10 Ways To Stay Cool this Summer by PSE&G

Simple Things You Can Do Today to Save Energy and Money.

NEWARK, N.J.,--With the arrival of summer weather, PSE&G wants New Jersey residents to know about some simple things they can do to stay cool, save energy and keep their electric bills under control:

1. Turn off everything you're not using; lights, TVs, computers, etc. Use dimmers, timers and motion detectors on indoor and outdoor lighting.

2. Set a programmable thermostat to your daily and weekend schedule. Raising your thermostat from 73 to 78 degrees can save you as much as 15% in cooling costs during the summer.

3. Close blinds, shades and draperies facing the sun to keep the sun's heat out and help fans and air conditioners cool more efficiently.

4. Check the weather-stripping and caulking around doors and windows. Eliminate air leaks between window air conditioners and windows with foam insulation or weather-stripping.

5. Close doors leading to uncooled parts of your home. With central air, close off vents to unused rooms.

6. Use fans to draw cooler air inside during the night and circulate air during the day. Ceiling fan blades should be rotating clockwise during the summer months. Even if you have air conditioning, ceiling and other fans provide additional cooling and better circulation so you can raise the thermostat and contain air conditioning costs.

7. Delay heat-producing tasks such as washing and drying laundry or dishes until later in the day, and wait until load is full.

8. Refrain from using nonessential appliances. Unplug or use only when necessary an extra refrigerator in your garage. A refrigerator in an uncooled space such as a garage uses more energy on hot summer days than it does during the winter.

9. Replace your four most used 100-watt incandescent bulbs with four comparable 23-watt compact fluorescent bulbs. ENERGY STAR(R) -labeled compact fluorescents work well almost anywhere incandescent bulbs are in use, and can save you a significant amount of money over their lifetime.

10. Plant shade trees close to the house on the south and west sides.

Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) is New Jersey's oldest and largest regulated gas and electric delivery utility, serving nearly three-quarters of the state's population. PSE&G is the winner of the ReliabilityOne National Achievement Award for superior electric system reliability. PSE&G is a subsidiary of Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated (PSEG) (NYSE: PEG) , a diversified energy company (www.pseg.com).

Source: PSE&G
CONTACT: Jenn Connell, +1-973-430-7734, for PSE&G
Web site: http://www.pseg.com

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This Post Could Change Your Life by Brian

THERE WERE THREE THINGS I NEEDED in order to attend Harvard this semester: Job, accommodations, and furniture. Harvard housing said many students have great success on Craigslist. My landlord, from whom I rented site unseen, assured me that I could find a bed and anything else I needed for practically nothing on Craigslist and from neighbors. She was right, CL is practical and as free as it gets. My move from Irvine, California, to Cambridge, Massachusetts was a success.

Buy Cool T Now!

A network of recyclers, relationships between the haves and the have-nots, that's the driving force behind Craigslist's success. And that's what makes it so useful for college students, budgeted lifestyles, interior decorators, and do-it-yourselfers. The CL community governs themselves and converge on the things people need and want the most.

Warning: Craigslist is addicting. And when interior decorators discover that antique furniture, unique accent pieces, and functional furniture can be picked up for free, there's no telling what could happen.


Buy Now!

Here's How It Works

1. Go to www.craigslist.org

2. On the right-hand-side of the page, select your geographic area of interest. If you live in or around The OC, select Orange County, if you live in or around New York City, move. I'm kidding! I love New York.

3. You will find a "for sale" section near the center of the page. Click on "free" and start shopping.

Now, you need to thank me, thank Craig in San Francisco especially, find a friend with a pick-up truck and spare time, then go to town.

REMEMBER: If you have things you no longer want or need, there are probably plenty of people in your neighborhood who will use them. So acquaint yourself with the recycling-tendencies of the CL community and help someone out.

I'm going to reprint a Craigslist "Best Of" here for you now with the hope that you will search out your own favorite postings on CL. And I think we can all learn something from this person's attempt to give an upright piano away for free.

They say nothing comes easy. Well, apparently nothing goes easy either! This Post. Priceless.

Free Upright Piano

Date: 2006-04-21, 8:40AM EDT

1 Free upright Piano. Will need some reconditioning to return to good condition, but is marginally playable (and horribly out of tune) now.

Here's how it will work. You and as many of your strong friends that you can Tom Sawyer into this job will come by and move the piano off my second floor (1 set of straight stairs) into a vehicle of yours. I'm not lifting it, or providing a vehicle for it. I will help you gently guide it through my house so that I still have walls after you leave.

Now here's the part that I know will be hard for people to understand:

I'm not holding it for anyone without a $100 deposit for every week you want me to hold it. Not even if you ask really nicely.

