The Best Smart Home Technology for Pet Owners

 

Smart home technology is improving life for everyone, even your furry little friends. These days, there are tons of products available for pets who live in the lap of luxury, from smart feeders that automatically dispense food to treadmills designed for felines.

For those who like to spoil their dogs and cats, here’s the latest and greatest pet technology to bring into your home!

iFetch Too

For some dogs, a quick game of fetch is never enough. If this sounds familiar, then the iFetch might just be for you. This automatic ball launcher will have your pooch running around all day long with up to 300 throws per battery charge. Various distance settings that range from 10 to 40 feet allow you to set it up inside or out, so your dog can chase tennis balls to its heart’s content even when you’re not home. And for the ones who love digging holes, the iDig is also worth checking out!

Little Cat

Is your feline enjoying the cat nip a bit too much? For cats that could afford to lose a few pounds, the Little Cat from PetDing is the perfect solution. Essentially a large hamster wheel with a built-in LED light that cats love to chase after, it’s like an exercise program designed to get your little fur ball off the couch. Available in four different colors, it’ll look great in any house or apartment.

Petcube Bites

There are lots of pet cameras available for those who suffer a little separation anxiety during the day, but the Petcube Bites does more than just let you check in on them. The two-way speaker allows your cat or dog to hear the comfort of your voice when you’re away and you can even reward good behavior with the built-in treat dispenser.

Wagz Smart Door

Nobody wants an unwelcomed visitor coming through the doggy door. Now you can keep out any surprises with the Wagz Smart Door that uses a unique ID tag in the collar that only opens the door for your pets. You can even control when they’re allowed to go outside and use the live HD video camera to monitor any motion around the door.

Family-Friendly Artwork Apps

 

In the age of apps, there’s more to preserving the masterpieces your children create than just sticking them on the refrigerator.

Eventually, the magnets will slip and something that’s dear to you—or your child—could fall off and end up in the trash. If you have the space for keeping their school artwork or homemade projects, you may keep them in plastic containers and sort through them at a later time. But if you’re running out of closet space or are worried that too many of these precious memories will be lost, there are some mobile options that can help you archive them. Here are a few:

Cloud Storage
If you don’t want to keep the physical papers around, take a photo with your phone and store it in the cloud or on your computer’s hard drive. To share them with relatives, put them in Dropbox, iCloud, Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive. Be sure to protect them with a password that you only give to relatives.

Digital Apps
Photos or videos are the most obvious ways to electronically store these projects, though mobile apps can help you organize and enhance them.

Keepy and Canvsly are two apps that help save and organize children’s art and school projects. Keepy allows audio and video commentary to be recorded while capturing images of a child’s artwork—grandparents and others can be invited to view the artwork, and can comment on it. They also have built-in tools to create and buy photo books and other gift items from artwork you’ve saved.

As with any company, assume it will go out of business one day and that your data will be lost. Keep a digital copy somewhere, or you can also print them out for a photo book.

Custom Printing
If you don’t want to print the artwork through apps, you can either have your smartphone photos printed at Costco or other stores, or go to a custom printing company such as Plum Print to have your photos professionally organized and printed into a book.

Make it Public
If you want to share your children’s art beyond friends and relatives, Artsonia is an online and worldwide student art museum. Upload the artwork to the Artsonia mobile app and you can share it with the world. Not only will your child’s grandparents be bragging about their artwork, but the rest of the world might too.

The Art of Hanging Artwork

 

Hanging artwork is an art—literally. Too high, and the room feels off balance. Too low, and, well…you get the idea.

One of the most common mistakes homeowners make, according to Apartment Therapy’s Eleanor Büsing, is hanging pieces at the wrong level. To help you spruce up your place with properly placed artwork, Büsing offers the following tips:

Establish eye level. Eye level in most houses is approximately 57 to 60 inches from the floor. All artwork, regardless of orientation, should be hung so that the center (not the top or bottom) of the piece is at eye level.

