space
Better roomie relations. More than a third of renters with roommates report that cohabitants quickly wear out their welcome by failing to pick up after themselves, according to a new survey commissioned by Wakefield Research on behalf of the listing site . Using things that don’t belong to them, eating other people’s food, blasting music, and failing to lead separate lives are other leading causes of spoiled roommate relations. To avoid such common roommates nightmares, . offers the following tips: Commit to clean.Some people are inherently tidier than others. If your roommate is on the messier side, be sure to discuss expectations prior to moving in together. Talk about who will clean what, when and how often you will clean and what’s acceptable in terms of routine upkeep.
Communicate. Make sure to communicate your needs and expectations to each other and always be thoughtful. For example, if your roommate is a student and would like to use the kitchen table to study, agree not to watch TV loudly in the same room during study hours or blast loud music from your bedroom. Likewise, if you are hosting the occasional date night at your place, give your roommate fair warning to make other plans.
Honor privacy and property. Bedrooms should generally remain off limits to the other roommate, and personal property should not be borrowed without permission.
money & time
You really can mount a TV. Today’s compact television screens are tailor-made for wall mounting. But when less-than-confident homeowners imagine their brand-new set crashing to the ground, many opt to have a professional mount the TV instead of doing it themselves. Bell’O International to the rescue: The company recently released a “TV Wall Mounting Kit for Dummies,” and the product is accompanied by a free online demonstration video. (Watch the video at ). Mounting kits are available for 12-inch to 84-inch flat-panel TVs, and cost $24.95-$249.95 at BrandSource, Electronic Integration, Ultimate Electronics and select Sears and Best Buy locations.
energy
Reducing electronic waste. More than 70 percent of discarded computers and monitors, and more than 80 percent of TVs, end up in landfills, according to “True Green Home: 100 Inspirational Ideas for Creating a Green Environment at Home” ($19.95, National Geographic). Many of these items include such dangerous materials as mercury and cadmium, which can leach into the water supply. Here are suggestions from the book for cutting down on e-waste.
Fix items that can be repaired.
Reuse working components.
Donate old computers and electronics to charity.
Find recycling specialists through the EPA’s eCycling program by logging on to .
Use a registered electronics recycling facility. These are listed at .
