(NAPS)—According to the U.S. Census Bureau, some 40 million Americans move to a new home every year. The next time you're among them, following a few tips can make it easier.

•Many people unpack their boxes and only clean a room as necessary, but in the end this can cause you more time than if you clean before unpacking. Start with a room-by-room cleaning plan, focusing on the kitchen and bathrooms first. Kitchens are especially important to clean and maintain, given that they are the hub of the home.

•Pack a clearly marked box with cleaning supplies, paper towels, toilet paper and other items you may need. It can help save yourself time by quickly locating these items without digging through boxes to find a dishcloth or glass cleaner.

•Before unpacking, tackle the refrigerator, oven, microwave, dishwasher and garbage disposal with a good cleaning overhaul. Cleaning your appliances before you begin using them is a great way to help them perform more efficiently.

•Clean under, behind and inside your appliances to ensure they are in tip-top shape.

•Start a regular maintenance routine for dishwashers, garbage disposals and washing machines, with a monthly cleaning product such as the affresh Dishwasher and Disposal Cleaner or affresh Washer Cleaner Kit, along with the suggested tips in appliances' Use and Care Guides, which can usually be found online.

•If your house or apartment comes with a refrigerator that has a water filter, be sure to change that filter. Refrigeration experts recommend changing it every six months to keep water and ice tasting great and to help save yourself money.

•Remove any drawers or bins in the refrigerator and wash them in the kitchen sink with dishwashing liquid and warm water. Wash the inside of the refrigerator with a clean dishcloth—don't forget to wash the compartments on the door.

•When using the self-cleaning cycle, remove oven racks, as they can discolor or become harder to slide. If this happens, place a light coating of vegetable oil on the rack guides to help them slide in. Also, be sure to remove the broiler pan and any other utensils inside the oven prior to starting the self-cleaning cycle.

•If you have a microwave hood, the grease filters can be removed for easy cleaning. Dishwasher-safe filters are also available on some models to make maintenance easier. To clean the filter, remove it from the hood, wash it in the dishwasher and then reinstall it.

For additional tips, visit the experts at the Whirlpool Institute of Kitchen Science, www.institute ofkitchenscience.com.(NAPS)—According to the U.S. Census Bureau, some 40 million Americans move to a new home every year. The next time you're among them, following a few tips can make it easier.

•Many people unpack their boxes and only clean a room as necessary, but in the end this can cause you more time than if you clean before unpacking. Start with a room-by-room cleaning plan, focusing on the kitchen and bathrooms first. Kitchens are especially important to clean and maintain, given that they are the hub of the home.

•Pack a clearly marked box with cleaning supplies, paper towels, toilet paper and other items you may need. It can help save yourself time by quickly locating these items without digging through boxes to find a dishcloth or glass cleaner.

•Before unpacking, tackle the refrigerator, oven, microwave, dishwasher and garbage disposal with a good cleaning overhaul. Cleaning your appliances before you begin using them is a great way to help them perform more efficiently.

•Clean under, behind and inside your appliances to ensure they are in tip-top shape.

•Start a regular maintenance routine for dishwashers, garbage disposals and washing machines, with a monthly cleaning product such as the affresh Dishwasher and Disposal Cleaner or affresh Washer Cleaner Kit, along with the suggested tips in appliances' Use and Care Guides, which can usually be found online.

•If your house or apartment comes with a refrigerator that has a water filter, be sure to change that filter. Refrigeration experts recommend changing it every six months to keep water and ice tasting great and to help save yourself money.

•Remove any drawers or bins in the refrigerator and wash them in the kitchen sink with dishwashing liquid and warm water. Wash the inside of the refrigerator with a clean dishcloth—don't forget to wash the compartments on the door.

•When using the self-cleaning cycle, remove oven racks, as they can discolor or become harder to slide. If this happens, place a light coating of vegetable oil on the rack guides to help them slide in. Also, be sure to remove the broiler pan and any other utensils inside the oven prior to starting the self-cleaning cycle.

•If you have a microwave hood, the grease filters can be removed for easy cleaning. Dishwasher-safe filters are also available on some models to make maintenance easier. To clean the filter, remove it from the hood, wash it in the dishwasher and then reinstall it.

