Lakeview: Compass Creative Dramatics, an emerging children’s theatre in Chicago, presents “Peas & Harmony: The Princess & The Pea Remixed”. Join them at Beat Kitchen on Monday, October 15 from 6:30 to 9:30 pm for this 5th annual fundraising event. From 6:30 to 8 pm, you can enjoy food ($5 pizza), adult beverages ($3 select craft beers), games, raffles, and contests! Prizes include Cubs tickets, dinners for two, improv classes, concert tickets, and more. From 8-9 pm, adult actors will perform the original children’s adaptation of “Peas & Harmony: The Process & The Pea Remixed”. From 9-11 pm, drink, dance, and anxiously await the prize announcements! Admission is $15, cash only at the door. Seating is limited, so be sure to come early and grab your seat! For more information, check out the Facebook event page.

Lincoln Park: Now that October is in full swing, it’s time to make your Halloween plans! Join Gaslight on Saturday, October 27 from 9 pm to midnight for “Heroes and Weirdos: A Halloween Party!” Presale tickets are just $30 and include domestic drafts, a house cocktail, and a chili bar. The party will feature a DJ, an ice luge, and a $100 prize for the Best Costume! What are you waiting for? Buy your tickets here, right now!

Bucktown and Wicker Park: Need a little Monday pick-me-up? This Monday, October 15 at 7 pm, enjoy food, cocktails, and agave pairings at the “Sabor de Agave Dinner” at Dove’s Luncheonette. This southern-inspired Mexican comfort food dinner is five courses, hosted by Chef Tom Carlin. Cocktail pairings feature selections from Dove’s extensive agave collection crafted by head bartender Sam Carlton, alongside Eden Laurin of Violet Hour. Tickets are $70 per person, plus tax and gratuity and can be purchased here.

Gold Coast: Don’t miss your chance to experience the Live Magazine Show, the concluding celebration of the Lit & Luz Festival of Language, Literature, and Art. Each year the Lit & Luz program supports the creation of new collaborative artworks between writers, visual artists, and musicians from both Chicago and Mexico. In the months leading up to the festival, teams of participating artists from the two cities work remotely to co-create a performance incorporating their respective mediums. The show is Saturday, October 20 from 6-8 pm at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. The pieces will be presented in Spanish and English. Student tickets are just $8 and full price tickets are $15. Purchase yours in advance here.

Lincoln Square: It’s time for Restaurant Week 2018! From Sunday, October 14 to Friday, October 19, explore the restaurants of Lincoln Square and Ravenswood in a totally new way! Presented by the Lincoln Square Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce, a diverse assembly of neighborhood restaurants are participating and each will offer a prix fixe menu. Featured restaurants include Band of Bohemia, Rojo Gusano, Bistro Campagne, Due Lire, Gather, Luella’s Southern Kitchen, and more. You can view prix fixe menus in advance here.

Portage Park: Need something to do with the kiddos? The Filament Theatre has just the thing! Come see “The Snow Queen”, opening November 10. Based on the fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, Filament’s 2014 hit is back and better than ever! When Gerda’s best friend Kai is lured to the palace of the wicked Snow Queen, she embarks on an unexpected quest to save him. This epic story of courage and friendship will warm you and your kiddos hearts with music, puppetry, and lots of theatrical magic. Tickets range from $12 to $17.50 and are available here.

RACHEL HOOVLER & DEAN’S TEAM CHICAGO

Now that the weather is getting a bit cooler, it’s time to think of some indoor projects. Around Chicago, we’ve had some rainy weekends- perfect for tackling that room that could use a new coat of paint or a color change. Hiring a professional can be pricey. Painting on your own is quite easy with a little preparation and care.

First, measure your room. Multiply the number of feet from ceiling to floor by the diameter of the room. Add the square footage of any doors or windows and subtract. When you buy paint it’s best to over, rather than under, estimate. Paint is difficult to match exactly. Latex paint is appropriate for most home uses. Use flat for ceilings and semigloss for the walls, as it’s easily cleaned with soap and water. You may choose oil-based for high moisture areas, like kitchens and baths, but remember you’ll need a solvent for clean-up.

I recommend cloth or newspapers for a drop cloth. Plastic disposable ones are quite slippery and not environmentally friendly. Tape the edges to the baseboard to prevent drops. Use flat, latex paint for the ceiling. Roll the paint in overlapping, two- foot strokes. Choose a medium nape disposable roller cover. Invest in a real paint tray and use disposable liners. When painting walls, always “cut in” first. Use a 2-inch angled brush to paint around the entire perimeter of the wall, around windows, and doors. Finish with the roller. Roll straight up and down, working in 3-foot sections, going from left to right (if you are right handed), the opposite way if left handed.

Windows can be tricky, but not if you are careful. First, tape off the glass with painter’s tape. And open both sashes slightly. Place toothpicks between sash and frames to prevent drying closed. Use your angle brush with a light hand.

