Friday 24 August 2012

Happy Birthday Beans

Time to celebrate Beans,

My bestie Bean has just turned 21 so big Happy Birthdays to her! Birthdays can get so expensive when your at University especially when most students will turn the big 21 in their 3rd year. But you can still but great thought into pressies without putting in all that cash you can't afford!

Here are my Top 5 tips for doing a presents on a budget!

1. You don't plan to fail, you fail to plan
Organisation people! You may have got this your ear from your parents or teachers and never really paid attention, but despite how much us students endorse the fact that anything done last minute normally goes... alright but realistically if we want to budget properly then we really need to plan. Depressing as it sounds I already have a list of what every friend and family member is getting for christmas, have a draw with everything I've already brought (or plan to re-gift) and I am eyeing up christmas cards to start writing early! You must set a present budget, write it down on a big peice of paper so you dont over-spend!! Then divide up your budget between your friends (at xmas) - some people prefer to write out ideas and vague costs first. I write down exepcted price because then you stop your self from thinking about that really expensive broccoli steamer for your mum and you think at a more attainable level.
Don't forget parties as well! Half the reason we spend so much at christmas and birthdays is all the food and drink and partying. Plan that into your budget too, and make it a challening budget. Then you will really think about what your spending

2. The incredible Bulk
Bulk buying is a fab way to keep costs down for birthdays, and it doesnt have to be unpersonal. Places like The Card Factory often sell cards at 10 for £1, you have to search for the decent ones but they are great as a back up card when your being forgetful. If you like to buy choccys and thing for people then perhaps of instead buy a carton of roses or quality street for people, just get some polythene bags and some ribbon and make little gift bags. You can perosnalise the tag and it will mkae it look like you'vve put way more effort it!

3. From the heart
Homemade presents always go down a treat. And well in the knowledge that this friend isnt reading this i can divulge what im making for her birthday!!! Shes really into the vintage scene, so i popped to my local habadashery at brought a square of floral material. using a cookie cutter i drew out as many shapes of hearts i could fit on (do this on the non-patterned side, in a light colour!). Then cut all your hearts out (really you only need 2 cut outs - but you may aswell bulk make so you have more when xmas comes around). Place your hearts together, pattern side out and stitch them together round the outside leaving a 3cm gap. Grab an old pillow and rip a hole in the top, and put some that pillow stuffing into the heart. You can then pop some drips of oil in if you like, or just stich the heart up as perfect little decoration. I'll pop up a little demo online later, as i can't sew for shit it will prove that anyone can do this!!

4. Get Baked
No, no students. Im not suggesting anything herbal!!! But baking make great little prezzies, do a few cupcakes with peresonaliesd icing and maybe some little earrings and you have a fabuilous prezzie. I love decorating so for xmas i'm making a hamper of all the things she loves in cookie form, im even making a cookie cigarette packet!!

5. Early bird get the worm, and the cheapest one too
I have begged you students a few time before to start doing this!! Summer sales, and even the xmas ones too!! Stock up on xmas pressies, not only arre the little bits of jewellery or clothing great last minute pressies for any forgeten gifts. but you can pick up loads of novelty items ike marmite mugs or book wines really cheap in these sales in places like BHS or Debenhams! Take advantage, dont say, o well im going to lose it, keep a safe place to hide everything and it wont go missing!

Happy birthday Beans
Love to you all
Hannah

P.S Dont forget to follow!

xxxx






Thursday 16 August 2012

Get fit for not even a fiver!!

Hey Healthy Beans!

Apologies for such a late bog, i did write this on monday but i didn't press the publish button!!! silly me!
I have mentioned before I am on diet as all these pesky beans are great because they are low in fat!! But you can't just diet to lose weight you gotta get exercising too!

Here are my 5 top tips for losing pounds without losing the pennies

1. Coach potato to athletic sensations
Watching the Olympics, thinking you could do tat, of course you can!!! Well no probably not. But you may get inspired to take up one of the sport you see on the telly! But some of these sport can get pricey. The average price of a judo class is £6 a session. Do really learn a sport and to get fit you should be exercising 3 times a week so thee classes could cost you £18 a week or £78 a month! But there are tonnes of sports you can do for free and I've found one where your not even on your own! C25K, you may have heard of it. An NHS course run by Cool Running is a plan to get you from running for 1 minute to 30! I'm on week 3 at the moment in which you run 1 and a half minutes the rest then 3 minutes then rest and repeat. You need to be committed and it will work mum can now run for 20 minutes!

 Here is a link
http://www.nhs.uk/LiveWell/c25k/Pages/couch-to-5k.aspx

2. Guna ride my bike until i get old
Want to save money on fuel and exercise, get cycling! I've nicked my mums bike and ave just been doing lots of different local routes working up my miles. Try and time your self and measure the route - i put it into Google and use an album tat i can know the exact timing of to cycle too. Eventually your stamina will improve and you'll be able to do longer and longer distances

3. Beans beans the musical fruit
Ever seen all that fancy gym equipment and wondered how expensive is it. Free, AND IN YOUR CUPBOARD! To get rid of your bingo wings, while your watching the telly pick up a tin of beans and use these as weights! Yours stairs are fantastic as steps, i pop my laptop onto about the fifth step and get stepping for a good 30 minutes. Have a mosey on youtube and you'll find free tutorials on so many fitness routines from cardio to yoga. Not costing you any pennies

4. And that little piggy went wiiiiii all the way home
If whats putting you of exercise is leaving the house don't panic, tonnes of people would be frightened. So look whats in your house. My parent brought the wii fit 2 years ago and its nearly gone unused. So get on it make a profile and have a gone. Dont have one? Then pop to the charity shop and i guarantee they will have an exercise DVD or two to pick from. Cheap as chips - well cheap as potato wedges done in fry-light!

