The Rum I Would Love To Purchase

The past few months when out celebrating the festive period and the new year I noticed I was ordering one drink more than others... a rum & coke, not only did sticking to one type of drink stop any hangovers the next day it also allowed me to taste a variety of spiced rums that I hadn't previously tried. It was great to step away from the safe rums and experiment with names I had never heard of and to be honest all it made me do was think of rum that we could add to our alcohol cabinet so that I wasn't just sticking to the Captain Morgan rum. So after a fair bit of searching here are the different rums I would love to purchase...


I keep on seeing Bumbu rum and I keep saying to myself that I am going to pick a bottle up however, I still haven't got around to it although I think this is finally going to be purchased at long last this year. I specifically want this Bumbu XO rum though as the bottle looks great and would look so good out on display. 




I keep on saying that I am going to try some Havana Club rum but have still not got around to it so I think I might pick up a bottle of the Havana Club of Skepta rum. I have always been a fan of Skepta and this bottle is a surprisingly reasonable price so it is the perfect excuse to finally give it a try. 



Kraken is one of go to rums when I am out and about and to be honest it is one of the first rums I tried. I absolutely love this drink and have a little bottle already however, as soon as I saw this limited edition bottle plus cage I new I wanted to add that to the alcohol cabinet too. It is a really good price to say it is a limited edition bottle and honestly I just love the look of the bottle and the cage. 




I will be honest this rum made the list just because of the bottle it is in. The Plantation XO rum looks fantastic and I have read some good reviews about it so maybe it is time to pick up a bottle to try for myself. I think I want this for the bottle more than the rum but it is definitely going to be a near future purchase.


I absolutely love anything Pirate related so this bottle of rum is right up my street. This specific bottle of Pirates Grog rum is definitely on the more expensive side of things but it looks fantastic and the reviews I have read about the rum seem to look good too. Am I willing to spend a lot more than usual on a bottle though just down to the design? Of course I am as it looks like it was made for a Pirate. 

So there you go that is the rum I am hoping to add into our alcohol cabinet over the course of the next year or so, I am getting sick of drinking the same thing over and over again so it is time to change that and get some new additions into the rotation. 

What is your favourite rum? 

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Finally The Games Room Is Complete

Last year we decided that it was finally time to get the games room redone. When we moved in we literally just put one coat of paint on the walls, put a new carpet down and put some shelves up then we moved everything into the room so we didn't have to have any longer without playing our games. This room just never felt cosy and honestly I hated sitting in there for long periods of time so it was about time we changed things and actually created a room where it was nice to be for hours on end seen as this is the room we use the most. First up we got rid of all our old furniture and bought all new which you will see throughout the post as we wanted to go for a much brighter, cleaner looking space. For the walls we went for a navy blue feature wall with the remaining walls being a nice grey shade, this has just made the room much cosier than having the previous off white colour and the paint applied really well to the fresh plaster. We also installed a much bigger radiator in the room as it never used to get warm. 


One all the painting was done it was time to move all the furniture back in which started with my desk. I got a new desk in the middle of the year which is the perfect size for my little corner off the games room and it fit the colours of the room perfectly. This is where I play any PC games but it is also my main blogging area in the house so I wanted it to feel comfortable to work at and decluttered so I took away a lot of random figures and accessories and now it just holds my PC, dual monitors and a few of my favourite figures. I also bought a little stand for my PC so it was finally lifted off the carpet. I definitely enjoy sitting in this area much more now. 


Above my desk I no longer have my whiteboard taking up all the space as I have moved that into the spare room for now. Instead I just have two smaller shelves filled with Funko Pops that I have collected over the years. I love how these look up here and it is nice having them all in one space without them looking far too cluttered. I need to limit how many I buy now though as I have noticed I am really running out of space. 


Above the radiator we have put a few longer shelves and these ones are themed with some of our things and I can't quite believe how good they look. The top shelf is a DC shelf and is mainly filled with Batman & Harley Quinn items that Liam has collected over the years. The bottom shelf is a Spider-Man shelf filled with items I have recently collected. I absolutely love how we have styled these shelves so far and I also love just how well they look together with a mix of figures and books on each shelf. My favourite is definitely the Spider-Man shelf though. 


As you can see in the background of the above image Liam also got himself a new desk which is a bit darker that the rest of the furniture but still looks great, above his desk he has two shelves that are filled with figures from various films, anime and games which all look great together. We treated ourselves to a new sofa bed which is a lot more comfortable than our previous one as it is more like an actual sofa. We have just added a few gaming cushions & soft toys to this to keep it in the gaming theme and I think it looks great. 


