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Cut Your Electric Bill With Solar Panels

Michael Kling — Fri, 03 May 2013 10:24:34 +0000

Thinking about reducing your carbon footprint by going solar?

Besides helping the environment, installing solar panels can dramatically reduce your electric bills.

Solar panel installers say the panels can cut monthly electric bills by 50 to 90%. The Department of Energy confirms that a solar electric system can meet "nearly all the needs" of an energy-efficient home.

A two-kilowatt system could cost $16,000 to $20,000 including installation, or $8 to $10 per watt, according to the Department of Energy. Cheaper PV systems are available, but they only slightly cut electricity costs. At the high end, a five-kilowatt system that completely meets the energy needs of many conventional homes can cost $30,000 to $40,000 or $6 to $8 per watt, installed.

What's more, the cost of solar panels has fallen substantially in recent years, due to improving technology and low-cost imports. According to Clean Edge, a renewable energy research firm, solar costs for the panels themselves have dropped from $7.50 per watt to $2.50 since 2000.

In addition, photovoltaic, or PV, panels will protect you from rate increases in the future, which run at 4% or more a year, since the sun will never charge more for its power. That means 10 or 20 years from now the cost of electricity may have doubled, but you'll be getting your power for free or for very little.

Solar panels also increase the value of homes, so homeowners should get their investment back when they sell their homes. A Berkley Lab study of California homes found that homes with photovoltaic panels sold for a premium over homes without the panels.

How much you can save depends on how much sunshine you get, the solar system you install, the cost of electricity in your area, and how much electricity you use, all factors that vary widely.

If your utility has net metering, you'll be credited for excess energy the PV system creates during the day. In effect, your meter will run backwards. That means your electric bill could potentially be zero. In some areas, utilities may pay homeowners for excess energy.

Tax Credit Where Credit Is Due

Homeowners can currently obtain a federal tax credit for 30% of installation costs.

Many states also offer rebates and tax credits. Eligibility criteria, incentives, and installer equipment requirements vary widely. For listings of state, local, utility, and federal incentives, visit the National Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy (DSIRE). The Department of Energy also has a nifty online tool for finding state incentives for solar energy, as well as other alternative energy sources.

How Much Can You Save?

After getting quotes from installers and calculating the state and federal tax savings, use your past year's electric bills to estimate your savings.

Divide the installation costs after tax incentives by 25 years to find the system's annual cost, and compare the annual cost to last year's electric bill to estimate your savings. If you borrow money to pay for your solar system, take into account the interest you'll pay, too.

California, the largest solar energy market, is pushing PV panels in a big way with its Go Solar California campaign, a joint effort of the state's Energy Commission and the California Public Utilities Commission. The California Solar Initiative offers rebates to customers of its investor-owned utilities — Pacific Gas and Electric, Southern California Edison, San Diego Gas & Electric — with rebate amounts depending on the performance of the solar panels. All you need is roof or ground space that gets unobstructed sunlight from 11 a.m. to sunset year-round.

Customers of municipal utilities may also qualify for incentives through their municipal service providers. For the California Solar Initiative program, you first must complete an energy efficiency audit done through your utility's program manager. It can be done online or over the phone.

Buying Sunshine's Electricity on Credit

Installing a solar system may cost tens of thousands of dollars, but you might be able to lease the equipment with little or no money upfront. If you opt for leasing, you pay a fixed monthly fee, typically for 15 to 20 years, while the solar company maintains the panels. Solar leases, or third-party financing, is relatively new and is expected to energize the solar business, says a report from GTM Research. To date, leasing is available in 14 states, including California, Arizona, and Colorado.

A downside of leasing is that the company, not you, gets the federal tax credit. And you can't be certain the company maintaining the system will be around for 15 or 20 years, especially given the young solar industry's record of turmoil and bankruptcy.

Getting Started

In California, the state maintains a database of solar contractors who are eligible to apply for state incentives; other states may have similar programs. Talk to at least three installers. Ask about their warranties, how many systems they've installed, the average cost per watt they charge, the peak generating capacity, and the total cost including hardware, connecting to the grid, and permits.

The contractor will handle the state rebate paperwork. Utility customers get a monthly incentive based on the PV system's output, but owners of systems under 30 kilowatts are also eligible for an upfront rebate.

Other states also offer tax credits or rebates. For instance, Arizona, another sunny state, has a 25% tax credit for residents installing solar energy systems, up to $1,000, and Nevada offers a tax rebate of up to $12,500 for residential solar electric systems. Ask your utility company for referrals for installers.

So if you live in a sunny spot, you can say goodbye to rising electric bills while feeling good that you're doing something to help the environment.

Have you upgraded your home or property with solar panels? Are the savings meeting your expectations?

Written by Michael Kling and published on Wise Bread. Read more articles from Wise Bread.

Big Lessons From the Tiny House Movement

Kentin Waits — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 10:24:32 +0000

Have you heard the buzz about the tiny house movement or seen one moving down the road toward its new (semi) permanent home? If not, chances are you soon will. (See also: McMansion to McCottage: Why Smaller Houses Are Smarter)

The tiny house movement is a social movement in which people voluntarily reduce their living space in order to live more simply, to live debt-free, or to reduce their carbon footprint. Tiny homes come in all shapes and designs and are as varied as their occupants. Although there are no formal parameters, these houses can be fixed or on wheels and range in size from 250-400 square feet.

As the movement gains steam and evolves from a fringe curiosity to a full-blown phenomenon, I thought it might be interesting to explore what we’re learning from tiny houses and the lessons that continue to motivate new converts every day.

Smaller Can Be Better

According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the size of the average American home in 2012 was 2,480 square feet. Since the size of families is shrinking, one has to wonder what we’re doing with all that extra space. Is it really worth it to finance, heat, clean, and furnish rooms we don’t need? Tiny homes start conversations about expectations, wants, needs, and norms that we seldom explore.

