Frugal and Cozy: How to Save Money on Heating Your Home This Winter

With winter fast approaching, many families are struggling to find a way to control heating costs. You want to make sure you and your loved ones are warm and cozy, but you don't want to watch your heating bill soar, either. 

By utilizing some of these tactics, you can keep your home warm for a lower overall cost.

Inspect Your Heater

If your heater is in need of repair, you can find your heating costs skyrocketing--often without your awareness that there's anything wrong with the heater. 

According to Eagar Heating and Cooling, a company that specializes in heating repair in American Fork, instead of finding yourself in a bad situation as temperatures dip outside, you should have your heating unit inspected before the beginning of the cold season. 

Use Your Fireplace

In many cases, your fireplace will provide cheaper heat than running the heater throughout the house as it can help save on your gas and electric bills each month. 

Whether you're using a wood-burning fireplace or have a gas unit, turn on the fireplace as the nights get cold to help warm up your house. Keep in mind that using the fireplace also allows you to heat a single room in your home, rather than having to heat the entire thing. 

However, depending on where your fireplace is located, and how big it is, you do have the potential to heat your entire house. 

Dress in Layers

Do you find yourself warring over the thermostat every winter as members of your family push it higher while you struggle to keep it on a lower heat setting? Try encouraging the members of your family to dress in layers. 

There's nothing wrong with wearing a hoodie or a warm sweater inside, and you may find that it makes it easier to turn the thermostat down a few degrees. 

This will help you save on the energy bills each month, especially if you don’t have access to an alternative heating system such as a fireplace.

Seal Cracks and Crevices

If all of your warm air is allowed to escape your home, it can cause a problem with your energy bills and make your heating system work harder than what it should. 

Check the seals around your windows and doors to ensure that they aren't letting any cold air into the house. If it's particularly cold, a towel tucked at the bottom of the door frame or in the windowsill can make a big difference in how much cold air is able to creep inside. 

Try to get a good look at your doors and windows early in the season and seal any places where cold air is sneaking in around the edges. Pay particular attention to windows in older homes, which may not be sealed as well as new models. 

Take Advantage of Sunlight

Sealing the cracks around the windows doesn't mean closing them off entirely! During the warmest, brightest part of the day, take advantage of sunlight to warm your home. 

Open the blinds or curtains and let the sunlight in, especially if you have thick, double-paned windows. At night, however, make sure your blinds or curtains are in place to help trap cold air and prevent it from coming into your home.

Keeping your home warm and cozy all winter long doesn't have to mean suffering financially every time you open a new bill. 

By utilizing these tactics, you can keep your heating needs more manageable and ensure that you're able to enjoy the winter season to the fullest.

How to Get Your Financial Life Back on Track After a Bankruptcy

When your financial situation reaches the breaking point, it may become necessary to file for bankruptcy. Whether it is chapter 7 or chapter 13, bankruptcy can be a useful tool to relieve the strain of mounting debt problems. 

Even though this can often result in a loss of assets and a lengthy time of adjusting, at some point you must decide to pick up the pieces and start over. 

Here are a few tips to help you get started down the road to recovering your personal financial situation after a bankruptcy.

The 10-Percent Rule

As with all rough financial situations, a lack of funds and a tiny savings will only make the matter worse. 

The first plan of action to get your finances back on track is to begin to generate a sizable reserve to have for emergency situations. According to Bank Rate, saving 10-percent of your regular income is a good rule of thumb to help restore your financial reserves. 

By doing this consistently, you will empower yourself to make meaningful strides to become financially secure again.

Rebuilding Credit

Although your bankruptcy has done a number to your credit, it is important to begin immediately working to rebuild your credit as much as possible. 

The better your credit score, the more flexibility you will have while you bring your finances back to a functional level. 

To assist you in this endeavor, it may be necessary to speak with a consumer credit counselor to help you determine the best course of action to take to rebuild your credit in light of your current financial situation. 

Though it will not be easy at first, persistence is required to get what you desire as you reestablish your credit.

Borrowing Money May Be Easier After a Bankruptcy

When people imagine going through a bankruptcy, they often jump to the conclusion that no one wants to lend money to them for years to come. 

Although you will be viewed as a subprime customer, where rates and penalties will be higher, the truth is that many lenders actually see a person who has just finished going through bankruptcy as a safe bet.

One reason driving this perception is because current laws prohibit such individuals from filing a second bankruptcy for a number of years. 

This means the lending institution can get you at a higher interest rate and lock you in without the worry of you filing another bankruptcy any time soon.

Navigating the Murky Waters of Bankruptcy Law

Since a bankruptcy is such a life-altering experience, it is always a good idea to consult with a professional bankruptcy attorney from a firm like Lazaro Carvajal. to make sure everything occurs smoothly and that you are not hindering your own financial recovery efforts once the bankruptcy has been executed. 

