Archive for the ‘Design & Remodel’ Category
An Easy … Free Way to Increase Your Happiness
The people of Denmark have once again topped the charts as the happiest people on earth. Americans ranked 23rd.
Interestingly, Danes own and consume less than half as much stuff as Americans. The average home size in Denmark is 1,184 square feet while in the US it’s 2,330. On average, a US home has 350,000 items in it!
In the last 30 years, the size of an average US home has doubled, while the average number of people in a household has decreased by half. We are collecting and consuming more and more stuff and require more and more space!
If you would like to be happier in your life, you could consider living more like the Danes and scale down the amount of things you own. You spend a lot of time and money maintaining and storing all of your things. By scaling down the amount you own, you can spend your time and money doing something you really love.
Scaling down makes getting and staying organized much simpler. When you’re organized, you can live more comfortably using less space. Consider the amount of utilities, land, and items consumed by a 5,000 ft2 home compared to that of a 1,500 ft2 condominium. If you choose to live in a smaller space, being organized makes it possible to live comfortably.
As a professional organizer, the top two questions I get asked are, “How do I figure out what to get rid of?” and “How do I know I won’t need that item again?”
Here is my answer: Get rid of everything in your home that is not meaningful or useful. If, down the road, you need that item again, you can easily find a different one on CraigsList, Ebay, or one of the many online free markets across the US.
Let’s say you have an unused bookcase and you sell it on Craigslist for $40. Then, let’s say, that you decide one year later that you do, in fact, need a bookcase. A used one will be easy to find within a week or two. Many times you will find a better suitable one as well. Also, $40 is what you would have saved or spent over the last year while not having to store an unused bookcase.
If you are willing to trust that the items you need will be available to you when you need them, you can let go of everything in your home that is not useful or meaningful. When you do this, chances are your level of happiness and the amount of money in your bank account will both increase.
Sources: Statistics Denmark. 2008. Denmark in Figures 2008. Available at http://www.dst.dk/asp2xml/puk/udgivelser/get_file.asp?id=12750…sid=complete. “Average” (taken as typical) Danish home is 110 sq. meters, or 1,184 sq. ft. Demographia. 2006. Second Annual Demographic International Housing Affordability Survey. http://www.demographia.com/dhi2006.pdf. (2200 square feet for new American home in 2006.)
Heidi DeCoux is the publisher of Life Made Simple e-Magazine, a professional organizer in Minneapolis, and creator of the Fast-Filing Method home office filing system. Heidi energizes her readers’ by simplifying their homes and schedules. For more info, free tips, and to receive her FREE Report:The Fast … Easy Way to Get Organized and Stay Organized Forever, visit ClearSimpleLiving.com.
Tags: Design & Remodel, green living, Simple Living, Sustainable Practices, Voluntary Simplicity
Organize Your Home Office with these 6 Simple Steps
If you run a home-based business or work from home, it can be a challenge to keep your home office organized. The challenge is due to the fact that our home is where we relax, eat, sleep, and interact with our family, all of which cause organization problems. Productivity, then, begins to suffer when your workspace is disorganized. The following tips will help create a productive home office workspace.
1. Set boundaries: Establish the boundaries of your home office then resolve to stick to those boundaries by keeping other tasks and activities out. If possible, it is ideal to devote an entire room for your office, making it easier to keep non-work related activities out. If this is not possible, and your home office is only a section of a certain room, pretend there is a line drawn around your workspace and keep everything non-work related outside that line.
2. Have the basics on hand: For almost all types of businesses you will need:
* A trash can, recycling can & paper shredder
* A container or drawer of writing implements, paper clips, clamps, post-it notes, scissor & stapler
* A file cabinet or drawers with hanging file folders
* A telephone
* A clock with an alarm and/or a timer
* A notepad
3. Remove clutter: To promote home office organization, anything that is not directly useful for your work should be removed from your workspace. If you’re the type of person who tends to accumulate multiple stacks of documents, books, and other materials throughout your day, take a few minutes each day to cleanse and sort it. For most of us, simply being surrounded by clutter can decrease our productivity.
4. Have an Efficient Filing System: You should be able to locate any paper or file in 30-seconds or less. In addition, the papers that you need to take action on, should be in an Active File System designed to automatically bring them to your attention when they need to be handled.
Having an Active File System is important for two reasons.
