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When we live in a space every day, we can become somewhat blind to the finer details that make it stand out – or blend in. But what would a designer notice if they were to enter our homes for the first time?
From the layout to the materials used, there are several small interior design mistakes we may all be making that throw off the harmony of the room but designers believe are the most essential to making a good first impression.
lighting in a space and the natural light the room gets (or how you chose to increase natural light in your home).
It is not just what lighting you have that is noticeable, however, as Jamie Gasparovic, founder and principal designer behind Studio Gaspo explains, but the lighting temperatures too. ‘Instead of using only overhead lighting, think about using multiple sources – pendants, picture lights, sconces, and table lamps. They all come together to create well-rounded lighting in a space,’ she says. ‘Simply upgrading builder-grade fixtures is a quick way to totally transform and elevate the look of your home.
Jamie Gasparovic
Bruce Fox, founder and principal designer at Bruce Fox Design and guest writer for H&G agrees: ‘Lighting is so important for creating a beautiful, functional space. The right lighting can help with productivity, and it can also make us feel relaxed and comfortable, it helps define spaces and, in many cases, can help draw people together. And then there’s the simple fact that decorative light fixtures can end up being a major focal point in a room, of course.’
It is not just designers that will notice good (or bad) lighting throughout your home, continues Paul Cuschieri, founding partner and designer-architect at Rebirth Design Studio, who suggests it is your guests that will instantly pay attention if a room is lit well. ‘Lighting follows close on the heels of decor and plants, particularly for evening gatherings,’ he believes. ‘The glow from wall lights, floor lamps, table lamps, and picture lights should set a soft, seductive mood that accentuates the room’s features and enhances the overall ambiance.’
2. The scents and sounds
Layering in interior design is about more than just piling throws and pillows onto a sofa, or having multiple light sources. It is about appealing to all of the senses – including smell and hearing, says Trish Knight, co-founder and designer at Knight Varga Interiors. ‘Scent is a potent indicator of how people live in their homes and it is one thing I immediately notice when entering a space. For example a fragrant candle, cookies baking in the oven, or even just the freshness of open windows on a summer day. We all go “nose blind” to our own homes, so keep this in mind when inviting people over!’
Sound can further elevate your space and really add something special to your design, continues Paul Cuschieri, designer-architect. ‘A room that is fragrant and filled with soothing music elevates the interior design experience to an entirely new level,’ he says.
whole house layout mistakes are instantly recognizable to a designer such as Bruce Fox, an interior designer. ‘I typically see what isn’t working first,’ he admits, ‘whether it is the furniture placement or function that doesn’t gel.’
Interior designer, Trish Knight agrees: ‘We commonly see furniture lined up tight to the walls rather than floating it in a room, grounded with area rugs used to define space and create conversational groupings.’
She encourages homeowners to ‘be bold and move things around and shop your own home,’ to help find the perfect layout while also following some important basic interior design rules that designers almost always abide by for a well-balanced space.
4. The artwork, or lack thereof
Decorating with art is another thing interior designers notice in a room – especially if you have little to none, says Kristen Flore, interior designer and founder of Kristen Elizabeth Design.
‘Art provides color, authenticity, and mood,’ she says. ‘It is a very deep and personal reflection of who the occupant of a home is. What they value, and what type of imagery they are drawn to. It helps set a definitive mood and vibe through the interplay of colors, the movement and energy of brush strokes, and the generosity of materials. This can affect how serene or excited a room feels.
‘Art expresses 100% what you love and love to look at and is a great conversation starter, so it is essential to include it in a room.’
5. The materials used
It should go without saying that the higher the quality of the materials used in space, the more luxurious it looks and feels – and designers and guests will notice.
Picking the right materials goes beyond how you furnish your home, however, says Paul Cuschieri, designer-architect. It is what you pick for your flooring, walls, and ceilings that designers pay attention to. ‘It’s crucial to set the right canvas,’ he says. ‘From floor to ceiling, every aspect matters – the type of flooring, skirting detail, wall neatness, and up to the coving and soffit detail. A well-decorated soffit, when appropriate for the space and style, lends a sense of completeness to the room.’
From there it is about layering the best materials you can afford through your home furnishings with ‘the richness of materials used in the room underscoring the luxurious feel.’
‘From timber-paneled walls to ornate door handles and ironmongery, and to the permanent light fittings – with Ralph Lauren offering some particularly appealing options – every fixture adds to the room’s elegance and makes a home look expensive.’
6. Matching furniture sets
It is not just your furniture arranging mistakes that designers and guests notice, but what furniture you have too. Matching sets are an instant red flag for a pro, making a room look tacky or cheap, warns Jamie Gasparovic, interior designer.
‘It really causes my eye to twitch!’ she reveals. ‘It makes your space look like a furniture showroom, and very cookie cutter. Mix and match pieces from different sources, and throw some unique vintage or custom-made furniture and accessories in the mix too. This will lend to a much more curated, higher-end room.’
7. Furniture proportions
When picking out your own furniture pieces, however, you can then fall into the trap of not working with proportions, another mistake designers notice immediately when entering a room.
‘If you have a gigantic room, by all means, select gigantic furnishings, but most of us do not – bigger doesn’t always mean better!’ Bethany Adams, founder and interior designer at Bethany Adams Interiors affirms. ‘If you can’t fit all of the elements of a room into that space (ex: sofa, minimum two chairs, and a coffee table in a living room), there’s a chance the furniture itself might be the problem. Furniture comes in all shapes and sizes and you can easily find the right size for your space if you look for it.’
Lauren Sullivan of Well x Design concurs: ‘I immediately notice the scale of items and how they fit within a space. Is the rug too small? Is the sofa too big? Is the coffee table round when a rectangular shape would have better fit the space? Is there open floor space that could have served a more functional purpose, or is the space too crowded and in need of a careful edit?’
