How to Find the Best Wedding Gifts

It is the time of year that couples start tying the knot in droves, and that means that it’s time to start thinking about the best wedding gifts to give the happy couples you know and love.  Why not make the wedding gift memorable and useful?  A creative wedding gift doesn’t have to be hard to come up with if you use a bit of common sense.

When a young couple is getting married, it is usually the biggest, most important day that either of them has ever experienced.  This is something that is important to remember as the big day nears and you start considering what might make for a great wedding gift.  Many times, guests at the big even opt to simply go with a card containing money.  Certainly such a gift will always get put to use, but for occasions when the couple is more than just a casual acquaintance to you, sometimes more creative wedding gifts are a better idea.

Let’s face it, most people go through a period in their lives when it seems that almost everyone they know is getting married.  I remember one summer in particular when my wife and I joked that we felt like professional wedding guests!  Once you have reached the point of having attended three or more weddings during the same year, it is easy to become a bit jaded and even frustrated at the prospect of having to come up with more ideas for wedding gifts.  Looking for the best wedding gifts available can sometimes take a backseat to figuring out what you can afford as you scan the gift registry.   It is important though to remember how important the day is to the couple getting married, even if you are growing tired of weddings in general.  I say that now, but to be honest, when my wife and I did our tour of the marrying age bracket, I was probably one of the hardest ones to get dressed and out the door to the event.  I usually ended up having a good time, but let’s just say I understand the feeling of wanting a break from weddings.

All Clad Ovenware 12 Inch x 15 Inch Shallow Baker

Most of the time, a couple will provide a registry that lists specific items they have chosen as preferred gifts.  This has become so common that many larger retailers now have pages on their websites devoted to only bridal registries and wedding gift ideas.  These can be helpful at times, but if you are not one of the first ones to buy from the registry, it can provide more frustration than anything else.  Additionally, if the couple has expensive tastes, it can leave you in a rather uncomfortable position.  I myself have a cousin who, together with his fiancé, created a registry list that would have done a royal couple justice.  At the time, my wife and I were just starting out ourselves.  The only thing left on the list that was even within our budget was an $80 cookie sheet and individual “dinner glasses” that carried a price tag of $50 each.  We ended up feeling supremely stupid as we finally pitched in with my sister for one place setting of their preferred pattern of dinnerware.  Just the one setting was around two hundred bucks!  My cousin and his wife had twin girls about a year later.  I wonder how much use those place settings are getting nowadays.

Screwpull Revolutionary New Lever Pull, Satin with Crystal Foil Cutter

Anyway, now I’m a bit older and if I was going to make up a list of things I’d like to get for a wedding, it would probably be considered non-traditional to say the least.  I’m sure that some people will disagree, but seriously, considering all  that a young couple has to adjust to, how often are they going to use a hundred dollar corkscrew?  (OK, maybe they will use THAT.)  When you read a lot of lists of creative wedding gift ideas, people always seem to assume that “today’s couples” are coming into the relationship and marriage with all of the “stuff” that they need.  Um, yeah.  That may be true for some situations where a lawyer and a doctor are getting married, but the majority of the people I’ve seen getting married didn’t have everything they needed.  Maybe I just need to hang around with a better class of friends or something.  Although I appreciated all of the wonderful personalized gifts when my wife and I got married, I have to admit that we didn't use many of them.  We might be the exception though.  So anyway, here are some ideas I came up with that I think a couple might actually put to use.  You may consider this a list of creative wedding gifts, but I think they are more like practical, yet interesting gift ideas.

Money as a Wedding Gift

I know that sometimes you don’t want to hand over cash, but to be honest, depending on the situation, that may be what the couple needs most.  If it makes you feel better,  how about a small collection of Gift Cards that can be used as they see fit.  Chances are, after they have unwrapped all of the things that the bride’s mom told her to put on the registry, they’ll still need some things for their new home.

Landry's Multibranded Gift Card

Wedding Gift Baskets

I know that there are a lot of really cheesy gift baskets out there.  There are also a lot of very well put together ones though.  There is also the option of creating your own basket.  These could be put together to fit almost any theme that you think fits the new couple’s interests.  A really great basket would probably include tickets for some event that both partners enjoy.  Depending on your friends, this could range from a Monster Truck Rally to an opera.  You’ll have to make the call.  Definitely include some sort of meal in the package and any other related small items that you can think of.  This kind of gift will be for after the couple has had a month or two to settle into a routine.  When they look at each other and say, “Yep, there you are again.  What do you want to do?, they’ll have something ready and waiting besides household chores.  Of course, newlyweds are pretty good at entertaining each other, so this might really be a good gift for after they have one or two little ones filling up their time.

Home Entertainment Gifts

Now it is true that some people, especially guys it seems, love to build up their home entertainment systems.  They can spit out statistics about every conceivable type and model of television and sound system that’s out there today.  Some probably spent 80% of their pre-marriage paychecks on building up such an amazing system.  These folks don’t need this gift.  If your friends are coming from more modest means however, a nice home theater set up can be had for less than you might imagine, and it will certainly be put to a lot more use than a monogrammed ice bucket ever would be.  How much you spend is up to you.  You could go whole hog and dump thousands on an idea like this, or you could go for a smaller set-up or some nice components for much less.  If you want something that they will use, home entertainment items rank right up there with food and water in most homes.

Fun Kitchen Gadgets Are Some of the Best Wedding Gifts

It’s true that the couples that cook together can have a lot of fun.  If you’ve ever seen Down Home with the Neely’s  on Food Network, that is sort of the extreme version.  It’s a nice way to spend time together creating something that both people can enjoy.   With that said, there are some very handy little appliances out there.  The couple will probably have registered for a mixer, and unless you show up early, someone will have probably purchased it already.  How about getting a cool add-on like an ice-cream maker attachment that goes with the mixer?  Or, possibly an ice cream maker that also makes healthier snacks like sorbets?  If you haven’t ever tried using one of these, give it a shot.  It isn’t really cost efficient compared to what you can buy in the grocery store, but they make some really tasty stuff and they are fun to use.

