As the “Granite State,” New Hampshire is known for its rugged landscape – granite quarries, the White Mountains, and rocky coastline. And the idyllic New Hampshire beach towns dotted up and down the coast are some of the best you’ll find. Whether you’re looking to relocate to New Hampshire or one of the many New Hampshirites looking for a beachside property, you have lots of towns to choose from.
But if you’re not sure what coastal towns in New Hampshire to check out, we’ve got you covered. To help you find the right area, Redfin has put together a list of 7 picturesque coastal towns in New Hampshire from Hampton to Portsmouth. Let’s dive into some of New Hampshire’s top beach cities, listed in alphabetical order, so you can find the right place for you.
#1: Hampton
Median home price: $460,000 Average rent for a one-bedroom apartment: $1,455 Hampton, NH homes for sale Hampton, NH apartments for rent
Starting off our list is Hampton where you’ll find plenty of beaches to explore such as Hampton Beach State Park and North Beach. About 15,600 people live in this coastal New Hampshire town where you can also go deep sea fishing, take a whale watching tour, and explore the Hampton Salt Marsh Conservation Area.
#2: Hampton Beach
Median home price: $469,000 Hampton Beach, NH homes for sale Hampton Beach, NH apartments for rent
Another one of New Hampshire’s great beach towns to consider buying a home in is Hampton Beach. This town of 2,500 people is located just south of Hampton. Some things to do in Hampton Beach include visiting the beach at Hampton Beach, camping at Hampton Beach State Park, exploring the charming downtown streets, and seeing a show at the Casino Ballroom.
#3: New Castle
New Castle, NH homes for sale New Castle, NH apartments for rent
The easternmost town in New Hampshire, New Castle, has just about 980 residents. This village is just east of Portsmouth and you’ll find beaches like New Castle Beach and Great Island Common. If you find yourself moving to New Castle, make sure to explore the sites at Fort Stark State Historic Park.
#4: North Hampton
North Hampton, NH homes for sale North Hampton, NH apartments for rent
Home to beautiful beaches like North Hampton Beach, there are countless places to spend a beach day in North Hampton. With roughly 4,500 residents living in this coastal New Hampshire town, make sure to also check out the flowers at Fuller Gardens or have a meal at a local restaurant.
#5: Portsmouth
Median home price: $860,000 Average rent for a one-bedroom apartment: $1,600 Portsmouth, NH homes for sale Portsmouth, NH apartments for rent
The charming beach town of Portsmouth has about 22,300 residents, making it another great option, especially if you’re looking for a blend of city and beach life. You’ll find gorgeous beaches such as Peirce Island that overlooks the Piscataqua River. In Portsmouth, you can tour one of the museums like Strawbery Banke Museum or USS Albacore Museum, explore Sagamore Creek Headlands, or stroll through downtown.
#6: Rye
Rye, NH homes for sale Rye, NH apartments for rent
Home to roughly 4,500 people, Rye is a great beach town to consider living in. Some beaches you can visit include Bass Beach, Foss Beach, Jenness State Beach, Odiorne State Park, Sawyers Beach, and Wallis State Beach. You’ll have easy access to what makes this beach town stand out, so make sure to stop by some of the historic monuments throughout the city, explore Odiorne Point State Park, or have some local seafood.
#7: Seabrook
Seabrook, NH homes for sale Seabrook, NH apartments for rent
With a population of close to 8,900, Seabrook is a magnificent coastal spot to live in, located along the Massachusetts border. There are plenty of beaches to explore like Salisbury Beach and Seabrook Dunes Beach. Make sure to check out the downtown area, stroll through the beachfront parks, and camp at one of the many sites once moving to Seabrook.
Note, this list is not comprehensive of all the beach towns in New Hampshire. Median home sale price data from the Redfin Data Center during June 2023. Average rental data from Rent.com June 2023. Population data sourced from the United States Census Bureau.
One of the fastest growing and largest mortgage lenders in the country goes by the name PennyMac, not to be confused with Freddie Mac.
If you’re wondering what the rather odd name means, it stands for Private National Mortgage Acceptance Co.
While the company started as a buyer of distressed mortgage assets after the mortgage crisis in the early 2000s, it wasn’t long before they were originating their own home loans.
Today, they refer to themselves as a “top 3 lender in the U.S.,” which is likely driven by their strong correspondent lending business.
They purchase home loans from small and mid-sized banks, along with credit unions and other smaller mortgage lenders.
But they’re also becoming a major retail mortgage lender as well, serving consumers directly and beginning to make a household name for themselves.
In fact, in October 2019 they broke their one-month record by lending more than $1 billion directly to consumers.
If you’re looking to purchase a home or refinance an existing mortgage, PennyMac might be a lender worth looking into.
PennyMac Mortgage Quick Facts
Publicly-traded mortgage company launched in 2008
Former Countrywide Financial CFO is their founder
A top-3 mortgage lender licensed everywhere but NY
Nearly 4,000 employees, headquartered in Westlake Village, CA
Funded $125B in home loans during 2021 (6th largest lender nationally)
Services more than $368B in home loans for its customers
First a little history on PennyMac, which only stretches back to 2008. But they’ve been busy since.
Back then, they had only 72 employees, however, that total included some major mortgage players, namely former Countrywide Financial CFO and COO Stanford L. Kurland.
This might explain their explosive growth from startup to now one of the largest (if not largest) correspondent mortgage lenders in the country.
They also launched a wholesale mortgage division in 2018 to serve mortgage brokers known as “PennyMac Broker Direct.” It is now known as PennyMac TPO.
So they offer mortgages via the three major channels, including retail, correspondent, and wholesale.
They are also a top-10 residential mortgage servicer with over $368 billion in portfolio, and a publicly-traded company, with two stocks on the NYSE.
How to Apply for a Mortgage with PennyMac
Can apply online or by phone or visit a local sales office
Loan application powered by Mortgage Access Center (m.a.c)
Allows you to check loan status 24/7 and upload key documents
Can view your credit scores and access W-2s from your employer via The Work Number verification
I always give props to lenders that let you apply for a mortgage directly on their website. It’s 2020, so if this isn’t an option, and you’re a lender, you better make it one.
With PennyMac, you can apply right away or get pre-approved online by creating an account and filling out a digital loan application.
If you’re old school, or simply need some guidance, you can also enter your contact information on their website and a loan officer will reach out to you to answer questions and get the loan process started.
It’s also possible to simply call them up to get connected with a loan officer to go over mortgage rates and available loan programs.
Those who are just sniffing around can take advantage of PennyMac’s Home Value Estimator tool, which provides its own home price estimate along with Zillow’s Zestimate and price per square foot.
So if you want to more details on what a potential home purchase will cost, or want to know what your current property is valued at, you can do so for free on their website.
Anyway, once you do apply, you can take advantage of their digital loan experience known as m.a.c., short for Mortgage Access Center.
To make the experience quicker and easier, they allow you to import bank statements from your online banking account(s) and verify W-2s via The Work Number.
You’re also able to securely upload documents, access your credit scores, and check loan status 24/7.
As your loan progresses, you’ll receive status notifications and update calls from your dedicated m.a.c team.
Types of Loans Offered by PennyMac
Conventional loans: conforming and jumbo loan amounts
Government-backed loans: FHA, USDA, and VA loans
Home purchase and refinance loans (cash-out is an option)
Variety of fixed-rate and adjustable-rate mortgages
Like most lenders, they offer both home purchase loans and refinance loans, in both fixed-rate and adjustable-rate options.
You can get both a conventional loan backed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, or a government-backed loan via the FHA, USDA, or VA.
They offer conforming loans and jumbo loans, so those with expensive properties are good to go.
With regard to loan type, you can get a fixed-rate mortgage with various terms, such as 30-year, 20-year, and 15-year.
Or an adjustable-rate mortgage with an initial fixed-rate period, such as a 3/1, 5/1, 7/1, or 10/1 ARM.
PennyMac also recently rolled out a home equity line of credit (HELOC) product to customers in select states, claiming to be the only major nonbank lender to directly offer one.
They lend on primary residences, second homes, and investment properties, so you’re covered regardless of occupancy type.
PennyMac Mortgage Rates
One plus to using PennyMac is that they’re fairly transparent about mortgage rates.
If you go to one of their loan product pages, you’ll see today’s mortgage rates listed. Be sure to view the assumptions and recognize that they’re just sample rates that meet certain criteria.
You can also get a customized quote on their website in about 30 seconds by answering a series of simple borrower- and property-related questions.
While the interest rate may not be set in stone, you can at least get a good idea of how competitive they are relative to other lenders.
Once you get your rate quote, you’ll see several loan options such as the 30-year fixed and 15-year, and possibly some ARMs as well.
They list the interest rate, APR, and mortgage points required for the rate in question.
You can also view additional rates to see what the rate would be with fewer or more discount points.
Assuming you like what you see, you can apply right then and there, which is nice. Or you can call them or have them call you.
All in all, their mortgage rates seem to be competitive from what I saw relative to other lenders, but always take the time to shop around.
PennyMac Better Rate Promise and Close On-Time Promise
PennyMac also makes a lot of promises that they back with real money if they don’t live up to them.
Their “Better Rate Promise” is their promise to beat any competitor’s mortgage rate and/or lender fees.
If they’re unable to do so, and you take your loan elsewhere, they’ll give you a $250 Visa gift card.
Their Close On-Time Promise is their promise to close your home loan on time. If there’s a delay that is their fault and not the borrower’s or a third party, you’ll be sent a $500 Visa gift card.
Both these promises, collectively known as “The PennyMac Promise,” only apply to home purchase loans, not refinances, and there are other various restrictions in the fine print.
PennyMac Mortgage Reviews
PennyMac has more than 19,000 customer reviews on SocialSurvey with a 4.57 out of 5-star rating.
They’ve also got a 4.25 rating out of 5 stars at Zillow based on 173 customer reviews. Many of those reviews indicate the interest rate and closing costs were lower than expected.
Additionally, they are an accredited business with the Better Business Bureau and have an A+ BBB rating.
They’ve got a near-4 star rating based on 421 customer reviews. But they’ve also got a healthy number of customer complaints, with more than 500 at last glance.
So you may want to dig through those if you’re concerned about their customer service.
PennyMac Pros and Cons
The Good Stuff
They openly display their mortgage rates
You can get a no-obligation quote on their website in seconds
Can apply online via digital loan process
Offer lots of different loan options for all types of borrowers
They service the home loans they originate
Free mortgage calculators and home estimate tool
Good customer reviews overall
Close On-Time Promise
Better Rate Promise
The Maybe Bad Stuff
Mortgage rates might not be the lowest
Lender fees are not listed on their website
Be sure to shop around the invoke the Better Rate Promise if necessary
One of the fastest growing and largest mortgage lenders in the country goes by the name PennyMac, not to be confused with Freddie Mac.
If you’re wondering what the rather odd name means, it stands for Private National Mortgage Acceptance Co.
While the company started as a buyer of distressed mortgage assets after the mortgage crisis in the early 2000s, it wasn’t long before they were originating their own home loans.
Today, they refer to themselves as a “top 3 lender in the U.S.,” which is likely driven by their strong correspondent lending business.
They purchase home loans from small and mid-sized banks, along with credit unions and other smaller mortgage lenders.
But they’re also becoming a major retail mortgage lender as well, serving consumers directly and beginning to make a household name for themselves.
