DAILY DECEMBER #30 // My goals for 2015 // A ramble

I've never been one for setting myself a list of New Years Resolutions, because I'm rubbish at sticking to things like that and I don't like putting extra unnecessary pressure on myself! There are a lot of areas in my life that I feel I can improve upon, however...

Uni // I'm one of those people who spends 6 solid hours in the library for three days straight when it comes to deadline week; this is partially due to not wanting to spend an hour here and there going to the library (a lot of the time my assignments require use of software that I don't have at home), and partially because I leave things to the last minute. So from 2015 onward I'm going to try and not leave things to the last available opportunity! That way I'll be able to enjoy myself a lot more, as I won't be getting stressed.

Health // In 2015 I want to really focus on my mental health, and making myself as happy as can be - and I need to stop being so damn lazy. I also want to start eating breakfast every day, because most of the time I'm still asleep at breakfast time, or I'm rushing out the house still applying my mascara. I want to walk more and not get taxis as much, too!

Blog // I'd absolutely love to hit 500 followers at some point this year - that's my ultimate goal for this time next year, so we'll see how that goes. I'm pretty consistent with posting (so I like to think), so I want to continue that, and I really want to improve my photography skills - although the lighting and space in my uni house is just so dire, and I promise I'm not making excuses!

Miscellaneous // I want to look into having a poetry collection published; although I'm nowhere near ready yet, if I get the ball in motion early on, when the time comes it will hopefully be a much smooth process. I also want to improve on my badminton skills, because I love playing and I'm on the team at uni, but I'm still pretty rubbish. I also want to find myself a part time job so I can get saving to move abroad once I've finished my degree! Of course, ticking some things off my bucket list would be fabulous too.

DAILY DECEMBER #23 // How to be a savvy shopper

It's sort of wrong for me to title this post as part of 'Daily December', but I think it looks a bit neater on the page, you know? I've not blogged in a few days because my stress levels went through the roof due to uni and personal things, and I ended up physically ill by the time I came home for Christmas. There's still a lot going on but I thought I'd write a post anyway!

Since becoming a student and living practically on the bread line, I have become an expert in bargain hunting. I think it's all about knowing where to look and not being afraid to take a little bit longer to find what you need.

Places like Poundland or Poundworld or any variation of the shops that sell discounted brands for a mere 100 pennies, are the best places to get beauty bargains. Not so much make up - although you can find the odd OPI crackle nail varnish or a yellow and blue eye shadow duo from Collection2000 - but particularly skin care and hair care. I've blogged before about the fantastic range of Argan Oil products that I've used, available in Home Bargains and Poundland, but that's not the only thing you can spy on the shelves. I use the Hello Hydration range by Herbal Essences - the shampoo alone ranges for almost £4 in supermarkets, but you can pick it up in Poundland alongside other brands such as Head&Shoulders, Simple and Nivea.

Taking advantage of discounts is always a winner too - constant emails can be annoying but when you get an email with a discount code, everything is forgiven! The Body Shop are especially good for having offers on, and I don't think I've ever actually paid full price for something from there. Remembering to use your student discount, if you can, is always a good idea too.

I personally am a huge fan of Primark clothes anyway; I know people can be a little snobby about it, but when you're living off your student loan, how can you pay £40 for a jumper when they have the exact same one for a quarter of the prices a few doors down? I spotted a gorgeous metallic dress from Primark on someone's blog, and at £13 I thought it was such a bargain - I went straight there but I couldn't find it for the life of me. But then I spotted it on the reduced rack, for a fiver ... and then when I got to the till it was a mere one pound!!!!! I was gobsmacked.

There's loads of blogs who specify in blogging about being a bit more careful with your pennies and looking glam for less, here are some of my favourites:

athriftymrs.com
themissbeautysaverblog.blogspot.com

Apologies again for the lack of posts over the past few days - but hopefully I'll be back into it now, although possibly not every day! Two sleeps til Christmas, eeeeeek.

The Book Lover's Survey // TAG

I seem to keep doing tags that I haven't actually been tagged in, oops. Hopefully you don't mind, and today is the Book Lover's Survey. I study Creative Writing at university, so naturally books are a massive part of my life and they always have been.

Do you remember how you developed a love for reading?

I learnt to read at an early age because my wonderful mum read stories to us every night before bed, so books were always around. I remember in primary school racing through all the books on whatever level I was on, and I enjoyed it so much.

Where do you usually read?

In bed or in the bath, mostly. I absolutely ALWAYS read when I'm travelling or on holiday.

Do you prefer to read one book at a time or several at once?

When I was younger I would literally have a book in every room of the house and I managed to keep track of all the plots at once, which is a skill in itself I think. Nowadays though, I'm so busy and my mind is so full of everything else that I only have the head space for one at a time (with the exception of uni books, blah)

What is your favourite genre?

Definitely crime novels, but I also have a soft spot for "chick-lit" and those tragic 'based on a true story' kind of books.

Which genre will you not read?

I don't think there are any genres that I would categorically not read because for the most part, every book is different. That being said, I find auto/biographical stuff to be quite boring.

Do you have a favourite book?

