How To Make Your Rental Home Feel Like Your Own

Tired of feeling like a stranger in your rental home? Although living in a house that doesn't belong to you may leave you with a long list stating what you can and can't do to the property, there are many ways in which you can personalise the house and make it at least feel like your own.
Below are some tips on how to feel at home in a rental house. Although it is very seldom that tenants find their dream home within a rental property, small changes can make a big difference. Unlike many buyers who purchase their home with the intention of altering the existing property, most tenants do not want to embark on costly renovations to a property that ultimately does not belong to them.

Before deciding to make any permanent alterations to the rental property it is essential to either check the terms within the lease agreement or to discuss proposed plans with the landlord. If the planned renovations will make the house more valuable in the future, the owner may encourage the remodelling. Should the landlord oppose the renovation plans, tenants need to accept the property for what it is and save their renovation plans for when the time comes to purchase their own property.

One way to feel at home in your rental home is to give it a fresh coat of paint. After discussing it with your landlord, put your mark on the house by painting the rooms in your favourite shades. Hanging pictures of loved ones and friends from the walls will instantly make the area feel like home. Just remember that in many cases, the landlord will want the tenant to leave the house the same way it was found- therefore the walls may need to be restored to their original colour, with any new holes in walls to be filled in and painted over. If the landlord does not give permission to paint the walls, bright decor such as curtains, cushions and rugs can help to brighten up the space.

When living in a rental house, it is the perfect opportunity to invest in some great pieces of furniture, as these will instantly personalise the space and transform the house into an area in which you are comfortable in. Items in the house that can be easily removed, such as light fittings and door handles, can be replaced with ones more tailored to the tenant's likings and style.

The tenant must however ensure that these items are refitted when the time comes to leave the property. If the alterations being made to the rental home are well planned, tasteful and professionally carried out, when it comes time to vacate the property there will be a minimal amount of repair work required and you will not risk losing your deposit.

By Holly Janion 

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7639145

Steps To Surviving Economic Collapse

Step One: Get educated. Don't rely on the mainstream media for accurate and unbiased information. Start looking around at independent news sources. Open your mind. Don't let your predetermined positions filter the information. Look at the trends, dissect the facts. A favorite tactic of the government is to change formulas when calculating economic indicators.

Challenge the figures. Check out wheat the results would be using the same calculations used when the metric was introduced. You'll be sickened at the deceitful and misleading tactics called information.

Step Two: Deduce worst case scenarios. Make sure you take your blinders off and confront it head on. Your family depends on it. What is the worst that could happen? To help you understand, look at areas of the world affected by hyperinflation, epidemics, civil unrest, and government tyranny. Look at how the people were affected. Then, start putting those scenarios in your neighborhood, city, state, and country. These worst case scenarios will be the foundation to survival.

Step Three: Make plans. For each of your worst case scenarios, make a plan. Will you stay at home or go somewhere safer? How will you travel? What will you do when you get there? How will you live? Can your family actually perform the plan? Is Grandma in a wheelchair and you plan on walking to cousin Fred's through the woods. Make it real and make it doable.

Step Four: Prepare for life. Once you decide where you'll end up waiting out the disaster, you'll have to plan on living. What will you eat? How will you wash? Is there clean water available? Make sure you refer back to your worst case scenarios. Without electricity water and sewer are sure to fail. Your plans should address cleanliness for disease-free living. An illness during a state of collapse could be a death sentence. Address security concerns. What will you do when confronted with the unsavory element coming to take your food, water, wife, husband, or children? Can you defend yourself? Can your family members defend themselves? If you purchase firearms make sure all family members know how to use them well and use them safely.

Step Five: Be realistic. If part of your plan relies on hunting for food make sure you have an appropriate weapon and know how to use it. Hunt before you need it to learn how. It is not as easy as people think. Fishing is the same. The time to learn gardening, fishing, animal husbandry, and hunting is not when your life depends on it.

Step Six: Get your family members involved. Start practicing by living a sustainable lifestyle.
Follow these five steps and you'll be way ahead of the rest of the crowd when disaster strikes. It is only a matter of time, not IF.

By Kelli A Otting 

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7624492

Food For Families - Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

Hunger is on the rise in America. Food stamp, or SNAP, usage reached 46.7 million in June, 2012. With this record-high number of families receiving assistance, it's no wonder that many are looking for information on qualifying for, and receiving, this benefit.

Qualifying for SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) means that your household must meet specific requirements. Income guidelines apply, as do resource limits, employment verification, and information on all household members applying for benefits. Age, disability, and immigration status can also affect your eligibility.

The income requirement guidelines include both gross and net limits. Your household income must fall within the ranges specified for your household size, unless there are extenuating circumstances. Some of these circumstances may include elderly or disabled household members, deductions allowed, or receipt of other benefits. Income qualifications can be extensive and confusing. For most households, it is best to speak to someone at your local office. Web-based help is also available, at the USDA-SNAP website.

Resource limits also impact eligibility for SNAP. Your personal belongings and home are exempted, but your car is considered a resource, as are any bank accounts, stocks, bonds, certificates of deposit, burial plots, or a host of other assets. These resources cannot total more than $2,000 in most cases. If they do, your household will not qualify for assistance, unless a member of the household is elderly or disabled.