In fact, in October 2019 they broke their one-month record by lending more than $1 billion directly to consumers.
If you’re looking to purchase a home or refinance an existing mortgage, PennyMac might be a lender worth looking into.
PennyMac Mortgage Quick Facts
Publicly-traded mortgage company launched in 2008
Former Countrywide Financial CFO is their founder
A top-3 mortgage lender licensed everywhere but NY
Nearly 4,000 employees, headquartered in Westlake Village, CA
Funded $125B in home loans during 2021 (6th largest lender nationally)
Services more than $368B in home loans for its customers
First a little history on PennyMac, which only stretches back to 2008. But they’ve been busy since.
Back then, they had only 72 employees, however, that total included some major mortgage players, namely former Countrywide Financial CFO and COO Stanford L. Kurland.
This might explain their explosive growth from startup to now one of the largest (if not largest) correspondent mortgage lenders in the country.
They also launched a wholesale mortgage division in 2018 to serve mortgage brokers known as “PennyMac Broker Direct.” It is now known as PennyMac TPO.
So they offer mortgages via the three major channels, including retail, correspondent, and wholesale.
They are also a top-10 residential mortgage servicer with over $368 billion in portfolio, and a publicly-traded company, with two stocks on the NYSE.
How to Apply for a Mortgage with PennyMac
Can apply online or by phone or visit a local sales office
Loan application powered by Mortgage Access Center (m.a.c)
Allows you to check loan status 24/7 and upload key documents
Can view your credit scores and access W-2s from your employer via The Work Number verification
I always give props to lenders that let you apply for a mortgage directly on their website. It’s 2020, so if this isn’t an option, and you’re a lender, you better make it one.
With PennyMac, you can apply right away or get pre-approved online by creating an account and filling out a digital loan application.
If you’re old school, or simply need some guidance, you can also enter your contact information on their website and a loan officer will reach out to you to answer questions and get the loan process started.
It’s also possible to simply call them up to get connected with a loan officer to go over mortgage rates and available loan programs.
Those who are just sniffing around can take advantage of PennyMac’s Home Value Estimator tool, which provides its own home price estimate along with Zillow’s Zestimate and price per square foot.
So if you want to more details on what a potential home purchase will cost, or want to know what your current property is valued at, you can do so for free on their website.
Anyway, once you do apply, you can take advantage of their digital loan experience known as m.a.c., short for Mortgage Access Center.
To make the experience quicker and easier, they allow you to import bank statements from your online banking account(s) and verify W-2s via The Work Number.
You’re also able to securely upload documents, access your credit scores, and check loan status 24/7.
As your loan progresses, you’ll receive status notifications and update calls from your dedicated m.a.c team.
Types of Loans Offered by PennyMac
Conventional loans: conforming and jumbo loan amounts
Government-backed loans: FHA, USDA, and VA loans
Home purchase and refinance loans (cash-out is an option)
Variety of fixed-rate and adjustable-rate mortgages
Like most lenders, they offer both home purchase loans and refinance loans, in both fixed-rate and adjustable-rate options.
You can get both a conventional loan backed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, or a government-backed loan via the FHA, USDA, or VA.
They offer conforming loans and jumbo loans, so those with expensive properties are good to go.
With regard to loan type, you can get a fixed-rate mortgage with various terms, such as 30-year, 20-year, and 15-year.
Or an adjustable-rate mortgage with an initial fixed-rate period, such as a 3/1, 5/1, 7/1, or 10/1 ARM.
PennyMac also recently rolled out a home equity line of credit (HELOC) product to customers in select states, claiming to be the only major nonbank lender to directly offer one.
They lend on primary residences, second homes, and investment properties, so you’re covered regardless of occupancy type.
PennyMac Mortgage Rates
One plus to using PennyMac is that they’re fairly transparent about mortgage rates.
If you go to one of their loan product pages, you’ll see today’s mortgage rates listed. Be sure to view the assumptions and recognize that they’re just sample rates that meet certain criteria.
You can also get a customized quote on their website in about 30 seconds by answering a series of simple borrower- and property-related questions.
While the interest rate may not be set in stone, you can at least get a good idea of how competitive they are relative to other lenders.
Once you get your rate quote, you’ll see several loan options such as the 30-year fixed and 15-year, and possibly some ARMs as well.
They list the interest rate, APR, and mortgage points required for the rate in question.
You can also view additional rates to see what the rate would be with fewer or more discount points.
Assuming you like what you see, you can apply right then and there, which is nice. Or you can call them or have them call you.
All in all, their mortgage rates seem to be competitive from what I saw relative to other lenders, but always take the time to shop around.
PennyMac Better Rate Promise and Close On-Time Promise
PennyMac also makes a lot of promises that they back with real money if they don’t live up to them.
Their “Better Rate Promise” is their promise to beat any competitor’s mortgage rate and/or lender fees.
If they’re unable to do so, and you take your loan elsewhere, they’ll give you a $250 Visa gift card.
Their Close On-Time Promise is their promise to close your home loan on time. If there’s a delay that is their fault and not the borrower’s or a third party, you’ll be sent a $500 Visa gift card.
Both these promises, collectively known as “The PennyMac Promise,” only apply to home purchase loans, not refinances, and there are other various restrictions in the fine print.
PennyMac Mortgage Reviews
PennyMac has more than 19,000 customer reviews on SocialSurvey with a 4.57 out of 5-star rating.
They’ve also got a 4.25 rating out of 5 stars at Zillow based on 173 customer reviews. Many of those reviews indicate the interest rate and closing costs were lower than expected.
Additionally, they are an accredited business with the Better Business Bureau and have an A+ BBB rating.
They’ve got a near-4 star rating based on 421 customer reviews. But they’ve also got a healthy number of customer complaints, with more than 500 at last glance.
So you may want to dig through those if you’re concerned about their customer service.
PennyMac Pros and Cons
The Good Stuff
They openly display their mortgage rates
You can get a no-obligation quote on their website in seconds
Can apply online via digital loan process
Offer lots of different loan options for all types of borrowers
They service the home loans they originate
Free mortgage calculators and home estimate tool
Good customer reviews overall
Close On-Time Promise
Better Rate Promise
The Maybe Bad Stuff
Mortgage rates might not be the lowest
Lender fees are not listed on their website
Be sure to shop around the invoke the Better Rate Promise if necessary
The largest institutional single-family rental (SFR) operator in the country, Invitation Homes, is in the hot seat over its alleged failure to comply with building-permit requirements for rental properties it owns in California.
Another larger player in the space, Progress Residential, recently postponed a securitization transaction due to difficult market conditions. And yet another big force in the market, FirstKey Homes, is pulling collateral out of a 2021 securitization deal.
These developments—and more—can be seen as cracks in the armor of a housing-industry sector that rose out of the ashes of the Great Recession and grew to become a thriving alternative for individuals locked out the home-purchase market by rapidly rising prices.
The market stresses facing the SFR sector now include decelerating rents, a rising cost of capital and a shortage of homes available to purchase — which has slowed property acquisitions and related securitization deals that help market players regenerate capital.
David Petrosinelli, a New York-based senior trader with InspereX, a tech-driven underwriter and distributor of securities that operates multiple trading desks around the country, said he expects the securitization market for institutional SFR players to “approximate a more normal market by summertime.”
“But the caveat, of course, is that all bets are off if there’s a more meaningful contraction in lending [in the wake of recent bank failures and other economic factors] because then you’re in serious trouble,” Petrosinelli added.
Inviting an SFR lawsuit
Invitation Homes earlier this year failed to convince a judge to dismiss a pending whistleblower lawsuit filed against the company in federal court in San Diego that alleges it made improvements at scores of properties in California without first securing required building permits.
The lawsuit claims further that the company “ignored permitting laws to avoid fees and increased taxes as well as to get renovated homes on the rental market as soon as possible.” The whistleblower litigation, known as a qui tam action — which allows private parties to sue on behalf of the United States — was filed under seal in state court in California in 2020 and moved last year to federal court — where the judge’s ruling denying dismissal of the case was handed down in January of this year.
The lawsuit is filed as a false-claims action on behalf of some 18 California cities by an entity called Blackbird Special Projects LLC, which discovered the alleged violations based on its examination of public records using artificial intelligence software. If successful in the litigation, Blackbird stands to get a cut of any recoveries for the local governments.
“To support these assertions, [Blackbird] used proprietary software to scour different rental listing websites such as Zillow.com and [Invitation Home’s] website to identify homes owned by defendant,” pleadings in federal court state. “[Blackbird] then used its proprietary ‘lookback’ technology to access pre-renovation images of the homes from a multiple listing service and compare them with post-renovation images from the rental advertisements.”
Invitation Homes declined to comment on specific allegations raised in the lawsuit, but a company spokesman did say the “allegations are without merit, and we intend to vigorously defend the company.”
“Invitation Homes is currently the largest owner of single-family, rental homes in the United States, with most of its homes located in California, Florida, Georgia, Texas and other Sun Belt states,” the federal lawsuit states. “In California, as of December 31, 2019, defendant [Invitation Homes] owned 12,461 single-family homes in over 100 cities.
“… By its failure to pay or remit inspection, permit fees, penalties and interest, Invitation Homes has defrauded cities and counties in California millions of dollars.”
By “renovating thousands of homes” absent obtaining building permits, pleadings in the case allege, Invitation Homes was able to “avoid revaluations that would have happened if permits were obtained, thus evading increased property taxes on improved properties.”
The Invitation Homes’ case is being watched closely by some players in the secondary market, where large SFR operators like Invitation Homes raise funds through securitization deals backed by their rental properties.
“The reason this matters is they [Invitation Homes] make representations and warranties into their securitization trusts that all work improvements are permitted,” explained Ben Hunsaker, a portfolio manager focused on securitized credit for California-based Beach Point Capital Management. “So, there are points where they may have to refinance securitization debt if this [litigation] goes sideways for them with unsecured corporate debt, and they go from 1% or 2% cost of capital to 7% or 8% cost of capital, and they also have to worry about their ratings then.”
Invitation Homes (IH) spent about $25,000 on renovations per home for its California SFR portfolio, pleadings in the lawsuit state.
“The vast majority of IH’s renovations required permits — including for demolishing and constructing sections of single-family homes, installing and demolishing pools, and significantly altering the electrical work— but permits were not obtained,” court pleadings allege. “Once the single-family homes were renovated without the required permits, IH rented them to tenants who were unaware of the unpermitted and potentially unsafe renovations.”
The federal judge now overseeing the case earlier this year denied a motion lodged by Invitation Homes seeking to have the case dismissed. As part of that ruling, the judge made clear that he wasn’t going to entertain any arguments by the defendant seeking to shift blame to contractors for failing to secure the building permits.
The judge states in his ruling, essentially, that even if independent contractors are responsible for the alleged failure to obtain building permits, that fact alone doesn’t absolve Invitation Homes of the responsibility to “do the investigating itself” to ensure permits were issued.
Industrywide turbulence
The lawsuit against Invitation Homes is not the only dark cloud hanging over the institutional SFR sector.
The securitization market for institutional SFR companies, which collectively represent some 5% of an SFR market composed of some 17 million properties, is currently in the doldrums. That’s largely due to a lack of housing available to purchase, and consequently a lack of new assets to securitize, according to market expert L.D. Salmanson.
