I am by no means an avid gardener. Though my parents had green thumbs and met while working at a seed company, I must not have spent too much time with them in the garden. Still, everyone who owns a home has a garden and taking care of it is essential to how well your home looks.

I just wish I could say some nice things about my gardens.

One area that I’ve been exploring lately is mulch particularly after having trimmed back the plants in my side garden and then realized that I’d soon have to do a lot of weeding to keep it looking nice. Besides, we just came out of a drought and I want to find ways to retain water every time that it rains.

Organic v. Inorganic

Many homeowners make the weekend trek their local hardware store or home center to buy their mulch, coming away with bags of stuff that is either organic or inorganic. Never mind the various colored stones you can also buy: there are dozens of choices when it comes to picking the right mulch.

Before you run off to the store, you may have a ready supply of mulch in your yard. Though my yard is full of hard wood trees, one neighbor’s yard is filled with pine trees and I get my share of pine needles on a regular basis. Though I hadn’t thought about it, friends have convinced me that pine needles are the way to go, therefore I saved a trip and a whole lot of money.

Natural v. Unnatural

Some of the other “natural” choices you may already have on hand include: manure, compost, straw, paper, and grass clippings. Unnatural or manmade mulch can include: newspapers, fiberglass, wood chips, asphalt, and aluminum foil.

I don’t know about you, but putting anything in my garden that isn’t natural seems a bit odd especially if you’re growing vegetables. I haven’t seen any evidence of creating a toxic mixture by using aluminum foil in my tomato garden, but that isn’t one experiment I’m willing to try. Ultimately, I want something that releases nutrients as it decomposes.

How To Order Mulch

If you do need to buy mulch, you can also order it and have it delivered to your home. Certainly not the cheapest option, but it could be the most efficient. Unless you have the right kind of vehicle to haul bag after bag, you could end up wasting gas and expending more time than you needed going back and forth between your home and store.

Should you decide to order mulch, you will order by the cubic feet. To get the right amount of mulch, multiply the length and width of your garden by the depth of mulch. For example, if your garden is 12×10 (120) and you want three inches of mulch, then your number would be 360. Divide that number by 3 and you’ll need to order 120 cubic feet of mulch.

Once your mulch is in place, you’ll have a garden that is healthier, distributes water more evenly, and is essentially weed free. Not a bad mulch primer from a brown thumb, eh?

Further Reading

Guide to Selecting a Garden Mulch

Ideas For the Exterior Home

Vacation homes are those secondary houses people own at the shore, lake, or other favorite vacation spot. Most are small residences though some owners have lavish estates rivaling their primary home in size and in value. You’ve seen these homes spring up along prime waterfront property over the past two or three decades — houses which dwarf the cottages which once dotted most communities.

If you are already familiar with a particular vacation market, you probably have witnessed a recent trend: plenty of homes are for sale and those that are selling are going for a heavy discount. One of the most stressed markets offering fantastic deals is Miami where a spate overbuilding has forced prices down in a hurry.

For people wanting to come away with a great deal there are some things to consider:

Take Your Time — Finding a vacation home for a very low price isn’t difficult to do. But, pouncing on the first property that comes along can show that you are being too hasty.

Because you’re in a buyer’s market you’ll want to determine a few things first:

• Are you familiar with the area where you want to buy?

• If purchasing a condo, how many units are vacant? There could be a reason why your unit is going for a song — the association managing it could be bankrupt.

• How often do you plan on visiting your second home? Do you plan to rent it out? Would you do better simply renting a home every year instead?

• What are some of the related fees to managing the property — i.e., garbage removal, landscaping, outside maintenance, etc.?

• Based on the information available, will your second home appreciate in value? You may have no plans on selling, thinking that your children will enjoy your home when you are gone. Don’t count on that — they may not be interested in maintaining the property later on.

Financing Your Purchase — many second home buyers tap the equity in their first home to buy their second home. But, you may not want to put your first home at risk by purchasing a vacation home. Consider:

• Will you be able to find financing for a vacation home?

• What rates are being charged? Some lenders avoid second home financing while others specialize in financing vacation homes. Will you have to pay a premium rate in order to finance a second home?

