Tag: work

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Remodeling Is Costly

Just because someone owns their own home, doesn’t mean they have credit cards. Many people get rid of their credit cards after they pay down their debt, only to find out that they might need them again to do renovations or remodeling on their home. Now they have to go back and apply for a card that will suit their needs. If they weren’t happy with the cards they had before, researching the new cards that are available now is the smart thing to do.

Once you make the decision to apply for a credit card, you need to know your credit score. Free credit score.com can help you with that in just a short amount of time. The best credit cards to apply for, are the ones that are compatible with your lifestyle. For instance, if you don’t travel a lot, you wont need a frequent flyer miles card.

Rewards cards are really great for people who make large purchases. If you are remodeling or renovating your home, you will be making large purchases and the rewards would be worth you having one of these cards, especially if you are going to be doing a DIY renovation/remodel. Since DIY typically takes longer then having a professional come in, your purchases will not be all at once.

However, if you have decided that you don’t have to time for a DIY job, and are going to hire someone to do it, then you might want a low interest rate or balance transfer card. Don’t get stuck with too many cards. If you have a lot of credit cards, you can end up in a lot of debt if you are not careful. Using a balance transfer card can help you consolidate all of your debt to one low rate card, but you have to read the fine print.

Of course there are other ways to pay for your renovation. You can use the home’s equity to pay for the upkeep, take a personal loan or just use cash. This however, can create a lot of paperwork in the case of the first two and who honestly has that much cash on hand to use. You can use online tools to keep track of your budget or an online debt reduction calculator to test out your finances first and see if what you have planned is feasible. Make sure to research fully before committing yourself to whatever card you apply for.

Take your time with finding a credit card and if the rewards are worth it. That renovation may wait a little longer if you need it to. Also, don’t over extend yourself. Be sure that you can afford to do that remodel before you begin it. The last thing you want is to get halfway through it and run out of cash and credit to do it. Then you will be stuck in home that is only half finished. You don’t have to have the most expensive items to have your home look good. Moderation is always a good thing when working with a budget.

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Renovations DIY

When you decide to renovate your home, it is a big decision and there are a lot of ramifications. First you have to decide what part of your home you are going to renovate and measure the dimensions of the rooms, doors and windows. DIY renovations take a bit longer then your typical pro job, so it is usually best to do it in sections if you are doing the entire house. Begin with one end of the house and move through as each project is finished. In this way you are not living with a massive mess and most projects can be finished within a weekend.

Funding your renovation is very important as well. You want to make sure that you have all of the funds you need before you start ordering you supplies. At this point you know what you want, have everything picked out and priced. Allow for a little extra just in case you forgot something. Tools are really important, whether it be hand tools or a good budget calculator online, they are imperative to have. It’s always good to have your credit card to back you up just in case. The best credit cards have rewards for large purchases and you can use those to your advantage.

Everyone knows that places like Home Depot and Lowes are the the place to go for all your DIY needs. They have great programs to teach you how to do the work yourself, with professional results. Any questions you have can be easily answered by the personnel at either location. They are trained well to make sure they have the right answers.

If you are going do a kitchen, a DIY renovation may take a little longer, but don’t get discouraged. If you plan it out right, you can have it done in a short amount of time. You only have to make sure that you have all of your supplies on hand and ready to go. Cabinets, stove, sink, refrigerator etc…all need to be there when you START the job. Having  a check list of everything as well as knowing exactly what order you need to do your work is paramount.

Some jobs require permits. If you have the knowledge base and can prove it, you can get the permit yourself, although sometimes a professional is needed. Major electrical, plumbing and additions are a definite permit job. Particularly additions. Because certain electrical and/or plumbing is required for additions, you will need permits. Some you can obtain yourself and some have to be done through a licensed contractor. Your research for whatever job you need done will tell you that. Talk to the local permit office to see what you need.

Enjoy the work. From the designing phase to the actual work. Working with your hands can bring a certain satisfaction unlike no other. When guests come to your home, you can have the added pleasure of telling them that you did the work yourself. Your hard work will pay off.

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More Thoughts On Gardening

So you want to build a pond in your garden? There is a right way and a wrong way to go about it. First you have to pick the area in your yard that you want to build it. In order to do that, you have to know where all of the underground utility pipes are located. Whether it is water, electrical or cable, you don’t want to hit any of them when you start digging. You utility companies will be happy to come out and mark the locations to prevent any mishaps.

