Mary Lynne Gibbs

We’ve all been there: guests are scheduled to arrive in 15 minutes, but you got caught up, and the house is still a mess. Here are seven ways to fake that clean home, fast:

All hands on deck. If you’re lucky enough to have family members or roommates around, ask them to pitch in. Divvy up rooms to declutter and tidy. If you don’t have any helping hands, you’ll just have to continue to the next steps, solo.

Focus on trafficked areas. Since time is short, make sure to focus on rooms your guests will frequent, like the living room, kitchen and bathroom. The entryway is also important, as it’s the first thing your guests will see, so hang the jackets, straighten those shoes and stash that mail stack.

Freshen air. As you begin to clean, throw open the windows to let fresh air in. Too cold for open windows? Light a mildly scented candle or spray odor neutralizer.

Declutter. Run through your high traffic areas and remove clutter. Piles of mail, shoes on the floor, blankets unfolded and errant clothes all need to be stashed. If you don’t have time to put things where they belong, do a tornado sweep with a laundry basket, nabbing all out-of-place items to rehome when you have more time. Simply stash your full basket in a hidden area, like a closet or laundry room.

Tidy. Now that the clutter is gone, tidy tables and counters to make your space look open and clean. Stack those magazines in an orderly pile, arrange the remotes, put away those drying dishes and take out the trash.

Wipe down. Head to the kitchen and bathroom with a rag and disinfectant and wipe down counters, mirrors and toilets that your guests might encounter.

Vacuum. Now that your surfaces are fully clean, run a vacuum over the floors (and furniture!) to pick up pet hair and dirt. Nothing says “clean home” like vacuum lines on the carpet, so fake it until you make it.

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Looking to kick the caffeine? While a moderate amount of the buzzy stuff has been shown to have heart benefits, it’s easy to overdo it or find yourself addicted to that morning jolt. If you’re looking to slay your latte habit, consider the following tips.

Time it right. Quitting anything you’re addicted to is challenging, and coffee is no exception. Choose a time that will support your withdrawal. The Monday your big work project is due? Not the best time.A long weekend is a great time to begin so that you can distract yourself or, at worst, lay down with that 3 p.m. headache.

Find a suitable substitution. If you don’t want to quit cold turkey, you can find a substitution. Some people like to guzzle tea, water, or even decaf coffee as they wean themselves off that fresh brew. A more overlooked substitution is raw cacao. Sold in many grocery stores and available online, cacao nibs pack a caffeine punch that can help wean you slowly off the java juice. Warning: They’re bitter, and some people enjoy them more than others.

Warn everyone. Make sure to tell your friends, partner, and close colleagues you’re cutting coffee. This way, they can support you by nixing that afternoon coffee invite, and they’ll understand if you’re a bit groggy or snippy for the first few days.Interested in housing and real estate tips? Feel free to contact me directly.

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Creative-types can feel stalled if they don’t have a frequent creative release. But with work and family, it can be hard to make time for yourself and your creative endeavors. Below are three ways to add creativity to your day.

Do it first thing. Self-care is essential, and if creativity is a part of your make-up, filling your creative cup first thing in the morning can completely change the mood of the day. Do you like to journal? Sketch? Make music? Stoke your creative fire by spending 30 minutes in the morning doing what you love while savoring your coffee or tea.

Surround yourself with art. You don’t necessarily need to be doing something creative to feel creatively stimulated. Surrounding yourself with the artwork of others can help, too. Find a few favorite pieces and hang them by your desk so you can see them while you work, or by your bed so you start the day with a creative charge.

Find a social media group. If you’re a social butterfly, you may make more time for creativity if you can do it in a group, even online. If photography or writing is your thing, find a club of like-minded folks. Not interested in getting creative with strangers? Invite your friends to a virtual hangout and catch up. Even something simple like writing or singing together, even virtually, can be a creative release.Hope you enjoyed this information! Contact me for more tips and tricks.

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When it comes to student loans, dealing with the lender can be more difficult than repaying the loan. That’s one of the top complaints by consumers in a report of the student loan ombudsman for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).For federal student loans, more than twice as many consumers (71 percent) reported difficulties dealing with their lender or service than the 28 percent who complained to the CFPB that they were struggling to repay their loan. Two percent of complaints were about a problem with a credit report or credit score.

Accessing Protections

Federal law provides protections for federal student loans. Many are designed to help borrowers avoid delinquency and default during economic distress, such as a job loss.Servicing loan breakdowns “can delay, deter or deny access to federal benefits and protections, rendering them illusory for many student loan borrowers,” the report states.Nearly all federal student loan borrowers should be eligible to make payments based on their income through an Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) plan. The plan can help struggling borrowers avoid default.Yet borrowers complained to the CFPB about servicing roadblocks in IDRs, such as obstacles when trying to enroll in an IDR plan. These include unexpected delays, lost paperwork, poor customer service and inconsistent application processing. They can lead to higher loan costs, reduced benefits and extended repayment terms.

Forbearance Instead of IDR

Others said that when telling their servicer that their standard monthly payment is unaffordable, they’re directed to options like forbearance or extended payment, which can be more expensive over the long-term than an IDR plan.Borrowers in IDR plans are required each year to recertify their income and family size so they can qualify for an affordable monthly payment-a process that should take weeks but is longer, according to the CFPB. Federal law allows borrowers during that recertification time to continue paying their current monthly plan until their new IDR payment is recalculated.However, borrowers complained that they either had to continue making the unaffordable monthly payment, or their loans were incorrectly placed into forbearance during this process, which prevented them from accessing loan forgiveness programs. Forbearance allows loan payments to be temporarily suspended, and a long delay in the IDR recertification can prevent borrowers from making progress toward loan forgiveness.

Consumer Action

While the CFPB takes legal action against some student loan providers, there are steps consumers can take to deal with student loan problems.When contacting a student loan servicer, do it in writing so that there’s a paper trail that may help solve problems later. Borrowers can also sign up for automatic payments, which can get them a slight interest rate reduction on their loans and will make sure their payment is made on time each month. They can also look into student loan options such as refinancing, consolidating loans, IDRs and student loan forgiveness.To submit a complaint to the CFPB, go to consumerfinance.gov/complaint or call 855-411-2372.Or submit by mail to:Consumer Financial Protection BureauP.O. Box 2900Clinton, Iowa, 52733

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