Got a smoke alarm? It can save you money on your renter’s insurance.

Do you currently carry renter’s insurance?  Rosemont Apartments strongly advises their residents to get a policy.  It’s really not as expensive as you may think.  In fact, you can save money on your policy in quite a few ways.  Here is one in an article I found about saving money on renter’s insurance.  Check out this video too.

Smoke Alarms: Preventing a fire loss is important to you and especially to you renter’s insurance company. Claims due to fire are very expensive and renter’s insurance companies often will give an additional discount for even one fire alarm permanently fixed in the apartment. Please, even if your company does not offer a discount, take the time to install one anyway.

How well do you know your pet?

Creative Loafing is never lacking in strange give aways.  It’s much like The Price is Right in many ways – you’re as likely to win free concert tickets as a year’s worth of turtle wax- and this year’s pet contest in no different. 

Download the form from the CL website, complete it by describing you and your pet and then return it by no later that next Thursday (July 22nd) .  Based on the descriptions, people will be voting on which pet goes with which person. 

The game starts July 29th.  Two prizes will be awarded – one for the player who matches the person to their pets with the most accuracy and the other prize will go to the entrant who’s matched with their pet most often.  So in theory, you could win as an entrant (if your pet description lands you the most number of successful matches to your pet) and as a player (for pairing up pets to their owners correctly). 

On Tuesday, August 3rd, the winner will be announced.  Prizes are provided by Animal House Pet Hotel & Spa in Midtown but are not yet described (be wary of anything called “turtle wax” coming from them) *wink* 

Gotta love CL, they never cease to amaze in the quirky department! 

(Photo Credit: KissCleveland)

Get a license for your pet!

So Max your Jack Russel Terrier feels that he’s responsible enough to drive a car, huh? Just kidding, we’re talking about pet licenses for your pet’s collar.

The Atlanta Humane Society requires all the pets here to have a license. This isn’t so much about you as a pet parent as it is about them as an animal. Pet licenses are important because they help in the recovery of lost animals and also act as proof that your pet has had its (legally required) rabies vaccination. Should your little furry kid escape and is found wandering the streets, you are more easily located (so you can go and spring them from pet jail), if they are licensed. The alternative is far worse, unidentified pets are usually thought to be strays and can end up at the local shelter.

So how does the licensing work? All you have to do is go down to the Animal Control facility at 981 Howell Mill Road (corner of 10th St.) with your proof of a 1-year or 3-year rabies vaccination and get the license. Attach the tag they give you to your pet’s collar and voila…you now have a licensed pet!

Lifestyle Beauty on a Budget

We have all get the magazines from the high-end home and kitchen stores. Everything on the page is perfect and arranged the way you want your place to be someday. The only problem is that beautiful hand distressed bedroom set costs nearly as much as I make a year.

When this happens I don’t see obstacles, I see challenges and opportunities for creativity. Let’s take Pottery Barn for example. Pottery Barn has amazing everything, and they have the prices to match. A friend and I were going through a catalog when she said, “I can do that”. I laughed a little before she gave me that “look”. I don’t even have to describe the look because I’m sure you already know which look I’m talking about. She then proceeded to tell me exactly how we were going to make this page happen in her apartment. It turns out that there is an entire market out there for people like us who are trying to live a beautiful lifestyle on a modest budget.

Stores like TJ Max, Tuesday Morning and others are stuffed with merchandise like that of Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware or Crate and Barrel except priced about 50% cheaper. So, we took the page that we wanted to recreate to some of these stores with the hopes of making some fun finds. After that, we hit some paint stores to see what bargains could be had. At the end of the day we were able to make a very comparable likeness to our catalog page at about the third of the price. All it takes is a little effort and a keen eye for a bargain to make your decorating dreams come to reality.

How to save money on your pet

According to the ASPCA, it can cost $400 annually to care for and maintain a pet.  But who’s complaining?  Pet owners generally love their pets…and they should.  A good dog or cat is a great companion to have.  But that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t save a few bucks if we can when it comes to their maintenance.  Here is one way that you can save money on pet care…

Spend a little to save a lot. “The biggest mistake owners make is not keeping up with routine preventive care,” says Dr. Louise Murray, DVM, director of medicine for the ASPCA’s Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital and author of Vet Confidential: An Insider’s Guide to Protecting Your Pet’s Health. “People forgo $15 vaccines, then their pets get $2,000 infections.” Never skip core vaccinations, annual checkups, flea-and-tick treatments, heartworm drugs, or spaying/ neutering—they save thousands down the line. Swiping wet gauze or a pet toothbrush over your animal’s teeth daily will even help stave off serious disease.

If this sounds like advice that you can use, check out this article I found online at WomensDay.com.  And if you have any cost-saving tips of your own, feel free to share!

9 tips to remember when seeking career advancement

With the unemployment rate across the nation still sky high, many of us are just happy that we’re working. But that doesn’t mean that we need to put advancing our careers on the back burner either. If you’re working hard and have shown that your ready for the next level of responsibility, you shouldn’t hesitate to make the moves necessary to show that you have what it takes.

