7 Reasons

Tag: lifestyle

  • Guest Post: 7 Reasons You Need A Personal Budget

    Guest Post: 7 Reasons You Need A Personal Budget

    So, what is a budget anyway and why do I need one? A budget isn’t just a piece of paper carried in that big red sandwich box that worried looking bloke waves about every March outside 11 Downing Street. The Budget is the Government’s best estimate of what they will receive in income for the year ahead – taxation, revenue, sale of signed photos etc – and what they intend spending it on – NHS, wars, salaries, new dart board for Dave’s office etc. In the same way, a personal budget will have a forecast of your year’s income and how you intend to spend or save it; this can very easily be done with accounting software now readily available on-line. Like the Government, you can include borrowings in your budget, but unlike them you can’t decide to “print” money to ease your financial troubles – well not legally anyway! Here are 7 reasons for making a personal budget.

    7 Reasons You Need A Personal Budget

    1.  Paying The Rent. Unless you still live with Mum and Dad, housing costs – whether rented or purchased with a mortgage – will probably be your largest regular expense. Unless, that is, you are addicted to chocolate in which case see below. It is a good idea to start with listing your main living expenses including fuel and Council Tax, Sky TV and other essentials so that you can then assess what you have left at your disposal for your other needs or aspirations.

    2.  Chocolate. If you do have a passion for chocolate or indeed any other luxury for that matter, having a budget will show you the areas of expenditure that you can economise on so that you can indulge your passions ad nausea. This advice is given only on the understanding that you are responsible for your own health and that the author cannot be held liable for any complications arising from excessive consumption.

    3.  Holidays. Home or Hawaii? A few people enjoy holidays at home, but if your ambition is to spend six months in California then your budget can help you reserve the cash to achieve it. If you know in advance how much you can spend on tickets and trips you can often pick up a bargain by advanced booking; or you could be in a position to make a spontaneous purchase when you spot a good deal and be confident that you will have the funds to cover it already in your holiday savings pot.

    4.  Food. In the intervals between clubbing and sleeping, most people eat food. This may be dispensed with but that is not a recommended plan for enjoying a longer life. If you are already aware of what you spend on food regularly it is easy to budget. If you are not aware, then you can take a stab at it and adjust the budget after a while to reflect how much you wish to spend and then shop accordingly.

    5.  Work. Unless you are lucky enough to be able to work from home, then you need to budget for travel to and from work, whether for bus or train fares or the cost of running your own car or bike. You may need to reserve funds for buying tools or clothes. Unless you are expert at charity-shop scavenging you could need to spend a bit on looking smart in the office. Especially true for the office-party when you need to impress someone you want to share your pencil with; or even your boss for that matter.

    6.  Christmas Is Coming! For many people Christmas is the time for giving and having a good time; and the rest of the year the time for remorse – especially after the afore mentioned office-party – and for scratching around trying to pay for it! You can set yourself a budget for presents and entertaining and, as long as you stick to that, the only headache you will have in the New Year will be a hangover and not a financial one. No longer will you have to wrap up a box of tissues for Granny’s gift, trying to convince yourself in doing so that it is the thought that counts and that she will forgive you for your spendthrift ways once again.

    7.  Play. You will need to know in advance whether you can afford that season ticket for your favourite team or will instead have to resort to standing on the touchline at the Rec. to get your sports fix. Perhaps you might want to start a new hobby or activity and to plan ahead for equipment purchases or memberships. Your budget will help you make those decisions wisely

    You don’t have to keep your budget in a big red sandwich box, but it will be useful to have it to hand to see how well you are managing your finances and how much you will have left at the end of the year for shoes or chocolate. Accounting software will provide you with an easily accessible reference and a method of budgeting to enable you, and not your bank, to have control of your finances!

  • Guest Post: 7 Reasons Landlords Should Select The Right Tenants

    Guest Post: 7 Reasons Landlords Should Select The Right Tenants

    There are a vast number of strange people in this world. Despite our best efforts to understand the litany of weirdness that surrounds them, we are often left baffled by their mysterious ways. If you’re a Landlord looking to let a property, then the last thing you want is The Crazy Guy living under your roof.

    Unfortunately, the ‘good tenant’ is a rare and elusive creature, who is greatly outnumbered by the ‘odd-squad’. Thankfully for you, we have listed the seven reasons for landlords to select the right tenant, and more importantly, just how to spot them.

