Real Estate & Homes

The Plain English Campaign: Waging War Against Gobbledygook

Why are government documents and the fine print in bank agreements and credit card offers littered with undecipherable phrases like “collateral debt obligations” and “sector-specific benchmarking” and “amorphous challenges”? Perhaps because the organizations creating these ugly phrases are purposefully trying to confuse consumers and taxpayers.

Q&A with “In Cheap We Trust” Author Lauren Weber

Lauren Weber’s father is cheap. Really cheap. He kept the thermostat at 50 degrees during the winter. When driving, he used hand signals to indicate he was turning to avoid burning out the headlight bulbs. He washed dishes in cold water to keep the hot water bill down. As a child, Lauren hated how cheap her father was. But she grew up …

Fall Cleanup: The Free, Easy, and Earth-Friendly Way

Foliage season is just about upon the Northeast. The leaves will surely be pretty, and the raking, blowing, bagging, and lugging waste to the curb are sure to bring on aching backs. But is there is a better way to clean up your yard than brown-bagging it.

Compete for the Energy Efficiency Crown (and Save Money While You’re at It)

People don’t get all that excited by the idea of saving a couple bucks—or even by the noble-but-intangible ideas of conservation or saving the environment. So what will get folks motivated to become more energy-efficient? Make it a competition and give out cash prizes. Because people love to win, and they really love to win money.

He’s Not a Starchitect. He’s a Garbage Architect

What rubbish! Dan Phillips has to be the hero of everyone who has ever pulled over to pick something out of a heap waiting for garbage pickup on the side of the road. For a dozen years, the now 64-year-old Phillips has built homes in Huntsville, Texas, using license plates, old picture frames, shards of ceramic tiles, wine bottle corks, …

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