Hello 2013!

Happy new year! I hope you all had a lovely night! We went to Truro to watch the fireworks, surrounded by bananas in pyjamas and lego men! :)

C'mon then, let's hear 'em! What're your goals/ambitions/resolutions for 2013?

I really feel like 2013 is my year. Everything came together last year and The Boyfriend and I set up our own little flat as a base for new beginnings in Bristol. I miss my family and Cornwall every day but I know that we are working towards a better future (because there are so very few jobs in Cornwall).


Work/Uni Goals

I've started becoming involved in the wider scientific community as well as my own research. This year I will enter science writing contests, teach school children about the wonders of Biology, go to a scientific conference, and I am tempted to start writing science communication articles for the wider public too. :)


Since starting my PhD, I've been setting myself mini-deadlines so that I complete work at a decent rate and well ahead of the true deadline. It's a great practise, and really takes the stress out of life! I will definitely keep using mini-deadlines in 2013!


Finance Goals

The Boyfriend and I have been chatting and we're inspired to cut out unnecessary spending in order to bulk up the savings for possibly buying a house when I've finished Uni (in 2016), or even just so that we can afford to choose where we want to live and what we want to do.

This year I'm planning on saving more than ever! I can see friends for free, make lunches at home and entertain myself for free with gardening, blogging, baking, sewing, 4oD, walking, reading, writing, even Uni work! :D

So, I'll increase the number of No Spend Days to... 200 this year! 

Don't know how feasible this will be but we're not moving this year so that cuts out about a month of spending compared to last year! I think a major challenge like this is just what we need! Under the same rules as last year, rent, bills and the like don't count, but food shopping, eating out, parking, even buying a drink on a day out does count.

We will also be chipping away at the water, energy and food bills throughout the year.

Another successful goal of 2012 was to track my spending. This helps you to know exactly where your money is going, whilst also keeping you accountable for purchases. I hate writing down £1 for a coke on an otherwise spend-free day! It only takes seconds each day to record your spending if you fancy doing this too.



Health goals

I failed horribly at one goal last year: losing a little bit of weight each week. I am still the same as last year! Don't worry though, I'm back on track for eating healthily and dancing more in 2013! :)


So what have you got lined up for 2013? I don't have many set plans yet but I'm definitely looking forward to a happy new year! :)

Goodbye 2012!

2012 has been a great year for me in many ways.

Good:

• Won a PhD position, and started in October
• Increased my net worth from basically zero to have an Emergency Fund and cash saved for expenses throughout the year
• I learned a lot more about frugal living
• Did a lot of decluttering
• Ate only British food for a week, which opened my eyes to how much we rely on imported food.
• Had one of the best weeks ever hiking the coastal path of Cornwall! 
• Started growing my own veg!

Guess what; I even kept (some of) my New Year's Resolutions!

• Had 100 No Spend Days. In fact I had a lot more than this, but I could still do better next year!
• Recorded every penny coming in or out, which I am currently analysing to see how I did
• I DID find my perfect PhD! :)

I still spent a fair amount of time online, but definitely got out more too! I think this year I need to restrict my internet usage whilst at home to get more out of life!

Ehhh... the weight loss goal was the biggest fail. I still weigh the same as when I worked in restaurants and ate their food every day! This will be addressed big time in the coming year!

The only truly BAD things that happened to me (as far as I can remember) were that my lovely cat died, and that Jools the Peugeot broke down several times, leaving me dangerously stuck on the edge of the main dual carriageway through Cornwall TWICE this year!


This blog grew a lot this year too, with popular posts including:

How much should you give to charity?
My plan to lower our bills
Student loans: why you shouldn't pay it back early!

I think that shows that whilst people are trying to cut back on their expenses to survive another year of the recession, they are still thinking of others less fortunate than themselves. I know this is the case for me!


How was your 2012? I hope you are happier and healthier than you were a year ago! Any plans for seeing in the new year? I'm going to watch the fireworks in the rain! :D

Best wishes to you and your family and have a wonderful 2013! 

100 No Spend Days

At the start of the year I set myself a challenge to have 100 No Spend Days in 2012. A No Spend Day is where you don't spend any money (duh!), although standing bills like rent, utilities etc. don't count. I originally took on the challenge because I wanted to stop the little drips of cash that I often spent on pointless things, like a bar of chocolate or a coffee. I hoped it would cut down on my own little “Latte Factor“.

I completed the challenge! :) I reached 100 No Spend Days!

Here's the breakdown:

January: 13 No Spend Days

February: 14

March: 10

April: 11

May: 10 (I realised I had been slacking, so decided to up my game the next month!)

June: 17

July: 12 (was travelling for 10 days though, so actually probably the best month so far!)

August (so far): 13

Total: 100!!

