• The Recovering Pessimist | 5 Pieces of Advice I Swear By | www.therecoveringpessimist.me | #amwriting #recoveringpessimist #optimisticpessimist
    The Complexities of Life

    5 Pieces of Advice I Swear By

    Adulting is complex. There are some things that we’re advised often about such as life insurance and paying yourself first. But there are so many things that we don’t know about unless we’re told about them. Below are 5 pieces of advice that I swear by:

    Get Aflac

    I love Aflac! It’s not insurance, but it’s so worth having. They can pay you for doctor’s visits, medical procedures, etc. & their customer service is outstanding. TIt’s so easy to file claims. You can always add policies as you go, so don’t feel pressured to buy all of the policies at one time.

    Get comprehensive car insurance

    You can’t cut costs on a lot of things, but car insurance isn’t one of them. Regardless of the year of your vehicle, always keep comprehensive insurance on your vehicle. It may cost more, but in the unfortunate event of an accident, it can save you a lot of money and potential headaches.

    Get your yearly health checkups

    If you have coverage for yearly health checkups, please get them. These checkups can alert you to any issues before they become problems. Don’t take these checkups for granted.

    Use your PTO

    Take time off for yourself to do whatever you want to do. It’s yours.

    Price match (when available)

    I love to save a coin when possible. Nothing hurts more than to spend money or something just to find out soon after that it was cheaper elsewhere. Taking a little time to price match can save you money.

    Are there any nuggets of advice that you would like to share? I would love to hear about it.

    Until next time,

    Joy

  • The Recovering Pessimist | How Escrow Works #HomeWithJoy | www.therecoveringpessimist.me | #amwriting #recoveringpessimist #optimisticpessimist #HomeWithJoy #HomeDepot #Lowes #Target #Homeowner #Homeownership #AtJoysHouse #HomeWithJoyFaves #WelcomeHome #homedecor #HomeMaintenance #Pinterest
    Home With Joy

    How Escrow Works #HomeWithJoy

    What is escrow?

    Think of escrow as a piggy bank. A portion of your monthly mortgage payment goes into your escrow account to cover payments for your real estate taxes and insurance. When your real estate taxes and insurance are due, your mortgage provider will disburse those payments from the escrow account.

    Keep in mind that real estate taxes are based on the assessed value of your home and may change based on that assessment. Your mortgage provider will perform an escrow review at least once a year to make sure there’s enough money in the escrow account to cover your taxes and insurance.

    Did you know that state and federal laws & mortgage providers require that escrow accounts hold a minimum balance?

    The required balance, tax assessment, and recent disbursements are all considered during the escrow review. If the assessment reflects a surplus (more money in the escrow account than you need), your mortgage provider will notify you if a refund is due.

    If the assessment reflects a shortage, there are 2 options for paying the shortage:

    1. Pay the shortage in full.
    2. Spread the shortage over 12 months, which would increase the monthly mortgage payment.

    Sidenote: You can pad your escrow account throughout the year by making monthly escrow-only payments. I take the amount of my last escrow shortage and divide it by 12. That’s the minimum amount I put into my escrow account each month.

    I hope this provides some clarity regarding escrow. If you have any questions, let me know. I’ll try my best to answer them.

    Until next time,

    Joy

     

  • The Complexities of Life

    Setback #427

    Setbacks are life lessons in disguise. Things could be going well and then BOOM, something happens to unravel everything. The feeling is similar to having the comforter snatched off of you and the room temperature is ice cold.

    This week I had a setback involving my car. I spent the entire day of the setback pissed all the way off. I allowed myself that one day to mope around and after that, it’s time to plan and reflect.

    Setbacks always remind me to be thankful. I’m this case, I’m thankful that I have the necessary coverage to pay for the repairs and a rental car. I’m thankful nobody was injured, including myself.

    Things can always be worse than they are. Be thankful that they aren’t and learn from them. Life is too short to repeat mistakes.