What is a 10 minute tidy? It’s a quick way to declutter your home and clean it up without feeling overwhelmed. I’m using the phrase 10-minute tidy because it reminds me of the 10-second tidy from a children’s program my daughters loved. It was called “The Big Comfy Couch” and it always included the 10-second…
This article is all about midcentury modern furniture that looks vintage and is vintage. However, in many cases, you can find contemporary versions. This allows you to decorate a mid-century modern home with appropriate furnishings. To start I review how some modern furniture designs came to be — and how the space age of the…
According to Pinterest Trends, the vintage Christmas aesthetic is super popular. Not just old timey holidays but 70s Christmas and 90s Christmas. Makes sense since bootcut, bell bottom jeans are back. But I digress. Here’s what I know: people are searching for where to find vintage Christmas home decor, how to create a nostalgic holiday…
If you have to sell a parent or relative’s house after they’ve died, then you should be prepared for quite an adventure. My husband and I went through this a few years ago when his great aunt died. She’d lived with his mother for decades. Once she died, my mother in law needed to go…
Having bought and sold eight homes, we’ve always struggled with the notion of whether or not to do home improvements before selling. The conversation was always something like, should we fix up the home before putting it on the market? Or should we sell it as is? Well, the truth is, you can do whatever…
Selling your home? Don’t stress about your to-do list of things to fix before selling a house. There are home improvements that aren’t worth doing in today’s real estate market. That’s because you’ll never get your investment back. In a different market, these were the best home improvements to do before selling. Also, homes are still…
When my husband and I were looking to replace the floors in our house, we hadn’t even considered that you could use bamboo as a hardwood flooring. I always thought that flooring had to be wood-wood–you know, from trees. However, when we visited Home Depot to consider our options and our budget, that’s when we…
When you’re selling your home, you want it to sell fast and for the most money possible. That’s why it makes sense to be smart about staging your home, do whatever you can to improve your curb appeal, and, find colors to paint your home so you can sell it fast and for more money….
I’ve mentioned using Samplize paint samples in a couple of my articles. This includes colors to paint your home before selling as well as what is greige color. Fun fact: we painted our house greige before selling it, thus the inspiration for those two articles. However, I realized that I never really explained what Samplize…
The first time I asked the question, “What is greige color?” was when we were selling a home a few years ago. This was our house at the New Jersey shore. We knew that the whole interior of the home needed a fresh paint job. The house, built in 1972, probably hadn’t been painted in…
For the longest time, when I wanted to buy a top brand of paint for a painting project, I had to go to a specialty retailer. This was usually a small-scale painting store that focused on one or two brands. It was the same when I was a child and my parents were painting. We…
When we renovated the kitchen in our first home, we replaced laminate with quartz countertops. Suddenly, I needed to relearn how to clean up after cooking. You see, there are cleaning methods that can sabotage your quartz countertops. It’s the same with granite countertops. However, we’re focusing on quartz. So, uncover the dos and don’ts…
Years ago, I was a spokesperson for a brand that gave you cash back for purchases you were going to make anyway. While this describes Rakuten (formerly Ebates) to a tee, Rakuten was not my client. Nonetheless, I’ve got the Rakuten cash back Chrome extension on my browser so that I’m always earning cash back…
Portions of this article about saving money on an Amazon Prime membership originally appeared on Parade.com. In 2022 Amazon Prime’s annual rate increased to $139 from $119. Amazon hadn’t raised its fee for a couple of years now. Being an Amazon Prime member means you get access to free two-day shipping, although many Prime members…
When is Amazon Prime Day in 2024? The first Prime Day of the Summer is July 16-17, 2024. I’m guessing there will be a second one in October 2024 as well. What’s so great about Amazon Prime Day? Well, in addition to getting great deals on Amazon, Amazon Prime Day has become such a thing…
I was so surprised to learn that you can use SNAP EBT on Amazon. In case you don’t know what SNAP EBT is, it’s the USDA program that replaced what you probably know as food stamps. Now that works a little differently. You apply for SNAP benefits through your state, Then, you receive those benefits…
By some estimates, Americans spent close to $900 per person on back-to-school shopping last year. Wouldn’t it be great to save money on that this year? Well, it is possible when you figure out a way to avoid paying sales tax without breaking the law. Enter the state sales tax holiday. Legal times when you…
I’ll never forget the first time I became aware of the importance of cruelty free makeup. In college, I was a journalism major and was taking a class on photojournalism. One of our assignments was to photograph a protest happening near our campus. This one was about beauty brands that tested on animals and it…