Showing posts with label money. Show all posts
Showing posts with label money. Show all posts

Sunday 5 January 2020

50 things to do on a no spend weekend.

Hey readers,

If you haven't heard of no spend weekend it is basically what it says in the name where you set the challenge of the weekend to not spend a penny other then going for a wee ;). 

There are several different noes spend challenges ranging from one day, weekend, a whole month and if your feeling a brave a whole year (hats of to you people who have achieved a no spend for a whole year not sure I could stick it out that long). 

The idea of the no spend is to stop you from spending money basically automatic times and it really does make you stop and think about your consumptions. It also reminds life doesn't always have to be about money. You can also save money and get you thinking in that frameset. 

In this post, I have put down 50 ideas of things you can do on a no spend.
Jo


1) Organise and plan your future money. 
2) Volunteer your time.
3) Watch movies.

4) Help your kid/s with their homework.

5) Start a blog.

6) Try geocaching.

7) Try a board game.

8) Draw and paint. 

9) Make greeting cards.

10) Visit local free museums.
11) Read.
12) Visit a park.
13) Clean the house.
14) Do some baking.
15) Cook something new.
16) Spend some quality time with a partner. 
17) Assess your goals.
18) Start a diary.
19) Catch up on the news.
20) Colour in.
21) Read.
22) Sleep. 
23) Make a to-do list. 
24) Have a bath.
25) Organise your wardrobe.
26) Sell stuff on eBay.

27) Teach yourself origami.
28) Watch a ted talk. 

29) Go for a walk. 

30) Go to the library.

31) Write a  letter to a friend from far away.

32) Make a vision board.

33) Go for a picnic. 

34) People watch.
35) Listen to some podcasts. 

36) Play Pokemon Go.

37) Stargaze.

38) Cloud watching. 

39) Scrapbooking. 

40) Host a dinner party.

41) Attend a free community festival. 

42) Practice yoga.
43) Have a cup of coffee and relax.
44) Think about ways to earn extra income. 
45) Go fly a kite.
46) Collect rocks, paint them and hide them for someone else to find. 

47) Reorganise cd/DVD collection. 
48) Declutter your wardrobe. 
49) Check out trending videos on youtube. 
50) Built a fort with the kids. 

What free activities do you like to do? I love to hear your thoughts in the comment section down below. 

Cheers for reading X





Friday 15 November 2019

7 ways to save on your energy bill this winter.

Hey readers,

Looking for easy ways to reduce your electric bill during this winter period then look no further as I have some top tips on how to do so!


1. Appliances

One of the most useful habits to get into is turning off standby applicants around the home when you are not using them. Ok, it does not save you loads but it can save you between £80 to £100 a year,  every little helps.

2. Temperature. 

In the UK two-thirds of the electricity used is on heating up our home from heating water to keeping our rooms warm. It is recommended to reduce room temperature by 1 degree and it is not a big difference. If you are feeling chilly but on a jumper or drink a hot drink to warm up. Also, another tip is to turn off the heating when you are sleeping as you don't need as you cosy under the quilt and are asleep so are you really going to notice the heating?



3. Light bulbs. 


Now to start with swapping traditional incandescent light bulbs can be pricy however in the long term it is an investment as you reduce your electricity bill. This is because the more modern light bulbs such as halogen incandescents, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), and light-emitting diodes (LEDs)  use less energy,  therefore worth paying for as you save money and the modern light bulbs last longer overall.

4.  Wrap up. 

This next tip is obvious but a lot of people walk around there home in a t-shirt and shorts in December and wonder why they are cold, they don't think about it and turn the heating on. However, you can easily warm yourself up to by adding additional layers and for example, soft fluffy bootie slippers are brilliant at keeping you warm. Finally, don't forget the hot water bottle to keep close by to feel all cosy without having turn the heating on you soon be warmed up lovely.

5. Washing. 

Washing your clothes at a lower temperature will save you some money when you turn your temperature to 30c as you are using less energy to do the washload. 

6. Leaks.

It is a good idea during the colder periods to check your windows and doors for leaks as this can cause your home to get colder and use more energy to hit up which will, in turn, will mean your energy bill will rise. 

Making sure that you put draught-proof tape around windowsills is a good idea along with using door draughts that you put at the bottom of the door to block heat.

7. Curtains.

During the darker evenings is a good idea to get in the habit of closing your curtains as this will help keep the warmth in the room and reduce the need for whacking the heat up. 

What ways help you reduce your energy bill during the winter period? I love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below. 

Cheers for reading X 

Thursday 3 October 2019

8 Ways to save money this autumn.

Hey readers,

As we are now in autumn and it won't be long before Christmas you may be thinking of ways to save money. 

 Well, I have complied with 8 ways to save money during autumn. Let's go...



1. Pumpkin items. 

In the UK over recent years the sense and flavour of pumpkin spice has gotten very popular. You can be sure to find pumpkin flavoured pastries, coffees, hand wash, and candles to name a few. 

Everywhere you turn it feels like something has pumpkin in it. The thing with pumpkin spice being a hype is that it has risen the cost of products to premium prices. Therefore meaning you will have to pay more because it is in-demand what with the influence social media has. 

You don't need everything in pumpkin spice, your world won't stop just be sensible with your consumption and remember don't be fooled by social media who want you to buy pumpkin spice.  

2. Seasonal foods. 

Buying seasonal food can save you money because food that is produced closer to home is cheaper because it cost less to produce and transport to the supermarket. 

Keep on track of what fruit and vegetables are in season as it is normally cheaper compared to out of season foods. 

3. Do I need that?
When shopping it can be easy to impulsively and buy stuff that you may deep down not need. 

A tip I love and use often is asking yourself do I really need that? Once you use this it does get easy and it is amazing how much you don't actually buy because you really think about whether you need something or not. 