The first person to show up and take it gets it. This piano was listed once before, and you wouldn't believe the number of homeless dying one-legged Mongolian orphans that just needed a piano to make life better. I heard some great sob stories (probably all true!) about why I should hold this piano for this person or that person. Well, I ended up holding it for the first caller, who never got it. Then I held it for someone else, and they never got it. Then everyone was gone, and I still had a piano.

"But wait!" you're saying. "Why should I put down a deposit on something that's free?" Well, if you want me to hold it, you can give me a $100 bill. I'll tape it to the piano. When you get the piano, you get the $100 with it! It's like getting paid $100 to take the piano! You won't find a better way to get your money back - *and* you get a free piano! If you forget, or get run over by a busload of orphans on their way to get a free harpsichord, I'm going to keep the $100. Want me to hold it 2 weeks? That's $200.

"But I don't trust you to keep my $100..." Well, I don't trust you to come back and get this oversized paperweight. I tried that before and it didn't work.

"But I don't have $100 and I really want the free piano!" OK, just come get it! It's really that simple.

"But I don't have $100 and I can't come by with a truck for two weeks..." No piano for you! Life sucks; get a helmet.

I don't really want the piano. It came with the house when I bought it. I play the flute, which I can carry in one hand. I've tried picking up the piano with 1 hand, and I can't quite get a good grip. Please, take my piano.

So, if you want it, show up and take it! Simple, huh?

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Expert Corner: Faux Finishing by Alisha Gregg

Previously posted at Online Designer on Friday, April 28, 2006 and re-posted here with permission. Alisha Gregg, a professional interior designer out of Texas and owner of ALG Studio, has agreed to provide Model Home with interior design insight and know-how. Look for more of Alisha's articles in future posts.

Note from Brian of Model Home: Faux finishing is the art of transforming ordinary walls into textured showpieces. From the stunning allure of marble masonry to the soft look of velvet, faux finish artists add first-rate craftsmanship to virtually any exterior or interior design. There are many cost advantages to faux finish over real velvet walls or italian masonry, and in the hands of a real artist, no one will be able to tell your walls are painted.

Want to tackle a new subject today - faux finishing. How much is it and what is it?


Faux finishing covers a wide variety of layered painted and glazed finishes as well as the many craft finishes. The local market has done a pretty good job in product selections for the do-it-yourselfers. But as with all new materials, practice makes perfect. To produce a believable, elegant faux finish, you must have a keen sense of visual balance and be able to assess a large area of work for consistency in stroke, hue, and general shading. It is very easy to start out with a certain randomness only to end up with a complete different finish in another end of the room. It may be too dark in certain areas, or too heavy. Being able to compensate and correct are key.

Let's look at the typical and the unusual faux finishes out there. First, there are the usual finishes which include water based glazes used for stipling, ragging, sponging and the like. They produce good results in a limited, but fairly good range, palette of colors. I recommend these for people who have limited practice, but want the satisfaction of doing it themselves.

For others, who want the artistic expression of rich color and detail, I highly recommend hiring a faux finisher. Faux finishers typically specialize in a certain type of finish though. While a true artist works in many mediums, faux finishers will typically master a handful of finishes and those are the ones they practice. It is important to match your desired finish with an experienced finisher.

Trompe' Loi
If you want a mural on a wall, you will want to hire someone who specializes in trompe' loi. Trompe' loi is the mural painting that fools the eye. It extends the visual field beyond the flat surface of the wall, fooling you into believing there really is a garden beyond the area you stand, or a piazza, grotto or any other vast scenery.

Murals
Muralists do not necessarily paint to fool you into believing there is something beyond, but more to paint framelessly onto a flat wall. This can be vinework, a mountain scene, an ocean view, architectural or portrait topics, and many more, but again, it isn't there to make you believe you are in an aquarium with a whale, just that you have a great picture of one on your wall.

Wood Graining
Wood graining almost falls within the trompe' loi category because a bad wood graining attempt can devastate an interior, but beautiful and realistic wood graining finish can make a room stately and grand.

Glazed Finishes
Glazing is a process of mixing water or oil based paint with water or oil based glaze (matching the base) and applying and layering complementary glazes to give an interior a rich formal or informal feel. Striation, pattern, hue, and of course the wall finish itself all lend to the finish appeal. Glazed finishes are preferable in many higher end interiors as their overall finish is much richer than simple painted finishes. One must be careful however, not to glaze every room in a house as the flow of finishes from room to room can chop up the interior easily.

Painted Finishes
The categories of painted finishes include colorwashing, paint layering, aging, crackle finish, stenciling, stippling, ragging, and many others. Paints and glazes are two of the most versatile mediums for creating unique tonal and textural faux finishes.

