A Brief House Sale Update

There has been a bit of a change on the house sale situation.  I will go into greater detail likely next week.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

What To Look For When Buying a House

By default with our house up for sale we are house hunting.  When house hunting there a a wide range of features that should be overlooked.  Essentially these are features you can easily change or if it is something tangible like appliances you could always try asking for them in the offer.  This is all part of the dickering process however there are some things we look for in a house that factor into whether or not we consider it further:

• location - Location is critical. A house out in the country is lovely and because you are a distance from conveniences like fast food restaurants.  Rural living saves a considerable amount of money.  However, if you have school aged children a house in the country can mean you spend a lot of time driving them to various activities.  Urban living may give the possibility of downsizing from two vehicles to one, using public trasit, and walking or biking to work and various activities.
• good solid construction - This is a must!  If the house is not solid pass it by. 
  
• any signs of water damage - A very small amount of water can cause a lot of structural damage.  Water damage can also lead to insect damage from carpenter ants or simple insect infestation.  Some signs of water damage include: water marks, indicator insects (eg. centipedes, pill bugs, earwigs, etc), musty smells, sagging pavement, mold on windows frames or walls, moss/mildew on siding or roof or sink holes.  If you notice any of these signs get a home inspection!
• pets - Any signs of pets is cause for concern.  Sorry but a vast majority of people are sensitive or allergic to pet dander.  If a pet(s) are in the house then carpet and duct work cleaning will be a must.  This will increase the price by about $500 if not a bit more.  If this is a I love it house then fine but if it is iffy, walk on by.  Keep in mind that allergy/asthma medications can cost upwards of $1.000 per year if more so that does add to the overall cost of home ownership.
• energy efficiency - This is likely the number one feature to look for is any home you are considering buying.  A well insulated and sealed home is a better investment
• eco-friendly - The house should have a lot of eco-friendly choices to prevent later problems.  Avoid homes with carpeting, paneling, press board and any other construction product that causes off gassing or later health problems.
• features you can work with - If something regardless of how little it is rubs you the wrong way when your look at the house I will guarantee you that flaw will seriously become a major thorn if you buy the house.  Look for features you can work with and don't gloss over how much work it could take to use that feature.  Guaranteed if you figure fixing that feature will cost $1,000 it will cost you $3,000 and likely take at least double the time.
• orientation - The way a house is oriented on the property can affect lighting, heating and cooling.  Orientation will determine if you can use solar as well something to consider with the rising prices of electricity.
• hide problem materials - Certain products have a good reputation for hiding problems.  They are quick, inexpensive fixes that cover up an existing problem.  These include sheet panelling, tub surround, acoustical ceiling tile, drop ceilings, paintable textured wallpaper, carpeting, and a coat of fresh paint.  Not all of the problems covered are major and in some cases it could be just what the current owner likes but these are always cause for concern.
• expandability - We've owned 7 houses now with currently owning houses 6 and 7.  One of the things we always look for in a home is garden space and the potential to put in a pool.  We put in pools at 2 of our houses so we know what is involved and since the kids are grown the chances of us putting in a pool is slim but that is one of our criteria.  The backyard must be big enough to put in a pool if we ever want one.  More importantly there must be room for the type of raised bed gardening and the possibility of chickens.   Room inside to add an extra bathroom if there is only one or bedroom/guestroom is another must.
• a good neighbour fence - Good fences make for good neighbours especially in urban settings.  Nothing can destroy neighbour relations faster than a lot line dispute that quite often occurs when one neighbour wants to errect a fence.  If a fence is already there the issue of fencing becomes non-existent.  If the fence is only chain link which solves issues of wandering pets and children but not privacy, it doesn't take much to establish a living privacy fence around the perimeter

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

What Not to Look for in a House

We are showing the house tonight so I've been doing the old spit & shine.  The main problem with most house sales is you have to live in the house while it is being sold so by default that means you have to do a spit & shine for each showing.  At any rate we decided to not ask for the extension on the conditional offer we had on a house.  It's funny hearing some of the comments of people going through our house and yet these are precisely the things you should not look at when buying a house:

• decor - Any decor is changeable so ignore things like paint and wallpaper. That is all easily changeable when you move in.
• furniture - Sorry it really doesn't matter if you like their choice of furniture or not.  I suppose you could always put an offer in that includes a particular piece of furniture but chances are good they will turn you down so just ignore the furniture.
• clutter - Sorry but a lot of people are not neat freaks.  That means you as the potential buyer need to overlook any clutter.  It will be gone when you move in anyway. 
• personal effects - This includes virtually anything that may be in the house.  So what if you don't like the way they organized the cupboards or folded the towel.  None of this is staying anyway so just ignore it.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Plastic in the Freezer

