We’re all hearing a lot about going green these days but are you like me and have been thinking to yourself “well that’s great I’m all for it, but I’m not ready to pull up all my floors or spend thousands of dollars in green remodeling projects just to be able to say that my house is green”.

Well, I’ve come to the conclusion that going green can have different significance for different people. If you’re selling your existing home in a tough real estate market and you want to be able to advertise having green features or if you’re like myself and you just want to green your home in order to lessen your impact on the environment by reducing your energy use, I’ve put together a list of what I consider to be the top 3 tips for greening your home that are the quickest and easiest and absolutely won’t cost you a fortune doing it either!  You won’t be applying for any type of consolidation loan, debt consolidation loan, or home equity loan afterwards.

Install compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) - By far the easiest and most economical thing you can do to green your home is to replace all your old light bulbs with new CFLs or compact fluorescent light bulbs. These cost a little bit more up front but they last up to 10X longer and save you a lot of energy because they use up to 75% less energy than the older bulbs. Well worth the little bit of extra investment as they will pay for themselves in energy savings in the long run.

Install a programmable thermostat - Installing a programmable thermostat is an excellent and very easy way to go green in your home. Programmable thermostats will cost you about $100 or less, depending on which brand you choose, and allow you to set or program your heating and cooling temperatures throughout the day and evening and also while you are away. This results in a significant savings for you on your energy use particularly if you aim to set the temperatures at one or two degrees lower than what you would normally set it at. I installed a programmable thermostat in my home and was amazed by the fact that I saw an immediate 20% reduction in my energy consumption and my bill. As a general rule experts recommend, in the summer set your indoor temperature at 78 degrees F, and in the winter, at 62 degrees F.

Install low flow shower heads - The biggest water consumer in a home is by far the bathroom. After the toilet which consumer about 27 gallons a day per person, showers consume an average of 15-25 gallons per person. Another easy and economical thing you can do to green your home and save water is to install a low flow shower head. Low flow shower heads use a vacuum type system to aerate the water so that it explodes as it exits out the shower head, thereby creating a very intense and powerful stream of water but at a low flow rate. In addition stop valves on the showerheads allow you to pause the water flow while soaping up or shampooing. An average retail price for a low flow shower head depending on the brand is about $50.

One of the challenges of getting the whole family to be environmentally friendly is that they take it so seriously. It sounds like a drag, as though it requires you to deprive yourself. And in many ways you should deprive yourself, or at least cut back, which to many is the same thing.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun.

1. Explore thrift stores -You can find some amazing things at most thrift stores. Money is tight for everybody what with making payments on your home loan or mortgage.  Shopping at them means a lot less guilt since you aren’t buying new. And while you shouldn’t go overboard still, you have more reason to buy things just because they appeal to your sense of fun.

2. Reward the kids for turning excess lights off -Chart it or make it a competition. Just keep a sense of fun about it and have a little reward for whoever does the best at keeping excess lights off. Getting to choose the game for a family game night is a good choice.

3. Explore the chemistry of homemade cleaning products -Kids love seeing the reaction caused by mixing baking soda and vinegar. That they also make an effective cleanser or drain cleaner is quite a bonus.

4. Garden -Most kids love to get dirty and they love growing plants. Even if all you have is a kitchen shelf or apartment balcony you can grow herbs. My kids love it when our tomatoes are ripe enough that they can just go out and graze on them.

5. Play as a family, outdoors, no power toys -Play tag, kick or throw a ball around. Just interact as a family. Oh, and make sure you turn off all the lights, television, computers, etc. before you head out.

6. Do crafts from things you would otherwise throw away -Cut pictures out from magazines, grocery store ads and junk mail. Make a caterpillar from an empty egg carton. Make a quilt from old favorite clothes. Get creative.

7. Go to the farmer’s market -A farmer’s market is often much more fun to explore with kids than the neighborhood grocery store. Keep the kids well behaved, of course, but also encourage them to talk to the people selling produce there. They may learn some interesting things.

8. Buy organic makeup, personal care and beauty supplies -While many of these tips are easiest to do with small children, this one will appeal to a wider range of ages. The scents of many products can be a challenge depending on your kids, but there are plenty of options to fit just about any image yours are comfortable with.

9. Plan when you water your lawn -While a lawn isn’t the most environmentally friendly thing you can grow in your yard, most people have them. Try watering your lawn in the late afternoon in the summertime, when it’s still warm enough the kids will enjoy running through the sprinklers, but it has cooled off enough that your watering efforts won’t simply evaporate away.

It’s not quite as efficient as watering after things have cooled off still further, but young children love to play in the water so much it’s hard to deny them the opportunity completely.

10. Talk about other things you can do -Every family works differently. Get yours involved in living in a more environmentally conscious way in your own way. The harder you want to push on this front the more challenging it can be, but keeping the lines of communication open makes it much easier on everyone.

