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What To Expect When Moving To New York City

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If you’re moving to New York City you’re likely going to have the time of your life – the city’s night-and-day culture, strong economy and numerous landmarks make it a great place to live. But many new New Yorkers are unprepared for some of the day-to-day realities. From how to pay for hot dogs to handling your air conditioning installation in NYC, here are five things you need to know.

1. Smaller living space. Cost of living is high in NYC, particularly the cost of rent or real estate. In general, New Yorkers live in much smaller apartments than people from other US cities or regions are used to. That doesn’t mean it’s uncomfortable – you’ll get used to it quickly, and it discourages clutter – but you may want to sell some things before you move.

2. Carry cash. For a thriving and technologically advanced city, New York is surprisingly averse to credit and debit cards. Many corner shops and restaurants are still mom-and-pop stores, and if they paid the credit card fee on every transaction they’d have to close. Of course, ATMs are abundant, but that carries a fee for you. Try to keep cash on you whenever you go out.

3. New Yorker pride. It’s true that New Yorkers take a lot of pride in their city and in living there – and you will quickly find that transplants are rated by how many years they’ve lived in the city. While you may get some good-natured ribbing, listen to the newbie advice they give you: you’ll learn a lot about getting around, staying safe and where to find bargains.

4. Public transportation. Many New Yorkers don’t own cars at all. They’re expensive to park and most apartment buildings don’t have a free lot for residents. Driving can also be a nightmare, and most locals will go everywhere via subway, bus and taxi. If you do decide to own a car, be prepared not to use it very often – for most errands the subway is easier.

5. Get air conditioning. Most of New York consists of older buildings, and they usually don’t have central AC. At the same time, they overheat quickly in summer. Air conditioning is typically each tenant’s responsibility in the Big Apple, but fortunately air conditionining installation in NYC is not expensive and you can easily add either a window unit or a newer ductless AC unit to any apartment.

What else does someone need to know for their first week, month or year in New York?

Attached Images:
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Jess Holmes is part of a team of writers and specializes in writing advice oriented pieces.

Some Fix-Ups To Make Your Home Safer For Kids

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Although your home may seem like the safest place for you, it can be a dangerous place for small children. There are some spots around the house that may appear perfectly fine, but can actually be a hazard for kids. In fact, it has been found that a lot of child-related injuries and deaths happen at home.

The good news is that, you can take some simple precautions to prevent accidents at home. If you are staying with little tots, here are some fix-ups you can do that will help keep the space safer for young ones and will give you a peace of mind.

Integrate window guards

In the US alone, an average of 12 children are killed each year due to falls from windows and several thousands are injured. These falls usually happen in urban apartments, but can also take place in suburban homes with second floors. To avoid this, experts recommend that you install guards on windows, especially those that are above the first floor. These additions will ensure that kids younger than 10 years old will not be able to access open windows.

Add a gate on the staircase

Since small children are naturally curious about their surroundings, they may be encouraged to climb stairs, making them vulnerable against slips and falls. Hence, your best defense against this is to install a staircase gate. This will keep young children from accessing the stairs, but be sure to pick a gate that they cannot easily open.

Install locks in ovens and kitchen drawers

Special locks as well as knob covers should be added on your oven to prevent toddlers from activating the burners on the stove. Likewise, you should secure the cabinets and drawers in your kitchen, especially those that hold pans, pots and sharp and heavy utensils as these things can injure them. You may choose to leave one of the drawers unlatched for the kids to explore, but be sure that it contains kid-friendly items.

Secure large furniture in place

When kids play at home, they tend to climb and grab on furnishings, making large and heavy furniture like bookcases, dressers and television stands particularly dangerous. If left unattended and the children managed to remove the items at the two bottom drawers or shelves of a bookcase that make it bottom heavy, the furniture can easily topple.

To secure heavy furnishings in place and prevent them from toppling, purchase straps and hook the furnishings to the wall. It is also a good idea to place heavier items at the bottom shelves or place the stuff that kids usually play with at the bottom so that they won’t have to climb to reach for the objects.

