Say Yes To The House? Use This Checklist To Decide

02.28.19

Hi friends, today I have a contributed post by Ryan Keys all about the checklist you need to say yes to the house. Hope you enjoy 🙂

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Searching for a new house or apartment can frustrating at the best of times. Once you get the residential permit, you’ll need to view a few different properties before you decide which one is the best for you. However, there are so many various types of homes out there, actually deciding which one to go for can end up being a bit of a minefield. Even though choosing a house to buy is a huge and often daunting decision, choosing a new rental home can be as equally challenging.

Of course, the best course of action is to follow your heart. Found a house or apartment that you love? Then that is probably the one for you! But it will also pay to be little practical in your decision making too. Here’s a quick checklist of some factors that can help you decide which house to say yes to.

It’s Affordable

First of all, you will need to consider your budget. Are you sure that you can afford the house or apartment that you are looking at? It’s not just a matter of being able to afford the monthly rent or mortgage repayments – you will also need to figure out if you can cover the monthly bills, like utility payments.

The Survey Hasn’t Shown Any Problems

If you are looking to buy a new house, it is crucial that you get a professional to carry out a home inspection and survey. These inspections will include a valuation which will show you whether you are paying the right amount for it. It will also uncover any potential building issues that you might have to fix and repair once you move in. Obviously, if the issues are going to be extremely costly, you might want to start your search again and find a more structurally sound property.

It’s Energy Efficient

These days, every home will have an energy efficiency certificate. This will be an overview of just how efficient it is to run. It should also give you an idea of how well insulated the property is as well. It’s important to check this out, as a home that has a very low efficiency rating could be expensive to run. If you think that your monthly utility bills will be expensive as a result, you could be better off looking at a different home.

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How Much Work Will Be Required?

Even if a property passes its building inspection, there might still be some work and updating that needs to be done by you once you move in. Are you sure that you have the time and money for this work? Even if it is just one room that needs to be redecorated, it could still take quite a bit of time, so it’s worth thinking about whether you’d rather move into a place that doesn’t need any work doing to it.

You Like The Area

As well as the property, you should also consider the area. Are there plenty of facilities and amenities? Will you feel safe living there?

Now you can start house hunting!

Kamfy Living

5 Easy Ways to Transform any Space

02.21.19

Hi friends! A couple months ago I did a poll on what kind of content you’d like to see more of on the blog and many of you wanted more design related posts. Not just room reveals, like our bedroom reveal, but also things I do to even design a room. Although I’m no interior designer, I do have a love for design and am always looking for ways to transform any space. As you all know, I love to do things on a budget or do DIYs wherever possible. So, today I’m going to share with you 5 easy ways to transform any space. These are simple, realistic things you can do today, not the more intensive ideas like ceiling tiles, that do make a big difference but are out of budget right now for me.

5 Easy Ways to Transform Any Space

Fresh Coat of Paint

In any room I do, I first love to give the room a fresh coat of paint. Usually, I like to opt for a shade of white, since it gives a room so much freshness, however, any color will give the room a fresh look. Even if you paint the room the same color again, you’ll notice a huge transformation.

Blinds/window treatment

Second, I love to think about the windows and the light that they bring in. I love rooms with big windows since they bring in tons of natural light. However, regardless of the type of window in your room, there are a few ways you can jazz it up. First, I love to add curtains, drapes or shades and you can usually get nice affordable ones from IKEA. You can even get some great selection from Ambition Blinds. And if you’re looking to spend a little more, I would even suggest getting new windows. Glow Glass has a great selection. I can’t stress how much difference having nice windows makes in any room. Natural light just elevates the look of any room you work on.

Add plants

If your space is looking a bit boring and needs some personality, add in some plants. Plants bring so much life and color to any space. They instantly make a room look designer. Also plants always make me happy, so there’s that too 🙂

Textiles

I believe it is texture, not necessarily color that brings a lot of dimension to a room. And textiles are a great way to add texture. Add in things like throws and cushions to your bed or a chair or even a sofa and you’ll instantly make the space look inviting and cozy. Throws and cushions also serve a practical function, since you can always grab one to stay warm or cozy up with a book.

Pictures/frames

Finally, you need to make the space truly yours and the best way I think is to add framed photos around the room. You can put pictures up in a strategic way to make it go well with the room. I like to decide what pictures I want beforehand based off the color scheme and size of frame. You can create a gallery wall or just hang frames individually. I love to frame Gursheel’s photography, since he has so many great shots, however, you can always find great prints on Etsy or even frame your special moments in life.

