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Improve Your Family Life & Household With These Tips

May 19, 2022 by Samantha Leave a Comment

You and your family members share a very special bond. You want to see each other do well and get the most out of life. One area where you can have a positive impact on everyone’s health and happiness is in the home.

Maybe you’ve been busy lately and haven’t paid as much attention to this matter as you wish you would have. Instead of being too hard on yourself, focus on what you can do better going forward. Be happy to know that you can effectively improve your family life and household with these tips.

Reduce the Clutter & Get Organized

Improve your family life and household by reducing the number of items and clutter in your home. Work on getting organized and making sure all you own has a place to reside that’s out of the way. You may even consider putting any overflow items or seasonal decorations and furniture pieces that you aren’t ready to part with just yet in a storage unit. Save money on it by taking advantage of specials such as getting your first month free.

Have Meals Together

Another tip you can apply is to have meals together as a family to improve your household and relationships with one another. It’s more enjoyable than a formal family meeting and still a place and space you can use to talk about your days or touch on other important matters. Mealtime is a chance to reconnect with each other and share thoughts, feelings, and advice so that you can all show your support and be there for your loved ones.

Delegate Responsibilities

Don’t be afraid to take some of the burdens of running and managing your household off yourself. It’s a great opportunity to free up some of your time as well as teach your kids responsibility. Improve your family life and household by delegating chores and tasks to each person and working together to maintain your property and lifestyle. Your kids will feel proud of themselves for pitching in and likely won’t mind helping you out. Set a good example and show them what to do and then let them follow through on their own and do the best job they can.

Take Breaks from Technology & TV

Make your family life happier and more rewarding by encouraging breaks away from the screen. Take time away from technology and the TV and fill your schedule with other activities. It’ll provide you with more opportunities to do fun things together as well. For example, you can boost your mental and physical health by taking walks in nature or playing board games instead. Set limits on screen time and then make time in your schedule for your children so you can have some fun and form a closer relationship.

Conclusion

Apply these tips and you’ll be on your way to improving your family life and household in no time. You’ll likely discover that you’re not only more relaxed at home but that working together and getting along becomes even easier with these ideas for improvement in place.

Filed Under: home Tagged With: check in, family life, house

How To Make Your Garden More Appealing To Future Buyers

August 13, 2021 by Samantha 1 Comment

Your garden is important to maintain for the future sale of your home. The exterior matters just as much as the interior. Thus, it is important to make your garden look as good as possible when buyers come to look around. If you lack gardening skills or knowledge and want some help to boost the curb appeal of your garden, here are some tips.

Clean it up

Cleaning the garden is more than just a quick sweep of the fallen leaves. If you really want to impress future buyers then you can benefit from cleaning the patio, wooden features, and other areas that can be cleaned.

For instance, Pressure Washing your patio can make it look as good as new. Instead of steering buyers away because your patio looks old and looks like it will be expensive to replace, you can show them the true potential of the home and show them that the garden is well maintained, which will keep their costs down.

Tidy up

Ensuring to organize your family home goes for more than the cupboards. Organising your garden and making it neat and tidy will look good to the buyers.

As much as cleaning helps, tidying does too. If your garden is clean but messy, it will not be appealing to your buyers. Make sure to tidy up the grass, the flowers, and any other mess before people come to look at your property.

Refresh the lawn

Refreshing the lawn frequently will ensure that your home is always ready for buyers. Some people book last-minute viewings and you will want to make sure that your place is always ready.

Refreshing and trimming the lawn when it grows is more than enough to make your garden look well cared for and maintained.

Or, add artificial grass

If you lack gardening skills or time to care for the grass, then you might want to consider artificial grass. This requires no maintenance and can be appealing for future buyers who also want to enjoy easy garden maintenance.

After laying it down, you won’t need to do anything to it. It will keep its vibrancy and not need trimming.

Plant flowers

If your garden lacks color, then it might not show off its full potential. Adding colour and vibrancy will enhance its appeal and look well cared for.

Planting flowers that are long-lasting will be great for the buyers as they can maintain them and enjoy their beauty after they move in. Ensure to hand over your tips so that they can enjoy the garden in the same way that you have.