Your household will also be subject to specific employment requirements. Pay stubs or employer verification will be required, if you are currently employed. This will be required of all employed members of your household. There are also employment requirements for currently unemployed, able-bodied members filing for benefits. You must be conducting a job search, willing to accept retraining, and able to take advantage of any job placement opportunities that may be offered to you.

There are limits to the benefits you can receive if you do not meet these requirements. Your benefits will be for no more than three months in any 36 month period.

Special consideration is given to the elderly and the disabled. SNAP requirements for able-bodied adults are very different from those for the disabled and elderly people. Understanding all the restrictions and exemptions for the elderly or disabled can be quite difficult, and it is recommended that you contact a worker at your local office if you fall into these categories. Benefits are also available for immigrants, but this eligibility depends on your status. It can't hurt to check and see if you qualify.

By JS Alexa 

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7672922

Getting Your Kids To Clean Their Room

Kids can be quite messy at times and they hate it if someone tries to clear up their things around the room or ask them to do it. Parents find it very difficult to get their kids to clean their rooms. Below are a few ways that can help you get your kids to clean their rooms.
Start Early

Children start learning habits at a very early age. If, as toddlers, you never trained them to clear up their toys after playing, they will certainly never clear up after themselves. You have to start training them and ingraining in their minds the importance of cleanliness, at a very young age. If they develop it as a habit in their early years, they will not find it difficult to clean their rooms when asked. Also, they will be less messy so they will not have much to clean after themselves.

Delegate Responsibilities
If your child is about four years old, you can delegate small and easy tasks to them like picking up their toys, or putting their dirty clothes in the hamper. As your child grows, you can increase the responsibility and give them other work around the house like setting the table or clearing it or cleaning up their own room.
In case there are two or more than two children in a house, divide the duties among them fairly. Make sure that the chores are age appropriate and each chore is carried out.

Give them Credit!
This is very important to keep your children motivated and encourage them to help you out. Praise and reward your kids from time to time to keep their spirits up. Recognize their efforts and appreciate them for their work. If children feel that helping around the house and cleaning their rooms is actually important work and that they are being praised for their hard work, they will do it with more fervor and enthusiasm.

Help them out
Children get bored very quickly. If you have asked them to clear their room and they lose interest in it after a while, go and help out with them. Engage them in interesting conversation while you work and before they realize it, the work will be done.
If the cleaning involves vacuuming and moving furniture, you can ask your children to lend a hand while you work as they will not be able to execute such difficult tasks by themselves.

By Jonathan Bergstein 

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7657784

Leaving A Home After Foreclosure

For most a foreclosure is not something that you ever plan to deal with or think that you will. However it is something that people all over the country are having to deal with all the time. If you tried to avoid the foreclosure but did not have any success here are a few tips you should follow when leaving your home.

As a homeowner and even as a renter, you have rights. If you are going through a foreclosure, there is no need to panic or leave the house immediately when you get the foreclosure notice. You are entitled to leave the home in a dignified manner and to give yourself the chance to move on with your future. You can't always avoid foreclosure, but you can retain your dignity.

1. Check with the bank or lending company to see if they are offering an incentive for leaving the house in order. Many homeowners are angry when leaving their home after a foreclosure notice and may decide to destroy the house, take the appliances to sell, or leaving messes for the bank to clean. The incentives being offered are usually several hundred dollars; think about how that money would help you during this time and leave the house in order. According to a recent article in CNBC Financial Times, these incentives can range from $1000-$20,000 towards a fresh start.

2. Pack ahead of time. From the time you receive the notice until you actually have to be out of the house can vary by state and bank, but you can choose to be prepared. By organizing and cleaning out your belongings ahead of time, you can move in a calm and rational manner. If you wait until you have a tight deadline, you may feel overwhelmed and unable to pack efficiently. This can lead to poor packing, broken items, and including items that you could very well sell or give away. In a study done by MSN real estate, most people could purge their homes of 30% of items and not notice a difference.

3. According to the real estate site, Trulia.com, only the bank can tell you when to vacate the house. You are able to stay in the house until an actual eviction is filed. This basically means that you could have several weeks or even months before the bank will take possession of the house. If you are out before that day, you can move out in a dignified manner, just as you would had you sold the house in a real estate transaction. There is no need to leave in a dramatic rush but you also shouldn't wait until the day of eviction as law enforcement may pay a visit to the property. The best plan of action is to take the foreclosure notice seriously and plan as quickly as possible to leave the home. You don't want to wait until the sheriff shows up with the eviction notice.

4. Homeowners can take certain items from the house. There are certain things you cannot take. Before you decide to take an item, ask yourself if removing the item will render the room or accessory unusable. For example, you cannot remove the sink from the kitchen because that would mean the kitchen would not be a functioning kitchen. You can, however, remove the shelving you had installed in the office that was not present when you first purchased the house.

The idea of a foreclosure is not one that you want to deal with but in reality, it can happen to even the most vigilant homeowners. When it does, you do not have to leave the house in frenzy or wait for the sheriff to come and start throwing out your belongings. Take the time to plan and be proactive for your future.

By Melissa Gifford 

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7684297