Natural Tips for Surviving Allergy Season

Natural Tips for Surviving Allergy Season

Last week, we talked about ways to use natural cleaners to reduce allergic reactions to chemicals. This week, we’re just going to focus on allergies since it’s Spring, and things are starting to bloom.

Have you found yourself reaching for the tissue box more yet?

 

Types of Allergies

• tree pollen
• mold
• flower pollen
• grasses

It can take seven years for an allergy to develop. So while you may have not been allergic to acacia trees when you were little, that big yellow puffball down the street may be making your eyes water  now. It’s a good idea to get checked by an allergist if you notice a change in your allergic reactions, such as if your allergies seem to be getting worse every year.

Some allergy seasons, it’s worse for everyone, so monitor the news as well.

 

Super Tips

Seven Tips from Cowrieshell

1. Start eliminating ALL mucous forming foods for the next 3 weeks, i.e. white flour, sugar, breads, pasta, bananas, tofu, milk, ice cream, chocolate, candy, sodas, cheese, etc.
2. Schedule a few colonics. At least 3-4 before spring arrives.
3. Google ‘Neti pots’, it’s a good tool to own.
4. Before having breakfast, drink a glass of warm water with half of a fresh lemon squeeze into it. This helps to alkaline your system, neutralizing the acids which accumulated in your body while you were sleeping.
5. Start juicing again if you stopped during the winter months.
6. Drink loose leaf herb teas and eat seasonal fruits for break-fast (breakfast) Also, be aware that bananas can be mucus forming.
7. Start taking a liquid B-12 supplement (stress formula).

More Quick Tips

If you take allergy medicine, start a few weeks before you know your allergies will hit. You can fight the symptoms better when your system is ready for it, and medicines like antihistamines need some time to build up.

Keep windows closed. Pollen and spores tend to be released in the early and mid-morning. So this also means that you should time outdoor activities as well. If your home gets stuffy, turn the air conditioner on a little earlier then normal. Or look into investing in a house fan. But if you’re allergic to molds and dust and other indoor allergens, throw open all the windows and doors and let the fresh air in.

Shower at the end of the day to get the pollen and spores off of you. Also, when you get home, change out of your clothes so you’re not getting the pollen all over the house.

Look into nasal irrigation to get the pollen and spores out of your nose as well.

Wash your pillowslips in hot water at least once a week.

If you want to work outdoors, like in your garden, wear a mask. No one will think it’s silly.  Look for a mask with a rating of N95 which means it filters out 95% of particles.
From HealthCentral:

Know your allergens. If you have some allergy symptoms during winter months you are probably allergic to dust mite, pets or mold spores. Indoor environmental controls may help you during the outdoor allergy seasons by reducing your response to these indoor triggers over night. Sometimes indoor triggers are more of a problem when the outdoor allergens pick up (a process called priming).

Don’t wait until you’re miserable.  If you know you historically get Spring allergies, talk to your doctor or allergist now so you can have the best tools to stay happy and healthy this season.
What are you allergic to? (and don’t say laundry or business meetings)

Sell Your Old Stuff In Consignment Stores

You’ve moved from an apartment to your first home, or you’re just ready to completely redecorate a room. What to do with the old stuff? You could list it on Craigslist, but then you’d have to meet up with someone who would probably want to haggle on the $10 price.  Or you could have a garage sale where the early birds knock on your door at 5:30am to see if you’re selling a vacuum.  Or you can let the problem be someone else’s, and you just take home the cash.  Consignment stores handle almost everything for you.

There are a few types of consignment stores. The first is the classic store where you leave your items, and they are responsible for selling.  The second type is more like a warehouse. They take your items and list them on eBay and manage the whole process for you including shipping.  Both take a percentage of the final sale price or a flat fee.

