The holidays are fast approaching and this brings a mixture of happy feelings and stress to many people, especially this year. Why more stress this holiday season? Between COVID-19, inflating prices, and the usual mix of holiday expectations this could be a very stressful holiday season. Since we are a family-owned business and family and holidays are close to our hearts, we want to give you some great ideas on how to spend less, enjoy more, and have less stress this holiday season!

Creative ideas for Holiday Gatherings

We are fast approaching Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s celebrations and each of these holidays usually has people gathering together, eating, and drinking. The price tag for these gatherings plus the time and effort that is involved can be huge-ask any working woman. It takes a lot of juggling, planning, and money to put on a holiday party. The ideas we give you can be used for any get-together, but these ideas work really well for reducing holiday spending while reducing stress.

• Potluck dinners are a great way of reducing time, effort, and spending on holiday gatherings. Potlucks take a huge amount of time out of holiday meals while letting everyone at your gathering shine with what they contribute from their kitchen. Also, potlucks tend to bring people together in a more connected way since everyone is contributing and has a chance to share from the kitchen dish that they do best.
• Progressive dinners are another way to reduce time, money, and stress over cooking for a crowd. Whether you are celebrating with your neighborhood or family a progressive dinner where one part of the meal is hosted at a different house or location is a great way to spread the fun around.

Spend Less & Have More Fun this Holiday Season

I know many people feel they are extending their debt levels during the holiday season by trying to meet theirs and other people’s expectations. Truth be told, most people don’t need more stuff cluttering up their house. Being conscious of what we are giving people and making sure it’s making a meaningful contribution to their life is probably more important than a big box with a huge bow to open during the holidays! We share some cost-saving and stress-busting ideas below:

• Give the gift of Local Services. This has a threefold benefit, it supports local businesses, it gives a service to a friend or relative that they might not buy for themselves, but would really appreciate, and it can be used when the person most needs the service.
• Shop Thrift Stores. Other people’s past treasures can yield some amazing gifts for the holidays. From rare books to vintage apparel, from the perfect kitchen gadget to an incredible signature purse, they can all be found at thrift stores. Repurposing, reusing is a great way to help our environment and give a meaningful gift at the same time.
• Make a List and keep to it. Lists help you stay on track and not overspend and save you time as a bonus.
• Create a Gift Exchange instead of buying gifts for each person. Toss names in a bowl and choose a name for each person attending. This allows the person to get a well-thought-out gift of some value instead of a bunch of tiny gifts that might make their way to the landfill.
• Have your friends and relatives create a Santa’s Gift List of the items they would love to receive during the holidays. Have everyone share their gifts by email before Thanksgiving. These gift ideas can be used for a gift exchange or for individual gifts. So much easier and less costly in the long run to get someone something they will really enjoy!
• Use your Reward Points that you may have racked up on your credit cards. Cashing in those rewards points can really help trim the holiday gift budget.
• Clean Your Closets, kitchen, and garage, you may find hidden items that would make the perfect gift for someone in regift to.
• Bake Bread or Cookies for a holiday gift. As an added treat includes the recipe written out for the gift recipient. Wrapping your homemade baked goods can also be part of the gift, keep it festive and reusable!
• Make a Coupon Book. Creating a coupon book for a person can be a very individual and special holiday gift. You can tailor the coupon book to the person’s specific needs, be it babysitting, car washes, meal preparation, a haircut, or teaching something you know that they’ve wanted to learn!
• Use Cash, Not Credit Cards. It’s amazing how much more conscious we are of what we spend when we have to count out cash instead of just sliding a credit card into a card reader. You might find by paying cash that you spend a lot less this holiday season.
• Focus on Gratitude. Especially at Thanksgiving, it’s important to focus on what we are grateful for, but it’s a great habit to start and keep up throughout the year. One of the most meaningful gifts I ever gave my dad was a list of all the attributes I received from him and everything I have learned from him through the years. He has kept that list for years and pulls it out many times and it always brings a tear to his eyes!
• Avoid Self-Gifting. I know it’s tempting, but hold off on buying gifts for yourself no matter how good of a deal and focus on just your list this holiday season.
• Shop Garage Sales. You not only help someone else create some holiday cash, but you can also find some wonderful deals that would make the perfect gift for someone you love.
• Shop Facebook Marketplace, it can be a wonderful source for local deals that would make a great gift for someone on your list.
• Shop the Holiday Fairs. Holiday fairs are a really great way to buy local and purchase gifts that are handmade and special.
• Book Your Travel Early. Booking early or booking on off days around a holiday can make a difference of hundreds of dollars in your final cost of visiting friends or relatives at a distance.
• Purchase Gift Certificates to their favorite stores or local establishments.
• Make Memories by giving someone a photo collage of special moments or people in their life. Put together a scrapbook or photo book online of memories for a person you love. Both of these gifts will keep giving through the years.
• Use Your DIY Skills to make a unique gift for someone you love. Better yet, for someone who isn’t as handy gift them some of your time to do upkeep on their house or build something they would enjoy!
• Keep to a Budget. Set your budget for the holidays and keep to it. Approach the holiday season budgeting like a board game you are trying to win and give yourself a small treat for staying within budget and making it around the board this holiday season without breaking the bank!

Especially if you are buying for a DIY enthusiast on your gift list, purchase a Shed Windows and More Gift Certificate for them this holiday season. No gift wrapping, no mailing costs, and their gift certificate is emailed directly to their inbox.  For a DIY project person, a gift certificate for items they have wanted or needed for their next building project is a great gift that keeps giving. We are grateful for each of our customers and the builders that rely on us for their building supplies and we wish you and your family a safe and happy holiday season.

The post Save Money & Stress Less During the Holidays first appeared on Door.

The days are getting shorter and fall is coming, change is in the air. After the last year or two, most of us realize that change is something we can depend on these days. But change can be challenging with a family, cooking, and pets. After we thought COVID-19 was waning and we all sighed a collective sigh of relief, with the new variants afoot, we are all dealing with change again. For those of us that also deal with distinct seasons, we are used to having food on hand in our pantry, but for people in more temperate climates, this is not something that they usually plan. Many of us have been reminded how important it is to have supplies on hand so we are well prepared for emergencies in the last few years.

Maybe it’s living out in the country most of my life or having a large family, but having a well-stocked pantry was just something we did to minimize trips into town and to make sure we had what we needed on hand for family meals and guests that would show up at a moment’s notice. For years we have used a portion of our outdoor shed for food, paper products, and pet food storage; it frees up a lot of room in our kitchen pantry. Also, our shed is much more accessible for unloading those 40-pound bags of dog food!

Another benefit of having a well-stocked pantry, it cuts down on quick runs to the grocery store which helps the climate. It’s nice to be able to make a meal and know that you will have the ingredients on hand that you need. Our emergency food pantry list that we share with you below will help you thrive during bad weather, power outages, and other unexpected things that happen in life. Because it’s always good to have a little control when storms, power outages, or illness disrupt our lives. We give you a list below that covers water, food, pets, paper goods, supplements, and more so you know you are prepared for a great meal or an emergency.

Stocking Your Emergency Pantry

Consider some important details when stocking your pantry for everyday use and emergencies because it’s important to choose foods that your family will eat. We encourage you to use a black permanent marker to write the pull dates on items where they will be visible. Also keep in mind that most foods are fine well past their suggested sell date, so you can give yourself some wiggle room. We have a list inside our pantry door of what is in our pantry and quantities. This list comes in handy for keeping track of what is in your pantry and when to restock.

Be sure to take into account your family’s special dietary needs, such as gluten or dairy-free, or allergies when stocking your pantry, and adjust our sample list accordingly. We will put your pets on our list too and don’t forget about prescription refills. Refilling any prescriptions or having each family member with enough prescription, over-the-counter medications, vitamins, and supplements that they might need for a two-month stretch is important.

Other Emergency Supplies

Other than the food, paper goods, prescriptions, supplements, and pet food there are some items that can make life easier in an emergency. If you are lucky to have a gas stove, be sure to keep some lighters on hand to light your stove. If you have an electric stove, buying a small propane camping stove to use outdoors in emergencies allows you to cook most of your food.

Keep in mind that you can use your outdoor gas grill as an oven, it’s our favorite way to make pizza to grilled fruit! Also, having on hand, flashlights and battery-powered camping lanterns are a must. If you live in an area prone to power outages or extreme weather, a backup generator can make life so much easier. Be sure to have an inverter generator for your refrigerator and computers, they don’t do well on traditional generators. Also, dual fuel generators give you many options and bottled propane is much easier to store than gasoline which can go bad over time.

Your Food Pantry Basics

Please keep in mind your families needs when stocking your pantry, but below we go over what we think are some good basics to have on hand for cooking a meal when you haven’t had time to go to the store to having emergency food supplies on hand:

• • • Canned fruits, and vegetables, be sure to have a manual can opener
    • Canned salmon, chicken, and tuna-you can whip up some easy skillet meals to casseroles with any of these ingredients
    • Quick oatmeal, nutritious, filling, and easy to prepare
    • Pasta, rice, and whole grains
    • Canned beans such as pinto, black, garbanzo, or kidney beans, make for a good base for soup or to add to your skillet meals
    • Canned tomatoes for stew, soups, and skillet meals
    • Lentils and split peas-great protein source, filling, and great to add to soups or stews
    • Vegetable, chicken, and beef broth, I prefer bullion in jars, but some people prefer cartons
    • Potatoes-always a staple
    • Onions
    • Evaporated milk and powered milk-both can be used in a lot of recipes
    • Boxed milk or oat, soy milk
    • Dried fruit like cranberries, blueberries, apricots, raisins-all make a quick snack with nuts
    • Nuts, such as almonds, cashews, and walnuts-keeping these in the freezer keeps these fresh for a long time
    • Salt, pepper, and spices
    • Powdered peanut butter-this organic wonder is available both at Costco and Amazon
    • Protein bars
    • Dry cereal and granola
    • Crackers and pretzels
    • Dried soup mixes
    • Nut butter, jelly, or jam
    • Baking staples such as sugar, flour, honey, oil, etc.
    • Basic comfort foods such as candy, cookies, instant pudding, coffee, tea, and powdered creamer

If you are fortunate and don’t experience a power outage during emergencies you can also stock up on some staples that you can keep in your freezer and refrigerator:

• Eggs
• Butter-it can be frozen by the way
• Cheese, many types can be frozen
• Fruits and vegetables
• Yogurt
• Meat, chicken, or tofu
• Bread-it can be stored in the freezer and thawed as needed
• Pizza dough stores well and can be frozen-great for pizza and focaccia

Water & Beverages

Probably one of the most important items in your pantry will be water and beverages, staying well-hydrated is important whether it is hot or cold. You should keep enough on hand to last each person in your family at least a week. Be sure to keep some of your favorite beverages on hand also. Also, many times in emergencies water gets contaminated, so having a water purification pitcher at home can help so much in an emergency. The cost of water purification pitchers has come way down and can be purchased locally or on Amazon starting at about $30.

Stock Up on Pet Food & Paper Products

Be sure to remember your pets when it comes to stocking enough food in your pantry for an emergency. So this entails having dog and cat food on hand that would last at least 2 weeks, and kitty litter if your cat is an indoor cat.

We all learned last year how important it is to have some paper goods on hand. Remember to stock your pantry with paper towels, toilet paper, tissue paper, plastic bags-if you use them, plastic wrap, kitchen bags, garbage bags, paper plates, and plastic utensils-both of which come in handy during a power outage. Also, be sure to have enough of your personal products on hand to last at least 2 weeks if you can’t get to the store or deliveries have slowed.

