Category Archives: ORGANIC HEALTH & HOME

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Saving Money On Big Life Decisions

Saving Money On Big Life Decisions

As we get older, and the responsibility piles on, we can often find we are spending out left, right and centre. Money worries are a significant cause of stress, and with many people less able to save on a weekly or monthly basis, it pays to get smart about what you buy.

Weddings, new babies, moving house, decorating and buying a car are all heavy hitters in terms of big spending. Maybe you have to relocate for a new job and need to view cheap apartments in Austin online. Or you need to move everything you own overseas. Any of these things can be overwhelming yet truly exciting. So how do you spend less and still enjoy those things?

Here are a few tips for you!

Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash

Weddings

If you have been dreaming of a perfect wedding, for years, you don’t need to cast that aside just yet. Think about what you non-negotiables are. What is it you have to have without question. Is it the dress? What about the cake? Flowers perhaps? Sometimes the pinch really comes when the guest list keeps getting longer and longer.

If something doesn’t make the non-negotiable list, then those are places that you can safely cut back. Not everyone wants to spend so much on flowers when a small wild bunch looks beautiful.

Call in favours from friends and family to help you decorate the venue yourself, and do other things in the early stages like:

  • Design and print your own invitations, or create a free website for people to RSVP
  • Hand make the favours
  • Skip the DJ and create your own playlist, and use a simple Sono style speaker
  • Put a down payment on your dress as early as possible, so that you won’t need to pay too much of a lump sum later on.
  • Same with the venue
  • Always get insurance for your wedding. That way, if something does go wrong, you won’t lose a penny.

It is easy to get caught up in color schemes and taffeta, but try to remember that a wedding is about you and the person you love. The rest is just the trimmings.

Car

Buying a new car is out of most people’s reach. You can, of course, opt to go down the finance route, and that does come with a lot of perks. But in the end, you are still going to be spending a premium for those four wheels. Before you start working out what % deal you can get, consider buying a used car instead.

They have a few miles on the clock, sure, but they have also (in most cases) been well looked after. New cars do have that ‘new car smell’, but a second-hand vehicle has a whole personality of its own. They’re usually cheap enough to buy outright, you are free to haggle on the price if you want it even, and depending on the age they are cheaper to insure.

When you make the decision to buy a used car, don’t just buy the first one you see. If you have the time to visit a few and fit in some test drives, then try to do that. You’ll quickly learn if a car is for you or not. If you aren’t very great with cars, then try to bring someone along with you who is. They will be able to do some checks on the overall health of the vehicle and guide you n the right direction in terms of price.

Moving House

If you aren’t moving too far, then you have the luxury of calling in friends and family, hiring a van and doing most of the leg work yourself. When you are thinking about moving out of state or even to a new country, the logistics get a bit trickier.

The best place to start is by having a good clear-out. Get rid of things you don’t love, need, or use. That might be a lot more than you think. Starting with your clothing works really well. If you need the inspiration to get your clothing sorted, or the rest of the house for that matter, then check out Marie Kondo. She has excellent tips about how to really clear your space of clutter. Donate what is good enough to be used again, sell what you can, and try to streamline what you’re taking.

Consider hiring a moving van yourself. It’s a lot cheaper than having a whole moving team doing it for you. And, while yes, you’ll need to do the heavy work yourself – you’re going to be saving big bucks. The size of van will obviously depend on what you are bringing with you, so really give everything a lot of thought.

Redecorating

Before you rush out to the DIY store, start cleaning and getting rid of stuff too. Much like moving, it will make the whole thing much smoother. Once you have gotten rid of the clutter, and given the place an excellent clean, consider this – do you want to redecorate, or do you just want a fresh feel?

Paint isn’t too expensive, and if you then focus on moving the furniture around instead of replacing things, you’ll get a ‘new’ looking space at a fraction of the cost. If you want to pick up smaller items, like vases, candles holders and even pieces of art for the walls, they are also cheap alternatives to a full redecorating project.

Don’t forget about redecorating the exterior either! You’ll need to wash down your concrete, exterior walls, and your lawn. Check out sites like http://vikingconcretellc.com/ if you don’t have access to a pressure washer of your own. Then, break out some hard wearing paint! 

30 Day Rule

Unless you have to buy something immediately, start putting yourself on a timer. If you see something you want, instead of instantly buying it, make yourself wait 30 days. Then, if you still really want the item at the end of those 30 days go and get it. Often we make hasty decisions when it comes to making purchases. During the 30 day wait, you will think about your finances more, and do you really need it? More often than not, we won’t go back a month after to get something. Impulse buying always costs more in the long run. From dresses, you’re ‘saving’ and never wear, to the coffee machine that ends up gathering dust on the side.

Always give your finances the once over before making big decisions, and give yourself plenty of time to find alternatives too.

​Tia and TipsfromTia.com are trying to keep you looking good and
feeling good from the inside out. If you’ve got a problem or a tip, email me! Be sure to Like and share on Facebook or Follow on Twitter, TikTok, or Instagram.

