Category Archives: Economics

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How Much?! Financing An Expensive Hobby

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Everyone has a passion in life. From stamp collectors all the way up to base jumpers, there’s any number of interests and activities that people live and breathe. However, some passions are a lot more expensive than others. If you, your child or your significant other is thinking of getting into a particularly expensive hobby, here are a few tips for managing your finances for it.

Make Sure You (or They) Will Stick with It

Okay, let’s say your husband had a round of golf with their friend, they took to it like a natural, and absolutely loved it. For the week after, they watch golf on TV, read golf blogs, and talk about it non-stop. While they may be genuinely interested, this isn’t quite enough justification to spend the household budget on a new set of clubs, pair of shoes, and anything else they might want. I’m not saying that you should step on anyone’s passion here, least of all your own. However, I am saying that you or your partner should take it slow in the beginning, and avoid spending a small fortune if they don’t know they’ll stick with it. Instead of a full set of clubs, get a few lessons at your local course.

Finding the Money

Pursuing an expensive hobby is all about learning to manage finances in order to meet the hobbyist’s needs and wants. The options you have open to you here depends largely on the hobby itself. For example, if your teenage kid is getting more and more into ballet, but the lessons and clothes are causing a serious strain on your money, then it may be possible for them to offer to clean the studio in exchange for lessons. On the other hand, if your husband wants to pursue classic car tuning, and they need to fund enclosed vehicle transport to get their baby to and from shows, they’re going to have very little wiggling room in terms of how much this will cost. In order to manage those finances properly, start off by writing out the costs, covering everything from equipment to lessons to clothing, and figure out how much you’d have to work in order to fund, say, a year’s worth of the hobby. This will put things in perspective, and allow you to make plans for sourcing extra income if needs be.

Make the Most of What You Buy

When it comes to gear for hobbies, impulse buys are always a bad idea, especially when you have perfectly good equipment. If your son wants to start playing guitar and you’ve got one lying around in the attic, then dig it out and learn everything you can about it. It may not be a Gibson Les Paul, but if it’s in a decent working condition then you can put off a brand new model for some time. In general, you should also learn something about maintaining the equipment in question. Re-stringing your own guitar is infinitely cheaper than what a lot of music stores charge for it!

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Where’s The Humanity? Why (And How) Your Business Should Keep The Human Touch

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If there is one thing that tends to really upset or annoy customers, it is when they feel as though they are dealing with a business which has lost its human touch. It is easy to spot a corporation which is afflicted in this way, because the way in which they communicate with real people is either jarring, disjointed, or downright rude. It goes without saying that you don’t want to talk to your customers this way, so it is clearly very important to retain the human touch in your business. Doing so might seem like a challenge, but today we are going to see how it is actually relatively straightforward. Here are some powerful, yet simple, ways to retain the humanity in your business, no matter its scope or design.

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Email Signatures

 

Email can be one area which is particularly prone to digitized humanness. We all fall into strange ways of relating and communicating with email, and it is difficult to extricate some of these bad habits on a daily basis. But there is one part of the email where you can easily claw back some humanity – the signature. Here, you have an opportunity to sign off with something real, something genuine, and it is advisable to make the most of this opportunity. Your email signature can be a surprisingly powerful opening in which you can make a human connection. No matter the content of the email, the signature can add that little flourish at the end, and often your customers will find this reassuring.

 

The ‘Behind The Scenes’ Effect

 

People tend to really enjoy finding out about how your business works. This is at least partly because finding out about the workings of a business brings it back to its normal, everyday humanity. Your business is run by normal people, after all, and it is often a healthy sign to show that to your customers. You could even consider using a live streaming sdk solution to provide your customers with a behind-the-scenes reel, footage of your actual office at work. These can be a great way of showing a kind of basic human humility which people tend to find really attractive in a business.

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Remember Your Branding

 

It is all too easy to get carried away with various ideas when it comes to branding. Partly, this is because a brand image does need to be slightly ‘out there’ – in other words, in needs to differ in some way, stand out and be bold. But if you can include something of your basic humanity in your branding, there is a good chance that this will have a positive ongoing effect. Remember the human when you are branding, and it is likely that the real humans – your customers – will appreciate the effort.