1. So you don’t forget about or lose your important paperwork and miss a deadline.
2. So you can focus on your main work without wondering if there is something in the important paper pile that you should stop to take care of. If you have an effective Active File System, you will be able to focus on your work and know that at the appropriate time those papers will be brought to your attention and you can deal with them at that time.
For an efficient home filing system, check out the Fast-Filing Method. It offers an active filing system and guarantees you will be able to find any paper in 30-seconds or less.
5. Take breaks and eat lunch elsewhere: A breather away from your office during your workday can be refreshing and can actually boost productivity. Get outside during this time if possible. A deck or porch can be a great place to eat lunch. The vitamin D will enhance your mood and your mental capabilities.
6. Use a Timer: Set an alarm to keep you focused. It will help you focus more of your time on high-priority work and limit the amount of time you spend on low-priority busy work. Set a goal on how much time you want to spend on a specific task such as handling e-mail. Then set the alarm so that it will go off in that amount of time. This will motivate you to prioritize and move more quickly through your tasks so you can get more done.
Heidi DeCoux is publisher of Life Made Simple e-Magazine, a professional organizer and creator of the Fast-Filing Method home office filing system. Heidi energizes her readers’ by simplifying their homes & schedules. For more info, free tips, and to receive her FREE Report: The Fast & Easy Way to Get Organized and Stay Organized Forever, visit ClearSimpleLiving.com
Tags: Design & Remodel, home filing system, home office filing system
The Advantages and Disadvantages to Moving Into Small Towns
Living in a small community can fit some peoples personalities, and be completely wrong for others. The suburban houses with Richardson fence look superb and fitting to some and monotone and robotic to others. Growing up in such a community, with a big house and a fence in Plano Texas has its pros and cons. It is a great area to raise children. Good schooling, safe areas and lots of playmates are all plus sides to these types of towns. The people often spend time together as a community, building lasting friendships. On the other hand, areas like this tend to be sheltered from the real world. Some people have a hard time with this. It can also prove to cause residents who have lived there for a long time to go into a culture shock when they leave.
Bringing up families in small, close-knit towns seems beneficial to most parents. Kids are exposed to a well structured and safe community. Often areas like this have very good public schools near by. So children receive a top-notch education with no extra price other than living. Also, the area attracts lots of families with young children, so there are play-mates galore. Children build lasting friendships with next-door neighbors in areas like this. It is a luxury to be so close to their peers while growing up.
Also, parents can bask in the friend aspect of communities such as these. Often, since they are smaller and nicer, the adults have lots of groups and clubs that they can meet other parents through. Men enjoy activities like poker, father-son lacrosse leagues, and basketball. Women can start gardening or book clubs, babysitter circles, and exercise groups. Also, things like traveling dinners are popular. This is where a group of couples go to each others houses for different courses of a meal throughout the night. The availability for these types of adult activities creates lasting friendships for the parents in the community.
Small towns bother some people because they feel the people aren’t in-touch with reality. The perfection and good fortune that surround the children often gives them a warped sense of the world. Also, the fact that most people in these areas have a good deal of money contributes to the childrens misinterpretation of life. Some find this annoying if they have not lived there their entire lives. Also, when teenagers set off for college and things they often have to deal with a big culture shock. Entering the real world after growing up in the clean, well groomed society they were used to is a big change.
Small towns have their ups and downs for everyone. A lot of the people who live in them will testify that it is a perfect place to live, and those who don’t live may disagree. They dont fit all personalities. Raising children in small towns can be an ideal situation. Schools are good, there are lots of similar families and it is a safe area. Also, adults often find friends and hobbies in these tighter-knitted communities. Some people dislike small towns because they shelter their inhabitants from the real world. It can be a perfect living situation for one family and completely wrong for the next.
Tags: Design & Remodel, Plano fences
Tips on How to Teach Your Kids to Save Money
A lot of teens nowadays do not understand the value of earning and spending money. They were not oriented that investing is necessary even if they are still students. As parents, you play a crucial role in this area.
You should be able to teach your kids on how to save money. They should be able to understand the concept of money and investment as early as childhood. This will prepare them to learn money management, as they grow old.
Here are some tips on how you can teach your children how to save money:
1. Your children should be educated of the meaning of money. Once your children have learned how to count, that is the perfect time for you teach them the real meaning of money. You should be consistent and explain to them in simple ways and do this frequently so that they may be able to remember what you taught them.
2. Always explain to them the value of saving money. Make them understand its importance and how it will impact their life. It is important that you entertain questions from them about money and you should be able to answer them right away.
