If you have been packing on the pounds it may be your kitchen that is to blame. New research has shown that it could be your kitchen making you gain weight.
Here are some tips on how to keep your kitchen from contributing to a growing waistline.
No Media
The TV in the kitchen is now a media snack station. Parking yourself in front of the TV with food all around you makes snack time a lot easier. Computers in the kitchen can also lead to mindless munching and web surfing. It’s too easy to grab a bite when all the food is within arm’s reach.
Stand Up
Who doesn’t love an island prep station? But all the handy seating around the island is an invitation to linger over snacks. So lose all the stools to help resist temptation to gather in the kitchen.
Open Invitation
The so-called great room isn’t so great for your weight. Combination living/kitchen areas make your kitchen the focal point of the home. Add a few partition walls or screens to keep the fridge and cabinets out of sight when relaxing, and watching TV in the living room.
Skimp on Storage
Pantries, large cabinets are so appealing and offer a great place to stockpile food. They also offer lots of temptation. Too many trips to bargain bulk stores will have your storage full in no time and also create a mentality of surplus. More is always more especially when it comes to food.
This is a Cape style home and features 7 total rooms, 1 full bath, 4 bedrooms, 0.17 Acres, and is currently available for $204,500.
For complete details click here.
If you have been dreaming of owning a vacation home now may be the time to buy. Home prices and mortgage rates continue to fall and there are some great deals for buyers looking for a second home.
Here are five things you need to know before taking the leap.
1. Prices are at all-time lows
In many second-home hot spots, prices are still close to their five-year lows. When the real-estate bubble burst, some of the hardest-hit markets were vacation destinations. Many vacation home areas experienced overgrowth and may now be suffering from foreclosures.
2. Think ROI
Consider the possible return on your investment. Whether or not you decide to rent the home out, you will want to consider buying a place that has good rent potential. That’s because a home’s rent ability can affect its resale value. Before you bid on a house, make sure the homeowners association or township allows short-term rentals.
3. Don’t count on rental income
If you are planning on counting on rental income to cover the costs beware. According to HomeAway.com, a typical second home property rents out just 17 weeks a year. Make sure to account for the weeks the home won’t rent. Plus, you’ll need to pay for cleaning, maintenance, insurance, and maybe management fees. Make sure to plan on the maintenance costs of the property being at least 15% of the income.
4. Your mortgage rate depends on how you use the home
How you use the home depends on the mortgage rate you will receive. If you plan to use the property primarily as a second home and you’ll pay about the same mortgage rate as you would on a primary residence. If your plans are to use the home for rental income and need that income to qualify for the loan, you’ll need to have as much as 25% for the down payment and pay up to one percentage point more in interest.
5. Take advantage of tax benefits
Talk to your tax guy before you buy. If you rent the home out for two weeks or less you won’t have to report a cent of income to the IRS. The good news here, you can still deduct property taxes and mortgage interest. On the flipside, if you stay there for less than two weeks or 10% of rental days, you can deduct operating costs in addition to interest and property tax.
But where should you buy? According to CNBC here are the top places to buy a second home. If you are thinking about buying a second home I can help you find a professional agent in that area.
The temperature is dropping and the heating bills are going up. Some quick and easy tips will have you saving money this winter on home heating bills.
1. Set your thermostat back. For every degree you set your thermostat back over eight hours, you’ll save about 1 percent on your heating bill each year.
2. Use a space heater. If you spend most of your time in one area of your home it is less expensive to use a space heater than turn up the heat in your entire home.
3. Open blinds during the day to let sun in. At dusk, close them to trap heat.
4. Inspect weather stripping around exterior doors. Replace old, cracked, or missing stripping.
5. If heat is escaping at your doors, attach a sweep to the bottom of the doors. Sweeps are flexible plastic strips that are easily screwed to door bottoms, and keep cold air out from below.
6. Fill gaps around windows with interior and exterior caulking. If cold air is coming in around the sashes, install appropriate weather stripping.
Smoke detectors save lives. Many people may be lulled into a false sense of security thinking they have smoke detectors in their home. Smoke detectors that are not installed or maintained properly are not safe. Here are a few tips on what you need to know about buying, installing, and maintaining your smoke detectors:
What should I buy?
The National Burn Institute recommends only buying smoke alarms tested by Underwriters Laboratories (UL). You will also want to make sure the smoke detector has a battery backup. Smoke detectors that don’t work in a power outage are no good. Consider buying a combination smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector, they may be more expensive, but well worth the money.
There are two main types of smoke alarms, which are categorized by the type of smoke detection sensor used in the alarm. They are ionization and photoelectric.
Ionization smoke detectors
Ionization detectors respond quickly to flaming fires with smaller combustion particles. They contain a chamber with two plates that generate a small, continuous electric current. When smoke enters the ionization chamber, the smoke particles disrupt the current flow, which triggers the alarm.
Photoelectric smoke detectors
Photoelectric detectors respond more quickly to smoldering fires. They use a light beam and light receptor. When smoke is present between the light and receptor, the photocell sensor triggers the alarm.
Combination smoke detectors
The best smoke alarms can sense both types of fires (flaming and smoldering). For the highest degree of safety and preparedness, there are combination smoke alarms also that combine ionization and photoelectric detectors into one unit, called dual sensor smoke alarms.