Finally we have the main area... the console gaming section. This is where I will be spending most of my time in the room as I prefer to play on the consoles and that is what 99% of my games are on. The navy blue wall is lovely and makes the room feel much more comfortable and the lighter furniture looks great up against it. The TV is finally up on the wall which has freed up some space on the TV unit which is perfect as we needed that space for the new consoles thanks to how big they are, we have just the space between the consoles with a few accessories. The bookcase to the left holds our PlayStation light, Switch games & Xbox games whilst the one on the right has all our PlayStation games and Yoda wax melt burner. 

This room is 100% nicer to spend time in and I have already noticed that my time in here has increased a lot and I am playing a lot more games than before which is fantastic. There are still a few bits that need doing such as glossing, fitting a blind, adding some RGB lights and installing 2 more shelves but I am so pleased that we got this room done as it is so much better than before. 

Seeing how good this room has turned out has really made me put a plan into action to get more of the house redone and make it cosier than it currently is. Although I think the first thing we sort could be the garage as we have a few ideas in mind for that.

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The Drink Wish List Continues... This Time It Is Spirits

I think it's safe to say that I like a good drink but I tend to stay away from spirits and I think that is mainly due to me not having a right big collection of spirits other than rum or whisky. I used to love a good vodka orange but thanks to the collection lacking vodka for a long time I ended up staying away from them for a while. I am determined to add a few more vodkas into the collection over the next year or so and hopefully a few other new drinks for me to try so here is what I would love to add to our alcohol cabinet... 



We all know how much I love a quirky looking bottle of alcohol and for me this one ticks all the boxes. This Crystal Head John Alexander art series No 1 Vodka looks absolutely fantastic and it would be a good bottle to keep even after all the vodka had been drunk out of it. This is a bit of a pricey bottle of vodka but I think even the bottle makes it worth the price for me. 


This is another bottle of vodka that I first wanted for the bottle, but the more I look at it the more I want it due to the flavour. This is the Emperor Lychee vodka and it sounds fantastic. The bottle looks great but the Lychee will definitely be different to any other drinks I own. I think Liam could end up liking this one too. 




I have been looking at this Roberto Cavalli night edition vodka for the longest time and honestly I think it is finally time I finally made the purchase.  With me still wanting this after a few years I think it is safe to say it could be one of the first ones I purchase, I think it is quite reasonably priced too so it might need to be a bit of a treat to myself. 


I haven't ever heard of the Doghouse Distillery before but again I love the look of this Baller vodka from them. The picture on this bottle just looks brilliant and I think if I did get this it would end up right at the front of the alcohol cabinet. We really are missing a simple vodka in our collection at the moment so this could fill that hole.



I used to absolutely love having a Martini when I went out drinking and for years it would be my go to drink before I moved onto the craft beer and rum. I found back then that Martinis were far too easy for me to drink and I always had a bottle ready to be drunk, maybe now is the time to add another bottle into the collection ready for family gatherings. 

So there you have it those are the spirits I would love to add to our alcohol cabinet over the course of the year as it is about time I started to drink something other than rum, whisky or craft beer. 


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Cook Book Wish List

One of my new years goals is to cook a whole lot more as I definitely haven't done enough of that in the past few years that we have lived on our own as it is always left to poor Liam. I am determined that 2022 is going to be the year where I spend more time in the kitchen not only to make sure Liam doesn't have to cook as much as he currently does but also so that I can try different foods and make sure what I am eating is nice and healthy and will help me along with some of the health and fitness goals I have. To make sure that I am eating properly and trying new things I want to start adding some more cook books into our collection that have different sort of meals in that require different levels of effort. I have been looking at a variety of different cook books over the past few weeks and here are the ones that have stood out to me the most and the ones I am definitely planning on purchasing in the near future...

Gordon Ramsay is one of those chefs that I love to watch on the TV yet for some reason we don't own any of his cook books. I love the sound of this one though as it is apparently filled with nice quick meals which is what we often need especially when we have both been at work all day. With the recipes taking 30 minutes or less they will be perfect for after work. 

Another Gordon Ramsay book that has stood out to me for a while is this Ramsay in 10 book which sounds like it has some brilliant recipes in that both me and Liam will enjoy both making and eating. Again this is another quick and easy cook book perfect for those post work evenings. 

We already have all the other Pinch of Nom cook books so it is a bit of a no brainer really that we get this one too. I love the Pinch of Nom books as they have some really simple but delicious recipes in the books and I don't think we have had a bad meal from one of these books so adding another one to the collection would be fantastic and I am sure we can make plenty of meals out of this one. 


