Renting - My Experience, My Tips & Pros & Cons

Renting your first home is such a minefield! I've been wanting to talk about this on my blog for a while but I've never been sure how to go about it. Whilst I'm aware I really don't know everything, I do have a few tips I'd love to share and they might be basic, but this is exactly what I could have done with a few years ago. I thought instead of going right back to the beginning I'm going to just talk about the flat we're in now, how it's been for us renting, my tips to help you if you're wanting to move out and also the pros and cons. Just to give you a bit of a back story I first moved out of my family home when I was 18 to go to university and this is also when George and I moved in together. It was a tiny flat in student accommodation but for us it was a lovely, little first home. After a year we then found the flat we're in now and we've been here ever since! I'm not sure if this is something many people will be particularly interested in but I know I would have loved a post like this when we were looking for somewhere to live, so I hope it maybe helps one person.

My Experience

So this flat we're in now wasn't the place we originally went for. We were always keen on going straight in for a house, renting that for a while and then hopefully saving for a mortgage. Unfortunately things don't always go to plan and the house we first went for, fell through. It took me quite a long time to get over that house as it really was such a lovely home but we soon found the flat we're in now. I'm not going to lie, I really struggled when I first moved here. It was a mixture of things I think. Moving back from Leicester, not having a job at the time, all sorts of family issues, money issues and having to basically settle in by myself as George couldn't get much time off work. For days I remember crying wanting to look for somewhere else straight away but obviously we couldn't really do that. I just had to look at the positives. Since then I've been doing everything I can to make it more of a proper home. Over the last few years we've added things in slowly and now some rooms are perfect and just so cosy. I really will be sad to leave this place when we do eventually move out as now it does feel like ours. In terms of the actual renting which is the whole point of this post, again we don't have the best estate agents, they were extremely slow throughout the whole process, from viewing the property, passing on information regarding moving in dates, getting the keys etc. And even now if we need to get in touch with them, it can take days and days for us to get hold of someone. Regardless of that though, we do have a really good landlord. He just leaves us to it which makes this place feel like more of a home. He's not checking on us all the time, inspecting it and he's never made me feel like he could kick us out at a moments notice (one of my biggest concerns with renting). He's quick to come round and help if there are any issues and has always been fast to fix anything and find solutions. To be honest he's a pretty brilliant landlord and I know some people don't always get that lucky when renting. I definitely have days where I wish we had a bigger place and I long for the days we finally have a garden but for now, it's really alright. We're quite lucky in terms of rent and our landlord has always been laidback about us putting our on stamp on the place. I do think everything worked out okay in the end for us with this place.

My Tips

Don't Rush Into Anything - As much as you might be desperate to move out of your parents or wherever it is you are currently, don't rush it! We were really keen to find something asap and as I mentioned we did and it fell through. It was the first place we viewed and it all went wrong. Obviously if you do find somewhere you love, by all means go for it, but just be prepared that it's not always as straight forward as it seems and it's definitely worth looking around for a bit first and being 100% sure.

Communicate with your Landlord - As I said our landlord basically leaves us to it most of the time but it's really important if you do have any questions or worries, to let them know. If something has broken, get in touch. It's much better they know and can do something about it rather than finding out at the end of your tenancy and needing to fix it then. Things happen and as long as you're honest and tell them when there is an issue, they really won't mind you getting in touch. At the end of the day it is their property and they'll want to know how you're getting on there and if there are any problems. I also wanted to mention that when we first moved in we were told to never get in contact with the landlord and do everything through the estate agents. Once we met him, he said the opposite. If your landlord is okay with you contacting them first, then go for it.

Ask Permission - I suppose this sort of comes under the communicating one but anyway. If you're wanting to make some big changes to place, it really is much better to ask the landlord first. You don't want to be adding new things, changing carpets, painting walls etc for them to not know and not be happy about it. As much as you want to make it your own, you have to respect it isn't your property and it's so much easier to just ask first. Most landlords won't have an issue. A lot of the time you can find these sorts of things out when first viewing a place. That is one of the questions we asked during our viewing, are we allowed to decorate? and we were told there should be no problem. And so far there hasn't been. He's been fine with us putting stuff on the walls, replacing furniture that was here when we moved in etc. It just saves a lot of hassle if you ask first, get permission and then go ahead.