There a many other great wedding gift ideas out there.  I could spend all day listing the things that come to my mind, and I'm sure with some imagination, most of the people reading this post could too.  That is sort of the idea behind this post.  Use your imagination and, if you are already married, think of what you would have liked to have received and had on hand a month or two after the ceremony.  What did you think the best wedding gifts would be, and what actually turned out to be the best wedding gifts after a couple of months?  I hope that this post gave you some good leads, but please leave comments with your ideas or comments about the best wedding gifts you received when you got married.

Some Extra Tips for Choosing the Best Wedding Gifts

Here are a few more creative wedding gift ideas to inspire you.  I hope you find something you like:

• Do you have an artistic streak?  How about creating something truly personal and special like a wall portrait of the happy couple?  A person with a talent like this could also come in very handy during the wedding planning phase.  Consider offering your help as part of your wedding gift.
• Remember, if you are the one getting married, that the best man probably just spent weeks or months being stressed out about performing his duties.  Remember him with a nice best man gift.  It is good form in general to make sure that you are taking care of your wedding party as part of your overall wedding planning.
• If wrapping presents is not your strong suit, you may want to spend a couple of dollars to get your wedding gift wrapped properly.  If you aren’t sure about this, think of how your present will look as it is set on a table full of perfectly wrapped packages.
• Let's face it, sometimes the best wedding gifts can be a bit expensive.  Think about pitching in with family or friends of the couple to buy or create something truly memorable.
• As an extra treat, if you are very close to the couple, consider making them a special meal when they return home from their honeymoon.  It will certainly be very appreciated and it will stand out in their minds as one of the more unique wedding gifts they received.  If you are a good cook, it might even rank among the best wedding gifts!
• If you find that everything on the wedding registry that you can afford has already been bought up, look for something appropriate and in your price range.  No one should expect you to take on a new debt when searching for the best wedding gifts, and you should feel proud giving the couple a gift that they will enjoy.  Sometimes the best wedding gifts are not even on the bridal registry, and if you are the creative type, you can sometimes come up with great wedding gifts the couple never even thought of when they were brainstorming wedding registry ideas.

Have you ever looked around and wondered where the time has gone?  I think we all probably have.  When I got married and joined the world of “grownups” years ago, I didn’t have a clue how many new things I would learn as the years passed.  I think that is probably typical of most people.  For a long time, it has been a goal of mine to learn something new every day.  Sometimes I actually manage to do it.  Other times I slip.  After my wife and I started having kids, the learning curve got pretty steep for a while, but I’ve loved every minute of it.

We all have goals, or at least I think we ought to.  I’m sure you’ve got plenty of goals for yourself.  They probably don’t include reading my life story, so I’ll keep this as short as I can.  For years, one of my goals has been to start a website and grow it into something worthwhile.  I’ve finally gotten around to it, and you are looking at it.  If I am doing what I planned, then YOU will find something useful and/or entertaining here.  I want The Home Adventure to be more than a blog.  Its focus is home, life, and hopefully some useful tips.  If you don’t have a site of your own and have something useful that you’d like to share, drop me a line with the contact form and we’ll talk (or at least email).  As long as it’s original, I might include it here.  Otherwise, you can always feel free to share a constructive comment.

You won’t find this to be the fanciest site on the Internet.  I don’t have the inclination to keep pace with all of the people who are experts in all things technical related to making websites.  You’ll find posts on simple home improvement ideas, organizing your home, favorite home products, and maybe some stuff about family, and who knows what else will come to mind.  I recently helped a neighbor who was doing battle with mice in her house.  I never would have thought about mice as a topic to write about until that day, but now I have a post all about getting rid of mice!

If you have any good ideas you’d like to share, or topics you’d like to see answered, well, I do love researching stuff.  My family has made fun of me in the past because I love to read books filled with “useless knowledge” and the only TV shows I’ll usually watch are on Discovery and The History Channel (although I do have a weakness for Modern Family).  So, feel free to send your ideas along too.

If you like to buy things, I hope you’ll like the reviews I’ve included.  When I find something that I like, it only seems fair to share what I’ve learned.  I’ve got a relative who researches everything he purchases every which way before he’ll buy.  I respect him for that, but that’s not me.  I like to check new things out for myself, and writing reviews gives me a reason to go out and get new stuff to try.  I’ll let you and him read about what I’ve learned if you’re interested.

If you have read this far, I commend you on your patience.  I hope you will find something that you were looking for, or something that you ended up enjoying by accident.  Please feel free to look around and please be sure to check out the Home Blog.

Mike

One of the first things you find out when you get out on your own, is that a lot goes into keeping a home running smoothly. There are all kinds of little things that come up on a daily basis that need to be considered and dealt with. Home Comfort is a collection of short articles (mostly) and videos that I hope will help you out as you look for solutions for those little every day things that come up in everyone's life.

I originally called this site The Home Adventure because keeping a home really can be an adventure. I changed the name to Home Comfort after a while because I want the comforts of home to be my focus.  Eventually, I went back to "Adventure" just because I liked the name.  We all face challenges every day, and home should be the one place where we feel comfortable. If you remember being a little kid playing tag, there was an immense feeling of giddy relief when you reached "home base" because it was a safe place. I think home should be like that when you are a grown up too.

When some people think of home comfort, they think of things like air conditioning maintenance. Well, that certainly is part of being comfortable when you are at home during the hot summer months, but I'd like this site to go a bit deeper and wider than that. There are so many areas of home life that people need help with that a website covering everything would have to be immense! Some basic categories I think come up a lot for people are home maintenance, home decor, lighting, interior design, and the list goes on. I've tried to base my categories on the day to day things that come up for the average person (if there is such a thing). I guess what gets written about is mostly based on the things I, or my friends experience every day. Some of them have been kind enough to write down some helpful tips and share them with me.

