Savvy Advisor; Full-Time Dads Issue 23

Full-Time Dads;

The Magazine for Caregiver Fathers

Issue 23

Savvy Advisor

By Rick Dobble

PRACTICAL CHRISTMAS PRESENTS

It just makes good sense to give and receive something sensible for Christmas. We tend to think of gift giving as different from other spending, but most families spend close to a thousand dollars on Christmas, birthdays and anniversaries. Why not give something that will really do some good?

So here are my suggestions for useful Christmas presents. Most are available at major discount department stores such as Wal-Mart and Kmart.

A crock pot ($10-$30). These slow-cooking devices can make delicious meals with minimal preparation. The trick, of course, is to turn them on in the morning and let them cook all day. Or turn them on at night and then re-heat the next day. Stews and soups often taste better the second day. Crockpots work especially well with beans or stew beef. Inexpensive cuts of meat will be tender after simmering for eight hours. Combine a crock pot meal with fresh bread from a bread machine (below) and you've got time saving, healthy, fresh and inexpensive meals. Enjoy! A bread machine ($90-$150). These machines work. We bought ours five years ago. They may take a little time to learn, but then require only a few minutes. Not only are you saving money on quality bread, but you're getting it piping hot and fresh.

A rechargeable flashlight (about $9). Three years ago I bought my wife a rechargeable Coleman flashlight. It is small and self contained. About once a month it must be recharged. You simply plug it into a wall socket overnight with its built-in plug.

A fun coin bank for children (about $7.50). The "Money Machine Action Bank' by Mag-Nif sorts, stacks and counts coins. This coin bank is a wonder to watch. When a child drops in a dime, for example, it goes through a series of Rube Goldberg levers to eventually fall in the stack just for dimes. When there are enough dimes, slide the bank open and insert the stack of coins into a paper roll. Savings banks will only accept rolled coins today for deposits.

An Inflatable mattress ($18-$40). We use an inflatable mattress for our guests. We didn't want to buy an entire bed just for the occasional visitor. Doing this would have been expensive and required a lot of space. Instead we roll out and blow up the mattress. Guests tell us it's very comfortable. We found an inflatable mattress works best when you put a pad or rug under it and a standard bed pad over it.
Inflatable mattresses come in all standard bedding sizes. Small and light when collapsed, the mattresses can be carried on trips. Some mattresses can be inflated with cold air from a hair dryer or a vacuum cleaner exhaust but others may require a foot pump or small electric pump ($8- $20). Even inflating with a foot pump only takes five to ten minutes. Price example: queen sized bed with foot pump and two inflatable pillows-$49.99 from the Damark Catalog (1-800-729-9000).

HEATING

There are dozens of ways to heat a house. However, the following rules should apply to most systems:

Once a year, have your heating system looked at. An inefficient system is not only wasteful but dangerous because it may produce carbon monoxide, a deadly colorless gas with no smell. You should also check your heating ducts for any breaks or leaks. Make sure that all heating vents are clear and unblocked.

Check filters once a month. Clean or replace. Dirty filters can up your bill by 20% and damage equipment.

In the fall do an annual check of windows and doors. Cracks around the edges can open up during the summer causing cold drafts and wasting money Make sure your home is adequately insulated and weather proofed.

Insulation, storm doors, storm windows and weather stripping will save you money on energy year after year, will increase the resale value of your home and make you feel more comfortable. Plus you will be helping the environment.

Get your utility company to do a free or low cost energy audit. You may also qualify for a low cost loan from the power company. If you structure the loan properly, it may not cost you any more to upgrade your home since the savings on energy may offset the loan payments.

Check and/or insulate duct work. You can lose almost half of your heat or air conditioning if the ducts are uninsulated. The problem occurs when the ducts run through basements and unfinished attics. This is a job most people can do themselves. It requires caulk, a caulking gun, 2 inch foil backed insulation and duct tape. Ask your hardware store exactly what you need to do the job.

Close off any unused rooms and turn off the heat for those areas.

Every electrical outlet and switch in your home is a small hole with thin plastic cover. Together they equal one or two large windows. You can buy precut foam gaskets at hardware stores that will fit around the outlets and under the cover. Turn off the outlet at the circuit breaker before you begin to install.

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