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Valentine’s Day Date Ideas – Without Breaking The Bank!

Valentine’s Day Date Ideas – Without Breaking The Bank!

It’s important to make your significant other feel special on Valentine’s Day. In fact, it’s even better when you don’t have to break the bank for it.
Here are some inexpensive yet thoughtful date ideas to try this Valentine’s Day:
  • Dine in before going out. Heading out to a restaurant on Valentine ’s Day is a recipe for fighting off crowds. You can easily avoid this by ordering in your favorite food or even cooking dinner for that special someone. Not only will you feel relaxed and comfortable in your own home but you will be saving money too.
  • Consider using coupons. Using restaurant coupons on a first date is a bit awkward. However, for long term couples who are comfortable with each other, this could work to save the both of you a little bit of money.
  • Splurge on cocktails and dessert. Instead of spending on a huge meal, eat and spend light on your main course. Then, head out or even stay in, and enjoy more of your favorite mixed drink and sweet treat!
  • If concert and theater tickets are out of your range of spending, try going to an art gallery, wine tasting or even the movie theater. In most places these centers are open late.
  • If you are looking to have a unique and reasonably priced Valentine’s Day, try some of these money saving options.
Happy Valentine’s Day from C.H. Edwards, Inc.!
Shopping Safely Online this Valentine’s Day

Shopping Safely Online this Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and that means shopping for s special gift for that special someone.  Although you may be heading to your local florist or candy shop to pick up a gift, others do their shopping online.

Let’s face it, shopping on line is fast, easy and your items ship right to your front door. However, we can’t forget about the lurking thieves who aim to steal your credit card, bank and other personal information.

Follow these basic guidelines and you can shop online with confidence this Valentine’s Day:

  • Use familiar websites. If you know the site, chances are you won’t be ripped off. Websites such as Edible Arrangements and 1-800 Flowers are well known sites and chances are you will be making a purchase on a secure site.
  • Never buy anything online using your credit card from a site that doesn’t have SSL (secure sockets layer) you can see if the site has SSL if the site starts with https:// instead of just http://.
  • Never give more information than needed. No online store needs to know your social security number or your birthday to do business. If thieves get this information along with your credit card information, it can do a lot of damage.
  • Check your credit card and debit card statements regularly. Make sure you don’t see any fraudulent charges. If you do, contact your bank immediately.
  • Install an anti-virus program onto your PC and be sure to do regular updates.

Shop safely this Valentine’s day and every other day of the year. You never know who could be lurking in the shadows!

 

Safety Tips for Winter Walking

Safety Tips for Winter Walking

Winter walking means icy sidewalks, snowy paths, bulky clothes, bulky shoes, and more. There are several steps that you can take to enjoy a safe winter season.

  • Avoid distractions from your phone and other hand held devices. Be sure that you aware of your surroundings.
  • Avoid shortcuts and snow covered paths. Always aim for cleared sidewalks and walkways.
  • Use caution when stepping from one level to another. Especially on stairs!
  • Wear non-slip boots or footwear.
  • Take small steps and take your time. Rushing will only put you in danger for a possible accident.
  • Use handrails and guiderails when available.
  • Maintain three points of contact whenever possible.
  • Distribute weight of bags evenly for balance and keep hands out of pockets in case you need to catch yourself.

The winter season on Long Island can bring many different types of weather. Make sure you know how to stay safe when commuting in them. Taking these small steps now could save you a trip to the doctor in the future.

How do you plan to stay safe this winter season?

 

Keeping Our Water Ways Clean

Keeping Our Water Ways Clean

72% of the Earth is made up of water. This is one of the many reasons as to why it is so important to keep our water ways clean and safe!

Everyday activities such as driving and landscaping can affect our water quality significantly.

Here are some tips to follow when keeping our water ways clean:

  • Never drain your pool into a storm water system, roadway or body of water. Water should be dechlorinated and discharged to a grassy area.
  • Clean up after your pets at home and in your community. Pet waste can spread disease and pollute our waterways.
  • Always check your vehicles for leaks and make necessary repairs.
  • Used oils, antifreeze, fluids and batteries should be recycled at collection centers or participating auto part stores.
  • Do not dump fats, oils, and grease down your drain. When poured down the drain, these substances known as FOG will harden and over time will create clogs.
  • Make sure to have your septic systems pumped every 3-5 years.

What steps will you take to keeping our water ways clean?