Add a fun feature

A garden with a fun feature can be the unique selling point of the house. You might want to add a fountain, a treehouse, or a play area to make the garden more inviting and interesting.

Ensure that it doesn’t take over the entire garden as the buyers might want lawn space or an area to add their own plants. You won’t want it to detract from its appeal.

Utilise storage space

Storage space is ideal for the garden as well as the interior. New buyers might want a space to store garden tools, bikes, or sun loungers.

Adding storage space makes the garden more functional and practical. It will also ensure that you can keep the garden tidy.

Make sure your garden walls and fences are in good condition

Your garden walls and fences should always be in good condition for your own safety and to increase the appeal to future buyers.

If your walls and fences are in bad condition, not only will the future buyers assume that the house is unsafe, but it will result in them having to pay for a new wall or fence. It can be expensive to replace a wall or fence. Thus, maintaining it will keep your costs down as well as the future buyers, which will make your home more appealing.

Add outdoor furniture

Although adding outdoor furniture can be costly, it could be a selling point for your home. You may want to take it with you or leave it behind for the new buyers. Either way, adding outdoor furniture will show off your gardens full potential.

Without these features, your garden may not be appealing or inviting. You will want your garden to be as welcoming as possible to help the buyers feel at home.

Grow your own produce

Growing your own produce is a bit of fun when you are living in the home. Plus, it will be very appealing for your future buyers.

When you grow your own produce you can enjoy a fun hobby, live more sustainably, and save money. Most future buyers are looking at living more sustainably and reducing the cost of living, which a vegetable patch can help them achieve.

Ensure to enhance the shelter

Although people spend time in the garden to be outside, sometimes the weather can hinder that. Thus, if your garden has a shelter, it will be usable in all weather conditions. No matter if it is raining or hot, you and your future buyers will be able to use the shelter and spend time in the garden at any time of day or year.

A shelter could be a shed, large umbrella, or marquee. Whatever shelter you have, ensure to show it off to the buyers so that they know they can enjoy the garden in any weather.

Add a patio

If your garden lacks a patio, you might want to consider adding one. These are ideal for social spaces and again, make the garden more accessible no matter the weather.

Patios are a great way to add value to the home and can enhance the welcoming feel of a garden. If your garden is all grass, it can be a lot of maintenance for the future buyer and may not be ideal for rainy seasons. Even a small patio area can be enough to make your garden more inviting and appealing to buyers.

Filed Under: home, lifestyle items Tagged With: check in, DIY, garden, home, home buying, house, sell your home

Roto Rooter for Your Clogged Drains

October 24, 2018 by Samantha Leave a Comment

It is very annoying and can be time consuming when your sink or drains begin to back up. Never at a convenient time (although, really, when is there a good time), our good friend Murphy always makes sure that it’s when you are in a rush or have company. Sometimes, though, a quick fix can be had.

We recently tried Roto-Rooter on one of our clogs, and I can tell you that this is not a staged photo. For real. Our bathroom sink has been super annoying, backing up regularly. Not much has helped it, and we’ve tried pretty much everything. Sometimes, you just need something to get the water moving in a pinch.

These are the kinds of situations you will be glad you have Roto-Rooter on hand. Just follow the directions on the Roto-Rooter bottle, and pour half the bottle down the drain. After it cleared, we flushed hot water down the drain as the directions stated. The clog disappeared, and the water moved down the drain as it should.

There are quite a few options of Roto–Rooter products. You can check out thesite, http://rotorooter-products.com to see the full line of options.

Here is a video with some tips from Roto-Rooter;

If you end up in a messy situation, it’s always good to have some Roto-Rooter on hand. Having to run out to the store with a clogged-up sink is never fun, it’s one of those things that’s just better to have on hand when you need it. No one likes running around, especially for things like this.

Head to the website, and see which product best fits your need. Keep some on hand for your next emergency, it will make your life that much easier.

Filed Under: home Tagged With: DIY, home, house, Roto Rooter

5 Effective Ways To Increase Value Of Your Old House

March 28, 2018 by Samantha 1 Comment

The housing market can be quite tricky. Even the smallest things can have an impact on the overall value of your home. Your house is an investment. You must be willing to put in money if you expect to get the best deal for it. There’s so much you can do to spruce up the look of your home, but the trick lies in knowing what investments will bring back high returns. If you are looking to increase the value of your old house, the following five tips will help you get there with ease.

1. Upgrade your Kitchen and bathroom

Any expert worth their salt will tell you the kitchen should be the first room to consider for an upgrade. It is the heart of every home, and families will spend a lot of their time here. You can start by replacing your old appliances with new stainless steel ones.

Even tiny details such as replacing your sink or even using shiny knobs for your cabinet doors can have a great impact on your kitchen’s aesthetic appeal. You can add some upgrade technology aplience in your kitchen such , microwave oven, food vacuum sealer and so on. You may explore more than 15+ Best Vacuum Sealer Reviews and Buyer Guide at Vacuum Mania

Your bathroom should come a close second in the order of importance. Invest in new tiles and proper lighting. If you can’t afford to replace the tub, you can always re-glaze it to save money. Remember the more bathrooms you have, the better. So if the space allows you to add an extra one, by all means, do it.

2. Install a swimming pool

Installing a swimming pool is an assured way of increasing the resale value of your home. Who doesn’t want to live in a home with a pool? It would be a dream come true for any homeowner. The increase in resale value will, however, depend on a number of factors including whether neighboring homes have swimming pools, the climate in the area and the condition of the pool.

You may not have control over the first two, but you can ensure that your pool is in good condition before a resale by cleaning it as often as you can. If it still looks bad after cleaning, you should consider getting a better pool cleaner. You may find out the lastest more than 10+ best pool vacuum reviews and buyer guide at vacuummania

3. Focus on repairs and maintenance

Before you can consider investing in expensive upgrades, cover the basics first: Address repairs and maintenance issues. No buyer will be quick to buy a house that will require additional money for repairs after purchase. Deal with any plumbing leaks, drafty windows, and those rusty old gutters.

Making the necessary repairs and maintenance around your house is not always about the money. Sometimes it has everything to with presentation. Your house is likely to grab the attention of the buyer, broker or agent if it’s in tip-top shape.

4. Improve your home’s curb appeal

The exterior of the house also matters a great deal. It is the first thing a buyer will see when they pull up in your driveway. Create a good first impression by improving the look of your exterior space. It’s time to fix that broken mailbox and to clean up your messy yard.

A fresh coat of paint can also go a long way in sprucing up your home’s exterior. If your budget doesn’t allow you to fix much of the exterior, at least do something about the walkway from the car to your entry door. Planting flowers along the way is easy and effective.

5. Clean and declutter

A dirty house is not likely to sell no matter how great it is. Cleaning may not cost you much in terms of money and time, but it offers a great return on investment. Such a simple DIY task could deliver around 3 to 5% return on investment according to consumer reports.

Cleanliness goes hand in hand with organization. Keeping many unnecessary things around the house will make it look cluttered and untidy. It will also make the house appear tinier. It is important to tidy things up by decluttering. It will not only look good but also help create the illusion of space.

In conclusion

You may not be able to do everything as far as sprucing up the look of your house is concerned. Investing too much money may not make much sense from a financial point of view. But you can achieve so much by focusing on the five key areas above.

Besides, it’s not always about the money; sometimes it’s the little inexpensive things you do that make all the difference.

Filed Under: home Tagged With: check in, home, house

Roto-Rooter 101 (Unclogging the Bathroom Sink)

March 15, 2018 by Samantha Leave a Comment

Have you ever had a clogged sink or bathtub? If you are like me, the answer is yes, all the time yes. The bathroom sink is the major pain in my house, and there is not much that seems to help. On a regular yet irregular basis, it gets clogged up and fills with water and whatever else was going on at the time.

We recently tried Roto-Rooter, and as you can tell this is NOT a staged photo. For real.

I have no idea why it keeps clogging up, we’ve snaked it, pulled the U-shaped thing out and replaced it, the whole nine. Who knows? Not me, that’s for sure.

So, after this clog, we followed the directions on the Roto-Rooter bottle, and pured half the bottle down the drain. After it cleared, we poured hot water down the drain as requested. It did indeed keep it clog free for quite some time.

There are quite a few options of Roto–Rooter products. You can check out thesite, http://rotorooter-products.com to see the full line of options.

