Independent Living Skill:

Looking after your money!

Look after your money and it will look after you!  Money is an essential part of our lives, yet we never seem to have enough. Manage it well and you will avoid a lot of stresses and debt.

Here are some simple tips to help with looking after your money!

Create a budget for how much you spend!  
A budget is a set amount of money that you can spend on certain things.  It helps to make sure that you aren’t spending more money than you have!

To set up a budget you need to make a list of all the money that you have coming in (this is called “income”).

Then you need to make a list of all the things that you spend money on ( this is called your expenditure).  Start with the “bills” that you have (the things that you must spend money on rather than the things that you would like) such as; your rent, your food bill, your “utilities” (gas, electric, water etc) and your transport to work/college etc.

Then create a list of the things that you like to spend your money on.

If your Income is MORE than your Expenditure then you can afford to buy everything that is on your list.  However if your Income is LESS than your Expenditure (much more likely!) then you will have to take some of the none essential things off your list (like cd’s, cigarettes etc) until the two list balance.

You might have to prioritise certain things are decide to save up for individual items over time.

Make sure you shop around for the best deals
Different shops sell things for different prices – what is expensive in one shop might be more expensive in another.  This means you should go to different shops to see how much things cost.  Click here for a list of the best places to shop in South Tyneside.

Shopping around will help you save money. Why not try advertising for the items you need (newsagents’ shop windows are cheap to put adverts in) or looking in local newspapers? Check in second-hand shops and car boot sales, but always make sure you check the items you buy are in good working order.

Open a Bank Account
Having a bank account helps you to budget more effectively and also means that you can set up direct debits or standing orders (where the money to pay some of your bills come straight out your account each month).  It is often cheaper to pay bills this way.

Remember that you will need ID to open an account (passport, driving licence, recent bills etc) and you should shop around for the best deals.

Talk to your Personal Advisor
They can help you to; set up budgets, prioritise your spending and let you know if you entitled to other financial help.

TIPS:
• Electric and gas bills can vary depending how you heat your property. Electric heating is usually more expensive.
If you are working and receiving a regular wage, find out about paying bills via direct debit, as you will get a discount.
• Look out for promotions at shops and supermarkets, e.g. Buy one get one free. • Look out for money off vouchers that come through the post.
• Buy your fruit, vegetables, meat & fish from markets, as it is cheaper.
• Buying a monthly bus pass works out cheaper than a weekly one.
• Make phone calls after 6.00pm in the week, or at weekends as it works out cheaper.
• You can get free haircuts by being a model on a training night at some hairdressers!

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A basic tool kit

• Packet of assorted fuses
• Two different sized screwdrivers
• Hammer
• Tape measure
• Assorted screws and nails
• Pliers
• Stanley knife

Fitting a plug

It is very important to make sure that a plug is wired correctly. These days most electrical items come with a plug, however, this is not always the case.

Before fitting a plug, learn the wiring colours and make sure you follow them.

Always use the correct fuse for the equipment you are using, and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. The colours you will find in a plug are:

• blue = neutral;
• brown = live; and
• green/yellow = earth.

Types of furniture or household items you might need:

Keeping your place clean!

Although your home may look clean, this might not necessarily be true.

Bacteria can be found everywhere, but can be so small that you cannot see them. If you keep your home hygienically clean it will help protect you from infections like food poisoning.

Ideal conditions for bacteria are places that are warm and moist. Special care should be taken when cleaning your kitchen, bathroom, toilet, where you put your rubbish and around your drains.

It is always best to have a strong disinfectant or bleach in your home to use when you are cleaning work surfaces.

Kitchen
Disinfect work surfaces, cupboards, chopping boards, bread and pedal bins, draining boards, inside of your fridge and washing bowls. Remember to boil or bleach your dishcloths regularly. Defrost your freezer occasionally.

Bathroom
Use bleach or toilet cleanser and pour them down your toilet each night, and in your plugholes each week.

Pets
Bleach and disinfectant can also be used to clean out pets’ baskets and bowls, and for washing the floor when they have left little messages (not the written sort!).

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Decorating and DIY!

Decorating is undoubtedly a rewarding experience, and is an opportunity to

express your personal tastes and style. With a good understanding of how to

approach your decorating project we hope you will have an enormous amount of fun bringing your new home to life!  Use these Fact Sheets to help with your decorating!

Preparation:

Never underestimate the time needed to prepare before any decorating project.