Another major positive is that the furniture is out of your house immediately allowing you to repaint, wallpaper, re-carpet, or even change over to wood flooring before buying new furniture. (Or if you’re in a consignment store and see something even better, you can bring it home right away)

eBay Drop Off Stores

Companies like iSold It provide customers with an easy, hassle-free way to sell items online. To find one near you, use an online directory like eBay Drop Off Stores or the eBay Trading Assistant.

Organizational expert Peter Walsh, from TLC’s “Clean Sweep,” confirms the trend. “eBay drop-off stores like iSold It are really the hot new trend in home organization,” he notes. “For occasions such as that yearly cleaning, they provide an easy way for you to get that clutter out of your house and earn some extra cash.”

According to a recent PEW Internet and American Life Project survey, only 22% of online American adults have used the Internet to sell items. eBay drop-off stores professionally photograph the item, write descriptive copy, list it online, collect payment and then pack and ship the item. Once the transaction is complete, the seller receives a check in the mail. For many drop-off stores there are no up-front charges; instead, commission is charged once the item sells.

The commissions can run from 25-40%, so do some research and decide what you want to receive for the item.

Classic Consignment Stores

Often, consignment stores are broken up into types of stores such as furniture and housewares, clothing, and baby items. The good news is that items often sell very quickly in consignment stores so you get paid quickly.
From the Fun Times Guide:

I would, however, recommend consignment shops for buying and selling furniture and housewares! No joke.

I’ve probably sold household items through consignment shops about a half-dozen times in Texas, Florida and here in Nashville (actually Franklin).

In my experience, you can find huge discounts on name-brand, good-quality furniture, decorations, and household accessories. (Think, big mirrors, coffee tables, framed prints, decorative throw pillows, knick knacks, and of course furniture — sofas, chairs, bedroom furniture, bookshelves, etc.).

In fact, items sell so quickly at the furniture-type consignment shops I’ve been to that you have to grab something the first time you see it (if you’re buying), and you get a hefty paycheck right away (if you’re selling).
Overall, I’ve had excellent experiences, both shopping and selling. And I’ve gotten great deals both ways.

TIP: You can find some really great deals on furniture, housewares, and baby items at the consignment shops located in trendier, more upscale neighborhoods. If there’s one several miles away, it’s usually worth the drive!

So, what do you need to know

Read the contracts carefully and know what you’re getting yourself into.  Some consignment stores require you to forfeit your rights to the piece and they can dispose of it in any way they like after two months. Different stores have different fees and commissions. Some places will pick up the furniture for you, and others won’t.

The bottom line is how much effort do you want to put into selling your old furniture. And, chances are good that you will make a larger profit selling through consignment than you would through a garage sale.  Plus, you don’t have to have anyone over to your home like you would through craigslist.

Would you use the money for more furniture or for a vacation?

This Week’s Market Commentary

This week brings us the release of only three pieces of monthly economic data that is relevant to mortgage rates in addition to two Treasury auctions. One of the economic reports is considered highly important to the markets, but the others are not likely to be market movers. We still could see a fair amount of movement in mortgage rates though, especially if stocks make a sizable move upward or downward.

Nothing of concern is due today or Tuesday morning, leaving bond trading to be driven by the stock markets the first part of the week. If the major stock indexes move higher, we will probably see funds move away from bonds and into stocks. This would lead to higher mortgage rates as bond prices and yields move in opposite directions. Mortgage rates tend to follow bond yields, so we prefer to see bond prices go up, pushing rates lower.

The week’s first release is one of the more important ones we get each month. The Commerce Department will post January’s Retail Sales data early Wednesday morning. This report is very important to the financial markets because it measures consumer spending. Since consumer spending makes up over two-thirds of the U.S. economy, any related data is watched quite closely. If Wednesday’s report reveals weaker than expected retail-level sales, the bond market should thrive and mortgage rates will fall since it would be a sign that the economy is not as strong as many had thought. However, a stronger reading than the 0.1% increase that is expected could lead to higher mortgage rates Wednesday.