In my last post I was talking about getting shutters put on the exterior of your home after you’ve been approved for refinancing.  Here is a video I found that gives some more information:

A lot of homes and businesses do not have shutters on their windows and they may look just fine. But if you take that same home or business and add some shutters; WOW, not only the windows but the whole house just “pops” more. Adding shutters can be the simple and fairly inexpensive face lift your façade is screaming for. They are not expensive either. Most clients I know use the money from a home equity loan or they refinance their house to pay for them.

Today shutters come in a wide variety of materials that range from no maintenance to no time for anything but maintenance. You will also want to consider whether you want non-functional decorative pieces, operational (on working hinges but not meant for any manner of protection), or fully functional. Below you will find a few material options that are currently favored with home buyers.

Vinyl: Vinyl is an excellent to very low maintenance option, and many brands offer a lifetime or 40 year warranty (in the U.S. a lifetime warranty is actual only binding for 40 years). The warranty is usually against product defect and fading. Pre-colored offer you no maintenance other than cleaning. A paintable option can be chosen as well, but your time spent maintaining them may vary by the paint grade used. Vinyl shutters are almost always non-functional and for decoration only.

Polyurethane: Polyurethane is a low maintenance option in that it does not rot and insects leave it alone, but it does require painting from time to time. The darker the color the more maintenance will be involved; of course this also depends upon the quality of paint used.

These too are for decoration only.

Wood: Wood shutters tend to require the most maintenance. These can be found in operational and fully functional. They require painting more often and are forever prone to rotting. Then one needs to consider those big yellow carpenter bees coming to visit for the spring and summer. Wood shutters are often thought of to be the standard of beauty, and just like with everything else it usually means a pricier option as well.

Composite:As compromise to regular wood there are wood composite shutters, made by binding wood fibers, strands and particles. They tend to last longer than full wood shutters, and usually come pre-painted with a color guarantee of up to 10 years. While they are operational they are not typically functional.

Aluminum: A fourth option is Aluminum, strictly speaking as a decorative shutter they seem to be fading into the past. They were most often used on mobile homes, but the pre-fab housing builders seem to have switched to vinyl long ago. . I’ve been hard pressed to find any more than a small handful of sizes, and pre-made colors are very limited. What I’ve seen in use has became noticeably chipped and scratched over the years.

On my way home from the bank the other day after discussing my options for a debt consolidation or consolidation loan, I decided I needed to get rid of some stress.  I find that a good workout at the gym helps me the best.  When I got there I was talking to one of the trainers and he was telling me about this great new ab workout that supposedly works.

Crunches are an overused and under productive exercise. They present a considerable risk to the health of your lower back and spine and only work a limited range of your core muscles. They never have and never will burn fat off of our ’stomach’ or midsection and if you do enough of them will simply cause you to grow bigger and stronger abs muscles without working your lower back and oblique muscles. Doing excessive amounts of crunches could very well lead to imbalanced abs and core development as well as potential lower back and spine pain and problems. Here are 5 exercises that work your abs and core in better, safer and more balanced positions than any crunch can.

Stability Ball Roll Outs:Kneeling on the ground in an upright position with your elbows on a stability ball. Roll the ball out in front of you extending your body and arms as far as you can go. Keep your back, spine, and body from your shoulders to your knees straight like a board or plank. Hold the extended position for a second or two. Pull yourself back to the starting position.

Planks:Lie face down on the ground Get up into a push up position resting on your feet and hands (you can also rest on your elbows instead of your hands.) Hold this position for a timed interval keeping your spine and body straight like a board or plank. Start with a manageable time like 30 seconds working up to 60-70 seconds as you get better at them.

This exercise works all the muscles of our core and keeps your spine stable and straight.

Side Planks:Lying on the ground on your side. Stabilize your body on one hand (or elbow) and your feet. Keep your body rigid and straight like a board or plank. Hold this position for a timed interval. Switch and do the other side in the exact same fashion. This exercise will work your oblique (side abs muscles) harder as well as working your abdominal muscles and lower back muscles. This exercise also allows for you to keep your spine straight and keeps your back safe from injury.

Mountain Climbers:In a push up position. Bend one leg bringing the knee up to your chest (you can also touch your opposite elbow to that knee for added work.) Alternate each leg and arm in a climbing type of motion. Keep your back straight throughout the movement. This is an advanced exercise that works the core muscles similar to a plank with the added work of moving your legs and arms.

Stability Ball Pikes: In a push up position with your feet on a stability ball Keeping your back and legs straight no bending at the knees pull the ball toward your body. You should end up in a pike position with your hands on the floor your butt elevated in the air, bending at the waist only, knees straight. Slowly roll the ball back to the starting position

This exercises also works all the muscles of your core without putting your lower back in a compromised position.

Hey everybody! I’m a little late with this and I apologize. I was stuck at the bank trying to figure out my home loan situation. Luckily I think it’s been taken care. But here is a quick Happy St Patricks Day wish to you and your family. I hope you enjoy this awesome rendition of Oh Danny Boy.

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