At United Housing, we’re all about using tools to help your money go further. We encourage all of our clients to budget and save so they can achieve their homeownership dreams. 

We live in a digital world where there are many FREE tools that can help you save money! Here are three safe and reliable options:

1. Honey – Honey is an online app that helps you find coupon codes for the websites you use to buy essential supplies online! If you were already planning on making an online purchase, Honey can help you find the best deals and additional savings you might not have known about otherwise. It’s free, and really easy to use!
2. Mint – One of the best ways to save money is to realize how much money you spend. Mint helps users categorize their spending and set budgeting goals. It’s almost like a game for your wallet! Using Mint will help you understand where your money goes each month, and can help you save up for big purchases – like a house, a present or a vacation! 
3. Ibotta – Why not get paid for the supplies you buy? Ibotta is an app that pays you back for the products you buy. Before you make a needed purchase, browse the Ibotta app to see if there is a cashback deal for a product you need. The catch is this, though – don’t buy things you don’t need just because you can get some money back! Ibotta really helps you save by paying you back for products you need. 

What are you waiting for?! Start saving today!

There are still a lot of unknowns about the mid- and long-term impacts of the coronavirus on the financial well-being of Americans. Typically, missing or skipping payments on rent, utilities or other loans has a negative impact on your credit score. But with many financial institutions allowing missed payments, does that mean they will extend grace in relation to your credit standing? Not necessarily. 

While we don’t know for sure how the coronavirus will affect your credit score, there are a few things you can do to put your best foot forward:

1. Learn what your current credit score is. Understanding your current credit score will help you track how it changes in the coming months. Without your current score as a baseline, it can be hard to tell if the score is changing over time. If you need help finding out what your credit score is, call United Housing at 901-272-1122. 
2. Pay what you can. Continuing to make your regular payments is the best way to avoid a hit to your credit score. At the same time, try not to run a high balance on your credit cards. We understand that times are challenging, and making all of your payments may not be possible. Prioritize your family’s immediate needs, like food and shelter, first.
3. Keep detailed notes of any payments you skip. If you skip a payment of any kind, keep tidy notes so you can track progress toward paying them back. If you understand what you missed and how much you owe, you can work toward paying off your debt in a timely fashion. Repaying debts quickly will help prevent a major decline in your credit score. 
4. Stay in continued communication with your lenders. We can’t say for sure what your personal repayment plans will look like. Talking with your lender about their repayment options will help you create a plan to repay your debt. You can prioritize based on deadlines and debt amounts to decrease your debt as quickly as possible. Again, if you carry debt for a shorter amount of time, your credit will be affected less. 

If you have questions about managing your credit score, working with reliable lenders or building your credit, call us at 901-272-1122. We’ll be happy to help you and your family through these processes.

We all know the pantry staples – rice, pasta, flour, beans. Even with a lot of effort, those ingredients can become bland and boring after a while. But there are several other ingredients you can add to the mix that will greatly enhance your quarantine meals! And the best part – they’re inexpensive! 

Here are a few low-cost, long-lasting ingredients you use to stock your pantry and step up your eating-at-home game. 

1. Broth. Chicken, beef and vegetable broths and stocks are a great way to flavor your rice and pasta dishes. Cooking rice in chicken stock adds flavors of onions, garlic, carrots and salt without having to invest in those ingredients! They can also serve as a great base to sauces, gravies and crockpot meals. 
2. Apple cider vinegar. Vinegar of all varieties can add needed acidity to your foods. Apple cider vinegar is a common ingredient in many dressings and sauces, but few people keep it on-hand at home. Its strong flavor is great to use when marinating meat, making a dressing or seasoning vegetables. Not only is it inexpensive, but a little goes a long way. 
3. Garbanzo beans or chickpeas. Switch up mealtime by adding garbanzo beans to the mix! This inexpensive bean is sold in the can and dried, affording you the same flexibility as the more popular black, red and pinto beans. Chickpeas are high in protein and are common in popular dips like hummus! But beyond a delicious dip, chickpeas can be roasted and eaten as a crunchy snack, added to a salad for meat-free protein, or can accompany vegetables, chicken and quinoa in a delicious bowl. They are versatile and delicious!
4. Hot sauce. Hot sauce is a low calorie, high flavor additive that kicks up the heat in any dish! Topping your eggs with hot sauce in the morning can add a needed punch, and sprinkling hot sauce on vegetables is a more palatable way to consume your greens. Mix it into ranch dressing for a spicier sauce, or sprinkle it on top of a cobb salad! There are many types available, so try a few and discover your new favorite!

If you received or are expecting a stimulus from the government, you might be wondering how you can best use that money to support your family. 

It’s important to know that this check is meant to help you cover your essentials – food, rent, utilities, etc. So if you have urgent bills, use this money to make those payments rather than putting them off. We don’t know what the next few months will look like, and another stimulus check is not guaranteed. This money should first be used to stabilize your current situation as much as possible. 

