March 2026 Renting vs. Buying: The Numbers Might Surprise You

Renting can feel like the easier choice right now. There’s no big down payment. No dealing with surprise repairs. And no long-term commitment. But then your rent goes up again. And again. And suddenly the thing that seemed flexible starts looking…  expensive , especially considering you’re not building any equity. And once that happens, it’s easy to feel a little trapped in the cycle. That’s because there’s so much chatter today about how buying a home isn’t affordable. But the truth is, the math may work out better than you'd expect based on what’s changed recently. Buying Is More Affordable Than Renting in Many Areas  In a lot of places today, owning a home actually costs less each month than renting a 3-bedroom home.  and recent   data   from  A TTOM   shows   that’s true in nearly 58% of counties across the U.S.  ( see chart below ). And that's  after  you factor in things like insurance and typical maintenance costs.  In o...

Memorial Day Crafts: Patriotic Upcycled Can Flower Pots

4th-of-July-Party-Table-decor-craft-idea

Make these super simple patriotic upcycled can flower pots that are sure to brighten up any patriotic themed party table. Turn aluminum cans into a pretty and rustic Memorial Day decoration. 



4th-of-July-Party-Decoration-Craft-idea
Paint all of the cans with two coats of white mult-surface paint.
4th-of-July-Flower-upcycled-flower-cans-step-1Then apply vinyl shapes cut out with Silhouette and used them as stencils – stars on one of the cans and stripes on the other two.
4th-of-July-Flower-upcycled-cans-step-2
Then I painted right on top of the cans and the stencils. While the paint was still wet, I revealed my design.
The lines won’t be perfect because of the bumpy surface of the cans, but that is what gives this craft character and a rustic Memorial Day feel.
4th-of-July-upcycled-Flower-cans-step-3
After the paint was dry on all three cans, it was time to turn them into flower pots. I used cylinder shaped soft flower foam that fit perfectly into each can,  
Flower-foam-in-upcycled-can
Fill each can with water, and the flower foam holds the water nicely keeping your flowers hydrated. The foam is soft enough that you can arrange your flowers in each can by poking the stems directly into the foam.

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