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Turning a House Into a Home: The Benefits You Can Actually Feel

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There’s a lot of conversation about home prices, mortgage rates, and affordability right now – and those things are important. But if you’re thinking about buying a home, it’s worth remembering something the headlines rarely talk about: people don’t buy homes just for financial reasons. They buy them for their lives. Because while homeownership can absolutely be a smart long-term financial move, it also comes with some emotional benefits spreadsheets just can’t capture. Maybe that’s why a 2025 survey from Fannie Mae notes : “Consumers were twice as likely to mention lifestyle benefits (67%)—like security, customization, and outdoor space—than financial benefits (34%) when explaining why their homes have become more important in recent years.” Here are a few reminders of what owning a home gives you that renting never will. 1. A Milestone You Get To Be Proud Of Buying a home is a big deal. First home, fifth home – it doesn’t matter. It’s a moment you’ll remember. And when you final...
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10 Tips for October Gardening

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  1. Care for your lawn by raking or brushing leaves off the grass. Try collecting them in a leaf bag, which will turn them into useful leaf mould. You can also cut the grass for one last time this year. Make that last cut slightly higher to protect the lawn from winter frost.
  2. Trim hedges so they are crisp and tidy for the winter.
  3. October’s the time for clearing up. Greenhouses, ponds, gutters and water butts may all need cleaning out, wooden garden furniture will need covering or storing for the winter and terracotta pots will need bringing inside.
  4. Divide herbaceous perennials. Plant some back in the ground; take others to pot up and give away to friends in the spring.
  5. In the veg patch plant garlic cloves with their pointed ends up, and spaced 10cm apart.
  6. Plant bulbs for a colourful spring display. Try planting clumps of five or seven bulbs of the same variety through a border for a really effective display.
  7. Plant out spring bedding and biennials, such as wall-flowers, for spring displays. Pots and hanging baskets can be planted with spring bedding, and teamed with bulbs, grasses, cyclamen and violas for a colourful and textural display.
  8. ‘Plant’ prepared hyacinths in vases for winter scent and colour in the house.
  9. Harvest pumpkins for eating as well as carving.
  10. Enjoy the apple harvest! Why not visit an apple day in your area, where you can taste local varieties?  
Original Article via Eden Project