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Transforming a small bedroom into a comfortable sanctuary may seem impossible, especially for those living in a small apartment or dorm. But there is good news: You can convert your cramped quarters into a cozy and organized space with a few simple tips and tricks.

From storage solutions to affordable decor hacks, this guide has all the advice you need to make the most of your small bedroom.

One way to maximize your space is to think vertically. This means using the bedroom walls, in any way, to your advantage. Built-in shelves extending from the floor to the ceiling offer storage space for books, decor, and more. You can also hang floating shelves.

If shelving isn’t your thing, choose wallpaper with a vertical pattern to create the illusion of a higher ceiling. To add texture, you can also hang floor-to-ceiling curtains (avoid heavy drapes). Opting for sheer or thin cotton curtains will allow natural light to flow into your space while giving you a sense of privacy.

Pro Tip: A glossy finish can help reflect light and make the room bright and spacious. Dark paint can make a small room feel even smaller. Instead, opt for light, neutral colors like soft gray, beige, creamy white, or pale blue to make your space more open and airy.

For a pop of color, consider painting an accent wall in a bright or bold hue to add personality to the space. Just be sure to choose a color that complements the rest of the room’s color scheme. 

Photo: victor zastolskiy via 123RF

Use Wall-Mounted Lighting

While having a little light to read by at night is lovely, bedside lamps can crowd your nightstand. Wall-mounted lighting (e.g., sconces) can free up space on your nightstand and draw the eye upward, creating an organized and modern look. Plus, you can find hundreds of affordable and easy-to-install options online, from antique-looking beaded wall sconces to brass-plated industrial-style lights.

Install a Full-Length Mirror

Mirrors reflect natural and artificial light, making any space instantly larger. A full-length mirror can also serve as a statement piece and make getting ready a breeze. If you’re uncomfortable having a heavy mirror on your wall, try hanging a set of mirrors in different sizes and shapes to add depth and create a visually appealing focal point. 

Buy Space-Saving Furniture

If you’ve yet to buy furniture for the space, consider purchasing pieces that serve multiple purposes. For example, a storage or loft bed with risers and drawers underneath can help you save space and declutter your room.

You can also look for ottomans or benches that offer hidden storage space or even a foldable desk that you can tuck away when you’re not using it. Just remember to use furniture proportional to the room’s size, as oversized furniture can make any room feel cramped. 

Follow the “Cantaloupe Rule”

Have you ever heard the saying “less is more?” Well, this idiom holds when it comes to decorating small spaces. According to Christine Brun, interior designer and author of “Small Space Living,” dividing your knickknacks and other items into categories and rotating them every season is one way to maximize space and showcase your favorite things. She calls it the cantaloupe rule: an interior design principle that advises against using home decor items smaller than a cantaloupe. By sticking to this rule, you can minimize clutter and create a clean, organized space that feels spacious, inviting, and stylish. 

Living in a small space can be challenging, but these simple (and affordable!) tips can make all the difference in transforming your space into a cozy and functional place to relax and unwind. 

Home Sweet Home is brought to you by the Washington State Housing Finance Commission’s Washington Homeowner Assistance Fund. The Homeowners Assistance Fund helps homeowners who have fallen on hard times because of the pandemic. Call 1-877-894-4663 for more information on how they can help.

Source: seattlemedium.com

Apache is functioning normally

By Peter Anderson 9 Comments – The content of this website often contains affiliate links and I may be compensated if you buy through those links (at no cost to you!). Learn more about how we make money. Last edited October 30, 2008.

Time to take the plunge and get a new car

The transmission on my old car decided that it no longer wants to continue shifting as it should. After getting several repair estimates, we found that to fix the car would cost us over $2500 in repairs, along with another $1000 or more in other needed repairs in the near future.  We decided that we just didn’t want to pump that much money into a car that wasn’t worth much more than $2500.

So now we’re looking around to find a good, reliable used car that will last us another 5 years and around 100,000 miles.   I haven’t bought a car in about 5 years, so I had forgotten what an ordeal it can be, and how many things you need to remember.  Here’s a list of some things that are important to remember when looking for a used car.


