Money Info Today

Finding cardboard boxes

Is it just me or is it harder to find cardboard boxes these days? A friend of mine is moving flat in the next few weeks, and we’ve been looking for boxes to move all his things in, and it’s a lot tougher than we expected. We’ve been round all the local shops asking if they have any spare, but we’ve had no joy so far.

To be honest, if we end up having to buy boxes, I wouldn’t have a clue where to get them from. I suppose I can probably find a supplier online, but it’s a lot of hassle to go to just for some boxes.

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Posted by Michael - October 12, 2010 at 2:35 pm

Categories: Ramblings   Tags:

Homes available in all areas

The recent economic recession has left many people reeling in its wake, but one of the plus points is that property prices are lower now than many experts feel they should be. The cost of homes, in all regions of the United Kingdom, is likely to be on the increase soon, so it’s a good time to be buying once again.
Even if the idea of having a mortgage doesn’t seem that attractive any more, it represents a good investment. So whether you’re on the lookout for a starter apartment or a retirement bungalow, take a look at what’s out there.

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Posted by Michael - October 1, 2010 at 2:10 am

Categories: Investment   Tags:

Find new flats to buy on the web

I had been renting my apartment for a few years now, but I sat down the other day and worked out a few figures. After my little mathematics exercise, I was genuinely stunned by the amount of money I’d paid out to my landlord. In fact, it shook me so much that I’ve started to look at new flats to buy instead.
I started my search on the Internet, and I was really pleased to see such a superb selection. I found places of all shapes and sizes, and at prices which I know I will be able to afford.

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Posted by Michael -  at 12:50 am

Categories: Property   Tags:

Sharing our holiday home with the dreaded ‘souris maison’!

We recently bought a holiday home in the South of France. It is a small farmhouse just south of Bordeaux, and having saved for the last twenty years we were ecstatic to finally be living our dream.

However, upon moving in we found we were not alone. Droppings, the foul smell of urine and chewed skirting boards were all sure signs that we were sharing our French dream with a family of mice.

So we called in a local professional, who upon inspection of the property declared we had been infested by ‘ souris maison‘ or the house mouse. After laying some humane traps, he gave us advice on how to prevent the vermin re- entering the house.

Suffice to say that after a couple of weeks we were rodent free and able to enjoy our French adventure without worry.

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Posted by Michael - September 29, 2010 at 5:00 am

Categories: Property   Tags:

Gift wrapping for the perfect presentation

My daughter reached her 21st birthday recently, and my wife and I bought her a car. Not a new one, I might add, but a rather nice little hatchback, which we parked just around the corner from our home. So on the big day, we gave her a very small, delicate box, covered in the most beautiful gift wrapping.
When she opened it, there was a note inside that just instructed her to go to a certain address, where the car was located. It had a large red bow on it, and she was absolutely thrilled when she realised it was for her.

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Posted by Michael -  at 1:50 am

Categories: Gifts   Tags:

Spa treatments make you a new person

My wife recently celebrated 20 years in her job, and her employers held a small party for her as a way of saying thank you. Her colleagues had clubbed together to get her a gift, too, a voucher for various spa treatments, which she redeemed at the weekend. She had a wonderful time, and claimed she felt like a new woman.
She had a massage, an aromatherapy session and a facial, too. The place where she went was a former country house, and she said it was a delightful establishment. She’s asked me to get her some more tokens for her next birthday now!

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Posted by Michael - September 28, 2010 at 8:15 pm

Categories: Leisure   Tags:

Buying your home as an investment

I’ve only ever bought property to live in over the years, and that started with a one-bedroom flat in south London. In the meantime, I have risen several rungs on the property ladder. If you’re in the same boat as me, you may be considering, as I am, buying your home and renting it out to others.
It’s a trend that is becoming ever more popular, because a leasehold contract represents a guaranteed income over a specified amount of time, usually twelve months.As prices start to go up in the period of economic recovery, it could prove a very wise move.

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Posted by Michael -  at 3:14 pm

Categories: Investment   Tags:

Telescopic loft ladders lead to roomier loft spaces

There are so many ways to expand our living spaces, including installing telescopic loft ladders and converting the attic space. With the recent economic recession affecting the confidence of many home-owners, choosing to expand the residence rather than moving to a new property represents a safer alternative for many of us.

Some people decide to convert their garages, which obviously leads to a creation of extra space, but does of course take away the opportunity to store the family car safely. In winter, when the weather gets colder, scraping the frost off of the windscreen will become a daily ritual for those who do it.

Turning the attic space into extra rooms is a far more sensible alternative, because it only means losing a storage area instead. And in many properties, it’s usually a bit of a rubbish dump anyway, often full of things that should have been thrown away years ago.

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Posted by Michael - September 17, 2010 at 4:05 pm

Categories: Home Improvements   Tags:

The anti cafard advert

On a short trip to Paris last month, I saw an ad in the newspaper that said ‘anti cafard’ and had a phone number beside it. I thought it may be some sort of political pressure group, so I asked my brother, who had lived and worked in France for many years. He explained that cafard means cockroach, and what I saw was an ad for a pest control expert.

It got me thinking, because in England I’d seen several of these awful insects over the years, including some in a flat I’d once lived in. It was directly above a takeaway restaurant, which I originally thought would be most convenient for me, but I soon realised that their hygiene wasn’t perhaps as good as it should have been.

Thankfully, that’s now a distant memory. The house I live in now has always been cockroach free, I’m pleased to say. I wouldn’t want to find one in my kitchen now, and if I did, I’d call out the specialists.

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Posted by Michael - September 9, 2010 at 8:49 am

Categories: Travel and Holidays   Tags:

Control de plagas – a Spanish mystery

I recently travelled to Spain on holiday and saw a van that said ‘Control De Plagas’ on the side of it. It was parked outside a restaurant in which my family and I were enjoying dinner, and I have to admit I was intrigued when a rather serious-looking man got out, and he was armed with a dozen or so small boxes.

He went through the dining area and into the kitchen, pausing only to nod at one of the waiters. He emerged a few minutes later without the boxes, and I was intrigued to know what he was doing. Luckily, my 16-year-old daughter has been studying Spanish for many years at school so I asked her.

She told me the van said ‘Pest Control’. So those little boxes, which I assumed contained delicacies for the menu, perhaps some rare truffles or a few servings of caviar, were probably actually full of rat poison!

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Posted by Michael -  at 7:42 am

Categories: Travel and Holidays   Tags:

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