Gold & Silver Leafing
Underlaying gold leafing through painted stencil and glazed finishes lends a defining character to formal interiors. One of the most expensive finishes on the market, it is combined with other higher end finish techniques. Gold leafing or silver leafing is one faux finish that will withstand trends that come and go as long as the companion finish is also timeless.

Surface Preparation
Surface preparation varies for each of these finishes. Some require flat wall finish, others can hide the typical applied textures builders put into homes to create a finer wall finish. In the local area, I have seen so many walls completely destroyed with thick gobs of drywall mud, when a finer rustic finish would have been much better. If I have to go into a home and remove that garbage, I charge an extra $7.00 per square foot as it is the hardest mess to get off of a wall I have ever come across. You literally have to use the equivalent of a cheese grater (called a rasp) and remove those thick layers, wet it down, scrape it, sand the wall flat and then apply a new texture before you can even begin to faux finish. Unless you live in an adobe house, I do not recommend the stucco mud finish. There are lighter, smoother finishes which are not as thick, but give you the textural quality you seek for rustic, stucco and italian looks.

For more information on faux finishing, you can e-mail Alisha at ALGStudio@aol.com or visit her Web site today.

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Following Punny Money's Grand Coupon Experiment by Brian

IF TIME IS MONEY, can a pair of scissors and the Sunday newspaper trim ship? It is possible to get paid for taking groceries home. You can also cut your grocery bill in half. But the time spent searching for savings and checking local grocery deals may be depositing your most valuable asset into a bank account with holes in its pocket.

Is couponing really worth the time and effort? Model Home's post from May 18th provides a step-by-step tutorial on using the Sunday newspaper and an Internet reference to help Cut Your Grocery Bill In Half. Locating savings as much as 80%, 90%, and even 100% off of name brand items is easy. Your pantries will overflow with household items (These items include toiletries and expensive cleaning products.) And at the heart of this particular coupon-savings-system is charity. Because you will find more than enough groceries for yourself at deep discounts, you'll want to donate to the under fed. Model Home assumed that couponing could help take a bite out of hunger.

Model Home is not alone in its belief that coupons help make ends meet. Many shoppers treat the Sunday circulars like gold. And those that learn the Greatest Secrets of the Coupon Mom for the first time are amazed at the deals they can find. They hone the system and never question. Which is what makes the following experiment worth following.

Punny Money's Experiment Part 1

It struck terror into the heart's of coupon mavens. Could anyone say "I don't believe in coupons" and really mean it? But this is how Nick at Punny Money began his investigation of coupons in his post called The Science (Fiction) of Coupons. Faint in this unpleasantry, we read on. It turns out that Nick has some observations worth exploring, so we feign our composure. But what if he's right?

Nick's observations. Coupons make you buy things you normally wouldn't, generics can't be beat, and it is too time-consuming to wade through truckloads of coupons to find the ones you might want to use. Points well taken.

Nick's experiment: "If I can turn 30 minutes of my time into a genuine savings of ten dollars on our grocery bill over the next 30 days, I'll reconsider my stance on coupons."

Coupons Don't Make the Cut

On his first trip to the market (Punny Money's Grand Coupon Experiment, Part 1), Nick wasted $1.58 on circulars from the Washington Post and spent 20 minutes cutting coupons. Coupons were costing Nick time and money.

In a second attempt to redeem the right to coupon, he comes up short again. -$0.16 spent and 30 minutes wasted. So Model Home suggested he try Coupon Mom's strategy for locating grocery deals quickly.

Good News!

Nick will try one more time (Punny Money's Grand Coupon Experiment, Part 2). "In coming weeks, I'm going to take Brian's [of Model Home] advice and use the Coupon Mom's website to work out the best grocery/coupon savings combinations ahead of time. It should help us save some time, though I wish that website included Safeway instead of just Giant for our area."

Hopefully The Coupon Mom will add Safeway to her site. And I hope you'll enjoy following Nick's sobering look at the world of coupons. Perhaps, if time is money, and if coupons are too, the experiment will prove that that the Sunday circulars are one commodity that college students, home makers, and non-profit organizations can trade for necessities.

Try the coupon experiment yourself. Decide if Cutting Your Grocery Bill in Half with Sunday circulars can help.

Note to Nick: Thanks for the grand experiment and for keeping us posted. Your site is informed by clear thinking and interesting topics. A good read for consumers.

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Free Video: Be a Smart Consumer: Avoiding Predatory Lending

THIS IS VIDEO FIVE OF FIVE in this series on home buying and ownership brought to you by HUD Productions.

Today's video should complete your working knowledge of buying HUD homes. May the American dream become your reality.

Be a Smart Consumer: Avoiding Predatory Lending (Real Player, 25 minutes)

Synopsis: Learn the signs of fradulent practices in the homebuying process and what to do to avoid them.

