Relax

Even though modern life has countless benefits (most people these days aren’t churning their own butter, for instance), those benefits come with countless additional stressors. Everyone feels pressed for time, and self-care often takes a back seat. Next time you need a break from the everyday grind, here are some relaxing activities to try that don’t involve eating or drinking anything. • Meditating: Simply resting quietly for a few minutes while concentrating on your breathing helps relax the body and mind. • Reading: Put down all the electronics and get lost in a good book. • Working on a Puzzle: If you have the space, keep an in-progress puzzle available at all times for when you want even just 10 or 15 minutes of relaxation in the middle of a hectic day. • Organizing: Many people find cleaning and organizing their spaces extremely relaxing, both the process and the result. • Doing an Art Project: Grab a coloring book and a set of colored pens or pencils. Take a sketchbook on your next walk. Learn origami. Play your favorite instrument. • Playing a Game: Shuffle a deck of cards for a game or two of solitaire. Pick up the newspaper’s crossword puzzle. Or, if you have friends or family around, get everyone involved in a fun board game.

Build Wealth with Real Estate

You can build a substantial amount of wealth in real estate by educating yourself, thinking long term, and performing due diligence before purchasing. It’s not a get-rich quick method, but with patience, you can build a nice retirement empire with real estate rental properties. • Stick to moderately priced properties, which can generate a more positive cash flow than higher priced properties. Your tenant’s rent will cover the mortgage, utilities, and additional expenses for you. • Have a property inspection before you purchase the property. Make sure to review the report and all comments the inspector made. Get a few written estimates from contractors to make sure it’s worth the investment. • Verify how much the insurance will cost for the property and if additional rider policies are necessary. • Check if the property is in an HOA community. Their assessment fees can be high and you must deal with required renovations. • Carefully select your tenants and treat them well. Happy tenants stay longer and you save on cleaning, preparation, and advertising costs between each tenant.

Home Decorating Sites

The internet is full of inspiration for your next home decor project, but it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Here are a few home-decorating sites you won’t want to miss. houzz.com: Houzz has literally millions of pictures on the site, so it’s an excellent place to start gathering design ideas for any room in your home—you can save them to individual design boards. ikeahackers.net: There are so many creative things you can do with IKEA furniture to make it unique. This site collects all sorts of clever customization ideas that can help inspire your next DIY project. modsy.com: Modsy is an online interior design service. You’ll work with a designer to create the perfect room, including as many design revisions as you need, with a 3D graphic of the room. You can even buy items directly through Modsy with their discount. The service starts at $179/room.

Easy-Care House Plants

The benefits of plants are numerous, but not everyone has the inclination to take on a complicated schedule of watering and fertilizing the household greenery. The good news is that there are many low-maintenance plants that actually seem to thrive on neglect. Here are just a few.  Spider: The long, striped leaves of the spider plant look fantastic in hanging pots, and they’re easy to keep happy. They love to get lots of sunlight and a moderate amount of water, and if they’re really happy you’ll get tendrils of baby plants known as “pups” that you can cut off and plant.  Aloe: This succulent with famous healing powers does well on a scant amount of water as long as it gets lots of light.  Snake Plant: The spiked leaves of this succulent give it one of its nicknames (mother-in-law’s tongue), but no matter what you call it it’s incredibly hearty. Snake plants tolerate both high and low light. Water only when the soil feels absolutely dry.  Pothos: Viney pothos is a staple of offices and rooms without much light—these plants can even survive with only fluorescent light, though the variegated varieties do need sunlight for the colorful leaves to show. This is another plant that prefers to be watered only when completely dry.

Home Office Tip

• Skip the snack aisles. If you never buy potato chips, you won’t have them at the ready when you need a quick snack. Get snacks with plenty of protein and fiber (like nuts and fresh veggies) to keep you energized throughout the day. • Don’t work near the kitchen. Even if you don’t have a home office, carve out desk space away from the kitchen. You’ll be more conscious of wandering into the kitchen for a snack if it’s on the other side of the house. • Stop working during meals. This is a tough one, but experts agree that it’s much healthier to separate working time from eating time. Focusing on a meal means you’ll pay more attention about what—and how much—you’re eating. • Do some meal prep in advance. Meal prep isn’t just for busy weekday dinners! Stocking the fridge with ready-to-eat healthy snacks makes you more likely to reach for carrot sticks than a bag of cheese puffs. • Hydrate. Drinking more water can keep you from guzzling lots of sugary or caffeinated drinks. Both of those can cause the body to crash later on, which you might try to combat by eating or drinking something you don’t really need or want.

How to Ask for Help

Here are a few tips to keep in mind when you realize you need a little help but you’re still feeling uncomfortable asking for it. Figure out what you need help with. Be as specific as possible. You might be frustrated and just thinking, “I can’t figure this stupid project out”—but your helper will need to know exactly what the hurdle is if they’re to be of any use. Think about a piece of information, for instance, that might unlock a clear path to completion, and then seek out someone who can help provide that information. Skip “sorry.” When you apologize first, it sends the message that what you’re asking for is burdensome, when studies show most people genuinely want to help others. It may feel polite to start with “sorry,” but resist the urge. Think of “help” as a team effort. Asking for help usually isn’t about asking for someone to swoop in and rescue you—it’s about getting their help with something you’ll work on together. Collaborating on a solution often produces better results—a second set of eyes on a challenging problem can give you insights you’d never have reached alone. Say thank you. Gratitude is powerful stuff, so be sure to express yours when you’ve gotten someone’s help. Saying “thank you” verbally is a must, and it’s also extremely good practice to send a note to them later on with an update on the problem you sought their help with.

