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[ad_1] I spent some time the past few days reviewing my goals for 2022 and was so thrilled with the progress I made in July! Here’s an update on each goal: Myself 1. Go through 5 She Reads Truth studies for the year. (I’ve been loving going through these studies again this past year, but I realized that it’s better for me to go through much more slowly than what they designate the pace should be. I usually take 2-4 days on each day and that’s worked out well for me so that I’m really soaking the verses and learning from the passages.) July update: So far this year, I’ve done the Old Testament study, the New Testament study, the Do Not Fear study, the One Another study, the Hosea study, and I finished the Armor of God study in July. I’m doing the Deuteronomy study right now. 2. Finish at least 4 books a month. (Last year, I set the audacious goal of reading three books per week. I ended up falling very short of that. So this year, I decided to set a much more realistic goal. I hope to exceed this goal by a lot, but we’ll see! And if you missed it, I’m setting monthly goals instead of yearly goals for reading — and I’m really excited about this approach!) July update: I finished 9 books in January, 6 books in February, 9 books in March, and 4 books in April, and 5 books in May, 6 books in June, and 4 books in July! You can see all my book review posts here. 3. Complete at least 1 craft per month. (I plan to use some of the craft kits that I’ve gotten from Annie’s Creative Girls’ Club and Annie’s Creative Woman Craft Club. Since so many of you purchased the fantastic deals I posted from them, they signed me up for both subscriptions as a thank you! While crafting is not something I’m really gifted at, I find that it is relaxing for me and something that challenges creative parts of my brain that I don’t use very often!) July update: I made stacking bracelets in January, a pillow in February, another stacking bracelets kit in March, an Easter craft in April, did a painting night in May with some other foster mom friends, made Backpack Dangles in June, and did homemade gift sacks in July. Motherhood 4. Have a monthly date with each of the three older kids. (I’m planning on having the kids help me decide what they’d like to do each month. I love hanging out with my kids and I cherish our time together even more as they get older.) July update: Kathrynne and I hung out until late one night, Kaitlynn and I went and got our nails done, and Silas and I watched a movie together. 5. Read 10 chapter books aloud to Kierstyn and Baby D. (I’ve been reading a chapter from a read-aloud book each afternoon before their naps + the reading we are doing as part of Kierstyn’s preschool. While they are little and much of it is over their heads, I love to establish this habit when my kids are tiny so that it becomes an important part of their family culture for the most formative years of their life. Plus, it’s fun for me!) July update: So far this year we’ve finished The Jesus Storybook Bible, Little House in the Big Woods, The Imagination Station book #3, and we’re currently reading The Fantastic Mr. Fox. Marriage 6. Have a monthly date with Jesse. (While we hope to occasionally get an actual date night out, with multiple little kids, we want to be realistic… so we plan to at least do one Date Night in a Box kit at home every month — even if we can’t get out for a real date every month). July update: Jesse and I went driving together and grabbed food. We also watched a movie together. MoneySavingMom 7. Finish my next book draft. (The first draft is due to my publisher mid-February. Then, we’ll be going through multiple rounds of edits before it goes to the printers. It’s slated to release in spring 2023!) July update: I turned in my book draft in February, met with my editor in March about edits, and turned in the first big round of edits in April! In May, they accepted my edited manuscript and I finished my second and third round of edits in July. [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] Tuesday’s housing starts report clearly shows that homebuilders are going to be done with single-family construction until mortgage rates fall. Housing completion data is still struggling to get some traction, but in the coming months, builders should be able to get more housing completions done while housing permits and starts for single-family homes are in decline. If it wasn’t for solid rental demand boosting multifamily construction this year — 18% year to date —this data line would have looked much worse. From Census:  Privately‐owned housing starts in July were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,446,000.  This is 9.6 percent (±8.6 percent) below the revised June estimate of 1,599,000 and is 8.1 percent (±11.9 percent)* below the July 2021 rate of 1,573,000.  