Halving Your Costs As A University Student

How on earth in the day and age do you halve your costs as a university student ,it is possible to halve your costs as a student however in particular by the second year.The first year I feel as a student is hard for all from the poor parents ( me and my husband ) to my son who is the pasta eating champion of England.The costs for the first year are pretty much absorbed by the grant you get for accommodation and livings cots , halls are horrendously expensive but you do get your breakfast and evening meal in term time.However at the weekend you do have to cater for yourself , I still haven't recovered from the pit of hell that was the fridge in the shared kitchen in his halls of residence how o none got ill I never know !

We have taken a hit finically as parents but that is what you do right in order to give them a leg up in this world as without trying to sound middle-aged things are not as easy as they used to be.

1.Getting a job while studying at university really does help your costs if you can manage it with your studies , in getting a job not only does it help your time management skills it also looks good on your CV.

2 Check what funding you’re entitled to beyond your living Grant again from a disabled grant to help if you do t get on with your parents.

3.Have a no spend day each week where literally you don’t spend , meal planning helps with this so you’re not tempted to splash the cash on impulse buys.

4.Literally know your discounts the Nus Extra ( 3 years is the best value ) and your parents will literally love you more if you produce this vardvwhen eating out and who know they might give you the money they saved!

5. Get a student rail card 

6. Join the YHA association get money off stays and other discounts like money off a rail card .

7. Shop in the evening fir the yellow sticker items .

Getting Help In The Garden

We really have enjoyed our garden this year and the weather has been glorious for ever and ever and I do wish it would rain a little ( well actually a lot ) preferably at night time ,then that would be a real winner.There are still a few jobs we would like to do in our garden and though Mr T is more than capable of doing a lot of these jobs ,that he and I have planned and because he has a recent diagnosis of Diabetes he can get a little tired at times. ( His diabetes was diagnosed in May and even though it is under control he is hovering between type 1 and type 2 ) .Mr T does like to be different in all manner of way s and we compromise on many things in the house and in the garden.Compromise is part and parcel of achieving what you both want and it is important when you are both going to be enjoying the garden space.

The garden really has been a labour of love for Mr T and various rockeries have sprung up here and there as they are easy maintenance , we have made full use of a weed suppressant in the garden .We have covered this with pea shingle as this is a cheap product and looking out for bargain is speciality of mine.I am more of an artistic director when it comes to the garden though I am by no means Chelsea Flower show standard.

Back to those planned jobs and as mentioned even though Mr T is more than capable, he is wanting to take it easy at times though you wouldn't think it the way he is cycling like a demon on his bike ( he now has a choice of bike a e bike or his normal mountain bike). And in taking it easy he would be more than happy to hand over some of the planned jobs over to someone one else. This is where a service like MyBuilder could come in where you can choose a gardener to helper you out on what ever jobs you have planned for in and around the garden.You can choose a gardener that is in your area and you can see the review from other people which will help you make your decision and you invite them to give you a quote.It is always best to get at least three quotes then go for the one that you feel will deliver what you want best.

So we are excited for the ever evolving garden and I hope to grow some vegetables next year in some form or another though not courgettes or aubergine s I am not a fan of those despite people making courgette spaghetti and every other vegetable in sight into spaghetti . We have grown vegetables in the past and we are quite successful and we enjoyed doing so there is something really satisfying about growing your own crops.

This is a collaboration post.

Recovery From A Breakdown

I’m 4 years into a recovery from a breakdown and I’m doing ok , I’m a survivor! You might think that I should be more than a survivor that maybe I should be recovered completely .I think everyone deals with mental health in their own way and I am one that deals with that.

Time is very much the healer and 4 years on through the passage of life I’ve been hit with anxiety but I’m getting through it.Having good support around you is key I think either through friends / family or through your doctor ( it is a postcode lottery it shouldn’t be but it is ) 

Finding something you enjoy does helps you and I very much enjoy my photography and travel .I get twitchy feet if I stand still to long as I need to be capturing the moment.And though I have been off work since March I am planning to go back it is only dinner time with kids as a midday supervisor  and it isn't really a just only to have any job is a good thing.I still really miss my time as a teaching assistant but as a level1 I had to make way for restructuring and budgeting such is life.

I do have have an autism assessment in September and I am sure this will help me further either way , I do think I am autistic some where along the spectrum but I do not see it as a hinderance in either telling you or finding out.We are in a more open society nowadays and I am one of the lost generation in terms of diagnosis.

DO I feel I will be treated differently if I am autistic no I don't well leave I wouldn't expect to be treated as such.

It is hard enough to write this as it is there for all to see and absorb but in being open I do hope in doing this it will help people to go for that autism diagnosis if they wish , to go and get that help with anxiety and depression.

DO remember you are never alone reach out talk and keep talking ...

You Need To Visit Calke Abbey

The collections are ordinary you might think but it is collections through the centuries and it’s so joyful in the “ House that time forgot “

A National Trust membership will soon pay for itself and it’s especially good value for families.We literally live down the road from

Calke Abbey and we are always visiting it’s our go to place for a walk , mooch and relax.

But however many times you go to a property there is always something new to see or focus on.I think Calke Abbey is such a place and it is worth a visit ( there’s a few stairs there ) You can not help but be captivated with the lost beauty of Calke.

Collecting everyone loves collecting we start collecting at a very early age and we never really stop.Be transformed back to your childhood when you see the collection of curios which include an ocean of shells.

I’m in love with all the shells and I could simply spend all day looking at them and I think also of who collected them.

And as Calke Abbey is the unstately home then I feel totally at home as I’m not near by any stretch of the imagination.

Charity Shop Little Finds

Being yourself is the best way to be it really is and not be told what to do and when to do it.We of course all love a bit of structure in our lives but I also love just being spontaneous.Apprently I’m now the village cricket group and the total number of supporters is one which is me.

Every anxious to get a peace of the action I get pleasantly distracted by my surroundings and I’m not in the slightest complaining about it.

And the countryside is always a welcome intrusion into our busy lives and we should embrace it more.

To quick are we to ignore the ordinary moments in our lives that are not so ordinary, actually they’re really special.And that snap moment in a charity shop when I knew I had to purchase a typewriter necklace was one of them.The typewriter necklace was a mere 95 p and it’s so sweet.

I think I’m a sort of reverse Bagpuss where objects just speak to me and need a home.I often wonder what life objects had before I happened upon this.Objects just simply aren’t objects there is a human story behind them all.

I love charity shops and I do rather have a knack of finding the sweetest of things that just need a home.What tips could I offer you to spot your own treasure through the obvious tat you see at charity shops.

1. It helps to watch the occasional antique program to get a rough idea of trends for example Toby jugs were once the bees knees are commanded a good price but now have fallen it value.

2.Small is not only beautiful but tactile to and will bring you joy , I’m hoping to find something that is small silver one day.

3.The odd and the obscure don’t necessarily walk on by it , I’ve found countless things you would ignore that have turned out to be modern art by a Spanish artist ( dead) Cesar Manrique.

4.Buy what could be up and coming from pottery to a very very strange art canvas print ( you might not love it but I assure you someone else will ) 

5.Check the bottom of  China you see in charity shops now I know what’s Hummel /Goebel

You’ll soon learn and in no time at all you’ll be picking up a bargain.

This figure was 99p

And I also picked up this bronze cat statue for £2.99 they retail at about £40

I also managed to pick up some Royal Crown Derby for about £4.99

6. I can not stress enough to pick up things that catch your eye like I did with this pottery vase.

7. What comes around again is vintage and is collectable like a bunch of old Sega games I found.