Okay, we’ve all done it! You probably know what that means in the context of the home and garden.  Yes, we’ve all looked out of the window to the garden and seen what appears to be the set for a jungle movie.  We’ve then turned around and looked at the living room, only for the same thought to strike us.

We then turn around and think that we have neither time nor the money to do much about either.

Well, it may be time for a change.  Why not get to grips with a few basic things that might make all the difference to your home and garden?  And without you needing to take out a mortgage to pay for them.

The garden

The first thing you need to do is to ask yourself an honest question about the sort of gardener you are.  If you like looking at a garden but not actually needing to get your hands dirty keeping it in order, then you really should be thinking about things that will turn it into a low-maintenance area.

If that’s the case, why not consider:

• turf over your borders. Herbaceous and other borders might be considered a classic part of the British garden but they are typically high(ish) maintenance – as you’ll know if they’re currently choked with weeds.  Cover them with grass and all you have to do is mow them occasionally;
• build a patio over part or all of your grassed area. That reduces the need for cutting and colour can still be achieved through the use of some well positioned pot plants.

If this sounds expensive, then you might need to consult a daily deals search engine website like Deal Zippy. They look across all other daily deal websites and produce consolidated views of the best offers around on any given day.

They also have a geographic component whereby they’ll give you information on local deals in up to 40 UK cities – including very possibly garden centre bargains in your locality.

The home

Here the challenge is a little bit more complicated to think about because it depends on what the problem is.

If you’re just a bit behind with the housework, well, it’s probably just time that you and anyone living with you got your noses to the grindstone and cleaned up.

However, even if your house is clean and tidy, sometimes old wallpaper and past-it’s-best paint work can make even the best-kept house look shabby and tired.

So, why not think about getting the paint brushes out, putting some new wallpaper up and perhaps treating yourself to a few new cushions and maybe some new curtains etc.

Once again, it’s true that these things can be expensive but not if you look around for some of those great daily deals that are out there, as mentioned above.

You just might be amazed at the savings you might make over standard list prices and that in turn might fire up your enthusiasm that bit more for some decoration!

BIO

Stella Ashcroft is a PR and finance writer who loves nothing better than saving money, whether it is a few pence on groceries to hundreds of pounds on insurance! Stella describes writing for dealzippy.co.uk as her dream job, as she gets to take advantage of daily deals as they happen.