The Bachelor lifestyle - Tips, Recipes, Pimpin the pad etc.

[yohan4ws]

So, I know I'm not alone in that I now don't live with my parents. I own a townhouse, have a roommate and moved in December of 2004. I tell you, nothing is more awesome than living in your own place.

Of course, with this milestone in life comes a great deal of responsibility. And with that responsibility comes the challenge of overcoming such obstacles of hard water stains, what to make for dinne when KD just wont cut it, concentrated cleaning supplies so you dont have to scrub like a fiend, and general ways to improve the look of the pad so it feels homey and girls that come over who you want to stay, will stay a while longer ... (this means sex again in the morning before you kick her out.)

So .... I dedicate this thread to the exchange of idea's and tips of living the bachelor lifestyle. A milestone in life that should be celebrated every time you walk into your own pad.

[yohan4ws]

Some things I've learnt along the way ...

Cutting costs on utilities:

Tip #1 : Gas Bill.

Get an adjustable thermostat. These things are wicked, for a mere $60 dollars or less you can setup the temperature in your house to regulate so when you wake up, the temp is nice so your nipples dont cut the windows and mirrors when you hit the shower. When you leave for work, with automation, it will decrease the temp again. They learn how long it takes to heat the house up again to the desired temperature - hence when you come home, its already warm and you can kick off the clothes and walk around freely in your ginch like you were on a topical beach.

Dont work 7 days a week? They have weekend settings so you can keep it warm in the day, and from 11pm until 11am when you're out at the bar, or passed out at your own or somebody else' house you'll save again on heat. This lil device can save you 30% on your gas bill. thats equal to a Ralph klein rebate, w00t!

Summer time, blow out the pilot light in your furnace and turn off the gas going into it. I didn't have my furnace on once between June and October last year. It was cold on the rainy days, but thats why I have a down duvet.

Also, you can put a blanket around your hot water tank .. Personally, I wouldn't do this for fear of it catching on fire, but im sure thers ways to insulate it further. I already have a self cleaning gas efficient hot water tank .. since my 25 year old one died in July while I was in vegas last year.

On a $100 gas bill in Winter, savings/month $30 over winter. Rest of the year, $10 ?

Tip #2 : Internet.

I choose Shaw, they have 30/month for the first 6months and 7month free. How cool is that ?? Thing is after that they want to charge me 42. I dont play that way. Knowing this, I bought my cablemodem. This means I can contact Cybersurf and change my billing over and be charged $30/month perm. Rumor has it they are stricter on bandwidth than shaw, but with their voice over IP package, they dont care so much anymore. What I did, because I don't mind Shaw, is called up customer service, suggested I was very pleased with the service and am inquiring if they can do anything for me to match Cybersurf price so I didnt have to switch providers ... well, now I pay $30/month for SHAW ... This has been over a year I have paid this rate.

The reason I choose SHAW is because I get 4.5 Mbit bandwidth, as opposed to Telus' 2.5Mbit for hte same price.

$32.09 bill otherwise would be $42 .. Savings/month: $10

Tip #2 : Telephone Land Line.

Most pepole spend a bundle on their Cellular bill, not me. I have a group plan through work that I pay $25/month (plus activation bullshit & other features) . I have 180minutes/month. I rarely exceed this .. so to make up for it, I have a voice over IP service provided by Primus. I bought my VOIP modem. This means that I pay $15/month for my land line, with ALL features. Call forward, voice mail, 5cents/minute anywhere in long distance, caller id, call waiting, call waiting caller ID .. Primus rules http://www.primus.ca . Primus also offers for $25/month the above plus long distance in north america.

There are competitors like Telus $40/month basic service, Shaw$55 flat rate for full service incl. unlimited north american long distance, Vonage $15/month for 500minutes (puke) limited time on a land line? please. $25/month for unlimited phone and long distance to north american and puerto rico.

Whats great about these services, no activation charge, no contract - with Primus if you come from Ontario/sask etc. or anywhere they have VOIP available, you can get 2 phone numbers so your friends from afar can call a local number and get you at home. No long distance fees for them. Cool huH?