 

Customer Interactions

 

Finally, it is worth training your customer services staff to interact with your customers in as genuine a way as possible. There is a fine line to be drawn here; they need to be both human and utterly professional. This is a tricky balance to be had, but it is the one that works, so make sure this is what they are aiming for at all times.

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Business Budget Busting – How To Extend The Life Of Your Office Furniture

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Planning your business budget for the next twelve months can become a real pain. You want to spend as much cash as possible on taking your company to the next level. However, you know there are going to be unexpected costs somewhere along the line. It’s impossible to predict things like that, but there are techniques you can use to limit your exposure to such instances. Sometimes the smallest changes can make the biggest difference. That’s why we’ve published this article today. With a bit of luck, these tips designed to extend the lifespan of your office furniture could help you to save a fortune.

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  • Laminate your desktops

 

 

There are products available on the market today that could stop you from having to purchase new desks this year. Sheets of laminate applied correctly will reduce the amount of damage your desktops receive. That should help you to ensure your office is always in tip-top shape. It’s a cheap solution that could mean you keep your furniture for almost twice as long. We all know how easy it can be for people to chip the surface while placing coffee mugs and other items in front of their computers. So, now is the best time to perform some research and purchase the right solution. Best of all? Adding the laminate to your desks will take no longer than five minutes, and you don’t need any specialist tools.

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  • Purchase top-end drawer slides

 

 

Any office furniture you buy with drawers will also come with slides to ensure their smooth operation. However, most manufacturers won’t select the best products one the market. With that in mind, it’s sensible for you to look for a superior alternative. Look for a company that specialises in industrial drawer slides and check out some of their most popular products. The purchase isn’t going to break the bank, but it could mean your furniture lasts a lot longer. Also, you’ll reduce any instances of workplace injury due to people getting their fingers caught. That can only be a good thing, right?

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  • Don’t scrimp when it comes to buying chairs

 

 

There are a couple of reasons why you should buy high-end office chairs for your workers. Firstly, they aren’t going to break as quickly, and so you will save money in the long run. However, there’s another reason that’s just as important. Some workers will begin to suffer from back pain after sitting on budget chairs all day long. For that reason, you need to invest in ergonomic designs that are built to last. That will mean you don’t have to spend as much cash over the course of the year, and your employees won’t call in sick quite as often. Double bonus!
You should now have enough information to make a real improvement to office furniture expenditure. We hope that leaves you with more cash in your accounts to pay for marketing strategies and other important matters. Just use your head, and try to reduce any unnecessary spending, and you should strive forward in 2017. Also, there are lots of useful posts on this blog that you might find interesting, so take a look around before you leave us today.   

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Personal Branding: Time To Give Yourself The Recognition You Deserve

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When you think of a brand, you’re probably going to think about the corporations behind certain products. Of the image they attribute to those products and therefore themselves. It’s how they influence public perception and win people on their side. It’s not just for big businesses with big name products, however. A brand for yourself, for you as a person, can have huge effects whether you’re building a career or a business.

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Identify a brand persona

Don’t get scared if you feel like you’re not a good ‘actor’. Creating a persona isn’t about selling half-truths. It’s about identifying your skills and your flaws. It’s about knowing how to present them to the specific audience you’re talking to. It’s about finding that version of you that hits straight to the core of what the market wants. It might be a certain writing style, it might incorporate visuals, it might be a certain ideal of yours that you wish to push. It’s not about changing who you are, but about honing the focus on what attributes and values you care about the most.

Build your platform

Naturally, a brand needs to be shared for it to have any real effect on perceptions. To that end, you need to learn some of the fundamentals of marketing; online marketing in particular. It’s about visibility and message. Building a website and getting on social media is a good start. But you need to make sure that your website is visible, so use search engine optimization tactics. For instance, if your brand is related to IT work, then ‘IT consultation’ and ‘tech expert’ could be some of the keywords you want to use to build your site. Meanwhile, your message is shaped by the content you put out there. A social media strategy, paired with writing informative blog posts that show that you know what you’re talking about, makes sure that your name is pinned to your content and benefits from the quality of it.

