Home buying--Why buying new is better than buying used

I am guilty of falling into the same thought process as most people...buying new is more expensive than buying used.  I mean, if you think about it everything falls into this category....new cars, toys, electronics, books, etc.  In most cases, new homes cost more as well, but that is not the case now.

It is quite unfortunate for those that purchased right before the housing market took a hit.  Property values decreased leaving homeowners owing more than their houses were worth.  This change in the market also resulted in a lower demand for lumber and contractors; thus, resulting in lower costs for materials and services so builders could offer new homes for a lower price than a used home. 

Why wouldn't you want a new home?  Besides the fact that they are more energy efficient, compliant with all state and national codes, and warrantied, they will not have remnants of the previous owner.  What does that mean, you ask?  Yes, you can change the paint and carpet all you want, but I guarantee you will eventually find some unexpected surprise whether that is a toenail stuck in the baseboard in the corner of the room or toys shoved deep into the register vents.  With todays outbreak of bed bugs, would you want to take a chance that those little creepy crawlers could be hiding inside the walls waiting for new unsuspecting roommates?   I wouldn't!

Of course I may be biased because I now work for a new home builder, but after my eyes have been opened, I cannot fathom buying a used home ever again.  There is even some financing options available to new builds that you cannot get with a used home such as work equity and point contribution with a preferred lender. 

Just like brands of TV's, smartphones, and automobiles, not all builder's quality is equal.  I will save that information for my next blog, stay tuned........

Giving back to the community--Groveport Madison Marching Band

My daughter is a Sophmore in the Groveport Madison Marching Band.  They do so many fundraisers to raise money for band equipment...please help them to get a grant to help with transportation.  Help support by voting -- "The Groveport Madison High School Marching Band has been the pride of Groveport and Madison Township for many years. The Marching Band has qualified and performed at State Marching Band Finals consistently since 1991. The’ve earned Superior Ratings, the highest honor for competing bands, 20 of the last 22 years. The band currently gives 160 GMHS students the opportunity to perform and express themselves in a positive way. The band is taught to be Focused on the task at hand, Fearless of any insecurities, and Fantastic in all that they do. The band supports The Stowe Mission, a food pantry dedicated to feeding the needy of Central Ohio. The Director of Bands has instilled into our young people how important it is to give back to the community. The kids collect food items at their many concerts, and the kids get to take it to the food bank personally. This is becoming a program close to the hearts of many band students. The band supports various school community events such as the 4th of July parade and the Cardinal Health 5K. The band students give several concerts throughout the year. The Marching Band is a competition band that travels to several locations to compete in the fall. They perform for all the GMHS football games and several basketball games. The students also give their time to work in the concessions booth for volleyball, wrestling, and basketball games."

iPhone 5

So I did it. I broke down and bought an iPhone 5. My husband and I both went to Verizon to upgrade our phones. He wasn't too pleased that I opted to pay extra for the 5 while he got the 4s. His reply was "you always have to have the best out there, don't you?". The answer to that is YES!! I had a Droid with 4G, how could I possibly go back to a 3G phone? Although I love my iPhone for many reasons, I've compiled a list of my top 3 reasons. First reason is the ease of Facetime! A lot of my friends and family have iPhones, and I love how it's just as easy to Facetime them as it is to call them. For those of you who do not know what Facetime is, it's an application that is already loaded on your iPhone that allows you to video talk to another person. This especially came in handy when my husband stayed home to care for one of our sick children while I was at our other child's Christmas program. He was able to watch her from home. It's also nice on those long work days and you just want to see your child's smiling face while you ask her how her day was at school. Second reason is that I love the visual voicemail! Although this feature was available on my other phone, I had to pay for that service. With iPhone, it is built in. This allows you to see your voicemails on a screen, and you can choose which ones you want to listen to. You don't have to worry about dialing into your voicemail and entering a password in order to retrieve your messages. Better yet, you don't have to go through 20 saved messages in order to get to the one you wanted to hear. Finally, reason number 3......SIRI!! She is a wonderful personal assistant. Siri is voice recognition software with a wide range of capabilities. I say "Call my husband", and she does. I tell her "Remind me to pick up bread on the way home", and she does! Due to my lack of navigation skills, I often tell Siri "get me home", and she finds the fastest route to my house. I've played around with Siri just to see how she would respond to certain statements and she never ceases to amaze me. I said "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" and she replied "the sound of that is something quite atrocious". Perhaps I'm easily amused, but I'm happy with it!

V/H/S Movie Review

V/H/S  -- In theaters October 5, 2012

This past weekend my husband and I invited my brother and his wife over to watch movies.  We decided to go through the ‘On Demand’ selection and watch the trailers in order to pick a movie we could all agree on.  After watching the trailer for V/H/S, we all were eager to watch it even though it was twice the cost of the others.   

Movie Info:
Rated R
115 minutes
Director:David Bruckner, Glenn McQuaid, Radio Silence, Joe Swanberg, Ti West, Adam Wingard

The Synopsis:
“When a group of petty criminals is hired by a mysterious party to retrieve a rare piece of found footage from a rundown house in the middle of nowhere, they soon realize that the job isn't going to be as easy as they thought. In the living room, a lifeless body holds court before a hub of old television sets, surrounded by stacks upon stacks of VHS tapes. As they search for the right one, they are treated to a seemingly endless number of horrifying videos, each stranger than the last.”

My Review:

The whole movie was viewed as though it was recorded on a variety of VHS tapes.  So those of us that remember what happens to the tape when you record and then pause and then record again, especially over another recording, would appreciate the effects used in this movie.  Just as the synopsis states, the men watch videos of horrific stories, which kept getting stranger.  The videos were shot by different people in different situations.  The first video was unanimously our favorite.  It was about a group of young men who try to lure women back to their hotel in hopes of recording their sexual encounters with a pair of recording spy glasses.  Well, mission accomplished; however, it came with a huge, disturbing price!  Each video kept your interest and the movie did not seem to be 2 hours long at all, in fact, I wanted more.  There were bits and parts that were corny and left you thinking, “Okay…that was stupid”, especially in the third video; however, the fourth video’s unexpected twist blew me away!  You wanted to rewind because it all would make more sense if you knew what you knew in the end in the beginning!! (Did I lose you?).  The special effects in the last of the videos were amazing!  A group of guys thought they were attending a Halloween party at a (for lack of a better term) “man-made” haunted house.  What they find is complete horror!

My Rating:

Due to the originality and creativity, I give this movie a…

4.5 out of 5 stars

 **Disclaimer** I did not receive this item free of charge nor was I endorsed in any way,  this opinion is my honest review of this product!

 

Farm Rich Review & Giveaway!

As a mother of four, I am always looking for easy-to-prepare, healthy snacks that my children will love to eat.  Farm Rich offers so many choices for healthy snacks, lunches, and side dishes. They have Mozzarella Sticks, MozzarellaBites, Mini Pizza Slices, Stuffed Pretzel Bites, Queso Cheese Bites, BreadedMushrooms, a variety of Meatballs, Mini Quesadillas, Philly Cheese Steaks, Jalapeño Peppers, and a variety of French Toast Sticks.  I had the pleasure of reviewing two snacks from Farm Rich.

The Breaded Mozzarella sticks are made with 100% real mozzarella cheese and are a good source of calcium and protein.  They are packed with delicious cheese and are irresistible!  I prepared Mozzarella sticks and marinara sauce for a snack for the kids and ended up having to make more because my husband couldn’t stop eating them….they are that good!!!

I also tried the Mini Pizza Slices, and I was pleasantly surprised!  Everything about this snack was delicious! The authentic pizzeria-style crust surrounds 100% mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, and marinara sauce to make a perfectly sized, mess-free pizza snack for my kids.  Everyone absolutely loved these! 

I recommend trying Farm Rich snacks; you won’t be disappointed!! Be sure to visit Farm Rich and sign up for the Keep ‘Em Happy Club for coupons, product information, and promotions!

Giveaway:

One lucky reader will win 2 coupons good for free Farm Rich snacks and appetizers ($6.99 value each)

*Disclaimer - I received the item mentioned above, free of charge, for review purposes. In no way did this alter my opinion of their products. All of my opinions expressed in this post are 100% honest and true.*

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Kinect Rush: A Disney Pixar Adventure Review

Disney Pixar Adventure game for the Xbox Kinect is absolutely amazing!!  I don’t think people can grasp “your body is the controller” until they actually try the game themselves!  If you want your character to run, then you run in place.  If you want your character to jump, then you jump…and so on.   I am completely blown away by this game and how much fun it is!  I had guests at my Rush party ranging from 5 years old to 40 years old and everyone loved it!! 

There are different worlds you can enter and each one is a blast!!  You can enter the worlds of Cars, Toy Story, Ratatouille, The Incredibles, and UP.   My oldest daughters and their friends loved driving in Cars.  My second youngest loved being Remy in Ratatouille.  She used her arms to climb, throw things, and zoom down a zip line.  My brother and husband favored the Incredibles because they became superheroes.  They would have to use their bodies to ski down hills and jump in time to make it onto the tops of buildings where they would then fight villains by throwing large objects at them.  My youngest couldn’t pick a favorite, she said “they are all the best”.

I ABSOULTELY LOVE this game.  Children have to use their entire bodies to play instead of just fingers and thumbs.  It is one of the better Kinect games that actually requires you to move, and doesn’t allow you to succeed with minimal movement.  I actually think my kids get more exercise with this game than they do playing outside. 

*Disclaimer - I received the item mentioned above, free of charge, for review purposes. In no way did this alter my opinion of their products. All of my opinions expressed in this post are one hundred percent honest and true.*