January’s Industrial Production data will be released mid-morning Friday. It gives us a measurement of manufacturing sector strength by tracking output at U.S. factories, mines and utilities and can have a moderate impact on the financial markets. Analysts are expecting to see a 0.2% increase in production from December to January. A decline in output would be good news and should push bond prices higher, lowering mortgage rates Friday.

February’s preliminary reading to the University of Michigan’s Index of Consumer Sentiment will be released late Friday morning. This index measures consumer willingness to spend and also usually has a moderate impact on the financial markets. If it shows an increase in consumer confidence, the stock markets may move higher and bond prices could fall. It is currently expected to come in at 73.5, down slightly from January’s final reading of 73.8. That would indicate consumers were a little less optimistic about their own financial situations than last month and are less likely to make large a purchase in the near future. Since consumer spending makes up over two-thirds of the U.S. economy, this would be considered slightly favorable news for bonds and mortgage pricing.

The two important Treasury auctions come Wednesday and Thursday when 10-year Notes and 30-year Bonds are sold. The 10-year sale is the more important of the two as it will give us an indication for demand of mortgage-related securities. If the sales are met with a strong demand from investors, we should see the bond market move higher during afternoon trading the days of the auctions. But a lackluster interest from buyers, particularly international investors, would indicate a waning appetite for longer-term U.S. securities and lead to broader bond selling. The selling in bonds would likely result in upward afternoon revisions to mortgage rates.

Overall, I believe we will see the most movement in rates the middle part of the week. There is a small improvement waiting for Monday’s open if your lender did not improve pricing Friday afternoon when the bond market strengthened during late trading. The Dow closed just under 14,000 Friday, so we will also be watching it for an indication of bond movement. I believe that failure to break above that level could mean a downward leg in stocks that would boost bond prices and improve mortgage rates. I see Wednesday as the likely candidate for the most important day and Tuesday being the least active, assuming stocks remain calm most of the week. However, despite it being a relatively light week in terms of economic releases, I still recommend maintaining contact with your mortgage professional of still floating an interest rate.

How Often Does Your Credit Score Change?

This is a question we often get during the mortgage process.  A credit check may have uncovered some incorrect information, and you get it updated.  So how fast will it change?

What is a Credit Score

Per the reporting agencies (TransUnion, Equifax, and Expperian), your score is a snapshot of your current credit report as well as how many pulls you have had on your report.  For example, from Yahoo:

“Right now it’s 11:40 my time,” said Rod Griffin, director of public relations for Experian, when I interviewed him for this story. “Let’s say a lender requested your credit report right now. If you apply for credit (again) in an hour your credit report could be different,” he says, referring to the inquiry that would have been generated when the first lender accessed my credit information.

“Credit reports can change as often as every day if there is new information provided to the credit bureaus,” says Barry Paperno, community director for Credit.com.
If you want to be technical about it, you don’t really have a credit report on file with the credit reporting agencies to begin with. Explains Griffin: “We have information from each of the lenders, and we go out to our databases and compile information from those databases when a credit report is requested. Your credit report represents a snapshot of your credit history at any given point in time.”

That means that the information is available in the credit reporting agencies’ (CRAs) databases at the time a credit report is requested is the information that will be reported. “You don’t have a credit report until you apply for credit and it’s requested,” Griffin says.

But it’s not like checking your online bank account and seeing the debit card purchase you made a few minutes ago in your running balance. “It’s not real time,” says Griffin.

So What Do You Recommend?

