Reginald Chan

Category: Lifestyle

Lifestyle talks about everything about life, business and fun. This is one topic that is related to life and not so much on business nature.

  • Simple Home Decor Tips To Give Your Home A Cozy Vibe

    Simple Home Decor Tips To Give Your Home A Cozy Vibe

    When we first move to a new residence, we often feel alienated and out of our element. This feeling is only natural because your home can only be cozy if you implement your own ideas. Warmth and coziness are attributes that your home acquires from you, and not the other way around. Summer is more suitable for minimal approaches and designs because if you’d like the house to be breezy and dynamic, but it can be much harder in winter to enjoy minimalist home décor. Whichever season it is, your home should be the safe sanctuary that you can’t wait to return to at the end of a long, hard day. Fortunately, it’s not hard to give your home a cozy vibe without making major investments. Here are the best simple home décor tips you can use to achieve this.

    Good Lighting

    Lighting is often overlooked when people are trying to find the simplest way to add some coziness to their homes. You wouldn’t believe how lighting can affect our moods and sleeping cycles. Since we’re looking for coziness mainly, you should opt for warm light setups that can make you feel welcome at all times. You want to avoid harsh, overly bright, and single lights as much as possible because they can create an emotionless aura. Try to go for variable cluster light sources in the locations where you’ll be spending time alone or with guests. If the budget is tight, you don’t have to invest in big lighting setups and settle for warm bulbs in the rooms in question.

    You might want to get familiar with color temperatures to properly use the most suitable bulbs for your home. The temperature of light is measured in kelvin, and warm white’s temperature averages around 3000k and cool white is 5000k. It may sound confusing, but the higher the temperature of the light, the colder it is. The reason a candle provides such cozy light is that its light temperature is around 1850, which is quite warm. Strong neon lights can give a very discomforting vibe that will make you feel uneasy in a room, no matter how comfortable it is.

    Incorporate Greenery

     In Color Theory, the effect of different colors on our mood and mental health is studied. The color green has been proven to have a positive effect on our mood. Incorporating greenery scenes into your house can soothe anxiety, instill peace, and have an uplifting effect on your mood. Live elements are one of the most effective contributors to adding a cozy vibe to your space. The process might be hard at first but once you get the hang of learning how to water your plants and care for them, it will be a piece of cake. Since there are many abandoned corners in our houses that don’t get the attention they deserve, you can take advantage of these empty corners to add some of your favorite plants.

    Other than their wonderful effect on one’s psyche, plants come with another huge advantage. They give you the opportunity to add some creative DIY vessels that match your personality and the aesthetic of your house. You can either choose to paint the pots in colorful warm tones to create an appealing contrast with the greens, or you can choose blue shades and other cold tones to paint your space in natural colors that reduce stress and calm anxiety.

    Personalized Furniture And Decorations

    Having a lot of furniture from popular brands will make your home look generic and inauthentic. This will make you feel that some parts of your home aren’t as cozy as you’d like them to be. It’s important to start switching things up a bit and look for ways to add your own touch to the furniture and decorations. As mentioned on VisionBedding.com, it’s possible to customize unique bedding, rugs, duvets, and many more items by utilizing custom print fabrics. You can choose to use your own photos or digital artwork, or even choose readily available artwork. Whether by reupholstering an old piece of furniture or building a DIY table, the things you choose on your own will make your home personalized and cozier.

    Rugs And Textiles For Warmth

    While hardwood floors are much warmer than tiles, but they don’t really provide the warmth you’ll need to support your legs in winter. A layer that separates you from the floor can do a lot in terms of coziness and warmth, and they don’t have to cost you a fortune either. While the disorganized look of incoherent rugs can certainly make the place look like a mess, it can be done right by choosing synchronizing colors and materials. It’s hard to find a room in the house that won’t greatly benefit from a rug, whether it’s the kitchen or bathroom. You can even use combinations that align well together, such as Persian-style rugs on top of natural fibers. Naturally, you should opt for carpets if you can because they can add a stronger layer of insulation and warmth.