3. When giving them their allowances. You need to give them their allowances in denominations. Then you can encourage them that they should keep a certain bill for the future. You can motivate them to do this by telling them that the money can be saved and they can buy new pair of shoes or the toys they want once they are able to save.
4. You can also teach them to work for money. You can start this at your own home. You can pay them fifty cents to one dollar every time they clean their rooms, do the dishes or feed their pets. This concept of earning little money will make them think that money is something they have worked for and should be spent wisely.
5. You can teach them to save money by giving them piggy banks where they can put coins and wait until they get full. You can also open bank accounts for them and let them deposit money from their allowance. You should always show them how much they have earned to keep them motivated.
Money and saving is not something that is learned by children in one sitting. You should be patient in teaching them and relating the value of money in all of their activities. Children will learn this easily if you are patient and consistent in guiding them and encouraging them in this endeavor.
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Learn more about Making Money Online, and visit Nancy Jons’s site on how to work from home on the internet
Tags: Design & Remodel, saving money
Absolutely, Striking Folding Lounge Chair
Backyard lounge chairs have been around for over 200 years within the United States. Long chairs were the original name for them. Nevertheless, since that time they became known as lounge chairs. Lounge chairs were originally made of wood and used mostly indoors. Now they are very popular outdoors, particularly in backyards, patios, and by pools. The folding lounge chair first appeared in the 1950s.
Folding lounge chairs are obtainable with many various features. A number of have headrests that are padded and adjustable. The length is adjustable on some models. A few likewise have padded armrests which are extra wide for additional comfort. For support and safety of the back, numerous are ergonomically produced. These types of lounge chairs are simple to unfold and set up in any location. They are additionally simple to fold up for transportation or for storage.
An outdoor folding chair is made with lightweight materials for easy mobility. Some from the choices are aluminum frame and fabric, powder coated stainless steel frame and fabric, PVC, plastic or wood. You can find even folding lounge chairs produced of plastic to float on water. Most are produced with mesh material that’s breathable and wicks away moisture, which allows for extreme comfort. You can find kinds that you simply can easily fold away and put into a tote carrier and others which are on the backpack frame for easy carrying. Many are adjustable so that you can install it to your body kind and length. It’s easy to adjust all the angle to get the exact recline you require for napping or examining. A number of come with bottle holders for convenience.
Outdoor folding chairs make it easy to relax on a warm summer day. With a folding lounge chair it’s easy to move all the chair to any location you choose. If you want to get a lot more sun, or you prefer relaxing in the shade, these types of chairs are easy to move about. They make an ideal place to relax, sunbathe, or even to take a nap. Numerous people use them in their patio, alongside the pool, or on their deck. If you are having a get together in your backyard, it is nice to have extras, for everyone to enjoy and relax. They’re also nice to have on camping trips.
There are many varieties of lounge chairs obtainable. A folding patio lounge chair is simple to move about, travel with, and store. They arrive in several kinds of materials, colors and have different levels of comfort. It is easy to do a search on the web to discover exactly which chair is best for your outdoor needs.
Learn more about cheap chaise lounges. Stop by Jerry Newhouse’s site where you can find out all about outdoor chaise lounge chair and what it can do for you.
Tags: cheap bistro set, cheap chaise lounges, Design & Remodel, outdoor chaise lounge chair, wrought iron chaise lounge, zero gravity lounge chair
Tips on cleaning Leather & Leather Products
A good starting point for cleaning leather is to determine if your leather item is finished or unfinished. In general finished leather items will have a shiny or smooth surface which may be luggage, garments, handbags, wallets, or garments. Unfinished leather and suede usually have a natural dull finish or nappy finish like saddlery, work boots and shoes or sport gloves etc.
Buy good leather cleaner and rub, using a circular motion it into leather. Follow with a leather conditioner. Leather Balm with Atom Wax Leather Conditioner is an outstanding dressing to clean, soften, and condition leather. Do not use saddle soap on a leather couch, as it is too harsh for furniture.
Keep leather out of direct daylight as it will fade or discolor the leather. One idea for removing spots from leather is to rub the spot with a cloth that has been dipped in rubbing alcohol. Contrary to what it would seem water spots can be removed from leather by moistening the area again with a little water. Let dry or gently blow dry and then oil leather with a leather treatment such as mink oil.
