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Moving and Relocation
Moving
With Kids
Moving is as hard for kids as it is for adults. By considering
a move in three stages - before, during, and after - and thinking
about your children's needs during each stage, you can make
a big difference in how your kids feel about the move and
how they adjust afterwards.
Six-Week
Checklist For A Smooth Move
Moving is ranked among life's most stressful events. However,
with the proper planning and preparation, you can make your
next move a smooth one. This calendar prepared by Mayflower
Transit will serve as your "countdown" to moving
day.
Your
Rights and Responsibilities When You Move
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) regulations protect
consumers on interstate moves. This electronic pamphlet provides
information about your rights and responsibilities as a shipper
of household goods.
Packing
Your Stuff A-Z
From air conditioners and artwork to big screen televisions
and washing machines, learn from the experts how to get everything
ready for the moving van
Official Change of Address Form
This section allows you to enter your change of address info
and then print your completed Change of Address form. Additionally,
you can use the entered information to print Address Change
Notification Letters and mail them to family, friends, and
business associates to let them know of your move.
The
10 Most Forgotten Items In A Move
Even the most organized person will probably not be able to
remember every detail of the move - or every item. This useful
article from Mayflower Transit suggests adding these 10 points
to the top of your moving preparation list.
Moving
With Your Pets
If pets are a part of your family, remember that moving, whether
down the block or across the country, is just as stressful
for them as it is for you. But this stress can be greatly
reduced with good planning and the tips that you'll find here.
After
Your Move
Congratulations - you survived the big move! Now what? Here's
a list of the most important items to attend to during the
first week after your move.
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Your Home and Taxes
Tax
Information for First-Time Homeowners
Provides tax information for first-time homeowners including
how you treat items such as settlement and closing costs,
real estate taxes, home mortgage interest, and repairs.
Tax
Planning Guide
Let H&R Block help you understand the tax impact of changes
in your life - and what you can do to prepare for your return.
Just answer the questions online to get tax advice based on
your life and financial situation.
Residential
Rental Property
This publication discusses rental income and expenses, and
explains how to report them on your return. It also covers
casualty losses on rental property and the passive activity
limits and at-risk rules. This publication is designed for
those who only rent out a few residential dwelling units.
Selling
Your Home
Explains the tax rules that apply when you sell your main
home. Also includes worksheets to help you figure the adjusted
basis of the home you sold, the gain (or loss) on the sale,
and the amount of the gain that you can exclude.
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Home Improvement
Free
Expert Advice for Your Home
Don Vandervort, a regular on HGTV's "The Fix," offers
free advice, buying guides, ideas and do-it-yourself help,
in this one-stop source for home repair, remodeling, home-improvement
and home decorating information.
Hiring
a Contractor
Your home may be your most valuable financial asset. That’s
why it’s important to be cautious when you hire someone to
work on it. Finding a competent and reliable contractor is
the first step to a successful and satisfying home improvement
project.
ImproveNet
Through it's exclusive comprehensive network of over 600,000
prescreened contractors and designers, ImproveNet helps its
users make good decisions about home improvement projects.
As a completely independent authority, ImproveNet maintains
its integrity, objectivity, and credibility.
Remodeling
Projects: Cost vs. Value
Updating and remodeling kitchens and baths will add the most
value to your home. In some instances, these projects could
possibly return more than 100% of the cost if the home is
sold within a year.
Better
Homes & Gardens Home Improvement Encyclopedia
Whether you're fixing a clogged drain, building a deck, wiring
that new addition, or adding landscape to your yard--we've
got the site for you. Search from more than 1,000 home improvement
tips that can save you time and money.
Kitchen
& Bath Consumer Resources
Excellent online resource from the National Kitchen and Bath
Association includes helpful planning checklists, a guide
to understanding the remodeling process, and tips from the
pros.
Popular
Mechanics Homeowner's Clinic
You'll find the kind of concise, illustrated how-to pieces
you've come to expect from Popular Mechanics. There are sections
on solving household problems, how to make your house a safer,
more comfortable place to live, appliance care tips and woodworking
projects.
Toiletology
101
Everything you ever wanted to know about . . . you guessed
it, your toilet! Stop by this unique site and you will probably
discover some things you probably never knew you needed to
know about saving money and water.
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Consumer Center
Consumer Information
Consumer's
Resource Handbook
Published by the Consumer Information Center, this site features
valuable information that no consumer should be without. Also
included is the Consumer Assistance Directory with thousands
of names, addresses, telephone numbers, web site and e-mail
addresses for national consumer organizations, trade associations,
state and local consumer protection offices, state and federal
agencies.
Top
10 Scams
Bogus Credit Card Offers Still Top List of Telemarketing Frauds,
Says Nation’s Oldest Consumer Group. Here are the Top Ten
Telemarketing Frauds of 2003.
JUNKBUSTERS
Guide to Reducing Junk
It’s about time! This site covers what you can do about unwanted
junk mail, telemarketing calls, faxes, and email. It also
gives some background on direct marketing and the laws governing
it.
The
Internet Consumer Recycling Guide
Provides a starting point for consumers in the USA and Canada
searching the net for recycling information. The goal is to
help make recycling so easy and automatic that it blends into
the flow of everyday life.
