UK Bloggers August 2021 Giveaway 

The last few months have been a tough time for one and all. We have all struggled in our own ways , some with job losses, some with stress, isolation and loss of loved ones. I have found my blog has been a saviour for me during these tough times. Its been a space where my readers have continued to support and motivate me by visiting and commenting and keeping the blog live.

In view of this continued support from my readers, I have teamed up with UK Bloggers to host a giveaway for £120 M&S E-Gift Card. Please do enter the giveaway below:

Meet the Bloggers

The following UK bloggers have all come together to contribute towards this giveaway, offering you a chance to win an M&S e-Gift Card worth £120. Kindly support us by visiting some of the websites below or following us on social media pages. 

 CatsKidsChaos | Spillinglifetea | Real Girls Wobble | Missljbeauty | Monethalia | Koody | Felifamily | Hannah and the Twiglets | A Life Of Lovely | At Home With Alice | Make Money Without A Job | Earn Money Do Good | So Nostalgic | Craft Multimedia | The Grumpy Olive | Cantwells Cabin | StressedMum | Alice in Sheffield | Dull to Desirable | It's Me Chrissy J | Best Things to do in Cambridge | Two Plus Dogs | Thrifty Chap | Jupiter & Dann | Miss Tilly And Me | Being Tilly’s Mummy | Internet Wages | Life With Ktkinnes | Christmas With Katie | Life in a Break Down | Simply Saving | A Suffolk Mum | A Life Less Plastic | Fresh Design Blog | Wotawoman Diary | StaceyLBlogs | Socially Rach | Best Things to do in York | Brunch or Breakfast? | Lodges with Hot Tubs | Fruit Picking Farms | Citrus Spice and Travels | A Life With Frills | Life Changing Side Hustle | Honest Mummy Reviews | Wander & Luxe | My Tunbridge Wells | Travel Bugs | Mind over Money Matters | Discover Kent

The Giveaway Prize

One lucky winner will win a £120 M&S e-Gift Card! An M&S eGift Card can be can be used online at marksandspencer.com or in over 700 M&S stores across the UK.

Terms and Conditions

1. There is only one prize of a £120 M&S e-Gift Card. 

2. There are no runner up prizes. 

3. This giveaway is open to UK residents aged 18 and over, excluding all bloggers involved with running the giveaway. 

4. The closing date for entries is midnight on 08.08.21. 

5. The same Rafflecopter widget appears on all the websites involved, but you only need to enter on one website. 

6. Entrants must log in to the Rafflecopter widget below and complete one or more of the tasks - each completed task earns one entry in the prize draw. 

7. Tweeting about the giveaway via the Rafflecopter widget will earn five bonus entries into the prize draw, increasing your chances of winning. 

8. One winner will be chosen at random. 

9. The winner will be informed by email within 7 days of the closing date and will need to respond within 28 days with their email address, or a replacement winner will be chosen. 

10. The winners' names will be published in the Rafflecopter widget (unless the winner objects to this). 11. The prizes will be dispatched within 14 days of the winner confirming their address. 

12. By participating in this prize draw, entrants confirm they have read, understood and agree to be bound by these terms and conditions. 

How to Enter:

To enter the giveaway, simply complete any or all of the Rafflecopter entries below:

 a Rafflecopter giveaway 

Good luck!

Summertime Renovations on a Budget

 

Photo by Pedro Monteiro on Unsplash

Summer is a good time to get your house in to ship shape. It's the perfect time to apply a fresh coat of paint, get those much needed renovations and repairs done. It's ideal time to get your boilers serviced, your carpets cleaned and curtains laundered.

Together with the home renovations, it's important to have that family time, book a holiday and make the most during the school holidays too.An economic holiday is to do a staycation in another city. House swapping is a great idea too, as is camping and chalets holidays  Sometimes just a weekend away is enough to relax and enjoy family time away from home and get a change in scenery..

All these extra things do eat into our set monthly budget and we often find that our finances start to suffer during the summer months.This is when cashasap.co.uk come in handy. They are the perfect way to access payday loans without any hidden costs. Short term loans are a form of unsecured credit offered at higher interest rates. It can be a solution for times when you don't have the money and need a small amount to tie you up for those extra expenses.The loans can be accessed online at any time, which makes it simple and convenient for you.  

Photo by Pedro Monteiro on Unsplash

These are the minimum criteria you need to meet to apply for a cashasap.co.uk loan. You must:

• Be at least 18 years old
• Be in full or part-time employment
• Be a UK resident with a UK bank account and a linked debit card
• Fully and honestly fill out our application form
• Have a working mobile phone and email address
• Be able to afford the repayments over the term of the loan.

There is no queuing, to get the loan you are required to fill in an online form.Once approved the money is directly transferred to your account. First time customers are limited to a £400 loan although this limit can grow to £750 pending successful repayments and continued qualification for a cashasap.co.uk loan. The loans can be for 35 days or you can opt for a multi month instalment loan for up to 6 months.

