For the Smart Money Cookie

Spring is here and for many of us it’s the perfect time to organize and decorate. As winter passes into spring, it’s out with the old look and in with the new look. This is a great time to bring some new ideas into your home and liven things up!

Spring is a great time to find bargains on decorating accessories at yard and garage sales. As the seasons change, many times your local thrift and consignment stores will have a change in inventory. This is the time when many folks finally donate unwanted merchandise that’s just been sitting around the garage or house. Spring cleaning!

My advise……..have your own yard or garage sale and make some extra money on those items. But, lucky for us frugal shoppers, there are some folks who just don’t want to take the time. So, be sure not to miss out on decorating supplies, furnishings, accessories, paint, wallpaper, and fabrics that can be found at many thrift stores.

Sometimes pulling items from one room to another and simply re-organizing, fixing up, or just using an item in a different way can be enough. Add a fresh coat of paint, different window dressings and replacement of furnishings, and WHA LAH! You have a new room.

Need some paint? If you can be flexible about color, check the mis-mixed table at your local home improvement, hardware, or paint stores. You can find high quality paints for a fraction of the original retail cost when colors don’t turn out exactly as they should have. Sometimes you can find a slight variation of just the color you’ve already picked that will work just as well with your selected color scheme and save you lots of money.

I buy these mis-mixed paints (usually for $2-3 per gallon or less) throughout the year and store them appropriately for later use. This way I go shopping in my own paint department first to see if I can accommodate the decorating plan I have chosen. Planning ahead and grabbing these types of decorating supplies when they’re a bargain is a great way to maximize your savings.

Collecting fabrics for future use is also another great idea. Even unwanted clothing can be used to create small window dressings, pillow covers, and accessories. Many people give away scraps of fabrics or sell them at yard sales. Be sure to check clearance and end piece items at sewing and fabric shops. It’s really so simple to make a curtain or a pillow. Usually only requires sewing simple seams.

For more complicated tasks, if you can’t figure it out for yourself, you’re sure to find a how to book at any library or search on-line for free information.

I’ve found some excellent ideas for decorating on a budget, do-it-yourself projects, and some great decorating theme ideas from HGTV (Home and Garden Television). Even if you don’t get this wonderful T.V. channel in your home, you can go on-line at HGTV.com to benefit from some wonderful ideas and projects by professionals. There’s a lot for do-it-yourselfers here! You can get some great ideas for areas of your home where you just don’t know what to do with it.

Before you make your plans, check out several books at the library on home decorating. You will find no shortage of books on this subject. Glance through them and grab ideas to incorporate into your own decorating task. If you have a specific challenge to overcome, likelihood is someone else has already encountered it, conquered it, and written a book or web page about it. Use their knowledge! It will save you time and frustration of figuring it out.

My last words, of course, DO YOUR RESEARCH! Know your options.
Remember……..Informed Consumer=More Savings.

Cheryl Johnson is a mother of four helping herself and others become and remain debt free. Publisher of http://www.simpledebtfreeliving.com - A self-help plan, ideas, and resources for debt reduction, personal budgeting, frugal living, and extra income opportunities. Money saving tips for groceries, clothing, ,home decorating, monthly bills, and much more.

Carpet extractors are an excellent method of basic economical in
depth carpet cleaning. Carpet extractors will clean your entire
carpet, remove spots and stains, keep high traffic areas clean,
and they’ll even clean your upholstery and drapery. Here are the
top 8 carpet extractors.

1. Dirtdevil Featherlight Carpet Extractor

The dirtdevel featherlight is a lightweight and very portable
carpet extractor. Comes with a 5 brush nozzle system which will
gently clean your carpets and the powerful vacuum will dry the
carpets quickly. It has a 1 gallon reservoir for your cleaning
solution, and a nice wide nozzle.

2. AX9 Carpet Extractor

The AX9 is designed to clean almost any surface no matter how
tough the access it will get into those tight crevices. That’s
because it comes with a complete set of accessories to make the
job easy. It provides total dryness with only one sweep.
Complete with an ergonomic handle that makes moving it around
more comfortable.

3. EAG 1400

The EAG 1400 is a commercial size carpet extractor that will
clean up your commercial or home space. Built much like a
wet/dry vac it has a dual two stage vacuum motor that provides
maximum power. It has a 12 gallon solution tank as well as a 12
gallon recovery tank. The 8 large castor rear wheels, and 3
front castors make it easy to maneuver. It has a 25 foot cord so
will reach and a 15 foot vacuum hose.

4. Admiral 8

The Admiral 8 comes with an ergonomic and adjustable handle
with finger tip controls for operation. This no hose design
makes it easy to fill and empty. It can also be purchased with
the hard floor cleaning kit.