Coordinate with orientation. The orientation of the piece—landscape (horizontal) or portrait (vertical)—should coordinate with the wall space it’ll hang on. The area above a sofa, for example, is horizontal, so the artwork should be oriented landscape.

Portraits can be hung in horizontal spaces, however—the trick is to hang them side by side so that they appear as one horizontal piece. The opposite also applies: Landscapes can be hung in vertical spaces, so long as they’re stacked one on top of the other.

Align varying sizes. A complementary duo or trio of artwork in different sizes should be hung in alignment with the pieces’ center points—this means that the tops of some pieces will be higher than others. Avoid aligning them by their tops or bottoms.

Stay uniform. Multiple pieces of artwork hung improperly can make a room seem cluttered and cramped. Make a gallery uniform by arranging the pieces in a precise grid format with matching frames, or by hanging one “anchor piece” at eye level and hanging other pieces outward from there.

Whichever of these tips you use, consistency is key. Keep eye level in mind as you hang artwork throughout your home to maintain a sense of flow.

Reasons to Cook at Home More Often

 

Some people are overwhelmed by the idea of preparing their own meals, while others are tired after work and stop at a restaurant or order takeout for convenience. Cooking at home is a better choice, and it doesn’t need to take up a lot of time or add to your stress level.

Save Money
Meals prepared at a restaurant will almost always cost a lot more than ones made at home. If you have food delivered, you’ll also have to pay for delivery and a tip. If you make meals yourself, you can buy ingredients on sale and prepare extra so you’ll have leftovers for another dinner or to take to work for lunch.

Save Time
If you go to a restaurant, you’ll have to drive there and back and wait to be served. On a busy night, you may be starving by the time your meal arrives and realize you would’ve been better off whipping something up at home.

You can prepare meals your family loves in large quantities when you have the time and freeze the leftovers. Then, if you get home late or have a particularly stressful day, you can heat something up and have a delicious homemade dinner in minutes.

Eat Healthier
Restaurants tend to use a lot of salt, sugar, butter, oil and other unhealthy ingredients in their food. That can lead to weight gain if you eat out a lot. If you have diabetes, high cholesterol or food allergies, it can be hard to eat healthy at a restaurant. Some establishments are willing to make changes to accommodate customers with dietary restrictions, but others aren’t.

Restaurants also tend to serve portions that are too large for the average person, which can lead to overeating. At home, you can control portion sizes.

Explore Limitless Options
Sometimes you have a craving, but no local restaurant serves that particular dish. At home, you don’t have to choose from a limited menu. You can make whatever you want, whenever you want, and you can alter it to suit your own tastes.

Relax and Learn New Skills
Cooking at home can be fun, whether you do it yourself or with family members. You can explore unfamiliar recipes and ingredients and learn new methods of preparing old favorites.

Even if you don’t know how to cook now, there are plenty of cookbooks, TV shows, and online articles and videos to teach you everything you need to know. You may be surprised by what you can master.

Try Cooking at Home More Often
Preparing your own meals at home can save you money and time and improve your health. Many people also find preparing their own meals an enjoyable way to unwind and spend time with loved ones. If you currently eat out or order takeout most nights, make an effort to prepare more meals at home so you can see the benefits for yourself.

3 Ways to Deal With Extra Money After Paying Off Debt

 

If you’ve paid off your debt, you owe yourself a round of applause. It’s a rare feat, and one that should be celebrated—in moderation.

Now that you have extra money coming in each month, the first thing you’ll want to do is have a plan in place so that you don’t turn around and find yourself right back where you started.

Here are three things you can do with your money to set yourself up for continued success in the future:

Start an Emergency Fund
Some of the debt you paid off may have come from emergencies: a hospitalization, a car or household repair, or even a job loss.

To better position yourself for an emergency in the future, work on putting away three months of expenses in an emergency fund at your bank. From there, build up to six months to a year of savings so that you can still pay your bills if you lose your job. If you’re out of work for any period, you’ll want to have enough money to pay your rent/mortgage, transportation and food costs, utility bills and other essentials.

