The January Skrimp - a lesson in budgeting

On the whole January can seem like a never ending month full of post-Christmas blues, diets and resolutions.

January happens to be one of only 7 months in the year which boasts 31 days or nearly 5 full weeks. What makes it unique though, is that for the majority of people January’s pay comes early...

I made a promise to myself last year that I wouldn't be left hunting around for that extra few pounds to buy dinner at the end of January. However, after one to many Christmas parties my good intentions are long gone!

Here are a few of the things I have been doing to cut back this month.

•           Yellow sticker Shopping – This has become quite a big thing in our office. Everyday the local supermarket reduces certain foods which are due to run out of date that day, which you can buy and shove in the freezer! Our supermarket puts yellow stickers on everything (hence the name of this point ;)). Now, there is quite a science to this and you can never be sure on what you might find. But usually if you go about an hour or so before the shop shuts you can get yourself a bargain. Recent finds include 10p pizzas and 7p sandwiches.
•           Staying away from the Sales – It might seem weird, but I have avoided the shopping centre like the plague this month. I find the sales far too tempting. To be honest though, I have found that unless you grab a bargain on the first few days after Christmas there isn’t much left. I dread to think the amount of times I have brought something just because it was on sale.
•           Make use of other facilities - I rent my house so my electricity is one which needs to be topped up with a key. I hate it. One of the advantages though is that you are able to see just how much electric you are using. To save on the amount I need to top up each week I have started to make use of the electricity in other places. For example I charge my phone in the car on the way to and from work or plug the charger into my computer when at work. Also I’ve made full use of my Gym’s showers and hairdryers after a workout. I already pay for the facilities so I might as well make full use of them!
•           Don’t take money to work with you – This one is fairly straightforward. I don’t take money to work so I am not tempted at lunch time to nip out and buy chocolate and naughty things. This is also an excellent way to not get tempted to stay from your healthy eating plan.
•           Get walking – its 2 miles from my house to my office. It might be easier to drive in the mornings but I’ve found that even walking a couple of times a week really helps save money on petrol and makes me smash my 10k step target for the day.
•           Plan – don’t waste food - If like me you have been yellow sticker shopping there is a certain amount of ‘going with the flow’ when it comes to meal planning. However, I can be smart about things. For example making enough to last for another day. My work lunches this month have consisted of soup and a roll for 4 days (half a tin each day) and then left overs for the other day. It’s pretty boring but does the job. Also the slow cooker has been a life saver!
•           Returning or exchanging gifts – I brought a gift for a friend at Christmas but it was faulty so sent it back for a refund. That cheeky return was very welcome!
•           Using cash back and reward cards – I am with NatWest, they are doing a thing where you can claim 1% cash back when you shop at certain places or pay using contactless. Without even thinking I have managed to save £15 over the last couple of months! I had a similar situation with my Nectar card, however I doubled these points up to spend on Christmas gifts in November.

I would be really grateful if you had any other ideas you would like to share in the comments!

Happy budgeting!

Christmas Jingles in Gothenberg, Sweden

Back at the start of September I was browsing flights to anywhere, trying to choose somewhere to go on holiday when I came across some cheap flights to Gothenburg in Sweden.

A quick Google search revealed that they held a huge Christmas market at the Liseberg theme park each year and it would be the opening weekend. Its safe to say our family is big on Christmas. In fact we have been known to play Christmas songs to help us cool down in the middle of August when its hot outside. So when I messaged my mum and sister about a Christmassy girl’s weekend away and instantly they replied, yes!

With all of us working week days, the flight times were excellent as they meant that we could arrive in Gothenburg early Saturday morning and leave Sunday afternoon. With no baggage to check in and being able to check in online meant we didn’t really have to get to the airport the full 2 hours before the flight and effectively give us 2 days to explore Gothenburg.

