Responses from Tips

Why Blogs Should Be Your Go To For Info

Why Blogs Should Be Your Go To For Info

Image by Karolina Grabowska from Pixabay 

These days, it can seem like everyone is a blogger. Social media sites are bursting with links to blog posts on every subject under the sun, from selling cars blogs to the top ten reasons you should eat carrots. There’s a blog for everything and most businesses, and so many people have something they want to say, and something they want to share with the rest of the world and blogging is the perfect place for them to do that. This, however, leads to skepticism of how reliable blogs are. Most are written by normal people, not experts, and there aren’t laws about what people can and can’t say, so you don’t know if what you are reading is fact. However, as digital news is taking over many traditional news sources, free online news is growing, and although many blogs are outlets for personal opinions, they also serve as legitimate sources of news and information. There are plenty of reasons to trust online blogs and why to go to them as your first point of call and here’s why:

Inside Information

While blogs are not necessarily written by experts, a lot actually is. Rather than being written by writers or experts, the information comes directly from the source itself and give you insider information from an expert actually working within specific fields of interest. They are providing their readers with first-hand knowledge that can help guide the decision-making process.

No Restrictions

Blogs typically are written without restrictions because industry writers typically have more freedom when choosing the types of blogs they write. They don’t usually have a chain of checks and re-checks before being published like online periodical pieces would have. Because of the nature of blogs, even the most controversial of topics are given an outlet for discussion. Plus, blogs are usually informally written, allowing readers to relate to the language and message easily. This is perfect for writers looking to provide informative web content that their target audience can connect with and act on.

Updated Regularly

People who have blog pages often update them regularly meaning that the blog posts are providing evolving information that remains relevant and useful. Site owners don’t want their readers to be turned off by stagnant sites that rarely change, so they put significant efforts into creating interesting content that appeals to their audience. By doing so, blog writers are providing their readers with up-to-date information that is relevant to what happens in the world around them at the present time.

Blogs Are HonestDepending on how you look at this, it could be seen as a negative, but as blogs are able to be subjective and have the flexibility to include a personal slant or bias, they may not always be accurate, but at the same time they will be honest but from that writer. There isn’t usually an accountability structure in place for fact-checking and monitoring, blogs can easily feature outdated statistics or facts that readers are unaware of so there are some things which you have to take with a pinch of salt but, you can do your own fact-checking, but a blog usually has no hidden agenda or sales target so they can be trusted that they are from an honest place.

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

Always Invest In These 4 Areas When Renovating Your Home

Always Invest In These 4 Areas When Renovating Your Home

When it comes to renovating your home, cost will always be an issue. After all, unless you are working with an unlimited budget, you will always have to be careful that the amount you spend doesn’t get out of hand. However, it is crucial to remember that things that are cheap now aren’t always the best option in the long run. In fact, there are also things you should always invest in, no matter how small your budget. Read on to find out more. 

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Roof 

It makes sense to invest in a good roof when renovating your home. After all, it needs to be as sturdy as possible, so it is not a safety risk for those living inside the property. 

Additionally, poorly installed roofs often leak, and this can be a real nightmare for any homeowner. The reason being that when water comes in, it can easily damage your possessions, as well as the structure and decoration of the home. Something that will cost you a fortune to repair.

To that end, ensuring your roof is secure, watertight, and installed by quality contractors is something you always need to invest in when renovating a home. 

Floors 

Next, when it comes to renovating, flooring isn’t something that you should ever try and cut corners on to save money. Yes, it can be tempting as a cheap lino option can seem a smart way to save a few bucks. However, what you need to remember is the floor is the part of the room that will get more use and wear than any other. 

What that means is it’s well worth your money and time to install a more heavy-duty solution. The good news here is that you can now get residential epoxy flooring in some pretty luxe finishes. Something that will allow you to achieve an opulent, but incredibly hard-wearing look that should last for years. 

Windows 

Windows are nearly always expensive, and it’s not just the frames you have to pay for, but the glass and fitting as well. However, scrimping on the cost of the windows for your home renovation can be disastrous. The reason being that poorly fitting or performing windows will let out too much heat. Therefore you will have to spend more money on heating and cooling your home daily to ensure that it is livable. 

