Managing Home Maintenance Costs

As gasoline prices continue to rise there is more and more focus on how to save money on gasoline with your car. We have not even hit the summer months yet and already gas prices are pretty high and the expectation is for the price per gallon to go even higher. We decided to do a series on how to save money on gasoline since it hits the consumer’s pocket-book so hard and it is also related to the tires that you have on your car.

Over the spring, the price has risen continually and while this is really what has prompted us to write this series of posts. However regardless of what the price is, anytime you can save some money why not, so if even if the price decreases, why not try to continue saving some money.

Save Money on Gasoline Usage

In this post we are going to list many of the common sense things that you should be doing. Focus on making sure that you are getting the maximum mileage you can from the vehicle you drive. If you want to improve even further, then you probably need to change vehicles. Purchase one designed to provide a higher mileage per gallon rating.

Here is our list, let us know if we have missed anything:

• Follow your car’s maintenance schedule
• Use approved gasoline
• Keep tires at recommended tire pressure at all times
• Avoid jack rabbit starts and stops
• Drive at the speed limit
• Maintain a clean engine air filter
• Change the engine oil regularly
• Plan your trips
• Combine errands

There are a number of myths that we have recently read about that we wanted to include as part of this post about how to save money on gasoline.

• Over inflate your tires to improve gas mileage
• Fill your tires with nitrogen
• Fill your car’s gas tank in the morning when the fluid is cool and more dense
• Open windows are more of a drag than running your air conditioning
• Shift into neutral when going downhill
• Change your air filter regularly

 More Details

Over inflate your tires to improve gas mileage: Tests have proven that there is virtually no difference in fuel economy. There is a loss of control and maneuverability with over inflated tires as well as the tires may overheat and explode

Fill your tires with nitrogen: Also no savings on gas mileage. Nitrogen is more inert and will maintain proper tire pressure better than regular air.

Fill your car’s gas tank in the morning when the fluid is cool and more dense: Gasoline is stored below ground in tanks which is at pretty much the same temperature all day long so no savings here.

Open windows are more of a drag than running your air conditioning: They both cause about the same drag on gas mileage, so you may as well be comfortable.

Shift into neutral when going downhill; Has no impact since the engine is still running and still burning gasoline.

Change your air filter regularly: Regular checks by your mechanic will be sufficient to let you know when it should be changed. If it is dirty he will tell you it needs changing.

Hopefully these ideas will assist readers regarding how to save money on gasoline. Please leave comments on any additional ideas that you may have.

For more ideas about reducing your gas consumption, click here.

The debate is only beginning regarding recharging electric vehicles in condo buildings. On the one side is the condo board and the owners. They do not want to subsidize individual owners who want to charge their electric vehicles nightly. Even though they live in the building and they are willing to pay for their usage.

Then there are the various government agencies who are promoting clean vehicles and electric vehicles. Of course there are also the auto companies who want to sell more of these vehicles. For example any obstacle is a potential deterrent to increased sales. They are very concerned about resolving these issues. Some cities are just beginning to add charging stations for electric only vehicles.

Recharging Electric Vehicles

A recent article in a local newspaper reported on this particular issue. In our opinion was skewed on one side of the discussion. Hence this is what really prompted us to add our comments to the argument or discussion about who pays for the electricity in a condo. Or for that matter in an apartment building were the electrical costs are shared by all of the owners.

Recharging Electric Vehicles – What are the Issues?

Perception is that all owners would be subsidizing the few electric vehicle owners in the building who use electricity to charge their cars. For example this is easily countered by the car owner paying for the electricity based on a measured or calculated value.

People do not understand how electricity is priced and used and how much it actually costs. This is also easily demonstrated by an expert who can demonstrate what the real costs are.

Governments not addressing recharging issues. We have gas stations all over the place. We have electric systems all over the place. What we do not have is a way to deliver electricity to electric vehicles. It is very difficult to address this issue. Could we put a meter on the car that calculates how much electricity is really used?