credit: Ben Grogan

Things To Remember When Shopping For A Used Car

  • Use the power of the internet: With the advent of the internet the consumer has a whole new sense of empowerment when it comes to car shopping.  Using the internet you can shop around for a good price and play dealers against each other. Doing this is a whole lot easier than it used to be.  Use online automotive websites like carsoup.com, autotrader.com or cars.com to narrow the field of possible cars, and then get price quotes from dealers that you can compare.  Let the dealers know when you’ve found a better deal, they may match it, or even beat it!  (Dealers hate Internet customers because they usually are well informed, and end up getting a better deal).  Also, use the internet to research your next vehicle through information sites like Edmunds.com where they have exhaustive reviews, customer feedback and true cost to own stats for all makes and models.
  • Used cars have a history:  Make sure that you always check a vehicle’s history report before even doing a test drive.  For a fee you can do unlimited vehicle history reports through services like Carfax.com or Autocheck.com.  All used cars have a history, and for some cars their history is more colorful than others.  For example, when I was searching for a car this time I found what I thought was an extraordinary deal on a used car with low miles and a great price. After doing a history report on the vehicle I discovered that the vehicle had a salvage title and had been in an accident. Big time red flags!   Some of the things you can tell on a history report include accident history, odometer readings (to make sure there hasn’t been an odometer rollback), whether or not the vehicle has a clear title, ownership history (including whether it was a rental car or a taxi) and a variety of other things.   Vehicle history reports are a must have for any used car shopper!
  • Check for signs of tell-tale vehicle damage: Even some vehicles that have a clean history report may have some hidden damage that was never reported, and thus doesn’t appear on the vehicle’s history.  Because of that you will want to make sure that you  inspect the car carefully to make sure it is sound.  Carmax has an article about how to find some tell-tale signs that the car has been repaired.  Signs include: vehicle has been repainted, clamp marks on the frame, welding marks and body filler, engine noise, misalignment of hood, doors or trunk, checking bolts to see if they’ve been removed.  Check the article for more ways to determine if the car has been repaired.
  • Make sure to take a vehicle for a test drive: In the internet age, you’d be surprised at how many people are now buying vehicles before even taking them for a test drive.   (Ebay anyone?) A test drive can be invaluable because it allows you to see the car in action, hear any noises the car may make, and feel how the car performs under normal road conditions.I just test-drove what I thought was a great steal of a car last night, and the brakes turned out to be bad, there were stains on the seats and the car’s shocks were shot.  All of these things I found out on the test drive.    Some things to check when you do a test drive include the interior of the car (check for excessive wear), the tires and brakes, the shocks (press down on the car and see if it bounces back quickly without too much bouncing), steering and acceleration without too much noise, and just listen for foreign sounds.  If your gut tells you something isn’t right with a car, pass on it.
  • Pay for a vehicle inspection by your mechanic: If you really want to make sure that a car is mechanically sound before you buy, take it to a trusted local mechanic who can tell you if the car is in good working order or not. Our local mechanic does a thorough inspection for about $30, but it is well worth the cost. I would especially suggest doing this if you are buying a car from a private party or buying a car without any kind of warranty (which most used cars don’t have).
  • Don’t play the “monthly payment game”: When you’re at the dealer don’t fall prey to the “monthly payment game”.  This happens when the dealer asks at what price range you’d like to keep your monthly payments.   When you respond with “under $400” or the like, that gives the dealer free reign to put you in a more expensive car or give you a longer finance deal – all in the name of reaching that magical monthly payment number.  Instead of playing that game, decide on how much you’re willing to pay, and stick to that number no matter what.  Tell them something like: “I want to keep the purchase price under $9,000” and don’t respond to their talks of monthly payments.  That way you can ensure you don’t end up paying more than you thought you would, just because you wanted a certain payment.  Figure it out on your own beforehand – and stick to your guns.
  • Bring your own financing to the dealer: One of the biggest ways car dealerships can make a good deal turn sour is by padding the deal for your car with back-end fees in the finance office.  All of that can be avoided if you just get your financing ahead of time through your local bank or credit union.  Or even better, save up for your used car purchase as suggested by Dave Ramsey in Financial Peace University – and pay cash!  That’s what we’ll be doing!  Read my previous article about driving free cars and retiring rich – where I talk about just that – saving for your next used car.
  • Make sure the car is insured:  Make sure to call your insurance company and check rates for the cars you’re looking at, and inform them once you do buy a new car.  Don’t let the insurance lapse!  Check insurance rates with other companies when you buy a new car, it may be as good a time as any to save some money on your insurance rates.

Other Used Car Shopping Resources

Here are a few other good articles with tips on buying a used car, in no particular order:

So what is your used car buying tip?  Have a good or a bad experience buying a used car?  Leave us a comment here and tell us about it!

Related Posts

Source: biblemoneymatters.com

Apache is functioning normally

Part One: Avoiding Pitfalls when Buying Shitloads of Stuff

Mr. Money Mustache amongst his favorite elements (sunshine, tools, dirt), setting steel posts for a fancy fence.

The New Old House project is going very well, thanks for asking. Slowly, if you measure the progress by any sort of professional standard, but very well, if you consider the fact that I am having an absolute blast working through it bit by bit.

“What a fine life this is”, I thought to myself this week, as I stood out on my spacious new concrete patio which overlooks the park, cutting out some elaborate wooden forms with a high-end cordless jigsaw. It was a very warm day, and the bright sun shining sideways from its winter solstice position lit up the whole scene like a glowing postcard. There have been many moments like this, where the deep satisfaction of solving tricky puzzles and building something big takes over my whole mind and makes me smile and chuckle to myself like a fool.

It’s not all Nailguns and Roses of course, as there have been plenty of obstacles along the way. The complex design required a lot of sourcing of tricky materials (including almost 3000 pounds of gigantic steel beams which I have been cutting and welding all week). The byzantine regulations of the 2012 International Building Code added some troubles as well, especially when interpreted by an overworked and under-motivated crew of building inspectors who often don’t return calls and emails. And my own juggling of family, friends, and construction time has resulted in a very lax work schedule. But with no looming deadlines or financial constraints and the reassurance that I have done this all before, I have had the luxury of taking each thing in stride and working through it, one call, email, and shovel at a time.

The other challenge is the odd feeling of suddenly becoming one of the biggest consumers in town. Almost every day I have to buy stuff. Tools, materials, and supplies are needed in abundance for a project like this, and so I’ve spent about $20,000 in the past three months. On top of all that steel, there is a huge pile of engineered lumber taking up most of the back driveway and more deliveries on the way. I try to remind myself that it’s an investment, and the money will be returned many times over when we sell our current house (this downsizing will free up over $100,000, even after all these renovation costs). But I still see the trucks and forklifts, steel and wood, cardboard and plastic wrap, and can’t help but notice that for now I am chewing up a huge share of my own planet just to build myself a dwelling.

Renovation is always an expensive and complex affair, but I am making a bigger effort than ever this time to take the edge off of it. I am investing extra time and effort to cut the cost and material waste involved in this project, and I thought it would be worthwhile to share some of the results with you, as a mid-project update.