I came across this article on Yahoo.com that gives great tips on how to move up the career ladder. Here’s one of the tips:

“In any organization, the people who make the money are the ones who stay employed,” says career coach Joan Schramm. “Document your efforts toward this goal and your rate of success, and make sure your boss is aware of them.”

If you think you can use the rest of the 9 Tips for Getting a Promotion, follow the link and check it out in its entirety. And if you have any good career advancement tips of your own, please leave a comment and share. Good luck!

3 video games that your girlfriend will actually play with you…

Alright guys, you love playing video games – I love playing video games.  They can be a good way to relieve stress, improve hand-eye coordination or even just a safe way to show your friends that you are better with a Barrett .50 at shots over a kilometer.  No matter why you game, the fact remains sooner or later you will have to come back down to Earth when your girlfriend comes around…or do you?

To read more of this article, visit MyRentalPad.com.

Don’t waste water

Wasting water is an easy way to watch your money go down to drain. But there are several ways to fix this.

First off, take a minute and listen for the soft, “drip… drip,” sound coming from your sinks or shower. The NRDC estimates that leaky faucets wastes about 3,000 gallons of water a year.

The organization recommends checking for a leaking toilet by placing food coloring in the tank and then waiting 30 minutes to see if it appears in the bowl. If it does, it’s time to fix the leak.

You can also check for leaks by reading the water meter when no one is home and you know that no appliances are in use. If you check it a little later and the numbers have gone up, it could also indicate a leak.

Great tip, right?  I just came across it in an article entitled Earth Day Tips: 7 Easy Ways to Conserve Energy and Save Money with some great advice.  Follow the linke to read more.  Enjoy!

In-Season Produce: Markets near Rosemont

Do you shop for your fresh food and produce locally? If not, you may want to give it some serious consideration. Although today’s global market allows us to buy foods grown almost anywhere in the world at any given time, this option is not the most sustainable.

Buying in-season fruits and vegetables that are locally grown helps to eliminate the environmental damage caused by shipping foods across the country – and in some cases – the world. Not only does your food dollar go directly to the farmers, but you’re able to enjoy the health benefits of eating fresh, better tasting, unprocessed produce. According to the National Resources Defense Council, in-season foods for the state of Georgia (and surrouning areas) include:

Blueberries Cabbage Carrots Greens Snap Beans Strawberries Vidalia Onions Yellow Squash Zucchini Asparagus (Tennessee) Bananas (Florida) Broccoli (Florida, North Carolina) Cantaloupe (Florida) Cauliflower (Florida) Celery (Florida) Chinese Cabbage (Florida) Collards (Tennessee) Cucumber (Florida) Eggplant (Florida) Endive (Florida) Escarole (Florida) Gourds (Tennessee) Grapefruit (Florida) Herbs (Tennessee) Honey (Tennessee) Honeydew Melon (Florida) Indian Corn (Tennessee) Kumquat (Florida)

Leafy greens (North Carolina) Limes (Florida) Mamey Sapote (Florida) Mixed Greens (South Carolina) Mushrooms (Florida, Tennessee) Okra (Florida) Onions (Florida) Oranges (Florida) Papaya (Florida) Peanuts (North Carolina) Pecans* (Alabama) Peppers (Florida) Potatoes (Florida) Radishes (Florida) Scallions (South Carolina) Squash* (Alabama, Florida) Sweet Corn (Florida) Sweet Potatoes * (Alabama, North Carolina) Tangelos (Florida) Tangerines (Florida) Tomatoes (Florida) Watermelon (Florida)

Here is a short list of markets that sell fresh locally grown foods near the Rosemont area. If you can suggest any other markets, leave a comment and let the community know!

Markets near Rosemont

Final Fogelman Four (or Five)

Hey Fogelman folks…the 2010 NCAA Basketball Tournament is wrapping up this weekend and if you’ve been following, you know that it has been ripe with upsets. As for the Fogelman Bracket Challenge, it’s still too close to call. There are numerous scenarios that can play out, each one resulting in a different winner.

Here is what we know…

• If Duke wins, Richard Call from Stewarts Ferry in Nashville, TN will be your 2010 Champion. Way to go, Richard! But don’t count your cookies yet…
• If West Virginia wins, then Jon Hawks will take the crown. I’m a Big East Conference fan, so I must admit that I’m in Jon’s corner. Jon, we’re not sure which apartment community you’re representing so if you’re reading this, make sure you drop us a note.
• If Michigan State wins the tournament, then Amanda Hill will be our official champion. However, because she is not officially a Fogelman property resident, she is disqualified from collecting any prize. Any prize would go to the first runner-up that is actually a resident. Sorry, Amanda. Maybe you should consider moving to a Fogelman community J
• And if Butler wins, well, here’s where it gets a little tricky. Because no one gave them a fighting chance at the beginning of the tournament, there is no clear cut winner at this point. It all depends on who they play in the Championship. If Butler defeats West Virginia in the title game, then Janelle Crandall from Metro 67 in Memphis, TN will walk away with the prize. If Butler defeats Duke, the title goes to Dani Soto from Hampton Woods in Shawnee, KS.

Good luck to each of the finalists! Don’t forget to tune into CBS to watch the tournament semifinals tonight starting at 6pm, and then the Championship game on Monday, April 5 at 8pm.

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