    Adding Furniture To Corners

    Corners can look quite bleak and stale without any furniture pieces. If you have a lot of empty corners in your home, it may be time to start changing things a bit. You need to look for furniture pieces that look inviting and add warmth to the corner. Whether it’s a small chair or a couple of seat options with a small table, they can do wonders when it comes to coziness. Try to always go for smaller pieces of furniture to avoid cramping up corners unnecessarily.

    Decorating The Walls

    Empty walls can make even the warmest homes much colder than they should be. The good news is that it’s not very hard to decorate the walls with simple decorations. Some people choose a single piece of artwork or an indoor water wall to decorate a big wall, and it can look pretty dazzling. But keep in mind that such a route requires choosing the piece of artwork with dedication and not just as a rushed afterthought. Artwork can be pricey, but you can stay within budget by using prints instead. You can also use mirrors to give an extra layer of depth to your home.

    Relaxation, content, and comfort are all feelings that your home will instill when you have made an effort to make it cozy. Even your guests would be able to tell that your home is cozy if you start adding your own touches around the space. Aside from being impressive, cozy home will make you feel safer and more productive.

  • Here are some key reasons why your blog isn’t making any money

    Here are some key reasons why your blog isn’t making any money

    Blogging has become a modern-day occupation that continues to baffle people who aren’t involved in it. How can someone make a living from writing about their daily life or a holiday they’ve been on with friends? It’s baffling, and of course, the content is much more varied than the examples we’ve provided, but it can be highly lucrative. In fact, when assessing the likes of WordPress, there’s a shedload of successful blogs on there raking in the cash.

    Blogging doesn’t always go to plan, though. Like with any saturated space, which blogging very much is, it can be hard to make a blog stand out from the crowd. Unless you’re considering writing about toenail clippings or a Trypophobia issue, the vast majority of topics have been covered to death, which is exactly why it’s vitally important to bring something new to the table, be it a differing opinion, style of writing, or a new and interesting topic.

    The gaming world is a hugely popular area in which a variety of content creators have tried to penetrate. It’s also the perfect example of a saturated space, though. New and interesting games like slots based on the Ancient world at www.mansioncasino.com/uk/slots/age-of-the-gods/ or the incoming releases on a PS5 tend to excite people, but the bigger and more popular gaming news outlets will generally swoop in and gain most of the traction around that sort of news. It’s important to find your niche, come up with a plan, and stick to it. 

    With numerous bloggers failing to make a success of their blog, though, here are a few reasons as to why.

    Target audience too broad

    The best blogs tend to cater to a smaller, more niche group of people. Blogging is a saturated space, which is why it’s important to be different. If you’re offering something that thousands of other blogs do, then chances are you’ll struggle to keep your readers on board, and your readership with fluctuate regularly. Picture your ideal reader and always keep them in mind when planning content.

    Self-centred content

    If all you’re going to do is talk about yourself, then chances are people will find it a bit tiresome and tune out. Take the spotlight off yourself from time to time and try and cover the topics that everyone wants to read about.

    Bad grammar

    Whether it’s bad grammar or shocking punctuation, articles riddled with errors can be enough to stop a website visitor from returning ever again. An article full of mistakes is not only hard to read, but it can be incredibly frustrating, it adds a real amateur feel to your blog and, overall, it will make your writing suffer and your readership decline. Always thoroughly check for errors before publishing anything.

    Too many plugs

    Some bloggers make a living by promoting products or services, but they don’t always get the balance right. If all you’re doing is ramming spending ideas down people’s throats with endless promotional material, then you’ll simply come across as spam and only someone who is only interested in making money. To build a community – which is something all bloggers strive for – you need to build trust and keep the content interesting, while making sure the promotional posts are kept to a minimum.

    Bad traffic

    You could be the best blogger in the world, but if nobody is seeing your content, then it is doomed to fail. Find out the best ways to promote your blog on social media, learn about SEO writing techniques, and then evaluate where you can improve and what might have gone wrong previously.

  • How to Maximize the Benefits of Points-Earning Cards?

    How to Maximize the Benefits of Points-Earning Cards?

