new year, new me?

Happy New Year to you all!

I never really make the standard new years resolutions as I know I probably won't stick to them! However this year I wanted to reflect on my past year and make a few changes, but in no way am I going to change and become a new me I just want to become a better version. Well that sounds pretty cheesy if I'm honest, but I'll carry on with the post, so here are some of the changes that I'm planning on making.

1. Worry Less and Smile More.

Anyone that knows me will know that over think anything and pretty much everything, and hours later I can still be reflecting on something and wishing that I'd done something differently. In 2015 I want to smile more but not worry about the little things, if I know I've messed up fix it rather than worry.

2. Blog More.

Initially when I went to university, I just stopped blogging as I didn't think I had the time but so many people have blogs whilst at university so I've decided I'm just going to manage my time better and more efficiently. That way I'll still have time to go out, study, have a life and still have time to write posts on my blog. I'm also going to plan my blog posts and try and stick to a schedule. 

3. Eat More Fruit.

The standard new years resolution of diet! However I'm not dieting I just think I should put more of an effort in to eat a piece of fruit instead of buying the chocolate bar.

4. Budget Better.

I was really good in my first term but then as the term came to and end and Christmas got closer it all went out the window!

5. Stretch More.

Not many of you will know that I'm actually a dancer and enjoy attending classes but I definitely have no excuse and want to stretch and improve my flexibility. 

6. Make More of an Effort.

I love the lazy moments with hair up and no make up, but I want to make more of an effort some days, such as look after my nails and my body rather than do it once and just leave it for a while. Also. a standard one for most girls is clean my make up brushes more often! I do find it a bit gross when I think about how much makeup and how many germs are in them but I can still be pretty lazy when it comes to cleaning them.

7. Not Leave my Essays Until The Last Minute.

Explains itself really.

2014 has probably been my most life changing year of my life so far, not all of them have been the best moments of the year but life is full or highs and lows. Although it makes me appreciate everything I have and how lucky I am, I noticed that this Christmas I appreciated every moment I got to spend with family and friends.  In 2015 I want to enjoy the year and make some more memories but I still want to hopefully be able to continue blogging and hopefully by the end of the year I'll have improved the layout of my blog and also my photography/lighting. (maybe being a bit ambitious there lu)

Have you made your resolutions?

Also, the picture doesn't have much to do with the post, but it just makes me smile. It was taken on Christmas day after Archie had stolen a turkey leg, but then he got so grumpy after it had been taken off him.

saving the change!

Growing up and becoming more independent and relying less on my parents money is something that I can quite easily get stressed about, as I'm always thinking of things and how I can afford them. Half of that is me being an overthinker but in this post I'm going to share a few ways that I used to make the most out of what I've got.

1.Keep the Change

This one's a fairly simple one really, if you pay for things with cash you always land up with a bit of loose change hanging around your purse. I always let this build up and try and use to pay for a few things but then if not I collect it all in a piggy bank. Then at the end of each summer I take it to one of those machines in supermarkets that count it up for you and exchange it for the value. I know they take 9p off for every pound but it saves me counting it out and stops it from just lying around my bedroom. You'd be surprised how quickly it builds up and how much there is when you see it all counted!

2.Make the Most of Offers and Discounts

As I'm just starting university I can start making the most of student discount, which in most places is  about 10% but it's still saving you a bit! Also if you eligible I'd completely recommend getting a 16-25 rail card as this has been my life saver all summer for getting me around. For making the most of offers, this is something I've only recently started doing but if things are on 3 for 2 or buy one get one free and you don't necessarily need another but it won't cost you any more, it makes sense to get the same as what you're buying then when that runs out they'll always be spare waiting for you!

3.Loyalty Cards and Reward Schemes

When I got my own Tesco Clubcard it made me feel so old and grown up,but these schemes are particularly good, and Boots as well. Each time you spend money in that shop you get points which can be spend in store in the form of coupons or in Boots it converts to money and allows you to buy products.

Similarly Caffe Nero gives you a card and every time you buy a drink you get a stamp and then you get your tenth drink completely free. It's not the biggest saving in the world but saving a few extra pounds hurts no one!

4.The Cheapest Option

When looking for a specific product make sure you're buying it from the best play, places like Savers offer the same haircare and skincare brands as Boots but at a cheaper price so it's worth checking them out!

Finally, I always like to make a list of what I need to buy and then I'm focused and not just buying things for the sake it and know exactly what to get!

I hope in some way this has helped you to save a couple of pounds here and there!

Also another way to earn a little bit of spare cash is using ebay, if you've never used ebay before check out my hints and tips here

my ebay experience

This is a slightly different post to normal but I thought it would be a good idea, because until this year I was always too scared and intimidated by ebay in order to use it. However now I've used it numerous times I'm much more confident in both buying and selling and it's such a useful site as you can buy pretty much everything on there and always a reduced price. For example, I'm going to a festival, well I'll actually be there when I post this, but through ebay I was able to get some wellies but not pay a ridiculous price for them.

Firstly, let's talk about using ebay a buyer, I've hardly ever used ebay to bid on an item as I've never found anything I particularly want. However this brings me to say when you are bidding know your budget and don't pay more than you could buy it normally for, and make sure you really want the item. Don't just keep bidding just so you can say you've won. *also always include the postage price in your budget so you're not surprised at the end* This brings me on to say once you've won the item, make sure you pay sooner rather than later as not paying will not only infuriate the seller but it will also disadvantage you as your item won't be posted until you've paid.

Ebay also has the buy it now option, which I must admit, probably out of laziness I use a lot more, this is fairly simple but always read the details and description about the product and so you're completely sure what you're buying. Similarly I'd also mention that there's a lot of fakes on ebay, and so if it seems too cheap to be true it's probably not true. No genuine high end make up product, unless its been used, well cost 3 or 4 pounds. Also if you do think it's not a fake, always check the picture and the seller.No one would be selling 2948342 benefit products if they were all real, but if they only have a couple of make up items and taken a genuine picture and not a photoshopped white back ground one you can probably trust the product.

This was the part I found most taunting and was too scared to but using ebay as seller was a lot easier than I expected. Although the first few times I used it I was unsure I was doing it correctly and didn't want to do it wrong as I knew it was other peoples money I was dealing with. Firstly to be a seller you need to set up a paypal account in order for your money to go into which is so simple and easy to use. Then for selling you items you get 20 free listings a month but you want to do some research in order to make sure you get the most money possible and select the right and most sensible amount for postage. Make sure your title is relevant and in the right category and be honest in your description, don't lie and say something's new when it's obviously been worn or damaged because that will not lead to a happy customer. Something I'll stand buy is a good clear picture will also help your product sell, make sure the item is the clear focus on the photo, against a nice background and nicely displayed. No one will want to buy you top if it's all crinkled and looks like it needs a good wash and an iron. Then it's patience, though you could have 20 watchers the actual bidding probably won't start until the last 24 hours. Once the person has paid, make sure you post the item in the next two days as well. Careful if you're posting more than one as you want to get them the right way round and make sure you've included everything you've said you are selling. If you a new to ebay you'll have to wait a few weeks for your funds to be available to you, however this has benefited me ass it means I've let mine build up and so it's encouraged me to actually save some money!

So this post is significantly longer than I originally planned but I hope it's offered you some advice on using ebay and convinced you buying and selling items on the site is nothing to be intimated by. Also using ebay on an Ipad and Phone is so simple too as you can use the device to take the pictures too and it simply walks you through the process step by step so you'll soon be a pro.