Six Ways to Go Green in Your Garden

People have been practicing organic gardening for years, but now it's being rediscovered by a new generation of gardeners. By simply changing the way you garden, you will not only save money, but also help save the planet.

Here are a few things you can do this summer to maintain your eco-conscious garden:

Build your soil with organic matter
Your garden plants require a continuous source of nutrition. It's impossible to build up organic matter permanently in the soil because it continually decomposes and disappears, so soil building is an ongoing process.

Decaying plant wastes, such as grass clippings, leaves, and kitchen food scraps, are the building blocks of a good compost. It makes sense to set aside a small corner of your garden to serve as a compost heap. A compost bin acts as a backyard fertilizer factory by turning kitchen scraps into eco-friendly food for your garden soil. You save on expensive fertilizers, and you help the environment by keeping your garden and kitchen waste where it should be – in your soil.

Combat weeds with earth-friendly solutions
Keep weeds at bay and help the environment by laying landscape fabric, which works as a durable barrier without the use of chemicals. It also lets air, water, and nutrients into the soil and retains moisture, so you can water less often.

Mulch is another solution to help discourage weeds. A thick layer of mulch will keep light out, preventing weed seeds from germinating, and will also protect the soil, leaving weed seeds to land on the mulch rather than penetrate the soil.

Control pests with plants and wildlife
Regularly rotating the location of your vegetables can help prevent disease and pests from lingering in the soil, waiting to attack next season's crops. Space plants evenly to promote circulation and mix some pest-repelling flowers, such as marigolds, among your vegetables. This will make it harder for pests to find their plant of choice, and naturally deter them with their scent and colour.

Invite wildlife into your backyard to keep pests away. A birdbath will attract birds that will feast on insects, keeping them from attacking your plants, while a pond can lure toads and lizards into your yard, where they too will feed on pests. Eco-friendly pest controls are another option, but if you have a vegetable garden, make sure these products are safe to use on edibles.

Grow your own veggies
Growing your own vegetables is both fun and rewarding. All you really need to get started is some decent soil and a few plants. You should be able to grow enough veggies for a family of four on about 2m² or 3m². Vegetables are marginally more complicated than herbs in that you might actually have to harvest the vegetables now and again, but the thrill and satisfaction of eating produce that you grew yourself is immeasurable. Start easy, with a lemon tree, some cherry tomatoes and maybe a few runner beans, and you’ll be a vegetable gardener in no time.

Only water when your plants really need it
There really is no reason to set timers to water your plants regularly, rain or shine.  Water your plants only when needed. Water early in the day so you can avoid evaporation and winds. The best place to water plants is directly on thirsty roots. Spot watering the soil around your plants with a watering can or hose can also help conserve water.

Life Insurance or Mortgage Insurance? Which One is Better For You?

When buying a home or renewing a mortgage, many people think they are obligated to sign up for their financial institution's mortgage life insurance. Don't rush into buying your bank's insurance policy until you've looked at all the possibilities. You could end up saving money and getting added life insurance coverage at the same time by purchasing a term life insurance policy instead.

What is mortgage life insurance?
Mortgage life insurance, also known as mortgage insurance or creditor insurance, is offered by most banks and lending institutions. It is a life insurance policy that pays the balance of your mortgage to the lending institution if a person listed on the mortgage passes away.

How does term life insurance cover your mortgage?
When you purchase a term life insurance policy, you take into account all the money your family will need in case you are not around to help out. This includes your mortgage payments.

Mortgage life insurance vs. term life insurance
Life insurance gives you more options and greater control over your mortgage protection. Compare these advantages to what happens when your mortgage lender insures your mortgage:

Mortgage insurance	Life insurance
Your insurance covers only your mortgage balance.	You can choose from different types of insurance (i.e., term or permanent) with a death benefit to cover more than just your mortgage.
Even though your mortgage debt reduces over time, your premiums remain level.	Your coverage amount does not decrease over time unless you choose to change it.
If you die, only the outstanding balance on your mortgage is paid off.	If you die, the death benefit is paid to your beneficiary who can use it as they see fit, not just to pay off your mortgage.
The mortgage lender is automatically the beneficiary.	You name the beneficiary.
If you take your mortgage to another company, you may lose your existing mortgage insurance and may be required to re-qualify for new mortgage insurance.	If you take your mortgage to another company, you keep your existing insurance, so you don't have to re-qualify.
You lose all your coverage when your mortgage is repaid, assumed or in default.	As long as premiums are paid, your coverage remains in place, even if your mortgage is repaid, assumed or in default.
You have no flexibility to change your coverage as your needs change.	If you decide you need coverage only until your mortgage is repaid but later realize you require coverage for other needs, you can convert your insurance to a permanent plan.

