Get Kamfortable

Creating A More Efficient Home

11.25.19

If your home was built before the end of the last century, there is a distinct chance that it is not the most efficient home in terms of its impact on the environment, and it’s energy costs. These are no doubt two things that should be on your mind as a homeowner, and as the world struggles to make its climate change targets, we all need to do our bit to help out. Saving the world really can start at home.

Fortunately, there are a number of ways that you can improve these things in your home, and with a little bit of investment now, you will be able to not only save money in the long run, but you will also be reducing your carbon footprint forever.

Stop The Loss

One thing to consider when it comes to fuel efficiency is where are you losing the heat. It may be that your windows are not the most efficient and this can be a major source of heat loss in your home. Think about getting your windows and doors replaced by professionals to ensure that you have greater heat retention in your home.

The other area that you may be losing heat in your home is through your roof. This may mean that you need to get your attic insulated.

Rewiring

If you have an older property you may need to look at having your home rewired. The demands we put on the wiring and fuseboxes of homes that were built decades ago is unreal. We have never owned so many electrical items.

Consider getting your home rewired, having a new fusebox fitted, and also getting more plug sockets and UBB charging outlets added. This will not only allow you to meet the demands of your home in terms of technology, but it will also ensure that you have safe and more efficient power usage in your home.

Switching Suppliers

A massive way that you can save money and reduce your carbon footprint would be to change your energy supplier. Many of the major suppliers are still heavily reliant on fossil fuels, and while there may be some changes in this area coming from a number of different companies, overall change seems slow. By switching to a new greener company that provides 100% renewable energy, then you will be vastly reducing the ecological damage that your home was causing. You may well find that the power supplied to you by your new renewable energy provider is not only cleaner, but it is cheaper. There are many great companies out there and often they are causing some positive disruption within that industry.

Switch It Off

We live in a society on standby. All of our technology is primed and ready to receive. But we often leave things plugged in and turned on when we really should not be. While they may not be using much power in this state, they are still contributing to your overall consumption. And, by turning off any switch that is not in use you could make considerable savings.

Bekaming a mom

What I Eat In a Day – Pregnancy Edition

11.23.19

Over the course of this pregnancy, I’ve learned and adjusted my daily meal plan to fit the needs of the pregnancy, while also eating foods that don’t make me nauseous. So, today, I’m sharing a what I eat in a day – pregnancy edition blog post.

As mentioned in my what they don’t tell you about pregnancy post, I wake up every morning and eat cracker. This sets me up for an hour or so where I can do my Nitnem and prepare my breakfast.

For breakfast, I now keep it the same. I have had some days where I didn’t eat my usual breakfast, and I couldn’t keep it down. So, now, without fail, I eat toast. Either it’s a Dempsters everything bagel with butter or the Stonemill bread with some butter or peanut butter and jelly. I now don’t try to risk it with something that’s not toast.

Along with my breakfast, I also like to make a green smoothie. Some days I am lazy and just have some almond milk. But I try to make a green smoothie and add some healthy ingredients. My go to green smoothie recipe is a cup of almond milk, frozen banana, a tablespoon of peanut butter, a scoop of Orgain chocolate flavored protein powder, a tablespoon of either ground flax or chia seeds, with a handful of spinach. So delicious and definitely nutritious. Or you can try this recipe I have posted in the past.

This fuels me up for a couple of hours as I head to work. After a couple of hours of working, I usually take a coffee break and get myself an iced coffee from Tim Hortons. The coffee content in this is usually quite low and I consider this a daily treat. Maybe not the healthiest, but it keeps me happy.

For a pre-lunch snack, I always eat cheese strings. I don’t know why but dairy is something I have really enjoyed eating during the pregnancy. Maybe my body can tell I need more fat and calcium so I crave it.

