build the irrigation system and was with us on planting day.”
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Like many native plant fanatics concerned with conserving water, Bautista can’t contain his enthusiasm for creating an environment that supports California’s climate.
“This is a climate solution that I can do every day,” Bautista said. “I feel like I’m doing something for tomorrow.”
Here, Brian Bautista shares his plant list.
Front yard
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Palmer’s Indian mallow
Desert globe mallow (Louis Hamilton Pink Variety)
Showy penstemon
Red buckwheat
Hummingbird sage
Davis Gold toyon tree
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Heuchera (Island alumroot and “Wendy” varieties)
California fuchsia
Bush anemone (St. Elizabeth variety)
Narrowleaf milkweed
Woolypod milkweed
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Side yard
Dudleya (Green Form, Fingertips)
Cliff maids
Bush anemone (St. Elizabeth variety)
Woodland strawberry
Heuchera (Island alumroot, Wendy and Santa Ana Cardinal varieties)
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California coffeeberry
Giant chain fern
Backyard
Palmer’s Indian mallow
Desert globe mallow (Apricot variety)
Desert Grape (Roger’s Red and Regular variety)
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Red buckwheat
Pozo Blue sage
Verbena De La Mina
Howard McMinn manzanita
California Sagebrush (Canyon Grey and Regular variety)
Margarita ‘BOP’ penstemon
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Sulphur buckwheat
Davis Gold toyon tree
Evergreen currant
Heuchera (Martha Roderick and Canyon Duet)
Dudleya (Giant Chalk dudleya, Green Form, Fingertips)
Thoughtful gift-giving takes time, especially if you are going to make the gift yourself. So here is a list for you, in plenty of time, so you can get started planning budget Christmas gifts this year.
Food Gifts with Wow-Factor
For the most part, food gifts can be made individually or in batches if you want to give something small to a large number of people. Obviously, with food items, you should wait until much closer to Christmas to make them, but it’s a great idea to start looking for the other items you’ll need for these gifts like mason jars, baskets, and ribbon so you can buy them on sale.
Of course, if you want to get some practice in so you can perfect your gifts, it’s much better to start now anyway! Many of these gifts are great for other occasions too, by the way. Recipes for most of the food presents can be found on Pinterest and elsewhere, but here are some ideas to get your taste buds thinking.
1. Made-from-scratch cookie kits. Get the dry ingredients of your favorite cookie recipes together, along with some mason jars, note cards, and country-style ribbons. Layer all the dry ingredients in the mason jars and screw the lids on tightly, print the recipe on note cards using an old-fashioned kind of font, and tie them to the jars with ribbon.
2. Themed food-gift baskets. Will you can your own pasta sauce over the summer? Use a colander for a basket, add some garlic bulbs, gourmet noodles, and a wooden spoon — a little taste of Italy.
Make a breakfast basket (syrup and pancake mix), a movie basket (popcorn, candy, and a movie rental coupon), or a gardening basket (a trowel, a gardening hat, and some packets of seeds).
3. Homemade granola. Low-cost, basic ingredients turn into toasted goodness and don’t require a fancy kitchen to prepare. Granola blends can be customized easily to suit your taste by adding different ingredients like raisins, nuts, cinnamon, dried cranberries or cherries, sunflowers seeds, coconut, wheat germ, etc. Begin with a couple of mini-batches to fiddle with your recipe until you are satisfied with the result.
4. Homemade truffles. Like homemade granola, homemade truffles can be tweaked to your preferences. Chocolate raspberry or strawberries and cream are just two examples. And you can cover them with all sorts of deliciousness like crushed nuts, mints, or toffee bits. Upside? Yum! Downside? They should be made only a short time before giving, and eaten soon after.
5. Gingerbread houses. Give them to the little kids (and the big kids) in your life. You can find gingerbread house kits or, if you bake, you can certainly build a better house from scratch. Make it a party! Invite friends or family to join in the decorating and then donate some to a local senior center.
6. Homemade almond roca or other Christmas candies. Never heard of almond roca? How does a mixture of sugar, almonds, butter, and chocolate sound? That’s what I thought. If you don’t make almond roca, any other type of Christmas candy will be fine too!
7. Freezer meals. If you have someone on your Christmas list who is in a busy season of life (working two jobs, attending college, or adjusting to life with a new baby), they would appreciate freezer meals. Package up a few of your favorite casseroles, clearly labeled with cooking instructions, and you’ll have someone’s gratitude for life. For an extra-nice touch, package the meals in reusable containers.
8. Infused olive oils.An infused olive oil can add interesting undertones to dishes. Infuse them with spices, herbs, citrus, or nuts. These infused oils need to be stored in the refrigerator, so include storage instructions with the oils.
9. Infused Vinegars. Add another layer of complexity to dishes with infused vinegars. Infuse vinegar for two to four weeks with berries or herbs and package them in interesting bottles. Now is the time to look for inexpensive, beautiful bottles.
10. Other food ideas. If you have any food specialty (homemade bread, canned goods, or cookies, for example), most people would love it.
11. Gourmet salt assortment. Buy large containers of a variety of unique salts (you may have to visit a gourmet food store), and then divide the salts into small Ziploc bags. Be sure to label the bags to include a bit of info about each variety. (You can create similar gifts with other items, of course!)
12. Spice sampler. Bulk spices can make an affordable and appreciated gift for anyone who loves to cook, or who is moving into a new kitchen. Don’t know which spices to choose? Find some tempting recipes that call for exotic spices, then include the recipes with the spices. Or, get creative and make a custom spice blend for a meat rub, marinade mix, salad dressing kit, dip, or seasoning.
13. Homemade vanilla. Homemade vanilla is simple to make, but it does take some time. Split three vanilla beans in half with a sharp knife, place in a clean glass jar, and then cover with vodka. Store the jar in a cool, dark place and don’t forget to shake it every so often. Although the vanilla extract is ready after six to eight weeks, you can continue the process for darker vanilla, if desired.
14. Food of the month. If you enjoy cooking or baking, how about giving someone a membership to your own “food of the month” club? (Never mind that they are your only member and you just made it up.) You can make a different kind of food each month or keep the same general theme (dessert, maybe?). This is a gift that will bring joy all year.
15. Flavored hot chocolate. Homemade hot chocolate is delicious and simple to make. For extra pizazz, add flavors like butterscotch, mint, or cinnamon, just to name a few.
16. Homemade marshmallows. For flavor so much better than you can buy, make homemade marshmallows for someone on your list!
17. Flavored sugars. For a special gift, make flavored sugars! Adding lemon or orange zest, a vanilla bean, or lavender to sugar can impart complex notes to baked goods. Package the sugar in cute jars, paired with a fun label.
18. Salted caramel sauce. Ah, salted caramel sauce. How can something with just four ingredients (cream, butter, sugar, and salt) be so good? And so versatile? (Eat it with a spoon, on ice cream, over cinnamon rolls, or with apples.)
This should be stored for just about two weeks in the refrigerator, so don’t make it too far ahead of Christmas or you might be tempted to eat it yourself!
19. Homemade eggnog. While homemade eggnog (if you like eggnog, that is) is absolutely delicious, it doesn’t keep long in the refrigerator — and not just because it tastes terrific. If you make this, prepare by getting your ingredients ahead of time, but don’t make it until the day of (or a day before) your gift exchange.
Frugal Gifts with Free/Used/Cheap Stuff
Even though these ideas don’t cost a lot of money, they do require time and thought to implement something that is sure to make your recipient feel special.
20. Personal gift certificates. In essence, these are gifts of time, but they make great gifts. Give new parents a gift certificate for a night of babysitting so they can enjoy a night on the town. Are you good with computers? Give your brother-in-law a gift certificate for free computer repairs.
21. Love coupons. This gift is similar to coupon books or gift certificates but is targeted to your significant other. Let your recipient redeem a coupon for a dinner out, for a back rub, or for an evening together watching their favorite movie.
22. Helping hand. This is also similar to making a coupon book. If you notice your father-in-law’s landscaping is overgrown, offer to spend a Saturday as a gift. If your daughter’s closets are out of control, she might appreciate help with organizing too. Perhaps an aging family member needs your help sorting through household goods in preparation for an estate sale or moving into a care facility.
The wonderful thing about handmade gifts, no matter how frugal, is the thought that goes into the making. Katie O’Connor
23. Up-cycled old tins. Here is a fun way to breathe new life into last year’s Christmas cookie tin. Find some spray paint (leftover from another project, preferably) and spray over the old Christmas scene. This could be the packaging for other Christmas gifts mentioned here too.
24. Teach a skill. Do you have useful skills? Someone on your list may want access to your sewing or carpentry skills. Don’t overlook things like bike repair, baking, gardening, or your financial know-how. Sometimes we have a blind eye to our own assets. Ask a friend to tell you which of your skills may be in demand and then figure out how to offer this skill to others.
25. Finish a project. Who doesn’t have an unfinished craft project somewhere or a remodeling or gardening project that isn’t finished? These undone wonders are just waiting for someone with the time to finish them.
If you are a knitter, for instance, you could offer to complete that pair of mittens for a family member. Or maybe the weekend carpenter on your list got everything done on the remodeling project except for trimming out the windows. Your offer to help finish the project would help both of you!
26. Framed page from favorite children’s books. Are some of your favorite books from your childhood falling apart? Well-loved books, read hundreds of times, tend to fall into disrepair. But framing a page from a favorite childhood book can help the book (and the memories) live on.
27. Create a secret old book. Find a cheap, musty, old classic at your nearby Goodwill or used bookstore. Glue the pages together, and use an X-Acto knife to hollow out the center of the book. Now the recipient can store his or her treasures!
28. Holiday recipe booklet. Create a collection of your favorite holiday recipes, and then include it with a small assortment of samples.
29. Artwork display frame. Frames are often expensive, so look for out-dated paintings at thrift stores. Keep the frame; toss the painting. Any of your farmer friends might have some chicken wire to spare, so take the old frame and staple chicken wire to the back. Include a package of tiny clothespins with your gift so photos or artwork can be attached.
30. Personalized dishes. Another fun way to use an old white plate or tray is to make a customized platter/plate. Write words or draw patterns on the plate with colored Sharpies. Then, bake the plate at 250 degrees for about 20 minutes to make your artwork permanent.
31. Teacup candles! You’ll need craft-store wicks, wax (or old candles) that can be melted down, old teacups, and maybe a fragrance or two. Pretty single teacups (with or without saucers) can often be found at thrift stores for less than a dollar.
Melt the wax in a double boiler, add a fragrance if desired, then support the wick standing in the teacup while carefully filling the cup with wax. As the wax cools, it will contract and form a well. You can add more melted wax of the same color or add a second shade. Beware of cups with obvious cracking; the hot wax may cause them to shatter.
Arts and Crafts — and a Hodgepodge of Mod Podge
With even the most basic artistic skills, you can create budget Christmas gifts. Here is a list of possibilities to trigger your creativity.
32. Homemade hand warmer. Live in a cold climate? Give your friends the gift of warmth with a homemade hand warmer you personally made for them. If you know how to make a beanbag, you know how to make a hand warmer. Use wool, cashmere or felt material; but instead of filling the bags with beans, fill them with ceramic pie weights. To use these toasty treasures, simply microwave them for a couple of minutes and then slip them in your pockets.
33. Tote bag pocket inserts. For those with decent sewing skills, make a tote bag even more user-friendly by sewing an insertable pocket for tote bags. Attaching the pocket to the tote bag straps from the inside will hold the pocket in place while creating another area of storage in the bag.
34. Sweater bag or pillow. Breathe new life into an old sweater by turning it into a bag or a pillow!
35. Microwavable heating pad. Another simple sewing project? This makes a nice gift for an elderly person. Make a microwavable heating pad by sewing fabric into a rectangle. Fill with rice (and a few drops of essential oils if you have some).
36. Felted penguin or other animal. What could be cuter than a felted penguin or other animal? Various tutorials online give detailed instructions which require roving and a special felting needle. Who wouldn’t want a cute replica of their favorite pet, anyway?
37. Sewing kit. An old eyeglass case makes a great case to house a portable sewing kit. Add needles, spare buttons, thread, a pincushion, and scissors!
38. Scrap fabric garland. Here’s a use for old scraps of fabric. Take strips of fabric and fold them in half, cutting more strips. Just don’t cut all the way to the fold, because you would ruin the “streamer” effect. Tie the fabric onto a piece of twine or lace.
39. Pompom garland. Make pompoms out of yarn. Obviously, customize the size and color to your preferences. Once the pompoms are complete, you can thread them together with heavy thread and a needle. Or you can make different threads or strings of pompoms and hang them vertically. These make great gifts for anyone that needs to decorate on a budget.
40. Memory drawing. If you can draw, make a simple drawing of a memory you have that involves the recipient. Maybe it’s something you did together or places you visited together. Frame it and gift. The great thing about this (besides being cheap) is that you can give it multiple times to the same person. They will have a growing collection of memory drawings from you.
41. Personalized gifts of art. If you are an artist, create small paintings or other personalized gifts of art that you make. Do you dabble in photography? A framed print of your nephew might be the perfect gift for your sister-in-law.
