Home Staging

Trying to sell your house? “Staging” can help. Staging involves styling, cleaning and depersonalizing homes. In other words you create a  ”scene” for the potential buyer and you hope that they will envision themselves living in that scene. Also, you take away anything that might discourage them from wanting to buy your house. Take a look at these tips from Keller Williams Realty and Home Staging of Alabama:

Make a good first impression with curb appeal. Replace the rusty mailbox or those porch rails; paint the front door if it needs it; add potted flowers or greenery by the front door’s exterior; cut the grass. I have to say when we were buying our home the first time we looked at it the grass was not cut. The house looked a lot more appealing when we returned a second time and the grass was cut.

Give your home a deep cleaning. Use Mr. Clean to remove marks from base boards, walls and refrigerators. Also, clean the windows, window sills and blinds. I use a heavy duty window cleaner that I purchased at Sherwin Williams and it really cleans the grim off much better than anything you can buy at the grocery store.

Get rid of bathroom rugs and toilet seat covers. An uncovered bathroom floor makes the room look bigger. I would also replace the shower curtain unless it’s custom made for the bathroom.

A new coat of paint does wonders for any room. You can clean and clean but it will never look as good as a fresh coat of paint.

Remove small ktichen appliances like mixers and toaster ovens to reveal valuable counter space. Even if you don’t have a lot of counter space, it will enhance what you have.

Add a short lamp in the corner of the kitchen counter to illuminate counterspace or if the cord to the lamp looks unattractive you could burn a scented candle. A friend swore that scented candles sold her house.

Remove magnets and all clutter from the refrigerator doors.

Pack up extra things you don’t need, like off-season clothes and linens so the closets will look spacious and neat.

Make sure the kid’s play room is clean. Pack away as many toys as you possibly can without making your kids crazy.

Remove excess artwork, magazine racks and tables, if the cover up a lot of wall space or take up a lot of floor space. Potential buyers will focus more on the art and not the wall.

A few big pieces of furniture make a room look bigger than a lot of little pieces. Also if you tend to have a lot of knick knacks you should  probably pack them away.

Add extra lighting; a home that appears dark and depressing can depress potential buyers. Open the blinds to let in the natural sunlight.

If your house is crammed with stuff and there is no place to pack it away, consider having a professional organizer or really good friend who is organized help you get rid of some things.  

How effective is staging? A Houston staging expert claims that after she “stages” a home, it sells within two weeks. She also says that it can be difficult to do the staging yourself because of the emotional component. According to her, people can not look at their house objectively because they’ve lived there and it looks fine to them. They don’t understand that other people may not like their choice of paint color, furniture or accessories. Most homeowners are so emotinally attached to their homes that they can’t give an objective view.

home staging,staging,selling your home,selling your own home,selling real estate

Share This

Technorati Tags: home staging, staging, selling your home, selling your own home, selling real estate

tags: home staging   selling real estate   selling your home   selling your own home   staging  

How To Select The Healthiest Tortilla

Whenever I go to the store I can never figure out which brand of tortilla I should buy. I recently read an article in the food section of our local paper which solved the mystery for me. Apparently, not all flour tortillas are the same. Depending on the size a flour tortilla can be as little as 100 calories with 1 gram of fat or as much as 400 calories and 12 grams of fat.

The article recommends reading the nutrition label thoroughly and choosing the correct size tortilla for your recipe. Flour tortillas are just flour, water and fat. Some brands use more fat than others for the same size tortilla so check the label. Also check the kind of fat used - look for canola and sunflower rather than hydrogenated soybean or cottonseed oils.

Don’t buy the 12 inch and larger tortilla sometimes called wraps unless you are using it to serve two people. The calories and fat levels are the highest and the large size makes you want to overfill them which just adds more calories. Here is a quick chart for proper size:

Tacos, fajitas an quesidillas - 6 inch tortilla

Burritos and wraps - 8 - 10 inch tortilla

Here is the recipe from our paper using flour tortillas that ran with the article - it’s vegatarian and the ingredients are not too expensive and can be found at any grocery store. There also a lot of good nutrients in sweet potatoes and the recipe is high fiber.

