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It’s football season! The essentials to building your man cave

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Rent to own HD TV

It’s football time!

Hello?! It’s football season which means it’s ‘man cave’ season. If you have not created your testosterone-topia yet or need to update then here are the basics.

1. Ultra HD TV Set. If you haven’t made the leap then now may be the time. The price of 4K Ultra HD TVs are becoming affordable. Programming is catching up more and more especially in the sports arena. So, go man cave-ing for a new 4K TV.

2. More HD TV sets. Use that old HD TV you just replaced as your secondary TV in the man cave. You can watch the big game on 4K then have the other TV on the other games so as not to waste any precious time changing channels. Go the extra man cave extreme and have one TV dedicated to the Internet to monitor your fantasy football players and matches without having to waste energy moving your head to a computer screen.

3. Comfy Couch and Recliner. Again, you may need more than just one of each as you invite your fellow knuckle-dragging pack over to scream at the TV with you. Make sure you test the furniture out first. Remember, these are the items you will be passing out on so make sure it’s the best.

4. Sturdy coffee tables and end tables. You’ll be putting a lot of beer pressure on those and will be the TV remote pedestal. Smart man cavers specifically get coffee tables a different color than the remotes. Again, it’s all about not wasting time moving your neck away from the TV screen. An easily findable remote lessens those precious moments and muscle moving during the game. It also needs to be sturdy to withstand fists slamming into it after your team throws an interception.

5. Refrigerator. One of those mini sized ones are fine but, come on, let’s get real. With a full size, you can stock up on all kinds of beers and wine. Yes. I said it – wine. Wine and football can go together. Even Cro-magnons can have an elevated sense of taste. The rest of the space inside the refrigerator, if there is any, is up to your imagination. And, I will not mention vegetables. I drew the line at wine. It’s still a man cave, dagnabbit!

6. Microwave. Gotta pop some popcorn or microwave some pizza bites. Those are kind of amateur, though. What you really need is a grill where you do it right with burgers, sausage wraps and barbecue.

7. Xbox, PS3 or Wii. Gotta do something when your team has a bye week.  Duh. There’s also the other season known as “off season” where you can fill in by playing a little John Madden football.

8. Soundbar. You gonna want to hear their bones breaking and helmets crashing. Again, if you’re a true man caver then a surround sound system is the way to go.

8. Laptop/tablet/smart phone. Fantasy football updates or, better yet, skyping your friends who couldn’t cave with you because they live in a different town or are married.

9. Lamps. What?!!! You’re kidding, right. It’s called a cave for a reason.

Here are some extras for the man-cave snob.

10. An oven. It’s called Chilli. Gotta have burners to cook that dish.

11. Pool table. That’s for the twitchy guy who can’t just sit down and relax during the game.

I think that’s it. Remember, your local rent to own store fits every man cave item you need. Rent TVs just for football season or for ‘that game’. With rent to own you can try before you buy to make sure that couch is the ‘one’ couch to rule them all. Remember rent to own means rent first then, if you choose, buy so you’re never obligated to buy or make the next payment and no penalty for calling them to come pick it up

Oh! And they deliver. Man caving is about creating a kingdom. With RTO, you have servants. If any of your digital-kabobs are on the fritz during your rental, they’ll come out and fix it or give you a loaner while fixing it for free.

If you want to outright purchase but can’t afford some of these items, you can find the best used deals at rent to own stores. Most men don’t care if things are used or new. They just care they work. Or rent to own them but make sure you use the early purchase option, 90 days same as cash and rent for the least amount of time. The less payments, the less cost. And, again, your credit is never in jeopardy nor debt ever extended. Man cave and RTO can go knuckle in knuckle.

Just another great ShopRTO Home Decorating tip.

ShopRTO provides consumers home living and decorating tips even for the primitive apes known as ‘men’.

