Tips for saving to buy a property

May 28, 2025 By Anne Leave a Comment

Photo by RDNE Stock project: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-holding-silver-key-8293778/

Buying a property is an exciting prospect that is very rewarding when you do. It can take years of hard work and dedication to save the deposit to buy your first property, so when you get there, you should be proud. It’s a significant milestone – one that reflects your perseverance, financial discipline, and long-term planning.

In order to save for a property,, there are various things that you can do in your life to speed up the process. You can turn on the round-up feature on your banking app (every little helps), you can take on extra work in the evening and save that money specifically towards buying, and you can put together a financial spreadsheet to help you budget, amongst many other things.

To help get you started and point you in the right direction, we have put together a guide on four tips for saving to buy a property. Hopefully, some of our suggestions are useful to you and you can start applying from today, in order for you to achieve your goal of buying. Then you can get in touch with a company like: https://www.estateagencyedinburgh.co.uk/buying-a-property to help you find somewhere

Round-up feature on your bank

The round-up feature, which a lot of banks offer, is a smart tool which helps you save. What it does is round up every purchase you make to the nearest pound and then move that money into a savings pot. You may not think this will generate much savings, but over a year, you’ll be surprised at how much it adds up to. Plus, you’ll be making interest on the money, so if you have it in a high-interest rate account, you’ll save even more.

Work extra hours in the evening

A simple solution (although it may be tiring) is to pick up more hours at work. Working extra hours in the evening will often pay more, and that extra money you can put into your savings. Over time, your savings will grow a lot, and you’ll earn interest on your savings as well, helping you get close to your goal. If you aren’t able to work extra hours at work, you could look to pick up some freelance work or find a second job. More often than not, a freelance job will pay more than your day-to-day job, as you can charge more being a freelancer than your hourly rate.

Put together a budgeting spreadsheet

Spreadsheets will become your best friend when it comes to saving money and budgeting. We would always recommend that you put together a spreadsheet for your finances (even if you won’t be saving for a property). Spreadsheets will help you keep track of your monthly spend, keep track of your monthly subscriptions, as well as decide a reasonable figure which you can save each month. If you use Google Spreadsheets, they have plenty of budgeting templates which you can use to get you started and on your way to buying your first property.

Reduce your monthly subscription

When it comes to monthly subscriptions, we all fall into the trap. We sign up for something thinking we are going to use it, use it a couple of times and then a few months later stop using it, only to forget to cancel the subscription and end up paying for it, many months later. A good little tip to save more is to review all your monthly subscriptions and see if you can cut any of them down. Maybe you don’t need your Netflix account anymore as you are using Prime, or maybe you don’t edit photos as much as you used to, so you no longer need Adobe. When you start cutting down on your subscriptions, create a pot on your banking app and each month, send that money over to it. You were paying for it anyway, so instead you will be saving that each month towards a property.

As you can imagine, there are so many different ways you can save money. What works for one person may not work for you. For example, you may not have the time to work in the evenings, due to having a family. What this means is that you should try various methods to see what works best, and if you can, do a couple at the same time.

What recommendations would you put forward to someone trying to buy a property? Which of the above suggestions did you find most useful? Is there anything missing in our guide that you think we should be adding? Let us know in the comment box below, we look forward to hearing from you.

Anne

I'm a mother of 2 who likes to get involved in too much! Besides writing here I started a non-profit, I'm on the PTO board, very active in my community and volunteer in the school. I enjoy music, reading, cooking, traveling and spending time with my family. We just adopted our 3rd cat and love them all!

3 Principles For Helping Elderly Relatives With Health Conditions

May 28, 2025 By Anne Leave a Comment

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There are many wonderful parts of aging that are often under-discussed – the fact that you live with no pretense or the desire to impress anyone, being surer of yourself, having the wisdom of the years behind you, and knowing what really matters in life, like family.

However, it’s true there are downsides, of course. We need not list them here, but the one of note is that health conditions become more common and likely. It’s not unusual for an elderly individual, even with a healthy life behind them, to have one or two conditions that need management. Thankfully, medicines and healthcare appointments exist to keep them on the right track.

It also helps to provide some love and care as their younger relatives. It’s what we would hope for ourselves after all, and so soothing their daily experience can count for a great deal. But what principles can help you in this duty, especially if you have children and a full working life to manage?

Well, let’s explore that.

Medication Management

Keeping track of someone’s meds isn’t hard because the task itself is complicated (even with a fair amount of prescriptions) it’s more that it never really stops, and because of how important it is. If your elderly relative has trouble with their need to to check or reorder or double-check, and if you’re juggling work and kids on top of that, it can be tough. But before you notice pills running low, and want to avoid realizing they missed a dose because the old bottle didn’t have one of those pop-up reminders, there are some measures you can use.

