11 Home
This chapter looks at Internet resources for things you might research, buy, sell, or create for your home life. That includes your car, home, gardens, pets, and everything having to do with those things, like real estate sales, redecorating, remodeling, and maintenance. You will also find resources for managing your financial life here, with sections for taxes, insurance, financial planning, and investing.
AUTOMOBILES
WEBSITES 
Carfax
An essential resource for anyone thinking of buying a used car. Enter the car’s vehicle identification number (VIN) at the site and find out whether the car has been labeled a lemon, or one with repeated problems, free. If you like the service, you can look up additional VINs for $19.99 (or $27.99 for unlimited reports).
CarsDirect.com 
CarsDirect provides essential information for negotiating deals on new cars. It tells you the invoice and retail prices for all new vehicles and all available combinations of options, and recommends a target price based on what cars are selling for in your area. You can also find out about rebates and special offers, and look up used cars in your area.
Edmund’s Automobile Buying Guides
The place to go when thinking of buying a new or used car. A multitude of information is available, including price guides, dealer cost information, buyer advice and recommendations, recall information, and much more.
Hemmings Motor News
Hemmings Motor News is the authority on classic collector cars. Check out this site for classifieds, upcoming events, and links to museums, dealers, parts locators, and much more.
Kelley Blue Book
Before you sell a car or purchase a used car, you should check its “blue book” value, and Kelley Blue Book is the standard nearly all auto dealers use to determine the value of a used car. At this site, you can plug in a few details, including the make, model, and year of the car and its condition to see the blue book value for yourself. This site is packed with information and tips about buying new and used cars and provides all the tools you need to finance and purchase a car online.
BLOGS 
AutoUnleashed
This blog reports news stories about various makes and models of cars, mostly based on official reports from the manufacturers, but with some informal commentary along the way. Video clips and photos are plentiful.
The Car Blog
This blog contains articles, reviews, press releases, and more about various models of cars. There are rants about particularly bad automobiles, announcements of auto shows and other special events, and helpful hints for buying and maintaining cars.
My Honest Mechanic
This helpful blog is by an auto repair consumer advocate. He tackles reader questions about specific problems, reports on recalls and known problems, and provides tips and tricks.
VIDEOS 
Auto Detailing Tips
www.expertvillage.com/video-series/882_auto-detail.htm
In this video series, you will learn how to detail (that is, meticulously clean) an automobile, from tires to windows.
How to Buy a New Car
www.expertvillage.com/video-series/4877_buying-new-cars.htm
In this video series you will learn how to shop for a new car at a dealership, trade in an old car, and negotiate the sale.
How to Replace Your Car Battery
www.watchmojo.com/index.php?id=6286
This video clip demonstrates how to change a car battery safely and quickly. It also explains how to tell if a battery needs replacing, how to select a battery, and how to remove the fittings that hold the battery in place.
How to Change a Flat Tire
www.watchmojo.com/index.php?id=6271
How to Change Your Oil
www.watchmojo.com/index.php?id=3261
Howcast Car Maintenance
www.howcast.com/categories/218-Car-Maintenance
This series of videos explains how to diagnose basic problems, how to improve your gas mileage, how to find vehicle leaks with an ultraviolet light, and more.
PODCASTS 
NPR: Car Talk Podcast
www.npr.org/rss/podcast/podcast_detail.php?siteId=9911203
America’s funniest auto mechanics take calls from weary car owners all over the country. You don’t have to know anything about cars to love this one-hour weekly laugh fest.
SOCIAL NETWORKING 
Facebook: Best Cars Around the World
www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5606196470
This just-for-fun group is where you can post pictures of cool and exotic cars from around the world and drool over the pictures that others post.
LiveJournal: Old Cars’ Journal
http://community.livejournal.com/oldcars/
This group has lots of pictures of older cars. Much of the text is not in English, so the explanations will be of minimal value, but browsing the pictures is fun.
MySpace: Car Communities
http://groups.myspace.com/carcommunities
This community is for car enthusiasts who love all makes and models of cars. You can post pictures and reviews and read about other people’s favorite cars.
FORUMS/DISCUSSIONS 
Classic Car Source
For car lovers interested in bonding with fellow classic car buffs, this site has a community spirit combined with articles, photographs, chat, auctions, message boards, and restoration help.
Trucker’s Trucking Forum
www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/
This discussion forum is for trucking professionals to discuss issues of interest to the trucking industry. Drivers can discuss good and bad trucking companies, ask questions about unions, and learn the realities of being an owner-operator.
BANKING AND PERSONAL FINANCES
WEBSITES
About Credit
Learn how high-interest loans can torpedo your personal finances. Reduce and eliminate your personal debt by budgeting and consolidation. Contains a huge collection of articles dealing not only with credit management but also with personal and family finances, living a frugal lifestyle, investing, and planning for retirement.
Annual Credit Report
A site set up by the big three credit reporting companies for consumers to order their free annual credit reports, as required by law. You can also request your credit score for an additional charge.
Bankrate.com
Whatever financial services you are seeking, you can look here for rate comparisons. You can search for rates on mortgages, auto loans, credit cards, savings accounts, home equity loans, retirement funds, and so on.
CNNMoney
A combined service of CNN and the magazines Fortune and Money, this site is full of articles, columns, and advice about managing personal wealth, including investments, banking, lending, and borrowing.
Money Central: Banking
http://moneycentral.msn.com/banking/home.asp
This site is associated with the product Microsoft Money but you do not need that product to use the site. It offers helpful articles about personal banking and finances, offers online bill-payment services, and enables you to search for the best rates and banking deals.
