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Am I the only one who is just sick of money? I'm sick of talking about it. I'm sick of worrying about it. And I'm sick of spending it when I should be trying to save it instead!

It's all we seem to think and talk about these days. It always has been really, but since the recession it's gotten so much worse. Turn on the tv and what do you see? Politicians trying to outwit each other with money saving plans, and adverts to save money on comparison websites, to claim money on an accident you had that wasn't your fault, to save money by shopping at a different supermarket. It goes on and on!

Isn't there supposed to be more to life? I wish I could hire a private money management company like Rowan Dartington or something to handle all my comings and goings so I could just work and know how much money I have to save and how much to spend.

Wouldn't that make life so much easier? The I would just need to forbid everyone around me from talking about money so much.

Picture: doug88888 (Flickr)

These days we're always trying to save money, choosing all the buy-one-get-one-free offers in the supermarket and using online price comparison sites for shopping and insurance deals.

But what really ruins everything, is when your TV breaks unexpectedly, or your cooker, your fridge or your washing machine, and suddenly you've got a big cost looming over you to replace it.

Well I've got good news, as I've found a much cheaper way to get 'as new' products, with full warranties for a cut of the price.

And the answer is refurbished items! I was recently negotiating for a Stannah Stairlift for my parents, and was able to save over a thousand pounds by buying a refurbished model.

I was so impressed with it that I did my research, and found that many companies offer refurbished items on their website with a generous discount, and companies such as Comet even run auction sites selling returned and refurbished items - if you're lucky you can snap up a bargain.

Lighting you garden is so easy nowadays. Solar garden lights are brilliant to illuminate you patio or garden walls, making it look stylish and cosy.

Solar-powered garden lights save energy and they save the hassle of laying cables to lights that need mains power.
Like they say on the tin they use the sun to create energy, which is stored and used to charge the rechargeable battery when needed.

You can get lots of varieties of solar garden lights including patio and decking lighting, wall lights and bollards to light paths and drive ways.

I highly recommend getting some for your garden. They just look elegant and also provide enough light to still enjoy a beautiful summer evening!

Last week I tried something new for my workout and if a high-powered and exciting workout is what you want then I recommend Rat Race Urban Gyms. Urban Gyms operate in several cities in the UK and puts you through a hard-core workout aimed to use the city as your equipment.
The trainers have you bunny hopping over bollards, doing pull-ups in a piazza and cat-crawls in car parks. What I also found good about the class was that it was for all fitness levels. Some people there wanted to keep it light and others really wanted to push themselves and the instructors were there to help with this.
I would highly recommend trying a session. You can try one for free to see if you like it and then sign up to individual sessions or a pass. The instructors reckon that you can burn up to 1000 calories in one session so it is really worth it.

My two favourite menswear shops are now online! So when I am at work, I can quickly buy a new suit or a new shirt for the weekend.
Until now I have been an avid ASOS fan, but I have always preferred H&M and Zara as they offer up to date men's clothes at reasonable prices, but I don't always have time to go to a shop.
Buying online really doesn't bother me, as the sizes are normally very good and fit well. I have already managed to buy a shirt and a pair of jeans from H&M today! They should be arriving in about 3 days (just in time for the weekend) and only cost ?3.90!