A prepaid currency card or travel money card is much like a regular credit or debit card, with the difference that funds are loaded onto them in advance – just like a pay-as-you-go phone or pre-paid gas or electricity card. If you’re a regular traveller they may well save you money and give you greater peace of mind, as long as you use them carefully.

How does a prepaid currency card work?

Key features/advantages of a prepaid currency card

• Exchange rates are typically significantly better than you will get on cash, especially in airports or bureaux de change.
• They can be used in a wide range of places.
• They can be replaced immediately if lost, with the original card cancelled and your new one issued with the remaining balance.
• You can use them like a regular bank card, to withdraw money or to buy meals or travel tickets.
• It’s easy to track your expenditure and avoid going over budget.
• There’s the security of not having to take your usual credit or debit card, and not putting your normal bank account at risk in the process.
• You can buy linked cards for families.
• Topping them up is quick and easy, via the internet, phone or with a credit card.

Disadvantages

• They often charge a flat fee for ATM withdrawals, so are better for paying for things directly.
• Companies offer different exchange rates and have different fee structures, so comparisons are sometimes difficult.
• They may be subject to inactivity fees after 12 months, but there could also be a fee for redeeming the money on them.
• Some places such as petrol stations, car hire and hotels require a security deposit, which can tie up a significant chunk of funds for some time.

Conclusion

This article was supplied by Cash Passport who offer prepaid travel money cards to help you stay in control of your spending money when travelling abroad.

Oak floors come in a variety of different forms. Solid oak flooring is slightly harder to install than some of the alternatives, but even this is possible to do with a little patience and expertise – and is well worth it for the overall effect. However, there will be different choices for fitting your floor depending on the surface on which you are installing it. Fixing to screed requires a different approach than to joists.

Before you start Solid hardwood flooring requires a period of time to acclimatise to the conditions in your home before you install it. Like all wood, oak is sensitive to changes in temperature and humidity, and it is important to let it ‘rest’ in the room in which you are fitting it for a couple of weeks to allow it to adjust its shape accordingly. Additionally, you should plan to leaves an expansion gap at the edges of the room – around 1.5mm should be adequate. Allow any new plaster or cement to dry out, too. A day per millimetre of thickness of screed or cement should be enough.

Methods of installation There are two or three ways to install oak flooring, depending on your circumstances: • Mechanical fixings • Adhesives • ‘Floating’ a floor

Mechanical fixings can be screws (with pre-drilled holes), surface nailing or ‘secret’ nailing. These are all simple and reliable ways of installing solid oak floors. It is how floor boards have traditionally been fitted for centuries. If you’ve walked around a stately home and admired the oak floors, you can be reassured that this was how they were installed. Secret nailing is an attractive development because the nails are invisible at the end of the process. Instead of being driven vertically downwards, leaving the head on top, nails are used at the edge of the boards – often at the edge of the tongue, if there is one – at an angle.

Flexible adhesives are used in different circumstances, sometimes as a sole method of fixing oak hardwood flooring – perhaps over screed or concrete, where there is nothing to drive nails into – or as a secondary fixing to give a floor extra stability.

Floating a floor is slightly more complicated and does not involve fixing the floor boards to the surface underneath. Instead they are fixed together. It is important that they are not directly joined – oak hardwood flooring expands and contracts and this can be disastrous if you have a large raft of boards. Instead, the boards can be fitted to an underlay of adhesive foam, which simply rests on the screed base.

Timber joists Oak flooring can be fixed to joists with nails or screws. Particularly if you are working on the ground floor, you will need to fasten a layer of waterproof plastic down first (often known as visqueen); your oak hardwood flooring will

otherwise ‘cup’ and warp if there is any dampness around. You can also use heavy- duty flexible adhesives like ‘liquid batten’ or similar. If you are secret nailing wider boards (180mm and upwards), it can help to use a flexible adhesive on the back to ensure maximum stability.

This article was supplied by solid oak flooring suppliers, Sutton Timber. Click here for more information on solid oak flooring.

Most drivers have, at some point or other, experienced the inconvenience of a flat tyre. Although you can sometimes travel for a few miles on a bad wheel – and sealant and repair kits are popular for getting you by for a while longer – continuing for long distances is not safe and changing the wheel is the only long-term solution. If you have to rely on someone else to do the job for you then you might find your plans for your journey – a holiday, business trip or daily commute – subject to a sudden and unwelcome rethink. With a minimum of equipment you can avoid lengthy roadside delays by doing the job yourself.

