Nov 13, 2013 | Around The Home
Summer has been over and Fall is really here, temperatures are beginning to drop, and you’re dreading having to turn the heat on for the first time. Firing up the furnace can burn a hole in your pocket, but there’s something you can do about it. Consider these tips to help lower your heating bill.
Replace Your Air Filters
Get new air filters for your central heating and cooling. The filters get clogged and it takes more and more energy to keep your house warm. Be sure to clear out any dust bunnies or cobwebs from behind the filter. Use a vacuum if necessary.
Does Your Attic Need Insulation?
Heat rises, and if your attic is not adequately insulated, then your central heating system will be stuck sending all your hot air (and your heating bill) straight through the roof. There are three options for attic insulation: roll on insulation, spray on insulation, or polyurethane foam. Roll on insulation is the best option for the do-it-yourselfers out there, but you might consider using polyurethane foam if you plan to turn that attic space into a bedroom.
Caulk Up The Windows
Cold air is constantly sneaking into your house through the cracks in your window. Use a temporary silicone caulk to seal up your windows during the winter. When you’re ready to open them up again in the spring, the silicone caulk will crack right off without damaging the paint.
Wrap Your Pipes
Wrapping your pipes will insulate them from the cold to prevent freezing, as well as saving you money on energy bills. Use a special insulation sleeve from the hardware store or do it the old fashioned way with heat tape. This is especially important if you have pipes in an crawlspace or basement that isn’t insulated.
Let The Light In
You don’t have to buy special panels to take advantage of solar power. Open the curtains on south-facing windows, and heat up your house the natural way. With the sun’s help, you won’t need to bump your thermostat up as often.
Be Smart With The Thermostat
Don’t be afraid to turn your thermostat down a little bit. If you’re leaving the house for a while, bump it down a few degrees and give your system a rest. Try throwing an extra blanket on the bed and dropping a few degrees before bed. You’ll only see a difference on your bill. You might try a programmable thermostat as well!
Now that it’s getting cold, you can finally make some hot chocolate and put on your brand new coat, but you shouldn’t have to wear it inside. With these easy tips you can learn to keep your house warm without having to crank up the thermostat.
Nov 12, 2013 | Personal Finance
How do you know what happens to your documents when you put a piece of paper in the trash? It can be difficult to know who is seeing it and what they are doing with it. It isn’t very common to burn trash anymore; therefore you can be sure that your paper garbage or recycling is likely to pass through several hands on its way to a landfill or recycling center.
Step–By–Step, Your Documents Can Get Pilfered
Every step that occurs once the trash leaves your control has risk that someone will find personal information they can use to cause you harm. One way to safeguard personal information is to shred it before it goes into the trash.
Shredding devices are available at most office supply stores. Cross-cut shredders provide more security than strip-cut shredders. You may want to consider one depending on your level of concern. Shredding services or shredding events are often offered by financial institutions or community organizations.
Properly destroying sensitive personal information is a key step in helping to keep your identity secure. You really should shred any documents containing personal information, but be cautious not to shred financial documents that you may still need.
To Shred Or Not To Shred, That Is The Question…Or Maybe It‘s When To Shred
The Better Business Bureau offers these guidelines on when to shred:
- Deposit, ATM, credit, and debit card receipts can be shredded once the transaction appears on your statement
- Canceled checks, credit card statements, and bank statements with no long-term significance can go through the shredder after one year; if used to support tax returns, keep them for seven years
- Monthly bill statements can be shredded one year after receiving, to allow for year-to-year bill comparisons (another good way to monitor your budget!)
- Credit card contracts and loan agreements should be saved for as long as the account is active
- Pay stubs can be shredded yearly after reconciling with your W-2 or other tax forms
- Documentation of investment purchases or sales should be kept for as long as you own the investment and then seven years after that; shred monthly investment account statements annually after reconciling with a year-end statement
- Always shred documents with Social Security numbers, birth dates, PIN numbers or passwords, financial information, contracts or letters with signatures, pre-approved credit card applications, medical and dental bills, travel itineraries, and used airline tickets.
Nov 8, 2013 | Around The Home
Your living spaces are the most important rooms in your home. They’re where you read bedtime stories, have family dinners and make many memories.
However, most of these rooms wouldn’t be as inviting or function well without their valuable out-of-sight storage spaces — their closets.
Imagine clothes thrown across bedrooms and toys scattered all over the living room. Closets are essential to keeping your home organized, clean and livable.
So set aside one weekend this month to tackle your mini storerooms and turn them into orderly spaces with the tips below.
Designate A Theme For Each Closet
Every closet in your home should have a specific purpose, such as a space for only linens, cleaning supplies or coats. Don’t cheat and put the vacuum in the hall closet just because it’s the nearest.
Make sure you return items to their proper closet, so you always know exactly where tools or shoes can be found.
