Should we choose the bike over the car for everyday use?

With so many debates raging about the state of the planet and how each person can help reduce their carbon footprint, can we really make a difference if we replace the car with the bike and how easy would it be for you to do?

We need to imagine what our day would be like if we did everything the same but instead of jumping into the car every morning to go about our daily business you hopped on your bicycle. The thought could potentially terrify the bike-a-phoebes amongst us, but hopefully after reading this, you will consider changing your mind.

Perhaps the most obvious advantage of converting to a bike is the cost. There is no need to buy road tax or any other insurance related to a car when you have a bike. You simply pay for the bike and ride off, simple.

There is always the age old problem of parking, whether it is in or near your workplace, trips to town or even outside your home. Not only is it sometimes difficult finding a parking space, you have to pay for the privilege. However, a bike could save you time and money by allowing you to leave your bile securely chained without having to park miles away from where you need to be and paying a fortune to do so. If parking outside your home is problematic, then there is a clear solution. Bicycle storage could be made really simple by investing in a garage storage kit. Not only will this save room in your garage but keep your bike stored in a safe place overnight.

The second clear advantage is fitness. Cycling every day gives you regular exercise which could dramatically reduce your chances of long-term illnesses such as heart disease. If you use your car for the smallest of journeys, for example, a trip to the local shop rather than walking or taking a bike, you are doing nothing to burn calories and will increase your chance of obesity.

Bikes are very versatile and can often navigate around places that cars can’t such as small streets, canal paths and city centres. This could save the commuter time travelling to work, making the bike a much more efficient way of traveling into work.

Ok, a bike isn’t the first choice if carrying shopping or luggage, so for that purpose alone, the car would be the clear choice. But for those seriously committed to helping reduce their carbon footprint, there is always public transport. If you are planning a holiday that you would normally take the car for, why not look at alternatives. There are much more options of travel available now that would probably cost half of what it would cost in petrol for the journey anyway.

Whatever the choices only you can decide what is best for you but with any vehicle or bicycle that use the public roads, safety is always a major factor and if you are choosing to change from bike to car then ensure that you invest in a good helmet and always be road aware.

Stephen Richards- StorageMAKER's garage storage kits are specifically designed for organisation and storage solutions. Industrial shelving, bike
racks and garage hooks are all included in these kits.

Top 10 space wasters.

It’s incredible to consider how much precious space in our homes is wasted by near-useless items that we seem to tolerate at the expense of improving our daily lives. It’s not just space either, but money too that could be saved just by improving your home storage situation.

Objects big and small

Everyone has their own definition over what is a waste of space and what isn’t, but to get you focused here are 10 we’ve found around the house to help you get started:

1. Kitchen gadgets: Take a look into the dark recesses of your kitchen cupboards and drawers. How much stuff is in there that you haven’t used in over a year? Sure, at the time you bought the product it seemed amazing and an ideal solution to an obscure recipe. But perhaps now you realise that by the time you’ve cleaned it and figured out how to work the thing you could have made the meal using simpler and more commonly used kitchen items.

2. Old clothing: Perhaps they don’t fit, are beyond repair, or you just don’t like them. What’s keeping them in your wardrobe? Maybe you don’t want to throw them out because they were expensive to buy in the first place. Time to take a deep breath and consider that someone else might use them. Take them to a charity shop, or if they’re quality, then you could always sell them.

3. Tools: Is your garage cluttered? Garage storage can be a constant effort. Help by selling old tools you rarely use or have more than one of. It’s surprising how many duplicates you could find.

4. Magazines and books. It’s great to have library at home, but consider your collection, with magazines especially tending to pile up and occupy space. Time for a clear out in this department?

Making space

5. Get the right shelving and storage. Sometimes it’s not the just amount of things we have that waste space, but the way we store them Get a good
storage solution for your home. Make the most of wall space rather than pile things from the floor upwards.

6. Organise your home storage. Keep your storage solutions in the garage and home simple and efficient. Thing you use more should be in easy to access places.

7. Sort out the garage. Don’t use the garage as a dumping ground. It should be there to protect your car from the winter weather and a workable space for DIY and other home improvements. Get some shelves and throw out old stuff.

8. Use vertical spaces in all areas of your property. Hooks and rods make for great space savers. A home is for living in – not just cluttering.

9. Compartmentalise. Try to keep a theme for home storage. Saving space should be for your ease of use of the things you need, for example clothing in the wardrobe and books on the bookshelf.

10. Old gadgets. Used electronics and home appliances can be recycled. Throw them out for more efficient products, saving money on bills as well as valuable household storage and living space.


www.storagemaker.co.uk

How to de-clutter.

We’re moving house this weekend, and as well as move the things we need, we’re also going to get rid of the things we don’t need. I envisage a major de-clutter, and I’m looking forward to it.

The Plan

It’s always good to have a plan, and even better to stick to it. But first, before the plan, it’s good to have a look around and get an idea of what’s going to stay with us in our new home, and what isn’t. Rather than go around the whole house and try and sort everything at the same time, the plan is to do one room at a time. This means the approach is a lot more efficient, because we can clear a space in the middle of the room for all the sorting.

How do I sort? Well I’m aiming to get everything down to the essentials. Anything left over is for the charity shop, classifieds, recycling or the bin. How do I distinguish between essential and non-essential? Well that gets tricky. I will have an undecided pile, and because this is a team job, hopefully things can get decided by consensus. So firstly, we sort out the first bedroom, using the bed as the space for throwing everything on. Then we literally comb the entire room, separating things we’re going to keep from things to go. The “things to keep” pile then goes into the removal van and the rest goes into the garage storage system we’ve hastily assembled, for further separation into an individual storage solution for charity shop, re-selling, recycling, and the bin.

Making the decision

It sounds simple, but the actual decision of what you’re going to keep or get rid of can get tricky. It’s just not always that easy, which probably explains all of the clutter in our house in the first place.

One of the best ways I’ve found to decide between what to keep and what not to, is pick one item up at a time and make an instant decision. Consider the last time you actually used the item – if it was over a year ago then it’s probably time for it to go. Exclude the seasonal merit of the item; so if it’s a winter jacket, consider its worth in the context of the season it’s intended for.

This process can take around 4 hours per room of your home. The great thing about de-cluttering like this is that it’s not just good to do before you move house. You can incorporate it into your spring-cleaning, or just when you feel the house needs a good tidy up. Simplicity is often the key to a good home. Too much clutter and you can feel burdened, de-clutter and you feel back in control of your own home, and life. This method can be used for organising everything from home storage to tool storage, chucking away the stuff that’s in your way, and re-discovering the usefulness of having less. In essence, an affordable and fun type of home improvement.

ENDS

About the Author

Stephen Richards- StorageMAKER's garage storage kits are specifically designed for organisation and storage solutions. Industrial shelving, bike racks and garage hooks are all included in these kits.

Contacts

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Stephen Richards

Online Manager

Storage Maker

http://www.storagemaker.co.uk