Anxiety United and My Personal Goals for 2015!

I would like to start off by wishing you all a happy new year! I hope you had a great night and didn't spend new years day being sick multiple times like i did!

The Velvet Shoes (and random rambles).

Hey, hey everyone. So this is me coming back from my mini-hiatus cause I've handed in two of my assignments, finally! And as a reward to myself I went on a small but stupendous shopping spree and bought these wondrous velvetty shoes which are seriously my new favourite addition to my wardrobe.

Yummy Garlic Chicken: A Perfect Meal For Students.

All of us students at one point or another struggle with eating something that is A) Nutritions, B) Not too heavy on the stomach, C) Quick to make and D) Cheap! Here's a crunchy little recipe that'll solve all these problems in 25 minutes!

My University Room Tour.

Hey people, today I’m giving you a little tour of my room at university. I told myself that I was going to do one when it was all completed and ready, but I then realised that I don’t think it will EVER be completed because I’m not rich, sadly. But here we go anyway, with my semi-completed room!

Get Offers At The Body Shop Using Vouchercloud.

Today I'm making a post about the amazing App and Website Vouchercloud. If you haven't heard already... Vouchercloud is a great way to help you save some money in shops like The Body Shop and Debenhams.

I discovered this website firstly through the App Store and used it all the time for offers in places like The Body Shop. As an avid shopper at The Body Shop, this app basically saved my bank account because I could finally get discounts. Sometimes I can get 40% off of all items (including sale items) which makes for a huge saving.

Another thing to mention is that the app has some cool settings- you can let it find your location and look for offers near you. This is useful when you live at uni. one month and home the next.

You can also visit the website and get offers and print them off, or type in online codes. Its just a great way of making savings on little things, and it really makes a difference to my bank balance! 

What are your favourite money saving tips?

Tips for finding good student accommodation.

Every year most students move into student accommodation so that they can live and study at university. However, it can be a task finding the correct place for you to live and its tricky finding something that ticks all the boxes. As a student in my second year of studying, I thought I would share with you some tips that I wish I knew when I was moving into student accommodation.

TAKE PHOTOS. This is so important, especially if your landlord has a habit of blaming you for damages that were already there. When you move in to your new accommodation, be sure to take some photos of damages, marks or stains that were already there. This way your landlord cannot accuse you of doing the damages. 

LOCATION. Be realistic when it comes to location. It could be a lovely place for you to live, but it might be too far away from your place of study. Will you really want to incur yourself extra travel costs and time? Will this be worth it? 

HEAT. I made the mistake of not checking for double glazing in my first rented accommodation. It may not seem like it, but this can make a huge difference to bills and your welfare. Its not nice to be cold, so make sure you consider double glazed housing before signing anything! 

PRICE VS. QUALITY. Keep in mind the phrase "you get what you pay for", and make sure you actually do! Landlords may have a habit of trying to rip off students because they're younger and they think that they can get away with it. Do some research about the price vs. the quality of the accommodation in your area and make sure you're getting value for money! 

TAKE YOUR TIME. There tends to be a rumor that goes around every year that all the houses get taken up early. This is not true! Take the time to look around for properties, chances are the longer you wait the cheaper the property will be! 

REVIEWS. Once you find a property you like, search the landlord and look at reviews online. Do they try and rip you off? Do they try and blame you for everything? Make sure you know what you've got yourself in for if you do end up signing for the property. 

OPEN MIND. Finally, student life isn't exactly luxurious. You should be willing to make compromises with what you can afford, so enter the world of property searching with an open mind!

 

My Top 5 Most Useful Items As A Student.

Now that university is out for the summer (for me anyway), I have decided to share with you some of the items that I find most useful as a student. I'm in my second year of uni. and I have successfully discovered how useful these items can be!

1. DRAWER DIVIDERS. These are so useful for those who have so much stuff to organise, which I imagine includes you if you're reading this. I use these dividers for both makeup organisation and clothes organisation. If you're moving accommodation each year, these may be specifically useful because you never know how much storage you're going to get and you might have to compromise!

2. INTERNET BANKING APP. This may not be considered an "item" but is useful nonetheless just because it makes banking so easy. If you're like me and like to constantly keep on top of your spending, then its something you can quickly use to make sure everything is going OK. 

3. PORTABLE PRODUCT HOLDER. My product holder is quite a new addition to my list of useful items, but it makes such a difference and really helps to tidy my stuff in the bathroom. I keep stuff like E45, BioOil, and shampoo in there and its so easy to move from my room into the bathroom if necessary!

4. WATER BOTTLE. With uni. being hot and stuffy at times, its important to keep yourself hydrated so that you can concentrate properly and keep yourself healthy. A water bottle is an essential for me, whether its one you buy new or one you reuse, they're always handy.

5. ELECTRIC BLANKET. This is useful for the winter, especially since its basically always cold in Newcastle. Student housing doesn't always have the best insulation either, and for that reason it helps to keep you nice and toasty in bed. It may also help with the bills as the heating may not need to be turned on!