Archives for January 2015

Safety Awareness

Safety Awareness

What Everyone Should Know

Your safety is important to us. With the help of law enforcement, Loss Prevention Department has developed a list of personal safety tips for keeping you and your family safe. The following is a list of tips for decreasing your chances of becoming a victim of crime or injury. And always remember, your life is worth more than anything in your purse or wallet.

In the store

• If possible, shop with a friend or family member.
• Carry only the amount of cash or credit cards you need and keep them secure until checkout.
• Always keep small children near you. At retail stores, many of the shopping carts are equipped with safety restraints and several have safety seats for smaller children.
• Do not leave your purse unattended in your cart – even for a moment.
• Only sign checks at the register.
• Put your change away before leaving.
• Let an associate carry out your groceries – even if it’s only one or two bags.

When outside the Store

• Park close to the store or in a highly visible, well-lit area of the parking lot.
• Keep packages and other valuables locked in the trunk.
• Limit the amount of time you spend sitting in your car.
• Remember where you parked so you’re not wandering around looking for your car
• Always lock your doors – and don’t forget your keys!
• Look confident and use assertive body language.
• When possible, wear clothes and shoes that won’t slow you down.
• When returning to your car, look under and around it. Also check your front and back seats before getting in.
• Be aware of your surroundings by scanning the parking lot and identifying potential hazards.
• Once in your car, immediately lock the doors and drive away.
• If you feel you are being followed, don’t go home – go to the nearest safe location: a crowded store, the fire department, a police car or station.
• If you are confronted in your car, stay in your car and blow your horn. This will attract attention and scare the stranger off.

 

 

If You Are Approached

• If a car approaches you while you’re walking, quickly turn and run in the opposite direction.
• Carry a police whistle on your key chain to alert attention when you are away from your car.
• Make eye contact. Looking at the person gives you time to plan and lets the stranger know you will not be taken by surprise.
• If you are going to be knocked down, sit down.
• If someone suspicious approaches your car, blow the horn until the person has been scared off or you have attracted attention.
• Some law enforcement agencies suggest carrying an extra $20 to satisfy desperate thieves.

At the ATM

• Choose a PIN (personal identification number) that is easy to remember, but not obvious to others. Don’t use birthdays, social security numbers, etc.
• Avoid using ATM’s early in the morning, late at night, or those that are isolated from the general public.
• Beware of anyone “hanging out” near the ATM. If someone suspicious approaches you, quickly cancel your transaction and leave.
• Plan your transaction and have your card ready before you reach the ATM.
• Put your money and card away immediately.
• Take your receipt and make sure it is accurate.
• If your life is threatened while using an ATM, cooperate fully with the robber – your life is more important than money. Once you are out of harm’s way, contact the police immediately.

 

Everyday Safety

• Don’t be afraid to trust your instincts. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.
• When possible, carry your wallet and credit cards in your pocket.
• Eliminate spare keys from your purse.
• Carry belongings close to your body. Keep purses and bags fastened shut and held in front of you between your arm and body, but not wrapped around your neck or wrist.
• Do not leave belongings in your car or otherwise unattended.

 

 

 

 

Is Real Estate Going Green?

Image via StockMonkeys.com

A recent study has found that some home buyers are willing to pay more for a solar energy home – a home that is powered, in part by solar energy. According to “Selling into the Sun: Price Premium Analysis of a Multi-State Dataset of Solar Homes,” buyers often pay up to $15,000 for a standard 3.75 kW photovoltaic energy system on a home.

Does this mean real estate is going green?

In some parts of the country, renewable energy, green energy, and clean energy have become more and more popular for home buyers.

For those sellers who’ve made energy efficient improvements to their home, buyers are paying an average of $47,500 more for a home. Improvements include solar panels, dual-pane windows, energy-efficient appliances, as well as certifications from environmental organizations such as LEEDS.

Going green isn’t just for places like Seattle, WA or Portland, OR. In a 2014 Redfin study, some of the neighborhoods with the highest percentage of green homes were in places like Atlanta, GA; Austin, TX; and Raleigh, NC.

Green mortgages are even available to help assist in the cost of making a home more energy efficient. Rules and restrictions apply and vary between FHA, VA, and conventional loans, for owners or buyers looking to be greener – and save on energy costs – a green mortgage could be an option.

Sellers who make home improvements, whether in order to sell or with an eye for selling in a few years, may do well to consider making your home more energy efficient. Not only will you save on your own energy costs and possibly become eligible for tax credits or deductions (speak to a tax professional for more information), you may also fetch a much higher price for your home when you sell it.

The question you have to ask yourself is this: are you green or are you willing to go green?

Why Do We Lose Our Keys?

Do your keys go into hiding regularly? Do you try to hide important items in obscure places that are later forgotten about? Recent studies have shown this is due to our subconscious. We misplace our keys because we subconsciously don’t want to be somewhere!

