The cheap little things that make me happy!

You know when someone asks what makes you happy and you feel like you should say something really meaningful like spending time with family, living in the moment, all that lovely stuff. Don’t get me wrong, that is all important but if I'm being properly real for a second, it’s often the tiny, cheap little things that actually make my day better. Not the big holidays, designer handbags and not even those fancy coffees with swirly cream and a caramel drizzle that cost half your weekly food shop. I’m talking about all those small, budget friendly bits that somehow bring way more joy than they probably should.

So here are a few of my favourite cheap little happiness boosters.

A Greggs sausage roll!

I don’t care how fancy anyone claims their taste is, a Greggs sausage roll just hits the spot every single time. Flaky pastry, hot filling and slightly too greasy in the best way possible. You know it’s going to burn your mouth and you still go in for a big bite anyway. It’s still one of the cheapest little treats going. Proper proof that happiness doesn’t need a big price tag.

A new mug (usually under £3)!

Do I need another mug? Nope, but I will still buy a new one if the price is right. There’s something satisfying about starting your day with a cute mug of tea or coffee. It somehow makes your morning drink taste better!

Fresh bedding!

This one doesn’t cost extra but it deserves a spot because it feels like a total life reset. Fresh sheets and clean PJs after a bath or shower feels amazing and such a treat to get into bed.

A chippy tea!

There's nothing quite like it. Hot chips, salt & vinegar and eating it straight from the packaging that it came in. All while sitting on the sofa in front of the TV. It's simple, messy and the best tea!

Supermarket flowers!

Give me a £4 bunch from Tesco and I’m happy. I don’t need anything fancy from a florist. Something pretty on the fireplace really brightens the room up and makes it a bit more cheerful. It’s such a small thing but it really lifts my mood!

Cosy socks!

Those fluffy socks you grab in Primark for a couple of quid are the best. They may not last more than a few months but they make your feet feel like they’ve checked into a luxury hotel, forget spa days. I’m choosing socks!

Candles!

There’s something magical about a candle, even when it costs next to nothing in a bargain shop. I light one and suddenly my house feels like I’ve made an effort. Never mind the washing pile, or the dinner I’ve forgotten to cook. The candle here is a mood booster which makes me forget all my problems.

Stationery bits!

A new notebook or a fresh pen somehow makes me feel like I'm about to become organised, even if that feeling only lasts a couple of days. There’s just something about blank pages that feels full of possibility.

Maybe happiness isn’t always the big shiny stuff we’re told it should be. Maybe it’s the candle, the last chip or that new mug I didn’t need but had to have anyway. Those things manage to turn an ordinary day into something a bit better!

What cheap things make you happy?

The Wednesday Hodgepodge #64

I hope you are all having a good week. It's Wednesday, which means it's time to join in with the Wednesday Hodgepodge with Joyce who blogs at From This Side of the Pond! Each week there are 6 questions, we answer and then link up. Simple!

1. "Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability." Sam Keen. Do you feel less guilty relaxing in July than you do in January? Elaborate.

I definitely feel less guilty about relaxing in July than I do in January. It feels OK and acceptable to slow down in the summer, the days are longer, the weather is usually nicer and over the last month or so here it's been too hot to do anything majorly productive. The less I move, the better. hehehe Tea over the last couple of weeks has been quick and easy instead of standing in the hot kitchen and sitting outside feels like I am making the most of the nice weather instead of wasting my time. January feels different with the new year, new start mentality. January is all about being busy. You see reminders to get organised, eat better, lose weight and exercise more. I always feel like I should be busy in January, ticking things off my to-do list and it's exhausting compared to the summer months.

2. What's a telltale sign you're upset?

I go quiet! I keep everything to myself and overthink it all. The people who know me best can usually tell something isn't right as soon as I am giving one-word answers. I sometimes think that it would be better for me to get it all out by shouting and screaming and have it all done with instead of me dwelling on things!

3. July 16th is National AI Day. What are your general thoughts and/or experiences with AI? Have you purposely used it? Does it excite you, scare you, or worry you? What do you see as a benefit? How about something relating to AI you see as a negative?

