Every Day Is Valentine's Day

So, I'm in my final year of uni and my god, life is hectic! But that's uni; hectic. So many assignments...no wait...so many group assignments! Bloody QUT. I think most university students will agree that sometimes uni can lead to an unhealthy lifestyle. We stress, we cry, we eat and we drink. We either stay up all night to write an assignment/study or we give up with a "that will do" attitude. I am so sick of crying and stressing out over assignments; it's not good for my health and for my future frown lines. This year, I want to conquer university and it's craziness!

Here are my survival actions. I've only just started adopting some of them, so I hope the rest of the year brings me more peace and control in my life.  

Buying a Planner 

Seriously. I bought a planner from Kikki K and I'm so glad I bought it. It was the first thing I bought before starting uni. I've put all of my assessment in the calendar section and I've customised the tabs provided to whatever I want. It's the organisational item you need for everything: calendar, to-do lists, meeting notes, projects and inspiration. I bought the medium sized planner. This is the one that I have:

My advice is to find an area in your house/apartment/room that is specifically for study, even if it is the corner of your room. It's great having an area designated for uni because you know once you are there, you are there to get things done. My house has a downstairs study and I've set up a desk with some cute accessories and filing systems. I still have a lot of decorating to do: I want to make it an area that is mine to motivate me.

Adding a To-Do List to your Desk

Having a to-do booklet on my desk in my study allows me to set my priorities for the day. Whether it is spending an hour on a marketing assignment or studying for an upcoming test, it's good to have at least two priorities for the day. I find it easier to write what I need to do, it's so satisfying crossing off a task on my list. I feel like I've achieved something. I make sure my to-do list doesn't just focus on university tasks, but also other daily tasks. 

Don't make uni your entire life

Some people do uni work 24/7 (this has been my most recent experience). It's absolutely crazy! There has to be some balance; something I lack. To bring balance back into my life, I've decided to set "business hours" for my uni work: Monday to Friday, 9 to 5. This way, I can be super productive by getting everything done within these hours. One thing I do is make sure I have a break every 2 hours for at least 15 minutes. This short break allows me to feel refreshed and ready to tackle more uni crap (haha). 

Treat Yourself

Or treat yo'self! I make sure I treat myself, whether it's having a glass of wine (or a few) at the end of the week or buying something new to wear. It's a good way to reward myself for working hard!

Release the stress

So far, my stress relief has been food. I'm upset about an assignment, I cry and then I eat. It's not a good habit to be in. My NEW stress relief is going to be exercise. Instead of eating chocolate or going to Maccas (I did this after handing in a 40 page assignment 5 minutes before it was due - I sprinted through the campus like there was no tomorrow. I probably looked insane), I will exercise. Usually, whenever I'm upset or angry, I find that the cycle classes at my gym are the best way to release negative energy. So from now on, whenever I'm feeling overwhelmed or upset about uni, I will go to the gym. It's important to get rid of all that negative energy. 

If you are feeling the way I am feeling about uni, make sure you try these out!

Well I've come to the end of my Frugal February challenge - well done, me. It was an interesting month filled with ups and downs but overall, I think I did pretty well. Let's see how I went:

WEEK ONE 

Look, to be honest, I ended up at the shops during the first two days of Frugal February. On the plus side, I didn't buy anything and I wasn't there for the purpose of shopping. I was there to watch my mother shop.

I really tried to wear things I hadn't worn in a while. I rehashed a pair of satin Sportsgirl boxer shorts which were great to wear on really hot days. Those shorts were the only "older" item that I started to wear again.

Overall, one week without shopping wasn't a challenge.

WEEK TWO

Confession: I spent money on a birthday present. I personally don't think it counted as a fail because it wasn't a purchase for myself.

Things did start to get harder - my favourite brands were releasing and advertising AW16 stock. Instagram was alive with many NEW SEASON posts. It was a downward spiral from there - seeing the posts, going to the website, having a good look on the website and creating a shopping bag. I also received some NEW ARRIVALS chat from my sister. Our chat began with her message saying, "Warning: do not go to the shoe section at DJs in the city!" Great...