Roasted Vegatable Wraps - Prep time - 20 minutes

1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice (about 2 medium) 

8 ounces green beans cut into one inch lengths

3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

1 large red bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 and 1/2 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 tablespoons lemon juice

3/4 cup prepared hummus

4 eight inch flour tortillas

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

In a medium bowl, toss the sweet potatoes and greeen beans with with two teaspoons of the oil. Spread the potatoes and beans over two thirds of a large baking sheet.

In the same bowl toss the bell peopper with the remaining 1 teaspoon oil, then spread over the remaining third of the baking sheet. Season all the vegetables with salt and black peeper.

Cover the potatoes and beans with a piece of aluminum foil, leaving the bell pepper uncovered. Roast for 15 minutes.

In a small bowl, stir together the cumin, coriander and thyme. Uncover the potatoes and beans and sprinkle the spice blend and lemon juice all over the vegatables. Toss the vegatables to coat. Return to the oven and roast, uncovered, 25 to 35 minutes longer, or until the vegatables are tender and browned.

Spread about 3 tablespoons hummus over each tortilla, leaving a 2 inch unovered border all around. Divide the filling among the tortillas; fold in 2 sides an roll up as you would a burrito, place the seam side down so the wraps stay closed.

Makes 4 servings

Per serving:

280 calories  (84 calories from fat)

9 grams fat

44 grams carbohydrates

8 grams protein

10 grams fiber

758 milligrams sodium 

Share This

tags: low fat dinner recipes   low fat foods   Tortilla   tortillas   wrap   wraps  

I know the last post talked about saving money on dental care by finding a conservative dentist. But another way to save money is through preventive dental hygiene you do yourself. As you know my past dentist was using his dental tools to find problems and one of the things they always looked at was my gums. They gave the gum connected to each tooth a rating and if you have a lot of 4’s  and 5’s which are bad (1 is the best) you would ofcourse need a additional dental procedure called a deep cleaning or something like that.

As a result I began to practice better dental hygiene and my numbers did begin to go down and my gums were much healthier. Honestly my mouth just felt cleaner and better also. What I did was use the dental tools I had available to me like dental floss - twice a day and used another dental tool that also cleaned between my teeth and could get places that I couldn’t with the floss.

The only problem was the dental tool I used was not portable. I have found something now though that I can take with me when I travel. The Clean Between Machine is a portable dental tool that uses an  interdental brush system recommend by dental specialists. The Clean Between Machine has a sonic gum stimulator to remove and prevent plaque accumulation around the gum line. This will help keep your gums strong and help prevent gum disease which can painful and the dental procedure to treat it is expensive. The interdental brush also helps prevent tooth decay which will help prevent costly dental fillings and root canals.  

As you can see the Clean Between Machine is reasonably priced and it comes with  18 interdental brush tips and a tongue cleaner which will help freshen your breath. When you consider that most dental procedures range from $100 to $1,000 it is worth it to try this inexpensive preventative measure.

dental hygiene,dental care,dental health,dental health insurance,affordable dental insurance,dental procedures,dental tools,dental crowns,dental surgery

Share This

Technorati Tags: dental hygiene, dental care, dental health, dental health insurance, affordable dental insurance, dental procedures, dental tools, dental crowns, dental surgery

tags: affordable dental insurance   dental care   dental crowns   dental health   dental health insurance   dental hygiene   dental procedures   dental surgery   dental tools   root canals  

Stop Unecessary Dental Procedures And Save Money

I have really bad teeth consequently I had a lot of fillings when I was younger and a few crowns. I have good dental hygiene so I have not had a lot of new cavities. I don’t have regular dental insurance since I am self employed but have something referred to as a “discount dental plan.” which is  very affordable dental insurance. I selected a dentist from the dental health insurance plan and had been going to him for a few years. And for a few years, I was lucky and did not need any dental procedures.

Then suddenly my dentist left the practice and I had a new dentist. I went for an appointment and as usual I had no cavities. The dentist asked if I was experiencing any pain. I said no, everything was fine. Then the dentist got out what he called his special camera which was one of his new dental tools. With his special camera he indicated several of my teeth were cracked and I would need at least two new dental crowns. On my next visit, the dentist decided two more teeth needed dental crowns. Now I was up to needing four dental crowns which would cost about $2,000.

