Money Mindfulness: Helping You To Provide For Your Family

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The whole concept of learning to save money is very useful to all. The big problem is that most of us don't have the tools to save money now. We either have excessive bills, or we got poor spending habits. So this, coupled with a desire to provide for our family, can mean that we are getting into a lot of debt over a very short space of time. The debt can stay with us for much longer though! So, while we do want to provide for children, especially during times like their birthdays and Christmas, we also need to think about our abilities to save in the meantime so we can provide the things they really want. So, how can we sensibly do this?

Searching For Ways To Recoup Your Spending

Of course, coupons work wonders in this respect, but you could also take advantage of cash back credit cards, where are you use a credit card to pay for an item, but get a certain percentage back of that cost back onto your card. It will help you pay off the card that little bit better. It's always worth having a look for the best cash back credit card to see if you are able to get one, based on your credit score. There is always a credit card suitable for every person, but the important thing is to not have an over-reliance on credit cards to pay your everyday expenses.

The Aging Woes You Can Woo Away With Ease

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If you’re someone than tends to worry about the aging process, then you’re not alone. It seems to be something that we as women obsess over more than anything. One minute, you feel like you’re looking your best. Then the next, you start to see the cracks come through. And this can quite literally be overnight. Because there are always going to be signs of aging that manage to creep in both in how you look and how you feel. As much as you won’t be able to stop the inevitable, because it’s just a fact of life, you can totally work on controlling them or even slowing them down. But you need to be smart about how you do it, and take aging on from all angles. So let’s look at what you can do to woo away your aging woes.

Home Annoyances You'd Rather Do Without

There are many things that can go wrong in the average home, and a host of ways to prevent or deal with them. But there are certain annoyances which can be really frustrating, and it is generally wise to try and find a way to keep these things from happening in the first place, or to find a suitable solution if it does occur. Sometimes they might even hot real danger issues for you and your family, while at other times it could just be a simple case of being downright annoying. Either way, it’s good to find a solution as soon as you can. In this post, we are going to look at a few of the most common home annoyances, and delve into what you might be able to do about them in future.

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Powercut

If you are in an area where you suffer from powercuts frequently, then you will know how frustrating they can be. It is always immediately obviously just how much we really do take power for granted once it is suddenly not there, and it has to be one of the real frustrations of modern life. But what can you do about it, short of moving to somewhere where it is much less likely to happen? As it happens, there are some simple and powerful solutions to hand which you might want to consider. For a start, you can ensure that you can still have access to power during a powercut by having a generator installed. Companies like Captain Electric will come out and install one for you, so that you can always have power no matter what. This is boun to make powercuts much less frustrating in future.

Poor Plumbing

When you have plumbing which could be rather a lot better, it can be amazing just how many ways it can make home living a real nuisance. For a start, you might end up having leaks or floods, and that’s something you definitely don’t want to happen if you can help it. But even just having trouble with a sink not draining, for instance, can be incredibly worrisome, and it’s the kind of thing you want to have fixed as soon as possible. These kinds of issues rarely fix themselves, so it is best to have someone out to have a look at it before it gets any worse. That way, you can at least get back to being able to use your kitchen again.

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Inefficient Heating

For one reason or another, it is sometimes the case that your home heating leaves a lot to be desired. When this is so, it can make for a miserable home life, especially during the winter months. Fortunately, of course, there are solutions, and the first thing is to call out a professional to have a look at your boiler. If the issue is just that your home is not energy efficient enough, then you might need to think about more permanent solutions, such as improved windows or more insulation.

How To Keep Your Hair Straight with Practically Zero Effort

If you have ever wanted to have straight hair like me, or if you have straight hair but you can’t seem to control your frizz then you have come to the right place. Keeping your hair straight can be difficult if you have short hair so one thing that you can do is try and make sure that you grow your hair out a little if possible. Even an extra inch can make all of the difference. You’ll also want to take more trips to the hairdresser as well, and this should be done once every 8 weeks or so. This will help you to trim those split ends while also solving any frizz!

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Hair care products you should be looking out for include ones that have “smooth” “straight” or “sleek” written on the bottle. You’ll also want to wash your hair with a straightening shampoo as well. After you have washed your hair, dry it with a towel and then follow up with some kind of straightening moose. This will be applied to your wet hair, and when you have done this, you can easily dry your hair as normal. If you dry your hair when it is really wet then this will contribute to frizz, so this is something that you will want to watch out for.

Making Your Guest Bedroom Feel Homely

Is the guest bedroom in your home at all homely? Is it a room that you would sleep night in, night out? No? Well, why not! You never know when you're going to have to put a friend or family member of yours up for the night, and when that time comes do you really want them to be uncomfortable? No, you don’t, so make sure you take the advice below in order to make your guest bedroom feel as homely as it can.

Focus on the bed

The bed is the focal point of any bedroom, be it a guest bedroom or not. In fact, the bed is the whole reason the bedroom is a bedroom! So, make sure you focus on your bed when you come to making your guest bedroom feel homely.

Shakespeare may have famously left his dear old wife, Anne Hathaway, his ‘second-best bed’ in his will, but you need not settle for second best when it comes to the one found in your guest bedroom. No, your guest bed can be the best — the very best, in fact — if you just put some effort into finding it; when it comes to doing this, make sure to head to whatsthebestbed.org in order to find comprehensive information on the best beds and mattresses out there on the market today. Specifically, you should look for a mattress that comes patterned with layer technology as this will provide your guests with a comfortable night sleep in which their pressure points are tended to and they have kept the right temperature the whole night long.

