Dating is a great way to know someone you like on a more personal level. I think this is the most fun part in the beginning of a relationship. Dating is also not restricted to new friends but also a way for couples that are in a relationship or married to reconnect. Helps rekindle the fire of love.

But what if you really don’t have that much money to splurge on a date? Will not having sufficient funds stop you from going out and having a great time? Having less money, I believe, should not deter anyone from being able to spend a wonderful time together. There are a lot of inexpensive activities that a couple can do and places that a couple can go, but this requires a bit of creativity and ingenuity.

I found a funny video, but to be honest, I think the message and the tips were quite helpful. Here is a rundown of how one can survive a date, enjoy it and spend as little cash as possible.

Step 1 : Use nature
It doesn’t cost anything to go to a park, forest, or beach. The beauty of nature creates a romantic setting, even if you aren’t feeling romantic. Take a picnic and make it look more expensive by using your best crockery and glasses. If you want to get your date in the mood, there are cheaper aphrodisiacs than oysters. Try avocado, ginger and chocolate.

Step 2: Communicate
Good communication is the most important part of the dating process because new couples need to find out each others values and interests. Choose activities which will give you plenty of opportunities to communicate. Free museums and art galleries are easy to find in any city. Try a new sport or visit a place you’ve never been to before to get you both excited and arouse more than your date’s interests.

Step 3: Cook
Impress your date by cooking a meal. To cut down on the cost, buy fresh ingredients from your local market and even borrow cookery books from your local library. Get the adrenalin flowing after the meal by suggesting a competitive game of scrabble. If you decide to go out, take advantage of happy hour. Many pubs, restaurants and cinemas have discounts for less popular times of the day. Taking advantage of this can save you up to 50 percent of the cost.

Step 4: Pay
If you want to guarantee a second date, you should at least offer to pay for a meal or an evening out. Working out exactly how much your own food and drinks cost and only paying for that is the best way to really put your date off.

Step 5: Cheap tickets
If you want to go to a concert or sports event, you don’t need to pay the full price. Tickets are often sold at a cheaper price when they first go on sale. Sign up for free ticket alerts from agents such as ticket master so you know when to buy. You could also visit lastminute.com for cheap deals on restaurants, theaters and even theme parks

Dating For Teens:
How To Go On A Cheap Date

I admit that I am not a window shopper. I do not go to a store without a purpose to buy. Generally, I have already determined what I want, what brand I want, and where to get it the cheapest before I ever get into my car. I have my wallet and the only challenge is how fast can I get in and out of the store. I recognize that not everyone is like me. If so, window dressings would be a thing of the past and the paper ads that I receive in my mail box everyday would not exist.

I find the current housing market has sent many buyers and sellers into “shopping mode”. There exists a group of buyers looking for a dream home for a buck. Also, there is a group of sellers that are looking for an ignorant buyer. There is a lot of shopping going on.

When a buyer is ready to buy a house, there are a several critical components that come into view. First and foremost they have sat down with their check book or excel spread sheet and have ran the numbers. They may have some idea of what they can afford but in this current lending environment, they do not know how much a lender will lend them until they sit down with a professional loan officer. Asking a loan officer to tell you how much a lender will lend you requires some information. More importantly, proof of that information. A professional will not quote you a number without a minimum verification that includes running your credit, knowing your debt, and seeing a paycheck. Does this mean you can’t shop around for best rate? Not at all. But recognize rates should not be the sole decision maker about a loan product. Also know that no one will commit to a rate without a commitment to the process. Any quote before a file is complete is an estimate.

The second decision for a buyer is the decision regarding an agent. Unless you have bought and sold real estate in California in the last 5 years, recognize that you most likely have no clue how to win the deal. I always smile politely when I talk to someone who researches real estate around their 60-hour job, family, life, and trips to Tahoe and believe they are set to make their own deals. I listen, I smile, and then I help them.

Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love how much information is available to buyers on the web. For those who take the time to complete research, they come to me much better prepared than a buyer who does not use the web. But I must humbly say that I take my job, my career, my profession very seriously and I spend a great deal of time reviewing contracts, disclosure facts, analyzing neighborhood market trends, and networking with other agents to make sure my client has the very best opportunity to not only find a home but also close the deal and move in. Bottom line, I am not part time, this is not a hobby, and I don’t take my client’s hard earned savings in the hundreds of thousands of dollars lightly when it comes to making a deal happen.