Improve Your Posture

• Take the wall test. Stand with your head, shoulder blades and buttocks touching a wall with your heels 2-4 inches away from it. Slide your hand behind the curve in your lower back. You'll feel about one hand's thickness of space between your back and the wall. If there's too much space, tighten your abdominal muscles. If there's too little space, arch your back. Walk away from the wall and maintain this posture. • Keep your body in alignment when sitting. Rest both feet flat on the floor while keeping your knees level with your hips. Sit with your back against the chair, using a cushion if you need support. Stretch your head toward the ceiling and tuck your chin in slightly. Keep your upper back and neck straight and shoulders relaxed (not rounded or pulled backward). • Exercise to strengthen your core. Start with easy stretches and exercises (check out www.aarp.org/fitness). Work up to taking classes in Pilates, yoga and strength training. If you already have back or other physical problems, talk to your doctor before you start a program, and work with a physical therapist or personal trainer. • Keep your bones strong. Maintain a healthy diet rich in calcium and vitamin D. To prevent osteoporosis (thinning of the bones), do weight bearing exercises such as walking, jogging and climbing stairs.

Trailhead Direct Shuttle

Direct transit to trails service began June 5th and runs until Sept 26th. The popular shuttle service takes riders to the Issaquah Alps and Mount Si. King County Metro is taking stress off of popular trailhead parking lots as man are located in residential neighborhoods which can become bottlenecks on sunny weekends. Service began in 2017 andword quickly spread and additional resources were allocated. You can pick up the shuttle service in several locations including; Broadway, Denny Way, Capitol Hill Link Light Rail Station, Eastgate Transit Center and Issaquah Transit Center. A few of the trails are Squak Mountain, High School Trail, Poo Poo Point, Mount Teneriffe and Easy Sunset Way. This is such an amazing place to be in the summer and if you have not ventured out for a day hike this could be a great opportunity to get friends to join you for a fun day out of the city. trailheaddirect.org

Starting a Budget

Having a budget is more important than ever before, but sticking to one takes time and discipline. Here are ways to help you become a better money manager. Track your spending. Most people spend their money on food, housing and transportation, but there are many other categories, like household costs, debt payments and entertainment. Try this: Write down every dollar you spend in a two-week period and see what you can cut on the list. Doing this with your spouse and your family members will turn up even more surprises. Account for your cash. Does it just “disappear” from your wallet? Try tracking where it is spent. Sometimes, using debit or credit cards for expenditures can help with accounting. Understand your debt (mortgage, student loans, credit cards) and set goals to reduce it. Federal Reserve statistics say the average household owes $7,529 on their cards. For indebted households, the average is $16,140. Have a savings goal, including an emergency fund, as part of your budget. What if you need major car repairs or a new furnace? Start small and add to this category gradually or you’ll have to fall back on those credit cards.

4 Dangerous Cleaners in Your Home

• Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner. This cleaner is one of the worst because the manufacturer advertises it as “non-toxic.” Some of its ingredients are banned in Europe! A solvent it contains can also damage your blood cells. Try: Make a solution of one part white distilled vinegar/nine parts water for a cheap and safe cleaner. • Scrubbing Bubbles (Antibacterial Bathroom Cleaner and Extend-a-Clean Mega Shower Foamer). Both of these products contain another substance banned at high concentrations in Europe: the solvent DEGBE, which can irritate your lungs. Try: Baking soda works amazingly well when scrubbing the bathroom, tub, and shower. It also won’t inflame your lungs. Try mixing it with a little salt and water to make a paste. • Mop and Glo Multi-Surface Floor Cleaner. This also contains the chemical DEGBE at a concentration (15%) far beyond what’s allowed in Europe (3%). Try: Make your own floor cleaner with a mixture of 50/50 vinegar and water, or 1/2 cup vinegar and 1 tsp. vegetable oil for wood floors. Also try Branch Basics at branchbasics.com or Mrs. Meyers Clean Day products at mrsmeyers.com. • Drano Professional Strength Kitchen Crystals Clog Remover. This product can cause blindness or even death if ingested. It can stay in the drain after use, and become even more hazardous when mixed with other chemicals. Try: Use a toilet plunger or drain snake when faced with clogs and skip the chemicals.

Tips to Sell Your Home in a New Market

Look at past sales in your neighborhood but try and understand the current competition as well. In a changing market active and pending listings are just as important. Work to make your home shine so buyers can focus on the way they would like to live and can see the positive features. Revealing too much information to buyers when you’re negotiating the sale is a common, costly mistake. To get the most for your home: • Work with a professional REALTOR® who knows questions to ask potential buyers that determine their motivation for buying and what price they can afford. • Don’t mention the “appraisal” value of your home at a showing to try to persuade a buyer to pay more for it. An appraisal may not be accurate and is not the best indicator of the value of a home. • Don’t tell a buyer why you’re selling (especially if you need to sell it quickly). Just say your housing needs have changed. You can learn about six more costly mistakes in my Free Consumer Report called “How To Avoid 7 Costly Mistakes When Selling Your Home.” Call me and I’ll send a copy right over to you.

Overcoming Retirement Fears

You’ve worked tirelessly your entire life, and retirement is your time to finally and fully enjoy that hard-earned rest and relaxation. Unfortunately, not being able to afford retirement is a fear many people have. Get ahead of the game so you can rest easy.  Start saving now, at your current age. Establish a monthly budget that includes tucking money away for retirement.  Stick to the retirement plan. Do not withdraw money early for expenses if you have any other options.  Avoid borrowing, and keep debt to a minimum. If you need to borrow make yourself the lender and pay yourself interest.  Use a 401(k) plan to boost retirement savings. These plans allow funds to be invested directly from a paycheck before they’re subject to taxes.  Take advantage of company matching opportunities for retirement contributions.