May 1965

ARE YOU PAYING TOO MUCH IN PROPERTY TAXES ON YOUR HOME?

You may well be, simply because your house was valued too high by the tax assessor. Yet at the same time, you could mistakenly believe your home carries too low a valuation. Sound impossible? Here's how it works.

HOW CAN YOU MAKE THE BEST MORTGAGE DEAL?

The larger your down payment, the less your mortgage cost over the years. Suppose you get a 5½ per cent, 20-year loan for $15,000. In 20 years, you'd pay back $24,763-- or $9,763 in interest. If instead you pay down $5,000, reducing the loan to $10,000, it would cost you $16,500 in 20 years-- or $3,263 less interest than the $15,000 loan.

HOW CAN YOUR TEEN-AGER GET A GOOD SUMMER JOB?

That's not easy this year, with more young people than ever before entering the labor market. But it's still possible if he goes about it the right way. (Community action is one new major source of help; for details, see page 31).

WHICH RETIREMENT ANNUITY IS BEST FOR YOU?

Basically, you have your choice of three types of annuity programs. One guarantees a life income only to you. The second guarantees a life income to you and your wife. The third, while providing a life income to you as "annuitant," also guarantees to return a specified amount of money over a specified period even if you are not alive to collect it.

GOOD NEWS FOR MEN!

Here's a completely new approach to lawn-and-garden care and snow removal.

HOW TO CHOOSE THE GARDEN TOOLS YOU NEED

Buying garden tools in a hit-or-miss fashion results in a hodgepodge of unnecessary tools as well as a storage problem. Here are 18 hand tools which should be the backbone of a good gardener's collection.

FLATIRONS AND BOOTJACKS

Editors' Note: This article is the first of a series on what the author, John Mebane, calls "contemporary collectibles." These are old items that, in the technical sense, are not antiques. Rather, they're items that have historical interest and artistic or decorative value. In most cases, these items are inexpensive enough that collectors of modest means can acquire them-- and they're easy to locate.

FOUND! SUMMER JOBS FOR TEEN-AGERS

It isn't easy for young people to find summer jobs-- and the problem gets tougher all the time. This summer an avalanche of teen-agers will be unleashed on the job market. Youth, energy, ambition they have in abundance. What they lack, obviously, is experience. It's the old dilemma: "If you don't have experience, you can't get a job-- and if you can't get a job, you can't get experience."

HOW TO CHOOSE WOOD PANELING AND FLOORING

At first glance, two different kinds of paneling may seem almost identical in looks and quality though their price tags are leagues apart. Why the difference? Which of the two kinds is the best for you?

THE SMART, NEW LOOK IN OUTDOOR FURNITURE

The selection of new summer furniture is a far cry from the rustic-or-nothing look of not many years ago. In fact, today's outdoor styles will serve handsomely indoors as well.

MORE FOR YOUR TRAVEL DOLLAR!

This summer, take a change-of-pace vacation. Instead of visiting the same spot, head out in a new direction-- whether it's to the ocean, the mountains, or a new fishing lake. Below you'll find a vacation-idea sampler, which we've assembled with the help of the travel industry. For more details, see the coupon and check the ideas that interest you most. Clip and send to: Better Homes & Gardens, Travel Bureau M, Des Moines, Iowa.

HOW IMPORTANT IS LOW MILEAGE WHEN YOU CHOOSE A USED CAR?

The average car is driven about 9,000 miles a year. It might seem safe to assume, then, that a two-year-old car with only 9,000 miles on it will be a good buy. Usually it will be, but a car of the same age with twice the mileage might very well be the better car for you.

AN UP-TO-DATE REPORT ON THE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM

Imagine driving from coast to coast, or Canada to Florida without a stop sign, traffic light, or intersection. The interstate system will make this possible by 1972.

WOOD: WHAT THE NEW FLOORING PANELING AND FURNITURE CAN DO FOR A ROOM!

In the fast-changing world of home furnishings, nothing is newer-- or more exciting-- than one of the oldest of man's building materials: wood. All its age-old attributes-- mellow beauty, workability and durability-- have been improved upon by today's technology. Look what's being done in:

GOOD THINGS ARE HAPPENING TO PREFAB HOUSES

Yes, this is a prefab house, and we present it here to demonstrate that the trend to better design is one of the many good things happening to manufactured houses in 1965. This one, the Manufactured Home of the Year, was built by the Home Manufacturers Association to show just how great a house of this type can be-- and how well high quality and good design adapt to houses built in a factory.

SPECTACULAR COLOR THIS SUMMER!

Here are flowers that thrive when the heat is on-- and give you the long-lasting variety of colors you want in your garden. Another point: they're easy to plant, easy to care for, so your gardening chores will be minimal during the dog days. To enjoy sundrenched color all summer long in your garden-- and in your home-- order seeds of annuals, plants of perennials now-- and plant within 6 weeks.