I have already got one Joe Wicks cook book at home but I am yet to try it, I aren't sure why we haven't used it yet but it is on the list to use ASAP. I really like the sound of some of these recipes in the book and I think it is about time we picked it up to actually try out for ourselves. I know people who have used Joe's cook books before and have said they are great so I am looking forward to picking this one up. 

Sometimes with cook books we find there is too much for us to actually eat when we have done a specific recipe and we hate the amount of waste we end up creating. So this book looks perfect as it is actually portioned for two rather than 4 people like most recipes in cook books seem to be. This book certainly looks interesting and I think we could end up using this a fair bit. 

These are just a few of the books that we have our eyes on at the moment but no doubt as the year progresses and we start to use cook books a lot more we will end up making a whole lot more purchases in the cooking department from cook books to equipment we use and there will definitely be a lot more food related posts coming to the blog throughout 2022. 

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Our plans For Transforming The Spare Room

 

It has been a year or so since we finally completed the spare room however, a year on and I am realising the purpose of the room is changing quite quickly. Originally the room was just going to be for me to get ready in on a morning but as time has gone on it has basically turned into a bit of an office for me where I can go and blog away from distractions that I face in other rooms. This room is just where I can set my Macbook up and just crack on with things rather than getting distracted by extra screens and other noise sources. The plan for 2022 is to use this a lot more for other blog projects where I might need to record things ie podcasts, interviews and videos so I want to make sure it fits a bit of a theme, looks a lot more put together & cleaner and is just generally a much more cosy & productive space for me to be in. So here is how I plan on transforming the room on a very tight budget... 

The room is basically going to be the room where I work on Edge of the Area the most which is our football blog so the overall theme of the room is going to be football and with things around the house we are definitely going to be able to achieve this very easily. First up we have a lot of artwork plus and Edge of the Area sign that need hanging in the room which is pretty effortless and is going to bring the theme to life a little bit. 

We also have numerous signed/ match worn shirts dotted around the house so they will also be moved into the room and will be hung along the wall to create a main feature piece in the room, our own football shirt will also be hung from this and be a center piece for any video backgrounds. Above the shirts will be some footballs mounted from over the years that I don't want to get ruined. I think these will look great up on the wall rather than just laying around on the floor where they currently are. 

As for the rest of the room we will just be giving it a tidy up and organising the items that are out on show so it looks a bit cleaner as at the moment it is a bit of chaos. The dressing room aspect will stay as we keep the clothes rail and I will still be getting dressed in the room daily so I need clothing and accessories easy to reach for so getting ready on a morning is much easier. The Alex drawers in the room will be sorted out too to make blog things easily accessible and any junk removed as they have become a dumping ground recently and just require a complete clear out so I can start fresh.  

It is safe to say this is going to be one of the easiest and cheapest transformations to happen in the house as I try to budget this room transformation to just £50 which should be more than doable. I am really hoping this is the first of many room transformations over the next year or so as we finally get each room to a much better standard than it currently is. 

I can't wait to see how this room turns out once it is complete but I am just ready for a cosy space to work away and hopefully get some new projects up and running. A hybrid room for blogging and getting ready is just what is needed at the moment. 

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Some Nights Just Call For A Nice Glass Of Wine


It is quite funny how tastes can change when you think about it. Just last year I avoided any sort of wine or prosecco at all costs yet fast forward to know and I probably opt for a glass of wine over any other alcoholic drink and I quite enjoy a glass of prosecco every now and again. Over this year we have gathered quite a few different wines and bottles of prosecco and we have also found a few bottles of champagne in our alcohol cabinet that we forgot about, although I know that this has been stashed away for safe keeping. It is safe to say we have a nice little stock of these sort of drinks though and here is what we have...


I actually got this rose champagne for my 21st birthday from the people I worked with at my old work place and I absolutely love the box it came in and the bottle itself. I haven't drunk this yet and I am not sure when I actually will be but for now it looks great on display. 


If I remember rightly we got this champagne from Liam's dad when we moved into our own home over 3 years ago now and we still haven't got around to drinking it yet. I jokingly told Liam I was going to crack this open when something big happens for the Edge of the Area blog and he laughed and told me to go ahead. So maybe one day when something big happens for it we will actually get this drunk. 


This is another bottle of champagne that was a gift and has been hanging around for a long time but I just can't bring myself to drink it. My auntie and uncle got me this for my 18th birthday so it has certainly been around a while. What I love the most about this one though is the Union Jack sleeve it came in. 


