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Everybody wants to save money to buy a house, take a vacation or be able to retire comfortably. If you have limited income, those goals can seem out of reach. It can be hard to save money if you dont have much coming in, but there are ways that you can trim your spending and be able to set some money aside for the future.

Cut Expenses

For most families, housing is the biggest monthly expense. If you own a house, consider refinancing your mortgage to lower your monthly payments. That will extend the term of the loan, which means it’ll take you longer to pay it off, but you could save hundreds of dollars a month that you could put toward saving for retirement or your childrens college education. If your children have moved out, consider renting out a spare room or downsizing to a smaller house or apartment.

Entertainment can be expensive. Cable often starts out at a low introductory rate that increases after a period of time. Ask yourself if you really need all of the channels you currently have, or if you even need cable at all. There are many other services that offer access to thousands of programs at a fraction of the cost.

Eating out and grabbing a cup of coffee here and there can quickly add up. Eat breakfast at home or take something with you to eat at work. Instead of going out for lunch, pack a sandwich. Cook dinner at home instead of going to a restaurant. You can still go out to eat once in a while, but limiting yourself to once or twice a week can save you a ton of money over the course of the year.

Pay Off Debt

If you have debt, come up with a plan to pay it off. Make a list of all of your credit card balances, outstanding car and student loans, and other debts, along with the interest rates. Create an ambitious but realistic plan to pay them off, starting with the one with the highest interest rate. You might be able to refinance a loan to a lower interest rate or take advantage of a credit card balance transfer offer that can significantly lower your interest rate and give you time to pay off the bill without accumulating a lot of additional costs.

Save for the Future

If your employer offers a retirement plan, you should take advantage of it, especially if the employer provides a match. That’s basically free money that the employer offers to help you plan for your future.

Saving Money Is Doable

If you have a limited income, you may feel like saving money is impossible, but it isnt. Trimming expenses, lowering interest rates, paying off debt and taking advantage of help offered by your employer can allow you to get on firmer financial ground.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

A good-looking houseplant adds pizzazz to your home. It can also be the next best thing to a live-in housekeeper, says John VanZile, author of Houseplants for A Healthy Home, out in May.

Thats because a number of houseplants contain properties that help rid the air around you of various chemicals and parasites. In fact, VanZile told House Beautiful, installing a few potted plants in your home can help you breathe and even sleep better without ever lifting a vacuum.

Top contenders to choose from include:

Rubber Plan: In addition to a adding dramatic accent to any room, studies show that rubber plants can remove airborne toxins from the air, such as formaldehyde”found in many cleaning supplies. VanZile advises wiping the leaves with a moist paper towel now and then to keep their pores open for optimal air purification.

Boston Fern: These lush ferns are great for removing common airborne pollutants like formaldehyde, xylene and toluene, which are thought to cause headaches, trouble breathing and the growth of cancerous cells. The Boston fern also combats winter dryness by raising indoor humidity.

Areca Palm: A 1989 NASA study declared this stately palm to be one of the most powerful air-purifying plants, particularly for its ability to remove formaldehyde from an indoor environment.

Peace Lily: The beautiful, blooming Peace Lily is a powerhouse for filtering air. NASA studies show it can filter benzene, formaldehyde, tri-chloroethylene (TCE), xylene, toluene and ammonia from indoor air”toxins that can cause headaches, respiratory problems and an increased risk of cancer. The Peace Lily can also remove airborne mold that aggravates allergies and asthma symptoms. VanZile recommends placing a few in your bathroom to reduce mold growth.

Philodendron. These popular and attractive houseplants are easy to grow and clean the air of formaldehyde and xylene, a toxin found in glues and leathers.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

Cleaning doesn’t have to be a hassle if you keep on top of it. Here are some small daily steps you can take to keep your home clean.

Post-shower swipe. To keep mold at bay, store a washcloth in your shower that you use for wiping down surfaces after you turn the water off. Just make sure everyone in the family knows the purpose of the rag so it doesn’t end up on anyone’s face! Swap the rag out once a week.