Of course, this isn’t just bad for you pocket long term, but terrible for the environment as well. Something that means investing in the best quality and fitting for your windows in the first place will save you money and energy in the long run.

Worktops 

Finally, if you are renovating a kitchen or bathroom, or even a utility room, you will likely want to install worktops. You will, of course, find some super cheap MDF options, that are coated with plastic that seem like a great idea. 

Sadly, they rarely last over the long term and can be hard to maintain and keep clean as well. Something that means worktops made from stone or solid wood are often a much smarter investment choice for your renovation. 

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 Create The Rustic Chic Look In Your Home

How To Create The Rustic Chic Look In Your Home

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If you want a refreshing new look for your home, that offers character and charm at an affordable price, then why not consider the rustic look? 

Giving your home a rustic makeover is all about finding old and interesting items and putting them to a new purpose. Often it can involve upcycling, and it is a look that celebrates imperfection. 

Often, when looking for items for your home, you will find them when you least expect them. So having a long-term plan to create the look you want is critical. You can scout car-boot sales, yard-sales, second-hand stores, antique shops, charity stores or reclamation yards. If you are crafty, you can modify pieces that you find to help them fit the exact style, or even merge parts of one item and another.

Look for natural colours such as greens, tan or brown. When looking at the wood finish, look at darker woods such as oak and mahogany. Don’t worry if an item is slightly damaged, or is scruffy; this adds to the character of the piece. Look for things that look as though they have a story to tell. 

Buying Readymade

One shortcut to the rustic look is buying readymade pieces. Anteks Home Furnishings stock a range of beautiful rustic pieces that will create the desired look. With many items in one store, you can create an aesthetic that runs through your whole house.

This is particularly useful if you don’t have the time to find items, or do not feel confident in creating anything yourself. 

Buying Second Hand

Often when you look at a second-hand item, you don’t immediately see its potential. Maybe the item isn’t old enough or has a more modern look. 

With sandpaper and chalk paint, you can create some fascinating looks by sanding back the wood and painting over it. You’ll get some effortless bohemian looks going on very quickly. 

Pallets

Old pallets are often discarded around industrial units or warehouses. These can make unique items of furniture with minimal effort. You can use them for creating sofas, or futons. Make sure and smooth the wood down before using it, as pallets can often give you splinters, and you won’t want that from your sofa!

Wicker Baskets

Nothing says rustic home more than anything made of wicker. Wicker baskets can be great for storing all of your things away and creating a tidier home. They also really look the part too. 

Having a mixed selection of different sizes, colours and shaped baskets can make everything look a lot more interesting. 

Rustic Decor

When it comes to decorating your home, look for ways to bring out any exposed brickwork. If you have an older property, this will be great as there are probably lots of original design features that have been covered over during the years. You might find that under your carpets you have beautiful tiles, or behind plasterboard, there are interesting beams. Replacing door handles for iron can really add character to quite a plain door. 

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

Three Essential Considerations Before You Buy a Fixer Upper

Three Essential Considerations Before You Buy a Fixer Upper

With housing prices through the roof these days, it’s not easy to get a foothold on the property ladder. Many enterprising young buyers are grabbing what they can afford and putting the work in themselves.

Whether your goal is to create your dream home or flip your property for a profit, renovating a fixer-upper isn’t as easy as you might hope. Before you put in an offer on a house that needs some love, be sure to consider these important factors that could determine the success of your renovation project. 

Photo by LoboStudio Hamburg on Unsplash

Are You a Happy Camper?

When you first lay eyes on your fixer-upper, you may be blown away by its potential. Before you buy, it’s worth asking yourself how long you’d be prepared to live in this house without the planned renovations taking place. If you’re buying a property that needs help, you may not have the ready cash to mend and upgrade everything right away. If you’re planning to do the work in your spare time, you’re unlikely to rival a builder for speed, no matter how excellent your DIY skills are. Some projects will be more urgent than others. While you may be able to live with those outdated bathroom tiles, you might want to call the roofing company right away to deal with that leak above your bed. If you’re not prepared to rough-it indefinitely, it makes sense to have a clear work plan and budget laid out before you sign that dotted line. 

