It’s May, and for Mother’s Day you promised your wife that you’d finally honestly seriously clear out the garage this spring. A week after Mother’s Day you’re regretting your decision not to default to the over-priced roses and gamble chocolate, but a promise is a promise. But somewhere between the tools, the lawn equipment, and the motorcycle, you’re not sure where to start. Everything belongs exactly where it is . . . right?
If you’re one of about 1/3 of Americans who have downsized recently or simply don’t own a home over 2500 square feet, you aren’t alone in the battle to find a place to fit everything. Your stuffed garage, stuffed basement, and over-stuffed attic aren’t necessarily attempts to accumulate more stuff—life just happens. I couldn’t believe how many things my wife and I acquired in our first year of marriage, and none of it was simply “junk.” If you want more space, throw out or sell everything you can bear to part with. For the stuff you can’t part with, let’s talk about storage units.
Money is one of my first decision-makers, so here’s the skinny: I found some Los Angeles storage units for about $42 a month. If they’re paying $42 a month in LA, how low do you think the price is in Milwaukee? And for those of us who are snowbound, we should seriously consider storage units for the seasonal stuff. I bet you could organize almost everything in your home storage areas into at least three categories: summer, winter, and year-round. Take an inventory, consider the storage space you’ll need, and then start weighing your options and your prices.
And the garage isn’t the only place to clear out. You know that there’s no reason for your snow blower and skis to share space with your lawn mower and golf clubs. So why are your snow pants and your swim shorts in the same drawer? Speaking of clothes, have you seen how many winter clothes are in your kids’ closets? Of course you can’t throw those out, but they’re not wearing them for another 6 months, either. As long as you’re clearing out the seasonal stuff, don’t stop with obvious. Get creative and get the clutter out of the whole house!
So pay for the storage unit by selling off what you don’t need and then keep all the must-haves where they belong—out of sight and out of mind. Wow. I think you just became your wife’s hero all over again. Good call on that Mother’s Day promise, champ.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jared Heath is a freelance writer whose passions are his wife, his writing, and his snowboard. Jared loves to find new ways to keep the clutter out of his house and out of his life. To find out more about what Jared has been writing, email him at jheath.biz@gmail.com.

The iPhone 5 is rumored to be released around June or July however some speculators believe that Apple might not release the iPhone 5 until early 2012. Could Apple be breaking away from their normal release date of previous iDevices?

Some of the key changes speculated for the new iPhone 5 release include:

Music Locker which provides the ability to store your music and transmit wirelessly to your iPhone 5 without the need of a computer.

Apples MobileMe services which provides every iDevice holder access to Apple’s cloud email, calendar, and storage device is rumored to be free rather than requiring an annually fee of $99.99.

Based off of the release of the iPad2, the A5 dual-core processor should be a major change in the iPhone 5 boosting its speed.

Could iPhone 5 become your wallet? This concept is at the top of iPhone application development. It is said that Apple is going to add near-field communications (NFC) chips to the iPhone 5. This will allow you to simply swipe your iPhone in front of a receptor to pay for your purchases. There would be no bar code or dongles, it would just happen wirelessly and automatically once you approve the sale.

The iPhone 5 is said to be thinner than the previously released versions with a glass back piece. It is also said to have face recognition which would bring a whole new light to the security of the device. Many users love the face time, video chat, feature of the iPhone 4, however it is only usable through Wi-Fi. This however will change with the release of the iPhone 5, providing Face Time through the 3g and 4g service.

Though it might not be as important as some of the other updates and added features of the iPhone, users will be able to add custom SMS tones to your contacts. It is also said to have an indicator light that will light up when you have new SMS messages. Users will also be able to add these custom tones to each individual email account that they have set up on the device. Another small upgrade which users have seen with each new release is an extended battery life. Users on the 3g networks will be pleased to see a 14 hour talk time while those on 4g will see a 7 hour talk time when it comes to the battery life on the iPhone 5.

With the release of the iPhone 5 users will be able to have a phone, a compass, a game machine, a wallet, a video and still camera, a pocket calculator, a pedometer, as well as their car keys all while being able to also check their mail, text messages, and social networking sites and showing the flight attendant their airplane boarding pass.

J. Sample is a writer, blogger, and a tech-savvy iPhone supporter!

With summer break on the horizon, kids will invariably start feeling antsy and restless at the prospect of endless free time. As a parent, you may share the same sentiments, except they are probably coupled by the anxiety of finding ways to keep the kids occupied and, of course, making sure their wardrobe is up to par.

Some parents may or may not consider their kids clothing a priority during season changes, but these are often the ones scrambling at department stores for whatever is left of the early-summer sale. Keeping a cache of summer kids clothing is a smart move because it saves time during the sudden transition from the last bell to the beginning of their first summer activity. It also keep clothes organized and separated so that shorts don’t mix with sweaters, and tank tops apart from corduroy pants.

Fortunately, kids clothing is much smaller and thus more manageable than adult clothes, and, a lot of times, it’s cuter too. More than anything, summer kids clothing needs to be practical. After all, this is the time when kids move about freely and engage in a number of activities that will likely bring on stains, rips and tears, so clothes need to be flexible as well as easy to wash.

Practicality in kids clothing practically screams for plenty of cotton and linen. Luckily, many kids clothing designers understand that kids clothing is still the responsibility of the parents, which is why it’s not hard finding T-shirts and shorts in a variety of shapes, colors and materials that are easy to mix and match and won’t shrink or bleed in the wash.

Here are some tips on shopping for the kids clothing in the summer:

• Look for breathable materials – Kids need plenty of air for their skin to breathe, which is why cotton and linen are the best materials. Not only can tops and bottoms both be made from cotton, it is also highly affordable. Cotton is also easy to wash, which saves time from doing multiple loads of laundry.

• Don’t overspend. – As any older parents will tell you, kids grow up unimaginably fast, outgrowing last season’s wardrobe at the blink of an eye. As such, overspending on kids clothing (for any season, not just summer) may not be the most cost-effective move in the long run. There are plenty of stores that carry kids clothing at moderate prices so you can get what you need without spending a fortune.

• Stock up on basics and occasional patterns – Pants in jeans, khaki, black and white should comprise a basic set that should match with the majority of tops in kids clothing. Girls can also keep the same set in skirts. It is also good idea to keep plenty of T-shirts in plain and neutral colors to easily mix-and-match outfits, but don’t forget to throw in the occasional patterned or stitched design to spice it up!

• Get quality shoes and sandals. Many parents overlook the quality of shoes when shopping for kids clothing. As kids learn to walk and then progress to running everywhere, it becomes vital to keep a solid pair of shoes on your kids’ feet, whether it’s sneakers or padded sandals. Keep in mind that quality does not necessarily mean expensive!