Author: Family Fun

It’s Not Grandpa Simpson’s Nursing Home

Post author By Family Fun
Post date October 29, 2015
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Today, it is conservatively estimated that 7 out of 10 U.S. residents will need long-term eldercare after reaching 65 years of age. Nursing homes are at times looked down upon in pop culture, which is a shame considering the help quality care can provide. The cost of assisted living facilities can be high, but it is a needs-based system. Moving in with other family members may not be a feasible option for everyone, so read below to find out how to make the transition easier.

How Can You Pay for Eldercare?

Long-term care is not cheap. Many U.S. residents try to cover costs by waiting to move into an eldercare facility until their house is sold, and then using the profit to pay that way. The problem with this tactic is that the senior citizen may need assistance NOW, but is putting it off until they have the funds. What will they do when they need help?

Long-term care insurance is an option for those individuals who suspect they will reside in an assisted living facility in their later years. Starting the savings at least 30 years before the estimated age of moving is best.

Day Care for Senior Citizens?

Eldercare is not day care, though sometimes it is rudely referred to as such. Those senior citizens living in a care facility have autonomy during their days, with 24/7 care available. Every facility is different; different staff, grounds, and rules can make each place feel very dissimilar. The interactions between residents and staff are of supreme importance. Observe interactions carefully, and gather any literature the facility provides to look over later.

Browse the nursing centers in your area to find out what appeals to you. Some people enjoy participating in card games, others love walking in gardens. Each facility has some feature that sets it apart. It is important that the facility matches the needs of current and future residents.

Very few people like moving. Even fewer enjoy downsizing their life and moving into a nursing home. It is not easy to admit you need help, but the people who accept their physical limitations early on and make a plan, will have a simpler transition than those who wait. Time is the only thing we can never get back, as investors like to continually remind us. If you are able, start to plan for your “golden years” early on to avoid later stress and confusion.

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Roman-Style Pergola at the Center of Residents and Council Planners Controversy

Post author By Family Fun
Post date October 28, 2015
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Georgina Key, 71, and her brother Reverend Peter Berry, 80, bought what used to be an abandoned barn in High Offley, Staffordshire about ten years when they both retired and have lived in the renovated project for the last three. One of the first additions they made to the run-down building was adding a custom, yet traditional pergola to the backyard area. Now they’re in a fight with local council planners who are demanding they take the pergolas down, according to United Kingdoms news source DailyMail.Co.UK.

The local council has told them that the custom pergolas are “out of place,” in the rural setting they live and gave them 12 weeks to take the fixture down. The siblings on the other hand believe they’ve done more to make the abandoned barn they’re now living in and surrounding area aesthetically and functionally improved than their being given credit.

Much like Amish furniture, which is 100% handmade, the siblings pergola was constructed by hand. They also argue that neighbors with swing-sets and trampolines in their yards are far more offensive to the rural landscape than coming up with unique pergola design ideas.

“It’s barmy to me because I live in a converted barn and the pillars were, at one stage of their lives, part of a working farm before the First World War so they are most definitely in keeping with their surroundings,” Key said. “I’m keeping it up – I have 12 weeks to fight it. I’m fighting it not just for me, but for other people living in barns.”

The pergolas in their garden area are made with Victorian cast iron pillars and oak cross-beams. Oak is one of the five types of wood used primarily by the Amish. The four pillars weigh about a tonne each and were taken from a railway station from the 1820s. Key reportedly inherited them from her grandparents who had salvaged them back in the day. About 95% of consumers in one survey, “expect furniture to last for many years” and this particular structure was constructed in a way to do just that.

The siblings plan to fight the case on appeal in hopes that their beautiful, unique pergola will be allowed to stand tall for years to come.

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3 Benefits of Donating to Charities

Post author By Family Fun
Post date October 26, 2015
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There’s a common misconception that if you can’t donate money to charity, you can’t help out. But helping families in need doesn’t always mean donating money; it can mean donating your time in a shelter or kitchen, or donating gently used items. There are so many ways that you can help. The value of charitable donations is not dependent on the form they take! Read on for three reasons you should donate in some way this year.

