When determining whether it is the right thing to do, make sure your family will actually use it, and then consider the costs. There are quite a few hits to the hip pocket that come along with a pool, so be prepared, know what you’re in for – and then think of the great times you are going to have in your new pool!

1. Pool

The pool is the most obvious cost, and these come in a variety of price ranges. You can select from above ground and below ground options, with a number of different sizes and shapes to choose from. Make sure what you choose is practical for your backyard, and if you’re looking for something long-term that will improve the value of your property, think about a permanent, in-ground pool.

2. Labour

In addition to the pool itself, you will need to consider the cost of labour to install it into your backyard. Go to a range of pool supplies stores and get a number of quotes so you can compare and find the best value for your dollar, and a price range that will fit in with your budget. Make sure, when comparing prices, that your labourer is reputable and hasn’t had any complaints in the past. One who is recommended is always your best bet!

3. Landscaping

After putting in the pool, your backyard may be in a slight state of disarray. If you are investing the dollars to put in a pool, you should also consider putting in the dollars to make the area appealing. In order for it to add value to your home, it needs to look good. The landscaping around the area, even the surface you use around the water’s edge – cement grass, pavers, timber, or others – can really make a difference. If you can afford it, talk to a professional about how to make the most of the area and make it look its best. If not, head online and look at ways others have made the most of their area and look into quote for similar finishes.

4. Safety

Another element to take into consideration is the safety of your family when it comes to the pool. Legally, for safety reasons, you are required to put in a fence around the pool area. Look into a range of options and quotes and consider something that suits your landscaping and garden.

5. Maintenance

When you buy a pool, you also need to consider there will be ongoing maintenance costs and accessories like your pool filter and pump. Your pool pump will add to your electricity bill and you will also need to purchase chlorine on an ongoing basis.

While there are ongoing costs, the benefits definitely outweigh them, think of all the great summer fun you will have!

Many household paints contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) – these are the ones you want to avoid. Normal household paints can contain up to 10,000 chemicals and many of these are toxic. The most harmful are VOCs which vaporise easily and react to produce ozone which is an air pollutant. VOCs have been linked with cancer, kidney damage, respiratory problems, headaches, watery eyes and nausea.

As paint containing VOCs dries, the VOCs are released into the air – and household air contains much higher levels of VOCs than outside air. It doesn’t stop when the paint is dry either – VOCs will continue to seep into the atmosphere for several years.

Now you can choose to avoid VOCs in paint by buying one of the many organic and natural paints available. Although these paints are more expensive, it’s far more comforting to know that if you use them your family won’t be at risk of breathing in any more VOCs.

Of course, you can do the same with the furniture you buy for your home. You can choose to buy products that are made with naturally-sourced materials and don’t contain toxins. Many furniture stores sell cheap furniture that isn’t green, and you’ll have to weigh up how much you can afford to spend to be green when buying big items such as sofas and chairs. Even in a sofas sale, you are unlikely to find soft furnishings made out of eco-friendly materials at a low price.

You’re more likely to be able to stay green while spending less on wooden furniture – especially if it’s made of bamboo. Bamboo is in plentiful supply, and is a renewable source of wood, so you’ll be helping reduce the impact of global deforestation by buying products made from it. Bamboo can be cut without the whole plantation being destroyed, and regrows very quickly. Bamboo plantations also put 35% more oxygen back into the atmosphere than other tree species.

So there are ways and means to be green while decorating and furnishing your home, but generally it will be more expensive.

Washing machine
If your washing machine was to break down it is easy enough to take your clothes down to the nearest laundromat. Make sure you take plenty of gold coins and a good book or magazine to read because it can be a bit time consuming sitting waiting for a load of washing. If you are unable to get out of the house to do this because you have young children to care for or you work full time, you might be able to make use of a friends or family members machine in the short term until you can get yours repaired or replaced. If all these options are not available to you then you can wash your clothes by hand. Buy some good laundry soap and either use your laundry sink or if bigger items you can wash them in the bath. You will find that hand washed items will take longer to dry because it is hard to squeeze all the water out of them and you can’t get quite as much water out of your clothes as your spin cycle on your washing machine does.

Dishwasher
It is not the end of the world if your dishwasher breaks down, it just means you need to do your dishes the old fashioned way, by hand. To get the best results when hand washing dishes you need to have your water as hot as possible, so you will need rubber gloves. You don’t need to use much detergent and if you don’t have a drying rack it would be a good idea to buy one. They aren’t expensive and can be bought from the supermarket.

Fridge
If your Westinghouse fridge breaks down you need to work quickly to transfer everything into an esky it keep it cool before it spoils. You can buy ice from petrol station, which you should place around the items in your esky. Stand the esky in your bath as your bathroom is usually the coolest room in the house and if your esky happens to leak the water is only going to run down the plug hole.

Hot water service
If your hot water service breaks down this can be a huge inconvenience, particularly in winter, but you can manage without it in the short term. If you can handle cold showers then by all means jump right on in, but you can boil the kettle and heat water on the stove so that you can have a warm bath. You could also use the shower at the gym or local swimming pool, although you will have to pay for the privilege. While you are there you might as well go for a swim or do a workout.

