Add personality to your home through wall coverings

Once a sign of a bygone era, wallpaper has re-emerged as a creative way of adding a touch of luxury to the home.

"Wallpaper adds a texture and design that can't be achieved through paint or even art by covering such a large surface area," said Krystle Wilk, store manager with Southpointe Paint and Décor in the southeast.

"Depending on the space, wallpaper will make a room feel complete. Whereas if there was nothing added, the room would just look good, not great."

Get growing from plant parts this month

I grew my first crop of sweet potatoes, turmeric and ginger in 2014. They were great until a crash-and-burn disaster, but I am committed to trying again this year.

It is impossible to buy sweet potato seed because they only grow from clones or cuttings. And while turmeric and ginger are available from seed, they are not easy to germinate.

All three crops are better started from plant parts, so I am calling this gardening project my grocery store garden.

Recycling series: Alberta's electronics recycling program wants your outdated gadgets

Everyone has them. They gather in closets, basements, attics and garages. Their usefulness long surpassed by newer, shinier versions of themselves, they sit silently, collecting dust.

They are old electronics. Be it a computer, copier, television or VCR, everyone seems to have at least one outdated electronic device residing in their home.

Savvy buyers seeing increased opportunities
With oil prices still low compared to several months ago, real estate investors might be  inclined to wait on the sidelines to see what happens. Yet that hasn't happened.

Instead, investors are salivating at the increased selection of revenue-producing properties coming to market and selecting the best ones to add to their portfolios.

Take, for example, a set of clients who were dipping their toes into the world of real estate investment when they attended Mortgage360's first Cash Flow Club meeting earlier this year.

Don't leave money on the table

February is RRSP month. It is also a good time for a mortgage checkup in order to avoid leaving  hard-earned money on the table.

Banks and mortgage lenders send out mortgage statements annually at this time of year. Some people put them in the trash, while others file them away neatly. Smart borrowers, however, submit them to their mortgage professional for review.

For example, a homeowner who has a $250,000 mortgage could save $10,000 to $15,000 or more over the next five years by taking advantage of lower interest rates and switching to a variable-rate or a lower price fixed mortgage.