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Teresa's Timely Tips Newsletter
| Click on the desired content to be directed to that information without having to scroll down. | Winter Newletter Content:Winter is Knocking at Your Door
Everyday Items to Store Christmas Decorations In
Cleaning the Christmas Mess
Simple Steps Save A Lot of Energy Part I
Simple Steps Save A Lot of Energy Part II
Smooth Your Mornings Part I
Smooth Your Mornings Part II
Real Estate Update ARCHIVES:Fall 2008 Newsletter
Spring 2008 Newsletter Summer 2008 Newsletter
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| Just a little while ago, everything looked so colorful and gorgeous. Now the trees are getting bare and the colder weather is settling in. Here are a few ideas to get you organized this winter.
1. Check your smoke detectors. First and foremost, change the batteries in your smoke alarms.
2. Cover up. Make sure you take in the hoses from outside, and cover up the spigots, so they don't freeze.
3. Hibernate your gardening stuff. While you are outside, clean up and put all your gardening tools together for next spring.
4. Put the lawn mower to sleep. Empty the fuel tank. You can start the mower and leave it running until it runs out of gas. Leave it empty until spring. In addition, empty the oil tank if your mower has one.
5. Attack the shed and garage. Get all those items out that were placed 'just for now', and put them away.
6. Do a final weeding. Clean out all the dead weeds from the yard, and any leaves that may be lingering around. Get those gutters cleaned. Have the whole family (or a few hired neighborhood kids) help rake up big piles of leaves.
7. Bring things inside. Bring in anything that needs to be kept inside during the winter, such as outdoor furniture and terra cotta planters. You don't want your favorite pot broken in the spring due to it freezing!
8. Check the furnace and humidifier. Have the filters in the furnace ready for the winter, and also get the humidifier cleaned and ready. Have the furnace cleaned if you didn't do it last spring. It will work more efficiently and keep your heating bills down.
9. Keep the cool air outside. Check the caulking on the windows and doors also. An ounce of prevention can help keep your heating bills down. In addition, hardware stores sell plastic sheets for the windows and patio doors to keep a lot of the cold air out. Pick up some weather stripping or door strips for under the outside doors.
10. Get your outerwear out of storage. Do you have your mittens, hats, scarves and jackets handy? What about boots? Do you know if you have any that fit? If not go get them now before the first snowfall.
11. Give, during this season of giving. Go through your clothes and try them on. If they don't fit you, they may fit someone else who needs them. Put them into a donation bag and bring them to your favorite charity today.
12. Make a plan. Start planning your baking items for the holidays, and pick up a few each week so you don't have a high grocery bill just before the holidays. If you should feel like baking on a cold day, you will have everything handy, and you can freeze the cookies, breads and cakes for the holidays.
13. Decorate for the season. Then, invite friends over for some cider, donuts and games. Be it football or table games, a fun get together before the holiday season may be all you need to get you in a fun, festive, relaxed mood. And if your home is in order, you'll be even happier!
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| Use these everyday items to help you store away your decorations!
Food containers
Loop delicate or extra-large Christmas lights into a circle and store them in small plastic containers. They're easy-to-stack and sturdy, so the bulbs won't get broken.
Fabric softener sheets
Dust each ornament with a used sheet. Then flip the sheet over and wrap the ornament in it to keep dust away while it's in storage.
Pillowcases
Cover artificial wreaths and dried-flower arrangements in bubble wrap, then store them in old pillowcases.
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Tip 1 - Sort through the used gift boxes and save the ones that are salvageable. Pack away leftover boxes, bows and wrapping paper. Also return or donate any holiday presents you don't want or need; but save the best of those for regifting. Call the sanitation department in your town or county to find out when Christmas tree pickup is so you can plan when to take yours down.
Tip 2 - Make a party of it and serve drinks and snacks so your family will be motivated to help.
Tip 3 - Add new friends to your Christmas card list. Go through all the cards you received this year and make sure the names and addresses on your permanent list are up-to-date. Hit the final after-Christmas sales and replenish your supply of cards and gift wrap for next season.
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| | 1. Focus on your fridge. Don't place the refrigerator too close to a heat source, such as direct sunlight or a stove or dishwasher. Also make sure your refrigerator and freezer aren't colder than they need to be. Recommended temperatures are 37 to 40 degrees for the fresh food compartment and 5 degrees for the freezer section. 2. Use your dishwasher with care. When shopping, compare models carefully, noting how much energy and water they require. Once you bring a dishwasher home, run it only when the load is full. 3. Choose cold water for brief tasks. When running the faucet in your kitchen or bathroom sink for small periods of time, move the faucet lever into the cold position. Setting it in the hot position uses extra energy to heat the water, even if that hot water never makes its way to the sink.
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| 4. Ceiling fans can be big energy savers. The most power-hungry fan costs about $5 a month to use if you keep it on for 12 hours a day. That's quite a value for an appliance that can make a room feel 6 or 7 degrees cooler when it's hot outside. When it's cold outside, check to see whether your ceiling fan has a reverse-direction feature. If it does, you can use it to circulate the warm air trapped near the ceiling and make that whole room feel warmer.
5. Invest in a programmable thermostat. Adjust your home's temperature when nobody's home or at night when you're sleeping. This way you won't spend extra money by keeping air conditioning or heat cranked, depending on what time of year it is. Programmable thermostats cost $30 to $100, but that's money you're sure to make back over the course of a year because your energy bills will go down.
6. Keep cooled air — or heated air — inside your home. Effective caulking and weather stripping will keep air or heat from seeping right out of your house. Check for holes or separated joints in your air conditioning ducts, and add insulation around ducts in attics, crawl spaces and garages.
7. Pay attention to your windows. For most of the year in Florida, it's a good idea to use white window shades, blinds or drapes to reflect heat away from the house, and to close curtains on south- and west-facing windows during the day so your rooms won't heat up too much. When it's cold out, do the opposite: Let the sunlight in during the daytime so it can help heat your home. Then keep your windows covered when it's dark outside to reduce heat loss.
8. Plan your landscaping with energy efficiency in mind. Plant trees or shrubs so they shade air-conditioning units without blocking the airflow. Avoid landscaping with unshaded rock, asphalt or cement on the south or west sides of the house; it will raise temperatures and radiate heat to the house after the sun sets. Also, vines grown on trellises can shade the entire side of a house. (Trees or a fence can work well too.)
9. Adjust your water heater. If you lower the thermostat on a water heater from about 145 degrees to 120 degrees, the change isn't likely to be noticeable. This step could save you more than $20 a year if you heat water with gas and more than $50 if your water heater is electric.
10. Be efficient when doing laundry. Horizontal-axis (front-loader) washing machines use far less water and 60 percent less energy than top-loaders. Also save energy and money by using cold water. Run only full loads when drying clothes, and dry two or more loads in a row to make use of the heat already in the dryer.
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| 1. Get the coffee ready the night before, preferably the timer set too (if your machine has one). If not, set everything up so it just has to be switched on. If you’re a morning tea drinker instead, have your tea cup out with a tea bag set inside, kettle waiting to be turned on in the a.m.
2. Know what’s on the menu for breakfast and have all food items that don’t need to be refrigerated set out. Kitchen table is wiped down, fresh tablecloth placed, table set (or at least the clean dishes and utensils set out).T oast, cereal, bagels and muffins are easy, just make sure to check the stock the night before and bring out frozen supplies so they’ll be thawed & ready in the a.m.
3. Prepare the next day’s packed lunches and snacks. Everything is bagged and ready to grab and go.
| | | 4. The next night’s meal is planned, take out meat & frozen items from the freezer. If I don’t do this the night before, sometimes I’ll forget in the a.m. and you know what that means: ordering take-out for supper. If planning a slowcooker meal, prep the veggies and food needed for the meal the night before so all you need to do is toss everything in the crockpot when you get up and turn it on.
5. Have all clothes for the next day set out (press if needed), including shoes and accessories. If cool, cold or rainy weather is expected, have the necessary outerwear ready to go too.
6. Everyone has their own fresh towels and washcloths set aside for the next morning’s shower, put them with your bathrobe. Too simple to make a difference? I find it really does add a nice touch to the mornings. If you’re someone who can shower or bath the night before and skip this in the a.m., go for it! Myself, I need a coffee drip line & a hot shower to get going in the morning.
7. Review your next day’s To Do list, calender, household binder so there are no last minute surprises while running out the door. Take a few minutes to review the next day with your spouse and kids too.
8. Pack totebags, briefcases, backpacks, diaper bags for the next day. The kiddos homework is done & packed, gym clothes packed, bus tickets, lunch money, etc.
9. If for some reason I forgot to pay attention to the vehicle’s fuel situation on the way home that day, I’ll check it sometime in the evening and go fuel up if needed. I really don’t need to be fighting the morning rush at the pumps. I’ll also pick up any last minute supplies that are needed for the next day.
10. The dishwasher is emptied of all clean dishes, kitchen sink dishes are loaded in the dishwasher. I found this really made a difference, after breakfast everyone took a minute to load their dirty dishes in the dishwasher and there were no dirty dishes waiting when we got home.
11. Get up 15 minutes earlier than you have to. Wow, who knew that 15 minutes could mean so much? Less stress, less rushing, a more peaceful pace to start your day. If your mornings are too rushed with the kids, get them up 10 or 15 minutes earlier than they do now–that should be enough to reduce the racing around.
12. Leave 5 minutes earlier than you have to. I think 90% of road rage would disappear if everyone simply allowed themselves a few extra minutes to get to where they’re going. No rush, no stress or Indy 500 driving–and you might even enjoy your morning drive! |
| From January 2008 to December 2008, in the Florence area 57.06% of the homes on the market sold ( up 3% from last quarter)with a average price of $165,457 and an average of 90 days on the market and in the Lake City area 43.84% (up 15%) of homes sold with an average price of $80,015 and an average of 143 days on market. We are still seeing a lot of foreclosure properties coming on the market . If you have good credit it is a great time to purchase because home prices are lower than they have been in years. Credit requirements are stricter than in the pass so prospective buyers need to plan accordingly in case they need to make a down payment.
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