Some of us use our pantry for stocking up, others have a cabinet in their garage, while other people find keeping part of their outdoor shed for emergencies supplies allows their kitchen pantry to stay uncluttered. Especially if you store your pantry items in the garage or outdoor shed, it would be handy to keep a list on hand of everything that is in our emergency food supply in your kitchen. When the person uses the last of an item, put that item on the grocery list for this week’s grocery shopping-this makes it simple to keep your pantry up-to-date and stocked for cooking fun and emergencies too!

Keep your outdoor shed well ventilated with louvered windows if you are using it for food storage and if you live in a humid climate a dehumidifier does wonders for keeping what is inside your shed in good shape. Many of the finishing items we stock at Shed Windows and More can help create a great place to stock pantry items and keep them easy to find in your outdoor shed or garage.

The post Emergency Pantry Solutions for Great Cooking & Being Prepared first appeared on Door.

Over the last year-plus, all of us have been spending more time outdoors or trying to. With COVID-19 we have spent more time at home than ever before. Plus outdoor time refreshes us and it gives us a wonderful place to be with friends and family that is safer than indoor activities.

We started talking at Shed Windows and More about some easy and inexpensive ways to extend indoor living space to the outdoors. In short, creating more livable space for your current home. In our brainstorming we came up with some wonderful ideas that are easy to create, are fun DIY projects, and are relatively inexpensive to build or add to your home.

Think Patio Roofs & Gazebos

Extending your current roofline to add a patio roof or front porch roof is sometimes easier than you think. Especially with patio roofs, you can use lattice, corrugated plastic, not just traditional roofing materials to top your patio roof enclosure.

When you have a patio roof or gazebo you are more likely to spend more time outdoors and move some activities to the outdoors, such as working out, yoga, reading, eating meals, creative projects, and family time and get-togethers. With your added protected outdoor space you are likely to stay outdoors during more seasons and when temperatures start to fall.

Whether you have a postage stamp backyard or live on expansive acreage, a gazebo is a wonderful addition to your backyard experience. Top your gazebo with one of our cupolas and/or a weathervane for a beautiful finishing touch.

If you want more privacy you can add privacy screening to the sides of your gazebo or covered patio roof, these are temporary and an easy solution for more privacy if needed.

Year-Round Outdoor Comfort with Added Lighting & Heating Sources

There are so many great ways to add heating and lighting to your outdoor spaces these days. Propane outdoor heaters come in all sizes and outputs, whether free-standing or table-top varieties. Making your outdoor space an extension of your indoor living space is easy if you think of what will create warmth a cozy feel to your patio, gazebo, or porch. Think of adding pillows, throws, or blankets to cozy up to when the weather gets chilly and you are enjoying a warm beverage or a glass of wine while being curled up on your outdoor sofa reading a book and glancing at the beautiful night sky.

Outdoor lighting has come some far over the years and can add a great finishing touch to your home’s exterior. Also, if you don’t want to wire for new outdoor lighting there are some great solar lighting solutions for outdoor spaces these days.

From hanging lights to permanent fixtures there are simple solutions these days for outdoor lighting. Lighting ideas can transform the exterior of your home in so many creative ways and new style and curb appeal at the same time.

Add a Fire Pit or Outdoor Fireplace

People have gathered around fires for centuries. A warming space in your outdoor structure is the perfect place to cozy up after a long day’s work or to gather with friends around the fire. Fire pits come in all sizes and fuel types as do outdoor fireplaces these days. Consider fuel type, ease of refueling, placement of your fire interest for best seating, and whether you want a fire pit, a fire table, or outdoor fireplace for warming your outdoor space.

Outdoor Kitchen or Outdoor Dining or Both

If you have the budget adding an outdoor kitchen is a wonderful way to bring both cooking and dining outdoors. Your outdoor kitchen can be as simple as an outdoor barbeque or as elaborate as the photo above with marble countertops, barbecue, refrigeration, outdoor pizza oven, bar, and seating.

For many of us, it’s just a really well-equipped barbeque and some comfortable outdoor dining seating that will accommodate our family plus guest. Whatever your budget or style bringing your cooking outdoors saves energy for many months and allows your family and friends to gather outside for eating and socializing.

Add Outdoor All-Weather Furniture

Probably one of the most relaxing elements you can add to your new outdoor living space is all-weather outdoor furniture. Whether you are adding an outdoor dining set or outdoor sofa, each of these elements extends your indoor living space to the outdoors. Probably one of the coziest outdoor furniture pieces to add is an outdoor sofa, love seat, chaise lounge, or deep lounge chair with ottoman; think curling up with a drink and spending cozy and relaxing time outdoors.

Hot Tubs & Water Interests

There is nothing like a hot tub at the end of a day to relax you and put the stresses of the day behind you. Hot tubs come in all sorts of sizes from portable hot tubs to installed larger hot tubs that can accommodate 10 people, there is a size, jet action, a hot tub to fit about any budget!

If hot tubs aren’t your idea of relaxing, some people just love a water interest such as a fountain, a pond. or a pond with a waterfall. All these water interest projects are simple DIY projects and add so much to your backyard getaway and outdoor living space.

Outdoor Living Space Ambiance

Creating an outdoor living space is about taking your style and lifestyle needs and translating them into a design that fits your needs and budget while delivering a beautiful place to relax and renew your spirit at the end of the day or when you need a much-needed break in your day. Whether you are adding a gazebo, a front porch extension, a patio roof, or other structure to extend your indoor living space to the outdoors, Shed Windows and More is here to help. From copulas to weathervanes, specialty windows, gate latches, gate hinges, and decorative finishing touches for your DIY project, you can count on us for a great selection, customer service, and how-to to help you with your project.

