New York Renovator

Now that hot and steamy July and August are gone, people are once again breaking out the boxes of stuff for yard sales, and putting their homes up for sale. I used to do flea markets with my step-dad when I was a kid. We traveled all around the county, selling goods (he was a trader in the 70s, before the rise of WalMart and Jamesway). After he got a little too old to travel, we held the “yard sale” on our front lawn. It was quite the experience for me! I am a a terrific haggler now, and I handle all the bargaining in the family. hehe. Do you know what the best thing you can do to get people to visit and buy your stuff at your yard sale? Make quality, professional-looking yard signs, and have everything organized on nice, neat tables. Believe me, it works!

However, the cost of printing up paper yard signs at your local print shop can quickly overshadow any profit you’d make. So I suggest you check out VistaPrint for your printing needs. I have used VistaPrint and can account for their speedy service, excellent quality, and great prices! And I have a goodie for you– a promo code you can use to get 25% off your customized yard sign! Use the code: YardSigns25. These sign are also great if you are selling your own home, have a business, support a candidate or a cause, or just feel like telling your neighbors to have a nice day! Signs start at $11.99, which is very affordable. I love VistaPrint! I know you will love them, too!

You can get two free magazines from Family Circle– check out the offer here. The offer is through a samples company, and they require that you sign up with them to get free samples. I did register– they ask for your name, address, and email, and you create a username with password. You can opt in or out to get emails with offers and coupons from stores that offer everything from UGG boots to cell phone service. I opted in, just for kicks, so we’ll see how it goes. If you don’t like giving away your address and/or receiving mailings, then this probably isn’t for you. I’m always looking for ways to save a buck, so I think I will like it.

I found this free offer through the blog The Samples Girl. She tries to post news about free samples every day. It’s a great blog for cheapskates (like me)!

A few months ago, I blogged about a free magazine subscription offer, for Home magazine. I have received three magazines so far, and they are terrific! They are very well done, a lot like the Better Homes and Gardens or Traditional Home magazine, with tips for home design and small home repair, and beautiful photos. I have not been billed and have not gotten spam or junk mail asking for money. So, this magazine deal gets the New York Renovator stamp of approval.

The magazine is offered free to eligible participants by Mercury magazines, and you have to fill out a form. The link for the magazine offer is here. When I filled out the form, I left my phone number blank, and I was still accepted. Here are a few FAQs from their website:

When will my subscription arrive?

Your first issue of your subscription should arrive in 10-12 weeks from the time you completed your survey, provided you are qualified by the publisher. Please keep in mind that delivery time may vary from publisher to publisher.

What’s required to qualify for the subscription?

Publishers have a variety of criteria they use to determine qualification for their publications, and are solely responsible for determining the specific requirements needed for qualification. Unfortunately, Mercury Magazines does not have any influence over this process.

So I am happy with the magazine and I am looking forward to the next one.

Lots of areas in the United States are experiencing heat waves. My friend Ellen blogged that it is 103 in Dallas, TX, with no relief in sight, ugh! Here in New York it’s been so horribly muggy. We don’t usually have a lot of scorching hot days, but we have had quite a few. It’s worse with the humidity.

Unfortunately, my home does not have air conditioning. The electrical wiring could never handle it (1920s knob and tube in most of the house, still). So we sweat it out. However– my minivan has air conditioning! Heh heh! When it gets so awfully unbearable, we hop in the van, flip on the A/C, and go for a little drive. It helps us through the rough spots. Our A/C works pretty well, although the fan for the ventilating system only works on “high.” I need to get some parts replaced. My husband has discovered the money-saving efforts of online car parts, especially when looking for AC Compressors or other particular parts. If you go through a dealer, expect to go through the nose– dealer’s prices are SO high! So we shop online for our auto parts now. Here’s a tip: if you need auto air conditioning parts, check out 1airconditioning.com for good prices. They offer free shipping on any order, and all parts have warranties. PLUS they offer online and phone support. Why swelter when you can get relief? Why pay high prices when you can find bargains?

I’ve mentioned the weatherization grant for which we were approved. It’s sponsored by my power company, National Grid, and my county (Oneida) in New York. You can read about the energy audit I had here, and a little more about the grant here. I am very grateful that something like this is available; even the smallest efforts have helped immensely. I received up to 10 of those fancy compact flourescent bulbs (they last as long as ten years and save scads of energy), and had some insulating done here. They would have insulated the walls of the house, but because there are bricks in between the studs, they coulldn’t. That would have saved me $7,000. Oh well.

So they pulled into the driveway this morning with their huge van that looked more like a New York Moving Company van. All their “stuff” was in there. The two workers were very friendly; they took all day but the job looks so good! And it costs me nothing! They insulated the rim joists, which is that area where the top of the stone foundation and the bottom of the wooden structure of the house rest. It’s a major heat sink. I think they did a marvelous job! I’m so glad I didn’t have to do it, lol.

I am especially happy about the rim joist insulation. I never would have done it so well like they did (with reflective foam board). They did accidentally spray foam on some of the wiring, though. I’ll have to replace the foam when I pull out that wiring, when I update the electric (someday, lol).

They also screwed thick foam onto my basement doors and my attic hatch, and re-cemented the hole in my chimney where the hot water tank pipe goes in.

They even cut holes for the lock latch and for the kitty cat pet door we have, for our kitty.

I love paint! When I first moved to this house, the walls, trim, and even parts of the floors had all been painted white. Talk about ugly! So that was the first thing I did, paint everything and add some color.  I added some bright colors to my walls and trim and spruced up the place very inexpensively (as compared to a gut-and-remodel). I even tried some painting techniques on some walls– lightly sponging diluted white paint onto yellow walls; blotching greens and reds for a different room.

Paint can save a ton of money, and it’s the least expensive decorating activity I know. It won’t save enough for Las Vegas vacations, but it’ll put a dent in the decor budget! So I’m always looking for cute new ideas to tide me over until I can get new walls, lol. I saw “doodle wall art” at My Insanity and was floored. Isn’t that beautiful! What a great idea, and doodling is “in” these days. Plus, when you grow tired of it, just paint over it! Love it!

Photo is from My Insanity, too. It’s a great blog to peruse for neat little things like this.