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Put yourself out there

Even better for the visibility and validity of your brand is that other people are going to recognise it and share it. That’s one of the reasons you should be networking. Build positive relationships, use your platform to help other business owners and entrepreneurs. Their seal of approval and powers to boost your signal can add some real legitimacy to the brand.

Stay consistent

A brand can undergo a lot of work to be shaped into the most positive and effective message, but that doesn’t mean it will always be that way. An easy way to watch it break down is to be inconsistent between your image and your deeds. If your brand is all about community and mutual benefit, for instance, you better make sure your business is good to customers. If sustainability is a big part of the brand, then you need to show green practices you take seriously. You can’t say one thing and do another.

Let your reputation precede you and make sure it’s a good one by spending time on your personal brand. After that, you have to make sure that your work speaks for yourself.

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Whoops! Don’t Slip Up On Office Health And Safety

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It’s easy to just assume that your business is safe, that your employees aren’t in any danger and that you aren’t at risk of legal issues. But that’s not true at all. In fact, unless you are proactive about health and safety in the office there’s a good chance that accidents will happen. You will be exposed to expensive lawsuits, and your business model will be vulnerable. Serious accidents in the office can cost businesses anything up to half a million in damages and that’s not an exaggeration. Last year, big and small companies found themselves inundated with these types of claims. With a little forward thinking this could have been avoided. On this post, we’ll look at some of the main health and safety issues in the office, how to avoid them and any other steps that you could take to make your business safe.

 

Common Accidents And Injuries

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Arguably the most common accident in the workplace is going to be a slip or trip. For instance, there might have been a wet floor without a sign. An employee could slip here, hurt their ankle or even break their leg. You need to remember that a fall like this can be more dangerous for older workers. Therefore, they will be entitled to a higher payout if the case eventually goes to court. Anything can cause a slip or trip. There might be a loose wire lying over the floor or a damp patch. It could be due to the fact that the area is poorly lit. This is why you want to make sure that you are changing and replacing the bulbs in your office on an annual basis. If you want cheap bulbs for the office check out a site such as Lightbulbs-direct.com/office-workplace.

 

You might also find that accidents occur because equipment has failed to function as it should. This could be something quite small. For instance, a kettle might have a loose wire and if that gets wet an employee could receive a nasty shock. It could also be something larger like your sprinkler system in the office. If you have a fire in the office building, your sprinkler system should put it out immediately. However, sprinkler systems can be damaged due to corrosion. When this happens, they won’t operate as they should and the fire will burn, causing further damage.

 

You shouldn’t rule out the possibility that the actions of an employee cause an accident. In a case like this you usually won’t be held accountable. Particularly if there was nothing you could have done to prevent the accident. However, the argument could be presented that with further training the employee would not have made the mistake. As such by increasing training for your staff you can reduce issues with health and safety substantially. Have a look at Peninsulagrouplimited.com for some great training courses.

 

Reducing The Risk

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Obviously, there are quite a few things that you can do to reduce the risk of accident in the office besides training your staff. Although further training is certainly advisable and will strengthen your position in a hypothetical court case. You might shy away from this possibility due to the expense involved. However, the cost of training will be nothing compared with the possible amount you could have to pay in damages after an accident. Employees should be able to handle health and safety issues themselves and be able to recognise potential hazards so that they can be dealt with.

 

You might also want to arrange checks for equipment. Again, you can check out large and small appliances in the office. For instance, if you have a look at a site such as ECSCorrosion.com/pipe-video-inspections you will see there are specialist inspections for sprinkler systems. You can also arrange a full tagging service for your office. A tagging service is quite simple. A specialist will check any equipment in your office and tag any item that has an issue. By doing this, you can avoid people using the equipment when it is not safe. You can also make sure that it is repaired as soon as possible before any incident occurs.

 

Many business owners also appoint health and safety officers for their business. A health and safety office has the role of checking the office environment on a regular basis. They will look out for any hazards and ensure that they are dealt with as quickly as possible. This is worth doing as business owners often don’t have the time to complete these checks themselves. Any action taken like this will result in a smaller payout for workers who do have an accident on the premises. Of course, there are a few other preemptive strikes that you can take.