Check with your local fire department to see what kind of detector they recommend.
Installation and Maintenance
Smoke detectors should be installed on each floor, outside of every bedroom and sleeping area and near any air vents. Detectors should also be installed high on walls or on ceilings because smoke rises. Avoid installing detectors near windows, doors or where there are openings where smoke can escape.
Check with your local fire department for specific regulations on the placement of detectors.
Smoke detectors have a lifespan of about seven to 10 years, and it’s important to replace old detectors according to the model’s recommendations. Test your alarm’s batteries monthly and remember to replace all batteries at least once a year. Clean and vacuum the grill of your detector to get rid of dust and debris. Other maintenance includes a monthly testing of the alarm and cleaning with a vacuum hose about once every month.
View Photos
Starts: 01/29/2012 12:00PM
Ends: 01/29/2012 1:30PM
For Directions: click on the map image or feel free to contact me.
For more information: click here for the full details
Price Reduced and improvements have been made. Quaint bungalow style home offering 2-3 bedrms, Hdwd floors, Freshly painted LR & DR , new kitchen and bathrm floors, replacement windows, young furnace, walk up attic for expansion possibilities all on almost an acre lot, fenced and a garage .
View Photos
Starts: 01/29/2012 12:00PM
Ends: 01/29/2012 1:30PM
For Directions: click on the map image or feel free to contact me.
For more information: click here for the full details
Price Reduced and improvements have been made. Quaint bungalow style home offering 2-3 bedrms, Hdwd floors, Freshly painted LR & DR , new kitchen and bathrm floors, replacement windows, young furnace, walk up attic for expansion possibilities all on almost an acre lot, fenced and a garage .
View Photos
Starts: 01/29/2012 12:00PM
Ends: 01/29/2012 1:30PM
For Directions: click on the map image or feel free to contact me.
For more information: click here for the full details
Price Reduced and improvements have been made. Quaint bungalow style home offering 2-3 bedrms, Hdwd floors, Freshly painted LR & DR , new kitchen and bathrm floors, replacement windows, young furnace, walk up attic for expansion possibilities all on almost an acre lot, fenced and a garage .
View Photos
Starts: 01/29/2012 12:00PM
Ends: 01/29/2012 1:30PM
For Directions: click on the map image or feel free to contact me.
For more information: click here for the full details
Price Reduced and improvements have been made. Quaint bungalow style home offering 2-3 bedrms, Hdwd floors, Freshly painted LR & DR , new kitchen and bathrm floors, replacement windows, young furnace, walk up attic for expansion possibilities all on almost an acre lot, fenced and a garage .
If you are looking for ways save money, cutting back on grocery expenses is often an easy way to reduce your spending.
Here are ten tips to master frugal grocery shopping. A little planning, can save you some big bucks over the long term.
1. Make a list.
Before you head out to the store, prepare a list of everything you need, making sure you have everything needed for your weekly menu. Before you leave, check to make sure you don’t have it in your pantry, fridge or freezer. Stick to that list and don’t buy anything else.
2. Plan a menu.
Plan a weekly menu for each week. This way you will know exactly what to buy. Be sure to plan a leftovers night.
3. Don’t shop hungry.
When you’re hungry, everything looks good. When you shop hungry you’ll end up spending a lot more. Eat first and then you will be able to stick to your list.
4. Set a budget.
When you go to the store, know exactly how much you can spend. Then try your best to stick within that limit. Keep a running tally as you shop to ensure that you’re within your budget.
5. Create a grocery spreadsheet.
Keep your grocery receipts, then enter into a spreadsheet. This will be your price and comparison list. Use it so you know when bulk or sale items are a good deal.
6. Cook and freeze.
Plan to cook a big amount of food and freeze it for multiple dinners. A great idea is to use one Sunday and cook a week’s (or even a month’s) worth of dinners. Plan 5-6 freezable dinners and cook them all at once.
7. Shop for specials.
Every store has specials. Be sure to look for them in the newspaper, or when you get to the store. Don’t buy things you don’t use just because they are on sale, make sure you will use the items.
8. Buy store brands.
Brand names are often no better than generic, and you’re paying for all the advertising they do to have a brand name. Give the store brand a try, and often you won’t notice a difference.
9. No “one-item” trips.
They waste gas, and almost inevitably, you buy more than that one item. If you plan ahead, make a weekly menu, and shop with a list, this should drastically reduce the number of trips you make for a small number of items.
10. Stock up.
Sale items can be a great deal. If it’s an item you normally use, buy a bunch of them.
Agent Info
Tracey Fiorelli
508-829-6315 x59
traceyfiorelli@juno.com
traceyfiorelli.com
Holden News- Residents Continue to Pull Papers for May Election
- Selectman Lavigne Reaches Out To Encourage Town Involvement
- Oriol Health Care Breaks Ground on Rehab Center
- Turkey trot organizer who left Holden under cloud is located in Hawaii
- a Signsa of change seen in West Boylston
- Holden Boy Scouts hold spaghetti supper, silent auction March 3
- Community Readers Visit Holden Christian Academy
- Holden library offers school vacation activities
- Teller You Love Her: Holden Couple Recalls Day They First Met
- Shrewsbury's McKenzie-Hebert to Run for State GOP Committee
