projects

Architect, Designer, or Contractor: Who Should You Hire for Your Project?

Carrie Kirby — Thu, 23 Mar 2017 09:30:37 +0000

I'd like to add a bathroom to my home, but my budget will be limited. One thing I've been wondering: What professionals will I need to hire to do the job? Should I spend money on a designer or architect to plan the space out? Or should I just hire a contractor and tell them where I want the toilet, sink, and shower?

Researching this question, I learned that it's important to understand the difference between these professionals and what they do.

The architect

An architect comes to your home and listens to your hopes and dreams for the remodeling project, talks about your budget, then draws up a plan to make it happen. An architect's involvement could stop there, or you could hire them to manage the project, selecting and checking up on the contractor.

An architect's qualifications

Architects are state-licensed, a process that requires a degree in architecture, an apprenticeship, and an exam to prove their mastery of building technologies, structural safety, and regulations.

What an architect costs

The standard cost is $50 to $200 per hour, or a 5 percent to 20 percent project fee if overseeing the whole thing.

The designer

A designer will use their expertise to come up with appealing ideas for carrying out your desires, give budget estimates, and draw plans. A basic design would include the floor plan and built-in features such as cupboards, while a full-service designer might include color and material ideas, and even shopping for fixtures. Designers are less likely to manage the whole project than architects are, but some do.

A designer's qualifications

Some states license designers, while others don't. They don't generally need to have a degree, but you can find out if they've done good work by asking for customer references.

What a designer costs

Their rates are typically $50 to $200 per hour — yes, a similar range as an architect — although architects tend to charge more than designers. Some designers have a minimum project fee of, say, $5,000. One design firm recommends that you budget 8 percent to 12 percent of your project for design.

The contractor

Generally, the contractor will oversee the entire project and make sure everything is done according to your expectations. They will determine the cost and give you a contract, design it, provide the carpenter, plumber, and other workers, and supervise the work. The contractor may have a designer or architect in-house that they partner with, or they may be open to working with a professional of your choice. Many contractors are quite willing to do the design themselves, if given the opportunity.

A contractor's qualifications

Contractors must pass exams to become licensed, and without that license, they won't be able to pull permits with local authorities to get your job done on the up and up.

What a contractor costs

Instead of charging you an hourly rate, contractors generally pay themselves on a "cost plus" basis — that is, they take the amount they expect the project to cost to complete, then add a markup, often 50 percent. So, if they estimate that the labor and materials for your job will cost $20,000, they'll charge $30,000. That extra $10,000 isn't pure profit, though, since they'll have to pay overhead out of it.

So, which one should you hire?

Experts say it depends on the scope of the job.

"Many experienced contractors are as well equipped to deal with a simple remodel as an architect," writes Bob Vila. Because of minimum per-project fees, designer Carla Aston recommends doing the design yourself, with your contractor, if the project is under $10,000. If you want some design advice for small projects, you could hire a designer for a consultation, or work with someone who does online-only plans without physically visiting your space.

Another way to look at the size of the project is to compare it to the value of your home. A project costing more than 5 percent of a home's value calls for an architect, Stamford, Connecticut, construction manager William Harke told Houselogic. So, if your home is worth $500,000, and you have a $25,000 budget for a kitchen update, get an architect.

Personally, I let the contractor do the design for a $15,000 bathroom remodel, and while it worked out fine, I wished I'd had a little more input on ideas for, say, improving storage.

With projects that cost more, who you hire depends on how much structural change you're looking at. While both a designer and an architect may have plans checked by an engineer to avoid safety problems, you're better off with an architect if your project involves expanding the footprint of your home, moving walls, or adding a level. Designers should be able to create a room's floor plans and suggest finishes. An architect's strength tends to lean toward the structural, a designer's skews toward the aesthetic — although both will certainly consider both aspects of a plan.

Where I live, adding a bathroom will probably cost at least $25,000. Because that's more than $10,000, but less than 5 percent of my home value, because I won't need to change the structure of my home, and because I need ideas about how to fold as much storage as possible into a tight space, I plan to hire a designer — not an architect — for a consultation, and possibly to draw up the plan. I'll budget $2,500 of my $25,000 budget to pay this professional.

Like this article? Pin it!

This article is from Carrie Kirby of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

20 Cheap and Easy DIY Kitchen Improvements

Marla Walters — Fri, 02 Dec 2016 12:00:09 +0000

Cook, clean, repeat. Making meals day in and day out is a lot of work! No wonder Americans dine out between four and five times per week. Are you ready to lighten your load a little, or cheer up your kitchen space? If so, here are 20 fun and easy DIY improvements.

1. Fancy Furniture to Kitchen Island

Google some of the images for "dresser into kitchen island" and you'll be as stoked as I was (and you'll be looking at dressers along with me, at yard sales!). Not only are these practical, but some of them are really great-looking.

2. Cutting Board Holder

Do you use separate cutting boards for raw meats and another for ready-to-eat foods? Safer, for sure, but storing multiple cutting boards can be a pain. Sleek sets of cutting boards aren't cheap ($30 and up), so instead try one of these wire step file organizers at a bargain for $11.75 (even less if used). It'll also hold some cookbooks and small baking sheets.

3. Ditch the Drawers

Ugh, my poor, aching, back. I have come to despise my deep cupboards (where is that darn yellow casserole dish?). Maybe I'll install these awesome DIY pullout drawers.

4. Make a Cheerful Rug

Love my hardwood floors, but rugs do "warm up" the room, and they are nice to stand on while doing dishes. Why not make your own?

5. Sharp Storage

I love my big knife block, but if your knives weren't all purchased together, consider this handy magnetic knife bar. At less than $25, it'll keep your knives easy to find. It's also easy to install.

6. Hang 'Em High

Pots and pans everywhere? I know, I had that problem, too, until my husband built me a hanging pot rack. This project takes only about 45 minutes and what a terrific space-saver it is.

7. Fun Retro Look

Putting ingredients into Mason jars not only looks neat in your pantry, but the clear glass is practical. Take it a step further with a label maker and go nuts organizing.

8. Shelf Space

Wall space with no cupboards attached? Lucky you — try your hand at building some floating shelves and store/display your stuff.

9. Peg It

Remember pegboard? Guess what: It's cool again. Pegboard is inexpensive stuff, and it's not just for the garage, anymore. Paint it, or leave it in its natural state, add hooks, and ta-daah! Instant storage. A 2' x 4' piece is only about $6.

