Port Aransas, Texas puts a lot of emphasis on outdoor activities as part of the Island Life campaign… so what are you supposed to do when it rains? Fortunately, we also have a lot of great indoor activities. Here are three diverse rainy day options for Port Aransas.

Port Aransas Art Center

The Port Aransas Art Center was founded by a local community of artists with the intent to expand the area’s art scene through education. The center has been so popular, it just moved to a new location. They offer a wide variety of weekly classes from Family Fun to Drop In & Draw with special workshops by visiting artists. Be sure to check out their annual Artfest every May in Robert’s Point Park.

Port Aransas Community Theatre

The Port Aransas Community Theatre showcases local talent of all ages in live productions like Disney’s Lion King Jr. They also put on regular workshops and host public interest events, screening movies for the general public between productions.

Shop Port Aransas

If a gray day’s got you down, try some retail therapy. Port Aransas offers a unique shopping experience with an eclectic array of one-off stores. Browse curated boutiques, handmade décor, art galleries and roadside Americana souvenir shops, then treat yourself to some homemade candy.

Are You Buying a Home in Port Aransas?

Filed under: Blog, Things to Do by Julie Woodward
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The average family puts 10-15 percent of its monthly spending toward food, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Department of Agriculture, with most of that food purchased at a supermarket.

The amount spent on food is less than the typical amount spent on housing each month but what makes food costs different from housing expenses is food costs are not “fixed”.

How much you spend on food each month is up to you and, using savvy shopping tactics plus coupons, you can lower your monthly food spend. Saving money on food leaves money for other purposes including savings, clothing and transportation.

In this 4-minute piece from NBC’s The Today Show, you’ll learn several easy-to-implement methods which can reduce your supermarket bills, as well a few “common sense” tactics you may have overlooked.

Among the topics covered in the video :

• The importance of shopping with a list, and of avoiding “the inner aisles”
• The value of generic brands, which are often near-copies of “brand name” products
• Why you should buy toiletries at a drugstore instead of at a supermarket
• Using “per unit” prices to compare different-sized packaging of the same product
• Buying fruit that’s in-season versus fruit that’s out-of-season

Another shared money-saving tip is to shop at grocery store without children. It can be fun for the family to shop together, as noted in the interview, but bringing children to the supermarket is a sure-fire way to raise your grocery bill.

Recent inflation data shows that the typical cost of food is rising in Corpus Christi and nationwide. With these tips, perhaps you can lower your bill.

Filed under: Personal Finance by Julie Woodward
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With Halloween behind us, retailers are in the Holiday Spirit. Businesses know that consumers spent a median $556 on holiday gifts last year and they want this year to be just as strong.

That’s why it’s barely November and, already, Black Friday ads clog our mailboxes and the airwaves. Retailers want our dollars and they’re offering great deals to early shoppers.

There’s one discount a smart shopper should think twice, however — the ever-present “Open A Charge Card Today And Save 15%” promotion. In the short-term, deals like this will save money. 

Over the long-term, however, opening a charge card could cost you much, much more — especially if you plan to refinance your home or buy a new one.

Applying for a charge card can lower your credit score up to 85 points.  

According to the myFICO.com website, as a category, “New Credit” accounts for 10% of your 850 possible credit points, comprising the following credit traits :

• Your number of recently opened accounts
• Your number of recent credit inquiries
• Time elapsed since your recent credit inquiries
• Your proportion of new accounts to all accounts

Each trait is a negative in the FICO-scoring credit algorithm which means that, with each in-store charge card application, your credit score is likely to fall. How far your score will fall depends on the rest of your credit profile.

Meanwhile, low FICO scores correlate to higher loan fees.

Using a real-life example, assuming 20% equity in a home, for either purchase or refinance, look how loan fees for a $200,000 conforming mortgage change by FICO score :

• 740 FICO : There will be no added loan costs
• 720 FICO : You’ll have a 0.250% increase in loan costs, or $500
• 700 FICO : You’ll have a 0.750% increase in loan costs, or $1,500
• 680 FICO : You’ll have a 1.500% increase in loan costs, or $3,000
• 660 FICO : You’ll have a 2.500% increase in loan costs, or $5,000

You can see first-hand how expensive low credit score can be — much more costly than the 15% saved at the mall. That’s why people planning to refinance to today’s low rates and soon-to-be Corpus Christi homeowners, shouldn’t rush to save 15% at the register. 

For people in want of a mortgage, high FICO scores are worth protecting.

Filed under: Personal Finance by Julie Woodward
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