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Q. How can I improve the lighting in my kitchen? I’m always preparing meals in the dark!

A. There is a general idea that a big central ceiling fixture will provide all the light needed for cooking, meals and cleaning up. A central overhead light provides good overall lighting, but is a weak light for tasking. Everyone working under that kind of light will be working in their shadow. Undercabinet lighting is a good solution for food preparation because it efficiently illuminates the counter work surface. There are many plug-in varieties of xenon and halogen units that work well for this kind of task illumination.

For island counters, where food is prepared or served, pendants hung to illuminate the entire work surface are also a good solution. Pendants are hanging lights, either on downrods (stems), cords or chain, they can be positioned singly or in groups, just above the task area and light up the surface to make the tasks at hand well lit and enjoyable. Some pendants come in brightly colored glass shades for a contemporary look, or more traditional with faux alabaster glass shades and wrought iron, pewter or bronze finishes.

Q. We have a family room that has two table lamps in the corners of the room and a central overhead fixture. This lighting is not enough for my kids doing homework at the table, or me, reading or knitting on the sofa. What can you suggest?

A. Check to see if you are using the correct wattage in your lamps and replace your lampshades if they are darkened and clouded with age ( over the years this can happen slowly, the shade emitting less light because of deterioration). Again, an overhead fixture is limited in the light it can provide for tasking.

A good alternative is track lights which will provide good downlight to specific areas in the room. Track heads with little spot or flood bulbs can beam lighting down on tasking areas. Floor lamps that have multiple “goosenecks” or adjustable lights that can be directed towards many working areas can adequately illumintate reading and other activities in a multiple areas. Wall sconces placed in work areas provide a pleasant, semi-direct light and enhance ambient lighting.

Q. I’d like to have better light around my house when I come home at night.

A. Low voltage light kits provide good light along driveways and walkways. They come with various lamps and styles with transformers to match. It’s easy to install low voltage lighting–these kits usually consist of a several lights which are on spikes that can be set in the ground and linked with wire which can be placed above ground, buried several inches down in soil, covered with mulch or behind shrubbery. Low voltage (12 volts of current) is safe for children and pets-the voltage is so low it does not present a shock hazard).

The transformer, which converts the standard 120 household volts to 12 volts, is plugged into a regular house exterior or interior outlet. Higher voltage (120 volts) provides the most powerful light for your driveway, walkway and landscape lighting. There is no transformer, wires to the light sources which can be spiked or installed around walkways, driveways, etc. have to be buried at a safe depth because of safety regulations–these will be in the directions for installation.

They are excellent for illuminating a driveway or walkway, showcasing trees, the house or the landscape. Placed strategically, the effects with this 120 voltage landscape lighting are dramatic and provide all the illumination you may require.

Q. My electric bill is too high! What can I do about it!

A. Replacing all of your present incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs will definitely lower your electric bill. CFL’s (compact fluorescent lights) come in many wattages and styles. The CFL technology will expand over the next year to include dim-able bulbs and smaller bulbs in three-ways for lamps. Also, consider dimmers for any room in your house. When a light is dimmed, the wattage is decreased (you save money!) and dimmers present the option of just the right light at the simple slide or dial on the wall switch.

Q. My husband and I have a bathroom with double sinks. I like a lot of light for putting on make up in the morning. My husband likes to shave in the practically in the dark.! He says bright light is only acceptable after a cup of coffee. Right now we have a standard vanity fixture with six bulbs that are too dim for me an too bright for him. What can we do?

A. A dimmer will solve the light adjust ability problem, but only if you use the bathroom at different times. If you use the double sinks at the same time, you should consider separate lighting above each sink –that would require installing separate receptacles and wiring, and then, separate dimmers. You could then have the correct wattage for your applying make-up and your husband could have his preferred lighting for shaving.

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In Less Than 30 Days.

“What can you do to increase that set of three numbers on your credit report that can be so important with your financing?”

I came across this question as I was surfing discussion groups the other day. Check out my answer:

Dear Friend,

Here are 3 steps I used to take my credit score from 592 (horrible credit) to 762 (perfect credit) almost overnight. If you’re interested in improving your credit rating quickly, you’ll find this story helpful:

In 1995 I made a decision that would ruin my perfect credit history. I quit my salary job to become an insurance salesman. The job paid commission only. Within a few months I lost everything – house, car, credit rating and my self respect.