Back in May I hit the halfway mark. I had noticed that despite The Boyfriend's predictions, I did not spend more on “spend days” than I otherwise would have, although I did find that the frequency of my No Spend Days decreased after I'd finished paying back my overdraft. I'm pleased to say that after I have since regained momentum and started having more No Spend Days each month! :)

I have picked up a few handy techniques along the way for people wanting to increase the amount of No Spend Days they have:

• Don't go shopping! Seems like a pretty simple idea, but if you head into town for “something to do” you'll pretty much inevitably buy something, even if it's just a bottle of water.
• Don't bring your wallet. I'm not saying be cheap and expect everyone else to pay for you if you go out! What I mean is if you're not planning on buying anything, don't take your purse to work etc., because it's easy to be tempted into buying a snack or something and the little Latte Factor dripping of money starts again.
• Remember WHY you are avoiding spending. Come up with a savings goal, such as a £1000 basic Emergency Fund. Whenever you're about to make a frivolous purchase, remember how much closer you'll be to your goal if you DON'T spend your cash!
• Bring your own lunch. It's easy to go into town and grab a sandwich at lunchtime, but if you bring your own lunch you'll stop the daily spending!
• Track your spending. If you don't pay attention, you'll find money slipping through your fingers with nothing to show for it. If you have to write down that you didn't have a No Spend Day because you bought one 60p chocolate bar, you'll be annoyed you didn't move towards your goal! Trust me!
• Find free things to do. Libraries, museums, picnics in the park, beach days, crafting. There's usually something free to do. Instead of going out for drinks with friends, why not invite them round?
• Plan purchases. Try to plan what you'll be eating in the next week so you can get it all in one go. Buy your petrol at the same time and you'll barely need anything for the next week!

I'll keep trying to add to my No Spend Days. The next month will be crazy as I'm moving to a new city next week, but when we get back into the swing of things I should be able to rack up many more before Christmas!

Do you have No Spend Days? Any tips or tricks to stop yourself spending money?

Would You Sell The Olympic Torch?

I'm sure a lot of people have watched, or are planning to watch, the proud Olympic torch bearers running through the towns and villages of the UK, carrying the Olympic flame to the London 2012 games. It is certainly a moment to be remembered forever if you were one of the lucky 8000 who were a part of the relay.

Yet, as I am writing this, several of the Olympic torches used to transport the flame through its initial travels are for sale on eBay. You might think selling such a unique souvenir would be a little unsentimental. Possibly. But you might reconsider your judgement when you learn that with >21 hours left, one lucky soul has already got the bidding up to £130,100.

Here's the link

Have a look, maybe even watch it to see how much the bidding ends on. Just be sure not to accidentally place a bid!!

What do you think? There are several other torches for sale already on eBay, all for tens of thousands of pounds. Would you sell one, if you had it, or keep it forever as a souvenir for your grandchildren?

Gotta tell you, I'd sell it.

A Little Way to Get More Out of Life

Saving for Travel recently posted about wanting to get more out of life, breaking bad habits and forming new,  better ones. Whilst I think she's already awesomely inspirational, I believe most people would wish to stop procrastinating and get more out of each day.

I have a little trick I've been doing lately to get more out of life; LABEL each day.

At the end of the day, you have to write a one sentence tagline of the most important or interesting part of the day. It can be as big or as small as you like. For example, the other day was "The Day I Officially Accepted My PhD Position", but the day before was "The Day I Sowed My Vegetable Seeds".

The beauty of this technique is that it forces you to do something, anything, productive with your day. If you feel like you haven't really acheived anything today, then tonight you might look back and feel that the day has been wasted. When you know that you will be labelling your day by something you did, it inspires you to do something!

Up until now I haven't been writing them down, but I think it would be a good way to keep a record of your life. I am too forgetful to keep a diary, so this would be a quick and easy way to keep memories for the future.

It's Official: I Have A PhD Studentship!

YESSSSSSS!!!!

I did it! After many months of hunting, personal statement writing and being interviewed, I was offered a PhD studentship one of the top universities in the UK! I accepted. From October I will be researching plant genetics at the University of Bristol, with lots of practical experience and opportunities for work to be published. It is a four year position, with training and industrial placements for the first year alongside the research. The University of Bristol is ranked 7^th for biological research in the UK!

I'm so glad that the application/interview process is over. Personal statements are evil, as are interviews, although I have to say that my interview in Bristol was very friendly and I was set at ease by the project supervisors.

The PhD studentship is fully funded by the BBSRC (Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council), one of 59 funded places in the area of Global Food Security in the UK. This means that my tuition fees will be paid and I will receive a tax-free annual stipend of around £13590.

Back in January I wrote about the hidden costs of finding a degree. These included things like admin fees for applying, interview costs for clothes, travelling and accommodation to visit universities, and living costs whilst you are up there. My total costs were:

• Travel: £230.05 on train fares, including £28 for a year's rail card that gets you 30% off train ticket prices. (The University of Bristol has offered to refund my travel expenses, so I should be getting £44 of this back at some point!)
• Admin fees: £50
• Accommodation: FREE! Luckily I had friends/relatives in the towns that I visited.
• Interview clothes: FREE! I wore the outfit I wore on my graduation day. It is a smart black dress with white flowers, with a black cardigan.
• Living costs: £33.13 on food whilst travelling. I also took my hosts a gift to say thank you, but this was bought using money specially saved for gifts.

