AD|Money saving tips and ideas for Summer

Did you know that we are now spending on average up to five times more on fashion? It’s so hard not to respond to emails with discount codes and free shipping beckoning you to take a peek. When it comes to eating out, the choice we are now faced with is mind blowing, and the fact that we can get pretty much anything delivered straight to our front doors is not helping to curb our spending habits. Here’s why I’m writing about money saving tips and ideas for summer to make sure you are 100% sorted with some cash in your pocket. First up is finding wardrobe alternatives.

Photo by Artem Beliaikin @belart84 from Pexels

The first thing that comes to my mind when I need a new outfit but am tight on budget is a charity shop. My hometown in Ipswich has a trendy place called Zest, part of the St Elizabeth Hospice charity. Walking in you would not think that anything is second hand in there at all. The vibes are fresh, stylish and so easy to navigate, and these sorts of places are perfect to score a killer look for a fraction of the price.

Photo by rawpixel.com from Pexels

One idea I had that you may not have thought about is asking a friend to help you out. Sharing wardrobes is such a smart way to shop without having to spend a penny. Just think of that one friend who has been dying to give you a makeover for years- I’m sure they will jump at the chance to get you ready for any event you have planned.

Another way to save money on your wardrobe is something I actually stumbled across while watching BBC Breakfast. I learnt about a company called Hire Street who bring you amazing outfits with prices starting at just £8! Instead of forking out over £50 for an outfit you probably only want to wear once, this option is by far the most affordable.

@hirestreetuk

Moving onto food, I have a few tips for your weekly shop and for eating out as well. Have you ever wondered how to get great cashback deals online but aren’t quite sure how to go about finding them? Mamas and Dadas, look no further than Your Baby Club. This website has so many wonderful tricks that will help you start saving in no time. For example, I placed my weekly Asda grocery order, spent over £40 which I would do anyway, and within 14 days I had £15 in my online account. No fuss, no clauses, just £15 that I transferred into my bank account, making my £40 shop actually £25. You can find amazing deals just like this through other websites like Top Cashback but I can only vouch for Your Baby Club as a tried and tested source.

Photo by bruce mars from Pexels

When it comes to eating out, it’s all about choosing the right time and planning ahead. Book your culinary destination based on what deals are on offer, and in most cases you can save up to 40% off your food bill if you dine out during Mondays to Thursdays. Another handy tip is try looking for newly opened restaurants or bars and go on opening night. They will no doubt have free drinks and lots of great deals for you during their first week of business.

Photo by Stokpic from Pexels

If your ideas for summer have blown out the window due to unforseen circumstances, then finding a short-term loan might be something you are thinking of looking into. Cash Lady are a well-established and reputable short-term loan lender who care about their customers.

Photo by Suzy Hazelwood from Pexels

There is no charge for making an application, and your application is sent to around 15 lenders to help increase your chances of being accepted. Make sure you know all the information about committing to a short-term loan, and the best place to start your easy journey is with Cash Lady.

Thanks for reading my money saving tips and ideas for Summer. Do you have any handy hints you’d like to add to the conversation? Let me know how you are getting on in the comments below!

Saharasplash x

Disclaimer: This is a collaborative post

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Why this week will be special

There are many reasons as to why I wanted to write a post about this particular week. As many of you will know, the UK celebrates Mother’s Day this Sunday- the adverts are on our screens, display windows are filled with reminders, but I can’t help feel torn about the holiday. I am excited as a mother and being able to spend the weekend with my own mum, but there is a part of me that wishes my mother-in-law, Iris were here. My heart also goes out to many people I know who have lost mothers and female figures in their lives, as it can’t be easy during this season.

I am going to make this week special by dedicating it to all the women who have had a positive impact on my life, for however long or short. My mum being the biggest impact will be getting a few surprises, and we are going to start off the weekend with a three course meal from a local pub in Suffolk (more details to follow!)


This week will also see a lot of pampering with the help from Nivea (items pictured were gifted), a brand super close to my family. My sister never goes without the Nivea daily face cream and there is always a plentiful supply of lip balms and bath products stocked at my mum’s house. I am taking over a few new products like the Rose & Argan Oil Lotion and the Hyaluron Cellular Filler. Sharing is caring, and we share a lot between my nan, mum, sister and I. Generations of love and care really resonates with the Nivea brand, and I am lucky to be able to have such a strong female surrounding still as I am reaching my 30’s.


What is your favourite Nivea product, and which lovely lady would you share it with? Let me know in the comments how you will be celebrating or remembering this week- whatever way, make it special.

Saharasplash x

Thanks for reading, why not check out my latest RUSH Hair experience before you go!