BLOGS
Bank Deals
http://bankdeals.blogspot.com/
This blog provides updated information about the best banking deals available in the U.S. on products such as CDs, money market accounts, and high-yield savings accounts.
Blueprint for Financial Prosperity
www.bargaineering.com/articles/
This blog puts forth tips and tricks for getting ahead financially. It points out things like good limited-time credit card offers, high interest rate investments, ways to simplify your finances and pay down your debts, and so on.
What’s Up with My Credit?
www.allbusiness.com/personal-finance/4601344-1.html
In this blog, a consumer credit insider gives expert counsel on how to navigate the credit world and take good care of your personal finances.
VIDEOS
How to Live on a Budget
www.howcast.com/videos/466-How-To-Live-on-a-Budget
A fun and breezy look at basic budgeting for the college student or recent entrant into the workforce. This will make you laugh as well as perhaps teach you a few tips.
How to Prevent Identity Theft
www.howcast.com/videos/1208-How-To-Prevent-Identity-Theft
This video talks about the hazards of identity theft and how to avoid it. The videos at Howcast.com are an entertaining and fun way to learn the basics.
PODCASTS
The Color of Money
www.npr.org/rss/podcast/podcast_detail.php?siteId=7454975
The Color of Money is a weekly podcast navigating the daunting maze of personal finance, with National Public Radio host Michelle Singletary.
Marketplace Money
www.npr.org/rss/podcast/podcast_detail.php?siteId=7495775
Host Kai Ryssdal looks at major national and international stories that impact the average listener’s wallet. It’s “the money show for the rest of us.”
Wallet Watcher
www.podcastalley.com/podcast_details.php?pod_id=55307
Wallet Watcher is a weekly guide to personal finance that teaches even the most financially inept how to get better deals on savings, mortgages, insurance, and the like.
CLEANING AND HOUSEKEEPING
WEBSITES
Housekeeping Channel
This site offers a wealth of tips and articles about housekeeping, including a stain removal wizard, a home and cleaning services finder, and reviews of popular cleaning products.
How To Clean Anything
No matter what it is that you need to clean, this site can help you find the best methods and products for the job. Categories include home interior, home exterior, autos, pets, and recreation equipment.
BLOGS
Fayola’s House Cleaning Tips Blog
www.housecleaning-tips.com/housecleaning-tips-blog.html
This blog is a collection of e-newsletter articles from House Cleaning Tips, covering subjects such as using a pressure washer, getting your children to clean their rooms, using toilet cleaner products, and choosing a vacuum cleaner.
How to Organize and Clean Your Home Blog
http://housekeeping.about.com/b/
This blog contains a combination of personal anecdotes and how-to information about cleaning, with topics such as cleaning kitchen appliances, removing odors, saving money on a household budget, and removing ink stains.
VIDEOS
How to Clean a Toilet
www.howcast.com/videos/340-How-To-Clean-a-Toilet
This video starts “the gross-out factor of cleaning a toilet cannot be underestimated.” After making you laugh, it proceeds to give some solid and useful advice for the process.
Keeping Your House Clean
www.expertvillage.com/video-series/272_cleaning.htm
This video series shows how to clean an entire house. You will learn how to clean bathroom sinks, ceiling and light fixtures, countertops, hardwood floors, windows, and more.
DECORATING AND INTERIOR DESIGN
WEBSITES
American Society of Interior Designers
An online referral service for the largest organization of professional interior designers in the world. Find information about the organization that has more than 30,000 designers, educators, and media members; more than 7,000 student members; and 3,500 industry foundation members. Learn how designers work, or find the right designer for your project.
Better Homes and Gardens
Better Homes and Gardens is much more than simply the online version of the magazine. This site features a huge collection of articles on decorating your home and establishing a beautiful garden, along with an entire box of free tools that can help you select colors and furnishings for a room, settle on a floor plan for your new house or renovation, and design your garden. You’ll find slide shows, short video clips, and plenty of photos to spark your imagination and invigorate your enthusiasm for improving your home. The site also features blogs, message boards, and more tips than you can possibly pursue.
cMYVision
Interactive design software that allows users to experimentally make changes to any digital photograph of a home, room, or yard to create a new look. Home decorators can drag and drop different paints, doors, trim, plants, siding, flooring, and so on, into their chosen image.
DoItYourself Interior Design
www.doityourself.com/scat/interiordesign
This site helps the do-it-yourselfer get up to speed on interior design by focusing on a room and offering ideas and tips. Site includes several areas, including Decorating for Kids, Design by Room, Designers and Ideas, Holiday Decorating, and Home Accents.
Home Decorating Digest
Home Decorating Digest is an “online digest of decorating tips and ideas for your home and garden.” Content is divided into six areas: Interior Design Basics, Hire a Contractor, Decorating Ideas, DIY-How To Guide, Outdoor & Garden, and Organizing. Site offers some excellent articles accompanied by full-color photos that illustrate basic design principles in action.
BLOGS
The Decorating Diva
This blog covers a variety of decorating and design topics, including trends, colors, environmental health in the home, decorating for holidays, and being eco-friendly.
The DesignAddict Blog
www.designaddict.com/design_addict/blog/index.cfm
This blog showcases various designers and their distinctive styles, reviews books, announces design award winners, and much more, keeping design fans up to date on the latest in the field.
VIDEOS
Decorating with Flea Market Finds
www.expertvillage.com/video-series/247_flea-market-decorations.htm
In this video series, you will learn how to affordably decorate your home with flea market finds, including decorating tips for using lamps, plants, centerpieces, tables, and chairs.
