Outdoor spaces are often sought after in new homes. This isn’t surprising given the many health benefits of being out in Mother Nature.

Do you have an outdoor space that is looking a little sad due to old or damaged concrete? Is this the main reason you’re avoiding hosting a summer party?

Don’t worry. Do you want to get that beautiful stamp concrete look without the financial blow to your wallet? Keep reading for all the tips and tricks you need to know!

Choose the Right Color and Texture

Before you jump into mixing concrete, think about your space. What color or style would play well with the environment? If you have a minimalist style home, choosing bright orange or blue is likely the wrong choice.

No matter your specific tastes, there are many decorative concrete options for you.

Easy to Follow Steps for Stamp Concrete

It seems more complicated than it is. Follow these simple steps to get a beautiful surface that will last.

Clean

Get your existing concrete area clean before taking any further steps.

It has to be squeaky clean so the new layers will adhere to one another. This means any remnants of paint must go. If you are struggling, consider using a diamond blade with a grinder.

Power wash as the last step to remove any remaining debris.

Etch

Mix one part muriatic acid with eight parts water. This solution will etch the concrete. Spread it with a broom and be careful, as the solution can cause burns.

Once the fizzing stops, add a second solution (eight parts water, one part ammonia) to the concrete. This will neutralize the acid. Power wash the surface once more.

Prep Porch and Skim Coat

In preparation for the skim coat, tape off any edges next to doors and your home. Follow manufacturer directions for your specific skim concoction.

Once mixed, apply the skim coat to wet concrete. Work away from the house. Let this coat sit for a few hours.

Apply Finish Coat

Once the skim coat has set, you will apply both the finishing layer and a textured layer. The textured layer will be thicker, as this is what you will be stamping the pattern into.

Be careful to spread the layers nice and even across the entire surface.

Stamp, Wait, Color and Seal

After the texture layer has set, start from an edge and stamp the pattern you’ve decided upon. Pay attention to placement. Alter the direction and orientation to ensure a random look.

Let it dry between six and eight hours. Once it is dry, smooth any noticeable bumps and edges. Once you are happy with the appearance you can grab the paint!

Tape off the house and doors. Apply a stain using a pump sprayer. You likely will need to use a primer before applying the color. Wait around an hour between paint coats.

Avoid letting paint pool in any puddles and clean up spills immediately.

Put Your Personal Stamp on the Project and Enjoy

As you can see, it 100% is possible to create a stamp concrete look on your own!

Looking for even more DIY projects you can do around the house? Check out these 10 simple remodeling ideas!

You know that lack of rest makes you one grumpy and slow person. It affects your health, your memory, and your looks in an unspeakable manner. Fatigue is also a major cause of the more than 100,000 auto accidents and 6,400 fatalities in the U.S. every year.

One in every three adults in the U.S. is short on sleep.

If you aren’t sleeping well, it’s probably time to swap out your mattress. Experts recommend changing your mattress every 7-10 years. And you should do it more often if you aren’t getting the rest you need.

There are hundreds of choices. How do you find the one that is perfect for you? And the bigger question, how do you find an affordable mattress that you’ll love?

Solving Your Sleep Problem

Resting well can be difficult if you aren’t comfortable. Unlike baby and toddler sleep disruption, adults often suffer from distraction, discomfort, or worry preventing a good night’s rest.

A new mattress isn’t going to make your stress go away or turn off your screens for better sleep, but you are going to be a whole lot more comfortable! You can spend anything from $99 to more than $1000 on a new mattress. So what goes into the price difference?

Pick a Mattress Type

The amount of use you’ll get out of your mattress depends on the quality and type of it. The type of mattress you choose makes a difference.

Innerspring

An innerspring mattress contains steel wire coiled springs to support and distribute your weight evenly across the mattress. A high-quality innerspring mattress can last 10 years or more, especially if regularly turned over end to end or side to side to distribute wear.

Hint: Despite what the salesperson says, the NUMBER of coils does not noticeably affect wear, but more coils can be more comfortable than fewer. The WIRE GAUGE (thicker is better) is a better predictor of mattress lifespan.

Memory Foam

Foam mattresses might last a decade to 15 years. It depends on their material quality and care. Watch out for the heat retention qualities of memory foam, as many people find them too warm.

Hint: Don’t pay extra for special materials. Viscoelastic foam has been around since the 1960s. It is long-lasting and proven to prevent bed sores.

Latex

Choosing an organic mattress? The lifespan of a latex mattress varies. Although hypoallergenic synthetic latex is available, all natural latex is a popular choice. Many mattresses have a 20 to 25-year life.

Hint: Double-check the warranty. Some mattresses might have little to no replacement value if they wear out prematurely.

Waterbed

These aren’t the groovy, sloshing bags of the 1970’s. Waterbed mattresses come in two types: the traditional type of vinyl waterbed mattresses contained in a waterproof liner in a frame, or the soft-side mattress encased in a foam box and sealed like a conventional mattress. They can last 5 years to 10 years with proper care.

Hint: No longer the popular choice, waterbed mattresses may have a steep priced when you find them.

Hybrid and Pillowtop

A hybrid mattress is a combo of foam and innerspring mattresses. The most common configuration is a layer of foam, coiled spring supports, then another layer of foam. These are often the most affordable mattress type.

A pillowtop is additional padding between you and your mattress. The extra cushion layer can shorten your mattress’ lifespan, as you cannot flip the mattress to even out wear on the coils. The lifespan of the padding can also be shorter than that of the mattress and leave you with uneven lumps and dips.

Hint: A hybrid or pillowtop mattress might need replacement after just 6 years. The durability depends on the quality of the base foam and the coils.

Hard or Soft Option

One factory’s “extra firm” might be a mere “medium” to a different mattress company. There are no standardized measurements of firmness. Find the mattress that suits your sleep habits best based by trying it out.

Hint: Mattresses labeled softer might not be more comfortable, and harder ones might not be long-lasting.

Save on Sizes

Hint: You don’t have to buy a new box spring every time.

If you purchase the same size mattress as your current one, you shouldn’t need to change the foundation. Sure, the fabrics covering the box spring and the mattress won’t match, but who sees them? Use the money you saved to buy a mattress cover and a dust ruffle if it bothers you.

If you downsize your mattress, you gain a few square feet of floor space in your bedroom and reduce your costs. A California King is the same size as two standard twin beds together. Downsize to a queen and gain room for a dresser or two.

Hint: Queen size beds are the “standard size” of the market. They are often the “floor model” or “sale item.” The price difference between a Queen and King is often 50% or more.

Finding An Affordable Mattress Just Takes Research

Do your homework. A common trick of the mattress industry is to make comparison shopping difficult. The same manufacturer might make just three mattress types but label 30 or more distinct models to ship to different stores.

Consider trying out mattresses for 15 minutes or more. If you can’t spend the time in a store doing that, get your mattress from a place with a generous return policy so that you can try it out and send it back if it isn’t comfortable.

Know what you want in a mattress and negotiate for that, not a certain brand name. The same strategies you use for grocery shopping will work to your advantage. Always keep your budget in mind.

Summing It All Up

Finding an affordable mattress that you love is a challenging project but will be a worthwhile investment in a good night’s sleep. Saving money on a quality mattress is a good investment. Leave a question or comment in the box below!

One minute you have all your finances figured out and normalized, and then the holidays slam you.

If you have a history of blowing your holiday budget, you’re among the 74 percent of Americans who blew their Christmas budget in 2017, according to Forbes Magazine.

In January 2018, the majority of Americans were stuck with $1,054 in holiday debt, which was higher by five percent from 2016. You can avoid adding to that number and enjoy the holiday season by following these holiday budgeting tips.

Decide What Your Budget Actually Is

The easiest way to stay on budget for the holidays is to actually have one. An average of over $1,000 of credit card debt after the holidays is scary. And that doesn’t account for the cash purchases so many people make over the holidays before they even put a dent in their plastic.

