Editor's Picks Archives - Page 9 of 24

Why A Caravan Is The Ultimate Millennial Purchase

By delta January 31, 2021

Ever heard of #vanlife? The movement is sweeping the globe with young people, priced out of the housing market, trading in the traditional goals of owning a home with a white picket fence for the wanderlust of life on the road.

Converting old school busses, vans, trailers or revamping caravans these young people are living on the road and you’ve never seen a caravan look this cool. With fully equipped kitchens, beds, living rooms and, we’ll level with you, a borderline insane amount of fairy lights – these young people have redefined the game.

So, what’s driving these young people to life on the road rather than a traditional home?

Ever-Rising Rent

The price of rent to live in cities has been constantly on the rise with the average rental price in Sydney coming in at $540 per week. These exorbitantly high prices combined with unemployment and under-employment crisis that see many young people either without work or having to work multiple jobs to afford to pay rent, leaving very little behind for living expenses or savings. The price of rent has seen many young people living with their parents for longer, moving out of the cities or turning to other options like vans.

Cheaper Costs

Not having to pay rent is a major tick in the plus-column when it comes to the choice between vanlife and city life. As most people in the vanlife community will tell you, the biggest cost when it comes to living in a van is buying the van itself and the subsequent renovations. Luckily, the actual vehicles are often cheaper than you might think. Head to Grays and find the van, caravan or disused school bus perhaps that is ready to be converted into your dream home.

Love of the Open Road

As Jack Keroac would tell you, there’s something romantic about the open road. Whether they were inspired to this nomadic lifestyle like Keroac in On The Road, enchanted by the idea that “there was nowhere to go but everywhere” and that all they “needed was a wheel in his hand and four on the road,” or they just felt a pull towards a life on the move, with no fixed address – the whole thing is incredibly romantic. With so many young people spending weeks and months backpacking, this lifestyle is not foreign to them but, it is far more cost effective!

Freedom

For many young people the main draw of vanlife is the freedom of not being tied down to one place, one lease, one job. On top of the extortionate rents in many major Australian cities another thing stopping young people from wanting to sign year long leases is the fact that they have plans to travel for a few months and that dream is financially untenable if they have to be paying for rent whilst also paying to accommodation, flights and everything else that comes with travelling.

The vanlife lifestyle is often described as perfect for people who want to ‘own less and experience more.’ Married couples like the Armstrongs, the duo behind the popular account Mavis The Airstream said they turned to vanlife when they were tired of the monotony of everyday 9-5 jobs and city life. They now run the popular blog giving advice on van renovations and hacks to others in the community From single people, to young couples, married folk like the Armstrongs, even parents with kids have turned to vanlife, and the freedom is unbeatable!

How to Find the Best Dog Dental Treats for Your Pet

By delta January 21, 2021

Having your pet around would surely help lighten your home’s living environment. Nothing feels better than seeing your dog happy and healthy all the time while being able to continue to bring joy to your household. You’ve probably even tried to teach them new tricks and commands for a more harmonious living, and training won’t be complete without the help of a dog treat.

A dog treat is a small snack that can either be biscuits or jerky that you give to your pet either as something to nibble on or as a reward for following a command. While they can be a fun treat to your pets, it’ll be best if you get to add in great benefits that help to promote their dental health.

While there is plenty of dog treats available in the market today, you must be in search of the best dental treats like those from Greenies Canada as it’ll help to provide excellent dental benefits for your pet’s oral health.

Match the Size

Before you purchase the best-reviewed dental dog treats that you came across online, you need to make sure that it’s within the appropriate size for your pet so that they could chew it properly and be able to acquire the benefits of a dog treat.

Imagine having a golden retriever, and your dental dog treat is the size of a nugget, which only requires them to chew it once and swallow it immediately. While that can be convenient for your pet, they’ll not be getting the right benefits of what a dental dog treat can offer.

Some companies provide a guide on their packaging with the recommended dog size, which allows them to enjoy the treat and maximize its advantages. However, every dog is different. If your small pet is a fast chewer, consider purchasing a larger one.

Healthy Ingredients

While a dog treat is intended for your pets to practice and exercise their chewing needs, they might consume too much as they enjoy the taste and the exercise it provides them. While you want your dog treats to be beneficial when it comes to chewing, you might want to search for a treat that has an added benefit in which it includes healthy ingredients.

Since the treats are supposed to be chewed and swallowed, you might want to consider healthier ingredients so that it’ll not ruin their diet and add unnecessary calories to their body. Ideally, you should choose a dog treat containing Vitamin C and E as those are natural preservatives, allowing your pet to be strong and healthy orally.

Satisfies Your Dog

While the benefits and advantages are endless for dog treats, the result will rely on how your pet loves the dental treat. This is where the trial-and-error process happens, and you’ll be experimenting to which dog treat your pet should have.

When it comes to satisfying your dog’s chewing requirements, make sure that it takes them a while before it entirely breaks down and is ready for swallowing. When the dog treat can easily be ripped out and available for eating immediately, it’ll not serve its purpose and would just stand as a snack. Make sure that the treat is hard enough that it takes your dog a while before they can eat it.

For the maximum treat chewing satisfaction, you may want to provide them with a pet-friendly environment so that not only will they enjoy eating your treats, they get to enjoy hanging around at your home a lot more.

Serves Its Purpose

One great way to identify if the dental dog treat is effective for your pet is to check your dog’s teeth and gum health by yourself.

