Skip to main content

Sunny and 75

While the Intermountain West has had slightly cooler climate than is typical for this time of year, I just know gorgeous weather is right around the corner. Today I wore flip flops in the rain just to make my point. And wearing open-toed shoes without socks is just one of the wonderful things you can do when it’s nice outside! I don’t know about you, but thinking about warm-weather activities makes me want to play hooky from work and play instead.

But because I am an accountable adult (most days, anyway), I will NOT forsake my grown-up responsibilities (as bad as I might want to) in favor of longer days and spring and summer fun. I can work before I play. And so can you.

Here is a short list of things you should check NOW before the weather gets too hot:

  • THE CHIMNEY – climb on your roof (if it’s safe) or use binoculars to check the exterior, hire a professional for the interior cleaning
  • GUTTERS AND DOWNSPOUTS – make sure they’re clean and make repairs as needed
  • THE ROOF – it’s much cheaper to fix small problems than it is larger ones
  • AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM – schedule a professional for a checkup, clean coils on exterior unit, change filters inside
  • EXTERIOR WOOD AND WOODWORK – this includes furniture and structures, especially keep an eye out for cracked, peeling, or blistering paint or wood
  • HARDSCAPING – including concrete, asphalt, etc., power wash and seal cracks
  • EXTERIOR PAINT – is it time to update your paint?
  • TEST THE OUTDOOR WATER SYSTEM - run your sprinklers or irrigation system and check for needed repairs
  • CLEAN AND REPAIR SCREEN DOORS AND WINDOWS – cleaning allows you to detect damage that needs to be repaired
  • GOOD DRAINAGE - fill low areas in your yard – especially those next to the foundation

Before you spend all your sunny days on outdoor activities, make sure you take care of the investment that takes care of you–your home!


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

One More–Christmas Experiences Part II

Christmas is just a week away. Hopefully you’ve checked everything off your to-do list and can spend some quality time “experiencing” Christmas gifts with your family. Because, after all, your loved ones will be far more touched by how you made them feel than they will be with what you gave them. This week, I want to share with you my sister, Carey’s, family Christmas experience. “One Christmas, when my boys, now 18, 23 and 28, were little, we gave them an experience that is still talked about now. And it’s something so easily replicated that any family can do it, and it’s not too late to do it for Christmas (even ON Christmas) this year. We drove around our neighborhood and looked at all the homes decorated for the holiday. We took note of the addresses as we numbered them. We talked about what made each ornamented yards stand out. And at the end of the night, we voted for our favorite. I had my sons help me make some of our favorite holiday desserts and, in addition to taking p...

More Financial Help

As part of the Discovery Family Coalition, we work with many agencies whose purposes are to help families in a myriad of areas. One of those areas is finances (that I get to chat with you about every week–yay!). And right now, families need all the financial help they can get, mine included. One of our fellow coalition partners, the Utah Department of Health & Human Services Child & Family Services, also does what it can to get help, including financial help, to families who need it. I happen to be on an email list, and this week I got an email with this information: “The Connect toCollect(C2C) program is focused on increasing low-income Utahans' receipt of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) by educating individuals about this federal program and linking them to high quality, free tax preparation." What is the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)? It's a tax credit that  helps low- to moderate-income workers and families get a tax break. If you qualify, you can us...

The Marshmallow Experiment

In 1972, Stanford did a study about delayed gratification with children. It involved giant marshmallows and testing their patience.  You can see a short YouTube video about the study here . Basically, the kids who could sit alone with a giant marshmallow without eating it for a certain length of time were rewarded with a second giant marshmallow. Fun, huh? Some kids could be patient and reap the rewards; some could not. I was a small child when the study was conducted, and I wonder which side I might have been on. I HAVE learned to be pretty patient as an adult. One of the areas in which I’ve seen improvement is in finances. I have become a good money manager–I could be paid once annually and budget so that I won’t run out before year’s end, including having enough money to pay my own quarterly taxes–self-employed people do that. Speaking of taxes, I try not to overpay so that I qualify for a “refund,” because the government does not practice The Marshmallow Experiment. Huh? ...