Retirement living is about more than money.
Financial planners tell us to start thinking about retirement living decades before we're ready to retire, and it's good to make a retirement planning checklist about five years before your retirement date.
While you're thinking about how much money you'll need in retirement, think about what you want your life to look like, and how you want to feel.
Make life plans. It's important to plan for the non-financial aspect of retirement living by considering what will make you happy. Maybe you’ll climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, go dog sledding in Alaska, make time to write that novel you've been thinking about, or even continue to work part-time. Make a life plan and tick off your experiences as you move ahead.
Find a purpose. When making your retirement living plan, look for things you can do on an on-going basis that bring you joy and add structure to your life. This can include travel, hobbies or even training for a new career.
Keep your mind sharp. "Use it or lose it" applies to your brain. If you feel the need to replace the intellectual stimulation you found at work, try learning a foreign language or a musical instrument, or join a book club. Lifelong learning offers many opportunities to keep your mind sharp. How about checking out the lifelong learning classes offered by your local community centre or college?
Volunteer. Getting involved in your community is a great way to give back, and it's a wonderful opportunity to interact with people and make new friends.
Develop new friendships. A measurement of whether people are successful at retirement living is the strength of their social network - that includes family and friends. Check out groups that help you meet new people or join community or religious organisations that have members who share your interests. It's possible to meet people and make new friends even if it's difficult to get around. Did you know that friendship helps to increase longevity?
Ask your spouse or partner. If you live with someone or have a close partner, retirement living becomes a shared experience. It's important to make time for you and your partner to both share your dreams—you might be pleasantly surprised to learn that your partner wants to join you on that Mt. Kilimanjaro climb, and he or she may have ideas you'll enjoy.
Increase your financial stability. If you can’t afford to retire yet, what about partial retirement? This can include working part-time in your current job or finding a retirement job that's new and interesting—and will also help you earn money.
Keep your spirits up. The life changes that come with retirement living can be challenging, but your attitude plays a big part in whether you'll find happiness in retirement living or not. Check in with yourself to assess your mood; if you feel sad or hopeless it's important to see your doctor or a professional. Learn the signs of senior depression (or ask a friend or family member to assess your mood) and don't be afraid to ask for help.
Remain healthy. With increasing life spans, retirement living can be a long race, so get yourself in shape. That means eating well, watching your weight and staying active. When you feel good, it's easier to stay positive and open to new experiences.
Tips courtesy of Joan Carter, co-founder of Life Options Institute, USA
For the love of beauty … All of us can either spend a fortune or find remedies in the kitchen cupboard. Here are some interesting tips, some are practical, some great money savers and others just plain unusual Enjoy!
Nix Post-Shaving Redness - Shave your face, legs or underarms in the shower after standing under warm water for a few minutes. This will help open up hair follicles and will soften hairs so they're less coarse to shave.
Apply Mascara To Fake Lashes - This will help fake lashes blend in more seamlessly with your natural ones.
Keep It On - When using cream-based beauty products - like lipstick or foundation - apply a dry face powder on top to seal in your look.
Find Your Shade - When choosing a foundation, test a product on the skin near your jawline. And be sure to do it in natural light. This will ensure the foundation tone you choose for your face isn't too different from the natural shade of your neck
Cracked Heal Remedy - Apply nappy rash cream to help heal cracked elbows and feet. The moisturisers and anti-inflamatory ingredients help hydrate and repair the skin.
Remove Nail Polish Without Remover - If you run out of nail polish remover, you can remove nail polish by applying a clear top coat to the nail and removing it quickly with a cotton ball.
Treat Ingrown Hairs - Apply a product containing witch hazel to help reduce the swelling and redness, then coax the ingrown hair from its location with a pair of tweezers (don't pull it out as this will only make the ingrown hair regrow the same way later).