The third necessity for any buyer looking at a home for purchase is to know what their priority of needs, wants, and must haves are in a home. Whether you are looking for best schools, best commute, or best nearby sushi, decide what you want in a home. It is not uncommon for this list to switch up and change. That is o.k., but know that until you get that list ranked right, you will be looking at houses and second guessing yourself about whether or not you should make an offer.
Fourth is to learn to have an eye for high cost repairs. You can absolutely love the layout and the Italian tile around the fireplace but is it worth a new roof, new plumbing, and $10K worth of termite related repairs? Maybe yes, maybe no. I would much prefer to recommend a home that has been taken care of by its owners than to write an offer on a house with obvious deferred maintenance. I must disclose that I am not a licensed contractor, electrician, plumber, or inspector and completing inspections is the best way to evaluate any home. Here is the basic list of items I make note of when previewing a home:

Roof Age - tile roofs and coated steel roofs last a long time but recognize even though they look good they can have some leaks due to broken tiles, bent tiles, or exposed areas around the flashings. Generally the “thicker” a composition or shingle roof looks, the more likely it has good life left in it.
Wood Rot – the wood around the edge of the roof, wood around door jambs, wood decks, wood siding should appear solid. Lots of peeling paint or dark crumbling wood should be a flag for potential pest or water damage.
Foundation - Before you walk in the front door look at the house from the street. Does anything look like it is out of plane? Look for cracks around the perimeter wall or if the home is on a slab, look for cracking around door areas and windows. Look for standing water anywhere around the home. Also look at the chimney for large cracks and/or leaning.
Plumbing - look at the age of the water heater (there is a “born on date”) and look underneath every sink and around every bath/shower/toilet to see if there is staining from water. Linoleum usually curls up or bubbles when there has been water exposure. Also, flush the toilets. They should not flush slow.
Electrical - The main panel shows the amperage written on the breaker. Older homes with actual glass fuses are very old. Many older homes have panels with only 100 amp breakers. This may require updating if you anticipate adding a lot of electrical appliances and air conditioning. Also look to see if the receptacles are two prong or three prong. Three prong normally means the electric is grounded but is not always the case. Owners unknowingly switch out receptacles and place 3 pronged receptacles in place without a ground. A property inspector or electrician can help determine the true situation.
I factor these items into the value I am working on in my head along with information from reviewing comps for the neighborhood. If at all possible, I ask for any home inspections that the seller may have completed and the TDS (Transfer Disclosure Statement) to find out as much about the house before ever writing an offer.

Fifth, have a good feel for value. Take the combination of internet data and temper it with good solid knowledge about the neighborhood. Take the time to look at other homes in the area that your agent has designated as active comps and compare. Have your agent pull historical trends for that neighborhood. I try to supply actual street history if it is available to my clients prior to writing an offer.

Finally, be ready to do all of this within 72 hours or less. I know it sounds crazy but with the number of homes available for sale so low, any good deal is gone in less than 72 hours. You may get lucky and find a good deal that has been on the market for 2 weeks or 30 days, but it is tough. Have your money ready to write a check for 3% of sales price as a deposit. Know what you are willing to pay and how high you are willing to go before you ever write the offer. Buying a home is a process and it can be stressful. It is a big purchase, no doubt. Window shopping is fun for some folks. In my opinion agents hold open houses for window shoppers. Window shoppers that the agents hope they can make into buyers.
Written by: CJ Brasiel

The popularity of the Monday Night Musician’s Jam Network has taken off over the last six months since I pitched the idea to the venue beyond my expectations. Since then so many singers and musicians have met and created new bands and projects together, many new friendships have been made, and musicians have been able to take the stage and hone their craft.

Last Monday night there were over 25 very talented performers who took the stage for the most amazing jam night with Country, Rock, and Blues.

We are excited to announce a second jam and networking event starting this Tuesday, March 16th at 9pm.
Tuesday Night Blues @ The Saloon
Las Vegas Country Saloon
425 E. Fremont Street
(above Hennessey’s)

The Voodoo Cowboys will host this jam and networking night of blues just like the program for the Monday Night Jam Network. However this will be a night for Blues Genre.

Singers, Musicians and music lovers, please show your support for live music in Las Vegas and keeping it playing.

If you haven’t read the 2010 Mortgage Rate Outlook by HSH Associates then you should. Especially if you are considering buying a home or refinancing a mortgage this year. Their forecast neatly lays out a case for higher mortgage rates by year end.

The driving factor will be the Fed’s program of purchasing mortgage-backed securities. It’s set to come to an end on March 31. By industry estimates the Fed’s current hand in the market means that conforming fixed-rate mortgages are about three quarters of a percentage point (0.75 percent) below where they would be otherwise. How much rates can rise depends on how much private investors will buy into the mortgage-backed securities market and how strong their demand will be. Right now it’s anyone’s guess. That to me is enough of a case that mortgage interest rates will be on the rise.