For additional tips, visit the experts at the Whirlpool Institute of Kitchen Science..

(NAPS)—Homeowners across North America have discovered the benefits of using the energy under their own backyards to provide heating, cooling and hot water. Geothermal heating and cooling systems tap into the constant temperature found a few feet below the surface of the earth to deliver a consistent, even flow of conditioned air throughout the home, eliminating hot and cold spots.

A geothermal system captures the free energy from the earth in a series of pipes, called an earth loop, buried in the ground. Fluid circulates through the pipes and heat energy is transferred from the ground to the geothermal unit in the house, providing warm comfort. Once inside, the heat can be distributed through either a conventional duct system or a hydronic radiant heat system.

According to studies by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), geothermal heating and cooling is the most energy-efficient option available, because the system relies on the most plentiful source of renewable energy and a source that is available virtually anywhere in the United States.

The result is a system that achieves green status in more ways than one: Homeowners can reduce their carbon footprint along with their utility bills. In fact, the energy savings provided by a geothermal system can be as much as 70 percent compared with a conventional system using natural gas, oil, electricity or propane fuel. Additionally, the system eliminates noise pollution, with a sound level similar to that of a refrigerator.

A geothermal system also addresses pollutants in the air. According to EPA tests, levels of pollutants are two to five times higher indoors than outside. Research also shows that exposure to poor indoor air quality can cause health problems including asthma, dizziness, fatigue and respiratory diseases, among many others.

The geothermal systems from WaterFurnace International, Incorporated, the leading manufacturer of geothermal heating and cooling products, have HEPA filters, heat recovery ventilators, electronic air cleaners and a selection of filters, all designed to contribute to good air quality throughout the home.

For a look at ways to improve your home's air quality or to find a geothermal system that fits your needs, visit www.waterfurnace.com or talk to a WaterFurnace expert at (800) GEO-SAVE.

(NAPSA)-It's come down to The Battle of The Baggage Fees. And if you're a consumer, make that a savvy consumer, know that you really can beat the airlines at their own game.

To make up for low revenue, airlines have been raising the fees they charge for baggage, in the case of one "ultra-low-cost" carrier, at least, even recently taking heat in Washington for announcing a new charge of as much as $45 for carry-ons. "The decision could spur other airlines to impose a similar fee," warned one New York senator who immediately introduced a tongue-twister piece of legislation called the Block Airlines' Gratuitous Fees Act last April to try to keep the practice from spreading.

Needless to say, travelers are miffed. According to a new Consumer Reports survey, "luggage charges" were Americans' No. 1 "gripe" about flying. (They also weren't thrilled with "puny snacks," but that's another story.)

To avoid paying more than necessary, try these tips:

•Retire your wheeled bags. All that extra hardware means you might as well be carrying a sign that says "Will Pay More to Fly." Most airlines now charge a fee of $15 for your first checked bag, according to AOL, but that could rise to $39 to $175 if it's overweight.

•Dress like you're homeless. Not to be glib, but since airlines don't restrict the weight of your clothes or items on your person-at least not yet-layer on your heaviest garments instead of packing them. And use your pockets.

•Obtain serene simplicity. Recessionistas were definitely on to something when they made it chic to buy beauty products that do double duty, though admittedly they were more concerned with saving money at the beauty counter than the weigh-in scale. No matter. There's now a razor that does triple duty-lathers, shaves and moisturizes in one easy step. With the Schick Intuition Plus, you'll save space in your travel bag since there's no need for separate shave gel (www.schick.com). It boasts four blades, surrounded by a skin-moisturizing solid, so you're also getting a smooth shave backed with ingredients such as aloe, vitamin E, shea butter, and now antioxidant-rich pomegranate extract.

•Ship it. Weird as it sounds, it can turn out to cost less to have an overweight bag sent ahead via a delivery service. Do the math.

•Pay baggage fees online. If you're smart, you already know how to search for the lowest fares on the Web. So with some airlines hitting you up for more in baggage fees at the airport than online, why pay even a few dollars more?

Still doubt it's war?

Yet another, poll-this one done by TripAdvisor, found that 36 percent of flyers used only carry-ons in order to avoid checked baggage fees.

