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Are your closets overflowing with pictures and other framed goods that would undoubtedly look much better hung in a prominent location than hardly ever seeing the light of day? Hanging pictures is a great way to tie a room together and add some character and personality to your space. Instead of simply hanging one picture here and another one there, you can work through your collection a whole lot quicker if you think outside the box and cluster pictures, creating a gallery wall. But before you go grabbing for a hammer, nails and maybe even a level, assess the space and items you have lying around and come up with a plan. While you may not stick to it 100 percent once you get started"and thats okay"having even a rough idea of how you envision the space when its complete will save you a lot of trouble. Stick to Your Style. While you may have swooned over gallery walls in other peoples homes or in design magazines, trying to recreate something youve seen will most likely leave you feeling less than impressed with your own creation. Tune into your own personal style and incorporate photographs, artwork from your children, greeting cards, a favorite piece of fabric or any other trinkets that truly mean something to you. When creating a gallery wall, anything goes. Mix and Match. Variety is key here. From various sizes of artwork to numerous textures and even different colored frames, dont shy away from incorporating different pieces and styles to create a personalized, yet cohesive, look. Plan It Out. The best way to avoid putting unnecessary holes in the wall is to plan out the entire design before you even think about taking a hammer to the wall. (If youre a visual person, this step is even more important, so try to resist the urge to skip it.) While itll require some additional time, youre going to want to trace each frame onto a piece of paper. Once the templates have been cut out, tape them to the wall in a pattern of your choosing. Then move them around as necessary until you find the perfect grouping. Switch It Up. One of the best (or worst?) things about incorporating a gallery wall into your space is the fact that its never finished! Dont be afraid to keep adding things or even swapping out certain pieces. If youre ready to finally cross that gallery wall off your to-do list, remember, the options are endless. And theres no right or wrong way to go about it. Published with permission from RISMedia.
Not Preparing for Emergencies An emergency fund is important for anyone. A signing bonus"whether you’re a pro athlete or a non-athlete receiving a one-time bonus for meeting goals at work"can help give a big boost to an emergency fund. Aim to have one years salary in savings for emergencies, such as losing your job. Saving and Investing Early Having large paycheck for 10 years or so can lead to forgetting about saving and investing for the long-term. If you’re a high earner, regularly getting significant checks can make you think the good times will last forever and that you dont need to save for retirement. Living paycheck-to-paycheck can also be difficult and push you into putting off saving or investing for retirement. Try not to let that stop you from contributing to a 401(k) retirement plan at work, especially if your employer matches your contribution. Its turning away free money. Too Many Hangers-On Chances are you dont pay for your friends and family every time the bill shows up, but you may be paying people in small ways that can add up. Do you loan money out without ever expecting to be repaid? Do you charge a few rounds of drinks after work, only to forget it until your credit card statement arrives? Your generosity could be costing you, especially if you cant afford it. Cut back such spending and put that money in a savings account instead. Any financial mistakes could be devastating if you dont get them under control. Published with permission from RISMedia.
Spruce up your own backyard and inspire your children to get outside and away from their screens. Treehouse For kids, there’s almost nothing more fun or classic than climbing a tree, and having a hangout in the treetops makes it that much better! Make this a DIY project at your local hardware store or hire a pro for a more luxurious look. Swingset A staple in almost every suburban backyard, a swingset is a great way to get your kids outside. Some sets include slides and monkey bars, and many different styles of swings, such as a classic seat, a tire and even specialty seats for two! Pool On a hot summer day, having a pool to jump in, play in and cool off is enticing, both for kids and adults. Even purchase pool toys, such as floats, pool noodles and even a basketball hoop for days full of fun in the sun! Published with permission from RISMedia.
The familiar bedtime saying, “Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite,” might be a cute little rhyme from our childhood. But when a home actually has bed bugs, there’s nothing cute about it. Bed bugs feed on blood and cause irritating bites. Its also a myth that these pests only live in dirty places; in fact, they can be transferred into a spotless home by humans or bug-infested items, such as second-hand furniture. Here are 10 tips to keep in mind in the unfortunate event that your home gets bed bugs: Make sure theyre bed bugs. If you think you have bed bugs, ensure the insects arent fleas, ticks or other bugs. Adult bed bugs are about the size of an apple seed and look balloon-like and reddish-brown if fed recently. They also have antennae and produce a musty-sweetish odor. Compare your insects to pictures of bed bugs on reputable websites. Don’t panic! Eliminating bed bugs can be difficult, but its not impossible. Dont throw out all your things, because most of them can be treated and saved. Throwing stuff out is expensive, may spread the bugs to other people’s homes, and could cause more stress. Explore treatment options. Try other approaches before reaching for the spray can. Integrated pest management techniques may reduce the number of bed bugs and limit your contact with pesticides. If pesticides are needed, always follow label directions or hire a professional. Reduce clutter. A cluttered home provides more places for bed bugs to hide and makes locating and treating them harder. Regularly clean all bedding and clothing that touches the floor. This reduces the likelihood or number of bed bugs. Avoid DIY freezing. While freezing can kill bed bugs, temperatures must remain very low for a long time and home freezers might not do the trick. Kill them with heat. Special equipment and very high temperatures are necessary for successful heat treatment. Black plastic bags in the summer sun might work to kill bed bugs in luggage or small items, if the contents become hot enough. Bed bugs die when their bodies reach 113 degrees Fahrenheit. Don’t spread them. Bed bugs are good hitchhikers. If you throw out a mattress or furniture that has them in it, slash or break it so no one takes it and gets bed bugs. Vacuum thoroughly to reduce bugs. Vacuum rugs, floors, upholstered furniture, every part of the bed, and all cracks and crevices around the room. Carefully throw out the vacuum bag after each use so the bugs cant escape. Turn to professionals, if needed. Hiring an experienced, responsible pest control company can increase your chance of success in getting rid of bed bugs. If you hire a pro, be sure its a company with a good reputation. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Published with permission from RISMedia.