Electrical Infrastructure

An issue that the newspaper article ignored all together was the electrical infrastructure. In the example in the newspaper, the condo building is 40 years old. It has one outlet in the garage. Which one of the owners was using to plug in his electric vehicle. What do you do when there are 2 or 3 more vehicles? One outlet on one circuit will not support more than two cars and may not support more than one car depending on the amperage rating of that circuit. Who will pay for the upgrade to the condo’s electric wiring system? This can become a very expensive issue. It should be shared or paid for the owners of the electric vehicles?

A condo built 40 years ago will have an electrical distribution system suitable for that time. This was before flat screen TV’s in every room, computers for each resident. As well as various other electronics, a variety of appliances that did not exist at the time etc. As a result the electrical load now may be taxing the system to the point were you have to spend major money. For example upgrading the electrical panel, the distribution system in the building. Perhaps even the entry cables into the building.

Fear Mongering

Some people might say that we are just fear mongering and against electric vehicles. This is not the case at all. In fact we would like to purchase an electric car in the future when the prices are a bit more reasonable. The condo board would actually be remiss in its duties if they just allowed this owner to connect his car to the electric grid.

We think that the condo board should place a temporary band on the connection and recharging of electric cars. They should arrange for an assessment of what is needed. In addition also what the impact would be of connecting one car up to perhaps a maximum of 10 cars to the system in the condo. This would include upgrade costs as well as electricity usage costs. Armed with this information, they would then be in a position to decide on the best course of action for all owners.

Send your thoughts and opinions

Your opinions and thoughts on this subject would be useful to our readers. We are willing to even approve links to your own web site in return for a well written comment. Hence it should contribute to this issue and hopefully long term resolution of what to do about connecting electric vehicles to a common electric grid for recharging.

Should you hire a Certified Property Manager? Or someone who is offering the services of a property management firm? Many people every day are trying to figure this out. It usually comes down to what the services are going to cost. What you actually get for the money you are going to pay this Certified Property Manager. Consumers do want to hire professionals. They want to hire people who are honest and will not rip them off. After all you are asking a stranger to look after your home, one of your most prized possessions.

What does it mean when you have hired a certified property manager? Usually it means they have attended some courses on property management at a local college. Hopefully they received a diploma from that college and they belong to an association of property managers. Some people reading this may react and say well so what. It does not mean they have the experience to manage a property. They may not even be able to do a good job. Should you look for a certified property manager or for a company that has lot’s of experience with certified property managers working for them?

Certified Property Manager

We happen to think that you should hire someone who has both. Having been on the board of several condominiums we have dealt with many property managers. We have found like all industries there are some good ones and then there are those that really will never do a good job.

We even had one company who paid us lip service. Said they would do everything we asked and then did absolutely nothing at all. We had to fire that company and it was a difficult time for all concerned. Since you then must hire a new property management firm, transfer all of the records over and then get to know your new company. All of this must be accomplished in a less than friendly environment with the old company that you were dealing with.

Hire Experience

Always hire a property management company with experience and one that operates in a professional manner. Look closely at the fees and also the services you receive for these fee’s. Do you get the reports that you need to not only manage the condo or apartment building properly, but to also manage the property manager and assess the job they are doing?

You should also make sure that they have a certified property manager on staff so that in addition to experience, they are also up to date on the latest property management laws and consumer rights. Many states and provinces have consumer rights in place to protect the renter. You do not want to run up against some bureaucrat with unlimited resources who tells you to rescind a rent increase for example that you need to run your business.

Certified Property Managers are Good at Theory

Training is always good and it is important to have. However as with all training until you get out in the real world and face some of the issues that consumers throw at you, no amount of training can really help. Training may prepare you for what to expect, however it cannot tell you what to do in every situation. There are just too many variables and that is also why you must also get experienced property managers as well to manage your home, your condo or your apartment building.

Comments are welcome, especially regarding any experiences you may have had in the property management field that may assist our readers. Build a requirements list and match various property management companies against this set of requirements. Interview several and make up your mind based on the facts and not how well you may have gotten along with the representative. Sales is easy, doing the actual work is more difficult and you will need to be working with the people who actually do the work.

The cost to install a hardwood floor can vary a great deal depending on the material you choose. It will also depend on the condition of the floor area you are covering and how much work you are willing to do yourself. Always ask for a hardwood floor installation estimate from qualified installers.

