Beating Broke

6 Steps to Take When You Need to Take Legal Action Against a Landlord

November 13, 2023 By Erin H Leave a Comment

Renting a home is thrilling sometimes, but it can throw you for a loop when things go awry. If you are in a sticky situation with your landlord, fret not! We’re here to guide you through the steps to take when you need to take legal action against a landlord. Buckle up for a ride through the legal terrain, where your rights as a tenant take center stage.

1. The Lay of the Land: Know Your Lease Inside Out

Before we dive into the legal details, let’s start with the basics. Know your lease inside out, like the back of your hand. It spells out the do’s and don’ts for both renters and landlords. Pay attention to the sections about who’s in charge of fixing stuff, keeping things tidy, and what rights you have as a tenant. Understanding your lease is the first step in building a strong case if things go south.

2. Document Like a Detective: Keep a Paper Trail

When troubles arise, start documenting everything. Keep a paper trail from maintenance requests and communication with your landlord to photographs of any issues. It’s like gathering evidence for your case. Approximately 15% of homes in the United States have a water leak, making plumbing repair a significant market, according to Gitnux. This documentation can be your ace in the hole if legal action becomes necessary. Remember, the more thorough, the better. Even if the problem seems like a minor occurrence, document it.

3. The Art of Communication: Open a Dialogue

Before jumping into legal battles, try the art of communication. It’s like attempting to settle things over a cup of coffee before taking big steps. Reach out to your landlord with your concerns, preferably in writing. Lay out your problems, back them up with solid proof, and suggest possible fixes. Opening a dialogue can sometimes resolve problems without the need for legal fireworks.

4. Know Your Rights: Become a Tenant Rights Expert

Understanding your rights as a tenant is like putting on armor before a battle. Research your state’s landlord-tenant laws and familiarize yourself with your rights. In Montana, for instance, there’s a three-year limit for filing a civil lawsuit or settling a claim against a property owner, according to Gerstner Adam Law. Being clued up on your rights gives you the upper hand, helping you make smart and informed choices.

5. Assemble Your Crew: Seek Legal Advice

When the situation escalates and communication fails to yield results, it’s time to assemble your legal team. Seeking legal advice is like bringing in a superhero to fight for justice. Consult with a tenant rights attorney who can assess your case, guide you on your options, and help you understand the legal battleground you’re entering. Many offer free consultations, so don’t be shy about reaching out. Drafting a letter asking for help with your personal finance situation. A cease-and-desist letter is a formal letter from your attorney to your landlord outlining the issues, demanding resolution, and indicating your intent to pursue legal action if necessary.

6. Small Claims Rodeo: When All Else Fails

Consider small claims if the landlord remains unyielding and you’re dealing with relatively small claims. Small claims court is like the Wild West of the legal world. It’s designed for disputes without the need for extensive legal proceedings. It’s faster, cheaper, and allows you to represent yourself. Check your state’s limit for small claims and see if it’s feasible for your case. For example, small claims may be best for a small plumbing problem. According to IBIS World, The market size of the U.S. Plumbing industry has increased by 2.9% since 2017 and continues to grow, according to IBIS World.

Legal action against a landlord can feel challenging, but you can come out on top with the right moves. Don’t forget it’s essential to assert your rights as a tenant because they do hold significant weight.

How to Deal With the Stress of a High-Performance Career

November 6, 2023 By Erin H Leave a Comment

Thriving in a high-performance career can be exhilarating, but it often comes hand-in-hand with significant stress. Juggling the high stakes of a dynamic career and staying healthy can feel like a tricky balancing act. However, with the right strategies and mindset, you can effectively navigate the stress associated with high-performance careers and achieve a harmonious balance between success and well-being.

Embracing Mindfulness and Stress-Relief Techniques

Incorporate mindfulness practices into your daily routine to alleviate stress and foster mental clarity. Keep it chill with yoga or take deep breaths when you’re stressed. With a little mindfulness in your corner, you’re all set to tackle any work stress and keep things cool, even when the pressure cranks up. Some folks turn to pot for a chill-out vibe. Depending on where you live, it may be legal to use recreationally. It is not legal in all places. For example, according to the Inquirer, Philadelphia, PA, decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana, but that same law doesn’t apply in Chester County, PA.