This set of champagne in a lovely display box was actually given to my dad by a supplier at work over 10 years ago now and he has ended up passing it on to me already. The box it came in looks brilliant out on display and thanks to how long he kept them unopened I don't want to waste them any time soon so they are currently just a display item in our house. 


I have to say I think that this Plaza prosecco is my current favourite although it is always risky once I get on to drinking this. I have found prosecco far too easy to drink and I did a bottle to myself one new years eve and I think that is the roughest start to the new year that I have ever had. I best save this for when someone is willing to share it with me. 


This bottle of prosecco came from a hamper that Liam's work got sent last year and I just haven't got around to drinking it yet. I think I might crack this bottle open in the build up to Christmas or even take it with me on Christmas day or New Years Eve. I haven't tried this one before and to be honest I am looking forward to getting started on it. 


I honestly don't know how I ended up with this when it was left untouched after a holiday earlier in the year but to be honest I am quite glad I have it. I usually can't stand dark wines but this one is nice and fruity and goes down a treat so I am sure this will be gone sooner rather than later. It is only a cheap bottle and a low percentage so is always good to have in the house to reach for. 


I have wanted to try 19 Crimes wine for the longest time as Liam and my grandad love the red ones they do and my nanna loves the white one they offer. As I aren't a fan of red or white wine I didn't think I would ever get to try the make for myself but I stumbled across this rose one in Asda and purchased it straight away. I am really looking forward to cracking into this bottle and finally trying a 19 Crimes wine. 


I honestly can't remember how long I actually spent searching for this bottle of Whispering Angel but I finally managed to grab myself a bottle. I came across this on Instagram and really wanted to try it for myself but nowhere seemed to have it in stock. I finally managed to purchase this though and at £20 it is definitely the most I have spent on a bottle of wine so I am hoping it tastes good. 


Whilst looking for the bottle of Whispering Angel I came across a different type of Whispering Angel called The Palm, Liam ended up treating me to this bottle as it was reduced down to £15 and I thought the bottle looked nice, I can't wait to try this and compare it to my other Whispering Angel to see which I prefer but I think I can see both bottles being restocked once the current ones are gone. 

So there you go that is the wine, prosecco and champagne that we currently have in our house, it is safe to say we have plenty to be drinking at the moment but I am hoping that over the course of the year I can get a few different wines to try out rather than just stick to drinking the same ones over and over again. I think it is safe to say though wine is a new go to drink for me. 

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Putting An Outfit Together For Under £50


Just like with the outfit under £30 post I have been really looking forward to doing an outfit under £50 post. My style has really been all over the place this year with me not knowing what was best for me and what I actually needed to purchase however, as the year has progressed my mind seems to be set on a specific style and I have been able to shop around for items to fit that. With me losing weight I have been trying to shop around on a budget so I aren't spending a fortune on clothing that may not fit me a few month later. That is why I found this outfit under £50 challenge quite fun, I managed to find an outfit that suited my style perfectly for a grand total of £38.49 not including the sneakers because there is no way I needed to buy another pair of white sneakers as I already have about 6 pairs. So here is the outfit I managed to put together for the grand total of £38.49... 


I used to only buy my checked shirts from Primark however, lately I only ever seem to buy them from H&M man. The checked shirts are a bit more expensive from H&M Man as they are £17.99 each however, they are definitely better quality and I believe they fit me much nicer. They seem to be a bit thicker in material too so they certainly keep me warmer. I have a few different colours of these shirts now but as soon as I saw this simple black and white one I knew it would be the perfect addition to my wardrobe as it is bound to fit with most of my wardrobe and look great. I do like to layer up though and especially in winter so underneath this I have a £4.50 black long sleeved t-shirt just to give me a bit of extra warmth plus I often like to have my shirt open so this just adds that extra layer needed and is a bit warmer than a normal short sleeved t-shirt. I am hoping I can get a few more of these for layering up this winter as they have been a brilliant purchase. 


On the bottom half I have been in desperate need of some new jeans as my others have started to get a bit big and the only black ones I have are actually ripped which I am starting to move away from now. I have found recently that it is in fact Sainsbury's where I can get the best fitting jeans for me and at £16 I can't complain as they quality and fit is brilliant. I picked up this pair of black acid wash girlfriend jeans recently and they are just what I wanted. They are a bit of a bigger fit rather than my usual skin tight jeans and the acid wash is brilliant for the style I am going for. I am already planning another trip to Sainsbury's soon to see if I can find any other pairs to fit the style I am going for. 