• Set up payment reminders so you never have a late payment again.  Do remember that a lot of credit card companies want the payment a few days before the due date to have time to process it.  It’s not fair since they say it’s due on a certain date, but it’s best be a few days early.
• Set up automatic payments using online banking where you can.
• Reduce the amount of debt you  owe.
• Check your credit report annually.  You can get your free report here.  Now, this won’t give you a score unless you pay for it.  But you can at least look for mistakes which do happen.
• Get your credit report 3-6 months before applying for a major loan.
• Be patient.  It can take 30-60 days for information to be updated on a credit report after you’ve made changes (like paying off a student loan, or had disputed information resolved)

8 Surprising Things That Impact Your Credit

And what would a post be without some trivia.  This is from Credit.com blog:

1. Renting a car
2. Applying for credit (even when you aren’t rejected)
3. Disputing an account
4. Having credit cards, but no loans
5. Just a single late payment
6. Closing an account
7. Divorce
8. Late library books

What other questions do you have about your credit report and score?

What Happens to Your Donated Items

Many of us are addicted to watching Storage Wars.  In the earlier seasons, they’d show Dave Hester’s operation for sorting through all the massive amounts of items from his lockers.  He mentioned how he had to do some community service at a place like Goodwill and Salvation Army, and learned how they sort through donations, and applied that assembly line process to his store.

So, we bet you were wondering what happens when you drop off a box somewhere.

Types of Stores

While it can go by many names, the purpose of a thrift store is to sell donated items in order to fund a charity or a cause.  It’s often called hospice shop, resale shop, charity shop, thrift shop or thrift store.  In Australia and New Zealand, it’s called an op shop for “opportunity shop.”  These shops are staffed by volunteers.

For a directory of Thrift Stores, check out the Thrift Shopper’s National Directory.

If you have questions, ask at the front counter what cause they are supporting.  If they have none, you’re in a second hand store (like Dave Hester had)

Some religious and spiritual organizations also accept charitable donations, but they are more limited in what they accept.  The items are then passed out to the needy.  You should check directly with the organization for their guidelines.

 

What to Donate

First, find out if your organization accepts what you want to donate.
Here’s a list from the Salvation Army:

Clothing, Toys & Furniture Donations Dos and Don’ts

• Do test all electrical and battery-operated equipment to make sure it is still working prior to donation
• Do include all manuals, if available
• Do include all pieces and/or parts
• Do donate items in clean, non-soiled condition
• Do call ahead of time if dropping items off at a center or store
• Do bring an itemized list of your donation and ask for a receipt
• Do NOT donate broken or soiled items
• Do NOT leave items outside a collection box or center
• Do NOT donate items that have been recalled or banned or which otherwise
• Do NOT donate items that do not meet current safety standards
• Do NOT donate items that have scratches, rips and/or tears

 

Once It’s Donated

First, the items have to be sorted into type: clothing, household, furniture, etc.  From there, they evaluate if the item needs to be cleaned, recycled or thrown away.

The clothing then gets sorted into sizes and marked.

Then the item gets priced.

If it’s a large organization, they may have one central clearinghouse for donated items, and then try to ensure a good stock in each store.

What’s your favorite organization where you donate?

This Week’s Market Commentary

This week brings us little to drive bond trading and mortgage rates. There is only one monthly economic report scheduled, which is considered to be of low importance to the markets anyhow. That would give the appearance that we are in for a quiet week for mortgage rates, but I don’t believe this will be the case. There probably will be less activity and movement than we saw last week. However, I suspect that we will still end up seeing a fair amount of movement in rates between Monday’s opening and Friday’s closing.

There is nothing of importance scheduled to be posted Monday or Tuesday. This means that the stock markets will probably dictate bond direction there first part of the week. If the major stock indexes rally again, they will pressure bonds leading to higher mortgage rates. However, stock weakness should allow bond prices to rise and mortgage rates to improve.

Besides the sole monthly economic report late in the week, we also have two Treasury auctions that have the potential to influence mortgage pricing. They will be held Wednesday and Thursday when 10-year Notes and 30-year Bonds are sold. The 10-year sale is the more important of the two as it will give us a better indication for demand of mortgage-related securities. If the sales are met with a strong demand from investors, we should see the bond market move higher during afternoon trading the days of the auctions. But a lackluster interest from buyers, particularly international investors, would indicate a waning appetite for longer-term U.S. securities and lead to broader bond selling. The selling in bonds would likely result in upward revisions to mortgage rates.