Save leftover paint for touch-ups. Always remember paint is considered hazardous waste and cannot be thrown into city garbage. Contact your city or village hall for proper disposal of paint and painting garbage.

KATHLEEN WEAVER-ZECH & DEAN’S TEAM CHICAGO

Welcome to Chicago’s first October weekend where amazing autumn fun awaits us!

The popular West Town Food Truck Social again pairs up with the annual West Town Art Walk on Noble Street between Chicago and Chestnut Avenues in the West Town neighborhood on Friday (4:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m.) and Saturday (11:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.).  This dual event is a one-of-a-kind neighborhood-wide food and art festival where guests can taste some of Chicago’s best mobile eats, from lobster rolls to empanadas to chicken wings to tacos! All of that comes with a side of Chicago’s most tantalizing original art in all forms including visual, musical, fashion, and more!  It’s also a kid and dog friendly event with giant Jenga for the kids; plus plenty of picnic tables with umbrellas to take a break from all your art walking.  A great time for some “snacking-n-strolling!!”

The 4^th annual Bacon and Beer Classic will once again take over Soldier Field (1410 S. Museum Campus Dr.) in the South Loop on Saturday (1:00 p.m. VIP, 2:00 p.m. General to 5:00 p.m.).  Enjoy 100+ all-inclusive craft beers from the best local breweries and discover new styles too.  Experience bacon like never before by sampling 30+ unlimited bacon dishes from the most innovative chefs.  Dance to live music, play lawn games, compete in the bacon eating contest, and more!  After all, it is Oktoberfest time!!

There’s no better way to usher in fall than at the 31^st annual Apple Fest being held Saturday (9:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m.) and Sunday (9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.) at the Western Brown Line Station Parking Lot (2300 W. Leland Ave.) in the Lincoln Square neighborhood.  Dozens of vendors participate every year selling everything from candy apples, fresh apple pie, hot apple cider, bushels of apples, to scarves and hats!  Then, head over to the Lawrence Avenue Music Stage for some great local music and chef demos.  There’s also lots of activities for the kids in the Leland Avenue Kids Zone!  There’s something for everyone at Apple Fest!!

Join the Rogers Park neighborhood for an afternoon of live music, crafts, food from local restaurants, beer & wine tastings, and family-friendly activities at the Taste of Clark Street on Sunday (2:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.).  This event takes place along Clark Street between Devon and Touhy Avenues.  Pedicabs will also be available to ride from the “HUB” (Morse Ave.) to Devon Ave. or Touhy Ave. so you can get to the participating businesses faster!!

Check out fall’s most “spirited” event at the 7^th annual Crypt 5K on Saturday (7:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m.) at Rosehill Cemetery (5800 N. Ravenswood Ave.) in the Edgewater neighborhood.  Run or walk (if you dare) through this candle lit course on the sprawling 350-acre Victorian-era cemetery that opened in 1864 and is home to many famous Chicago eternal spirits!  In addition, there’s a post run/walk party at Fireside Restaurant (5739 N. Ravenswood Ave.)!!

Rosemont’s Parkway Bank Park (5501 Park Place) once again celebrates the fall season with the return of its annual Family Fall Fest on Saturday (1:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.).  This fest features a variety of free activities for the entire family to enjoy including a petting zoo, pumpkin painting, magic acts, and more!  Live music is provided by Kaleidoscope Eyes (Beatles tribute band), Istvan & His Imaginary Band (children’s entertainment group), and the 1980s rock tribute band Infinity!!

Finally, the Bank of America Chicago Marathon takes place Sunday (7:30 a.m.) beginning and ending at Grant Park (337 E. Randolph St.) in The Loop.  Thousands of runners from more than 100 countries and all 50 states will race on an iconic course; taking them through 29 neighborhoods on an architectural and cultural tour of Chicago!

Here’s to an Amazing Autumn Fun Weekend!

Getting a mortgage involves a lot more than just filling out an application and waiting for approval. Your lender is going to assess your financial profile in great detail, and several factors come into play that determines whether or not you’re able to get approved for a mortgage.

One of the more important factors that lenders will consider before agreeing to extend a home loan to you is your debt-to-income ratio (DTI). this seemingly unassuming little number plays a key role in whether or not you can secure a mortgage.

What is a Debt-to-Income Ratio (DTI)?

Your ability to make your mortgage payments every month will depend on how much money you make. Obviously, your income will play a role in whether or not you can afford a mortgage, and therefore whether or not a lender will approve your application.

But the amount of debt you carry also comes into play. You might make a decent living, but how much of that income is dedicated to paying down all of the other debt that you currently hold? It’s quite possible that you’re nearly maxed out on all of your other debt payments and may not have enough left over to support a mortgage payment on top of it all.