Salmanson is CEO of Cherre, a data-integration and insights platform that works with major players in the real estate market, including insurers, asset managers, lenders and SFR operators. The company serves as a data warehouse and deep analytics platform that integrates client data with other public and private data sources to create powerful market assessment and forecasting tools.
“First of all, there’s been a massive slowdown in the purchase rate for the large [SFR] players,” Salmanson said. “What’s been causing the slowdown is not the [flat to decelerating] rental prices, although that is affecting it.
“Rather, it’s that there are a lot less people selling because they’re not getting the [higher] prices that they’re looking for [as home prices decelerate]. But that’s temporary. That’s not going to last.”
Last year, there were a total of 15 securitization deals involving large institutional SFR players valued in total at $10.3 billion, according to data tracked by Kroll Bond Rating Agency (KBRA). This year, so far, there has been one offering, a $343 million securitization deal by Progress Residential (Progress 2023-SFR1) that closed in late February, KBRA data show.
Yet even Progress, which has a portfolio of some 83,000 SFR properties, appears to be caught up in the SFR securitization stagnation. Hunsaker said one major SFR player a few weeks ago postponed a securitization deal, pulling it off the market prior to pricing due to market conditions.
That player, according to industry sources, was Pretium Partners-backed Progress Residential, and the deal was Progress 2023-SFR2.
Hunsaker added that another potential drag on the institutional SFR market is the fact that some single-family rental (SFR) operators are backed by investment firms that also invest in the commercial real estate market, which he said also is facing stiff headwinds now — particularly in the office and multifamily sectors.
For example, Bridge Investment Group Holdings early last year acquired Gorelick Brothers Capital’s estimated 2,700 SFR-property portfolio spread across 14 markets concentrated in the Sunbelt and Midwest. Bridge’s portfolio also includes investments in office and multifamily properties.
Likewise, SFR operator FirstKey Homes, with a portfolio of some 45,000 SFR properties under management, is an affiliate of Cerberus Capital Management, a global investment firm with approximately $60 billion in assets across credit, private equity as well as residential and commercial real estate interests.
KBRA reported last month that FirstKey Homes exercised a so-called “excess collateral release” [ECR] feature for a securitization deal dubbed FirstKey Homes 2021-SFR1. It was the first such ECR exercised across the 12 KBRA-rated securitization deals to date that have included such a provision.
“In connection with the subject transaction … the issuer requested release [via the ECR] of 729 properties from the collateral pool of 9,218 properties,” KBRA’s report notes. “Post release, the remaining 8,489 properties will collateralize the same debt of $2.06 billion [due to increased home values].
“…The analysis indicated that the [exercise of the] ECR, in and of itself, would not result in a downgrade.”
Hunsaker said for many SFR operators facing uncertainty now, the solution is to stop buying new properties if they believe their cost of capital is rising too much — absent home prices dropping enough in the future to make the numbers work.
“I think most of these [SFR operators] are capitalized for longer-term [property] holding incentives [and] … I don’t think these structures are set up to be forced sellers,” Hunsaker said.
He added that healthy home-price appreciation to date made it possible for FirstKey Homes to release the excess collateral from the 2021 securitization deal.
“But they weren’t releasing that excess collateral to sell the houses,” he stressed. “They’re releasing that excess collateral to put it on their balance sheet and reduce the amount of encumbered debt they have.”
FirstKey Homes does not share financial details about its operations for competitive reasons, a company spokesman said when asked to comment on the ECR transaction.
“What’s vital to remember is that across the SFR sector, investors are still active, albeit a bit more selective, with the belief SFR provides durable cash flows and stable occupancies,” the FirstKey spokesman added. “Additionally, with household formations significantly outpacing the decades-long low housing supply, it bodes well for continued strong demand for the high-quality single-family rental homes we provide our family of residents.”
“Where are you from?” It’s a common question when you meet someone new while traveling. And it’s an easy question for most people. But for me, it’s complicated if I want to give more details than “the United States.”
After all, my husband and I gave up our Austin, Texas, apartment in June 2017, sold or donated most of our belongings and then set out as digital nomads on July 2, 2017. So, excluding some extended time living with family early in the coronavirus pandemic, we’ve traveled full time while working remotely for the last six years.
In 2020, I wrote about my first three years as a digital nomad. But in this story, I’ll look back at the past six years. In doing so, I’ll discuss how I became a digital nomad, some of my travel statistics and how travel has changed for me during the past six years.
How I became a digital nomad
On a bus from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu in Peru in 2013, I first heard of a gap year or sabbatical year. I hadn’t gotten into points and miles yet, but my husband and I loved the idea of taking a year off to travel after I finished graduate school. Well, fast forward four years to 2017, when it was time to leave on our “gap year.” By this time, we were already working as writers in the award travel space.
So, we hit the road as digital nomads instead of taking a gap year. And we quickly fell in love with the freedom and flexibility of the lifestyle. I appreciate experiencing different cultures, landscapes, experiences and cuisines daily. And I’ve found that frequently visiting new destinations inspires me.
I also enjoy using the topics I write about — points, miles, credit cards and elite status — on a daily basis. We make award redemptions most weeks (and often multiple times a week), and we’re constantly traveling. So, I know many of the airline, hotel and credit card programs I write about from personal experience. And I’m personally invested when these programs change or devalue their rewards.
Points and miles certainly fuel some of our travel. But we also book paid flights and nights when it makes sense. After all, we only have a finite amount of points and miles, and we’ve found that paid partner-operated premium-cabin flights are often the best way to earn airline elite status.
Related: 6 ways award travel and elite status pair well with my digital nomad life
1,121,959 miles on 575 flights
Over the last six years, I’ve taken 575 flights on 62 airlines to 180 airports in 58 countries. I’ve taken so many flights in the last six years that my flight map is difficult to read.
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I flew 1,121,959 direct flight miles in the last six years, with an average flight distance of 1,951 miles (about the distance from Atlanta to Los Angeles). My longest flight was 9,532 miles, from New York to Singapore. And my shortest flight was just 11 miles from Tahiti to Moorea in French Polynesia.
But my most memorable flight was on Sri Lanka’s Cinnamon Air from Polgolla Reservoir Aerodrome (KDZ) to Koggala Airport (KCT) on a Cessna 208 amphibious caravan.
I frequently fly American Airlines and often use Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) when visiting family. So, it’s not surprising that my three most frequent routes by flight segments are between American Airlines’ hubs and Atlanta. Here’s a look at my top 10 most frequent flight segments over the last six years:
New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA) to/from ATL: 15 flights
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to/from ATL: 11 flights
Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) to/from ATL: 10 flights
Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL) to/from Kualanamu International Airport (KNO): 10 flights while I earned Malaysia Airlines Enrich Gold status in 2019
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to/from ATL: Nine flights
Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) to/from LAX: Eight flights
DFW to/from LGA: Six flights
London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) to/from LAX: Six flights
Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) to/from Da Nang International Airport (DAD): Six flights booked during Cathay Pacific’s New Year’s deal in 2019
DFW to/from LAS: Five flights
And my loyalty to American Airlines AAdvantage and its Oneworld partners shows when you look at the airlines I flew most by flight segments:
American Airlines: 224 flights, including reviews of American’s A321T business class, 787-9 business class, 777-200 business class with B/E Aerospace Super Diamond seats, 787-8 Main Cabin Extra, 757-200 Main Cabin Extra and 757-200 business class
United Airlines: 31 flights, including reviews of United’s 787-8 economy class and 757-200 economy class
Southwest Airlines: 29 flights, including a review of Southwest’s 737-800 from Oakland, California, to Newark
Malaysia Airlines: 26 flights
Qatar Airways: 23 flights, including reviews of Qatar Qsuite on a 777-300ER and Qatar Qsuite on an A350-1000
Delta Air Lines: 22 flights, including when I was one of the first American tourists to fly to Italy on a COVID-19-tested flight
British Airways: 20 flights, including a review of British Airways’ A380 economy class
Cathay Pacific: 17 flights
Japan Airlines: 14 flights, including a review of Japan Airlines’ 777-300ER premium economy
Qantas: 12 flights
However, if you look at the airlines on which I flew the most mileage, the ranking is a bit different due to some mileage runs:
American Airlines: 404,296 miles
Cathay Pacific: 104,481 miles
Qatar Airways: 89,630 miles
British Airways: 53,357 miles
Delta Air Lines: 49,603 miles
United Airlines: 42,237 miles
Singapore Airlines: 36,176 miles, including a review of Singapore Airlines’ A350-900ULR premium economy
Japan Airlines: 33,756 miles
Air Canada: 30,792 miles
All Nippon Airways: 28,938 miles
I track all my flights in OpenFlights. So, although it’s relatively easy for me to gather statistics on my flights, I don’t have a simple way to determine the amount I paid in points and cash for my 575 flights during the last six years.
Related: The best credit cards for booking flights
1,103 nights in hotels
I’ve spent over half of the last six years living out of hotel rooms. In particular, I’ve spent 894 nights at 75 major hotel brands within the last six years. And I’ve spent 209 nights at other brands and independent hotels.
Here’s the breakdown of my stays by loyalty program and brand over the last six years, including notes about my favorite programs.
390 nights at 15 IHG brands
Holiday Inn Express: 120 nights
Holiday Inn: 66 nights
InterContinental Hotels & Resorts: 51 nights, including five nights at the InterContinental Hayman Island Resort in Australia, four nights at the InterContinental Phuket Resort in Thailand, four nights at the InterContinental Phu Quoc Long Beach Resort in Vietnam, three nights at the InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort in Vietnam, three nights at the InterContinental New York Times Square in New York and two nights at the InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa in Fiji
Candlewood Suites: 28 nights
Hotel Indigo: 26 nights, including five nights at the Hotel Indigo Austin Downtown-University in Texas and four nights at the Hotel Indigo Birmingham Five Points South – UAB in Alabama
Staybridge Suites: 22 nights
Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts: 19 nights, including three nights at the Crowne Plaza Beijing Wangfujing in China and three nights at the Crowne Plaza Times Square in New York
Holiday Inn Resort: 19 nights, including 10 nights at the Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives in the Maldives
Voco: 11 nights, including six nights at Voco Gold Coast in Australia
Regent: Nine nights
Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants: Eight nights
Six Senses: Six nights, including four nights at Six Senses Laamu in the Maldives and two nights at Six Senses Yao Noi in Thailand
Atwell Suites: Two nights at Atwell Suites Miami Brickell in Florida
Avid: Two nights at Avid hotel Oklahoma City — Quail Springs in Oklahoma
Even: One night
Over the last six years, I’ve stayed 161 paid nights at IHG properties for an average of $152 per night. The least I paid was $48 per night at the Holiday Inn Express Berlin — Alexanderplatz in Germany. And the most I paid was $1,564 per night during a review of the InterContinental Maldives Maamunagau Resort in the Maldives.
Meanwhile, we redeemed IHG points for 209 nights over the last six years, including 36 fourth-night-free rewards. On average, we redeemed 15,591 IHG points per night. We also redeemed 20 anniversary nights over the last six years, including at the InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa in French Polynesia and the Kimpton De Witt Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
You might wonder how we earned so many IHG points and anniversary nights. We maximize IHG promotions to earn points on stays. And we often buy points during IHG points sales with a 100% bonus when we can do so for 0.5 cents per point. As for the anniversary night certificates, we both have multiple IHG credit cards, so we’ve each earned two anniversary nights for most of the last six years.