As I'm writing this, I've already got some posts up on this site. I thought it might be proper to give a few thoughts on some of the categories that have developed over time. I've noticed in the past, as I've looked at other websites, that many times, there seems to be no rhyme or reason to how things are laid out. I'd like to give some short explanations of what can be found in each category. I expect that as this site grows, new categories will come about, and I may have to update this welcome page. That's fine. I want this site to grow, develop and become more and more useful to people with every new page and post.

Home Decor
I'll readily admit that I never gave home decor or interior design a second thought when I was younger. It wasn't until I got married and started listening to my wife that home decorating ideas meant anything to me. It isn't that I suddenly fell in love with the idea of visiting home decor stores or checking out the latest catalogs that showed up in the mail. It was a matter of practicality. I learned from experience that designing and decorating can be a practice in form meeting function. I still let my wife deal with most of the home interior decorating and accessories, but now I can see some logic behind what she does. This is where you will find posts about home decor ideas and home decor accessories for the most part. It will also overlap at times with ideas for interior design.

In the Kitchen
I've got tons of kitchen design ideas. Most will have to wait until we have more money to work with, but I love to cook. I also love the idea of bringing the family together to do the cooking. For now, we look at different small kitchen designs and do what we can. The kitchen is an active place, and there are tons of things to explore and write about. Kitchen appliances and accessories are a favorite topic for me. I cannot get enough new kitchen gadgets.

Home Improvement
Things are starting to turn around a bit now, but a lot of people are still a bit scared of taking on the expense of moving. Home improvements are looking like a good option, especially if the changes being made can be turned into do it yourself projects. I don't think that home improvements need to be a major deal all of the time. This category will include small project ideas as well as thoughts on bigger projects. I'll try to provide useful links where applicable.

Furniture and Furnishings
Some people do amazing things with furniture. My neighbor goes out every weekend and buys antique furniture at estate sales. She fixes them up, then goes from there. Sometimes she resells them, but often she manages to either find room in her own home or she gives the refurbished furniture to people she knows. She just loves working on the stuff. Other people use furniture as they come up with incredible interior design ideas. We'll look at some different types and styles of home furnishings.

Saving Space with Counter Height Dining Sets

In an effort to make the most out of each square foot of their home, more  and more consumers are turning towards the use of counter height dining sets to maximize their floor space.  This stands to reason as homeowners are choosing to renovate their homes to increase their resale value.  Without a doubt, one of the most popular rooms to upgrade is the kitchen.

While creating an eat-in dining space these taller tables and chairs take up far less space thus leaving more room for other kitchen extras like wine racks or laptop stations. A homeowner is able to fit higher end features into their kitchen because the space is not being dominated by a regular size table and chair set.

A bay window is a perfect spot for counter height stools surrounding a tall bistro table. While this option might only seat one or two people, it is the perfect spot to enjoy a quick morning cup of coffee or the daily newspaper. Counter height dining tables can range from the small circular kind to a larger square. These taller options create the opportunity to take advantage of what might otherwise be an unused space and turn it into an asset instead of a possible kitchen design flaw. If your family gathers together for every meal of the day a smaller set like this might not be your best option, but for a quick bite to eat when a family member is on the go they are a great alternative.

Black and Oak with Bench

Another popular option in kitchen renovations is to incorporate taller bar stools underneath an overhanging kitchen counter. Rather than having this as unused space, the addition of extra seating shows potential homeowners just how much seating can actually be incorporated into the room. They offer the perfect spot for the children to sit and chat with their parents while meals are being prepared. Instead of being tucked away in a bedroom, they are out with their parents enjoying family conversation and bonding over homework. For couples that want to enjoy a romantic breakfast together they offer a better alternative than trying to connect in front of the television set.

As more and more families become increasingly active in their everyday lives the traditional full size kitchen table and chairs seating option has lost its charm. The trend is definitely towards options that provide basic seating capabilities but leave more room for other decorative high-end accessories that the family will enjoy.  Counter height dining sets fit this need perfectly.

So, what kinds of options are waiting for you once you have decided that you want to purchase a counter height dining set?  Well, there are a LOT, but for now, we're only going to focus on some of the best rated and best looking sets that we have come across.

Coaster Dining Table and Stools

If you are looking for a set that is a good match for living in limited space, this is a beautiful and sturdy dining set at an exceptionally good price. This five piece set includes four chairs and a counter height table that measures 40 inches square by 36 inches high.  It isn't a table that you would invite the extended family over to use for Thanksgiving dinner, but for casual meals or hanging out with family, it's perfect.

5 piece Cappuccino Finish

Another relatively small counter height table that is even more popular than the one above, is this five piece set that includes a bench as well as chairs.  The table is a rectangular shape and measures 47 1/4" x 20".  Its height is 35".  Both the chairs and the bench have cushioned seats for comfort and the whole set blends well with a more modern looking dining room.  The beauty and elegance of this set is remarkable considering the modest price tag.

9pc Marble Top Counter Height Dining Table & 8 Stools Set

Of course, many people need or want more than just a small table to sit around with a friend or two.  These counter height dining sets also are available in larger sets as well.  One of the most popular larger sets is this nine piece marble top set that comes in a finish that is primarily brown and medium brown.  Marble and wood make for a beautifully classy combination.  Of course the table is larger to accommodate so many available seats.  It measures 54 inches square.  Since this is a counter height table, it stands 36 inches tall.

Check Locally for Counter Height Dining Sets

There are many other beautiful counter height dining sets available for sale.  You may want to keep your eyes open for local sales in stores.  Furniture sales happen all of the time, but the availability of these taller sets may be limited depending on where you live.  There are many good deals available online, but people often assume that the shipping cost would crush them.  If this is the case with you, be sure to check out the deals offered on specific sites.  I know for a fact that Amazon often offers  ways to get free shipping, but you have to check on each item you are interested in, because deals can vary from item to item. You can see many more counter height dining sets by clicking HERE.