Single‐family housing starts in July were at a rate of 916,000; this is 10.1 percent (±10.8 percent)* below the revised June figure of 1,019,000. The July rate for units in buildings with five units or more was 514,000. Of course, housing starts today aren’t collapsing in the way they did from the peak of 2005 because we haven’t had a sales credit boom in recent years as we did from 2002-2005, which inflated new home sales toward 1.4 million. Currently, we are in a much different housing recession than what we had from 2005-2011. The credit cycle looks much different now than the build-up from 2002-2005.Why do I call it a housing recession? A recession is when total activity falls to a point where production reverses and jobs are lost. For now, the homebuilders will keep labor because they need to finish the homes they have in the pipeline. However, as new home sales have fallen, the future growth in construction is done until the builders feel comfortable building more single-family starts. As we can see below, single-family starts are falling more noticeably than total housing starts, which is still being boosted by rental demand. Total activity in the existing home sales marketplace is falling, which means less commission transfer in that sector. Loan originations are falling amid less demand from refinancing and purchase loans, which means jobs are lost in the mortgage industry. That aspect differs from the new home sales selector, which drives housing construction, construction jobs, and big-ticket purchases for those new homes. The recent decline in copper prices is very telling; even with a recent rebound in prices, things are slowing down on the housing construction side. In March I wrote that the new home sales sector was at risk once the 10-year yield broke over 1.94%. Currently, the 10-year yield is at 2.81%, and mortgage rates above 5% have impacted this sector more significantly than the existing home sales market. Recently I talked about how low rates have to go to get housing back in line. In the past, builders benefitted when mortgage rates fell toward 4% and below. While we have had more than a 1% + move in rates, we are still over 5%. We can see that the builder’s confidence data has collapsed recently, going below 50 for the first time in a while, with the last print being at 49. NAHB: I raised the fifth recession red flag tied to housing in June, knowing that the growth rate in construction was done for this cycle until mortgage rates fell again. In 2018, when mortgage rates rose to 5%, the builders paused construction for 30 months; they were mindful of supply in the new home sales sector. We have 9.3 months of supply but of that number, 6.22 months of supply is under construction and 2.24 months of supply hasn’t even been started yet For sure, it’s a much different housing cycle because housing completion data has been prolonged during the COVID-19 recovery. Now that demand is falling, the builders will take their time finishing these homes to ensure they have buyers ready to move in once the homes are completed. From Census: Housing Completions Privately‐owned housing completions in July were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,424,000.  This is 1.1 percent (±14.8 percent)* above the revised June estimate of 1,409,000 and 3.5 percent (±15.5 percent)* above the July 2021 rate of 1,376,000.  Single‐family housing completions in July were at a rate of 1,009,000; this is 0.8 percent (±12.2 percent)* below the revised June rate of 1,017,000. The July rate for units in buildings with five units or more was 412,000. During the housing bubble years, housing starts, permits, completions, credit, and prices moved together. That is not the case here, as housing completions still lag, although things are improving on the supply front. Over time, housing permits will fall more noticeably as long as mortgage rates stay high. When the homebuilders’ confidence turns, housing permits should stimulate growth. We aren’t there yet, but the builder’s confidence data will give us the first clues when things are improving. From Census: Building Permits Privately‐owned housing units authorized by building permits in July were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,674,000.  This is 1.3 percent below the revised June rate of 1,696,000, but is 1.1 percent above the July 2021 rate of 1,655,000.  Single‐family authorizations in July were at a rate of 928,000; this is 4.3 percent below the revised June figure of 970,000.  Authorizations of units in buildings with five units or more were at a rate of 693,000 in July. The housing construction data looks right to me; the downtrend in activity in permits and starts should still be with us for some time. The homebuilders don’t build for charity — they’re here to make money. Also, they are facing more competitive inventory since the number of existing homes is increasing, and those are cheaper. So, they will take their time to build the homes already under construction and those homes they haven’t started on yet. When mortgage rates fall, the narrative can change, but we aren’t there yet. Solid rental demand is keeping the multifamily construction going, but the weakness in single-family starts is here

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[ad_1] Tackling credit card debt often requires a multi-pronged strategy. This article will give you several tried-and-true tips around earning, spending and saving—including one that some Canadians may not be aware of: switching to a balance transfer credit card, especially if you find one with a welcome offer that includes a very low—even 0%—interest rate. These five money hacks will help you shrink your credit card debt, fast. 1. Stick to a budget At its most basic, a budget is the accounting of your income and expenses. If you’re paid a salary, your income will be straightforward and consistent. If you freelance, are self-employed or have multiple income streams, you’ll need to add up your invoices and make educated estimates for each month. Next, tally up a realistic accounting of your monthly expenses. Start with major expected expenditures like rent, food and transportation, then work your way down to your discretionary spending like meals out, clothes, subscription services and entertainment. Subtract your total expenses from your total income. Anything left over can be put towards your debt (and savings if you have the room). If you spend more than you make, you’ll have to identify where you can cut your spending so you can pay down your debt and eventually build savings and investments. You can simplify this entire process with a budgeting app like Mint or YNAB (You Need A Budget), both of which are free and also include financial education tools. 