Designing to Reduce Ridiculousness

When faced with a blank slate, most would-be homeowners try to cram in every possible idea and feature. “It would be nice if the kids could each have their own ensuite bathroom, and I really want that dedicated closet just for my shoes this time.” We have felt the same temptation to chase perfection, but are working to suppress it. We avoided the usual urge to add floor space to this house, and instead just re-partitioned the existing space more efficiently. After all, you only have one body and thus can only use one room at a time. Whenever any room sits unused, it consumes your resources while returning no benefit.

There’s also philosophy to consider: by now, you and I both know that adding more luxury to one’s living arrangements will not produce a happier life. But houses can still bring happiness when they meet needs: shelter, a place for family and friends to gather regularly, and a location close enough to amenities that you don’t need to engage in the proven happiness destroyer of car commuting in order to live there.  Since my old house already met these needs, any project like this one must be about the journey itself. The effort, hard work, and overcoming of obstacles must be its own reward.  This is definitely true for me, plus there is the endpoint of greater wealth and ongoing satisfaction of being surrounded by things I’ve built myself.

With the design mostly in place, it was time to go in search of materials. Before even beginning the shopping I was able to decrease the quantity of steel and wood required by negotiating down a few structural details with the engineer. Then I sent the design to a lumber supplier, and reviewed the resulting parts list with a fine-toothed comb to reduce waste and find less material-intensive ways to get the required strength. This was a tedious exercise that involved no rewarding sunshine or adventures with power tools, but it sliced almost $2000 from the budget right away. Smaller designs are generally smarter ones.

 Craigslist Does it Again

Through Craigslist, I found an old steelyard that was going out of business in downtown Denver. There, I was able to buy about 40% of the steel beams I needed for the project, at only one fifth of the price of new steel. They were odds and ends which were of no use to the typical large commercial buyer of this product, so this find was a big score for both wallet and ec0 footprint.

By removing all seats (even front passenger) from my van, I was able to carry 1200 pounds of 13-foot segments safely home from Denver.

Reuse and Recycle

I sold the old dishwasher and fridge from the house to free up space and cash. And now I’m making a daily visit to the “Materials” section of Craigslist to scoop up any workable materials and appliances for the new design, displacing the need for newly purchased ones whenever possible.

I tore out whe whole failing spaghetti-network of copper and cast iron pipes from the crawlspace and rebuilt it with PEX and ABS, then took the whole 500-pound lot of the old stuff down to the metal recycling center so it could be melted down and re-used. They gave me a check for $108 for the copper.

And I’ve been reclaiming every 2×4 from torn-down walls and meticulously stripping out nails so I can reuse the classy old-growth Fir elsewhere. While this may not be time-efficient when new studs are only $2.88, it just feels like the right thing to do when I consider the reduction of trash and the decrease in new material purchases.

I’m also making occasional stops at the recycled building materials store, and the most amazing find so far was a brand new $500 modern-style sink with the “Lowe’s Display” sticker on it, marked down to $100 – including tax. It looks very similar to this one:

Score! A high-bling/high-quality sink for very close to free.

Discounts on Materials

If you go to the Pro desk at Home Depot or another retailer and tell them you are building a house, they will often offer some fine incentives on your larger orders. 10% off, free delivery, and price matching even on obscure items like custom windows from a brand they don’t even carry.  In my area, if you have a building permit in hand you can get a reduction in the sales tax rate as well, saving hundreds more.

A Quick Credit Card Hack

To allow easier tracking of the total cost of this project, I decided to open a new, dedicated credit card just for this house. We chose the Chase Sapphire Preferred card because of its ridiculous $400 signing bonus, followed by an ongoing 1% cash back. I also took the opportunity to get a new card for my business (which in turn owns this blog) – the Chase Ink Bold which kicked in another $500*. Both of these cards require a certain amount of spending within the first 90 days to qualify for the bonus, but with house and blog-related spending currently very high, it was an ideal time to do something that is normally a bit of a hassle. With the frugal theme of this project, making the time to scoop another $900 out of the air seemed fitting.

An IKEA Kitchen

The kitchen cabinets are often the most expensive part of a renovation like this, and I have heard a $10,000 cabinet set referred to as “cheap” by my fellow builders. But there is a secret: IKEA sells assemble-it-yourself cabinets that come with top-the-line front finishes and hardware, at less than half the price of special-order or custom cabinets. On top of this, we placed our order during the November kitchen sale for a further 20% discount. Mrs. Money Mustache did most of the design and ordering work, we paid IKEA $144 to hand-pick and deliver our complex order (saving us a 120-mile roundtrip drive and a day of painful shopping) and she is now assembling the cabinets with expert craftswomanship in one of the spare bedrooms. Savings on our rather elaborate kitchen: at least $7,000.

My sketches of the kitchen design. Note the 12-foot-high wall of South-Facing windows above the sink, so I can get a tan while doing dishes in the winter.

Mrs. Money Mustache builds a drawer unit for the new kitchen

DIY, Friends, and Barter

The most obvious cost-saving measure available for homeowners is of course doing most of the work ourselves. “Easier said than done”, is a common refrain among the uninitiated, but “It’s much more fun than it sounds” is what those of us in the know say in response. I had a good handle on most of the trades from past experience, but  in a project this large, there is always more to learn.

One of the first projects I dug into, for example, was replacing the whole electrical service of the house. Sure, I had done plugs and switches before, and even wiring runs and breaker boxes. But here I wanted to tear out the antiquated aerial line that dangled ominously across the back yard, entering through a crusty old hole in the shingles to feed a tragic 6-circuit service panel from over half a century ago. This would clean up the appearance of the house, as well as getting wires out of places they should not be, facilitating the upcoming roof framing.

Before: crappy wire dangles right next to back door.

