September 1971

Is now a good time to pay off your mortgage?

You can probably put the money to better use in some other way. There are two key questions, though: (1) Does the interest you save by paying off the debt give you the best return for your money? (2) Will the costs of prepaying make your savings insignificant in the long run?

How good are your rights as a credit card holder?

Better than ever. Thanks to a recent amendment to the Truth-in-Lending Act, your chances for financial loss through misuse of a card are minimal now.

Six trick ways to save

Though it's not easy to put money aside these days, there are a number of devices that help you pile up extra cash. Try these, then see what other schemes your family can come up with. All the techniques take some discipline, but they can be interesting, too. And they could mean an extra few hundred dollars a year.

The housing squeeze

A serious gap has developed in the housing market over the past several months and most middle-income families are feeling the effects. Plainly it's much too difficult for families of ordinary incomes to get the house they want. Perhaps you've been feeling the squeeze. Young families --especially those looking for their first home-- run into roadblocks thrown at them by all segments of the industry.

GOOD NEWS

Build a redwood deck in a matter of hours. You don't have to be much of a carpenter because preassembled units fit together like giant tiles.

Hop aboard an excursion train

As a means of getting from one place to another, the railroad passenger train is fast disappearing from the American scene.

How do you rate your child's school

The yardsticks used by educators to rate a school offer little help to parents. For instance, how enlightening is it to you that $11 per student is spent yearly on learning materials? Or that the library contains 12 books per youngster? Or that 53 professionals are employed by the school district for every 1000 children enrolled?

How to get the best deal on your next new car

If you're in the market for a new car, it will pay you to shop around. Before you make the tour of dealer showrooms, do some preliminary research at home or at your local library. Read several magazine articles and reports on the current automobiles. This will provide information on performance, types, options and, to some extent, prices.

INDUSTRIAL POLLUTION: THE HIGH COST OF PROSPERITY

Since the beginning of the industrial revolution, smoking chimneys have meant money in the pockets of millions of U. S. workers. Contaminated beaches, stinking air and dying rivers are but products of man's new affluence.

THE TEN MOST COMMON MISTAKES IN BUYING A HOUSE

A house is the most important purchase most families ever make. Yet many people go house hunting in a remarkably casual way-- and sometimes end up making costly mistakes.

FOUR GOOD NO-NONSENSE HOUSES

The typical builder house has shown little improvement in the last 20 years. Instead of concentrating on new designs geared to new ways of living, many builders are simply relying on new ways to sell the same old housing.

CARPETING AND RUGS: How to choose what's best for your home

With so many fibers, colors, patterns and textures available, how do you select the best carpet for your home? There's no quick-and-easy, foolproof method. You must shop around and carefully evaluate carpet on five basic points: appearance, durability, resilience, soil-resistance and upkeep.

LANDSCAPING a little at a time

To most people, landscaping implies an ambitious and expensive undertaking-- something they'd like to do "someday." If you've been putting off improvements your house and property sorely need, here's how to get the show on the road. Break up the job into easy pieces, to fit your needs, budget and schedule. To establish priorities, look over these six pages of before-and-after ideas. Do what you can now, enjoy it, then move on to other jobs gradually. Bit by bit, you'll shape up your surroundings to suit you-- and that's what landscaping is all about.

BAZAAR: DOZENS OF INGENIOUS THINGS TO MAKE AND BAKE

This is the place to shop for ideas whether you're holding a bazaar for your favorite organization or just thinking ahead about gifts. You'll find plenty of easy, inexpensive designs to choose from and complete how- to help starting on page 102.

How to order material from the magazine

HOUSE PLANTS

HOME BUILDING IDEAS (Fall/Winter 1971-72)

HOME IMPROVEMENT IDEAS (Fall/Winter 1971-72)

Shopping editor's choice

Discover the fun and convenience of shopping by mail! You can order with complete confidence any of the items shown: each company will refund your money if you're not delighted.

The man next door

Sometimes I think my generation has been denied the right to self-expression. When we were young, we had to respect the older generation. Now we're told we should be listening to the younger one.