Tag Archive for: tips

Television and Storage

Can I store my TV? A burning question for all of us technology lovers, we don’t want to get it home and it doesn’t work. In order to clear up this confusion, we’ve contacted the major electronics companies regarding storage for their LED, LCD, and Plasma television screens.

Fuzzy TVNote: These are the ranges of the brands if you’d like a specific model information please contact them directly as it may vary. It is greatly recommended from all companies to acclimate your television after taking it out of storage. This means letting the television warm up to room temperature for 24 hours before plugging it in and using it.

  • Samsung Canada: After speaking to a rep at Samsung he noted that their LED, LCD, Plasma and Smart TV screens should be stored between 10°C and 40°C.
  • Sony: The representative at Sony recommended a temperature of 0°C to 40°C for the storage of their TVs.
  • Toshiba: For Toshiba TVs the rep suggested a range of 0°C to 35°C for safe storage.
  • LG Canada: They could not give us a range. However, you can visit their website to download the manual for the specific model number. This will tell you what the safe temperature of storage is. http://www.lg.com/ca_en/support/software-manuals

So, what is our suggestion? If you’re going to store your television be sure to do so in heated storage, ensure it’s taken to a friend’s place or your new home first.

-Kayla

10 Things to Ask Yourself Before Storing Your Stuff

Whether your storage area is in a basement, an attic, a backyard shed or a rented storage unit it might be filled with things you do not really want or need. While we’re not going to tackle cleaning out your storage here (a topic for another day), the first step is to stop yourself from hoarding. So the next time you want to store something ask yourself these 10 questions.

1. Do you need it? This sounds like a simple enough question, but how each of us answers is highly individual. If you are making an effort to cut back on clutter, try to get real about what “need” means. Whether you decide to take a strictly minimalist approach or keep a more fluid list of items needed for living defining what is important to you is the first step to preventing clutter.

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Backyard Challenge

This year, with the kids nearly moved out of the house we decided to make the place our own, but still entice them back to gather in the evenings.

What to do with a big plain fenced back yard with a standard contractor built deck??deck

The deck is a basic 12’ x 12’ layout which sits as high as our fence line, and has minimal amount of slats for the fencing leaving it looking very open. Our first idea was to make it a little more private and make an inviting sitting area. We put a lighter colored panel over the slatted part of the deck siding. The biggest thing we noticed right away was how much less wind we felt sitting out there. The lighter color in the panel has kept the deck from looking too dark, or getting too hot.

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Father’s Day – Top 5 Things to Do for Dad

Are you wondering what to do for Dad for Father’s Day? Take a look at our staff’s Top 5 list of gifts for Dad to get some ideas!

  1. Take him fishing. What’s better than a bucket full of worms and the open water? Don’t forget the sunscreen and bug spray! Visit Alberta’s Best Fishing Hot Spotsfor some of the best fishing spots!
  2. Brunch and Golf. Dad’s got to eat and so do you. Take him to your favourite restaurant for brunch and a round of 18 holes afterwards. Driving range’s are great too! Looking for awesome golf courses visit: Alberta Golf Courses
  3. Celebrate with a BBQ. Light the barbecue and get out your hamburgers & hotdogs! Celebrate Dad with great food and family time. Kick a ball around or play baseball or catch. Here’s a link to a delicious homemade burger recipe The Perfect Burger
  4. Have a night in. Rent a few movies or grab the clicker for Netflix, pop some popcorn and put your feet up! For quick and easy homemade microwave popcorn that doesn’t have all the additives of store bought microwave popcorn follow the link. Brown Bag Microwave Popcorn
  5. Bowling. A great activity for the family or a little one on one time. Rent a lane, lace those shoes and have a great time.

What are your favourite things to do to celebrate your Dad? Let us know in the comments below!

Tax Time

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Here at the Alberta Storage Group we work with our bookkeeper Whitney Hall every day to make sure things are in order and she has been a lifesaver to us. We call her Wonderful Whitney. Whitney has done work in the field of accounting, banking and bookkeeping for many years and she has seen people struggle with finances and taxes. It doesn’t have to be that hard! Here are her pointers on how everyone can save time and money when it comes to taxes.

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1. Did you know that Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) requires you to retain documents related to your taxes for 7 years? (The year you are in plus 6). Keep all those tax files in a file box and if you don’t have room for all those boxes think about using a self-storage facility to hold those boxes for you.

2. A person who works for a company in Canada is issued a T4 and has limited deductions they can claim. But there are some deductions and these deductions can significantly decrease your tax bill. As an employee these deductions will require that you keep a record. The best way is to have 1 file or 1 envelope that you keep your paperwork in through the year. Start this file or envelope in January and leave it in the same place and just keep adding to it throughout the year and then it’s already to hand to your accountant or tax preparer at tax time. What type of things should your save? Things like…

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Take The Junk Drawer Challenge!

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Is your junk drawer a landmine waiting to explode? Let’s get this small spaced organized and see who can come up with the best organized drawer. Back last spring our manager in Lacombe, Sue Sage, shared her best drawer treatment by using a utensil organizer to get a handle on the make-up drawer in the bathroom. I used this same idea to get my kitchen junk drawer organized once and for all. Here’s what I learned from doing my own junk drawer challenge.

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Fall Home Checklist: Part Three

 

September beckons us to spend more time at home. To make things more comfortable around the home here is part three of our checklist of things that will help you get your home ready for the chillier months ahead.outdoor

12. Get covers for patio furniture and grill. If you plan to leave your patio furniture or grill outdoors through the fall and winter, cover them well and stow them beneath an overhang that will protect them from the worst weather.

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