Football: Creating the Perfect Space

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football, gameday, watching football, decorating tips for football party

Football: Creating the perfect space

Whether you’re a football fanatic, a supportive partner or a pigskin naysayer feeling the buzz of the season is nearly impossible to circumvent. With game days outweighing non-game days and multiple games simultaneously aired on end the social gatherings that have cultivated around the sport come as no surprise. Whether you’re in it for the title of “Ultimate Champion” of your Fantasy Football League, to exemplify the culinary art of grilling or for the mere allure to the sport and all its traditions it’s true that finding the best place to hangout is crucial but creating one can be easy too.

Here’s our lineup for making your space game-day headquarters.

The Big Screen.

While a TV is fundamental for any game day space, having a main area of focus is as important with so many games going on at once. With that said, multiple screens in your space will truly make your guests feel like royalty upon crossing the threshold of your entryway. Having a variety of viewing options doesn’t always have to break the bank, keep in mind that streaming or syncing computer screens or tablets work just as well.

The Fridge.

Watching action packed sports definitely works up an appetite. Be sure to have a fully stocked fridge with plenty of room for drinks and snacks that your party goers are surely to bring along. If you’re into draft beer, and let’s be honest, who isn’t? There’s a plethora of knowledge on how to build your very own kegerator out of a mini-fridge with just a few key strokes on the web.

The Kickback.

Have your guests escape the realm of reality the second their tails hit the bench with accommodating and comfy seating. Whether you have a sectional couch, recliners, tufted stools or beanbag chairs we can all agree that having a cozy place to kickback and relax is essential to these, oftentimes, all day events.

The Parlor Games.

Although football takes center stage providing guests with alternative entertainment makes for a lively shindig. Darts, beer pong, poker, pool, etc. are all party favorites and allow for a good stretch of the limbs or some healthy competitive release.

Football enthusiasts and social butterflies will consider your place destination game day. And keep in mind, if you’re preparing for the real big game and want to bring in the big guns, go to your local rent to own store and pickup what you need for the grand event.

Now grab something to nosh or imbibe because it’s game time and there’s no escaping it.

Just another Shop RTO Home Decorating tip.

ShopRTO provides consumers home decorating and living tips and promotes rent to own as a shopping option for affordable home furnishings.

Back to school time – Is your room ready?

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Prepare your home for school

Get ready for school!

It’s back to school time. Whether your preparing for kindergarten or your college dorm room, get it ready for the school year. Here are some Shop RTO tips for doing so.

First, the obvious. Clean it up. When you’re on the go, it’s more difficult to spend a lot of time at once. That’s why clean it up now and make sure each day you clean whatever you messed up that day so all of sudden you’re not in some paper stacked, laundry filled jungle.

Wash everything! Sheets, pillow cases and clothes. Start the school year with everything clean and ready.

Make your study area nice. Get new furniture if need be. Buy some plants. Decorate with paintings, photos or posters. Anything to not make it look like a prison cell.

Studies constantly show your environment shapes your mood. Typically a sterile environment emanates a cold, dark presence that you don’t want to be in. You don’t want to associate studying or homework with a broom closet. Liven it up to your taste. If you have a window, use that as your basis for your room arrangement. It’s a feng shui approach.

Make sure you have plenty of light and the proper type of lighting. Typically, a room needs three tiers of lighting. But in a small bedroom or dorm room, you many only need one lamp then the overhead.

Make sure your computer, laptop and/or tablet is ready. Think about upgrading and getting a new one. Computers are now key in learning so you don’t want to be at a disadvantage from the get-go. Try rent to own stores if you can’t afford one or want the latest for a small rental price. Make sure your programs are installed correctly or updated to the most recent version.

If you need any of these home furnishings and can’t buy it outright or don’t want to own them due to a uncertain future of living arrangements as can be when in College then everything you need to make your room ready for school can happen through your local rent to own store. Rent the furniture for the semester or rent to own it with affordable payments. The rent to own store is responsible for delivery and pick up if you don’t want it anymore or are finished renting.

And, you’re never obligated to own it and can return it at any time for any reason. Who knows? Your aunt may come in and buy you a brand new bed so that bed you just rented can go back to the store and you’re not penalized one bit. And, they’ll come and get it for you.

