Archive for July, 2010

Review: VoucherHub

// July 28th, 2010 // No Comments » // Services

As regular readers of this blog will know, Jen and I have just bought a house and we’re getting married in 3 weeks. All of this means that we’re both skint and looking to save money in any way we possibly can. There are various was to save money: turning lights off when you leave a room, walking instead of driving, not eating for days on end, etc, etc. However, people who know me will know that these are not popular choices for me. So, what should I do?

Well, this is where VoucherHub steps in. These nice guys and gals keep track of all the latest offers from the big name shops, fast food outlets and other fabulous stores. The site is very easy to use. Just head on over to voucherhub.com and search for the retailer you want a voucher code for, or select one of “Today’s Top Vouchers”, click on the code and it’ll take you directly to the site! Simples! I did it for the Domino’s Pizza voucher, and I got 25% off my total bill! Nice!

So a big thank you has to go to the VoucherHub folk – I can return to my miserly ways and keep the missus happy all in one go! Cheers!

House Update #1

// July 12th, 2010 // No Comments » // DIY

As you may have read, we’ve got the keys to our house and the DIY/decoration/remodelling is now well underway. Tonight is one of the rare nights where I’ve been able to finish early and actually come home and be able to relax and put together a blog post. The subject of this update is the master bedroom.

So far, the wallpaper has been stripped, walls have been sanded, the woodchip wallpaper is off the ceiling, and we’ve started sticking up a false wall. Jen (SWMBO) managed to get stuck up a set of ladders whilst stripping the woodchip off the ceiling. Being the good husband-to-be that I am, I helped her down… didn’t I? Apparently not:

Well, that’ll be me in the bad books. Anyway, moving on from that.. We stripped the wallpaper and started prepping the walls for paint. I say ‘we’ – in reality it was SWMBO and her dad. Here she is in her sanding get-up:

For me though, the most interesting part of the work is being carried out on the opposite wall. This is the wall where the tech is going. My 32″ Sony Bravia will be going here. Along with some coax cable, Cat5e and power. Click on the thumbnails to get a view of how the wall is progressing:

Hopefully tomorrow night I’ll be able to get the remainder of the plasterboard up with Robert’s help and we’ll then be able to get it plastered and painted. After that, we can start moving in – and get started on the living room.

I’m pretty pleased with the way things are working out – it’s taking just a little bit longer than expected, but once it’s done, I’ll be a happy man. A tired, but happy, man.

Oh, I almost forgot – here’s a video look at the bedroom as of yesterday:

We’re In

// July 6th, 2010 // No Comments » // DIY

Those of you who are following the progress of our new home may be interested to know that we now have the keys. We’re not quite moved in, but SWMBO has decreed that we MUST be in by 17 July as she ‘has people coming to stay’. Nothing quick like piling on the pressure, is there?

Anyway, we got the keys on 30 June, and we’ve already demolished the living room. At this point I have to thank a few people; Gael, Robert, Craig, Andrew, Gordon, Jen: THANK YOU. Without you all, we would still have a crappy concrete/faux marble fireplace & entertainment centre with arches which would put the Vatican to shame. Thanks to you, we had a nice bomb site:

(that’s Robert & Gael, in case you were interested)

Well, it was a bomb site until Gael, Jen and I got all the rubble into bags and Robert and I got it all to the dump. Thanks for getting the van, Robert! Things look a whole lot better now the rubble has vanished, and Jen got to use her new Dyson DC24. The carpet is now spotless:

Now all I’ve got to do is get the new wood frame up, the cables run, get a couple of spurs from my sockets, get the plasterboard up, get it plastered, change the carpet, paint, get the curtains up, get the furniture in and we’ll be laughing. Easy enough? *sigh*