Total cost of finding my PhD: £313.18!

To be honest, it was worth it to visit universities, speak to experts in my field (I mean, I have referenced these people during my undergraduate years! It was daunting putting faces to names you've read a hundred times!), be interviewed and ensure that I was finding the right place to spend the next four years of my life!

I'm so excited! :D

Resolutions Recap

Every now and then I set myself a set of goals. If I don't revisit them, I forget them quite quickly! Here's how I'm getting on with various tasks I've set myself on this blog.

New Year's Resolutions

Like most people, I set some New Year resolutions.

1. 100 No Spend days – At the end of February, I have had 27 No Spend days out of a possible 60 days of the year so far. I thought that was pretty good, but people like Saving For Travel are putting me to shame with nearly every day being No Spend! I wondered whether this challenge would encourage me to spend more on days that I'd already spent, but so far I don't think that is the case.
2. Record every penny saved and earned – I really enjoy doing this! It's a great way to stay in control of your wallet. At the end of each month I can tally up how much I spent on what and possibly manipulate the next month's budget accordingly.
   
   
   
   
   
3.  Reducing waste and helping the planet – I wrote a post of how to help the planet for free with a variety of ways to reduce waste and live green. This year I have dug over the vegetabe patch ready for planting next year, cycled more (although it's usually not possible for me to cycle to work, because I don't feel safe cycling at 4am down dark country lanes!), made gifts from free materials, donated to Freecycle, made cloth shopping bags and did some much-needed car maintenance.
4. Find a PhD – This is going very well. I've met a lot of important scientists in my field and my applications have had some very positive feedback. I should be hearing back from Universities towards the end of March.
5. Spend more time with friends – I've been trying to say yes more to opportunities that arise.
6. 
   Weight loss – I didn't actually get on the scales until last week, but I don't think I would've lost any weight before then anyway. I am now throwing myself back in to healthy eating and continuing hiking and cycling, the two forms of (free!) exercise I most enjoy.

Eat British

Following the Eat British challenge, we have been eating more locally. We always buy Hovis now (usually on offer), which uses entirely British wheat. All our cheese, eggs, milk, meat etc. is generally British anyway. We've also been eating a lot more seasonal root vegetables. When it's time to harvest our vegetables later in the year we'll have even more local produce! :D

Priorities

Towards the end of last year I set a few priorities. Some have already been covered above, but these haven't:

1. Repay my debt and build some savings for next year – The only debt I have now is a small 0% interest overdraft, which is slowly being whittled away at. More importantly, I have an emergency fund as well as savings for car repairs and road tax (currently drained by Jools' naughtiness), gifts and the dentist! My net worth increasing slowly but surely.
2. Visit my Nana more often – I see my Nana a lot more now, which is ace because she is an amazing lady. She does all sorts of charity work, is a fantastic friend to LOTS of people, always has a great story to tell and was described by a local newspaper as keeping ”everyone in stitches” and the life of the party!
3. Get rid of clutter – I've sold two textbooks on Amazon, which made me £20 after the expensive postage costs! I've also donated a lot of old stuff and am working on getting more out of the way! (I can't take it all back up to Uni!)

These goals are really motivating me to use my time wisely this year. As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I have a bit more free time now that I just have the one job so it is important that I make the most of it. 

How are your New Year's resolutions going, if you made any? Got any challenges going on at the minute? 

Priorities

I read an article yesterday that said that if something is really your priority you'll get it done. I'm terrible for putting things off until the last minute, so I wrote a list of priorities and planned out roughly how long I should spend to get each thing finished.

My priorities at the moment, in no particular order, are as follows:

• Find and apply for PhD positions
• Repay my debt and build some savings for next year
• Lose weight and become healthier
• Visit my Nana more often
• Finish my Christmas presents
• Get rid of clutter

The article said to set aside time each day to get things done, but I don't think I will time myself. During the exam period I became OBSESSED with time. It was completely unhealthy and unhelpful, adding pressure to an already extremely stressful time. I decided I needed to do x many hours revision for each exam (working out at 8 hours a day over two months), but any time I stopped looking at my notes, for example to get a drink or use the toilet, I would stop the timer. I told myself each of the 8 hours was a FULL hour's work. It was completely stressful because if I didn't finish my 8 hours one day then I had to pick up the deficit the next day. You probably don't realise how much of the time you are not working when you think you are and it really adds up!

I remember for weeks after my exams finished I kept thinking I should be timing everything I did. I'm quite an obsessive person at times and it could have got even more out of hand!

Repaying my debts is an ongoing process, but the rest of them will require regular inputs of time. Instead of focussing on how long I spend on each, I aim to work on at least two of the five each day. Some days it will be less (tomorrow I'm working 5am-2pm and 5pm-~10pm, which doesn't leave much spare time!), but hopefully that can be counteracted on any days off I have, where I should be able to tackle a small amount of all of them!

These are my priorities and I must show it by my actions, not just my blog post!