It took some work: I had to coordinate the power company, the building inspector, and the labor of myself, some Mustachians who stopped by to help out on my birthday, and some gracious free advice from an electrician friend I also met through this blog. Research, phone calls, digging a deep 40-foot-long trench, running thick wires through unforgiving PVC conduit, and installing a meter panel on the outside and a breaker panel inside all took me a good several days of hard effort. I had to sledgehammer an 8-foot-long copper grounding rod into solid earth until its head was flush with the soil. But in the end, I learned in intricate detail exactly how to build out an electrical service from the ground up, and saved a few thousand dollars as a secondary reward. Today the power company hooked up my new system for the first time and cut down the old wire. As soon as they left, I plugged my construction radio into one of my brand-new outlets, cranked up the volume, and danced.

After: My spiffy install job is capped by a new digital meter with Zero kilowatt hours on the clock. Ahh, new beginnings.

This project has also provided the opportunity for some enjoyable barter with friends who are also working on their own houses. We exchange work visits with each other, where my electrical knowledge earns credits towards their framing or painting skill.

Early in this project, this group of volunteer Mustachians stopped by to help destroy this room, among other things. (At least I was able to pay them with beers and dinner at my place)

Finally, I accepted a crazy offer from a reader that is a mirror image of the Carpentourism trip I took to Hawaii last winter. An entrepreneurial young guy is driving out from California and showing up here on January 4th – in exchange for free rent, food, and an education in building houses, he will be working alongside me roughly full time during the weeks (and teaching snowboarding in the mountains on the weekends). The idea sounded just ridiculous enough to work, so we’re going for it and it will surely be a winner in all directions.

And that’s just part one. In future episodes of the New House Chronicles, we will cover “Getting Bids and Herding Cats”, “How to Do Anything Yourself”, “Building a Bathroom From Scratch”, “The Radiant Heat at 90% off Experiment”, and many more topics as they come to mind (requests?). This house project is a big and very fun part of my life these days, so you will find it creeping into the pages of MMM as well.

 *While I can happily recommend these two cards since I have had good experiences with them myself, do watch out for the annual fee which kicks in after a year (I tend to cancel mine and then repeat the process the following year). Also, once you get the card, go to https://dnmoptions.chase.com/, and un-check all the ridiculous opted-in choices for extra spam. All credit card companies do this, but I have found immediately opting out keeps my snail mailbox blissfully empty. At least the Chase implementation is quick and efficient. See this blog’s credit cards page for more details.

Source: mrmoneymustache.com

Apache is functioning normally

By Peter Anderson 2 Comments – The content of this website often contains affiliate links and I may be compensated if you buy through those links (at no cost to you!). Learn more about how we make money. Last edited December 4, 2017.

This past month or so we’ve been highlighting savings tips for the summer, and we’ve talked about things like saving on food, saving at the movies, saving on summer travel and so much more (see the links below).

Before we end this summer savings series, however,  I thought it would be nice to highlight some of the summer savings tips that were submitted by our readers during our contest. There are some good ones here:

Summer Savings Tips From Our Readers

Here are a few of the tips our readers sent in on ways to save money this summer.

  • Joey – My summer savings tip – Use coupons when buying my groceries. Every little saving makes a difference.
  • The Happy Rock – Get your air conditioning unit checked and tuned up to help save on energy costs.
  • otherdeb – Know that bicycle that’s been moldering against your back porch/in your attic/in your garage, etc? Get it out, get it checked over, and start using it for local errands!
  • Rachel – For a cheap sun burn treatment that won’t require an extra trip to the pharmacy, freeze some of the lotion you already have on hand on a piece of tin foil. Once it’s frozen, it cools and soothes the burn and also moisturizers to ease peeling and blistering. Works great too for those who are allergic to Aloe Vera like me! Source: top10pharma.net
  • Sam – Turn you thermostat up to 80 and use your ceiling fans or box fans.We also turn off the AC at night and just use our ceiling fans.
  • finaidgirl – Since we’re moving 1000+ miles with a car and moving truck, I’m concentrating on more gas-friendly driving habits, like driving the speed limit or slower, braking more slowly and steadily, not idling, and paying to tune up the car before the trip to prevent any big issues from happening on the way.
  • RachaelfromNJ – Sometimes items that you own just need a good cleaning and they will look like brand new. Alot of men don’t realize that their baseball caps can be cleaned, in the dishwasher. Go to any Walmart, Target, Footlock, or any store that sells hats and you can get this plastic thing to put the hat in and all you have to do is place it in the dishwasher to clean it. It will make the hat nice and clean and save your man alot of money in buying a new hat everytime it gets dirty!
  • ThatOneCaveman – Vacation in or near your hometown. There are often a lot of cheap or free ways to entertain yourself – you just have to look for them. We’ll be visiting a few local museums (free entrance + free air conditioning), the zoo, the lake, and a few parks this summer – all for free!
  • Cindy – I’m saving money in a number of ways this summer. The first way is riding my motorcycle to work every day it’s not raining. I use about half the gas I would in my small car.
    Some of my co-workers, who live closer than I do, are riding thier bikes to work. That’s free and they’re getting excercise to boot, a double benefit.
  • Diana Corlett – Combine going green with economizing. Be inventive…come up with new ways to use and re-use. Repair what you have instead of throwing it away and buying new. Make a hobby out of garage sales…you never know what treasure you might find.
  • Christin – Dry your laundry on a rack outside. This saves $$ and your clothes will last longer too!
  • Mercedes – This summer I have decided to quit driving my kids around for activities and stay local. I have been lucky to have found things to do in the small town that I live. So far I love this simple summer life. I am kicking back and enjoying the nice weather without a hectic lifestyle.
  • Melinda – Continue to start our summer vacation (December here) 2 weeks before summer school holidays officially begin. No crowds at the amusement parks, lower airfares & greater discounts on accommodation
  • Morgan – Go on a long walk with your significant other on a nice summer evening. This is a great way to get exercise, communicate, and not spend money.
  • Bunny – Use ceiling fans instead of AC. Dry your laundry outside under the sun. Go to the parks for nice family outings.
  • EL – My summer savings tip is to use the community pool, if you have one. It’s a great, cheap outing for hot days, great exercise, and keeps you from using the air conditioner.
  • Lauren – I’ve planted a vegetable garden to help save money at the grocery store, not only for the summer, but into the fall and winter months as well thanks to the joy that is freezing and canning!
  • CelticBuffy – 1)Keep the ceiling fans going to make the house feel cooler.
    2)Close the curtains on sun-facing windows to cut down on the amount of heat coming into the house
    3) Grill out or eat “cool” evening meals as using the oven can really heat up the house.
  • Mrs.Micah – My tip is to try wearing as little as possible indoors to help keep the need for a/c down. We didn’t turn ours on until mid-June when a heat wave hit DC and I found this a useful part. Of course, if you have kids what you can get away with is probably warmer than what you can if you don’t have kids. And it requires shutting the blinds/curtains, but that’s probably a good idea anyway for reducing heat in the house.
  • Donna V -My husband and I have been trying to save money on our date nights this summer. We love going to the movie theater and have saved money by going on Saturday before noon when tickets are $4-5 depending on the theater.
  • Shawna – My tip – hang dark colored sheets/blankets over your windows to prevent the sun from coming in and warming it up too much inside (and prevent the AC from running too much). I take push pins and put one on each side of the window at the top, then I take binder clips and put one on each side of the blanket and hang them that way so that it is easy to take them down. The setting sun really heats up some of my rooms and I do this with success.
  • Christopher – Go out and have a family day. Go to the zoo, the park, the beach, or another inexpensive place. Pack a picnic lunch to avoid the overpriced concession stands. Play games like volley ball or baseball, build a sand castle, or ride the swings.