We frequently stay at IHG One Rewards hotels and resorts due to the high value we often get when redeeming IHG points. But, with the launch of the new IHG One Rewards program last year, we are also getting good value from the annual lounge membership you can select through IHG’s Milestone Rewards program after staying 40 nights in a year.
Related: 9 budget strategies for getting the most out of your points and miles
209 nights at other brands and independent hotels
These days, we usually stay at major hotel brands to earn and use elite status perks and benefit from the consistency provided by these brands. But we often stayed at independent hotels when we first hit the road as digital nomads in 2017. And even now, we sometimes find ourselves in a destination without major hotel brands or where staying at a property outside our brand loyalties makes the most sense.
For example, we couldn’t pass up staying in a twin cell at YHA Fremantle Prison in Australia and a robot hotel in Japan. Likewise, staying within Addo Elephant and Kruger national parks in South Africa let us maximize our time seeing wildlife in these parks.
We often book these stays through online travel agencies since we don’t have to worry about missing out on elite status benefits and earnings while staying at properties outside our primary brands. For example, we’ll sometimes book through credit card portals to use credits, like the $50 hotel credit each account anniversary year on the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card. And we’ll occasionally book through American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts to snag extra perks and use the prepaid hotel credit we get each calendar year as a perk of The Platinum Card® from American Express. We’ll also sometimes use Rocketmiles to earn American Airlines miles and Loyalty Points on our stays.
On average, I paid $83 per night on these stays. But, my least expensive night was $18 per night for a private room with a shared bathroom at Stella Di Notte in Belgrade, Serbia. And my most expensive night was $235 per night at the RLJ Kendeja Resort & Villas in Liberia during PeaceJam.
203 nights at 21 Marriott brands
Over the last six years, I’ve stayed 140 paid nights at Marriott properties for an average of $121 per night. The least I paid was $44 per night at the Four Points by Sheraton Bogota in Colombia. And the most I paid was $350 per night during a review of the Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa in Hawaii.
Meanwhile, we redeemed Marriott points for 49 nights over the last six years, including six fifth-night-free benefits. On average, we redeemed 16,167 points per night on Marriott award stays. We also redeemed 14 free night awards we earned through Marriott credit cards and promotions over the last six years.
Related: Here’s why you need both a personal and business Marriott Bonvoy credit card
115 nights at 6 Choice brands
Ascend Hotel Collection: 54 nights, including 28 nights at Emotions All Inclusive Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic, nine nights at Gowanus Inn & Yard in New York (no longer bookable through Choice Hotels) and three nights at Bluegreen Vacations Fountains in Florida
Comfort: 37 nights, including 19 nights in Japan
Quality Inn: 13 nights
Cambria Hotels: Four nights
Rodeway Inn: Four nights
Clarion: Three nights
Over the last six years, I’ve stayed 34 paid nights at Choice Privileges properties for an average of $93 per night. The least I paid was $54 per night at the Comfort Hotel Airport CDG in France. And the most I paid was $239 per night at Cambria Hotel New York — Times Square in New York.
Meanwhile, we redeemed Choice points for 81 nights over the last six years. On average, we redeemed 9,531 Choice points per night. I’ve found I can get excellent value when redeeming Choice points for unique redemptions and for stays in Japan, Europe and destinations that typically feature high paid hotel rates. So, as with IHG, we often buy Choice points during sales or through Daily Getaways promotions.
87 nights at 11 Hyatt brands and partners
I didn’t stay much with World of Hyatt until the program offered reduced qualification requirements and double elite night credits in early 2021. I earned Globalist status in 2021 for far fewer nights than is usually required, but I’ve prioritized maintaining it due to the on-site perks it provides.
I’ve stayed 53 paid nights at Hyatt properties for an average of $139 per night over the last six years. The least I paid was $24 per night at the Excalibur Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. And the most I paid was $353 per night at Hyatt House New York/Chelsea in New York.
Meanwhile, I redeemed Hyatt points for 27 free nights over the last six years. I’ve found some excellent Category 1 Hyatt hotels that provide wonderful value on award stays. So, it isn’t surprising that I’ve redeemed 5,563 points per night on average and just 3,500 points per night for nine nights. Additionally, I redeemed seven free night certificates that I earned through Hyatt credit cards, Hyatt Milestone Rewards and the Hyatt Brand Explorer promotion over the last six years.
40 nights at 10 Wyndham brands
Days Inn: 10 nights
Ramada: Nine nights
Ramada Encore: Five nights
Microtel: Five nights
Club Wyndham: Three nights
Super 8: Three nights
Viva Wyndham: Two nights at Viva Wyndham Azteca — All-Inclusive Resort in Mexico
Baymont: One night
Howard Johnson: One night
Travelodge: One night
Over the last six years, I’ve stayed 29 paid nights at Wyndham properties for an average of $103 per night. The least I paid was $48 per night at the Days Inn Guam-Tamuning in Guam. And the most I paid was $200 per night during a review of the Viva Wyndham Azteca — All-Inclusive Resort in Mexico.
Meanwhile, we redeemed Wyndham points for 11 nights over the last six years. On average, we redeemed 9,068 points per night on Wyndham award stays. And we love getting a 10% redemption discount when we redeem Wyndham points as a benefit of our Wyndham Rewards credit card, as this brings an award night that would typically cost 7,500 points down to just 6,750 points.
32 nights at 6 Hilton brands
Over the last six years, I’ve stayed 18 paid nights at Hilton properties for an average of $130 per night. The least I’ve paid was $58 per night at the Hilton Jaipur in India. And the most I paid was $168 per night at the Hilton Niseko Village in Japan.
Meanwhile, we redeemed Hilton points for eight nights over the last six years, including one fifth-night-free benefit. On average, we redeemed 46,250 points per night on Hilton award stays. We also redeemed six Hilton free night certificates that we earned through Hilton credit cards over the last six years for excellent value at the Conrad New York Midtown, the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island and the Hilton Maldives Amingiri Resort & Spa.
The average amount we redeemed per night with Hilton Honors is significantly higher than with other hotel loyalty programs. This, combined with my struggle to get more than TPG’s valuation (0.6 cents per point) when redeeming Hilton points, is why I don’t frequently stay at Hilton brands despite having Hilton Diamond status through a Hilton credit card.
19 nights at 4 Accor brands
Ibis: 12 nights
Mercure: Four nights
Grand Mercure: Two nights
Ibis Budget: One night
Over the last six years, I’ve stayed 19 nights at Accor properties for an average of $56 per night. The least I paid was $36 per night at the Ibis Muenchen City Nord in Germany. And the most I paid was $84 per night at the Ibis Madrid Alcobendas in Spain.
8 nights at 2 Best Western brands
Best Western: Six nights
Best Western Plus: Two nights
Over the last six years, I’ve stayed eight nights at Best Western properties for an average of $78 per night. The least I paid was $57 per night at the Best Western Amsterdam Airport Hotel in the Netherlands. And the most I paid was $147 per night at the Best Western Plus Mountain View Auburn Inn in Washington.
452 nights camping
When I became a digital nomad in 2017, I didn’t think there was any chance I’d camp 452 nights in the next six years. And even three years ago, I’d only spent three nights tent camping for a concert at The Gorge in Washington state and three nights in a rental RV doing a relocation from Las Vegas to Denver.
But, as it became apparent the coronavirus pandemic would affect international travel for more than just a few months, my husband and I tried out a six-night RV relocation rental in July 2020. Then in August 2020, we decided to buy the same RV model we’d relocated.
When we bought our Class C RV, we expected we’d sell it as soon as international travel to most destinations became relatively simple again. But, we discovered we enjoy working remotely from our RV while in the U.S. We’ve now spent 440 nights camping in our RV since buying it — 97 nights in 2020, 234 nights in 2021, 80 nights in 2022 and 29 nights so far in 2023.
Nineteen nights in our RV have been free at locations (like select Walmarts, select Cracker Barrels and businesses that participate in Harvest Hosts) that allow RVers to stay overnight upon asking permission. We’ve also spent 37 nights sleeping in the driveways of friends and family while visiting them.
But we usually find paid RV campsites with power and water. We’ve paid for campsites on 393 nights as follows:
171 nights at city and county campgrounds ($32 per night on average)
133 nights at U.S. Army Corps of Engineers campgrounds ($27 per night on average)
66 nights at state park campgrounds ($34 per night on average)
37 nights at private campgrounds ($52 per night on average)
Four nights at national park campgrounds ($48 per night on average)
On average, we’ve paid $33 per night for our RV campsites. The highest we paid was $104 per night at Orlando / Kissimmee KOA Holiday in Florida. And the least we paid was $17 per night at Shady Grove Campground in Cumming, Georgia, during a half-off promotion.
Related: The cheapest place to stay at Disney World is a tent — so I tried it
443 nights with family and friends
One aspect my husband and I appreciate about being digital nomads is seeing our family more than when we lived in one place. Here’s a breakdown of our nights with friends and family over the last six years:
July 2 to the end of 2017: 32 nights
2018: 90 nights
2019: 83 nights
2020: 167 nights
2021: 29 nights
2022: 27 nights
So far in 2023: 15 nights
We spent significant time with each of our parents in March through August of 2020 as much of the world locked down. However, the nights since August 2020 are lower than pre-pandemic since we now stay in our RV (either in the driveway or a nearby campground) while visiting most friends and family members.
Related: 43 real-world family travel tips that actually work
104 nights in transit
Over the past six years, I’ve spent 101 nights in flight or sleeping in airports. I typically avoid overnight flights, but sometimes overnight flights are unavoidable (and they’re enjoyable if I book a lie-flat seat or luck into a row to myself in economy).
If I have an overnight layover at an airport, I’ll book a hotel if the layover is long enough and I can find a modestly priced hotel on-site or with a free shuttle. But sometimes the layover is too short, or it just doesn’t make sense to get a hotel. In these cases, I’ll usually sleep in a lounge — ideally one with a sleeping area or at least lounge chairs — or in a Minute Suites (or a similar type of space) that participates in Priority Pass.
I’ve also spent three nights on trains, including two on the Amtrak Empire Builder from Portland, Oregon, to Chicago and one on a Trans-Mongolian train from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, to Hohhot, China. I thoroughly enjoyed both experiences, so it’s surprising that I haven’t taken any other overnight trains in the last six years. However, low-cost flights on many routes served by overnight trains often make flying a more convenient and less expensive alternative.
Related: 11 of the most scenic train rides on Earth
90 nights in vacation rentals
Vacation rentals are the accommodation of choice for many digital nomads, especially those who stay in each location for at least a month and appreciate having their own kitchen. And I spent 39 nights in vacation rentals in 2017 after becoming nomadic July 2.
However, one particularly bad Airbnb experience in 2018 and an increasing interest in hotel elite status caused me to switch most of my nights to hotels instead of vacation rentals. I stayed in vacation rentals for 17 nights in 2018 and 20 nights in 2019. I only stayed in one vacation rental each in 2020 (for three nights), 2021 (for two nights) and 2022 (for two nights). And so far, I’ve only stayed in one vacation rental (for seven nights) in 2023.
On average, I paid $53 per night for vacation rentals across my six years as a digital nomad. My least expensive vacation rental was $17 per night for a private studio apartment in Da Nang, Vietnam, that I booked through Airbnb. And my most expensive vacation rental was $129 per night for a waterfront apartment in Auckland, New Zealand, through Hotels.com.
