There are more than a million reasons why I love my wife. She’s hot, she’s a great mom, she cooks (every once in a while), and she does the laundry — although my jeans are always wrinkled–love ya baba! 🙂
Another BIG reason why I love her, is that she handles all the insurance stuff with our household. She’s on the phone for hours deliberating with the insurance companies about what we owe and what we’ve already paid that they never seem to have the record on.
Recently, we decided it was time to switch insurance companies and she, being the awesome wife that she is, took on the task. Here’s her experience on the whole ordeal of changing insurance companies and firing our agent. Take it away sweetie…..
There are several reasons why a person might consider switching insurance companies. I assure you that doing it for fun is not one of them. Perhaps the company you are currently insured by is going out of business or maybe the rates from other insurance companies are more affordable. We had been with our insurance company for over five years. We personally knew our insurance agent, as he was a friend of mine from high school. I trusted him and I knew that we were in good hands. Earlier this year, our agent decided to switch jobs, leaving us with a new agent that we did not know. This was the triggering factor in our situation to start shopping for new insurance. I knew we were paying a little higher premiums than other people I had talked to, but since we knew our agent and felt comfortable with him, we were okay with that. However, when he left, it was a prime opportunity for us to take a look at some different options and reevaluate our situation. And WOW, what I found out was… I should have been comparing rates and coverage WAY before my agent had left. We were paying substantially higher rates than we needed to be. Doing business with a friend can be tricky like that. You want to be loyal, but you also want to make sure you are getting the best bang for your buck. Be careful.
It can be time-consuming to compare insurance rates…trust me. I spent more than a few hours doing my research and talking to different insurance companies to get quotes. I assure you that if you end up saving a substantial amount of money then it’s totally worth every second.
Whatever your reason there are a few things you should consider before actually making the switch from one insurance company or agent to another. Here are some things that I considered when I was comparing companies to ensure we were getting the best coverage at a reasonable rate.
1. Multiple policy discounts
If you are switching insurance companies and you have more than one policy at your current provider, consider the discounts that may be applied to your policies for having multiple policies with one provider. It may make sense to move not one but all of your policies to the new provider to continue receiving the multiple policy discount. We had our Homeowners, auto, and umbrella policies all with the same company. We saved over $250 a year by switching our auto insurance company just for having a multiple policy discount.
2. Research the company as well as rates
With various tools available on the Internet you can shop for insurance rates from the convenience of your home. You can compare rates and get quotes from dozens of companies. While comparison shopping for the best rates is one of the first steps in saving money, it is also important to research the insurance provider as well. There are many new companies that are starting that might not have the experience nor resources to provide the coverage you will need should an accident or disaster strike. It doesn’t make sense to pay for insurance policies backed by a company that is unable to provide the protection you need at the time you need it.
Guess I need to call my insurance agent
In 2009 we experienced an “inland hurricane” and had the chance to really “test” out just how good our insurance provider was. Luckily, they covered all of the damage and then some, without any fuss. This is where it comes in handy to trust your agent. However, we had several neighbors that spent months fighting their insurance company trying to get money for their home repairs. Do your homework and make sure that your company is not a bust! After all, what’s the point in paying for insurance if the company isn’t willing to honor your claims? Cheaper is not always better.
3. Switch companies at the right time
Whenever possible, try to switch companies when your current policy is set to renew. Insurance companies usually send out important details regarding your policy a few weeks before it is due to renew. You can use this information to get current details and rate information that can be used when comparison shopping. This is what I used to compare our current rates with the competition. In addition, you will avoid any cancellation fees that might be attached to your policy by switching before the term is up or prorated amounts for switching in the middle of a policy period.
Our previous insurance company charged a $75 fee for canceling our policies before the policy end date. However, we were willing to pay the charge since, by switching companies, we were saving over $300 a year. Weigh your options.
4. Compare coverage between insurance companies
Before making the switch to a new insurance company you must take the time to compare the coverage provided to ensure you are not getting a great new rate but substantially less coverage. It doesn’t make sense to save a few hundred dollars in premiums if it costs you several thousand in the long run. Make sure you compare apples to apples. Any insurance company can “get you a cheaper rate”, but can they get you a cheaper rate with the same amount of coverage? I had numerous insurance companies try and tell me that they could beat my current rate, but when it came down to it, most of them were providing less coverage.
The insurance company that we ended up dealing with was not only able to beat our current rate, but they were able to provide MORE coverage than our current policies.
5. Accessibility of your insurance agent
Make sure that you are choosing a trustworthy insurance company that is available when you need them. Have you ever tried to get a hold of your insurance agent? I have waited longer than a week for my insurance agent to call me back and we are friends. Now think about it, what if you needed something important, you were in an accident or your house burnt down, would you want to wait a week before your insurance company got back to you. Not likely. When calling to compare rates, make sure that the agent is accessible and willing to take the time to speak with you within a reasonable time frame. It will be a foreshadowing of your future relationship with them.
6. Policy cancellation
Making the switch
Once you have done all of your homework, researched company history, rates and coverage and picked a new insurance provider, don’t forget to cancel your old policy. Do this in writing and request an official cancellation notice to keep with your records. This proof may be needed in the future if there are questions regarding payments or coverage. Everyone wants to save money and changing insurance companies can save hundreds or even thousands of dollars per year. It took me over two weeks before we finally settled on a new insurance company. The whole process was a pain, but I know it will save us thousands over the years. I just hope I don’t have to do it again any time soon. 🙂
This is a guest post from my awesome wife Mandy Rose. She can check out more about her and our fam at her blog House of Rose.
This was an actual weekend harvest from our garden last August.
At Get Rich Slowly, we get many requests for information about starting a vegetable garden. This is huge topic, and really enough fodder for an entire website. If you’re a novice gardener you will benefit by asking yourself six questions before mail-ordering seeds or heading to your local nursery. Now is the time to do your research so that you’ll be ready for planting season.
Do you actually like to eat vegetables?
If not, focus on fruits and herbs, edible and ornamental flowers, and a favorite veggie or two. A well-tended garden will produce a lot of vegetables. If you are lukewarm about zucchini then pass up that beautiful seedling. (Or go introduce yourself to your five nearest neighbors so that you can share come July).
What is your gardening space like?
This is probably the most important question for the novice gardener. If you are starting from bare dirt or, more likely, a patch of lawn, you have some work to do. The plot needs to be evaluated for sun and wind exposure, moisture/drainage, soil pH and elemental content, pests, and other factors.
When we moved to the new house, J.D. used math to determine our garden location.
Crop gardens need a sunny spot. But remember that the angle of the sun in the summer months will be different than it is now. Nonetheless, try to watch over the next few weeks to determine where the sun hits your property. If I have to choose between morning sun and evening, I prefer morning sun — it is less intense, which means watering needs are decreased. Here in Portland, however, it’s hard to give a garden too much sun.
Get online and tap the resources at your local university’s extension offices. You can usually find them just by searching for your state’s name and “extension service”. Many states offer free soil testing, which will tell you how to amend the soil if nutrients or organic matter are lacking, or if the pH of the soil needs to be adjusted. Your county’s Master Gardener program may also offer this service. Each crop has an optimum pH growing range. We add acid for our blueberries and strawberries; kale and peas like a slightly alkaline soil. If your soil is close to neutral (pH 7), you can probably proceed as-is.
These tomatoes were started from seed in February. In May they’re ready to be transplanted!
Even if your soil is terrible, you still have options. On a small scale, container gardening can be rewarding. A cherry tomato, well-watered, can do well in a large pot on a patio. Better yet, build some raised beds. These will require an initial investment for the soil to fill them and construction materials, but they provide better drainage, warmer soil temperatures in the spring (and thus earlier crops), and reduced weeding. (Please avoid pressure-treated lumber, though, there is some evidence that the toxic chemicals leach into the soil. Okay for a picnic table, but not for the dirt where your eggplant is growing!)
If this all seems rather intimidating, I encourage you to start small. Don’t roto-till the entire lawn under until you really decide that crop gardening is for you. If your gardening space is less than ideal but you’d like to take the plunge, perhaps one 6’x12′ foot raised bed is the perfect beginning. Or try growing herbs.
During our second summer, we tore up sod to expand the garden space.
Herbs are one of the most forgiving classes of plants to grow — almost as easy as weeds — especially the hardy perennial herbs. Except for excessively moist soil and total shade, almost any conditions will support herbs. They thrive in sunny, dry areas. Herbs are also some of the most frugal crops you can grow because they are outrageously priced at the grocery store and can be used to make even basic ingredients into a stand-out meal. It’s worth the cost to start with herb plants rather than seeds so that you can use them right away.
Perennial herbs like sage, rosemary, thyme, lemon verbena, mints, chives and oregano require very little work. Again, do your homework for your climate. And a word to the wise: some herbs are invasive. Mints have spreading roots that will take over your entire city block. They are best in a container with a solid bottom rather than planted directly in the ground. Others, like oregano and fennel, spread easily by dropping their seeds. If you want to avoid little fennel and oregano families, be sure to trim off the flowers before they go to seed.
Last year we added an herb garden.
Short term, long term, or both?
Plants generally fall into two categories: annuals or perennials.
Annual crops start from a seed, mature and bear fruit (or vegetable) in one season, then die. In our region, corn is an annual, as are cucumbers, watermelons, and tomatoes. Plants that can survive the winter to regrow for another crop season are typically perennials, Examples include asparagus, blueberries, artichoke, and rhubarb. This also applies to flowers, of course: sunflower (annual) versus rose (perennial). I tend to think of fruits in the perennial group: fruit trees and berries are perennials. Most vegetables (again, this is for my climate) are annuals. Obviously there are exceptions to this generalization, like the melon family.
To decide where to focus your gardening energies, you should know your climate zone. This will help you determine the length of your growing season and which annual crops are going to have time to ripen.
Perennials usually cost more than annuals initially (buying an apple tree sapling, for example), and will require patience. We planted asparagus two springs ago and are hoping for our first taste this April. But these plants are longer living, and give you bigger returns for relatively little work. Asparagus plants can live for twenty years before needing replacements; an apple tree may not bear a crop for the first five years, but may live to be one-hundred.
If you’re just getting your gardening feet muddy for the first time, I recommend annuals. Tomatoes are extremely rewarding, as are other salad fixings such as lettuce, spinach, cucumbers, radishes and carrots. Other easy crops to start with are beans, onions (or leeks/shallots), potatoes, and pumpkin (although this needs room to spread). Besides the instant gratification they provide, mistakes with annuals are easily corrected the next season without much expense. Did the birds eat all your peas? Try something next year to protect them. Has your corn crop failed? Next spring, try it in a sunnier place.
Our strawberry plants have spread like crazy in the past three years.
If you have enough space and the inclination, try a bit of both annuals and perennials. A strawberry patch won’t produce much the first year, but the plants will reproduce and spread to give you a bounteous crop. Dwarf fruit trees are a nice option if you are looking for an ornamental small tree; most have beautiful blossoms, too. And don’t forget those herbs!
We planted two apples, a pear, and prune. We also have a filbert and walnut. (We never get many filberts — our yard is home to a Kingdom of Squirrels.)
