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Kids’ bedrooms are a lot more than just a place for them to sleep. Done right, they can also double as playrooms, study rooms and even hideouts. Aside from the obvious bed, what else do you need to make a kid’s room just perfect?

A couch or armchair. May sound a little pretentious if your kids is just five years old, but he will grow up, won’t he? Besides, armchairs are more comfortable for reading and lunging around. And the next time your child has a fever and you need to sleep in his room, you’ll definitively be happy to have a place to sit.

Entertainment options. TVs, DVD players or Playstations are usually at the top of the list when it comes to keeping kids busy, but don’t forget to create a small library (set it up in a corner, with a bean chair or a few comfy pillows nearby to encourage reading). Depending on the age and preferences of your kids, you can add some inflatable toys or building toys, as well as small musical instruments or make-believe toys, such as kitchen sets or basketball hoops.

Decoration. Don’t go overboard here. Sure, your kid may love cowboys today, but he may feel the same way about astronauts a month from now and you don’t want to be stuck with a room that looks like the Wild West when that happens. To personalize a room, opt for details, rather than a general theme. For example, you can indulge your kid’s love of sports by choosing a bedspread or curtains featuring sport topics, or by adding a few items around the room that support the decoration but are also practical (Does your kid play hockey? Strategically hang the hockey stick on the inside of the bedroom door as a nice decoration). You can always add a rug to match as well.

Whatever you decide to do with the room, always allow some room for spontaneity. You want your kids to add their personal touch to the place. Give them a few empty shelves or drawers so they can use them any way they please, and don’t get upset if furniture is moved around or toys suddenly find a new favorite spot. Letting your kid’s personality show through is what it’s all about.

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No matter the size of your backyard, there are lots of things you can do to make the most of it.

Your first step is the ground. If you have no choice but you work with what you have, then start looking for items that best match the materials already there. For example, a backyard that has large sections done with cement or stone would work well as a patio. Your best choice in this case would be to look for a nice set of table and chairs, along with an umbrella or a reclining chair. If you have mostly grass, you may want to focus on creating a garden or thinking about planting a few trees.

Now that you have function worked out, concentrate on the look. Decide on a budget and see whether you can afford to make structural changes or you are limited to paint and other smaller things. If you have a fence, even a small coat of fresh paint can make a world of difference, so don’t discard the small things. If your backyard is large, try to decide on a basic look so the are doesn’t look too mismatched. For example, pick either aluminum or wicked furniture and then stick to the same material for other small details around.

When designing a backyard, don’t forget function. If you have a dog, make sure your fence is high enough to prevent him from escaping and that there are no dangerous items around. If you have kids, it probably makes sense to build a sandbox or to allocate a small area where they can play safely without injuring themselves or destroying your precious flowers. And if you plan on entertaining, having a corner for the BBQ and a nice patio set should definitively be your priority.

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Upstage the place. Clean, repair and redecorate (without spending a fortune) to make the best of each corner. Beautiful homes sell faster (and for more money) than those that are not looking their best.

Be open to some rather major changes. If you have quirky tastes, you may have a harder time selling your home, as buyers will need to see themselves in a place before they will actually buy it. Reconsider painting the walls a neutral color or getting rid of anything too bright, done in animal prints or using unusual materials such as feathers or multi-colored gemstones.

Pick a good price and be willing to lower it down if necessary. Don’t start with the absolute minimum you are willing to take. People are expecting to negotiate and if you are set on a price, you may have a hard time finding an owner.

Get a good agent. The right real estate agency will know how to advertise, price and promote your home. This is especially important if you need to sell the house in a hurry. Always ask for references and inquiry about the sales record of a company before signing up with them.

Make the most of whatever green area you have. Whether you have just a patch of green in front of the house or a decent-size backyard, you need to make sure it impresses potential buyers. Clear weeds, cut the grass and throw away garbage or broken-down things taking up space. If you have enough room, consider getting a nice lawn chair to make the place look more inviting.

Rearrange the furniture to make the most of the space you have. This is especially important for small rooms that may feel cramped if there are too many things around or if items are packed too close together, not allowing for a clear pathway through. Too much stuff? Put some in storage or get rid of it.

