Interior Wall Paint: Flat, Eggshell, Satin, Semi-Gloss or High-Gloss Which is Best?

I'm big on budget DIY home remodeling. So I have used a variety of paint styles. Many readers have asked which I like best. I found it's not as much about brand as paint style and the application you'll use it for. In this article we will focus on interior latex paints as those are safer. Latex paint is low-odor, non-toxic and much easier to work with. I just about knocked myself out, using Kilz in an poorly vented bathroom. Don't do that. Be sure you use low odor and keep air moving! So, back to choosing paint. Here's my guide Interior Wall Paint: Flat, Eggshell, Satin, Semi-Gloss or High-Gloss? #bubblews

Healthy Cooking Cheats for Crazy-busy Parents

Mealtimes present a dilemma for me: I want the kids to enjoy hot, hearty, healthy meals, but I generally lack adequate time to cook. If you're a crazy-busy parent who values nutritious meals, you need shortcuts to "get-er-done" fast. Here are cooking cheats from a 24-year veteran mom of four. Tailor recipe sizes to family need. These meals are easy on the budget as well. Healthy, Cheap Cooking Cheats for Crazy-busy Folks

Easy Green Recycled Holiday Gifts to Make for Homebound, Seniors, Bird Watchers

Bird feeders are some of the easiest crafts to make for holiday gifts. Bird feeders are inexpensive, eco-friendly gifts that will delight anyone on your holiday gift list, especially grandparents, shut-ins, elderly and homebound. Bird watching is something everyone can enjoy. Those who cannot get out as often or who are homebound will enjoy a little bird-feeder hung right in their kitchen or bedroom window. Here are several simple homemade bird feeders to make from your recycle bins. These make excellent school, scout troop or Sunday School holiday crafts. Read more

Thaw Frozen Water Pipes, Prevent Winter Plumbing Freezes

My husband and I lived for ten years of our marriage in a mobile home. A common winter maintenance problems in trailers is frozen water pipes. Here are tips to prevent plumbing freezes. If pipes do freeze, here are tips to thaw them. My husband has donned Carhart coverall many times, armed with heat lamp and hair dryer to trudge through three foots drifts and thaw frozen pipes. It's a horrendous job. Pipes take forever to thaw. It wastes gobs of resources and it's expensive. Frozen plumbing can pose fire hazards, too. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! How to Prevent Plumbing and Pipes from Freezing in Winter 

Cheap Recycled Bible Character, Saints Costumes, Halloween or All Saints Day

Every parent has a little different spin on Halloween. Some go all out with the spooky costumes. Others celebrate it but only allow certain costumes. Still others make it a religious event where kids dress in Biblical costumes. Many Catholic families celebrate it for the religious holy day it is--All Saints Day. Whether you celebrate Halloween and trick-or-treat and have children dress as saints, or if you celebrate All Saints Day with a costume party, here are easy cheap Bible character and saints costumes. Use recycled materials green, eco-friendly free costumes, too. Read on Easy Bible Character and Saints Costumes for Halloween or All Saints Day 

Easy, cheap kids' party: Fall backyard shindig or beach bash

As the days grow cooler, now's the perfect time for a backyard fall bash. And who knows--with Indian summer, we still may get a few summery days. Why not celebrate with a backyard bash or beach party? Here's an easy cheap kids' party plan for children in preschool to middle elementary. read more

Surprise costs, hidden problems remodeling our 100-year-old home

My husband and I bought our Grand Haven, Michigan, home in 2000. We hoped to save money buying a 100-year-old fixer-upper for just $52,000. Newer homes that needed less work were selling for about two to three times what we paid for ours. We've had to make do with a lot of inconveniences that would cost us far more than we saved in purchase price to properly fix. Even fixing our home on a shoestring has cost us nearly as much as we saved -- around $49,000. Here are some of our costlier old-home-buying surprises.  read more

8 DIY Automotive Maintenance Tricks that Save Us Big Money

8 DIY Automotive Maintenance Tricks that Save Us Big Money Did you know that you can save yourself hundreds, even thousands of dollars on DIY auto repairs each year? By learning and practicing a few routine maintenance tips, we have saved money not only on repairs, but also purchasing inexpensive used vehicles. Maintenance saves on gas costs, too. The biggest reason most people buy new vehicles is because they need the warranty or they lack the skills to perform their own maintenance. Those skills aren't difficult to learn. Read more...

How to Make Butter Easy and Inexpensive

Students of all ages love hands on learning activities. What better way to understand how something works than with interactive educational experiences? Making butter with your students teaching chemistry and science principles and it's great fun! Here's how to make butter easily in any educational setting with no special equipment. Here's how...

Green Home Winterization Tips that Save Heating Costs

Easy, Inexpensive Ways to Reduce Your Home Energy and Heating Costs
We've winterized homes and mobile homes and have learned many tricks along the way to reduce home heating costs. These DIY, 'on-a-shoestring' tips do not require large investments of money. Cut your energy consumption with these green ideas.
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How to Clean the Kitchen Sink and Prevent Clogging

How to Prevent Your Sink from Clogging
No matter how many cool appliances fill your kitchen- dishwasher, garbage disposal, trash compactor, one problem remains for cooks: how to keep the sink from clogging. Here's a safe, green DIY guide to keep kitchen drains clean.
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Summer Cat Care Tips

Healthy Summer Cat Care Tips to Keep Kitty Cool
Cats and other furry mammals are rumored not to feel the heat in summer. It has been said that a cat's fur insulates him from the heat. This is just an old wives tale. Cats not only feel the heat, they suffer the same health issues in summer as humans.
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Green Home Safety: Clean Your Vents, Ducts, Filters

Home Safety Tips: Clean Your Filters, Ducts and Vents
My husband and I are avid home maintenance DIY-ers. We also practice preventative maintenance as a rule of thumb. One of our best home care safety and maintenance tips is a simple but oft over-looked practice. Vent, screen and filter cleaning.
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Green Spring Cleaning: Eco-Friendly Stain Prevention and Removal

Green Eco-Friendly Stain Prevention and Removal: Blood, Wine, Tomato Sauce, Chocolate
The best way to treat stains is to prevent stains from taking hold in fabric. Green, eco-friendly stain prevention and removal involves using less earth-invasive techniques. Here are green tips for blood, chocolate, tomato sauce, wine and grass stains.
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Spring Cleaning: Easy Tips

Spring Cleaning: Sanity Saving Tips
How do you spring clean without tears? Very simple. It's as easy as 1-2-3. First, don't let the mess get out of hand. Second, break tasks down into bite-sized pieces. Third, learn to live with imperfection.
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Green, DIY Decor~ Genealogy Photo Wal

How to Create a Genealogy Photo Wall: Easy, Inexpensive, Memorable and Dresses Up Any Wall
Green, DIY home decor. Reuse, recycle. Step by step guide to create and display family photos in a family tree motif.
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Vehicle Maintenance for a Green Car!

20 Vehicle Maintenance Tips
20 things to check, refill, change or replace on your vehicle regularly. Your car runs cleaner, greener and meaner when you practice these simple vehicle maintenance tips!
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