How to manage your money better

Budgeting has never been my forte. In fact, I'm absolutely awful at it. This isn't the best way to be when 3/4 of my income goes on bills and the last 1/4 I need to pay off credit card debt and to eat with. Oh life. So anyway, I've decided enough is enough and I'm going to learn how to better manage my money. Here are a few ideas I've come up with that you may find useful yourselves...

1. Spreadsheets.
It's a great idea to write down exactly what your outgoings are on a spreadsheet. Then you can see how much you have to play with at the start of every month.

2. Forecasting.
Try to forecast, at the start of every month, what your outgoings are going to be. If you have an MOT due, or you know you have birthday drinks mid-month make a note so you can set aside some funds to cover it and it won't leave you short if you haven't prepared.

3. Always round up.
When you are forecasting make sure you always round up. This way you will always have a little extra spare every month to spend on what you like or in case you have any unpleasant surprises.

4. Multiple bank accounts.
Some people may find this arguably beneficial, however I really find it useful to have more than one bank account. I have an account which all of my direct debits come out of and I also opened a bank account where I can transfer the money I am allowed to spend each month. I find it so much easier to balance my money this way. Then I also have a savings account which in all honesty, hasn't been used until this month (I have had it three years).

5. Be rational.
Always be rational with your spending money. E.g is it a good idea to buy the new Urban Decay eye shadow pallet when you may need to buy a new car tyre and you've not been quoted for one yet?

If you're a bit tight for cash and need a new pair of jeans, be practical, as much as those Levis look super sexy and they only have one pair left in your size, stick with a decent pair from New Look or H&M for now and when you're next in pocket, there will more than likely be another super sexy pair of Levis' just waiting for you to invest in them.

6. Split the month.
I always think it's a good idea to break your spending money down week-by-week. Otherwise you may spend everything in the first week and then when your colleagues all head out for lunch one afternoon, you will miss out because you just HAD to have that Lush Cosmetics haul on week 1. Trust me, I've made this mistake too many times.

7. Save what you can.

Ugh. Saving is so hard. But I think it's always a good idea to set aside some money. Even if you're just putting any spare change into your piggy bank. You may thank yourself for it when you go over your phone bill next month! 

I've realised that if I put £10 away in savings every month when I first started working and never spent it, I would be a-ok financially right now.

8. Event budgets.

If you know you're going to a friends birthday on week 3, set yourself a realistic budget of what you may end up spending on drinks, club entry, taxi fares and even the cheeky kebab for the way home. Don't be too harsh on yourself, you still want enough money to have fun, but stick with a budget so you don't end up splashing all your wages on one heavy night and regretting that and every other stupid thing you did the next morning. Yep, we've all been there.

9. Prioritise debts.
Where you can, always pay off as much debt as possible. Don't just stick to your credit card minimum, try to pay that little bit extra so you don't keep paying APR. Pay the nastier debts first. If you owe a relative some money but have only a small amount to pay on your credit card, see if they mind holding off for a couple of months whilst you finish those repayments.

10. Recycle.
If you're a bit short one month, try to recycle some old clothes or gadgets on eBay, or at a car boot sale. You'll be clearing out at the same time as you're earning money. You can't really go wrong there! One man's junk is another man's treasure, you would be so surprised what people buy at bootfairs!

11. Regularly check your bank balance.
Try to check your bank balance at least once every couple of days. It's always good to know where you're at.

12. Include a separate budget for food.
I don't know about any of you, but most of my spending money goes on food or coffee. Include a separate budget for food shopping and any restaurants you plan on visiting with this pay slip. Then your 'spending money' will be just for you, for any tickets you plan on buying, a new pair of DM's or even the cute cushion you saw in TK Maxx. You crack on and buy it.

13. Price comparisons

If it's time to renew you car insurance, or you're about to invest in a new electrical item, spend a few hours one evening shopping around to get the absolute best deal you can. 

Helpful tip: I am just renewing my car insurance. I visited a few price comparison sites online until I found the best deal and then I approached that insurer directly who offered it to me for even less. Shopping around has saved me a whopping £700 this year!

