Category — Cost Saving Tips and Tipoffs

I usually pay very little attention to the constantly changing federal tax code–that’s why I pay my accountant. I really don’t mind paying my share of taxes every year, because as an American, I believe I have it pretty darn good. I just wish that the government should spend more of that money on beneficial programs that subsidize alternative energy projects and promote the use of energy efficient building products.

Green Projects Save You Money

I was disappointed to learn that the federal tax credit for energy efficient home improvements is ending this year. This $1500 tax credit was offered to homeowners who completed energy-saving upgrades to their homes, such as window replacement, adding insulation to attics, or installing new roofing and siding materials.

I qualified for this tax credit when installing new double-paned wood windows during a pretty exhaustive home remodel in 2009. Sure, I would have purchased and installed the energy efficient windows regardless of the tax credit, but I was excited that the government was helping to push our country in a better direction. Not everyone needs tax incentive to make energy efficiency home improvements, but some will do whatever they can to lower their annual tax burden. You know, the sort who purchase a Chevy Suburban to receive a commercial vehicle tax credit or claim their TV room as a “home office.” They were letting the tail wag the dog when it came to paying their taxes, and these programs at least put this practice to good use.

Do You Need a Doctor or an Accountant ?

Another perplexing tax situation that has me scratching my head is that the Federal estate tax has been suspended for 2010. This creates a particularly sinister scenario for those who will do anything to reduce their tax burden. Here’s the story: Former President Bush’s 2001 tax law increased the amount of inherited wealth a person could shelter from estate taxes by $2.5 million, but eliminated all estate taxes in 2010. In 2011, however, the rules would change so that taxpayers could only shield $1 million from taxes–the original amount. That means that some wealthy family would pay no estate taxes if their rich father died on December 31 of this year, but could face a huge tax burden if he died the next day. This bizarre situation just gets my imagination going, as I wonder how far some people will go to avoid paying their taxes.

Green is in. Everyone knows this. Sustainability and eco-friendly are the newest “it” girls. Green is chic, stylish and “now,” and no one wants to be left out of this hot trend. In fact, some even say that green is the only way to live.

But when building, repairing or remodeling a home, how does a homeowner go green and still stay within budget? How does a contractor give his clients many design options while remaining affordable? Surprisingly, the experts say, start with vinyl siding.

It’s true that vinyl siding may not be the sexiest part of the home. It’s no stainless steel refrigerator with a TV in the door. It’s no custom-designed “his” and “hers” walk-in closets. And it’s certainly no fully-loaded workbench in a tricked-out garage. It is, however, design flexibility, value and sustainability rolled up in one pretty little package.

Vinyl Siding Is the New Green

What makes vinyl siding so fashionably green is its high marks in sustainability at every step of the process. Manufacturing, installing and maintaining vinyl siding are all possible with a low impact on the environment and its resources, since up to eighty percent of the material is post-consumer and industrial recycled content. Furthermore, it is available in many varieties, including insulated, which means more energy savings and less energy waste throughout its life cycle.

Now, being eco-friendly is nice and all, but if a hot new item turns out to be ugly or too expensive, it just won’t sell. What makes vinyl siding so appealing is that the economic impact is low as well–and it’s just flat-out attractive. The selection of vinyl siding colors provides you with tons of options and also eliminates the need to paint. It can also be formed into a variety of shapes and styles for just the right look, allowing a home to fit right into a neighborhood or–like a true style icon–helping it to stand out.

While vinyl siding prices provides savings–in time, cost and headaches–at many turns, its most important feature is that it does less: contributes less to global warming, emits less dioxin, and releases fewer toxic chemicals than other types of siding and cladding. Then, at the end of its life, it can be recycled and made into new vinyl siding, proving that when it comes to being fashionably green, less really is more.

In today’s body-conscious world, using the term, “short and wide” to describe ANYTHING may seem off-limits, but that’s not true when it comes to windows. In fact, I’m a big fan of short and wide window types, mostly because they make my wallet a little wider too–stuffed with all the money I can save by using them. Yep, you guessed it: short and wide windows are supremely energy-efficient.

So, why should my windows be short and wide, you ask? The answer’s simple. Well, sort of. Let’s start by talking about why your windows should be “short.”