 

Other Steps

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You may want to think about setting up insurance for your business. If an accident does occur, you want to make sure that it’s not up to you to pay the full extent of the damages. With the right coverage, your insurance company will take care of most of the costs. Obviously, the more claims you get, the higher your premium will rise. However, it can be a good short-term solution if you do have a serious issue with health and safety. This site Ucd.ie/sirc/healthandsafety/workplacesafety/officesafety/ has great options for health and safety insurance.

 

You can also arrange services such as workers compensation. In some regions if you have workers compensation an employee cannot sue you for further damages due to loss of work from an injury. As such, there is a cap on how much you could lose due to an accident in the office.

 

You should also be aware that injuries can be mental as well as physical. It is certainly more difficult to deal with this type of injury because it is a challenge to prepare for it. The best advice we can offer about these types of injuries is to ensure that your employees are able to access emotional support systems. You can use a HR outsourcing service to cover this need. They will keep a check on all your employees and ensure that no serious issue is creeping up on you.

 

If you take this advice on board, you can avoid the headache of injuries and accidents in your workplace.

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Being Your Own Boss: Not as Unrealistic as It Sounds!

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“Be your own boss!”, you’ve probably heard many an intriguing job advertisement claim. But, as many people have discovered, it’s something that’s definitely easier said than done.

 

There are a lot of hurdles that people fall at when it comes to transitioning to this sort of career-based freedom. Bosses are pretty darn useful, it turns out! When you work for someone else, you end up avoiding so many of the inconveniences and complexities that come with having to pave your own way!

 

Preparing yourself for this kind of move (which, yes, usually means either starting your own business or doing some freelance work from home) means getting into a state where you can either avoid these hurdles or know how to tackle them when they appear. We’re going to take a look at the mistakes that a lot of people make when it comes to this endeavour.

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Focussing on what you don’t want

 

You know what you don’t want – you’re sick of the office politics, the nine to five, the work you feel no passion for, other people calling all the shots. But what is it you actually do want, except to escape all of those things? Take the time to really visualize precisely what you want to spend your time doing going forward.

 

Not getting any sort of help

 

Just because you’re looking to go your own way, it doesn’t mean that you have to do it alone. So many people get into this mindset that in order to do it “properly” that they have to be completely independent. That they have to do it all themselves. Not only is this not true, but it could also ruin your chances of success. For example, if you’re starting an online business – a popular pursuit for those who want to be their own boss – then don’t assume you have to do all the web design yourself. Getting the help of friends, or even other companies, isn’t just recommended – sometimes, it’s a must.

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A lack of realistic approach

 

Too many people have wanted to become their own boss and found themselves suckered in by those spammy “I made $2000 p/h in my pyjamas just doing THIS from home!!” kind of messages you see in emails and comment sections. I doubt there are too many of you out there who need to be told this, but you need to avoid anything that tries to convince you that this is going to be easy, comfortable, and quick. It’s going to take time, money, and effort.

 

Not starting
To be honest, the biggest hurdle that people face is usually found right at the beginning. It’s the hurdle that prevents them from ever trying to follow this path. It’s the “rational” voice in their head that’s telling them that they don’t have the skills to go their own way. That you lack the financial or technological knowledge. That you’re not brave enough. And what happens when you sow the seeds of doubt within yourself so thoroughly? That’s right: you don’t try. Most people who want to escape their current job and be their own boss are going to find a way to convince themselves that they shouldn’t do it. Don’t be one of those people!

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The Road To Recovery: Questions You Need To Ask Yourself Before Returning To Work

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No matter how fit we are, there is one health risk that it is completely impossible to totally prevent. And that is an accident. Accidents can happen anywhere and everywhere. Not only that, though, but they can also occur at any time. As there is no way of telling whether will be injured in an accident or not, it can really throw a spanner in the works when we do. As a result, we often end up taking a significant period of time off work to help recover. Many people find that returning to work can be a bit of a struggle, especially if they aren’t 100% better. Wondering whether it is the right time to head back to work? Ask yourself the following questions to help figure it out.

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Will It Ruin Your Compensation Claim?

