Getting Your Home Ready for Holiday Visitors
Chances are you’re going to spend some, or all, of the holiday season with family. To ensure that your holiday visits will go as smoothly as possible, take the preparatory steps to get your home ready for holiday guests.
Sleep Accommodations – If you’re having overnight guests, they all will need a place to sleep. Before your guests arrive, determine the number of beds you need for everyone. If you don’t have enough beds or pull out couches in your home, consider purchasing air mattresses or roll-away cots to provide the extra beds for your guests. Next, ensure that you have enough clean sheets and bedding for everyone to be warm and cozy. Lastly, if you have more than one family staying with you over the holidays, try to give each family a private space of their own. If your house lacks the number of spare rooms to do this, give priority to guest with small children or babies.
Guest Bathrooms – A busy house means limited bathroom access. Though you can’t magically add more bathrooms to your home, you can prep to ensure that things go smoothly when extra people arrive. Perform a thorough cleaning of all the bathrooms in your home before guests arrive. Clear your children’s toys from the tub, remove all extra bottles, and keep bathrooms stocked with toiletries and clean towels for the entirety of your guests’ stay.
Plan Your Meals — Holiday guests means extra mouths to feed, so it’s best to plan ahead to make sure your house guests have plenty to eat while staying with you. First, make a detailed list of each meal you plan to cook while your guests are with you, and all necessary ingredients. Remember to include enough snack foods and treats to keep holiday visitors satisfied between meals. Buy food for the holidays gradually over three or four shopping trips so that you don’t get overwhelmed by the extra cost. This will also give you enough time to go back for forgotten ingredients. Remember to keep it simple – find easy to prepare, slow cooker recipes that feed large groups of people. Try to get all the prepping and chopping of ingredients done prior to their arrival. This will give you more time to spend with your loved ones.
The holiday season is meant to be one of the happiest times of the year, but with all the extra expenses this time of year can feel more like a burden than a joy. If you’re looking to enjoy a joyous, wallet-friendly holiday season, create a holiday spending spreadsheet that will keep you on track and feeling merry.
Figure out what you can afford to spend.
Review your finances, and determine how much you can afford to spend on holiday-related purchases this year. Then, set this figure as your overall holiday spending limit.
Set a spending limit for each area of holiday spending.
Create a spreadsheet, and list all the typical holiday expenses – gifts, decorations, holiday foods, etc. – in the first column, and set a budget for each area of spending in the second column.
Keep track of your spending throughout the season.
Keep a running total of your purchases in the third column of your spreadsheet to record your actual spending throughout the season.
Modify your budget to cover any instances of overspending.
Don’t worry too much if you overspend in one of the categories you listed – just try to cut back on your spending in another category to make up for it.
Look for specials and discounts! Stay and shop in Jefferson Parish and keep your tax dollars home.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 18, 2012
An affiliate of Metairie, Louisiana, based Favrot & Shane Companies, Inc., has acquired the 312 unit Regency Club Apartments in Baton Rouge, LA.
Constructed in 1984 and located just off S. Sherwood Forest Blvd. on the south side of I-12, Regency Club consists of one and two bedroom units averaging 808 square feet. The property is gated and fully amenitized, including a fitness facility, tennis court, sand volleyball court, two swimming pools and resident carports. Individual unit amenities include full sized washer/dryers, wood burning fireplaces and outside storage.
Favrot & Shane’s 1st Lake Properties division (www.1stLake.com) will manage Regency Club. A $1.4 million updating is planned for the property, and will include new exterior siding, exterior painting, revised site lighting and signage, improved landscaping, and revamping of the Resident Services Center.
Regency Club is the third multi-family rental property acquired by Favrot & Shane in Baton Rouge since 2004, joining Lake Towers and Springbrook as part of the 1st Lake Properties, Inc. brand. 1st Lake Properties manages 68 apartment communities in Louisiana and Mississippi on behalf of Favrot & Shane, totaling over 9,000 units. Its commercial property division, Preferred Realty, manages Favrot & Shane’s office, retail, industrial and land investments.
When it comes to giving gifts, you’ve likely heard the saying, “it’s the thought that counts,” and there is certainly no gift more thoughtful than something that is made with love. Homemade gifts are not just thoughtful; they’re also budget-friendly. If you’re looking for some gift ideas that you can make yourself, check out the list of suggestions below.
Baked Goods – Baked goods and homemade food items are always a great and tasty gift option. Plus, you can make them in bulk so that you have plenty of extra items on hand in case you need a last-minute present for someone.
Gift Basket – Why not create a custom gift basket for someone that you care about. Do they have a sweet tooth? Fill it with cookies, candies, and other confections. Are they a gourmand? Gather lots of foodie items at World Market in Elmwood like gourmet olive oils, artisan cheeses, and a bottle of wine to complete the basket.
Scrapbook – Pictures are worth 1000 words, so communicate your affection with a photobook or scrapbook. Theme the album around a favorite family vacation, a special event, or create a chronological history of memories. Make it by hand or visit a photo-friendly site like Shutterfly.com for some high-tech help.
Special Day – Memories last far longer than things, so why not create a “special day” for someone you love. Plan a romantic evening out, complete with dinner and a movie at Elmwood or Clearview AMC Theaters or organize a family day at the New Orleans Audubon Zoo. So they actually have something to open, print out a picture of where you’re going or get a gift card toward a special place you’ll visit that day.
Get creative and have fun – your loved one will adore you for it!
You’ve scoured the real estate market to find the perfect new apartment rental in New Orleans and now you’re ready to move in!
Before you sign on the dotted line, be sure you read through your lease thoroughly and understand what it means. There are some basic protocols that you’ll need to remember, that if aren’t followed, might mean owing extra fees at the end of the month or even eviction in extreme scenarios.
As long as you know and honor what you’re signing up for, you’ll be able to enjoy all the comfort, convenience and amenities at 1st Lake Properties with no problems!
It’s best to honor the full rental term as stated in your lease.
Sometimes, unforeseen life changes happen that force you to move. Contact your rental office as soon as possible to discuss your options.
Abandoning your rental property is a different story, however. The lessee will be in default if they abandon their property. In the case of abandonment, the property manager reserves the right to demand the remaining full amount of the unexpired rent term that will be due immediately.
There is certain conduct that renters are expected to uphold for certain reasons and common courtesy.
All 1st Lake apartment residents are required to:
It is a common policy that rent must be paid in full by midnight on the third day of each month. Residents who are late paying rent may be subject to a fee. Luckily, you can pay your rent online each month.
Make sure to keep track of your 1st Lake passes and keys or you may have to pay for replacement keys, passes or lock changes.
Upon moving in, residents will be given a move-in checklist to indicate if anything is damaged or not working properly. If not returned, it will be assumed everything is in good condition.
Upon moving out at the end of the rental lease term, the deposit will be returned in full or with necessary deductions for damages other than reasonable wear and tear. If damages exceed the cost of the security deposit, the former resident will be charged the difference. If the former resident doesn’t return keys, they will be charged for the lock replacement.
Get renters insurance to protect losses or damages associated with theft, weather, fire or electric problems that aren’t covered by the property!
Check out 1st Lake’s many excellent options for Metairie apartment rentals.
1st Lake Properties | P. O. Box 73709 | Metairie, LA 70033 | info@1stlake.com