Be sure to wipe leather shoes with a damp cloth frequently, and keep them well polished with a paste. For waterlogged leather shoes, insert shoe trees and let air-dry. Discoloration: For leather garments, gloves and bags that are discolored use a leather spray designed to restore color.
If you experiment with leather conditioner, first try it on a small corner in the back of the couch, in case your particular brand of leather does not react well to the treatment. Do not use saddle soap on a leather couch, as it is too harsh for furniture. Do not let spills or water to dry; they can penetrate the dye in the leather and leave a spot. Avoid products like mink oil, shoe polish and waxes when cleaning leather furniture or garments. Use a damp cloth or sponge to rub saddle soap into the leather; work soap into a light lather. Oil leather with a leather preservative such as mink oil.
Dry leather needs rehydrating with water and oils and waxes should not be used as the natural oils do not dry out of leather. It is important to maintain a regular cleaning regime. Cleaning dirt off the surface regularly and inhibiting the absorption of body oils into the leather with a protector is the best way of doing this. For car leather seats the owners manual says to use a 5% solution of detergent made for wool (Woolite). Sounds unusual, but it cleans and protects leather of all kinds.
Another choice for cleaning leather is to take a damp cloth, wipe it across moisturizing soap and lather the leather. It is important when removing spots from leather to always test any cleaning method on an isolated spot first.
Suede is an unfinished type of leather that needs to be handled carefully. For suede items, try an art gum eraser first and if that doesn’t do the trick, use undiluted white vinegar on a soft cloth, and be sure to blot — never rub when treating suede. Some people recommend low-cost leather cleaning processes, like baking soda or salt.
The best means to clean leather is determined by what kind of stain and the type of the leather. Advice for common leather cleaning is always test small indiscernible patch of leather before proceeding on the whole item. Follow cleaning the item with a Suede and Fabric leather protector which will act as a protector and inhibit dirt and stains from being absorbed. This will make the job easier in the future.
Tags: Design & Remodel, leather care, leather cleaner, leather cleaning, leather conditioning, leather dye, leather furniture, leather repair, leather supplies, tandy leather, wilson leather
Floors Flooded with Fuzziness
If you live in a house with hardwood flooring then you know how useful carpeting can be to make your feet more comfortable and walking on the floor in general. Carpet panels can be even more helpful if you are looking for a more permanent solution. Modular carpet tile can give you the flexibility with carpet that you are searching for as well as a way to style your home with efficiency. If you are looking into styling or remodeling your own home, this would be a great idea next to painting and furnishing your home. Carpeting is a low cost option to changing a room without renovating the whole place.
Carpeting works well in just about every room in your home. You may have a large decorative carpet in your sitting or living room or even small decorative rooms at traffic areas in your room. Carpeting is like a piece of artwork except it is for your floor and it adds to the surroundings of the room and the substance of the pieces of furniture in the room. A carpet cannot only give more to a room but it can increase the warmth and inviting feeling of a room as well. If cold hardwood floor is the main part of your room, it can be difficult to get comfortable and enjoy doing anything in the room. Your living or sitting room should be a place where you can enjoy time with friends and relatives.
If you are leasing a home or apartment, it can be increasingly difficult to change the paint on the walls or more difficult renovations, so carpeting is a great way to change the appearance of your home. It is cost effective and does not require a lot of effort to get it done. Carpeting can be found in catalogs, online, or even at your local home and hardware store for purchase. If you can find some great carpeting that matches the room and your wallet then you are set!
A great carpet usually has a daring statement for the room it is in. For example, if you have got a mainly black entertainment room, you might have a bright red carpet to contrast the murky colors. Bold carpets make for better decorating and more stylish remodels. If you are using carpet for style, you will have an easier time finding the carpet you need because you will only be looking for color and pattern. On the other hand, if you are looking for a carpet that is physically appealing as well as soft and good feeling to the touch, then you may have a little more time to search for the perfect carpet.
Carpeting your room or adding carpet for styling purposes is a great idea especially if you are not up for renovations in any other way. Carpeting is very simple, cost effective, and stress free, making your do it yourself projects very easy! Styling and decorating your home is very simple to do when you can use the right tools and resources.
Connor R. Sullivan remodeled his basement into a game room with modular carpet tile squares on the floor. He and his wife placed several carpet panels on the floor in the bedrooms. This and other unique content ‘modular carpet tile’ articles are available with free reprint rights.
