Homes are like hairstyles- something that once worked perfectly can become outdated no longer suit you later down the line. For example many young couples and professionals start out in small, one bedroom apartments. They’re cheaper to live in which is useful when you’re first starting out- especially if you work in the city and don’t want too much of a commute. When you’re young and out a lot, you don’t need masses of space at home. If you’re simply after somewhere to shower, sleep and eat then, it will do the job perfectly. However things can change as we go through life, and eventually, you might find yourself wishing for somewhere you can put down roots. Somewhere with a bit more space perhaps? If you want to do any of the following, chances are it’s time to start thinking about a bigger home!

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You Want To Start a Family

One of the biggest reasons people move to a more spacious home is because they want their family to grow. If you moved into an apartment before having children, the multiple flights of stairs in the building and lack of outside space probably didn’t bother you. It’s unlikely you looked into things like parks and schools. Having kids changes everything, you will become concerned over things that you never gave a second thought to before. How busy the road you live on is, what facilities are nearby for children. You probably looked into the crime rate before, but it’s even more of a deciding factor now. If your current home is unsuitable, it’s time to start looking for a new property for when you have children. If you don’t plan on moving right away, you could always rent a self storage unit and put things like a crib, baby furniture, pram and other large purchases in there. That way you could spread the cost, and you have everything ready for when you move, but without cluttering up your tiny apartment in the process.

You Love Entertaining Friends

In your younger years, socializing is all about bars, nightclubs, and parties. But as you get older, things change a little. Wine and cheese nights, dinner parties and afternoon tea at home become far more appealing than the sticky floors of your local haunt. However, entertaining in a tiny apartment can be difficult. Chances are you don’t have much of a kitchen or a dining space- perhaps just a breakfast bar or bistro set for two people. If you want to start hosting regular events at your place, it could be a sign that your home needs to be upgraded.

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You Want To Start Gardening

Gardening is a wonderful hobby to have. Growing something from essentially nothing and watching your garden bloom is always satisfying. By growing a mixture of fruit, vegetables, and herbs you can cut down on your weekly grocery bill, plus you’ll keep fit and it’s generally a fun and productive way to spend your time. If you dream of tending your garden, or sitting outside relaxing on a summer’s day, surrounded by flowers with a drink in your hand- a one bedroom apartment simply won’t do. Have a look at houses in your local area that have a good garden!

We all have those oops moments when we realize that we’ve forgotten something quite important! Unfortunately, as you get older, these will happen much more often. As our brains age, it is ever so easy for things to slip out mind. These forgetful moments can range from not being too important to things that can ruin our daily plans! However, there are certain ways you can make sure that these moments don’t cause too much trouble. In this blog post, I’ve written about some of the things we all commonly forget. There are also some great tips that can help you out of the various sticky situations!

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Online Passwords

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These days, most of us use computers and mobile tablets every single day. And you will hopefully have put a password on them to protect them. You will also need passwords to access your social media accounts, emails, and any other online accounts that you may have. Ideally, you need to have a different password every time. That way, if someone finds out one password, they won’t be able to access all your accounts. Unfortunately, that means that you will have a lot of passwords to remember, which can make it ever so easy to forget them! So what do you do if you forget a password and can’t access your laptop of online accounts? There should be a link on the website you’re trying to get into to request a password reset link to be sent to you via email or SMS. Can’t get into your computer? You can always take it to a computer service store; they can usually offer password recovery services.

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Keys

There is nothing worse than getting home to find out you don’t have your front door keys with you and are locked out! Most of the time, we don’t pick them up on the way out because we have misplaced them. But you never have to worry about misplacing them again, as you can now connect your keys to your phone. That’s right! There are now key trackers available that you stick onto your keys and then connect via Bluetooth to your smartphone. That way, next time you can’t find your keys, you just need to open the tracker app, and it will tell you exactly where they are! Some scientific studies show that getting stressed once you realize you’ve lost something actually makes it harder to find them. So, next time you don’t have a clue where your keys are, take some deep breaths so that you can stay calm and find them in no time at all!

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Birthdays

Birthdays seem to come around so often, and at times it can be very difficult trying to keep up with them all. Only just realized that it’s your relative or friend’s birthday tomorrow and don’t have any time to go shopping for a gift? No problem! One way around this is to always keep a stash of birthday cards at home in a drawer. That way, you always have a card ready for birthdays. Do you often buy the birthday boy or girl a gift? Just because you’ve left things so late this year, doesn’t mean that it should be any different. You might want to find an online florist who offers next day delivery like https://www.flowerbud.com/calla-lilies. Simply order a bouquet online, and you can relax knowing that your friend or relative will receive them in twenty-four hours. Of course, if you realize that you have completely missed the birthday altogether, there are ways you can make up for it. A belated birthday gift will always go down well as it gives the receiver a chance to extend their birthday celebrations! This can be something as little as a box of their favorite chocolates to a more extravagant gesture such as taking them out for a meal in a chic restaurant. It’s probably best to go that extra mile with their belated gift, as you did forget their birthday!

