Samantha Donnelly

My Dad gave me lectures on how important it was, to start to save now, about all the things that would come up in years to come. It is important to save money, whether it is for a deposit on a house, money for a rainy day, or a special event like a wedding. I have had the same conversations with my kids, about the importance of saving and having that account there for emergencies, Most companies offer a pension scheme, and it is never too early to plan for your retirement. With many people looking at retiring earlier than previous generations, it is important to plan early if this is something you are looking to do.

Spring is a wonderful time of renewal, with its sense of a fresh start, so it’s a great time to clear the winter clutter and bring a new sense of space into your home. By putting spare beds and wardrobes into self storage, you can still hang onto useful furnishings in case you want to swap back, but still make better use of space that’s lying dormant most of the time. Clutter busting furnishings like coffee tables or occasional tables with drawers or shelves underneath, really help to create a lighter and brighter atmosphere in a room. If you’re feeling in a rut and want to break out of the tried and tested, creating a lighter, brighter home for spring, now is the time to give something new a try.

If like my home we do tend to accumulate clutter and from time to time need to do a huge de-clutter. I have out a checklist together to help you declutter your home, and help keep it declutter throughout the year. * Sorting out – Start by sorting out what is to be thrown away and what is to keep. In a lot of houses this will usually be the kids bedrooms, but if you find you have a lot of items that no longer fit, but you do not want to get rid of.

It’s time to freshen up your home appearance and add some summer colors, prints, and cushions to make it look more appealing and relaxing. It is said that “let life be as beautiful as summer flowers” so why not make it true and build a corner just for the fresh flowers. Now the question comes how to decorate a fireplace mantle, well if you have a wood fireplace then remove the wood pieces and replace them with some creative items and add some flowers and plants to decorate the mantle. Be it winters or summers, they work perfectly in both seasons, you just need to add the perfect colors and patterns as per the season.