Over on Home Security Source there’s a great article about staying safe at home during a power outage.

Among some of the tips: If power is lost for more than 24 hours throw out all food in the refrigerator to avoid food poisoning. And never use candles or open flames for light or heat. Stock up on batteries to use for flashlights.

Whether you’re preparing for a potential power outage this winter, or you just want to be safe for the future, head on over to get all the tips and you won’t be sorry.

Photo by Mike K.

Depending on the location of your home, graffiti may or may not be something worth worrying about.

But if there’s any chance of your home being painted by stray kids or teens, the results can be fairly devastating. Apart from having to paint over the graffiti, there’s the constant stress involved with worrying about re-tagging and permanent damage to your home’s paint job.

If you didn’t know: there’s a brilliant solution to potential graffiti problems that involves a one-time paint job, then you can go about your day-to-day business worry-free.

Introducing Sherwin-Williams Pro Industrial Anti-Graffiti coating.

While it’s not the cheapest way to deter would-be graffiti artists from attacking your home, this paint puts a special, chemically-crafted coat over your home that makes it nearly impossible for spray paint to stick. Meaning those neighborhood “artists” are going to waste both time and paint if they try to tag your home. All while you don’t have to worry about a thing.

How cool is that?

Photo by Geraint Rowland.

As a new home owner one of your top priorities should be keeping your home safe.

Home invasions happen more often than you might think (nearly every 12 seconds), so knowing what to do in order to keep your new home safe is pretty important. Here’s a roundup of some good tidbits and insights from around the web for your home safety concerns.

• What exactly do burglars do when entering your home? Here’s a recent news story where a home security camera was able to catch two burglars on video. Demonstrating both the value of having a home security system and the importance of securing your home.

• Wireless home security is becoming more popular than ever, and for good reason. Wireless home technology is a growing market, and you can get a pretty good deal on a system that you can manage and monitor from nearly anywhere. HomeSecuritySource.com has a fun infographic on Wireless Home Security Systems that is worth taking a look at if you’re interested.

As a new home owner you should be persistently aware of the possibility of your home being broken into. It happens, and possibly more than you might expect. Here is a nice graphic that shows some of the more recent statistics on burglaries in the U.S. Take a look:

Burglary Statistics Illustration – Graphic & Marketing by Yellow Robin

What do home owners care about the most?

A quick look at the best selling home safety items on Amazon gives us some surprising insights. Turns out that home owners care the most about safety and – are you ready for this? – noise. Noise! Of all things, noise-cancelling items are filling out the best sellers page on Amazon for home improvement under safety and security.

Really. Right now four of the top 20 best selling items are energy usage monitors or systems, while four additional best sellers are earmuffs or earplugs.

The rest of the items vary among personal safety items – thermal blankets, safety goggles, carbon monoxide alarms, and locks/safes. Then, if you go to the next level of category for Amazon best selling items (looking under just home improvement), a surprising thing happens: people no longer care about the safety of their ears or about the level of carbon monoxide in their homes.

What do home owners really care about? Light bulbs and water filters. Take a look for yourself.

It’s interesting to see which items are selling the most for home improvement, and to see how world events (like the recent hurricane on the East US coast) impact trends.

Nearly every 15 seconds a home is burglarized.

The odds of your home being robbed are actually pretty slim, but even with a low chance of being robbed: would you want to risk it? Fortunately there are a few little things you can do as a new home owner to make sure your home is less-likely to be robbed. Things like locking all of your doors and windows regularly, closing your blinds at night, and installing motion detecting lights can really deter would-be-burglars.

So, how safe is your home right now? Take the home security quiz right now and find out.

Moving into your new home is time consuming and there are a lot of things to make sure you’ve covered. There’s the paperwork and actual, physical processing of moving in. There’s getting your utilities and services setup, and so much more.

