Are you a renter? Does it seem like your rent is too high? Are others in your apartment complex all complaining about the rent being too high? Or are you a landlord and wondering if you raise your rent, you would be pricing yours property out of the market?

These are all legitimate questions both landlords and rents ask on a regular basis. Sometimes the answer is not so easy to find.

Then there is the questions like, “What percentage of my income should be going to rent, or my mortgage?” Can I really afford a bigger place?

Every Spring I set down and re-examine our insurance. This way I can be assured that we are getting the best possible price for the best possible coverage we need.

I look at insurance as a “Just in Case Something Bad Happens”.  Most of the time it does not happen, but I do not like to be out in the cold if something happens. I know that the government and mortgage companies do require a certain amount of insurance. It is more to protect the other guy and not myself.

On the one hand, duplicative or unnecessary insurance coverage should be avoided to avoid unnecessary premiums, thus wasting my money. On the other hand, at the same time, liability and uninsured coverage are extremely important to avoid personal losses and liability exposure due to catastrophic personal injuries. This can be a difficult balancing act when money is already tight.

We are weeks away from Christmas. I you are like me, I am thinking more about having enough money for Christmas than what is happen with mortgage. However,  for those who are still looking to buy a new home there is a few update I want to share with you.

Considering everything that has happen in the past few years. Loans given out to people who should not of have gotten. Other folks who found themselves out of work facing foreclosure. Banks and loan institutions have tighten what qualifies for a home loan.

Craig Ballhagen over at MyFirstBoiseHome.com wrote on his blog about how Idaho mortgage guidelines are constantly changing.  It is very important for future home buyers to take the time to be informed.

The following was posted on MyFirstBoiseHome.com. I felt that this information is so important in helping you save money, I have re-posted for you folks.

Real Estate looks a little different today than it did 5 years ago. We’ve seen some good times and we’ve seen some not so good times in real estate but the name of the game is adapting. We can all say we specialize in something but what we need to specialize in is what our clients and prospective clients need. And when I say specialize I mean be proficient, very proficient.

A few days ago, I was talking to a small group about some articles, that I am doing on how people are ditching large banks in exchange for smaller local banks. One of them spoke up and proceeded to tell up about all the advantages of a credit unions. After listening to what she said, I wanted to find out how valid were her points about credit unions.

The result of my research lead me to find 7 overwhelming reasons to put my money in a credit union as opposed to a bank. Those 7 reasons are what I have listed below.

Lower Fee – Since credit unions are member owned any profit gets distributed to the members in the form of dividends. This results in lower fee for overdrafts combared to non-credit union.

Once again, how much is enough? How much square footage does a person REALLY need?  How many rooms in a house are full of “stuff?”

“How can you have any pudding if you don’t eat yer’ meat?” (Pink Floyd).   It seems, these days, most people don’t want to eat their meat and just go straight for the pudding.  Everybody wants a “short cut” and nobody is willing to put in the time and sacrifice.  From dieting to spending habits, quick fixes are not the answer.

We continue to eat anything and everything, and at the end of the day, take a “pill” and do it all over again tomorrow.  This strategy will never work in the long run.  The only weight loss solution is to EAT LESS FOOD.  This is much too simple for some and they think that their situations are “different” and their problems are much more complex; hence the reason for the “Magic Pill” or gimmick.   True weight loss is a change of lifestyle (sacrifice).  Most refuse to make the change and will continue to go down the same destructive path—year in and year out.

How many people are living beyond their means?  How close are people to filing bankruptcy? Far too many are just a paycheck away.

According to Dr. Thomas Stanley, the author of “Stop Acting Rich,” most millionaires are millionaires because they live frugal lives. They have been saving money their entire lives.   The majority of millionaires don’t live in million-dollar homes or drive top-of-the-line luxury cars.

Any idiot can spend money.   It takes planning and discipline to save for the future.

Is there is any correlation between the percent of people who are late on their mortgage payments and the amount of calories consumed?
When a homeowner has problems making their mortgage payment at the end of a month, how short are they? Do they not have any money for the payment? Or is the struggling homeowner coming up just a few hundred short. With a mortgage payment of $1000, for example, that might only be $100-300.

If every month a consumer’s budget keeps coming up short, it is time a look at where the money is going.

One of the areas to look could be the monthly cost of food. Do you REALLY know how much of your paycheck is going into the fridge and eventually the mouth?