Kitchen with wooden cabinets, a dishwasher, stove with kettle, and a laundry area with washer, dryer, and potted plant.
How Much Are You Really Saving When You Wash in Cold Water? Or Power Down Your Laptop?
Decreasing the amount of energy you expend at home isn’t just good for the environment—it can be good for your bank account, too. According to a study from SaveOnEnergy, the average American spends a whopping $1,460 a year on electricity and $421 on natural gas; numbers that are expected to rise by 2 percent in 2018. Luckily, there are plenty of simple ways to reduce your daily energy use.
Sep 27, 2017
9 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Clean With a Clothes Steamer
On top of handling wrinkled clothes, this trusty tool can tackle lots more housekeeping tasks.
Sep 19, 2017
How a Decorating Duo Would Spend $200 to Update a Bedroom
We’ve heard it time and again: the bedroom is often the last place you tackle decorating because it’s behind closed doors (and it seems more practical to devote your energy and dollars to the more public areas of your home). However, just because you’re not ready to take a deep dive into reimagining your sleeping quarters doesn’t mean there isn’t something you can do to spruce up the place in the meantime…sort of like a pre-makeover.
Sep 12, 2017
It’s Not Just You: 10 Cities Where $100K Doesn’t Feel Like A Lot of Money
While a six-figure salary might offer more than enough income to most households, believe it or not, there are still cities in the U.S. where $100K-a-year won’t get you far. For a recent report, “The Best and Worst Cities to Live On Six Figures,” Magnify Money analyzed 381 major cities across the country to see which ones offered the least financial wiggle room for two-earner households (with two adults and one child) with a gross annual income of $100K.
Sep 7, 2017
The Best Sources for Inexpensive Hardware to Revamp Your Cabinets and Furniture
When it comes to updating your old furniture, a little change goes a long way. Case in point: upgraded knobs and pulls. Even though most handles are well, hand-sized, these petite fixtures still manage to offer a ton of design potential no matter where you use them. Working with a colorless kitchen but can’t afford to paint? Switch out all of your standard cabinet knobs with splashier ones and see what happens. Sick of looking at your dated bedroom dresser but desperate for the storage?
Aug 20, 2017
Zippered Sheets: For Anyone Who Can’t Stand Changing Fitted Sheets (AKA “Everyone Ever”)
There are two kinds of people in the world: people who think changing sheets is NBD and the rest of us, aka anyone who doesn't have their bed floating in the middle of a vast room.
Aug 16, 2017
The Second Most Important Homebuying Decision You’ll Make: Tips for Finding the Best Agent for You
The wrong real estate agent—or just one who doesn’t jibe with your vibe—can cast a shadow on your whole home buying experience. That’s why it pays to know what things to look for (and the right kinds of questions to ask) when searching for a reliable real estate agent. So to help make your search a little easier, we called on William E Brown, President of the National Association of Realtors (NAR), for advice on how to find the best agent for your unique homebuying needs.
Aug 6, 2017
The Easiest Way to a Decluttered Home: The Power of One
Decluttering a home is never easy. The thought of organizing a packed hallway closet or a stuffed storage room can be exhausting enough to make you put it off for another year. But what if we told you there was an easy, foolproof way to finally get your clutter under control that won’t take more than a few minutes of your day? All you have to do is remove one thing—just one thing—from your home that you no longer need – every day .
Jul 26, 2017
The Best-Looking Bathroom Trash Cans Under $15
A good-looking bathroom trash bin is hard to find. That’s why most of them wind up stashed near the toilet or under the sink. Sure you can invest in a fancy one that looks great, but who wants to drop serious cash on something as small and well, trashy as a garbage can? Lucky for you, we did our research and it turns out the web is filled with some surprisingly sleek and inexpensive bathroom receptacles.
Jul 20, 2017
Decor Superhero: A Perfect Lighting Solution for the Bedroom
Never underestimate the power of a good wall sconce. Not only will these beauties save you tons of space, they allow you to customize a unique lighting scheme to suit your specific needs. Unlike bulky table lamps, a properly placed sconce or two can offer loads of reading light without taking up any valuable nightstand space. Because we believe in showing and telling, here are nine of the chicest bedroom wall sconce scenes we could find on the web.
Jul 19, 2017
The Cement Tile Trend is Holding Strong (& We Couldn’t Be Happier)
Some trends stand the test of time for a reason. Case in point: cement tiles. Although they’ve been making waves in the decor scene for a looong while now (historians date some versions back to the 12th Century), these beautiful tiles started to pop up inside the most design-savvy contemporary homes across the globe in recent years in a big way. And it’s not difficult to see why. Along with creating artfully polished displays, cement tiles are crafted from natural materials (i.e.
Jul 12, 2017
Study Reveals The Most Common Items that Go Missing at Home
Americans collectively spend a whopping $2.7 billion dollars every year simply replacing the items they can't find.
Jun 29, 2017
Think NYC Real Estate is Scary? This City Might Be Worse
Lately, social media is abuzz with Toronto’s insane real estate offerings: undesirable homes (in serious need of renovation and lacking ordinary amenities) selling at unbelievably high prices. Properties lacking everything from parking spaces to proper bathrooms have been selling at double and triple the asking price—with no signs of the area’s inflated costs slowing down anytime soon.
Jun 20, 2017
The Small Safety Risk Too Many People Are Taking at Home: Some Quick Facts About Home Burglaries
Many homeowners will tell you that securing their home is a top priority, however, that doesn’t mean home invasions aren’t a very real threat for Americans. According to a new survey by Eyewitness Surveillance—a commercial surveillance company based in Maryland—a burglary occurs every 13 seconds in the United States, resulting in a startling 2.5 million home intrusions reported every year.
