The Easiest $8,000 I’ve Ever Made

About a month after purchasing my new condo in the quiet neighborhood around Messiah College I received a rather nice surprise in the mail – one of those colorful treasury checks from uncle sam in the amount of $8,000. Well in all honesty it wasn’t really a surprise, the credit was the main reason I decided to buy the place to begin with, but holding that check in my hands I was indeed surprised at how easily the money came to me.

Most people have heard details about this popular program available to first time home buyers making that big decision at some point in 2009. That being said, I’m not so sure that people are really aware that this program is about to expire on December 1st, 2009. That doesn’t leave much time for interested home buyers to participate, as the closing process on a house can take well over a month from start to finish. What I’m really trying to say is; if you want to receive an $8,000 check from the government simply for buying your first house time is running out!

Sure there is strong emphasis on the free housing credit, (and for good reason) but how about historic low interest rates? I locked in my 30 year mortgage at 5%!

Just think about the numbers:

$100,000 home with 30 year 5% mortgage = about $500 monthly payment!

That should sound pretty affordable to most people, but add a roommate to that spare bedroom for $500 a month and buying a home never looked so enticing. It’s hard NOT to purchase a home right now.

Personally I was able to close on my condo with about $5,000 up front which was returned to me not a month after I closed and applied for the credit. And thanks to my realtor, the process was a breeze. Seriously, I know realtors depend on referrals and I’m happy to recommend mine, even if you’re just looking for some great resources and help getting started you can find a lot of fantastic tools on Keith Reilly’s homepage: KeithReillyRealEstate.com, check it out yourself sometime.

And for anyone even THINKING about buying their first place, don’t delay, this incentive is about to run out!

Local Stores Offer Creative Gift Ideas

Whether you’re looking for last minute holiday gifts, stockpiling future birthday presents or just want to reward yourself for all that hard work you’ve put in lately (of course we believe you), you don’t have to settle with a boring best buy gift card. You honestly don’t have to try too hard or look too far for some creative gifts that are sure to please. I’m personally a huge proponent of the whole buy local movement, it’s just a smart way to support your local economy and get more for your money, gifts are no different. More likely than not, wherever you live there is a unique little gift shop or food store, a local winery, a mom and pop shop that makes something you’ve never seen at Walmart.

In the greater Harrisburg area there exists a number of unique shops that are sure to be enjoyed, remembered, and most importantly used. The National Retail Association estimates that nearly 20% of gift cards are never even used- pity. Instead try the Virginia Nut Shop, a family owned nut and candy specialty store since 1959 offering the absolute tastiest varieties of snacks, along with their famous ‘blisters.’ How about some incredible sauces? Torchbearer Sauces have a number of unique flavors for any type of cooking or food that requires something sticky. Harry’s House of Heat is another local sauce shop that offers some intense hot sauces for that extra tough guy uncle of yours (he will cry, trust me).  You can even find international gifts right here in Central PA, Oxford Hall Celtic Shop and Josie’s German Food Market and Delicatessen both offer authentic ethnic groceries, baked goods, sweets, and much more. Sinful baked goods are never hard to find around Harrisburg, my personal favorite is Ciao! Bakery, bring some peanut-butter truffles from this shop and you’re guaranteed to make friends at that holiday party. Of course, you can never go wrong with the gift of award winning wine, West Hanover Winery is a local business that is worthy of sharing (responsibly of course).

The list can really go on and on, please feel free to add your own favorite specialty shop if I’ve missed it. The idea here is simple: give something that actually has some thought or meaning behind it, give something that represents your locale, give anything besides that boring best buy gift card.

Ethnic Grocery Stores Around Harrisburg

It has recently occurred to me after randomly stumbling upon a few wonderful ethnic grocery stores that Harrisburg has quite a few shops unfortunately existing under the radar for most people. As such, I’m starting a list of the shops that I’ve visited personally or am aware of around Harrisburg, please feel free to leave a comment with any additions you might have as I know I have probably missed a few. These places are truly unique and well worth trying for something new or unusual.

Choe’s Oriental Food Market, 829 State Street, Lemoyne. (Asian)

Dong My Asian Special Foods, Westshore Farmer’s Market, 900 Market Street, Lemoyne.