Save for Retirement
Saving for the future may not be at the top of your list, but you’ll thank your past self when you reach retirement age and can comfortably retire because you contributed the maximum amount to your retirement account when you could.

As you should do with an emergency savings account, be sure to automate your retirement contributions each month. Check with your employer about how to do this, and increase your 401(k) contributions each month.

Put It in a College Fund
If you have children or plan on having some, starting a college savings account (529 plan) can be a great way to invest in the stock market to help pay for college. Money from the account can be used to pay for qualified expenses such as tuition and books.

Saving for college early—just like anything else—allows you to earn compound interest and more money than you might otherwise.

This article is intended for informational purposes only and should not be construed as professional or legal advice.

Quick Tips for Keeping Your Home Looking Spotless

 

Nobody likes to spend hours cleaning house–and, sometimes, there are few hours to spare. Yet some people seem to have a knack for keeping their homes looking spotless even when the time spent cleaning is minimal.

Country Living Magazine polled home bloggers and other busy women to come up with several little tricks that help keep a home looking spiffy:

Take your shoes off. Shoes carry in dirt and germs. Train the family to remove them when coming in the door–and put up a cute sign in the entryway asking visitors to do the same.

Make the bed. Even if the bedrooms are not picture-perfect, a neat bed makes the space look pulled together.

Squeegee the shower every time. It only takes about 20 seconds, and it keeps the glass looking clean and bright.

Clean the bathroom sink. A quick swipe with a baby wipe will keep your sink sparkling. Keep the wipes handy under the sink.

Wipe down kitchen counters. To avoid using harmful chemicals, keep a spray bottle filled with a homemade solution of one part vinegar with three parts water. It cuts through grease and easily removes fingerprints from stainless steel appliances.

Clean up as you go. When cooking, clean up the pots you’re finished with, mixing bowls and extra ingredients as you work. The goal is to have nothing much left to do after dinner but to put your plates in the dishwasher.

Do a five-minute cleanup before bed. Get the whole family to pitch in. Five minutes before bedtime, pick up the dog toys, newspapers and personal items; hang up jackets; put away the mail; and put things back in their place.

Put your clothes away. Almost every master bedroom has one chair that starts off empty on Monday and ends up covered with clothes by Friday. Before you go to bed, put dirty clothes in the hamper and put the clean ones away.

Open a door or window. Letting in fresh air at every opportunity is a good way to help keep your home feeling fresh and breezy.

With these quick tips and some discipline, you can keep your home looking spotless.

7 Tricks to Becoming More Productive

 

If you’re struggling to maintain a productive schedule, or finding that tasks are left undone at the end of the week, you may be able to hack your way into heightened productivity. Below are seven tricks for you to try out.

Dive in first thing. Start your day right by diving into a tough task first thing when you’re fresh, then taking a break for email or social media check-ins. This sets a tight pace for your day, rather than starting with emails or social media, which sets off a slower pace.

Get competitive. Competition is a great way to boost productivity, but you can achieve this result by being competitive with yourself. Can you beat your own time? Can you finish before your deadline?

Set a reward. Set a reward like a fun walk with friends, a coffee date or catching up on your favorite series once you’ve completed your task. However, make sure to hold yourself accountable so you can’t cash in on your reward if you didn’t do the work. If you struggle with this, enlist a friend or spouse to help hold you accountable.

Talk to yourself. Motivational talk doesn’t need to come from an outside source. Practice a few motivational phrases using “you” instead of “I” and find one that resonates, like “You got this!” Whenever you’re in a slump, say it to yourself.

Set up procrastination time slots. You know at some point in the day you’ll want to look at social media, online shop or peruse the menu for that new restaurant downtown. Set yourself two or three 15-minute time slots for procrastination, and that’s it.

Block social media. There are several apps you can install to temporarily block social media access from your phone or desktop. This will stop you from habitual distractions, like cruising Facebook every 20 minutes.

