Grilling is one of the things that makes summer so wonderful. The flavors, the open air; it just can’t be beat. Being a single mom, though, makes it a little more intimidating to fire up the grill. After all, what happens if you set the house on fire? You may have a fire safety plan, but that doesn’t mean that you want to test it out. I assure you though, with all the hype our male counterparts put to it, it is not that hard, and with a little bit of caution, it is not likely that you will set the house on fire. (more…)
Nurturing Your Space
Hi, my name is Lesley, and I’m a terrible housekeeper. I really don’t think it’s a problem, though. On my list of priorities, it’s pretty low. I mostly have control of the situation. You can imagine how I feel about spring cleaning. I wash the windows that I look out of most often so I can actually enjoy spring when I do have to be cooped up in the house. Otherwise, I don’t do much spring cleaning. (more…)
Owning a home is a huge change from renting or sharing quarters without your parents. You get a deed and a mortgage payment but that is about all the information that you receive upon the purchase. Knowing what it takes to maintain your home is the first step to getting to know this new place that you now call home, but getting to know it in ways that save you money takes some time. Like any good relationship, it’s worth investing the time. With the warm summer months coming up, it’s especially worth investing the time to cut down on expensive summer bills. Here are three areas to save some money in this summer.
When I first moved out on my own I thought a lot about ways to save money. The sites I perused for ideas often recommended lowering my energy consumption. I adopted many of the tips and tricks these sites shared, and after owning two homes, I’ve continued to try to upgrade my money-saving tricks. I use many of them during the summer months to reduce my energy bill while still staying cool. Below, take a look at four of my favorite summertime energy- and money-saving secrets. (more…)
There are two big-ticket home repairs that I know I will need to face someday, but for now, I dread them. One is replacing the roof, and the other is buying and installing a new furnace. While there isn’t a lot that you can do to prevent needing a new roof one day, there are several things that you can do to ensure your furnace stays healthy and has a long life. (more…)