Did you ever dream of what you would do with your 'spare' room when your kids moved out? Did you plan for a gorgeous guest bedroom, or a study space to yourself or even a craft room to take up a long-forgotten interest?

In the first 12 months of its life a new baby costs his or her parents over £9000* - it goes on cots, prams, nappies, bottles, toys and clothes, and that's just for starters.  You'd be forgiven for thinking they had more stuff than you do now!

Do you have a budding ballerina in your household with a tutu for every day of the week? Or perhaps it's a menagerie of stuffed animals belonging to one very determined 5 year old trainee vet?

When the recession hit, luxury handbags didn't gather dust on the shelves. Despite the economic downturn, women still splurged on expensive statement bags and a lot of us found the means to buy the latest iPhone or iPad.

Are you creative? To answer that you probably think about your job and what you are employed to do in your everyday existence. Often people think that creativity is confined to those who are designers, artists, film makers, musicians, in advertising and the like. But one of the world's most successful companies, Apple, had a driving force behind their business strategy..."Everybody has a creative soul".

Whether you have a touch of post-holiday blues or just want to make a fresh start, January is the perfect month to tackle a big job.

Last Christmas was one of the coldest on record in the UK. While we all love a white Christmas, last year's weather kept families and friends apart during the holidays. Freezing temperatures, heavy snow and frost grounded planes, closed roads and disrupted trains and ferries.

You don't have to love cooking or have a large kitchen for this culinary chic room to draw a crowd.  Kitchens are the social hub of family life, friendly gatherings and occasional tea breaks at work. So why not be prepared?

It happens to all of us. One day you look around a room and just know that the time has come for the decor to go. But deciding what will replace it is a bit like stepping into Aladdin's Cave without a map.

Autumn is the season for changes. The weather turns, the days shorten and summer clothes are packed away to make space for winter woollies. But for some families, the change is life-altering.