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For many of us, a good night’s sleep can be elusive, especially when it comes to snagging deep, thorough hours. Before you turn to a medication, consider your pre-sleep habits. Pluck out any contenders for disruption (scrolling social media while you lay in bed?) and try a few of the following:

Power down. By now you’ve heard using electronics before bed can stress your sleep cycle. Turn off your phone and TV an hour before bed and opt for a book instead.

Stretch before bed. While high-impact exercises before bed will raise your heart rate and could keep you up, gentle stretching can help you ease into sleep.

Eat a high-protein snack. While eating a large meal late at night isn’t a good idea, a small high-protein snack like a handful of almonds can help you sleep through the night.

Clean your bedroom. Okay, a power wash won’t be helpful for sleep, but picking up any items on the floor or surfaces before bed can help create a soothing, calm sleeping space.

Create a ritual. A pre-bed ritual can help you alert your system that rest is on the way. Any of the earlier tips can be threaded together to create a ritual, as can nightly cuddles with your family or pets.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

Smart appliances can make life easier and more convenient. Since the technology is relatively new, many manufacturers are still working out problems and resolving glitches. Before you purchase a smart appliance, it’s important to understand what they have to offer and to be aware of potential pitfalls.

Popular Smart Appliances
A smart refrigerator can make grocery shopping easier. A camera allows you to peek inside the fridge even if you arent home, and you can keep a running list of what you need. You can also control the temperature and humidity to keep your food fresh as long as possible.

Smart refrigerators are much more expensive than traditional ones, and they are more expensive to repair. There is also the risk of viruses. If you have linked your email and social media accounts to the smart refrigerator, they could be at risk.

A smart dishwasher can help you get sparkling dishes every time. It can tell you if you need more detergent and can let you know when the cycle is done so you dont have to get up and check. It can also help you save energy and water and notify you if the dishwasher is leaking.

A smart dishwasher is more expensive than a traditional one in terms of both purchase price and repair costs. You might be able to purchase an extended warranty for an additional cost.

Smart washers and dryers can make doing laundry a breeze. You can control the cycle from anywhere in your house and be notified when a load is done. You can even figure out which time of day is the best in terms of energy efficiency.

Companies that make smart washers and dryers still have some bugs to work out, and updates are not always provided automatically if the appliance was not purchased recently. That means you might be on the hook for updates and repairs.

Things to Consider
If you have several smart appliances, they can all be controlled from your phone. That can make it easy to monitor and control things at home no matter where you are.

With any type of smart appliance, hacking is a serious concern. Although safety measures are in place, they vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, and hackers are always looking for ways around them. You can protect yourself by using a secure internet connection, changing your passwords frequently and promptly installing updates.

Sometimes adjusting to smart appliances poses a challenge. If you aren’t tech savvy, you might find it confusing and overwhelming at first. The person who installs the smart appliances should thoroughly explain how they work, and you should be able to call tech support for help.

Are Smart Appliances Right for You?
Smart appliances can make life much easier, but they carry some risks. Security features need to be fine-tuned, but there are ways that you can protect yourself until they are perfected. You may decide that smart appliances are a worthwhile investment that can greatly improve your life.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

For $600 or so a year, plus a service fee of around $75 every time you ask for repair, a home warranty can be an inexpensive way to have peace of mind as a new homeowner.

Home warranties cover breakdowns in a home, from HVAC systems to appliances. A broken water heater can be repaired within hours, but if it cant be fixed, a home warranty can pay for a new one to be installed.

For homeowners with an older house, they may want more things covered than a newer home would need”such as older appliances”and will likely pay more for it. If you just bought new appliances and have a manufacturers warranty for a year or more, you wont need this coverage. You may be able to exclude new appliances from a home warranty to cut down on costs.

Things that can be covered by a home warranty include ductwork, electrical, plumbing, dishwashers, refrigerators, ovens, stoves, clothes washers and dryers, and water heaters.

Things that are unlikely to be covered include expensive items such as septic tanks, wells, heating systems, pools, garage doors, windows and doors, sprinkler systems, pre-existing conditions, and walls. Coverage for such items may cost more. Roofs may also be exempt, though some home warranty companies sell plans to fix leaking roofs.

Consider Cost
A big factor in deciding if a home warranty is worth buying is cost. Basic coverage can start at about $300 and go up to $600 or more.

Some home warranties charge for a service call, such as $75 or so, while others allow unlimited service calls. Contractors are screened and sent out by the company.

To determine if a home warranty cost is worth it, start by learning how old your appliances and home systems are and if the original equipment manufacturer warranties still cover them. Find out what the expected lifespan of each item is to help you figure out if a home warranty is needed.