You will have several estimates to compare and you are considering installers that know what they are doing. In addition a high cost area will be the stairs and especially a curved stair way. Placing hardwood on the stairs can sometimes cost as much as a full room.

Hardwood Floor Installation Estimate – Costs

We are going to discuss each of these issues in more detail to give you some idea of what you can be looking at when it comes to making a decision regarding a hardwood floor installation.

• Preparing your Space for a New hardwood Floor
• Choosing your Hardwood Floor Material
• Install a Sub floor (if needed)
• Installing the Hardwood Floor
• Installing the Baseboards
• Clean Up

Preparing your Space for a New hardwood Floor

This portion is definitely a possible do it your self part of the work, however many people will opt to have someone do this for them so it is included in the estimate. You will need to ask for preparation to be included and you will need to be specific about what you want done.

• Moving furniture to another room
• Removing all wall hangings and pictures from the room
• Removal of current floor covering including carpet & under pad
• Disposal of carpet and under pad
• Clean up of bare floor, vacuum of the floor and the hot air vents
• Removal of any staples or nails that may be protruding

Choosing your Hardwood Floor Material

We will not say too much here about the material other than the obvious. You will need to purchase sufficient material for the area you are covering with some extra due to bad cuts etc. There are so many possible materials that all we can say is select something that is durable and is pre-finished to minimize the work and the upkeep once installed.

Installing a Sub floor (if needed)

As part of your hardwood floor installation estimate,  most installations will need a sub floor installed to minimize squeaks when people walk across the floor. This is usually half inch plywood that is screw nailed into the existing floor. At the minimum, you will want to screw nail the existing floor to all joists to minimize the possibility of any squeaks once the hardwood is installed.

Installing the Hardwood Floor

A reputable installed can install the floor for you, including the unfinished baseboards. Always obtain several estimates as well as references from people you trust before accepting one company or another’s estimate.

Installing the Baseboards

Your estimate should also include installation of the baseboards to completely finish the room. The baseboards may only have the primer coat on them and you will be expected to apply the final coat of paint unless this is something that you also would like included in your estimate.

Clean Up

Installing a hard wood floor creates a lot of mess. Also a lot of dust not only outside but inside your home as well. Consumers can definitely do all of the clean up inside of your home. However the contractor should be doing a minimum cleanup. For example removing all unused pieces and vacuuming all dust from inside your home in the work areas.

Before you move the furniture back into the room, all of the walls and the floor need to be thoroughly cleaned. Remove all dust that was created. If you had someone move the furniture out of the room initially, make sure you complete all dust removal before moving the furniture back into the room.

There is lots of work that the home owner can take on themselves. Including even the installation of the hard wood. It is important to be clear when you are asking for a hardwood floor installation estimate what is to be included and what is not included in the estimate.

Comments are welcome about your estimates of hardwood floor installation and how you may have saved some money.

Save

Our web site is all about saving money around the home and how we can do things ourselves. I read an article recently that discussed the reasons that we spend money and it occurred to me that if we were able to manage the urge to spend money better we would probably be able to save more money for some of the things we consider higher priorities in our life.

So I decided to write this post based on some of my own experiences. The basic premise is that your child hood experiences with money often have a huge impact on how you manage money as an adult.

Child Hood Spending Habits

Your childhood spending habits have more impact on your spending habits as an adult than you know. If you were careful with money growing up, then today you are probably the same way as an adult. On the other hand if you spent every cent that you earned or were given as a teenager, then there is a really good chance you are still doing the same or close to it. Old habits are hard to break for many people and this is one that can have significant impacts well into your late adult years. There are lots of other examples we could discuss. Each person needs to examine their own experience as a child growing up to determine what is influencing their spending habits the most.

There are lots of theories about why this phenomenon is true, however the reality is that you are still spending all of your money every pay check. Taking control of your finances and managing your money so that you have funds for some of the things you need or want to do later in life is in your best interest. In the writers situation, we never had a lot of money and to this day I hate to part with a cent and I am very upset if I feel that I am getting ripped off.