For lunch, we almost always take leftovers from dinner. This can range from a Buddha bowl, pasta, soup to more Indian foods including lentils (daal) and Sabzee. If I don’t feel like taking leftovers to work for lunch, I usually whip up a quick wrap with avocados, vegetables and hummus or cream cheese. So yummy and easy to make in the morning. I also have a serving of some type of fruit during lunch as well. My favourite is usually either berries or Asian pears.

In the afternoon, I always eat unflavoured Greek yogurt with red grapes mixed into it, something I’ve learned from my sister-in-law. It took me a while but I really love the taste of Greek yogurt now. It has lots of protein, fat and calcium! I also eat a granola bar in the afternoon as well.

A couple of hours later, I always eat a Gala apple. I’ve been loving gala apples the entire pregnancy! I also eat a few nuts and seeds at this time too. I like to mix together almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, 2 Brazil nuts (because apparently you’re not supposed to eat too many of these), and some dried cranberries.

Once I get home, I indulge in some chips and milk. Again, not healthy at all, but I love the taste and it makes me happy.

For dinner, again, I think we eat fairly healthy overall. I havn’t cooked very much this pregnancy. My mother in law (MIL) has been so great and makes Indian food almost daily. At most I’ll cook something twice a week which usually includes pasta, enchiladas, lasagna, soup, Buddha bowls, noodles, the list goes on. Most days, my MIL makes some Indian food. Dinner always makes me so full and I usually don’t eat that much. I definitely used to eat more when I was not pregnant during dinner.

I don’t usually do dessert since I’m so full from dinner. But from time to time, I like to indulge in some cookies or Indian sweets or ice cream.

And there it is. I follow this meal plan pretty much to the T everyday. Weekends, I am lazier and eat out a little more those days, but I am giving myself the luxury to just eat what I feel like and enjoy the pregnancy, however much I can. I hope you found this what I eat in a day – pregnancy edition post useful 🙂

Collaborations

Is it Time to Build Your Own Home?

11.19.19

Most people think that their only option is to save up their own money and buy an existing property. But this is not the case, there’s another option, one that can cost more or less the same price, yet result in a home that’s better suited to your needs: building your own property. This option isn’t for everyone, but if you do go with this plan, then you’ll find that there’s much to love. You’ll have created something, for starters, and you’ll also have a home that has been designed to meet your individual needs. Below, we take a look at a few hints and tips that’ll make your project a success.

Pexels – CC0 Licence

Figure out the Budget

Of all the potential problems when it comes to building your own home, none are quite as headache-inducing — yet also within your control — than the matter of money. Before you get too far along with your plans, you’ll need to take a look at your finances and come up with a budget that works for you. It’s always tempting to spend that little extra amount of cash, but remember that you’ll be paying off this loan for a long time — don’t make it more difficult for yourself!

Get The Plans

The fun thing about designing and building your own home is that you get to determine what it looks like. But of course, that’s also a lot of pressure. When it comes to the planning stage, it’s best to first come up with your list of ‘needs’ and ‘wants,’ and then work with an expert home designer. They’ll have the knowledge and expertise that you need to avoid making a fundamental error. They can also give further advice about things that you may not yet have considered. It’s also important that you work with a team of professionals when it comes to the actual building. The end result will only be as good as the workers who built it.

Potential Issues

It goes without saying that there are things that can go wrong when you’re building a home, and when they do, they’re usually not just a small matter. They can be expensive to resolve if you only realize that there’s a problem when you’re far along with the project. One area to pay particular attention to is the ground; you’ll need to ensure that it’s appropriate for the building. This may mean working with a company like Mascore, who can provide a screw pile installation to underpin unstable foundations. As well as the practicalities of the construction, you’ll also need to ensure that you’re legally sound, too. There may be restrictions as to what you can build.

Be Patient

Finally, remember to stay patient. Building a house is not an easy undertaking, and not one that happens overnight, either. You’ll need to have the long game in mind when you get the project up and running — it could take 6 – 18 months from the moment you start to when you move into the home.