Need another reason? Here it is: the Home-Buyers Tax Credit will expire in April 2010. When this credit first neared expiration, there was a flurry of home-buying activity and an uptick in demand for mortgages, causing mortgage rates to rise slightly. So if there’s another rush of buying to take advantage of the credit between now and April, this could also cause rates to rise.

Also, with some improvement in the economy, the Fed will need to start laying out a plan to remove some of the massive amounts of liquidity it’s been pumping into the system. To that end, the Fed already announced it’s raising the interest rate it charges on short-term loans to banks by a quarter point. As the mortgage market transitions from near complete government support to being supported more by the private market, there should be a return to “normal” mortgage rates.

All this means so long to the low rates we are seeing now, which have been the best rates in nearly 50 years. Mortgage forecasters think rates could increase by a half percentage point to a full point, which is a big increase from the near five percent rates we are seeing now.

Home buyers on the hunt for bargains should still be able to find them. There is set to be another wave of failed loans driven by job losses and some that will fail again after unsuccessful loan modifications. Also, another batch of pay option ARMs will hit their five-year “recast” mark this year — many of these folks will not be able to afford the increased mortgage payments that include all the interest and a small amount of principal, even at interest rates of three to four percent. The result of this continued wave of loan failures is more homes on the already over-supplied market. Buyers should expect to continue to find reasonable or even cheap prices for existing homes. But the only direction for mortgage rates from here is likely up.
By Ray Martin

Home Buyer Workshop

hosted by
Cynthia Weber Vice President of Retail Lending, Guaranteed Rate

and Tammy Kilen Realtor, Direct Performance Real Estate Partners

These two proven experts will share valuable information and answer your questions!
* Time is running out to receive your federal tax credit! *
* Take advantage of historically low interest rates! *
* Is it time for you to refinance? *
* Have you been pre‐approved? *

Guaranteed Rate Office
7250 Peak Drive • Suite 210
Las Vegas, NV
Tuesday • March 16, 2010
6:00 pm
Q&A • Professional Advice • Refreshments
FREE however RSVP is required
Cynthia Weber 702.217.1472
cynthia.weber@guaranteedrate.com

Receive $1000 off Closing Credit Coupon just for attending!
As per this CBS Moneywatch.com news clip, Now is the time to buy

Gooch hosts THE MOTHER OF ALL OPEN MIC NIGHTS (PART DEUX) How can you not come out, laugh and enjoy $2 Bud and $3 well drinks? It’s Free~!!!!
See all of you there and bring your friends. It’s gonna be a night to remember!

Gooch hosts THE MOTHER OF ALL OPEN MIC NIGHTS (PART DEUX) How can you not come out, laugh and enjoy $2 Bud and $3 well drinks? See all of you there and bring your friends. It’s gonna be a night to remember!

Working off a slow, disorganized computer can be frustrating—and it happens to the best of us. This article is designed to give you some easy-to-follow guidelines on how to keep your computer on the right track using tools in Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP.

1. Organize your foldersWe all know how easy it is to dump files into the wrong folder when we’re in a hurry. But one way to make sure you’ll keep your files organized is to remove the clutter with a filing system that makes sense for the way you use your computer. Here are a few tips to get you started:

•Start clean

Begin by deciding which files you no longer need on your hard drive.

•Think it through

Take the time to plan the best way to organize your files. How do you spend your time on the computer and what do you create? Do you work with photos and image editing software, surf the Web, write short stories, research school projects, or play games? The folders you create in Documents (called “My Documents” in Windows XP) can be easily tailored to show you just the kind of data about your files that you need to track.

•Use subfolders

After you have an idea of the kinds of items you produce and want to save, create folders and subfolders to store your files. Be sure to use logical, easy-to-understand names. For example, within Documents, you might create additional folders called Projects, HR Benefits, and Career. Then, within the Projects folder, you could create subfolders for each different project.

•Clean your files periodically

After you have set up your file system, inspect and clean it regularly. Routine maintenance tasks such as deleting old or duplicate files and folders and making sure that important files are in the right folders can save you a lot of time and frustration.

Windows Tip

To create a new subfolder with Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP, simply right-click anywhere in the folder, select New, and then select Folder. Type the name for the new folder and press Enter. In Windows 7, you can also click New Folder at the top of any Documents Library folder to automatically create a new folder. For more tips about creating a well-organized filing system, see 7 tips to manage your files better.

