I use my phone a lot. Doesn't everyone?  I feel like having a phone is one of the most useful items I own. Whenever I have a blogging idea or an idea for a story, I will use my phone's notes and write it down. Whenever I need to capture a memory, I will use my phone's camera. I love my phone and I feel like that is the same for most people. 

Although, what I don't like is having apps that I don't use on my phone. I feel like they take up unnecessary space.

Huji

First is Huji. Now, I am not going to pretend this is a new app and that you haven't seen it plastered all over your Instagram or Facebook feed. It isn't new and I do feel very late to the craze. But I love this app. Below are some of the photos I have taken using it. Basically, what it does is make like all the photos you take are from a disposable camera. I love both Polaroid and disposable cameras and the way it makes photos look. However, Polaroid is super expensive and although I do own one, I only use it on special occasions. And as for disposable cameras themselves, I do sometimes buy them when I am about to go on holiday, but they cost a lot as well. Plus you also have to get them developed, which is even more time and money, so this app is a definite winner.

Grab this app here - Huji

Grab this app here - FamCal

Grab this app here - FreePrints

Grab this app here - Canva 

Grab this app here - VSCO 

I get a lot of questions about blogging. How I manage it, how do I get people to read what I have written and how to start. But what I get asked more than anything is 'Why?' Why do you blog? Is it for money? How do you keep going? How do you stay inspired? And what I have found is that, as soon as people ask me why I blog, it tends to lead onto talking about why they haven't started blogging and how it makes them feel. 

I feel that blogging and actually running a blog comes with a lot of concerns. When I tell people about what I do, they usually express why they don't think they would make a good blogger. 

Here are some of the concerns people have when it comes to them starting a blog.

Of course, you do. Every single person has something interesting to say. I write about being a student a lot! Some many of my readers are students and would find my content interesting. Being a student is not unique or different. It is all about your delivery, your personality, your style of writing.

I don't have time

I am not going to lie, blogging is time-consuming. I have only just started posting three times a week because it's summer and I have a little more time. However, if time is the reason that you don't want to start blogging, it is definitely something you can work around. If you only have time to post once a week, do it. 

No-one will care about what I write about

All blogs have a demographic and a niche. It's all about finding your own voice and what you would like to say. I feel that with this concern, it's all about confidence. People will care and everyone has something new and interesting to say. Every single influencer, YouTubers, blogger has had to start from somewhere. You have to start at the bottom so you can move up. 

I can't take good photos or flat lays

The photos aren't everything. Yes, you do have to have a good icon for your posts so people are more likely to click on them. But you learn what type of photos look good and what don't. It's all a learning process and you should never think that there is only one skill involved in being successful. Everyone runs their blog differently and yours will be completely unique because it will represent you.


If you want to start a blog - just do it. 

Happy Friday! Today, I want to talk about a meal that I make often. If I am going away for a while, I tend to make this meal and put it in the fridge for my housemates. If I have had a long day at university and I want something quick and yummy, I will tend to make this meal. If there is hardly anything for dinner in the house, I will tend to make this meal.


I love making pasta bakes because I can just bung everything in a big dish, cook it up and serve it.

• A large, pyrex dish
• A bowl of grated cheese 
• A few serving of Pasta
• Some chopped up veg (I used peas and peppers for mine)
• A pasta bake sauce 

That's it! One full meal that you and your housemates can enjoy for cheap. In the wintery cold nights, when it's too expensive to have the heating on all the time, I find that this meal is a really good choice. 

I hope this series is helping you feed your belly easily and cheaply! Keep tuned every Friday for more helpful tips!

Are you leaving for university in September? Are you feeling a bit panicked? 

In a post I wrote the other day, '5 Things I Wished Someone Had Told Me Before I Had Started University', I spoke about not packing everything you own when you move. Your University room isn't going to be that big and you need to choose carefully what you take. In my first year, I made the mistake of hardly having any decorative items in my room. Overall, it made my little dorm room feel sad and I didn't feel at home because of it. You have to remember that you will be staying in that room for a long period of time and it has to be full of a nice, comfortable energy that will, in turn, make it an enjoyable place to work and feel good.

Photos

Something I did actually decorate my room within the first year was photos. I carried this over into my second year as well. Having photos of my family and friends all around my room definitely made the space feel more like it was mine.  I am a bit of a photo fanatic and I have always loved getting photos from my iPhone printed out. Occasionally, I will frame them and other times, I will simply use a bit of string and hang them using pegs. 