By the end of 1996 I was living with my mom, all my credit accounts were severely past due, and I was paying 22% interest on a broke-down green Geo Storm…I was a real loser.

Then, in 1997, I became a banker. I didn’t know it at the time, but this would turn out to be the break I needed to eliminate my credit problems forever.

During my seven years as a banker, I came across several legal and highly effective ways to improve my credit rating. As a result, I was able to increase my credit scores by an average of 170 points.

Here’s what I did:

Step #1: After spending hundreds of dollars on credit repair services that didn’t work, I found out how to get negative accounts removed on my own.

Basically, I wrote letters to the collection agencies requesting proof that the accounts were mine. 89% of the time they had no proof that the bad accounts belonged to me. So I was able to get them deleted from my credit file.

Step #2: I opened new accounts with high credit limits and kept the balances low.

I discovered that if you keep your available credit limits high and only use 10% to 30% of the credit you have available, your credit score will improve dramatically.

Step #3: Next, I added accounts with years of perfect payment history to my credit file. This step took my credit score from 647 to 762.

While you can certainly add seasoned accounts to your credit file for free, there are companies that claim they can do it for a fee.

The problem is, they charge between $2,000 and $2,500 per account. If you want a 700+ credit score you’ll need 3 to 4 of these accounts. That equates to a cost of $6,000 to $10,000.

(You can conduct a search on your favorite search engine for companies that offer this service.)

While there are several highly effective steps you can take to increase your credit scores by as much as 200 points, these are the main ones…And here’s the good news: Each step can be completed in less than 30 days.

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Here are 10 surefire score Booster:

Increase your limits. Call your credit card company and ask for your limit raised. High credit lines to help improve debt-to-positive impact of the guests. A balance of U.S. $ 3,000 into an account that has a limit of $ 4000 results in a debt ratio of 75%. A debt ratio of 75% does borrower saw a "exhausted", a negative impact on guests. In this case, if the entire line could be raised up to $ 6000, the debt ratio would be reduced to 50%,positively to the consumer of the guests.

Never pay late. Negative published articles on a spotless record have a greater impact than to publish negative articles to a profile that already has a history of late payments. If your credit is "perfect" and you get 30 days behind on your car loan, the impact could be dramatic on-25 60 points, for example.

Buy within a 14-day window. The scoring model lumps car and home loan inquiries made within a 14-daysPeriod together. Car dealerships, for example, need to pull credit to see what is the financing of a borrower qualified to receive. The same applies to home loans. If you are in the market for a house or car loan, all of your shopping within a 14-day period, so that the various investigations are counted as one inquiry.

Stay away from department store accounts. The scoring model looks less favorable to store charge cards than VISA, MasterCard,American Express and Discover. "Do you want to save the 10% with the opening of a Target card?" These offers sound tempting, but the use of such offers may have a negative impact on your FICO rating. However, the closure of existing gas or department store accounts could hurt your score if these accounts have established histories.

Close unused accounts. Deletes closing unused accounts established credit history. When you set up a card with five or more years of history,hang on to it. The scoring model looks favorably on well-established histories. If you have funds to close unused, also raises your debt ratio, a negative impact on your guests. Note that you can always cut the plastic, but keep your account open the account, to preserve history.

Avoid finance companies. The scoring condemns finance companies. Pay off debt and finance company never to use finance companies.

Do not let the charge cards to collect dust.The scoring model takes into account how long it has been used as a specific account has been. Unused credit lines (assuming they are paid on time) a positive impact on credit score. Cards, which collect dust in your dresser drawer does not help your FICO rating.

3 or more significant relationships. If your FICO file "thin" to work together to three or more credit relationships is a home loan, car loan, and a VISA card to establish the suit.

In the last 2Year on the most important. The FICO model is more serious consideration to existing products. Your last 24 months of history is of crucial importance. If you have copied a bankruptcy, foreclosure, or that more than two years old have had, you should still qualify for a home loan when your last 24 months of history is impeccable.

Check your report for errors. You can check your report for free at www.annualcreditreport.com. Realize that 25% of credit reports contain errors sufficient toto deny consumers access to credit.

Copyright © 2007 Wade Young.

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