Category: Views & Ramblings

1. Family Friendly Working From Home Ideas

   Posted on 12:00pm Monday 10th Apr 2023

   

   Working from home can be a great solution for mums who want to balance their career with their family life. However, it can be challenging to find flexible work opportunities that fit around school runs and baby nap times. Here are five top tips to help you find family-friendly work from home opportunities.

   1. Freelance Writing and Blogging

   Freelance writing and blogging are great options for mums who want to work from home. Many companies and individuals hire freelance writers to create content for their websites or blogs. You can work on your own schedule and choose the projects that interest you. Blogging is another option that offers flexibility, as you can write and publish posts whenever you have time. Plus, it can be a great way to share your own experiences and connect with other mums.

   2. Virtual Assistant

   Many businesses and entrepreneurs need help with administrative tasks, such as email management, scheduling appointments, and social media management. As a virtual assistant, you can work from home and provide these services remotely. This is a great option if you have good organizational skills and are comfortable working with technology.

   3. Online Tutoring

   Online tutoring is a great option for mums who have a teaching background or expertise in a particular subject area. Many companies hire online tutors to provide one-on-one instruction to students. You can work from home and choose the hours that work best for you. Plus, it can be a rewarding way to help others learn and grow.

   4. Direct Sales

   Direct sales is another option that offers flexibility and the potential for a good income. Many companies offer opportunities to sell their products directly to customers, either through parties or online. You can work on your own schedule and choose the products that you want to sell. Plus, it can be a great way to connect with other mums and build a community.

   5. Remote Customer Service

   Many companies are now offering remote customer service positions, which can be a great option for mums who want to work from home. As a remote customer service representative, you would handle customer inquiries and provide support via phone, email, or chat. This is a great option if you have good communication skills and enjoy helping others.

   When looking for family-friendly work from home opportunities, it’s important to keep your priorities in mind. Consider your schedule, your family’s needs, and your own interests and skills. With a little research and some creativity, you can find flexible work that allows you to balance your career and your family life.

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2. 4 ways to declutter your home after Christmas

   Posted on 12:00pm Wednesday 28th Dec 2022

   When it comes to Christmas it can not only be a joyous time but a period in which we can feel totally overwhelmed by our homes. After all, Christmas means that we bring more things into our home after the kind gifts we can receive. Especially if you have children, however, it is also the perfect excuse to get organised and embark on some decluttering to get your home back in order. There is nothing quite like that feeling of entering a new year feeling fresh, tidy, and free from the clutter that can often hold you back in your home. So if you want to get started then here are some of the best ways to declutter your home after Christmas. 

   

   Start off with a cupboard or drawer 

   Decluttering can be a huge task and one that we are likely to procrastinate over or avoid. So the best way to get started is to start with a small area. Something as simple as a cupboard or drawer. Working through each space you can decide what stays, what goes, and what needs another home. 

   Use the box method

   If you are tackling a room then a great way to stay on top of things is to use the box method. A box for things you want to keep but perhaps need a new place to be stored, a box for things to donate or sell, and a box to recycle or get rid of appropriately. This is perfect for children’s rooms as you may accumulate or store things that they no longer want or need. It enables you to go through drawers, cupboards, and storage boxes. Organising as you go, and removing things that need to be stored elsewhere or need to be gotten rid of. 

   Organise children’s rooms before bringing new things into them

   Children often accumulate a lot of toys and things at Christmas time, so instead of adding them to their bedrooms or playrooms straight away, now is the time to organise them as they are. As you rearrange and store things away, think about their new toys and where they may go or be stored at the same time. Remove items they no longer want and create space ready for the new things ot be slotted in. Many people do this before Christmas, but it is just as easy to do it after as you are aware of precisely what needs storing. 

   One bag at a time

   If it feels too much, simply walk around with a bag. Use a bag for recycling and go into each room and remove things that is seemingly rubbish or need recycling appropriately. The next day take a bag or box and remove things you know are for selling ot donating. This gets rid of any surface clutter so that the task can seem less daunting as you delve deeper into cupboards and drawers. 

   Finally, don’t be too worried about how your home looks or how it may look as you start to declutter. Things may get messy as you work through cupboards, and drawers or tackle different.

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3. Energy-saving ideas for your home

   Posted on 12:00pm Wednesday 8th Jun 2022

   With the cost of living crisis on everyones mind, saving money on energy bills is a hot topic of conversation right now. But aside from doing some of the obvious things like switching lights off or changing the light bulbs. I wanted to share with you some energy-saving ideas for your home. 

