When I decided to move a few years ago, I put a lot of thought into where I wanted to live. One of the key issues for me was to live in a part of town that is walkable.
One of my favorite ways to exercise is to walk outside. I chose an area that is great for walking with restaurants, shops and a Starbucks all within 2 blocks of my home. If I’m willing to go just a little farther, I could walk to dozens of restaurants and even a grocery store.
Did you catch that I said I could walk to these places? It seems that one of the most common New Year’s resolutions is to lose weight or get fit. I’ll be making one of these myself again this year, and plan to get out and start walking (well…as soon as the weather warms up a little!).
I often hear from people relocating to St. Louis that they are looking for a community that has easy access for walking to coffee shops and cafes. There are plenty of places in St. Louis that will fit this need, but many others that really require a car to get to just about everything.
How walkable is your neighborhood?
Check out this website that allows you to enter any address and shows you nearby retail businesses on a map along with giving you a walk score. My score was 60. What is your score?
Leave me a comment below to let me know if you think your walk score matches the walkability of your area.
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With only a few days left in 2007, time is running out to take advantage of some home related tax deductions.
If you make energy efficiency home improvements to your primary residence by the end December 31, 2007, you may be eligible for a tax credit. Tax benefits are available for:
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windows
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doors
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skylights
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insulation
- heating equipment
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cooling equipment
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hot water heaters
For more complete information on the covered items, see this article and talk to your tax adviser. If you already made the improvements, dig out your receipts for your tax adviser. If you were planning to make these improvements soon, it might be worth a quick trip to Home Depot or Lowe’s to see if you can get something ordered before the end of the year.
And don’t forgot to drop off of your surplus household items at your favorite charity. In order to tax advantage of charitable tax deductions, the donations need to be made by December 31.
There are tons of great organizations that can use those items that you don’t really need. I’ll plug a few of my favorites here in case you are looking for a good home for your items.
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Ranken Jordan – specialized rehabilitative hospital care for children regardless of their ability to pay
(accepts children’s clothing and toys)
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Lydia’s House – provides furnished transitional living apartments for victims of domestic violence
(accepts children’s and household items)
Or, if you are looking for a good cause for a year-end financial donation, please consider Backstoppers Inc. This great organization steps in to take care of the financial needs of families who have lost a police officer or firefighter in the line of duty. Within days of a tragedy, Backstoppers makes arrangements to pay off mortgages, car loans and credit card balances, and provides educational assistance for the children until they complete college.
If you are new to the St. Louis area and need some help in locating a charity near your home that can accept the items you want to donate, please contact me for assistance.
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