In a post-holiday debt survey by Magnify Money, just half of the American respondents had a plan to pay off their holiday debt before March of the next calendar year.

Another 29 percent said it would take approximately six months. No wonder the holidays are so stressful!

By the time you pay off that debt, you have only a few more months until the holiday season begins. Then, the budget crunch begins all over again. This is not what the holidays are about.

Decide what your budget actually is, before that happens to you. Start by making a list of every single holiday expense you think you may have.

This includes events, the people you want to buy gifts for, travel expenses, and more. When you’re thinking of events, consider what gifts and attire you’ll need for them.

The biggest reason people go off budget is that they don’t have one. Don’t be embarrassed, nobody needs to know your budget but you.

Start Strategizing the Holiday Budget Early

Once you have your complete list of everything you need to buy this holiday season, be sure you know exactly how much you’ll have for the holidays. After that, you want to begin your strategy. It’s Operation Holiday Shopping time!

Do you really need that new dress or suit? If so, find a budget-friendly way to stay cute AND warm.

An easy way to stay on budget for the holidays is to start your shopping early. Plan that as one of your tactical approaches to Operation Holiday Shopping. The more you spend now, the less you spend later.

Be careful with this one though. Once you finish your shopping, you have to stop.

Look for Savings

Part of Operation Holiday Shopping needs to include realistic savings plans. This includes using things like Black Friday deals and Cyber Monday deals.

The American Marketing Association reports that Americans spent over $7.9 billion dollars on Black Friday in 2017. Of course, many Americans are using those funds on Christmas gifts.

But all too often the deals are so enticing that we spend a little bit on ourselves. Folks are walking out of Walmart or Best Buy with brand new televisions that they’re going to hang on their own walls.

It’s a good idea to start early on your mission to feed Christmas. But with retailers using Black Friday and Cyber Monday as their biggest cha-ching days of the year, it’s easy to blow your Christmas budget before the month of December even begins.

Use savings events wisely. There are a number of other ways to do so.

Handmade Christmas cards are another invaluable tip that should go on your holiday shopping tips list. You can also use points or cash from rewards programs at Christmas to help you save money.

When you’re making your Christmas budget, in the section where you’re adding up what you are spending, make a list of all of these types of rewards programs. Between cash back on credit cards or points programs, you could have hundreds of dollars of cash money sitting around to spend on the holidays.

That’s literally free money that will never leave your own pocket. Use it for a gift or two, or several!

Make a List and Check it Twice, or, Daily

It’s good to have a budget before you go into your holiday shopping, but it’s also important to stay on top of it every single day of the season. This will eliminate stress after the holidays when everybody is grumpy and feel like they have nothing to celebrate anymore.

Make the same list daily. Make note of what you’re buying today, how much you have to spend, where you’re going to shop and stick to this list. Have a plan on not just a total amount that you are going to spend, but even how much you’ll spend on each person.

Make the list, check it twice. Once before you head out and again when you get home. This keeps yourself accountable at the end of the day to make sure you stayed on point.

It’s okay to slip once in a while. Just be sure that you accommodate those slips the next day or….soon. Track all of it.

When You Can’t Decide What to Get Someone

Some of our biggest overspending occurs when we don’t have a plan. CNBC reported in November 2017 that an “alarming number” of Americans were still paying off holiday debt from the previous year.

This happens when folks don’t have a plan, which is the official term for, not knowing what you’re getting someone for Christmas.

When you make your budget, decide ahead of time what you’re going to spend on each person.

It’s very easy to have a holiday party and remember at the last minute you needed a secret Santa gift or a hostess gift. Then, you run into the mall on the way there and snag the first sparkly thing that you see. Unfortunately, it’s usually more than you would normally spend on that person.

But if you have a budget and include everything, you won’t have this problem.

We all have a group of people in our lives that aren’t in our immediate circle, that we desperately want to give a gift to.

