Throwing out Presents
November 2nd, 2009
We’ve all seen it before the hideous gift that you received from a relative and kept for years on end because you wanted them to see that you kept it and cherished it when in reality you wanted to do nothing more than pitch the damned thing. It doesn’t matter if this was some ugly ornament or a toy or even a clothing item. Sometimes when it comes to gifts that you’ve received you have to show some tact in what you do with them, at times you need to keep the ugly vase to keep the family piece.
Unfortunately that only covers a small portion of the picture, how many times have we kept a gift when we thought it might hurt the other person’s feelings if we threw it out, even though the item has been in storage for years. The sad reality is that from what I’ve seen and experienced myself we all keep too many gifts that are simply pointless and of no value yet we clutter our lives with them. Do not be afraid to throw out a gift that is totally pointless and brings you no value.
Keeping a simple house means you have to be a bit ruthless with the unnecessary items that come into our lives. So if you’ve gotten DVDs for Christmas every year for the last decade you can probably part ways with a few, if not most, of them without anyone being upset. Remember the idea of the gift is what matters and people sometimes buy lousy gifts. Personally I’m hard to buy for, even I have trouble buying myself a treat sometimes, I would not hesitate in getting rid of something hideous that came as a gift (though for the sake of your relationships do keep in mind of there might not be some type of significance attached to a gift).
With the Christmas season coming up you might do yourself a favour, come up with a list of things that you want to recieve as gifts. Because I know I’m a hard person to buy gifts for I’ve already started thinking about this. I want to be able to give my family and loved ones a list of things I would like. This won’t be a list of just random things but things that I either need or would really like and I’ll be letting people know about the items. The whole idea isn’t to take away the idea behind the gift giving but to let people buy me something I want to keep rather than something I’m going to put in a box for a couple years till I throw it out. People want to buy you the gift, let them, but make sure its not wasted.
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House Vs Condo
October 26th, 2009
Depending on where you live to tell someone that you’re a homeowner brings images of a physical building and some property to mind. What this means to you will probably depend on where you live. In some parts of the country this translates to a house with a nice big yard, a driveway and a garage. This is a very nice image and there have been a couple times where I too wished I had a garage. But this isn’t the end of what home ownership can mean, if you live in a large city like New York or Miami then owning a Condominium maybe the first thing that pops to mind when you think about owning your own place.
Now for me, personally there is a physical building with property, what the details of that are will change over time. I am a home owner and the home I own is a small house with a bit of land but because I live in a large city its not the same as what it would be in the suburbs. I like my house but I have also lived in a condo and after living in both for a couple years I have to say that there are some tradeoffs and benefits to both. For example there is a lot less maintenance that needs to be done with a condo, I never once had to clean the gutters, shovel the snow or worry about the garbage when I lived in a condo. But I also had to live with hearing people in the hallway and not having as much space as I would like.
For me personally the stage I’m in, in my life a house is the way to go. I am fairly young and I can take care of the maintenance work without any problems. I’ve got more space and the privacy that I wanted. When I’m older then a condo might end up being the way to go because of the maintenance items (though we’ll see about that). When you’re looking to purchase a house keep in mind what it is exactly that you’re looking for. Condos have a lot of benefits if you really don’t want to bother with having to worry about the house or do anything about it. While houses take more effort they appreciate in value more, the property itself has value and you get more space and privacy.
If you’re really not sure which one is best for you come up with a list of things that you’d like in your home, sit down with your real estate agent and walk them through it between your budget and the list of things you’d like they’ll have an idea what is realistic. Then when you see the places you’ll have a better idea if you’re more of a house person or a condo person (or like me a bit of both).
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House projects done - Time to start blogging
April 21st, 2009
It has been quite a while since I’ve written on this site and I considering all of the stuff happening around the house I thought now would be a good time to get back to writing again. We bought our house last June and I have to say it has been a rollercoaster ride getting feeling like a home. We’ve had work done and a few unexpected issues and now we’re starting to change it to really make it our home.
One of the biggest things we’ve got coming up is a massive kitchen renovation that I have already learned a lot from and I am sure I will continue to learn a lot from the experience. Along with the massive job its been an effort getting the house to be our home and at the same time a simple house. In addition to the house we’ve had a lot to learn when it came to the yard.
