Why is LGBT Pride so important?
As of 2017, there are 71 countries where being gay is illegal and ten where it carries the DEATH SENTENCE (All Out). There are many more countries where the government will deny your human rights due to your gender identity or sexual orientation. There is no country in the world where LGBTQ+ people have full equality.
Source: Why is LGBT Pride so important?
What do I do with burnt saucepans and my other junk?
Susty-hack your way to better finances; get items for free, rejuvenate your damaged goods and sell on your broken electronics.
Part of Your World
Harvey Milk Day
In honour of Harvey Milk Day, which is on Monday, I’d like to share with you some of my favourite pictures of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay official in Californian history.
The importance of checking your bank statements
This Finance Thursday is about the importance of checking your bank account and credit card statements.
All it takes is about 10 minutes a month and it might save you lots of money.
I’ve taken a picture of a credit card statement that I received at some point last year: I know the amount of colour coding is offputting. I’m Type A.
For most people, this can be as simple as just confirming that the purchases on the statement are purchases that you can account for.
There are five separate transactions of between £1 and £23 at the Fleet pub on April 2nd, did someone steal my card or did I buy a round for my friends, a couple of pitchers and one shot? Does that sound legit?
For others, you can keep track of refunds that you should receive (Diamond).
I go a little beyond that but no one else needs to.
Colour Key
Blue: These are postage charges for my business. I like to highlight it so that I can keep business expenses separate. These charges are ultimately paid by my customers rather than myself.
Red: This was a vet bill, that I had to claim back on my pet insurance.
Yellow: So at this time, I owed money to my parents. I paid for some of their purchases on my credit card and at the end of the month, I totalled it up and took it off the amount that I owed them.
Green: This related to business expenses to put on my tax return for next year. That way, even if my receipts went missing, I would still be able to access the charges and claim for them.
Red and Purple Diamond: I do not have enough highlighters. This was items that I was waiting for a refund on. H+M- the clothes didn’t fit and The Works- they charged me but something went wrong with the payment system and I never got any order confirmation. This was to remind me to check that I had received the refund by my next statement.
Green and Red Star: My dad hates the internet and asked me to order a present for my mum… actually, did he pay me back for that??
Gotta go.
Hotel Rooms Perks
So you’ve already read about saving money when booking your hotel room and cheaper alternatives to traditional hotels.
We now move on to: what can you take from hotel rooms?
Stopping Stress
This is from Ingrid Nielsen who is a-ma-zing.
Her tips were helpful to me which is why I wanted to share.
Holiday Hotspots for LGBTQ Women Visiting the UK – AfterEllen
If you’re gay and visiting the UK, this is your roadmap to LGBTQ-female-friendly hotspots.
Source: Holiday Hotspots for LGBTQ Women Visiting the UK – AfterEllen
Summer Dreaming
One minute you’re lying on golden sand, soaking up the sun as your friend pours you another sangria, the next your alarm clock goes off and it’s an overcast day in Blighty. Not the best way to wake up but maybe your subconscious is trying to tell you something: book a holiday.
So where to go, what to do, who to go with?
And can you afford it? Well, we’re going to show you how.
There’s one thing we can all agree on, don’t go in the school holidays! Prices will skyrocket and you’ll be surrounded by children (and if they’re aren’t yours, they’re less cute).
Where to go?
Our handy quiz will tell you what the ideal holiday for you is;
- How many people are you going with?
- Just that special someone.
- A small group of close friends.
- A big group of people
- What do you want to do on this holiday?
- I want it to be relaxing and peaceful.
- Some sightseeing; maybe take in a museum.
- I want some sun, sand, and sangria.
- How much money do you have to spend (per person)?
- Less than £100
- £100 -£200
- £200-£300
Now just total up the amounts you got for each one and look at our handy guide for your perfect holiday.
Mostly As
An English country retreat; picture a quaint BnB with kitsch furniture. This could be a perfect romantic getaway without breaking the bank.
Getting there: Even if you drive it may be cheaper to take the train, especially with http://www.redspottedhanky.com offering you up to 80% of selected advanced fares.
Accommodation: http://www.bedandbreakfasts.co.uk has prices starting from £20pppn and contains user ratings of the services and the rooms.
Mostly Bs
A European city break; time to soak up some culture in one of Europe’s capitals.
Getting there: Budget airlines are often cheaper than the Eurostar especially if you are going further than France. The website http://www.monarch.co.uk has flights to major European cities and boasts a Happy Hour promotion which means that flights will be even cheaper between 12-2pm but after that, they’re gone.
Accommodation: http://www.hostelworld.co.uk offers a great range of hostels from 1-5 stars. Rated by previous clients, they paint an accurate portrayal of what you can expect. Be sure to check travel times between the hostel and the major landmarks.
Mostly Cs
Party holiday without the tacky 18-30 tag; spending your days on the beach and your nights in the clubs, what could be better?
Getting there: http://www.skyscanner.net can compare flight prices from all UK and many worldwide airlines and if your dates are flexible it can show you the cheapest flight for any given month.
Accommodation: http://www.studentholidays.com allows you search worldwide for hostels and hotels. But make sure if you are travelling out of the EU to check on customs observed in that country with regard to alcohol, for instance, the legal drinking age in America is 21.
My Anniversary
Today is my freelancing anniversary and in the past 12 months, I’ve accomplished a hell of a lot. This isn’t even a humble brag because I’m damn proud of my achievements and I worked hard for every single one of them.
I was scared shitless about becoming self-employed and the substantive dip in income that I was anticipating (and ugh, going back to the job centre).
I started, basically from scratch, in February (kinda before I’d quit my previous job), had a lot of legal hassle in March (quick, rush through the flat purchase before they realise that you’re going self-employed) and was on holiday for all of April. The nearest I came to the job centre was going in the shop next door.
I’ll be honest, I was so desperate to trade in the 9-5, that I blagged my way through most of it.
“Writing Samples? Here’s a scan of an article that was published in the paper in 2012 and I might have cropped the date out of the image.”
“Of course, I can do technical writing…Or I can damn well try.”
“Hmm, my CV doesn’t show any journalism or marketing experience since 2013… Oh wait, the company I worked for then, emailed me about coming on board again just as I restart my writing career. Oh, LinkedIn is so difficult… Guess, I’ll just change the dates to 2013-Present.”
In all honesty, in every aspect but my writing career, 2016 has been one long slap in the face. Politics = shit. News = shit. Family Deaths = shit.
I am forever grateful that I get to do what I am good at and passionate about for a living, but there are many people that I owe my success too.
My fellow freelancers, Vikki and Ieva for helping me to navigate the confusing world of freelance writing, communicating job opportunities and proofreading submissions.
My friends, Erin, Mel, Sara, Rich and Kayla who offered moral support during dark periods of the past year, following family deaths (and many, many family hospitalisations).
My parents for loaning me money to pay for flat repairs and for never once telling me that I should be putting financial security above my mental health. They both know what it’s like have worked too hard for too long and the damage that can do to you.
Thank you for telling me that it was more than okay to follow my dreams, to work for a cause I believed in and to hand in my notice at a stable job when I wanted to tell a bitchy manager to go fuck herself.
More than anything, I learnt who was willing to stand by me when the chips were hella down and I was at my worst. To those people, I owe my (relative) sanity, my career and my life.
And to all those who tried their best to break me, my sincerest apologies that your lives are so empty.