That’s because they’re loved by their owners as opposed to created perfections designed only to impress others.

The final irony is that the homes which truly most impress other people are those created by their owners without visitors in mind.

You see so may TV programs these days from rock stars’ homes to people looking over new houses to buy – to wealthy people undertaking grand architectural programs to achieve a perfect look, that we forget the fundamentals: A home is a home is a home. It isn’t just a “house”, it isn’t a piece of architecture, it isn’t somewhere to try and be perfect or to present to other people, or to impress them; it’s somewhere for us to live in – to truly “be” in.

If others love it great, if they don’t, do you really care? And if you do really care, perhaps the best approach is to try and really look yourself in the mirror and ask yourself why that is.

Similarly, if you don’t really care, but finding yourself really trying anyway – then why is that?

There’s nothing wrong with trying to create a nice home. But maybe there is something amiss if you’re merely trying to create a great house. And there’s a whole world of difference between the two.

So make a promise to yourself and your family to create a real home, with real comfort and you’ll all be happier for it. And because you’re doing this, you’ll also find it a greener place to be as you aren’t using up resources continually buying new stuff.

So be happy with your old cheap dining table and chairs. And stop trying for perfection.

Instead, have a look for things you love. The Harveys Furniture stores are choc fill of great ideas for homes rather than just houses.

One of the main reasons drivers choose Honda is because of the car maker’s excellent reputation for reliability. In the Which Car? and Warranty Direct reliability survey carried out in 2011, Honda came top for an incredible sixth year in a row. The Japanese car maker’s HR-V and CR-V topped the same survey’s SUV category as well. Added to that Honda won the number two spot in the JD Power Owner Satisfaction Survey 2011.

So, Honda customers tend to be happy ones, we can see. And increasingly, they are also the drivers who show their respect for the environment by choosing to drive hybrids. Hybrid vehicles are good for the environment as their power comes from an electric motor and a small internal combustion engine, so they use less fuel and create fewer emissions than conventional cars.

Although hybrids are becoming more familiar sights on British roads, they are by no means standard as yet. The number of hybrids or electric vehicles accounts for just 2% of the new cars sold in 2011. Although this figure is tiny, it is increasing, and it seems that with pretty much every manufacturer showcasing a hybrid or electric vehicle at each big motor show, this trend is set to continue.

However, the latest Honda to go on sale in the UK is the Civic 2012, and there isn’t a hybrid in the European range. Instead, there’s a diesel version which gets 64-67 mpg and emits only 110g/km, just 9g/km more than the Honda Insight. So, it’s clear that even if Honda isn’t bringing any more hybrids to the UK just yet, the company is still making a commitment to the environment with its new cars.

For this reason, it is important not to overlook easy fixes when searching for ways to make your lifestyle at home a more green-friendly one. And your utilities and energy costs are certainly the best place to start. If you’re looking for how to save electricity and the environment this coming year, here are some tips for doing both by reducing your utilities burden:

Use home automation technology. Available from companies such as Vivint, home automation technology gives you the ability to set timers and to manage your home lighting system from anywhere in the world – strategies both of which can make your electricity use far more efficient.

Buy energy-efficient light bulbs. Energy-efficient lighting uses less energy and fewer bulbs, making it a far more sustainable option than traditional light bulbs.

Install a “smart thermostat.” Most of us own decades-old thermostats that give us the ability to set a temperature, but do little else. A smart thermostat, on the other hand, can sense movement, learn living habits, and internally regulate the temperature, all with the purpose of maximizing your efficient and lowering your energy use.

Insulate your home. Insulating your walls and properly sealing your windows can insure that your home doesn’t waste the electricity generated within.

Cut back. When the temperature is mild outside, you may want to start abstaining from cooling or heating your home. When winter arrives and you find yourself cold, pouring yourself a mug of hot water may be just as helpful as cranking the heat – and far less wasteful. Few people will choose to sacrifice comfort for utility, but this does not mean that you can’t take measures to curb excessive energy use.

These are just a few of the main ways you can reduce energy consumption in your home. Doing so will not simply make your lifestyle more environmentally-friendly – it will also save you on utilities costs in the process.

Over the last ten years or so the market has overflown with products that promise to be the best child-proofing money can buy. But before you shell out your well-earned cash, let’s identify the risks firsts. The best way to do this is to crawl through your house to get a toddler’s view of your home. This will help you to identify what is and isn’t a potential risk and will give you ideas on how to mitigate them.

As a general rule of thumb you should:

1. Secure your cupboard doors with childproof safety latches – but remember that this won’t stop overzealous children from gaining access to your cupboards, it will merely deter them. With this in mind, it is good practice to keep all dangerous items (including cleaning solutions and knives) in cupboards that are locked permanently or, better yet, are completely out of a child’s reach.

2. Cover all electrical wall sockets with plastic plugs – this will stop any mishaps that may occur as a result of children sticking their toys or tiny fingers in wall sockets.

3. Put protective covers on any sharp edges – this includes cupboards, tables, benches, seats… basically any type of furniture.

4. Fasten a hook-and-eye latch high up on all of your doors – this will ensure that children cannot access rooms that could be dangerous to them.

