Great Ideas for $1,000: Home, Travel, Gifts & Fitness
Maybe you received a bonus at work, got lucky on a scratch-off lottery ticket or--unlike many disappointed taxpayers this season--you scored a sizable tax refund. If you have a grand to spare, we have recommendations on ways to spend it, including buying travel upgrades, creating a smarter home, making a difference for local schoolkids and much more.
Home: Get Organized
If Netflix's Tidying Up With Marie Kondo inspired you to cull your possessions, consider hiring a KonMari consultant to teach you how to determine which items "spark joy" and are worth keeping. A professional organizer can also help you set up a filing system or prepare you to move or sell your home. You can find a professional organizer at Napo.net or a certified KonMari consultant at Konmari.com. The cost will vary based on your location, the organizer's experience and the scope of your project, but most organizers charge $30 to $80 an hour, according to Costhelper.com. They may also charge by the day or project. KonMari consultants generally charge $60 to $150 an hour, but some offer discounts for multi-session packages.
Home: Make Your Home Smarter
Control your home--from the front door to the temperature--with a tap of your smartphone or a voice command by installing smart-home devices. Start with a smart speaker such as Amazon Echo ($100) or Google Home ($130) and a smart thermostat. For the thermostat, we like Ecobee 3 Lite ($170) for Amazon Echo users and Nest Learning thermostat ($250) for Google Home users. For either system, smart plugs, such as the Belkin Wemo Mini ($35 each), turn household items that plug into electrical outlets into smarter versions that can be controlled with your smartphone, tablet or smart speaker. The Philips Hue White Starter Kit ($100 for a kit with four bulbs and a bridge that acts as a translator between the bulbs and your Wi-Fi network) will allow you to turn lights on and off using your voice or a smart device. Extra bulbs usually run $15 to $40 each. To control access to your home and monitor what's going on outside your door, add
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