Just another Shop RTO Home Decorating tip.

ShopRTO provides consumers home decorating and living tips and promotes rent to own as a shopping option for affordable home furnishings.

Summer to-do list for the home exterior

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A summer to-do list

Use the summer weather to paint the house.

Each season brings in a new set of chores specifically designed for those months. With summer, those months represent dryer conditions, warmer temperatures and longer days. That means it’s perfect for the outdoor duties. So here’s some of the most popular things to put on your summer to-do list.

Paint the outside of your home. Maybe it’s just touching up areas or painting the whole thing. But, temperatures are usually warm enough to be agreeable for outdoor paint. Experts say that ambient temperatures should be above 50 degrees. With today’s paint technology, some will allow down to 40 but make sure.

Make sure the wood is dry. If it rained, wait at least a day before painting.

Fix rotten wood. Summer are usually dryer and warmer providing perfect conditions to fix that rotting wood. Much of the time you can do it yourself by using epoxy wood filler. Grind out all of the rotten wood then apply the filler then sculpt, scrape and sand to fit the mold. The epoxy wood filler is good for smaller areas. Larger ones need replacement or more professional help.

Clean the gutters. It’s warm, sunny and dryer conditions so gives you those conditions to clean them out from those spring rains. Much wood rots because of clogged up gutters so always remember that ugly chore.

Trim the trees and get that yard in shape. Now that all of the leaves are on, you’ll be able to see perfectly which branches are dead or dying. You will also be able to see which branches are or going to be hurting your roof, fence or parts of the house. Get rid of them so the tree looks good, your house doesn’t get damaged and water is not wasted on branches that ultimately will fall off in the near future.

Clean out sheds or the garage. Check out our get rid of the clutter for some extra tips. It might take several days to bring everything outside to thoroughly clean out these storage spaces. Summer days can make that happen by giving you better weather or that longer day to make that painful chore happen.

Another ShopRTO home lifestyle tip.

ShopRTO provides consumers home living, decorating, DIY tips and when rent to own can make your daily life better.

Just add flowers – some Shop RTO tips for a beautiful home garden

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Flower planting tips

Brighten your day with your yard.

It’s that time of the year which means flowers! Lots of them, too. Whether planting them for your home garden or putting them on vases or on the front door. There is nothing better for the home, family and soul like flowers when driving up to your home. Here’s some basic tips to get you started in the right direction.

When planting flowers in your yard, there’s several different factors you have to keep in mind. First thing you should look at is the USDA plant hardiness zones to make sure the money and time spent is worth it. Especially in the south. The southern states can handle most flowers during the spring but die the moment that summer heat comes.

Then you need to know their life distinction – perennials, annuals and biennials. Perennials are plants that live beyond three years with flowers blooming each season. Roses are a good example and roses can be hardy throughout the country. But, the higher north you go, roses can get much bigger, brighter and fuller. Look at Portland’s rose garden and all throughout the northwest.

Azaleas are another good example. In spring they burst with a brilliant purple color for about two weeks then gone until next spring. But they are hardy bushes that create an even,  green look especially against the walls of your house throughout the year.

Annuals are those plants that live, die then seed in one season. In the south bluebonnets are a good example. Beautiful for those three weeks then die and hope those seeds replant the next season, which they do. Other good annuals are marigolds, trumpets and daisies.

The trick with annuals is the sun/shade factor. Most annuals need a good amount of shade. And if those plants are going to last a short time, money is going to be a factor especially when on a budget which this blog is for.

So, the BEST ADVICE for cheap annuals is buy the seeds and plant each year. Planting seeds can make plant designs and little more difficult but is best for the budget.

Biennials are those plants that have a life cycle of two years so some planning is needed for their first and second year blooming. Pansies are the most common type of a biennial flower.

Hope those help. We wanted to give you the tools to best pick your strategy so quit reading and go get dirty for a pretty yard.

Just another ShopRTO Outdoor Decorating tip.

ShopRTO provides consumers home living and decorating tips and rent to own as a shopping option for affordable home furniture and more.