You should regularly check your dog’s teeth to see if there are any signs of plaque. Along with this, you also might want to check how they chew on the dental treat. If it reaches their gums and jaws, you can verify that it’s cleaning them properly and not focusing solely on the teeth.

Another thing that you could do is to see if your dog is satisfied with how they chew their toy. If they seem to be annoyed with how hard the treat is, consider choosing a softer grind or switch to a chew toy instead.

One way to guarantee that your dental treats are effective for your dog is to have your dog’s teeth checked during your visit to the vet. They can check your pet’s oral health and suggest different ways to take good care of their teeth apart from giving dental treats.

Conclusion

Your dog’s oral health is as important as yours. While you want the best and most delicious treats for your dogs, you might want to purchase dog dental treats that allow them to have a better set of teeth, plus great nutritional values. Ensure that you are buying a dental dog treat that’s sized appropriately for their mouth and can fully serve its purpose by allowing your dog’s teeth to be healthier and cleaner by removing any plaques.

Storage Services: A Perfect Solution For Your Storage Woes

By delta January 5, 2021

Our homes and office spaces usually have some things that are unnecessary and they take up a lot of space. These stuffs are usually better kept in storerooms. However, sparing an entire room for additional things is not always possible and renting another room along with the office space can be quite costly.

Well, one simple solution to this problem is self-storage services.

Self-storage is a facility where you can rent a small or big space depending on your needs and keep your belongings there. There are many advantages to choosing a self-storage unit. You can read more about these services here.

Here are the pros to using a storage service.

A Secure Place For You To Keep Your Things

The first advantage is that these units give you a safe and secure space to keep all your things. From machines that are unused to furniture, documents, and even your vehicles, these facilities can be used to store all non-perishable things.

The facilities are safe and secure and usually have multiple security features such as on-site guards and CCTV cameras. Additionally, the customers are given passcodes to access their units, thus making the environment a safe and secured one.

Declutter Your Space

With these facilities, you will be able to easily declutter your space and make it look more presentable. It is not always possible to throw or give things away and hoarding becomes inevitable. So, most people leave these rarely-used things laying around the house.

In the offices, there are many machines and furniture items that are not regularly used and they also take up space. All of these when moved to storehouse facilities can make the space look much organised and neater.

Convenience and Flexibility

The storehouse facilities have rooms in different sizes as per the need of the users. From small lockers to large rooms, you can rent as much space as you want. The best way to know how much area you need is to measure up all your belongings and then go visit a storage facility to have a clearer idea. Also, time is flexible. This means that you can use the space whenever you want. Most of the places give 12-24-hour access to the users.

Makes Travelling Stress Free

When traveling to another place for a long period, most people want to leave their rented apartments and not pay unnecessary rent. In such a case, you can store all your things at these units and pay one fourth or even less. It is also a good option for college students who cannot take all of their belongings home after every semester. Here are the benefits of self-storage when moving: https://medium.com/@HiveBoxx/the-benefits-of-self-storage-units-while-moving-59a5afde69f7

Makes Renovation Easier

When undergoing a renovation, you can rent self-storage units for a few days and save your furniture and appliances from getting damaged. A unit can be rented for a week, a few days, or even for months and years.

Affordable

Storehouse spaces are very affordable. You will be able to find a unit that is suitable for your budget. It is important to note that the more services you take, the higher the cost of these facilities become. Also, the best thing is that you only pay for the space you need. So, the price is also customizable.

Climate Control Storage For Delicate Things

Many facilities provide climate control services. Climate control means that the unit will not get too hot or too cold because there is a climate control system installed in them. A lot of facilities such as Storage Plus offer this service. This is the best option when you want to store furniture that can get damaged or machines and appliances that can also be damaged because of temperature and humidity. However, you might have to pay extra for climate control.

Self-Storage Tips

If you want to keep your belongings in a self-storage unit, here are some tips that you can follow:

Always choose a unit that can fit all your things. Before moving your stuff in a unit, make sure that you calculate the length and breadth needed to store all your belongings.
Always make an inventory of the things that you have kept in a unit. This will make it easier for you to stay organized and remember everything that you have stored and where they are.
Categorize your things and put each of them in labeled boxes so that it becomes easier to look for them when you want.
When you arrange your goods in storage, make sure to keep the things you need immediately at places where you can easily reach them. Also, it is helpful that you use the vertical space of the unit to place your belongings. This will make the space less crowded.
Since the things will remain in the space for some time, you need to make sure that each item is wrapped properly.
Never forget about the insurance from the storage services in case any of your goods are damaged because of their fault.
Even if your unit has enough security, take all personal measures to keep your stuff safe. This will include buying stronger locks and also having difficult passcodes.
Always read the terms and conditions provided by the company so that you know how much you have to pay for each facility. Some companies provide a flat rate for everything and some places will charge you different rates for extra services such as climate control and electronic locks.
Find a storage unit that is closer to your office or home so that you can easily move your things.
Always research the unit before you put your belongings there. Safety should be your biggest priority.

Storage unit services can be helpful for people who are looking to store their belongings but do not have enough space to do it. Just keep the above tips in mind and also go for storage units that are trustworthy and offer you insurance.

Why Birdhouses Can Make A Great Gift for The Garden Lover

By delta January 4, 2021

While this worldwide pandemic created menace all around the world, the only good thing it’s done is to compel people to seek creative gateways to survive it all. Thousands of people reconnected with nature at different levels and discovered joy in simple pleasures of gardening, bird feeding and doing little things that they couldn’t manage time for in their regular schedule.

