How To Be Economically Friendly Online.

Well Hello.
I haven't posted in a while, I've been pretty busy. Evertything seems to be happenning all at once.

I've been working on a series of blog posts all about saving your money. This is because I'd like to work on some about organising your house, but I would be very, very hypocritical if I were to do that. So instead I've decided to write about something I know about. And I'm starting today, with some general tips for anyone who might want to save a good few pounds.

Image from Google

I have come to be a saver from not having much money to begin with. I was taught from a young age not to spend too much, and since going on Education maintenence allowance for college, and having a student loan from university, I've learnt a good few things about how to be frugal.

Look out for these upcoming specials:
-Holiday
-Christmas and New Year
-Clothes and Accessories
-Beauty
-Food Shopping
-General Tips

But the first is online. There are some great ways that you can save by going online.
I challenge you to do something frugal with them this week.

Tips !

One very easy way is to use websites to their full potential. Joining comparison sites like comparethemarket, moneysupermarket and gocompare are great for a comparison of insurance and credit cards. But don't forget to look out for ones that aren't on it, like directline. Also it's a good idea to search the web each year to find yourself a better deal on things like gas and electricity. There's usually an even better offer just waiting for you.

When buying on the Internet, whether it be clothes, food or tickets for that show you want to see, always compare, and look out for discount codes and vouchers. Just do a google search, or join a voucher website, like wowcher. An example is codes for H&M and Boohoo.com, and Dominos Pizza. Also, you can get great online deals for tickets for shows and concerts if you go on opening night. I did this and got a very good discount for a theatre show.

If you're a person who likes to reuse items, or update your wardrobe by adding some embellishments. or just generally like homemade things, I suggest you join Pinterest. I have my own pinterest account full of tips and things to do, how to make cheap gifts, make your own beauty remedies and re-purpose items. It's also a pretty cool way of planning things, like your next staycation or party on the cheap, or maybe just places you'd love to go when you've saved up enough money. Check out mine here.

Don't forget, there's always freecycle, to find items for free in your area. And also gumtree, for pretty much everything. Or your local freeads.

Image from Google

Another idea is to use bloggers and blogs as a resource. They'll give feedback on items and how well they have worked and try out ideas for you to see if they're any good.
Recommended blogs:
A Thrifty Mrs
Diary of a Frugal Family
Frugal Queen

Here are some really useful websites I would also recommend.
1. Tips on being frugal (50 ways.. pretty comprehensive)
2. Frugal Living
3. Top 25 personal finance blogs.
4. Best of the web - Shopping
5.Arts and crafts? try this one.

Weee're off the see the... pyramids?

Travelling is something I have always wanted to do.
And it's something I'm incredibly proud of having done too.

England

But to be honest, there's a lot of places I still need/want to go to. (And I WILL be giving you a quick 'Top 5' list at the end of this post.)

Travelling can be defined in two ways: Leisure and business. You don't want the business option. This is because usually you get a swanky hotel, but you have to work whilst trying to drink in the rays of sunshine. Or maybe visiting a major landmark isn't quite so goiod whilst wearing a suit.

But normal leisure holidays are bliss aren't they? Wait, do I hear you say no? Why?

Travelling can be an utter nightmare.
First there's the packing. Oh the dreadful packing. You never know what the weather will be like, so don't know what kind of clothes to bring. I know I always end up taking more than I should just because I may need a Jumper/Anorak/Scarf/Extra skirt.
Then there's the getting there. Whether it's flying, driving, ferry-ing, cycling or ballooning, something will always go wrong. Someone will always be on the late side, or perhaps the car is out of water, or maybe someone forgot something and you're already half way to the airport. But something always happens. (And it usually happens to me.)

Czech Republic

Luggage. When you pick up your luggage at the end of a flight. That's the bit I most dread. It's terrifying. What would happen if it was too heavy and you ended up going around on the travelator? Or what if your luggage mysteriously vanishes or was sent to a completely different place? Not. Good.


Hotels/hostels/B+Bs. General Accomodation. These are sometimes are the worst part of a holiday. Although if you look around enough, definitely looking at reviews and check beforehand hopefully this matter wouldn't have to be adressed. But yes, some holidays are completely ruined by the accommodation, be it by loud and awful neighbours, or mould-infested bathrooms. But if you complain enough about the state of your room there's always a chance you could get it for free, or money off.