Some people use alarms on their phone, or you may just tape a note to the fridge and go from there. Weekly pill boxes can be helpful too, especially the ones with big writing that show what’s been taken and what hasn’t.

Device Upkeep & Repair

If a device they rely on stops working, it slows everything else down, and you can usually tell something’s off before they even mention it. That might include a hearing aid that’s started to buzz or lose clarity, which can cause a bit of quiet withdrawal, which can happen without anyone really noticing until someone points it out.

Hearing aid repair, or making sure you go for maintenance checks of the device in question, can help. In this case it might be a blocked tube or the battery running low, and a quick clean or part swap sorts it. There are also services that can check the device without needing a full in-person appointment, which helps if getting out is tricky. It’s worth checking every so often, even if they haven’t said anything.

Routine Scheduling & Management

Most people like knowing what their week looks like no matter their age or health, and it doesn’t have to be rigid, just enough structure that there aren’t surprises. But when we’re elderly we care about that more, such as having a repeated morning walk for exercise, lunch at the same time most days, or going for chekups.

Helping them with this can help, like such as swinging by the pharmacy on the way back from a check-up or booking appointments close together to save an extra trip later in the week. And if you can’t make it one day, asking a friend or relative to step in can help. But assisting you relative is very worthwhile in this matter.

Anne

Five Ways To Improve Your Gut Health As A Mom

May 20, 2025 By Anne Leave a Comment

Your gut health is important as a mom, as is everything to do with your general health and wellbeing. The more you can do to improve your gut health, the better you’ll feel on the inside and outside.

As a mom, you’re expected to always function at 100% regardless of whether you truly feel good or not. So everything you can do to help support your gut health, the better it’ll be for your wellbeing. Here are five ways to improve your gut health as a mom.

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Get enough sleep

Getting plenty of sleep every night is a great way to improve your gut health as a mom. Adequete sleep is helpful for your gut health because if you’re not getting enough sleep, it messes with your digestion and hormone regulation.

Poor sleep can increase appetite and alter your gut flora. By getting good quality sleep every night, you’ll be able to improve your gut motility as a result, not to mention regulating your hormones so that you feel good in yourself both physically and mentally.

Try to get at least several hours of sleep per night to feel at your best.

Eat fermented foods

Eating fermented foods can be a good way to help significantly lower your gut health and support the growth of beneficial gut bacteria.

With fermented foods, it will also do well to aid your digestion and improve overall gut health in general. These foods like kimchi and yoghurt are all rich in probiotics, so the more you can digest into your diet, the better.

The live microorganisms that are within these fermented foods are excellent to improve the gut microbiome.

Look at bone broth

Bone broth is said to be excellent when it comes to providing your body with all the nutrients it needs from collagen to glycine and glutamine. A bone broth combo pack is definitely worth adding to your diet.

Not only does it help strengthen you gut barrier but it can also soothe inflammation which can often be common for those who have digestive issues and food that doesn’t always agree with them.

Bone broth is also meant to be good for helping with chronic diarrhea and constipation too.

Stress management

We all handle stress in different ways and when it comes to your gut health, it’s good to manage your stress levels where possible.

Stress management is highly important for gut health because it helps to regulate the body’s response to stress. By reducing your stress levels, you’ll be able to improve digestion and decrease a lot of the inflammation that can occur to the gut as a result of stress.

Exercise

Finally, exercise. It’s a wonderful thing for your body to receive not only for your physical health but your mental wellbeing also.

When it comes to exercise, you should be making use of it in order to improve your gut health. Every effort that’s made to exercise, will hopefully reduce your stress levels and any inflammation. It also does well to strengthen the muscles in the digestive tract for efficient waste removal.

These tips will help greatly to improve your gut health as a mom.

Anne

How Working Moms Make Smart Decisions About After-School Hours

May 19, 2025 By Anne Leave a Comment

Managing the after-school hours can feel like a juggling act for working moms. Between wrapping up the workday, starting dinner, and checking in with the kids, it often feels like time disappears fast. That’s why planning ahead for those afternoon hours can make a big difference in keeping everything running smoothly.

When kids are cared for and occupied during that window, it’s easier for moms to stay focused without the added stress of last-minute changes. Finding the right balance often means combining support, structure, and a little flexibility.

Source: Unsplash (CC0)

Choosing reliable care that fits the family

One of the first decisions many working moms face is how to cover the gap between school pickup and the end of the workday. For some families, after-school programs offer structure and social time, while others choose to find a nanny who can provide more personalized care at home.

The best option often depends on the child’s age, energy levels, and what works best for the family’s daily routine. Having someone trustworthy in place, whether it’s a caregiver or a family friend, brings peace of mind and gives kids a dependable rhythm to their day.

Building a routine that supports both work and home

A consistent after-school routine helps everyone feel more grounded. Kids know what to expect each day, and parents don’t have to scramble to adjust plans when something unexpected pops up. It also opens up time for meaningful check-ins later in the evening.

Balancing your career with your family isn’t about being perfect at both. It’s about knowing when to focus on work, when to unplug, and how to carve out time that feels right for everyone involved.

Encouraging independent activities and downtime

Kids don’t always need highly structured time to stay happy and busy. Quiet activities or simple routines they can manage on their own, like reading, drawing, or playing outside, can help them wind down after a full school day.

Parents can support this by offering a few easy choices and staying consistent with expectations. These habits build confidence and help kids feel more in control of their time while giving everyone a little space to breathe.

Finding ways to keep kids active and engaged

After a long day at school, some kids need to move, explore, or let out energy. Choosing activities that keep kids engaged after school might include dance class, music lessons, cooking, or joining a local sports team.

The key is finding something that fits their personality and gives them a chance to learn something new without pressure. These types of activities boost confidence and help make the afternoons more enjoyable.

Staying flexible when plans change

Even the most organized schedules can fall apart sometimes. When a meeting runs late or school is dismissed early, having a backup plan helps everyone stay calm. That might mean keeping a list of trusted contacts or having snacks and a quiet activity ready at home.

Being kind to yourself during these moments matters too. The goal isn’t to have every hour mapped out–it’s to build a rhythm that works most of the time.

Anne

Why Getting Outside More Might Be Exactly What You Need

May 15, 2025 By Anne Leave a Comment

When everything feels a bit much because it’s all so noisy and chaotic, it’s often the simplest solution that can really help – and that’s to go outside. That’s it. You don’t need a complicated plan, you probably just need a bit of time outdoors.

Perhaps it sounds too easy, but the fact is that stepping away from your usual four walls and giving yourself room to breathe, move, or just be somewhere different can have a powerful effect on how you feel, and with that in mind, keep reading to find out more about why getting outside more be exactly what you need.

Photo by Summer Stock

It’s Slower Outside

Inside, we’re constantly tuned in because we’re using screens, there are notifications all over the place, there’s background noise that we don’t even notice anymore – it’s always there, pulling us in ten different directions. Outside, everyone calms down a bit, and you’ll hear birds, the light is natural, and time feels different. It’s not exactly slower, but it’s a lot less stressful.

Even a short walk can feel like a reset, and remember, you’re not trying to solve anything – you’re just walking, looking around, and moving your body, and that’s usually enough. Of course, you don’t have to go on a massive long hike or a big day out – sometimes just stepping outside your front door for a moment and taking some deep breaths can help.

Fresh Air Does More Than Clear Your Head

There is some science behind it, of course, and that’s why it’s such a good thing to bear in mind – literally. The fact is that fresh air, natural light, and even a change in temperature can impact mood, energy levels, and stress, and that’s a very positive thing indeed. Actually, you’ve probably felt it already – after a walk, or after sitting in the garden for a bit, or perhaps after choosing to eat lunch on a bench in the park instead of at your desk, you’ll feel so much better.

Most people tend to breathe differently when they’re outside, and they definitely notice things they hadn’t seen before. That can all help you feel a lot more present in your own life, and that’s going to calm you, re-set your mind, and help you face the rest of the day, no matter what challenges you might come across.

Nature Doesn’t Need Anything

This might even be the best part of all when you think about it – the outdoors doesn’t need you to do anything, and it doesn’t ask you to be productive or get anything done. You just have to be there and enjoy it – that’s so freeing, and it can be the thing that keeps you motivated in the end.

So what can you do? Well, you can sit on a log and do absolutely nothing, you can lie in the grass, you can climb a hill and get some exercise, and so on. The point is, there’s no right (or wrong) way to be outside, and that kind of freedom is wonderful, so it’s right to take advantage of it whenever possible.

You Don’t Have To Go Far To Feel It

You don’t have to book a holiday and time off work to really feel what nature has to offer – you can just go to a local trail, a nearby park, or perhaps the coast that you’ve not visited before – any of these, and many others, can do the job fine. The key is to make it part of your routine, even if it’s just in small ways. Just find a place that feels open and let yourself stop thinking for a bit.

If you drive, it might be worth considering heading somewhere you don’t usually go, and if your vehicle’s kitted out for it, even with something as simple as all terrain tires so you can handle all the uneven roads you might need to go on, you can enjoy a bit of an adventure at the same time, and make your time outdoors even better.

Final Thoughts

The more time we spend outside, the clearer it becomes that going out there and breathing in the fresh air in the natural light is good for us, and that’s why it’s so important to include it in our daily routines. It doesn’t have to take up lots of time, and it doesn’t have to be all that exciting, but it will help you feel better, and that’s crucial, so why not try it?