Early morning clutter sweep. As you wait for the coffee to brew or the dog to finish his breakfast before your walk, run through the lower level of your home and take care of any clutter piles: junk mail in need of opening, shoes or jackets dumped by the door or blankets on the couches that may need folding.

Nightly surface wipe. Every night before you head to bed (or the TV room), grab a rag and wipe down your counters, kitchen or dining table, and any other surface that collects food particles, dirt or dust.

Closet self-control. It can be tempting to strip off your clothes after a long day and dump them in a pile on the floor or toss them on a chair. But properly putting your clothes away”either in the hamper, back in the closet or in a pile for dry cleaning”will help stop weekly clutter.

Clean as you cook. Does your soup have fifteen minutes left to simmer? Start on the dishes, sop up splatter on the counter or floor, or tackle the trash. Waiting until the end of the meal can make it all too easy to say, “I’ll clean up in the morning.”

Published with permission from RISMedia.

While world peace is a great idea, if you want to add a touch of calm to your life, begin with your bedroom. Your room isn’t merely the place to rest your head, it’s where you wake, and the vibe of your room can set the tone for the rest of your day. Below are five tips for bringing a peaceful vibe to your bedroom.

Choose calming colors. While red or orange may be your favorite fiery hue, when picking shades for your room, choose soothing, calm colors like light blue or a gentle gray.

Pick minimal patterns. Keep the fun, funky patterns for the living room throw pillows. Busy patterns can make us feel crowded and overwhelmed, so minimize zany patterns in your sleep space.

Clear the room of clutter. Create a sanctuary in your bedroom by keeping it clear of clutter, from laundry to oversized furniture. Spend a few minutes before bed each day storing any items you pulled out, close the closet doors, put the books back on the shelves and dive into bed with a clear head and space.

Bring in nature. Houseplants can boost mood and pump more oxygen into the room. Choose a few easy-to-care for plants, like a fern or a ficus, and place them where you can see them when you wake.

Select the right lighting. While blackout shades can be great for blocking disruptive light, it can also negatively impact your sleep patterns by keeping your body from waking at its natural time. Find a set of blackout curtains that filter light but allow you to wake in the morning naturally.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

While you might be considering adding heated flooring to your new home, there are a lot of questions to ask before you put your money into this luxury feature. If youre looking for another level of comfort in your home, its a great option”but it does come with a hefty price tag. Heres what you need to know:

Pros

• Durable and reliable. This method of heating lasts longer than a regular home furnace”with proper care it can last up to 35 years.

• Comfortable. Theres no better feeling than a warm floor on a cold day, especially when you first get out of the shower. No one enjoys stepping on cold tile, so bathrooms are particularly popular options for heated flooring.

• Saves you money in the long term. Since radiant floor heating warms from the floor up, youll be able to set your thermostat at a lower temperature to feel just as warm.

• Quiet. Because it does not require a blower, there is no extra noise produced when running it.

• Distributes heat evenly and consistently throughout each room.

• Better for allergy sufferers, since traditional central air heating pushes dust, dirt and pollen through the vents and around your home.

• Customizable. Electric floor heating allows for the option of only having heated flooring in certain rooms”so you can customize where you want it.

• Hidden, so your home has more space and less unattractive radiators.

• Versatile. Can be installed under any flooring.

• Profitable. Increases the value of your home.

Cons

• Costly. Installation will cost more than replacing a furnace, and hydronic systems are more expensive than electric.

• Not ideal for older homes as you will have to tear out existing flooring in order to install them. Wait until its time for a remodel before considering it.

• Repairs are costly. Because the system is under the floor, this also means repairs to the system are more costly as well. Since heating elements are out of sight, it can be hard to find the problem area.

• Slower to warm up the house than traditional heating. Especially true for water heating, which can take a few hours to circulate enough hot water to warm the home (but since they retain heat well, this allows for use in off peak hours, saving your utility bills).

Published with permission from RISMedia.