The school bus drivers, dance teachers, pastors and priests, guitar lessons, mailmen – the list can go on and on.

When you don’t know what to get them, you’re going to overspend. Find ways to make large group gifts that you can hand out individually to these folks.

A case of wine can cost you less than $100 and covers all of these folks that touch your lives but don’t need a new television for Christmas like maybe your husband does. Little tins of baked goods wrapped in simple ties are even cheaper when you’re only spending money on the baking supplies.

Travel Budget Do’s and Don’ts

It’s difficult to make sure everybody that is special has a special gift, while still staying on budget. Then there’s the travel time and expense. In 2017, 107 million Americans spent Christmas away from home, which means that was a necessary line on their Christmas budget.

Put this in your budget early. From gas costs to hotels and food or flights, chances are you’re undergoing this expense at Christmas. This could be an area you want to check your rewards programs for.

It’s okay to be cheap here, but be wary of cheap deals with airlines at Christmas. Many airlines will offer cheap flights, then ding you an extra $100 for seat selection or an ounce over your luggage requirements.

If possible, plan your travel schedule with some flexibility. You just never know when a winter storm will ground your plane. Book your flights on the less expensive dates. Don’t complain when a storm grounds you, as you may be the first in line for a free hotel or free voucher for the next flight.

You also want to keep every single receipt when you’re undergoing delays at the airport. If you need to touch base with an airline after the fact, let them know the expenses you incurred during that delay. You could get some money back.

You also want to know the exact reason any flight is delayed, as this could help you with compensation issues after the fact as well.

Stop Spending and Enjoy the Season

Holidays are no fun when you’re worrying every single day about what your credit card debt is going to look like in January.

Create a budget, for every single person and gift. Know what you have and start shopping early. There is an abundance of ideas for awesome and affordable gifts for kids too.

Find every savings program or rewards program you can cash in on, and don’t use Cyber Monday events to refurnish the house. Those sales are going to be there after the holidays when retailers are looking to keep the shopping wave flowing.

Your holiday budget shouldn’t be weighing you down every day. Use these holiday shopping tips wisely, and you’ll be able to actually enjoy the season! That’s what it’s there for!

Small-sample polls have indicated that between 5 and 14 percent of Americans currently own cryptocurrency.

But, these same polls also show that as many as 21 percent of US residents are considering trading in cryptocurrency in the future. After all, investing is a great way to make money from home and virtual currencies like Bitcoin are said to be the future.

If you’re considering getting into the cryptocurrency business but aren’t sure where to start, here are 10 great cryptocurrency trading tips.

1. Do Your Research

If cryptocurrency is a whole new world for you, you need to learn to walk before you can run.

That means starting with the basics, such as learning how to purchase and store cryptocurrency. Coinbase and Kucoin are beginner-friendly purchase sites that are easy to use if you’re wondering where to trade cryptocurrency.

But, before you start trading, get to grips with basic cryptocurrency theory. That means familiarizing yourself with all the trading terms and understand spread and depth charts. And, always make a point of tracking cryptocurrency news every day.

Then, when you feel ready, a crypto trading bot can help you maximize your potential and put all your research to good use.

2. Only Invest What You Can Lose

The most important advice for any cryptocurrency trader is to never ever invest more than you can afford to lose.

Consider any money you’ve converted into cryptocurrency as lost forever. There are no guarantees when trading cryptocurrency. And, losses don’t just come from market dips. Changes in government regulations, bugs and hackers can all result in watching your money disappear.

If you can’t handle that worst-case scenario then it’s time to reconsider your maximum investment amount.

3. Follow Bitcoin News

When it comes to cryptocurrency you have Bitcoin, and then you have altcoins, which are all other types of cryptocurrency, such as Ethereum and Litecoin.

Most altcoins are traded according to the current Bitcoin value. When Bitcoin goes up in value, altcoins tend to lose value. But, if Bitcoin prices dip, altcoin prices can suffer as people revert back to physical, or fiat, money.

