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Sell your home and save thousands
If you’re thinking about selling your home, the chances are that you’ll wait till January now. It’s the most popular time of the year to sell, probably because Christmas is out the way and people are full of fresh New Year optimism.
So before Christmas takes over entirely, if you’ve got sale boards on your mind, have a think about getting a free valuation with an alternative estate agent like Purplebricks, because they promise to save you thousands when you sell – an average of £3,035 outside London and £6,267 inside London – that’s a nice pot towards redecorating your new home, or those unforeseen expenses that come with moving.
When I asked how the firm saves people money, they said it’s because they don’t have expensive offices or cars. Everything is included in …
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Get ready for colder weather – with a sheep
While I hope that we have an Indian Summer (today is gorgeous), I am also planning for the colder months. One thing I will do is get the chimney cleaned and after that I will use my Chimney Sheep – a thick pad of soft grey felt – for no more draughts and no more getting covered in soot.
I got the product last year and the design and quality of the chimney sheep really impressed me.It has proved to be a great alternative to balloons that stop drafts in the chimney.
Our house has always been draughty around the fire place…essentially an open hole straight from the roof to the living room. Previous attempts to reduce the draught hadn’t really worked and I know that inflatable balloons popped easily or deflated over time. I …
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How we’ve made £2,744 from JustPark
JustPark has made our driveway a money earner. We rent out a house, which is two minutes walk from a station, and we rent the space out. We have an agreement with the tenants that they get the money and we then add half back onto their rent, so tax on income is covered that way. Seems complicated but it works, and if the space is yours it’s even easier. If you’ve got a drive or garage or allocated parking spot, sign up now to make money.
How much to charge – don’t be greedy
We don’t charge much – £6 per day – it’s basically a reasonable rate for the location. Some neighbours charge £8 – £10, but what I noticed is that they don’t get booked up as much. I do competitive searches …
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Win some Aldi bed linen and more from their new Autumn Bedroom and Autumn Home range
To celebrate the launch of Aldi’s new Specialbuys Autumn Bedroom and Autumn Home ranges, in stores nationwide and online on 15th and 18th of September, we’re giving away a fantastic prize package to one lucky reader.
With everything from quality Hopsack Curtains (from £24.99) and a Hopsack Bean Cube (£14.99) to stunning Decorative Cushions (£5.99) and a Large Storage Pouffe (£14.99), Aldi’s Autumn Bedroom and Autumn Home ranges will enable shoppers to welcome in the new season and give their home a makeover, without breaking the bank.
The prize, worth over £70, will include:
1 x Memory Foam Double Topper
1 x Double Feels Like Down Duvet
2 x Feels Like Down Pillows
1 x Double Quilted Bedspread
1 x Super Soft Throw
This great selection of stylish home and bedroom essentials will be available …
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Aldi launches a showstopper range for budding bakers
I love cakes and baking, so was thrilled to hear that Aldi’s baking range is back in store from Sunday and online on 14th August and is already online, while stocks last.
Basically, some of their products rival Lakeland and are much cheaper…yay.
They have some fancy gear if you bake regularly and want to emulate the Bake Off bakers. The Classic Stand Mixer (£69.99) includes a six speed rotary control with a balloon whisk, beater and dough hook. In four colours from metallic red and pearlescent duck egg blue, it’s sure to add a touch of style to any kitchen.
Kitchen gadget users can also add Aldi’s Pie Maker/Waffle Maker (£19.99) to their collection – the non-stick cooking surfaces and base and lid cutters make homemade treats even easier to whip up. You can …
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How I saved £750 on cutting down trees
I was quoted a whopping £900 to have three trees removed (about 10 ft tall) and decided to do it myself!
We couldn’t keep on top of the trees and wanted some more space. They were two Cyprus leylandii and one tree that was already dead but we had a trunk left.
The first quote I got was, and frankly was an absolute con. I spoke to some tree specialists and they say to remove the trees really should have been less than £300. Anyway, this quote got me thinking:
- £600 to level the trees to the ground (£500 if I booked there and then!) – what a rip off!
- £400 to take their root stumps out, if manually as they couldn’t get a machine in, though should be around £75 if using a stump
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British Gas customers to get free electricity at weekends – FreeTime
British Gas is planning to offer free electricity for up to eight hours at weekends to two million customers who have smart meters installed.
Customers will be able to choose to use the free power either on Saturday or Sunday, between 9am and 5pm. This initiative could save customers around £60 a year.
However, when looking at comparison sites, it may still not be the cheapest deal on the market, so shopping around is still recommended.
As only 2.4 million British Gas customers have smart meters, most won’t be eligible immediately. Dual fuel customers with British Gas smart meters already installed will be able to take up the deal, as well as anyone else who wants a smart meter and is able to have one installed. The average dual fuel bill will be £1,001, based …
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BillHub launches to simplify spliting and managing shared bills
Free-to-use utility billing service, BillHub has launched in the UK. It is designed to allow housemates – from students to young professionals – to split all their monthly bills and keep track of the exact outgoing payments from all parties online or via an app.
The BillHub makes the bill payment process more convenient, transparent and secure for renters. With the number of renters rising, since deposits are getting higher, it’s annoying that one person has to pay the bills and claim money from other occupants, so BillHub could be a great solution.
Users of the platform can mix and match the energy and internet providers they want from a range of providers which BillHub has partnered with – these include energy providers GenRent and Spark Energy, and broadband companies Virgin Media, Plusnet and TenTel. …
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Garden table upcycling
The cost of a decent sized folding garden table is not cheap. We bought ours from Ikea around 12 years ago. They don’t sell the same thing anymore, but a simliar size in white, is £110 and it doesn’t even fold.
The table is still in good condition underneath, but looks bad. So I decided to try out my creative skills and upcycle my existing table, and here’s my experience in images. The whole thing cost me my time – can’t put a price on that, I am worth far too much; Rust-Oleum surface primer, Rust-Oleum Textured finish in deep forest and Rust-Universal Gloss Spray Paint in Racing Green – totalling – £26.75 (if you do it right first time).
I am super impatient, so the spray paint appealed. Some of my tips include, …
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Kit out your kitchen with Aldi’s latest range
From electric slicers to frying pans, Aldi’s new kitchen range, including Russell Hobbs devices, is sure to have something for everyone, whether you’re a budding chef or a first-time cook looking to improve your skills. Available in store and some of the stuff is also online from 5th May, while stocks last.
My favourite items must be the Russell Hobbs kit as you can buy them singly or as a set and they look really funky together. Coffee lovers can wake up to a freshly brewed barista-style coffee with this Russell Hobbs Grind & Brew Coffee Machine (£69.99), featuring a digital programmable control which lets users set what time of day their coffee brews. The permanent filter makes for an easy clean as well, with no paper filters required. This is a great price, …