Spare wheels

Many cars have a spare tyre stored in the boot. Sometimes this is a ‘compact’ or ‘donut’ tyre designed to save space. These are thinner than normal tyres (the French call them ‘galettes’ – pancakes) and are only rated for around 50 mph and limited distances. You need to make sure your tyre is the same size as your other wheels, is correctly inflated, and has enough tread on it.

What you will need

As a minimum for changing a flat tyre, you will need:

• A new wheel
• A jack
• A wrench

• Wheel chock(s)
• Gloves

The car should be on level, firm ground, away from hazards (the hard shoulder of a motorway is not a good place to do this). Make sure there’s no one in the car. Turn the engine off, put the handbrake on and put the car in first gear. If you’ve got one, place a chock under the wheel diagonally opposite the one you’re changing.

Removing the wheel

Ideally you want the car to be jacked up for the minimum amount of time. Don’t work under the car when it is jacked up.

Start by loosening but not completely removing the nuts on the wheel. You may need to remove the hub cap or trim to access them. When they are all slackened off, then jack the car up – ensuring that the jack is in the right place. There should be instructions on the jack itself and in your car manual to show you the correct location on your car. Placing the jack under the wrong part of your car can damage the car and be dangerous. Once the car is off the ground, you can remove the nuts and take the wheel off.

Fit the new wheel

Check your new tyre for speed restrictions – these are usually highlighted on the wheel and are very obvious. Now fit it onto the vehicle – rotating it to engage it and lock it in place – and finger-tighten the nuts. Let the car down and remove the jack. You can now tighten the nuts with the wrench. Store the flat tyre and jack in the car.

After you’re done

Drive carefully to begin with, in case there’s a problem with your new wheel. If it’s a space-saver, remember to keep your speed down. You will need to replace this with a proper tyre as soon as possible. You may also notice that some extra dashboard lights come on. This is because certain systems (ABS, traction control etc) are affected by the odd tyre width.

As soon as you can, take the car to a garage to check that your wheel is installed correctly, with the nuts tight enough and the tyre inflated to the correct pressure. You should also buy a new wheel to keep in the car in case of future flat tyres.

This article was supplied by used car wheel location specialists, Breakerlink.com

A refurbished laptop is typically one that has been thoroughly checked, reconditioned and returned to as-new state. It should work as well as one straight out of the factory. This is very different to buying a laptop that is simply described as ‘used’, which offers few of the same assurances.

What can you expect from a refurbished laptop?

Reconditioned or refurbished laptops come from a variety of sources. Many are sold by the companies that make them in the first place. Often, computers are returned due to a minor fault – which could be anything from a software glitch to a scratch on the casing. The company inspects them, restores them to factory settings and makes sure they are working like new. At other times, they may have manufactured too many for a particular big order and therefore have a few spare, which they sell at lower prices. In both these cases, the computers are, to all intents and purposes, as good as new. However, since they are not literally new, they cannot be advertised as such – hence they are sold at a discount as refurbished models. If you go down this route you can often buy a higher spec laptop at a lower price than you originally intended.

Older machines

Other stores will take older, used laptops and recondition them. Once again, this means thoroughly checking them – both hardware and software – to make sure everything is in good working order. As before, they will be returned to factory-state – or as close as is possible. This can be a good way to buy a reliable older but very cheap laptop.

In either case, the refurbished laptops should function as a new one would do. To prove their reliability they should come with a warranty and guarantees, just like a new computer. This is a world apart from the condition of the laptop you pick up cheap from eBay, a friend or some bloke you met at the pub.

‘As new’ or ‘as is’?

The relevant distinction for a refurbished laptop is ‘as new’ – which is something a merely used laptop will definitely not be. If it’s just a second-hand computer then the seller might have done no more than give it a brief spring clean (if they’re smart). The hard-drive might have been erased, or perhaps just some personal files and other programmes were removed. They won’t have checked the hardware which, after a few years, is possibly in danger of imminent failure. The OS and other software probably won’t have been updated. Instead of ‘as new’ the deal will be ‘as is’. Don’t expect a warranty, either – or any come-back if it stops working. That’s a problem when you have no idea if it’s going to survive three years or three days.

False economy

The other difference will be price. Whereas a refurbished laptop should be significantly cheaper than a new one – even if the spec is exactly the same – a plain old ‘used’ one might be cheaper still. However, this is one instance in which saving money represents a false economy. You can already save a lot of money on a refurbished computer and still get something that does everything you need it to. Spend a little less on a used computer and you might find yourself forking out a lot of money to keep it running in the near future. Given how expensive it can be to fix a laptop (easily enough to buy a decent refurbished computer…) it’s a gamble you may not want to take.

