30 Ways To Save £1

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Hello friends! Moneysupermarket are holding a competition to win £1000. I'm all for saving money so I thought I would throw in my tips for saving up! If they receive over 1000 ways to save, the money gets doubled! Get involved!

Here's my tips for saving:

1. Before buying anything on the Internet, always search for voucher codes for a % off or free delivery. Chances are there is a code knocking around!

2. Use websites such as quidco or top cashback to get money back on purchases - sometimes you get money for just walking into some shops!

3. Follow 10 ways to have more money as as student without working on facebook. I'm no longer a student, and I still use it. They post lots of price glitches for everything from food to to printers. Find them HERE

4. Always ask for a receipt when buying ANYTHING, and keep them all in an envelope. At the end of each month you can go through your receipts and see what you wasted money on, and how you can save next month by cutting out these things.

5. Sign up for every advantage card or points card that you can. They might be a pain to carry around in your purse but the chances are the day you don't have it you'll need it, and that could be points to give you money!

6. Drawing out money in cash for particular things like shopping, or nights out, can help you not overspend.

7. Keep change jars - for any amount you like. I like to keep a jar for 1ps and 2ps, and another for silvers. Put any spare change you have or find in these jars - it adds up super fast. Change them up at the bank rather than a machine, because you don't have to pay a percentage cut.

8. Regularly scout 99p and pound stores for everything because you can pick up some amazing bargains at the fraction of the regular price.

9. When food shopping, always check out the reduced isle sections, where you can find some great bargains. You can freeze them and you often get them for half the price.

10. If you live in a town that has a greengrocers, farm shops or markets, do check them out. Smaller companies have smaller overheads so you can often get fruit and veg at a really good price.

11. Websites like Approved Foods are fantastic - you can get some amazing bargains on there. These websites are especially great for students as you can seriously bulk buy on there. If you live with other people, all buy together so you only pay the one postage.

12. If you are on a budget and thinking about trying a new product, research the hell out of it and read tons of reviews, to find swatches or pictures etc. That way you can really decide if it is for you without wasting money.

13. If you have a credit card that tempts you - put it in a Tupperware, fill it up with water, and freeze it.  When you get tempted to spend, you have to take it out of the freezer, and wait for it to melt. This gives you a lot of time to decide whether you really need that impulse buy.

14. If you also have the restraint you can get a credit card that offers cashback on purchases - to avoid interest charges you have to pay these off in full every month. You can get a reasonable amount of money back if you have the self control not to overspend.

15. If you are a student, use student discount! Always ask if shops offer student discount, use student codes online, when buying Apple products use student discounts, and when buying MAC makeup, if you qualify, get a student pro account!

16. When shopping and you see offers such as 3 for 2, ask yourself - do you REALLY need other items? Can you REALLY afford them? And if you say no, then don't buy it. Sometimes these offers seem great but are just used to suck you in and convince you to spend more than you actually intended.

17. Set up an online savings account - I recently did, and its the best thing ever. You don't get a debit card for it so you can't use it unless you transfer the money across, and some can take up to 4 days to clear. Its a great way to save for something.

18. Use websites such as freecycle, gumtree and local buy and sell facebook pages for your town. You can get so many free items or items very cheap.

19. Bootfairs and charity shops are amazing too - you can pick up so many bargains at a great price!

20. Bootfairs are also perfect for selling your unwanted items without having to worry about ebay or postage fees.

21. If you do sell on eBay, wait until they have free listing days. Then you only pay a cut if you sell. Offer collection too to save on postage costs, and then you can have cash in hand too to save on the paypal cut!

22. Writing lists when going shopping are great for budgeting - then you can stick to it and not get tempted!

23. If you get tempted anyway, online food shop. That way you cut out all the impulse buys, and often replacements for your chosen items can be more expensive than what you originally chose.

24. If you have a taste for designer items - flash sale websites like Cocosa or SecretSales have amazing collections at seriously cut prices.