Also worth noting is some news from overseas before the markets open Thursday. The Bank of England’s monetary policy announcement (equivalent to our FOMC) will be released at 7:15 AM ET while the European Central Bank will announce at 7:45 AM ET. The ECB will draw the most attention as global investors are extremely concerned about the Eurozone and what actions will be taken to shore up some of its’ member’s finances. We should be on alert for a reaction in the bond and mortgage markets if they yield any surprises.

November’s Goods and Services Trade Balance will be posted early Friday morning. It measures the size of the U.S. trade deficit and is expected to show a $41.8 billion deficit. This data usually does not directly affect mortgage rates, but it does influence the value of the U.S. dollar versus other currencies. A stronger dollar makes U.S. securities more attractive to international investors because they are worth more when sold and converted to the investor’s domestic currency. But unless we see a significant variance from forecasts, I don’t believe this data will lead to a change in mortgage rates Friday.

Overall, it would be easy to say this will be a calm week for the mortgage markets due to the lack of important or highly influential events scheduled. I would not be surprised to see stocks move lower for the week, helping to push funds back into bonds. We saw some improvement in bonds late Friday, so if your lender did not improve rates during afternoon trading, you have an improvement of approximately .125 – .250 of a discount point waiting at Monday’s opening. That could shrink or get larger depending on how the markets perform during early morning trading, but there is a decent possibility of starting the week off in the right direction. With the benchmark 10-year Treasury Note currently yielding 1.90%, I believe there is more likelihood of seeing bonds improve (pushing yields and mortgage rates lower) in the immediate future than seeing them move lower (raising yields and mortgage pricing). Of course, this is just speculation and only an opinion, so please maintain contact with your mortgage professional if still floating an interest rate.

 

Happy Boxing Day

We hope you received everything you wanted for Christmas.  Today is Boxing Day.  The joke currently is it’s the day when you box everything up you don’t want and take it back to the store.  In reality, Boxing Day is traditionally when  servants and tradesmen would receive gifts from their superiors.  It’s unknown when it first started, but there is evidence that dates it back to the middle ages.  Since the servants would have to wait upon their masters on Christmas Day, they were given the 26th off to visit family.

Historians suspect it goes back to Roman times when people would put coins, food, and clothing in metal boxes outside of churches for the Feast of St. Stephen.  We sing about the Feast of St. Stephen in the carol Good King Wenceslas who was a king in Czech from 907-935.

Christmas Wrappings

You’ve probably gathered up all of the ribbons and bows and wrapping paper.  But did you know:

• Average number of presents wrapped by an adult each holiday season: 15
• Wrapping paper and shopping bags thrown away each holiday season: 4 million tons
• Annual sales for the gift wrap industry: $2.6 billion (ok, we have birthdays too)
• Christmas cards soled each year in the U.S.: 2.65 billion (and if you stacked them all up, it would be 10 stories tall)
• In one survey, 53% said that they’ve saved and re-used wrapping paper. (obviously not the stuff opened by small children in a frenzy)
• Amount of ribbon thrown away each year: 38,000 miles (enough to tie a bow around the Earth)

 

Other Trivia

• 12.9 million fake trees were purchased in 2011 at an average cost of $78.  The average lifespan of an artificial tree is 10 years.
• 21.6 million real trees were purchased in 2011 at an average cost of $46.
• So if you bought a fake tree, by year 3, you’ve gotten back your investment.  For some, like those with allergies, fake is the only way to go.  For others, real trees are the only choice.  16% of those people prefer to cut their own tree.
• And it’s a real mood booster no matter which way because 87% of Americans say that Christmas decorating makes them happy, and in 2011, 71% of U.S. households decorated for Christmas.

And you can have a lot of (cheap) fun driving around local neighborhoods in the evening and admiring the colorful displays.  Did your neighborhood put up lights this year?