Alternative Energy Sources: Are They Right For You?

Alternative Energy Sources: Are They Right For You?

             Have you been giving any thought lately as to how in the world you can possibly save a little money on your monthly expenses? I think we all have. Well, some of the alternative energy sources are a great idea.

            Ed Begley, Jr., author of a new book called Ed Begley's Guide to Sustainable Living and star of the TV show Living With Ed, says there are 3 simple steps you can take to see if this might be right for you.

            First, do a green home energy audit. You can do this by going online to energystar.gov or you can contact your local utility company or a professional green audit company and they will help point you in the right direction. This won't cost you a thing to do, so you have nothing to lose.

            Second, take advantage of incentives at local, state and federal levels. The government wants you to use some of the renewable energy options that are available to you, so they are willing to pay money toward it, in the form of tax credits and rebates. All you have to do is apply for them. You can find more info on this at dsireusa.org or greenmadesimple.com.

            Third, start small. There's no need to go all out at first and convert your entire house over to alternative energy sources. That can be costly and you may not be able to swing it. Don't be discouraged, though. You could start out by simply installing a couple of solar panels that would power your refrigerator and your hot water heater. Be creative.

            We can all do our part to help out the environment, and it could also help to shrink our budgets at the same time. Now, I don't know about you, but that sounds good to me. Let Miller Housing Group know what we can do to help. We would love to help you get on the right track.

This article is brought to you by the PJ'S Team at the Miller Housing Group.

For more information on this topic and many more, please visit us here.

"Maximizing Your Housing Experience"

Get Out of Your Box and Repurpose

Get Out of Your Box and Repurpose

As I mentioned in my introduction to "Realistically Green", being "green" doesn't have to cost you a lot of money, can save you a lot of money, and doesn't have to be time consuming! When I think of "being green" I think about reusing or repurposing items more than I think about anything else. I look at an item and wonder what other uses it might have other than what it was originally created to be and do.

Think about all those 20 ounce plastic pop bottles you drink from. What do you do with them when they are empty? Most people throw them in the trash and open the next one, right? What if you washed the pop bottle and filled it up with tap water and placed it in your refrigerator? Voila! Water bottles! AND you just recycled a plastic bottle! AND you are helping your refrigerator run more efficiently because the more full it is the more efficiently it will run. Also, these bottles are much sturdier than the regular water bottles you purchase in the store so these bottles can be used for a long period of time.

Think "outside of your box", get creative, and let's reuse and repurpose lots of items and save lots of money at the same time, together.

This series of articles is brought to you by the PJ'S Team at Miller Housing Group.

For more information on this topic and many more, please visit us here.

"Maximizing Your Housing Experience"

Definition of “Realistically Green”

Definition of "Realistically Green"

What does "Realistically Green" mean?  We are not talking about such things as removing toilet paper from your home or some of the other "green" ideas that people are practicing today.  Everyone has their own opinion about what is "green" and that is okay, however, there are lots of ideas that are not "realistic" for everyone.  We want to give YOU some ideas on how to be "green" realistically.

There are MANY things that you can do that are considered "green".  They don't take up a lot of your time and are easy enough that everyone can do them.  In this series, we will be focusing on these types of "green" ideas.

This series of articles is brought to you by the PJ'S Team at Miller Housing Group.

For more information on this topic and many more, please visit us here.

"Maximizing Your Housing Experience"

 

Introduction to "Realistically Green"

Introduction to "Realistically Green"

There are a lot of people who hear about "being green" or "going green" and think to themselves, "I don't have the time or money to "be green" so it just isn't something that I can do or want to do.  I TOTALLY understand!  I, too, have had those thoughts and the fact of the matter is that it CAN be costly and time consuming; however, there are lots of things that can be done that are not expensive or time consuming.  In this series of articles, I will discuss some things that I do and things that you, too, can easily do.

