New Years Resolutions: Weight Loss on a Budget

Many people up and down the country and struggling into their second week of New Years Resolutions, wondering how they will make the next 50 weeks. The answer, shake it up a little. But stop. Before you go online and buy books, spiralizers, tablets and many other fad (and expensive) weight loss solutions, think - how can I do this on a budget?

To start with, fad diets are not the way to go. Personally I am very against them for a number of reasons. Not only are they aimed mainly at making money, they are not sustainable and, a lot of the time, they are NOT healthy. For me, if people want to lose weight, it should be in a way that is healthy (read slow and steady, not sudden weight loss) and shouldn't cost you the world. So, for those who are wanting to shed the pounds, without making their wallets lighter, read on!

1) Youtube is Your New Best Friend

Youtube is a wonderful place where I can spend many happy hours. Alas, it is not only cat videos that reside there (yes, really) I use it for maths help, comping inspiration (check out Superlucky Di) and fitness videos! Rather than spending money on fitness DVDs, simply go over to Youtube where you can find all sorts of different exercise videos! This means that if you are in the mood for yoga one day, boxfit the next and crazy dancing the day after, you have all the videos you need! This keeps your fitness more interesting and therefore you are more likely to stick at it! I love to type in 'learn the dance routine for,..' and then my favourite song that's currently stuck in my head (Sax by Fleur East at the moment)! That way you are learning a new dance routine (look out for me in the nightclubs of Glasgow!), having fun and keeping fit at the same time! What's not to like?

2) Bulk it up!

Vegetables are one of the cheapest and healthiest foods you can buy! As I previously mentioned in my baked bean recipes post, I like to bulk up my meals with vegetables. Rice can be bought reasonable cheap, but many people will be trying to cut down on the amount of carbs consumed so I create rice like texture from vegetables. A 'grate' way to do this is to cook slightly less rice and grate carrots or courgette in to bulk it up, or add some peas. This adds colour and flavour to the rice as well as making it less calorific.

Along the same lines, when making mince dishes like bolognese, try adding an extra tin of tomatoes and using oats to soak up that extra liquid, 1/2 a cup should do it but feel free to add more or less depending on what texture you like! This, along with plenty of veggies like carrots, mushrooms and peas will make your mince dishes stretch much further, allowing you to freeze extra portions for another day! Similarly, adding lentils to mince dishes gives it extra flavour without reducing the protein (note that oats have protein too). Both these additions have less fat and are cheaper than just the mince on its own, and bulking out with veggies is a great way to get your 5-a-day in!

3) Explore!

Walking beats the gym on so many levels - the fresh air, seeing new places, catching up with friends and IT'S FREE! Gym memberships can be expensive, especially if you end up not having the time or motivation for it later in the year! Why not try walking first to see if you can shed the weight without the gym membership? If you live in a city like me, there will be so many places you can go! Walking round museums, parks and old churches burns the same calories as if you were walking on a treadmill and the time will fly by so much faster as you will be interested in going to see things! It's a great thing to do with kids as it takes them away from the tablet or computer and can be very educational! If you live in the countryside, well all the better! Doing a quick google search can reveal loads of walks right on your doorstep that you maybe didn't even know about! Map my walk is a great free app that can show you routes other people take and you can log your own route! Call up a friend and see if they want to join you - away from the computer screens and constant wifi of coffee shops, you will be able to have a proper catch up without spending a penny (no temptations overpriced coffee and diet-ruining cake)! Even when its raining me and my friend donned the welly boots and got out there!

4) Soup-er Savings

A great warming lunch, especially over winter, is soup, with or without a good chunk of bread. It's very healthy and, if you use lentils and pulses to bulk it out a bit, it can be protein packed and therefore stop you snacking as much later in the day. Fresh soup can cost a couple of pounds in the shops but I managed to make 9 portions for just £2.57! I used a whole 1kg of carrots (45p), 2 Baking potatoes (25p), 500g red lentils (£1.10), and a bag of value mixed vegetables (77p) and some spices and seasoning to taste along with as much water as you like to make to your desired thickness. This worked out at just 29p per portion- cheaper even than the value canned soups and with much less salt! These other portions can then be frozen for soup any time! One way to make this even cheaper is to pick vegetables that are on the cheap because they are nearing their sell-by date or are going off in your fridge. Once its all cooked and blended together, no one will know! So go on, be adventurous and let me know any delicious budget friendly soup recipes you come up with!