Good Examples

While total donations were $358.38 billion last year, there are many other ways to get involved with charities. Consider spending a holiday or day around a holiday with your family helping out at a kitchen or shelter. It will set a good example to your children, and help them appreciate the things they have.

Peace of Mind

Helping families in need can give you peace of mind, especially as you move through the holiday season. Christmas has become a largely material holiday, but giving time, money, or items to those in need ensures that you still have the real spirit of the season in you. Not everyone has the means to celebrate Christmas in the way many of us are accustomed to, so helping families in need will make the season slightly better.

Clean Clutter

This is a big reason to give when it comes to clothing donations. About 4.7 billion pounds of clothing are donated, but 10.5 million tons of clothing are dumped into landfills by Americans every year. Donating gently used clothing gives someone who doesn’t have access to clothing something to keep them warm. But for you, it’s a good way to clean out things in your home that you aren’t wearing. It’s a win-win situation.

Will you be getting involved with any charities in the upcoming holiday season? Which ones? Do you make it a family tradition? We’d love to hear your stories and inspirations!

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3 Tips For Finding Your Dream Home

Post author By Family Fun
Post date October 23, 2015
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Moving can be an exciting new chapter in your life. But without proper planning, finding a dream home can be stressful. Worry not! Here are 3 tips that will help make finding the right home for you as easy as counting to 3.

Find Your Must Haves
When seeking out a dream home, it’s important to think about what you need and what’s purely a luxury. For example, how many people are in your household? Based on this, how many rooms do you need? Try making a list of the things you can and cannot sacrifice. Is a big backyard a must? If you have small children and a dog, it might be. But if you’re looking for space to develop a luxury pool, you might want to rethink this feature.If you want a lake property, or a home in historic towns, these are also things that may be wants instead of essential needs.

Get Your Loans in Order
Before buying a new home, you need to ensure that your loans are pre-approved. While a pre-qualification is always positive, it’s never enough. To completely pacify potential buyers and to let others know that you have the actual funding to buy a new home. Obviously, all cash offers are preferred by most real estate agents and sellers, but that is not the world we live in. Pre-approved loans are the next best option.

Find the Right Neighborhood
Finding the right neighborhood is essential when finding your dream home. If you have a family, for example, you’re going to need a location with a strong community base, with a great deal of family life in your area. For young couples and single individuals, more urban neighborhoods will often suffice. This is particularly pertinent for individuals who are looking at properties from a distance and will not see the home until moving in. You never know where a home is located unless you do the appropriate homework.

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3 Benefits of Amish Furniture

Post author By Family Fun
Post date October 5, 2015
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When purchasing furniture for your home, you likely only want the best. This means that you have many factors to look at when choosing a supplier. Amish furniture has numerous benefits to it, including cost, uniqueness, durability, etc. In addition to benefits, there are numerous types available, such as coffee tables, bowback chairs, and wall cabinets. You can be sure when you buy furniture from the Amish, that it is expertly crafted, and will last years in your home. Read on for more details on its benefits!

Unique

Each piece of Amish furniture is unique, because they’re hand-crafted. This means that when you invite guests to your home, they will be able to admire one of a kind furniture pieces in your home, each with a story to it. It doesn’t have the cookie-cutter feel like something from a chain would. This gives your home a more individualized look, and you’ll feel much better about your purchase.

Durable

Over 92% of those responding to a survey said that they plan to keep their wooden furniture for 15 years or more, and 95.1% said they “expect furniture to last for many years.” Buying Amish will guarantee that your furniture will be durable enough to last, because they use the best materials, and take their time with each piece.

Support

In addition to being unique and durable, 100% of Amish Furniture is handmade. So, when you buy Amish Furniture, you are supporting not only the person who made it, but also their family and community. Your purchase actually makes an impact here, instead of adding more money to a corporate account.

Have you ever considered purchasing this unique furniture? What will influence your decision? We would love to hear your thoughts, comments, and concerns.

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Three Reasons to Consider Investing in US Land for Farming or Ranching

Post author By Family Fun
Post date October 5, 2015
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Those of us inexperienced with farm and ranch life might think it a bit of a detached, niche interest, maybe even just a facet of days gone by. The truth is much the opposite, however, as the sale of ranches and farmland in the U.S. remains as prominent as ever, particularly in the form of luxury cattle ranch sale and the like. In some states farms and ranches make up a good part of the central economy, proving that agricultural real estate is still a very relevant and lucrative venture. The following expands on some of the important facts of farming and ranching in U.S., particularly in Texas and California.

U.S. Ranching and Agriculture

For as much as one might thinking agriculture is sparse or regulated to a few corporations in our modern era, there are just over 2,200,000 farms in the U.S. total. For the size of our country this is a pretty impressive amount and even more evidence to the fact that seeing farms and ranches for sale is hardly just a thing of the past. What?s more, 96.4% of crop-producing U.S. farms are owned by families, not corporations. This evidence proves that American farming and ranching is still an interest of the people, even with those that purchase and maintain something different, like a luxury cattle ranch.

Texas Agriculture

Farming is alive and well in Texas especially, as the impact of agricultural business to the state economy is around an average of $364,000,000,000 annually. As such, it should probably come as no surprise that Texas is leading the nation in the value of farm real estate. Perhaps also unsurprising is the fact the one out of every seven person working in Texas has a job in agriculture. The facts seem to show that Texas is a good, lucrative place to consider investing in land, be it for farm land or a luxury cattle ranch.

California Agriculture

California is known for its generous bounty and rich soil, making it yet another attractive territory for purchasing ranching and growing land. It ranks the highest in U.S. agricultural cash receipts followed by Texas, Iowa, Nebraska and Illinois. California likely owes its lucrative farming success to its exports of almonds, dairy and wine. Despite environmental setbacks, this state continues to lead the nation in the production of 66 crops, including the aforementioned almonds as well as dates, figs, clingstone peaches, sweet rice and walnuts, just to name a few.

The U.S. lends itself to the purchase of successful and lucrative land for farming and ranching and the American people continue to prove that they excel in agriculture.

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Finding a Great Rental Property May Make More Financial Sense Than Owning a Home

Post author By Family Fun
Post date October 1, 2015
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In an increasingly fast-paced and competitive housing market, many Americans are choosing to rent instead of to buy, citing lower costs and ease in obtaining repairs to the property. Researchers report that often, renting makes much better financial sense than buying: repaying interest to a bank or other lending entity and performing structural repairs to aging properties can be avoided by renting.

The money saved when a tenant is renting an apartment can then be invested: stocks in general have a much higher return on investment (ROI) than property, expert investors report. If the property being purchased is a foreclosure or is being purchased for the price of outstanding tax liens, an investor may have a better chance at a satisfactory ROI in the long-term, but in general renting can be a sound financial decision.

Some renters are specifically looking for a loft apartment or for an apartment that has office space, or perhaps a backyard for entertaining. Many renters prefer lofts for rent and apartments that are owned and operated by professional management teams: enhanced security features and quicker maintenance response times guide many renters who are looking for the best apartments.

What attracts people to the idea of owning a home may be the desire to pass property on to children or grandchildren, and the need to have more bedrooms and living space for larger families: rentals that have more than three bedrooms are relatively hard to find. But for the price of a mortgage, many renters find that they can obtain higher-quality living space — such as a loft apartment — without the high costs that can come along with home ownership.

About one-third of Americans choose to rent. People who live in larger cities may not be able to afford to purchase a home or apartment, and may not want to sacrifice the convenience of city apartment living in order to own their own homes. With many homeowners waiting years to see their property investments appreciate and with mortgages typically stretching for 30 years, many Americans are deciding to rent instead of buy and to invest their money elsewhere.

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Buying a New Home? Here’s 3 Reasons to Consider a Master-Planned Community

Post author By Family Fun
Post date September 29, 2015
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Buying a new home can be stressful, and there’s a good chance you’re seeking advice on what to look for in a new home. One of the most popular trends in real estate is the master-planned community, an amenity-filled neighborhood that offers everything you could ever want out of a community with much, much more than you’d ever expect.

Master-planned communities offer a variety of things that a normal community simply cannot provide. Whether you’re looking for modern home plans, a strong sense of community, or are just enamored with the possibility of living next-door to a tennis court, there is no shortage of reasons to consider a master-planned community when buying a new home.

Modern home design.

master-planned community

Location and sense of community.

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Amenities.

If you’re buying a new home, you’d be crazy not to consider a master-planned community. Do a quick search online and find one that can offer all of these incredible benefits. It could be the best investment you ever make.

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Care for Those in Need — Donate Your Clothes to Charity

Post author By Family Fun
Post date September 24, 2015
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Doing a little bit of good and making a difference in this world can always be a source of feeling good about yourself. Making charitable donations is a great, fulfilling way of leaving your mark on this world by doing a good deed and helping families in need.

If you want to contribute towards improving some lives, clothing donations are a good way to help out. Clothing can easily be recycled and reused, and can be directly transferred to families that need them or sold to create sources of financial aid. In 2007 alone, charitable clothing donations accounted for about $5.8 billion of aid for those in need. You too can make your mark, and even without having to take a lot of trouble.

Easier Charitable Donations with Local Donation Pick Ups

The Purple Heart, a revered decoration in America, is presented to the families of those who have been injured or killed in service to the country. The Military Order of the Purple Heart also actively tries to help out families in need and works with many charitable organizations for collection of charitable donations. These charities often make it easier for you to donate by offering convenient solutions like donation pickups. Estimates show that 90% of the clothing that people throw away can actually be recycled, and you can also ensure that your old clothes reach their proper destination.

With charity pickup, you do not even have to pack your clothes and drive them to a drop-off location. Your local charity will send over people to collect your donations from home — a quick, hassle-free way of ensuring your donations reach the right place.

So, if you are looking to join the thousands of people who show that they care for others and donate your used clothing, look for a local charity working closely with the Military Order of the Purple Heart and start giving back.

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Charleston, South Carolina The Most Hospitable Place In America

Post author By Family Fun
Post date September 21, 2015
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Are you considering buying a home? Do you love the outdoors, history, and a taste of old-fashioned Southern charm? Then you needn?t look any further than Charleston, South Carolina. Charleston is not only a vibrant community for people of all ages, but consistently named one of the most hospitable places in the United States. Charleston is a glimpse into the past and a look towards the future at once, and is an easy city for newcomers to step into. You?ll feel at home as soon as you enter the city. So ? why move to live in or near Charleston?

1. The History

Did you know that Charleston was home to the first American public college, museum, and playhouse? You can walk along the historic battery and view trees from which pirates were hanged, tour many historic homes and plantations, and even set foot on centuries-old ships! Charleston embraces its history, with architectural guidelines ensuring that new buildings cannot disrupt the ?look? of the historic districts. Neighborhoods like ?Rainbow Row? ? named for its colorful homes ? are a treat to the eye alone. You can even take part in ghost tours; some around town, and some within Charleston?s historic jail, once home to famous pirates.

2. The Beaches

So you love the outdoors. You?ll definitely love Charleston! Charleston is home to Folly Beach, one of America?s cleanest and most popular beaches. You can consistently see dolphins playing in the surf, and there?s always plenty to do. This is especially important to retirees, with the CDC advising that healthy retirees 65 or older should get two hours and thirty minutes of intense aerobic activity a week, along with muscle training. Why not do that exercise on the beach? Again, if you really love the outdoors, you might also want to consider a home close to the outdoors, like beach or lake homes.

3. The Cultural Scene

Charleston is a ?foodie? city that prides itself in not only seafood but authentic ethnic cuisine. Furthermore, its art scene has steadily grown over the years and is now thriving, with plenty of art galleries and museums at the ready for people to view, not to mention the lowcountry music scene. There are also several different open-air markets where you can buy everything from fresh spices to handmade dolls. If you?re looking to retire but stay active, Charleston is the perfect city to spend a lazy day within. It?s said that the happiest retirees engage in 3 to 4 regularly activities, compared to the unhappiest who only engage in 1 to 2 regular activities. Believe me, there?s no way you can be unhappy in Charleston.

The next time you?re speaking to your realtors, consider a new home in Charleston or the surrounding area. Enter retirement knowing that you?re in a place you?d never want to leave. You?ve worked hard all your life ? now it?s time to live it up!