Big Picture, Small Details

What is it about those seemingly insignificant details that still manages to get to us? While overall, your house may look fine, there can be areas that throw a wrench in the visuals. Maybe it’s something that everyone comments on, or something only you notice. Either way, it’s frustrating to think of how much fixing up these details can cost, leading you to putting it off. It turns out, you can refresh a lot of areas in your house by yourself, and for a much better price.

Let’s begin with switchplates – what’s the big deal, you ask? While small and often unnoticed by both residents and visitors, replacing the old with a new style can make a difference in the overall feel of your home. Replace plain plastic switchplates with wood, metal, or ceramic for a more visually appealing look. If you have kids’ rooms, there are even cartoon-patterned ones (you might even want a superhero or Disney switchplate for yourself)! Make it fun for the kids to help out by letting them choose their own new switchplates. With every option at your fingertips, your home can be uniquely you. Whether you prefer the little details like light switches and outlets to have a subtle charm or make a dramatic statement, you’re just a click away from a quick, inexpensive way to set your home apart.

Some consider it hard to express your personality through the fixed aspects of your house. If it’s not furniture or wall decor, how can it be fun? Yet choosing a new wallpaper or paint color for the walls can make a world of difference, and show your unique take on decorating. In the kitchen, a gathering place for everyday and special events, fashion the walls with a backsplash that not only looks great, but protects your walls against messy cooking mishaps. Add tiles that have a more interesting pattern or texture than plain old ceramic tiles. If you’re renting, you can stick on decals to add more personalized flair. Don’t limit your home to being boring and neutral, let some character shine through!

Take a look around your house and see what touches can be added to reflect your creativity. Maybe you add stepping stones to your front yard or plant a garden in the back. Organize with shelves in your garage or hooks in your room to be practical yet pretty. Check out our other ideas for inexpensive home projects. Soon your home will feel both comfortable and new again. And as a bonus, you’ll increase the value of your house with these minor updates! Who can resist benefits like that?

Make Your House A Home

When you come home after a long day of work, you want to relax. Yet when you look around, it’s easy to spot all the areas that need touching up and parts that need repairs. It’s difficult to find both the time and the money for home improvements – or so we think. There is actually a great variety of projects that can be done on a small budget, in a short amount of time.

The entryway can be a source of stress. How do you make it nice not just for guests, but for those who live in the house and have to see it every day? To start out, get a boot tray that’s easy to clean – or create your own with a rimmed baking sheet – so that dirt won’t be tracked inside. A shelf with pegs is easy enough to add, allowing for organization of your jackets, hats, umbrellas, and more! You can also keep the Arizona essentials on top: sunglasses and sunscreen, so you’re prepared for every sunny day.

Reorganize your rooms with plastic bins. Don’t spend any more time digging through all the baking supplies and canned goods and cereal boxes to find that one jar of unopened peanut butter you’ve been craving. Have your kids sort their toys so that they can see which one they want through the clear plastic rather than having to pull out every single one to find their favorite teddy bear. Get your crafting supplies categorized with labels, allowing for your next project to be completed much more quickly.

Restoring parts of your home that seem like little details can make a big difference while still being inexpensive. Painting your front door is a great way to refresh the look of your house from the outside. Make sure to remove it from its hinges and clean it well before priming and painting it. Moving back inside, start in the bathroom, where almost everyone who visits will spend some time. Check around the sink, bathtub, and shower for caulk looking cracked or discolored; this can lead to mildew or water damage from leaks. Remove it, clean well, and replace it with a new caulk seal that can last up to 10 years. Another important part of your house is the trimwork, which can subtly change the whole feel of a place depending on the state it’s in. Paint or replace any scuffed, damaged, or missing moldings, end caps, or baseboards. You’re sure to feel a difference after completing these changes.

Home projects can add up quickly in time and money, turning a simple decision of where to start into an overwhelming obstacle. While there are plenty of undertakings that will require certified professionals, or a lot of effort and funding on your part, you can always start small. This feeling of accomplishment will make your efforts snowball, and soon your house will be turned into a home you can fully unwind in.

For the bigger projects, there are options such as refinancing your house. Take advantage of competitive rates now so you can breathe easy sooner!

Down to the Bare Necessities

When a pandemic puts the whole world into crisis mode, there are few plans that won’t be affected. Work in particular has been a confusing situation for everyone. How do you handle your finances when you’re not sure what will come next? Whether you’ve been working from home or were laid off, now is the time to get your budget in order.

Saving on gas while you work at home? Put that money toward your essential bills, savings, or investment. If there’s a risk of income disruption, now is not the time to count your gas money as “extra” fun money. Planning for the long-term, now or in any other crisis, is extremely important since we can’t predict how long the situation might last.

Is your work on hold, or you’ve been laid off? There are many resources out there to help you make ends meet right now. You can also find budgeting tutorials and suggestions, such as the budgeting tips we have here. Even with necessities, however, you can reduce your spending. Use coupons on your groceries, reduce your utilities usage to cut down costs, check with your landlord on payment options.

