Category: Lifestyle

Taking a vacation to Cabo San Lucas is an adventure and if you are lucky enough to be traveling there you want the best that you can afford. If you don’t want to deal with all of the noise of a hotel and you want more room to spread out, you might want to consider renting a villa in Cabo San Lucas. Read on to learn the benefits of renting your own vacation villa in Cabo San Lucas.

Get Closer To The Beach

Since a villa is a standalone property, they are often built right on the beach. You can just open the door and take a short walk to some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. You can watch the sunrise in the morning and you can watch the sunset in the evening right from the door. You can spend all the time on the beach that you want and be close to home.

You will have to spend more money if you want a villa that is right on the beach, but it might still be cheaper than renting a hotel depending on how many people are going to be staying in the villa. Being so close to the beach makes your trip feel a lot more special and you can do more things on the beach since all of your things are going to be there in the villa.

Enjoy More Privacy

Staying in a hotel means you are going to be surrounded by other people. There will be people above you, below you, and on every side of you. You can’t really relax and enjoy any privacy when you are staying in a hotel and it is also very noisy when you are staying in a hotel. It is hard to really relax when you can hear loud music, people arguing, and kids running up and down the halls in the hotel. The hotel is going to make you feel claustrophobic and it can even be a little uncomfortable, especially if you don’t like to be around so many people.

When you rent a villa you have all the privacy you could want since you have an entire building to yourself. You don’t have to worry about dealing with many people and you are going to be much more comfortable, which is why you want to consider renting a villa. You feel more at home in a villa and the villa allows you to enjoy all the comforts of home. You don’t have to worry about noise and hearing so many people talking.

Save Money

Hotels can be expensive and if you are traveling with your family, you might find that you can get a better deal if you rent a villa from  http://enjoymexico.net. Not only will you have a better experience, but you are also going to have more room and save money. The price of the villa is going to depend on where you stay and you can often get better deals when you choose villas that are further away from the beach.

You can use online travel sites to find the lowest prices on the villas and if you are flexible you can sometimes get a really good deal if you don’t mind traveling at the last minute. The travel sites can help you find the lowest prices on the rental villa. You can create a custom search that is going to help you find the best deal and give you the lowest price.

Enjoy The Conveniences Of Home

Renting a villa in Cabo San Lucas is a great way to enjoy all the comforts of home. You are going to feel like you are staying at home instead of staying in a hotel. The rooms are comfortable and you have a kitchen and living room to relax in. You get so much more space and the villa is going to be more peaceful than staying in a hotel.

A rental villa is cozy and the separate rooms allow everyone on your trip to relax more since they don’t have to feel crowded or like they are invading anyone’s space. You blend in more and you really feel like you are living in Cabo when you rent a villa. Some of the villas are even located in residential neighborhoods so you really feel like you are one of the locals.

Keep The Family Close

If you are traveling with your family, renting a villa is going to be the best choice because you can cook in the kitchen to save money. Eating out with a family three times a day is going to be very expensive and your food costs could be a major part of your travel budget. When you prepare most of your meals at your villa, you save a lot of money and you have more money left over to do other things. You will enjoy your trip more when you have extra money left for fun.

Staying in a cramped hotel room can leave everyone in your family cranky and out of sorts. No one gets any privacy and it can be irritating to everyone having to stay so close together. When you rent a villa, everyone is going to have their own room and there is also more space to spread out in so you can really enjoy the vacation. Your family members won’t be so cranky and everyone is going to enjoy spending time together so much more when they are not all stuck together in a small space. If you want to keep the family peace, rent a villa.

A villa rental from Enjoy Mexico, is the perfect way to really get outside and enjoy your trip. Renting a villa is going to make your trip to Cabo more special and everyone is going to enjoy their trip so much more when they get to stay in a villa. Renting a villa is much better than staying in a hotel and you get more for your money.

Driving in the winter can be scary, especially when conditions call for icy roads and patches of black ice. To make sure you stay safe on the road, we’ve put together a list of defensive driving techniques that you should put to use in the event of icy winter road conditions. Reacting quickly in the event of an accident is the key to avoiding severe collisions, so be prepared before you hit the road.

 

1. Don’t Stomp On The Brakes

When you hit a patch of ice, your first instinct may be to hit the brakes hard and hope that your car stops. This will slow down your vehicle, but it’s actually more effective if you practice threshold braking in order to get the vehicle to come to a complete stop. However, you do not necessarily have to do this if your vehicle has anti-lock brakes, so check your manual to double check what you should do if your car skids on ice.

 

2. Do Not Swerve On Main Streets

If you go over a patch of black ice and are heading towards another vehicle, swerving out of the way may cause you an even more severe accident. If you do go over black ice and find yourself heading for another vehicle, try your best to stop the car before it hits another driver, but don’t do it at the expense of other vehicles on the road.

