Changing your heating and air system’s filters can be easy to forget because they’re out-of-sight, out-of-mind. By the time you remember they’re due for a change, you may not have any on hand at home. If you’re like me, when you’re shopping, air filt...

After learning more about surge protectors, I recently gave each of my kids a surge protector. My children are grown. Maybe they already have their key electronics plugged into surge protectors. Maybe they know the difference between power strips ...

My parents taught me how to balance a checkbook and maintain a budget. I can’t imagine getting through life without those skills. My daddy grew up during the Great Depression and monitored every dime he spent, ensuring his life was absent of finan...

The month of October may be my favorite. Fall is in the air. Days in Georgia are still relatively warm, but nights are cool. Leaves change colors, producing free roadside art at every turn. And, of course, there’s Halloween, the spookiest day of the ...

I hate going to the doctor. I probably picked that up from my dad, who preferred to bite down on a dime rather than visit a physician. I’m the same, and nowadays, with health information as near as a computer or cellphone, I can type in my symptom...

I’m all about energy efficiency. I adhere to the “Golden Rule of the Thermostat” by keeping my home’s thermostat set at 78 degrees in the summer and 68 degrees in the winter to save energy. I turn lights and fans off when exiting a room, and I ...

I became a fan of Ty Pennington in 2010 when he brought “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” to Georgia to renovate the home of a couple who lived near me. It touched me to realize the difference that renovation would make in the lives of their wheelchai...

Do the words — “Do it yourself” — instill fear and trepidation in you? I must admit, when it comes to DIY home projects, that phrase makes my pulse race and my head spin. Do it yourself. But, that’s what plumbers, electricians, tile layers a...

With Thanksgiving, Christmas and Hanukkah approaching, it’s a good time to start preparing for holiday guests with hospitality — and energy efficiency — in mind.It’s usually after the holidays, when the January energy bill arrives, when homeowners re...

In many households, the kitchen is like a living room. It’s not just where meals are prepared; it’s where conversation is shared while cooking and while eating. It’s where mom gets her coffee, where bookbags land when the kids get home from school, a...

I can almost hear my daddy saying, “The best time to shop for a car is when the one you have quits running.” I’m of the opinion that’s the best time to shop for kitchen appliances, too. Why replace something that still works? My stove has been ...

Lightbulbs have been around more than a century, but nowadays harder-working bulbs are on the market. In recent years, the industry has shifted from producing incandescent lightbulbs to making more energy efficient CFL and LED lightbulbs. Even the...

I would never dream of leaving my childhood room, much less the house, without turning the lights off. Mama and Daddy drilled it in my head from infancy: Turn off the lights when you leave your room. It was old-fashioned common sense: Don’t waste wha...

My dad was a mechanic and knew a lot of mechanics, and because of that, I grew up with no worries when it came to auto repair. There were plenty of people I trusted to care for my car. In recent years, with the absence of my dad and his mechanic f...

With the multitude of electronic gadgets available in the 21st century, charging them smartly is more important than ever. Overloading electric outlets can damage electronics, their cords and your receptacles. Using power strips and surge protecto...

My mother would not have dreamed of washing dirty laundry in cold water. How could anything worn in a day come clean without agitating in hot water? It was simply unimaginable. Fast forward. That’s not the case with today’s machinery and cleaning ...

How many times has cost prohibited you from doing something you wanted or needed to do? If you’re like me, the answer is probably “too many times to count.” And that’s why the rebates, incentives and financing offered by Jackson EMC are excitin...

On the day before Thanksgiving, an able crew completed the task of repairing and repainting my home’s wood siding. Over the past 14 years, the sun had faded the yellow body and green shutters, and the dogs (when puppies) had chewed a few of the lowes...

When working as a crime reporter for a daily newspaper in the 1980s, I discovered one thing was sure to occur each holiday season: Someone’s house would burn and their family would be left homeless and distraught during what was supposed to be the ha...

My son and his bride are experiencing an age-old dilemma of new marriage: When he sheds his jacket, she reaches for a sweater. Their cool/warm comfort levels aren’t quite in the same zone. As with marriage in general, when it comes to a comfortabl...

I absolutely adore the family room in our home. The leather sofa and loveseat are worn in just the right places and the perfect spots to catch up with the kids—or catch a nap. Family photos are on display, along with a huge painting of magnolia bloss...

My birthday is this month and I’ve asked the kids for an electric knife. They laugh. But as I labor to peck out this blog, I’m painfully serious. My right hand, my writing hand, is in a splint. The accident happened Easter morning while sawing a h...