Houses Are for People

We spend a lot of time and money building bigger to house more...things. The beauty and logic of the tiny house movement challenges the notion that our homes need to be large enough to warehouse our unchecked and always-growing inventory of stuff. The primary purpose of a home is to shelter people and — secondarily — the optimal amount of useful, beautiful, and sentimental objects that support and enrich our lives.

Simple Living Requires Constant Editing

The British craftsman and poet William Morris said, “If you want a golden rule that will fit everything, this is it: Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” Wise words.

Reaching that optimal level of “stuff” requires constant attention and editing — especially in tiny spaces. But isn’t editing something that should be happening anyway, regardless of the size of our homes? Do we really revel in stuffed closets, garages that no longer fit our cars, basements that look like the National Archives, attics that creak with the weight of dozens of storage bins? Tiny houses require us to do what larger houses let us neglect — minimize the material albatrosses we travel through life with.

Our Lives Are Mobile; Our Housing Should Keep Pace

Since I graduated college in 1992, I’ve lived in four different cities in three states, and for my peer group, that’s a relatively low number. Society is more mobile and adults are more transitory than ever before, but our housing options are still tethered to old social norms. Tiny houses offer ownership benefits that apartments can’t, design considerations that traditional mobile homes don’t, and financial flexibility that typical houses can’t come close to matching.

Prefab Can Be Fab

The reputation of prefab is changing. The old idea that prefabricated structures are quickly and cheaply tacked together is fading away.

Prefabricated tiny houses are designed, customized, and built with an unrivaled attention to detail and durability — often using reclaimed and repurposed materials. Their potential to revolutionize the way we build on a much broader scale shouldn’t be underestimated. With reduced waste, greater cost controls, and year-round climate-regulated building processes, the new prefab really is fab.

Design Matters

Optimizing the costs of any structure begins and ends with the maximizing the space within it. Many tiny homes feel much larger than their footprints because great care has been paid to design, space planning, and other efficiencies. Vaulted ceilings with sleeping lofts, Murphy beds, vertical storage, and versatile furnishings make every square foot matter. It’s a lesson that can be applied to any house, regardless of size.

Mortgage-Free Living Is Possible

Perhaps the most profound lesson we can take away from the tiny house movement is its lesson about debt-free living. Mortgage typically represents the single largest debt that most of us will ever face — one that will track and tax our financial freedom decade after decade. The notion that we can rethink our housing, still enjoy the benefits of home ownership, and reduce or completely avoid long-term debt should be sparking conversations across the country.

Maybe you’re not ready to downsize to a 250 square foot home — and I’m not sure that’s even the point. This style of living isn’t for everybody, but there are important lessons we can all learn from it. If we start reexamining the notions that more is always better than less, bigger is always preferable to smaller, debt is an unavoidable part of life, and traditional employment is necessary to fuel a constantly-expanding cycle of consumption, then the tiny house movement has challenged a narrative that is seldom questioned. And to me, that’s really big news.

Do you know someone who lives in a tiny house? Have you daydreamed about living small? Share your story below.

Written by Kentin Waits and published on Wise Bread. Read more articles from Wise Bread.

Make Your Own: Homemade Cleaning Wipes and Canister

POPSUGAR Smart Living — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 10:24:33 +0000

When there's a mess, instead of reaching for expensive cleaning wipes, make your own for less than a dollar. With the help of vinegar and liquid dish soap, your counters will sparkle without the use of harsh chemicals. And you'll love how this easy DIY can be made over and over with the help of a repurposed coffee canister. Made from all-natural ingredients that power through any mess, adding a few sprinkles of your favorite essential oil personalizes these eco-friendly cleaning wipes.

Keep reading for the easy directions.

What You'll Need

One-pound coffee canister with plastic lid
Paper towel roll
Sharp knife
1/2 cup vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup rubbing alcohol
1 teaspoon liquid dish soap
10 drops essential oil (optional)
Spray paint (optional)
Needle
Scissors

Directions

1. After picking up the ingredients for these homemade wipes, they cost just about nothing to make, which means you can have a can of wipes in every room of your home. Vinegar does an amazing job of cleaning up messes while naturally whisking away germs, preventing mold, and killing bacteria. And use your favorite dish soap, or make your own.

2. Repurposing an old coffee can for this DIY is a fun way to create a container that can be used over and over again. Either leave the can as is, or give it a quick coat of spray paint, inside and out, for a fun look and to keep the inside of the can from rusting.

3. To create the cleaning wipes, cut the paper towels in half using a sharp serrated knife, and squish them into the painted can. And using eco-friendly paper towels makes this DIY even greener.

4. Mix together the vinegar, dish soap, rubbing alcohol, and water in a small bowl. You can add several drops of essential oil to the wipes, which personalizes the cleaner and boosts its antibacterial powers.

5. Slowly pour the liquid over the paper towels. Once saturated, carefully remove the cardboard center, and pull a paper towel from the middle.

6. Press a craft needle through the center of the plastic lid several times, and then fit scissors through to cut a circle from the center, around one half-inch in diameter.

7. Now feed the paper towel through hole in the plastic lid and secure to the painted coffee can. Not only are these wipes great at cleaning and disinfecting your home, but they also look seriously cute adorning countertops. Simply add a few drops of water to the canister as needed to keep wipes moist.

If you love the convenience of cleaning wipes but hate the chemicals they include, check out this tutorial for easy and cheap, DIY wipes.

Guest Post Blurb:

This is a guest contribution from our friends at POPSUGAR Smart Living. Check out more useful articles from this partner:

Written by POPSUGAR Smart Living and published on Wise Bread. Read more articles from Wise Bread.