Renewing/Ending Your Tenancy - This is probably common sense really but when deciding you want to end your contract you have to give notice, and most of the time it's about 4 weeks. We've not had to do that yet but we know the amount of time we need to give, and it's the same as what our landlord would give us if he decided to sell. When it comes to renewing your tenancy agreement, get in touch in plenty of time, a good few months before it's due to end, that way you will know in plenty of time if you're landlord is okay with you staying on. You can then discuss how much longer you want to stay etc. We were in this situation last year and after discussing it with our landlord it worked out easier for everyone if we went onto a rolling monthly contract rather than another fixed one. That discussion also gave us some reassurance that he had no intentions of selling the flat and so we're safe here for quite a while yet. 

Pros of renting

More Flexibility - If you're someone who gets bored after a while in one place, renting gives you the opportunity to move about. You can easily move away when you're contract is up and discover somewhere new and you're not held down with a mortgage. It also means if you or maybe your partner wants to move away for work or gets an opportunity to relocate, you don't have to worry about selling.

May Be Able To Save Money - Depending on the sort of place you rent and the area, you could find yourself not paying a massive amount of rent and being able to put that towards other things. If your rent isn't bad which luckily ours isn't, money could be put towards a holiday, a deposit for a mortgage, etc.

Your Landlord Is There To Help - If you have a broken boiler or washing machine for example, that is something the landlord can deal with. Our washing machine unexpectedly broke a few months ago and within a few days he had arranged a new one for us. He's also always been quick to fix anything that may have broken in the flat or if something has needed doing he's always been happy to do it. There are a lot of things that aren't actually your responsibility when you rent and it's nice to have someone else to come over and sort them for you whereas if it's your home, it's all yours to deal with and pay for.

Cons of renting

 It's Not Really Your Home - When it comes down to it, it's not your that has bought the flat/house and there is always a possibility that the landlord will want to sell. With renting there is always a little bit of doubt that maybe one day you'll get given your 4 weeks notice and you'll have to quickly find somewhere else to live and also find the money for it. At least with buying a house, once it's yours, it's yours and there is no need for worrying about getting kicked out.

You Can't Always Do What You Want With It - As I mentioned earlier in this post, if you're wanting to make changes to the place it's best to ask permission. Even though most landlords don't have an issue with this, it can be annoying not being able to do what you want do it without having to ask first. It can make you limited in terms of decorating and adding things because really it's not your property to do that.

It Can Feel Like You've Wasted Money - With buying a house, you know each month when you pay your mortage it's yours. With renting, you're essentially paying off someone elses mortgage and at the end of it you don't really get anything from it. A lot of people think it's just a waste as in the end it's unlikely to be where you stay forever and it's never officially going to be your home. A lot of people now choose to stay at parents as long as possible, save for a mortgage and skip the whole renting part.

There are both pros and cons to renting, and really whether you choose to do it or not is down to you and your circumstances. Some people don't have much of a choice, others prefer renting, and some would much prefer to just save and buy a house. For us, we've had a pretty good experience with renting so far and hopefully that will continue. I'm not sure when the day will come for us to buy a house, we're not even close to being in the position to save for a deposit so for now renting is our only option, as it is for a lot of young people. I hope this post has given you a bit of information about renting if you were unsure, and I hope my tips were useful. I've just tried my best and even though this post is extremely long, I hope it makes sense and maybe helps someone!

What's your experience with renting? Would you prefer to save and buy or are you happy to rent?

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Face Masks I've Been Loving Recently

I never really understood the face mask hype until recently. I'd see people every weekend on Instagram or Twitter saying they're doing a facemask and I'd just never really understood what was so nice about it but I've actually tried quite a few out over the last few months and I have to say I now love them and just keep wanting to buy more! I mentioned 3 face masks in my Anatomicals review and it was then that I realised how enjoyable it actually is, and since then I received one in one giveaway and 4 in another, so I've had plenty to keep me going. I thought because I now kind of love a face mask I'd show you the ones I've been using and why I've enjoyed them!

