Category Steward

Smiling real estate agent with a for sale sign in front of a house.

Homebuyers Trying to Compete With…

Sep 14, 20265 min read

Twenty-seven percent of existing-home sales in August 2026 closed as all-cash transactions,…

Vibrant orange pumpkin and yellow gourds on stone path, highlighting autumn harvest theme.

Families Heading to the Pumpkin…

Sep 14, 20264 min read

Illinois grows roughly a third of the nation’s pumpkin supply, and its…

a patio with a table, chairs and a bench

Homeowners Sitting on an Unused…

Sep 14, 20265 min read

A backyard that’s done nothing but grow weeds for a decade is…

man in yellow shirt and blue denim jeans standing on white concrete building during daytime

Homeowners Who Assume Their Exterior…

Sep 14, 20265 min read

Premium exterior paint lines get marketed around a decade of protection, and…

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Anyone Planning to Lock In…

Sep 14, 20263 min read

Anyone hoping to lock in a mortgage this week just got hit…

a living room filled with furniture and a wooden floor

Homeowners Who Heat With Electricity…

Sep 14, 20263 min read

The U.S. Energy Information Administration has run the numbers on what households…

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Homebuyers Who’ve Felt Priced Out…

Sep 14, 20263 min read

Home shoppers who spent the last few years getting outbid, ghosted, or…

brown and white concrete house near green trees under blue sky during daytime

Average Home Equity Line of…

Sep 12, 20263 min read

If you’ve tapped your home’s equity for a renovation, a kid’s tuition,…

Grandfather and grandchildren prepare food in kitchen

FEMA’s Entire National Preparedness Month…

Sep 12, 20265 min read

Every September, the Federal Emergency Management Agency spends the month trying to…

woman in black tank top drinking water

EPA Just Proposed Rolling Back…

Sep 12, 20265 min read

The Environmental Protection Agency spent 2024 telling Americans it was finally cracking…

About Me
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Madison Cates

Mom, Wife, Minimalist.

Join me in my journey to declutter my life and live a simply beautiful life.

Gallery

Retired ER nurse explains the 5 second rule that keeps a home with three teenage boys organized
Home organizer's video cover next to a stack of books on a table, about her husband decluttering their house
A reseller in a thrift store on a reel cover beside a stock photo of a vintage lamp on old books, for the story of banker lamps and brass decor thrift finds
A free home decluttering plan video cover beside a stock photo of a bright, tidy living room.
A shopper holding estate sale finds, beside a stock photo of vintage kitchen and collectible items on shelves.
A tidy closet with clothes hanging neatly on a rack beside a pile of folded shirts.
Four colorful pens lie on a sheet of lined paper.
A pair of hands holds a small pile of silver coins.
Rows of glass storage jars filled with flour, lentils, grains and other dry goods on a white pantry shelf.