PLANTS THAT BRIGHTEN THE SHADE

Shady spots in your garden need not be a problem. By "shady" we mean, of course, spots where sunlight is filtered --or where direct sun shines for only a short time, such as on the north side of your house in summer. Some varieties of foliage and flowering plants thrive in shade-- actually prefer it.

THESE ARE TODAY'S DUTCH MASTERPIECES!

Floral ambassador of good will, Dick Schuyt (top left) has delighted European audiences with his exuberant arrangements for twenty years. And recently, in a whirlwind trip through this country, he enthralled florist audiences with the unique style of his colorful compositions.

ALL YOU COULD WANT IN A SMALL LAUNDRY CLOSET

KITCHEN STORAGE--MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE

WHAT'S NEW IN HOME SEWING?

All over the country, interest in home sewing is zooming. Modern know-how has made this once laborious task faster and easier than ever before. Visit an art needlework department or a notions counter soon. See work-saving innovations --from automatic needle threaders to knitting computers.

DO YOU PLAN TO TAKE YOUR DOG ON YOUR NEXT TRIP?

Although most veterinarians free that your pet is better off at home, more and more families are taking their dogs along ... they travel.

HOW TO ORDER PLANS FOR HOUSES AND PROJECTS

You can order a complete set of plans for the house shown in "Good things are happening to prefab houses," page 64. This set includes working drawings, a list of materials to help estimate what it will cost to build, an outline of specifications for workmanship and materials, and points for you to include in your builder-homeowner agreement. Just check the box on the coupon below for House Plan 3505-A and send $15.00 for the complete plan package.

YOUR OWN TOUCH ON SHEETS, PILLOWCASES, AND TOWELS

HOW TO LEAVE YOUR HOUSE WHEN YOU GO ON A LONG TRIP

Begin by notifying the police. Tell them when you're leaving and when you plan to return. Also let them know who is going to care for the house and grounds while you're away.

IS THIS ALL THE WORKSHOP YOU NEED?

WHAT MAKES A GOOD SMALL KITCHEN?

WHAT THAT MEAT INSPECTION STAMP REALLY MEANS

Little but mighty-- that's the U.S. Department of Agriculture inspection stamp you see on the meat and poultry you buy. It's your guarantee that meat and poultry, or foods that contain meat and poultry, have been inspected by USDA and are clean, wholesome, and accurately labeled as they leave the processing plant.

MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE?

Yes! It may be a mouthful to say, especially when it's listed in a recipe along with simple "salt" and "pepper," but monosodium glutamate is also a basic ingredient in good cooking. And its usage goes back to ancient days.

MORE FROM YOUR MUMS

You can fill your garden with glorious color this fall if you take cuttings from your mums or divide them each spring. For compact, heavy-flowering plants, dig out the matted old clumps and replace with vigorous new growth. Start a few extra plants (a mature clump yields 20 or more new ones) of your favorites for gifts or to trade for varieties not in your collection.

HOW SHOULD YOU LIST YOUR HOME WHEN YOU SELL IT?

Exclusive listing wins you preferred attention, but with only one Realtor. Your contract with him assures that you won't make deals with other brokers or try to dodge the commission by selling the house yourself. Once he has that assurance, he'll concentrate effort-- and money-- into selling your home. If an outside broker has a buyer for your home, he must deal through your broker. This is common practice; there is generally an equitable split of the commission between brokers, but at no extra cost to you.

NEW WAYS TO MAKE A VACATION HAPPIER

BACK-SEAT TELEVISION! CORDLESS PHONOGRAPHS! GLOBE-TROTTING RADIOS! AND MUCH, MUCH MORE!

HANDYMAN HOW-TO

... much better sound from ... little transistor radio or ... recorder by plugging it ... a moderate-size external speaker. You can buy five- or six-inch speakers already built ... a beautiful little cabinets that will fit nicely in a bookcase on a table top.

VACATION HIGH SPOTS IN CANADA

Canada-- second largest nation in the world-- offers incredible vacation variety, and the red carpet of welcome is out for visitors all year long. This article describes some Canadian high lights, beginning on the Pacific Coast and including the Rockies, the wilderness lake country, the Thousand Islands, the fascinating cities of Montreal and Quebec, and the maritime province of Nova Scotia.

SHOPPING BY MAIL

Discover the ease of shopping by mail! Order with complete confidence. Each firm will refund your money if you're not thoroughly pleased.

THE MAN NEXT DOOR

In my college days, I harbored a secret ambition to someday become a Famous Man. With that fond hope long behind me, I'm consoled by Christine, who reminds me that no Famous Men ever had my opportunity to spend a balmy spring weekend hauling trash to the dump.