Insurance costs can be a deal breaker especially for homes along the ocean. When Florida and New Orleans were ravaged in 2004 and 2005 by a series of hurricanes, insurance companies jacked up their rates, sometimes three- or four-fold to cover their risks. Can you afford to pay $4000 in homeowners insurance annually on your beach property?

The good news is that many second home markets are likely to be depressed for the next few years, taking the pressure off of you to make a fast decision. Look around, shop around and you’ll come up with a deal that is fantastic and one you can live with for many years.

Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax are the three private agencies who track your credit and each one “scores” you based on the financial information that they have about you. Thus, each one will likely return numbers that are different from the other two, but their scores should be in the same ballpark.

Your credit score is also called your FICO score which stands for Fair Isaac Corporation score, a formula developed by Fair Isaac and used by all three credit reporting agencies.

If you are looking to buy a home and are seeking to finance it for 30 years, taking out a $300,000 loan then the most recent FICO numbers would give you the following loan details:

These are national averages, so your loan will look slightly different where you live. As you can see, the $950 per month premium for the person with a score in the low 500s, would add more than $10,000 annually to the loan, that is if they can get approved in the first place.

So, what can you do to raise your score? It can’t be changed overnight, but if your score is too low you can do the following which should yield decent results within 3-4 months time:

Clean up your credit report — that’s right, if there are errors on your report your score could be artificially low. Start off by checking your report first for accuracy before proceeding.

Pay on time — late payments can weigh you down, therefore make sure that you pay every bill on time.

Pay down debt — you don’t have to pay off all of your debt, but if your percentage of debt as related to credit line is over 35%, then that will lower your score.

Clean up an old mess — that unpaid and uncollected money you owe from long ago could be biting you in the backside. Contact creditors and offer to pay at least a portion of what you owe to settle your debt once and for all.

As always, check your credit regularly by ordering a credit report and your credit scores to see where you stand. Obtaining both is a small investment which can pay near instant dividends.

You probably already know that not all credit cards are alike. Some offer low rates and decent rewards while others charge higher than industry rates and offer no incentives. Likely, most of the cards you have seen fall somewhere in between.

Maybe you have considered getting a new card recently. If so, let’s take a look at some of the popular credit card offers available today:

Low (or Zero) Percentage Rate Credit Cards — Lending rates remain low and there are still credit cards available with low rates, even 0% financing for balance transfers. Typically, these special rates are in place until the transfers are paid off; new purchases are usually charged at a higher rate.

Teaser Rate Credit Cards — To get you to use a new card, some lenders will offer you a special “teaser rate” that will run for several months, usually for as long as six months perhaps for a year. Purchases can be made at a very low rate (let’s say 3.9% for twelve months) and then rise to 15.9% or higher later on. These cards are popular with consumers who want to purchase an expensive item and pay it off over several months without incurring high interest charges.

Rebate Credit Cards — Make your credit card work for you! If this sounds like a marketing ploy, it isn’t: certain credit card providers will give you cash rebates on select purchases. For example,if you spend $2000 you could have $20 or $40 credited to your account — see each offer for specific details.

Award Credit Cards — Also known as rewards cards, an award card works like a rebate credit card: you get to choose prizes based on the number of points you have accumulated with your purchases. Usually, one point is awarded for every dollar spent and you can redeem those points online or through a prize catalog provided by the credit card company.

Pre-paid Credit Cards — For the consumer with bad credit or for students who at college, a pre-paid credit card allows holders to build up their credit while still having access to plastic. You don’t have to worry about carrying around a lot of money; if your car is lost or stolen you can replace it.

Many of the card deals mentioned are for MasterCard or VISA cards, but Discover and American Express have special offers which might be of interest to you too.

My region of the country is finally seeing the end of a drought which lasted for more than one year. At its peak, all outside watering was canceled except for whatever you could water by hand. Needless to say, just about every lawn turned brown and quite a few people lost valuable shrubbery.

One thing many people learned through this experience were some ways to conserve water. Besides the obvious — repairing leaky toilets and faucets — other methods soon came to the forefront.

