Posts by : Izy Berry

Education is one of the most important investments you will ever make, whether it’s for you or for your children. Doing proper research before choosing a provider, can make all the difference in terms of the quality of education you will receive, as well as the opportunities it will open the door to. If you’re looking for a different type of education for yourself or your loved ones,  read on to learn more about some of the interesting types of learning that are available around the world!

1. Homeschooling
You might have heard of homeschooling before, already been involved in homeschooling or wanted to know more about it but feeling a bit overwhelmed as to where to start. With the invention of the Internet, has come the ability to study college degrees and other formal education courses online from the comfort of your own home. Traditional homeschooling is more directed at teaching your own children, rather than sending them to a conventional school. There are many reasons why parents might consider homeschooling their own children: they might think they can give their children more personalized attention, it may be due to location and not being in a good area with schooling, it may be also because they’re traveling and unable to attend normal school. Check out BrightMindsOnlineSchool.ca for more information on homeschooling if you want to learn more.

2. Travelling
Is there a better way to learn about the world we live in, than to travel it? I don’t think so! When I have children, I plan to travel with them as much as possible, in order to show them how other people around the world live, to take them to the best museums and musical performances and to show them some of the world’s most historic sites. Obviously, I understand I’m blessed to be able to travel so much and to be able to share that experience with my future children. If you can travel with children, I definitely suggest doing so. It’s such a special way to spend time with your children and to also create special memories. There’s also no better way to learn about a country than to be actually there, enjoying all the sights, sounds and smells that a new place has to offer.

3. Coaching
You might have heard of people getting a coach for a range of different areas of their lives. You can get a fitness coach, that is essentially a personal trainer that is dedicated to getting you into the best shape possible. If you want to learn more about nutrition and how to properly eat for your fitness goals, then you can get a nutritional coach. You can find a coach for almost every area of your life, including a business coach. One type of coaching I’ve heard about and am very interested in is leadership coaching. You can learn how to improve the effectiveness of your team management through more effective decision making and improved collaboration and you can even have support to learn more about efficient fundraising.

Education is the best way you can invest in yourself and your loved ones. Consider these three types of unconventional education that can improve your job prospects and career.

Do you struggle to think of the perfect gift? Me too! I sometimes spend longer thinking about what gift to buy someone than celebrating their birthday or special occassion. I think it can be a great idea to think outside the box when getting someone a gift, that way it’s less likely they already have it and even less chance that someone else will buy it for them too. If you want some different kind of gift ideas for the person who has everything, please read on!

An Experience:
Getting an experience as a gift is something that someone can do, which in my opinion makes it so much more memorable. Depending on the friend, you can get them a variety of experiences to best fit their interests. If you’re wanting to buy a more expensive experience, it could be a good idea to see if other friends or family members want to go in on the gift so you can afford it without breaking the bank. Some suggestions include bucket list activities such as sky diving, a special overseas trip, bungy jumping, a zoo experience and so forth. It can also be a good idea to look around and see if there are any upcoming shows or performances that you think your friend would love, and buy two tickets – one for each of you. Think about what your friend or loved one would like most and then try to get them that experience rather than a gift they’ll use and throw away eventually.
Water Pipes:
If it’s legal where you live and your friend or family member is over 21 years old, then it can be a nice idea to get them https://www.smokersvice.com/shop/water-pipes.html. Smoking by a water pipe is a lot healthier than smoking other ways. The water acts as a filtration system to remove impurities, making everything smoother and healthier than other alternatives. This can be a great gift, but it depends on the person you’re shopping for!

Air Cooled Chiller:
If you’re trying to think of the perfect gift for a growing family or an expanding food business, why not consider an air cooled chiller? HydroSolar.ca offer a great range of food chilling and storage solutions which can be a great way to handle the growing demands of an expanding family or a business that’s blooming. These are a great investment piece, so that’s another gift that might be worth asking if other friends and family members want to go in on, so that you don’t have the financial burden alone. While it’s nice to get an individual gift for someone, sometimes I think it’s better to go in on a bigger gift to get something your recipient really wants and needs!

Spending a little more time thinking about a gift that will provide your friend or family with an experience they will remember forever, or a gift that they really need or will treasure is the best way to show how much you care. Use these tips to get a different kind of gift I’m sure they will love.

