How to Treat Yourself on a Budget

This time of year is all about giving, but it can be tempting to gift yourself a few bits and pieces as well. When money is tight, this can be difficult so I thought I'd share a few tips I've picked up!

1. Think carefully about your purchases. Don't impulse buy. How much use will you get out of this item? For how long will it make you happy? For example, I recently bought some Doc Martens that I wear regularly and will last me a lifetime, however I did not buy another Christmas jumper this year as I already have one and you can only wear it for a short period each year.
2. Prioritise. If you want a couple of things, choose one to buy now and wait until next pay day for the other. Or just buy the one that you prefer and leave the other.
3. Wait for good discounts! My Doc Martens were 20% off at the time, and things regularly go in the sale. If it's not a necessary purchase it can wait until you get a better deal.
4. Ask for things you want for Christmas rather than just saying 'I don't mind what I get!'. That way, gifts for you are easier and you get things you want rather than just another bath set. (I'm not knocking a bath set, I love them. Just that if you want something ask for it!).
5. See if you can spread the cost. I don't personally do this, as I prefer to save but many of my friends use Klarna (not an ad, just an example) and things like that to make shopping easier.
6. Do your finances/budgeting properly so that if you buy something expensive you don't run out of money! I know this is boring but this is important. For tips on this you can read my blog post about it here.
7. Keep the receipt! If you feel guilty about buying something or change your mind, take it back.
8. Do some research. You may find this item cheaper elsewhere.

Budgeting Tips

As a student or anyone on a low wage job it can be difficult to afford such luxuries as rent and food, so it is important to budget your money effectively. It won't work unless you find a method that works for you, so I have included the pros and cons of each tip to make it easier for you to choose one. Let me know if you have any methods that work well for you!

Get a Budgeting Card (Such as a Monzo Card):

This is NOT an ad, I just love Monzo. It allows you to set budgets for each month including a total spend and categories such as groceries, meals out, utilities and shopping. I personally like it because I can transfer a small amount each week to stick to instead of having loads of money at the start of the month and none at the end. The only disadvantage to this method is that you have to pay to get over a certain amount of cash out each month, so if you like to use cash then this is not for you.

Use Cash:

Again this method is great for restricting your weekly spend, but it's is easy to lose cash, you end up with loose change and you can't shop online with it.

Make a Spreadsheet or Write Down Where you Spend Money:

This is good for showing you where your money goes, and therefore identifying where you need to cut down but not so much for restricting your outgoings in the first place. As you personally input the data, it can also be prone to mistakes.

Make a Savings Account:

This can be a good option if you have a student loan, so get most of your money in a lump sum. You can use your savings account to put aside the money you need for rent and bills etc, so you only spend what's left over after that. The problem with this is it may not help you put aside money for things like a food shop, which can vary in price.

Limit Food Shops:

This is more of a way to save money than budget it, but if you buy your food in one go and freeze what you don't need straight away then you won't be tempted to spend a little extra on snacks etc. that you don't need. Similarly, unsubscribe from email lists to avoid temptation, but do subscribe to student discount websites!

Use Prepaid Grocery Cards:

This can be especially good if your parents give you money for uni, as it removes the temptation to spend that money on other stuff.

Like I said, let me know if you have any other ways of budgeting, or saving, as I'm always looking to save money! I hope this post has been helpful to at least some of you.

The Hunt for the Perfect Bikini

This is a bit of a rambly post so if that's not something you enjoy I'll warn you in advance!

Every year I seem to need a new bikini. Either I have grown out of my old ones, or realised they gave me annoying tan lines, or just decided I don't like them anymore. This year was especially difficult as I had something specific in mind. I wanted a high waisted bikini, as I am self conscious about my belly recently and I wanted it to be under £20, and it couldn't be plain or boring. This was extremely difficult. It took me 3 months of scrolling through various websites (and trying millions on!) before I finally found the right one.

I looked in all of the places recommended to me, Primark, New Look, Misguided, Pretty Little Thing, Debenhams and many many more. I finally got this one on ASOS but I had been on the website a few times before with no success. Part of the problem was that I had restricted myself price wise, part of it was that sizes varied too much and part of it was simply that I was too fussy!

When I finally found the one I was so relieved, and I'm so pleased with it so I wanted to share it with you all for that reason really! All my lovely ladies out there (and occasionally men), just because one bikini makes you look awful doesn't mean that's how you are! It's just not the one for you, so don't give up.

The budget eyeshadow which actually works!

You may have recently read my review of the Too Faced Sweet Peach eyeshadow palette (available here if you want to check that out). I must say that since that post, Too Faced has made their products available on ASOS who offer free delivery over £20 and a 10% student discount so that makes it slightly more affordable. I said in that post that I struggle to find good eyeshadows for a low price, and my friend Lucy messaged me after to recommend a palette she uses that is available for only £12 from Boots. I decided to try it and I absolutely loved it so I thought I'd write about it on the blog and spread the word! As always, I must mention that this is not an ad, and I have not been paid in goods or services to write this post.

This palette is by a brand called Obsession Makeup London, and as well as this incredibly good value palette, they do a huge range of individual eyeshadow colours for £2 if you want to try them before you buy the whole palette. It comes in this pretty marbled packaging as well which I like. Lucy said she found it was a good dupe for the Urban Decay Heat palette, and I agree. This palette comes with 24 shades whereas the Urban Decay ones only have 12 which makes this even more brilliant. The top half is matte colours, and the bottom half is metallics in a range of pinks, purples, golds and nudes. I am planning on posting a makeup look using this palette on YouTube soon so stay posted!

The case has a huge mirror in, big enough to do your whole face of makeup in if you needed to which made me happy, and every single colour on this palette is something I would use. It is well pigmented, not quite as good as the more expensive urban decay and too faced palettes but considering the price difference this is completely acceptable. It also blends nicely which is good. I would definitely recommend this palette, especially if you need to watch how much you're spending. It is much better than the other dupes I have heard recommended to me (such as the Primary Amber palette which I found terribly chalky). It also lasts a really long time without the need for a setting spray! All in all a fantastic product.

I hope this post has been useful to some of you, and I have posted a close up view of the palette below so you can see the colour range better. Enjoy!