• Shorter windows are easier to shade. Say you build overhangs over south-facing windows to block out the morning and afternoon sun. If you have a shorter window, the overhang will likely shade the entire window rather than just a portion of it. Result: a cooler home in the summer.

But, you can’t just have short windows and call it a day. To really increase your home’s energy-efficiency, you need those short windows to be wide, too. Here’s why:

• Wider windows let in more heat and light. Say it’s winter and things are getting chilly. Your first instinct may be to turn up the thermostat, but, wait! Your home seems comfortable, perhaps even toasty. How could that be? Maybe you installed wide windows when you built the home. Or, maybe you chose wider windows during your window replacement project. You’re so smart! Wide windows let in more light and heat, increasing your home’s energy efficiency in the winter.

I’m the sort who can tolerate windows without any window treatments, but, if the thought gives you an anxiety attack, you have lots of options when it comes to dressing your short and wide windows. Using double curtain rods with sheers in the back and full curtains in the front can disguise a short, wide window.

If you have very wide windows, you may want to avoid using blinds because they can become unmanageable. If your wide window is broken-up by panes, however, you could use two or three sets of blinds on your wide window.

Bottom line: learn to love “short and wide,” at least, when it comes to windows.

Photo courtesy of DoorandWindow.com

I’m all about green. After all, if we can fix the planet and make our homes more efficient while keeping our heating and cooling costs down, why wouldn’t I be interested?

Just as long as I don’t have to paint our vinyl siding this shade to actually “go green”:

Green with envy—NOT!

Mean Siding Solutions: Make Mine Green

One reason I’m keen to speak well of eco-friendly siding styles is the variety of green siding. There are options (and lots of them), including:

• vinyl
• log
• fiber cement
• wood

With so many durable and low-maintenance choices, there’s no reason to make excuses that new “green” siding won’t match the house or mess up my Feng Shui. I’m not fooled by the name. I know “green” siding comes in a diverse array of siding colors to match even my finicky taste.

Siding colors make it even easier to go from drab to dramatic and improve the curb appeal of any home in dire need of a siding facelift. While siding can go terribly awry–as seen above–with a little common sense, it’s a worthwhile investment.

Lean Energy Consumption: Relieve the Guilt

If you’re like me, you might be into the green revolution simply to relieve your own personal guilt about poisoning the planet, and hey, as long as your intent is there…right? Whether we’re just terrified, seriously concerned about our swimming skills, or genuinely into doing the right thing, there are lots of products out there that can help us, our home, and the planet pull through.

Green: The Color of Money

Maybe you’re feeling a little financially overwhelmed at the prospect of a siding project. Don’t. When weighing siding costs, its important to understand that green often means good things for the green in your wallet. Get over the initial cash outlay, and you’ll reap the financial rewards later when the utility bills don’t cause hyperventilation episodes during cold snaps or heat waves. And don’t forget how green siding can potentially up the resale value of your home, especially if you’re trying to sell now, like we are, in a down market.

With so many green siding materials, styles and colors, there are no more excuses. It’s all good–for the curb appeal, the wallet and our homes–the home we live in and the planet we live on.

——————–

Mary Sweigert is a graduate student and traveling enthusiast. She has previous experience as an editor for the University of Portland’s campus newspaper. After volunteering for The Nature Conservancy as a field intern, she lived abroad in Lima, Peru where she worked as a tutor and care giver for The Peruvian Project. Mary has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration specializing in Marketing and Management, and is one semester away from completing her Masters in Teaching.

Photo courtesy of Pamela Trivette

You’re ready to enjoy the weekend when you find refinishing windows on your “Honey Do” list. Forget about kicking back on the couch, you’ll be sanding and painting window frames. You could skip this unfortunate scenario if you had vinyl window frames instead of wood windows. Figure it this way: you use things made of plastic for everything else, so why not install plastic framed windows, too?

Check out this before and after photo.

photo credit; http://www.vinylreplacementwindows.org

Vinyl windows replace old corroded aluminum or weather beaten wood windows with cool new frames. There will be no more window refinishing (and hence, more time for doing what you really want to do) as vinyl windows can’t be repainted. They typically come in neutral colors so that you can convert your home’s exterior color from apricot to aqua, and the window frames will still work.

