It is hard to believe that autumn is in full swing and the weather is turning colder by the day. It is that time of year when we need to think of winterizing our homes. Winterizing doesn’t have to be a big expensive production. There are lots of ways to weatherproof your home even if you are on a budget.
Most weatherproofing can be done by you, no need to call a professional. Here are a couple of easy jobs that will make a big difference when the cold weather blows in. Clean all gutters and downspouts in early fall and …read more

Keeping your home and carpets fresh when you have a pet is a big job. I have had a cat and a dog for many years who are house trained, but there are times when one or both of them will have an accident on the floor. Of course, it is usually on the floor that is carpeted, not the tiled floor. Here are a few tips for getting and keeping your home free from pet odors and stains.
It is not a good idea to use a commercial cleaner since most of them contain chemicals that can be harmful to …read more

Do you know what’s in your medicine cabinet? When was the last time you checked the expiration dates on any medications that you have? I can’t say that I ever thought about it before, but I took the time recently to to do just that and I was surprised to find that so many of my over the counter medications were expired. I don’t mean recently expired, I’m talking being expired for some time.
Aside from any prescription medications you may be taking it is a good idea to have some of the following items on hand.
Aspirin, for use as a …read more

A lot of people love to keep a garden in spring and summer, myself included, so it is always a little sad when you have to cut back the garden and prepare it for the winter. I seem to get a little grouchy when this happens. So, after mulling this over for a bit I thought, “why not start an indoor garden?” That is exactly what I did.
Indoor gardens can be made to exude beauty in a room.  They are the perfect solution for apartment dwellers who don’t have room for an outdoor garden. Believe it or not, indoor plants …read more

Are you thinking of redecorating or just freshening up your home for the holidays? I have a few tips that may help.  No one  has a lot of money to spend at this time of year, so let’s look at some practical solutions available for the least amount of spending cash.
Changing your curtains or getting a new window treatment can completely change the look of a room. It doesn’t matter whether you choose sheer curtains, heavy draperies or a sheer curtain with an over drape. Window treatments express your style and also provide privacy. You can choose anything from a …read more

What can I say about the living room? After the kitchen, my living room is the busiest area in the whole house. The only ones living in the house are my husband and myself, but at times it looks like there’s a whole tribe camped out here. Yes, it get’s that dirty.
I love to listen to music and dance, well it’s what I call dancing, while I dust and straighten up. I am sure that you have mismatched socks around the house so put on aside for dusting. Spray the sock with furniture polish, put it on like a mitten …read more

With the holidays so close, and so much shopping, cleaning and decorating to do, I thought I might share some of my household tips with you. Some of these tips may be familiar, but I hope some will be new to you and help you with a lot of your household chores.
When you use scouring soap pads like Brillo or SOS, if you’re like me you never seem use the entire pad and it sits on your sink and rusts. From now on when you buy soap pads cut them in half and use half at a time. It keeps …read more

We all need help now and then when it comes to saving money.  I always seem to be low on money right before the holiday.
Here are few tips that I hope will help.
Turn off the television when you are not in the room. The pennies you save can add up over time.
Make your own gifts instead of buying stuff from the store. You can make small crafty gifts or some goodies in a jar which can consist of anything from soup to cookie mix. Follow my blog on Home & Living and I’ll show you how to make some great …read more

If you’re like me then you hate to clean the bathroom. It used to be too much of a hassle until I found a few short cuts to help.
Toilet Bowl:
If you find that commercial toilet cleaners are too expensive then there is a cheaper way to get a spotless toilet bowl. Just put a cup of vinegar in the bowl and swish it with your toilet brush.
Hard Water:
To get water stains off of the bottom of your tub, use a paste of vinegar and baking soda. Don’t use this on fiberglass as the baking soda could scratch but on …read more

It’s that time of year when some of us have family and close friends visit for the holidays. Most of my family lives within an hours drive, but we do have a few relatives who live out of state and spend the night when they do visit.
Don’t be stressed out at the thought of hosting family or friends overnight. I have a few tips to help you make your guests feel right at home.
Make sure to air out your guestroom a few days before. When I say air out I mean just that. Open the windows slightly to let the …read more