Home Articles Posted by Izy Berry (Page 53)
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4 Tips for Moving Houses
Moving houses is often considered as one of life’s most stressful events, after all there’s the financial aspect to moving, as well as all of the hassle packing up your things, and then the logistics of moving. I have moved countries numerous times, as well as moved within the same country before. I’ve developed a system for moving that helps ensure it’s stress-free and goes as smoothly as possible. If you’re looking to move in the future, here are some tips to make it go as smoothly as possible.
1. Use Moving Services
If you’re in a financial position where you can afford help with the move, I say go for it! Once you add up the cost of hiring a trailer and taking time off work, sometimes it may be more economical to get the professionals in https://www.bciworldwide.com/portfolio/ and Bekins Moving Solutions have a range of moving services that will suit a wide range of budgets.
2. Pack in Advance
Packing your things up always takes so much longer than you would expect. I suggest starting a month before you plan to move to take some of the pressure off you. There are probably plenty of things in your home that you don’t use frequently that you can begin to pack up, such as off-season clothing, sporting goods that you rarely use and any family momentums like photographs. It might seem like an early time to start packing, but you’ll be so glad when moving day comes along and you have already packed up almost everything! Don’t forget to label all your boxes so you know where in the new house they need to go.
3. Clear Out as You Go
Moving can be the perfect time to downsize on your belongings – after all, many of us end up with hoards of things we’re not really sure why we have them or if we will ever use them. I always take moving house as an opportunity to clear through my baggage, literally. Ask yourself when the last time you used something and whether it’s worth carting with you to the new place. If it’s not, donate it, give it away to a friend or family member who might use it, or even sell it. There’s something so refreshing about starting in a new home without too much extra fluff.
4. Ask for Help
Moving can be really stressful and it’s a good time to call on your support network. Offer your friends some pizza and beers to help you move. Ask your family if they have any spare time to help. I personally find it better to have everything packed up so it’s just more the logistics of moving, rather than the packing and the moving which is obviously much more time-consuming. Just be prepared to be on call for the next time someone in your group moves. A few extra hands, or cars, can make a huge difference in terms of how long a move takes.
Moving can be very stressful, but with these tips it will be easier than ever!
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4 Ways to Make Extra Money
Chances are you have something you’re saving towards, maybe it’s remodelling your home, a trip overseas or even preparing for a new child. Whatever your incentive to save, one of the best ways to save more money each month is to increase how much money you’re making. Finding big and small ways that you can increase your monthly income is a great way to be able to increase how much money you’re saving each month. Here are 5 ways to make extra money:
1. Investing
Investing can be a great way to make more money. You have a ton of options for what you can do to invest, you might find that spending a little money investing in your spare room to rent it on Airbnb can be a great way to create an additional income source for your family. Likewise, you might want to look into shares or mutual funds as a longer-term way to make extra money. It’s important to do proper research before beginning to invest, and be sure to ask around friends and family to see what they’re doing. Some people prefer to invest in precious metals such as silver and gold if this is something you’re interested in why not check out Sprott Inc. silver bullion.
2. Freelancing
Working online is a great way to have an easy home based side hustle. You can work around your current commitments, as many online jobs provide great flexibility as to when the work needs to be completed. If you’re not sure what you can freelance in, here are some popular suggestions: freelance writing, consulting, social media management, virtual assistant, data entry and design work. You can even take on jobs and outsource the content creation to Rex Originals allowing you to focus on other aspects of the workload.
3. Garage Sale
It can be the perfect combination of tidying up and also making a little bit of extra cash. Go through your home and look for things you haven’t used in a long time. Why are you holding onto it? Is it something you’re sure you’ll use at a later date, or are you keeping it because you spent money on it and you don’t want to give it up? At the end of the day, the money you’ve spent is long gone, so now it’s just about whether you’ll use it or not. I suggest going through each area of your home and clearing out what you’re not using. You can either host a garage sale, clothes swap, or even list the items online such as Craigslist or Ebay.
4. Babysitting
If you like children and want a bit of extra cash, babysitting can be a great way to make extra money, especially if you’re at university or college. Check out local advertisements in supermarkets, online and even on Facebook to see if there are any opportunities that you would be a good fit for. You may also have friends or family members who need a little extra support with their children and are happy to pay for it!
Making extra money is an excellent way to boost the savings fund up fast.
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Top 4 Things to Order Online
I personally love online shopping – who doesn’t? There’s nothing better than sitting in your pyjamas while you order your week’s groceries. Logistically it can also just make a ton of sense, as you don’t have to spend your time driving to the shops, browsing the aisles and so forth. If you’re new to online shopping or wondering how to start, here are my top 4 things you can order online.
