Steve Kruschke

Everyone enjoys having a clean, organized home, where everything has its place. Unfortunately, in today's busy world clutter has a way of taking over a household. To restore your home to its clutter-free glory consider this plan.

First make a list of all the rooms in your home from which you need to remove clutter. Even if it is "all of them" list out each room. Next, get three boxes and label them, "throw away," "give away," and "put away." Then pick a room from your list, and start decluttering - begin at the entrance and work clockwise around the room. Strive to be ruthless with the throw away (garbage) and give away (donate) boxes, remember clutter begets clutter. If you haven't used it in a year, if you have two of the same item, if it is expired, it needs to be gone from your home. The "put away" box is for items that do not belong in the room you are working on. Once you have completed your circle of the room, put the items from that box into the rooms where they belong. Throw out the garbage, seal up the give away box and drop it off at your donation center. Finally, cross off that room on your list.

Continue this process of going through a room at a time until you have completed the list of rooms. At the end of this process you will have rid your home of a great deal of clutter.

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The purpose of homeowners insurance is to insure your home, its contents and other personal possessions. Your policy also should include liability coverage for accidents that might happen on your property. One way to save is to make sure you have the right amount of coverage for your home. It sounds straightforward, but it in practice it can be challenging to make sure your home is not over- or under-insured.

What's the right amount of insurance? Only you can determine a realistic estimate of what it would cost to replace personal property, rebuild, or buy a comparable home. Your insurance agent can help you with estimating these costs. Some people are reluctant to contact their insurers with questions like this, but that's what insurance agents do, and you're paying for their services. Your goal is to ensure that you have adequate insurance so that in the event of a fire, theft and other perils, you are fully covered.

Once you are satisfied with your coverage, ask about discounts for security systems, deadbolt locks and other safety features such as safety glass or storm shutters. Some insurers will provide a discount if they cover both your home and your automobiles. You can also consider increasing your deductible amounts to lower premiums, if you can pay the deductibles in the event of a loss. Finally, if you're not satisfied, consider shopping around - you may be able to find comparable or better coverage for less money.

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