Better_HomesandGardensAustralia-February_2017

Y

ou wouldn’t put up with a

leaky tap, so why live with a

bank balance that constantly

trickles cash? Try some simple

strategies to plug the financial gaps

and put money back in your pocket.

First, know where the money goes.

It’s estimated only one in two of us

knows exactly what our cash is spent

on. There are plenty of free budget

apps available to help you monitor

your daily spending on the go.

Next, aim to save on fun things

like dining out or entertainment

that can really add up! Purchasing

an annual subscription to your

favourite magazine, for example,

can be cheaper than heading out

to buy a copy each month.

Check out your key financial

products too. Hidden fees and

charges can quickly add up, eating

away at your money – often without

you being aware of the cost.

MEBANK.COM.AU

PLUG

REBECCA JAMES

Senior executive

at industry super

fund-owned bank, ME

money leaks

the

BETTER BANKING FEATURE

Yclutter while retaining and enjoying your es, you can live your life in a home clear of

precious possessions. No need to toss everything out – organisation is

key, with furniture, racks and containers coming to the rescue. Whether

you’re a bower bird who loves to collect and show off OODs (objects of

desire), you have books to rival a library, need to house craft materials and

tools or are overflowing with paperwork, there’s a stylish, practical

1 solution for all.

2

FOR SHOPPING DETAILS, SEE STOCKISTS PAGE

▲

Go with the grainStore and decorate assorted wicker baskets. They with

introduce welcome texture to rooms and successfully conceal the clutter of odds and ends in the most contained way. Not

‘officey’ in the slightest, they sit stylishly beside vessels, bowls and other ephemera. Here, the rusticity of the timber

shelving is enhanced by the otherwise all-white bookcase.Box it beautiful

When your living area doubles as your work or hobby room, bookcases, attractive containers and boxes come

into their own. For a beautifully integrated scheme, opt for variety and choose containers to colour-coordinate with the

rest of the room. Oh, and label, label, label as out of sight can lead to out of mind!

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Storage.indd 60 14/12/2016 11:32 am

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Now the festive feasting is over, it’s time to lighten up! Try these easy meals

with all the nutritional info to overhaul your food without forgoing flavour!

WEIGHT 16-page^

specialLOSS^

Fish and chorizo stewThe hint of spicy

sausage takes a simple fish dish to scrumptious heights. And the

beans will ensure you feel satisfied. Recipe and nutritional info on page 102

slimming

love

89

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WEIGHTLOSS FOOD.indd 89 13/12/2016 5:58 pm

Organise every room in your home with these eye-catching ideas

storagesolutions

store

smart

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Storage.indd 61 13/12/2016 6:06 pm

Getting ourselves back into order is

pretty much at the very top of the

things-we-want-to-do list once we settle

into quieter times after the silly season

celebrations are beginning to slow down.

You know the routine: we check the

effects all the eating and drinking has had

on our post-Christmas bods and groan.

And at the same time we wander the

house, look around at the holiday mess

and moan! Are you recognising this?

Well do we have the issue for you!

For starters, we’ve called the first

solution for your new-year happiness

‘Slimming love’, because we all love

to diet – not! We’ve planned a pretty

cool collection of delicious recipes to

help you return that shape of yours

to the trim, taut and terrific person

we know you really are! The feature

is also full of tips and hints to make

the return-to-beautiful easier, and

there’s a little calculation guide on

how much you can indulge and what

you can stick to eating every day

so you’re in full control. Marry it up

with a little bit of walking, a little bit of

talking and in no time you’ll be a body

beautiful again! But that’s not all!

Now we turn to the second solution

for your new-year happiness. And

that happens to be around the most

important aspect of any home – yours

too – storage! Check out our fabulous

collection of where to put everything in

smart, savvy style so that vacation mess

turns to decorating flair before your very

eyes. Then, be inspired to take your own

creative know-how further into all spaces

in your home so tidying up becomes

‘clever you’ rather than push it in the

cupboard and slam the door closed!

A place for everything and everything

in its place will become your reality.

With 2017’s new you underway,

reward yourself with the most beautiful

gardening imaginable. Whichever you

choose, grow one of natures’ most

adorable bloomers to arrange in vases

and excite your senses. Or just relish

the joy of working with succulents.

Our plan for this issue was to fill you

with new-year happiness all year. Read

on for so many more ideas to do just

that. And all the best for 2017!

e d itor ’sletter

Happy 2017 to you all! Fingers

crossed it’s a beauty. And doesn’t the

new year always herald a resolution

for shaping up... yep, sure does!

Subscribe now for big savings and more. See page 208 or call^ 1300 301 567

Here’s to a beautiful you after

celebrating a little too much –

it’s all delicious from page 89.

Take any storage idea and add it to your home – you

can bet life will become the happier and more stylish

for it. It’s storage for every room, page 60.

Photography Benito Martin