When the urge to unclutter your space gets to you, it’s time for a clear out! And now that summer is on the horizon it’s even easier to do since you can hold a yard sale or garage sale. It’s simple to do this on your own or get together with friends or neighbours and make a street sale out of it.

Anyone who has held a yard sale will tell you it’s much, much easier when you get organized ahead of time. Sort out what you have to sell and set it up to show at its best.

Advertise, advertise, advertise! Use  Kijiji or Craigs List to advertise for free online and put up flyers in your local area ahead of time. The day or two before the sale put up posters at the end of your street letting people know there will be a yard sale the next day – you don’t need to put your address on these – just advertise the upcoming sale. On the morning of the sale put out posters with arrows and your address to help people find their way. A few balloons are also eye catching. Be sure to remove all signs and balloons at the end of the day.

As for showing the merchandise in its best light, if anything is dirty or dusty give it a cleaning. The small amount of effort required to clean it up can result in a lot more money in your pocket at the end of the day. Remember to have an outlet available for people to try out anything electrical and know they are buying a working item.

Pre price everything – people are reluctant to just “make an offer” for fear they will insult you by suggesting too low a price, or overpay by suggesting too high a price. Having said that, be willing to dicker – everyone likes to think they are getting a bargain, so if they ask if you will take less, think about it and decide what is the lowest you are willing to go. If you are only going to turn around and donate the leftovers, a lower offer will save you having to organize that. Towards the end of your sale, consider putting up a sign offering half price on everything.

If you are selling toys or sports items that are in good condition be sure to check current catalogues so you can let people know the cost of buying the item brand new. A child’s ride-on toy that sells for $99 brand new, will look like a bargain at $30 second hand.

Be very careful not to sell baby items or safety items that are out of date. It isn’t worth the risk!

If you are selling linens be sure they are clean and package them up in clear plastic bags or taped together, with sizes marked clearly on the package. For drapes measure across the top of the curtain and down the length. For sheets and blankets, mark them as twin, double, queen or king.

Organize clothing and shoes and mark sizes on everything to help people zero in on what they are interested in – having ladies shoes mixed in with baby things only makes it tougher to see something they may want or need. Make it easy for them to find a bargain!!

Keep in mind what your goal is here – you are trying to unclutter your house so be sure to consider all reasonable offers and have fun while you’re at it. People will buy more if they are engaged in pleasant conversation or banter.

Put a natural shine on your household metals. Polish brass using a mixture of equal parts lemon juice, salt, and water. Silver cleans beautifully with a mixture of equal parts baking soda and water. And for stainless steel, simply rub with olive oil. 

"You make the world a better place by making yourself a better person."
~ Scott Sorrell 

Over 95% or the approximately 707 million consumer batteries sold in Canada in 2007 were non-rechargeable batteries; the remaining 5% were rechargeable batteries, but that figure includes automotive batteries. That means some 670 million batteries going to landfills.

Though Canadians are getting better at switching to recyclable whenever appropriate, many non-recyclable batteries are still purchased despite the fact that rechargeable ones can be reused hundreds of times saving money and resources. They also reduce global warming pollution associated with battery manufacturing and transport.

In an independent study conducted for battery manufacturer UNIROSS, it was estimated that using a disposable battery to create 1 kilowatt-hour of electricity has a global warming impact equivalent to driving a car 283 miles, while using a rechargeable battery is equivalent to driving 10 miles.

Rechargeable battery technology continues to evolve, but there are three main types available today;
Nickel-metal hydride (NiMH)
Nickel-cadmium (NiCad or NiCd)
Lithium-ion (Li-ion)

No matter which type of rechargeable batteries you use, you can make them even greener using these strategies:
• Choose an energy-efficient charger. Look for Energy Star-rated models that use 35% less energy than standard chargers, while solar-powered battery chargers use no electricity at all.
• Unplug it. Regardless of charger type, unplug it when it is not being used as it can continue to draw electricity even when not charging.
•  Care for idle batteries. Do not leave batteries uncharged or unused for long periods as it can shorten their life. Store away from heat and moisture.
• Dispose of batteries properly. Rechargeable batteries contain toxic materials and should not be thrown out with regular trash. Look for manufacturers that have recycling programs or bring them to your municipal hazardous waste facility for recycling.

