Why You Should Upgrade Your Electric Panel

Our homes run on electricity. These days, you wouldn’t be able to get through the day without your gadgets or appliances. Whether you need your daily coffee intake courtesy of your electric coffee maker or the latest news from your television, it’s evident that electricity plays an essential role in our daily lives.

Now, what would happen if the power went out? 

It would be pretty nerve-wracking, and you wouldn’t be able to do things the way you usually do. Our homes don’t magically get electricity. What keeps electricity running in your home is your electric panel. 

Electric panels are usually in your basements or garages, making them easy to overlook. Although they are pretty durable and rarely need to be replaced often, they are obsolete and can become rusty over time.

When left unchecked, an outdated electric panel can cause a lot of problems for homeowners. An outdated electric panel can cause fires due to faulty wiring and damaged parts. Although a fire is terrifying enough, it isn’t the only reason you should upgrade your electric panel.

In this article, we’ll break down three reasons why you should get your electric panel upgraded.

The Safety of Your Home

The most important reason for upgrading your electric panel is to keep your home safe from potential dangers such as fires. According to research, faulty wiring and electric panel problems are some of the leading causes of house fires. 

Instead of waiting for disaster to strike, you should get your electric panel checked to see if you need to upgrade it or not. Investing in an electric panel upgrade will not just keep your home safe from electrical mishaps. Upgrading your electric panel is one of the most beneficial improvements you can do for your house other than remodeling it. Besides keeping your home safe, it will also increase your home’s value— perfect for those planning to move out or rent their homes. 

Overusing Power Strips

Another reason you should consider upgrading your electric panel is due to overusing power strips. If your home is filled with power strips, then it might be time to upgrade your electric panel. 

Today, we need electricity to charge our phones and appliances. If you’re using more and more power strips and extension cords to keep your gadgets charged, you are using more electricity than your home can supply. 

Tripping Circuit Breakers

Have you ever plugged in a new electrical appliance, and a minute later, your power gets cut off? This happens when your circuit breakers trip. It’s a safety feature in your home to prevent electrical mishaps.

However, if you notice that your circuit breakers trip constantly, it probably means that your home can’t handle that much electricity. This is a sure sign that your electric panel needs to be upgraded.

Wrapping Up

Your electric panel is just as important as any part of your home. It might be the most important thing since it keeps your house running. Upgrading your electric panel can help prevent many issues in the future, such as potential fires, faulty wiring, tripping circuit breakers, and excessive electricity use. 

If you’re unsure whether or not your electric panel needs an upgrade, you can hire a professional to help you out. Electrical emergencies are never fun to deal with. When in doubt, call a professional because they can help you determine what steps you need to take and make sure your electric panel is in good condition. 

How to Brighten Your Yard With Landscape Lighting

For most of us, a yard is more than just some extra space tacked onto the back of our house. It’s a safe haven, where we can tend to our garden, socialize, and relax in tranquil, beautiful surroundings. 

However, especially for those who are lucky enough to have large yards, lighting can become an issue once the sun goes down. Sitting on the decking isn’t quite as fun when it’s pitch black outside. 

So, you have two choices. You can go inside when it gets dark, or you can highlight your beautiful yard with carefully chosen landscape lighting.

Depending on the size and features of your yard, you may need only a few simple lights. Let’s discuss how to choose what to highlight, and what types of yard lighting are best for you.

Choosing Features to Highlight 

It’s easy to go overboard with landscape lighting. It’s better to adopt a “less is more” attitude to lighting up your yard. Yard lighting is more about highlighting features of your garden than anything else, so if you overlight, nothing will stand out. 

So, the key is to prioritize the features you think should be emphasized. Let’s take a look at some popular features and how you can highlight them. 

• Yard features

This could include water features, statues, or any other kind of notable decoration. Focus on beauty spots in your yard. Feel free to experiment, since playing around with lights and shadows can give a yard a completely different look at night. 

• Pathways and driveways

While yard lighting is usually a decorative aspect, don’t overlook a safety element. Some lights can sit unobtrusively along pathways, steps, and driveways. This lights up traffic areas and means you can move safely around your garden at night. 

• Decking or patios 

Chances are, the patio or decking area is where you’ll spend most of your time in the garden at night. Spotlights can work well to illuminate the area, but they can be a little too bright, and leave harsh shadows. Some flat lights can be built into the area around the borders of the decking or patio, giving a relaxing, low-level light. 

• Texture areas

Lights can add detail and texture to an area, for example, a stone wall. Setting lights at intervals along a wall can keep the area gently lit while highlighting the textured area of the wall. This can also be handy to illuminate signs. 

There are endless possibilities of features and areas to light up in your yard. The goal is to get your yard to look completely different during the night. 

Types of Lighting

Yard lighting can vary from soft, subtle fairy lights, to harsh spotlights. The amount of lighting and the kind you use will depend on the size, shape, and style of your yard. For example, if you have a large yard, you’ll need strong lights and you may need more of them. 

You can use just one style of light, but it’s more common to use a variety. 

• Spotlights and floodlights 

Especially if you have a large yard, spotlights provide a good way to illuminate a large section at once. Motion-activated spotlights can add an extra layer of security. Spotlights can also be trained onto a feature element, creating interesting silhouettes and shadows. They can also draw attention to a feature you’re particularly proud of. 

• Post or in-ground lighting 

Ideal for lighting up driveways or pathways, these lights can be built into the path itself, or can easily be placed alongside. 

• Water feature lights 

Submerged lights in a water feature are exceptionally popular. Water feature lights make the water look as if it’s glowing from the inside, and you can even use colored lights to give an ethereal effect. 

• Uplights, or accent lights 

These types of light shine directly onto a feature, drawing the eye. You can use these types of light around decking or patios, but you can also use them to highlight your favorite garden features. 

This is by no means an exhaustive list of possible lighting ideas. The age-old method of stringing fairy lights in trees and shrubs can give your yard a sparkling, mischievous look. However, if you’re planning to light up your yard with large-scale landscape lighting, you may want to consult a professional. 

Properly setting up landscape lighting is very important, if you don’t want your lights to flicker and die halfway through a late-night barbeque! Professional landscape lighters can give you helpful advice and may even give you a preview. Remember, the reality of the lighting may look different from how you imagine it in your head.

Benefits of a Well-Lit Yard

A well-lit yard can greatly enhance the beauty of your garden. Aside from allowing you to spend more time in your yard, landscape lighting makes yard space safer. Highlighting paths and driveways is a sensible choice to prevent tripping, and motion-activated spotlights can be a huge deterrent for prospective intruders. 

Of course, landscape lighting gives you the chance to express your individuality, allowing you to style your space in a way that suits your taste. You can add as much or as little lighting as you like. Now, sit back and enjoy your revamped yard!

8 Decluttering Secrets for an Organized Home

Declutter – the word would spike terror in someone like me!

Although I would love to keep my place decorated to the nines, I just can’t. I am sure there are many out there in the same dilemma as me. According to National Soap and Detergent Association, getting rid of clutter will eliminate 40% of housework in an average home.

Moreover, a study by Cornwell University says that stress caused by clutter can trigger avoidance and coping strategies. These include incessantly consuming junk, over-sleeping, or binge-watching Netflix. This is not the kind of life you deserve.

Whether we like it or not, a kitchen counter stacked with dirty dishes or a basket loaded with unfolded laundry can be as distracting as a toddler throwing tantrums. If you are done with this life and want to flip the scenario, this blog is a must-read. 

Here are some decluttering secrets you might find helpful in creating a clutter-free living space:

1. Start small

No matter how much you have to organize, it is essential to start with baby steps. A weekend-long organizing project when you have a family and a timetable and a life all at the same time is never a good idea. 

So, start small. Invest in hooks, under-bench storage, and catch-all trays. This is to make sure the smallest of items, like keys, have a place. Small wins are colossal in a decluttering game.

2. Toss away the “one in, one out” rule

Many minimalists stick by the one in, one out rule. It regulates that you have to declutter something of the exact nature every time you bring something new. 

It sounds cool in theory. But honestly, it encourages mindless guilt-free purchasing. You will supposedly declutter something when you get home. It would be apt to term it the bandaid approach. You may end up with a clean space, but it doesn’t teach you how to live with less. Seeking assistance from a clutter-busting service may be your next best shot.

Instead, practice on the “zero in, one out” rule if you really want to declutter your house.

3. Look at your home as a guest

This is one of the most potent tips you could ever find.

Imagine you are a guest staying at someone’s place. We tend to keep things where we found them in neat order. Plus, we don’t pile stuff on the floor when looking for something particular. You carefully rummage through stuff to find what you are looking for and don’t create a mess.

This simple tip can help to keep your home tidy.

4. Be smart with storage

Take a long, hard look at the number of bins or containers you use to keep stuff. If you feel about buying more containers or bins, the problem is not about the storage space. Instead, it is about the number of things you have.

Slim down the things you have in the existing baskets and boxes before hitting stores to buy new containers.

Then, reassess your storage needs. Buy more storage boxes and ensure that everything stays in its place. Incoming mail should remain in the basket on the countertop. Similarly, the TV remote will never get lost if there is a holder to keep it.

5. Always clean when you are done

Call this a room reset.

If you begin following this tip, you will be surprised at how much time it saves. For instance, before you hit the sack, try to keep extra things at their places. This will only take a few minutes if you are trying to move towards minimalist living. 

A few minutes invested every day to keep the space tidy will give you a surprisingly vast amount of extra time. For further efficiency, you can hire a junk removal service like the Super Bee Disposal to handle the task for you.

6. Create a cleaning kit

No one can argue against the benefits of a clean home. Take some time to collect the cleaning supplies you usually use. Store them in a central location of your home for instant access. You can keep them in your linen closet, basement, or a lower cabinet in your kitchen. Find a large basket or a tote to keep all the cleaning supplies.

When you put them all in one place, the number of cleaning materials you have will surprise you. On the contrary, cleaning supplies all over the house doesn’t give you the proper insight into all the things you have. Consequently, people end up buying more than their requirements.

7. Follow the “30 Day” rule

The 30-day rule could be a blessing in disguise for those who religiously follow it. It implies not buying any oversized or expensive item within 30 days. If you still need it after that, go for it. The whole point of this rule is to give yourself some room to breathe. Impulse buying could lead to a budget disaster, not to mention the clutter in homes.

While you are on the 30-day break, you can question yourself if you actually need this big-ticket item. Does it make sense? Can you live without it?

8. Don’t keep broken stuff

Who does that! Right?

Well, you might not know, but you may be keeping broken, stained, or torn items. We tell ourselves that we will fix it and throw it in our closet. Over time, a pile of clothes rises on it, and it goes out of our minds. That pending fixture never comes. And we end up with unnecessary clutter in our houses.

If you need it and have a solid determination to fix it someday, you better store it in a box. Add this errand to your to-do list. Or the next time you go out shopping, find a replacement and let go of the broken items.

Parting Thoughts

Decluttering is a chore. It takes time and adequate planning to keep your place prim and proper. Experts recommend that you keep all distractions at bay when you are on a mission to remove clutter from your home or workplace.

Plus, make it an ongoing endeavor. This way, you won’t have to skip your work or friends’ hangout for a mission clean sweep.

We hope this all makes perfect sense. Let us all get to work! 

Is A Home Gym Worth The Investment?

Whether you’re buying a new home, building a new home, or repurposing your current home, the thought of an at-home gym has probably crossed your mind. Home gyms have become more popular throughout the year and are staples in many homes. During the pandemic, the necessity for a place to exercise at home became even more prevalent. But home gyms can be expensive, especially if you’re starting from scratch. So the question is, are home gyms worth the investment?

Health

We’ve all been told that investing in our health is one of the most important things we can do. Aside from eating well, exercise is an optimal way to stay healthy. Healthy living has long-term physical, mental and financial benefits. Doctors all over the country recommend daily exercise routines as a method of preventing long-term pain. Additionally, physical exercise helps to keep away diseases and medical problems down the line that are not only dangerous but expensive as well. Many preventable conditions, like hypertension and type 2 diabetes, come from lack of exercise and healthy eating. The cost of doctor's visits, prescription medicines, and co-payments takes more of a hit on your wallet than a home gym would. Having a home gym can aid in staying consistent with the physical part of healthy living.

Accessibility

The biggest perk of having a home gym is accessibility. Unlike a traditional gym, a home gym is open 24/7. Whether you need to fit in an early workout before work or a late-night session before bed, a home gym is never closed. You have access to all the equipment you like and you don’t have to wait in line behind other gym-goers for any machine. There is also no need for calculating a commute time when looking at an at-home fitness center. From any room in your home, you’re only a minute away from the gym. The perk of accessibility goes further if you or anyone in your household is in a wheelchair or relies on any sort of adaptive equipment. Many major gyms are not entirely accessible to those with disabilities. Being able to personalize both the machines and the location of the gym eliminates any potential accessibility issues.

Functionality

The price of your typical gym membership factors in a lot of different costs. The cost of rent, utilities, employees, machines, amenities, and maintenance churns out a hefty price tag. Oftentimes, we don’t even take full advantage of all the things we are paying for. Whether that’s because you don’t have the time or because you don’t like a certain machine or amenity, you’re still paying for all of it when you get that monthly bill. Putting together your home gym eliminates all these excessive costs. You can customize the space to be functional for you and your needs. If you’re more of a cardio person you can choose mostly cardio equipment. If you tend to stick to weights and lifting, you can choose machines that reflect that. While it may be more expensive upfront than a monthly gym membership, you’re paying for what you need and what is most functional for you.

Long Term Costs

Having a home gym provides more financial benefits than you would think. The obvious is having a home gym eliminates the need for a gym membership. These days, gym memberships and boutique fitness classes have become rather expensive. The U.S. average annual gym membership cost is roughly $507, with the monthly average ranging from $38 to $45.  While the gym may cost more upfront, in the long run, you still save money. You can also customize your gym to your needs and avoid purchasing unnecessary equipment which you’d pay for in a traditional gym membership. Aside from no membership costs, having access to a home gym helps people stay in shape which prevents the need for medical assistance down the road.

Bottom Line

Building a home gym can be expensive. The cost of the space, equipment, machines, and mats adds up. However, the long-term savings are extensive. Between cutting back on spending and saving on time spent going to and from the fitness center, a home gym could be exactly what you need. Like all things, there are pros and cons to this investment. Overall, if having a gym at home fits your lifestyle and makes your life easier, then this investment is a winner for you.