Window Shopping
The popularity of vinyl windows is largely due to their lower cost as compared to other frame materials. Durability and low maintenance are also positives unless you are a weekend warrior who actually enjoys repairing. sanding, and painting window frames while inhaling the noxious aroma of varnish or paint. To be fair, there are a couple of things that make vinyl windows potentially not so cool:

• If you’re restoring a historically or architecturally significant home, there may be no way that white-framed vinyl windows are going to work in this context; you’ll need to flatten your wallet or melt your credit card on authentic replicas of your home’s original windows. This likely requires wood or steel frames, both of which are pricey when compared to vinyl.
• Some critics (how dare they) find that vinyl frames are thick and allow for less glass surface. This reduces natural light and may limit the view.
The cost of replacement windows can be minimized; installing vinyl windows can help save money and time better spent on the golf course, shopping for cool stuff, or at your secret fishing spot.

Who doesn’t like a nice smelling home? After cars and bathrooms, the next place many look to aromatize is their living spaces. Often we find homes with essential oils burning in the background, releasing the tender smells of ylang ylang or the relaxing odor of lavender amongst the myriad fragrances available in the market today.

Metafora Home Ambience fragrances are somewhat unique in that the aroma oil permeates from a jar through rattan reeds. These rattan reeds contain channels within the reed itself to produce a capillary effect that in layman terms, sucks up the oil and diffuses it into the air at the tip of the reed

[Read more →]

I’m going to do something a little unorthodox, here. I’m going to defend the use of plastic outdoor furniture in your backyard.

//

[Read more →]

If you’ve been scouting for lighting for your home, I recommend Far East Esteem Sdn. Bhd. – located in Seri Kembangan. The folks there claim to be distributors hence are able to offer lower prices than other common lighting stores.

All 38 downlights, kitchen and stairs lighting were purchased from Far East Esteem. The folks were kind enough to allow me to exchange a light I had purchased which did not look as great as envisioned, for another design.

The address:

[Read more →]

Hi, I am Kelly Rigotti, an American and living in France with my three children and handsome French frog of a husband. I blog about frugality for the rest of us at Almost Frugal, frugal food at Almost Frugal Food, and blogging at Pretty Your Blog. I am a full time graduate student in marketing and, in my spare time and fueled by strong coffee, I sew baby blankets for my Etsy shop. If you enjoyed this post, why not subscribe to one (or all) of my feeds?

I have been invited by Adrian from How’sHouse as a guest blogger to share with you, my second article – 5 Ways to Save Money in the Bedroom. I hope you enjoy the article.

***

1. Love your linens

Linens are one area where you can find reasonable quality at a reasonable price. Here’s a frugal way to save money on your linens without sacrificing quality: spend a moderate amount of money on 2 pillowcases and a matching comforter cover and then buy two bottom sheets in coordinating colors; if you like lots of pillows buy more plain pillowcases as well. I like having two bottom sheets that go with the comforter cover, in case one gets dirty before wash day. You’ll spend less money than if everything matches, and it’s almost certain that you’ll be the only one looking at your bottom sheets anyway.

2. Change your decor

Many of the frugal decorating ideas that we’ll talk about later in the week for the living room also apply to the bedroom, but here’s one that is only for the chambre à coucher. An easy and frugal way to update your bed’s look is to change your headboard. In fact, the most frugal bed option is to buy a good quality mattress and boxspring, add feet to elevate the bed off the floor and then create your own headboard.

Here are some frugal and easy ways to do so. You could paint the section of the wall behind the bed to create visual interest and then add shelves for your books or alarm clock. Or you could create the look of a built in closet by using Ikea Billy bookcases on either side of the bed plus shelves anchored on the wall. Another homey frugal idea is to hang a quilt on the wall behind the bed. My favorite, by far, is to create a padded headboard using a curtain rod and pillows. For more fabulous frugal headboard ideas, check out this link. Doors anyone?

[Read more →]

Hi, I am Kelly Rigotti, an American and living in France with my three children and handsome French frog of a husband. I blog about frugality for the rest of us at Almost Frugal, frugal food at Almost Frugal Food, and blogging at Pretty Your Blog. I am a full time graduate student in marketing and, in my spare time and fueled by strong coffee, I sew baby blankets for my Etsy shop. If you enjoyed this post, why not subscribe to one (or all) of my feeds?

I have been invited by Adrian from How’sHouse as a guest blogger to share with you, my article – 5 Ways to Save Money in the Kitchen. I hope you enjoy the article.

[Read more →]