Perhaps you have had financial difficulties in the past or just never had any credit before, both these situations can be frustrating if you’re in the need of a regular short term lending solution.
High street banks turn you down and this only makes the situation worse, more applications for credit actually lower your credit rating even further.
There is a simple solution to this, and in fact plenty of choice out there, the economic climate has opened up many more lending potions for people who now find themselves less secure.
Taking out one of these short term loans is a great way to repair a poor credit history, be this one caused by defaults or just lack of history. Be mindful though of the interest rates and at all times make sure you can repay the loans each week / month. These loans are generally designed for short term tie me over type situations, maybe your car has broken down or an unexpected bill has just landed on the doorstep.
Types of loan that can help repair your credit history vary, and it’s worth taking a few moments to consider carefully what you need to borrow and how long do you need to pay it back over, i.e. how much can you comfortably afford to pay each week. Do you need a one off loan for an emergency, then a payday loan might be suitable, borrow a small amount and repay when you next get paid, although usually this can be spread over slightly longer, but remember the interest added will go up the longer you take to repay in full.
Need slightly longer or a larger loan, look at logbook loans, if you own a car, van or motorcycle and there is no existing finance outstanding on it then, subject to a few conditions longer term loans can be secured against the vehicle. But again watch the amount of interest that has to be repaid.
Another consideration is slightly different to straightforward loans like the above, like all loans credit cards have pro’s and con’s but taking out a credit card through Vanquis Visa (which happens to be part of the Provident group, so been around a while) can really repair a credit rating, it’s flexible so you can use it as and when you need to, plus settle your balance very month in full and pay no interest at all, but don’t settle each month or only pay part of the debt back and interest will mount up quickly. Borrow a small amount each month and repay every time on time and this will build your credit rating thus enabling you to get access to more loans at better rates of interest.
In an ideal world none of us would have to borrow money but when you have to it needs careful consideration and for the shortest length of time at the lowest interest rate. Use these high interest rate loans just for emergencies and to repair your credit rating.
Monday
How to Measure Rooms for Carpets
What do I need to Measure a Room for a Carpet
* Tape Measure
* Pen / Notepad
* Fairly Clear Room
* Fitting Underlay
Before you begin measuring your room make sure you have a tape measure that is long enough or a way of marking the floor when the tape measure you have runs out, so you have your next starting point, (remember to add the two measurements together, a lot of people forget!) always measure the longest point and widest point not forgetting to measure into doorways or dropbacks,
What about Carpet Widths
Bear in mind the most common width that carpet is manufactured in is 4 metres wide, so factor this in when measuring for your carpet, you can order the length you require by the width which will be determined by the carpet you decide upon, for example your room could measure 3.0 metres by 4.5 metres, you cannot get 3.0 by 4.5 metres if the width of the carpet chosen is 4metre wide. You will need to order 4 metres by 4.5 metres to cover your room floor with carpet without any joins.
Minimizing Waste With Fitted Carpets
Fitted Carpets will always need cutting to the shape of the room thus creating waste that has to be paid for. If we use the room size above 3.0 x 4.5 metres as an example again an alternative would be to order 3.0x 4 metre which will leave an area 0.5x 3.0 metre to fill in, you could dependent on pattern matching and the type of pile order an extra peice 0.5 x 4.0 and join the two peices of carpet together. This is not ideal as you will most probably see a colour difference and the cost saving in this example will only be minimal. Usufull as a guide for yourself so you can budget for which type and price of carpet to go for.
Do Shops Offer Free Estimates
The simple answer is yes, and most reputable carpet shops would prefer to measure the rooms for new carpets themselves, the benefit with this way is if the carpet does not fit its the carpet shops fault not yours. Our advise is to draw out the room to be carpeted shape, add in your own sizes that way the salesman will be able to give you a rough price without having to visit your house, this way you will know if your chosen carpet is within your price range. Draw a good diagram highlighting any recess or doorways and the shop may be able to find a suitable carpet remanent that you could fit yourself
* Tape Measure
* Pen / Notepad
* Fairly Clear Room
* Fitting Underlay
Before you begin measuring your room make sure you have a tape measure that is long enough or a way of marking the floor when the tape measure you have runs out, so you have your next starting point, (remember to add the two measurements together, a lot of people forget!) always measure the longest point and widest point not forgetting to measure into doorways or dropbacks,
What about Carpet Widths
Bear in mind the most common width that carpet is manufactured in is 4 metres wide, so factor this in when measuring for your carpet, you can order the length you require by the width which will be determined by the carpet you decide upon, for example your room could measure 3.0 metres by 4.5 metres, you cannot get 3.0 by 4.5 metres if the width of the carpet chosen is 4metre wide. You will need to order 4 metres by 4.5 metres to cover your room floor with carpet without any joins.
