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- collaborative post -  The time has arrived... we are just over 6 weeks away from Christmas! And that means it's time to start preparing for the festive season. It also means there's a lot of yummy food on the shelves! Like last year, I've joined up with the Co-op to tell you about the festive treats you can find in store in the run up to Christmas, so each week I'll tell you about one of my favourite products and hopefully give you a little bit of inspiration in the process. This is week 1 and where else could I start but with mince pies. I don't know about you but for me the first mince pie I eat is the start of the holidays, more so than Christmas music or decorations. There's a few options available instore but I couldn't resist these Co-op Irresistble All Butter Pastry Luxury Mince Pies, and I can confirm that they taste as good as they look! There were a couple of raised eyebrows last night when I sat down on the sofa with one in my hand, but it was far too yummy for me to care and I wasn't the only one munching away for long! If mince pies aren't your thing, or if you're just not ready to start eating the festive food this early, why not take a look at the local gifting range in your nearest store and get a head start on your Christmas present shopping? I know I'll be picking up a couple of them for family in the next couple of weeks. Let me know what you think: Is it too early to be eating mince pies? Do you even like them? When do you decorate? Whatever it is just drop me a comment down below! Stay warm,x  - collaborative post -
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It's that time of year once again folks. The clocks have gone back. The nights are getting longer. The mornings darker. The hours of sunlight less. I suffer from depression and anxiety all year round, but there's a noticeable difference when November rolls around, because I have SAD or Seasonal Affective Disorder.
SAD (sometimes called the "Winter blues") isn't fully understood, and some people actually experience it in the summer instead, but its symptoms include: a persistent low mood that follows seasonal patterns, sleeping longer than normal or finding it hard to get up in the morning, and craving carbohydrates, amongst others. {For more info, the NHS has a section on SAD here}. It can be a tricky thing to manage, especially when I think most of us in the northern hemisphere have been brought up thinking of the "winter blues" as normal. But there are things you can do, here are some of the things I try to keep my SAD under control:
And of course, if you're really struggling, as with any other mental health condition, go see your GP. Therapy or medication might be better options for you, and as someone who uses both, let me promise you there's nothing wrong with needing either! So, stay hydrated, get moving in the morning, use the light, eat properly and above all remember, you're not alone. Hope you all have a good winter! I'll be sitting in front of my lamp if you need me!
*This post may contain affiliate or referral links at no extra cost to you, the reader*
 Budgeting is difficult and even if you’re sensible with your money and you don’t waste it on things that you don’t need, the essential costs can still be hard to manage. The cost of owning a car is one thing that people struggle with a lot because they can’t do without it, but they end up spending a big portion of their budget on it each month. If you find that you are struggling to cover the cost of your car each month, these are some of the best ways to make savings. Buy A Used Car Buying a new car is one of those expenses that you can’t avoid, but it’s hard to find the money. Most people aren’t lucky enough to be able to afford to pay for it all upfront so you will have to look at financing options. If you buy a brand new car, the monthly payments could be well outside your budget, so why not go for a used car instead? A lot of people avoid used cars because they think that they’re unreliable and more expensive in the long run, but that isn't always true. If you get something reliable, like Jaguar approved used cars from a reputable dealer, you shouldn’t have any problems. But if you go to a dishonest dealer, that’s when you’re likely to get ripped off and end up with a car that breaks down all the time. As long as you do your research and check the car over properly before buying it, a used car will be fine. I bought our car used and it's been great! Keep Up With Maintenance Car repairs are one of those unexpected expenses that can land you in some serious financial trouble. When the car breaks down out of nowhere, you will need to come up with the money to get it fixed, whether you can afford it or not. Sometimes, you can’t avoid this, but a lot of the time, breakdowns happen because you are not keeping up with maintenance. If you check the manual for the car, there will be a maintenance schedule that tells you how often to change the oil and other fluids, inflate the tires, and get it checked by a mechanic. If you notice any small issues with the car, don’t ignore them and hope they will go away because they won’t. They’ll turn into bigger, more expensive problems so it’s cheaper to get it fixed straight away. Drive Less The simplest way to save money on fuel and reduce the chances of breakdowns is to use the car less. We all need to use our cars for some things, but there are also times when we drive out of convenience. If you can find ways to drive less like walking or cycling instead, you will save a lot of money on car costs. It’s also a lot better for your health and for the environment, so it’s a good change to make. Cutting back on your monthly car costs will make a big difference to your budget and it will make it so much easier to manage your finances. *collaborative post* *collaborative post*  Buying a bed is not the easiest challenge anybody will come across, in fact, it can be quite a difficult decision. After all, a bed is not something which can be easily replaced. It costs a lot of money and is an integral furniture piece for any home. Therefore, it is obviously highly important that the right bed is bought. But what is the ‘right’ bed? There are a lot of factors that contribute to determining whether a bed is right for the person who is looking at it. First, you have the comfort factor, which is largely to do with the mattress. Everybody has different levels of comfort, however it is important to find the right match to the person buying it or else otherwise they will be in for an unpleasant sleep night after night. Next you have to complete the durability of the bed; how long will it last? And finally, you need to consider the bedroom in question against the bed which is being considered, in other words; will this bed look right in that room? A lot of people make the common mistake of going for a bed which is far too big for the room in which it is being placed. People tend to think the bigger the better, the more elaborate the better etc. But this is certainly not the case. If somebody has a small room then they are much better off going for a small double bed which is sleek and simple in design. It may not have as much going on as some of the other beds but it does not mean that it is not as equally stylish and show stopping. If someone with a small room was to go for a big double bed they would end up making their room look smaller, more cluttered and altogether confused. There are a whole host of fabulous looking small double beds available all around furniture stores in the UK as well as on the internet. As mentioned earlier, the person looking for a small double bed obviously needs to consider the size of the room as well as the layout of the room, as this is important when it comes to the actual design of the bed itself. Nevertheless, there are other important factors which also need to be looked at when it comes to the buying process. Furthermore, price obviously needs to be considered. This is one other reason why small double beds are so great; they are much cheaper. Home Discount UK is a great example of the sort of site to go for if you want a good deal. Nevertheless, they still range in price and therefore it is highly important that anybody looking to buy one buys within their means and sticks to the budget in which they have set themselves. However, it is advisable to not merely go for the cheapest option found as this could indicate a lack in quality. If all factors mentioned in this article are considered then anybody looking to buy a small double bed will certainly find the best one for themselves and their room. *collaborative post*
 There are all kinds of things you could be doing with your time. You could sit on your sofa, binge-watching Netflix. Or you could be kicking back with a cuppa and a good book. Excellent ideas both. But you won't get time to do much of either if you have a pile of household chores to get on with. This might be frustrating for you, especially if you, as the title suggests, border on the size of laziness when it comes to anything that appears chore-like. Still, that is where we come in. Here is our 'lazy person's guide to managing the housework.' #1: Bless your home with easier-to-clean features Are you forever vacuuming your carpets? Are you tired of getting on your hands and knees to scrub out drink spills from your coffee cup or wine glass? You wouldn't have to spend much time doing either if you opted for laminate or hardwood flooring, as cleaning up would then be a doddle. Are you forever trying to get stains out of your sofas and chairs? If you added washable furniture covers, this wouldn't be as big a problem for you. More detail here, http://www.lifeappears.com/home/, so have a read. And then research other ideas online on household features that will give you an easier-to-clean home. #2: Take steps to keep dirt out From the debris you collect on your shoes to the muddy pawprints of your pets, you are going to see an increase in your housework if there is dirt forever being walked into your home. Therefore, make your life easier with a dirt-catching doormat - visit https://www.flooring.uk.com/mats - and set up a cleaning station near your pet's entry points, so they don't have the opportunity to dirty up your best carpets and furnishings. #3: Buy a robot vacuum People are panicking about robots taking over the world, but hey, if they do the housework for us, then it's not all bad! Check out the robot vacuums at https://uk.bestreviews.guide/ and pick up something within your price range. All you need to do is turn them on, and they will busily get to work picking up all of the dirt and debris that has intruded into your home. Some of them even have mopping capabilities so set them to work in your kitchen and bathroom too! Meanwhile, you can set about with your binge-watching or reading, as you will finally have the opportunity to put your feet up. #4: Declutter your home It makes sense really, as the less stuff you have, the less there will be to clean or put away. So, if you haven't had a decluttering session recently, spend a day or two going through your home, and pick out anything you might want to throw, donate, or sell. And if you opt for the selling option, you might also make enough money to buy one of the robot vacuums we mentioned or to hire yourself a cleaner! Check out https://www.becomingminimalist.com/ for some useful decluttering tips. With these ideas, you won't have to do very much at all when it comes to the housework. Just the thing if you really can't be bothered to lift a finger! Thanks for reading, and enjoy your downtime! *collaborative post*
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