Keep sharp edges safe with bumpers

Coffee tables and other hard furnishings usually have sharp corners that kids may bump onto while playing which, in turn, could puncture them. Keep these furnishings safer by adding soft protectors or foam bumpers on their corners or edges. These pieces will only cost you a few dollars but they are definitely a worthy investment.

Keep cords out of reach

Kids are especially susceptible to strangulation and suffocation around the house, especially if there are low-lying window blind cords. In such case, your best bet is to resort to cordless window treatments. If that is impossible, however, be sure that the pull cords are tied high enough for children not to reach them or hook them up on cleats that are beyond children’s reach.

This guest post was contributed by Ericka, a freelance writer who loves to write helpful articles about home improvement and gardening. She also regularly writes content for Ace Blocks a company who specialice in Driveways in West Lothian






Choosing A Mattress: It’s What A Mattress Is Made Out Of That Counts

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When you go shopping for a mattress, you will notice that determining the quality of a mattress is difficult by simply looking at it from the outside. The only way you can make a decision is by relying on the knowledge of the salesperson and the cut models placed on display in stores. Unfortunately, this is not enough to help you decide which mattress will meet your needs and not knowing what you really need will only make shopping for a mattress very tiring and time consuming. The last thing you want is to purchase the wrong type of mattress and then suffer from discomfort each night.

 

Numerous Mattresses, But What Will You Choose?

There are literally thousands of mattresses being offered in the market today. They come in various shapes and sizes, designs, structure, style and purpose. Purchasing a mattress is a decision that must be made very carefully since you will be sleeping on it each day of your life. When looking for a mattress, you must consider looking for one that offers both comfort and support, as well as durability. Though there are several kinds of mattresses that do offer these three factors, it is still your opinion of what mattress is comfortable to you and what provides the necessary support you need that matters.

When Is It Time To Replace Your Mattress?

Deciding when to replace your mattress is often done too late. You may have already begun to suffer from restless sleep, headaches, back pain and mood swings. If you do not know how to determine when to replace your mattress, these tips will be helpful.

  • Your mattress is already 7 to 10 years old and more.
  • The middle of your mattress is sagging or a valley has developed in the area where you always sleep on.
  • Creaking noises can be heard when you lie down and stand up.
  • The mattress has one side that is lower than the other.
  • The edges of the mattress are soft and are unable to provide support.
  • You are unable to rest well and always find yourself tired in the morning.
  • You keep on waking up sore and suffer from recurring back pain.
  • You find yourself irritable, sleepy and unfocused throughout the day.

The Common Mattress

Mattresses structured with coil springs are a common type of mattress that has been used for years. They offer superior comfort and support of various degrees, thus offering people the opportunity to choose the right mattress that meets their needs. There are four types of coiled spring mattresses-

Marshall Coils are also known as pocketed coils. They are not tied together, but each coil is wrapped in a fabric case which holds the shape of the mattress. These offer a firmer sleeping surface allowing less distribution of motion on each side of the bed.

Bonnell Coils are the most common, oldest and least expensive type. They have an hourglass shape – wide at the top and bottom, thin in the middle. The coils are bracketed together in order to maintain the shape of the mattress.

Continuous Coils provide maximum coil strength and they are able to conform according to the body’s shape. They are also able to distribute body weight evenly and limit the transfer of motion.

Offset Coils are designed for support and comfort. Though they are costly, they are able to conform better to body shape compared to Bonnell and Marshall Coils.

Citations:
Attached Images:
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Valerie Collins is a freelance writer specializing in wellness and the health benefits of mattresses from Portland mattress stores. She regularly offers information and advice related to sleeping disorders, lower back pain, health and well-being concerns, as well as how to shop for the right mattress.

Luxury Style Trends For Your Bathroom In 2013

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All bathroom trends seem to point to one thing, a more natural and simple useable bathroom. Fashion designers are constantly coming up with new ways for you to make the most out of your bathroom space. Designers in 2013 have decided to go back a little in time and choose to make the most out of using materials like natural wood, and use bright natural colours such as creams, browns and whites to emphasise natural light in the bathroom.