14. Be prepared early for expensive months

Oh Christmas. Tis the season to be jolly, right? I'm fed up of getting stressed out every year about how expensive December is. It doesn't help that the birthdays of my entire family fall in either December or January. So I'm going to be more prepared and start saving early. I will also start putting some money aside a few months before my MOT as well and also preparing for 5-week months. It's just not worth the added stress. Then if you don't need all the money you saved... treat yourself!

15. Safety net

It's a good idea to always have some back-up cash in your account, just for a rainy day. Try to never let your bank balance get below £50.

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I hope you found at least some of the above useful. If you have any useful money-managing tips, feel free to comment below.

Thank you for reading.

Mel x

3D Fibre Lashes | Younique

Evening all,

One of my besties has recently become a Sales Ambassador for Younique. If you've not heard of Younique, it's basically an American professional make-up brand. I am now knowledgeable about quite a few of their products myself, mainly because my friend Jade is always posting it on Facebook and I just can't help but find it fascinating. Their products are very high in quality and some of the things you can do with them is actually pretty magical.

This is their Touch Mineral Skin Perfecting Concealer in action (not my hand, FYI). It provides such a reliable level of coverage that it can actually cover up tattoos. 

Last night I tried their 3D Fibre Lash for the first time and I just had to write about it.

I am a huge fan of Roller Lash by Benefit, which I'll continue to use, mostly because I would rather whip out my bad boy (3D Fibre Lash) for special occasions. I'm always being told that I have ridiculously long eyelashes, so this stuff made the tips of my eyelashes touch my eyebrows. My eyelashes looked full, rather than clumpy and they didn't look too false either. 

The application is pretty easy. You have two wands, one contains the fibres and the other is the mascara gel. You apply the mascara as you normally would, add a layer of the fibres on to the tips of the lashes, then the top coat is another layer of the mascara gel. You can layer up as many times as you like, depending on how much of a statement you want your lashes to have.

All in all, I am pretty chuffed with this product and I will most definitely be buying more products from Younique.

This is her sellers page: www.youniqueproducts.com/JadeyDB

Take a look at the Younique make-up collection and also give her page a follow here:

www.facebook.com/TheBeautySpot3D?_rdr=p

Thanks for reading.

Mel x

3 Days in Disneyland Paris for our 2-Year Anniversary

Hello Bloggersphere,

So if you follow me on Instagram you'll know that I recently returned from a 3-day trip to Disneyland Paris to celebrate Joe and I's two year anniversary (2 years already?!) Joe gets discounted tickets through his work, which is pretty handy if you fancy resting you head somewhere over the other side of the pond for a few days.

Due to recent issues, which most of you have probably tuned into on the news, we were unsure whether or not we were going to struggle getting there, as there have been several delays and disruptions as a result of those issues. Luckily we had a pretty easy journey though and the only hold up was when we were getting our room keys. Apparently EVERYONE at Disney arrived when we did so it took almost an hour before we were finally given a key to our room at the Sequoia Lodge.

We plonked our bags down and made our way to Universal Studios. My favourite ride was probably the Aerosmith ride. It was definitely my kind of experience! The walls around the queues are glazed in music memorabilia which gives you something to look at whilst you queue, then the ride itself serenades you with Aerosmith tracks whilst you're thrown around and upside down multiple times.

When we got to the end of the ride I managed to fall flat on my face as I was getting out of my seat. I had held on to the safety bars that belonged to the seat in front for support but (of course) that pushed them down and I fell down with them. It was one of those trips where it doesn't matter what you do, you just keep on falling... until you're eventually laying flat on your face. Pretty embarrassing and also rather painful - I really bruised my shins. When Joe could finally look me in the face again, he seemed to find it pretty amusing and it made a great Facebook status, so swings and roundabouts.

For dinner we went to Planet Hollywood. I have wanted to go to one of their restaurant franchises for absolutely ages. Joe reluctantly ordered a steak (I'll get to that) and I ordered the mother of all burgers. If my phone hadn't needed restoring back to it's factory settings this morning (ugh), I could have shown you a photo of this insane burger. To be fair, the photo does not even do it justice, I can't even remember what was in it, I would guess EVERYTHING went into this burger though. Joe's steak.. well I have honestly seen more meat in a ham sandwich. He wasn't sure from the start how it was going to go down, because France isn't renowned for it's excellence in steaks.