10. Cover It

I have, like… zero... craft ability, but even I can run a hot glue gun. You can use twine, rope, or even raffia to cover an old coffee can; fill with spatulas, ladles, wooden spoons. Then, utensils are not only easy to find, but look great.

11. Hook It

Don't forget about cup hooks! For about $6, you can buy a package of 30 sturdy hooks. Just screw them in "wasted space" spots in your kitchen and voilà! Hang up potholders, aprons, and, well, cups.

12. Outdoors In

I love fresh fruit in a bowl, but it does take up valuable counter space. Solution? Snag an inexpensive plant holder on clearance in a big-box garden shop and hang it inside for a "hanging" fruit basket.

13. DIY Countertop

Building your own concrete countertop is not a project for a beginner or a weekend, but if you have the skills, it's pretty cool!

14. Spicy Solution

No built-in spice rack? Don't despair. Here is a spice-rack project that can easily be done in an afternoon.

15. What's for Dinner?

Like those big menu boards you see in restaurants? How about a place to easily write shopping lists, post family notes, or schedules? Try making your own dry-erase board — a project that is really fun and practical!

16. Plant It!

Fresh herbs make your cooking efforts so much better. Why not plant an indoor herb garden? It's a snap. I love having chives, rosemary, basil and cilantro around.

17. Rakishly Handsome

Watch for old rakes at yard sales. Cut the handles down, clean, and hang on a wall. A rake is, as it turns out, perfect for hanging wineglasses, potholders, or kitchen towels, and they have a lot of fun character.

18. Re-Purpose the Wipes Container

Love those handy pop-up wipes containers? Re-use by covering with pretty wrapping or contact paper, and fill with plastic bags.

19. Snack Extravaganza

Hanging shoe pockets aren't just for shoes. Hang one in your pantry and add snacks, tea and cocoa packets, gravy or sauce mix packets, etc.

20. Cookbook Character

Need additional cookbook storage? Why not try making a bookshelf out of a pallet? The instructions include super-helpful information about how to select safe pallet wood.

Like this article? Pin it!

This article is from Marla Walters of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

25 Beautiful Things You Can Make With Paint Sample Cards

Max Wong — Tue, 06 Sep 2016 09:30:26 +0000

I have a love-hate relationship with interior decorating magazines. They are full of good ideas — for people with money.

Consider this advice: The cheapest way to remake a space is with paint. Yes, repainting the walls or your furniture is one of the more affordable ways to redecorate. However, I still cringe when I repeat this mantra to other budget decorators because I remember a time in my life when I was too poor to afford $60 in paint. Also, even if I had the money to repaint the places I lived in when I was a starving student (dorm rooms, my office), they didn't allow me to paint over the high gloss, Navajo White paint that covered the walls, ceilings, and moldings like a membrane of sadness.

Fortunately, there's a fantastic, free design tool available at every paint store that you can use to spiff up your lodging: paint card (or chip) samples.

In researching this story I realized that many of these projects are scalable. You can scale greeting card instructions up to make wall murals, table tops, and headboards, and scale quilt patterns down to make tiny art pieces. Use this list as a jumping off point!

1. Butterflies Are Free

Well, almost. For the cost of a butterfly stamp punch you can create a kaleidoscope of butterflies anywhere you want. (Vocabulary geeks please note that kaleidoscope is the actual collective name for a group of butterflies, I'm not just making a paint chip color pun)! Frame your paint chip butterfly collection under glass as a charming reference to the real thing, create 3-D sculptures, or use them to decorate your walls, gifts, or cupcakes.

2. Bookmarks Galore

Turn a paint chip into a gift tag or bookmark for your favorite bibliophile or design maven.

3. Channel Your Inner Jonathan Adler

I will see your Jonathan Adler tea towel, and raise you a Thanksgiving table runner, a monogrammed door placard, and this giraffe family.

4. Pantone Masterpieces

Own your own pixelated Van Gogh, Vermeer, Munch, Magritte, or da Vinci, with the help of Pantone color chips.

5. Magnets

Turn your leftover Pantone chips from your pixelated masterpiece project into magnets.

6. Give New Life to Old Needlework Patterns

Ixxi is a Dutch company that allows you to create large-scale wall art from a single image. You can get the same effects by using old cross-stitch, needlepoint, or intarsia knitting patterns and paint chips.

7. Mid-Century Modern Mosaics

Replicate your favorite midcentury public art in paper tiles. This can be a simple as recreating the rainbow pattern from your public library's bathroom to the complexity of Sir Eduardo Paolozzi's mosaic murals in the Tottenham Court Road tube station.

Broken full-length mirrors are one of my favorite things to trash pick because it's so easy to turn the frame into a custom headboard or panoramic art piece. Use the work of midcentury artists like the Akermans as inspiration for your own unique tabletops or wallpaper.

8. All Your Base Are Belong to Us

And all your paint chips too! Replicate your favorite 8-bit video game art using paint chips. What do you mean when you say that Space Invader isn't chic? Unpossible.

9. Geodesic Paper Balls

Because of their similar weight, just about any craft involving upcycling old Christmas cards can be used to upcycle paint chips. Because I am an architecture nerd, my favorite way to preserve favorite holiday cards is to turn them into these geodesic ornaments. For a video tutorial on how to make these go here.

10. Wreath

Unleash the stylist within with this paper wreath. This would make a lovely centerpiece or host gift for holiday parties.

11. Bunting

When did bunting become a thing? While I wasn't paying any attention, DIY garlands have overtaken the holiday crafting scene. And by holiday, I mean any holiday. Check out this $17.50 Halloween pennant garland you could make for much less. Or this mod Martha Stewart bunting you could use to decorate your aluminum Christmas tree. Or this candy corn bunting you could make at Thanksgiving for that one person in your life who insists that candy corn is delicious and not disgusting. Or this ombre heart garland for Valentine's Day. Or this Easter garland inspired by plastic Easter eggs.

12. Gifting

For anyone who scrapbooks, paint chips are an obvious raw material just waiting to be turned into gift tags, ribbon, and of course, cards for every occasion.

13. Change of Address Cards

Did you just finish repainting your new pad? Stamp or print your new address onto paint chips to create these clever moving announcements. Cover the back of large chips with a white sticker, then stamp, and mail like a postcard.

14. Renovation Coasters

Leftover tiles? Paint chips? Marry two common renovation leftovers into these swell coasters.

15. Decoupage

If you can make a coaster, you can decoupage a tabletop.

16. Charmed, I'm Sure

Use photographs and paint chips to create this lightweight charm necklace.

