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Do You Have a Plan for
Home Maintenance?

Owning a home is a major responsibility. Not only do you have the obligation of paying the mortgage each month, but you also have to maintain your home so that it remains a good investment. Home maintenance is a crucial part of homeownership and can require a great deal of time, money, and effort.

Inspect your home - inside and outside - regularly. Use a checklist to help you familiarize yourself with the condition of your house and state of repair. Making minor, routine repairs helps to prolong the life of the home and may prevent the need for major repairs. An inspection also helps you plan and save for major improvements.

Plan Ahead. Various parts of the house will wear out, so you need to have an emergency fund in case your roof leaks or the water heater needs to be replaced.

Budget one to two percent of the purchase price of the home for annual maintenance and repairs. If your home or the appliances are older, you may need to save an even greater amount.

Plan ahead for major purchases. Estimate when you might have to purchase something new.

Even if you're "handy," there may be some jobs that you're not able to do or don't have the right tools for. You may need to hire someone to do extensive plumbing, electrical, or structural repairs. Whether doing the job yourself or hiring someone, check to see if there are codes or regulations that need to be followed or permits that must be obtained before you start the job.

Keep Good Records. Start a notebook and record the repairs you make or equipment you purchase. These will be valuable if you resell your home, need to document when work was done or what it cost, and help plan for future purchases.

Keep receipts, guarantees, and warranties in a file. These will also provide information in case of a problem.

Conserve Energy. Conserve energy and keep costs down by using energy conservation practices: weather-strip and caulk doors and windows, insulate the attic, install storm windows, buy energy efficient appliances.

Conduct an Inspection. Fall is a good time to conduct an inspection to get the home ready for winter. Some of the areas that need to be inspected include:

• Weather-stripping around doors and windows for damage and tightness;
• Caulking at doors, windows, and other openings;
• Vents, louvers, chimney caps and housings, and gutters and downspouts for bird nests and other debris;
• Heating system checked by a qualified service person;
• Remove window air conditioners and weather-strip window openings if needed;
• Clean and repair window wells, storm drains and remove any leaves or other debris;
• Clean humidifiers and replace the filters as recommended;
• Add insulation to walls, attic, and other areas.

Home maintenance can be expensive and time consuming. But, it can add to the value of your investment if you decide to sell your home in the future.

Things to do Before School Starts

Good physical and mental health. Be sure your child is in good physical and mental health. Schedule doctor and dental checkups early.

Review all of the information. Review the material sent by the school as soon as it arrives. Mark your calendar. Make a note of important dates, especially back-to-school nights. This is especially important if you have children in more than one school and need to juggle obligations.

Make copies. Make copies of all your child's health and emergency information for reference. Buy school supplies early. Try to get the supplies as early as possible and fill the backpacks a week or two before school starts.

Re-establish the bedtime and mealtime routines. Plan to re-establish the bedtime and mealtime routines (especially breakfast) at least 1 week before school starts.

Turn off the TV. Encourage your child to play quiet games, do puzzles, flash cards, color, or read as early morning activities instead of watching television.

Visit school with your child. If your child is young or in a new school, visit the school with your child. Meeting the teacher, locating their classroom, locker, lunchroom, etc., will help ease pre-school anxieties.

Minimize clothes shopping woes. Buy only the essentials. Summer clothes are usually fine during the early fall, but be sure to have at least one pair of sturdy shoes.

Select a spot to keep backpacks and lunch boxes. Designate a spot for your children to place their school belongings as well as a place to put important notices and information sent home for you to see.

Freeze a few easy dinners. It will be much easier on you if you have dinner prepared so that meal preparation will not add to household tensions during the first week of school.

Manage Your Time

Your days are like your dollars -- if you don't have a plan for them, they have a way of disappearing. To take control and manage your time, audit your week to carve out space for your priorities while rooting out time-wasters. Following are some tips to get you started.

Take stock. Spend a week tracking how you spend your time now. Chances are, you'll be shocked.

Tally your time expenses. Put your commitments into a few broad categories - family, career, hobbies, housework, fitness, relationships, worship - and list three major goals for each.

Be selective. Mercilessly ditch any tasks that don't move you toward your goals. If book club has stopped being fun, bow out; instead, add in something with a tangible payoff.

Sketch out your new plan. On a blank weekly calendar, mark off sleep hours and then slot in your activities, starting with anything that's regularly scheduled: commuting, Zumba class, your Tuesday meeting. Then draw in blocks of time based on your categories ("Housework") or specific activities ("Movie night!"), using your goals to prioritize.

And be sure to make room for planning the week ahead. It's the most important thing to budget. From there, take the next several weeks to fine-tune your plan, and tweak it on the fly. Think of it as pieces of a puzzle; if your 30-minute run gets preempted by a work crisis, trade it out for another time in the day or week.