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The Functional, No-Fuss Kitchen And How To Achieve It

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With an ever-increasing number of cookery shows and the rising popularity of celebrity chefs, it’s easy to get caught up in the latest cooking fads. For example, purchasing fancy branded crockery or investing in the latest stylish food mixer. Those are the items that end up cluttering your work surfaces or gathering dust in the cupboard. They leave a sizeable hole in your bank balance, and your food doesn’t get any better.

 

Rather than copying someone else’s dream kitchen, think about what would really work for you. Focus on function.

 

How Do You Use Your Kitchen?

 

For many of us, the kitchen is much more than a place to prepare food. Often it’s the hub of the whole house. It’s the place we gather as a family, to drink coffee and eat meals. Our kids do their homework on the kitchen table, and our pets find a cozy place to nap. We leave each other messages on the fridge or display our latest achievements.

 

How do you use your kitchen? Make a list of its various functions. This is a good starting point. If you’re clear on its various uses, you can go ahead and make improvements.

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Get Rid Of Anything That Isn’t Useful

 

Regina Brett advises us to ‘get rid of anything that isn’t beautiful, useful or joyful’. This is good advice, especially in the kitchen. Clutter, as well as being visually unappealing, slows processes and gets in the way of everyday functions. Creating an efficient kitchen often starts with having a sort out and moving things around. Go through everything cupboard by cupboard and discard anything that is no longer useful. Give it to friends, recycle or bin it.

 

There is no list or rules to advise you when going through this process. It’s a very personal choice. For example, if you’re a coffee aficionado, that large coffee machine on the counter will be vital. If you’re not and it’s just in the way, it’s time to ditch it.

 

Invest In Equipment And Accessories That Will Work For You

 

Before investing in new appliances, tools or machinery, ask yourself how it will improve your life. This could be by saving time, bringing pleasure, expanding meal choices, etc. Then ask yourself, whether you intend to use it and if so, how often. If you’re unsure, wait a few days. Are there any other areas you could invest in to bring greater benefits?

 

There’s nothing wrong with buying new appliances; you just need to ensure that they are useful. For example, if you love home cooked food but are short on time, opt for labor-saving devices such as a convection microwave. This will prepare a roast chicken in a fraction of the time and will also brown it for you. Always shop around and read reviews, such as recent countertop microwave reviews. Dishwashers and slow cookers will also provide you with more time.

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Create Zones

 

If your kitchen is multifunctional, think in terms of zones. For example, you’ll have a zone for cooking and preparing food, an area for washing up, an area for eating and homework, etc. Ensure each zone is as efficient as possible. Large overhead lights will make eating and homework easier, whereas countertop lights will work best for preparing food.

 

Ensure you have adequate storage space if areas are used for different purposes. Tables with built-in drawers make setting the table a breeze and will remove clutter when the table is being used for something else.
The next time you’re deliberating over whether to buy the latest kitchen accessory, spend some time considering whether it will be useful, what benefits it will bring, and if there’s anything else that will provide greater benefits. When it comes to the kitchen, focus on function.

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The Common Pitfalls of a Blogging Business and How to Avoid Them

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Blogging has become incredibly popular over the past couple of years. People can share their stories, talk about their favourite TV shows and review obscure things like fruits if they want to. It’s a great way to share your passions and discuss your interests with other viewers. Looking for blogs is also an excellent way to meet new individuals and make lifelong friends that you share passions with.

 

But with blogging comes money. Many professional writers have turned to blogging as their regular source of income. They can set up affiliate links, they can make money from advertisements and sometimes, they create their own product lines such as eBooks and shirts to sell. There are many business opportunities for a successful blog to undertake, but with money comes the potential to fail.

 

Here are some of the most common blogging pitfalls that have to be avoided if you want to secure profits and remain a legitimate business. Keep in mind that most of these only happen in very uncommon situations, but if they do happen, then you’re going to be very upset about losing several weeks worth of work and revenue.