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1. Order internet and cable service for your new home. It usually takes several days (or even weeks) before things are up and running, so make sure you do this well in advance of your moving date.
2. Change your address. Let the post office know you want your mail forwarded to the new address.
3. Make sure your home will be ready on time. If you aren’t sure or if you need a place to stay in between homes, book a hotel in advance. Confirm that pets are allowed if you are taking them along and make sure your furniture doesn’t arrive to your new location before you do.
4. Let the companies know when to shut down the utilities. Phone, electricity and water/gas should be shut down either the day that you are moving or the morning after. You can usually specify the exact day you want things turned off and sometimes you may be able to request a time (evening, mid-day, etc.). This will allow you to check that everything is off by the time you leave the house for the last time.
5. Make sure you change the delivery address of anything you are subscribed to. This includes magazines and newspapers, but also other common services like food or dry cleaning.
6. Paint the new home as early as possible before your move. If you have access to the place, painting the walls (or doing anything that requires the use of strong chemicals) is best done in advance, so the place will have a chance to breathe before you get there.

And don’t forget to get your packing supplies!

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Special care needs to be taken when moving plants in moving boxes.

Moving plants is a difficult task, whether you do it yourself or you pay a moving company to do it. If you choose the second option, do keep in mind that some won’t transport plants at all, so ask in advance if there are limitations and rules. Next, consider whether it is worth it to transport your plants at all. If you just have a couple of potted plants you absolutely love, it may make sense to take them along, but a large collection will probably end up costing you a fortune to move without any guaranties that they will arrive to their destination in good condition.

Once you’ve decided which plants you want to move, your next step is to place the plants in cardboard boxes. This will prevent breakage and keep the plants protected from dust and excessive heat. If you need to close the boxes, remember to punch holes in them so the plants can breathe. Also wrapping your plant pot with stretch wrap will help prevent soil from spilling out.

When loading the moving boxes, make sure they are stacked against a flat surface so they won’t tilt and fall. If necessary, push some furniture against the moving boxes so there’s no moving during transportation.

Finally, make sure you unpack the plants as soon as you arrive to your destination. For the first few days, put them in a neutral space, away from heavy drafts and strong sunlight. Then slowly move them to their final spot.

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Upstaging refers to the idea of making your home look as “presentable” as possible so it will impress potential buyers and make the most of each room, downplaying its faults and exalting its positive aspects.

The first step in staging a home is to make sure everything is absolutely clean. This may mean hiring somebody to help you go through the rooms, shining metal pieces, picking up dust bunnies from the corners and making sure there are no weeds growing in the garden. While you may think these are small details that buyers can take care of by themselves eventually, they can actually have a negative impact on how the house is viewed and how much they are willing to offer for it.

The next step is to get rid of anything too personal. Visitors don’t need to see your laundry, family photos or dog toys laying around. The less of your personal possessions in a room, the more they can imagine themselves actually living there.

Once the basics are taken care of, it’s time to replace whatever is obviously broken or dirty. Old shower curtains and dead plants are the most obvious items, and, surprisingly, the ones that home owners often miss. Tighten up cabinet doors, replacing broken handles and making sure the bathroom mat looks new can also help. If something looks too old or in obvious bad condition, either replace it or take it out of the room and hide it out of sight.

Finally, put out some fresh flowers or light a vanilla candle (according to experts, the favorite scent but also one that is not intrusive) to get rid of any lingering pet smells. Don’t forget to open the windows to air out the place.

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1. Not cleaning their old place. If you wait to finish packing and clearing the house until the last day, chances are you won’t have much time to get things straighten out. This means you will either have to pay somebody to do it for you or risk losing part of your security deposit if you’re renting.
2. Running out of moving supplies. Most people buy less moving boxes and packing tape that they need, which means they need to run for more in the middle of their packing frenzy.
3. Failing to get insurance and liability coverage from the movers. Some it’s included, but you need about extra coverage if you have valuable items.
4. Failing to get rid of junk. Don’t think you will do it once you get to your new home. Get rid of things now, before packing, so you don’t end up paying to transport things you don’t really want or need.
5. Trying to unpack all your moving boxes on the first day. Unpacking is as stressful and difficult as packing. If you marked your moving boxes carefully, you should know which ones contain essential items that need to be unpacked right now (cooking supplies) and which ones can wait a few days (off-season clothing).
6. Forgetting to take breaks. Packing is hard work, both physically and mentally. Give yourself a few minutes to breathe (10 minutes every hour or so) and you’ll end up being a lot more productive.
7. Failing to write down an inventory. You will need it in case something is missing or broken or you leave a box behind.

