Simple, influencer-approved tips that won’t break the bank
New year, clean slate? While most of us will be focused on our own personal development in the new year, January is also the perfect time to invest in your home and give it some extra TLC.
But breathing life into your home doesn’t have to break the bank. Using empty space, donating unused clothes to charity or even a fresh lick of paint are just some ideas, but knowing where to start can be tricky.
Amy McElhaney, known to her 17K Instagram followers as Amy’s Home Life, lives in Barratt Homes’ St Clement Wells development on the outskirts of Edinburgh.
A crafty home economics teacher by day, the 27-year-old blogger moved into her three-bed Wemyss home with her husband Scott, 29, in 2019 and has since spent the last four years making their house a home.
Below are her simple, budget-friendly tips to help declutter your home, create more space and give it that New Year clean feel:
Learn to love labels
My favourite things to have in the kitchen are personalised storage containers, with labels. This means I have less packaging and more space for food. It also means I can easily find ingredients when cooking and baking.
I love using my Cricut machine at home, but labellers like the Brother P-touch Cube are great too and can connect to your phone. For cheaper solutions, good old-fashioned stickers or paper and a pen work a treat.
Hidden gems
We purchased storage boxes that are the same colour as our kitchen cupboards, which sit above our kitchen cabinets. It allows me to put the equipment I use less regularly and my recipe books in a safe place, but not cluttering up the house.
Supermarkets like ASDA have some cheap storage solutions that can be easily be picked up on your weekly shop. If you’re a regular shopper at Tesco, vouchers from Clubcard points can also be used towards covering the value.
Rack it up
I cook from scratch most days, so my collection of herbs and spices is rather large. To save shelf space, we bought a spice rack which is a screwed onto a cupboard door. It is perfect as it saves space and makes finding jars easy.
Ikea have some basic spice racks under £5, or you can pick up in-cupboard racks for just over a tenner in stores like B&Q.
Utilise hidden space
Being smart with space is always essential and buying an Ottoman bed really helped us with this. We have plastic box underneath for all bedding, towels, summer/winter clothes and then things like board games. It’s organised whilst also being hidden!
Wilko, The Range and Dunelm all have options that can be used for under beds, starting at under £10.
On your marks, get set, clean!
To keep the house tidy after a good clear out and declutter, I set daily 30-minute timers to do my cleaning. I set the timer, put on an upbeat playlist and tackle jobs to save me doing it at the weekend. I find this essential when we both work full time and allows our weekends for fun stuff only!
Spotify has loads of pre-made playlists that are specific to cleaning and can also act as a timer for completing tasks.
For more information on Barratt Developments in Scotland, visit:
Foysol Choudhury MSP for Lothian has attended an event held to highlight the role Scotland’s unique heritage has to play in the country’s economic and green recovery.
The session at the Scottish Parliament was hosted by Historic Environment Scotland (HES), the lead public body that investigates, cares for and promotes the country’s historic environment, including over 300 properties in care.
The event, How Scotland’s Past Can Support Its Future, championed the important role that Scotland’s historic buildings, sites and heritage sector plays in creating jobs, promoting tourism and supporting the environment.
The historic environment also has a key role to play in terms of the journey to net zero. A fifth of Scotland’s residential buildings were constructed before 1919 using traditional materials and building skills.
Making these buildings as energy efficient as possible is a crucial part of the road to net zero, as well as supporting opportunities for re-use and retrofit, helping to boost jobs and skills through the need for skilled labourers and craftspeople.
Foysol Choudhury MSP for Lothian said:“It was great to meet Historic Environment Scotland at the Scottish Parliament, to learn more about Scotland’s heritage and how HES is supporting the economy and journey to net zero.
“I recently raised a question in the Chamber in support of Historic Environment Scotland. I asked the Scottish Government how it plans to ensure that Historic Environment Scotland’s properties will be able to open to a sufficient degree, to allow HES’ revenue to rise as predicted in the budget.
“I look forward to learning more about HES’ projects in the future and to seeing more of these important HES properties open again for the public.”
Alex Paterson, Chief Executive at HES, said:“Scotland’s historic environment is a part of our everyday lives. It’s our homes and high streets, schools and hospitals. It’s also transport infrastructure like canals and bridges. The historic environment is central to our lives and our sense of place, identity and to our wellbeing.