Home organizing is not just something thought about by professional home organizers, but designers too. Clutter in all of its forms is instantly recognizable to a designer, and can allude to a poorly designed space with a lack of storage, or storage ideas that don’t actually work in practice, says Paul Cuschieri, designer-architect.
‘Upon entering a room, my initial attention is invariably drawn to its organization and cleanliness. An elegantly designed space can quickly lose its charm amidst clutter,’ he cautions.
FAQs
What should be the first thing you see when you enter a room?
Ideally, the first thing you should see when you enter a room is a well-designed space that is in proportion and has a clear and perfected focal point – such as a signature piece of artwork, a statement light fitting, or a well-laid-out sitting area decorated well with appropriate decor pieces such as intriguing coffee table books stacked high with intention, or well-maintained plants that tell a story about your hobbies and dedication to your interests.
What is the first thing an interior designer should consider?
When planning out and designing a space, the first thing you should consider is the size of the space, where it is in the home, and how much natural light it gets. Really working out what the bones of the room are will help to direct your design decisions to make the most out of what you are working with. It might be that an original idea you had doesn’t work now you have assessed the space, but you are inspired to try an alternative route instead.
‘To sum up, each detail, from the macro to the micro, contributes to the overall experience of a room, creating an atmosphere that is not only visually stunning but also deeply immersive,’ concludes Paul Cuschieri, designer-architect. ‘This is what I, as an interior designer, pay attention to. It’s not just about design but about curating an experience – and every detail counts.’
Source: homesandgardens.com
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Welcome to San Diego, a city known for its stunning coastline, year-round sunshine, and vibrant lifestyle. If you’re in the market to buy a luxury home in this captivating city, you’re in for a treat. San Diego’s luxury real estate market offers an array of remarkable features and amenities that cater to the discerning tastes of potential homebuyers.
From breathtaking oceanfront properties with panoramic views to state-of-the-art smart home technologies and exquisite outdoor living spaces, this Redfin article explores the extraordinary features that make luxury homes in San Diego truly stand out. Whether you seek a serene retreat overlooking the Pacific or a modern oasis with the latest in luxury living, join us as we dive into the world of luxury home features in the San Diego housing market, where your dream residence awaits.
Top neighborhoods with luxury home features in San Diego
There are several neighborhoods renowned for their luxury homes and exceptional features in San Diego where homebuyers are willing to pay premium prices. With a median sale price of $4.2 million in May 2023, Rancho Santa Fe offers exclusive estates and sprawling properties, and is highly regarded for its privacy, elegance, and upscale amenities. Del Mar, known for its stunning coastal location, offers luxurious properties that provide breathtaking ocean views and beach access, and a vibrant lifestyle. Homes in Del Mar are also set at premium prices, with a median sale price of nearly $3 million. Lastly, homes in the La Jolla neighborhood, a prestigious coastal community, saw a median sale price of almost $2 million in May 2023. This neighborhood is celebrated for its cliffside estates, panoramic ocean vistas, and proximity to upscale dining and shopping.
6 popular luxury home features in San Diego
1. Seamless indoor-outdoor living spaces
You can expect a seamless fusion of indoor and outdoor spaces in luxury homes in San Diego, creating a harmonious connection with the picturesque surroundings. These homes often feature expansive walls of glass, retractable doors, or large sliders that effortlessly blend interior and exterior areas.
The inviting outdoor spaces are thoughtfully designed with spacious patios, lush landscaping, and resort-style amenities such as swimming pools, outdoor kitchens, and fire pits. Homeowners can enjoy the year-round pleasant climate, hosting gatherings that flow seamlessly from the indoor living areas to the outdoor oasis. Breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean, rolling hills, or manicured gardens provide a captivating backdrop, further enhancing the indoor-outdoor living experience. These homes redefine luxury living in San Diego, embracing the region’s natural beauty and offering an unparalleled lifestyle that seamlessly integrates with the outdoors.
2. Luxury living on expansive property
Homebuyers exploring expansive properties in San Diego can expect to find an array of luxurious amenities that elevate the living experience to new heights. These properties often boast meticulously landscaped grounds, including sprawling gardens, lush lawns, and serene water features such as fountains or ponds.
Outdoor living spaces are a common highlight, featuring resort-style swimming pools, expansive patios for al fresco dining, and fully equipped outdoor kitchens for entertaining guests. Sports enthusiasts may discover private tennis or basketball courts, while those seeking relaxation might find tranquil spa areas or meditation gardens. Additionally, expansive properties often offer ample space for guesthouses, home gyms, or home offices, providing versatility and room to customize the living space according to individual needs. With their abundant amenities and room for personalization, these properties exemplify the epitome of luxury living in San Diego.
3. Exquisite touches in the primary suite
An updated bathroom is an essential luxury home feature in San Diego, particularly the primary bath, where meticulous attention is paid to luxurious finishes and impeccable details to create a spa-like experience. Spacious walk-in showers with multiple shower heads, soaking tubs, heated floors, and smart technology for lighting and temperature control are common features that enhance the overall bathing experience. In the primary bathroom, it’s common to find both a soaking tub and a shower, providing residents with a serene spa-like experience to unwind and indulge in relaxation.
Separate walk-in closets in the primary suite have become an increasingly sought-after addition in luxury homes. Designed with meticulous attention to detail, these closets are tailored to maximize personal space and organization, offering an abundance of storage for clothing, accessories, and personal belongings. With dedicated sections for each partner, these closets go beyond functionality, creating a sense of luxury and harmony in the home. They provide convenience and ease during daily routines, eliminating the need to share or compromise on storage space. These thoughtfully designed closets often feature built-in shelving, specialized compartments, and ample hanging space, ensuring that every item has its designated place.