Give your home some new flare at little cost

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cheap home decorating ideas

New flare for little cost.

It’s important to change things up in your home on a regular basis. A new flare for the home can be simple and inexpensive and help keep things fresh. So here’s some tips.

The easiest is greenery. Get a new plant. They’re cheap, easy and healthy for you.

Use knick-knacks. Go to any flea market, garage sale or trinket shop and find some eclectic accessories to place on shelves, desks and counters. Get creative and subtle and watch how they will catch the eye and a smile from your guests. A Jack Skellington figurine sitting on the kitchen window sill is a good example.

How about a frame job. Find something unique and frame it. Especially if it’s personal. Get that favorite rock t-shirt and stretch it over a canvass. Get the pre-made canvasses at Hobby Lobby. They’re cheap and easy and frame it. Or use a burlap sack and paint upon it or have your kids paint on it to personalize further.

Use some wallpaper. It’s in vogue and is cheap especially if you use it as a discreet background of some of your enclosed shelves.

Skirt a table. There are all sorts of possibilities in what patterns and textures you can find then place it over you end tables and it’s a whole new look.

Wrap it up. Take a vase, lamp post, chair legs, etc. and wrap it with some yarn, rope, paper or anything that looks nice and is durable.

Stairway to haven. Add some paint or prints to your stairs and it’s instant and stylish.

Check out wall decals. Just slap them on and it’s instant art and very different.

And for the bathroom? Get a new shower curtain. That is sooo easy but makes all the difference.

These are just a few great and cheap ideas to spruce up the home on the cheap and to keep your home from getting style stale.

Just some more Shop RTO home decorating tips.

ShopRTO provides consumers home living and decorating tips and rent to own as a shopping option for affordable home furniture and more.

 

Springtime is here! Some home decorating tips to spring into action.

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Spring Home decorating

Spring into Decorating for the season.

Now that the spring season is officially here, here’s some home decorating tips to spring into your home. So, where do you start? Let’s see.

Flowers and real plants. Time to got get a bunch of flowers and real plants to liven up the room. Nothing better in a celebration than flowers. And live plants are good for health and home. And it’s time to till the flower beds and vegetable gardens.

Paint your door a different color and make it something bright. That’s a fairly easy task and can make a huge difference. It’s also good for the psyche. Studies show positive change in the daily routine stimulates neurons in the brain making you more happy. Thus changing the color of your front door that is pleasing provokes a happy feeling as it is new and is one of the first things you see when driving up to your home.

Put the candles up for next fall. If you have been a staunch Shop RTO follower then you saw how candles make great winter decorations. It’s not winter so put them away and use the sunlight. Especially now that daylight savings time is here.

Change your bedroom pillow and blanket covers. Make them bright, flowery, colorful, sunny, etc.

And, most of all, hopefully retire that winter coat for awhile and enjoy some warmth and sunshine.

Just another ShopRTO Home Decorating and Outdoor Decorating tip.

ShopRTO provides consumers home living and decorating tips and rent to own as a shopping option for affordable home furniture and more.

4 Easy ways to welcome Spring into your home

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Transition Winter to Spring decor.

Liven up your home this Spring.

Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow this Groundhog Day so that means it’s time to dive in and welcome Spring into your home.

Here are 4 easy ways to transition your home from Winter to Spring.

Add a pop of color. Whether you want to take on a painting project or simply swap out Winter décor for lively colorful Spring décor, a pop of color can really transform a room. Something as small as colorful throw pillows or fruit baskets atop kitchen counters as a centerpiece is really all it takes. Here is this years Spring color palette to help get some inspiration flowing.

Showcase natural light in your home. Now that Winter is out the door, replace your heavy drapes with lighter curtains and let the sunlight fill up your home. Replacing heavier curtains with translucent curtains doesn’t necessarily mean your energy costs will go up. Look for sheer curtains that let light shine through while also providing insulation which will in turn help you save on energy costs.