The post Add Outdoor Living Space Easily & Inexpensively first appeared on Door.

Did you know that sunshine can improve your health? We are about to give you some great reasons why it’s good to shift your life to more outdoor time as much as possible. In most of the United States, it’s possible to increase time spent outdoors at least 2-3 seasons of the year without much of a stretch, but even winter in the harshest climates provides benefits.

Look at this article as reasons to play hooky from life and still be productive. First, we will share with you some of the possible benefits of increased sunshine and vitamin D and then how to do some easy shifts in your life to incorporate more outdoor time on a daily basis with ease.

Sunshine, Vitamin D & COVID Connection

Vitamin D is sometimes called the sunshine vitamin because vitamin D is produced in your skin when you spend time in sunlight. More sunlight equals more vitamin D production. Our bodies produce vitamin D, but we also can get vitamin D from specific foods and supplements.

We are finding out last year how important vitamin D is to our health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Low vitamin D levels and less time in sunlight seem like they correlate with more infections. Higher levels of vitamin D seemed to give people a better chance of better outcomes when infected. So why is vitamin D so important?

So Why Is Vitamin D Important?

Sunshine, which helps produce vitamin D does so much for our bodies; it can help our bodies fight disease, can reduce depression, may assist with weight loss, can improve our immune function, and it can help us have good gut health.

Vitamin D helps our bodies regulate the absorption of calcium and phosphorus so it’s very important for the normal growth and development of bones and teeth, as well as giving us resistance to some diseases. You can say that is great for kids, but I’m an adult, it also helps your bones from becoming soft or fragile and developing osteoporosis. A flexible strong body is able to enjoy life and do so much better into the elder years.

Top Benefits of Sunshine & Vitamin D

Let’s start with fighting disease, that’s a good place to start. Vitamin D can reduce your risk of multiple sclerosis, developing heart disease, and your likelihood of getting flu. Much research has been done on the link between low vitamin D levels and depression.

Research has shown the vitamin D might help regulate your mood and help ward off depression. So, once again, more than an old wife’s tale, spending more time in the sun helps with mood and SAD or seasonal affective disorder. Lower vitamin D levels can also make you more prone to anxiety and fibromyalgia because vitamin D helps regulate so many functions in our bodies.

Sufficient vitamin D levels can help your body lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. Also, research has shown a correlation between vitamin D and lowering heart disease risk factors. After the last year, we have all been through with COVID, it’s interesting to note that vitamin D can help increase gut microbial diversity, in straight talk, it makes for a healthier gut, a healthier gut helps support a healthy immune system.

Why Vitamin D Levels Are Lower Today

Our lifestyles don’t support as much time outdoors as the last two generations, plus these factors deter vitamin D production:

• High pollution rates
• Increased carbon dioxide levels
• Spending more time indoors
• More sedentary jobs
• More screen time, TV, computers, tablet, and phones
• Using sunscreen

So, with some simple modifications of lifestyle, you can improve your vitamin D production and have fun doing it!

Creative Ways to Spend More Time Outdoors & Lower Stress

Most all of us are balancing so many things these days that being told to change a behavior is just one more thing on the to-do list we don’t need. But, here are some creative and fun ways to do some simple modifications of your current lifestyle to increase your outdoor time and possibly your vitamin D. Worst-case scenario, you can choose to supplement with vitamin D, it’s a very inexpensive supplement that is readily available both locally and online.

• Consider having some meals outdoors in a sunny location.
• Move your home office outside and soak up some sun while your work. There are sunshades for laptops that work great!
• Play with your children outdoors instead of watching TV in the late afternoon.
• Take a walk with your dog, your spouse, or your kids in the morning or afternoon.
• Install a tree swing or porch swing to relax or meditate in that gets sunlight during the day.
• Start a DIY project outside.
• Work in your garden or plant a vegetable garden. Hint, kids eat more vegetables when they plant them and harvest them.
• Bring your cooking outdoors with your barbecue or an Instant Pot-between the two you can create an entire meal.
• Install a hammock between trees or put up a hammock stand and read a book in the sunlight.

This is just a starter list for all the creative ways you can move your lifestyle more outdoors at least 2-3 seasons a year and reap the benefits both to your mood and health. All of us at Shed Windows and More are working at incorporating more outdoor time into our busy schedules because we want to reap the benefits of lower stress and better health to be able to enjoy all the incredible moments in life.

The post Get Healthier–Spend More Time Outdoors first appeared on Door.

Most people were so happy to say goodbye to 2020 this year because of all the stressors that had happened to everyone. It seemed like no one was immune to what was hitting all of us, some more than others. Many people will say that the last year has hit them on multiple levels and that it has been one of the most stressful times in their life.

All of us on one level or another have been dealing with a pandemic the likes that haven’t been seen in a hundred years, small businesses on Main Street being rocked, remote work, remote schooling, social distancing, and so much more. Our parents and grandparents worked through being at war, the depression, and many other stressors, but even they will say this last year is a topper.

How to Thrive When Life is Stressful

So how do you still feel good when it seems so much that is happening in your life is outside of your control? That is definitely the question before many of us these days and preeminent in our minds. We offer some tips below that we hope will help you navigate the stressful times we are in. These aren’t end-all solutions but we hope they make the road ahead easier to walk and more enjoyable.

Stress-DIY Projects to the Rescue

When life gets stressful it’s a great time to work on DIY projects. First of all, it keeps your mind and hands busy, plus you have a wonderful finished project after you have worked on your project. Whether you are building an outdoor shed, a guest shed, meditation or workout studio, office shed. or playhouse for children there is a sense of accomplishment that comes with working on and finishing a DIY project. You can just look through the pages on Shed windows and More to see some of the great projects our DIY community has created.