    7 Reasons
    "Hello, I'm your new tenant. Don't worry, I only turn dead animals into bagpipes."

    1.  Hello, Is It Me You’re Looking For? As Lionel Ritchie once famously sang “hello, is it me you’re looking for?” The short answer is no! One of the best things you can do is meet with the potential tenant in advance. Nine times out of ten you will know if something is amiss. Tell-tale signs are any of the following:

    • The everlasting handshake: If your arm is still being violently thrusted up and down after 10 minutes, then loosen your grip and head cautiously to the nearest exit.
    • Soap dodgers: Tenants should treat this as they would a job interview. If they turn up in filthy clothes and covered in muck, then this is a clear insight in to their own living habits.
    • Everyone needs good neighbours: One of the quickest ways to get evicted is getting complaints from your neighbours. Ask your tenant what their likes and hobbies are. Playing an acoustic guitar at 5pm may be soothing. Belting out heavy metal from your electric guitar at 3am is something quite different.

    2.  Show Me The Money. You want a tenant that will be financially responsible. This means someone that will pay their rent on time. Ask to see copies of their recent pay slips and even speak with their employer. Avoid anyone that asks to pay in small change or colourful buttons!

    3.  Run A Credit Check. Even if their wallet is bursting at the seams, they could still be in more debt than Greece. Find a professional company to run a credit check, they will be able to tell you if they have a history of paying bills on time. It will also check their monthly income and if they have any outstanding debt.

    4.  Welcome To The Zoo. Whether you hug puppies, or feed mice to hungry anacondas, liking ‘pets’ and having them reside in your home are two different things. Be clear what your rules are if allowing pets. One hyperactive dog can leave you with thousands of pounds worth of damage to your property.

    5.  Brush Up On Your History. The best person to ask about their living habits will be their previous landlord. Ask to speak with them to find out if you are inheriting a problem tenant. Be careful though as they may be some what forthcoming with the truth in an attempt to off load them on you. Remember, if it’s too good to be true, then it probably is.

    6.  Lifestyles. Do they move or switch jobs often? If the answer is yes then they are unlikely to be a long term tenant. If their last long-term employment was their school paper round, then they may struggle to regularly pay the rent.

    7.  Two To A Room. Be extremely clear as to how many occupants you allow per room. Even Noah made the animals enter ‘two by two’. You don’t want to find your cosy one bedroom flat has twenty people living inside. Clearly state in your contract how many people are legally allowed to live in your property.

    By following these simple rules you can rest easy that your tenants are living in tranquillity, while the nutty and quirky are left safely locked outside.

    Author Bio: Andrew Potter writes for My Online Estate Agent where you find useful guides such as how to advertise on Rightmove and other useful property tips.

  • 7 Reasons To Carry A Laundry Basket At All Times

    7 Reasons To Carry A Laundry Basket At All Times

    Hello 7 Reasons readers, it’s Marc here, and I have news!  Now you might find it hard to contain your excitement when you read this, but I’ve bought a new laundry basket!  Now, I have to admit that this is something I wouldn’t usually share with 7 Reasons readers, but the purchase of the laundry basket (pictured below this paragraph) set in motion a chain of events that led me to realise that life would be immeasurably improved for people that carried a laundry basket around with them at all times.  Here’s why.

     

    Yes, it's a laundry basket!

     

    1.  Wear It As A Hat.  “I’m not sure I’ve thought this purchase through,” I found myself saying as I was leaving my local laundry basket emporium, “I’m going to be lumbered with this thing for the evening now”.  “Well, if it rains, you can always wear it as a hat,” said the woman at the checkout, helpfully.  She’s right, I thought as I strolled out of the store.  Throughout human history, the fundaments of our very existence have been food, reproduction (of which more later) and shelter.  Now you can’t eat your laundry basket, and you can’t mate with it (and certainly not in the car park), but if you’ve a laundry basket with you, much in the manner of a snail with its shell, you are assured of shelter in all circumstances.  You can wear it as a hat in moderate weather, and in extremis you can climb inside and fasten the lid.  With your laundry basket you will be inured from the effects of wind, rain, sun, snow, hail; in fact, most of the elements except for lead.

    2.  Financial Gain.  Arriving at the supermarket (forward planning is really not my thing), I picked up a shopping basket and, with a basket in each hand now, I set off to gather my goods.  As I walked round the store, I soon found that I was being followed by a security guard who became quite agitated when I entered the spirits aisle.  Then I realised something.  A laundry basket would be a great thing to fill with goods, but is too conspicuous by half to be used for the purpose of theft.  Then, I had an idea:  For six months, I could take my laundry basket wherever I went.  Everyone would notice this so in very little time, the entire city would come to know me as Laundry Basket Man: the harmless eccentric that carries with him, as his constant companion, his empty laundry basket.  And then, once this reputation had been earned, I could begin to shoplift with it.  After six months carrying an empty laundry basket around, who would suspect me?  Or you?

    3.  It Makes People Feel Good.  Having devised a fiscal plan for my future, I arrived at the checkout.  As I queued, the couple in front of me kept looking back, then whispering between themselves and giggling.  They paid for their goods and left, and then it was my turn.  As I put the laundry basket down, the girl at the checkout glared at it as if I’d just placed a leprechaun in front of her, or a turquoise baboon.  Realising that this was something that she had not been expecting to face and that I had taken her somewhere out of her comfort zone, I knew that I needed to say something, preferably something witty, to diffuse the situation.  I thought hard while the girl continued to stare at the basket.  After several seconds, the silence was weighing heavy and the situation was becoming uncomfortable, I needed to say something – anything – as soon as possible.  What to say?  What to say?  Ah, got it! “I’ve brought my laundry basket out with me,” I stated, matter-of-factly.  The girl stopped glaring at the laundry basket and, with an expression of pure contempt, turned to glare at me.  As I paid for my goods and sloped out of the supermarket, I realised something.  I realised that many insecure people feel better about their own life when they have someone to look down on (this is why bullying happens) and, that if you were to carry a laundry basket about, you’d be performing a valuable public service.  You’d be making people feel good about themselves.

    4.  It’s Distracting.  It was half past six.  As I strode along the pavement past roads full of gridlocked traffic, I could sense that everyone, in every car, bus and van, was staring at the laundry basket.  I realised that this could be a useful thing.  Have you ever had a spot?  Have you ever had a bad hair day?  Perhaps you have a spot so well established that it’s having a bad hair day of its own?  Well, worry no more.  When you carry a laundry basket around, no one will notice.  You’ll never need to do your hair again or iron your trousers – you’ll even be able to wear purple – as all eyes will be on the basket.

    5.  It’s A Talking Point.  I arrived at the pub*.  Taking a seat at the bar, I placed my laundry basket down beside me.  Now you might think that a laundry basket at a bar would be a similar thing to the elephant in the room, but you’d be wrong.  The elephant was larger, greyer and no one was talking about him.  He seemed a bit piqued.  The laundry basket, however, was on everyone’s lips.  If you want to hear references to Ali Baba, snake charming, washing machines, midget-smuggling, The Wicker Man etcetera, etcetera, et bloody cetera, carry a laundry basket with you.  There’s never an uncomfortable silence when you have a laundry basket.  Or any silence.

    6.  Reproduction.  Something else occurred to me while I was in the pub:  I’m married, but I know that for single people, meeting prospective partners is difficult.  As the father of a small child though, I know how to break the ice and meet people and, should anyone have a penchant for crazed women over the age of forty-seven, I would advise that they carry a small baby around with them.  They will meet absolutely everyone’s batty aunt (whether they want to or not), and sometimes a whole mob of them.  But perhaps your tastes are different?  You might want to meet younger people of the opposite sex?  People of the same sex?  Perhaps you’re a Justin Bieber fan who wants to meet people of indeterminate sex?  When you carry a laundry basket, you’ll get to meet – and talk to – absolutely bloody everyone, so your chances of finding a partner are significantly increased.  Your chances of murdering the ninety-fourth person that asks if they can see your snake are quite high too, but for the patient and tolerant, a laundry basket is a shortcut to sexual success.

    7.  Keep Track.  Finally, after as many conversations about Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves as any man could bear, I headed home to surprise my wife with the laundry basket**.  Having negotiated the front door I strode into the house, stepped into the living room, placed my surprise on the floor and, with a quiver of excitement in my voice announced, “Look darling!  I’ve bought…a laundry basket.”  “I know,” she replied.  “How?” I enquired, disbelievingly.  “I’ve had texts”.  She showed me her phone.  She certainly had received texts.  Texts that said: “I’ve just seen your husband walking down the street with a laundry basket”.  Texts that said: “Ooh, I like your new laundry basket.”  Texts that said: “Just seen Marc in the pub with a laundry basket”.  It turns out that all of York was abuzz with talk of the laundry basket.  So, if you’re a bit forgetful or prone to getting lost, carrying a laundry basket will ensure that your other half will receive a detailed up to the minute report of your every movement from her network of spies friends.  You’ll also: have a permanent shelter; be better off financially; bring joy to others; never have to worry about your appearance; never be lost for conversation, and – if single – you’ll be more sexually successful.  The next time you go out, don’t forget your laundry basket.

     

    *A laundry basket is not the strangest thing that one of the 7 Reasons team has taken to a pub.

    **Yes, our life really is this dull.