Wednesday 17 April 2019

75 Simple pleasures that give you complete satisfaction

Hey readers,

Today I am writing a list of all things simple pleasures. I have come up with 75 of my favourite simple things that happen in my life that I very much enjoy. 




1. Blowing bubbles with kids.



2. Hearing your favorite song come on and singing your heart out.



3. Cracking the yolk of a boiled egg.



4. A morning stretch.



5. Getting into bed with the heated blanket.



6. Being lazy on a Sunday. 



7. The smell of fresh cut grass.



8. When you do a deep clean and the room is tidy.


9. Getting to the bottom of the washing pile.



10. Having hot tea after hours of not having one.


11. Freshly baked bread.



12. Helping someone in need.



13. Making someone laugh. 



14. A crossed of to-do-list.



15. Making someone smile.



16. Laughing till your belly hurts.



17. Lying in bed listening to the rain.



18. Having a picnic.



19. Finding money.



20. Kindness from a stranger.



21. Walking barefoot through the sea.



22. Clean sheets.



23. Planting a seed.



24. Hearing a cat purr.



25. Dancing with no care in the world.


26. A warm drink on a cold day.



27. At night closing the curtains and hiding the world away.


28. Taking a cat nap.



29. Snuggling under the quilt.



30. A long hot bath.



31. When a website loads really fast.  



32. Making shapes out of clouds. 



33. Finding a relaxing place to sit. 



34. When you hike and reach the top of the hill.


35. Sitting down in a coffee shop and watching the world go by.


36. Going to sleep when you're exhausted.

37. When I accomplish something that someone told me I could not do. 


38. Sunsets.


39. Peeling an orange in one go.


40. Having a wee after a long time. 


41. Having freshly cleaned laundry.



42. The smell of a new book.



43. Using a new notebook for the first time.


44. Wrapping in a blanket straight after it has been in the dryer.


45. Seeing a squirrel bounching about.



46. Being outside.



47. The smell of rain. 



48. The first minute of a hot shower.



49. Changing into my pajarmas after a long day. 



50. Drawing a perfect circle with a compass. 



51. When you find a yellow sticker.



52. Reading a good book.



53. Having a lie in.



54. Discovering a new song that you love.



55. Sitting near the sea eating fish and chips. 



56. Eating strawberries and cream in the summer.



57. Fairy lights twinkling at night. 



58. New socks.



59. Watching children giggle and play. 



60. The smell of a burning candle.



61. Falling asleep in a sunbeam.


62. Being the first person to open the coffee jar.

63. The smell of coffee is emerge.


64. Watching a lightning storm. 


65. Waking up in a warm bed feeling all fuzzy.


66. When it is a cold and dreary day.



67. Taking your bra off after a long day. 



68. Silence. 



69. Thunderstorms at night. 



70. Waking up without an alarm clock. 



71. Tasty food. 


72. A cold drink when you have walked for ages. 

73. Peeling the plastic off a new phone cover.

74. Freshly shaven legs.  



75. Sitting in the park in the summer and the sun is shining. 

What simple pleasures do you enjoy? Love to hear your comments below. 

Cheers for reading X 

Tuesday 16 April 2019

Why I love lists

Hey readers,

If you didn't know I love a list, every day I write one for general and also if you are a regular reader we will know that I am fond of the old listicle post. Let me tell you why I love lists so much. 

1. Clear cut. 

I am a black and white thinker as I have autism so therefore it is something I find comforting. I find lists are clear cut and I know exactly what I want to do and how to get it done. 

2. Organise thoughts. 

I have lots of thoughts buzzing round in my head and find that lists are an excellent way to organise my thoughts. 

3. Visual.

The lists I do are handwritten on a pad and they are visual than for me to look at. I can see them and I can look back on the list to know where I am going. 

3. They feel less taxing on the brain. 

I feel much calmer when I write my lists out as they get all my thoughts out, things I need to do and physically writing down the things I need to shuts out the noise in my mind.

4. Rewarding. 

One of the greatest feelings in the world is to tick off the items on your list because you can visually see that you have done the task you aimed for and it feels rewarding and like you achieved something, it doesn't matter how small the task you still have that buzz. 