Continuing on my theme of plastics in the kitchen, I wanted to share how I deal with plastics in the freezer.  By far the most used packaging in my freezers (2 chest, 1 refrigerator side) is butcher's wrap.  For safety reasons I prefer not to use glass in my freezers other than the door shelves of the freezer portion of the side-by-side.  At the same time most plasticware and specifically the less expensive plasticware does not prevent freezer burn which leads to food spoilage.  For this reason I very seldom use snap lid types of plastic containers in the freezer.  Occasionally I will use a screw type plastic container in the freezer but only for very short term storage.  I also occasionally use plastic shape forming molds for things like homemade frozen treats.  The majority of plastic use in the freezers is comprised of plastic vacuum sealer bags with a very small minority of zipper style plastic freezer bags.  Zipper style freezer bags are good for a few select foods but in general I prefer vacuum sealer bags.  Vacuum sealer bags are heavy duty bags with a channel that when used with a vacuum sealer removes air surrounding the food from the bag then heat seals the bag.  Foods sealed this way have an extended freezer life and freezer burn is virtually eliminated. 

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

The Plastic Rules

Everyone has a different way of dealing with plastics in their kitchen.  We have been striving to greatly reduce plastics coming into our kitchen.  Like many I have come to the conclusion that trying to eliminate plastics in the kitchen is virtually impossible. I have the following rules regarding plastic that finds its way into my kitchen:

• if the product comes packaged more than one ways, jars will always win over plastic
• plastic does not go in the dishwasher
• plastic does not go in the microwave ovne
• plastic is always hand washed without exposing to hard environment
• any disposable plastic is recycled if at all possible

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Continuing on the Theme of Reducing Plastics in the Kitchen

Continuing on the them of reducing plastics in the kitchen it really is interesting to do an inventory of anything plastic in the kitchen.  The problem with plastic is it is everywhere from large and small appliance components to utensils, serving dishes, handles, dish soaps and even kitchen decor.  It is everywhere!  Realizing this makes it easier to deal with plastics that come into the kitchen.  In some instances you can eliminate or reduce certain plastics in your kitchen.  In other cases plastics are desirable due to the safety aspect of plastic not breaking like glass.  In many cases though you have no choice because the plastic is part of the appliance or that is how it is packaged (eg. dishsoap, some dairy products).  So the plastic does come into the house.  The way to deal with this is reduce what you buy and recycle what plastics you can.

I am most concerned about plastics that come into direct contact with foods.  That includes utensils, food storage containers, dishware, serving bowls and that type of thing.  When it comes to these types of things plastic does have its place.  In fact plastic can be better than metal or glass for some of these application.  Here is my hit list for avoidable plastics in the kitchen.  :

• disposable anything - This includes: cups, cutlery, disposable plates/bowls, plastic wrap, food containers, spice/seasoning bottles, and water/juice/soda bottles.
• individually wrapped anything -  This includes things like condiment packages, snack foods, drinks, frozen treats and that type of thing.
• excessively wrapped anything - I prefer buying the least amount of plastic packaging possible.  Excess plastic packaging adds to the cost of the product and often ends up in the landfill because it can't go in the recycle bin.
• non-recyclable plastics - If I can't put the plastic into the recycle bin I try very hard not to bring it into the house. 

It can be difficult to eliminate these plastics entirely so the goal is to reduce and use the least amount possible.  It is a continual battle and sometimes it becomes a compromise.  If you pick up a deli roasted chicken that is cheaper than raw and eliminates cooking on a hot, humid summer day but the chicken comes in a plastic container it may be that the chicken is the more eco-friendly choice.  Quite often take-out or delivered food includes things like disposable cutlery so I usually tell them I don't want it but on the rare occasion we go through a drive through restaurant any extra plastic cutlery or individually packaged cutlery are saved.  In this case I feel it is better to use/recycle these items rather than just tossing. 

