Dumb Things To Do With Your Tax Refund

It's not often in life that we get lump sums of cash, and the temptation is great to do the wrong thing. According to the Internal Revenue Service, the average American's refund for tax year was about $3,000, a slight increase over the previous year. But whatever you're expecting, there are smart things you can do with it, as well as things that aren't so smart. Here's a quick checklist.

Spending it rather than investing it. Getting a lump sum of cash is a great time to consider investing, especially in a tax-advantaged vehicle like an IRA or other account that will allow your earnings to grow tax-deferred.

Not paying down debt. Every dollar you pay in interest makes your credit card company or other lender richer. Every dollar of debt you pay off makes you richer. If you're paying 15% interest on a credit card, paying it off is the same thing as earning 15%, tax-free and risk-free.

Not using it to generate a tax credit for next year. Can't stand the thought of not going shopping? Then buy something that will improve your home and generate a tax credit at the same time. Example? A solar water heater might set you back $3,000 to $5,000. But it will save you about 20% on your electric bill every month for years to come, and get you a tax credit next year equaling 30% of the cost. If you spend $4,000 on a solar water heater, next year's tax bill will be $1,200 lower.

Failing to create a memory. Take $3,000, deposit it in your checking account, and then gradually use it in dribs and drabs. When it's over, what do you have? Nothing. If you're determined to blow your tax refund, at least buy a memory with it. Go whitewater rafting on the Snake River. Go on a cruise. Do anything except letting your windfall slowly blow away.

Not doing something to improve yourself. Maybe it's time to take that class that will prepare you for a better job, or get that computer or software that might help you make some money on the side. Even a new suit that might get you noticed at work. There's something you can do that will pay dividends.

Using it to create more debt. Using your tax refund as a down payment   on a car or other type of loan -- especially the kind used to purchase a depreciating asset -- should top the list of dumb things to do, especially if    it's unnecessary.

Using it to sustain an unsustainable lifestyle. If you're one of the millions of Americans who pays a fee to get a refund anticipation loan because you need the money instantly, that's a sign you're in over your head. Do some reading on refund loans and resolve to never again pay a tax preparer to get your refund. Then do what you can to reverse the dire financial situation that's making an instant refund necessary. (Adopted From http://money.msn.com/saving-money-tips/)

Recipe Of The Month: Peanut Butter Balls

There are lots of peanut butter ball recipes out there, but this isn’t one of the really sweet candy ones that has powder sugar in it. This one has healthier ingredients. Parents like them. Kids love them!

  Ingredients:                               

• 3/4 cup peanut butter                     
• 1/2  cup honey                                 
• 1/2  cup dry powder milk
• 1/2 cup toasted wheat germ

Directions:

Mix those 4 ingredients together. Then add some or all of the following (according to your family’s liking) to the mix: peanuts, chocolate chips, raisins, coconut, or ground flax seed. Roll into balls.

Refrigerate to firm and you can store them in the frig - if they last that long!

Can Dog Aromatherapy Products Change Your Pets Mood?

Aromatherapy has been used for decades to soothe human beings, but more recently, pet owners are realizing the incredible value of using dog aromatherapy to help dogs live happier, more contented lives.

What is Dog Aromatherapy? Smells affect us drastically and since dogs have a far keener sense of smell, it stands to reason that aromas would have a powerful effect on them as well. This therapy is possibly even more effective than human aromatherapy for this very reason.

The use of essential oils and essential oil blends is the basis of aromatherapy of all types. However, it isn't necessary to use it as is. Many products exist for applying the essential oil in a more diluted fashion. Using shampoo or a specially formulated spray for your dog can work wonders. Often pet owners find that combining a warm bath with a good aromatherapy blend is the best way to treat their dogs.
Does It Actually Work? You may be skeptical about the effect of dog aromatherapy, but it is definitely worth a try. If your dog tends to be hyper, nervous or anxious, try giving him a bath with a soothing essential oil soap &  you'll notice a big difference.
Calming a pet isn't the only use for dog aromatherapy, though. In fact, there are so many uses for this wonderful therapy that no matter why your dog's mood, you can improve it.

• Increase appetite. For dogs who aren't interested in food, a good aromatherapy treatment can boost their appetite and get them eating again.
• Soothing. For the nervous dog, a calming treatment works wonders and can even help your dog sleep better.
• Energizing. For older, lethargic dogs, the right scent can perk them right up and give them some extra pep. This is a very handy way to energize your tired canine before a walk.
• Healing. When your dog isn't in good health, it`s hard to know what to do for them, but there are dog aromatherapy treatments for many of the more common ailments, including nausea and cough.
• Pain relief. For dogs with arthritis, aromatherapy can be very effective in alleviating the pain and making them more comfortable.

