New Home, New Space… New Furniture?

A brand new home offers a clean slate for décor, a tabula rasa that you can fill with new furnishings, artwork, paint colors, and more. However, this can quickly become overwhelming. There are many ways to go about furnishing and decorating your new home: filling it with your old furniture, starting fresh, or a mix of the two that fits your new space perfectly.

If you are on a budget, it is especially important that you prioritize in decorating.

It can be tempting to buy all of the pieces you love and fill that blank space quickly, but patience is important. Think about what pieces or furnishings you need and will use most – a couch, beds, and other things you need to live in your new home. That beautiful antique armoire can wait if it would send you in to debt.

Focusing on less expensive new accent pieces is a way to change the look of a room without changing much.  “Accents draw the eye – that’s where an edit is important,” said Bay Area interior designer Cynthia Spence. “If you have too many, it looks like clutter. It says something about the person that lives there. It’s what personalizes the space.” NewHomeGuide.com recommends that you make the most out of what you already have until you can afford to design your dream home. “Get the most mileage out of items that are still usable until you can afford to replace them,” states the website. They recommend repainting or re-staining wooden pieces or putting slipcovers on upholstered furniture.

Buying new big ticket items like beds and couches is something you might want to wait to do. “The most important thing I think is to try to avoid spending money on something you know you want to change in a big way down the road,” said Spence. She recommends buying accents in a favorite color, and painting the walls in a way that becomes a part of the décor.

“Avoid apartment beige; use saturated pigments for your wall colors, such as chocolate brown or taupe slate gray. Don’t be afraid of black for accent colors,” said Spence. “Paint is definitely your friend.”

How to Conserve Water at Home

Not only will reducing your water usage at home shrink your utility bills, conservation of water helps to prevent environmental pollution in lakes, rivers, and other nearby bodies of water. Conserving water will prolong the life of septic systems by not over-saturating the soil.

Four Easy Ways to Conserve Water

1. Check your toilet for leaks

Put a drop of food coloring in the toilet tank water and do not flush the toilet. If the color appears in the bowl within 30 minutes, this means you have a leak that needs to be fixed. Almost all replacement parts are cheap and simple to install.

2. Don’t leave the hose running while washing your car
Instead, use a bucket of soapy water and use the hose only for rinsing. The average DIY car wash can use up to 150 gallons of water if the hose is running!

3. Take shorter showers
Pay attention to how long your showers are, as just a four minute long shower can use up to 40 gallons of water. Shorter showers make a big difference in water usage.

4. Use your dishwasher and washing machine for full loads only
For water conservation optimization, only use these appliances with full loads of dishes and clothes. Many manufacturers of dishwashers recommend against pre-rinsing, saving a lot of water. With clothes washers, try to avoid using the permanent press setting, as it adds 5 gallons of water. Consider Energy Star appliances, which use less water and may qualify you for a federal tax credit.
photo credit: flutterfly2002

Quick Fixes For a Great Looking Kitchen

Quick Fixes For a Great Looking Kitchen

by admin on January 17, 2011

A modern look is very popular right now.

Cabinetry
Damaged or dirty cabinet doors are a big turn-off for buyers. But that’s easy to fix. Most cabinetry can be re-painted after cleaning it and applying a coat of primer. Just check that the materials can take paint or whether you need to give any special preparation to the doors first. Alternatively, you can just replace the doors. There are companies that provide doors to fit existing kitchen cabinets.

Hardware
Another way to fix up cabinets is to replace the hardware, perhaps changing out-of-date fixtures for sleek, modern ones. This is a very cheap and easy way to update your kitchen.

Sinks and faucets
Try trading your faucets for more modern designs and replacing a damaged or very dirty sink.

Appliances
People love modern stainless steel appliances. It could be a good investment to upgrade your appliances to the most modern designs to give your kitchen the ‘wow’ factor.

Backsplash
An easy way to update your kitchen is to replace the backsplash. Subway ormosaic tiles or a sheet of stainless steel are very popular right now, and this quick change can really lift the feel of the room.

Make sure the flooring matches the rest of the kitchen.

Flooring
Dirty, tired linoleum floors will turn off buyers. Try updating with tough laminate flooring or some tiles that tie into the rest of the kitchen.

Paint
Change the decor easily by repainting in fresh, modern, neutral colors. A coat of paint can be a very cheap way to refresh the look of your kitchen.

Clutter
Just by simply removing the clutter that accumulates on your countertops, you can freshen up your kitchen. Throw out things you don’t need; put away others you only use occasionally.
photo credit: Mirage floors

Simple Steps to Shrink Your Energy Bill

There are plenty of simple ways to reduce your energy bill without a lot of effort.

Cutting back on your energy usage will not only save you money on monthly bills, but will help the environment as well.

Three simple things you can do today:

1. Turn off the lights when you leave the room

This just takes a second of your time and really adds up. Turn the lights out when you leave for work so they are not wasting energy and adding to your bill.

2. Unplug electronics when not in use
This includes chargers and coffeemakers, which can suck up a lot of energy.

3. Buy energy efficient light bulbs
They last longer and use less energy, saving you money just by using a different type of light bulb.

Other Ways To Save Energy

Solar panels are an investment initially, but save you a lot over the long term. Installing these is also a great way to help the environment by using solar power.

One can get federal tax credits for energy efficiency, and that means double the savings – on taxes and on bills. Buying EnergyStar appliances, other energy efficient products and efficiency upgrades to your home can earn you a federal tax credit of 30% of cost, up to $1,500.

What methods do you use to cut back on energy consumption and save money?