Around the House

Mercury in Your CFL's

                I have been telling everyone that I don’t have any incandescent lights at my house at all.  Years ago we made the switch to CFL’s and we love them.  But I recently found myself changing out a light bulb and I realized that it was an incandescent and when I replaced it I dug around in the basement and found that box of old incandescent bulbs and I replaced it with another incandescent.  Are you shocked?  Someone like me who touts saving money on my electric bills and pushes CFL’s on everyone I meet and here I am replacing a burnt out incandescent with another incandescent?

                I know it sounds crazy, but I have found a use for those old incandescent and they are doing exactly what I want, producing heat.  We raise chickens.  I have two coops full of chickens.  I don’t know if my chickens actually get cold or not, they can’t tell me.  But just to be on the safe side I install a light on a photocell in their coops so they can have a source of heat through the night. 

                As much sense as switching to CFL’s makes, I still run into people who are resistant to making the change.  One of the reasons I hear against CFL’s is the fact that they contain mercury and that could be hazardous if they should happen to break.  You can rest assured that if one of your CFL bulbs should break, your house will not turn into a superfund site.

                CFL’s do contain mercury.  In fact, according to the energystar.gov website, they contain 4mg a piece.  This number is going down and as recently as this past year one manufacturer had gotten the mercury content of their bulbs down to under 1 mg.  Advancements in the technology are increasing rapidly.  Usage of the light bulb binds the mercury to the interior of the glass of the light bulb.  So even if you did break one, the entire 4 mg isn’t going to even make it onto your floor.  There are guidelines for cleaning up a broken CFL on the energystar.gov website, most of which is common sense like wear gloves and wipe with a cloth that you will not be using again.

                To help you better understand how much is 4 mg, think of the thermometers that we used when we were kids.  You know the ones without batteries.  They contained 500 mg of mercury which would be like 125 CFL bulbs.  I remember breaking one in college chem lab and chasing the little balls of mercury around the lab and I lived to tell about it.

                The single largest source of mercury in our environment is from the production of electricity.  When you burn coal, the largest source of energy in the U.S., you pump mercury into the atmosphere.  This mercury is then rained down onto the surface of the earth and will generally collect in our water bodies after the next rainstorm.  Once in our rivers and lakes, it is absorbed by the fish population which is then caught and eaten by humans.  Fish is then the largest source of mercury ingested by humans, not CFL’s.  Are you still eating fish?

                There is a great table on the energystar.gov website that compares an incandescent to a CFL.  Let’s assume that both of these two light bulbs burn for 8000 hours.  During that time period, the incandescent will use much more electricity because it takes more Watts for an incandescent to put out the same amount of lumens (measurement of light) as a CFL.  The amount of mercury released into the atmosphere from the coal burned to illuminate those two light bulbs will be 1.2 mg for the CFL and 5.5 mg for the Incandescent.  Now let’s say that you do a very bad thing after those 8000 hours and you don’t recycle your CFL, but rather throw it into the landfill, crushing it and releasing the mercury within it.  This would add another .44 mg bringing the total contamination to 1.6 mg while the incandescent bulb remains at 5.5 mg since it contains no mercury.  As you can see 5.5 mg released due to the use of the incandescent is more than 4 times the amount of mercury released by the CFL.  And you can even reduce that amount further by disposing of the bulb properly by taking it to a CFL recycling center like one of your big box hardware stores.

                So you see that using a CFL is better for you and the environment in every way.  So go ahead and change out those old light bulbs, even if they are still working and put in some CFL’s and start saving yourself some money!  You can tuck those old ones away for chickens.  That’s about all they’re good for.

Tips on Sending Holiday Cards

Since holiday cards are displayed so early and they are picked over long before it is time to mail them, now is the time to find the best selection. You will not have the discounted or sale prices for a few weeks, but the trade off is finding what works best for you. I have a few other suggestions.

