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What Two Words Will Double the Space in Your Home?

by: Karen Fritscher-Porter

Just two words and a bit of explanation about them will help you to double, maybe even triple, the space in your home now. Those two words are "Go vertical."

FUNCTION FIRST, LOOKS SECOND
That means that when you buy bookcases or other types of furnishing with shelves, make sure these items have five or six shelves. Two or three shelves per item are just wasted space. When it comes to home organization, you want to buy furnishings based on the criteria of function first and then looks second.

So if two items are both of acceptable appearance to you, always purchase the one that is most functional. If one item is slightly prettier than the other but the other item has more vertical shelving, cubby holes and nooks, choose that second item. The peace-of-mind you'll get from having a more organized home will be much more valuable to you in the long-run.

DON'T FOLLOW YOUR EMOTIONS
Always remember that stores want to sell to you based on your emotions. That's a fact. Most marketing research agrees with that statement. If the seller can hook your emotions, they're closer to a sale. For example, you see a pie safe cabinet that's outrageously priced but beautiful. So you say to your spouse who's shopping with you: "Oh, look at that pie safe cabinet. It's gorgeous. Look at that blue color. It's a little a high priced but maybe we can get it on credit..."

Stop right there!

As a smart shopper (and a smart home organizer), you want to buy based on what your brain tells you. So for example, now you look at that same pie safe cabinet and say: "Oh, look at that pie safe cabinet. It's gorgeous. What a pretty blue color. But we need something a bit more functional. That cabinet only has four shelves and the one next to it has six shelves and is cheaper. The second one is maple stained, not blue. But that's okay. It's still a handsome piece of furniture and it's more functional. We'll get more space to use in our home and more product for our money."

Use your head, not your heart, to make decisions about furnishing items for your home. Then you'll have functional home furnishings that double your home storage space. Think like a home organizer versus a home decorator. Think function first.

ANALYZE FURNISHINGS IN YOUR HOME NOW
Look around your rooms. Do you have a two shelf horizontal bookcase? Do you have a tiny three shelf freestanding pantry in the kitchen? Do you have a little three drawer jewelry or lingerie armoire in the bedroom? Go room-to-room and make a list of any type shelving unit like these or others (e.g. microwave cart, television cart/stand, etc.)

Unless these items truly hold sentimental value, it's worth selling them to a used furniture store or at a yard sale for a bit of cash. (I'll tell you why sell in a minute.) Or spend a few bucks to put an ad in your local "Pennysaver" type newspaper advertising the item for sale.

SELL HIGH; BUY LOW
Then negotiate with the potential buyer so you get the best price possible for the item you're selling. That means you must suggest a price that's beyond what you expect to get. Why? Because these days potential buyers will almost always ask you to come down on the price. In fact, I guarantee three out of four buyer prospects will try to get you to lower the price. So start high so they feel like they're negotiating the price down.

Why sell the item in the first place? Because you want to use the cash you make to upgrade to a taller unit of the same item. If you watch those home decorating/organizing shows on television, you may recall that there is a certain show that uses just this strategy. They have a big yard sale with all the participant's useless items and use the money to upgrade to more useful and stylish items for the same space in the home. The difference in the home is usually extraordinary at completion. You're striving for a similar method and outcome.

NOW DOUBLE YOUR SPACE
You want to use the cash to buy a comparable piece of furniture that serves a similar function as the piece you just discarded. You can even put the new furniture piece in the exact same spot where you had the previous piece. But make sure the new piece of furnishing is taller with more shelving or nooks. Remember, the big two word secret in this article is "go vertical." So in the end, you'll use the same floor space in your home but double its storage capacity.

And when replacing your items with comparable items, don't hesitate to buy used furniture (even from the same shop you sold yours to). If it's in good shape in regard to quality (e.g. no rotting, flimsy wood panels, etc.) but not exactly your favorite color, you can fix that. Get a four dollar can of spray paint and a primer spray coat and change the color. Or get creative such as use some pretty contact paper to redo the outside. And one final piece of advice: Don't forget to negotiate when you're the buyer!

About the author:
Karen Fritscher-Porter writes about home organizing solutions at Visit to read more than 50 FREE articles containing dozens of home organizing ideas and solutions. Plus subscribe to the FREE newsletter updating you about the latest home organization products sold in stores.

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Things You Should Know About Gardening
by: Gerardas Norkus

Gardens come in different varieties like the plants you find in them. There are several gardening tips that can be used for all type of gardens.

1.Mulching protects your garden topsoil from being blown away. It also provides nutrients as it decomposes and improves the appearance of your gardens. Mulching has other benefits and is one of the most recommended gardening tips by gardeners and farmers alike.

2.Healthy plants are more disease resistant. Plant are like people, a person with a strong immune system can combat diseases. A healthy plant does the same.

3. Pests can be eradicated by cleaning the plant with a watery solution of soap. Just make sure to rinse after. This gardening tip is best heeded for fruit bearing trees or edible plants.

4. Using compost fertilizers are a great way to have healthy plants. It is also a great way to save money on expensive fertilizers. Non -organic fertilizers also tend to leave chemical residues that can accumulate in garden soils and harm not only the plants but the gardeners as well. They cause toxins to go to the water supplies. Another gardening tip recommended not just by farmers and gardeners but also by environmentalists.

5. There are several plants that are only suitable for a specified climate, a certain kind of soil or can only grow with certain plants. You have to know what plant grow in the conditions you have in your area this is for you to avoid unnecessary purchases. This is a money saving gardening tip.

6.Landscaping is a good investment which can double the value of your home. This is one gardening tip that can earn you money.

7. Growing grass on bare ground is an easy way to make your home look better and appreciate in value. This is one gardening tip that promotes earning money while growing grass legally.

8. Aside from looking great in your home, trees also provide some sort of protection from direct sunlight exposure and strong winds.

9. Vines on the walls, fences and overhead structures also would offer some protection and would also look great.

10.Flowers are beautiful, but they are also expensive. Get one that is resistant to many elements. Flowers from your local community already have developed resistance to conditions present in your area.

11.For most gardens plants, their roots go only as deep as 6 inches. Putting fertilizer deeper than that would be a waste of money. Put them shallower as they seep down when the plants are being watered.

12.Earthworms are important to plants. They till and aerate the soil for the roots to breathe. Non-organic fertilizers can kill them. This gardening tip dates back to the old days of gardening.

13. Having several kinds of insects that are beneficial to your garden would be good. These insects can be encouraged to stay by having diverse plants in your garden.

14. Spot spraying weeds with household vinegar, instead of using commercial weed-killers, can eradicate them. This is another environment friendly gardening tip.

15. Avoid putting too much mulch on tree trunks, this would encourage unwanted pests to reside on them.

16. Use plant varieties that are common to your area or have been taken from an area with similar conditions.

17. Be sure to know the plants that are poisonous. If you are intent on growing them, make sure to have the necessary cure available in your household. Take note of this gardening tip, it can save your life.

18. The best time to water plants is during mornings.

19. Before planting a new plant in your garden, you must consider its height and size when it matures. This garden tip can help you save money in the future.

20. Newly transplanted plants may require special attention during its first week. This is to reduce the stress and shock it got during transplantation.

And last but not the least of the gardening tips...

21.Plants are living entities. If you want them to grow in your garden you have to treat them as such. They need to be taken care of. They are like your pets, you look out for them. In return you get that feeling of contentment watching them thrive.

A good way to take care of them is to consider that plants might have some feelings too.

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