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Unavoidable Plastic Food Packaging in the Kitchen

In an effort to reduce the amount of plastic used in the kitchen I have eliminated or reduced certain types of food storage containers.  This is a conscious decision one in which we can choose whether or not to use plastic.  The problem with plastic is that it is virtually impossible to avoid in the grocery store.  As manufactures strive to cut their cost of production and transporting the product they are turning to plastic.  The reasons for this include:

• plastic is cheaper than glass or cans
• plastic is more durable than glass, removes risk of breakage
• plastic is lighter weight than glass or cans

Plastic is continuously coming into our homes whether or not we like it usually though the foods we buy.  Reducing what comes in via this method is possible and some plastic food packaging can be recycled.  Some of the sources of plastic in food packaging is quite obvious while in other cases it is not quite so obvious.  The important thing to note is that in the following cases the plastic is in direct contact with the food:

• plastic wrap - Fresh meats, poultry, cured meats, lunch meats and cheeses are usually wrapped in some type of plastic packaging.  Compounding the problem is fresh meats often come on styrofoam trays wrapped in thin plastic wrap.   Ideally the plastic packaging has been vacuum sealed to keep the product fresh longer but that is not always the case.  Plastic wrap can be avoided in fresh meats and poultry by buying directly from the farmer or from a butcher shop.  It is possible to buy cheeses at a cheese factory that have not been wrapped in plastic but even there a large number of cheeses are wrapped in plastic.  Cured meats can be made at home or bought at a butcher shop to avoid plastic wrap.  Lunch meats can be eliminated entirely by slicing leftover roast, turkey breast, ham or meatloaf to use instead.  Another problem is buying at stores like Sam's Club quite often a food item is in a plastic container then 2 or more of these containers plastic wrapped together or things like canned tuna are shrink plastic wrapped together.  True you get the savings but you also get the plastic.
• plastic clam shell containers -  Berries, some fruits, bean sprouts and some vegetables are often packaged in plastic clam shell containers.  Avoiding these horrid containers is easy by buying from the loose produce section, shopping the U-picks or farm markets and sprouting your own beans.
• plastic tubs - Yogurt, sour cream, soft cream cheese, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, feta cheese, dips, deli foods (salads, etc.)  and ice cream all come packaged in plastic tubs.  Yogurt, sour cream and ricotta cheese are easily made at home and homemade is less expensive.  The only way to avoid the other products is to not use them.  For most people that is not an option.  Dried foods (eg. nuts, snacks, Parmesan cheese) in the bulk section of the grocery store are often packaged in plastic tubs.  However many of these products are also available in other containers like plastic pouches or cardboard containers so that is always an option.  If you shop at a bulk food store, foods like peanut butter, honey and pie filling are spooned into plastic tubs.  Here the only option is to not buy them but rather make your own pie filling and peanut butter.  Buy honey from a beekeeper where you can bring your own glass container.
• plastic food bags - Thin plastic bags are available for produce in the grocery stores.  It is advisable to use these to prevent cross contamination of other food products and to prevent further contamination from surfaces like the conveyor belt at the check-out.  Many bakery (eg. breads, rolls, etc.) products are packaged in plastic bags.  These can be avoided by making your own bakery products.  If you shop in bulk food stores for dry foods like herbs, spices, flours and etc the only choice is to use their plastic bags to get your food home.  You can't use your own containers as they presents a health and safety as well as liability issue for the store.
• plastic bottles - Most condiments come packaged in the popular plastic squeeze bottles.  However some are also available in glass jars so that is an option.   Another option is to make your own condiments at home.  Relish, ketchup and mustards are very easy to make at home and they are less expensive.   Juices and water also come in plastic bottles.  Buy a reusable water bottle and fill at home to eliminate buying pricey water in plastic bottles.  Eliminate the plastic bottle for juices by buying frozen juices and making them at home.  Frozen juices tend to be cheaper as well.
• plastic pouches - Spices, dried herbs, nuts, baking supplies like chocolate chips all come packaged in plastic pouches.  Buy from a bulk food store instead where you will still use thin plastic bags but those bags can be recycled whereas the pouches can't.  Some fast food restaurants and sidewalk carts have condiments packaged in individual serving sized plastic pouches.  Avoid these entirely.
• cans -  Many are under the mistaken impression that getting foods packaged in aluminum cans solves the plastic issue.  It doesn't and in many ways foods packaged in aluminum cans are worse because of the potential health risks.  Every food and beverage can used in North America has a plastic lining to prevent interaction with the food.  This is a FDA mandatory requirement.  The coating may be white so it is visible or it may be clear giving the impression there is no lining but it is there.  The problem with this plastic coating is it does cont Bis-phenol A (BPA) which means the food contains BPA due to the nature of the canning industry.  Heat and acidic conditions causes BPA to leach from the plastic.  Both of these conditions occur during the canning process.  Avoid buying any food or beverage packaged in a can and that includes carbonated beverages and beer.
• glass jars - The BPA issue cannot be avoided by buying in glass jars or home canning as all metal lids also have the plastic coating containing BPA.  However, buying in glass or home canning greatly reduces food exposure to BPA.  It is very important when home canning to not invert the jar allowing the hot food to come into contact with the lid.  Once the food is cooled for both commercially jarred or home canned food the risk of BPA leaching into the food is gone.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010