Is there a harder question that this in existence? I think not. I literally cannot choose; the best book I've read recently is Wild Boy by Jill Dawson, and another favourite of mine is Little Face by Sophie Hannah - she's my favourite author.

What is the worst book you've ever read?

This might be vaguely controversial, but I honestly didn't enjoy Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, despite it being the "thriller of the year" ... I wouldn't have even said it was a thriller, personally, but that's just my opinion. I would never say a book was bad, per se, because everything is subjective.

What is the biggest book you've ever read?

I'm not sure on this one; I don't tend to read big books! However, I read The Host by Stephanie Meyer and that's quite big.

What was the last book you bought?

I can't remember the last book I personally bought, because I have so many on my shelves that I'm yet to read - but the last book somebody bought for me was The Telling Error by Sophie Hannah.

Which do you prefer? Library books or buying books?

Definitely buying books - I become very attached, and I always want my books to be mine. Plus you never know when you might need it for something.

What are you reading now?

Severed Heads, Broken Hearts by Robyn Schneider, although I believe the title has changed to The Beginning Of Everything.

What are the disadvantages of being a book-lover?

Not being able to read everything you want to read. There's so many amazing books out there that I might not even get read in my entire life time, which is a painful thought.

 If you have any book recommendation please leave a comment below or tweet me: @katygilroyblog

TVSCB - Chicken in Black Bean // Recipe

I recently introduced a new feature on my blog: The Virtual Student Cook Book, or TVSCB for short. The aim is to share the recipes I've picked up through my first year-and-a-bit of university, that are quick and easy as well as actually being nice. Today it's a chicken in black bean sauce stir-fry, which is my ultimate favourite.

Ingredients:

Chicken - I buy bags of frozen, ready-cooked chicken as it means you don't need to defrost it, and as it's already cooked there's no chance of food poisoning! It's also pretty cheap and can be picked up in the likes of Asda and Tesco, as well as Aldi.

Black Bean Sauce - You can buy this in jars or sachets: one sachet is enough for one person and you can grab them for 29p each in Home Bargains.

Vegetables - It's up to you what veg you put in; I like to have peppers, onions and courgettes, all of which can be found in Aldi or at fruit & veg shops for really cheap. You could add mushrooms, carrots or celery too.

Dried Noodles - These are also available in Home Bargains for around 60p, which gets you 4 'nests' - one nest is enough for one person, and once you've opened the packet they last forever: they're essentially the same as pasta! (you can get them in all the supermarkets too)

Let's get cooking...

I take a frying pan or wok and put some oil in, and some herbs/seasoning if I fancy a bit of extra flavour, although this isn't necessary. The chicken goes in first, as being frozen it needs a bit longer to cook.

While that's cooking, I chop my vegetables and boil the kettle ready for the noodles, which only take a few minutes to cook.

When the chicken has been sizzling for a while I add the vegetables, stirring them to make sure nothing gets stuck to the pan.

After a while I put the noodles on to cook, and once they're done I add them to the wok/frying pan so that they can 'stir fry'. I add the sauce too so it can heat through - and voila.

And you're done...

It's literally as easy as it - and it tastes amazing, although it looks pretty gross which is why I haven't included a photo. Naughty blogger. Don't shoot me. You might want to open the kitchen door or the windows when you're cooking to avoid the smoke alarm going off, and don't put the heat on too high as this can lead to burning the food while simultaneously leaving it uncooked. Hope you enjoy!

The Virtual Student Cook Book // An Introduction

As a student, I found it hard during my first year to make quick and easy meals that are both healthy and don't break the bank; by the end of the year I'd almost mastered it, so I'm going into second year with confidence and hopefully a better diet than literally living off Pot Noodles and chicken nuggets. And the occasional takeaway.

In my first year I lived in a house of 18 people, with one big kitchen. Even though it had 3 ovens, this made meal times difficult; but that's an extraordinary situation, and most typical "halls" have kitchens suited for 3-6 people. This makes it a lot easier to get things done. You could make a cooking rota in pairs, where one of you cooks while the other does dishes, taking it in turns to swap roles. Chipping in for a big weekly shop if you all like the same things would be a good idea too.

There are some basic things you need to know about cooking as a student:

1 // Freezer Space - If you're lucky enough to have a lot of freezer space, USE IT. Things like frozen veg are amazing, especially the mixed bags, because they last forever and don't go off. You can also buy things like ready-cooked frozen chicken breasts which are so easy to make a meal with. Not all frozen food is unhealthy!

2 // Sell By Dates - It's so boring but you've got to check sell by dates when you're shopping, because if you buy bread and it goes off the next day, especially when it's only you who's using it, then that's a lot of wasted bread. Same goes for things like cheese and sandwich meats.

3 // Planning Ahead - Try not to buy things if you're not sure whether it'll be eaten or not; as I said above, wasting food just isn't an option when you're on a budget - plus I always feel bad throwing food away!

Those are just a few things I learnt while I was in my first year, and I'm going to try and put out weekly recipes throughout the year. Hopefully I'll keep this up, as I've grown to love cooking for myself (and my boyfriend, most of the time!), and I know how hard it can be. Be warned; there'll be a lot of Aldi products featured here...