e-fame-blog1

[e-fame-blog1]

Festival prep tips!

February is upon us and those so inclined are already planning the summer festival activities! Whether your preference is for heavy metal, EDM music or general gatherings we all need to keep in mind the basics of what to bring and how to pack it.

Festivals are notorious for being victim to the worst of weather, particularly in the UK! Rain has ruined many a backpack and there's nothing nastier than having to endure several days more of the cold and uncertain weather.

We're right here to help keep you in the clear and remind of the staples of a steady pack for your festivals this summer. Whether you're in the game for a weekend or a longer camping stay, you'll end up requiring the same staples and the best way is to include the below items in a checklist.

Point one – the food

Anyone who's been to a festival will know for a certainty how expensive the stalls and stands can be. While many festivals are great places for small independent companies or franchises to offer top notch food, the price that these stalls have to pay for a license to sell at festivals means they in turn have to jack up their prices. This can be a very unpleasant surprise for someone who has ponied up the money required to attend a festival (those tickets are often far from cheap as we all know too well) and has little budget remaining.

Based on how many days you'll be camping out, you'll want to make sure you pack a good range of food to keep you on your feet amongst the fun. Keep it packaged and disposable and make sure you bring along a set of handwipes if you aren't inclined to use your clothes in the mud!

Point two – rain

Mentioned above and deserving of a full point. I've lost track of how many festival stories have been anchored in the steady and expected downpour. Many festivals provide support and emergency relief to those afflicted without proper preperation, but you don't want to ruin your fun and special moments by having to grumble in a queue to pickup a rain proof jacket!

It's worth making sure that your camping equipment is suitably rain proof. This applies to your actual backpacks and containers, but you'll also benefit well by simply wrapping important items like electronics, clothes and food in plastic bags or bin liners. The more gung ho among your group might take the chance to joke at your preparedness, but you bet they'll turn quiet once their single backpack is drenched!

Point three – sun screen

Take a tip from the famous song and pack sun screen with you. Just as you need to be prepared for extreme rainy weather conditions, you'll be equally in a troublesome spot if you get caught in searing heat for a week. Speaking from experience, there is little worse than sitting in your camping circle for a week straight without sun screen. Finding yourself needing to crawl into your tent with skin that looks like a lobster is not the most comfortable and pleasant experience!

Point four – electronic juice!

You can bet that you'll become separated from your friends at many points throughout the festival, in addition to needing to ride your hangover out with the help of the internet on your smartphone!

Festival veterans know the importance of keeping their items topped up and are likewise aware of the expense that you can incur from paid charging stations (not to mention the risk of leaving your items for any period of time at a festival). Nowadays you can buy quite cheap charging “bricks” that will give you a respectable series of refills on your smartphones and other peripherals. While you want to get immersed in the music and environment at your festival of choice, be sure to keep yourself connected should you need to make a call. It's sensible and it'll save you valuable money that could be spent on food or drinks!

Source: Every Day Loans (ELL)

[e-fame-blog1]

I C what you did there – the four best tips on how to save big on your diamond rings

Engagement and marriage are infamous topics when it comes to huge expense. We've all heard the horror stories of five figure diamond rings straining at credit card limits, but what's the real deal when it comes to the ring of your dreams?

 You certainly can't go too far and live with a “budget” item on your finger! You will find, however, that some intelligent investigation and a sound understanding of the seasonal nature of the market will help you easily save a large amount. Just in time to get put in the wedding fund!

 Seasonal extravagance

 It's true. We're all creatures of habit and this shows in the peaks and troughs of the market for wedding and engagement rings. While some might turn their faces at the thought of proposing on Valentine's day, it remains in the top list of dates throughout the year for infatuated couples to take their relationship to the next level.

 December is also a big hit worldwide! Christmas eve and new year's eve are incredibly popular dates for slipping on the ring. So what does this mean for prices?

 Well, let's start with a serious fact. The companies selling these rings know these dates and trends more than you and I! Any company will be like this to stay competitive but this is particularly true for a market where each of your single products have such astronomically high price tags. There's big business in a single sale when it comes to diamond rings and it shows in how dialled in companies are in terms of squeezing profit from their customers.

 In addition to the below tips on the diamond itself, look to purchase in the off season to boost your savings even further.

 The four Cs of ring savings

 The best summary of how to save is the well known “four Cs” of ring characteristics. Let's take a look at each in turn to see where the bargains crop up.

 Carat

 A fantastic place to save. The crowning centrepiece of the typical wedding ring is the shining diamond, perfectly cut and nestled on the top of the ring itself. And it's just there, the actual diamond, that you can make tremendous savings without compromising the quality and aesthetics.

 “Buying shy” is a term known amongst ring shoppers and the companies that sell them. This phrase refers to buying a diamond ring where the diamond is just below a full number in terms of carat. You can save big by, for instance, purchasing a ring that is made from .90 carat diamond.

 Some purchasers report savings of over £1,000 pounds with no discernible difference visually.

 Clarity

 Not all diamonds are created equal. Naturally formed diamonds come in many shapes and sizes and these are drilled and shaved down to the shapes we know and love. The skill of the craftsmen that do this lies in the shaping of every unique diamond to leave a cut with no marks and blemishes that might be on the surface or running through the inside.

 You can save big on diamonds that are “included”. There are grades of this (SI or slightly included) such as SI1 or SI2 where the blemishes are barely visible to even an expert under a microscope – certainly indistinguishable by the naked amateur eye.

 Big savings here. Going with an SI2 diamond instead of a flawless cut can save you several thousand pounds. 

I got some of my research from a bad credit unsecured loan provider but you can check the info anywhere!

 Cut

 Considered by many to be the biggest factor in the overall finish of a diamond ring. As we know, not all diamonds are finished equally. The key lies in the fact that the “flaws” are minuscule to you and me, if noticeable at all.

 This applies significantly to the cut of a diamond. A finished diamond graded as “good” in its cut instead of flawless or excellent can look to save you in the region of £3,000 depending on choice.

 Colour

 An interesting topic in that the diamond ring companies have picked up on a new chance to make money. Previously, coloured diamonds were sometimes referred to as poor in quality. Some of these are since re-branded as “chocolate” diamonds – a novel twist of perception to increase costs.

 The saving here comes from, once more, the tiny differences in diamond colour. These have their own grades that run through the alphabet, with D being flawless and pure.

 You can look to once more save several thousand pounds by choosing a lower grade colour such as a G grade.

You can check out more of my money blogs at Everyday Loans.

[e-fame-blog1]

Wooohooo!