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Image Credit: Pexels

 

Security Concerns

 

If your blog is compromised then you can say goodbye to days worth of revenue or possibly even months or years worth of work. Make sure that your hosting service makes regular backups that you can revert to in the event of a hacking attack, and practice basic security measures such as using multi-tiered authentication or a phone related log in service such as Clef. Make sure that your regularly clean your work computer of viruses and malware and never click on suspicious links that are too good to be true. There are many managed wordpress hosting services that take care of most of the security concerns for you.

 

Copyright Concerns

 

Plagiarism is a huge deal in the blogging world. If you’re caught stealing information or numbers without giving credit, then you can wave your blogging business goodbye. Make sure all of your content is original and never copy other people’s work. If you hire a freelancer to write some articles then use online resources to check for plagiarism. You also need to ensure that the images you use in your articles are your own or royalty free. You don’t want a disgruntled photographer to sue you for using his or her image without permission because the law will favour them, and you might end up having to pay back thousands in fines.

 

Income Concerns
Don’t quit your job as soon as you make a single penny or get a couple hundred viewers. You need your day job to sustain your web hosting costs and to hire writers in the event you can’t keep up. It’s critical that you don’t focus on making money at the beginning—that can come later when you’ve built up an audience. Never get greedy and take on too many sponsorships or review requests for money. Everything you do for the first couple of months should involve spreading your influence, getting your blog noticed and responding to readers to keep their interest.

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Dream Jobs That Let You Work and Travel

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Imagine waking up in a different hotel in a different country every week. You put on your complimentary slippers, open the balcony door and breath in the fresh air as you gaze at the wonderful sights from your hotel room. You take a trip downstairs to feast on a gourmet breakfast buffet, stuffing your face with as much food as you like. Then you head back into your room, take a quick shower, then bring out your laptop to start the day’s work.

 

It’s a dream that many people who love to travel want to experience. Travelling around the world, meeting new people, experiencing new things and being able to work at the same time. Of course, you’d need to visit your home country now and then for taxes and other duties, but you could live your life travelling around the world and still make enough money to sustain your wanderlust.

 

If it sounds like the type of life you want to live, then here are some examples of dream jobs that will allow you that freedom.

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Image Source

 

Trading

 

Trading stocks and foreign currencies can be done from anywhere as long as you have a laptop computer and an internet connection. You can look for forex ecn brokers and get set up within a matter of minutes. With trial accounts available and plenty of online resources, a dedicated newcomer can pick up trading within a couple of weeks and start making a profit.

 

With the added bonus of your travel experience, you’ll pick up vital financial situations in each country which can give you a small bonus when it comes to trading in exotic currencies. As long as you stay up to date with global news and industry trends, the life of the trader is the perfect job for someone who loves to travel.

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Image Source

 

Blogging

 

There are thousands of people around the world that are lucky enough to travel wherever they want and document their experiences for money. Starting a blog takes some time and effort, so it’s recommended that you document your holidays before you decide to quit your job to become a full-time travelling worker. Get a good quality camera, record some videos, network with friendly people around the world to show you the best local attractions and food spots, and you’ll reel in viewers.

 

Once you have a large enough viewer base, you can start to gain money with ad revenue, affiliate links or even by selling your services as a writer or selling travel guides.

 

Freelancer
As long as you have a computer, you can advertise and sell your skills no matter where you are. If you’re an accomplished writer, budding artist or even an amateur musician, there’s someone out there who is willing to pay for your services and extend your portfolio. Getting clients isn’t easy for a new freelancer, so it’s recommended that you get a good start in your home country and secure a list of clients who are willing to pay for your work before you set off to explore the world.

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Cool Ideas To Transform Your Backyard Into A Getaway

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We all want our gardens to be a little more livable. But all too often, especially in the winter, they can be uninviting. Here are some ideas to help you transform your drab backyard into a magical getaway.

 

Add Outdoor Kitchen Space

 

There’s nothing more annoying in the summer than having to cook in a hot kitchen away from guests and the rest of the party. That’s why so many people are now building kitchens outside. Outdoor kitchens can be expensive, but you don’t have to go all in. If you want, you can opt for a single grill and a couple of gas burners. Adding a refrigerator also helps, especially if you want to keep beer and wine nearby and having a sink makes cleaning up afterward super easy.