This is his forced-smile post miniature steak...

The following day we went to Annette's Diner for breakfast. We both had a cooked breakfast which was accompanied with a helping of pancakes and maple. When it came out, the hash browns were no larger than a Duracell AA battery and the sausage was about the size of my little finger. However... I still looked like I was 6-months pregnant from the beast of a burger at Planet Hollywood, so I was happy with the portion size of our breakfasts. Had I been hungry, that may have gone down a bit differently.

We went to Disneyland on the Monday and spent most of the day there. The weather was a bit on and off, but it was still a really good day. It was a shame that every single shop had exactly the same stock though. I was expecting a few different options but no, every shop had the same stock. That didn't stop Joe and I from collectively spending two hundred and forty euros though. Yep, oops and oh well. I got a bit over-excited and went Disney mad. It's too easy to do! We watched the parade which was really cute. I was surprised they only played one song the entire time on loop though. Of all the Disney music, it was a song I didn't recognise and it was just played over and over. It was stuck in my head for about four days following.

Baloo mug!

Mickey Mouse pillow pet!

That evening we went to the Rainforest Cafe for dinner. We got there before it started to get busy so we didn't have to wait long for our food. I ordered another burger (I'm all burger'd out) and Joe went for the safe option - a burger - as well. As a general rule, Joe and I never order pudding as we are usually too full to do so. For some reason we just went for it this time though. I went with a slice of cheesecake but Joe went in for this beast of an option... which was meant for '3 or more'.

We crawled back to our hotel room and had to have a nap we were that stuffed.

On the last day at Disney we were a bit unsure on what to do with ourselves. We had been to both parks and all the rides we enjoyed we had been on at least twice. I was expecting there to be a lot more rides than there were. It doesn't seem like they have updated their ride inventory for a long time. We floated around aimlessly, lapping up the last day of freedom before we returned back to normality, then went for some lunch before our journey back. Now, let me tell you about this lunch...

You know how I mentioned ordering the 'mother of all burgers' at Planet Hollywood? Well we went to the Earl Of Sandwich and here I ordered the 'mother of all sandwiches'. I still salivate thinking about it now. I can't event remember what was in it, salami, ham, blue cheese, tomato, bit of this and a bit of that, it was just so darn tasty! The stringy melted cheese, the succulent meats, the soft warm bread - oh god, someone make me another one of these sandwiches!

Yeah, the diet kind of went out of the window for this trip, but Joe and I vowed to be good as soon as we returned home. We've not been too naughty though. We've invested in a slow cooker, which by the way is excellent. How have I been cooking for this long without one?!

Back to Disney...

The journey back to Paris was horrendous. We made the error of leaving during rush hour and with £240 worth of Disney merchandise on our backs, we became a little stroppy. When we got to the RER we had to make our way to Paris Nord Station and even if the RER was written in English, I don't think it would have been any easier to understand. It honestly made me appreciate the London Underground.

But we made it back, I bought two caramel macaroons (salivating again) and we had an easy trip home watching Impractical Jokers on Joe's laptop.

Summary:
Two days is more than enough time in Disneyland Paris, don't buy steak from Planet Hollywood (I am now sceptical of their steaks globally) and I need more self control in Disney shops.

Thank you for reading.

Good night,
Mel x

11 ways to get more organised if you're a busy person.

Hi Everyone,

Sorry it's been a couple of weeks since my last post. I've been really busy trying to get my freelance work up and running properly. Exciting times! I really love designing and I've done quite a few freelance jobs in the past, but I've never really promoted myself because it's always just been more of a hobby. So now I've decided to try to push it a bit and who knows, I may get a bit of extra pocket money a month by doing something I love doing.

There's so much I want to do at the moment, I just don't know where to begin! I'm really enjoying blogging, freelance, exercising and now my job has got really busy as well. Alongside that, I have a busy social life, I am trying to cram in family visits and (of course) time to see the boyf. It's just hectic!

