The Next Time Your Doorbell Rings, Think Twice Before Opening The Door

When the senior homeowner answered her door she made her 1st mistake.

As she listened to the woman standing outside and began conversation she made her 2nd mistake. The woman was pleasant and convincing and the homeowner made her 3rd mistake by inviting the woman inside the house.

The woman was supposedly selling a new, improved security system. After talking a few minutes the woman asked for a glass of water, and the senior made her 4th mistake – leaving the woman alone while she went to the kitchen (and also leaving her purse in plain view).

How would that happen? Well, the woman appealed to our homeowner’s curiosity and pride. She told our elderly homeowner that the next door neighbor had just purchased a [top of the line] security system, so even though the homeowner had a good, perfectly functioning system, she was not about to risk having a product that was inferior to something owned by her neighbor.

A few days later the bank of the unsuspecting senior homeowner called to say someone had attempted to cash a $1,000 check drawn on her checking account. The bank declined; however, the woman was successful at having the check deposited to the account of an acquaintance at another bank.

It seems the woman was employed although not as a security system salesperson. She had presented the check to her supervisor, told him it was for a lot of work she had been doing for a homeowner who finally paid her, and asked the supervisor to endorse the check (3rd party—a warning flag he missed) and give her the money from petty cash – which, unbelievably, he did and became the second victim. He realized his bad judgment when the local police appeared at his office. The stolen money was returned to the senior homeowner by the second victim’s bank; I don’t know what happened to the supervisor and his job.

This is not a new scam but it still works. If you have an older relative living alone, be their advocate and stay alert in case they aren’t.

Becky Hopkins, Realtor®, SRES, GRI
CENTURY 21 Judge Fite Company
Serving the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex
http://www.50andholding.info

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Tips On Controlling Your Food Budget (The Secret Is In The Planning)

Tips On Controlling Your Food Budget (The Secret Is In The Planning)

Boomers, did we expect to spend so much, ever, once the kids were gone? I don’t think so. It has taken some effort to re-train ourselves on grocery shopping and meal preparation as we return to where we started – meals for two. Notice I mentioned grocery shopping and meal p-r-e-p-a-r-a-t-i-o-n. Eating out frequently can make big dents in our otherwise manageable cash flow and sabotage our efforts to save for an emergency, but the secret is in the planning, e.g., a meal plan and grocery list (and possibly some coupons) in hand at the store.

I remember my Daddy’s spin on money after seeing his father lose everything in the Great Depression and we kids actually laughed. But that was a long time ago and I’m not laughing today. I get it. Why, I remember preparing our week’s meals on less than $15.00/week!! Now I am sounding like my father, but we ate so much tuna casserole I still have fins and to this day can’t bear to look at a can of cream of mushroom soup.

Having a meal plan in place also allows us to set aside smaller portions in disposable freezer containers which can be delivered to someone who is home from the hospital or an elderly friend or family member whose diet is questionable. More personal and much less expensive than stopping by a local restaurant.

I am now re-inspired to be a better planner — both for myself, my family and for others.

Becky Hopkins, Realtor®, SRES, GRI
CENTURY 21 Judge Fite Company
Serving the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex
http://www.50andholding.info

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Depression or recession? 5 Stories from my Mom

Am I the only person who is confused about whether our recession has come or gone? The paper and the TV news offer little encouragement but it does encourage me to think more about smart spending and savvy saving and reminds me of stories my mother told.

My mother said they didn’t realize they were poor because my grandparents were creative and never forgot how to have fun: day-long Christmas tree decorating, my grandfather’s Spanish omelet that made weekend mornings an occasion, singing with “Puddy” (the family’s black Lab), playing with the chickens.

I always liked the story about my grandmother’s chicken project. She decided to raise the birds so the family diet would have more protein, but it didn’t work as she had planned. My mother and uncle named all of the chickens and and they became pets. When “Charlie” and others were served up on the dinner table, the kids cried and refused to eat their baked or fried pets. Actually, I don’t remember hearing what happened to the little poultry souls since food wasn’t thrown away so casually in those days. Mammaw was a great cook, so I’m thinking she may have disguised the departed friends in a soup, stew or casserole type dish.

One of my favorites: Mom and her friends would have a dance – at home. In those days the floors were wood, so they would roll up the rug. Remember this was before wall-to-wall carpet. The kids would all combine their money to buy an ice sculpture which at that time was inexpensive, make punch, turn on the radio and dance the night away. I didn’t understand how an ice sculpture worked with punch, but the story sounded good and I never questioned the combination.

Even my great-grandmother might be at the party. She was an invalid from rheumatoid arthritis, but she followed the beat of music with one finger and the next morning would happily say that she had danced too much the night before.

I can still imagine the smiles around the room, hear the music, and feel what we now call energy as young and old enjoyed each other’s company and had fun without a credit card balance to pay the following month.

Becky Hopkins, Realtor®, SRES, GRI
CENTURY 21 Judge Fite Company
Serving the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex
http://www.50andholding.info

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