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Daily Medicine

Lots of us take medicine on a daily business. This may be for a long-term health condition, such as taking beta blockers for high blood pressure. It could also be for something less life-threatening but equally important, like the contraceptive pill or an everyday vitamin supplement. Whatever tablets you may need to take, it’s important that you don’t forget. Forgetting to take even just one dose of medication could weaken its effect and leave you at risk of certain health conditions getting worse. The best way to remember about your daily dose is to set a reminder on your phone. This is especially useful for women who take the contraceptive pill, as it needs to be taken at a similar time each day. You can also buy a seven-day pill box. This is split into seven sections so that you can put in all your medication for the week ahead. You can find them on sites like http://www.rehabmart.com/category/medication_helpers.htm. Leave this somewhere visible, such as in the kitchen or on your bedside table, so that you will always see it and remember to take the tablets.

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Meal Ingredients

Started cooking and realized you don’t have a main ingredient? Yep, that’s annoying alright! If you can’t leave your kitchen to nip to the shops, you are going to have to get creative to work around the missing ingredient. There are always some alternatives that can be used in place of certain foods. For instance, did you know that lemon juice works well as a substitute for salt? And you can always use vegetable oil instead of butter. Food bloggers are really inventive when it comes to substituting ingredients, so have a search on these blogs to see if they have any suggestions. Forgot to get some meat for your meal? Why not enjoy a vegetarian version? After all, we are all now advised to have at least one meat-free day per week.

Now, I can’t quite remember what I was going to write my next blog post about…

Let’s face it – we are a generation of busy people. There is so much to get done on a day to day basis that it’s not a bad thing to start accepting some help or advice to get stuff sorted, and get things done.

Accept the Help!

If you have a friend or family member who is offering to do some jobs for you, let them. Don’t let pride get in the way; think about how much easier your life will be if one little (or big, if they’re that generous!) thing is ticked off the list. Being a parent is a demanding job, especially in the early stages. Any help that you may have previously dismissed does get remembered, though, so don’t push it away without good reason.

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Outsource, Outsource, Outsource

If you aren’t lucky enough to have people offer to do your jobs for you, you could consider bringing some help in. There are people to cover every job you can think of (honestly, try thinking of one job that you’re doing that you couldn’t hire somebody else to do?), and if you have some spare cash at the end of the week but are completely swamped with chores, then try parting with it and hiring somebody to come and help you. You can even order online; sites like Domestic One are there for you to go and search for your perfect maid. It’s not lazy to employ somebody to do jobs around the house for you – it’s increasing your spare time and therefore your chance to be productive on other things. Don’t feel guilty.

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Prepare the Stations

A lot of time can be saved by getting stuff prepared the day or week before. If you waste a lot of time sourcing ingredients for a meal that you don’t really know what you’re doing with, make sure that you have got everything ready (including the recipe!) the day before. You could invest in a slow cooker; these pieces of kitchen kit are an immense help with time-saving. All you have to do it pop in all of the the main ingredients plus any seasoning you require, pop onto the desired temperature and leave until the meal is done. This gives you time to go out to work, shopping, wherever you want to go, and still have a dinner all cooked and ready for you upon your return. It really is that simple.

Make a Schedule

This one may seem obvious, but a lot of people just aren’t doing it – they’re leaving all happenings and goings-on to chance, convinced that some sort of routine made up in their heads will keep it all in order. What keeps things in order is having a physical schedule in front of you that you can take reference from and use to keep on track. Not only can you use it, but anybody else who may need to know what’s happening in your life can; it’s really useful for family members who may be helping out with childcare especially.

Do you find that your home isn’t all that liveable at the moment? This could be for a number of different reasons. Maybe you haven’t been living their long, or you just don’t know what to do with it. These simple tips will help you to make your home more liveable in no time. Enjoy…

Create A More Practical Layout

Having a practical layout inside your home is really important if you’re going to live in it and enjoy it at the same time. If you can’t go from room to room without bumping into things and tripping over, you have some rethinking to do. You can use applications and things like that online to help you create a layout that suits you perfectly. Ideally, you’ll be able to make your way around the house without bumping into obstacles.

Match Your Personality

If you love to watch films and listen to music, having a room dedicated to these things could be an amazing idea. You could turn the room into an entertainment room, complete with expensive speaker system and impressive home cinema. If you prefer to read, you could make your very own home library. Making your home match your personality will always make it more liveable. This doesn’t just mean watching the things you keep in your home, but making sure the decor is right for you too. Just because neutral is popular with buyers, doesn’t mean your home has to be neutral. Paint it bright green if you want to!

[Photo courtesy of Tom Borowski/flickr.com]

Don’t Leave Repairs And Maintenance For Too Long

Leaving repairs and maintenance too long in a bid to save some money is a bad idea. You’ll only cost yourself more money and make things worse in the long run. Ridge Top exteriors will tell you exactly what you need to do if you notice your roof needs to be repaired. Serious repairs like that need fixing ASAP and shouldn’t be ignored!

