Ensure You’re Not Ripped Off During The Christmas Period

Ensure You’re Not Ripped Off During The Christmas Period

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Christmas is known for its lavish spending. It’s quite interesting to reflect on just how the progression of holidays go at this time of year. Thanksgiving as celebrated in the United States is often followed immediately by the Black Friday and Cyber Monday events. An event around gratitude is immediately followed by rampant materialism and trying to get the best deal. Christmas, while wonderful of course, is a grouping of these two attitudes. We appreciate that we have while trying to impress one another with the most expensive or thoughtful gifts. Of course, there’s no need to follow this tradition, but if you’re in a family unit you likely will.

However, even with the progression of spending and gathering items to gift, it’s important to keep aware so you’re not ripped off this holiday season. If there’s anything companies like doing this time of year, it’s marketing hard, and if you’re not careful you can fall for well-choreographed efforts to part you from your money. With these simple tips, only the best purchasing decisions will be made in your household this year. Consider:

Don’t Fall For The Marketing Hype

The marketing hype can often make us all struggle to figure out what might actually be holding value each and every Christmas. Each and every firm offers Christmas specials, secret sales, and mammoth promotions. Or so they would have you believe. It can sometimes be that these promotions, despite the fancy packaging, generally aren’t worth the mediocre savings being offered. It might be that annual subscriptions to services, access to products, and a general range of ‘immediate offers’ sound appealing, but with a little diligence and research, you realize that you might not have considered this purchase outside of the holiday season.

For that reason, trying to prioritize that which you might actually need can help you make these frivolous purchases because you can, not because you are fooled into doing so. This might sound like an insult to your intelligence, but even the smartest people can be susceptible to the emotional excitement of Christmas, and companies know that. They are banking to use it in order to promote themselves. This is why most firms come out with the famous ‘Christmas Advertisement’ each year. By staying wise, taking a little time to verify the value of a purchase, and looking through all of the marketing hype, we might save hundreds in wasted spending this Christmas. This prideful feeling might be the cherry on top for your entire vacation.

Be Careful With Extra Funding

It can be extremely easy to consider taking extra funding in our stride at this time of year. We’re all familiar with how bills can pile up, and how the gifting season can drain our wallets, let alone the other plans you might have. Sometimes you might be cooking Christmas dinner for friends and family, or it might be you have to travel across the country to spend thanksgiving with your parents. Overall, Christmas can be costly, so any boost in our finances is surely looked on with welcoming eyes.

You may consider looking for a quick loan, easy to repay, but one in which you can become paid now and start using soon. After all, Christmas is very close to the current date. This is a perfectly valid thing to do, and many people decide to use one of these loans because they know they’ll be receiving a payday on or after the Christmas period. However, you need to know which payday loans are appropriate and which aren’t. Thankfully, payday loan comparison resources online, as linked previously, can give you a real picture of the quality and reliability of each loan online. Be suspicious of overly long payback dates, interest too high or low, or a provider with very little customer feedback available online. However, if you find a trustworthy option, you might be able to fund your Christmas exactly the way you want without worry.

Stay Patient With Vacation Deals

It can be extremely exciting for some people to consider the vacation deals they might like to take part in. We might consider enjoying a winter wonderland abroad, or in a highly prestigious theme park such as Disneyland. We might hope to visit family, or potentially head on a sporting activity such as Skiing in the Alps now our children have grown. While it can be wonderful to do this before or on Christmas day itself, it can also be extremely cost-efficient to simply wait a month or two before heading out.

Planning a vacation in January will usually mean you are faced with the least populated time in resorts, winter vacation spots, and many official places of stay around the world. This means slashed prices, quicker wait times, and much less of a sense of overpopulation at the busiest times. This means more vacation spending more, more bang for your buck, and perhaps the ability to extend your vacation or upgrade to a nicer accommodation suite. Stay patient with vacation deals. After the new year rolls around, travel agents will be absolutely desperate to sell some of the unsold package deals they have, and accommodations will often be booking rooms for cheap. There’s no reason why you can’t celebrate a ‘second Christmas’ if you’re willing to push this forward a little bit. Just be sure to save your workdays to extend your vacation a little. You’ll be sure to appreciate it in time.

Eating Great Foods

It can be very tempting to head out for Christmas lunch with your family members. We are in no way suggesting you shouldn’t, because who would we be to tell you that? However, if cost-saving is an important factor, it can always be that hosting remains much much cheaper, and purchasing ingredients in wholesale now could help you find food for this event, for the Christmas day itself, and for long-term leftover consumption. To us, that sounds pretty important and wonderful to do, especially for the financially conscious.