1. Consider choosing one design for everyone and adding a personal note to make it special. Save one of the cards with the year written on it so you will know you have used it and when. If you keep left over cards from year to year, there is the chance you will send the same card to some of those who got it the previous year. Adding photos of the family are a good way to connect, too. These can be imprinted on the card if you plan ahead.

2. If you do not have time for personal notes in each card or if you want to add a family newsletter, make the newsletter short and sweet. The shorter the sweeter it is. While it is fine to mention you took a trip to Germany, you need not list every city you visited. If your child graduated from college, you do not need to list all of the awards and job offers. Tell the news but leave off the bragging. In addition, it will take time to read the newsletter and most people do not take the time to do that while they are opening the daily mail. One paragraph that you are alive and well on planet earth is fine. If you are not alive and well, keep the sad news brief. Creating your own newsletter allows you to insert the family photo on the page, saving the cost of having photos printed. Just remember, less is more.

3. Keep your address file up to date so cards are not returned because of incorrect address. And when you receive a card, check the return address to be sure that is the one you have on file.

4. Purchase "forever" stamps and resist the urge to buy holiday stamps unless you are sure you will use all of them. If the price of postage goes up, your "forever" stamps will still be accepted and you will not have to purchase or add those one cent stamps.

5. Consider sending short holiday greetings with your email distribution list. There are many sites that allow you to use templates, clip art and even animated scenes for your greeting. And of course, you can insert family pictures from your files. While not as personal as a hand written note, it is just as appropriate as a holiday newsletter. It uses less paper, thus reducing our use of it and it saves time and postage. More importantly, it does not create paper clutter. It can be saved to a file if especially nice or deleted.

6. If the holidays are too hectic for sending the personal greetings that you consider a priority, consider sending your greetings throughout the year. Use a checklist to be sure you include those people that are special to you and assign times throughout the year when you will write them. If it is not on the calendar chances are it will not be done.

Keeping in touch with those that are special to us reminds them of that. Connecting is an important part of maintaining any relationship. While it takes time and effort, the rewards are worth it.

My Top Ten List Item #10

            Ever thought about buying a rain barrel?  Just too nutty crunchy for you?  What would the neighbors think?  Buy one anyway.  You can get those food grade plastic barrels several places and they are very reasonable in price.  The hardware to fit them with a hose to fill your watering bucket and the overflow hose are fairly inexpensive as well and you can do all the work yourself.  Check out some step by step instructions at http://www.epa.gov/region3/p2/make-rainbarrel.pdf.  I would make one change; make sure to extend the outlet pipe at least 10 feet from your foundation.  Moist crawl spaces and wet basement walls are the devil’s handiwork.  Extending your downspouts at least 10 feet from your house will do wonders for helping keep your underside nice and dry.  Dry crawl spaces and basements make for healthier air in the living spaces above them and houses that feel more comfortable.

                If DIY projects are not your thing, there are easier ways of harvesting rainwater.  One of the best looking rain barrels I have ever seen is the Rain Hog at www.rainwaterhog.com.  They are rectangular containers that mount against your house near your downspout.  You can mount only one or several together with each one having a 50 gallon capacity.  They originally were olive green in color but they have more recently started selling them in several different colors.  They are flat and mount close to the house and are the least barrel like.

                Whichever type of barrel you choose,  you will be doing wonders for your water bill by watering with rainwater instead of tap water.  And remember, don’t forget to extend those downspouts!

Organizing Coupons--Another Opinion

Extreme couponing has come into the mainstream media and with its own television program has captured the hearts and minds of many with unbelievable savings. The world of coupons now has coupon clubs, coupon swaps, coupon blogs and websites, and couponing strategy books.

While I am not an expert couponer, I am an expert organizer. And I have taken an interest in them lately because some of my clients use them and needed a way to keep them organized. Thus began my research into the best way to that.

At this time in history, the resources for learning about coupoining and how to organize them are plentiful. Just Google "organizing coupons" and over 4 million sites come up. I checked out a few of those, talked with friends and family and eventually sat in on our local Savvy Shopper's presentation where I took pages of notes. ( http://weblogs.dailypress.com/features/shoppingblog/#start ) This basically confirmed that there are as many ways to organize coupons as there are people to do it. It is a matter of time and personal preferences.

