Tag: Today’s Home Spun Wisdom

From installing new cabinet doors to renovating old furnishings, there are many ways to modernize and brighten your kitchen without committing to a complete renovation. Painting, changing cabinet doors and drawer pulls, or adding a kitchen island are all options that you can use to modernize your kitchen. By choosing colors, patterns and styles that […]

(TNS)—Know these three loan types before you go mortgage shopping. Conventional Loans: Who they’re for: Conventional mortgages are ideal for borrowers with good or excellent credit. How they work: Conventional mortgages are “plain vanilla” home loans. They follow fairly conservative guidelines for: —Borrower credit scores. —Minimum down payments. —Debt-to-income ratios. Debt-to-Income Ratio Percentage of monthly […]

(TNS)—Where does the time go? Just when you finally get the central air-conditioning working well enough to make the house comfortable, cold weather threatens to show up. Here are some ideas that might help cut your energy costs this winter, courtesy of Sunnova, the solar-power company: Does your house really need hot water when no […]

One of my favorite parts of the holiday season is gawking at tawdry, awkward and straight up weird holiday decorations. I can’t help it. There’s so much fun to be had rubbernecking at tacky decorations! I blame my strange fascination on this guy:                   But there can […]

(TNS)–Plants that were just there through the year suddenly get important in December. That’s when we look to our landscape for ways to make the house look festive. You may be surprised at how much is out there that is useful and beautiful. Evergreens with leaves that are broad and shiny or light and feathery. […]

(TNS)—Stuffing cash in an envelope — or tucking it in a box of chocolates like my Dad used to do — can be a pretty great gift in many households. Unfortunately, some people do view cash as a tad impersonal. Yet, there are plenty of other creative options for show-me-the-money gifts that can go beyond […]

(TNS)—Right now you’re probably thinking more about Santa Claus than Uncle Sam. But a little attention to Uncle Sam between now and the end of the year may make his visit less painful when you do your tax return in a few months. Consider some relatively simple moves now so you can maneuver through your […]

(TNS)—You already have your dream house in mind, but have you considered whom you’d like as your lender? Commercial banks aren’t the only financial institutions that originate mortgages. Credit unions are another option. These not-for-profit, member-owned cooperatives have been beefing up their presence in the mortgage lending market: 11 percent in the first quarter of […]

(TNC)—Need a pick-me up? Try taking a Facebook break. Researchers at the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen studied the moods of 1,095 regular Facebook users over a week’s time. They divided participants into two groups: those who kept logging onto Facebook per normal, and those who agreed to quit the site for a week. The […]

(TNS)—If I’ve learned anything over the last 33 years of homeownership, it’s that animals that exist happily outdoors three seasons of the year will try to find a warm space indoors in winter. Over the years, I have found squirrels in the attic and a stray chipmunk in the basement. When my family lived in […]