 

3. Drive Slowly

It goes without saying, but when conditions are icy you need to drive slowly, especially on the highway. Most of the time, other drivers will also be driving slowly, so you may not have to think about your speed. But, if you’re driving on roads that are empty, don’t be tempted to speed up just because you can. Other vehicles aren’t the only things that could cause a collision. You could see an animal on the road and not be able to stop, or lose control of your vehicle and crash into a tree. Pay close attention to weather conditions, and leave earlier if you’re stressed about timing.

 

4. Keep A Large Distance Between You and Other Vehicles

Double or triple the distance that you maintain between you vehicle and other vehicles on the road. In the event of a patch of ice, you’ll need quite a bit of room in order to slow down enough to ensure you don’t hit another vehicle on the road. This is especially important during high traffic hours, when hitting one car could result in that car hitting the vehicle in front of them and so on.

 

Driving during the winter is dangerous, so make sure that you’re adequately covered by your insurance provider in case of a collision. If you feel like your policy isn’t covering your effectively, compare your car insurance to with other leading providers on the market to ensure you’re getting the best price possible for your automobile insurance.

Fall is in the air, and the days are getting shorter and cooler. The change in weather is a great time for homeowners to take care of maintenance around the house before snow and ice make things more difficult-or next to impossible.

The following checkpoints courtesy of Forbes are great tips for making sure a home is ready for winter.

Rake Leaves

More than a walk down memory lane to childhood days, raking leaves is important for the yard. Too many leaves on a lawn over the winter can make it more difficult to come back in the spring.

Clean Gutters and Downspouts

Once the leaves have fallen, get all of the debris out of the gutters and downspouts. This will prevent clogging, which can cause water to pool and damage the roof or siding.

Make Exterior Repairs

Inspect the house for damage to the roof, siding, and foundation. Try and hasten any needed repairs so that they are finished before winter arrives.

Seal Gaps

While inspecting the house for exterior damage, also keep an eye out for gaps that could allow an animal entrance to the home. Mice only need a tiny gap, and when the weather turns cooler animals will begin looking for a warmer place to call home.

Take Care of Exterior Faucets

Prevent freezing of exterior faucets by shutting off the water to them before the temperature drops to freezing. Drain and store hoses indoors to maximize their lifetime.

Conduct an Energy Audit

A trained auditor can assess the home’s energy efficiency and recommend improvements that could save money in heating and cooling costs.

Schedule Maintenance to Heating Systems

Ensuring that the chimney and furnace or boiler are cleaned, maintained, and in working order before winter arrives is important to verify the effectivity and safety of the heating system of the home. According to a Las Vegas heating repair company, “Preventative maintenance is one of the best investments you can make,” providing invaluable peace of mind when winter arrives.

Remove Window A/C Units

If used during the summer, window air conditioner units should be removed and stored before the weather turns cool. If the unit must be left in the window, cover the entire exterior of the unit with an insulating wrap to keep out the cold air.

Add Weatherstripping

Any gaps around doors and windows should be filled with weatherstripping. This will help boost warmth in the home and help cut energy costs. Door sweeps are available and can be added to the base of drafty doors.

Check Safety Devices

• Test smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors, and replace batteries as needed. According to About Kids Health, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors should be tested once per month. Batteries in these safety devices should be replaced every six months.
• Check the expiration date of the fire extinguisher.
• Check radon levels in the home. Test kits can be purchased at a local home improvement store or online.

Let’s face it; unless you have very few things in your place, moving can be one of the most daunting tasks you will be required to get involved in. It is normal for moving to overwhelm an individual, and you need to be well prepared and planned for it to be smooth and easy. Moving day involves a lot of things, and if you do not coordinate the people involved and the items well, you could have one hell of a day. Luckily we have prepared some tips and techniques that will help you sail through your moving day smoothly and eventually enjoy your new home.

Find The Right Movers

The moving company you select can easily make or break your moving day. Do not just settle on any mover you stumble on the streets as they could be wrong and end up spoiling everything after you struggle to plan for everything perfectly. Take your time when assessing your options and check out what the customers have to say before settling on any moving firm. You should also look at other important things such as the number of years they have been helping people to move and the amount they charge for their services.

Plan Ahead

If you know the exact date that you will be moving, start planning. Keep your movers in the loop about any changes to the schedule so that they can have ample time when adjusting. Schedule everything well in advance so that everyone knows what they are supposed to do before that day and on that day to avoid any confusions. This will reduce the number of issues you will have to deal with since all the unexpected things that may force you to change your plans will be significantly minimized.