 

Make The Space Private

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Pixabay

 

Another issue with outdoor living is the fact that it’s public. Neighbours can easily peek into your garden while you’re trying to relax or entertain guests. Not to worry: this problem is easily solved with garden walls and fences. An especially beautiful idea is to use lattice fencing and pergolas to close off the space. These let light in but also provide screens to obstruct the prying eyes of your neighbors.

 

Create A Stunning Patio

 

When sushi first came to America, people didn’t really know what to do. They tried eating it with knives and forks and didn’t know how much wasabi to use. But over time they learned what to do, and now they’re as proficient as the Japanese.

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Wikimedia Commons

 

A similar thing happened with patios. At the start, they were ugly slabs of concrete, serving no apparent function other than to pave over part of the lawn. But over time, things changed and people began using them in the way the early designers and pioneers intended: as an extension of the house.

 

To make the patio an extension of your home, invest in patio covers and use planting beds, container gardens, and furniture that can survive the weather to make it more livable.

 

Always Furnish For Comfort

 

Comfortable outdoor furniture has really become a thing over the last couple of years. In fact, one is left wondering why the market took so long to realize that people wanted their outdoor furniture to be as comfortable as their indoor furniture. There are now dozens of companies offering furniture made from rattan, a material that can survive the harsh outdoor weather but that is also a lot more comfortable than traditional outdoor furniture materials, like wood and wrought iron.

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Synthetic, waterproof fabrics are also now on the market, meaning that whole new types of garden experiences are now available. Reading a book in the backyard can be just like reading a book in your living room, with the added benefit of being surrounded by nature.

 

Use Outdoor Structures To Define Spaces

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Outdoor structures have long been a way to escape the rest of the world. A gazebo, for instance, offers a protected area for outdoor dining and cooking. Pergolas and trellises all create a focal point for outdoor spaces.

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Resolutions to Make That Will Actually Enrich Your Life

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If you are thinking of making resolutions in the new year, it sometimes feels like you are setting yourself up for failure. So often we fail at making them work and after a few weeks in we have completely forgotten about them. Things, like losing weight or running a marathon, are quite general. They aren’t specific enough to get things done. Plus, it doesn’t deal with the nitty-gritty about how things got that way in the first place. But there are certain things that you can resolve to do that are much less likely to fail. So have a read of these below and perhaps pick one or two to choose from. You might be surprised at just how much they might change your life.

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Improve Life in Your Community

 

When the place you live is a happier place to be, then it will make it a nicer place for you to live in. So even small things like saying hi to your neighbors can make a massive difference. Greet your neighbors instead of ignoring them or just nodding. When we speak and get to know them, it will make the area that you live a much nicer place to be. It can also be quite contagious. They are much more likely to go about and do the same. When we know our neighbors better, we have a better support system in emergencies. It makes going to local events easier and will help us to enjoy our homes and where we live better.

 

Change Things You Dislike

 

If there are certain things that you dislike about your life, then it is time to change them. If you find that you are unhappy, then think about the reasons why you might be. Then make practical changes to correct them. It might be that you need to forgive someone, as you’ve been holding onto something for too long. Changing jobs could help perhaps, or you might consider something like life coaching. If you feel that you need more than just you to get over a certain issue, then you could consider the latter with someone like Darren Christopher Rowland. Then you can move on and make your life happier than it has been in a long time.

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Make Eye Contact

 

This goes for everyone that we come into contact with. But when you give someone eye contact, it makes the interaction much more meaningful. We are all busy, so it might be hard to listen to our kids and make the dinner. But just take a time out and listen to them and then make the dinner. It will make them feel much more appreciated, and you won’t feel as rushed or busy when you do things one at a time.

 

Speak to Family

 

You might be familiar with the phrase that blood is thicker than water. Keeping in touch with family is one of the best things that you can do. It will benefit more than just you and make your life much more enriched. So call, visit and arrange things with the family that you have left.