The best times for altcoin growth are when Bitcoin value remains steady, or sees organic growth or decline.

4. Diversify

You wouldn’t head to Vegas and put all your money on the black, and trading cryptocurrency is no different.

While your earning potential increases with the amount you invest in one type of coin, you also have more potential to lose. Divide and conquer to reap bigger benefits across the whole cryptocurrency market.

For example, Bitcoin might be the most famous cryptocurrency but between January 2016 and January 2018, its value increased by 34 times. Pretty good huh? Well, not when you consider than Corgicoin’s value increased by 60,000 times during that same period.

5. Justify Every Trade

One of the key rules when it comes to learning how to trade crypto is to always have a clear strategy in mind.

Rely on your research to ensure that you justify every trade with sound analysis. As a beginner, you’re a small fish in a big pond full of whales waiting for you to make a wrong move. For every gain, someone else loses, so don’t trade if you’re not convinced about your strategy.

6. Know When to Take Some Profit

When you start riding a profit wave, it can be too exhilarating to let go. But, no one ever lost money by cashing in on a little profit on the way.

For example, if a coin’s value increases by 30 percent, consider taking some profit, even if your goal was a 40 or 50-percent increase.

Leave it too long and you run the risk of losing profit you had in the bag, or even turning that profit into a loss. Play it smart this way helps protect your original investment and keep a steady stream of profit coming in.

7. Consider the Bigger Picture

As learn how to trade cryptocurrency, you’ll realize that some coins have more staying power than others.

Place these into medium or long-term holds and don’t even consider panic-selling if their progress isn’t linear.

BNB is a good example of a good long-hold coin. It may have dipped by 20 percent for a period, but its value increased by threefold soon after.

8. Set Stop Losses

For any coins that aren’t in your medium or long-term holds, always set a point of acceptable loss. If their value starts to dip, this is when you sell to avoid more loss.

As well as helping to mitigate your losses, deciding on your point of acceptable loss means you now have a reference point to judge future trades.

9. Don’t Believe the Hype

Everyone loves a freebie. But, be cautious of getting caught up in the hype of free ‘advice’ when it comes to cryptocurrency.

People will often pump up the value of a coin by praising it on social media. This results in mass FOMO and an increased interest in that coin, meaning the pumpers can dump it on eager buyers for a higher price.

Cryptocurrency is volatile, but a sudden increase in value often evens out. Non-organic pumps are often followed by dips so keep your FOMO in check and stay cautious.

10. Learn from Your Mistakes

As with anything in life, it’s inevitable that you’ll make mistakes when trading cryptocurrency.

But, don’t let these losses discourage you. Evaluate the situation and try to understand what happened. Maybe you sold too early out of fear, or perhaps you held on too long riding that profit wave.

Wherever you went wrong, learning from your mistakes will make you a better cryptocurrency trader in the end.

Thrive in the Cryptocurrency Business

As these tips show, thriving in the cryptocurrency business takes a lot of research and careful planning.

But, if you’re willing to take the risk, you could become the next cryptocurrency success story, or at least make a tidy profit in your spare time.

Of course, trading cryptocurrency is just one of many ways to make money. Check out my other blog posts for more thrifty business inspiration!

Perimenopause also known as menopause transition, begins a few years before menopause and ends a year after your last menstrual period.

Women can experience perimenopause in her 40s or even earlier. It all depends on an individual woman’s estrogen levels. This process could last several years with the last 1-2 years being the most common time when women experience symptoms.

Read on to learn what to expect during perimenopause including the 9 most common symptoms.

Signs of Perimenopause

There are various signs and symptoms of perimenopause that are both physical and emotional. Here are the 9 most common perimenopausal symptoms.

1. Changes to Your Period

One of the first signs of perimenopause is changes to your usual menstruation cycle. Your periods may get shorter or longer, become irregular or change in the flow level.

You will likely miss a period or two but you might also begin to have a much heavier flow than you’ve had in the past. If your period was regular before (say every 28 days) during perimenopause, it can become unpredictable.