4. Sustainable features to minimize carbon footprint
Luxury homes today have evolved to encompass not only opulence and comfort but also sustainability and self-sufficiency to help minimize carbon footprint. These modern residences prioritize eco-conscious living by integrating features like solar panels, energy-efficient appliances, and systems.
By harnessing solar power, homeowners can reduce their reliance on traditional energy sources, and with energy-efficient appliances, including water heaters and HVAC systems, optimize energy usage while maintaining a comfortable living environment. Luxury homes also cater to the growing popularity of electric vehicles by offering car chargers for convenient at-home charging. This integration of self-sufficiency and sustainability has become a highly sought-after feature among potential homebuyers in San Diego, reflecting their increasing awareness and desire for residences that align with their eco-conscious values.
5. Picturesque view of San Diego’s beautiful landscape
Luxury properties in San Diego are often strategically positioned to maximize the beauty of the natural landscape, boasting breathtaking views that encompass the picturesque surroundings of the ocean, mountains, canyons, and open spaces. With expansive windows and thoughtfully designed floor plans, these homes ensure that the captivating scenery is always in view, creating a seamless connection between indoor and outdoor spaces.
6. Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)
In the luxury market of San Diego, Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) have become a sought-after home feature due to their versatility and investment potential. ADUs offer flexibility for guest accommodations, home offices, or rental income opportunities, enhancing a property’s appeal. They maximize land usage while preserving privacy and independence, contributing to the trend of sustainable living. This additional space can also significantly impact the sale price of a listing in San Diego, reflecting high demand. For example, a recent Redfin Premier listing showcased a captivating compound-like setting, including a main residence, ADU, studio, pool, deck, and manicured garden. Buyers were drawn to the potential for multi-generational living, guest accommodations, home offices, and entertainment, creating a resort-like lifestyle within a private retreat.
As you embark on your search for the perfect home in San Diego, working with a Redfin Premier agent is essential. They’re equipped with the expertise and knowledge to guide you through the process, navigate the San Diego housing market, and buy your dream home.
Source: redfin.com
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J.D. is on vacation. This is a guest post from Wanda, who wrote to tell me that a shocking number of people have trouble paying their utility bills correctly.
How do you pay your bills? My father taught me to pay them on time and in full. That’s great advice, but there is so much more to correctly paying your bills. As a small town municipal employee, I have assisted people with their water bills for many years. Most of the problems that people have could have been prevented or solved simply by following the following steps.
Read Your Bills
When you receive your bill, read it from top to bottom. The bills that I send out have a lot of information on them. They have last month’s amount due and the amount the town received for that bill. Those two numbers should match each other and the amount you paid.
Check to make sure you were credited correctly. Call immediately if your records indicate that you were given too much or too less credit. Many people will call for being under-credited, but don’t when we credit them too much. Eventually, the mistake will be caught and you account will be adjusted. So the next month’s bill may be higher and blow your budget.
Next, the bill gives the previous and current meter readings and the charges for that month. Make sure this months charges are for your normal usage. If they are higher or lower than normal, call immediately to ask for a reread. If you wait until the due date of the bill, an accurate reread can not be done.
Again, people are quick to call and complain when their usage has doubled, but no one calls when they have only been billed 100 gallons. Remember that next month the usage will catch up and the bill will be extremely high.
The bills I use have a total amount charged and a total amount due. These two numbers should be the same. The total amount charged is the amount you are charged for this month’s services. The total amount due is the amount charged plus any previous balance or credit. Many people get confused when they are not the same. Usually the difference is from over or under payment of the account in a previous month. Remember that you pay the amount due and not the amount charged.
One customer paid the same amount every month for a year. They were looking at the previous payment amount. As the bill fluctuated they started adding up a high unpaid balance. This accrued late fees and they were eventually placed on the disconnect list. Even though they paid every month, the balance they owed had slowly crept up to over $40. Of course, they were furious and blamed us. By the time they left our office, they were extremely embarrassed but still blamed the hard to understand bill.
Pay Your Bill on Time
Now, back to what Dad taught us: Pay your bill on time! Yesterday a customer came in complaining about how high his water bill was and that he used below the minimum amount of water billed. Sure enough, he used less than the 2,000 gallons that generate a minimum bill. He has two meters and has not paid a bill on time in over two years. That is $480 in late fees a year! No wonder his bill was so high. The late fee was over fifty percent of his bill.
There are many ways to get funds to companies that bill us each month. If you pay with cash, remember to hand to money to someone and to get a receipt. Making a copy of your cash before placing it in an envelope and putting it in the night drop or the mail is not a smart option. Other options include:
- Checks are great and provide an opportunity for you to put your account number on the memo line. Just remember that if you mail the payment in, you are assuming the risk that the check can get lost in the mail.
- Bill-pay services are great if you read the fine print. Many companies need up to a week to process your check and then mail it to the company. If your due date is less than a week away, this is not a good option.
- Debit cards are also a good way to pay. A receipt is automatically printed. However, many places (like my town) charge an additional fee. A few dollars a month for a year can add up! One customer computed the additional fees that she was paying on all her bills and was able to save over a hundred dollars a year just on the $2 to $5 dollar additional charges.
If you are sending your payment by check or bill pay, make sure that the correct account number is on there. One customer had their water disconnected for non-payment, but was able to produce cancelled checks showing proof of payment. The customer had a common last name and had put the wrong account number on their check. Each month their payment was applied to someone else’s account.
Always include the portion of the bill that should be returned. This will also help ensure that your payment is applied correctly. And never staple your check to the bill stub. Checks are made from a thin paper that rips when you try to remove the staple.