How to Choose a Color Scheme and Paint
www.expertvillage.com/video-series/1133_painting-room.htm
This video series explains how to choose a color scheme and paint a room in your house. You’ll learn about making a color diagram, how color accents architecture, and how to prepare a room for painting, including spackling holes and protecting the floor and furniture. You’ll learn how to clean a wall before painting, how to tape edges, and how to use brushes and rollers.
How to Dress Up a Wall with Framed Pictures
www.howcast.com/videos/1029-How-To-Dress-Up-a-Wall-With-Framed-Pictures
This video clip discusses the use of pictures as a decorating tool. The Ford Agency’s prop stylist Kevin Hertzog shows how to inexpensively dress up a wall using picture frames and a discount photographic book.
SOCIAL NETWORKING
Facebook: Home Decorating Ideas
www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=4026714670
Decorating your home can be a very personal and creative experience with the great decorating ideas found in this group. It is open to everyone who loves decor.
MySpace: Interior Design
http://groups.myspace.com/ineriordesign
This is a group for interior designers and students to come together, network, ask questions, help out, post events, and share ideas.
FORUMS/DISCUSSIONS
Home Discussion Forum
Billing itself as “the best home discussion forum on the net,” this site is a large discussion board with sections including do-it-yourself projects, interior decorating, gardening, real estate, home cleaning, tool reviews, and solar power.
ELECTRICAL
WEBSITES
Ask the Builder
www.askthebuilder.com/Electrical.shtml
At this site you will find a series of questions and answers from an experienced home builder. Learn the answer to questions such as, “what does it mean if light bulbs burn out quickly in my lamp?” and “Why do my lights dim when my air conditioner turns on?”
DoItYourself.com Electrical Wiring
http://doityourself.com/electric/
DoItYourself.com provides useful information on all aspects of home ownership and maintenance. This particular page contains dozens of links to very informative how-to articles on electrical wiring inside your home. Here you can learn the basics and find specific instructions for wiring ceiling fans, dimmer switches, and track lighting. Learn how to use an electrical meter, and much more.
BLOGS
EZ DIY Electricity
This blog answers reader questions about residential electrical wiring projects—everything from dryer connections to ceiling fan trouble shooting—from a licensed electrical contractor and master electrician.
VIDEOS
Ask the Builder Light Switch Wiring
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLPDl3o59iQ
Light switch wiring can be a do-it-yourself project with this instruction from AsktheBuilder.com host Tim Carter.
Eliminate Vampire Power, Stop Wasting Electricity
www.howcast.com/videos/3815-Eliminate-Vampire-Power-Stop-Wasting-Electricity
Vampire power is the electricity being used by the electronics in your home when the devices are turned off. In this video you learn how to eliminate electricity waste by minimizing this “vampire drain.”
How to Install Electrical Outlets
www.expertvillage.com/video-series/390_wiring-electrical-outlets.htm
In this video series you learn how to install and wire electrical outlets, with tips from choosing the amps of the circuit to wiring the receptacle.
SOCIAL NETWORKING
Facebook: How to Buy Green Energy (Electricity) in Your State
www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=3489309240
Green energy options exist in many states. By adding what is often a very small surcharge of just a few dollars a month to your utility bill, you can support the alternative energy industry. This group is targeted at ensuring that everyone is aware that these green energy options exist.
FORUMS/DISCUSSIONS
Alternative Energy Forums
www.alternative-energy-news.info/forums/
Not specifically about electricity, but about various ways of generating it in renewable ways, this discussion forum contains sections for geothermal energy, alternative fuels, electric cards, hydrogen fuel cells, and solar power.
Electrician Talk
This site is a forum for professional electrical contractors, for discussion of techniques and issues that affect the industry. Sections include codes and other standards, service equipment, lighting design, and performing vintage electrical work.
HOME BUILDING/CONSTRUCTION
WEBSITES
Builder Online
The online version of Builder magazine, the site offers trade and consumer information, such as building plans and projects, products, contractors, industry news, and links to other home improvement sites.
BuildingCost.net
How much would it cost to build a replacement house on your lot? With the Building-Cost.net calculator, you can figure it out in about five minutes. You enter values for the variables—materials used, design features, quality, size, shape, heating, cooling, and geographic area—and the calculator spits out a printable estimate detailing labor and material costs for each of 34 construction cost categories.
Construction Resource
Construction-Resource.com provides construction and remodeling information for home owners and sellers, realtors, and builders. You can find articles on construction and remodeling, discussion forums, construction calculators, and other information, tools, and resources to help you with your home construction and home improvement projects.
HomeBuilder.com
www.move.com/new-homes/main.aspx
Shop for a new home in the area where you plan to settle. Just specify the state, area, ZIP code, and price range to view new home listings in the area. Here, you can also find custom builders, lots for sale, and everything you need for home improvement projects and home furnishings. Online shopping lets you compare prices at several stores.
Housing Zone
Search more than 2,500 home building sites from this one location, look at popular home designs, catch up on building industry news, and learn more about affording a home through HUD. The site also features plans and projects, cost estimators, news and articles, and discussion forums.
BLOGS
Adventures in Home Building
http://blogs.hgtv.com/hgtv/homebuilding/
This blog, sponsored by the HGTV television channel, catalogs the adventures of one couple who built a house. Although it is no longer actively being posted to at this writing, it provides a fascinating look back at their process. Also see other blogs at this site:
HGTV Dream Home: http://blogs.hgtv.com/hgtv/dreamhome/
HGTV Green Home: http://blogs.hgtv.com/hgtv/greenhome/
VIDEOS
Ask The Builder
www.askthebuilder.com/videos.shtml
Search the archives of this syndicated columnist (Tim Carter) to learn the best way to tackle a problem around the house. Project archives will tell and show you (using streaming video for many topics) how to do everything from wiring a four-way light switch to cutting ceramic tile.
