Search Results for: home home improvement how to 2

2009 Tax Credits for Home Improvement

Tax credits for energy efficient home improvement projects are back again. This is good news for many of us who have older homes that need some improvement. Of course, there are no tax credits for last year (2008), which means that the insulation we put in over the family room attic will not qualify. However, since we aren’t done yet with our energy efficient improvements, I am sure that we will be able to take advantage of this credit. The bill was signed into law on October 3, 2008 by President Bush. It provides for tax credits for energy efficient … Continue reading →

10 Money Saving Ideas for Your Home

Spend less, save more, and make your house a home with the following ten money saving ideas. 1. Buy Less Most of us have more stuff than we need, and we continually add to it all of the time. Think about borrowing instead of purchasing, and evaluate what you really can’t live without in your home. You’ll save money and have a more peaceful environment. 2. Learn to Make Repairs A simple change of a washer will cost you just a couple of dollars if you do it yourself, but if you call a plumber, you will be given a … Continue reading →

Learning Basic Home Repairs through Television

When I was growing up, my parents lived at hardware stores.  I remember having to come along every Saturday to an Ace Hardware store, spending what felt like hours walking up and down the aisles. They were constantly fixing things or coming up with home projects to do.  And you know where they got most of their ideas from?  They faithfully watched “This Old House.” Of course, as a child I found the show completely boring.  Who would have ever thought that one day I would be browsing the aisles of Home Depot and watching similar shows such as “Holmes … Continue reading →

20 Ways to Get Free Entertainment

Free Entertainment is all around us. We just have to reach out for it. 1. Free movie rentals from Redbox. Search for “Redbox codes” online. You’ll get at least one free movie rental a week when using the Redbox video machines. 2. Free Lego Build Event. Each month Lego stores sponsor free building events for ages 6 through 14. Kids can build a new Lego model each month (this month it is a log cabin) and then take it home. 3. Free video games from the library. Chances are that your library is stocked with video games for current systems. … Continue reading →

Home Based Business Annual Review – Law Office

The other day, I talked about the importance of evaluating the performance of your home – based business at least once a year. Today I am evaluating my solo law practice. I do not spend much time working at this business, yet each hour that I do spend produces a nice amount of income. It is an expensive business to maintain, though, between licensing fees, continuing legal education, and malpractice insurance. Since I am unable to devote much time to practicing law, I keep a very tiny case load of no more than two cases at a time. This is … Continue reading →

Sample Annual Review for a Home Based Business

Yesterday, I talked about the importance of evaluating your performance and the performance of your home – based business at least once a year. Since I have not evaluated my two home – based businesses yet this year, now is a good time for me to do so. Today I am evaluating my freelance writing business. It is the business that I spend the most time working at, and the business that is my primary source of income. Just so you know exactly what is being evaluated, my freelance writing business is a sole proprietorship. I work part time, between ten and … Continue reading →

Two Small Budget Home Improvements that Make a Big Impact

Owning a home means that there is always something to fix or to improve. Living in our homes, we tend to see all of the things we would like to change. Homeowners can easily spend tens of thousands of dollars on home improvement projects each year. Most of us, however, don’t have the luxury of an unlimited home improvement budget. Does that mean that we have to forego improvements completely? Of course not! Small budget home improvement projects are quite possible. In fact, if you know where to apply your money, you can experience big changes in your home for … Continue reading →

Special Education and the 2012 Election

Across the nation, Americans were asked to cast their vote on issues relating to special education. Voters were asked about funding for special education in several propositions. You may have voted for a candidate because you agreed with his or her views about Special Education. Here is a brief review of the results that could affect your child’s education. In St. Louis County, Missouri, Proposition S was on the ballot. It asked voters if they wanted to allow a 19 cent tax levy to take effect. The money would be used for the Special School District of St. Louis County, … Continue reading →

How to Access Home Improvement and Save Money

One of the things that I have learned from living in a fixer upper home is that home improvement can get expensive, but doing some good assessment ahead of time can save you money. Knowing what needs to be done, how it can be done and who can do it will save homeowners hundreds of dollars. For some examples, you may be able to combine projects to save money overall, choose the right professionals to work together or do some of the work yourself. Having a good assessment will also give you time to research tax credits, utility credits, township … Continue reading →

Home Makeover Layouts

Not everyone is in a position to purchase a new home right now; however, that shouldn’t stop you from documenting any improvements you make to your current abode. Each year our neighbors spend their tax return on home improvements. Two years ago they refurbished their kitchen, last year they purchases new windows for the entire house and this summer they are giving their master bathroom a facelift. Given her passion for scrapbooking, it’s no surprise that each time my neighbor embarks on a redo the process ends up as the subject of yet another memory album. Personally, I think scrapbooking … Continue reading →