Call your utility provider as soon as you realize that you are going to have a problem paying in full by the due date. Our town has a policy to help people if they call or come in before the due date. After the due date, the balance must be paid in full or the utility is subject to disconnect.
If you do need help, always offer what you can pay. This shows that you are trying to pay the bill. Then, do your best to make next month’s bill lower. If you are asking for an extension every month, but your usage is not going down the town will stop granting you extensions.
Solving Problems
If your usage is up, look for a leak. Most people assume that water leaks are drips that make noise or puddle in your yard. Here in Texas during July, a water leak in your yard may not make a muddy spot until the fall. Toilets are notorious for leaking and most of the time they are the quiet culprits. A leak 1/16” of an inch in diameter can waste 74,000 gallons in three months. So don’t think that the small drip from the kitchen sink couldn’t be the reason you usage went up by a thousand gallons.
Lastly, be polite if you have any trouble with your bill. The people that you are depending on for help don’t like to be yelled at or cursed at anymore than you do. I will personally drive to your house and reread your meter, spend days going over history, and anything else that needs to be done — if you are nice to me. When you come in or call and you start yelling accusations at me, I’m not going out of my way to help you.
Most of these things are obvious. We either just forget them or just never thought about it. So remember, pay your bills on time for the correct amount — and include your account number.
Source: getrichslowly.org
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Is it a desert mirage? Err, homage?
You know a design style is truly a classic when it inspires incredible, new work for decades beyond its origin.
That’s exactly what Los Angeles restaurateur Beau Laughlin and his actress wife, Lindsey Gort, achieved in Palm Springs. The pair built a brand-new, midcentury modern-style masterpiece from the ground up, with the help of prominent Palm Springs architect Sean Lockyer, of Studio AR+D.
After entering the market in early June for $5.1 million, the five-bedroom, five-bath home caught a buyer’s eye and is in contingent sale status.
Desert modern design
The home features the traditional single-story, clean lines, and organic materials prescribed by the original masters of classic desert modernism. But this beauty also boasts the most current technology for a thoroughly modern dwelling.
Laughlin and Gort employed a timeless design technique before building began—they spent hours on the property, observing where the best light fell at different times of day and considering the views from each room.
They situated the structure on the nearly half-acre lot, so the sweeping mountain and desert vistas could be enjoyed at all times.
One example of the view-centric design includes Fleetwood glass, pocket sliders that face the iconic San Jacinto Mountains.
The guest suite, dubbed “The Mountain Room,” faces a small mountain where the famous Palm Springs bighorn sheep can occasionally be seen.
To maximize the landscape views, the building team constructed the home with two wings connected to the main living space by a double-sided, glass breezeway. This striking feature overlooks the pool, surrounding desert, and outdoor entertainment spaces.
The home is built primarily of durable and sustainable materials, including concrete, wood, stone, and steel. Natural stone is particularly prominent in the kitchen and bathrooms.
Built with ecology in mind, the home is kept cool in the summer and warm in the winter by high-density, eco-spray, foam insulation. In addition, solar panels offset approximately 80% of the home’s energy needs. Tankless water heaters also conserve one of the desert’s most precious elements.
Luxe outdoor amenities include a resort-sized pool and spa, a fully outfitted outdoor kitchen, a conversation area surrounding a fire pit, tasteful desert landscaping, wood decking, and a cantilevered pergola.
Ideal for the privacy-minded buyer, the 4,185-square-foot home is situated on a corner lot in the upscale Parc Andreas neighborhood and has just one adjacent neighbor. A six-foot privacy wall surrounds the property, and a double gate opens to the front motor court.
Laughlin designed and served as general contractor on a number of award-winning Los Angeles restaurants, including The Hudson, The Churchill, Clover, and Fifty Seven.
Source: realtor.com
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Today’s guest, Jordan Cohen, is the six-time top RE/MAX real estate agent in the world and has shattered sales records time and again in his 30+ year career. As an agent, he’s represented famous athletes and celebrities, including Sylvester Stallone. On this podcast, Jordan shares how the perfect real estate listing presentation wins him business from the world’s most notable figures. Tune in and learn how to wow luxury listing clients and how to build confidence as a real estate professional. Jordan also discusses his new book, The Agent’s Edge. Don’t miss it!
Listen to today’s show and learn:
- Jordan Cohen’s start in real estate [3:00]
- Jordan’s first luxury listing [3:05]
- The most important tool a Realtor can have [4:22]
- The trick to geographic farming [5:29]
- Winning real estate listings from mailers [8:27]
- How to compete and win with real estate listings [12:59]
- Listing presentation tips [14:15]
- How to build confidence in yourself as a real estate agent [17:01]
- A better way to win real estate listings [23:40]
- The best way to generate leads [25:41]
- How to win real estate listings via Instagram [26:42]
- Commissions on luxury listings [33:52]
- How to convince sellers that they need you for a full commission [34:59
- What real estate really is [37:54]
- Jordan Cohen on knowing your strengths and weaknesses [39:06]
- Jordan’s advice for new real estate agents [41:29]
- About The Agent’s Edge by Jordan Cohen [43:10]
Jordan Cohen
Jordan Cohen is the #1 RE/MAX Agent Worldwide. He annually closes over $314,000,000 in sales. Jordan prefers to work alone with two assistants, Kristi Dougherty for 16 years, and Madison Adams for nearly 3 years. He does not employ a team or partners. When working with Jordan Cohen, you will work with him directly.
Jordan graduated from Cal State Northridge in 1990 with a Communications Degree with an emphasis in Sales and Marketing, and headed straight into Real Estate. He has worked as a full time luxury real estate agent for 30 years.