17. 3D Puzzle Animals

When I was in kindergarten, my aunt made me a set of these animals out of leftover colored plastic sheeting, but paint chips will work just as well. This site has free animal templates, but don't stop there! Show your kids the assembly technique and then let them draw their own zoo full of fantasy animals.

18. Color Matching Game

All you need to create this learning tool for toddlers are paint chips, clothespins, a hot glue gun, and scissors.

19. Hooked on Phonics!

Turn your kid's phonics lesson into a portable game with paint chip flash cards.

20. Layered Paper Art

Use this basic technique to create paper art inspired by Panamanian Molas. Or create sophisticated paper sculptures and textured wall coverings a la Maud Vantours.

21. Decorative Arrows

I'm not sure how and where I would ever use these arrows, but this project proves that you can make stylish party decorations out of the contents of your junk drawer. For extra thriftiness, I would substitute bamboo takeout chopsticks instead of paying for wood doweling.

22. Party Pinwheels

While I am not sure how I would use decorative paint chip arrows, I am totally sure that paint chip pinwheel straws will be featured props at the next house warming party I attend.

23. Mobiles

Combine ornament and bunting projects to create shockingly chic mobiles for babies and bohemians. How cute are these hot air balloons?

24. Lighting Design

Cover an ugly fixture with this glamorous paper shade.

25. Color Code for Organization

I thought I had invented a new upcycle when I used my old paint chips as labels for my file boxes. Even from across the room I know what is in every box just from the color of the paint chip! Yay organization! My feeling of genius was short lived when I found this design maven's blog. Her custom file tabs made from old paint chips make me want to run out and buy the Rolodex that I don't need.

What's better than a list? A color-coded list that also acts as a bookmark for your Filofax.

Why have a white board calendar, when you can match your dry-erase schedule to your décor?

Do you have a favorite upcycle project for paint chips? Please share your design savvy with your fellow readers in the comments below.

Like this article? Pin it!

This article is from Max Wong of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Beat Stress With These 28 Inexpensive Pastimes

Dr Penny Pincher — Thu, 16 Jun 2016 10:30:09 +0000

Expensive activities are stressful for me because paying for them weighs on my mind. I enjoy cheap or free pastimes, and even some pastimes that make money. Here are some inexpensive pastimes that you can enjoy to stay blissfully preoccupied without spending much money.

Exercise

The payoffs for regular exercise are immense, not least is the relaxation.

1. Bicycling

Bicycling can be a very inexpensive hobby. I picked up a cheap used bike for $28, rode it for five years, and then sold it for $35! In addition to a bike, there are a few other things you’ll need to get started: a bike helmet and a bike lock to keep yourself and your bike safe. If you buy an older bike, you may need to change the tires and inner tubes, but you can do this yourself for only a few dollars. A cheap bike provides transportation, exercise, and entertainment.

2. Walking

Even if you don’t have any money at all, you can still enjoy walking. Walking is a convenient way to spend time outside and enjoy the seasons with no special equipment or planning required. When the weather is bad, I enjoy walking indoors in shopping malls.

3. Hiking

Sometimes I like to go to go hiking in a park or trail away from roads and sidewalks. Hiking takes a bit more effort than simply going for a walk near your home or workplace, but provides more opportunities to get close to nature. Most hiking trips are free, but I recently paid $10 to go for a five-hour hike among the redwoods in Muir Woods National Monument while visiting San Francisco. This was the most entertainment I have ever gotten for $10!

Cerebral Activities

After you've worked your muscles, challenge your noodle.

4. Reading

Reading can be free if you get books at a public library or find free classics to read on your electronic devices via sites such as Project Gutenberg. It seems like there is a nearly endless supply of new books coming along, plus the old classics to catch up on.

5. Writing

Writing has been a great pastime for me. It is exciting to see my work published, and I have even been able to make some money along the way from writing books, articles, and through advertising on my blog. If you are not ready to publish your work for the world to see, writing a journal for yourself or stories to share with your friends and family is a great way to get started writing.

6. Crossword Puzzles

Crossword puzzles help keep your mind sharp and some people seem to really enjoy doing them. I have tried doing crossword puzzles a few times, but it is too much like doing a homework assignment for me to enjoy. Maybe I need to find some easier crossword puzzles to build up my skills.

7. Brain Games

I have tried brain games on my computer, such as the free trial version of Lumosity, and I sometimes play Math Blaster on my Android device. There are all kinds of free brain games that exercise your skills and help you stay sharp as you try to beat your high score. Some games even allow you to compare your scores with others.

8. Educational Videos

You no longer need to wait until Sunday evening for NOVA to come on PBS. You can get a wide selection of educational programs any time on Netflix ($8 per month) or YouTube (free). I like to find TED Talks on YouTube to find interesting perspectives on everything from physics to social sciences.

9. Online Courses

There are all kinds of online courses you can take for free, including subjects such as computer programming, statistics, and science. Here are some places to check for online courses that interest you:

10. Jigsaw Puzzles

Some people get excited about doing jigsaw puzzles and like to receive them as gifts. Jigsaw puzzles can provide many hours of entertainment for not much money, and you do get a sense of satisfaction — or relief — when the puzzle is complete. You can pick up used jigsaw puzzles at garage sales for a dollar or two that provide hours of entertainment, but you might find out that there are missing pieces.

11. Ancestry Research/Genealogy

You can make a serious hobby out of researching your ancestry. It is easier than ever to research family history and find links to your family’s past. You can get a long way without spending much money and produce research on your family history that will be invaluable to future generations.

12. Learn a Foreign Language

When you learn a foreign language, you learn more than just a bunch of foreign words. You learn about another culture and open up opportunities to meet and learn about new people.

Nature/Outdoor Enjoyment

When you tire of puzzles and brain games, re-connect with nature.

13. Camping

Camping can be a great way to get away and see things from a fresh perspective. You can find places to camp for free, but even if you pay to stay in a campground, you can find places to pitch a tent for around $20 per night.

14. Fishing

Basic fishing equipment doesn’t cost a lot of money. You can get an inexpensive rod and reel good enough to catch your dinner for around $25. I still have a lot of the same fishing tackle I used when I was growing up. The price of a seasonal fishing license varies by location. I paid about $20 and was able to go fishing whenever I wanted all summer.

15. Bird-watching

It is hard not to watch the birds at my house. I have seen orioles, blue jays, cardinals, robins, hummingbirds, geese, and even bald eagles. I put out bird feeders to attract birds near my house for easy observation. Even if you don’t put out bird feeders, you can probably find interesting birds to watch and enjoy. Binoculars are useful to be able to observe birds high in trees or too far away to see easily.