PODCASTS
Down Home Radio Show
This radio podcast reports on the newest tips, trends, and topics in the construction industry, in a simple and sincere way. The host invites local and national authorities on home-building products and remodeling topics to join him in sharing their knowledge.
FORUMS/DISCUSSIONS
Construction Project Blog
www.bobvila.com/BBS/Construction_Project_Blog-1-C53.html
This is not really a blog, despite the name, but a message board in which people can post stories about the trials and tribulations of their construction projects.
Design Community Forums
http://arch.designcommunity.com
If you’re designing your own home or you’re an architect who wants to share ideas with others in the community, check out the Design Community discussion forums. You can read messages posted by other designers and post your own questions, insights, and replies.
Green Home Building and Sustainable Architecture
www.greenhomebuilding.com/weblog/index.htm
Sustainable architecture is an exciting field, with many people revising traditional methods of building and others creating innovations to established practices. In this blog, Kelly Hart of GreenHomeBuilding.com posts text and photos featuring what he discovers from around the world.
HOME REPAIRS AND REMODELING
WEBSITES
AC Doctor
AC Doctor is a referral service that can help you track down a qualified heating and air conditioning technician in your area. However, this site goes far beyond helping you find a qualified technician. It provides beginner’s guides that teach you how an air conditioning or heating system works, includes tips for keeping your heating and cooling system running most efficiently, and has articles on how to improve your system’s ventilation and filtering. Special area on Energy Savers can help you trim your heating and air conditioning bills.
BestDeckSite
Self-billed as “Best Deck Site,” this site features illustrated instructions on how to build decks and gazebos. Online guides include Plan & Design, Footings, Ledger Board, Support Beam, Floor Joists, Stairs & Rails, and Gazebo Roofs. Site also features a FAQ, links to other sites, and a few online calculators.
BobVila.com
Bob Vila, host of the popular TV show This Old House and Bob Vila’s Home Again, is almost synonymous with home restoration and improvement projects. Here you can visit Bob and his crew online, check out the TV shows, peruse his how-to library, sample his software design tools, post a question, and even shop for home improvement tools and products.
DoItYourself.com
If you know your way around a toolbox and prefer doing your home repairs and remodeling yourself, bookmark DoItYourself.com. Here, you can find all the information you need to deal with plumbing, electricity, home decor, and exterior remodeling. This site has an attractive design, plenty of tools to help you find the information you want, and an outstanding collection of instructions, tips, and advice.
HandymanUSA
If you’re pretty handy around the house but you need some advice, turn to HandymanUSA. This site covers every area of home maintenance and repair from appliances to wallpaper, and everything in between. You can also find a list of frequently asked questions and expert discussion forums for additional information and advice.
The Old House
If you’ve purchased an older fixer-upper, the very first step you should take is to visit The Old House website, where you can find products and suppliers, do-it-yourself guides, feature articles, online forums, and much more. If you’re looking for something more in-depth, check out the store for books and how-to videos.
BLOGS
Helpful Advice for Home Construction Improvement
www.homeconstructionimprovement.com
This blog reviews home improvement products including lighting devices, baby room preparation, basement finishing and waterproofing, building a staircase, buying blinds online, and much more.
VIDEOS
Home Depot Videos
www.howcast.com/users/HomeDepotVideo
The Home Depot has produced a series of how-to videos explaining how to do various small construction projects, such as building a deck, and how to handle power tools, such as drills and saws. Browse them here.
How to Do Basic Home Repairs
www.expertvillage.com/video-series/61_home-diy-tips.htm
This video series tackles a variety of home repair challenges, from how to repair drywall to how to fix a slow-running toilet, kill mold before painting, and detect and locate a gas leak.
SOCIAL NETWORKING
LiveJournal: Home Remodeling
http://community.livejournal.com/do_it_yourself/
This community is for posting information, pictures, and requests for advice on home remodeling projects.
FORUMS/DISCUSSIONS
Homedoctor.net
Homedoctor.net is a community of neighbors helping neighbors with information and advice about various home repair and restoration projects. Central to this site are its discussion forums, where you can post a question and read responses.
INSURANCE
WEBSITES
Claims Magazine
An insurance industry magazine that covers major news stories, articles on the “business of loss,” and upcoming conference information. You can also check the editorial calendar for information on upcoming articles. Insurance professionals will find an excellent collection of timely and informative articles on this site dealing with insurance fraud, insurance forensics, terrorism, and a host of other topics of interest.
Insure.com
If you’re trying to decide which insurer to go with, visit this site first. Insure.com provides free ratings from Standard & Poor’s and Duff & Phelps Credit Rating Co. Their ratings will help you evaluate the quality and financial soundness of the insurers you are considering. You’ll also find in-depth articles, and insurance tips on auto, homeowners, health, life, and business insurance. Perhaps best of all, this site does not sell insurance and is not owned or operated by an insurance company.
InsWeb
Online insurance shopping service. You provide input and receive quotes from a variety of insurers. Comparison shop and choose what suits your needs best. InsWeb compares quotes from more than 15,000 insurance companies to find the most affordable insurance options for you. The site also features a Learning Center that can help you become a more educated shopper.
