Taking Time Out

You’ll have noticed that I’ve been very much absent online as of late, which was very much a result of a build-up of stress. Alongside my dissertation, I also has 2 pieces of coursework to prepare before the end of the month, and a 20 minute presentation to put together.  Although I was making good time and progress on them all, I felt an overwhelming sense of guilty and uneasiness every time I wasn’t doing coursework.  I was beyond excited that this meant that I didn’t have any exams to worry about after my dissertation, as you can imagine a further 5000 words due the week after the big hand in, and a presentation that made me feel physically ill every time I thought about it was a lot on my little plate all at one time.

As a result, I had to take a break from the blog, which although I really didn’t want to do, it did in the end help me in the sense that there wasn’t another thing on my plate that I had to be maintaining.  All of my coursework is done now, and I’m pleased to say that I’m officially done with uni, forever!  I’ve a few months to wait until I get my final grade, but seeing as I’m not overly fussed about the whole graduation ceremony itself, I’ve not decided it I’m going to bother going.  I didn’t really enjoy university as much as I had hoped I would, and so I’m not convinced that I want to spend all that money celebrating a time that I didn’t enjoy.  We will see though, I may change my mind!

For now I’m taking a little time out to relax, hang out and binge watch all of the programmes that I resisted whilst in the midst of all that coursework.  I’ve a bunch of different post ideas that I can’t wait to write up, and I’m looking forward to playing around with my pictures and seeing if I can up my game a bit! 

So that’s it, I just wanted to let you know that I’m not done with blogging, I just needed a little break whilst I finished up a very exhausting semester at uni! 

Good luck to those of you with exams this month!

Until the next one,

March Favourites

Another month, another favourites post!  My dissertation is well and truly underway now as planned, with less than a month to go until hand in day, yikes!  These are the things that have seen me through the busy month this time round – this month they are more activity based.  

Foam Rolling

If you follow me on Twitter, you’ve probably seen me complaining about my sore neck, sore back and sore shoulders a fair handful of times.  It was so bad that I was taking pain medication on a daily basis to get me through the day, which is not what you want to be doing, especially when they only worked for a few hours before the pain would become unbearable again.  Foam rolling has really helped me with the pain that I have been experiencing, and its really simple to do too.  You can pick up a really decent foam roller from Amazon for around £15, and then you’re good to go from the comfort of your own home.  The idea is that you just roll your sore muscles over the foam roller until they start to loosen up – it’s painful, yes, but so good!  For some reason my hamstrings were crazy tight, and that was with me doing stretches every single day to ease them off.  I spent the best part of a week using the foam roller to correct this, and today I no longer have that achy pain.  It’s so satisfying reaching those tricky achy spots on your back with the foam roller, and it gives you nearly instant pain relief if you do it properly – amazing!  I’d recommend watching some tutorials online to make sure that you’re doing it right before you start, but be sure to let me know how you get on!

The Chiropractor

Normally I wouldn’t splash out on expensive treatments for myself, but seeing as my neck, back and shoulder pain was so sever, I finally decided to take the plunge and get myself seen by the chiropractor.  Rather expensive, but worth every single penny… honestly!  During my first session I received an acupuncture treatment, which was absolutely amazing (the woman actually told me the knots in my shoulders were some of the most impressive she’d seen in a looong time, now that’s saying something!)  All of the tensions I felt were almost instantly lifted, and although I was pretty tender in the area for a few days afterwards, it was nothing compared to the pain I had been having before.  I’ve been in to see them three times now, and each time I’ve been sent home with new stretches to try out to maintain the treatments that they’ve carried out on me!  I’m still sore, some days a lot worse than others, but the improvement in the area that I’ve been experiencing the pain in is incredible – I’d highly recommend a trip to your local chiropractor for any aches and pains that you might be experiencing.

Yoga

Maintaining the theme of pain, aches and general discomfort, I’ve taken to yoga to stretch out my body and to have a little bit of me time at the end of the day.  I’ve been loving this one 15 minute session on YouTube called “Yoga for Sore Muscles” – it’s pretty easy on the exercise front, but every single time I’m finished the session I feel relaxed, calm and most importantly – stretched!  It feels so good on my achy body, and I can’t wait to try out loads of the other various sessions that are online so that I can incorporate yoga into my daily routine as exercise, and not just pain relief!  Let me know if there is a program or session you would recommend below!