42. Travel brochure. If you have graphic design skills, a travel brochure for a child in your life is a fun gift. Customize it by photoshopping the recipient onto cheap stock photos of world landmarks, such as the Great Wall, so it looks like he’s traveled the world.
43. Decorative pinecones. To make pinecones for Christmas decor, gather up a few (free) pinecones. After making sure they’re bug- and dirt-free, spray them with white spray paint. While the paint is still wet, liberally dust them with white or silver glitter.
44. Burlap Christmas acorns. For another Christmas decor idea, make burlap acorns out of Easter eggs. Get some plastic Easter eggs (bigger is better) and spray paint them. Next, cover the egg with burlap using glue. Top the acorn with twine wound around the top.
45. Felt-backed tile trivets. You can find lots of beautiful tile designs at the home-improvement store. Sometimes the end of a lot can be had at a deep discount. Using a hot-glue gun, add a layer of felt to the back of a tile, and you have a useful trivet for bringing a hot dish to the table.
46. Personalized mirrors. Buy small mirrors. (Try Ikea for a bunch of the smallish mirrors.) Once you have a word that describes your recipient (“Gorgeous!” “Intelligent!”), pick a font. If you have a cutting tool that will cut out the font, by all means, use it! But if you don’t, print out the words and trace them onto contact paper. Use some glass etching glaze to etch the words onto the mirrors. Add some cheap rhinestones to glitz up the mirrors for the girls or a masculine etched pattern for the boys. Finish them off by attaching ribbon and twine so that they can be hung easily.
47. Photo lampshade. Look for a lamp at garage sales and, once you find a really cheap one, you can make a neat memento by either hot-gluing pictures to the outside of the lampshade or printing pictures off onto vellum. Then glue the vellum onto the lampshade. (Vellum is not always easy to handle so be careful!)
48. Blue jean aprons. Don’t let your worn out jeans go to waste. Use the fabric to make aprons. Many tutorials can be found online in many different styles, and they are perfect for both children and adults.
49. Vintage lace bowl. Okay, maybe you don’t like the look of crocheted doilies draped across the back of an easy chair, so here’s another way to display these amazing old-fashioned beauties! Mix equal parts of white glue and water. Submerge a doily in the glue mixture, then mold the doily over a bowl, glass jar, or blown-up balloon. Smooth out the wrinkles, let it dry, and when you remove it — viola! — a DIY vintage lace bowl! If desired, you may also dye the doily before submerging it in the glue.
50. Personalized cards. You can make more than gifts. Making your own cards is a great money-saver. Buy boxes of 50 assorted bright-color cards from a craft store such as Michael’s. Use leftover paper scraps and stickers to decorate them.
51. Photo Cubes. Create your own photo cubes by buying large cubes and using Mod Podge to affix family photos on all sides.
52. Tile photo coasters. Cut pictures to a slightly smaller size than small white tiles. Use Mod Podge to adhere the photos to the tiles. Once you have used enough Mod Podge, spray tiles with a moisture-proof sealant. Glue felt to the bottom of the tiles.
53. Photo Accordion. These are great as coffee table books. Create a photo accordion by folding up cardstock like an accordion and gluing photos to the cardstock. If you have woodworking skills, you could hinge thin pieces of wood together and use Mod Podge to glue the pictures on the wood.
54. Marble magnets. You can pick up all of the supplies (flat-bottomed marbles, Mod Podge, and magnets) at your local craft store. Use patterned scrapbook paper or words from old dictionaries or pictures from magazines. Whatever you use, cut it to be slightly smaller than the marble, Mod Podge it on the bottom of the marble, and then hot glue the magnet to the bottom of the marble.
55. Rustic cork coasters. Save the corks from your favorite wine bottles and make rustic cork coasters. Find old small picture frames and glue the corks on them. Commemorate your special events this way too.
56. Cork bulletin board. Wine corks also make great bulletin boards. Find a frame that is deep enough to accommodate the corks and then decide on a pattern. Use a glue gun to glue the corks in place.
57. Homemade garden markers. For the gardener on your list, make homemade garden markers using anything from painted rocks to old spoons, wooden spoons, or even popsicle sticks! Give them blank or label the markers ahead of time.
58. Chalkboard paint spice jars. What an amazing invention chalkboard paint is! Paint the lids of glass baby food jars with chalkboard paint to make spice jars. You can write on each lid with a chalk marker or include a marker with a set of spice jars as part of your gift.
59. Chalkboard cheese tray. Another great use for chalkboard paint is to make a chalkboard cheese tray. Find an old tray at a thrift store and paint the bottom of it with chalkboard paint. When serving cheese, the recipient can write on the tray, labeling the different kinds of cheeses.
60. Chalkboard menu/message plate. Yet another use for chalkboard paint and one of those ubiquitous plates you find at thrift stores: Make a chalkboard plate for messages or to announce the menu of the day. Cover the plate with chalkboard paint and then write a message for each recipient.
61. Christmas stockings. Sew a Christmas stocking out of felt or vintage fabric. While sewing a Christmas stocking is slightly more complicated than making bean bags, it is still an easy project and might be treasured for years!
62. Travel cord roll. When traveling (or even at home), do the cords for your electronic devices get tangled up? Make a travel cord roll.
Sew pockets for different cords, or loops of elastic to hold the cords in place. Once the cords are in place, the fabric can be rolled up and neatly stowed away in the luggage.
63. Fabric bookmarks. Another use of fabric scraps is to make bookmarks. You can cut two pieces of fabric, along with interfacing. Fuse the interfacing to the fabric and then sew the two pieces of fabric together. Embellish it with a ribbon, if desired.
64. Fabric memo boards. The recipient of your gift can display their photographs on a fabric memo board that matches their decor. First, find an old canvas or thin piece of wood. Cover it with batting and fabric. Pulling the fabric taut, staple it to the back of the board. Arrange your ribbons in the desired pattern and staple again in the back. Buttons can be hot-glued where the ribbons cross.
65. Painted canning jars. These gifts are interesting to look at. Paint the jars with chalkboard paint, followed by 2-3 coats of acrylic paint. For a more transparent look, add food coloring to white glue and paint.
66. Practical hot pad. For a practical gift, hot glue small stones to a circular piece of felt. This hot pad can be used daily — and every time it’s used, they’ll think of you!
67. Scrabble ornaments. Make personalized ornaments out of ribbon and Scrabble letters. Spell Christmas-themed words or the recipient’s name with Scrabble letters and hot-glue them to a doubled ribbon.
68. Fabric camera strap cover. For the photographer in your life, a camera strap cover can make taking pictures much more comfortable if it’s made out of soft or fun fabric.
69. DIY reusable grocery bag. Used t-shirts or other used clothing can make a handy reusable grocery or gym bag. Search the Web for sites with sewing instructions, if needed.
Sentimental/Family Gifts that Touch the Heart
Gifts that celebrate family memories or honor a loved one who has passed away may not cost much to make, but they are truly priceless. Remember, just because it’s a budget Christmas gifts doesn’t mean it can’t be a very special gift!
70. Christmas-past scrapbook. Find an old, tattered book. Remove the pages, but keep the book cover (hard-cover only). Use rings to fill it with old Christmas cards or photos of family.
71. Write your family history. For a gift that is priceless (but costs very little), enlist your family members to write a family history. Pick a topic (family vacations?), and ask each family member to write about it. Ask the patriarch and matriarch of the family to contribute their life histories.
One person plays “editor,” collecting the stories, and presenting them all together for Christmas. This gift costs nothing, unless you choose to make fancy copies or books. It does take a little time if you want to contribute quality. It will, however, carry a lasting value unmatched by any tangible gifts or even experiential gifts!
72. Family trivia game. Make up a family trivia game with questions that help start conversations or help others remember special events with family members. The gift part of this? Deeper relationships, fun, and you could even hand out monetary prizes!
73. Memory Jar. For an extra thoughtful gift that costs almost nothing, create a memory jar. Start now by contacting friends and family members and asking them to send memories and old pictures of the person who will receive your memory jar. Write one memory (or printed one picture) on each of 365 business card sized pieces of cardstock. Fold each in half and secure with a bit of tape, then place them all in a big, decorated jar. Every morning for the next year, the recipient can take out a card, open it, and see what other people cherished in him or her.
74. Framed sentiments. For the word lover on your list, make framed dictionary words. Using a heart punch, cut words out of an old dictionary that describe your loved one (thoughtful, kind, spontaneous?) and frame the words.
75. Memory Pillows. Even if you have very basic sewing skills, you have the ability to make a memory pillow for someone on your list. If you have a loved one (or one of your friend’s has a loved one) who has recently passed away, get one of their old shirts and create a memory pillow out it.
76. Frame family recipes. Does your grandmother have a box of faded, old recipes that have been in the family for a few decades? For a sentimental gift, frame them and give them as gifts to other family members.
77. Personalized calendars. Family dates, such as, birthdays and anniversaries, are hard to keep track of, especially as families grow. You can make personalized calendars online by adding special dates and pictures of family members. Or you can buy calendar blanks or use a template from a program.
78. Family cookbook. This is a good gift for a big family. Get everyone together for a recipe day. You could even include some time to make the recipes! Then print and bind the recipes. (You can do this at an office supply store, for example, or use a 3-ring binder to easily add recipes later.)
Fun and Thoughtful Gifts by Kids/for Kids
79. Art binder. If you have children who love to draw or color pictures, you probably ran out of refrigerator real estate months ago. What about giving a child an old binder that you have decorated with special paper or stickers and filled with plastic page protectors? That way, they can save any artwork in one place.
80. Letter art. Buy the first letter of your child’s name at a craft store. Personalize it with fabric or paint it yourself, or let your children personalize letters for their siblings.
81. Fancy notebook. Take a regular composition notebook and glue special paper on the cover. Then add stickers, washi tape, and any other fun stuff you have that you like.
82. Help your child (or anyone) open an online savings account. Planting a little bit of cash in a savings account now can yield a lot of fruit in the future — not to mention the ongoing opportunity to teach someone about the benefits of saving.
83. Photo storybook. Sites like Shutterfly and Snapfish often run good deals on their photo books. The child could take their own pictures, you could help upload them to the site, and they could write a few sentences per page. Presto! They have a book they can keep about a special vacation or memory! The gift could be paying for the photo storybook or the child can make the book to be given to someone else.
84. Felt food toy. Buy different colors of sheets of felt. Cut objects out of felt (lettuce, hamburger, bun, tomato slice, for instance) and let the child put them together to make a hamburger or a slice of pizza. Give these as gifts to young children that are learning about food preparation.
85. Homemade bubble mix. Kids are attracted to dirt: making mud pies, playing in sandboxes, and getting grass stains. And that’s all good. But when your washing machine needs a break, how about some clean homemade bubbles?
Simple recipes abound online. For most recipes, you’ll need water (4 ½ c.), liquid dish soap (1/2 c.), and vegetable glycerin (4 T.). Mix gently. When kids give these as gifts to their friends, there is instant delight (and hours of fun)!
86. Homemade beanbags. These toys are easy to make. Get some scraps of cotton material, sew together, and fill with dried beans. Children enjoy selecting the fabric, filling the beanbags, and making up games to play with them.
87. Homemade playdoh. Combine 1 c. flour, 1 T. vegetable oil, 1 c. water, ½ c. salt, 2 t. cream of tartar in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. When mixture forms into a ball, turn off the heat and knead with hands (when cool). If desired, add a few drops of food coloring. Store in an airtight container and let your children give them as gifts to their friends and younger siblings.
88. Homemade sidewalk chalk. This gift is easy to make. Mix 1 c. of Plaster of Paris to ¾ c. of water. Add in the desired amount of powdered tempera paint. If you have molds, use those to make fun shapes. If not, you can make your own molds out of toilet paper tubes, duct tape, and wax paper.
89. Muffin tin crayons. Did your child come home with lots of broken, paperless crayons when school was over for the summer? Before tossing them, use them to make muffin tin crayons. You can make these crayons all one color or camouflage. Just use your imagination! You can place them in a muffin tin and bake at 250 degrees for about 10-20 minutes, or until the top layer has melted.
90. Memory games. Make your own memory game cardboard boxes that you save (from cereal boxes, perhaps?) and glue paper on top. If you have some artistic ability, you can draw animals or food objects (just make sure there are two of each!) or you can search online for templates. Cut squares as large as you prefer. Color the pictures, if needed.
91. Geoboards. Have a child who needs to learn letters or shapes? Make them a geoboard! You can make this as fancy as you want to, but first, start off with a rectangle of scrap wood (or you can purchase this at a craft store). If you don’t feel like measuring out where each peg will go, you can put a piece of graph paper over the wood. Decide how close you want the pegs to be. Your pegs can be push pins or small nails (although nails could be painful) and you’ll hammer these in according to the pattern you have determined. Give these with a package of rubber bands for immediate play!