I kept postponing having the dental procedures done because I was not experiencing any pain. A few months later my dentist stopped accepting my type of dental insurance plan because he was not making enough money of patients with that dental insurance. I finally went to a new dentist and after x-rays and an exam asked him if I needed four dental crowns. He said no as far as he could see the teeth were fine.

What happened here? I have friend who is a dentist in another state. She told me the “special camera” is simply used to frighten patients into having unecessary dental procedures done. What I was probably seeing on my teeth that looked like cracks was actually crazing (surface cracks which are not serious).  

Why did my dentist try to push uneeded dental procedures on me? Only one answer - greed.  I also asked my new dentist about the trend towards pushing patients into dental surgery that may not be needed. He said he agreeed there are a significant number of dentists who believe this is an acceptable way to increase profits. A dental hygienist also gave me the same story. Dentists who prescribe unecessary work can bill an additional $30,000 to $40,000 per month  if they have a big practice.

Most dentists are really good dentists and are not trying to make obscene profits off of your teeth. But there are a few out there who are more interested in making money than caring for your teeth. If your dentist suddenly decides you need extra dental procedures and you are not experiencing any pain - get a second opinion. That second opinion may cost a few more dollars but could save you a lot of money and teeth in the long run.  Also when you are looking for a new dentist try to find someone with a conservative attitude toward your teeth i.e. someone who does not do the dental procedure unless it really has to be done.

Save more money by trying before you buy. Visit us at Curepure.com and find out how to get Free samples of healthy products

dental hygiene,dental care,dental health,dental health insurance,affordable dental insurance,dental procedures,dental tools,dental crowns,dental surgery

Share This

Technorati Tags: dental hygiene, dental care, dental health, dental health insurance, affordable dental insurance, dental procedures, dental tools, dental crowns, dental surgery

tags: affordable dental insurance   dental care   dental crown   dental health   dental health insurance   dental hygiene   dental procedures   dental surgery   dental tools  

No Bake Cookies Recipe

I’m not a super mom but sometimes I have supermom moments. I had one last Sunday. I was in the kitchen when I decided that before I emptied the dishwasher, I should check my email. Why check email? Mostly because I didn’t want to empty the dishwasher. As I glanced through the email I saw one that said I should bring 2 dozen cookies to the Sunday school picnic. “Please have cookies in the kitchen by 9:30 am” I read. I looked at the clock. Uh oh, 8:15. And I still had to empty the dishwashers, get the kids up and make breakfast. For about five minutes I ran around the kitchen trying to figure out if I had the ingredients for one bowl brownies - the quickest thing I knew how to make. In my frantic running around, I flung the door to the pantry open and peered in hoping for some inspiration. I swear I heard an angels chorus when I spotted a bag of chow mein noodles. That’s it I thought - Canine Crunchies.

Canine Crunchies is our family nickname for these cookies.  We all liked the part of the 101 Dalmations movie where the dogs watch the Canine Crunchies commercial. Anyway these cookies have only two ingredients - chow mein noodles and chocolate chips. You can actually use any kind of chips you want butterscotch, peanut butter, white chocolate, dark chocolate and you can mix two kinds of chips together. All you do is melt about 3 cups of chips in the microwave. I set the microwave for two minutes on high and let the chips stand for a minute or two and then stirred them. Then I put them in the microwave for 20 seconds more and they were all melted. Mix in about 10 oz. of chow mein noodles. Line a tray or cookie sheet with wax paper and using a spoon scoop up about two tablespoonfuls of the mixture and put it on the wax paper. You can make a little over two dozen cookies. Put the cookies in the freezer for about 10 minutes and you are done.