Birds and insects like honeybees and butterflies are natural pollinators and a happy garden needs them too. If you are brainstorming for some innovative gifting ideas this season, you can check out a painted birdhouse as a gift for your friends or family members. Shopping from a reliable store can ensure high-quality products, ensuring that your loved ones cherish every moment they spend in their yards hosting chirpy birdies.

Serving a Dual Purpose

Your birdhouses can act as a bird feeder as well. With a plethora of options to buy from, you can always pick and choose one that befits your needs and preference. If your friend or colleague is an admirer of nature, you can also look for models that are curated from waste materials. From the ones that are designed as birdbaths and feeders to the hanging houses, you can opt for a design, size and colour that you think would make the best gift.

You can try the handmade models that are designed with recycled materials as these are eco-friendly and don’t easily chip or fade. From contemporary styles to vintage designs, you can pick any design that complements the garden décor.

Explore Options

It would be a good idea to check out a few models before deciding on the model you would like to gift your near and dear ones. Birdhouses make a smart gifting idea not just for house warming parties, but can also be gifted on birthdays, anniversaries and many other occasions.

There are birdie home models that come with free nesting materials. Not all birds are natural cavity dwellers. For your friends who have yards covered with tall trees, a bird home can house all the species that prefer building their nests on trees and shrubs. Those like the house finches, blue jays, cardinals, robins would love this gesture.

Do-it-Yourself

There’s nothing like a personalized gift, and something crafted with your hands add that magic to your gift. If you have a creative bent of mind and want to customize your gift, you also have the option of creating a DIY piece.

There are several tutorial videos on social media that you can check out to tailor-make. Just make sure that you use natural and appropriate materials that appear welcoming to the birdies. A birdhouse with a comfortable environment for the birdies is likely to not only invite them but also house them for a longer time.

Just refrain from using materials with dyes as it can be harmful to hatchlings. Also, for older nestlings, these may not be safe to use unnatural materials. You can pick raffia, strings or Spanish moss. It is recommended that you stick to using only two or three inches of the moss. Anything over this can get entangled in the birdie’s feet endangering it. Check out simple ways to grow moss indoors at https://www.wikihow.com/Grow-Moss-Indoors.

DIY offers the liberty of crafting the birdhouse just the way you want it. So, you can add protective layers such as coco liners or extra moss for the nest. This will make more cushion and also ensure that blue jays steer away from the hanging nests. Avoid using dryer lint. Although these may be soft and fluffy the fibres may contain dye.

In warmer areas, birds start looking for nesting spots as soon as the temperature rises and so is that for colder regions as well. A perfect home designed to meet the basic resting and nesting of the birds can allow them to settle conveniently.

If your gift recipient is one who likes the hummingbirds fluttering in his/her garden, you can suggest them to simply start by offering all the materials that attract the winged creatures. A great idea to allow the birds to take over is to simply provide nesting materials around the birdhouse. This will enable them to decorate their nest just the way they like it.

Did you know that birds like the goldfinches, blue jays, robins or even the cardinals adore natural nesting materials and quickly build their nests with the materials you provide them with?

Be it the window grill, lawn, balcony or your backyard, a bird nest is always a welcome addition for most garden enthusiasts. From sparrows, tits to any other bird that can easily nest in smaller cavities, such bird homes not only provide shelter to the nestles birds but also protect them from other predators. Good quality of nesting boxes is easy to install and thus make it a good gift.

You can pick models that are handcrafted and hand-painted. Durable woods always have an advantage. If it’s a box, you can ask your recipient friend to leave the side door open so that birds can find their way in. Also, this will make it easy for you to clean every season. Some birds may take a while to locate the nest and find their way through.

A birdhouse box can be mounted higher than the fence posts as it can prevent any predator from quick spotting or even climbing up to the nest. Removing any perches on the birdhouse is also a good idea.

Birdhouses aren’t difficult to maintain as they need seasonal cleaning. Yards naturally make a good habitat for such nest boxes. Yes, it will be good to ensure that they are installed away from areas with herbicides or pesticides as these can be harmful to the birds and also impact the natural food source for other cavity-nesting species.

Log cabin birdhouses, hanging birdhouses to tower-houses, you can be sure that your friend or family that you gift the birdhouse will enjoy watching different bird species at leisure.

There are designs equipped with modern features that can increase both the show and functionality of the birdhouse in many ways. So, why wait, just find the best piece and place an order right away!

How the ‘Green’ Mediterranean Diet May Be Even Healthier for You

By delta December 1, 2020

The original Mediterranean diet first became popular in the United States during the 1960s. At this time, health experts realized that certain Mediterranean countries dealt with fewer deaths caused by coronary heart disease compared to the US. The diet was quickly adopted by many households in the US and some other parts of the world. To this day, it remains one of the popular diet plans.

In 2020, a study was published that showed how a new version of this diet, known as the green Mediterranean diet, could further benefit the metabolism and cardiovascular system. Although it’s mostly based on the original diet popularized in the 1960s, it does add some more restrictions and promotes an increased intake of certain foods.

What Is the Standard Mediterranean Diet?

The standard Mediterranean diet doesn’t tell you how many calories you should consume on a daily basis. This is up to the individual to determine based on their own personal goals. If your goal is to lose weight, you should burn more calories than you consume.