Easy, Frugal Ways to Have People Over (Even If You Don't Cook and Clean)

Julie Rains — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 10:24:31 +0000

A friend once made the observation that people have the time (and inclination) to cook OR clean. Like me, she opted to cook, meaning, then, that she typically had a messy house.

I had never really considered that there were two such types of people. But after doing a mental scan of the homes of friends and acquaintances, I realized she was spot-on. Those with immaculate homes infrequently prepared home-cooked meals whereas those who cook most of the time seem to have, well, lived-in homes.

Whatever your personal capabilities, lacking one or the other skill shouldn’t prevent you from having people over. There are easy, cheap ways to entertain, even if you are not amazing at both cooking and cleaning. (See also: Quick Pantry Snacks for Unexpected Guests)

Let's start with entertaining amidst your mess.

Entertain Cheaply Without Cleaning the House

Friends, acquaintances, and neighbors will appreciate your hosting a get-together, even if the venue is not a formal living or dining area in your home.

Throw a Party in Your Backyard

Your backyard, patio, or deck is a great place for a casual function. Friends with small children will especially appreciate freedom from worrying about their kids making a mess.

Grill burgers and serve with a side item and dessert for a dinner party. Host an ice cream social if you want to have a kid-friendly affair. For either, stash drinks in a cooler and let guests help themselves.

Pull out patio chairs or throw a blanket on the ground for seating. Ask guests to bring a lawn or camp chair if you are expecting a crowd.

Leave most of the house untouched but clean the few areas that your guests might visit inside.

Use the Clubhouse

Many people I know have a clubhouse or common area in their neighborhood that can be reserved at no charge. Such an arrangement is ideal for a gathering.

Food preparation is a bit more complicated than dinner or drinks in your home. But since you’ve saved loads of time by not having to clean the house, you have more energy to plan and prep food and beverages.

For a casual get-together, have your favorite pizzas delivered. For a slightly more formal affair, fix a hot meal using a crock pot and serve with previously prepared cold items, such as a tossed salad with homemade dressing and potato salad.

Plan a Picnic at the Park

You can host a lunch, early dinner, or birthday party at a park inexpensively. Note that facilities vary in their arrangements: some sites are free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis whereas some venues require reservations and charge a nominal fee ($10) or a hefty one ($200 or more).

Free options involve spreading a blanket on an open space or snagging an empty picnic table. There, treat a couple of friends to a casual picnic with fried chicken or sandwiches.

For larger events, reserving a space is helpful. Coordinate a potluck dinner with friends if you want to share a meal. Oversee games or free play and serve ice cream and cake for a kid's birthday party.

Remember to bring your own supplies, like plates, spoons, and napkins.

Invite Your Closest Friends

Your best friends will enjoy your hospitality no matter the state of your house. They’ll understand that you’d rather spend spare moments in conversation, not polishing furniture or dusting around books.

A bit of tidying won’t hurt though. Just clear the main area and take care of tasks like clearing dirty dishes, taking out the trash, or changing the bathroom towels before, rather than after, the visit.

Entertain as simply or elaborately as you want, hanging out over a casual brunch or hosting a fancy dinner.

Entertain Cheaply Without Excessive Cooking

Keeping your space clean and free of clutter can take a lot of effort. As a result, you may not have honed your cooking skills or developed a list of go-to dishes for special events. But you can still have people over with these techniques.

Use Simple Recipes

Spend most of your party prep time planning the guest list and decorating the area to ignite great conversation.

Don't attempt to fix a lavish meal. Prepare a simple-to-make but elegant dish like creamy baked chicken; or try one of these easy recipes for beginners, such as spaghetti with salad and bread.

Serve "Home-Cooked" Meals Prepared by Others

Private catering can be expensive, but you can often buy healthy and affordable items from local businesses.

In my area, there are a few shops with commercial kitchens that make small batches of reasonably priced entrees, side dishes, and desserts. Items can be purchased fresh with prior arrangements or frozen nearly anytime.

Alternatively, buy dishes from the freshly prepared, deli, or bakery sections of a traditional or specialty grocery store. Some frozen foods work well also, such as marinated fish.

If you decide to try one of these techniques, be sure to sample the food before your event. Pay close attention to cooking times and consider adding minutes because multiple items in the oven take longer to heat thoroughly than smaller or single-sized portions.

Practice New Recipes

Just because you don’t have a repertoire of wonderfully exotic meals doesn’t mean that you can’t learn to make a new dish for a special event.

Look for recipes that you can easily master, which typically are those with cooking techniques you understand and ingredients found at most stores. Test them in your own kitchen to be sure that you’ll enjoy the dish. Consider trying one or two new foods and ask your friends to bring additional items if needed.

Throw a Cooking Party

Cooking parties can be riveting and well-orchestrated get-togethers based on what I've read. Find formal guidelines in this article on how to throw a cooking party.

For a simpler event, pick a casual dinner or dessert theme. Ask friends to bring a topping for the pizza, baked potatoes, or salad that you provide. Let your guests surprise you with add-ons or mix-ins for ice cream or plain cheesecake, if you decide to throw a dessert party.

Buy the basic ingredients and be prepared with supplies needed to cook, serve, and dine.

Confession: I am much better at preparing meals than keeping a spotless house. Getting food and drinks together has always been easier for me than readying my house for even the friendliest of gatherings. And although I am far from a perfectionist, I sometimes find the process of having more than a couple of people over a challenge — and I thought you might feel the same way. So, to make things super easy (no matter your strengths and inclinations), mix and match the suggestions (buy home-cooked meals and eat outside, for example), relax, and enjoy.

Do you have frugal, time-saving techniques for entertaining guests?

Written by Julie Rains and published on Wise Bread. Read more articles from Wise Bread.

