By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of BobbisBargains.
bucklava/flickr
I need to replace all the windows and sliding glass doors in my house. They are so old and drafty that with the increased price of electricity, I am literally throwing money out the window. I have a handy hubby and a sturdy son – I’ll do the research and the buying – they will do the hard physical stuff. Do you think I am biting off more than I can handle?
The house has two sliding glass doors and thirteen windows. That’s a lot to replace.
I am planning on getting
Steve Rhodes / Flickr
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
I must confess I have no clue what teams are playing on Super Bowl Sunday (Feb. 5), but what I do know is how to throw a party on a budget! Below I share suggestions to lower the costs of drinks, food, and decorations.
Food
- Prepare your food from scratch. It will take you longer, but it will taste better and save you money! Buying pre-made food from the grocery store is always more expensive. Make foods that can be prepped ahead of time or come in large batches so you can enjoy the game or commercials. Try this turkey chilli recipe. Make your own dips and salsas as well. (more…)
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By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of BobbisBargains.
Per Southern California Gas Company, home heating is 65% of a residential gas bill during the winter months. (That’s what it said in my bill insert this month.) Wow! If that is true in Southern California, what is it in actual cold parts of the country?
With so much of your utility budget going toward keeping your home warm, anything that you can do to retain heat in your home or keep the heat from leaving is a money saver. Here are 5 tips that will help you to lower your heating bill:
Internet TV at home is a DIY reality!
I’m hearing a lot about services that, for a fee, let you play computer videos, like Hulu and YouTube, on your TV. Is this a necessary expense? How hard is it to do yourself? I talked to Shawn DuBravac, a head honcho at the Consumer Electronic Association, and learned that, for many TVs, you can buy a cable for about $45 that will eliminate the need for a pricey service. This interview has been edited and condensed.
How hard is it to stream videos from your computer to your TV? If you want to play YouTube videos on a television, you have to have some type of computer object connected to that television: a browser in essence.
What is an Internet TV? About 20% of televisions are Internet-enabled. If you have one of those televisions you really don’t need to do anything.
What about a non-Internet TV that has an HDMI input? If you have an HDMI port, then all you have to do is
soulshine20_05/Flickr
Spring and gardening on are my brain, even though today my world is covered in gray fog. I can’t see more than a few hundred feet out my window! A short article in the Spring issue of freshHOME takes the mystery our of making a mosaic pot for flowers, veggies, or cat grass! Making a mosaic pot costs about $20, requires 1.5 hours plus however long it takes you to gather supplies (see list below), and is a relatively low skill project. Let’s get started!
Supplies you need
Tile, old china you can break into pieces, smooth stones, glass beads (thrift stores are a great place to find cool plates) (more…)
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This post is brought to you by Plumbing Q & A, where you can get all your plumbing questions answered.
When deciding whether to do a home improvement project yourself or hire someone, it’s useful to know how much money you earn in an hour. The April issue of Real Simple shares this two-part calculator.
Part 1 Income
Your monthly take-home income after taxes:
Add up all your costs associated with working.
Coffee runs with coworkers:
Commuting:
Clothing:
Dry cleaning:
Unreimbursed business meals:
Child care:
Subscriptions:
Business supplies:
Other:
Total work expenses:
Real monthly income (income minus work expenses):
Part 2 Hours
How many hours do you work in a month (40 hours per week times 4 weeks = 160 hours per month):
How many hours do you spend commuting (round trip commute x 20 days):
Additional hours spent on work (reading, continuing education, travel):
Total work hours:
Your hourly wage rate (real monthly income divided by total work hours):
Use your hourly rate to determine if it is a better idea to hire a professional or do the work yourself. But remember, just because hired help may be cheaper per hour than your hourly rate does not mean you have the money to spare!