A Truly Alice in Wonderland Tea Party

It’s no secret that I have been slightly obsessing over everything Alice in Wonderland since having my own little Alice. I think this birthday party had been an idea in my head during pregnancy as soon as I found out I was having a girl and that we would name her Alice. So, a Truly Alice in Wonderland Tea Party was set in motion and I’m here to share a few moments from Alice’s first birthday party…

Sign by The Paper Butterfly

As usual, my head was filled with specific details and I couldn’t wait to get started with the preparations to see it all come to life. We had hired a village hall for around 40-50 guests so we had enough space for us all to have one giant tea party! I used artificial grass which we had kept from our wedding day, and this grass has come in so handy for other uses too! The decorations, plates and food looked amazing when everything was laid out.

Decorations by Talking Tables (the Truly Alice collection)

I had some beautiful Alice-themed biscuits made just for the occasion too, and I think we had about two left when the party was over!

Biscuits by Sisters that Bake

The hall came equipped with a kitchen so we were able to make guests any tea they desired, including this fabulous blend by Adagio Teas.

Some of my favourite flavours were in this special blend, and I can’t wait to explore more of the range this winter.

Tea by Adagio Teas

Party bags were waiting next to the most whimsical cake made by one of our local favourites.

Cake by The Cupcake Kitchen (Ipswich)

Now for some costume reveals. Of course Paul came dressed as the Mad Hatter. Alice’s grandad had an inspired waistcoat that fit so well with the theme.

I came dressed as a big Alice- clearly I couldn’t avoid the sign that said ‘Eat Me’!

Alice’s dress was a limited edition piece from Cath Kidston with quotes and delicate designs.

The Queen of Hearts was inevitably Alice’s nana, her auntie came as a very dapper White Rabbit.

It was such a special moment to see Alice blow out her first birthday candle, an incredible milestone for an incredible little Alice.

Thank you so much to everyone involved and all our friends and family for a Truly Alice in Wonderland tea party.

Saharasplash x

PR samples included, all thoughts and views my own

Alice’s Naming Ceremony

Alice’s Naming Ceremony was a day that I shall never forget. Mostly because the planning nearly finished me off, and there were so many obstacles to overcome before the day arrived. I’m an early planner, and this ceremony had been planned down to the final detail months beforehand, and yet with just days to go, a poorly Alice in my arms and I couldn’t get things done quickly enough. Here is an insight into Alice’s special day, which by the end of it I wanted a nice cup of tea and a very long nap!

The invites were beautifully designed and sent out all in good time, but other particulars such as live music we not ironed out until the week of. We had a three piece steel band on Alice’s gorgeous, sunny day which created the most uplifting atmosphere.

The theme was very colourful, pastel purples and pinks ran through from the balloons to our outfits. The decorations were supplied by Talking Tables, the best events company in the business who I just love working with. I wore River Island and I decided on changing my hair up with some help from Secret Extensions- just look at my luscious locks!

As guests arrived, they all greeted the star herself in her rainbow dress. I found this dress in T K Maxx and so the brand isn’t well known.  It fit her perfectly, and I chose a rainbow because of her middle name- Iris, which means rainbow in Greek and many other languages too.

As soon as the whole gathering had arrived, we started the ceremony, conducted by a local humanist. It was so personal and lovely, just like our wedding day.

Alice’s mentor Evie read out her wishes for Alice, and Harry stood in for our second mentor Hans who sadly couldn’t be there on the day, again like our wedding! He read a Dr Seuss poem which was just fab.

Here are a few of my favourite snaps from Alice’s Naming Ceremony, captured by my favourite photographer and friend Emma Shaw. She has a true gift for making magic happen through her lens and we were so grateful she could join us on the day.

Our guests were kept cool with Virtue Drinks, super tasty energy water which is sugar-free and went with the theme so well.

Beautiful cupcakes were made by Cupcake Kitchen, don’t these look too good to eat?!

Tea was served thanks to Ahmad tea, a wonderful addition to Alice’s special day bringing flavours such as Double Mint & Liquorice and Pear & Cinnamon to the table.

Photo: Lauren Schaefer

Guests could also satisfy their sweet tooth with amazing pink unicorn lollipops from Sparko Sweets.

Photo: Lauren Schaefer

Alice truly loved having a lick of these vanilla delights and being the centre of attention for the day.