Best Money Tips: Save Money Spring Cleaning

Ashley Jacobs — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 10:00:32 +0000

Welcome to Wise Bread's Best Money Tips Roundup! Today we found some awesome articles on saving money spring cleaning, making your wedding venue more affordable, and tax mistakes to avoid.

Best Money Tips: Cut Your Electricity Bill

Ashley Jacobs — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 10:00:32 +0000

Welcome to Wise Bread's Best Money Tips Roundup! Today we found some stellar articles on ways to cut your electricity bill, entertaining yourself for free or cheap, and ovecoming your financial fears.

Savvy Solutions for Spring Cleaning

Myscha Theriault — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 09:48:34 +0000

With the arrival of spring comes the pressure to tidy up our domiciles to an epic degree. Yes, I’m talking about the annual rite of spring cleaning. It’s time consuming, sometimes overwhelming, and often more expensive than we expect.

To help you maintain control of your household budget, I’ve developed this list of cheap cleaning tips as an alternative to overpriced products you may not need. If dishing out the big bucks for specialized toilet bowl cleaners and window-shining sprays isn’t on your list of financial priorities, consider trying some of these ideas in your own home. (See also: 9 Frugal Suggestions for a Humble Bar of Soap)

Homemade Cleaners

The people behind the television commercials will try to convince you that you need something more elaborate, but the truth is there are a number of ingredients kicking around your pantry and medicine cabinet just as well suited to the job. By using lavender, for example, you can easily scent a spray bottle of window cleaner in a way that won’t have you, your pet, or your children breathing toxic fumes. Other ideas include cleaning your bathroom with baking soda and using rubbing alcohol to shine the chrome fixtures in your bathroom.

T-Shirts

As I discussed in Savings in Every Room, I’m a big fan of finding affordable ways to offer more wow factor throughout the house. For those who think a deeper cleaning of the home requires purchasing special rags and wipes, consider the power of an old T-shirt. Not only can they be cut into cleaning rags, but when tied over the bristle end of broom, they do a great job of removing cobwebs and bits of gook that make their way to the upper corners of rooms where the walls and ceiling meet. They’re also easily laundered before moving on to the next room, providing a penny-pinching way to clean green.

Socks

I first covered this tip back when I started writing for Wise Bread in my 10 Ways to Go Green and Save Money at the Same Time piece. Saving old athletic socks provides you with two reusable cleaning tools. First, by cutting off the foot portion just above the ankle, you’re left with an impromptu dusting mitt that allows you to easily dust and clean chair rungs, table legs, and other things with a similar shape. There are companies that charge a pretty penny for the disposable kind, but why dish out unnecessary dough? Second, the top part of the cotton athletic socks can be slit up one side to create a great dish rag or scrub cloth.

Bureaus for Organization

Often, the removal of dirt isn’t the only goal of spring cleaning. We want to feel organized and ready to tackle the rest of the year as well. To this end, I am a huge fan of repurposing old bureaus. They can serve as anything from a functional kitchen island to an alternative linen closet in the hallway outside your guest bedroom. They are particularly helpful if the house you’re living in doesn’t have much in the way of closet space.

Squeegees

I think one of the coolest and least used housework hacks is the utilization of window squeegees. They can save a surprising amount of time over dry cloths when you are trying to achieve a streak-free finish in a hurry. Not only do they work for windows and glass shower doors, but I’ve also seen them put into service in homes where the bathrooms and kitchens have a floor drain. Once you’ve given your tile a scrub, you can simply squeegee the extra liquid towards the drain and you have a shiny surface that requires much less time to dry. Who wouldn’t love that?

Plants

As one Wise Bread writer covered recently, there are a number of cheap plants which improve indoor air quality. Once you’ve got your spring cleaning taken care of, why not extend the results by making sure you detoxify the air as much as possible? Also, if you live someplace with long winters, it isn’t the worst thing to have a bit of green in your daily life until it actually starts blooming again outside.

While spring cleaning might never be something any of us actually enjoy, it is something that can be accomplished inexpensively. By choosing a few of these solutions, you should be able to save your money for something more enjoyable like a romantic getaway or a great dinner out.

How are you cleaning up on the cheap this spring?

Written by Myscha Theriault and published on Wise Bread. Read more articles from Wise Bread.

10 Inexpensive Spring Spruce-Up Ideas for Your Home

Kentin Waits — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 10:24:34 +0000

After a long cold winter, nothing warms a decorator’s heart like the first signs of spring. Spring is a time to pack up the old, usher in the new, kick off the snow boots, and slip on the gardening gloves. If the warm weather has you itching to spruce up around the house, here are a few budget-friendly ideas that spring to mind. (See also: Your One-Month Guide to Spring Cleaning)

1. Clean the Windows

Let a little sun shine in. Clean your windows inside and outside to frame all that springtime green. For an easy homemade glass cleaner, mix equal parts distilled white vinegar and water. Pour into a reusable spray bottle and channel your inner Hazel.

2. Declutter

No matter how wonderful your design skills or refined your tastes, clutter detracts from the overall function and beauty of your space. Box it up, bag it up, sell it, or donate it. It’s time to clear your mind by clearing some space.

3. Accessorize

Simple accessories like new towels in the bathroom, new pillows on the bed, or a new area rug can change the vibe of an entire room (and change your mood). If you don’t want to spend on new, check out the deals at your local thrift store.

4. Replace Hardware

Replacing knobs and drawer pulls on kitchen cabinets or a bathroom vanity is an easy way to update a look quickly. For a more coordinated look, match the finishes between door knobs, hinges, knobs, pulls, and other hardware like faucets, towel bars, and robe hooks.

5. Green It Up

Whether you grow plants, have a window-sill herb garden, or just arrange a few fresh cut flowers, adding a bit of green is a quick way to spruce things up. Get cuttings from friends or make dramatic bouquets with wildflowers, budding branches, and sculptural driftwood.