Examine Why You Spend Money

You also need to focus on why you do some of the things that you do. For example if buying something new makes you happy, then you need to give some thought about how to control these feelings and the reasons why you spend this money. Not having nice new things as a child might drive you to buy lots of new things as an adult. Having your allowance stolen, might mean you feel you need to spend it before it is gone. These are all child hood experiences that sometimes carry through into our adult years and we need to understand them and get control of them.

Influencing Your Children

We did the usual thing with our kids. This included giving them an allowance and we gave them pretty much everything they needed or wanted. We did not give them a TV set in their bedrooms or a cell phone or a car when they were teens. We wanted them to make these purchases themselves and in doing so set their own priorities. They tend to make different decisions when they have to balance their own decisions about how they are spending their money vs. their parents.

We also taught them about saving and how their money could increase through generating income. We bought shares in their names for them and for every birthday and Christmas we would add more shares. I also talked to them about the 10% rule of saving 10% of their income. As a result they added to the purchase of shares and now they both have a nice little nest egg and the 10% rule continues to be followed for them.

Repairing, Doing Without and Delaying Spending

There us another habit from my child hood that continues to this day and a reason why I am making posts to this web site. My family always would try to repair something that broke first before throwing it out and purchasing a new item. In fact it became a challenge to see if an item could be repaired instead of throwing it out. Of course you always need to evaluate whether it costs more to repair vs. buy new!

There is the question of Need vs. Want. We all think we need things. However most people when they really looked at something they are considering purchasing, might have to admit it is something they want vs. need. If it is something you want, then there is a decision to be made. Can you do without that item? Or can you delay spending the money on that item? If you answer the question honestly, you may be able to save yourself a great deal of money.

Summary of Spending Habits

• Examine your childhood spending habits
• Assess what habits have carried through into Adult hood
• Asses which habits you can change
• Develop a plan that changes habits and gets control of your spending
• Start by saving 10% of your income
• Can you repair damaged or broken items
• Delay your purchases
• Can you avoid your purchases
• Evaluate your needs vs. your wants

Let us know your thoughts and comments by leaving comments on this post. Additional ideas are also welcome as well if they will help our readers get control of their finances and savings.

Save

Have you ever noticed that the signal level on your mobile phone is not as strong when you are indoors? Some places are worse than others. Even your home is not immune to this problem. You can be outside on the driveway, walk into your house and find that the signal level has decreased. The person you were talking to can no longer hear you or at the very least the signal is breaking up. There is an indoor signal coverage solution for this problem. However for most people it just is not economic.

Hotels and Big Box Stores – Indoor Signal Coverage Solution

Sometimes it is in a hotel that has the same problem. Or perhaps one of those large box stores that are almost everywhere. These big box stores are in fact the worst places to be as far as cell phone or mobile coverage. They are steel framed and they are clad with steel sheeting in some cases or at least steel re-enforcing bars. This acts as a huge attenuator for the mobile signals. You just cannot get good coverage when you are inside these buildings.

Solutions for Indoor Coverage

Fortunately there are indoor signal coverage solutions to this problem although it does cost money to fix the problem. Essentially the owners of these buildings must install repeaters that will capture the signal outside and then rebroadcast the same signal outside. The same is true in the reverse. This system must pick up the signal indoors from the cell phones and rebroadcast them outdoors to be picked up by the cell towers that dot the landscape.

It is actually a lot more complicated than that, but this is the general idea. Store owners will be willing to do this only if  there is an advantage for them, i.e. it brings them more business, otherwise there is no incentive for them to even consider this kind of expense.

The carriers are the group that might consider installing this equipment. However there has to be an advantage for them as well. In this case they want their customers to have more connectivity which will generate more income for the carrier.  If you carrier does not see a significant increase in increased calls, text messages or data transmission, they will not be interested in developing and installing this type of solution either for indoor signal coverage solutions.

Consumers also must be aware that each carrier must implement this sort of indoor signal coverage solution for their customers, since each carrier uses a different frequency so one system will not support another carriers customers since they operate on a different frequency.

So for the most part, consumers are going to be stuck with this problem until carriers build out their networks further with stronger signals in some cases and more towers as well as small cell sites, including indoor coverage solutions. If you have experienced this problem, leave us a comment. Maybe one of the carriers will take note and focus on this major issue for consumer mobile coverage. For more information about wireless coverage indoors, click here.

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