 

Cut Your Energy Costs

Cut Your Energy Costs

It’s a New Year, and now is the perfect time to cut back on your energy costs. Taking the steps to cut your energy costs will not only save you money, but it will save our resources and the planet.

Here are some tips to help you get started:

  • Make sure your home is sealed during the winter to avoid wasting heat. Close all fireplace dampers, windows, and make sure any cracks are sealed.
  • Cool your home naturally in the summer by opening windows on cool nights.
  • On nice days, hang your laundry out to dry instead of using the dryer.
  • Replace regular incandescent light bulbs and fixtures with Energy Star qualified fluorescent lights.
  • Unplug any appliances or devices that you are not using. Although they are not on, they are still drawing energy.
  • Replace your old refrigerator. Refrigerators made before 1993 could be costing $140 a year in electricity. Even refrigerators built between 1993 and 2001 cost about $60 a year to run. By comparison, a new Energy Star rated refrigerator runs on about $20 a year.
  • Only run your dishwasher when it is completely full to avoid running it multiple times in a day.

Everybody wants a little more money in their pockets. Attempting to save on energy will help you! You could save over $900 a year just by doing the basics. Imagine how much more you could save by finding more ways to save on your energy.

 

Candle Safety

Candle Safety

Calling all candle lovers! The holidays have passed and most likely you’ve received an abundance of your favorite candles. Before lighting a candle, be sure to follow these 4 important safety tips:

Don’t touch your candle while hot! Never touch or move while lit; wait until the wax has hardened.

Keep an eye on your candles. Always burn candles where you can see them (no longer than 3-4 hours at a time) and never near anything that can catch fire. Candles will burn slower and more evenly when kept in draft-free areas. Extinguish the flames before you leave a room. Never extinguish the flame with water.

Keep your candles clean. Trim wicks to ¼ inch before you light them (every time).

Keep candles out of reach. If you have pets, or young children, be sure to keep your candles in an area where they cannot reach them.

Enjoy your candles safely!

 

The Gift of Life Insurance

The Gift of Life Insurance

The holidays are here and tis’ the season for gift giving. Many people think of gift giving as exchanging cookies, baked goods, toys or clothing.

What about the gift of life insurance? To some, it may sound confusing and to others it makes perfect sense.

Truth is, giving the gift of a life insurance policy does make perfect sense. When you give the gift of life insurance, you’re giving the gift of financial stability for the future.

If you’re tgingerbreadhinking about giving the gift of life insurance to someone you know this holiday season, here are some important factors to consider when making your decision:

Think about who you are buying for. Giving life insurance to children or grandchildren is ideal. When an individual is in good health, life insurance will cost considerably less. Therefore, making it an affordable gift.

Select the right type of life insurance. Policies that include a cash value feature, such as whole life or universal life gives the most flexibility for the future, and the opportunity to establish a foundation.

Purchase an appropriate amount of coverage. Depending on your recipient, it is important to calculate how much that person will need in life insurance. For younger children a policy with a smaller cash value is sufficient. However, if you are purchasing for someone older, consider the following:
Funeral expenses
Medical expenses, in the event the recipient faces an illness or accident.
Income protection
Retirement investment availability

Know when life insurance doesn’t make sense as a gift. If the person you are considering purchasing a policy for is sick, elder, or uses tobacco, it could increase the price of the policy. In this situation, you can use your best judgment to choose if the money is better spent elsewhere.
For more information on life insurance or if you are interested in giving the gift of life insurance this holiday season, please give our office a call at (516) 249-5200 or visit our website at www.chedwards.net.

We wish you a very happy holiday season from the management and staff at C.H. Edwards, Inc.

Written by: Denise Visco

NYC Real Life Gingerbread Village

NYC Real Life Gingerbread Village

You might have making a gingerbread house apart of your annual holiday tradition, but have you ever wanted to stand next to a real life one?
This winter in NYC, you’ll have your chance. Starting December 6th and going all the way to December 18th, Madison Square Park in NYC will be home to a real life gingerbread village! You’ll feel like you are in a real life scene from Hansel and Gretel as you wander through this village.
These life size gingerbread houses are built with ginger “bricks”, a “frosting-covered” roof, and lots of peppermint sticks and gum drops! This village gets even better because you’ll be able to actually go inside these gingerbread houses. These houses are completely virtual and are filled with interactive elements including ways to build a marshmallow snowman and decorate a Christmas tree. And rumor has it, there will be plenty of treats from this year’s sponsors, which is Folgers.
This is one sweet spot that you don’t want to miss out on.
Written by: Sandra Costanzo