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Buying Groceries In Bulk For Convenience And Cost Saving

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How often do you go to the grocery store? How much are you spending per trip? If you’re not planning your grocery bills, you could be wasting hundreds of pounds a month. Do you know off the top of your head how much food your family eats? If not, keeping track of it and starting to buy in bulk might be a great way for you to save on both money and time. With a bit of planning at the start of every week, you could be taking advantage of supermarket promotions.

How?

When you buy in bulk you usually get a bulk discount. This is the most obvious benefit of buying large amounts of food. The downside, of course, is that you’re stuck with more food than you can eat all at once. Before you start buying in bulk, make room. Do you have any empty cupboards or extra room in the pent shed? Anywhere is fine as long as it’s out of sight. Make a list of things your family eats on a fairly regular basis, these are the things you should be looking out for when you buy in bulk. Then, start scouring the internet for coupons and good promotions for multiple items. Remember that you may need to ask for some extra muscle to help you load up the car.

What?

Choose foods that will last indefinitely or almost indefinitely. Canned and dry foods are the best choices. Canned food has been known to last over a decade if kept properly, but are difficult to store and can get rather expensive. Dry foods such as beans, rice, and pasta can last a long time if properly stored and are amongst the cheapest, most nutritious foods. A store of canned and dry foods can be a lifesaver in an emergency as well.

What about perishables?

Fruits and vegetables are the most delicious fresh, so avoid them in bulk unless they are frozen. As an exception, root vegetables like potatoes tend to keep longer and can be stored in a pent shed or other dark places. Buying meat in bulk, though, is a great idea. As long as you have Ziploc bags and a permanent marker, meat is effortlessly stored in your freezer. Divide up a large package of meat from the supermarket into serving size bags and date them. Use them in order, before they spoil, and you’ll have saved however much buying the big pack saves you.

Overall, buying in bulk saves you both time and money. Planning a meal schedule might seem too time-consuming, but spending the extra time driving to and from the grocery store most likely takes up even more time. It’s nice to be able to walk to the pent shed and find enough food to cook an entire meal for your family on a snowy day. Not having to shop for groceries all the time also frees you up to try different recipes and improve your cooking so you don’t have to order in again.

Jamie Finch finds that buying in bulk can help him save a lot of money while also being very convenient. He uses his pent sheds from I like sheds to keep his freezer in which he stores a lot of his food.






How To Avoid Losing Your Sentimental Jewellery

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I used to wear a ring that was very sentimental to me. It was the wedding ring of a relative who passed away and by wearing that ring I felt as though that person was with me wherever I went. Then one day, while swimming on holiday in Bulgaria, the ring slipped off my finger and disappeared into the sea to get quickly buried by lots of sand.

I was distraught, so I spent the next several hours swimming around desperately trying to find it while my friends looked on in concern. After a while I came running out past them only to buy myself a snorkel at the nearby shop and then head back in. Of course it was all in vein and the ring was lost. I was so distressed, I actually found myself having dreams about the ring for weeks to come and I know I’m not alone in that experience. Countless times I’ve seen friends desperately searching for their wedding rings, saying how their partners are going to kill them and how they wouldn’t be able to forgive themselves if anything happened to it. This is a highly common situation for people to find themselves in fact and the cruel irony is that the jewellery you love the most is probably the jewellery you are most likely to lose. Why? Because if you wear it that often, then obviously you give yourself more opportunity to lose those items. Here then, we will look at some of the best ways you can avoid this from happening… Make Sure it Fits

The first thing to do, is to make sure that your jewellery fits you properly and that it’s not loose or easily able to slip around. If you wear a ring for instance that is too large then you will risk allowing it to slip easily off of your finger and this can happen easily if you lose a lot of weight and forget to have the ring resized (common with wedding bands). To avoid this problem ensure the ring fits when you first get it, then get it resized whenever your fingers get bigger or slimmer. Know When to Take it Off

There are certain events where it’s not a good idea to wear a ring or chain. If you enjoy rock climbing for instance, then wearing jewellery can risk getting you injured and potentially cause that item to get lost. Likewise if you’re going swimming – as I learned – then your jewellery can easily slip off and get lost. To avoid this situation, make sure that you get into the habit of taking your items off before engaging in physical activities or heading somewhere that they could get lost. If you take your jewellery off often while you’re out, then make sure that you have a pouch or zip in your wallet where you can store them easily. Choose Subtle Items While you will have to take off any item of jewellery from time to time, some items are undoubtedly more of a hindrance than others and will need to be taken off more frequently – so it’s useful to try and pick items that you can wear more often and that will be less likely to catch on things. When choosing wedding rings, make sure that you avoid large stones or other things that will make them more hazardous. Sometimes, simple is best. At the end of the day though, sometimes sentimental jewellery like this is going to go missing. The really important thing is not to beat yourself up about it – and to cherish the memories even without that item. If you lose a wedding ring, then you should have photos that you can look back on and you should also be able to remember the music of the wedding band, the taste of the wedding cake and the interactions with people you had on that day. You can always buy yourself a new ring and just choose to assign those memories to it; a piece of jewellery only represents those memories – it isn’t inseparable from them. .

