All posts by Tia

ORGANIC HEALTH & HOME

3 Mistakes To Avoid When Building Your Own Home

3 Mistakes To Avoid When Building Your Own Home

Buying a house can be so frustrating, especially if you just can’t find a place that ticks all of your boxes. Usually,  you will have to make some sacrifices, but you have to draw a line somewhere because you don’t want to buy a house that you don’t like living in. But what can you do if you just can’t find a house that you like? One option is to build your own instead of buying one. A lot of people never even consider building a house because they think that it’s too much work or it’s too expensive, but that isn’t the case. It is a big project to take on but as long as you plan properly, it is manageable and it can actually be cheaper than buying an existing home. You can also create your ideal home, so you don’t have to make any sacrifices. However, there are a lot of things that can go wrong along the way and if you don’t plan and execute the build in the right way, you won’t end up with your dream home and you may end up spending way more than you can afford. If you are considering building your own house, make sure that you avoid these common mistakes. 

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Rushing Into It 

Building your own home has its benefits, but it’s a big task to take on and it puts a lot of stress on you, both mentally and financially. It usually takes a year or two to build a house and you are essentially taking on an extra job as project manager during that period. You will have to deal with any potential issues that arise, and you need to manage your money well so you don’t run out before the build is finished. It’s a lot to handle and some people just aren’t ready for it. That’s why it’s important that you really think about the reality of it and don’t just rush into it. If you do, you’ll find that you’re out of your depth. If you consider these questions, you should be able to make an informed decision about whether you want to build your own home or not. 

Buying The Wrong Land 

The first thing that you need to do before you build is buy the land, and a lot of people make mistakes here. Firstly, it’s important that you go through a reputable company like Wyndham Ridge so you can be sure that they are honest about the state of the land. You should also have surveys carried out before you agree to buy, so you can make sure that the land is actually suitable for building on. If you are not careful, you will end up with a useless piece of land that you can’t build your home on.

Acting As General Contractor 

You can consider yourself project manager when building your home, which means that you make decisions about the build. But never try to act as general contractor and direct the actual building work itself, unless of course, you are actually a contractor. So many people make this mistake and they run into all sorts of problems because they simply don’t have the expertise. Make sure that you hire a good general contractor so you can focus on the big picture design stuff and they can handle the actual building work. 

As long as you avoid these common mistakes, your house build should go off without a hitch. 

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.

ORGANIC HEALTH & HOME

How To Make Use Of Neglected Outdoor Space

How To Make Use Of Neglected Outdoor Space

If your home is blessed with some accompanying outdoor space yet it serves no actual purpose, you could really be missing out on something great. Even if your garden is just a small patch of grass, there are many different opportunities and ideas that could transform the space into something productive and aesthetically pleasing, that you can then utilise as a new and improved location. You needn’t be naturally green fingered to have a go at transforming your garden, it just takes a little bit of creative thought and hard work to complete the task to the best standard. So, what are you waiting for? Read on to uncover some of the best top tips that can help you to make the most of your outdoor space in no time at all!

Image Source – Pexels 

Start With The Basics 

Many people fail to take care of their outdoor space, and unfortunately it can get a little wild and overgrown as a result. Things are bound to break or get damaged over time, especially if you live in an environment with harsh or fast changing weather conditions, so it’s best to take the opportunity to start fresh and try to create a blank canvas. Trim any tall grass and other plants that have taken over, and get in touch with a fencing installer to secure the perimeter in a high quality, aesthetically pleasing manner. Try to remove any stubborn weeds or shrubs that can cause other plants harm (such as poison ivy) and create the most minimalistic base to work from. 

Adding Life & Colour

Missing the chance of growing your own flora or even fruit and vegetables is such a bad move. It can be so easy to plant and care for flowers as just a sprinkling of seeds and regular water can cause them to flourish into life, and their beautiful colours and scents can improve the look of your garden dramatically. If you don’t have any mud in which you can plant any seeds then do not worry, as a simple pot or vase will work in the exact same way. Flowers (especially the wild variety) can also provide a large amount of much needed pollen for the ever decreasing bee population, as well as attracting butterflies and many other insects too! 

