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5 Tips to Protect Finished Home Furnishings

Furnishing your home can be expensive—especially when you have a lot of square footage to cover. But the truth is, no matter how much you spend, no furniture is immune to damage. Protect your investment with these tips, courtesy of Gina Moss, manager of technical training at Furniture Medic.

• If you incorporate scented candles or oils into your home’s décor, be sure that each candle or oil product is kept on a tray or in a holder. This not only protects your finished surfaces from spills, but also prevents any dye discoloration or damage to the finish.

• When arranging décor in the kitchen or dining room, avoid using plastic or vinyl placements in your tablescape. The chemicals from the mats can leave an imprint or “ghost image” on the finish.

• If you often purpose non-food-safe furniture as a buffet table or serving station, use trivets, thick oven mitts or dish towels underneath hot casserole dishes to protect your finished surfaces from white-spotting

• Drink coasters aren’t just for the ultra-paranoid. Use coasters of all shapes and sizes around your home to protect finished surfaces from dreaded water rings.

• When cleaning your home, be careful not to leave damp towels, wash cloths or paper products soaked in cleaning fluid on finished wood surfaces. If they are left too long, it can lead to permanent white spots and discoloration.

Source: Furniture Medic

Helpful Tips for Moving With Pets

People move for all sorts of reasons, and while some moves can boast exciting opportunities, even a move under the best circumstances can be unbearably stressful. Transitioning to a new home can be hard on the furry members of your household, as well. Thankfully, there are measures you can put in place to make your next move as smooth as possible for your pets.

Board Your Pet on Moving Day
Ideally, you will not keep your pet around on moving day. The chaos can be stressful for your pet and you likely won’t give your pet the attention it will want or need. Movers can also let out your pet unintentionally. Avoid this by boarding your pet or asking a trusted friend or family member to pet sit.

Keep an Essentials Box
Just as you should keep essentials with you during a move so that you have vital items, if your moving truck is lost or delayed, it can be helpful to create the same essentials box for your pet. Include any prescriptions, favorite toys, familiar items and their bed. 

Make it Familiar
You may not be able to explain to Fido why you left your old house, but you can make their new home feel familiar right away. Set up a small area with your pet’s toys, food and bed. Keep daily rituals as similar as possible. Particularly for outdoor cats, allow them to get acclimated to a bedroom or smaller space before letting them rule the roost.

Fill Out the Paperwork
Moving comes with a lot of paperwork, but don’t forget to add your pet’s files to the mix. Update their tags or microchip information to the new address and phone number and request that your previous vet transfer records to a local clinic.

Why You Shouldn’t Drain Your Savings Account to Cover a Down Payment

If you want to buy a home, you’ll probably need to make a substantial down payment. Putting down 20 percent can help you avoid paying hundreds of dollars each month for private mortgage insurance. You may be thinking about using all the money in your savings account for a down payment, but that could be a big mistake.

Emergencies and Repairs
You could lose your job or become unable to work because of an illness or injury at any time, or a family member could be unable to work or have unexpected medical bills. That’s why you should always have an emergency fund with enough money to cover at least three months’ worth of living expenses.

When you rent an apartment, you can call the landlord or maintenance department to fix any problem. When you own a house, the responsibility for repairs and maintenance falls squarely on you. Many people are unprepared for the total cost of homeownership. Having money set aside in a savings account for repairs and maintenance is much better than paying bills with a high-interest credit card.

The house you bought might need renovations to make it a comfortable or safe place to live. Upgrades could easily cost tens of thousands of dollars. You wouldn’t be able to fund these projects with savings if you emptied your account to pay for a down payment. Using a high-interest credit card could leave you overwhelmed with debt and unable to afford your mortgage.

Liquidity
A savings account can be accessed at any time. When money is tied up in a house, it can be harder to utilize. If you suddenly encountered a financial problem, it would be much easier to withdraw money from your savings account than to get a home equity loan or line of credit, especially if you just recently bought your house and didn’t have much equity.

Other Priorities
You probably have other financial goals that are as important, if not more important, than buying a house. High-interest credit card debt could take up a huge chunk of your monthly earnings, and high balances could make it difficult or impossible to buy a house or car with a favorable interest rate. The sooner you pay off your credit cards, the better off you’ll be in the long run. Retirement savings grow over time through compounded interest. If you haven’t started investing for retirement, you should before you buy a house.