Prepare A List

It easy to ignore this as a technique that is old fashioned but you will realize its importance once you start getting confused when executing your move. Write everything down, and you will thank yourself later. Before you begin packing this, create an inventory that contains all the things in all the boxes. Keep in mind that moving does not only entail getting things from your current living space but it also extends to unpacking your items and rearranging them in your new home. Keeping an inventory will help you know where everything is so that you are not forced to start unpacking all your boxes when looking for a single item.

Get Enough Supplies

You will need a lot of supplies, specifically packing and sealing materials, probably even more than you think. Ensure that you get enough, and if you are using a reliable moving company that offers boxes, you could get lots of them and then return the rest for a refund. When assigning different items to the boxes, ensure you leave around five of them for the last-minute items that were not planned for. This is because you can think that specific items will fit in one box and end up finding that they do not fit. You could also damage some of the boxes during packing and thus having extra ones will help you. You won’t need boxes only as packing tape will come in handy when sealing the boxes. You might also need old newspapers to safely pack some of the glassware, and they should all be enough.

Group Items Well

When developing your moving strategy, ensure that you categorize your items well. Do not mix up your shoes with the plates and cups as this will only bring more confusion. Keep all the bookends and related items together, same with the small appliances and electric cords. You should also group things on a room level so that when you get to your new place, you know which boxes are supposed to head to which room for easier unpacking. When grouping these items, do not forget to label the boxes clearly while indicating what is contained in it as mentioned above.

Pack Well In Advance

You should rally all your family members to start packing early before the moving day reaches to save time. If it is summer and you won’t need your winter clothes, you could tuck them away and let them stay in a suitcase or bag. As the day approaches, pack up the things that are not needed gradually so that you have to do very minimal packing on the eve of the moving day. All your utensils should be packed save for the few essential ones that you will need when grabbing a meal on the eve of the moving day. If possible, you could sacrifice some things such as entertainment and normal cooking and opt to get take out and stay without TV for one day so that you can save time on the moving day.

Keep Valuable Items Safely

Do not make a mistake of packing your valuables with all the other normal items. If you decide to pack them differently, label that box clearly and ensure you inform the movers about the fragility of the items so that they can take caution when driving. All your papers such as the birth certificates, school degrees, and title deeds should be with you, and you should not leave them with the movers. When hiring a mover, check and ensure that they are insured so that if any of your items gets damaged along the way, you will have a reason to claim for compensation.

Take The Opportunity to Purge

When you live in one place for a long time, you get attached to things that you do not need. Do not carry around unnecessary items and take this chance to give away such things. You could sell some of these things and raise some significant amount of money. You can put up some of the items on websites such as Craigslist and look for people who are interested in buying them. Or you could opt for a storage space that will help you store your valuables for the time being.

The tips and techniques courtesy of www.us-mailing-change-of-address.com mentioned above can come in handy on your moving day as they help you to go about simple things that we tend to ignore and they end up making the day hectic. Follow them, and you will see how smooth and easy your move will be.

Infographic Provided by We Buy Houses in Kentucky

Home safes are skyrocketing in popularity as more and more people realize their effectiveness. But what if you’ve never shopped for a safe before? What criteria should you be using for your purchase? How can you be sure that you’ll recognize a good deal when you see one? Here are just a few tips for finding and selecting a home safe.

1. Determine Your Needs

Why are you buying a safe? You might need a different model depending on your reasons for purchase. For example, if you’re worried about fires and floods destroying your documents, you’ll need something with internal temperature control to protect them from harm. On the other hand, if you just want to deter thieves from the family jewels, fireproofing doesn’t matter that much. If you have valuables like that of firearms you need to keep these safe as them being stolen can end up with them being used to commit crimes. You’ll also want to purchase house safes of the right size, to contain even your hunting AR-10 rifles, ammo and accessories.

2. Think About Pricing

Safes can run the gamut from “seriously cheap” to “ridiculously expensive.” You’ll need to draft a budget before you go shopping. Keep in mind that the listed price of the safe won’t be the final price charged to your credit card; you’ll also be responsible for things like delivery, installation and product insurance. Installation in particular can get expensive, especially if you’re sinking it in a wall rather than leaving it out. If you are ordering the safe online this can be an added expense as shipping a heavy item can really start to get expensive. You want a heavy safe though as you do not want a burglar able to carry your safe out of the front door without breaking a sweat.

3. Read Reviews and Ratings

Last but not least, always read reviews for a home safe before you actually buy it. You might find the manufacturers have exaggerated its special features, or there might be customers who reveal painful truths about how easy it is to break through the combination. You can learn from their misfortune if you take their words to heart. Don’t buy anything that has one-star reviews, and think twice before taking a chance on anything with two or three.

These are just a few things to keep in mind as you look at safes for home valuables. At the end of the day, the most important thing is that you feel secure in the purchase decisions that you’ve made. If you still feel uneasy even after locking your possessions in the safe, it might not be the right one for you after all.