92. Toddler busy book. (Parents of toddlers may enjoy this gift more than the toddler.) A toddler busy book (or quiet book) is a book that you can customize with different activities. One method is using a 3-ring binder and heavy paper. On one page, you could glue objects of different textures (cotton balls, sandpaper, aluminum foil, etc.). A different page may have shapes made out of foam or felt glued to the page, with the same shapes NOT glued to the page. The child then has to match the loose shapes to the glued shapes. If you have sewing skills, you can sew a book out and use felt, Velcro, and other materials.
93. Sensory bin/basket. Creating a sensory bin/basket may be as simple as packaging up some rice or dried beans, along with the child’s own set of measuring cups or measuring spoons. But check out Pinterest for other ideas.
94. Bathtub crayons. Playing with anything in the bathtub is good fun because it washes away easily! To try these crayons for bath time: Mix 1 c. grated Ivory soap, ¼ c. warm water, and food coloring together until the mixture begins to stiffen. Then, knead until mixture resembles very thick dough. Spoon mixture into cookie cutters, then place the cookie cutters into the freezer for about 10 minutes. Pop the crayons out of the cookie cutters and allow to dry overnight.
95. Salt dough ornaments. To make salt dough ornaments, mix 2 c. flour and 1 c. salt. Add 1 c. water, a little bit at a time. Once all the water is added, knead up to 10 minutes, or until dough is smooth. Press your baby’s hand or foot into the dough (another suggestion is to take an impression of your first apartment key) or anything else that would be precious to your gift recipient. Before baking, make a hole in the ornament with which to hang it. Then, bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes.
96. Dime store games. Create one of several dime-store games, such as, you could tightly connect a few wooden blocks and glue a picture on top. Use a utility knife to cut between the blocks. You have a puzzle!
And a Partridge in a Pear Tree
Then, there are the budget Christmas gifts that just don’t fit in any of the other categories — but they just might be a good fit for someone on your list!
97. Experiences. Give the gift of a new experience. Sample gifts of experience: skydiving, scuba lessons, hot-air balloon rides, cooking school, lunch with a hero, etc.
98. Ha-ha gifts. Make your own joke presents. Use your imagination, but here are a couple of ideas to get you started. Wrap up a pack of batteries and a note that says “Gift not included.” Glue two pieces of corn to a small piece of scrap wood with the words “two-piece chicken dinner.”
99. DIY-themed baskets (or bags). We mentioned food gift baskets already, but don’t overlook other types of gift baskets. Your child’s teacher may appreciate a gift basket full of paper supplies like napkins, cups, and plates for snacks and classroom parties. Another teacher idea is to give an office supply gift basket. A husband, father, son, or other family members might like a tool-themed gift basket. A wife, mother, daughter, sister, or aunt might appreciate a pajama-themed basket with soft slippers, romantic comedy, and an assortment of teas.
Having an incredible Christmas doesn’t mean a lot of stress or a lot of money — but you do need to plan ahead. I hope this resource will help make your December a bit more relaxed, a lot less expensive, and still meaningful too.
Do you make budget Christmas gifts? What’s your favorite gift to make and give? How early do you start in order to decrease your stress levels?
Photo credits: Homemade Christmas cards by Patterson Williams. Pinecone scene and pinecones by Lisa Aberle. Christmas stocking by Linda Vergon.
If you’ve watched a Cleveland Guardians baseball game lately, you may have noticed a big sign for “Union Home Mortgage” out in center field.
That’s because UHM is the official mortgage partner of the Guardians, along with the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) organization.
They also recently partnered with former Cleveland Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar for some commercials, and are now the title sponsor of the Cleveland Marathon.
So it’s clear they’re big sports fans and proud to call Northeast Ohio home.
The company’s headquarters also aren’t too far away from two other major players in the mortgage industry, Quicken Loans and United Wholesale Mortgage.
Like those two heavy-hitters, Union Home calls itself a “high-growth” company and has plans to keep building out its campus and expanding.
Let’s learn more about them.
Union Home Mortgage Fast Facts
A retail mortgage lender based out of Strongsville, Ohio
Founded in 1970, led by former MBA chairman Bill Cosgrove
Licensed in 44 states and the District of Columbia
More than 150 branch locations and nearly 1,400 Partners nationwide
22% of total loan volume comes from the state of Ohio
Funded more than $12 billion in home loans during 2021
Union Home Mortgage, or UHM for short, is a direct-to-consumer retail lender based in Strongsville, Ohio.
That means you can call them up or visit a branch to get a mortgage, or simply surf over to their website to get started.
They are an approved direct lender for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the FHA, USDA, and VA, and also operate a wholesale lending division for mortgage brokers.
The company funded roughly $4 billion via the retail channel in 2019, and more than $12 billion in 2021.
The Buckeye State is where they happen to do most of their mortgage lending, with roughly a quarter of overall loan volume coming out of Ohio.
But they don’t just originate mortgages in Ohio – they’re licensed in 44 states nationwide and the District of Columbia.
They do quite a bit of lending in nearby Michigan, along with Indiana, Pennsylvania, and even far-away Arizona.
And they’re the new title sponsor of the Gasparilla Bowl, which is played down in Tampa, Florida, so they’re probably looking to grow in the Sunshine State as well.
Recently, their loan servicing portfolio surpassed the $10 billion mark, and they now service loans for more than 60,000 families nationwide.
How to Get a Loan with Union Home Mortgage
You can apply online, by phone, in person, or via mobile
They offer a digital mortgage application powered by Ellie Mae
Borrowers can scan and upload documents via the smartphone app
And receive status updates as their loan progresses to the finish line
As noted, you can call them up over the phone, visit their website, or go to a brick-and-mortar branch if doing business in person is your thing.
If you choose to go the online route, you’ll first need to fill out a very brief form to get matched with a loan officer (assuming you haven’t already been referred or know who you want to work with).
Once you complete that quick step, you get the option to begin the loan application process without any human interaction. Or you can wait for a loan officer to call/email you.
Those who already know who they want to work with can use the loan officer directory on the company’s website by clicking on “Find a Branch.” Simply enter their name and you’ll be directed to their personal webpage.
From there, you can see which states they’re licensed to do business in, get their contact information, apply for a loan, or check loan status.
UHM offers a digital mortgage app powered by Ellie Mae that lets you complete just about everything online.
Additionally, they offer a free smartphone app that allows you to securely scan and upload documents, message your loan officer instantly, and receive status updates as your loan moves along.
Build Your Payment Program
In March 2023, Union Home Mortgage launched the “Build Your Payment Program,” which they refer to as a “new way for homebuyers to create a mortgage built around their budget.”
It’s not totally clear what that entails, but the company said customers work one-on-one with a dedicated mortgage expert “to craft an ideal monthly payment.”
These loan officers then present the best options based on each customer’s unique circumstances, presumably a type of loan, or a certain loan amount.
The main goal is to make the home loan process simple, while keeping the focus on monthly payments that align with home buyer budgets.
This is especially important as costs increase across the country thanks to pesky inflation.
Loan Types Offered by Union Home Mortgage
Home purchase loans
Refinance loans: rate and term and cash out
Home renovation loans
New construction home loans
Conventional loans backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
Government loans backed by the FHA, USDA, and VA
Non-conforming loans: jumbo and non-QM
Union Home Mortgage offers both home purchase loans and refinance loans, along with renovation loans like the FHA 203k loan and new construction home loans.
You can get financing on a primary residence, second home, or investment property, whether it’s a single-family home or condo/townhouse.
Union Home Mortgage offers conventional financing backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, along with government-backed home loans from the FHA, USDA, and VA.
It’s also possible to get a jumbo home loan or a non-conforming loan thank to their non-QM offerings.
Those looking for new home construction financing can choose from conventional, FHA, and VA options.
And they offer both fixed-rate mortgages and adjustable-rate mortgages in various terms to suit all borrowers.
Union Home Mortgage Rates
One slight negative is that Union Home Mortgage does not advertise its mortgage rates, unlike some other mortgage lenders.
While you can chalk it up to the questionable usefulness of advertised rates, I do give lenders bonus points for transparency when they take the time to list their rates on their website.
Additionally, Union Home Mortgage doesn’t list their lender fees on their website, so it’s unclear what they charge, e.g. a loan origination fee, underwriting and processing fees, and so on.
As such, be sure to shop your home loan with other lenders to see where they stand pricing-wise. While price isn’t everything, it’s certainly important.
Union Home Mortgage Reviews
On Zillow, Union Home Mortgage has a 4.89-star rating out of 5, based on more than 700 customer reviews.
Many of the reviews indicate the interest rate that was lower than expected, while some also say closing costs were lower than anticipated.
Zillow allows you to drill down and look at the reviews of individual loan officers, helpful if you want to handpick who to work with beforehand.
On LendingTree, they’ve got a 4.8-star rating out of 5, based on more than 300 reviews. Some 95% of customers recommend working with Union Home Mortgage.
Lastly, they aren’t an accredited business with the Better Business Bureau and they’ve got a questionable C+ rating with the BBB.
Per the BBB, their rating is low because they failed to respond to one complaint filed against them. So it may have been an oversight or a one-off, but it’s something to take note of.
Union Home Mortgage Pros and Cons
The Good
Can apply for a mortgage online or in-branch
Offer lots of different loan programs
Customers can use the free UHM smartphone app
Excellent customer reviews
Free mortgage calculators on site
More than 150 branch locations located nationwide
They service their own loans
The Maybe Not Good
Need to fill out a contact form before applying for a loan unless you use the loan officer directory
Not licensed to do business in Alaska, Hawaii, New York, North Dakota or South Dakota
If you’ve watched a Cleveland Guardians baseball game lately, you may have noticed a big sign for “Union Home Mortgage” out in center field.
That’s because UHM is the official mortgage partner of the Guardians, along with the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) organization.
They also recently partnered with former Cleveland Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar for some commercials, and are now the title sponsor of the Cleveland Marathon.
So it’s clear they’re big sports fans and proud to call Northeast Ohio home.
The company’s headquarters also aren’t too far away from two other major players in the mortgage industry, Quicken Loans and United Wholesale Mortgage.
Like those two heavy-hitters, Union Home calls itself a “high-growth” company and has plans to keep building out its campus and expanding.
Let’s learn more about them.
Union Home Mortgage Fast Facts
A retail mortgage lender based out of Strongsville, Ohio
Founded in 1970, led by former MBA chairman Bill Cosgrove
Licensed in 44 states and the District of Columbia
More than 150 branch locations and nearly 1,400 Partners nationwide
22% of total loan volume comes from the state of Ohio
Funded more than $12 billion in home loans during 2021
Union Home Mortgage, or UHM for short, is a direct-to-consumer retail lender based in Strongsville, Ohio.
That means you can call them up or visit a branch to get a mortgage, or simply surf over to their website to get started.
They are an approved direct lender for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the FHA, USDA, and VA, and also operate a wholesale lending division for mortgage brokers.
The company funded roughly $4 billion via the retail channel in 2019, and more than $12 billion in 2021.
The Buckeye State is where they happen to do most of their mortgage lending, with roughly a quarter of overall loan volume coming out of Ohio.
But they don’t just originate mortgages in Ohio – they’re licensed in 44 states nationwide and the District of Columbia.
They do quite a bit of lending in nearby Michigan, along with Indiana, Pennsylvania, and even far-away Arizona.
And they’re the new title sponsor of the Gasparilla Bowl, which is played down in Tampa, Florida, so they’re probably looking to grow in the Sunshine State as well.
Recently, their loan servicing portfolio surpassed the $10 billion mark, and they now service loans for more than 60,000 families nationwide.
How to Get a Loan with Union Home Mortgage
You can apply online, by phone, in person, or via mobile
They offer a digital mortgage application powered by Ellie Mae
Borrowers can scan and upload documents via the smartphone app
And receive status updates as their loan progresses to the finish line
As noted, you can call them up over the phone, visit their website, or go to a brick-and-mortar branch if doing business in person is your thing.
If you choose to go the online route, you’ll first need to fill out a very brief form to get matched with a loan officer (assuming you haven’t already been referred or know who you want to work with).
Once you complete that quick step, you get the option to begin the loan application process without any human interaction. Or you can wait for a loan officer to call/email you.
Those who already know who they want to work with can use the loan officer directory on the company’s website by clicking on “Find a Branch.” Simply enter their name and you’ll be directed to their personal webpage.
From there, you can see which states they’re licensed to do business in, get their contact information, apply for a loan, or check loan status.
UHM offers a digital mortgage app powered by Ellie Mae that lets you complete just about everything online.
Additionally, they offer a free smartphone app that allows you to securely scan and upload documents, message your loan officer instantly, and receive status updates as your loan moves along.
Build Your Payment Program
In March 2023, Union Home Mortgage launched the “Build Your Payment Program,” which they refer to as a “new way for homebuyers to create a mortgage built around their budget.”
It’s not totally clear what that entails, but the company said customers work one-on-one with a dedicated mortgage expert “to craft an ideal monthly payment.”
These loan officers then present the best options based on each customer’s unique circumstances, presumably a type of loan, or a certain loan amount.
The main goal is to make the home loan process simple, while keeping the focus on monthly payments that align with home buyer budgets.
This is especially important as costs increase across the country thanks to pesky inflation.