State Insurance Regulators
www.consumeraction.gov/insurance.shtml
Before you sign up for any insurance policy, check with your state insurance regulator to determine whether the company and the insurance broker are legitimate. But how can you find out? You contact your state insurance bureau. This site provides a list of contact information for the insurance bureau in every state.
BLOGS
Insurance Blog
This blog posts helpful articles on various types of insurance, including home, auto, health, life, and travel. Click a category to see posts only for a certain kind of insurance, or browse them all. Learn how to determine if your home is underinsured, how to lower your insurance rates, how to create a home inventory for insurance purposes, and more.
VIDEOS
Insurance Journal
www.insurancejournal.com/broadcasts/
This page links to many video clips and archived broadcasts dealing with insurance and the insurance industry. It is primarily for insurance professionals, but interesting to the consumer as well.
PODCASTS
All About Insurance Podcast
www.podnova.com/channel/11868/
This podcast provides health insurance information for all ages. It covers health savings accounts for individuals, as well as supplemental insurance for small groups.
The Daily Fraudcaster
www.podcastalley.com/podcast_details.php?pod_id=6773
The Daily Fraudcaster is a service that educates both insurance agents and adjusters in insurance fraud issues. Daily episodes spotlight insurance fraud perpetrators and provide tips to protect against insurance fraud.
INVESTING AND RETIREMENT PLANNING
WEBSITES
Bond Market Association
Read about what percentage of your portfolio should be in bonds, run through the investors’ checklist to determine whether you should invest in bonds, learn about the different types of bonds, and stay updated on current bond prices at this site. If the stock market frightens you or you’re just looking for investments that are a little less risky, this is the site for you.
E*Trade
E*Trade is an online trading service geared toward the individual investor. With E*Trade, you can buy and sell securities online for NYSE, AMEX, and NASDAQ. Stock performance information and company information are available.
Financial Times
This site is packed with late-breaking business news from around the world. Get the scoop on what OPEC is up to, how the dollar stacks up against the euro, and how business is doing in the Pacific Rim. Excellent reports, commentary, and analysis!
FOLIOfn
FOLIOfn is an online broker that uses a slightly different model for its investors, enabling investors to create a diversified portfolio for less in trading costs. Ready-to-go portfolios allow you to purchase a collection of securities (typically 30–50 different securities) for the price of a single trade.
Investopedia
Are you thinking about investing? Have you started investing but you really don’t feel very comfortable yet? Then check out Investopedia, the online encyclopedia where you can take a tutorial on the basics, move up to more advanced topics, peruse an assortment of investment information and tips, access free tools and calculators, play an investment game, test your knowledge with quizzes, and much more.
Motley Fool
The Motley Fool is a well-known online financial forum originating on America Online. This is the Motley Fool’s home on the Web. The Fool provides individual investors with investment tips and advice. The Motley Fool website offers The Fool’s School, an online investment guide that is subtitled, “13 Steps to Investing Foolishly.” When you’re ready to start investing “foolishly,” visit this Best of the Best site.
BLOGS
Gannon On Investing
This blog and its accompanying podcast is about value investing, based on the strategies of Benjamin Graham, Joel Greenblatt, and Warren Buffett’s value investing model. Interesting, theory-heavy stuff, with lots of reading links and resources.
Investing Blog
This blog follows key economic indicators to predict where the best investments will be in the near future, including bonds, real estate, stocks, mutual funds, and hedge funds. There are articles on individual companies as well as general economic trends.
VIDEOS
BusinessWeek Videos
www.rickross.com/groups/landmark.html
A large collection of professionally done videos on timely business topics. This ever-changing library looks at what’s going on in the financial and business world so you can figure out how to cash in on market trends.
PODCASTS
Hard Assets Investor
www.hardassetsinvestor.com/podcast.html
This weekly market recap summarizes each week in the commodities marketplace. More than just stats and numbers, the hosts Brad and Matt provide insights and commentary.
Sound Investing
www.fundadvice.com/sound-investing/
This weekly radio program has been on the air for more than eight years. It provides advice on money and retirement and includes interviews with influential people in the money business, such as Knight Kiplinger. It was recently named the Best Money Podcast by Money Magazine.
SOCIAL NETWORKING
Facebook: Investing, Investments, Investors, and More
www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=15994422059
This group is for people who are interested in creating a balanced, diversified portfolio of investments.
LAWN CARE AND LANDSCAPING
WEBSITES
American Lawns
This site is a great resource for anyone looking to improve his or her own lawn. You will find information on the different types of turf, how to deal with weeds, and feature-length articles on all sorts of lawn-care–related topics.
EPA Green Landscaping with Native Plants
This site encourages everyone—from home gardeners to facilities managers at corporations—to consider adding native plants and wildflowers to a garden to beautify the environment and to attract butterflies and other animals and insects. To accomplish this, the site has helpful how-to information, an Ask-the-Expert area, a landscaping video, and basic information on why native plants are more beneficial to the environment.
Landscape Design—Do It Yourself
www.the-landscape-design-site.com/landscapeplanning.html
Steve Boulden of S&S Designed Landscaping runs this site, where you’ll find a lot of great information about landscape planning, including basic design principles, ideas, pictures, focal points, and analysis. Click the Materials link at the top of the page for free landscape design ideas, advice, and resources.
Landscaping for Energy Efficiency
www.pioneerthinking.com/landscape.html
Are you looking for cost-effective yet eye-pleasing ways to lower your energy bills? This site gives advice on how to plant trees, shrubs, vines, grasses, and hedges for reducing heating and cooling costs, while also bringing other improvements to your community. Reader tips included.