So there you have it!  Submit your own tips in the comments below!

Money Saving Posts From The Summer Savings Series

Have your own tips?  Leave a comment with your tip, or a link to your own post!

Related Posts

Source: biblemoneymatters.com

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Whether you’re thinking about selling your home or buying a new home, take a week this January to clear your clutter. Why? It will save you time, energy, and money when you sell or move. You won’t have to spend your time packing things and paying to move things that you no longer even want. Not to mention, a clean clear home is an invitation to any buyer to picture their own stuff inside.

Put it in your calendar

You might not look forward to clutter clearing like you look forward to a spa day, but if you can get in your calendar, the likelihood of you actually doing it goes way up.  Small projects can be done in 1–2 hours, medium-size projects need 2–4 hours, and large projects take a full day or a weekend.

Choose a small starter project

Small projects (1–2 hrs) Medium projects (2–4 hrs) Large projects (full day)
Junk Drawer Kitchen drawers Garage
Kitchen countertop Master closet Kitchen pantry
Linen closet Filing cabinet Storage areas
Coat closet Bathroom cabinets Office

Start with a small project your first day and use The ART of Letting Go e-book, a simple process for releasing unwanted items that are difficult to organize. The ART of letting go, by Clear & Simple organizer Marla Dee, will give you tested tools to help you move through small, medium, and large projects, as well as a list of favorite resources. For more help, consider The ART of Letting Go e-course.

Set up an organizing staging area

Set up a staging area in each room by clearing other items out of that area. This lets you start each project with a clean, open area. And that makes the whole process emotionally lighter and easier.

Donate

Not everything is meant for the trash. Some items have lasting value, even if you no longer need them in your life. Choose an agency you care about and want to support. This will make letting go easier. In fact, we encourage you to sort into three piles: trash, recycle, and donate).

Have fun

Get together with friends or family, put on music, get in comfy clothes, have snacks handy. It can be fun and freeing to let it all go (figuratively speaking, of course).

Hush your inner perfectionist

Be realistic and let go of perfection.  If you clear even one layer of your clutter you will still have less to deal with. You will find that once you get started you will be inspired to do another area.

Get help for the hard stuff

We all have things that are “loaded” for us. It could be your dad’s book collection, your mother’s china collection, or your grown children’s things. Get neutral or professional help for the loaded areas. Don’t try to tackle these on your own. Marla Dee, a professional organizer for over 18 years, says that clients always think they will have more time later to deal with their clutter. “If I could just take a month (or year) off the rest of life I could deal with this clutter.” That time never comes.

Ready, set, start. And know that everything you clear before you move is saving you time, energy, and money during and after your move. And chances are good that a clear, organized space will bring a higher offer than a cluttered, messy one.

Source: homie.com

Apache is functioning normally

Turn your apartment into Santa’s workshop to provide proof that Santa is real this holiday season. Here’s how.

The ho-ho-holidays are here and it’s time to start making a list and checking it twice. The little ones are anxiously awaiting Santa’s arrival to see if they made the naughty or nice list and parents want to keep that magic alive and prove that Santa is real.

So, how do you make your kids believe that Santa did in fact make a special trip from the North Pole to your apartment? From special wrapping paper to reindeer tracks, we’ve prepared a (nice) list of ways for you to prove that Saint Nick and his elves are real.

How to make it look like Santa visited your apartment with 11 easy hacks

The lore of Santa Claus is one of the most beloved Christmas traditions. It’s more than just the gifts he leaves behind; it’s the anticipation and the magic of believing he is real. Caregivers and parents alike can use a few pro hacks to bring remnants of Santa’s workshop to the apartment.

1. Eat the cookies

It might be the oldest trick in the book, but it’s crucial that you have the kids leave out a plate of Santa’s favorite cookies on Christmas Eve and then leave an empty cookie plate behind come Christmas morning.

If you have kids that are skeptical, consider leaving out cookies you dislike and would never eat. When the cookie plate has been licked clean, the kids may believe that it was indeed St. Nicholas as you would never eat a sugar cookie with extra frosting and sprinkles.