Washington D.C

The actual holiday. Not only do the people sometimes annoy you (what with the usual tiny annoyances, and then the larger debates on where to go, what to do, who has to sleep in the double bed together and so on) but there's bugs, pills to take, amount of sun tan lotion to have on you, whether you require more money than initially planned. Many things that could potentially go wrong. We all hope they don't, but most likely they will.
But hopefully, your holidays always go exceedingly well, with not a hitch in sight. (Apart from the general holiday stress).



Top 5 Places I NEED to visit.
1. Peru (Aztec Buildings... need I say more?)
2. Norway (To watch the lovely Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights)
3. Colorado (Which is apparently beautiful) or Alaska.
4. Gibraltar (It's where one half of my family is from)
5. Thailand (well, why not?)

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ALL pictures used in this post are my own pictures.

Royal Weddings and a Brief, Biased and Odd History of Love.

So, the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton will soon be underway, so I thought it only right to have a look at the great history of love and romance and so on, seeing as it's not long til the big day, and we in England get a day off for it.

As much as it's nice to watch a wedding, especially one as fancy and no doubt beautiful as this one (plus I want to see the dress) I'm not sure I will be able to as I have a distinct lack of a television in my flat. Saying this, I may wheedle my way into spending the day at home or with my sister. Both places have a TV, and other creature comforts that my room sorely lacks.

So, the history of love, in my eyes, goes a little like this:

Prince William and Kate Middleton
From Mirror.co.uk

-St Valentine. I have absolutely no idea what happened there, so a Wikipedia page will be linked to, right HERE. But Valentine's day nowadays is a celebration of all things sufficiently cuddly and love-inducing. It's a couples day. And when you're not one of a couple it's a completely miserable day, considering it's supposed to be about love and happiness.

-Sir Lancelot and Guienevere. Yes, I know it's a legend, and I know that Guienevere was with King Arthur, but honestly, who can say no to a big rugged knight who just wants to whisk you away?

-Shakespeare. Well, he didn't half know how to write about love. Romeo and Juliet, Shall I Compare Thee? (one of his sonnets) and so on. Plus being a poet and playwright that everybody does love seems romantic enough for me. And also I'd say Jane Austen definitely does her bit for old fashioned English romance.

-Love in general. It may sound completely soppy, but as Wet Wet Wet concluded ' Love Is All Around'. And It's true. A million types of love. And isn't that very, very nice?

Images from google

- (carrying on) Love songs. My favourites being old rocky classics such as Aerosmiths' 'Don't Wanna Miss A Thing', Bon Jovi's 'Always' and 'Bed of Roses' and Bryan Adams' 'Everything I do'. But love songs are just generally there to make us all feel very, very soppy and adored. And for the most part I would say they do.

So that's my idea of what the L word is all about. Along with a few weird ideas about literature.
So yes, don't forget on the Royal Wedding day to remember this is all about Love. Not who may be running the country and definitely not about how expensive the dress is. Or how grand the guests are. Although these are definitely points to notice.

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Some Links you may find interesting:

BBCs History of Royal Weddings

The Official Royal Wedding Website

List of Love Songs (for weddings apparently)

Last But not Least, the WIKIPEDIA PAGE. (Oh Wikipedia, you are a saviour)

The American Revelation.

I may have said this before, but I adore the USA.
So when I had the chance to go to Washington DC I absolutely had to go. (Not only for the amazing Criminology experience, but because I wanted to see if at least just one small part of America lived up to my expectations. Let me tell you, it completely exceeded it.)


Ted Bundys car. Creepy.



Of course, I went to all of my crime things; Institute of Justice, George Mason University, The Pentagon (I know! That was very very exciting :D.. And nerve-wracking), the National Crime and Punishment Museum. Which were awesome.. and the Crime and Punishment museum had Ted Bundy's car in it. (He's a favourite serial killer- I think it's OK to have a favourite only because I do Criminology and because he was very interesting.)

Then did all the tourist areas - The Washington monument (Which is astonishingly huge. Seriously.. why does everything have to be so huge in the US.. not that I'm complaining at all, it was amazing, but in England things aren't nearly so high.

A few of the Smithsonian buildings: Air and Space, American History and Indian American. Which was amazing. Except for that I was just waiting for things to come to life a la 'Night at the Museum 2'.
The Lincoln Memorial (Also ginormous) The Reflecting pool, the White House (where we chatted to some very friendly policemen who told us how many rooms there were in it. It's something completely crazy, I can't remember the number), The World War Two Memorial, The Viet Nam Memorial.


