Mid Year Favorites 2016

It's that time of year again! Favorites time! Like everyone else, I can't believe half the year has passed already. It's such a cliche but time does really move so fast! Below are a few things that I have been enjoying these past 6 months. 




Naked Nibbles Coconut Bliss - these little nibble balls are made of dates and raisins flavored with coconut. They are a great snack and they come in a variety of flavors, but coconut is definitely my favorite so far. They are glutenfree, which is a necessity for me, and dairy free too. It’s a great alternative to more unhealthy snacks, and a life saver in situations where glutenfree foods are not available. I usually keep a bag of these with me whenever I go somewhere, where I am not sure of the selection of food. Just in case. 

Palmer’s Coconut Oil Body Lotion - this was a random purchase, but a very nice surprise. It was one of those ordering-stuff-online-I-need-to-buy-more-to-get-free-shipping things and as I was in need of body lotion I found this for cheap. So I bought it and I was pleasantly surprised. It does have rather a strong scent, but it is a nice scent, so I don’t really mind. It is of course scented with coconut, but the addition of almond oil makes you smell like a walking candy bar. Apart from it making me crave chocolate, I don’t really mind that!

Decluttering - this might be kind of a weird favorite, but these last few months I have been decluttering my apartment and it fells GOOD! I tend to be a bit of a hoarder, saving practically anything for sentimental value, or because I think it MIGHT come in useful sometime. I finally recognised that that was probably not the best behavior when you live in a relatively small space. So I have been decluttering and donating endless bags of all sorts of things to my local charity shop, and so far I haven’t missed anything. I also feel like this decluttering has given me a bit more space to figure out what I actually want to keep and what my style is. I am starting a new job soon, and as soon as I do, I will be decluttering all the stuff from my old job (clothes, notes, books etc.) and I can’t wait to get started!

The library - With my new job comes a reduction in pay, so lately I have been trying to eliminate unnecessary spending. And that means no buying books! But luckily my local library has a wide selection of interesting things, and I can usually always find something when browsing. And if they don’t have something specific you are looking for they can usually order it for you from somewhere else. So, if like me you are on a tight budget, I encourage you to check put your local library if you haven't already. It might also inspire you to read outside of your comfort zone, when you are browsing the shelves for something new and interesting. 

Weekly - This is an app that tracks your spending. It is probably not available outside of Denmark, but I am sure you can find something similar. You just enter the sum of money you budget for a week and the app subtracts any purchases from that amount. If you have an account with the affiliate bank it tracks the withdrawals from that account and tells you how much you have left. If like me, you don’t have an account with that particular bank you just enter the amount every time you spend money and the app subtracts from the total. This really allows you to keep your spending in check and reel it in very early should it be necessary. It also allows you to save up any remaining money from a week and transfer money from your “savings” to a week, in case you need to make a bigger purchase.   

Music: 

Paloma Faith - especially Only Love Can Hurt Like This, Love Only Leaves You Lonely and Just Be.
Don McLean - Vincent (Starry Starry Night)
Ed Sheeran - Kiss Me and Photograph
Ingrid Michaelson - The Chain
Les Miserables Soundtrack - Do You Hear the People Sing, ABC Café/Red and Black, One Day More and the Epilogue


Books: 

5 stars: 

Caitlin Moran - How To Be A Woman
Marissa Meyer - Winter (The Lunar Chronicles 4)
Jennifer Niven - All The Bright Places
John Wyndham - The Day of the Triffids
J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter series (this is a reread)

4 stars: 

Tanya Burr - Love, Tanya
Brian M. Fagan - The Seventy Great Inventions of the Ancient World
Shirley Jackson - We Have Always Lived in the Castle
Susan Ee - Angelfall (Penryn and the End of Days 1)
John Burnside - The Dumb House 
Victoria Pepe - I Call Myself a Feminist
Jojo Moyes - Me Before You (Me Before You 1)
David Benioff - City of Thieves
Andy Weir - The Martian
Gail Carriger - Soulless (Parasol Protectorate 1)


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