Wordless Wednesday {March 2}

March is here. Anyone else having Spring Fever?? I sure am.

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Cheap Ways to Make Your Home Cooler!

 

     The intensity of the summer heat can turn just about any home into a sweltering place of sufferance, but by using a few cheap ways to make your home cooler a homeowner can maintain comfort in the worst of circumstances. Most among us rely heavily on cranking the air conditioning to a higher setting as the outside temperature rises, when often times all that is necessary to make your home cooler is the implementation of a few sound preventative measures. Not only do cheap ways to make your home cooler save money on utility bills, but are actually changes in lifestyle that are painless and can help an already struggling environment.

    

     One of the most simple cheap ways  to make your home cooler is to ensure that your air conditioning unit is well-maintained and operating at full capacity. Whether it is a whole-house unit or a window air conditioning unit, make certain that the filters are cleaned at regular intervals throughout the year and that the unit is serviced in accordance with the manufacturers recommended maintenance program. This simple measure can save somewhere between 10% to 30% in reducing energy costs. It is also a cheap way to make your home cooler to shade the air conditioning unit when possible - the cooler the air is entering the unit the less electricity will be required to cool the air leaving the unit.

    

     Making minor adjustments to the way we go about our daily business is perhaps the best cheap way to make your home cooler, by changing the manner by which we tend to normal household chores. Instead of using the dishwasher to clean dishes and creating heat in the home, wash dishes by hand and dry them with a dish towel or let them air dry. When doing laundry make certain that each load is a full one which will result in less use of the appliances, and therefore generate less heat. Rather that cooking on the stove top and using the oven have a backyard barbecue as a cheap way to make your home cooler. Make certain that doors and windows are insulated, and draw blinds and curtains on hot, sunny days to prevent heat build up in the home.

     Finally, one of the better cheap ways to make your home cooler is to landscape your yard with an eye toward keeping the property less heat absorbent. Shade trees are a great way to keep heat from affecting the interior of a home, and natural materials such as wood and earth are much better than concrete and stone as landscaping materials to make your home cooler.

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Spring Training Fitness Tips

After a long winter of reduced activity or inactivity you might be tempted to get outside and train as soon as the weather improves. You may also be tempted to exercise at the same level you did at the end of the last season. But such enthusiasm often leads to early season injuries. If you changed your routine for the winter, you need to get back into shape slowly. Here are some tips to keep in mind as you head out the door this spring.

1.  Slow but Steady.

Don’t succumb to the weekend warrior syndrome. Try to get some exercise 3-4 times per week on alternate days. One of the best ways to get injured or sore is to go hard all weekend and do nothing during the week.

2.  Monitor Your Level of Exertion.

Use the perceived exertion scale, the talk test, or the heart rate range to help you determine an appropriate intensity level. Stay at the lower end of the scale (11-13) and build up over several weeks.

 
3.  Increase Your Training Slowly.
Increasing training (mileage, time or amount of weight lifted) more than 10 percent per week increases your risk of injury. To avoid this, increase your training gradually over the weeks.

4.  Avoid All-Out Efforts Until You Build a Solid Base of Fitness.

Depending upon how much inactivity you had over the winter, it could take as long as 6 weeks to re-establish a solid fitness base. Start your exercise program with slow, steady aerobic sessions. When you add intervals or all-out efforts, make sure you allow enough rest and recovery (at least 48 hours) between those hard effort training days.

5.  Follow a Training Program and Keep Records.

If you really want to build back up to optimal fitness, it helps to establish a training plan and stick with it. There are many training programs for all types of sports and having one is not only good motivation, but it helps keep you from doing too much too soon.

6.  Cut Yourself Some Slack.

If you took the winter off, don't expect to be back to peak fitness in a week or two. It's ok to go slow and just enjoy being outside again. There's plenty of summer left, so don't worry about going a bit slower in the beginning.

7.  Train With Others at Your Fitness Level.

If you can find a few people with the same fitness level and goals as you it can help kept you progressing at a good pace. Training with those who are farther along will only encourage you to overdo it, get injured or feel ‘behind’ in your training. Workouts with more fit people can be motivating and help you improve, but only after you have a good solid base to work with. Otherwise they can be harmful.

8.  Remember to Have Fun!

Keep in mind that this is Spring Training which is a time for fun, light-hearted exercise. You aren't competing and you aren't burnt out yet. So just relax and enjoy your activity.