For Greasy Hair - Avoid applying conditioner directly to your hair's roots - just apply the heavy moisturizing cream to the ends of your hair
Sunburn Remedy - Take a warm bath in VERY strong black tea -- the tannins take away the sting and swelling
Dry Out Pimples - Dabbing toothpaste onto a pimple is a quick and easy way to help dry it out
Give Curls Bounce - Never brush curls out with a brush. Instead, loosen them with your fingers. This will give curls added lift without flattening them down.
Use Oil On Your Skin - Even If is is already oily. While it sounds mad using an oil-based product to remove makeup or excess dirt from your skin can actually improve your epidermis' condition. Why? Over-cleaning stimulates the sebum glands, which causes skin to over-produce oil. Using oil-based products will have the opposite effect.
Linku2 take no responsibility for any outcome from use of any of these tips or whether they really work but guess they are always worth a try – we are just the messenger. Sources include Total Beauty, Huffington Post and Women’s Day.
Face it, car tyres are not something most people budget for in the day to day activities, but are of course necessary and important. So do you need to pay for the premium brands or are budget tyres adequate?
When considering car tyres it is important to know what you want from your car before you consider the type of tyre. Are you a long distance, heavy usage motorway driver? Are you a ‘round the town’ lower speed user? A huge range of tyres are available for virtually any car.
When thinking premium tyres brand names such as Goodyear, Michelin, Pirelli and Bridgestone come to mind the prices of which deflate your bank account faster than your last blowout. Budget brands, on the other hand, are the cheapest tyres in the market and can be very friendly on the wallet.
All tyres sold in New Zealand are required to meet particular standards and this of course dictates a certain level of certainty and safety. In fact often many of the budget tyre companies are owned by the ‘big boys’ in tyre research who still want their share of the budget market.
In the real world, nobody can actually state that a budget tyre will fail or a premium tyre won’t. This depends on both the type of driving you do and the care you take of your tyres.
Buying a budget tyre doesn’t necessarily mean you are settling for a low quality product and in fact many budget tyres are developed using the same techniques as the premium tyre ranges.
There is the argument that budget tyres don’t last as long as premium, however, there’s no such thing as an average lifecycle for a tyre as, once again, a tyre’s life is always related to how you drive and the care you take of them. If you check the air pressure once a month, the recommended tyre pressure is usually recorded on the pillar of the driver’s door, this can drastically increase the life of your tyres as well as saving you money as under inflated tyres result in increased road friction, meaning the tyres will wear faster and require move fuel to run the car. All four tyres should also be of the same tread pattern.
It is also wise to use the skills and experience of your tyre professional. They understand all about the factors that cover the range of things such as good wet and dry handling and grip, noisy and quiet tread patterns, off road traction required, etc and can help in deciding the best option for your driving use.
At the end of the day, budget tyres are not unsafe and, as long as you aren’t planning on completing a high speed tour around New Zealand, budget tyres can offer really good sense and good value.
When organizing your flowers note there are a number times you can use flowers, some often forgotten, and remember to keep in mind any theme you would like running through the day. Keep in mind the season and particular favourites you’d like to include. Your florist will always be happy to advise.
Bride’s Bouquet - Keep in mind the Wedding gown, colour, style, fabric and any particular style you would like. Consider the colours in the bouquet if you want them to match or contrast the bridesmaids and if you want to include any special or favourite flowers.
Toss-away bouquet for the bride - This is a pretty, matching posy for tossing if you want to keep your bouquet.
Hair flowers for bride - Fresh wired blooms, a fresh floral fascinator, or a flower circlet are all beautiful finishing touches.
Bridesmaid’s flowers - Consider the Number of Bridesmaids / Matron of Honour, the colour they are wearing and style of dresses
Hair flowers for bridesmaids - Fresh wired blooms, a fresh floral fascinator or a flower circlet are all beautiful finishing touches.
Flowergirls - Consider the number, their ages, colour and style of their dresses. You could consider a wand, posy, basket of petals, floral ball, hoop or flower basket. Do you want flowers in their hair?