Jordan Cohen specializes in Luxury Estates and has been recognized in many publications including Unique Homes, Dream Homes International, DuPont Registry and the LA Times. Additionally, since a third of his clientele are celebrities and professional athletes, he has been featured on ESPN.com and his listings have been profiled on EXTRA and Access Hollywood. Jordan has represented over 100 professional athletes, as well as numerous actors, entertainers, and Hollywood executives. In addition, Jordan is extremely active and highly engaged in social media. Verified by both and, he is closely followed by nearly 600,000 people.
Jordan’s greatest pleasure is spending quality time with his family. He also enjoys sports and travel whenever possible. Jordan is happily married to Becky, his wife of 29 years. Together, they have two children, Cameron, age 26, and Cassidy, age 23.
Jordan Cohen prides himself on an aggressive approach to marketing! Jordan is not a discount agent but works with estate clientele who expect and demand superior representation. He can be contacted at (818) 435-5220 or reached via e-mail at [email protected].
Follow Jordan on Twitter @JordanCohen21 and Instagram @JordanCohen1.
Related Links and Resources:
It might go without saying, but I’m going to say it anyway: We really value listeners like you. We’re constantly working to improve the show, so why not leave us a review? If you love the content and can’t stand the thought of missing the nuggets our Rockstar guests share every week, please subscribe; it’ll get you instant access to our latest episodes and is the best way to support your favorite real estate podcast. Have questions? Suggestions? Want to say hi? Shoot me a message via Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or Email.
-Aaron Amuchastegui
Source: realestaterockstarsnetwork.com
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This is a guest post from Sierra Black, a long-time GRS reader and the author of ChildWild, a blog where she writes about frugality, sustainable living, and getting her kids to eat kale. Previously at Get Rich Slowly, Black told us about sweating the big stuff and the pitfalls of buying in bulk.
My mother’s family is Catholic. They’re working class people from Buffalo: nurses, drugstore clerks, steel mill workers. Even though they never had a lot of dollars, they always gave 10% of what they had to the church. Like taxes, that 10% was just something they paid out before spending a dime on themselves.
As an adult I became the first college graduate in my family and adopted the position most of my educated, liberal peers seemed to hold toward charity: give a little, when you can, and feel guilty about not doing it most of the year.
For most of my 20s, I was living beyond my means. With every dollar being spent before it was earned, giving even a few dollars felt like a huge pinch in my messy budget. I was haphazard and frankly not very generous with my giving.
Overall, liberals tend to give less to charity than conservatives. Religious people like the ones I grew up with give more than my secular humanist friends. The working poor are, as a class, the most generous group in America, reliably giving away 4.5% of their income. The middle class are the least generous, giving just 2.5% on average.
In addition to making me and my friends look bad in the conservative press, statistics like that are, as George Will put it, “hostile witnesses” to the idea that “bleeding-heart liberals” actually care more about the poor and disadvantaged than our conservative counterparts.
According to the American Enterprise Institute, the single biggest predictor of a person’s charitable giving is religion. People who go to church every week give more money, more consistently.
I think it’s time to make secular tithing a middle-class trend. Those of us who don’t go to church every Sunday may not have the easy, deeply ingrained tradition of giving my great-grandmother had when she put her little envelope in the offering plate each week. That’s no excuse for not giving our share. It’s not right for the affluent and secure to let responsibility for maintaining the social safety net rest on the backs of those most likely to need it.
Last year, when I got serious about straightening out my spending habits, I wanted to make charitable giving, like saving, a key part of my financial future.
I adopted something akin to the “balanced money formula”. Instead of allocating 30% to wants, though, I drew up my formula like this: 50% for needs, 10% for charity, 20% for savings and 20% for wants.
My money is not balanced. I’m working hard to repay a pile of credit card debt and continuing to fine tune a frugal lifestyle. My needs and debts suck up most of our income. Because all the “extra” money goes into savings and debt repayment, I’m still living as if we were on the edge financially. Giving hurts. I do it anyway. Every week.
I’m not tithing yet, but I am moving towards it. Here’s how:
- As our income increases, I spend the new money in a “balanced” way. A year ago, my husband and I were living on one salary — his. As I’ve added income to our household with my freelance work, I’ve allocated 10% of those dollars toward charitable giving, 20% to savings, 20% wants and 50% to needs.
- As our debts decrease, I’m beginning to split our debt snowball. Snowballing debts is great. I’ve seen some people argue for splitting the money that’s freed up when a debt is paid off between paying down the next debt and adding to an emergency fund. I’m doing this with giving too. This month, I pay off a credit card that had a $35/month payment. I’ll put $3.50 into my charity fund, $7 into savings and the rest toward the next debt I’m attacking. I do this with frugal changes too: split the saved money between charity, savings and debt reduction.
- I make the giving automatic. Remembering to do stuff is not my strong suit. To stay consistent with my giving, I’ve signed up for recurring automatic withdrawals from my bank account. There are organizations, like Just Give, that will help you coordinate automated or one time gifts to many different organizations.
- I’m teaching my kids to give. My kids use jars to split their allowance into categories for giving, saving and spending. They’re too young to tell yet what lasting impact that might have, but I’m hoping it will get them into the habit of giving some of their money away every time they get paid. A habit it took me 30 years to grow into.
- Giving small counts big. Charities can use their membership rolls and total numbers of donors to solicit large grants from individuals and foundations, and to earn matching grants. Because of this, the difference between giving $10 to a charity and giving them nothing is a lot bigger than the difference between $10 and $20. I make a lot of small donations to different organizations I like, to spread out my impact.
There are many good organizations doing vital work in the world that depend on charitable gifts to run their operations. These range from the Red Cross to the World Food Program to local groups.