Finishing Touches

The finishing touches needn’t be too extravagant – just find some furniture that can fit into your garden that will help you to make the most of the transformed space. For example, a simple wooden picnic bench or metal table and chairs set that can be used for summer meals in sun, along with a barbecue or other outdoor cooking device that you can fire up when all of your family and friends come around to enjoy your new and improved outdoor space. 

Making use of your garden needn’t cost a lot of money or effort to do well, and these handy hacks can make the whole process as quick and hassle free as possible, whilst still helping you to achieve the best aesthetic results too.

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.

ORGANIC HEALTH & HOME, SEX & LIFE

5 of the Best Ways to Invest in Yourself

5 of the Best Ways to Invest in Yourself

As adults, most of us are good at putting others first- we care for our kids, our parents/ grandparents and our partner. We’re always there to provide a shoulder to cry on for our friends and give them advice, but when it comes to ourselves we can be at the bottom of our own priority lists. Many of us can actually feel bad or guilty when we invest time or money into ourselves, but it shouldn’t be the case. Always remember that you’re important to, and you deserve to be happy. Investing into yourself shouldn’t be seen as selfish, but necessary. Here are a few of the ways you can go about it.

Learn to drive

Research shows that fewer millennials tend to drive than generations before them, and when they do, they get their licenses much later. There are lots of reasons for this, from busy cities not being car friendly to the accessibility of lift apps like Uber and more reliable public transport. However, being able to drive is still a really useful skill to have. If you want to move away later in life you won’t be able to rely on the public transport system as heavily. Being able to drive can also improve your job prospects. Even if you don’t plan on purchasing and driving a car right now, taking your lessons and getting your license means you’re able to in the future if you need to. See learning to drive as an investment in yourself, it’s a useful life skill which could come in really handy. 

Focus on health

There’s only one you; you only have one body so it’s important to take care of it as best you can. Your health is an investment, buy good quality food that’s going to nourish you and skip out on the cheap, convenient rubbish. You don’t have to have a gym membership to get fit, but if you find that having one encourages you to workout then don’t feel bad about spending the money on it. Spending any kind of time or money on your health is never going to be a bad thing. Eating well doesn’t have to be difficult, and these days it’s easy to fit it around your everyday life. From mail order, high quality foods delivered to your door (check out this omaha steaks review as an example) to opting for a healthy restaurant or a healthy dish at a restaurant if you go out. These days, most places cater for those looking to eat less fat or calories, so it doesn’t mean you need to give up going out and eating with friends. 

Improve your smile

Your smile is so important; it’s how you communicate with the world and is closely linked with your self esteem. If you’re insecure about your teeth, you can find that you hold back, you cover your mouth with your hands or try to avoid smiling instead of just being in the moment with others. If you don’t like the way your teeth look, consider going to a dentist and seeing what they can do- veneers, teeth whitening and braces are amongst the treatments you can have. Taking care of your newly fixed up teeth is important too. learn about flossing and the importance of regular brushing. Even missing out on brushing your teeth a couple of times can be enough for cavities to start or stains to develop so it’s important to be consistent. 

Get educated

Most of us couldn’t wait to leave school and get out into the big wide world, but later on as adults we can appreciate how incredible education is. It opens your mind and opens doors in your career, taking on more education is a smart move regardless of what path you’re on in life. 

Travel

Finally, travel is more than just a luxury. It’s great for mental health and personal development, there’s nothing quite like experiencing new things around different cultures in different climates and completely different ways of life that makes you question your own. Travel gives you perspective, builds memories and gives you stories to tell. If you have the time and money, always grab the opportunity with both hands. You don’t always need a huge budget- road trips, backpacking and camping are all cheap and cheerful and allow you to go to new places without spending a fortune on hotels.

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.

