A Healthier Grocery List

I'm writing this article to prove that eating a little healthier doesn't have to be hard and more importantly doesn't have to be expensive. Being a student the cost is always an important factor! Snack-A-Jacks Caramel 4 pack and Kallo Blueberry and Vanilla Rice Cakes are both available from Pounland. Whenever I see the Kallo ones in stock I always buy at least 3 packs as they are quite hard to find. It's also very hard to find plain rice cakes, often they are salted, chocolate or yoghurt topped and are resultantly not quite as healthy. However what I love about these is that they are deliciously flavoured whilst still being under 1% of my recommended fat, carbs, sugar and salt per rice cake. In fact the only place I have peen able to find completely plain unflavoured rice cake is the 99p store by a brand called Natural Foods. Aldi Everyday Essentials Porridge Oats this huge 1kg bag is only 75p at Aldi and is great for my breakfast porridge  I always prefer to make my own porridge from scratch so that it doesn't have all of the artificial and unnecessary sweeteners and preservatives in it. Plus it lasts for ages, unless of course I make flapjacks! Often I add a teas spoon of Asda Stevia Sweetener Granules to my porridge but it can also be used in baking or drinks. This tub was only £1.89 which is a great price though the same size tube is only £1 at Morrisons. It makes a wonderful alternative to cane sugar as it contains no calories and is 300 times sweeter in it's refined form than sugar, so a lot less can be used. Holland & Barrett Chia Seeds were on offer last week, this 275g bag was only £4.45 however they're on buy one get one half price now which is still great value compared to most supermarkets I've seen. The cheapest place you can find them at the moment is Tesco where they are £1 for 150g. I also try to keep a few packets of plain nuts in the house to snack on such as these Aldi Roasted Pistachio Nuts. Poundland also do great value on nuts and dried fruit, though with the fruit always read the label to make sure there is no added sugar! I really love the yoghurt covered banana chips, though they really aren't very healthy at all! Nak'd Bars are my absolute favourite shop brought healthy snack though I of course love rice cakes, Yoyo bears and ProperCorn/ Metcalfes skinny Topcorn too! As snacks go they are kind of expensive but make a nice treat every now and again when they're on offer. Even buying them wholesale the cheapest you can get them is 50p a bar which isn't bad really, especially when you consider what you would pay for a chocolate bar or packet of crisps. They're all-natural and vegan bars made just from fruits and nuts. Morrisons have the boxes of four on offer atm so it's £3 for 8 bars, which is the cheapest I've ever seen them. I love the cashew cookie and bakewell tart flavour, though I'm not so keen on the chocoate ones. I really don't know how they manage to flavour them so well! I've never actually tried plain green tea but I drink lemon green tea daily, at least one mug and I love the Tetley and Cipper Lemon Green tea. I have tried out the cheaper own band stuff at Tesco but to be honest it really doesn't taste as nice as the branded stuff.Tetley is cheapest at Sainsburies at 2.5p a tea bag for a box of 50. Green Tea has loads of health benefits including speeding up your metabolism, burning fat, regulating blood sugar levels and has caffeine in healthier amounts than coffee. Tetley Green Tea Boost are on offer at the moment at Sainsburies so it's £1 for a box of 20 which isn't the cheapest but I wanted to try them out, I'm really not sure if the health benefits they claim are anywhere near true but they taste great and even if it has a placebo effect of making me less tired I'll be happy. I also enjoy tropical flavoured green teas such as pineapple, peach, passion, lychee and lime so I'm also loving this Aldi Green Tea with Mango. I hope that what you take from today's post is that eating healthily doesn't have to be hard or expensive! All of the prices are correct on the day of posting.

Recent Purchases

With my birthday approaching and it being half term I decided to pop into town with my Mom and Sister, as I rarely get the chance now that I work Saturdays and Sundays. I was after a new pair of heels and bag for my birthday outing. I wanted a pair of heels that were slightly lower and had a chunkier heel so I'd be a bit safer and also a clutch as I don't really have any except my prom one which is rather tiny. Thankfully Primark delivered on both fronts with a big black leather clutch for only £5 and a pair of heels for £14.

I was also after a heavier coverage foundation as though I have been wearing BB cream daily I don't have any 'nigh time' foundations. On the recommendation of  a friend I popped into the indoor market to have a look at the make-up and was simply amazed at the prices. They sell a huge range of branded make-up at about half the price of Boots or Superdrug.  I picked up all of the make-up pictured for only £22!  I brought Rimmel stay matte powder for £3 and the new Maybelline falsies push up drama for £3, the Rimmel Match perfection foundation for £4, Bourjois 123 foundation for £4, a Covergirl lipstick for £1, Rimmel lash accelerator for £4 and Maybelline lasting drama gel eye-liner for £3. Reviews will come soon for most of these products I'm sure except for the Rimmel Mascara which I've already reviewed here and the Rimmel Foundation which I've already reviewed here too.

Sale Shopping December 2015

For the last few years now I've been popping down to my local Boots on boxing day to have a look at their half price sale and then going sale shopping with my friend in the Bullring on the 27th. Sadly (for me) my friend was away for the Christmas period so were unable to go shopping on the 27th. consequently I jogged to my local retail park on Boxing day (two birds, one stone, as they say) instead and had a peep at the sales in Boots, TKMaxx and Homesense. Whilst I resisted the urge to buy pretty stationary and home wares in Home Sense, I did Leave TKMaxx with a new pair of mom jeans for only £7 and some new running leggings which I have been eyeing up for a good 6 months I think! They sadly were not in the sale though and still cost me £19.99, why is fitness clothing always so expensive?! In Boots I somehow restrained myself and didn't buy anything for myself but instead bought potential gifts for friends over the year, though I definitely have my eye on that Mojito Kit, am I the only one who buys things as gifts for people rather than buying it for them self as it makes them feel less guilty? I brought a couple sets for guys too as I often struggle more with present buying for boys throughout the year. The best bit is that nothing that I brought from Boots cost me more than £6.50.

I'm really pretty pleased considering that I got my workout and shopping for the day all done before 11am and resisted buying loads of unnecessary stuff like I usually do. My mantra for sale shopping is 'Just because it's good value, doesn't mean you should buy it. If you didn't want it at full price, you don't need it at half price'. 

Lush Oxford Street Haul

 

On my visit to London I of course couldn't resist a visit to the Lush store on Oxford street. I planned on just having a look around and not actually buying anything but before I knew it I was buying 5 things. When I saw the bath oils I knew I had to buy some not only because they were Oxford Street exclusives but also because unlike bath bombs they seem like they may genuinely be of use to me. I picked up the gold one simply because LOOK AT IT. IT'S SO SPARKLY. It literally looks like a gold nugget. And it smells all warm and gingery, I can't wait to use it. I also brought one that smells like fruit pastilles and two that I can't actually remember what they smell like, but I know they must have smelt amazing. I also got the flamingo reusable bubble bar which smells like cocktails which is the only product I have used so far and it was pretty good. The bubbles didn't last long but I didn't use much of it, however it did smell great. 

The only other purchase I made in London (expect for Chipotle for lunch, Frankie and Bennies for dinner, fortune cookies and photo booth photos in Urban Outfitters[okay that was a lot more]) was a Kiko eyeliner which I recently reviewed and am currently loving!

I really enjoyed my day in London and can't wait to go again sometime, it only took a few hours to get there on the train as well, much easier than I would have expected, though it was a long day!

Home Sense Stationary Haulin'

The most exciting thing about September (after the fact that it's Autumn which means jumpers and new tv premieres and leaves) has to be stationary shopping! I popped into Home Sense and just got lost in the stationary section and also the coffee section and generally all of the sections. I found the binder clips first and I kept telling myself to put them back because 50p per binder clip is rather expensive, but then I kept looking and I kept finding more and more white and gold things and in the end I just had to buy them all. Oops. I just like matching things okay.

So the binder clips were £5 and made by a company called Roobee whilst the Notebook and clipboard were by a company called CR Gibson but I can't remember how much I paid. I'm considering using the notebook for school to note down assignments and such but I'm not too sure as it doesn't actually have any dates or anything. The binder clips have quite literally no use in my life currently, but I'll find one don't you worry and I thought the clipboard would be great just for keeping on my desk to note down ideas and things I need to remember. Currently it has a 'teen movie masterpost', recipes and a reading list on it. I'm sure it's going to be quite useful.

I'm currently on the search for an agenda, something like Kate Spade or Ban.do so any recomendations...

Heat Wave Haulin'

 Primark Sneakers £4.00/ EyeCandy False Lashes at TKMaxx £2.99

 Missguided at TKMaxx - £5.99

 Fashion Union at TKMaxx -£7.99

 White Cutout Cami - £5.00

 Basic Stripe Tee - £5.00

Monochrome Bardot Top - £6.00

Imagine the scene- It's England. It's June . And it's 35 FREAKING degrees. People are walking round in shorts, tank tops and flip-flops. And Katie cannot find a single summer appropriate top in her wardrobe. Cue a summer shopping trip!

Shorts are one thing I have plenty of, somehow I thought I needed 4 pairs of denim shorts for those 2 days of sunshine we get a year. But tops are another matter altogether. I genuinely haven't been clothes shopping since Easter either which meant I was far too excited. However I think I kept myself in check pretty well and I'm really happy with my purchases, particularly the two skirts from TKMaxx, the black knee length one is just so gorgeous and so 50's. I'm picturing it with a bardot and heels for a summer evening or with the striped top and flats for a more casual daytime look. The striped tee also looks lovely tucked into high waisted denim shorts as does the monochrome bardot which is so perfectly boho. The shoes were a bit of a brave purchase for me considering I'm very much a monochrome kind of gal but my converse are in such a state that I wanted a new pair of casual daytime shoes and thought these would be great for the summer. The only pair left were this size 5 pair so I took it as fate and picked them up with only the slightest of hesitations at the colour palette and pattern. I'm also slightly in love with the Missguided skirt as I love the slight asymmetrical cut at the hem and the monochrome palette means it will match with loads (hopefully). I might actually wear it for my brothers graduation, though I'm not sure what the weather will be like yet.

Anyway I should probably get back to writing my personal statement now...

Ikea Bits and Pieces

Um, who doesn't love Ikea?

My dad wanted a new mirror so of course off we headed to ikea and who can resist picking up a few little bits and pieces whilst mooching.

 Chistmassy washi tape for £1.50

 Napkin holder turned paper organiser £3

Vase 70p (I really need to find some flowers now)

Stripey Christmas Gift Tags £1

Oak Frame £4 (I have quite the plan for this, don't worry)

I actually picked this up on the last trip but thought I'd include it anyway. I think it was £3 and I love that I've been able to put all my photos underneath it plus my time table too.

So to answer the original question- I love ikea.

Back To School Mini Haul

My first ever Back To School post! I wanted to get this post out today since I'm so late with these posts which means I took these photos in the dark and my camera just does not deal well with the dark so the pictures are a bit blurry I'm afraid.

 I haven't really brought much this year as most of last years supplies are still some how intact. My school bag was from Primark, Lunch box from a local shop called Aspire, Shoes from New Look, spray from Victorias Secret (Can we just have a moment to celebrate the fact that there's a VS opening in the Bullring please?! I'm so excited!) and then a lot of note pads from Tesco.

How adorable is this! I found it in this local vintage type shop and I just thought it was soo cute in yellow and blue with the cute little elastic stripe. It was a bit more than I'd like to have spent on a lunch box but I've never seen one sooo cute.

  

I brought these today whilst out with my friends in New Look they were £20 which is about average for shoes I guess haha? They have super sturdy soles so I'm hoping they'll last me the whole year, I tend to go through shoes pretty fast especially since I walk home. I thought the gold detail was really pretty and I think they'll go great with my pencil skirt and blazer (we have to wear 'Business Wear' at my sixth form).

So whos looking forward to going back to school yet? Anyone? Anyone at all?

New York City: The Haul

Oops... There goes most of my savings...

So as you will know by now, I went to New York CIty for 6 days at the end of June and who can resist doing a spot of shopping whilst in New York! I don't think I really brought that much but my money sure seemed to disappear fast. That's the story of my life to be honest...

 NOTE: All of the prices are minus tax which is currenntly 8.75% I think.

 Victoria's Secret-  2 body mists for $3.00 each in the 75% off sale

 CVS- Nyx jumbo eye pencils in milk and black bean $4.50 each, plus the nyx eyeshadow base in skin for $7.99, EOS lipbalm in Blueberry for $4.69 and a l'oreal infallible eyeshadow in amber rush for $7.99 which is actually for a friend and shouldn't be in this photo,

 MAC-I bought my first ever MAC product whilst in New York from the store in Time Square! My friends very kindly gave me the money for the lipstick for my birthday back in March and I finally figured out which colour i wanted to buy so got it whilst i was in New York because it was cheaper. The colour is Creme Cup.

 Bath and Body Works- 5 hand sanitisers for $5 and a watermelon lemonade candle jar which was half price so cost me $6.25

Duane Reade Supermarket- 2 (huge) packets of twizzlers for $5, which is a bargain price considering what I pay in England for them and a big packet of Jolly Ranchers Crunch and Chew because someone brought me a packet for my birthday and I actually fell in love with them, plus they were only $3.79.

I'd hate to know what I would of spent if I'd gone for any longer than 6 days.

Half -Term Primark Haul

okay, well firstly I totally failed at the attempt to have a blogging schedule in the first week but school just keeps getting the way...anyway on we go...

On the Friday before we broke up for half-term we had an inset day (Thank you to whoever organises those!) and from previous experience I've learnt that these are the best days to go shopping, since everywhere is so busy on weekends, so off we headed to Primark! And here is what we bought...

My purchases-

Black and White Checkered shirt £10

Neverland T shirt £8 

Daisy Dress £13

I think I might be wearing this for my birthday party next week :)

My sister's purchases-

Striped Dress-£13

Lip print Jumper £12

Have you guys brought any thing nice lately?

'Food' Shopping...

Well on monday I accompanied my mom and my nan on their weekly food shop since I'm off school for the week (Thank god for half terms!) and...well... we ended up not just buying food...

Firstly my lovely nan treated me to this candle since I was looking for some new (and cheaper) alternatives to my yankee candles because I only have christmassy ones really.

And I must admit it smells gorgeous, it reminds me of vanilla flavoured angel delight that I used to eat when I was little <3

To be completely honest I may really have brought this just because I really liked the packaging but I do need a new hair mask since my Mark Hill miracOILIcios is running rather low and I figured for 99p you can't go too wrong.

This was my bargain of the day and quite possibly my favourite purchase! Unfortunately they only had it in neon green but at least I'll never lose it this way :) I got this for £2.99 down from £5.99 because the packaging was missing but it works perfectly and similar models cost £9.99+ online!

My mom actually brought the gorgeous notebook but it was so pretty that I just had to include it. I may be "borrowing" it I think ;) and they also had more striped paper straws to add to my (growing) collection. They are just too cute, I can't help myself!

A girl can never have too many paper straws it would seem. I picked up each of these packets of 25 straws for 99p at Home Bargains in Stechford.

Apparently a girl can never have too many popcorn holders either. I have been looking at these online and lusting after them for ages so when I saw them in the pound shop, I just had to get me some. The smaller ones were 2 for £1 too so all 3 only cost £2.

Unfortunately I had no popcorn to hand, only starbursts.

Well, all in all it was rather a good spot of 'food' shopping haha, how's half term going for you if you have it? Any recent purchases?