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Improve Your Home With Window Furniture

by Trish



Window furniture is not only a wonderful way to dress up your home and add that extra kerb appeal, but there are many benefits to adding shutters or window rollers as a home improvement. Whether it is for aesthetics or pure functionality below is a list of reasons that detail how certain different types of window furniture can be a valuable investment for you home.


 

Shuttered Window; Mdina, Malta

Saving on your energy bills

It is a fact that the windows in your home easily let heat and cold in and out. But roller shutters have the advantage of being fully insulated, so your home will retain heat in winter, and reduce heat in the summer months. This means heating and cooling costs are kept to a minimum all year round.

Keeping your home secure

Most home break-ins occur through windows that are unprotected. Rollers and shutters are an effective deterrent to burglars as they’re made from durable, heavy-duty aluminium whilst not looking unappealing from the outside.

Controlling noise and light

Whether you live in a busy neighbourhood or are simply close to a frequently used road, roller shutters can potentially reduce the level of noise by up to 50% – a handy addition to a lazy Sunday morning. They are also the most effective way to block out UV rays, which is the long run can also provide adequate protection to furnishings and flooring that may fade if left exposed to direct sunlight for long periods of time.

Protecting your home from the elements

Extreme weather conditions like high winds, heavy rain, hail and even fires can do enormous damage to your home. Roller shutters are strong enough to withstand the most severe conditions.

Roller shutters come in a great variety of colours to enhance the look of your home. They are opened and closed from the inside, through a wide variety of options. They can be manually operated, with straps or winders, electronically controlled, solar operated, remote controlled, wind controlled, or operated with batteries and you can even add timers. The option of having timers to operate your roller shutters can also prove useful if you wish to go away without advertising the fact you are absent.

Is window furniture expensive?

Window rollers and shutters may cost more than having your windows tinted, but tinting doesn’t offer nearly as much protection or energy efficiency. Compared to double-glazing, the cost is actually about the same, or even more expensive than installing roller shutters and still doesn’t offer the same security, light reduction or energy savings.

For a security, privacy and energy efficient solution, it’s well worth considering shutters and window rollers as a cost effective home improvement.

In addition to this it is also worth considering that the addition of window rollers and shutters can be a valuable asset to your home. Whether it as a rental proposition or if you are trying to sell. A subtle addition that provides a solution to a simple problem could be the key difference to your success.

Sam Nathan is a freelance writer. His interests include finance, sports, travel and health.

photo by:

Filed Under: Featured, Home Decor, Home Improvement Tagged With: elements, energy bills, home, home secure, light, noise, Window Furniture

How To Decide On Smart Gifts For Kids

by Trish

Smart gifts…hmmm. This makes me wonder if the gifts should be smart, or if they should contribute to the “smartness” of the kid. Let’s take the latter and hope they coordinate with the former. Personally, I would presume, the shopper in question is trying to spend their money wisely on wise choices for gifts for kids.

?     Beyond…

As you adjust your thinking, remember to consider such things as the ages of the children. Many frugal parents are so diligent they even prepare for usability of gifts beyond the age received. In this case, one would need to focus on durability and safety of the toys/gifts as well. Of course gifts like books have no such restrictions.

?     Physical…

Does the gift encourage physical coordination and prowess? If the child can use several body parts at the same time, the gift would be a wise choice.  One of my favorites not only for my children, but now also for grandchildren is the “Sit ‘n Spin”. It employed hand over hand coordination as well as strength while the child sat and pulled his way around and around the platform. Pre-bikes, as I call them, or “Big Wheels” offer physical activity in addition to “success” while bike-riding on the way to learning to ride tricycles and later a two wheel bicycle of his/her own. Scooters are also wonderful items in this category.

?     Sounds…

Does the gift encourage listening skills? Being able to discern various sounds prepares the kid for sound patterns, as with music, as well as auditory learning. Additionally, documentation has proven that music goes a long way in enhancing intelligence. The Leap Pad and VTech line offer a menagerie of skills, including some playback music/auditory opportunities. Child size keyboards offer tunes and rhythms with playback as well, so the parents don’t miss one singe concert!

?     More…

Other excellent choices for gifts include items where a child can, for example, “cook” in their own kitchen while modifying yet experiencing “real life.”  All sorts of art sets from highly reputable companies allow children of all ages to indulge in creativity beyond their wildest dreams…and most offer tools that do not stain carpets, furniture, or children. Travel sets are also available. Certainly an amazing range of dolls from ones that are soft and cuddly, to those that do things and teach things while they talk to the kid…can be part of any child’s repertoire of gifts.

Faves…

In summary, I hope you will indulge this author and note that my personal favorites have stood the test of time. Those include, in the order of their appearance for all my grandchildren: while still in the womb and till this day – books; board games of all sorts; and as the kid learned to read, they received their own magazine subscriptions which were greatly anticipated either every week or each month. Wise shoppers cannot go wrong with these suggestions; no doubt there are many others. Take a day and enjoy the plethora of ideas available for smart shoppers for smart kids’ gifts.

Julie Myers is a mother of two who loves to sew when she has time.  She enjoys sharing creative ideas and making great gifts for kids.

Filed Under: Home and family, Kids and Teens, Shopping Tagged With: age, bike, children, dolls, favorite, kids, life, Music, noise, Parents, physical, smart gifts, sounds, toys

My new portable air conditioner

by The Diva

I’m finally using my portable air conditioner / dehumidifier. I think I mentioned back in May or maybe early June that when I was shopping in Costco I noticed they had them on sale for a fantastic price and I decided to get one.

We don’t have central air conditioning in our house so we use window air conditioners in the summer to cool our home. These are cumbersome to install and remove each year. So naturally when I saw the portable air conditioner on sale I thought it might be easier to use. Of course it’s still pretty heavy, but it’s on wheels and if I keep it on the same floor that I’m using it on I won’t ever have to lift it – at least not in to a window!

Anyway .. we finally managed to get it out the box. It took a while to remove all the strapping tape and then read the directions and put the pieces together. The worse part was cutting the window opening part for the exhaust tubes. It’s working now though.

I can’t say that it’s cooler or better than our window units. In fact I’d say it might be noisier than our window units because of the floor vibrations, but it works and thankfully if one of our window units dies (hopefully not) we have a spare air conditioner now!

Filed Under: Appliances, Home and family, House and Home, Items to Try Tagged With: ac, compare, cooling, costco, dehumidifier, easier, fantastic, floor, home, house, install, noise, portable air conditioner, price, sale, Shopping, spare air conditioner, upstairs, vibrate, window units, work

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