A debt-to-income ratio is a representation of your debt relative to your income. More specifically, it’s calculated by dividing your monthly debt obligations by your monthly income.

For instance, if you are currently responsible for making $3,000 in debt payments every month and your income is $5,000 monthly, then your debt-to-income ratio would be 60%.

How Does Your DTI Play a Role in Mortgage Approval?

What your DTI tells lenders is how strapped you are in terms of other debt obligations and how much money you have available from your income that could be dedicated to paying a mortgage.

Keep in mind that the ratio originally calculated above does not take an additional monthly mortgage payment into consideration. If your DTI is already quite high without factoring in a mortgage payment into the equation, odds are you’d find it extremely difficult to cover mortgage payments on top of everything else you’re trying to juggle.

In turn, your lender is probably not going to be too confident about loaning you any money for a mortgage if you’re already maxed out on other debt obligations.

For instance, if your DTI is already at 60%, adding a mortgage payment into the mix will make it even higher. Even just a low $1,000 mortgage payment would send your DTI up to a whopping 80%.

Basically, lenders look at your DTI ratio to determine your ability to pay a mortgage. Ideally, the number should be low, as a lower number reflects lower debt loads and higher incomes, which is the ideal combination for mortgage approval. The higher your DTI is, the more likely you would be to default on your mortgage.

Generally speaking, lenders like to see a DTI of no more than 36%. In the example illustrated above, a DTI of 60% would be considered quite high. With a DTI that high, lenders would be more likely to reject your mortgage application because you would be considered too much of a risk.

Even if you were approved for a mortgage, your interest rate would likely be higher compared to a borrower with a low DTI. The reason why a higher rate would be charged is to protect the lender to some degree if you were to default on your home loan.

At the end of the day, a lower DTI will improve your chances of getting approved for a mortgage at a lower interest rate. In contrast, a higher DTI will have the opposite effect.

Your DTI Doesn’t Paint the Full Picture of Your Ability to Afford a Mortgage

As helpful as DTIs are for lenders to determine your ability to secure a mortgage, they don’t exactly tell you everything when it comes to figuring out whether or not a mortgage is actually affordable for you. Even if you’re able to get approved, you might still find it difficult to comfortably afford that extra payment.

Your lender might take in a number of important factors into consideration to make sure you can cover this extra payment. But they don’t know all of the ins and outs of your life and other expenses.

For instance, groceries, child care fees, gas for your car, utilities, and other expenses are not required to be communicated to your lender. They won’t be factored into your DTI equation: only you can budget for these expenses, which is crucial.

The Bottom Line

A lower DTI is ultimately your goal when it comes time to apply for a mortgage. Aside from making more money, you can lower your ratio by paying down your debt. If you’ve got some time to play around with before applying for a mortgage, consider making a valiant effort to whittle down your debt. Consider focusing on higher-interest debt first, such as credit cards.

Doing so can not only help to lower your DTI, but it can also improve your credit score too, which are both important in securing a mortgage at a lower rate.

Check out the grocery store first for decorating items. Large and small pumpkins are available, as well as squashes of all colors, shapes, and sizes. You will also find so many varieties of apples and pears. From red to gold and green- they’re all fall inspired! Gather several different colored pears and apples to display in bowls for a centerpiece. Use a red or orange piece of cloth for a runner. Add pinecones, in-shell nuts, and fall leaves. Add low candles in fall colors for a warm glow.

Fall plants are a great addition to your front door décor. Mums come in so many colors; you can do a display in any shade from white to red. With a little care and watering, they will have beautiful color till the snow flies. Variegated Croton is an annual that has large, colorful, shiny, striped leaves. Their colors are very fall oriented and tolerate cool temps. Ornamental cabbages (like kale) and plants (like gray white Dusty Miller) pair well for fall inspired arrangements. Pair these with pumpkins and squashes for a beautiful front door décor.

Search garage sales and thrift stores for small vintage frames. Find some leaves in great fall colors with interesting shapes. Press them under a weight till dry. Place in the frame with a bright background. Go through your old photos and frame some to make a display with the leaf frames and then arrange on a table or wall.

Glass hurricane lamps are very versatile. Start with a tall orange or red candle. Decorate by adding different items around the candle base. Try small acorns or assorted in-shell nuts. Check out the vast array of dried beans, they come in many colors and sizes. Or try my favorite: candy corn! Be careful when burning the candle so you don’t burn the base.

Craft stores are, of course, a wonderful place to find fall decorating supplies. Faux pumpkins come in all colors, shapes, and sizes. Stack three white pumpkins in a planter, like a topiary, and decorate with greenery. You can keep this out well into winter. Pick up some decoupage and decorate faux pumpkins with fall colored fabric. Get the kids involved decorating their spaces for fall too! Have fun!

KATHLEEN WEAVER-ZECH & DEAN’S TEAM CHICAGO