Category: Views & Ramblings

1. 5 amazing ways to boost positivity!

   Posted on 12:00pm Monday 23rd Aug 2021

   Often when we have a bad day at work or office, we struggle to find a boost of positivity and continue to work efficiently throughout the rest of the day. People also don't understand the importance of having a positive mind. 

   

   If you are struggling to find a daily boost of positivity, this article helps you to find a couple of amazing hacks to get that easily. 

   It's necessary to remind yourself each day what you are thankful for. 

   Nothing is better than the reasons you love your life when you feel a little down after a rather frustrating or sad day. 

   Whether it's something you got to learn at work, or spending more time with your family, or anything else that you thought was amazing about the day. It would give you an instant boost of positivity and make you smile for sure. 

   Some sunshine will always make you feel better

   If you spend most of your time inside the house, you will feel suffocated and negativity can take over your head. You can also feel tired by looking at the same surroundings. 

   So make sure that once every day, you step out of the house and get some sunshine or fresh air to get rid of the negative thoughts in your head. It can be a daily boost of your positivity so you can feel happy no matter how your day goes. 

   Working out makes it easier to focus on good things. 

   You might not believe this, but working out once a day can truly give you a quick boost of positivity and nice distraction. 

   The rush of adrenaline that you get when you work out not only makes you feel happier, but it also is extremely healthy for you. It keeps you away from all the negative thoughts and enables you to feel positive despite the hard things you go through. 

   Take breaks whenever you need them without hesitating. 

   Most of us feel extremely guilty about taking breaks even once throughout the day and just rest for a while. Working non-stop makes it easier for you to feel overwhelmed and more negative.

   It's okay to take frequent breaks - short breaks every few hours allow you to be distracted for a few minutes and do something else that you love. It also gives you a boost of positivity and energy to continue your work much more efficiently. 

   Once every day, do something that makes you smile. 

   With a boost of positivity, you learn to look forward to every day that comesand feel excited about everything you get to do. And the best way to achieve that is to do something you love. 

   Whether it's listening to music, playing with your pet, or anything else that you know makes you smile wide. Make sure to find those couple of free minutes every day to do those things that you look forward to the most. So do that once a day to find a quick boost of positivity every day you wake up. 

   Conclusion

   You might struggle to find that daily boost of positivity but you definitely know that it's important to make it through hard days and smile a little. 

   We have talked here about some amazing quick ways to get a boost of positivity no matter the kind of day you have had or where you are!

   

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2. Top tips to help you go freelance

   Posted on 12:00pm Sunday 15th Aug 2021

   With many students receiving GCSE and A Level results recently, there are discussions in households across the country about future career choices, with many parents wanting their child to choose carefully and wisely. When it comes to the job that you do, as you get older you may find that you are stuck in a rut with your career. It might not have been your first choice and is not be something that you feel passionate about.

   However, you may have gained skills and experience that could be utilised when working for yourself and going freelance. Picking and choosing the work that you do and finally getting that work and home life balance right. So how do you change that? 

   

   Going freelance can be quite scary. You have the loss of security of that consistent wage, and it can often feel overwhelming when it comes to managing the work and home life balance. But there are so many incredible benefits and finally being able to choose your workload or even do something you are more passionate about far outweighs the worries. So here are some of the top tips to help you go freelance. 

   Have the confidence to take that step

   One of the hardest things to do when it comes to going freelance is to have the confidence to do it. Right now you may be secure in a job. You feel you have security, and a consistent wage each month. This gives you the comfort that bills are paid and things are getting done, but that’s all it gives you. Have the confidence to step away. If at first you think it is too much of a leap use any spare time you have to start working on the side, and then build it up gradually. Be confident in your ability and also your decision that inevitably will give you what you want in the long term. 

   Seek out work opportunities 

   Going freelance doesn’t need to be as scary as you might once have thought. So many people are now taking this route to live the life they want to live and are getting to the stage where they are able to do it. There are websites out there that advertise freelance opportunities. Websites like People Per Hour and Fiverr are great places to start. You can also advertise your skills directly on there. You can even use Facebook as a way of advertising for jobs or seeking out work opportunities through groups or using the marketplace. There is also the fact that you can start to easily advertise your services through your own website and through social media content. This is one of the bets things to get you started as a website can hold all of the relevant information anyone would need. Whether that is sample of your work, feedback from previous clients, and any pricing information. You can also reach out to potential clients through platforms like this and pitch to them directly. 

   Make sure you are professional in all aspects 

   Once the work starts to come in it can be quite hard to not be overwhelmed by it all, but the one thing that you can’t let slip is the professionalism that you need to contain at all times. Being professional in all lines of communication such as phone, email and social media messages helps you to continue that working relationship. Also, the same can be said for when an invoice needs to be raised, Ensure that you display all of the correct information. A great tip is to use invoice templates so that you can get things right. Websites like PayPal are great to use at the start. This will also help you to get paid quickly rather than needing to amend and resend when information is forgotten about. 

   Your working environment matters 

   Finally, it might be a good idea to ensure that you consider your working environment. Most people who freelance work from home, and this can be distracting if you don’t have a dedicated area to work. If you can, create an area in your home that is dedicated for working. It might be a desk in the corner of your living room or your bedroom. Having a desk area helps you to segregate between working and home life. If you have the space in your home, a home office could be a great option to consider. The idea is that you can walk away from your work, or feel productive and work mode when you are sat at your desk. 

   Let’s hope these tips help you if you think going freelance is an option.  

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3. SodaStream from SaveMoneyCutCarbon | Review

   Posted on 12:00pm Tuesday 11th May 2021

   As a child, a SodaStream was the thing of legend. It was something that everyone else had but we never did. It was coveted and whilst my mum has always been ahead of her time with recycling and sustainability but we could never convince her to swap our plastic fizzy drinks bottles for the elusive SodaStream.

   So my inner child was more than a little excited when SaveMoneyCutCarbon recently asked if they could send us a SodaStream Spirit to put through its paces. The blurb tells us that SodaStream is the easy way to reduce your single use plastic waste and make sparkling water and your favourite fizzy drink, with just a touch of a button. So is that really true?

   

    

   What does it cost?

   Cost is always the big question people have when thinking about buying a SodaStream. How much do they cost and is it worth it? First and foremost, you don’t need to go to their official website to buy one! You can buy your SodaStream from SaveMoneyCutCarbon and if you are a member of the Home Club, you get unbeatable pricing, guaranteed. Their Club Price Promise means that if a Club member finds it cheaper, they will refund the difference. It’s as if you’re buying direct from the manufacturer.

   The basic price is £99.00, plus £24.95 for the gas cannister and if you add one syrup in, that is bringing your total basic startup cost to £130.00. I set about working out how much we spend on fizzy drinks, so that includes all the soft drinks we buy per month and not to mention the tonic water for the husbands gin. I was a little horrified to realise this was costing us approx £72.00 per month. So we would start seeing savings by month two if this little machine lived up to the hype!!

   

   What did we think?

   From the moment you begin unboxing the Sodastream its clear that along with cost saving and waste reduction, simplicity and usability are at the heart of the brand. The latter continues to be the case with the actual set up and usage of the product. The inside of the box is compartmentalised and designed for safe transit and easy access to the unit, the gas canister and the supplied syrups.

   Once unwrapped, the tall, sleek and modern design of the unit fits well in any contemporary kitchen. The accompanying basic diagrammatical instruction leaflet easily demonstrates the simple ‘click to open’ and ‘screw in to fit’ nature of the unit and the gas canister.

   Once put together the supplied water bottle is so easy to fit in place that our 9 year old could easily manage and was thrilled at the satisfying woooooosh and bubbling that comes from pressing the big button on the top the advised number of times (3 for fizzy and 5 for extra fizzy). Delving in to the range of syrups they are all easy to use, again with simple guidance on the side of the bottle and a handy lid that doubles as the advised measure. Once added to the bottle of now carbonated water the results are delicious! We tried the Cola, Lemon and Lime (both containing sugar) and also the Tonic mix and Zero calorie Lime that were sugar free. Thinking back to when we were children in the 80’s our memory was always of a beverage that had the hallmarks of ‘own brand’ cheaper drinks however these mixes are far from that – very much a premium tasting drink!

   Will it help reduce our plastic waste?

   One of the big benefits of a SodaStream is that it allows you to enjoy fizzy drinks and water without having to continue buying plastic bottles. What’s more, SodaStream PET bottles can be reused for up to 3 years, each one helping to eliminate as many as 1,282 single-use plastic bottles.

   So if you are looking to save money and your plastic consumption, the SodaStream from SaveMoneyCutCarbon might just be the answer to the question you didn't know you were asking!

   

   Disclaimer : We were sent the SodaStream to review but all thoughts and fizzy fun are our own!

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4. Tips to save money in lockdown

   Posted on 12:00pm Friday 8th Jan 2021

   Lockdown has completely changed how we live our lives, but it can be seen as an opportunity to stay home and save money. We are undoubtedly spending less money going out but it is easy to spend money on Amazon or online stores, so we have put together some handy tips to help you save your pennies for your future lifestyle, while saving lives by staying at home. 

   

   1. No matter how much you are currently saving per month, be it £50, £ 100, or more, make a conscious effort to save a little more. If you can, try to double the amount you save. Of course, you can always dip in this pot when needed, but hopefully, this is not a requirement, and you will have a few extra pennies to enjoy once the lock is removed. There are numerous modest methods to mark savings as well as an investment a part of your ordinary life. A Terramundi pot is a simple way to add loose change or pound coins and you have to smash it to get access, so not so easy to dip into. 

   2. If you are craving your favorite takeout but are just off or don't want to spend a lot of money on food, consider making your own "fakeaway" at home. Not only is it likely to be cheaper, but it is also a great way for couples and families to hang out together, and it is probably a healthier version as well. While many gyms across the UK have consistently cancelled membership, there are currently other ways to cut costs, including temporarily suspending their sports membership, from calling Sky to suspending monthly subscriptions.

   3. If you can't resist shopping online for door-to-door delivery, be sure to look for discount codes, deals, and cash-back deals before checking out. However, it is important to resist the urge to motivate yourself. Right now, we are all in a time of uncertainty, and it would be wise to be a little prudent about our frivolous expenses. 

   4. Pay with cash. There is so much talk about a cashless economy but spending physical cash always make you think about how much you are spending, much more than when you are swiping or tapping a card to purchase.

   Lockdown in the UK has become part of life at the moment but saving habits can last through the lockdown and beyond. If you are consistent.

   Good luck! 

   

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