5. Install smoke detectors in all areas of your house to prevent any dangers that may result in relation to fire.

6. Remove all refrigerator magnets – this might sound extreme, but there have been a significant amount of accidents in which children have choked on magnets that have fallen off the fridge after it has been slammed.

7. Have an emergency plan – just in case the unthinkable happens, have a plan. Program the speed dial on your phone with phone numbers for your local police station, ambulance, hospital, GP, and even 000.

Once you feel that you have child-proofed your home adequately, it’s now time to test it out again. So jump on your hands and knees and crawl around the home for another inspection. Looks for anything that is loose and dangling, begging to be pulled. Your entertainment system might have unruly cords or your tablecloth might overhang too much – all of these little things need to be corrected for the safety of your child.

Recycle furniture. Although there’s plenty of cheap furniture available, it’s not always possible to find cheap furniture with good green credentials. If you want to buy new, make sure you check with the retailer about the supply chain used to make the sofa or table that you are thinking about buying. Check whether the wood used has been forested responsibly, and find out whether any fabrics used are produced without using pesticides and toxic dyes.

Alternatively, check online for swap shops and second hand furniture depots. Many people now get rid of unwanted furniture at this kind of outlet rather than taking it to the local tip. And what may be perceived as junk by one person might be just the thing to suit your taste and style.

Often, it’s worth asking around as friends of friends may have pieces of furniture they no longer want, and that you can find a use for.

If you can’t find what you’re looking for second hand, then check out a local sofas sale and see if you can get a bargain price on a good quality sofa that has all the right environmental attributes.

Read the labels. If you’re planning on repainting as well as buying new furniture, take careful note of the ingredients in the paint you choose to use. There are many organic and earth-friendly paints available now and these come in a range of finishes. However, traditional household paints often contain Volatile Organic Compounds, which are harmful for the environment. VOCs have also been linked to problems like bronchitis and asthma.

While decorating and refurbishing in a green manner may take a bit more time and effort, it can be done!

So if you’re an out and out home-making “nester” of a person, with a family and a cared for and loved environment – or a single man minimalist with a chair and a large screen TV on the wall and little else – your home still tells the rest of the world a great deal about who you really are, what stage and status your life is at – and what really motivates you.

But does your car say as much about you as your home? Probably not is the short answer – and most of us wouldn’t really want it to – except in certain situations. A lot of this comes with the shallowness and immaturity of youth, perhaps. But you can’t really blame young people, it’s natural to be influenced by status and fashion and the like – and their cars are very often the single main single status symbol.

But as we get a little older, one would hope that we’ve attained a little more knowledge about what’s really important in life. And it can be very disappointing (and perhaps a little amusing!) when this isn’t the case. But even then, the fact that the rest of us don’t care too much about what we drive or how it looks, still says a little about who we are.

And if we live in a green environmentally friendly way at home – then doesn’t it also make sense to try and drive with the same credentials in eco cars?

Is there really anything wrong with “advertising” our green lifestyles via what we drive, if it’s sending out such positive environmental messages?

And it doesn’t have to be showy. The Honda Insight and Toyota Prius are two good examples of mainstream, “quiet” family cars that also happen to be green hybrid models. And if you’re driving a car like this, then surely it’s a good thing if your car does say as much about you as your home?

Make better use of your garden

Rather than just having a back garden that you never use with an un-mown lawn and lots of weeds, put some thought into it and turn the space into an extension of your indoors. Don’t think of your back yard as a garden but rather a potential living area. Think about creating different ‘rooms’ within your garden, with different areas for different purposes. Create a main entertainment area that is more like an indoor room. Rather than just having a barbecue outside your back door, have a built in barbecue that you could do all your meals on if you wish. Have an outdoor kitchen where you can even prepare your entire meal.

Entertain at home

Having a proper outdoor living area will mean that you will entertain more at home and by doing so save yourself the cost of going out to eat. If you have a great space to entertain people will want to come over. Things like a swimming pool, an outdoor fire, an outdoor kitchen and comfortable lounges will make your outdoor living area great to relax in.

Increase the value of your property

Any modifications you do to your home are going to increase its value. By adding things like roller blinds, a retractable awning or veranda, a swimming pool, paving or timber decking or even establishing a garden are going to add value to your property. You might not be thinking of selling now but you never know what the future may bring.

Create somewhere the children

Get your children off the couch and out of the house by creating a fantastic haven within your own back yard. It will save you a lot of money too because you won’t need to take them to expensive play centres or other entertainment during the school holidays, just let them loose outside. Dedicate an area of the garden especially for them and screen it off by growing a hedge or thick bushes. Have things like a sandpit, a tree house or swings. You might like to put in a vegetable garden of their own as well.

De-stress

If you really want to de-stress and relax at home have a special outdoor living area that is built especially for this purpose. There is great outdoor furniture available now, particularly lounges that are made just for dozing outdoors in. Water features can create a relaxing atmosphere, whether you have a running waterfall with recycled water or you put in a pond with some giant goldfish. Plant plenty of leafy green plants, and remember that natives will attract the birds, if you want to be surrounded by the sound of bird calls.