Create Specific Spaces
Whether this means adding shelving or dividers, you’ll want to designate a space for each item. To do this, take everything out of the closet and prioritize it by importance. Then place the most important things within easy reach.
This might require a trip to purchase a closet storage system or bins. If there’s anything at the bottom of your priority list left over, get rid of it.
Make It Look Good
If it’s a space you utilize daily, such as a walk-in closet, then make it a pleasure to be in it. Every closet should have good lighting; so install bright bulbs that allow you to see what you’re selecting. If you have a large walk-in closet, you could glam it up and add functionality with funky chandeliers, a built-in ironing board and a specified shoe cabinet.
Divide And Conquer
If you have children who need to share a closet, then get creative. Assign them different colored hangers and bins with labels. From bedroom and toy closets to craft and coat closets, you’ll reduce confusion and frustration when everyone has their own space.
Reduce your clutter confusion by giving everything in your house its own home. By following these tips you’ll soon have well-organized closets that serve specific purposes and make it easy for anyone in your family to find what they need.
Nov 7, 2013 | Around The Home
Every week the trash truck comes to pick up our garbage and unwanted items, which are promptly taken to landfills. Instead of filling landfills and just buying new items to stuff our homes, we can help the earth and recycle everyday household items.
Below are a few fun and creative ideas for recycling things around your home that you might be ready to trash.
Coffee Table Into Bench
If you just purchased a new coffee table, don’t give away the old one — repurpose it. Find a space in your home where you could use some additional seating, like at the end of your bed or in the entryway.
Push it up against the wall so that any drawers and shelves are facing out. Then add some cushions and pillow. Tada; a bench!
Copper Piping Into Bathroom Hardware
Whether you’re going for a modern industrial look or a French country theme, old copper piping can add an attractive and interesting conversation piece to your restroom.
Utilize a U-shaped piece of piping as a toilet paper holder and long pieces of pipe as towel racks. Polish the copper and then seal it with spray lacquer so that it keeps its sheen.
Light Bulbs Into Decorations
Recycle filament light bulbs with a fun little craft project for your children. Grab paint, twine, glitter and glue. You can make flower pots and hang them in the yard as a simple green accent. Use the twine to create loops for hanging.
Pillowcase Into Shopping Bag
Take an old or vintage pillowcase, lay it flat and cut the top corners off of the open end. You’ll want to cut the corners off in a half-C shape so that that there is only about a two-inch strip left in the middle at the top.
Sew that two-inch strip together and you’ve got your handle. This reusable shopping bag rolls up tight and is easy to wash.
Drawer Into Dog Bed
The size of your animal will dictate the size of drawer you should repurpose. A cat might like a kitchen drawer while a bigger dog would use a large dresser drawer. Strip the wood off the drawer and repaint. Remove the hardware.
Maybe stencil your pet’s name on the front of the drawer. Then create a mattress using foam, batting and a soft and durable material.
Before getting rid of that broken side table or trashing those carry-out chopsticks, take a second look and tap into your creative side to see if you might be able to recycle and give them a second life.
Nov 6, 2013 | Homeowner Tips
You probably had someone check your foundation when you bought the house, but have you looked twice at it since? These problems don’t happen overnight.
They start small and they grow. By the time an issue comes to your attention, it might be too late. Learn to recognize the problems while they’re still small and cheap. Your wallet will thank you later.
Floor Level
You might be able to tell if your floor is level just by walking on it. Some people have a knack for recognizing this problem. If you suspect your floor of being a bit off balance, grab a tennis ball and see if it stays put.
If a door has been scuffing the floor when it swings open, double check the floor. That could be your culprit. A slanted floor can be evidence of a serious structural issue. A shifting foundation can slowly pull apart your house’s frame.
Sight Your Walls
Look down your wall from corner to corner and make sure there are not bumps or bulges. Walls should be flat. Grab a level and see if they’re leaning at all as well. Problems with the walls can mean problems with the concrete.
Check Your Foundation
Walk around your foundation with a sturdy screwdriver, and poke your foundation firmly. If you can dig a hole in the concrete, that’s a bad sign. It should be firm enough, and dense enough to keep you from causing any damage.
Just give it the screwdriver test though. If you start using the jackhammer test, you’ve gone too far.
Know Your Cracks
Concrete is always shrinking and expanding. It shrinks with the cold and then spreads back out in the heat. This can cause cracks, and most of these cracks are no big deal. Some of them, however, can be evidence of serious problems.
Small hairline cracks between concrete blocks are not a problem. Cracks on areas where the concrete stair-steps down to follow a slope are also not a big deal.
They are probably just caused by shrinkage. If you’re worried about one, paint it over with some waterproofing paint, and make sure the crack doesn’t come back.
Stair-step cracks on the walls are a bad sign, especially if the wall is bulging. Also look out for horizontal cracks, near the soil. This can mean the moisture in the soil is working into your foundation and putting pressure on the concrete. For problems like these, it’s best to bring in a structural engineer.