If you can, remove ornaments and furniture from the room and cover any remaining furniture and floor space with dust sheets. If old gloss paintwork is in good condition use a fine grade or wet and dry abrasive paper to prepare for the new coat.

An inexpensive way to remove old wallpaper is by using a stripping knife and warm water. Slightly thicken the water by mixing with a couple of tablespoons of wallpaper paste, as this will adhere to the wall and help the water to soak in.

Washable wallpapers will need scoring with a special tool to break the surface and allow water to penetrate.

A steam stripper could be bought, or hired if you are decorating a large room. This can save you hours when dealing with a stubborn paper, but care is needed to avoid harm from the steam and hot water produced.

If your walls suffer from holes or cracks, then these should be repaired with filler, applied with a flexible filling knife or multipurpose chisel knife. When the filler is dry, smooth the complete surface with medium or fine sandpaper.

Finally, thoroughly remove all traces of dust, paying special attention to corners. Ensure that any new plaster or filler is completely dry before applying paint.

Painting

Always use a good quality paintbrush and work the bristles with your fingers or against a wall to remove dust and any remaining loose bristles, alternatively consider using a No-Loss brush. Poor quality brushes often have bristles that can break off during use. Be careful not to overload the brush with paint.

The best technique is to dip your brush into the paint about one-third of the length of the bristles, then wipe the excess on the rim o f the can to prevent drips.

Apply the paint in vertical and horizontal strokes then spread it at right angles for even coverage. Finish with light upward strokes over the entire surface to reduce brush marks.

A paint roller will cover larger areas with ease. Always choose a good quality roller with the correct sleeve for the job. If you are painting a wall or ceiling use a brush first to paint around the edges. Tip the paint into the roller tray reservoir and dip the sleeve lightly into the paint, then roll onto the ribbed part of the tray to coat evenly.

Apply the paint in all directions until the surface is covered. Do not roll too fast or leave the surface with the sleeve spinning as this will cause spray. Finish by lightly rolling over the complete surface in one direction for a uniform finish.

Similar to the paint roller, a paint pad is a useful alternative to a brush, particularly when using emulsion. Load the pad with paint from a tray and sweep in any direction until the surface is covered. Finish with long strokes in one direction to remove any thin lines of paint that may remain.

TIP: When painting large areas, work in vertical strips of about a metre and paint ceilings before walls, leaving doors, skirting boards and windows until last.

Taking care of paintbrushes

As long as you clean paintbrushes thoroughly after use, they can last a long time. How you clean a brush depends on the type of paint you have used.

Emulsion paint

After using emulsion paint, you need to wash the brush thoroughly in running water until the water runs clear, then leave to dry.

Gloss paint

After using gloss, you need to wash the brush either in white spirits or turpentine. Do this twice, then wash the brush in warm soapy water, rinse thoroughly and then leave to dry.

Wall Papering

The traditional wallpapering method is to hang the first piece of paper in the middle of a chimney breast or window and work outwards in both directions, with the paper meeting at the most inconspicuous corner of the room.

However, you may like to start at your longest uninterrupted wall to give yourself the best chance of mastering the techniques before tackling corners or obstructions.

As the walls in most homes are never truly square, a plumb bob should be used to mark a vertical line. Hold the string on the wall and allow the line to steady. Have somebody hold the bob whilst you to mark the wall using the line as a guide.

Cut a length of paper overlapping the ceiling and skirting board by about an inch, and using a paste brush, paste the paper working from the centre, ensuring both edges are also coated.

Slide the paper on the wall against the line and smooth out all bubbles by brushing from the centre outwards.

Push the paper into the edge of the skirting board and at the ceiling, then peel back and cut with paperhanging scissors. Alternatively, a snap-off trimming knife and wallpaper cutting guide can be used to cut the excess off with the paper in place.

If hanging a patterned paper, measure the second piece on the wall against the first, as the pattern may fall in such a place that a very large overlap may occur at the ceiling.

Subsequent pieces should be butted against the previous piece, but not overlapped.

Once hung, seal the edges lightly by rolling over them with a seam roller.

When papering around switches and sockets, first turn off your electricity supply, then loosen the screws in the switch but do not remove them completely.

Hang the paper as normal, covering the switch, and then make diagonal cuts from the centre of the socket towards each corner.

The flaps can be trimmed off leaving a small overlap that can be tucked behind the switch.

Do not allow excess paste to enter the socket and make sure the area is completely dry before turning the electricity back on.

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