If you need to drill a hole in a wall above your head then push the drill bit through a yoghurt pot or other small plastic pot so that the dust doesn’t fall in your face. It should also collect most of the dust to make cleaning up easier too
Tags: DIY Tips, Drills, Health and Safety, Home Skills
This is definately one you want to get right. A good rule to follow is that the less thought you’re willing to put into a valentines day present for your wife or girlfriend, the more money you’ll have to spend. Little tip – women will expect you to do both. And why shouldn’t they? It’s just one day a year and it’s always February 14th so there’s really no excuse for not doing all you can and definately no excuse for forgetting.
Go for a Personalised Gift
This is definately the best advice I would give. It shows that you care enough to plan the gift and didn’t just throw money at the problem the night before (plus you’ll never find a good bunch of flowers the night before Valentines Day without paying way over the odds). The internet was made for this and there’s some great gifts on prezzybox that are guaranteed to make her smile.
Practical Gifts
If you know she’d appreciate a practical gift more then definately go down that route. If she’s commutes to work by public transport then an ebook reader is bound to please. A lot of people are skeptical of Kindles and similar items but once used they are almost universally loved.
Don’t Forget the Classics
They’re classics for a reason and jewelery and perfume are always appreciated.
Whatever you decide to get make sure you’ve put some thought into it as the reasons behind your choosing will always be as important as the gift to your wife or girlfriend
Tags: Presents, Valentine Day
Whoever the woman may be she’s sure to appreciate home-made pancakes. These are remarkably easy to make and much better than any pre-made pancakes you can buy. Here’s my ultimate pancake recipe, it’s been refined over the years and is as close to perfection as possible.
The Ingredients
You’ll need: 300g plain flour. 2 teaspoons of baking powder. 100g caster sugar. 2 eggs. 250ml milk. 45g melted butter. Butter for serving and frying
The Method
Sift the plain flour into a bowl with the baking powder and add the sugar. Give the mixture a quick stir to mix it all up. In a seperate bowl (or jug) whisk the eggs into the milk until they’re fully incorporated. Now slowly mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Start with a small amount of the liquid and, using a spoon or spatula, slowly incorporate the ingredients. Take you’re time with this and don’t mix too hard or you won’t end up with really fluffy pancakes. Make sure there’s no dry bits left but don’t worry about any lumps, these are perfectly normal. Leave the mixture to one side for 5-10 minutes.
When the time is up add the butter to the pancake batter and give it another gentle stir. Now melt a knob of butter in a frying pan that’s over a medium heat. Add a ladle of the batter to the pan, don’t move the pan or spread the batter. After a few minutes tiny bubbles will appear on the top of the pancake, this is the sign that it is ready to be turned over. Using a spatula, gently turn the pancake over and leave until the other side is golden brown (around 2-3 minutes usually). Turn onto a plate and serve with a knob of butter and as much maple syrup as you can handle. The best pancakes you’ll ever taste (or at least the best pancakes that you’ll ever make yourself)
Tags: Breakfast, home cooked, Pancakes
Push the nail through some cardboard (or strong paper) and use this to hold the nail in place. When the nail is nearly all the way in, tear the card or paper away and finish hammering the nail into the wall
Tags: DIY Tips, Health and Safety, Home Skills
*This guide applies to England and Wales only
Almost every man I know has no idea where his birth certificate is kept. Either their mum looks after it or their wife does. It’s probably the most important document with your name on it but you’ll only use it a handful of times in your life and when that happens there’s never an alternative to handing over your birth certificate. Recently a friend of mine needed his birth certificate as he’s going to get married later this year (congrats CK). Having not used or needed the birth certificate for over 3 years (when he bought his house) he had no idea where to start looking so began going through each room in the house with a fine-tooth comb. After 2 rooms he gave me a call and asked what he should do if he didn’t find it and was surprised at my response. I said “Just go online and order a new one”. Clearly not very familiar with the Frederick Forsyth novel “The Day of the Jackal” or the Fred Zinnemann-directed movie adaptation, he had no idea how simple it was to get hold of another birth certificate (as it turns out – any birth certificate). Just head to the Home office General Record Office website and you can order a replacement certificate in around 5 minutes for less than £10 (will be sent 15 days after you order or you can pay more for next day dispatch). I thought that my advice would put his mind at ease and make his search a little less frantic… He just paid for a new one and put his feet up. I think he’s all set for married life
Tags: Birth Certificate, Documents, Marriage
Psychologists have found that people do not spend cash as freely as they do with debit card purchases. Handing over cash evokes more emotion for people and that sense of loss has been proven to reign in spending. A debit card does keep a record of your spending but unless you are checking this everyday it is unlikely to evoke the same emotions as handing over cash would. If you’re having trouble keeping track of your spending then switching to cash for everyday purchases seems to make sense.