The end of the year is often a time charities need dollars most. To encourage holiday season giving, many have created fun holiday gift programs. My favorite is Heifer International’s famous gift catalog, which lets you “give” a cow or a beehive or another livestock animal to a family in the developing world. In reality, of course, what you give them is the money to run their organization, which then distributes livestock to needy families at a local level. It’s fun to read their catalog though, and Heifer has one of the lowest overhead ratios of all the large charities.
In closing, a note: Expressing concern about what a charity is going to do with your money is a terrible excuse for not giving. Very few charities are outright frauds, and even the inefficient ones will put more of your dollars toward a good cause than your bank will. If you want to be sure you’re getting the most bang for your charitable buck, though, you can investigate organizations at a charity watchdog site before giving.
Note: Get Rich Slowly does not take a stand on religious or political issues. Respectful discussion of these topics is fine; please keep the comments up to their usual high-quality standards.
Source: getrichslowly.org
Apache is functioning normally
This is a guest post from Spencer, a GRS reader in New York.
As a guy who just finished paying off $14,000 in credit card debt, I wanted to share one tip that helped me get over the bad debt hump. I allocate my spending money on a per diem system. At the beginning of each cycle of my monthly budget, I set aside funds for:
- Every fixed expense that I have (rent, cable/internet, groceries, power)
- Any unique expenses (a plane ticket, for example)
- And, of course, my savings (about 8 percent of my after-tax, after-401k income)
After allocating this money, I go to the bank, withdraw the remaining funds in cash, and divide it among envelopes for each day of the month. Each day, I open an envelope and add the day’s cash to my wallet. For me, the physical parceling of the cash is an important psychological step.
I tried just having the cash on hand and doling out the right amount each day, but I kept dipping into it whenever I was in a pinch. By investing a small amount of work in the division of the cash, dipping into my reserves makes me feel like I am undoing work instead of just taking an advance.
My all-cash diet keeps me honest about my spending habits. When I started, I allocated one amount for Monday through Thursday, and double that amount for weekends and holidays. I have more leeway in my cash flow after paying off my credit cards, so now I just have one flat rate for each day.
Here’s why I like my system:
- Because my budget takes account for my necessities and savings, I never have to feel guilty about spending money. My per diem is meant to be “walking around” money — the whole point of having it is to spend it.
- Spending only cash stops me from treating my finances as out-of-sight, out-of-mind. I know darn well how much I can spend because it’s right there in front of me.
- Although my per diem is meant to be spent, I usually save a little every day. After a while, it’s easy to build up a nice $200 cushion in my wallet that is regularly replenished. And if I want to splurge on a night out, I can. In the morning, I will just be back to normal, not in the hole. Now I always feel like I have money in my pocket (because I do), even though I am actually on a strict budget.
The most important thing I have discovered using a per diem system is to be honest about your actual monthly expenses. It’s better to add an item to you monthly budget and reduce your per diem than to try to shoehorn in a recurring expense. For example, smokers should budget for cigarettes and not pay for them out of the per diem. The per diem is meant to only pay for expenses that you cannot otherwise predict.
It’s better to have a low per diem (when I started I could only afford $12 on weekdays) than to regularly wipe out your per diem with recurring charges. In the long run, that will just frustrate you and make you feel perpetually broke.
J.D.’s note: Each of us has our own unique approaches to money management. We develop our own tricks — or money hacks — to circumvent our personal weaknesses and to help us meet our goals. If you have a personal money hack you’d like to share with GRS readers, please drop me a line. Photo by chrisdlugosz.
Source: getrichslowly.org
Apache is functioning normally
I’m a fan of unusual homes. From tiny homes to recycled homes, I’m fascinated by unconventional ways one can build houses that save on construction costs and future utility bills.
Our own house plans are for plastered walls with straw bale infill, and we’re close to breaking ground. But when I picked up the latest issue of granola crunchy Mother Earth News, for a minute I considered scrapping our plans. To live in a grain bin.
You really have to click that last link and check out the photos to see how architects and builders are taking the big round structures pictured above and turning them into stunning homes. I had never heard of such a thing as a grain bin house, but I was intrigued.
Low Cost, Low Impact
You might be wondering, as any rational person would, what would possibly drive someone to turn a grain silo into a house. Turns out there are quite a few reasons grain bin inhabitants chose the structure. Consider the following features:
- Eco-friendly. Many builders buy used bins, and they can be recycled. Mother Earth News suggests finding used bins by placing an ad in farm magazines or on your local farm co-op bulletin board, through a local bin dealer or erector, or surprisingly, even on Craigslist and eBay.
- Low maintenance. Not fond of painting your house? That’s no longer a task on the to-do list with a grain bin house. The shiny metal will dull to gray, but you’ll never have to pick up a paintbrush.
- Cost effective. Bins cost $30 per square foot or less (not including slab or assembly costs). You can get smaller bins for an office or workshop for a few hundred dollars, or sometimes for free.
- Visual appeal. Mother Earth News interviewed Mark Clipsham, an architect from Iowa, who says, “…curved forms are used in either the most expensive and prestigious buildings or the most utilitarian and primitive ones. These forms have evolved out of use because of changes in available materials, labor costs and prevailing building methods. But why not use something utilitarian and affordable — a grain bin — to build what is otherwise in the realm of the expensive and exclusive?”
Bells and Whistles
Earl Stein’s 1,800-square foot grain bin home in Woodland, Utah, uses high-tech systems and solar heat gain to use less energy. The house, called Monte-Silo, was designed by Gigaplex Architects out of two linked corrugated metal grain silos, arranged to enjoy a view of the Provo River. The home features the following:
- Rubber-covered concrete floors heated by sunlight that pours through the windows
- Radiant heat in the floors (Stein says even with the indulgence, his heating bills are far below the average for houses of the same size in Utah.)