But there are also a few, simple things you should check as a new home owner right now to start saving money immediately. Here are five of the simplest things to check in your new home:

Check the insulation in your attic

You would be amazed at how much of a role insulation plays in your monthly utility bills. Check the insulation in your attic and make sure there’s enough and that it’s of a good quality. The average home needs about six inches of insulation, you can always add more as needed of course. For more information on insulation to a quick look over this guide by the Department of Energy.

Check your home for air leaks

Testing your home for air leaks can help you find really simple places where you could save money and improve the heating and cooling of your home regularly. Air leaks are fairly easy to test for, but they’re certainly easy to repair and that can end up saving you a lot of money in the long run.

Check for tax benefits for changes you make

What some might simply think of as changes or repairs to a home can be considered by others as improvements, which are often tax deductible.

Check the types of light bulbs being used

If your home isn’t using energy-efficient bulbs like LED and CFL light bulbs (which use less energy and last much, much longer than other bulbs) then you’re missing a really easy opportunity to save a bit of cash. Check your home for new, efficient bulbs and replace the ones that you think are necessary.

Check pipes and faucets for leaks

Quickly going through the bathrooms and kitchen in your home in search of leaks or continuously running faucets is a great way to save money and save yourself some serious pain down the road. Fixing a pipe behind a toilet or under a sink is relatively cheap and doing so sooner than later ensures that you don’t have a mess to deal with later on down the road.

Everyone has heard about hanging shoe racks on the back of the door to save space, but there are more ways to use every last nook and cranny in your home effectively. Here are five ways you may not have thought about to utilize all of your living space.

5. Stair Drawers

New Yorkers certainly know how to use up every bit of room in their apartments, mostly because there isn’t any room to spare. New York Design Team ‘Jordan Parnass Digital Architecture’ put in a set of stairs with drawers hidden in them in an East Village Studio, taking “dead” space and turning it into something useful.

4. Hidden Panels

What are you doing with the space under your bathtub? Most likely, you’re wasting a lot of room just hiding pipes with fancy surroundings. Magnetic panels make good doors into spaces where you can put cleaning supplies and other assorted products. Just make sure you don’t hinder any of the plumbing under there. This tool can also be applied to other areas in the house where space is going unused.

3. Add a Shelf Above the Door

There is usually wasted space found above door frames, so why not use it? Putting in a shelf or cabinet above there can give you more room to put things and still not block your exits. This is a good place to store seasonal items or whatever you don’t use frequently.

2. Limit Hinge Doors

Installing a sliding door, often called a pocket door, can give you some additional room. The pocket door goes into the wall, so you don’t have to work around a swinging door, which can open up a room. This is usually best to do when building a new home or remodeling since it would otherwise involve demolishing a wall.

1. Hidden Dreams

Sure, you can slide boxes under your bed, but what about under the mattress itself? There typically isn’t enough room there, but IKEA now has a mattress with a base that lifts up for the space underneath to be used for storage.

You finally got that new place you’ve been dreaming of and now you need to decorate your new space. Or maybe you are looking to redecorate on a budget. Studies show that prices dip lower when retailers are working to clear out their inventories, which is either early on in the new year or at the end of the summer.

Even with this knowledge in mind, furniture and other home decor can be costly, so we are making it easier for you to save some cash and still get some quality items.

5. Shop around online

No matter where you make your purchase, your first source should be the internet. If you’re going for a new piece, it’s best to look around and see what you like first. You can avoid driving from store to store by browsing online. You will get an idea of what styles and colors you like, as well as who offers the best prices. If you find something you like, often times it is cost-effective to order online. Companies offer discounts for this method and it also provides you a convenience you wouldn’t have if you picked up the item instead of having it delivered directly.

4. Even thrift stores have sales

You can find a lot of unique pieces at thrift stores, such as Goodwill and The Salvation Army. Sure, there may be some wear and tear on the pieces, but often times it adds character. If not, you can always repair it and still save money than if you bought the piece new. These stores already start with low prices, but often offer additional savings during special sale days. Most offer discounts to seniors as well.