Loan Types Offered by Union Home Mortgage
Home purchase loans
Refinance loans: rate and term and cash out
Home renovation loans
New construction home loans
Conventional loans backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
Government loans backed by the FHA, USDA, and VA
Non-conforming loans: jumbo and non-QM
Union Home Mortgage offers both home purchase loans and refinance loans, along with renovation loans like the FHA 203k loan and new construction home loans.
You can get financing on a primary residence, second home, or investment property, whether it’s a single-family home or condo/townhouse.
Union Home Mortgage offers conventional financing backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, along with government-backed home loans from the FHA, USDA, and VA.
It’s also possible to get a jumbo home loan or a non-conforming loan thank to their non-QM offerings.
Those looking for new home construction financing can choose from conventional, FHA, and VA options.
And they offer both fixed-rate mortgages and adjustable-rate mortgages in various terms to suit all borrowers.
Union Home Mortgage Rates
One slight negative is that Union Home Mortgage does not advertise its mortgage rates, unlike some other mortgage lenders.
While you can chalk it up to the questionable usefulness of advertised rates, I do give lenders bonus points for transparency when they take the time to list their rates on their website.
Additionally, Union Home Mortgage doesn’t list their lender fees on their website, so it’s unclear what they charge, e.g. a loan origination fee, underwriting and processing fees, and so on.
As such, be sure to shop your home loan with other lenders to see where they stand pricing-wise. While price isn’t everything, it’s certainly important.
Union Home Mortgage Reviews
On Zillow, Union Home Mortgage has a 4.89-star rating out of 5, based on more than 700 customer reviews.
Many of the reviews indicate the interest rate that was lower than expected, while some also say closing costs were lower than anticipated.
Zillow allows you to drill down and look at the reviews of individual loan officers, helpful if you want to handpick who to work with beforehand.
On LendingTree, they’ve got a 4.8-star rating out of 5, based on more than 300 reviews. Some 95% of customers recommend working with Union Home Mortgage.
Lastly, they aren’t an accredited business with the Better Business Bureau and they’ve got a questionable C+ rating with the BBB.
Per the BBB, their rating is low because they failed to respond to one complaint filed against them. So it may have been an oversight or a one-off, but it’s something to take note of.
Union Home Mortgage Pros and Cons
The Good
Can apply for a mortgage online or in-branch
Offer lots of different loan programs
Customers can use the free UHM smartphone app
Excellent customer reviews
Free mortgage calculators on site
More than 150 branch locations located nationwide
They service their own loans
The Maybe Not Good
Need to fill out a contact form before applying for a loan unless you use the loan officer directory
Not licensed to do business in Alaska, Hawaii, New York, North Dakota or South Dakota
Inside: Looking for fun things to do with friends? Look no further! This guide has 101 fun activities for you and your friends to enjoy. From painting parties to bowling nights, there’s something for everyone.
Do you ever feel like you’re in a rut, doing the same things with your friends all the time?
If you’re looking for some new ideas for fun things to do with friends, look no further!
We’ve compiled a list of fun activities for friends to do so you can find something that fits your mood.
Whether you want to get active and try something new, or stay in and relax together, we’ve got you covered.
So round up your besties and get ready for some fun!
Why spending time with friends is important
Spending time with friends is an essential aspect of human life. It provides us with an opportunity to bond, socialize, and create lasting memories.
The benefits of spending time with friends are numerous, and they range from improving our social skills to reducing stress levels.
By participating in activities that allow us to spend quality time with our friends, we will have better overall mental health.
What should friends do for fun?
There is no one answer to this question, as friends can have different interests and preferences.
However, some fun activities that friends could do together include going to the movies, playing sports, going out to eat, or attending a concert.
That is why we will cover so many various ideas for you and your friends!
The fun things to Do with Friends
We all know the importance of having friends in our lives. They are the people we rely on and confide in. They make us laugh, help us when we’re down, and are always there for us.
If you are wondering what should I do today, then we have you covered.
So, it’s important to have plenty of fun things to do with friends as well.
1. Go on a Scavenger Hunt
Scavenger hunts are a popular group activity that can be enjoyed by friends of all ages.
Planning and executing a scavenger hunt with friends can be a fun and engaging way to spend time together.
To get started, choose a location that offers a variety of interesting sights and sounds.
Next, create a list of items to find, such as a red bicycle or a funny sign.
Divide into teams and set a time limit for the hunt.
Use a special hashtag and have each team post a pic every time an item is found.
Nowadays, you can even buy a scavenger hunt kit to make it easier!
2. Play Board Games
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Board games are a great way for friends to have fun and connect with each other.
Some popular board games include Scrabble, Chess, and Monopoly, but there are many other options to choose from. Card games like poker and blackjack are also great choices. Party games like Charades and Apples to Apples can bring a lot of laughter and enjoyment.
Board games provide an opportunity for friends to engage in friendly competition, improve their strategic thinking and social skills, and have a great time together.
So, gather your friends, choose one of the best-selling board games, and let the fun begin!
3. Explore street food
Exploring street food with friends is an exciting way to satisfy your taste buds while spending quality time with your loved ones. From food trucks to pop-up stands, there are plenty of options to choose from.
Here are three street food examples that are worth finding:
Tacos: Bite into the crispy shell and savor the juicy meat, fresh salsa, and creamy guacamole. Tacos are the perfect combination of flavors and textures that will leave you craving more.
Gyros: Sink your teeth into the warm pita bread and taste the tender slices of meat, crunchy vegetables, and tangy tzatziki sauce. Gyros are a delicious Greek dish that will transport you to the Mediterranean with every bite.
Bao buns: Savor the fluffy steamed bun filled with savory meat, pickled vegetables, and sweet sauce. Bao buns are a popular street food item in Asia that will tantalize your taste buds with their unique flavors and textures.
Exploring street food with friends is an adventure that will take you on a gastronomic journey around the world. You can try new dishes, share your opinions, and bond over your love of food.
The joy of exploring street food with friends lies in discovering hidden gems, trying something new, and creating memories that will last a lifetime.
4. Get Messy with a Color Run
Participating in a color run is a unique and exciting way to stay fit while having fun with your friends.
This 5K run involves getting covered in colored powder while running through different stations. It’s a great way to stay active and create some memorable photos with your friends.
Plus, you get to support a good cause since many color runs are organized as charity events.
5. Watch a Movie Marathon
A movie marathon with friends is a fun way to bond and enjoy each other’s company. They provide a fun and relaxing environment to enjoy each other’s company and appreciate great films.
To plan and execute a successful movie marathon, follow these steps:
Choose a theme or movie series: Decide on a theme or movie series that everyone will enjoy. This could be a specific genre, actor, or movie franchise like “Harry Potter” or “Star Wars.” Or just pick a variety of old classics and new favorites.
Prepare snacks and refreshments: Popcorn, pizza, and soda are classic movie snacks, but feel free to get creative with your choices. You could even have a potluck and have everyone bring their favorite snack to share.
Arrange the viewing space: Make sure the viewing space is comfortable and has enough seating for everyone. Consider using blankets and pillows to create a cozy atmosphere.
So, grab some popcorn and gather your friends for a movie marathon that you’ll never forget!
The best movies can be found on Paramount Plus!
6. See What Festivals Are in Town
Attending festivals with friends can be a fun and unique activity to break up your routine. There are many different types of festivals to choose from, including food, music, art, and film festivals.
Additionally, there are usually free local events like food festivals, music festivals, farmers’ markets, and intercultural events.
Planning ahead and checking the festival schedule is important to ensure that all friends can attend. So why not gather your friends and try attending a festival together?
7. Hike
Hiking is a fantastic way to stay active and enjoy the great outdoors with friends.
Not only does it provide a great workout, but it also offers the opportunity to bond with your crew while surrounded by natural beauty.
You can even plan on these fantastic hiking trails for beginners or more experienced hikers:
In California, Big Basin Redwoods State Park offers a variety of trails ranging from easy to challenging, with the highlight being the 11-mile Skyline to the Sea Trail.
In Colorado, the Mount Falcon Park Trail offers stunning views of the Rocky Mountains and is a moderate 3.6-mile hike.
For those on the East Coast, the Franconia Ridge Trail in New Hampshire is a challenging yet rewarding 8.9-mile hike with breathtaking views of the White Mountains.
Remember to dress appropriately for the weather and terrain, wear sturdy hiking boots, carry plenty of water, and pack snacks to keep your energy levels up.
8. Go for a short road trip
Planning a road trip with friends can be a bonding experience, from working together on a collaborative Spotify playlist or burning some old-fashioned mixtapes to listen to on the road to stocking up on snacks and booking an Airbnb.
Going for a short road trip with friends is an excellent way to take a break from the daily grind and explore new places. It is also a reason to escape life’s hustles and bustles.
A spontaneous road trip might turn out to be a trip to remember as you explore unknown routes, stop at scenic spots, and try the local cuisine.
9. Host a Vision Board Party
A vision board is a visual representation of your goals and aspirations for the future.
Making a dream board with friends can be a fun and inspiring activity that promotes deeper social connections while helping you achieve your dreams.
It’s a crafting and manifesting activity that can help you visualize your dreams and work towards them with the support of your friends.
Learn how to host a successful vision board party.
10. Make Smoothies Together
Making smoothies with friends is a fun and healthy activity that promotes bonding and trying out new recipes.
You will need fresh or frozen fruits, such as bananas, strawberries, or blueberries, a liquid base like almond milk or coconut water, and optional add-ins like spinach, chia seeds, or protein powder to make smoothies.
Personally, I have found the Vitamix to blend the perfect smoothie!
11. Have a Karaoke Night
Karaoke is a great way to build confidence and create lasting memories with friends, so don’t be afraid to let loose and have a good time!
To host a successful karaoke night, start by choosing a venue such as a karaoke bar or setting up a karaoke machine at home.
Provide drinks and snacks to keep energy levels high and make sure to take plenty of photos and videos to capture the fun.
12. Have a Potluck Dinner
Having a potluck dinner with friends is a fun and affordable way to spend time together while enjoying delicious food.
To organize a successful potluck, consider the following tips:
Set a date and theme: Choose a date that works for everyone and select a theme to make the potluck more exciting. Some ideas for themes include Italian food, comfort food, or secret family recipes.
Assign dishes: Encourage everyone to bring a dish to share, and assign specific types of dishes to avoid duplicates. For example, one person can bring an appetizer, another a main course, and another a dessert.
Communicate and coordinate: Make sure everyone knows what they’re bringing and communicate any dietary restrictions or allergies. Coordinate with each other to ensure a good variety of dishes and avoid too many of the same thing.
A potluck is a great way to try new foods and bond over shared experiences. It’s also a money-saver and takes the pressure off one single host.
13. Skateboard/Roller-skate
Skateboarding and roller-skating are not only fun but also great ways to build friendships and community.
There are numerous activities that can be done while skateboarding or roller-skating with friends like:
Trying out tricks and stunts with friends can be a great way to learn and improve your skills.
Racing with friends can add an element of competition and excitement to the activity.
Obstacle courses can also be set up to test your agility and coordination.
Freestyle sessions can allow for creativity and self-expression.
Doing these activities with friends can provide support, encouragement, and a sense of camaraderie.
14. Have a DIY spa day
Spa days with friends are a fantastic way to bond, relax and practice self-care. It offers a break from the stress of daily life and provides opportunities for quality time together.
Moreover, hosting a spa day at home is a more affordable alternative to going to an actual spa.
You can confer with your BFF and figure out what kind of spa treatments both of you are in the mood for. For example, you can apply face masks, give each other manicures, or soak your feet in bath salts.
If you have the funds, you could even book a couple of treatments at a real spa and make it a real spa day! Regardless of where you have it, having a spa day with friends is an excellent way to relax, rejuvenate, and bond with friends.
15. Have a Craft Night
You don’t have to be crafty to enjoy craft night!
To have a successful craft night, start by choosing a craft that everyone is interested in and gather all the necessary supplies. A few craft ideas that are perfect for a craft night include making jewelry, painting, scrapbooking, or even DIY home decor.
Once you have everything set up, encourage everyone to let their creativity flow and enjoy the process of making something together.
Make sure to create a comfortable atmosphere by providing plenty of space to work and snacks to munch on.
16. Blow Bubbles
Roll by the time calendar and remember how much fun blowing bubbles was!
Blowing bubbles is a great way to spend a lazy afternoon or unwind after a long day.
You can go with the classic way of blowing bubbles or look into a bubble machine!
So, grab some bubble solution and wands and get ready for a fun and bubbly time with your friends!
17. Have a Water Balloon Fight
Water balloon fights are a fun activity to indulge in during the scorching heat of summer.
To make the water balloon fight even more enjoyable, you can incorporate team play or set up a tournament bracket. This will add a competitive element to the game and make it more exciting.
Regardless, having a water balloon fight with friends is a great way to beat the heat and have fun.
18. Plant a Garden
Gardening with friends is a rewarding activity that allows you to connect with nature and each other.
Plus it can also provide a sense of accomplishment and a source of fresh produce.
You can choose to plant a garden in someone’s backyard or join a local CSA.
