August home-maintenance checklist - cont.

Clean sink drains

If you’ve got a slow-draining sink, take action. First, try a homemade drain cleaner. Onthehouse.com recommends mixing a solution of equal parts of salt, baking soda and vinegar. Pour it into the drain and chase it down with two quarts of boiling water. You can use this solution monthly. Avoid chemical drain cleaners; they can damage the pipes and create toxic exposure for you and your family.

Or you can apply some elbow grease and fix slow drains by cleaning out the drain and trap  – the U-shaped pipe that’s directly under the sink. Position a bucket under the trap to catch falling water and gunk and keep a pile of rags at hand for cleaning up. This can be a messy job – you may also want to wear rubber gloves.
Loosen and remove the couplings that hold the trap to the straight pipes that run from the sink and to the sewer. You may need to use a plumber’s wrench. If the pipe is plugged, all kinds of messy stuff will fall into the bucket and must be removed from the trap. If possible, take the trap outside and shoot a stream of water from the hose through it. Rinse it out thoroughly. Use a snake or wire from a coat hanger to remove built-up debris from the pipes.

Also, pull out the sink’s drain plug to clean it. The plug pops up and down in the sink. It is attached to a rod and lever that are held to the back of the drain pipe by a nut. Pull out the rod by unscrewing the nut. Clean the drain plug and remove any gunk that’s in the pipe, then reassemble the plug. Reassemble the trap, tightening the couplings by hand so you don’t screw them too tight. Flush the drain by running hot water for a few minutes. 

August home-maintenance checklist - cont.

Pamper the lawn

Homeowners can’t successfully emulate the tightly trimmed golf-course look because they don’t have a golf course’s budget and army of maintenance professionals. Instead, the best thing you can do to achieve a good-looking lawn is to mow frequently and high (three inches or more – or just set your mower blades as high as they’ll go). This discourages weeds and trains the grass to grow in thickly. High, frequent cutting encourages roots to grow deep and retain water, so you’ll need to water less frequently. Let the clippings fall onto the lawn to add nourishment.

If you’ve been watering the lawn this summer, keep it up: Water infrequently but deeply, giving it an inch to an inch and a half of water each time (measure by putting an empty tuna can on the lawn). Water early in the day to avoid evaporation — not at night, which invites disease. You’ll know it’s time to water when your footprints don’t spring back when you walk across the grass, when the grass gets a blue tinge or when you can’t easily push a screwdriver or steel rod into the soil.
If your lawn has turned brown, don’t try to rescue it by watering now. That’s hard on the grass plants and a waste of water. It’ll come back when the rain starts in the fall.

The best time to fertilize depends on your climate and the grass type in your lawn. In general, avoid fertilizing during extremely hot weather or periods of drought. Do not use products with nitrogen when your lawn isn’t green – it can encourage weeds. Start thinking about fertilizing at the end of this month and consult professionals who sell lawn-care products or call your local home-extension service (Wikipedia links to state cooperative extension services here) to get advice on what to use and exactly when to use it. August is the perfect time to root dandelions out of the lawn using a long-handled forked tool or with judicious use of an herbicide.

August home-maintenance checklist

Fend off pests outdoors, pamper lawns, keep drains flowing, clean grout and maintain water heaters this month.

There are many reasons – fire protection, air circulation, drainage, attractiveness and safety — to keep the outside walls of your home clear and free of debris. One more compelling reason is that piles and stacks of tools, lumber, ladders, yard waste and toys create a haven for spiders, rats, mice and wood-boring insects. Take an hour to circle your home outside, removing anything touching the siding. Donate, discard or store what you’ve removed. (Bing: How much do pest control services cost?)
Firewood is one common hiding place. Stacking it under the eaves of the house keeps it dry, but there’s a price: The wood creates a home for spiders and invites them into the house. Also, wood piles trap moisture against the siding and prevent circulation. If left long enough, the dampness could rot siding or trim. Instead, store firewood at least two feet from the house and 18 inches above the ground. Keep it dry by building a little shelter over the top of the pile.
In addition, discourage pests by clearing out vegetation under decks that might give them a safe place to hide. And pick fruit from trees as soon as it is ripe. Keep the ground clean under fruit and nut trees.

Seal garbage cans tightly. If you’ve had problems with rats, dogs or raccoons getting into the trash, make sure the cans have tight-fitting lids. Tighten the lids by linking a stretchy tie-down from handle to handle. Knot it to shorten it if necessary. Buy or build a small enclosure for your cans.

