Working With Contractors

If you're not planning on moving this summer season, but still want to have a little work done on the house, make sure to be extra careful when hiring contractors. The Jacksonville movers suggest your get a few references when interviewing them, ask for at least four that you can actually call and have a conversation with. Maybe even try to get a reference that was more for a follow-up type of job, such as something had to be fixed after the contractor finished their job. Verify contractors' licenses and local operating permits. This will help you sort out the professionals form the potential scammers. Another way to protect yourself from hassles is to check for contractor coverage. Your insurance agent can help you check for surety bonds, performance bonds and worker's compensation. When it comes to buying supplies, ideally the Jacksonville moving specialists say the contractor should buy the materials they will need, If this is not the way a certain contractor works, don't give them the money to buy supplies. Instead, meet them at the supply store and purchase it together. Then make sure to have the supplies delivered to your home or bring them back yourself if it's not too cumbersome.

Pay Off Mortgage Early

Seems like many people these days are interested in paying off their mortgage as fast as possible. There are many strategies to do so along with safe and fast methods to pay. Paying more is an obvious way to pay off the debt. Paying a little more on your principal here and there can shorten the length of your debt. The lower the principal gets the more from every payment afterwards is applied towards the principal and less money goes to cover the interest. Just make sure to read your contact so you're not penalized for making prepayments. Refinancing with a shorter mortgage such as 10, 15 or 20 years. Payments will be higher but not as high as one might think. Switching to bi-weekly payments is another way to pay off your mortgage faster. Some banks are this service for free while others charge. Using money merge accounts also helps. It's set up like home equity lines of credit.

The Jacksonville moving specialists hope these tips help you pay off your mortgage earlier and save some money.

Unplug Home Appliances, Save Money

There are about 40 home appliances that are always plugged in even when they’re not in use. By unplugging them, a person can save a lot of money every year. The average American household spends about $1,900 a year on energy costs according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Plus, between 5 to 10 percent of the electricity is sapped by these appliances and devices that are 24 hours a day plugged in.

To save money as well as energy you should unplug desktop and laptop computers, televisions, DVD players, cable boxes, coffeemakers, lamps, toasters and ipods. Some devices aren’t really made to be unplug, such as your cable box. De-plugging it might save you money, however you’ll have to wait for it to re-program itself every time and that won’t be very practical. For items that are not easy to unplug, think about getting a power strip. That way you can just flip the switch and turn off everything in one motion.

The Jacksonville movers hope these tips help you save money every day.