Search Results for: blog home check up smoke detectors and more

Your Guide to Insurance Savings

Everyone has to carry some form of insurance, whether it is homeowners insurance, renters insurance, auto insurance or private medical insurance. Being able to find ways to reduce the amount that you have to pay on your premiums is important. With less money leaving your family budget for insurance, you’ll have more money for savings and other needed expenses. 1. Raise your deductible If your insurance deductible is less than $500, consider raising it to at least that amount. The higher your deductible, the lower your insurance rate. The deductible is the amount that you will pay first before the … Continue reading →

Five Ways to Get the Best Insurance Rates

Even in the worst of times, it usually does not make sense to cut back on insurance. You never know when a disaster might hit. Being properly insured can save you from disaster. When money is tight, it is better to reduce the cost of insurance rather than eliminate it. Try the following five ways to get the best insurance rates and reduce your cost. 1. Buy all of your policies in the same place Most insurers will give you discounts when you buy multiple policies with them and may even offer bundled plans. Start by insuring your cars and … Continue reading →

Keeping Your Family Safe

Do you have carbon monoxide detectors in your home? If you don’t, go get them now! Carbon monoxide is odorless, colorless, tasteless and at high levels can kill you in minutes. I spoke with my furnace guy when he was here and he said that our energy efficient homes allow carbon monoxide to build up much more quickly than older, less energy efficient homes. What in your home emits carbon monoxide? Anything powered by gas, gas furnace, gas water heater, gas dryer, gas stove. Also lawnmowers, cars, weed eaters, snow blowers and generators. Any fuel burning appliance whether in the … Continue reading →

Fire Drills for Homeschool?

We often hear about fire drills taking place in our public schools. Do we hold fire drills in our homeschools, and if not, well then, why aren’t we? Fires only happen at schools once in a while; how much more often do we experience house fires? If your child should be learning how to prepare for an emergency anywhere, it should be in the home, first and foremost, with other locations as a secondary course. Every home should have a fire extinguisher, and each of your older children should know how to use it. If you have a fire, you … Continue reading →

Time for a Safety Inspection

The application is finally completed; your references are getting their reference letters, so now what? Now you will begin going through the entire checklist. You will need to have a safety & fire inspection. If you call your local fire department they will usually come to your home and do the Fire Inspection at no cost to you. When they come out they will need to see and test working smoke detectors in each bedroom, the hall between bedrooms, the kitchen and living room. If your home has burglar bars you will not pass the inspection. You need to have … Continue reading →

Respecting Each Other’s Quirks

One of the pleasures of being in a marriage is that you always have someone in your corner who knows you well and can love and support you unconditionally despite your little personality quirks. Being able to respect the harmless quirks can bring you closer together and make for less conflict in your marriage. I’ll give you a couple of good examples. Although I don’t always like to do it, I am famous for multitasking. I really have to be, since I work at home, and I am the main caregiver for our three children. I often have several things … Continue reading →

Cats and Fire Don’t Mix

Between the car accident and my mom’s stroke, I’m ready for things to get back to some level of normalcy. It won’t be today. I had just gotten into the shower when I heard the doorbell ring. Since I was naked and wet, as well as running behind schedule, I figured whoever was ringing would come back. Or call and say they’d tried to stop by. But a few minutes later I heard sirens. A few seconds after that I knew they had turned into our neighborhood, and it didn’t take me even a nanosecond more to realize they’d turned … Continue reading →

Spring Cleaning: Postponed

The title may inspire some to say “hurray!” Postpone spring cleaning? Sounds like a fine idea to me. Normally, I’d try to roll up my sleeves and get busy, but I’m going to put it off this year. I’m not really sure spring has sprung just yet anyway, considering the intense weather we’ve been having. The weather is playing a big role in my decision to postpone spring cleaning, not only because I’m just not ready for it yet, but also because there are now other more pressing matters. Our yard and washed out driveway are going to need attention … Continue reading →

Kids Cooking? Make Sure the Fire Extinguisher is Handy

My teens have been cooking forever. First, of course, they were just helping mom in the kitchen and while we still often make meal preparation or baking a group activity–they are cooking more and more on their own. Even after a couple years, I have still not become entirely comfortable with them creating their own concoctions in the kitchen–owing mostly to my still finding the occasional stove burner or oven left on, napkins too close to the stove, etc. What I do know is that while I have always had a fire extinguisher in the kitchen–when my kids became regular … Continue reading →

12 Things to Do in November

Now is the time to make the transition between indoor and outdoor living. As the last of the leaves fall, and temperatures grow colder, it is important to enjoy the last cool crisp days of autumn before gearing up for winter. Here are 12 tasks to take care of in November. Did you change the batteries in your smoke detectors and test the units? Daylight savings time was a good time to do this, but if you haven’t gotten around to it, yet, make it a priority task to complete before the end of the month. Blanket your water heater … Continue reading →