Who are your gardening neighbors?
Tap those resources. Most gardeners love to talk about their plants. You can learn a lot about what works for your area by listening to their stories of success and failure. If you do a bit of pre-planning, you could also take part in a seed co-op. A typical tomato seed packet may hold 30 seeds — more than enough to split among four gardeners. Many vegetable starts are sold as single pots, but some come in six-packs that can be easily shared. With knowledge and experience, you can even harvest seeds from local gardens (with permission, of course) to plant the following spring. And if you’re lucky, when it’s time for the woman across the street to divide her lavender bush, she’ll share half with you!
Can you control yourself?
Most seed packets run only $2-$3, so they are tempting. But spending money and wasting your time on plants that won’t do well in your garden is an exercise in summer-long frustration. Evaluate your space and the soil and sun conditions. Learn to avoid catalog phrases such as “spreads quickly” or “freely self-sows” unless that’s what you really want. Don’t trust the catalog! The pictures are tempting, but they often show the plant only at its peak — what will it look like the rest of the time? Is it invasive? Poisonous? Hard-to-grow? Will it require constant maintenance? Use the internet and your library’s garden references to research seeds and plants before you buy them. I have found the internet to be a wonderful alternative to a knowledgeable nursery employee.
Do you have the time and money to grow your own food?
Gardening, initially, isn’t cheap. Besides plants and seeds, you’ll need garden tools, fertilizers, soil amendments, watering devices and a million other small things. But for those who savor its rewards, gardening is a labor of love. With time, and smart choices, having a kitchen garden does pay off financially. Herbs will pay for themselves quickly, and over the years, so will the berry bushes and canes, fruit trees and fresh vegetables. J.D. and I literally ate several hundred dollars of free homegrown berries this past spring and summer — all from a bit of our own labor, a few supplies and the investment of the canes and bushes. And that crop will only be bigger next year.
We’ve also dug up the lawn to plant grapes and caneberries.
Most gardens, even sizable ones, can be maintained with thirty minutes of work per day. Hoe weeds while they’re small, mulch properly, water wisely and be timely about harvesting. But if you let the garden tasks slip for a week or two, you may face a daunting task of huge weeds, spoiled crops or everything dead from lack of water. Gardening requires a time commitment if you want to reap the benefits.
Other Thoughts
If you are a beginning gardener, start small. Build on your successes. Be wise: it’s easy to dive in headfirst and then be overwhelmed. Research the plants you want to grow and the conditions they require, build a manageable raised bed if you’re starting from scratch, and use local resources to gain knowledge and cut costs.
Gardening requires a bit of seed money to begin, but the rewards are many! Healthier, fresher food, time in the great outdoors and a connection to nature, as well as engaging in an activity that can build community. And I haven’t even mentioned how much more excited kids are to eat their vegetables when they helped grow them or how people appreciate a homemade gift from the garden — whether a beautiful bouquet, and bunch of fragrant herbs, a fresh salad or a jewel-toned jar of jam.
In January fresh tomatoes are but a gardener’s dream.
Final Note
I recommend keeping your vegetable/fruit garden as organic as possible. One of the greatest benefits of growing your own is avoiding the pesticides (et al) on grocery-store goods. Insect diversity in your yard may be enough to keep pests in check; if you have an outbreak, simply try spraying with lightly soapy water, or other low-impact methods. If your soil is healthy and the plants are well-nourished, the plants will be strong and the bugs will be kept at bay.
This may not be practical in all climates, but here in Oregon, a few minutes each night hoeing will keep down the weeds, and the plants can take some munching by a bug or two once they’re established. With fertilizers, most choices are fine. I like an organic foliar spray — one that goes directly onto the leaves of my plants — but the crystalline concentrates that you mix with water can be fine as well, as long as your soil is already full of good organic matter and friendly worms.
Amanda recently sent J.D. an e-mail looking for advice about gift-giving:
My husband and I have made huge lifestyle changes since our son was born with congenital heart disease four years ago. He’s had five open-heart-surgeries, and we’ve had some killer medical bills. My husband stays home with both of our kids to help prevent Liam from getting sick too often, so we’ve gone down to one income, one car, basic cable, and a really aggressive budget.
One of our worst budget breakers however is gifts. I have eleven nieces and nephews, two kids, etc. At Christmas we’ve convinced both sides to just do a name exchange and then we only have to buy for two nieces/nephews on either side, which helps and we’ve just outright stopped exchanging gifts with our brothers & sisters, but there are still our parents, his grandparents, kids of friends who have birthday parties, and graduations, weddings, and baby showers!
We actually do plan most of these things into discretionary spending since we know when people have birthdays, but it’s always those gotchas like weddings and new babies (and we didn’t pre-think graduations with this year’s planning).
Could you offer any advice on fitting generosity and gift giving into a frugal budget? No one wants to be a grinch, but it really adds up some months. Sometimes, it’s half of our discretionary spending just to get small gifts (we only spend $10-15/kid!).
Ah, Amanda, I hear you! Gifts can be a budgeter’s downfall! Many of us readily accept our own sacrifices in the name of being frugal, but don’t want to seem “cheap” when it comes to giving gifts to others. I’ve struggled with both sides of this issue.
One side of me likes choosing and giving gifts, likes having those gifts appreciated, likes receiving gifts in return. But the other side opposes the commercialism and expectations that accompany holidays and occasions. Too often, hastily-purchased gifts can seem like a substitute for the spare time and energy we don’t have to make a gift meaningful. These gifts can be merely an obligation, which is no fun for either giver or recipient.
For big family gift-oriented occasions like Christmas (Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc), you must have “The Talk”. In some families, money is a difficult subject, but your options are either to continue spending more than you want on presents, or to mystify everyone when you cut them off cold turkey. A good way to start is to explain your budget goals, as in, “We’re starting to save for the kids’ education funds,” “…to buy a house,” “to be able to afford to live on one salary,” “pay off the credit cards” or something like that — just make sure you’re being honest.
Whatever you do, don’t insist that everyone stop giving gifts to you (or your kids). You have the right to stop giving gifts, but for many people, being generous with presents is a true pleasure and you should avoid depriving them of that pleasure. It may seem wrong to accept without giving, but you can give back in other ways. Of course, your relatives and friends may be relieved at the prospect of the never-ending gift-exchange ending — maybe they were just too shy to bring it up.
If you don’t want to stop all gifts, here are some ideas to cut costs.
Draw names. As Amanda does, this can allow you to focus on one or two recipients instead of the whole clan. There are various arrangements. Some families write their name and a gift suggestion or two on a slip of paper. In some systems, adults pick an adult and each kid gives to a kid (with adult help as needed). Or, if everyone is gathering together, each person can bring one gift (marked as adult or child) and you can do a sort of “Yankee swap” exchange where unwrapped presents can be stolen or traded until everyone ends up with someone.
Be creative. On J.D.’s side of the family, we have been doing $5 gifts for several years. Everyone (7 adults, 4 kids) buys a $5 (or under) gift for everyone else. (This was my sister-in-law’s idea.) J.D.’s mother asked to be excepted — she loves piling gifts on everyone and exercises her grandmotherly rights to do so. The $5 limit has forced us to be bargain hunters and the results are often both surprising and hilarious. We found a practically new set of drafting pens for a brother’s gift: $80 new, marked as $10 at a garage sale but we bargained it down to five!
Emphasize the experience. Some people have more time than money. If you fit in that category, you can use it to your advantage for all sorts of occasions. Do friends have a new baby? Deliver dinner to the new parents, then stay to hold the baby while they eat the meal. Clean up afterwards, of course. Nieces and nephews? For that special occasion, invite them to join your family for camping, a hike, miniature golf — whatever your family does for fun. You’ll all get to know each other better, too. Parents and grandparents often would rather have you spend time than money on them, as well. Invite them over for brunch, or go feed the ducks at the park, or hear a free concert together.
Don’t turn your nose up at used. Aren’t we silly Americans! We talk about how great recycling is but we want everything we get to be new, new, new! It’s all about mindset. For kids’ toys, as long as they’re in safe condition, the fact that they’re “pre-owned” means little to a child — unless non-stop commercialism has already gotten to them! J.D. and I found two wooden sleds set out for the trash pickup in a ritzy neighborhood. After swallowing our hesitation, we grabbed them. With a cleaning and a few minor repairs, they were good to go — and looked great under the Christmas tree. Keep your eyes open all year for bargains, or arrange a toy exchange or toy hand-me-down system with friends and neighbors. Get to know people’s tastes and decorating styles so you can choose gifts they will appreciate.
Kids love the dollar store. I know, I know — everything’s made in foreign countries by underpaid workers. But seriously, if you are spending more than $3 for a kid’s birthday party gift, you need to visit a dollar store. The kids I know are fascinated by dollar store stuff until age 6 or 7. The parents may turn up their noses, but what kid wouldn’t love growing giant lizards or sharks (600% growth — just soak ’em in water!), red-white-and-blue glow necklaces, or a hundred fuzzy animal stickers?
Agree that gifts are only for the kids. Not having kids myself, I wouldn’t vote for this option, but I know many families like it. I think a better choice if you’re going to do this is to have adults buy small gifts for the kids ($5-10), and let kids make homemade gifts for the adults. I think this gets kids to think about giving as well as receiving.
Use homemade gifts. I’m a big fan for using the homemade gift for most every occasion. Special birthdays get a bouquet of garden flowers in a mason jar. Or, I take the time to write a sincere note in a beautiful card. If someone’s a fan of sweets, I’ll whip up a batch of cookies. If the season’s right, I might present them with fresh berries or a holly and cedar swag. The cost for all these gifts is minimal, but the gesture is still meaningful.
Mass produce. Last year, English Major offered a great tip about gift-giving ideas. You can save lots of dough by the assembly line approach. Pick a gift that will be appropriate for your list of recipients and buy craft items, ingredients, or components in bulk. Before you start, figure out how many gifts you’ll need and the cost per assembled gift. Check the figures against your budget. To maximize this idea, choose an idea that still allows for some personalization, say in the color or style of gift.
Just speak up. At my workplace, the envelope is constantly being passed for one event or another. The loss of a parent, a new baby, a retirement, etc. The flowers or gifts purchased with the collected cash may very well be much appreciated. But if your budget prevents you from chipping in, instead write a heartfelt note or tell the person face-to-face. A verbal expression of sympathy or support may be just what they need.
Shrug it off. Unfortunately, some people are all about the goods. If the people in your life aren’t going to appreciate or adjust to your frugal mindset, you have a choice to make. Keep spending to keep up with the Joneses, or go your own way and hold your head high. Find ways to show you care that don’t just involve handing over your debit card. Give when you can; give what you want to.
The side benefit of implementing any of these ideas is that it moves the whole concept of giving gifts back to thoughtfulness, effort, and individual creativity, rather than the focus on prices and packaging. Think of it as one small chink in the great wall of marketing and consumerism!
These are just some thoughts on the topic to get the discussion rolling. I’m sure there are scores of creative solutions out there.