With these tips, ensuring you’re not ripped off during the Christmas period should lead to more money in your wallet.

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 TwitterTikTok, or Instagram.

5 Ways to Get Your Health Back on Track

5 Ways to Get Your Health Back on Track

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Letting ourselves get unfit is far easier than you may think. Falling into a routine of unhealthy eating and being idle happens with you realizing it and bad habits form that now you need to break. The only way to put an end to this cycle of self-destruction is to take control and put your health back on track.

Go Through Your Cupboards

The first thing you should do is going through your cupboards. As long as there are unhealthy foods in there you will eat them, and the way to stop yourself is not to have them in your home to start with. No one would ever suggest that you do not have the occasional treat that is not too good, but that is all it should be. In the main, your diet should consist of lots of fruit and vegetables, whole grains and things like nuts and oily fish if you want to get your body back into good condition.

Getting Help For Bad Habits That Make You Unhealthy

There are some bad habits that will contribute to your health and if you are serious about getting healthier you may need to seek help to break them. There is a lot of support available for instance if you want to stop smoking, or you could consider sober living homes for an alcohol problem. You should never be afraid to seek the help you need if the ultimate aim is for you to be both physically and mentally in a better state.

 

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Venture Into The Great Outdoors

Exercise is vitally important for our health and you may well have a gym membership that allows you to use the various pieces of equipment that will help. However, outdoors activities are even more beneficial, as the fresh air is very good for keeping your brain alert.

It could be just a simple walk a few times a week. You could walk part of your journey to work, or wander around in your breaks. Just get outside and let those endorphins get to your brain. They will result in a feel-good factor, which will encourage you to enjoy the outdoors even more.

Let The Sunshine In

As soon as the sun disappears in the winter months some people suffer from Season Affective Disorder, or as it is better known SAD. Whether you are one of the unlucky people or not, whenever there is sunshine in the winter, let it into your home or workplace for a better frame of mind.

It is the vitamin D caused by exposure to the sun that is important, but you can also get that from eating mushrooms, fish, and eggs.

 

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Feel The Goodness

For each step you take, and you may not be able to do them all at once, you will feel an improvement in your health. This will motivate you to carry on and maybe add the next stage of getting healthier. As well as feeling better, there are other benefits you may not notice but other people will.

It will be more pleasant to communicate with you, you will not be as moody or aggressive and will generally be a nicer person to be around.

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.

Telehealth is the New Health Care for Doctors and Therapists

Telehealth is the New Health Care for Doctors and Therapists

What exactly is Telehealth?

It’s just another amazing thing we can do on all our devices. It’s called Telehealth. Imagine getting all your test results in your own portal. What about actually having a virtual doctor’s appointment? Yep, that’s part of telehealth.

Whose Using Telehealth?

Larger practices are using portals for their patients. This portal is your personal file that can be accessed quickly. It’s growing to the level where any of your doctors and specialists have your history right at their fingertips.

Imagine, no more telling every doctor you see your list of allergies and medications. It will be all in your file. Now, I recommend that you still confirm these important things with your doctors each time…mistakes or oversight can happen. But with that said, how convenient is that?

Another very successful use of Telehealth is with mental health. People are using online counseling and therapy to speak with health care providers without leaving their home or office. Kids are using Telehealth counseling after school without missing out on extra curricular activities. It’s providing more convenient hours for doctors and patients.

Get Results

Another cool thing about telehealth, you get access to your lab results. Let’s say you had your annual blood test. You can sign into your portal and get your results at the same time the doctor does. This allows you to go over the results with your doctor while seeing the numbers first-hand.

This future is now. Patients are able to request refills on scripts or have medical equipment ordered. Doctors all over the country are getting on board.

Recap

So, let’s recap, you’re on vacation and have an emergency cross country… Your medical records are just a click away.

You’re too sick to leave home to get to the doctor or you want to speak to a therapist at night… Virtual appointments are possible.

You just want access to your health to be more convenient… Now it can be.

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.

Little Ways To Treat Yourself Before Christmas

Little Ways To Treat Yourself Before Christmas

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December is here, and now the countdown to Christmas is truly underway. With this also means that you’ll likely be in a mad dash to buy tons of gifts for family as well as sort out food and drink for the mob. But did you ever think about giving something back to yourself this Christmas season? There are lots of things you can do during the festive season to help you feel more relaxed and ready to celebrate, and here are just a few of those ways to treat yourself before Christmas comes around.

