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Tips for Buying Carpets

by The Shopping Maniac






They’re soft and they instantly transform any space into something luxurious and elegant. It’s no wonder why carpets have become very popular among homeowners who are thinking of decorating their new house or reinventing their not-so-new space. But before you head out to any of the shops selling carpet New Zealand has to offer, here are some things that you ought to know:

1. Buy from a reputable source.

These days, you can buy carpets from just about any home improvement or hardware store. You can even find carpets being sold at department stores and even online. But before you start shopping your best bet is always to buy from a known carpet store. Not only will they carry a wide assortment of carpet styles in their inventory but their staffers are also more likely to be able to answer your carpet-related questions efficiently. And especially when you’re decorating without the aid of an interior designer, you need all the carpet-related expertise that you can get.

2. Think about the maintenance requirements before buying.

Since you’ll be stuck with the carpet you buy for a very long time and changing carpets every year won’t be such a practical solution, you need to know before buying a carpet its maintenance requirements. If you’re a busy person, then you ought to look for a carpet which requires minimal cleaning. You should also look for stain-resistant carpets if you have little kids or pets around the house. Also go for dirt-resistant carpets for high-traffic areas.

3. Find out about the warranties.

Every shop will have their definition of what a warranty is and what it covers. “Wear” is one of the terms which you will doubtless encounter but while you may relate this term as to when your carpet loses its original and “new” appearance, your seller may only think that your carpet is worn out once it exhibits bald spots. The crushing warranty also specifies that there is no problem with your carpet for as long as its pile can still be restored to its original fashion. And since hot water extractions and pile raking can always restore almost every carpet’s pile into its original state then your seller may yet again be able to dodge having to honor the warranty.

4. Choose special carpeting for your stairs.

Because your stairs is a high-traffic area, you need to find a carpet which can resist all that foot traffic. Woven wool carpets are suitable for stairs because not only are they thick but they are also very durable. Thick carpets are crucial for stairs because the backing becomes very visible at the curved regions of the stairs if the carpet is too thin. Unfortunately, you’ll have to shell out a considerable amount of money for woven wool carpets.

Phil Farell shares great home improvement ideas on his blog. He especially loves to write tips about Carpet New Zealand






Burnt out – I need a vacation!

by The Shopping Maniac

All I’ve been doing since the beginning of September is studying studying studying. Well that and renovating my house and keeping up with all my websites etc .. I basically don’t sleep. Really – I think I get about 5 hours a night and that’s it. It’s not enough.

Anyway, once I’m done with my two college courses in December and well I suppose maybe I’ll wait until after Christmas is over .. I think I might treat myself to a vacation. It will be well deserved. I’ve been working very hard these last few months and by the time I’m done my courses and hopefully about to start my job again I’ll need a holiday. Of course if I’m about to go back to work I probably won’t be able to go, but maybe since I’ll be working shift work with up to five days off at a time I might be able to take a winter vacation. Perhaps one of those south padre island beach house rentals. I could do something like that as a five day vacation and be back to work all relaxed … yeah … that sounds good doesn’t it?

Do you ever feel like you just need to get away for a vacation? Even a short one, a weekend a long weekend?

Football at the local high school

by The Shopping Maniac

I was walking by our local high school the other day and it looks like football season is in full gear. They just had their annual game day a week ago when all the kids from nearby schools attend a game at local school. It was the school closest to our house this year so a week ago Friday we had TONS of teenagers walking the streets on a Friday night looking for fun before and after their game.

At least it wasn’t as bad this year as it was a few years ago when our local school was chosen for game day .. the kids were really rowdy that time and did lots of damage. I had broken plants in my front garden and lots of neighbors had broken bottles in their yards and some cars were damaged too.

Anyway as I was saying it looks like Football season is here. I was watching the team practice and the band came out to do their practice on the field too. My husband was with me and he started talking to the music teacher about the band. I’m not sure of everything they were talking about because I’m not the musician – he is .. but I guess the teacher was happy because the school was getting some new marching band equipment at wwbw. Apparently it was much needed. I think someone was helping with a donation or something.