This article was supplied by refurbished laptop specialists Val-U-Computers, who have been supplying professionally refurbished and reconditioned laptops, at a fraction of the retail cost, since 1993.

How sunbeds work

Sunbeds work by emitting low levels of ultra violet light waves (UVA & UVB) through several fluorescent lamps, either on a sunbed or upright in a tanning booth. As with natural sunlight, these light waves penetrate the skin, causing the skin to become bronze and boosting vitamin D production. A golden tan doesn’t come instantly and takes several sessions under a sunbed to develop on anyone.

How to develop a tan using a sunbed if you have pale skin

Start with as little as 2 minutes session once a week and gradually increase time under sun bed and building up to between 5 – 10 minutes over several months. Speak to the beauty therapist for a guideline of what would be tanning products would be suitable for your skin type. There are a wide variety of products that can aid your tanning specifically for indoor sunbed use which is important as you should never use suntan oil intended for outdoor tanning as it will not offer the right kind of protection for your skin under a sunbed. Apply the lotion using circular motions with the palm of your hands over the areas of skin that are going to be exposed to the UV light.

Pale skin is highly sensitive to sunlight and if you use the sun beds for too long in any one session you will risk painful sunburns. If during your tanning session, your skin feels like it’s prickling or stinging – STOP TANNING as these are signs that you have over exposed your skin to UV light and can cause sunburn.  Be aware the paler your skin, the more sensitive you will be to the harmful effects of UV rays and it is advisable to keep to a shorter time under the sunbed to reduce the risk of damage to the skin.

So you want to develop your tan slowly if you have very pale skin when using a Sun Bed. When you attend a tanning salon, take appropriate clothing as it is not advised to tan completely naked as you should protect areas of the body that are sensitive and that are not normally exposed to sunlight UV radiation. Most tanning salons provide private sun bed booths, where you can tan in privacy. After you tanning session, moisturise the skin with body lotions enriched with active ingredients that enhances the tan as well as cooling after-sun properties.

Remember that your fake tan does not protect your skin from natural sunlight and it is important to still use a SPF sun block cream if you are out in the sun. However using a sunbed will help you if you have pale skin become more tolerant to the sunrays. And is a great way to add a natural glow to your skin colour in a controlled environment.

This article was supplied by commercial sunbed leasing company, Helionova, who have been supplying sunbeds to the hotel and leisure industry for over 25 years.

1. Ask!

Any company that sells oak flooring of any sort is in the business of dealing with wood. That inevitably has an impact on the environment that can either be reduced (even giving net benefit to the ecosystem) or ignored. There’s no excuse for not knowing how their products impact the environment or what they’re doing to address that. If the information isn’t freely available, ideally somewhere obvious on their website, then you can assume they are not doing their bit. Their environmental policies should be a point of pride, not a source of embarrassment. If there’s any uncertainty or woolly thinking around this, avoid them.

2. Sourcing

The wood used for oak flooring should come from renewable sources. Ideally the company itself should be heavily involved in replacing the trees it fells for its products. This makes sense from a number of angles. It’s their responsibility, since they are trading on that wood. (It’s also the customer’s responsibility, which is why you should be prepared to pay a little bit more for a product that meets the right criteria.) It’s also in their long-term interests.

Looking after the forests the trees are sourced from goes beyond planting an new oak for every one they fell – or ideally more. Make sure the woodland is managed so that the ecosystem is protected as a whole, maintaining biodiversity and water supplies, for example

As well as the type of woodland the trees come from, check where in the world they are sourced. Most of the wood should come from fairly close to home. For those in the UK, there are plenty of trees right here and in Europe. If they are coming from further afield, it’s time to start asking questions – and what the company is doing to offset that carbon cost.

3. Solid or engineered oak flooring?

Solid oak flooring is the most straightforward form of board. It’s just oak and nothing more. Many companies will recommend engineered oak flooring or other kinds of laminate, for various reasons. Engineered oak tends to have greater stability when subjected to changes in heat or dampness. This is because it consists of a thin layer of oak that has been bonded to a thick plywood base. The advantages come at a cost, both financial and to the environment. The financial cost might be worth it, but the more processing a product requires the less green it tends to be, since it uses extra energy and chemicals. Again, ask the company to check whether they even know what these impacts are, and what they are doing about it.