In essence, this is not a structured diet in any way. Instead, it revolves around a way of eating popular in some countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, like Italy and Greece. The local cuisine in these countries is quite different, but they share many similar principles.

The standard Mediterranean diet encourages people to increase their intake of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats on a daily basis. It also promotes eating fish, eggs, beans, and poultry at least once a week. If you follow the standard Mediterranean diet, you should consume dairy products in moderate amounts and strictly limit your intake of red meat to an occasional treat.

Foods not mentioned above should be avoided. That means that you shouldn’t consume sugar, unless on special occasions. For instance, it’s okay to have a piece of cake once a month if you’re attending a celebration. To reap the full benefits of this diet, it’s important to take care of your physical health. It’s recommended that you engage in physical activity on a regular basis. Try to squeeze in a 30-minute workout into your schedule at least 5 times per week.

Aside from improving your eating habits and exercising, another great way to maintain your health is to get a good Medicare Advantage plan. With the right plan, it’ll be easier for you to do routine checkups at the doctor and receive medical treatments whenever you need them.

What Is the Green Mediterranean Diet?

The purpose of the green Mediterranean diet is to promote additional intake of plant-based foods while lowering the consumption of meat and poultry. In research that was published in November 2020, it was concluded that this type of diet provides great cardiometabolic protection. In fact, it offers more health benefits than the traditional green Mediterranean diet.

The study was conducted among 294 participants who lead sedentary lifestyles and had an average age of 51. Most of the participants in this study were men with moderate obesity. They were divided into three different groups. Researchers ultimately found that the green Mediterranean diet is able to provide a 20 percent reduction in low-grade systemic inflammation. It was also shown to lower bad cholesterol by four percent.

The first group of participants was given some basic information on how to eat healthier and exercise. The second group was provided with guidance on how to increase physical activity. However, they were introduced to the traditional Mediterranean diet as well. This diet included some calorie restrictions and didn’t allow participants to eat red meat at all. They replaced red meat with poultry and fish – and had the participants eat 28 grams of walnuts each day.

Finally, the third group received the same information regarding regular exercise as the other two groups. Meanwhile, they had to follow the green Mediterranean diet. Just like the second group, they also had to avoid red meat. The participants in this group were also told to stop consuming processed meat of any type. They also had to increase their intake of plant-based foods.

What was significant about the third group is that they’d drink three or four cups of green tea per day. They’d also consume 100 grams of frozen duckweed in plant-based shakes to maintain high protein levels without eating meat. The reason why duckweed was chosen is that it contains all nine amino acids, which is incredibly rare among plant-based foods.

Each group followed rules that were given to them for six months, which is when researchers began examining results.

The Health Benefits of the Green Mediterranean Diet

Researchers found that participants in the third group were able to lose more weight than others. The average person that followed the green Mediterranean diet lost almost 14 pounds over the course of six months. Meanwhile, the participants in the second group lost nearly 12 pounds over this time period. Participants in the first group, which received only basic advice on how to improve their eating habits, lost just three pounds on average.

It was concluded that the green Mediterranean diet can be part of an effective weight-loss strategy. The waist circumference among participants in each group decreased. For the third group, it was an average reduction of 3.4 inches. Meanwhile, the decrease was measured at 2.7 inches for the second group and 1.7 inches for the first.

Those who followed the green Mediterranean diet experienced a 4% reduction in bad cholesterol. For people in the second group, it was a 1% decrease. There was hardly a noticeable reduction in the first group. The green Mediterranean diet offered notable other health benefits, such as a decrease in diastolic blood pressure, an increase in good cholesterol, and improved insulin resistance.

What the researchers concluded was that a whole foods plant-based diet rich in protein can strengthen your cardiovascular health and help you lose weight. Based on their findings, it’s clear that it’s much healthier than the traditional Mediterranean diet.

Top Tips To Extend Your Vehicle’s Lifespan

By delta December 1, 2020

Vehicle maintenance is essential to a car’s performance, making it a top priority for car owners. Maintenance ensures you and your passengers’ safety as well as the safety of other drivers. According to 2018 data from IIHS, 33,654 vehicles were involved in fatal car crashes, which could have resulted from inadequate maintenance. So, if you want to know more about keeping your car in top condition, then consider the following points.

Inspect and Maintain Your Tires

Tire maintenance is an essential aspect of car ownership that you must be on top of to maintain your vehicle. Weak tires can cause fires and blowouts, compromise your road grip, and make it harder for you to decelerate. Therefore, you need to care for and check your tires regularly to ensure that they are roadworthy. To do this, several auto maintenance experts suggest regular inspections to determine if your tires need servicing. Check your tire pressure with a pressure gauge at least monthly if you live in average temperatures. Residents in extreme climates should perform these checks more often. Also, keep your tires inflated because flat tires are a hazard for drivers. It would be best if you also changed your wheels and tyres every 5,000 to 10,000 miles to prevent driving around with worn-out tires that can cause accidents.

Wash Your Car

Car washing is perhaps the most popular and frequent vehicle maintenance routine for several owners. Your vehicle is at the mercy of elements such as bird droppings and dust, which deprive it of looking perfect as you go about your daily routine. Therefore, please make time to personally wash your vehicle or send it to a professional car wash to receive a thorough cleaning. Car washing can prevent vehicle damage by flushing away impurities like mud and dirt that damage your car’s paint job. Also, it can improve your safety by removing debris from your windshield, side mirrors, rear window, and tires. Regular car washing also preserves your vehicle’s value by preventing dull paint job, rust, etc., and can contribute to you getting a great deal on your car should you decide to sell in the future. Prioritize washing your vehicle at least weekly to maintain its aesthetic appeal and value for optimum results.