Wall Art

Plants

Whether they are real or fake, I have always thought that having plants present in your room always makes it feel a little more homely. In my first year, I had all real and alive plants. But as I started to get to know my surroundings, I started to spend more and more time out of the house. So eventually, most of them died. In my second year, I have solely stuck to cacti and plastic ( but realistic) plants. But having some greenery in my room has really made more like home. 

Hello hello. I hope you are well. I really starting to like this positivity posts that I have been doing weekly. It makes me feel good writing them and I get so many messages a week saying that others have enjoyed them too. Thank you for the ongoing support.  This week, I have decided to tackle the subject of relationships.

I want to broaden the topic of relationships in this post. Yes, a relationship is and can be between you and a significant other. However, I also want to talk about your relationships with your friends, your parents, even your pets. More often than not, relationships, in regards to your partner, are spoken about as having to be 50/50. You have to put in as much effort as you receive. Which, whilst being good advice, I think every relationship should be 50/50. There is no relationship in your life which will work out if you don't give as much as you get from it.

'Kiss your friend's faces more / destroy the belief that intimacy must be reserved for monogamous relationships / be more loving / embrace platonic intimacy' (Lora Mathis) 

All relationships are tricky. You don't always get along with your friends, parents or partners. The idea of a relationship should not always be about romance. It should be about trust, no matter who it is with. With trust comes the idea of vulnerability.  When people say that 'they find it hard to trust someone else' it generally means that they are afraid to be vulnerable. But if you can't break down that wall for at least one person, parent, partner or friend, then you will end up isolating yourself. Not every person is the same, not every person will hurt you. But its all about weeding out the ones that will.

And finally, a relationship is between you and one other person. Again, and I feel the need to keep repeating this...This is the same with all relationships. When you develop a relationship with someone, no matter what the nature of that relationship is, it is solely between you and that person, unless you want it otherwise.  If you are with a partner, it is no-one else's business what is happening between you two. And it is the same for the relationship between you and your parent, you and your friend and even you and your dog. In this day and age, when social media is huge, it becomes easy to find out little details about everybody's various relationships. However, think about privacy and how it wouldn't be fun to have your very own relationships invaded.

I loved writing this post and I really hoped you enjoyed reading it. Have a super good week.

Welcome to my new series! I will be posting a quick and cheap meal idea or recipe every Friday for all my students or just people who are in a rush! Being a student and feeding yourself can be difficult. Whether that be because of time or just that buy fresh and healthy food is really expensive. I find breakfast really difficult, as it's usually before my lectures and I don't give myself tonnes of time to eat as I value sleep too much. 

Are you in a rush in the morning? Does your breakfast suffer because you don't physically have time to make food before running out the door? Well hopefully, I have a solution.
So here is not one...but two things I prepare for my quick and cheap breakfast.

First: A Tropical Smoothie

I usually have a smoothie because I struggle to have my five a day throughout the rest of my busy day. This smoothie contains at least two portions of fruit and it is definitely packed in with lots of energy. I think its a create, easy and cheap way to start the day.

Second: Peanut Butter and Apple

Q1 - 'What is your favourite type of post to write?'

I love to write about most things. I love reading a lot so writing book reviews are always fun! But I also love writing my 'A Note On...' series as well because I feel like I am really offering advice to my audience. 

Q2 - 'Girl just how are you? Life looks good and I love your blog?'

At the moment, I am doing really well. I am working for myself as well as attending university and I am working hard on discovering the balance between the two. My friends and family are all really supportive as well which makes being able to write about what I love a lot easier. 

Q3 - 'How do I get more readers to my blog?'



Q4 - 'Where are you from?'

Life Updates:

That's start by saying - this is all my own opinion and personal experiences with people who have been deemed 'toxic'. I don't want it to sound like a 'toxic person' is a new species of human and that every person who performs any of these actions are awful, dreadful people. But I have found, that for me spotting someone who is too toxic for you can be extremely difficult and sometimes, it's the last person you would expect. I am the sort of person who has, what I would describe as an 'extremely open heart'. I like to help people and always think they would do the same for me. Which to be fair, doesn't always work out well.

Do you think you have a toxic person in your life?

They will bring your mood down