Food-Related

While you don't want to use food as a coping tool, lots of the activities around food prep are satisfying and relaxing.

16. Gardening

You get to enjoy planning your garden, watching it grow, and then harvest lots of free vegetables. Gardening can be very inexpensive if you start your own seeds and make your own compost to use for fertilizer. Even if you don’t have a yard, you can grow vegetables in pots on a patio or deck. If you don’t want to rototill a traditional garden, you can grow vegetables in straw bales or build raised beds for easy access.

17. Cooking

Cooking is a great pastime since it reduces the probability that you will spend money on expensive restaurant food. Watch some cooking shows or videos to learn cooking techniques and get ideas for recipes you want to try out. You can get started cooking with only a few pans and utensils.

18. Canning Food

If you have a successful garden, you’ll need to do something with all of those vegetables. The first thing I remember canning was salsa we made with tomatoes, onions, peppers, and cilantro we grew in the garden. It was messy and a lot of work, but it was fun to make those cans of salsa to save for winter and to give to friends. If you have a freezer, you can use an inexpensive vacuum sealer to pull the air out of plastic bags and seal up your produce to freeze without getting freezer burned.

19. Grilling

You can start grilling with a $20 charcoal grill. If $20 is too much for you, you can even make a grill for free! My kids build a kebab pit for free using concrete blocks they found and it works great. I also have a gas grill which is more expensive, but very convenient. Grilling outside is one of my favorite activities, followed closely by eating the food that I grill.

Creative Activities

Nothing is as satisfying as zoning out while making something. The doing is its own reward — but you'll also be rewarded with some of your own handiwork.

20. Wood shop

One of my favorite pastimes is working in my wood shop. I like to repair things, build small projects, and just spend time in my shop organizing my tools and thinking. A wood shop does not need to be expensive. I built one of my workbenches from a kit and others using recycled kitchen cabinets and countertops. Many of my tools were used tools that people gave me.

21. Photography

You can take surprisingly good photos with a cellphone or cheap digital camera, especially in outdoor lighting. A quality digital SLR camera with a zoom lens runs around $300 and will allow you to take your photography to the next level, providing more control over the camera settings.

22. Musical Instruments

You can pick up cheap used musical instruments on Craigslist or at consignment or pawnshops. Of course, buying the instrument is the easy part — learning to play it well takes work and practice.

23. Sewing

With a sewing machine, fabric, and a pattern, you can make your own clothes. Collecting bargain fabrics is part of the fun of sewing.

Social Activities

It's a fact of life that other people can be the cause of so much stress. It's also a fact of life that other people are often the cure.

24. Volunteer Work

There are lots of opportunities available to volunteer some of your time working for a good cause. Volunteering can be a good way to do something you enjoy and meet other people with similar interests. Some ideas for volunteering: animal shelter, food pantry, political campaign, church organizations.

25. Visiting

If you get bored hanging around your own house, try going to someone else's house! Visiting friends or family is a cheap way to get out of the house and do something different for a change of pace. Having people come over to visit at your place can inspire you to get cleaning and projects done.

26. Playing Cards

Playing cards is a classic cheap pastime, as long as you aren’t placing bets. Poker, bridge, and euchre are some popular card games that allow you to play competitively with others.

Cheap Entertainment

Finally, it's okay to be a couch potato from time to time.

27. Sports Fan

Some people spend a lot as sports fans, paying big money for tickets to games and buying team jerseys and other paraphernalia. But being a sports fan doesn’t have to be expensive. I don’t subscribe to any TV service, but I can find many of my Iowa Hawkeye football games for free, either on over-the-air TV or on radio broadcasts. Sometimes I can find a free video stream of the game on the Internet.

28. News Junkie

I listen to National Public Radio (NPR) for about an hour every day to keep up on news and world events. When I miss my chance to listen to the news for some reason, I feel out of touch and usually end up going on the Internet to check news stories I am following. Keeping up with the news is a cheap pastime and makes it easy to have an intelligent conversation with anyone you meet.

What are your favorite cheap pastimes?

Like this article? Pin it!

This article is from Dr Penny Pincher of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

18 Smart Ways to Reuse Your Empty Glass Bottles

Carrie Kirby — Wed, 01 Jun 2016 09:30:24 +0000

I was in a secondhand store recently and saw a beautiful corked bottle on the shelf for sale. It wasn't until I had it in my hand, reading the $3 price tag, that I recognized it as identical to the empty tequila bottle I'd tossed into the recycling earlier.

Maybe you're embarrassed (like me) by the loud jingling sound when you push your bins to the curb, or you'd rather spend your money on a fine vintage than on home decor (like me); either way, turning empty bottles into art, light fixtures, and useful household objects is a smart move. Here are some ideas.

Without a Glass Cutter

If you don't own a glass cutter or any other fancy tools, you can still get artsy with intact empties. For all these ideas, start by soaking the bottle in warm soapy water to get the label off. If there is any residue left after the soak, a solvent such as lighter fluid can get it off.

1. Bird Feeder

All you need to make an inverted wine bottle into a bird feeder is one plank of wood and some basic woodworking tools.

2. Candy Jar

Fill a clean, dry bottle with candy as an alternative to a treat bowl on your desk — or use mini bottles for candy-filled adult party favors. To dress it up, add a stripe of chalkboard paint, where you can write the name of the gift recipient or party guest, or the type of candy.

3. Yard Torch

Anyone can stick a candle in an empty wine bottle, but with a few dollars' worth of supplies from the hardware store, you can turn your empties into torches that could stylishly illuminate your whole backyard. Just fill the bottle with marbles and fuel, stick a tiki wick through a metal coupler, and light it up.

4. Table Card Holder

At a rustic-style wedding, a wine bottle with a cork in the top could handily hold a table number. Slice the cork halfway down from the top, and place the card in the resulting slot.

5. Vase

While an unadorned empty bottle can hold flowers as is, you can also dress it up by painting the surface, swirling paint inside for a Venetian glass effect, or spraying it with adhesive and wrapping with a pretty ribbon.

6. Candelabra

Line up half a dozen identical empties (hello, six-pack discount) and put candles in the tops to make a casual candelabra. For more polish, spray the bottles with metallic paint. Or spring for one of these candelabra bottle toppers to hold all your candles in a single bottle. You could attach your bottle candelabras to a sconce to make them into permanent wall decor.

7. Rolling Pin

Keep a clean empty in the kitchen for this purpose.