Change Your Oil

It would help to prioritize regular oil changing because it is crucial to your car’s proper functioning. Consider checking your oil monthly and replacing it based on your car owner’s manual recommendations, typically after 3,000 to 5,000 miles. You can check your oil personally or take your car to a service center. Should you opt for a personal check, learn all the necessary and proper fluid draining steps, set oil at the correct level, and dispose of old oil. Inconsistent and improper oil changes can cause you to fill up on gas more often, so prioritize consistent oil changes to better gas mileage. Also, oil change reduces engine wear and buildup. Excess dirt and sludge buildup in engines are standard with car usage, so change your oil to make your engine cleaner and more smooth-running. Oil changes also lubricate your engine and extend its life. So prioritize regular oil changes St George Utah on your car maintenance checklist.

Change Your Air Filter

Your vehicle’s air filter prevents debris and sand from entering your engine from outside. Therefore, regularly changing your air filter can increase fuel efficiency. Some studies indicate that changing a dirty air filter can boost the mileage on older cars by up to 14%. New air filters can also increase acceleration in most modern vehicles by 6-11%. You also benefit from reduced emissions by changing your air filter. New filters improve airflow to your engine, reducing fuel consumption, emissions, and efficiency. Several mechanics suggest swapping out your air filter every 15,000 miles, although this varies based on your location and how often you drive. As such, replace your air filters regularly to maintain your car by prolonging its engine life and efficiency.

Check and Replace Other Fluids

Aside from your engine oil, it would help if you kept several other fluids at appropriate levels to keep your car functioning properly. These fluids are your coolant, power steering, brake, and transmission fluids. Your vehicle’s coolant works to keep everything cool in your engine by absorbing heat from combustion and friction and dissipating it through the radiator. Experts recommend checking this fluid every 50,000 miles for leaks to maintain the correct coolant level that prevents overheating. Brake fluids also need checks because several modern car brakes are hydraulic, so fluid connects the pedals to the brakes. This brake fluid gets contaminated with water, which makes brake lines rust. So change this fluid every two years to prevent abnormalities when bringing your car to a halt. Your power steering fluid, which allows you to steer easily, also needs replacement every two years to get rid of dust and debris. Finally, your transmission fluid lubricates and cools components inside your transmission. This fluid’s corruption causes strange noises and rough shifting in your gears, valves, and clutches. As such, check your transmission level with a dipstick to inspect the fluid level and change it if it is dark, cloudy, or gritty for optimum vehicle maintenance.

Regular Professional Servicing

Automobiles come in varying brands and types with several tricky parts, designs, and structures. Therefore, although you can handle some minor car issues at home, several others require an experienced and professional eye to address. Your mechanic visits are a preventive maintenance measure. That’s because you are being proactive about keeping your car in top shape instead of reacting to problems that need solving before they arise. Many automobile experts agree that this proactivity can save you from extensive and costly repairs in the future. Also, having the mechanics service your vehicle is a more convenient option than personal servicing if you don’t have the time. It would help to schedule mechanic visits at least once every six months to keep your vehicle in optimum condition.

[Product Review]- Sudio ETT

By delta November 10, 2020

I recently gotten the Sudio ETT and it is one of the best tech gadgets that I have received till date. The Sudio ETT is not my first wireless earbuds and there are in fact two other wireless earbuds brands (Xiaomi Mi True Wireless Earphone 2 and Jaybird Run XT True Wireless Buds) that I personally own.

Although the Sudio ETT is Sudio’s most expensive audio product at SGD$239, it is relatively affordable if you are looking for wireless earbuds that has both Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) and Wireless Charging (WC) features. These two features alone make the Sudio ETT an audio product that is truly value-for-money.

Audio Quality

The audio quality is above average and it is pretty decent given the price tag. Ballads and acoustic music (Ed Sheeran, Tyler Ward) sound really crisp and warm. Therefore, if you listen to classical, acoustic, and pop music more than anything else, the Sudio ETT is going to give you a natural and immersive audio experience.

On the other hand, heavy metal and punk rock music lovers (Blink 182, P.O.D) will likely be disappointed with the audio quality on the Sudio ETT because the bass lacks some serious punch and it will not give you the pump that you were hoping for.

Battery Life

The playtime is listed as up to 30 hours and 20 hours with ANC but this is based on the battery capacity of the charging case to recharge the Sudio ETT for about 4 times. On a single charge, I was able to clock about 6 hours of usage (probably just enough for a mid-haul flight from Singapore to Japan/Korea). Do note that turning on the ANC feature does drain your battery really fast.

IPX5 Rating

In addition to the ANC and WC features, the Sudio ETT has an IPX5 rating. What that essentially means is that the Sudio ETT is perfect for your outdoor runs or indoor gym sessions but you definitely cannot bring them to swim or shower.

The Cons

There are just two things that annoy me when it comes to the Sudio ETT. The only way you can turn on the Sudio ETT is by taking them out of the charging case. This can be quite annoying especially if you want to leave them aside after using it and not put them back into the charging case to charge.

