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Life / 2022 Winter Home Edition


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  • How To Secure Your Home When You're Away

    Dec 1, 2022

    Vacation often serves as a well-deserved break from the hustle and bustle of daily life. When relaxing and recharging away from home, the last thing vacationers want to think about is the safety of their homes and everything inside them. However, the National Council for Home Safety and Security and Statistics Canada estimate that more than two million burglaries occur in the United States and Canada every year. That underscores the importance of protecting your home at all times, including...

  • Protect Landscapes Over The Winter

    Dec 1, 2022

    Landscapes are vulnerable to the elements during the cold weather months. Everything from de-icing products to hungry animals to the weight of snow can affect trees, shrubs and other plants. Just because certain greenery will go dormant during the winter doesn’t mean landscape maintenance ends when the mercury dips. Homeowners can take certain actions to winterproof their properties and safeguard landscapes so they recover more readily when spring arrives. Utilize barriers and deterrents When resources are scarce, animals will be on the hunt f...

  • When Did Christmas Lights Become So Popular?

    Dec 1, 2022

    Holiday lights are now everywhere come the holiday season. Private homeowners tend to hang the holiday lights outside their homes around Thanksgiving weekend and keep them up through New Year’s Day. Though it might seem like a tradition without a deep history, decorating a Christmas tree with electric lights can be traced all the way back to the nineteenth century. In 1882, Edward Johnson, who was a friend and colleague of the man who invented light bulbs, Thomas Edison, replaced candles, which had traditionally been used to briefly light C...

  • How To Pet Proof Your Home When Decking The Halls

    Dec 1, 2022

    The holiday season is a special time of year. Many factors combine to make the holiday season so unique and festive, and that includes all the effort people put into decorating their homes. Much thought is given to holiday lighting arrangements and which tree to buy, but it's equally important to consider pets when decorating. Many common household pets are naturally curious, and that curiosity can make it difficult to decorate safely come the holiday season. But various pet-proofing strategies...

  • Fire Safety Protocols To Keep In Mind When Holiday Decorating

    Dec 1, 2022

    Decorating the interior and exterior of a home is a beloved holiday season tradition in millions of households. Such decor makes it easy to dive into the festive nature of the season. Many people could not imagine a holiday season without decorating their homes, and it's vital that celebrants do so safely. Fire safety is especially important during a time of year when string lights and potentially dried out trees feature so prominently. These fire safety tips can ensure this holiday season is...

  • Keeping Children Safe During the Holiday Season

    Dec 1, 2022

    The season of holidays is upon us! From Christmas to New Years, the next few weeks are packed full of cooking (and eating), gift-giving, celebrations, and possibly no small amount of stress. For many families, holiday time can also include traveling to visit friends or relatives. Safe Kids Pennsylvania (SKPA) wants every family to know the simple things you can do to stay safe over the next few months, so it’s one less thing you have to worry about: Safety on the Road Carbon Monoxide. If you are warming up a vehicle before using it, don’t for...

  • Simple Ways To Involve Kids In Holiday Decorating

    Dec 1, 2022

    Millions of people across the globe feel that the holiday season is a magical time of year. Though those people come from all walks of life, it's likely that no group is as taken by the unique spirit of the holiday season as much as children. Whether they're looking forward to Santa's arrival or preparing for a school holiday pageant, kids have much to be excited about come December. Parents can channel that enthusiasm by involving kids when decorating around the house this holiday season....

  • Build A Budget That Works For You

    Dec 1, 2022

    Financial trends come and go, and it appears as though one approach to finance that industry professionals have long touted is having a moment. According to Debt.com, 86 percent of the more than 1,000 respondents who participated in the site's annual budgeting survey admitted they budget their spending. That marks a roughly 16 percent increase since 2019. Each person's budget will be different, but that doesn't mean people need to take wholly unique approaches to building a budget. In fact, a conventional approach to budget-building can help...

  • A Homeowners' Guide To Ice Dams

    Dec 1, 2022

    Cold weather contributes to many different conditions that can affect homes. When winds are blowing fiercely, homeowners may soon discover deficits in insulation or in caulking around windows and doors. Icy conditions can cause walkways and stairs to become slick. One winter condition can cause extensive headaches and damage and could be a mystery to many homeowners. Ice dams occur when warm air in the attic heats up the roof and melts accumulated snow. Water from this melt runs down the roof...

  • Tricks To Trim Your Utility Bill

    Dec 1, 2022

    A rapid rise in the cost of living was undoubtedly one of the major stories of 2022. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, energy prices rose by 41.6 percent in the 12-month period that ended in June 2022, marking the highest 12-month increase since April 1980. The significant spike in energy costs is somewhat misleading, as the BLS considers motor fuel prices, which rose more than 60 percent in the 12-month period ending in June 2022, part of the energy category. However, during that same period, electricity prices rose by nearly...

  • Christmas in the Cove Around the Corner

    KATHY MELLOTT, For the Herald|Dec 1, 2022

    It may not been a cooked goose or a plum pudding, but if it's the holiday season, many of us want to cook and have friends and family over to share holiday joy. Many are tuned into social tradition, be it food, holiday decorating, or both, but along with the anticipation of Christmas and New Year's comes the drive to entertaining and the stress that accompanies when the spotlight is turned on the home and the food. The internet is awash with holiday decorating, food and entertain ideas, from...