Those who prefer individually clipping coupons often store them in divided plastic sleeves (baseball card holders) in 3 ring zippered notebooks by categories. Others prefer to use wallet style expandable containers with dividers for each category. A combination of these are used by some couponers who do not want to carry the large notebook of plastic pages on every shopping trip and will put only those coupons used for each trip in the wallet version.

For those who want to skip the task of cutting out all the individual coupons and sorting them at one time, saving the coupon inserts in newspapers, magazines and mailings is more efficient. These inserts and pages are saved in stacks, folders or large envelopes by date for access when references are made to them for those extreme saving opportunities. Updates on the matching websites and blogs are mostly done weekly to coordinate with weekly store specials.

If you are one who is new to couponing, you will have to use trial and error to determine the best organizing style for your coupons. Experience is the best teacher and knowing your own preferences will help as much as anything. Try not to purchase the most expensive organizing supplies with coupons until you have an idea of what is working for you and what is not. As you use them, you will be able to better determine what you need. Gradually you will develop your own system.

Organizing coupons requires organizing your time. To save the most and become an "extreme couponer" you must match the manufacturer's coupon with a retailer's sale price and if possible store coupons and rewards programs. This takes an organized system and time to process even using the websites and blogs that do the matching. Since different stores have different specials or may offer double coupons on given days, extreme couponers map out their strategy to take advantage of the best deals. (Somewhere in there you have to have your shopping list of items you actually need right now.)

Since this discussion is on the coupons, I will not give the professional organizer's advice on storing the abundance of items gleaned from extreme couponing. I will only remind you that the golden rule of "only having as much stuff as any space will reasonably contain" also applies to cereal and toothpaste. Any overflow in designated spaces in your home should be donated to the foodbank or local homeless shelters. Otherwise it can become extreme couponing clutter.

Organizing the Paper Problem

If you have papers that have turned yellow with age or there is a stack of newspapers that crumble when you lift them, you are not alone. The abundance of papers coming into the home makes keeping on top of the accumulation an ongoing task. And unless you have a plan to remove them, you become like many others who simple have allowed papers to take over spaces in their homes. Of all the organizing situations I see, papers are a one of the most frequent problems.

A few weeks ago I posted strategies on tackling papers as they come in the door in order to eliminate saving unnecessary papers and avoiding stacks of unrelated paper items. But there are papers we need to keep and placing those where we can find them when we need them is important. The problem arises when we are not sure which we should keep, where we should keep them and for how long. And then there are the differences in personal preferences that make some systems good for one family member but not another.

While there is no system that will be perfect for everyone, there are some guidelines that everyone can use. All legal papers such as birth, death and marriage certificates, passports, adoption papers, divorce settlements, car titles, insurance policies, property deeds and deeds of trust, etc. should be kept forever. Most financial documents are now kept on computers so paper copies are not as important as in the past. Banks have copies of your checks, your monthly statements and other financial information and history on their computer files. Now it is not necessary to keep paper copies of those after you have verified their information.

For those who get nervous in letting those go, I recommend keeping the closing statement on loans and the end of the year statements. These can be kept with tax records for that year. Keeping the original and selling costs of investments you manage yourself is important, but only the year end statement of brokerage houses is needed for taxes. Once you verify the monthly or quarterly reports, you no longer need to keep them. Monthly credit card statements are no longer needed after they are verified. Even department stores can find sales tickets for purchases you made a year ago. If you are still fearful, keep items for a year or two but not for 10 or 20 years. I have even seen files with cancelled checks from 40 years back! At this time IRS states they do not audit tax returns more than 3 years back unless you have missed a year in filing, a return was challenged, you owed back taxes, you had employees, you have incorrectly filed, or there are other unusual situations. For any questions or more information check out the retention guidelines at their web site: www.irs.gov

As difficult as it may be letting go of financial papers, those with emotional ties are even harder. Love letters, school work, cards from special occasions, etc. can become an organizational nightmare if not sorted and contained in an alloted space. The general rule here is to save as much as you want and have the space to store in an organized manner. It is a good idea to set aside a container for such items and when it is full, no more can be added unless something is removed. Getting bigger or more containers defeats the purpose of maintaining order. And remember when everything becomes special, then nothing is really special. Pieces of paper are not necessary to remember those that we love or are special to us.

