If you Google the all-time number of books that have been published, Google will tell you it’s 129,864,880 titles. We don’t know exactly how they tallied this number, just like you have no idea how so many older books have piled up in your living room.

Is it time to get rid of your books? Are you wondering where to donate books? Have you asked yourself, “Can I make money with old books?”

Here are four ways to breathe new life into your older books!

1. Donate Old Books

The thought of donating books has probably crossed your mind, but you might not know where to start. Here are some ideas for where to donate books in your area:

• Local public library
• Public and private schools 
• Community book drives or fundraisers
• Goodwill, Salvation Army, or other thrift stores
• Non-profit literacy programs
• Prison libraries
• Museums or cultural centers

If you’re not sure if a particular location accepts older books, call and ask! You’ll accomplish your goal of decluttering your home while passing on the gift of reading to others in your community.

2. Sell Your Old Books

You can definitely make money with old books, especially if you have any rare titles or editions in your collection. Older books tend to sell well on eBay, and you’d be amazed by what types of books sell on Amazon too. If you’re not sure what your books are worth, do some research to see what similar copies are selling for.

Another idea? Check your phone’s app store for apps that connect you to others who want to buy, sell, or trade used books.

3. Armed Forces Charity Groups

Would you like to support military members (and their families) who are deployed overseas? 

Give the gift of reading by supporting one of two organizations: Operation Paperback and Books for Soldiers. Your books will end up in military hospitals, rehab facilities, and personal collections.

4. Make a Vintage Bookmark

Here’s a fun idea: Why not save the spine of those old hardcover books and transform it into something magical? This is a great idea for older books that are too fragile or damaged to read.

Use a sharp pair of scissors to cut the spine of the book. Attach it to a piece of cardstock with glue and let it dry overnight. In the morning, trim the excess away and attach a tassel (if you like) to create a beautiful vintage bookmark!

If you have a lot of older books to repurpose, you could even turn this into a little side business. Selling bookmarks on a site like Etsy could be on your list of fun and easy ways to make cash.

 

Give Your Older Books New Life

Just because you haven’t read that stack of older books for a while doesn’t mean they serve no purpose. As we discussed above, you can donate, sell, or repurpose them and give them a second chance!

Looking for more tips for decluttering your home or easy ways to make cash? Keep browsing our site for more great thrifty advice.

Did you know that there are over 90 types of essential oils? Each has a unique smell to them, and some have potential health benefits. 

There are different ways to use essential oils as well. For example, you may decide to put some drops in a diffuse to help spruce up the smell of your house. Or, maybe you want to apply some to your skin.

Depending on how you plan to use your essential oil, you may need a certain type of essential oil bottle.

So, which type of essential oil bottle do you need? Keep reading on to learn about different types of bottles for essential oils and proper storage for them. 

Euro Bottles 

Euro bottles are some of the most versatile essential oil bottles available. They come in a variety of sizes and can come in clear bottles or darker amber bottles.

For people who prefer droppers, euro bottles can be topped off with glass droppers. These glass dropper bottles allow for easy and accurate measuring of essential oils.

Boston Round Bottles 

Boston round bottles are available in different shades of amber colors. Using amber colors for essential oil bottles allows for the essential oils to have a longer shelf life.

This is because it reduces the UV ray light from entering inside the bottle. Unfortunately, UV ray light can be damaging to essential oils and cause them to go bad faster. Boston Round Bottles darker amber color options help reduce UV rays light from damaging the essential oils and helping them last longer. 

Boston round bottles can be topped with various toppers such as glass bottle droppers, reducers, or sprays. 

Roller Bottles 

Roller bottles are a great option for people who wish to apply essential oils to their skin. Roller bottles easily and evenly spread the essential oils on your skin.

The roller bottles can even help relieve tension and help relax you by rolling the roller over your temples or neck.

Roller bottles can come with either glass, plastic, or stainless steel rollerball on the lid. The rollerball makes it easy to apply the essential oils to your skin.

Dram Bottles 

Dram bottles work great for samples of essential oils. They are smaller and more compact.