Good luck with your new years resolutions - maybe this way you will be able to join me in my Money Saving New Years Resolution as well as getting healthier. Let me know how you get on by commenting below or tweeting me @LaurieBeat

Love and luck,
Laurie

New Years Resolution: Day to day Money Saving Tips

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

It's that time of the year again where people make unrealistic resolutions to go to the gym everyday, totally change their diets or drop everything and move to Barbados and open up a beach bar. Or something like that. So what about joining me in a more realistic resolution - to save a little bit of money each week and put it towards something special. I really wanted to go on a holiday this January, however my student budget couldn't stretch to accommodate it. I have tried to win a holiday (with no luck so far) but am determined that this time next year I will be able to make it to the sunshine. And so each week I am planning on saving some money and putting some away into a savings account so that this time next year I will be packing my sunhat and shorts ready for a bit of winter sun...

1) Take Note and Budget

For me, one of the easiest ways to manage your money is to know exactly how much you have. By purchasing a small diary or using an app on your phone (Free ones such as MoneyHub or Money Lover are good) are a really simple way to keep on top of your spending. Simply by knowing what's going in and out, you can live within your means far easier, and create a budget plan that works for you.

A neat way to keep motivated to sticking to your budget is to create a poster for your wall or fridge outlining what you want to save for and how much you need to save. Then you can split this into manageable chunks and tick them off as you go. I love things like this, as its a constant motivation and helps you see the bigger picture, rather than just getting down about the fact you can't buy ANOTHER little black dress from TopShop! By taking a picture of it and setting it as your phone wallpaper, you will have some motivation wherever you go! Here's mine for my Winter Sunshine Break:

This was great fun to make and would be a brill thing to do with kids to encourage them to think about money. I have drawn inspirations in the gaps to remind me good ways to save and left some blank so that I can add in any I find from other blogs I've read. Every time I add up my savings in my little money diary to be £25, I can tick it off. In fact, I got £40 over Christmas from family, so I will put £25 of that away in my savings account and can tick off one box already. That's a good start to the year! 

If you make one of these inspiration boards, tweet me a photo of it using @LaurieBeat and I will retweet my favourites! Your drawings can't be much worse than mine - is it clear I dropped art at school?

2) Every Last Drop

You know that way when its getting to the end of the tube of moisturizer and you feel like you are getting more air out than product? You've shaken, you've stirred, but you're not expecting any more to come out. Well, think again, there's almost always more.

To reveal all of that hidden product, simple snip off the top 1/4 of the tube, making sure to keep it aside for later. Inside this section alone you will find lots of cream. Scoop it out and put it in the remaining part of the tube, who's walls are normally thick with product. Then, squeeze the sides of the tube a little to use the top 1/4 of the tube as a makeshift lid. Sorted! Okay it might not look as good as before, or might not be as practical, but it can make your products last so much longer and, with the price of skincare products these days, that could be a big saving over the year!

This technique can then be applied to toothpaste, shampoo, facewashes...anything really! Go on, give it a shot. You may be surprised how much you normally throw away!!

3) Shop Around

Now, I have spoken before about brand loyalists in my other shopping blog post (click the link to have a quick read, it could save you loads on your weekly bill!), but I know that there are many folk who are loyal to a certain shop too - be it Asda, Tesco, Waitrose, Sainsbury's or just the local deli shop. However, there is a world of cheap food stores out there, and simply adding them into your weekly shop could save you loads of money.

Discount stores such as Home Bargains and B&M are a favourite of mine - not only do they sell lots of household objects, but also they have a great groceries section. For example, the Alta Rica Nescafe coffee that my dad seems to live off (around £4 in most big supermarkets) can regularly be found for a mere £2.79 in Home Bargains. Fruit and veg is a great one too, and I was over the moon to get 1.5kg of sweetclems for £1. A pound!!! During the winter, these are in season here and so taste amazing, and ward off any nasty colds that could be kicking about - saving you on expensive medicine in the long run! I think one of the most successful buys we get every week is the Cidal soap, which can be found in Boots as a 2-pack for £2. Not too bad, but Home Bargains are selling the individual bars for 19p. Yes, 19 pennies. Bargain indeed!

There is one issue with shopping in places like Home Bargains for your groceries, and that is the lack of consistency, We found an amazing Swiss dark chocolate made by Cailler for an incredible 49p for the 100g bar. By the time we had been home and polished the lot off, the shop had sold out and we have never seen it again. The same can be said for my favourite tea - Tetley Blend Of Both. One week we saw it for £1.49 (£1 cheaper than elsewhere) and stocked up, which was lucky as it is the only time I've ever seen it that cheap. So be warned, enjoy the savings, but you might never see the product again, so don't become too attached!