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How You Can Stay Alert Throughout The Day

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The days just fly by these days. You’ve likely got kids to drop to school, a job to get to, chores to get done, the list goes on. It can sometimes be hard to stay upbeat and alert. But the key to happiness can be found by using various techniques and supplements to keep you going strong. If you’re struggling day to day then perhaps these can help you.

 

Water

 

Not just the one bottle, but if you can get yourself into a good system, whereby you’re drinking it constantly throughout the day then water can give you the energy you need to be successful. It also relieves fatigue, so if you’re running around all day it can help you feel more alert and less tired. There’s a huge amount of health benefits that come with drinking water too, so there’s no excuse not to. If you just keep a bottle at hand it will soon become second nature to keep taking sips throughout the day.

 

Coffee

 

Coffee, of course containing caffeine, is one of the best ways to start your day. The amount of people who walk around with a Starbucks cup in the morning has become ridiculous, especially when there are some great and tasty coffee you can make at home. The best instant coffee can give you the energy you need to push through the morning. It also stimulates the brain in a way that can potentially make you more productive. Just be careful not to drink super large quantities of it throughout the day or to drink it too late or it can affect your sleep.
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Caffeine Pills

 

Many people don’t actually like coffee, be it the taste or the feeling. Whilst some won’t have time to make coffee in the morning if they’re on a tight schedule. If this is the case it can be worth popping a quick caffeine pill in the morning before you leave the house. They can improve your concentration and reduce exertion. They are also great before embarking on a strenuous sports activity such as a long cycle or swim. Again, they are best swallowed in the morning or before strenuous activity.

 

Exercise

 

Exercise can keep your energy flowing by increasing the productivity of your heart and increasing circulation around your body. The more you exercise the more energy you’ll have to spend throughout the day. It can be a great idea to go for a long walk at the end of the day or a run in the morning before work. It will be hard at first, but the more you do the quicker you’ll get into a killer routine. You likely know about the brilliant health benefits of exercising, so even if you just start off by going on weekly runs it can help you in your day to day life by allowing you to fatigue less and stay productive for longer.

 

You need to choose the method and balance that is right for you, a mixture of exercise and water is a great bet, or perhaps a caffeine pill in the morning and exercise at night. It all depends what kind of job you do and how tired you actually get.

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Car Problems You Honestly Don’t Need A Mechanic To Fix

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Some people grow up around cars, fixing them when problems arise and generally thinking nothing of it. But there’s a whole swath of us out there who think that if we tinker with our cars, we’ll destroy them forever.

 

The problem with this attitude is that it winds up costing you big time in the long term. Mechanics aren’t cheap, and there are plenty of common problems that you can solve yourself.

 

Fixing A Flat Tyre

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Pixabay

 

If your car is tilting to one side, or you hear a loud thumping noise, there’s a good chance you’ve got a flat tyre. You’ll need some top automotive tools with you in your boot to sort the problem out, including a car jack and a spare tyre. Put the jack underneath a metallic part of the car’s frame (not the plastic bumper) and pump the car up. Once the car is in position, remove all the lug nuts and put the donut on. Then tighten the bolts back up and bring the jack down.

 

Failed Head Or Tail Lights

 

The symptoms of failed headlights are pretty obvious at night: you can’t see where you’re going. Tail lights can be a little trickier to diagnose if you’re still sitting in the vehicle. The solution? Back up to a wall and watch out for that characteristic red glow. If the wall gets lit up, you know your tail lights are working properly.

 

Getting new lights is easy and you don’t need to go to your mechanic. Just drop by your local Advanced Auto Parts of Autozone and ask a member of staff which lights will work with your particular make and model of car. Usually, they’ll be able to point you in the right direction. Unless you have a supercar, you don’t need to buy ultra premium lights: regular lights will do.

 

Once you’ve bought the lights, pop off the old housing with the car switched off, remove the old bulb and slide the new one in.

 

A Dead Battery

 

Your car not starting is never a nice feeling. All of a sudden you’ve been cast adrift, unable to interact with the rest of society. Usually, a car that won’t start at all has something wrong with its battery, so this is the first place to look.

 

The first thing to do is to grab your tester and charger, if you have one at home, and charge up the battery this way. This is to make sure that the problem is the battery and not something else in the engine. If you don’t have a charger or a testing kit at home, most garages will check your battery for free.