Of course renovations are important but do be mindful that you only take out a loan if you can afford to pay it back. You can always find other inexpensive ways to spruce your home 

• Move furniture, dust and clean under it. Air your soft furnishing in the sun and deep cleaning them to give them a new lease of life.
• Upscale furnishing that you have, a fresh coat of paint or vanish gives old furniture a new dated look
• You can get fabrics purchased in charity shops that you can make cushions and throws with
• Swap labour with friends who can come and help out to save labour costs, and payback by returning the favour.
• I have found that buying a large pot of white paint and a smaller pot of coloured paint and mixing the two to get your desired paint colour is cheaper than buying premixed coloured paint

Photo by David Pisnoy on Unsplash

I hope that you take inspiration from this post and spruce your home and make it ready for the winter These are just a few ideas for home renovations, do you have any ideas that you have? Please do share them in the comments section below.

**collaborative post.

How to brighten up a dark room in your house.

If your home is an old build or has high ceilings and dark wood it can make the room look dark and dingy. Have you experienced this? There are several ways that you can brighten the room and open it up. 

Some ideas to help to brighten a dark room:

• Paint the walls and in a light colour 
• Paint the doors and skirting boards in a light colour

 Image from Pixabay

• Replace the floors with wooden floors or fit a pale coloured carpet if you are carpeting the room
• Light coloured or pastel curtains and bed linen will help to keep the room bright and airy. Avoid dark colours except to add a pop of colour in the form of throw cushions and rugs

Photo by Beazy on Unsplash

• Keep the room clutter free and minimalistic as to create space.
• Pine or white furniture will add openness to a room, avoid dark furniture.
• Invest in good lighting and lamps dotted around the room to give more lightening.

Photo by wu yi on Unsplash

Lastly if you own the property and you have scope to renovate you can add aluminium framed flat fixed roof lights. These will instantly add natural light into a dark room and they are the perfect solution to make the room brighter and lighter.

What are framed flat fixed roof lights?

Framed Flat flat fixes Roof lights are set in the roof to help to increase the flow of natural light into indoor spaces. They also offer good thermal insulation and light transmission.  The glass that the roof lights are made from is energy efficient and designed to prevent heat escaping out through your roof light. 

 Image supplied by Tuffx Glass

The Aluminium Frame has a thermal break  which helps to create an insulated barrier and reduces the transfer of heat and cold through the frame decreasing condensation and improving energy efficiency.

The roof lights are made by Tuffx, in the UK; all their products are manufactured to the highest industry standards and are tested vigorously to ensure that they provide the best quality in materials.Tuffx are well experienced as they work on both domestic and commercial projects.

 Image supplied by Tuffx Glass

The roof lights are available in double glazed or triple glazed safety and are available in clear, solar and privacy glass too.The roof lights are custom made to your room size requirements and ready for delivery within 3-4 days.These flat fixed roof lights are the perfect way to add extra light to a dark and gloomy room so why not choose fixed rooflights to let natural light into your home

*collaborative post

Reclaim Your Life (and your space) with Effective Storage

Photo by Nathan Van Egmond on Unsplash

It’s surprising just how easily possessions start taking over your space. Before you know it, the cupboards are full, the surfaces are crowded and there’s nowhere to put anything.Sometimes you definitely need more space, other times you need a new way of using the space you already have. These expert tips will help you make the best of both solutions.

 Make Furniture Work Harder

Furnishings should absolutely be decorative, stylish, and attractive. But it makes sense to see that it's also practical and functional.Storage furnishings can make any room feel bigger and brighter because it gives you a space to put the annoying little things that clutter up surfaces.

Photo by Douglas Sheppard on Unsplash

We’ve all got TV remotes, games controllers, mobile phones and their accessories, cables, and chargers, not to mention tablets, laptops, notebooks, pens and spare batteries. A drawer or shelf in an occasional table means you can keep the surface clear. The same goes for a coffee table with a lift-up lid or a shelf underneath for magazines or books.

 

Photo from Pixabay

You could also make use of footstools with storage, trunks, or fancy chests, or even just a decorative basket or tub as somewhere to pop in the corner and hold toys - either for children or pets.

Upstairs, take the same approach with bedroom furnishings. If you have a divan or ottoman bed, make use of their storage spaces, and if you use a frame bed, invest in some under-bed storage tubs. The ones on wheels are handy and easily retrieved when you want to clean or get something out.

The wardrobe too, can probably hold more than you think. Add a second rail under the first for short garments or use a couple of tension rods at the bottom to keep shoes neat and in pairs. One of those plastic drawer towers is also a nifty addition. It may not look pretty, but inside the wardrobe no-one will see, and you’ll get lots of space for folded items, undies or accessories

Rethink Storage Options

Sometimes you need to clear some space, which goes a bit further than reorganising the things you own. This gets tricky because possessions are often precious. Maybe inherited items, treasured photos, collectibles, souvenirs or just stuff you love but don’t use much.