Jun 15, 2017
3 Things Keeping You from an Ultra-Clean Bathroom
An immaculate bathroom is hard to find. Considering how much time you spend in your bathroom everyday, keeping it clean and fresh can have a real impact on how you feel. Unfortunately, even after you spend hours cleaning, bathrooms have a tendency to get grimy fast.
Jun 14, 2017
9 Ways to Take Advantage of the Space Under Your Sofa
Under-sofa organization is a many splendored thing. Not only does it provide you with extra storage room for stashing your stuff, it offers easy access to everyday items—newspapers, magazines, and DVDs—that can often get lost in living room clutter. To prove it, we’ve rounded up nine unexpected ways to maximize the space under your sofa. From DIY drawers to sliding storage boxes, each idea is designed to make the most of that small, but promising, area.
May 2, 2017
Renters on the Rise: The 21 Cities in America Where Homeowners Are Outnumbered
Nationwide, home renters are on the rise. So much in fact that according to a recent study by ABODO based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau, 36.4% of the American population is renting their household—the largest percentage the nation has seen since the 1960s. And as the number of renters continues to grow (there were 1.4 million new renter households in 2015 alone) so do renter-dominated cities. As of 2015, renting has the become the majority in 21 cities across the United States.
Apr 17, 2017
The Only 3 Things You Need to Clean Before Having People Over
We’ve all been there. It’s Friday night and after a long work week, you make it home just in time to remember that you’ve invited your friends over—gasp!—in an hour. Your sink is full of dirty dishes and you haven’t swept in days, so naturally, panic ensues. But before you pick up your phone to cancel or postpone, perhaps consider a new a plan of action.
Feb 10, 2017
The Important Cleaning Task We All Skip (But Shouldn’t)
Considering all of the different cleaning sprays and solutions available on the market, we’re surprisingly trusting of the ones we bring home. That’s why the pros have always sworn by “spot-testing”—where you sample new products by testing them out on a small area to make sure they won’t cause any damage or discoloration.
Jan 17, 2017
Selling Your Home: The 11 Most Important Spots to Declutter Before the Open House
Make no mistake about it: when you’re selling your house, potential buyers want to see everything. That means no area of your home (not even your utility closet) is safe from the gaze of a serious house hunter. That’s why it’s crucial to maximize every square inch of your place—backyard shed included—by minimizing your overall clutter.
Jan 9, 2017
Sleep Mode: Where to Buy Matching PJs for the Whole Family (& Grownup Onesies, if that’s Your Thing)
Sleepwear is a many-splendored thing. On top of being a great last-minute gift idea, a solid set of pajamas is guaranteed to keep you (and your loved ones) comfy and warm all winter long. Luckily, the Internet likes jammies just as much as we do, and while most loungewear on the market deserves some time to shine, we thought it would be fun to focus on two of our current faves: adult onesies and matching family sets.
Dec 5, 2016
The Secret to Happiness at Home is Hygge — Here are 9 Ways to Practice it this Winter
Finding the words to convey sentimental feelings can be hard sometimes. Yet, the opposite is true when it comes to the Danish term “hygge.” Although there is literally no single translation for the concept (pronounced hoo-gah or hue-gah) the Danes use hygge to describe the warm feelings of happiness, comfort, and coziness—not unlike our idea of holiday spirit—they strive to achieve during the cold weather season.
Nov 3, 2016
One-Day Warriors: Tips for Cleaning Your Whole Home in a Day
Even if you happen to be a Monica Gellar type—someone who spends their free time dusting and sweeping—spending an entire afternoon indoors cleaning is still way less fun than, well, just about anything. It’s really no wonder that so many people make a habit of putting off cleaning until it’s absolutely necessary, i.e. until you’re suffering from either out-of-town visitors or out-of-control allergies.
Oct 22, 2016
9 Signs Your Home is Cleaner than You Think it Is
Keeping your home clean and put-together is hard work. Throw a full-time job, kids, and/or pets into the mix and it’s dang near impossible. Yet somehow you manage to pull it off. Whether it’s because of daily wipe downs, weekly chores, or even monthly cleanouts, you’re making it happen—even if it doesn’t always feel that way. Chances are your place is a lot less cluttered than your headspace, and most importantly, it works for you.
Oct 16, 2016
6 Dirty Little Secrets of People Who Live in Small, Perfectly Organized Apartments
Let’s be honest: we all have a friend or family member who against all odds is irritatingly clean. Despite their studio-sized apartment space and insanely jam-packed schedule, they somehow manage to keep their place perennially—if not inexplicably—prim.
Oct 11, 2016
10 Storage Sacrifices You Have to Make When You Live Solo in a Small Apartment
Although scoring your first solo apartment can be a wonderful thing, you still have to prepare yourself for the daunting task of packing—and fitting into—a presumably much smaller place than you once shared with your roomies. The fine line between “holding onto” and “hoarding” means it’s finally time to decide which of your housewares are truly worth keeping—a process that can be almost as exhausting as moving itself.
Aug 24, 2016
Smart Tips for Avoiding “Dishues” with your New Roomies
If you’ve ever had a roommate, you know exactly what we mean by “dishues.” They’re those petty but persistent issues—think unwashed dishes, stolen Kind bars and late-night commotions—that can only come of an inconsiderate cohabiter. Though trivial, they can prove problematic nonetheless.
Aug 23, 2016
5 Plans for Efficiently Organizing Your Home’s Most Cluttered Spot
When it comes to a design-savvy home, a proper entryway is key—pun intended!—to staying organized and prepared to leave the house every day. If you’re lucky enough to have a formal foyer at home, by all means, go buy yourself an entry table or storage bench and bask in all of your front door glory. But if you’re like the rest of us—working with a tight corner or narrow hallway in place of an actual entrance—staying coordinated can be a bit more trying.
Aug 15, 2016