Updating Your Home: Start Small

Updating your home can be a huge task. You don’t have to do it all at once. You can start by setting up a budget for each room  and break it out per item. This will help you concentrate on one thing at a time and not get overwhelmed. Here are some things that you can do to update the look of your home with out spending a ton of money.

• Appliances – The stainless steel appliances are the “in” thing right now. If this is something you don’t have in your budget to afford, try black appliances or match the appliance color to what would look best with your countertops. You can usually purchase black for the same price as white, and save yourself hundreds of dollars on each piece over stainless.

• Cabinet Hardware – Without replacing your cabinets you can update your cabinets by placing new knobs and drawer pulls on the cabinets. Also you can update your kitchen with Rev-A-Shelf® cabinet accessories such as door mount spice racks, cooking pan organizers and silverware drawer dividers.

• Countertops – If you go with new laminate countertops such as Wilsonart® HD™ High Definition™, this is an economical way to replace counter tops in your home with a high quality laminate that has the look of solid surface.

• Faucets & Sinks – If your not happy with your sinks and faucets, it is easy to replace them and you will end up with a whole new look. They even have matching towel rods that you can match to the faucets.

• Flooring – There are many choices to consider with Carpet, Tile or Hardwood. You can make a statement in the entry of your home by using a simple design in tile or hardwood.

• Lighting – You can start with the small ones first. Replace lighting on the outside of your house, then in the hallways or you can replace lighting in the entry with a chandelier and or replace lighting in the Living Room and Kitchen areas. Were you entertain is what will get noticed first. Otherwise if you don’t care that the lighting is noticed, you can start with the bedrooms first.

• Paint – A new coat of paint can change the entire feel of the room to look completely different. Why not try to liven up a room by using a color you like on the main walls and using a light color on the baseboards trim and ceiling (antique white goes with anything). You will be amazed at how much bigger the room will look. If your wondering about what brand of paint to use, I recommend brands such as Valspar or Kwals. You want to have a paint that will provide you with good coverage where you will only have to apply one coat, this will save you money over buying the cheap stuff when you have to apply three coats.

Going Digital: TV Converter Boxes Which One To Buy

All broadcasting television stations across America are required to go digital. Time is running out, if you haven’t already purchased a Converter Box to convert your signal to digital, on February 17,2009 you could be soon staring at a blank screen. If you have satellite or Cable TV you probably won’t need one. The federal government has issued a limited number of $40 gift cards to help you with the purchase of a new converter box. They have an expiration date so if you don’t use it, you will be out of luck. Only one person per house hold can apply. Request a $40 coupon toward the purchase of a digital-to-analog converter box. Go to https://www.dtv2009.gov or call 1-888-DTV-2009 for details.

Over the past few months I have had the opportunity to review Converter Boxes. To hook up a converter box it’s as easy as hooking up a VCR or DVD. I have listed a number of different bands and where they can be purchased.

• RCA DT800B – Good reception went from 9 channels to 24 channels. The remote is very simple and easy to use, can be programed to use with any TV. $49 Can be purchased at Walmart, Kmart, Sears. I recommend this as the best value and easiest to use for the consumer. A
  

• Zenith DTT901 – Reports excellent reception. The remote is more complex and has more features than other boxes. $59 Can be purchased at Circuit City. 10% of users report problems within 30 days, has a 90 day warranty. A-

• Magnavox TB110MW9 – Good reception went from 9 channels to 20 channels. The remote is easy to use, has menu details of whats on each channel and whats scheduled to come on next. $49 Can be purchased at Walmart, Kmart, Sears. No volume setting on the remote, must use with your existing TV remote. B

• Insignia NS-DXAI – Good reception, similar design as the Magnavox. The remote is easy to use, has menu details of whats on each channel and whats scheduled to come on next. $59 Can be purchased at BestBuy, RadioShack, Target, Walmart. No Closed caption, 20% of users report problems after 4 months, has a 90 day warranty. B-

• Digital Stream DTX9950 – Reports excellent reception. The remote is is more complex has more features than most other boxes. $59 Can be purchased at RadioShack. Can’t be programed to use with all TV’s, 30% of users report problems after 3 months. B-

• Apex DT502 – Reports OK reception. The remote is very simple and easy to use. $49 Can be purchased at Best Buy, CompUSA, Circuit City. 90% of users don’t like the remote, has very few features must use with your existing TV remote. 20% of users report problems after 3 months. C-

• GE 22730 – OK to Poor reception when compared with other models. Box has a cool design, remote is limited with small buttons. $49 Can be purchased at Target. 90% of users don’t like the remote. D

Here is an article that will help you to go digital. It has information on how to hook up your converter box. http://TwitPWR.com/2dk/