Some women experience spotting before and after their period.

2. Hot Flashes and Night Sweats

Sudden waves of intense body heat that can last 5-10 minutes is one of the most common symptoms of perimenopause. Estimates say that up to 80% of women experience hot flashes.

These hot flashes can happen anytime during the day but are most often at night. The degree of them varies from woman to woman. Some women feel their cheeks flush warm while others end up drenched in sweat.

Hot flashes may last up a year or more after menopause. Your doctor might recommend estrogen hormone-therapy or other medication if your symptoms are severe.

Deep breathing, dressing in layers you can take off and put on as needed and avoiding caffeine and alcohol can all help ease hot flashes.

3. Vaginal Dryness

Because your body is producing less estrogen, a common side effect of perimenopause is vaginal dryness. Lower estrogen levels can cause the vaginal tissues to become dry and thin.

Dryness in the vagina will feel itchy or irritated and can cause sex to be painful. Vaginal dryness is often a contributing factor for decreased sex drive in perimenopausal women.

Over-the-counter vaginal lubricants can help. These can be safely used daily for dryness relief and can also be used prior to intercourse as an internal lubricant.

Your doctor may also prescribe a low-dose contraceptive or vaginal estrogen to relieve vaginal dryness.

4. Decreased Sex Drive

During perimenopause, a woman’s hormones fluctuate. Before perimenopause, a woman will experience a peak in libido right before and after ovulation. But with the changes in periods, those days of desire can disappear.

Less estrogen also means there is less blood flow to the vagina. This also reduces desire.

Yet, during perimenopause, receptive desire (in other words, being turned on by your partner) remains possible.

For this and other perimenopausal symptoms, Yunique Medical provides hormone replacement therapies, peptides, nutrient injections, and functional medicine.

5. Trouble Sleeping

Many women have trouble falling or staying asleep. This can be caused in part by hot flashes and night sweats.

It is important to note that sleep problems affect both men and women as they age. So it’s not possible to pin trouble sleeping on just perimenopause. There could be various factors involved.

Lack of sleep can lead to changes in mood, difficulty with memory, and weight gain. If you are not sleeping as well as you used to during perimenopause, speak to your doctor about insomnia medication.

6. Weight Gain and Increased Waist Circumference

Perimenopausal women often begin to note added fat around the waist as well as putting on weight. This extra fat and weight can be difficult to lose so it’s best to limit it before it becomes a problem.

Eating a healthy, balanced diet that includes hemp protein, exercising regularly and getting enough sleep will all help keep your weight in check. If you are physically active and still putting on weight, you may need to up your activity level to combat the decreased hormone levels.

Remember, weight gain happens as people age, not only in women but also in men. But excess pounds aren’t unavoidable. You can stop the middle age spread by improving your lifestyle.

7. Urinary Problems

Perimenopausal women are more prone to urinary tract infections. Urinary incontinence and being unable to control one’s bladder are also signs of perimenopause.

8. Mood Changes

As perimenopause is a time of hormone fluctuation and change, it’s no surprise that many women report changes in their mood as well as irritability, anxiety, a constant feeling of sadness and so on.

Some perimenopausal women report that they feel like they are in PMS all the time.

You can help reduce these symptoms by making the needed lifestyle changes. Include regular exercise as part of your weekly routine and learn how to manage your stress and tension.

Now is a good time to nurture friendships, find creative outlets and take up self-calming practices such as yoga and mindfulness.

9. Hair Loss

You may begin to experience thinning hair on your scalp. Be kind to your hair and avoid roughly brushing your hair.

Give your hair a rest from elastics and tight hairstyles. Avoid heat such as curling wands and hair dryers as much as possible.

Final Thoughts

Heading into menopause can be a challenging, unpredictable phase of a woman’s life.

Being aware of the possible changes and mentally preparing for perimenopause can go a long way in helping women cope with this period of time.

Read about these 10 essential oils for women that have incredible health and emotional benefits.