Establishing Clear Boundaries Between Work and Personal Life

Maintain a healthy work-life balance by demonstrating clear boundaries between professional responsibilities and personal life. Allocate specific time slots for work-related tasks and prioritize leisure activities, hobbies, and quality time with loved ones. To keep work from taking over your personal life, schedule specific times for tasks and prioritize fun.

Cultivating a Supportive Network and Seeking Professional Guidance

Surround yourself with a supportive network of colleagues and friends who understand the demands of your high-performance career. Swap stories and hurdles with folks who get it to nab some fresh viewpoints and wisdom. Consider talking to a career counselor for help healthily dealing with work stress. More than two-thirds of adults have seen a doctor within the last year – whether it’s their physician or another specialist.

Prioritizing Physical Health and Well-Being

Make physical health a priority by incorporating regular exercise, nutritious meals, and adequate sleep into your lifestyle. Picking a workout you love, be it running, swimming, or biking, doesn’t just make fitness fun but also amps up your overall health and gives your energy a big lift. Eating right and catching plenty of sleep can be your secret weapon to tackling work stress, letting you shine in a demanding career.

Engaging in Relaxation and Leisure Activities

Allocate time for relaxation and leisure activities to unwind and recharge amidst the demands of a high-performance career. Unwind by immersing yourself in hobbies you love, whether it’s painting an art piece, caring for your plants, or playing a tune on the guitar. Pursuing passions provides perspective. Schedule fun trips and dive into hobbies you love to keep a balanced view of your work-life equation.

Nurturing Emotional Resilience and Positive Mindset

Cultivate emotional resilience and a positive mindset to navigate the challenges of a high-performance career with confidence and determination. Trust in your abilities, keep a positive attitude, and understand that you’ve got what it takes to tackle any challenge that comes your way confidently. Although challenges can feel daunting, viewing them as opportunities for growth enables you to keep improving professionally while enjoying a balanced life.

The toughness you develop can arm you to weather other life storms, like a massive hurricane. As per USA Today, Hurricane Irma holds the record as the most potent hurricane ever witnessed in the Atlantic. Far from typical, Irma reached the terrifying peak of Category 5, holding its relentless 185 mph winds in a vice-like grip for an unyielding stretch of 37 hours.

To handle the pressure of a high-octane career, you need a well-rounded strategy that includes being mindful and bouncing back emotionally. Staying chill while hustling in a high-pressure job takes a balanced lifestyle. However, addressing stress directly lets you thrive in your demanding job while enjoying a fulfilling personal life.

Our Favorite Small Ways to Save Money

November 5, 2023 By MelissaB 3 Comments

Even though inflation has tapered off a bit in the last year its long term impact is still being felt in households across the economy. We’re no different. Although we have improved our financial position over the last five years, we still aren’t where we want to be financially, so we continue to be cautious with our finances and not spend more than we need to. Lately, we’ve utilized small ways to save money that help us continue to improve our financial standing.

Let me clarify that we’re not saving a lot of money from any of these strategies, but, overall, they improve our finances.

Small Ways to Save Money

We try to save money in every aspect of our lives.

Discounts on Gas

We have a few ways we try to save money on gas. Some of these work better than others.

Use a Grocery Store Rewards Card

Our local grocery store gives us points for our purchases. We can then redeem those points for an amount off gas. Last month, I redeemed enough points to get $1.00 per gallon off gas, bringing my per gallon price to $3.49 instead of $4.49.

Use a Credit Card With Cash back Rewards

One of our credit cards is giving 5% cash back on gas purchases for April through June, so whenever my husband and I fill up, we always use that card, so we get some cash back that we can redeem later.

Using Cash Back Gas App

We haven’t used these as much, but there are least two good cash back app that work for gas stations. Upside is the number 1 in this space, followed by TruNow. The both work on the same model, you buy gas and scan the receipt, then you get credited for the purchase – usually pennies on the dollar. Of these Upside is probably the better choice – they’re actively expanding their offerings and improving the app incrementally. You can find them here.