So that’s everything, a bit of a different favourites post for me, but I thought it would be good to share round about now seeing as a lot of us student are probably slumped over our computer screens typing away at coursework and giving ourselves nasty aches without even realising it.

What have you been loving this month?

Until the next one,

Ways That I Save Money, Part 4

It must be something about the New Year that gets me acting crazy, but throughout the whole month of February, and most of March, I’ve been acting like one of those possessed people of extreme couponing.  I’m obsessed!  I’m signed up to websites, I get daily emails and I’ve even got apps on my phone now to help me keep up to date with offers.  I’m addicted, but hey, there’s worse things in life ain't there? 

Printable Coupons

I’ve been checking out Hollys Extreme Couponing site throughout the last couple of months to get the best coupons online, and in doing so I’ve managed to grab several freebies.  Between the fam, so far we have managed to pick up: 3 cartons of soup, 2 bottles of lemonade, 3 four packs of Yazoo, a carton of Optiwell yoghurt drink and 3 bottles of Upbeat protein shakes.  Some of the vouchers stated one free item, others had a specific money value – all of which worked out perfectly for some super freebies when items were on offer.  Sad I know, but I get such a thrill out of picking up bits that I know the family will use for free.  I’d definitely recommend checking out Holly’s site for some fab freebies!

Shopmium

My absolute obsession right now is getting cash back on the items that I pick up in the supermarket, especially as these apps tend to have offers on the items to make them completely free.  The two I use at the moment are Shopmium and Checkout Smart, which between the two of them the apps have given me pretty decent savings over the last two months.  Shopmium is great for offering free items throughout the month – so far I’ve picked up: a loaf of bread, 3 multipacks of Go Ahead breakfast bars, a bottle of Volvic water and a bar of Graham and Brown chocolate, all completely free!  They also offer savings on other great items too, such as 50% off, try for £1 deals and multi savings when you buy two or three of the same item.  Since mid-January I’ve had £15.73 paid back into my account, which is really good considering the majority of my claims have been on completely free items.   You can use my friend code AEYYCHMF to get involved in all of the money saving madness.  You’ll even get a free bar of Lindt chocolate as a welcome gift!

Checkout Smart

This app has brought me the most joy throughout the month, because they always update it with fab offers, on products that I either normally buy, or will buy it for the kids because I know they will like it!  Using this app I’ve picked up free bread, yoghurts, beverages and fruit and nut mixes.  Not only that, but I also got really good cash back deals on other items too: 6 1l bottle of Mountain Dew for £1.50, 5 500ml bottles of Vitamin Water for £1, and other drinks for just 25p!  It’s by far my favourite app right now, and I’ve not long cashed out on my rewards – a total of £27.50 at the end of last month, and I’ve already got another £9 pending as we speak, it’s so easy!  The deals change every other day, and there is always something to take advantage of.  Take a look and see if there is anything on there that you fancy, deals are often tailored to what you but after a couple of uses – making it personal to you and helps you save the most money!

What are your favourite tips for saving some cash when you’re shopping?

Until the next one,

Lush Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone, I hope you all had a lovely day with your loved ones and were spoilt rotten, I certain was!

I’ve been stocking up and loving the majority of the Lush Christmas range this year, having only a couple of bits that I missed out on.  This is what I’ve been loving over the wintery months…

Father Christmas Bath Bomb

This super sweet bath treat was exactly what I needed a few weeks back to soothe me the night before my seminar paper.  This shares a scent with the lovely Snow Fairy, which has the most gorgeous candyfloss sweetness to it.  Father Christmas smiles lovingly in the bath and releases a beautiful green centre which turns your tub into a sweet heaven.  I loved my Father Christmas bath and had hoped to pick some up in the Boxing Day sale, however I was too slow this year!  Here is hoping he returns next year.

