Origin SC: November 2018 Newsletter

Monthly Newsletter

November, 2018

Check out what's new and exciting at Origin SC this month!

Buying Your Home, the Origin Way

Check out our newest homeowner, Mary Lafayette! She recently purchased her first home with the help of Origin SC. Now she is enjoying all the perks of being a homeowner!

This could be YOU! Contact Origin SC today to start making your dreams of

homeownership a reality.

For Realty services, contact Debbie Kidd at 843-276-8744 or email dkidd@originsc.org

For Lending services, contact Stephanie Reed at 843-735-7810 or email sreed@originsc.org

For Financial Coaching and workshops, please visit our website www.originsc.org or contact Laura Jeffers at 843-735-7866 or email ljeffers@originsc.org

Attend an Origin SC Workshop

Jan. 5 - Intro to Homeownership Workshop: 10 AM

Jan. 8 - Credit Improvement Workshop: 6 PM

Jan. 10 - Making Ends Meet Workshop: 6 PM

Jan. 17 - Intro to Homeownership Workshop: 6 PM

Jan. 24 - Intro to Homeownership Workshop: 6 PM

(^held at Dorchester Prosperity Center^)

Jan. 26 - Intro to Homeownership Workshop: 10 AM

(^held at Berkeley Prosperity Center^)

Jan. 19 - First Time Homebuyer Workshop: 9 AM

More dates, times, and locations available! To register and to learn more, please visit our websitewww.originsc.org/classes

Let Origin SC Give You FREE Money!

Did you know that Origin SC has a referral program? If you have previously attended a worskhop with Origin SC or have used any of our services, you can recieve a $25 gift card for referring our programs to someone! Just tell your friends, family members, or co-workers to give us your name when they are asked how they heard about us. Then we'll send you a $25 gift card in the mail. It's that easy!

Recently turned down by a lender due to BAD CREDIT?

Origin SC can help! We can help you navigate financial blind spots and teach you how to understand your credit report. Our licensed financial coaches will teach you how to make smarter debt decisions. We are a non-profit organization located in North Charleston that has been assisting families since 1888. Our financial coaching services can be done from virtually anywhere-- saving you time! Visit our websiteor call 843-735-7862 today to get started.

Our 2018 Day of Caring was a success!

Origin SC's 2018 Day of Caring, "Share a Smile" campaign was dedicated to our Representative Payee clients and focused on making their day a little brighter. On a daily basis, our team provides budgeting and financial management services for these individuals who are mentally or physically incapable of handling their own financial affairs and are on Social Security Disability Income. These clients live on an extremely tight budget and we work hard to help them meet their basic housing needs and provide a weekly allowance for necessities. Our services ensure that these at-risk, low-income individuals continue to receive their monthly benefits and prevent homelessness in our community.

For this event, we partnered with Johnson & Johnson, Inc. and Resume Solutions to deliver items that they donated that could be used for basic living needs, such as laundry detergent, dish soap, toothbrushes, shampoo, body wash, etc. These donated items were assembled into "Share a Smile" care bags and dispersed on the day of caring. Our staff and volunteers delivered these care bags and visited the clients' home to share a smile with them directly. It was a wonderful event that was thoroughly enjoyed by our staff, volunteers, and clients. Thank you again to Johnson & Johnson, Inc. and Resume Solutions!

The Best Way to Budget for Holiday Shopping

Set yourself up for a successful shopping season for the holidays this year. Budgeting is key! Here's what to do...

Ask yourself, "Who am I shopping for this year for the holidays?"

Make a list of everyone you need to buy for and decide how much you want to spend on each person. Create a budget for each individual person and then total it up.
Take that total and divide it by the days you have left until Christmas to figure out how much you need to be saving everyday to avoid the dreaded January bill shock. For example, if you will be spending $500 and have roughly 30 days until Christmas, you will need to save about $16 per day.
Keep this money separate. This will allow you to only spend the money that you have saved and put aside and you won't be tempted to overspend or spend it on other unrelated things. You could keep it as cash separately or in its own account.

Spending large sums of money at once is overwhelming and can affect your ability to stay on track with bills and other day-to-day needs. Saving adequate money and setting a budget will help avoid that. Follow these steps and your shopping will be less stressful!

Do You Qualify to be a Dorchester Habitat for Humanity Homeowner?

Do you live and/or work in Dorchester County?
Do you have the ability to pay an affordable, interest-free mortgage?
Does your household meet the Median Income Guidelines (HUD HOME Program, SC Housing Trust Fund, Federal Loan Bank)?