Eco-Friendly Designs

2013 is going to be the year that home owners embrace eco-friendly designs within the home. If you are considering totally remodelling your bathroom, then it is worth taking a look at your current plumbing system. The government are encouraging homeowners to switch their plumbing system to a more eco-friendly system, known as a low-flow flush toilet.  These environmentally friendly toilets have been designed to fit in with the modern sleek designs of bathrooms, and are known for being extremely cost effective, reducing the amount of water used per flush. Not only will you be making a huge difference to the environment, but you will also save yourself a fortune.

An additional design feature of the bathroom that is going to be a hit in 2013 is the tankless water heaters. These heaters will provide hot warm on demand all around your home; you will find that these heaters will significantly reduce the cost of your home heating bill.

Natural, Sleek Design

Everyone knows that the bathroom should be the room that is a place of relaxation and meditation; this is the place that you should retreat to after a hard long day at work. Designers have been working hard to come up with features that can represent the outdoors, indoors. To keep up with latest fashion trends in the bathroom, you should only use natural materials such as wood, stone, granite or even a textured tile that represents one of these materials.

You should try and attempt to create a minimalistic look in your bathroom, to achieve this look you should fit a variety of different cabinets and cupboard in the bathroom where you can keep all your private belongings. A great cabinet idea for bathrooms in 2013 is a gorgeous mirrored cabinet, not only will it hide all your belongings, but it will also add to the natural look within your home, reflecting natural light all around the bathroom.

Some designers have suggested that you should remove old bath tubs from the bathroom and instead install a gorgeous sleek, walk in shower. Most people have a bath tub, which takes up half the bathroom and you will probably only use it around once a year.

Kerry loves sharing advice on interior design trends of 2013; she loves the gorgeous mirrored cabinets available on http://www.primroseandplum.co.uk

How To Take Care Of A Granite Countertop

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A granite countertop can be a thing of beauty. The great thing about granite is; granite can last for a long time as long as the owner treats the granite with care. Unfortunately, a lot of homeowners are too lazy, and they end up with a damaged counter. Here are a few tips to take care of granite countertops.

A homeowner should clean their counters as they are cooking. If wine or food sits on the counter overnight, it will be more difficult to keep the counter looking clean. If there is a spill on the counter, it would be prudent to use a paper towel to remove the substance in a quick manner. By cleaning the countertop while cooking, a homeowner will avoid a lot of problems.

Next, a homeowner should develop a daily cleaning plan. One should clean their counter with warm water and dishwashing detergent. A homeowner should not use too much soap, in fact, just a few drops should work well. All that a homeowner should do is, lightly clean down the countertop with a soapy sponge. Next use a small towel to dry the counter. This should be done on a daily basis.

Stick to A Plan

A homeowner should also develop a heavy duty cleaning plan. Do not worry, heavy duty cleaning is not too difficult. One must purchase a basic degreaser and a heavy duty stone. Usually, the degreaser will have instructions on how to clean granite. Luckily, it is not too hard to clean granite, though one must take care and not scrub too hard. Sometimes, it is necessary to clean a little deeper in the case of large stains.

When a homeowner has large stains, they must work a little harder to remove the stains. The best course of action to clean stains is to purchase poultice. Poultice is a cleaning powder that can remove tough stains. Sometimes, the poultice will dull the shine of the granite. If this happens, it would be prudent to buy a marble polish to regain the natural shine.

Sealants

A lot of smart homeowners like to use sealants. When using a sealant, a homeowner can help prevent future problems from arising. Ideally, a homeowner should re-seal their granite countertop every six months. When doing this, a homeowner will extend the life of their granite.

Extend The Life Of Your Countertop

A homeowner that takes time out of their life to clean a countertop will have a beautiful countertop for a long time. A homeowner must develop both a short term and long term cleaning schedule to ensure the granite will look good for years to come.

M.J. is a home improvement blogger.  Sharing useful information about cleaning and home upkeep is something she enjoys very much, including about granite countertops Sacramento CA.

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