“There is clear economic value in investing in the historic environment to deliver these core agendas, with the reuse and adaptation of existing heritage assets being integral to a net zero transition.
“I would like to thank Graeme Dey for welcoming us to the Scottish Parliament and to all the MSPs who came to find out more about how Scotland’s past can support its future”.
Scotmid has donated 100 Pet Aid boxes to the Scottish SPCA’s initiative to support people and pets who are struggling during the cost-of-living crisis.
The boxes include essential food and care supplies for animals in need and are provided through a network of 33 foodbanks across Scotland.
In 2022, calls to the Scottish SPCA more than trebled. Most people give up their pets as a very last resort, when they feel there is no other option, with the decision often linked to the cost of looking after them.
Scottish SPCA was Scotmid’s 2018/19 charity partner. The leading Scottish community retailer still describes the charity as “part of the Scotmid family” and has continued to support their initiatives.
Shirley MacGillivray, Scotmid Head of Membership & Community, said: “We recognise the importance of pets to our physical and mental wellbeing, so keeping them safe and connected with their owners is something we are proud to support. Our friends at Scottish SPCA continue do incredible work supporting the welfare of animals – and their owners – through the most difficult times. We are glad to be able to help them.”
The City Art Centre, Edinburgh, dedicated to championing historic and contemporary Scottish visual arts and crafts, announces an exciting range of exhibitions for 2023.
All shows, except the Peter Howson retrospective in the summer, will be free to attend. Further information on the individual exhibitions, including a varied public events programme, will be announced later in the year.
When the Apple Ripens: Peter Howson at 65 A Retrospective 27 May – 1 October 2023, £8.50/ £6.50
A major retrospective of works by Peter Howson, one of the UK’s leading figurative painters. The exhibition will bring together around 100 works spanning the artist’s career, many never seen before in Scotland.
Howson has established a formidable reputation in the art world. His heroic portrayals of the mighty and the lowly confront subjects of human conflict and destruction that offer a penetrating insight into the human condition.
His experiences of abuse – whether self-inflicted and substance-related, or the traumatic events of his childhood – have moulded his world view and afforded him an affinity with individuals on the margins of society.
The City Art Centre has been planning the exhibition since 2019, working closely with Howson and his London representatives Flowers Gallery. Howson has previously shown at the City Art Centre, when his critically acclaimed solo exhibition devoted to Scotland’s patron saint Andrew was displayed in 2007.
Emerging from Glasgow School of Art in the 1980s, Howson quickly proved his skill of capturing the maverick, the excessive, the non-conformist and his own personal understanding of the struggles of everyday life.
In 1992 he was commissioned by the Imperial War Museum to record the conflict in the former Yugoslavia. He was appointed official British war artist for Bosnia in 1993 and in 1996 was awarded Doctor of Letters at The University of Strathclyde. His work is included in numerous national and international museum collections.
Shifting Vistas: 250 Years of Scottish Landscape 24 June 2023 – 2 June 2024, Free Entry
For centuries, the Scottish landscape has provided artists with a potent source of inspiration. From scenes of mountains and forests to images of lochs and coastlines, the natural world attracts a range of creative responses.
Urban views of towns and cities prompt equally varied interpretations, as artists explore how people have shaped their surroundings. Today our relationship with the landscape has taken on further significance, with environmental concerns over climate change and loss of biodiversity.
Shifting Vistas: 250 Years of Scottish Landscape addresses this ever-evolving subject, with a selection of historic and contemporary artworks drawn from the City Art Centre’s permanent collection of fine art.
Spanning artistic production from the 18th century to present day, it includes paintings, drawings, prints and sculptures by artists such as Alexander Nasmyth, John Lavery, SJ Peploe, William Gillies, Joan Eardley and Victoria Crowe.
The exhibition also features several recent additions to the collection, on display for the first time.
The Scottish Landscape Awards 4 November 2023 – 3 March 2024, Free Entry
The City Art Centre is thrilled to host the inaugural exhibition of Scotland’s newest open call in contemporary art – The Scottish Landscape Awards.