I almost caved at the sight of all the new season arrivals but I stuck to my challenge. Instead of shopping, I made several cakes...YUM!

WEEK THREE

FAILURE ALERT: I bought a lipstick and two t-shirts. However, I paid for them with my credit card which I don't have to pay off until March so that's fine, right?

In my defence, that day was not a good day emotionally for me. A month of no shopping isn't that long, but this one emotional day made me weak. Why was it emotional? I was consumed anxiety and disappointment in myself and I felt like I was lacking direction in my life. I wanted to relieve that distress by buying something. Yes, it was nice to have new things, but that post-purchase satisfaction wasn't there. Shopping wasn't a problem solver and it should never be treated like that. Overall, I'm disappointed that I let my emotional state take over me. 

On a non-depressing note, I started to notice that I was missing mix-and-match pieces. There were tops or bottoms I wanted to wear, but nothing to wear them with. 

WEEK FOUR

The end was coming and I could feel it. I would embrace it. I made a few shopping carts on my favourite online stores. I don't know why - I didn't plan on buying any of the items straight away.

University was about to start, so I made sure I had a planner - thanks Kikki K! I considered that an essential purchase. Again, I tried wearing things I haven't worn in a while with some success.

You know what was fun about Week Four? I rocked a sequin skirt :P

FINITO and REFLECTION 

I think I had this impression of myself that I was obsessed with shopping, but Frugal February has allowed me to see that perhaps I'm not that crazy. I don't feel the need to go shopping, which is great!

Frugal February really allowed me to observe and take note of my current wardrobe. I now know what I need rather than what I want. There are items that are missing from my wardrobe, so I need to focus on purchasing those rather than making emotional purchases. I need more vibrancy and colour as well as "going out" options. There are only so many basic tees you can buy. 

While technically I may have failed with my emotional purchases, I have learnt from that experience. I feel like I'll be able to re-adjust how and what I spend my money on. 

Frugal February was a success and will be back next year!

Custom Notebooks in French Rose & Cherry Blossom from Zazzle

Soft Cover Folio (Pink and Copper) from Poppin

Kate Spade Strike Gold Acrylic File Sorter from Rachel George

This year is a year of change and challenges. I've come back from an awesome overseas holiday and I'm returning to full-time student life (to finish my degree this year) after a year of working full-time. It's always a bit of a shock going from full-time work to part-time/casual work (this will be the second time for me). So, I am giving myself a challenge.

FRUGAL FEBRUARY!

Frugal February will be a month of thriftiness. Shopping is my biggest weakness (I LOVE SHOPPING) - I'll shop when I'm emotional, when I'm bored or just the standard when I feel like shopping. Every time I shop, I pretty much always buy something. Safe to say, I know where most of my money goes. 

My challenge will be to not buy clothes/shoes/accessories/makeup for the entire month of February. If I need basics like makeup remover or toothpaste, that is acceptable. I need clean skin and teeth. Other than that, nothing! I have so many clothes and I am constantly adding to that pile. I really enjoy buying new things and because we are coming into the new season, the shops are full of goodies and new trends. It's going to be a challenge but it has to be done. One - as a reality check going back to student life, two - I need to start wearing all the clothes I have rather than just a select few pieces and three - because Frugal February rhymes.

The more I think about this challenge, the harder I think it's going to be. On that note, I encourage others to do this with me - I don't want to do it alone! It doesn't have to be shopping; it could be just makeup (if you're a makeup addict) or not going out for meals for the month. Whatever, it's your life.

So, I'm attempting to do this whole "healthy eating" and "cut out sugar" lifestyle and I thought I'd start with making an awesome breakfast muesli! I looked up a recipe from a website called Nutrition Stripped but I've adjusted it ever so slightly. 

Here it is!