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Financial goals for 2016

As the new year is already is full swing it has been the time for us to think about our goals and aims for the new year. We have a lot going on in 2016 from our wedding (which is this weekend!!) to graduations and so everything happening this year impacts the financial goals we have. Today we will be sharing our goals of the year.

1. Continue saving for a house deposit. We started contributing to Help2Buy ISAs in 2015 and so we aim to max out those. In addition to that savings account we are aiming to contribute all additional unassigned savings money to our deposit savings.


2. Save £2000 towards car. In 3 years time we will have the option to purchase a car and so we are saving the money each year so that we can purchase the car with cash to do that we need to save £2000 each year. 


3. Have a post-graduation option that doesn't incur debt. I have applied for several options, including my Bar exam (including scholarships), financial sector jobs, and masters programmes. What ever option I end up taking up it is important that it doesn't involve taking on debt. This means if I choose take one further education that there needs to be a scholarship involved to make it a viable option. 


4. C to take up another part-time job. At the end of December C and I made the decision for him to leave his previous employer as it was not a good situation. However, this part time work was important part of our finances and so C is now applying for other part-time work. We are in a position where we can manage without any extra part time work during term time but it would make things much easier and allow us to be more intense in our savings efforts. 


5. Expand my Etsy store. Since I opened it in mid 2015, I have seen it grow much more than I expected. But I would love to expand it further and add new products to the site as well as add new design options for the products already listed. I have found it really enjoyable owning a store and developing products and we have signed our selves up to a build your own business course at our church. 


6. Perfect out budgeting. We are looking to being more rigorous with out budgeting and accountability. Updating spreadsheet and cash envelopes more frequently. As we set up joint banking after the wedding, this should ease some of the logistical issues we have had previously. 


What are your financial goals for the next year?


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    If you are new to our blog, we are all about finding new ways for students and millennials to make and save money. Here are some of our favourite sites and products to help you out:
    • Start a blog. Blogging is our side-hustle just over a year ago we didn't think I would bring us any income . You can create your own blog here with my easy-to-use tutorial. You can start your blog for as low as $3.49 per month plus you get a free domain if you sign-up through my tutorial.
    • Save money with gift cards Whether its for buying clothes, your weekly shop or dining out use Zeek to buy discounted gift cards to get more bang for your buck. 
    • Use Swagbucks for your online searches. Swagbucks is a passive way to earn gift cards. Over the course of a year you could earn $500.  Swagbucks is just like using Google to do your online searches, except you get rewarded “points called SB” for the things you do through their website. Then, when you have enough Swagbucks, you can redeem them for cash, gift cards, and more. Receive $5 for signing up today.
    • Try matched betting. Matched betting is a great way to may easy money online. Despite the name it is not gambling and could see you earn £500-£1000 a month for only a couple of hours work a day see here and here. For your free trial head to profit accumulator or join the Facebook 'getting started' group.  
    • Sign up for a cashback site like Quidco. where you can earn CASH BACK for just spending like how you normally would online. The service is free too! Plus, when you sign up through my link, you also receive a free £10 bonus!

    100 birthday freebies (UK and USA) : The BIG List

    Birthdays are great and they are even better when its an excuse for freebies. Check out our mega list of freebies available all for just getting a year older !!


    This list is split up into 50 UK and 50 USA freebies so everyone has the chance to get their birthday treats. Most of these offers mentioned are given by big chain companies but plenty of smaller independent companies also offer birthday freebies but just don't advertise it, so never be call up and ask if they offer birthday freebies.


    Most of these freebies required to sign up to a newsletter or loyalty program, and a small number of them require a minimum spend to receive the freebie. 


    Companies give out these freebies as a clever marketing strategy. They know that you are likely to go out with friends and family for your birthday and draw you into going to them by giving you a birthday freebie in return for bringing in paying customers. 


    For the UK restaurant freebies why not save even more money and pay for money with a discounted gift card allowing you to save up to 10% on the food you do pay for. 