Buttonholes - Consider the numbers required. The Groom’s should be extra special. Remember to provide for not only the bestman, groomsmen and pageboys but consider the Fathers of the Bride and Groom, Stepfathers, Grandfathers, Brothers and other special male family members. You may even wish to extend these to the Ushers, Master of Ceremonies, Celebrant/ Minister.
Corsages for the ladies - Made to match the dress. Remember you can have either a pin corsage or wrist corsage. These should be provided for Mother of the Bride, Mother of the Groom and provide Grandmothers Boutonnieres. You may also want to provide for Stepmothers, Sisters, Aunties, or even the Celebrant, Soloists, Readers and any other special ladies.
Flowers for the Ceremony - If you are planning a giving ceremony you will want long stem roses. Consider your flower arrangements for the entrance and pew bows or chair decorations. You will want flowers on the Alter, Pedestal or other central arrangements. Consider rose petal confetti. It may be possible to take some of your ceremony flowers to the reception venue.
Flowers for the Reception - Items to consider will be your Bridal Table Centre piece, Table Centre pieces. Keep in mind the number of tables, number of seats, shape of tables, flowers to include candles or not, etc. Perhaps you would like cake flowers. Plus your room decor flowers - Entrance, Bar area, buffet tables, Cake Table, Guestbook, restrooms.
Thank you bouquets - Consider flowers after the big day. The Mums or head bridesmaid.
Flowers can be a major expense in your wedding budget so talk to your florist, make sure they understand your requirements and wishes and make sure they know your budget so you can work together for the best results!
When you're pregnant, sometimes it's the little things you can't live without. Whether it's clothes to make it easier to move around, tips for sleeping better or something to soothe your skin, here are some tips on making life easier when pregnant.
These can be a great sleep aid. Good support for sleeping but also comfortable for wrapping around your body when sitting and a savior for back and hips.
Bra extenders can be very useful to be able to continue using your “smaller” bras for longer when pregnant. You can also purchase sleep bras which give you support at night if you are especially large.
Often you can get skin irritations or rubbing when pregnant. Some solutions include aloe vera gel which can be a lifesaver in a number of situations. Cocoa Butter lotion can be very good for helping reduce stretch marks. It is said Bio-Oil helps in preventing tears during labour if you massage it into your perineum and olive oil is also supposedly good for stretch marks.
Wrap dresses can not only be comfortable but can be long lasting as you grow in pregnancy. Leggings with long T shirts are always a great lifesaver. Slip on shoes are great particularly if you have a tendency for your feet to swell and yoga pants can always be a good back up
Plus a great wardrobe extending idea is to use a hair tie or rubber band to extend your jeans or pants by putting it through the button hole and then looping both ends around the button or fastener.
Toys driving you mad? Here are some practical tips on controlling the mess!
Big deep toy boxes often don’t work well. Toys get jumbled into one big mess, small pieces get lost in the tangle and toddlers have no choice but to empty the whole thing on the floor to find what they want.
Collect lots of small, easy to handle, easy to carry, un-lidded containers, so children can sort their toys into groups – all the building things in one, wheeled toys in another, and so on.
Have fun with lots of big, coloured hooks labelled for coats, hats, bags, skipping ropes, dress-ups. It may not look elegant, but you and your children will be able to find what you need.
Use symbols or colours, even allocate one colour to each child if that works for you. Eg Sophie has a pink towel, pink toothbrush, pink hook for clothes and a pink box, or pink star on her box of toys.
Organise things into activity areas – puzzles, reading, art – so everything to do with that activity is there. Eg keep paper, aprons, wipe-up cloths and hanging pegs in one bin along with the pens, pencils, crayons, brushes and paints to make set up and cleaning up easy. During the day, convert a space from one activity to another by putting art stuff away and bringing out the puzzles bin.
Make finding stuff and putting it away fun and interesting to build good habits for a lifetime.