Minimizing Waste With Fitted Carpets
Fitted Carpets will always need cutting to the shape of the room thus creating waste that has to be paid for. If we use the room size above 3.0 x 4.5 metres as an example again an alternative would be to order 3.0x 4 metre which will leave an area 0.5x 3.0 metre to fill in, you could dependent on pattern matching and the type of pile order an extra peice 0.5 x 4.0 and join the two peices of carpet together. This is not ideal as you will most probably see a colour difference and the cost saving in this example will only be minimal. Usufull as a guide for yourself so you can budget for which type and price of carpet to go for.
Do Shops Offer Free Estimates
The simple answer is yes, and most reputable carpet shops would prefer to measure the rooms for new carpets themselves, the benefit with this way is if the carpet does not fit its the carpet shops fault not yours. Our advise is to draw out the room to be carpeted shape, add in your own sizes that way the salesman will be able to give you a rough price without having to visit your house, this way you will know if your chosen carpet is within your price range. Draw a good diagram highlighting any recess or doorways and the shop may be able to find a suitable carpet remanent that you could fit yourself
Common Reasons to call upon Breakdown Companies
Winter is nearly over and all the common reasons to call upon breakdown companies will change, so get your car checked over beofre you embark on that epic seaside adventure ( other wise known as a day trip to the coast)
We know, last summer was a shambles but early signs indicate we might get some decent weather this year. Trouble is the roads havn’t even been repaired after the last onslaught of rain, ice and snow.
So, prevention is the best cure and a few simple low cost maintence tasks could make a difference to your stress levels this summer, remember bank holiday traffic jams?
Tyres,
Check the tread, 1.6mm is the legal limit but if yours are at that level now it would be a good idea to change them for some nice new one’s. For more detailed advice on car tyres and online tyre prices have a read through the buyers guides to budget car tyres. Check the pressures, get your owners manual out or read the information on the tyre sidewall to find out, a handy tip if the roads are covered with snow or are slippy is to reduce the pressure slightly, this will increase the contact area of the tyre on the road, bear in mind this will increase wear and fuel consumption.
Battery
If your car battery is getting tired now then there is a good chance that the first touch of frost one morning will prevent your car from starting, car batteries don’t perform well in cold conditions. Consider putting a set of heavy duty jump leads in the boot or a battery booster pack
Screenwash
Top it up with a good additive that way it won’t freeze quite so easy. ( also put a can of de-icer in the car at the same time,) 100% screenwash additive is only good down to around -6 c
Oil change
If your oil hasn’t been changed for a while, consider a quick service, nice fresh oil will make starting easier in cold conditions, especially so with diesel engines.
Wiper blades
For around £10 they can make driving in bad weather so much easier, no more smeared windscreens when it’s dark and raining. Wiper blades are easy to change on most cars but places like halfords will fit them while you wait for a couple of pounds.
Warm clothes.
Okay so this is probably obvous in winter but if you do happen to breakdown or get stuck in the snow you may find waiting for the recovery companies takes a while and with the engine switched of a cars internal temperature will fall quickly, why not put that picnic blanket back in the boot? or becoming popular now are ceramic heaters, these cost £10 - £25 and are powered from a cig lighter socket, instant heat ( or cooling) great for demisting or di-icing windows in a morning.
Phone charger
Again another cheap and handy item that could be a life saver, get a in car phone charger if you havn’t got one already, imagine breaking down in a strange area or rural location with a flat phone battery, also many of the motoring organisations can use the signal to pinpoint your location.
A final thought is to keep the fuel tank full, you could end up on a long detor or stuck in slow traffic for hours because of road closurers, some people also carry a small can in their boot if they are planning a longer journey.
We know, last summer was a shambles but early signs indicate we might get some decent weather this year. Trouble is the roads havn’t even been repaired after the last onslaught of rain, ice and snow.
So, prevention is the best cure and a few simple low cost maintence tasks could make a difference to your stress levels this summer, remember bank holiday traffic jams?
Tyres,
Check the tread, 1.6mm is the legal limit but if yours are at that level now it would be a good idea to change them for some nice new one’s. For more detailed advice on car tyres and online tyre prices have a read through the buyers guides to budget car tyres. Check the pressures, get your owners manual out or read the information on the tyre sidewall to find out, a handy tip if the roads are covered with snow or are slippy is to reduce the pressure slightly, this will increase the contact area of the tyre on the road, bear in mind this will increase wear and fuel consumption.
Battery
If your car battery is getting tired now then there is a good chance that the first touch of frost one morning will prevent your car from starting, car batteries don’t perform well in cold conditions. Consider putting a set of heavy duty jump leads in the boot or a battery booster pack
Screenwash
Top it up with a good additive that way it won’t freeze quite so easy. ( also put a can of de-icer in the car at the same time,) 100% screenwash additive is only good down to around -6 c
Oil change
If your oil hasn’t been changed for a while, consider a quick service, nice fresh oil will make starting easier in cold conditions, especially so with diesel engines.
Wiper blades
For around £10 they can make driving in bad weather so much easier, no more smeared windscreens when it’s dark and raining. Wiper blades are easy to change on most cars but places like halfords will fit them while you wait for a couple of pounds.