If you want to allow potential customers to sample your essential oils without giving too much product away, dram bottles are the way to go.

Storing Essential Oils 

No matter which bottle you choose, there are some important considerations to keep in mind when shopping and storing essential oil bottles.

Glass bottles for essential oils are a better option than using plastic bottles or containers. Some essential oils contain compounds that can damage plastic packaging, causing the essential oil to leak.

Like the kind seen in Boston Round Bottles, a dark amber color can help reduce UV rays light to help extend the shelf life of your essential oils. If you choose an essential oil bottle that is clear or lighter in color, keep your essential oil bottle out of the sunlight whenever possible.

Air can also damage essential oils over time. Therefore, when shopping and storing your essential oil bottles, make sure the bottle is closed tightly.

When air interacts with the essential oils, it can cause oxidation to occur. Oxidation then can reduce how strong the essential oil is and can lead to shorter shelf life.

Choosing the Best Bottles for Essential Oils for You

There are many choices when it comes to bottles for essential oils. How you plan on using your essential oils, storage, and type of topper you wish to use can help you decide which is the best essential oil bottle for you.  

Did you enjoy learning more about essential oil bottles? If so, check out more of our articles on this blog post. 

Perfume is an over-$30 billion industry. Smelling good is big business, and recent trends in personal hygiene and grooming mean it’s only getting bigger.

But what does it mean for us, humble fragrance consumers? Is body spray’s big business pricing us out of buying cheap fragrances? Or are there still ways and means for perfume fans to get their hands on the good stuff?

Well, worry not, because there are still ways to buy perfume cheaply and easily even in 2021. Here are 7 of our favorites.

1. Scout for Deals at Drugstores

Drugstores are always trying to find ways to get more people into colognes and perfumes, and one of the best ways to do that is through sales. Check your local drugstores because you can often find great scents for as much as 20% off.

2. Cut (Digital) Coupons

The drugstore method has an online alternative, too. Plenty of online body spray outlets hold regular sales, giving out offer codes to allow customers to try out new fragrances. By keeping track of which stores are having sales and when you pretty much never pay full price for perfume again.

3. Smell and Smell-Alike

You know the big brands: Hugo Boss, Chanel, Dior. They’re great, but also expensive. What if you could get almost identical scents for a fraction of the price?

Enter smell-alikes, store-brand cheap perfumes that emulate the scent profiles of the big players without breaking the bank. Check them out the next time you’re in the drugstore.

4. Use Price Trackers

There are plenty of websites that let you track the price of any product under the sun. If you regularly purchase one or more brands of perfume, you can make use of these trackers to make tactical purchases when your favorite scents are at their lowest prices.

5. Who Needs Boxes Anyway?

You know how a car loses thousands of dollars in value the second it drives off the lot? Perfume’s the same. Even taking it out of the box makes it way cheaper, so look for unboxed perfumes when you can!

6. Buy Perfume at Third-Party Discount Stores

No need to go direct to the big brands. Often, your cheaper local discount stores will have a load of great scents at incredibly reasonable prices. For more on buying direct vs. third party, check out the PerfumePrice blog.

7. Try Price Matching

If you find a store far away selling a perfume for cheaper than your local, don’t be afraid to mention it. Often, stores will price match their competitors, saving you money both on cheap perfume and on gas.

There’s a Whole World of Fragrances Out There

So there you have it, our top 7 ways to save heaps of cash when you buy perfume. After all, smelling good and feeling great shouldn’t be price-restricted. With these simple tricks, you can walk around feeling (and smelling) like a million bucks!

Liked this article? Check out our site for more!

For those looking for a new adventure, affordability, and a place not too far from home – Wales could be the place for you! Towns in Wales consistently rank in the top 10 most affordable places to live in the UK. 

But there’s a lot more to consider for your next big move than just the journey from England to Wales. Moving to Wales involves searching, finding, and general legal hassle. Don’t worry!

This guide will take you through all the things you need to keep in mind. Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about your move to Wales!