Butter Bear

One of my favourite parts of Lush Christmas is the fact that they bring out the fabulous Butter Ball in bear format!  Butter Bear is packed with oodles of cocoa butter which not only smells delicious, but is amazing for dry and sore skin like mine.  Butter Bear smells of vanilla, but has the lovely hint of ylang ylang which makes that soak in the tub that little bit more relaxing.  Whilst he doesn’t put on much of a show, he does turn the water silky smooth – making him a favourite from the whole range.

Shoot for the Stars

I got this gorgeous bath bomb as part of a gift for my birthday, and it was absolutely mesmerising to watch is fizzle away in the water.  Shoot for the Stars unleashes a gorgeous shade of blue into the tub with sparkles and shimmers with oodles of glitter too.  My favourite part being the golden stars, these are cocoa butter pieces which leave the skin feeling well looked after.  It smells beautiful, and I’m so unset that I missed out on the chance to stock up on this too this year.  Again, I hope to see the return of this beauty next winter in store.

The Magic of Christmas

This is seriously got to be one of my all time favourite products from this years range, and to say that I’m devastated that I didn’t stock up before the sale doesn’t even cut it!  It’s the most beautiful bubble bar that I’ve ever seen in my life!  A golden star sat upon a cinnamon stick sealed with a ribbon and bell, The Magic of Christmas will unleash the most wonderful golden bubbles and shimmer into your bath water.  Simply hold under running water to unleash the magic, and not to mention the actual smell of Christmas too!

So there you have it, these are just a few of the items that I’ve picked up from this years range and I’ve loved!  I do still have a few items stashed away that I’ve yet to give a try, and I have a few others which I did manage to grab in the sale that I can’t wait to pick up either! 

Have you tried out any of the above items yet?  Did you manage to grab any favourites in their sale?

Until the next one, 

Hippy Paste, Earth Conscious

I first came across this brand way back at the beginning of summer, when one of the bloggers that I was following at the time posted a really positive review about these natural deodorants.  I was trying out the T’eo solid deodorant from Lush at the time, and kind of forgot about the brand for a while.  I’ve been using the Native Unearthed naturaldeodorant that I reviewed a few weeks back – and I’ve been loving it!  I have however been keen to find one that it easy to use on the go, as you tend to get a funny look when you’re standing in the toilets at uni and work applying a wet stick to your under arms!  This is where Hippy Paste comes in, or should I say Earth Conscious Natural Deodorant, as they have now reverted back to their original name.

This is unlike any other natural deodorant that I’ve used before – it’s a paste that you apply directly to your under arms with your fingers for a full days protection from bad odours – and it’s amazing!  The paste melts into the skin when you rub it in, there is no reason to wait for it to dry, and even better yet, it won’t leave any marks on your clothes either.  What I love the most about it is the smell – I opted for the Citrus deodorants because I love fruity smells.  It’s really a gorgeous lemon fragrance that reminds me an awful lot of the pink and white Mr Kipling cakes.  It smells so sweet and yummy, it’s the best smelling deodorant that I’ve used to date.  I also really love that I know it’s giving me full protection all day long.  Even when I can feel a little dampness under my arms – I know there is no smell and nothing to worry about.  It’s a really great feeling knowing that you’re not going to be a smelly mess by the end of the day.  The Earth Conscious Natural Deodorant also comes in a handy sized tin that is the perfect size for chucking in my handbag pouch.

Finally, the price is something that cannot be argued with – these fab little tins cost just £5 for around 3 months deodorant.  Bargain, right?  Much better than the £2 odd you’d be spending every other week on aerosol versions, and even better yet, there is less packaging to have to worry about disposing of in the long run too.  The tins are the perfect size for storing little bits and bobs from around the house in them too when it’s empty – so jump on that re-use bandwagon and get creative. 

The Earth Conscious deodorants will absolutely be a repurchased item, and I can’t wait to get my hands on their new mint fragranced one too!

Have you tried out any natural deodorants recently?

Until the next one,

Native Unearthed Deodorant

Probably my favourite item that I received in The Vegan Kind August box was definitely the natural deodorant from Native Unearthed.  I’ve always been sceptical of natural deodorants as I have an irrational fear of smelling bad.  I’m the kind of person that will put some on in the morning, then before I leave for work, then when I get to work, then on every break etc... So you get the picture.  I don’t want to stink.  I’ve tried going natural before using one from Lush, which unfortunately did not work in the slightest for me and left me feeling really self-conscious going about my day.  I stuck it out for about 2 weeks before packing it in, so although I was excited to find this in my box, I was also a little skeptical and rather uncertain about giving another one a try. 

