Want to renovate your home but do not quite have the budget to do so? Maybe you need to break down and rebuild a room with decaying walls or simply need a change in atmosphere that will inspire you more in the day to day. Whatever your purpose, renovating your home is not impossible on a tight budget. One option is to get a home loan, particularly if your home renovation need is urgent. Managing your home loan well and knowing how to allocate will give you enough budget for your renovation needs. Create a clean budget plan and learn to stick to it so that your renovation will not get put on a hold due to monetary reasons.
Getting A New Look On The Cheap
Living in a place that has four seasons has its perks, but it also has its downsides. With each change of season, our wardrobes have to be updated as well. While this can be an exciting thing, it is definitely not easy on one’s wallet. Then again, there are some things that you can do to spruce up that wardrobe of yours without really spending a lot.
Have you ever thought of recycling? If you recycle aluminum cans, tires, and other things, why not clothes? And speaking of recycling, maybe you can use the other “R” – reuse.
The idea is to find people who think just like you and organize a little “auction.” Here’s the plan.
Talk to several of your friends who have similar tastes in fashion. It is important that they have similar figures and sizes as you do.
Agree on what kinds of clothes and accessories each person should bring. Perhaps you can be specific about the items that they should bring – the number of tops, skirts, pants, etc. You can even ask your friends to bring food and drinks; you might as well have some fun while you’re are it.
During the auction-party, open each item to bidding. So that you won’t have to spend a dime, use the items that you brought as the “currency.” You can make up the rules as you wish. The bottom line is that all of the participants can get a new piece of clothing (or two) without spending any money!
Last Minute Gift Wrapping Ideas
There are several more hours before Christmas Eve, and I just got back from the supermarket. Needless to say, it’s sheer chaos out there. My sister’s wrapping up her gifts at the last moment – sans traditional Christmas wrapping paper. If you’re tired of wrapping gifts the same old boring way, here are a few ideas which you can put to good use without having to buy new materials.
Dig into your old stuff and look for suitable materials. We have found widespread brochures and catalogs to be useful. They’re really colorful and perfect for Christmas gifts. Usually, the material is glossy, making it even more suitable for wrapping gifts. For wine bottles, I just get a big enough spread of material, wrap it up, and twist. Just tie a ribbon for added flair.
I also got a couple of gifts wrapped in plain brown paper – the kind that they use in meat shops. I really like it even though it’s just plain and not that festive, it does have an appeal of its own. What I was thinking was that if you have kids, you can ask them to draw or paint on the paper. That would make the wrapping even more special.
How about newspaper? For your eco-conscious friends, this would be the perfect choice. I am sure you have a stack of old newspapers somewhere – just get some tape and a pair of scissors and you’ll be done with your gift-wrapping in no time at all!
Do You Have These Bad Habits?
We all have our bad habits, there is no denying that. There are some habits, however, that may seem to be harmless on the surface but are actually wreaking damage without us noticing it. Take a look at some of these habits and see if you are guilty of engaging in them.
Using the phone while driving. This is really a no brainer – bad habit no doubt. However, everyone who does this has his own way of rationalizing it. There is a plethora of hands-free devices that we can use to make talking on the phone while driving safe. STOP IT. Driving requires concentration and even if you’re using a hands-free device, talking on the phone takes away from that concentration that can make the difference between life and death!
Watching TV every single night. So what’s bad about that? People need to de-stress after work. If TV is their way of doing it, why not? The bad thing about spending every single night glued to the tube is that there are so many other negative implications. One, you may not be spending as much as time as you should interacting with other people – that will help you de-stress better. Two, you tend to eat more when watching TV. Three, studies have shown that too much TV can increase your risk for Alzheimer’s later in life.
Listening to music. Alright, I have to qualify this. Music is part of many people’s lives and that shouldn’t be counted as a bad habit. The bad part comes into the picture when you plug those earbuds in constantly and increase the volume. Our ears are sensitive machines and if exposed to loud noises constantly, they will simply stop functioning. The alternative then is to force yourself to get used to lower sound levels.
Which of these bad habits do you have? Don’t you think it’s time to do something about them? Do visit o5.com for great lifestyle tips of every kind- it’s a wonderful resource- I especially liked a recent article on toddler anxiety.
Photo courtesy of Time
Savings Or Pay Off Credit Card Debt?
Like many young people, I never thought I would find myself facing serious credit card debt. In my early twenties, I told myself that I would never fall into any debt trap. I had heard so many horror stories, and I just knew I would not live out one of those.
Boy, was I wrong! Many many years later, I am struggling with credit card debt, and if I don’t get a grip on things, I just might get buried. Naturally, I have been looking for ways to deal with this debt in the best possible way, as soon as I can.
One thing that I have been considering is using part of my savings and put more towards the credit card debt. A lot of people have been telling me that this is the wrong thing to do, but I do have a gut feeling that it might help. I did find a piece of advice at Money Central:
Earning one or two percentage points of interest on your savings, while paying double-digit interest rates on your credit card debt, gets you nowhere fast. To add to the injury, you pay income tax on the meager savings interest, and you can’t deduct the credit card interest from your income taxes.
Seriously consider paying off high-interest credit cards or auto loans with savings. Pay off the cards with the highest interest rates first. Be sure to keep enough money in an emergency fund or in available cash advances to cover three to six months’ worth of living expenses.
I think that is enough to convince me to get a little bit from my savings account. What is your advice for me?