 

Look to see if there is any corrosion on the surface of the battery and clean it off. Then unplug the positive and negative terminals of the battery and lift it out. Replace it with the new one, and you’re done.

 

The cool thing about a lot of these repairs is just how simple they are, once you invest the time in learning how to do them.

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Buzz Buzz! Exciting Ways to Get Your Coffee Fix!

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Coffee is one of the greatest substances on this planet. Not only does it help get your brain into gear when you need it most, but it also helps improve your mood and even aids in pain relief. If you want to take your coffee-drinking experiences to the next level, then we’ve got an amazing guide for you. Stop drinking that freeze-dried instant stuff – it’s time to really treat yourself to some rich coffee delights.

Machines for serious enthusiasts

If you’re looking to move away from instant coffee, then it’s probably time for you to start looking a the ways the experts make their coffee! A French press is probably the most basic step up, and can deliver some amazing coffee. But if you like your coffee pure but quick, you could look into machines such as the Espresso Gusto. If you want to add some more excitement to your coffee while keeping things inspired by the professionals, then you can consider getting flavored syrups for your caffeine fix. Oh, and remember to buy a brush grinder so you can clean up those grounds more efficiently too.

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Caffeine-rich smoothies

Coffee doesn’t go in every smoothie, of course. Fruits like strawberries, apples, and lemon, for example, really don’t go well with that dark, rich flavor. But there are several fruits and nuts that make surprisingly great partners for coffee in a smoothie. Banana may be the most obvious one to many people – a coffee-banana smoothie, often misleadingly called a banoffee smoothie, makes for an amazing breakfast! Orange, almond, chocolate, and coconut also go great with the brew.

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Coffee snacks

You know those overpriced ‘energy ball’ snacks you can get in pretty much any health store? You can make those yourself at home – and you can make them even more potent if you give them an espresso kick! You can actually put coffee in a lot of snacks. Mocha pancakes are a great way to give yourself a quick energy boost if you want something light. Coffee muffins aren’t quite as easy to get right as the others, but those looking for a quick breakfast may want to make a bunch over the weekend then eat them on the way to work throughout the week for a super-tasty boost!

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Wikimedia

Delicious desserts

When one thinks about “coffee” and “dessert” in the same sentence, then they inevitably think about tiramisu. Tiramisu can be made with more of a focus on the sweeter elements or with a stronger focus on the coffee. (A little booze also helps give it a powerful kick!) Tiramisu isn’t the easiest thing to get right, though. If you’re looking for something simpler, then you should look into baking a coffee cake.

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Public Domain Pictures

Roast your own

If you want to get really adventurous, then you could look into getting your own coffee beans and then roasting them yourself! This is the ultimate way to experiment and achieve a taste you really like. It requires a lot of practice, though, and is hardly the quick way to get your caffeine fix! Still, if you want to learn more about the art of coffee, then it’s certainly something you should think about.

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That Forever House: Can You Build Your Dream Home Or Will It Be A Nightmare?

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Source URL: https://pixabay.com/en/apartment-architecture-balcony-1866833/

 

Does the perfect, forever home exist?

 

Okay, it may be an unfair question, especially as the concept of a forever home was first developed in reference to rescue pets. And the answer to the above question, for humans, is probably “yes.” Extremely wealthy people can afford to move to any location, get a bespoke mansion built and move their family in around them.

 

Short of discovering an unknown talent for commodity trading, you may never know that level of wealth. So is it time to give up on having the home that is perfect for you? Is it time to settle for the closest thing the market and your budget can offer?

 

Well, not necessarily. What you do need to be sure of is that you are ready to put the work in to make it happen. You may need to commit yourself to a long-term project. But yes, you can make that forever home a reality, if you’re prepared to get to work on it.

 

Build Or Renovate?

 

Building your home from scratch is a massive undertaking, but if you do plenty of research and know who to hire, it can save you money. Buying the exact home you want means finding a perfect home that the inhabitant is willing to sell – not exactly a buyer’s market. But planning a new build could work for you.