I’ll still stay in vacation rentals when they’re my best option. But I generally prefer to stay at hotels for consistency and to earn and use my elite status perks.
Related: When a vacation rental makes more sense than a hotel
259 cities in 52 countries and territories
Finally, let’s talk about destinations. Over the last six years, I’ve visited 259 cities in 52 countries and territories. Here’s a look at the number of nights I stayed in each:
1,253 nights: United States of America (including 318 nights in hotels or vacation rentals)
88 nights: Germany
69 nights: Japan
56 nights: Australia
54 nights: South Africa (including 32 nights in or near South African national parks)
36 nights: Dominican Republic
27 nights: Maldives, Thailand
24 nights: Spain
22 nights: Hong Kong, Malaysia
21 nights: New Zealand, Serbia, Vietnam
20 nights: Canada, Colombia, Italy
19 nights: India
18 nights: Netherlands, United Arab Emirates
16 nights: Singapore
14 nights: Bahamas, French Polynesia, Indonesia
13 nights: Fiji, South Korea
11 nights: Brazil, Mongolia
10 nights: China
Nine nights: Bulgaria, England, France, Pakistan
Eight nights: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Latvia, Liberia, Mexico, Sri Lanka
Seven nights: Greece, Guam
Six nights: Turkey
Five nights: Belgium, Marshall Islands
Four nights: Sweden
Three nights: Argentina, Chile
Two nights: Panama
One night: Ethiopia, Finland, Ireland, Northern Mariana Islands, Taiwan
As you can see, I would have spent the most time in the U.S. even if the coronavirus pandemic hadn’t kept me in the country for much of 2020 and 2021. And interestingly, even my most visited country outside the U.S. (Germany) accounted for just 88 nights across the last six years.
I also visited 14 other countries and territories before becoming a digital nomad. So, although I’m not striving to visit every country in the world, I’ve visited 66 different countries and territories so far. My husband and I are trying to visit a few new-to-us countries each year while also returning to some of our favorite destinations like Germany, Japan, South Africa, Australia and Hong Kong.
Related: The 18 best places to travel in 2023
Bottom line
I feel incredibly thankful for the last six years I’ve spent as a digital nomad. I’ve grown significantly as a person and content creator while traveling full-time.
And I’ve had some amazing experiences, including swimming with manta rays in French Polynesia and the Maldives, watching a sea turtle dig a nest and lay her eggs on a Florida beach, staying at some awesome resorts (Six Senses Laamu, Six Senses Yao Noi and Alila Fort Bishangarh immediately come to mind), and overnighting in second-class hard bunks on a Trans-Mongolian train.
But it’s not these epic experiences that keep me on the road. After all, I could enjoy many of these experiences on vacation. Instead, the daily things like being surrounded by languages I don’t know, enjoying delicious local foods and exploring new cities and neighborhoods on foot keep me attached to the digital nomad lifestyle.
By: Brittney Myers |
Updated
June 4, 2023– First published on June 4, 2023
We all love the shock and awe of huge discounts, such as when you can save hundreds on living room furniture or get a half-priced gazebo. But it’s not those outsized deals that make warehouse stores like Sam’s Club such a great personal finance choice for so many families.No, that comes down to the solid savings on all our everyday necessities. Because, in the long run, shaving a few bucks off dinner each night will add up to way more money in your bank account than the occasional big score on furniture.With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the best deals you can find under $10 at your local Sam’s Club.1. Member’s Mark spices: $3.68 to $9.98There are a lot of low-cost ways to improve your home cooking, not the least of which is making sure it’s spiced and seasoned properly. Sam’s Club offers a great range of popular spices, all of which have great reviews online. Prices depend on the particular spice, but they start at just $3.68. While the containers are fairly large, most spices have a shelf life of one to two years so you should have plenty of time to use them up.2. Member’s Mark over-the-counter medicines: $4.48 to $9.87Keeping the medicine cabinet stocked can get pricey, especially if you have family members who regularly go through items like allergy or heartburn medications. You can find Member’s Mark versions of many popular over-the-counter drugs, all for much less than you’d typically spend at the grocery store or drugstore. Prices vary, but start at just $4.48.3. Member’s Mark agave nectar: $7.98 Made from the agave plant, this sweet syrup has become a popular alternative to sugar and honey, especially in the vegan community as it is entirely plant-based. But while its growing popularity has helped it become more affordable, few places offer as good a price as Sam’s Club. Member’s Mark Organic Agave Nectar costs just $7.78 for a two-pack of 29-ounce bottles. While this may seem like a lot, agave nectar can last for years when stored properly.4. Member’s Mark walnuts: $7.98Not only are walnuts considered to have a wide range of health benefits, but they’re darn tasty, too. Of course, getting them out of their tough shells can be a serious workout. You can skip the hassle while also saving money by picking up Member’s Mark Natural Shelled Walnuts. A giant 3-pound bag will run you less than $8 at Sam’s Club.5. Member’s Mark broth: $8.48Alright, so the absolute best broth is always going to be one you make yourself. But who really has time to simmer chicken bones for hours? Sam’s Club offers two different Member’s Mark broths — chicken broth and beef broth — that are well-reviewed for taste and value. Get a 6-pack of 32-ounce cartons of either flavor for just $8.48.6. Member’s Mark loungewear: $8.98 to $9.98Thanks in large part to the work-from-home movement, a lot of folks have switched from business casual to business comfy (and I, for one, am happy for the change). If your new work uniform could use a few new pieces, scope out the deals at Sam’s Club. You can find a ton of different options — from knit pants to slouchy tees — for less than $10, making it easy to refresh your work-from-home wardrobe.7. Member’s Mark canned tomatoes: $9.48Canned tomato products are some of the most versatile items you can have in your pantry. You can use them for everything from a homemade pasta sauce to a hearty chili. And Sam’s Club makes it easy to keep them in stock. For just $9.48, you can get a 12-pack of 14.5-ounce cans of Member’s Mark Diced Tomatoes in Tomato Juice or a 12-pack of 15-ounce cans of Member’s Mark Tomato Sauce.Stack the savings with the right cardOn top of all of the other ways Sam’s Club can help you save, don’t forget to use a good rewards credit card when you shop. Purchase rewards from credit cards stack on top of any other type of deal or discount.
5 Things to Never Buy at Sam’s Club
By: Dana George |
Updated
June 13, 2023– First published on June 13, 2023
It’s easy to go wild while shopping at Sam’s Club. After all, there are new things to see and buy every time you walk into the warehouse store. And while many purchases are spot-on, some only make sense if you go in with a plan. Here are five things it rarely makes sense to buy at Sam’s Club. 1. Huge containers of anythingIf you’re excited by the idea of purchasing a one-gallon container of mayonnaise, you’re my kind of person. However, it may not be the best idea, particularly if you’re unsure how long it will take to consume a container of mayonnaise as large as a newborn baby.While there are dueling expert opinions on the matter, Dr. Karen Latimer is quoted in EatDelights as saying that a jar of mayonnaise can last for months if left unopened and stored away from sunlight. However, once that jar is opened and refrigerated, you have between two and three months to ensure it’s consumed. And if you accidentally leave it out for eight hours? Prepare to toss it. In short, unless you’re running a school cafeteria, a massive quantity of mayo may not be a good buy. It’s easier to save money on groceries if you’re willing to give up mega-sized products. 2. Fresh produceEvery time I walk into a warehouse store, I rack my brain to figure out who would benefit from purchasing the fresh produce. It’s colorful and looks supremely healthy, but you can’t just pick up two or three tomatoes or apples. So, unless you’re throwing a huge party and need enough avocados to put a bowl of guacamole on every table, or you’re a summer camp director and know the kids will tear through 10 pounds of onions with their burgers, you’ll probably save money by picking up the actual quantity of produce you need at your local farmer’s market or grocery store. Given that an estimated 20% of the food we buy goes to waste, making an extra stop could be worth the money. 3. SunscreenSummer is upon us, and we all know better than to allow our skin to burn in the midday sun. Sunscreen is essential, but unfortunately, it does expire. According to Mayo Clinic, we have 36 months to use sunscreen from the time it’s manufactured. The active ingredients will break down faster if exposed to excessive heat or direct sun. Picking up a three-pack of sunscreen as you browse your local Sam’s Club may seem like you’re saving money.. However, if you still find yourself squeezing sunscreen from one of those bottles three years later, you’re essentially putting lotion on your body and expecting it to protect you from the elements. 4. Vitamins and over-the-counter medicines One of the things that make vitamins and over-the-counter medicines so attractive at Sam’s Club is how much less you have to pay per unit. After all, the less you spend, the more money you’ll have to put away in a savings account, right? It’s not quite that simple.Let’s say you need to pick up Bayer Low Dose Aspirin. At Target, you’ll pay between $0.05 and $0.06 per tablet. But at Sam’s Club, you’ll pay only $0.03 per tablet. In this situation, there’s no doubt that Sam’s offers the best bargain. According to Bayer, aspirin remains 100% effective for up to four years, and you’ll probably use an entire bottle of aspirin in that time. However, it can be tough to determine when other products in the pharmacy department are due to expire. The Food & Drug Administration does not require vitamin manufacturers to put expiration dates on their products. While some manufacturers do so willingly, it’s not something you can count on. For example, if you were to pick up a 400 count bottle of Vitamin C + Zinc 500 mg at Sam’s Club today, you’d pay $0.04 per capsule. Here’s the problem: A Brazilian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences study found that 92% of vitamin C supplements lose efficacy after 12 months of storage. But unless you know that in advance, you don’t know if you’re getting an actual bargain. 5. Diapers and toilet paperGoing out of your way to purchase either diapers or toilet paper at Sam’s Club may cost you more than it’s worth. We all use toilet paper. Retailers know that, so they frequently discount toilet paper to lure shoppers into their stores. Chances are, you’ll score a deeper discount by purchasing TP when it’s on sale at your local market. You can compound the savings by using a coupon. The same is true of diapers. Today, the cost of Member’s Mark Newborn Diapers comes out to $0.16 per diaper. At the same time, Target’s Up & Up Newborn Diapers sell for a little less than $0.14 per diaper. It’s not a huge difference, but the savings add up when you consider how many of those things you go through while a child is young. By determining what constitutes a good buy and which products you want to avoid before walking into a Sam’s Club, you can spend less and keep more in your bank account.