3. Check out garage sales/estate sales

This one will take some time and patience, but will be worth it when you uncover that hidden treasure. These sales are usually on the weekends and often have the best selection early in the morning before everyone has perused the selection. Also, people who are on a time crunch to get rid of what they have (moving sales, estate sales, etc) are also more likely to negotiate a price with you. Aside from looking in the newspaper, you can also post and search estate sales online through the Estate Sale Network.

2. Refurbish items you already have

It is possible to transform an older piece into something new with fresh paint, new upholstery, or other update. If you have a sofa that is in good condition but doesn’t match, you can also invest in slip covers. TLC’s Furniture Restoration website has some great tips on how to do a lot of different refurbishing projects. This is a great way to update to something new without breaking the bank.

1. Did you say free?

It can’t get any better than free. Of course, there are the occasional items out on the curb that are being given away to good homes. But be wary of these – while you wouldn’t be out any money if you end up not liking the piece, but this is a big way that bed bugs and other unwanted critters can travel. There is also an organization called The Freecycle Network, which gives away other’s items for free, as a way to recycle. You are also able to return the favor and give something to them to give away to someone else. Craigslist has a “free” section as well.

Without a doubt, buying a new home is expensive, right?

Not only is there the down payment to think about and furniture and dishware to buy, but there are also countless other things to pay for including landscaping and home repairs. And when all of these expenses start piling up and you have no way to pay for them, what do you do? You think outside the box; that is what you do. There are plenty of ways to save money on a new home, they just require a little bit of hard work and creativity.

Use Salvaged Materials

If you are building a new home (or simply fixing up an older home you just purchased) using salvage materials can help you save money and be kind to the environment at the same time. Items such as doors, windows, electrical and plumbing fixtures and cabinets can be purchased from salvage shops. Salvage shops recycle building materials, reclaim them and then sell them at discounted rates. These items don’t always look brand new, but they are usually refinished and re-purposed to look presentable. And if you happen to be going for an antique or a vintage look in your home, salvage materials are the way to go.

Do the Landscaping Yourself

Landscaping a new home can cost hundreds, if not thousands of dollars. There are flowers to buy, fences to paint, waterfalls to install and, of course, grass to fertilize. All of these little details can really add up and can end up draining your bank account very quickly, especially if you hire a contractor to do the work for you. Instead of hiring a professional landscaper, why not just do the work yourself? Spread your own seed and mulch. Build a simple wood fence (or gate) yourself instead of hiring a company to install a pricey stone fence. Pay a young neighbor a couple of bucks an hour to help you pull weeds, plant flowers and mow the lawn. The work will go faster and you will save money.

Cut Your Mortgage Payment in Half

The average household in the U.S makes a monthly mortgage payment of about $1300. This is quite a hefty sum when you consider that you still have to pay for your utilities and your television, internet and telephone service on top of that. To bring your mortgage payments down, why not rent out your basement or spare bedroom? Rent out an extra bedroom to a local college student and take in an extra $400 a month. Rent out the entire basement to a young couple and take in about $800 a month, depending on the square footage of course.

However, while renting out your house can be a great way to make extra money, it does come with its fair share of complications. Depending on the state you live in, there are laws that you must abide by and permits that you may have to obtain. Also, be prepared to share some of your living space with your tenants and make regular maintenance calls.

Minimize Moving Costs

While there are certainly many expenses that you will incur once you move into your new home, simply the act of moving into a new house can be an expensive task in and of itself. Instead of hiring a moving company, vow to do the work yourself and you could end up saving hundred of dollars. Recruit a bunch of friends to help you pack up your boxes and load them into a couple of borrowed trucks. Worried that none of your friends will show up on moving day? Promise pizza and beer to all helpers and you are sure to have more movers that you know what to do with.

Photo by Images Money.