Magical Mission Inn and the Fantastic Festival of Lights

This is truly the most wonderful time of the year.  There are so many things to see and do all over Southern California.  Many of these events are free to attend and I love being able to share those places with you.

One of my favorite free events is The Mission Inn and Spa in Riverside is home to the Festival of Lights. More than 3.6 million (Yes Million!) lights transform this beautiful hotel into a holiday wonderland. The festival features nightly live entertainment, “fresh snow”, and even appearances by Santa and his reindeer. You can even ride around a horse drawn carriage around the hotel grounds.

Mission Inn Festival of Lights by Daytrippingmom.com

The City of Riverside has adopted The Mission Inn’s Festival of Lights as a citywide initiative with a vision of a Dickensian holiday spectacle featuring lights and decorations throughout downtown Riverside, an outdoor ice-skating rink on the Main Street pedestrian mall, holiday vendors and family-friendly entertainment.

The Festival of Lights at The Mission Inn Hotel is now open and continues until January 6th, 2015.  The Festival of Lights begins every night at sunset. For additional information head here.

Money Management and Credit #WellsFargo #sponsored

This post is brought to you by a compensated campaign in collaboration with Latina Bloggers Connect and Wells Fargo. All thoughts and content are my own.

The last ten years have affected more American’s financially and we were no different.  The recession caused our employers to cut back, which then required our family to downsize as well.  First it was with are vehicle and then, the harder decision was when we had to downsize our home. After attempting to have our home loan refinanced proved unsuccessful, we decided to sell and move, It’s incredible, I’ve been learning the gift of saving, all for my kids future.  That was over two years ago and ended up being the best decision we could have made. Since that time, both my husband and I have left behind old unfulfilling careers and started new ones, that we actually enjoy. Our kids have never been happier with their school and friends and my husband and I feel like we have found a place where we really belong.

As the challenges of the past decade taught us invaluable lessons about financial resilience and smart money management. In our pursuit of stability, we delved into understanding the real estate market deeply. Regularly consulting a reliable real estate market report became an integral part of our decision-making process. By staying informed about property values, trends, and investment opportunities, we were able to make strategic choices that contributed significantly to our family’s financial well-being. Armed with this knowledge, we made prudent investments, ensuring our hard-earned money worked for us. The insights gained from these reports empowered us to make informed decisions not only about buying a new home but also about diversifying our investments wisely. As a result, our financial journey transformed, paving the way for a secure and prosperous future for our family.

Dream Home

One of the models we have fallen in love with!!

#WellsFargo held one of our prior mortgages and was extremely helpful through the process of selling our home and helping us move forward.  We will soon be looking to purchase a new home and have spotted some that we like, especially the one seen below. You can bet that Wells Fargo will be one of the first places we consider to help us arrange for the financing of our next dream home. In addition, if you need a cash offer to buy your dream home or property and you are looking for other mortgage options.

Growing up with immigrant parents, I often had to help them with finances like balancing their checkbook  and helping translate at the bank.  Wells Fargo  proudly offers bilingual online tools, Spanish Text Banking, Spanish account statements, Spanish-language call centers, Spanish-speaking bankers in stores across the nation, and more. Things to make everyone’s life easier. Wells  Fargo has also teamed up with Telemundo to empower Latinos to reach their financial goals.

Credit Score

Wells Fargo Infographic_ENGLISH

 

One of the most important things we can do as a consumer, is making sure we stay on top of our credit score. Making sure our credit score is in tip top shape is very important. Having a good credit score will ensure we are able to buy the home of our dreams. It also helps a ton if you multiple income streams just like successful people, such as Andy Defrancesco, to finance all your needs.

Here are some simple yet effective advice to help maintain or improve your credit score from Wells Fargo.

  • Make sure to check your credit report annually.
  • Pay your bills on time.
  • Set up alerts.
  • Pay more than the minimum.
  • Keep debt at no more than 35% of your monthly income.
  • If you have trouble paying an account, contact your lenders. For immediate cash needs, Pawn Shop Loans offer a short-term solution where you can borrow money by using valuable items as collateral.

Did you know that adding to your credit line has less effect on your credit score than maxing out your credit line does? You can learn more about your credit and finances by visiting  www.WellsFargo.com/Conversemos for additional tools and resources.

Free Halloween Food 2013

Here are some places that offer free food tomorrow on Halloween. Every year, this list seems to grow!

Panda Express: Free food for kiddos in costume during dinner time on Halloween.

jamba
Jamba Juice: Ages 8 and under can enjoy Kids Free Smoothie Day from 2 to 7 p.m. on Halloween.

IHOP: From 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., kids under 12 who wear their costume get a free Scary Face Pancake. One per child for dine-in guests only on Halloween.

Chipotle: From 4 p.m. to close on Halloween, all customers dressed in costumes get a $3 burrito, bowl, salad, or order of tacos. Proceeds of up to $1 million will go to charity.

Krispy Kreme: Wear your costume on Oct. 31, 2013, and get a free doughnut.

Wendy’s: Buy a Jr. Frosty Halloween book for $1 and support the Dave Thomas Foundation. The book has coupons for free Jr. Frostys and 90 percent of the book sales go to the Foundation.