I signed up online with primus and got a free cordless phone with 2 handsets and seperate charger. (Instant $60 savings - equal to price of VOIP modem)

With my rate, $15/month .. Savings == $10 - $40/month

Tip #4 : Electricity

Buy low power light bulbs. These are the coiled up ones that save you tonnes of cash over time. I replaced every light bulb 2 months into living in my house and saved 20% on my electricity bill. This and being disciplined with turning off lights when you're not using the room is the easiest way to save $. I have lights off alll the time, the tv is light enough for me.

Cool thing about the power saving bulbs, they are white light, not a yellow dim glow like stock headlights. This is HID for your home - no retrofit needed. Be cautious when you buy these bulbs though, some are HUGE .. get the small ones, they come in equal to 40 60 100 watts etc. and are reated like 13 20 and 35 watts respectively.

Turn off your computer monitor if your computer is on 24/7. computers run approx 10-15/month and more if you game a lot. Want to know exactly how much it costs? Go on Ebay and buy the electricity meter thing, plus your appliance into it, and then it into the wall. It tells you how much electricty your doing .. some quick google and you can find out how much electricity gets used by every appliance.

Tip #5 - Water.

Put a brick or bottle full of water in your toilet tank. Save litres every time you flush, this is good for the environment so you can feel guilt free like you've done even a further good deed after flushing that deuce. Also, the typical toilet tank I think is 13 litres or so ... Buying a water efficient toilet gives you equal flushing power in half the tank size, 6 Litres. there are some toilets that have a 3 and 6 litre flush .. so if its yellow flush it mellow, if its brown flush it down.

I dont know the savings, but just knowing you're making a difference for the next fish you'll eat should be good enough.

Savings for consuming less urine treate water = priceless.

[theken]

piss and shit at other peoples houses haha ^

[yohan4ws]

Being a bachelor is one of the greater more free things in life. To help keep it this way, always be cautious of ways to compress time frames, save money, and live a low maintenance as possible lifestyle. Spent a bit more on things that will last a long time and that you'll be happy with, and not bitch. Bitching takes time. So does going to the store to replace broken, insufficient, or defective shit. As well, you want to save $, saved money = Beer money. Beer in the belly == Happier Bachelor.


Accessorizing & Shopping :

Bedroom:
One word. Ikea. I bought an awesome duvet (this is the comfy big fluffy soft feather comforter for those of you who don't know .. or still sleep in a sleeping bag - yea, i've seen that) It was $180 for the best they had, comparable to $400 somewhere else.

I bought 2 80 dollar pillows, 2 25 dollar pillows and sheets/duvet cover tec. It all came to like $450 or something. Go to linens and things, easily $1000. Dont skimp on pillows. These have been known to save me in a drunken skurry of sleep when the duvet had been kicked to the floor. A good full length pillow keeps you just warm enough.

If you look at some of the trendier bedding places, shits expensive. Ikea has equal stuff for so cheap. I spent $400 bucks on bedding, and I can attest this will help you get laid. Imagine the savings for real drunk girls vs. that cracked out hooker. ** NOTE!! When spending good money on quaity bedding, if you have a girl over.. FORCE HER TO WASH HER FACE! Nothing pisses me off more than seeing some bitches smudged makeup in my pillow case. This means I have to wash my covers immediately before the next chick comes over (in some cases present girlfriend), which wastes time and creates havoc. Plus you'll have to drink 2 more beers to forget about it. == $$

Kitchen:
Ikea again, Pots and pans are like 10bux for a 3 pot or 2 pan combo. Teflon, cheap, and they last and hold up pretty good. Only down side, no lids. But I got a caserole dish set for xmas with glass lids so I'm covered. Also, XS Cargo.

Savings = 30 - 400 dollars on pots and pans.

Accessorizing:

XS Cargo. Cheap shit and lot sof it, tables, chairs, futons, home theatre stuff. If you want to do it up inexpensive, and dont care about quality or longevity, this is your home land. I bought some batteries, wall clocks, and a golf bag. Good deal for me. Also, Walmart ... for everything else, there is walmart. Walmart gets its own section.

Nick Nacks: Dont buy these! they are a pain in the ass.