The Native Unearthed stick deodorant needs to be wet before you apply it to your underarms.  There is no fragrance to this particular one, which worried me slightly as what if I do start to stink and there is no pretty smells to try and combat it?  Of course I was being ridiculous, but hey, that’s just me.  As you rub it on, a clear wet paste like solution glides over the skin – it’s hard to tell if you’re putting on too much or not enough.  I will admit that it does not give me the same clean feeling as using a spray on does when applied, however you can’t really compare a spray and solid.  I love that it doesn’t flake off as you move your arms, nor does it stain you clothing as your pulling it over your head, like most spay on deodorants do!  After applied, it’s a waiting game to see how it preforms…

I played it safe for the first few wears, applying it in the morning and only using it on days when I knew I wasn’t going to be getting up to much other than blogging and a dog walk.  When these days passed without any problems, I started applying it in the mornings before going to work – but would always use the spray on stuff when I was at work to keep me topped up.  However this last week or so, I’ve put it to the real test and have been only wearing this for all day, be it a lazy day at home, a trip to town for some shopping or an evening work out at the gym – and it’s been great!  Not once have I found myself feeling sweaty or uncomfortable as my day as gone on - nor have I began to develop a bad odour either – which of course is my main concern here!  Of course I do still sweat, however it doesn’t smell at all and it doesn’t leave me feeling damp or sticky either.  It really is a great product, and I’m so happy that I got this in with the August box.  Priced at just £6.49 RRP – it’s a total bargain or the quantity and quality of the goods, and I will definitely be repurchasing again when this one runs out.  I’ve been convinced that natural deodorants are the way forward for ethical reasons thanks to Native Unearthed, it’s by far the best natural deodorant that I’ve come across to date, and would highly recommend that you give it a try too!

What’s your favourite natural deodorant? 

Until the next one,

What I’ve Learnt Doing a Two + Two Course

Back in 2013 I started my studies as a media student at Aberdeen College.  I left school near the beginning of my 6^th year, and worked near enough full time until the following August when the new semester started.  Over the course of that year, I lost contact with a lot of people I spent a lot of time with at school.  So when I started college, it was pretty daunting to me to think that I was about to join a group of people I didn’t know and spend the next two years with them working towards a HND.  It was near enough a year gap that I had between leaving school and starting college, so I was just about getting used to doing my own thing when the term started.  Granted, college was probably two of the best years that I’ve ever had – and I met a lot of great people through my course, as well as learning loads to do with the industry.  When I started my course, I went in with an open mind in regards to what it was I wanted to do at the end of my studies.  Because the course covered so many different aspects of the industry, it really helped me to narrow down where I wanted to specialise.  

I don’t know why, but there seems to be a sort of stigma around the whole idea of going to college before university.  Almost as though you’re at college because you’re not clever enough for uni?  That’s the impression I got for the whole two years I was there anyway.  Which, I would like to point out now – is not the case AT ALL.  I don’t know how many times I’d bump into old friends and when they asked how uni was going, and I corrected them to college, they’d look at me as if to say “oh…right.”  I can tell you now that college was probably five times more stressful and hectic than uni this past year has been.  No exaggeration.  College was crazy busy.  And now, coming to the end of my first year of uni, I confirm that I have learned nothing new in regards to the industry, all of my knowledge that I have now came from my college course.

Having spent the last year at uni studying media at third year entry, I’ve learned a lot about myself and what it is that I now want to do.  I've also realised a few things about how uni and college work too...

Whether you are at college or university, you’re about to meet your friends for life.  You can’t possibly make your way through those three to four years of studying alone – so put on your friendly making face and pick ‘em good.  Those guys aint going nowhere without you *hi Kirsty*

If like me you picked the adjacent course to your pals from college and you’re going into your uni classes alone – it could be a long semester for you.  I’m not the most social person out there,  so I’m not great at mixing in with people when I know I’m one of the newbies – the outsider.  Uni cliques are strong I tell you. Thankfully, the PR and Media classes merged into one by semester two, so I wasn’t a total loner.  What I’m trying to say is, if you are or are capable of making yourself more social, do it at the beginning.