Landscaping to Attract Birds
www.bcpl.net/~tross/by/attract.html
This site tells visitors how to plant birdbaths and feeders and situate trees and flowers to attract the denizens of the air. It also contains descriptions of the benefits of landscaping for birds, plants for wild birds, and information for getting started, as well as a reading list and a link to other files on backyard birding.
Scotts Lawncare Page
The home of Scotts fertilizers, this site shows you how to maintain your lawn’s health through the proper use of chemical fertilizers. Contains some excellent information on the basics of seeding, mowing, and watering. Provides a maintenance schedule showing when you should fertilize.
Yardcare.com
All your lawn-care questions are answered at this site created and maintained by Toro. Learn everything from selecting grass seed to setting your mower to the proper height. Tips for controlling weeds, revitalizing a dying lawn, dealing with grubs and other pests, reducing lawn maintenance, and the latest yard-care trends are also featured on this site.
BLOGS
Backyard Gardening Blog
This blog provides detailed, well-written articles and insights for backyard gardeners, from growing your own food to choosing and using colored mulch.
Cold Climate Gardening—Garden Blog Directory
www.coldclimategardening.com/garden-blog-directory/
This is not only a blog in itself but also an excellent list of many gardening-related blogs from all over the world.
Steve Snedeker’s Landscaping and Gardening Blog
This blog is chock-full of ideas for tackling various landscaping challenges, and includes detailed pictures and descriptions of actual projects completed by this professional landscaper.
VIDEOS
Container Gardening: Container Herb Garden
www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8Q9Rw6sRVA
This video shows how to create your own herb garden in a container on your porch or patio, for fresh cooking herbs all summer long without paying grocery store prices.
Growing Wisdom
This website has lots of gardening-related video clips, everything from how to plant perennials to how to dress up your home décor with colorful potted plants.
Lawn and Garden Videos
www.expertvillage.com/information_633_garden-lawn.htm
Rooting around for ideas on how to make your garden and lawn greener? Or maybe buy a garden hose? Or change the oil in a lawn mower? This series provides many tips for working outside in your yard. You can learn how to do organic compost gardening, grow flowers, fertilize a lawn, and much more.
PODCASTS
Focus on Flowers
www.indiana.edu/~wfiu/focus_on_flowers.htm
Master gardener Moya Andrews shares gardening tips and her fervor for the esthetic of gardens.
Gardening with GLT’s Dean of Green
www.npr.org/rss/podcast/podcast_detail.php?siteId=11653688
Whether you’ve got a green thumb or are hopeless with a hoe, you can find a kindred spirit in the Dean of Green, who takes the mystery out of gardening with his down-to-earth advice.
The Gestalt Gardener
www.mpbonline.org/radio/programs/GestaltGardener/index.htm
Each week gardening expert Felder Rushing talks with professionals and amateurs alike about all aspects of gardening; he shares stories and answers listeners’ garden-related questions.
SOCIAL NETWORKING
Facebook: I’d Rather Be Gardening
www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2894360012
This group is for the amateur to connoisseur gardener. Members discuss topics such as plants, flowers, shrubs, trees, herbs, vegetables, fruits, and composting.
Facebook: Organic Gardening 101
www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2224133069
This group provides a community for people who are interested in learning about or teaching organic gardening skills. There are also videos available to group members.
LiveJournal: The Gardener
http://community.livejournal.com/gardening/
This is a community for gardeners, whether you’re brand-new or have been doing it all your life. All types of gardening are discussed, including container gardening, herbs, exotic plants, and even house plants.
MySpace: Gardening Enthusiasts
http://groups.myspace.com/timmy22
This group is for people who enjoy container and ground gardening, and provides a place for sharing ideas, products, secrets, and photos of your gardens.
MySpace: Organic Gardening
http://groups.myspace.com/organicgarden
There are many definitions of organic gardening, but the principle by which this group defines it is growing your plants in harmony with nature. This group is for people who are interested in exploring that concept, including balancing plants with wildlife, avoiding synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides, and using composting.
Related Site
http://community.livejournal.com/organic_garden/
MORTGAGES AND REAL ESTATE
WEBSITES
ABCs of Real Estate
Whether you are buying your first house or trying to become a real estate broker, this site has all the information and resources you need to be successful. Check out the learning library to learn all about mortgages and financing; use the calculators to crunch your numbers; read the latest news about interest rates and the direction they’re going; check out the directories to locate properties or find an agent. This site’s basic design and comprehensive resources make it an easy pick for Best of the Best site.
The Appraisal Institute
This highly regarded group represents real estate appraisers and produces the professionally oriented Appraisal Journal. The site provides a number of services to its members and the public, such as the yearly curriculum of courses and seminars, a section on industry news, a bulletin board service, and an online library featuring real-estate papers, articles, and publications.
Home Inspector Locator
Enter your ZIP code, and the database of more than 3,000 inspectors will provide a list of professionals in your area. The site also features some excellent articles on home safety and repair.
LendingTree.com
LendingTree.com can fix you up with a great deal on a loan, whether you need money to finance a mortgage, purchase a car, pay tuition, consolidate your debt, or start a business. Just fill out a brief application online, and LendingTree.com provides you with offers from four lenders. LendingTree.com can also help you find homeowner’s insurance, an automobile warranty, or a real estate agent. Features some resources that can help make you a more well-informed borrower.
PlanetLoan
Search tool for finding local mortgage lenders. You select your state of residence and specify the type of loan desired (for example, Purchase, Refinance, or Auto). Planet Mortgage displays a list of local lenders. Select a lender and enter the requested information to have the lender contact you with more information. Contains some excellent articles and tools to help you make well-informed financial decisions.
BLOGS
The Mortgage Reports Blog
This blog site is a combination of press releases that affect the mortgage lending industry and consumer-friendly basic tutorials, such as how to calculate mortgage payments using Excel. It reports mortgage trend indices, bank rates, and consumer confidence reports.
MortgageBlog
This blog site, primarily for the mortgage professional, tracks the state of the mortgage lending industry through press releases and commentary.
VIDEOS
How To Sell a House
www.expertvillage.com/video-series/920_decorate-house-sell.htm
In this video series, you learn how to decorate and fix up a house to maximize its selling value. You learn how to decorate fireplaces and mantels, kitchens, bedrooms, and home offices; how to update wallpaper and paint; how to clean the floors; and how to make a room feel warm and inviting.
PODCASTS
Real Life Real Estate Investing
www.npr.org/rss/podcast/podcast_detail.php?siteId=5195116
National speaker Vena Jones-Cox discusses real estate investing management, investing, and ethics in this weekly program from public radio station WNKU in Highland Heights, Kentucky.
SOCIAL NETWORKING
Facebook: Real Estate Investing Network
www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=4039783099
This group is for people who either currently invest in real estate or have an interest in doing so but don’t know how to get started. Many group members are advisors to investors, such as lawyers, accountants, and tax professionals.
MOVING AND RELOCATION SERVICES
WEBSITES
Century 21: Moving & Relocation
http://classic.century21.com/learn/content.aspx?content_id=577
Century 21 is a large real estate company, and its online Moving & Relocation guide provides many helpful articles and tips on how to get organized, pack, and find a mover.
Change Your Address Online
At this United States Postal Service site, you can fill out a change-of-address form online to make sure your mail gets directed to your new home.
Move.com
This multipurpose moving/relocation referral site can help you search for real estate for sale and rental properties, as well as help you find a mortgage, a moving company (self-service, full-service, or truck rental), and more.
Protect Your Move
This site from the Federal Motor Carrier Association provides information about protecting yourself from moving fraud, understanding valuation and insurance options, filing complaints, and understanding your rights and responsibilities as you move.
SayRelocate
www.sayplanning.com/mynewmove/
This home moving center offers links to services that will help you find new housing and arrange moving services. It also includes planning guides of what to do 3 to 4 months before, 1 to 2 months before, and so on, all the way down to moving day.
BLOGS
Moving Survival Guide
This blog, sponsored by UPack.com, covers topics such as how to do a self-move, how to rent storage space, how to ship a motorcycle, and how to avoid moving scams.
PETS
WEBSITES
American Kennel Club
Find out more about this organization, read about different breeds, and locate an AKC near you. You’ll also enjoy the informational brochures covering everything from boarding your dog to showing your dog. Besides the great graphics layout, ease of use, and all the information, the site enables you to purchase everything concerning dogs, from books, videos, and apparel to artwork.
AnimalNetwork
Looking for a magazine about your favorite pet? Check out this site to find magazines for every pet imaginable, from dogs and cats to fish and reptiles. You can even find magazines about horses. Free trial subscriptions available if you subscribe online.
The AVMA Network
The American Veterinary Medical Association answers questions on pet care, selection, and loss, and how your veterinarian helps you enjoy your pet. The Kids’ Korner includes pictures you can print out for your kids to color. Each picture includes an activity or advice on feeding, training, or basic care. This site is extremely attractive, well organized, and offers a wealth of information.
Cat Fanciers Association
The world’s largest purebred cat registry features its top award-winning felines and information on each recognized breed. This site encourages responsible cat ownership and advises how you can show purebred and household pet felines and participate in local CFA cat clubs and shows throughout the world.
HealthyPet.com
This site, sponsored by the American Animal Hospital Association, enables you to search for an accredited animal hospital; you can also look up conditions and concerns in the Pet Care Library.
PetFinder
A large searchable database of animals available for adoption via rescue groups from all over the United States. You can find dogs, cats, and other pets by breed, age, size, gender, or location (by ZIP code).
Pets Need Dental Care, Too
This site makes you aware of potential problems with your pets caused by dental situations, just as with humans. Dental problems can cause serious health problems in addition to painful tooth loss or gum disease. If your pet is acting strangely or seems to be ill for no apparent reason, you should check out this site.
BLOGS
Dr. Jungle’s Pets and Animals Speak
http://animal-world.com/newsfeed/
This blog focuses on many types of animals, including exotic birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians, as well as dogs and cats. There are many pictures and anecdotes on this folksy, personal site—not many press releases or official reports.
Pet Connection Blog
This blog reports on news and information of interest to veterinary professionals and pet owners, such as dog food recalls, vaccination studies, infection types, behavior modification techniques, and animal shelters.
Simple Pet Care
This blog contains many articles and tips about caring for dogs and cats, such as dealing with allergies and skin problems, caring for older pets, and caring for a new puppy. The focus is on home remedies and simple things you can do for your own pets, rather than veterinary treatments.
VIDEOS
How to Care for Exotic Pets
www.expertvillage.com/video-series/643_exotic-pets-care.htm
This video series shows how to care for many types of exotic pets, including a bearded dragon, panther chameleon, reticulated python, and chinchilla. You’ll learn how to breed crickets as food, the difference between meal worms and super worms, and how to set up hiding places and soil.
PODCASTS
All God’s Creatures Pet Podcast
http://allgodscreaturespets.podomatic.com/
A podcast covering animal husbandry, pet breeds, exotic pets, pet training, and more.