I simply finish off this outfit with my beat up Air Force 1's or my £15 bargain River Island white sneakers as I find they look the best for how the jeans fall on them plus the River Island ones create a bit of a smarter look in my opinion. I am really impressed with how this outfit looks to say how much of a budget I was actually on when creating it. Everything ticks the boxes of what I was aiming for and I think I will be starting to shop in H&M & Sainsbury's a whole lot more as they definitely do some great products. 

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Maybe My Style Just Wasn't Meant To Change


2021 was definitely the year of experimenting for me as I felt like I was stuck in a rut especially when it came to my clothing choices and overall style. As I have been losing weight over the course of the year I have been trying my best to experiment with new clothing as I have required to repurchase items in a size that is actually going to fit. I used this time to purchase items for styles that I thought I would love however, all it made me realise is I knew what my style wanted to be from the get go and I actually had a lot of those items already in my wardrobe ready to go. 


For the longest time I thought that I wanted my style to look a whole lot smarter than previously so I bought a few shirts and some smarter pair of trousers however, honestly I just didn't feel comfortable in these items so after a few months of trying I just scrapped the idea and realised that the smartest it is going to get for me is a checked shirt & some nice fitting jeans or a t-shirt, blazer and checked pants. For me those two outfit combinations are just what I need and I feel a lot smarter and comfortable like this plus if the items fit me properly they look great too. 


I tried my best to move away from graphic/printed clothing throughout the year but again I quickly realised that wasn't what I wanted either. When I was putting together outfits I was struggling to piece items together to create an outfit I actually liked as everyday my outfits just felt plain and boring to me and I was quickly getting sick of getting ready in a morning. As soon as I went back to wearing graphic and printed t-shirts I just found getting ready much easier and more of an enjoyable experience plus I noticed once again I was just more comfortable and confident and I really just felt like myself dressing like this. 

It is safe to say I enjoyed experimenting with my style throughout 2021 however, I am glad I am entering 2022 with a clear vision in my mind of what sort of style I want to aim for so that I feel my best each day. Going into 2022 with an idea of my perfect style in mind is going to be really useful as I know that with my weight loss journey I hopefully going to need to buy a fair new items of clothing so that items fit as they should do, knowing my perfect style is not only going to help me when I am out shopping in what to actually purchase so I don't waste money it should also help me narrow down how long each shopping journey as I will know exactly what I want rather than walking around confused like I usually do. 

Experimenting has been good however, maybe some things just aren't meant to change.  

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Finding A Full Outfit For Under £30


I have been wanting to write this post for a long time but just haven't been able to find the perfect outfit under £30. However, lately Primark are absolutely killing it with their clothing releases and to be honest over the past few months I have spent a lot more than I expected to on items from there. I have absolutely fallen in love with their NBA range and what surprised me is just how cheap it is. Thanks to those reasonable prices I think I have got over half of the Chicago Bulls range that they do and I love it, each item looks great and the t-shirts are a bit thicker than other t-shirts I own. 

Thanks to getting these items I have finally managed to put together my outfit under £30 and I honestly can't believe how well it has turned out, it provides a bit of a street style look and is perfect for the style I seem to be opting for lately as once again that has changed but more on that another day. So here is the outfit I managed to create for under £30, disclaimer though I didn't include the cost of the footwear on here as I already had that and I really don't need to buy any more new sneakers... 


As I said I am absoutely loving the Primark x NBA range and honestly it is what I wear 90% of the time these days as not only do the items look great but they are also a pretty good quality. I originally only got the white and red Bulls t-shirts however, as soon as I saw this black version I knew it needed to be added to the collection. At just £10 this t-shirt will go with basically all my wardrobe and I know I will get plenty of wear out of it. The sleeves are the perfect length and it is a bit of an over sized fit so even as I continue losing weight I will be able to wear this and hopefully it will still look good the baggier it gets on me. The print on this t-shirt gives me a bit of a retro vibe too which is great because for an actual retro Bulls shirt I am sure you would be paying more than £10. 

To create the style I wanted I have teamed this t-shirt up with my £12.99 H&M cargo pants. I still can't believe how cheap these were and how well they are still standing after over a year of wearing them. These are perfect for the style I am going for these days and they actually still fit really nice as they aren't too slim and they aren't too baggy and even the leg length seems perfect on these which is rare for me due to my height. The selling point for me though with these cargo pants was the elasticated cuffs at the bottom of the leg, I don't know why but I love these and what they add to the outfit. 

 I absolutely love the all black outfit with the t-shirt and bottoms and just the bits of white and red details as each item works so well together and fits the style perfectly. To finish off the outfit I just throw on a pair of white sport socks which are usually Nike ones and a pair of white sneakers as I feel like they just bring the outfit together nicely, it also looks great with a pair of Vans Old Skool too as the black and white just ties in with the rest of the outfit.