Consumer
Line
Consumer Line is the online service of the Office of Consumer
and Business Education of the Bureau of Consumer Protection.
It offers the full text of approximately 150 consumer publications
on a wide range of categories.
The
Better Business Bureau
The Better Business Bureau provides instant access to business
and consumer alerts as well as many other helpful resources.
You can even file a complaint online and more. This web site
is provided by the Council of Better Business Bureaus, Inc.,
and the BBB system of over 150 Bureaus located throughout
the United States and Canada.
Cybersmarts
The Internet is an exciting tool that puts vast information
at your fingertips. With a click of a mouse, it lets you buy
an airline ticket, book a hotel, send flowers to a friend,
or purchase your favorite stock. Keep in mind the following
tips to help ensure that your online shopping experience is
a safe one.
Kelly
Blue Book
Don't buy or sell a car without checking out this invaluable
guide. Learn your car's trade-in and resale value, get free
new car pricing reports with specs, photos, invoice and more.
CardTrak
Evaluate the latest bank credit card surveys including low
rate cards, no- fee cards, gold cards, secured cards, rebate
cards, affinity cards, credit union cards and other charge
cards. CardTrak is the nation's only consumer credit card
newsletter, and is widely quoted and endorsed by the news
media.
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Health and Safety
Health Information
Is
Your Home a Healthy Home For Children?
How healthy is your home? Each year, many people - especially
children - are injured or become ill due to home conditions
that could be prevented or eliminated. Take time to read this
important information and make sure that your home is safe
and healthy.
Food and Drug Administration Consumer Advice
Among the many topics include: What can I do to protect myself
from food poisoning? Why shouldn't I taste a sample of cookie
dough before baking it? How long can leftover food be left
out of the refrigerator? Plus more advice from the FDA.
Indoor
Air Quality in Homes
There are many sources of indoor air pollution in any home.
Read more about what steps to take both to reduce the risk
from existing sources of indoor air pollution and how to prevent
new problems from occurring.
Family
Disaster Supplies Kit
Disasters happen anytime and anywhere. And when disaster strikes,
you may not have much to respond. Would your family be prepared
to cope with the emergency until help arrives? This site can
help.
U.S.
Consumer Product Safety Commission
CPSC is an independent federal regulatory agency that is charged
with keeping families safe by reducing the riskof injury or
death from consumer products. Visit this site for lifesaving
information or to report unsafe products.
Pesticides
& Food - What You & Your Family Needs to Know
This publication from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
discusses the risks and benefits of pesticide use on food
and ways in which consumers can reduce their exposure.
Commonly-asked
Questions about Poisonings and Prevention
This resource can help you prevent accidental drug poisoning
and prepare you for a quick response if a poisoning occurs.
By following these suggestions you may not only prevent a
serious accident, you may save a life. Click here to locate
a Poison Control Center near you.
KidsHealth
This multi-award winning site boasts hundreds of articles
and features on infections, behavior & emotions, food
& fitness, and growing up healthy.
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For Your Garden
Home
and Garden Information Center
Sometimes even a professional gardener needs a little help
now and then. The Better Homes and Garden guide is designed
to help both novice and experienced gardeners with detailed,
step-by-step instructions for a wide variety of gardening
activities.
Regional
Gardening
No matter where you live and garden, you will find this great
resource packed with plants to start, gifts to give, and great
tips for your gardening endeavors. Use their Plant Finder
when you're planning a new garden, revamping an old one, or
just looking for something new and different to grow.
Calendar
of Garden Events
This calendar allows you to search its database by date, location
and/or keyword. See what's going on in your neck of the woods!
And if your gardening group is planning an event, be sure
to add it to the calendar.
The
Whole Herb
Look here to find advice on growing herbs and explore the
rich uses of herbs, from cooking to crafts, aromatherapy to
natural cosmetics.
Gardening
Q & A
Here you can tap into the expert knowledge of the National
Gardening Association. Search the question and answer library
or ask your own question and they will dig up an answer for
you within a couple of days.
Better Homes and Garden Plant Guide
Looking for a plant, houseplant, tree, or shrub? This database
contains almost 3,000 species searchable by plant name or
attribute to search for plants based on characteristics you
decide are important to you.
The
Rosarian
A site devoted to roses and the gardeners who cultivate them.
The Rosarian features articles images and forums to discuss
with other's this aroma pastime.
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Family Resources
Just for Parents
Just for Kids!
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Tools You Can Use
Your
Elected Representatives in Congress
Learn who they are, how to contact them, how they voted on
the issues that matter to you most, and more.
Zip
Code Lookup
Do you need a ZIP Code for an address? This is the place to
look.
ATM
Locator
Enter your location anywhere in the world to get a street
map of the three ATMs nearest you.
Get
Detailed Driving Directions
Enter a starting point, a destination or point of interest,
and this site will tell you how to get there.
Stain Removal Guide
FabricLink's Stain Removal Guide for washable fabrics. From
red wine, gravy & salad dressing to chocolate, candle
wax & lipstick, they're all here!
Where to Write to Obtain Vital Records
How to obtain birth, death, marriage, and divorce certificates.
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