My thoughts on AI are a bit mixed. I use it almost every day now and I probably use it more than Google. If I need ideas for a blog post, want help fixing something around the house or have a random question pop into my head, AI is usually the first place I go instead of searching through lots of websites trying to find the answer, I can ask one question and get a straightforward answer. It saves a lot of time. I also use AI to create images for the top of my blog posts and random things like the image of the trifle below.

On the other hand, AI worries me! It is scary what it can do and how realistic it can be when it comes to creating photos, videos and voices. I have seen videos of people doing or saying things that they would never do and things like that could be so dangerous if they are used in the wrong way! It's sometimes so hard to tell what's real and what's fake. Ellie has been applying for jobs and AI is used a lot in the process for some companies. She had a conversation with AI who decided she wasn't suitable for a job but I feel that if she had been talking to a real person she would have been able to explain that, yes, she wasn't great at a certain thing but still had so much to offer. I always think back to watching the Terminator movies where AI took over, became self-aware and sees humanity as a threat. I know it is just fiction, it's just a movie but I feel like that is where we are heading. AI is going to take over.

4. You're invited to a summer pot luck and are asked to bring an appetizer, salad/side, or dessert. Which category do you go for and what are you bringing?

I would choose dessert. There will always be people who say they're too full after the main meal but somehow they'll still find room for dessert! I think I would bring a homemade trifle.

It's one of those classic desserts that always reminds me of family get-togethers. I'd make it with layers of sponge cake, strawberry jelly, custard, whipped cream and a sprinkle of chocolate flakes on top. Trifle is a fun dessert, it's colourful, easy to serve and always looks way more impressive than it actually is.

5. It wouldn't be summer without___________________.

Me complaining about the heat! Every single year, in winter, when I'm wrapped up in a blanket, wearing three layers, I convince myself that I would happily live somewhere hot all year round. Now here we are in the summer and it has been hot here, much hotter than what we're used to and it has felt like all I have done is complain about it. We don't have air conditioning so it feels like the house is a greenhouse and I am being slow cooked. I've not able to get comfortable in bed no matter how many times I turn the pillow over, so I am moody because of the lack of sleep! The other week, when it was a really hot day, I went to get dressed, putting 3/4 length leggings on and I was that done with the heat and being sweaty I said no and put loose fitting pjs on. I've been having 3 showers a day some days just to cool off and we have gone through so many ice cubes.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

England are through to the semi-finals of the World Cup and they play tonight against Argentina! Eek! We've not had much luck against them in the past. There was the infamous 1996 Hand of God goal, where Maradona punched the ball into the net and the sending off of David Beckham in 1998, where we lost on penalties. During this tournament, I have seen favouritism being shown to Argentina, especially when they played against Egypt and Switzerland. I don't hate Argentina, they have an amazing team, it just feels like they are the chosen ones and referees have been easy on them!

Share our Lives - Favourite room in my house!

It's that time of the month again to share some of my life and join in with the other Share Our Lives bloggers. This month the prompt is: Favourite room in our house!

If you asked me to pick my favourite room in the house, I wouldn’t even pretend to think about it. It’s the living room, the lounge, the sitting room or whatever you want to call it. It is the heart of the house, the place where life happens and the room that knows all our secrets, seen us at our best and worst and in our pj's at 2pm on a Saturday afternoon. This is where I spend most of my time. If I’m home, chances are I’m here. The other rooms of course get visited but this one gets lived in. It’s comfortable, nothing is too perfect, it's cosy and very us!

First things first there's my armchair! Everyone in the house knows it’s mine, I don’t even need to say it any more. If someone’s sitting in it, I just stand there until they move, they know. lol It’s comfy in the exact right way. That chair has supported me through tired evenings, early mornings, lots of blogging, emotional TV moments and many snacks that were meant to be shared.

The TV is on the wall and I have a good view from my armchair. It brings us together and sometimes causes debates that get way too overheated for a programme we’ve all seen before. Some of our best laughs have happened right here in the living room in front of the TV, usually because someone’s said something daft or we’re all losing it over something that isn’t even that funny to anyone else. Saturday evenings in this room are my absolute favourite. There's no rushing and nowhere we have to be. It's just us together with snacks, laughing, talking over the TV, pausing to tell stories and rewinding bits because we missed something while laughing at something else.

The living room has heard the serious stuff too. The big conversations, the ones where we talk things through, share worries, make plans or just listen. It’s where opinions get shared, advice gets given and feelings are allowed to exist.

