Blog Posts

Take Time to Give Yourself a Financial Checkup this Month

Taking some time to review your finances before the holiday shopping season sets in may save you some grief. This month the StoneGate Blog has suggestions for giving yourself a financial tuneup, checking to see just where you are and what you can do to improve or stay on top of your finances. Budget Your budget is the key to financial security. Whether you’re a budgeting pro or not, it’s never too late to reevaluate where your money is going before you spend to keep control of your funds. Put a name to every dollar and decide how much is going to paying rent and utilities, food and groceries, general spending, and more so you can prioritize smartly. Emergency Fund Creating and upkeeping a hefty emergency fund can take a while, but every cent counts and will count when that unexpected expense threatens to cripple you. Experts suggest you build up a fund with three months’ worth of expenses (rent, gas, and food, for example). Build a separate account and avoid touching it until an emergency really comes. Taxes Taxes may not be due until April, but you don’t want to miss out on months of possible savings. Meet with a financial advisor if you want help figuring out how to save and how to make sure everything’s in order for tax season. Also remember to stay organized with the documents you’ll need for doing your taxes, including information about your daily work expenses if you own a business. Fun Now is the time to chase your dreams! Set short- and long-term goals for things you want to do here in Williamsville, NY, across the country, or internationally, then save up for your next adventures and enjoy the fulfillment of a job well done. Taking a look at your financial health this month will put you in the driver’s seat when it comes to holiday spending. Watch for our post about Black Friday shopping coming up in November. We appreciate you being a part of our apartment community.

Pumpkin Inspired Recipes from StoneGate Apartments

There’s no getting away from it, pumpkin-spice season has descended on Williamsville, NY, and rather than fight it, we’re embracing all the cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and allspice goodness. Today the StoneGate Apartment Homes Blog is sharing a variety of recipes for baked goods that feature pumpkin-spice and everything nice! But first some information about how to choose fresh pumpkins for baking if you opt to head to a pumpkin patch. The Spruce has a Pumpkin Guide to help you pick the kind of pumpkin you want to bring home. Sugar Pies are great for pies, and if you like baking, you’ll want to pick a Sweet Meat pumpkin. Of course, you can always pick up canned pumpkin at your favorite WNY grocery store. Pumpkin Inspired Recipes to Make in October Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes from Cincy Shopper This recipe is pretty much what it says it is. Pumpkin pie cupcakes are just pumpkin pie in cupcake form. We know it doesn’t sound very exciting, but it tastes great, and you don’t have to worry about accidentally leaving most of the crust behind as you cut your piece. Pumpkin Pie Cream Puffs from A Farmgirl’s Dabbles For a light dessert at your next dinner party, try making these pumpkin pie cream puffs. These cream puffs are bite-sized and a great finish to any meal. These pumpkin cream puffs are filled with maple whipped cream and pumpkin pie filling — an amazing burst of fall flavor. Pumpkin Roll from Allrecipes.com This is a great dessert, especially nice for holidays, but it can be served any time of the year. The resulting pumpkin roll slices will impress your guests. The pumpkin roll is not as hard to make as it sounds. Be sure and use plain canned pumpkin and not pumpkin pie mix. Check out these recipes for pumpkin bread , pumpkin muffins , and pumpkin cookies from Allrecipes.com — you can bake all month long! What’s your favorite pumpkin-spice recipe? Let us know in the comments. Happy eating! See you next time when we will share ideas about trick or treating with the youngsters in your life.

