Tag: entertaining

Our 5 Best Yard Sale Tips

July 20, 2018

Holding a successful yard sale is fairly straightforward, but subtle differences in timing, signage and pricing can all have a big impact on how well-attended and lucrative your efforts are. Here are a few yard sale tips to help you stay organized, stay sane, and of course, make as much extra cash as you can. 1. Think outside the box when it comes to advertising. There’s nothing wrong with advertising your yard sale via classic hand-lettered signs—in fact, we encourage it. But you should also extend your reach to get the word out. Try advertising on your local Buy, Sell, Trade group on Facebook and on sites like garagesalefinder.com. You can also place an ad in your local newspaper and hit up bulletin boards at the local library, community center and other well-trafficked areas in your town. When you do go to make hand-lettered signs the day of your sale, be sure to use flashy poster board and large, bold lettering that can be read by someone 200 to 300 feet away. Be strategic about where you place signs and make it easy for anyone driving to be able to pull spot the news and find their way to your

Opening Your Pool for the Summer: A Definitive Checklist

May 16, 2018

Opening the pool for summer can certainly seem like a daunting task. After all, you just never know what you might find under that cover, and it’s easy to let your imagination run wild. But we promise it’s not so bad! We’re here to give you a quick refresher course and break down the process into manageable chunks. All you’ll need is a friend to help you, start-up chemicals and a list of items you should have on hand from your pool’s previous season: Get your start-up chemicals ready. Most pools will need their chemical makeup adjusted after being dormant all winter, so a trip to your local pool supply store is probably in order. You can buy a start-up kit for about $30 that contains everything you need, including algaecide, water clarifier, chlorine, pH increaser, pH decreaser, metal sequestrant, alkalinity increaser and calcium hardness increaser. Depending on your pool’s size and unique chemical composition, you may need to go back for an extra dose of one or more of the above. Clean off your pool cover. Chances are, your pool cover is holding standing water, leaves and other debris. This is where your pool cover pump and soft broom

10 Barbecue Safety Tips That’ll Save Your Eyebrows

May 11, 2018

Grilling out is the quintessential summer pastime, up there with baseball and slip n’ slide. Outdoor grills have become a common appliance (61 percent of households own a gas grill and 41 percent have a charcoal grill), so it’s not surprising that we tend to take our safety for granted when we use them. When you think about it, though, grills can be dangerous—in fact, gas and charcoal grills cause over nine thousand home fires per year. The good news is, mishaps like these are easy to avoid if you follow a few simple barbecue safety tips! 1. Keep the grill away from your house. This may seem like it goes without saying, but seriously, keep your grill away from the house. At least 10 feet is a must, but even more if you can. The last thing you want is a gust of wind blowing stray embers at your siding or up into the gutters. Also, be aware of pergolas, trees or other things above your grill, and move it so you’re cooking out in the open. 2. Keep your grill stable. You’ll also want to make sure that your grill is placed on a level, hard and stable