Washington Monument with Sun

We did so much in the space of a week, but I wish we had stayed for far longer. And the weather was beautiful, which was very strange seeing as it was November.

But the thing I was most impressed with, and what touched me the most, was the obvious pride in their country, the friendliness, the compassion and the expression of freedom and joyfulness. The blatant patriotism was astounding. It was also beautiful.

In America the flag flies proudly at every street corner, whereas in England you'd probably be told to take our flag down because it was offending someone who wasn't British.

NBA match

I think something that I most enjoyed was going to an NBA Basketball game in the Verizon Center.  It was amazing. So much entertainment and good spirited competition. Singing the national anthem at the beginning is something that I've never experienced. I've seen some football games and other games, but none of the English matches I've seen have ever been so.. friendly I guess.

I think friendly is definitely the right word to describe the USA. It was lovely. People asked if you looked a little lost, chatted to you on the metro, said good morning in the hotel. In England that would never happen. On the tube nobody talks to anyone. It's like an unsaid rule. And usually you'd have to ask if you didn't know where to go. Of course there are some people out there who do say 'hi', have chats with you and ask if you're OK, but it's just not the same.

Chinese in a box! (Exciting, oddly)

Also I got to sample some of the cuisine. Went to a diner (of which there were surprisingly, and upsettingly few) and had a burger. Had a Hot dog at the NBA game. Some mini corn dogs at the bowling alley (which were strange, nice, but a little sickly after a while) and had a snow cone (which was lovely in the middle of an oddly hot day.) And had Chinese in a box. Yay!

The only thing that I'd say was bad was the tax. As it's added on as you buy it, rather than already added on. So I'd already got out the right amount of money most times, when I then realised I would have to get out more because I'd forgotten about the tax. So that was a little annoying.

The White House

And the streets were confusing too. We'd walk down the end of one block only to find that we'd gone the wrong way down the street, so had to turn around and walk the other way. Of course it was fine after a week. By then we'd gotten used to it. But It's much easier when all the roads look completely different.
The worst thing was going back. Knowing that work had to be in, and that the holiday was over.
And although it feels nice to be in a place that I know, I can't wait to go back and explore more of America.

The seaside: Truly Great, or Truly Evil?

So the other day I went to the beach.
Ahh the beach. A lovely place where you spend your time lounging around reading, splashing in the sea and having a picnic. Your childhood memories of the Seaside include building sandcastles (possibly with moats), burying a brother/sister/parent and making holes under others' towels. (And in fact, pretty much everywhere. A much-loved memory involves making a gargantuan hole in the sand with my dad and my sister. It really was huge.)
But, not only are there lovely things about the beach, but going to one again reminded me of the not quite so lovely things. And there are quite a few.

Number one.. The Sand. One thing I most definately prefer is a pebbly beach. It may hurt your feet, you may not be able to build sandcastles, but you don't get sand weighing you down.
Seriously now, sand gets absolutely everywhere! And I mean every single nook and cranny. You will find remenants on sand for weeks afterwards. I think perhaps the worst bit is when you go to the toilet and find that there is sand encrusted into your pant-line and beyond. Not good.
The next, and probably my pet peeve about going to the beach, is the stupid amount of money you have to pay for food. This is why I bring a picnic. (And then you can have whatever you like!) And not only are ice creams expensive, but if its even a slightly warmer than average day, your ice creams will melt stupidly quickly.

Another thing, that frankly, I'm not too worried about, but I guess that others will be, is that at the beach, you would think you would get exercise (only from going in the sea and actually swimming mind you, turning over onto your front does not count as exercise). But, alas, with eating things such as the traditional ice creams and fish and chips, it does cancel it out a bit. Shame really. Wouldn't it be lovely if ice creams had no calories? mmm.
It's just a vicious, vicious circle. Eat ice cream, exercise to work it off, ice cream as a reward.. etc. Bloody annoying.

Here's an anecdote from the last time I went to the beach:
There I was, minding my own business in the sea, splashing around. When a massive wave came over me and knocked me right over. This wasn't so bad, i just laughed it off, but I got up a little, onto my knees, just for another wave to smack me right in the head, also knocking me over. That's a little more embarrassing. Really? One wave after another? I think someone up there wanted to embarrass me.

So, is the beach great, or is it evil? Well, overall, it's pretty evil. Probably the spawn of satan. But we all love going there, even if you get sand in ridiculous places. So, a pretty cool spawn of satan? I think so.

Stacey.