tips from the pros tagged posts

Thanks to Cindy Bernstein of Aim4Order for this episode of Tips from the Pros about how to organize your home.

With the number of hurricanes happening this season, it’s time to talk about planning for an emergency. It might seem corny or unnecessary, but having family fire drills can save lives. An emergency plan can come in handy when you need it.

In Baltimore, we have been spared the worst of the hurricanes, but the storms that end up here can be serious. They cause downed trees, water coming inside and a loss of power. Preparedness before a big storm is always a good idea.

Doctors recommend you have at least a week of your medications on hand at any given time. Having only one or two day’s worth of your medication could cause you extra stress in an already stressful situation...

Thanks to Cindy Bernstein of Aim4Order for this month’s Tips from the Pros about ways to reduce clutter.

Everyday habits can drastically reduce clutter if you stick to it. By doing some simple tasks that take only a few minutes each day you will be able to get rid of the piles of laundry, stacks of dishes and towers of mail.

Let go of the idea that everything needs to be perfect. A home that is manageable is not only achievable, but much more realistic.

1. Write out a to do list for each day, preferably the night before, with everything you need to do. Prioritize everything so even if you don’t get through the list, you at least do the most important tasks. Check the list throughout the day. Cross off things you did and watch how productive you are...

Thanks to the Toolbox Tomgirl for this issue of Tips from the Pros, about how long appliances typically last.

“Fake it ’til you make it.” I have no idea who said those words to me first. I remember hearing them when I was a kid and thinking they were so stupid. Some adult must have made them up to make me feel better about some sport I was trying to play. I always sucked at sports. I had no skill and was the sister of the captain of the football team. That should tell you enough.

When I became an adult and wanted to become part of the man’s world of construction those words were REALLY important to me. I had to fake it because I had a lot to learn and I didn’t want to look like an idiot. I knew I had to at least “look” like I knew what I was doing...

Thanks to Rachel Wiederhold, ASP of 5 Star Staging, LLC for being our guest blogger!

Images courtesy of 5 Star Staging, LLC.

So you’re selling your home. It’s a great house, perfect location, wonderful neighborhood, highly rated school district, there’s no reason to do anything more to do to place it on the real estate market, right? WRONG!!

Factors to consider

Does your home look like it could be in a magazine? If you said yes, then I’ll take back my WRONG.

Take a picture of your living, dining, kitchen, and bedrooms. Do they look picture perfect? Do they look spacious? Does the furniture arrangement look open and inviting? Is there any clutter? Are there too many pieces of furniture? Is your wall color and décor neutral? Are there any personal pictures, awards or religious symbols?

Depe...

Thanks to the Toolbox Tomgirl for this episode of Tips from the Pros, about painting a room.

Have you ever walked into a room and saw, black…if not a very deep burgundy wall color….what was your first reaction!?!? Maybe, scream…run away…thinking – “How will I ever be able to cover this up!?!?”

First, let me start off by saying that if you are going over a dark color you will need to use a primer to cover the old color, or you will get a blend of the two colors (old + new) and it may not look like what you were expecting. (And yes, I know this from experience – the wall turned out like baby throw up….yuck.) Also, spackle and fill any nail holes or imperfections. Be sure to sand smooth your areas and use a tack cloth to remove the drywall dust)...

Thanks to the Toolbox Tomgirl for this episode of Tips from the Pros, about buying products made in the USA.

As a handywoman I am always reading various magazines on new products and trends in building and construction. Recently I was surprised to read in my Green Builder magazine about how rare it is to find a green building material made in America.

Green Builder magazine sent out an invitation to over 2,000 companies encouraging them to share information about their American-made green products, receiving only a few dozen submissions. The conclusion is that U.S. made green products are a rare and special breed, even though they are making use of the triple advantage of creating domestic jobs, reducing the impact of overseas shipping and making use of locally sourced raw materials...

It’s that time of year again – tax season. Tax time can be stressful for many people because they are not as organized as they should be. If you do your own taxes or if someone else does them, you still need to have your paperwork together.

Of course, throughout the year, we hope you were tucking away those receipts, pay stubs and W-2 forms for easy retrieval. Simply by putting everything in one location you will save time when you get ready to prepare your tax return. If you didn’t do that last year, get a box set up for this year where you can put all of your paper receipts.

If you pay bills online, you have confirmation emails, online banking statements, etc. All of those can be put in folders on your computer to keep it organized for tax season.

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