Posts by : Izy Berry

If you’ve decided that 2016 is the year that you’re going to buy your first home, upgrade to something a little bigger, or purchase an investment property, you’re making a great decision.

While experts are continually talking about whether or not the housing property is going to explode, as long as you’re not choosing to buy in the middle of cities like Sydney and Melbourne, owning property still remains one of the best ways to ensure that you’ll be financially independent and able to retire with financial security.

We’ve all heard the horror stories though, and let’s face it- it’s easy to make poor decisions and end up in a pretty bad financial situation. This is why it’s a good idea to make sure you’ve done your due diligence before jumping into anything- after all, informed buyers are smart buyers.

Once you’ve decided that you want to purchase a new property, it can be easy to get caught up in the excitement and feel like you need to buy a property….NOW! Instead, this is the time to dot your i’s and cross your t’s, speak to experts, and take a long, hard look at the market.

If you’re hoping to flip the property, look at how the market is performing in the short term, since real estate generally performs better over the long term. With all of the fees associated with buying and selling property it can be better to think about how long you’ll have the property for- are you considering raising a family in the next few years, and if so, will there be enough room?

This is also when you need to look at the overall area of the property. Is it close to key amenities like public transport? Try to get the low down on how the neighbourhood is changing- are they planning to add a new school? How’s the crime rate?

Once you’ve found a property you love, it’s important to check out the area. Visit at different times of the day so you can get an idea of the noise and see if you can find any deal breakers.

Obviously, one of the biggest things to consider before buying new property is the state of your finances. While you should obviously be able to cover the mortgage, it’s also important to consider what you would do in the case that you or your significant other loses their job. When it comes to your home loans, it’s a good idea to shop around. You can save on variable rate home loans by NPBS, so be sure to make a good choice as the loan you choose will impact how much you pay each month.

It also sounds obvious, but make sure that all necessary inspections have been completed before you agree to go ahead with the purchase. This will mean you’ll be able to rest assured that you won’t have any structural damage or pest.

The Cheltenham Festival is one of the highlights of the sporting calendar, especially for avid horse racing fans. Every year, almost 250,000 fans travel to the four-day event as the best horses, jockeys and owners battle it out in a number of prestigious races.

Without a doubt, the highlight of the week is the Cheltenham Gold Cup and horse racing aficionados from all over Britain will travel to Cheltenham specifically for the big race – that’s how widely respected the event is.

However, the opening day of the meeting is also growing in popularity, especially after Ruby Walsh’s dominance in recent years. The Willie Mullins-Ruby Walsh combination enjoyed an opening day treble last year but might not repeat the feat after Faugheen was forced to pull out of the Champion Hurdle.

While Mullins and Walsh will be gutted, their odds on winning the Gold Cup have shortened with Vautour’s potential entry in the race and Coral punters should back the 2015 Ryanair Chase champion to win the prestigious trophy this year.

If you’re as lucky as Mullins and Walsh, you might find accommodation right in the heart of Cheltenham town centre. While the majority of hotels are already fully booked, there are a few remaining and you should book your accommodation for the Cheltenham Festival as soon as possible.

Like most Gold Cup odds, the amount of available accommodation will shorten in the coming weeks and racegoers should concentrate on booking a hotel very soon. If nothing else, you could always find somewhere outside of Cheltenham.

For example, both Gloucester and Worcester are very local to Cheltenham racecourse and plenty of travellers will choose to stay in the surrounding area, including Tewkesbury. While Cheltenham is a lovely town, many enjoy the opportunity to explore a new city and this ensures they can relax outside of the epicentre of festival life.

With plenty of hotels to choose from in both cities, this may be the best solution for those of you who have left it late to arrange accommodation. But not to worry, there are plenty of direct trains, buses and other transport links to the town and shuttle buses will be organised to take you to the racecourse.

If nothing else, the Cheltenham Festival is set to be a superb meeting – in fact, it might even be better than last year’s event. Coral and other bookmakers will be hoping for an opening day victory after Walsh’s “Ruby Tuesday” in 2015 but most importantly, punters should ensure they have plenty of fun throughout the day. After all, this is the Cheltenham Festival we’re talking about!

If you closed your eyes, you would undoubtedly recognise the dinging and chirping of slot machines no matter which casino you were in around the world. In fact slot games have become such a staple that it’s almost unfathomable to imagine a casino without them- on or offline.