SEX & LIFE

The Best Ways To Meet Someone New

The Best Ways To Meet Someone New

If you are single, and you are looking to find someone soon, then you are going to need to make sure that you are doing whatever you can to make that happen. If you have been single for a long time and you are becoming impatient, then it is going to be especially important that you do this in the right way. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to meet people, but that does not mean that it is not going to be a challenge to make it work out for you. However, in this article we are going to take a look only at the best prospects of how you can meet someone new in the first place. As long as you try out these possibilities, you should find that you are going to find someone new soon enough.

Pic Source – CCO Licence

Telephone Services

If you are keen to meet someone, but you are perhaps a little shy, then you might find that phone dating is a good way to go. This can be a nice way to introduce yourself to someone and to meet a few potential suitors, and yet in a way which means that you don’t even need to leave your home. For many people, that is a useful way to get through the initial nerves of meeting someone. You might even think about starting to meet new people this way, and then moving on to other methods, or meeting some of those people in person after the fact. In any case, it’s worth considering.

Clubs & Groups

A good way to find someone who is going to be good for you is to go out and start engaging in hobbies which you like to partake in, especially group ones. If you can find groups and clubs for these, then you should be able to ensure that you are going to meet people who are absolutely like-minded, and that is a sure sign that you will be able to find someone new who is going to be good for you. Such clubs and groups are going to be a great idea, so it is worth looking into this at your earliest convenience. What kind of groups are in your area that you might want to think about joining?

Pic Source – CCO Licence

Singles Bars

Of course, many of the traditional means of meeting someone are still relevant, which is why you might also want to think about going out to singles bars and trying to meet someone that way. These can be nerve-wracking places for many people, but in many ways putting yourself out there in those scary situations is going to mean that you are doing a lot for your confidence anyway. If you think you are not capable of this, that might mean that it is going to be the kind of thing that you should actually be doing. And who knows: you might even meet the person of your dreams in the process, and really hit it off with them.

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.

ORGANIC HEALTH & HOME

Insanely Easy Ways to Save Money Around the Home

Insanely Easy Ways to Save Money Around the Home

If you want to save money around the home then you’ll be glad to know that this is very easy to do. The days of counting down the days until payday are long gone.

Keep an Active Shopping List

How often do you end up buying things you don’t need? Probably quite a lot. If you want to help yourself then it’s a good idea for you to keep a magnetic shopping list on the fridge. When you run out of things, you can easily write it down. This way, you won’t end up forgetting things and if you stick to the list, you may even find that you are able to save a ton of money as a result.

Source: Pexels (CC0 License)

Pantry-Compatible

If you are stuck for recipes to search then it is always a good idea for you to search for ones that use ingredients that you already have in your pantry. Some websites even give you the chance to enter what you already have, so that you don’t have to worry about going out and raiding the supermarket after a long day.

Eat Fresh

A lot of people think that eating fresh or organic food can be expensive. The truth is that if you buy fresh vegetables every week and skip out on the expensive or processed stuff, then you can easily end up with some serious cost savings. You will also be able to eat way healthier overall. Buying in bulk is the way to go here, and when you do, you will have more than enough ingredients to play around with.

Hydrate

If you have a bit of a soda addiction, then now is the time for you to break that. Stick to water and buy a refillable flask too. When you do this, you can easily flavour it with whatever fruit you want while also making a much healthier choice. The best thing about doing this is that it is way cheaper when compared to buying bottles of water every single week and you may even find that you are able to try out new flavours too.

Switch Energy Providers

Another thing that you can do is switch energy providers. When you do, you will be able to save a considerable amount every single month. If you aren’t sure if someone else can offer you a better deal, then it is a good idea for you to use a comparison site.

Save Water

Lastly, saving water will make a huge difference to your budget. If you can, collect rainwater for your plants so that you don’t have to run the hose pipe. If you don’t have a way of collecting rainwater right now then check out NPI as they can provide you with high-quality rainwater tanks. You might also want to turn the tap off when you brush your teeth. Shorter showers will also help with your cost-savings, so keep an eye on your water usage this month to see how much you could cut down on your monthly bills.

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.