Windows 7 screen with New Folder command circled and New Folder ready to be named
2. Clean up your hard diskNow that you’ve organized your files and folders, and cleaned up your desktop, you can organize the data itself. Windows includes two utilities—Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter—that help you free up more space on your hard drive and help your computer work more efficiently.

•Disk Cleanup compresses your old files so you can free up storage space.

•Disk Defragmenter scans your hard drive and consolidates files that may be scattered across the disk.

Not sure how often to run these utilities? It’s really up to you—some people like to run both weekly, others prefer monthly, and a few only run them every few months. It’s not a bad idea to do both at least once a month. Windows Vista users take note: Disk Defragmenter is automatically scheduled to run once a week (Sunday at 4 a.m.). You can change the scheduled time for this feature or turn it off, if you prefer.

•To find both programs in Windows Vista and Windows XP, click Start, point to All Programs, then point to Accessories, and then choose System Tools.

3. Use System Restore
System Restore is one of those programs that can be a life-saver when you’ve been the unfortunate recipient of unstable software, a badly timed power outage, or a damaging thunderstorm. System Restore records important documents, settings, and preferences on your computer. If the unthinkable happens and your computer files are damaged or inaccessible, you can use System Restore to restore your computer back the same state it was in before the data was lost.

System Restore creates restore points daily, and whenever you install device drivers, automatic updates, and some applications. Still, it’s a good idea to get into the habit of creating a system checkpoint (called a restore point) whether you’re about to install new software or take any action you suspect might make your computer unstable. That way, if there’s any conflict at all, you can restore your computer to the point just before you began the installation.

Windows 7
Click Start . In the search box, type system restore. Under Programs, click System Restore. Follow the directions in the wizard to restore your computer to the point you want.
First page of the Windows 7 System Restore Wizard
.
Windows Vista and Windows XP
Click Start, and choose All Programs.
Point to Accessories, then point to System Tools, and then choose System Restore.
When the program begins, choose Create a restore point and click Next.
Enter a description of the restore point and click Create. After a few seconds, the program will tell you the date, time, and description of the new restore point.
Click Close.
System Restore screen with a restore point created for a specific date before data was lost

4. Keep Windows and Office up-to-dateComputer programs are continually improved based on customer feedback and continuing product testing. As problems are resolved, you should benefit from those improvements. By checking Microsoft Update regularly, you can make sure you’ve got the most recent Windows and Office improvements available to you.

Windows 7 and Windows Vista users don’t need to sign up for Microsoft Update: an account is automatically created for you during the registration process and Windows Update is automatically installed on your computer with default settings that you can change later if you wish.

If you’re using Windows XP, you have to visit Microsoft Update to start the update process. If it’s your first time to visit Microsoft Update, you might need to sign up for the service.

Use Microsoft Update to install the update process for all Microsoft products on your XP-based computer

After you’ve visited the Microsoft Update site, you should also configure your Windows XP-based computer to receive critical updates automatically. This free service is called Windows Update in Windows 7 and Windows Vista and Automatic Updates in Windows XP.

Learn how to turn automatic updating on in Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP

Windows 7

Windows Vista

Windows XP

Important If you do not select the automatic updating option we recommend, you must download and install every critical update. If you download the updates, but forget to install them, your computer will not be protected with all the latest enhancements.

5. Run antivirus software AND a spyware detection and removal toolUpdating your Windows software is just the first step in keeping your computer safe. Next, you’ll want to download and install antivirus software and keep it up-to-date. Your computer may have come with a free trial of antivirus software, but if you don’t renew your subscription, you won’t be protected from all the latest threats.

If your computer seems sluggish or if you begin to see lots of pop-up advertisements, even when you’re not surfing the Web, your computer may be infected with spyware, adware, or other unwanted software. Learn more about spyware and what it can do to your computer.

Four Catholic men and a Catholic woman were having coffee.

The first Catholic man tells his friends, “My son is a priest, when he walks into a room, everyone calls him ‘Father’.”

The second Catholic man chirps, “My son is a Bishop. When he walks into a room people call him ‘Your Grace’.”

The third Catholic gent says, “My son is a Cardinal. When he enters a room everyone says ‘Your Eminence’.”

The fourth Catholic man then says, “My son is the Pope. When he walks into a room people call him ‘Your Holiness’.”

Since the lone Catholic woman was sipping her coffee in silence, the four men give her a subtle, “Well….?”

She proudly replies, “I have a daughter,

slim, tall,

38D breast,

24″ waist and 34″ hips.

When she walks into a room, people say, “Oh My God.”

If your home is languishing on the market, there are many tips that promise to help bring about a sale. But there’s only one that requires a prayer and a spade. The solution to your selling woes? Bury a St. Joseph statue in your yard, head down.

