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Entry bubble Hiring Home Improvement Contractors

By: Sommer | November 30, 2007 | Category: Home and Family

So, I’m sure that most of America is wondering how our painting went last weekend. Unfortunately, we didn’t get any done although my house is cleaner than it’s been in a very long time. Since, by the time Thanksgiving Eve rolled around all we wanted to do was veg out in front of the TV with some junk food we didn’t get furniture moved or take our planned final trip to the home improvement store Wednesday night. Then, Thursday morning, as we lolled around the house, we decided it would be so much easier to “just hire someone” to do the work for us.

Little did I know, “just hiring someone” is almost as much work as just doing it ourselves!Handyman

As far as I can tell, we’ll need to hire 3 separate contractors to help us complete the items on our checklist. One to replace our windows (we’ve still got the originals from the ‘40’s), one to fix our drywall (the last person did an AWFUL job), and one to paint. If we’re lucky, maybe the same person can fix the drywall and paint. Yay!

The first thing we'll need to do is find a few qualified companies to get bids from. I plan to start with:

If, like us, you live in a larger metro area like DC, the Twin Cities, or San Francisco you have access to Consumers’ Checkbook, a great subscription service that rates and reviews local contractors. Another subscription service, Angie’s List, serves 124 communities in the U.S. and provides consumers with the opportunity to submit their experiences and also helps with resolving complaints. 

Of course, the tried and true “ask your neighbors” method also works well. 

We’re planning to start with the window replacement so once I find some qualified companies to do the work, I’ll ask at least 3 of them to submit bids. Stay tuned to see what happens. My husband and I are new to the home improvement game so I welcome any of your advice. Please leave tips in the comments!

| View Comments [2] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: company   contractor   hire   home   improvement   paint   sommer   windows  

 

Entry bubble For the Troops

By: Nancy | November 29, 2007 | Category: General

DeVonna is the first person you see when you walk into our office. Her smile and warm welcome make all of us forget instantly about cold, crowded subways and traffic tangles. We appreciate DeVonna. DeVonna and the troop collection boxBut we've done a terrible thing to her in the process of doing a very good thing. For the next week, DeVonna will be hidden behind a big, gold box that we put on her desk. The box is for collecting gifts that our office, like others throughout GSA, plan to send to the troops overseas this holiday season.

Collecting snacks and supplies to send overseas isn't the only way you can reach out to deployed members of the military, their families and veterans, though. The Support Our Troops section of USA.gov's Help Your Country page links to programs and organizations that show our troops and their families that America cares about them:

  • When times are challenging, nothing feels as good as hearing the voice of someone you love. Operation Uplink accepts donations to buy phone cards for deployed and hospitalized members of the military so they can call home and reconnect with family.
  • For the last 40 years, Operation Dear Abby has been sending caring notes to troops on active duty from people around the United States. The program is now completely online and it's become a place where troops can go to get some encouragement when they really need to hear from home. Even if you're not in the military, you can still read the messages. I got a little teary looking at a few sweet notes from kids from Richmond, VA's Tuckahoe Middle School.
  • Looking for one site that gives you the chance to help out in a variety of ways? The organization America Supports You has a comprehensive website featuring more than 300 home front organizations that help the troops through your donations of money, goods, time and talent. Many of these organizations accept things like donated computers and frequent flyer miles. You can send care packages and learn how to help wounded and disabled vets. One organization that caught my eye was Sew Much Comfort, which provides adaptive clothing for veterans who return from active duty injured and with special wardrobe needs. If you're part of the Armed Forces, the Service members section of the America Supports You site connects you with services and information that can make this time easier for you and for your family.

Although we think about people who are deployed more around the holidays, they'll still need our support come January or July. So consider writing a note on your 2008 calendar to stop back to the Support Our Troops section on USA.gov to discover new ways in the coming months to show you care and to say thanks.