The luxury real estate horizon looks bright for a few counties in Florida despite a slowing sales forecast for the state overall. Interest from prospective home buyers from America’s Northeast is aimed at both Collier and Sarasota, two of the nation’s fastest-growing luxury housing price markets. These areas, along with interest in Jacksonville and a new projects across the state, are bright spots in a sagging Florida luxury market.
According to the May 2018 Luxury Home Index from realtor.com®,
interest from buyers in New York, Boston, and Chicago boosted Sarasota (North
Port) and Collier (East Naples) price growth of 19 and 14 percent respectively.
In that report, even Fort Lauderdale, which ranked 19th on the national list,
showed a 9% uptick in sales prices. Javier Vivas, director of economic research
for realtor.com® offered this comment in a press release:
“Luxury prices in the Sunshine State are rising quickly as buyers from places like New York, Boston, and Chicago get wind that there is a better bang for their buck available down South. Meanwhile, we are seeing signs of a luxury market glut in many established markets, which is in some cases leading to spillover demand for their less pricey neighbors.”
Luxury properties in the news in Sarasota have helped peak interest in the area. An instance that comes to mind was the recent announcement that the one of America’s most talked about restaurants, the Beach Bistro opening at the luxurious BLVD Sarasota (feature image) beginning of 2020 put an exclamation point on one of the city’s most exciting new developments. Remaining BLVD residences range from 3,550 to 5,500 square feet and are listed starting at $1.9 million.
The boost to Collier County sales prices was helped by big home sales in Naples where one
sale came in at a record $48.8 million. Naples’ 34102 ZIP code ranked is the
15th richest in America according to a recent report by Bloomberg. The recent
sale of a Port Royal beachfront mansion of 9,394 square feet that originally
listed for $60.9 million dollars, obviously did nothing to lower the areas
ranking.
Amazing new luxury developments dot the state and draw attention from high net worth investors, even as the market trends toward oversupply. One that comes to mind is the Waterfall Condominiums going up at Jax Beach. This eight-floor complex of 42 residences will have two fantastic penthouses on the top level, and range in size from 2,721 to 3,077 square feet. Expansive terraces will offer unmatched beach views listed by the Hanley Home Team at about $1.3 million on average.
An interesting aspect for these luxury residences is the fact new height restrictions have now limited beachside properties to no more than three stories tall. But, the beach property on which the condos will be built, at 14th Avenue South and 1st Street South, was grandfathered in, allowing for a high-rise residential structure. This brings up another important variable for all Florida luxury properties. Once the growth in new development sinks (and this is inevitable), the exclusivity of these properties will rise accordingly. Short story, prices will probably skyrocket.
Finally, “one of” luxury properties all across the Sunshine State help prop up high-end property prices. An example here is the so-called “Victory House” (above) that sits on 200 fabulous bayfront acres overlooking St. Petersburg and downtown Tampa Bay. This amazing property has its own private beach and has hurricane-proof doors and windows throughout. The six-bedroom, six-bath house is on a 13-acre parcel that includes about seven acres of uplands and the canals, a place where the owner will never have neighbors. Listed at $18 million, the mansion named for Nasr “Vic” Abuoleim is but one example of hundreds of similarly “exclusive” properties in the state.
A wonderful friend
of my father’s who was a land developer, he had this saying that has never
failed me. “Always buy land, they don’t
make any more of it,” he’d say. In
the case of Florida property, the more expansive the market gets, the more
“land” becomes a luxury. My bet is on prices rising in the mid-term to long.
Phil Butler is a former engineer, contractor, and telecommunications professional who is editor of several influential online media outlets including part owner of Pamil Visions with wife Mihaela. Phil began his digital ramblings via several of the world’s most noted tech blogs, at the advent of blogging as a form of journalistic license. Phil is currently top interviewer, and journalist at Realty Biz News.
If you live in a typical American household, 66% of which own a pet, you know the many benefits of being a pet parent. Pets provide companionship, reduce stress and even improve your health. Pet owners, especially those with dogs, are more likely to get outside and take a stroll through the park. So what could be the down side?
Although the benefits outweigh the costs, pets are expensive. It’s important to take a close look at the financial side of pet ownership before you add a new member to the family. Even if you’ve considered the adoption fee and supplies, the ongoing costs of food, grooming, and routine vet bills add up.
If you’re financially savvy, you may have looked into ways to save on pet food or perform at-home pet pedicures, but veterinary visits can add up. Scheduling routine physicals and keeping up to date on vaccines is the best preventative measure against future health conditions that may be costly to treat. Emergency medical care can leave even the most prepared pet owner in a mountain of debt. Or in the worst cases, economic euthanasia—a heartbreaking decision for any family.
Most people agree that the unconditional love of a pet is worth any amount of money. Still, preparing for the true cost of pet ownership can help you plan your budget. Pets become a part of the family, and making sure you can afford one can help you avoid tough decisions down the road. Fortunately, if you plan ahead, you can maintain the health of your pet and your finances.
Cost of Owning a Dog
Based on the average life span of 12 years, the lifetime cost of owning a dog can range from $20,000 to over $55,000. Studies show about half of all pet owners underestimate the cost of raising a pet. Before purchasing a dog, it’s important to understand both the initial cost of bringing a dog into your home and the ongoing annual expenses of raising a dog.
Note: Expenses and costs are possible ranges
One-Time Expenses
Aside from emergency care, most major expenses occur in the first year. New pet owners can expect to shell out nearly $400 for the bare necessities alone. Depending on the specific breed and size of dog, these costs could range well over $2,000. Below is a look at some initial costs you can expect to incur.
Adoption fee/cost: $0 to $700—can be higher depending on breed
Food and water bowls: $10 to $100
Spaying or neutering: $200 to $800
Initial medical exam and vaccines: $70 to $300
Collar, tags, and leash: $25 to $60
Bed and crate: $35 to $250
Carrying crate: $60 to $150
Microchipping: $20
Total one-time expenses: $420 to $2,180
In some cases, puppies can be more expensive than healthy adult dogs, since they need more shots and veterinary procedures. They may also require obedience training due to their boundless energy and tendency to chew on household items.
Annual Expenses
How much do dogs cost per year? According to the ASPCA, the average pet owner spends nearly $1,400 annually on their furry pal. However, other sources put this number much higher.
Below is a look at some of the expenses you can expect to incur every year you have a dog. If you have multiple dogs, these costs will be a lot more.
Food: $200 to $700
Vaccines and routine care: $200 to $500
Heartworm and flea prevention: $175 to $200
Vitamins: $58
License: $15
Treats and chew toys: $100 to $300
Grooming supplies: $25 to $75
Total average cost of owning a dog per year: $773 to $1,848
In addition to the basics, such as food and veterinary care, other routine and unexpected expenses will arise. You’ll also need to consider pet-related costs that come along with life events, such as travel and moving. For instance, many apartments charge a pet deposit. You also may need to pay additional cleaning fees.
Professional grooming: $200 to $400
Training: $100 to $400 per hour
Boarding and travel fees: $25/day
Accessories: $0 to $500
Pet health insurance: $225 to $516 annually
While raising your dog is a significant investment, most pet owners feel it’s money well spent. After all, you get paid back with unconditional love and affection.
Cost of Owning a Cat
Cats may be less expensive to own than dogs, but even these lower-maintenance creatures can put a dent in your bank account. For one reason, cats tend to live longer than dogs—they have a life span of about 15 years. Additionally, 44% of cat owners have more than one cat, compared to just 35% of dog owners. The average lifetime cost of owning a cat can range from $12,000 to $26,000.
The biggest factor affecting the life span and total expenses of a cat is whether it lives indoors or outdoors. An outdoor cat has a much shorter life span—only five years on average—and is at greater risk of injury from other animals, traffic, and diseases. If you plan to let your cat outdoors, lower your financial risk by vaccinating against diseases and purchasing pet insurance to cover potential injuries.
You also want to ensure it’s not illegal to let your cat roam outside in your area. If your beloved cat ends up at animal control, you’ll have to pay a fee to get it back.
One-Time Expenses
As with dogs, the initial expenses of cat ownership are the highest. You can expect to pay up to $1,000 when buying a cat.
Adoption fee/cost: $0 to $300—can be higher depending on breed
Food and water bowls: $5 to $30
Spaying or neutering: $145 to $200
Initial medical exam: $130 to $175
Collar or leash: $10 to $20
Litter box: $10 to $50
Cat bed: $20 to $100
Carrying crate: $35 to $70
Microchipping: $20
Total one-time expenses: $355 to $965
Annual Expenses
Of course, cats aren’t always predictable. You may have a certain cat food in mind—one that fits your budget—but that doesn’t mean your cat will like it. Cats can also be particular about the type of litter they use. Still, the following ranges give you an idea of what to expect in the years ahead.
Food: $200 to $500
Medical care and vaccines: $200 to $550
Flea and tick prevention: $140 to $200
Treats: $35 to $100
Litter: $150 to $200
Toys and scratching post: $20 to $100
License: $15
Grooming supplies: $28
Total annual cost to own a cat: $788 to $1,693
Cats have a penchant for knocking things off tables, and they don’t differentiate between empty toilet paper rolls and expensive vases. Additionally, they have sharp claws, and if you don’t give them someplace to scratch, they may turn your furniture into a shredding post. This is all to say you may want to set aside money for miscellaneous expenses.
Here are some other extras you may want to consider:
Pet health insurance: $175 to $350 per year
Accessories: $0 to $300
Pet sitting or boarding: $25/day
Ways to Save Money on Your Furry Pet
Pet costs can quickly get out of hand if you’re not careful. Fortunately, you can do several things to save money on care for your pets.
Spay or Neuter
Unless you’re a breeder, having your pet spayed or neutered should be one of your top priorities. Not only can this step help you save money in the long run, but it can also prevent unwanted litters of puppies or kittens.
Set a Budget
Setting a budget for your pet expenses can help you avoid spending too much on unnecessary purchases. Start by tracking how much you spend per month on pet care expenses. Use this information to set your budget for these costs.
Buy in Bulk
You can save a significant amount of money throughout the year by purchasing your pet food and treats in bulk. With proper storage, many types of pet food have a shelf life of up to 18 months.
Preventive Care
The best way to keep your pet’s medical expenses down is to invest in preventive care. Scheduling regular checkups, including dental care, and ensuring your pet is up to date on all necessary shots, including heartworm and vaccines against fleas and ticks, can avoid costly medical charges later.
Groom at Home
Instead of paying anywhere from $200 to $400 for professional grooming services, you can groom your pet at home. Once you purchase the original supplies, which can cost around $50, you can groom your pet at home for significantly less money.
Cash-Back Rewards and Loyalty Programs
Consider purchasing your pet supplies using a cash-back rewards credit card. This step can help you save money by earning cash back on your everyday purchases.
Should You Buy Pet Insurance to Cover Pet Costs?
One step that can make the cost of pet ownership more affordable is pet insurance. The right insurance plan can help cover some of your pet’s medical expenses. This, in turn, can reduce your out-of-pocket expenses.
