A Runway Ready Raincoat at #doitcheap Prices

Photo shoot in my raincoat

A massively important #doitcheap method I use is; to stay ahead of the trends and buy off Amazon. A great way to do that is by reading magazines like Glamour and Cosmo religiously (I'll write a separate post about how to get these on discount) follow haute couture instagrams and Pinterest accounts, and just being observant to what people around you are starting to wear. Once a particular piece of fashion becomes 'mainstream', the cost skyrockets. Therefore, being able to predict will be in style the next season will save you big $$$$.

I'll give you an example.

Early this year I needed a new raincoat. I live in England at the moment, and rain is a constant. I would say it rains on average once a week, if not more. Last year I would just get soaked and deal with the damp. But this year I decided to be a good adult and be prepared for poor weather. Now, I'm too cheap to buy myself a raincoat when I have an umbrella I can use that does an ok job of keeping me dry (my currently used umbrella only cost £1 or $1.29).

Instead, for my birthday I asked for a specific raincoat that I sensed was going to be super desirable in a few months, but I asked for it in April. However in April, this raincoat wasn't available in stores. So, where would you turn to get something that is not yet sold?

Amazon, of course!

Amazon sources its fashion from all over the world, including China. China is where most high street/high end designers have their factories. Therefore, the Chinese people see what will be sold months before it hits the UK and US stores and they wear it before all of us. The flower hair accessory trend of summer 2016? The Chinese girls rocked that in 2015. They are at least a year a head of us in the world of fashion.

Back to my raincoat story, I went on Amazon and found the exact one I wanted. It was a clear, plastic coat with black piping to outline the shape. The reason I loved this coat was because people could still see my outfit underneath, so I wasn't hiding my style behind practical but boring waterproof layers. It only cost £9.97 or around $11. I sent the link to my partner and got to unwrap it on my April birthday :)

My housemate saw me in it, and said I looked like a murderer out of American Psycho, which I took as a compliment. Little did he know that my exact coat would be in all the main high street retailers like New Look and Top Shop in June. (I felt so proud when I saw it for sale, I knew that coat was fashionable before anyone else!)

And my Amazon version was half the price!!

I found my raincoat for sale in New Look for double the price I paid, £19.99 or $23! And what is even better, I had the coat 3 months ahead of everyone else so people looked like they were copying me.

So, the #doitcheap tip of Friday is this: research what will be in style a few months early, and buy it quick and cheap off Amazon. Buy your swimsuit in March and winter coat in August, and you will be saving $$ as well as becoming the trend setter of your social circle.










The raincoat I bought (it went up in price slightly):
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01MQTFC4K/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Killer Youtube Ab Routine Review #doitcheap

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yk2dvmHfsrA

Youtube Profile: HASfit

Workout: 10 Min Lower Ab Workout for Women & Men - 10 Minute Ab Workout - Lower Abs Belly Fat Flattener

Exercise Type: Non-stop lower ab moves!! Seriously, you get no rest.

Review: This particular lower ab workout is the best one I have come by! The workout title is a bit misleading, it is actually an 8 minute ab workout rather than a full ten minutes. But that doesn’t detract for how awesomely hard it is! The trainer packs in so many different dynamic moves that I can feel work my lower abs every single second. As some of you might know, it’s the lower abs, the “pooch” that is hardest to work off. So, finding a good fitness routine that targets the area is a real gold mine. Most ab workout’s kind jump all over the stomach area, where as this one just works the below the belly button area. If you do a cardio or strength training routine, then finish off with this, I guarantee your muscles will be fried in a great way! I didn’t find the trainer overly aggravating or too positive. He offered variations on each move, so easy and hard version, which made me feel like I could simplify if I needed to. I also liked that there was two people, a girl and guy showing me the moves. It made me feel like the routine could be for anyone. Although I wish the girl did some of the harder moves instead of all the modifications. But I can’t recommend this video enough!!! Do it, be prepared to burn your stomach and have a mat to make it easier on your back.

Hardest Move: The trainer saves the hardest for the end. You do a lower ab hold for the final minute, and it kills! My lower abs were exhausted by this point, and to do a hold as the last move really pushed me. I kind of collapsed after this move, in a happily tired way.

