The Joys of Multigenerational Holidays

 

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I was chatting with my daughters the other day and reflecting on the summer holidays that we took with my parents and brother when they were younger. It was really interesting to hear that the times we spent with eight of us and a dog holed up in a pretty shabby student house in Bournemouth held more affection in their memories than the times we stayed in plush hotels in a different country. 

There are many benefits to taking a holiday with many generations present, here are just a few -

Able Babysitters on Hand

What a joy to be able to head out for a night with your partner without the worries of who is looking after your kids. No one loves them quite as much as their grandparents and this special time alone is a great way for them to develop their bond and get to know each other better.

Making Memories

Memories really do last a lifetime and being away from the stresses of everyday life is a good opportunity to do something quite different and special like going on a boat ride or climbing a mountain, or equally staying in and playing a board game or baking some brownies provide a brilliant opportunity to talk and get to know each other at a deeper level.

Keeping the Oldies Young

It is so true that spending time with children as you age will help to keep you young. You'll learn all about what is in fashion and what the latest lingo is and there is research to show that spending time with children can help to maintain better cognitive function in the elderly. 

Learning from Each Other

It is so good for both young and old alike to feel like they are learning something new. Sharing your interests, knowledge or skills can be really uplifting and it is definitely a way to continue to feel relevant and appreciated as you age. 

Introducing Each Other to Something New

Whether it is crazy golf or nights at the ballet that you love, family holidays are a fabulous chance to share your passions and introduce your family members to something new. This can be a really fun part of the holiday preparations, as you each choose one activity that you'll all get involved with during your time away.

As you can see there is so much to be gained from taking a holiday with your parents, as well as your children, or you may be lucky enough to have wider family who would enjoy going away with you too. Make sure you appoint one of the family to be the organiser so they can sort out the actual booking and other important things like your travel insurance. You'll have a few different considerations perhaps when you take your parents away too, and you may need to check out over 60 travel insurance with medical conditions, but as long as you spend enough time to shop around and get a good deal you'll be fine. 

Important Home Renovation Services You Didn't Know You Needed

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After the initial phase of excitement, home renovations can quickly become a little overwhelming. There’s simply so much that will need to be done, and knowing who you can get help from isn’t always clear. To make it a bit easier, we’ve compiled some of the most important home renovation services to consider that you might not have thought about yet. 

Asbestos testing

If the house that you’re working on was built between 1930-1980 or had any work done on it during that time period, then there’s a strong chance that it could be contaminated with asbestos-containing materials. 

As you’ll no doubt be aware, inhaling asbestos particles massively increases your chances of getting cancer - it absolutely isn’t something that you want to play around with. 

There are a range of companies out there such as Asbestos-Sampling.com that facilitate convenient and safe testing services. It’s imperative that you use one to keep everyone involved safe during and after the renovation.

Energy audit

Houses in England have some of the worst energy efficiency ratings in the developed world. As a result, if you’re planning on doing any significant work to the property it's definitely worth having an energy audit carried out. 

They’ll be able to thoroughly inspect the insulation and ventilation in your building, the heating technologies, and a range of other variables. Based on this inspection, they’ll be able to make suggestions on changes that you could make that will make your home more efficient.

Not only will this make it more comfortable to live in, but it’ll also save you money on your heating bills and should add value to the property when and if you decide to sell it.

How to make the most out of your wholesale clothing purchases

 

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Buying clothing wholesale can be an excellent idea in a wide range of situations. Whether you’re celebrating a big life event with your community or you’re a business trying to get your brand out there, it can provide you with wonderful aesthetic opportunities. 

With so many different options to choose between, it can be pretty tricky working out how to make the most of your purchase. From understanding your target audience to being creative with your branding, these are some basic factors to consider.

Try to understand your target audience

When you start your journey of buying wholesale clothing, you’ll need to think about who will actually be wearing that clothing. This requires developing an understanding of your target audience, from their age to their general sense of style and place within the broader cultural context.

While pretty much any demographic will wear a t-shirt, the fit of that t-shirt and even more importantly, the branding that you put on it won’t be universally suitable. It’s important to take some time during this stage of the process - it will have a significant influence on many of the following steps. 

Find a good wholesale supplier

Once you know who you’re buying for, you can start to look for a wholesale clothing supplier. In most cases, it will be best to go with a bigger supplier such as Screen Textiles that doesn’t just handle a single niche. With these kinds of suppliers, you’ll be able to look over a wide range of styles, qualities and price ranges until you identify a few options that could be suitable for your brand. 

If you’re still unsure of what to go with, it’s worth reaching out to the supplier for advice - they’ll likely have some tips that you won’t have thought of, and it could save you a lot of hassle further down the line.

Don’t overbuy

While the whole point of buying wholesale is to benefit from an economy of scale, there are limits to this. It can be tempting to put a huge order in to benefit from the lower per-unit costs, but you need to make sure that you’ll actually be able to use that whole order.

For example, if you regularly make small updates to your branding, or if the items are a one-off for an event you’re holding, you’ll need to make sure you’re able to shift the majority of the order. You don’t want clothing sitting in a store cupboard somewhere for years, just to be thrown away. 

Be creative with your branding

Lastly, the benefits of wholesale clothing purchases aren’t just automatic - you also need to be creative in your branding approach. Even if your use case is non-commercial, to commemorate a special event, it’s still important that you make something unique and special - take your time, and have some fun with the design process. 

As you can see, making the most of your wholesale clothing purchases requires some thoughtful planning. Use other services such as graphic designers to help you out, and try to step outside the conceptual box for a second - it’ll be worth it.