Archive for October, 2009

How much is insurance costing you?

When looking at health insurance prices, a wealth of factors go into what your premium is. Health conditions, age, and habits can all change what you have to pay. If you go to one company, you probably wont get the best price available.

What should you do?

Well, there are a variety of websites out there that can set you on the correct path to get the most affordable health insurance plan available to you. Sounds like the right place to start.

Halloween Futon Covers

Today I found some great Halloween fabrics that I thought would make a fantastic futon cover! But, then I realized that the fabrics I found weren’t upholstery grade :(

What’s that mean?

If you make a futon cover out of non-upholstery grade fabric it’ll probably wear rapidly and look crummy. Maybe next year one of my manufacturers will produce a Halloween cover and I’ll be able to enjoy my favorite holiday a little more!

What do you do when your furniture needs repair?

Like many people, the furniture in my house takes a beating. Noelle and I have a dog, and we live our lives in a house that’s not meant to look like a museum. As such, our furniture shows the signs of use from scratches to dust and dog slobber.

But, it doesn’t have to be that way! I’m not saying that you need to change the way you live or that there’s a magic anti-wrinkle cream for furniture, but there are classes at local woodworking shops, community colleges, and even national furniture detailing product companies who offer classes in furniture repair. If you take one, which I did, you’ll get the knowledge and tools to fix those dings and scuffs on your favorite furniture!

Click Clack Sofas

Click Clack Sofa

The Click Clack sofa is an item that always looks super stylish to me. Maybe its the modern, smooth lines that are so different from a traditionally mission style futon frame and mattress combo that makes them seem so appealing. It might just be because they’re different! If you like the idea of a click clack sofa or convert a couch make sure to shop around. Plenty of retailers carry them at different price points, so you can probably find a really good deal with a little detective work.

Time to hit the open road?

With the weather finally getting colder up North it’s starting to feel like the timing is right for a road trip. Since my budget is limited I think I’ll have to stick to the mini van, but if you have extra funds you may want to visit this “used rv for sale” I found today. RV Trader is a North America based website that has quite a few RV listings at a variety of price points. If you are in the market for an RV or just in need of a road trip in style, check them out.

Futons for the Holidays

Cezanne Futon Frame
Cezanne Futon Frame in Bed Position

So, as some of you may already know (should already know!) the holidays will be upon us in the near future. And, that normally means guests for both day visits and overnights. The day visitors aren’t a big deal, they can come over to eat and hangout with little hassle to anyone. But the overnight visitors need a bit more, mainly a place to sleep, which isn’t a problem when you have a futon in the living room, guest bedroom or office. Having a futon around the house during the holidays can turn an uncomfortable sleeping situation into a hassle free, comfy overnight visit!

GMAT Prep

Before today I had no idea what the GMAT was and that there are a multitude of GMAT prep classes both online and in physical locations. As you can see I had some idle time and had to look into this field of Graduate Management Admission Tests or GMAT’s to see what all the buzz is about. Well, if you plan on getting your MBA, which I don’t since I’m a one man show, you’ll need to take a prep course to get ready. Good luck.

Futon Grip Strips can make all the difference

futon grip strips

When your futon mattress is sliding around on your futon frame a pair of futon grip strips can make all the difference. Available in rubber and self adhesive foam strips, both styles function best with specific styles of futon mattresses. If you have a trifold futon frame and mattress stick with the rubber grip strip. If your futon mattress is a high density foam style futon mattress pick up a pair of the foam grip strips. Either style of futon grip strip will help your futon mattress stay in place on your futon frame.

Change of Latitude

New Orleans Hotel
With the snow already starting to fall over New England, a Southern Clime is looking better and better as the winter approaches. That and some of the great new orleans hotel reservations I found online are really starting to make a trip to the warmer South seem very appealing. Who wouldn’t mind a getaway in the hotel pictured above?

Flat Screen TV Stand

Standout Designs / Norka Entertainment Center
Norka Woodworking made entertainment center

Standout Designs has an interesting selection of flat screen television entertainment centers designed to be both minimalistic and grand at the same time. They look great and fit a new consumer trend of flat screen televisions. It appears as though they’re made by my sustainable lumber futon frame manufacturer based in Pennsylvania and Ohio (I think so at least; they have some of the same images on their websites), so the quality must be great. Unfortunately that same manufacturer (again I think) announced they were going out of business last week, so I wonder if Standout Designs has a new manufacturer? It might be time to do a little digging to see about finding their manufacturer, maybe they’ll make futon frames as well! And, I wouldn’t mind adding another US made sustainable harvest futon company to Goodnight Moon Futon.