ORGANIC HEALTH & HOME

Mini Cranes For Small Spaces

Mini Cranes For Small Spaces

https://pixabay.com/vectors/crane-industrial-silhouette-4162288/

When working in construction there is a huge selection of different tools you will need to utilise on a daily basis. This ranges from those as small as a hammer to something as huge as a crane.

When it comes to big and expensive equipment, most companies tend to hire these out rather than buying them for themselves. After all, the cost of purchasing a crane would be monumental. And there is not just one mere crane to suit all purposes. There is a huge selection of various cranes; differing in size, the weight they can lift, and the environment they are suited to. Bearing all of this in mind, hiring seems to be the only solution! However, it’s not. A lot of people overlook the option of going to auction. Look for an auction firm near me and you will find a different option for you.

When hiring or buying a crane a lot of people find difficulty when they are working in small spaces. They need a crane for their business that’s flexible and can operate in tight areas. If this sounds like the sort of thing you need then you should be looking for a mini crane. A mini crane is a lot smaller in size. It has the ability to operate in multi areas. Because of this, it can handle an array of what would otherwise be tricky tasks. You see this type of crane used in the likes of refurbishment a lot. This is because it is great for lifting things inside of buildings. After all, not all cranes soar into the sky and possess that domineering figure people so often seen when they are driving along the road or the motorway. There are actually scaled down cranes, such as this one, that are more suited to specific work.

Aside from being able to work in small spaces, another advantage associated with a mini crane is the fact that they are dual powered. This means that you can operate them via electricity, diesel and sometimes even gas too. This is a great feature because you can choose to power the crane based on the work you are doing. For instance, if you are working indoors then the electric option is beneficial because little sound is created. Not only this, but it is also worth noting how easy these cranes are to move around too. They are small in size and therefore it is easy for them to be transported from site to site. This is in direct contrast to the bigger and bulkier cranes most people are used to.

You can hire or buy mini cranes via an array of different companies. If you are still unsure regarding whether the mini crane is the solution for you, then simply talk to a representative from one of these hire companies and they will be able to point you in the right direction. Nonetheless, if you are looking to work indoors or in small spaces, then this is likely to be the solution for you. Mini cranes have the ability to get into areas that all other cranes find impossible and their dual power feature allows them to work in all environments too – meaning the possibilities are vast.

Tia, and TipsfromTia.com  is trying to keep you looking good and
feeling good, from the inside out. If you’ve got a problem or a tip email me! Be sure to Like and share on Facebook or Follow on Twitter or Instagram.

FOR THE GUYS, ORGANIC HEALTH & HOME

Top 5 Garage Organization Tips

Top 5 Garage Organization Tips

So your wife is yelling at you that there is no space in the garage to park her car? We have all been there. The US Department of Energy says that one-fourth of homeowners in the United States who have two-car garages don’t have space to park their cars in the garage.

Once things start piling up in the garage, sorting them and making space seems like a task, especially if you have to sacrifice your weekend doing so.

We have shared below 5 top garage organization tips to help you organize your garage better and create space in it.

1. Make a plan

If we go traveling somewhere, the first thing that we do is we make a plan. If we go shopping, we generally make a shopping list. Organizing your garage should get the same treatment. Make a plan. Create a list of the items that you have in your garage and how you want to organize it. Allocate different days in the month to tackle one small step or type of item at a time. This will help you to reduce overwhelm and get the task done easily.

2. Focus on increasing storage

There are many ways to increase the storage area of your garage. We try to fill up everything in the existing floor space. A simple way to increase the space in your garage is to use the walls. You can set up shelves, hooks, and panels around your wall so that you can easily store your things on the wall rather than on the floor. You can use this DIY overhead garage storage pulley system resource to create space on the walls and store your things.

3. Make an inventory

When you make an inventory of all the things that are there in your garage, you can organize them more efficiently. You can discard the things that you don’t want or need. You can store the things that you use rarely in an overhead storage system. You can hang things that you use frequently on your wall or the door. You can even have a garage sale of the things you don’t need and make some money.

4. Designate spaces for kids toys or bikes

Sometimes, the issue is not with your things but rather with the toys or bikes of your kids. Kids generally don’t keep things in place, especially if they are late for dinner after a bike ride. Designate a parking spot for your kid’s bikes. You can either use bike hooks or activity organizers to get the bikes off the floor and on the walls.

5. Space of shoes and coats

Shoes and coats bring in dirt and mud when you drive in or walk into your garage. It makes sense to keep a designated space to remove shoes or coats when you enter the garage. This makes the garage cleaner and easier to maintain. You can also consider buying a small and compact vacuum cleaner to quickly clean up any dirt.

Tia, and TipsfromTia.com  is trying to keep you looking good and
feeling good, from the inside out. If you’ve got a problem or a tip email me! Be sure to Like and share on Facebook or Follow on Twitter or Instagram.

