Open House - A behind-the-scenes view of Manage My Home

A cure to overplanning

I overplan each weekend.

This weekend's to-do list reads something like this: cardio/lift (Saturday), bike 25 miles (Sunday), rearrange guest room, box up and store old VHS tapes, edge garden beds, epoxy antique doorknob back onto doorknob stem, mow lawn, wash bug poop off house exterior, wash exterior windows on 1st floor (I'm using restraint here by limiting it to the 1sr floor), finish glazing and painting basement storms and windows, make a recipe from new cookbook, go on garden tour with eldest sister, go to fancy garden center near garden tour to spend money I don't have on plants I don't need, find place in garden for new plants and plant them.

GASP! It don't take no high IQ to see that it's impossible to get all this done, unless I find a wrinkle in the space/time continuum — which is on next weekend's to-do list.

That is why I have great hopes for the new list feature on Manage My Home. I can record each task, add a little detail (go to hardware store for glazing compound and paint brushes) and assign a due date to it.

Seeing it all right there in front of me forces me to admit that I can't get it all done. So I decide which items I can push out for a week or two or eight, and reset their due dates. That helps me distill this weekend's list to the things that really really matter (gym, bike ride, mow lawn, basement windows, garden tour).

Even better, the tool is fun to play with, because it suggests similar items that other people have entered. I like seeing what it comes up with for random things like "Get passport photo." Ooops, I forgot that one. Back to my list...

-Erin, The Editor

Express Yourself

It's often remarked that your home is a reflection of who you are or maybe who you aspire to be. We choose colors, materials, furnishings, etc. to express something personal about ourselves. Well, what if you could go way beyond paint colors and brick choices. What if you could absolutely transform your house whenever you wanted. If you wonder what I mean, you have got to check this out below.

See more funny videos and Technology Videos at Today's Big Thing.

-Garret, Industrial Designer

We Have a Winner - Week 2

It's week two of our Chatter That Matters contest and we have another winner!

WINNER: murphytothemax for her project photos on Build a basic deck.

This is just one of murphytothemax's pictures. Get the full story!

There's a new winner every week through August 30, 2009, so don't forget to enter!

-Alex, Marketing

No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. See official rules.

We Have a Winner!

We've just announced our first weekly winner in the Chatter That Matters contest! There's a new winner every week through August 30, 2009, so don't forget to enter!

WINNER: terisalyn for her comment on Clean your house in 30 minutes.

While you're dashing around the kitchen tidying up, throw a large pot full of water on the stove. Then throw in a handful of cloves and cinnamon. By the time you're done straightening up the rest of the house, the pot will be ready to turn down to simmer, and will fill the house with a nice scent.

-Alex, Marketing

No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. See official rules.

$300 Million Worth of Appliance News

Appliances basked in (energy efficient) limelight this week as the Department of Energy announced that it's making nearly $300 million available to states to fund rebate programs for new ENERGYSTAR qualified home appliances. Appliances eligible for the program are central air conditioners, heat pumps (air source and geothermal), boilers, furnaces (oil and gas), room air conditioners, washers, dishwashers, freezers, refrigerators and water heaters.

The money will take a while to reach consumers' hands, but we know lots of our readers are eager to replace their old appliances with new energy efficient models. We'll keep a watchful eye on this developing news and let you know when you can expect to see your share of the funds. You can find initial details here.

In the meantime, check out the ENERGY STAR website to start planning which appliance (or appliances) you may replace once the rebate programs get rolling. The website has a ton of great information about appliances, tips for slashing your energy bills and several easy-to-use interactive tools for homeowners.

-Erin, Writer