Pet insurance can also give you peace of mind knowing that if your pet requires unexpected medical care, some costs may be covered. It’s important to realize not all pet insurance policies are alike. Be sure to carefully read the benefits and exclusions for each policy to ensure you select the one that’s right for your situation.
Prepare for the Unexpected
Emergency Vet Expenses
When you bring home your new fur baby, the last thing you want to think about is a tragedy or major illness hitting them, but it’s important to be prepared. Even if you establish healthy habits such as regular exercise, you should plan ahead for unexpected veterinary bills.
Once you become a pet parent, you may find that you’ll do anything for your canine or feline companion, even risking your credit to save their lives. While many pet owners feel that their pet’s well-being is worth the necessary sacrifices, setting aside money for a rainy day can help deflect some of the costs of an emergency procedure or unexpected illness.
Pet Insurance
Putting money aside for unexpected pet expenses is a good idea, but it’s difficult to save enough to cover a major medical bill—especially if you’re paying off existing debt at the same time. A diagnostic procedure alone can cost up to $2,000. And common medical conditions, such as orthopedic surgery or removing a foreign body can cost $7,000. If your pet has a chronic condition requiring regular follow-up visits or medications, your pet could rack up tens of thousands of dollars in medical expenses.
Rather than set yourself up to be forced to decide between your financial health and your pet’s health, plan for the worst by taking out pet insurance. With ongoing expenses adding up, it’s tempting to cut corners by skipping pet insurance, but the peace of mind it will give you is invaluable.
Tips for Budgeting for a Pet
Advance planning, such as signing up for health insurance or contributing to a savings account with your pet in mind, can help keep you out of financial water. But there are other ways to make pet ownership affordable and keep costs down.
Consider whether you’re willing to cut back in other areas
Being a responsible pet owner requires sacrifices of your time and sometimes, your finances. You may need to reconsider your morning latte once you’re splurging on treats for your new best friend.
It takes a village
Pet sitting or boarding can cost you $15 to $60 a day, but asking for help from friends and neighbors can save you money, even if you offer to pay for their time.
Search out low-cost clinics for routine pet care
Animal welfare organizations often offer low-cost vaccinations, spaying, and neutering, saving you money both now and in the long run by helping prevent costly medical conditions. Check with your local humane society or local pet rescue groups to get more information.
Avoid Pet Debt
Prevention can be the most effective tool for avoiding surprise pet costs. Regular exams help detect problems earlier making them less expensive and more likely to have a positive outcome. For example, spaying/neutering your pets reduces their risk of certain cancers.
If you can’t afford an expensive but necessary medical procedure, you may be able to get financial assistance from veterinary medical colleges or non-profit organizations. The American Veterinary Medical Association has a list of organizations that offer aid to pet owners with financial needs. This list is by no means comprehensive, so if you don’t find an option there, keep looking.
Credit Cards for Pet Owners
While you don’t want to rely on credit cards alone to cover the cost of owning a pet, choosing the right card can help you earn cash back and rewards points on pet-related purchases you’re already making. Some even offer 0% financing, which is useful for transferring a hefty vet bill from an existing card to a new one. Depending on whether you plan to use the card for pet purchases alone or everyday spending will help you determine which card is best for you.
If you’re considering bringing a furry friend home, make sure your credit is in good standing first. A credit card that rewards pet purchases can make it more affordable to own a pet. You’ll want to check your credit scores to know where your credit stands before you apply, so you can reduce the risk of a rejected application and come up with a plan to work your way toward better credit if necessary.
If you or someone you know has dealt with a collection agency, you know how trying it can be. Debt collection agencies have a long history of harassment and illegal practices. Can a collection agency report to a credit bureau without notifying you? The answer might not be that simple. Knowing illegal debt collection practices can help identify when you’re being treated unfairly.
The Law Protects You
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act is a federal law that protects consumers against certain unfair collection practices. It applies to only external or third-party debt collectors and only for personal debts. It does not come into play for creditors collecting their own debts. State laws may provide additional protection.
In its annual report to Congress about debt collection complaints, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau described collection complaints received by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
In 2019, the FTC received 75,200 complaints about debt collectors—down from 84,500 in 2018. A complaint does not mean a law has been broken, and some complaints may result from overseas debt collection scammers who harass consumers.
If the FTC finds the complaint to be valid, the agency can ban parties from participating in debt collection. The FTC keeps an up-to-date list of all prohibited parties.
A collection account can significantly affect credit score. If you’ve been contacted by a collector and are worried your credit is being hurt, it might be a good idea to check your credit scores to see if anything has changed.
FTC 2019 Annual Report: Types of Debt Collection Complaints Reported by Consumers
Every year the FTC releases a report discussing the six main types of debt collection complaints from consumers. Understanding these complaints gives you a better idea of your rights as a consumer. If you’ve experienced any of these types of actions from a debt collection agency, you can report them to the FTC.
Before we delve in, a quick note: keep in mind that state laws can vary. So whenever we mention the law, we’re specifically referring to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA).
1. Attempts to Collect a Debt Not Owed
Percentage of complaints: 45% in 2019
The law: If you don’t think the debt belongs to you, you can send a request in writing within 30 days of receiving the initial notice that you want verification of the debt. You can also request that the debt collector no longer contact you. You may consider making the request in writing so you have proof of the request
Often, this issue arises after identity theft occurs. That’s why it’s essential to keep an eye on your credit report, so you can spot these issues early.
2. Failure to Provide Written Notification of Debt
Percentage of complaints: 18% in 2019
The law: Within five days of initially contacting you, the collector must send written notice of the debt and include:
The amount of the debt
The name of the original creditor to whom the debt is owed
A statement describing your right to dispute the debt
You can file a complaint with the FTC if you believe the debt collector never sent written notice. Most individuals complaining about written notifications (65%) say they didn’t receive adequate information to identify and confirm their ownership of the debt. Additionally, some individuals (30%) complain that their written notice never included their right to dispute the debt.
3. Communication Tactics
Percentage of complaints: 12% in 2019
The law: Collectors are not allowed to call repeatedly just to harass you. However, there is no specific number of calls specified in the FDCPA limiting calls they can make within a given period. That’s for the courts to decide. If you think a debt collector is calling too often, start keeping a record of the time of the call and any messages left. Collectors also may not call before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. unless you’ve given them permission or at times you’ve told them are inconvenient.
The majority of complaints surrounding communication tactics are about repeated phone calls (55%), foul or abusive language (12%) or calls outside of the allotted times (5%).
4. Negative or Legal Action, or Threats of It
Percentage of complaints: 12% in 2019
The law: Collectors can’t threaten a lawsuit, criminal prosecution, wage garnishment, jail time, or a poor credit rating unless they have the legal authority to do so and intend to do so.
The most common complaints in this category in 2019were:
Threats or suggestions that a consumer’s credit history would be damaged (34%)
Threats to sue on old debt (28%)
Threats to arrest or jail consumers for not paying the debt (14%)
Lawsuits without proper notification (9%)
Attempts or successful seizures of property (8%)
Attempts or successful collection of exempt funds, such as unemployment benefits or child support (5%)
Lawsuits filed in a different state from where the consumer signed the contract or currently lives (2%)
Threats of turning the consumer in to immigration officials or of deportation (0.2%)
These threats are often in violation of the FDCPA. Usually, collectors must take you to court and win before they can take these kinds of actions—if they even have the right in the first place.
5. False Statements or Representations
Percentage of complaints: 11% in 2019
The law: Collectors can’t use false statements or representations to try to force consumers to cooperate, including:
Claiming to be affiliated with the U.S. government or any state
Purporting to be a law enforcement official or an attorney
Stating that failure to pay will result in imprisonment, seizure of property, garnishment of wages, or other false claims
Implying the consumer committed a crime
These claims are in violation of the FDCPA to make if they are untrue. Sometimes, collectors may be allowed to make a claim if they have taken the consumer to court and received a court-approved judgment.
In 2019, the majority of complaints in this category were for:
Attempts to collect the wrong amount (74%)
Impersonations of an attorney, law enforcement official, or government official (17%)
False statements that the consumer committed a crime by not paying the debt (6%)
Suggestions that the consumer should not respond to a lawsuit (3%)
6. Threats to Contact Someone or Share Information Improperly
Percentage of complaints: 3% in 2019
The law: Collectors can call third parties such as family members, neighbors, friends, or co-workers only once to locate the debtor. When they do, they are not allowed to reveal the debt.. They can only make contact again under specific circumstances.
In 2019, the majority of complaints in this category were for debt collectors who contacted:
A third party about the debt (53%)
An employer (28%)
The consumer after being asked not to do so (18%)
The consumer directly when they were informed to speak with only the consumer’s attorney (2%)
Debt Collection Laws
The federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) limits what debt collectors can do and say when attempting to collect a debt. This law covers mortgages, credit cards, medical debts, and any other debt for personal, family, or household purposes.
Unfortunately, the FDCPA doesn’t cover business debt or debt that is owed to the original creditor rather than a collection agency.
As stated earlier, time and place, harassment, and representation are all factored into this federal act. Debt collectors cannot contact you in an unusual place or at a time they know is inconvenient.
Additionally, if collectors are aware you have sought legal representation for the matter, they must immediately stop direct communication with you and, instead, contact your attorney, except for a few exceptions.
Can a Debt Transfer Hands?
Many people ask, “If a debt is sold to another company do I have to pay?” Once your debt is transferred, you owe the money to the current company rather than the original creditor. However, the new collector must still adhere to all the regular debt collection laws. In addition, the company cannot add interest you didn’t agree to or change any other terms of your original contract.
So, when does this happen? Can collection agencies buy from other collection agencies? Yes. Once your debt crosses a threshold that indicates it’s less likely to be paid, your original creditor will send it to a collection agency. After some time, the collection agency might sell your debt to a debt buyer.
If you do choose to pay off your debt, always make sure you pay the party currently holding your debt.
The Fair Credit Reporting Act
Another federal law is the Fair Credit Reporting Act. It covers certain financial aspects, including debt being collected and reported on your credit report.
This law protects consumers from unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts or practices by collection agencies or creditors.
How to Get Help
If you think a debt collector or collection agency has broken the law while trying to collect a debt, you can:
Complain to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and your state attorney general
Contact a consumer law attorney — you might be entitled to damages and/or attorney’s fees
Whenever you’re dealing with debt, it’s smart to review your credit reports for accuracy, because errors can unnecessarily damage your credit standing. Should the worst case happen, there are ways to dispute credit report errors.
If you’re ready to improve your credit score, you can begin the process of credit repair. Debt sent to a collections agency doesn’t have to ruin your financial life—you can work to fix your credit report with credit repair. ExtraCredit is offering an exclusive discount to one of the leaders in credit repair, so sign up today.
Have you ever recognized benign habits that you wish you could give up, but they seem pretty harmless? You’re not alone. Many of us have compulsions, addictions, and unhealthy habits that can affect every aspect of our lives—and they’re often overlooked due to their subtle nature. From eating too much sugar or ice cream to checking one’s social media notifications several times a day, the need for instant gratification has taken its toll on society today, leading many people down an unhealthy path without even noticing it.