About Steve Wells

Steve Wells is a garage enthusiast and writes at Garage Gear Guide. He loves to tinker with stuff in his garage and has a quest for DIY activities.

ORGANIC HEALTH & HOME

How To Reduce Stress In Your Life

How To Reduce Stress In Your Life

Image by 1388843 from Pixabay

Your emotional wellbeing is just as important as your physical health, and it’s vital to take care of yourself mentally. There are a number of things which can your affect emotional health negatively, from being unhappy in your job and working too much to getting married, moving house and suffering from a traumatic event like a car accident or death of a loved one. So, apart from avoiding life in general and trying to steer clear of any significant events – what else can you do to keep your stress levels at bay?

It’s time to take a look at how you can treat yourself spiritually, emotionally and physically. There are supplements like kratom at https://konakratom.com/shop/ or vitamins like zinc or a B Complex that can be an anti-stressor. Talking to your doctor about medicines or natural supplements might be an additional route needed to combat stress, but first implement these key practices into your daily life to start feeling improvement faster.

Meditate

Mediation used to be seen as something that only hippies and Buddhists, however today because of the stresses that modern day living brings, practising meditation has never been more popular. Thanks to technology and apps, it’s never been easier to meditate either, as you can find guided meditations on youtube or there are specific apps for it. Take a look at Headspace or Calm, and within those you will find short or long meditations, to help you to keep calm, to help with anxiety, focus, personal growth or to help you sleep better. Even if you take five minutes on the bus on your way to work to meditate, it can genuinely help your stress levels and help you to deal with what the day will bring. Give it a go and see if it works for you.

Breathe

Breathing exercises can really help you to relax. There are also a lot of breathing exercises you can do so you can have a look and see which one feels right for you. It’s similar to meditating as you need to try and clear your head and just focus on your breathing, and that’s all. If you don’t manage to fit in time to do this consciously, just remember next time you’re feeling stressed how much breathing can help you. Take a moment, go and find somewhere quiet and just breathe. You will feel better and calmer almost instantly.

Write Things Down

People often claim they are stressed because they just don’t have time to get everything done. However, you will often find that the more you do, the more you can do. Try to make time to write your thoughts and feelings down. Almost like a journal. It can really help for you to get some focus and clarity of what you’re doing, what you need to do, what you want from life, and what your goals are.

Think Positively

Positively talk to yourself. Be aware of your own thoughts, and if you catch yourself talking down to yourself or negatively thinking about yourself, then stop, take a minute and re-think. Change your thoughts and think more positively. The more you do this, the better you will feel.

Get Fit

Exercising is one of the best tools for beating stress. Many people find it therapeutic, and it’s for many reasons. First off, there is the time to yourself, which helps you to get your head clear about things that are stressing you out. Then after that, there are the endorphins which your body releases when you exercise, these are the chemicals in your body which make you feel happy. Next, there’s the bonus of getting fit and healthier, feeling great, looking great and maybe even losing weight. Finally, there’s a sense of achievement. Exercise is great for setting goals and achieving them. If you’re already fit and a great runner there is always something else you can work towards or always something you could improve on. The challenges are endless. If you’re a total beginner then the sense of achievement when you realise you can run for just five minutes without stopping, you move up on the weights in the gym, get faster at swimming or can finally touch your toes in Yoga – you will feel amazing.

Eat Well

This goes hand in hand with exercising, but it is also another essential ingredient for managing stress. Food which can help include brazil nuts which are high in selenium and selenium is said to improve mood as it reduces inflammation. Then there’s fatty fish, like salmon, mackerel, sardines, trout, and herring, which are all high in omega-3, which is good for your mental health. Also, try to include a lot of vitamin D in your diet as vitamin D deficiency is being increasingly linked to mood disorders, such as depression and anxiety – eggs are a great source of vitamin D.

Talk About Your Feelings

A problem shared is a problem halved. If you’re stressed about something, tell someone. You never know what useful advice they could give you, they may even be able to solve your problem for you, you just never know until you speak out and share your feelings. Also if there’s nothing they can do for you, just listening is sometimes all you need, or just talking to someone and getting what’s going on in your head out in the open can make you feel instantly better about what’s going on.

Delegate

If you have got too much on or there is something big in your life, then don’t take it all on yourself, ask people to help you. It shouldn’t all be on your shoulders, so share the load. Sometimes others just don’t realise that you’re struggling but if you let them know they would be more than happy to take some jobs off you and help you out. Similarly, if you need professional help, then get it. Don’t be afraid to go for it, don’t be ashamed and try to deal with everything on your own. Whether you need a cleaner in to help you out at home to take one job off your mind or you need to go and see a counsellor to help you deal with issues, then go for it. So many people do it, and it’s what these professions are there for.


Tia, and TipsfromTia.com  is trying to keep you looking good and
feeling good, from the inside out. If you’ve got a problem or a tip email me! Be sure to Like and share on Facebook or Follow on Twitter or Instagram.