    The idea of earning rewards for spending money would have been a crazy thought just a few short decades ago, but now it seems like nearly every single kind of credit card has some kind of benefit, points, or reward system for your spending habits. This allows you to rack up some bonuses when you are already spending money.

    You can earn points or rewards in many different ways. It could be for air travel or redeemable for a cash-value system. Whatever it is, there are a lot of cool things that your credit card can do for you. The idea of letting your card work for you is not new, but it, letting people enjoy some rewards for their use.

    If you have a points-earning card or are looking for one and need some help figuring out how to best maximize the benefits, check out these tips to help you out.

    Find Cards With Useful Points to Earn

    Not all points or rewards that these cards offer are going to be good. Some are great for everyday uses like groceries, but you want something that isn’t just a singular use. That is why an ultimate rewards credit card is so popular because it offers more points, therefore, offers more value. Not only that, but it could have a great ratio of points per dollar spent, with most cards being 1 point = $1. 

    Nearly every credit card company or bank offers a points-reward type card. You can get air miles, grocery rebates, gas rebates, general multi-use points, and in 2021 you can even get a Bitcoin reward card that works like a cashback card. There are a lot of options out there, so it can be tricky to pick the right one, but you want to make sure that the points you are earning are actually going to help you.

    Use Them For Big Purchases

    A good idea for getting the most out of your points-earning card is to use it for those big purchases. You probably already use your credit card for big purchases, like electronics, bills, etc. but you can really help yourself earn more points if you are doing that with a reward card. If every $1 spent = 1 point, then a big purchase of $1000 would equal 1000 points and help you get closer to, say, a dream vacation. Remember that these points aren’t free, and credit still needs to be paid back, so don’t go overboard making purchases you can’t afford just to earn some cool rewards.

    Use Them Often

    Some people rarely use their credit cards because they don’t want to rack up debt. This is a good solution for being safe with your money, but doing that also limits how many points you can earn with your card. If you use your bank/debit card to purchase everyday items, think about switching over to your credit card to start taking advantage of the total amount of points you can possibly earn. Groceries are a weekly purchase, and usually so is gas, so these can help account for a lot of points each week without you even realizing it. Another good idea is to make sure your bills (utilities, rent, cellphone, car insurance, etc.) are going through this card to get points without you having to even use the card, so to speak.

    Know What Purchases Give You Rewards

    It is also important to point out that not every purchase you make is going to help you earn those coveted points. There are a lot of retailers that will not be recognized by your credit card as a source of rewards for the card. The necessities like gas or groceries will definitely be one (although not all stores will help), but more niche items probably won’t be. Check the fine print of the rewards points agreement to see what they say and what counts towards rewards. You don’t want to be going out spending money on a lot of things only to find out that you don’t get anything for it.

    Keep the Balance Low and Pay It Off Quickly

    Always being late with your payments on your balance or carrying a balance will be bad news for your points earning potential. Not only will it increase your interest rate, which makes it even harder to spend money, but it will also pretty much erase any progress you made on accumulating those points. Be careful with your credit cards and ensure that you are either carrying a low balance, or you are making payments promptly.

    Have Multiple Cards

    Utilizing multiple cards and rewards is not only smart, but it’s also encouraged. It might seem like contradictory information to have multiple cards but for people who are responsible with their credit, this can help their score. In this case, you can take advantage of multiple offers from multiple different credit card companies to get a significant amount of points-earning potential. If one card intrigued you for its points earned for air miles, the other one might be able to get you better points rewards for everyday purchases like groceries or gas. Having a few cards is good, just remember that the same principles of owning a credit card apply, and then some, when you have multiple credit cards.

    Take Advantage of Welcome Bonuses

    There’s no love lost when you switch to a new rewards card. Big credit card companies won’t feel an emotional attachment, and neither should you. You can find some pretty incredible welcome bonuses for new points-earning cards from other companies. Instead of spending years with the same card trying to earn 20 000 points, switch to a new card that offers you 25 000 to sign up, which usually means spending a certain amount within the first few months. This saves you time and money on purchases.