Credit Cards
If carrying cash makes you nervous you should consider applying for a credit card. As long as you pay the balance off at the end of each billing period they have many advantages over paying with cash. As well as being easy to cancel in the event of theft your purchases are usually insured by the credit card company, with so many travel companies going out of business this is the best way to pay in the event of anything happening before or during your holiday.
Ways to Make Money
There are also ways to financially benefit from using credit cards for your purchases. “Cashback credit cards” pay you a percentage (usually 0.5%-2%) on each purchase you make. So as long as you use the credit card to pay for things that you would have bought anyway this is a nice way to make a little extra money. The cashback is usually paid only once or twice a year, I myself got a nice little bonus right before Christmas.
How to Save Money
If you’re currently paying interest on a credit card you should look into transferring your outstanding balance to a 0% balance transfer credit card and immediately begin to save money. As long as you use the interest free period to pay off the balance you will be in a better position.
0% New Purchase cards have an introductory period (typically 6-18months) where no interest will be added to your balance. These are ideal if you have a specific large purchase in mind (perhaps a new tv or sofa). To get the most benefit from these credit cards you should put the amount you spend each month into a savings account and use all the money to pay off the credit card balance at the end of the interest free period. In the meantime you’ll have made a bit of money in interest by having that money in a savings account for so long.
Where to find more
The best credit card deals are constantly changing so it is important to check right before you apply. Moneysavingexpert.com is a great site with all the best deals and advice on how to apply for these credit cards. They also have articles on how to save money on just about everything and the site is completely free to use. Lovemoney.com is another site that has great articles and impartial advice
Tags: cash, CreditCard, money
Not that you have to. Clean shaven is not the only option, however there’s no point doing a less than perfect job.
Now believe me when I say that whole books have been written on this subject, the best I’ve seen can be found here. It’s a great read and contains all the information you’d ever need on the art of shaving.
Preparation
The best way to prepare your skin for shaving is by having a hot shower or bath. The hot water softens your stubble and the warmth relaxes your facial muscles and skin – making shaving much easier.
Lather
For the best shave use a good quality shaving brush. Prepare the brush by soaking it for a few minutes in hot water, this will soften the bristles and make it easier to apply the shaving cream. Place a small amount of shaving cream into the palm of your hand and using circular motions with the brush build up a rich and creamy lather. Making sure your face is wet, use a circular motion to apply the lather from the brush onto your face. It’s worth spending a bit of time doing this right and taking your time to work the lather in, using some water if it begins to dry out.
Shave
Use a new blade and rinse the razor in hot water before beginning. Shave in the direction of hair growth (this is actually different for everybody so take some time to feel the direction of your own hair growth one time when you haven’t shaved for a couple of days). Shaving against the grain often results in razor bumps. Again, take your time on this stage. When you’ve finished rinse your face thouroughly with cool water and pat dry with a towel.
After
To care for your skin it is good practice to use a moisturising aftershave cream or a glycerine based aftershave product (these can also be used before applying shaving cream and will protect the skin further)
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