The home you have been waiting for! Gorgeous custom 12/5/4.5 Colonial totally [...]]]> View Photos
Starts: 5/20/2012 1:00:00 PM
Ends: 5/20/2012 3:00:00 PM
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The home you have been waiting for! Gorgeous custom 12/5/4.5 Colonial totally rebuilt in 1997. Prime location near prestigious Phillips Academy,walk to new Bancroft School/ train to Boston/great commuting location. Spectacular custom cherry kitchen w/granite/wood floors/center isle, relaxing FR w/gas fp/french doors to deck overlooking beautiful backyard. Inviting DR opens to fp LR. Private library with bay window. Au pair potential. Special offering in prime intown location.

Here are some suggestions from Real Simple magazine for another winning stroke:

1. Bulb Remover

Use half of a ball to remove a warm light bulb from [...]]]> Just because your old tennis ball has lost its bounce, doesn’t mean it can’t serve up an extra use or two.

Here are some suggestions from Real Simple magazine for another winning stroke:

1. Bulb Remover

Use half of a ball to remove a warm light bulb from its socket.

How to Safely Cut a Tennis Ball

• Draw a line around the diameter or the place you want to cut.
• For extra stability, secure the tennis ball in a clamp.
• Wearing sturdy work gloves, pierce the ball with an X-Acto knife or a box cutter, then slide with steady pressure. (Dead balls give a bit more and are easier to cut.)

3. Arm Weights

Cut small slits into two balls. Fill with pennies or sand, then seal with tape or superglue. Take the weights on your next power walk.

4. Spa Tool

Roll sore feet over tennis balls for a soothing massage.

5. Jar Opener

Conquer lids by using the rubber lining of a cut ball to aid your grip.

6. Makeshift Safe

Cut a slit in a tennis ball, then place valuables (jewelry, cash, etc.) inside. Just keep it far away from Fido.

If you’ve [...]]]> While you’ve probably heard many negative stories about the real estate market over the past few years, there are many buyers who have actually taken advantage of the current market to great success. For savvy homebuyers, the current marketplace has yielded tremendous opportunity—most notably in the area of high-end or luxury homes.

If you’ve always dreamed about buying a luxury property but considered it just out of reach, the market may paint an entirely different picture today. Many homeowners, unable to sustain the costs associated with a luxury home, have been forced to sell. The general decline in home values in recent years has also put downward pressure on the prices of higher-end homes.

Buying a luxury home requires a specific strategy, however, so before you embark on the process, RISMedia offers following things to consider:

1. Select the right agent.

Working with an agent who is experienced and successful in the luxury home market is essential. A luxury-property specialist has the right knowledge and the right connections to help you locate and negotiate an offer on a high-end home.

2. Know where to look.

While traditional house hunts begin online these days, finding the right high-end home will require the right networking. Many of these properties are discovered through word of mouth or referrals. This is where your real estate agent comes in. The right agent will know about luxury finds before they’re even officially on the market.

3. Consider cash.

Many luxury buyers are also cash buyers and cash is king in today’s market. In fact, according to the May 2011 REALTORS® Confidence Index from the National Association of REALTORS®, 30 percent of all purchases between mid-April and mid-May of last year were financed with cash. The number was even higher for luxury properties. Investors and luxury buyers with cash are a welcome sight in today’s credit-crunched market where jumbo loans, in particular, are hard to come by. If you’re fortunate enough to be a cash buyer, your chances of getting a great deal on a luxury property will increase exponentially.

4. Invest the time.

As with any major investment, spending the proper amount of time on evaluating a high-end home is essential. Be prepared for this to take much longer than the walk-through of a typical home. Investigating a luxury property means taking careful note of a variety of details, such as how the home was constructed, security systems that may have been put in place, architectural and design highlights, outdoor areas and special features.

5. Devising the offer.

Making the right offer on a luxury property is tricky—lean heavily on the guidance of your agent. In market’s better day, luxury sellers were known to be very particular about who was buying their property as well as the final selling price, usually having the financial wherewithal to stay in the home until the right offer came along. While these tendencies still exist, many of today’s luxury sellers are in a distressed property situation. Be sure to carefully weigh these factors with your agent prior to making an offer.

1. Shop alone — and after eating

One simple recipe for avoiding impulse buying: [...]]]> Scouting around in the family budget for quick savings? You may not be able to reduce your mortgage or rent overnight, but you can reduce your food bills quickly and easily with these cost-busting ideas from Babycenter.com.

1. Shop alone — and after eating

One simple recipe for avoiding impulse buying: Do your shopping after a light snack or meal and leave the kids at home.

