Category Monthly Item of Value

Boost your credit score by using these handy hacks! It’s not hard and your improved credit score will help you in home buying, refinancing or other type of loan.

Get tips and tricks on the best ways to boost your credit score by doing the following:

• Lower your credit utilization
• Request a goodwill deletion
• Correct credit report mistakes
• Use a credit boost service

The information below provides easy tips and tricks for giving your score a boost.

In addition, if you need help buying or selling a home, or know someone who does, please contact me.
Oh, by the way, I’m never too busy for any of your referrals.

This month’s Item of Value is about springtime home staging do’s and don’ts.

Make the most of the spring season with these rejuvenating home updates! The information below provides the top do’s and don’ts for staging your home to sell during the spring months.

That new beginning feeling that comes with spring makes it a great time to start a home improvement project!

As the freezing air leaves us, the time is right to get outside and work on your home and yard. It’s a perfect time for power washing and painting.

If you are a DIYer or not, this is the perfect time of year to get started on those spring projects you have been putting off all winter. We’ll soon be spending more time outside so getting it in shape for summer gatherings may be a priority for your family.

Today is a good day to start planning your summertime garden, what you will plant and where. Flowers, shrubs, trees, fruits and vegetables are all wonderful plants to give your home a warm feeling.

The information below on spring projects provides four of the most popula...

Tax season can be a stressful time! To help make it easy and error-free, check out the information below for some common tax filing mistakes to avoid. You’ll feel confident and ready when it’s time to file!

Filing mistakes can cause you all kinds of problems and no one wants to be in trouble with the IRS. Always check your return for transposed numbers or other simple mistakes that can cost you in the long run.

Don’t wait until the last minute to file either. Check as soon as possible to make sure everyone sent you the documents you need. You might not be able to get them immediately if you wait too long. You don’t need to send it in immediately, especially if you owe money, it’s a good thing to get the paperwork ready to go.

The following infographic will help you avoid thes...

Start this new year with a home refresh! January is a great time to enhance your living space. It doesn’t matter whether you need a midwinter boost or you’d like to get more organized.

If you are a homeowner, you know that there is always something that needs updated, repaired or replaced. What are the goals you have for your home in 2022? Do you want to redecorate, get things fixed or replaced, change your lighting or declutter?

Many people have been spending much more time at home since the beginning of COVID. Subsequently, changing your home might be on your mind a lot more these days. Adding plants, painting an accent wall or other small changes can make a big difference in how you feel about a room in your home...

Have you ever sat down to write something, but found yourself staring at a blank page for way too long? This is a common phenomenon for many who begin journaling!

Even though you’re writing about yourself, getting started can be tough. To fight your writer’s block, I’m sharing 12 journaling prompts guaranteed to get your wheels turning.

One of the easiest topics to use for your journal is something you know well. You don’t need to do any research or studying to write about the topics that are closest to your heart. More generally, relationships, career, goal setting and perspectives are directions you can take your writing.

You’ll find inspirational topics about your career, relationships, personal growth and goal setting...

In this issue of my Monthly Item of Value learn digital ways to show your gratitude.

Looking for way to show gratitude to people you aren’t seeing in-person this season? The digital world has plenty of options for sending caring messages to family and friends! You can be grateful without ever having to leave your home to do it.

In addition, you don’t have to be a techie to to use these digital ways to show your gratitude. Things like digital gift cards have directions along the way to show you how to use the website. Sending an inspiring quote is easy. Just copy the quote you like and paste it in a text message or email to a friend. You’re finished in just a minute or two.

The information below offers a few heartfelt ways to tell another person you’re thinking about them when y...

In this issue of my Monthly Item of Value learn how to do a digital detox and feel better afterwards.

These days, we’re spending a lot more time behind our screens. In 2021, we’ve been clocking five to six hours of phone time a day, according to the data site Statista. And this doesn’t even factor in Zoom calls, television time and the other times where we swap the “little screen” for the “big screen.”

Are you feeling the effects of this tech on your mental health — think brain fog, poor sleep, low productivity, etc.?Then you should consider a digital detox! While it’s impossible to unplug completely, the information below will help you take a 24-hour break from your devices to reset and improve focus.

Follow the six steps to your digital detox in the infogra...

In this issue of my Monthly Item of Value learn how something’s phishy in your emails these days.

Do you know how to tell if cybercriminals have gone “phishing” for your personal information? Learn to spot the red flags of a suspicious email so the identity thieves never get their big catch!

Always think before you click on any links in your emails. If something is suspicious, don’t click! If it appears to be an email from your cellphone provider, go to their website. Do not click on the link. Log into your account and see if the company has sent you a message.

Look at the email, not the name of the sender to see if it’s really from the company it claims to be...

Get tips on how to master the art of listening in this issue of my Monthly Item of Value.

Have you ever noticed how the strongest communicators are also the best listeners? To effectively communicate with somebody, you must be able to hear them out and meet them where they are. If you aren’t actively listening, you could be missing a big part of that person’s experience.

Avoid distractions like looking at your cell phone. Don’t get preoccupied and stay in the present. Don’t just focus on the facts, but consider the speaker’s point of view. What the speaker and look at the body language that goes along with the spoken words.

Take a moment to absorb what the person said before you respond with your comments.

Work on your EQ, emotional intelligence. Be more empathetic...