Conclusion

Oak flooring is always a great option as far as its aesthetics go. It can often be a good environmental choice too, since the best companies will make sure the trees are replaced, ecosystems protected and their energy use low. Oak also happens to be a good natural insulator, which helps cut down your long-term carbon footprint. However, there are less scrupulous companies around, and you should always make sure you know where the wood is coming from and whether they genuinely care about sustainability or have just ‘green-washed’ their business to satisfy ethically-minded customers.

This article was supplied by SuttonTimber.co.uk solid oak flooring suppliers. Sutton Timber source hardwoods from privately owned woodlands and government forests across the UK and Europe.

Cement mixers are really useful when you are mixing concrete; not only do they help to give your mixture consistency but they can also save you a lot of effort compared to if you decided to mix the concrete manually. At its most basic, concrete is a very simple mixture. All it requires is cement, aggregate and water.

The aggregate is there to give the mixture strength, the cement is used to bind it together, and the water starts a chemical reaction with the cement that encourages the mixture to harden. Let’s take a look at how you can mix your own concrete using a cement mixer.

Step one: the supplies

This means it’s really important you’re certain you have got enough cement, aggregate and water to complete the job as the entire project area needs to be poured out at once. If you don’t do this, the concrete won’t dry evenly and it is very likely to crack.

Step two: starting the mixer

The next step is to add the aggregate into the mixer, along with a little bit more water so it doesn’t all clump together.

Step three: cement

As a sample measurement, if you are using your concrete for a foundation, you might need to use five parts aggregate to one part cement, but look up your preferred concrete usage to find out the exact measurements you will need.

Step four: water

You need to make sure the consistency of the concrete is pourable. The more water you add, the weaker the concrete will be, so be careful not to add too much.

Step five: mixing

Cats are famous for getting fleas. These small, itchy, hard-shelled parasites are adept at jumping on to clean household felines for their daily feast of blood. Once they’re attached to a cat, they will then try to lay eggs on its fur, leading to more fleas and a bigger problem.

As a cat owner you’ll want to do everything you can to stop fleas from ever becoming a problem in your house. The last thing you’ll want is a cat that’s not only beside itself itching and scratching, but also spreading fleas and eggs around your home. In order for you to prevent such a situation from ever happening, we’ve put together some easy to use flea prevention tips.

• One of the most widely used anti-flea measures for cats is the anti-flea collar. Although thousands of these are sold on a daily basis, many experts say that they’re a bit of a waste of time as fleas will try to attach themselves anywhere on a cat, not just round the neck.
• However many people say that if you think you have fleas already in your property, by putting a flea collar in your vacuum cleaner bag (or cyclone unit) then you’ll make sure that you kill any fleas or eggs that you hoover up. Otherwise they can live on and escape from the bag, believe it or not.
• Keeping a clean house is one of the most important things when it comes to winning the war against the tiny flea. Use a vacuum cleaner in the way we described above to make sure that every little gap, nook and cranny in your house is completely clean. This will remove any old eggs or fleas that might be living in such spaces.
• If your cat has a special bed, or there’s a place on your three piece (or something similar) where it likes to sit makes sure that it’s regularly cleaned. In order to make sure you kill any eggs that might have been shaken off your cat’s fur onto any blankets or upholstery covers, you’ll need to wash these on your hottest temperature.
• Alongside flea-collars, the other most popular form of anti-flea measure has to be medicines like Frontline. This is a jab that you give to your pet once every few months or so that puts a special toxin in its blood. Whilst this toxin does nothing to cats, it is very harmful to fleas, which it renders either dead or infertile.
• In order to make sure your cat doesn’t get fleas, you can adopt a vigilant attitude over its trips into the outside. Make sure that you’re the person letting your cat into and out of your property. Then, when your cat is coming back inside, you can comb it down with a special flea comb that will get rid of any unwanted hitch-hikers. This can be one of the best solutions for people who want to avoid jabs.

This article was supplied by London flea pest control experts, Bypest.com, a leading provider in the assessment, treatment and prevention of ants in both homes and businesses.

An alternator is the part of a car engine that helps keep the battery charged whilst the car is moving. It sits on the front of the engine and converts its circular kinetic motion into electric energy. If this unit fails it means that your car’s battery will run out quickly and the engine won’t function. As with many car repairs you can easily save money by buying a used car alternator.

-) When buying a used car alternator, always make sure you pick up it up and take a good look at it. Check any patches of rust to see if these are deep or if they just brush off with your finger. Reject any part with severe rust.