Also, this is a continuous way to get together!
19. Spend Time in Nature
Spending time in nature with friends is a great way to relax, recharge and create lasting memories.
There are a variety of activities that friends can engage in while spending time in nature such as hiking, camping, picnicking, rock climbing, paddleboarding, and gardening.
Personally, know that spending time in nature with friends can be a refreshing and rewarding experience that allows friends to bond and enjoy the great outdoors together.
20. Sign up for a Recreational Sport
Signing up for a recreational sport is a great way to spend time with friends while staying active. There are many sports that are suitable for recreational leagues and can be played with friends, such as soccer, basketball, volleyball, and ultimate frisbee.
Playing team sports has many benefits, including building camaraderie, improving communication, and developing a sense of teamwork.
Costs associated with joining a league can vary, but many leagues have affordable fees.
21. Go Kayaking
Kayaking is a fantastic outdoor activity that is gaining popularity among friends who want to bond and have fun at the same time. It provides a great opportunity to explore new waterways, race each other, play games, fish, and take breaks to swim.
While kayaking, you and your friends can discover new places and enjoy the serenity of nature, which will help you to relax and forget about your daily worries.
Also, you have to work on your communication with each other while kayaking.
22. Cook Together
Cooking with friends can be a fun and rewarding activity that helps build strong bonds.
This is one of my favorite ways to spend time with friends. You can spend hours and never actually make anything edible and it doesn’t matter! Or you can create something absolutely delicious!
23. Join a Club
Joining a club with friends is a great way to try new things and meet new people.
There are many different types of clubs to choose from, including:
Book clubs
Hiking clubs
Cooking clubs
Bunco groups, and more.
Joining a club with friends not only provides an opportunity for shared experiences and new adventures but can also strengthen relationships by creating a common interest. Plus you meet on a regular schedule for spending time together.
24. Have a Painting Party
Painting artwork with friends can be a fun and fulfilling activity. Even better, plan to host a painting party with friends!
You hire someone with experience to help you out or you can watch a video on YouTube.
The best part is being able to exchange ideas and inspiration with each other to spark creativity!
25. Play Laser Tag
Playing laser tag with friends is a thrilling and exciting activity that is sure to get your adrenaline pumping.
This is always a must-do for most teens!
Playing laser tag with friends not only provides a fun and memorable experience, but it also helps build teamwork skills, promotes physical activity, and fosters friendly competition.
26. Go Birdwatching
Birdwatching is a relaxing and enjoyable activity that can be done with friends to appreciate the beauty of nature and learn about different bird species.
All you need to go birdwatching with friends is a simple guide to birds in your area, a pair of binoculars, bird seed, and a park or garden.
Birdwatching can enhance the bond between friends as they learn to identify different bird species and discover a new hobby together. It is a great opportunity to explore new trails, take pictures, and enjoy the scenic location.
27. Have a Marshmallow Fight
Marshmallow fights with friends are a fun and exciting activity that can help you forget your worries and bond with your friends.
You need a good laugh, right? This is exactly what you should participate in.
It’s a great way to relieve stress and enjoy some friendly competition with your friends.
So, grab some marshmallows, find a safe spot, and get ready for an unforgettable marshmallow fight with your friends!
Make sure to grab this indoor s’more kit!
28. Do Yoga
Yoga is a great way to improve flexibility, reduce stress, and promote overall well-being. Doing yoga in a class with friends or in a park can make the experience even more enjoyable and motivating.
Attending a yoga class with friends can be a fun and social way to exercise. You can encourage each other to push yourselves further and hold each other accountable for attendance. Additionally, practicing yoga in a group setting can help to create a sense of community and support, which can be beneficial for mental health.
Alternatively, practicing yoga in a park can be a great way to connect with nature and enjoy the fresh air and sunlight. You can bring your own mat or towel and find a quiet spot to practice. Practicing yoga outdoors can be a refreshing change of pace from the usual indoor studio setting.
29. Plan a Trip
Planning a trip with friends can be an exciting and bonding experience. It provides an opportunity to create unforgettable memories and explore new places with your closest friends.
However, it can also be expensive, so use this 100 envelope challenge to save for the trip.
Another way to save money is to be flexible with your travel dates.
Research your destination, create a budget, and be flexible with your travel dates to save money. With some dedication and effort, you and your friends can have the trip of a lifetime. Remember, the journey is just as important as the destination.
30. Explore a New Town
Exploring a new town with friends is an adventure that offers new opportunities to learn more about each other’s interests and create lasting memories. It allows you to discover new places, try local cuisine, and learn about the history and culture of the area.
When exploring a new town with friends, you can visit local landmarks such as museums, botanical gardens, and historical sites. You can also attend local events such as festivals, concerts, and fairs.
Don’t forget to try the local cuisine at restaurants and cafes.
31. Paint Pottery
Pottery painting is a popular activity to do with friends that allows you to unleash your creativity.
Thankfully, you can go to a business that provides all of the necessary supplies or you can purchase online.
Painting pottery can also be a relaxing and therapeutic activity that helps to reduce stress and anxiety.
32. Try a New Food
Let’s be honest… If it wasn’t for good friends, you may be missing out on different types of foods and cuisines.
Trying new foods with friends is an excellent way to break up your eating routine and have some fun while discovering new flavors.
So step out of your comfort zone and try something new – you never know what delicious dishes you might discover!
33. Visit a Farmer’s Market
Visiting a farmer’s market with friends is a fun and exciting way to spend a day outdoors. Not only does it support local businesses, but it also provides an opportunity to stock up on fresh fruits and vegetables.
Did you know the Palisade Farmer’s Market is one of the best in the country? I can attest to that; it was wonderful, especially during peach season.
There are many activities to enjoy at a farmer’s market with friends, here are my favorites:
Shopping for fresh produce: One of the main reasons to visit the farmer’s market is to stock up on fresh fruits and vegetables. You can compare prices, sample different varieties, and even learn new recipes from the vendors.
Trying free samples: Many vendors offer free samples of their products, from homemade jams to artisanal cheeses. This is a great way to taste new flavors and support local businesses.
Exploring local crafts: Along with food, many farmer’s markets also feature handmade crafts and artisanal products. You can browse jewelry, pottery, candles, and other unique items.
Eating street food: If you’re hungry, there are often food trucks and stalls selling everything from tacos to crepes. You can grab a bite to eat and enjoy it at one of the picnic tables or benches.
So why not gather your friends and head to a farmer’s market? You won’t regret it!
34. Compete with Minute-to-Win-It Games
This one is popular! Competing with Minute-to-Win-It games is a fun and easy way to spend time with friends while challenging each other’s skills.
To get started, gather a few household items and set a timer for one minute.
These games are not only a great way to have fun with friends, but they also improve hand-eye coordination and quick-thinking skills.
Plus this is a low-cost and entertaining way to bond with friends. Give them a try and see who comes out on top!
35. Host a DIY Escape Room
If you are looking for a cost-effective way to enjoy an escape room challenge with friends, setting up your own escape room at home is a great idea.
You can find free missions at Escape Team, and additional missions only cost a few dollars each.
Hosting a DIY escape room for your friends is an excellent way to challenge their problem-solving and teamwork skills in a fun and engaging way.
36. Join a Flash Mob
Joining a flash mob can be an exciting and memorable thing to do with your friends. Flash mobs are spontaneous gatherings of people who come together to perform a predetermined action, often in a public place.
Typically, flash mobs can range from dance performances to singing events and can involve people of all ages and backgrounds.
Participating in a flash mob can be a unique and fun experience that you and your friends can cross off your bucket list.
You can find local flash mob announcements by searching on Google or checking out websites that list flash mobs in your area.
37. Create a Time Capsule
Creating a time capsule with friends is an exciting and unique way to capture memories and special moments together. It allows you to reminisce about the past and look forward to opening the capsule in the future.
To create a time capsule, start by finding a sturdy waterproof container.
Next, gather items that are important to each of you, such as letters to your future self, photos, ticket stubs, and other mementos.
Add these items to the capsule and bury the capsule in a safe place, such as a backyard or a park.
Make a pact to open it up in a few years, say five or ten years or twenty years.
Cherishing memories with friends is important, and creating a time capsule is a fun and meaningful way to do just that.
38. Head to the Beach
Visiting the beach with friends is a great way to spend quality time together while enjoying the beauty of nature. There are many activities you can do with your friends at the beach, such as lounging under an umbrella, playing beach volleyball, building sandcastles, or having a picnic.
If you’re feeling more adventurous, you can go surfing, snorkeling, or take a walk along the shore. The possibilities are endless, and the memories you create with your friends will last a lifetime.
Whether you want to relax and unwind or have an action-packed day, the beach offers something for everyone.
39. Try an Art Class
Trying an art class with friends is a fun and fulfilling way to explore your creative side.
There are many places you can try painting or pottery! by going with a friend, it cuts out the scary risk of doing a creative project alone.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to create something beautiful with your friends! This is a great experience gift idea, too!
40. Go Bowling
Bowling is a fun and engaging activity to do with friends.
Not only is it a great way to get some exercise, but it also offers a variety of fun things to do while playing. From trying trick shots to competing for the highest score, bowling is a great way to bond with friends.
Bowling is a fun and engaging activity that everyone can enjoy, regardless of their skill level.
41. Use Guest Passes
Typically, when you belong to a gym, museum, or any other membership-based activity. They will offer free guest passes.
This is a great way to hang out with your friends while enjoying a new activity. Or showing your friend one of your hobbies.
42. Go Snowshoeing
Snowshoeing is a winter activity that involves walking on snow with specialized footwear. It is a fun and unique way to explore the outdoors with friends while enjoying the beauty of nature.
There are many snowshoeing trails and locations that friends can explore together.
Snowshoeing provides an opportunity to get exercise, enjoy the peacefulness of nature, and bond with friends.
43. Get Creative With Sidewalk Chalk
Regardless of age, sidewalk chalk is a fun activity to do with friends that can ignite your creativity and bring out your inner artist.
There are a variety of ways to get creative with sidewalk chalk.
You can draw a hopscotch board and challenge each other to see who can jump the longest.
Create a masterpiece by working together on a huge drawing and experimenting with different styles and themes.
Play a game of tic-tac-toe and enjoy some friendly competition.
You can even use sidewalk chalk to write positive messages or quotes to inspire each other.
Spending quality time with friends is important, and simple activities like using sidewalk chalk can create lasting memories.
44. Have a Cocktail Party
Overall, the goal of a cocktail party with friends is to have fun and create shared experiences that will be remembered for years to come.
The best cocktail parties are based on a theme that will set the tone for the evening. Then, select a variety of easy-to-make and crowd-pleasing cocktails that will impress your guests.
Dress up smartly, put on some music, and decorate your space to match the theme. Provide snacks such as finger foods, cheese platters, and charcuterie boards to accompany the drinks.
During the party, encourage guests to mingle and try each other’s cocktails, while sharing conversation and laughter.
45. Go to a Drive-in Movie
Drive-in movies are a unique and fun experience that makes for a great activity to do with friends.
However, drive-in movie theaters are harder and harder to find. So, you may have to plan ahead for a local showing.
Once you arrive, park your car and settle in for the movie, chatting and joking around with your friends as you watch.
46. Meditate
Meditating with friends can be a powerful way to connect and improve your mental and emotional well-being.
To get started, find a quiet spot in nature, set up a blanket, and close your eyes. Take in the natural sounds as you sit in silence together.
Alternatively, you can attend a group meditation or breathwork session or hold a moon circle.
The benefits of meditating with friends include reducing stress and anxiety, improving focus and concentration, and deepening your connection with others.
47. Have an Insta Photoshoot
One of the best things about having a photoshoot with friends is that it offers you the opportunity to create memories together.
You can make funny faces, strike silly poses, and capture the moment in a photograph. You can also dress up in costumes and enact your favorite movie scenes together, which is bound to create some beautiful memories.
Whether you are looking to be goofy or play model, a photoshoot is an excellent way to express yourself and have some fun. You don’t necessarily have to photograph people either! You can experiment with still-life photography, food photoshoots, or even take pictures of landscapes.
P.S. You will always see teens taking photoshoots around town.
48. Play charades or Pictionary
Playing charades or Pictionary with friends is indeed a fun way to build excitement and laughter within the group while also improving communication skills and teamwork.
These guessing games are perfect for group activities and can elicit lots of shouting and laughter as people try to guess the correct word or movie.
You can even form teams and start a tournament to make it more interesting. Alternatively, card games such as poker, blackjack, spoons, and rummy are also fun and cost nothing to play if you already have a deck of cards.
All of these games can help improve your strategic thinking and social skills while having a great time with friends.
49. Make videos together
Indeed, making videos with friends can be a fun and exciting activity that creates lasting memories. There are many different types of videos that can be made with friends, such as music videos, vlogs, or short films.
The research suggests that enacting favorite movie scenes with friends can uplift the atmosphere as well. Dressing the part, rehearsing together, and video shooting the entire set can create fun moments that are bound to create some beautiful memories.
Making videos with friends can strengthen friendships and develop new skills such as video production and editing. The key is to have fun with your best friends and enjoy the time spent together.
