Budget Bride -Week1

Hello my lovelies!

I am so sorry! I have been such a bad blogger this week and neglected the blog a bit. To be honest I've been on such a high this week and only had one thing on my mind. MY WEDDING. Yes I'm getting married!!! After three years we have FINALLY set a date for June next year. I never really understood the whole bridezilla thing or the whole weddings are stressful thing, but I've had my first taster this week and the stress cloud is already showing an appearance! There is just so much to think about you don't know where to start first. The bridezilla head hasn't shown itself yet, note I say yet as you never know, its just so easy to get carried away!

I am not going to sit here and say I'm having a big fancy occasion because I'm not. Sure it would be lovely to have the castle, marque, white doves, fire works and lavish party with posh food and champagne all night long. That's every little girls dream. It was mine until I met Tom and realised the real meaning for marriage. Anyway my do is going to be a tad smaller, a registry office ceremony and some kind of pub/function room reception. It may not be lavish but its just as much stress and just as much work, though its nice stress and work I like doing! I thought I would track my journey through the blog, it may relate to other brides out there!

Through week 1 of wedding planning I have learnt that the first thing you should do apart from the obvious ceremony booking and notice to marry booking is getting the guest list together. You need to have a good Idea of numbers because that's the first thing people ask when you enquire about ANYWHERE. I'm actually going to rewind and say you will prob need to know numbers before booking the ceremony too because them rooms come in many size varieties!

What I found more challenging in week one

Getting Tom to tell his dad - Ok so this may seem little in hindsight but when its not. I have many family members that are excited and want to go public on social media but I felt strongly that no close family members should find out that way. I had told all I needed to and so did Tom... to a certain degree. He really dragged his heels when telling his dad and no there was no reason for it other than he is simply just a man. And a very laid back at that. Tom can be so laid back that he is going backwards at times. I was on at him for a good couple of days to tell his dad before he actually listened, this played my "bride anxiety" (yes I am inventing something) up bad.

Reception Venue - Ah gosh its not easy when your on a budget and EVERY venue wants to charge through the roof! No I am not after something for nothing but I would like there to be a good amount of options out there for us budget brides!

Notice Of Marriage -  Well this is a massive pain in the bum for me! I need to save up the £70 to give notice of marriage, I know a joke of a charge! This is the most stressful thing because I know it NEEDS to be done its going to take me 4 weeks to save to book and will probably the longest 4 weeks of my life.

Things I found easy in week 1

Ceremony venue - I found this quite quick, I had a pick of registry offices but I found this gem of an old manorish house and HAD to book! it was quick and easy with just a £46 deposit:)

Telling friends and family - I haven't gone wild on social media yet but I let it out to friends and family in a heartbeat as I just couldn't contain my excitement! They also know how long I've waited for this and how much it means to us.

Planning and organising - Thanks to my sister making me fab planning folder I have thrown myself into jotting things down and organising. It makes life so much easier!!

Picking Bridesmaids and Page Boys - Very important for a bride!  I picked them easily, I'm having my two girls Ava and Bella then Katie my lovely sister in law and Elisa my sister (And baby Jayde my niece) if my sisters okay with it . My page boys are gonna be my two gorgy nephews Alfie and Ronnie.

I think I have earned a nice glass of wine and to put my feet up! I'm gonna go and watch x factor now but I look forward to keeping you all updated with my planning next week :)

Thanks for reading :)

until next time

LotsOfLove
Beth...xxx

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The price of baby monitors!

So 6 months down the line we have decided a baby monitor would come very handy. It beats having the TV on lowest and running up and down the stairs every five minuets to check if Bella is crying. 

I started looking at monitors and was knocked back on how expensive they can be! Now I am not going to lie me and tommy can't just afford to spend £50 just like that so to be honest we needed a cheaper alternative. I got on the Very website thinking ordering it from there will be the only way to do it and of course they are also more dearer on there! First I though I thought I shall check on mothercare still to expensive I thought I would give Argos a go. I was pleasantly surprised there was a basic baby monitor ( all we need ) for £19.99 the brand name summer. I thought because I had never heard of it before and it was so cheap that it was not going to be very good. But I was so wrong! It's a bloody good baby monitor and for a decent price! It does the job what we need it too. 

I have wrote this post because I know there are plenty of people whom can't afford the expensive monitors and go without but you don't have to there is always something in your budget if you look. 

Hope it helps

LotsOfLove 

Beth...xxx

A Primark Bargin

I don't know about you but I have terrible trouble when painting my own nails. With hair I'm gifted but nails just no. I would rather get a set of acrylics white tips and not have to worry. Whereas Katie is a godsend with nails when she is down I will always take advantage and get her to paint my nails up really nicely. 

The thing is I will paint my nails make them look half decent but I'm a bugger for smudging them!  There will always be one that will just not seem to dry. So I was in Primark the other week, and I came across a nail polish fast dry spray and tbh I didn't think it was going to be much good but I thought with my luck with nails it was worth giving it a go! When I painted my nails after purchase I sprayed on this spray It actually worked! 