The other thing that really annoys me is the fact that although the Sudio ETT can remember up to 8 paired devices, it will automatically connect to the device that it last connected to. Hence, if I wanted to reconnect to any of my previously paired devices, I got to disconnect it from the device that I am currently using before reconnecting it to my other device.

Having said that, the cons aren’t exactly deal-breakers especially when they have two features (active noise cancellation and wireless charging) that I am specifically looking for in wireless earbuds.

Overall

One thing that really sets the Sudio ETT apart is not just the attractive pricing but also the fact that it is available in 5 different colours (green, white, black, pink, and anthracite). This bonus feature is something that not many other wireless earbuds brands can beat because most of them usually come in just 2 standard colours (black and white).

With awesome features, attractive pricing, and many colours to choose from; this makes Sudio ETT the perfect companion for music lovers.

Highlight

Sudio is currently running a promotion and the Sudio ETT is going for SGD$174.47. If you use the promo code => awinsomelife, you can get an additional 10% off for the Sudio ETT and it will cost just SGD$157.02. This is quite a steal so don’t miss it!

A Beginner’s Guide to PPC Management

By delta October 31, 2020

PPC means pay per click. This is a method of advertisement where companies fund certain keywords that generate traffic to their websites from potential customers. These companies pay the search engines for each user that clicks on the link.

These search engines display the products and services at the top of the search page. There is a lot that goes into designing a pay per click campaign. You need to have the right keywords, invest enough money, and target the right customer.

Even though there are a lot of different types of PPC ads, paid search is one of the most common. Pay per click might look easy in theory but it is a complicated process when you have to apply it for your firm. The terminology and management can be extremely time consuming and if you do not have a marketing team, the entire process becomes daunting.

To manage this problem, pay per click management comes into the picture. Pay per click management is when a team of marketers or specialists oversee the ad strategy, budget and overall process for a company.

The management is either done by a management team in the company or outsourced to other agencies. A lot of small companies opt to outsource the services for a fixed amount. The experts have specialized knowledge and can identify your goals and the techniques that are needed to achieve them. Having specialists working on your PPC marketing can save you time as well and make it easier for the company to have a large online audience.

The Advantages of PPC Advertising

Pay Per Click advertisements is a marketing strategy employed by many companies because of the following reasons:

Targets Audience Interested In Your Services

One of the advantages of pay per click advertising is that it only attracts the audience that is already looking for services that your company has to offer.

Since the advertisement technique is based on keyword, the customers who are interested in these keywords will be willing to click on the links and browse your products and services. Unlike other marketing techniques (such as mass media, radio broadcast) where the audience is extremely large, you only target the audience that has a chance of becoming a potential customer by PPC.

The ROI Can Be Measured

PPC marketing is measurable. You can easily check the stats and return of investment through the number of clicks that your keywords are bringing to your website. A lot of marketing experts such as https://seolondonagency.co.uk/ppc/ can help you gain a better insight into the stats and help you build a better ad campaign. The best part is that the advertisements are not based on search engine algorithms or SEO and hence your ads are shown at the top of the page which means better exposure.

Gives The Brand Exposure Around The World

With pay per click ads, you get to attract audiences from all over the world. In addition, it is also one of the few ways of advertisement where your audience has a higher potential of becoming a customer. The brand recognition shoots up fast with the help of this technique and your company can even start doing business in new markets. Additionally, as the results are fast, the advertisement can bring hundreds of people to your website and increase your sales and revenues.

Is Budget Friendly

Finally, the biggest advantage is that pay per click marketing is cheaper. You only pay when the consumers click on your ad. Moreover, it is extremely accessible. The campaign can be launched in no time with the right kind of expertise and the budget for this process can be easily controlled to give the best ROI.

What Is The Job Of A PPC Agency?

To make your online marketing easier, it is a good option to hire a management company who can handle all your pay per click ad campaigns. Here is what a PPC Agency does.

Finding The Right Keywords

The only way for an ad campaign to become a success is by finding the right keyword. The job of the agency is to find the keywords that your target audience is searching for and then using them in your marketing strategy.

Analyzing The Competition

A regular look at what the competition is doing makes it easier to update the campaign and fill the gaps that have been left uncovered. Hence the job of the agency is to do a thorough analysis of the keywords that the competition is using to target the audience. You can click here to know more about PPC advertising.

Selecting The Best Channels

There are numerous media channels where the paid ads can be placed. From Google to Facebook and Bing, the agency will find out which channel is visited the most by your targeted audience.

Monitoring The Campaign

Monitoring and optimization of the campaign are also done by the agency. They check the most clicked keywords and then optimize the budget to boost the return on investment.

Regular A/B Testing

Finally, a lot of split testing is done to find the best results that can bring in the biggest audience for the company. Split testing makes it easier to optimize the digital marketing campaign.

Are Pay-Per-Click Management Services For You?

Companies that are creating a name for themselves in the online community should go for PPC specialization agencies. Companies that do not have a dedicated in-house advertisement team to handle online marketing are the ones that should opt for these services.

Even though many companies think that having a specialist to manage their PPC advertisements is a waste of money, this notion is wrong. Hiring specialists can put you far ahead of other companies and give you the visibility that you desire.

Final Words

PPC Marketing can be very useful in driving online traffic to your business. With the right kind of management team handling your ad campaign, the strategy can become lucrative in bringing the right kind of consumer to your brand from all around the world. You can hire experts and list down all your needs from the PPC ad campaign so that they can use the right resources to reach your goals.