8. Boot Holder

Have tall leather or vinyl boots that flop over on the closet floor and get unsightly creases? Put some pebbles in the bottom of empty bottles, and stand them up inside the boots to make them stand at attention.

9. Vessel for a Gift

A pretty, very clean bottle can be repurposed to hold so many homemade goodies: infused oils, homemade infused vodka, bubble bath — the options are endless. If the gift will take a long time to use, securely attach a fancy drawer pull to the cork to make the bottle easy to unstop.

10. Garden Edger

Bury your bottles upside down to demarcate the borders of your garden. This idea is probably best used in a yard not frequented by children who could break a bottle and get hurt.

11. Slow-Drip Irrigator

Drill a small hole through the cork, fill the bottle with water, replace cork, and place upside down in the planter.

12. Leveling Tool

When hanging framed pictures on the wall, use a bottle to make sure it's exactly straight. Fill the bottle with water even with the top of the label and hold it so that it's bottom is perfectly aligned with the frame's top. Adjust until the water in the bottle is level.

13. Bottle Tree

Popular in the American South and linked to folk beliefs about trapping bad spirits in the glass, trees festooned with colored bottles can be a beautiful landscaping feature, especially in winter. There are many spectacular ways to arrange bottles on real trees or frames specially built for the purpose. Blue is the most popular color for these, so bring on the Bombay Sapphire gin, Skyy vodka, and Blue Nun wine.

With a Glass Cutter

Glass cutting tools run from about $5 to $30 (not as fancy as I thought!). They can come in the form of a simple hand tool, or in the form of a drill bit. What they do is score the glass so that you can break it off along the score line. To break it, you need to alternately heat and cool the glass a few times. Or, you can knock the portion of the bottle below the score line off using a hammer. Then you need to sand the sharp edge. Using this technique, you can remove the bottom or top from a bottle, opening up more ways to reuse it.

14. Hanging Planter

Remove the bottom, then fill with plants wrapped in moss for a cool upside-down, sun-catching planter.

15. Drinking Glasses

You'll see a lot of online tutorials on turning empty wine bottles into drinking glasses. While this is possible, keep in mind that the freshly cut edge of a bottle will be extremely sharp, and may not cut cleanly, depending on your method and skill. You'll need to do a lot of grinding and sanding to get the edge smooth enough to raise to your lips.

16. Bottle Chandelier

There are many, many possible designs for chandeliers made of wine bottles online. What most designs have in common is that you cut your bottle open, string a light inside it, and attach it to a wood or metal holder to suspend from the ceiling. What with the glass cutting, the wood or metal working, and some minor electrical work, it's a bit of a project. But the results can be stunning, and would be great decor for a rec room, man cave, or deck.

With a Drill

Using a tile and glass bit, you can drill a hole in a glass bottle with a little practice and care.

17. Lantern

Drill a hole into the back of a wine bottle and thread through a string of small LED lights to make a beautiful lantern. This technique could also be used when making a chandelier.

18. Party Lights

Drill a hole in the bottom or side of a bottle, then shove in a string of holiday lights. You could also push the lights in the top of the bottle, but it wouldn't look as elegant.

Any clever re-uses for glass bottles we've missed? Please share in comments!

Like this article? Pin it!

This article is from Carrie Kirby of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

15 More Cheap and Easy DIY Toys Kids Will Love

Ashley Marcin — Mon, 16 Nov 2015 11:15:18 +0000

Looking for a great birthday or Christmas gift for your child? There are lots of toys you can DIY to give a personal touch. Check out the projects below for some major inspiration. And share your favorite do-it-yourself toy projects in the comments. (Related: 15 Awesomely Fun Toys You Can DIY)

1. Colorful Crayons

Melt together a bunch of old crayons using silicone molds or cupcake tins. You'll be giving new life to something that might otherwise be tossed out — and even young kids can help with this project! Just take all the broken remnants, remove the paper labels, toss them in your molds, and bake at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 to 20 minutes.

2. Drum Set

Have a bunch of old paint cans you need to recycle? Try assembling this crazy drum kit. You'll clean your cans and then give them a coat of spray paint. Attach the cans together with bolts and screws. And don't forget to add some fancy stuff like cymbals. Grab a pair of sticks to start jamming.

3. Felt Food

Here's a quiet toy your kids will play with again and again: felt food. Find a stack of felt in assorted colors, print out the free template, and get cutting. Adhere everything together with hot glue and stuff some of the foods (like bread) will poly-fil. You'll make watermelon, bacon, pizza, and more.

4. Sand Blocks

Got an old Jenga game hanging around? Use the wooden pieces to make these cool rainbow sand blocks. Glue three of your blocks into an open-ended rectangle, then do it again. You'll make the rainbow sand using cornmeal and food coloring. Then, place the sand into a plastic bag and glue the bag in the middle of your blocks. Add two more blocks on top to finish the frame.

5. Nature Blocks

For kids who would rather be outdoors than anywhere else, you can make nature blocks. These blocks are inspired by the Waldorf toys and are simple to make if you have access to a hand saw. Go into your yard and find branches of different diameters. Then, let them dry someplace for a few weeks. To finish, just cut them into sections.

6. Kinetic Sand

Stop spending all that money on store-bought play sand. Try making your own with this kinetic sand tutorial. You'll need plain sand, corn starch, dish soap, and water. Mix everything together and consider adding some tea tree oil to the mix to keep it fresh.

7. Magnetic Fishing Set

If you have a sewing machine, you can whip up these DIY magnetic fish. Buy some round magnets, cut out fish shapes using scrap fabric and batting, and then sew the magnet into the fish. Make a quick pole using wooden dowels, spools, and rope. Don't forget the magnet at the end of the line so you can catch the fish!

8. Fruit Stand

Forget the play kitchen — try making a fruit stand. The maker of this project used an Ikea Rast table as the base. The rest is a creative mix of scrap wood, shelf supports, fabric, and little bins. Your finished product might not look exactly like the original, but the idea is to have plenty of places to stash play fruits and veggies.

9. Car Mat

This car mat is absolutely adorable. The only problem is that it took the author over 20 hours to cut, sew, and embroider everything together. You can make something similar by picking up some duck cloth (or other thick, sturdy fabric) at the hardware store, cutting it to size, and painting on a roadway, houses, and other cool spots with craft paints.

10. Hideaway Tent

Give your children a hideaway with this simple play tent. Create a foldable A-frame using 1" x 2" boards and dowels. Then use five yards of fabric to sew the cover that will tie onto the frame. This project takes around three hours from start to finish.