Next was accommodation. I chose a hotel with good reviews just outside of the city centre; it was basically the Swedish equivalent of a Premier Inn. I was a little nervous that it would be too far away from everything at first but once we got there it was in a perfect location, equal distance between the city centre and the theme park.

When we arrived, it was cold but there was no snow, I know it was too early for snow being the beginning of November but all the pictures I had seen were full of snow and it looked so beautiful that I had hoped that it might have snowed just a little bit. 

We were unable to check in to the hotel until after 1pm but we were allowed to use the common areas and check our rucksacks into the hotel bag store which save us from lugging them around the park the whole day. After a quick bathroom break, breakfast and a check of the map we set out to explore.

Our first and main stop was the Liseberg park. It was FANTASTIC! and certainly exceeded everything I had ever imagined!
the park was fantastic, it was divided in to different sections which included a kids area and a medieval village. One thing we noticed though was that the whole park was super clean.
Here are a few pictures: 

 Some fake snow which had been sprayed in most areas of the park

 A HUGE christmas tree which could be seen pretty much all over the city.

 There were fire pits all over the park. something which would never happen in England.

There were thousands of fairy lights everywhere, it was so beautiful. These pictures really don't do justice

This park is 110% worth visiting, its so pretty and very Christmassy. 

The City its self is lovely too and at Christmas they have 'The Lane of Light' in the main shopping areas which is very pretty too.

I cannot speak highly enough about taking a short break in Sweden, in fact I would really like to visit in the summer to compare. My only advice would be that things are expensive to buy when you are there so this is definitely not a shopping destination!

This is Why I Can't Have Nice Things

Managed to have my new beautiful and VERY expensive throw on my bed for a whole 3 days before getting Hot Chocolate on it. 

The joke is I was purposely keeping the drink away from the bed so I didn't get anything on it.

A Terrible Weigh In and a Winter Warmer

Today was my first weigh in since the start of December and I was not surprised to see that I had gained a whopping 7lbs! Yep, you read that right, SEVEN POUNDS! 

While I was expecting a gain, I am already feeling annoyed at myself for going too far. I know I shouldn't have accepted the second helping of my Nan's trifle. I know didn't have to help finish the box of sweets or drink quite so much Prosecco. But I did. To make things worse, I didn't even attempt any form of exercise. Although I don't regret the time I spent eat and drinking with my family and friends, I do regret just how far I took it.

Still, there is no point worrying over the what has been, the best thing I can do now is focus on moving forward. One of the people I follow on Instagram posted a 27 week countdown and now my ultimate goal is for a 2lb loss per week as that would have me at my dream target weight by the summer!

If like me, you over indulged over Christmas, you may be finding it a little difficult to get back into the groove with eating healthier things. I found a great soup recipe that, although is 4 Weight Watchers Pro Points per serving, will leave you feeling satisfied and stopped me reaching for the biscuits or left over chocolates.

Peanut and Carrot Soup.


Ingredients:
2 Carrots, finely grated
2 Tomatoes, Chopped
1 Onion, Chopped
1tsp Ginger
1/2 Cup of Peanut butter. 
1/2 Cup Water
1/2 Almond Milk
2 Cloves of Garlic (optional)
Salt and Pepper, added to taste.

Heat a saucepan with oil (I used Fry light), add onions, garlic (optional, I didn't, but only because I didn't have any in the cupboard) and ginger. Cook until the onions have softened.

Add the peanut butter and the tomatoes and  stir until all the ingredients are combined. Grate in the carrots, stir in and cook for a minute. 

 Add in water, Almond Milk. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and let the soup cook for 10 minutes.
Let the soup cool slightly then blend until smooth. 

Divide into portions (I got 3 250ml servings from this recipe.) and you're ready to enjoy!

Exploring Palma

Part of my work involves an Annual Conference where all key people in the industry get together to make decisions and discuss the future. Each year the entire office moves to a hotel somewhere in the world for a week-long event. This year’s event was Palma, Mallorca.