For those of you that are like me I would deffo get down to your nearest Primark and buy this it will improve your luck with nail painting for sure! And you ain't heard the best bit yet, this nail drying spray will not set you back too much it costs just £0.80p!! This is suitable for just any budget. 

A nail drying spray that actually works pricing in at just 80p is deffo a bargin who says beauty costs...

LotsOfLove

Beth...xxx

HAIR: Cheaper The Better?

When talking about hair products you initially think that the branded more expensive products will work better. I bet thousands of you look endlessly at all the different brands and think which one is actually the best.. They all say the same and all come with that whopping price tag. 

I personally have tried and tested so many branded mousses and hairspray. Tbh with all the branded ones I tried I was never satisfied, one either never worked or one didn't hold my hair for long enough or one was too tough to brush out. If I am fair the only branded one I found worked the best was treseme and is actually quality for the price the can will last you forever too! While I'm hear I will say as far as shampoo and conditioner goes I would get treseme all day long, not only does it leave your hair feeling softly fresh but it will last you a hell of a long time. Me and Katie where using the same bottle when living together and it lasted us over a month. 

Back to the subject now ... Ha ha. After going through countless products I have found one hairspray that leaves me satisfied in all alreas it lasts all day and is fairly easy to brush out too! This is Tesco own brand hairspray in the purple tin can.

 I have been using this for a while and it never fails to disappoint... Also with a lovely price tag of £0.70p you can't go wrong not complain! With this you can have lovely held hair allowing you to have your hair in any style you want in any weather even if you do live on a budget. This will be budget shoppers best hair friend :). 

I would also like to recommend another cheaper hair product. This would be dry shampoo. Dry shampoo has really took off and let's be homes it was only about time that stores started doing their own. 

I don't know about you but white marks on my hair when using it was a real pain in the bum. I had stopped using it due to this that was until I stumbled accross asdas own brand. This is the one in the blue tin. I can spray my hair creating a lot of volume and putting the greasy look off and not looking like I've aged early! No white marks. For this you will only have to pay £1.00. 

I hope this has showed you that quality and all in the price figures or the big names and to find quality its best to shop around trying things you may never normally try. I also hopes this reassures those who have to live on a budget that they don't have to hot with out and they can still have good hair products and create good styles. Remember "proofs in the pudding" as they say.

LotsOfLove 

Beth...xxx

Halloween Night

Halloween Night

So here we done a post on our Halloween day and this is our post on Halloween night. It was Ava's first Halloween in Windsor so we made the whole day and night filled with Halloween stuff. From Us and Ava dressed up as Cats during the day, to Halloween Jam "Pumpkin" sandwich for lunch, "Halloween Coke" throughout the day which was limeade, Hot dogs & Spaghetti for dinner which was meant to look like brains but kinda didn't end up looking like anything ha but Ava eat them all up and also had "Ice Scream" with Jelly Worms and Orange glitter over the top to make it look more Halloween themed dessert which she eat all up. We got abit caught up with time so Katie quickly carved up two pumpkins and it was her first time so wasn't very creative haha!! Then Legoland Fireworks on every other night in October & November we all got ready to watch them from out back garden as we are very close to Legoland, so we watch that for 10 mins then off we went upstairs to get ready. We only had 5/10 mins to take off our cat make up and into something more scary which ended up in us looking like a we have been splatted with blood ha!! Ava got into her Ghost outfit and put on some white make up which didn't turn out properly but she looked so adorable. We went trick or treating with Ava and Tommy and apart from Tommy we was all dressed and ready for sweets!!! As I've said it's Ava's first year in Windsor so we didn't really know where to know so we just went local around our road ect but know we know for next year where to go and where not to go. We was impressed with some of the houses going proper Halloween in the front garden and it made us want to go proper OTT for next year. There was tape in people front garden so it was like a maze going in there, was fake blood all over the door and one looked like a scary graveyard!! We deffo will be making our front garden into a scary garden next year haha!!! Here's a few of our pictures from the night.. 

 

We had an amazing trick or treating experience with Tommy & Ava getting right into it and in the end Ava learnt to take more and more sweets and got less shy. Soon as we got home, Ava tipped all of her sweets on the table and we let her chose a couple so she can have before bed and then we took away the rest to have over the next few weeks well months!! There was loads!! Now Halloween is over, all we have left of it is sweets from trick or treat and Halloween cookies we made. Now onto Christmas!!!! 

Lots of Love,

Katie & Beth xx 

Quick Tesco Post!

I went to Tesco today (this morning) to get a few bits for my parents arrival!

I used the scan as you shop  system for the first time and I must say it made shopping life so much easier!

You scan each item as you shop and add it to your trolley or basket if you have bags you can pack as you shop aswell! So you aint got to worry about the dreaded big food shop pack! You just pay and go! Another good thing is that you can keep an eye on how much your spending so if your on a budget its a god send! Definitely the best way for budget shoppers!
So if you live near a Tesco and have a club card I recommend you scan as you shop!

Thank You
Beth xx