From January through June of this year, 26% of homeowners who refinanced opted for a 15-year mortgage, up from 18.5 % in 2009. The significant spike may be the result of historically low interest rates, but Amy Crews Cutts, deputy chief economist for Freddie Mac, believes that people are  starting to think differently about debt (Amy Hoak, “Paying Off the House in 15 years,” WSJ). “For the average person, debt is a drag on their psyche as well as their overall budget,” says Cutts.

Paying off a home mortgage in 30 vs. 15  years requires more money up front but puts more equity in the pocket at the end of the loan term. If you plan on keeping your home for an extended period, you have substantial savings, and your debt-to-income ratio is less than 35%, a 15-year term may be a good option. However, borrowers who don’t meet the criteria may be better off choosing the 30-year term and paying extra payments toward principal throughout that period.

Can trash be recycled into bathroom sinks? One Santa Monica design firm has found an innovative way to transform rubbish into something very useful. Minarc is getting ready to market their green sink, created entirely out of discarded tires.

Old rubber tires are melted down and stretched thin over a desired frame. The result is a bathroom sink that looks ultra-modern.

According to Calfinder Nationwide Remodelers, the top of the rubber sink weighs less than 1 pound and is an eighth of an inch thick. The lightweight material is a terrific option for vanities that cannot hold a granite or porcelain sink.

When it’s made available to the public, the rubber sink could become the new trend of bathrooms everywhere.

If You Can Not View This Video Click Here or

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSprGZi8nIQ&feature=player_embedded

Technology is touted as a gift of the 21st century. NPR’s Fresh Air interview (”Digital Overload: Your Brain On Gadgets”) with Matt Richtel, Technology Reporter for The New York Times, encourages us to think about technology and information in a more balanced way.

The average person today consumes about 3 times the amount of information as somebody living in 1960. Based on his study of technology’s effect on people’s minds, Richtel suggests that the more the brain has to multitask on computers and digital gadgets, the more distractible one becomes. When you check your information (email, phone, etc), you feel a buzz or “dopamine squirt.” The net effect is that an individual becomes wired to seek that stimulation, thereby compromising his or her ability to focus.

Richtel says, “After 20 years of glorifying technology as if all computers were good and all use of it was good, science is beginning to embrace the idea that some technology is Twinkies and some technology is Brussels sprouts.”

Now that’s food for thought. Listen to the interview in its entirety at npr.org.

How many gallons of water does your toilet need for one flush? If your toilet was purchased before 1992, that number is likely 3 – 5 gallons. If purchased in 1992 or later, it would be 1.6 gallons. But newer toilets using advanced technology require only 1.1 gallons of water to do the same job! That’s just about the  amount of water that will fill a big milk jug.

The new pressure assisted toilets can save a family of four approximately 8,000 gallons of water, according to Bob Formisano’s post in About.com. Both the environment and the family save big.

If you’re shopping for a new toilet, consider the pressure assisted toilet. It may cost you more up front, but the long-term savings could be worth the investment.

Gwendolyn Bounds of the Wall Street Journal reports that goats are officially for hire!

Goats spent four months eating weeds and other unwanted plants on the grounds of the Vanderbilt Mansion in New York. The project cost $9,000. A human-powered job would have cost about $15K.

Next time you have to clear the weeds, consider one eco-friendly option and hire goats. Check out the before and after shots in the WSJ video.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqqbUSvd06s

If you’re looking for practical advice on how to live large within your means, check out 10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget, written by WiseBread.com contributors.

The book will help you navigate the areas of gastronomics, travel, health and beauty, entertainment, shopping, green living, education, budgeting, and more. WiseBread.com writers believe that “the key to fnancial wellness isn’t a ramen-eating, vacation-skipping, fun-deprived life” but rather the ability “to indulge in life’s pleasures…as long as they fit into [the] budget.”

Tara-Nicholle Nelson’s review in Inman News suggests that the book’s perspective on money is on target for today’s consumer – it’s more about financial wholeness and less about financial dieting.

In some areas of the United States, net-zero energy homes are becoming the norm of new construction. California, for example, has set a goal that by 2020 all new construction properties will be of the net-zero kind (The Wall Street Journal, “Houses That Make Their Own Energy”).

 http://online.wsj.com/video/houses-that-make-their-own-energy/7C802338-F8DB-45F9-B693-7528288804FC.html

According to Market Watch’s Amy Hoak, these homes may cost more upfront, but they will save in energy bills over time. Peter Pfeiffer, an Austin architect, warns consumers to do their research before purchasing net-zero energy products. Avoid the “eco-bling,” he says, as some products may work better in certain regions than in others. Pfeiffer suggests hiring a consultant who can analzye green products that save energy and minimize burden on the environment for your particular area.

It’s the last month of summer, and school buses are not scheduled for the roads for another few weeks. That’s not the case in Croton, Ohio, where bus drivers, truckers, and hairdressers find an outlet at the Hartford Fair race course.

http://online.wsj.com/video/heavy-metal-meets-road-rage/C6880ABF-B01F-43E0-BD94-797B8AC80C11.html