DIY Dog Bed

Since we have two house dogs, one male shih-tzu and one shih-tzu and Japanese Spitz mix breed, I am in search of affordable dog beds.  I browse some online shops and pet stores around our area and I find these to be quite expensive.  Considering that I have to buy two for our two dogs, that's quite a big amount of money to be spared from our monthly budget.  I've seen the sample dog beds on pet shops and through online stores and I found that this is nothing short of a plastic basket or tray with soft and pretty cushion on it.  So I told myself, why don't I just make one for our lovely pets.  So my frugal instinct led me to a thrift store and buy some cheap plastic trays.  We have extra foam sheets at home and cut it to a desired size.  After that, I made use of old pillow cases to cover the foam. Thereafter, I bought some nicely printed foot rugs to be placed on top of the foam sheets and placed these inside the plastic tray.

My shih-tzu pet loved it just the same and I was so pleased on how easy it is for me to train him to use his new made bed. :)  I would just say "go to bed" and point to the DIY bed and he would immediately follow my instruction and position himself inside the plastic tray turned bed.  

So cute!  I think I only spent a fraction of what I supposed to spend buying one from pet stores and I think it does the same thing, to keep my dog warm during the cold nights. :)

Choosing the Right Lighting For Your Homes

When we had our second home built, we don't have any idea about how to choose the best lighting fixtures for our home.  Probably because, that was not our main priority then.  You know, building a home entails a lot of expenses especially when you are already on the finishing stage.  Since we only had a limited budget at that time, we just focus on main priority and that is to make the house livable right away.  As a matter of fact, some areas of the house were not really completed yet, so why would we think of the lighting fixtures in the first place.  As we begin to complete the other details of the house, only then we think of choosing the proper lighting fixtures and in doing this, we have to make several considerations.

Knowing that the lighting has a major effect on the overall mood and appearance of the house, we start to think of what type of lighting fixture do we need to buy particularly on our dining area and kitchen as this is the busiest part of the house.  Since, we do have a proper height requirement for our ceiling, we've chosen a pendant light for the dining area and kitchen. 

For our living room, a simple chandelier was chosen to illuminate the area.

I know that a separate lighting requirement would be most suitable for parties or presentations at home, so we bought an extra bright spot light solely for that purpose.  I know that we don't require a more sophisticated my dmx for this but just a plain and simple spot light which also doubles as an emergency light in case there will be a security threat.

Deciding on what kind of lighting fixtures should we install in our homes depends on our preference and purpose.  The thing is, do not be afraid to experiment.  Appropriate lighting can help set your ambiance and mood in a space, thus it is very important to choose the ones that would define your sense and style.

Gardening As A Hobby

If there's one thing that I owe to my Mom, that's my love for plants.  Ever since I was a kid, I would witness my Mom's love for gardening. We didn't have an elaborate backyard to fulfill that hobby way back then but I could see how happy she was nurturing a small size plant box in front of our house. Sometimes, I could see her bringing home some plants whenever she came from the market to buy our foods. She just can't resist buying a couple pot of plants whenever she sees someone selling them on streets.

When I got married and able to have my own house,  I had the wonderful opportunity to have my Mom stayed with me and since we have quite a spacious backyard, me and my Mom were able to fulfill the hobby of gardening.  Our yard then was filled with many flowering and ornamental plants. Some we bought from a garden shop and some were given to us by neighbors and relatives.  Since then, my love for gardening never ceased.  

Here are some of my plants in our home garden:

I would admit, I am a self taught gardener, although I would read some gardening books available online, I would still love to experiment for I know that experience is the best teacher.  I am proud to say that I derived a great pleasure from this hobby.  This, aside from my shih-tzu pet is my stress reliever.  I get a lot of advantages out of this hobby, one of which, of course, is getting a good exercise, providing a healthy air for myself and my family is another consideration and lastly,  the fact that it helps to beautify our front yard is more than enough reason for me to keep the hobby.