A great benefit that most pet owners don't consider before getting into dog aromatherapy is that they will also be  affected by the aromas. If you are using a peppermint essential oil to energize your dog, you'll find yourself having more energy, as well! It's a fun side effect of treating your dog & can be very relaxing as you share this experience with your canine friend. Choose essential oil blends that you can both enjoy for a true bonding experience. Dog aromatherapy may be a fairly new addition to pet therapies, but it is an effective one. Experiment with different essential oil blends & products to find which ones work best with your dog. (Adopted From www.articlesbase.com)

The Reel Team’s Helpful Apps...

Wunderlist - No matter what needs to be done, from shopping lists to projects and to dos – there is Wunderlist to manage it all. Use it everywhere – Manage your tasks while you‘re on the go. It works on your iPhone, Android, the iPad, on PC & Mac or  online. Don‘t like to work alone? Share with others.  Invite others to join. Share your tasks and lists by email or invite your friends, colleagues or co-workers to work with you in Wunderlist (www.wunderlist.com)

Bump Technologies - Use Bump™ to share contact information and photos by simply bumping two phones together. Just open Bump, hold your phones, and gently bump  your hands together -- Bump will magically do all the rest. (http://bu.mp)

Pandora Radio is free personalized radio that only plays music you’ll love. Just start with the name of one of your favorite artists, songs or classical composers and Pandora will create a custom "station" that plays similar music. (www.pandora.com)

Scan Pages (IPhone App) - Scan documents, forms, whiteboards, magazines, signs, product labels using Scan Pages iPhone application. Scan Pages organizes and cleans your mobile images and allows you to combine them in a pdf file and store in Google Docs, Evernote, Dropbox or share via E-mail. No registration is required. Make pdf from    multiple images. Clean, rectify mobile images to make it easier to read and print. Combine multiple images and share via e-mail, send to Google Docs, Evernote, or  DropBox (http://www.crc.ricoh.com/apps)

How To Strengthen Family Life!

Have you ever noticed that you can find a lot of material on how to get married, but very little on how to stay married? What can a family do to   increase their bonds? There are three aspects to family life which can be  used to strengthen it: family meals, family projects and family rituals.

The Family Meal - The family meal is a recurrent and fundamental aspect of the family's life. And what happens in its course is more than a dietary procedure. It is while seated around the dining-room table that the family may be at its greatest ease, both physically and psychologically; that it is held together for definite periods of time; that it becomes engrossed in common objectives; and that it has fewer distractions than at most other times.

Family Projects - If most contemporary families no longer work together in the  common task of operating a farm or small business, there are many leisure-time projects in which they may engage as family groups. Modern life is rich with a variety of such projects that are available, and the automobile combines with the shortened working day and week to make feasible participation in them.

The list of such projects is endless: a family orchestra, a camping trip, a family basketball team, a family art exhibit, barber-shop harmony around the piano, father-son workshops in the basement, a family reading circle, the breeding of dogs or other animals, church activity, a golfing foursome, family games, a flower or vegetable garden.

Family Rituals - There is a form of family behavior which is so recurrent as to suggest the term habit and yet it has additional aspects or features not usually associated with that term. They are habits, plus. The plus includes two things. First, the repetition has to be exact. It isn't enough to do the thing about or approximately the same way each time; it has to be done exactly the same way. Second, this exact repetition is accompanied by a definite sense of approval. This is the right, the proper, way.

These habits plus are called family rituals, and are patterns of family life, noticeable for their precise repetition, even to the point of becoming quite rigid, like a rite or ceremony in religious worship. Rituals are of many different kinds. They grow out of the family's collective experience, and may develop in connection with almost any aspect of family life. Most of them, however, cluster around holidays, anniversaries, meals, vacations, religious worship, entertainment, and group ways of using leisure time. Often they are a heritage from the preceding generation, modified perhaps to  fit into altered circumstances.