11. Painted Treasures

Don't feel like making a toy from scratch? Try finding something old and making it new again using spray paint. This Little Tikes car project is amazing and only took a couple cans of paint. Clean the toy well before disassembling and painting. You can try this makeover with play cars, houses, and anything else that needs freshening up.

12. Play Road

Before you toss out your old jeans, try using them in this DIY road project. After you trace a pattern for both curved and straight pieces, cut out your fabric from the old jeans. Then use glue and Mod Podge to fix everything together. Paint on some yellow lines and let the races begin!

13. Lego Table

Your kid will go crazy for this DIY Lego table. You'll need an old table (a square works wonderfully) and some of those Lego bases. Use glue to adhere the base plates to the table and give them some extra support with a few Lego bricks on the edges. Let the glue dry, and this project is done in around 20 minutes.

14. American Boy

Boys deserve dolls too! So, when I saw this American Boy doll in my Facebook feed, my jaw dropped. The mom took a standard girl doll (new or used would be fine), cut its hair, washed off its makeup, and dressed it in some clothes she found on Etsy. You can also sew your own for a personal touch.

15. Doll House

Make a super doll house using an old dresser. You'll need a relatively tall dresser as your base, and I recommended checking places like the Salvation Army and garage sales before buying new. Leave the bottom drawers on for storage. Then take the upper drawers out to make space for your rooms. Paint and fill with doll furniture to complete the project.

What are your kid's favorite DIY playthings?

Like this article? Pin it!

This article is from Ashley Marcin of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

This Is Why Your Projects Always Take Longer Than You Expect

Emily Guy Birken — Mon, 16 Jun 2014 17:00:03 +0000

A contractor friend of mine once told me that no matter how well you plan, any home renovation project will always take longer than you think. In fact, he has come up with a formula for figuring out a more realistic time frame: Double the number and go to the next unit of time for your estimate. For instance, if you believe your kitchen renovation will take two weeks, according to my friend, it will actually take four months. (See also: Is DIY Home Renovating for You?)

This phenomenon is called the planning fallacy, and it happens to all of us when we plan any kind of project. (Full disclosure: I was supposed to have this piece written back in April.)

Economists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky coined the term in 1979 in order to describe our tendency to underestimate the amount of time it takes to complete complex tasks — even when we have experience with similar tasks taking longer than our estimates.

The interesting thing about the planning fallacy is that it is a nearly universal human quirk. There are very few people and organizations that are able to overcome it. Here's what you need to know about the planning fallacy and some strategies you can use to combat its costly influence.

Why We Underestimate

Behavioral economists and psychologists tend to agree on the reasons why we fall victim to the planning fallacy: We are just too optimistic.

For instance, if you are planning a cross-country move, you might think about each of the necessary steps to take to go from one state to another. You'll think through each step, estimate the typical amount of time each will take, and add them all together. But, as Julia Galef points out on bigthink.com,

"The more steps you have in whatever project or task you're working on, the greater the chance that in one of those steps you're going to hit a snag and it's going to turn out to be atypical."

People have enough trouble recognizing the probability of single events. Add in compound probabilities, and we are generally going to plan for everything being exactly typical. This is why studies have shown that people who are asked for a best-case scenario estimate and a realistic estimate provide the exact same time estimate.

Additionally, there can be a self-serving aspect to the planning fallacy. Not only might you purposefully underestimate the time of a project in order to snag a waffling customer, but you might also unconsciously take credit for previous tasks that went well while blaming delays on outside influences, which will make you discount the time evidence of past projects. Even if you are absolutely correct that you are a superstar and the last delay was the distributor's fault, that does not change the fact that distribution might be a problem with the next project, too.

Hofstadter's Law

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Douglas Hofstadter (for whom "The Big Bang Theory's" Leonard Hofstadter was named) coined the following law:

It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter's Law.

This crystallizes the big problem with the planning fallacy. Even when you recognize that we all have a tendency to underestimate how long something will take, it's not enough to simply add an additional 20% or 40% to your estimate. It will still take longer than you expect.

Overcoming the Planning Fallacy

Unfortunately, even if we have the information necessary to take an outside view of our project, we're still likely to fall victim to the planning fallacy. However, there are a couple of strategies you can use to reduce the effect of the planning fallacy on your projects. (See also: Don't Panic! How to Meet a Deadline)

Take the Outside View

We fall victim to Hofstadter's Law due to what Daniel Kahneman describes as the "inside view" to look at our projects. From the inside, we see our own project as something over which we have a unique level of control. However, if we take an "outside view" and look at our project as one of a group of similar projects, we can much more accurately predict how long the project will take based upon the evidence of others like it.

Systematically Increase Your Estimate

This is basically the advice that my contractor friend gave to me. When planning a project, increase the amount of time that you estimate it will take by doubling the number and going up to the next time unit. This is safer than simply adding additional days (or weeks, or months) to the estimate you come up with because it leaves time for seriously disruptive delays.

The benefit of this strategy is that it doesn't require a great deal of additional thought. However, it is still possible to fall victim to Hofstadter's Law with this strategy. And having used it myself when dealing with various renovation projects around my house, I have found myself coming up with the revised estimate, and refusing to believe it will take that long. (It will.)

Ask an Expert

One of the reasons it can be so difficult to take the outside view of a time estimate is because you are intimately acquainted with all of the specific details of a project, which will lead you to believe that this one is different. Even if you have personal knowledge of other, similar projects, you're likely to underestimate the length of time yours will take.

So, one of the easiest ways to get an unbiased time estimate is to ask an outside expert how long similar projects have taken. That said, it might be difficult to believe the estimate they give. As the Less Wrong blog puts it,

"You'll get back an answer that sounds hideously long, and clearly reflects no understanding of the special reasons why this particular task will take less time. This answer is true. Deal with it."

Time Yourself

In her book Time Management From the Inside Out, organization guru Julie Morgenstern outlines a simple but difficult plan for improving your ability to estimate the time it takes to complete tasks: Estimate how long it takes you to complete various tasks, and then time yourself when you do them. This strategy will force you to take an outside view of your tasks and projects, rather than rely on your optimistic inside view.

For long-term projects, Morgenstern recommends breaking down the project into each of its component parts and estimating the amount of time each step will take. If you also record the actual time each step takes during these longer projects, you'll be giving yourself valuable evidence for planning your next project.

Write a Pre-Mortem

Research psychologist Gary Klein created the pre-mortem strategy for dealing with the planning fallacy. In this strategy, just prior to committing to a project, you imagine that you have committed to it, and it is a year later and the project was a disaster. You then spend about fifteen minutes writing out the history of what went wrong. This will allow you to pinpoint ahead of time where problems may arise in your plan.

