The Power Of Flowers Is Priceless From roses and tulips to orchid’s and pansies, flowers have a powerful way of brightening someone’s day. Whether you are celebrating an anniversary, a birthday or you just simply want to make someone smile, the beauty and fragrance concealed in a single flower can easily turn a bad day into a better one. As with many gifts, unless you are pulling flowers from your garden, gifting flowers to someone will cost you some money. How much money you will spend…that is your choice. Flowers ARE for everyone As we all know, Valentine’s Day is the biggest sales day of the year for most florists. Showing others that you care does not need to be limited to your significant other or to only one day a year. Flowers are often sent to family and friends who are grieving the loss of someone, a way of saying congratulations or simply just to make someone feel better. Another massive event is a wedding and just about every wedding has flowers so it’s important to do your homework when searching for the perfect flowers to showcase and for your wedding bouquet and bridesmaid bouquet. Related: […]
How I budgeted my travel expenses for work and play
YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE EMBRACE LIFE Two words that comes to mind when I think back on the summer that has just passed is adventure and travel expenses. Not everyone has to worry about travel expenses when travelling for work but if you are on a budget this is critical to staying on top of your finances. Today I’m going to share with you my experiences from this past summer travelling for work and play with my family plus what lessons I’ve learned along the way. Budgeting On The Road Getting on and off 11 different airplanes in less than 2 months and several multiple hour road trips from one province to another certainly made for an adventure this past summer. When I was asked by my company to travel to various locations in Canada I was really excited, who wouldn’t be when offered the opportunity to travel when almost all travel expenses were covered? Though my company paid for all my flights, hotels and all but one of my rental cars upfront, I found that travelling for work wasn’t as easy as it sounded. If you are ever given the opportunity to travel through your employer […]
How to grow your own fruit at home
HOME-GROWN FRUIT U-PICK Many people enjoy going to the market to buy local produce but what’s even better is growing your own fruit trees and vegetables at home if you have the space to do so. Although you can easily buy fruit trees at your local garden centre, understanding how to properly plant and care for them takes a bit of research and sometimes trial and error. Growing up on the farm I was lucky enough to enjoy eating homegrown fruit from fruit trees such as crab apples, pears, bushes of elderberries, grapes, blackberries, currants and raspberries. They were all easily accessible and enjoyed by my family and our grandparents. My grandma made many elderberry pies over the years that we had the pleasure of eating. Having the opportunity to pick fruit from our own backyard is like nothing else and you certainly save money. The only drawback was the mess that some of them left behind, particularly the larger fruit trees. The beautiful flower blossoms add some vibrant colour to the spring landscape but once they begin to drop their fruit and leaves the mess and clean up begins. Cleaning up the fruit and leaves can not only […]
Why you should enjoy local produce or pay the price
KEEPING IT CLOSE TO HOME If you open any refrigerator most people have some form of fresh produce readily available to prepare daily meals. Why? That’s easy because it’s part of a healthy diet. Have you been thinking about growing your own vegetable garden? If so, now may be a good time to start, here’s why…… If purchasing fresh produce is part of your weekly grocery budget be prepared to see the costs increase over the next few months. California is a major exporter of fresh produce including grapes, melons, peppers, tomatoes and avocados. They are currently experiencing the worst drought they have seen in a very long time. Canada currently imports approximately $5 billion worth of produce from California every year. The majority of the organic produce we see on the shelves of our grocery stores in Canada is imported and the bulk of it is shipped in from California. How could this impact us in Canada? While it is uncertain exactly how much of an impact it will have, paired with the declining value of the Canadian dollar the drought that has hit California hard this year. It is expected to increase the cost of purchasing fresh […]
How to create flower beds for your home
SPRUCE UP YOUR YARD Flower beds are often used as beautiful focal points on the front lawns of many homes. People associate gardening with a lot of work and while flower beds will always require some maintenance, planning ahead can help to limit just how much. Now that spring has finally sprung you may be thinking about how you are going to spruce up your property this year. Adding a flower bed to your front yard or even in the back is a great, quick way to add some colour and liven things up a bit. Don’t worry, if you don’t know how to make a flower bed I’m going to share almost all of my secrets with you today. Think about the amount of maintenance it will require after the garden is installed and are you willing to commit to the upkeep. Why waste the money if you can’t maintain your flower beds? How much time are you able or willing to devote to maintaining the landscape of your home? The perfect shape for your flower bed After deciding on the location of your new flower bed you are going to have to decide what shape […]
