Benefits of a Community College

 It’s that time of year when young adults pack up, turn out the lights and head off to college. But going away to college isn’t the only option. More and more people are turning to community colleges for higher education. Here are some reasons why:

  Cost
 Community colleges are considerably less expensive than four-year universities, even though a lot of the classes are exactly the same. The average cost of tuition and fees for 30 credit hours at a Dallas County Community College is $1,230. That’s generally an entire year of college. In the University of Texas System, the average cost of tuition and fees is for one year is $3,700. That’s just the average. Some are more than $4,000.

Schedule
 Many people who attend community college also work a full-time job. Community colleges understand this and offer classes both during the day and at night to accommodate those students. That makes it easier to get an education without going broke.

Location
 If you choose a community college close to home, you will not incur additional fees for housing and food. Housing costs are generally as much as tuition at a four-year university, so living at home saves thousands of dollars a year.

All Ages
 Most colleges will enroll students of all ages, but community colleges are known for their age diversity. Their enrollment is made up of young adults who either can’t afford or are not academically ready for a four-year university, adults starting school later in life and professionals taking courses to improve work performance.

Flexibility
 You don’t have to have a degree plan to attend community college. Take one course at a time, take vocational courses for specific job or start on a degree track with the intention of eventually transferring to a four-year university.

Whether you’re looking at school for yourself or you have a young adult in the house who wasn’t ready to attend a four-year college, community college may be the option you are looking for.

 

Click here for a list of community colleges in Texas.

 

Do Outlet Stores Have the Best Deals?

Outlet malls promise great deals and big bargains on quality, name brand merchandise. Is it hype or can you really save money at these stores? It really depends on where you shop.

A true outlet store saves you money because they sell merchandise in discontinued colors or last year’s styles. Or, they sell merchandise with slight imperfections often invisible to the naked eye. Factory stores offer similar savings, with one extra perk. Some factory store merchandise is made just for the factory store and can’t be found elsewhere. Factory stores eliminate the middle man and pass the savings on to the customer.

The Nike Factory store at Tanger Outlet in Terrell, Texas offers truly great bargains on shoes for all sizes. Shoes selling for over $100 in a retail stores are as low as $40 in the factory store. Most kids shoes at the Nike factory start at $29.99, which is a great deal. However, you can often get a better deal when you purchase kids’ Nikes at a department store and stack coupons on top of already reduced prices.

Osh Kosh B’gosh at Tanger Outlet recently had an amazing sale on kids jeans for $9. That was a 70 percent savings off the original price of $30 a pair. That sale was available at all Osh Kosh stores, which are only located in Outlet Centers. The deal was also available online, with a $6 flat shipping rate. That was a true bargain. Osh Kosh merchandise sold in department stores rarely, if ever, gets that low.

Old Navy at Tanger Outlet Center also had a sale on jeans for kids and adults. The price was $10 for basic jeans – a savings of nearly 50 percent. However, the same deal was available online and at all Old Navy stores. It’s still a good deal, but not if you’re driving past several Old Navy retail stores just to shop at the outlet.

The key to shopping outlet malls is to know your prices before you shop. Do your research on sales, too. Find out which stores are at the mall you plan to shop, and look up those retailers online for their sales and regular prices on the items you need. A little extra effort is worth it to save big bucks.

Here is a list of Outlet malls in the DFW area:

Allen Premium Outlets

820 West Stacy Rd., Suite 428
Allen,TX 75013
972-678-0558

Tanger Outlets

301 Tanger Dr., Suite 103
Terrell,TX 75160
972-551-3007

Grapevine Mills

3000 Grapevine Mills Parkway, Suite 252
Grapevine,TX 76051
972-724-2558

Gainesville Outlet Shops
4321 N. I-35
Gainesville, TX 76240
940.668.1888

Texas Tax-Free Weekend – Do You Really Save?

Texas tax-free weekend will happen this year on August 20, 21 and 22. The tax-free weekend gives consumers a break from sales tax on clothing and footwear priced under $100. Backpacks and messenger bags are also exempt from sales tax, and this year, so are various school supplies. Tax-free weekend saves you roughly $8 on every $100 you spend. Here are some pros and cons to consider when planning your shopping trips this month.

Timing
Most schools in the Dallas area will start on August 23^rd this year. Some will start even earlier. If you wait until the weekend before school starts to shop for clothes and supplies, you risk not finding everything you need.

Savings
A lot of stores are having their back-to-school sales now. Check with those stores to see if the items you need will be on sale during tax-free weekend, as well. If not, you have to figure out which one gives you the most cost savings – a store sale or a sales tax exemption.