 So there you go that is an outfit minus the footwear that I managed to put together for a grand total of £22.99. I thought Primark had slipped off the mark a bit the past few years however, 2021 seems to have been a great year for them and I am absolutely loving browsing around the store at the moment. I am trying to not spend a fortune on new clothing items as I am losing weight and Primark are really helping me add to my wardrobe without breaking the bank. 
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My Fitness Goals For 2022

 


It is safe to say my 2021 fitness goals didn't really go to plan as you will have read already but I am still blaming that on 2021 being a year where I was having to get back into a routine where nothing was neglected, it is a shame that didn't work though and I really fell off track with the fitness and weight loss journey. I won't be making the same mistake this year though as I am determined to get back on track and not let anything else derail my progress. I am setting myself some realistic goals for the year ahead and I am really hoping that I am going to be ticking a lot off at the end of the year as complete. Here are the goals I am aiming for in 2022... 

Drop 2 Clothing Sizes
This is probably the most ambitious goal for the year but it is one I am determined to absolutely smash. Currently I am an 18 in women's clothing and a large in men's. I would love to be down into a 14 in women's by the end of the year as I think it will give me loads more options when shopping especially if it is for jeans. It is definitely optimistic to become a small in men's clothing but honestly if I got myself even down to a medium in men's clothing by the end of the year I would certainly be happy. If I do get to these targets I think a fair bit of clothes shopping will need to take place over the year to make sure I always have the essentials that fit. 

Drop 2 Stone
This is something I am more than capable of if I put my mind to it. If I lost 2lb a week I would hit this in the early stages of the year and lose a whole lot more than the 2 stone target however, I want to be realistic, I know that the scales aren't going to go down weekly so I want to keep the target small to make sure I aren't overwhelmed with the goal in front of me. I am really hoping that I can smash this target but I guess only time will tell. 

Go Boxing At Every Possible Chance 
I started boxing in 2021 and I have absolutely loved every second of it. I am hoping to continue going every Wednesday in 2022 although I do know there are some dates I definitely can't do due to events happening on those days. However, I am hoping that unless I am ill I can go boxing to every free Wednesday I have throughout 2022 when it is on although who knows I might try add a few Saturday classes into the mix too if I get the chance but who knows. I am just enjoying this a lot and it has made Wednesday's one of my favourite days of the week. 

Play Football A Lot More 
I started playing 5 a side again in 2021 although due to numerous reasons I didn't get to half as many sessions as I wanted to. I am determined to change that in 2022 though and thanks to my new car being a lot more reliable I should be able to get myself to sessions without having to rely on others like I have had to previously. I am hoping that like boxing I can get to football every free Friday I have although again I know there are some events happening on Friday's that I am going to. I know from the sessions I went to in 2021 football burns a lot of calories so going more frequently is going to help me lose weight. 

Try A New Form Of Exercise
My new exercise for 2021 ended up being boxing and we all know how I fell in love with that. So in 2022 I am really hoping that I can try a new exercise again that I am going to fall in love with as much as boxing. I would love for that exercise to be for me and Liam to do together such as running but who knows 2022 might be the year I try yoga and fall in love with it. I want to make sure I am trying new things rather than getting bored of doing the same thing over and over again. Whatever exercise I end up trying I hope it is something I can stick with and mix into my weekly exercise routine. 

Cook More
This is a big one for me as I know my diet is really holding back my progress. If we get too lazy we end up just ordering in and that happens far too often for my liking. So in 2022 I want to make sure I am in the kitchen cooking up healthier meals a whole lot more. I rely on Liam too much when it comes to cooking so I want to make sure at least half of the week I am also doing my share of the cooking and hopefully that will  stop us getting so many takeaways throughout the year and hopefully it will save us a bit more money too. This year is definitely time to get the cook books out. 

Work Out More 
I slacked in 2021 with my workouts and to be honest other than boxing from summer onward I barely did any working out and it shows. I am determined to change this in 2022 and I want to be a whole lot more active. I want to be working out at least 4 times a week as I think this will benefit me and help me achieve my goals. Plus I have realised now just how much working out helps me mentally too so I know how much of a benefit it will provide in another area I need to see improvement. 

Try To Do A Few Alcohol Free Months
I went alcohol free for quite a few months a few years back and I noticed some big changes in my weight and my mentality. I love doing this little bit of a challenge each year and this time I am just going to try do this on months where I have a lot going on event wise, July I am looking at you for the Euros as I need all my focus to be there, and any other quieter months. I might even try document these months on here too so that we can see the benefits it has each month as it will definitely be interesting. 

