Everyone knows that building, redecorating and remodelling projects can be expensive. They hardly ever run to schedule and this inevitably creates extra costs that won’t have been included in your budget.

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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.

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.

When looking around houses and flats to let you need to make sure that you don’t get carried away with how beautiful they are, how big your bedroom would be and how close you are to the shops. Believe me, you need to make sure you can afford to live in a potential new home before you commit your heart to it and mentally decide where your furniture will go. Always check the appliances to make sure they are safe, clean and that the previous owner or landlord has had time to display energy certificates for the boiler and cooker etc. You should make sure that an appropriately qualified technician has passed everything in the house before you use it and once that is done you can start to live in your new home safe in the knowledge that you have been cautious. And just think, the more cautious you are at the start, the more likely it is that if you find something that is drastically wrong, the landlord cannot blame you for it and make you pay for it! There are a lot of crooked landlords and agencies out there who will do whatever it takes, especially in a recession, to trick you out of your money so be on your guard and check your home’s credentials.

I’ve lived in some weird and wonderful houses and flats in my time, and had various pieces of furniture in different houses. Some of it I have had to give away or store as it is simply too big for certain homes I have gone to. I was heartbroken when my favourite piece of furniture and bargain of the century (my huge squashy armchair) was too big to move with me to my most recent place, and now it sits at my parents house unloved and covered in my mother’s clothes. It also poses a problem that now when I have friends over there is no-where for them to sit as that chair used to house two people comfortably (no it’s not a sofa it’s just a really big chair, and yes it is that good!). A solution to my limited seating problem had to be reached, and it had to be reached quickly due to the impending arrival of the friends from Uni, and that solution eventually came in the shape of two giant leather bean bags which I purchased at the weekend. They are fabulous because not only are they comfortable enough to fall asleep on, they are easily shoved in the cupboard when I don’t need them, in order to create space! Excellent!

So i’m going to reach the grand old age of a quarter of a century this year and i’ve been feeling my age.  There are various things you should do before you reach certain ages and i’ve been contemplating various crazy ideas to make me feel alive and giddy (bear in mind i’m not the most adventurous of people).  From now on i’ve resolved to go to a different country every year and also to upgrade my wardrobe, which i’m sure is on every girl’s list, but I need something a bit out of the ordinary to say “yes, I did this”. Aside from having my tongue pierced, going on an extreme sports holiday or quitting my job to go backpacking I wasn’t having much luck.. until I was driving home and spotted a stripy hot air balloon on the horizon.  So i’ve decided that it’s quite an accomplishment (also bear in mind that i’ve got vertigo), and something I’ll definitely remember in another 25 years, so i’m going to go on a hot air balloon ride. Imagine being hundreds of feet in the air and looking down on the beautiful countryside. Yes I will be terrified but i’m never going to jump out of a plane or do a bungee jump so I reckon it’s the closest I’ll get.  What do you plan to do before your next birthday?

Everything is easier to understand and take in when it is clearly presented to us. The main thing to do when taking stock of your life is to make a list. It will clearly let you know where you stand in line with your goals and help you to deal with separate issues to resolve them. Make a list of the things in your life you are happy with or good at, and another for the things you’re not.  Make sure you list everything as it will make you deal with any issues once they are down in black and white.

You can use the positive list to remind you of why you should be happy and to see how far you have come in life. Whenever you feel a bit down just have a look at this list and it will cheer you up. If it is not quite as long as you would like, use this as inspiration to add more things to the list. Perhaps ask a friend to contribute things she thinks you’re good at.

Use the negative list to give you a “things to work on” reminder. If there are a few things on the negative list then don’t try to tackle them all at once.  Look at the negative list once a week and set yourself a target to reach by the end of the next week, even if it is just a small step to make some progress.

Pop them on your fridge and keep the lists updated. If you make one small step to changing a point on your negative list every week you will soon see changes to your life, attitude and lists!

Asda continued its assault on the giant that is Tesco when it opened a new supermarket on Bury St Edmunds on Monday. The new supermarket underwent building and design work for months before it was ready, and has cost the US owned Asda £22 million to finish.

Locals were very keen for the new Asda to be constructed on the site of an old Co-op store, which they had branded an eyesore due to its state of disrepair. Locals are also delighted that the new designed store will give 370 jobs to residents of the area.

Locals fought long and hard to have the store built and are also hoping that a bus service will be laid on to ferry them to Asda for their weekly shopping.

Barry Gramlick is the general store manager for Asda, he stated:

After months of preparation, the time has finally come to open and all our new colleagues are very excited about opening our doors to customers.

We aim to save our customers money every day and provide warm, friendly service for the local community.

I’m delighted that we’ve also been able to create 370 new jobs which will help the local economy.

Locals will be able to put their groceries on Asda’s new conveyor systems to help them in this financial crisis.

One of the most infuriating things about having a conservatory is not knowing what blind or drape to use. Roof blinds are needed to reduce glare and drapes will offer shade but which ones will complement the room?

The most popular blinds are pleated blinds as an alternative for roof and window blinds these days. A versatile blind, they are available in many different colours / patterns and are easy to maintain.

You can even buy an “automated” version of the pulley system if you like the idea of “remotely” operating the blinds. Pleated blinds have been recommended by conservatory shop owners who seem to think that the ‘solar’ blinds give better performance.

Alternatively, you could purchase the Roman Blinds which are usually made with “Original French Pinoleum” and have been quite traditional in many conservatories. These blinds are composed of thin strips of woven wood, usually manufactured in France and complement interior furnishings such as wicker and Rattan.

Roller blinds are thought to bounce the sunlight back and reduce the amount of glare which has the subsidiary attraction of helping you control the temperature. These types of blinds come in all sorts of different fabrics and are the most durable if perhaps the least aesthetically pleasing of the blind options.

You could of course create your own drapes in contrast to the blind option. This alternative will enable you to give the conservatory your own individual stamp of style and taste.

Converting a loft can help you put added value on your home, free up much needed space or provide you with a hobby room free from family disturbances. The room should be comfortable and as light as possible depending on what you plan to use the space for.

To get the best results hire a loft conversion company or experienced builder to evaluate the space and tell you what you can and cannot do, he can also advise you on any paper work that might need doing.

Loft conversions can be expensive; the crucial thing to remember is to get the safety and design aspects right from the beginning. Some people will not have much change from £15,000 and if you decide to get a company in it may cost even more so be prepared.

A loft conversion can take up to eight weeks depending on what design you have chosen- even longer if structural work becomes complicated with walls being removed and joists being implanted.

Design ideas should sit in harmony with the rest of the structure outside and inside. Dormer windows and brickwork should match if you’re extending the roofline. Staircases should be positioned over the original one to make the space feel like it continues on from the rest of the house.