Are Your Grocery Bills Large Lately?

As Americans see some relief at the pump, food prices remain high. Food inflation is here and there are no signs of it dropping any time soon. In the past, food prices tend to rise quickly and drop very slowly. The normal inflation rate is 2% whereas this years food inflation is around 6%.

Despite the struggling economy which may be increasing food prices, the severe weather throughout the world has been destroying some crops. This also adds to the raising food prices. Food companies are forced to raise their prices. Another way they try to deal with the inflation is by shrinking the sizes of their products and selling them at the same price.

Since we need to eat and the prices will not decrease anytime soon, there are ways to save money at the grocery store.

These websites give good money saving tips:

- how to save money on food

- ways to save money on your food bill

- 27 ways to save money on food

Keeping Your Children Safe

You always tell your kids not to talk to strangers. One of parents’ biggest fears is a child being abducted or harmed. What if a sex offender was living next to your child’s school?

Sex offender laws state that sex offenders must be on a national registry so the public can be aware of who sex offenders are. There is a website (http://www.familywatchdog.us/) that shows sex offenders who live near your home.

Much discussion has taken place on sex offenders living near schools. Slowly, this law has been introduced to more cities. Only three Metro Denver area communities have adopted this law at this time: Northglenn, Englewood, and Greenwood Village. The most recent city council to consider applying this law is the town of Greeley in Northern Colorado.

Here is some information to help keep your children safe from predators:

Teach your children that it is okay to say NO
Get to know the adults your children spend time around
Teach your children about appropriate touch and inappropriate touch
Remember, almost 90% of molestation cases are committed by someone who knows the child and is close to them.

Here are some very helpful site that will expand your knowledge and your child's safety.

Talking To Strangers - how and when it may be necessary for your child to speak to strangers

Safety Tips All Children Should Know - Quiz your children on how they would handle these everyday situations.

How To Instill A Healthy Distrust Of Strangers. More excellent ideas

Denver's Housing Market Is Vastly Different Than The Rest Of The U.S

The Denver real estate market continues to show significant signs of improvement while other parts of the nation continue declining or remain stable. Yesterday Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, one of the nations largest mortgage lenders, upgraded 12 Front Range counties from "distressed" to "stable". Mr. Bryant, a company spokes person said : "I think this is great news for Denver, great news for Colorado. We had challenges earlier than many of the other real-estate markets in the country, and it appears our recovery is happening before others."

This may not seem to be earth shattering news for most of us, but it is very informative for anyone considering buying a home in the Denver area. No one wants to purchase a property in a declining market. Well, since April of this year, one indicator after another have been showing up to indicate that Denver has turned the corner regarding its housing market. Yesterday's latest vote of confidence as indicated by Wells Fargo easing of loan requirements along the Front Range is recognition of a healthier housing market.

As far back as April 14th my blog revealed that I was seeing considerably more under contract and sold signs throughout Denver. I predicted that the general Denver market would see across the board appreciation of housing price by the end of 2998.

May 8, 2008 I discussed eight specific area subdivisions were showing appreciation

On June 25, my blog revealed a .5 percent appreciation of property values for the the month of April.

My July 7th blog revealed that the available housing inventory dropped 9.7% in the past 12 months - a very strong indicator that the Denver housing market was improving.

Denver's market has strengthened in part because of a 20 percent drop in available housing inventory over the past year, according to August data from MetroList.

Thomas Thibodeau, academic director for the CU Real Estate Center in Boulder was quoted as saying "It's about time" Wells Fargo upgraded the area. The fact of the matter is that the housing market here is vastly different than the rest of the U.S. I think the Denver housing market has turned the corner and is on the way to recovery." Professor Thibodeau also stated that the Standard & Poor's Case-Shiller home price index shows the Denver market to be healthier than the nation as a whole.

Throughout my 30 years as a Realtor, this time of year has shown a significant decline in the number of buyers in the market. So, I would expect that even with this latest good news, that buyers will not enter the market until next year. January has historically been one of Denver's best months for the number of under contract properties. All of these indicators should show up in force in 2009. Next year's home sales in Denver will be well above 2008 month for month.

How To Plan Your Next Party

There is no better way to show off your new home to friends, relatives and business associates than to have a get together in your new home. Even if you did not recently buy a new home, summer is a great time to have a party or barbeque. One of my clients even throws an annual end of summer party as a way for them to stay connected with their closest 100 friends.

It does not matter if you have five hours or five months to plan a party, you can use similar strategies to pull off a great party. Here are some easy ways to have a successful party:

Use evite.com as invitations. It is quicker and more efficient
Do not take time to make a play list, instead play a mood setting album.
Use delivery services for food to save time
Choose menu items where you present the ingredients and the guests make their own plate.
Theme your bar (a merlot, a martini party) saves time and money.

Online Invitations
Evite.com
Party Ideas
Party411

Party Planning Ideas

Celebration.com

Lenders Need To Be Licensed In Colorado Jan. 1st

By January 1, 2009, all mortgage brokers operating in Colorado need to complete ALL of the licensing requirements, including the latest addition of 40-hours of education and a licensing exam. As of today, less than 5% of mortgage brokers operating in Colorado have passed the state exam. Granted, its only September so brokers have a full four months to finish education and pass the exam.

There is a percentage of lenders operating in Colorado today who have no intention of completing the licensing requirements. Their plan is to exit the business by December 31, 2008.

So what does that mean to you if you need a mortgage? Now more than ever -- buyer beware. Lenders are opting not to complete the licensing for a variety of reasons. Some are changing industries. Some are not able to generate enough business in our current market to incur even more expense in the business. And some are not able or willing to commit the time and energy necessary to complete the licensing. For the later, some are trying to "make hay while the sun shines." Fear of penalties means nothing to these folks. Losing their license means nothing to these folks.

So, now more than ever, ask questions and get your lender from a trusted source such as your professional Realtor who has established quality lender connections over the years. Be very careful of the lenders you find on line too. Some are professional and then again, I have a long list of past clients who now wish they did not deal with the on line lender they found.

Ask lots of questions and be sure you shop not only for the lowest interest rate, but also for a reputable lender.