 

If the accident wasn’t your own fault, you will have probably been in touch with a personal injury lawyer regarding compensation. In most cases, a compensation claim is easily settled by an out of court settlement and payment. However, in some cases, the claim may end up in court. Some people think that returning to work will damage their court case. However, this isn’t true. In actual fact, the complete opposite may occur, and taking unnecessary time off work can actually reduce the chance of you getting the compensation. Returning to work in good time shows that you have a good work ethic. If you aren’t in pain, and your doctor says it is OK to, you should seriously consider returning as soon as possibly.

 

Am I Still Entitled To Accident Benefits If I Return To Work?

 

A lot of people worry about returning to work because they think that their accident benefits will come to an end. Accident benefits are for those who were injured in an accident that wasn’t their fault. These are different to compensation as everyone is entitled to them, whereas you aren’t guaranteed to win your compensation claim. Accident benefits include rehabilitation costs and medical treatment. The good news is that these won’t stop until you are completely recovered. So don’t be worried about returning to work early, as this won’t affect the benefits that you receive.

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Will Going Back To Work Slow Down My Recovery?

 

At the end of the day, the answer to this question depends on your own personal situation. Our bodies all recover at different speeds, and it is all down to our overall health and fitness and severity of the accident. The best way to decide whether working will slow down your recovery is to speak to your doctor. However, most people find that returning to work actually helps them get better quicker. That’s because being at work takes their mind off their injuries, which can reduce how much they notice any pain. Ultimately, you need to talk to your doctor about this, as they will be able to give you their professional opinion.
One day you will be able to return to work; just make sure you don’t rush into things!

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Making The Most Out Of Your Creativity

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Working is a weird thing. Some of us end up in jobs we love that give meaning and fulfillment to our working life while constantly applying a sense of accomplishment.

 

For others, it’s just a sense of clocking in, and clocking out.

 

It depends on who you are, to be honest. If you’re fulfilled by completing tasks, any job may suit you. But if you aren’t, you’ll struggle until you finally stumble across a role that is right for you. Stumbling through life isn’t perhaps the best thing to do – we all need plans!

 

Look to your talents and interests to propel you through life. That applies to your working career as well. Relying on our talents can create an unprecedented interest in our jobs and will naturally make us happier – if you’re good at something, you should do it.

 

This time around, the focus is on creativity. If you have an imagination or interests – it’s likely that you have an underlying creative talent. It might be writing, teaching, speaking, drawing or painting – but it will definitely be there. If you know what it is, you should charge forth.

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For instance, if you’re good at design, joining an advertising agency might be a great move for you. You’ll get to do what you’re good at while getting paid by clients. It’s win-win, and while some projects may be a lot less inspirational or unique than you may hope, it is still a job that uses your talents! What’s more, design can take you into a role as your own boss – you could create graphics for clients on a freelance basis or even hawk your designs to buyers. Using new tech like 3D printers is a great way to jump ahead of the curve and forge your own path by selling your own, unique goods. How much does a 3D printer cost? Well, it’s whatever you’re willing to pay to succeed with it! Cost is relative here.

 

If you’ve got an ear for sound, there are plenty of roles across a scope of industries – you could get work with a record label producing artists or even a role at a firm that creates radio adverts. Audio editing is a real skill and like design you might even find you can do it from home.

 

The final method is the most classic. Art can take you into the hands of a design firm or an advertising agency, but like the other two subjects – you can be your own boss. If you’re actually any good at art, you could find yourself displaying it at a gallery or getting commissioned for a piece.

 

You’ve still got to put the work in on all these fronts. Creativity is going to rely on you selling your abilities, a lot – so you’ve got market yourself soundly. If you get yourself out there, you’ll find the opportunities to use your skills and talents for an enjoyable career that may take you far!

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Make Your Business Eco Friendly In Five Easy Steps

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In this day and age, people are focusing more and more on the environment and on how they can make their lives greener and more eco-friendly. There are reports in the news every day about how our behaviour is affecting the planet and the environment that we live in, so it makes sense that we would make tweaks in our lifestyles to make things better – after all, when people stopped using aerosols it was so good for the environment that the hole in the ozone layer finally started to repair itself! Here are some changes that you can make in your business to help save the world…

Change Your Bulbs

Replacing your older light bulbs with CFL and LED bulbs. Not only do they use significantly less energy, but they also last for a lot longer than regular bulbs, which will save you money in the long run.

