If every year, at the same time, someone broke into your house and stole money from you, how long would it take you to install measures to keep them out? Probably not long. What if the same person broke into your house over and over again all winter long? Can you imagine putting up with that? This may startle you, but this already happens. Every single winter, all winter long, an intruder breaks into your Philly home and steals from you. And you let it happen. Here is what it looks like.

Imagine this. You have a giant jar in your living room. Inside that jar are pennies?thousands of them. But you can't see this jar. It is invisible, and so are the thieves that come to steal the pennies. They come in through your windows almost continually and tip toe into your living room to take a few pennies here and a few pennies there.

At the end of fall they are only taking a small handful, but as winter kicks into gear and the temperatures drop outside, they start bringing in buckets?gleefully digging out money while You'relax on your couch watching television.

At some point, you get a bill in the mail. It is from the company responsible for filling your penny jar each month ? only they?re not asking for pennies. They want hundreds of dollars. You don?t even realize as you look at the bill that if you could keep those thieves from stealing from your penny jar you wouldn?t have to pay the penny company as much to fill the jar up. It would already be mostly filled.

you've probably already pieced things together; even though it is probably a horrible analogy. You're allowing pennies to escape your home in the form of heat. When you lose heat, you have to make more heat to replace it, and the oil company and electric companies will love you for it. They are more than happy to give you more pennies for those robbers to steal.

There isn't much that can add beauty and splendor to your home like sparkling clean windows can. Don?t you just hate it when you think your windows are perfectly clean and, while you are sitting down for coffee and pastry with the girls from work, the sun comes around to shine in your sun room windows only to reveal bunches of messy streaks. It casts a shadow on the whole get-together and is just so embarrassing. Or, what about all of those fingerprints the kids left behind when they rushed to the window to watch the fire trucks scream by. If the light coming in is just right they are easy to miss, but once the sun shines in ? they are all revealed.

The truth is there are so many things that can'taint the view through your windows, and with many cleaning products and paper towels, that streak-free shine is often elusive. So, what is a girl to do? One of the most effective ways to remove streaks and leave windows sparkling clean is to use newspaper and vinegar. Yes, I said newspaper and vinegar.

Let me explain how this works. You can find many great recipes for a vinegar solution to wash windows with. Some require just vinegar and water while others will tell you to use vinegar, water, and a mild soap. Either way, vinegar makes a great cleaner; and when paired with newspaper, the results are flawless. I know It'seems like the ink from the newsprint would actually make windows dirtier, but that?s not the case. The ink will act as an abrasive cleaner but won?t scratch the glass! You do, however, need to be careful not to touch the vinyl surfaces around your windows with the wet newspaper because the ink can come off on that. Anyway, just spray the cleaner on your window and then wipe away with the newspaper using a combination of circular, horizontal, and vertical motions. Wipe until all the cleaner is dried from the window. Then put on your sunglasses to protect your eyes from all that radiant sunlight that will pour into your perfectly clean windows, and stand back and admire the shine.

OK. Immediately, you might be thinking that ?making the season bright? is a term that we only use for Christmas. But brightness isn't just what makes the Christmas season bright, it is also what makes Thanksgiving great. We?re not talking about lights strung everywhere or sparkly decorations; we?re talking about how the sunlight comes in through the windows and warms a family gathering. And we have some ideas on how you can make next year?s Thanksgiving even brighter. Around Thanksgiving, You're going to spend a whole lot more time in your kitchen, right? Well, the first way you can make it brighter, is by adding a garden window in your kitchen. Here are a few Thanksgiving benefits garden windows will provide:

• More light. That is the obvious first one. When you have a new garden window in your kitchen, you are really going to love how it brightens everything up. This makes every task in the kitchen easier on your eyes because it adds more light to see by.

• A spot for festive decor. If you like to put out pumpkins, gourds, ceramic turkeys, baskets filled with plastic food items, cups filled with grain, or other Thanksgiving decorations, that garden window is the perfect place.

• An area to ripen fruit. Your new garden window is the perfect spot to put a bowl of fruit to ripen. That fruit also makes a great decoration, if you don?t keep it there too long.

• More light. Just like that garden window, your new bay window will extrude out from the house and offer a way for more light to come in.

• More warmth. Those bay windows are going to be much larger than your garden window, which means You're going to get more warmth coming in. Warmth isn't so hot if You're sweating in the kitchen, but when You're relaxing around the dining room table, those big bay windows are going to be a treat.

• More space. Your new bay windows will come with some room to put dishes of food or give another area where people can sit and chit chat. If you fill your home with people every Thanksgiving, this can be a big help.

There are a lot of home improvements that can make your home much nicer to live in. If you like to cook, a fully remodeled kitchen may be right up your alley. If you have more than two children, it is always good to have a second bathroom. But improvements like these can cost a lot of money, and often, they do give you a return on that money. Adding a $75,000 kitchen to a $100,000 home is not likely to yield a $75,000 return in value. Here are a few remodeling ideas for 2016 that will not only make your home feel new again, they will also justify the cost by giving you the best value for the money spent.

Bathroom Remodel

When You'replace the tub, toilet, sink, vanity, tile, and fixtures in a bathroom it doesn't just spruce up the place, it adds value to your home's equity. If You're looking for a home improvement project that will give you the most bang for your buck, this is a good way to go.

If You're looking for something to do that will be less expensive than a full remodel, there are some quick things you can do to spice things up and add value. Putting new paper on the walls or laying down a fresh coat of paint can make that bathroom feel fresh and new. Adding a re-glaze to your tub will give it a like-new finish for around $350. And, getting rid of old caulk around the tub with a softener like CAULK-BE-GONE , and laying down some new caulk for a clean, fresh look, is a great idea for very little cash.

Replacement Windows

If You're looking for more convenience, lower energy bills, less sound from passing traffic, and more light getting into your home, window replacements are a perfect investment. Not only will that investment pay for itself over time, it will add to the equity of your home immediately, by making the interior and the exterior of your home more appealing and increasing the feeling of newness. Nothing makes a home feel old like windows that don?t work right or look like they?ve been painted eight times.

Updated Front Entry Door

Another great exterior improvement is a new entry door. According to a 2015 remodeling Impact Report, a new steel front entry door can recover 75% of its cost at resale. Not only will you make most of your money back, you?ll also sell your home faster with an inviting entryway.

Landscaping

According to figures from the American Nursery and Landscape Association, the cost of landscaping can weigh in at a few thousand. But these costs will more than makeup for themselves when you go to sell your home. Landscaping has strong curb appeal and can significantly decrease how long a home'stays on the market.

Vinyl Siding

Outside of a possible business investment, purchasing a house and property is the single most expensive and important commitment one can make. However, the initial purchase of the home is just the beginning. Following the exciting day of ?signing your life away? comes the home maintenance, keeping the house up to date, and paying for that investment.

Often, that purchase involves investing in an older home, sometimes referred to as a ?fixer upper.? Others perhaps built a new home 20 or 30 years ago and have come to realize there are improvements that must be made. Whatever the case may be, there comes a time when conditions call for new windows and doors. The benefits of replacement windows and doors are many. One value of installing new and improved windows and doors may simply involve the aesthetics or enhanced beauty of the home. This results in creating greater curb appeal which gives positive effect to the value and marketability of the home.

Perhaps an even greater benefit than beauty is the energy efficiency that comes with new and improved windows. The cold draft is now gone. The new and improved glass systems retain the heat in the winter and keep it cooler in the summer, making heating and cooling so much easier and more efficient. Installing the new windows and doors gives opportunity to use new sealant and caulking material, offering permanent flexibility against cracking or splitting in even the most extreme weather conditions.

The benefits of energy efficiency have recently led to yet another advantage of replacement windows and doors. As recent as December 2015, President Obama and the United States Congress made way for multi-year extensions of tax incentives for any home improvements that increase energy efficiency. The Window and Door Manufacturers Association as well as the National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association were quick to welcome the passing of this Legislation. Among many provisions approved in this legislation is included the extension of the Energy Efficiency Tax Incentives through 2016. It also extends the tax credit for energy efficient improvements for new home construction as well as existing homes.