A beautifully-landscaped property can work won-ders when it comes to selling your home. The Free Landscaping Ideas Blog offers these sugges-tions on how to save money without sacrific-ing quality or beauty. • Make a plan that in-

cludes a schedule of tasks and rough sketches of your de-sign to help you de-termine what items you need. For assis-tance, consult with an expert at a local gar-dening store or home improvement retailer.

• Plan the project in phases and purchase products as money is available. The phased-in plan also helps you avoid the interest and fees asso-ciated with home-improvement loans or credit card purchases.

• Don’t sacrifice qual-ity. Ask the staff at local specialty shops for recommendations about the best prod-ucts available. If you are inexperienced with landscaping, consider spending a little extra for profes-sional assistance.

• Carefully inspect plants for diseases and insect problems, espe-cially if you didn’t purchase them from a nursery. Diseases and pests can spread to

Live longer are more likely to have fewer heart ailments.

2. Take Monday Off. Re-searchers in New York found that missing a few days of work lowers your risk for stroke by 30 per-cent…not to mention most heart attacks occur on Monday morning!

3. Eat Oatmeal Cookies. University of Connecticut researchers found that eating oat-bran cookies daily can lower your LDL cholesterol by 20 percent.

4. Go To Bed Early. Peo-ple who are fatigued have high levels of fibrinogen, a blood-clotting protein

Enjoy Bits, Tips & Quips? Share it with

friends and family!

If you like the newsletter why not share with others? Just email me their name and address and I’ll send them next month’s issue.

I’ll also include a note letting them know you thought they’d like it!

continued p. 2

continued p. 2

We all want to feel better, look better, and live as if we are a finely tuned instrument, or well-maintained vehicle. Get on the road to feeling, looking, and living better and increasing your chances for enjoying life. 1. Smile. Researchers at

Harvard found that peo-ple with positive attitudes

Landscape p.1 Live longer p.1 Congratulations p.3 Addictions p.3 Real Estate p.4

Inside this issue:

Michael Wakefield

CRS 417-9808

mwakefield@ WRrealtors.com

MichaelWakefield.com

Low cost landscaping BITS, TIPS QUIPS

MMichael ichael WWakefieldakefield Louisville, Kentucky Real Estate

www.MichaelWakefield.com

that reduces blood flow to your heart and brain.

5. Wash Your Hands. German sci-entists found people with high levels of antibodies from fighting infections also had more clogging of their arteries.

6. Read A Good Book. Need I say more? 7. Meditate 30 Minutes A Day.

Researchers at Thomas Jefferson University found meditation may reduce depression and anxiety by up to 25 percent.

8. Drink Cranberry Juice. People who drink 8 ounces of cranberry juice a day increase their HDL cholesterol levels by 10 percent…

(cont. p. 1) Live longer

• Ask neighbors if they’ll share some of the costs. By pooling all your resources, you may get some good deals on items bought in bulk, and you can split the cost of renting machin-ery for landscaping work.

other plants. Also ask the gar-dening retailer if they offer war-ranties on their plants.

• If you plan ahead, you can take advantage of off-season prices. For example, buy lumber in the winter when it is cheaper and store it until you are ready to use it. Shop for trees, shrubs, perennials, mulch and soil late

(cont. p.1) Landscape

2.

reducing heart risk by 40 percent, according a New Jersey study.

9. Bike Your Blues Away. Biking was found to be as effective at relieving depression as antide-pressants reported Duke Univer-sity researchers.

10. Join A Group. People who have a circle of friends handle stress better and have less heart disease, according to University of Chi-cago researchers.

in the season when prices go down.

• Purchase products online or from catalogs, or join a garden-ing club, which may offer dis-count prices as well as helpful advice.

• Ask people in charge of con-struction or demolition sites if they have used stones or bricks they might give away.

DID YOU KNOW

There are no letters assigned to the numbers 1 and 0 on the tele-phone keypad. These “flag” num-bers are reserved for emergency

and operator services.

Okay, I can’t sell a house in Machu Picchu (plus it wouldn’t be comfortable...it lacks today’s amenities) but that doesn’t mean we can’t find you the perfect home.

Rates are low, inventory is good, and contrary to media reports, property is actually selling.

Give me a call if you’re thinking of a move or just have questions about the market.

3. Teaser I start with the letter E, and I end

with the letter E. I contain only one letter, yet I am not the letter!

What am I? (answer at the bottom of page)

Save Your Life Foods!

•Apples reduce your risk of cancer, stroke, and heart disease. Harvard researchers found 20% less heart disease in people who ate apples.