Can you say the Block Airlines' Gratuitous Fees Act three times fast?

(NAPSA)-You don't have to worry that your irreplaceable photos might disappear if your computer crashes, or let large files such as photos, videos and music gobble up storage space on your hard drive.

Shared storage, referred to as network attached storage (NAS), a technology once reserved for businesses, is now a simple and affordable way for multiple users in the home to store, share and safeguard documents, music, videos and photos.

Unlike a traditional external hard drive, network storage is a shared resource and can be accessed from anywhere on the home network.

According to a report by Google, one out of every 14 hard drives will fail within a year, and other statistics show that 31 percent of PC users have lost all their files due to events beyond their control. With a network storage device, everyone in the family can easily safeguard important files and retrieve them even if a computer fails. No one has to worry about the video of baby's first steps or an entire music collection disappearing.

Network storage, such as the ShareCenter series offered by D-Link, provides ample capacity for everyone in the home to safely store files and documents in one place. It also lets family members share digital photos and media such as music libraries, photo albums, videos and high-definition movies.

Installing a hard drive in your D-Link network storage unit is easy. Simply pop off the front panel, slide any Serial ATA drive into one of the open bays-whether it is a drive you already have at home or one you just purchased from the store-and you are done. This device also features a new technology, cloud storage services, that lets you back up directly to the Internet.

To help alleviate digital overload, these devices are capable of housing up to two-terabyte hard drives in each bay. Using only a one-terabyte drive, you could store up to an estimated 320,000 digital photos, 16,660 hours of digital music or 250 two-hour DVD-quality movies.

In addition to that, most network storage devices are expandable and have an extra hard drive slot to support your growing storage needs. That extra slot can be used to mirror a copy of the data stored to even further reduce the risk of loss if there is an unexpected hard drive failure.

Want to get to your files even when away from home? No problem. This storage connects to your network rather than a computer so it is easy to access your shared documents or digital media from wherever you are. As long as you're connected to the Internet, they're only a click away. With network storage, your family can always be connected.

For more information, visit www.dlink.com.

(NAPS)—The next time you review your family finances, it may pay to take your insurance into account. That's because, beyond medical and dental coverage, there are a number of forms of insurance that can help protect some of your family's assets and lifestyle.

Protect Your Income

Consider: How would your family get by if you were seriously ill or injured and couldn't work? Disability insurance—sometimes called income protection insurance—can help replace lost income if you're unable to work due to an illness or injury. Many employers offer disability income insurance but, according to the Council for Disability Awareness, approximately 100 million U.S. workers are without it. A disability policy can provide cash benefits to minimize financial risk while you're recovering from a disabling injury or illness. Coverage is available at different levels, but the best policies will generally cover accidents and illnesses, pay for partial or recurring disabilities and offer an inflation-adjustment feature.

Protect Your Credit

A recent study by Harvard University researchers found that 50 percent of all bankruptcy filings were partly due to medical expenses. Supplemental insurance plans can be used to help cover some out-of-pocket medical expenses such as deductibles and co-pays. Supplemental policies generally pay cash benefits directly to the policyholder. Because the benefits are based on a qualifying occurrence—such as an accident or hospitalization—they're payable regardless of other insurance coverage and can be used as the policyholder chooses.

Protect Your Family

A sudden death can inflict more than emotional grief. Lost income as well as final expenses can add financial distress to an already difficult and painful situation. Life insurance—available in many forms and benefit levels—can help ease the financial burden of an unexpected loss. Not only can life insurance provide a financial cushion to help make up for lost income, a small supplemental life insurance policy (with benefits of $10,000 to $25,000) can be relatively inexpensive and benefits provided can be used to help cover immediate expenses such as funeral costs.

Using your insurance to help protect not just your health but also your finances can help you make the most of your coverage.

Get Assistance

Everyone's situation is different, so it's important to look at your specific needs. Combined Insurance offers a free, downloadable needs assessment to help you evaluate your situation. Go to combinedinsurance.com/myneeds or call (877) 566-8760 for a free copy of the questionnaire.

(NAPS)—You can keep your business going, even when it's been stifled by a destructive event.

