Twice a year, Bath & Body Works pulls out all the stops and discounts holiday and everyday favorites up to 75 percent off, which new discounts throughout the week. The Bath & Body Works Semi-Annual sale for holiday 2020 is no different—actually, it might be even better. We’ve got the details on all the goods so you can game-plan your shopping trip.

Of course, deals will be online as well as in-store so if you feel safer shopping from your couch, you can still stock up on Bath & Body Works favorites. Now’s the chance to score the beloved holiday fragrances before they’re gone (until next year), as well as throwbacks including Secret Wonderland, Honeysuckle and Sensual Amber brought back just for this sale. Christmas body care will be just $4.95 and select Christmas 3-Wick Candles will be $11.95.

Source: Instagram

For the best of the best deals, you’ll want to dig for those 75 percent off products. These include body care, candles, hand soaps and tons of non-holiday items you’ll want to use all-year round. You’ll even be able to find some best-selling fall body scare scents and ones you haven’t smelled for months. It’s basically like a rummage sale where you never know exactly what you’ll find.

The sale begins Saturday, December 26. If you’re shopping in store, don’t forget your face mask and hand sanitizer and maybe even consider going on off hours to avoid the crowds. Or, there’s always delivery! As much as we want to shop and treat ourselves this year (we deserve it), we also have to stay safe too. Set your iCal and get ready to get your haul on. Then, have big New Year zoom with friends to share exactly what you got.

According to The Street, the number of American homeowners over 65 with mortgage debt is up nearly 60% in the last decade. Though mortgage rates have fallen significantly in the last 10 years, home price appreciation has dramatically outstripped wage growth. This has made it more difficult for many homeowners to pay off their homes before retirement.

In a previous article, I identified three ideal reverse mortgage candidate profiles. The first profile was the homeowner with a free and clear home (or very nearly so) who doesn’t need the proceeds right now. Homeowners who fit this profile often use a reverse mortgage as a safety net to cover unexpected expenses and help protect and preserve other retirement assets so they last longer.

In this article, I will tackle the second ideal candidate profile: the homeowner who has a significant mortgage balance and many years before it’s paid off. Homeowners who fit this profile can use a reverse mortgage to eliminate their mortgage payments years (or decades) early, which improves their retirement lifestyle and financial security.

Introducing Mrs. Miller

To show you how this works, let me introduce you to Mrs. Miller, who was a case study subject in a book I recently wrote about the HECM reverse mortgage. Mrs. Miller is not a real person, but the case study is based on real-life scenarios.

Mrs. Miller is 75, a widow, and has a mortgage principal and interest payment of $1,127. Her sole income is Social Security, which totals $1,540 per month. She can’t live on her retirement income alone (for obvious reasons), so she supplements her income with withdrawals from her savings.

Mrs. Miller had a substantial savings balance when her husband passed away five years ago. Unfortunately, it has since dwindled to about $50,000 thanks to a rising cost of living, unexpected medical expenses, and a few odd home repairs. At the rate things are going, her savings will last at most another four years.

Throwing Good Money After Bad

Mrs. Miller’s mortgage is fixed at 5% with a balance of $184,685 and 23 years left before it’s paid off. With interest rates so low, why hasn’t Mrs. Miller refinanced for a lower mortgage payment? Unfortunately, she doesn’t qualify because her debt-to-income ratio is too high.

With 23 years left to pay, Mrs. Miller is fully aware her savings account won’t last nearly long enough to pay off the mortgage. Even if it did, she’ll be in her late 90s when the mortgage is finally paid off. Odds are the mortgage will outlast her, too.

Though Mrs. Miller has paid nearly $96,000 in payments since she took out her mortgage, the balance has only decreased by about $25,000. She’s draining her vital liquid reserves and barely putting a dent in the balance. She’s throwing good money after bad!

Mrs. Miller considered taking a part-time job to supplement her income and preserve her savings, but recent health issues have made that unworkable.

She could ask her children for help, but they have families and financial burdens, too. Besides, she prefers to remain financially independent and not rely on somebody else for her financial wellbeing.

Solving the Cash Flow Problem

Fortunately, Mrs. Miller’s home has appreciated to a value of around $400,000. With $50,000 in the bank and over $215,000 worth of home equity, Mrs. Miller has a substantial net worth – at least on paper. However, only $50,000 of her net worth is actually liquid. The rest is locked away in non-liquid home equity.

To Mrs. Miller’s luck, that’s where the reverse mortgage comes in. A reverse mortgage can help Mrs. Miller unlock her home equity and help make her financial situation more secure.

Based on her age and a home value of $400,000, Mrs. Miller qualifies for a reverse mortgage principal limit (the total proceeds) of $199,600. The principal limit is enough to cover Mrs. Miller’s outstanding mortgage balance, closing costs, and still leave her about $10,000 that can be added to her savings.