Take a Balanced Approach
Buying a house is a major investment. It can be tempting to put all your savings toward a down payment, but you should also focus on other priorities and be prepared for the unexpected. Make sure you are building an emergency fund, paying down debt, and saving for retirement, and consider delaying a home purchase, if necessary, to keep your priorities in balance.

This article is intended for informational purposes only and should not be construed as professional or legal advice.

How to Keep Pets Safe during a Remodel

Your pets may not be top of mind when you’re starting a new remodeling project, but if your dog gets out or your cat runs away – it can add a whole lot of stress to the job. Here are some easy tips to think about when remodeling a home with pets.

1. Plug any holes in the wall or floor. A curious animal can squeeze into a tiny space and quickly become scared or trapped.

2. Make sure your pet has a current ID or a microchip, in case they do get out.

3. Consider boarding your pet somewhere safe during a remodeling project.

4. Create a pet-safe room. Put them in your bedroom with food, water, a litter box and some new toys. It’s worth the additional cries or paws at the door to ensure their safety.

5. Make sure that any workers coming into your home are aware that you have pets.

Remember to make sure your pets have plenty of water, especially if you have dogs because when they are stressed, they tend to drink more. With many remodeling jobs there can be more dust in the air, so it’s important to make sure the water bowl is full and continually fresh.

Multigenerational Households Lead to Family Bonds That Last a Lifetime

Multigenerational living may seem daunting to any family used to having their own space and the freedom to come and go as they please, however, multigenerational households can provide a unique living experience to individuals of all ages. If you’re ready to take the plunge and invite Mom, Dad, your grown children or even grandchildren to live under your roof, it’s important to make sure everyone’s ready.

The following tips from AARP will ensure that your multigenerational household provides a positive experience for everyone.

-Whether you’re making room for your parents, grown children or even grandchildren to move in, take everyone’s needs into consideration. While needs will differ depending on the age of the individual, there are steps you can take to ensure that everyone is both safe and comfortable.

-Bring the entire family together before you’re all under the same roof to establish guidelines that everyone is comfortable adhering to. By talking about potential problem areas beforehand, you’ll avoid confrontation once everyone is sharing the same living space.

-While the kitchen and living room will undoubtedly function as shared space, it’s crucial that everyone have their own space as well. Living with extended family can be a great experience, but it’s important to remember that family members still need privacy.

-If you’re in the process of opening up your home to your parents, be sure to give them the opportunity to do things on their own. Filling their schedules with activities that you love may be overwhelming, so carve out time for them to make their own plans.

-As your household continues to grow, it becomes increasingly important to stick to a schedule. By establishing a sense of consistency with a normal routine, you’ll ensure that everyone is on the same page when it comes to the daily routine.

-Don’t get so caught up in your day-to-day routine that you neglect to let everyone interact. Schedule time for everyone to do things together and you’ll be on your way toward creating family bonds that will last a lifetime.

-When living in a multigenerational household, there are bound to be some bumps along the way. Instead of trying to plan for every possible situation, start off with a solid game and then tweak it as you go.

Source: AARP.org

Packing a Storage Unit? Don’t Forget to Strategize

Are you in the process of downsizing or looking to open up your home a bit? Self-storage units could be the answer you’re looking for. If you’re looking to move some belongings to storage, don’t forget—there’s an art to packing a storage unit! 

Use the Space Wisely. If you’re storing bigger items, take the time to break them down (if possible) in order to get the most use out of the space. This means disassembling tables, workout equipment, kitchen carts, etc.

Take Inventory. Good memory or not, you’re bound to forget every last item stored in the unit. Even if it only makes an appearance once every few years, you’ll want to remember where your fine china from Great Aunt Gertrude is when she comes calling.

Label Everything. If you plan to fill your storage unit up with boxes, be sure to label them so that you can quickly and easily identify what’s inside. It’s also important to make sure all labels are facing the same way.

Map It Out. In addition to making note of everything that’s stored in your storage unit, it’s a good idea to map out where everything is located. This way you can easily grab something when needed.

Place Items Strategically. Keeping like items together (or packing things according to which room or family member they belong to) is a simple way to add a level of organization to the process.

Leave a Walkway. For those renting a large self-storage unit, don’t forget to leave a walkway down the middle when filling the space with your belongings. Not only will this make it easy to grab things when you need them, it will keep you from having to climb over boxes and other items when you need to grab something from the back of the unit.