Use Recyclable Materials

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Select eco-friendly paper and when you do need to print things, talk to a service like Managed Print Services which will help you and your company to reduce your carbon footprint and environmental impact. When you’re buying furniture, go for recyclable materials like wood and metal rather than plastic, and don’t be afraid to spend a little more money so you get furniture that will last for a long time.

Go Paperless

Going paperless is something that happens with most companies in the end anyway, but you could accelerate the process by starting to ditch company wide memos on paper and emailing them instead. Take notes on laptops and tablets instead of on paper, and emphasise that your staff should be using emails instead of writing letters. Use an online payment scheme, and keep company records on a computer database instead of in filing cabinets. This can also be a lot more secure. Make sure that you shred any old files with sensitive information in them before recycling them.

Add Greenery

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In your office, you should try to make sure that you have as much greenery around as possible. Not only does this convert carbon dioxide into oxygen, thereby sending more purified air back into the office, but it’ll also help to improve the mental health of your employees. The plants will also help by reminding them that there’s a natural world out there – which is no mean feat when you work in an office all day! Make sure that you assign the task of watering them to someone in particular so they don’t end up withering away and dying – that probably wouldn’t look like a very good omen for the future of the company…

Get An Energy Audit

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If you’re not sure how you can cut down on your energy usage – and therefore your energy bills – then get an energy audit. Some US states will even provide them for free. Sealing leaks and cracks can take up to 20% off your energy bill – and some states will pay for the repairs as well as the audits themselves! If you’d rather do it yourself, or if you want a more temporary solution, try out a draught excluder next to the door.

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Important Jobs In The Home You Might Have Overlooked!

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As a homeowner, you have a lot on your plate. There are bills to pay, insurances to purchase, home safety to consider. You have to decide on the decor, keep the rooms and gardens neat and everything else too! Basically, there’s a lot that goes into keeping your pile of bricks and mortar safe and running smoothly. It’s natural that some jobs will get forgotten or overlooked from time to time, but don’t be caught short. If something goes wrong, as a result, it will be much more time consuming and expensive to fix. Have you overlooked any of these?

 

Have Your Boiler Serviced

Boiler issues are always going to be a nightmare, but especially at this time of year when it’s freezing outside. Being stuck without heating or hot water, and an expensive repair bill is a position that no homeowner wants to find themselves in. You should have your boiler serviced every year by a professional; this helps to make sure everything is safe and will also pick up any problems so that it’s less likely to suddenly break down. It’s worth signing up to a boiler repair plan too just in case anything does go wrong. You’ll pay a monthly amount, but any repairs will then be done for free. If you have to pay for repairs or even a new boiler from your own pocket, it’s going to be incredibly expensive.

 

Have Your Air Ducts Cleaned

Air ducts in the home are essential for heating, ventilating and air conditioning. However, over time, dust and debris can build up which can reduce the air quality, lead to mold problems and cause odors. It’s recommended that you have them cleaned every three to five years if you’ve never had them done it can be worth looking into it. You could research the duct cleaning cost from local companies and work it into your home maintenance budget.

 

Have Your Pipes Insulated

A burst pipe can lead to severe flooding damage, leaving you to foot a massive bill. Pipes are more likely to break in winter since they are constantly expanding and retracting due to the cold. Pipe insulation is really cheap from DIY stores; there are tons of videos on Youtube showing how to fit it. For outdoor pipes leading to things like garden taps, it can be worth switching off the water supply altogether in this weather. Chances are you won’t be using your tap much anyway and is a smart, preventative measure.

 

Have Your Gutters Cleared

Over the fall when the leaves are coming down they can often find their way into rain gutters on houses. Here they’ll break down but continue to block the flow of water, and can cause issues with leaking. This is a problem as these kinds of leaks can cause structural damage, as well as damp and moisture issues leading to mold in the home. You could either go up a ladder and clear them yourself, or pay a company if you’re unsure.

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