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Video: Purchasing a HUD Home

Today:
Purchasing a HUD Home (50 minutes, Real Player) by HUD Productions.

Synopsis: Find out what a HUD home is, where to find the home listings, how you can see one you're interested in purchasing, and the steps to purchasing a HUD home.

Tomorrow:
Friday May 26th: Be a Smart Consumer: Avoiding Predatory Lending (25 minutes).

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Video: Five Ways to Move Ahead

There are two ways to build substantial wealth. The first, you can build your landlord's future by paying down her mortgage. She'll thank you and deduct the mortgage interest on her income tax, let you build up her equity, and she'll rejoice as home values increase. The second, instead of paying your landlord's mortgage payment for her, you can pay your own mortgage, deduct the interest on your income tax, build equity with each monthly payment, and enjoy increased home values over time. It's up to you.

Today's video is number three of five videos by HUD Productions aimed at giving you the keys to a financially sound future. Make the American dream of home ownership a reality.

Today's video: Five Ways to Move Ahead Fast (Real Player). It's a June 17, 2003 Webcast provided by HUD Productions that is still relevant today.

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Video: How To Buy a Home

How To Buy a Home (Real Player) courtesy of HUD Productions.

HUD is committed to the American dream by keeping it real. They turn dreams of homeownership into realities with instructional Webcasts like this one. It's here that homebuyers zero in on polishing credit reports, matching finances with appropriate loans, targeting neighborhoods, and working with professionals to purchase the perfect home. Armed with the advice in this video, the home shopper can look for their dream home with confidence

Ask the right questions, seek genuine help, get quality answers. That's exactly what this video does.

Most people already know that home ownership is one of the best ways to build a sound asset base. Tax deductions, increased market values, and increased equity are the main reasons owning a home can significantly build wealth. It's often the most valuable asset in a persons portfolio. But fear and doubt prevent many people from buying one. What these people don't realize is, that for nearly every obstacle in the path to homeownership, there is professional help and real-world solutions.

Start by organizing the things you'll need to accurately assess your credit, finances, and target market. After doing this, you'll know exactly where your strengths and weaknesses are as a bonafide buyer. It's then that you can build an action plan that will bring results.

Some Things You Will Need

Putting paperwork off until the last minute can add a geat deal of stress and uncertainty into the purchase process. Gather these things in advance and make your life easier.

Social Security Number for You and Your Spouse

Six months of checking and savings account statements

Documentation of other assets like stocks and bonds that you own

A recent paycheck stub detailing your earnings

List of credit card accounts and balances due

List of account numbers and balances due on other loans like your car

Income tax filings for the previous two years

And a reference to verify your employment

Gathering these things together now will prevent delays and stress later on. They will also help you, your real estate agent, and the lender determine an appropriate price range for you.

If after gathering up and analysing your finances, you don't like what you see--maybe there are some blemishes on your credit report or you don't quite have as much for a down payment as you'd like, now is the time to set long term objectives and short term financial goals for yourself. And don't get discouraged, there are many types of homes on the market, and there are plenty of good deals. Be patient, diligent, you can find a home that's right for you.

For more information on buying a home, tune in to tomorrow's pre-recorded Webcast 5 Ways To Move Ahead (50 minutes).

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Video: HUD Home Ownership Success

HUD makes home ownership success stories that last. Interested in buying a HUD home? Already own a HUD home? Watch this free video now (Real Player or Windows Media Player).

Learn how HUD works with lenders to provide low-down, low-cost loans to homebuyers.

And much more. . .

Home Improvement Advice

Protecting Your Investment

Managing Your Finances

Refinancing Tips

Avoiding Foreclosure with Special Programs

Even experienced homeowners can benefit from some of the information in this free, pre-recorded Webcast.

Title: Your Home Yours To Keep (Real Player Clip)

If you'd like more information on HUD Productions, their Webcasts, or the HUD Web site, leave a comment, E-mail Brian at Model Home, or visit HUD on the Web.

Tomorrow's pre-recorded Webcast: How To Buy A Home (20 minutes).

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Video: Deltec Homes' Documentary Style Marketing Film

A Deltec Homes marketing film released May 12th 2006.

Windows Media Player

Real Player


Read the May 12th, 2006 News Release by Deltec:

North Carolina-based Deltec Homes' Unique Houses Withstand Katrina and Other Major Storms with Minimal to No Damage

Pass Christian, Mississippi: Dale and Carolyn Medley of Pass Christian, Miss., weren't sure what they would find when they were finally able to return to their home after hurricane Katrina. "I couldn't believe it. I had to see it, because I have never seen anything like this before and I hope I never do again," said Dale after returning home.

The city of Pass Christian was nearly destroyed by Katrina. A 29-foot tidal surge accompanied by sustained winds of over 145 mph pounded Pass Christian for almost twelve hours. As it turned out, most buildings in Pass Christian and on the Mississippi coast were destroyed.