European Restaurant and Food Market, 5202 Simpson Ferry Road, Camp Hill. (Eastern Europe)

Fraulie’s German Delicatessen and Import Shop, 224 S 3rd Sreet, Lemoyne.

Fuji Do Japanese Market, 1701 Paxton Street, Harrisburg.

Goldy Market, 110 Old York Road, New Cumberland. (Eastern European)

Hampden Grocer – Asian Indian Grocery, 4704 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg.

India Groceries and Fashion, 2650 Walnut Street, Harrisburg.

Josie’s German Food & Deli, 5238 East Trindle Road, Mechanicsburg.

Kim’s Oriental Food, 2501 Paxton Street, Harrisburg. (Asian)

La Kasbah Deli, 913 North 2nd Street, Harrisburg. (Moroccan)

Landau Jewelers & Antiques, Asian American Market, 3507 Simpson Ferry Road, Camp Hill. (Vietnamese/Asian)

Little Saigon Food Market, 2800 Paxton Street, Harrisburg. (Vietnamese/Asian)

Madina Halal Meat and Grocery, 407 North Front Street, Harrisburg. (Middle Eastern/North African)

Mid East Market, 829 State Street, Lemoyne. 

Oxford Hall Celtic Shop, 315 Bridge Street, New Cumberland. (Brittish Isles)

Saint Thomas Village Store and Oriental Market, 5978 Linglestown Road, Harrisburg. (Filipino/Asian)

Shab’s Pita Stroller, 2269 Paxton Church Road, Harrisburg. (Mediterranean)

Tu Do Food and Gift, 2223 Derry Street, Harrisburg. (Vietnamese/Asian)

Tres Hermanos Taqueria, 216 N Front Street, Steelton. (Mexican/Latino)

Customer Rewards Programs – Everybody’s doing it!

Like coupons? Enjoy freebies? Why not have them dropped directly into your inbox? You may already get a few from the bigger restaurants, but even the smaller shops and eateries in your area most likely have become attuned to the advantages of email marketing. I personally subscribe to a number of customer reward/e-alerts/fan clubs etc. around the Harrisburg area that you might have interest in, I’ve linked them up for easy viewing below:

• Isaac’s Restaurant & Deli
• El Sol
• The Coliseum
• Bayou
• Mangia Qui
• Ceoltas
• Blue Bistro and Wine Bar
• Troegs Brewing Company
• La Kasbah
• HersheyPark and everything else Hershey

-To name a few. Other businesses such as Masala Bistro have printable coupons right on their website, easy. And really, most any business nowadays has a web presence, so look up your favorite restaurant and check to see if they have a rewards program of some sort, they most likely will have something to entice your patronage.

Don’t Miss the 80th Annual Jubilee Day in Mechanicsburg, PA – June 19th, 2008

This Thursday there’s a  good reason to take a personal day from work – Mechanicsburg’s 80th Annual Jubilee Day. Here’s a tasty tidbit of trivia about the event; it’s the biggest one day street festival on the entire east coast and anticipates over 60,000 people to be in attendance this year. Wow! It’s hard for me to picture that many people fitting into little Mechanicsburg. This year’s event will take place from 10am-9pm and boasts over 50 food vendors, 2 live music/entertainment stages, amusement rides, and plenty of vendors selling various arts and crafts.

I’m not sure where the best place to park would be as this will be my first year at Jubilee Day, but from the event website: “There will be free shuttle bus service from the following locations. Mechanicsburg Senior High School, off Williams Grove Road, and Immanuel Alliance Church at 800 South Market Street.”

IdeaBlob.com, the site that gives out $10,000 every month for the idea that receives the most votes

Ever had a good idea? Now you can get that notion funded if it gets enough votes on IdeaBlob. The site is most definitely worth looking into. I just posted my own idea on the site that I’d appreciate you voting for or commenting on it: a website designed specifically for college students that outlines the events, discounts, destinations, jobs, and internships around the greater Harrisburg area. The idea is to attract more students to the region and really get those students connected to what’s going on here in hopes of reversing the region’s huge export of college students once they graduate.

