Wednesday, January 20, 2010

When Neighbors in Foreclosure Benefit you

Hmmm..not sure I like the title of this post.

Because, frankly, I would rather my neighbors NOT be in foreclosure and have vacant homes on my street.

Currently, a few doors up, we have two empty homes. It is very frustrating, although I must admit that winter is better than summer. At least the grass isn't going to be overgrown. Before that, a few years ago, a 3rd home on our street was also in foreclosure.

If you have been in a neighborhood with empty homes before, you know it takes the bank FOREVER to get the homes on the market and sold. They literally sit there for months and months and months.

How is this helping my property value?

Regardless, today I decided to finally take advantage of the empty homes. Since no one is living there, the papers have been piling up in both driveways. One of them had 6, and the other had 4.

Everyday when I drove onto my street, I had to pass these piles of papers in the driveway. Today, I was pulling my paper in and saw the coupon inserts and thought...wait a minute! Why didn't I think of this before.

So, I walked up there, and brought all the papers home. I pulled all the coupon inserts and am recycling all the paper ( taking it to my sons school, which then earns them money ).

So, it is a win-win. Coupon savings for me and earnings for the local elementary school!

Don't get me wrong, I would rather the neighbors had not foreclosed. But, I can't change that. And, if no one is going to pick those papers up ( which they obviously are not after all this time ) then I am going to utilize them.

I will note: these are not subscription papers, but the free inserts and papers they throw into all the driveways in my area. :)

Can't wait to go save my money at the grocery store! New to grocery savings? Click here to learn how I save thousands each year shopping.



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3 comments:

Marybeth at www.babygoodbuys.com said...

Good idea! I wish my area had coupon inserts in free newspapers!

You're also doing a really good thing by taking the papers and recycling them. It reduces litter and cleans up your neighborhood. Every little bit helps!

Jennifer Moore said...

I got a chuckle out of this post!

Carrie @ Moneysavingmethods.com said...

Jennifer,

I am glad! :) I have been grumbling about these empty homes for so long that I was laughing at home excited I was to get free coupons. How silly is that?

I think I am losing it up here in this cold weather. The littlest things get me excited. LOL.

 
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