Poundland and Poundworld are other really great options, but don't fall into the trap of doing all your shopping there, as not everything is a bargain. These places make their money by offering big brands really cheap to attract you in, and then making bigger profit margins on the other things you buy while you are there. Keep in mind the prices of items in other shops - this is all about shopping around remember, not doing all your shopping in one place. Some really great bargains that can be found in the pound shops are the Jordans Frusilli Bars (£1.99 in most supermarkets, and a nightmare to find the exact flavour my mum likes) and Muller Light Chocolate Yogurts - A decadent treat at a fraction of the price (and calories). Working out at 25p a yogurt rather than 50p a yoghurt is quite a saving if you add it all up! Again, be aware of the fact that their product range will change frequently, so be snappy if there is something you know you like or use a lot of - especially non perishable items like toothpaste and soap.

Although to many people it can seem like a lot of effort to go to the different shops, it really is worth making the time! I tend to do a few smaller shops throughout the week - I pop into Iceland on the way home from uni, I grab a few items from Poundland when I'm in the town centre shopping and I swing by Lidl if I'm on that bus route. As long as you keep track of your spending, buying little and often at a variety of shops can really help you save big!

4) Beware the snack packs

It's the New Year and so hundreds of people up and down the country will be vowing to ditch the sweet treats in favour of healthy snacks. Shops so kindly sell 'snack packs' of things like carrot batons, chopped melon and apple slices. But beware the price tag. Those little 80g bags of apple slices in Asda work out at a staggering £6 per kilo. The fact that you can walk into the neighbouring aisle and pick up the same weight of apple for just £1.60 surely must set alarm bells ringing. For just a little extra effort, you can slice the apple at home and put it in a Tupperware, so it's just as handy for on the go. To stop them going brown, simply add some lemon juice to the apple slices and keep them in an air tight container. The saving is incredible, and the effort is totally worth it!


5) A night out to remember

As a student, nights out are a common part of my social life. However, once the drink is flowing, it's all too easy to spend far more than you originally intended (how much money must we spend in chip shops after a night out, when there is yummy toast at home?). Below are some simply tips to make nights out a more affordable affair:

a) Do a clothes swap! Have a night where you invite your friends round and get them all to bring a couple of items of clothing they don't want any more, or doesn't fit. Get in a bottle of wine, and have a great night in where everyone gets to swap an item of clothing and refresh their wardrobe a bit! We had such a fun night doing this, trying on each others clothes and showing off our new looks to each other. It was a great night, and far cheaper than most we go on, and we've saved money on the next night outs outfit! Double win!

b) On the same theme, switch up your nights out a bit. Rather than going to the pub for pre-drinks and then heading to a night club (therefore paying bar prices, and entry fee), try having your friends round to your flat! Or have pre-drinks at home, rather than at the pub. Just make sure to drink responsibly even though you're paying less! At uni, my group of friends decided to do a 'flat crawl' - a much cheaper alternative to the usual 'bar crawl'. We chose 4 peoples flats that were in walking distance of each other and all chipped in £10 for drink to last us the night. At each flat there was a designated drink (similar to a bar crawl) but the drink total was only £10 and no entry fee! It was such a laugh and was great to try something new on a night out!

c) Socialising doesn't have to be all parties though, partying isn't for everyone, but that doesn't mean that we just sit about the house every night! There are loads of free nights available, with a little bit of research. If you live near a university, have a look on their website to see if there are any talks going on.These can be so interesting, and you can meet some really cool like-minded people. As a little plus, there are often free drinks and nibbles afterwards! Similarly, there are often book talks from authors (check your local library), shop openings and markets. These can all make great nights out, without paying a penny! A really great book for ideas on this is 'How I Lived a Year on a Pound a Day' by Kath Kelly. I have written a review on this book that you can read here.


So there you go, these are my Day to Day Money Saving Tips that will hopefully set your New Year off to a great start! Set your sights on something you want to save for, and it can be possible with just a little bit of re-juggling and some smart thinking.

Do you have any money saving tips? If so comment below or tweet me at @LaurieBeat. Happy New Year - may it be filled with money saving magic!

Twitter Competitions Tips and Tricks from @LaurieBeat

The world of comping is far greater than I could have imagined when I first set out on my 'mission competition' journey. I began by simply entering instant win completions such as 'Spring to Win' on Dorset Cereals and 'Belvoir Bagatelle' on the Belvoir Fruit Farms website. Wins were few and far between so I knew I had to switch things up a bit. I then discovered Twitter as a comping base.

