New Year’s Resolutions for Your Home!
Now that it’s 2018, you’ve probably been considering all the possibilities the new year holds for you and your family and making resolutions. New year, new you, new them. How about new year, new home? That could mean buying the house of your dreams (right here in Colliers Hill!), or it could mean giving the Colliers Hill house you already own more love in the coming year.
Welcome to our top five picks for the best home resolutions for 2018!
Get Your Green On
Want to contribute to a better planet? Do this and the bonus you’ll receive is a reduced utility bill – how’s that for a new year’s two-fer! This could be the year you learn to recycle (the right way!), use no-to-low volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and compost your leftovers. Things like shutting off the water when you’re brushing your teeth, not waiting for the shower to reach 105 degrees before you step into it, and replacing lightbulbs with CFLs and LEDs can help save energy and money, too!
Downsize Your Stuff
Make 2018 the year to say goodbye to all of the things in your home that are not serving you — and make it retroactive to December 24, 2017 – before all the gifts arrived at your house! For every NEW thing that comes in, resolve to send three things, out. That’s the resolution, and it applies to the entire family – pets, too! Think about all the things you’ve accumulated through 2017, go room by room to clear out what you don’t use, don’t love or don’t know how to operate and give it away. Here are several great places to donate your stuff, from Moving.com.
And now, in 2018, don’t buy anything unless you have a specific need or place for it. All the decluttering in the world can’t make up for bringing more stuff into your house!
Make it Safe
There are lots of ways to fortify your home with traditional locks and smart locks, security cameras, alarms, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and more. And while it may seem less significant, the lint in your clothes dryer is actually a real fire hazard, according to the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA). You probably know to clean the clothes dryer lint that builds up on the filter after every load, but how often do you clean/vacuum out the vent pipe? The USFA recommends doing it every three months. You can do it!
It’s not as much fun as programming high tech tools and toys, but with 2900 clothes-dryer fires reported each year — and one third of those caused by dryer lint buildup – it’s an important New Year’s resolution for your home!
Clean it Fast
Let’s face it, house cleaning is just a pain. There are at least 50 other things we’d rather be doing and while it may burn a lot of calories for your New Year’s health and body resolutions, cleaning isn’t the way most people like to get fit.
To make it less painful, get it done fast. Jeff Campbell literally wrote the book on speed cleaning and his 13 rules will reduce the tasks and the time they take. Things like “if it isn’t dirty, don’t’ clean it,” and “work from top to bottom – dirt follows gravity,” are tips you should use to zip through the chores.
For more hints on a cleaner, organized, happier, healthier home, check out the blog of Rachel Ray’s go-to lifestyle expert Tara Aronson.
Change the Big Picture
Does your current home serve your needs? Is the location “as good as it gets”? Do you love the community you’re in, the amenities you enjoy, all of your neighbors? Be brave and be honest. What would make your life easier, better, happier and healthier? If it’s time to consider relocating, make your list of pros and cons and revisit it in a week. Eventually, you’ll get a handle on what your next move should be – or not!
Make the Move to Colliers Hill!
Colliers Hill is the best of all worlds — small town living with big city access, five minutes from historic downtown Erie and 30 minutes from Denver and Boulder. The master-planned community has it all, with beautiful new homes by two of the state’s top builders: Shea Homes and Richmond American Homes. Drop by for a visit and explore 10 stunning model homes, both ranch and two-story designs, priced from the upper $300s to the $600s. You’ll find more in Colliers Hill!