5 Traps to Avoid When Shopping at Sam’s Club
By: Dana George |
Updated
June 18, 2023– First published on June 18, 2023
If you’re a Sam’s Club member, you probably employ a few tricks to make your shopping more productive. Maybe you hit one specific part of the warehouse club before heading to others. Maybe you shop alone. Or, you may just be figuring out what works best for you. As you adopt new shopping strategies, here are five things you’ll want to avoid.1. Shopping while hungryA study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that hungry shoppers spend more than 60% more than those who shop on a full stomach. Based on five research studies conducted by professors from the University of Southern California, Chinese University of Hong Kong, and the University of Minnesota, the researchers found something rather strange.According to Norbert Schwarz of the University of Southern California, the trio found that the desire to get food generally plants the idea of “getting stuff” in a hungry person’s mind, increasing the likelihood that they’ll be attracted to products that don’t satisfy physical hunger. The internal message “I want food,” simply becomes “I want.”2. Feeling obligated to buyThere’s a good reason Sam’s Club employs people to hand out samples. According to Inspira Marketing, 65% of consumers who try a sample purchase it during the same shopping trip. What’s more, 24% of those people say they replaced an item they planned to buy with the sampled product.Don’t get caught up in the belief that you must purchase an item just because someone was kind enough to offer you a sample. Naturally, if it’s something you really like and believe your household will consume it, go for it. But if you’re doing it to be polite, there’s no need. It truly is a marketing strategy.3. Being seduced by low pricesIt’s fair to say that most of us would rather tuck a little extra money into savings each month than overpay for the items we regularly purchase. Sam’s Club can make it easier to accomplish this goal — but only for savvy shoppers. Here are two reasons why:A product is only a “bargain” if you plan to use it in its entirety. At Sam’s, you can buy a 25-pound bag of enriched long grain rice for $13.28. At Target, you can buy the same amount of rice for $21.95. It seems like an easy choice. However, it’s not truly a bargain if you don’t end up using the entire 25-pound bag by the time it expires.There’s something about finding an item at a discounted price that makes us think twice about leaving it on the shelf. We walk away wondering if we just squandered the opportunity to snag a great deal. If you didn’t walk into Sam’s Club needing that 48-pack of AA batteries, you won’t miss them when you get home.4. Leaving the house without a listShopping from a list is one of the best ways to resist temptation. You know specifically what you need and don’t have to wander around the club trying to remind yourself. If you can get in the habit of sticking to your list, you’re sure to leave more in your checking account.A survey by retail solutions company Field Agent found that 44% of shoppers believe they spend less when they head out prepared with a shopping list, evidence that shopping lists can work.Fun fact: One of the few remaining papers from the Renaissance Man, Michelangelo, is a shopping list. Written either in the late 15th or early 16th century, it included staples like fish, soup, bread, and wine.5. Shopping on SaturdaysUnless you’re one of those rare souls who adore crowds, you may want to avoid shopping at Sam’s Club on Saturdays. The more physically uncomfortable you are, the more likely you’ll be to make hurried decisions, like buying an item you’re not sure you need. It’s tough to think clearly when you’re surrounded by noise.Instead, look for a day (or time) that tends to be less crowded. According to Sam’s Club members on Quora, you should encounter less hustle and bustle midweek. If you can’t make it midweek, the crowds are manageable early on Sundays before the church crowd floods in.As we wait for inflation to cool, perhaps the best we can do is save where we can. That may mean using money-saving apps, conducting a price comparison before we leave the house, and sticking to a shopping list.
How to Claim Your Google Class Action Settlement Cash by July 31
By: Natasha Etzel |
Updated
June 24, 2023– First published on June 24, 2023
Many of us use search engines like Google multiple times daily, and the same was true for many people 10 or more years ago. You may be owed money if you used Google between 2006 and 2013. The technology company has agreed to a $23 million settlement to resolve a user privacy class-action lawsuit. Eligible individuals can submit a claim to collect payment through July 31, 2023. Here’s what you need to know about this news.Google agrees to a $23 million settlementA class action lawsuit alleges that Google violated users’ privacy by sharing search queries with third-party websites between Oct. 26, 2006, and Sept. 30, 2013. You can file a claim if you performed a Google search and clicked on a search result during this time. Google denies any liability or wrongdoing, but has agreed to make payments to claimants who file.You may wonder how much money you can expect to receive. Since millions of users are expected to be eligible for compensation, payments will likely be small. Current estimates suggest that each claimant could be owed approximately $7.70. However, the payment amount could change as more users submit claims.While this amount of cash won’t significantly impact your checking account balance, filing a claim is worthwhile. No matter how minimal, extra cash can be a win for your personal finances. Whether you’re working to pay down credit card debt or build an emergency fund, a few extra dollars could help you reach your financial goals sooner.How to file a claim to receive a paymentThe deadline to submit a claim or exclude yourself from this class action settlement is July 31, 2023. You can file a claim if you used Google during the dates mentioned above. Below are the steps you need to take to collect the cash you’re owed:Visit the claim website and review the details of the settlement.Register to receive a class member ID.Use the class member ID sent to you to start a claim.Provide the required contact information and choose your preferred payment method (bank account, Venmo, PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, or a prepaid Mastercard)Complete and submit the claim form by July 31, 2023.Currently, there’s no set date for when to expect payment. The final approval hearing is scheduled for Oct. 12, 2023. You can visit the claim website for updates. If you wish to receive compensation, submit a claim before the deadline passes. If you do nothing, you give up your right to compensation and won’t receive a payment.This isn’t the first class action settlement of its kindGoogle isn’t the first technology company to be accused of violating users’ privacy. Facebook allegedly allowed third parties to access private user data from 2007 to 2022. The company admits no wrongdoing, but has agreed to a $725 million settlement. Claims are still being accepted for the Facebook privacy settlement through Aug. 25, 2023.If you were a Facebook user in the United States between May 24, 2007, and Dec. 22, 2022, you’re eligible to receive payment. Staying alert to class action settlements like this is worthwhile, as it could help you boost your savings account balance.
5 Reasons People Have Their Sam’s Club Membership Revoked
By: Lyle Daly |
Updated
June 29, 2023– First published on June 29, 2023
If you like shopping at Sam’s Club, the last thing you want is to lose your membership. Since it has a large selection and reasonable prices, it’s a great place to shop without too much of a hit to your finances. Fortunately, Sam’s Club doesn’t go around canceling people’s memberships for no reason. That wouldn’t be a great way to run a membership club.However, it does reserve the right to revoke membership, and it lists actionable offenses that could lead to this on its website. Here are the most common reasons for people to have their Sam’s Club membership revoked.1. Writing bad checksBounced checks could get you bounced from Sam’s Club. You might be able to fix this if it’s a one-time issue, but not if it happens on a regular basis. A better option is to pay with a rewards credit card instead of a check, so you can earn cash back or points on your purchase. If you’re one of the store’s frequent shoppers, there are Sam’s Club credit cards that are worth checking out.2. ShopliftingLike most of the actionable offenses on Sam’s Club’s list, this one’s pretty self-explanatory. Most stores ban people who get caught trying to shoplift. With those that require a membership, including Sam’s Club and Costco, they’ll usually take away your membership.3. Violent behaviorYour local Sam’s Club is not the place to throw down, even on Black Friday. You’ll most likely lose your membership, plus there’s the whole “could get arrested and spend the night in jail” part.4. Abusive, disrespectful, or threatening behavior toward an associate; profanity used toward an associateIt should go without saying, but sadly, not all customers treat retail employees well. Sam’s Club considers practically any type of rude behavior toward its associates as an actionable offense. That gives it plenty of leeway to revoke memberships of problem customers.5. Questionable returnsReturn abuse is a common issue for retailers, especially those with generous return policies. It’s the No. 1 reason people have their Costco membership revoked, and it’s also an actionable offense at Sam’s Club.You don’t need to worry if you have a legitimate return to make every now and then. Even if it has been months, or years since you made the purchase, Sam’s Club lets you return most items at any time. This stipulation about questionable returns is designed for the small percentage of customers who try to game the system. Here are a few examples of what can qualify:Returning a large number of your purchases.Frequently returning items you’ve had for a long time.Committing any sort of return fraud, such as trying to pass off an old laptop or phone as a new one.Most members won’t have any problemsThe reasons listed above are the actionable offenses that Sam’s Club specifically mentions. It can technically revoke your membership for any reason, without cause.The typical shopper doesn’t have anything to worry about. All the things Sam’s Club will ban you for aren’t exactly normal customer behavior. If someone tries to steal, start fights, or return 90% of what they buy at Sam’s Club, their membership could be revoked. The people who just shop there, enjoy the deals, and don’t yell at the employees can have a membership for as long as they want.
CHICAGO — Summer in Chicago means countless street markets and arts fests, outdoor concerts, parties at the park and so much more.
Whether you’re shopping local at Englewood Village Market, competing for prizes at a Pilsen street cleanup, admiring Japanese floral arrangements on display in the Southport Corridor or dancing the night away at a Shrek rave, there’s something for everyone this weekend.
Here’s a roundup of 18 things to do in Chicago this weekend:
10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday
On Catalpa Avenue between Clark Street and Ashland Avenue
This neighborhood resale market returns this weekend for the first of three summer events. Shop vintage clothing, decor, accessories, music and other items from more than 30 vendors, including Fad 2 Fresh, Field Mercantile and Ruby Baby Vintage. There will also be live music and potato-based pastries from Downstate Donuts. The market is pet-friendly and there is a $5 suggested donation for admission.
10 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday
Along West Waveland and North Southport avenues. See map here.
Browse artwork by some of the city’s best artists at this family-friendly art festival. There will be a variety of mediums on display, including oil, acrylic, watercolor, jewelry, sculpture, photography, wood, glass and more. Plus, kids can enjoy interactive games and activities. Find more information online.
Noon-10 p.m. Saturday
The Promontory, 5311 S. Lake Park Ave.
Since 2018, Passport Vibes has brought partygoers together for a festival all about Afrobeats. Groove to Afrobeat and African music from local and international DJs, enjoy food and retail vendors, play outdoor laser tag, enjoy photo installations and more.
10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday
National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture, 3015 W. Division St.
Celebrate Puerto Rican art and culture at the 23rd annual Barrio Arts Festival with live musical performances by local Puerto Rican artists, family-friendly arts workshops, Puerto Rican delicacies, handmade crafts and more. Admission is free. Learn more and see the fest’s full schedule here.
Noon-6 p.m. Saturday and noon-4 p.m. Sunday
Southport Corridor, 3200-3900 N. Southport Ave.
The Japanese Culture Center, Lakeview Roscoe Village of Commerce and Japanese Arts Foundation are partnering to host a Japanese floral arrangement exhibition in the “unofficial Japantown of Chicago.” Stroll through the Southport Corridor this weekend and you will see Japanese art of flower arrangements, or ikebana, featured in over a dozen locations, including local restaurants and business storefront windows. Galleria Liqueurs, 3409 N. Southport Ave., will also be hosting free sakes tasting through the weekend. There will be an informational table to learn more about this free event near J. Crew, 3423 N. Southport Ave.
Noon-2 p.m. Saturday
Meeting House Tavern, 5025 N. Clark St.
Lighthouse Foundation, a Black, queer-led social justice organization serving Black LGBTQ+ people in the city, is celebrating its fourth anniversary with live music, drag performances and storytelling. Drinks will be available for purchase at Meeting House Tavern’s bar. Purchase your ticket for a donation of $35-100 online. Proceeds go toward supporting the work of Lighthouse’s flagship research project, the Black Queer Equity Index.
5-10 p.m. Friday, noon-10 p.m. Saturday and noon-9 p.m. Sunday
On Lincoln Avenue between Montrose and Wilson avenues
Enjoy live music, family fun, vendors, local restaurants and a craft beer showcase at this Lincoln Square summer festival. You can catch performances by artists from Chicago and beyond, like Lala Lala, Superchunk, Slow Pulp, Mucca Pazza, Disaster Kid and more. The street fest is easily accessible from the CTA Brown Line Western stop. There is a $20 suggested donation for families, $10 for adults and $5 for seniors and kids.
9 p.m. Saturday
House of Blues, 329 N. Dearborn St.