Animals Aloud Radio
This is a weekly animal podcast that examines the impact that animals and humans have on one another. Host Dierdre Kennedy talks with authors, scientists, veterinarians, and other animal experts.
SOCIAL NETWORKING
Facebook: Picture Perfect Pets
www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=19380163944
Want to show off a picture of your pet? Join this group and post it here so others can admire your little darling.
LiveJournal: Cat Lovers
http://community.livejournal.com/cat_lovers/
This community is for cat fanciers, including owners of ordinary house pets and people who breed and show cats as a hobby.
LiveJournal: Vet Tech
http://community.livejournal.com/vet_tech/
This community is for people who work as veterinary technicians and for those who would like to ask them questions.
PLUMBING
WEBSITES
The Plumber
This site is much more than your average how-to and plumbing advice site. Sure, it has a great plumbing FAQ and award-winning discussion forums where you can find answers to most of your plumbing questions, but it also features plumbing history, links to plumbing awards (such as the Thomas Crapper Memorial Plumbing Poll), and plumbing articles that appear in the mainstream media.
Plumbing 101
www.friendlyplumber.com/plumbing101.html
Good collection of articles for beginners and do-it-yourself plumbers. Site features articles on care and cleaning, septic systems, garbage disposals, dishwashers, toilets, sinks and drains, and other common plumbing topics.
Toiletology 101
www.toiletology.com/index.shtml
Everything you ever needed to know about fixing and maintaining your toilet. Helpful guidance and instruction.
BLOGS
Kwik Fix Plumbers
This is the blog of a plumber who lives in the U.K. The content is a mixture of anecdotes about the plumbing trade, news articles, and advice about plumbing in the home.
VIDEOS
How to Repair Bathroom Plumbing
www.expertvillage.com/video-series/1169_plumbing-basics-two.htm
This video series explains how to perform several common plumbing repairs in a bathroom, including how to fix a running toilet, tighten a toilet seat, and install a ball valve.
WIKIS 
How to Recaulk a Bathtub or Shower
www.howcast.com/guides/1926-How-To-Recaulk-a-Bathtub-or-Shower?rev=2
This article explains the process for removing the caulk from a bathtub or shower and replacing it with new caulk. You’ll learn what items you will need and what steps to take.
TAXES
WEBSITES
Bankrate.com: Taxes
www.bankrate.com/brm/itax/default.asp
Excellent income tax information and tips for individuals and small-business owners. Read articles that help you track down your refund, estimate your withholding tax, claim tax credits, realize the benefits of itemizing, deduct mortgage interest, and much more.
Citizens for Tax Justice
This nonprofit organization does research to support its advocacy of a fairer tax code for middle- and low-income families, closing corporate tax loopholes, reducing the federal deficit, and requiring the rich to pay their fair share.
H&R Block
Although you’ll find plenty of information here to help you get better rates on credit cards, mortgages, and loans, the tax information is the most helpful. Use the Withholding Calculator to figure out how much you should be having taken out of your paycheck. Or find out the status of your refund check. Features tax news and tips, a year-round tax planning guide, a tax calendar, information about new tax laws, a well-stocked library of tax forms and IRS publications, and hundreds of tax-saving tips. Very attractive site, easy to navigate, and packed with the great tax information.
IRS: Internet Revenue Service
The IRS site provides everything you need to become an informed taxpayer. Search the site for specific information or for downloadable, printable tax forms you might have trouble finding at your local post office or library. The site also provides news about the IRS and tax legislation, along with information specifically for individuals, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and tax professionals. Learn about the earned income tax credit, tax scams and frauds, and your rights as a taxpayer.
TaxFoundation.org
Dedicated to translating the overly complex and cryptic income tax code into something the average taxpayer can understand, TaxFoundation.org publishes reports that explain in plain English what taxpayers need to know. The foundation also answers tax questions from individuals and the media and features headline tax news and commentary.
United States Tax Code Online
www.fourmilab.ch/ustax/ustax.html
This site provides interactive access to the complete text of the United States Internal Revenue Code.
Yahoo! Tax Center
Yahoo! provides an online kiosk where you can get all the tax forms, information, and tools you need to calculate your tax liability and pay your fair share of the taxes. Includes tax calculators, federal and state forms, a beginner’s guide, tax tips, and a whole lot more.
BLOGS
Tax Policy Blog
This blog is sponsored by the Tax Foundation, a nonpartisan, nonprofit research organization that monitors tax policy. They regularly post links and press releases from authoritative sources, including the Wall Street Journal, and often provide expert commentary on the stories to explain what they mean to the taxpayer.
Tax Tips Blog
In this blog, CPA David Greenslit answers visitors’ questions about filling out their individual tax returns.
TaxProf Blog
http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/
This blog is written by a college professor who specializes in tax law and was named one of the Top 50 Law School Blogs by CollegeDegrees.com. Its focus is news and commentary on laws and proposals that will affect the U.S. tax code.
VIDEOS
How to File Taxes Online
www.expertvillage.com/video-series/4107_online-taxes.htm
This video series shows how to file taxes online. You’ll get an overview of IRS.gov and learn how to find e-file tax instructions. You’ll get some tips on using tax software such as Turbo Tax, learn how to check for errors, and how to file state taxes.
How to Get an Extension on Your Tax Return
www.howcast.com/videos/2799-How-To-Get-an-Extension-on-Your-Tax-Return
Tax deadline sneaking up on you? Filing for an extension is easy, and you don’t even have to give a reason. In this fun, information-full video, you’ll learn how.