Summer and sun damage unfortunately often go hand-in-hand. Protect yourself and your family from ultraviolet rays – UVA and UVB – because both are believed to cause skin cancer. UVB rays don't penetrate the skin deeply, but these are the rays that give us a burn. UVA rays penetrate more deeply than UVB making it difficult to get full protection from them.

Did j’a know these other Sunscreen Facts and Tips;

• Sunscreen and sunblock are different. Sunscreens are chemical solutions designed to absorb the radiation that reaches our skin. Sunblocks physically block both kinds of UV rays by reflecting them away from the skin

• All sunscreens provide protection from UVB. Some offer both UVB and UVA protection, but the UVA protection is limited.

• Sun Protection Factor (SPF) measures the protection from UVB rays only!

• Understand SPF. SPF 50 does not protect 5 times better than SPF 10.
2 SPF blocks 50 %
10 SPF blocks 90 %
30 SPF blocks 96.67 %
50 SPF blocks 98 %

• When applying sunscreen or sunblock, pay attention to those classically overlooked areas: ears, nose, lips, feet and back of knees.

• Store sunscreen in a cool place. Heat can render chemical compounds ineffective.

• Sunscreens expire, and don’t work very well past the due date.

• Go without sunscreen to boost your Vitamin D. Many doctors are recommending Canadians spend 15 minutes without sunscreen a couple of times week to get a sufficient dose of the sunshine vitamin.

• Afternoon siestas were invented for a reason. The only safe sun protection is to stay out of the sun during peak hours between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.

“My father didn't tell me how to live;
he lived, and let me watch him do it.”
~ Clarence Budington Kelland

Happy Father’s Day

After your vegetable garden is well established, it is best to water it thoroughly once a week rather than giving it a light watering every day. That way, a deeper root system is encouraged to develop, which will later help the plants tolerate dry weather.

Continue planting warm season vegetable crops such as beans, squash and cucumbers.

The best time to harvest most herbs is just before flowering, when the leaves contain the maximum essential oils.

Frozen Popsicle Recipes – Tim, age 12, says, “I love to cool down with a freezee or popsicle in the hot summer weather. There are 50 really tasty ideas here and they are really easy! Try the Kiwi Ice Pops.”

Father’s Day Crafts – Marie Claire, age 8, says, “Mother helped me make some crafts for Dad for Father’s Day and we found them on this website. I really like the Crafty Computer Frame we made. So will Dad.”

Fragger – Dougie, age 10, says, “This game is very entertaining – I can’t stop playing it! There are different skill levels and things to complete in less throws.  You destroy enemies by throwing grenades over, under, and through obstacles to complete your task.”

Baby Match – Ashley, age 7, says, “I love learning and reading all about animals, especially baby ones - they’re sooo cute! I matched almost all the animals with their babies in this game. It’s pretty easy, but not too much.”

Snap is the name of a new Windows 7 feature that automatically adjusts and maximizes the window size of 2 open applications for a perfectly aligned side-by-side view. With Snap, comparing documents or taking notes while reading through a spreadsheet or presentation is easy.

To apply snap, simply drag one application to the left side of the monitor until it "snaps" into place, then move the 2nd application to the right side of the monitor until it snaps into place. The result should be two perfectly aligned applications covering your entire monitor screen.

“Graduation speeches were invented largely in the belief that college students should never be released into the world until they have been properly sedated.” ~ Garry Trudeau

“Anybody can win, unless there happens to be a second entry.” ~ George Ade

“Man was predestined to have free will.” ~ Hal Lee Luyah

“A father is someone who carries pictures where his money used to be.” ~ Unknown