50. Start a Band
If you and your friends have instruments, getting together and making music can be a fantastic way to bond and express yourselves while also encouraging collaboration and teamwork.
Creating music together is an excellent opportunity to learn new skills and experiment with different musical styles.
Plus, it helps create unforgettable memories and offers new opportunities to learn.
51. Create a Photo Album
In our digital age, putting together a photo album is another fabulous activity that you can do with friends.
Asking each friend to contribute a few photos and putting them in a friendship photo album is an excellent way to keep your memories close and spend an afternoon with your best friends.
Plus you are creating something you can enjoy for years to come!
52. Have a pillow fight
Having a pillow fight with friends can be a hilarious bonding experience that will make you forget all your worries.
To get started, find a spacious room or outdoor area where you can safely swing your pillows without breaking anything. Before starting the fight, agree on some basic rules to ensure everyone’s safety, such as no hitting in the face or aiming for sensitive areas.
Once you’re ready, grab your pillow and let the feathers fly! Don’t forget to laugh, scream, and dodge as you try to land a hit on your friends.
53. Attend park concerts
Attending park concerts is one of the best fun things to do with friends.
Not only are they affordable or free of charge, but they also offer a great opportunity to relax and unwind with friends.
This is something to enjoy after long work weeks!
54. Start a Business
Starting a business with friends can be a great way to combine your passions and skills while also earning extra income.
However, before jumping into any business venture with friends, it’s important to consider the potential risks and challenges. It’s crucial to have a clear agreement and plan in place to avoid conflicts and misunderstandings in the future.
Another option is to research side hustles as a great way to earn extra income. There are numerous side hustle ideas that can be done with friends such as dog walking, pet sitting, house cleaning, and tutoring.
Learning how to make money online for beginners is a hot topic.
55. Play Tourist in Your Own Town
Playing tourist in your own town can be a great way to spend time with friends while discovering new sights and experiences. There’s no need to travel far when there are plenty of activities to do in your hometown.
To start, visit local landmarks such as museums, historical sites, or city parks. These places offer a glimpse into the history and culture of your town.
Try out new restaurants and cafes that you haven’t been to before. It’s a great opportunity to sample local cuisine and support small businesses.
Attending local events such as concerts, festivals, or farmer’s markets can also be a fun way to experience your town.
Exploring the outdoors by taking a hike, bike ride, or even a picnic in a nearby park can be a refreshing change of pace.
Playing tourist in your own town not only allows you to discover new places but also strengthens friendships by creating shared memories and experiences.
56. Play games via video call
Playing games with friends remotely is indeed a great way to stay connected despite the distance.
There are various options available for playing games online with friends, such as board games, card games, and online games like Fortnite or Minecraft. Additionally, apps like Words with Friends or Yahtzee with Buddies can also be used to play games with friends remotely.
If you prefer non-digital games, you could play games like “Would You Rather?” or “Truth or Dare?” on a video call.
Playing games with friends online is an excellent way to spend time together and maintain a strong connection, even when you can’t be together physically.
57. Go to a bonfire
Going to a bonfire with friends is a fun and memorable activity that allows for bonding through storytelling, laughter, and shared experiences. Honestly, I forgot how fun a bonfire was until I went last weekend!
A bonfire is an outdoor gathering around a fire, typically held on a crisp fall evening.
With the hot temperatures and risk of fires, I would plan to attend a bonfire put on by an organization with fire trucks readily available.
Ensure there are snacks and drinks, and follow safety precautions. Overall, a bonfire with friends is a great way to escape the monotony of life and create lasting memories.
58. Bake something delicious together
Baking with friends is indeed a fun and exciting activity that can bring people closer together. It provides an opportunity to bond and share a sweet treat afterward.
One can choose a recipe they would like to try, whether it’s an old standby or something brand new. A cake, a sweet fruit pie, or a few batches of favorite cookies are some of the options that one can bake and decorate.
Alternatively, holding a friendly bake-off is a good way to bond competitively with friends.
So, next time you’re looking for something fun to do with your friends, why not try baking together?
59. Go camping together
Camping with friends is an excellent way to bond and enjoy the outdoors while disconnecting from technology. It is a cheap and fun hobby that offers numerous benefits, including strengthening friendships.
Whether you choose to camp in a nearby park or your backyard, sharing stories around a campfire, cooking meals together, and exploring nature can be a healthy move for everyone to unwind.
Camping provides an opportunity to enjoy the serenity of nature away from the disruptions of city life. You can hitch a tent, make a bonfire, roast some marshmallows, and play games, which is sure to be an adventure away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
It is important to plan ahead, bring necessary supplies, and follow safety precautions to ensure a fun and safe camping experience.
60. Go Geocaching
One of our personal favorite activities.
Geocaching is a fun and exciting activity that involves using GPS to find hidden containers or “caches” outdoors. It’s like a real-life treasure hunt that can be enjoyed with friends.
To get started, one can download the official Geocaching app for free.
Geocaching can be a great way to explore new places in your local area with friends while having fun. With GPS coordinates, you can search for hidden treasures that are waiting to be discovered.
61. Go to A Local Coffee Shop
Going to a local coffee shop is a great way to spend quality time with friends. Aside from being a cliche, it is an easy thing to do and offers a comfortable environment to catch up with your friends.
You can order your favorite beverage and indulge in a little slice of cake while chatting about everything you have missed since you last spoke.
A coffee shop offers a cozy and relaxed atmosphere, which makes it a perfect spot to hang out with friends.
Going to a local coffee shop also supports small businesses in your community. It is also a great way to discover new cafes and coffee shops in your area, which can become your new favorite hangout spot.
62. Volunteer
Volunteering with friends is a great way to give back to the community while having fun with your pals.
There are various ways friends can volunteer together, such as helping out at a local animal shelter, sprucing up city landscaping, or serving meals at a soup kitchen.
Volunteering with friends strengthens relationships, gives back to the community, and is a fun way to do good.
These are the best ways to capture your bucket list and find ideas!
FAQ
There are a number of things you can do right now with friends. You can go for coffee, take a walk, or visit a museum. You could also consider doing something more active, such as going for a run or playing a sport.
Whatever you choose to do, make sure you enjoy it and spend time with your friends.
The important thing is to find something that you both enjoy so that you can have fun together.
You can watch a movie, play video games, go for a walk, listen to music, or even just sit and talk.
What Fun Places to Go with Friends Will You Choose?
These unique activities are just a few examples of the many fun things you can do with your friends.
Don’t be afraid to try something new and get creative! Who knows, you might just discover a new favorite activity.
A little short on cash? Don’t worry… here are 101 things to do with no money.
So, gather your friends and start planning your next adventure together.
And if you have any unique ideas of your own, be sure to share them in the comments below!
Know someone else that needs this, too? Then, please share!!
Wondering when the best time to buy a home is? And the worst time? Well, thanks to data science, we no longer have to guess whether it’s fall and winter, or spring and summer.
I’ll save you the suspense: the very best time to buy your dream home is late summer, namely August and September, this according to a new study from real estate listing website Zillow.
Apparently prospective home buyers will find the most home inventory and a greater number of price cuts during these temperature-hot months, giving them better odds of finding that perfect home.
This means it might be easier to negotiate prices and perhaps even snag a lower price if the property stays on the market for a prolonged period of time.
Inventory Remains a Problem
An inventory glut in late summer
Could be the perfect time to buy a home
Because home sellers will be getting desperate
And there might be fewer competing buyers at that time
As you probably know (if you’ve been house hunting), inventory is scarce. It’s slim pickings out there and hasn’t gotten any better, despite predictions telling us otherwise. They were wrong about mortgage rates going up too…
Overall, inventory is off 5.3% from a year ago, meaning you’ll have to buckle your seatbelt and prepare for another tough year if you’re in the market to buy a home, or getting ready to be. Real estate investing is also getting a lot less attractive, and not so easy.
Conversely, if you’re a seller, you don’t even have to clean your house, make the bed, or mow your lawn – it’s already sold!
Okay, maybe you should do those things to fetch a higher price, but the seemingly endless seller’s market persists.
However, there are some house hacks (pardon the awful, awful buzzword) to increase your chances of landing your dream home.
Zillow found out that in most major metros, the month of August featured more for-sale listings than any other month during the year.
For example, last year in Los Angeles there were about 8,000 more homes for sale in August than in April. The total number of homes for sale increased from 26,000 to 34,000, a major 31% increase.
The same trend was found in many other metros, from Detroit to San Francisco, though not all of them.
However, it wasn’t just inventory that improved. Competition also went down in late summer, so even if fewer homes were on the market, there were fewer buyers chasing them.
Conventional logic tells us that many would-be buyers want to get situated well before summer ends to ensure they can get their kids enrolled in the new school. They may also be taking family vacations during late summer.
It’s also just plain hot in some parts of the country, which might affect buyer traffic and seller motivation, regardless of market conditions.
Price Reductions Most Common in Late Summer
As time goes on and desperation grows
Home price reductions might become more prevalent
Which leads to opportunity
And the potential to negotiate even lower!
With more homes and fewer prospective buyers comes price reductions. After all, the business law of supply and demand will dictate a homes price, and if fewer people are chasing more homes, the sales price must down come.
Zillow discovered that 15.1% of active real estate listings had a price cut in August, significantly higher than the 12.8% of homes in April.
That increases your chances of finding a home on sale, assuming the starting points (listing price) were relatively similar. September was also a good month to find a deal, with 14.3% of homes on sale, so to speak.
Of course, this wasn’t the case everywhere, with cities like Ft. Lauderdale seeing pride reductions drop in the six months from March to September.
By the way, if you’re wondering when it’s the best time to sell a home, it’s supposedly early May, per Zillow, though Redfin argued winter was the best back in 2013. Of course, for a lot of buyers and sellers, the sale and purchase have to happen concurrently.
The Best Time to Buy a Home Is a Moving Target
Just remember that the perfect time to buy isn’t set in stone
Nor will it be the same in every market nationwide
It can change depending on what’s happening in the economy
And the local housing market in question
Like anything else, the best time to buy (or sell) is really dependent on a number of factors that can’t be summed up by one datapoint.
The old adage says real estate is local. Today, you can add hyper to the front of local. Real estate markets are different, plain and simple. One neighborhood might be cold with days on market creeping higher and higher while a nearby pocket or street is on fire, with bidding wars the norm.
That’s why things like median sales, census bureau data, nationwide home inventory, and what the Federal Reserve is doing might not matter all that much, if at all. Who cares what the median sales price is in Orange County if you live in LA?
There’s also the practicality of timing a buy, or even a home sale. Buying and selling isn’t only dictated by price. It’s usually driven by life events, which tend not to happen at the ideal time.
For home buyers, the process is a long one that isn’t just decided on one night. You can’t say, “Honey, we should buy a home this August.”
Or, “I will sell my house in April.” That might mean you need to buy a home in April too, which could be the worst time because everyone else is out house hunting too.
Nope, it takes lots of time and research, touring, open houses, ups and downs, close calls, and more to finally snag that right property, even if it happens to take place in the worst month.
Zillow even says the average buyer spends more than four months shopping for a home, and makes at least two offers along the way.
I feel like it’s pretty rare to make one offer on one home and have that be the end of the story. Sure, it may depend on the housing market (and the buyer), but nowadays it seems you have to strike out once or twice before getting a hit.
Sometimes that could be walking away during the home inspection period, while other times you might get outbid or be unwilling to offer more than someone else looking to buy.
Whatever the case, odds are good that the home buying process will take many, many months, if not years. So if you happen to buy in August or September, great! You may have found a property with a price cut. The same might be true even if it drags into the winter months.
But telling your significant other that it’s prudent to wait until later this year probably won’t fly. You’ll at least want to get the ball rolling as soon as possible.
On top of all this, there’s a good chance Zillow will tell us that the best time to buy is a different month after more data is analyzed next year. So it’s probably best to chalk this one up to interesting, but not words to live by.
Be Proactive to Get a Lower Price
Stay on top of your own finances
While tracking the real estate market
To ensure you get approved for a home loan
At the best possible price
A smarter move might be focusing on your finances to land a better mortgage rate, which can lower your homeowner costs at any price point.
For example, instead of worrying what month it is, or avoiding the worst months to buy, worry about your three credit scores. Make sure they’re all in tip-top shape to avoid unnecessary pricing adjustments on your home loan.
Also take the time to shop mortgage rates with different lenders instead of going to one bank, broker, or credit union. And compare loan programs.
These two steps alone can make a huge difference in what you pay each month to own your home, no matter the sales price at closing.
While you’re at it, choosing the right real estate agent is also key. Find one who knows the art of negotiating to ensure you get a good deal no matter what the month.
Some real estate agents are afraid to make lowball offers, while others are willing to take chances when they see opportunities. This is another factor to consider.
Along those same lines, it’s important to get pre-approved beforehand and show the sellers you’re a serious candidate.
It’s not unheard of to show them you’ve got assets available for a large down payment to get your offer accepted, even if there’s a slightly higher offer already submitted.