    Earning points from your credit card purchases can be a great way to earn some valuable rewards. People have ended up paying for entire trips just through the points they accumulated over the years. With these tips, you can maximize your points-earnings and possibly end up being one of those people too.

  • How to Stay on Top of Legalities After New Baby Arrives?

    How to Stay on Top of Legalities After New Baby Arrives?

    Welcoming a baby into your family is no laughing matter. You’ll have to consider many things, including the room for the new family member, future expenses, future plans, and so much more. Parents get caught up in these things that they tend to forget that there are many other aspects they need to take care of when a baby arrives in a family. What’s worse is that those things are essential for the baby.

    It might sound odd, but the truth is that there are a lot of legal matters involved once a child is born. Most parents overlook this part of childbirth, and we can’t blame them. It’s exciting bringing a human baby into this world. As parents, it will be your duty to incorporate them into this world, which means handling their legal documents.

    According to the Washington Post, there are 14 important documents that you need to secure for your child. While not mandatory, these legal documents are going to guide your child into becoming a legitimate citizen of the country. As such, you need to manage these early on so that your child won’t have issues with documents in the future.

    Why Staying On Top Of Legalities Is Important

    A lot of people don’t have the drive to settle legal documents, but as parents, you are obligated to help set up your child after he or she arrives. If you don’t have the time to do so, the good news is that companies that organize your legal documents and even digitize them, so they are available for years to come. Managing these legalities early on is important as it helps set up the life of your baby. Unless you outsource the entire process, no one else is going to do this thorough process for your child other than you. However, it’s more than just about legitimizing your child’s identity.

    The Important Documents

    The first document you’ll need to secure is the easiest one to get, which is great. The birth certificate is proof of your child’s birth. This document includes essential information such as the name of the parents, the place of birth, the weight of the baby, and basically just about anything regarding the new family member.

    Most hospitals will help you manage the birth certificate, so this shouldn’t be something you should worry about. Make sure to get this and make numerous copies of you. Once your baby grows up, your child will need this document for various purposes, such as securing government IDs, enrolling in school, and even getting a job.

    Social Security Numbers weren’t gotten until you applied for a job back then. However, times are way different today. The Social Security Administration itself recommends getting your baby their own Social Security Number immediately. This will help you get them health insurance, among other things.

    Your pediatrician will help set up what’s called an immunization record as well. This document details all of the vaccines and shots that your baby has been given. This document is vital as some shots aren’t supposed to be administered multiple times. These are some of the necessities you need to secure. 

    Next up, you’re going to want to consider some optional but highly recommended documents that will help secure your child’s health. These include life insurance packages, health cards, and more. As you can see, there are many documents that you’ll need to secure after your baby arrives. Just how can you manage to stay on top of these legalities?

    How To Manage The Legalities

    First and foremost, you’ll need to plan ahead. You know when your child is going to be born, so you have the time to prepare everything you need for the special day and the hectic ones that come after. For starters, you’ll need to ready your own legal documents. Some of the ones that you need to prepare ahead are your birth certificate, Social Security number, and insurance plan, if there are any. Most of your child’s legal documents will require you to present your as well, so make sure you come equipped with the papers.

    Another thing you’ll need is money. Childbirth is an expensive process, but the fees don’t stop there. You’ll also have to pay for some of the documents and insurance plans too. The good news is that document organizing isn’t as expensive as childbirth. Last but not least –  free up your schedule. You’ll need to have excellent time management skills if you want to finish all documents within a few days or so. You won’t have a lot of time to spend with your child during the days after their birth, but it will all be worth it eventually.

    Most of the documents we’ve stated above are for the safety and security of your child. Giving your child health insurance is near impossible when he or she lacks the necessary documents. If the pandemic has taught us one thing, it is that we all need insurance. As such, it’s a must to have your child’s life, and health secured immediately.

    Once your child grows up and becomes a fully-functioning adult, these documents will help them secure a career for themselves. It basically sets them up for success. Without the right documents, they might not be able to get loans, benefits, and other helpful assets.

    It’s important to make sure that all of the details given for these documents are accurate. The process of revising legal documents takes a lot of time and effort. Way more than the time and effort it would take for you to set these up properly upon your child’s birth. It’s more practical to stay on top of these legalities immediately.