Destination East Amherst, NY All About Packages

We think you’ll agree that StoneGate Apartment Homes is an awesome place to live. One of the things that contribute to that is the array of amenities we offer to members of our apartment community. One of those amenities, our package acceptance service, certainly makes life easier. We love offering this service. Related to that is getting packages ready to send out, which is the topic for this week’s blog post. Read on for tips for getting packages ready to send from Williamsville, NY to places and people all over the world. Prep for Packing Think about the type of box you’ll need for the package you’re sending. The USPS website has these helpful tips: “As an added convenience, the Postal Service offers a wide variety of shipping supplies in multiple sizes at local Post Offices and online at usps.com.” USPS services include tracking, click & ship, and ordering supplies online . For tips on how to prepare a package for shipping, follow these USPS guidelines (Click on Sending Mail in the drop-down menu.) Pro tip: If you are sending a gift, wrap your gift before placing it in the package. This ensures that if the package is opened inadvertently, the surprise can still be maintained. Pack Smart If you’re sending packages, be sure to use boxes that fit and stuff extra space in your box with material that actually protects it, such as bubble wrap or other cushioning material that is about two inches thick . (It’s better than newspaper!) Go heavy on the tape you use, especially on corners or weak spots of your box. Write the address and your return address (especially the zip code!) legibly or print out labels. Ask a mail office employee if you have concerns about how long your package will take to ship. Track Your Packages Tracking or rerouting your packages can ease the stress of sending or receiving packages because it lets you know when to expect your things. Track through whatever service (USPS, FedEx, or UPS) you’re using. Tracking helps you know when to adjust your schedule so your things aren’t waiting in the mail center for too long, and rerouting can be a lifesaver if you end up making last-minute changes to travel plans. Thanks for taking the time to read our post today! We hope these tips come in handy as we head toward the holiday season, which often means sending packages.

Travel from WNY via the Pages of a Book: Celebrate International Literacy Day

Welcome back to the StoneGate Apartment Homes Blog! September 8th is International Literacy Day. It was created to promote literacy for everyone everywhere. Annual celebrations focused on literacy education are held throughout the world on this day. For our part, we’ve collected a selection of classics from around the world with reviews from Goodreads.com to share. So head to your favorite Williamsville bookstore or library, or plan to visit the bookmobile which will be here at StoneGate on Tuesday, September 18th from 1:45 pm to 3:15 pm. Another option is to find books available on the internet to read this month. From Russia Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy Anna Karenina is a novel by the Russian writer Leo Tolstoy, published in serial installments from 1873 to 1877 in the periodical The Russian Messenger. Tolstoy clashed with its editor Mikhail Katkov over issues that arose in the final installment; therefore, the novel's first complete appearance was in book form. Widely regarded as a pinnacle in realist fiction, Tolstoy considered Anna Karenina his first true novel. . . . The character of Anna was likely inspired, in part, by Maria Hartung (1832–1919), the elder daughter of the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin. Soon after meeting her at dinner, Tolstoy. . . once had a fleeting daydream of "a bare exquisite aristocratic elbow", which proved to be the first intimation of Anna's character. . . .Fyodor Dostoevsky declared it to be "flawless as a work of art". His opinion was shared by . . . William Faulkner, who described the novel as "the best ever written". From France The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas Thrown in prison for a crime he has not committed, Edmond Dantès is confined to the grim fortress of If. There he learns of a great hoard of treasure hidden on the Isle of Monte Cristo and he becomes determined not only to escape, but also to unearth the treasure and use it to plot the destruction of the three men responsible for his incarceration. Dumas' epic tale of suffering and retribution, inspired by a real-life case of wrongful imprisonment, was a huge popular success when it was first serialized in the 1840s. From Spain The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, Lucia Graves (Translator) Barcelona, 1945: A city slowly heals in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, and Daniel, an antiquarian book dealer’s son who mourns the loss of his mother, finds solace in a mysterious book entitled The Shadow of the Wind, by one Julián Carax. But when he sets out to find the author’s other works, he makes a shocking discovery: someone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book Carax has written. In fact, Daniel may have the last of Carax’s books in existence. Soon Daniel’s seemingly innocent quest opens a door into one of Barcelona’s darkest secrets--an epic story of murder, madness, and doomed love. Who is your favorite international author? Get a copy of one of these titles, settle into your favorite reading nook at your StoneGate home, and learn about another culture via the pages of a book. We hope you enjoy our Western New York autumn! Thanks for stopping by the blog.