Here are four sophisticated fireplace designs to warm up any home! Peninsula Fireplace Open on three sides (hence the name), this modern design can be enjoyed from virtually any vantage point. Suspended Fireplace For a distinctly modern look, a suspended fireplace can hang from the ceiling or be mounted to a wall. Fire Ribbon Designed with a gas burner, fire ribbons are often used to create a long horizontal flame that complements any living space with crisp, flowing lines. Double-Sided Fireplace A double-sided fireplace can separate tw Published with permission from RISMedia.
Published with permission from RISMedia.
Improving your credit can take time, often many months. But there are some things you can do to raise your credit score quickly, even if only by a few points. Pay Bills on Time Payment history is the most important factor in FICO scores, accounting for up to 35 percent of a credit score. Paying your bills on time"regardless of whether it’s a credit card bill or a utility bill"can significantly improve your score. Late payments stay on a credit report for seven years. The longer ago they happened, the less they affect credit scores. If a bill goes unpaid long enough, the debt can be sold to a collections agency and will get reported to credit bureaus. Maintain Low Balances Keeping a low balance lowers your credit utilization rate, which is the amount of credit youre using. Also called credit usage, it is the second most important factor in credit scores and accounts for 30 percent of a score. Your credit usage is calculated by dividing the total of your balances by your total credit limits. For example, $3,740 in credit card debt divided by $16,000 in a total credit card limit equals 23 percent usage. Paying off the balances in full each month should keep the credit utilization rate low, which should preferably be at no more than 30 percent on any one card or in total. Increase Your Credit Limit Another part of credit usage is how much your credit limit is. Increasing your limit in small increments by getting a new credit card can lower your credit utilization rate by giving you more money to use. You could also ask your current credit card provider to increase your credit limit. However, using that higher credit card limit could increase your credit usage, so you may want to use it rarely and pay it off in full each month. Keep Credit Card Accounts Open Age of credit history has a 15 percent impact on a credit score. Creditors and lenders like to see an average account age of more than five years. Keep your older accounts open to get over the five-year average. While this isnt a quick step to improving your credit score, its worth keeping in mind for the long-term health of your credit. If you want to see faster results, start by paying your bills on time, using less of your available credit and ask for a credit limit increase. Published with permission from RISMedia.
If youve checked your credit reports lately for errors, congratulations! Thats a smart first step to improving your credit score, which can make getting approved for home loans and credit cards, along with getting the best interest rates, a lot easier. Errors can be as simple as a misspelled name, wrong phone number or address, or as serious as an account wrongly reported as delinquent. The next step is to fix them. Here are some ways to resolve errors on your credit reports: Write the Credit Bureaus Write a letter to the credit reporting bureau where you found the mistake. Equifax, Experian and TransUnion are the three major credit bureaus, and you can write to them online or by mail. Include your contact information, and explain the error you found and why its wrong. Include supporting documentation, such as a copy of an email verifying the status of an account that has been reported incorrectly. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has sample letters on its website for disputing credit reports. Be sure to keep copies of any letters or documents you send, and if sending anything by mail, use certified mail with a return receipt. Alert Creditors Banks and credit card issuers that provide information about you should also be notified of errors, unless its an identity-related mistake made by the credit bureau"those should be sent directly to the credit bureau. Also known as furnishers, companies that provide information to credit bureaus will often have their address listed on your credit report so you can contact the company directly. Allow 45 Days After reporting errors, allow up to 45 days for them to be fixed. The credit bureau generally has 30 days after receiving your dispute to investigate and verify the information with the furnisher. The credit bureau must report the results back to you within five days of completing its investigation. If you dispute an error with the furnisher, it typically takes 30 days to investigate and they must report their findings to you. If youve submitted incorrect or incomplete information, or have tried to contest the same item multiple times without any new information, then the bureau or furnisher may decide your dispute is frivolous. They must tell you this within five days, along with providing their reasoning. Once this is done, they don’t need to investigate further. You can resubmit a dispute with updated materials if your original dispute was labeled frivolous. Even if the furnisher insists the dispute information is accurate, you can ask the credit bureau to include a statement in your credit file explaining the dispute. Check Back Credit report updates may take a while to appear, depending on when new information is sent and a bureaus update cycle. If you dont see a change in a few months, contact them again to verify that your account information is being reported and updated. Published with permission from RISMedia.
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