However, much to the Medley's surprise, not only did they find their home intact, but in relatively good condition. The Medley's had chosen a pre-fabricated home from North Carolina-based Deltec Homes.

Deltec Homes, located in Asheville, North Carolina, has been building wind resistant housing for almost 40 years. "We have never lost a home to high winds," said Joseph Schlenk, Director of Sales and Marketing for Deltec. "We've known for years that our homes are wind resistant, but we had no idea how they would perform against a 29' high wall of water," Schlenk said. Deltec's success in high winds is mostly attributed to the shape of their homes. Deltec builds round homes.

The main damage to the Medley's home came from the 29-foot tidal surge, which flooded the lower level of their two-story, 3,000-square-foot house. "All of the windows held satisfactorily. Some of them got leakage from the water being elevated but none of them got blown out or broken. No seam ruptures, nothing at all wrong on the upper level," said Dale.

The Medley's insurance adjuster was even more impressed than they were. "She could hardly believe it. She said she had seen a lot of houses in her time, but she had never seen one stand like this one. The home is pretty much structurally intact with not much wind damage. All the damage caused by wind is this little bit of missing fascia board and some shingles from the roof," Dale said.

"Deltec Homes aren't exactly round, they are polygons or multi-sided structures. They are comprised of flat 8-foot-wide wall sections joined together at the appropriate angle for that model size. The 8-foot-wide wall panels don't have enough exposed surface area to allow wind to build up any significant pressure, Schlenk said. "Our system allows for total design flexibility, so our homeowners can have a very conventional floor plan or a very contemporary one."

Because of their homes success against Katrina, Deltec recently released a documentary style marketing film, which chronicles the success of their homes against hurricane winds. The Medley's story along with nine other homeowners are documented in the film. "After Katrina we contacted all of our homeowners that were in her path. None suffered any structural damage. Any damage was limited to either minor cosmetic damage or a few missing roof shingles," said Schlenk.

When asked about the future of Pass Christian, Dale and Carolyn's optimism shines through. "Some of our friends' houses that have been here 70-80 years are completely gone. There are no businesses left, most of the homes are gone but everybody says we'll rebuild it. It was probably the best place on earth to live."

Contact Info:
Joseph Schlenk
800-642-2508
jschlenk@buildingsmart.net
Homeowners available for interview.
Related Links http://www.deltechomes.com/

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Free Online Photo Gallery

Picture this! Hundreds of home improvement photos available online at Central Roost. It's a virtual scrapbook of upscale renovations, beautiful remodels, and inexpensive do-it-yourself projects you can spend hours looking at.

Shown here, a waterfront dream home, is a picture from the Web site's Featured Content. Clicking on the picture takes you on a photographic journey through the home's architectural finery. The tour is sure to animate the imaginations of even the most arrid minds.

Other featured picts include before/after photographs of a kitchen remodel, a basement wine cellar project, and an inspiring home gym. The gym is a $2,000 basement makeover that rivals any commercial facility. The bonus with this particular gym is that there aren't any intimidating, muscle-bound 21-year olds hogging all the weights, the sweat is all yours, the price is right, and it really is open 24 hours.

The site effectively networks homeowners and do-it-yourselfers with a forum for common questions and answers. Ask a question, offer your experience, upload your own pictures, or plan your next project with this ever-growing resource. An accompanying blog site provides various tips and product reviews, the membership is free, and bookmarking your favorite ideas is encouraged.

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Women Rebuild America while Retailers Profit by Brian

Some things never change. A woman's place is still in the kitchen. But she's not baking bread. She's re-building her home. That's at least one interpretation of last week's market research that notes a disproportionately high volume of female do-it-yourselfers in the "East South Central region" of the U.S. That is, the places ransacked by Katrina are being rebuilt by women. Women account for three times as many home improvement sales than the men in these areas.

The market research calls this rise in women doing all the work a trend. It's not a trend. It's a farce. These women aren't rebuilding Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisianna singing songs about the Southland or America the Beautiful, or home sweet home. Their trips to Home Depot and Lowe's has nothing to do with a women's budding interest in manual labor. They have to do it!

The fact is that 56% of the families in New Orleans are "female-headed," according to research done by the Institute for Women's Policy Research News' Web site. Female-headed and poor. The median income for African American women working full-time in New Orleans is $19,951 a year. Disgusting. Where in the world are all the men? Why aren't these women being paid reasonable salaries?

Curious. Is Home Depot still the second largest retailer in the US? Did they really have fiscal 2004 sales of $73.1 billion dollars? Surely the billions they are making off of these women has made them America's number one retailer by now. Hurricane Katrina has been worth billions of dollars to Home Depot according to an undated news story by KATC 3. So, in the massive rebuild, Home Depot controls all the labor and assets in this part of the country. Interesting.