My Favorite Move: Clam shell crunch. Instead of doing a typical crunch, you put your legs in a butterfly position, feet together, knees splayed out, and crunch up that way. I feel ridiculous with my legs held that way, but it’s a workout so I never feel not ridiculous. It feels really simple at first, but after about five, you feel the burn! It is something new that I hadn’t tried in any other Youtube video, and I’m always excited to discover ab moves.

Number of Times I Cussed: I didn’t actually use swear words! Which is a very good sign! I did however, shout “Oh my God” and “Grrrrr!!” quite a lot. Because this is a freaking hard routine if you really focus and push yourself on it.

Score: 9/10. I wouldn’t change much about this workout. It is as hard as you want it to be or as easy as you need it. Sometimes in circuit style workout’s, I get bored with doing the same few moves over and over. And I also feel like I don’t get as good of a workout because I only use certain muscles. But this routine didn’t repeat any moves, so it maintained my interest and I didn’t zone out. Also, extra point for the trainers looking like it was a struggle for them too. They had to pant out instructions, which proves to me that they are really doing the moves and putting in effort. Great video and I will be re-watching/re-working out to it frequently!!

#doitcheap Youtube Class Fitsugar Fitness Review

I'm proud of my popping arm muscles

 The Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeYP5sySvJs

Youtube Profile: Class Fitsugar

Workout: 45 Minute Cardio & Toning Workout

Exercise Type: Lot’s of cardio!! Plus a little pilates

Hopscotch crossover

Review: Seriously, one of the harder cardio workouts I have done with Class Fitsugar. This guest trainer pushes you hard! She has trained Jennifer Lawrence so you know she is a pro at what she does. Good news is, it does start off easy with a 5ish minute warm up that softens you up for a brutal workout. You do 3 rounds of cardio, followed by about 15ish minutes of pilates. I thought the pilates would be slow wind down before stretching. I was so wrong! The pilates was just as challenging as the cardio, if not more so! Be prepared to sweat a ton with this workout. I was dripping by the end of it.

Hardest move: Hopscotch crossover. My inner thigh muscles were sore after this move! It is like a plie squat, with a jump to the middle where you cross your feet right over left, then back to the plie squat. 1 minute of this and your legs become jelly.

Reverse Crunch Twist

My favorite move: Reverse crunch with a twist. I love, love, love reverse crunches, because I can feel them melting away my lower stomach. It burns so good. But this was a new variation on a reverse crunch I hadn’t done. Instead of just lifting your feet and hips straight up in a typical reverse crunch, you squeeze them up and to the side, right then down to the floor, then back up to the left. I liked this so much because it worked my lower abs AND my oblique’s. But, this is a brutal move that will leave your stomach raw!

Number of times I cussed: I won’t lie, I cuss at my Youtube videos! Mostly cause I’m workout alone and no one can hear me. But science has also proven that swearing releases feel good chemicals in your brain, and I need that mid work out. Plus, sometimes when I’m told to do 50 squats, I just gotta tell the trainer to f*** off. Anyways, I swore at this video 3 times, mostly around the 20 minute mark where I got super tired and had another circuit of cardio to do.

Score: 7/10. I loved how hard and dynamic some of the moves were. It wasn’t just a squat or a lunge, the trainer added other stuff into the moves so I worked my whole body the whole time. I loved the ab section. My only negative is I felt like my arms didn’t get quite as much of a workout as the rest of me. I did like that the trainer and demonstrators all got really puffy and sweaty too. I hate when trainers look perfect at the end of a workout, and I’m collapsed on the floor, dying. But I really enjoyed this video and will probably do it again!

I hope you enjoyed this #doitcheap Youtube workout review! Comment and let me know how the workout goes for you, and if you have any video’s you want me review!

My Top #doitcheap Tip for Weight Loss (it's totally free!!)

Probably my biggest tip for being fabulous on the cheap is how I work out. I do hours of different work out every day, at zero cost.

I want to first clarify that I wasn’t always into fitness. In fact, just a year ago if you asked me if I liked exercise, I would have laughed my butt off. I hated it! My go-to method of weight loss and having a decent body was starvation or purging. Not the healthiest weight management plan. But I finally kicked both those habits and found myself putting on the pounds.

I was still technically a healthy size, but I wasn’t happy in myself. On top of that, I was also experiencing a lot of stomach problems. I decided in September of 2016 to make a change. I was going to commit to exercising and eating the right foods, and I was going to stick with it.