Modern life is no joke – we have so many things to juggle every day that it’s easy to put our own health on the backburner, which can lead to feeling burned out, unnecessary stress and a negative impact on our health. When our health declines, everything else in our lives is negatively affected, so I suggest taking some time each day or week to ensure you’re prioritizing your own health. Here are some easy hacks that can help you improve your health on a regular basis:

1. Grow Your Own Food
Hold up – I’m not suggesting you move to a farm and live off the land, but even if you live in a central apartment with a balcony, you can look to start growing some of your own food. The benefits of growing your own food at home are considerable: you can avoid the use of pesticides and chemicals which are known to impact our health. You can have fresh produce available to you for almost no cost. It can also be a good way to learn more about food and healthy eating. If you’re interested in growing your own food, start small. There are products like the https://www.octopot.com that allow you to have a small, hybrid hydroponics set up in your own home for a low cost.

2. Take Time to Relax
There are many different ways you can relax, but you’re going to want to find things that work well for you. If you have a high-pressure lifestyle, you might be surprised to know that your hormonal levels can become continuously elevated due to this stress, which can dramatically impact your health. There are a number of great meditation applications available which can help you learn how to calm down and relax, which has been shown to have a number of health benefits. Depending on where you live, you might be interested in trying a Healthcare Dispensary for a herbal approach to relaxing. Whichever way you choose to relax, make sure to make it a regular part of your schedule.

3. Have a Regular Sleep Schedule
A lack of sleep quickly adds up and can negatively impact your concentration, energy levels and even impact your weight. We have so many more distractions in our phones now, many of us lay in bed each night scrolling through social media instead of getting the number of hours sleep we really need. Implementing a regular sleep schedule is a great way to improve your sleep hygiene. Setting sleep and wake times that work for you and ensure you are well rested are a great way to ensure you’re doing all you can to be as energized as possible.

Your health is something you need to invest in each day and with these small suggestions you can make a dramatic change.

Yes, this is a travel blog and for a very long time figuring out how to travel as much as possible was my main focus in life. But as I approached (and passed) the 30-year-old benchmark, I became more interested in other things too. That’s not to say my love of travel waivered, just that I wanted to find more balance in my life. One of my main focuses was on buying my first property. My husband and I saved very hard and bought an apartment that we currently rent out on Airbnb for a tidy profit. Since then we’ve also bought land and are constructing our first family home. While it’s been a very exciting process, it has involved a lot of sacrifices and changes to ensure that we reached our savings goals. Here are my top 4 ways to save for your first home to get you inspired and on the right track.

1. Find Some Inspiration
The first thing you’re going to need to do is to get inspired. Unless you come from a wealthy family that are able to help you get into the home ownership club, you’re probably going to have make some sacrifices to ensure you reach your goals. This can be challenging, especially in a world that’s so consumption based. I suggest finding some inspiration of what you want in your home. I personally love browsing Better Homes and Gardens MCR Bahamas and seeing all their beautiful homes. Not only has it influenced the style we want for our home, but it also makes me dream of having one of these homes for myself. Some people use Pinterest as an easy, visual way to get inspired. Others prefer to make a physical vision board to inspire them. Whatever you choose, just make sure you keep it at the forefront of your mind to keep yourself inspired!

2. Get Realistic About the Costs
I think the most important thing when you’re saving for anything big like property is to get realistic about the costs. Are you hoping to build? Are you aware of how much the building license will cost and the lawyer’s fee for changing over the titles? These costs might surprise you so it’s good to ask around your friends and family to see what the going rates are. Likewise, if you’re building in a hard to reach the site, you might need to hire some specialized equipment which can really add up. Be sure to take these extra costs into consideration before committing to a project.

3. Track Your Spending for a Month
You’re going to need to track your spending for a month at least – if you’re not already – so you can see where you are spending your money. Without knowing where your money is going, it’s close to impossible to make effective changes to your spending. There are plenty of apps out there that are designed to make tracking your spending easier, I suggest downloading one and tracking for at least a month. Longer is better if you can. If you’re hoping to head away on a holiday while saving for a house, I suggest choosing something like a cruise where all your expenses are included in a fixed rate. This makes it a lot easier to plan your budget and to not overspend, ensuring you maintain your savings goals. If you’re thinking about booking a cruise, click here to get some inspiration.

4. Figure Out What are Your Essentials
Once you’ve got at least a month’s worth of data, you’ll be able to see what parts of your spending is essential – things such as rent, groceries, petrol etc tend to fall into the essential category and what is additional spending, such as entertainment, clothing, your Starbucks bill and so forth. Everyone’s budget is personal to their income and spending, so while I wont make specific suggestions on how to cut down on spending and increase saving, I suggest listing out all your categories and deciding what’s essential and what is a luxury. You might find it helpful to set specific budgets for each category so you can control your spending and ensure you are saving a good amount of money each month.

Buying your first property is an exciting financial decision. The more you can save, the better off you’ll be financially as you’ll be able to purchase with a smaller mortgage, saving you considerable money in the long run. Use these 4 simple tips to get your house savings off to a good start.