I am looking forward to adding more plant varieties to my garden and hopefully, a mini herb garden and also a vegetable garden which would be enough even just for our own personal consumption. :)

Gardening is indeed an awesome hobby!

Where To Go For Your Heavy Equipment Needs

A Big Job Means a Big Responsibility

When you run overhead bridge cranes to make a living, you have a major weight on your shoulders. Working with heavy equipment is quite a responsibility. Your cranes have to stand up to the test in order for you to get your job done. You have a schedule to keep and other commitments. When your machinery breaks down, it can really put a wrench in the works. You have to provide reliable service for your clients or it can put you out of business. You need an overhead crane parts supplier than you can count on. The ProservCrane Group is your go to source when your crane is in trouble.

Time is Money

You've heard the old expression, "Time is money," and it's true. Every minute counts. You need productive equipment in order to deliver the services that you have promised. When problems arise, the ProservCrane Group has parts and accessories for various types of disabled cranes. When you need to do repairs on single or double girder bridge cranes, jib cranes, gantry cranes, free standing cranes, and more, you've come to the right place. 

Don't Waste a Minute

When you need parts for your crane, you need them as soon as possible. With the ProservCrane Group at your disposal, you don't have to waste time hunting for a supplier. At the touch of a button, you can browse through a comprehensive listing of parts to find exactly what you need. Representatives will help you to place your order and you can expect a speedy delivery. You'll be back and business when your crane is running smoothly once again.

Expect the Unexpected

Dealing with heavy equipment means expecting maintenance issues to arise. Plan ahead and stock up on parts that you need most often. Inspect your equipment and keep an eye out for potential problems. Order replacement parts from the ProservCrane Group and have them on hand when there is a need. When you are prepared, you'll be able to keep your business on track so that you're ready to rise to the challenge for every project.

Acquring Your Dream Home

When I was working abroad, I've met a lot of OFW's who had been very vocal about their desire of acquiring their own homes.  In fact, they told me that this is one of the main reasons why they moved to work abroad. They told me that acquiring their dream homes will not be possible if they will just work in the country, considering that they are still sending children to school and that the cost of living in the Philippines is getting higher and higher.  The only way for them to earn extra and finance a new home is to go abroad.  Well, I could understand their sentiments, I knew that owning a home is the ultimate dream of every Filipino.  It's a good thing that we've managed to own some properties even before I decided to work abroad. Actually, this is possible even if we are just working in our own country, the only thing is that, you should know how to manage your finances well. Limiting unnecessary spending and setting priorities are the ones that you have to master if you are really keen on owning your dream home.  If you don't have the required cash to purchase your new home, you could always resort to getting a loan from bank loan Philippines.  Before doing this, you have to make sure that you are capable of paying the monthly amortization and that this won't be taken from the monthly budget you set for your overhead expenses at home.  If you only have a little bit extra from your monthly net income, then you may want to start looking for a part time job or other source of income to be able to afford the monthly payments without difficulty.  From what I know, most of the people resorting to this option committed a mistake of jumping into getting a personal loan without assessing their capability to pay, that's why they ended up unsuccessful.  On the other hand, I've also seen some people who managed to do this successfully without much difficulty. The key to everything is proper planning.  If you are lucky enough, you can even apply for a car loan after you are settled with your home.

It would be best to come up with a goal and establish ways to work on your goals.  Now a days, car loan calculator Philippines is already accessible, to enable you to get an idea of how much you need to pay monthly for a car loan which could be obtained by setting your amount of loan plus your desired paying period.  You could choose what is the payment terms that is most suitable for you and your family.

Always remember that having a goal is always good provided that you will use this as an inspiration to work harder.  Managing your finances wisely is the ultimate way of acquiring your dream home. Believe me, it's possible.  All you need is just a bit of sacrifice, discipline and determination. Spending for luxury or "wants" is always tempting especially in this age where commercialism is on top of the game.  But remember, nothing can be achieved without proper discipline.