Combining Errands & Staying Home

Not everyone has the luxury to stay home more, but we do because we both work from home. We try to limit our trips, but when we do make them, we try to combine errands so we’re not driving around multiple times per day or even per week.

Strategically Using Cash Back Credit Cards

I alluded to this above, but we strategically use our cash back credit cards to maximize the money we get back. We have three credit cards, all of which offer cash back. Every quarter, we opt-in for the cash back bonuses and utilize those categories for those purchases.

For instance, our Discover card offers 5% cash back for gas purchases from April through June, so we only use that card for gas. We use our other credit card that offers 2% cash back on all purchases for everything else.

Just as importantly, we also choose not to activate certain 5% cash back bonuses. For instance, one card is offering 5% cash back for dining out. We didn’t activate that one because we never dine out, and I certainly wouldn’t start dining out just to get 5% cash back.

Shopping Clearance Sales

I always like to browse the clearance section, but that’s more important now than ever. The trick to doing this is finding out when the store posts the clearance sales. Usually the good deals get taken fast.

Grocery Store Clearance

Recently, I have found some excellent grocery store clearance items. A week after Easter, I found a one-pound package of diced him on clearance for 49 cents. Yes, please! I bought two and used them as the meat in some soup recipes that I made.

Whenever I find clearance meat, I buy it and stick it in the freezer for later use. I also do the same with clearance dry goods, as long as they’re foods I know that we’ll eat.

Clearance Clothing

Small Ways to Save Money — Obligatory stock art showing a woman super happy with her clothes purchase after she used the methods in this article.

A few weeks ago, my daughters and I went to Kohl’s to shop the clearance winter clothes racks. We bought our clothes for next winter at a steep discount. We’ve packed them away and will take them out in a few months when the weather starts to change. To sweeten the deal, we received Kohl’s cash, which we redeemed to buy winter boots that were on clearance.

Incidentally, if you want a seriously good example of how to get discounts on clothing, read Lauren Bowling’s article on how she regularly gets 60% to 80% off designer clothing.

Canceled Excess Subscriptions

With two teens in the house and one pre-teen, we have a lot of streaming services. Most of these aren’t expensive–$5 to $10 a month. However, when you have several of them, the price adds up. I polled the kids to see what streaming services they use, and I cut the rest. That saved us $20 per month, or $240 a year. While this amount isn’t huge, why pay the money when the services weren’t even being used? That’s silly.

Waiting to Make Major Purchases

One of the biggest ways we’re saving money in this current economic climate is to avoid making major purchases. Our minivan is 18 years old and has 230,000 miles on it. We’d like to replace it, but new minivans are out of our price range, and used ones now cost almost as much as new ones. In addition, we don’t want to take out a car loan since the interest rates are increasing. Instead, we are waiting to buy a replacement vehicle.

That means we spent $1,500 recently repairing the van. My kids are constantly embarrassed about driving such an old minivan. (To be fair, I understand their feelings. The paint is peeling off, and the hubcaps are off. One passenger side door no longer opens.) However, we’ve decided, for now, that holding on to our current vehicle is the prudent option. Besides, driving around in such an old vehicle is character-building for the kids.

Saving on a Rental Car

We took a family vacation this month, so we opted to rent a car and saved two ways.

Use Our Costco Card

First, we used our Costco card to save more than 25% on the cost of the rental vehicle. We only book rental cars through the Costco travel section because the discount is enormous. Incidentally, if you don’t have a Costco membership, I recommend getting one. If you have a bigger family like mine the economics pan out. You can get it here.

Opted Out of Rental Car Insurance

We also opted not to purchase the rental car insurance. I called our insurance, and they confirmed that our insurance would cover any problems except for the rental car company’s loss of use charge should the vehicle be in an accident and unusable. We added a $6 rider to cover loss of use.

I also paid with our credit card that provides secondary insurance for a rental car. If we need to use our car insurance on the rental, this credit card would cover our deductible.

Final Thoughts

Living in a time of high inflation is difficult. We’re blessed that we’re both employed and are in a comfortable enough financial position that we can weather this current economic struggle. Even so, we’re taking these small steps to save money, so we can continue to improve our financial position.

The reality is that inflation will subside in the future, but if you’re able to consistently adapt these habits, you should save a ton in the long run.

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