In this blog post, we’ll be exploring the top 13 addictions and habits that everyone should be aware. If you’ve been looking for ways to make positive changes in your life and reduce stress, then dive into this comprehensive list!
1. Checking the News
One Redditor shared, “NEWS addiction.”
Another replied, “People get addicted to the cortisol hit from getting outraged, so a lot of news outlets realize they just need to keep the cortisol flowing. Edit: Per comments, I changed ‘dopamine’ to ‘cortisol’.”
One commenter added, “It’s neurologically a very similar addiction to gambling. In both cases, it’s less about getting something positive and more about getting something negative and then feeling they have to cancel or counterbalance the negative with a positive… that always seems just out of reach but never seems to come. So they dig themselves a hole of negativity.”
Another user posted, “A few years ago, I realized it was taking a toll on me. The first thing I’d do when I got up was check the news, then periodically check it throughout the day, and it was frequently the last thing I did before falling asleep. So, I just decided I have to check it maybe once or twice to stay informed, but that’s it. I even hid political subreddits, so I won’t see them unless I actively go to them.
“There’s just no reason to be glued to the news all day long. That much anger or depression or whatever is no good for your mental well-being, and it’s very rare that something is going on in the world where you need hourly updates. I think most people would be a lot happier if they cut back on gorging on news and politics.”
“YES! Absolutely. Especially the doom-scrolling and sensationalized side of things. I’ve just written a much longer comment about this, but it creates a physical dopamine dependency and changes habits,” replied another user.
2. Justified Outrage
One user posted, “Outrage is an addiction. Some people seek it out, actively searching for a reason to hate their neighbors just so they can get their hit of dopamine. It feeds news addiction, tribalism, and eventually extremism. It’s the source of so much violence, so many divided houses and ruined lives, but we do nothing to curb it.”
“I remember my uncle, who had a history of domestic violence to my aunt before she passed of cancer, told the family he has an anger problem. My dad said, ‘But you’re able to keep it together every time a cop is around.’ The look on his face and the dead silence… An anger issue is not an excuse,” another replied.
One commenter added, “My Dad was always going on violent outbursts, literally every day. Remember a few times their doorbell would ring, and he’d flip to being charming in a split second. It’d be salespeople, charity collectors, and even Mormons. He was always extremely polite, and they probably saw him as one of the most pleasant people he encountered. Pure sociopathy.”
3. Shopping
“Shopping,” one user posted.
Another user replied, “I just got back this month after being in rehab for 2 months for weed, alcohol, and [other drugs], and at my therapy, they asked me if I noticed any cross addictions. I told my therapist I think I have a shopping addiction, and she told me it’s a common addiction that goes unnoticed way too many times.”
One user confirmed, “My hoarder mother 1000% has a shopping addiction.”
Another Redditor said, “My MIL is a hoarder, and it is ridiculous; she has 3 storage units (one she’s had for 20+ years), her home, and my husband’s grandmother’s garage full of her sh-t. We have tried to help clean out the garage, but MIL always has to be there when we try and has to go through every single box/bag/etc, and physically touch every single item. 9 years and the garage still has not been cleaned out.”
4. Video Games
One online user shared, “I always laughed at the idea of video game addiction. It sounded so overblown until I met a guy who honestly defined it for me. We used to chat and hang out weekly. He quit his job and now just lives at home with his mum, mooching off her to sit in his room and play games for close to 16 hours a day. After refusing to hang out long enough, I just gave up on him.”
Another user exclaimed, “FINALLY, I found someone who mentioned video games. I grew up gaming, I absolutely loved playing them throughout my entire childhood and into adulthood, but I have seen addiction to video games absolutely destroy people. Part of me is glad that I simply don’t have the time to play them much anymore. Maybe an hour or two a week. But I know adults in their 30s and 40s who are still obsessed, to the point of not wanting to do anything else.”
5. Addiction to Phones
“Phone addiction—no explanation needed,” one Redditor shared.
Another user added, “My stomach drops every time I see my daily average screen time. It’s hard to realize how much time you spend scrolling until you actually see the numbers.”
One commenter said, “That’s why I turned screen time off. I don’t need that type of negativity in my life, lmao.”
Another user added, “My phone addiction varies based on my mental health state. I’ve been in a depression that has apparently become a downward spiral, according to my therapist. I’m capable of doing the bare minimum to keep my kid alive, and then I live on my phone the rest of the time. I’m even on it at work. My therapist wants me to be an inpatient, but the idea of not having my phone for even the three-day minimum stay has me freaking out.”
6. Sleeping to Escape
One user shared, “When my depression is terrible, I’d say sleep. It’s a free, safe way to escape but ultimately feeds the depression, becoming a destructive cycle. It doesn’t sound that bad, but it’s consuming. Edit: Some people are confused, so I’ll clarify. It’s not because of a lack of rest. It’s not the sleep itself; it’s the dreaming (aka escape). A different ‘reality’ that feels very real and isn’t this one. Maybe I’m just not explaining it right, but yeah.”
Another user replied, “Thank you for saying this! I was labeled as a typical ‘lazy teenager,’ and it wasn’t till I was in my final year of uni that a friend asked if I was OK and explained oversleeping as a symptom of mental health issues.
“The truth was I was so miserable I just didn’t want to be conscious and experience it. Better to be asleep with a teeny tiny hope that I might feel a bit better when I woke up. I had virtually no awareness of mental health issues then and therefore had no vocabulary to articulate how I felt. I feel sad for that lost time, but at least I can recognize it now for what it was.
“Edit to add: this has, unfortunately, resonated with a few people. Keep your chin up; it can and does get better eventually. Get help from your support network of friends and family and professional help. I hope you feel better soon.”
“Well said. There are days I can sleep 4-5 hours, be productive and alert, and just kill it. Then there are days when I sleep at least 11+ hours and on my phone the other 13 while doing the BARE minimum to skate by, realizing that. Hey! You’re not eating better; the 50ish pounds you lost in 3 months is from depressively not eating. I hate being depressed and all the extra stuff it brings that makes life even harder than it is,” one user responded.
7. Workaholism
One Redditor posted, “Work Addiction—most people will say they dislike working extra, but the responsibility you feel towards your co-workers and the purpose work gives your life can make you work more than you should. Source: addicted to work.”
One added, “I worked for one manager who literally had an addiction to work so bad it was ruining her life. She was a recovering drug addict, and I guess staying busy helped her cope, but she just traded one addiction for another.
“We worked for a corporate retail chain; she would be the first one there and the last one to leave every day, and she never scheduled herself a day off. She would clock herself out when she hit her 40 hrs to avoid getting flak from her management, but she was easily working 110+ hours a week, and more than half of that was unpaid.
“Her family, her ex-husband, and her kids would come by periodically and try to get her to go home, and her entire staff, including me, constantly tried to get her just to go home, but she was afraid the place couldn’t run without her present for even a second. It was really sad because we could all see her obsession with being there was destroying her mentally and physically, as her sleep had to have been horrendously impacted since she was there 15-16 hours a day.
“I spoke with HR about it, and they said they had already been aware of it for some time and that they weren’t going to do anything about it. That incredible amount of incredulity and not giving a shit about the super illegal and dangerous fact that they were letting an employee work for free for 70+ hours a week were obviously huge red flags for me, so that was my last day.
“A couple of years later now, she still works there, and this is still happening.”
8. Addiction to Junk Food
One user shared, “Junk food. Sugar. Soda. I am addicted to these things and wish to break that habit.”
Another confirmed, “I quit smoking quite easily, but I cannot for the life of me quit sugar. So much harder, in.”
“I think I just swapped my after-dinner cigarette for after-dinner chocolate. Doesn’t matter how satisfying the meal was. I still crave some chocolate later,” one user replied.
Another user shared, “Apologies in advance for the unsolicited advice, but your comment hit a chord with me. Is it specifically chocolate you crave? ’cause I used to crave chocolate constantly. It got to the point where I’d buy the cheapest milk chocolate bars from my grocery store and eat a couple of pieces every day, trying to limit how much chocolate I was eating but also trying to stop the constant craving for it.
“Supposedly being low in magnesium can cause chocolate cravings. I figured more magnesium couldn’t hurt, so I started eating more food with magnesium, and the craving went away! I still have a massive sweet tooth, and I love chocolate, but that never-ending chocolate craving has stopped, thank goodness.
“Maybe something to try if it seems relevant to you? I know this is just a very unscientific anecdote; maybe it was something else going on with me that just naturally stopped. Maybe the slight changes in my diet I made solved it in some other way. Who knows!”
9. Social Media
“Social media addiction,” one user responded.
Another user replied, “Including Reddit. Source: Reddit addict.”
“Yup. I spend way too much time on this stupid app,” one user confirmed.
One user commented, “I tell myself I’m learning new stuff every day. Then my wife asks me to tell her something new and interesting I found on Reddit, and I can’t think of a single thing.”
10. Dermatillomania
One Redditor commented, “Skin picking, aka, dermatillomania. It’s so overlooked that our society has glorified it. We have a show called Dr. Pimple Popper! Wtf!”
Another user commented, “I wish I could replace that [terrible] habit somehow.”
One user replied, “Same. I don’t get the Dr. Pimple Popper thing. Mine is picking at any skin that is not smooth on my skin. On the scalp, around my nails, blemishes on my face, arms, and chest. If I have a scab, that will take forever to heal because I do it subconsciously on occasion and even do it at night when I’m asleep, no matter where it is on my ‘pick zones.’ Something in my mind says if I pick it, I may reveal healed areas beneath it… and then it starts all over again once it starts bleeding. Looking at it typed out is really disturbing, tbh. But I’m proud that I stopped picking at my lips!!!”
11. Tribalism
“Tribalism. People become indoctrinated and too engrossed to realize it. People become so addicted they choose to kill over sports, vehicle types, religion(s), politics, etc… and it’s by design. People act less intelligent when they’re a part of a group. (Mob mentality).
“Edited because syntax/grammar police attacked my auto-fill. Proofread everything, kids,” one user shared.
One Redditor replied, “Outrage is the addiction; tribalism is just one of the many crack pipes through which it is consumed. People are seeking Outrage. Tribalism gives a sense of legitimacy to the Outrage.”
12. Nasal Spray Addiction
A user posted, “Nasal spray. There are plenty of other, much worse things I could shove up my nose, but still. I can’t breathe through my nose without it, and I can’t stand that it’s like this.”
One user replied, “I’ve been there! It’s pretty fast to reverse the dependency, though—you can switch to saline or Neti pot for a couple of days to get you over the hump, but I’ve found my nose clears up after 2-3 days without it. 2-3 VERY uncomfortable sleepless days, mind you.”
The OP responded, “I’ll have to give that a shot! Thanks!!”
13. Addiction to the Gym
One of the online users shared, “Gym addiction. It’s the only thing keeping me sane these days. Started because I wanted to gain muscles, now the thought of taking a prolonged rest is quite dreadful.”
Another user replied, “The rest is so true. It’s so difficult to let yourself rest, even if it’s just for a week. Interestingly, sometimes you end up coming out of the rest week stronger than if you’d kept lifting through it, too!”
“This is something I learned while I was a soldier. I struggled at first with my PT tests, so I worked out all the time. Eventually, someone told me that rest and recovery were basically as important as working out and that I NEEDED to let my body rest and heal. Lo and behold, I was stronger and faster after rest breaks because my body was actually recovered and I could properly use the strength and speed I had been working on building in the gym,” one Redditor commented.
Do you agree with the things listed above? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Source: Reddit.
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When it comes to moving into a new apartment, few things are more important than feeling safe. With first-floor apartments being more accessible to the outside world, it’s easy to wonder, are first-floor apartments safe? The answer is yes, but there are a few things that responsible first-floor apartment dwellers do to improve their safety and feel more at home in their street-level pad.
Do first-floor apartments get broken into more often?
The short answer is yes. This is one of the reasons that it often costs less to live in a first-floor apartment compared to an identical unit on a higher floor.
The fact that first-floor apartments are more easily accessible shouldn’t deter you from signing the lease, however. That’s because it is possible to curb the risk of attracting unwanted guests.
Read on for some of the most practical and effective methods you can use today to secure your first-floor apartment and prevent anyone from entering your home against your wishes.
What makes first-floor apartments less secure?
With street-level convenience comes street-level exposure.
Easier access
The most obvious reason that a first-floor apartment is less secure than those on higher floors is that it’s easier to gain access.
It’s easier to gain visual access through ground-level windows. This makes it possible for criminals to make a more educated guess about whether they’re home or not or likely to return soon.
It’s also easier for criminals to gain physical access to your apartment. This is because first-floor apartments are the only units that are accessible from the street and don’t require an elevator trip or lengthy walk up the stairs and down a hallway.
Easy in, easy out
Along with easier access comes easier escape. If a burglar doesn’t have to struggle to get into your apartment, they also won’t have to work very hard to make it out unseen and without causing any sort of disturbance.
Criminals will try to avoid video evidence
Depending on your setup, your apartment unit is one of the few places within your building that isn’t under some degree of video surveillance. This fact will make your apartment more appealing to potential criminals. The good news is that many apartment complexes nowadays do have adequate video surveillance in the areas around first-floor apartment entrances.
No downstairs neighbors
In apartment buildings, noise travels much more effectively downward than it does up. An upstairs neighbor hears a lot less from downstairs neighbors than vice versa. If your downstairs neighbors know you’re out of town until Thursday night and they hear a bunch of footsteps above them on Wednesday afternoon, they may feel compelled to investigate. If there’s no one below you to hear those footsteps, your apartment is automatically a more attractive target.
Simple things you can do to make your first-floor apartment safer
There are a number of simple ways to secure your first-floor apartment.
Check out the entrance
Scope out the entrance before you sign the lease. Whether it’s in person or through Google Street View, you should check out the entrance to your specific unit before signing anything. Try to check out the entrance at night. If you don’t feel safe, you probably shouldn’t make the move.
In the circumstance that you’re only able to check out the entrance in the daylight or online, make sure to check the immediate area for camera coverage, dark alleys, etc.
While the immediate area outside your door doesn’t define the safety status of your apartment, it’s a good indication of what you should expect to encounter when you head out each day and what is outside when you go to bed at night.
Lock it up
By no means is this an “insider tip.” It’s more common sense, but still worth mentioning. The basic rule to follow here is that if you’re not actively using the door, you should lock it. It doesn’t matter if you’re sitting two feet away from it on the couch on a Sunday morning. If you’re not using your door, keep it locked.
Another thing to think about when it comes to first-floor apartment living is your keys. If you lose your keys, alert your landlord immediately and let them know that you’ll need the locks changed that day. Beyond that, make sure your keys don’t have anything on them that could identify your apartment building, especially your specific unit.
The last thing you need to remember is sliding glass doors. If you’re living in a first-floor apartment and you have sliding glass doors, lock them. Many burglars look for these doors specifically because many people forget to lock them up in comparison to standard doors.
Cover it up
Regardless of whether you’re home or not, you don’t want random people knowing your daily routine or your comings and goings.
The best way to prevent someone from casing your apartment and taking advantage of your routines is by not allowing them to look inside your place. That’s not to say that you need to have your blinds closed at all times. You just need to shut the blinds at night, while you’re gone and any other time you’re not craving natural light or aren’t interested in having a glimpse into the outside world.
Put it on video
There are many companies that make cheap and easy-to-install doorbell cameras or above-door cameras. If your apartment allows it, install a camera in a position that gives you full coverage of your front door. Many of these stream to your phone and will allow you to check on any oddities outside without having to unlock your door.
A more cost-effective option, if your apartment doesn’t let you install your own security camera, is to get a professional-looking sticker or sign notifying passersby that your door is under video surveillance (whether true or not).
Even if there’s no evidence of a camera, a sign is possibly enough to convince a potential criminal to go elsewhere. The potential of a camera, in many cases, are as effective as actually having a camera.
Get to know your neighbors
If you have a good relationship with your neighbors, they’re more likely to report anything strange or suspicious and they’re more likely to help you out if you need it. This is not only good advice for safety, but it’s also a surefire way to get the most out of your time in your apartment. So, be neighborly!
Get a dog
Whether it’s a rottweiler, a chihuahua or anything in between, as long as your dog makes noise when someone unexpectedly comes through the door, it’s good to have. A loud dog is as effective as a dangerous dog for home protection, especially in densely populated apartment buildings.
If you’re looking for an excuse to get a dog, you’re welcome.
Make the move
If the only thing keeping you from renting an apartment is its first-floor location, reconsider. While they’re slightly easier to gain access to, they’re also perfectly safe places to live, provided you follow the advice above.
A native of the northern suburbs of Chicago, Carson made his way to the South to attend Wofford College where he received his BA in English. After working as a copywriter for a couple of boutique marketing agencies in South Carolina, he made the move to Atlanta and quickly joined the Rent. team as a content marketing coordinator. When he’s off the clock, you can find Carson reading in a park, hunting down a great cup of coffee or hanging out with his dogs.
The Jefferson Avenue commercial district in Buffalo, New York, is anchored by a supermarket.
There are dozens of other businesses and services along the 12-block corridor — a couple of bank branches, a library, a coffee shop, gas stations, a small plaza with a dollar store and a primary care clinic and a business incubator for entrepreneurs of color.
But Tops Friendly Markets, the only grocery store on Buffalo’s vast East Side, is the center of activity. More than just a place to buy food, pick up medications and use an ATM, the store is a communal gathering space in a predominantly Black neighborhood that, for generations, has been segregated, isolated and disenfranchised from the wealthier — and whiter — parts of the city.
Which explains how it came to be the site of a mass shooting on a spring day in May of last year. On that Saturday, a gunman, who lived 200 miles away in another part of the state, drove to Jefferson Avenue and went into Tops, and in just a few minutes killed 10 people, injured three and inflicted mass trauma across the community.
It is a scenario that has sadly, and repeatedly, played out in other parts of the country that have experienced mass shootings. But this one came with a twist: The gunman’s intention was to kill as many Black people as possible.
To achieve that, he specifically targeted a ZIP code with one of the highest percentages of Black residents in New York state. All 10 who died that day were Black.
“The mere fact that someone can research, ‘Where will the greatest number of Black people be … on a Saturday morning,’ that’s not by chance,” said Franchelle Parker, a community organizer and executive director of Open Buffalo, a nonprofit focused on racial, economic and ecological justice. “That’s not a mistake. It’s a community that’s been deeply segregated for decades.”
The day of the shooting, Parker, who grew up in nearby Niagara Falls, was driving to Tops, where she planned to buy a donut and an unsweetened iced tea before heading into the Open Buffalo office, which is located a block away from Tops. The mother of two had intended to complete the mundane task of cleaning up her desk — “old coffee cups and stuff” — after a busy week.
She saw the news on Twitter and didn’t know if she should keep driving to Jefferson Avenue or turn around and go back home. She eventually picked the latter.
When she showed up the next day, there were thousands of people grieving in the streets. “The only way that I could explain my feeling, it was almost like watching an old war movie when a bomb had gone off and someone’s in, like, shell shock. That’s how it felt,” said Parker, vividly recounting the community’s collective trauma in a meeting room tucked inside of Open Buffalo’s second-story office on Jefferson Avenue.
Almost immediately following the May 14, 2022, massacre, which was the second-deadliest mass shooting in the United States last year, conversations locally and nationally turned to the harsh realities of the East Side and how long-standing factors that affect the daily life of residents — racism, poverty and inequity — made the community an ideal target for a white supremacist.
Now, more than a year after the tragedy, there is growing concern that not enough is being done fast enough to begin to dismantle those factors. And amid those conversations, there are mounting calls for the banking industry — whose historical policies and practices helped cement the racial segregation and disinvestment that ultimately shaped the East Side — to leverage its collective power and influence to band together in an effort to create systemic change.
The ideas about how banks should support the East Side and better embed themselves in the neighborhood vary by people and organizations. But the basic argument is the same: Banks, in their role as financiers and because of the industry’s history of lending discrimination, are obligated to bring forth economic prosperity in disinvested communities like the East Side.
I know banks are often looked upon sort of like a panacea, but I don’t particularly see it that way. I think others have a role to play in all of this.
Chiwuike Owunwanne, corporate responsibility officer at KeyBank
“Banks have been very good at providing charitable contributions to the Black community. They get an ‘A’ for that,” said The Rev. George Nicholas, an East Side pastor who is also CEO of the Buffalo Center for Health Equity, a four-year-old enterprise focused on racial, geographic and economic health disparities. “But doing the things that banks can do in terms of being a catalyst for revitalization and investment in this community, they have not done that.”
To be sure, banks’ ability to reverse the course of the community isn’t guaranteed — and there is no formula to determine how much accountability they should hold to fix deeply entrenched problems like racism. Several Buffalo-area bankers said that while the Tops shooting heightened the urgency to help the East Side, the industry itself cannot be the sole driver of change.
“There are a lot of institutions … that can certainly play a part in reversing the challenges that we see today,” said Chiwuike “Chi-Chi” Owunwanne, a corporate responsibility officer at KeyBank, the second-largest bank by deposits in Buffalo. “I know banks are often looked upon sort of like a panacea, but I don’t particularly see it that way. I think others have a role to play in all of this.”
A long history of segregation
How the East Side — and the Tops store on Jefferson Avenue — became the destination for a racially motivated mass murderer is a story about racism, segregation and disinvestment.
Even as it bears the nickname “the city of good neighbors,” Buffalo has long been one of the most racially segregated cities in the United States. Of the 114,965 residents who live on the East Side, 59% are Black, according to data from the 2021 U.S. Census American Community Survey. The percentage is even higher in the 14208 ZIP code, where the Tops store is located. In that ZIP code, among 11,029 total residents, nearly 76% are Black, the census data shows.
The city’s path toward racial segregation started in the early 20th century when a small number of job-seeking Black Americans migrated north to Buffalo, a former steel and auto manufacturing hub at the far northwestern end of New York state. Initially, they moved into the same neighborhoods as many of the city’s poorer immigrants and lived just east of what is today the city’s downtown district. As the number of Blacks arriving in Buffalo swelled in the 1940s, they were increasingly confronted with various housing challenges, including racist zoning laws and restrictive deed covenants that kept them from buying homes in more affluent white areas.
Black Buffalonians also faced housing discrimination in the form of redlining, the practice of restricting the flow of capital into minority communities. In 1933, as the Great Depression roiled the economy, a temporary federal agency known as the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation used government bonds to buy out and refinance mortgages of properties that were facing or already in foreclosure. The point was to try to stabilize the nation’s real estate market.
As part of its program, HOLC created maps of American cities, including Buffalo, that used a color coding scheme — green, blue, yellow and red — to convey the perceived riskiness of making loans in certain neighborhoods. Green was considered minimally risky; other areas that were largely populated by immigrant, Black or Latino residents were labeled red and thus determined to be “hazardous.”
“The goal was to free up mortgage capital by going to cities and giving banks a way to unload mortgages, so they could turn around and make more mortgage loans,” said Jason Richardson, senior director of research at the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, an association of more than 750 community-based organizations that advocates for fair lending. “It was kind of a radical concept and it has evolved over the decades into our modern mortgage finance system.”
The Federal Housing Administration, which was established as a permanent agency in 1934, used similar methods to map urban areas and labeled neighborhoods from “A” to “D,” with “A” considered to be the most financially stable and “D” considered the least. Neighborhoods that were largely Black, even relatively stable ones, were put in the “D” category.
The result was that banks, which wanted to be able to sell mortgage loans to the FHA, were largely dissuaded from making loans in “risky” areas. And Buffalo’s East Side, where the majority of Blacks were settling, was deemed risky. Unable to get loans, Blacks couldn’t buy homes, start businesses or build equity. At the same time, large industrial factories on the East Side were closing or moving away, limiting job opportunities and contributing to rising poverty levels.
“Today what we’re left with is the residue of this process where we’ve enshrined … a pattern of economic segregation that favors neighborhoods that had fewer Black people in them and generally ignores neighborhoods that had African Americans living in them,” Richardson said.
Case in point: Research by the National Community Reinvestment Coalition shows that three-quarters of neighborhoods that were once redlined are low- to moderate-income neighborhoods today, and two-thirds of them are majority minority communities.
Adding to the division between Blacks and whites in Buffalo was the construction of a highway called the Kensington Expressway. Built during the 1960s, the below-grade, limited-access highway proved to be a speedy way for suburban workers to get to their downtown jobs. But its construction cut off the already-segregated East Side even more from other parts of the city, displacing residents, devaluing houses and destroying neighborhoods and small businesses.
As a result of those factors and more, many Black residents have become “trapped” on the East Side, according to Dr. Henry Louis Taylor Jr., a professor of urban and regional planning at the University at Buffalo. In 1987, Taylor founded the UB Center for Urban Studies, a research, neighborhood planning and community development institute that works on eliminating inequality in cities and metropolitan regions. In September 2021, eight months before the Tops shooting, the Center for Urban Studies published a report that compared the state of Black Buffalo in 1990 to present-day conditions. The conclusion: Nothing had changed for Blacks over 31 years.
As of 2019, the Black unemployment rate was 11%, the average household income was $42,000 and about 35% of Blacks had incomes that fell below the poverty line, the report said. It also noted that just 32% of Blacks own their homes and that most Blacks in the area live on the East Side.
“Those figures remain virtually unchanged while the actual, physical conditions that existed inside of the community worsened,” Taylor told American Banker in an interview in his sun-filled office at the center, located on the University at Buffalo’s city campus. “When we looked upstream to see what was causing it, it was clear: It was systemic, structural racism.”
Banks’ moral obligations
As the East Side struggled over the decades with rampant poverty, dilapidated housing, vacant lots and disintegrating infrastructure, banks kept a physical presence in the community, albeit a shrinking one. In mid-2000, there were at least 20 bank branches scattered across the East Side, but by mid-2022, the number had fallen to around 14, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.’s deposit market share data. The 14 include four new branches that have opened since early 2019 — Northwest Bank, KeyBank, Evans Bank and BankOnBuffalo.
The first two branches, operated by Northwest in Columbus, Ohio, and KeyBank, the banking subsidiary of KeyCorp in Cleveland, were requirements of community benefits agreements negotiated between each bank and the National Community Reinvestment Coalition. In both cases, Northwest and KeyBank agreed to open an office in an underserved community.
Evans Bank opened its first East Side branch in the fall of 2021. The office is located in the basement of an $84 million affordable senior housing building that was financed by Evans, a $2.1 billion-asset community bank headquartered south of Buffalo in Angola, New York.
Banks have been very good at providing charitable contributions to the Black community. They get an ‘A’ for that. But doing the things that banks can do in terms of being a catalyst for revitalization and investment in this community, they have not done that.
The Rev. George Nicholas, an East Side pastor who is also CEO of the Buffalo Center for Health Equity
On the community and economic development front, banks have had varying levels of participation. Buffalo-based M&T Bank, which holds a whopping 64% of all deposits in the Buffalo market and is one of the largest private employers in the region, has made consistent investments in the East Side by supporting Westminster Community Charter School, a kindergarten through eighth-grade school, and the Buffalo Promise Neighborhood, a nonprofit organization focused on improving access to education in the city’s 14215 ZIP code.
Currently, Buffalo Promise Neighborhood operates four schools. In addition to Westminster, it runs Highgate Heights Elementary, also K-8, as well as two academies that serve children ages six weeks through pre-kindergarten. Twelve M&T employees are dedicated to the program, according to the Buffalo Promise Neighborhood website. The bank has invested $31.5 million into the program since its 2010 launch, a spokesperson said.
Other banks are making contributions in other ways. In addition to the Jefferson Avenue branch and as part of its community benefits plan, Northwest Bank, a $14.2 billion-asset bank, supports a financial education center through a partnership with Belmont Housing Resources of Western New York. Meanwhile, the $198 billion-asset KeyBank gave $30 million for bridge and construction financing for Northland Workforce Training Center, a $100 million redevelopment project at a former manufacturing complex on the East Side that was partially funded by the state.
BankOnBuffalo’s East Side branch is located inside the center, which offers KeyBank training in advanced manufacturing and clean energy technology careers. A subsidiary of $5.6 billion-asset CNB Financial in Clearfield, Pennsylvania, BankOnBuffalo’s office opened a month after the shooting. The timing was coincidental, but important, said Michael Noah, president of BankOnBuffalo.
“I think it just cemented the point that this is a place we need to be, to be able to be part of these communities and this community specifically, and be able to build this community up,” Noah said.
In terms of public-private collaboration, some banks have been involved in a deeper way. In 2019, New York state, which had already been pouring $1 billion into Buffalo to help revitalize the economy, announced a $65 million economic development fund for the East Side. The initiative is focused on stabilizing neighborhoods, increasing homeownership, redeveloping commercial corridors including Jefferson Avenue, improving historical assets, expanding workforce training and development and supporting small businesses and entrepreneurship.
In conjunction with the funding, a public-private partnership called East Side Avenues was created to provide capital and organizational support to the projects happening along four East Side commercial corridors. Six banks — Charlotte, North Carolina-based Bank of America, the second-largest bank in the nation with $2.5 trillion of assets; M&T, which has $203 billion of assets; KeyBank; Warsaw, New York-based Five Star Bank, which has about $6 billion of assets; Northwest and Evans — are among the 14 private and philanthropic organizations that pledged a combined $8.4 million to pay for five years’ worth of operational support, governance and finance, fundraising and technical assistance to support the nonprofits doing the work.
Laura Quebral, director of the University at Buffalo Regional Institute, which is managing East Side Avenues, said the banks were the first corporations to step up to the request for help, and since then have provided loans and other products and education to keep the program moving.
Their participation “is a signal to the community that banks cared and were invested and were willing to collaborate around something,” Quebral said. “Being at the table was so meaningful.”
Richard Hamister is Northwest’s New York regional president and former co-chair of East Side Avenues. Hamister, who is based in Buffalo, said banks are a “community asset” that have a responsibility to lift up all communities, including those where conditions have arisen that allow it to be a target of racism like the East Side.
“We operate under federal charters, so we have an obligation to the community to not only provide products and services they need but also support when you go through a tragedy like that,” Hamister said. “We also have a moral obligation to try to help when things are broken … and to do what we can. We can’t fix everything, but we’ve got to fix our piece and try to help where we can.”
In the wake of a tragedy
After the massacre, there was a flurry of activity within banks and other organizations, local and out-of-town, to respond to the immediate needs of East Side residents. With the community’s only supermarket closed indefinitely, much of the response centered around food collection and distribution. Three of M&T’s five East Side branches, including the Jefferson Avenue branch across the street from Tops, became food distribution sites for weeks after the shooting. On two consecutive Fridays, Northwest provided around 200 free lunches to the community, using a neighborhood caterer who is also the bank’s customer. And BankOnBuffalo collected employee donations that amounted to more than 20 boxes of toiletries and other items that were distributed to a nonprofit.
At the same time, M&T, KeyBank and other banks began financial donations to organizations that could support the immediate needs of the community. KeyBank provided a van that delivered food and took people to nearby grocery stores. Providence, Rhode Island-based Citizens Financial Group, whose ATM inside Tops was inaccessible during the store’s temporary closure, installed a fee-free ATM near a community center located about a half-mile north of Tops, and later put a permanent ATM inside the center that remains there today. And M&T rolled out a short-term loan program to provide capital to East Side small-business owners.
One of the funds that benefited from banks’ support was the Buffalo Together Community Response Fund, which has raised $6.2 million to address the long-term needs of the East Side.
Bank of America and Evans Bank each donated $100,000 to the fund, whose list of major sponsors includes four other banks — JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, M&T and KeyBank. Thomas Beauford Jr., a former banker who is co-chair of the response fund, said banks, by and large, directed their resources into organizations where the dollars would have an immediate impact.
“Banks said, ‘Hey, you know … it doesn’t make sense for us to try to build something right now. … We will fund you in the work you’re doing,'” said Beauford, who has been president and CEO of the Buffalo Urban League since the fall of 2020. “I would say banks showed up in a big way.”
Fourteen months later, banks say they are committed to playing a positive role on the East Side. For the second year, KeyBank is sponsoring a farmers’ market on the East Side, an attempt to help fill the food desert in the community. Last fall, BankOnBuffalo launched a mobile “bank on wheels” truck that’s stationed on the East Side every Wednesday. The 34-foot-long truck, which is staffed by two people and includes an ATM and a printer to make debit cards, was in the works before the shooting, and will eventually make four stops per week around the Buffalo area.
Evans has partnered with the city of Buffalo to construct seven market-rate single family homes on vacant lots on the East Side. The relationship with the city is an example of how banks can pair up with other entities to create something meaningful and lasting, more than they might be able to do on their own, said Evans President and CEO David Nasca.
The bank has “picked areas” where it can use its resources to make a difference, Nasca said.