Fingers crossed during my end of year fitness goals round up I will be ticking a lot off and writing about a positive year where I have made a lot of progress. I am going into 2022 with a much better mindset than I did in 2021 so lets hope this helps with the progress too. I can't wait to see the results start to come my way and feel much better about myself once again. I think to make this a bit more interesting I am going to give myself rewards when I achieve the goals on this list or when I reach specific weight loss target goals. 
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My Personal Goals For 2022

 


I honestly can't quite believe that it is already 2022, 2021 just seemed to last a total of 5 seconds and it is was certainly a strange year as I felt I did loads without actually doing much. It was rare that I was home on an evening as once restrictions were lifted I seemed to be out and about a lot more than usual. 2021 was a year of personal development for me to with me stepping out of my comfort zone and trying things I would never have previously considered due to it being so far out of my comfort zone. I really want to carry on the momentum into 2022 too so that I can continue improving myself and experiencing some fantastic things and finally getting jobs done and out of the way. So here are my personal goals for 2022...

Save more money

I definitely made a start on this one during 2021 however, as the year went on I slowly made less and less progress with this and actually started taking money out of my savings to cover jobs in the house. I am determined to get back on track with my savings in 2022 though and I have a target amount that I would love to add into my savings account at the end of each month, if I did manage to this monthly that would be fantastic as it would mean I am getting closer and closer to the things I am actually saving for rather than just wasting money which I know I have done so much lately. I have made a list of what I am saving for so hopefully this will help me stay on track. 

Only buy things what I really need

As I said before I really need to start saving money and to do that I am going to really need to cut back on my spending especially on those purchases that I am buying for the sake of it. In 2021 I certainly bought some items just for the sake of it and now I just need to cut that out and only stick to what I really need. I am going to do this by trying to only go out shopping when I really need to rather than anytime someone asks me to go out as it is too tempting when I do go out. For those times where I do go out I am going to make a list and have it in my phone or in my wallet to make sure I only buy items on that list which will consist of only the items I actually need. This should help me only buy what I need and help me save plenty of money so it should help with two goals on my list. 

Drop clothes sizes

I am determined that 2022 is going to be the year I finally start to lose even more weight and finally drop more clothing sizes. I feel like 2021 was a bit of a blip in my journey as nothing really changed so I am really hoping that 2022 is totally different and I see a whole lot more progress. I would ideally love to drop 1 clothes size in the men's clothing I buy which would take me down to being a medium. Realistically I think that this will be as far as I can go in men's clothing in one year but who knows I might end up surprising myself and drop a bit more. I also want to drop two women's sizes in the clothing I get from the women's department, I am currently still in a 20 in most places although in a few I am at an 18 but at a very tight squeeze, I would love to be down to a 16 by the end of 2022 but if I can get closer to a 14 that would be absolutely fantastic, I think a 16 is a lot more realistic though. 

Drive More

I was lucky enough to get a new car towards the end of 2021 so I want to put that to more use in 2022. I usually hate driving due to low confidence thanks to an accident years ago and knee issues but since getting my new car I have loved it as it is an automatic therefore it doesn't hurt my knee at all compared to my other car. My confidence definitely increased as soon as I got the car so I am really looking forward to driving a lot more and giving Liam much more of a break as he currently does nearly all the driving. I am hoping to get behind the wheel a whole lot more and also drive a little bit further than I have been doing.

Go on more walks

We started off 2021 so well with going on walks but as the year progressed we really dropped off on going out walking and we ended up at the stage of not going out at all yet we said we would every week. I am determined that in 2022 we will be going on a long walk every Sunday morning either locally or a bit further away. The only time we wont be going will be if one of us are ill or the weather is extremely bad. I really enjoyed the walks that we went on so to get back into that healthy habit will be absolutely amazing and I can't wait to get back into that routine. I know this will do wonders for me both mentally and physically and it will get me seeing a bit more of my local area. 

Sort the gardens out

We managed to get a fair bit of progress done in the house in 2021 and it was great seeing the progress we made especially in the games room. I am really hoping that in 2022 we can get a bit more progress done in the gardens as they were certainly neglected in 2021. We still have a few bits to do in the back garden then that will finally be complete and I would love to start on the front garden to get it tidied up and a border put in so that we can get it a whole lot nicer. Then when it comes to the side I would love to get that sorted so I can get out there with the football in the summer and maybe even add a few more bits to that area. It would be brilliant to finally sort the garage out too so that it is cleared and the junk at the side of the house is cleared too at least once that is done we can start to work out if the garage is staying or not in the future. 

