Category: Lifestyle

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.

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!

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!”

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.

The holidays are a time when you focus on peace and of course, celebrations. However, most holiday decorations eat up energy, consists of using dead trees and are clearly bad for the environment.

That is as far from eco-friendly as you can possibly get right? Finding a sustainable yet beautiful Christmas decoration collection is no easy task. Well here is some good news! I want to let you know in this post that you can decorate for the holidays in ways that are considered to be eco-friendly.

Below are tips on how you can do that:

Use LED Candles

Flickering candles definitely create a festive atmosphere and people love them, however, they are dangerous when kids and pets are around, not to mention they can aggravate allergies.

Therefore you can still have candles but without those risks. You can have those lightweight, reusable LED candles that are made of real wax and are even meant to flicker the same way as traditional candled- but without the messy wax, flame and smoke!

Therefore, they are environmentally friendly and much safer for your lungs. And the indoor quality won’t be affected either. You also don’t have to worry about your home burning down! LED candles are a win-win when it comes to being eco-friendly for the holidays and creating a festive atmosphere.

LED Holiday Lights

Incandescent lights use up a lot of electricity, they burn out and break, don’t last long and are expensive. Therefore, they can be a frustrating part of preparing for the holidays. At the same time, without lights, the holiday spirit is lacking!

The great news is that you can use LED lights instead because they use quite a bit less electricity, they last longer, they don’t break or burn out and save you a lot of money!

They are also very nice looking as they come in a variety of colors. They also are inexpensive, and more and more people are using LED lights over the incandescent ones.

Interesting Challenge Coin Decoration

Coin displays are a unique retirement gift or a rewarding gift and an impressive way to say thank you for your exquisite efforts.

Perfectly designed challenge coins in a nice stand can make your memories live forever and will make your house look pretty in the Christmas time as well.

Create Wreath Out of Fabric

Many wreaths require you to cut off tree branches to make them. However, you can be creative and find an eco-friendly way to make wreaths instead.

For example, you can make a wreath by using old scraps of fabric and they are not necessarily hard to do. All you have to do is get creative. You can also go to craft stores like Michael’s to see what other eco-friendly parts you can get to make a wreath.

Faux Cedar Centerpieces

If you use real pine centerpieces, you know you are killing and injuring trees, at the same time if you get faux pine centerpieces- you are getting decoration that is made out of toxic material which can give off harmful dioxins.

Therefore, both of those options are not good for the environment. The good news is that you can have an eco-friendly pine centerpiece on the table. This kind of cedar pine centerpiece is made from PE or polyethylene, and it is safe, recyclable and looks identical to the traditional types! Not to mention, it is reusable!

Recycled Cardboard Christmas Tree

Recycled cardboard Christmas trees are incredibly eye-catching, even more so than the real tree. This way no new trees are being killed and you can buy them in green or white. They can be decorated with paint, crayons, and paper. These are much better than the alternative.

If you are trying to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle and you have been concerned that you couldn’t maintain this lifestyle during the holidays, now you know you can! Have fun and have a happy, safe and green holiday!