   Download the SaveMoneyCutCarbon app

   I have worked with SaveMoneyCutCarbon for some time and was therefore really excited to hear that they have launched their own FREE app! The new SaveMoneyCutCarbon Home app is the place to learn, shop and save. In one app there is help for you be more sustainable by reducing energy, water, plastic & carbon all while saving money.

   It is really interesting that the app helps you to get to know the impact of your household consumption of water, energy, carbon and plastic and has a handy swap shop to understand the ecofriendly swaps you can easily make. 

   

   Make the most of the night rates

   It sounds crazy, but many energy companies and tariffs will offer cheaper rates for using energy at night. You might think, what’s the point if you are asleep? But actually, there are things that you can do. For example, you can set your laundry to come on in the early hours of the morning. A full load will be ready for you when you wake up, and it cost you less than it would during the day. You could also do this with the dishwasher as well. Two appliances you still want to use, but an energy-saving way of using them. (This is only applicable if you have Economy 7 or similar). 

   It is also important for you to understand your bill and the tariff that you are on. Understanding your bill and costs will help you to make informed decisions about the changes in the cost of living.

   Forget standby, switch things off 

   Some people think that putting something in standby mode is the best thing to do, but it actually doesn’t help when it comes to energy-saving and uses up energy, even just a little bit. So make sure you switch things off fully and even at the wall to ensure there is no residual energy being used. 

   Don’t fill the kettle up

   Every time we switch that kettle on to make a cup of tea or coffee, most people fill the kettle up. But this means you are using more energy to heat the full kettle of water when you likely only use one or two cups full. So a great idea is to only fill the kettle with the water that you need. You will use much less energy and make a big saving over the course of a year. 

   Turn the temperature down

   When you do your washing, switch the temperature down. You can still get great results when it comes to cleaning your clothes when switching the temperature to as low as twenty degrees. 

   Keep the curtains closed

   No matter what time of the year it is, keeping the curtain closed retains residual heat during the winter and keeps your home cool in the summer. This means you are less likely to use more energy on heating or trying to cool down your home during the summer months. 

   Hopefully, these tips will help you to save some energy in your home.

   (feel free to pin this for later)

   

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4. 4 Accent Wall Ideas for a Fresh Look

   Posted on 12:00pm Thursday 31st Mar 2022

   If like me, you work from home, you want to make it a great working environment and one of the hottest interior design trends this year is adding an accent wall to a room. This is surprising since this isn’t a new trend – accent walls have been around for years. And yet, they are still popular.

   This is probably because accent walls are a great way to add a splash of color or a bold statement to a room without overdoing it. It’s the perfect way to dip your toes into the water, and it’s great for both offices and your home. If you need some ideas for what to do with an accent wall, keep reading.

   

   Plaster

   Yes, you can create an accent wall with plaster. Of course, this is a bit tricker than the other methods on the list, but the results can be amazing. However, we do recommend using professionals to do this for you. The type of plaster that you use also matters. Blue Venetian plaster is a great way to make a statement with your accent wall, especially because it has such a unique look. This is also a very durable material, making it great for accent walls because your wall won’t lose its signature look after a few months.

   Paint

   Of course, we can’t have a post about accent walls without mentioning paint. While this may be a more traditional way of creating an accent wall, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t work.

   Painting an accent wall is also one of the easiest and most affordable methods out there, so it’s certainly a worthwhile option. You can paint the entire wall a solid color, or you can get creative and try painting some patterns. If you’re updating a room, you should certainly consider using paint to add an accent wall to that room.

   Tiles

   We often tend to think that paint and wallpaper are for walls and that tiles are solely for the floor, but there’s no reason why you can’t tile a wall. In fact, this is a great method for adding an accent wall because it doesn’t just add color and patterns to a room, but it also adds texture. While this style won’t be for everyone, finding the right tile and using it on a wall can transform a room.

   That being said, you need to ensure that the process is done correctly, otherwise, it won’t look good. To learn how to tile a wall, click here.

   Add a corkboard

   While this may sound a bit far-fetched, adding cork to an entire wall can make the room pop. You can get a giant corkboard, or you can use tiles made of cork.

   On its own, it creates a wonderful accent wall, but the great thing is that you can also add things to it with thumb tacks. You can add pieces of art for a sophisticated look. If you invest in an instant camera, you can cover the entire wall in photos.

   Another benefit is that it’s not permanent, so you can add different things to it as your mood and style change.

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