I won’t lie to you; it’s been a very stressful couple of weeks where nothing has gone to plan.

This week has picked up straight away though, I’ve got job interviews lined up, I feel more motivated to do everything and my Dad is finally home after being stuck in America for two weeks.

While I’m writing this I’m not even sure where this blog post is going…so it will probably be a random one where I’m getting my thoughts down on to paper.

Job interviews

This is one of the highlights of my week; I got up extra early on Monday morning (actually normal time for me but extra early for any normal person) and set off in to town to hand out CV’s. It felt like I was 16 again looking for a new job but with a bit more confidence! I normally just apply for jobs online but I need something ASAP so I went round the shopping centre in town handing them out to all the shops I could. I always find it positive when you get a call back within a few hours, and that’s what happened! So I’m getting my best dress on to look all professional in the next week.

Motivation

Leading on from my previous point, I got some bad news that I wouldn’t be going back to Uni to finish my degree. To say I was/am gutted would be an understatement, there was a lot I wanted to take part in to make my final year the best it could be. However, I don’t need to dwell on it and after a strong drink (I needed to calm down somehow), I picked myself back up straight away and headed off to the library to start applying for jobs.

Gym

I’ve also been going to the gym, like seriously. I signed up as soon as I could when I got back to Kingston and I’ve bee going every few days, a great improvement on not going at all. My fitness is absolutely terrible, the first time I went I got off the treadmill and thought I was going to faint, even though the workout I had just done felt great, it was maybe a little too much too quickly so I’m going to work it up a bit more slowly but I’ve seen an improvement on my fitness already. I’ve also started a gym and food diary to keep track of everything, but more of that another time.

Positivity

I think this is really important to try and stick at. If you have a positive attitude you get so much more done (yes, I am being slightly hypocritical, I don’t always have one). I find that if I go in somewhere feeling positive beforehand then it’s so much more effective than if I don’t. Even though it’s only been a couple of days, this week I’ve been much more positive and it’s gotten me so far already. Bring on the rest of the week.

Money

I’m really, really bad with money. There I said it. It’s the one thing I can’t seem to keep organised but I’m trying and I’ve even said that I’ll take on two jobs till next year just to sort it out. I’m 21, with no savings and there are people younger than me who are better with money than I am! I mean I’m actually an adult now; I should probably start acting like it with everything…

Travelling

I won’t give up on this dream at all. There are so many places I want to go and so many things I want to see and why shouldn’t I? I wanted to start my travelling this year, and maybe I still can, but right now I’m thinking about going interrailing round Europe next summer and that seems like the better option as by then I WILL have my money all sorted out, like seriously I will. Travelling is something I want to do so badly so I won’t be giving up on it so easily.

Cheap Clean Eating

As far as I'm aware, a lot of my readers are students or now graduates and obviously we aren't the richest of people! therefore, this ones for you...some ways to reduce your food bill and still eat clean.

It has been found that it is definitely more expensive to eat healthily and junk food is considerately cheaper. If you don't mind going for products that isn't the highest quality then you should go for the everyday value or basic products. I've always bought these where i can but I have definitely seen an improvement in the quality of these products and they aren't as bad as you think.

Obviously you wouldn't go out and buy all organic products as this would instantly double your food bill, even if you go for own brands and not as low as value products then you will still be reducing your food bill to a more affordable price.

When you are planning your meals to ensure that you eat a clean diet you don't need to have meat with every meal which will bring down the cost of your meals. Some good alternatives that are just as appetising are vegetable stir fry (easy on the sauce!) and obviously salads.

If you can't live without meat then just find different cuts that are cheaper or go to a local butcher who will know which are the cheaper ones and can give you advice on how to cook them properly as well.

Also take a trip to your local market to pick up some bargains there, you can typically get large bowls of fruit and vegetables for only a pound or two. It may not last as long as those that you buy from the supermarkets but if you are going to eat it all or most of it then you are definitely getting your moneys worth.

Often if you buy in bulk you would get more for your money so if you cook in bulk as well then you have those clean meals already made in the freezer. If you have a family then obviously this would be a bit more difficult as you will need to make a lot more food to put some aside in the freezer so it would be much easier to just make it as and when you need the meals.

Finding a cheaper supermarket to the one you already shop in is also an option. If you use supermarket.com, select the supermarket you wish to order from and fill up your basket then you can see which supermarket is cheapest and you could end up saving loads of money. Also if you order from Tesco or Asda then you can get your food delivered for as cheap as £1. By ordering your shopping online you won't be tempted by the junk food you may normally go for and only get 'clean' food.

Buying food is undeniably a high expense but unfortunately we can't live without it so if you can do little things to reduce your food bill then hopefully in the long term you will see the difference both financially and in yourself.