2. Free up money Even if you have money left over in your monthly budget, the more income you generate, the more you can apply towards credit card debt. The quickest way to free up money is to cut your spending. Review your utilities, apps, subscriptions and other purchases to make sure you’re not paying for unneeded products or services. Depending on your circumstances, you might also consider requesting overtime hours or asking for a raise, taking on a second job or starting a side hustle to raise funds quickly. Monetizing hobbies, like selling goods on Etsy or eBay, can also help boost your income. Not everyone is able to do these things, so be realistic with yourself about what you can or can’t do. 3. Pay more than the minimum Each credit card statement shows a minimum payment amount you must meet to keep your account in good standing. Ignore it. Instead, strive to pay as much as you possibly can each and every month (while never paying less than the minimum). You’ll be charged interest on what you owe, including your original balance plus interest. Interest charged on interest is called “compound interest,” and it’s the reason why a modest debt load can balloon in just a few months. Larger monthly payments will be applied to the interest—not just the principal—so you can slow compounding interest. 4. Pack a snowball or start an avalanche Consider your debt repayment strategy and make sure it’s the right one for your situation. With the snowball method, you focus on paying off your smallest debt first, and once it’s paid off, start paying down the next largest debt. As your debts are paid off, the amount of money you can devote to them “snowballs,” so you gain momentum. This strategy can be really effective for people who are encouraged by small, fast wins. With the avalanche method, you focus on the debt with the highest interest rate first. Although it might take a long time to completely pay off your first card, you could save a load of money by eliminating the debt being charged at the highest interest rate first. If you feel like you can stay motivated without a quick result, consider the avalanche method. 5. Switch to a balance transfer credit card By now you’re familiar with compound interest and how it increases your debt over time. By choosing a card with a much lower rate, cardholders can slow down the runaway effect of compound interest and start to catch up on their debt payments. When considering making a balance transfer from a higher-interest card, you should look at three variables: the interest rate the transfer fee the time period For example, when you transfer a balance to the MBNA True Line Mastercard* within 90 days of opening the account, you’ll pay a one-time transfer fee of 3% (minimum $7.50) and get a promotional 0% interest rate on the transferred balance for the first year. That means you’ll have 12 full months to pay down your debt without accumulating more interest on it. After that, the standard rate of 12.99% applies, which is around 7% less than most regular credit cards.  Balance transfer credit cards can reduce—or eliminate!—the interest (and therefore, the compound interest) you’ll pay on your debt, buying you the time you need to pay it off. Paying down your credit card debt is not an easy task, which is why you’ll need to create a plan. Use these five money hacks to boost your earnings, reduce your spending and find the money you need to become debt-free. MBNA True Line Mastercard* The MBNA True Line Mastercard checks two key boxes for cost-conscious cardholders: it has no annual fee, and its 12.99% interest rate is much lower than that of a typical credit card. Annual fee: $0 Welcome offer: Get a 0% promotional annual interest rate (“AIR”) for 12 months on balance transfers within the first 90 days of opening the account. Interest rate: 12.99% on purchases and balance transfers, 24.99% on cash advances Additional benefits: Discounts at Avis and Budget Rent A Car Note: This offer is not available for residents of Quebec Get more details about the MBNA True Line Mastercard* Go to Site Read more about credit cards: What’s a credit card balance transfer? Can it save you money? How to lower your credit card interest rate More power to you: How to earn more credit card rewards Applying for your first credit card? Here’s what you should know before getting one What does the *

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[ad_1] Raila Odinga calls Kenya election results null and void, calls for calm  The Washington Post Kenya election 2022: Raila Odinga rejects William Ruto’s victory  BBC Kenya’s Odinga says presidential election result a ‘travesty’  Reuters Kenya’s Odinga says he’ll challenge his close election loss  The Associated Press Kenya’s losing presidential contestant rejects election result  The Seattle Times View Full Coverage on Google News [ad_2]