Finally, learn to be ruthless in dealing with outdated magazines, newspapers, catalogues, sales flyers, coupons, etc. If you haven't had time to go through them while they are current, there will not be more time later to do it. Most information in them is online should you need it and it will be more up to date. Set up a schedule to recycle them so they do not create piles in your home or office. Diligence is the name of the paper control game. You must deal with them in a consistent manner or they will win. If you have questions or comments about paper organizing feel free to contact me through my web site: www.OrderlyPlaces.com

My Top Ten List Item #9

There are lots of ways to save energy.  One way to save is to reduce the amount of water you use.  Sure, you could take shorter showers or turn the water off when you are brushing your teeth, but that all takes thought and changing our habits and we all know how likely that is.  A much simpler way to save water without even thinking is to install aerators on all of your faucets and low flow shower heads in your showers.  The Environmental Protection Agency says “If one out of every 100 American homes retrofitted with water-efficient fixtures, we could save about 100 million kWh of electricity per year – avoiding 80,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions.”  That’s a lot of water and all without even thinking or changing any of my habits. 

Now, I have a test for you.  Get a 2 qt saucepan out of your kitchen and head to the shower.  Yes, the shower.  Place the saucepan on the floor of the shower right in the center of the shower discharge and turn it on.  If it takes less than 12 seconds to fill the pan, you need a low flow shower head with an aerator.  It doesn’t take away from your shower experience, it just helps you save money.  Changing out your shower head  could help you use as much as 50% less water!  How does that save you money if you pump it out of the ground instead of paying for your water?  I have teenagers.  Have you seen how long they can stay in a hot shower?  Nuff said?

Next, you need to check out your kitchen faucet.  You want an aerator to lower the flow rate of this fixture as well.  The thing to keep in mind in the kitchen is that you routinely are filling pots and things for cooking so you don’t want to lower the flow as much as you would in the bathroom where you are only washing your hands and brushing your teeth.

All faucet aerators have WaterSense ratings on them to insure that you are getting an aerator that has a flow rating that falls under the EPA recommendations.  For your kitchen think about purchasing one that is between 2.0 – 2.5 gallons per minute or gpm.  For your bathroom you can go as low at 1.5 gpm and never even notice the difference.  If you have no aerator at all now, you will probably be reducing your flow by as much as half.

You can find aerators and shower heads at any hardware store and the prices will vary depending on the manufacturer, just remember to look for the WaterSense label when you buy!

Organizing with Calendars and Planners

This is the best time of the year to purchase calendars and planners. The selection is better and you have adequate time to put it in order before the new year begins. Some have additional months for the end of this year included making the transition to the next year easier.

There is a difference in calendars and planners. Calendars have the essential day and date and many contain spaces to write in some activities for the day. These are good for families to see the highlights of each day especially when posted in an common area. Planners allow space for the day's major activities, for setting goals and the tasks to reach them, for daily reminders and often for other related activities. Planners usually break the day into segments or hours so that more detailed information can be given.

There are many types of planners out there to suit our preferences. For the "older" and more paper loving crowd there are stand alone paper versions in every price range and style available at office supply and large department stores. Online calendars and planning software is being created faster than we can learn them, and wireless devices allow us to carry a miniscule version in our pockets. While the electronic versions have a learning curve to them, their numerous options make them versatile and powerful. For those getting adjusted to the digital age, most wireless planners have the ability to sync with computers. The electronic planners also allow you to make a printed version in almost any format giving you lots of paper copy options in sizes and styles. For newbies to the digital age, the ability to input information with the computer and then create a printed copy is a reasonable way to make the transition.

