GSI is the new DIY, or it is for many people. After the surge in popularity of DIY over the last decade it comes as somewhat of a surprise that more and more people are leaving DIY behind and are instead using professionals to do the work for them.

The benefit of doing DIY is that you can save a lot of money, however you might not get the level of finish you are after. A professional will not only do a better job, if you are unhappy you can get them to remedy any problems or niggles you may have.

Getting Someone In is going to become even more prominent over the next few years, as homeowners will struggle to find time away from their jobs to spend any time at home.

Moving house can be an extremely stressful time, even before you pick up a paintbrush or attempt any DIY in your new pad. This is why it’s important to be organised, and do everything in your power to make the move as smooth as possible.

The following is a quick checklist of tips to remember when moving house:

• Clear out the clutter before you move. Sell unwanted items on eBay, attend a car boot sale or give things away to grateful new owners using Freecycle – it’ll make it easier if there are less things to move.

• Do all the packing and cleaning in advance. Whilst you can’t do everything until the move is completed, you could finish whole rooms and close the door on them so you know where you’re up to.

• Take an inventory of all your possessions, making sure you know exactly what’s in each box and where it should go in your new house.

• Find clever packing solutions, such as using easy-to-shift suitcases to pack clothes and shoes.

• Hire a van to move your stuff, but make sure you take out van insurance to cover your possessions. There is nothing more catastrophic on moving day than theft or accidental damage to your property.

My grandpa was brilliant at fixing things using the simplest tools and common household things lying around the house. I learnt so much from seeing how his little “inventions” would solve any little problems. Now stores all over the UK sell products that he designed.
For instance, I had a problem with the plug in my bathroom last week as the chain for the plug broke. Now I made the fatal mistake of just putting the metal plug in the bath, running the water and having a nice hot bath after a hard day at work. The problems began when I tried to get the plug out!!
As the water had put pressure on top of the plug it was nigh on impossible to get the plug out, so after some deliberation I decided to get some wire from my potting shed and thread it through the hole at the top of the plug (this was not as easy as it sounds, due the fact I couldn’t see under the water).
After eventually doing this, I managed to get a tight grip on the wire and pull the plug free to much relief. Never wanting to make the same mistake I simply got some pliers and bent the hole at the top of plug and connected the chain, and simply bent the hole back round. Have not had a problem since.

My friend is having an extension done at the moment and is keeping to a very tight budget. She’s having her lounge extended so the living room is doubled in size and can then act as a kitchen diner. She really wants a big space to have a proper dining table so she can have proper family time with her son and also have enough room for a three piece suite. There is usually a big problem when having an extension which is budget. They are not cheap. The key to my friend’s success with a cost effective extension is the fact that her man is a builder! They have been pretty much doing it themselves with her knocking down walls and shifting rubble and him doing the proper building work. It has saved about five thousand pounds and is definitely a big benefit of having a tradesman as her partner. A trade is a valuable commodity and definitely means you will always be useful!

Christmas time is here again and that means choosing gifts, which can be a particularly difficult task at the best of times. Personalized calendars are a great gift that can fit even the most awkward of people to buy for. These days there are a variety of calendars available to cater for all age groups and walks of life, Posters, Wall, Desk, Wallet, Magnets and Cards.

Whether you’re buying for friends or family, personalizing a calendar can be a fun activity in itself. If you’re buying for a friend that you’ve grown up with why not try gathering together all the photos of the two of you and try to build a timeline of your friendship, then pick out the most significant 12 photos and put them in your calendar. You may well want a copy for yourself after you see the results.

If you have a family member or a few, that live in another country or just another part of your country but you don’t see very often, a photo calendar can be the best way to let them know what you’ve been up to this year. If you think of all the birthdays, weddings, holidays etc… that you’ve been to this year it should be easy to fill a calendar up with a variety of photos. If they do live a long distance away it will keep you in their minds all year long. So get making your calendars!

As we grow up we experiment with make-up, usually our mothers, and we paint ourselves up like a doll, lipstick on teeth, eyeshadow on our cheeks etc! Once you get to your teenage years it’s all about trying to put as much on as you can to look older, however this usually ends up as shaky liquid eyeliner, blusher that’s pinker than a dragon fruit and mascara that makes you look like there’s spiders attached to your face. And don’t even get me started on the foundation. There are so many kids nowadays with thick orange foundation on their faces. If only they had some tips for effective make-up. Well now they do!

1-    Make sure you match the foundation to your skin colour. Go to your local boots or cosmetic store and try the tester samples on the back of your hand. If you can see it, it’s the wrong colour. Many people seem to think if you buy some foundation that’s darker than your skin it’ll make you look better. Wrong. It’s all about foundation that covers your blemishes and evens out skin tone. You can use blusher and bronzing powder to highlight certain areas to make yourself look healthy. And use a large powder brush to add this; you don’t want the stripes that so commonly occur when using small powder brushes!

