Its often better to rent a home rather than own

When comparing the benefits of owning a home to owning one, there are a LOT of things to consider. One of the largest costs of buying and selling a home is real estate agent fees, which are typically 5 to 6 percent of the purchase price with a traditional realtor.  Mortgage fees (unless you can purchase the home without one) and closing costs will also add to the costs of buying and selling a home. If you don't plan on living in the home very long, these costs will seriously eat into what you might save by owning a home rather than renting.


Owning a home also means costs of maintenance and repairs and the tools to do the work if you DYI. You might also want a termite contract. If you own a home, you will likely buy and take many of your appliances with you if you move.  There's an added cost to move those, especially if you are going out of state. Renters don't have that problem. You also need to consider property taxes and the cost of home owner's insurance vs. renter's insurance. If you've got a mortgage, you're handing a bank the mortgage interest.


Another thing to consider is the aggravation factor.  Generally if you rent, you don't have to be home when a repairman comes, but you do if you own.  If you cut your own lawn and are away when it needs to be cut, you'll need to make arrangements. If you own and decide to move, you've got the hassle of selling your home. 


You will also want to keep a large emergency fund for things like replacing your roof or needing an exterminator.


On the other hand, if you own you don't have to deal with a landlord.  You can make modifications to your home if you own it. If you itemize deductions you can deduct mortgage interest on your taxes. Also, rent goes up, but your mortgage won't if you have an fixed rate. If you rent, you're not building equity and you don't have property to show for it. 


http://www.wisebread.com/9-costly-things-new-homeowners-dont-prepare-for?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wisebread+%28Wise+Bread%29&utm_content=Yahoo%21+Mail

Written by Paul Michael and published on Wise Bread.

 Read more articles from Wise Bread.

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My daughter isn't as 'net savvy as I am, so I researched the best deals on her college textbooks for her.  There are a lot of sites where you can get used books, but in her case it turned out that half.com had the best deals on her books.  Most of the textbooks cost less than half price, and she was able to rent a couple for four months for about a third of the retail price. We thought we were being smart the first year by ordering the textbooks as soon as the list was available through the college bookstore and using the "used if available" option, but she had to wait until a few days before classes started to get the books and not one was available used.  When I was in college, there was a bulletin board where you could post ads to buy and sell your textbooks, but she was unable to find anything similar at her school.

repair instead of replace

I learned something today.  There is no need to call the appliance manufacturer to get a good repairperson.  Judging by today's experience using a local appliance repairman, its about twice as expensive to go with the manufacturer recommended repairperson. Of course, it is even cheaper to do your own repairs, but sometimes I either can't figure out what the problem is or can't understand the directions to solve the problem.

Neither my husband nor I are mechanically-inclined.  I've had my daughter help me put together toys and once a piece of furniture because she can follow diagrams and I can't.  My Dad didn't have a lot of training in fixing things, but he managed to repair nearly everything that broke when I was a kid.  If he couldn't figure it out, he got a book.

Here's a good link on when to replace an appliance.

dyi pest control and medical testing

The good news, AZO testing strips for urinary tract infection testing are really inexpensive via Amazon.com.  The bad news, unless I have burning sensation when I urinate, the doctor still performs her own test.  Oh well, at least I knew enough to go in when I had flu symptoms without fever.  That's how my UTI's seem to present.

Amazon also has a lot of pest control products, even for termites.  We have no evidence of termite problems, but I'm thinking of buying a test kit to check for their presence to be on the safe side.  I'm also probably going to get some granules to put outside to hopefully reduce the presence of spiders and ants inside the home.

How Money Messes with our Minds

http://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/info-04-2011/marketing-mind-tricks.print.html?ectid=bitlyified042620110937

10 Really Easy Ways to Unclog Drains

He doesn't even mention plungers!
http://www.wisebread.com/10-really-easy-ways-to-unclog-drains

Recipe for toothpaste from The Simple Dollar

"Over the years, I’ve tried various mixes to some degree of success. The trick for me has always been to find an easily repeatable way to make and then dispense the toothpaste.
The best recipe I’ve found is mixing 1/2 cup baking soda, 1/4 cup hydrogen peroxide, a packet of stevia (a natural sweetener that also is good for your teeth), and either a dash of cinnamon or a drop or two of peppermint oil (for flavor). Mix these together until they form a paste. If you need a bit more liquid, add a tiny bit more peroxide. If you need more solid for a thicker paste, add a bit more baking soda.
This stuff tastes quite good and leaves my mouth feeling really clean when I’m done with it.
For dispensing it, just head to the travel toiletries section of your local department store and pick out a small empty travel squirt container. If you have one of these, you can actually make the toothpaste right in the container, stirring it with a small stick (I use a chopstick), then putting the cap on and using it as a squeeze tube. Works like a charm."