Well this post is later than I had planned but I am very ready for Christmas, we’ve spent all morning decorating the house and it all smells delightfully cinnamony! I’ve got the elves prepared, advent calendars ready to go and all I need to do is buy the gifts and plan the food. So, with that in mind I’ve pulled together a bit of inspiration for you all, hopefully you’ll find it useful.
Continue reading Christmas Gift Guide 2022
Learning with Oaka Books Topic Packs – Review
Just before the start of the October Half Term we were sent a bundle of Oaka Books Topic packs. I was allowed to select a handful of packs to try at home with L. Helping to make learning fun, easy and engaging they were just what we needed.
Hoopsy
Hoopsy is a new brand of eco pregnancy test, they make midstream eco pregnancy tests made of 99% paper – so they’re much kinder to the planet than the average test.
Now I am not in need of pregnancy tests, nor will I be in the future but I do remember taking them. Lots of them! Even when I was actively trying to get pregnant I remember feeling how wasteful the tests were, caked in plastic and not remotely recyclable, I actually moved to the little dip strips but it’s fair to say they are not quite as nice to use. Having looked at the tests Hoopsy have sent me these are actually an excellent alternative.
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Fire on the Water: Beach Edition – Review
On Saturday we kicked of half term with a bang by attending the opening night of Fire on The Water: Beach Edition in Great Yarmouth. We didn’t visit last year so we were ready for a surprise and my gosh it is a spectacle.
We started the night in Embar, a lovely tented area with comfy sofas and little tables where you can go to enjoy a drink and a snack. It was lovely to listen to the opening speeches and just sense the excitement of all those who had put in so much hard work and were about to see the fruits of their labour. After the opening celebrations had finished the three of us headed out to see all that Fire on the Water had to offer.
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Home Improvements: Tips & Tricks for 2022
#AD. In the interest of disclosure and transparency, the syndication of this article has been provided and paid for by FBD Insurance.
No matter where you live, your home is your sanctuary. It can be tricky to manage our spaces well, though, especially nowadays when many of us are working, studying and relaxing at home. As things slowly get back to normal, we have a great opportunity to spruce up our spaces with some basic home improvements. These four simple steps from FBD Insurance will help you make the most of your house, turning it into the warm and inviting home you and your family deserve.
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Avoalre Christmas Wreath – Review
I hope it’s not too early to start writing about Christmas, because I’m about to! I love Christmas, I love the lights, I love the food, I love the feelings it brings and I love decorating. Each year try to get something new, something extra, just slipping a bit more into the house without the husband really noticing! This year I’ve gone for a new Avoalre Light Up Christmas Wreath.
My Little Morphée – Review
Today is World Mental Health Day, a time for us to really focus on the health and well being of ourselves and those around us. A time to help break the taboo. Today seems like the perfect day to share a review of a product we have been using with L, My Little Morphée.
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Fire on the Water ‘Beach Edition’
Fire on the Water ‘Beach Edition’ offers incredible value to Great Yarmouth’s newest October Half Term event.
The hugely successful, Fire on the Water event returns to Great Yarmouth’s famous sandy Central Beach for the 2nd year, 22nd October to 29th October from 6pm to 10pm.
The organisers introduce the option for attendees to explore the fire structures more intimately, allowing audiences to freely wander in the space rather than follow a set path.
This year, all ticket holders will be granted free parking across six car parking sites in Great Yarmouth.
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Our Great Yarmouth Top 5
We love a trip to Great Yarmouth, it’s always a fun day out. Here are our top 5 favourite things to do when we visit. There is so much to see and do this is just a quick whistlestop tour, for the best up to date information I would always suggest heading to Visit Great Yarmouth.
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Should You Buy a House or Get Married?
Being engaged to your partner is an exciting time, but having the available finances for a wedding may leave you feeling conflicted on whether to arrange the big day or invest your money into property. In this article, we’ll discuss whether you should buy a house or get married…
For most couples, marriage, purchasing a house, and having children are significant parts of building their lives together. Although, the order in which to do this is often unclear to many. There is no right or wrong way to do life. Some people don’t want to get married, others don’t want to have children, and some couples want to do both. But if purchasing a house and getting married is on the agenda, figuring out what to do first is a concern of many.
The process of residential conveyancing and planning a marriage can be stressful, and that’s why when you make a decision on what you will do first, you appoint a conveyancing solicitor or wedding planner.
To learn more about whether you should buy a house or get married, keep reading…
What Are the Benefits of Purchasing a House?
It’s an Investment
Purchasing your own home over renting someone else’s is an investment. Instead of spending money that is going into paying off someone else’s mortgage, you are paying off your own. Property value has the potential to increase in the future. For example, you might purchase your home for £280,000, and in 30 years, there is the possibility that it may be valued significantly more.
Your Mortgage Might Be Cheaper Than Renting
Depending on your interest rate and the amount you borrowed from your mortgage lender, your monthly mortgage is likely to be cheaper than if you were to rent a property.
You Can Decorate it How You Want
With rented property, you most often don’t have the power to make it exactly how you want. You may not even be able to paint the walls, put photographs or shelves up, let alone undertake bigger home renovation projects.
For more information on the benefits of purchasing a house, take a look at Home Owners Alliance article on Buying vs Renting: Benefits of buying.
What Are the Benefits of Getting Married?
Increased Borrowing Power
This is an important aspect to keep in mind when you are considering getting married or buying a house. If you marry prior to purchasing a house, your marriage can provide benefits when it comes to borrowing money for your home purchase, whether that is concerning your mortgage, renovations or purchasing furniture.
Inheritance Tax Benefits
Being married not only comes with many benefits during your life, but you can also get some advantages when you pass away. These advantages can include, reducing the amount of inheritance tax your estate will need to pay.
When you leave anything valued above the threshold of your estate to your spouse, your estate will not need to pay inheritance tax. This means anything under the threshold can be left to anyone you want, children, siblings, friends, etc. Inheritance tax is also not due when you leave your entire estate to your spouse.
To learn more about the financial perks of getting married, take a look at the article Experian has: What Are the Financial Perks of Getting Married?
What Is More Beneficial Marriage or Purchasing a House?
Sadly we cannot provide you with a definitive answer as each person’s circumstances, wants, and needs can be entirely different from another individual’s. Both buying a house and getting married have benefits, but both also have cons.
The main factor to keep in mind when you decide to do one or the other is if you are using up all your savings. As, if you are, it may take a considerable amount of time to save that money again. Moreover, it is essential to consider what is more important to you.
You can make the decision by weighing up the pros and cons and taking the time to have a clear discussion with your partner about both. This will ensure that you and your partner are on the same wavelength and are both happy with the decision made.
The Decision of Whether to Buy a House or Get Married Is Yours
What we can conclude from this article is that there are both benefits to purchasing property and getting married. Although, ultimately, the decision of what order to do this in is entirely your own and what works best for you and your partner.
Let us know in the comment box below whether you are planning to buy a house first or get married.
Please be advised that this article is for general informational purposes only, and should not be used as a substitute for advice from a trained legal professional. Be sure to consult a lawyer/solicitor if you’re seeking advice on the law. We are not liable for risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information on this site.
Disclosure – this is a collaborative post