Party like you’re “Far Far Away” and dance through the night to your favorite Shrek tunes. Tickets are $22.50 to $37.50. Buy them online for a party of “ogre-sized fun.”
11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday
Independence Park, 3945 N. Springfield Ave.
A haven for art enthusiasts and shoppers, there will be more than 40 vendors at Summer Artisan Fest showcasing their handmade items at Irving Park’s Summer Artisan Fest. Shop jewelry, home decor, candles, baked goods and other one-of-a-kind items. Pets and all ages are welcome.
6-8 p.m. Friday
Kilbourn Park, 3501 N. Kilbourn Ave.
Pack a picnic and grab chairs and blankets for some free, family-friendly entertainment at the park. Enjoy the sounds of summer at this free-to-attend concert series.
2-6:30 p.m. Sunday
Picnic Grove 5 in the Dan Ryan Woods, 8700 S. Western Ave., near 85th Street and Western Avenue
Learn how to make your own zines — or handmade mini magazines — at this second annual Zine Camp. Connect with the city’s zine community, learn tips and tricks and more. This free event is hosted by Zine Club, a group that meets monthly to discuss zine-making, and sponsored by Quimby’s Bookstore, 1854 W. North Ave.
Noon-10 p.m. Saturday
Lincoln Abraham Park, 1800 N. Stockton Dr.
Celebrate electronic dance music with and dance to tunes spun by local DJs and producers in Lincoln Park this weekend. This is a free event hosted by a group called EDM Chicago is free. Donations are appreciated and will count towards a merch and ticket giveaway.
Noon-4 p.m. Sunday
Metropolitan Brewing, 3057 N. Rockwell St.
Chicago Vegan Test Kitchen and Ascend Cannabis are hosting a Vegan Summer Sesh this weekend with local plant-based chefs, cruelty-free artisans and mindful wellness alchemists. The event is open to all ages and pets are welcome. Admission is free with RSVP.
1-4 p.m. Sunday
Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts – Screening Room, 915 E. 60th St.
Kicking off this Sunday and running through August, the Logan Center for the Arts is hosting free film screenings of celebrating Black cinema, self-representation and freedom. Two summer screenings will be paired with selections from the South Side Home Movie Project, which archives home movie recordings from Chicago’s South Side to protect the neighborhood’s history and films. The “Screening Freedom” series draws from decades of Black film production and showcases works that reflect and enrich Black life, from blockbuster movies to intimate family records. RSVP for free online.
10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday
Englewood Village Plaza, 5822 S. Halsted St.
Shop fresh produce, food, goods from local farmers, Black businesses and more at this Saturday market. There will also be live music, fun for the family and a weekly rotation of programming, from art activations to health and wellness activities to community information sessions.
10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Saturday
Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th St.
Watch the documentary “What These Walls Won’t Hold,” hear from survivors of police torture, learn about COVID-19 in prison and more at this exploration into art, death and imprisonment. Find the full schedule and RSVP online.
10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Saturday
Corner of 16th and Paulina streets
Help clean up 16h Street in Pilsen with Cleanup Club Chicago and Pilsen-based environmental justice group PERRO. There will also be “litter races” with prizes for those who want to compete. Grabbers, bags, water and some protective gloves will be provided during the event. Attendees are encouraged to bring a five-gallon bucket, gloves and sunscreen. Register for the cleanup online.
4-7 p.m. Saturday
Hops & Scotch, 720 S. Wells St.
Taste award-winning, premium Italian wines paired with Limoncello while supporting local, women-owned businesses. RSVP online.
PLUS: Four Picks from Our Partners At
7 p.m. Friday
Radius, 640 W. Cermak Rd.
Vibe to hip-hop and reggae this Friday with the Dirty Heads at Radius.
7 p.m. Friday-Sunday
Briar Street Theatre, 3133 N. Halsted St.
Come and experience this explosion of color and sound and hear the sounds of unique instruments that you can’t find anywhere else.
7 p.m. Sunday
Metro, 3730 N. Clark St.
The Oakland hip-hop group is celebrating 30 years of 93 Til Infinity this Sunday at Metro.
10 p.m. Friday
PRYSM, 1543 N. Kingsbury St.
Get ready to dance the night away with this wild mix of house and techno at PRYSM.
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My pal Chris Guillebeau is out of town on another one of his around-the-world jaunts. While he’s living the high life in Equatorial Guinea, his wife Jolie (the artist behind my Kermit painting) is left to entertain herself here in Portland. What does she choose to do? While away her hours with me and Kris.
On a whim, yesterday the three of us made a trip to the local restaurant supply store. This wasn’t my idea. Kris and Jolie decided it’d be a fun way to spend part of an afternoon; I tagged along for the husband points. Turns out, however, that the restaurant supply store is a great place to save money.
I’m not sure how Kris heard about the place, but Rose’s Equipment and Supply is located in Portland’s central-Eastside industrial district (not far from OMSI). It really is an equipment supplier — they don’t carry foodstuff — for local restaurants, but their warehouse is open to the public. Basically, it’s like a Costco for kitchen gadgets.
The restaurant supply store contains aisles of pots and pans, knives and ladles, soup kettles and popcorn poppers. It has bulk toothpicks and cases of coffee mugs, 55-cup rice cookers and 15-cup rice cookers, and…well, just about anything you might use in a restaurant.
A lot of the items are perfect for the home kitchen, too. In fact, although I don’t have the stats to verify this, I suspect you can buy commercial-grade equipment at the restaurant supply store for the same price you could pick up the consumer stuff at your local kitchen cabana. Most (but not all) of the stuff at the restaurant supply store is fairly inexpensive.
How can I be sure? Well, since we were killing an afternoon, we decided to swing by the nearby Sur la Table to see what some of these things usually go for. Here are our very unscientific observations:
The 2-inch stainless ice-cream scoop at Rose’s was $9 and $18 at Sur la Table.
The rubber handled citrus zester was $3 at Rose’s and $9 at Sur la Table.
The 10-3/4 inch Lodge cast-iron skillet was $12 at Rose’s and $20 at Sur la Table.
The 2-ounce stainless ladle was $2.25 at Rose’s and (no joke) $29 at Sur la Table. (Though the one at Sur la Table had spouts.)
The “deluxe dual grater” was $12 at Rose’s and $20 at Sur la Table.
The 8-inch chef’s knife was $30 at Rose’s and $50 (on sale) at Sur la Table.
Not everything was cheaper at the restaurant supply store, however. For example, the stainless steel avocado slicer at Rose’s cost $12; the cute plastic Flexicado at Sur la Table was $6.
The restaurant supply store also had a broader selection of useful items. Sur la Table had plenty of gadgets, to be sure. But some — such as the strawberry stem remover — are essentially useless. The gadgets at the restaurant supply store are the sorts of things that real-life food professionals might find handy. (I’m not ashamed to admit that I picked up an $8 bus tray. I used to love my tray when I worked as a busboy, and I’ve often wished we had one for dinner parties and summer barbeques. Now we do.)
One final note: If you want something stylish and trendy, you won’t find it at the restaurant supply store. These tools are for real-world work. They’re utilitarian and functional. They’re sturdy. (They’re like the equipment you’d find in a restaurant!) But if you’re willing to forego “cute”, then the restaurant supply store is a great place to look for bargains. It’s worth doing the research to discover the one in your town.
For anyone who can appreciate Colorado already, Denver is an ideal home base. You get all the amenities from living in a city with plenty of snow-capped peaks to ski down just up the road. A veritable paradise for those who cherish the outdoors, this stunning city is quite a looker thanks to its surroundings. More than its natural beauty, though, Denver is a place where things happen.
As it continues to grow, Denver attracts all kinds of people ready to delve into the area’s strong economy. Is it the right place for you? Here are a few reasons to move to Denver.
1. The cost of living isn’t all bad
As the area continues to grow and develop, putting it in high demand, the cost of living in Denver has risen. It’s an expensive city by some standards, but you’ll also still find certain things that are more budget-friendly. And, although the overall cost of living is high, both food and utility prices hit below the national average. Not only that, but rent prices are actually decreasing when it comes to an average two-bedroom apartment.
What this means is that, even though you may end up paying a little more in rent than you’re used to, there are ways to cut costs and save money to level out your budget and live comfortably in Denver. A definite reason to move to Denver.
2. Every community has character
Overall, Denver is a young and hip place, and once you drill down to the neighborhood level, you’ll discover a varied group of unique communities. From the landscape to the people, every spot in Denver brings something special to the mix, making it hard to narrow down which neighborhoods are actually the best.
A few neighborhoods to consider are:
Capitol Hill — this densely-packed community is a favorite for Denver newbies and has an eclectic mix of residents. It’s also cool to live in the center of Colorado’s capital city.
Sloan Lake — a perfect community for nature lovers, the city’s largest lake makes up a portion of this neighborhood.
Five Points — a historic neighborhood, that’s also close to the city center. Here you’ll find great breweries and a thriving arts scene. The community also housed the city’s jazz scene for most of the 20th century.
University — if you want to live close to the University of Denver, here’s where you should go. Whether studying or working nearby, this area is full of shops, restaurants and bars.
There’s also Downtown Denver to consider, which itself is one large community that’s sometimes broken up into smaller sections. You may gravitate toward the Central Business District with its high-rise apartments, or lean into Lower Downtown, affectionally called LoDo, where you’ll find all the business folk after hours out for a good time.
3. The job market is growing
As the city grows, so does the job market in Denver. Opportunities are branching out into new industries, while established companies like Google and HomeAdvisor provide consistent jobs.
Denver is a popular spot for tech startups, wine and craft beer businesses and even the aerospace industry. You can also find a thriving hospitality industry here along with businesses focused on food and agriculture.
The median household income in Denver is $72,661, which is nice to see, given the higher rents and the cost of an annual ski lift pass. Income like this also demonstrates the health of the job market and the potential for job stability.
4. You can ski whenever you want
Calling all ski bums! There’s something special about living in a city where a perfect mountain is less than two hours away. A big reason to move to Denver is that it gives you snow-capped mountains you can see from your apartment window.
Fabulous ski resorts are so close you could hit the slopes every weekend, living out your skier fantasy every Saturday and Sunday.
Some popular, nearby resorts include Echo Mountain Resort, south of Idaho Springs, and the more extreme Arapahoe Basin Ski Area, which is perfect for more experienced skiers.
Further out, you’ll find the popular towns/ski resorts of Breckenridge and Vail. Each is less than two hours from Denver.
5. Water sports are popular here, too
Denver may have plenty of mountains to provide hours of outdoor activity, but it’s not your only option. White water rafting is pretty popular throughout the area in the warmer months, and there are some serious rivers to go down.
Fly fishing is also popular throughout Denver and nearby cities. Within the city limits, you have access to the Dream Stream, a stretch of the South Platte River that’s known for epic fishing.
White water rafting locations close to Denver include Clear Creek, Fraser River and Blue River, all less than two hours away.
6. There’s more than the run-of-the-mill museums
For those who want a hefty dose of culture in their home city, Denver does it up a little differently. Yes, you’ll find a fantastic collection of modern and contemporary art at the Denver Art Museum, and a family-friendly experience waiting at the Denver Nature and Science Museum, but there’s more.