Next you want to decide how large you want the pond and make sure it is not near a lot of trees. The leaves will clog it up and make a lot of extra work for you. An average pond is two to three feet deep, unless you plan to put Koi in it, then it will need to be three to four feet deep. Even if you decide against the Koi, it is always best to make sure you have running water to keep the mosquito population down. A simple pond pump will help ensure that the water is always moving. A few gold fish wouldn’t hurt either, as they will eat the mosquito larvae.

Now comes the time to go get your supplies. You can buy either a preformed or flexible liner for your pond. A flexible one allows you to determine the shape and size and are relatively easy to work with. You can build your pond with common garden tools, there is really no need to have heavy machinery, unless it is going to be a really large pond. You will also need sand to spread around before you put down your liner. This prevents tears from happening due to rocks and roots. Just spread it evenly and as thick as you can to be safe.

Make sure you get the rocks you need to line around the outside and to build a waterfall should you decide you want one. Most hardware store will deliver them, so you shouldn’t need a truck. Don’t forget your water plants and decorative plants for around the pond either.

Not everyone has a yard or the space to build a pond. However, do not be discouraged, because you can still have a water garden by using a sealed decorative container. Just put rocks on the bottom and choose what water plants you would like to have. Once again, you will have to do something to prevent mosquito’s, even if it is only a small water garden. They will breed in any standing water. Either the water has to move, or you need gold fish or something to kill the larvae.

A pond can bring a lot of joy to you and your family. They are very calming and soothing to sit next to after a hard day at work. Especially those with the gentle sounds of water flowing over rocks. It is amazing how relaxed you will be when you can enjoy it at the end of the day.

 

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Gardens

Everyone loves a water garden. Whether it is a small one in a pot, or a large one in your yard, people are just fascinated by the ecosystem you can create with water and plants. Not only are they beautiful but they add a serenity to your garden that you will appreciate.

Making your own water garden in a pot is relatively easy and inexpensive. You have to find the proper container or pot first. It must be sturdy enough to hold a lot of water without collapsing or leaking. Glass, copper or galvanized metal are usually the best. Ceramic will work as well, but you want to stay away from terracotta. Terracotta will leak or just plain give out as it is not strong enough.

Next you will need to choose where you want it (making sure it has plenty of sun) and buy your plants and water garden soil and gravel. Make sure to buy a blooming plant as well, because it will make your water garden really look nice. The water in the garden needs to move to keep mosquito’s from breeding as well. You can click here to see water pumps that are available for just that.

If you are doing a large water garden, there are several things you must take into account. First figure out where in your yard it is safe to dig (ie no underground utility pipes) and then decide how large you want the garden to be. Some can actually be built above ground with wood and flexible liners, these are relatively easy to put together.

You can also make a floating garden, within your water garden, by building floating “decks” to plant your regular garden on. Of course you have to make sure they are wired to stay in one place so they wont damage your water plants, but it makes for a two in one garden and is very beautiful and takes up less space in your yard. That is a bonus for those who have small yards. If you build one of those above ground, it can be drained and moved later one, if you ever change residences as well. Double bonus, because after all that hard work in building and maintaining your garden, you really wouldn’t want to leave it behind if you don’t have to.

Choosing the plants in your water garden is very important. You don’t want to over crowd it and it will need “weeding” or “thinning” from time to time.  Make sure to remove any dead leave or flowers as well on a regular basis. If you don’t you will get too much “compost” at the bottom of the water and it will get choked and can clog the pump.

Most of all, enjoy the work as you do it and the rewards will be well worth it. If you plan everything ahead of time and have all of your supplies handy, you will be finished in no time at all. Good Luck !

 

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Prevention and Protection

Moms are the beginning and the end when it comes to keeping our homes running smoothly. Not only do we take care of balancing the checkbooks, paying the bills, cleaning the house, and raising the kids, we also have to see that our home and family are protected. Protection comes in many different forms, from safety to pest control.

When you buy a new home, you have the obligatory inspection done. They test for everything from water damage, roof leaks and termites. When the report comes back, you decide if you really want the house or not. Ours came back clean but in order to keep it that way, it needed regular maintenance. I saw to it that we are continually protected from infestation by Terminix pest control.  I don’t want my dream home damaged by little bugs.