25. If you buy off eBay, set yourself a price limit and don't go over it. Its really easy to get caught up in a bidding war and pay much more for something than you intended to.

26. Always carry a plastic bag in your handbag. A lot of shops now charge for bags and if you nip into one quickly, you won't get caught out. 5p every now and again all adds up!

27. Don't be afraid to regularly check your bank account, its good to keep track of your money, even if you don't have much of it.

28. Save a little bit each month if you have bills like car insurance. That way you can pay it in one go and save yourself money - its cheaper!

29. When buying clothes, keep the receipt and the tag on until you decide to wear it. That way, if you change your mind, you can take it back instead of wasting money.

30. Never be too proud to accept freebies off anybody. Its so rare to get anything for free now - so when those opportunities come round - take them!

What are your money saving tips?

Lips of the Day #5

I  feel like I haven't done a lips of the day in ages! I thought I would showcase one of my favourite lipsticks - No7 Moisture Drench in 04 Romantic. Its one of my favourite pinky nude colours that I reach for when I don't know what to wear, and it matches everything. It's a satin/matt finish is really pigmented and long lasting.

I'm also wearing my new foundation - which happens to be Bourjois Healthy Mix. What do we think?

30 Day Shred Day 1 - 5

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Soooo I've seen the 30 day shred and decided to give it a go. I thought I would write about my experience with it as I've heard lots of mixed things about it - people saying its really hard, and others saying it wasn't too bad. I'm mixing it with a slightly healthier diet than normal. I'm cutting my diet coke intake down to no more than one glass a day - and trying to up my water intake as I've gotten really slack with this recently and been drinking a larger amount of caffeine than normal.

I've also been really slack with my exercise for a while now recently - I have an exercises bike but I haven't used it since January, and I haven't been to the gym since summer last year, so my fitness is most likely in a bit of a state. I'd also like to point out that I have absolutely ZERO core and upper body strength - so I'm hoping this will really help me work on that.

Because of all these factors - I was really dreading day one. I lot of people had told me how awful it would be - but actually, after finishing day 1 workout, I didn't feel as dreadful as I thought I would. I actually found the strength and toning a lot easier than the cardio - and I would definitely recommend a sports bra as ouch :( There were points where it feels a little tougher - about 10 minutes I definitely started to feel it, and then at about 20 minutes I really started to feel it, especially in my legs! The last exercise, is a killer by the way, I have nowhere near enough core strength for that (yet)!

Weight wise - I used 1kg weights, because I have absolutely no strength in my arms, and anything higher would literally destroy me. As I progress I may invest in some stronger weights, but for now, I'm sticking with these, and they were effective enough!

First thing I noticed when I woke up, was a little ache in some muscles - my core, inner thighs and a little bit on my arms. Not enough to be actual pain to prevent me from doing things though! So I completed day 2 - very much similiar points as day 1, except I noticed I was already a little more flexible with my core muscles and managed a lot of the stomach exercises a lot easier than yesterday. I found the arm toning a lot harder today though for some reason.

I woke up and my legs hurt soooo badly, in particular just one! day 3 was very much like day 2, except arm toning is getting a lot easier. I also have been two days without any caffeine!

Lush Avobath Bath Bomb

Hello! I'm very nearly at the end of my super huge Lush haul that I had at the start of the year with a lovely gift card from my brother. I bought a ton of bath bombs and a few other items with it - one I had to throw away because I'm pretty sure when it turned up it had gone off because it had a very strange smell to it...This is my second to last bomb, the Avobath bomb. I've not used this one before but I was really drawn in by the lemongrass and the olive oil in it.

'Use this when your skin is thirsty and your mind is blocked. If you haven’t got a friend to tell you to pull your socks up and get back up and out there, then this ballistic will do the job for you!'

 Well, I knew there would be a time where I would need something to make me feel normal again and clear my head, and this did the job pretty nicely!