I may have started this blog with the intention of cataloging all of the effort that it was going to take to get the house in order but when the little one arrived all spare time went out the window. I think that now with some house experience added under my belt I am more ready to get this blog moving again. Are you a new home owner trying to get a grip on all of the things around a new house? Got ideas for topics you’d like to cover - send me an email at matt@mysimplehouse.com or leave me a comment.
Posted in Misc/News | 1 Comment
Preparing Your House for Winter
November 11th, 2008
Now that fall is upon us there are a bunch of things that you should consider around your house to prepare for the winter months. Unless you happen to live in a warm climate there’s a good chance that you’ll need to ensure your house is ready for winter.
Items to check for:
- Eaves
- Cleaning up leaves
- Check your windows and doors
- Do you have the supplies you’ll need?(salt, shovels)
Why do it?
By maintaining your house you increase the longevity of the outside items - over time it’ll save you money on repairs and help maintain the value of your house.
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Keeping Trash
October 2nd, 2008
One of the most absurd things that you can do is to keep trash yet this is exactly what most of us end up doing. The first thing most people will do is deny the fact they keep trash but they do, I know I do from time to time. Now before I go any further I should quantify what I mean by keeping trash, I’m not refering to actual garbage that ends up in the dump (though some of it should). What I’m referring to are items that are no longer useful; they’re broken and should be taken out with the trash.
What kind of trash people keep around?
When an appliance like a toaster stops working as well as we would like it too or worse still breaks we get a new one to replace it. A lot of the time that appliance or item gets put into the basement or tucked away somewhere just in case. This stuff is now junk that clutters up our lives and it doesn’t just include toasters but pretty much everything. For years I kept an old printer around that still worked but I never used it because it wasn’t very good. I had gotten a replacement and was using that.
Take a good look at your stuff and pick out the trash
Next time you’re in the process of cleaning out your garage or basement look at all the stuff you’ve kept just in case. When a new piece of furniture comes into the house the old one gets kept for emergencies that never come up. Granted some of the trash we keep has potential value but for the most part these items are nothing more than trash.
Trash forces us to buy bigger homes.
My wife and I recently moved into a larger home and I’m starting to notice a lot of items are being kept around even though they have no real purpose anymore. These items are trash or they will be soon enough. Once our house becomes overly cluttered we’ll start thinking we need a bigger home when in reality we need to get rid of stuff.
Getting rid of the trash
We become attached to our possessions for some reason and we have difficulty throwing them out. How many people keep their old cell phones just because there’s a ring tone we used to have on it or a phone number we’ll never call? You have to be ruthless with your trash, if there is no reason to keep an item get rid of it; don’t let it clutter up your life.
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DIY vs Contractors
September 19th, 2008
Some projects can be done by anyone with some effort and practice and some should be done by pros. I would even go so far as to say that most projects can be done by yourself as long as you’re somewhat handy. With that said some just can’t be; Not Made of Money posted a great article where they point out 5 repairs that should be done by a professional.
This got me thinking - really when do you call a contractor to come in and do a project? Well there are a few times that come to mind:
- If the work involved requires specialized skills and knowledge
- When you’re not sure how to start or finish the project
- If there are a lot of unknowns
- Its a large job
Not Made of Money’s list is a great starting point for trying to figure if you should bring in a contractor or not. Choosing a contractor can be a daunting task at times but starting a project to find out you can’t complete it can be worse. You can save yourself a lot of money if you’re capable of doing the project yourself but if you don’t know what you’re doing you might end up costing yourself even more. When unsure ask questions, research and get advice before starting.
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How to Hire a Contractor
September 15th, 2008
Knowing that you need a contractor to do a job is one thing now comes the hard part: you need to find this contractor. Contractors come in all shapes and sizes from the really good ones to the ones that shouldn’t be handling tools. Personally I’ve been fairly lucky in my dealings with contractors, I’ve never had to fire one for incompetence nor have I had to fight with one over money or work done. Needless to say if you’re not careful hiring the wrong contractor can really make your life miserable.
Getting a professional to come in and do work in your house can really increase the value of your home and your enjoyment of it. Simplifying and updating a kitchen are things that most people would have difficulty completing themselves. Here are some ideas on how to find and hire a contractor:
Family and Friends - Ask your family and friends if they’ve ever used a contractor that they liked. They’ll be able to tell you their experiences right away. This can save you a lot of looking around not to mention the contractor is likely to want to do a good job so they can get more referrals
Real Estate Agents - I’ve had more quality contractors referred to me by my real estate agent than anyone else. First off it’s in their best interest to help you out and they’ll have heard if the contractor is good or not.