Bring some of that Spring outdoor greenery inside with an indoor plant or two. Plants are an easy way to add some color into your home and the good news is, you don’t have to have a green thumb to keep an indoor plant thriving. Today Home has a great list of The 15 easiest indoor house plants that won’t die on you.

Toss the smell of Winter, literally. Store or get rid of candles and fragrances that are reminiscent of colder months such as: pine, cinnamon, pumpkin, sugar cookies, you get it. Bring in some floral or light scents like lavender, floral or citrus. If you want to go the extra mile, showcase fresh flowers. Not only will they smell wonderfully but they’ll double as a pop of color in your home.

Go on and transform the interior of your home to match all of the vibrancy that Spring has to offer.

Just another ShopRTO home decorating tip.

ShopRTO provides consumers home living and decorating tips and rent to own as a shopping option for affordable home furniture and more.

Outdoor winter decorations after the holidays

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Outdoor Winter Decorations

Lights make for great Winter decorations.

Holiday decorations are easy for outdoor decorating in the dark, bleak months of Winter but what about post-Christmas? Still need to keep the outdoors as fresh and pleasant as possible especially when the Winter blues are really weighing heavy.

Two of the most prominent themes are evergreen and light. The latest trends have been the winter urns and night lanterns. There are all sorts of winter urn decorations using the combination of evergreen bushes. decorative branches that are laced with pine cones and colored beads.

There are also many different kind of pots and urns to use that can be easily switched out according to seasons. And you can find those at any Lowes or Home Depot.

And for the evening, lights are the best way to brighten up the front of your home and hopefully even your spirit. The lantern cases in the Winter is usually bright colors. Many are white especially in those areas of much snow.

Strands of white lights are always good especially when aligned on a walkway so it looks winter decorative rather than being lazy and never taking down the Christmas lights.

In the south, there are many decorative flowers that are hearty and beautiful. Pansies and violets can be the most vivid. And then there’s sweet pea, honeywort, calendula, sweet alyssum, jasmine and honeysuckle.

But the best of the best outdoor winter decorations are snowmen and, if you’re really good, ice sculptures. But they won’t last that long unless you’re bunking with Santa in the North Pole.

Just another ShopRTO Outdoor and Home Decorating tip.

ShopRTO provides consumers home living and decorating tips and rent to own as a shopping option for affordable home furniture and more.

Christmas Ornaments 4 ways

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Different ways of using Christmas Ornaments

Make use of extra Christmas ornaments

Christmas cheer is all around and if you’re like most of us you may have a deluge of Christmas ornaments that you have acquired over the years. Since there is only so much space on a Christmas tree, you may find yourself with a good amount leftover. If so, we have a few different ways you can make use of all of the extras to decorate your home.

Centerpiece
One of the easiest uses for leftover ornaments is to toss them in a vase or bowl and set them in the center of your dining table, side table or anywhere that could use a festive centerpiece. Try mixing colors and shapes for a unique look.

Wreaths & Garlands
Fasten surplus ornaments to any garland or wreath with floral wire to create your one-of-a-kind front door statement piece. If you don’t already own a wreath or garland for sprucing, you can find them of different sizes and colors along with floral wire at any craft store.

Hung from up top
Another easy way to create a nice focal piece is to string ornaments and hang them from light fixtures or entry ways. You can tie them to directly onto light fixtures or use clear adhesive tape to fasten them to the ceiling, entry way or window frame. Be sure that the tape you’re using securely sticks to the surface as most ornaments are pretty fragile and will most likely shatter if they fall.

Gift wrapping
If you’re willing to part with extra ornaments or want to downsize your collection a great and unique approach to do so is to incorporate them in your gift wrapping. Instead of using the traditional Christmas bow, try a bauble or ornament. The inclusion can easily double as a two-in-one gift making yours extra special.

Now you can fish all the ornaments you might have tucked away and adorn your entire home because if there’s any time to go overboard with festivity it’s now.

Happy Holidays!

Just another ShopRTO home decorating and  holiday tip.

ShopRTO provides consumers home decorating and living tips and promotes rent to own as a shopping option for affordable home furnishings.

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