    UK Freebies
    1. Krispy Kreme- Free donought 
    2. Pizza express- Free prosecco
    3. Las Igaunas- free main course
    4. Shepheard Neane- free main course - sign up here 
    5. Harvester- Free sundae
    6. Beefeater Grill- Free main course
    7. Frankie and Bennies- Free main course
    8. Hungry Horse- Free drink
    9. TGI Fridays- Various freebies
    10. Fayre and Square- Free bottle of wine
    11. Marston's - Free drink
    12. Ed's Easy Diner- Free milkshake
    13. Brother's cider- Free cider
    14. Barburrito- Free main dish
    15. Subway- Free cookie
    16. Moshi Moshi- complimentary Kyoto course menu
    17. Jimmy's World Bar and Grill- Free meal and cocktail
    18. Hello Fresh- £20 discount
    19. Damons hotel and restaurants- free main and birthday cake
    20. TableTable- Free main
    21. Drake and Morgan- Free brownie dessert
    22. Grosvenor Casino- Free main meal and £10 bet
    23. Cafe Rouge- free bottle of bubbly
    24. Hummus Bros Club- Free birthday meal
    25. Boost Juice bars- Free boost juice
    26. La Tasca- Free Cava- Need to book in advance in birthday person's name (meal for 2 weeks either side of birthday)
    27. Chimichanga- Free bottle of house wine 
    28. Loch Fyne- Free Joeseph Perrier Champagne
    29. Pitcher and Piano- Free cocktail or beer
    30. Jamies Italian - Free gift
    31. Bingtang Birthday Club- £10 voucher and 1/2 for birthday boy/girl
    32. Jongleurs- Free ticket on birthday 
    33. Strada- Free bottle of proseco
    34. Etsy- Free birthday discount
    35. Paperchase - free £10 discount
    36. Bobbi Brown- Free birthday kit
    37. Debenhams- Free Benefit Brow Wax
    38. Boots- Free advantage points
    39. Nectar- Free Nectar car points
    40. Pixifoto- baby photo on childs 1st birthday 
    41. Lego club- Free birthday card and treat
    42. Playmobil- Birthday card and badge
    43. Toys r us- Geoffrey's birthday club- Free £5 voucher
    44. Mothercare- 20% off toys on child's birthday
    45. Spur steak and grill - Kids eat free
    46. Ebuyer- Free next day delivery (worth £9.99)
    47. Dove- various freebies
    48. Joy the store- 10% Joy Club members on their birthday
    49. Liverpool Philharmonic kids club- Free tickets
    50. N.dulge members- birthday treat
    USA Freebies
    1. Denny's - Free grand slam - present valid ID
    2. Krispy Kreme- free doughnut
    3. IHOP- Free meal on birthday- join Pancakerevolution
    4. Baskin Robbins- Free ice cream 
    5. Ben and Jerry's- Free Scoop of ice cream
    6. Starbuck- Free coffee 
    7. Black angus steakhouse- Free Steak meal (with purchase of a second entree)
    8. Applebees- Free dessert
    9. A&W- Free Float
    10. Pizza Hut- Birthday Surprise
    11. Old Chicago- Free pizza
    12. Olive garden- Free birthday surprise
    13. Tucanos Brazilian Grill - Free birthday meal 
    14. Sticky Fingers Club- Free entrée 
    15. Pappa Murphy's - Free cookie dough
    16. La Madeline French Cafe- Free pastry
    17. Jersey Mike- Free sub and drink 
    18. Fuddrukers- Free burger
    19. Dunkin Donuts- Free coffee
    20. Culver's - Free sundae
    21. Cinabon- Free mochalatta chill
    22. Jack in the box- free dessert 
    23. AMF bowling- Free bowling
    24. Aveda- Free gift up to $24 in value
    25. Wendy's- $1 of any premium combo
    26. Red Robin- free gourmet burger (with loyalty card)
    27. La Madline- Free pastry
    28. Maggie Moos' - Free ice cream cone
    29. Glory days grill- Free dessert
    30. Del Taco- Free premium milkshake
    31. Black angus steakhouse- BOGOF steak dinner
    32. Au bon pain- a free sandwich or salad
    33. Carrows- free dessert
    34. Fox and hound- BOGOF entree 
    35. Anthropologie- 15% off
    36. Benefit- free birthday brow arch
    37. Chuck E Cheese- kids vouchers
    38. DSW shoes club- $5 voucher
    39. Firehouse sub- free sub
    40. HuHot mongolian grill- free meal
    41. Jersey Mike's- free sub and drink
    42. Maggino's- free $10 vouchers
    43. Menchie's frozen yoghurt- birthday surprise 
    44. Orange julius- free drink
    45. Pretzel Maker- Birthday surprise
    46. Sephora- Birthday surprise
    47. Smashburger- Birthday surprise
    48. Yoghurt mountain- free yoghurt
    49. Weinerschnitzel- free hotdog
    50. Zaxby's- free kids meal