Attempting to find time to squeeze everything in is really difficult. So I've had to get more organised. Here's what I've been doing to keep myself on track. You may be able to pick up a few handy little tricks for keeping in-line outside and inside work.

1. Pocket diary.

I bought a cute little half-year pocket diary from Paperchase. They're great! Before I always bought an enormous one so that I could fit both work and home plans in. In the end I realised it's much easier to have a nifty little book you can carry around comfortably, rather than lugging a chunky A5 one with you.

2. Separate note books at work.
So here's a handy little tip I picked up from someone when I started my new job. I now have separate books laid out on my desk.

- Daily to-do list
I have one book which I write my daily to do lists in. On the right hand page I have a new page every day with the things I need to do that day. Then on the left hand page I use for scribbling down notes if I am on a phone call or I'm figuring out a sum.

- A meeting jotter.
I carry a separate 'smarter' looking jotter with me to meetings. It means I can flick back to a particular meeting when I need to and can clearly see any action points when I get back to my desk. It stops me from getting in a muddle and I can transfer any action points back to my to-do notepad afterwards.

- A 'how to' book.

I've basically created a handbook which includes instructions to do anything complicated or confusing or any important details to remember. I can then refer back to it if I need to remember anything and it's always being updated as I go along.

3. Keep
A friend of mine showed me a handy little app the other day called 'Keep'. It's a Google app and you can keep to do lists and set reminders. I also find it useful for taking notes on blog ideas or even shopping lists. I'd definitely recommend it.

4. Safety time.
I've started adding 'safety time' between any plans. For example, if I am going to the gym at 11am-midday and meeting a friend after for lunch, I will agree to meet them an hour after I'm done, so that if I get caught up, it doesn't matter. Then if I arrive early I can use that time to reply to emails, check-in with a relative on the phone or simply just chill with a coffee... we all need chill time.

5. Getting chores done before you sit down.
I've started getting all my chores done and getting straight into my pjs as soon as I get home after work. This way I don't procrastinate and go to bed too late and I can relax for the evening.

6. Two birds, one stone.
I try to forecast the week ahead where I can. It's always a good idea to connect plans. For example, if I need to go to the post office and am also meeting a friend, I will organise to meet them for lunch somewhere close to a post office. Simple, yet effective.

7. Tidy.
I tend to tidy as I go, rather than leaving rubbish jotted around the flat, or not filing the paperwork on my desk. I'm only going to have to spend time clearing it all up from a bigger mess at a later point. So I may as well just do it straight away. A tidy room/desk most definitely equals a tidy mind.

8. Calender reminders.

I always set a calendar reminder for anything important that needs doing. Even if you've written in your diary that you have a dentist appointment, it's always good to have another nudge from a reliable electronic device. 

9. Daily rituals/routine.

Every week is pretty different for me, but I try to have a routine where I can. I just find having a bit of a routine helps you to keep on track. I have a morning ritual which doesn't tend to change. I wake up, do my work out, wash, make my coffee, get dressed and then cycle to the station. If I didn't have this routine, I'm likely to get in a muddle and forget things and be like 'damn, I forgot to make my coffee' and spend the whole train journey wishing I had my flask. There's no need for that kind of upset in your life. 

10. Just get it done.

If it takes 5 minutes, don't delay, just do it. This is a tip a colleague once told me at my last job. There is no point making your to-do list extra lengthy if you can just quickly tick something off the list. I apply this to almost everything. If the washing-up is sat there from last nights dinner, rather than think 'ugh I need to do that' for the entire evening whilst I sit watching TV, I'd feel more relaxed if I just got it done and was able to chill without feeling like it's there tormenting me.

11. Big tedious jobs first.

Once you've got that short 5 minute job done and you get to that tedious list of 'omg, where do I begin', I always find it best to write everything down, look over it, decide what is more pressing and get the urgent jobs done first. Always go for the job which is bigger as when it's done you'll feel so much more relaxed and the rest of your list will feel like a breeze. 

Hopefully this is useful!

Thank you for reading.

Mel x