Lastly, make sure it’s a good time for you personally. Are you ready to become a homeowner? Is now the right time mentally and financially? Did you do your research, set aside funds for a down payment and closing costs, learn about mortgages, etc.?
Using these common-sense tips, you can get a good deal on a home during any month of the year, even in a red-hot market, and even when it’s supposedly the worst time to buy.
In just five years since college, I have experienced every living situation imaginable (read on for the list). Based upon my rental resume, one would think that once I found myself living alone, in a modest one bedroom, I would stay put. I didn’t.
Recently I made the difficult – but financially wise – decision to give up an apartment all by myself to move to a shared condo with a roommate. For the forfeited privacy, I will save $400 a month.
Sharing living space is never easy, but I think it is often most difficult when you are friends with (or in love with) your housemate(s). In fact, sometimes rooming with strangers makes a lot of sense. How do I know? Chalk it up to experience. Here’s a breakdown of where I’ve lived since college:
I rented a 10×12 room in New York City, across the street from a Harlem housing project, sharing the apartment with an immigrant single mother and her teenage son.
I lived back at home with my parents.
I lived with my girlfriend.
I rented a room in a home owned by a couple of guys my age.
I lived alone in a one bedroom apartment.
Now, I am back to living in a condo with a roommate (sometimes two, on the few days a month the owner is not traveling internationally).
When I was living with roommates previously, I couldn’t wait to have “a place of my own”.
Once I got that place, it was everything I had hoped for: peace and quiet 24 hours a day, and the freedom to cook, play the guitar, or have friends over whenever I pleased.
But, boy, did it cost me. It cost $1,000 a month, to be exact. Now, that rent included utilities – even cable and internet – and was a great deal for Eastern Massachusetts. But at the end of a year in that apartment, I realized I was paying for space I didn’t use, and didn’t need. Though I had achieved one goal of living alone, I was also deferring my other goal of owning a home, because every month of expensive rent was less I could put into the bank.
Between visiting friends, visiting my parents just fifteen minutes away, and traveling for business, I was hardly home. When I was home, I was usually sleeping. So I sucked up my pride, hit Craigslist, and amazingly found a perfect shared living situation just a mile from my old apartment (and my job – I got to keep my super-easy commute!)
In addition to having a bedroom and private bath on the 3rd floor of the condo, I had a great first impression of my roommate, which always helps. Two weeks in and we have hardly seen each other, which seems typical for busy professionals our age.
So far, I don’t miss living alone. I know sooner or later I will, but then I’ll just look at the $400 going into my bank account each month and all will be well.
Have you ever lived in a strange situation to save money? Or gone out on your own despite the expense? I’d love to know!
We at The Motley Fool have always been champions of the individual investor, encouraging each person to take control of her or his financial destiny. In theory, the transition of America’s retirement apparatus from defined-benefit plans — i.e., pensions that pay a monthly amount — to defined-contribution plans — such as 401(k)s and 403(b)s — is consistent with this Foolish philosophy. The individual makes all the contribution, investment, distribution, and inheritance decisions, whereas with a defined-benefit pension, the worker has very little control.
However, for the majority of Americans, the transition away from defined-benefit has not been to their benefit. It requires each person to become an investing expert and financial planner in their spare time, and too many Americans don’t seem to have the time, interest, inclination, or skills.
According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute, the average 401(k) account is a tad over $60,000; those within a decade of retirement have a bit more, with an average balance of $78,000, but more than a third have less than $25,000. Almost half of workers (43%) between the ages of 45 and 54 reported they weren’t saving anything for retirement.
Not that traditional defined-benefit pensions don’t have their own problems. Many are underfunded, and the benefits accrue mostly to workers who stay with the same employer for many years, which is less common in today’s mobile workplace. But it’s clear that 401(k)-based retirement planning will result in not much of a retirement for many workers.
We can chalk a good deal of this up to people not taking responsibility for their finances, but the problem also lies with the 401(k) system itself. Employees are stuck with the plan and the investments that have been chosen by the employer and/or HR department (who may be fine people, but not necessarily investment experts). Too often, the fund choices are mediocre or worse, and the costs are high.
Get Ready to Look Under the Hood Unfortunately, you likely don’t know the true costs of your 401(k). They’re hidden in boring legal filings or embedded in the expense ratios of the mutual funds within the plan. But that’s all about to change.
Beginning later this year, 401(k) plans will be required to disclose how much the administration of the plan and the investments is costing participants. This is important information, since — according to human resources consultant Towers Watson — an increase of 0.5% of expenses (i.e., $50 for every $10,000 invested) could consume eight years’ worth of savings for an above-average earner. After all, the $30 billion to $60 billion the financial-services industry makes from 401(k)s each year doesn’t grow on trees; it’s usually taken directly from investors’ accounts.
The amount of fees being extracted from 401(k) accounts may be shocking to some investors. Indeed, many might be surprised they’re paying fees at all, if an AARP survey is to be believed, which found that 70% of worker didn’t know they were paying fees. Alas, that is just not the case.
With the new disclosures, it will be easier to see what you’re paying, and whether that’s too much.
Generally, smaller plans pay higher costs — “smaller” meaning both the number of plan participants as well as total assets in the plan. According to a study [PDF] conducted by Deloitte for the Investment Company Institute (a trade organization for the mutual fund industry, so not necessarily an unbiased crew), the median all-in cost — which includes administrative costs as well as investment expenses — to plan participants in 2011 was 0.78%. But the numbers vary widely, with plan size being the primary factor.
The median cost for a plan with more than $1 billion in assets was 0.38%, whereas the median cost for a plan with less than $1 million was 1.41%. Similarly (and relatedly), the median cost for a plan with fewer than 100 participants was 1.29%, compared to 0.43% for those with more than 10,000 participants.
You can use those figures as a benchmark to determine where your fees fall in relation to other plans. Then, figure out who’s paying those fees — you or your employer. Chances are, it’s the person you see in the mirror (unless your boss follows you into the bathroom, which is kinda weird). According to the Deloitte study:
[P]articipants bear the majority of 401(k) expenses. Similar to any other employee benefit (e.g., health insurance), the employer determines whether the employee, employer, or both will pay for the benefit. According to the Survey, on average, participants pay 91% of total plan fees while employers pay 5% and the plans cover 4%. This compares with participants paying 78%, employers paying 18% and plans paying 4% in the 2009 Fee Study.
In other words, employees are paying the majority of fees, and the share that they’re paying is going up.
Are you getting your money’s worth from your 401(k)? Here’s how to find out, and what to do about it:
Evaluate your investment choices. See if the funds in your plan, over the past five years, have beaten a relevant index fund as well as the majority of other funds with a similar investing objective. This information may be found in your quarterly statements or on the website of your plan provider. Important note: Your funds’ mileage may vary from the information on Morningstar or other fund-info sites since funds in 401(k)s often have additional costs.
Use the side brokerage account, if offered. Approximately 20% of 401(k)s allow participants to open an account with a discount brokerage within the plan. This will let you buy individual stocks, bonds, ETFs, and other mutual funds. However, compare the benefits to the costs, since these accounts often have higher maintenance fees.
Advocate for a better plan. Talk to the folks in your HR department and raise your concerns. After all, their retirement is on the line, too, and they should also be motivated to have the best possible plan. Here’s an example of a letter you can write to ask for a better plan.
Don’t ignore other accounts. If your 401(k) is stin(k)y, contribute just enough to take full advantage of the employer match, and then max out an IRA with the discount brokerage of your choice. You might pay lower costs and have more investment options. However, if you are in a higher tax bracket — and thus ineligible for the Roth IRA, and your contributions to a traditional IRA wouldn’t be deductible — then it might make sense to invest in non-dividend-paying stocks you’ll hold for many, many years. You don’t get a tax break up front, but you’ll pay long-term capital gains when you do sell, which (at least according to current laws) are lower than the taxation rate on ordinary income (the rate at which your paycheck and traditional 401(k) and IRA distributions are taxed).
Move your money. You generally can’t transfer the money in your 401(k) to another account while you’re still working for the employer sponsoring the plan, but some companies allow it, especially for older workers. If your plan is sub-par, ask if your employer allows “in-service distributions.” If so, or once you leave that employer, transfer the money to an IRA. But do not just get a check and cash it; that is considered a distribution, which will be subject to taxes and a 10% penalty if you’re not 59 ½ years old. Instead, get the money to an IRA, ideally through a “trustee-to-trustee transfer,” in which the money is sent directly from your 401(k) to the IRA.
Get help. If you’re looking for professional advice with your investment choices, look for a fee-only planner who charges by the hour, such as the Certified Financial Planners at the Garrett Planning Network or the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors. She or he can also estimate whether you’re saving enough to retire when and how you want.
Hug Your Boss, Then Make the Request Employers deserve credit for sponsoring retirement plans. They don’t have to do it, it consumes the HR department’s time, and it might even cost them actual money. I’m on the 401(k) committee of The Motley Fool (where the company covers all administrative costs, thank you very much), and I can tell you that it’s more work than most people would think.
But don’t be bashful about politely asking for a better plan. No one is planning your retirement for you, and no one cares more about your retirement more than you do. The more your retirement will rely on your own contribution and investment decisions, the more you must take charge.
Hey everyone! Today, I have a great guest post to share on how you can increase your Pinterest traffic to your blog. Ling sees over 100,000 monthly pageviews on her blog from Pinterest and she shares her best tips below, as well as in her new guide The Golden Compass To Pinterest Traffic. Enjoy her article below.
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Hi everyone!
My name is Ling and I created my first blog in the personal finance niche, Finsavvy Panda, along with a Pinterest business account in November 2017 when I was looking for ways to quit my job.
After reaching my first $18,000 monthly affiliate income with my first blog in the summer of 2019, I was beyond excited but nervous at the same time.
Excited because I would have never imagined earning this kind of income from home. But I was also nervous because all my earnings were coming from one blog. That’s when I started an anonymous lifestyle blog so I could diversify my online income and test my Pinterest strategies in different niches.
Today, I earn an annual net income of over $200,000 and it’s mostly thanks to the traffic I get from Pinterest!
Prior to creating a Pinterest business account to drive blog traffic, I used Pinterest like how any regular user would to get inspiration and ideas for home décor, crafty gifts, DIY projects, and healthy recipes.
In fact, I used to flip preloved furniture as a fun hobby for extra money so I could increase my savings.
I remember bingeing content on Pinterest to learn how DIY bloggers would sand, paint, decoupage, and design wooden furniture. Learning from the DIY crafty bloggers on Pinterest helped me earn an extra $500 to $2,000 per month with a flipping hobby!
This hobby allowed me to have fun and unleash my creativity, but I stopped refurbishing small furniture because the income was too active and linear.
Not too long after, I started a personal finance blog, followed by my lifestyle blog, and so far, I’m loving it because it can feel quite passive once you’ve put in the upfront work and effort.
Related content:
How To Get Consistent and Long-Lasting Traffic on Pinterest
After using Pinterest (from a consumer and business perspective) for several years, I am going to share my tips on how I consistently get over 100,000 monthly pageviews from Pinterest.
You may even come across periods when Pinterest sends you over 10,000 pageviews in ONE SINGLE DAY like how it has happened to me several times in the past:
It’s true that some blog niches will do better than others on Pinterest. However, I still believe that almost any niche can drive a good amount of traffic. It depends on what you write about and how you spin those topics on your blog to make it “Pinterest-friendly”.
On top of that, if you want to succeed on the platform, it’s important to understand it from the perspectives of a real consumer and a business user.
Because I had so many readers ask me for Pinterest traffic tips over the years of my blogging career, I created The Golden Compass To Pinterest Traffic, a very comprehensive A to Z step-by-step guide, to help bloggers and content creators succeed on Pinterest.
This guide is a one-stop shop to help brand new and intermediate bloggers create Pinterest content that will get ranked for consistent and long-lasting traffic. They are the exact strategies I used for two of my blogs, which were both accepted into Mediavine, allowing me to diversify my blog income with display ads.
Today, I wanted to share some of my insights with you on Making Sense of Cents, so here are my 7 actionable tips to help you get traffic and succeed on Pinterest.
1. Make sure you have a solid foundation on Pinterest
Before you get started on Pinterest to get traffic, you need to sign up for a Pinterest business account and make sure you build a solid foundation.
From my experience working with bloggers, many people immediately pin out random images that link back to their blogs without setting up the basic things first.
These include:
Claiming your website on Pinterest
Setting up what they call “Rich” pins
Optimizing your Pinterest profile, boards, Pin images, and Pin descriptions
You can’t just create a Pinterest account and start randomly pinning your posts without optimizing your Pinterest profile and having some sort of strategy.
2. Choose a category or niche and try to stick with it
You need to have an idea of what you’ll be blogging about most of the time. That way, you can create specific content and narrowed-down topics that tailor to a specific audience.
I want to say it’s okay to go a bit broader with your topics at the beginning when you have no experience with blogging, writing, or using Pinterest. But when I say go “broad”, I don’t literally mean write about everything and anything especially when you can’t spin those articles around by making them relate to each other.