-) As with all car parts a number of different models will probably fit on your engine. Check the connections and screw holes for compatibility. You don’t have to have an alternator from the exact same type of car as many cars use the same engines and parts, making finding a replacement an easy task.

-) Cracks in any type of used car part are a big no-no. Any unit that’s damaged in such a way with have a lessened lifespan because of the fault. Don’t accept any part, albeit an alternator or otherwise if you find the slightest fissure.

-) We’ve already told you that the alternator is used to distribute charge back to the battery. This makes the electrical connections of paramount importance. Check the quality of the leads and the connectors at the end, which should be in good condition. Also check that the screw fixings.

-) Look at the pulley on the alternator. Turn it with your hand. Here you’re looking at the motion, which should be centred and free from any concentricity. If you see the wrong kind of movement this probably means that something is working incorrectly within the unit.

-) The pulley should also be of good condition and free from cracks. This is a replaceable part, but bear in mind that it will add to the hassle factor of your purchase if you don’t buy an alternator that’s fully functioning.

-) Inspect the interface where the engine’s rotation connects to the alternator thoroughly for cracks, as these are also a big sign of reduced strength in the unit. So when inspecting the part take extra care looking at this section, which carries a lot of stress during its lifespan.

-) When buying anything, not just a used a car part, make sure you understand what conditions you are making your purchase under. Any reasonable scrap-yard or used part sales centre should have a guarantee policy on returns, in case the alternator fail in a short time after you’ve bought it. Also remember that many small traders like to charge as much as they can get for a part, so remember you can always ask to come back later after you’ve reviewed other prices.

With money so often tight in today’s world, buying  used car alternators makes sense. Anyone with a reasonable amount of car mechanic knowledge and the right tools can change this part easily. So next time this part of your car fails, or even any other part, why not look at the used spare trade instead of splashing out on a new fitting at the garage?

This article was supplied by second hand car parts location specialists, BreakerLink.com, who have over forty years worth of experience in locating car parts for customers across the United Kingdom

Plastic window shutters are an excellent way to give a new look to your house, and the good news is that their maintenance requirements are very limited. Some shutters can simply be installed and more-or-less forgotten about, barring the occasional light clean. Others will need a repaint every few years. Either way, maintenance is easy enough to carry out yourself and takes comparatively little time.

Remove your shutters

Whatever the design and material of your external window shutters, the first step is to remove them from the side of your house. You may be tempted to save time by cleaning them and painting them while they are still fixed to the wall, but this is a false economy. Aside from being needlessly dangerous – especially if you are painting them at the top of a ladder – it is impossible to do a really good job while they are in position.

Plastic window shutters are far easier to install and take down than their functional predecessors: all you need to do is remove the four screws that hold them in place, one in each corner. You may need some help to take the weight of the shutter as you take out the last screw, but you can have them down at ground level in a matter of minutes. You will save time and energy during the remaining steps by doing this, and it makes life much easier.

Clean and repaint the shutters

Start by washing the shutters with warm soapy water and a sponge. You may need a brush to get into the corners, where dirt can collect over time. Do not use any solvents or abrasive cleaning fluids on the shutters, since this can permanently damage them.

Plastic window shutters come in several materials – most commonly styrene and polypropylene or UPVC. If your shutters are made from polypropylene/UPVC then your work is done at this point. These shutters cannot be painted as the paint will not adhere properly to them; over time the shutters expand and contract with changes in the temperature, and the paint cannot expand with them. Ultraviolet light can fade the plastic and leave a white, chalky-looking film on the shutters; you may be able to remove this with fine sandpaper, but check with the manufacturer to avoid damaging them.

If your shutters are styrene, or already have a coat of paint on them, then inspect them carefully after washing to check the condition of the existing paint. If it is faded or flaking off then you should repaint them. Use an oil-based exterior paint – not vinyl-based – and follow the instructions on the tin with regards preparing the surface and drying times.

Replace the shutters

Replacing your plastic window shutters is as simple a task as removing them from the house before cleaning. If you find the weight makes them awkward to hold in place, you can support them on the top of a ladder or push a nail through one of the top holes and into the Raw plug or shutter spike in the wall. Then you can replace the other screws easily. If you do the job properly you should not need to remove and clean or paint them again for several years.

This article was supplied by simplyshutters.co.uk, who are members of The Guild of Master Craftsmen and suppliers of high quality decorative exterior window shutters.