Finance
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9 Ways To Get FREE Books
New books are soooo expensive!!! But reading as a hobby doesn’t need to be expensive! Thanks to the good ole internet there are tonnes of ways to get free books nowadays (beyond your classic local library – although that is a FAB way!). Now I know what you’re thinking, “free is never really free” but I promise you it is possible to get books for free!! I’m a massive bookworm (I easily read over 100 books each year) but I would be bankrupt if I paid for every single book I read. I have personally used the majority of these suggestions and can testify to their legitimacy! So let’s get…
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13 Day USA Roadtrip – How Much I Spent!
Hello, ello, ello, long time no blog post!! But I’m back from my best summer yet working as a camp counsellor at a sleep away camp in the West Virginian mountains. I have soooo much to share about my experience at camp and of course the finances surrounding it but I thought I’d kick it all off with a spending roundup from the roadtrip I did with a few new friends once we left camp. We spent almost two weeks together travelling from West Virginia up the coast to NYC (where we met up with some fellow counsellors, one of whom was kind enough to host us) and then onwards…
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£5k Hustle Challenge – How I did it in 7 1/2 months!
I am currently on a gap year after graduating uni back in July 2022. My intentions for this year were to slow down a little bit, do some travelling and decide what my next move is going to be. I’d set aside a pot of money (£5k to be exact) to cover all costs associated with the year. But I soon found out I’m not the type of person who can just sit idly all day. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love a sofa day but I need to be doing something. Enter the £5k hustle challenge! Disclaimer – This post contains some affiliate/referral links which means that I…
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Gap Year Budget Update – 8 Months In
8 months done and dusted!!! That means I graduated 9 months ago 🤯 Wtf!!! I still frequently refer to myself as a student because I just haven’t got over it yet 😂 These past 8 months have been absolutely amazing and have really made me stop and think about the life I want to create going forward. I frequently change my mind on what I want to do next and I don’t think I’ll make a final decision until I absolutely have too. Anyway, enough of my indecision, the end of the month means only one thing around here… it’s time to break down last months spending 🥳 You may have noticed…
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I failed… My £5k Budget is Gone
After 200 days of full time travel, my £5k gap year budget is all gone! I have spent every single penny having an absolutely wonderful time. Ok, so technically I failed. When I initially set this budget I wanted to make it last the entire year, including all the costs associated with my summer job as a camp counsellor. But it soon became apparent that this just wasn’t going to happen. Transportation costs between destinations were way higher than I thought they would be. I actually ended up spending nearly double the amount I’d originally allocated to this cost. I also got carried away a couple of times (especially when…
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Long Haul Budget Flights – Are They Really Worth It?
A flight across the Atlantic is a little different than a quick two hour Ryanair one to Spain so the question is are long haul budget flights worth the savings? Or are you best sticking to the big, well known brands for this type of travel? Keep reading to hear all about my experience. During my time at uni, my go to procrastination site was Skyscanner and I would immediately look up flights to NYC. Dreaming of just packing a small bag and heading out there for a weekend – 16 hours of travel for two days makes sense right?? Anyway a few years back I remember always seeing a…
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Is Kindle Unlimited Worth the Money?
On the first day of 2023, I went onto Amazon to buy an ebook for my mum (she uses my kindle account) and it was £3.49 to buy or I could get it through kindle unlimited by paying 99p for a three month membership – absolute no brainer!! So although I’d already technically saved money and got the ebook at a bargain price, being the frugal person I am, I made the absolute most of having the membership these past three months. Plus it’s really helped get me out of a reading slump I was in towards the end of 2022! Disclaimer – This post contains some affiliate links meaning…
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March Budget Update – £5k Gap Year
Already a quarter of the way through 2023 😱 Where is the time going? Absolutely insane!! But the end of another month means only one thing in the finance space – it’s time to review and reflect on the month, so here is my March budget update 😄 March has been a kinda chilled one for me, well compared to my previous months that is 😂 My big 5 month trip came to an end and I started leg 3 of my gap year, which is only going to be 6 weeks. Mostly down to visa restrictions but also because the budget is starting to look a little tight! New here? Let…
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£5k Budget Update – February 2023
Halfway through my budget gap year and I still have some money left – woohooo!!! I’m taking that as a win 😂 February has been one hell of a good month! I got to see my parents for a weekend as the couple I was housesitting for welcomed me to have guests to stay, I ticked off two new countries, got another tattoo, saw SiX again, spent quality time with some friends and had a lot of time to read on various overnight journeys – which is always a win 🙌🏻 Mind blowing that I’m at the halfway point already and I still change my mind daily on what I want…
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30 Things I Want To Do Before I Turn 30
I have always had an idea of the crazy things I want to achieve in my lifetime, but I’d never “officially” written them down or committed to achieving them in anyway. So, after being inspired by Beth’s from @budgetjonesdiary 30 before 30 list, I finally sat down and compiled one of my own. For context – I turn 30 in just over 8 years (I’ll be 22 in June) so I’ve kinda gone wild with this list. I know the likeliness that I achieve all these things is low but it’s not impossible so I’m aiming high! In no particular order (simply how they came to mind) here are the…