Get Outdoors & Soak Up Vitamin D

Getting outdoors no matter what the weather is so important during COVID. Vitamin D helps your body’s immune system, plus even a small amount of sunlight helps with your mood in the winter. Breathing fresh air whether you are taking a walk, walking your dog, playing in the snow, sweeping the driveway, or cutting firewood helps you feel healthier and can lift your mood. There is something about fresh air that clears things and puts a new perspective on things rather than sitting indoors. So bundle up, breathe deep, and enjoy some outdoor time this season and help lift your mood.

Dig In The Dirt

Whether you want to plant vegetables, bulbs, or flowers, all of these projects are inexpensive and get your hands into the dirt. Dirt is good for your health on many levels. Digging in the dirt allows your body to come in contact with important probiotics that are in the soil-why our ancestors had fewer stomach problems than many of us today. You also get to create something of beauty, which enhances your backyard, deck, or patio. Dirt and digging in the dirt is very centering or grounding which helps stress melt away.

Be Thankful-Try a Gratitude Journal

Keeping a gratitude journal helps focus your mind on the positive things in your life. What we tend to focus on seems to increase in our lives, it’s just how the brain tends to work. I asked my grandfather how they coped with war and the depression and it was interesting the stories he shared of his Mom setting up tables in the front yard to feed people that we’re hungry when they were not rich people and had 7 children.

She encouraged friends and those she met to find something each day to be thankful for, she believed if you thought about what was good in life it helped you get through the tough times. 7 children, the depression, and then 3 sons off at war and still when she died at ninety-nine and a half she was a positive person that found the good in life! She always told me that the only thing you could always control is how you look at things not always what shows up in your life.

How Do You Want to Feel?

Many times people create New Year’s resolutions at the beginning of the year, we have a new slant to share with you on that age-old tradition. Trying thinking of the year ahead and what you want to feel in the different areas of your life. Danielle LaPorte encourages people not to go for just for happiness, dig deeper and think how you want to feel about where you live, your career or business, your health, your relationships, how you want to spend your free time, and your religious or spiritual life.

How do you want to feel in each of those areas of your life? How we want to feel is what drives us to make decisions, so getting proactive about how you want to feel and making decisions that support feeling that way puts you farther ahead in your goals than resolutions usually do. The process of excavating your desired feelings is a project I just finished and it was eye-opening!

Reach Out to Friends & Family

My Dad has started calling one family member or friend each day. Some of these friends he hasn’t talked to in a few years, but they are so happy to hear his voice when they pick up the phone. We have lost a lot of human contact with COVID-19 and his idea not only makes him feel purposeful but it enhances other people’s lives also. He also has a text list he goes through each day where he sends out a couple of dozen texts to let people he knows letting them know that he is thinking of them. It might seem like a small gesture but small gestures can make all the difference in the world to someone.

Organize & Donate

Winter is a great time of year to organize our homes or shop. Organizing gives your life order, feels purposeful, and sometimes you even find lost treasures! We have just done this process a few times to closets, drawers, and our garage and have put together boxes of items that can find a second home by donating them to charity. If you can’t get out to drop off items, there are a number of groups from Goodwill to the Salvation Army to your local hospice chapter and others who will come and pick up especially larger items. Amazon has a Give Back Box that you can print a label and reuse any box, even your Amazon shipping box and donate items by dropping them off at the post office or a UPS shipping store.

Ask for What You Need

Finally and not least of all, when it comes to yourself, ask for what you need. I’ve mentioned this suggestion to friends and family and the retort many times, is that is scary and vulnerable. Yes, it is being vulnerable, but if you don’t ask for what you want the answer is always no.

Brene Brown speaks of leading with a strong back, soft front, and a wild heart–great advice she borrowed and added to from Elizabeth Lester the cofounder of Omega Institute in New York. But, it’s in keeping our heart soft that we actually are the strongest. Shutting down our heart shuts off our most accurate signals from our body.

Did you know that your heart sends you nearly double the signals and messages or advice than your brain does? Trust your heart to give you the real scoop on what you need. Make a list of people that are your cheering squad that you can go to and honestly ask for what you need. Many times being vulnerable opens the door in other people’s hearts to lead with vulnerability also and a real heart to heart connection happens. Those heart to heart connections is what feeds us and what we remember for a lifetime.

On a funny note, when all else fails, bake cookies! The task is purposeful, creates great aromas in your home, and gives you some great comfort food to munch on. We believe as a small business that it is important to support you with more than the best selection in shed windows and shed accessories this New Year. We are all in this together and we appreciate your support of Shed Windows and More and we wanted to give back to you from our hearts! Have a wonderful New Year and we are here for you!

The post Doing Well In Stressful Times first appeared on Door.

This may seem like a left turn for a Shed Windows and More blog, but realize that many of our builders started their current companies as a side hustle without giving up income from their jobs. With so many of our customers working remotely or staying home more because of COVID-19 we thought it was good timing to share some great ideas that could provide extra income for your family.

Side hustles are a great way to increase your income while trying out a possible new idea for starting a company without risking your current income. Depending on your skills, earning extra income could quickly be within your grasp. No matter what you do for a job, thanks to the internet, making money and creating income is easier than ever. Some of the strategies we share below are real quick one-time fixes for extra cash and others take an investment of your time and some money. Have fun with this, include your family members, and realize each of us is unique and brings special talents to the table–this is your opportunity!

Start Your Side Hustle Today

Many of the ideas below only take a short time to generate money and others take some time and money to invest to create cashflow. Keeping your side hustle fun allows it to decrease stress while generating money for your family.

Quick Cash Generating Ideas

Try selling on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace. This is a great way to organize your home and clean out closets and the garage of outgrown clothes and seldom-used items. I have found really good success with Facebook Marketplace even for more expensive items like Dog Exercising Machines that sold for $1,500. When you use Venmo for accepting payment it makes selling one-time items a breeze!

