Welcoming a new baby into the world is exciting, scary and hard work all tied together. Everyone knows that baby proofing your home or apartment is necessary, but most people don’t realize you can save a lot of money by doing all the basics, and not wasting it on things you don’t need. Among some of the most important items are:
Baby Monitor: If you want to spend the extra money on a fancy monitor with a viewing screen, in addition to audio, that’s great. However, the most important thing is to be able to hear your baby. Most monitors have great digital range and can be used well after your child’s baby stage.
Baby Gates: With toddlers especially, who will always attempt to gain access to off limits places, baby gates act as an invisible guard. Make sure that any gate you purchase is high enough so your child can’t climb over. Always install a gate at the top of stairs since tension gates are not always reliable.
Electrical Outlet Blocks: These simple plastic covers have worked for decades and are essential to baby proofing your home. Remember to tie up any cords that are hanging low so your child can’t pull down lamps or computers from a tabletop.
Crib: As special and charming as a passed down crib can be, it’s important to purchase new when it comes to this necessity. Safety codes are always changing and a crib from ten or more years ago, most likely isn’t up to set standards. Cribs that have adjustable sides will allow you to use it longer as your child continues to grow.
Doorknob Covers: These covers are an easy way to block off entry to rooms that you don’t want your child getting into. There are several types on the market, but whatever ones work for your doors specifically are what you should purchase. Doorknob covers work so well, they can even be tough for parents to adjust to. 
Remember that a safe home makes things easier for you as you adjust to life with your new baby. To get the best view of the dangers in your home, get on your hands and knees to view the house from a baby’s level. You might be surprised how much there is for your child to get into.
Recently, Norcom began taking our ‘Norcom Cares’ program to a new level. We started by reaching out to our employees in Avon and throughout the East Coast, asking them to recommend causes they would like to see us getting involved in. The response was overwhelming, as there are so many passionate people at Norcom that want to give back. Here’s what we have been up to lately:
Gifts of Love Backpack Fundraiser: 52 backpacks collected to support a program that provides students and their families meals over the weekend.
Miles for Smiles: $2,169 to fund 9 cleft palate/lip surgeries!
National Kidney Foundation Kidney Walk: Norcom’s Shira Stein and team surpassed their goal of $1,200!
Walk MS Simsbury Walk: $30,199
Walk MS West Hartford Walk: $194,576
Simsbury River Run: 747 runners participated, funding 4 scholarships for Simsbury and Granby high school seniors to attend the college of their choice.
Last weekend we were in two places: the Radio 104.1 Chase Away Animal Hunger Pet Adoption, and the Focus on Canton Walk for Hunger. Hundreds of people came to take home a pet while the participants and sponsors raised enough food, supplies and funds to support over 11 rescue groups.
The Walk for Hunger was a resounding success, raising over $6,578 in donations, sponsorships and registration. We had beautiful weather that allowed our community to come together in support of the local food bank.
For photos from these and other Norcom Cares events, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.746928062013380.1073741829.305347736171417&type=3
We look forward to broadening our participation in various events as Norcom continues to grow.
By Day: Dawn works as a Facilitator in the Processing Department where she assists with ordering tax transcripts and Title Reports. She also handles the completion of both written and verbal verifications of employment. Within the department, Dawn helps manage the appraisal pipeline by uploading reports, appraisal documents and updating the values within Encompass.
By night: Besides enjoying spending time with her husband of 32 years, her children and grandchildren, she loves thoroughbred horse racing. Currently, Dawn owns and races three horses. Most of her vacations are spent at the different racetracks from California to the East Coast; her favorite of which, is Saratoga. With the Kentucky Derby having just passed and the Preakness and Belmont Stakes coming up, there is a lot of studying and handicapping going on at her house. While Dawn’s husband is the handicapper, she tends to pick her horses by her favorite jockey or trainer.
Your wedding is one of the biggest days of your life, and can be one of the most expensive. Factor in trying to pay off student loans, putting a down payment on a house and you’re looking at a financially stressful time. But it doesn’t have to be! Following a few simple rules when planning your wedding will help diminish the stress and bring the focus back to your special day.
Share the wealth…or at least the draining of it. Tradition used to indicate the bride’s family paid for the wedding. With the average age of brides and grooms on the rise, most couples are able and willing to contribute to their own party. Two families are joining, so spreading the financial responsibilities among all parties is only fair.
Trim the list: When push comes to shove, the easiest way to cut costs is to cut the guest list. You can still have everything you want, but less people means less money you are spending on your wedding. An easy and fiscally responsible way to do this is to have a destination wedding. You can cut costs and factor in a great honeymoon as well.
Pick up an extra job: Working overtime or getting a part-time gig on the side helps create extra cash for your wedding. Whenever possible, try to pay for as much as you can with cash even if it takes you longer to accomplish. You don’t want to start your married life off in debt.
Be smart: It’s easy to get carried away with your wedding once you start planning. If you stick to your budget and divide the entire day into categories, you’ll know exactly how much you should be spending on each portion. If you have to make up for some spending gaps with credit cards, use one with a low interest rate and lots of mileage points that could be used for the honeymoon.
And remember…whether you are in the process of buying your house after you get engaged or after you get married, plan out your finances accordingly. Your income and spending documentation is key when purchasing a home. Don’t sacrifice your house for the cost of your wedding.
By Day: Senaj works as a Quality Control Analyst in our QC department where she preforms pre-funding audits, works with investors regarding purchase requests and analyzes file quality and production trends. She also assists in researching and responding to investor or agency regulatory audits.
By Night: Senaj dedicates all of her time to her large extended family. They are a very tight-knit group and enjoy doing all kinds of things together as you can see in the pictures. Together, they like to travel and explore different cities. On weekends, Senaj spends her time traveling to sporting events or hanging out in the park with her friends. She has a work hard, play hard mentality!