5. There is no better price than free
Gyms and slimming clubs are always looking to get new members so have a spy about and find out what deals they have. I have some fab news, Kinetic Gyms are offering a free 5day pass. Even if you jut pop for a swim or to a zumba that's still £5 saved! If you really are set on joining a gym the have look at local university's, most take members of the public but can be half the price of some chain gyms!

Remember your 5 top tips a day!!!

Love Hannah

Dont forget to follow
xxx









Monday 6 August 2012

Time to set Sale

Hey Beans,

Everyone has a favorite season. My dad like Autumn;  my brother and me go back to uni. My mum likes winter; her birthday and Christmas all in one month . My brother likes spring; lots of Easter egg to nibble on! And i love summer. For one beautiful reason. I cant stand the heat, i never get a tan and my body has never been bikini ready but theres one summer event I've never missed.... the sales

Of course not me attempting to make you jealous at all i thought I'd show you my beautiful purchase from this weekend

Now Beans don't panic I've not gone crazy and spent all of my magic beans on some frivolous selfish purchase! These shoes are not only a symbol of absolute beauty they're a symbol of my hard work and savings!! Thats what this blog is all about. Making your money go that little bit further so you can have these little luxury splurges.

My top 5 tips for Summer Sales

1. Be in the know
I'm not talking just a ... oh monsoon sale is July. Beans we need specifics!!! Having worked in retail for 4 years im normally chatty anyway but even if you are a bit of a grumpy gills get talking to the ladies behind the tills!! Sales assistant will deny it most of the time but as we head into June most will know when the sales are going to be in on in their store. Another little tip, if you know a sale is coming up in the next week try and pop in to the store for a browse; cause little hints can tip of what items will be going down. Some stores just move departments others mark all the items with a coloured dot or a number (which normally correlates to percentage off the item). Most stores go into sale mid week to- so try to pop in for some late night shopping. Near me Basingstoke is fab for evening shopping! It always less crowded, no queues for the fitting rooms, and you can get in before the weekend traffic nab up all the bargains

2. Early bird catches the worm but slow and steady will win the race
Patience is a virtue, yes i have now taken to reciting Chinese proverbs but it can be true in the mind field that is the summer sale! Stores aren't stupid. They aren't holding sales out the kindness of their heart they're doing it cause they're trying to get rid of old stock and make a little bit of a profit! So most sales start of at 30% then creep up and up until you can sometimes get 70% off. Yes some of that stuff can be a load of old rubbish even your crazy aunty Meryl wouldn't wear but sometimes you can find little jewels! One of the best for these amazing knock-downs is Claire accessories. What I've found with Claire is that because their target market is pre-teens and Justin Beiber addicts some of their more grown-up items get shoved into sale. It might take a little bit of searching but yesterday i brought 5 sales items for 5 GBP!  Bargain! So not only did i get a little bit of jewellery for myself i also got a few jokey presents for xmas!

3.Budget!
Blah, blah, blah.. boring budgets. I know, but its so important. Sometimes we can see how much money we would have saved and not thought 'can i actually afford this?' Just because there's 50% off of a pair of Louis Vitton still means they're at least 150 GPB and i don't know any student who can afford that. Perhaps instead pop inb some key description words of the shoes you like into maybe new look or topshop website (like platform, court, nude, black, studded) an see what they have that similar, this may mean you have to wait a little bit longer but the cash is well saved. What the point of having beautiful shoes if you have nowhere to wear them?

4. Wana be frugal... turn to Google!
As a completely addicted on-line shopper will tell you there are bargains to be had, but despite millennium claims that eventually we would never leave our house and out entire lives would be delivered to our doors we are still venturing out into stores. Before you go out though pop onto ASOS, BooHoo or maybe Simply Be. These on-line retailers don't have stores so don't have to pay for renting the space or the extra staff. This way clothes prices can be kept down and your the one who gets the saving. I always have a little scourer before i go out to make sure i don't miss out on a good deal

5. Buyer's remorse
The panic buy. I'm certain we are all guilty. My most fatal was a black and pink rag like skirt I brought in hast in boxing day sale of 2007 in M&S. Apart from in that fitting room (where it was the only thing that fitted) it never got worn again. You really have to watch this, so many stores don't do returns on sale items. You can most likely get store credit. But if you've brought a questionable dress and decide that you need to actually perhaps pay some bills with that money store credit ain't guna get you far.

MY MAGIC BEAN FOR THE DAY
Most basics like jeans and plain tops never go on sale cause they sell all year. So sign up for GAP VIP emails and you get invited to 30% off events throughout the year. They also let you know when the sale is coming up and they're sale you can get some real bargains!!

Happy Shopping
Much love
Mummy Bean 
xxx




Thursday 2 August 2012

A little bit of T.L.C

Good evening Beans.
Been having a massive tidy up today but now my room is spotless i treated myself to a little TLC. Some off us girls will head to a spa or salon but I did it the budget bean way!! I told you a few weeks ago about my youtube tutorials i watch. Well Ive gone from novice nail design to a pro and i thought i'd do you a little tutorial. This was a new one that i'd never practiced before so don't judge to hard! But here is how to get V.I.P Nails ...

1. Here's what you need...


2. Give your hands a good scrub!! I use Soap & Glory...


2. Choose and paint a base coat...


3.Apply some scotch tape creating an upside down v shape


4. Paint a second coat in a different. I went for a black against my bold pink!!!!


5. Top it off with a clear coat and a spritz of hairspray to make it dry a little faster


And there you have it! A cheap way to get fabulous nails that everyone will notice!!!
.
Enjoy your beans
Hannah
xxxxx