By conserving water you can also save money. The following are key tips to help you with your outside conservation effort:

• Water your lawn less often. In the summer, when your lawn has slowed down its growth, you only need to water 1-2 times each week. After a steady rainfall, you may not need to water again for 1-2 weeks.

• Set lawn sprinklers to cover grassy areas only. Avoid soaking paved areas as the run off will simply go down the drain.

• Water your lawn during the early morning when temperatures are lowest which helps limit loss due to evaporation.

• Use water-efficient sprinklers and soaker hoses.

• Shut off your sprinkler system when a storm is approaching. Check the timer to make sure that your sprinkler is working properly.

• For your garden, use mulch as that will help retain water (as well as kill weeds).

• Plant native plants including drought resistant shrubs and grasses.

• Do not over fertilize your lawn as it will require more water to maintain your lawn.

• If you have a pool, consider keeping it covered when not in use. A cover will prevent evaporation loss while keeping the pool water warm. Also, a single back flushing with a traditional filter uses from 180 to 250 gallons or more of water — consider finding a more efficient filter that doesn’t waste water.

• When washing your car, use only as much water as you need. Turn the hose off when not in use and use biodegradable soap so that the run off will not damage plants and grass. Recycle unused bucket water by soaking nearby bushes or plants.

Most homeowners can save water by implementing these and other conservation steps. You’ll reduce your consumption, save money, and do your part to help your local environment.

Stock photo courtesy sxc.hu

Love a game of Tennis.  Wimbleton is about 45 days away.  How about make plans to visit London to enjoy the scenes and a game at courtside.

about Wimbleton 2008

visiting London
London travel guide

Home Improvement Tip

Do you ever wish you had enough closet space for everything you have? Enough for coats, shoes, and things.  View our closet organizations can up up new room.

view our upstairs closet room | find a closet specialist

Consumer Financing Tip

Prices are going up on everything - including family care and insurance costs.  See what tips you can use to help reduce your family card costs:

view tips on reducing family care costs 

Credit Card Tip: Reduce Your Gas Costs

College Planning Tip

Monthly Checklist for May 11

see our BLOG:
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Discipline to Success:

The Physical Temperance Attribute

We are not weak if we make a proper use of those means which the God of Nature has placed in our power . . . The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave.
Patrick Henry

continuation from BLOG post: part VII.d

Physical Temperance:

Moderation or self-restraint in action, thought, or feeling. Habitual moderation in the indulgence of the physical appetites or passions; not excessive in degree.

The physical temperance is the control of physical appetites and passions. We can segment the physical temperance attribute into two areas:

Physical temperance goals require more energy than the physical development goals. The inverse pyramid scale shows that internal energy increases because physical temperance demands continuous attention for the whole day — like resisting the temptation to bait your nails.

It can be extremely difficult to control an addiction. But physical addictions are isolated cases that require special attention. Most physical temperance goals use less total energy than the education, social and spiritual attributes. The physical temperance attribute thus becomes the second attribute in the hierarchy scale that rounds the character.

I apologize for drilling these energy concepts over and over. Understand that —

You will be more successful in shaping a well-rounded character by first developing the character attribute that requires less total energy.

As you successfully strengthen the first attribute, you begin to build self-confidence and discipline.

The more successful you are in developing and strengthening a character attribute, the faster the increase of self-confidence and discipline.

Increased discipline gives you the strength to shape the other character attributes.

These arguments support my recommendation that you should first develop and strengthen the physical attributes — physical development and physical temperance — before developing the mental attributes — education, social and spiritual.

Too many people fail to achieve their goals because it requires them to change a character that has been shaped and molded by their environment, family and friends. They find it impossible to break out of this mold, especially when family, friends and others fail to respect the character change that they are making. We live with stereotypes . . . we are fat . . . we are sloppy . . . we are shy . . . we are boring . . . we are lazy . . . we are etc., etc., etc. Breaking these stereotypes is nearly impossible unless you build inner strength.

Changing your character begins slowly, with one attribute development at a time. We begin with the physical development attribute in the last posting and continue with the physical temperance attribute in this posting. Developing and strengthening these two attributes over the next few weeks will give you the physical strength and self-confidence to develop and strengthen the other three attributes and to break out of your stereotype.