If you have old hand-held electronics around the house, such as an old iPhone, Samsung smartphone, iPad, Macbooks, try selling them through Trademore or Gazelle. A great way to generate cash quickly and not fill our landfills with electronics. I found that my old first-generation iPod was worth over $1,000, but I had already given it away to a family member, so it was a reminder that there might be other cash worthy items sitting around the house that could generate cash.

If you have old jewelry that you don’t wear anymore that is mostly gold and not gems, selling your jewelry for gold is a great way to generate cash quickly. Gold is at an all-time high of $1827 an ounce. Keep in mind that your jewelry usually isn’t 24-carat gold, but 14-carat gold, but it’s still a really good price at $1,073 an ounce USD.

Part-Time Driving & Delivery Work

If you enjoy driving or especially if you are in sales like a relative of ours and are driving around town, driving for Lyft or Uber is a simple side hustle that makes good use of your time between sales calls or other work that has you driving a lot. You can turn on and off your availability based on your schedule and it’s a great way to make money any time of the day. Our relative lives close to an international airport, in fact, he lives close to two, so driving for Lyft was a great way for him to make some extra serious side hustle cash.

Rent Your Guest Shed or Spare Room on Airbnb

We brought up renting your guest shed on Airbnb when discussing why this is a great time to build a guest shed. Depending on COVID-19 restrictions in your area, this can be a lucrative income. One of the ways you can be of service to our nurses and doctors is to rent out your guest shed to them during the COVID pandemic. Many of our medical personnel are working long hours, wishing to be safe around their families, and want to find a way to be closer to the hospital so they decrease their commute and rest between shifts. This is a win-win for you and your community.

Are You A Great Cook?

People are eating out less but still craving great food. Not everyone is a great cook. If you love cooking this is a great opportunity with our current conditions to become a personal chef. You can prepare meals for other people. I know there are so many meal subscription services, but that isn’t like having your own personal chef that cooks to your personal likes and dislikes. There are plenty of people that will pay to have a personal chef cook for them and deliver pre-made meals to their homes.

Love Dogs? Start A Dog Walking Service

Dog walking is a lucrative business and it’s a great side hustle. Also, technology has met needs and there are now leashes made so that you may walk three dogs at a time. Depending on where you live, dog walking services go anywhere from $20-$40 a walk. A walk usually is an hour’s exercise, picking up and delivering their dog back to their home. You wouldn’t think this business would be booming with people remote working, but with remote working and remote schooling, people are still finding it tough at times to give their dogs the attention and exercise they need. I know a number of people that took this from lucrative side hustle to a full-time company generating an amazing income!

Do You Like Fixing Things?

From computers to lawnmowers that won’t work, from a dress that needs a new zipper to a new iPhone that is overwhelming it’s the new owner–there is an opportunity in helping people by fixing stuff or helping them figure out stuff. With Zoom and screen sharing so much of this work can be done remotely. Take your expertise and make money from it, whether it’s building sheds, doing alterations, giving new life to toys, motorcycle and car maintenance, or repairing electronics while helping people in your community.

Love Growing Vegetables?

If you love growing vegetables, selling at a Farmer’s Market is a great way to take your extra vegetables and make money. People love buying directly from growers. If you have a large piece of property, let’s say a half-acre or better that you have planted, you could become part of a local farm to table subscription service, a great way to generate a steady income with once a week drop off and at the same time advertising your homegrown vegetables! So whether a Farmer’s Market to sell at once in awhile fits your needs or if you regularly have extra from your garden a subscription service could provide a great steady income as a side hustle!

Do You Love Kids & Teaching-Tutor!

One thing this pandemic has done has brought up how much we love our kid’s teachers and their expertise. Remote learning has been challenging for so many of our children and us. But for some of you, this has been an aha moment where you realize you are really good at teaching and love some of the subjects you used to excel at in school. So take that knowledge and help kids that are having a challenge including their parents during the pandemic with tutoring kids in areas that you excel in and get paid at the same time. All of this can be done by Zoom so geography is not a factor, just getting the word out that you are available! Depending on where you live you can earn anywhere from $25 to $75 an hour depending on your credentials, track record, and recommendations!

We have only shared a small cross-section of ideas that could generate extra income as a side hustle. This is one of our favorite topics and we have an endless stream of side hustle ideas we can share to generate extra income for your family. From photography to selling eggs, from selling on Etsy to baking dog biscuits–there are so many fun and great ways to generate income as a side hustle!

Share with us at Shed Windows and More what you have tried for your side hustle. We not only provide everything you need to build your outdoor buildings and enhance your home but each month we provide marketing advice via our newsletter to our community and builders.

The post Create a Side Hustle & Earn More Money first appeared on Door.

Timing is everything and now is one of the best times to build a guest shed. A myriad of reasons are all facing so many of us; COVID, remote schooling, remote work, aging parents, adult children going through transitions, guest space for visiting family, and also an unattached building that could generate extra income. All wins the way we look at it! So let’s discuss each of these reasons and see if the benefits add up for your family to build a guest shed.

Guest Sheds for COVID

This year COVID has generally turned many of our worlds upside down. Even if you have been fortunate enough that your family hasn’t been touched by COVID, your life has still been impacted in many ways. From remote work to remote schooling, from social distancing to extra sanitary precautions–there has been an impact on your family’s life. Having had COVID in our household we realize how tough it is to quarantine away from other family members even if you have a larger home. Since a person can’t just stay in a room, they need to bathe, use the facilities, and eat, it presents some real challenges.

It seems as COVID is not going away any time real soon so a guest shed gives your family some strategic advantages in keeping your other family members safe while another family member is recuperating from COVID or needing to quarantine because they are in a high-risk job or have been exposed to COVID.

• A guest shed gives sick family members or relatives you are caring for a space of their own while not infecting others.
• You can equip a guest shed with a small toilet, sink, and shower.
• A guest shed can also have its own efficiency kitchen consisting of a microwave, a mini-refrigerator, and a hot plate.