Once you’ve covered all of your urgent needs, think about how you can use this money to support your family’s long-term financial standing. Here are some ideas on what you can do:

1. Put it into a savings account. Any money you can save now could support you and your family down the road. Maybe you’re not in need now, but needs may come in the future. Putting a portion of your stimulus check into a savings account can help you prepare for surprise expenses.  
2. Make an extra mortgage payment. Any time you can afford to make an extra mortgage payment, you’re reducing the amount of interest you pay on the life of the loan. This is an investment in yourself, your property and your home. 
3. Start a project with a local contractor. Home repairs are essential services, so builders and contractors are still working. If your HVAC needs repairs, or you need to fix a leaky roof, your stimulus check can help. When you work with a local builder, you’re supporting community recovery as well. 

Be especially cautious of deals that seem too good to be true, or companies that are asking you to use your stimulus check to refinance your existing loans. Many of these companies are running scams that could damage your credit, lead to increased debt, and ultimately take your money. If you have questions about how to best use your stimulus check or need support in identifying trustworthy financial institutions, UHI can help.

If you are facing difficult financial circumstances, know you are not alone. Last week, the federal government reported that more than 6.6 million Americans filed for unemployment. That is a staggering number that demonstrates COVID-19’s far-reaching impact. 

Loss of employment and reduced wages may affect your ability to pay all of your bills. Luckily, many federally backed and privately operated organizations are adjusting payment dates and are stopping evictions. Here is what you need to know:

1. Not all payments are automatically paused. Federally backed mortgages, like FHA mortgages, are halting payments. But not all mortgages fall within that category. 
2. Ask before you skip a payment. On any loan or bill, talk with your loan provider to make sure you’re able to skip or miss a payment without affecting your standing as a tenant or homeowner. 
3. Understand what your payment plan looks like. Some lenders are allowing borrowers to pause payments for up to a year, which adds an additional year to the life of your loan. Others are making monthly decisions about payment. When you talk with your loan provider, make sure you understand what your deferral program looks like so you can adjust your budget. 
4. Federal support is coming. If you qualify, federal aid is coming. You can use these funds to help support your family, and if you’re able, make your rent or mortgage payments. Use these funds carefully to purchase essential supplies or make necessary bill payments. 
5. Evictions are paused. Evictions for nonpayment are stopped for the time being. But we do not know when they will resume. This is why understanding your repayment plan is important. There may be a sum of money expected once life begins to return to normal, or your payment cycle might adjust from what you were accustomed to. You need to understand these adjustments so you can make payments on time. 

Navigating this process can be difficult, especially if you don’t know who to contact. United Housing can help you understand your unique situation and create a plan. Contact us at 901-272-1122.

United Housing is now offering foreclosure mitigation assistance. If you are facing foreclosure and need help, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject line, "Mortgage Help."

During times of crisis, it is normal to feel nervous. These tense feelings sometimes drive us to make decisions quickly out of fear. This combination opens up even normally cautious people to scams.

Scammers often think and work ahead of the organizations working to stop them. This is especially true during a time of crisis when the work of authorities is being adjusted and spread to cover increasing community needs.

Here is the good news – there are things that we can do to prevent ourselves from falling victim to a scam. Here are tips to avoid common scams:

1. Do not take out a loan to repay debt. Predatory lending organizations create enticing advertisements that seem too good to be true. That’s because they are. Written in the fine print of these loans are clauses meant to trap you with high interest rates and unrealistic repayment timelines. If you have debt with a reputable banking or lending institution, and you’re nervous about your ability to make payments during this time, contact United Housing at 901-272-1122 – we can help you navigate available deferment options. Also, be especially cautious of any institution offering low-interest loans against property you own, like a home equity line of credit. 
2. Do not open links in emails from senders you do not recognize. Scammers often create emails that look like they’re coming from legitimate companies and even copy their email design. Some pretend to be your family, friends and loved ones. Look for suspicious email addresses with small misspellings or punctuation placed throughout the address. These are signs that the email sender is not legitimate. To be safe, you can navigate to a website by typing the URL into your browser or searching for the content in Google rather than clicking to a web page directly from an email. 
3. Do not give anyone your information over the phone. The FBI, IRS and other reputable organizations do not call consumers directly over the phone to ask for information. Do not provide your email, password, social security number or other information to anyone who calls you directly over the phone. If you are suspicious of someone who calls you, tell them that you’ll hang up and call their organization using the outreach number listed on the organization’s official website (ending with a .gov or .org). For example, if someone claiming to be with the IRS calls you, tell them that you’re concerned about their legitimacy, and you’re going to visit IRS.gov to call the organization directly. If the person you’re speaking with is legitimate, they will not have a problem with this, and might even offer to give you a case number so the representative you call can continue the interaction. If they are not legitimate, then they will try to keep you on the line or give you a number to call instead of the number listed on the official website. 
4. Do not take medical recommendations from anyone other than your health care provider. Social media is a common source of information for many consumers, but oftentimes information shared is either inaccurate or misleading. Medical information shared on social media or through other channels should not be trusted, as advice can be harmful if not deadly. This extends to advice offered by friends and family. If they are not a physician, a nurse or a trained medical expert, do not take their advice. Seek medical advice only from your trusted health care provider. 
5. Do not submit secure information to access online contests, coupons or giveaways. Scammers sometimes create false advertisements for incredible deals – like $100 in free groceries. To get the deal, you only have to provide personal information like your checking account number or your social security number. Follow this old adage: if a deal seems too good to be true, it likely is. Reputable companies will never ask you to submit anything other than your email address or basic contact information to access a deal or coupon.