Presented by the Scottish Arts Trust, the awards are open to artists born, living or studying in Scotland, and for works in any media including but not limited to painting, drawing, sculpture, animation, photography, installation, film and video, multi-media, and virtual reality landscapes.
With a first prize of £10,000, the exhibition will be curated by and the prize-winners chosen by a distinguished panel of judges including Barbara Rae (chair), David Mach, Jane and Louise Wilson, Ade Adesina and Marian Leven.
Reflecting all dimensions of natural and/or man-made environments whether imaginary, surreal, abstract, documentary, ecological or realistic, selected works will push the boundaries of what contemporary landscape art is. The resulting exhibition will showcase the breadth and diversity of innovative contemporary creativity in Scotland today.
Deep Rooted 18 November 2023 – 25 February 2024, Free Entry
Our relationship with the natural world hangs in a balance, with climate change and large-scale deforestation threatening the existence of our biodiversity. For many of us, the pandemic changed our relationship with nature.
It led to a growing appreciation of our gardens, allotments, woods, and public parks and the temporary reduction of traffic brought about the fleeting return of audible birdsong. Lockdowns particularly, reminded us just how important access to nature is for our physical and mental wellbeing and therefore something worth protecting.
Deep Rooted features work by six leading contemporary artists. Together, they explore the relationship between people and the natural environment using a variety of media and approaches.
Some of the works reflect on current ecological issues and urge for action, others explore our fragile relationship with the natural world or simply capture its beauty. All the works on display act as a reminder of the importance of valuing nature and in particular trees, which sustain our and other species’ existence.
In order to help fight this urgent climate crisis, we need to change some of our deep-rooted behaviours.
Councillor Val Walker, Edinburgh’s Convener of Culture and Communities said: “2023 looks set to be another fantastic year at the City Art Centre. There are many highlights throughout the year beginning in Spring with Peter Howson at 65. One of the most respected artists of his generation, we are very proud and excited that the City Art Centre will host this major study of his work.
“Later in the year we’ll explore the wonderful landscapes of Scotland through two unique exhibitions. The first of which will showcase how they have evolved over the last 250 years. We’re also delighted to host the inaugural exhibition of Scotland’s newest open call in contemporary art – The Scottish Landscape Awards.
“I’m very much looking forward to Deep Rooted in the winter, where the works of six contemporary artists will be brought together to explore our relationship as humans with the natural world. With climate change the most pressing cause of our time, this display is sure to question how we can change our deep-rooted behaviours for the good of the future.”
“The City Art Centre is one of the most accessible places in Edinburgh for art lovers, with five packed floors of exhibitions and a popular events programme and I would encourage everyone to pay us a visit.”
PAUL DUKE’s ‘No Ruined Stone’ Muirhouse photography exhibition runs until 19 Feb.
Scottish Conservative and Unionist MSP for Lothian, Miles Briggs, has expressed “deep concern” over addresses that have been “red flagged” to ambulance staff across Scotland.
The concern comes amid reports that nearly 450 addresses have been identified as being “red flagged” for ambulance staff – whereby Scottish Ambulance Staff are not allowed to enter without the presence of police.
A Freedom of Information Request submitted by the Scottish Conservatives revealed the shocking statistics.
The highest number of red flagged addresses come with Glasgow and Edinburgh postcodes, with 107 and 83 addresses identified in these areas, respectively.
In the EH postcode area, the freedom of information request revealed that 83 warnings had been identified.
Mr. Briggs has highlighted concerns over the figures and has expressed doubt of how police and ambulance staff may link up, given that, under the SNP, police officer numbers in Scotland are at their lowest level for 15 years.
Mr. Briggs says that one attack on an emergency service worker in Lothian is one too many and more action must be taken to keep them safe.
Scottish Conservative and Unionist MSP Miles Briggs said: “These figures are deeply concerning.
“This is a significant number of addresses that have been red-flagged in Lothian for our dedicated ambulance staff who are putting themselves at risk for others on a daily basis.
“One attack on any ambulance worker in Lothian is one too many.
“This is a direct result of the SNP slashing local budgets and gutting the police service across the country.
“With police officer numbers at their lowest number since 2008 across Scotland, I am also concerned that they may not be able to easily link up with ambulance crews when called upon at a particular address.
