The holidays are typically marked with all sorts of festive decorations, but perhaps none is more prominent and attention-grabbing than a Christmas Tree. When it comes to decorating your tree, you don’t necessarily have to break out the same old decorations year after year.

To change things up this year, try any one of the following Christmas tree decorating ideas.

1. Spray Paint the Tree

You’ve probably seen cotton candy-blue or bubblegum-pink trees in storefront windows or mall corridors. If you think a brightly colored tree is something that would fare well in your home this holiday season, all you need is a can of spray paint to make it happen. Rather than searching far and wide for that perfectly-hued tree, it’s a lot easier to create your own with a simple can of spray paint from your local hardware store.

Paint the entire tree in full, or go a little more subdued by spraying just the tips of the branches. Just make sure to use a non-toxic paint (especially if you’ve got children or pets running around), and don’t start decorating until the paint has thoroughly dried.

2. Match the Theme of the Room

When choosing a color scheme for your tree, consider blending it in with the rest of the room that it’s in. If you’ve got steel blue and burnt orange throw pillows and accents in your living room, add these same colors to the tree. Likewise, if gold and silver tableware is scattered on your dining room table, these same metallics can be incorporated on your tree to create a sophisticated statement piece that could literally stick around in your space all year long.

3. Match the Gifts Beneath

You can shift gears with the matching strategy and make your tree’s decor follow the same color theme as the presents tucked underneath. If you’re doing all the gift-wrapping this year, consider using paper and all the trimmings in a specific color theme that can be extended to the tree itself. By using the same festive ribbons and bows on both the gifts and the tree itself, you can create a cohesive and uniform look throughout your space.

4. Light the Tree With Faux Candles

When Christmas trees started to become popular in the 1800s, people didn’t have the convenience of plug-in light strings. Instead, they placed lit candles on the trees to light them up. Of course, this is hazardous to do indoors, but you can mimic the look of the traditional tree by placing battery-operated candles all over it to capture the essence of Christmas past.

5. Group Small Ornaments Together

To add some visual interest to your Christmas tree, gather all those small ornaments of similar size, shape, and color and group them into clusters. Pin them deep inside the branches as well as on the tips to create some depth to the tree’s decor. These bundles of ornaments will look more grandiose compared to leaving them on their own.

6. Store Your Candy on the Tree

Christmas is definitely a time of presents and eggnog, but it’s also a time for festive candy. All those candy canes and candy corns that you collect over the holidays don’t have to be stored away or left on table tops. Instead, you can use them as decorations for your tree. Candy has a unique playful and fanciful effect on trees, and if that’s the look you’re going for, don’t hesitate to use them as part of your overall decorating theme.

The Bottom Line

There really aren’t any restrictions when it comes to how you choose to decorate your Christmas tree this year. Whether you’re looking for something more traditional, subdued, vibrant, unique, eclectic, or whimsical, the options are seemingly endless when you put your imagination and creativity into it. Try any one of the above Christmas tree decorating ideas to create something different this year.

Looking for a new home? Before you sign on the dotted line, you’re going to want to have a chance or two to scope out a few homes in detail first. That means you’ll either want to schedule a private showing, or visit an open house. But which route should you take to find out if that home is right for you?

Let’s dig deeper to find out which of the two is a better approach for you when you’re ready to buy a house.

The Open House

If you’re not ready to buy just yet, and aren’t sure about exactly which neighborhood you want, open houses can be great.

Open houses can be an effective way to chat up the listing agent and find out important information about the home, and even the sellers. You might be able to find out why the sellers are moving in the first place – whether it’s a job relocation, divorce, or other reason. If you discover that the seller is highly motivated, you may have more negotiating power when it comes to wheeling and dealing on an offer.

Open houses can give you access to a lot more pertinent information than you might think. Besides getting to stroll around every room of a home and scoping out all the details, you can also get a sense of the competition that you might be facing and get a grasp of prices in the area.