•Eggplant cuts cholesterol and re-duces artery blockages. Eggplant is jam-packed with chlorogenic acid, an antioxidant that fights bacteria,

viruses, cancer and cholesterol. •Drinking one cup of cranberry

juice three times a day reduces uri-nary tract infections in women by

50% according to Stanford Univer-sity researchers.

•Seniors who ate fish high in omega-3 fats (sardines, salmon, tuna, herring) monthly had 60%

less Alzheimer’s disease.

Wisdom •Find a way to serve others and your life will have meaning.

•Compliment three people every-day.

•Take a brisk 30-minute walk everyday.

•Be bold and courageous. •Never underestimate the power of a kind word or deed.

•Set short-term and long-term goals.

•Take time to smell the roses. •Improve your performance by improving your attitude.

Answer

An envelope

Congratulations! Brad and Jen Fisher

on the birth of their 1st child Will

Soft Addictions: Are You Hooked?

Has the time you spend watching TV gotten out of hand? Do you find yourself spending hours surfing the Internet? Or, maybe you’re like many people who are addicted to shopping...even when they don’t have the money! These are “soft addictions”—activities that zap your energy, and keep you from living a purposeful and passionate life. Soft addictions may not threaten your health or your job, like the big ones. We all know that drugs, alcohol, and gambling can ruin lives. (Although excessive shopping can put you at financial risk.) But soft addictions can cause family and marital stresses, and leave you feeling disconnected. How can you reconnect? First, turn off the TV, and unplug the Internet. If this sounds too painful, start by doing this for one day and build up to three days. If you are addicted to shopping, cut-up all but one credit card, and promise to use it only for emergencies. Try this for one week, you’ll be glad you did!

Jason and Ann Graff on the birth of their 1st child

Jack

Clif Miller on the sale of his house

Brook Hogan on the purchase of her 1st home

Chase and Beth Speiden on the sale of their rental house

Charles and Kristen Joels on the birth of their 2nd daughter

Matilda Chris and Laura Cooke

on the birth of their 4th daughter Elizabeth

Real Estate Corner… Q. We’re selling our home soon, but don’t want to spend much money on home im-provements. Are there any in-expensive ways to fix up our home? A. Here are just a few low-cost im-provements (outdoor and indoor) that can really make a difference and help you sell your house at a higher price: Outdoor Improvements: You’ll also want to pay close attention to your home’s curb appeal. Remem-ber, that first impressions count!

•Painting – While painting is not inexpensive, it is the best way to im-prove the appearance of your home.

•Replace The Front Door – If your front door is in poor condition, either paint the door, or replace it. You can also install quality decorative fea-tures (doorknobs, lock, knocker) to dress up the door.

•Repair Screens – Repair any screens. Your local hardware will do this for about $15 per screen, or you can do it yourself.

Patch Holes In Walkways – Con-crete patching costs less than $10 gal.

•Reseal Your Driveway – Repave your driveway if it needs it.

Indoor Improvements: The best way to add to your home’s value is to make sure your house is “sparkling” clean...so it shines! •Replace Worn Carpeting. You can get quality carpeting installed at about $20 square yard, a good value that will transform the look of your home.

•Painting – A new coat of paint, in neutral colors, will brighten and add value to your home at a reasonable cost to you.

Thank you for reading Bits, Tips & Quips. As always, your thoughts, suggestions and comments are welcome.

Michael Wakefield mwakefield@WRrealtors.com

Knock on Wood Hardwood floors remain a very popular choice among many homeowners, and with all the stains and finishes available, cleaning them is easier than ever. Wood floors are easy to maintain — they usually require little more than sweeping with a soft-bristle broom and periodi-cally cleaning with a reputa-ble wood floor cleaner. The

National Wood Flooring Association offers the following tips for pro-tecting and maintaining hardwood floors. ∗Use a cleaner that is specially made for wood floors. Avoid us-ing sheet vinyl and tile floor care products. Self-polishing acrylic waxes can cause the wood to become slip-pery and appear dull quickly.

∗Use throw rugs both inside and outside of doorways to prevent scratches and keep dirt and grit from being tracked onto the floor. ∗When cleaning, do not use a wet mop. Stand-ing water can dull the finish, damage the wood and leave a dis-coloring residue. ∗Wipe up spills imme-diately with a slightly dampened towel.

∗Avoid walking on wood floors with cleats, high heels and sport shoes, which can dent the floors. ∗When moving heavy furniture, pick it up in-stead of sliding it. Place guides under furniture legs to prevent scuffing and scratching.

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