The name “slot machine” once encompassed every similar type of automatic vending machine- even those that distributed food, and it didn’t become synonymous with gambling until the 20th century.

The first ever slot game was actually inside a machine based on poker. Players were trying to get the best possible hand, and owners of the machines would typically remove a couple of cards to reduce the chance of the player winning and stack the odds in favour of the house.

The closest thing to the modern day slot machine is the Liberty Bell, which was created by Charles Fey in 1887. He solved the main problem with similar machines, and managed to make the Liberty Bell actually pay out then and there, with every winning combination. This was previously impossible and the establishment where the previous machines were located had always been responsible for rewarding winning patrons.

The Liberty Bell was so popular that Fey had trouble meeting the huge demand. He soon began renting his machines out to establishments on the condition that he could keep 50% of the profits- something that must have set him on his way to becoming a very wealthy man. Plenty of gambling manufacturers approached Fey and asked to buy the manufacturing and distribution rights but he refused all offers and instead collaborated with the Mills Novelty Company in 1907.

Together they created the Mills Liberty Bell, a variation of the original that was set in cast iron and had cast iron feet and toes. In 1910 the machine was improved and re-released as the Operator Bell, and was again incredibly popular with 30,000 ordered.

The main problem was the weight and expense when it came to producing these machines. By 1915, Mills knew they needed to do something about this, and decided to use a wooden cabinet design, making them far cheaper to produce and far easier to move.   The machines were once again given a huge update in the 1930’s with colourful and attractive designs and themes with names which aimed to create feelings of prestige and power like Lion Head, War Eagle, Roman Head and Castle Front.

Today it would be unheard of to not see slot games in almost any casino around the world. And with the prevalence of online gaming continuing to grow, slot games are becoming even more fun and able to be played on both laptops and mobiles from your own couch or bed. The first online slot game was released in 1998, and now you can find a huge range of games available, especially on online casino Netbet. If you have some time to kill, jump online today and see just how much slot games have evolved.

We all want to go on holiday, it’s a simple fact of life; whilst we’re sat whiling away the hours at work, staring out of a window and dreaming of sunnier climes, it’s perfectly naturally to be wishing you were somewhere else entirely. Holidays should be a given, not a luxury, but it’s a very true fact that money does not grow on trees.

Incidentally, if you have managed to find that elusive tree, please share its location!

When looking for a holiday, how do you go about it?

We used to head to the Travel Agency shop on our local High Street, sitting for seemingly ages pouring over brochures with a helpful member of staff, before simply giving up and going for the next destination the brochure page turned to. Whilst this was a tried and tested routine, the Internet changed it all, and nowadays we simply open our laptop or fire up our tablet in order to book a holiday.

There are many ways to save cash on your holiday, but one you might not have thought of is to choose your board basis wisely.

If you usually go self-catering, you will know that this has its perks and it has its downsides; on the perk side, you get to try lots of different restaurants, and you have total freedom over your catering needs, but on the downside, it’s basically a lot more expensive whilst you’re away, and you have the hassle of having to budget your cash, when you simply want to be enjoying yourself.

Now, flip it on the other side, have you considered all-inclusive?

Again, it has its perks and it has its downsides, but the perks certainly outweigh any negatives, which can be avoided with a little careful planning.

Of course, all-inclusive holidays are a little more expensive at the booking stage, but you can save cash here by being a little clever and planning slightly. Falcon Holidays offer a calculator facility on their website, which allows you to think a little about your catering needs, and gives you an idea of how much your holiday will cost you to book. This has the bonus of helping you budget your booking needs, so you don’t end up going for a holiday which is simply going to cost you more than you can afford. The other plus side to going with this particular company is that there are a wider range of destinations soon to be added to the fore, with Thomson Airways operating on behalf of the company, allowing a non-stop service from June 2016 to far-flung paradise destinations, such as Montego Bay and Cancun. Of course, you could head to the Med instead, with Turkey and Greece two very popular choices.

Aside from the slightly higher cost compared to self-catering at the booking stage, the perk is of course that when you arrive, you don’t need to worry about food or drink, because you’ve already paid for it! Those travelling with kids will find this a massive bonus, because the cost of endless soft drinks and ice creams can certainly add up when you head away on a self-catering basis.