I Discover My Need for Wrapping Paper Storage

I never even considered the idea of wrapping paper storage for most of my life.  Honestly, I'd never even heard of a gift wrap storage container.  On the odd occasion that I would need gift wrap, I'd consult my own personal wrapping paper organizers (my wife and daughters). What finally got me thinking about the topic was when our current systems started to break down on us.

You see, we somehow got into the habit of using the empty space under the bed as a convenient place to keep those long unwieldy Christmas wrapping paper rolls that only got pressed into service once per year. For no reason in particular, it seems that our gift wrapping paper for birthdays and other non-Christmas occasions is almost always the kind that comes folded in packs.

Actually, there is a reason for the large collection of gift wrapping paper covered in Christmas designs. My wife loves to hit the after Christmas clearances when the cheap wrapping paper is at its cheapest. Anyway, suffice to say that we usually have multiple rolls stored away out of sight. The idea for purchasing and designating a wrapping paper storage container came during the wee hours of the night after someone had been doing some wrapping. A couple of the rolls had not been pushed all the way under the bed and, you guessed it, I wiped out as I was going into the first turn at the bottom of the bed. No major injuries occurred, but it’s no fun falling down in the dark when all you wanted to do was get a drink of water.

A Wrapping Paper Storage Solution

Now we have actually purchased a couple of different wrapping paper storage devices to hold all of the post holiday paper purchases. One is a long fabric bag that zippers shut. It has pockets built in for holding wrapping essentials like tape and scissors as well as plenty of space for the rolls themselves. We also got a long plastic paper storage bin built just for this purpose. Both work well and were pretty inexpensive. You can sometimes find these in stores, but it gets harder once the holidays are past because retailers want to use every bit of available space for getting hot selling items in front of shoppers.

I’m including links to a couple of the more popular wrapping paper storage devices available on Amazon. They do a good job of keeping the paper from being ruined from too much handling and they also keep those awkward rolls out of everyone’s way. I do recommend keeping tape and scissors with the stored paper. It makes it much easier and convenient when the next gift wrapping occasion comes up. You can check some of them out right here.  I've found that if you have kids, it is worth it to simply go ahead and invest in some extra scissors and tape.  The kids need them a lot for school projects or random creative expressions that involve cutting things up and then sticking them back together.

This Rubbermaid Wrapping Paper Storage Organizer is a very popular choice. Learn more about it by clicking on the image above.

The 40 inch Rubbermaid wrapping paper organizer that is shown here is a very popular choice and it gets great reviews. It has a low profile, so it can fit under the bed, but it is also sturdy enough to stand upright in a closet. That's great if you want to eliminate the possibility of finding it with your toes when you are getting into bed at night. I actually like this better than the plastic bin option for wrapping paper storage because of its ability to stand up and because there are no worries about a lid popping off and spilling the contents all over the floor.  Yes, I've been there and done that.

Now, since you are here, and you are looking for ways to store wrapping paper, I thought I'd also include a helpful little video about the actual wrapping of presents. I'm sure that some people out there received step by step instructions on how to wrap a gift when they were younger, but I wasn't one of them. I sort of figured it out on my own after wasting copious amounts of gift wrap and delivering many presents that looked like they were wrapped by a monkey with two broken thumbs. I hope that if you face a similar challenge, the video below will help. This is just for wrapping a basic box. Start with baby steps.:)
How To Wrap a Gift Video

Some final thoughts and tips on wrapping paper storage and home storage in general:

• When it comes to holiday storage and holiday organization in general, I was always sort of lax.  I finally forced myself to buy some plastic bins and other assorted organizers and spent a weekend getting things organized.  I highly recommend doing this.  It is a pain in the neck to do at first, but it makes things SO much easier the next time you need to find something.
• My wife also bought a craft storage rack recently that we use to keep all of our commonly used arts and crafts items together.  It was another good investment.  There is no longer a twenty minute search for essential craft items involved when a homework project calls for glue, scissors, yarn, and colored pencils.
• Consider buying holiday cards in bulk right after the holidays have ended and prices are dirt cheap.  Use these "generic" style cards for those acquaintances who are still on your holiday mailing list, but who don't require cards with a special message.  Get yourself a cheap greeting card storage device to keep them safe until next year, or put them into one of your other holiday organizers so that they are one of the first things you see next year when you start unpacking.
• Finally, when you are buying an organizer to help with wrapping paper storage, buy something that will meet your needs, not necessarily the cheapest thing available.

Oak Bedroom Furniture Offers Strength and Beauty

There are some very good reasons that oak bedroom furniture is so popular.  One of the more popular types of wood for building furniture, in general, is oak. 

You can find this Oak Platform Bed on Amazon. Click the image above to see product details.

I grew up living next woods that were filled with old growth red oak trees and my Dad had a background in carpentry, so I used to hear a lot about the strength of oak and how it had been used for so long to build furniture.  I guess I was kind of dorky, but I used to walk through the woods and stare up at those trees in amazement.  It wasn't the sheer size and strength of them, it was also the fact that they were used to build so much of what we depended on every day.  Hey, I was seven or eight and we didn't have cable TV, OK?

When my wife and I started looking for bedroom furniture to put into our house after we got married, she specifically started looking for oak bedroom furniture.  I thought that was kind of neat for the reasons I just mentioned, but she just shook her head and seemed to resign herself to getting used to me as we browsed through furniture stores.

I've mentioned before that although I can appreciate contemporary furnishings, I really sort of prefer a simpler, even rustic look.  We started checking out some Amish furniture that was beautiful, but it was beyond our budget at the time.  The antique furniture we checked out was also a bit pricey, but in hindsight, we really should have gone and checked out some estate auctions to see if we could find something.  I've seen solid oak bedroom furniture go for very low prices at auctions.  I mentioned this in another post, but it bears repeating.  If you can get the furniture moved quickly, you can sometimes grab a great deal at auctions and if you go out looking for antique oak bedroom furniture in any other setting, you will probably run in to some people asking a hefty price for furniture that people were trying to get cleared out at an estate sale.

