Home Helper

If it were only that simple. It seems every day on the news I see a report about people losing all their belongings in a freak accident or break-in. Anything from unattended candles or falling trees to cracked water pipes and faulty wiring can wreak havoc on a home. It really does to pay to have homeowner’s insurance. Or renter’s insurance for those renters out there, as the landlord’s policy most likely doesn’t cover your personal belongings in these scenarios.

Good documentation of what you own and its value can be an invaluable asset when submitting an insurance claim. Many insurance experts will tell you the more information you can provide your insurance company on the items in your home and their value, the quicker and easier it will be to get a payout – and get your life back to normal. ...read more

I couldn’t believe it when I logged in to Facebook earlier this month to see pictures of some of my youngest cousins posing on the front porch early on a Monday morning, lunchboxes in hand and backpacks full of fresh crayons and notebooks. Back to school already? It was August 2nd! Summer just never seems to last long enough.

The ebbs and flows of life seem to take me by surprise every year. I can never get over how quickly time passes and seasons change. But alas, with the school year comes a more predictable routine, and with this new routine, a need to get – and stay – organized. Below are a couple of my favorite ideas for managing the daily grind.

Establish a routine. The sooner you can get on school schedule, the better. For most households, this probably means starting earlier bedtimes and wake-up times a week or two before school, but it sure makes the transition from lazy summer days to serious school days easier. ...read more

Guest blogger Jeffrey Hatch is a summer fellow with Ketchum, the public relations agency for FedEx Office. Jeffrey has traveled widely and lived in a LOT of small spaces. In fact, before heading to college he traveled throughout South America and Europe, working at an estancia in Argentina for a couple months. Many of the places he stayed during his travels had little to no closet space. Being “borderline O.C.D.” Jeffrey always had to keep his room clean. So we’re sharing some of his best tips and lessons learned for you here!

Geometry doesn’t lie. Being one of the oldest and surest forms of mathematics, you can always be confident with the answer it gives you. From a young age its principles are engrained in us through games like the shape sorter. Square block, square hole. Round ball, round hole. ...read more

Guest Blogger Eddie Moye is a summer fellow at Ketchum, the public relations agency for FedEx Office. He recently graduated from college and has lived in four different cities in the past four years – and knows the stress that comes with moving all too well. 

During my four years at a college 600 miles away from my hometown, I amassed a gargantuan amount of stuff. I hoarded and piled everything I owned in my tiny dorm room, leaving only a small walkway from the door to my bed. Since I didn’t have a car at school, I had to fly home every summer – leaving me to fit everything I had accumulated into only the two duffel bags that airline baggage policies allow. Honestly, more of my stuff ended up in trash bags than in my luggage by the time I was done packing up my room.

And it’s no different when you’re getting ready for the return trip every fall! ...read more

This is the first post in a three-part series to help readers get themselves or their kids back to campus with ease this fall. Guest blogger Lexi Baltazar is a summer fellow at Ketchum, the public relations agency for FedEx Office. Lexi is originally from Dallas, and is heading into her senior year at Miami University of Ohio. Her three years at school have taught her many lessons on how to survive college life. We thought it would be great to share some of her learnings with readers who might be leaving home for the first time to move into their own place. ...read more

At our house, the age-old question – “What’s for dinner?” – is usually met with some groans. It takes a lot of work to find good recipes – or even recipes with ingredients that we’ve actually heard of before! Then you have to plan the meals, do the shopping, put the groceries away and THEN cook the meal…it’s a lot of work! Sometimes, because it is just the two of us, we find that it’s easier to grab some kind of take out.

But even then the question remains – what kind of take-out? Drum roll, please…I’d like to introduce to you the take-out menu organizer! It’s a simple concept, really. Each time you’re in a restaurant that you like, you grab a copy of their takeout menu and then slip into a page-protector sheet in a three-ring binder. Then, when you’re beyond starving and trying to figure out what to order or pick up, you have all the options readily available with contact information, too. ...read more

As a graduate student in art school, I was surrounded by talented graphic artists. While I was studying advertising and not design, I have always had an interest in art. Even though my skills are limited, I still like to think of myself as a creative individual. Lately I have been trying to use my artistic side to reinvent the artwork on my walls at home. We recently reorganized our furniture and I was thinking of a way to spruce up the walls, rather than continuing to look at the few random things I have accumulated at garage sales in years past. ...read more

There are few tasks that I dread worse than moving. The hassle, the disorganization, the chaos of it all is enough to send even the most balanced person into an absolute tizzy. 

I recently completed a major move (my 7th in 12 years, and this one with a two-year-old in tow, no less!) and wanted to stay organized so that the process was as quick and hassle-free as possible. There were two things that I did that helped me keep it all together when our life was in boxes, and I really wanted to share Out of Office readers who may have a move in their future: 

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Blog friends, I have to let you in on a little secret: I have always wanted to be a good gardener! I always thought that when we had a yard, I’d plant bulbs in the winter and watch beautiful flowers blossom in the spring. Or have a few rows of veggies so we could make fresh salads. But alas, no luck – my thumb isn’t showing any green tendencies and our yard is filled with wildflowers and weeds (and maybe a few too many “presents” from our dogs Molly and Conrad). My grandparents, however, were very active gardeners.  I spent many summers enjoying perfectly ripe and flavorful tomatoes, juicy strawberries, sweet corn and crisp cucumbers…Yum!

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As a busy working mom, I’m constantly on the go. And it feels like every time I drop my son off to a birthday party or leave him with a babysitter, I scribble down my contact information. I found that I was leaving the same information over and over again – and frankly I’m starting to get a hand cramp just thinking about it! As a result, I finally decided to make cards – social calling cards – with all the info I find myself writing out again and again for folks in my personal life.

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