Game Time at StoneGate Apartment Homes

Welcome back to the StoneGate Apartment Homes Blog! We are taking a minute to highlight one of our amenities this month, our game/card room. Games are a staple here at StoneGate, so plan to head on over to enjoy Mah Jong , Pinochle , Dominos , or Mexican Train Dominoes held throughout the week. Today we are highlighting some other fun games we think could be fun to try out. Nertz If you’re a fan of card games, this is a thrilling one that is sure to turn up the excitement at your party. Fans of solitaire will enjoy this, especially if they’re ok with a bit of extra competition thrown in there. Basically how the game works is each player has their own deck of cards and plays solitaire in their own area, as with normal solitaire. But you also have a deck of 10 (sometimes 13, depending on your rules) cards you have to get rid of, either by playing them in your game or in the communal area, where everyone puts cards in piles of the same suit, in ascending order. The first person to discard their Nertz pile says, “Nertz!” and ends the round. Keep track of points by tallying up each player’s negative points (the cards left in their Nertz pile) and their positive points (the cards in the communal area). It sounds complicated, but once you get the hang of it, the rounds fly by! Timeline Test your knowledge of world history in this easy-to-learn game. Each player takes turns putting a card on the table, before or after cards already played, be sure to put it in the order of when they think that moment in history happened. If they are correct, the card stays on the table and the next player goes. If they are incorrect, they remove the card and choose another from the deck. Whoever gets rid of their cards first wins. Mysterium We’re all familiar with the classic board game, Clue, but if you want a fun twist on it, try Mysterium. Solve the crime that’s been committed on the grounds of Warwick Manor with up to six other players within 45 minutes. One player takes on the role of “ghost”, leading investigators to the culprit through visions. All the tokens, character psychic cards, ghost cards, and vision cards sound like fun tools for solving a mystery. What are your favorite games to play? Let us know in the comments so we can give them a try. We hope you’ve had a great summer here in Williamsville! Western New York is a wonderful place to live, and we’re happy to be the place you call home!

Celebrating National Golf Month

Did you know that August is National Golf Month? Celebrate here in Williamsville, NY at a golf course near your StoneGate Apartment Homes residence. Check out our list of nearby courses. We also want to share some history to increase your golf knowledge. We hope you get a chance to get in a round or two of golf this month! The History of Golf Golf can be dated all the way back to 100 BC where a similar Roman game was played with a bent stick and a stuffed leather ball. The modern game we play now is generally traced back to Scotland in the 15th century. In 1729, the first known reference was made to golf in the USA from William Burnet, the Governor of Massachusetts. In 1744, the first rules of golf were set in Scotland. In 1900, golf was played in the Paris Olympics and was won by Americans for both men and women. From then on, the popularity of golf has grown and grown. There are currently 118 countries in the International Golf Federation according to the World Golf Foundation . To learn more about golf and it’s rules and procedures, refer to this R&A guide . Driving Ranges & Golf Courses Nearby According to Yelp, these are The Best Golf Courses near Williamsville, NY. We are highlighting the top three on the list. The Dome From the website: “You can play and practice your golf game all year round. The newly renovated golf dome features 50 practice stalls on two levels, over 3,500 square feet of fresh turf and updated amenities. Drive at specific targets or work on approach shots at distances of 30, 50 and 70 yards. Prices for buckets are $7 for a Small, $10 for a Large and $12 for a Jumbo.” Diamond Hawk Golf Course From the website: “Diamond Hawk is Western New York’s premier golf course, offering country club amenities at a public course. Located in the heart of the Greater Buffalo Area, Diamond Hawk is just minutes from anywhere in Western New York. The course offers a challenge for golfers of all levels, with 5 sets of tees and expansive rolling greens. All golfers should share in the Diamond Hawk experience!” Amherst Audubon Golf Course From the website: “A challenging 18 holes in the heart of Amherst, NY. Audubon Golf is a public course popular with WNY golfers of all abilities. Expertly managed turf, ancient willows and Ellicott Creek provide a picturesque setting for a[n] exciting round of golf.” We hope everyone who is a golf aficionado celebrates National Golf Month by getting out and playing a round or two. Where is your favorite course? Which place has the best food? Share the wealth and let us know in the comments. Thanks for taking time to read our post today.