Wash and rinse items you intend to recycle. Keep them waiting for disposal indoors or in a sealed enclosure. If you store pet food in a garage or carport, keep it in containers with tight lids. (Read “Three tips for keeping your home rodent-free.”) Also, if your bird feeder is attracting rats, get rid of it. To see if you’ve got “four-legged birds,” shine a light on the feeder in the middle of the night or in the wee hours of the morning.


Don’t let water sit around your yard or garden; it breeds mosquitoes. Change the birdbath and wading pool water at least weekly. Toss water out of pet dishes, flowerpot saucers, cans, buckets and anything else lying around that collects rain. Keep gutters clean.

Cash-saving tips that pay big bucks - cont.

Raise the deductibles

The average individual annually spends $4,704 on health insurance premiums, according to the Kaiser Foundation; $1,954 is spent on car insurance premiums, according to RateWatch auto insurance; and $804 is spent on homeowners insurance, reports the Insurance Information Institute. That's $621.83 per month on insurance premiums alone.  Smart spenders can sidestep some of those premiums by raising their deductibles.How much you save is going to vary from policy to policy, but it does pay to go back and see where you can trim some fat.

What it's worth: According to ConsumerReports.org, raising your homeowners insurance deductible from $250 to $1,000 can save you a sweet 25 percent. That's $201 alone. Assuming that raising your deductible could lower your other two insurance bills by a modest 10 percent, consumers can save $866.80 per year on average.

• A one-time deposit of $866.80 grows to $2,392.
• Annual deposits add up to $21,782 in 15 years.

Time the vacations

Saving money means scouting hot vacation deals.For example, Nicaragua, the whole trip -- airfare and tours -- only cost  $500 each. That's what happens when you vacation somewhere cheap in the off-season.
On top of saving on airfare, those who leave their hometown when nobody else does can also save anywhere from 20 to 50 percent off hotels and tourist activities. Combine that savings with discounts from online promotional codes, and consumers can travel much cheaper this year.
What it's worth: A study conducted by Visa shows that the average consumer plans to blow $1,654 per person on their summer vacation. Flip that vacation from summer to winter, factor one-fourth off hotel, airfare and entertainment, and that $1,654 drops down to a $1,241 vacation budget, for a $413 savings.

• A one-time deposit of $413 grows to $1,139.
• Annual deposits of $413 add up to $10,378.

Negotiate

The art of haggling is alive and well. Staunch advocates of negotiating for good bargains, say that you can get breaks on everything from plumbing to preschool simply by asking.It especially works if it's a local vendor that operates on reputation or you've been a loyal customer. Even if you were to miss two (credit card) payments and you are good and loyal customers, they often waive any fees.
What it's worth: You can't put a number on this one. You might be able to save an extra $360 per year on preschool bills, but amateur hagglers may not be so lucky. While there's no guarantee that haggling will pay off, it couldn't hurt."

Cash-saving tips that pay big bucks - cont.

Communicate cheaply

Always look for ways to maximize savings, such as cutting the phone bill. After switching from a local phone service to Vonage last year, one person pocketed an extra $240, or $20 per month. Thanks to broadband Internet phone systems like Vonage and Skype -- a service that allows free member-to-member calls and long distance for a penny per minute -- thrifty consumers can all but forget about footing landline bills.What it's worth: Households that eliminate a landline and stick with cell phone plans can cut $30 per month out of their utilities budget, and those who trade cell phones for broadband phone systems can save even more. Shove $40 per month, or $480 at the end of the year, in a tax-favored savings plan for 15 years, and here's what happens:

• A one-time deposit of $480 grows to $1,324.
• Annual deposits of $480 add up to $12,062.

Weatherize the house

Your kid's college fund could be flying out the window. Consumers save 3 percent on their heating bill for every degree they turn down the thermostat. They also lose money by not replacing the weather stripping around their windows, washing clothes in hot water and not insulating pipes around their water heater.What it's worth: It depends on location. In states with moderate weather year round, tightening the insulation screws may have little effect. For those living in more extreme climates, simple steps like installing heating and air conditioning timers can save hundreds. According to a study by the Energy Information Administration -- the U.S. government's official source for energy statistics -- the average household spent $1,137 last winter in heat alone. Lowering the thermostat just 5 degrees in winter means reducing costs by 15 percent, or saving $170.55 after one season.

• A one-time deposit of $170.55 grows to $471.
• Annual deposits add up to $4,286 in 15 years.

Cash-saving tips that pay big bucks - cont.

Here's the payoff for switching meal plans (from my previous post):

• A one-time deposit of $3,333 grows to $9,196 in 15 years.
• Annual deposits of $3,333 add up to $83,755.