To get the most out of our day, planners are a necessity. My favorite is a week at glance with each day divided into quarter or half hours. This can be printed or filled in at the beginning of each week. Not only does it allow us to block out the time for already scheduled appointments and activities, but it makes us aware of the uncommitted time. It is in those spaces that we can schedule tasks for those long term and short term goals.

Once we see open spaces in our days, we are able to fit in simple tasks like sorting the sock drawer, folding the laundry, taking a much needed nap, or reading the next chapter in a book. Or we can schedule tasks related to larger goals such as applying online for a college course, ordering plants for the fall garden, or planning a holiday celebration. Many times we fail to achieve those larger goals because we do not break them down into manageable tasks that we can fit into a daily schedule.

Regardless of the type of planner we use, learning to effectively manage our schedules will help us get the most out of every day. If you would like more information about time management or using planners, contact me through my website: www.orderlyplaces.com

Organizing Books

Books become a part of our lives from the time we grab our first cloth page filled with colorful pictures. And some of us never let go of that attachment. Organizing books can then become a problem.

I realize I am treading on sacred ground when I suggest there should be a limit to the number of books we keep. Like everything else, you can only have as many books as you have space to store them. If you have 500 feet of shelving space, you can have many more books than someone with only 50 feet of shelving. And as a side note, it is not a good idea to store them in boxes in the attic since heat will deteriorate the bindings and pages. Besides, what is the point of having the books if you cannot readily use them.

Don't misunderstand my discussion here. I buy books, read books and love books. In fact I wrote one. (Check out my website listed below.) And I think you should buy as many books as you want and can afford. The issue is why you keep them and that keeping too many of them can create organizing problems. It is important to make wise choices in those we save.

Each of us need to seriously consider why we keep books after we have read them. If it is for reference, the information stored in them is most likely outdated by the time they are published. While historical books can remain accurate (until some researcher finds differently) that information is easily obtained online or at a local library. Everything from the mating habits of mallards to recipes for exotic meals can be located in seconds with online search engines . Some even include audio and video. What book can do that? So if it is information you need, be very selective in those you keep.

If it is the enjoyment of reading fiction, then it is unlikely you will reread those again. There are too many new books being published that will consume your attention and time. While some are classics, it is doubtful that you will go back to them and storing them on a shelf will not help you remember what is in them. Your brain does that. I will admit recall can be difficult, especially with age and I speak from experience, but you never really forget what you read. Some things you just remember better.

If it is a famous line or quote, putting even part of it on Google will bring up the entire passage. I have found entire poems of Robert Frost that I learned as a child. Refrain from printing these as you will add to your paper clutter!

Displaying more books does not make you appear more intelligent. Your speech does that. But once you have been very selective in the books you save, you want to store and display them on shelves or in bookcases. And it is a good idea to group them by categories. You may choose to group by topic, by color, alphabetically or with the Dewey Decimal system. The categories should be whatever makes sense to you. If you have a large collection, you may want to consider creating a file or database for them. One participant in a presentation I gave had over 2000 books and after listing them learned he had many duplicate copies. Keeping track of what you have is a good idea for many reasons.

Allow open space on the shelves. This makes a more attractive design. Inserting pictures, plants or other collectibles on the shelves makes a more interesting display. Some books may need to be placed flat on the shelves if they are too large to stand upright. Put those items together to make a stack of 3 or more so the arrangement is more visually pleasing. If your space eventually becomes full and you want to continue to buy new books, consider replacing an older book with the new one. Or you may choose to visit your local library to see what they offer.

Those books you choose not to keep can be donated to family members, local hospitals, nursing homes,schools, libraries or favorite charities. Keep receipts for tax deductions. They may also be sold at yard sales or through online outlets and auctions. You will be doing yourself and others a favor by moving them on to those who will use and appreciate them.

In the future, electronic books may become the major source of reading, but I personally think we will always have printed books to enjoy. Consumer choice will be the deciding factor. This does not mean you should save every book as it may be so valuable you can send a kid to college or retire early with the proceeds from them. Antiques Roadshow has convinced many unwise souls their possessions are unique and valuable. (eBay can quickly unravel such thinking).

Being willing to let go of excess of anything including books is a basic principle in organizing. The more you do it, the easier it gets. You experience freedom and more space. It is a good example for your children or grandchildren, too. Buy and read books for enjoyment, relaxation, information and inspiration but save only those that are special enough to take up your valuable space.

More organizng information and my book can be found at my website: www.orderlyplaces.com and you can sign up for my monthly organizing checklist by email: maryfrances@orderlyplaces.com

Organizing the Morning Rush

Mornings can be hectic for anyone. Regardless of the launching time, the number of people or the activities to follow, getting out of the house with as little hassel as possible is a goal for all of us. There are some strategies that can help turn the morning madness into somewhat more of a morning gladness.

If possible do as much as possible the night before. If you are a morning person, perhaps getting up a little earlier will allow you to do the planning necessary before everyone else is up and running. It is a good idea to review the day's schedule for everyone involved, to set out clothing for younger ones, to check book bags, pack lunches and set out the non-refrigerated breakfast items.

Creating an area for items to go out the door will insure everyone knows where to find what they need for the day. Hooks on the walls near the door or inside a closet can hold backpacks, purses, keys and anything with a strap. Shelves, racks or baskets can be used for shoes and other items.

Assign morning chores or tasks for everyone. Even small children can help clear the table or put food in the pet bowl. Structure helps kids feel more secure and small chores can inhance their self worth and importance in the family. When appropriate, these can be rotated or changed if needed.

Develop a morning ritual or routine. This can be as simple as who goes in the shower first or where to leave the morning paper. The larger the family, the more important is the routine. It creates a climate of order and establishes expectations for everyone.

Keep a checklist of morning tasks in the message center or near the door. Before leaving give it a quick scan to be sure nothing has been forgotten that day. It may include remembering the lunches, snacks, permission slips, homework sign off, etc. Make it personal to the needs of the family.

No system is perfect, but thinking ahead about the responsibilities for each morning and taking steps to see they are fulfilled is one way to make it better. As the strategies are tried, changes may need to occur. Being flexible in accommodating them can make the morning rush a little more peaceful.

 

My Top Ten List Item #8

Thank goodness, our weather has broken a little lately.  This wonderful, not hot, not cold, somewhere in the perfect middle temperature.  This is the perfect time to head into your attic.  Any other time of the year and it would be unbearable.  Right now, before the temperatures climb into the upper 90’s again outside and into the 140’s in your attic, Get into your attic and let’s assess the situation.  Do you even have insulation in your attic?  I see a lot of attics and you would be surprised how many attics have no insulation or at least none in a portion of their attic.  Do you have blown in insulation?  Take a 12” ruler with you and push it down into the insulation beside a ceiling joist.  How many inches do you have?  You need at least 13” to just meet code and we all know that code is just the bare minimum.  Chances are you have a lot less because insulation compresses over time and loses some of it’s ability to protect you from the extreme temperatures in your attic.  The picture above shows insulation that was blown off of the bathroom ceiling from ahigh winds through the eave vent.  Do you have batt type insulation?  Is it everywhere?  Are there portions missing or pushed out of the way? 

The sad fact is that most houses that we inspect are missing insulation or the insulation is compromised in some way.  If you don’t know enough about insulation to know if what you have is enough or if it is functioning the way it should, call an energy auditor to come and make a quick evaluation.  A little professional advice to help you evaluate and decide if you need more insulation may help keep you from making some costly mistakes.   The most important decision when adding insulation to your attic is to purchase the right type.  Don’t know what kind of insulation would work best in your attic?  Get an Energy Audit.  Have the whole house and the insulation evaluated and ask for a written report.  The report should explain in detail what needs to be addressed and how to address it. 

So take advantage of the next few days and head to your attic and take a look.  Find something that concerns you, send me a picture, I’d love to help you out. E.guinn@DanGuinnHomes.com