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Many people struggle to pay off credit card debt. Interest that accumulates each month can make it difficult to make a dent in balances. Juggling multiple credit cards with different minimum payments and due dates can feel overwhelming. Missing a due date can lead to fees and possible damage to your credit score.If you have lived in your home for several years, you may have built up a large amount of equity. You might be able to use a home equity line of credit, or HELOC, to pay off credit card debt. You could draw from a line of credit at the times and in the amounts of your choosing and consolidate your credit card debt to make one monthly payment instead.Reasons to Use a HELOC to Pay off Credit CardsIf you have substantial credit card balances with high interest rates, using a home equity line of credit to pay them off might make sense. The interest rate on a HELOC could be significantly lower than the interest rates on your credit cards. That means interest would accumulate at a slower pace and more of each monthly payment would go toward principal, so you could pay off the debt faster.Paying off credit card balances with a home equity line of credit could help your credit score. Reducing those balances to zero would lower your ratio of debt to available credit, and making HELOC payments on time each month could help you build a positive credit history.Reasons to Think TwiceYou would need to pay closing costs to obtain a home equity line of credit. Talk to your lender to find out exactly how much that would add to your total. Depending on your lender and the interest rates on your credit cards and a HELOC, you might or might not save much money.A home equity line of credit could be risky. Using your home as collateral means that if you failed to make HELOC payments on time, you could risk foreclosure. That could cause major damage to your credit score.If you got into debt because of a job loss or some other unforeseen situation, using a HELOC to manage credit card bills might make sense. If, on the other hand, you accumulated debt because you make frequent impulse purchases or dont know how to budget, using a HELOC wouldnt address the core problem, and you could wind up in the same situation again. Getting in the habit of accumulating debt and using your homes equity to bail yourself out could be dangerous.Is a HELOC a Good Idea?A home equity line of credit could help you escape the trap of high-interest credit card debt, but it should be used responsibly. If you have a spending problem, a HELOC alone wouldnt fix things. You would also need to change your spending patterns to get out of debt and stay that way.Published with permission from RISMedia.
Published with permission from RISMedia.
Puttering in the garden is an age-old hobby pursued for several reasons; it can keep you fit, provide food and flowers, and help you live in a more beautiful world. Experienced gardeners say mastering a few simple skills can get you off to a productive start to the home garden of your dreams:Know your soil. Before you plant, it’s important to know the kind of plants your soil will best support. If you’re new to the neighborhood, ask a neighbor or local garden shop if the soil is alkaline, acidic or neutral. Or test the pH yourself with a commercial test probe you can buy. Once you know the soil’s pH content, local gardeners or an online search will help you choose the food and flowering plants that will thrive in that environment.Seed or plant starting. Many gardeners say planting from seed has two big advantages; there are more varieties available as seeds, and it’s far more economical. It’s fairly easy to save seeds, as well, from one season to the next. A good gardening book can show you how.Container gardening. If space is limited, or your soil is less than welcoming, it’s easy to grow vast amounts of food or flowers in containers"and not necessarily in expensive terra cotta pots. Use plastic storage tubs, old buckets, whatever.Cuttings and transplants. Succulents and a host of other plants are perfect for cutting, which you can re-plant to expand your landscape and/or pot in attractive little containers to give away as gifts. A gardening book will show you the best candidates for cutting and transplanting.Watering. Plants die from under-watering, but they can die from too much water. Local rainfall will impact your watering schedule and learning proper watering techniques will make you a more successful gardener.Pruning. While tree pruning is best left to professionals, it’s easy to prune your own roses and other small plants, removing dead or dying parts damaged by insects or weather. Pruning regularly keeps your plants producing and looking healthy.Tool maintenance. It’s useless to save by producing tomatoes and such if you spend a fortune replacing garden tools. Choose good rust-proof tools, clean them after each use and store them in a dry place and you will have tools that last a lifetime.Published with permission from RISMedia.
Here are a few tips to help make a large home feel more intimate.Textures and ColorsDark walls can make a space appear smaller. Rich earth tones, like brown, dark green and red create a cozy ambience.Thoughtful FurnishingsA spacious room may benefit from multiple seating areas that serve various purposes, such as a quiet reading nook and a separate space with couches where groups can hang out.Embrace the ScaleEmbrace the grand proportions of the home. That could mean using expansive wall space and soaring ceilings as a way to decorate with sizable works of art or tall indoor trees.Published with permission from RISMedia.