- Heat retained with computer-controlled drapes
- Propane-burning stove
- Metal grating and guard rail of the second level deck provide shade in the great room during the summer
Another beautiful example of a high-end grain silo home is M. J. Gladstone’s 450-square-foot, octagonal living room and bedroom combo with and attached angular shed that holds the kitchen, dining area, home office, bathroom, and a closet. Both Gladstone’s and Stein’s homes cost about $200 per square foot.
A Simple, Owner-Built Home
On the other end of the spectrum is an owner-built grain bin home constructed with mostly locally sourced materials. A 3,000-bushel grain bin was converted into two one-room apartments with plenty of cost-saving features, such as the following:
- Used grain bin with walls, a roof, and a concrete floor
- Straw bale insulation
- Double-paned glass windows and doors placed to maximize solar heat gain
- Doors, windows, and straw bales purchased locally
- Reclaimed wood from a nearby barn
- 24-watt solar electric system
The owners chose a grain silo home because it could be inhabitable in about three months (before winter). In fact, the speed of assembly makes these structures ideal for emergency situations in areas hit by natural disaster. Final cost wasn’t listed for this home, but it’s fair to say it’s at the low end of costs for a grain bin home.
Grain bins aren’t just being converted into homes, either. People have made offices, workshops, playhouses, storage buildings, and guest apartments out of them. Considering expense, strength, and maintenance, they’re an ideal building material. Unusual? Most definitely. But when you start to think outside the box, they make a lot of sense, too.
What do you think about unconventional homes like these? Would you ever live in one? What about building a workshop or office out of a grain bin?
Source: getrichslowly.org
Apache is functioning normally
This guest post from Nicole is part of the “reader stories” feature at Get Rich Slowly. Some stories contain general advice; others are examples of how a GRS reader achieved financial success — or failure. These stories feature folks from all levels of financial maturity and with all sorts of incomes. Nicole is an active GRS commenter. She’s also half of the blog Grumpy Rumblings of the Untenured, where she and her partner-in-crime write about personal finance, novels, academia, and cats — among other things.
Four years ago, in November, my husband and I had one car (a tiny Hyundai Accent), a house that was too big, and not enough money to furnish the house. It was our first year with real jobs since leaving graduate school and we hadn’t quite caught up yet, especially with all the unexpected expenses that come when you buy a house. But that’s another story.
On top of that, I was hugely pregnant with our first child. We knew we were going to need a second car once our son was born because, on any given day either one of us could be called to use the car in case of emergency. With no parental leave (FMLA doesn’t cover first-year employees…that’s also another story), we wouldn’t be able to make commuting and baby care work with just one car. At the rate we were saving, we would have enough by January (just in time for our son) to buy a fancy new Honda Civic Hybrid so long as we didn’t bother to furnish any of the empty rooms.
A Catalyst
We weren’t expecting to have to buy a car prior to the birth of our child. We weren’t expecting it in the same way we weren’t expecting an F150 in front of us to make a sudden unexpected stop on a 70 mph highway. Turns out the F150 has much better brakes than the Hyundai Accent. With physics being what it is, we ended up with a crumpled smoking front, and, since we had the minimum insurance we were on our own for repair and rental expenses.
All of a sudden, we were in the market for a car earlier than we had expected. (The F150 drove away completely unscathed.) After a few days in a dreadful rental PT Cruiser, we decided we were ready for a new car right away.
NOT Nicole’s motorcrash — just a stock photo for illustrative purposes…
Learning From Past Mistakes
Our first car-buying experience — several years before — had been miserable. The Hyundai salesman tried every trick in the book to wear down my poor husband and succeeded at adding $300 in additional fees (we got away easy!). They also got us to accept zero for our trade-in, a 5-year-old Accent that drove perfectly well, but needed body work that would cost more than the value of the car to get an inspection sticker.
In their defense, we couldn’t get anybody to take the old car as a donation, so maybe it was worth zero. Happily, my husband didn’t allow them to up-sell him a fancier car, even when they pretended the car he wanted suddenly wasn’t in stock and walked him by the ones with fancy power windows. (As he made to leave, they “found” the missing car.) We wanted to avoid that kind of experience this time.
So, we were prepared. We’d found the Motley Fool car-buying guide, and with a little updating, we were able to use their methodology to our advantage.
Step One: Finding Financing
We couldn’t pay in cash this time without completely liquidating our emergency fund. We debated getting a cheaper car that we could pay cash for, but since we would have the cash in a couple of months, we decided to take out a loan, even for a depreciating asset. Using Edmunds and Kelly Blue Book, we had a general idea of what people were paying for the car we wanted. We decided to finance about $6,000 worth of the car.
Our first stop was at our local credit union to get pre-qualified for a loan. A day after we went in to apply, we found that we’d been qualified for a 5% loan. The same credit union was offering Term Shares (like CDs) for 5.05%, and our online savings account was also offering a little more. (Now it’s hard to remember those days when interest rates were more than 1%!)
If we’d known in advance, we would have financed more of the car! We’d been planning to pay the loan off early, but instead we put the money away in online savings until interest rates dropped below 5%. In the end, the dealership admitted there was no way they could beat that interest rate no matter how good our credit was.
Step Two: Negotiation
The next stop was negotiation. I’m much better at negotiating than my husband is, mainly because it doesn’t give me a stomach ache. But, there’s hard evidence that car dealers offer worse initial deals to woman than they do to men. In fact, women are often advised to just bring a guy with them — even an unrelated one — when car shopping. Luckily, the Motley Fool method allows a way around that.
Using my husband’s junk hotmail account, I impersonated him — with his permission. That Friday, I emailed every Honda dealership within 100 miles. I told them we were in the market for a new 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid, no navigation, and that we were emailing every dealership in the area and were planning on buying one that Saturday from whoever gave us the best deal. Color and other details did not matter. I asked for a walk-away price.