Maybe we’ll stop by this coming weekend and watch a game. The season will end soon with our weather!

The Old Anniversary Favourites

by The Shopping Maniac

Are you like me and struggle every time it gets to your anniversary? Buying those anniversary gifts is one thing, but getting it wrong can be a disaster!

My wife and I will often joke when it comes to our anniversary, often declaring the whole period of time as a time of regret. In truth, well at least on my part, I am still madly in love and am still enjoying almost every minute of my time with her.

I say “almost” because as with any relationship it has its ups and downs, that is married life. All being told though, it has been a good marriage thus far.

We have been together for eleven years now, though in truth it sometimes feels like twenty. Life is fairly good and we have a couple of beautiful but painfully testing children now who are both in primary school, which has given us both joy and stress all at the same time.

Anniversary Time Again!

The only problem I usually suffer with at this time of year is trying to decide what kind of anniversary gifts to get her. No matter what I get, it seems to be wrong.

I cannot get away with flowers and chocolates anymore, as much as I wish I could. I think if she saw me coming up the driveway with a bouquet and a box of chocolates, I would be made to eat the flowers and smell the chocolates…after she had trodden all over them.

This has led me to having quite a few dilemmas over the past few years, as I have never really been very creative when it comes to buying anniversary gifts. She already has loads of jewellery, her perfume collection is also massive and if I ever attempt to buy her clothes my fashion sense is way off.

Then if I try to buy her lingerie I get accused of buying something for myself rather than for her, which in many ways is actually true. She certainly is a fussy one!

However, I have since learnt that there are many sites online that specifically sell anniversary gifts, they have done the work for us, whilst being sweet and creative with their thoughts at the same time. You could opt for a romantic weekend away, an engraved locket or something simple such as a personalised bottle of bubbly.

A Smile…Result!

With our anniversary just gone I actually did opt for using one of these sites to get her some small anniversary gifts, which to be honest were not as expensive as I thought they might be. She was certainly much happier this year than last, which is my only true barometer; as long as I improve on the previous year I am doing well.

I actually got a kiss and a smile once I gave her a rather ingenious little anniversary message plate where I was actually allowed to customise it online before they delivered it to me. I simply gave them the date of our anniversary and how long we have been together, they then personalised it and added lots of cute little hand written messages. I added to this with an experience day that the site offers, I bought her a spa day where she can relax and take her mind of things. She can use this whenever she wants and simply has to call and let them know she is coming.

On top of that I bought personalized bubbly, took her out for a meal at a swanky restaurant and ended the night with a few hours snuggled up on the couch watching a romantic DVD. Ok that’s not really my ideal kind of movie, but whatever makers her happy!

She loved it all, each and every anniversary gift I bought her, so the whole day was a complete success. It has taken me over ten years of attempts but I have finally got it right on our anniversary. I just hope I can keep it going next year; I am already having new ideas already. One thing is for sure though, that site I used for the little personalised items has been safely bookmarked on my laptop.

So if you are struggling for anniversary gifts like me, hopefully you now have a good couple of ideas on how to be more successful in the future.

Work, overtime and guitars

by The Shopping Maniac

My husbands been busy working a lot of extra shifts in the last week or so. One of his co-workers is on holiday and he’s been covering some of her shifts so he’s been working almost continuously. He’s pretty tired.

The one good thing about it one my side of things is the house is quite so I’ve been able to get more studying done. That’s a good thing. Well .. at least until he comes home. Sometimes Chris picks up his guitar when he gets home and starts playing as it helps him relax .. and of course because he enjoys it. I don’t mind the music at all, but it does disturb my studying. Oh and he found yet another guitar to drool over. It’s a fender electric guitar at musicians friend. He just loves Fenders, the older the better. He has six or seven guitars already so I don’t think he’ll be buying another anytime soon, but I guess he’s got another on his wish list.

Perhaps he’s thinking of using all his overtime money on this new guitar? Hmmm .. I’d better have a talk with him just in case that’s what he’s thinking … LOL

photo by: gedankenstuecke
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