    Last but most importantly, the documents are there to protect your child in the case that something bad happens to you. We can’t predict what happens tomorrow or the day after. Documents such as wills, guardianship, and others will ensure that your child stays protected and prepared in the worst-case scenarios, no matter how unlikely.

  • 3 Ways How Tech Can Save Your Time and Money

    3 Ways How Tech Can Save Your Time and Money

    No one will deny that technologies have become an inseparable part of our daily lives. And perhaps we got used to them so much that we no longer notice how much they affect our usual routine – whether it be work or hobbies. Technologies are created to help and take on the most mundane tasks and automate them so that we can focus on more important matters – such as how to expand our businesses or customer support.

    The perfect example of how useful technology is, is the whole concept of a home office, widely used in pandemic conditions. It allowed so many people to save their job positions or continue running their businesses. Not to mention the amount of time they save you every morning as you don’t need to reach the office to be able to work.

    You may consider to buy an AR Software or install a time tracking app or find something even more convenient to increase your business’ productivity and efficiency, but read more about how technologies save your exhaustible resources:

    Cloud Services

    It is not just about storing data in the cloud, as you can transfer accounting, CRM, warehouse management, and telephony there. Cloud solutions are great for companies with remotely working employees or those who work on a freelance basis. The team gets a set of tools necessary for the work, and the only thing that is needed is a stable internet connection.

    With cloud services, you can manage your business from any device, including your smartphone. You will always be aware of how the company is doing, and you will be able to quickly solve work-related problems no matter whether you are on a business trip or vacation.

    Cloud solutions help you save money on hardware purchases as well. For example, if you are launching a new promo page for an ad campaign, there is no need to spend money on the server. You can easily rent it in the cloud and pay only for the resources that you really need.

    Workflow Automation

    Even the most professional specialists can make an error when dealing with everyday routine and critical tasks, and incorrect or delayed decisions will make your company inefficient. Automated systems based on definite business rules can significantly reduce the possibility of human errors.

    The software can handle data streams, notifications, send emails, post on social media, and more that will free up your most vulnerable resource – your employees’ time and attention to complete critical, creative tasks. Besides, automated workflows that are performed proactively respond to an incoming trigger and ensure a timely response to any request from your customers. It significantly increases customer experience, satisfaction, and loyalty.

    Online Advertising

    Besides contextual, teaser, and banner ads, advertising via social media is rapidly developing. Promoting your products or services online allows you to immediately answer customer questions, give them the necessary information, conduct surveys, votes, and email newsletters.

    The ability to customize ads specifically for your prospective clients is another advantage: you can set up views based on time, geographic location, interests of your target audience, and so on. You can monitor views through statistical services and quickly evaluate the effectiveness of advertising.

    Compared to other advertising types, online advertising costs are much lower due to its various options and an enormous quantity of apps and platforms that you can use for free. Switching to online ads will allow you to focus on the content, reduce its production time, and be more precise with your target audience.

    Conclusion

    It is quite hard to imagine leaving home without your smartphone, let alone a world with no technology at all. Some of it is so integrated into our lives that excluding them would disrupt the flow of usual processes.

    However, don’t be mistaken – while technology is without a doubt very beneficial to both businesses and individuals, sometimes it can be too much, as its influence can be found in almost all spheres of life. Such a significant impact sometimes leads to people feeling like they need digital detox or reduce how much tech they use in general.

    The key is to find the right balance. By avoiding the overuse of technology and letting it take on only those monotonous and time-consuming tasks, you can allocate more time for creativity and increase your business’ productivity and efficiency.

    Examining your business field as well as your working routine will allow you to determine which tech solutions will work best for you. Your employees will benefit by not being overloaded with excessive technologies, and it will also impact total operating costs, in a good way.