As long as Mrs. Miller lives in the home, pays the required property charges, and reasonably maintains the home, she won’t be required to make any mortgage payments ever again. She always remains the owner of the home and is free to leave it to her heirs, who will inherit any equity remaining in the home.

If the home isn’t worth enough to pay off the entire loan balance at the time of her passing, FHA will cover the shortage.

Granted, Mrs. Miller is not going to be taking world cruises on a monthly income of $1,540. However, she’s far more financially secure without the mortgage payment than with one. No longer will she need to drain her savings every month to pay the mortgage, which means her savings will last far longer.

An Ideal Reverse Mortgage Candidate

Mrs. Miller is an ideal reverse mortgage candidate because she had so many years left on her mortgage. It made no sense to drain her savings to pay a mortgage she likely will never pay off anyway.

Now that the mortgage payment is gone, Mrs. Miller is more financially secure and worries less about money. She now has more cash available to spend on more important things, including a few small home upgrades and her beloved grandchildren.

If you’re still paying mortgage on your home, have you checked your reverse mortgage options? What financial opportunities have you considered to make your funds more liquid? Have you met with an advisor competent in reverse mortgages? Let’s discuss in the comments below.

Usually, we look to Black Friday for a brand’s biggest sale of the year but Lush does things differently. On Black Friday, the retailer rolls out new products as part of the Green Friday campaign. The UK-based company’s big sale is on Boxing Day instead, which starts the day after Christmas. Lush’s Boxing Day sale for 2020 is its only big sale of the year and trust us—it’s worth the wait. 

Get 50 percent off on selected items (look for the items with the ’50 percent off’ tag online or in-store). As products fly off the shelves—and virtual shelves—Lush will continue to restock so you’ll want to check back. Holiday products and gift sets are included in the half-off sale, of course, as well as non-seasonal items like soap, shower goodies, fragrance, skincare and haircare.

Need some last-minute gifts? Here’s your chance to grab them at a discount. But don’t forget to pick up some self-care items for yourself, too. The holidays might look a little different this year but that doesn’t mean you can’t have your own celebration.

The Lush Boxing Day sale starts on December 26. Check out a few must-haves, below.

Lush.

Show Showers Gift Set

Be set with shower gel for the year, with yummy Sleepy, Yog Nog and Roasting Chestnuts on an Open Fire scents.

Lush.

Veganese Conditioner

This lightweight vegan conditioner is perfect for anyone with fine hair, including curls.

Lush.

Clean & Calm Hand Care Kit

Get your dry hands in check with hydrating 13 Soap Unlucky For Dirt and Sleepy soap, Dream Cream lotion, Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter and Tiny Hands Hands Serum.

Lush.

Jingle Bells Bath Bomb

This festive bath bomb has a gentle orange-patchouli scent.

Lush.

Once Upon a Time Body Lotion

Hydrate your body with murumuru butter and jojoba oil.

Usually, we look to Black Friday for a brand’s biggest sale of the year but Lush does things differently. On Black Friday, the retailer rolls out new products as part of the Green Friday campaign. The UK-based company’s big sale is on Boxing Day instead, which starts the day after Christmas. Lush’s Boxing Day sale for 2020 is its only big sale of the year and trust us—it’s worth the wait. 

Get 50 percent off on selected items (look for the items with the ’50 percent off’ tag online or in-store). As products fly off the shelves—and virtual shelves—Lush will continue to restock so you’ll want to check back. Holiday products and gift sets are included in the half-off sale, of course, as well as non-seasonal items like soap, shower goodies, fragrance, skincare and haircare.

Need some last-minute gifts? Here’s your chance to grab them at a discount. But don’t forget to pick up some self-care items for yourself, too. The holidays might look a little different this year but that doesn’t mean you can’t have your own celebration.

The Lush Boxing Day sale starts on December 26. Check out a few must-haves, below.

Lush.

Show Showers Gift Set

Be set with shower gel for the year, with yummy Sleepy, Yog Nog and Roasting Chestnuts on an Open Fire scents.

Lush.

Veganese Conditioner

This lightweight vegan conditioner is perfect for anyone with fine hair, including curls.

Lush.

Clean & Calm Hand Care Kit

Get your dry hands in check with hydrating 13 Soap Unlucky For Dirt and Sleepy soap, Dream Cream lotion, Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter and Tiny Hands Hands Serum.

Lush.

Jingle Bells Bath Bomb

This festive bath bomb has a gentle orange-patchouli scent.

Lush.

Once Upon a Time Body Lotion

Hydrate your body with murumuru butter and jojoba oil.