Bylined / Expert Advice

A Change of Season: Guidelines for Fall Lawn Care

Fall brings change: a change in the weather, a change of wardrobe, even a change of time as we set the clocks back and the days grow shorter. And as the leaves change color, you change your yard activities from mowing and planting to leaf collection and cleanup.

Can't Flush Your Troubles Away? Here's How to Buy the Right Toilet

After doing weeks of exhaustive research on toilets, one thing became clear: the general public makes its toilet purchases based on style.

Five Steps to Solve Gripes and Conflicts

Do you struggle with solving gripes and conflicts in your relationships at home or at work? Have you been ridiculed or mistreated by a co-worker, boss, or colleague? When treated badly, do you feel frustration, anger, or resentment and try to avoid the other person?

Improving Your Home Room by Room: Quick and Easy Kitchen Fix-Ups

If you're anxious to fix up your home, you're not alone -- the $214 billion remodeling industry is projected to grow to $224 billion or more in 2004, according to the National Association of the Remodeling Industry.

Mix and Match: Finding the Right Design Combination for a Bathroom

- Good design is about mixing and matching. We want our homes to reflect our individual tastes and interests. It should be practical and personal. We shy away from cookie-cutter rooms filled with furnishings all in the same scale and style. And, what "goes together" doesn't always need to match.

On the Fence? What Women Should Know about Hormones

Millions of women stopped taking hormone products after a large government study in 2002 seemingly pronounced that the risks associated with hormone use were greater than the benefits. However, by last fall a Kaiser Foundation survey revealed that at least 25 percent of these women had returned to hormone therapy.

Stop Putting Off Financial Decisions and Start Making Progress

Most of the time there's no harm in procrastination. It's no big deal if you put off household chores or leave that project at work until the last minute. But procrastination of the financial kind could either make you or break you, depending on how you handle it.

Three Ways You Can Change the World

In this age of junk mail, do-not-call lists and spam, it's often difficult to find valid, worthwhile messages. As a result, people might be hesitant to donate to a good cause, fearing a flood of direct mail, phone calls and e-mails will follow.

Winterizing Your Mower

When most of us recall the summer months of our childhood, we think of the thrill of that last day of school, an afternoon at a local pool or a nearby lake, riding bikes with the neighborhood kids, going to see fireworks or enjoying picnics at a local park. But for many children, summer is a considerably more trying time of the year, one that may not include a roof overhead.