I know that many people will not agree with me on the topics that I will discuss, however, that is okay.  They, too, have an opinion and everyone is entitled to their opinion.  What we all need to do is respect each other's opinions and realize that our opinions are what make us all unique.  I don't know about you, but I enjoy being unique!

This series of articles is brought to you by the PJ'S Team at Miller Housing Group.

For more information on this topic and many more, please visit us here.

"Maximizing Your Housing Experience"

95% Less For Cleaner, Greener Clothes

95% Less For Cleaner, Greener Clothes

How much do you spend on laundry detergent each month?  I would venture to guess that it could be as much as $20, but that is probably a low estimate, depending on the size of your family.

What if I told you that you could save 95% of your laundry detergent cost per month?  Would you be interested in knowing how? Here's how.

Make your own!  Yes!  I said, "Make your own".  Now you might say, "I didn't know that I could make my own detergent."  Or you might say, "I don't have time for that!"  Well, I'm here to tell you that, yes, you can make it and yes, you do have the time as long as you have about 30 minutes. 

There are several different recipes for homemade liquid laundry detergent; however, they are all very similar.  Here is the recipe that I use.  This recipe will make approximately 10 regular sized liquid laundry detergent bottles full.

                                Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent

1 large saucepan or Dutch oven
2 bars of soap, grated (Use Ivory, Castile, Zote or Fels-Naptha) (I use my food processor to grate them.)
4 cups of hot tap water
1 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (NOT baking soda) (MUST BE Sodium Carbonate) (Found in the laundry aisle)
½ - 1 cup Borax
2 cups of white vinegar (optional) (Works as fabric softener)
2-- 5 gallon buckets WITH lids (These can be picked up at your local bakery for free.  Just ask for them.)

Grate soap bars and add to saucepan or Dutch oven with hot tap water.  Stir over medium-low heat until soap is dissolved.

Fill a 5-gallon bucket halfway full of hot tap water.  Add the melted soap, washing soda, Borax and vinegar. 
(NOTE: When the vinegar is poured into the bucket there will be a lot of bubbling happening for a second or two, but don't worry about it.  It is okay.)

Fill bucket to the top with hot tap water.  Stir.  Let sit to cool if you have something else to do, OR you can now pour half of your soap mixture into the 2^nd bucket and then fill both to top with hot tap water.  Stir.  Fill your laundry detergent bottles.  Laundry detergent is now ready to use.  You will need to shake the bottle before you pour it because the detergent will gel when it cools.

Don't have the laundry bottles?  Ask your friends and family to save theirs OR you can leave the detergent in the 5 gallon buckets.

Optional – After the detergent has cooled, you can add 5-10 drops of essential oil (Lavender, Rosemary, Tea Tree, or your preference) per bottle.

Yield:  This liquid detergent recipe makes 10 gallons.  Approximate Cost per 10 gallons:  $2.00

Top Load Machines – Use 5/8 cup per load (Approximately 180 loads)

Front Load Machines – Use ¼ cup per load (Approximately 640 loads)

Now, if you would prefer powdered laundry detergent, here is the recipe.

                                Homemade Powdered Laundry Detergent

1 bar of soap, grated (Use Ivory, Castile, Zote or Fels-Naptha) (I use my food processor to grate them.)
1 cup Washing Soda (NOT baking soda) (MUST BE Sodium Carbonate)
                (Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda can be found in the laundry aisle.)
½ - 1 cup Borax

Grate soap bars until powdered.  Mix all ingredients in a small container.

For a light load, use 1 Tablespoon.  For a heavy or heavily soiled load, use 2 Tablespoons. 

Yield:  3 cups powdered detergent (Approximately 40 loads)

This article is brought to you by the PJ'S Team at Miller Housing Group.

For more information on "Realistically Green" and many more topics, please visit us here.

What Is Your “Plan B”?

What Is Your "Plan B"?

 

Many families today, as we all know, are struggling financially.  Many are just one (1) paycheck away from disaster!  Are you one of them?  Do you live paycheck to paycheck?

Have you considered what you would do if you lost your primary income source today?