Sites and Shows - There are a ton of reality shows about house construction or upgrades. These shows often use contractors to help them out and they will say who helped them. You’re not guaranteed a good contractor but chances are pretty decent.
Phone Book - I’d go to this resource last mostly because you’re shooting in the dark. But when all else fails there will be people to help you out here.
Now that you’ve contacted a contractor and they’re quoting the job there are two things that you really need to remember to make sure you’re protected.
Check References - If you don’t know the contractor ask for their references and check them. If they give you a short list or ask why warning flags should be going up. If the person does good work they would want their previous customers to vouch for their work.
Get the quote in writing - Construction or upgrade projects are filled with unknowns and some contractors see this as an opportunity to take advantage of people. Make sure you get the quote in writing before any work begins. Again this is to cover yourself especially if you’re not familiar with the type of work the person is doing.
Good Luck with your project!
Posted in Home Improvement, Tips and Hacks | 1 Comment
Destroying Magazines to Declutter
September 10th, 2008
Magazines and newspapers can take up a great deal of space if you let them. There was a great post over at Productivity 501 where they suggested destroying your magazines. Personally I think this is a great idea - keep only the stories that you need and just get rid of everything else. I know this doesn’t work for everyone since people sometimes share magazines or want to keep them, but in general the practice can really help keep down the clutter of magazines.
When you get a new magazine go through it and tear out the stories that you want to read then get rid of the rest. Once you’ve read the stories you can decide if you want to keep them or get rid of them. Most of the time the information can be found online so you’re safe getting rid of the magazine. Keeping a few magazines isn’t a bad thing but when you have dozens of them littering your house you end up with clutter.
Posted in Decluttering, Organizing, Tips and Hacks | 1 Comment
Donate Your Old Clothes
September 4th, 2008
One of the big things that clutter up a house is clothing. Even if you keep your clothes organized and neat in your closets there is a good chance that you’ve got a bunch of clothes that you no longer use or no longer fit. A great way to declutter your house is to go through all those old clothes and get rid of the ones that you don’t use or don’t fit.
Be ruthless
I know I’ve made impulse purchases in the past where I bought clothes and never wore them. It was a good idea at the time but I ended up wasting money on something that now takes up space in my closet and my dressers. Get rid of this stuff, even if there’s a tag still attached to the item. If you’re particularly attached to your old clothes have a friend help you sort through the clothing. Reducing clutter can really simplify your house.
Donate
Rather than simply throwing out the clothing donate it, most cities have charities that accept clothing as donations. If the clothing you’re getting rid of is in pretty good shape give it to one of these charities. By doing this you can help while clearing out clutter.
Technorati Tags: decluttering, closet organization, clothes donation
Posted in Decluttering, Organizing | 1 Comment
6 Steps to Painting a Room
August 21st, 2008
When it comes down to it most people don’t like to paint it can be hard work when you make a mistake its there until you repaint. I’ve done a whole bunch of painting lately and I’ve gotten a system in place that makes it as painless as possible
- Plan out your project - Start off by figuring out everything that you need to do. This holds true with every project and its no less true here. When you plan out a painting job you’ll know everything you need and the steps you need to take.
- Prep the room - First off you need to make sure you can get at the walls easily and that they’re clean. If you’ve got any holes to patch do that first.
- Tape what needs to be taped - Use painters tape (it comes off easier). Tape the ceilings, baseboards, around windows and outlets and anything that needs to be taped.
- Paint the first coat - Start with the edging then paint with the roller
- Check to see if additional coats are needed - after the first coat you’ll know if you need to paint a second or third coat (repeat the painting as necessary)
- Remove the tape and put the room back in order
Overall painting a room shouldn’t be a big ordeal though many people make out to be one. If you plan ahead and prepare painting a room with 2 coats should take no more than a few hours including the wait time between coats. Wait a couple hours to remove the tape and guess what, you’re done. A simple way to improve your house!
A couple things to keep in mind - if you’re not sure about primers or what type of paint to use talk to your paint specialist. These people are around paint all the time and they know what you could expect. Their recommendations can save you lots of time (and energy).
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