Next week: we will review the steps to build out your physical temperance goal.

———-
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Besides a variety of sprays and other potions which can be applied to the skin, ground, or released into the air, bug zappers have an amazing ability to get rid of insects too. Their attractive purple lights beckons insects who fly in and are immediately electrocuted. One less bug, one less nuisance having to swat!

But do bug zappers work? Well, if you haven’t seen one in action you may wonder if they do. However, this 75 year old product continues to fly off of hardware store shelves as homeowners, apartment dwellers, and tenants seek real relief.

According to Howstuffworks, the basic parts of a bug zapper include:

• Housing - Exterior casing that holds the parts; the housing is usually made of plastic or electrically grounded metal and may be shaped liked a lantern, a cylinder or a big rectangular cube. The housing also may have a grid design to prevent children and animals from touching the electrified grids inside the device.

• Light bulb(s) - Fluorescent light that attracts insects, usually mercury, neon or ultraviolet (black light)

• Wire grids or screens - Wire meshes (usually two) that surro­und the light bulb and are electrified to kill insects

• Transformer - Device that electrifies the wire mesh, changing the 120-volt (V) electrical-line voltage to 2,000 V or more

Bugs attracted by the bug zapper (unfortunately does not include mosquitoes), enter the unit through tiny gaps in an electrical grid. Attracted by the ultra-violet light the 120 volt line is transformed into a 2000 volt killing machine, zapping and frying everything that can get in.

Naturally, if you are wanting to zap mosquitoes only than a bug zapper isn’t worth the investment, but if only flying insects, including gnats, meet their death, then a bug zapper could be a welcome addition to your patio, porch, or other nearby outdoor public area.

Resources

Home Improvement

Home Moving Center

Home Planning Center

Home Remodeling Center

For some homeowners, central air conditioning could be more costly than what it is worth. Especially in areas of the country where utility costs are high and the need to cool the entire house is low. In addition, central air conditioning units must be maintained regularly, another cost to be factored in.

There are two alternatives to central cooling which are worth considering: window units and portable units.

Window units are cheap, starting at about $125 for a unit capable of producing 5000 BTUs. A BTU is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound (0.45 kg) of water 1 degree Fahrenheit (0.56 degrees Celsius). Specifically, 1 BTU equals 1,055 joules. In heating and cooling terms, 1 “ton” equals 12,000 BTU.

A portable unit is more expensive, but as the name implies it can be moved from room to room. In some homes, placing a unit in a window is dangerous or too difficult for one person to handle. With a portable air-conditioner, a room can be cooled as the unit works patiently from one corner of the room. The smallest portable units (with a BTU rating of 7000) start at around $325.

For assistance in choosing the right air conditioner for your home, the two articles in the Further Reading section which follows can help you find the type of unit right for your needs.

Further Reading

All About Air Conditioning

Ten Tips on Buying a New Air Conditioner

Resources

Check Your Credit Report

Home Services — Contractors

Making Home Improvements

When it comes to predicting housing trends, much of the advice being offered isn’t always accurate. In fact, if you read some of the reports you’ll quickly notice a few problems regarding home values including:

Predictions are too generalized – Sure, foreclosures are way up in some areas but that doesn’t mean that every market reacts the same way. If there is an oversupply of homes, then prices will continue to drop while foreclosed homes in a tight housing market are likely to be snapped up quickly.

Local markets are too broad – Even within a metropolitan area, selling trends can vary considerably. One municipality could be struggling while another could be thriving — local conditions including schools, jobs, and amenities will often determine just how strong a housing market is. Even within a single municipality, one development could be very attractive while another one not so.

The types of housing vary in price — Condos could be losing value while houses could be stable or even rise in price in certain markets. A market’s average home value decline could be weighted because one type of housing is dropping in price, skewing numbers for that ranch or colonial considerably.

Forecasts are too long range — predicting the future is difficult even with a thorough trend analysis at your disposal. Variables including government intervention, supply & demand, and local job markets can change a market’s course almost overnight.

Although a housing predictor can offer some information of value, they aren’t perfect. You’d do better tracking local trends yourself and drawing your own conclusions based on your personal analysis.