Here's the deal ladies. Home Depot collects donations from its customers, people like, well, like you, and matches those contributions up to one million dollars. Then, they donate half of those funds to the United Way and the other half to the Home Depot Foundation. The HD Foundation plans on giving their proceeds, over time, to various non-profits in your area that are buying supplies to rebuild the community. Hmm, wonder where the supplies will come from? What a steal! I mean, deal!

Leading strategists or maybe a Harvard economist should comment on this post to let everyone know what is going on. Explain what exactly we are rebuilding down there? Are we building homes people can live with?

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How To Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half by Brian

Updated in May 27th post: Following Punny Money's Grand Coupon Experiment.

With Cut Out Hunger's coupon strategy and the Savings Mom Web site, you can regularly save 80%, 90%, even 100% on name brand groceries.

Imagine the grocer owing you money when you check out. It's possible. Read more to learn the 5 easy steps to locating phenomenal grocery deals in your area. And find out how one shopper cashed in with coupons sold on eBAY.


5 Steps to Phenomenal Grocery Deals

1. The savings strategy relies on the Smartsource and Valassis coupon circulars found in the Sunday newspaper. So, spend the one or two dollars it costs every week for the paper, the return on this investment can be in the hundreds. By-the-way, the coupon circulars are not distributed on holiday weekends.

2. DO NOT CUT THE COUPONS OUT YET! Ye warned be. Instead, write the date really big and bold on the front of the circular and file it chronologically.

3. Visit Savings Mom's Web site at www.cutouthunger.com. Click on "Find the Best Grocery Discounts by State." Select your store or region from the drop-down menu, and click "go" to see a detailed list of items, the item's sale price, the coupon you should use, and how much you will save. Don't be surprised if some items are 100% free.

4. On the list of sale items, check off the items you want to shop for. I generally don't buy anything until it's at least 50% off.

5. In the far left hand column of your list, you'll notice a date followed by the letter "S" or "V." The "S" stands for Smartsource and the "V" stands for Valassis. Go to the circular that corresponds with your list item, find the coupon you need, cut it out and go shopping.

The key elelment to this system is matching coupons with weekly sales. That's where Savings Mom's Web site comes in handy--she's done the hard part for you. Now go save!

Two more things to keep in mind. One, give yourself about four weeks of collecting circulars to really start finding deals, but you will probably find some deals right away. Two, do not be brand loyal. For the best savings, experiment with other products, try several brands of the same thing--it adds variety to the pantry and after all, a paper towel is a paper towel.

With the tremendous savings you can find, remember that hunger in America is real and far too prevalent. Since many grocery items are free or nearly free, start a box of items for charity. After about four weeks into this system of savings, you'll probably find that you have more than enough, that's when it's time to start giving. In essence, Savings Mom's system makes it possible for you to save big and give.

How To Have Coupon Fun on eBAY

Log on to your eBAY account and search for coupons. It's fun, it's cheap, it's easy. The bid prices for popular coupons are seldom more than the cost of the Sunday paper and the shipping costs are low.

Not long ago, Gillete's coupon for a free Mach 3 razor could be found in the Sunday circulars as well as on the auction block. The razor was worth somewhere around $8 or $9 and the coupons could be purchased on eBAY for one or two dollars.

A word of caution. If you're going to purchase coupons on eBAY, be sure to bid on specific ones. In other words, don't buy envelopes stuffed with varied coupons. You have no way of knowing where the coupons came from and what the expiration dates are. Buyers should look for specific coupons; like in the Mach 3 razor example above.

And remember to share the wealth. Too many people in America are living in poverty, so grocery deals can be a great way for you to save and to help someone out.

For more information on the Savings Mom (a.k.a. Coupon Mom), Stephanie Nelson, visit her on the Web at www.cutouthunger.com She explains the savings system in detail along with many other special offers that might be of interest to consumers. Amazon.com new & used Greatest Secrets of the Coupon Mom

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10 Common Home Automation Projects

Smarthome has a way to turn everything on at home except your love life. Here's a list of ten common projects that can help super charge things at home. Now if we could only learn to optimize people. . .

Internet-connected video camera designed to monitor your kids, babysitter, and your home while your away at work or on vacation.

Thermostats you can control with your cell phone.

Hot tubs and ovens that preheat by calling them on your cell phone.

All lights out at the touch of a button.

Program your home to wake up with you. Program the thermostat to heat or cool as desired, gradually increase light intensity, automatically brew coffee, and turn the TV on.

Security alerts by e-mail and phone whenever unauthorized activity takes place in your home.

Touch-screen remote that organizes and controls DVD, VCR, TV, and home audio functions.