Oak Bedroom Furniture Characteristics

Oak furniture has been popular since man first realized its wonderful properties.  It is a heavy, dense wood and it is also quite strong.  All characteristics that you would like for a piece of furniture.  It has a beautiful grain and takes well to having relatively intricate details carved into it.  If you have ever cut wood from different types of trees, it is hard to miss the sturdiness compared to softer woods like pine.  If you decide to look for solid oak bedroom furniture or any other type of oak furniture, be certain that you are getting what you pay for.  Solid oak is heavier than oak veneer, which is other types of wood with an oak finish on the outside.  These can still look pretty nice, and if you are working on a tighter budget, getting furniture with just an oak finish might be an affordable option that you will want to consider.

Actually, when we started looking, I expected the prices of oak bedroom furniture to be pretty expensive.  I was surprised to find that they actually compared well with similar pine bedroom furniture.  If you are in a position like we were of not having a whole lot of money to work with, you might want to consider looking for used furniture or for unfinished oak furniture as an alternative.  It is up to you and your budget but I figure that bedroom furniture is one of those things that most people intend to hold on to for a while.  We only recently got rid of the old bed that had been my brother's and then mine.  It was originally purchased back in the 1950s and was still in fine condition.  If you buy quality, its durability can pay for itself many times over as the years go by.

Here is a short video describing the pros and cons of different types of woods used for making furniture (not just oak bedroom furniture).

The Benefits of Home Bars

There is little doubt about it, in the long run, home bars cost a lot less than heading out to the local pubs every weekend.  Depending on the talents that you may or may not have, installing a home bar might be a reasonably priced way to increase the value of your home and maybe give your popularity a little boost as well.  No matter what type of set up you have in mind, there are home bar plans and pre-built home bars to fit most situations.  I've had no problem finding pre-built bars for sale.  I've shown a few popular ones later in this article and made comments about them.  What I did have a tough time finding was actual home bar plans that described how to BUILD your own bar at home.  Even Amazon came up short.  They did have one book that looked promising, and I was going to include it here, but it was out of stock and they didn't know if it would ever be published again.  What the heck???  Anyway, if you have been looking for do it yourself home bar plans, I was able to find a nice collection, and it is actually able to be downloaded for immediate access.  You can find some great plans for home bars (including Tiki bars) by following THIS LINK.  Drop me a line through the contact form if you have found any other favorite home bar plans and I'll include them here.

Home bars seemed to be all the rage when I was a little kid back in the 1970s.  Most of my parents' friends had bars in their homes and their group of friends would gather from time to time at each others' houses to hang out with each other.  Sometimes it would be for special occasions like New Year's Eve or a playoff football game, but other times they just hung out together.  The kids went off and did things to keep busy.  I remember learning to play bumper pool one time and going out in the yard at night to catch worms on another occasion.  I guess we did what we had to to pass the time.

I never minded going on those visits because I really liked actually looking at the bars.  I know that sounds kind of strange, but my Dad did carpentry work on the side and he actually built many of the custom home bars in their friends' homes.  It was pretty cool.

If you are able to build things on your own, you can save a lot of money, but modern home bars are not all that expensive when you consider how much other home improvements can cost.  Honestly, I was shocked at how little pre-built bars actually cost when I checked out the prices.

Before you build a bar, compare your costs to what a pre-built bar would cost. This Cherry Finish Bar Unit w/Wine Rack is available on Amazon. Click the image above to learn more.

Discount home bars are actually available for under $200 and I know that is a lot less than my Dad spent even back in the 70's for just the materials he used for building a really nice bar on his own.  Now, if you are looking to build a deluxe type bar rather than a simple home mini bar, your costs will obviously be higher.  The cheap home bars that come pre-assembled are basically rather short and straight, as opposed to L shaped corner bars that can actually be the centerpiece of a game room.  You can add all kinds of accessories like running water or set ups that allow you to keep refrigerated kegs of beer available.  You can also go all out and pick out a particular theme that you would like to build around.  If you have a favorite sport, your decorating might be based on that.  If you like neon lights to give the feel of a "real" bar, you can get those too.  Be warned, those home bar accessories are where you might end up dropping the bulk of your money.  Even bar stools can be pretty expensive.

Shown here are three popular pre-built bars that are currently for sale on Amazon.  I chose these three to show off mostly because I liked the way the look!  I really wasn't sure what to expect when I started checking out pre-built bars online.  To be honest, the idea of shipping costs sort of put me off until I realized that many of the units sold online offered free shipping as part of the purchase price.  There are a TON of popular pre-built bars for sale, but you'll have to check each one individually to see what kind of breaks they offer on shipping.  The prices are definitely comparable (or better) than any of the units I found for sale at retail outlets near my house.  The selection is also much better online.  You can find a nice selection of pre-built bars by clicking HERE.

 Pre-built Home Bars for Sale

Coaster Home Bar Unit, Black with Chrome Accents

City Chic Bar Cabinet - Espresso

Sixteenth-Century Italian Replica Globe Bar

If you would like to save some money, I would highly recommend checking out your local classified ads or sites like eBay and Amazon when it comes time to buy home bar accessories.  Just signs and lights for decorating your bar can be very expensive.  Shopping around a bit has its advantages.

There are some very cool things that can add an unbelievable amount of atmosphere to home bars.  Personally, I think if you have the room, you should have a pool table.  I really like playing pool with friends and this is another addition that you can usually pick up pretty cheap if you shop around. If you are willing to go with a second hand pool table, you can really save a ton. New pool tables can be fairly expensive.  With that said, I do have to say that I found some pool tables on Amazon that were priced lower than some of the tables sold locally. So if you are thinking of adding a pool table to the mix, it is worth looking online. Most of the ones on Amazon included free shipping.

For sports fans, you might want to consider installing a mounted television and/or sound system for when big games are going to be on.  Obviously the cost here depends entirely on what type of system you choose to enhance your set up.  Finally, having a dart board mounted in your game room is the perfect compliment to your bar if you are going to be entertaining friends.  The electronic dartboards that keep score for you usually come with plastic tipped darts that are designed not to damage things when they hit something other than the board.  A bonus is that they are usually really inexpensive.