There we go I have kept this years goals a bit simpler and a bit more realistic and fingers crossed this time next year I will be writing about how well it has all gone and how I have absolutely smashed each goal I set for myself. Let's hope things go to plan and 2022 is an absolutely fantastic year which I am really hoping for. 

What goals have you set for yourself for the new year? 

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Blogging Hopes & Plans For 2022

 



It is safe to say a lot can change in a year and honestly throughout all of 2021 I have been looking at way in which I could change the blog and make it the best it could possibly be. I have been a bit hit & miss when it comes to posting not only on here but on Instagram as well that is why I am hoping to go into 2022 with a plan in mind which is going to help me be consistent, give me some free time and just help me create the content I really want to. Towards the end of the year my love for the blog really came back and I have been sat planning the direction I want to take the blog in for the course of 2022 and possibly into years beyond. There are going to be a few main categories for the blog and each one will bring something a little bit different to the site along with being things I am really falling in love with and am honestly so passionate about these days. 

I am going to be aiming to upload 3 times a week however, some weeks might have a little bit more content in them if needed, each week will be different too as I will be aiming to provide a mixture of content each week rather than just a full week of fashion followed by a full week of sneakers, of course the start of each month will be the same though with our favourites, new in and fitness update posts as I love writing these.  So here is what we are hoping to bring to the site in 2022... 

Fashion 

I have really enjoyed the fashion content we have done in 2021 and I am hoping to do even more throughout 2022. We will be doing full outfit posts alongside our favourite outfits and we will be continuing with seasonal content to hopefully give you all some outfit inspiration for that season. There might be specific store hauls alongside our new in posts as we try out new places to shop and of course some items might end up getting reviewed specifically like store options, jewellery and accessories. Towards the end of the year we might also add in a few gift guides. 

Sneakers 

My love for sneakers is back with vengeance and I can see 2022 having a lot of sneaker content in store as I add to my sneaker collection. The sort of content that will be under this category will be wish lists and hauls alongside reviews and how to style pieces as these were some of my favourite to write in 2021. 

Fitness

My fitness journey might have gone off track in 2021 but 2022 is the year of making big progress so I will be continuing with monthly updates for this as I have really enjoyed showing my journey progress because it is really good to look back on. I am also going to be adding more fitness related outfits and hauls to the site along with reviews of equipment I am using etc. Who knows my training plans might also feature a fair bit too. 

Home 

Since moving into our own home I have really taken a liking to home content on blogs and Instagram. In 2021 I started adding a bit more home content to the site but in 2022 I will hopefully be adding even more. I will hopefully be adding room transformations, reviews of any items I think fit and also any plans we have for changing things to each room or outdoors. As Christmas approaches I will also try adding some gift guides for home bits or even some mood boards over the course of the year. I am hoping a fair few changes take place in 2022 so fingers crossed we can get them done and document them on here. 

Food & Drink

I started to add a bit of food and drink onto the site in 2021 but again I am hoping to really increase this in 2022 as the few posts I did I really enjoyed. I am really to get a lot more content up in this section including reviews of places where we have been to eat & drink, wish lists and places to visit. It will also include hauls of things we have purchased and taste tests & reviews of beers and other drinks we own. I am also hoping to add top 5 lists and gift guides as and when required to this section. 

Lifestyle & Adventures 

I am going to be continuing with the new in & favourites posts but in this section I also want to add in days out and places to visit alongside reviews of places we have been such as bowling, golf or other places like that. It could also include weekends away and exploring new places as we aim to get out a little bit more throughout 2022, things like this might also including packing for those trips away. This section might also start to include things like routines etc too as I begin to build better habits throughout the year

Fingers crossed by doing these changes I can increase readers of the blog and get more people engaging with our content on here and over on our social media channels, I would even love to have people start suggesting posts they would love to read or see on places like Instagram. I am going to be taking a bit more time to sort out graphics for the site from 2022 too as I know with the equipment we have we can do so much more than we already do as I have just been lazy lately. Not only will the blog be improving but I have really neglected Instagram and Twitter lately too so I am hoping to spend a lot more time building up those channels in 2022 too as I know we can really improve on that and increase our engagement, it is just a case of remembering to post and posting the right things. 

I am really looking forward to 2022 and all that it has in store for The Northern Girl, I am really hoping we have our best year yet and really see an improvement in every aspect of the site. I am also really looking forward to getting out a bit more and discovering local places to eat and days out as I know we are certainly missing out on a whole lot in our local area. 

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