Share This

tags: chocolate no bake cookies   easy no bake cookies   ecipes for no bake cookies   how to make no bake cookies   no bake cookies recipe   no bake drop cookies  

According to Parade magazine, cancer is one of the leading causes of death in pets and accounts for nearly half of all deaths in cats and dogs over the age of 10. Dogs suffer from more kinds of cancer (at least 100) than any other domestic animal, and one in four will develop cancer in its lifetime. Just like us, pets can develop cancer from exposure to sunlight, smoke, asbestos, chemicals, hormones, radiation and viruses, and from immune-system failures. Also some canine breeds have hereditary risk factors.

Certain cancers in pets can be cured if caught early, and most can least be treated. Options include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, cryosurgery, hyperthermia, immunotherapy or a combination of treatments. Prevention though is better than any treatment. Here are five tips that were listed in a Parade Magazine article to reduce risks of your pet developing cancer:

Make regular vet visits - For both people and animals, the sooner a cancer is detected and treated, the better the chance of y a cure. That’s one of the reasons why a checkup every six months is recommended for animals over the age of 7.  All others should have annual exams.

Exercise your pets - Regular exercise helps keep pets lean and is essential for optimal health. It also may strengthen their immunity to chronic diseases such as cancer. The incidence of cancer is 50% higher in overweight pets than it is in those that are at a healthy weight. I think pets are just generally happier too when they get regular exercise.

Prevent sunburn - White-haired cats and dogs and those with short hair are at risk for sun induced skin cancer. Protect them by using an SPF 30 sunblock on sensitive areas like the nose and tips of the ears. Just like for people, you also should avoid outside exposure during the hours of strongest sunlight, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Limit exposure to chemicals - Known carcinorgens include herbicides, insecticides and tobacco smoke. Avoid house and garden pesticides or use the least toxic products, and remove pets from passive smoke enviornments.

Spay and neuter pets - Spaying a female dog before her first heat cycle decreases her risk of breast cancer to almost zero, and neutering completely eliminates the risk of testicular cancer in males.

Because treatment can be expensive, if own a breed with hereditary risk factors you might want to check out pet care insurance.

Please see our post on Cheapskateliving.org Save-On-Pet-Care

pet health care,pet health care insurance,dog cancer,pet care

Share This

Technorati Tags: pet health care, pet health care insurance, dog cancer, pet care

No Tag

Seasonal allergies afflict many Americans, with symptoms occurring anywhere from early spring through late November.  Our immune system’s over reaction to pollens, grass, airborne fungi, animal hair and even some kinds of foods. Our environment has become more and more toxic which causes our immune system to be compromised. Runny noses, watery eyes and sneezing are the result of our body fighting back the allergen by producing an excess of inflammatory chemicals, such as histamine. Often these symptoms create other problems such as sinus infection, throat infections and ear infections which can be extremely painful and debilitating. 

Typically doctors prescribe antihistamines for allergies but many people experience discomfort because the physical side effects associated with the regular use of antihistamines and decongestants. Antihistamines and decongestants can make you drowsy and sluggish which makes it hard to do your work.You can also get dry mouth which can lead to bad breath. Dehydration is also a side effect for frequent antihistamine takers. Sometimes prescription allergy medicine doesn’t work at all  and you have to keep constantly trying new ones. 

If you are frustrated with the side effects or the no effects from prescription and over the counter antihistamines and decongestants you might want to try a herbal remedy. Herbal remedies are normally agents that have the ability to relieve congestion and to loosen the mucus but don’t produce unpleasant side effects. Many homeopathic cures also contain anti-inflammatory agents that soothe irritated mucus membranes.  If you do decide to use a homeopathic remedy, please check with your doctor or pharmacist to make sure the product does not interfere with other medications you may be taking. natural allergy remedies, histamines, allergiclear, native remedies

Share This

Technorati Tags: natural allergy remedies, histamines, allergiclear, native remedies

tags: allergy relief.sinus infections   allergy remedies   allergy symptoms   ear infections   histamines  

Saw this in the travel section and thought it was really a neat idea. Vocation Vacations was started by Brian Kurth, a former business executive from Oregon. He started his company in 2004 and his organization connects curious people with mentors who have the jobs they have only thought about pursuing. Vacationers pay a fee ranging from $545.00 to $2,000 (airfare and lodging not included), though most are less than $1.200.

