SEPTEMBER 2024 BEING THRIFTY

Concentrating on finding more ways of being thrifty, this month has helped me to be able to pop away a chunk of money into my emergency fund and other sinking fund pots. I've now got enough set aside for both B's Birthday and Christmas. It's a great feeling knowing I'm organised. I'm hoping that October will be just as successful.

Amazon shopping panel 

This months £7 voucher went towards a new electric toothbrush. I needed a new one as my old one just wasn't charging well any more. 

Pumpkin spice syrup 

I love a flavoured coffee but popping to coffee shops for one, isn't something we can afford to do often. I love pumpkin spice so got some syrup in so I can enjoy them at home instead.

Cashback/points 

I've been using both Everup and Jamdonut as usual this month. One of the main things we needed was a new microwave and managed to get £4 back in cashback as well as going via Virgin Red for points. 

Spooktacular Halloween Party Decor on a Budget

With the kids back in school and  autumn arriving October 31st will be fast approaching. So it's time to get our spook on and dive into the world of Halloween party decor! Whether you are holding a Halloween costume party, a Halloween party just for the adults or a Halloween party for the kids these six fantastic, budget-friendly party decor ideas are sure to give your guests a ghoulishly good time! 

Why Decorate For Halloween?

Why decorate for Halloween, you may ask? Halloween decoration is not merely about transforming your space; it’s about creating an experience, with a delightful dance of the spooky and the uncanny! It’s an opportunity to step outside the mundane and dive into a world of using your imagination and creativity. Decorating for Halloween allows you to express your artistic ability, be it through ghostly apparitions in the yard or a cobweb-covered living room. It fosters a sense of community, as friends, family, and neighbours gather to admire, engage, and revel in the eerie atmosphere you’ve crafted.

 

Plus, it’s an excellent way to engage with children, cultivating their creativity and building lasting memories. Overall decorating for Halloween is more than just aesthetics; it’s about embracing the spirit of the season, crafting unforgettable experiences, and adding a touch of magic to our everyday lives!

 

Below I am sharing some of wonderful Halloween party decor ideas with you.

 

DIY Balloons

Skip the fancy Halloween-themed balloons and buy plain white or orange ones. With a black marker, draw ghostly faces, pumpkins or other designs on them and voila, you’ve got your very own spooky balloon gathering! For extra spookiness, you could use a glow stick inside them before inflating.

BELLA'S COUNTRYSIDE CHRISTMAS BY CLAIRE HUSTON

Ad – review. I was sent a copy of this book for review purposes and all thoughts are my own.

Today I am involved in the book tour for Bella's Countryside Christmas by Claire Huston. Claire lives in Warwickshire, UK with her husband and two children. She writes uplifting modern love stories about characters who are meant for each other but sometimes need a little help to realise it. A keen amateur baker, she enjoys making cakes, biscuits and brownies almost as much as eating them. You can find recipes for over a hundred sweet treats at clairehuston.co.uk. This is also where she talks about and reviews books.

 About the book

Fleeing her heartache and horrendous job, Bella stumbles upon a December wedding in the beautiful village of Haileybrook and the spirit of the season moves her to act as a fake date to handsome stranger Jack. Jack and Bella hit it off, but Bella has to leave in a hurry and their magical evening soon becomes nothing more than a blissful memory.

STRENGTHEN YOUR HAIR WITH THE GRO+ ADVANCED SYSTEM FROM VEGAMOUR

Ad/Gifted – The Vegamour Hair wellness products  featured in this post were gifted to me in exchange for a review. However all opinions are my own.

The products we use on our hair and scalp can have an effect on our hair's wellness. It's important we use the right hair products so that we have shiny, fuller and healthier hair. Our scalp often gets forgotten about and products that help to exfoliate and remove build up are an important part of our hair care.

Vegamour have a great range of hair wellness products. A few years ago I got to try out their GRO range, which I got on really well with. Now Vegamour has a  brand-new launch which is their most advanced approach to hair wellness! I've been lucky enough to try out some of the products from their new launch which is the GRO+ Advanced System that is an extra-strength system clinically proven to reduce hair loss* — no RX required. 

