Registration this week for free school supplies

Registration for low-income families for free back-to-school supplies for children six to 14 is from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. today through Friday at the Salvation Army, 620 North Erie St., beginning today.

To qualify, applicants are required to bring a photo ID, Social Security cards for everyone in the household, birth certificates for children (and proof of custody, if not a birth child), proof of income for everyone in the household, and proof of address, such as a utility bill.

Donated school supplies are accepted at The Andersons, Charter One Bank, Dollar Tree, Kroger’s, Office Max, and the Pharm locations through Aug. 18. Monetary donations can be mailed to The Salvation Army, P.O. Box 798, Toledo, OH, 43697-0798.

What are people saying about mortgages today:

Rates on 30-year mortgages edged down last week to a seven-month low. Mortgage-giant Freddie Mac reported Thursday that 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages fell to 6.3 percent, down slightly from 6.31 percent two weeks ago. It put rates at the lowest level since they were at 6.24 percent the first week of March.

Bank of Hawaii, Central Pacific Bank, Territorial Savings Bank and Wells Fargo Home Mortgages all cut their 30-year mortgage rates to 5.75 percent this week.

Most people think of a mortgage as a means to an end. After all, you buy a house, not a home loan. But a mortgage is much more than the path to homeownership. It is a financial instrument that must be managed, just like any other financial investment.