Crowds
A lot of people shop on tax-free weekend. That means longer check-out lines, more people to fight in the school supply bins and parking spaces that are harder to find. If crowds are not your thing, it may not be worth the savings for you.

Texas tax-free weekend is a great concept, but saving money isn’t always a given. If there’s a pair of shoes or a great outfit you’ve been eyeing for a while but can’t justify the cost, this may be the time to save a little money. But do the math. If all the pieces of your outfit come to $100, you’ll pay exactly $100. If you can wait for that outfit to go on sale for 25 percent off, you’ll only pay about $81, including sales tax. If you buy it at 10 percent off, plus tax, you’ll still only pay about $97 and change.

The key with anything you buy is to shop smart. Don’t ignore a larger than life sale to save $8 on tax-free weekend. Do the math first and shop when it makes sense for you.

Fore more information about Texas tax-free weekend, click here.

Take a Cheap, Last Minute Vacation on Oil-Free Beaches

The end of summer will be here before we know it. With oil-free beaches just a five-hour drive from the Dallas Metroplex, you still have plenty of time for a fun, family getaway. Galveston beaches are clean, oil-free and ready to show visitors a good time.

Many people have avoided Galveston in the past two years because of devastation caused by Hurricane Ike. That damage is no longer an issue. The beaches are open, publicly accessible and fully functioning.  Restaurants and stores are back in business. And, lodging has been restored. It’s also available at bargain pricing, because property owners just want people to start coming back to Galveston.

Here are some tips for enjoying a great vacation at bargain pricing.

Lodging
Summer is usually the most expensive season for lodging in Galveston, but condo owners and hotels are hungry for business. Expedia.com is currently offering four and five star hotels for $100 a night – sometimes a little bit less if you book more than three consecutive nights. For even cheaper options, search for condo rentals on Vacation Rentals by Owner. All of the condos listed on this site are privately owned and rent for much cheaper than the condos owned by the management companies in the same complexes. Plus, there’s the added advantage of negotiating. Many people don’t think to do this, but there’s nothing wrong with making a lower, yet reasonable, counter offer on an owner’s published rate. We know of one person who recently offered $550 cash, for five nights total, on a house that was renting for $200 a night. The owner accepted the offer.

Free Activities
Most beaches are free. Just walk on and have fun. There are some private access beaches that cost money, but unless you need an entire beach to yourself, the level of tourism in Galveston is still low enough to enjoy public access beaches without a lot of crowds. Take a walk, play games, splash in the warm gulf water or just chill under an umbrella.

Take a ride on the ferry that goes across to Crystal Beach. You can ride your vehicle onto the ferry and go exploring when you get to the other side. Or, you can just walk on and enjoy the ride from the deck. You’re almost sure to see Dolphins swimming along side the boat, and if you go during sunset, there are some great, free photo opportunities.

Tour the Strand - an eclectic and historic area of Galveston. There are fun shops, good eats and lots of free, live entertainment at night. If you feel like splurging, be sure to stop in at La King’s old fashioned ice cream parlor and candy factory. Just about everything they sell is made on-site, and it’s delicious.

Don’t let summer pass you by without a little down time. For more information on fun things to do in Galveston, click here.

Home Warranties Can Be a Budget Saver – Especially When the A/C Breaks

Nothing makes you appreciate air conditioning more than several consecutives days of 100+ degree heat in Texas. Unfortunately, every appliance has a shelf life, and more often than not, your A/C will die in the middle of the summer when it tends to run constantly. If you have to replace it completely, you’re looking to pay somewhere between $2,000 and $5,000 for a new unit. If you use a home warranty service (not just for new homes), it will cost a lot less.

John and Amy’s A/C unit bit the dust back in June. Within five days, they had a completely new, energy efficient A/C system and it cost them about $150, including the service call.

“We have a home warranty service,” said John. “It’s the best thing we’ve ever purchased.

“I hate making that $33 payment every month, but it sure pays off when something like this happens,” said Amy.

A home warranty service can be a great asset to your budget – especially if your appliances are starting to age. Most home warranty services cover all major appliances – none of which are cheap to replace. John and Amy actually had to call on their warranty service twice in June. Each time they call for service, they pay a service call of $60, which covers everything except a replacement appliance. If the appliance has to be replaced, there’s a small cost on top of that. John and Amy paid $88 to replace their air conditioning system. That’s not even five percent of the normal replacement cost.

Home warranty services are better than extended warranties on individual appliances for several reasons. First, extended warranties are designed to end before the appliance typically will die. Second, a home warranty service covers all the appliances in your home, as well as plumbing problems, electrical problems and even telephone wiring.

Is it really worth the cost? Let’s do the math.

