The weather has started to heat up, which means all too soon summer will be here. In the warmer months, having an outdoor space to relax and spend time in is something that many consider a luxury. If you’re lucky enough to have a garden attached to your home and have the ability to spend time outside while at home, it’s important to make the most of that space. 

Being able to escape into the garden on those warm sunny days and sunbathe, read a book, or simply enjoy your morning coffee outside is a total luxury, so if you’re in a position to do so, then it’s important that you take advantage of that. After all, not everyone can sit in their gardens and soak up the sun, can they? 

Photo source: Pixabay

If your garden has got into a bit of a state over winter, then you might be wondering how you can get it back in order without having to spend a fortune on it. To make the process a little easier, we’ve put together a guide to how you can get your garden summer ready without breaking the bank – read on for everything that you need to know. 

Start by mowing and cutting back 

The first step to get your garden back into a useable state is to strim any overgrown areas using a strimmer, followed by mowing your lawn. You can also use a pair of sheers to cut back any areas of overgrown bushes, foliage and trees. This process might take a while to do, but by doing it yourself you can keep costs to a minimum. 

If you can’t manage it all yourself, do what you can and then call in a gardener to deal with the rest. But to keep costs low, do as much as you can yourself first. 

Deal with pests 

The chances are that if you’ve let your garden grow into a bit of a wild space, it’s most likely teaming with pests, from bug nests to rodents. So, before you can sit outside and soak up the sun, you need to deal with any pests that may have invaded your garden. 

When it comes to dealing with pest control, calling in a specialist exterminator may be your best bet. Surprisingly, it’s not as expensive as you might think to have pests dealt with, especially if you catch infestations early. However, if you want to keep costs low, opt to deal with any easy pests yourself and call out an exterminator to deal with anything more complex. 

Be a savvy shopper

When it comes to updating your outdoor space, the chances are that you need some furniture and outdoor accessories. A great way to keep the cost of these upgrades low is to be smart about how and where you shop. 

Buy from discount stores where possible. Opt to renovate old, unwanted pieces of furniture. Don’t be afraid to buy second hand items. Utilise accessories to give your garden the glow up it deserves. Upgrading your garden doesn’t have to cost a whole lot, it’s simply a case of being smart about how you go about it. 

There you have it, a guide to how you can pull your garden back into shape ahead of summer, and all without breaking the bank. 

It can be difficult to keep up with the repairs and maintenance of your home, especially if you are living on a tight budget. However, there are ways that you can save money and still keep your home in good condition. 

Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash

Here Are Some Tips For Repairing Your Home On A Budget:

Review Your Insurance Policy

One way to save money on home repairs is to review your insurance policy. Many policies have coverage for certain types of damage, such as wind or hail damage. If you have this type of coverage, you may be able to get discounts on your premiums or have a portion of the repair costs covered by your insurer.

Do Your Research

Before you start any repairs, it is important to do your research. This includes getting multiple estimates for the repair work and comparing prices. You should also check to see if there are any rebates or tax credits available for the repairs you plan on doing. You can save a significant amount of money on home repairs by doing your research.

Get Creative

There are a number of ways to get creative when it comes to repairing your home on a budget. For example, you could refinish old pieces instead of buying new furniture. Or, if you need to paint your walls, you could use a “color washing” technique to create an interesting effect without spending a lot of money.

Prioritize Repairs

When you are living on a tight budget, it is important to prioritize your repairs. Not all repairs are equal, and some can’t wait until you have more money available. For example, fixing a small hole in your wall is not as important as fixing a leaking roof. You can ensure that the most important ones are taken care of first by prioritizing your repairs.

Consider DIY Repairs

If you are handy around the house, you may want to consider doing some of the repairs yourself. This can be a great way to save money if you are willing to put in the time and effort. There are a number of online resources that can help you with DIY repairs, so do some research to see if this is an option for you.

Hire A Professional

If you are not comfortable doing the repairs yourself, you may need to hire professionals such as roofers. While this can be more expensive than doing it yourself, it can also save you time and hassle in the long run. Make sure to get multiple estimates and compare prices before hiring a professional.

Review Your Budget

Once you have completed the repairs, it is important to review your budget. This will help you determine how much money you have available for future repairs and maintenance. You may also want to consider setting aside some money each month so that you have funds available when unexpected repairs come up.

In Conclusion

By following these tips, you can save money and still keep your home in good condition. With a little bit of planning and effort, you can repair your home on a budget.

Image from Pexels – CC0 License

Thinking about the expense of some home improvements might get your head spinning, but they don’t have to be all about spending a lot of money. Some home improvements can help you to save money, which makes them sensible financial decisions in the long term. If you’re willing to spend some money now, it could help you to reduce your expenses in the future. There are some great ways to make some home improvements that benefit your home and allow you to start getting your money back. Here are some of the top options that you will probably want to consider.

Installing Smart Tech

Making your home more modern can help you to save money in a number of ways. One of the possibilities you have is using smart tech to modernize your home. Smart technology can be great for helping you to save money, especially when it comes to saving on energy and heating expenses. When you use tech like a smart thermostat or smart lighting, you have greater control over them. You can ensure you don’t waste money using smart tech that can learn to provide you with heating, lighting, or other necessities when you need them and switch off automatically when you don’t.

Image from Pexels – CC0 License

Upgrade Your Water Heater

Another way to get better control of your energy bills and start to save money is by installing a tankless water heater. When you have a tankless water heater, the water is heated on demand instead of having to keep a whole tank of water hot. It’s a more efficient way of ensuring you have hot water, and you’ll never run out. With less energy required to supply you with hot water, you’ll save money and your home will be more eco-friendly too. If your water heater needs to be replaced, consider a tankless heater.

