HOW TO SAVE MONEY DURING THE CHRISTMAS SEASON

So its that time of year again! You know it - managing money can be tough. Your out and about and everything is Christmas themed, really cute or you just suddenly need it because you have seen it - that's what I like to say to myself ;) OOPSIE haha

I thought it would be great to share a few ideas of how to manage savings and spending's during this busy season.

Firstly one big thing for me during such times are evaluating items around the house looking at whether I have used them in the last couple of months and if not I sell it. It gives me more room for more things and brings in that extra little bit of cash even that can go a long way. Begin small and it will become a habit to only keep necessary things it is a good method if you are a little hoarder.

Be a little stingy in places you can and don't over think it when you do. Maybe get a few alternative items or get it for cheaper this may depend on what the item is and what shop the purchase is from but look around there is no harm in finding a cheaper deal.


Hunt them down. One thing I am always doing before and during the month of December is regularly checking for any discounts, codes or offers I am eligible for in my emails and though a little research it's great sometimes what you can find lying in you email inbox.

Make a list! Sometimes going into a shop and seeing everything can be like yes add add add and when it comes to the checkout a four digit number! Surprised? I bet you are :) make a list and tick of items you have got and what you can reuse. This way you are more aware and are not buying unnecessary items.

And last but not least you have a bit of time as your reading this I suppose so sacrifice a little now to get a better outcome at Christmas!!

Hope this helped and gave you a little inspiration :) Let me know if you would like any similar posts as such. Which tip will you be using?

..NafReviews...

MY DECEMBER TO DO LIST

YES DECEMBER! That's right!
I just felt as if I had so much to do throughout December and thought what a great idea to share with you guys who may also have similar to do lists or even just be reminded of something you have forgotten.

• Put up the Christmas tress and decorations around the house.
• Get out my scarfs and gloves.
• Visit the Christmas market.
• Buy secret Santa gifts.
• Blog and blog some more.
• Buy everyone's presents.
• Get involved with things going on in the community and my area.
• Relax and enjoy the month with hot chocolate and late movie nights.

How about you guys how are you getting on with your December to do lists?

HOW TO MAKE KFC STYLE CHICKEN - RECIPE - QUICK AND EASY RECIPE

Hey all! So as you may have noticed a little bit of a different post yes I know but I had to. Cooking is a big passion of mine ever since I can remember - my mind is always on food no matter what time of day it is (hahaha) this has led me to experimenting with different things and foods and I thought of sharing them with you.

Let me know if you would like me to do more of these. Today I have a recipe that is literally and I mean literally quick and easy and that is  what I love about it, it tastes so good and does not require much effort BONUS!! KERCHING!

So the way I like them is with a bit of flavour hence the spices however remember you can tweak certain things out and into the recipe this is one I love :)


Ingredients:

1 Chicken (You can cut this into pieces and i usually end up with around 8 or 9)

1 Egg

1 Tablespoon of chapatti flour

Salt (This you can add or take out its up to you i like to add a little for flavour)

1/2 a cup of milk

1/2 a teaspoon of black pepper

1/2 a tea spoon of paprika

1/2 a teaspoon of red chili powder

Spicy chicken coating (this does not have to be spicy depending on what you prefer and can be bought or made yourself)

Instructions: 

Yes there are only a few steps :) your surprised right?

First add all the ingredients to the chicken. This includes the milk, chapatti flour, spices and give it a good mix so the chicken is covered and all ingredients are too.

Once covered let it marinate for about half an hour.

Pre-heat the oil once the chicken is marinated so its ready

Now add in a beaten egg to the chicken and other ingredients and then mix this also.

You can just mix with your hand or if you prefer wear gloves.

Once the egg and the ingredients are mixed onto the chicken then take each piece and coat in the chicken mix.

Last but not least you should try to get the chicken fully covered in the mix and then put the coated chicken in hot oil and watch the magic happen.


And then my lovelies you can enjoy your KFC STYLE CHICKEN!

Let me know what you though and if there are any other recipes you would like to me to blog and share.

...NafReviews...

WAYS TO BE MORE OF A MORNING PERSON

Being a morning person eek! Is it possible? Can you do it? Can I? and is there even such a thing?

Personally over the last year my sleeping patterns have been everywhere but the sound of being able to wake up energised at 6 am everyday just sounds great and organised. Now that it's dark it's just making me much worse or shall i say lazy :( OOPSIE

But I am ready I have been trying a range of ways to help me be much more of a morning person, So here goes to ways I have been more of a morning person.

Get ready the night before, yes that's right get ready for the day ahead haha :) Whether you work from home or commute to work a little prep always saves some time and boosts motivation for the day ahead I found.

Get some rest an early night can get you energised and motivated to begin the day early as well as improving your mood. Yes with plenty of rest i found I was much happier during the day.

Get up - as hard as it may sound stop snoozing and get up when your alarm goes off. You could try leaving your alarm away from you making you have to get up however if your like me and you just would not do that then it means you just have to do it GET UP! :) once you do it a few times I found I kept it up.