5. Control.

I will admit I am a control freak and like to know exactly what is happening. When I write out lists I feel more comfortable with my day as I am in control and know what I am doing. I like structure and lists fit with my personality. 

6. Plan.

Lists allow me to plan my day so I know exactly what I am doing and I can focus on achieving the goals. Which, in turn, makes me feel much happier in life. 

7. Time.

Lists save time because you can write down your tasks and then you can work from there meaning you are focused on the tasks. In comparison, if I don't do lists, I feel confused and not sure what to do. 

8. Goal achievement.  

Lists can be overwhelming depending on how much information you put on the list. That is why it is important, well for me anyway to not feel overwhelmed breaking down the lists into chunks. What I can do next is split the list down into smaller chunks so it is not so overwhelming. 

Lists are a great way to see goals you have yet been done and completed whilst ticking them off the list is satisfactory in its self. 

Do you like lists are you laid back and just go with the flow? Love to hear your comments below. 

Cheers for reading X 

Sunday 14 April 2019

My Sunday Photo 14/04/2019


Friday 12 April 2019

New

Hey reader,

This weeks word of the week is:



because I have treated myself after saving up for a couple of months to a NOW TV stick and is the Best. Thing. Ever!

We also went to Mcdonalds this week and I won a  free 6 month NOW TV kids pass. So, the kids have been fully enjoying checking out new cartoons. I be honest with you it is a breath of fresh air watching something new instead of watching the same old same old.

In other news, I have been to both my son's parents evening and they've been doing really well and making progress, which is really good.

I am also really thankful that the sun has decided to come back again. This makes a pleasant change to not feel cold and to get rid of the coat for a bit because I bloody hate wearing a coat but sometimes it's necessary really, isn't it?!

I hope you've had a good week. 

Cheers for reading X

Thursday 11 April 2019

My top 10 money saving tips.

Hey readers, 

Who doesn't love to save a bit of cash when? you can with my top money saving tips.

1. Supermarket closing. 

Check out your supermarket before closing time. Grab them yellow stickers, don't worry they won't hurt you. You can freeze them, did you know you can freeze bread and milk, amazing how much you save by just doing that.


Shopping Cart, Shopping, Supermarket

2. Online coupons.

Before buying anything that you need to check online for coupons and discounts. simply just type in the item and see where the cheapest price is if you say you want a specific TV you can save a couple hundred if you look around carefully. don't just go someone, it is always important to do your research beforehand.

3.  My supermarket app. 

Download my supermarket app it is amazing to compare food from leading supermarkets and see where the cheapest price is to get that item. 

4. Hotdeals Uk.

Another great app is Hot Deals UK. On the app, you can see each product and the different prices from the major retailers on one page You can also get notifications when new deals come in.


5. Electricity. 

To save money on your electricity bill one easy way is to simply turn off your tv from the socket to save money. Why have the TV  on when you are not using it? You will be amazed at just doing that one trick will save you money.


Light Bulb, Idea, Self Employed

6. Travel Mugs.

Invest in a travel mug so you can take your own hot drink when you are going out, saves so much instead of going to Starbucks. There are some really cool designs in travel mugs and you are not wasting it on cups so helping the environment too win-win. 

7. Cash. 

If you do plan to go to supermarket or shop then take a set amount of hard cash and leave your money card at home, therefore you are forced to budget and not be tempted to impulsive buy items that you may not need. 

Five Pound Note, Cash, Money, Pound

8. No Spend.

 Make it a habit to have one day a week where you do not spend anything, you will be amazed at how easy it is to once you start doing it. I have also found that I am more likely to do productivity things that I need to do that I normally put off as I have that free time to use up.

9. Emails.  

 How many emails have you got that you receive from companies trying to entice you to spend? They like to remind you of what they have to try to seduce you. Don't fall for it and unsubscribe then there less junk and you can get on with saving.

Email, Newsletter, Marketing, Online

10. Packed lunch.

Instead of eating out or buying lunch at work invest the time to make your own lunch, plus it is much healthier for your instead of eating high fat processed food. 