Find free entertainment

Between nights out at rock concerts, opera and theater performances, some Americans spend more on entertainment than on groceries and gasoline combined. To cut down entertainment expenses, try hunting for free events in your area and volunteer as an usher for live theater, for example.You could feasibly see at least two plays every weekend, and since tickets are $18 to $45 apiece, that's a lot of money if you wasn't ushering. "If you volunteer at 15 theaters, you could save probably $160 a month doing it.
What it's worth: I don't recommend forgoing all cultural events, but consumers who opt for free or low-cost concerts, lectures, outdoor movies and art shows even one night per weekend can easily reduce their entertainment budget by $50 to $100 per month. For purposes of our calculation, let's split the difference and assume savings of $75 a month or $900 a year for 15 years.

• A one-time deposit of $900 grows to $2,483.
• Annual deposits of $900 add up to $22,616.

Use the public library

Home entertainment costs can be considerable if you add up cable television, satellite radio, video games and movie rentals. Young recommends getting familiar with the public library. In addition to carrying books, magazines, audiobooks, films and CDs, libraries frequently offer free children's events, language programs, financial literacy workshops and performing arts events to cut your budget down further. If the library in your area is scant on resources, check out what's on campus at the nearest college or university.What it's worth: According to the School Library Journal, the world's largest book review publication, the average cost of a new hardcover book is $26.43 ($18.02 for paperbacks). Families that buy one book per month and rent two to three movies at $4 to $5 a pop can easily run up a $30-per-month tab or $360 annually.

• A one-time deposit of $360 grows to nearly $993.
• Annual deposits of $360 add up to $9,046 in 15 years.

Bargain shop

When buying luxury items, save some cash doing it. For many bargain-hunters, that means using bartering sites such as Craigslist to find used goods and seeking out promotional codes for discounts on all other online purchases.Try using sites like Chainlove.com (an online bike supply store) a lot that only list one item at a time, but for 50 (percent) to 90 percent off. If you can't find something at a one-deal-at-a-time shop,  comparison shop at places like Bizrate.com and Pricegrabber.com to see if I can get a discount.

What it's worth: Making 75 percent of all purchases through online discounts, you can estimate that you could save $40 a month simply by shopping around for deals. Because you can get everything from pencils to plane tickets discounted online, price-comparing families could shave $50 to $200 off their spending budgets each month.

• A one-time deposit of $600 to $2,400 amounts to $1,655 to $6,622, respectively.
• Annual deposits of these amounts add up to $15,077 to $60,310, respectively.

Cash-saving tips that pay big bucks

The expression "a penny saved is a penny earned" doesn't cut it these days. But saving a few dollars here and there can add up, particularly if you park the money in a high-interest-bearing savings account or, better yet, a tax-favored vehicle such as a 529 plan or an IRA containing a mix of investments that offer higher returns over the long run.
OK, so 10 percent annual returns from the stock market may seem far-fetched after the recent market mayhem. But we contend that it's not unreasonable to expect 7 percent annualized returns from a conservative blend of bonds and stocks over a period of 15 years. These are the assumptions we used below to calculate how the few bucks you squirrel away today can turn into big-time savings later.

9 ways to save big bucks:

1. Form a cooking co-op.
2. Find free entertainment.
3. Use the public library.
4. Bargain shop.
5. Communicate cheaply.
6. Weatherize the house.
7. Raise the deductibles.
8. Time the vacations.
9. Negotiate.

1) Form a cooking co-op

Sure, cooking is cheaper than eating out, but a daily home-cooked meal simply isn't an option for many full-time working parents. Ginny Bowie, vice president of a Richmond, Va.-based financial securities firm and mother of three, solved her scheduling and budgeting dilemma in one swoop by forming a cooking co-op."Every Tuesday night, I cook dinner for three families besides my own, which is about 18 to 20 people, and deliver it to their door," Bowie says. "Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, the three other families cook for me."
Bowie's Web site and DVD, "If it's Tuesday ... it's my night 2 cook," contain recipes and tips for starting a co-op. She says cooking in bulk has cut her grocery bill in half and practically eliminated her need for eating out.

What it's worth: The average household spent $6,133 per year on food -- $3,465 on groceries and $2,668 on meals away from the home -- in 2007, the most recent year for which data are available from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. We suspect food prices soared in 2008, but let's use these numbers anyway. Assuming that a co-op could reduce the grocery bill by half and lower restaurant expenses by, say, 60 percent (factoring in the occasional meal out), families could save $3,333 per year by going co-op.