Superdrug

I'm going to start with the Superdrug face masks, there is the Cucumber Cooling Clay Mask, Argan Oil Clay Mask, Fruit Sorbet Antioxidant Peel-Off Mask and the Superfruits Exfoliating Mask. First of all these are super cheap so perfect if your new to face masks and don't want to spend a lot, and also just perfect to keep in your cupboard for when you need a bit of a pamper. The first one I tried was the Fruit Sorbet one, it had such a nice scent. Really fruity and zingy and it was really nice to apply. It was quite sticky and it did feel weird when it was drying but I suppose all face masks do! My skin felt so soft after using this and I'm definitely going to pick another up soon. The one out of all of these that I was really excited to try was the Argan Oil Clay Mask. Everyone loves something with Argan Oil in and this one is supposed to soften the skin while deeply cleansing pores for smooth complexion. I absolutely loved it! It was one of those that you can almost see drying and it ends up a different colour to what you put on. It was quite tight when it was drying and it was a little hard to wash off, but overall it smelled absolutely amazing and made a noticeable difference to my skin. I'll definitely be getting another of these soon. I've still got the Cucumber Mask and the Superfruits one to use so I can't comment on those but so far I'm loving Superdrugs own masks so I'm sure the other two will be just as impressive!

Garnier 

I hadn't actually ever seen this face mask until I received my giveaway prize a few months ago, and the first thing I noticed was that its actually two masks which I think is brilliant. With face masks I sometimes find there is more left for another use but then because I've opened the pack I don't know what to do with it or I find I use it all because I never know how much is enough! With this I knew I could use it more than once so I just applied half all over my face and left for 3 minutes. As it's a self heating mask as you massage it in your face really warms up, it was such a strange feeling! I don't think I'd ever used a mask like this before so it was definitely different! When I rinsed it off though my skin did feel amazing. It was so so soft and I'm not sure what it did to my skin but it worked. It felt so nice and smooth for days which really impressed me! I'm definitely going to get another one of these soon, I've seen them in supermarkets for about £1.10 which I think is a really decent price.

Anatomicals 

If you've read my blog over the last few months I'm sure you'll have already seen this picture in my Anatomicals review but as this is a post all about face masks I had to include these 3. These were the ones that really converted me into a lover of face masks and I think my favourite was the Hawaii Five Glow as it had a scent of pineapple so was super refreshing and fruity and it also just made my skin feel amazing. I loved the Anti - Blemish one aswell though because it did seem to actually help get rid of a few spots I had. I'm definitely going to be purchasing some more Anatomicals products soon, they are just a fab brand.

I'm just loving face masks at the moment and definitely want to stock up on a few more! They are all so affordable and always make me feel like I'm having a little pamper which is nice.

I'd love to know if you've tried any of these and what you think of them or what other brands you recommend! I'm just obsessed with them all at the moment.

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Anatomicals Facial Spritz Review*

Anatomicals are a brand I only discovered a few months ago and I actually did a review of some of their skincare bits which you can find here if you're interested, and I absolutely loved their range of products. When they got back in touch a few weeks ago and asked if I would like to review their facial spritz, I was so happy and of course I said yes. This is one of their products that I'd had my eyes on for a while so I was really excited to finally try it.

This facial spritz is supposed to help you cool down, rehydrate and calm your skin. It can be used on normal, dry and sensitive skin so should be perfect for everyone.

First of all I love the packaging! Anatomicals just have the best packaging, it's so quirky and out there and they always have the the best names for their products. I love the colour of this and also it's a brilliant size. It's perfect on my bedside table but it's also great to keep in your handbag for when you're out, in work or even on holiday.

I've always loved the idea of a facial spritz and I always think to buy things like this when it's warm but I never get round to it. The last few weeks the weather has been up and down, but on the days it's been warm I've found it so unbearable so this has been a life saver. I just can't stand the heat, and my flat gets so hot, it doesn't matter how long the fan is on, how wide the windows are open, it just gets so warm so this has honestly been amazing. Whenever I've been feeling too warm I've just sprayed this on my face a few times and it has cooled me down instantly!

The consistency of this is basically just like water so when it's sprayed you just get a fine mist come out which is good as it means it can sort of just dry by itself on your skin. It's really convenient to use and is perfect to just get out whenever you're feeling a bit warm.

This facial spritz has extracts of calming lavender and peppermint so really is such a lovely scent. I'm not usually the biggest fan of lavender but this isn't too strong and it's not overpowering, it's also really refreshing and just feels soothing on my skin, it's been perfect.

This has just been amazing and one of my go to products over the last few weeks, I already don't want it to run out! It's just a brilliant product to have in your handbag ready for when you're feeling a bit too hot and need quickly cooling down. I've sprayed this on top of my makeup too as it's been so warm and it's not affected that at all aswell so that's another bonus.