The downside? Well, all-inclusive hotels have the tendency to be huge, and they have everything you need on-site; this has the risk of you not feeling the need to leave the four walls of your hotel, which is a major mistake when you’re supposed to be seeing a new destination. The answer? Force yourself out! See, every cloud and all that!

In order to make your holiday more affordable, all-inclusive could be the answer to your travel prayers. Spread the cost of your holiday price over the months beforehand, and you don’t need to spend so much whilst you’re away.

Problem solved!

There’s plenty of great reasons to travel across America. Whether it’s the wealth of different cities, cultures and sights to see, or even the stunning vast open wilderness that is just waiting for you to explore, you’re certain to have a good time. However, if your potential American adventure is being stifled by budget constrains there’s no need to worry as this helpful post will show you five ways to travel across America on a budget.

Map out your route

To start with the basics, the first tip is to carefully map out your route. Pick the major destinations you want to travel to and look at what hidden gems might be in between them – you can often find the places off the beaten track are a bit cheaper than the tourist traps. This planning can inform the rest of our tips.

Stay in hostels or alternative accommodation

The next tip is to look at the accommodation on the route you’re planning to take. Naturally, you should look for the cheaper hostels, or use apps and websites like Airbnb and TripAdvisor to check reviews and book online. These might not be as luxurious as a five-star hotel but you can find some pretty good deals; when these are booked you know you have a strict time-limit and budget to stick to.

Travel light

By staying in such places you also have the option to wash clothes, meaning you can travel lighter and cut down on taking extra luggage. Plus, you won’t have to carry more weight around with you, giving you the freedom to explore and enjoy the sights.

Drive between destinations

Internal flights are quicker but can be very expensive, so a more affordable – and arguably convenient – idea is to hire a car to drive between destinations. If there’s a group of you this can also cut costs as you can all chip in, and of course, share the driving responsibilities.

Have care packages sent from home

The last tip is to get people to send you care packages from home to greet you when you arrive at different places. A few creature comforts can be a real treat – especially towards the end of the trip. However, remember to use a reliable international delivery firm that can get these to the right place at the right time!

With all this in mind then, all there’s left for you to do is get your plans together and set off to the ‘land of opportunity’ and enjoy your very own American dream.

The world is a big place. And with so many incredible destinations waiting to be explored, it can be hard to choose where you should go on holiday next- especially if you only have a limited amount of time. So how do you choose?

Your best bet is to take the time to look at a few different options, and ask yourself some serious questions.

The first question is: Why do you want to travel? Is it simply to check things off your list and have something to brag about on Facebook? Is it because you like to sink your teeth into a destination and explore the culture? Are you a foodie and can’t wait to eat your way through the country? Or do you prefer art and architecture? Taking some time to think about what it is that makes you want to travel can be a great way to narrow down a few different possibilities.

If you’re traveling with your family, you may want to sit down together and discuss everyone’s interests and ideas. The most memorable and fun trips are when each member of the family will get to experience something they’re passionate about, regardless of their age. That may mean a chocolate tour for the chocoholic in the family, visiting Legoland for the younger kids, or some time exploring the shops for the teenagers.

If you’re traveling with your significant other, take the time to talk about your individual expectations and desires. It’s important that you’re clear on what you both want to do, and also how much time you want to spend together. Maybe you have very different ideas about how you like to travel but you both like the idea of a beach holiday- there’s no reason why one of you can’t lie by the pool while the other goes off to explore and you meet up for lunch or dinner.

Another good way to decide where to go on holiday is to take a quiz. My Voucher Codes has created a great quiz called “My Perfect Holiday Generator”. This article is a great insight into the tool, which you can use to choose where you want to go based on questions like temperature (hot, warm or cold), whether you want to relax, have an adventure or party on, and your budget (ranging from cheap to expensive).

With destinations from around the world covered, you may find yourself discovering a country you hadn’t considered, and if you’re open to a new adventure you could then compare destinations based on flight prices.

Mark Pearson, founder of My Voucher Codes, said that it can be hard to decide where to go if you want to visit somewhere new, especially when travelling as a family since everyone has different opinions. “Hopefully the perfect holiday generator will give you the inspiration to find that dream holiday and wonderful memories for years to come”.

You can check out the Holiday Generator here: