January 2018 - Mamas Like Me

5 Ways To Save on New Drivers Car Insurance

Insuring a new driver can be a huge expense for parents, especially because you don’t have any leverage to prove that your teen is a good and safe driver.

We know that you’re doing everything in your power to give your teen the tools to drive safely, so here are some ways that you can cut costs on insuring your new driver.

1. Have your teen take an accredited driving course

There are many courses that you can choose to enroll your teen in to make sure that your insurance premium for your teen stays low. Make sure that you are signing your child up for an accredited course. Not only is this kind of driving course extremely beneficial because it will help your teen learn the basics of driving, it will save you thousands of dollars in car insurance over a three year period.

2. Insure your teen as an occasional driver

When you’re purchasing insurance for your teen, bundling car insurance policies or including your teen as an occasional driver could save you a lot on your car insurance. If you are planning on getting your teen a car once they get their license, make sure that you check the make and model for insurance and deductible costs.

3. Put restrictions on when your teen can drive

Driving in the winter, or driving at night are opportunities for accidents, regardless of your car insurance coverage. For the first few weeks, don’t allow your new driver to drive at night or in extremely poor weather conditions like rain or snow. Having a good driving track record is super important when a driver is new, and even the smallest accident could have your insurance premiums shooting through the roof.

4. Don’t splurge on a new car

If you’re thinking about getting your new driver a brand new car as a gift for receiving their license, think again. If the make or model of the car you are choosing to insure is expensive, your premium will go up, and so will your deductible. Take a look at which cars are cheapest to insure, but are also safe to drive. It may be worthwhile to go for function over style when it comes to your teen’s first car.

5. Try usage-based car insurance

One of the main reasons why new drivers car insurance rates are so high is because new drivers don’t have any sort of driving record. Insurance companies have to rely heavily on risk statistics to determine what to charge for your car insurance. Usage based car insurance monitors your driving habits over a trial period, and your insurance premium is adjusted accordingly. This is a great motivator for your young driver to drive safely, and you could save up to 25% on your car insurance depending on what car insurance provider you use. Accordingly, if you would like to learn more about some of the different types of auto insurance out there, this may help.

Driving for the first time is a new and exciting experience! With the right tools, your teen will hit the road with the confidence and knowledge to stay safe, and you’ll have the best available car insurance for your unique situation.

Infographic created by Capital Auto Auction, an auto auction company.

What Your Hoodie Really Says About You

Are you the type of person who loves to wear hoodies? Not in the conventional sense, but more in the way of it’s near impossible to catch you wearing anything else but a hoodie. Believe it or not, there’s a lot of buzz out there about what your hoodie wearing habits say about you.

Taking the obvious statement hooded sweatshirts aside, there are a number of truths and misconceptions surrounding this incredibly comfortable article of clothing and its thousands of diehard wearers. Here’s exactly what your hoodie says about you.

1. Little Things Matter to You

It’s not a matter of warmth, otherwise, you wouldn’t catch hoodie lovers wearing shorts with their upper apparel of choice. Everyone knows hoodies are comfortable, so it isn’t as if you’ve discovered something the rest of us haven’t. No, you wear one because you relish the little joys in life.

The rest of the world may be content wearing GQ’s latest in trending fashions, but the warmth and cozy embrace that a hoodie offers is something special. It makes your days brighter. While it might seem like something small and insignificant to most, you notice the intricate comforts that your choice in clothing provides.

2. You See Things Differently, and That’s Good

To others, dawning formal wear is an afterthought to their routine. You, on the other hand, realize how constricting and ridiculous it is to put on airs with a button-up shirt. As if it suddenly made anyone more productive or better at their profession.

What’s the difference between wearing a hoodie at the office or a tucked in polo? Why not just wear ridiculous clown costumes while everyone’s at it? Life is too short to not be comfortable.

3. You’re Content

Some people require a special set of clothing to sleep in, lounge around the house in, or head out into the world in. Not you. All you need is a good hoodie to wear. Whether it’s heading to the gym, binge-watching Netflix or falling asleep, you’re happy to do it all as is and accept life as it comes.

What happens when it rains? No big deal, you’re wearing a hoodie. The temperature dropped, and you don’t have an extra jacket! Not a problem, everything is just fine. Can’t find the remote to change the channel? Oh well, might as well just relax here for a few more minutes. Who knows, you might even like the show that comes on after yours.

4. You’re Stylish, Whether Anyone Want to Admit it or Not

Hoodie wearers get a lot of negativity for their love of one specific top, but it’s not like you don’t know how to be stylish. You have a special hoodie for big first dates, one for family gatherings, and plenty of print designs standing by for holidays and other special events. Who else is going to wear their Star Wars hoodie at the movie premiere, or the microbrewery’s top when you and your friends decide to stop in? Exactly, no one.

Plus, you can instantly layer up with a WearSaga coat when temperatures become frigid, instantly giving you added style points … and another hood. While everyone else is shivering from their poor choice in clothing, you’re looking cool because you chose to dress warmly. Who’s wearing the style faux pas now, long sleeve shirt person wishing they had an extra layer?

5. You’re Loyal

You stand by your clothing choice day in and day out no matter who approves or what they think. You’ll wear a hoodie every chance you get until the bitter end. If that isn’t a testament to your loyalty, then you don’t know what is!

6 Hacks for Perfect Hair that You Probably Didn’t Know

Want perfect, beautiful locks that can drive anyone crazy?

Even if you have tried everything, this is something that you must not have heard before! There are certain ways you can enhance your hair health and have healthy and strong hair.

So, if you are tired of using different shampoos and products and still not able to get the desired results, just have a quick glance at these hacks. Sooner or later, these hacks can help you have perfect, gorgeous hair!

Rubbing Wet Hair with a Towel

You are out from the shower with wet hair. But wait! Are you thinking of drying your wet hair with harsh towel rubbing?

Girls, this must be one of the worst things that you could do to your hair.

After you are out from the shower your hair becomes delicate and sensitive towards any damage. As a result, while you will rub your hair with a towel, your hair will get damaged and even tend to become frizzier.

The best solution is to pat dry your hair and allow them to air dry.

2. Preparing Tight Ponytails

Making ponytails is easy but when you are in a rush then you don’t have much time to style your ponytail or prepare an all-new preparation. But simple ponytails are not that much appealing!

So, try preparing a fuller ponytail.

You can do this by making two ponytails and bringing them all together. This is a mere 5-minute hairstyle. Once you are done with the preparation you can spray some hairspray to keep your hairstyle intact the entire day.

3. Applying Lemon Juice

This is one thing that most of you must not be aware of! It is using lemon juice to get those thick, beautiful lengths.

Lemon juice is great to lighten the hair. You can use lemon juice two times a week to give some natural bleaching effect to your hair. All you need to do is cut the lemon juice in half and extract the juice in a bowl. Now dip your fingers in the juice and massage it well through your hair.

Give a gentle massage for 10 minutes and after 20 more minutes, you are all set to take a shower.

4. Using a Hair Spray or Hair Serum

Another easy and convenient way to maintain the health and appearance of your hair is using a hair serum spray.

You can use hair spray or rose spray empty bottle. Further, you can place a tablespoon of coconut oil along with few drops of eucalyptus oil. Mix all these ingredients well and add some water. Your natural hair serum is ready.

Using this hair serum on a daily basis will make your hair soft, shiny, and healthy. Moreover, the natural hair serum is a great alternative to chemical-based hair serums and will even do not result in any side effect.

5. Coconut Oil or Olive Oil Application

Now there might be few of you who would not want to use a hair serum. No need to worry, as I have another simple yet effective hack for perfect hair (starter tip: check out the best organic conditioners, too).

Use olive oil or coconut oil to get really smooth and soft hair. Both these oils are really good for the hair health. Just take some oil in your hand and rub it in your hair. Leave it for some time. It would be great if you could leave it overnight and wash your hair the next morning. This is great to make your hair strong, shiny, and healthier.

If you suffer excessive hair fall problem or your hair tend to grow at a slow pace then this remedy will bring perfect results.

6. Using Hair Extensions

If all these hacks didn’t work out for you then there is one great and impeccable solution, using hair extensions. This is a natural, quick, easy, and affordable solution to get you healthy and strong hair.

With a range of shades and varieties available, finding a perfect hair extension will not take much time. You can pick one within your budget and preference.

While these are top 6 hacks to get perfect hair, one important thing to remember is to stick to a healthy diet rich in vitamin C, fruits, and proteins. Vitamin C is great for hair health and proteins aid in healthy hair growth.

I hope you find these hacks useful. Just try them out. These are simple, effective, and best hacks for perfect hair!

Author Bio :

Yuan Chen is a Manager at T1Hairs – Peruvian Hair Extension Company. He has more than 6 years of experience in Hairdressing Industry.

8 New Year’s Resolutions for Working Mothers in 2018

The lifestyle of a working mother comes with many benefits – we can both enjoy the family life at home and derive satisfaction from our professional successes.

However, even such a rewarding lifestyle has its challenges, so to help all of you working mums tackle them, here are some New Year’s resolutions you should all make.

Find more “me” time

Whether it’s a night out with our friends, a dinner date with our significant other, or just a relaxing evening in a bathtub, we all need some time for ourselves. To make that time, try to find somebody who can take your kids off your hands for a few hours once or twice a month. Also, make sure to dedicate at least 20 min every day to your own needs, so you can recharge your batteries and freshen up a bit.

Focus on what you’re doing

When at work, focus on the work – don’t waste time on social media and news websites, as it can only harm your productivity. Similarly, when spending time with your family, don’t check your emails and make business calls. Multitasking is a useful skill to have, but it’s not always necessary. In other words, learning how to get rid of distractions both at work and at home will help you spend your time much more efficiently.

Delegate

Many business companies outsource some of their work to save time, money, and energy. So, as a working mum, why not do the same? Delegate some of your work.

For example, find a good and reliable English tutoring to help your kids with homework, or hire a housekeeper to clean your home from time to time.

Delegating will not only save you time but also allow you to focus on more important things, such as working on your family budgets, finishing that important projects or taking your kids to the park.

Don’t be afraid to say no

Most working mums have the “I can do it all” attitude, and there is nothing wrong with being confident. However, take into account the amount of time it takes to coach the new volleyball team, be the new girl scout leader, and organise a school play. Instead of accepting everything off the bat, don’t be afraid to let somebody else steal the spotlight if you’ve already done your fair share of work.

Become an early bird

Taking care of everybody’s needs is much easier after you’ve taken care of your own. Therefore, try to get up at least 30 min before everybody else so you can drink your coffee in peace, take a shower, choose your outfit for the day, etc. Of course, this also means you should try to go to bed a bit earlier than usual in order to get enough sleep and not be woken up by that special alarm that goes “muuuuuum!”

Become and early bird – Photo by rawpixel

Build a network

The next time you go shopping for groceries or pick your kids up from school, look around you. All the women you see are just like you, and they all need friendship and support. Instead of passing them by, get to know them – create a network of women who can help each other out by taking care of the kids, referring you to the best hairdresser in town, knowing all about interior design, etc. You are not alone, so try to connect with the women in your everyday life.

Try something new

If you’ve been doing the same thing for as long as you can remember, maybe it’s time to step out of your comfort zone and try something new. It’s great to be an expert at something, but becoming too comfortable can lead to boredom and that feeling of being stuck in a routine. With that in mind, take some time to think about what you are doing right now and how you could do it differently. Maybe you’d like to go on a budget-friendly vacation. Maybe you’d like to test your skills in a new field of work, or perhaps you just want to improve your skills by taking a few lessons or seminars. Exploring different areas of your work and trying out different approaches will help you remind yourself why you love your career.

Modify your standards

When you let others help you, you also need to accept the fact that they will probably do things differently – and that is okay. It doesn’t matter how your housekeeper mops the floor or how your partner loads the dishes, as long as everything is clean in the end. Lower your standards a bit and let go of perfection. Worrying about every single detail can affect both your mood and your health, and you surely have more important things to think about. Sometimes, good enough can be better than perfect.

Speaking of standards and perfection, don’t be too hard on yourself either. You can have it all, but you cannot always do it all, so it’s okay if you can’t fulfil every single resolution on this list. Thus, choose a few that will benefit you the most, and don’t forget that being happy is the only thing that will truly make your year successful.