A guest shed gives your family so many more advantages other than trying to take care of a family member with COVID within your home. A guest shed gives family members with high-risk jobs such as emergency technicians, nurses, doctors, police officers, firefighters, and more, a place to stay when they know they have been exposed to COVID to keep your family safe.

Guest Sheds for Remote Work

Sometimes you just run out of space in your home! Remote work has thrown a number of us a curveball in finding a place within our homes where we have space and quiet needed to perform our job or run our company well. A guest shed is a perfect solution for remote work. You can set up a desk, lighting, computers, and more with the space you need so you don’t feel cramped. You can also equip your remote work area with a mini-refrigerator and microwave so you reduce your trips between your guest shed and your house. Remote work, which many of us have been doing since COVID, will probably continue as a change in the workplace in many industries going forward, so this is the perfect time to prepare and be prepared.

You can also equip your guest shed with a wall bed or Murphy bed so your remote work guest shed can go double duty; as a remote workspace and also a guest shed when the need arises. Once you have experienced having a separate space away from your home, but right in your backyard for remote work, you will be sold on the idea–it’s really the best of both worlds. Just think of how much time you are freeing up not commuting, less mileage on your car, less gas, and less stress with the ease of working from home. Once you get used to ZOOM meetings, you can start to see the advantages for many industries far outweigh any drawbacks with remote work.

Guest Sheds for Remote Schooling

If you have more than one child, remote schooling can create some challenges for your family space-wise and with noise. Think multiple ZOOM meetings going on at the same time! Your children can use headsets, but headsets especially with younger children don’t always work the best for their needs. Having a separate space close to your house for your children to do their remote learning in has many advantages:

• Less noise and distractions.
• A designated place so they aren’t moving their computer and schoolwork back and forth within your home.
• A space of their own so it feels like a plus with remote schooling instead of looking at the downside of not seeing friends, lack of after-school activities, and lack of sports.

Using a guest shed for remote schooling also opens up other possibilities in the school framework. You are able to mount a whiteboard on the wall to keep track of each child’s most important activities. Yes, we know there is task management software especially for remote schooling, but there is nothing like a white-board for visual reinforcement of most important tasks or for demonstrating anything from subjugating verbs to how to do long division for your children’s different learning styles.

Guest Sheds for Aging Parents, Adult Children & Income

For your family, a guest shed could be an affordable alternative to a nursing home or assisted-living space for your aging parents. The cost of a nursing home room can approach over $7000 a month, even an assisted-living facility can cost more than $3,500 a month with a more independent approach to eldercare. If you were to rent your gust shed to your family member in most areas the cost would range from $700 to over $1500 a month, but definitely so much less than nursing home alternatives.

In high-cost areas, guest sheds can serve as a safety net for young people who can’t afford housing close to work or school. Guest sheds can also provide a safety net for adult children that have health issues, developmental issues, or are going through a major life transition such as divorce, or death of a child or loved one, etc. A guest shed gives them autonomy but also allows you to provide assistance when needed.

Guest sheds can provide additional income for your family when not being used by family members for remote work or schooling. Whether you live in a city, suburb, or out in the country, you can market your guest shed as a short-term rental using Airbnb, VRBO, Homeaway, or your local community board. Short-term rentals laws vary by area, so make sure you are allowed in your area to have a short-term vacation rental before advertising. If you have a green light, it can be a great way to meet new people and make a passive income at the same time.

If you are motivated to build a guest shed at this time, Shed Windows and More has shed windows, shed doors, shutters, flower boxes, cupolas, and more to finish your guest shed in style.  We would love to see your finished guest shed designs both exterior and interior, just email your photos to thomas@shedwindowsandmore.com.

The post Benefits of Building a Guest Shed Now first appeared on Door.

Most of us have taken for granted being able to run to the grocery store on a daily or semi-daily basis to fee our families. I don’t think many people were prepared for what we have all encountered since the beginning of the year with the shelves being bare of many of the items our families need each week to live. It has given us a real appreciation for what we have and maybe have taken for granted for so long. When you can’t find a bag of potatoes or rolls of toilet paper after going to a number of stores, you realize it would be wise not only to get through shelter in place but going forward to have a better plan in place for your family food security and more.

Feeding Your Family From Your Backyard Garden

Many of us are now looking to loosen our ties to our neighborhood grocery store and grow and harvest all our produce from our own backyard. First you wonder if it is feasible, then how much time it will take, but it is actually easier than you think to move from recreational gardening for an occasional fresh ear of corn to growing a high percentage of your family’s fresh vegetables year-round from your own garden. A year round garden takes some planning and initial cost but the reward are well worth the time, effort and startup money.

It has also been proven that vegetables that children help grown and harvest they tend to enjoy so much more–your answer to picky vegetable eaters! Also it is a great way with school moving home with shelter in place to teach math, reading. biology, and research with your kids of any age. Depending on the size of your family, age of children, size of appetites, and how much space you have to grow–these factors will dictate garden size and so much more.

How Large of a Garden Should We Plan?

A lot of factors go into planning the size of a garden. A general rule is 200 square feet of garden for each person in your family, this allows for a harvest that would feed everyone year-round. For a family of 4 your would be looking at 800 square feet. We suggest, unless you have a large and sunny space that could accommodate a 20 x 40 feet size garden plot to create your garden in raised beds. Raised beds and a French intensive planting method allows you to use much less space and still feed a family of four year-round. The French intensive method of planting encourages you to plant vertical vegetables next to low lying or root vegetables to make the best use of space. It is possible in one 6×8′ raised bed to plant enough pole beans for a family of 4 along with enough carrots all in one bed. We generally have used 5-6 eight by six foots beds that are twelve inches deep to feed our family of six and we have more than enough to store or give away.

