money
Household on a budget. National consumer finance expert Ethan Ewing, president of , offers these tips to keep a family in the black:
Spend with cash. Make like an ATM and start handing over old-fashioned bills for your routine expenditures.
Turn off the clothes dryer. Running the dryer for an hour might cost nearly 30 cents. The average family does eight loads of wash a week. If each load takes one hour in the dryer, hanging all clothes to dry will knock nearly $10 per month off your utility bill, or $115 per year.
Shop warehouse clubs. Everyone can benefit from the savings offered with research and careful planning.
energy
A more efficient kitchen. Help your kitchen save energy with these tips from Current Energy, which offers products and services that help residential and commercial customers manage energy consumption:
The oven. After use, leave the oven door open to warm the kitchen in the winter.
Exhaust fans. Use kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans sparingly. They remove humidity and odors, but use energy, sucking conditioned air out of the space.
Dishwashers. Wash only full loads; don’t use the “rinse-hold” cycle. Let dishes air-dry.
Water heater. Save money on the gas bill by turning down the temperature of the water heater by a few degrees.
Visit for more information.
space
Decor trends for 2009. Decor Place, a leader in home decor for more than 35 years, says American home owners are now designing their spaces as a place of refuge from world challenges and economic instability. Here are three of the top 10 home decor trends for the new year:
Color your world. Forecasts are for lively colors and sophisticated hues including fuchsia red, salmon rose, palace blue, lavender, rose dust and vibrant green.
Light up your life. More light will be needed to properly illuminate rooms decked out in intense paint colors. Chandeliers will have more arms or multiple lights per arm. Pendants and wall-mounted fixtures will accept higher-wattage bulbs.
We’ve got you covered. Wall murals will continue to be in high demand as a cost-effective way to transform the look of a room.
More details at