Monitor entryways with a video feed to your TV.

Computer program that automates lawn sprinklers and outdoor lighting.

Automated pet care provides food and water to your pets while your away. It'll even clean the litter.

Today's technology hungry consumer wants tech-appeal as much as she wants curbside appeal. "Automation" is heaven blessed. Doing things "manually," the horror. Unthinkable. Travertine is nice, "technology" turns us on. We have geographic coordinates instead of phone numbers. Analog clocks are part of our shameful past. We stick phones in our ears and say things like Google, Yahoo, dotcom, and emoticon. There is something to be said for doing things the ole fashioned way of using pencils, licking stamps, and possibly setting a clock once in a while. But deep down, we want the Internet!

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Remote Control Home Heating

If you're new to home automation, this Q & A on wireless heating by Smarthome/SmartLabs might be a great place for you to start. With a cell phone and a couple of devices plugged into existing outlets, you'll be phoning in climate changes more often than you call for delivery. And by the looks of things, the wiring can be done in one afternoon. This easy-to-install X10 technology gives house-calls a whole new meaning.

QUESTION: We have a vacation home in the mountains we often visit in the winter. However, once we arrive it takes the heating system a couple of hours to heat up the house. How can I remotely control the heating before we leave and have it warm and toasty when we arrive?

Answer:
Burrrr, I know the feeling! This has happened to me also. The family arrives at the house, turns up the heat, everyone has to walk around in coats while the heater warms up the place. Let me tell you how I fixed our cabin to be fully heated before we arrive.

The key to the project is replacing your old thermostat with a remotely controlled model. The X10 Compatible HVAC System looks and works like a regular thermostat and the wiring is pretty easy to install. The new thermostat will replace an ordinary 24-volt wall thermostat commonly found on gas, electric, oil, and propane heating systems. If your remote home has an all-electric heat pump system, it works on these units also. There is no need to pull new wires between the new thermostat and the heater; the existing wiring will do the job.

What's different about this thermostat is that it can receive the wireless X10 signals from any X10 transmitter in the house. In addition to being controlled manually from the wall unit, it can also take commands remotely. When it gets an X10 signal, it can do any of the things a human operator can do standing at the thermostat. Turn on the system and select the set point (the desired temperature). It will then control the home's heating and air conditioning system just like the old mechanical model. Now you just need to get an X10 signal to the home, but remote controls don't go 100 miles.

To send X10 signals remotely, like they use to say, "let your fingers do the walking." You will need a device to interface between the phone and electricity lines up at the cabin. The telephone responder installs into a regular phone jack and plugs into electricity. It can take touch-tones from an incoming phone call and produce X10 signals the thermostat needs to change the set-point temperature. The X10 signals travel over the home's AC wires so the telephone transponder can be just about anywhere in the home.

Before you leave for the road trip, call the cabin and the telephone responder will answer the call. If you have an answering machine on the same phone line, it can work with most of them too. You will need to dial in a security code (so someone doesn't accidentally get into your system), then dial in temperature. If you normally keep the cabin heated at a low temperature, like 40 degrees (so the pipes don't freeze), simply dial in the new temperature. The temperature you set is made up of X10 codes. For example, if you want the cabin heated to 75 degrees, dial in "4" and "*" on the phone's keypad. The telephone responder will send the X10 signal "4-ON" over the home's electrical wires. When the thermostat receives that signal, it will change the temperature set point to 75 degrees and the heat will come on. The thermostat comes with a cross-reference chart so you'll know what each X10 signal does to the thermostat.

Now the family can enjoy a warm and toasty cabin upon arrival.

For more information on easy-to-install X10 home automation projects, visit SmartLabs/Smarthome online. This Q&A on Remotely Heating Your Home was brought to you by Smarthome, home electronic and automation specialists.

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Smartest Home in America Contest

Whether you're a flower givin' love generation hippy from the 60s or a compulsive digital obsessive from the 80s and 90s, nobody wants to live in a home whose intelligence quotient is lower than the gigabytes on her next generation iPOD. In fact, doing things "manually" could blow a fuse in the bionic brains of today. That might be a bad thing, but smart homes do more than dim the lights, make climate changes, lower enormous movie screens, and start the DVD player from our cell phone or laptops; smart home automation can increase the net worth, privacy, security, and comfort of home without remodeling and demolition.

The bottom line, a smart home can win you $1,000 as part of this month's "Smartest Home in America" contest sponsored by SmartLabs, Inc., an Irvine, CA, company specializing in electronic home improvement. Upload video or images of your project, list the products used to automate your home, and write a short description on why you think your home is the smartest home in America. Contest deadline is June 15th, 2006. Winners will be announced July 15th, 2006.