When it comes to heating and cooling for a home, many people automatically think of central heating and air systems. But some may not realize that there is another option for both heating and cooling. That option is a heat pump, which can either be gas-powered or be electric.

 

Heat pumps work well in climates that have moderate heating and cooling needs and are a viable alternative to furnaces and both central and window-unit air conditioners. Heat pumps come in three varieties: air-to-air, water source, and geothermal.

 

In a nutshell, heat pumps transfer heat from either water, air, or ground sources, and make it available for use inside homes. They can also work in reverse to provide cooling as well.

 

There are some definitive benefits to installing a heat pump. One of those benefits is energy efficiency. In fact, a heat pump is one of the most energy efficient means of heating a home that a homeowner can choose. In technical terms, heat pumps achieve a coefficient of performance of 2.5 or higher. Compare this to a conventional heating system such as a furnace, which has a coefficient of performance of less than one. Mathematically speaking, this means that a heat pump uses one kilowatt of electricity to provide 2.5 kilowatts of heating power, while a conventional furnace produces a 1 to 1 ratio.

 

Another advantage of heat pumps is uniform heating throughout the home. This means that a home will not have cold spots that can come with traditional furnaces. A heat pump will also turn on and off less often than traditional heating systems.

 

A heat pump can also work in a home that does not have ducts. These are called a mini-split heat pump. Homes without ducts often have no options for forced-air heating and cooling, so this can be advantageous.

 

A longer lifespan is a further advantage of heat pumps, so long as they are properly maintained. A heat pump can last 20-25 years. Furnaces last approximately 16-20 years and a central air-conditioning unit lasts around 15-20 years. Although heat pumps may be initially more expensive, not having to replace it as soon as other options, as well being energy efficient meant that heat pumps have an advantage.

 

“A heat pump is also a great way to go green,” says Steve Lewis, President and CEO of Ambient Edge, a furnace repair company in Las Vegas.

 

Heat pumps do not use combustion to generate heat. This means that the only carbon emissions are those that are created at the electricity’s production and heat pumps use less electricity than a furnace. Also, as stated above, there are also natural-gas powered heat pumps as well.

 

A final advantage to heat pumps is that they can actually improve the air quality of your home. Since nothing is being burned to create the heat, your home is free of the particulates and odors that can accompany other systems.

 

These are just a few advantages to using a heat pump to cool and heat your home. Speak to a heating and air professional to learn if a heat pump will work in your home.

One day, you wake up to shower and discover that you have no hot water. The repairman comes and says that your hot water heater needs to be replaced. You now have a decision to make: do you want to continue using a tank system or do you want to go tankless?

“A tankless hot water heater does have a surprising number of benefits, and almost the same number of drawbacks,” says Steve Lewis, president and CEO of Ambient Edge.

Take a look below and decide if a tankless hot water heater might be right for you.

Pro #1

A tankless water heater uses 30-50% less energy than their tank counterparts, leading to a savings of up to $100 per year.

Con #1

Because of their small design, many tankless hot water heaters require special installation and also cost a bit more initially to purchase. If you factor in the installation costs as well as purchasing the unit, a tank water heater is much cheaper and easier to install.

Pro #2

Instant hot water. No waiting for the tap at the bathroom sink to warm to shave or wash your face. No waiting for the water to get warm in the shower. A tankless water heater provides hot water almost instantly.

Con #2

The hot water provided by a tankless hot water heater may be “limitless,” but only to one faucet or appliance at a time. If you want to take a shower while washing clothes or dishes, you might get inconsistent temperatures or need to wait until one is finished.

Pro #3

A tankless water heater also tends to have a longer lifespan than your typical tank water heater. Warranties typically cover 12 to 15 years, versus an average of 6 years for their tank counterparts.

Pro #4

Tankless water heaters are mounted on the wall, freeing up space in your garage or basement for other things. If you’re concerned with space issues, a tankless water heater may be the way to go.

Con #4

A tankless hot water heater may require additional equipment, like a water softener if you have hard water. A water softener plus the necessary bags of salt may negate any space savings of the wall mounted water heater.

Pro #5

Tankless water heaters are more energy efficient, and the federal government likes energy efficiency. A household can qualify for a 10% tax credit on the purchase and installation costs of a tankless water heater.

Con #5

It can take a long time to make up for the up-front costs of purchase and installation. At an average savings of $75 per month according to Consumer Reports, it could take 6-12 years before the savings add up to more than the initial costs.

While the benefits to a tankless water heater may be appealing, there are important considerations to be made. It could be that your individual household would do better just sticking with an energy efficient tank water heater. Weigh the pros and cons carefully before deciding.