Shit that sits on any shelf or open space that collects dust, needs to be cleaned, has no purpose, and creates maintenance when you need to simply wipe a surface to get rid of. Put it on the floor, wipe, put it back .. I could wipe a shelf 4 times in the amount of time it takes to do that.

Stationary:
Get it from work. Nuff said.

Furniture: Bargain finder & Beyond, also parents are good too.

People are always getting rid of shit they dont want. With renting a rug doctor with apholstery brush from Safeway you can renew an old couch that somebody else sold for cheap. Sectionals are great! I dont have one, my place isn't big enough. And I have 2 couches that are my parents so im still good. Also, furniture is prone to having beer spilled on it when you're living on your own especially for the first time. Scotch Guard is a good thing, and you dont want brand new shit spilled on.. buy used. It's like buying a dirty old civic, vs. a brand new G35 who cares if you get door dings.

End tables, tv stands, tv's, home theatre shit, speakers, stereos, the bargain finder is your friend ... Save tonnes in a short drive. If you have patience and know what questions to ask, you can see things working in somebody else' home, how its been treated (Asians are great because they wrap most their shit in plastic - tv remotes especially (no thats not a racist slur, its a stereotype based on my personal observations))

Essentials:

** MAKE FRIENDS WITH YOUR NEIGHBORS! ** This will avoid phone calls to the police when they aren't invited to your parties etc. Always invite them over to any party you have and do what it takes to get along, shovel their walk once in a while (they'll shovel yours too in return if they are good neighbors). I have so much pull on my block because I interact with my neighbors, even my ex girlfriend wont call cops on me .. yea thats right, i invite her too .. thankfully she's had enough tact not to show up.

Towels, dont ever be without towels. I had a friend of mine, he used paper towel to dry his hands after he washed them in his bathroom. Wtf? Get a hand towel. Every man in this day in age should wash his hands after going to the bathroom, so thats not an excuse not to have towels. Plus, girls notice when you wash your hands after rubbing your crotch just as much as after going to the bathroom. As fun as it is, you don't necessarily want to be a bachelor forever. Develop good habits now.

A magazine to read, Leave a tucker max book in the bathroom. This will gain you popularity amongst your house guests and friends, trust me.

BBQ. - it never needs to be washed, fire cooks shit off the grill. Best way to make steak, no pre-heating of the oven, everything tastes good BBQ and you get to be outside. No man should ever be without a BBQ.

George forman grill, when its too cold for the BBQ. This is only an excuse when you're hungover and hungry, otherwise get yo ass out on the porch. If you dont have a porch or can't have a bbq for any reason, this is a great substitute. I've seen a friend cook a frozen steak .. rock hard out of the freezer, threw it in the grill and whamo .. cook perfect right through. I was impressed. I made him cook more frozen meat too .. same result. We were stoned and had munchies, so this was great. I don't have one yet, but its on the way.

Plastic Coat hangers.. fuck the metal ones all getting tangled, welcome to this decade. Where do you even buy metal hangers? Superstore, 30 plastic hangers for ~ $5.

Dish clothes, oven mitts, and plenty of plenty of cleaning towels etc. I remember being 18 and at this guys house, I shit you not.. one rag for cleaning spills the floor, the bathroom AND his dishes ... that aint right. Don't ever be this person or reside in this persons residence. (for the record he now has incurable STDs that he claims he caught from a dirty toilet) dirty girls reside in dirty houses, which runs me into the next very very important topic ...

[yohan4ws]

Originally posted by theken
piss and shit at other peoples houses haha ^

hahaha! on the ball! I do most of my shitting at work. this keeps the bathroom cleaner longer too

[googe]

BEST THREAD EVER

its funny cause its true. keep it coming!

edit: Though I have to say I dont like the foreman. At first I thought it was an awesome bachelor tool, but then I decided that thing is a bitch to clean and you cant put it in the dishwasher.

Tip: Programmable thermostat has an added bonus. The less that your furnace is on, the less dusty your house gets. Minimizing furnace run time is good for more reasons than one! Also if you have rooms you dont use, close off the vents so you dont heat the entire house every time it kicks in.