Some home warranty companies require annual maintenance on appliances and home systems to keep the warranties valid. Some may ask how long youve had them. Dont expect the home warranty company to pay for the annual maintenance of your appliances or home systems.

Read the contract carefully to make sure that old appliances are covered in the home warranty. Some dont cover old appliances, such as anything more than 10 years old.

Any home, whether old, new or somewhere in between, will have things break sooner or later. Appliances and home systems only last so long. For $50 a month or so, a home warranty can provide peace of mind when things eventually fail.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

As a parent, you’ve undoubtedly thought about your child’s college education”no matter what their current age is. And if you’re planning on paying their way, or at least helping them out, cost is certainly a factor.

Unless you’ve got a huge sum of cash to plunk down when it’s time to pay, chances are you’ll need to find multiple ways to fund your child’s education.

Here are seven options to consider:

FAFSA
Whether you or your child is paying, begin by filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), even if you don’t think you’ll qualify for any aid. The form allows you to receive financial aid such as federal grants, work-study grants, work-study opportunities, student loans and even some state- and school-based aid.

Some colleges award this money on a first-come, first-serve basis, so it’s important to fill it out as soon as you can.

Scholarships
Encourage your child to start early if they’re thinking of obtaining a scholarship to help offset the cost of their college tuition. While the process involved with researching suitable scholarships can be overwhelming, use a scholarship search tool to narrow your selection.

These funds don’t have to be paid back, and most require an application in addition to submitting the FAFSA.

Grants
Federal Pell Grants are available, and the first step in getting one is to fill out the FAFSA. You must submit the FAFSA and renew it each year your child is enrolled in school to receive the Pell money if you’re eligible. Normally, these grants don’t have to be paid back.

The federal government has other types of grants, and many states also offer them.

Work-Study Job
A federal work-study program funds part-time jobs for college students with financial need. On the FAFSA form, select the box asking to be considered for work-study. If a college gives your son or daughter such funding, they will have to find an eligible job for the program and then work enough hours to earn the amount allocated to them.

Savings
Dipping into your savings account is probably something you’ve considered to pay for college expenses. In fact, the typical family covers 34 percent of college costs this way.

A 529 plan is a common way for parents to save money for college. These accounts offer tax advantages in an investment account meant to pay college expenses.

Federal Loans
Paying back student loans is the last thing any college graduate wants, but sometimes federal student loans are a necessity. Federal loans can allow college graduates to repay based on their income and can be forgiven in certain circumstances. Federal subsidized loans don’t accrue interest while a student is enrolled in school.

Private Student Loans
These should be your last resort to pay for college. Private loans don’t have the same benefits as federal student loans do, though they may have some.

Shop around at private lenders”look for one with the lowest interest rate and best protections such as flexible repayment plans or putting loans off for a period of time if your son or daughter is in a position where they’re struggling to make payments. Interest on private loans will likely be charged as soon as one is taken out, although repayment doesn’t begin until after graduation.

This article is intended for informational purposes only and should not be construed as professional or legal advice.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

Puttering in the garden is an age-old hobby pursued for several reasons; it can keep you fit, provide food and flowers, and help you live in a more beautiful world. Experienced gardeners say mastering a few simple skills can get you off to a productive start to the home garden of your dreams:

Know your soil. Before you plant, it’s important to know the kind of plants your soil will best support. If you’re new to the neighborhood, ask a neighbor or local garden shop if the soil is alkaline, acidic or neutral. Or test the pH yourself with a commercial test probe you can buy. Once you know the soil’s pH content, local gardeners or an online search will help you choose the food and flowering plants that will thrive in that environment.

Seed or plant starting. Many gardeners say planting from seed has two big advantages; there are more varieties available as seeds, and it’s far more economical. It’s fairly easy to save seeds, as well, from one season to the next. A good gardening book can show you how.

Container gardening. If space is limited, or your soil is less than welcoming, it’s easy to grow vast amounts of food or flowers in containers”and not necessarily in expensive terra cotta pots. Use plastic storage tubs, old buckets, whatever.

Cuttings and transplants. Succulents and a host of other plants are perfect for cutting, which you can re-plant to expand your landscape and/or pot in attractive little containers to give away as gifts. A gardening book will show you the best candidates for cutting and transplanting.

Watering. Plants die from under-watering, but they can die from too much water. Local rainfall will impact your watering schedule and learning proper watering techniques will make you a more successful gardener.

Pruning. While tree pruning is best left to professionals, it’s easy to prune your own roses and other small plants, removing dead or dying parts damaged by insects or weather. Pruning regularly keeps your plants producing and looking healthy.

Tool maintenance. It’s useless to save by producing tomatoes and such if you spend a fortune replacing garden tools. Choose good rust-proof tools, clean them after each use and store them in a dry place and you will have tools that last a lifetime.

Published with permission from RISMedia.