The initial picture doesn't really show the colour of it - its a wonderful lime green and it has the most amazing citrus smell, which to me isn't that lemony - I almost got grapefruit notes from it. I loved it anyway, as these scents are right up my street. The nature of these smells means that they aren't intended to make you feel all sleepy and relaxed - they make you relaxed in a very uplifted way.

I should point out - this bath bomb does not create bubbles - I added those because a bath doesn't feel like bath if it's without bubbles...

Honey Glazed Pork With a Dukkah Crust

I really should start using my nice camera for food pictures, they never seem look as good on a camera phone!

Following the positivity on my last foodie post, I'm thinking about making this a more regular thing. Today I made Pork, glazed with honey and soy sauce, and topped with a smoked passion chilli dukka.

What is Dukkah?

NOTD: Sinful Colors in Soul Mate

I came across this lovely brand in Boots, and at £1.99 each, they are truly amazing. They apply like a dream, give amazing colour with just one coat, I am completely in love. This colour is Soul Mate and it is pretty much true to colour in the picture as it is to real life. And the formula creates an amazing shine too!

The Budget Series: Montagne Jeunnesse Green Tea Peel Off Masque

I'm still on my search for the perfect face mask. I saw this in the shops, and thought I would try it. I really like peel off masks because there is such little mess with them.

I'm not sure how I feel about sachet masks - I always find there is just a little too much in there for me, and then I don't know how to store it, so just waste it by throwing. At £1 a sachet it isn't such a crime, but I wish I could get more use out of the leftovers!

So this one contains Green tea, ginger and lemon, to refresh, cleanse and give a radiant complexion. I really liked this one, it certainly did refresh my skin - I felt so clean afterwards! It didn't leave my skin feeling tight either, which was great, and there was no tingling on the skin which sometimes makes me feel as if I'm going to react to it. I found it took the full 20 minutes to properly set, but after that it peeled off lovely.

Lunch Under 500 Calories: Spinach, Ham and Cheese Warm Flatbread

Hello! I'm trying to be a little healthier lately and so I'm keeping a little food diary, and sharing with you all the tasty things I've found. I always struggle with lunch especially where I'm so busy, I tend to pick up things that are quick and easy. Even shop bought healthy things are not always as healthy as they seem, and often exceed 600 calories without even blinking. Depending on how you like to eat your calories will depend on when you have your biggest meal, but I like to have a lunch with an average amount, so this comes in at just under 500 calories.

Instead of a loaf of bread I used flatbread, warmed in the oven and folded in half. They are quite large so you could actually use just half if you didn't want a lot of carb. I put loads of raw spinach in it, as I love the taste, and some wafer thin ham, as its a little lighter on calories and sat fat. I used Laughing Cow Extra Light cheese triangles, as they come in at only 20 calories a triangle, and they don't taste any different. I used two because I wanted it extra cheesy, but of course one would be enough. I added a teaspoon of wholegrain mustard for some extra flavour - I think this would be lovely with Dijon too!

I adapted this recipe off this version I found on Pinterest, you can find it HERE

If you are on Pinterest and would like to check out my boards (wink) you can find me HERE

A Fragrance Direct, Boots, Superdrug & 99p Shop Haul

Oh well I just can't seem to stop spending money, can I! I like to think this time round I got a lot of bargains, and shopped all the offers I could find. I'll start with Fragrance Direct, as everyone knows - it's great for Essie polishes!

Oooh some bright colours for the summer! Fragrance Direct chop and change which colours they have quite often, and last time I looked, I didn't like the colours. This time however I just couldn't  resist! The pink is called Off the shoulder, the lovely orange is Fear and Desire, and the white is Waltz, and they were all that lovely £1.99 each! I've also been looking at the Rimmel volume accelerator in the shops, but saw it on the website for £3.49, so a couple of pounds cheaper than on the high street, and it comes with a free khol eyeliner too.

aaand in Superdrug...