After you have added in any financial assistance (unemployment benefits, tax return, etc.), if your income still doesn’t cover all your expenses, you need to take action. Ideally you would have had an emergency fund ready to be used in this time of need. If you hadn’t been able to build one up before the crisis, try selling unneeded items or getting a part-time job. Make sure to check the state rules if you’re collecting unemployment benefits, so that any side income doesn’t affect your eligibility.

No one is certain about how long this pandemic will last. If you are able to work from home or get a temporary job in the midst of this instability, take care of your finances. This applies even more if you have been laid off – you have the time now to go over your individual or family budget with a fine-tooth comb and make sure you stick to it. No matter the long-term financial impact, spending and saving wisely is the key to making it through.

Grow Your Savings With A Garden

Planting season is upon us! Depending on what you want to plant, of course. Vegetables and fruits are always a good way to save money on groceries while encouraging healthy habits at home! Here are some suggestions for which ones to grow and tips on the best times to plant in Arizona.According to the A&P Nursery, February is a good time to plant vegetables such as spinach, rutabaga, lettuce, carrots, beets, and more! You can start planting watermelon, corn, and peanuts in March. What a wonderful variety you can have just in your own backyard! They give some great advice on what you need to consider when gardening, from location to bed size to soil types.

Check out the frost dates on Urban Farmer’s site to avoid planting when there’s more risk! Give your seeds and young plants the most advantages you can. As you can see from the planting schedules lower on the page, there is a multitude of fruits and veggies you can be growing throughout the year. And don’t forget the herbs for flavoring your dishes! Plus, flowers are recommended to be planted among your produce because they can increase pollination rates, meaning more vegetables and fruits to eat.You’re sure to save a bunch of money if you can manage your own garden instead of buying all your fresh produce from the store. It will take some planning, regular work, and time to get it going, but once you do, the rewards are plentiful! Which foods are you most excited to grow yourself?

Before You Buy A House

Owning a house is part of the American Dream for many. But first-time home-buyers might not know everything they need to have ready. The process can get pretty overwhelming if you don’t know what to expect and find yourself unprepared! If you’re thinking about buying a home soon, here are some ideas on how to start.You don’t necessarily need a buyer’s agent, but hiring one can help you save time. First you will need to figure out what you’re looking for in a house – what size, how many stories, how many bedrooms, and so on. Once you give them this information, they can send you listings matching what you want, sometimes including homes that aren’t yet on the market. Many agents will also drive you around, so you don’t have to use your own gas. They can also be helpful in advising you on overpriced listings and other good or bad aspects of a home, which is definitely great if you and your family and friends all have little to no experience!

Save up for a down payment – start as early as possible! Even if you’re not thinking of getting a house in the next few years, now’s a good time to begin setting aside funds anyway. A down payment of 20% is common, but there are many lenders and first-time home buyer programs that allow you to put down less. But a small down payment can still be a lot – 5% down on a $250,000 house is $12,500. Plus, things like the mortgage insurance might end up costing more. So start saving now!Remember, you don’t necessarily need to start out with an all-or-nothing mentality, thinking you’ll get your dream home or nothing at all. You could get a home that will be good enough for 5 years, and cheaper than where you currently stay, so that you have more time to save up for a place you like even more. Or, if you like where you’re at, and the price is right, then continue to save up and maybe check out listings on the internet every so often, until you feel ready to start looking more seriously. Check out these articles for more ideas.

Saving Energy: Tips to Keep Cool and Keep Your Cash

It’s technically fall, but here in Arizona, the heat doesn’t seem to have gotten the message. By the end of September we hope to be getting cozy in sweaters while drinking our coffee or hot chocolate, but instead we’re turning up the A/C and still sweating wherever we go. Not only are we not getting the weather some hope for, we’re not getting a break on our electric bills, either. Here are some tips that should help you keep cool and save money as we head into October.

Temperature

Use a ceiling fan or plug-in fan in the room you’re in so that you can turn up the thermostat a few degrees and still feel comfortable. Just turning up the thermostat one degree can help save 2 or 3 percent on the cost –and most people we know don’t feel a difference! Leave the temperature up higher when no one will be at home. A lot of heat also enters houses through the windows – close the blinds or cover them some other way to block as much as you can. It might make your home feel a little cave-like, but whether or not you enjoy that, you’re sure to enjoy the money you save!

Lights

Switch your light bulbs from standard incandescent to LED lighting to save energy and money in the long run. While LED bulbs might cost a little more than the standard bulbs, they last over three times as long. Plus, they’re more environmentally friendly thanks to their energy efficiency and non-toxic chemicals! Reduce your bill even more by turning off any unnecessary lights or appliances when you’re not using them. Don’t forget, you want everyone you live with getting used to this too!

Other Areas

Your hot water heater can also take up a lot of energy. Turn its temperature lower, to around 120 degrees, and use a hot water heater timer to keep it cooler during times you’re not using it, such as when you’re sleeping. Find out the on-peak/off-peak usage hours of your energy plan and run major appliances like your washer and dryer during the off-peak hours. Speaking of which, you can wash your clothes in cold water and then dry them outside to save even more energy. Why not take advantage of that Arizona sun when you can?

You may not be able to act on all of these ideas, and some might take a bit of time to get in the habit of doing. But just think, these tips are sure to add up in your next energy bill. Start encouraging your family or roommates to work on all they can, and just wait and see how much money you’ll be saving!