Kamfy Living

My Evening Routine – Weekday Edition

02.16.19

My Evening Routine

You guys seemed to love my morning routine post and many of you messaged to see my evening routine. So, here it is! You’ll notice once you read my morning routine (which has now been slightly updated) that I accomplish quite a lot compared to my evening routine. That’s because I like my nights to be relaxing so I can wind down from the day. Okay, let’s get started

The commute home

Once I get off work, I head towards the subway for my 50 minute commute. I first take the subway (which is around a 30 minute commute) in which I read my book. Currently I’m reading The Water Cure and it’s quite interesting. I then take a bus which is around a 15-20 minute commute. This is the time where I do my Rehraas Sahib. Once I reach my stop, Gursheel is there to pick me up.

On our drive home (which is around 20-30 minutes), Gursheel and I chat about our days, what we learned, anything interesting that happened, plans for the weekend, etc. We make an effort to not listen to anything, but just talk and catch up.

Dinner Prep

We usually get home around 5:15 pm. And I get started on dinner right away. Most of the food I make, be it Indian or non-Indian food, first involves a saute step and then a cooking step which is usually a waiting step. I spend that time in the cooking process to start washing all the dishes (usually it’s just the lunch containers). This allows me to wash the dishes, finish the dinner, and wipe down counters by 6 pm. If you’re looking for a dishwasher repair company, check this one out!

I always prepare a weekly meal plan in which I make 2 Indian foods, 2 non-Indian foods, and burgers and fries on Wednesdays. (My mother in law has been away for the past two months, however, when she is home, she usually cooks some delicious Indian food). It’s so much easier and faster to make dinner when I know exactly what I’ll be making for dinner that day. If you’d like to see a detailed meal plan, leave me a comment below.

Working Out

At around 6 pm, I head upstairs and change out of my clothes into my workout clothes. I then spend 30 minutes doing various workouts from YouTube. We have a TV in our room, so I love to screen share from my phone onto the TV and do a workout. I don’t stick to a particular YouTube channel. I love change in terms of exercise, so I like to incorporate different workouts. Some of my favorites are barre, pilates, etc and some of my favorite channels are Blogilates and Fitness Blender.

Vegan Mediterranean Salad with Quinoa Salad Dressing

Dinner Time

Around 6:30 pm, I head back downstairs and it’s time to eat dinner. If we are eating Indian food, then I make roti and Gursheel helps plate the daal/sabzee and dahi. We then make ourselves comfortable in front of the TV and watch something as we eat dinner. We usually complete an entire show as we eat. Right now we have been loving the Man in the High Castle.

At 7:30 pm, we start cleaning up. Gursheel washes the dishes, while I pack lunches for the next day. We always take dinner leftovers for lunch the next day. The day we have burgers and fries, I usually make a sandwich for lunch. If we don’t have any dinner leftovers, I always have frozen burritos in the freezer that make the perfect lunch. I also do a quick wipe down and sweep of the kitchen and get a pot of tea brewing. Check this post for my favourite way to have tea.

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Wind Down/Self Care

At 7:45 pm, I am done everything for the day and now the wind down begins. Gursheel and I drink some tea as we watch some TV. At this point we usually like to watch something light – animal documentaries and design shows are our absolute favorite. Most days we also have some dessert with our tea – usually a date, biscuits, or a piece of besan. Sometimes I like to bake some frozen cookie dough (usually takes 10 minutes to bake). We just cozy up with tea and a blanket and chill on the couch until 9 pm.

We head upstairs to our room and I like to brush my teeth, wash my face and do a face mask as well if I feel like it. I usually do a mask every other day. Check out my skin care routine for some of my favorite products. Another product I’ve recently started using and adding to my evening routine is charcoal toothpaste. I’ve only used it for a few weeks (I alternate every other day as well) and I have noticed I have some whiter teeth. It’s a messy product to use but I have seen a difference in my teeth color.

We’re usually in bed by 9:20 pm and this is when we do our Kirtan Sohila. We have also been trying to do Simran every evening as well for however long we can focus for. I like doing Simran at the end of the day because it really helps me clear my head and leaves me in a peaceful state. We’re usually asleep by 9:30 pm and get up at 5:15 am the next day and repeat the entire routine all over again!

Although every day is different, I am pretty good at sticking to my schedule. But, there will always be days where I won’t have time to workout or I’m not feeling up to cooking. And, I’m learning to be okay with that.

Hope you enjoyed my evening routine, and let me know if you’d like to see a weekend routine next!