10 Things Your Houseplants Do When You're Not Around

1. They get back at the cat for messing with them.

It’s payback when you vacate the vicinity.  Fluffy is fair game.

2. They get even with the mutt, too.

LOOK WHAT HE DID.

3. ... Read More

How Trash Can Save Cash: Repurposing to Reduce Spending

Stop! Step away from the trash bin. Before you dump something old, busted or empty, take a moment to consider how it might be used in a way that it was not originally intended for. Years ago, our parents and grandparents were masters of reusing old things to save money. And it worked! Reusing and recycling is about so much more than helping the environment. With a bit of creativity, you can rethink your trash and save your cash. Read More

Spring Cleaning and Gardening Sales Round Up: The Container Store, Crate&Barrel, and More!

We're knee-deep in spring now! Cleaning and gardening are two chores (or hobbies!) that come around this time of year. Here are a handful of sales to kickstart your projects during the sunny season.

Cleaning Products

First things first, Ultimate ... Read More

Easy Home Fixes for Spring

With the arrival of longer days and an increasing amount of green growth outside, for many of us it signals a time to crawl out from under the afghan on the couch and increase our productivity. With warmer temperatures and increased motivation to create a to-do list, it’s a great time to consider a few fixes that improve the look and functionality of your living space while saving money. With a little planning, most of these thrifty tricks can be done with a few items from Home Depot,  thrift stores or with other items already in your home.

More Fun to Munch

Twelve years ago, we moved into our present home.  It was early fall, and we received "landscaping" gifts from my sister and two of my great-aunts.

My sister gave us a small lilac tree that I was thrilled to ... Read More

October's Best Deals

If you're planning to do some of your Christmas shopping ahead of time, October is a great time to start. This is one of the best times of year to buy toys! That means I'll be making my list (and ... Read More

Break Out the Rakes

This is not ordinarily the time of year when you need to be raking leaves in New Jersey.

Then again, this has not been an ordinary summer.

For the past three weeks, I've been noticing that the leaves on some ... Read More

Yard Disasters Via Text

One summer day I was out running errands with my younger two kids while Mr. College Bound stayed home to mow the lawn--far from his favorite chore. Then I got the text: "The mower took out the cap for the ... Read More

Do the Bunny Hop

My family's efforts to make our backyard look like a backyard and not a construction site came to a screeching halt last week when Mr. College Bound, shoveling and raking in the corner near the back porch, found a baby ... Read More

It Doesn't Pay to Procrastinate

There are very few times when I've found that it was a good idea to wait until the last minute for something.  Most of the time, it's best to just get it done now than to put it off for ... Read More

Poolscape

My husband thought that getting an above-ground swimming pool was almost as easy as going to the store, ordering and paying for it.

Not quite.

We're still discovering all the additional jobs that have come with the pool.  These have ... Read More