At the back entrance to my house I have a small plaque that reads:
“There is always, always, always something to be thankful for.”
Aside from ending with a preposition, which Winston Churchill said is a practice “up with which I will not put,” and I don’t much care for either, it’s a wonderful reminder to me that I need to peel back all the veneer of my life and get back to basics.
So glad you’re back! Let’s get right to those tips that can save you money on your energy bills. If you missed Part I (tips 1 through 7), you can read it here.
8. Eliminate door and window leaks. Check around doors, windows and fireplaces that may be drafty. 
There’s a number of ways to reduce the leakage: caulking, weather stripping, plastic insulation film and door draft blockers. Any home improvement store should carry most of the above. Draft blockers can even be homemade. A step up from towels and rags under doors, you can make a number of these draft blockers for very little cost using fabric from the remnant bin at any fabric store. They are reusable, and if you’re into seasonal decorating, you can whip up blockers with snowmen for the winter months, autumn-colored leaves for the fall and bright floral material for the spring and summer. (These blockers are useful during the summer if you have air conditioning.)
9. Keep your water heater “comfy cozy.”
Just two short months ago, our local and national news media were reporting that like our gas prices, our home heating bills were going to be skyrocketing this winter. In light of that 
dismal bit of news, my husband and I have been planning ways to cut the cost of this year’s home heating bills. We haven’t been as proactive as we could have been, especially because we live in an older home.
Built in 1929, and having had only one previous owner before us, the inside of the house is in remarkably good shape. In fact, many of the windows were replaced even before we moved in 17 years ago. Nonetheless, there are a number of steps we can take to take the “fro$tbite” out of winter - at least when it comes to our energy bills. I offer them for your consideration.
I really loathe this quote. It’s such a downer and so cynical - never mind that it’s so true. It doesn’t begin to lift my spirits or offer any hope. And hope is what we in the real estate world need, especially these days.
Whether or not you agree with the government’s October bailout program, it is, in fact, a reality. Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac are going to be working with delinquent homeowners to get them back on track so they can keep their homes. JPMorgan Chase & Co, Bank of America Corp and Citicorp are also falling in line to offer mortgage loan modifications to those who qualify.
Qualify - therein lies the rub.
Aside from price, home buyers customarily have a laundry list of “needs” they would like to see fulfilled when purchasing a new home. Certainly there are those common factors, such as number of bedrooms and bathrooms, square footage, garage size, etc. There are often community desires as well, like high-ranking schools, reasonable taxes and accessible shopping, to name a few. During the years, these amenities have remained fairly constant.
The new millennium has brought to light an additional necessity: broadband availability.
It’s just a few weeks before Thanksgiving, the beginning of what I call “Family Season
.” Thoughts turn to gathering together with relatives and friends around a full and festive meal. It’s a time for preparation, not only inside but outside of your house as well.
This time of year, the outdoors hosts a number of wonderful aromas and experiences. There’s nothing like stepping out on an autumn Saturday morning to be met by the cool, fresh air that has the crispness of a Granny Smith apple. It can be invigorating and motivating. Here’s where you can spend some free time with your family and tackle some of those yard chores you’ve been putting off.
I’m a Baby Boomer, born to parents who lived during the Great Depression. My mother was a very young girl during the Depression’s early years; my dad was in his late teens. Each walked away with different perspectives.
My mom always considered her family poor, living in rural Fargo, ND. My dad grew up in somewhat better circumstances on the island of Saint Croix, in the Virgin Islands. He was a Danish citizen until the U.S. purchased the islands in 1927 and he came to the States. 
Marrying after World War II, they lived simply in Chicago in a one-bedroom apartment until I came along. My sister followed a couple of years later.
We were a family of modest means that thought nothing of eating leftovers. We were taught to throw garbage (litter) in trash cans and to pick up after ourselves in public places. Our week off of school in April was not referred to as “Spring Break,” but Clean-Up Week. Kids from our block got together to sweep sidewalks and curbs and eliminate trash. We were even given a certificate from the City of Chicago for our contributions.
It’s been 25 years since my first experience as a home buyer. We were thrilled to find a 
house that was in our price range, met our family needs and was in a desirable neighborhood. My recollection of that purchase may be somewhat rose-colored, but the biggest concern I remember having was whether the owner was going to accept our offer, and if we had any competition. As it turned out, both of those were non-issues.
Jettison to today’s home buying situation. My newlywed daughter and her husband are living in the home he has owned for several years prior to their marriage. Recently they began looking at larger homes outside the city limits with a few acres of land. I got a call from her after they made an offer on a house, in which she expressed her anxiety over the whole process.
When you’re putting your home on the market for sale, you do your best to make it attractive to a wide variety of buyers. You get rid of the clutter, clean, repair and paint to the point where you ask yourself, “Why wasn’t I motivated to do all this for myself and my family?” (That’s a whole ot
her topic.)
After all this hard work, you’re feeling good about your accomplishments and know your home is ready for showing. Just then you look out your front window and notice several small mounds of earth sticking up in your lush, meticulously manicured lawn. You scream - if only in your head - and dash out of the house.
“Change is inevitable,” or so the saying goes. The very young often balk at change. They have a need for consistency with defined boundaries. Young people seem to embrace change. Their desire for new and exciting events appears unquenchable. Middle-aged people struggle between seeking change and battling life’s changes, over which they have no control. The elderly are often frightened by change and long for days past when they felt more certainty in life.
Understanding that there’s no stopping change can make dealing with it much more palatable. For the past 10 months, the airwaves have been filled with promises of change from our local and national politicians. 
Each has his or her own idea of what will be beneficial and effectual change.
Voters will have an opportunity to decide whose “change package” they wish to support on November 4. But let’s keep in mind that the day after the election will show little signs that anything has changed. Many of us will still wake up next to the same spouse. Lunches will still have to be made for our children before sending them off to school. Paying the rent or mortgage and utilities will need to be done on a timely basis. Some will still be unemployed and others will trot off to the same job, like it or not.
But what about the change in the here and now?