To say that I instantly started winning would be a lie, but now that I have ironed out the issues and gotten into a good routine, it really had opened up a whole new barrel of winning opportunities! Here I will reveal my tips and tricks and I welcome you to comment your own, as there is always more one can learn as a comper! 

1) Set up a new account

Everyone uses Twitter for different reasons, some to keep in contact with friends, some to stalk celebrities, some to comp and many all of the above. However, if you are not a comper, it can be very frustrating to see your newsfeed clogged up with retweet after retweet of competitions and giveaways. This could result in people unfollowing you or blocking your account. Therefore, I would recommend setting up a whole new account for comping so that you can retweet to your hearts desire! 

When setting up this account, be sure to set a picture and include a bio - you are very unlikely to win anything if you look like a fake account! Also, it's good to comment on other things in your life,  as again companies don't want to give prizes to people who only want to win! Be an interesting character and appreciative of the brands generosity for giving out prizes (but more on that later). 

2) Be Selective

I mean this in two ways. Firstly, only enter the comps that you actually want the prize. For example, what are you going to do with that Star Wars Single bed sheet when you hate Star Wars and have a double bed? Also, somewhere out there, there is a kid who adores Star Wars and would be over the moon if their mum or dad won a Star Wars bedsheet for their single bed. Do you want to take away that wee boys happiness? You'll enjoy winning so much more if you like the prize!

Secondly, be selective with your searches. Using hashtags in the search bar is a great way to find competitions to enter, but once you have exhausted #win #giveaway and #competition there are many others that may open you up to more obscure comps, and therefore may have less entrants! For example I like to use #win followed by the word UK or Glasgow (my hometown) so that only certain people are likely to enter, and if it is tickets, I'll actually be able to go if it's based in Glasgow! 

Along these same lines, many competitions that require just a little more effort will have less entrants and therefore more chance of winning, such as competitions that require a photo or a caption to a photo. To search for these I type in the generic hashtag such as #win followed by 'photo' or 'caption'. This should bring up more particular competitions ready for you to get your creative juices flowing for!

Another great hashtag to look out for is #WinitWednesday and also #FreebieFriday. These are competitions run on specific days - Wednesday and Friday funnily enough! On these days, there will be even more competitions available and these are easily found using the hashtags enough! It's like a weekly Mother's Day for compers!!

3) Be nice 

The companies who are running these giveaways want people who are likely to become new customers, and also people who are likely to encourage others to become new customers. Therefore, when retweeting to enter a comp, it's good to show your appreciate of the product or company in the comments below (and be sure to include any hashtags to make sure your comment is read). This also increases your chances of winning as some companies will choose from the comments section for a winner. Also, once to receive your prize, be sure to send a picture in to the company that provided it - I once won another tub of Peanut Hottie by showing the company how I had been inventive in using it! This will attract other customers so the brand are likely to retweet your thanks! 

However, there are other people on Twitter who I am very glad I was nice to! Many compers are lovely people (although some may unfollow you, as they see you as competition if you retweet their retweets) but on the whole I have had a really great experience with compers, and feel I have made some 'Twitter friends'. These fellow compers then tag me in certain competitions that require you to 'tag a friend' (search #win followed by tag) and twice I have won from either tagging a friend or them tagging me. This also means that, if you win a big hamper but don't want all the goodies, you can share the prizes with your new friends if you so wish! 

One of my new friends has her own blog, where she shows just how much you can win from Twitter comping! Check it out here:

https://unluckyhol.wordpress.com/

You can add these new comping friends to a list, which means you can see all the tweets that they have sent - another way to see competitions you might have missed! This feature can be found in the settings of your homepage. 

I've been using Twitter as a comping Hub for about 4 months now and it's fair to say the winnings are varied in frequency. Be prepared for weeks without anything and then winning two prizes in one day! Just keep going, when you're out and about just use the Twitter app to retweet a few tweets and keep your fingers crossed for a win! I've won some brilliant things, from cases of tea, tickets to shows and events and my favourite - a£200 voucher for an online clothes store which meant I could stock up on all my uni clothes before going back next semester! 

For more advice, feel free to follow me on Twitter at @LaurieBeat where I will be retweeting the best competitions and let me know if you're a fellow comper and we can help each other out and I can add you to my comping list! Good luck and see you on Twotter!

Luck and love, Laurie