Getting Married in Singapore Can Be Quite Expensive. Here Are 5 Tips to Lower Your Costs

By delta October 29, 2020

There is a general notion that having a wedding in Singapore is quite costly. This situation is promoted by the Singaporean wedding culture, a mixture of western and traditional elements. Moreover, the high costs are brought about by hosting a hotel banquet and the need to invite friends from the business circles, rather than the usual paper signing process.

However, there are various ways of how you can avoid spending too much on your wedding. Although some sites, such as https://www.a1credit.sg, have written helpful articles that contain tips for planning a wedding, it can still be a challenge for some others.

If you intend to cut wedding costs, here are 5 essential wedding planning tips that we have for you to consider.

1. Go for Alternative Venues

In Singapore, a significant portion of your wedding cost could be taken up by the banquet. To reduce the amount of money to be spent at your wedding, consider shunning these wedding banquets. Rather, it might be worth hosting your wedding at alternative venues such as parks, restaurants, or event halls. Though it is not a guarantee that these places are cheaper, the prices quoted would provide you with options to make flexible adjustments. From the range of options, you can get a place that provides a suitable wedding reception with romantic themes and in the process, save the extra cash while receiving value-guaranteed services.

Believe it or not, we actually booked and secured our wedding banquet package 3 years before our actual wedding and we saved a lot. I know it sounds kiasu but back then, a table at One Degree 15 Marina Club costs us $888++. Today, I don’t think you can find such a price anymore.

2. Acquire A Bridal Package

This is the most cost-effective method of obtaining all the required wedding services such as photography, suit rentals, gowns, and make-ups. Hence, bridal packages are quite popular in Singapore as the wedding costs could be hiked if couples use separate vendors. There are certain tricks that you can use to benefit optimally from bridal packages. For instance, let your chosen bridal studio comprehensively list down all the items that are included in the bridal package. Then, decide on what is necessary and replace the unwanted items by checking them off the list.

Getting a wedding planner can also be another solution to cutting down extra costs. Though many people believed that hiring a wedding planner can be costly since they do charge additional fees to source the items required and to plan the actual event; wedding planners do have connections with vendors and they can often negotiate for discounts especially for the items that you want. Therefore, when planning to have a large wedding with specific requirements, consider getting a wedding planner to cut down the costs.

For us, we got our bridal package from Johor Bahru, Malaysia.

3. Do It Your Way

This is mostly applicable when you have some creative skills. It helps cut down extra expenses in acquiring some items. For instance, there is no need to splash out hundreds of dollars on things such as wedding favours, decorations, and invitation cards. In fact, you can have all these and other items printed from home.

We actually got our wedding invitation cards printed in China (yes thank God for Taobao) and we had them shipped all the way to Singapore.

When not sufficiently skilled in either of these areas, you can get help from friends who can take care of your actual day wedding photography. Even make-up and hairstyling can also be taken care of by your friends. However, we are not disqualifying the necessity to pay for services from professionals. In fact, for a once in a lifetime event, we recommend that you hire professionals to do the job but if the budget is really a constraint, then these alternatives would help reduce your wedding expenses and go a long way in cutting down unnecessary costs for your wedding. It might even be a creative way of getting your family members and close friends involved in your wedding preparation.

4. Be Selective

In Singapore, everything can really be expensive, especially for events such as weddings. When planning to hold your wedding at relatively lower costs, it is worth being selective with everything you buy as the small things can eventually add up to a huge sum. You can also be selective by screening the list of people whom you intend to invite for your actual wedding event. You do not want to spend a lot buying stuff, only to end with a long list of absentees.

Another vital area that you can be selective about is the wedding menus. Go for food and beverage selections that are wallet-friendly. For instance, instead of hard liquor, serve your guests with wines and beers as that can help you save a considerable amount of money.

5. Use Good Credit Cards

It is not uncommon for newly-weds-to-be to resort to using credit cards in the event their finances take a bitter turn before, during, or after their wedding. This is especially true when buying lavish items and it can sometimes be quite unavoidable in an expensive country like Singapore. To get the most out of your credit card, ensure that the credit card you are using offer discounts at the wedding venues of your choice. A reasonable discount is between 5 and 10% of the reception cost.

Furthermore, you can switch to using cashback cards which allow you to get cash rebates instead. This is quite helpful as you can split the installment payments to cater to the required rebate expenditures. For instance, you can use the UOB One Card which offers a 5% rebate when you spend $2000 monthly for 3 consecutive months. What you get back is a whopping $1,200 in a year. This option is suitable when you shop for wedding items and want to save some cash in return.

If you are planning to accumulate miles for your honeymoon, the American Express^® Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Credit Card is a card to go for. In fact, we have managed to accumulate business class flights for our trip to New Zealand last year.

Closing Thoughts

The wedding culture in Singapore requires one to have proper planning and you can still have a magnificent wedding in a romantic venue while saving money by following the tips discussed in this article. If you are planning for an upcoming wedding, incorporate some money-saving tricks to avoid spending everything from your own savings.

Is Clickfunnels A Scam? – Effectively Grow Your Business Through Clickfunnels

By delta October 8, 2020

Are you dissatisfied with the online sale of your products and services? Many entrepreneurs fail to reach e-commerce success due to improper design and execution of their sales funnel. Building a solid marketing funnel is crucial for providing a remarkable buying journey and customer experience, which will eventually result in more leads converting into consumers.