Where to Live in Wales 

There are tons of great options for places to live, and of course, the biggest part of your move is choosing where to live! Let’s go over just a few of the nicest places to visit before deciding where you want to settle down. 

Cardiff 

While Cardiff might be the first place you think of, there are tons of places to consider in Wales. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider this hugely influential city as your next home. 

Cardiff is a beautiful city with many different options for housing. Something by the sea in the Cardiff Bay Area, or somewhere in a town surrounded by culinary innovation? The choice is yours! 

The Facts 

In general, Wales enjoys warmer weather than Northern Ireland and Scotland and milder winters than England. Cardiff experiences a significant amount of rainfall throughout the year and has an average annual temperature of 10.4 C.

Of course, Cardiff is one of the more expensive places to live in Wales, with an average home cost of £204,000. Cardiff is generally rated as a safe city to live in. 

Abergavenny 

This stunning town is a highlight for those who love to go out on the town for delicious eats. In fact, every autumn they host a food festival! Quaint history and a bustling town center contrast with a peaceful setting. 

It is a very small town compared to what you might be used to, but with good public transport, you will never be far from fun. 

The Facts

Abergavenny, like the majority of Wales, experiences significant levels of rainfall throughout the year. On average, you can expect 942 mm of rainfall annually. The average annual temperature is a little cooler, at 9.4 C. 

Abergavenny is a popular relocation spot but only has a population of around 12,500. As a result, expect an average home cost of £292,000. 

Penarth 

A little bigger than Abergavenny, but perhaps better located, Penarth is perched on an estuary near Cardiff Bay. As a resort town, there is no lack of luxury and enjoyment to be had by the water. 

Excellent public transport means you aren’t far from things to do if watching the sunset isn’t enough. 

The Facts

Penarth, being so close to Cardiff, has much the same climate as its bigger friend. Expect regular rainfall, averaging out annually to 1070 mm, with the same annual temperature of 10.4 C. 

If you’re looking to escape the bustle of Cardiff, the lower population of around 27,000 will suit you just fine. Being so close to Cardiff and in the resort area of town, you can expect average home costs to be somewhat inflated, around £375,000. 

Swansea

Swansea finds itself on the Gower Peninsula, or the first area to ever be designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the UK. And Swansea is at the center of it all as a place for history, literature, and adventure. The Paviland cave is not far away for those who like a little excitement. 

It’s hard to beat this area for the enjoyment of nature. The best part is, you don’t have to worry about a lack of amenities as it’s the second-largest city in Wales! 

The Facts 

This beautiful area comes with much the same climate as the rest of Wales with lots of rain to keep things green (around 1300 mm per year!). The average temperature annually is 10.1 C. 

Swansea has a population of around 245,000 which is sure to keep you occupied. It’s also one of the cheaper areas to live in Wales, coming in at £189,000 for your average property price. 

How to Find the Perfect Property 

Now that you have an idea of where you would like to live, it’s a good idea to start looking for your perfect property. Let’s go over the steps it takes to find your new home. 

1. Create a Budget 

Saying “create a budget” is more easily said than done. You have to consider far more than property cost when looking at new homes. Compile a list of your expected legal fees, lender fees, and any broker or removal fees on top of your property cost. Factoring in various insurance costs is also a good idea. 

If you know you will need to borrow it’s a good idea to make an appointment to find out what kind of mortgage you can get, and factor that into your budget. Once you have everything in place and know how much you can spend, it’s time for the exciting part. 

2. Start Searching

 As soon as you have established your budget you should start looking. While not as many people are moving to Wales, the housing market can always be competitive. At this point, you should determine the main cities or areas you wish to live in. 

Estate agents or websites can help you find options within your budget. Estate agents will be able to offer you more specialized advice, such as whether there is good public transportation, whether living just outside of town can save you money, how fast the market moves, and crime rates for different areas of cities. 

You can book viewings of homes either in-person or virtually in most cases. It’s a good idea if you don’t live nearby to arrange a virtual viewing first before committing to an in-person journey. 

