For most people, a mortgage represents their deepest financial commitment, yet many do not take a few moments to pull up a plan in order to slash their mortgage costs. That’s a shame, because thousands of people could significantly reduce their mortgage commitments by following the below advice:

1. Understand What Type Of Mortgage Is Best For You – The type of person you are, the nature of your occupation and your future plans could have a huge impact on what mortgage may be best (and cheapest) for you. For example, if you’re on a very tight budget then a fixed mortgage may well be best, but if you have a bit of cash available then a recent new type of mortgage called an “offset” can save you hundreds a month. With an offset mortgage your savings and mortgage are set against each other – so if you owe $100,000 but have $30,000 in cash you only pay interest on the $70,000. This is usually a tax efficient way of saving on your mortgage.
2. Make Small Payments Regularly To Smash Down The Value Of Your Mortgage – Depending on the type of mortgage you currently have (and assuming you do not get penalised for it), you could make small additional payments onto your mortgage. Even as little as $50 extra toward your mortgage per month could have significant benefits in terms of the final interest amounts your mortgage costs you.
3. Is It Time To Re-mortgage? The mortgage industry is a highly competitive one. Many lenders are now offering good deals to steal business from their rivals. You may find that by switching your mortgage to a new lender you’re able to save thousands of dollars (or you may receive a cash incentive to switch). You must make sure you’re not breaking any rules of your current mortgage term or you may well offset any potential gains in penalties.
4. Challenge Late Penalties – if you have been late on a payment, some banks can charge a stiff penalty for this. Sometimes, you can write to the bank or call the manager and tell them there was a slight mix up with your bank account and they may be willing to reverse the fee (especially if you drop a hint about going elsewhere).
5. “Buy Off Season Mortgages” – If you buy at times when the mortgage industry is at it’s cyclical low, you’ll find they often try and have special deals at these times. This can be a great way of getting your mortgage at the lowest possible rate.
6. Fix Your Credit – Make sure your credit is as good as it could be before applying for your mortgage. The higher risk you are, the more you’ll have to face if you have existing arrears.

These are simple yet highly effective tips to ensure your mortgage is the lowest it possibly could be.

If you could chose ONE only, what would you pick? (be very honest) Beauty or personality?

Megan McGurk write a good article about it.

Perceptions of beauty vary across cultures, but when it comes down to it, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

A panel discussion held Wednesday, sponsored by the Ames-ISU YWCA, focused on perceptions of beauty across cultures.

The panelists were: Keji Ojelade, senior in elementary education from Nigeria, Nguyet Thu Nguyen, from Vietnam, facilitator Emilie Biet, graduate in liberal arts and sciences from France, and Catrice Woods, representative for black women.

Each of the women addressed important aspects of beauty in their respective cultures.

Ojelade said full-figured women are considered beautiful in Nigeria because this is considered a sign of fertility.

“In my country, you can eat whatever you want,” she said. “We don’t dwell on being thin.”

Ojelade said physical appearance is the first thing that attracts people. However, she said character plays a major role in beauty in her culture.

“You need a good character to back you up or everything else is fruitless,” she said.

Nguyen said women in Vietnam are concerned with the darkness of their skin.

“Ladies would rather be light-skinned,” she said. “Dark-skinned women wish to be light-skinned.”

She said the ideal body image in Vietnam is a slender figure.

Biet said in France, there is a major emphasis on how women dress.

“I feel relaxed here because people can dress how they want,” she said.

She said French women use a lot of cosmetics also.

“In France, there’s a lot of focus on beauty products,” she said. “There are many shops, and there’s lots of money spent on this.”

Biet agreed with the other panelists that personality is the most important part of beauty.

“A good personality is important,” she said. “Beauty is not only physical.”

She also said media representations of beauty aren’t healthy for anyone because models are too thin.

“Just smile, look clean and healthy,” she said. “Don’t try to look like someone else.”

Woods said she wasn’t comfortable speaking for all black women, but to her, beauty is very personal.

“Beauty is about taking pride in your appearance,” she said.

Woods expressed concern about the potentially damaging effects of beauty advertisements.

“I’m really concerned about young girls in the U.S.,” she said. “This may be a natural process, but it seems like girls are going overboard.”