My Youtube abs
 (not a 6-pack but good)

I started off by doing a two-week gluten free cleanse to see if that helped with the stomach issues I was experiencing (it didn’t). And I set myself the goal of working out every other day, or at least three times a week.

I had no clue how to exercise. I had no cardio stamina, couldn’t lift puny weights, and basically was really unfit. I was still only working my part-time job at a daycare/nursery, and my partner had just lost their stipend for their PhD. Money was extremely tight.

What many people would do in this situation is join a gym, take some fitness classes and possibly get a personal trainer to get them on the right track. But I couldn’t afford a gym membership! The cheapest gym I found cost about $18 or £16.99 a month. That was roughly the cost of my cell phone bill. I had to ask myself, which did I NEED, a cell or gym? Obviously, my choice was my cell phone. I also didn’t relish the idea of working out in front of a bunch of strangers.

Where did that leave me? I was someone who had no experience in exercise, and couldn’t afford a gym. People who are gym shy like me might join an online accountability/exercise program like Beach Body, The Fit Body Guides, or Bikini Body Guides. But those can cost more than a gym membership, which doesn’t help me in my #doitcheap lifestyle.

So, I found a #doitcheap way. I started off by looking at pins on Pinterest that had workouts sheets. I then discovered two things. I didn’t know a lot of the moves and it was hard to pause mid workout to check what I was supposed to do next. For the first problem, I went to Youtube.

And that is when I had my stroke of genius. Youtube is for more than just funny video’s of cats! Youtube has thousands upon thousands of workout videos and demonstrations. I didn’t need to plan anything, I simply had to sign in to Youtube, and google the workout I wanted for the day.

I built this butt off of Youtube!

I started off with doing 20 minutes weight loss yoga video’s. After a few week’s I noticed my stamina and strength were up, so I switched to more cardio intensive video’s. Gradually I built up to 30-45 minutes workouts, 5-6 times a week. On a Monday, I might do a strength training video (you can make weights), the next day yoga, and the next day a fitness class that involves barre and dance!

I’ve been following my Youtube fitness regime for about nine months now. My stamina is better, I can visibly see my leg and ab muscles. I can squat like a pro. And my butt has doubled in size! Colleagues ask me if I am wearing butt pads (no joke). It has also helped me cope with my depression and simply by exercising, I find that I lean towards healthier food choices.

So, if you want to exercise a bit more, but don’t want to or can’t afford the gym or online programs, then do Youtube! It is a true #doitcheap way of life. I’m going to start reviewing Youtube exercise video’s for you here, and you can choose to do them after my review or not. I’ll include some images from my workout, the link to the video, the good and bad parts, hardest moods, and overall give you details about it.

I hope you enjoy your new #doitcheap way of fitness! 

The #doitcheap Lifestyle That Will Revolutionise Your World

I recently realized that I’ve gotten quite good at living life on the cheap. I’m a starving writer, I work a part-time job that I don’t love to pay the bills for my partner and me while I chase my passion. Someday I hope to support myself solely with my written word, but that isn’t today. Today I must buy food, pay rent and bills, for two people all on a salary that is well below the poverty line. It isn’t easy, but I’ve always strived to live as inexpensively as possible.

I’ve been buying my own clothes and makeup since I was 13 and my mom didn’t agree with my fashion choices. I made cash by baby-sitting and saved the Christmas money I was given by family, and spent it sparingly. I developed certain shopping rules. I would only buy clothes and accessories that were on clearance and usually less than $10. I bought candy and snacks from whole sale cheap grocers that sold the damaged packaging food that main brand grocers wouldn’t stock because it wasn’t visibly appealing. I rarely went to the movies. All my books and DVD’s were borrowed from the library or bought second hand. These are all shopping norms that I have continued to carry with me throughout my teen years and into my 20’s and have proved vital to maintaining a fabulous life on the cheap.

Many people blog about their DIY (do it yourself) and how it saves them money, makes their home/clothing look great, and how wonderful it is. I’m not opposed to a little DIY, I frequently alter old clothes to update them. But I’ve discovered that a lot of DIY costs more money than I am prepared to pay. The popular DIY projects you see on the internet involve craft supplies most people don’t have on hand, or tools like sewing machines that I simply can’t afford right now.

