Appliance Cleanups to Lower Energy Use, Save Money

Home maintenance isn't just about decorating. You've gotta take care of that pretty house once you've done the work to make it nice. And appliance maintenance is an important part. Malfunctioning appliances can damage homes, cost you money, even endanger the family. We recently discovered a little disconnect that caused big problems with our air conditioner. Maintenance was nothing more than cleaning something overlooked. It costs energy and money when simple steps are skipped. Here are commonly-overlooked cleanups to improve appliance performance and save cash!  Appliance Cleanups to Lower Energy Use, Save Money

Prepping Walls For Painting

 In 2000, my husband and I bought a 100+ year-old home. In its long, colorful history, interior walls sported a plethora of coverings--paint, spackle, and wallpaper. Remodeling, we found four themes, the earliest dating back to the Twenties! We have become adept at removing wallpaper and treating walls. Here are tricks to remove wallpaper and treat walls, from 13 years of DIY home fix-ups. How to Remove Wallpaper: Easy, Cheap, Green 

Graduation Party Tips: Easy, Cheap Open House

For many of us, May and June will be taken up with graduation open houses. If you have a graduating child, here are tips for planning a cheap, easy open house buffet. This food planning guide is easy, inexpensive and will satisfy all your guests from toddlers to great-grandparents. If you are a Type A OCD ADD DIY parent like me, you manage the whole show and sometimes don't have time to relax and visit. Here are planning, purchasing, preparation, serving and clean-up tips for a perfect open house. I guarantee that you will be able to sit down and enjoy the open house and visit, knowing that everyone has what they need.   Graduation Party Food Tips: Plan a Festive Graduation Party Buffet Without Going Broke or Crazy!

Perk Up Your Work Space (and Mood) Easy and Cheap

The best and worst part of being a WAHM (work at home mom) is being home. As my second son quipped, "You don't work at home. You live at work." Wherever you work, environment impacts your attitude about your job. Here are easy, cheap, DIY ways to perk up your work space and mood!

* Take it seriously. Work-at-home folks don't succeed (or feel successful) often because they discount their contributions. This is your work space, no less than if you left home for a job. It's where you make money. If you're a home business, you're claiming it on your taxes. Treat it like the professional office space it is. Make everyone else do likewise. Remind them it's your office first and anything else last. Ergo, arrange so it works best for you first, others if possible. Or keep everyone else mostly out, if possible. You need that inner sanctum. Most of us don't have that luxury. Our offices double (triple) as other living spaces. Here's how to make the most of whatever corner you call "work space." Perk Up Your Work Space (and Mood) Easy and Cheap

How to Remove Wallpaper: Easy, Cheap, Green

In 2000, my husband and I bought a 100+ year-old home. In its long, colorful history, interior walls sported a plethora of coverings--paint, spackle, and wallpaper. Remodeling, we found four wallpaper themes, the earliest dating back possibly to the 20s. In 25 years of marriage, we've become adept at wallpapering, removing old wallpaper and treating walls. Here are tricks to remove wallpaper and treat walls, from 13 years of DIY home fix-ups. How to Remove Wallpaper: Easy, Cheap

Detroit May See Shipping Container Community Center, Hotel

 Detroit gets a lot of negative publicity. Though some may be exaggerated, and the city has softer sides, poverty, ruined buildings, and crumbling neighborhoods are there. But one positive about living with a fair amount of urban decay is that there there are fewer barriers and more space to experiment. One Detroit group is pursuing a new, rather divergent idea: shipping container buildings.  Detroit May See Shipping Container Community Center, Hotel

Cheap, Homemade, Green Spring Cleaning Tips

As days get longer and snow melts, my thoughts turn to spring cleaning: out with the old-man-winter accumulation and in with sunshine and spring-green-clean! Here are easy, cheap, homemade spring cleaning tips and earth-friendly tool swaps. Save money, labor and the environment with these solutions. Plain water, old rags, mild detergent, a broom, olive oil and lemon juice with elbow grease will clean, deodorize, freshen and sanitize as well as costly toxic chemicals  Cheap, Homemade, Green Spring Cleaning Tips