Moving out

This week has seen a great change in my life as I have moved in with my boyfriend! We are very lucky in that he has an annex in the bottom of his garden which during lockdown was transformed into our own little space complete with a bathroom, bedroom and living area whilst we save for a proper house.  I have learnt so much during this process and so I thought I would share with you some tips I found as I enter this next step of adult life!

Tip 1 – Know your budget – Moving into your own place whether it be a house, flat or annex is expensive! Especially is it is newly built like ours was.  Things like flooring, paint and furniture is a lot more expensive than you may first think so it is always good to have a rough idea on how much you would like to spend. 

With this in mind, I would also say do your research to find out what you need and work out your budget. I did not realise how much stuff you need! I thought a bit of paint, carpet and wooden flooring would do but no, you need underlay, grippers, door separator thingies (I still don’t know all the things haha!) and it is the little bits like this that can make costs increase especially if you didn’t know you needed them.

If you are moving in with someone else, I would also say it is essential to discuss this together and how you are going to pay for things such as splitting it or monthly payments.

Tip 2 – Choose a theme – Many people would say this is a classic girl thing to say, but my boyfriend was just as excited about getting everything to match and look nice. We discussed it together along with looking at lighting, space and have chosen white, grey and black with hints of colour such as yellow. I found apps such as Pinterest and Instagram so helpful when doing this!

Tip 3 – Shop around – I felt like a proper adult shopping for things like furniture and flooring and it was very exciting!  However, a very important tip I learn would be: don’t just buy the first thing you see because it looks nice or it is cheap. 

We nearly made this mistake on flooring as we found a deal which we thought was good and nearly went for it as the deal was going to end in a few days.  But after talking to my parents, we found there were so many more options out there such as offcuts of carpets or laying flooring down ourselves and ended up finding a much cheaper deal with just as good quality saving us around £200!

So, shop around take pictures and compare prices, talk to friends and family and see what is the best option for you.

Tip 4 – Measure before you buy! Always make sure you have the space before you buy something as there is nothing more frustrating than putting it together to find it won’t fit.  I would also recommend testing paint to before committing to buying a big tub. We just used the roller samples and they were great!

Tip 5 – There are lots of things you take for granted that you forget about such as Wifi, TV, toiletries so remember to take these into consideration when moving especially when thinking about your budget too!

Tip 6 – Discuss -Make sure you are constantly chatting about ideas, making sure things are right, making sure you are both happy.

Tip 7 - Have fun! 

I hope you enjoyed this post and found it helpful.  If you would like to know any more information about moving please let me know in the comments! 

 

The New Normal

The UK is coming out of lockdown and things are quite different as we enter a new normal. With safety and the public's health being a big priority we are seeing a lot of changes to daily life in order to keep us safe.  The latest change is the new rule making face covering mandatory when in public places like shops. 

When I first heard this rule I wasn't sure how to feel, I had worn a disposable face mask a few weeks ago when going to the doctors and if i'm being honest I didn't like it.  It made me more aware of my breathing, made me feel a little claustrophobic and it was so big it nearly covered my eyes making it hard to see.  But, with the new rule in place I ordered myself a few different masks and wore them around the house to get use to it.  Although it is not the normal we are used to, wearing them around the house defiantly helped and I feel more comfortable wearing one.  

So, if you are a bit nervous about wearing a mask here are some tips: 

• Get ones that reflect you - There are so many places out there selling masks, so you don't just have to get a boring one.  You can get lots of cute prints and colours to match every outfit or you can make you own! 

• Wear them round the house first - I found by doing this I could get used to the feeling of wearing a mask so it doesn't feel as claustrophobic anymore. Just make sure you wash it before then wearing it in public. 

• Get one that fits you - When wearing a disposable mask at the doctors a few weeks ago, it was so big it made it more uncomfortable.  So, if you have a slightly small head like I do, you can either make your own or I would recommend trying a children's one.  I found these are much smaller but still cover my mouth and nose meaning it is protective and I can see too! 