Your Skills

When you imagine saving loads of cash by picking up a fixer-upper on the cheap, remember that the labour required to do the work is going to cost you one way or another. If you have enviable DIY skills and experience, you may be able to get the bulk of the work done on your own, but remember: time is money. Is affixing skirting boards the best use of your time, or are you losing income by devoting hours to this project? Likewise, the cost of hiring professionals should be incorporated into your overall budget. If you buy a fixer-upper without factoring in labour costs, you may end up shelling out more than you would have to buy a house that has already been renovated to a high standard. 

Photo by Nikolay Draganov from Pexels

Location (Location, Location)

That old adage still holds true: while you stand to make a good profit on a fixer-upper in an up-and-coming neighbourhood, sinking money into a renovation project in the wrong location could be throwing good money after bad. You can renovate until you’re blue in the face—install crystal chandeliers and a basketball hoop—but you can’t move your house any closer to the school you’d like your child to attend, or any further from the noisy train station. It’s really easy to get swept up in enthusiasm when a house ticks most of your boxes except for the area it’s in. If you’re infatuated with a fixer-upper of your dreams in the wrong sort of place, go home and take a cold shower and tell yourself: no. Another gem in a perfect location will come along. 

Whether this is your first home or you’re buying to let, give some thought to these important considerations before you invest your money, time and DIY magic in a fixer-upper. 

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

Making Sure Your Prime Is Your Prime

Making Sure Your Prime Is Your Prime

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When you were a kid, you almost pictured how you’d look, behave, work, and feel when you were well into your life as a fully-functioning adult. When your mind wasn’t occupied with the latest fad, you thought about how everything would go. You got a more vivid idea of things during your adolescence because you began growing into it all. But now you’re well into your life as a competent and accomplished grown-up, and you’re now at the stage where you need to live the life that you pictured years ago. 

Obviously, a human being is only ever as old as he or she feels, but the prime of life really spans between twenty and forty years of age. Yes, you can pick specific ages if you’d like to be pedantic, but we’re going with some nice round numbers here. This space of time is when you’re at the peak of your physical, mental, and social powers, traditionally, so you’ve got to make the most of them, right? It would be a shame to see a wonderful human like yourself waste these years. If you want to really ensure that your prime really is your prime, then let’s look at things you should do. 

Eat Good

Inhaling all of the takeaway food and junk food is nice, but it should be something you do all of the time. If you want to be at the peak of your physical powers, you have got to feed your body with the good stuff. You learn about a balanced diet and all of the good foods when you’re little – now it’s time to put what you learned into practice! We’re not saying you should be an Olympic level athlete, but do yourself a favor and keep yourself in top shape.  

Exercise

Again, you don’t need to be an Olympian. Just doing a few bits of exercise that will get your heart rate up a few times a week should be good enough. Keeping active won’t only maintain your physical prowess, but it’ll also benefit you mentally. When you work out, your brain releases all kinds of happy chemicals that make you feel so much more confident and positive. Trust me, you’ll want that confidence and spirit at this age.  

Visit Doctor Regularly

This is something you should do, whether you’re at a prime age or not. A lot of people fear going to the doctor for a multitude of reasons. Maybe they’re just too shy. Perhaps they feel as though they’re burdening the doc. Maybe they just couldn’t be bothered. Don’t be like those people. If something’s up, you should get it checked. It could be something severe, or maybe you’ll just be prescribed some medication and told to buy some Listen Lively hearing aids. Whatever the outcome, you’ll be glad you went and got whatever problem you had sorted.  

Be As Sociable As You Can

Being around others, especially those you love, will also boost you – mentally and physically. People need to have that comradery for their own sanity, so make sure you spend a lot of time with your friends and family. Solitary confinement during your twenties and thirties would be a super sad existence.

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.

Everyday Tips from Tia