And i just want to leave with explaining that sometimes its just not possible yes you can have lazy days, good days or maybe its just not possible for you but small changes and gradual steps it can take you a long way. Don't begin with getting up a full hour early but begin with a minute as crazy as that may sound and daily increase the amount to 5 or 10 minutes. Good luck give it a try and let me know how you get on.

...NafReviews...

HOW TO SURVIVE A FAMILY CAR TRIP - A SURVIVAL GUIDE

Now whether you are preparing for a short car trip or a long one I decided to make my own jam packed survival guide for a family car trip. 

1. Get everyone to make their own back pack. This can be an excitement in itself for the kids to pack their own bags and decide on their own entertainment - saves you having to decide on how to keep them entertained. 

2. Snacks and I mean lots of them! 

Maybe pack a small bag of family snacks to share and allow every member on the car journey to collect and pick their own car snacks but of course sharing is caring so few little swaps won't be such a problem to ;)

3. Make a family music playlist, get everyone to pick five songs and put them all together for the trip saves bringing many devices just for the music.

4. Car games yes simple car games are a great way to keep entertained for a while.

5. Just relax and think. Some thinking time won't do anyone any harm allow the car journey to be a little bit of a reflection time for yourself. 

6. Download some apps, a little bit of screen time is ok maybe some games, puzzles or books to read.

And if this does not keep you entertained then you can always play i spy or count cars :) haha!!!

But most of all enjoy the family time, the smelly trumps and fighting little ones :)

...NafReviews..

FUN WAYS TO RAISE MONEY FOR CHILDREN IN NEED

Now as all of you must be aware it is that time of year again children in need!!!

As a parent and with the run up to children in need I found my little ones looking for inspiration and ideas for raising money. It was a little challenge at first but with a thoughtful session of throwing ideas around we come up with out own little list and thought to share it with you all to :

1. A sponsored silence, now this could be a challenge or you could just easily fly though the day. It is a great bit of fun :)

2. Baking, I found my little ones wee most interested in all the creative fundraising projects it can be a little time for family bonding and you can come up with great little bakes. From biscuits to cupcakes get baking! We raised the most from our bake sale.

3. A movie night, yes a little strange but its great we hired a new movie and invited little ones round to watch the entry was £1 for each individual and we made a whooping £40 just on movie night its a get a little starter for fundraising :)

4. A competition :) we all love one. At our movie night we allowed our entrants to take part in our competition to win a hamper and we used a raffle system it was great fun.

5. And last put not least we had a theme which was dress up silly, some children woe their pyjamas, funny socks, and ugly costumes :)

Hope you guys get a little bit of inspiration. These are just a few ways we raised some money for children in need. Get stuck in yourself we had great fun and managed to raise a lovely 3 digit amount we were very impressed. Don't forget there is still plenty of time for you to donate and get involved yourself.

Here is a link if you interested:

https://mydonatetelethonsappeals.bt.com/donate/cin2017/

...Nafeviews...

AVON CLEARSKIN BLACKHEAD ELIMINATING DEEP TREATMENT MASK REVIEW

Hey all so today i am writing a review and to be honest i found this one a little difficult. I am reviewing a black head product and that as well Avon. Avon skincare products i do feel are really underestimated but here's to a low end mask on clearing blackheads.
A bit about the mask itself:

• Lifts out dirt and excess oil on skin 
• Helps stop blackheads
• Deep clean of the skin

What i liked about the mask ?

The mask itself is a clay mask and you need to wash it off rather than a peel of mask. At the fist use i washed my face and noticed no big difference at all in fact i thought it did not make a difference at all. However i then used it again a second time in the same week after a coupe of uses i did notice that the mask was helping lifting dirt and excess oil o my skin however the blackheads remained on my nose. 

• cleaned my skin well 
• removed excess oil and left my skin feeling soft
• my skin was clear of blackheads for longer than before the use of the clay mask
• dries fairly quickly 
• subtle smell
• the cost :)

What i disliked about the mask ?

• did not remove blackheads required a few uses for full effect on my skin 

Overall i still use the product as part of my weekly routine, it is not a product i expect instant blackhead removal from but i have noticed it's effectiveness in preventing blackheads on areas like my nose. I would rate it a 4/5.

...NafReviews...

THINGS I HAVE LEARNT THIS MONTH

Hey all so i recently saw everywhere about people sharing things they have learnt at the age of .... and i thought about making one of these but it just didn't match me as a person as i feel i am learning this daily and thought i am going to change it up and share with you guys things i have learn this month i just feel is much more meaningful and i can share as i learn new things.

1. I have learnt the importance of self care. After just letting my self go and not giving myself any time to just reflect and sit down i finally thought to myself what am i doing and stopped everything. I think everyone should have a set time in the day where they are just able to wind down for 5 minutes and just do nothing. No tv, no phone, no job just sit and do NOTHING. Have you ever done that before or when was the last time you did?