This tendency, according to the Freudian perspective, can be related back to our thoughts: “We never lose what we really want” goes the theory. Whether it’s a big meeting where your entire job is on the line or a get-together with your in-laws, we misplace things because we are trying to avoid something or someone.

How do you avoid misplacing things? First, create a habit. For example, put your keys in the same spot every day. Maybe even create a hook to hang your keys or a specific drawer that you will always put them in.

Second, put your items in obvious places. Hiding a passport or expensive jewelry in the back of your closet in one specific coat pocket is a recipe for a forever-lost item.

Final word of advice: If you want to make sure your items don’t become lost in a black hole never to be seen again, make sure to stop for a moment and think about the object as you put it down.

Source: Psychology Today

DON’T BELIEVE THESE 9 FOOD MYTHS

1. Fast food isn’t good for you. Nutritionists believe variety and moderation are the keys to healthful eating. If you feel like a cheeseburger, have one, just not every day. 2. Fat free is better for losing weight. To lose weight, you need to watch calories, not fat. Eat fewer calories than you burn, and you’ll lose. So look at the calories, not the fat in foods. 3. To build muscle, eat lots of protein. Two independent sports medicine journals did studies with a variety of people, including bodybuilders. They found it’s important that athletes get adequate protein, but consuming additional amounts did not appear to promote muscle growth. 4. Fresh fruit is better than dried. Fresh fruit contains more Vitamin C, but other than that, dried fruit has just as many nutrients and sugar for energy as fresh fruit. 5. Six small meals are better than three large ones. If the three large meals have as many calories as the six small ones, there’s no difference. And with six meals, you have to be very good at controlling portion sizes–and put twice as much time aside for eating! 6. Salads are the “healthy” fast food option. Many fast food salads are high in calories and salt. One chain sells a hamburger with 540 calories and 1,040 mg of salt and a salad with 530 calories and 1260 mg of salt. The hamburger may be the better option in that case. 7. It takes more calories to eat a stick of celery than the celery contains. One celery stick contains about 6 calories. A female that is age 35, 65″ tall and 150 pounds, burns 30 calories per hour eating. If it takes her 3 minutes to eat a celery stick, she’ll burn just 1.5 calories in the process. 8. Craving is your body saying it needs something.Scientists found that it’s the taste of a food, not its ingredients that satisfy a craving. That suggests cravings are simply emotional. 9. Decaf has no caffeine. International standards say decaf only needs to be 97% caffeine free. The European Union requires 99.9%, but that’s still not completely caffeine free.

Warmer Weather Only One Reason People Move to Florida – But It’s a Good One!

Florida recently surpassed New York as the third most populous state. Those of us in Florida know exactly what’s great about the Sunshine State. For anyone thinking of moving here, especially the beautiful Emerald Coast, let’s look at the facts.

Average Florida Temperatures

Florida has nearly every type of weather imaginable from cooler winters here in Northwest Florida to subtropical temperatures in south Florida and the Keys. If you’re tired of snow drifts, salted roads, and freezing temperatures, the average temperatures in the winter will warm you right up.

• November – 66 degrees
• December – 60 degrees
• January – 58 degrees
• February – 60 degrees
• March – 65 degrees

That sounds infinitely better than anything in the teens or single digits, doesn’t it?

Average Destin Temperatures

The Emerald Coast is unlike any place in Florida. Sugar sand beaches, emerald green waters, plus a small town feel automatically make it a great place to live. For those who need a bit more convincing, check out our high and low average temperatures each winter.

• November – 69, high; 48, low
• December – 63, high; 44, low
• January – 61, high; 42, low
• February – 63, high; 44, low
• March – 68, high; 50, low

Our coldest months are often December through January, but a 70 degree day in the middle of winter isn’t uncommon, either.

The best part about the Emerald Coast is that you can enjoy the beach life most of the year. Even when it’s chilly outside, you’ll find people walking up and down the water, taking in the gorgeous view. Regardless of the temperature outside, the sunsets along the coast can’t be missed.

Whether people are flocking to Florida to escape the cold (and who could blame you?) or other reasons, no one can deny the Sunshine State is a place many want to call home.

Night Owl or Nightmare Victim?

While you may relish the extra time you gain by staying up late, you may pay a steep price when your head finally hits the pillow. According to sleep experts, night owls are more likely than their early-bird counterparts to experience nightmares. While researchers are unsure of the reason why, confused cortisol levels could be the culprit. Your cortisol levels rise at a certain time every morning, and if you’re still asleep at that time, vivid dreams can occur.

Another interesting fact about dreams is that some people can control them to create out of body experiences. All jokes aside, these people are often avid video game players.

“If you’re spending hours a day in a virtual reality, if nothing else it’s practice,” said Jayne Gackenbach, a psychologist at Grant MacEwan University in Canada.”Gamers are used to controlling their game environments, so that can translate into dreams.”

The level of control can even turn a horrible nightmare into a care-free dream. Studies have suggested this type of control can help war veterans get over post traumatic stress disorders.