[yohan4ws]

Originally posted by googe

Tip: Also if you have rooms you dont use, close off the vents so you dont heat the entire house every time it kicks in.

This is fucking brilliant! <runs and closes vents in unused rooms>

Also in winter time, you can get this film you put around your windows, it saves tonnes on heating because it eliminates the cold draft from windows in extreme cold (-30)

Not to mention that less furance run time increases life expectancy.

[szw]

learn how to cook good food, it is worth it. Also splurge on the most expensive toilet paper.

[googe]

Tip: If you dont have enough dishes for a full load and youre too lazy to hand wash, dont leave water in them. Yes its easier to scrub if its been soaking, but it causes it to smell. Let stuff cake on and just use the "Pots and pans" setting on the dishwasher instead. Or be less lazy and wash it by hand when youre done using it.

Tip: When ordering pizza with friends (and if youre like me, ordering pizza is a staple food), tell the pizza place NOT to include any garlic butter dipping sauce. That stuff tastes gross, but will inevitably be opened by a curious friend, and has high risk of spillage. And that stuff stinks when it spills, or when its open in a garbage even.

[ca2p3r]

good read
the main rule for being a bachelor : BE CLEAN!

[yohan4ws]

Cleaning:

This is key to keeping your place in good condition.

First, the place that should get the most attention because it smost diffiucult to keep clean.

Bathroom:

I clean my bathroom in my ginch or shitty pair of shorts so I can get right into it. no socks, or shirt .. cleaning supplies are hard on clothes when used in this proportion.

Supplies: Bucket, Mr. Clean, CLR (the original shit), lots of cloths, a scrubby brush with hard bristles and a handle, toilet brush, windex, paper towels.Bleach or whatever other concentrated cleaner you can get. I'm fortunate enough to have some wicked industrial strength cleaner my family got for me, this stuff I use in the toilet is pristine. I also have this blue concentrated cleaner, its like 1 cap full to 2 litres of water.

Now, if you're like me, you won't be cleaning the bathroom often .. I'm lucky to get to it every 6 weeks, though I have a new roommate so I hope that cuts the timeline in half ..

Here's what I do: Take the CLR bottle, put a spray nozzle in it and hammer away at EVERYTHING I can. the tiles especially, they are the worst. They get all the shit stuck to it from water condensation and hard water that we have in Calgary. Spray down the tiles, tub, shower head, taps etc. and lots under the soap dish. Hit the kitchen sink, taps, around the inside of the toilet brim that doesn't get flushed and then close the door with the fan on. fuckoff for half hour or more. Sometimes if it looks stubborn, I'll spray down a combo of CLR and Scrub Free. I DO NOT ENDORSE OR SUPPORT MIXING CHEMICALS!! THIS CAN BE FATAL! - cuts down time cleaning and can make some funky chimical reactions but can kill you. Theres a certain couple of cleaners you mix together it makes chlorine gas which will kill you off instantly.

Pour some toilet cleaning stuff in the bowl and swish it around with the toilet brush too. It's gonna soak in also.

Go back in the room, if you are lucky enough to have a showerhead iwth detachable nozzle, I envy you. Otherwise fill a bucket with water. Get a cloth out and dip it in the clean water, of if your nutty like me.. bucket filled w/ mister clean AND water ... start washing down the tiles. You'll feel the tiles at the very top are super slippery, you want them ALL to feel this way. There'll most likely be mildew between the tiles in the grout, thats where the hard bristtle scrubby brush with handle comes in, do the grid and scrub the fuck out of all of these, dipping into the bucket as needed .. That gets rid of the mildew, the same brush should be used on all course feeling tiles. It's like feeling the paint on your car before going over it with claybar (This is where I get my thoroughness from, washing my car ... silly ain't it ? .. ) anyways, you'll spend tonnes of time scrubbing tiles if you wait a long time but when they are all clean and you look inside your gleaming shining shower stall, its so much worth it. Same thing with the bath tub, make sure that shit feels slippery all over .. beware next time you shower though.

The scrubby brush I have is great for below the soap dish, i scrape away at it with the plastic handle until the soap comes off. If anybody knows a spray on product that'll eat the soap off without eating the finish of my tub, I'd love to hear about it.