 

You need to know exactly what you want, first. How many bedrooms and bathrooms? Where do you want to build it? Can you get the land and is it fit for building on? How much of the work can you do yourself?

 

If all of these questions sound like too much of a headache, can you take the existing shell of a home and remodel it to be your dream home? To achieve this, often the best start point is to renovate a “fixer upper.”

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Source URL: https://pixabay.com/en/old-factory-retro-abandoned-1527392/

 

Having bought for a bargain-basement price, you then pour your budget into making it like new. Because it needs so much work, it is essentially a blank canvas. Unlike a new build, though, you at least have a canvas.

 

Can You Do It On Your Own?

 

Probably not. Unless you’re a skilled carpenter, plumber, electrician, architect, painter and decorator and realtor. If you’re all of those, then you probably have the money to buy your dream home.

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Source URL: https://pixabay.com/en/skill-saw-circular-saw-cutting-103124/

 

You should check out how much you can do by yourself, though. Experiment with the tools for cutting and building the frame of a room – but do so before you decide to go ahead with the project. Be aware of what you can do and what you cannot.

 

So many people have taken on a new build project by themselves and ended up with something so flawed that they need to start from scratch. On top of that, they then need to pay the experts. Which may not be beyond your budget, but you ideally want to hire the right people before you’ve spent a lot trying to do it yourself.

 

So, Should You Give It A Go?

 

The key to building your dream home, or renovating to achieve it, is realism. Blindly plowing ahead with a scheme and hoping enthusiasm will carry you there will end in tears. Learn what you can do yourself. Find the right people to do what you cannot. And most importantly of all, work from a structured plan. Make it up as you go along and you will waste money, time and goodwill; in short, it can make any dream home a nightmare.

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Let’s Prep The Garden For Winter!

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It’s going to be 2017 before we know it, and like every year it might get you into the mood for a lot of big changes and fresh starts. There are all kinds of new year’s’ resolutions and goals that you can set yourself, but seen as you’re on this blog I’ll assume you want to go with something home-orientated. If your garden could do with a refresh, here are some tips on getting it ready for spring.

Prepare your Arsenal

Seen at Calbourne Mill, Isle of Wight.

Seen at Calbourne Mill, Isle of Wight.

Image: Flickr

 

By “arsenal”, I mean all those tools that have been lying around in the shed, exposed to the intense conditions of winter. The days are getting longer, and soon enough they’ll be getting warmer too, so make sure that all your tools are ready for the job by the time spring rolls around. Most of your tools can be cleaned off simply using soap and water, but for anything with wooden handles, you should get some mineral spirits to prevent them from splintering. When the sun starts shining again, you’ll have a range of tools in great condition, waiting for you to use them.

Clean Up

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Image: Wikimedia

 

You garden’s probably taken a real battering through the winter, and been covered in all kinds of debris left over from storms. To make the actual gardening easier for yourself, you’re going to need to clean your whole patch up. First of all, clear the lawn and all your flower beds of any broken branches and dead leaves that have been whisked up by the wind. This can be left for a little while, but you should make sure that the job is polished off long before the first day of spring. You don’t want this kind of debris getting in the way of your spring bulbs and plants. The sooner you clear out the beds, the less likely you’ll be to step on any young plants and damage them irreparably. It’s also a good idea to roll out the pressure washer and give any patios or decks a good clean. These can get filthy through winter, and you’ll be saving yourself a lot of effort later by getting started as soon as possible. While the Christmas decorations are still up, why not get a new pressure washer in the sales as a late present to yourself? You can find some handy information on washers at washwisely.com .

Get Your Soil Ready

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Image: Wikimedia

 

Giving your soil the TLC it needs to be ready for planting is another important job to get out of the way before spring arrives. Start off by getting the pitchfork out, and turning over all your soil, raking it out and clearing away any weeds that may have grown through the winter. After that, throw a little more fresh compost into your bin. If you’re not using a compost bin, you can always get some store-bought compost or manure, and use this to add more nutrients to your soil. Adding this a week or two before you plant any spring pieces will give it time to mix well with your existing soil.

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