  $400 – annual cost of warranty

  $120 – two service calls in June

+$ 88 – A/C replacement

  $608

Compared that to the thousands of dollars they would have been out, it was definitely worth the cost this year, which is only about half over. Are there times when they may not use their warranty service at all during the year? Probably. But even if they paid $400 a year and did not use their service for three years straight, they would have more than made up for the cost of it this year

Think about it this way. The average person pays at least $1,000 each year for homeowners insurance (which does not cover appliance replacement from normal wear and tear) but rarely ever makes a claim the entire time they live in their home. You know your appliances will break every so often and die eventually. Will you be prepared for the expense that comes with it?

Read more on home warranty services here, including pros and cons, reviews on specific warranty programs and more.

When a “Sale” is NOT a Good Deal

Everyone wants a bargain. Why wouldn’t you want to pay as little for something as you possibly can? But a sale isn’t always a good deal, and just because something is supposedly on sale doesn’t mean you should buy it. Here five reasons to pass on a sale.

1. Two For or Buy One Get One Free are only a good deal when you really are getting two or more for the price of one. Some stores will raise their prices on the original item and then offering two for one. That’s not always a deal. Now, if you actually need two or more of the product, and the price increase still makes both of them cheaper with a BOGO, that is indeed a great deal.

2. If something is on sale that you’ll never use, not even as a gift for a friend or family member, don’t buy it. It’s so easy to get excited about a sale, but you’re just throwing away money if it’s something for which you have no use.

3. High shipping costs can turn an online sale into a waste of time and money. Sometimes you have to buy quite a bit in sale items to make the shipping costs worthwhile. Check shipping rates before you start shopping online. If the shipping rates are based on how much you spend, just know you may have to buy a lot to truly get a deal.

4. A bargain for someone else may not actually be a bargain for you if you have to go in debt to buy it. Remember, the whole point of buying something on sale is to save money. If you buy it on credit and end up paying interest for several months or even a year, it’s costing you more money to buy it on sale.

5. Sometimes “all sales are final” conditions apply on sale and clearance items. If something breaks, tears or has some other defect you can’t see when you buy it, you’re throwing away money. If you’re thinking of buying something that can’t be returned, examine it closely before making a final purchase.

Don’t buy something just because it’s on sale. Really think about if you need it first, and then make an informed decision.

Why is Insurance Necessary?

There’s something in the human psyche that makes us think something truly bad can’t happen to us. House fires, theft, automobile accidents or even disease are things that happen to someone else. The truth is, it happens to more people than we realize:

Statistics
· Nearly 4,000 Americans die every year from house fires (U.S. Fire Administration)

· More than 16,000 people are injured in house fires (U.S. Fire Administration)

· Property loss from house fires averages $15.5 billion each year (U.S. Fire Administration)

· A motor vehicle is stolen in the U.S. every 33 seconds (FBI)

· Nearly 2 million Americans die each year from some type of disease (CDC)

Insurance can’t prevent situations like these from happening. What it does is protect you and your loved ones when tragedy does strike. Most homeowners have homeowners insurance, because it’s required by your financial institution, and anyone who owns a car is required to have auto insurance. Here are some other types of insurance to consider.

Renters insurance pay to replace your belongings if your rental home or apartment is destroyed or broken into. If you rent and do not have renters insurance, get it – especially for an apartment. One small fire in one apartment can destroy an entire complex and leave you with nothing. Renter insurance protects you.

GAP insurance is another type of car insurance for people still paying on an auto loan. If something happens and your car is declared a total loss, but the value of the vehicle isn’t worth as much as you owe on the loan, GAP pays the rest of the loan and usually gives you at least $1,000 toward the purchase of another vehicle. Without GAP, you’re stuck paying on a car you no longer can drive.

Life insurance helps your loved ones survive financially when you die. This type of insurance is very important but is often overlooked. If you die tomorrow, how will your spouse or children continue paying the mortgage and the rest of bills? Will your children be cared for financially? They will if you buy life insurance.

Many people think insurance is a waste of money, because you only need it if something happens. Unfortunately, good things sometimes happen to bad people. Insurance doesn’t cost that much. Cover yourself before it’s too late.

 

Does it Make More Sense to Rent a Home or Buy One?

Own
The biggest benefit to owning your own home is the investment you’re making in your future. Every mortgage payment you make is paying for your own piece of the American dream. When the mortgage is paid in full, your payments stop and you own the home outright. You will pay a lot of interest on your mortgage over the life of your loan, but that interest is also deductible on your tax return, and so are your property taxes.