When guests come round, this is where they sit. This is the version of our home we share with the outside world. It shows who we are without trying too hard. Family photos on display, ornaments I love, even if they don’t match or don’t follow any kind of theme, each one has a little story attached, even if no one else knows it. Those family photos are another one of my favourite things here. They are everywhere you look, quietly reminding me of moments, memories, holidays, birthdays and random days that somehow became important.

Then there’s the view outside. From my spot I can see the world going on. People walking past, cars driving by and the weather changing its mind every five minutes. I love being tucked up inside while life carries on out there. In the summer, this room is the coolest room in the house and in winter it flips completely and becomes the warmest, cosiest place to be.

What I love most is that this room doesn't need much from me. I don’t need to tidy it perfectly to enjoy it, I don’t need to be productive, some days it’s noisy and full of life and other days it’s quiet and just me and my thoughts.

So yes, the living room, the lounge, the sitting room or whatever you want to call it is my favourite room. It’s our family hub, our comfort zone, our go-to place. It holds my favourite things, my favourite people and some of my favourite moments and if I’m having a rough day or a brilliant one, this is where I want to be.

What is your favourite room in your home?

I am linking up with:

Adrienne from Mom Life with Adrienne.

Dara from Not In Jersey.

Jen from Show me & Sweet tea.

Joanne from Slices of Life.

Our weekly meal plan! 13th - 19th July!! #MealPlanningMonday

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a lovely weekend. Ours was a good one with lots of family time, we watched football, spent time together and that was pretty much it, apart from watching some movies and the usual boring chores which appear every weekend! Hmmf.

Last week's meal plan went pretty well. We managed to stick to most of the meals but by Wednesday it was just too hot to stand in the kitchen and cook. We ended up having leftovers and random things out of the fridge, which worked out quite well. I always think leftovers are a great way of using things up and saving a bit of money too. I've looked at the weather forecast and this week is set to be a little cooler. Phew! All winter I wished for warmer weather and now it's here I want colder weather. lol

This week I don't have anything planned for myself, which is quite nice. The rest of the family have lots going on but I will be doing my usual job of keeping everyone organised, making sure people are where they need to be and reminding them about things they have forgotten. On the meal plan, there are a couple of requests from the girls this week which makes my life easier. It's so hard coming up with what to feed everyone, every evening! The slow cooker will be getting plenty of use too, partly because it makes life easier and partly because it helps keep the kitchen cooler.

On the menu this week we have:

Monday - BBQ pulled pork in buns with potato salad.

It has been ages since we had pulled pork and Ellie requested this meal. It is one of those meals that feels like a treat but is actually really easy to make. I have found the simplest recipe and it will be cooked slowly throughout the day in the slow cooker. We will have it in buns with BBQ sauce and a side of potato salad.

Tuesday - Sausage pasta!

Tomato, onion and garlic pasta sauce with sausage chunks for a bit of substance. I might add some peppers and we will of course have it with a side of garlic bread!

Wednesday - Chicken curry, rice and naan bread!

This is Becky's choice and she has asked for chicken curry. She loves a korma, so that is what we will be having. Nothing too spicy, just a nice creamy curry with rice and naan bread on the side. I will be making it the lazy way in the slow cooker and using jars of sauce.

Thursday - Carrot & coriander soup with mango chutney pastry twists!

I know soup isn't usually a summer meal but this carrot and coriander soup is light, fresh and doesn't feel like a heavy winter soup at all. I will make plenty so we can have some for lunch the next day too. The mango chutney pastry twists are great as a side, they're just puff pastry with mango chutney spread on. I always make a few extra and have them for lunch on the day I make the soup.

Friday - Chippy tea!

Friday night and we're back to having a chip shop tea! No cooking, no fuss and the biggest drama is deciding what we fancy.

Saturday - Burgers in buns with fries!

Simple beef burgers on brioche buns with fries and probably some salad. Burgers always feel like a Saturday meal in our house. They are easy to make, everyone can add their own toppings.

Sunday - Toad in the hole, mashed potato and veg!

I am cheating and have bought ready-made toad in the holes which just need popping in the oven. Thanks Aunt Bessie! hehehe We will have it with a creamy mash and probably peas and carrots with lots of gravy over the top!

What are you eating this week?