Assessing the type of traffic might be tough to figure out, however. If there are tons of people venturing in and out of the house you happen to be in too, it could mean that there is some serious interest in that particular property, and that you may need to think about whether or not you should be putting in an offer before someone else does. On the other hand, the traffic could be just a bunch if nosy neighbors or people who enjoy spending their Sundays having a gander at how others live.

The Private Showing

When it comes to really getting a sense of what a home is like, you’ll ideally want to have a private showing scheduled. That way, you can take your time looking about without having to be distracted and interrupted by hoards of traffic.

It’ll also give you a chance to speak frankly about the property with your agent, come up with a strategy for submitting an offer, and ask all the pertinent questions about the place that you might be apprehensive about asking with others within earshot of your conversation.

Scheduling a showing also allows you to see the exact house you want, when you want (for the most part). There’s no need for the home buying process to be a gamble – instead, you can schedule a showing for a particular home you are interested in, during a time frame that’s more convenient for you.

Private showing allow you the freedom to really explore a home, which you usually can’t do during an open house. It would be sort of awkward to crawl into attic spaces or turn on faucets and flush toilets with a bunch of strangers around. With private showings, you can eliminate this concern.

At the end of the day, whether or not an open house or private viewing is better than the other depends on how serious you are about buying. If you’re half-hearted about purchasing, then start off with an open house or two. But of you’ve already scoped out a bunch of listings and have gained a focused sense of what you want, and you’re ready to make the move, private showings are absolutely the way to go.

Just the mere thought of having to pack the entire house and move it all to a new destination can seem like a daunting task. And it can be if you don’t plan ahead and use simple yet effective strategies to ease the burden. Here are 8 savvy packing and moving tips to make the haul a cinch.

Throw Junk Out – Don’t Pack it

Keep this golden rule in mind before you pack certain items: if you haven’t used it over the past year, you most likely never will. If that’s the case, there’s no sense in packing these never-used items and moving them into your new home, only for them to just take up precious space for nothing.

Most likely, the home you’re moving out of has accumulated quite a bit of ‘stuff’ since you’ve lived there – odds are, a lot of it doesn’t have to be dragged along with you. Instead, create a pile for donation, and a pile for the trash. Getting rid of unused things will drastically cut down on the time and effort needed to pack and move all of your belongings on moving day.

Wrap Your Delicates in Clothing or Towels Instead of Bubble Wrap

Any fragile items – such as glassware, dishes, porcelain figurines, etc – will obviously need extra care and padding when storing them for the big move. But rather than using bubble wrap for this purpose, consider using clothing instead.

First of all, bubble wrap can get pretty expensive, especially with the hoards that you’ll be needing. Secondly, your clothing and linens need to be packed anyway – why take up extra space with bubble wrap when your clothes can serve a purpose?

Use Bags Instead of Boxes

How much space do boxes take up in a moving truck? A lot. How expensive are they? Very. Consider using durable bags instead of boxes when possible.

Not everything in your home is square-shaped and fits perfectly inside a box. Rather than counting on boxes for all of your belongings, throw some bags into the mix. And if you’ve got any suitcases, use these to pack large and bulky items, like your comforters, pillows, and sweaters, which tend to take up a lot of space.

Use Clear Bins For Essential Items

Think about all the items that you’ll need the first day and night that you’ll be in your new home. Things like your toothbrush, shampoo, phone charger, laptop, and other items will be needed within hours of moving. Skip the frustration of looking through every box by storing these must-haves in a clear plastic bin to help you find things a lot easier and faster.

Take Photos

You’d be amazed at how quickly you’ll forget how certain shelves were arranged, such as your glasses and dishes. Your shelves may be stacked and organized so perfectly in your old home, but this arrangement will be tough to copy after you’ve taken everything down and stuffed them into moving boxes.

The same can be said for your electronics – taking photos of the cords on the back of your TV and other gadgets will make it a lot easier to remember where they all belong. This will save you both time and hassle.

Don’t Leave Important Documents With the Mover

Crucial papers, like your passports, birth certificates, bank statements, purchase agreements, or any other paperwork with sensitive information on it should be kept with you, and not the movers. These are the last things that you want to go missing during the move.