Now fill the bucket with clean water, and get a fresh cloth .. wipe down the tiles and wash off all the chemical shit, also give a good scrub to your taps. Now, dry off the taps ... aren't they shiney? hell yeah. Shiney taps are my bathroom fetish. Even my ex was like "How did you get the taps so shiney?" .. I smiled. Girls aren't usually into cleaning chemical danger like I am. But they notice and appreciate a clean bathroom.

Now, clean the sink and counter top, and any ledges. Don't forget the top of light fixtures and the op of the medicine chest, that'll accumulate lots of gross dust and shit over time.

The sink follows same rules as the tub, make sure its slippery. As time goes by, you can see the progress of scum build up, rub really hard on the bottom of the sink and rinse with water. You'll notice a shiney line, and not so shiney rest of sink. This means its time to clean.

Windex mirrors, enough said.. this is the last step.

The toilet is mad easy, porcelyn always stays damp and crud doesnt much stick to it. Use the toilet brush to wash off any brown leftovers that somehow landed above the water line and get up under the rim so you dont have an eventual yellow sludge cascading downwards thats visible. wipe it down, the base especially, use a clean and separate cloth for the toilet.. make sure you wash under the lid etc. Just be thorough, the shit should shine when you're done cleaning it every time and have no dust or marks on it. Toilets are cool that way, the finish doesn't get ruined hardly ever.

Now, clean with this in mind: at least as a man I get to stand, but women have to sit ... if I was a chick, i'd never return to a house that holds a dirty throne. No woman should have to hover in a non-public restroom.

Wash the floor, use lots of mr. clean in the bucket .. if you notice the smell of urine coming out of the floor as you scrub from far away, its because you dont do this important preventative measure.... (more on that) .. use clean water quickly go over the floor once it feels clean and no residue is on it .. voila you're done.

Go over everything with a couple drying towels and get rid of any water spots on the taps. voila.

Keep the lid closed when you flush! My friends laugh at me about how anal I am at this but listen:

If you put food coloring in your toilet bowl, and flush it ... hold a piece of white paper up in the air as high as you can reach parallell to the floor. You'll notice colored specles on the paper. Now think about this, where is your tooth brush stored? I hope not on the counter in the open.

For keeping hand soaps in the bathroom (alongside your already manditory hand towels that should be changed at least bi-weekly) anybody who goes to hotels, get them to bring back soap. I was seeing this flight attendant about a yer ago, I still have some of the soaps form the hotels she stayed at. They smell nice! I also got some from Ballys when I was in vegas, they are the best. It's also good to have these around if you have guests that shower over at your place, put one of those out with their own clean towels so they dont share your soap.

Buy good 2 ply, even I dont steal toilet paper from work .. I like being comfotable at home, which includes the comforts at home. It feels great for those days after bar rye or cheap white wyne when my bowels singing some johnny cash.

my sphincter can get angry sometimes.

[googe]

Originally posted by yohan4ws

Here's what I do: Take the CLR bottle, put a spray nozzle in it and hammer away at EVERYTHING I can.

Haha, spray nozzle on the CLR, I love it

[yohan4ws]

My Aunt told me the CLR tip hehehe, that shit is concentrated and is supposed to be dilulted in water for use.. but hey, we're all about low maintenance! the more concentration, the less scrubbing.

[max_boost]

Thank god I have a gf that does all of the above for me

to CLR, that stuff is killer and works great.

[Sharpie]

Yohan you are the man!

[googe]

Think you can avoid vacuuming that certain room because you never go in it, and as long as you stay out of it you dont have to clean it? Wrong, dust is your enemy, and a quick walk through the carpet of said room with white socks will show you that myth is not going to work.

[yohan4ws]

Originally posted by googe
Tip: If you dont have enough dishes for a full load and youre too lazy to hand wash, dont leave water in them.....

Good god, how long do you leave shit in the sink? That's gross. (btw, putting in some dish soap will eliminate the smell for prolongued dishwashing procrastination)

But fits pefect with my next post...

A clean Kitchen!