As the home’s owner, you are responsible for all maintenance on the home and its appliances. If the air conditioner has to be replaced in the middle of the summer (or any time for that matter), the hefty price tag is yours and yours alone, unless of course you have a warranty. Also, when you move in to a home, you’re usually responsible for your own washing machine, dryer and refrigerator, to name a few. When you add that to the down payment required for a mortgage, you’re looking at thousands of dollars in upfront costs to own your own home.

On the flip side, it’s your house. You can decorate it however you want, landscape it the way you want and even sell it if you want. Knowing you’re in total control can be a satisfying and comforting feeling.

Rent
Renting a home doesn’t require nearly as much money up front. It’s also beneficial when you’re moving far away and don’t have enough time to visit the area ahead of time. Renting a home gives you the necessary time to get acclimated to the area, learn about the local schools and either shop for the home you want or build one.

When you rent a home, the responsibility for maintenance generally falls on the landlord’s shoulders. If something breaks, you call the landlord to fix it. There’s no out-of-pocket cost to you, but you’re at the mercy of the landlord’s time and budget. He or she may not replace something as fast as you would replace it, and the quality may not be the same.

Decorating, landscaping and home improvements also are not your decision to make. Some landlords will give you free reign in their house, but in most cases, you’ll have to get permission from the landlord to do something as simple as painting a room.

There are pros and cons to both renting and buying. It really depends on your financial situation and on how much control you want over your living space. If you do rent, be sure to enter into a legal contract to protect your interest in the home, and be sure to buy renters insurance. This protects all of your belongings in case a fire, theft or tragedy causes damage to your belongings.

FreeFreebies.Org – Your Online Source for Free Stuff

Do you ever wonder how some people seem to find great deals and free stuff all the time? Perhaps they’re frequenting FreeFreebies.org, an online resource for just about all things free and on sale. Free Freebies scans the internet and finds all the best samples and freebies on the web. You’ll find coupons, samples, giveaways, and more, online or by mail.

“We find freebies where there's no participation required,” the site says.

The site is updated daily with new deals, as well as photos when applicable, and any conditions that may apply. If you’re looking for something specific, there’s a column to the right of the page with an alphabetical list of subjects (i.e. automotive, beauty, music, etc.).

At the top of the page, there’s a tab called Free Money. This page lists different ways to make extra money. Most of these are opinion polls, but they are opinion polls that real people have actually be paid to use. There’s also a tab on the site with tips on what information to give out when requesting free stuff.

The deals on this site aren’t just random junk. These are real deals that are saving people good money. One person who frequents the site got a free shirt, a free pair of shoes thanks to FreeFreebies.org. Click on the tab called Freebies I’ve received to read more real life success stories.

FreeFreebies is on Facebook and Twitter, and you can also sign up to receive e-mail updates. Go to FreeFreebies.org and start cashing in on your free deals.

Edom, Texas – The Perfect Staycation Destination

There’s a hidden gem about 75 miles from Dallas called Edom, TX – population 332. Located just 16 miles past Canton, Texas, This quaint, one-traffic-light town may be small in size and population but is sure has a lot of heart and character.

If you were a fan of the Andy Griffith Show and his little town of Mayberry, you will love Edom. It gives you the feel of Mayberry while offering modern conveniences like Wifi and credit/debit card usage. There also are some fun things to do whether you go as a family, a couple or even with a group of girlfriends.

Blueberry Hill Farms is the big draw to Edom in June and July. Visitors come from miles around to pick their own blueberries. It’s both fun and cheap. A half peck is only $14. That yields about eight to nine pints of fresh, sweet blueberries. Pick as many as you want and only pay for what you pick. The farm is open through July 24^th this summer.

The farm also has a general store. If you don’t feel like picking berries, you can buy the ones already picked. The store also sells homemade ice cream (vanilla and blueberry flavors), fruit preserves, syrups and a variety of fresh blueberry desserts made right there before your eyes.

Picking berries is more relaxing than strenuous, but you’re sure to work up an appetite. The Edom Bakery and Grill is literally just down the hill from the farm and is the perfect eatery no matter what size appetite you bring. Just about everything in this quaint café is made from scratch, including the raspberry vinaigrette salad dressing, which is so good you could eat it with a spoon. The restaurant has a variety of selections to fit all tastes, and don’t leave without trying one of the nearly two dozen homemade desserts in their pastry case. The restaurant serves large portions at a small price.

After lunch or dinner, take some time to stroll down the strip and browse the specialty shops that make Edom so unique. You’ll find antiques, hand crafted pottery, birdhouses in all shapes and sizes, jewelry, wood carvings and so much more.

The town also offers an annual juried art show in April and street festival every October.

Stay for the day or find a nearby bed and breakfast and make a weekend of it. You’ll be glad you did.