Household Cleaning Tips That Save Time and Money

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Spring – a time for new beginnings – is just around the corner. It’s time to air out the winter blahs and let the sun shine in. But there’s no need to knock ourselves out or over-spend on cleaning supplies. The home editors at Good Housekeeping magazine offer tips on cleaning every corner of your home without exhausting yourself or your wallet:

One simple solution: No need to spend money on specialized cleaning products. Fill an empty spray bottle with a quart of warm water mixed with four tablespoons of baking soda, and use it for most surfaces, including windows, counters, tile, and appliances.

Toothpaste trick – If your kids are a little too creative, a dab of toothpaste will remove colored marker stains from wooden tables.

Wipe out wall doodles – A good sprinkling of baking soda on a damp sponge should wipe your walls clean of ‘artwork.’

Funky cutting board? – Rub the cut side of a lemon over it to remove old stains and odors.

Wake up patio furniture – add a squirt of dish soap to a bowl of warm water. Wipe down surfaces and hose them off with plain water.

Soften scratchy towels – Get rid of mineral build-up by washing scratchy towels in the hottest water possible with nothing but a cup of ammonia added.

Easy copper cleanup – A little ketchup – yes, ketchup! – will get those copper-bottomed pots and pans shining.

Dishwasher duty – Once every few weeks, especially while flu season hangs around, get rid of bacteria by adding a quarter cup of bleach to the regular dish cycle.

Disinfect the disposal – Run a few lemon peels, a little salt, and a few ice cubes through it to sanitize and banish odors.

Don’t forget the sponge – Keep that wet sponge clean and bacteria-free by zapping it in the microwave for one minute.

Reprinted with permission from RISMedia. ©2017. All rights reserved.

Millennials Buying Big in the ‘Burbs

While most people associate the ‘hip younger crowd’ as living in cramped apartments and condos in the heart of the city, a recent study suggests that today’s millennial generation is going for amenity rich neighborhoods in the suburbs!

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Millennials are calling. They want the suburbs back.

Like generations before them, millennial homebuyers are beginning to shy away from city life, taking up residence in the suburbs—with one key difference.

According to a report by Zillow, millennial homebuyers are passing over starter homes, paying up for square footage typical of older generations: roughly 1,800 square feet.

Their preferences, however, reflect those of their older counterparts—specifically, an appetite for community amenities and townhouses.

“Millennials have delayed home-buying more than earlier generations, but don’t underestimate their impact on the housing market now that they’re buying,” says Jeremy Wacksman, CMO at Zillow. “As members of this huge generation start moving into the next stage of life, expect the homeownership rate to tick up and suburbs to change to suit their urban tastes. We’re constantly learning about this young group of homebuyers—we’re finding that they are more similar to older generations than many thought. Their views on community and homeownership are pretty traditional, and they don’t all fit the urban stereotype you might have in your head.”

Millennial homebuyers are also putting down roots like older generations—64 percent of those who moved in 2016, in fact, stayed within the same city, and only 7 percent relocated to another state, according to the report.

Half of millennial homeowners are in the suburbs, while 33 percent are in urban areas and 20 percent are in rural areas. Forty-two percent of homebuyers in 2016 were millennials.

Source: zillow.com.

Reprinted with permission from RISMedia. ©2017. All rights reserved.

Consumer Confidence Bounces Back to 15-Year High

Consumer Confidence Bounces Back to 15-Year High

Now that is what I call good news!  Read on for more…

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Consumer confidence bounced back in February after waning in January, posting a 114.8 reading in The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index®. The Expectations reading of the Index rose to 102.4, while the Present Situation reading rose to 133.4. January’s reading was 111.6.

“Consumer confidence increased in February and remains at a 15-year high,” said Lynn Franco, director of Economic Indicators at The Conference Board, in a statement. “Consumers rated current business and labor market conditions more favorably this month than in January. Expectations improved regarding the short-term outlook for business, and to a lesser degree, jobs and income prospects. Overall, consumers expect the economy to continue expanding in the months ahead.”

The percentage of consumers who believe business conditions are “good,” as defined by the Index, decreased from 29.0 percent in January to 28.7 percent in February; the percentage of those who believe business conditions are “bad” decreased from 15.9 percent in January to 13.2 percent in February. The percentage of those who expect business conditions to improve increased from 22.9 percent in January to 24.0 percent in February; the percentage of those who expect business conditions to worsen increased from 10.8 percent in January to 11.1 percent in February.

The percentage of consumers who believe jobs are “plentiful” decreased from 27.1 percent in January to 26.2 in February, according to the Index; the percentage of those who believe jobs are “hard to get” decreased from 21.1 percent in January to 20.3 percent in February. The percentage of those who expect more jobs in the coming months increased from 19.7 percent in January to 20.4 percent in February; the percentage of those who expect less jobs in the coming months decreased from 14.4 percent in January to 13.6 percent in February.

The percentage of consumers who expect higher income, as well, increased from 18.1 percent in January to 18.3 percent in February; the percentage of those who expect less decreased from 9.4 percent in January to 8.2 percent in February.

Source: The Conference Board

Source: Freddie Mac

Reprinted with permission from RISMedia. ©2017. All rights reserved.