Klein originally proposed this strategy for organizations, where doubts about a proposed plan of action can often be suppressed. The pre-mortem legitimizes those doubts.

However, a pre-mortem is also a great exercise for an individual making a plan. It allows you to think through ways your plan could be derailed, which will allow you to decide ahead of time how to handle those derailments. You cannot do that kind of pre-planning if you haven't thought through the likely obstacles you might be facing.

Stop Overpromising

The real problem with the planning fallacy is that it leads to overpromising and under delivering. Not only does that cause you stress, but it can strain both work and personal relationships. These strategies can help you to combat the effects of the planning fallacy, and give you the gift of unstressed productivity.

Have you ever had a project go disastrously, miraculously way beyond schedule? Please share in comments!

Like this article? Pin it!

This article is from Emily Guy Birken of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

18 Awesome, Practically Free Upcycled Craft Projects

Max Wong — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 10:36:37 +0000

I like to make stuff.

I sew or knit a lot of my own clothes. I cook from scratch. I try to only give handmade gifts. But, because I am on an itty bitty budget, I am constantly on the hunt for ways to reduce the cost of my crafting habit. Seriously, if you look at my checkbook it looks like I have a drug habit. All my money goes to La Knitterie Parisienne. I spend more money for yarn than I pay for gas every year. And I live in Los Angeles. Making stuff by hand can be wildly expensive. (See also: 25 Gifts You Can Make Today)

One of the easiest ways to cut craft costs is to source inexpensive supplies. My favorite source of free supplies happens to be the recycling bin in my house. In addition to providing me with free supplies, by upcycling craft materials from the waste stream, I’m doing the environment a favor.

Well, okay, I’m doing the environment a favor if my finished craft is actually a beautiful and functional item. As my friend Katy, who blogs regularly about treasures (and trash) she finds at Goodwill says, "Just because you can glue glass floral pebbles on something, doesn’t mean you should." Garbage with some glitter glued on it is still garbage.

When I’m trying to decide whether or not an upcycled craft project is worth my time, I ask myself three questions:

Would I love getting this item as a gift?
Is it something I would definitely use?
Can it replace something I would pay money for?

If the answer to all three of these questions is yes, then I know that the project is worth my time. However, since any type of crafting involves some level of hoarding — I mean collecting — I also ask myself a fourth question:

Will I generate more trash in the process of upcycling this item than if I just threw it away or donated it?

What follows are 21 upcycling projects that recently made it through my selection process.

1. Upcycled Egg Carton Wreath

I made a similar egg carton wreath with my mother when I was in pre-school. Instead of tempura paint we used the cheap watercolor paints that come in the plastic palette box. If you don’t have a glue gun, regular old Elmer’s glue works just fine. You can get remarkably sophisticated results from the humblest supplies.

2. Coasters From Woven Magazine Pages

When I travel, I collect foreign language magazines, maps, and cardboard packaging.

Newspapers and maps get recycled into wrapping paper, cardboard packaging gets cut into postcards, and ephemera like museum tickets get laminated and turned into luggage tags, bookmarks, and placemats. I like these woven coasters because they are a good way to use up magazine pages that aren’t visually that interesting, are a good travel craft that can be assembled while waiting at the airport or train station (just fold and tear the pages instead of using scissors), and are cheap to ship home.

3. Corrugated Cardboard Lamp

Instructables.com is a great resource for upcycled projects. I am going to use their instructions for this cardboard lamp to make a nightlight scratching post for my cats. (I’m replacing the bulb with LED tea lights for fire safety).

4. Plastic Toys Transformed

You don’t even need to know German to understand these instructions on how to turn a small plastic toy into a chic pendant or watch fob. This is a good way to use that lone army man or plastic circus animal you found hiding behind the sofa.

And this $1 plastic dinosaur toy plus succulents becomes Upcyclasaurus Rex.

5. Eccentric English Grandma To-Do List

Yes. I know this tea bag shopping list looks vaguely hoardy bag lady, but as a heavy duty tea drinker, I’m so happy to have found a way to reuse tea bag wrappers before I recycle them.

6. Cavity-Free Christmas Light Shades

I started buying Tom’s of Main toothpaste because it was the only toothpaste that was still sold in metal, recyclable tubes. So I was really disappointed when Tom’s switched to plastic tubes a few years ago. Luckily, the recycling geniuses over at Terracycle have figured out a way to turn plastic toothpaste tubes into cute, flower-shaped shades for holiday lights.

7. Upcycled Travel Art Kit

I usually recycle DVD cases by bringing them to my local video store for reuse, but this upcycled mobile sketch pad and pencil case is pretty slick.

8. Custom Jigsaw Puzzles

Are you tired of your old puzzles?

Spray paint over the design and then redraw your own. Or make a two-sided puzzle by creating a new design on the back of a puzzle.

I've been pricing custom photo puzzles as a gift idea for my mother-in-law. Instead of paying $75, I am going to enlist the youngest grandkid to help me convert an old 2000 piece puzzle that I already own into a truly brag-worthy piece of kid art.

9. Secret Book Safe

Where do you stash your secret book safe? On your book bookshelf, of course.

10. Citrus Peel Starter Pots

Before you compost your citrus peels, put them to work nurturing seedlings.

11. Old Slide Glass Windows

Transform old slides into a modern "stained glass" window treatment. I don’t know if this will keep out nosey neighbors or create them.

12. CD Spindle Bagel or Cable Holder

Keep your sandwich from getting squished in your bag. Turn a CD spindle into a sandwich keeper.

Or use one to store and organize cables. (The CD spindle. Not the sandwich).

13. Suitcase Toolbox

No garage? Organize your tools in vintage suitcases as a cute storage alternative. No one knows that my grandmother’s old train case is really my sewing kit.

14. Plastic Spoon Mirror Frame

Martha Stewart Living has nothing on Marie Claire Idées, the French DIY decorating magazine. This mirror’s mid-century mod frame is made from spray painted plastic spoons that are affixed to the inexpensive mirror with epoxy glue specifically designed for glass.

15. Friendship Rug

Did you ever make friendship bracelets at summer camp? Well, you can make a giant rug or table runner version out of old bed sheets.

16. Party Favor Gift Tubes

My goddaughter is hosting a tea party to celebrate her confirmation in May. I’m saving up toilet paper tubes to reuse as little gift boxes for party favors. I’m overly pleased that this project will help me use up all my leftover doilies and paper flowers from Valentine’s Day, too.

