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Why supporting local small businesses matters
The holiday season is a time of year when shopping takes center stage. While online giants and big box retail ers seem to be everywhere, offering an endless array of products with the convenience of low prices, small businesses provide a range of benefits that go far beyond the ease of a mouse click or mountains of merchandise. Shopping local retailers is more than just a transaction — it is crucial for maintaining the economic foundation of local communities. Let’s take a look at the many ways it pays to shop small businesses during the holidays and all year long.
•Strengthen the local economy: A large percentage of the money spent at small businesses stays in the community. That’s because these businesses often are owned and operated by local residents who are invested in the community themselves. Various studies indicate that for every $100 spent at a small business, roughly $70 stays in the community.
•Enhanced customer service: Owners and employees of small businesses have a keen interest in keeping customers happy. They often do so by providing superior customer service. Tailoring recommendations, exhibiting a willingness to accommodate special requests, offering a more engaging shopping experience, and being more friendly and connected with regular customers sets many small businesses apart.
•Support the community: Small businesses serve the community through the products and services they offer, and many give back in other ways as well. Small, locally owned businesses often sponsor schools, sports teams and charities. This helps
foster a sense of belonging in the community.
•Innovative offerings: Small businesses are not beholden to corporate policies or franchise restrictions, so they can more readily bring new life to existing ideas and trends. Small businesses can offer customers different options that larger retailers cannot match.
•Job creation: Small businesses employ a significant percentage of the workforce and frequently provide jobs that might not be available in larger corporate settings. The U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy says small businesses have generated 12.9 million net new jobs over the past 25 years, accounting for two out of every three jobs added to the U.S. economy. Keeping residents working helps strengthen local communities.
There are numerous benefits to shopping at small businesses this Small Business Saturday and throughout the year. Such firms help to establish a more resilient, diverse and bustling local community.
Stephen
Barrera Attorney at Law
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Tips when shopping for insurance
Insurance is a necessity that can provide a financial safety net in the case of accidents, natural disasters, injuries, and other emergencies. Adequate coverage can ensure policy holders’ lives are not turned upside down when an unexpected event like an auto accident or harsh storm threatens to drain their bank accounts.
The stakes are indeed high when shopping for insurance, as consumers want to be sure the policy they ultimately choose is going to safeguard them if or when they need it. With that in mind, individuals can consider these tips when shopping for insurance.
• Resist any inclination to make price your top priority. Price should not be an afterthought when shopping for insurance, but it’s important that consumers avoid making it their mission to find the lowest possible premiums. Though a low-cost policy might suit your immediate financial needs, such a policy may not offer a level of coverage necessary to prevent adverse financial outcomes should you experience accident or injury. It’s best to prioritize getting the coverage you need over the lowest possible policy cost.
• Comparison shop. Once you have identified the level of coverage you need, you can then begin comparison shopping. Most insurance providers can issue quotes in a matter of minutes, and many offer similar levels of coverage. So the process of gathering quotes on policies offering similar, if not identical, coverage should not take long.
• Shop around for discounts, too. Savvy consumers know to shop around for discounts that can lower the cost of a given policy. For example, many
providers discount their homeowners’ policies if policy holders install security features in their homes. Home alarm systems, security cameras and even added exterior lighting might help lower the cost of homeowners’ insurance policies. Such discounts can typically be found regardless of which type of policy you’re looking for, so shop around or speak directly with customer service representatives to identify ways to lower the cost of coverage.
• Choose additional coverage for particularly valuable items. Certain items, like engagement rings, may require additional coverage not offered by standard policies. For example, a standard renter’s insurance policy may not cover expensive jewelry. But losing an item like an engagement ring to theft or a natural disaster can be emotionally devastating and costly to replace. Such a blow is easier to manage when policy holders know the items are fully covered.
Insurance is necessary whether individuals are looking to protect their health, their homes, their cars, or their financial futures. A few simple strategies can ensure consumers have the coverage they need to avoid financial ruin should they experience an accident, injury or natural disaster.
Did you know?
➜ Peaches are tasty and good for the body as well. Peaches are related to apricots, cherries, almonds, and plums. They’re known as stone fruit because their flesh surrounds a shell with an edible seed. Peaches are packed with beneficial plant compounds, minerals and vitamins. Peaches contain about two grams of fiber in one medium-sized peach. Fiber helps to move food through the digestive system and reduce the likelihood of constipation, offers Healthline. Peaches also contain Vitamin A, an antioxidant that helps the immune system fight infection. They also have vitamin C, which the body needs to fight off infection. Peaches are good sources of potassium, which the body needs to regulate heart rate and blood pressure. Foods high in potassium also can help lower blood pressure, says WebMD. Vitamin K, which helps heal
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wounds, also is found in peaches. Research says that peaches may help to prevent cancer as well. One study indicated that consuming peach peels offers the highest level of anticancer phytochemicals, which assist in protecting cells from free radical damage that can lead to cancer.