2. Coordinate with your apartment neighbors to leave clues around the complex

When you live in an apartment, you might not have full access to a yard to leave proof of Santa outside. However, you can coordinate with other parents or neighbors on your floor or in your building to leave undeniable proof that Santa is real.

For example, you work together to leave a trail of Santa’s footprints down the hall. Or, you could all go to the common outdoor area and plot to make it look like the reindeer watched over the sleigh in the night.

Regardless of what you do, coordinating with other neighbors in the apartment is a fun way to extend the pretense that Santa is real.

3. Make Santa’s footprints

If you have a fireplace or chimney in your apartment, you can make fake Santa footprints and leave them near the fireplace and Christmas tree. If you don’t live in a place with a fireplace, don’t sweat it! You can leave footprints close to the Christmas tree and presents or even get extra festive and leave a trail from one door to the next in the hallway to show that he visited everyone in the building.

All you need to do is take some flour or powdered sugar, dip a large shoe in it and pat it down like footprints up and down the hallway. Your children will know that mom and dad never have messy feet or shoes in the house so it’s obviously Father Christmas leaving snowy footprints behind.

4. Sprinkle red glitter outside

We all know that Rudolph guided the sleigh that snowy night, so it’s fun to leave a little proof of that special reindeer’s visit. Take some red glitter and sprinkle it outside in spots where the reindeer sleigh was parked. You can take your kids outside and show them the remnants of Rudolph’s red nose.

5. Make sled tracks in the snow

If you live in a city where you’ll have a white Christmas, you can leave sleigh tracks in the snow as proof that Santa is real. Take a 2×4 and drag it through the snow to make it appear as if the sleigh touched down, parked for a bit and then took off again. When you live in an apartment, you’ll want to do this magic trick in a common area and explain to the kids that he parked here so he could deliver the gifts to all of the children in the building.

6. Feed the reindeer

We leave out cookies and milk for Saint Nick, but the reindeer get hungry, too. On Christmas Eve, leave out a box of carrots or celery for the reindeer. When the kiddos are fast asleep, chomp up and split out some veggie remnants so it looks as if the flying creatures had a midnight snack. This is another hack that’s great to coordinate with other apartment caregivers.

7. Send a note from Santa himself

All of the children write and send Santa a letter with their wish lists, but how often does Santa respond? In the weeks leading up to Christmas Day itself, get a holiday postcard and mail it to your own house addressed to your children. Have a friend or neighbor write the note so it’s different handwriting and have the postcard say that Santa received the wishlist and he and his elves are busy making the presents. This can be a fine way to go the extra mile and build anticipation for Christmas Day.

8. Play “Elf on the Shelf”

Leading up to Christmas Day, you can participate in the fun game of Elf on the Shelf. The pesky little creature from the North Pole can leave little treats around your apartment in the 12 days leading up to Christmas. Your kids will love searching for and finding that tricky elf each day counting down to Christmas.

9. Jingle bells on Christmas Eve

If you’ve ever seen The Polar Express, you know that the sound of bells is significant. When your children are tucked into bed and dozing off, ask a neighbor to jingle some bells near the window or door that the children can hear. The children will see that both parents are in the house and have a clear picture in their heads of the sleigh landing nearby and Mr. Claus eagerly waiting to place the presents under the tree.

10. Use Santa’s special wrapping paper

At Santa’s workshop, there is a special wrapping paper, of course. When you’re leaving gifts for your kids, make sure to use different wrapping paper and hide the remnants of Santa’s wrapping paper. You can wrap all of the gifts from you in one kind and from Santa in another. And for kids who are scrutinous of everything, make sure you sign gifts from Santa in very different handwriting so the sleuths won’t figure it out.

11. Catch Santa in the act

Last but not least — maybe most extravagant — is to actually catch Santa in the act. This trick requires a lot of careful planning and support, but it can be exciting if you do it just right.

You can use apps like Capture the Magic or I Caught Santa or do it yourself, but the point is to have someone dress up as Santa and have your children actually see him in the act of leaving presents under the Christmas tree. How can you deny Santa’s existence when you see him with your own two eyes? Have the kids snap a picture, too, as proof that Santa is real.

Did Santa Claus visit your home before returning to the North Pole?

Most children want to believe that Santa is real for as long as possible. And parents love to see the magic of Christmas come alive on Christmas morning. Whether you try one or all of these hacks to provide proof that Santa is real, you’re bound to have a magical experience on Christmas morning as your kids are busy checking out what the elves made for them this year. Cheers to another happy holiday season!

Source: rent.com

Apache is functioning normally

Some people are meticulous cleaners. One speck of dust, one object out of place makes their skin crawl. They usually have good tidying habits – cleaning as you go. Picking things up from the floor. Having a consistent cleaning schedule. Sadly, I am not one of those people. I tend to put off cleaning until the chore just absolutely has to be done. But maybe, just maybe, if I had really pretty cleaning tools in my arsenal, I might be more inclined to keep the dust at bay. A girl can dream. Whether you love to clean or absolutely loathe it, these design-driven cleaning tools will make a dirty job much more pleasant.

SHOP

1 feather duster / 2 copper scrubbers / 3 dish soap / 4 small duster / 5 shoe shine brush / 6 all-surface spray / 7 detergent / 8 sweeper and funnel

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Source: apartment34.com

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Interior design goes beyond simply accessorizing a house with decorations. Anyone can decorate a home or property, but learning how to design an interior properly is a different skill set altogether.

Interior design enhances the beauty, functionality, and style of a property with the intent of making it instantly more appealing to guests and visitors.