This is just a small list of ideas.  Certainly home bars can be pretty much anything you want them to be.  They can be very simple or if you have enough money to spend, they can become very extravagant.  I wish I had photos of the one my Dad actually built.  It was an L shaped bar that had a sink built in to the lower level.  That level was also lit (by a very cool red light that matched the overhead lighting he installed).  The base had sliding doors that hid a ton of storage space.  I would imagine having that custom bar built now might carry a hefty price tag.  Like I said though, he was able to do the actual building himself.

If you are able to do the grunt work, you might want to just look around for some home bar plans to guide you.  You will certainly save a lot of money on labor.  If you just want to pay the money and get your bar, you should probably consider looking for home bar sets that come complete.  You may have to pay a bit for the convenience, but you will be able to get started entertaining right away.  Even for the higher priced home bars, the entertainment value is great if you like to hang out with friends.  If you are a regular visitor of "real" bars, your savings from not going to them could probably go a long way toward getting your own home bar up and running.  That would probably work as a good justification too if you have a partner who is on the fence about getting a home bar!

Once you have your home bar up and running, you will need to stock it with something to drink. The video below gives some tips on how to stock a home bar. Of course, this too can get as expensive as you are willing to let it get. If you stay very basic, you can get by with some basic staples that are used to mix up the most common drinks. If you are into creating fancy drinks, your supplies will cost more. The initial cost of stocking your bar could set you back a bit, but unless you have some very thirsty friends, maintaining your stock shouldn't be all that expensive.  In fact, if your friends are willing to contribute a bit, home bars could end up being a real bargain for those folks willing to put one in their home.

Looking for the Best Way to Catch a Mouse?

So, you want to know how to get rid of mice in your house? Well, it is little comfort to hear that the best strategy is to not let mice in your house to begin with, so I’ll save those tips until the end. If you are not used to dealing with these nasty little critters, seeing mice in the house for the first time can really freak you out.  Figuring out how to get rid of mice becomes a top priority in a hurry.  I remember the first time I saw one up close and personal. I was five or six years old and our house was next to woods. My older sister and I were watching TV in the game room when we saw a gray streak go sprinting across the floor. My sister about lost her mind right there. I didn’t know what it was until I heard her screaming MOUSE!


Anyway, if you’ve got mice in the house, you’ll want to get rid of them as quickly as possible. They are quite attracted to each other if you know what I mean. I’ve read that if you don't take steps quickly to get rid of mice, they can have up to twelve or thirteen litters over the course of a year. That means that they can quickly become more than a nuisance.  You can find yourself living in the middle of a full blown mouse control problem. Mice can spread some very nasty diseases, and they can get into just about anything. You want them gone. If you have been looking for a reason to get a cat, you're all set.

Here (directly below) is a small array showing some of the most popular products available today designed specifically for getting rid of mice.  These examples are available on Amazon for pretty good prices.  Clicking on any of them will show you details about each one.

How to Get Rid of Mice: Mouse Traps That Work

At this point some of you might be curling up in your chair feeling something like my sister did when she saw our little visitor. Now you have to decide on a course of action. You could go straight to calling a mouse exterminator, but that can be expensive. Depending on your situation, you might want to try taking care of things on your own first.  Whatever you decide to do, you need to take action quickly.

Spring Loaded Mouse Traps

Probably the most common solution that people go with, when it comes to mouse extermination, is a spring loaded mouse trap. Victor mouse traps are probably the ones most Americans are familiar with.  The Victor "V" is well known with experienced mouse hunters.  These mouse traps are efficient and cheap.  In my opinion, these are the best way to catch a mouse.  If you want to give these a shot, place them near where the mice hang out. If you know of a hole where they are living, place the mouse trap near it. If you just know a general area where you have seen mice, place it along the area where they run.  For these mouse traps to do any good, you will have to find the best mouse trap bait for the mouse in your house.  I have found that marshmallows with peanut butter smeared on top of them make a pretty good mouse trap bait.  It stays in place and does a good job of getting the attention of hungry mice.  You may want to secure the mouse bait in place by tying it down with a piece of dental floss (not mint flavored).  I’ve also heard of some people adding a drop of vanilla extract to the mouse bait just to make it a bit more irresistible to the mice. From what I’ve seen, baiting a mouse trap with cheese works a lot better in cartoons than it does in real life. You want something sticky that smells good to them. If you have other pets, make sure that their access to the trap area is blocked.  This tip about protecting other pets also applies to using poison pellets, mouse glue traps, and any other pest control products that could potentially harm them.  Mouse poison and dogs should be nowhere near each other.  Your pets may also go after baited mouse traps, so be sure to take precautions.

How to Set a Mouse Trap

One of the most daunting parts of the whole "how to catch a mouse" problem is how to set a mouse trap.  I'll bet that there are people who avoid these snap traps just because they don't want to whack themselves.  Fortunately, I was able to find a very handy video showing the right way to set a trap (along with what NOT to do).  Take a look.  A picture (or video) is worth a thousand words!

How to Get Rid of Mice with an Electronic Mouse trap

We’ve all heard the challenge of building a better mousetrap, and people keep on trying. There are electronic mouse traps that use battery power to deliver a lethal jolt.  You might also hear these referred to as electric mouse traps, but they do not plug in to a wall socket.  These are a good option for people who prefer to avoid the possible gore of a traditional trap. Once the mouse is dead, you just dump it out and dispose of it properly. There are also various no touch traps that work something like a traditional trap. I have found that the electronic traps are hard to find in my area, but I did find them on Amazon.  These run on standard batteries, but they build up a charge that is strong enough to take down these rodents.  Some people have managed to give themselves a zap while setting these, so be careful.  The Victor Electronic Mouse Trap
is shown here because when I think of mouse traps, I always think of that big "V".

Looking for a Humane Mouse Trap?