Try the one-task trick. If you’re really struggling to get on the productivity bus, tell yourself you can quit for the day after you slash one large item off your to-do list. Chances are, you’ll feel up for a few more tasks once that one is done. If not, at least you managed to cross something off your to-do list.

Quick Tips for Keeping Your Home Looking Spotless

 

Nobody likes to spend hours cleaning house–and, sometimes, there are few hours to spare. Yet some people seem to have a knack for keeping their homes looking spotless even when the time spent cleaning is minimal.

Country Living Magazine polled home bloggers and other busy women to come up with several little tricks that help keep a home looking spiffy:

Take your shoes off. Shoes carry in dirt and germs. Train the family to remove them when coming in the door–and put up a cute sign in the entryway asking visitors to do the same.

Make the bed. Even if the bedrooms are not picture-perfect, a neat bed makes the space look pulled together.

Squeegee the shower every time. It only takes about 20 seconds, and it keeps the glass looking clean and bright.

Clean the bathroom sink. A quick swipe with a baby wipe will keep your sink sparkling. Keep the wipes handy under the sink.

Wipe down kitchen counters. To avoid using harmful chemicals, keep a spray bottle filled with a homemade solution of one part vinegar with three parts water. It cuts through grease and easily removes fingerprints from stainless steel appliances.

Clean up as you go. When cooking, clean up the pots you’re finished with, mixing bowls and extra ingredients as you work. The goal is to have nothing much left to do after dinner but to put your plates in the dishwasher.

Do a five-minute cleanup before bed. Get the whole family to pitch in. Five minutes before bedtime, pick up the dog toys, newspapers and personal items; hang up jackets; put away the mail; and put things back in their place.

Put your clothes away. Almost every master bedroom has one chair that starts off empty on Monday and ends up covered with clothes by Friday. Before you go to bed, put dirty clothes in the hamper and put the clean ones away.

Open a door or window. Letting in fresh air at every opportunity is a good way to help keep your home feeling fresh and breezy.

With these quick tips and some discipline, you can keep your home looking spotless.

How to Spot an Investment Scam Before It's Too Late

 

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. And when it comes to money, these words may be hard to remember if someone is offering a financial return that sounds too good to pass up.

According to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), some of these types of investment fraud are called Ponzi schemes, where new money pays off early-stage investors to create the false appearance that investors are profiting from a legitimate business. Without a constant flow of money from new investors, Ponzi schemes eventually collapse.

If someone approaches you with an investment, here are some red flags to be aware of:

High rate of return that’s guaranteed with little or no risk. Every investment has some degree of risk, and those with higher returns typically involve more risk. There is no such thing as a “guaranteed” rate of return.

Overly consistent returns. Investment values go up and down over time, so be suspicious of an investment that continues providing positive returns regardless of overall market conditions.

Limited-time offer. If a sales pitch says that the offer is only available for a limited time or only for a special group of people, this should cause concern.

Free offers to get you in the door. Salesmen can try to build trust by offering a free trinket or lunch at a seminar that they say only a few select people are invited to. While the seminar may be listed as an educational event, you may be asked for money at a later date. The freebie is being used to gain your trust so that you’re more willing to open your wallet when the time comes.

You don’t understand the investment. If the investment is so complicated that you don’t know what you’re investing in, stay away. All of the information about the investment should be readily available and include filings with the SEC. If the financial professional won’t make documents available, walk away.

Unlicensed sellers. In addition to the investment not being registered with the SEC or state regulators, look out for investment professionals and firms that aren’t licensed or registered with the federal or state government. Securities laws require it.

Difficulty receiving payments. If you don’t receive a payment or have difficulty cashing out of your investment, be wary. Ponzi scheme promoters routinely encourage participants to “roll over” investments and may offer even higher returns on the amount rolled over.

5 Strange Household Items to Clean With

 

Did you know you can clean your home with toothpaste? How about ketchup? Whether you want to avoid using harsh chemicals, ran out of cleaner and don’t want to take a trip to the store, or are just looking to get creative with what you have, below are five strange items you can clean your home with.