6. Reorganize Closets

Almost everyone hates to do it, but cleaning closets is nearly a rite of spring. Focus on one closet at a time — decluttering, cleaning, and organizing as you go. Trust me, Monday mornings won’t seem nearly so bad when you’re facing a meticulously organized closet.

7. Revitalize Furniture

Give natural wood a new lease on life with furniture wax or polish. For pieces that are a bit worse for wear, try a scratch cover that’s formulated to match the wood’s original stain. You’ll be amazed how far a little elbow grease goes.

8. Paint It

Repainting is a simple way to get big design bang for your buck. Paint can update old furniture; brighten a room; or freshen up a front door, mailbox, or window trim. Choose timeless and coordinating (not necessarily matching) colors for a professional look.

9. Rearrange and Refresh

Sometimes sprucing up is as simple as rearranging what you already own. Rethink rooms and reconfigure furniture. Decorate subtly around a theme, bring in accent pieces from other rooms, and don’t be afraid to experiment with an eclectic mix of periods and styles.

10. Choose One High-Profile Project

If you decide to splurge on a single item, make sure it’s high-profile. Investments in good paint, a deluxe area rug, one professionally reupholstered chair, or luxurious bed linens will set the stage for the rest of your more frugal spruce-up ideas. Anchored by one high-profile project, all the smaller details will shine more brightly.

I hope a few of these ideas inspire some warm-weather decorating ideas of your own. Remember, spring is the beginning of yard sale season too — keep an eye out for great bargains and weekend decorating projects you can do on a budget.

What are your spring spruce-up projects? What projects have been waiting for your creative touches all winter long?

Written by Kentin Waits and published on Wise Bread. Read more articles from Wise Bread.

Best Money Tips: Have a Clean Place Without Cleaning

Ashley Jacobs — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 10:48:34 +0000

Welcome to Wise Bread's Best Money Tips Roundup! Today we found some great articles on having a clean place without cleaning, giving memorable gifts without going into debt, and spending your tax refund wisely.

Best Money Tips: Bathroom Remodels on a Budget

Ashley Jacobs — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 11:00:35 +0000

Welcome to Wise Bread's Best Money Tips Roundup! Today we found some stellar articles on bathroom remodels on a budget, saving money by reducing waste, and investing with little money.

11 Ideas to Make a Small Space Seem Bigger

POPSUGAR Smart Living — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 11:24:34 +0000

The winning design of a competition held by Mayor Bloomberg for the best micro-home proposal was announced recently and was chosen for its smart use of maximizing storage space and lighting. The micro-units, measuring 250 to 370 square feet, are being established in part to address the housing shortage in the populated city of New York.

You don't need an interior designer to help make the most of your small space. If your home feels a little bit too micro for you, there are plenty of easy tricks you can use to make it seem spacier than it really is. Read on for some smart decorating tips.

1. Double Duty

Choose furniture that serve multiple purposes to make the most out of them. For example, using a hollowed out ottoman for a coffee table or opting for a sofa bed that can double as a sofa and a bed.

2. Translucent Is the Way to Go

Picking furniture that’s transparent and translucent, like ones made out of lucite or glass, can lighten the room, which is key to making it look bigger than it is.

3. Display Them

Don’t have a place to put certain items? Try to display them in an artful way and make them look like part of the decor.

4. Hidden Storage

Find ways to maximize every space possible, especially the ones that are hidden. Store clothes and other items in a plastic container under your bed or under your sink.

5. Furniture With Legs

Instead of furniture with a solid and bulky base, try picking ones that stand on thin but sturdy legs, such as chairs with metal legs.

6. Go Light

The color palette of your home should be on the lighter end. Think white, pastels, and muted colors. The light decor will open up your room and make it feel spacier than it is.

7. Think Up

When you live in a small apartment, the space gets filled up quickly. Be creative and make sure the pieces you have are tall and narrow. For example, pick tall and skinny bookcases and side tables.

8. Measure Before Buying

You need to work with the limited space so make sure you’re measuring it before you get furniture that’s too large or too small. Not having the right size can make the apartment look smaller than it is.

9. Clear Clutter

Purge your apartment of the unnecessary and be aggressive about getting rid of items. Digitize memorabilia you’re hanging onto and dispose of items you’re not using. Clutter can make a small home seem cramped and getting rid of it will create more visible space.

10. Don't Block the Windows

Let the natural light shine through and keep the curtains simple so as not to make the room feel stifled.

11. Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

Add mirrors if it makes sense and if it doesn’t clutter up your tiny home. If placed correctly, mirrors can seemingly widen your room’s perimeters as well as lighten your room by reflecting light.

Just because your apartment is small doesn't mean it needs to feel that way. Check out these tips for making the most of a tiny home.

Guest Post Blurb:

This is a guest contribution from our friends at SavvySugar. Check out more useful articles from this partner:

Written by POPSUGAR Smart Living and published on Wise Bread. Read more articles from Wise Bread.

Best Money Tips: Negotiate Your Way to a Lower Cable Bill

Ashley Jacobs — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 10:48:36 +0000

Welcome to Wise Bread's Best Money Tips Roundup! Today we found some stellar articles on negotiating a lower cable bill, brilliant uses for beer, and saving money at theme parks.

20 Awesome Uses for Milk Crates

Mikey Rox — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 10:48:34 +0000

Before IKEA began selling faux milk crates to use as storage containers, we had to steal the real deal from our local grocery stores. Milk crates were perfect for keeping vinyl records organized; they could be turned upside down to sit on when friends came over; and they made colorful, stackable cubbies for clothing. All fine applications, for sure, but those are just a tiny fraction of the many ways milk crates can make your life easier. Check out 20 more brilliant ways to use milk crates right here. (See also: Another 36 Uses for Tin Foil)

1. Bike Basket

Avid cyclists will benefit from strapping a milk crate to their ride so they can take packages to the post office, carry groceries from the market, or pack a lunch board for an afternoon of fun in the park.

