Archive for February, 2012

Should You Stick To Traditional Or Modern Sofas?

February 12th, 2012 by bousson | No Comments | Filed in Budgets, Decorating Homes, Furniture, Home Improvements
By getting a new sofa you not only improve your home but also you sit comfortable in the evening and watch television. Though, we literally thousands of styles and designs it can be a struggle knowing just which sofa you should get for your new home.

Decorating and furnishing homes can be thought of in two distinct ways either traditional or modern. With such a long history the UK offers many different traditional styled homes. Decorating and furnishing a period building will mean you can narrow your search to more traditional styles of furniture as opposed to modern. You shouldn’t be put off the idea of having a little of both traditional and modern furniture as this can often yield some of the very best home interior design.

For the younger home owner modern rather than traditional interior design seems to be the preferred choice. For you guys leather or corner sofas offer a real modern dimension. Take your time looking at the various different colours and fabrics available in these styles as you’ll find still hundreds to choose from.

Often people will only ever purchase one sofa in their lives so choosing the right one which is going to last requires a lot of time and patience. Consider what you expect from your sofa when deciding on how much you will spend on it. Cheaper sofas still offer great designs they just don’t last a lifetime, so if you’re likely to change yours save money by going for these.

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Spring Is The Perfect Time To Get Back In Shape

February 9th, 2012 by bousson | No Comments | Filed in Activities
As winter fades and spring draws near our thoughts start to turn to the outdoors, and our gardens are the perfect place to start exercising. After the Christmas celebrations most us have eaten weigh too much and need to get back in shape so what better place to start than in the garden. 

To start your day the right way get up an hour earlier and do some exercise before going to work. Exercising before work will actually help you to have a better day, or certainly feel better as exercise releases the body’s natural endorphins. 

It can be hard sticking to your new improved healthy lifestyle so why not make a life a bit more interesting by using trampolines as a means of exercise. This way you never have to leave the comfort of your own garden to exercise regularly each day. 

If you live near the beach then start your day by swimming for half an hour, great exercise for the whole body. Why not stay in shape and save money as well by walking or cycling to work rather than using the car or bus

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Quick Guide On Fitting Laminate Flooring

February 7th, 2012 by bousson | No Comments | Filed in Decorating Homes, DIY Jobs, Flooring, Home Improvements
Whenever you lay a new flooring whether it’s laminate or carpet you should check to see if your sub-floor is level as this will determine a good job from a bad. The first thing you need to establish is whether your sub-floor is concrete or wooden as this will dictate how you go about levelling it.

If you have a wooden sub-floor then you can chose from 2 materials. You can either use hardboard or plywood, plywood comes in thicker sheets and gives a far more ridged finish to the sub-floor. Plywood is the more expensive of the two but for good reason as it leaves a solid and level surface from which to fit your laminate flooring. If your sub-floor is seriously uneven then you should always go for plywood as this will ensure a solid sub-floor.

If you have a concrete sub-floor then you’ll need to use a self-levelling compound with which to level the sub-floor. You will also need to lay a membrane layer over the screed to stop moisture escaping and damaging your flooring.

When you have finished preparing the sub-floor and have it all level you can begin the task of fitting the laminate floor. Always start by fitting the underlay to the sub-floor first. Either glue or staple your underlay to your sub-floor and use duct tape for all joins as this will ensure your underlay moves as little as possible.

With underlay securely fitted to your sub-floor you can now begin laying the laminate. With your back facing the door start laying the boards in the far left hand corner of the room. Allow a 5-8mm gap with spacers and start laying the boards from left to right. When you get to the last piece on the right you will need to measure this and then cut to size, be sure to leave a 5-8mm spacer on the sides as well as the fronts.

When you have finished your first row, repeat again for the second and third row. Having used plenty of spacers your 3 rows should be well and truly fitted so they will not slide around whilst you fit the remaining laminate boards.

You will now be able to lay the remaining rows just as you did the first three, when you get to the last row just measure the gap, allowing 5-8mm, and cut the boards top fit.

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You’re Never To Young To Learn To Budget

February 2nd, 2012 by bousson | No Comments | Filed in Budgets, Familes

 


If you want life to be less complicated then learning how to budget from young age will help in a great many ways. Just because you don’t have immediate bills such as rent, mortgage, food does not mean you shouldn’t budget your income so as you know just where your money is going.The great thing about starting out in work is that generally you will still be living with your parents which means a simple budget will suffice.
As a rough guide follow the tips below.

• Money for food and lodgings, you should always give a part of your income towards the cost of your food and the utilities such as electric, gas and water. Most parent will not ask for large sums of money but don’t be fooled into thinking you should give nothing.
• Social activities and hobbies like climbing, cycling or just generally socialising with your friends should be next on your budget.
• Clothing again is something we all need so be sure to allocated a proportion of your budget to this.
• Holidays, what do you spend on going away, if you don’t go away because you don’t have enough money then follow the next tip?
• The younger you start learning to save the easier it becomes the older you get, always allocate some of your income towards savings of some sort. A minimum of 15% should be put towards savings of some kind.

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