“I don’t think the root causes can be ameliorated” by banks alone, he said. “We can’t just grant money. It has to be within our construct of a financial institution that invests and supports the public-private partnership. … All the oars [need to be] pulling together or this doesn’t work.”
‘Little or no engagement with minorities’
All of these efforts are, of course, welcomed by the community, but there is still criticism that banks haven’t done enough to make up for their past contributions to segregating the city. And perhaps more importantly, some of that criticism centers on banks failing to do their most basic function in society — provide credit.
In 2021, the New York State Department of Financial Services issued a report about redlining in Buffalo. The regulator looked at banks and nonbank lenders and found that loans made to minorities in the Buffalo metro area made up 9.74% of total loans in Buffalo. Overall, Black residents comprise about 33% of Buffalo’s total population of more than 276,000, census data shows.
The department said its investigation showed the lower percentage was not due to “excessive denials of loan applications based on race or ethnicity,” but rather that “these companies had little or no engagement with minorities and generally made scant effort to do so.”
“The unsurprising result of this has been that few minority customers or individuals seeking homes in majority-minority neighborhoods have made loan applications … in the first instance.”
Furthermore, accusations of redlining persist today, even though the practice of discriminating in housing based on race was outlawed by the Fair Housing Act of 1968.
In 2014, Evans was accused of redlining by the New York State Attorney General, which said the community bank was specifically avoiding making mortgage loans on the East Side. The bank, which at the time had $874 million of assets, agreed to pay $825,000 to settle the case, but Nasca maintains that the charges were unfounded. He points to the fact that the bank never had a fair lending or fair housing violation, no specific incidents were ever claimed and that the bank’s Community Reinvestment Act exam never found evidence of discriminatory or illegal credit practices.
The bank has a greater presence on the East Side today, but that’s because it has grown in size, not because it is trying to make up for previous accusations of redlining, he said.
“Ten years ago, our involvement [on the East Side] certainly wasn’t what you’re seeing today,” Nasca said. “We were looking to participate more, but we were participating within our means and our reach. As we have grown, we have built more resources to be able to do more.”
Shortly after accusations were made against Evans, Five Star Bank, the banking arm of Financial Institutions in Warsaw, New York, was also accused of redlining by the state Attorney General. Five Star, which has been growing its presence in the Buffalo market for several years, wound up settling the charges for $900,000 and agreeing to open two branches in the city of Rochester.
KeyBank is currently being accused of redlining by the National Community Reinvestment Coalition. In a 2022 report, the group said that KeyBank is engaging in systemic redlining by making very few home purchase loans in certain neighborhoods where the majority of residents are Black. Buffalo is one of several cities where the bank’s mortgage lending “effectively wall[ed] out Black neighborhoods,” especially parts of the East Side, the report said.
KeyBank denied the allegations. In March, the coalition asked regulators to investigate the bank’s mortgage lending practices.
Beyond providing more credit, some community members believe that banks should be playing a larger role in addressing other needs on the East Side. And the list of needs runs the gamut from more grocery stores to safe, affordable housing to infrastructure improvements such as street and sidewalk repairs.
Alexander Wright is founder of the African Heritage Food Co-op, an initiative launched in 2016 to address the dearth of grocery store options on the East Side, where he grew up. Wright said that while banks’ philanthropic efforts are important, banks in general “need to be in a place of remediation” to fix underlying issues that the industry, as a whole, helped create. (After publication of this story, Wright left his job as CEO of the African Heritage Food Co-Op.)
Aside from charitable donations, banks should be finding more ways to work directly with East Side business owners and entrepreneurs, helping them with capital-building support along the way, Wright said. One place to start would be technical assistance by way of bank volunteers.
“Banks are always looking to volunteer. ‘Hey, want to come out and paint a fence? Want to come out and do a garden?'” Wright said. “No. Come out here and help Keshia with bookkeeping. Come out here and do QuickBooks classes for folks. Bring out tax experts. Because these are things that befuddle a lot of small businesses. Who is your marketing person? Bring that person out here. Because those are the things that are going to build the business to self-sufficiency.
“Anything short of the capacity-building … that will allow folks to rise to the occasion and be self-sufficient I think is almost a waste,” Wright added. “We don’t need them to lead the plan. What we need them to do is be in the community and [be] hearing the plan and supporting it.”
Parker, of Open Buffalo, has similar thoughts about the role that banks should play. One day, soon after the massacre, an ATM appeared down the street from Tops, next to the library that sits across the street from Parker’s office. Soon after the ATM was installed, Parker began fielding questions from area residents who were skeptical of the machine and wanted to know if it was legitimate. But Parker didn’t have any information to share with them. “There was no outreach. There was no community engagement. So I’m like, ‘Let me investigate,'” she said. “I think that’s a symptom of how investment is done in Black communities, even though it may be well-intentioned.”
As it turns out, the temporary ATM belonged to JPMorgan Chase. The megabank has had a commercial banking presence in Buffalo for years, but it didn’t operate a retail branch in the region until last year. Today it has four branches in operation and plans to open another two by the end of the year, a spokesperson said.
After the Tops shooting, the governor’s office reached out to Chase asking if the bank could help in some way, the spokesperson said in response to the skepticism. The spokesperson said that while the Chase retail brand is new to the Buffalo region, the company has been active in the market for decades by way of commercial banking, private banking, credit card lending, home lending and other businesses.
In addition to the ATM, the bank provided funding to local organizations including FeedMore Western New York, which distributes food throughout the region.
“We are committed to continuing our support for Buffalo and helping the community increase access to opportunities that build wealth and economic empowerment,” the spokesperson said in an email.
In the year since the massacre, there has been some progress by banks in terms of their interest in listening to the East Side community and learning about its needs, said Nicholas. But he hasn’t felt an air of urgency from the banking community to tackle the issues right now.
“I do experience banks being a little more open to figuring out what their role is, but it’s slow. It’s slow,” said Nicholas. The senior pastor of the Lincoln Memorial United Methodist Church, located about a mile north from Tops, Nicholas is part of a 13-member local advisory committee for the New York arm of Local Initiatives Support Coalition, or LISC. The group is focused on mobilizing resources, including banks, to address affordable housing in Western New York, specifically in the inner city, as well as training minority developers and connecting them to potential investors, Nicholas said.
Of the 13 members, seven are from banks — one each from M&T, Bank of America, BankOnBuffalo, Evans and KeyBank, and two members from Citizens Financial Group. One of the priorities of LISC NY is health equity, and the fact that banks are becoming more engaged in looking at health disparities is promising, Nicholas said. Still, they have more work to do, he said.
“I need them to think more on how to strengthen and build the economy on the East Side and provide leadership around that, not only to provide charitable things, but using sound business and banking and community development principles to say, ‘OK, if we’re going to invest in this community, these are the types of things that need to happen in this community,’ and then encourage their partners and other people they work with … to come fully in on the East Side.”
Some bankers agree with the community activists.
“Putting a branch in is great. Having a bank on wheels is great,” said Noah of BankOnBuffalo. “But if you’re not embedded in the community, listening to the community and trying to improve it, you’re not creating that wealth and creating a better lifestyle for everyone.”
What could make a substantial difference in terms of banks’ impact on the community is a combination of collaboration and leadership, said Taylor. He supports the idea of banks leading the charge on the creation of a comprehensive redevelopment and reinvestment plan for the East Side, and then investing accordingly and collaboratively through their charitable foundations.
“All of them have these foundations,” Taylor said. “You can either spend that money in a strategic and intentional way designed to develop a community for the existing population, or you can spend that money alone in piecemeal, siloed, sectorial fashion that will look good on an annual report, but won’t generate transformational and generational changes inside a community.”
Banks might be incentivized to work together because it could mean two things for them, according to Taylor: First, they’d have an opportunity to spend money in a way that would have maximum impact on the East Side, and second, if done right, the city and the banks could become a model of the way to create high levels of diversity, equity and inclusion in an urban area.
“If you prove how to do that, all that does is open up other markets of consumption all over the country because people want to figure out how to do that same thing,” Taylor said.
Some of that is already happening, at least on a bank-by-bank case, said KeyBank’s Owunwanne. Through the KeyBank Foundation, the company is able to leverage different relationships that connect nonprofits to other entities and corporations that can provide help.
“I see this as an opportunity for us to make not just incremental changes, but monumental changes … as part of a larger group,” Owunwanne said “Again, I say that not to absolve the bank of any responsibility, but just as a larger group.”
Downstairs from Parker’s office, Golden Cup Coffee, a roastery and cafe run by a husband and wife team, and some other Jefferson Avenue businesses are trying to build up a business association for existing and potential Jefferson-area businesses. Parker imagined what the group could accomplish if one of the banks could provide someone on a part-time basis to facilitate conversations, provide administrative support and coordinate marketing efforts.
“In the grand scheme of things, when we’re talking about a multimillion dollar [bank], a part-time employee specifically dedicated to relationship-building and building out coalitions, it sounds like a small thing,” Parker said. “But that’s transformational.”
Ready to get your start in real estate? If so, don’t miss today’s podcast with Amy Rogers, an agent who started selling homes after investing in them herself. On this episode, Aaron and Amy discuss the transition from buying homes to selling them, offer advice to new agents, and cover strategies for growing market share in a shifting market. Amy also explains why a morning routine should be a part of every real estate agent’s day and how to apply what you learn by listening to the show.
Listen to today’s show and learn:
Why Amy Rogers decided get into real estate [2:38]
Amy’s start as a real estate agent [3:44]
How Amy found her first clients [6:10]
Amy’s first year in real estate [10:35]
Focusing on market share in 2023 [12:51]
Strategies for growing market share [15:34]
Amy’s opinion on CRMs and follow up [20:03]
Why Amy is focusing on social media in 2023 [22:27]
What Amy wishes she knew as a new real estate agent [23:48]
When Amy started listening to Real Estate Rockstars [26:04]
Taking action on what you learn [27:49]
Amy’s favorite real estate transaction [31:34]
The importance of a powerful morning routine [35:04]
Amy’s real estate investments [37:44]
Why Amy loves North Dakota [42:06]
Amy’s advice for people thinking about real estate [43:18]
Where to find and follow Amy Rogers [45:18]
Amy Rogers
As a real estate investor and real estate agent, Amy understands the importance of the best buy at the right time. As a military spouse and mother of four, she understands the significance of cultivating a home and putting down roots.
After bouncing between five states in six years and landing in Minot during a record-breaking blizzard, Amy was ready to call a place home. And Minot did not disappoint! Within hours of our arrival, with the help of new neighbors, they were unpacked, had fresh Christmas cookies and a snow cleared driveway.
In the five years Amy’s family has gotten to claim Minot as their own, “Minotians” have cared for their special needs son, supported her vintage furniture refinishing business, and supplied her with multiple opportunities to reinvent shabby properties into beautiful investment homes.
Whether Amy is transforming an old shuffleboard table into a kitchen island, rehabbing a 100-year-old bungalow, or serving the wonderful people of “NoDak” as their friendly real estate agent, she does so with care, skill, and an eye for value.
No matter if you are searching for your first home, your forever home, a flip, the next property in your portfolio, or the home of your dreams, Amy can help you with that!
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