Leave the Garage Empty

You’ll probably be tempted to fill the garage or attic at your new place with all your boxes that you moved from your old house. Do yourself a favor, and resist this temptation. While your intention may be to deal with them ‘at some point’ in the near future, this usually tends to turn into ‘never.’

Just like we said earlier – if you can go months – or longer – without using certain things, it’s safe to say they can be discarded. If not, you’ll be parking your vehicle on the driveway.

Color Coordinate Your Boxes/Rooms

Labeling boxes is a classic moving trick, and it’s an absolute must. But you can make things even easier on yourself by color coordinating the boxes for each room in the house.

For instance, assign blue for the master bedroom and orange for the kitchen, and so on.

Use colored stickers on each box near the number you’ve designated for each. Once you get to your new home, place a matching sticker on each room’s door. That way the movers will know exactly where each box goes when they finally get there.

Moving isn’t exactly glamorous, nor is it simple. But you can definitely take steps to make it as stress-free and easy as possible so you can spend more time enjoying your new digs.

Owning and maintaining a home doesn’t come with an instruction manual, though it would be great if it did. After you’ve found the home you love and moved in, the real fun starts.

But sometimes the fun can be rudely interrupted by certain scenarios that can put the home – and even you and your family – at risk.

Here are a few things all homeowners should know about in order to avert an emergency in the house.

Know Where the Shut-Off Valve is

Whether the toilet is overflowing, or the pipes are frozen, the water supply to the house needs to be shut off immediately. You should probably shut the water off completely if you’re going on vacation for more than a couple of days.

You’ll need to know exactly where the shut-off valve is in order for you to cut off the water supply. While it may typically be in the basement, it can also be located in an underground utility box or outside wall in warmer climates.

Once you’ve located it, make sure that it works properly. It should be turned clockwise to stop the water flow into the house. A good idea would be to test it two or three times after you first move into the home to make sure it actually works.

In the case of a burst pipe either under a sink or beside the toilet, you should first shut the valve off directly at these sites to minimize damage in those immediate areas.

Know How to Stop an Overflowing Toilet

Aside from this being pretty nasty, an overflowing toilet can cause serious water damage to the immediate surroundings and the structures below. Usually these scenarios happen when the bowl is slow to drain and clean water from the tank rushes in too fast.

If the bowl is filling up, don’t run away. Instead, immediately lift the top of the tank, grab the black rubber float, and pull it up. This will close the valve that allow the clean water in the bowl, which should ideally give you enough time to shut the water source off.

Label Your Circuit Breakers

You’ll definitely need to fiddle with the breakers on occasion. As such, it’ll be a lot more helpful if you know exactly which breakers work specific outlets, light fixtures, electronics, and appliances.

First of all, you need to know exactly where your breaker box is. Once you’ve found it (usually in some sort of utility space like the laundry room or storage room), label the breakers accordingly. You’re probably going to need some help in this department, so make sure you’ve got your partner or a pal to help identify what fixtures each breaker controls.

Start by turning them all off, then test each one at a time. Once you’ve got this info, write it down directly beside each switch. Be sure to identify where the main switch is too, which shuts off the power to the entire house.

Know How to Operate a Fire Extinguisher

Many times a house fire can be stopped right in its tracks with the use of a fire extinguisher. Just make sure your home is equipped with one.

To effectively operate this life-saving piece of equipment, it might help to write down clear, simple instructions on the actual canister. The first thing you need to do is pull the pin for it to be ready. After you aim the nozzle at the fire, squeeze the trigger and spray the agent from side to side to extinguish the fire.

Remember that the average fire extinguisher only consists of approximately 8 seconds of fire-squelching agent in it, so use this tool wisely.

Keep an Emergency Kit Handy in the Home

Certain emergencies may force you to remain in your home for a long time – perhaps even days. And many times the conditions aren’t exactly comfortable or safe. Perhaps your area has been caught in a massive snowstorm that has blocked you in and knocked the power out. Or perhaps your home is the victim of destruction from a hurricane or earthquake.