2. Another thing that for me has really stood out this month id that i have learnt it is Ok to be OK!!
Make sense ? No ? Well me being the people pleaser i am i always find myself let down for not doing the slightest thing right but i am trying to teach myself IT IS OKAY :)

3. Keep them close !!! Reading that line who was the first person who came to you head for me it was family and sometimes in our busy lives we push the most closest people to us away but sometimes we need to understand that they are there for us!

4. And another thing that i have learnt this month from experiences is that its the little things that count. Sometimes we think what can we do to please someone make ourselves feel better but when really getting into deep thoughts about such things its the little things.
Things as little as a Smile - at anyone trust me it will make their day.

MY AUGUST GOALS

Recently i began thinking more about what i want for myself i then thought of writing both weekly and monthly goals for myself. Some goals for me personally and some overall ones to share. On my blog i thought of sharing a new series here of my goals each month and then at the end of the month letting you guys know how i got on. 

1. Drink more water. Usually this was not an issue for me as i am a big water drinker i am always thirsty but i have began to notice changes in my skin ad well as a decrease in the amount of water i consume so i am making it my aim this month to drink more. 

2.This one is not really direct but it is to be more thankful. The reason for this is when reflecting i think we as individuals just need to take more time to appreciate what we have around us. We always looks at what we wish to have or want but do we ever look at what we have and tally that :)

3. Read more! Yes self care recently for me has gone down the drain and i will be writing a post on this. Reading for me is something that i love but have minimum time but i am this August going to make a conscious effort of reading for between 20 to 30 minutes a day. 

4. Spend more time blogging. This is not much of a big thing but for me wanting to really get started is something i am so passionate to do and now i AM going to post more regularly for both myself and you guys 

5. Last but not least as its been so neglected post more and understand more about social media accounts linked to the blog :)

..NafReviews...

HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OUT OF CLASS AND TEACHING TIME

yess you read it write we have a back to school themed post today for you all!!

HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OUT OF CLASS AND TEACHING TIME

Some people are naturally talented to just sit in class absorb all the information and in parrot fashion be able to repeat everything when it comes to the exam however some of us can sit in class and not even be able to memorise half of what was said. Ever been in such a situation. I sure have.

The first is tip is to familiarise yourself with the information both before and after each lesson you attend whether this at lunch, when your doing your homework or just before bed. Firstly before class what you can do is:

• Read, you can read your notes form class or if you have a timetable of each lesson or just remember what your teacher said they were going to cover you could try familiarising your self with the information before it is taught to you

AND

• Prepare any questions, If you do understand it you could maybe prepare some questions that you may ask your teacher.

Secondly once you in class the way you could make sure that you are making the most out of the time you have being taught is:

• Try to engage in the lesson, Make sure you are aware of what is going on ignoring or eliminating any distractions

AND

• Take part, Be confident enough to know ask questions or if you are shy just wait till the end to query anything or send them an email!

After class you can possible spend around 20 to 30 minutes to:

• Review everything, You could just read over the information a couple of times to make sure you now are quite familiar with the content

AND

• Now you can even make some notes in advance to help you or soem quiz revision cards that you could test yourself on weekly

That's all for today hoped this helped! 

...NafReviews...

BAKER ROSS REVIEW

BAKER ROSS REVIEW

YAYYYY CRAFTSSSSSS. They definitely got the kids excited and myself to get this review up sharing our lovely experience with their crafts.

Some of the items the kids got to play with are:

• ·         Alphabet Stencils
• ·         Easy Grip Chalks
• ·         Rainbow Unicorn Gliders
• ·         Flying Frogs
• ·         Dragon Foam Stickers
• ·         2 Black Canvases
• ·         Neon Clay

I must say this lot of things from baker Ross kept the kids busy for a long time. Firstly, as a family birthday was approaching we used the stencils and the paint to make a happy birthday banner 😊 the kids loved it and were really proud.

The easy grip chalks were great for the little ones to experiment with however producing the actual colour on to the paper was something that the little ones found challenging. Never the less they managed to get a few drawings in after working out the just had to press on the crayons a little harder.

The rainbow gliders were the best crafts in our house and they are still playing with them today. At first, I couldn’t figure out myself how to make them but when we did the kids had a load of fun throwing them around and racing one another we even took them to the park.

The flying frogs were great fun too we flicked them around the rooms and the windows to get them stuck and the little ones found it very amusing. However as a parent I did not as much as I later found stains on the walls!!! Good thing we played with them just before we were decorating and not after 😊

The Dragon Foam Stickers we also used on our party bags they come in really handy and were great for the kids they loved them. They were easy to remove and apply.

The canvases the kids used to write their names using the stars and hung them in the bedrooms. The clay on the other hand they had great fun with using it too model lots of little things.

Overall the crafts were all quick and easy great for me as being on the go means a quick craft gets the little ones excited and have fun making them. I as a parent would definitely rate both the service and the crafts a 5/5. They are great crafts for parties, something to do before dinner, Sundays, quality time with the kids and for sure during the holidays!

Check out their website for more: http://www.bakerross.co.uk/

Disclaimer- This post is not sponsored or influenced by baker ross they are just our opinions on the crafts we had a little go trying 😊

…NafReviews…