And, whilst you’re at it, make sure your bed linens are always fresh and always guest ready!

Keep the room clean and clutter free

It can be tempting to clutter up our guest bedroom, especially if it is not used all that often, but if you want to make it homely you simply cannot do this. Simply, you must live by the mantra that less is more in this case — the more space there is in there, the more welcoming, comfortable and homely it will feel. 

In fact, you could even go as far as to embrace a minimalist design in your guest bedroom if it is especially small or prone to clutter.

Make sure the room has good lighting

Guests of yours aren’t going to feel at home in your guest bedroom if there is no light for them to read by, so make sure there is good lighting in there! And, this means doing more than just changing your lightbulbs — this means making sure that there is a way for your guests to control the lighting system from the bed that they sleep in. Whether this means having light switches fitted near the bed or placing an extra lamp on the bedside table (or as close to the bed as comfortably and as practically as possible), just make sure you do it as you don’t want to have to force your guests to have to stumble around in the dark!

Once you have made you guest bedroom feel as homely as possible, why not think about renting the room out? This could be a long-term renting solution by putting up a lodger who is, say, studying at a local university for a term or two. Or, this could simply mean allowing people who are holidaying or traveling to stay at your property for a few days or even a few weeks at a time. By doing these things you stand to make a heap of extra cash and you may even make the money back that you invested into making your guest bedroom feel homely in the first place.

Once you’re done improving your guest bedroom, why not move across the landing and into your bathroom in order to give that room a much-needed improvement?

Designing A Simple But Stunning Bathroom

When decorating an essential part of the house it can be pricey, so the aim is to decorate in a way that will stand the test of time. Rooms like the lounge and bedroom can be wholly re-imagined through a lick of paint. And even the furniture can easily be replaced compared to places like the kitchen and bathroom - where the appliances need fitting for you and aren't as simple as picking it up and popping in a new flat-pack bathtub. But as everyone has their own version of what looks good, creating a timeless look can be subjective. The best way to do it is to choose your influences carefully and keep it simple. 

Color 

Most bathrooms tend to be the smallest room in the house, so using light colours is always the way forward. You can team white with blue for a classic nautical theme, introduce black or charcoal for a more masculine feel, or accents of gold for a polished look. If you choose to use colour, keep it minimal and never choose a coloured bath suite - that avocado green toilet that your grandparents had will never come back in style. 

Tiles 

Tiles are extremely common in bathrooms and are a great idea to team with painted walls. If you are introducing colour with your pipes, then only tile a select area rather than the whole room - the best place is, ideally, where the wall is most likely to be splashed. You can contrast your tiles by having white on the walls and then black or charcoal on the floor. Or you can go vintage with Victorian-inspired blue patterns or black and white checked. Alternatively, you can replicate a tiled floor with well fitting lino which can be a lot easier to maintain. 

Shower Curtain/Divider 

Shower curtains are a classic aspect of the bathroom, mainly if you have your shower installed over the bathtub. But you do have the option of choosing between a glass divider or country shower curtains. If you have a classic claw-footed bath, then a divider won't really work with the tub or the aesthetic. Also, think of the space you have, a curtain can tuck away nicely, where a divider needs to be able to swing out or have the ability to be fixed in place, meaning that you need access to the other half of the bath with entering and exit. You might consider in a small bathroom getting rid of the tub altogether and installing a standing shower instead. 

Lighting 

When you think about an outdated bathroom, you think of cheap strip lighting or mounted wall lights, which don't do much to lighten the room. And with a small room, you want to create the illusion of space as much as possible. Plus, if you use the mirror for applying makeup or shaving, you need good lighting to get it right. Use spotlights embedded into the ceiling and position one directly above your mirror. You can even use a dimmer or use two circuits to dim the room for relaxing baths. 

Metal

Keep it stainless steel. The crisp silver finishes have been a classic part of bathrooms for years and will be for years to come. Taps, showers, flush levers, when matching, create a consistent finish to the room. It also matches the silver tone of the mirror which is a stable part of any bathroom. 

Athena: The Milk That Understands Women

We are what we eat. And it's true, a healthy diet is crucial to become the best version of ourselves. We all know this but are we all eating healthy? 

With the fast-paced living nowadays, almost everything has become instant, even the food we eat, it may satisfy our hunger or craving but it compromises our nutritional status.

Women like us, who are always on the go, seek to strike a balance between work and personal time to be able to enjoy life to the fullest. That is why we need to stay fit and attractive, to look good and feel good whenever we can. 

Athena comes in two flavors – Milk (180 grams – Php 130.00; 400 grams – Php 273.00) and Choco (180 grams – Php 130.00)

We have unique needs that only women like us truly understand. And to keep us healthy, there's no other milk understands women better other than Athena.

Athena is specially formulated to meet our special nutritional needs. It contains:

High Calcium essential for optimum bone health. 

It is also a source of Vitamins D and K, Magnesium and Phosphorus – nutrients to help maintain strong bones 

Low in Fat so you can enjoy this beverage without the risk of high caloric intake 

Source of Anti-oxidants such as Vitamins A & E and Zinc to help maintain healthy skin and promote optimum immune function. 

Athena, a delicious beverage made just for us. Drink Athena today! It’s available online at www.athena.com.ph and in-store at Mercury Drugstore, Watsons, and Southstar.