So I realized that I am very similar to the DIY savvy ladies, except I just DIC (do it cheap). If making something look better with the DIY emthod is cheapest, trust me I’ll do it. But I find that by shopping at thrift shops, hitting the big sales, and basically always scrounging for a bargain, I live a much cheaper life. I truly believe that I will abide by this low-cost lifestyle even if I am a multi-millionaire someday. Why spend more on the same product that I can get for cheaper, used or make myself?

I consider myself a fairly fashionable person, I love to read magazines, have a huge wardrobe, and shoes are my biggest obsession. I’m a bit high maintenance in my looks, I enjoy having nice hair, being well groomed and having a well-toned body. I frequently am complimented on my physique, hair, makeup and clothes. Usually I just smile and say thank you, without revealing how I look so good, for so cheap because I’m afraid of being judged for my cheap methods. But now I’ve decided to share my secrets.

So follow me on my journey of showing how I stay fabulous on next to no money, . The #doitcheap or #dic lifestyle 

Fish Sammies: An Explanation of the British Bread Complex

In general, America is the winner of the food game. We deep fry everything, Twinkies, cheese, pasta, Oreo’s, basically everything is better if deep fried. Our pizza’s are bigger, our cakes have more frosting, and we make it all over the top. But, lately, I feel like the UK might have us Yanks beat in the sandwich department.

British people take their sandwiches seriously. They even have special bread just for making toasted sandwiches, which they call “toasties”. This special bread is more aerodynamically designed to get maximum toastage while still maintaining a softer inside to bite into. It is a science, someone I work with can even tell regular sliced bread from toastie sandwich sliced bread. Apparently, all breads are not created equal. (This same person can actually smell when I am making toast at work, she stops by the kitchen to point out how nice it is, toast is like perfume to her)

I’m not joking when I write that the British have made their sandwich forming into a science form. They have even designed a method of avoiding sogginess so sandwiches last longer. In the US, if you are making a standard lunch sandwich, you would have two slices of bread, put on some meat, then maybe put on some condiments like mayo or mustard. However, by the time lunch rolls around, you might notice your sandwich has gone soggy! The horror! (Especially if you use American Wonder Bread or white bread, which British people think tastes like slices of cake.)

The Brit’s have solved the soggy sandwich problem. I wondered for over a year why people at work put butter on bread before adding their sandwich ingredients. I thought they just really like butter. Recently, my partner explained that it is because by first putting on butter, it creates a barrier between the bread and other condiments and meats! Thus, your bread won’t get soggy! My mind was blown. (And yes, I tested it and noticed the sandwiches are fresher with butter, but I still don’t like the taste enough to frequently butter my bread.)

Butter aside, the Brits put some other weird stuff on their sandwiches. They will eat straight up bread and meat, no condiments to add moisture. Bread and potato chips/crisps sandwiches. Subway here sells Indian curry meat on sandwiches. Shrimp in mayo is a popular sandwich choice. Sausage and egg on a baguette roll is a staple of my partner’s diet. But by far one of the strangest sandwich toppings I’ve seen in England is fish fingers!

Yes, the kids I work with love fish finger sandwiches. By fish fingers I am referring to the healthy replacement to chicken nuggets our parents tried to trick us with when we were kids in America. I always ate mine doused in ketchup to make it palatable. Well here, children and adults love the stuff. And as a snack or lunch option, they will make a fish finger sammie. (Sammie is British slang for sandwich). To make a fish finger sandwich you first take two slices of bread (usually white sliced bread, not necessarily toastie bread) with both slices fully buttered. Then you put on at least three fish fingers, and smash the slices of bread together to create a sammie.

I tried it for the first time at work. I enjoy the occasional fish fingers, and I kind of like bread. So, I thought I would probably enjoy the two in combination. I was wrong. I did it up right too, I had the bread slathered in spready butter. The bread combined with the bread crumbs on the fish fingers was just too much for me. It all blended into a white mess. Add in the butter and I felt like I was clogging my arteries with every bite. (This is coming from an American who once did a shot of garlic butter dip on a dare, and enjoyed it) After two bites, I took my sammie apart and just ate the fish fingers.

In conclusion, fish finger sammies are definitely a British tradition I will not be getting on board with. When it comes to sandwiches and sandwich making, American’s need to bow down to the superior knowledge of the British. And lastly, if you want to preserve your sammie, add butter!