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Spring Cleaning Special: Allergy-Proof Your House

If you're one of the more than 50 million people in the U.S. who suffer from some type of allergy, you don't have to resign yourself to misery this time of year. "There are plenty of things you can do to cut down on the amount of mites, mold, mildew and pollen in your home," says Dr. Janna Tuck, a physician and a fellow and board member of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Here, her top tips for keeping your home as allergen-free as possible.

Diary of a New Homemaker
for Monday, May 14, 2012

An Economic Lesson

When you unschool, you take your educational opportunities where you can find them, and usually they're everywhere. Sometimes they're lessons learned the semi-hard way.

This morning, Louisa (just turned 11) announced she WAS going to have a lemonade stand. We'd discussed this before--you have to get lemons or Koolaid, ice, cups and so on. "I'll ride down to the store, Mom, if you give me the money." So off she went.

She came back with pre-made foo-foo lemonade--$1 per 16 oz bottle--and expensive gluten-free cookies. A nice touch, but at $5/bag for about 40 cookies, not so economical. And she forgot the ice. Luckily we have some in the freezer downstairs. She spent all the money I had in my wallet--$15. *headdesk*

The lesson commenced. How much per serving was this going to cost? After a few demonstrations, we figured out that a serving would cost 25 cents if she were generous with the ice, and that she'd have to charge 50 cents to make a profit. Two small cookies would also be 50 cents retail.

And then, before I could stop or help her, she had the stand set up. Again, no ice, no cooler, no change, no water for herself, and no shade. I decided I'd just be late for my appointment, got a cooler and ice, made her get her parasol and her water bottle. She's out there bravely hawking her wares:

So far I think she's made four bucks, but school's not out and the evening bike commute hasn't commenced. She may fare better after four. Either way, she's learned more about supply, demand, retail/wholesale and measurements than she knew she was in for, and that's priceless.

A Seasonal Taste:

From House to Home 5/14/07

• Host a Memorial Day party complete with flags, red, white, and blue paperware. Invite families for a multi-generational gathering.
• With wasps out and building nests, double check your screens for holes. Hire a pest inspector to remove any new nests as well.
• Weathervanes are chic once again. Now homeowners may choose from a menagerie of roosters, cows, pigs, quails, horses in classic, antique reproduction and modern designs. Even solid copper weathervanes are relatively affordable.

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A Taste of the Managing Money Section:

A Multi-Family Building

n the surface, it sounds like an easy get-rich-quick plan: Buy a multi-unit building, sweat equity into it, rent out the units, then sit back and reap the profits.

While many people have created a large nest egg with a great cash flow, purchasing such a building is not as easy as it seems. And there are pitfalls to being a landlord.

In fact, most real estate experts say that buying and managing a multi-family unit building is akin to running a small business. That's why there are a number of things to consider when purchasing a multi-family building.