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Ricky White is a musician and a blogger. Ricky likes to write wedding planning and fashion related articles.

What Are Some Ways To Surprise That College Graduate In Your Life?

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Do you have a child who is about to graduate from college? You’ll probably know by the panicked state of their voice when they talk to you on phone. They’ll have finals, internships, and projects that they have to finish in addition to trying to secure a job. There’s no question that when graduation comes around, they’ll need a break or reward of some sort. So how should you reward the college graduate in your life for all of that hard work?

  • Give them a graduation party: There’s no doubt that your college graduate probably hasn’t seen their friends and family in a while as they navigate the aisles of their college library trying to complete that annotated bibliography to finish off that Senior Thesis. Give them a breath of relief with an organized graduation party to tell them well-done. You can have it at your family’s house or a mutually-agreed upon location; the key is that your graduate knows that you’re proud of them for their hard work.
  • Give them a home warming gift: With luck and due diligence, your college graduate will land a job where they’ll have to live on their own. If your child is anything like most college graduates, they probably don’t have many decorations or fixtures to make an apartment a home. Why not give your college graduate a decorative piece like limited edition art, so they’ll have an apartment that they want to come home to. Other ideas include purchasing an appliance for them or paying their first month’s rent.
  • Give them a dream vacation: Life happens, and soon enough, you’re tied down to a job where you only get two weeks of vacation for the year. Europe, Asia and Mexico are vacations best left to the young and curious. Why not reward your college graduate a dream vacation when they have the time, drive and romanticism to enjoy it? A vacation also gives them the opportunity to recharge their batteries, so they’re better able to start the next part of their lives.

These are just some ideas out there about what you can give your college graduate for their graduation. Whatever the case, the most important thing is to give your child who’s graduating something they’ll appreciate so they know how much you’re proud of them. As we all know, you only graduate from college once. Be sure to do your part as an appreciative parent by giving your college graduate a gift they’ll remember.

Samantha Wideman is part of a team of writers and specializes in writing about current news events.

Choosing A Mattress: It’s What A Mattress Is Made Out Of That Counts

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When you go shopping for a mattress, you will notice that determining the quality of a mattress is difficult by simply looking at it from the outside. The only way you can make a decision is by relying on the knowledge of the salesperson and the cut models placed on display in stores. Unfortunately, this is not enough to help you decide which mattress will meet your needs and not knowing what you really need will only make shopping for a mattress very tiring and time consuming. The last thing you want is to purchase the wrong type of mattress and then suffer from discomfort each night.

 

Numerous Mattresses, But What Will You Choose?

There are literally thousands of mattresses being offered in the market today. They come in various shapes and sizes, designs, structure, style and purpose. Purchasing a mattress is a decision that must be made very carefully since you will be sleeping on it each day of your life. When looking for a mattress, you must consider looking for one that offers both comfort and support, as well as durability. Though there are several kinds of mattresses that do offer these three factors, it is still your opinion of what mattress is comfortable to you and what provides the necessary support you need that matters.

When Is It Time To Replace Your Mattress?

Deciding when to replace your mattress is often done too late. You may have already begun to suffer from restless sleep, headaches, back pain and mood swings. If you do not know how to determine when to replace your mattress, these tips will be helpful.

  • Your mattress is already 7 to 10 years old and more.
  • The middle of your mattress is sagging or a valley has developed in the area where you always sleep on.
  • Creaking noises can be heard when you lie down and stand up.
  • The mattress has one side that is lower than the other.
  • The edges of the mattress are soft and are unable to provide support.
  • You are unable to rest well and always find yourself tired in the morning.
  • You keep on waking up sore and suffer from recurring back pain.
  • You find yourself irritable, sleepy and unfocused throughout the day.

The Common Mattress

Mattresses structured with coil springs are a common type of mattress that has been used for years. They offer superior comfort and support of various degrees, thus offering people the opportunity to choose the right mattress that meets their needs. There are four types of coiled spring mattresses-

Marshall Coils are also known as pocketed coils. They are not tied together, but each coil is wrapped in a fabric case which holds the shape of the mattress. These offer a firmer sleeping surface allowing less distribution of motion on each side of the bed.