2. TV Stand

When you don’t have hundreds of dollars to spend on an entertainment center, position a few milk crates on the floor with the open ends facing out. You can put your TV on top of the crates and organize your media and cable boxes and game consoles within the crates. There are even holes in the back for the cables to snake through!

3. Planters

Create an urban garden using milk crates lined with plastic. Fill the crates with dirt, plant your seeds, and watch your garden grown.

4. Pet Dens

I have two dogs that love to nap in their crates or under the covers. If you don’t have a secret spot for your pets already, turn a milk crate on its side, lay a soft blanket in the bottom of the crate, and drape another blanket over the top with space for the animal to walk in and out. They’ll love you even more now that they have a private sanctuary of their own.

5. Stepstool

No need to pick up a dedicated stool when a milk crate will work just as well. Use it to reach high cabinets when your tippy toes won’t cut it. Store it in your pantry so it’s out of the way when not in use.

6. Donation Box

Keep a milk crate in your closet or bedroom and store your unwanted stuff in it. When it’s full, make a trip to the local donation center and get rid of it.

7. Shelving

There are lots of ways you can turn milk crates into shelves. You can stack several of them vertically to create a large bookshelf, or you can screw the crates to the wall in a pattern to create shelving that doesn’t take up space on the floor.

8. Chandelier

You’ll need a bit of engineering prowess to turn milk crates into a lighting fixture, but it can be done. Take a look at this example of a cool milk-crate chandelier from Down Under.

9. Ottoman

You can make an ottoman out of a milk crate the lazy way — by just placing it in front of your chair to prop your feet up — or you can go the extra mile to make it fancy-schmancy like this milk-crate ottoman.

10. Trash Bin

Line an extra milk crate with a garbage bag, and you’ve got an instant bathroom trashcan.

11. Filing Bin

Did you know that the hooks on most file folders fit perfectly onto the sides of milk crates? Get organized with this DIY filing idea today.

13. Car Trunk Organizer

Instead of throwing your junk in the trunk, place it neatly in a milk crate so you can find it more easily when you need it.

14. Rec-Room Table

Don’t have a place for the kids or your friends to play board or card games? Double stack a set of eight milk crates for an instant game table that will keep them from ruining your more expensive furniture. For a flat surface, cut a piece of plywood or cardboard and affix it to the top.

15. Scooter Seat

Even though these might be the laziest kids in America, the idea is kind of genius.

16. Door Prop

Keep a milk crate near a door that won’t stay open to use as a prop so you don’t get locked out.

17. Sports Target

Practicing your soccer goals or golf accuracy? Use a milk crate as a target to aim for when playing.

18. Recycling Bin

Line a couple milk crates with clear plastic bags and use them as recycling bins. Use one for paper and the other for glass, tin, and aluminum. When it’s time to take the recyclables to the curb (or the collection center to make some extra cash), simply tie up the bags and be on your way.

19. Produce Bins

Give your apples, onions, and potatoes room to breathe by placing them in a milk crate on the floor of your pantry. It’ll do you well to line the crates with newspaper to avoid getting muck on your floor.

20. Money Maker

Don’t have any use for the milk crates lying around your house? Sell them! There are lots of crates listed on eBay that are selling for more than you’d think, but if you don’t want to fuss with shipping, turn to Craigslist. Somebody somewhere wants a milk crate with which to do one of these 20 cool things.

Have other ideas on how to use milk crates? Let me know in the comments below.

Written by Mikey Rox and published on Wise Bread. Read more articles from Wise Bread.

6 Reasons Cutting Your Landline Is a Bad Deal

Carrie Kirby — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 10:48:39 +0000

It's a perennial item on save-money lists — cancel the landline and rely on cell phones for communications.

It's also a sacrifice that I will never make if I can help it, because the security and quality I get from my landline is more than worth the small monthly fee.

First, let's put the cost of a landline in perspective.

Our household spends approximately $25 per month on a plan with unlimited calling both domestically and to a number of foreign countries. More limited plans, such as several offered by AT&T without long-distance and with a per-call charge, are available for $18 a month or less, depending on your state. If you cancel your home phone service, you are saving the cost of taking a family of four out for fast food once a month. I know that every penny counts, but there are lots of other ways to save $15-$25 a month without sacrificing so much.

You may think that giving up a landline is worthwhile even though the savings are small, simply because you rarely pick up the phone to make a call. But even if you use your cell phone for most calls, that landline sitting there is providing you with value. (For a counterpoint, see: Seriously, Get Rid of Your Landline)

What do you lose when you give up a landline?

1. Better 911 Response

The main reason I will not give up my landline is that I have three children whose safety is worth more than $25 a month to me. When you call 911 from a landline, your home address appears on the dispatcher's screen; if you call from a cell phone, they will probably see geographical coordinates but not an exact address, according to Consumer Reports. If you have children in the house, ask yourself — if they need to call 911, will they be able to clearly tell a dispatcher their address under pressure? Do they know how to unlock and dial a cell phone? Even if you call yourself, what if you are incapacitated and can't speak? Are you willing to hope that the location information the dispatcher gets from your cell phone is good enough for emergency workers to find you?

You should also know that when you dial 911 from a cell phone, your call may not be answered by the dispatcher in charge of sending an ambulance or police to your address. In some locations, the call may need to be transferred, wasting valuable time in an emergency. I once called 911 from my cell phone because a woman had just fallen off a ladder in her yard as I walked past. When the dispatcher asked where I was, I could not see an address but told her I was "right across from the high school." "But what city are you in?" she asked. When I told her the name of the town, she transferred me to my local dispatcher, and I had to start over again.