I'm not so great at this part ... It's important to take all dishes off a shelf once in a while and wipe the inside of the cupboards down, especially under the sink and the drawer in the stove. always wipe down the counter/stove when you're done. Remember, you want your place to be appealing for company that stops by as much as possible.

Things that make a kitchen seem untidy and cluttered: Dishes in the sink, items left on counter, crumbs and spots around the stove. Keep as few things on the counters at all times, that way when you give it a wipe down after making a sandwich its an even swipe right into the sink. This also cuts down on bacteria growth on counter tops which is important. Use a glass cutting boards instead of wood, they are less bacteria also. I prefer the one in my cupboard that pulls out but hey, im not perfect. My last roommate refused this as he was a germofobe.. but never wiped crumbs off the counter or stove top after cooking .. wtf?

Per the above, I got this really great thing at linens and things inspired by my Dad - a professional bachelor with a spotless, extremely clean and clutter free house. Props to him this year for finally getting rid of his 1970's yellow appliances (including yellow toilet and bathtub in the bathroom). this comes from great influence from his new girlfriend - she comes into his life after many hears of professional bachelorism. Seer_claw (Shaun) can tell you about my Dad.

Anyways, they have it at superstore but its cheap ... its a hollow brush that you put soap in the handle of. The reason I choose linens and things, is that it has a push button. You press it, soap comes out into the bristles. This makes cleaning dishes a breeze, especially using those non stick post and pans from Ikea I boasted about. put in some water, grab the brush, swish, rinse and set it in the drying rack to dry. - OH yeah, buy a drying rack that sits in the sink. If you have time to put it in the sink, you have time to wash it using the above method.

I prefer to use this than the dishwasher, but the thing is because it takes so long for me to put a full load in the dishwasher, I still use the dishwasher mind you, but for bowls in the AM when im heading to work, or glasses etc. I just throw em in there, i have so many of them. It's pots and pans mostly that I wash after cooking, but since I am doing that, it doesnt take much to swish one more plate. Cool thing about work too, they have a dishwasher in every kitchen on every floor... they use those power tabs now for washing dishes, those are great because come in little idividually wrapped plastic packs and I can fit many dishwasher loads worth in my pockets without a mess.

Kitchen floors are a bitch, my kitchenfloor is the nast, it was the nast when I moved in.. I really need advice on how to get rid of the nasty shit on my floor. its dingy and has dirt in the grooves, I am just waiting til I renovate and rip it out really. It's surface clean, that is good enough for me for now .. unless theres an effortless idea.

Usually what I do, is just put some water in the sink with some concentrated cleaner (more than required of course) and scrub with one of those stand up dealies you get at walmart. It wasn't cheap, I got the expensive one that rings out right. Do NOT buy the one that is half the price and folds in half, its a piece of shit. it doesnt ring out right and is flimsy so you can't scrub hard. you can use it in the bathroom if you don't like the hands and knees method. For women, hands and knees is great, but guys .. we have more pride than that.

Every once in a while, empty the fridge and wash it down. It's simple non stick surface, easy to wipe clean. I have yet to clean my oven after a year and some of living here... I think I'll wait until I buy a new one that is self cleaning.. I've never cleaned an oven so somebody will have to help us out.

But the stove, if you are not fortunate to have a flat top like myself, tin foil is the savior. Take out the burner element, take out the tray under it, and line it with foil This makes cleaning up boil overs a breeze.

always wipe down the kitchen table after every use. Nothing is more embarassing as seeing your poker cards slide into last weeks caserole and get stuck in front of your friends. Scenario of disaster, strip poker w/ a chick and she sees that. yeah, she's going to feel really comfortable sitting nude with her pootanny touching your chair she'll assume is equally dirty. but hey, at least you have clean hand towles for her to sit on. right?

[shakalaka]

Wow! Deffinately an awesome thread. Good job man. I am gonna be moving in my private flat next year, so I am deffinately gonna need these tips and lots more. Obviously can learn from them. Great thread!

[szw]

[yohan4ws]

OH I forgot the invention of the decade! The SwiffeR!!

Buy one! I dont have one, but I used one in the office a little while ago when I spilled coffee grounds on the floor (used coffee grounds still damp) ... this thing wiped it up without a hastle. Stuff sticks to it so no dustpan is required, this thing rules!