Tags: Design & Remodel, modular carpet tile
The Best Lithium Batteries and Their Features
Lithium batteries are all the rage now, and they have certainly unseated the good old alkaline battery for some very good reason. Being able to last more than twice as long means a much better value for money. Sure, they are slightly more pricy than their alkaline counterparts, but this price comes at a distinct advantage of having your appliance last for much, much longer than usual. This length can sometimes reach 3 – 5 times the predicted use time. This article will discuss some of the great features of lithium batteries and why they are taking the electronic mobile world by storm.
Firstly, what is the difference? Well simply put, in a lithium battery, lithium metal or compounds are used as the battery’s anode and this means that it can produce up to and over 4.0V – which is much more than zinc carbon and alkaline batteries. For consumer use, the most common incarnation of the lithium battery is the one that uses a metallic lithium as the anode and the cathode is placed in the hands of manganese dioxide. Salt of lithium is dissolved in the battery in an organic solvent. Because of their high energy density, these batteries have found their applications in many long life, low drain critical devices for both consumers and the medical industries. A good example is that the medical industry has seen great success in switching their pace makers over to using lithium batteries.
Small lithium batteries are the best incarnations of this technology because it is able to power effectively devices like PDA’s, watches, calculators, small computers and remotes quite effectively over a long period of time. Their high energy density and their energy to weight ratio makes it an excellent choice to ensure that an appliance will run for a very long time without worry of swapping or constantly charging the battery.
The most common one is the small lithium battery – resembling nothing more than a coin, this 3 V variety is made up of lithium and manganese and is about 20 mm in diameter and no thicker than a small coin. Not only limited to these small electrical appliances, lithium batteries are also great for quick drain high energy devices like digital cameras, as they can maintain a higher voltage for a longer period of time. Their recharge times are also mainly shorter than alkaline rechargeable batteries.
Many major manufacturers are turning their attention to improving the lithium technology and extend the life of the battery to longer periods and shorter recharge times. As appliances get more and more complicated as the years go by, these great lithium batteries need to adapt as well. More complex chemical combinations and use of new space aged metals will allow the battery life to extend even further. Who knows, in the near future, we might have a veritable nuclear power plant in the palm of our hands. Technology has always been able to surprise us. For now, the world is quite comfortable with some of the best lithium batteries out there.
Arden Marketing Pte Ltd is a wholesaler of AA Lithium Battery. They sell the most affordable AA rechargeable batteries at their retail website. A lithium battery (sometimes Li-ion battery) is a type of rechargeable battery in which lithium ions move from the anode to cathode during discharge
Tags: battery, battery charger, charger, Design & Remodel, lithium battery
What You Need To Know Before Buying Your Next Grill
If you’ve been looking for a lovely gas grill that’s going to ensure that all of your foods are cooked to perfection as well as be conveyable enough for you to take it anywhere you want to go, you may want to consider the George Foreman gas griddle. This griddle isn’t like anything else on the market and is part of a grill line that’s widely known and highly respected all around the world.
The George Foreman gas griddle has masses of great features that make it an enticing deal for most who are in the marketplace for a cartable gas grill. The grill features an extraordinary 240 square in. cooking surface so you do not have to give up the power to grill quantities of food for portability. In addition, the cooking surface is lined with a non-stick substance so you don’t have to handle a mess after cooking.
The gas grill also has an exterior grease tray so you can pull it out and wash it off after each use, extending the life of the griddle. The unit is dainty cartable, and features an even heat distribution that will allow you to grill to perfection even when you are on the go.
For those who are looking to grill anywhere they would like such as when picnicking, on the patio, when tailgating, or at home will find the George Foreman gas griddle is everything they need and more. The unit can simply be folded for compact storage when not in use. Additionally, the one pound propane canister heats the grill superbly with no hot spots, flare ups, and the grease tray even means the unit will stay clean while you eat healthy.
The George Foreman gas grill features 3 different cooking temperatures and you can put the lid down for slow cooking. The griddle can be used in the free standing position, without the legs, and even on a table top if you choose. This grill can simply be moved around as it is intended for transport. The handle of the unit swings off the top and then to the side and locks into place so when the unit is folded up it will move on wheels like a bit of bags, making this a really portable gas grill that will easily be taken when you wherever you go!.
Looking to find the best deal on george foreman grill parts, then visit www.georgeforemangasgrill.com to find the best advice on george foreman electric grills for you.
Tags: Design & Remodel, george foreman bbq grill, george foreman electric grills, george foreman gas grill, george foreman rotisserie grill