*Due to breakage from washing and combing in a 120-day independent, third-party clinical study with 40 participants using GRO+ Advanced Hair Serum once daily.

The system features a clean, plant-based ritual curated for those seeking hair products that pair vegan and cruelty-free ingredients with truly remarkable results. If you are unsure if this range is suitable for you than check out this quick hair quiz. The quiz helps you to work out which range of products are suitable for your hairs needs. The HYDR-8 range is a range for those of you who have dry or damaged hair.

I was sent the new GRO+ Advanced Shampoo and Conditioner along with the GRO + Advanced Hair Serum set to try. The new range was co-developed along with a dermatologist to develop an extra strength system for severe shredding. From their clinical study they found 93% of participants had a clinically measured improvement in hair density and 87% had a reduction to hair loss.  They also have great reviews so you know they are going to give excellent results. 

How To Decorate For Autumn On A Budget

I love to decorate our home for the seasons, autumn is definitely my favourite and I love to make our home cosy.   If you are anything like me then you may have noticed that there is a bigger range of autumnal decor in the shops these days. However, there are plenty of autumn decorations you can create yourself for free or for a fraction of the price you will pay in store. The great thing is if you have kids you can get them involved to create some unique and personal decor items.

 

Get inspirATION

When comes to decorating for autumn on a budget then you need to get inspiration for the decor that you want to have in your home. These cosy colours and sustainable style trends are popular this year.

My favourite place to find inspiration is Pinterest, where you can find autumn decor as well as crafts to follow. You can also find inspiration from places such as Instagram, magazines, other bloggers and even from visiting home decor shops to get ideas.

Second hand items

Charity shops, online selling sites such as Vinted and car boot sales are great places to find autumn decor or materials to craft autumn decor for a fraction of the cost of buying them new.

You never know what you will find, so it's worth keeping an open mind - for example, if you see a plant pot that would be perfect if it was in an autumnal orange or brown colour then consider painting it or even a plain glass jar can be turned into a gorgeous autumnal piece with the right lights.

Collect pine cones and conkers

Pine cones and conkers are the two things that instantly make me think of autumn, and the great news is that you can usually find them for free whilst out on walks. You can make it a fun activity to do with the kids going on walk to specifically find them or you can start collecting any as and when you see them.

When you have a big enough collection of pine cones and conkers then you will want to clean them to remove insects and sap before you use them to decorate. To do this simply submerge them in a mixture of warm water and white vinegar for 30 minutes then shake off the excess water and with the pine cones bake them in the oven at 200C until the pine cones open up again, which could take between 30 to 90 minutes.

Once you have a stash of cleaned pine cones and conkers there are so many budget-friendly decorations that you can make. I've come across so many fun ideas on Pinterest.

Some ideas include:

Show Off Your Gadgets with Holdems

 *This is a collaborative post

Novelty gadgets make fun gifts and they can be great to add a bit of character to your gaming set up, bedroom or living space. Holdems from EXG pro are a new release for holding your phone, AirPods and little gadgtes and having them on display. They are a cute collectable item that are available in a range of different collections such as characters from Sonic the Hedgehog, Lilo and Stitch, Teenage Ninja Yurtles and Fall Guys. 

How to know what types of doors you need for your business security

*This is a collaborative post

Security concerns have evolved considerably in recent decades. Despite the emergence of threats in the digital realm, however, the bare basics of property security remain relevant for any business that operates brick-and-mortar premises.

While there are multiple components involved in this process, getting the right doors will be up there in terms of importance. These are the steps you’ll need to go through to get the right ones.

Carry out a security risk assessment

Working out which doors you should get will start the same way as with any other form of risk management: by carrying out an in-depth security risk assessment. This will typically require working with an external security consultant, ideally one who has experience working with businesses in the same niche as yours. 

Based on a thorough assessment of your business, the neighbourhood it’s in, and a range of other variables, they’ll be able to provide an in-depth report full of potential security improvements. Security doors will often form a central part of that report. 

Understanding the different options

Next, you need to understand the basic options available in terms of security door solutions.

Steel doors

Steel doors are likely the most secure option on the market. They’re resistant to a wide range of different forced entry techniques, providing an excellent solution for high-risk areas, such as front and back entrances.