2-    Use eyelash curlers, squeeze at the roots, in the middle and at the ends of your lashes to give a natural curve.

3-    Get an eyelash/eyebrow comb and brush your eyelashes after your mascara dries. This will separate those spiders’ legs and give a more wide open eye.

4-    Use kohl eyeliner to give a softer edge and only ever use liquid eyeliner after LOTS of practice. Any mistakes are very obvious with liquid eyeliner.

5-    Last rule – big eyes OR big lips. Always make sure that your eyes are natural if you wear bright lipstick, on the other hand if you’ve gone to town on your eyes with various liners, powders and lashings of mascara, always just slick on some Vaseline or clear lip balm and you’re good to go.

As we all know, work is one of the worst places when you are on a diet or even trying to be healthy. Basically because of the availability of fizzy drinks, chocolate bars, crisps, cookies, and whatever goodies that the ‘lady who bakes’ offers round on a Tuesday! Think about it- every office has a lady who bakes and offers round her lovely fairy cakes or brownies. She is the devil in disguise! The best way to avoid the butty van, vending machine and the temptation of another chocolate crispy cake is to stock your drawer at work with healthy snacks on which you can munch when the temptation becomes too much. I have been trialling this at work over the past months and it is very successful. Basically you will need dried fruit (apricots, raisins, etc), mixed nuts, rice cakes and low fat chocolate mousse for when you need that chocolate fix! If you are one of these people who need their bag of crisps at 11:00am then why not but a multi pack of lower fat/calorie crisps such as quavers or French fries. Did you know that one bag of walkers sensations has 194 calories and 10 grams of fat? Quavers and French fries have half of these at about 90 calories per bag. Basically eating two packets of quavers is as bad as one packet of sensations. By stocking up you will save money rather than buying things separately, especially if you go to one of the cheaper supermarkets, and you will also improve your health and save calories on the ‘bad foods’ by eating things that will benefit you instead. One last tip, instead of fizzy drinks, buy the small cartons of fruit juice and have them on your desk. This will help towards your five a day.

Ok, I know i’ve written about car boot sales recently, but I think this is going to be a regular posting. The most amazing week I have ever had at a car boot sale was the week before last, and last week was not bad too! It is incredible the things that people throw away. I got a necklace, a video player for £10, a yoga DVD, four tops, a glass bottle to go with my collection of weird and wonderful bottles and a pair of vintage heels for a quid the week before last! And last week I got a leather jacket for £1.50, two brooches which have drawn the attention of my most fashionable friend, and a chunky gold necklace which is my new favourite piece of jewellery. Take this as my biggest tip and get up at half 7 on a Sunday. Yes, you will probably have to cut short your Saturday night, but to be honest you’ll save money and your hangover won’t be as bad. I know it is not easy but if you think about it you get a whole day at the weekend rather than getting up at noon and slumping on the sofa. You’ll feel better, you’ll get a bargain and your weekend will feel longer. Total win!

I’ve had a few different office jobs over the past five years where I have been sat at a desk behind a computer, and over the past five years my back has been getting more and more painful. There may possibly be a link here. It is important to make sure your office furniture, and in particular your office seating is adequate for the amount of time you sit there.  In my current place of work I was impressed as they asked me when I started, and again a while later, if my work station was adequate and if I needed any adjustments; such as a screen platform, a foot rest and a different chair. I have since been thinking that I would like a cushion and a throw over my chair to make it more comfortable and I have started the process of “testing the water” to see if anyone has a problem with this. I have introduced my huge woollen pashmina, wrapped it round myself in the office and also draped it over my chair. No-one has said anything bad, and actually a colleague borrowed it when she was cold. I’m going to bring a cushion in next week and see how it goes with that. Might be a step too far, but at least I get to shop for a cushion!

There are some people who know what they want to do with their life from an early age. Some want to be a Doctor, some want to be an Archaeologist, some want to work at Mcdonalds and be an Air Hostess (yes that was me before I discovered I was a “homebird” who cared about the nutritional value of what I ate!) These things can change obviously, and the vast majority of people I know just muddle through doing things they are quite good at, myself included. After she finished University one of my best friends decided that she was going to take some time out and go on a voyage of discovery. She had done a Psychology degree but was not sure of her direction or purpose. After much research into various locations including Japan, Canada and Australia she decided that she was going to go to Africa on a specialised wild animal experience where she was working at an Animal Sanctuary, living in a tent and caring for the wild animals etc. She looked at various Africa Holidays after she decided on the location, and made sure she chose the package that was right for her. The research was invaluable and is my number one rule for anyone planning a similar experience. The moment she got back she told me she had found her calling.. she wanted to work with animals, so she started to volunteer at a local Vet’s practice. Two years later she is in her final stages of becoming a Vet Nurse and is incredibly happy with her job. Are you one of these people who are not happy with your current direction? Consider taking a leaf out of my friend’s book. She says it was the best thing she ever did.