Extra coverage with term life insurance
A term life insurance policy gives you added coverage and flexibility over a mortgage life insurance policy;

• One major disadvantage of insurance purchased through the bank is the ownership of the policy. The bank owns “your” policy and has complete control over it. The bank also happens to be the beneficiary of your life insurance policy. That means you have no say in who gets the death benefit or what the death benefit is used for. When you die, the bank is going to use the proceeds to pay off the mortgage.

  However, with term life insurance, your family receives any payout from your term life policy directly. It may be more advantageous for your surviving spouse or children to use the proceeds to invest and simply continue to pay the monthly mortgage payments. This would be most appropriate if the current mortgage interest rate is much lower than current investment rates of return available. They could simply invest the proceeds and use the investment income to pay part or all of the mortgage payments on a monthly basis.

• Mortgage insurance policies only cover you for the amount of your mortgage you owe to the bank. As you pay down your mortgage, your coverage amount decreases with it. This is called a reducing balance. With a term life insurance policy, you have a constant level of coverage for the whole term and are getting better value for your monthly payments.

• With mortgage life insurance, you have to reapply any time you switch lending institutions. But with term life insurance, unless you want to increase your coverage or terminate your plan, your policy is automatically renewed up to age 80 with no medical questions asked.

Shop, compare and save
Depending on your age and health, the premiums on mortgage life insurance can be much higher than what you would pay for a term life insurance policy. Take the time to shop around for life insurance. Compare the cost of a term life insurance policy to a mortgage insurance policy. Chances are you'll find a term life insurance policy will have lower yearly premiums and offer more coverage and flexibility than a mortgage insurance policy.

While getting mortgage insurance through your lender is convenient, a term life insurance policy might be the way to go if you're looking to save money.

How to Deal With Home Inspection Issues

Home inspection is a critical component of the home buying process. It is also one of the most common conditions made with buying offers. It is not unusual for a home inspection to identify one or more issues in the inspector's report. The inspector might find a leak in the roof or a broken window that needs replacing.

How do you deal with these issues? Should you pass on a property that you otherwise like?

First of all, you should be clear on the realities of selling or buying a home. No home is perfect, and an honest inspector is very likely to find issues. This is normal.

Just because the home inspector discovered a deficiency doesn’t necessarily mean you shouldn’t purchase the home. Many issues that arise after a home inspection are not deal breakers. However, you should bring the issue up with the seller.  Your REALTOR® will do that on your behalf and look after your interests.

In many circumstances, your agent will be able to negotiate an agreement that is satisfactory to everyone involved. This will usually be in the form of a reduction in the sale price to cover some or all of the costs of the repair, or a requirement to have the seller get the repairs done before you move in.

Otherwise, if major problems are discovered that should be fixed, then this is a different story and may be the reason why you decide not to purchase a home.

So, what are the deal breakers of a home inspection? That depends entirely on you. What is and is not a deal breaker depends on each person's preferences and needs. For example, an inspection that identifies damaged floor joists might be a deciding factor for one person who feels the problem is too expensive or time-consuming to fix.

However, the same trouble with joists might be absolutely acceptable for another client who has resources to fix the issue. A home inspector does not tell a customer whether or not to buy a house. Rather, it's his or her job to provide all the available information so that home buyers (or sellers) can make the right decision for them.

How you handle the negotiations that follow can make a big difference in how much you give on your end and the level of stress you experience from the process. You may decide that the repairs are beyond your tolerance for renovations, and you may choose to walk away from the transaction.

While finding unexpected issues with your otherwise “dream home” may be upsetting, the home inspection information will go a long way in helping you make an informed buying decision. Chances are you can still get the home and have any issues dealt with to your satisfaction.