Up until very recently, I have been terrible at budgeting. Online shopping was my biggest let down as it felt like I wasn't actually spending money - just click a button and it's mine! That is, until I'd check my bank balance...

So anyway, I've started to realise that I'm going to have to stand on my own two feet very shortly once I finish Uni, so really I should stop trying to maintain a lifestyle that I can't actually afford and try to save those pennies!

Here's a few tips and tricks I've found helpful:

For your train journeys:

Invest in a 16-25 railcard: I cannot recommend these enough! They cost £30 for the year and save you 1/3 on rail fares. My card bought itself in its first use and with being at Uni, I spend a lot of time on trains when visiting home. Here is the link!

Split your tickets: Tickety Split is a great app that searches whether or not your train journey would be cheaper if you divided it into multiple tickets. It's not always a major saving but always worth checking! I saved nearly £5 with my last use - every little helps! Here is the link!

For your food shop:

Aldi and Lidl are the way forward: Honestly, you save soooo much money shopping at places like these. My weekly shop here comes to around £15, whereas in Tesco/Asda, it can easily come up to well over £25! I do my main shop at Aldi and then buy anything extra from the bigger supermarkets if they're not available.

Go down a brand level: If you're usually a Tesco's finest fan, try going down to the brand level below. You'll be surprised how actually they're just as nice as the finest. The basics ranges are hit and miss but it's worth trying as some are actually pretty similar to the so called 'better ranges'.

Write a shopping list: and stick to it!!!! It's so easy to be tempted and make impulsive buys but having a list will help you stay on track.

Scout out your local market: The fruit and veg are a lot cheaper and often nicer than those in the supermarket - plus they're so  much cuter to look around!

Do you need it?: I still pick things up impulsively but I do always ask myself this question and have been a lot better at putting things back!!

Buying Gifts:

Be prepared: My mum has always told me that if I see something nice in the sales, then buy it there and then, even if you friend's birthday is months away! Your friend gets something they like that's worth more and you stick to your budget - it's a win win situation. I've already started stocking up on Christmas presents!

Make your own!!: I wrote a post about putting together your own little gift box - have a read here!

Budgeting:

Be realistic: If you know that you always buy that magazine you love then that's fine, just factor it in. If you can't survive on a £15/week food shop then make sure you budget what you're more likely to spend.

Leave a little for the unexpected: Every month there's always an extra expense that crops us, so try and have some money aside for these things :)

Make note of the regular out payments: Your phone contract, energy bills...all the boring stuff - just whack them straight off your monthly budget..it's heartbreaking but it's going to go anyway :(

I hope some of these help :) Let me know your tips in the comments below!

Make your own...girls night in box!

When it comes to birthday presents and cards, I really don't think you can beat something homemade. Time means a lot more than money and you can make something super special and personal for your favourite friend :)

Me and Rachel decided to organise a girly night in for our friend Sophie not so long ago. We used to always decorate shoe boxes when we were little and make things from trinket boxes to full on doll houses! So, whilst reminiscing over then cute times, we decided to make Sophie her very own Girls Night in Kit!

You can make the box as simple or as crazy as you want. We just glued some white paper on all of the sides to give us a bit of a blank canvas to work with, gathered as many stickers and crafty bits as we could find and got cutting and sticking.

For the inside of the box, we tried to think of some traditional girly sleepover type presents as well as tailoring this to things Sophie likes...

Sophie is a lover of candles and painting her nails so this fit in with the theme perfectly!

If anyone can suggest any shops that sell big bags of flying saucers, let me know in the comments as it took ages to find a bag of these...but we couldn't leave them out, they're her favourite you see!

We also snuck in a keyring with her favourite animal on it...just lots of nice, personal little things basically.

We had so much fun making this box and I think Sophie really liked it :)

You could tailor these boxes for any special occasion and make it as cheap or as pricey as you like. These boxes meet any budget!

What kind of box would you make?

The London Series Pt 3: The Duck and Waffle

The Duck and Waffle was somewhere I'd always wanted to go since coming across it on a blog, which I would link you to, but it seems to have vanished! (It was the Brunch Diaries)

It's located on the 40th floor of a mahoosively tall building!

You walk in through the doors and are greeted by the staff which point you in the direction of a glass elevator which whizzes all the way up to the top! 

The doors opened and we found ourselves in this funky looking bar which was playing trendy music I'd never heard of before. It wasn't what I expected at all..in a good way!

The views were spectacular! We were really lucky to be seated right next to the window. The menu is quite expensive because of the gorgeous views so I'd be a bit peeved off if  I was sat in the centre of the room!

There was a good selection of breakfast/brunch, including the classics and some less traditional options. 

Ice cream for breakfast anyone?

This was the calorific fest I went for. It was really nice but it was served cold and I think it would have been sooo much nicer hot!

Tom went for 'The Duck and Waffle' which was delicious. I'd go for this next time but then again, I am more of a savoury person.

This place would be ideal for a birthday brunch or any other type of celebration. My excuse was this was my first time ever in London ..that deserves celebrating doesn't it?

Where are your top recommendations for breakfast brunch? I like reading food posts so leave me any links in the comments :)

The London Series: pt 2. I pressed for champagne!

Eating out is most definitely high on my 'favourite activities' list..If you look at my instagram (@reils92) this is pretty obvious! I'd say the majority of my money is spent on food and in Harrods  I picked going to the food hall over the ladies accessories department first...So I like food basically. A lot.

Which is why I just had to share my experience at Bob Bob Ricard with you as it was without a doubt the best meal I have ever had!

The whole night felt very luxurious, starting with our warm welcome by the staff who took our coats and walked us to the Red Dining Room (there's also a blue one) where we would dine. It felt like we were making such an entrance, walking down those steps over the dance floor and straight to the bar! 

This place is out of my usual price range so was a very special one off, meaning we could justify splashing out with pre-dinner cocktails at the bar!

BBR is known for its 'press for champagne' button which I immediately pressed when we were seated  and as you can see, I was very excited about!

Literally, within seconds, the head waiter appeared at our table to take our champagne order. The service here was something I have never experienced before. Even when I went to the Ladies to 'powder my nose...' the waiter neatly folded up my serviette, which I had not so gracefully thrown onto my seat, and put it back on the table. Impressed  by their attention to detail, Tom nipped to the Gents just after to test them and again the waiter came over.

BBR serves both English and Russian food. I had no idea what Russian food was so I went for the Truffled Potato and Mushroom Vareniki for starters; traditional Russian dumplings, served with little onion rings on the top. That creamy sauce was amaziiiingggg!! 

Tom made an even bolder choice of Venison Steak Tartare! If that's what you're into, I'm sure it tastes fab..

For the main I had Crispy Pork Belly with Truffled Mashed Potatoes. The pork melted in the mouth and the crackling was crisped and seasoned to perfection.

Tom went for a rather fancy Macaroni with Lobster.

If you're a bit of a foodie, I'm sure you'll have come across loads of pictures and videos of this Chocolate dessert. Another thing that BBR is known for. Honestly, google them and you'll see photos of this and the champagne button! 

And this is the Eton Mess en perle - fancy name ey?!

Chocoholic heaven!

If you're going to London and want to go somewhere extra extra special then I highly recommend it here! For a fancy restaurant, the portion sizes weren't all teeny tiny like they are in many places so I can assure you, you won't leave hungry...I actually felt sick after this as I was stuffed!

Despite me putting this under my 'lifestyle' posts, I can only wish that this was my daily lifestyle *sob sob*