If you want to immerse yourself in modern culture, and have an experience like no other, get tickets for Meow Wolf Denver. Also known as Convergence Station, this art museum is one of three unique experiences you can have in the U.S. The other two Meow Wolf museums, in Santa Fe and Las Vegas, combine with the Denver installation to tell a creative story through art about the merging of our world with another. You can see the museums in order — Santa Fe first, then Las Vegas and Denver — to get a complete story, but the Denver Meow Wolf definitely stands alone.
7. There’s a legendary music venue in your backyard
A geological phenomenon in its own right, Red Rocks Amphitheater is a music venue unlike any other. Set in Red Rocks Park, you’re surrounded by some 738 acres of deer, pines and prairie. The views are spectacular, and the music is even better.
Red Rocks is the only naturally occurring, acoustically perfect amphitheater in the world. It has played host to thousands of concerts and events in the more than 80 years of its existence. Musical icons like The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Bruce Springsteen and Dave Matthews Band have performed in this rocky location, and the annual concert lineup each year is worth checking out.
8. Sun even when it snows
What often surprises those new to Denver the most is the weather. It then quickly becomes one of the many reasons to move to Denver. Denver sees over 300 days of sunshine per year, and the city itself gets only 8-15 inches of annual precipitation. Low humidity makes the warm temperatures more bearable, and winters don’t often reach freezing temperatures.
Even when snow does fall, it doesn’t stay on the ground long, thanks to that powerful sun.
9. A night sky you can’t look away from
Nighttime in Denver is a sight to behold. The sky is crystal clear, especially if you drive a little way out of the city, and stargazing is intense. You can see the whole arc of the Milky Way in the right spot, in addition to shooting stars, meteor showers and maybe even a UFO.
Gazing up into the night sky is just one way you can connect with nature here, and it’s pretty amazing.
10. Bike your way around town
Although you’ll want a car to explore the areas around Denver, while you’re in the city, take advantage of the fact that it’s a highly walkable and bike-friendly place. Denver has a walk score of 71 and a bike score of 78.
The downtown area is especially friendly to pedestrians, and the city boasts a wide variety of bike paths. There are also 196 miles of on-street bike lanes.
The most popular bike trails are in Cherry Creek and along the South Platte River. These two bike arteries follow Denver’s major waterways and connect right downtown. You also never have to fight for road space with cars.
Not having to drive everywhere can help you save some money, and keep you in great shape — a win-win.
11. Cannabis isn’t a crime
Cannabis in Colorado is more than just a legal recreational activity. In Denver, it’s also a great business venture. Recreational use became legal in 2012, and since then, green medical crosses light up city streets, pointing you to available dispensaries.
If you’re interested in getting into the marijuana business, watch out for some competition. There are already some 200 dispensaries in Denver. Even if you can’t start from scratch, though, there’s plenty of opportunity to get involved in the industry.
As a consumer, legally, you’re able to have one ounce of marijuana at a time, and kept within a sealed container when in your car.
12. Sports to cater to any fan
Being such a big city, Denver is also home to plenty of professional sports teams. No matter what’s your favorite, you can most likely find a home team to cheer on.
For football lovers, there’s the Denver Broncos
Basketball fans have the Denver Nuggets
The Colorado Rockies play baseball right in Downtown Denver
You can also cheer on three-time Stanley Cup winners, the Colorado Avalanche, the local NHL team.
13. Craft beer is everywhere
Beer is big in Denver and the city has one of the largest craft beer scenes in the country. So, if you like to try a new tap every night, it’s possible. There are some 150 craft breweries within Denver’s city limits, and just about every type of beer has a local brand.
To expose yourself to the local beer scene, though, you can take a beer tour to go to a tasting as you acclimate to living in Denver. Find your favorites and always know where you want to go for a cold one.
14. Food represents
There’s a lot of food synonymous with Denver, and a lot of it plays into the fact that the city is a cultural melting pot when it comes to cuisine. Some local favorites include anything with green chilies, as well as smothered burritos, bison and elk and the Denver omelet. You may be tempted to try Rocky Mountain Oysters, but make sure you know what you’re eating before you dig in (it’s not oysters!)
Overall, the city is full of food from barbecue to Mexican, Asian to seafood and steakhouses to Ethiopian. You can easily satisfy any craving.
15. It’s a beautiful place to live
With the Rocky Mountains as your backdrop, all the positives of living in Denver are even better with the surrounding natural beauty. Among all the reasons to move to Denver, getting to live somewhere that every day shows you the majesty of nature is pretty fantastic.
Living here gives you more than 200 mountain peaks within range without binoculars and more than 100 panoramic miles of natural excellence. Not only can you easily get out in nature when living in Denver, but you’ll find plenty of nature in the background of your everyday errands and daily commute.
Making the Mile High City home
Locals already have a ton of reasons to move to Denver they’re willing to share with outsiders, but what’s going to convince you? Once you know all the insider secrets, and make your own list of positives, will it be the weather, the city, the skiing or something else that drives you to call Denver home? You’ll have a hard time narrowing down your list. This city truly has so much going for it.
In the middle of the Utah desert, you’ll find one of the most rapidly-growing cities in the nation — Salt Lake City. It’s been growing for years and especially started booming when the pandemic hit in 2020. Many companies became remote-first, allowing their employees to choose where they want to live.
So, people made their way over to the Salt Lake Valley, which has actually driven up its cost of living. This may come as a surprise to those who wonder what the city has to offer. Spoiler alert: There are plenty of reasons to move to Salt Lake City besides green Jell-O and Mormons.
1. Mountain views from every angle
One of the small, daily joys of living in Salt Lake is having a view of the mountains from everywhere. No matter where you find yourself in the valley, you’ll see mountains on all sides. They also change with the seasons and you’ll get to see them transition from green in the summer to orange and yellow in the fall to the white snow-capped wonders in the winter.
2. Best snow on earth
It’s no wonder that the 2002 Winter Olympic Games were held in Salt Lake City — it has some of the best snow on earth. It’s been deemed one of the best places in the world for skiing and snowboarding and there’s no shortage of resorts where you can participate in winter sports. Do you need a better reason to move to Salt Lake City?
3. An airport to get you anywhere in the world
Salt Lake is a traveler’s paradise. The Salt Lake City International Airport can get you a flight to anywhere in the world and because it’s one of the bigger hubs, you can often find direct flights to other countries. Plus, the airport recently underwent a massive rebuild, so it’s now more modern and can accommodate more people and planes than ever before.
4. Sports for every interest
Home to multiple sports teams, particularly the NBA’s Utah Jazz and the Real Salt Lake MLS team, there are sporting events happening year-round that you can grab a ticket to. These games are also fairly affordable to attend, with some tickets priced as little as $10 per person.
5. Community events every weekend
Some see members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints as too dominant in the area, they’ve also created a very community-centered culture. Many of these church members are service-oriented and you’ll find that their church events are open to the public for those that wish to attend.
6. You’ll have all 4 seasons
In Salt Lake, you’ll experience rainy springs, hot summers, colorful autumns and snowy winters. Granted, the timing of these seasons will vary from year-to-year and you may see snow in May and warmer temperatures until November, but you’ll still get a little bit of everything at some point!
7. The job market is strong
In recent years, Salt Lake City and nearby surrounding cities have grown significantly thanks to the many tech companies setting up their headquarters in the valley. The nearby Silicon Slopes area has been under constant growth for the last 10 years and the tech companies here are always looking to hire.
8. Live music for every taste
You can always find local artists performing in smaller venues in Salt Lake. And, along with them, you’ll find that plenty of the well-known, mainstream artists are often performing in S.L.C. on their tours.
9. College has an affordable price tag
Utah has always been known for its affordable college tuition and it’s becoming even more appealing as tuition costs are going up in other parts of the country. In many cases, even paying out-of-state tuition is more affordable to students than paying in-state tuition in their home state. And, if you can qualify for in-state tuition, you’ll get a great education at a fraction of the price.
10. Close to national parks
Utah is the home of five national parks — not to mention that there are more than 40 additional state parks to explore. And, the best part is that almost all of these parks are within only a few hours’ drive from Salt Lake City.
11. The magic of downtown S.L.C.
The downtown area of Salt Lake is a unique combination of old, historic buildings and new buildings or massive renovations. These buildings are for new restaurants, entertainment and nightlife. Plus, there’s lots of shopping to do at boutiques and small shops, along with the City Creek shopping plaza that contains more than 100 stores and restaurants.
12. The stars flock to Sundance
Getting tickets to the Sundance Film Festival is extremely difficult due to its popularity and the type of people that attend — which often includes A-list celebrities. Even if you aren’t able to get tickets, the hype around the festival is infectious and there’s a good chance you’ll see a famous actor strolling around the streets of Salt Lake when they have a free moment before or after the festival.
13. Great hiking around every corner
With such close proximity to the mountains, you can find hikes just about everywhere. Many hiking trails start out in Salt Lake City and take you up into the mountains and you may not even need a car to find a trail. There’s also the option of taking a quick drive up one of the many canyons surrounding the city to hike deeper into the stunning mountains and get even better views.
14. A foodie’s paradise
The food scene in S.L.C. is growing a lot and introducing new independent restaurants, along with the recent additions of some well-known restaurants, such as Shake Shack and Popeye’s. You’ll find diverse, authentic flavors from around the world in family-owned restaurants or, if you’re in the mood for something a little more traditionally American, there are plenty of little burger joints where you can give into your cravings.
15. The ease of the grid system
Once you’ve experienced the ease of the grid system, you’ll never be able to live without it. It just makes sense and navigating becomes so simple and quick to do. Everything in the city centers around Temple Square, which effectively is at location zero, and the city has labeled streets moving away from the city center going north, south, east and west, where each numbered street is relative to the location to the center of the city.
It may not seem like much, but when you go from Salt Lake to any other city, you’ll wonder how the rest of the world functions without the grid system.
16. Fry sauce is everything
Yes, it’s true that you’ll find fry sauce in every restaurant in S.L.C. It’s a staple and it does taste better in the Salt Lake valley than anywhere else you find it — just ask the locals. Fry sauce goes well with anything, but the most common place you’ll find it is anywhere that serves french fries and burgers.
17. The thriving local economy
Due to the many new businesses popping up in Salt Lake, it has an incredibly stable economy. It was one of the quickest in the nation to recover after COVID-19 and even surpassed its pre-pandemic employment rates soon after. And, it’s continually one of the highest-ranking states in terms of unemployment, taking the second spot in the nation at just 2 percent unemployment.
18. Public transport will get you places
If you’re looking for public transportation like New York’s subway or Washington, D.C.’s, metro, Salt Lake won’t quite stack up. However, it has a pretty good public transportation system overall, which includes buses, the TRAX light rail for downtown use and the FrontRunner for getting to places further from the city center. While owning a car here is nice, you can easily get by without one.
Is Salt Lake City the place for you?
There are many great things about moving to Salt Lake City, but it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. If you’re looking for a tropical paradise, the dry mountain air and cold winters aren’t something you want to deal with. Use the reasons to move to Salt Lake City we mentioned above to help you decide if it’s the place for you and if you’re up to it, pay a visit and find out why it’s one of Utah’s best cities to live in!
Morgen Henderson is a writer who grew up in Utah. She lived in the Dominican Republic for a year and a half, where she was involved in humanitarian service. Some of Morgen’s work has appeared in State of Digital, The Next Scoop and TechPatio. In her free time, she loves to travel, bake, master DIY projects and improve her Spanish skills.