Unfortunately, most families do NOT consider this scenario and are devastated with the loss of the primary income.

I recently read about four (4) different families who suddenly lost their primary income sources.  Here are a few facts regarding their journeys through their financial devastation.

Family #1

·         Family of six (6)

·         Had a six figure income

·         Husband/father was laid off

·         Family minivan was repossessed

·         Their home is dangerously close to foreclosure

·         The family is living on half of their original income

·         Receiving less than $300 per month in food stamps.

·          The husband/father has applied for more than 60 jobs to no avail.

·         The wife/mother is looking for a part time position to no avail.

Family #2

·         Family of eight (8)

·         Was renting an apartment

·         Family was evicted because the husband/father was laid off

·         Forced to move into a motel due to lack of credit and finances due to eviction.

·         Children began suffering from allergies while living in the motel.

·         Children forced to visit the family Doctor's office a couple times a week due to allergies

·         The parents decided to find somewhere better for their children to live so decided to move to a nicer hotel, which put a strain on their already dwindling savings.

·         Their truck was impounded.

·         Forced to reach out for help at a local mission.

·         The mission assisted the family with the security deposit for another apartment.

·         One year after losing their first apartment the family moved into the new one.

Family #3

·         Family of three (3)

·         Health problems hit the husband/father and he was then only able to work part time.

·         Less than one (1) year later, husband/father was laid off

·         Lost family's health insurance

·         Forced to take a look at COBRA insurance coverage

·         Decided to use COBRA insurance for the husband/father ONLY, due to health problems

·         Wife/mother and child left without any insurance

·         Wife/mother has less income due to the downturn of the real estate market

·         Wife/mother laid off

·         Wife discovers she has a serious, life-threatening, infection and that her life is at stake

·         Wife/mother needs medication and surgery

·         No health insurance means the surgery cannot happen.

·         Family leaves their home and moves to another  state to live with a family member

Family #4

·         Family of three (3)

·         Lost five (5) jobs within one year, between the husband and wife

·         More than 400 job applications placed and hardly a phone call for an interview

·         Husband joins military for job security

·         Family is now confronting a future that will require them to live thousands of miles apart

·          The family now has some financial relief, however the wife now is suffering from an anxiety disorder due to the fact that her husband if going to be deployed overseas soon.

 

Could any one of these four (4) families be you if you lost your primary income today?

What would you be forced to deal with?  Loss of home and/or possessions?  Loss of health insurance?  Loss of your health?

What "Plan B" do you have in place?

Why not begin NOW with a "Plan B"?

Visit Miller Housing Consultants for more information on how to start your "Plan B".

This article is being brought to you by the PJ'S Team at the Miller Housing Group.

For more information on this topic and many more, please visit us here.

"Maximizing Your Housing Experience"

 

Kids and Credit

Do you have kids getting ready to head off to college? Or an 18 year old still in high school?

If you answered yes to either of these questions then there is something that you might need to be on the lookout for; have you had the talk with them yet? Do you know if they are being safe? Yes, I am talking about credit and credit cards. Do you know that the day your child turns 18 they are eligible to get a credit card? Without ever having been told about finance charges, or late payments, or how bad credit can affect them for the rest of their lives.

Here's a situation for you: Your daughter goes out shopping with her friends. She walks up to the counter and the cashier asks "Would you like to sign up today for our charge card and earn 10% percent off your purchase today?" Well why would she possibly say no to an offer like that? Now they have her. She has been hooked into the world of credit. You may not even know that she has a credit card.

Have you talked to your children about this issue? As parents we know that we should have the talk about drugs and of course the talk about "intimate relationships", but now more than ever we must consider the talk about
CREDIT.
I know it can be scary but consider this, if your child has bad credit,
They Might Never Move Out.


Join us as we discuss this over the next few weeks. We will tell you about how to educate your children about the pros and cons of credit, what it means to be a responsible borrower and a good steward of their money, and yours.

This series of articles are brought to you by the Miller Housing Group

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