1. Groceries
I personally loathe grocery shopping – it takes me about 2 hours all up, which I just think is time that could be better spent on work or around the home. So I really appreciate ordering online and having it delivered usually the following day. Now with things like Amazon Pantry you can get things delivered extremely fast depending on where you live. The great thing about doing online shopping is that you can set up regular deliveries so that you don’t even have to think about it. It’s also easy to reorder the same shipments, making it so easy to have healthy food you can cook each week.
2. Supplements
If you’re anything like me, then you’re always trying new supplements to help you sleep, have more energy or feel less stressed. I regularly use magnesium for sleep, which I find helps me relax at night and sleep deeply through the night. Sometimes if I’m feeling a little lower in energy and mood, I like to take melatonin to help boost my energy. Of course, you should talk to your medical provider before trying any new supplements, but I prefer to order mine online as there’s more range and also there are reviews that you can read to see what other people prefer. I’ve also started taking a probiotic and found that it makes a huge difference to both my energy levels and bathroom habits. There are other supplements you can find online such as https://westcoastex.net/category-shop/ and Ignite Digital.
3. Pet Food
With everything I have going on in my life, I sometimes find myself forgetting to get my dog’s food. I feel like I almost need to repurchase it every week when the reality is we go through two bags a month. As such, I’ve set up a regular monthly pet food delivery system so that I don’t have to think about it and we have their food coming in before we get close to running out. I’m sure there’s a local pet food delivery service in your area.
4. Subscription Boxes
I love receiving mail, but unfortunately, most of the mail I get is just bills or junk mail. That’s why I like signing up for subscription boxes. I also really love giving them as gifts, as I think they’re something fun and different that most people would enjoy. There are so many different types of subscription boxes available, from pregnancy boxes, through to pet boxes like the BarkBoxes or even fitness and beauty boxes. It means that each month, or each season, depending on the subscription service, you’ll have an exciting box arriving in the mail filled with lots of goodies.
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3 Dramatic Ways You can Improve Your Life
If you’re feeling like you’re in a funk and have been for a while, then you might need a dramatic change to happen. Sometimes we find ourselves in a rut, not really moving forward and not really living the lives we want to live. If you feel that you’ve hit that point in your life, then I have three tips for dramatic ways you can improve your life, read on to learn more:
1. Contemplate Religion
Maybe you’re already sure about your religion so it might be good for you to invest more time and energy into your chosen religion. Learn more about it, get involved in your community and see how you can help out and make a real difference. This is a great way to make a dramatic change in your life. If you’re not religious, why not consider learning more about different religions to see whether any of them resonate with you. While you don’t need to be religious, many people take a lot of comfort in religious principles guiding their lives. http://BuddhismNature.com is a great resource if you’re interested in learning more about Buddhism and the main principles.
2. Upgrade Your Home
Whether you’re renting or currently own your home if you’re feeling like you’re in a major funk, why not consider moving? Does your neighbourhood have what you’re looking for, in terms of good schools for children, good gyms and sporting facilities nearby and good parks? Maybe your commute to work each day is long and draining, so logistically it might make more sense to move closer to your workplace so you can spend less time in traffic and more time enjoying your life. No matter your motivations, moving can be a great way to feel extremely refreshed and energized. It’s obviously not a decision you should take lightly, I suggest doing a lot of research to see what’s available within your budget. It can also be overwhelming browsing through real estate advertisements if they’re outside your budget or don’t meet your needs. That’s why I suggest working with an agent because it allows you to only focus on properties that are pre-screened to meet your criteria and budget. Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate Signature Service provides a comprehensive real estate service that can help you find your dream property!
3. Go On a Big Overseas Adventure
I feel very lucky to come from a country where an “overseas experience” (usually referred to as an OE) is expected and often encouraged. This means that a large majority of my friends have also travelled overseas for an extended period of time. There’s nothing quite like getting lost in a new country as a wonderful way to find yourself and to figure out what’s important to you in life. If you’re already established in your career, then it might not be possible to take an extended trip overseas, but even a two-week trip is a wonderful way to refresh and inspire yourself.
Please let me know in the comments if you have any suggestions of dramatic ways that you can improve your life!
