ExoStorage

Energy Savings – Dryers/Clothes Line

I used to work for a company that sold high-end household items in a showroom manner. When it was time to train in appliances, I paid careful attention to the info from our vendors on washers and dryers. Before being transferred to this department, our dryer at home died. I’d heard one brand in particular had a front-load washer which uses a quarter of the water that my current top-loader does, but I couldn’t find any real energy savings were dryers were concerned. So, I called the vendor. They jokingly said to look into the CL model - aka Clothes Line. Dryers, even those with features such as moisture detection, that turn off once clothes are dry even if the cycle isn’t finished, really aren’t that energy efficient.

Well, my husband and I had already started using a dryer rack in the house. So we went to a local home improvement store and bought a retractable clothesline. I have to say I love it. Sure there are some tradeoffs, such as no fluffy soft towels. However, no artificial scent of mountain air added to a soap or fabric softener can compare to the real thing. My favorite is sleeping on freshly washed bed sheets that truly smell like the outdoors and sunshine. Plus, my husband and I don’t heat up the house in the summer unnecessarily - so we save money by not running a dryer, and also from keeping our air conditioner running less.

Alternative Uses in the Yard

I find so many fun challenges each and every year in and around our home that I have started keeping a written notebook of all the things I have done that you could call, “out of the box thinking”. It’s not really hard to think of new and different ways to accomplish what you want to do. For instance, my wife has planted gladiolas in the front flowerbed that never grow straight up. They seem to grow at an angle so when they finally bloom the weight of the top blooms cause them to eventually bend to the ground. Well that’s no way to see the flowers!

The first year I staked each stalk and though it worked it was a royal pain. The next year I ran fishing line from steel rods and while it worked my wife hated seeing the rods. The following year I built bamboo trellises, which I like the best but again, my wife did not. So this year I went out and bought some inexpensive iron border fencing that are 24 inches high and placed this fencing as a way to separate and hold up the stalks. Thus far it has worked well and my wife finally likes it! So while it may take you several tries to get the results you are looking for; try what you can until you have what you want.

The Realities of Money

Our Western culture has driven an incessant need for money into almost everyone that has gone through its education and religious systems over the past 40 years. Even though they touch on “giving being better than receiving” and “honesty is the best policy” the reality of the message is “get yours first before the other guy does”. With this mentality it’s no wonder that people are so unhappy with their lives. It’s time the truth about money be explored.

I’m not saying that money is bad because I believe money can be either good or bad by how it is used. However, there are some things that money will never be able to buy; i.e. love, respect, family, friends, emotional support, laughter, caring and a number of things that has no price tag. I have heard the arguments that it is better to have a lot of money than to be without any and I would say that balance is the key to knowing what a lot of money vs. none is or isn’t. We do need enough money to eat and give shelter and to give to others in need but to horde it so your bank account is bigger than the next guys could be argued that it is just a form of greed. Oh yeah, when you die your money stays here.

Escaping a Landscaping Nightmare

Two weeks ago, I got a call from a good friend saying the rain we are getting is ruining his backyard and he needed some help. I went over to see what he was talking about thinking he must be exaggerating and was caught off guard at what was happening to his yard; it was disappearing into the stream that ran behind his lot! Apparently, every time it rained really hard (and we have had a lot of hard rains this year) six to ten inches of his yard was washing away into the stream, which became a small river with the rain.

Well, this job was much larger than I could do so I called another contact from a networking organization I belong to and got them to come out and take a look. Though these guys do professional landscaping and gardening in our area, they also deal a lot with erosion and drainage issues as well as retaining walls. They got to work immediately on securing the yard that was left and building a couple of barriers to ward off any additional rain we might have for the season and have developed a great plan to not only stop the yard from disappearing in the coming years but restoring it to its former self.

Storage Sheds for All Seasons

The question I was recently asked was this; are all storage sheds good for all seasons? I believe for the most part all storage sheds are good for almost any season. However, not all storage sheds are good for every region. For example; if you live by the ocean having a metal shed could work but you will need to make sure you have protected it from rust.  Same with wooden sheds where there are a lot of wood eating pests like termites; as long as you treat the shed for these bugs you should be okay.

I think the best overall shed for every region are the vinyl sheds. Considering the maintenance free aspect of these sheds in almost every climate and area they can withstand a multitude of hazards including snow loads (you will need to check for this with each model) and wind ratings.  The bottom line for all sheds is to look at the specs and the warranty information and make a good assessment based on where you live.