Return emails trickled, then flooded in. Almost all were reluctant to give a price. Most suggested that I give my phone number so they could talk over the phone. I politely emailed back to say I would prefer to keep the transactions via email. Finally someone sent me a price. Jackpot.
With that price, I emailed all of the dealerships that had responded to the first round of emails. I told them I had gotten that offer as a price and could any of them beat it? Yes, many of them could. Some places offered navigation upgrades for more money, to which I politely responded I was only interested in the upgrade if it were the same price as the one I’d quoted. At least one dealership offered me what I wanted for $3,000 less. So I did a third round with the new price. The dealerships in the expensive city two hours away dropped out at that point — they couldn’t beat that price. Several other dealerships offered to match. The offers got closer with each round of negotiation.
If you buy a car Nicole’s way, you don’t have to deal with this…
Step Three: Closing the Deal
Finally, I emailed the local dealership in town and told them the best offer I’d received was in a city an hour-and-a-half away and quite a bit less than what they had offered me. It was worth $50 to me not to have to drive that far on Saturday. Could they give me the lowest price offered plus $50?
The local salesperson countered with how wonderful it is to have a relationship with a local dealership (note: not much of an incentive given its reputation for service). I emailed back saying that if they were willing to take the price I had named, I would buy the car that night instead of Saturday. The salesperson emailed back, “Let me talk to the manager,” as if we were actually negotiating in person.
Eventually, the salesperson agreed, and with the sun setting and ten minutes left before closing time, we shook hands and did a test drive. We came back the next day to finish the paperwork and actually get the car. In all, we spent less than 30 minutes at the dealership. The email negotiation did take most of the day, but I was able to get some work done in between emails, and during that time I was in control, not the dealership. Much more pleasant than our first car-buying experience.
Lessons Learned
Based on that experience, here are my suggestions for buying a new car:
- If you’re going to get financing, get it before playing with the dealership. Credit Unions are awesome.
- Decide exactly what you want. Put a price item on any potential upgrades you might consider. Do not waiver from that unless they are willing to give you the additional benefits for free. This makes it easier to compare.
- When you start emailing dealerships, use a junk email address. Four years and many unsubscribes later, we’re still getting junk mail from various dealerships.
- In your emails, ask for the “walk-away price.” Dealerships will try to confuse you with prices that cannot be compared because they will add on different fees. Some of these fees are the same for all dealerships, but some of them are imaginary and dealer-specific. Asking for the walk-away price cuts through the garbage and gives you something you can understand.
- Don’t let them get you on the phone. The tricks they try sound much less convincing in email than they do spoken.
- Once you get a price, keep pushing for matches until you get tired of emailing or everyone has settled on one price.
- Use their tricks against them — tell them you have a specific deadline that they have to meet or they won’t get your sale. It also doesn’t hurt to make them feel like they’re getting a deal.
By the way, we love our Honda Civic Hybrid. I have to admit that after having spent most of my life with the cheapest model Ford or Hyundai, (and a good portion of my childhood in an ancient Volkswagen Beetle with holes rusted through the floor) I felt a little guilty having such a luxurious car. Intellectually, I know there are fancier cars out there, but they’re beyond my ability to imagine.
My husband loved all the fancy electronic gee-gaws even more than he had expected to, though after the initial fascination he started finding them distracting and has since turned them off. I hope that we get many more years out of it and my (repaired) Accent before we have to go through the car-buying process again. But when we do, we’ll be prepared.
Nicole’s son loves his new car!
Source: getrichslowly.org
Apache is functioning normally
This is a guest-post from Tim Ellis, author of Seattle Bubble, a blog and forum dedicated to discussing real estate market conditions in the Seattle area. Tim is a long-time GRS reader. During my last trip to Europe, he shared a controversial article on renting vs. buying.
Given the fact that loses twenty percent of its value the moment you drive it off the lot. Buying a home (used or new) is similar. Even if home prices begin to appreciate regularly again, agent fees, excise taxes, staging, seller concessions, and other random costs add up quickly when you try to sell your home, sucking away about ten percent of the sale price.
There really is no way to know what neighborhood will work best for you until you’ve spent a good amount of time actually living in the area. Consider all the variables at play:
- What’s the commute like to your work?
- How convenient is shopping?
- Is there enough entertainment nearby?
- Does the neighborhood feel safe?
- Do you like the neighborhood vibe?
- Are there sources of noise at odd hours?
Wouldn’t you prefer to rent for a while and learn the area rather than buy right away only to learn after a few months that you’d rather live across town, but you’re stuck for at least a few years (or worse, like Ben) until the value of your home rises enough to offset the selling costs?
Give Yourself Time to Find Out What Works For You
Don’t be tempted to take shortcuts when it comes to a decision as important as where you will live. You might think that you can do sufficient research online or get advice from people who do live in an area so you can make an informed decision from afar. Think again.
Above is a little map I made based on a recent forum thread on LinkedIn started by a simple question:
I have some friends who are relocating to the Seattle area. They will be working in downtown Seattle, have kids and about a $650K housing budget. Looking for thoughts on best cities to live in the Seattle area for education, school districts, quality of life, etc. Any ideas would be appreciated!
Each pin on the map represents an answer to this question that was offered by one of the commenters. Believe it or not, the Seattle area is somewhere under that mass of purple. Good luck making any sort of informed decision based on that mess!
The only person that can really know if you’ll like living in a given neighborhood is you. Buying a home is a major financial commitment, and rushing into a purchase before you’ve had time to get to know the area is a recipe for disaster. If you find yourself planning a major move, find a nice rental and take your time learning the ups and downs of your new hometown before you buy a new home. You’ll be glad you did.
Source: getrichslowly.org