Posts tagged: living on less

Nov 03 2011

Winterizing Your Home

brick house with icicles hanging from roofPreparing Your Home for Winter
By , About.com Guide

The fall Equinox is a good time of year to start thinking about preparing your home for winter, because as temperatures begin to dip, your home will require maintenance to keep it in tip-top shape through the winter.

Autumn is invariably a prelude to falling winter temperatures, regardless of where you live. It might rain or snow or, as David Letterman says, “Fall is my favorite season in Los Angeles, watching the birds change color and fall from the trees.” Did you know there is only one state in the United States where the temperatures have never dipped below zero? Give up? It’s Hawaii. Read more »

May 06 2011

11 Ways to Prepare Your Home for Summer Heat

From CharlesandHudson.com

Summer is coming. Before it gets hot, you might want to check that you and the house are ready for the summer heat.

That means you start by checking your home’s heat and air-conditioning system.

1. To begin, change your filters in your heating/cooling system. Change them regularly – at least monthly.

2. Next change your thermostat over to “cool” and test the system by turning the temperature down. If the air conditioner does not turn on, first check to make sure no breakers are tripped. If you can’t figure out the problem, call your heating and air-conditioning repair person. Calling early may keep you from making an “emergency” call when the temperatures are soaring and the repair people are super busy and expensive.

3. If your cooling system turns on, make sure it is putting out adequate cooling. If it’s not, and you can’t figure out the problem, call your heating and air-conditioning repair person. Set the thermostat at 78 degrees. Read more »

Apr 27 2011

Organic Garden Pest Control

By: NoDig Vegetable Garden

A garden seethes with life — after all it is a food source.
Organic garden pest control is a safe and easy way to control those critters that think your food is their food!

Caterpillar
As with all things in nature, there is a balance.

Organic garden pest control doesn’t upset that sensitive arrangement too much.

We’ve got to eat of course, and we’re not hunter-gathers now, so we sow, plant and harvest on cleared land.

Even if we practice organic gardening, pest control is still necessary. Garden pests just love the concentrated gatherings of their favourite foods.

Enlightened farmers now use what they call integrated pest management. It’s about striking that crucial balance between protecting their crops and protecting the environment… as well as protecting their bank balance by reducing their use of chemical sprays. Read more »

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