SUMMER LOVIN' ON A BUDGET.
Next year, I want to buy my first home (writing that down seems absolutely mental) and so 2016, for me, is about doing everything I can, on as little money as possible. I want to be able to savesavesave but still enjoy my summer.
Wonderful You has never been a platform to say I have all the answers, I learn as I go and so sometimes, I want to share the tips and tricks I pick up along the way. And that’s what today’s post will be - a little taster in to how I’m living life to the full, on a total budget and loving every second.
Keep Monthly Costs Low
I spend a good percentage of my life glued to my phone, keeping in touch with the people I love and also documenting my life via my blog. And so it goes without saying that I need it to be one of the most affordable areas of my life. Gone are the days where I want to spend £50 a month on a contract that still doesn’t cope with how much I need to use it - especially being self employed, I want to make sure my committed monthly costs are way down. LIFE Mobile offer an affordable rate on monthly SIM only contracts - it’s absolutely perfect for anyone looking for a cheap rate with peace of mind and no *gasps* when opening your bills. It runs on EE so offers great signal too and allows flexibility with tethering, smart cap buffers and data alerts. When it comes to being savvy with my business, this is something I just couldn't be without.
Days Out For Less
Fun days out for less are my absolute favourite and are the second most important part of an affordable summer for me.
A group of us headed in to Ely last weekend and I spent a grand total of £7 - and here’s what we did.
What to do in Ely, Cambridgeshire
We visited Peacocks Tearooms, which is a beautiful family run cafe overlooking the river. I ate gluten free scones (which tasted amazing FYI), with clotted cream and jam and a massive chocolate milkshake - everything is made to order so is incredibly fresh and tasty and super affordable too.
Even though Ely feels like a quaint little village, it’s actually a city, housing a rather wonderful Cathedral. Entry is free and the building itself is so beautifully vast you could quite easily lose an afternoon roaming around inside.
Situated next to Peacocks is Waterside Antiques - the largest antiques centre in East Anglia and again a family run business. Over 65 antique dealers provide precious gems for this place and there’s plenty of parking outside the centre and in the surrounding area in case you discover any hidden treasures to take home. I uncovered a stunning stand that I instantly fell in love with and that Alex and her boyfriend Will later went back to get me for my birthday (I have really good friends). From stunning furniture to diamond rings there’s something in there for everyone and it’s so large it makes for the perfect afternoon adventure.
It was such a beautiful day that we rounded off the evening back at Will’s with a BBQ - all chipping in a few pounds to create a feast to feed 5,000. It was the perfect way to end such a lovely, jam-packed day that literally cost less than £10.
Sometimes it's hard to know where you can cut corners when it comes to saving money in your everyday life, but if you spend a few days like this a month, spending next to nothing and ensure one of your monthly outgoings is kept to the minimum cost you'll be surprised how much you can save!
How will you be saving money this Summer?
SHOP MY LOOK:
This post is in collaboration with LIFE Mobile - however all views are my own and I love that posts like this help create some of my favourite memories with the people I love.
Photography by Alexandra Cameron.