    ______________________________________________________


      If you are new to our blog, we are all about finding new ways for students and millennials to make and save money. Here are some of our favourite sites and products to help you out:
      • Start a blog. Blogging is our side-hustle just over a year ago we didn't think I would bring us any income . You can create your own blog here with my easy-to-use tutorial. You can start your blog for as low as $3.49 per month plus you get a free domain if you sign-up through my tutorial.
      • Save money with gift cards Whether its for buying clothes, your weekly shop or dining out use Zeek to buy discounted gift cards to get more bang for your buck. 
      • Use Swagbucks for your online searches. Swagbucks is a passive way to earn gift cards. Over the course of a year you could earn $500.  Swagbucks is just like using Google to do your online searches, except you get rewarded “points called SB” for the things you do through their website. Then, when you have enough Swagbucks, you can redeem them for cash, gift cards, and more. Receive $5 for signing up today.
      • Try matched betting. Matched betting is a great way to may easy money online. Despite the name it is not gambling and could see you earn £500-£1000 a month for only a couple of hours work a day see here and here. For your free trial head to profit accumulator or join the Facebook 'getting started' group.  
      • Sign up for a cashback site like Quidco. where you can earn CASH BACK for just spending like how you normally would online. The service is free too! Plus, when you sign up through my link, you also receive a free £10 bonus!

      5 ways students can save money this semester

      The term is about to start and so we start to feel the pinch to our wallets that is College. The average UK student spends £735 a month on living expenses and that goes up significantly in many cities such as Oxbridge and London. Plus there is the cost of tuition to factor in. I've previously written about not taking out more student loan than you need and one of the ways you can help this work is by using money saving techniques to allow the money you have borrowed to go further. 



      Use free transport
      Consider walking or cycling to class or if you live in a city with free pubic transport use it rather than driving. Driving to school, unless your commuting from home is usually unnecessary and costs you in both fuel and in parking (parking at my College is £400 a year!!). Plus the benefits of walking or cycling everyday to your health are great. If your going to use public transport you have to pay for try to buy a season ticket as this significantly reduces the price.

      Get textbooks on the cheap
      Consider buying your textbooks secondhand, often the best way to do this is if your faculty has an annual book sale. Other options are to look on amazon and eBay. Don't forget you can also use options to sell you text books. You may also want to consider renting your text books, Amazon Book Renting is a great option. Or consider working as a book reviewer for a large univeristy book press for the chance to get free textbooks that are new.

      Keep the dorm low cost
      There is the temptation to want to buy everything brand new for your dorm but there are a lot of thing you can cut back on. Firstly there are plenty of items that you probably already have i.e bedding and that you can bring with you. Keep an eye out at yard sales for cheap pots and pans and kitchen items as though used you can pick up higher quality items for a lower price than shops like WalMart.

      Keep fitness free
      We've already mentioned how great walking/cycling everyday is for fitness and there are lot of free or almost free fitness options at college that are so much cheaper than a gym membership. In Brighton it is only a £1 to swim as a student and so I love to use this option (plus I get a free shower after so I save on water at home). There are also a number of outdoor gyms which offer similar equipment for absolutely no cost. There are also lost of societies on campus for sports which offer free or very low cost training. One of the most popular at my college is the walking society where they organise regular walks and hikes in the surrounding area. There are also shops such as Sweatshop which organise free running classes. 

      Skip the meal plan
      It it generally cheap and healthier to cook your own food rather than living in catered halls. This way you only pay for food you eat not the meals you miss. This is especially the case if you eat out a lot as if your on a meal plan and you eat out you are essentially paying twice for one meal. Cooking your own gives you the opportunity to cook more budget friendly meals and if your looking for convenience then consider bulk cooking and taking advantage of your freezer.