Joseph may have been a carpenter who couldn’t find a real roof to put over Baby Jesus’ head that fateful night in Bethlehem, but apparently he can help you move on to your new home if you just have a little faith — and you needn’t be Catholic!

Whether for superstition or faith, a growing number of people have turned to the “Patron Saint of Real Estate” in the hopes that he’ll deliver, reported the New York Times. After all, desperate times call for desperate measures. And could covering up a saint with a little dirt really hurt?
Dubbed the “Underground Real Estate Agent,” St. Joseph statues have been steadily flying off the shelves of retailers from Catholic Supply of St. Louis and StJosephStatue.com LLC, a company started on a whim by a mortgage broker.

Legend has it that if you bury a St. Joseph statue in your yard, head down, facing the direction you want to move, your home will sell more quickly. When possible, place it near the for sale sign — mainly so that you can remember where you buried it and can dig it up after the sale. Then, it’s recommended that you put old Joe on a mantle or other prominent place in your new home, as a gesture of thanks. Or, just pass it on to a friend.

No yard? No worries. Bury a small statue in a potted plant, suggests the website LuckyMojo, which also offers a couple of prayers to recite on its site.

The statues are typically sold for less than $10 in kits, complete with an instruction booklet with burial prayer and a cloth carrying bag, such as the one pictured from StJosephStatue.com, which also throws in a free real estate listing on its site with every purchase (It currently boasts more than $2.4 billion in current listings.) Some people also obtain their St. Joe’s from their Catholic church, as was the case with Joe D’Eramo, whose tale will give skeptics pause.

“We were selling a home in Taunton, MA. It was an older home with a dirt floor basement. Two buyers had come and gone, each finding something during inspection to pass on the deal,” D’Eramo told HousingWatch. “I went to a local Catholic Church and asked where I could find a statue of St. Joseph. The receptionist had never heard the legend and brought me in to see the priest. He handed me a fairly large statue of St. Joseph and wished me well. By the end of that weekend, we had another buyer and this one closed.”

“Before moving, we gave the statue to my brother-in-law,” D’Eramo continued. “He, too, had been having difficulty selling his home, mainly because it had gone through some serious wear and tear. Lo’ and behold, they, too, received an offer and sold their home.”

So who exactly buys these statues? St. Joe’s popularity has shifted recently, Phil Cates, the owner of StJosephStatue.com, told HousingWatch.

“Caifornia, Florida and Arizona have consistently held the number 1, 2, and 3 spots for the most sales since 2005,” Cates said. However, over the last 60 days Florida took over the top spot, followed by Texas and New York. California moved to the fifth place after North Carolina.

Cates, a mortgage broker by day, speculates that California may have dropped on the list because more homes are being sold by the banks that foreclosed on the homeowners. “I’m not sure bean counters and spirituality have much in common,” he jokes.

Trisha Haas, head blogger at MomDot, has so much faith, she had her St. Joseph statue blessed by her brother-in-law priest before she buried it last month and caught it all on video for her readers. It’s been about 30 days and we are still waiting to hear if she’s had any offers.

In another case, it took just one weekend for a vacation home to sell after a burial. After close to two years on the market and a 20 percent price reduction on his Boulder ski home, Bob Webster of Webster Investment Advisers recalls, “I had now become desperate, as it had been 18 months and not a single offer…not even an embarrassing low-ball salvo. So casting my pragmatism aside, but still holding onto a sense of skepticism … I ordered [a statue].” The St. Joseph statue was buried on a Friday and on that next Monday night, he says his Realtor called with a full-cash, 30-day offer. The sale closed Christmas Eve 2009.

“To quote the classic band of the 70’s, The Monkeys, ‘Now I’m a Believer’,” says Webster, who grew up a Catholic kid in Brooklyn.

Stories like these have helped build a diverse following for Joseph. “Maybe half of our clients are Catholic,” says Cates of StJosephStatue.com. “The rest are Jewish, Hindi, atheist, Baptist. This cuts across all lines of thought. Some people look at it as ‘eh, what the heck do I have to lose.’ And others look at it as very holy.”

Cates started selling the statues 20 years ago after using them as a gimmick for marketing his mortgage business to real estate agents. He adds that some agents use statues to help gain their own business. About 40 percent of his sales are to real estate professionals.

Still, Cates doesn’t have his own head buried in the sand beneath the for sale sign. “While many people consider St. Joseph the silver bullet of real estate, I think we should leave the shiny ammo to ‘The Lone Ranger’ and magic to David Copperfield,” he concedes.