“It is clear from the number of addresses that have been red-flagged in Lothian that more needs to be done to keep our ambulance staff safe, which includes handing out hefty punishments to those found to have assaulted them while they are on duty.
“At the very least, frontline staff in Lothian should be reassured that they can go about their work without serious risk of injury from members of the public.”
What are the barriers that disabled people face in finding their ideal job is the question that MSPs on the Economy and Fair Work Committee will be asking as part of work into the issue.
Statistics show that people with a disability in Scotland have a lower employment rate than non-disabled people. The Scottish Government also has a target to half the disability employment gap by 2038 within the Fairer Scotland for disabled people – employment action plan. This work will try and identify what barriers exist and what more can be done to help disabled people and employers.
Claire Baker MSP, Convener of the Economy and Fair Work Committee said: “There have been some really good examples of where employers have put in place measures to make sure that everyone, regardless of their background, is able to get and keep a job.
“But we know that this is unfortunately not the case for every disabled person who is actively looking for employment.
“We want to hear directly from people about these barriers and what more we as policymakers can do to help make looking for a job a more equitable experience for everyone.”
The Committee is asking for those interested in this issue to give us their views. We’ll be asking for views on the following issues:
What progress has been made to reduce and remove barriers faced by disabled people to access Scotland’s labour market?
What are the remaining challenges, and why has progress been difficult?
What policy measures would you like to see to support disabled people and employers to increase participation rates?
What has been the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on disabled people’s experience of the labour market?
Edinburgh most liveable UK city, reveals ECA’s global ranking
Bern, Switzerland lands first place position for quality of life, after Copenhagen’s three-year reign at the top
Rotterdam, Netherlands enters top 10 most liveable cities in the world for European expats for the first time, overtaking Dublin (11th)
Canada back on destination ‘hit list’, outperforming European locations London, Barcelona and Berlin
All 15 ranked Chinese cities plummet due to Zero-Covid restrictions throughout 2022
Scottish cities are among the most attractive in the UK as Edinburgh ranks 17th and Aberdeen 21st most liveable in the world
The quality of life for European expats in Australian cities is back to pre-pandemic status, while all 15 ranked cities in China have fallen down the liveability ranking, according to the latest annual Location Ratings Report from global mobility expert, ECA International (ECA).
Bern is the most liveable city in the world for European expats, while improved availability of expatriate housing has aided Rotterdam, Netherlands (8th) in climbing five places to enter the top 10 most desirable locations.
ECA’s Location Ratings objectively evaluate cities around the world to form an assessment of the overall quality of living for expats in over 500 locations across the globe. The ranking is based on a variety of liveability factors including availability of health services; housing and utilities; isolation; access to a social network and recreational and leisure facilities; infrastructure; climate; personal safety; socio-political tensions and air quality.
Most Canadian cities have performed well in this year’s ranking, making Canada the most appealing non-European country for European expats. Toronto (23rd), Vancouver (32nd) and Montreal (36th) all outperformed European destinations Berlin (37th), London (39th), Paris (42nd) and Barcelona (51st) despite geographical distance from Europe.
Neil Ashman, Senior Location Ratings Analyst at ECA International, said: “Canada continues to rank highly since pandemic restrictions were removed. For instance, Toronto’s ban on inside-dining was among the longest worldwide, which contributed to the city falling out of the top 20 most liveable locations in the world.
“Pandemic controls in Canada were very strict, upending thousands of expatriates’ lives. However, the removal of these restrictions in Toronto and elsewhere has unsurprisingly made the country more liveable for Europeans. Praised for its multi-culturalism, exceptional infrastructure and healthcare system, Canada is a renowned favourite for European expats.”
Australia is once again among the top-ranking countries in the world for quality of life thanks to the lifting of Covid-19 related restrictions on recreational facilities and international travel. Ending some of the toughest pandemic rules in the world in 2022, New Zealand’s Auckland (47th) makes a return to the top 50, after falling from 33rd place to 58th in 2021. Melbourne (55th) and Canberra (52nd) leapt up 11 and 10 places, respectively – reclaiming their position as familiar favourites for European expats. Likewise, Adelaide (59th), Perth and Sydney (tied 74th) climbed 7 and 6 places.