• Don't worry about what people think - Now this is a mandatory rule, everyone will be wearing one so you won't be the only one.  We are all in this together!

I thought I would share with you some of the masks I have bought to wear: 

•  This one is from Boohoo and it is a super cute rainbow one!

• This one is also from boohoo and is a tie dye affect with pink, green, blue and white making it great for any outfit. 

• This one os actually a children's mask from GAP.  You can see it is a lot smaller than the other two which is more comfortable as it doesn't cover the bottom of my eyes.  This one was from a pack of three, however I gave the other two to my sister as she is like me and has a small head! This one is my favourite as it is blue and white with a tie dye/ cloud affect. 

To keep them all in one place I have simply put a command strip on the inside of my wardrobe door and they all hang nicely there.

I hope you found this weeks blog post helpful, especially if you are feeling anxious about wearing a mask. I would love to see some of the ones you will be wearing! 

Looking into my star sign

I have never really looked much into horoscopes and zodiac signs except the occasional skim through in a magazine.  But, this week news broke out that our zodiac signs may have changed as a NASA blog post announces a 13th zodiac or star sign and some people have gone crazy about it! 

So, having more spare time on my hands, I have done a bit more research into horoscopes and what they are whilst looking at mine in particular and any changes to it. 

According to the NASA blog post, horoscopes were created 3,000 years ago when the Babylonians divided the sky into 12 different sections to represent the 12 months of the year.  They then chose 12 constellation one for each section so that as the earth orbits the sun, the sun would be seen to pass through each section of the sky, creating star signs. However, the Babylonians were soon aware that the system they had created did not quite match with the rotation of the earth, so they chose to remove the 13th sign called Ophiuchus. Since then, the Earth's axis has changed and does not point in the same direction meaning the sky has shifted.  This means people may have a different star sign. 

My birthday is on the 14th November so I have always said I was a Scorpio, hence the necklace. But now I am apparently a Libra!  

I have looked on a few different sites that show personality traits for both Scorpio and Libra and it was interesting seeing what traits fit with my personality and which zodiac sign I relate to the most.  

I believe I have the following traits of a Libra: 

• Idealistic - I always try and find the best in every situation or person

• Non confrontational - I hate arguments and always try and keep the peace, which does mean I can sometimes put off difficult discussions for a long time.     

• Indecisive - At times I can be bad at making decisions as I weigh up the pros and cons of even the smallest of things.  I think this also links to my hatred of confrontation so I want to try and please everyone making it hard to make decisions.

However, I found when reading through the traits of a Scorpio I feel I have more of these traits.  Such as: 

• Determination - Once I set myself a goal I won't hold back and will try everything I can to reach it. 

• Ambitious - I set my goals high and am not afraid to do so!

• Loyal - I don't want to sound big headed when I say this, but I like to think once I commit to someone or something I stick with it and although it can be hard to earn my trust, once you do I will not give up on it. 

• Honest/Secretive - I know what your thinking, how can you be honest and keep secrets at the same time? A key trait of Scorpios and something I see in myself is that they are honest and hate dishonesty.  However, they don't like to reveal too much, especially when it comes to displaying vulnerability and with people they don't trust.  

•  Resentful - As well as getting slightly jealous, I can hold a grudge and take betrayals or setbacks very personally.

• Controlling - I do have a bit of OCD and so this can mean I get controlling in certain situations, especially if it is something that will help me achieve my goal. 

• In terms of relationships, I prefer serious commitments and give my loyalty and love in them. I like to connect with people on a deep emotional and intellectual level and if you are honest and true, I will always be there in a time of need. 

After looking more into the star signs and traits they have, I think I can say despite the change in star signs, I will forever be a Scorpio.  I may have some Libra characteristics in me, but I will continue to wear my Scorpio necklace with pride!

I hope you enjoyed this blog post.  I would love to know if your star sign has changed and whether you fit better into your new or old one!