Sizing Down the Clutter

The fall season is the perfect time to begin clearing out the clutter from your home in order to prepare for the upcoming holidays. When a home is no longer cluttered, the entire family benefits from the relaxation that comes from spending time in an organized space. If you are looking forward to clearing out the clutter as the weather turns cooler, then you will be interested in the following ideas to help get you started:

Getting Started Tackling the clutter can be overwhelming at first. For this reason, it is important to begin by working on only one room at a time. Most homes have specific areas that seem to attract clutter. These areas, such as closets and desks, should be the first area to begin working on. It can also be helpful to begin by separating your belongings according to your desire to keep them, donate them or throw them away. Items that will be sold or donated should be placed in a convenient location so that you can prepare for your garage sale.  

Hold a Garage Sale A garage sale is essential for removing items from the home while also offering an opportunity to make a little money. In order to achieve maximum sales, be sure to set up the garage sale so that it is organized and well-advertised. This will ensure that your sale will have a steady stream of customers who can find what they need. Then, any leftover items can either be placed in storage or donated to a charity that can ensure that each item will be connected to someone who needs it.

 Storage Solutions Once the household items have been pared down to the essentials, then you will need to find an affordable storage solution where seasonal items, extra furniture and other goods can be safely and securely stored. One of the best options for temporary storage is special containers and trailers such as those that can be found at eagleleasing.com. These types of storage are not only safe and secure, but they are also mobile enough to be moved to a new location if needed. When choosing to reduce the clutter in a home, it is important to start the cleaning process with a clearly defined plan. This plan should include ideas for what will be done with household items at the end of the cleaning process. Holding a garage sale and finding affordable storage solutions are two of the best ways to handle clutter that needs a new home.

(Thanks for this guest-post Sam Peters)

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What's Your Home Style?

When decorating a home, a person must find a way to balance their personal style with the need to include the necessities for comfortable living. Whether a person is decorating a new home or is considering a completely new decorating scheme, they will need to take into consideration the balance of current trends with classic pieces. Additionally, they will need to ensure that each area of the home complements the other so that the overall look will be organized. Therefore, the following ideas are offered in order to help a person to get started on defining their style while decorating their home:

Personality and Tone
One of the first things that a person will need to do is make sure that they have selected accessories and furniture that reflect their personality. For example, a person who prefers a modern look will need to select furniture and accessories that show off a sleek design. Additionally, the color scheme of the home will be a defining factor in the overall look. Therefore, each new item should be chosen in colors and shades that will complement the rest of the room.  


Quality and Durability
Once a person has created their decorating plan, they will need to find items that are high quality and will last a long time. This is especially important for items that will receive frequent use such as those that are found in the bedroom or kitchen. Therefore, it can be helpful to search for items through a reputable place such as the Bed Bath Store. Additionally, each item should be checked to make sure that it is crafted by using the best materials and techniques. When a person invests in quality, then it will show in their final decor. k  

Finding Inspiration
Sometimes, it can be challenging to create an entirely new decorating scheme. This is especially true when a person would like to include a few trendy elements in order to create a modern look. Many people find that they can discover inspiration through browsing magazines, checking out a bed bath store or by looking at other people’s houses. In order to keep their ideas organized, many people create a scrapbook that can be referred to throughout the decorating process. When planning a decorating scheme, it is important to include elements that highlight a person’s interests and hobbies. By creating a plan that pulls together complementary colors, accessories and other decorations, a person can take their inspiration to the next level by decorating their home in a way that will be aesthetically pleasing to them and their guests.

(Thanks for this guest post Sam Peters)

 

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Keep That Laptop - It's Cheaper and Environmentally Friendly

Laptops are used in many locations, from airplanes, at the beach, to in bed. Therefore, laptops are put through more wear and tear than a desktop. So, how long can a laptop last? If you perform upgrades and maintenance tasks, you can extend its life about 7 or 8 years. Some computer gurus manage to get computers to last longer and give them alternate uses, making them into digital frames, music players, movie players or old game consoles. The following are a few tips that can help keep your laptop running in optimal condition:

Defragment 
When using your computer files break and pieces scatter to different areas of the hard drive. Defragmenting reviews all the scattered pieces and places them back in their original formation. Perform this about once a week.

Clean the Registry 
 Errors in the registry can cause corrupt files and configuration errors, which eventually cause your operating system to stop working. Look for a free reliable registry cleaner like Ccleaner to help with this issue. A good registry cleaner should be run about every 2 to 3 weeks.

Clean the Hard Drive 
Do this by eliminating unnecessary files, programs and content from your recycle bin. A hard drive with too much data can also cause slower processing speeds and problems with RAM memory.

Install Antivirus Software
Once you've installed antivirus software on your laptop, be sure and keep it up to date. You should scan your computer for hidden virus infections every month or so.

Install More RAM
The installation of additional RAM should be done approximately halfway through the laptop’s life-span. When you start noticing a slow down of the operating system, or start getting memory errors, this is a good time to install an additional RAM module. These can be found online or in computer shops.

Replace Hard Drive 
Even when you defrag, and run frequent registry cleaning processes you may need to replace a hard drive 3 to 4 years after you purchase your laptop. Any repair technician can help you replace this drive and install a new operating system. Just be sure you back up all your current information to an external drive.

Maintain Lamps 
Somewhere down the line you may begin to experience a darkening of the screen. This is due to the dimming of the CCFL lamp. This back light is the component that illuminates your computer screen and is only made to withstand 3 to 5 thousand hours of use. You can get the lamp replaced, and continue to use the laptop.

Bottom Line 
Many computer users believe that when a laptop starts having issues, it’s time to throw it out and get a new one. It’s true that laptops are less expensive than what they once were, but it’s also true that we are filling up the landfills with electronic waste. So the longer you can keep a laptop running, or give it an alternate use, the cleaner you keep the environment.

(Thanks for this guest post Sam Peters)

 

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Choosing the Right Laptop

Laptop has become a regular feature in many households. Whether you already have one in your home, or you are a first-time buyer, navigating the laptop marketplace can be daunting and overwhelming. But, armed with the knowledge of what you need, good sources of information and a few good buying tips, you can get a great deal on the right laptop. To help you figure out what hardware you will need, think about what you will be doing with the laptop. Are you using it for work, play, or as an educational tool for children? A good way to get an idea of the computing power you will need is to visit a computer store and read the minimum requirements on the sides of software boxes that interest you. Reading computer magazine is also helpful. Anyway, if you buy laptops at the retail stores, be sure you will not be stuck on the display models. Always ask the computer retailer store to test the display model, and if you don’t like it, get another model and try it until you find the one you like.

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