2. Backup During Natural Disasters

I live just a few miles from the Hayward fault, called a "tectonic time bomb" by one seismologist. But as catastrophic weather events increase, even people who don't live in earthquake country are living in the shadow of a natural disaster. Even if you used your landline at no other time, wouldn’t it be worth a couple hundred dollars a year to keep an emergency back-up communication system in the house?

"We are very concerned by incidents where emergency wireless calls to 9-1-1 after yesterday's earthquake were hampered by network congestion," FCC Public Safety & Homeland Security Bureau Chief Jamie Barnett told Fox News after the 2011 5.9 earthquake on the East Coast. Superstorm Sandy knocked down 25% of cell towers in the area, and even people who had cell coverage soon lost the ability to use their mobile phones due to power outages.

Sure, telephone service can be knocked out in natural disasters, too. But if you have both a cell phone and a landline, your odds are better that you'll be left with some connection to the rest of the world in a disaster.

Plus, landlines still work even if the power goes out — as long you have at least one handset with a cord that doesn't need to be charged.

3. Reliability and Quality

Recently I was waiting for an important call on my cell phone. The phone never rang, but later I found out that the caller had dialed my number and gotten no answer. Nothing showed up in my phone's "missed calls" list. This kind of thing has happened to me while using various carriers over the years. Other people find that they can't get a strong cell signal inside their own homes or find a call interrupted by a lost signal.

When interviewing sources over a cell phone, I often have to stop and ask them to repeat things to make sure I quote them correctly. The sound quality is nowhere near as good as a landline's.

Cellular phones' reliability and sound quality problems are a trade-off that we accept because of the huge convenience of being able to make and receive calls wherever we are. But when given the alternative of using a more reliable and better-quality connection at home, I'll take it!

4. Accessibility

Maybe you're one of those people who responsibly deposits their cell phone in a charging station as soon as you walk in the door. I'm not. Chances are, my cell phone is in my coat pocket inside a closet or in my purse in another room. And what this means is that it is not a form of communication that's easily accessible to me or to other members of the household. If a call comes in, I want everyone in the house to be able to hear it clearly. If I'm not free to answer, I want one of my children to be able to answer it without having to search my purse. For one thing, having the chance to receive and make phone calls gives them a chance to learn proper phone etiquette. For another, it's good training if they ever do have to use the phone in an emergency.

We keep one handset that is attached to the base with a good old-fashioned cord, so that it can't be lost and everyone in the family knows where to find it.

5. Radiation

"The World Health Organization has declared that cell phone radiation may be linked to brain cancer. Ten studies connect cell phone radiation to diminished sperm count and sperm damage. Others raise health concerns such as altered brain metabolism, sleep disturbance and behavioral changes in children," reads the Environmental Working Group's Guide to Safer Cell Phone Use. The guide also notes that "young children's brains can absorb twice as much cell phone radiation as those of adults."

I limit my chlidren's cell phone use, and one thing that helps us do that is having a landline they can use to talk to their grandparents and friends. I'd also just as soon avoid holding a radiation-emitting device to my own head for long conversations.

6. High-Speed Internet

We don't have cable, but my impression from practically everyone else I know is that dealing with cable companies is a nightmare. So another reason I appreciate my landline is that it allows me to get fast Internet service with DSL instead of a cable modem. In fact, we take advantage of a package deal that gives us both phone and Internet for a pretty reasonable price.

What About Other Alternatives to the Landline?

Of course, there are other alternatives to landlines besides cell phones. People are using Skype and FaceTime, as well as PC-based voice-over IP and work-arounds like Magic Jack. All of these are great ways to cut down your phone bill, but they don't provide a safe and reliable connection the way a landline does.

Keep Your Landline and Save

If you want to save money on your phone bill, instead of eliminating it, I recommend getting the most basic service just for emergencies, and using these other communication methods or your cell phone for most of your calls.

On the flip side, you may find that using a landline for most of your calls allows you to reduce your cell phone plan to a limited number of minutes, just enough to handle calls that can't wait until you get home. It's entirely possible that you can cut more money from your cell phone bill by reducing the number of minutes you use than you would save by eliminating home phone service.

You might find a work-around for any one of the disadvantages of not having a landline. But when you look at the landline's many benefits together, you may find that giving up this high quality and valuable service to save a small amount of money is no bargain at all.

Have you cut your landline service? Or did you decide to keep it for one of the reasons above (or for some other I haven’t mentioned)?

Written by Carrie Kirby and published on Wise Bread. Read more articles from Wise Bread.

How to Make Your Own Curtains

Marla Walters — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 10:48:36 +0000

Although I am a die-hard do-it-yourselfer, sewing is not one of the home skills I enjoy very much. I used to sew a lot, and I think I got burned out. So, when our living room curtains started looking tired, I ignored them. When the cat stretched and put holes in one of them, I ignored them. When they looked dingy, I washed them, but they looked less crisp. I resumed ignoring them. However, the time came when I could no longer pretend they were fine.

Thinking I could save myself a lot of fuss, I went shopping for ready-made curtains. Not only was the selection small, but not a thing was the right color, style, or weight.

Only slightly daunted, I hit the Internet, and I looked hard. I was determined to find something. Unfortunately, the only ones I liked were expensive — and the wrong size, which meant they would need hemming, anyway.

It was time to suck it up, go to the fabric store, and make my own.

If you choose to embark on this project, here’s how to do it in 10 easy steps. (See also: 10 Cost-Effective Ways to Make Your Own Bookshelves)

Step 1: Assess Your Needs

Take a look at your windows to decide your purpose.

Do you need curtains that give you privacy?
Are they primarily decorative?
Do you need them to help keep the heat in?
If you have light sensitivity, do you need room-darkening curtains?