As for our collection box...well, it's just getting started. So far we have some bottles of lotion, lots of tubes of lip balm, snack size cans of tuna, and a big multipak of minty gum (good after eating all that tuna!). In a week, the box will be full and on its way overseas. And we'll see DeVonna's smile again first thing when we walk through the door in the morning. In the meantime, we'll have to peek around the box to see her famous grin--which about doubles in size every time someone puts something in that box for the troops.

| Post a Comment | View Comments [0] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: abby   gifts   holiday   nancy   troops  

 

Entry bubble Baby, It’s Cold Outside

By: Sam | November 28, 2007 | Category: Home and Family

I wouldn’t call myself a snow bunny.  In fact, I dread this time of year.  The bitterly cold walks to and from the metro, the howling wind, dressing in layers…I could just skip the next couple of months.  The only thing I really look forward to is the fashion.  Who doesn’t love a good pair of boots?

But as much as I would like to live in a tropical climate year-round, I must come to terms with Old Man Winter coming back into my life.  His unwelcome appearance means it’s time to get my home ready for the winter.  Thankfully, the ultimate home improvement guru Bob Vila has put together this handy home maintenance checklist.  There are plenty of great tips whether you live in a house, town home, or apartment.  Did you know a full fridge uses less energy than empty one?  Time to stock up!

With an average American spending $1,900 annually on energy bills and half of the energy going to heating and cooling your home, we can all take steps to reduce our energy use this winter, while still remaining comfortable.  Some things I try to do are change all my air filters before heating season begins, set back my thermostat when I’m away, use compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs), power down my computer and other electronics, and open my shades during the day.

To help you get started, I’ve put together some of my favorite resources that give you easy ways to lower your energy bill and make a big difference in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Please share any tips that you have about how to winterize your home or lower your energy bill. 

| View Comments [1] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: energy   heating   home   money   winter  

 

Entry bubble Library Benefits

By: Marybeth | November 27, 2007 | Category: General

I like the idea of having an in-home library with old, built-in bookshelves and rows of hard-bound books, but I don’t have the space, shelves, or books. My collection—if you can call it a collection—consists of tattered paperbacks stored in cardboard boxes.

Photo of library booksOther than reference materials, a few favorite books, and special editions that were gifts, I find that most books end up in storage boxes. So, driven by hopes of reducing clutter and saving money, I’ve gone back to the stacks.

It’s free and easy to sign up for a library card. You can find a library near you by entering your ZIP code in the Library Search box on USA.gov’s Government and Public Libraries page. From here, you can also access federal government libraries, presidential libraries, the Library of Congress’ Ask a Librarian, and more.

Library holdings vary, but in addition to paper books, music, and DVDs, some library systems offer eBooks and eAudiobooks, which you can download to your computer or portable device. If you need help doing research or navigating the catalog, talk to the library’s best resource—the librarian(s).

When I started using the library again, I figured I’d only stick with it if it ended up being convenient. It has been convenient, though I’ll admit that I’ve had to renew every set of books I’ve borrowed (and perhaps had to do a few renewals on a certain Tolstoy novel). Still, such transactions are easily managed online. Taking everything into account, it's been positive and I've ended up doing more than reducing clutter and saving a little money—I’ve made more time to read.

| View Comments [0] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: books   clutter   librarian   library   money   reading  

 

Entry bubble Heart Attacks

By: Colleen | November 26, 2007 | Category: Health

Is it possible to have a heart attack at age 24? Because as I watched the Eagles give the Patriots a run for their money last night- it nearly happened. Suffice to say I went to bed merely heart-broken. Such is the life of a Philadelphia fan.

On a much more serious note, I was saddened to find out that a long-time friend of mine's father passed away this week from a heart attack. He was only 47. The news came as a real shock and wake-up call, particularly to my parents.

While my Dad is quite fit and healthy, his concern propted me to lead him to USA.gov. Conducting a search for "heart attack" revealed an abundance of information on various warning signs: shortness of breath, chest discomfort, upper body pain, and nausea. Other sites included prevention techniques: eating a balanced diet, getting plenty of exercise, maintaining regular doctor's visits.

There is also plenty of printed information to pass along to loved ones. The publications "Keeping your Heart Healthy" and "Aspirin for Reducing your Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke" provides key tips on preventing a heart attack and other cardiac diseases.

With proper lifestyle choices, heart attacks are stoppable. Tom Brady, however, might not be.

| View Comments [1] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: attack   cardiac   colleen   disease   eagles   football   health   heart   patriots  

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