This process involves analyzing the target audience, attracting its attention, and generating enough traffic. In recent times, you can find numerous online platforms like Clickfunnels that are designed to facilitate the process of attracting customers.

There is a multitude of online reviews, such as https://www.courseminds.com/clickfunnels-reviews/, created to assist entrepreneurs in choosing a sales funnel builder.

Take a look at the truth about sales funnels and their importance in e-commerce success.

The Four Funnel Stages

The best way of understanding sales funnels is by analyzing the stages through which a visitor eventually becomes a buyer. In order for a visitor to become a prospect, he/she is supposed to land on your site and browse through your assortment of products or services. Once the visitor becomes part of your email list, he/she transforms into a lead. Unlike visitors, leads can be contacted via email or phone to inform them about special offers and discounts.

If the lead is appealed by some of your offers, this person will keep visiting your site and perhaps use the offered coupon code to make a purchase. Your role is to make your products and services attractive enough for leads to evolve into buyers. Therefore, you’re expected to use a different approach in each stage- Awareness, Interest, Decision, and Action.

The initial stage of the sales funnel is awareness, in which businessmen try to attract the attention of potential consumers. Their attention can be attracted by a Facebook or an Instagram post through which they become aware of your business. In the course of this stage, visitors rarely purchase anything but simply get familiar with your products. As long as you encourage visitors to come back to your site, the awareness stage can be considered successful.

The following stage of the sales funnel is known as the interest stage, during which potential consumers conduct research, compare various products, and attentively consider the offers in the market. Here, entrepreneurs are supposed to assist prospective customers in their choices by providing helpful content.

Moreover, it’s paramount not to force visitors into purchasing your goods, as you’ll just discourage them from having another look at your product assortment. Your job is to assist them in making informed decisions after comparing various products in detail. Click here to check out some innovative ways of attracting more consumers online.

When consumers are prepared to make a purchase, they enter the penultimate decision stage of the sales funnel. They usually hesitate between a few offers, which is why you need to make yours the most favorable. You can persuade leads to become your customers by offering free shipping if most of the competitors don’t, as well as provide a special discount in the form of a discount code.

The ultimate stage of the sales funnel is the action stage, where leads become customers. Anyhow, reaching the bottom of your sales funnel doesn’t necessarily mean the consumer will make another purchase. It’s your job to switch the focus from customer attraction to retention by using a special method.

For instance, your consumers are supposed to receive a thank you email in which you express your gratitude for becoming your customers. Also, make sure you encourage them to leave feedback that is helpful for your business and potential consumers.

Building a Sales Funnel

Many entrepreneurs are skeptical when it comes to building a sales funnel and they worried it wouldn’t be built fast or well enough to attract sales leads and turn them into consumers. Nevertheless, the building process isn’t overly challenging like most businessmen believe, as long as you follow the right steps.

Nowadays, there are even special cloud-based platforms like Clickfunnels that assist entrepreneurs in building a sales funnel without requiring any programming skills on their part. Take a look at the steps you are expected to follow when building a marketing funnel.

Analyze your Target Audience

In order to build a sales funnel, one is supposed to analyze its target audience in terms of site activity and engagement. You aren’t supposed to market your products and services to everyone but only to individuals who find them useful.

Therefore, make sure you conduct research that reveals helpful information about the social media channels they use, their dwell time, and interests. It’s also vital to learn the aspects potential customers find frustrating about online shopping in order to divert their customer experience into another direction.

Attract the Audience’s Attention

There’s no other way for a marketing funnel to be functional unless it attracts the attention of the target audience. Consequently, you’ll need to overwhelm your platforms with high-quality content in the form of blog entries, infographics, engaging videos, photographs, etc.

Moreover, promoting your content on social media platforms is another helpful strategy, given the myriad of people using social networks. You could also collaborate with some prominent influencers whose job would be to promote your products through writing reviews.

Additionally, email marketing campaigns can assist you in promoting your blog posts and offers by sending a newsletter to every lead on your email list. The following link, https://www.business2community.com/email-marketing/top-10-benefits-of-email-marketing-02160067 provides an insight into the numerous benefits of email marketing.

Generate Traffic

In order to sell your products and services to a satisfying number of consumers, you are supposed to generate enough traffic. There are multiple measures entrepreneurs are advised to adopt to achieve this goal, such as using PPC campaigns, guest posting, SEO, landing pages, and social media marketing. Investing in some of these measures is considered crucial for entrepreneurs hoping for e-commerce success.

For instance, landing pages are supposed to be optimized properly in order to capture more leads. The purpose of these pages should not be pushing visitors to make a purchase but direct them to the following step of the buying journey. Make sure you post an engaging, instructional video or a free e-book for them to download to retain their interest.

Use an Email Campaign

As previously mentioned, email campaigns are considered vital when it comes to audience engagement. These campaigns are one of the most effective ways of distributing your content to leads by sending them no more than two emails a week. Keep in mind that no person wants to be overwhelmed with tons of emails on a daily basis, as it’ll discourage him/her from buying any of your products.

In order to interest the leads into opening the emails you send to them regularly, you have to learn the things they find appealing. After managing to grasp their attention, you need to make an offer they can’t refuse. Favorable offers are indispensable for persuading leads to reach the bottom of the sales funnel.

Final Thoughts

Marketing is of tremendous importance for turning leads into consumers.

Invest in the right marketing tools to reach your goal faster than you’ve imagined!

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