Photo: Lauren Schaefer

Photo: Lauren Schaefer

I want to thank everyone involved, all our guests, family, friends and sponsors for the event for making Alice’s Naming Ceremony all that it could be- a magical day that I am so glad to have shared with you all. Also I have to give a massive thank you to my mum and Alice’s nana for hosting this event in her garden on the day which saw the end to our very long UK heatwave. It poured down just hours before things were due to start but the skies cleared and we had non stop sunshine for the ceremony, a true blessing!

Saharasplash and Alice x

Invitations designed by The Paper & Print Co.

Humanist Ceremony performed by Karen Turnbull

Cakes made by Cupcake Kitchen

Decorations by Talking Tables

Photography by Emma Shaw (unless otherwise stated)

Drinks by Virtue Drinks

Tea by Ahmad Tea

Lollipops by Sparko Sweets

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New house, new home for mumma

If you know my Mum, it isn’t that hard to believe that she has decided to move house. Not just to any old house mind you, but a rather lovely new house which we are in the process of helping her move in to this month. It’s been a long time coming, as the house she currently resides in is far too small for our ever growing family. Now that Alice has come along, the timing was right to make some major life adjustments as pretty soon she will need her own little room. The house we are leaving behind has a long history, starting out as my first home I remember and quickly becoming my Mum’s first nursery. I remember living upstairs and the nursery being downstairs. Our garden always filled with sounds of playtime and fun. But 24 years on, we have now outgrown the house, and plans to renovate and expand finished before they even got started when it just wasn’t possible to upscale as Mum would have wanted in the current quarters.

So, the search for a new house, new home for mumma began, and sort of by luck, one just happened to come our way just one mile down the road from the old house! It was just perfect- and had everything my Mum wanted in a house- bigger garden, bigger upstairs area with five bedrooms instead of three, and the dealbreaker- an indoor swimming pool. My Mum is definitely a go hard or go home lady, and now she can do both and put her feet up in her brand new digs as soon as we are done unpacking!

I’d love to share some photos with you from the new house, new home for mumma before we get started on doing the place up:

If you are looking to move house and need some help with moving, I’ve got a great service for you to hire all different sorts of vehicles for your job: https://www.psdvehiclerental.co.uk/

Saharasplash x

Thanks for reading new house, new home for mumma! I hope you’ll stay for one more post and check out my makeup dupes challenge with Beauty Base!

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Dragonfly Tea Brings Harmony

Tea is a wonderful thing. I’m sure most of you all will have a relationship with tea, however weak or strong, and I’ve got some wonderful new products to show you! Dragonfly Tea are a longstanding British tea company who have just released a selection of green teas which are just fabulous. These aren’t your ordinary green teas though, so for those of you who don’t like the traditional taste of a green tea and who find it too bitter, these are perfect for you! I took the green teas with me to my mum’s flat on the Ipswich Marina to relax and unwind after a very busy week. This is how Dragonfly Tea Brings Harmony to my life:

Dragonfly Tea Brings Harmony (9 of 17)

The flat is such a great place to come and take some time out to relax. It’s so refreshing and quiet where you can watch the people come and go from the balcony, or you can cosy up in the lounge or bedroom for a great night in.  I took all three boxes of my Dragonfly Tea with me-

Dragonfly Tea Brings Harmony (3 of 17)

Citrus Green

Citrus Green is so refreshing and zingy, the extra kick of lemon in green tea is my absolute favourite. It’s perfect as a palette cleanser as well as a great way to purify and detox at the same time. I always feel great after I have a lemon green tea, and it really helps me to drink more water as I find it really difficult to drink water straight up.

Pure Green

For those green tea enthusiasts who care for the original taste. Pure Green has a wonderful flavour which I love about green tea. I love to sip this in the afternoon which helps me stay energised and keeps me going until dinner time!

Berry Green

I tried Berry Green last and this ended up being such a nice surprise. A lot of teas who claim to taste of berries are really disappointing and don’t really taste much of anything, but this is definitely not the case with Dragonfly’s brew. It is bursting with lovely berry tones which I fell in love with. This is the drink I decided to take most of my shots with as I didn’t want to put the cup down!

Dragonfly Tea Brings Harmony (7 of 17) Dragonfly Tea Brings Harmony (6 of 17) Dragonfly Tea Brings Harmony (8 of 17)

My jammies are courtesy of Cyberjammies, thank you so much I absolutely love them! Dragonfly Tea Brings Harmony (10 of 17)

I even had my mum involved as we sat together on the balcony on the sun bed!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

TAKEN WITH MY NEW OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA 

I want to thank Dragonfly Tea for sending their new green teas to me to try, and I hope that Dragonfly Tea brings harmony to your home too! You can purchase them right here

Saharasplash x

For more brands and fun, check out what went down at the Bloggers Hangout last month!

 

PR Sample

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