There are a few things that you can do for some extra prevention:

  • Make sure the soil slopes away from the house
  • Keep plants at least three feet from the house
  • Use plastic sheeting under the house to cover the dirt.
  • Point sprinklers away from the house

You should never have any standing water around the base of the home, as termites need water for survival. Get rid of any dead or dying trees and don’t pile up firewood against the house. You shouldn’t have those anywhere near it in fact. Make sure the base of the house shows about six inches of the concrete foundation all the way around it. Don’t use a lot of mulch around the house, as it breeds termites.

Depending on your area and the regular weather you have there, you might want to make sure there are no large trees too close to the house either. They can be knocked over by storms and you don’t want them to fall on the house. I know that they shade the house and help keep electricity bills down, but in areas with high straight line winds, those trees can be dangerous to your home and your family. Keep the trees well trimmed as well. This way you won’t have to worry about dead branches falling from them.

When you buy a home with a pool and you have small children, you should invest in a safety pool fence. Some of them are removable for those pool parties and such, but they are definitely worth the expense to keep your children safe. In addition to the safety fence, you can put latches or locks at the top of the doors to your home to keep the children from wandering outside. Kids have a tendency to do that the moment you turn your back or use the restroom.

Make sure you have the safety plugs for all of your outlets as well. We all know that children love to stick things into small holes and spaces. We buy them lots of toys teach them to do just that and need to make sure they can’t do it in the wrong space. This goes along with cabinet locks to keep children out of chemicals and such as well. You would be surprised to learn how many children are able to get that Pine-sol bottle open and drink it.

Protecting your home and your family is not very difficult or even expensive if you take simple precautions. Most of it is common sense and easily done on your own without the help of professionals. If you do need a professional to help you, just do your research and you will be fine. I hope this helps you ladies. I know that a lot of it helped me when we first bought our home.

 

 

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Getting irritated

I am having a problem with one of the editors from work. He is nit picking all of my damned articles and it is starting to piss me off! I don’t know why this man has developed a dislike for me, as we have never met or even talked. I do all of the work online from home and he just won’t stop his poop.

Not only does he send them back, half of the time he is not even clear on what it is that he doesn’t like or what he wants done with it. REALLY? ! ?! Pull you head out of your rear dude and get over your power trip! UGH!

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Life is looking up

Well our lives are all looking up lately. Things have gotten much easier to deal with work and children wise. Work has been running along smoothly compared to the winter months when things we so crazy. My boss is tremendously happy with things and I received a raise as well as a bonus for outstanding work. That is where the “looking up children wise” comes in. That bonus allowed me to pay off the car and also put some away for a trip (I hope) to Disney. The travel agent I talked to was very helpful about it, but I haven’t committed to it yet. I will I am sure though.

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Work

Well work seems to be drying up everywhere. Everyone I know are either laid off or about to be laid off. This is just rediculous. My online work has dried up almost completely. I only get a few jobs per week now and it is very difficult to make ends meet. If this continues, I will have to break into the kids college funds to pay the bills and that is something I definitely do not want to do. My rainy day, Christmas and emergency funds are almost depleted and we are only in the third month of the year. I am pretty good at managing money, but I am finding it difficult to do so, when there is so little money coming in. I shudder to think about what the rest of the year will be like if we don’t get some kind of reprieve soon. *sigh*

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Busy busy

Gosh I have been so busy with all of the yard work. Every time I turn around there is something else that needs taking care of. I love spring and the opportunity to be out doors, but I have planned so many different projects that I am getting a little behind. At least I think I am. Who knows, maybe I just need a little help with it, as there is so much to do. Not that it matters, I will have it done eventually.

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Perfectly Honest

Guest written by our friend Katie Callahan

To be perfectly honest I never saw much of a need for wireless internet at our house. I thought it was a waste of money and anything I needed to do on the computer I could just do at my desk like any other self respecting person did but you know what? Ever since my daughter got us Clear when we moved to the new house I’m like a new woman. I’ve got the laptop in the kitchen where I pull up recipes and I take it out to the garden to catch up on my favorite blogs and I spend a lot of time with it in the bedroom where I finish work at night before I go to bed – it’s made me much more mobile and flexible. I can’t believe I waited this long to get with it, as my daughter would say, but she’s always the one who’s pushed me to be better than I was before so I’m not surprised she’s the one to turn me on to wireless.