Tips for Working Out in a Small Space

If you only have a small space for your home workouts, be sensible about what sort of equipment you buy and how you use it. You aren’t running a fitness club in your home, so you don’t need a full range of gear. Instead, select a fitness regimen that meets your needs and only buy equipment as you need it, selling or giving away items that are no longer a part of your routine. Avoid Uni-Purpose Equipment Just because something is “seen on TV” doesn’t mean that you ought to buy it. A lot of gimmicky exercise equipment is uni-purpose: It only works out one area of … [More]

Top Five Tips for International Moves

Moves of any type are stressful, but international moves provide some unique challenges. In addition to being uprooted from your home, moving to another country means a separation from your family, friends, culture and, in many cases, even your language. For these reasons, it’s important to carefully prepare for an international move by carefully choosing a good moving company, deciding what is worth taking with you, and learning about things like pet importation laws and possible tax breaks. Here are five tips for making your international move easier: 1. Scrutinize Movers An international move is quite different from moving within your home country, even if the move … [More]

Sustainable Eating With Meatless Mondays

Interested in eating more sustainably, but don’t know how? What about going meatless once a week? Of everything we eat, meat is the biggest offender. Raising livestock is a much more intensive endeavor than growing plants. It takes massive amounts of food, water, land, and energy to grow and transport the animals that become your favorite burgers and sausages. According to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization, producing meat contributes more to climate change than the transportation sector. Cows, pigs, and the like produce nearly one-fifth of man-made greenhouse gas emissions. You don’t have to become a vegetarian to reduce your carbon footprint. There’s a movement … [More]

Start A Green Habit to Honor Earth Day 2013

Celebrated each year on April 22, Earth Day is a good time to make a new commitment to do your part for the earth. I know that some people scoff at the idea that a single day can make any kind of difference, but “Earth Day” is a misleading name. It’s not a single day to think about the earth. Rather, Earth Day is your reminder to make a commitment to help the earth throughout the year. That’s how I think of it! If you observe Earth Day 2013, you certainly won’t be alone. According to earthday.org, more than one billion people around the world are expected to … [More]

Store or Toss: Knowing When to Let Go of Your Belongings

One of the first steps of Spring cleaning is de-cluttering. This is the time to survey your belongings and classifying which items should remain in your household, which should go into storage and which you should sell, donate to charity, recycle, or throw in the trash. While it’s easy enough to make decisions about belongings that you use on a regular basis, making the decision between putting an item into storage or getting rid of it can be a hard one. These items are typically things that you don’t use often, but do have some value. To help you with this conundrum, here are some questions to ask … [More]

DIY Projects: 10 New Uses for Old Things

With a little imagination, you can breathe new life into some of the old things that are headed for the trashcan. There are a million ways to repurpose your would-be throwaways, many of which don’t require you to have a crafty bone in your body. Here are ten ideas I find particularly clever. Colander into an ice bucket. Since the ice in the colander melts into the bowl beneath, your party guests won’t be left fishing cubes out of a chilly bath. Tissue box into a plastic-bag holder. This is my personal favorite, since my laundry room is constantly engulfed in a puffball of grocery bags. Get those … [More]

Simple DIY for Outdoor Spring Maintenance

With a bit of planning, you can make things much easier on yourself! I believe that’s true in so many areas of life, including when it comes to spiffing up your garden and other outdoor areas this spring. After all, spring is one of the most beautiful times to enjoy your outdoor space. So, if you can get tasks like gutter cleaning done more quickly, you’ll have extra time for that barbecue or nap in the hammock. Plus, your patio and flowerbeds are going to look great! Clean, uh Scoop, Gutters in No Time. Forget about sticking your hands in the gutters. Scoop instead! Use a … [More]

How To Do a Closet Makeover

A closet makeover can be a big project, but it doesn’t have to be as extensive or complicated as you might imagine. And if your closet’s anything like the disaster mine is, any amount of time and money invested will be well worth it. Your first option is to have a professional design a whole new shelving and hanging system for you, such as those created by the Container Store with Elfa systems. This will be like waving a magic wand over your closet, but unfortunately it will have a magic price tag to match. A more economical option is to cobble together your own solutions to … [More]

5 Storage Containers You Can Make Yourself

Storage can be a dreary business, centered on boring cardboard boxes and garish plastic tubs. Of course you can find more stylish bins and boxes but the prettier they are, they more expensive they get. Luckily, with only a little effort and hardly any cost, you can make your own storage items in exactly the color, pattern, and style that suits your needs best. Here are five projects to brighten up your shelves. Fabric storage bin: Use your sewing skills to put together this cardboard-and-fabric container for all your odds and ends. Cereal box storage bins: Repurpose your old breakfast cereal boxes and add some colorful fabric … [More]