Have you made any New Year's
resolutions about your lifestyle habits? The kind where you say, "I resolve to eat better / get quality sleep / exercise daily / etc."
I have. And I've noticed that almost all these resolutions come down to willpower. I don't know about you, but I find it incredibly hard to simply will myself
to change a habit, even when it's a terrible habit. But I read
something recently that gives me hope--and a methodology to follow.
Science tells us that we develop habits when we allow our environment to
support our choices, repeatedly, until they become habitual. An obvious
example is having junk food in the house, which supports poor eating
habits.
So to adopt a new habit, one thing I can do is hijack my environment. Figure out how to make it support the habit I do want.
If I don't want to eat junk food, how can I set up my environment to
support healthy eating? If I want to save more money, how can I set it
up to support less spending and more saving? If I want to listen more to
my spouse, how can I set it up to support quality communication?
I've only just started this process, and I'm learning that there are
limits on how far I'm willing to go to change my environment. Remove the
TV from the house? Cut up the credit cards? It's an interesting
personal journey.
If this idea appeals to you, then I wish you good luck in hijacking your environment for the habits you want in 2021. ~Mardin
WIN A $5 GIFT CARD
It's easy to play! Just send your answer to the question below. Correct entries are entered into a monthly drawing.
A man was born on January 1st, 23 B.C. and died January 2nd, 23 A.D. How old did he live to be?(this is a tricky one...try it before you look it up)
Last month's word picture answers:
Downstairs, For (4) Sale, Split level, Roofline.
WHY PAYING OFF DEBT LOWERS YOUR CREDIT SCORE
It's counter-intuitive. You finally pay off your auto loan or close your
credit card, then eagerly check your credit score to see how it's
risen...only to see that it's actually fallen by as much as 10 to 20
points!
The reason for the drop is that you've removed a credit line, so your overall credit management picture looks worse. Remember, a credit score measures your management of credit, not the absence of credit.
Advice for Keeping a Higher Credit Score
If you have a credit card, don't close the account. Pay it down completely or almost completely, but leave it open.
If
you have an auto loan, don't rush to pay it off. Wait until after you
get your home loan, then pay it off (if you still have the cash, that
is).
If
you have an auto loan, but no credit cards, consider opening a credit
card or two, charging one thing under 20% of your limit, then paying it
off over one or two months. But also keep in mind the age of your credit
cards may affect your credit, too. Here's some additional advice about credit cards and credit usage.
NOW MAY NOT BE THE BEST TIME TO FLIP
If you’re buying a home now to resell in a few years for a profit, you
might be disappointed. As in any real estate market, to make a profit,
you need to pay well under current market value, or hope prices keep
rising. But prices may not keep rising in coming years, and "deals" are
harder to find because of low inventory.
Your best bets for investing in physical property now (if you can't find a deal) are to...
Buy
property you can improve in a way that significantly raises its value,
such as by adding square footage, or converting it to a duplex.
Buy
property that you can hold as a rental for a long period of time.
You'll want to make sure rents cover the mortgage, and likely will need
to contribute 20% or more as the down payment.
Contact me to discuss your thoughts about buying local investment property. Mardin, (408) 210-2073, info@amirirealty.com
JUST FOR FUN
A LESSON ABOUT OBJECT LESSONS
A science teacher determined a visual demonstration would add emphasis
to his lesson on healthy living for tomorrow's class. For the
demonstration, he watered his lawn in the evening, then at night, he
visited his back yard with flashlight and carefully selected four fat
worms.
He placed the four worms into four separate jars
The first jar contained scotch whiskey.
The second jar was full of cigarette smoke.
The third jar was full of melted chocolate.
The fourth jar was full of good clean soil.
During his class the next day, the teacher showed the four jars and reviewed what happened.
The worm in the jar of whiskey was dead.
The worm in the jar of smoke was dead.
The worm in the jar of chocolate was dead.
The worm in the jar of clean soil was alive and well.
So the teacher asked the class what lesson they can take from this
demonstration. From the back of the room, one smart student responded: "As long as you drink, smoke and eat chocolate, you won't have worms!"
Best answer of the day.
SOY, ALMOND, OAT, RICE, OR COCONUT...WHAT IS ALTERNATIVE MILK?
The supermarket offers us an array of alternative non-dairy "milks." The
most common are soy, almost, oat, rice, and coconut milk, none of which
are actually milk. Instead, they're made by soaking the plant's fruited
bits (nuts or grains) in water. The resulting cloudy water is the
"milk."
Some of these milks may include blending the fruit before soaking, and
then straining out larger particles, leaving only the liquid. The liquid
has a creaminess that, with imagination, can seem like milk. It can be
used to soak your cereal and makes a great base for smoothies, and many
people like the taste as a drink by itself.
There are health differences between these milks, and all must be
fortified with calcium and vitamin D if you're using them to replace
milk in your diet. Explore the nutritional profile of each milk before
settling on one you like.