Keep It As Clean As Possible

Keep your home as clean as possible. Not only does this make your home look better, it makes sure your home is healthy and fit for use too. Keep on top of the cleaning and you won’t need to spend hours doing it in the future. Keeping useful cleaning products in the rooms you need them in can make it easier too, such as keeping bleach next to the toilet.

Don’t Hoard Things

Avoid hoarding so your home doesn’t become messy and cluttered. If you don’t use something, be vigilant and get rid of it. If you get a letter that you don’t need, shred it straight away rather than putting it to one side. This is how you become more productive when it comes to your home and keep things running smoothly.

These are all simple tips you can start using right away to make your home more liveable. They won’t take long or cost much to do, so you can enjoy your home more in no time at all. Leave any of your own tips and ideas below. Thanks for visiting!

If you’re eager to socialize, relax and have some fun this summer, why not host at hot tub party. They are an excellent way to spend more time outside in the sunshine and gives your yard a more luxurious feel. Plus it’s an activity that all ages can get involved in. Children and adults alike can get lots of enjoyment out of using a hot tub. But hosting a hot tub party requires more than just the hot tub itself. So before you start inviting your closest friends and family, read through these expert tips to make your party a complete success.

[Photo courtesy of Christopher Porter/flickr.com]

Buy a suitable hot tub

If you don’t already have a hot tub in your yard, you are missing a crucial element of your party. So start looking for a suitable option before you do anything else. There are many different sizes and styles of hot tubs to choose from, so you need to consider your options carefully. Choose which area in your yard you want to use for entertaining your guests and measure it carefully. You can then start looking at the different options that are available. You can find these on HotTubAdvice or head to a nearby showroom. Always consider how often you want to use it, the maintenance and size you require before you buy.

Clean your hot tub

It’s essential that your hot tub is cleaned before your guest arrive at your party. This will not only make your hot tub look more appealing, but will also boost it’s hygiene levels. If you’re unsure how to clean it yourself, there are Youtube Tutorials online to help you. Alternatively, you can hire someone to check the chemical levels and clean your hot tub for you. Visit the homeadvisor site to find reputable tradesmen who can get your hot tub in tip top condition before your guests arrive. Just remember to give yourself sufficient time and don’t leave it to the last minute. You will also need your hot tub cleaned again after the party is over.

[Photo courtesy of Patti/flickr.com]

Provide extras

As it’s a hot tub party, the likelihood of your guests getting wet is extremely high. While many of your guests will bring their own towels, provide some extra ones too. This will help you guests feel more comfortable, and they can also be used to dry off your outdoor furniture too. In addition to this, you might want to provide flip flops for everyone to wear to prevent anyone slipping on the wet floor.  Spare swimsuits could also be useful if one of your guests forgets to bring their own. To keep your guests entertained when they aren’t using the hot tub, provide games can play or music they can listen to. Snacks and drinks will also be welcomed extras to your party. These extra touches will be appreciated by all of your guests and encourages everyone to get involved.

With these tips to help you, there is no reason why your hot tub party can’t be a complete success. Always ensure that your hot tub is regularly maintained to make it clean and hygienic for everyone to use.

Having a pet is a big responsibility. It is also so rewarding; they become like part of the family. So if you are thinking of getting pets, you need to be prepared. Like with a child, you need to be prepared for the fact that you are responsible for the animal. Responsible for making sure that they get fed, taken care of and are kept healthy, well, and safe. So read on as I share my tips for choosing the best pet for you.

Think about the type of pet that you might like. Then you need to think of your family situation. If you love the idea of a dog but are a couple that works a lot of hours, it might not be the best idea. If you are out of the home of most of the day, when will walks fit in? They can get lonely too. A lower maintenance pet might be a better option until the situation changes. If you like the idea of a pet, but want a pet that doesn’t take up as much space, something like a rabbit or guinea pig might be good options. Do your research and think realistically about the best option for you.

[Photo courtesy of papagnoc/pixabay.com]

Then you need to think about the care and lifestyle of the pet. Are you fully committed to making a big change? If so, a pet dog could be a great choice. Dogs can take over the house a little and need more attention than a rodent would, for example. You need to think about vets bills and things like the cost of vaccinations. Not all pets require them, but some do. There is the cost of medicines too. Would your pet be in a situation where they might need something like painkillers? Cats and dogs are the most likely to need them as they are out and about much more. So think about the cost of something like Metacam for dogs or Calmex for cats. All pets can cost a lot of money, but some do cost more than others.

Along the lines of the cost of a pet, think about the life span of the animal. As we know, some animals will live longer than others. Are you looking for a long-term companion in your choice of pet? Or are you just looking for a small pet for when the children are young? These are all considerations when deciding what the best pet for you is.

Take into consideration your accommodation when you are deciding. If you don’t have a large outdoor space, are there places close by that you could take a dog too? Would you have room for a hutch in the back yard? You might prefer a pet that stays indoors, but if so, they will need plenty of space to roam.

I don’t mean to put you off with all of these considerations. It is just that a pet is a big commitment. You want to make it a fantastic and rewarding relationship. The best way to do that is to choose the perfect pet for you.