Whatever the situation is, you should be prepared for anything and everything, and that means having a disaster kit readily available. Consider adding the following items to this kit:

• Water (about one gallon of water per person per day for a week)
• Food (non-perishable)
• Radio
• Flashlight
• Batteries
• First-aid kit
• Blankets
• Whistle to signal for help
• Cell phone with power banks for charging

If it’s within your budget, you may even consider buying a generator that will be able to power up some of the more necessary appliances, like light fixtures, a stove, or space heaters.

You can never be over-prepared for an emergency. Taking the time and effort to prepare your home before disaster strikes can save both the home itself, and your family.

It would be nice to be able to trust your contractor’s word when you’re having work done on your home, but a written contract really is the only way to go. Having everything in writing can ensure that every party involved fully and clearly understands what is expected of them. It keeps the job running smoothly and ensures that everyone agrees on what should be done and when.

A written contract with all pertinent details will also protect you should you ever have to seek compensation for a job that was not done as promised. Be sure that your contract includes all of the following elements before you sign on the dotted line.

1. Detailed Description of the Job

Before any contract becomes binding, make sure that it lists in detail all of the specific tasks involved in the project, the materials that will be required, and the associated costs with each.

The contract should also specify that the contractor will apply for and obtain all of the required building permits to legally and safely carry out all the tasks, and that all debris from the demolition will be disposed of appropriately. In addition, make sure the contract specifies that all workers involved are covered by liability and workman’s compensation insurance.

2. How Payments Will Be Made

Obviously, the contract should include the total price for the work involved. But it should also detail exactly when increment payments should be made, how much each payment should be, and how you should be paying the contractor. Usually, an initial deposit is required, which should not be any more than 10% of the entire cost of the project.

Then, further installments will be paid after each milestone has been reached, such as after the drywall has been installed, after the flooring has been laid, and after the kitchen cabinets have gone up. The last portion of the final payment should only be provided after the job has been fully completed to your discretion.

3. Start and End Dates of the Project

You’ll both want to know when the job will be started and roughly when it will be completed in order for you to fit it into your schedules. The end date shouldn’t exactly be written in stone to allow for certain unexpected circumstances; however, it shouldn’t be so far off the original completion date, either. Be sure that these dates are written into the contract.

4. How Changes to the Project Will Be Dealt With

It’s common for home renovation projects to encounter unforeseen situations that can warrant some changes to the original plan. It’s important to anticipate such scenarios, and have a plan in place on how to deal with them.

It should be noted that no changes should take place until the contractor has received written approval from you. Only then should a “change order” take place, which outlines what changes need to be made and any associated costs. 

5. Lien Waivers

Various workers who come onto your property to do work – including plumbers, electricians, drywall tapers, painters, etc – can claim that any work they did on your home was never paid for, even if your contractor did indeed receive payment for the work.

Having a “lien waiver” written into your contract for every installment payment made can protect you from these individuals placing a lien on your property. Every invoice for every payment made should include a signed statement proving that any payments you made to your contractor were in fact used to pay off all the workers involved.   

6. Written Notice of Your Right to Cancel Without Penalty

You may have entered a contract with a contractor to have certain work done on your home, but what if you change your mind at the last minute? What if something comes up that derails your plans for a home renovation?

Luckily, you can back out of your contract without any penalty within three business days of signing it. Having an “escape clause” included in the contact means you can cancel the deal within three days without losing your deposit.

7. Warranty

Having a warranty for all the work done in your home will provide you with reimbursement should something go wrong with the workmanship. Usually, these warranties are for no less than one year. Make sure the name and address of the person or company who will honor the warranty are included in the contract, along with the exact date that the warranty starts and ends. 

8. Signatures

This may sound obvious, but make sure both you and the contractor sign the contract. It won’t be legally binding without these signatures. 

The Bottom Line

Your contract is a crucial element to any home renovation job. It makes sure that each party holds up their ends of the bargain, and protects all parties involved, especially you. Make sure your contract includes all of these elements in order to protect you from any shady behavior from your contractor, and provide you with some recourse should you be defrauded in any way.