We are very fortunate that, if you want, you are able to take holiday after the conference to explore the local area. I’ve been to Palma before so wasn’t too fussed about spending a long break after conference there, especially as it isn't overly warm in November. However, my brother quite often works out there so I decided I would take a later flight and pay him a visit But in an interesting turn of events, my brother had to go to the USA while I was there so I found myself with some free time.

Friday I moved hotels, the one we were staying in for conference was a little over my budget! Instead found a perfect little hotel/hostel nearby. I cannot recommend this place highly enough. It was in a great location close to the old town but tucked away from the main road so was nice and quiet. The whole place was pretty basic but spotless, although a little rough around the edges all rooms have en suite bathrooms and free wifi, the bed that I had had a memory foam mattress ( I seriously need one of those at home!) and it even had a swimming pool! I paid €35 for one night and it was worth every penny! 

My room for the night

After a quick power nap I headed out to explore. As I had been there before I had a rough idea on the places to go so I set about walking to the old town to have a look at the shops.

It is safe to say that I smashed my 10 thousand step target for the day!

I'd say that if you are planning a visit to Mallorca then definitely pay a visit to the Old Town if you can, its quite charming and it makes such a change from the tourist resorts which are all too common in Europe. If you have a spare evening you HAVE to visit Abaco. Its the coolest bar, drinks are a little pricey so you may want to stay for just one drink but trust me it is SO worth it. From the outside its quite hard to spot but inside its a bar in a 17th century mansion and they fill the place with fresh flowers and fruit. you can find out more about it here.

 The Menu in Abaco

 Our drinks, pricey, but worth every penny.

 Inside the bar

 Palma Old Town

 Palma Old Town

The view on my walk 

Non Scale Victories

I started on WeightWatchers in July and since then I have lost around two stone. I will be honest, it has been a much slower process than other people that I know who are doing the same thing.

Recently after a particularly crappy weigh-in following a week of meticulous tracking and pointing and only loosing 0.5lb one of my friends tagged a photo of me. It was a photo that was taken before I started WeightWatchers and it made me realise that it isn't all about the numbers on the scale. Its also about the non scale victories, the NSVs.

It made me see that since starting I have achieved so much more than just loosing weight. I've noticed that;

• I've been able to run for longer on the treadmill
• I don't get tired after walking up three flights of stairs at work everyday
• My clothes fit better and in some cases are too loose.
• The biggest size in Zara is now a loose on me!

When I first started loosing weight I measured out a piece of string around my waist and cut it to remind myself, today when I put the same piece of string around me I had 11cms excess hanging from the end.

My advice for anyone who is on a weight loss journey would be to measure your success in other areas other than just numbers on a set of scales. It will help to make you feel 100 times better on those days when the scales aren't your friend and will help to motivate you forward and remind you just how far you've come.

The first blog entry

I've tried and failed so many times a keeping diaries that I have lost count. This time however I am not going to make plans, set deadlines or make goals except one... To use this blog as a way of keeping note of things in my life. Things I like, trips I make and food I eat.



Today I am a painfully single 26 year old who, has lived a pretty great life so far, i've travelled quite a bit, lived abroad, met lots of interesting people and have the best family I could ever ask for. However, things have slowed down lately because I now work full time and spend most of my time being a sensible grown up. I am starting to get complacent and a bit bored with the way things are, so i've decided to make some changes.



In August I started weight watchers. I did this for a few reasons; to loose weight, to feel better, to build confidence, to wear clothes from fashionable shops and find a man...but most of all to be happy being me.



One of the biggest thing about being single in your mid twenties is that although you have friends a lot of them are in couples, married, have children and those that do happen to still be single have careers which mean that they can't always take time off (myself included) this means that going on adventures with friends isn't really possible. I've decided that if I want to do something then I should just go ahead and do it. 

 Life is too short to miss out on stuff because you are worried about going it alone.




Time to make changes, you only get one chance of life so you have to make it count.