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!

Soup Lovers Unite!

Don’t miss out on the 6th Annual Hershey Soup Cook-Off presented by The Hershey Partnership this Saturday, October 3rd, 2009 from 11-2 at the Hershey Volunteer Fire Company Station!

I attended this event myself last year and had to post about it because it’s really worth the trip, no matter how far away you think Hershey is.

Last year they had one garage filled out with amateur cooks and the other with professional chefs from local restaurants, probably about 30 or 40 different participants in all, many with multiple soups for you to sample. You might think the pro chefs would be hands down better but I’ve got to say both sides of the contest made really amazing soups. Just really impressive, not to mention creative!

I’m talking about cheesesteak soup, asparagus soup, lobster bisque, and oh so much more. They’ve also got a number of raffles going on, I believe last year they gave out a cruise as the main prize.

So how much to get into this incredible event?

$10 ! !

That’s it! Money well spent you will agree, see you there!

Harrisburg Makes Forbes.com List of Most Livable Cities in America

At first glance, ‘most livable’ could mean a lot of things, but I wanted to make sure this article gets a little more attention because Forbes.com actually uses a very legitimate set of statistics to grade their picks for ‘Most Livable Cities in America-

“Results were the result of comparing five-year income growth per household and cost of living from Moody’s Economy.com, crime data and leisure index from Sperling’s Best Places, and annual unemployment statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.”

Harrisburg ranked 12th on the list. Personally I think making the list at all is really quite commendable, what do you think?

Check out the full article as well as Forbes ‘Most Miserable Cities’ list.

Football Fallout in Central PA?

With so much football fandamonium and tension existing between Eagles and Steelers fans in the midstate, I for one thought that a professional indoor football team would be a sure success in Harrisburg. I was thrilled to hear that the American Indoor Football Association was adding a new team to the 2009 schedule- the Harrisburg Stampede.

Forget driving 2 or more hours and paying $100 plus for a lousy seat at an NFL game, the Stampede play at the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg and tickets sell as low as $7 ! Not to mention the entertainment value of a smaller field completely walled in to ensure bigger hits, higher scores, and plenty of cheap entertainment. So these games would probably sell out right?

Well, not exactly. I attended the Stampede’s first home game and despite all the promotion and hype about Harrisburg’s first pro indoor football team, the Farm Show Complex was less that half full. Even so, I didn’t suspect anyone left the game without feeling like they got their money’s worth- it was an exciting game! Big hits, loud music, lots of free giveaways, and plenty of scrapping between the two teams. Not to mention the game was a narrow win for the Stampede that had the entire crowd hyped to the final minutes of play!

So surely, future home games for the Stampede would be packed out right?

Well I returned to Farm Show Complex last night with a few friends to cheer on the Stampede and I must sadly say that there were probably less people in attendance then the first game I went to. A real pity! I’m not sure exactly why the Stampede haven’t ‘caught on’ quite yet in Harrisburg, but I do hope it happens soon. I don’t want to see the Stampede follow the way of the Harrisburg Heat.

Perhaps there are just too many alternatives in the greater Harrisburg area for sports fans? We’ve got roller hockey, roller derby, rugby, ice hockey, baseball, basketball, woman’s football, soccer and more! There’s plenty to choose from for sure, I just hope Harrisburg gets behind the Stampede. Take the kids, take your friends, family, or your boss. Support the investment that the owners of the Stampede have made in the city of Harrisburg. For the price you’ll pay to get in it’s an easy entertainment investment that I heartily suggest looking into.

You can find their schedule and all the usual team info at HarrisburgStampede.com, and don’t forget to show them some love on their facebook page as well.

Go Stampede!

Buying Local. Target: Harrisburg

If you haven’t already noticed, I’m taking on a new page to my blog that is currently entitled ‘local specialty shops.’ I haven’t found any other list of independent specialty stores around the Harrisburg region so I decided to build one myself.

It’s still very early stage but please feel free to leave your favorite shop in the comment section, I’ll be happy to add them.  I just wanted to build a place where people could learn about all the fantastic little niche shops we have in the greater Harrisburg region; from food and drink to home decor and clothing retailers. There’s just no reason to shop national stores with all that’s available to us here!

TGIS – Thank God It’s Spring!

You can tell that Spring is soon upon us, if not from the changing weather or resetting of clocks, then certainly from the annual release of shamrock shakes. Luckily, Spring ushers in a much better treat for the taste buds than those strange green milk shakes – water ice.

I’ve always been a sucker for water ice, and besides National Mustard Day, my second favorite holiday has always been that one day of the year when water ice is free for the masses- the first day of Spring.

Of course, you can pick up a delicious free ice from any local Rita’s on March 20th, they’re everywhere nowadays, but for a more local favorite make sure to stop by Maggie’s Italian Ice in Mechanicsburg as they too will doll out free water ice to mark this festive occasion. I like Maggie’s for the ever changing unique menu of creative flavors: peanut butter fudge, blueberries ‘n cream, and mint chocolate chip are just a few of my personal favs.

There’s no better way to celebrate the end of snow, slush, salt, and cold car seats than a free water ice- yum.

Where’s Your Favorite Caffeine Destination Around Harrisburg?

I’ve noticed lately that there are more coffee shops around Harrisburg than I have time to visit, especially around Camp Hill. I thought I’d create a poll to get an idea of which places are the most popular, please add a destination if I’ve missed it!

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)

Troegs to Host Harrisburg Young Professionals Networking Event

Troegs Brewing Company, the Harrisburg based and family owned microbrewery will be packed with current and prospective members of the Harrisburg Young Professionals on December 10th, 2008 for a networking event facilitated monthly by HYP referred to as the 2nd Wednesday Social. This inclusive monthly gathering is an opportunity for current HYP members to network and allows those curious about joining the organization a chance to meet members and test the waters before putting up the $30 to join.

For anyone interested in expanding their personal network, there’s not a more active young professionals organization than HYP, now in its 10th year of existence. With multiple monthly social events, year round sports leagues, special events, dinner and book clubs, various committees, a home tour, and much more, HYP is a great way to meet new people and expand your network all while supporting local businesses.  The Harrisburg Young Professionals have been a key component of the redevelopment and growth of the city of Harrisburg, a city once recognized as the 2nd most depressed city in the nation during the early 1980s, but has since received almost 3 billion dollars of investment and was just last year named in the top 100 Best Places to Live list by Recolate-America.

You can learn more about the Harrisburg Young Professionals, including information about the 2nd Wednesday Social to be held at Troegs Brewery on HYP.org.