April 1980

What are the schools teaching your kids about money?

It's not easy these days for people to know how to manage their own money, much less understand the macro-machinations of finance practiced by government and business. Yet it takes a basic comprehension of economics, both personal and general, for anyone to manage money adequately in today's world.

RESTYLE YOUR HOUSE WITH PAINT

You don't have to drive through too many neighborhoods to realize that a good paint job can make a house twice as attractive as the one next door. That big difference in curb appeal-- and resale value-- is seldom a matter of who spends the most money; rather, it's who does the best job of planning.

FRONT YARD Gardening

If you're tired of growing just shrubs and grass in your front yard, why not give that area a facelift? It doesn't take a lot of work to turn a run-of-the-mill entry into a front-rank garden. You can add color with a few well-placed pots of flowers or stretch a whole border of bloom along your driveway with mixed annuals and perennials.

Smoothing the way for fuel economy

The auto makers face a real challenge. Government regulations require that the fuel economy of all their 1985 models must average 27.5 mpg, a boost of almost 38 percent over the 1980 models' mileage. What will the auto makers do to reach that goal? They'll try to trim weight off almost every car component and reduce the friction of every part that moves-- tires to fans to pumps.

Electric cars by the mid-1980s?

Although electric cars have been around since the invention of the automobile, they've never really progressed beyond glorified golf carts. The principal reason these cars have failed to capture the public's interest is that their batteries are heavy and expensive and can power the cars only short distances.

The future of diesels

Thanks to ever-increasing gasoline prices, today's diesel engine options for new cars are in such demand that many potential buyers are being turned away. If you're thinking about buying a diesel-powered car, you should know that they may be even tougher to buy this fall. Instead of more new diesel models, the trend of the last couple of years, there may be fewer for 1981.

Do gas-saving devices work?

In many cases, the answer is "No." The Environmental Protection Agency recently tested about 50 add-on gas-saving devices and substances and found that none saved a significant amount of gas.

Caring for CASUAL FURNITURE

Today's casual furniture is designed for year-round use, indoors and out (see our color story beginning on page 102). But to perform this nonstop service creditably, the furniture must be kept in tip-top condition through regular commonsense care.

Ins and outs of Children's bank accounts

Setting up a bank account for a child can have several advantages, from encouraging systematic savings to teaching cash flow management. Certain kinds of accounts may bring tax savings as well.

Super security lock

Fruit and vegetable "factory"

Slick power cutter

Seed starter for gardeners

Three-in-one bed group

Updating old baths

Need to rejuvenate an aging, outmoded bath? Instead of replacing old walls, windows, and fixtures that are still in good working order, you can redo the room decoratively. Today's easy-care fabrics, washable wallpapers, and simple-to-apply paints are readily available to vitalize lackluster baths with colorful patterns and solids.

Slice-of-space STORAGE

Mix-and-match Gallic table prints

Modern classics

Accessory know-how

Furniture take-aways

Glass houses for plants

Ask Uncle

Gardener's log

Gardening gets into full swing all across the country this month. Unless your area is deluged with those legendary April showers, yard work can fill as much time as you can spare from other duties, for this is one of the busiest months in the gardening calendar.

How to choose central air conditioning

It's predicted that 1.5 million Americans will buy whole-house air conditioning this year. If you're among them, you'll find that deciding which type to buy is more complicated than it used to be. In the old days-- that is, more than five years ago-- you made sure that the equipment you bought was certified to perform as rated, and you got the lowest possible first cost for equipment of acceptable quality.

ELEGANT LACE YOU CAN MARE YOURSELF

For generations, romantically stylized filet crochet has been prized by both lace collectors and talented creators. And today, the vitality of this craft extends far beyond museum shows and curiosity shops. One reason for its resurgence in popularity is its simplicity. The characteristic geometric filet patterns-- actually formed by tiny clusters of stitches on an airy mesh background-- look intricate but they're quite easy to create.

REVIVE AN OLD HOUSE

Fifty years of hard use had taken a heavy toll on this old family bungalow. And as the prospective owners stumbled through the ruins, they had to summon every last bit of imagination to envision what that disaster area could become. But they forged ahead and-- little by little-- replaced bad materials, shifted walls, and eventually put the has-been house on the track for 1980s living. Let's take a look inside.

CASUAL FURNITURE INDOORS & OUT

No longer is casual furniture just an outdoor amenity. It's true that today's casual pieces are perfect for porch, patio, or poolside because of their quality construction, lightweight materials, and superior finishing. But the snappy styling of these new furnishings also makes them ideal for indoor use. When the winter chill sets in, you simply move these portable pieces indoors where they can answer all sorts of needs, from seating to storage.

Making A Small Kitchen WORK BIG

What can you do with a minuscule kitchen? A lot-- and here's proof. These two families began with undersized, underachieving kitchens and turned things around by using ingenious space-saving techniques. Some of them might nudge you to make a lot of your own little kitchen.

Choosing and using cooking wines

Humble cooking wines from your supermarket shelves can give haute cuisine flavor to many foods. Both red and white cooking wines are available, as well as marsala and sherry varieties. They are lower in price and have longer shelf life than table wines.

America's Super State Parks

Scores of state parks across the country have blossomed into super vacation destinations. If you haven't considered these parks in your vacation plans, it's time.

Does your pet have an allergy?

If symptoms like itching, watery eyes, wheezing, and sneezing are making your pet miserable, he may have an allergy. Allergies are being recognized as problems among more and more dogs and cats. And since your pet isn't able to tell you what's bothering him, it's up to you to be aware of allergy symptoms and how to cope with them.

TIPS, TOOLS & TECHNIQUES

This feature is written by you. It's a wide-ranging collection of shop hints, installation tips, and repair shortcuts that you-- along with millions like you-- have picked up from your experience as a do-it-yourselfer. We pay $25 for each problem solver we publish.

Auction lingo

If you're thinking of venturing into the auction market to find collectibles, be sure to familiarize yourself with the basic terms of the trade. For starters, here are some common terms that you're bound to hear at local crafts auctions.

Shopping editor's choice

Discover the ease and pleasure of shopping by mail. Order from the convenience of your own home with complete confidence. If not delighted, each company will happily refund your money.

The Man Next Door

One of our town's wealthier selfmade men says the best way for him to get along with his relatives is to keep them thinking he's broke. I wish I had the same problem-- my challenge is to keep my family thinking I'm solvent.