Phone Books – how can you stop receiving them?

Phonebooks

I just received another batch of printed phone books, both at home and at my office.  Guess where they went.. straight to the recycle bin.  What a waste!

This year alone, 540 million printed directories were delivered. That’s more than one per person. Why?  Don’t most of us look things up online?

If you want one, fine.  For those who don’t, let your request be known.

To stop receiving printed phone books, go to  PaperlessPetition.org to request your name and address be removed from the Yellow Pages printed directory mailing list.

“Scrap the Phonebook.” Save a tree!

**be sure to read John’s comment below. Opting out on-line may not be enough.

Decorating Tips for the Holidays – Inexpensive!

Christmas Decorations

Are you trying to get by with less this holiday? And now, it’s time to decorate!

I recently moved to a new home so I can’t simply put up the same decorations in the same place this year. And, I don’t have enough to go around anymore. And… if I’m going to spend money this season, I want it to be on gifts, not decorations.

So, what to do? Well, I went to a local crafts store (Michaels) and bought 5 rolls of ribbon. I have bows everywhere! And, anything that is to be a gift is wrapped and sitting out as a decoration.

What’s under the tree? I pulled out my kids old stuffed animals that I had boxed up as well as a wonderful Brio train set.

The house looks cozy, all the old toys add to the memories and feelings of fun, and I spent almost nothing on decorations (less than $10!).

One more inexpensive idea, slip Christmas cards into some of your frames for instant holiday decorating!

What creative ideas are you using?

There’s a Message in Here…

I haven’t put in a cartoon before, but this seemed too important to pass up. Thanks, Martin.

Cartoon

Time Management

Clock

I’m at a business seminar in Virginia this week. The first day, our topic was “time management”.

We spent the entire day focused on how to make better use of our time. Pretty funny that it happened to be the day we turned our clocks back for daylight savings so we gained an extra hour!

They shared some interesting statistics. Did you know that the average American in his/her lifetime spends:

  • 3 years in meetings
  • 8 months opening junk mail
  • 17 months drinking coffee and sodas (one thing NOT on my list)
  • 3 years being sick
  • 5 years waiting in line
  • 9 months sitting in traffic (has to be more in LA and Seattle!)
  • 7 years in the bathroom
  • 12 years watching TV
  • 1 year looking for misplaced items
  • 24 years sleeping

    • Read more…

Risks of Leaving Your Home Vacant

Vacant House

Did you know that a typical homeowner’s insurance policy ends once the property is vacant for 30 days? Most homeowners don’t know this. They continue to pay their premium but, if a claim is filed, it may not be paid because vacancy voids the policy.

If you leave a home vacant, you must have vacancy insurance. Premiums for this type of insurance can be more than double regular insurance.

Insurance companies put a higher risk (and cost) on insuring vacant homes because of the increased risk of theft, vandalism, fire and water damage. These risks and costs may be higher in northern states because of potential damage due to extreme weather (frozen pipes bursting,etc.).

It may be cheaper, and safer, to keep your “for sale” home occupied. Before you move out, take a look at your policy and talk with your insurance agent for guidance.

Some suggestions when thinking about vacating your property:

Read more…

18 Ways for Loving Your Home on a Budget

Wall Photo

Don’t you love watching the flip-it and home makeover shows? Do they make you want to redo your own home?

Well, we’ve already talked about a lot of inexpensive ways to update your home in Decorating on a Budget – Paint, Decorating on a Budget – Accessories, and Decorating on a Budget – Exterior.  But, here is another list of economical updating ideas.

Interior:

  1. Change the cabinet hardward. You can do this in the kitchen, the bathroom or anywhere you have knobs that are dull, outdated, or you just don’t like. A great place to find them is Habitat for Humanity Restores, yardsales and flea markets.
  2. Change your lampshades. Check out Target or start noticing lampshades you like at yardsales, even if you don’t like the lamp they come with!
  3. Paint interior brick. We painted the fireplace in our last house a dark forest green, almost black. When renovating homes we purchase, we usually paint the fireplace brick (interior) an off-white to match the trim in the room. If your brick is blotched or discolored, this really gives a clean, new look to the room.

Read more…

Green tips – Water Conservation

Water Drop
photo from Randy son of Robert

About 75% of the earth is covered by water but less than 1% is available for us to use. The rest is mostly salt water.

Nationwide, our water resources and supplies are stressed, to put it mildly.  Between 1950 and 2000, the U.S. population nearly doubled.   In that same period, public demand for water more than tripled!  Each American now uses an average of 100 gallons of water each day.

Read more…

Bing

bing

Do you use Bing? I just found it and I love using it as a map source. You can even view your maps in 3D!

Bing is also a great source for news, images and videos. Check it out!

Goals – Have You Written Yours Down?

Goals

Did you write down your goals last January? Have you ever?

If so, then what?  Did you re-think them, review them, update them? 

If you haven’t charted a path for yourself, it’s very possible that you’re not moving forward. You’re moving everyday, so why not choose a direction?

No matter what, in order to succeed you need to set goals. 

First, make sure your goal is something you really want.  You may think you would like a yacht but would you really? A yacht can be “a hole in the water that you pour money into.” What is something important that really moves you?

Read more…

Remove Paint from Your Hands – Easily!

Olive Oil & Salt

I repainted our outdoor furniture today. It looked green at our other house but it looked teal blue here?!? So, I painted it black.

I came in with paint all over my hands and didn’t want to use chemicals to get it off so I went on-line. I just LOVE the internet!

So many options to remove paint! The one I tried and that worked beautifully was Olive Oil and Salt. Yep. Doesn’t get any easier than that. The oil loosened the paint and the salt’s an exfoliant.

Next time you need a heavy duty cleanser for your hands, give it a try!