  • How To Calculate Your Credit Score

    How To Calculate Your Credit Score

    Whether you are applying for a loan or trying to take out a second mortgage on your house, you will definitely need to know a thing or two about credit score. It might come as a surprise to you that beyond the financial matters, your credit score can have an impact on your career as well. Many companies now look into potential candidates’ credit scores before they can decide whether to offer them a job or not. Furthermore, a poor credit score can be a deal-breaker for a hesitant landlord who will likely refuse to take you on as a tenant, assuming you won’t be able to pay your rent on time.

    In the United States, three main credit bureaus are responsible for issuing credit reports. However, it is not uncommon to find discrepancies between the figures issued by each due to falsified information. It is your responsibility to constantly review your credit score and make sure that your credit information is correct and up to date. To do so, you need to have a clear understanding of the calculation process. To calculate your credit score, you will need information about the below five factors that combine to make up the final figure. So, continue reading on.

    1. Payment History

    Your payment history is perhaps the most important aspect in determining your creditworthiness. This information lets potential lenders understand what kind of a borrower you are and helps them identify the level of risk associated with lending you their money. Creditors consider how many times you defaulted on your payments, how often do you miss a bill’s due date, and the amount of outstanding payment that you currently have. Your late payment information accounts for 35% of your credit score. This should give you an idea about the importance of your payment history and how by doing some simple changes to your payment behavior, you can actually boost your credit score. If you can, always aim to pay your bills once you receive them. More often than not, having a poor credit score is a result of negligence rather than financial capabilities. 

    2. The Amount of Money You Owe

    The amount you owe is a depiction of your current and future financial stance, which is equally as important as your payment history. How much you currently owe to all of your creditors, including credit card companies, car and house insurance, and other outstanding payments, has a huge impact on your credit score. For a high credit score, this figure should be significantly lower than your aggregate income. According to the credit experts at 3creditscores.net, lenders are more willing to loan money to those who prove that they can live within their means, as it makes them seem like financially responsible individuals. On the other hand, accumulating debt left and right and owing thousands of dollars in whichever capacity will make you seem like a high-risk debtor. Lending institutions are profit-generating establishments after all, so unless lending you money can help them make any, you won’t really have a chance. The amount of money owed makes around 30% of your final credit score, which is not a small portion that you can afford to ignore. 

    3. Credit History Length

    If you want to be judged creditworthy, you need a long enough credit history with lots of data for credit bureaus to review and declare you as such. While this might seem counterintuitive, but it is actually true that the more you use your credit, the more likely you are to have a good credit score. Many people think that the best approach to protecting their credit score is to distance themselves from credit altogether and just let it be. However, it is all about being a responsible debtor who can commit to timely payments and full settlements. Credit history length accounts for 15% of your credit score. Although not as big of a portion as the previous two factors, yet it is still worth dedicating the time and effort to make sure you build a long and healthy credit history.

    4. Accounts Diversity 

    Holding a variety of accounts other than the basic personal and savings will increase your creditworthiness. Banks and other lending institutions value clients with diversified accounts more than others who hold standard ones. Home loans, retail, and online shopping credit cards are all types of accounts that creditors like to see and can improve your chances of being judged as creditworthy. However, to make sure you are doing this right, consult professional financial advisors to help you understand the types of accounts you can benefit from and can enhance your credit score at the same time. Achieving proper account diversity will help you improve your credit score through the 10% portion of the total figure.

    5. Most Recent Credit Activity

    The final 10% of the credit score calculator is based on information about your most recent credit activity. Regardless of your reasons, opening new accounts and applying for new loans in a short period will hurt your credit score. Creditors see such ‘frantic’ financial behavior as alarming and one that calls for a harsh creditworthiness assessment. To avoid falling for this typical mistake, try to spread your financial activities and inquiries over a longer period, otherwise, make sure you at least have a good explanation. 

    As explained earlier, it is your responsibility to look into the often unmatching credit scores calculated by different credit bureaus. With the above information, you should now have a clear understanding of how to do that. However, as you probably know, calculating your credit score is only part of the equation. What is more important is how you can improve it and become a favorable debtor that creditors can trust and accept to take on. Improving your credit score is worth taking the time to look for new and creative ways to make it happen. Even if you think you don’t need it today, you should make that a priority because you will definitely need it at some point in the future.