5. Ext 311 Extractor

The Ext 311 has a nice compact carpet extractor that pulls soil
from the carpet effectively. The 2 stage vacuum motor, 10 foot
hose, and a 9 inch and 10 inch heavy duty tool will clean any
carpet easily. It has an 11 gallon solution tank and recover
bucket can be removed to empty. Easy to roll along on the 2 inch
casters.

6. The Speedster Carpet Extractor

The Speedster comes with 100 PSI solution pump and dual two
stage vacuum motors that have a 150 degree water lift. The large
rear wheels and grip handle makes this extractor easy to
maneuver and move around.

7. Clean NB 48 Carpet Extractor

The NB 48 is complete with heat to dry up behind you. This
commercial carpet extractor is one of the best sellers for
professionals. 10 foot wand, 20 foot hose.

8. Harding 1408 Carpet Extractor

The Harding 1408 has a forward reverse brush action which gets
down deep and takes less time to clean. It has an 8 gallon
solution and recovery bladder as well as two sets of spray
nozzles which work independently, and a 14 inch shoe. All lines
are built inside so there are no outside lines. Comes complete
with 40 foot chord.

These are 8 top carpet extractors but there are many many other
excellent products on the market. The carpet extractor you
choose will depend on how much carpet you have to clean, and how
often. The one thing that has been proven over and over is that
carpet extractors will extend the life of your carpets and keep
them looking fresh and new.

———————–

John Murray makes it easy to go through the carpet buying
process and provides tips to keep your carpet lasting long. To
learn more and receive your free mini-course visit the carpet
rugs website

Lighting

“Light has illuminated the path of humanity” - While Einstein was probably referring to one of his mind-blowing theories, lighting has also revolutionized the home. Before incandescent and fluorescent lighting, most activities stopped after dusk. Only royalty and the aristocrats had the money for torches, lamps, and candles. Yet nowadays, lighting is used for more than just being able to use the computer to buy dog food at 2 AM in your pajamas. Lighting has become a crucial pillar in the foundation of home decoration and design.

Outside lighting - lighting around your house not only brings an additional layer of security but also can complement your landscaping and outside decorations.

Lamps - lamps are not so much about the light but rather the decoration and style; make sure it matches the rest of your décor. However, a nice soft yellow light would be nice to set a mellow and cozy mood.

Room lights - lighting in your home is critical, not only for mundane things like checking your plummeting stock portfolio in the newspaper but also for illuminating the rest of your furniture. So to have great room lighting, have quality standup lights that can project across the entire room. For the lights installed in the ceiling, either buy new ones that match your décor or at the very least get quality light bulbs that complement your home and suit your lifestyle:

Technologies - there are many kinds of light sources; the two major ones used in residential homes are incandescent and fluorescent. Although fluorescent are big energy-savers, the white light they give off are not very pleasing to the eye. Incandescent light bulbs come in all sorts of strengths from less than 10 to more than a 100 watts although 60 should be plenty. Halogens are also common as room lights. They are actually quite flattering and very powerful, resulting in brilliant light to 300+ watts.

About The Author

Home Decorating Designs

http://www.home-decorating-designs.com

Jeff@carpunky.com

Kitchen cabinets experience maximum wear because of the very nature of their utility. They bear the brunt of the heat, grease, food residue, and stains, that result from cooking. Sooner or later, you come to the decision that your kitchen cabinets need revamping. Replacing kitchen cabinets can prove to be an expensive option. A less costly and often more creative option can be replacing or repainting the doors of the kitchen cabinets.

Search the market and you will find you can utilize professional expertise to get custom-made laminate doors for your cabinets. These laminated doors imitate wood and don’t require paint. Professional cabinetmakers will make doors of any size and any color.

This is not to say that you cannot get doors made from real wood. Popular woods for cabinet doors includes maple, oak, and cherry. If wood is not your style, you can even think in terms of stainless steel or glass. To get the perfect fit, measure your existing doors carefully and give the measurements to the manufacturer. Also, remember to choose the perfect style for your cabinet doors. Styles vary from raised to curved or even flat with intricate moldings.

You can also express yourself by painting your kitchen cabinets doors yourself. Not only will you have the satisfaction of doing your work yourself, but you will also be able to cut down on the extra costs of hiring a professional. But do keep in mind that the entire job may take a period of at least three days.

To paint the doors, you will have to first clean them thoroughly and remove all stains to get an even and uniform finish. Also, you should fill in all cracks and scratch marks with wood putty. Then apply a coat of paint with firm strokes. You can also consider spray painting to get a more uniform and trendy look. Give the final touch by choosing elegant knobs for your fresh, new cabinet doors.