It is possible with hydroponics to grow your vegetables indoors or on a deck year-round, so even if you don’t have a sunny backyard for a vegetable garden you can still create food security. Shed Windows and More has created polyurethane planters that can be custom made to your deck or patio for vegetables or anything you want to grow. Sizes range from square planters that are 8″x8″, 10×10,  or 12″x12″ to rectangle planters in widths of 8, 10, or 12 inches by 24, 36, 48, 60 or 72 inches. Just give us a call at 843-399-1820 or fill out our contact form for custom size orders and we will give you a call right back.

How Much & What Should We Plant?

Planting what your family loves to eat is your best bet for the least amount of waste. Turning gardening into a family project helps picky eaters like vegetables more. Take in account your climate and what zone you are in the United States. If you have particularly cold weather in the winter, a fall/winter garden may not be too feasible. But if you only get cold weather and some snow, hoop gardening for fall, winter and early spring can change completely what you are able to grow and harvest, extending your growing season to nearly year-round. You can use rebar stakes next to your raised beds, with irrigation hoops, heavy mil plastic and snap connectors to make a great greenhouse situation to protect your plants and extend your growing season. A smaller version of the photo above is what we use in our gardens.

This list of easy to grow vegetables is a great starting point and the other charts on this site for growing, harvesting and planting conditions are some of the best I have seen, all done by Grow Zones.

Your vegetable grow list should have a few extra plants added to it if you wish to can or dry your crop for storage. But here is a beginning list of vegetables to plants to sow for a family of four:

• Beets-10 foot row Spring & Fall Crop
• Bell Peppers- 5 to 10 plants planted early Spring
• Broccoli-5 plants Cool Season Crop usually planted in early Fall
• Brussel Sprouts-5 plants Cool Season Crop usually planted in early Fall
• Bush Beans- 15 foot row Succession Plant to harvest throughout late Spring through early Fall
• Pole Beans- 15 foot row Plant early Spring
• Cabbage- 5 plants Spring and Fall crop
• Carrots- 10 foot row Succession Plant to harvest throughout late Spring through early Fall
• Cauliflower- 5 plants Spring and Fall Crop
• Swiss Chard- 5 plants will re-grow after harvesting outer leaves
• Corn-15 foot row or best to plant to parallel rows for pollination Succession Plant
• Cucumbers-2 -3 hills Single planting
• Eggplant- 6 to 8 plants planted early Spring
• Kale- 5 plants Single Planting early spring
• Lettuce- 10 foot row-Succession Plant and many varieties if you cut outer leaves the plants will continue to grow
• Onions- 5 foot row early Spring Planting
• Potatoes- 20 to 30 potato seed eyes planted very early Spring
• Peas or Snap Peas- 10 foot row, Succession Plant early spring through Fall
• Peppers- 5 foot row- Single Planting early Spring
• Radishes- 5 foot row- Succession Plant
• Spinach- 15 foot row planted early Spring and also early Fall
• Summer Squash- 2-3 hills Single planting, multiple varieites
• Tomatoes- 5 plants, more if you wish to make sauces, Single Planting, Multiple Varieites
• Turnips- 10 foot row Spring and Fall crop
• Pumpkins, Watermelon and Melons only if space and climate allow for a long growing season

The above list should adequately feed a family of four with enough leftovers for storage, sauces, and giving to friends and family.

How To Get the Best Garden Yield

The yield from your garden depends on many factors including; soil, proper spacing, nutrients, water, and weather. There are some factors you can’t control but also steps you can take to maximize the yield from your garden:

• Succession Plant-as soon as one crop is no longer producing, pull it out and plant another one in it’s place. Plant different varieties of the same vegetable so they harvest at different times. If your second or third planting comes toward the end of your growing season choose plants that are good for cool weather such as leafy greens, broccoli, and root vegetables.
• Try Intensive Cropping-Plant your vegetables of different sizes and growth rates together or design your garden or raised beds with vertical plants with root vegetables or bush vegetables below.
• Harvest Consistently– regularly harvesting your vegetables usually amounts to a larger yield from the same space. Get in the habit of picking your vegetables at least every couple of days or once a day.
• Grow Vegetables for Your Zone-Keep in mind what vegetables grow best in your growing zone, what is the optimum planting time, time to harvest. etc. If your climate has extremes more picky vegetables may not be your best bet. If you have snow you won’t be growing artichokes–know your growing zone.

Keeping Your Harvest

If you have harsh winters there are many ways to keep your vegetable harvest. If you are getting to the end of summer headed into fall and all your tomatoes have not ripened, pull the plants out gently and tie upside down from a rafter in your garage or storage shed to ripen the rest of the tomatoes.

Freezing is a simple option, which you can label the bags and put them in the portions you would use for cooking. Freeze diced vegetable in a single layer on a cookie sheet first and then divide and double bag so they don’t get freezer burn.

Root Storage Shelter, if you have a basement or storage area in your garage, shed or home that stays below 60 degrees consistently and is low moisture, it can provide a great place to store root vegetable such as potatoes, carrots, turnips and more through the winter.

Canning is a good long-term method for preserving vegetables from your garden. It does take some skill and equipment, but all equipment can be reused and it is a great way to stock up for the winter from your summer vegetable garden bounty.

Drying your vegetables in a food dehydrator preserves their color, taste and allows you to store them in your pantry.  Food dehydrators have come way down in price and it’s also a great way to preserve fruit also.

To support family vegetable gardens Shed Windows and More is also looking into manufacturing, early this spring, raised bed connectors that will allow you to easily put together raised beds of any size that will last for decades. Happy gardening and be sure to keep checking back to our online store for new gardening products. We are all learning new skill sets during shelter in place including learning how to grow our own vegetables and be more self-sufficient.

The post Growing Your Own Food During COVID-19 first appeared on Door.