There are some people who don't want mice in the house, but who cannot bear the thought of causing suffering in another living creature.  For these people, there are humane mouse traps.  Now, the definition of humane can vary a bit here.  If you search for them, you will not always find live mouse traps.  Some people see anything that is not a spring loaded trap as humane, while others want a trap that will capture the mice in a living state so that they can be relocated to some nearby woods and live out their lives as country mice.  I'll assume for now that we are talking about live capture traps.  There are quite a few available.  You can see several of them right HERE.  My problem with trapping mice is that these traps are going to leave you stuck with a trapped animal that is not going to show you the proper appreciation for sparing its life.  I get the noble cause.  Honestly, I even carry spiders outside sometimes, but I personally am not interested in an accidental mouse bite as I try to do the right thing.  I switch into a different mode when I'm dealing with pest problems.

Probably the most popular and affordable humane traps around are Mice Cubes (cute name).  Mice cubes work on a pretty basic principal.  The door only opens one way.  When the mouse goes in, gravity closes the door behind it and then it is stuck.  At that point, you can drive it to your favorite wooded area and introduce it to its new home.  At the time of this writing, you can pick up a 12 pack of these for just over 20 bucks.  Smaller packs cost less.  Not a bad deal at all if you want to get your mouse problems handled as quickly as possible.

Glue Mouse Traps

I should also acknowledge that there are glue mouse traps available.  Seriously, the idea of these glue traps for mice gives me the heeby jeebies.  These allow you to capture a living mouse by getting it stuck to a board covered with glue.  Do you want to guess what kind of mood this critter will be when you find it?  Really, some people like these traps, but pretty much anything that goes by can get stuck to them, and like I said, you've got to deal with an angry rodent that is basically out in the open.  Surprisingly, I never saw this mentioned in other how to articles about mouse trapping or rat trapping.  I can't say that I recommend this method, but if you have a reason that you prefer them, please feel free to leave a comment explaining why.

Mouse Poison

Finally there is the mouse poison option. I’ve never actually tried any of these for two reasons. I have had dogs around for most of my life, and I don’t want the mice dying and rotting somewhere that I can’t find them. I may be paranoid, but I don’t like to leave poison out where kids or pets can get to it. Your situation may vary.  I happen to know that if I accidentally leave any type of bait stations out in the open,  at least one of my dogs will probably get curious enough to do itself some harm.

The Homemade Mouse Trap

OK.  You know that there are people who just have to try things on their own.  Honestly, my research on homemade mouse traps seems to indicate that most of them are a lot more trouble than they are worth.  Some were based on making the mouse drown, which I do see as rather cruel and unusual, or trapping them in something like a garbage can.  Considering how inexpensive traps actually are, these might make for a nice science fair project, but they hardly seem worth the time and effort involved.

What is the best mouse trap?

I suppose choosing the best mouse trap is something that depends a lot on your ethical position on killing mice.  If you are against it, go for one of the live release traps.  If you are only interested in how to kill mice efficiently, I personally lean toward the spring loaded traps or electronic traps.  I'd have to say that if I face the problem any time soon, I'll probably give the electronic traps a shot just because they don't really cost that much and I always feel like I'm going to snap myself when I set the spring traps.

No matter how you decide to go after the mice, don’t handle them without protecting yourself with heavy gloves. They really can carry some bad stuff. When I’ve caught them in the past, I drop them into double plastic bags, wrap them up and put them in the outside garbage. I have also heard that vacuums shouldn’t be used to clean up their droppings. Apparently they can release some of the bad stuff from the droppings into the air and you don’t want to breath it in. Spray it with a disinfectant spray containing bleach and then clean it up with disposable rags or paper towels. Have I made it clear that you don’t want to handle any of this stuff more than you have to?

How to Keep Mice Out of Your House

As for how to keep mice out of your house once you have done your Terminator thing, removing clutter is a good way to start. Trash and piles of wood are common things that attract mice. Keep them away from your house as much as possible. If you do keep wood for a fireplace, get it off of the ground where it would make an inviting home for Stuart Little’s bad seed cousins.

In addition, look for points around your house where mice might be gaining access and seal them. They can fit through incredibly tiny holes, so get yourself some caulking or other appropriate sealant and get busy.   They can chew through most of the materials used in building a house with the exception of metal, so if you can block entryways with something metallic, it is all the better.  Also, clean up anything that might be an attractive food source for these pests. Dog and cat food are notorious attractants. I remember when my brother found a nest of mice living under the hood of his 1979 Cougar RX7. He said that there was bunch of dog kibble stored in there along with the mice. I have also had mice raiding the dog food in past years, but they never got quite so creative with their accommodations.

Mice in the Walls

Not to spook you, but have you ever heard a mysterious scratching noise in the middle of the night, when the house was quiet?  Well, it could be mice in your walls.  Of course, it could also be squirrels or bats too, but that's another post.  Solutions for getting rid of mice in walls can be a bit more challenging.  They could be trapped, or they could just be using the area as part of their normal run.  If you can locate where they entered, setting a trap is probably your best bet.  Once they are gone, just be sure to seal things up tight so that no more visitors come calling.  If they are not willing to cooperate and get into the mouse trap for you, you do have some other options.  If you can find a place (in the attic maybe) where you can access the space between the walls, you could sprinkle some mouse poison in there for them.  The problem with that of course is that they might also die between the walls.  Some mouse poisons have a drying effect on the mouse's body, but you may still have to put up with some stink for several days.  Some people swear by doing the same thing with moth balls because the seem to repel mice.  I recently heard about using peppermint oil to repel mice.  I'd probably give that a try first, just because I the smell of moth balls might drive me out of the house before the mice left.  Some people are looking for ways to get rid of mice naturally.  Well, besides a cat, I guess one of these methods would be your best bet.  I cannot vouch for it yet, but I will be putting some peppermint oil soaked cotton balls around possible points of entry when the weather starts to turn cold.


EDIT: I came across this video and just had to share it. The still shot looks gruesome, I know, but if you've never seen this before, you've got to check it out!  Watch til the end.  It isn't what you think.

Thanks for visiting and I hope you have found something that will help you as you deal with the problem of how to get rid of mice in your home as quickly and efficiently as possible.

I don’t know if this happens to anyone else, but it seems that in my house, closets have a tendency to become a dumping ground.

You’ve probably seen TV shows where the joke is how someone crams everything into the closet to make a room look clean when someone important is coming over for a surprise visit. Well, the hallway closet in my house was just marginally better than that.
This particular closet started out as a linen closet. After a couple of years, it had linens on a couple of shelves, and more junk than you can imagine filling every other available space. What happened to the other linens that formerly resided there? I honestly don’t know. I guess they moved to a better neighborhood somewhere in the house.

I do my best to stay positive, so I look back now on the cleaning of that closet as a learning experience. What started out on a whim soon transmogrified into a day long adventure. At the end of it, I vowed to never let a closet get that bad ever again. What follows are some tips and ideas about how to clean a closet and maybe avoid having to ever do it again.
First off, however long you think it is going to take, add at least an hour or two. You might finish sooner than that, but you are better off planning for it to take a while than starting out with the idea that you will be done in twenty minutes. If you do that, you will most likely be feeling pretty ticked off at the end of hour two of the project. Alternately, break down the cleaning into small parts. Maybe one or two shelves per day. Learn from my mistake and DO NOT empty the entire contents of the closet all at once. It will make for a very intimidating sight when you see all of that stuff spread across the room.

You are going to want to separate all of that stuff. You will definitely need a garbage bag (or three). Now, out of what is not garbage, you are likely to have some things that are just not where they should be. You can give them their own pile or preferably their own box to live in for the remainder of the project. If there are other family members who contributed to the mess, you might want to make a box for each of them which will contain items that they should be keeping somewhere else. By the way, if your kids were a big part of the mess making, feel free to include them in the activity! Finally, you might want to have a box that will get filled with items you can donate or give to someone else.

One thing I have learned after doing a lot of purges, is that the garbage bag is your friend. It is amazing how much little “stuff” gets shoved into nooks and crannies around the house. If you can’t remember the last time you had a use for something, just get rid of it. Don’t fall into the trap of telling yourself that you might need it someday. If you don’t get rid of stuff, you will just end up with a well organized collection of junk that will quickly transform back into its previous state.

Once you have sorted everything, move out everything that does not belong in the closet. You want to be able to concentrate on what is staying. It is a very good idea to use some organizational aids. These are nothing fancy really. Some plastic storage bins that will fit on shelves are fine for a small closet. For a larger closet, you might want to go all out and spring for a closet organizer. They can go a long way toward avoiding future messes.

Just in closing, I want to mention that I’m a big proponent of letting kids clean up after themselves when they let their rooms get messy. Share what you learned here and set them up with the boxes. A friend of mine told me that her mom always got the cleaning started by screaming at her and dumping all of her dresser drawers on the floor while she ranted. I’m not sure if I’d recommend that much drama, but you can go with what you feel!

Below, you will find some of the popular closet organizers that are available on Amazon.  Please check them out.  If you are interested in other ways to keep your home neat, organized, and clean, you might also want to read about the Shark Vac Then Steam machine.

John Louis Home Standard Closet Shelving System, Red Mahogany	Household Essentials 01812 Six-Shelf Canvas Sweater Organizer
Seville Classics STR05813 Expandable Closet Organizer, Chrome	Sterilite 16428012 6-qt Storage Box/white Lid

When I do own a larger property, I think that I will certainly be installing driveway gates at the grand entrance.  Not so much to keep people out, but because I think having gates at the entrance of a long driveway looks so great.  Of course the added security would certainly be a bonus that I would be happy to get in the package!

Installing driveway gate is honestly nothing I would ever attempt on my own.  It is a project best taken on by professional installers who have extensive knowledge in the requirements for each individual installation, as well as experience to know what pitfalls to watch out for on a property.

I began reading about driveway gates just out of curiosity.  I also contacted some local installers (there were not many in my area) to ask questions about what types of things must be considered when taking on what appears to be a rather intimidating home project.  The first thing that struck me was the number of questions involved regarding the specific type of gate being considered.  There are different types of gates designed for different purposes.  

Most gates certainly have both an ornamental value and a security level to be taken into consideration.  If you are looking to secure your property, the project may take on an entirely different cosmetic appearance as well as a different final cost.  This final cost is not just because the driveway gate materials are more involved and expensive, in order for your property to be secure, you must also remember that the entirety of your estate must be secure, not just the gate.  A gate does little good if it is strictly ornamental and someone can simply walk to the end of a row of bushes to access your property!

Metal driveway gates are a popular selection and are what is often seen when you see photos or video of palatial estates being guarded from intruders.  Wooden driveway gates are also available however and depending on your needs you may want to check out that they offer for your particular property and needs.

If your property is anything but flat and away from the street, you may have to do some consulting with an installer regarding how the driveway gates will actually open and close.  Homeowners sometimes forget that gates that swing open and shut can require a significant amount of room for their normal movement.  Opening out into the street and disrupting the flow of traffic is not a reasonable or acceptable option.  Swinging gates will also now work well without customizing the installation if they are expected to guard a driveway that presents a hill directly in the way of the gates normal path.  In instances like this, sliding driveway gates might be a preferable option.  You can expect costs to vary for the project depending on what options you have chosen for your property.

The actual installations can get quite involved and can require rather extensive amounts of planning, excavation and overall execution.  Because it is imperative that the entire operation remains stable for the lifetime of the gate, all parts of the project must be firmly secured into place.  This may require steps as drastic as putting in concrete bases under ground where none previously existed.  If the gates are to run on electricity, the source of the electricity must also be taken into account as well as possible manual over-ride options for times when the power may be out for one reason or another.

Driveway gates are a handsome way to increase the security of your home and to beautify the landscape.  Installing these gates is not a project for beginners or the faint of heart though.  If you do not have experience with such a project or have connections with someone who has done such installations before, it might be wise to consult a professional before proceeding.