Here is a video with some tips on unclogging a stubborn sink from Roto-Rooter;

If you end up in a sticky situation, it’s always good to have some Roto-Rooter on hand. Having to run out to the store with a clogged-up sink is never fun- and you know it’s likely to happen with you have a house full of guests or you are running out the door (or some such mess, it’s always something).

Head to the website, and see which product best fits your need. Keep some on hand for your next emergency, it will make your life that much easier.

Filed Under: home Tagged With: cleaning, house, Roto Rooter

Stylish Bathroom Design Ideas For Your Home

August 29, 2015 by Samantha 2 Comments

When you have guests over, what do you think they judge the most? I’ll give you a hint, it should be the cleanest place in the house. If you guessed the kitchen, you’re incorrect. The kitchen is typically one of the dirtiest places in the house because here we just tend to let things slide. There might be a few crumbs on the floor, we’ll pick them up eventually or dirty dishes in the sink. Hey, I’m getting around to cleaning them! No, the answer is the bathroom. For some reason, don’t ask me why, when you have a guest over one of the first things they will do is ask where the bathroom is. Don’t be naive, they aren’t looking to use it, they’re looking to judge. That is why, girls and boys you want your bathroom to be absolutely stunning.

Clean It Up

Start by giving your bathroom a good clean. I know you probably clean it regularly, or at least I hope you do but you’re not doing this for hygiene reasons. It’s the best way to get close and personal with the room and find out what needs improving. For instance, you might find that the caulk around your shower has started to wear away and it needs replacing. This is quite easy to do. Just add a touch of adhesive to a cloth, wiping away the old stuff and then wash the space. Wait for that to dry before you replace it with new caulk. Also, an extra tip is to use a scented cleaner so that your bathroom smells terrific. So, now you’ve got your hands dirty and had a close look around, what needs improving?

The Color?

Are you still happy with the color of your bathroom? If not, you’re going to have to ask yourself why. You may want your room to look more modern in which case you are looking to paint it a dark color with contrasting whites and creams in places.

But remember, if you change the walls you are going to have to change to the floors too. Perhaps even all your furniture depending on how drastic the change was. If you want to save on costs, choose a color that matches your fixtures otherwise you are looking at a lot of work ahead.

Then again, you might want to update the fixtures in your room, like the shower. I for one, know that my bathroom upstairs could certainly do with a modern upgrade. For those of you considering this decision, check out some of the great shower designs that might fit in your bathroom perfectly. You don’t have to replace the whole unit. You can just make smaller improvements such as installing a new frosted glass, door. That would look rather wonderful.

Small Adjustments

Speaking of small improvements there are lots of little things you can do to improve the space. I mentioned other options rather than replace fixtures completely. So instead of upgrading your bath and sink, just get new taps and faucets. The modern design will make your bath and sink look new again and certainly fool some fussy guests.

Filed Under: home Tagged With: home, house

Kohl’s for Mother’s Day

May 4, 2014 by Samantha 8 Comments

Disclosure: The below was provided for me in order to facilitate my review. All opinions are my own and honest. I am disclosing this in accordance to FTC Guidelines. Please see “Disclose” tab for more information.

Looking for the perfect place to shop for Mom? Or maybe your wife- since some of the kids are too small to shop on their own, dad’s or partners will have to help out a little. One of my favorite stores to shop at has always been Kohl’s- while I will shop anywhere that strikes my fancy, there are only a handful of stores that I consider myself a loyal shopper of, and Kohl’s is one of them. Check out my closet (and those of my husband and son as well) and my housewares if you’d like to verify, haha. I love Kohl’s because they have everything for everyone in your family, as well as housewares, outdoor supplies and furniture, even travel gear.

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They also have awesome sales, you can get Kohl’s cash (free money to spend in the store just for making purchases) to use, and shopping is easy both online and in stores as well. Also, as a bonus, my son often gets to choose a stuffed toy at the end of the register if he’s a good boy the whole trip. Now, I always expect good behavior from the kiddo, but with the high quality and adorable toys and books that Kohl’s offers for just 5$ (and the net profits going to organizations that benefit children) I never mind spending it and letting him have one.
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