Anatomicals are definitely one of my favourite brands this year so far and I already know I'll be buying this along with more of their other products in the future as they just do so many exciting things. If you're wanting to try this out too, you can buy from Superdrug for £6, available here, and you can also find their range of products on their website here.

Have you tried anything from Anatomicals before? Do you think this is something you'd love?

*I was sent the facial spritz to review, as always all opinions are my own. Affiliate links are used in this post

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A Mid Year Look At My 2017 Blogging Goals

Now we're almost half way through July, I feel like it's time for me to do a little mid year look at my blogging goals for this year. I set myself 6 blogging goals at the start of 2017 and I just thought it would be nice to see where I am with them all and if I'm on track to achieve them over the next few months.

Commit To Blogging 5 Times A Week

 This was one of the main things for me with my blog this year. I have been so committed since the beginning of January with posting Monday to Friday and keeping up with it! I'm so happy about that because I don't feel like personally, mentally and physically this year has been my best so far, so there have definitely been times when my blog could have been forgotten about and I could have quite easily not posted some days. I'm so proud I pushed on though and I've carried on with it. It's hard trying to come up with so many posts so I have content ready to post 5 times a week but I think I've come up with some quite good posts and I'm proud of every single one. Hopefully I can keep up with it for the rest of the year!

Take Part In More Twitter Chats

 This is probably one so far I haven't really done that well with. I've took part in a few chats this year and quite a few comment threads, which I do tend to prefer as I get to read a load of lovely posts and receive some lovely comments back. I just find with chats I really have to be in the right frame of mind for it and over the last few months I just haven't really. If I've had a bad day I just won't even consider it because I know then if maybe not many people respond to me or the topic isn't really something I can say much about, I'll just feel a bit crap. I am definitely going to make more of an effort over the next few months with chats though as they are such a good way of interacting with fellow bloggers, I just feel quite shy a lot of the time and hate putting myself out there but I am going to try again soon. 

1000 Twitter Followers

 This was something I really wanted to hit this year. I know I probably could have got to this a lot quicker if I'd took part in more chats and been a bit more interactive, but regardless of that I finally got there, and before the end of the year! I got to 1000 followers in May and I then went on do a giveaway to celebrate it. I'm now just over 1420 followers which I'm really happy with it. I'm kind of hoping I could get to 2000 now before the end of the year but I'm not putting any pressure on it.

500 Instagram Followers

 I set my Instagram goal quite low, not that 500 isn't a lot, it really is! but I just didn't think I would gain many more followers and ever actually reach that milestone because Instagram is just so hard to grow at the moment. Luckily I've managed to hit that target already and I'm now at 920 followers I think. I'm so happy I've managed to get to that, it was hard because so many people do the whole follow/unfollow game which I just can't be bothered with, but luckily it's happened. I've not set myself another goal for Instagram because, any followers I gain now is a bonus, I just want to post whatever on there and whoever decides to follow, does. 

Write More Personal Posts

 I think there has only been a few really personal posts this year so far, the main one being Some Sort Of Quarter Life Crisis. That was one I'd been wanting to write for a while and it had just got to the point where I needed to let things out, and I actually did feel a bit better afterwards. It was basically about how I felt my life didn't really even compare to a lot of other peoples, and how I was really letting a lot of things get to me. Luckily I think I'm coming out of the other side of it now and feeling a bit more positive about life in general so hopefully that will continue. I also did 22 Things I've Learnt In 22 Years, which is a bit different to my other personal posts but one I really enjoyed thinking about and writing. This year so far I've not done as many weekend summaries as I hoped but I have done a few and they've been nice to read back on. Also I posted our 6 year anniversary one earlier this week and I know that's going to be a favourite of mine to look back so I'm really glad I wrote that.

Improve My Photography 

 I am under no illusion that my photography is still probably pretty bad compared to some but you know, I am so proud of it and how much I've improved. I'm not that much of a creative person so I do struggle coming up with ideas for photos of products, but I do think what I've been doing has actually been quite good. I've started using some different props in my photos and just experimenting a bit. I have a few favourites I've took this year so I'll put some in now for you see. Hopefully I can carry on getting better and better with photography as the year goes on, so far I'm happy though.

I'm really happy with how I'm doing with all of my goals at the moment. I can't believe I've already managed to succeed with some of them, and I think the others are all coming along nicely. I'm actually really glad I decided to set myself some blogging goals, because as much as this is just a nice hobby, it's also nice to see it getting out there to more people and reaching more milestones with it.

Did you set yourself any blogging goals?

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