College was crazy busy, usually with all of the deadlines coming in at the same time.  There was weeks in the build up to the end of term when we would have a report, assessment, presentation and then part of our graded units to hand in too.  Madness I tell you.  Third year uni?  Piece of cake in comparison.  My third year studies have consisted of a total of four classes; one exam, two presentations, three individual reports, three group reports and a six week placement.  I don’t think I’ve ever had such a chill year of study in my whole life!  Granted the exam was daunting – but I did it *fist pump*

Uni is not for everyone, I’ve since come to realise.  So don’t feel pressured into spending the next four years of your life doing something that you’re not crazy about.  Get a job.  Volunteer.  Do something you enjoy! 

What are your plans for after uni?

Until the next one,

Books Abroad

-      Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been working with Books Abroad, a Charity in Rhynie whom send books across the world to disadvantaged countries.  My work with them has contributed to part of my studies, as I’m currently out of uni for a 6 week work placement.  Whilst here, I’ve been given the task of looking over their social media, as well as taking a look at their promotional materials and looking into ways to help them gain some sort of media coverage.  This is exactly the type of work that I want to be moving into when I finish my studies, and so I’m absolutely delighted that they have given me such an opportunity to give it a try.

The charity founded as LINK in 1982, and were initially based in a cupboard in the Brander Library in Huntly.  In 1991 they moved to their current offices in Rhynie and changed the name to Books Abroad.  Years later, they expanded into the adjacent warehouse units where they now stock their hundreds of books that are kindly donated by various schools, libraries, individuals and organisations. Currently, their output sits at 125,000 books per annum, which is a fantastic figure for a little charity from the North East of Scotland!  The majority of the work at Books Abroad is carried out by unpaid volunteers, who give up a couple of hours every Monday and Wednesday to help sort out the books and have them ready for shipments.

Since starting back in 1982, Books Abroad have assisted over 2,100 schools and other organisations world-wide with new requests for books arriving daily.  Recently, they have been working hard and sending large shipments of books in 20 foot containers to in-country partner organisations such as library services or local charities who distribute the books to their client schools on their behalf.  It can take months for shipments to be organised and ready to be sent off, and so it’s a great achievement to see these being packed off and sent away for all of the volunteers!

The majority of the funding that Books Abroad receives is provided by a variety of charitable trusts and foundations to whom they are extremely grateful.  The remainder comes from membership fees, donations, and fundraising events.  Without the funds, Books Abroad would not be able to carry out the fantastic work that it does on a daily basis.  They currently only have one part time member of paid staff, who works on being the person of contact by taking calls, replying to emails and ensuring that shipments are being received by the people to whom they are sent off to.  The rest of the work is completed completely free of charge by the volunteers.

Books Abroad are always looking for volunteers to help out in the warehouse.  It’s an extremely rewarding project to be a part of, and when the charity have the opportunity to help others across the world, whom may not have the reading materials that they have today had it not been for them, is something that I think should be recognised by everyone far and near.  They are always on the lookout for book donations too, as they receive new requests every day for books to be sent across the globe.

If you would be interested in joining the dedicated volunteers at Books Abroad, or you would simply like to help out by dropping off some books, you can send an email to info@booksabroad.org.uk

You can also make a cash donation to the charity via Vodafone Text Giving by sending a text to 70070, quoting " Book43 " followed by the amount you would like to donate e.g. £1, £3, £5etc.  Text donations are free to Vodafone customers, whilst other networks may charge you for your text.  All proceeds go directly to Books Abroad, making it a great and worthwhile tool for the charity to take advantage of.

If you would like to know more about what it is that the charity does, or have any queries at all, please feel free to leave a comment below.  I’m here with the charity until the middle of March, and so I am more than willing to help them spread the word in any way, shape or form.

You can also check out their Facebook and Twitter pages (I've been helping to run them recently, so you should definitely give them a like/follow) by searching for @booksabroad

Until the next one,

Lauren x