Instead of making heart wrenching decisions to get rid of things you love but have no room for, self storage rooms give you the best of both worlds.

Some people like to take a seasonal approach. During winter, they store stuff they only use in the summer months, and vice versa. Everything from garden machinery and furnishings to winter coats, motoring accessories or just somewhere to store luggage between holidays, we’ve all got lots of possessions that have a seasonal cycle of use.

The cool thing about self storage, apart from handy locations you can get to in a flash, is the way you can customise the room. As long as you don’t hammer or drill into the walls, you can install shelves or drawer units to keep your room organised.

  

 Image by Pixby

 A Few Décor Ideas

Like it or not, we're all products of the society we live in, and we tend to do what society dictates is the 'norm'. This applies as much to arranging furniture as to social behaviour. But if you haven't got room for a big sofa, there's no rule that says you can't have three chairs instead. They're easier to move around and group together, and a footstool lets you put your feet up as well as giving a bit of extra seating when it's needed.

Other space saving decor tips include:

Taking off your traditional swinging doors and installing sliding doors instead. You'll lose a little wall space where the door slides but gain a lot of floor space because the door won't take up as much room.

• Use wall lights instead of floor lamps.
• Have one big rug instead of a couple of smaller ones. Small rugs tend to break up the floor area, creating a more closed-in feeling.
• Choose sofas and armchairs with legs. Even short legs let light circulate while throwing less dense shadows.
• Pale colours on the walls. If you like strong, bold, shades, have an accent wall and echo the stronger colours in cushions, pillows or throws.

Photo by Darren Richardson on Unsplash

    

These all help create a unified look that makes a room appear ordered and organised. The odd bit of clutter is more easily forgiven when the overall atmosphere is spacious and calming.

The biggest benefit of sorting out your things, whether with home storage or self storage, is the mental freedom it creates. You can get on with anything without having to clear space first, and when you want something, you'll know exactly where to look to find it.·   

**collaborative post

Five things to avoid doing before buying a house

Photo by Aubrey Odom on Unsplash

 

Buying a home can feel a lot like going into a well-decorated battlefield: but there are some issues that we often aren't warned about. For example, is it okay to buy the first house you see?  Should you aim for the top of your budget?  Be careful; these five things could make your first home-buying exercise a mistake.

Don't simply accept the asking price.

This rule applies in buying cars, going to car boot sales, and of course: buying houses.  If you see a home you adore, and the market is suitable for it: barter!  Try to get the price lower, and pay attention to details like repairs that are needed or past flooding to use it to your advantage. This is one of the most important steps to buy a house. If you’re unsure about being able to negotiate, work with an appointee or estate agent who has some practice in this skill.  Although they might not be able to get you the house for 90% off, these are trained negotiators who will do anything to get the sale so they can to earn their commission from you.

Don't wait to get approved for your loan.

The worst feeling you can have when house hunting is to find your dream home and then have someone swipe in at the last minute while you're waiting for your loan to be approved.  It's okay to window shop a little, but when you're ready to buy a house, make sure you start the loan application process.

Don't underestimate the size of a project.

The most significant mistake many first-time homebuyers make is thinking they can handle any project that comes their way. Taking out a wall might look easy and fun on HGTV, but if you don't know how to check if a wall is load-bearing or if it's got electrical or pipes in it: don't do it on your own!  Many home buyers get their homes and then procrastinate the projects long enough to become the next homeowner's projects.  Don't let that happen to you.  If you see a project you're unsure about hire a professional who can do the job properly and safely. 

Photo by Tierra Mallorca on Unsplash

Don't fall for the first house.

This happens a lot for younger first-time home buyers. They'll find a beautiful Victorian home or fall for a classic ranch-style, and just because it's the first house they've seen, they'll think it's the perfect place for them.  Although this can happen, and it's okay to buy that first house, it is equally important to check a few properties to compare. 

Don’t buy more than you can afford.

Although lenders are careful not to lend out more than they think someone can afford because it's a hassle to get that money back: they also don't know every part of your financial circumstances.  If you know that things are tight right now while you're paying 1500 a month on your apartment, don't try to make yourself think a 1450 a month house payment is much better. Check your finances well and make sure you have budgeted for bills, mortgage, repairs and have money to live on each month that include maintenance and groceries.

Carefully comb through your finances, and ensure that you don’t commit to more than you can  comfortably afford. That means avoiding going too big and considering moving further out from metropolitan areas to get the house of your dreams.

There are many things you need to consider when house hunting, do check out my other posts in the series Buying your own property:

• Somethings to consider when buying your own home.
• To rent or to buy
• 10 top packing tips when moving your home
• Home renovations -Laminate Floors

Are there are tips you can share with me about purchasing your property. Please do share in the comments below.

*collaborative post