Savings Talk: Joanne Cleaver on Home Renovations that Make Good Financial Sense
Home improvements are on most homeowners’ minds. Seventy percent of them planned a project for 2012, and they planned on spending an average of $3,500, according to a survey by American Express. To finance these projects, 80 percent of homeowners plan on using cash from a savings product, according to a 2011–12 survey by Remodeling […]
How to Cut Costs on Moving Expenses
It doesn’t take long for moving expenses to add up and put a significant dent into the most carefully crafted moving budget. When you factor in truck rental, movers and moving supplies, you could end up spending thousands of dollars to relocate to a new home. With the busy summer moving season on the horizon, […]
First Job, First Home: Helping Your Graduate Make the Move
Have a child who’s graduating from college? Your son or daughter isn’t the only one moving on to a new stage in life. You’ve also advanced, from being the parent of a student to being the parent of an independent adult. So what are your new responsibilities? What kind of financial advice should you give […]
Increase Your Home Value With a Green Thumb
As you go about your spring planting and summer landscaping, you may think you’re merely making your property more attractive. But, you’re also making an investment by increasing the value of your home. In fact, an attractive, well-maintained landscape can add as much as 10 percent to your home’s worth, according to HGTV.com. So the […]
The 7 Items In Your House That May Be Hogging Energy
Public awareness about going green has never been greater, and the world is better because of it. Many of us do what we can to conserve, whether it’s reusing and recycling, carpooling, or driving fuel-efficient cars. But if you’re looking to do even more, a recent guest post on Wise Bread by Dealnews looks at […]
Summer: The Best Time to Spend on Your Home and Yourself
This week we’ve been looking at the best times of year to purchase all sorts of items, from used cars to video games. Today we turn our attention to summer, the best time to make over more than one area of your life. 1. Home Renovation and Furniture Summer’s warm weather and sunny days generally […]
Spring is the Best Time to Buy a House, Television, or Mattress
Just like the consumers they serve, the months of April and May find many retailers in spring-cleaning mode. With new products launching during the first warm months of the year, many businesses are eager to get rid of items that are no longer in season. In addition, springtime often finds an increase of homes on […]
Home Improvement Tips to (Finally) Finish Your Kitchen
Kitchen remodeling is one of the most popular home improvement projects. In fact, 26% of respondents to our survey plan to renovate their kitchen in the next year. However, actually finishing a home improvement project can be a challenge. According to one third of all home remodel projects currently under way will be postponed for […]
5 Do It Yourself (DIY) Tips to Save On Home Repairs
This week, we’ve been looking at how home improvement projects can help you save money in the future. But today, the projects we’re sharing can save you both in the near and long term. These “do it yourself” (DIY) repairs and projects can often cost less than hiring a contractor. Plus, there are many websites […]
10 Eco-Friendly Tips for Home Improvement
Yesterday, we talked about how home improvements can help increase the value of your home and maximize your savings. Today, we’re going green with a few eco-friendly home improvement projects. Here are a few tips from ToolBarn.com to help you get started: Interior Lighting — Switch to energy efficient Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs). They save […]