For a real estate investor, interior design functions as a hook; a well-designed property entices visitors and makes it easier to picture themselves living in the property. It pulls potential buyers in, and makes them go, “Aha! I could live here!”

In this short article, we’ll look at four uses of interior design for the real estate investor. These are all ideas that you’ll be able to apply to your own investments. We’ll conclude with a short list of practical tips and tricks.

Add value

A simple real estate rule applies across the board: a well-designed interior adds value to your property.

Some of this may come in the form of actual furnishings with a tangible value that has been added to the residence; it may also come in an intangible form — your ability to sell the property for more because of the well-designed interior.

Apply beauty strategically

A beautiful interior can increase your home’s value, but it has to be a well-applied beauty. Interior design isn’t a matter of filling your property with all the pretty things you can find.

Apply the beauty strategically to gain the most benefit and have the most significant impact on potential buyers. 

Think strategically. One interior designer recommends always repainting the front door of the property. A fresh, clean-looking door makes a great statement even before your clients have entered.

That is the key to understanding interior design; be selective in the beautiful elements you incorporate to receive the maximum benefit.

Enhance appeal

If you’ve added value by incorporating strategically beautiful elements into your home, you’ll succeed in increasing the immediate appeal of the property to any potential buyers.

From the pictures in advertisements to their first impressions on entering the property, potential clients will see a beautiful and well-thought-out interior.

Good design speaks not only to a well-kept property but to the quality of presentation that your clients will appreciate as well.

The above ideas are general, big-picture concepts to keep in mind with your interior design. Below are several specific tips and tricks that will help with interior designing.

Interior design tips and tricks

  • Balance “splurges” and “saves”

A “splurge” is a big-budget item such as a designer table in the dining room or a statement chandelier in the main hall. A well-chosen splurge draws the eye and ties the room together, serving as a natural focal point. 

On the other hand, “saves” are the little design elements used to flesh out a room, from throw pillows to wall hangings, they can go a long way in interior decorating. You can go cheap on the saves and set aside more money for the splurges to maximize the “wow” factor without breaking your design budget.

  • Minimize clutter

Don’t decorate like someone who hoards everything. Often, more is not better when it comes to interior design, particularly for display properties; keep things simple and steer clear of countless small items which will just confuse the overall look of the room.

  • Feature upgrades

Two points here: first, when redesigning an old home, be sure to upgrade key fixtures and rooms, particularly the kitchen and bathroom. And second, capitalize on those upgrades by featuring those rooms more prominently. In the case of the kitchen especially, it may even be possible to draw attention to that room from other locations in the property, doubling-down on the benefits of your upgrades.

  • Avoid fads

Don’t decorate only according to the latest style; if you do, your interior design will soon look outdated. Go for time-tested, classic looks and design elements from mid-century modern influences, classic rustic farmhouse style, etc.

While not an exhaustive list, hopefully you find that the tips and principles listed above will help you increase the price and beauty of your property.

Keep reading

How to Successfully Integrate Smart Home Tech into a Home
How to Properly Furnish a Small Bedroom to Fit a Large Bed
How to Use Video Walls to Make Your Home More Entertainment-Friendly

Source: fancypantshomes.com

Apache is functioning normally

A couple years ago my wife and I set off on the journey of building our first home together. It was going to be our dream home.

To say that the process was a bit stressful is a slight understatement.

We both had an idea of what kind of house we wanted, but the location and the layout of our lot made it a bit more challenging.

We scoured through dozens of home books and on-line guides trying to find the perfect house plan.

We came very close, but never could find “the one”. That’s when we realized that we needed to hire an architect.

We were lucky that we knew a local architect Steve May of D.A.R.T Design so the decision process was very easy. If we hadn’t of known him, I could only imagine how difficult the hunt would be to find the perfect match for us.

To better assist you in selecting the right architect for your home building experience, I decided to interview him to find what things you need to know before you hire an architect. First, a little on his background (and a shameless plug):

Steve May has over 20 years of experience in the field of architecture, and has been a licensed architect for over 11 years. Steve began D.A.R.T. Design, Inc. in 2004. Prior to serving as the Owner and President of DART Design, Steve was a partner with Huff-May Architectural Group. Steve has extensive building code knowledge and is a member of the International Code Council.

1.    What did you do to become an architect?

Once I received my degree in architecture I started my internship with an architectural firm.  With my bachelors degree I was required to intern for 5 years prior to taking the Architectural Registration Exam (ARE).  Degrees such as a masters only requires 3 years of internship but it takes and additional 2 years to get your degree.

So in essence it takes about 9 years of schooling and internship to apply for the ARE.  The ARE, at the time I took the exam (there have since been changes) was 4 days long, had 9 parts and was given once a year in Chicago.

2.    Are there any special credentials that one should look for in hiring an architect?

Some architects specialize in certain fields of design.  If you are looking for an architect to design your hospital you would not want to hire one that specializes in airport design.  Although this is not always the rule, there are exceptions where a particular firm may work in many areas from schools to sporting venues.

When looking for an architect for your particular project you want to look for someone who has experience with projects of the same scope, and possibly an architect that has the same vision or style of building that you desire.

Most architects can provide services for simple projects of any size.

When the project starts to become more complex, then the owner should start looking for an architect that has experience with projects of the same scope or similar in complexity.

3.    What would one expect to pay when hiring an architect?

There are many variables that effect fees for projects.  Some factors are, but not limited to, location, size, complexity, scope of services and bidding process.

Generally fees are based on a percentage of the construction costs and can vary from 3% up to 15%.  A large project of simple complexity would be at the lower end and a small, complex project would be at the higher end.  Once you have a scope of work you can negotiate fees with your architect and those can be in the form of a percentage of construction costs or a fixed fee can also be requested.

