Ryan - I agree that saving on taxes is not the main reason to buy a house. The bigger point I was trying to make was simply to encourage renters to run some numbers with taxes in mind. They may find that from a cash flow perspective it isn't much more expensive, if at all, to own. When I bought my first place, I remember being surprised at how the tax ramifications impacted cash flow. But as the article I linked to suggested, I highly recommend people wait until they have a 20% down payment and make sure the combination of mortgage, taxes and insurance total no more than 25% of their monthly gross income.
Checking out the local library might hold some surprises too, like a temporary exhibit and some local history besides the relaxing atmosphere. You can read or research anything and usually use the internet also without being a member. At last but not least you can meet some locals
You don't lose weight through exercise, you lose weight through nutrition. Stop spreading incorrect information. Low-intensity cardio workouts (e.g. Zone 2 or MAF) improve aerobic capacity and build fitness, so please DO NOT suggest it's worth nothing.
This is a funny and helpful post. I just watched Godzilla last week. Imagine all the structures and properties they damaged, I bet insurance will come in handy! I find the other links interesting as well. Thank you, Ashley!
My family collects free samples throughout the year and at Christmas time, we fill up baggies with them and pass them out to the needy. Its a fun way to give back!
I volunteer with the Denver Botanic Gardens. We have a program called Winter Green where we take plants and a planting activity to assisted living facilities. I love seeing the participants interacting with the plants and hearing all the stories of the gardens they used to have. I love sharing my love of plants with people.
The most impactful volunteer experience I had was donating time to an assisted living facility/nursing home. The folks that live there have so much experience and wisdom to share and many of them have great senses of humor. It can be hard in a place like that to maintain presence of mind but I was humbled by the folks that went out of their way to make lives easier for their fellow residents. The generosity of spirit and camradarie was amazing.
Thanks for the giveaway… I volunteer every Fall to help adults learn to read; a great experience when their efforts finally "click", and the students suddenly discover books, and new opportunities that they can bring.
I volunteered in ESL class and helped people learn english. It was meaningful because I also had been in the students' position when I first came to the US.
I volunteered in my library's literacy program, helping a man try to pass the written driver's test. This was the most impactful on me due to the one-on-one nature and its ongoingness. We met every week for a number of months. And I really felt happy when he succeeded, whether it was something big or small.
I had been raised to give back and help those in need in my community. My father and a few of his friends from church were getting prepared to open a shelter for homeless men in our small town. I had just gotten my first job out of college and wanted to volunteer, so I began to help set up the shelter, knocked on businesses to donate and did whatever was needed. One winter night, I went with my father to look for people out in the cold, to help then find a bed for the night, something he had done every winter. It was a very eye opening experience for me. I had no idea there were so many homeless in our town. My father was relentless too, he would not take no for an answer if they did not want to go. We had hot coffee and blankets for them and my dad knew all the places to search. We had been out for over four hours and we had found nine men, when I spotted a man in an ally. This man had no coat and was extremely intoxicated. My father sat next to him, talking and trying to convince the man to come with us, but he would not move. After we spent over two hours trying to get him in the car, my dad stood up, took of his brand new winter coat and put it on the man. He told him that he could keep the coat, his phone number was in the pocket and that we would go and get him some food. When we came back, we ate with the man. He still did not want to go. My dad hugged him, told him that we would be worried and we went home. I was so moved at my father's actions. I knew he cared about others, but I never saw him give the coat off his back. From that night, I wanted to be just like him and he has inspired me my whole life to give of myself. That very cold winter night, changed my life forever.
Once a month I try to make it a point to send a letter to our deployed service members overseas through Operation Gratitude. These men and women have left behind their family and friends to put their lives on the line to fight for our freedom and they deserve to be thanked for their selflessness.
I spend a couple hours each week volunteering in my son's 3rd grade classroom. Since kids aren't able to get a lot of individualized attention due to large class sizes, being able to have a slightly better adult to student ratio even if it is just for a few hours can really help both the kids as well as the teacher. I know most people have busy work schedules, but it would be awesome and so beneficial if more parents were able to help out in classrooms!
I've volunteered as a peer counselor at a 24 hour crisis hotline. Talking to people who had gone through anything from getting a bad diagnosis to the loss of a loved one gave me a whole new perspective on life and made me realize what the true definition of a "bad day" is. I now know not to sweat the small stuff not let things that are unimportant get me down.
I really love to volunteer at a local women's shelter by my house. It is very rewarding to see the impact you have on the people you help. It isn't easy to be in their position and I love being able to bring light to their lives. More people should volunteer and take action. See for themselves.
I go to our local children's hospital and play games with the kids. To see such young lives negatively affected by disease is very sad, but I'm glad I'm able to go and spend time with them and remind them what it's like to just be a kid, play some games, and have fun.
My dream vacation would be somewhere tropical.