Roof Repairs (Or Replacement)

Your roof helps to protect your whole home. If there’s a problem with your roof, it can cause all kinds of other issues in your home. Any roof can last a long time, but they can start to experience problems after a while too. Roofing repairs are essential if you want to continue to protect your home. However, if you keep having to repair your roof, you might need to consider a complete replacement. Replacing your roof might be more costly than a single repair, but it will prevent the need for constant repairs in the future.

Image from Pexels – CC0 License

Improve Energy Efficiency

Further methods for improving energy efficiency in your home could help you to save money too. For example, installing energy-efficient appliances will mean you can reduce your energy bills. Making sure that your doors and windows are energy-efficient and well-insulated could save you money too, as well as keeping your home at the right temperature. You can also save money by improving insulation in important places such as the roof, basement, and crawl space.

Home improvements can save you money, even if you have to spend some upfront too. It’s worth the initial cost if it will help you save in the future.

Pexels. CCO Licensed.

Much of the physical clutter that used to exist in our lives has gone digital. While this clutter isn’t visible to others, it’s still visible to us, and it can become a source of stress if you don’t tackle it. 

Probably the most popular digital device that many of us have is a smartphone. Our smartphone can accumulate all kinds of clutter from unused apps to excess photos. By getting rid of this clutter, you can free up memory on your phone and bring a sense of organization to your phone. This guide lists a few sources of smartphone clutter and how to tackle them. 

Unused apps

Unused apps on your phone could be taking up huge amounts of space and even using up your data without you knowing. Consider going through your apps and deleting any that you never use. On top of deleting unused apps, it could be useful to reorganize your apps so that the one you use the most are on your homescreen. Apps that you don’t use as regularly should be placed on other pages.

Excess photos

Large photo libraries can take up a lot of memory and can be time-consuming to scroll through. Most of us have tons of photos in our libraries that we don’t need including accidental screenshots, blurry photos and duplicates. Consider getting rid of some of these excess photos. There are a few easy tricks you can use when it comes to easily getting rid of duplicate photos, while you can usually search ‘screenshots’ to delete these photos. 

Mystery contacts

Take a look through your phone contacts. Are there any contacts there that you have no recollection of? Or perhaps people you met once and never talked to again? Consider removing these contacts so that your contact list is only made up of people you actually talk to. While most modern contact lists have a search function, it can still be liberating to remove those excess contacts. Consider whether it’s also worth renaming any contacts that may cause confusion (if you have two Matts, it could be worth adding an extra label such as ‘Matt G’ or ‘Matt Work’ to help you work out exactly who is who).

Old notes

Notes can make for useful reminders, but they can clutter up your phone if you create too many of them. Individual notes hardly take up any memory, but if you’ve created thousands of notes, you could find that they start to make an impact. Consider going through your old notes and deleting any you no longer need (such as old shopping lists and birthday gift ideas that are no longer relevant). 

Unread notifications

Unread notifications don’t take up any memory, but they can be irritating. Email notifications are the ones that typically build up the fastest – if you don’t regularly check your emails or skin over uninteresting emails, you could get to a point where you have thousands of unread email notifications on your icon. Going through these emails won’t be fun, but may be the only way to clear these notifications. 

Do you find yourself frequently reaching out to painkillers and aspirins during the day? Headaches are unpleasant, and they can significantly affect your productivity. But have you ever considered what could be the reason for frequent headaches?

Most people can find a variety of triggers in their day-to-day life for a headache. When you work at a desk for a long period of time, dehydration could cause headaches as you get so engrossed in the task that you forget to drink. Similarly, skipping meals can trigger a headache as your brain doesn’t receive essential nutrients to maintain optimal functions. 

High-pressure works can also lead to sore heads, causing stress migraines during the day. 

Lack of sleep is also another frequent cause of headaches. Sleep deprivation weakens the immune system and increases fatigue levels, making you more sensitive to headaches. 

But have you ever considered how your home office could be a trigger too? Indeed, ineffective home office decor and structure can create a favorable terrain. Here’s what to check in your office:

Unsplash – CC0 License

The indoor air is polluted

Indoor air pollution is frequently overlooked. However, the air inside your home could contain more pollutants than traffic fumes. Indeed, dust, volatile organic compounds, and other particles can be present in the air, even though they are invisible to the naked eye. Indoor air pollution can lead to health discomfort, including headaches and respiratory distress. You may want to consider the addition of an air purifier to remove particles from your home office. Additionally, it is worth checking filter-based units, such as your A/C. Faulty devices can fail to retain particles even with new filters, so it may be a good idea to consider air conditioning repair if your unit fails to regulate temperatures. Particles could not only be released back into the room but also affect its functions. 

You have inadequate lighting

You may be familiar with screen glare, which occurs when the sunlight is reflected off your monitor, but lighting issues can be more complex than that. Having the right lighting in your home office will reduce eye strain and fatigue, which can be linked to headaches. Dark environments put a lot of pressure on your eyes. But excessive brightness is just as unpleasant! 

Additionally, small reflections on the screen may appear manageable, but as your eyes adjust day after day, you can develop pain in your eyes and frontal lobe. 

The air is stuffy

How often do you renew the indoor air? Maintaining high air quality in your office requires different techniques, such as purifying the air and removing VOCs. But refreshing the air regularly by bringing in fresh air will also help reduce stuffiness. As a rule of thumb, you should ventilate the room at least once a day for 30 to 60 minutes if the weather allows it. Renewing the air in the room will help reduce headache events by:

• Increasing oxygen levels
• Increasing moisture levels, which makes the air less dry
• Removing particles and pollutants

Could your home office be the cause of your headaches? Fortunately, the hypothesis is easy to test out. You can improve elements of the settings by addressing the air and light quality in the space. Reducing the presence of pollutants and disruptors can help create a healthier work space.