Toothpaste. Do you notice hard water stains on the exterior of your home or car windows? A little toothpaste can take care of that. Choose a non-gel variety, squirt a bit of paste onto a clean, damp rag, and rub in a circular motion to remove the stains. Wipe down with a clean, wet sponge or cloth to remove paste residue.

Ketchup. America’s favorite condiment also makes a terrific cleaner for brass, jewelry and silver. Why? The tomatoes in ketchup up its acetic acid content to around 4 percent.

Olive oil. Is your coffee or dining room table riddled with rings from cold or warm beverages? Buff it out with a mixture of olive oil and salt, and remember to stay patient. The mixture can take several hours to take effect.

Vinegar. There are myriad ways to use white vinegar to clean your home. Make a mixture of half vinegar, half water to clean your walls, counters, shelves, fridge, and more. Have a pesky clogged drain? Skip the harsh chemical-ridden products. Simply dump two tablespoons of baking soda down the drain and follow it with a cup of vinegar for a fizzy, clean effect.

Salt. Salt, especially when combined with an acid, makes surfaces sparkle. Use salt and lemon juice to buff your stainless-steel appliances. Because it’s absorbent, salt is also a natural odor eliminator you could sprinkle in your stinky, post-workout sneakers.

Do these strange, yet inexpensive, household cleaning tips sound intriguing enough to try out around your home? If so, have some fun!

How to Take Care of Your Wood Furniture

 

Quality wood furniture can last a lifetime and is often a treasured heirloom, passed down through multiple generations. Still, even the highest-quality wood is susceptible to scratches and abrasions if not properly cared for. Here are a few tips to keep wood looking its best for many years to come.

Don’t Mistreat Furniture
To avoid rings and heat damage, always use coasters when setting glasses or mugs on wood tables, and never place hot food directly on them without the protection of a trivet or potholder. Incorporate decorative placemats or a tablecloth to protect your dining room table from food and drink spills.

Avoid Environmental Damage
Sunlight, heat and other environmental factors can wreak havoc on your fine wood. Don’t place valuable furniture in front of uncovered windows, vents or fireplaces, as the light and heat can damage and fade the wood.

Keep Your Wood Clean
Airborne particles can build a filmy layer on wood that scratches the surface. Frequent dusting keeps this buildup from happening. If you have a spot that’s heavily soiled or sticky, never use all-purpose cleaners, which can cause damage to the wood’s finish. Wipe it down with a damp cloth using water and mild dish detergent. When using commercial wood polishes and sprays, always buff well to avoid a dull, sticky film.

Treat Wear and Tear
Even with the best care, wood furniture can sustain injuries. For minor nicks and scratches, use a polish or touch-up stick to hide abrasions and restore the wood’s inherent beauty. If damage is too extensive to be treated this way and you aren’t quite ready to give up your treasured fixture, you may need to resort to something more drastic. Re-staining or painting a piece of damaged furniture could breathe new life into it and give it several more good years.

Re-Oil Dry Wood
If furniture has been stored and becomes overly dry, you may need to re-oil it. Begin by cleaning it with Murphy’s Oil Soap or another appropriate cleaner, and then prepare the surface with #0000 steel wool, always working with the grain. Liberally apply your furniture oil, and let it soak into the wood for about 15 minutes. If you’re going to apply a protective coating, let your furniture set for at least 24 hours before proceeding.

Keep Wood Smelling Fresh
Sometimes older pieces will develop an unpleasant odor, especially if they’ve been stored. You can sprinkle the surface with baking soda to freshen it up and place a pan of charcoal inside drawers to absorb smells that emanate from inside. You can even leave the piece outside in a shaded area on a warm, dry day to give relief from a malodorous stench.

Taking proper care of your wood furniture isn’t hard or even that time-consuming, and the reward for your effort will be a home filled with beautiful pieces that look and feel as good as the day you got them.

Source: Megan Wild/RISMedia’s Housecall