Most home appliances have fairly predictable life expectancies. Knowing that your dishwasher is likely to give out after 10 years helps you plan for the inevitable expense. And when buying used appliances, knowing how old an appliance is when you buy it allows you to calculate how much longer it should last and true value.

The following table shows average life expectancies for common household appliances. This information has been gathered from various resources including manufacturers´ websites and consumer resources, and is intended only as an estimate. Original quality and how much you use an appliance can shorten or lengthen these estimates. Care and maintenance and proper installation are also factors that can impact longevity.

Major Appliance Expectancy (in years);
Microwave oven - 10
Water heater - gas - 11-13, electric - 13-14, tankless (on demand) - 20+
Smoke detector - 10
Refrigerator - top mount – 14, side by side - 14, bottom mount - 17, single door - 19
Washing machine - top load - 14, front load - 11
Clothes dryer - 13
Range - electric - 17, gas - 19
Dishwasher - 10
Cooktops - 13-20
Air Conditioner (room size) - 10
Air conditioning compressor - 15-20
Forced air furnace, heat pump - 15
Baseboard electric heat systems - 20
Hot-Water Boiler - 20-30
Water Pump - 5-10
Water Softener - 20

Gas prices got you down? Fight back by squeezing every possible kilometer out of each litre of fuel. ‘Drive’ for optimum fuel-efficiency.

Reports suggest simple vehicle maintenance and attention to your style of driving can yield overall increases of 30% or even more. 
Apply these tips from drivers who have learned to be fuel-efficient, and found that in addition to  reducing their greenhouse gas emissions, they are saving hundreds of dollars a year.

Tips for Fuel-Efficient Driving:

Get regular tune-ups. A poorly tuned engine and clogged air and oil filters can increase fuel consumption and emissions by up to 50%.

Keep tires properly inflated. Under-inflated tires can increase fuel consumption by as much as 6%. Check tire pressure monthly and adjust as necessary.

Smooth Starts and Stops - Avoid aggressive driving tactics like quick acceleration and hard braking. These 2 bad habits alone can increase fuel consumption by as much as 40%. Plus tests show aggressive drivers only cut travel time by an average of four percent, while toxic emissions were more than five times higher.

Tighten your gas cap to the second click, or gas can evaporate. According to carcare.org, loose, missing or damaged gas caps cause 550 million litres (147 million US gal) of gas to evaporate every year in the US alone.

Maintain a safe distance between your vehicle and the one in front. This allows you to more gradually adjust your speed when necessary. An added bonus is a reduced risk of accident.

Turn your vehicle off when stopped for more than 30 seconds, unless in traffic. In winter, 30 seconds of idling should be all that is required before driving away. Just be sure your car won’t stall out and that your defroster is working.

Spare the ‘air’. Use your air conditioner sparingly. Park in the shade whenever possible, and consider a light-coloured car cover to block out some of the sunlight when parked in the sun.

May your stuffing be tasty
And your turkey plump,
May your potatoes and gravy
Have never a lump.
May your yams be delicious
And your pies take the prize,
And may your Thanksgiving dinner
Stay off your thighs!
- Unknown

Did j’a know that the word oxymoron is an oxymoron itself? An oxymoron is a figure of speech that combines two normally contradictory terms. It is from the Greek oxy which means ‘sharp’ or ‘pointed’ and moros which means ‘dull’.

Did j’a know these other popular oxymorons?
• Accurate estimate.
• Definite possibility.
• Controlled chaos.
• Appear invisible.
• Act natural.
• Almost finished.
• Filled with omissions.
• Incorrect facts.
• Deafening noise.
• Bitter sweet.
• Cruel kindness
• Almost always. 

Kids Games – 'This is a really useful resource for online games for children 10 and under. It has categories and ratings for their games, so you can easily sort through to find one to suit your little ones. Lots of them are educational.'

Grape Flour – 'I’m all for ways to make the food I feed my family as healthy as it can be, so when I heard about flour made form grape skins, I had to check it out. This site has an article about it. Very good for you.'

Beautiful Fall Decor on a Shoestring – 'October just wouldn’t be the same without some Thanksgiving and Halloween decorations – both making them and displaying them. Visitors always comment on the additions we make to our collection each year. This site has some wonderful ways to decorate for the season without spending much to do so.'

Meats with Fruit Entree Recipes – 'Add some pizzazz to your main courses with fruit. I did and everyone in the family loves it. This site has some excellent recipes. Try the cranberry turkey burgers for a Thanksgiving weekend casual lunch.'

Hiccups, also spelled hiccoughs, are something most of us get from time to time. One definition explains a hiccup as ‘a spasm of the diaphragm resulting in a rapid, involuntary inhalation that is stopped by the sudden closure of the glottis and accompanied by a sharp, distinctive sound.’  The medical name for hiccups is ‘singultus’. Whatever you choose to call them or how you spell them, they can be a real problem for some people.

In this day and age of constant communication, something as simple as a case of hiccups can impact how people look at you. Try being firm with the kids or subordinates at work while dealing with a case of hiccups. You just don’t get the same impact.

Should hiccups pose a problem for you, try one of these ‘non-medical’ remedies; 

• Breathe through a wet washcloth.
• Drink a couple of swigs of white vinegar straight out of the bottle.
• Quickly drink a cup of room temperature Coca-Cola.
• Eat a spoonful of mustard.
• Eat kim-chee.
• Plug your ears with your thumbs, squeeze your nostrils closed with your pinkies, and take several small sips of water from a glass.
• Take a big sip of water, bend over and swallow it.
• Stand on a chair in a crowded room and say, “I have the hiccups!” loudly.
• Immerse your face in ice water.
• Rub your soft palate with your finger or a cotton swab until you almost gag.
• Blow on your thumb as if you were blowing up a balloon.

"You can prepare all you want,
but if you never roll the dice you'll never be successful."
~ Shia Labeouf

Ghost Stories - Megan, age 13, says, “I love reading something really scary, especially at Halloween. These stories give me goose bumps big time, but I can’t stop reading them. I just love to be scared.”

Thanksgiving Day Word Searches – Ashley, age 7, says, “I really like word searches. Dad and I found some for Thanksgiving Day. There are hard ones and easier ones. I tried the beginner one, but my big sister Sally did the medium one. I think you will like them too. They’re fun!”

The Great EcoKids Challenge – Max, age 12, says, “My buddies and I are planning to enter this contest. Check it out. We’re going to start an earthworm composting system at our school. We plan on composting lunch scraps. The earthworms are pretty cool. Plus the school can sell them, too.”

Jack-O-Lantern Patterns - Cory, age 9, says, “This site has some awesome patterns for Halloween that you can print off and carve yourself. Some are easier than others. I’m trying lucky #13. Some are really hard. Check out the photos on the site, too. They’re amazing!”

As the weather cools, little critters look for warmth – and ways to get in your home. One popular and often over-looked access is the dryer exhaust. Autumn is a perfect time to check, clean and repair, or to update your dryer exhaust cover.

New exhaust cover models offer better solutions to keep pests out and to reduce heat loss when the dryer is not in use. They’re pretty easy to install, too. While you’re at it, clean out the pipe between the dryer and the vent.

"I knew we were in for a long season when we lined up for the national anthem on opening day and one of my players said, 'Every time I hear that song I have a bad game.'" ~ Jim Leyland

"Nothing on Earth is so beautiful as the final haul on Halloween night." ~ Steve Almond

"On Halloween, the parents sent their kids out looking like me." ~ Rodney Dangerfield

"Coexistence; what the farmer does with the turkey - until Thanksgiving." ~ Mike Connolly