I am buying one probably sooner than a george foreman grill. (Btw the george forman is teflon, shit should clean no problem with the brush I bought cuz it'll get into the grooves).

Let's talk about living room carpet... you know those spots that get kind of bristly that you step on once in a while from beer spilt months ago by that overly clumbsy drunk friend whose not invited anymore?

Safeway rug doctor. Rent it, get the small one and save $$ and just make a few more swips for the 2" thinner it is than the big fucker.

Buy the big soap, you WILL use it again. but do it this way, get a spray bottle and to town on your carpet with the cleaner first.

Just as in the bathroom, satureate the carpet, let it soak in, it'll loosen the dirt. Then take the rug docter over your carpet. I cleaned mine just before winter when the party season ended (exempt my birthday party but that was kitchen based anyways)

My carpet is clean all over the house, I'm happy. OH btw, get a good vacuum from XS Cargo. I paid 99 for mine at walmart, XS cargo sold it for $50 refurbished. It has no bag and requires a bit of cleaning, but hell at least I dont have to play the guessing game at walmart on what vacuum bag to buy.

szw posted the vaccuum robot. Those things are pretty coold, they'll go over your whole house and then when it runs out of room will go back to its charger. Expensive and I think you can time it to go every day when you're out of the house. Thing is because its round, it can't get into corners like you would with a manual vacuum. I prefer the manual vacuum. (It wont fall down stairs either when I forget to close the door)

Besides that, Wash your windows inside and out. It's incredible what a difference clean glass makes in your home, it immediately feels way cleaner. A squeegee is a good thing to buy, goto cdn tire and get one. they have an assortment but look in all the cleaning departments and car departments, mine was like 11 dollars. Actually the first one I bought, had the upc on the squeegee (my ex stole it and denises its whereabouts.. bitch) I swapped it with a long handle and paid $5.

Grow thick grass so you can be proud of a nice lush yard. A fire pit is a great addition because it takes the party outside where you dont need to worry about spillage, a dirty floor, or turning up the heat. You can buy extra chairs at walmart for 9.99 that fold up and are great for company. I use mine all the time. Make sure to shovel your walks and get welcome matts OUTSIDE the house so more dirt doesn't get brought in.

Most stuff is common sense, put dirty dishes in the kitchen/sink where they belong .. immediately. Nobody likes to see a computer desk with growth of almost ALL dishes from the cupboard and bowls of serial that you didnt put in the sink even though you pass it on your way out the door to whereever .. I've seen a pretty sick bedroom (sleeping bags on the bed too) with the computer desk in room, dirty clothes all over the floor and the desk piled with dishes at least a week old. Gross, dried crusty bits of food .. yeah, I wanted to hang out there more often. This is maybe acceptable for a 16y/o living at home with parents who will scold him/her (her in thise case) and will eventually grab the dishes anyways, but its unacceptable for anybody of age to be living on his/her own.

Ikea says the key to reducing clutter is ample storage, I have built shelves downstairs out of particle board and 2x4's that hold tonnes of shit ... 8 feet long. Anything you can buy with a door on it that looks ok and holds shit will move it off the surface of anything, making dusting easier. Cabinets are the place for clutter.

Speaking of dusting, get a soft cloth and a can of pledge, stuff that repels dust. spray it onto any surface wipe it off immed. Done. As always I'm generous with it. Now you see why you dont want clutter? This is so fast and simple its retarded not to do it any time you see noticeable dust.

At Walmart I bought this thing for tracking receipts, taxes, bills, any other papers for investments insurance etc. It's this big kinda flexy box thing that has files in it, flap comes over the top, clips shut and has a handle. I keep it top shelf in a closet. This eliminates me having mail all over my computer desk etc. and helps organize papers and things I need to keep track of.

This pretty much sums up the moving into, accessorizing and living in the home, and keeping it clean. The rest should be common sense from here ....

Now into the fun stuff, actually living in it and pimping ideas to make your house more cool and original than your friends. Also, seduction tips for female company. As well, cooking! I'm down for as much low maint. easy quick recipes as possible that dont involve adding water, boiling and simmering. I like REAL home cooked food.