Younger Aussies are hitting pause on subscriptions to streaming services – and enjoying considerable savings, research shows. New data from NAB has revealed that more than four in ten people under 30 have culled their streaming services since mid-year to…
Read moreAuthor: Adam Nobel
A new room for the holidays
Having family and friends over for Christmas this year and you’ve just noticed that the ‘outside room’ furniture is looking old and faded? Rather than spending your annual bonus on new canvas awnings and chair covers, consider painting them. Spray…
Read moreThinking outside the cube
Many might accuse town planners of lacking in artistic creativity, but not in the Netherlands city of Rotterdam. Needing to develop two small pieces of land on opposite sides of a 4-lane road, the council consulted architect Piet Blom, whose…
Read moreHappy holidays, borrowers!
Australian borrowers received a happy early-Christmas gift this week, with the Reserve Bank deciding to leave the official cash rate unchanged at 4.35%. Following last month’s Melbourne Cup Day decision, this will be extra welcome, as there will now be…
Read moreValue growth ‘patchy’
Home values presented a patchwork of highs and lows around the country in November, new figures show. Overall, CoreLogic’s national Home Value Index (HVI) rose 0.6% in November, the smallest monthly gain since the growth cycle commenced in February. Despite…
Read moreFor sale: Mozart’s last castle
If you’re looking for a home with history, a castle in Austria known as ‘Mozart’s Last Castle’, has been listed for €12 million (AUD$19.8m). Since the 12th Century, Schloss Stuppach has hosted many illustrious guests, including Napoleon, Franz Schubert, Pope…
Read moreBuilding approvals seesaw
Building approvals continue to fluctuate from month to month, according to data released this week by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The latest figures show that the total number of dwellings approved rose 7.5% in October, in seasonally adjusted…
Read moreSmaller Christmas on the cards
Australian shoppers intend to enjoy a smaller Christmas this year, new research shows. Bargain hunting and shopping early online are also on the agenda, with three in four respondents to a survey conducted by Westpac saying they will be cutting…
Read moreFrom catastrophe, beauty
Quite a few homes in New Orleans’ Tremé neighbourhood boast a beautiful, patchwork wooden front door, thanks to the ingenuity of a local artist who has turned scraps from his Katrina-damaged home into ‘wooden quilts’. A 12th-generation Afro-Creole, Jean-Marcel St…
Read moreSolar and wind outpaces needs
Renewable energy supplies exceeded household electricity use in 2021-22, according to data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Continued growth in solar and wind production means that, for the first time, the output of electricity from these sectors…
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