Memorial Day BBQ? 8 Money-Saving Tricks (Sponsored)

Who’s NOT planning a BBQ this weekend? If the weather holds and you’ve got propane or charcoal, chances are, you’re grilling something with your friends and family. Here are new ideas for keeping your costs down. Sponsored by Home Depot.

Here at Patch, we like to be thrifty, so we talked to two barbecue experts and uncovered some really good ideas to help you save money on your next outdoor party.   1. Start with a marinade. This means planning ahead—say, Friday. But it’s worth it, says Rick Browne, host of Barbecue America on PBS, because you can pass up that well-marbled rib eye steak and buy a less tender and less expensive choice to grill like a flank steak or chuck steak. Just marinate it or brine for one or two days and then cook long and slow on the barbecue grill to break down tissues but maintain moisture. “You need to include an acid in the marinade, perhaps juice, vinegar or soy sauce, but avoid cola which is so acidic it can turn meat into a soggy mess.” Try …

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When You Need to Paint the House (Sponsored)

Everything you need to know about painting your house: stripping, powerwashing, fixing damaged wood and choosing paint colors. Sponsored by Home Depot.

It’s that time of year again and you’re outside, enjoying your yard. Then you start nosing around—maybe you’re inspecting your plants, or reviewing the condition of your lawn or setting up your sprinklers—and before you know it, reality hits. You need to paint the house.    A daunting task. An expensive task. A necessary task—because it's not just about how your house looks, it's about your home's value. Neglect is not an option. Take heart, however. Information and resources have never been more easily available to help you through this project. Know Your Options Your options are to either hire a contractor or paint it yourself. Hiring a contractor is an expensive option, but if it's in your budget and you do the necessary research to …

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Visions for Vacancies

What Should Go Here? Palmer Towne Center

One of many storefront are open in the Palmer Township shopping center where Giant and Home Depot are located.

Go to the Palmer Towne Center in Palmer Township and you'll often see a familiar site: Storefront vacancies. There are several. And with a shopping center anchored by Giant Food Store, Marshall's and Home Depot, the empty storefronts are littered throughout the retail area. There are probably at least four. Palmer/Forks Patch.com recently visited the shopping center and shot one of the storefronts for our Visions for Vacancies series. So what do you think should fill this empty space? Please leave your comments below.

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Now Hiring: Home Depot's 4 Lehigh Valley Stores

Nationwide, Home Depot is hiring 80,000 seasonal workers and that includes jobs at four Lehigh Valley stores.

Home Depot is filling more than 80,000 seasonal positions to assist customers during the company's busiest selling season. This year, the home improvement retailer is hiring 10,000 more spring associates than it did last year to support anticipated sales growth. The nationwide hiring surge includes jobs at Home Depot's four Lehigh Valley stores: Job opportunities range from part time to full time and are available on a market-by-market basis based on individual store needs and geographical variance in climate. Job seekers can begin applying online now at http://www.careers.homedepot.com/. For those returning military and veterans who are interested in a position, The Home Depot recently launched its Online Military Skills Translator, a new…

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Palmer Home Depot Helps Miracle League

"Team Depot" members painted interior of family center building at event Saturday at Miracle League Field.

It takes teamwork. Like any good team, the actions of your teammates dictate whether you win or lose and how you play the game. "Team Depot" -- volunteers from the Home Depot in Palmer Township -- certainly made their pitch Saturday, helping out at an event to benefit the new Miracle League field that's being built. For eight hours, volunteers helped paint the interior of the Family Center being constructed for the field at the Charles Chrin Community Center. The field is expected to be ready for a Sept. 9 grand opening. The building was recently constructed using materials from Home Depot at discounted pricing. Behr Paints donated the paint for the project. The Miracle League of Northampton County was founded in October 2010. It's one of …

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The Brunette Lucy

'I Don't Think So, Tim'

A tool-shopping trip is like catnip for my husband.

Do you remember a popular television show that ran in the '90s called “Home Improvement?” Tim Allen's character (Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor) was a home improvement television show host who was fond of grunting like a pig when he was in the presence of power tools. He also bumbled almost every project he laid his hands on. He'd often invite his sidekick, Al, to help him do something foolish, causing Al to say, “I don't think so, Tim” on a somewhat regular basis. Many people watched the show and laughed, not realizing how accurate Tim's portrayal of a man (and possibly some women) was, especially where home improvement is involved. I was reminded of it when Matt decided to tile our kitchen floor. Normally, going shopping with him is as …

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