➜ Mustard is a must-have at backyard barbecues, and that status as a summertime staple makes it easy to overlook the nutritive properties of this popular condiment. A review published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences in 2016 found that mustard seeds can protect against oxidative stress and inflammation. That’s because mustard seeds contain glucosinolates, which are antioxidants that are converted during processing into isothiocyanates, which are responsible for the protection against oxidative stress and inflammation. Yellow mustard also contains a significant amount of selenium, which offers antioxidant properties. In addition, a 2014 review in the journal Radiation Oncology found that selenium may help individuals lower their risk for cancer.
LA VERNIA DERMATOLOGY
DR. KIM M. ROSS MD
Connect to Your Community
SHOP LOCAL, EAT LOCAL, READ LOCAL
Local businesses and restaurants need your support more now than ever. And they’ve come up with creative ways for you to shop safely and conveniently through in-store, delivery, pickup, and online. That is why we also have come up with very creative ways to keep you connected to what is happening in your community. Find all the information you need to discover what is available. In print, online, and socially through our platforms and services, we will keep you in touch with the best shopping deals, ideas on what to do with your family, and always the latest news, to help you navigate through 2022.
How to navigate a costly real estate market
Real estate has long been touted as a worthy investment. Home values historically appreciate over time, making real estate a desirable investment opportunity and one that simultaneously fulfills an investor’s need for a place to live. That sounds like a winwin for those with the means of purchasing a home. But in recent years, many people have found themselves priced out of the real estate market due to a number of variables beyond their control.
It’s no secret that home prices have been on the rise in recent years. According to the National Association of Realtors, the median sale price for a home in the United States reached $419,300 in May 2024. Such high prices, coupled with decreasing yet still high interest rates, has made homeownership as expensive as ever and left many aspiring home buyers to wonder what they can do as they seek to buy a property to call their own. Though there’s no foolproof way to navigate the current real estate market to a satisfying end, the following are some strategies buyers can consider as they begin searching for a home.
• Be patient. Patience is a virtue prospective home buyers will need to embrace. The NAR reported a 3.7-month supply of housing inventory in May, which is low and suggestive of a seller’s market. Buyers confronting a low inventory market must remain patient if they hope to find a house that checks all their boxes. Such a house may not be on the current market, and might not be for some time. But forecasters predict the interest rate reduction announced by the Federal Reserve in September will lead to a higher inventory, even if real estate sales tend to be lower in winter than spring and summer. As indicators like lower interest rates gradually point to a higher inventory, buyers may benefit by remaining patient.
• Be ready to pounce. Of course, a market characterized by limited inventory is typically competitive, and the real estate market in recent years has certainly played out that way. Real estate markets can vary considerably, even within the same country, but an analysis from the New Jersey Real
Estate Network indicated the average time homes in the Garden State were on the market decreased from 39 days in 2023 to 35 days in 2024. Patience is important when buying a home, as buyers don’t want to act too fast and then end up living in a home they don’t like. But it’s equally important that buyers be ready to pounce if they see a property they like. Limited inventory means sellers are likely to receive multiple offers, and hesitancy on the part of buyers could prevent them from finding a new home.
• Line up your finances. Mortgage preapproval and a solid nest egg have long been vital when buying a home, and that remains true in the current market. The competitive nature of the current market might make mortgage preapproval more important than ever. A preapproval indicates to sellers that a buyer has already arranged financing and been approved to purchase a home for the amount of their offer. Buyers without a preapproval might be seen as more risky to sellers, some of whom may want to sell their homes as quickly as possible. Sellers in a competitive market may feel they need not wait around for a buyer to be approved, so it’s best to line up finances before beginning a home search. Lining up finances includes building a substantial nest egg that demonstrates an ability to make a sizable down payment as part of your offer.
The real estate market has been tough on buyers in recent years. A successful navigation of the current market may require some patience, a readiness to pounce and some conventional financial wisdom.
Steak
Jerky
Did you know?
➜ Local businesses contribute to greater wealth in their communities. According to data from Civic Economics, for every $100 spent at local businesses, around $73 remains in the local economy. By comparison, only $43 remains in the local economy when people shop at non-locally-owned businesses. Proceeds come from paying taxes that support the community, and local businesses buy supplies from other local businesses, further benefitting their economies. All of this keeps much more money within local communities.
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Remember us also for your all-occasions printing: anniversaries, weddings, birthdays, showers, and graduations.
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We create websites that grow your small business. We provide a fast and easy solution that is professionally designed, easy to update, mobile ready, search engine optimized, and that integrates social media.