4. Christmas shopping.

I know it is not Christmas yet but it is a good time to start Christmas shopping. There are a lot of deals slowly coming out such as Tesco toys half-price sale and B & M sale where you can buy x2 toys for £16. So now is the grab a good deal. 

5. Review your energy bill. 

Now is the time to check if you are paying the right amount on your energy bill. Have a check around to see what company has the best deal. During the colder period, energy companies known for at times to raise their prices due to the high demand. 

6. Cancel gym membership. 

You don't have to be at the gym to get fit, you can go autumn walks or do exercise at home. You will save so much when your not tied down to a gym.

7. Autumn sales. 

Autumn sales are the best time to get stuff for a good price. Remember though don't buy if you don't need it. 

8. Draught proofing.

Autumn is the time to make sure that your home is draught-proof as this can keep your home warm and also save money on your energy bill.

 All you need to for a simple effective way is to get draught strip and place it in the gap between the window/door and opening so it is sealed to stop any draught coming through. 

 It has been said that if you draught-proof your doors and windows you can save £20 a year. 

Another tip is to have thick curtains to keep the warmth in as well. 

There is also the option of buying draught excluders where you simply put at the bottom of the door to stop the draught coming into the room. 

What way do you like to save money during the autumn season? I love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below. 

Cheers for reading X 

Tuesday 28 May 2019

10 reasons to do a staycation.

Hey readers, 

Have you heard of this buzzword that is flying around called staycation if not it then the term means to choose to stay where you live or travel in your own country as appose to going on holiday abroad. Down below I have given 10 reasons why you should consider a staycation. 



1  Greener. 

Opting to chose to have a staycation is greenery because you are not traveling by airplane can contribute to the air emissions and using more than 4 months of driving just in one flight. 

2. Stress.

Of course, opting to stay in your own country means less stress with not having travel, going somewhere that is foreign speaking and trying to communicate and generally navigating around a country that you are not familiar with. It is so much easy staying local because you know where you are and less stress travellin. 

3. Local attractions. 

Staying locally is a fantastic opportunity to check out somewhere new that you haven't been locally and it also helps local businesses as your putting the money into the local economy which will benefit businesses and services greatly. 

4. No plan. 

If you stay locally where you are familiar then you don't have to plan ahead. You can be spontaneous and it won't take a long time to get there as you are more likely to know where you are going.

5. Save money.

Because you can save money on staying locally you don't have to pay for accommodation, travel flights and the like means it is a great chance to save some money which is always a winner.

6. Tourist. 

You don't have to go anywhere special to be a tourist as you can be your own tourist in your own city and check out what the local attractions are. You may even surprise yourself by finding something new that you haven't heard or tried out yet. 

7. Relaxing. 

When you stay local it means your relaxed as you have less stress from traveling to another country, For instance, you don't have to wait in massive ques, or finding your way to your hotel in a new country. It all adds to additional stress whereas staying in your home or traveling not far means you can relax and have not much to worry about compared to somewhere new or in a different country where it is different to what you are used to. 

8. Time.

 You don't have to go long holidays it can be a day out because even though holidays are meant to be relaxing going away say for two weeks is a long time it can be exhausting doing things constantly where if your at home you can relax more and not feel as much pressure to constantly go, go, go. 

9. Packing.

Of course one the best elements of a staycation is not having to pack and make sure that your suitcase is the right weight with all the things you need.

10. Family/friends. 

Having a staycation means it allows you to incorporate if you wish to see friends and family.


What do you think about a staycation? Love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below. 

Cheers for reading X 

Monday 31 December 2018

6 places to find cheap books.

Hey readers,

I love reading and I'm always looking for cheap ways of getting books or buying them. It can be a struggle but there's no need to spend a fortune on buying books if you look in the right places you will find cheap ways of getting your hands on books. Let me tell you some of the places you can try that have been successful for me in finding cheap books below.

1. Local library.

The most obvious place to start for looking for books is the local library, as they have a wide selection of different types of books you can take out on loan and are free. I have taking out loads of books on loan so you have to return them in the past from for my library. It has been so helpful in saving me money going to my library as there is so much choice for instance recipe books, craft books for kids and fiction books to lose myself in.

books on bookshelves

2. Second-hand shops.

As good as the library is for a wide selection of books sometimes the library does not have the title in. That is why it's good to check out the local charity shop to see if there are pre-loved books that you want but you can't find anywhere else. The books from charity shops are cheap and cheerful and normally absolutely fine to read at a low cost. Also after I finished a book that I bought from the charity shop I normally give it to my local library so that someone else can enjoy it and share the love through that way.

3. eBay / Amazon.

Online there are plenty of places that sell cheap books compared to say Waterstones and two of the most popular sites are eBay and Amazon. I'm not sure if you are aware but not only does Amazon sell brand spanking new books they also sell used books, so do check that option out as well because you can get somebody else with that way. Likewise, with eBay, they sell cheaper books especially ones that are a bit rarer at a reasonable cost.

Image result for amazon logo

4. E-reader.

Another option is to download an e-reader app so you don't have to spend loads on an e-reader and you can find cheap eBooks through the e-reader app itself.

5. Comparison sites.

To find the best book deal price check out this brilliant website called Best Book Price which compares the cheapest place to get a book. Some of the types compared are eBay, Amazon WHSmith and various other book internet sites that you can buy books from.
person holding cup of coffee and open book

6. The Works.

The Works is another good shop where you can buy books from, whether it be fiction or nonfiction. They also do regular book deals such as 6 fiction books for £10 or 10 children books for £10. Another great feature is that you can order books online or pick them up in a store. Which I prefer to look in the shop as you can physically touch them and see all the books together to choose from.

Cheers for reading X