It helps if you remember that when there's a fire, an explosion or some other physical catastrophe, your insurance coverage against those dangers may not be enough. That kind of coverage only replaces the tangible loss. While the business is regrouping after the blow—and until the firm is physically restored—it may well be out of business. Often, orders must be canceled, no new ones taken and no money comes in. Businesses are hard pressed to survive such downtime.

Other mishaps can devastate a business even when it suffers no physical damage: An oil spill miles away hurts a shrimp wholesaler; a manufacturer's assembly line is halted by a volcano eruption preventing deliveries of critical parts; a storm can knock out power—and operability—for a long time.

In such circumstances, the critical business need is cash flow—money to maintain profits, meet payroll and pay suppliers. That income can be restored with a business interruption insurance policy. "It is literally a lifesaver—the difference between a business's survival or its extinction," says Mary K. Barbieri, CPCU, a nationally known insurance consultant and lecturer. "The wonder is how few business owners buy such policies."

To be sure, business interruption policies differ significantly. Some cover losses only when there is physical damage to the business. Others—sometimes called "contingent business interruption" policies—cover disruptions to suppliers or even to customers. "Events that knock out cash flow are the focus of all these policies," adds Barbieri. "But when looking to buy one—to assure that the coverage meets their particular needs—business owners really need to deal with agents or brokers who know what they're doing."

To find one with the prestigious CPCU designation—an assurance of advanced professional training and uncompromising ethical standards—visit www.cpcusociety.org, click "Consumers" and then click "Find an Agent/Broker."

On July 1, new rules went into effect concerning overdrafts on your debit or ATM cards. You now get to choose in advance what happens when you make a charge on your debit or ATM card and don't have enough money in your account to pay for it.

Let's say you buy something with your debit or ATM card but haven't been keeping track of how much you have in your account. It turns out you don't have enough money in there, which means the withdrawal will lead to an overdraft. According to the Federal Reserve Board Web site http://www.federalreserve.gov/consumerinfo/wyntk_overdraft.htm there are usually two ways that banks deal with an overdraft, standard overdraft practices or overdraft protection plans.

Standard overdraft practices: Your bank will cover your transaction for a flat fee of about $20-$35 each time you overdraw your account. For example, if you make a purchase with your debit card for $150 but only have $100 in your account, your account will be overdrawn by $50 and your bank will charge you a fee. If you then make an ATM withdrawal for $50, your account will be overdrawn by $100 and you will be charged another fee. In this example, if the fee your bank charges for its standard overdraft practices is $30, you will pay a total of $60 in fees on $100 in overdrafts.

Overdraft protection plans: Your bank may offer a line of credit or a link to your savings account to cover transactions when you overdraw your account. Banks typically charge a fee each time you overdraw your account, but these overdraft protection plans may be less expensive than their standard overdraft practices.

So what's different under the new rules? Basically, your bank has to give you the option to choose how the bank will deal with an overdraft from you.

In the past, some banks automatically enrolled you in a standard overdraft program when you opened an account with them. Now, the bank has to ask your permission and you have to opt in. If you don't opt in, beginning August 15th, 2010, your bank's standard overdraft practices won't kick in when you charge too much.

Instead, the transaction will typically be declined when you don't have enough in your account to cover it. You won't be charged an overdraft fee, but you also won't be able to complete the purchase or withdrawal, either.

If you have an existing account that was opened any time before July 1, you are supposed to get a notice from your bank about their standard overdraft practices, asking if you want them to continue or not. If you open an account after July 1st, you will be asked if you want to opt in or out when you fill out the initial paperwork. Whichever way you decide, you can change your mind at any time.

Warning: If you write checks or set up automatic bill payment from your checking account, the new rules do not cover checks or automatic bill payments. Your bank can still automatically enroll you in their standard overdraft practices for those types of transactions. If you don't want that to happen, contact your bank, but you may find that you don't have the option to cancel.

As always, it pays to shop around when you open a checking account. Banks could lose significant revenue if a majority of customers now opt out of overdraft protection, so down the road certain banks may decide to charge their customers new fees to make up for that loss of revenue.

Always be aware of the terms of service of your account, and that includes reading those updates that come in the mail! If you don't like your bank's terms, you may want to shop for a bank whose fee structure you like better.