3 months exploring Italy
A trip to New Zealand would be my dream! ideally I'd want to be there for about 6 weeks. :)
Ryan - I agree that saving on taxes is not the main reason to buy a house. The bigger point I was trying to make was simply to encourage renters to run some numbers with taxes in mind. They may find that from a cash flow perspective it isn't much more expensive, if at all, to own. When I bought my first place, I remember being surprised at how the tax ramifications impacted cash flow. But as the article I linked to suggested, I highly recommend people wait until they have a 20% down payment and make sure the combination of mortgage, taxes and insurance total no more than 25% of their monthly gross income.
volunteering at a food bank had a big impact on me.
Your father sounds like a wonderful man Betsy! :)
The volunteer experience that had the biggest impact on me was being a candy striper. It made me realize I wanted to be a nurse!
'Rowing fails to significantly work your lower body'!?!?! Seriously, you don't know what you are talking about
Checking out the local library might hold some surprises too, like a temporary exhibit and some local history besides the relaxing atmosphere. You can read or research anything and usually use the internet also without being a member. At last but not least you can meet some locals
You don't lose weight through exercise, you lose weight through nutrition. Stop spreading incorrect information. Low-intensity cardio workouts (e.g. Zone 2 or MAF) improve aerobic capacity and build fitness, so please DO NOT suggest it's worth nothing.
Great insights, new ideas I never thought or heard of. Thank you
Great ideas, thanks Tim
This is a funny and helpful post. I just watched Godzilla last week. Imagine all the structures and properties they damaged, I bet insurance will come in handy! I find the other links interesting as well. Thank you, Ashley!
My family collects free samples throughout the year and at Christmas time, we fill up baggies with them and pass them out to the needy. Its a fun way to give back!
I volunteer with the Denver Botanic Gardens. We have a program called Winter Green where we take plants and a planting activity to assisted living facilities. I love seeing the participants interacting with the plants and hearing all the stories of the gardens they used to have. I love sharing my love of plants with people.
The most impactful volunteer experience I had was donating time to an assisted living facility/nursing home. The folks that live there have so much experience and wisdom to share and many of them have great senses of humor. It can be hard in a place like that to maintain presence of mind but I was humbled by the folks that went out of their way to make lives easier for their fellow residents. The generosity of spirit and camradarie was amazing.
Thanks for the giveaway… I volunteer every Fall to help adults learn to read; a great experience when their efforts finally "click", and the students suddenly discover books, and new opportunities that they can bring.
I volunteered in ESL class and helped people learn english. It was meaningful because I also had been in the students' position when I first came to the US.
I volunteered in my library's literacy program, helping a man try to pass the written driver's test. This was the most impactful on me due to the one-on-one nature and its ongoingness. We met every week for a number of months. And I really felt happy when he succeeded, whether it was something big or small.
I had been raised to give back and help those in need in my community. My father and a few of his friends from church were getting prepared to open a shelter for homeless men in our small town. I had just gotten my first job out of college and wanted to volunteer, so I began to help set up the shelter, knocked on businesses to donate and did whatever was needed. One winter night, I went with my father to look for people out in the cold, to help then find a bed for the night, something he had done every winter. It was a very eye opening experience for me. I had no idea there were so many homeless in our town. My father was relentless too, he would not take no for an answer if they did not want to go. We had hot coffee and blankets for them and my dad knew all the places to search. We had been out for over four hours and we had found nine men, when I spotted a man in an ally. This man had no coat and was extremely intoxicated. My father sat next to him, talking and trying to convince the man to come with us, but he would not move. After we spent over two hours trying to get him in the car, my dad stood up, took of his brand new winter coat and put it on the man. He told him that he could keep the coat, his phone number was in the pocket and that we would go and get him some food. When we came back, we ate with the man. He still did not want to go. My dad hugged him, told him that we would be worried and we went home. I was so moved at my father's actions. I knew he cared about others, but I never saw him give the coat off his back. From that night, I wanted to be just like him and he has inspired me my whole life to give of myself. That very cold winter night, changed my life forever.
Once a month I try to make it a point to send a letter to our deployed service members overseas through Operation Gratitude. These men and women have left behind their family and friends to put their lives on the line to fight for our freedom and they deserve to be thanked for their selflessness.
I spend a couple hours each week volunteering in my son's 3rd grade classroom. Since kids aren't able to get a lot of individualized attention due to large class sizes, being able to have a slightly better adult to student ratio even if it is just for a few hours can really help both the kids as well as the teacher. I know most people have busy work schedules, but it would be awesome and so beneficial if more parents were able to help out in classrooms!
I've volunteered as a peer counselor at a 24 hour crisis hotline. Talking to people who had gone through anything from getting a bad diagnosis to the loss of a loved one gave me a whole new perspective on life and made me realize what the true definition of a "bad day" is. I now know not to sweat the small stuff not let things that are unimportant get me down.
I really love to volunteer at a local women's shelter by my house. It is very rewarding to see the impact you have on the people you help. It isn't easy to be in their position and I love being able to bring light to their lives. More people should volunteer and take action. See for themselves.
I go to our local children's hospital and play games with the kids. To see such young lives negatively affected by disease is very sad, but I'm glad I'm able to go and spend time with them and remind them what it's like to just be a kid, play some games, and have fun.