In my case, I needed partial privacy but also wanted my curtains to be decorative.

Step 2: Measure Your Windows

Get out your tape measure and...measure your window openings!

A general rule of thumb is that curtains should measure 1.5 to 3 times the width of your window opening. The more generous you are with the fabric, the more folds you will see when your curtains are closed, and the "richer" they will look.

For length, you want the curtains to fall at least below the window trim. You also need to allow for the top and bottom hems. You can leave as little as a 2-inch bottom hem; but here again, the more hem you leave, the better the curtains will hang, and the richer they will look. A 3- to 5-inch hem is preferable. Add another ½ inch to each hem to turn them under before stitching.

Will you be making a folded-over hem at the top? Or rod-and-pocket?

An easy compromise is to just make a 1½ inch hem at the top, which can be used as either a folded-over top hem or a rod-and-pocket. Add ½ inch to turn the hem under for stitching.

Step 3: Calculate Fabric Needs

This part gets tricky for the math-challenged (like me).

If you choose a “decorator” fabric, they usually run at least 60 inches wide. However, if you purchase a non-decorator fabric, you will need to buy more, as the widths traditionally run about 45 inches. As a result, you need to do two calculations, so that when you decide upon either a decorator or standard fabric at the fabric store, you make sure to get enough.

The two windows I was working on are 88 inches wide, and the curtains are partially open all of the time, so I decided that 1½ times the width would be fine. It also worked out well with the 45-inch material I chose, requiring three widths of material per window.

I wanted the finished panels to be 60 inches tall to cover my 57 inch high opening, so I added 3½ inches to each panel for the bottom hem, and 2 inches for the top, making a total of 65½ inches per panel.

At three panels per window, that equaled 196½ inches of fabric, or about 5½ yards. I rounded this up to 6 yards per window, or 12 yards total.

That gave me plenty of extra for un-square cuts from the fabric store, as well as extra material for accent pillows, etc.

Step 4: Gather Tools and Supplies

If you don’t have them already, you will need curtain rods and hardware for hanging your curtains. Most “big box” stores sell these. You can also be creative. In our case, since bamboo is abundant in Hawaii, my husband cut green bamboo poles and flamed them to dry them and to give them a nice, toasted color. He then mounted them on some homemade, wooden wall brackets. If you are trying to keep your cost down, look around and see what alternatives you have. I also purchased curtain rings. If you choose this look, plan to buy enough rings that you can hang them at 4-inch intervals.

Hopefully, you own — or can borrow — a sewing machine. Although curtains can be sewn by hand, this simple DIY job would then become time consuming and tedious.

You will also need:

Fabric and thread
Pins
Measuring tape
Sewing or regular pencil
Table or large work area
Iron and ironing board
Washer and dryer

Step 5: Shop for Fabric

The fabric store needs to be negotiated carefully. If you aren’t careful, your fabric can run you as much as ready-made curtains.

First off, ascertain whether your store has any discount programs. If so, sign up, and use those coupons! They can save you a bundle.

Since you will need a lot of fabric for curtains, clearance is a good starting place, where you can often find yardage for as little as $4 a yard. Here is a caveat about clearance fabric — check it carefully! Make sure there are no stains, tears, or other problems with it.

Once you have made your selection, choose a spool of matching thread.

Step 6: Prepare the Fabric

If you have purchased an all-cotton or cotton blend, you will need to pre-shrink your fabric. This simply means getting it wet (easy to do in the washer) and drying it in the dryer. (Look at the fabric care instructions to be sure this is recommended.) This prevents your curtains from shrinking or puckering if you wash them later. Before washing, I like to run a stitch along the cut ends, to prevent excessive unraveling in the washer.

Once dry, also iron the fabric. It needs to be wrinkle free when cutting and sewing for greatest accuracy.

Step 7: Cut and Sew

With your measurements handy, lay out your fabric on your table or work area. Measure twice, and cut once!

I use my dining room table to lay it out and cut it because the table holds the full width of 45-inch fabric, and also because the table has perfectly square ends, which I can use as a cutting guide for nearly square tops and bottoms.

After cutting out the pieces, I mark the hems with a fabric marker or pencil, drawing a line the length of each side of the fabric, to aide in making a straight hem. I use a ½-inch fold (or the width of the fabric’s selvage, whichever is greater).

Iron and Hem the Sides

Before hemming the sides, place your fabric on your ironing board.

Fold the entire length, carefully ironing as you go. Fold over, and iron again. Pin. Sew. Repeat for the other side.

Most instructions advise sewing the side hems by hand, to avoid puckers. Instead, because I know I will never complete the curtains if I have to sew every side hem by hand, I take a couple of steps to minimize puckering while sewing with the machine:

I minimize the downward pressure setting on the pressure foot; and,
I make sure that I do not push or pull the fabric, which tends to stretch it, while it feeds through the machine. I just allow the machine to feed the fabric, with minimal interference.

Iron and Hem Top and Bottom

Next, do the tops and bottoms.

For the top hem, fold over at ½ inch, iron, and pin. Fold over again at 1½ inches, iron, pin, and sew.

For the bottom hem, fold over at ½ inch. Iron. Fold again at 3 inches. Iron, pin, and sew.

Step 8: Iron Again

Sorry, yes. I hate ironing as much as anyone, but if you want your curtains to hang nicely, iron them once more before they go up.

Step 9: Hang Your Curtains

This is most easily accomplished if you have a tall helper. If not, a stepstool or ladder is handy.

Step 10: Admire Your Handiwork

Pat yourself on the back for being creative and saving some money!

Have you tackled this project? Please share your tips and advice in comments!

Written by Marla Walters and published on Wise Bread. Read more articles from Wise Bread.

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1. Bike Basket

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9. Ottoman

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