For example, I don’t recommend writing one article about budgeting tips, the next article about chicken recipes, and then the next article about traveling in NYC. These three are not related and have nothing in common with each other. That will confuse not only your readers, but Pinterest will have no idea how to categorize you on the platform.
I understand that some of you may find it hard to stick to a dedicated niche, so here are my quick tips if you really want to write about everything.
Suppose you’re a general personal finance blogger. You could turn that chicken dinner blog post into budget-friendly chicken dinner recipes under $X. You can also write about cheap travels in NYC.
Alternatively, if you’re a travel blogger, you can spin those other articles around and write about budgeting for a travel fund, or the best chicken sandwiches in NYC. You get my point, right?
Having said that, I still highly recommend narrowing it down and don’t stray too far from your main niche.
As you write more content, you’ll get a feel of what types of topics you want to stick to in your long-term strategy. This is important because you want to tell Pinterest what your focus is so that the platform knows how to distribute your content to the right audience.
3. Don’t neglect Pinterest SEO and keyword research
One mistake I see many new bloggers make, including myself when I was a beginner, is they neglect Pinterest SEO and doing proper keyword research in their niche.
For those of you who don’t know what this means, don’t worry. I can quickly explain this in simple English for you.
“SEO” stands for search engine optimization and all that really means is writing blog posts that get searched by users and having them show on Pinterest.
Once you become a Pinterest business user, you’ll realize that Pinterest is more than just a social media.
It’s also a visual search engine where many users look for inspiration and ideas by typing specific keywords or phrases into the Pinterest search bar. It’s no different from searching for ideas and solutions to your problems on Google.
For example, when I was using Pinterest as a real user several years ago to look for refurbishing furniture ideas for my side hustle hobby (before I even started my blog), I would type the following phrases into the Pinterest search bar:
How to prime and paint a coffee table
How to make chalk paint or DIY chalk paint
DIY farmhouse rustic nightstand
Black and white decoupage ideas for side tables
Lion head drawer pulls
These are called “keywords” and simply searching for those keywords on Pinterest led me to many DIY, home décor, and craft bloggers! These DIY and craft bloggers most likely did keyword research and wrote many blog posts based on all those phrases that I (real user) searched for.
After reading those helpful blog posts, I made purchases on items like an orbital sander, drawer pulls, decoupage paper designs, and many more products through the bloggers’ affiliate links. These unique links allow bloggers to earn a commission every time someone clicks on the link and makes a purchase.
Affiliate marketing is one method bloggers use to make money with their blogs. Michelle has a fantastic e-course called Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing that teaches you how to implement affiliate marketing strategies onto your blog. I’ve taken this course several years ago and it’s the resource that helped me earn my first full-time income with affiliate marketing. I highly recommend it if you want to learn how to strategically insert affiliate links onto your posts so that you can increase your conversions and bring in more income!
As you can see, there are many benefits to learning Pinterest SEO and doing keyword research. You can capture your audience, help them with a specific problem, and earn money with those blog posts using methods like display ads and affiliate marketing.
I’m going to illustrate a couple of examples in the next point to help you prepare a list of blog post ideas for your readers!
4. Prepare blog post ideas using keyword research
By learning what users like to search for on Pinterest, you can come up with a list of profitable blog post ideas and prepare them in advance. This is how you can help your potential readers find and discover you on Pinterest!
To get started on keyword research, you have to first put yourself in the position of the user. Just like the example I gave earlier about myself when I was searching for DIY-related keywords as a real Pinterest user.
What would you type into the search bar when you’re specifically looking for something?
Another quick and simple way to do this is to type the first few words into the Pinterest search and see what keywords show up in the autocomplete drop-down.
If you’re a travel blogger, you can type something like “things to do in…” and you’ll see the following suggestions from Pinterest.
You can write at least 5 different blog post ideas based on this one simple search:
Things To Do in Chicago
Things To Do in Nashville Tennessee
Things To Do in London
Things To Do in San Diego
Things To Do in Boston
And the list of “things to do in…” can go on and on.
Another example is perhaps you want to recommend essentials to your readers. In this case, you can type “travel essentials” and mark down those suggested target keywords as your blog post ideas.
Once you hit enter after searching for your keyword or phrase, you’ll also notice the colorful tiles underneath the search bar. These tiny tiles are additional or related keywords.
For example, “travel essentials” is a general keyword or phrase. But when you use the pink tile, “for women” example, this becomes what they call a “long-tail” keyword. Instead of writing a blog post about “the best travel essentials” (this is the general keyword), you can also write another blog post to target an audience of women using the long-tail keyword, “the best travel essentials for women”.
After blogging for several years, I can tell you that Pinterest SEO is essential. You can’t afford to neglect Pinterest keyword research if you want people to find your articles!
5. Know who your audience is
In my first two years of blogging, I made a lot of mistakes with my blog because I didn’t really know who I was writing to.
Sure, you can “niche” down by only writing about personal finance and money topics like what I do on Finsavvy Panda, but truly understanding your audience is more than just “niching down”.
I always knew that I should be narrowing down and targeting a specific audience, but no matter how much I read or learned online about “know who your audience is”, I just didn’t fully understand that concept until more and more readers kept e-mailing me and asking me questions.
It wasn’t until my third year of blogging, or even last year, that this really hit me in the head!
Yes, doing keyword research is essential. But even after you have your blog post ideas ready based on your keyword research, you can’t blindly write without knowing who you’re speaking to.
Suppose you’re a male nutritionist and fitness blogger. Which audience are you tailoring your message to?
An unfit male who is overweight and wants a simple diet and exercise plan to help them achieve their weight loss goals.
An average-built male who wants to learn about a specific diet and workout plan to help them tone and build muscle.
A male who’s already fit and somewhat knowledgeable about specific diet plans but wants to go to the next level and bulk up even more.
As you can see, those are three very different audiences, and you can’t possibly write for all of them. The saying goes, “If you try to please everyone you’ll please no one”.
This advice about “knowing your audience” may sound like common sense, but you’d be surprised that many bloggers don’t really know who their audience is. To be honest, I still struggle with this part but I’m always learning more about my readers and testing new strategies to see what works and what doesn’t.
To get started on knowing your target audience, use Google and Pinterest analytics to analyze your data. It’s so easy to neglect this part, especially when you’re not an analytical blogger. However, to my surprise, when I started using this data, I was able to better target my audience and readers for more intentional traffic.
The more intentional you are with your content, the more quality readers you’ll attract.
6. Make your Pin design and titles click-worthy
The first step to getting your blog posts found is doing proper keyword research on Pinterest and “optimizing” your Pin descriptions. Doing that alone will increase your chances of ranking higher on the Pinterest search engine, allowing people to find your blog posts.
But what good is it when your Pin is shown on the organic searches without a click-worthy title?
I want to emphasize that you will get traffic as long as your Pins are shown on the feed, especially on organic searches. However, you can increase your traffic further just by simply making small tweaks to your Pin designs and titles.
I’ve tested this by coming up with a variation of titles on my Pin designs for the same blog post. There are a lot of factors that cause more or fewer clicks to your pages. Those factors include the audience on Pinterest, search volume for your target keywords, the Pinterest algorithm, and many more.
Holding all else constant, I noticed that whenever I made tweaks to a word, phrase, or even design on the Pins for my anonymous lifestyle blog, my click-through rate (AKA traffic) on Pinterest improved significantly.
For the sake of simplicity, let me illustrate an example. I am going to deliberately use blogging and business titles as examples here because I know it speaks to you.
Which of the following titles (for the same blog post) entices you to click in and actually read them?
How To Get Traffic on Pinterest in 20XX
How To Get Traffic on Pinterest and Monetize Your Blog in 20XX
The Ugly Truth About How Long It Takes To Get Traffic on Pinterest
10 Pinterest Traffic Tips That Nobody Tells You About
10 Reasons Why You’re Not Getting Any Traffic On Pinterest
Think about those Pin titles and ask yourself which one sparks the most curiosity.
You can also see one of my Pin templates used by my friend, Enoch from Savvy New Canadians. He made quick tweaks to the general pre-made template to target his personal finance audience and named his title “21 Easy Ways To Make An Extra $1,000 Right Now”.
This is a better headline than a boring title like “How To Make Extra Money”, “Best Ways To Make Extra Money” or “21 Ways To Make More Money” because the word “Easy” speaks to a specific audience who’s looking for quick wins, and the term, “right now” emphasizes to the reader that he/she can do something about it immediately.
Generally speaking, people are more likely to click in and read your post when you suggest something that’s relatively easier, quicker, and immediate.
You can use these Pin Savvy Templates to help you create beautiful and click-worthy Pins in just seconds. They are the templates I use to make over 100 Pins in less than 30 minutes hence saving me time and hassle.
Pin Design and Title Example Using One of Michelle’s Pin
When I was searching for “meatless dinner ideas” or “no meat dinners” on mobile, this Pin that Michelle used from the Pin Savvy Templates bundle showed up on the top searches on Pinterest. Michelle is ranking quite high on Pinterest with these related keywords about meatless meals on the platform as you can see in the screenshot:
This is what you’ll want to aim for – to have your Pins show up on organic searches when users are searching for keywords or phrases used on your blog post.
While designing your Pin, you’ll want to think about titles that will pique your readers’ interest because that is one thing you can do to increase your traffic on Pinterest when they find you on searches.
Click-worthy titles for Michelle’s blog post about meatless dinner can include:
10 Insanely Delicious Meatless Recipes You Need To Try Now (To target the general audience)
10 Budget-Friendly Meatless Meals Under $X (To target budget-conscious audience)
10 Insanely Good Meatless Recipes – Kids Approved! (To target families with kids who typically don’t like veggies)
10 Fast and Easy Meatless Dinner Ideas – X Minutes and Under! (To target people looking for quick and easy meals)
10 Healthy Vegetarian Dinner Recipes You’ll Want To Make Forever (To target health-conscious readers. Health-conscious people know that just because it’s vegetarian, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s healthy, so you’ll want to call it out if it is.)
Noticed that ties back to the point I made above about targeting your audience.
Not only can you make your Pin designs pretty and click-worthy, but you can also see how you can attract a specific type of audience depending on what words you use in your headline.
7. See what’s trending on Pinterest
Look for some content ideas by using Pinterest Trends.
Pinterest Trends can be extremely helpful for bloggers in a number of ways. For starters, this tool can help you get an idea of what people are searching for on Pinterest. This is valuable information because it can give you an indication of what topics are popular and thus, worth writing about.
To get started on Pinterest Trends, go to “Trends” under the “Analytics” tab.
Once you’re there, you’ll see a variety of different categories that you can browse through. If you’re not sure where to start, try looking at the “What’s surging this week” section to see what’s currently trending on Pinterest. This section displays trends with high growth in search volume within the last 7 days, so you can take advantage of this information to see what you can write about.
The great thing about Pinterest Trends is that these ideas are not necessarily seasonal for one time only. You can reference them year-round! For example, if you see that “Summertime Recipes” is currently trending, you could write a blog post about summer recipes even if it’s not currently summer. This is valuable information because it allows you to be ahead of the curve and write about topics before they become popular again next year.
Aside from seasonal topics, you can also use Pinterest Trends to determine what content is popular among your target audience. For example, if you’re a beauty blogger, you could check out the “Beauty” category to see what topics are being searched for by Pinners on the platform. This information can help you come up with blog post ideas that are relevant to your audience.
Many people overlook Pinterest Trends thinking it’s only related to seasonal or current events, but this isn’t true at all. As bloggers, you can create an unlimited amount of evergreen content based on the information found in this tool.
What To Do When You’re Not Getting Any Pinterest Traffic or When Your Pinterest Traffic is Down
It doesn’t matter what platform, channel, or social media you use to get traffic, you’ll always experience a shift in pageviews. This is very normal and every blogger goes through it no matter how new or seasoned they are.
When Pinterest hits you in the face, the best course of action is to continue working on your blog. That includes writing new blog posts, updating your older content, learning how to use a tool, engaging with your readers, etc.
You can’t control Pinterest’s algorithm, but what you can control is writing new content on a consistent basis. This actually applies to all channels regardless if you’re on YouTube, Instagram, Google, Pinterest, etc. They are always thirsty for creators like you to consistently publish new content on their platform. It is a tried-and-true long-term strategy that almost never fails.
In fact, in The Golden Compass To Pinterest Traffic, I cover every single step you need to take as a blogger to succeed when you’re not getting any Pinterest traffic or when your pageviews are down. There’s more to it than just optimizing your Pinterest profile, boards, Pin design, and Pin descriptions. I go through everything a beginner needs to know and implement all the way to strategizing your content on Pinterest.
These are the Pinterest strategies I use to get consistent and intentional traffic to my blogs, which allowed me to quit my job and earn an annual six-figure income online.
About the Author: Ling Thich is the blogger behind Finsavvy Panda and Blog Savvy Panda. She also runs an anonymous lifestyle blog as a side hobby to learn and test different strategies. Overall, Ling loves teaching beginners how to start and grow their blogs on Pinterest. Outside of blogging, she enjoys staying active and exploring different cities.
What questions do you have about Pinterest? Do you use Pinterest to grow your blog? Why or why not?