Residential architectural fees can be altogether different depending on the location.  In some areas the law does not require an architect to provide drawings for residential construction.  There are areas where the municipality requires that all buildings including residential are required to be designed by a licensed architect.  Fees can increase when residential drawings are required to be stamped by a licensed architect.

4.    What are some telling signs on when to avoid hiring the wrong architect?

When an architect is not willing to listen to the client and utilizing their ideas that would be a good time to back up and reevaluate your architect.

Your architect should know what questions to ask their clients to gather the information they need to put together a schematic design for the facility.

Our clients are the most important part of our company. We strive to provide a facility for our clients that will suit their needs for today and into the future.  Whether it is a home or manufacturing facility the client and their ideas come first.  We pride ourselves on retaining our clients and the only way to do that is to provide them with exemplary service.

5.    With so many books and websites offering house plans, when would it be wise to hire an architect?

For residential your right, there are so many choices, and that can be confusing to lots of people.  Most of my clients have come to me with a couple different floor plan ideas and some pictures of some houses they like and ask me to mold them together.  They just cannot find one plan in a book that is what they really want.  Taking these ideas and producing a home that meets their ideas and personal tastes is usually the hardest part of the process.  A process that provides us with the most satisfaction.

When you hire an architect is really up to the individual and the type of project, although I would say the sooner the better.  The architect can help from the very start, even when it comes to picking out the best site for your home.

The sooner you pick an architect, the better I think the project will go.  The architect will not only help in the design and drawings of your facility but with the bidding process and selection of contractor.  The architect can also be involved during the construction process to make sure that things are being built to the plans and specifications that were provided.

6. Is there anyway to do any background checks on architects before you hire them?

I am unaware of any “background” checks that you can do for architects. There are many associations out there such as the ALA and the AIA that a licensed architect can be a member of. This of course does not make them a good architect because all you have to do is be a licensed architect, in good standing, and pay your dues to join.

An individual can go to the licensing bureau of their state and check the license of the architect they wish to hire and make sure there are in good standing with the state.

The best way to choose your architect is to make sure they have done similar projects and check their previous work.

7. What should you do when you realize that you’ve hired a bad architect?

I would hope that this would not happen but there are architects that may not want to really listen and give the client what they want and instead push them towards what the architect wants. It is all about what makes the client happy and if they already have an idea of their needs than the architect should listen and design around those needs.

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If you find yourself dealing with an architect that does not “get” what you are looking for than that is the time to cut the cord. Pay them for the time they have invested and move on.

Don’t hesitate and hope things get better, they most likely won’t. You want someone that will work with you and guide you in the design process and make good suggestions not push you in a direction that is not comfortable. This is a large expenditure for you and you want something that you will be happy with.

8. What sort of information should someone already have before working with an architect to make sure they get the house they really want?

I have seen all kinds of things come through my door, some better than others, but most have an idea of what they want. I would say that some of the main things to discuss with your architect would be; budget, site plan, list of wants/needs.

If you have these items than you have a good start. Most people come in with a floor plan that almost meets their needs but needs some modifications. This is helpful in some cases and a hindrance in others. I like to have a clean slate and mold the client ideas into the house that they really want.

Before going to talk with an architect do a little research to get an idea of what an architect can do for you. There are many blogs, including mine, that can give you many ideas of what can be expected. From just doing some floor plans and elevations, to helping pick out the site, to finding a contractor, to construction observation and everything in between, there are many services that we as architects can provide.

9. What do you charge to do house plans?

This is the biggest question people ask me. All that depends on the level of services that the client chooses. The more services that the architect provides the less headaches the client has.

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Thank you Steve for the insightful interview!  I hope that helps someone in their quest in building their first home and finding the right architect for the job.

Source: goodfinancialcents.com

Apache is functioning normally

For those living with ADHD, you know it can be difficult just getting out of the house in the morning. ADHD comes with a set of challenges, including (but not limited to) trouble concentrating, being fidgety, acting without thinking, and being unable to sit still. It also means there is often so much going on inside your brain that you can easily become distracted. While it’s manageable with medication and other coping skills, setting yourself up with a good routine at home can make all the difference between a morning spent running around in circles and things running smoothly. One TikToker with ADHD shared her four tips for making things easier at home through home design—these home decor hacks are simple, easy to follow, and can make a big difference.

Design for organization

TikToker The_avantgarde (Julie Sousa) posted the video sharing her tips and tricks, and it’s easy to see why so many people have liked and commented. Her first tip for staying organized is one we can all use—ADHD or not. Instead of throwing clothes (both clean and dirty) on your bedroom chair or floor, buy a two-sided laundry basket. One side is for dirty clothes that need to be washed, and the other is for clean clothes that need to be put away. It makes hectic mornings a little bit easier to manage and you can guarantee you won’t wear yesterday’s socks.

The next tip on Sousa’s list is an easy trick to make sure she takes her vitamins. We’re all guilty of getting to the end of the day and wondering if we remembered to take our daily vitamins. She puts them next to her toothbrush so when she wakes up in the morning, she’ll see them and get an instant reminder to take them before she brushes her teeth.

The next tip is for getting a good night’s rest. Sousa said she uses ambient lighting on either side of her bedroom mirror, in her living room, and near the front door so she can get a good night’s sleep but still have light to find things in a rush.

Keep everything in one place

Finally, and most importantly, establishing one station for keeping the most important items is key. She puts them on hooks on the back of her bedroom door, so she can easily locate keys, wallets, purses, umbrellas, and other items she may need before she leaves the house. This saves time and frustration from wandering around the house trying to locate missing items.

The key to managing some of the stress that comes with ADHD is staying organized and knowing that when you go to look for something, it’s there waiting for you. Following Sousa’s home design tips is a great way to stay on top of things at home and set yourself up to have a good day.

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Source: 21oak.com