Average domestic air fares in the first quarter of 2010 increased to the second highest January-to-March level since 2001, rising 4.7 percent from the first quarter of 2009, the U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported July 28.

Of the top United States 100 airports, the highest fare came from Huntsville, and the lowest fare in Atlantic City.

The $328 first-quarter 2010 average fares were down 8.3 percent from the all-time high, not inflation-adjusted, of $358 in the third quarter of 2008. Adjusted for inflation, first-quarter 2010 fares were down 25.0 percent from 1999, the inflation-adjusted high for any first-quarter since 1995. The first quarter 2010 average fares were up 8.9 percent from the post-9/11 fourth-quarter low of $301.39 in 2005.

As part of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration, BTS reports average fares based on domestic itinerary fares, round-trip or one-way for which no return is purchased. Fares are based on the total ticket value, which consists of the price charged by the airlines plus any additional taxes and fees levied by an outside entity at the time of purchase.

Fares include only the price paid at the time of the ticket purchase and do not include other fees, such as baggage fees, paid at the airport or onboard the aircraft. Averages do not include frequent-flyer or "zero fares" or a few abnormally high reported fares.

Air fares in the first quarter of 2010 declined 5.6 percent since the first quarter of 2001, compared to an overall increase in consumer prices of 23.5 percent during that period. In the 15 years from 1995, the first year of BTS records, air fares rose 10.5 percent compared to a 43.7 percent inflation rate. In 1995 dollars, the average air fare in the first quarter of 2010 was $228, compared to $297 in 1995 and $301 in 2000.

If one has been thinking—or even just dreaming—about getting a new house, recent research in the real estate market may have some intriguing results for them.

First, Fannie Mae found that two-thirds of Americans (65 percent) are still bullish on home ownership, preferring to own a home despite the challenging economic environment and the housing downturn.

Next, there's the research conducted by MarketTools, Inc. for CENTURY 21(R) First-Time Home Buyer and Seller Survey. It captured and compared the opinions of prospective home buyers and sellers who either purchased or sold their first home within the past year or are planning to buy or sell their first home within the next year. The majority of survey respondents had moved or intended to move more than 10 miles but less than 50 miles from their previous location, indicating current market conditions may be a catalyst for buying or selling homes, as opposed to a desire to dramatically change geographic location or relocate for a job.

"Buying a home, whether it's your first of subsequent purchase, is the single greatest financial decision that most people will make in their lifetime," said Rick Davidson, president and chief executive officer, Century 21 Real Estate LLC. "Research helps show that today's market presents a generational opportunity for home buyers and current home owners looking to leverage their market position."

Current Market

Conditions

More than 80 percent of first-time home buyers and sellers feel the current housing market is more affordable today than at this time last year. This is despite the fact that 40 percent of all respondents are more worried about the economy now compared to this time last year. Federal tax credits and solid mortgage rates had a positive impact on driving people to take action.

Re-establishing

Balance

A full market recovery takes time and current conditions continue to favor buyers. While buyers are excited about the opportunities in the current market, sellers note their main concern is losing money on the sale of their home and receiving offers near their asking price.

When will the balance between housing need and inventory return? The real estate industry typically considers six months of inventory to represent a balanced market. According to the National Association of Realtors, the number of homes for sale currently represents approximately eight months of inventory and remains 11.6 percent below the record of 4.58 million homes for sale. First-time home buyers anticipate home prices will soon begin to rise and, in fact, about half of first-time buyers expect an increase by this time next year, thereby re-establishing better market equilibrium.

Let an Expert Help Guide You

Whether one is considering buying or selling a home, one may be interested to learn that 60 percent of first-time home buyers do not feel they have a good handle on the real estate process. Given both the complexity and the opportunity of today's real estate market, 85 percent of both first-time buyers and sellers feel that using a real estate professional is important. Allowing an experienced professional to help guide people to the home that's right for them, at a price they can afford.

Learn More

Further facts and tips can be found online at www.century21.com/buyingadvice and by calling (866) 732-6139.

The real estate market is recovering and providing a powerful opportunity to act, studies show. Many prospective homeowners are taking advantage of today's positive price points and low interest rates.