Kitchen Cabinets provides detailed information about kitchen cabinets, discount kitchen cabinets, kitchen cabinet doors and more. Kitchen Cabinets is affiliated with Wallpaper And Borders.

There is a perception amongst most folk that every house is allowed a certain percentage of extension development without the need for formal Planning Permission. People seem to think that it applies to them even when they purchase an already extended property.

The Permitted development allowances as contained within the GPDO 1995, Statutory instrument 1995 No. 418 is a minefield of criteria & restrictions with affecting paragraphs & clarifications all over the document which has lead to a vast array of interpretations from homeowners, agents & Planning Authorities, some of which has been challenged in the courts. It is so cumbersome that there is even a government discussion document out at the moment seeking to address these issues that should result in an update or complete new legislation document in the coming months so watch this space.

This News Letter is far too short to go into every issue of what you can & cannot build within the curtilage of a dwelling house without formal Planning Permission (unless you have purchased my MAXIMUM BUILD PLANNING GUIDE OF COURSE???) but it may be advantageous to subscribers of this news letter to highlight some of the more common ‘trip up’ clauses that will prevent you from erecting your extension, outbuilding or alterations to your property as follows:-

1. Site zoning - if your property is within a conservation area or Area of outstanding natural Beauty or a National park then your PD limits may be fully withdrawn or limited from normal.

2. New dwellings - If your property was part of an estate, small infill development, one off build etc. within the last 15 years then there is a good chance that the Planners cleverly by stealth removed the PD rights to the property as part of the original Planning Approval as a Planning Condition. This is to maintain control over your property in most aspects for the future. Even older housing estates may have their PD rights lifted so do check first. This is the most common of all reasons why most ordinary householder hopes are dashed at the outset or illegal buildings are erected in the first place.

3. Previously extended properties - If you are purchasing a property that has already been extended then it is likely that no further PD rights exist applicable to extending a dwelling. 70 cubic metres is not a great deal of extension volume.

4. Ancillary outbuildings - These have minimum distance requirements from the house & to a highway. They also have strict ridge & Flat roof heights & are again affected by the sites zoning as in item 1 above. The use must also be ancillary and contain no bed space. So no granny annexes, office suites or huge buildings that cannot be classified as an ‘ancillary use’.

5. Extension heights - If it is over 4M high within 2M of a boundary then sorry but no go here as well.

6. Fence heights - Normally 1M max. close to a highway or 2M in most other cases.

7. Roof Dormers - if they exceed the existing ridge line, front towards a highway (that means paths as well) or are greater than 40/50 cubic metres (terrace/other) or within a conservation area then no go for building them without Planning.

8. Porches - that do not cover a doorway or exceed 3 square metres or exceed 3M high or are within 2 Metres to a highway do not comply with PD - you will need Planning Permission.

There are more areas of ‘trip ups’ but the ones listed above are the main common catches that most people fall into from time to time.

The solution is to always check the constraining details with your local Planning Dept. with what you want to do & get it ‘informally’ agreed in writing. This aspect is actually harder to obtain than you think as most Councils now want you to apply for a Certificate of Lawfulness (C of E) which is a legally binding document that confirms (or denies) that you do not require formal Planning Approval for your scheme.

You see the council have an unfair ‘get out of jail free’ card where their ‘opinion letters’ outside of a C of E are not legally binding? - Isn’t that great! Can you imagine what the world would become if we were are all granted that sort of ‘cop out’ licence in our correspondence & professional opinions?

Cynical I may be but this sort of evasion of duty & responsibility really guiles me. The down side is when applying for a C of E is that you need proper drawings showing all aspects of the design, siting & location plan etc. which is not normally achievable in a DIY format by the householder, you need to pay a fee (currently £55.00) & surprise, surprise - it takes about 2 months!!!! to decide. - ere…….excuse me….but doesn’t that sound just like a Planning application - YES - to be informed that you don’t need planning in the first place! - what a great ploy & clever thinking by the boys at Whitehall. I think the phrase is….’you couldn’t possibly make this up!

If you have trouble deciding what you want to build is PD or not & the council remain unhelpful outside of a C of E then do seek a professional opinion from a Building Design Agent used to this sort of residential development.

Our ‘Maximum Build Planning Guide’ explains further the tactics involved when extending a property under Permitted Development & what areas can be exploited for developing land or a site for residential use & how to give yourself the best chance of being granted an approval.

Our ‘Maximum Build Planning Guide’ explains further the issues involved when extending or developing a property for Planning Permission.

http://www.planning-approval.co.uk