A good bankruptcy attorney will not only hold your hand through the legal process, but they will be able to steer you in the right direction to begin your financial recovery efforts with the added experience of helping numerous other people in your diminished financial situation.

After bankruptcy has been filed can often be a scary, uncertain time for those undergoing this process. Rather than wasting time feeling bad about an uncertain financial future, it is best to focus on rebuilding your financial base as soon as possible. 

When you focus on making positive strides forward, this helps to leave the financial unpleasantness in the past.

EB5 Could See Investment Thresholds Rise

The United States EB5 program could potentially see a rise in its investment thresholds, especially now that there has been new legislation introduced in the US House of Representatives. 

This is important news for anyone who is involved in EB 5 extension, such as Hirson Immigration attorneys and experts who are involved in business and investment immigration law. Continue reading to learn more about this rise in investment thresholds. 

The American Job Creation & Investment Promotion Reform Act

The well known American Job Creation and Investment Promotion Reform Act has now called for a variety of changes to be pushed through into law. 

These changes include raising the current threshold all the way to $800,000 or even $1.2 million. The actual amount that it will be raised to will depend upon the class of the investment.

The current thresholds are only $500,000 for investments that are made in targeted employment areas or in regional centers. 

The threshold, however, is up to $1 million for those investments made in general areas of business. 

In return for these valuable investments, the program will grant conditional permanent residence to immigrants who can provide a minimum of 10 newly created jobs to citizens living in the country. 

The Problems Involved with EB5

Currently, EB5 is quite controversial throughout the United States, particularly because there have been quite a few cases of fraud that have been linked with the investments that have been made under this program. 

Therefore, this new legislation would also be aimed at calling for a few new ways to combat that fraud.

Additional power would be given to the United States Department of Homeland Security, also known as DHS. The DHS would be able to deny any applications that have been linked to crime, including fraud. 

On top of that, the DHS would be able to conduct audits, and they would be able to investigate fraud and conduct important background checks on individuals working on projects.

Finally, there would be vetting for projects prior to any money changing hands. Conflicts of interest and risks would also need to be disclosed to any investors prior to striking any deal. 

The Benefits of the EB5 Program

Despite having its flaws, the EB5 program has also done some great things throughout the country, so there are many people who support the investment threshold rising. 

In 2015, for example, this visa was able to generate roughly $5 billion in investments, and those investments have helped to regenerate some of the country’s largest cities. An example is downtown Dallas, which was rebuilt with the help of EB5 funds. 

Therefore, there are many lawmakers who support the expansion and extension of the program. They want to continue seeing urban areas in America benefit from the billions of dollars that are invested in those areas by immigrants.

Overall, the idea seems to be to raise the threshold while providing more protection against fraud, and it seems that a lot of immigrants and citizens are looking forward to the new investments that can be made throughout the country in order to generate new businesses and job opportunities.

Off To College: 5 Things To Look For In A New Laptop For School

To succeed these days in college, you certainly need a computer. Many classes, in fact, can’t be completed without them since many course materials are only made available online. 

The best computer for school is probably a laptop because it’s portable and user friendly. It’s both portable and functional. However, which laptop should you choose with so many options? Here are five things to look for.

Avoid Chromebooks

Chromebooks may seem like a good choice due to the cost savings. They are certainly cheaper than other laptops. 

However, Chromebooks are designed primarily to run Google Chrome, the web browser. They are not the best choice for productivity, which is what you should be looking for as a student. 

Instead, get a machine that runs a more productivity oriented operating system like Windows or Mac OS.

Look for a Free Virus and Malware Scanner

According to statistics, 32 percent of the world’s computers are infected by either viruses or malware. The stakes are high when you need your computer for school work. 

Malware may even attempt to steal your identity. Make sure the laptop you purchase comes bundled with a subscription for a decent virus and malware scanner.

Consider a “Two in One” Laptop

As everyone very well knows, smart phones and tablets have saturated the market. While these devices and the apps loaded on them are certainly popular, they aren’t the best devices for doing school work that should be performed on applications like word processors that require a lot of typing. 

Thankfully, there are laptops on the market with detachable keyboards that allow users to switch between laptop and tablet functionality at will.

Consider Tech Support Options

As is the case with computers in general, you may eventually run into serious technical problems that require an expert to fix. 

Paying for tech support separately can be quite expensive. Look for laptops that do come bundled with some kind of tech support service. 

Make sure the support service purchased is available in your area without the need to have your computer shipped off to a faraway location. 

You want to make sure that you look into a lot of different tech support services because after you graduate, knowing good IT companies such as Ottawa IT support can really come in handy.

RAM

Random access memory, or RAM for short, is what gives your computer the ability to run multiple programs at once. 

According to Laptop Mag, you should have at least 4 GB for a student laptop. Also remember that some laptops have upgradable memory.

Overall, think about productivity most when looking for a laptop as a student. 

While laptops can certainly be used to do many things like play video games or watch movies, your primary concern should be finding a machine that will help you complete your school work.