Following the above guidelines, family life can be greatly strengthened if a little time and effort are put into family meals, projects and rituals. (Adopted From http://www.articlesbase.com)

Vitamins For The Mind! Change Your Life One Minute At A Time

If you are serious about making a change in your life you don't have to make some drastic 180 degree shift in your life and turn your life upside down. Think of all those New Year’s resolutions you have made at the beginning of the year and how motivated you were to  go out and get started on them right away. How often we find that after a few weeks we start to lose momentum and before you know it our New Year’s resolutions are in the scrap heap and just a past memory. The reason overhauling your life often isn't sustainable in the long term is that it produces too much shock to your lifestyle and it impacts on your lifestyle so suddenly and drastically that it is difficult to maintain in the long run.

Instead you need to think of making 1 degree shifts in your life. If you were to start at point A and make 1 degree shifts to the left each day, in the beginning the 1 degree shifts is so small that you don't even notice it. It has little impact to your lifestyle but over time with those 1 degree shifts starting to compound on each other you will stop and realize that you now going on a whole new path.

  

That is the idea behind making changes in your life one minute at a time or one day at a time. Don't try to make huge overhauls in your life but instead make one or two changes each day to get you closer to where you want to go. If you can make one consistent positive change each day then that's 365 changes per year. What if you decided today to create a new habit   of reading. Maybe start by reading something educational for 15 min. every morning. That  15 min. each day will equate to maybe a half a dozen books per year, think of the extra knowledge that you will have. We all have 15 min. to spare each day, even if you have to do it while sitting in the toilet during your morning routine!

Once you start approaching changes in your life this way you will give yourself more time to get accustomed to it and a better chance for it to become habit and therefore apart of your life! —Anthony Robbins (Adopted From http://www.tsconnection.org)

Age Brings Insights On Life…

• Time may be a great healer, but it's a lousy beautician.
• I plan on living forever. So far, so good.
• Life not only begins at forty, it also begins to show.
• Conscience is what hurts when everything else feels so good.
• A day without sunshine is like night.
• Talk is cheap because supply exceeds demand.
• In just two days, tomorrow will be yesterday.
• Even if you are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.
• Politicians and diapers have one thing in common. They should both be changed regularly and for the same reason.
• An optimist thinks that this is the best possible world. A pessimist fears that this is true.
• There will always be death and taxes; however, death doesn't get worse every year.
• If marriage were outlawed, only outlaws would have in-laws.
• It's frustrating when you know all the answers, but nobody bothers to ask you the questions.
• The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right time, but also to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.
• Brain cells come and brain cells go, but fat cells live forever.
• Age doesn't always bring wisdom. Sometimes age comes alone.
• You don't stop laughing because you grow old, you grow old because you stopped laughing
• What happens to a man is less significant than what happens within him. (Adopted From http://www.emmitsburg.net/humor)

Reel Partner Of The Month! - Inventory Lady

Inventory Lady Wants Everyone To Be Aware May Is Home Inventory Awareness Month! We Do Not Want YOU To Be In This Postion…

Remember Henryville & Marysville March 2012?

Special Offer If You Mention The Reel Team!
Special Pricing Of .40 Per Sq Ft (20% Discount) For A Standard Home Inventory For Appointments Booked In April For May Inventories. This Would Make A Great Mother’s Day Gift!! 50% Deposit At Time Of Booking - Balance Due When Draft Copy Delivered.

 

317 572-8177 - www.inventorylady.com

Ask The Reel Team - Why Should You Work With a REALTOR® When You Buy?

There are many compelling reasons to use a real estate agent when you buy a home:  (Adopted From www.talktotucker.com)

• They have access to the Broker's Listing Cooperating (BLC) which allows them to search for available homes that meet your criteria.
• They will handle the administrative details of scheduling showings for the homes you would like to see.
• They save you time by providing you with information about schools, neighborhoods, etc.
• When you find a home you think you might be interested in, they can use the BLC to find out the list prices of other homes for sale in the area as well as the sales prices of those that have recently sold. This can help you determine  the fair market value of the home before you make an offer.
• They will guide you through the maze of offers and counteroffers, inspections and amendments-always looking out for your best interests. Their advice and insight in these areas can help you avoid potential pitfalls and may save you from costly errors. Your agent will know, for example, which items in the home need to be included in the purchase agreement; some items can be assumed to stay with the house while others must be specifically stipulated. If the inspection uncovers problems, your agent will help you negotiate changes with the seller. Most real estate agents will not tell you what to do, but their training, previous experiences, and    professional contacts can help you make better, more informed decisions.
• They can help you find a reputable mortgage company (ex.—Sagamore Home Mortgage).
• They will explain the closing process and all of the paperwork involved.