What is your favourite money saving tip, I would love to hear in the comments?

Cheers for reading X 





   

Monday 8 April 2019

How to do Easter on a budget


Hey readers,



With social media being a big influence on most it can be hard not to be persuaded do things to extremes. But let's be honest most of us haven't the money to splash about. So, here are some of my tips on how to stick to a budget but still having a lovely time for Eater. 





1. set a budget. 

Sometimes it is good to plan especially when you need to budget. So, be realistic in working out what your disposable income is for Easter then stick to that amount. Sometimes, working out and writing it down is more concrete and can help keep our focus and stick to our budget. 

2. Latest deals. 

One of the best ways to save money on things that you want is to check out the latest deals online before spending the cash impulsively. There are many fab websites that can give you information on the latest deals such as Martin Lewis site or my supermarket.com which compares the prices of products with the leading supermarkets (Asda, Sainsbury's, Waitrose, Tesco, Iceland, Morrisons etc). 

3. Cash. 

Another brilliant tip to keep you reined in when out shopping for Easter stuff is to take cash out and leave the bank card at home. Therefore you definitely won't overspend and you can relax knowing that you are in control and staying within your budget. 

4. Plan. 

Planning is key to winning when it comes to your budget. Before dashing about on impulse plan head and what you want to do and how much you need plus the money that you can afford to spend on items such as Easter eggs or craft. 

5. Pressure.
Don't get sucked up in the hype, I know it can be hard with pressure on people outperforming one another on social media. However, in the end, what matters is you are happy and do what is right for you. Everyone is different so don't put the expectations on as long as you have a good time and relax surely that is the most important thing. Remember Easter is only a couple of days and before you know it to be forgotten and moved on to the next thing, such is the society that we live in. 

How do you budget for Easter? Love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below. 

Cheers for reading X 

How a Fitbit helps me and my mental health.

Hey readers,

Only recently have I invested in a Fitbit and it has been a real motivator for me to get up and move.

 As a person who has mental health problems, I find that having something like counting steps every day to reach a goal has helped me feel a bit better about myself. 



Even though it is a small positive change, it has helped me a great day in my mental health journey. 

Waking up every day and knowing I want to achieve something as a realistic goal gets me moving, gets me out of bed and does something for me which has helped.

 Especially when talking about mental health getting out of the house is something good, getting away from the same four walls can be a breath of fresh air.

 Doing something productive is a biggy for me instead of brewing on the negativity and my thoughts that just go round and round. 

Having a Fitbit has provided me with a focus and a distraction from the feelings of giving up and feeling what is the point? 

Having a reason to leave my home is a big help. I have a purpose though it is just numbers it is more than that to me. 

I have a goal that I know I can aim for, it allows me to focus on walking, and getting exercise helps release feel-good hormones.

 Doing something for me gives me a lift in my mood, knowing I am taking action when I force myself out of the home and doing exercise.  

Improving my health and stamina with fitness has made me feel better about myself because I have regained that control because I AM doing it, I am getting out in the world and exciting. 

I know I am not perfect but seeing progress in pushing myself and getting out of the home is a step closer to improving my mental health. 

Getting out in the fresh air allows me to clear my head of the thoughts, it allows me to think of new things because I have a different scenery allowing me to think of new ideas instead of staying at home festering on the negativity. 

Alongside going out for walks to increase my step count there is another element to Fitbit which is a target to walk 250 steps each hour between 9 am and 5 pm and it is a visual cue to get up. 

It gives you the competitive motivator to move every hour so instead of sitting down for hours on end. 

Seeing the many visual aids to help you stay motivated on the fitness app does give a feel-good buzz. 

You want to get up and move because you can see the result. 

You can see the rewards and trophies that you can get via the Fitbit app which again boosts your mood.

 This is because you know you are doing something for yourself and you growing in strength not only physically but mentally. 

Therefore, I am glad that I chose to purchase and Fitbit. 

Yes, there are bad days of course but baby steps are key and a Fitbit helps with that for me and my mental health journey.

Cheers for reading X