Quick emergency fixes and what to buy in December

Quick Emergency Repair Fixes

 

Quick Emergency Repair Fixes

With the first really big winter storms rolling in, we know you might have some emergency repairs that need tending to before you can hire a professional.
First off, keep track of the weather alerts. That way you won’t be surprised with frozen pipes or dead landscaping.
Secondly, remember to update your emergency supplies with fresh water and batteries and anything else it needs.
So, what to do if your roof starts leaking? Find a bucket or a large pot and place it under the leak to at least minimize the damage to the carpet or floor.  If you have access to your roof, you could get a tarp over where the leak is, and that would slow the leak into the house. Then you could put the bucket in the attic. Just remember to empty it out regularly.
What do you do if a tree limb comes down? First you need to assess the damage. If it broke a window, you need to board up the hole as quickly as possible. If you don’t have any wood or cardboard, see if you can find packing tape. Duct tape could work in a pinch as well.  Make sure you wear gloves when you’re doing this work as a shard of glass can really hurt. Then run the tape across the hole gently pressing it down. If you can, tape the other side of the pane.
If you don’t have packing tape, or if the hole is pretty big, get a heavy plastic bag like an outdoor garbage bag and tape that over the hole to provide a fairly weather-proof solution.
If your pipes do burst, you may have to turn off water to the house until it can get repaired. If you don’t know where the water turn off switch is, now is the time to figure it out.
If you have the pipe to a sink break, you can turn off the water at the stoppers. Then you get the fun of mopping up.
One other hint is to keep a nice stash of old towels to use as rags if you need them.
Are you ready for the winter?

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What to Buy In December

 

What to Buy In December

Is your credit card fresh as a daisy or worn out after this past weekend with Black Friday and Cyber Monday?
Our buddies’ at DealNews said it well when they said you can’t avoid buying stuff in December.
So what’s the best way to get more for your money? Read on!
If you’re buying toys, wait until closer to the middle of the month, but not much later. Prices will slowly decline until it reaches a point midway and then it will go up sharply. Retailers believe that if you’re searching for toys close to Christmas, you’re desperate and will pay a premium (and they may be right…)
Look for promotions. Companies like Target will offer gift cards with certain purchases. Other retailers offer gift cards with certain levels (In prior years, we saw Outback and Chili’s advertise that if you bought a gift card for $100, you’d get a bonus gift card worth $25).
If you’ve been reading the blog long enough, you won’t be surprised when we say the best time to buy Christmas decorations is in December. But make sure you start shopping on December 26th.
It’s still a good time to buy tools and hardware. As we mentioned last month, there are a number of Editor’s Choice bundles and sales, and the prices still are quite low.
It’s also a great time for kitchenware and small appliances. Check Amazon for lightening deals as well as major retailers.
Panasonic announced that it’s end of life’ing its plasma televisions. So if you’ve been wanting one, now may be the time.
What to wait on? Calendars, electronics and jewelry. The Consumer Electronics Show in January is the official launch for many 2014 models, which means that all the goods from 2013 will begin to see a round of discounts.  The calendar is dicey if you really use your calendars, but if you wait until the end of January, you’ll get it for a lot less.
Lifehacker is suggesting that now is the best time to sign up for golf clubs, have a pool installed, and stock up on champagne for that spring or summer wedding.
There are rumors abound that many retailers this Black Friday shopping season raised their prices, and then said that the sale price was half off. If the widget normally sold for $25, and they raised the price to $50 and gave you 50% off, you’d not be getting a bargain, now would you. And if you stayed out late, you’d have missed out on important things like sleep.
Thankfully for you, we’re looking out for tools that will help you save money. Here’s an article from CNET on 20+ tools for price watching. It includes a few for Amazon, one specifically for clothes, and others that send alerts when a price drops.
Who do you still have to buy presents for?

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