17. Fabric Covered Hangers

No more wire hangers! Even Mommy Dearest would love these fabric covered wire hangers, but don't mention that the fabric is upcycled old t-shirts.

18. Weensy Photo Fridge Magnets

I’ve always loved miniatures, so these tiny "Polaroid" magnets are right up my alley. This tutorial includes a downloadable Photoshop template for the Polaroid frames, but these could easily be replicated with just a ruler and matte knife.

What’s so great about this project is that you can customize this idea for gifts that are personal and easy to ship. I’m going to make a set of these for my mom and my mother-in-law for Mother’s Day. These would also make a super cute wedding gift.

OK, I will admit that this is one of those times that my insane hoarding of craft supplies pays off. Instead of buying adhesive backed magnet tape at the craft store, I am going to use the business card magnets I keep getting in the mail from various local businesses and real estate agents for this project.

Do you think upcycled crafts are worth the time and effort? What upcycled craft project would you recommend to others? What's your biggest upcycling fail? Share your genius in the comments section.

This article is from Max Wong of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

4 Project Costs to Consider Before You Launch

Lynn Truong — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 18:36:35 +0000

Link:

http://www.openforum.com/articles/4-project-costs-to-consider-before-you-launch

It happens all the time. During a weekly (or daily) meeting, someone brings up something "interesting" he saw online or read about on the Harvard Business Review. "Maybe we should try it."

Sometimes one of these spontaneous ideas turns out to be an outburst of genius. It may solve an existing problem efficiently and economically. Or maybe it offers a new way to engage your customers. Other times, though, the excitement of something new leads us in pursuit of time consuming and costly projects that don’t deliver.

There's no doubt that today's landscape requires companies to move fast so they don't get left behind. But it's also important to be prudent about where you spend your resources. More often than not, the "shiny and new" feature that cost tens of thousands of dollars to build will become obsolete even before launch.

Fortunately, there are four simple ways to evaluate whether a long-term, resource intensive project is really going to be valuable when it's done.

1) Time Is Money

For every business, time is a cost. There may be opportunities that need to be passed on simply because you don't have the luxury of time. If your cash is going to run out in three months, but the project you want to take on is going to take five months, it doesn't matter how great the idea it is. Your company won't be standing by the time it's done. It's not just about whether you can afford to spend the money; you have to consider whether you can afford to spend the time.

2) Count the Opportunity Cost

The hard costs required to complete a project are easily inputted neatly into a spreadsheet.

You can calculate how much new employees or freelancers will cost, as well as the tools needed and other resources required. What's more difficult to calculate (and often overlooked), is the opportunity cost. What are you giving up to pursue this project? Can you be building your company in other, better ways? What resources will be diverted from other areas to support this new feature or service? There are usually many options a business can choose from for growth. Is this the very best one?

3) Review Your Priorities

Small businesses rarely have the resources to do absolutely everything they could do to grow revenues and expand their reach. This is where priorities come into play.

Pursue projects that are in line with priorities and high target goals. Don't get sucked into a sales pitch from the guy who's selling a large package of goodies that are just neat to have. Are there other things you can do that will more effectively meet your most important goals?

4) Don't Listen to the Squeaky Wheel

It's easy to get distracted by a new complaint or an inconsequential but "loud" bug. What's top of mind can quickly become an all consuming project that no one really cares about.

Whenever a new problem becomes apparent, discuss it with the team, but remember to place it in the queue where it belongs. If it's a blaring bug that demands prompt attention, that's fine. But if it's not, let it go for now and get back to it when it's time.

Keeping resources focused on your high target, high yield goals will produce the results your business needs. Stay away from the traps of pursuing projects that cost more than they're worth.

This article is from Lynn Truong of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

13 alternatives to paying for homework help

Julie Rains — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 19:09:57 +0000

Being overwhelmed with homework seems to be a badge of parental honor. If homework is heaping, you may look to costly resources for help. In "How Homework Is Hurting Our Family," Jeff Opdyke (a personal finance writer for The Wall Street Journal) writes of his family's struggles. He and his wife have hired a college student to help organize their 5th grade son's workload, a solution superior to anti-anxiety medication as mentioned by friends. But, there are smart, frugal alternatives: here are 13 ways to avoid paying for homework help, suitable for elementary school students.

1. Realize that parental involvement means providing encouragement and support, not being a homework slave. You can avoid helping with homework and still be a good parent.

2. Find out the homework guidelines (how many hours per day) for your child’s grade level and class. If homework time exceeds standards, let the teacher or an administrator resolve overload.

3. For specific problems, ask your child to talk to his/her teacher. Teachers respond more favorably to a child who advocates for himself/herself than an intervening parent.

4. Don’t correct your child’s homework as a sensible teacher will assume that the child has mastered the subject matter and move on to more challenging material. Your child may struggle with new material as foundational concepts have not been learned.

5. Resist the temptation to do parts (or all) of a project, even if your friends are helping their children and your child’s presentation will look, well, childish. Accept that the project grade may be low compared to peers.

6. Become a project manager. Here's my concession to homework assistance but I believe that most 10-year-olds do not have the capacity to manage long-term, complex projects. If the assignment doesn’t come with a timeline and milestones (for example, a book report may have dates for getting the book approved and preparing a rough draft), then break down the project into tasks and create a plan for your child.

7. Make sure there aren’t any underlying problems that may be impacting your child’s academic performance. Have your child’s eyesight and hearing checked. Make sure your child gets enough rest and an adequate breakfast.

8. Learn yourself. Find out about learning strategies based on kids' unique cognitive profiles (for example, a child with great verbal but poor visual/spatial skills may have to spend more time studying geometry, or ask the teacher to explain concepts in a new way).

9. Get free tutoring help, which may be offered at your child’s school or through other community resources.

10. Review your child’s extracurricular activities. Consider whether your child has adequate time to relax after coming home from school, engage in creative activities, participate in structured activities, and finish homework.

11. De-stress at home. Even if you’re stressed about schoolwork, don’t show it. Your stress adds to your child’s anxiety.

12. Make sure your child is on track. Ask to be informed of interim test results (most likely quarterly) so that you can verify that your child is learning whether or not he/she is getting stellar grades.

13. Champion change. Channel your homework-helping energy into advocacy for less homework or penalties (yes, lower grades) for obvious, unnecessary parental meddling.

Getting too involved in your child's homework leads to unneeded intervention and frustration. Try these homework-helping alternatives to let your child develop lifelong learning strategies and save cash.

This article is from Julie Rains of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread: