Are You Paying too Much Interest?

Now is a great time to look into refinancing your home loan. Interest rates are really low right now. According to our bank, a 30-day fixed rate mortgage is at 4.625% right now. Rates are even lower for 20-year and 15-year loans.  If you're paying more, it's definitely time to check into refinancing that loan.  It's amazing how much interest you can save just by lowering your interest rate.  It's so much more satisfying when more of your payments go toward paying down the principle!

We need to go into the bank and sign some papers, but we're definitely planning on refinancing soon.  Since we're staying with the same bank, it should be really simple, kind of like this Streamline Refinance.  It's called streamlined, because the process is quick and easy, and it uses your original paper work from your original loan, so there's no extra paperwork. They already have all our information at the bank, so it's easy for everyone, and we can start saving money on interest.

With the money we save, we can have more to help put Cory through college, or maybe we can do some home improvements like they show on HGTV, or finally go on that 25th anniversary trip. 

I Love this Summer Weather

My parents are here visiting.  They live in Kentucky, where the summers are hotter and more humid.  Of course, their winters are much more mild than ours here in Wisconsin - so I suppose there's always a trade-off.

I'm not complaining at all.  I love our Wisconsin summers, even though I also enjoy a little heat.  I just don't enjoy heat that is hot enough that my guys want to turn the air conditioning on.  When the air is on, I freeze inside the house and have to go outside every so often to warm up in the sun, or I turn the temperature on the thermostat up until I'm not freezing - and then it gets stuffy in the house. 

Thankfully, we don't often get that kind of heat.  And, when we do, it doesn't last long.  We have enough days that are warm enough the neighbors can take their above ground pool covers off and enjoy some time in the pool, but not so many days that I have to close up the house and turn the air on.

Today was a perfect kind of day - blue skies, sunshine, and a nice cool breeze.  It was cool enough that my cute little Kentucky mom had to wear her sweatshirt part of the time, and my dad sat outside on the deck enjoying the sun for a while.

Violent Video Games for Kids?

This Supreme Court decision that reverses the California video game ban makes no sense to me.  The court decided that governments cannot ban the sale or rental of violent video games to minors because it would violate free-speech rights.  Really?  I can see that banning the production of violent video games might violate the free-speech rights of the video game makers, but do they really have to be able to sell them to kids?  I suppose that means that anything that people are free to say also has to be available to kids?  What about pornography?  That has to be available too, because the people who produce pornography are free to produce it, right?

I was thinking that, but then I read this question asked by Stephen Breyer, one of the dissenting justices.  "What sense does it make to forbid selling to a 13-year-old boy a magazine with an image of a nude woman while protecting a sale to that 13-year-old of an interactive video game in which he actively, but virtually, binds and gags the women, then tortures and kills her?"  So I guess the same logic/freedom of speech doesn't apply to pornography?  Really, it makes no sense. 

See Monte Carlo this Summer

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Monte Carlo for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
 
I'm not talking about actually taking a trip, though that would be fun, wouldn't it?  I'm talking about the new Selena Gomez movie coming out this Friday - Monte Carlo.

What it's about: Grace (Selena Gomez) is an ordinary girl who becomes an accidental heiress when a summer trip to Paris turns into the fantasy of a lifetime. On a dream vacation, Grace, along with her best friend and step-sister, discover that the greatest adventure is finding out who they really are.

Of course there's a guy involved, too.  In the trailer, Grace says, "I finally meet a guy who likes me for me, and I'm not even me."  Will she tell him who she really is?  Will it all work out?  I hadn't heard anything about this movie until I watched the trailer, but now I'm looking forward to seeing it.  Check it out:
 

 It really looks like a lot of fun.  It's not really Jeffrey's kind of movie, so I'm thinking maybe I can get Beth to go with me.  That is, if she can leave that little man of hers long enough!  It would be fun, though.  It's been ages since we've gone and done anything together.  Hanging out at home while she does laundry doesn't count!
 
Be sure to check out the Monte Carlo trailer for yourself.  Like the Monte Carlo Facebook page for more information and photos.  I found a giveaway there, too - for a Monte Carlo mini poster and a $25 Fandango gift card.  Beginning 6/29, you can get tickets for Monte Carlo online through Fandango - so that gift card could come in handy!
 

Credit Score and Mortgage Rates

I was watching the news the other day, and something came on about real estate and mortgage rates.  They mentioned the importance of having a good credit score and how people with better credit scores could get a better interest rate on their loans.  If the credit score wasn't as good, the banks might still give someone a loan, but they'd charge a higher interest rate, because that person was a greater risk.

It just seemed kind of wrong to me.  A bank feels that someone is at a greater risk for defaulting on a loan, so they charge a higher rate, making their monthly payments higher, and making it harder for that person to pay - and therefore increasing the risk.  At least in my mind.  I realize the banks have to protect themselves and their money, but it just seems wrong to me.

Not everyone can qualify for veteran home loans, but it's a good option for those who do, those who've so unselfishly served our country.  VA loans are guaranteed by the federal government, so the banks don't have to take on the risk, allowing qualified veterans to get the lowest possible rates.  One of the benefits of VA home loans is that a veteran or an active military borrower can be approved for rates not much higher than someone who has a large down payment and great credit.  And that means they're more likely to be able to pay the mortgage and stay in their homes, and that's good for everybody.

So Many Old Pictures

After posting our wedding picture here and on facebook Tuesday, I got to thinking I ought to post some more pictures from the wedding, and tag all my facebook friends who show up in them.  It's kind of fun to see how people have changed!  It's still hard to believe that, when we got married,  my mom was younger than I am now.

We have 9 or 10 photo albums full of pictures - all from before we got our first digital camera.  We don't actually get them out and look at them very often, but it's nice knowing we have them.  We have the wedding pictures, pictures from the first few years of our marriage, pictures of our babies.  It would be nice to have digital copies, not just so I can share and tag people on facebook, but as a back-up, should anything ever happen to the photo albums. 

I never figured out our scanner software, so I've never been able to scan the photos in, but one of my friends bought a negative and slide scanner, and she let me borrow it.  I've scanned one box of negatives, which is why I have the wedding photos, but I still have a whole box of negatives to go.  I really need to get back to it.  It wouldn't take that long to do, if I'd just get to it.  And, while I'm at it, I get to look at old pictures, and I could even do some editing if I want.  But first, I've got to get them all scanned.

Last Year This Time

Today is not just our wedding anniversary. It's the one-year anniversary of the Eagle Tornado.  Yes, last year we celebrated our anniversary by having a nice dinner on the deck, and then later a tornado roared through our neighborhood and left a path of destruction.

Last year this time, we were walking around in the dark, checking to see if our neighbors were OK, just beginning to get an idea of that destruction.  It wasn't until the morning came that we really got a chance to see the damage.  (Eagle Tornado, the Morning After)
 

All the pics - here.

Today and tonight we've had plenty of wind and rain, lightning and thunder - but thankfully no tornado this year!  We'll be happy never to have another one of those.

How to Save $16,000

We keep talking about refinancing our home loan.  Rates are really going down.  I think our loan was at 7.5% when we first built the house, and we've refinanced a couple times over the years as rates continued to fall.  We're currently at 5.25%, but I just checked the rates on our bank's website last night, and a 15-year fixed rate mortgage is at 3.75% right now.  We've been paying on our mortgage for 13 years now and paying a little extra each month - enough to equal making two extra payments a year - so, continuing as we are, we could have the house paid off in about 14 years.

So why refinance? If we refinance to drop the interest rate, our payment doesn't change much at all, and if we continue paying extra every month, we can have the house paid off two years earlier and save $16,000 in interest.  Wow!  It will cost us about $900 to do it, but I'd say it's worth it - and we really should have done this earlier.  Of course, I don't remember what the rates were last fall when I went to the bank to get the insurance checks taken care of.  Maybe they were lower; maybe they were higher; but that really doesn't matter.  What matters is now.

If you think you might be paying more interest on your mortgage than you need to, now might be the time to look into refinancing.  You can check out FHA Streamline Refinance to easily find out how much you could save.  Enter your mortgage balance and current interest rate to get a free quote.  If you already have a VA Loan or FHA (Federal Housing Administration) Loan, you're already approved, there's no additional paperwork, and there are no out-of-pocket costs.  The process is quick and easy - that's why it's called Streamline.  If you don't have a VA or FHA loan, there are options for Conventional Streamline Refinance too.

I'm not saying you'll save $16,000, but it's worth checking out.  You might be able to pay your house off sooner or lower your monthly payments so you have more money for other expenses.

Related articles

• HUD Streamline Your FHA Mortgage (billthemortgageguy.com)
• FHA Streamline Refinance Guidelines 2011 (fhaloanadvice.com)

25 Years

25 years ago today, I married my best friend.  25 years!  How is that even possible?  It seems like just yesterday. 

And now we’re halfway through our 50 year trial.   See, when we got married, we said we’d give it 50 years – to see if things were going to work out or not.  If, after 50 years, we decide it’s just not working out, we can go our separate ways…
 
I’m strongly leaning toward keeping him, but I’ve got another 25 years to decide for sure.
 
Happy Anniversary, Honey.  I love you more today than I did the day we said “I Do!”

How to Tie a Tie

Throughout high school, when Cory had to dress up and wear a tie, like for band or choir concerts, he had his dad tie it for him.  If his dad wasn't going to be around, they would tie it ahead of time, then loosen it up so Cory could slip it off and then slip it back over is head when he needed it.  Then all he had to do was tighten it up, and he was good to go.

Then he went a away to college, where he needed to be able to tie his own ties - because his dad wasn't available.  At first he said he was going to find some girls to help him, but then he decided that he really did need to learn to tie his own tie.  So he went online and followed the easy instructions he found.  There are some really good tutorials for tying several different knots on the Tiecoon.com website.  If you've always wanted to learn How to Tie a Tie, be sure to check them out.  Follow the step by step guides on how to tie windsor knots, how to tie half windsor knots, how to tie four in hand knots, how to tie pratt knots, and how to tie a bowtie. There are pictures of each and every step so you'll be tying your own ties is no time!

Now that Cory knows how to tie his own ties, he's wearing ties all the time.  He's gone tie crazy!  And he looks really nice.

Now that you've learned How to Tie a Tie, you need some news ties, too - right?  You're in luck, because one lucky winner is going to get a $50 gift code from Tiecoon.com.  That will buy a lot of ties, because they have plenty of nice cheap ties at Tiecoon.com.  A lot of the ties are $5.

---- Giveaway Sponsored by Tomoson.com ----

To Enter: Visit the How to Tie a Tie tutorials on Tiecoon.com then come back and tell me which knot you want to learn first.
For Extra Entries: tweet about this giveaway, share on facebook, and/or blog about the giveaway.  Come back and leave a separate comment for each one.
Deadline: Entries must be received by 11:59pm Central Time on June 30, 2011. 

Good Luck!!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com created by WebBizIdeas.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure.