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8 Tips for Safe Snow Shoveling

(TNS)–Here are eight helpful tips for safe snow shoveling courtesy of the Snow & Ice Management Association (SIMA). 1. Stay on top of snow We aren’t suggesting that you make snow angels but when there’s a heavy snow, the best advice is to stay ahead of the storm. SIMA recommends that to prevent snow and […]
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Smarter Living: How to Automate Your Home

The home of the future doesn’t just live in science fiction anymore. You can own it today. Better yet, it doesn’t require thousands of dollars or long construction times. Home automation is available and affordable thanks to wireless Internet and smartphones. If you want to make your home smarter and work for you, look at […]
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3 Tax Mistakes Salaried Workers Make

(TNS)—Every year, salaried employees miss out on opportunities to improve their tax situation. As a result, they lose thousands of dollars in federal and state tax overpayments. Salaried workers are employees who often work in supervisory, managerial or professional positions. They work on an annual basis, and they are not paid an hourly rate. They […]
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Consumers Feel Confident in January

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index®, which had increased in December, improved moderately in January. The Index now stands at 98.1 (1985=100), up from 96.3 in December. The Present Situation Index was unchanged at 116.4, while the Expectations Index increased from 83.0 to 85.9 in January. “Consumer confidence improved slightly in January, following an increase in […]
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Save Space by Compacting Clutter, Opening Walls

As trends in living space transition downward, it could proportionately compound the amount of clutter stacking up on shelves, and in closets, basements and attics. So we turned to Greg Dodge whose recent post at designbasics.com reviewed “5 Modern Ways to Reduce Wasted Space in Your Floor Plan.” A couple of suggestions Dodge provides are […]
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How to Create a Modern Homestead

Did you know that Hilary Swank raises her own chickens from eggs? She’s not the only celebrity getting into modern homesteading: Julia Roberts composts her kitchen scraps and chicken poop while Oprah has a 12-acre organic garden in Maui. Even the White House has a vegetable garden thanks to Michelle Obama! Anyone willing to give […]
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3 Easy Ways to Refresh Your Space

(TNS)—It’s easy to embrace all things new and fresh at the start of a year. Interiors are no different. While it might be tempting to start all over and go for an entire overhaul, you shouldn’t rule out the impact a few simple changes can make to refresh a room, says Dallas designer Sarah Pickard […]
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Three Foolproof Ways to Update Your Living Room

The living room is the room where most families spend the majority of their time. The TV is usually there, the comfy couches are there, and oftentimes the living room has the best view of the backyard. Sometimes, though, the living room needs some sprucing up. Here are three things you can do to instantly […]
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Your Place: Best to Tend to Pipes before They Freeze

(TNS)—Really cold weather waited for the new year to give us the shivers, a vivid reminder of this fact: In winter, outdoor temperatures can hover around freezing in the daylight hours and fall well below after dark. Combine that with the prolonged power outages that often result from major storms at this time of year, […]