Warm clothes.
Okay so this is probably obvous in winter but if you do happen to breakdown or get stuck in the snow you may find waiting for the recovery companies takes a while and with the engine switched of a cars internal temperature will fall quickly, why not put that picnic blanket back in the boot? or becoming popular now are ceramic heaters, these cost £10 - £25 and are powered from a cig lighter socket, instant heat ( or cooling) great for demisting or di-icing windows in a morning.
Phone charger
Again another cheap and handy item that could be a life saver, get a in car phone charger if you havn’t got one already, imagine breaking down in a strange area or rural location with a flat phone battery, also many of the motoring organisations can use the signal to pinpoint your location.
A final thought is to keep the fuel tank full, you could end up on a long detor or stuck in slow traffic for hours because of road closurers, some people also carry a small can in their boot if they are planning a longer journey.
What Type of Antifreeze to Use
If the water in your cars radiator and engine block freeze the repair costs could be extremely high, a cracked engine block is going to be expensive, potentially £1000’s.
But preventing this is really simple and cheap, antifreeze also acts as a summer coolant and rust inhibator, so it provides all year protection for your engine.
Getting your antifreeze checked is easier than most people think, either buy a simple tester from Halfords / local motor factors or book your car in for a full winter health check at your local garage ( £25 ish),although many garages will do a simple antifreeze check for free.
Antifreeze has a lifespan, standard IAT ( inorganic) should be drained and changed every 2 years, OAT ( organic) sometimes known as long life or advanced antifreeze should be replaced every 5 years. A word of caution though, never mix the two types of antifreeze specifications, as a quick rule of thumb if your car was manufactured after 2001 then it’s likely to be the advanced antifreeze but there are always exceptions so check your owners manual or speak with the main dealer or an expert. Also note that although your cars manual says use one type this may not be the type that’s in there at present.
If you have any doubt as to the type of antifreeze currently in your car then you need to drain the entire system and flush it out with a hosepipe, NEVER mix IAT and OAT antifreeze, the result will be the mixture turns to gel and blocks the small water passages within the engine / water pupm, the engine will overheat and damage will occour. Just because the colour in the shop is the same as in your radiator doesn’t mean they are the same, many antifreeze is actually colourless it’s only the retailers or manufacturers that add dye.
If you have to drain and refill your system then a mix of 50/50 antifreeze / water for protection down to -36 c is best for maximum winter protection. Do not mix any stronger than this as any stronger will raise the freezing point not lower it further. If you really want to go to town and do a proper job then instead of tap water use de inoised water, this will aid with the rust prevention within the system.
Remember if in doubt as to what type is currently in your cars radiator then drain it all out and refill with new, it’s a simple job and won’t take long at all.
To read more useful motoring tips
But preventing this is really simple and cheap, antifreeze also acts as a summer coolant and rust inhibator, so it provides all year protection for your engine.
Getting your antifreeze checked is easier than most people think, either buy a simple tester from Halfords / local motor factors or book your car in for a full winter health check at your local garage ( £25 ish),although many garages will do a simple antifreeze check for free.
Antifreeze has a lifespan, standard IAT ( inorganic) should be drained and changed every 2 years, OAT ( organic) sometimes known as long life or advanced antifreeze should be replaced every 5 years. A word of caution though, never mix the two types of antifreeze specifications, as a quick rule of thumb if your car was manufactured after 2001 then it’s likely to be the advanced antifreeze but there are always exceptions so check your owners manual or speak with the main dealer or an expert. Also note that although your cars manual says use one type this may not be the type that’s in there at present.
If you have any doubt as to the type of antifreeze currently in your car then you need to drain the entire system and flush it out with a hosepipe, NEVER mix IAT and OAT antifreeze, the result will be the mixture turns to gel and blocks the small water passages within the engine / water pupm, the engine will overheat and damage will occour. Just because the colour in the shop is the same as in your radiator doesn’t mean they are the same, many antifreeze is actually colourless it’s only the retailers or manufacturers that add dye.
If you have to drain and refill your system then a mix of 50/50 antifreeze / water for protection down to -36 c is best for maximum winter protection. Do not mix any stronger than this as any stronger will raise the freezing point not lower it further. If you really want to go to town and do a proper job then instead of tap water use de inoised water, this will aid with the rust prevention within the system.
Remember if in doubt as to what type is currently in your cars radiator then drain it all out and refill with new, it’s a simple job and won’t take long at all.
To read more useful motoring tips
Friday
Mobile Phone Recycling - Compare Prices
Do you have a draw full of old mobile phones that you will never use, maybe a little to embarrased to be seen without the latest handset.
Well here's a niffty little widget that compares best prices for recycling old mobiles, so go on, have a clear out and get a little cash in your pocket.
Compare Mobile Phone Recycling Prices
Well here's a niffty little widget that compares best prices for recycling old mobiles, so go on, have a clear out and get a little cash in your pocket.
Compare Mobile Phone Recycling Prices
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