Knight Accounting and Technology

DENVER (Source: 9 news) - If you’re unemployed, buckling under bills, and at-risk of losing your home, the government might be able to help you make your mortgage payments.

Colorado homeowners will get more than $41 million in interest-free loans under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Emergency Homeowners’ Loan Program (EHLP). Some people who meet specific criteria may not have to pay the money back.

Housing authorities are expecting a flood of applicants in Colorado. Authorities are only taking pre-applications right now. All those names will go into a lottery. If your name is drawn, you can then apply for the loan program.

Under the program, about 1,000 people in Colorado will get a home loan of up to $50,000 for two years, interest free. To qualify, you have to show your income dropped at least 15 percent due to serious illness or job loss, you have be at least three months behind on your mortgage, and your household income in 2009 had to be less than $93,840.

HUD is dividing $1 billion among 27 states and Puerto Rico and Colorado’s share is $41 million. When the money is spent, the program is over. The program is designed to help people who are at-risk of losing their homes. Colorado has the 10th highest foreclosure rate in the nation.

“The phones are ringing off the hook,” Zachary Urban of the Adams County Housing Authority said. “People are knocking on the door. People are in a very tight spot right now. So, any hope out there is something that they’re rushing to see.”

Supporters of the program say these loans will help the economy by preventing foreclosures.

Some folks won’t even have to pay the money back if they’re in the same financial trouble five years from now.

There are critics who say the program basically amounts to a $50,000 handout. The Wall Street Journal reports some Republicans in the House of Representatives tried to kill the program.

Homeowners have one month to apply. The deadline is July 22.

For more information, visit www.FindEHLP.org or call toll free at 855-FIND-EHLP (346-3345).

I have to send a shout-out to VPI Pet Insurance (vpipetinsurance.com).  We have used their insurance for the past 8 years, ever since we adopted our dog, Joe.  We pay approx $300 in premiums each year and have received our premiums back and far more!  We have never had trouble filing a claim, and unlike “other” insurance agencies we’ve dealt with (I won’t name names, but it begins with an F and ends with an S!), they have never lost a single piece of paperwork we’ve sent them!  It’s as simple as taking our dog to the vet, filling out a simple claim form, mailing or faxing it in, and a check arrives 2 weeks later!  If you have a pet without pre-existing conditions, I highly recommend them!  (pre-existing conditions can be tough, but it’s still worth checking them out!)

Attention Moms, Dads, Pet Owners and anyone else who shops for diapers, cleaning and pet supplies.  I can’t believe it took me this long to stumble upon this, but amazon.com has a service called “Subscribe & Save.”  It allows you to purchase items that you buy regularly at a 30% discount!  For example, the diapers that I normally buy at Target and Wal-Mart for $39.98 are available for only $28.06!  Plus, as of now, there is no sales tax or shipping, so that saves another $3 – $4 versus buying at a local store!  You can imagine the savings when I have 2 little ones running around in diapers!  Is there a catch?  Only a small one in my opinion…you need to sign up for the Subscribe & Save program, which asks you to committ to having the same item shipped to you every 1, 2, 3 or 6 months.  HOWEVER, you can stop your subscription or change your item at any time.  So, I signed up to have my Size 5 diapers shipped every 6  months, and I just need to log in between now and then to change my order to Size 6 or cancel my subscription.  I don’t lose the super low pricing that I got on my original purchase.

To find this service, just go to www.amazon.com and type in Subscribe and Save in the search box.  You’ll see some sample items, and also a link to the program.  As a note: the items on those sample items don’t reflect the full discount you get, so you need to click on an item.  Instead of ordering by clicking on “Add to Cart” click on the “Subscribe Now” button to see your subscription price!

I suppose now’s a good a time as any to announce that we’re pregnant and due July 21st! I’m having a rough first trimester again this time around, but can’t wait to meet the little angel growing in my belly!

Anyways, why is this post under my shopping & savings category? Because I found a great offer on a website today for a FREE nursing cover. They make great gifts for any pregnant woman in your life, or if you’re expecting yourself. All you need to do is go to www.uddercovers.com for a free nursing cover ($32 value), and enter CHRISTMAS in all caps in the promotion section. There is an $8.95 shipping charge, but it’s still a great deal if you’re in the market or looking for a special gift.

QuickBooks 2010 was released earlier this week.  While I don’t think you need to update to 2010 if you are currently using 2008 and 2009, I do believe that you should update your QuickBooks at least every 3 years.  If you are planning to purchase QuickBooks 2010 this year, I can get a discount through the ProAdvisor program, so just let me know!  Here’s the prices that I can offer: Pro $150, Pro-3-User-Edition $420, Mac $150, Premier $280, and Premier-3-User-Edition $820.  As always, please let me know if I can help!

Intuit just announced that QuickBooks 2010 is scheduled for pre-orders on September 28th.  As a QuickBooks Pro Advisor, I can get a discount if you are interested.  I’m not sure what the normal pricing will be this year (I usually recommend that you check out Costco for great deals on Intuit products), but if you want to get the hands on the software as soon as its released, I can order QuickBooks Pro for $149.95 or QuickBooks Premier for $279.95.  Please let me know if I can help!