Your
home is your shelter from the environment.
It is a haven for your family. It
is a place where friends gather and have fun over the holidays and all year
long.
So,
have you said ‘thank-you’ to it lately?
Probably
not, because it wouldn’t hear you anyway.
But here are some ideas to show your thanks to your home and family without
spending much money or adding to the clutter in your home.
FOR THE HOME
· Control the Humidity—Too much
moisture in the air can cause damage to furniture, fabrics, photographs, food,
etc. Too little moisture can cause
damage to wood, your health, your plants, etc.
This may be in the living areas of your home, or most especially in
basements and attics. While household humidifiers
and de-humidifiers help the living areas, they do not usually reach the attic,
garage or crawl spaces in your home. So
pay special attention to what you store in those areas.
· Control Temperatures—Just as
too much/little moisture in the air can cause damage, so can extreme
temperatures. Pipes can freeze in the
winter if not insulated. Ice can form on
your A/C unit if air isn’t flowing properly.
Candles can melt in your attic in the summer, and snowglobes can crack
in the winter. Expansion/contraction can
harm foundations and framing. Keep
temperatures as even as possible throughout your home throughout the year.
· Check Batteries—What good is a
battery back-up for your sump pump, smoke detector, or computer if the
batteries themselves are dead? Check and
change them regularly. The extra time it
takes to unscrew the cover of your smoke detector is worth the thousands of
dollars in repairs and lost belongings in the case of a non-functioning alarm
during a fire.
· Clean Thoroughly—This may
seem obvious to you, but we’re not talking about a casual dust and mop
job. We’re talking deep-down,
nitty-gritty, get the grease off your stovetop and mold off your shower
doors. And it’s not just about being
clean. It’s about being healthy. The longer you let dust and grit sit, the
greater your chances for harboring viruses or other germs.
· Make Repairs—Again, this may
seem obvious, but we’ve all been there.
You know the screen needs repairing.
But you just don’t have the time to take the door down and bring it to
the hardware store for repair. So you
let it sit. Meanwhile, wasps find their
way in, start building nests in your attic, and before you know it, their home
is so big, the moisture starts dripping through your ceiling. Now, you not only need the screen repaired,
you also need an exterminator to kill the wasps and a handyman to repair your
ceiling. Was it worth it?
· Use Biodegradable Cleaners—Your house and your environment will thank you. There are less harmful abrasives in
biodegradable cleansers, and less pollutants running through your
plumbing. Be nice to your floors and
countertops, as well as your sewer by using chemical-free cleaning products.
· Purify Your Air—Perhaps
it’s because we’ve grown accustomed to the ‘smell’ of our houses, that we don’t
really realize they have an odor to them.
Whether it’s the pets, the cooking, the cleaning supplies or the human
element, there are pollutants floating about the air in our homes. Running an
air purifier will clean out these unwanted smells and germs, leaving behind a
healthier, happier you.
· Perform a Home Inspection—One of the best
gifts you can give your home is an inspection. By identifying problem areas
before they get too large, you may be preventing permanent damage to the
home. Yes, they cost a few hundred
dollars, but isn’t it worth the investment of the inspection and the small
repair rather than a major catastrophe in the home? Inspectors are trained to see things you
aren’t. To you, your roof may look fine
from the outside, but an inspector may find loose flashing, which is letting
water seep into the attic, causing mold and mildew, which is making you sick.
Be preventative rather than reactive.
FOR THE FAMILY
· Cook Healthy—The food you put
into your system is the fuel that charges your body. If you are loading up on sugars and fats, you
are not giving it the proper nutrition it needs to get through the day. And a lifetime of bad eating habits can take
its toll later in life. Start now by
giving your family the gift of health.
· Give Compliments—Giving someone a
compliment does wonders for his/her self-esteem. Praise your family often, even for the
smallest efforts. And always remember to
say thank you for anything they do, no matter how menial. They are happier knowing you appreciate their
efforts, and will in turn help you more.
· Offer Services—Not everyone in your
family has the same resources you do.
Perhaps it’s an elderly parent who can’t get to the grocery store, or a
handicapped cousin who can’t drive to the hair salon. Find someone who will come to their home and
provide these services for them if you can't. There
are even mobile pet grooming companies who will come to your house and wash the
dog, which may be too much for an elderly person to do on their own.
· Give the Gift of Tickets—Don’t clutter up
your home or those of your extended family with little trinkets or more
clothes. Give gifts like tickets to a
play, tickets to the museum, or gift cards for consumable items such as
gasoline or food. Giving them an item
gives them one more thing to maintain or clean.
They will be more thankful for a gift that doesn’t require effort on their
part—only enjoyment.
· Give the Gift of Time—The best way
to give thanks to family and friends is to give them more of your time. Whether it’s a walk in the park, a trip to
the zoo, or sitting and watching a movie together, time is too precious to take
for granted. These are the memories you
want them to have.
· Run Errands—Just as precious
as time spent with people is time spent doing things for them. Whether it’s picking up a prescription or
dropping off the dry cleaning, those little tasks say ‘thank you’ like no card
can.
FOR YOURSELF
· Schedule time for yourself—You are the backbone of your family.
You are what keeps them running and functioning. Do you ever thank yourself for a job well
done? You can do that by scheduling time
for yourself every day. Even if it’s just
a half hour at night to read, or an hour with a friend for coffee, you should
thank the person who keeps you going—yourself.
· Take an Artist’s Day—To borrow
from Julia Cameron, take an Artist’s Day.
Spend time doing something fun and inspirational, whether it’s a trip to
the art museum, a walk in the forest preserves, or browsing through journals
and pens in the book store, spend some nurturing your creative side.
· Begin an Exercise Program—Yes, the benefit will be weight loss, but you will also be more energetic
and able to get through a long day if you exercise regularly. You don’t have to join a health club and work
out two hours a day. Start simple with a
walk around the block or sit-ups in the living room. Your body will thank you in return.
· Eat Healthy—Just as you
should feed your family healthy meals, you should also eat healthy
yourself. You are no good to your family
if you are not healthy or functioning well.
Give your body the fuel it needs to keep running.
· Have Regular Check-ups—Part of a
healthy lifestyle is seeing your physician on a regular basis for
check-ups. Like your home, finding a
problem in the early stages can prevent serious illness down the road. So see your doctor and get the tests
recommended for your age group.
Saying
thank-you to others makes them feel good.
Saying thank-you to others makes you feel good. Saying thank-you to yourself is something you
don’t always think about. Don’t you
think it’s time to start giving yourself a pat on the back and saying ‘well
done!’