Kurth says that about 40 percent of his clients are baby boomers looking for a career change, 10 percent are millenials (born between 1980 - 1995) and 10 percent are retirees who are signing up for fun. Kurth has 300 mentors, who are paid each time they work with a client.

Here are the 20 most popular “Vocation Vacations”

Actor

Baker

Bed and breakfast owner

Brew master

Chocolatier

Dog day-care owner

Fashion buyer/designer

Hotel manager

Interior designer

Music producer

Nonprofit director

Photographer

Private investigator

Sports announcer

TV producer

Voice-over artist

Wedding Planner

Wine store/bar owner

Winemaker

Writer/publisher

Kurth’s site is www.vocationvacation.com.

vocation vacation,career change,new career,new career skills

Share This

Technorati Tags: vocation vacation, career change, new career, new career skills

tags: career change   new career   new career skills   vocation vacation  

There seems to be an endless stream of suggestions on how to stop a nosebleed but I came across one that I had not heard before and the explanation for why it works is completely logical. You stop the nosebleed by pressing keys or a cold butter knife to the back of the person’s neck. The explanation as to why this works is because of the mammalian dive reflex. Cold hits the nerves in the neck, causing the blood vessels to constrict. Your pulse will also slow a bit too.

I got this cure and explanation from the People’s Pharmacy - Joe and Teresa Graedon. The Graedon’s have a syndicated newspaper column called the People’s Pharmacy and a web site called peoplespharmacy.com. I have gotten some really good advice from their column and was pleased to see that they have published a book with all their home cures and remedies. What really caught my interest was something about healing chocolate. Any book that has the words healing and chocolate in the same sentence gets my vote.

nosebleeds,nosebleed,care for nosebleeds

Share This

Technorati Tags: nosebleeds, nosebleed, care for nosebleeds

tags: care for nosebleeds   nosebleed   nosebleeds  

Ever since I became an adolescent I have had to watch my wieght. So I consider myself something of an expert on the subject. I have never been one to follow the popular diets. I tried Weight Watchers program for awhile but measuring everything I ate drove me crazy. I know Weight Watchers has made a lot of changes since my experience with them that make the program much easier to follow.

I also have spent some time with personal trainers and I will tell you one of the most valuable things that a trainer told me. At the time my trainer who is female was training for a body building contest. She had gotten very thin and I asked what was more important diet or exercise. She told me you need to do both but listen to this - she said “70 TO 80 PERCENT OF WEIGHT LOSS COMES FROM DIET.” I asked a few other trainers and they said they agreed and some of them even said they would say it was 90 percent diet. In other words you can exercise like crazy but if you don’t cut back on the food intake you are not going to lose weight.

So when you go to the grocery store, if you can, try to buy food that is portion controled. For intstance, buy cookies in those little 100 calorie packs. I know they are more expensive but you won’t be tempted to eat a whole package of big cookies. I like to eat chips but I always buy the little bags (like for lunches) because if I have a big bag I tend to over serve myself. Same thing with ice cream. I love it but I buy the little individual ice cream cups so I don’t scoop too much into a bowl. Studies have shown that people tend to give themselves two or three servings of ice cream when they scoop it themselves.

Also buy small bowls and plates. The dinner plates and creal bowls in most sets are huge. You will always tend to put more on the plate to fill it up. If you use the smaller salad or dessert plate you won’t be able to serve yourself too much. Same with the cereal bowls. If put enough in the regular cereal bowls that is part of your set, you will probably be giving yourself two or three servings. Same goes for juice and wine - put it in a small glass.

I also had a friend who was a body builder and he said you should eat six small meals and not three big ones. So carry food with you so you can do this. I always carry small bags of pretzels and  those packages with peanut butter with those little bread sticks in my car.

 Lastly remember you don’t feel full right away after you eat. It takes a little time for the full feeling to set in. So eat half or three quarters of your food and then take a break. You might not want the rest.

how to lose weight fast,portion control,diet and exercise,Weight Watchers program

Share This

Technorati Tags: how to lose weight fast, portion control, diet and exercise, Weight Watchers program

tags: diet and exercise   how to lose weight fast   portion control diet   weight watchers program