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Project 365 – A Photo A Day

Day 112 - April 22
The Geese that live in "Shrek's Pond" behind my office had babies...so adorable!!!
This made my day today!!!!

Day 111 - April 21
This is the first of many to come.

Day 103 - April 13
Taken outside our house after a few days of rain.  Nothing like the sight of the Sun shinning through a blooming Dogwood to brighten your day.

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Spring cleaning is here…

The warm weather of Spring reminds me that it is time to clean out my closets and have a yard sale. While they are lots of work, yard sales are an easy way to make some fast cash & clean your house at the same time. Many people tell me that it just isn't worth their time to have a yard sale, but I think what it really boils down to is that they don't feel they will be successful. Part of the key to having a successful yard sale is planning! When planning a yard sale there are some important things to remember. Here is my list of top 10 things you need to do to have a successful yard sale:

• Date & time. Choose your date carefully. Planning for a yard sale on a holiday weekend can be a bad idea, as many people travel during holidays. As far as day of the week, Saturdays are the best days for yard sales, even though some find success on Fridays & Sundays. The earlier you start your yard sale the better. Many people like to get out early so that they can do other things later in the day. I would recommend starting your yard sale around 6:30am and running it until 1pm.
• Advertise. If you can afford to put it in the local newspaper, I would advise to run it both Friday & Saturday. Craigslist allows you to run Garage Sale ads for FREE! Be sure to give great directions as well as a list of your larger items (furniture, toys, antiques, etc) in the listing. Use brightly colored poster board for your signs so that they catch the eye of a passerby. Use bold black ink for your lettering, write neatly & add arrows in possible. If you can add balloons to your signs, that is even better. Place them at all major intersections!
• Use tables & hang clothes when possible. No one wants to get on their knees to go through your items. Don't have enough tables? Ask your neighbors, create makeshift tables out of things like an old door & bar stools, hang a clothesline between trees to hang clothes~ think outside the box.
• Make sure items are clean & in good working condition. It is fine to have things that don't work, but make sure that you have a sign out that states they don't work (people sometimes buy things for parts). Bring an extension cord so that customers can test out electrical items.
• Label each & every item with a price tag. Yes, it takes time & effort, but in the end it is worth it. If you are busy with customers, someone may be hesitant to ask you for a price and pass it by. I usually sell all clothes & books for one flat price so I don't have to label each piece. I place a huge sign out in front of the items letting customers know that clothes are $1 each & books are .50 each or 4/$1.
• Group similar items together. Place CDs & DVDs in boxes where customers can easily see the titles. Keep all children's toys in one area. If you have a ton of housewares, try to keep them on one table. Put jewelry in small clear Ziploc bags with purses, or other accessories. Have electronics, sports equipment, yard tools or things that men might be interested in one central location. Doing this will help you be able to find something when a customer asks if you have a particular type of item.
• Price items before the day of your yard sale. Price items at a fair value, but high enough that customers will be able to negotiate. Be willing to negotiate or offer deals to customers who are buying a lot of items. You never know what business they may bring you. Last year, I had a young lady buy a bunch of things and return an hour later with about 6 friends!
• Have a money box filled with ones & coins so that you will be able to make change for your customers. I can't tell you how many times people have handed me a $100 bill at 7 in the morning before I've had any money to change it in my box. You don't want to miss a sale because you didn't prepare! Keep up with your money at all times. I typically wear a money belt (fanny pack~ dorky, I know) if I am alone & let my husband or mother stay with the money box. The money box is always with someone!
• Have boxes, grocery bags, & newspaper handy for customers. People are more apt to buy when they know they will be able to transport their goods without having to worry about them breaking. Offer to help wrap glasses in newspaper or place clothes in bags for customers. At the end of they day you may even chose to have a Fill a Box or Bag deal to get rid of yard sale leftovers!
• Plan in advance for what you are going to do with yard sale leftovers. Put a listing on Craigslist for anyone wanting FREE yard sale leftovers. I know we have a local church that will pick up all items once your yard sale is finished.

I hope that you find these tips helpful. If you have anything you think I've missed, feel free to leave me a comment below. I will be having my own yard sale (mostly to sell my stockpile of FREE items) in the next month and I will update you on how it went!
Thanks Yard Sale Queen for the outline!!

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