10 New Year’s Resolutions For Your Home

You make New Year’s resolutions for yourself: maybe to lose weight, or to stop smoking, or to be nicer to those who may not see eye to eye with you. But what about your house? You spend most of your time at home, and you’ve surely slipped into some not so great habits when it comes to the care of your abode. This is especially the case for longtime homeowners, but even for those of us who have only recently purchased a home, we tend to get set in our ways. That may be a comfortable spot, but if you’re trying to keep your home and your immediate environment in good condition, it’s probably time to make a few changes.

So now, as 2017 is upon us, it’s probably time to make some New Year’s resolutions for your home! What will you try to do better? Your list of home-related resolutions is, of course, dependent on your own domestic situation, but there are probably a few things we could all do better. Here are ten New Year’s resolutions for your home.

1. Cut the clutter.

We’re all guilty of hoarding to some degree. As the calendar turns to a new year, it’s the perfect time to take inventory and get rid of anything you haven’t used, touched, or otherwise enjoyed in the past year. Check the kitchen for those rarely used appliances with specific applications (why did a quesadilla maker seem like a good idea?), the closets for clothes you haven’t worn in a long time, and the living room and bedrooms for toys and knick knacks that are just gathering dust. It’s also a good idea to go through book, music, and movie collections and thin them a little. As for what to do with the stuff you no longer need, give it away, donate it, or recycle what you can.

2. Educate yourself on home repair.

How much money did you spend last year calling plumbers, electricians, and other home contractors to fix small things that you probably could have fixed yourself? In 2017, get in the DIY spirit and be proactive about home repair! There are loads of tutorials online (including video how-tos on YouTube) for doing just about everything around the house, and learning how to do a few could save you quite a lot. We’re not saying that you need to become an expert on all things home repair, but things like snaking a drain or replacing a light switch should be well within your realm of abilities.

3. Get smarter about your energy use.

Americans are notoriously cavalier about energy use. This year, be more conscientious about how much energy you’re using to do things like heat your home and brighten your living space. Consider lowering your thermostat in the winter and raising it in the summer, for starters. Make sure you have storm windows down in the winter, or, if you have an older home, insulate windows with caulk and plastic. Replace burned out light bulbs with more energy efficient LED models as well, and turn off lights when you’re not in a room. These are small things that you can do, but they all add up to less energy usage — and a lower energy bill to boot.

4. Also get smarter about your water use.

You don’t have to live in California or another drought plagued area to know that water conservation is an issue that affects us all. This year, resolve to use less water: take shorter showers, don’t water your lawn as much, run the washing machine only when you have a full load, and take any other measures you can to limit how much water you use.

5. Be diligent about filters.

Your furnace, your air conditioner, and maybe even the drinking water setup in your home all require filters to work properly and efficiently. Most of us are guilty of going a little too long between changing those filters, but with smartphones and calendar alerts, there’s really no excuse to leave them in so long. Make 2017 the year when you change every filter on time.

6. Prioritize (and budget for) home improvements.

You probably have a few major projects and a few minor ones that need to be done for your home to be in tip top shape. This year, take some time to prioritize them. Consider major replacements like the roof and the furnace, along with less pressing ones like landscaping preferences and both exterior and interior paint. Make a list, figure out which ones need to happen first, and start putting some money away (perhaps in a dedicated home improvement fund) so that when it’s time to pull the trigger on these projects, you have the finances to do them.

7. Keep your gutters clean.

It’s one of the most dreaded jobs of home ownership: cleaning the disgusting gutters. Still, it needs to be done on a regular basis to prevent water drainage problems. A good rule of thumb is to clean the gutters twice a year — once in the spring, and then again when you do your outdoor fall cleanup. For most homeowners, it’s a fairly straightforward DIY job, though if your gutters are very high and you’re not keen on heights, you can hire someone to do it for you. Or, if you’d like to avoid cleaning the gutters for a long time, consider installing gutter guards to keep leaves and other muck out of your gutters for good.

8. Live off your land.

If you have the space, make 2017 the year that you grow some of your own food! It doesn’t have to be a large scale operation, either; gardening is a good DIY project that can grow each year as you become more comfortable with it. Start with something simple like tomatoes and herbs, then branch out into greens and berries next year. If you decide you really love it, you can move to more complicated and involved produce like fruit trees and raised beds.

9. Pay every bill on time.

This New Year’s resolution is not only good for keeping the heat and the lights on, but it also keeps your homeowner’s insurance costs down! Did you know that paying your bills on time and in full every month keeps your credit score high, and in turn, a high credit score translates to lower insurance premiums? That’s because statistically speaking, people with low credit scores are more likely to file a claim against your policy. High credit scores make you look like a lower risk, and your premiums will drop as a result.

10. Make sure you have a well stocked emergency supply kit.

You don’t have to dig out a bomb shelter or get too crazy, but you should have a box of things your family might need in the event of an emergency. Things like water, nonperishable food items, batteries, medications, and more are all good to keep in your kit. It’s not only a good resolution, but it’s something that the US government recommends all Americans do. For more information on how to build an emergency supply kit, check out https://www.ready.gov/.