• Agree ‘House Rules’ with your flat mates
• Get a TV license between you
• Make sure you all have sufficient insurance for contents and possessions
• Draw up a list of regular chores to be done and agree a rota
• Discuss and agree how to manage ‘bathroom rush hours’
• Understand how all your appliances work. If anything breaks due to misuse you may be liable
• Be friends with your washing machine, heating, boiler and plumbing system! It is so easy to take these for granted but when there’s a problem you really know about it!
• Agree on ‘curfew’ times for guests. Especially during the week if you have to get up for work or Uni, you don’t want to be kept awake into the small hours by your house mates and their friends
• Have a kitty for items you all use, such as loo roll, washing up liquid etc
• Learn to cook and avoid takeaways. This will save you money, keep you healthy and you might even enjoy it too!
• Cook together – it really saves on time, money, washing up etc and gives you an opportunity to talk
• Buy supermarket products on ‘Buy one get one free’ special offers, it’s like paying half price
• Shop outside normal hours, get to know the best times when stores in your area reduce produce such as meat, vegetable and fruit
• Save money off vouchers for when you shop. Many stores will take the vouchers even if you haven’t bought the specified item
• Students can get discounts with an NUS Extra card which gives discount at a range of stores
• Use left overs to make salads, sandwiches, soups and stew
• Plan what you are going to eat for the week in advance, work out what you need and only buy that when shopping – minimises wastage
• Look at meals that form the basis for other meals – ie Mince can then be turned into spag bol which can in turn be turned into Chilli etc
• Go to the swimming pool or gym – have a shower there and use their hot water
• Try to sign up to phone / internet / TV deals which give benefits such as free calls, unlimited downloads etc
• Use Skype – it’s free
• Does your mobile phone contract give any freebies? Some give a free laptop
• Sign up for money off and loyalty cards. Most coffee shops, fast food and book stores will have a scheme
• Shop around for best rates or best perks for bank accounts etc
• Make a list of all the dates your bills are due on  to ensure they are paid in full and on time
• If you are all students, apply for your Council Tax exemption ASAP. You must provide proof from your university that you are in full time education
• Try to resolve all disputes as they arise, between you. There is nothing worse than a frosty atmosphere, where things go unsaid. Listen to your house mates’ point of view and ask that they listen to you. Offer solutions to problems
• Agree how the bills will be split – if your name is on the bill, ultimately you are responsible for paying it so it is advisable to divide them up between all who live in the property.
• Keep an eye on gas and electricity usage to keep bills low
• Clear up after yourself – in the kitchen, bathroom and all other shared areas
• Remember to allow steam to escape by opening windows when cooking and using the bathroom. This will help to avoid condensation and mould growing
• Be security conscious and make sure windows and doors are locked at night and when you are out
• Be mindful of your neighbours. Not everyone gets on with their neighbours but building good relations with your neighbours can have huge benefits
• Keep a healthy sense of humour
• Mark your possessions with your initials or a security marker
• Make sure your mobile phone has ICE (In Case of Emergencies) as a contact with more than one person listed

Out on the Town

• If you are out on a big night, set your budget before you go
• Plan how you will get home before you leave. It’s no fun having a long walk home on your own in the dark
• Don’t take your credit card – it is so easy to spend what you don’t have and regret it afterwards
• Take a charged mobile phone with you
• Watch your drinks being poured and don’t leave unattended
• Share a licensed taxi home with house mates or friends
• Get to know a local taxi firm
• Take a jacket
• If you get the bus or train home late, avoid doing so alone and if you do, sit near the driver or in a carriage with other people
• Don’t take a short cut home through parks, alleys or unlit areas
• Learn what your limits are. There is a big difference between having a good night out and ruining the next day – or worse by going too far
• Drink plenty of water before you go to bed
• Don’t give your address or phone number to strangers
• Stick with friends and don’t leave anyone behind
• If you are going on somewhere else, make sure you tell friends where you will be
• Don’t use a cash point when you are out

Stretching your budget

• Whenever you are about to make a purchase, consider:

Do you really need it?

Can you do without it?

Are you able to borrow it from family, friend or library?

Is it something you can share the cost of with a friend?

Can you buy it anywhere else cheaper?

Can you afford it?

• Get a part time job
• Set a daily, weekly and monthly budget and manage it. It is boring but it is key to surviving on limited funds
• Always ask for discounts – student, cash or both!

Ask for expert help when you need it – don’t be shy about thi

The idea is to ski as a team from midday Saturday to midday Sunday non-stop, completing as many sponsored laps as possible to raise money for charity.