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4 Ways to Modernize Your Home
While you might be sometimes tempted to sell your home and buy something newer, you can easily add in some updates to your home to make it more modern and better suited to your current stage of life. You don’t have to spend a ton of money to make your home feel more modern, so here are 4 ways to modernize your home without breaking the bank:
1. Update Your Railings
If your home has a balcony or railings, you might want to go for the ultimate modern look by implementing glass railings. You might be surprised by how affordable they can be to instal, and how dramatically they can improve the aesthetic of your home. GlassRailings.ca have a great range of glass railings to suit every budget so that you can find something that works for your home. The thing I love about glass railings is that it almost looks like you don’t have any railings, without compromising safety.
2. A Fresh Coat of Paint
This is one of the easiest ways to update your home without spending a lot of money. The other thing I like about updating the paint in your home is that you can focus on a certain area, such as the living area, or you can go through and do the entire house. Updating the exterior paint can be an amazing way to improve your curb appeal, as well as make you feel differently about arriving home each day. You can also use paint creatively inside the house, for example creating a feature wall to brighten up your spaces.
3. New Pipes
If you have a really old home, then a real concern could be old pipes that are prone to leaking or freezing over in winter during the cooler months. You might want to look at replacing your pipes before they get really bad, so you can ensure you have a constant supply of water – it’s pretty important! https://heatline.com/retro-line provide some excellent solutions to prevent pipes freezing over and ruining the risk of exploding!
4. Get a Dishwasher
If you don’t have a dishwasher and live with other people, then you’re missing out! I personally find that having a dishwasher is one of the greatest investments. It allows dishes to get squeaky clean – cleaner that I feel you can get washing them traditionally as dishwashers use extremely hot water. This is especially helpful if you’re living somewhere without the best quality water or if you have young babies or children in your care because you can sterilize all their bottles, pacifiers and everything else in the dishwasher which is so much faster than traditional sterilizing methods. If you have older children, a dishwasher is a great way to get them involved with household tasks, while knowing that the dishes will be done well!
If you want a more modern home, why not update your home instead of leaving and getting a new one? These are four simple ways that you can modernize your home, to make it more comfortable.
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3 Hacks That Can Save You Money
If you’re anything like me, then you’re constantly searching for ways to save money and cut down on spending, so that you can have more money for your investments and travelling – of course. Life can be pretty expensive especially if you have a lot of financial commitments, so finding a way to cut costs down whether for small purchases or big purchases, can make a big difference over the course of a year or a lifetime. Here are 3 hacks that can save you money.
1. Fabric Structures
If you’re looking to buy or build your first home, you might be surprised by how expensive everything costs. Yes, you’ve got the price of the property, but on top of that, you also have lawyers fees, property taxes and of course any maintenance you need to do for your property. If you’re hoping to build, you might find that the project goes way over budget (it almost always does!) which can add a lot of financial stress into the mix. Some people think about constructing temporary housing as a way to reduce costs, but the fact is that often a temporary build costs the same as a fabric structure build. This can be a perfect solution for building your first home, a granny flat for a relative to live in, or even for constructing barns. Due to the fact that the properties are mass designed and produced, you won’t be spending a lot of money for the value you will get.
2. Eating Out
It’s become a bit of a trend to spend more of our income on eating and drinking outside the home. Instead of inviting friends and family over and entertaining them, most of us find it easier to head out and spend up large outside. It could be a good idea, if you don’t already do so, to track your food and drinks expenses over the course of a month. You might be surprised by how much you’re spending! While I do think it’s important to treat yourself here and there, and especially for special occasions, many of us fall into the habit of convenience and eat out daily or at least a few times a week. This is really expensive, and can really impact how much you can save over the course of a year. Setting yourself an entertainment budget is a great way to stay on top of your spending.
3. Refine Your Business
If you own a business, then you can save money by refining processes. It can be a great way to save money while improving productivity and in turn profit. Depending on your industry, you might find calibration weights to be a great investment. Accurately weighing products or pharmaceuticals can be the difference between making a good profit, or even making a loss. If you’re interested and want to learn more, please check out the link. It can also be a good investment to bring in an analyst who can help you figure out where you can improve your system processes in your business.
Making small changes can result in big financial changes over the course of the year. If you’re looking to save more money, these tips might help you save money.