3. Seal the Deal 

When you have found the property of your dreams you can make an offer. Sometimes your first offer may not be accepted, but this does not mean you have lost out on the property in all cases. If you’re still interested, you can offer a higher price. 

Once the price is agreed upon you will receive a Memorandum of Sale to confirm the sale is agreed to subject to contract. At this point, you will need to find a solicitor to help you with the process of conveyancing – or the process of making everything official. 

At this point, finish your mortgage application and mortgage valuation (a confirmation that the property is worth the price they’re paying) if it applies to you. Then, move on to the legal process that the solicitor can help you with. 

4. All the Legal Nitty-Gritty 

This is why you hired the solicitor, so they can collect the title deeds and the contract that the seller has drawn up. The solicitor will be able to confirm everything that the sale includes, like boundaries. At this time they will be able to solve any disputes or alternations that might need to be made. 

The solicitor will also perform searches of the Land Registry and Local Authority to discover the planning history. At this stage, they will also discover and inform you of any nearby potential developments that could occur such as roads, drainage, or mining. 

When everything is ready, you will sign the contract and agree to the moving dates. The contracts will be exchanged and at this point, you are now legally bound to the purchase of your new property! If you haven’t already asked around for removals quotes, now is a good time to start. 

Now that the most stressful portion of the move is over, it’s time to get into the physical moving process. 

The Moving Process From England to Wales 

The process of moving from England to Wales is much more simple than if you were moving overseas. There are many moving companies that are happy to help make the process as simple as possible for you. 

At this point, you should start informing all relevant people of your change of address. Don’t forget to update any banking or financial areas of your life of your new move. If you have children, you can also start the process of enrolling them in their new school. 

It might seem stressful, but you don’t have to worry about at least one part of the process – the house removal. Britannia Cestrian is a family-owned house removals company full of experts ready to help you on your next big journey!  

What Else Should You Know? 

Did you find this article helpful for your move from England to Wales? If so, make sure to read more from our Family Life section! 

Water is essential for life. You need to drink a certain amount of water per day. Drinking water will help your body function. 

The water you drink needs to be clean. It must be free of any substances that can harm your health. 

You can’t drink water that has chlorine. To drink it, you must know how to remove the chlorine. Read this article to learn how to remove chlorine from water. 

Removing Chlorine Through Evaporation 

A simple way to remove chlorine from water is to let it evaporate from the water. Chlorine molecules are diffused in the water. It means they scatter in the water. 

This helps it escape into the air. To speed up the process, you can apply heat. It helps to boil the water.

It’s a good idea to place the water in a container with a large opening. It helps to expose the water surface to the air better. By doing so, it’ll release chlorine faster.

This is a natural way to remove chlorine from water. It might take longer, but it does the job.

Neutralizing the Water with Chemicals

One of the best ways to remove chlorine from water is through the use of chemicals. Ascorbic acid is a safe chemical compound you can use for this purpose. 

Potassium metabisulfite is another good chemical to use. It comes in the form of small tablets. You can put one tablet in the water to dissolve so it can neutralize the chlorine before it evaporates. 

UV Light 

Did you know you can use ultraviolet light to dechlorinate water? Yes, if you have a UV light on hand, you can use it to break down chlorine. It can destroy traces of it. 

UV light is effective because chlorine is a light-sensitive chemical. The more you expose it to this type of light, the greater it’ll dissipate. 

Remove Chlorine Through a Filter

If you want to remove chlorine from tap water, you can use a filter. Run the water through a filter that will make the water safe to drink. 

There are different types of filters that you can use. Most of them use activated charcoal to remove this chemical. 

Using a filter is a safe and effective way to remove chlorine from water at home. You should consider buying a Big Bubba Water Filter. These are the best in the business. 

Use These Methods To Remove Chlorine From Water

If you need to drink water, but it has chlorine, you must remove it. You don’t want to drink water that has chlorine. It can make you very sick. 

These are some of the best ways to remove chlorine from water. After you use one of these methods to remove the chlorine, you can drink the water with peace of mind. 

Explore the rest of our blog to read more articles about being thrifty.