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S.I. Pool Continued from Page 4
The Ultimate Cover by Merlin Industries. Its high-tech fabric weave allows water to pass through while blocking sunlight and filtering debris up to 40 microns. Without sunlight, algae won’t grow, so you’ll open your pool to cleaner water in the spring, maintain your pool with greater ease, spend less on chemicals and extend its life. Finally, a customdesigned cover is also safer and provides better protection because it’s made to fit the steps, angles and unique configurations of your indi-
Design Loft Continued from Page 5
while!” You will want to experience the new jar and pillar candles from Best’s newest fragrance line featuring scents such as Faith, Gentleman’s Quarters, Bordeaux Blanc, Humidor and Crème Brule. Special-edition fall scents include Rumtopf, Raisin Spice Tea, Sandalwood Teak and Cranberry Spice, along with a beautifully wrapped sampler set. What can you expect in the fall preview? Believe it or not, cooler temperatures are just a few weeks away, when we begin to think about fall decorating. You will be surprised at how easy it is to give your home a “fall feel” by incorporating fall color pics and other fall items into your existing greenery and floral arrangements. Tweak your mantel with a few new items such as artichokes, pumpkin10
C R E A T I V E
Laptop-buying tips will save you money
JUST IN TIME FOR FALL Buy a new pool cover and liner by Sept. 1, 2012, and get $100 off.
vidual pool. Plus, Merlin safety covers feature a strapand-anchor system so installation and removal are easy using a specially designed tool. S.I. Pool Care is located at 3145 Dixie Highway in Erlanger. Their summer hours are Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Sunday. Call 859-331-4410 or 513-394-6260 for more information. Or visit www.sipoolcare.com. colored dahlias, various warm hydrangeas and cinnamon cosmos, along with acorn glass ornaments, buckeyes, sorghum balls and mininuts. Use a piece of your lovely glassware to showcase some of these items along with fall pomegranate or fall magnolia leaf. The possibilities are endless when you have exactly what you need at your fingertips. Add a bit of eye-catching fall ribbon such as Woodland Plaid. Visit the Best Furniture website at www.bestfurnituregallery.com. Like us and Share us on Facebook to receive regular updates and photos of new merchandise throughout the store. Best Furniture Gallery is open Monday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. They are closed Sunday to be with family. They’re at 1123 South Fort Thomas Ave. in the Midway District of Fort Thomas, Ky. L I V I N G
Remember when backto-school shopping meant different needs for different age groups? Elementary school kids needed pencils and notebooks, middle-schoolers picked up protractors and compasses, and high school and college students headed back to school with high-powered calculators. These days, students of virtually every age have one need in common: a laptop. While many toddlers are using computers to play educational games, once kids reach school, the computer becomes an essential learning tool. If you’ll be looking for a student laptop, the shopping experts at FatWallet.com offer these tips to help you meet your budget: » Choose the right size and weight for your student. Your student’s laptop should be light and easy to carry in a backpack, but still large enough for a variety of uses. Models that are 15.6 inches or 17.3 inches provide big enough screens for work and study, while still weighing in the very portable 5- to 7-pound range. » Any laptop with 250GB hard drive and 4GB DDR Ram is standard on today’s models and more than adequate for school use. Choose a hard drive with 7,200 RPM to increase performance cost effectively. If your student finds out that he or she needs additional memory, adding it is an easy, cost-effective, do-ityourself upgrade. » Today’s student will use their laptop for many
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Your student’s school ID could score you extra savings from many of the major computer makers and software brands. ARACONTENT PHOTO
graphic-intensive applications, like high-definition video streaming and light 2D gaming. Almost all newer laptops, even models with integrated graphics, have plenty of power for both. Unless gaming is the goal, you can save between $100 to $200 by opting out of the dedicated graphics card. » Be confident of battery power. Most dualand quad-core laptops provide ample battery power for students’ daily activities without the need to lug a power cord along. And since students tend to use iPods or smartphones for email, listening to music and other simple functions, they’ll use less of their laptop’s battery power. Four- to six-cell lithiumion batteries are standard and very efficient. » Don’t fall for upsells. You can save money on the initial purchase by opting out of bundled anti-virus protection, extended warranties or Word/Office Suite. You can find free, high-qual-
ity anti-virus and officeproductivity software online. And you may get a longer warranty if you buy directly from the brand versus a box store. Most defects will show up before the original warranty expires, so an extended warranty isn’t necessary. » Be a diligent discount hunter. Your student’s school ID could score you extra savings from many of the major computer makers and software brands, like Apple, HP, Dell, Lenovo, Microsoft, Adobe and Sony. » Buy with a credit card. Using a credit card for your laptop purchase offers you all the consumer protections associated with credit card use, plus some card companies, like Visa or American Express, will automatically extend your warranty an extra year. With a little planning and research you can purchase a laptop with confidence.
August 16, 2012
– ARAContent
Kentucky