Monthly Archives: August 2012

Planning DIY Projects

  Whether you are settling into a new home, planning to move or just doing a little routine maintenance, planning is key to successful DIY projects. Taking an hour or two to select your projects and budget the time and money for them can remove a lot of stress. Here are some tips for making DIY plans. . .and sticking to them: Choose and Prioritize Your Project(s) The most obvious step in choosing a DIY project is taking a look around your house and yard. Make a list of things that need repair, replacing or improving.  If you are unsure about what needs to be done, consider hiring … [More]

Brightening Our Exterior and Saving Energy with LED

    It may be true that it’s what’s on the inside that matters, but with lighting, what’s on the outside is important too. I’m very pleased with the lighting improvements we’ve completed at Extra Space Storage. Not only have we made our lighting more energy efficient in hallways, storage units and other interior areas, we’ve also tackled exterior lighting. When you approach our retrofitted Extra Space Storage facilities, you may not notice the energy savings that’s quietly taking place, but our exterior LED lighting is saving us money and reducing our energy consumption, which benefits the environment.   Kicking out the Energy Hogs Our exterior lights are … [More]

More Blog Finds for Living an Organized Life

  It never ends. Just as I think that I’ve got this whole organized life thing going, I find a part of my life that is cluttered. Which is kind of great, really. Because there are always new ways to get organized that people share on their blogs on this amazing internet thing. I am constantly inspired to try new ways to organize and love feeling the benefits of being organized. Here are some of my recent favorite finds on living an organized life.   Cords! My home office has a ridiculous amount of cords. Even in this age of wireless and streamlined computers, there seem to be … [More]

Home Style to High Style – My DIY Bedroom Redesign

  In preparation for our new baby, my wife and I are trying to get as organized as possible. A couple of weeks ago I talked about how we organized our baby’s room, converting it from a guest bedroom to a place for our little one. Now that that’s finished, it’s onto the next project!   For the past two weeks our focus has been on our bedroom. Realizing we may be spending a lot of time in this room with our newborn, we want it to be as comfortable as possible. As part of the organization process, we decided to completely redecorate the room.   First things … [More]

Organizing Your Kids For Academic Success: Tips For A Successful School Year

  Since families across the US are thinking about getting back to school this month, I’ve asked my friend Anna to share a few more ideas about how she organizes her family for academic success for this week’s organization post.  I know her thoughts will inspire you to organize your family for a productive and organized school year!  Thanks Anna.  – Jessica Johnson Anna Macfarlane is a mother of four, freelance writer, and has written on her personal blog, ahhnna.com, since way back in January 2008.     “Has anyone seen my homework?” I fully expect to hear those words at least twice a week once school starts … [More]

Fall Traveling: Enjoy a Not so Leafy Fall Break Trip

  Fall break is coming up with those delicious spare days off school. I think it’s not only a time for the kids to kick back, but another chance to travel! If your summer vacation plans didn’t quite come together or if you’re just feeling the itch to get away, fall break from school offers a good opportunity for the whole family to take a trip together.   Fall break dates typically fall in October, so things will be feeling crisp and autumn-like. What a nice time to leaf peek in New England, right? But wait a minute. Destinations offering colorful views of changing leaves may be crowded and … [More]

Preparing Your Home for Autumn

  Each year I ask myself, is it autumn I like best, or spring? While everything seems to burst exuberantly into life in the spring, I have to say I do crave fall with its crunch of leaves underfoot, warm pumpkin pie and nip in the air. Don’t worry. I’m not about to instruct you on how to make your own autumn potpourri using fallen leaves. Woman’s Day can do that! Despite my affection for fall, I do fully realize the season carries along with it new tasks for the homeowner, so let’s get to work. Gut Your Thoughts of Ignoring the Gutters I can’t recall a single … [More]

Saving Energy: De-lamping, Because it’s Brighter than You Think

  I’m a believer in taking only as much as you need. Why pile your plate full of carrots and celery at the salad bar if you aren’t going to eat it all? I suppose we end up with spare veggies because of good intentions. The same can be said of lighting.  For safety, it’s important to have a properly lit environment, but sometimes we all go a bit overboard and install more lighting than is actually needed. That’s where de-lamping comes in. It’s all about achieving long-term energy savings by getting rid of unnecessary lights without compromising safety.   What is De-lamping? While it may sound like a strange … [More]

Cleaning House Like Mary Poppins

“You find the fun and ‘SNAP!’ the job’s a game.” If only Mary Poppins could come flying down with her umbrella and solve all of my household ills. Even though the Banks had a cleaning lady (or a few) and a cook, Mary Poppins seemed to have more tricks up her sleeve than in her magic carpetbag. That carpetbag, by the way, makes a monthly appearance in my dreams, procuring the most wonderful items for my office and home. But I digress. The scene that sticks out in my mind is when Mary Poppins makes a game out of cleaning the playroom with Jane and Michael. Snap your … [More]

Best of Extra Space Storage: 900 Nationwide Facilities, Budget Truck Rental Partnership and Our Spanish Mobile Site

The summer of 2012 has definitely been newsworthy, one might even say eventful!  The much anticipated London Summer Olympics are truly exciting, but here in the US there have been many other hot topics this summer.  Wildfires in the western US, a deepening drought in the mid-west, the supreme court decision on healthcare and upcoming US presidential elections are some of the most newsworthy items that that have kept things interesting.  Extra Space Storage has also had an exciting newsworthy summer.  Here are our highlights:   900 Nationwide Locations Extra Space Storage nationwide locations continue to expand. Over the last month Extra Space Storage took over management of … [More]