      How did you save money whilst in college?
      brokeGIRLrich

      Save money on your electric bill

      It is so easy for bills to creep up in cost and the electric bill is often one of the worst due to all the things that can change how much we use. Follow these simple steps to help reduce you electricity bill. I would alway recommend comparing supplier and don't assume your are with the cheapest option. In addition avoid pre-paid cards/keys as they work out much more costly, unless you are struggling with budgeting for bill then paying as you use (and topping up only when you have the cash) may be a better short term option. 



      Turn off the lights when you leave the room and don't leave items on standby. I find that by using an extension cord it is easier for me to remember to turn of switches as I can do several in one go. 

      Use big appliances like washing machine and tumble dryer in off peak hours (usually at night). Also try to run them on shorter/ eco cyces.

      Avoid using a tumble dryer if possible. A good old fashioned washing line works great most of the time  or an indoor laundry maiden 


      I don't use my kettle much but when I do I make sure to only fill up as much water as I need. So I am not using energy to unnecessary heat up extra water. 


      If you don't already had energy saving lightbulbs these may a good item to invest in as in the long term it will reduce energy use or consider solar lights for outdoors. 


      Keep your fridge/freezer in good condition, with no ice build up and 2/3 full (even if its just water bottles) for maximum energy efficiency.


      Use energy efficiency appliances such as a croc-pot (slow cooker) as an alternative to other more expensive ones. Also look at the energy rating when purchasing a new appliance. 



      How do you save electricity? 


      ______________________________________________________


        If you are new to our blog, we are all about finding new ways for students and millennials to make and save money. Here are some of our favourite sites and products to help you out:
        • Start a blog. Blogging is our side-hustle just over a year ago we didn't think I would bring us any income . You can create your own blog here with my easy-to-use tutorial. You can start your blog for as low as $3.49 per month plus you get a free domain if you sign-up through my tutorial.
        • Save money with gift cards Whether its for buying clothes, your weekly shop or dining out use Zeek to buy discounted gift cards to get more bang for your buck. 
        • Use Swagbucks for your online searches. Swagbucks is a passive way to earn gift cards. Over the course of a year you could earn $500.  Swagbucks is just like using Google to do your online searches, except you get rewarded “points called SB” for the things you do through their website. Then, when you have enough Swagbucks, you can redeem them for cash, gift cards, and more. Receive $5 for signing up today.
        • Try matched betting. Matched betting is a great way to may easy money online. Despite the name it is not gambling and could see you earn £500-£1000 a month for only a couple of hours work a day see here and here. For your free trial head to profit accumulator or join the Facebook 'getting started' group.  
        • Sign up for a cashback site like Quidco. where you can earn CASH BACK for just spending like how you normally would online. The service is free too! Plus, when you sign up through my link, you also receive a free £10 bonus!
        *This post contains affiliate links, all opinions are our own*

        Money Monday || Cash envelope system

        As many of you know I am a big fan of Dave Ramsey and one of the ideas he advocates is using a cash envelope system. Todays blog post is about how I implement this into my life. 



        So firstly I don't use cash for everything. I use a combination of cash, debit card and direct debit/standing order to pay for my monthly expenses.
        Rent and bills are paid by standing order so they are set to come out. Other expenses such as textbooks, clothes, transport which I pay less frequently and have annual budgeted limits I have envelopes for (though sometimes I use debit).
        There are two main areas I always pay for with cash, my weekly grocery shop and entertainment/ eating out. These are also the two areas I am most prone to overspending. I take out my cash once a week, usually the day I do the food shop. Previously had tried using actual envelopes for these categories, but this was not helpful as I'm always changing bags and would forget to take them if I was just popping down the shop. So instead I use the separate compartments of my purse to separate the money into its respective categories. 

        Within my purse there are three compartments. One I use for my weekly shop money, the other I use for my dining out and entertainment money and the back compartment I use to keep all my receipts and coupons. 
        For other expences which I spend less frequently (i.e. clothing or books) I use my cash envelopes (and these are kept at home unless I'm going out to buy from that category. They are super easy to assemble and I usually print in greyscale to save ink(and pennies). Below is a link to the cash envelope printable that I use. Whenever I spend from these categories I will make sure to write down how much I spend and on what on the front to help me keep track. As I find for expenses I have an annual (not weekly) budget for because they are less frequent it is super easy for me to forget what I've spent. 
        If I use my card to spend from one of these categories then I take the cash out of the envelope and deposit it into my account (or put it aside for next weeks budget and withdraw less cash the following week).