Preschool teachers have made an art of labelling boxes and crates.
by Linku2 Limited
22 June 2013
Update: 12 June 2018
by Linku2 Limited
22 June 2013
Update: 12 June 2018
One of the biggest challenges faced by the majority of homeowners is finding ways to make the most of their space, because not everyone can afford to simply get a bigger place — and regardless, you may not even need to.
The following is a look at some of the things you can do to create more space in your home and have it feeling like a much larger place.
Better storage will give you somewhere to put all of those items that are cluttering up your place, so take a good look at exactly what is taking up so much room and add a few extra storage spaces that will be able to fit all of those things. By adding an extra storage chest that can double as a table, or even adding a backyard shed, you will finally have somewhere to put everything and will probably be quite amazed at how spacious your home can actually be.
If you are lucky enough to own your home but your family has started to outgrow it, consider having some renovations done, because even a few simple additions can once again provide all of the space your family needs. Strategically knocking out an interior wall can add a huge amount of space to your home, or having a granny flat built out back can suddenly mean there are no space problems at all.
Opening up the kitchen, adding a veranda, or putting in a patio will all help create more space at your home, and you can be as drastic or conservative with the changes as you like. Whether you research online or watch home renovation shows; get some advice and you may be able to do at least some of the renovations yourself.
The reason you feel short on space may be due to the fact you simply own too much stuff, so downsize your belongings and get rid of all of those items you rarely ever use. You may be able to sell some of those that are still in good condition by way of a yard sale, or even online classifieds like Gumtree. Otherwise, donate or recycle as much as you can.
Your space issue might be due to being disorganised with the way you are storing your belongings, and may be mostly a matter of finding better ways to use the space you have. It may take you a few solid hours of work, or even an entire weekend, but by going through your current storage and reorganising it a little, you may find you have more than enough space already.
If you are stuck for ideas, take a look at what others are doing to get more space in their homes. Whether you search online, watch home decorating shows, or look through interior design magazines at the local library, often all it takes it seeing someone else’s solution to spark a great idea of your own.
from Linku2 Limited
by Linku2 Limited
10 February 2012
Update: 28 June 2017
How often do you hear of the nightmares experienced by those who build their own property about budget blowout and the stress of extra costs and over spending.
Everybody has some sort of budget in mind when they plan to build and here are a few tips to keep in mind if you are limited and would like to maximise what you can get for those tighter budget costs.
Consider the size of the house you need. Smaller houses are cheaper to build but don’t cut back too far. If you are a young couple do take into consideration the number of children you might like to have, if you have family living overseas also take into consideration if they visit and you have three children how practical will it be. If this is a first time home and investment for you these matters may not be relevant but do keep in mind
Collect estimates early. Before you are even too far into the planning process start gathering estimates. While these will only be rough guides there’s no point in going down the track saying you want underfloor heating if your budget simply won’t stretch that far.
Make the shape of your building simple. Angles, corners, rounded edges will all add to the building costs
Consider what services you can complete yourself. This may include gib stopping, painting, curtain making and often certain types of flooring which can be laid with a little instruction
Shop around for your materials and services. Be prepared to negotiate, you may not get a discount on that oven or dishwasher but at the very least you might get a free toaster or a year supply of dishwasher tablets! Consider clearance stores or seconds as often this can save you lots of money and the flaw may be hidden in your layout
Consider package lots or basic finishes. Fixtures, taps and tops can always be upgraded later once you have more money. Consider open shelving which can be replaced later
Consider recycled materials and estate auctions. Items can add character to your place and if you change your mind they can always be replaced when the budget has grown again
Landscaping can be done on a budget. Level the land, grass your lawn and you can add your exterior design and flower beds later
Whilst you might be building on a budget do consider your expenses down the track. It is worth putting greater emphasis on the basic building blocks of your home including energy saving heating options, water conservation and ventilation and, yes, it is wise to have a Plan B if you find your costs are spiralling out of control!
from Linku2 Limited