Bonnell Coils are the most common, oldest and least expensive type. They have an hourglass shape – wide at the top and bottom, thin in the middle. The coils are bracketed together in order to maintain the shape of the mattress.

Continuous Coils provide maximum coil strength and they are able to conform according to the body’s shape. They are also able to distribute body weight evenly and limit the transfer of motion.

Offset Coils are designed for support and comfort. Though they are costly, they are able to conform better to body shape compared to Bonnell and Marshall Coils.

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  •  License: Royalty Free or iStock source: http://mrg.bz/Be622B

Valerie Collins is a freelance writer specializing in wellness and the health benefits of mattresses from Portland mattress stores. She regularly offers information and advice related to sleeping disorders, lower back pain, health and well-being concerns, as well as how to shop for the right mattress.

Shop Till You Drop – The UK’s Best Shopping Centres

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The UK is known for a lot of things – its incredible history, its beautiful countryside and its vibrant cultural scene. However, it is also a great country to live in if you love shopping as it has some of the best malls and high streets in the world.

To help you find out where the top places to hit the shops are in Britain, I’ve compiled a list of the best shopping centres. Read on to find out more.

1)      The Trafford Centre

The Trafford Centre is certainly a spectacle to behold, with the huge mall covering more than 185,000 sq m of retail space, 16,250 sq m of leisure area and nearly 14,000 sq m of dining establishments. You’ll be blown away by the impressive size of the centre, which lies in Old Trafford on the outskirts of Manchester.

Due to its location, the Trafford Centre is popular with people living in the entire north-west, including Manchester, Liverpool, Chester and the Peak District. Its catchment area is larger than any other in the UK and more than 5.3 million people within a 45-minute drive visit the Trafford Centre.

The £1.6 billion mall has 60 restaurants and cafes and more stores than you’ll know what to do with, which is why it is extremely popular with students living in accommodation in Manchester, as well as families and young professionals alike.  So popular is the Trafford Centre that it sees 30 million visitors per year, with customers seemingly finding it hard to resist all the shops, as the average spend is £149 per person.

2)      Westfield Stratford City

Many people associate Oxford Street as being the best place in London to put their credit card through its paces, but the latest shopping centre – Westfield Stratford City – gives the famous high street a run for its money.

Since it opened in September 2011, thousands of visitors have passed through its doors, lured by its 250-plus shops, including the likes of John Lewis and Marks & Spencer. Westfield Stratford City has more than 175,000 sq m of retail and leisure space, which includes a 17-screen cinema, in addition to its retail facilities. The shopping centre became incredibly popular during the London Olympics 2012, as it was a gateway to the Olympic Park. Since then though, tourists and Londoners have continued to visit and fill their bags with lots of new purchases.

3)      Meadowhall Shopping Centre

Further up north, Sheffield is home to Meadowhall Shopping Centre. This huge mall is spread over 140,000 sq m of floor space and has 280 stores. Every year, more than 25 million visit Meadowhall Shopping Centre, attracted by its huge number of retail facilities, leisure services and 12,000 free car parking spaces, which make it easier for visitors to access.

Meadowhall first opened in 1990 and has established itself as one of the best shopping centres in the UK over the last two decades. If you’re looking for high street and designer clothes, beauty services and dining establishments in and around Sheffield, this is the place to go.

4)      Liverpool One

While the Trafford Centre is perhaps the best-known shopping facility in the north-west, recently opened Liverpool One has been giving it a run for its money. Located in the heart of Liverpool, this huge shopping centre features more than 160 shops, 20 bars and restaurants, a five-acre park and a 14-screen cinema over 153,000 sq m. It is a great place to visit, especially for young people and students living in Liverpool accommodation.

With regards to shops, it has everything you need, including department store Debenhams, high street shops Disney Store and Gap, and designer labels including Boss.

5)      Westfield London

Westfield London was the original Westfield shopping centre in the capital city, with £1.7 billion mall opening in 2008. The 150,000 sq m centre has 345 retailers, making it the largest shopping centre in the UK – perfect for students, professionals and families living or visiting London. Just like Westfield Stratford City, this centre means you don’t have to go into the heart of the capital to hit the shops, as it is located in west London, an area well served by public transport.

There are also 4,500 car parking spaces, so you can easily drive to the mall, although more than 200,000 people work within 2 miles of the site, which gives an indication as to how many people are able to easily visit the shopping centre every day. Its catchment area covers 2.7 million people and, as it has a gym, a 14-screen Vue cinema and a library, it’s not hard to see why many of these will come to Westfield London on a regular basis.

Natasha Al-Atassi is a property and student news writer for Manchester student accommodation brand Vita Student, collating the latest industry news about student property in the UK, the Vita Student brand and information to help students currently at university.

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