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When packing for an overseas move, it’s important, first of all, to do your homework. This is especially true if you are moving over to a country where you haven’t lived before and you know little or nothing about.

Finding out what to expect is a good first step: for example, do you know how big your new apartment will be compared to what you have now? This will help you decide how much of your belongings you need to purge in order to fit in comfortably. Also, research the climate of the area (if you’re moving to Thailand, you probably don’t need to take your winter jackets along), whether apartments come furnished and how and where you will be staying until you secure an apartment (if you’ll be staying in a hotel, carrying lots of boxes and bags along is probably a bad idea).

Next, take a hard look at the things you own and decide which ones you truly love. Things you haven’t worn or look at for months should be either sold, given away or put in moving boxes and placed into storage. Only take along things that have a useful purpose or that you truly love.

Finally, know when to give up. If you have too much stuff and little time to sort through it, consider storage space. This will end up costing you dearly, especially if you are planning on staying overseas for an extended period of time, but getting ready on time is more important than anything else.

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Done well, decorating with a single color can help put together a room that would otherwise not match. Monochromatic decorating can work anywhere, for anybody, but it would be especially useful for those with mismatched furniture or knick-knacks. For example, imagine you picked up your table and chairs at different times at the local second-hand store. While some would consider this “kirsch” others would prefer a more even look. Now imagine sewing small pillows to cover the back or the seat of each chair? The chairs now have something to tie them together into a more “united” group. Take this one step further and create a larger pillow for the sofa or kitchen curtains to match, and you have the beginnings of a put-together room.

When it comes to decorating with a single color, you don’t to actually paint everything on the same exact hue. If you pick blue, for example, you can use different variations, from light blue to turquoise to royal blue. The slight variations will help improve the personality of the room and will make it look more like a personalized space, rather than a theme room. So, for example, you can make the duvet of the bed dark blue and the top light blue with small dark flowers. Then match the curtains to the smallest section of the bedding, so the room doesn’t feel overwhelmed.

Another great way to use a single color when decorating is to use complementary colors for small details. For example, let’s say you made yellow the base color for your kitchen. Adding some touches of orange or red can help punch up the energy of the room. If you want to pinpoint all the attention to a specific item or corner of the kitchen, use blue or black –They provide the best contrast against yellow.

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Need to move house but can’t afford paying for a rental van? Don’t despair. There are many ways to cut down your expenses when it comes to moving and relocating. Some are obvious, while others would be considered… well, creative.

First things first: work out a budget. Figure out what’s the minimum amount of money you need to move and what things you can’t do without. For example, if you are moving cross-country or to another state, you won’t have much choice but to ship or mail your boxes there. And if you have collectibles or fragile items, you may need special packaging to protect it during the move. Don’t skimp on the basic moving supplies.

See if you can find some free moving boxes. Find empty packing boxes or reuse some from previous moves. Use strong plastic bags for light items such as pillows or for last-minute items that you find when looking around the house for the last time. Let people know that you are moving and see if they have anything to offer.

Barter for the expensive stuff. Places like Craigslist.org allow you to post a notice stating what you need and what you can offer in return. For example, you could find somebody with a truck to help you move your furniture and pay that person with an hour of personal training or tax preparation help. When bartering, be creative. Think not only of objects you can barter but also of services or even your time.

Move slowly. If you can afford to move over a period of a couple of weeks, why not use the local public transportation to move the small items? That way you’ll save time and money, as you could either move the large items using a smaller truck, or, better yet, sell them for a profit or leave them behind.

Downsize. Finally, the best way to save money when moving is to get rid of things you no longer need or want. This will result in a smaller load to move and, as a result, a lower price!

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