‘Washing’ denim in your freezer??

Dec 26, 2011 by blackbook

When I read that Levi Strauss & Company are now asking customers to freeze their jeans I thought it was for menopausal women, not to actually clean them to as the company believes save more water. A quick search of the internet reveals a lot of people who have tried this (and not being locked away by their other halves for insanity reason) haven’t really found it to be that effective at actually cleaning their jeans.

After all it won’t get stains out of it or muck and dirt but apparently does kill germs and removes smell. However some scientists dispute the claim that freezing jeans kill germs. Some people have frozen their fancy jeans, such as ones which have expensive effects and detailing which would be lost/ruined if washed in a washing machine and they report varying results.

Either way I think I will be laying off freezing my jeans for now, at the moment if I feel they need freshening up a bit then all I need to do is hang them outside for a couple of hours. Plus I don’t really like the thought of having jeans in my freezer nor do I think I have room.

Anyway the main reason for Levis stance on jean washing is because of concern that future water shortage threatens the company’s existence itself, by depleting the world’s cotton supply. So they will be sowing this message into all their clothing!

Apparently according to a New York Times report, on the advisory, it’s claimed that a typical pair of jeans takes about ’919 gallons of water’ to clean during its life cycle.

read more

Comparing home insurance

Nov 11, 2011 by blackbook

Picture courtesy of brianfuller6385

Just like the famous sayin my home is my castle, which is why I always make sure its protected and covered with home insurance. Home insurance is important, my policy is due for renewal in a month or so and I thought I will have a look online to compare home insurance prices to see if I can save myself some money. Just like I have mentioned with energy comparison sites there are some things you should be aware of before signing on for a new policy.

Honesty is the best policy

This is my main point to make, you should always be honest with your insurer not matter whether it’s for your home, your car or even holiday insurance, any discrepancies can invalidate your claim which could prove to very expensive.

Where you live

Insurance premiums take many things into consideration and one of those things is your postcode, so the area you live in may have an effect on the premium you pay. For example: If you live in an area of high crime you can see increased premiums. If you live in an area prone to flooding this can add expense as can living in an area of subsidence. Now obviously there isn’t much you can do to change this however if you move it is something that you can take into consideration.

Making sure everything’s is covered

If you find a really good price on an online comparison such as Policy Expert you need to make sure you’re fully covered with this new policy, sometimes good deals can be too good to be true. Always make sure you thoroughly check the policy wording and if you have some concerns speak to the insurer within the cancelation time.

I will no doubt share my findings when I change my policy as I am hoping to save some money after all, my insurance premiums for car etc. keep going up so no doubt my home insurance will also follow suit.

read more

Tips on home energy efficiency

Nov 7, 2011 by blackbook

Following on from my previous post on switching energy suppliers I thought it would be worth while giving you guys some tips on energy efficiency. I have recently made some changes to my home to make it more energy efficient in the hope I can save some money on my heating bills.

Last weekend I embarked on tank and pipe insulation, to reduce the amount of heat lost from my tank and pipes and keep my water hotter for longer. This was certainly a DIY job I was easily able to undertake even though I am somewhat of a DIY novice.

I visited my local DIY store to purchase a British Standard ‘jacket’ to go around my tank, for best insulation you ‘jacket’ need to be at least 75mm thick so even if your tank has one make sure its thick enough. By doing this you can cut heat loss by over 75%. My jacket was fairly inexpensive at £15, considering the money I could save with it and the insulation for my pipes was also cheap costing about £10.

Luckily for me most of the pipes were easily accessible however if you find yours aren’t don’t worry you can get professional help to insulate your pipes. I still have to look at my loft insulation situation and decide if I need more, plus I will also be looking into wall insulation. Because I live in an older house I have a feeling that I will have cavity walls which means I should be able to have them filled to help insulate my home.

Insulating your walls can be more expensive and not all homes can have them or need them so getting a professional opinion like I will be is your best option.

read more

Tips for keeping your energy bills down this winter

Nov 2, 2011 by blackbook

In hard economic times the last thing you want is to face energy price increases, especially as we head into winter, which is exactly what everyone is facing. Recently David Cameron said that we the customer should ‘shop around’ for savings on our energy bills. However that is easier said than done, I personally feel that he should be legislation to keep our energy bills down after all when energy prices globally drop we never benefit however as soon as there is a rise up go our bills.

Anyway we know that anything like that happening would involve pigs flying so I have decided to let you guys have some tips I find useful when looking around for energy suppliers!

It’s not actually as easy as Cameron makes out to swap supplier, there are a lot of things to keep in consideration when looking. Energy companies offer a lot of different deals and tariffs so you really have to make sure you find the right one for you and your family to make any savings. Being aware on how much energy you use can help, so look back on old bills to see what you average in summer and winter.

Internet comparison sites can be very helpful; they enable you to easily check the best deals around all in one place. You should always read the small print on deals found on comparison sites, just like other things there can be clauses or loop holes which may see you facing higher bills.

Paying the right way for you, this is important, energy companies do offer numerous payment options such as paying weekly or quarterly, and paying by cash, postal order, cheque, direct debit or in a prepayment meter. However you need to be aware that some payment methods can be more expensive than others and what type of tariff you go for can also affect which payment method you have to use.

Finally before I change anything I always like to check into customer services, see what sort of complaints record they have and what sort of service you can expect to receive. Just a quick search on the internet can normally unearth some helpful information from people who have been customers.

 

Picture courtesy of Karen Eliot

 

read more