The News

Irvine, Calif., May 4--SmartLabs, Inc., provider of home automation and electronic home improvement products, will celebrate electronic home improvement month during May. It will host events throughout the month and kick off the celebration today with its "Smartest Home in America" contest.

While many think of home improvement as remodeling bathrooms and upgrading kitchen countertops, there is a much simpler and more cost effective way to add value to your home called electronic home improvement. SmartLabs, Inc. and its subsidiary Smarthome.com are championing this new concept in home improvement and want homeowners to know that there are simple, affordable and easy to install products available that add convenience, safety and fun to the home.

Electronic home improvement means upgrading your home's electrical switches that control lights, ceiling and ventilation fans and other devices as a simple way to add value to your home. It's simple to do and it does not have to cost a lot of money. SmartLabs products have a "smart" technology built-in called INSTEON, which enables their switches to "talk" to each other, making installation simple and creating the foundation for a home control network.

The "Smartest Home in America" contest is designed to find out the best new ideas of how homeowners are improving everyday life in the home through automation. The grand prize winner will receive a $1,000 shopping spree at Smarthome.com. The second prize will receive a $500 gift certificate and the third prize winner $250. To enter, contestants simply visit http://www.smarthome.com/ehihacontest.html complete the entry form and describe how they have electronically improved their home.

"We are a do-it-yourself generation," says Rajeev Kapur, president of SmartLabs. "Whether it's simply replacing one or two electrical switches or installing a full-blown home automation system, we want to know the most interesting ways people are using home automation to upgrade, personalize and interact with their homes."
This Week. . .
If you're new to home automation, this week's morning read will provide you with enough information to get you started--and may even qualify your home for the "Smartest Home in America" contest.

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Custom Kitchen Design Photo Archive

The focus of the kitchen comes from the furniture island. The custom island continues the theme of the room with carved fleur-di-lis curved ends, and scroll feet. The island weight actually rests on an internal frame which is inset about 8"-10", but seems to float on its delicate scroll feet. The island contains a bullet hinge panel for easy access to all electrical connections for the wine cooler, 30" oven, and cooktop.

Bottom Photo Above: A better detail is shown here of the carving. This carving appears on all four inset corners of the island. The theme of this room is a fleur-di-lis with red and gold fleur-di-lis wallpaper. The builder grade cabinetry was refaced with Alder and hand glazed with a richer hue. New custom footings and double stacked crown moulding were added to give the cabinetry a stately feel. All doors were replaced with new and finished to replicate a bird’s eye maple. The original woodwork was bleached oak. The interior of the cabinet frames were left in place and painted a wine color.







Caption (Above): Pull" design elements of the kitchen in by adding a bar counter to the exisitng cabinetry.





Caption (Above): Separate out the counter top with a border before placing tile to add more visual interest and provide a decorative backsplash.

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Home Improvement eBooks

MAKE YOUR HOME SOMETHING YOU CAN LIVE WITH by downloading any one of these informative eBooks by Model Home affiliates to your computer today. It's simple and convenient. So start preparing for your next home improvement project right now!

• Get Organized Now!



• Tile Made Easy



• How To Build Auto Lawn Sprinklers



• Sewing Roman Shades



• Create an Incredible Lawn in Just 4 Days



• LandlordeGuide.com



• Clutter-Free Forever!



• Home Inspection Success



• Fantastic Fish Ponds



• How To Build Your Own Natural Waterfall



• Home Decorating Made Easy



• How To Get Your Dog To Listen



• World's Best Compost



• Installing a Shower Pan Video Download



• Sds-Cad Garage & E-Plans on Demand



• Katy's Tropical Fish--A Complete Guide



• How To Build a New Home & Save Thousands



• How To Make Window Valances



• Home Theater Design eBook



• Decorative Concrete Guide



• Increase the Curb Appeal of Any House



• Clear Your Clutter, Clear Your Mind.



• Build a Solar Pool Heater for Under $100



• The Secrets To Home Decorating Success



• Install Marble Tile Video Download



• Kitchen Design E-Book



• Growing & Enjoying Your Own Rose Garden



• The Budget Decorator



• Your Perfect Lawn



• Know How To Faux



• Do-It-Yourself Handyman



• Home Staging, Fixups & House Makeovers



• A Step Forward In Interior Design



• Kids Rooms and Crafts



• The Ultimate Decorating Organizer



• Sell Your House Now!



• How To Preserve Wood Patio Deck Floors



• Do-It-Yourself Dame



• No More Gophers or Moles!



• The Ultimate Outdoor Ice Rink

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Ariane Benefit

Ariane Benefit, M.S.Ed., is a professional organizer, coach, author and speaker with over 25 years experience helping people reach new heights of productivity and success. You can visit Neat Living Blog: Neat Ideas for Living for free organizing tips, home makeover photos and more.

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