Sausage making

This is a bit of a detour from home selling but it is about making a happy home! Greg and I just bought a NESCO sausage grinder and stuffer and used it for the first time yesterday. This was one of the most satisfying culinary projects I have ever been a part of. Also, it was the first time eating sausage where there was no guilt! I knew exactly what went into our sausage so that eating it was just plain tasty. Here's the recipe: Pork butt, fennel seeds, parsley, red-pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. We cut the pork butt into chunks and then mixed it with the seasonings, allowed it sit for about an hour, then grinded it twice and voila! The next attempt will be tweaking the flavorings (more fennel!) perhaps some oregano, garlic, etc. and then actually stuffing into casings. My Dad has taught me year after year how to make Finnish Potato Sausage so this "should" be a no-brainer. Thanks Dad for that! Also, organic pork? That would be preferable but hard to find where we live.

Realtor screams as a leg slides across the floor!

Beware of cute little old ladies sitting under their afghans during a home showing. Here is how it happened: I am bringing clients to a home for a showing and the homeowner is the aforementioned "cute little old lady". She's old, doesn't like to leave the house much, so it's ok, she can stay for the showing. As clients and I are viewing the bathroom, I move the door a bit to show them the linen closet behind and out slides a lone leg! I am guessing that it was just too much work that day to put on her prosthesis! :)

Do I really need a down payment to buy a home?

The no down payment days are over. That is how the housing mess came to be, lucy-goosey lenders giving everyone a loan. I remember helping buyers find homes that didn't even have jobs, yet they had pre-approval letters and successfully went to close. Foreclosure wasn't too far behind after that happy purchase. So how do you save for that down payment? It will take some time, but it can be done. First of all, begin with an expense journal. Write it all down. Even the $4 lattes, and the $1.69 bottle of water at the mini mart, and the $1.29 roll of mints at the grocery checkout. Do this for a month or two and then analyze and scrutinize. It's all obvious isn't it? Refill your water bottle before you leave the house, use a travel coffee mug and make your latte at home (it's just coffee, milk and sugar anyway!), buy a large bag of mints and put some in your car. Eating lunch out? Start making it at home, it's really cool these days to brown bag it! Start pot luck lunches at work! Now, these suggestions are little savings that will take awhile to make a difference, but on to the bigger ones. Do you go away every winter to a warm climate? Now, don't hate me, but do it every other year instead. Open up a savings account and deposit money in it immediately when you receive your paycheck, you are actually paying yourself for the future of owning a home. Owning a home is the biggest investment you will make and it also has proven benefits to your health, family and community.