When it comes to buying your first home, you need to prepare yourself financially before you start house hunting. Here are a few steps to get you started. First, consider where you want to live. For many young adults, the location of that first home is a big consideration. Make sure the city you decide to buy in is a place you wouldn't mind staying for a while. Experts advise would-be buyers to plan on staying five to seven years. Second, figure out how much home you can afford. To find your housing budget, you need to determine the monthly payment you'd be comfortable making. You can use a mortgage calculator to "work backward" toward your purchase price. A mortgage pre-approval is also a great way to determine how much home you can afford. Third, know your credit score. It plays a big role in qualifying for a mortgage. Generally, the higher your score...the better the interest rate you can expect. A score of 740 or above is considered strong, but you can still qualify for a range of options with a score between 600 and 740. If you check your credit report early, you will have enough time to change any bad spending habits and correct any issues.

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Small grocers and convenience stores feel an impact as customers go without SNAP benefits
Some small grocery stores and neighborhood convenience stores are eager for the U.S. government shutdown to end and for their customers to start receiving federal food aid again. Late last month, the Trump administration froze funding for the SNAP benefits that about 42 million Americans use to buy groceries. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says about 74% of the assistance was spent last year at superstores like Walmart and supermarkets like Kroger. Around 14% went to smaller stores that are more accessible to SNAP beneficiaries. A former director of the United Nations World Food Program says SNAP is not only a social safety net for families but a local economic engine that supports neighborhood businesses.
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