This is the third year Grant Management has pulled on the salopettes, raising funds for DSUK, Teenage Cancer Trust, Patouch, and World Food Programme. And on that subject, you can still add your own contribution to these good causes by emailing laura.francis (at) grantmanagement.co.uk

It seems the all-night leg was particularly grim but, come the final hooter, everyone had survived.

Here are some photos:

And here are some video highlights (with more available here):

The only female skier on the team, Laura gives us a run-down of the main players, their strengths and, cough, weaknesses:

The G team!

1. Graham Goulden – aka The Running Scotsman

Graham kicked off the race running up the hill in his boots, kilt and wife’s underwear. The fit policeman managed to put us in a strong tactical position for the rest of the race. In fact, his admirable endurance and constant goodwill earned him the G prize at the end. We are still waiting for Steph to send us a picture of the udder cup sitting proudly on his desk!

2. Iain Gourlay – aka our Star Captain

Iain – who, like Peter, was on his third mission to Villars – wasn’t always the textbook idea of a captain but he was there to hold your hand through the hairiest moments of the night and kept the team in good nick throughout. For the practice day he organised us all to meet for breakfast in the early hours but failed to turn up, apparently due to a late ‘planning’ session. That set us in good stead to take the ‘virtual’ 8.00am train and once finally on the mountain, Iain led a high speed ski ability assessment blast around the slopes of Villars to help with decisions as to the ski order of the big event – oddly enough Iain’s slots avoided the worst of the night shifts. I guess that’s one of the benefits of being captain

2. Peter Grant – aka Head of the Pack

Peter’s speedy skiing put us in a great position and achieved our best ranking yet! We have been told that he was the only person not to experience any falls. Next year we suggest a web cam should be fitted to his suit for proof. Later Mr Margarita Man ordered two exciting pitchers for the group. We were rather taken aback when we realised that what looked like table decorations were in fact our drinks.

3. Laura Francis – aka The Kitty Manager

Laura, the female of the pack, was kept busy, following the boys around the slopes while looking after their precious drinks kitty. There were a few hiccups on the way, including stolen skis, dropped gloves and her famous red hood being thrown into the crowds. However, she always remained optimistic and was just pleased she didn’t lose a different garment on every run!

4. Malcolm Hansen – aka Skippy

Malcolm, possibly the best behaved of the group, was brave enough to return for a second year. His calming personality gave us a false sense of security of what was about to lie ahead. However Malcolm had a smile on his face throughout the ordeal and we hope his daughter doesn’t work him so hard on his next skiing trip!

5. Eric Hawthorne – aka The Aviator

Eric seemed to be the wild child of the band and had many compromising stories to tell of Iain and Peter’s younger years. When he wasn’t keeping us amused with his reminiscences, he entertained us with his shiny new flying helmet which he wore through sun, snow or gales. It didn’t matter if he couldn’t see as long as he looked the part.

Yes, we know it’s not the sort of thing people do on an hourly basis but when you are sitting in on a Saturday night watching X Factor wondering why ice has formed on the top of your Horlicks, this could save the day.

It might also come in handy for those moments when the needle shoots into the red, the whole house starts shaking and a disembodied voice shouts “It’s going to blow captain!”

Oh, whatever. Watch it. It’s a gas.

So here we are – Barry’s first handy hint covers the whole tricky business of bleeding your radiators. And when we say tricky, this is a tough one. It must take all of about 30 seconds. But it’s really worth doing.

When excess air gets into your radiator, you will find it doesn’t heat up efficiently – there may well be an Arctic-type chill coming off the top two thirds – and you are left wondering why you are burning up so much fuel and yet still shivering round the tootsies. In short, here’s one you can try at home:

Given that efficient and timely maintenance can prevent a whole wagon-load of problems, we’ve decided to give Barry his own slot here on the blog to pass on handy hints for all, whether you are renting a flat or a house or if you are a property owner. We’ll be kicking that off next week, so stay tuned.

In the meantime, I’d like to pass on a little tale he told me yesterday about a tenant – not one of ours – who didn’t have the best grasp of English. Nothing wrong with that – it just led to a comical misunderstanding the day she phoned tenant support and reported that her water boiler wasn’t working.

Tenant support contacted their favourite gas engineer who visited the rented property, checked the system but could not find any sort of problem. Much head scratching ensued until finally it was discovered she was talking about her kettle! Kettle = water boiler. Just one of those things…