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Tips for Working With Consultants Online
You might be wondering why you would want to work with a consultant online, versus someone locally and there are plenty of reasons why. Firstly, if you need a specialist or someone who resonates a lot with your thought process, then it might just make sense to work with someone who isn’t local but meets your needs perfectly. Finding and hiring a consultant online can be a bit of a challenge, so I’ve made a list of a few tips for working with consultants online:
1. Be Clear With Your Expectations
It’s really important to outline what you need from a consultant – whether you’re looking for car injury lawyers to check out to help you with a claim, or a lifestyle coach like RebeccaMountain.ca, the first step is getting on a discovery call or having a free consultation. Working with someone is an investment, so you’re going to make sure that they are on the same page as you while outlining your expectations and your budget. The best way to do this is to get on a call – whether it’s just audio or a video call – to outline what you need. Listen carefully to what the consultant can offer you and be sure to ask about deliverables and timelines. There’s nothing worse than being disappointed as you’re not receiving what you thought you had paid for. Setting clear expectations from the beginning will ensure that the entire process moves much more easily.
2. Shop Around
It’s important to find someone who believes in your cause, or whose energy resonates with you. There’s no harm in setting up a few calls to find someone who best matches your needs. You can think of it like having a position you’re looking to fill and interviewing potential candidates. Most consultants will offer a free or reduced rate initial call or meeting so that you can see if they’re a good fit for your project, so this is a great way to test the waters without investing a lot of money. Don’t feel bad if you talk with someone who you don’t think is a good fit for your project, at the end of the day, a good consultant will be concerned about whether they can meet your needs as well!
3. Figure Out What You Need
Can you verbalise your needs? Write a few sentences out clearly summarizing exactly what you are searching for, so you can easily explain to your candidates what you are looking for. Sometimes we start searching for help or advice before we’re really clear about what we need, which makes it harder for consultants to properly meet our needs. I suggest sitting down with a pen and paper and really getting everything clear before you start interviewing. It will save you time and money in the long run!
Working with a consultant online can be a very rewarding process so long as you’re clear about what you need from the beginning. Spend a bit of time searching around to find the ideal candidate for your project. Let me know in the comments below if you have any other tips for working with consultants online!
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3 Careers That Allow You to Travel More
Finding a career that helps you travel more is at the top of many of our lists. If you’re just about to leave High School or thinking about changing careers, then these suggestions will hopefully help you find something that allows you to make a living while seeing more of this beautiful world. Here are my top 3 suggestions of careers if you want to travel more:
1. Medicine
There’s a demand for doctors and nurses in almost every country around the world. Not only can you find a job overseas and use that location as a base to travel from, but you can also use your skills overseas by volunteering in countries that quite simply do not have the medical infrastructure to take care of their most vulnerable population. Studying medicine can be a long path, but it’s very rewarding and ensures that you can make a tangible difference in people’s lives. If you’re interested in medicine, just know that there are so many different types of specialization that you can focus on. If you’re thinking of studying medicine, why not check out the great range of spine models available here: https://www.candent.ca/anatomical-models/spine-and-vertebral-models/spine-models.html
2. Architecture
You might not associate architecture with travel, but the truth is there are so many construction companies around the world that are looking for architects and project managers with a special flair to their work. If you can stand out in your industry as having a point of difference, or a particular style, then you can find yourself in demand for international projects. Due to the interconnected nature of the world today, you can easily apply for architecture work remotely, submitting plans without having ever left the comfort of your own home. If your design is chosen, then you could find yourself travelling to manage the project! Check out these interesting tension measuring instrument for your next construction project: https://www.johnsonscale.com/product/dillon-ap-dynamometer/
3. Teaching
This is one of the most common ways to travel more while making a good living. There are three main ways you can teach and travel more often. The first one is teaching in your home country as teachers tend to get very generous holidays, allowing you to have plenty of time to travel the world. Think about how many places you could visit within the summer holidays alone! Then you also have Christmas and Easter breaks to book fun adventures. The second option is teaching English (or another language) online and in a remote capacity. This would allow you to set up base wherever you like, so long as you can still continue to teach your students. The third way you can travel more while teaching, is by taking up a teaching position in a foreign country. If you’re from the United States, imagine how much travel you could do in Asia if you took up a teaching position in Japan or South Korea – you could take long weekend trips to Thailand or China, allowing you to see so much more of this region than you could usually!
No matter what option you choose, you should be able to combine your love of travelling with a career that allows you to travel more while still having a fulfilling career!
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4 Tips for Moving Back After Living or Travelling Overseas
For most of us, the adventure has to come to an end at some point. No matter if you’ve been away for a few weeks, or a few years, it can be quite the adjustment moving home. I’ve moved home a few times – once after being an au pair in the Czech Republic, the second time after being an au pair in Madrid and both times I felt reserve culture shock and found it hard to get reestablished in my home city. So here are some tips for moving back after living or travelling overseas.
1. Rent from the Beginning
It is such a good idea to rent when you move back home – both in terms of property and appliances. If you’re free spirited and enjoy living overseas or long term travel, chances are you might get itchy feet once you’re home. As such, I think it’s wise not to tie yourself down too much before you’re really sure that you want to be at home long term. I would suggest looking for a rental contract for 6 months, to give yourself a decent amount of time to test out being home before you commit to buying property or furniture. Rental City have a great range of products that you can rent for your home, instead of purchasing everything outright.
2. Invest in Quality
When you do get around to buying furniture, I always suggest buying the best products you can afford. Yes, it can be tempting to get cheap furniture, but I feel like couches tend to wear out so much faster if they’re a cheaper option – in the end you’ll likely end up spending more. SunPan.com have some lovely products at affordable pricing, so that can be a good place for you to start looking!
3. Don’t Forget Your Trip
There’s nothing worse than feeling like your trip or time overseas never happened. As such, I think it’s a great idea to have relics and photos from your time overseas. I try to buy one thing in every place I go, so I have something that I can take home with me and show off around my home. Getting some canvases printed with photos you took is also a wonderful way to have your time overseas on display in your home.
4. Join Some Groups
If you feel a little sad since returning home, why not join some groups with people who share your love of travel or the region you were in. If you were learning a language, why not continue that in your home town? It can be a great way to meet new people, but also helpful for keeping the language fresh in your mind. You can also look into Couchsurfing, which is hosting overseas guests in your home town. If you’re unable to host, you can still use the platform for meeting up with people and showing them around where you’re from. It can be a great way to keep that travel vibe alive without actually travelling.
Coming home can be quite an adjustment, but with these simple tips, you can make it as smooth as possible. Please let me know in the comments below if you have any suggestions for moving home after living overseas.
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3 Things to Think About as you Age
It’s something that happens to everyone, but most of us cruise through life not really thinking about how different things will be as we age. You can still have a great quality of life even in your Golden Years, but it definitely takes a bit of forward planning. Here are my top 3 suggestions to think about as you age – or even well before you start feeling old!
1. Tick Off Your Travel Bucketlist
You can travel at any age, no doubt, but there are some things that you’ll quite simply prefer to do while you’re younger. I suggest looking through your travel bucket list and realistically seeing what you can handle doing when you’re a bit older, and things that are probably best done now while you’re a spring chicken. Things such as skydiving, bungy jumping, backpacking etc are probably better suited to someone who is more mobile and fit. As you get older, you might notice the type of travel you do changes – option for more tour buses and tours to help with the logistics of getting around.
2. Senior Care
Have you considered what kind of environment you want to live in when you’re older? The truth is retirement can be quite expensive and it’s something you absolutely have to plan for now. Making little changes now can make a big difference in terms of your financial security in future, allowing you to be more comfortable as you age and also affording you more options. You’ll need to think about what kind of care you would like, whether you think that you would prefer to move right into a retirement village, or perhaps you would prefer senior care in your home daily or weekly. Both of these options are a good way to have an assisted lifestyle, but they obviously have considerably different costs so it can be worthwhile considering what your preference is now. SpectrumHealthcare.com have a few options available so you can browse their website for a good idea of what options might be available to you in your area.
The process of retiring is multi-faceted. There are many things you need to consider, but most of them come back to money. How will you find the money you need? Where will you find it? One option is to apply for a reverse mortgage on your home. When you do, the lender will access an online reverse-mortgages calculator tool. Plugging facts about your residence into the reverse mortgage calculator is the only way to know how much it is worth. It is also the only way to know how much of that value is available through a reverse mortgage. Those two figures will always be different due to federal laws. Once you know what you can borrow, you can go ahead and borrow it. You can also be secure in the knowledge that you are allowed to keep owning and living in your home for years without the need to return what you borrowed right away.
3. Your Teeth
While it’s important to take care of all of your body, your teeth are something that need regular check-ups and often require a decent amount of work to keep them in tip-top shape as you age. Over time, factors like enamel erosion, discoloration, and wear can make teeth look older than they should. In some cases, consulting with experts in smile restoration can be a game-changer, helping to preserve both function and aesthetics. Veneers are an excellent option for improving the look of your smile, but they can also provide structural reinforcement for compromised teeth, reducing the risk of future dental issues. The truth is, a white, bright smile is something that gives us a lot of confidence and doesn’t need to be reserved for only those of us who are youthful. Investing in your teeth is a great way to invest in your health, but also your confidence. A healthy, beautiful smile can even make you look younger! Check out DiscoverDentalHouston.com for some great options and price points.
Have you started thinking about how you’ll manage things as you age? Spending a little time now will save you a lot of stress in future.