As any homeowner knows, the living room is a major focal point of the home. From family gatherings throughout the year to sitting back and watching TV together at the end of a long week, the living room is often a home’s social center for family and friends alike.That being said, furniture placement can distract from such gatherings, affecting the comfort and functionality of the room.Here are some mistakes to avoid when it comes to arranging your living room furniture:Forgetting the focal wall.A focal wall is the first place the eye comes to rest when entering a room. While not every living room has a focal wall, if yours does, you don’t want to pass it up. Set up the furniture so that most of the seating is facing or angled toward the wall you’ve pegged as the focal wall. A fireplace, mounted TV or picture window are natural places to have a focal wall.Too much furniture.Don’t clutter your living room with too much furniture. The couch should be the biggest piece in the room and should get the focus it deserves.Start by pushing everything else out of the way in order to see where the sofa fits the best. Then bring in smaller pieces of furniture to complement the sofa.Adding furniture you don’t use.After arranging the furniture so that it works well in the space, don’t add nonessential items to the living room that aren’t used on a day-to-day basis. For example, don’t let a small side table or a chair that’s rarely used take up space for the sake of filling up the area.Extra furniture is a good thing to have when friends and family visit, but it doesn’t have to take up space in a living room every day if it isn’t used on a consistent basis.Keeping everything.When moving from one home to another, some people put the same furniture in their new living room simply out of habit. Even if the room is the same size as the old one, it doesn’t always make sense to incorporate the same furniture into the space.If you recently moved into a new home"or have a move on the horizon"it’s important to consider how much you use something before integrating it into your living space. Surface areas such as coffee tables, side tables and desks may not be needed as often as you think. In the same vein, storage areas such as cabinets and trunks may not be opened for years but will ultimately take up valuable space in the family’s main gathering place.A couch against the wall.Pushing a couch against a wall can be the easiest way to set up the living room, but it may not create as much space as you think. Instead of simply pushing the couch against the wall, try pulling it out at least 12 inches. This will create some space, which will ultimately make the room feel bigger.While pushing the couch against the wall may be a good idea if you’re looking to get it out of the way, it can create a lot of dead space in the middle of the room. No matter your style, take the time to think outside the box and try something newand see what happens.Published with permission from RISMedia.
For desk jockeys, or anyone who spends long hours staring at a screen, it’s important to pay mind to your vision. And while it can be hard to undo eye damage once it’s done, you can try to stay abreast of eyesight deterioration with the following tips:Eat for eye support. While diet can’t better your vision once it’s impaired, you can eat for eye support. Focus on foods with essential fatty acids, minerals like copper and zinc, beta-carotene and vitamins A, C and E.Roll your eyes. Turns out, a sense of sarcasm might help you see better. To strengthen your eye muscles, stop your desk-work three times a day and do the following eye roll exercise: Look up, then slowly circle 10 times clockwise and 10 times counterclockwise.Practice focus. Staring at a screen all day can impair your eye’s range of focus. To help, hold an item like a pencil or pen an arm’s length away. Train your eyes on it, and then slowly bring the pencil closer, keeping your gaze locked on it, until the pencil is six inches from your nose. Then reverse the direction. Do this exercise five times, two to three times per day.Pick a point. Once every hour (set your timer for this!) look away from your desk and stare at a point six or more feet away for twenty to thirty seconds.Published with permission from RISMedia.
Worn-out or inefficient appliances can lead to high utility bills.The Environmental Protection Agency created the ENERGY STAR program to encourage companies to produce energy-efficient appliances that use less electricity and water to save consumers money.ENERGY STAR appliances cost more to buy and repair, but you would have lower monthly utility bills.Stainless steel appliances are attractive and durable, but they are expensive and show dirt, dust and fingerprints.Smart appliances run at off-peak times or use low-energy cycles. Many can be controlled through a smartphone app. They can be expensive to buy and repair.If you’re thinking about upgrading appliances, compare models, features and prices.Published with permission from RISMedia.
Are you the type of person who likes to take their flower garden indoors? Indoor plants do more than simply add color to your space; they can also improve the mood of those who live with them. If you’re looking for a blooming plant, consider one of the following four:Bromeliads. These funky, spiky plants are in the pineapple family! Bright and tropical, they like lots of light and don’t require too much water, which makes them a great choice for a beginning gardener.African Violet. These are some of the most popular blooming house plants, as they flower for a long duration and are relatively easy to care for.Begonias. A well-cared for begonia will bloom almost continuously. Place them in a bright location away from windows.Peace Lily. These lovely, graceful flowers are adaptable and low-maintenance. They don’t demand too much light and can survive stints of both over- and under-watering.Published with permission from RISMedia.
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