The thing about this website that intrigues me is that really simple projects can actually win, you don’t need a doctorate to compete. In fact, the winner last month is a Penn State college student! Check it out or try your own idea!

Get Downtown Discounts in Harrisburg

Want 15% off food at Bricco? $2 off Senators tickets? How about buy one get one free admission for all three of Harrisburg’s theaters? These deals and many more are available to you with a Harrisburg Young Professionals passport, free with HYP membership.

So membership must be pretty expensive right? Nope. Join HYP for a whole year for just $30. That includes admission to weekly HYP events as well as the discount card.

The Harrisburg Young Professionals are celebrating their 10th year as “a group of young, active, civic-minded professionals who have a clear vision of Harrisburg’s future as a great place to live, work, play, and shop.” Joining the organization is an excellent way to make new friends and contacts, familiarize yourself with the city, get a passport discount card, and find some fun.

Check out their website for upcoming events and more discounts: HYP.org

Saturday’s Market – A market that takes place every saturday (My take on it)

This past weekend, Saturday to be exact, I went to the Saturday’s Market off 230 East in Middletown. I was quite excited to be going as it took me about 4 years to understand from the billboard on 83 north what and where this market existed. It’s one of those billboards that you prepare yourself for as you pass it because it has so much information on it you really never understand anything about it. And I never really did glean any information about the market off the billboard, I just got frustrated enough to goodsearch (no body googles anymore) for the the place and found a primitive website with all the information I needed. Interestingly enough, the website was SaturdaysMarket.com, who would have thought?

Anyway, I finally get to this place and I’ll happily vouch that it’s worth the visit, or at least one. Some of the vendors in this place appear to have been born and raised inside their respective vendor space. However, there are a number of great food vendors and you can really find some interesting goods there, especially if you’re into salvation army type gear. I had an extra key made for my car from a gentleman who has been hand cutting keys for 37 years. Total price: $1.50. Not too shabby, although the market generally is a little run down. The website boasts over 300 vendors inside as well as a number out in the parking lot, and I would say it may be nearly accurate. All in all, the visit was worth it, and I would recommend giving it a try, even if your goal is just to photograph sweet mullets.

Your local PA Artisan Trail “15 By Way of the Arts”

I randomly came across an interesting initiative of PA not too long ago, “PA Artisan Trails.” For those of you like me who have no idea what artisan trails might be, “Route 15 ByWay of the Arts is one of several Artisan Trails located in scenic traffic corridors throughout the state. Modeled after successful national programs and those in several other states, the PA initiative combines arts & crafts with tourism and economic development. The Artisan Trails offer guided weekend packages and self-guided road trips provided by select lodging, dining and artisan partners, and each Trail attempts to capture the unique essence of its local area.” That’s straight from the website: rt15arts.com.

It’s quite an interesting program and allows you to find something new to do whether it be dine n wine or checking out the local artisans. Be sure to check out the calendar as it is updated regularly with a number of interesting events. So now you know!

Local Wineries – Get wine-ducated!

Haven’t quite be enable to put down your bud light for a fine wine as of yet? Never really enjoyed the taste of mom’s wine? No worries, a visit to your local winery might surprise your palate.

I never really enjoyed wine myself, that is, until I discovered the incredible variety of wines that exist and how delicious many of them can be. And, while you might raise some eyebrows by trying a sip of every different wine in a liquor store to find one you like, it’s encouraged and usually free at your local winery. After a few visits to local wineries just for something new to do with my girlfriend, I quickly realized that there is a wine for everyone’s taste, whether you like dry, sweet, sugary, aged, white, red, rose, the list goes on and on. The moral of the story is, give it a try and be amazed at how you take to one or two of the wines you might taste at a local winery.

Luckily for residents of the mid-state, there are a number of wineries you can visit that are very close by:

My favorite winery: West Hanover Winery www.westhanoverwinery.net

Other wineries I personally recommend:Nissley Vineyards www.nissleywine.com, Naylor Wine Cellars www.naylorwine.com, and Cullari Vineyards www.cullarivinyards.samsbiz.com/.

But, you can find wineries state-wide at www.pennsylvaniawine.com/ – an excellent website. So, as I always say; buy local, support your local winery, and educate yourself on some of the many fine tasting wines out there, you’d be surprised!