Privacy & ID Theft Issues

It’s amazing how much we think about our privacy and identification theft issues these days. Growing up in the sixties and seventies, I never gave these things any thought at all and now, no matter if I am on the internet, using my credit or debit card, I am thinking about how I am using my name, and credit to avoid having privacy and theft issues. But if you think things have changed then think again because the number one ID and privacy theft takes place at an old standby; your mailbox!

That’s right, it is at your mailbox that you are the most vulnerable to ID theft but there are things you can do about it. If you don’t like using computers or getting your statements online, consider getting a post office box. This allows you to receive your mail in a safe and secured area and don’t leave outgoing mail in your mailbox either as thief’s can steal your outgoing mail just as quickly as your incoming mail. If you are able, get your financial documents sent to you electronically. Stop your mail when you are out of town or traveling, even for a short time and track any packages you may have coming to you.  By being careful, you can do more to protect yourself than you think!

My Favorite Tool or The Story of Scissors

It’s funny what you find yourself using all the time when you stop to think about it. I had several things I had to get done this week and the one too, I kept reaching for was the kitchen shears. I actually have two pair, one for food items and one for everything else. I call them kitchen shears only because they reside in a kitchen drawer with several other handy tools that I use from time to time. But it is scissors that for some reason have become my tool of choice lately.

When I receive a package in the mail, I could reach for my knife but I don’t, I find the scissors. In fact I have counted no less than five occasions over a two day period that I have relied on scissors! So I had to look it up and find out who invented these handy things; it was Louise Austin, of Whatcom, Washington who invented the modern day Pinking Shears and they were patented in 1893. However, it looks like shears have been around since the First Century! You can read more on the Story of Scissors.

What to Look for When Selling a House

I recently spoke with Liz Davis, a Hendersonville, Tennessee Realtor about what sellers should look for when they decide to sell their homes. Here is a snippet of that conversation.

ME: So what is the number one thing a seller should do before they put their house on the market?

LIZ: That’s easy. They should minimize their possessions and furniture so the buyers who are coming into the home can imagine their furniture and personal items in the space.

ME: How do they determine what to keep in the house and what to take out?

LIZ: I highly recommend sellers work with professional stagers to make those assessments. Stagers are very good at using your own furniture in ways that you may not think of and are also good at explaining the why’s of one thing and the why not of another. They can be your best friend when you sell a home.

ME: So where does the home owner store the excess stuff?

LIZ: Well, some have storage units or sheds on the property and use that. I have had clients use a neighbor’s garage though that can be difficult if the house sits on the market for a long time. Another option is renting an offsite storage unit or Pod that can be placed in a facility until you are ready for it.

ME: Is there any additional information about this part of the process that is important?

LIZ: Yes, make sure your personal pictures and other items are stored in protective covers as well as an area that cannot be penetrated by rodents and other destroying insects. You don’t want to get these out of storage and them not being in as good of shape as when you put them into storage.

A New Twist in Storage; In the Floor?

It’s funny what you find sometimes when you are not looking. Last week my wife was thumbing through one of her woman’s magazines (I wish I could remember the name of it) when she called and said there was something in there that I would like to see. Thinking there would never be something of interest for me in one of those magazines I went over to take a look and there it was; something I had never seen nor thought of in storage.

The people who lived in the home had totally run out of storage space in their home so they tore up the floor and added additional storage bins under the floor between the floor joists. They did a remarkable job hiding the bins with wood floor lids that blended with the hard wood floors. I guess you could also cover the openings with an area rug as well. So though I had never thought nor seen it before, someone came up with a brilliant idea and I felt it needed some additional attention. I would recommend you working with a good carpenter on a project like this unless you have the skills yourself.

The Urban Garden Raised Bed

Every once in a while I see a design for something that I have taken for granted for so long, it stops me in my tracks. That’s how I felt when I saw the six-tiered Urban Garden, an organic cedar raised bed which is simply beautiful.

Raised Beds come primarily in four flavors: short or long, and shallow or deep. But this one surprised me with the stair-stepped shape and the compact growing area. You can literally stuff 54 plants in this bed, and have all the room you need for healthy plants to grow and produce.

I saw a video on how quickly it can be assembled, and while it’s probably no easier than other raised beds I have put together, it’s certainly no harder to build. I just love the shape and the height, and the little seed holes along the front boards which let you plant single-stemmed plants. You really need to see it to appreciate it!