If you aren’t hungry, yummy-looking foods will be easier to pass up. And if your children aren’t with you, they won’t be clamoring for all the goodies at eye level.

With your stomach full and your hands free, you’ll find yourself with both the time and energy to do real comparison shopping. So have your partner or another adult stay with the kids while you head to the store, list in hand, ready to scan the aisles for what you need as well as special deals.

2. Understand how stores work
A basic understanding of merchandising can help you avoid overspending. These simple habits will go a long way toward keeping your budget in check:

Walk briskly toward what you came to buy and avoid distractions along the way. For example, have you ever noticed that the diapers and milk are often at the back of the store? You’re forced to walk past a lot of temptation to get to the items you need most often.

Products are displayed at the ends of the aisles to catch your eye. Think carefully about whether what you see there is really necessary – or a bargain – before you toss it in the cart. Many “featured” items are not bargains at all.

As you peruse the aisles, bend over to check the prices on the bottom shelves and compare them with the cost of the items at eye level.

Avoid buying the items displayed by the register. The magazines at the checkout stand cost much more per issue than they would if you had a subscription, and cookies in little packages cost more than a from a box. Almost everything near the register is there to inspire you to buy on impulse, not to save you money.

Tip: Make fewer trips to the store and you’ll find yourself with fewer chances to pick up a few extras you don’t really need.

3. Buy house brands or generics
The less costly house brands are often so similar to national brands that you wouldn’t be able to tell them apart without the packaging. Read labels to compare nutritional value and you’ll quickly see how little difference (if any) there is – other than price.

Store brands cost an average of 27 percent less than name brands, according to Consumer Reports, which looked at 29 different food categories. Testers said store brands tasted the same or better in all but six categories.

Meat and dairy products all have to meet government standards, so store brands should be just as wholesome and nutritious as national brands.

Tip: You can donate to your child’s school as you shop. This costs you nothing – just sign up for the school’s scrip or electronic scrip fundraising program. Participating stores then donate part of the value of your purchase to the school every time you shop. To find out more, ask at your child’s school.

4. Check the unit price
Don’t be fooled by packaging. As you cruise down the aisles comparing products, take note of the unit price that appears on the store shelf just below or above the product. The unit price tells you what the product costs per ounce or some other consistent unit of measurement.

Whether the package is tall, short, or squat, you’ll know in an instant whether it costs more or less than other sizes of the same food. Compare per-unit prices and buy the item that offers more for less instead of the one that looks like more for less.

5. Use savings cards and coupons
Check your supermarket’s weekly flyer or ads for coupons on items you buy regularly, but also take advantage of your store’s savings card.

Many supermarkets offer savings-card programs that entitle you to special bargains or cash-back dividends on your purchases. Just present the savings card (or your ID number) at checkout, and depending on how your store’s program is structured, you’ll get savings on the spot or a dividend at the end of the year.

Keep your clipped coupons organized, perhaps separated according to grocery aisle or section. Whether you choose to hold them in envelopes, in a zip-top bag, with paper clips, or in a specially designed accordion file, store them in your purse or car so they’re with you whenever you shop. It’s annoying to come home from food shopping and find the coupon you wanted on the counter – on your store’s triple coupon day.

Tip: If a sale item doesn’t appear on the shelves, ask for a rain check so you can get it for the reduced price when it’s back in stock.

6. Buy in bulk
Buying in bulk is a no-brainer if you’re feeding a big family or the whole preschool. But you can still benefit from these discounts if yours is a smaller family or you have limited storage space. Here are some ideas for making the most of oversize buys:

As always, arrive at your bulk-shopping store with a list. This will help you avoid buying a TV, watch, barbecue, or package of 200 gel pens just because it’s such a good deal.

Buy mostly nonperishable items that you know for sure you’ll use eventually – for example, paper products, cleaning supplies, baby wipes, juice boxes, and canned goods.

If you do purchase perishables, separate large packages into smaller ones as soon as you get home. Divide chicken and steaks, for example, into daily portions and freeze for later use.

Split the purchases and the bill with another family. Again, a list is a must – agree ahead of time on what you’ll buy. If you trade off trips to the store, both families also save time.

7. Buy from the source
Get produce from a local farmer’s market and you may be able to avoid the store markup on fresh vegetables and fruit, especially if you buy organic. Keep an eye out at the farmer’s market for growers selling blemished produce at bargain prices – it tastes wonderful but doesn’t meet grocery store standards for beauty.

Some farmer’s markets carry locally produced meat and dairy products, locally caught fish, and a variety of prepared sauces, preserves, and condiments made by local food artisans that would cost much more in stores. Of course, these are expensive no matter where you buy them. But if they’re must-haves for your family, a farmer’s market may be your best bet.