 

Have a break

 

We are all rushing around at this time of year. Whether it be getting those last sales in at work, making sure we have everything in order or anything else, the last few months of the year are always hectic. To give yourself a chance to reset and refresh it is a good idea to have a little break. You can either have a staycation and do nothing for a few days, or you can go and book a spa weekend with your other half or friends. This can be an awesome way to treat yourself and get rid of all that niggling tension before the festive season.

 

Get some ‘me’ time

 

Sometimes the best thing you can do for yourself is to truly be alone. There aren’t a lot of times in life where you’ll be able to be on your own completely and just enjoy the silence, but we all need this now and again. To make your life a little bit less stressful think about kicking everyone out of the house for an hour or two and just breathe. Enjoy being in your own company and it can really be a treat in itself.

 

Try a new hobby

 

We all need a hobby outside of our work and Home life, and it is a question of what hobby we choose whether we have that release from the rest of our life for a little while. Think for example of trying something totally new. Maybe you’ve always wanted to try yoga… go and book a class! Taking yourself to do something fun and new can be a great gift to yourself and it can help you to find out new things about yourself.

 

Have a shopping spree

 

Retail therapy is something you’ll likely need after buying gifts for everyone in your family, and there’s nothing wrong with buying yourself a gift or two also mug the way during your shopping trips! But let’s take a day out of your diary and spend it shopping in your local city centre. Buy some festive food from the market, walk around and enjoy the sun and just bit whatever you want. We don’t treat ourselves often enough.

 

Treat your body

If you have any insecurities which are making you feel a little bit down, a good idea could actually be to treat them or change them and make yourself feel more confident. For example you could use medical aesthetics to give yourself a little lift or a tuck, you could cut your hair and colour it, or you can simply change your fashion style. Have fun and do something truly for you.

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.

5 Things You Should Never Borrow Money For

5 Things You Should Never Borrow Money For

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There are times when borrowing money is a wise decision. Most people wouldn’t be able to go to university or buy property without a loan. Meanwhile, when it comes to emergencies such as pet treatment or fixing plumbing leaks, loans can also be an option for those that wouldn’t otherwise have the funds.

 

Unfortunately, there are also many times when borrowing money isn’t so wise. Here are just a few examples of things you should never get into debt for.

 

Clothes shopping

 

Personal treats such as clothes aren’t worth getting into debt for – and yet many people are all too willing to go on a shopping spree the moment they get a credit card. As soon as you start having to pay back your debts, you’ll immediately regret spending money on these clothes. Only buy personal treats with your own money so that you feel as if you’ve earnt them.

 

Going on holiday

 

Holidays can cost some families hundreds if not thousands. Few people have this money stashed away, which may make it seem like a suitable time to borrow money. However, a holiday is still a treat and you could similarly regret it afterwards once you start paying back the debt rather than looking back on it fondly. Always try to save up money for holidays rather than paying for them with a loan – look into the best online banks to find the highest interest rates and you may be able to save up more quickly. The only time you may want to borrow money for a holiday is if an emergency comes up and you’ve already paid your deposit and would have otherwise been able to afford it.

 

Funding a gambling habit

 

You should never gamble with borrowed money. If you lose, you’ll have got yourself into debt for no reason at all. Borrowing to fund a gambling habit could be a sign that you can no longer gamble responsibly and that should probably quit gambling altogether. Borrowed money should similarly never be used to fund other bad habits such as smoking, drinking or buying drugs.

 

Taking out a loan for someone else

 

If somebody else asks you to take out a loan for them, it’s probably because their credit score is so low that they can’t get accepted for a loan themselves. A poor credit score is usually the result of not being able to make payments on time – whilst this person may promise to pay back the debt, there’s no guarantee that they will keep to this if they’ve previously struggled with making payments on time. Don’t let other people drag you into debt and potentially ruin your credit score too.

 

Paying off debts with more debts

Taking out a loan to pay off existing debts can be done strategically – you may be able to consolidate lots of small debts with one big loan or you may be able to refinance a debt so that you pay lower interest. However, most people simply aren’t savvy enough to do this and so instead end up getting into a vicious cycle of paying off debts with debts and then trying to pay these debts off with more debts until eventually the overall amount due is huge. You’re best only paying off debts with loans under the guidance of a debt advisor.

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.

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