At the time of analysis*, China’s Zero-Covid policy rendered most Chinese cities considerably less liveable for European expats. Falling by 16 places from last year’s ranking, Shanghai (159th) saw the biggest drop in liveability after Ukraine and Russia, the lowest it has ranked. Beijing follows a similar path, down six places in 2022 and landing 168th place. Other Chinese locations to see the next biggest drop were Zhengzhou (240th), Xi’an (202nd), and Tianjin (joint 197th with Wuhan), which dropped 10, 9 and 8 places respectively.
Hong Kong’s liveability also declined in 2022.
Ashman said: “Increasingly aligned with mainland China, Hong Kong’s appointment of a staunchly pro-Beijing figure to the post of Chief Executive in 2022 has further threatened democratic processes in the city.
“While political rights and freedom of expression will continue to be at risk in 2023, both in Hong Kong and in mainland China, we would expect to see some reversal of these falls in the rankings next year if the lifting of draconian Covid-19 policies, as of December 2022, is maintained.”
Once on par with Moscow, quality of life in war-torn Ukraine sees unparalleled decline
Kyiv, Ukraine’s ranking declined by 67 places, the most dramatic deterioration of any city in the history of ECA International’s Location Ratings, following Russia’s invasion in early 2022.
Unsurprisingly, the personal safety and socio-political tension categories are the most significant contributors to Kyiv’s lower liveability in the past year, while a lack of civilian international flights, affecting the external isolation score, and risk to mental health are also major factors for European expats.
Shortages of certain items, a disrupted energy infrastructure and reduced expatriate community are also contributing factors. Now ranking 223rd, ECA has moved Kyiv into a higher location allowance band, which global mobility teams utilise when setting salary packages for international assignments.
Ashman continued: “While we’ve often analysed countries where conflict has recently erupted, the immediate impact of these conflicts on a city’s liveability ranking tended to be less pronounced because socio-political tensions existed for a number of years beforehand, and living conditions were already at a significant disadvantage.
“Ukraine’s situation is less common because of its positive trajectory in the immediate years ahead of Russia’s invasion. In fact, Kyiv ranked 155th in 2020, higher than St Petersburg as well as Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, and it scored well for external accessibility and near-top marks for expatriate community pre-invasion.
“Kyiv’s rank at 223rd is now comparable to other locations that are experiencing conflict, like Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (255th), a dramatic drop from previous years. The war’s impact on overall liveability has been more pronounced in Kyiv with the biggest score decline we’ve recorded. Kyiv’s trajectory pre-war seemed likely to follow that of its Eastern European counterparts, who are today enjoying higher positions in the rankings owing to years of positive growth and investment,” Ashman added.
Eastern European destinations Tbilisi, Georgia (138th) and Warsaw, Poland (80th) are up in the liveability ranking this year, rising by 12 and seven places respectively, higher than even pre-COVID years when Tbilisi ranked 176th and Warsaw ranked 84th (2019). Despite ongoing conflict in neighbouring Ukraine, infrastructure and access to healthcare are better now in both cities than two years ago, and the easing of Covid restrictions has also contributed to greater liveability.
Expats in Russia face hostility and serious mental health challenges
Sanctions have negatively impacted access to banking and availability of healthcare and medicine in Moscow (186th) and St Petersburg (189th), Russia – which have both fallen by a whopping 41 and 35 places respectively from last year’s ranking. Russia’s tightened grip on freedom of expression, increased propaganda and surveillance has caused the expat community to diminish, while those who remain in Russian territory report difficult conditions and increased risks to mental health.
Ashman added: “While there is currently little threat from bombs and missiles to expatriates in Russian cities, major sanctions on Russia has led to a shortage of goods, including aeroplane parts for domestic flights, which affects internal isolation.
“We have also noticed expatriates are more conscious of the impact on their mental health, many experiencing hostility from the authorities and even the local population. Expatriates have reported that they try to keep a low profile, in some cases not speaking out loud in public in case their foreign accent is detected.”
Access to ECA’s Location Ranking data helps businesses ascertain appropriate allowances to compensate employees for the adjustment required when going on international assignment, taking into account both the home and host locations of the expatriate.
How the top 20 most liveable locations for European expatriates have changed over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic
