So if you read This Week's Reads #3 last week, you'll know that the local water supply was cut off for the entire day last Sunday. Our water did eventually come back on but not until 10:30pm. It got to that point in the evening where part of me kind of didn't want it to come back on. Having not had the chance to shower all weekend I would have had a half decent excuse not to go to work! Alas, it came back and I went to bed feeling fresh. 

However, I've spent the entire week in pain due to a possibly infected wisdom tooth breaking its way through my gums. So, I spent literally the entire day yesterday reading and writing blogs. I'll be honest, I did a lot more writing than reading but here are some wonderful posts I wanted to share:

Sinead over at Love.Style.Mindfulness features some of the most helpful posts ever regarding blogging. I've read a few of her posts now that give hints and tips on how to build your blog and make it better, and one of her latest posts, 5 Steps to A Killer Blog Title has certainly got me thinking about making some adjustments to past and future posts. 

Another blogger providing some really helpful advice is Hannie whose blog, Missing Wanderer, I also mentioned last week. One of her posts this week was about How to Budget for Your Travel Plans and honestly, what a life saver. I don't travel often (and definitely not the way I would like to) and as I'm not well versed in travel prep (I wouldn't know where to start if I'm honest) a lot of Hannie's posts will save me a real headache when preparing to travel!

Tunisia, 2014

As of late I've been trying to get back into yoga, however, a recent rearrangement of our room has left it near impossible to have the place to practice in. I've instead been trying to meditate at least once a day as I find both really help me unwind. So, with the things I've been trying to do to relax in the evenings, I really enjoyed reading Rae's post on her blog Love From Berlin about the importance of Yoga and Regular Massages. Now, I would really love to be able to afford regular massages or have a doting friend who doled them out for free, and no matter how many times I ask my boyfriend he's not prone to giving me a massage more than once or twice a month, alas, I just can't find the people nor the money to help me with that one. Nonetheless, Rae really makes you think about how important it is to take time out of your day to unwind in a way that relieves your mind from the thoughts of everyday life.

I hope you enjoying reading through this week's posts! 

I remember when I first went for an open day at a university and took a tour around one of Keele's Hawthorns Halls with a large group of parents and potential students. We poked our heads in and out of people's student rooms and commented on the ugly carpet, but as I chatted with my parents about how habitable this place could potentially be, though no 5* hotel..or even 3* for that matter, I overheard a concerned couple talking about the £9,000 hike in tuition fees and how they weren't sure sending their child away would be worth the crippling debt he would face after university.

Our open day visit to Keele in 2013

Personally, it had barely entered my mind. Of course when I first heard about the change I was disgusted that such an increase could take place and concerned that it would make an elitist society where only the very rich could go into higher education (like it still is in many countries and has been many times before). But I didn't let my concerns fester and looked into what it really meant...other than yes, a massive debt.

So for all those people out there, parents in particular, who worry about the affect the current tuitions fees will have on either your personal lives or the lives of your children, here's a little information about student debt for you - I hope it helps! 

The first thing to take note of is that you don't start paying your loan back until you're earning over £21,000 and they should, stop taking payments from you if your income ever drops below this. So for an example of what your repayments could look like, based on the information I recently received from the Student Loans Company, see below:

Basically, as you can see above, you'll only be paying back 9% of your income once you're earning above the threshold so really, the fees and loans shouldn't scare you away. 

Personally I've come out of university in around £36,000+ of debt, and am I worried about it? No, not in the slightest. I don't think the debt that you land yourself in by attending university is anything like the debt you can get in with pay-day loans or even credit cards if you're not careful and I definitely don't think it should stop people from attending university if they can find ways to support themselves during the university years if loan payments (loans & grants) aren't enough. 

And yes you're student loan will gather up interest at the rate it does dust whilst you can't repay it and even when you can, but you know what the absolute best thing is about a student loan? Any remaining debt accrued by your time at university and paid to you by the SLC is written off after 30 years.  

If you want a bit more reading material I would advise checking out this article, by The Guardian and of course, the Student Loan Company's 'Student Loan Repayment' website which answers lots of questions. The information on gov.uk also breaks it down nicely, click here to have a read. 

If you want some less light reading, I would recommend Student Finance for Dummies by Phil Davis. The 'For Dummies' series is quite an infamous one now, and personally I've never owned one of their books because nothing published really related to me, but this book definitely would have come in handy in the run up to university. More importantly, had I owned a copy then I could have marched up to that couple who were thinking about stopping their son from going to university because of the debt it would land him in, as though it were their choice, not his.

The book is 344 pages of thorough detail looking at so many aspects of your financial wellbeing at university, not just your student loan. It covers who needs a loan and goes into the detail of various ways to apply i.e the normal and most used route of government funding, other government funding options depending on your course such as NHS-related courses, social work and teaching and also goes into detail about getting grants from your university and educational trusts and charities.

The book contains a 'Contents at a Glance' page to give you an idea of what's ahead but then goes into some serious detail, breaking down each section of the book to help you find exactly the answers you're looking for.

Some of my favourite parts are Speaking the Lingo - which breaks down the meaning of certain student finance terms such as 'income-assessed' and 'bursary' (it really goes all out on that For Dummies thing covering all possible bases) - and the chapter dedicated to Myths About Student Finance. This chapter covers many of the things I have personally heard people say about student finance so they've definitely done their homework. The book answers both the myths you thought sounded pretty great, such as 'If you go abroad after graduation, you don't have to pay back the student loan', and the ones you were probably a bit worried about like a student loan making it harder to get a mortgage and the biggest of all, 'interest on my student loan means I'll have a huge debt to repay'. Other than the fact that yes, you will still be expected to pay your student loan if you move abroad, and no it doesn't usually get in the way of getting a mortgage, and finally of course it won't mean you'll have a huge (as if it's not big enough already) debt to pay because of interest on top, I wouldn't be able to put all the details that bust those myths into better words than Davis has, so you'll have to give the book a good read!

One last little thing I also like is how the book isn't just about how to get student finance and how to pay it back. As I said above, it's about helping you be and keep financially fit during your university years and Chapter 20 is dedicated to some Top Tips to Making Your Money Last - which don't vary much on the advice I've given in previous years which you can check out here and here - and Davis does also provide a lot of detail on how to learn about being careful with your money that can really help set you up for the future.

The book is retailed at £12.99 and is kind of an investment that you can pass around friends and family...until the government decides to change things I'm sure!

If I'm honest, there's no possible way anyone could say 'do this, this and this and you will pass your driving test'. It's a test that is hugely dependent on the day. It's nothing like an exam or an interview, there's no set method you can use. On the day of a driving test, there's so many variables. The weather, the traffic, road works, cyclists, tractors, animals and pedestrians. Honestly, don't doubt that absolutely anything could happen. 

Nonetheless, there are plenty of tips that I can pass on from my experience, and articles I've read on the net that helped me, to help you on your way to that pass. Once again, there's no guarantee that by following these tips, or any others you read, you'll pass with flying colours, or pass at all. I can't make any promises but do let me know if they help!

Trust yourself

I think it's important to trust your instructor because they know the method that a test follows and you won't, it's also important to trust your own abilities and have faith in them too. If you're not confident in your ability to drive, but have the basics down, your confidence, or lack of, may eventually be reflected in your your driving, when really you want to be improving. But confidence does take time, so give yourself that time. Doubt may also have you making mistakes when in fact, you probably did it right the first time. 

Don't be afraid to take more lessons 

I think both the cost and the average hours people spend driving before taking a test add a little extra pressure. Obviously, concerning money it's very much dependent on your financial situation, so if you're struggling to afford more lessons and want to rush in and take a test to save, it's probably not the best idea unless you're genuinely ready. In this case, ask family members if they wouldn't buying you driving lessons for Christmas or your birthday or any holiday they fancy celebrating with you.

There's also the option of asking your dear old mum or dad to insure you on their car and be your instructor for free. I'm sure they'll love it. 

And importantly, don't be worried about the amount of hours other people have done. When you first start driving many people are likely to reflect on the time it took them saying things like 'I was dealing with roundabouts in my first two hours' or 'it only took me 25 hours, why's it taking you so long?'. My opinion? Stuff 'em. Everyone's different. There are set things you have to do to pass but people need amount of time to practice for it. In some way, you can see some similarities with an exam. Everyone's given the same time to revise for an exam and to take it. Whilst the time we get to take the test is always the same, the time you have to revise/practice for it are down to how much time, out of what you're given, you feel you need to set aside. 

In terms of actually taking the test it's not so much like an exam. Yes, there are set things you need to accomplish but there's not much chance a horse or a cyclist will prevent you from passing your degree as they will your driving test. 

Consider keeping it to yourself

It's more of a tip coming from personal experience, but I know only telling a handful of people makes me feel better about taking any test. It's what works best for you, but sometimes only mentioning that you have your test approaching to one or two people takes off a bit of pressure. When I took my theory test for the first time I told anyone and everyone and I failed. Now the fact I told people didn't make me fail, my lack of revision and preparation did. However, telling people added extra pressure. The more people who knew I was taking the test, the more people I had to tell I failed the test. On my second theory, I only told my boyfriend. I passed. On my test, I only told my boyfriend. I passed first time. 

The fact I didn't have to worry about telling people if I failed and also the fact that no one else in the country, aside from my boyfriend, was sat there wondering how I was getting on took away a huge amount of pressure. 

If you find the more people you tell, the more support you have, then tell who you feel you want to. There's no set rule, like I said, it's what works for you. 

Make the most of your last lesson 

On the day of your driving test, you'll get a lesson beforehand with your instructor. It's up to you how long you want this to be, but apparently most just recommend the hour. If it's any longer you may spend too many hours driving before even taking your test, which in some cases may feel like what you need, but when it comes to driving around before the test you just begin to feel a build up of pressure and the longer you drive around before that, the more stressed you may begin to feel. But once again, it's personal to what makes you feel better.

Pick up on the things you want a last minute brush up on and cover these over the days before your test and once more on the day. They'll be fresh in your mind and if you performed them well multiple times in the run-up, fingers crossed you can do it again. 

Work hard on not panicking

It's so much easier said than done. Personally on the day of my test I felt a little numb. I made foolish mistakes but not enough to fail me or present danger to any other road users. Now, my test is actually a blur. Some people say they remember every detail, others say it feels like they blacked out. In my experience, it's more like patchy memories in my mind as though it happened 15 years ago as opposed to 4 months ago. 

Focus on the driving and not on the person sitting beside you, and don't let them get you flustered. I don't think they try to make you flustered, I think it's just the air they often have about them. My examiner reminded me of my primary school headteacher and despite the fact that many things she did should have ruffled my feathers and my focus, I acted as though she was barely there and focused on her voice, the road and the surrounding area. I treated her more like a sat nav than a human being.

Basically, just try to keep your cool. 

If you don't pass first time, don't be disheartened...

Take a fail as a lesson

Many instructors will say that those who fail once and pass on the second time, or even fail more than once, will eventually perform the best. The main thing that's terrifying about going into your first driving test is the unknown. Your instructor, friends and family can tell you how it's going to go down, but it's never going to be like experiecing the real thing. Learn from your mistakes if you don't pass first time and remember it's not the be-all and end-all, there's still time.

Other basic things you need to remember:

• Make sure you can read a number plate from approx. 20m away
• Remember to bring glasses if you only wear them for driving
• Remember your provisional license and any other bits and bobs you're asked to bring
• Ask your instructor to cover the show me, tell me question one more time - or several if ya feeling rusty
• Consider your speed - both going too fast and too slow will earn you points you don't want!
• Stay in your lane 
• Exaggerate your mirror checks - using your eyes is never enough, they need to see you moving your head
• Know how to work everything else in the car - it may not be something you necessarily cover much but knowing how to use windscreen wipers and lights are important for any of those variable situations! 

If there's anything else you want a little advice on, drop me a comment below or tweet me - @missisgoode.

If you've already taken your test, what would be your best tip?

I write to you now without a mains water supply. After spending over 14 hours tidying and rearranging our room and building an IKEA wardrobe yesterday, we woke up this morning ready to do the finishing touches and then wash and feel a bit more alive after the mass clear out. But no, a massive mains pipe has burst in the local area cutting the water supply to apparently around 20,000 people - what joy! So I'm just going to wallow in my own sadness (and filth) and tell you about some more brilliant blog posts I've read over the week...

I'd first like to make an honourable mention to one of the most relatable posts I've ever read. From joining in last Sunday's #lbloggers chat I got sent some links and found some great blogs to follow. Kirsty, from KirstyLondon, wrote an absolutely brilliant post last week about Why I Don't Adult Well. I absolutely loved this post because it basically just had me written all over it. I read through the list giggling away and mentally ticking off the boxes, proving that I, too, do not adult well. 

Anyway, back to this week's posts!

There was no way I wasn't going to feature the sleepiest little pup I ever did see. Amber has been showing off her new pooch all over her blog Amber Love and Instagram this week, and am I complaining? Absolutely not! The Happiness this week that Amber is experiencing is mostly down to her beautiful sleepy pup named Dobby (could he get any cuter?!).

The thing I love so much about reading other people's blogs is how one moment you'll be cooing over a cute new puppy and the next, you'll be reading something incredibly inspiring. For example I felt it worth mentioning Hannah over at Dainty and Ivory again this week because I really enjoy her blog. I hope she doesn't mind me sharing this post because whilst it's very personal, it's a really inspiring one about A Break Up and the Aftermath. Break-ups are never that easy and you can tell Hannah never found her decision an easy one to make, but I think the post is inspiring because it shows the importance of being with someone that has the same dreams, or letting someone who doesn't go. I think we all sacrifice something for the people we love but Hannah proves that there's only so far you should go, and whilst you may sacrifice things, you should never lose who you are along the way.

There's a new blogger I've just started following this week that I'd like to also share. Hannie, who runs her blog Missing Wanderer, shared a beautiful and very inspiring post on how she practices Buddhism in her daily life.  I've always wanted to learn more about Buddhism and Hannie suggested a good book to read which I'm definitely going to check out. All the things that Hannie mentions in this post are really important things to live by and it's definitely worth reading.

And now it'd be a bit hard not to mention some Valentine's Day posts. Topping it off is the woman herself, Holly, who rules over her blog Witch Cake - and if you're not following her, now is your chance! I've followed Holly for a while and hands down, she's a really cool, inspiring and approachable individual who's not afraid to be herself. This week, I loved her post In Defence of Valentine's Day. I didn't celebrate Valentine's Day this year with my boyfriend, there's something about living with his parents that didn't really get me in the spirit - but I've heard myself saying things over the years about the 'commercialisation' of it and I just don't understand what made me start saying that in the first place. I've ended up following the crowd in some sense, as many of us do, and a lot of us have said no to Valentine's Day on the grounds that it's just a way for businesses to make money. Now I said no to it this year because I didn't think cooking a romantic meal together and then eating it with his parents seemed, well, romantic but Holly made some really good points that kind of make you want to kick yourself for ever jumping on that 'they're doing it for the money' train. Though not to criticise people who do genuinely feel that it's just another money making scheme - personally, it doesn't bother me all that much but I know some people are genuinely don't celebrate the day for that very reason. It's a post definitely worth a read - and I've taken a lot away from it.

On the back of that, I also really loved reading Lisa's post, on her blog Lisa's World, about why her and her partner love to celebrate Valentine's Day. Their lifestyle and occupations mean that they don't see a whole lot of each other or get frequent opportunities to have a romantic night in or out. So, whilst many of us sit here slating people who celebrate the day, and criticising people for not showing affection everyday of the year, stop and think, what do you know about that couple's or individual's life? Probably not a lot.

I hope everyone had a lovely Valentine's Day doing whatever it was you did, and fingers crossed that on Valentine's Day next year, my boyfriend and I might have a place of our own to celebrate in.

I also hope everyone had a lovely week! I was going to add a few more posts to This Week's Reads #3 but I haven't had a coffee all day and my attention span is growing weak. I'm also a tad dehydrated, I've just had half defrosted frozen veg for dinner and I haven't even washed today - this whole being without water thing isn't working out for me.

On that note chaps, I'm going to put some Netflix on - I hope you all have a wonderful (water-filled) Sunday evening!

I've not even been a graduate for a year yet but I certainly have noticed some of the cons that come out of getting a degree. I was more than ready to finish university when I did, and whilst I'd probably give it a go given the chance to go back, I don't think I'd enjoy it as much the second time round. Whilst I like my life as a graduate now, there's a few little things I thought I'd warn you soon-to-be graduates about - nothing too bad guys, just a heads up of some things to expect when it comes to searching and applying for jobs!

source

Expect to lower your standards

I think after you stroll up that runway (okay it's just a walkway in a chapel or something) with your cape and sassy graduate hat, it's hard not to walk away and feel like you're an employable individual. You've got a degree, you've got three years of hard work, you've gained valuable skills like being organised and how to polish off a pint in less than 30 seconds, but yet, many of us are still not seen as the hugely successful adults we might hope. People with 2:1 degrees are everywhere these days and a degree doesn't always matter to some employers. I think many of us start looking from the top, with jobs that offer high salaries but ones that we also know we may not quite be qualified for in terms of work experience. I've found that lowering your standards and expectations simply to gain a bit of experience is sometimes an essential move to make. Now, by no means should you stop applying for those higher aspirations, but I think applying for a variety of jobs in the field you're searching in helps you to get a better understanding of what level and salary you're looking at. 

Expect other people in your field to be less 'educationally' qualified than you

It's not going to be the same for everyone as degrees are essential to some jobs, like Pharmacists and Psychologists etc, but not every job does require a degree. In my role for example, I work with two people who also have degrees, and are four years older than me, but I also work with another chap who is 25 too, however, he was kicked out of college and doesn't have an A level to his name. Now, I'm not being remotely judgemental to the people who don't have the educational qualifications, I'm actually asking myself 'Why did I do that degree?'. When you're surrounded by people with varying experience and qualifications who are doing exactly the same job as you, it's hard not to question your reasons for doing a degree in the first place, especially if you're not sure what it is you want to do with your life. Although, I think if you have the drive and motivation you'll see that having a degree still works in your favour in some cases.

Expect to be told you're 'overqualified' 

Like, no, no I'm not. I think in some ways this is an employer saying 'you lack experience in the field but congrats on your degree'. Experience does seem pretty essential in this day and age and I really don't know what people do if they've not had a job prior to or during university. Competency interviews that a lot of employers use are based on previous experiences within work and life, but there's only so many you can think of as examples if you've not had a job. I don't think being overqualified should be a reason to reject someone for a job, there's a lot that goes into getting a degree that I believe helps to build on those other skills, and if we can get through a degree haven't we proved that we can adapt to different environments and work to a standard not previously expected of us?

Also expect to be told you lack experience

As I said above, experience appears to be a pretty essential thing in the working world, thanks for the heads up adults. And it's not just any old willy-nilly experience, they want job specific experience that some graduates aren't likely to have - employers obviously want to know that the person they're hiring will take to the job quickly and be reliable from the outset. The problem is, there's surely only so much experience you can get whilst trying to get a degree? 

I wouldn't let the lack of experience get to you though. Maybe you'll have to go into a role that takes the inexperienced on, but there, that's your experience. It's easy to gather it, even in short courses or short-term jobs - whatever you've got to do to get to where you want to be. 

Expect job rejections

So we aren't as fussy about job rejections at university as we might be when we graduate. The rejections that concern us more at university are things like someone rejecting to give you a kiss or someone rejecting to buy you a pint - such is student life. But in the adult world, it can be rejections galore, especially if you haven't quite thought about lowering your expectations within the job search. 

If you want some advice on staying positive whilst on the job hunt, click here. 

Expect to need patience and persistence 

If you want something in life, it's not just going to come to you. Persistence is key in everything and whilst all these 'warnings', I suppose you could call them, seem so negative, the reality is, life isn't always peachy. At the same time, patience is also key. Whilst it can be tempting to sometimes throw it all in, the right thing will come along and you'll just need to go out and grab it. People who work at it will get there eventually, for some it takes longer, for others it works out in a flash. Honestly, the key is to not let the rejections, the comments that you're not experienced enough or those that tell you you're too qualified to get you down. It's tough, of course, but believe in yourself and most importantly, take away some knowledge from each rejection or acceptance. 

And finally, expect to learn from each experience

If someone rejected your application, can you understand why? What does your CV lack that would have perhaps helped you convince them you were the right person? Feedback is few and far between these days so don't go wracking your brain too hard for the reasons why if they aren't obvious. Get help if you need it, have someone proofread your CV and maybe get one of those real adults to have a nose over it. 

I don't believe you can keep posting the same CV into the pockets of similar employers and expect to see a positive result. People don't like simple CV hand outs in most cases, they want proof that you've seen their job advert and that you really are the person they need for this role.

So moral of the story, it's likely that you'll need to, at some point, learn from each experience - because how else do we grow?

Best of luck to those graduates still looking for work and all you third years whose deadlines are fast approaching. I'll plan my next post to be a little more on the positive side but I hope you all took something from this!

Hopefully the thing that you took from this wasn't further reassurance that your decision to never grow up was a good idea. 

MissIsGoode

I decided to keep a little more on top of my reading list this week. After getting in from work I spent my evenings practicing some yoga followed by some meditation with Headspace and then wrapped the evening up after dinner with a good blog or two.  

I've really enjoyed getting back into this side of blogging, part of me got so absorbed in my own blog that I totally forgot how nice it was to read about the lives of other people and hear their advice and stories. It's been great getting back in touch with the bloggers I used to religiously keep up to date with and to discover some new wonderful blogs too.  

So, what've I been reading this week?

At the start of the week I read a wonderfully positive post by Hannah, from Suitcase and Sandals, about Life After Graduation. Having both graduated not too long ago now, I understand everything Hannah says in this post and I just love how positively written it is. She recognises the hardship in working day in day out and the sadness of moving away from your university friends but manages to grasp at the good things that come out of the changes us graduates adapt to. This post is definitely worth a read if you're failing to see the brighter side of graduate life!

I've followed some bloggers since I started blogging back in 2012 but many of my favourite blogs were discovered when I first started joining in with Twitter chats whilst at university. Elif's blog, Chamomile Dealer, was one of those that I discovered when she sent me her link at the end of an #lbloggers chat. I really loved her post How Blogging Affected my Life this week as I felt like I could really relate to it. In this post Elif has talked about how blogging has helped to improve her writing and photography skills and has given her the opportunity to meet new people and find new sources of inspiration. One part of what Elif wrote in this post really stood out to me:

'Being around bloggers and reading blogs (...) also made me realize that if I can be inspired by others maybe I could inspire others too.' 

 And I feel that in itself is quite an inspiring statement.

Now it wouldn't be right if I neglected to share some pancake-related posts this week, would it? And Nancy, from The Nancy Wilde Experience, really caught my eye with a major pancake feast. Just look at all those toppings! And next to that roaring fire, I couldn't imagine a more perfect pancake day!

May I also say that the pancake posts were few and far between this year, sort it out people!

Lately I've been receiving some lovely comments from new readers and Rae who blogs over at Love From Berlin, was one of those wonderful people who recently stopped by my blog to have a read. I've spent this afternoon catching up on her most recent posts and it was hard to choose which one to feature! And whilst all her photos were enviable from her trip to Puerto Rico, I loved her post about islands and the ocean. Rae shares some stunning images of the beaches of Puerto Rico and compares her current life in Berlin to the tranquil getaway that the beach provides. As a person who's lived in Cornwall for the most part of my life, I really relate to the peace she feels whilst by the sea.

I've read some brilliant posts once again this week, but that's a wrap on This Week's Reads #2 because we really could be here all night. 'Til next week!

As always, do comment and leave your links because I love checking out new blogs...

Everyone is probably going to think this is going to be a real wild post about university and all the crazy things us students do, and whilst university did truly have its wild moments, there were some mediocre things that I hadn't done before university that I did eventually get up to (don't worry I'm not going to share it all). 

Never had I ever played 'Never Have I Ever' - from what I can remember anyway. I'd never really played many drinking games, but I'm sure at one college gathering we played spin the bottle and me and my boyfriend at the time, being one of a few couples there found it really weird and sat that one out - we also found it cringey that at 18 years of age a group of people wanted to play spin the bottle - oh the reserved life of teens in Cornwall. We'd played truth or dare at girlie sleepovers but the university Never Have I Ever is a brutal and weird game at the best of times. You've got people targeting each others secrets and mostly people using it as a way to get to know their new housemates, and you probably regret it completely because you end up knowing far too much.

Never had I ever downed a pint of alcohol that had food in it. You should have seen the dirty birthday pints our housemates made at university. Everyone got one on their birthday and many refused it. I couldn't finish mine and I'm sure it had gravy in it and the rest. Some of the pints we'd had featured all matter of leftovers they'd found in the kitchen and the worst thing was, most of the guys that were faced with one of these grotesque concoctions finished it off. I still don't know to this day if the dirty pints were more alcohol or mushed up food.

On that note, never had I ever post drank. Why is that a thing anyway? Why would anyone put themselves through that?

Never had I ever been on a first date. Not a real one anyway. When I met up with people at a younger age we were always in a big group, and then from the age of 16 until I went to university I was in a relationship with the same boy, who'd I'd always met up with in a group of friends before we started dating. My first date came around four months after that boy and I broke up, and it led to a relationship that I wasn't ready for at the time, but I had a great time nonetheless.

Never had I ever had to deal with such messy drunks. On the 5th day of freshers (this isn't a grime modern version of the 12 days of Christmas, but that's a good idea for a post - maybe some other time) my new found friend got excessively drunk after mixing quite the concoction of alcohol and also using one spirit as the mixer for another. Everyone was already very merry, including myself. I'd just finished putting one of the guys to bed, who I had also only known for five days, after he'd passed out drunk on the landing floor. Then I went to check on the girl next-door to me (who also quickly become my best friend and still is), who was practically a stranger at the time. She was a skinny little thing wearing the tightest of body con outfits and was crying on the phone to her long distance boyfriend. I had to get said girl, out of said body con outfit, into a onesie and put her to bed, as instructed by her boyfriend, who I'd never spoken to before. This whole thing was made more complicated by the fact that every few seconds she'd jump out of bed thinking her contact lenses were stuck in her eyes and begged me to get them out for her. After much crying and pestering I gave in. I literally pinched at the pupils of a girl I'd known for five days to get out contact lenses that were already in their case on her side table (I didn't know that at the time either - also quite drunk too).

What a hoot aye?

And finally (though some things have to be kept secret) never had I ever felt so confident. University really helped me build my confidence. I was a real wild fire, life and soul of the party type when I was drunk but I was so reserved when in my lectures. By the time I got to my third year I felt so much more confident, I spoke up when I felt like I had something to say, I answered questions without having to be encouraged to and just applied myself so much more.

What new things did you experience at university? 

MissIsGoode

And another one bites the dust on My Day Zero Challenge to do list, which I'm very pleased about. Only 93 and a half to go! 

Last weekend I decided to book my boyfriend and I in for a meal at Annie's Burger Shack in Nottingham. The previous weekend I'd been off for a night out in Sheffield with my friends and prior to that we'd been in Scotland for a weekend away with Michael's friends, both of which were lovely but the boyfriend and I hadn't got much time to ourselves. Not that we ever get time to ourselves exactly when we live at home with his parents, but you get the gist.

We'd been trying to get a table at Annie's Burger Shack since August. Initially I tried to book one in for Michael's 22nd birthday but man, this place proved to be high in demand! We tried a couple more times as the months went by but clearly we were always cutting it too fine and never got the chance to go. It's not a negative reflection on the restaurant at all, but more so a positive thing to see that they are so popular. 

I cut it fine again but this time it was a less busy time of year, and I thought it may have been likely that people were still sticking to their New Year's resolutions and therefore would not want a huge calorific American styled burger and fries, so as expected we got a table quite easily! 

I didn't manage to snap any photos of the restaurant unfortunately, it was a little too busy to bust out the camera or my phone and start snapping away other than to take a photo of our meals. But the decor was brilliant, there's a cool photo of the bar taken by a local photographer that you can check out here. 

We got seated in one of the corner tables with Michael having the sofa side as I was too short when on it to reach the high wooden tables (le sigh) and the woman who served us was really lovely. We first ordered some absolutely amazing Fruit Slushies that I could talk to you all day long about, they were so delicious. Michael ordered the Mango & Passionfruit and I ordered the Peach and they were both divine. You could definitely tell they weren't good for you though but we've been in a real treat yo' self mood as of late so why not continue. 

When we moved on to having a look at our choices for mains we were overwhelmed and spoilt for choice. We'd already had a look in the morning on their website and well I'd been looking at it since August yet I was still undecided. 

The North Carolina sounded delicious topped with 8 hour slow cooked BBQ pork, crispy fried onions and melted red Leicester. But then so did The New England Yankee Brisket topped with homemade beef brisket, melted American cheese and a dipping pot a beef jus. 

In the end I went for The Malibu Surf and Turf, a burger topped with American style seafood sauce, fried onion rings and breaded king prawns. We had a good selection when it came to our sides, you can either have curly fries, skinny fries, cajun or salted wedges or alternatively you can choose sweet potato fries or onion rings for £1.49 extra. Whenever I see sweet potato fries on the menu, I have to have them. And my lord the serving was huge.

MissIsGoode

I always end up having a big Bloglovin' catch up on the weekends when I'm not working, and there was two weeks worth of blogs to catch up on after working last weekend. Whilst having a good read through the many brilliant posts, I came across one entitled Share The Love by Belle from The Life & Times of Belle, who you can check out here. 

First and foremost, of course, is the very post I was just speaking about from Belle, Share the Love. To me there's nothing better than seeing people appreciate others in the blogging community when sometimes it can feel like a very self-centered and competitive place when you're not engaging in it as much, or even when you are on occasions. Nonetheless, a brilliant post and thank you for the inspiration. 

Next up is a blogger whose food I always admire and I suppose, desire (if that's not too weird to say). Cathryn from Little Paper Swans shared a recipe post for some divine looking Chocolate tarts for Valentines. If only I ever really got the chance to bake! 

I also got to see some beautiful sights from many of the travel bloggers I follow whilst catching up on my reading this weekend. Hannah from We Are Dannah shared some absolutely stunning images this week of her trip to Brazil. It's part of a new series she's starting called 'Re-Visited' and I seriously cannot wait to see more throwbacks documenting her travels. Certainly gets those wanderlust feels going!

I got note taking when reading Karolina's latest post on her blog Astral Lane all about growing your hair long and healthy. Now I've got the long bit down to a tee...but the healthy? Not so much. I'm definitely going to make use of her tips!

Another traveller got me feeling envious as I sat in my bed looking out at the pouring rain in Britain, and she wasn't the last either. Hannah from Dainty and Ivory has been keeping all her readers up to date with her Trek America adventures, and the latest post at Zion National Park takes us to some dizzying heights with some beautiful photos. 

Daniela, from Endless Dreams is a blogger who I've followed since I started blogging and I always enjoy reading her posts. She's an incredibly intelligent person and a brilliant writer. One of her latest posts is all about Tricks to get Better Grades and I think the advice she gives is spot on. So to my student followers, go check her blog out! 

I feel like I'm the only one still in England right now with this miserable weather because Sam from What I Know Now is on the move too, documenting her travels in Sri Lanka. She's currently there doing some amazing work (which she can't talk about for confidentiality reasons) and is blogging about exploring Sir Lanka and getting involved in the culture. It looks like an amazing experience. 

Last but by no means least is one slightly more personal to me and my family. I honestly got a bit emotional reading the latest update from my sister, Cupcake Mumma, about how my niece has requested to be taken out of the social media sphere. Whilst it'll be sad to no longer see photos of her all over my sisters blog, I'm so proud of the person she's becoming and that she's made this decision all by herself. Though it doesn't only make me so proud of my niece, but also of the amazing mother my sister is, if I'm half the mother that she is when I'm older, I'll be very pleased. 

MissIsGoode

This post goes out to all those soon-to-be graduates who are no doubt wondering where they're going to be in just a few months time. From experience, I know exactly how fast the next few months will pass and honestly I didn't have the slightest idea where I was going to be living post-university. To begin with, this time last year graduation seemed such a long way away and my boyfriend and I, being from counties over 300 hundred miles apart, were really unsure about where life would take us. I think in part we left it up to his pre-registation job to decide for us, as it was a case of where opportunity takes you, but our ideal (maybe ideal is the wrong word) living situation was moving in with either of our parents.

Now, having lived with my boyfriend's parents for 8 months, I feel like I'm ready to summarise the pros and cons of living with parents post-university. Of course, you've lived with your parents before and maybe even other people's parents but after student life and living independently things can never really be the same. I've covered some of the realities of living with parents post-university which you can check out here, but this post focuses on what you can get out of living with your parents, or someone else's in my case, and what you can, I guess, lose. 

You can save money

It's the most obvious one of all and probably the main reason us graduates choose to return home. Your parents aren't as likely to charge as much rent as a landlord would in most cases, though it's not something I can guarantee on. I know someone who paid her parents more rent than we were ever charged at university. My advice, don't move in and wait for your parents to drop the bombshell, talk it our with them beforehand. We made an agreement with my boyfriend's parents not to start paying rent until we actually had money coming in that kept us out of our overdrafts, which made sense to them and worked well for us, obviously. 

You can frequently get away with being lazy

Even if you've been at university and lived independently for years your parents will likely slip back into the same routines. Yeah you may be assigned chores but they will, fingers crossed, recognise that you're still their baby. If that's how you want to be seen and treated anyway. 

Personally when I visit my parents I do the majority of the cooking and wash-up frequently, as well as laundry tasks every once in a while but that's just something I like to do to help my parents out. My boyfriend's mum on the other hand doesn't tend to accept your help when you offer it, though she will likely moan at you for not helping out. But what more can you do aye?

You probably won't have to face the meal planning dilemma

I always found this a little bit of a task come dinner time at university, especially if I was only cooking for myself. I'd often end up just having some Ramen noodles, a tin of soup, pasta, pesto & cheese or a stir fry (not all at once obviously) because cooking for one is dull, and you always make too much anyway. But whoever cooks dinner in your house is sure to be inspired at some point during the day and delight you come dinner time. Though see the con's below about why, sometimes, this can make you a little disappointed. 

You may not have to do your own laundry

Does anyone really like doing their own laundry? Sure me and Michael do our own on occasions but my boyfriend's mum saves all the weeks-loads for the weekend and has always popped ours in with it if we haven't already done it. She also irons it which we appreciate, but have reassured her she really needn't worry. 

Someone will likely always be home when you get in from work

I'll be honest, I love to be home alone but coming home to an empty house unsettles me. I'm fine once I've been in the building for a little while but I can't yet imagine coming home to an empty house and waiting for Michael to get back. I don't like the dark and I still run upstairs at the speed of light in case a monster is chasing me, so coming home knowing that someone will be there is always nice.

After admitting that you've probably lost all faith in my advice.

You can't use work as an excuse to be lazy too often

'I'm too tired from work' will get a snappy 'yeah well so am I' rather than a supportive agreement from your friend and a shared look suggesting you're probably going to get drunk later. People in this weird real world have other tasks to do once work is over and you know, you're used to spending an entire day watching Netflix and still feeling too tired to do anything, but that just won't get you any sympathy here. Even if you're genuinely exhausted from work, there is no sympathy when 'you're an adult now' and this is life. 

You're not in charge

When living in a student house you're likely to live with a person who enjoys organisation, structure, someone who does a lot and is more or less the mother/father figure of the house. They're not there to put their foot down and tell you off (that often anyway) but more so to take out the bins or take care of you when you're too drunk. Real parents aren't about that and they own the house you're living in and won't hesitate to remind you of it. No matter your age or education, you're living under their roof. You may be a grown up but they'll sometimes treat you like a child and then tell you to stop acting like one. 

You won't often be able to 'fancy' something for dinner and have it

So yeah, I said how great it was to have your meals cooked for you so often but what happens when you fancy a Dominos? Do you suggest it to the whole family - who then expect you to pay for it? Or what if you come home having thought about a certain dish all day to discover your mum/dad has cooked something that couldn't be farther from what your taste-buds are desiring. It's a real first world problem, like all these cons are, but I'm sure it's driven some graduates out the parental home. 

You probably can't get away with doing as you please

Yes you can perhaps be a bit lazy but you can't come and go as you please. Some parents might let you but if you've got a worrier in the family they'll at least like to know where you are, when you'll be home and what you're going to have for dinner if you're out. You also MUST let your parents know if you're going to be late or won't need dinner. It's absolutely fair enough, I'd be annoyed if I cooked food and the person I dished it our for never turned up but there's still something in you that feels tethered to yours/someone else's family when sometimes you just want to be a little spontaneous, without having anyone worry about you. It's probably an inconsiderate way of viewing things, but when you've left the house day in day out for the past three years without having to warn someone of your where-abouts aside from your friends, in casual conversation, you get quite used to it. 

You're unlikely to get everyone over for pre-drinks - at least not as often as you'd like

Michael and I haven't had a friend over in this house since we moved in here. Why? Because it seems a little weird to have people round when we ourselves don't actually sit downstairs very frequently. Not only pre-drinks but also university catch ups. When everyone wants to do a meet up your place will never be selected as the meeting point because there's no where for your friends to stay, especially if you're living with your partners' parents and not your own. 

Your parents will want to know your savings from paying low rent are going someplace sensible 

They probably don't want to see you dining out and going to clubs, wearing brand new threads and drinking Starbucks on a daily basis, but rather hearing that you've opened a savings account, that you've invested some money in the stock-market and that you most certainly have not impulsively bought yourself a pet dog.

Still having to hide your food
You think hiding your food from thieves (like me) was something you only had to do as a student? Fools. If I leave anything in the fridge or cupboard downstairs that I'm really looking forward to, it will 100% get eaten. And when you go to eat it after looking forward to it all day, man the feels. If there's something that needs to be kept in the fridge sometimes I'll just risk it and put it in there, but other times I just eat it there and then, hungry or not, just to save the heartbreak. Everything else we really want is actually stored in our room - mostly this includes sweet treats but I also have to keep my hot chocolate, cappuccino sachets and even my tinned peaches and other fruit hidden in the room too.

Find out who you can trust guys, food is important. 

Trust me, I've had to resist hard with that last one.

And lastly, it has an affect on your sex life

I'm sorry if you're reading this Mum and Dad but living with someone else's family or even your own doesn't exactly give you many opportunities for some alone time. And even when you get the chance it's so likely that it'll be right when someone returns home, or walks upstairs. Basically, your sex life doesn't stop but you just have to be more wary that spontaneous moments can be easily interrupted.

On that note, I can't imagine what it's like to date and live with your parents still! At our age it's probably not a big deal but nonetheless, lack of privacy can be a real mood killer.

Basically, the fact that you save a lot of money tries it's hardest to trump all the cons but really, sometimes you'll think would it be that bad paying out most of your wages for a place you could call your own, where you'd be able to walk around in your underwear and eat left-over Domino's pizza (if you could afford it after bills and rent) for breakfast most mornings and just basically do your own thing without having to take into consideration that you don't live in your own home and you can't really do what you want. 

As I said, it's a real first world dilemma, but the age of people leaving home is rising so it may well be your best option. My overall advice? No matter the cons of living with parents it's a pretty sweet deal we have at this moment in time. We're successfully putting back a good bit of money for our own place, my boyfriend's parents don't demand much from us as we're both in full time work (working more than them sometimes) and we pay just what they request us too, and it's really not very much.

Whilst I'd love to have a place to call our own besides my boyfriend's bedroom, as two graduates in our first year of work it's a pretty sensible way of life.

MissIsGoode

Alas the first month of 2016 is over, 11 more to go. I keep seeing photos from last year that remind me how very different life was only a year ago. To begin with I was still living independently with my friends at university and really could do what I wanted. I was also writing my dissertation and going out frequently to celebrate our last year of university. But this post isn't to reflect upon my January 2015, but what I've got up to so far this year. 

I started the year off by posting my next Day Zero Challenge compiling 101 things for me to do in 1001 day encompassing the whole of this year, next year and the most part of 2018. There's lots of things on there that I hope to complete this year, I've completed 7 and a 1/2 so far in January alone which is looking good. I could have started a few more off in January too but there's still plenty of time! If you would like to check out my Day Zero Challenge, click here. I hope it inspires others to write one too!

The main event of my January was going to Scotland. We went for a friends birthday from the 15th-18th of this month and headed up to Argyll, a few hundred miles away. It was about the same distance as Cornwall and the drive up was pretty good. The weather was on our side for the drive and even for the weekend. We drove in dry conditions on the Friday and then the snow fell all of Saturday, covering the ground and mountains that surrounded our cabin. There were some high emotions over that weekend but in general it was a very beautiful little getaway. You can read more about it here.

Next up I got another visit in with my girls from Keele which was lovely. As per usual I got far too drunk, but one of us always seems to! Last time we went out in Sheffield one ended up being sick, and another ending up falling asleep in the club toilets. Never a dull moment!

But anyway, back to the weekend with my friends! It was an early birthday celebration for Sara who is now 22. Most of her birthdays at Keele were often quite the disaster with various things happening and I hope, even with my drunkenness, this year was a good one for her. We all arrived at Faye's house in Sheffield on the Saturday afternoon and sat down to have a Christmas day. We hadn't seen each other since October/November so we still had piles of Christmas and birthday presents to open and it was really cute opening all our presents together. We went out on that night, I was feeling tired and a little ill with a sore throat and cold but that clearly did't stop me from getting a little light headed and wild!

We went to the same old places we seem to always end up in in Sheffield but to be honest we felt like it was far too busy. It was crowded and there seemed to be hands almost groping you from every angle. Every where we stood it become a little passageway for people going home or going to get a drink so I was getting quite wound up when usually I'd just get on with it. I think people trying to touch my arse got to me a little as it's not something I feel is necessary or their right. I got so uncomfortable at one point I went into the toilets to phone my boyfriend and be sad about other boys touching me. Because, surprise surprise, I don't remotely want other boys groping me.

It was so lovely to see the girls but nights out are so hit and miss these days. They either make me think 'why don't I do this more often' or make me think 'why do I even bother doing this'. It's more often the latter than the former unfortunately. I think I over did it so much at university that I'm more content with a quiet night in or a meal out. I like a drink, there's no claiming I don't, but people touching me inappropriately ain't really my ball game. Or anyones for that matter I'm sure.

Moving on! I finished January off just yesterday with a long awaited meal at Annie's Burger Shack. My boyfriend and I have been meaning to go since last year but every time we tried to book a table it was always full. We gave up and forgot about it but I managed to get one booked for a Sunday and my lord were we full up afterwards. I'll write a little more about my trip to Annie's soon - but for now I can tell you the food was delicious, the service was great and they even let me take a doggy bag home that was basically another meal!

Overall, January has been quite enjoyable. Work has been tiring but I'm always making progress, we've not been to the gym much at least towards the end of January but we've been really happy. I've caught up with my friends and had a good weekend away - even got a bit of snow! What more could a girl need?

How was your January? As always, I'd love links to your January round up posts!