Ultimate Budget tips!

We are students and therefore live on a budget. We would like to buy new clothing, going out to eat and party a few nights a week, unfortunately these things cost a lot of money. That’s why we want to share our best Budget Tips with you and started this blog! For our last blog post we created a list with the 10 ultimate budget tips;

Our budget tip Top 10
1. Instead of going dining in a restaurant, you can have a cheap fun meal with your friends. You can set up a potluck where each guest brings one dish (starter, main etc.). You can even make it an evening with a theme. For example Italy or an American style diner.

2. When you want to extend your wardrobe, don’t go running to the shops immediately. Perhaps you can update you old clothing and make them trendy again. Or you can make your own clothing, which is really popular at the moment. You need fabrics (go to the market for cheap fabrics), a sewing machine (second hand is cheaper) and a couple of lessons or a good book to learn how to make your own dresses. Maybe your mother can help you with that, when we were little our mothers made the most horrible clothing for us. But they have got the experience!

3. The summer is coming and we all like to enjoy the sun. An afternoon on a terrace however is very expensive. What we like to do when the weather is good is organizing a pick nick. Pick a meeting place and let everybody bring something to eat or drink and a few mats. The budget afternoon can begin. At the end of the day you have a full stomach and a pretty color on your face.

 
4. Experience your childhood all over again! When we were young we exercised a lot without even noticing it, besides that we paid almost nothing for it. It is almost summer, so start rollerblading and rope skipping again!

5. The best make-up tip we can give: You do not need to buy really expensive labels. The cheaper labels give the same results. Kim is really enthusiastic about the cheap cosmetic label: Essence.

6. Decorating your home doesn’t have to be expensive as well. It is actually really fun to create nice decoration without paying a dime, because it makes you very creative. The pictures show some examples:

Chantal had a neighbor who created her own wallpaper in the kitchen out of recipes from a monthly magazine. It looked really fun and creative.

7. When you feel like partying, organize an American party! In America is it common to bring your own food and drinks when you go to a party. So make an invitation and invite all your friends, your party on a budget can start!

8. Instead of going out with your friends or watching television you can relive old times with board games. We all have played a lot of board games when we were young and most of us have saved our favorites. So wipe the dust of the board games and have a really fun night with your friends.

9. Holidays cost a lot of money, however as a student we have a benefit. We are more flexible in when we would like to go on holiday. Some weeks are a lot cheaper to fly, so avoid the summer and try to book a flight for example the first week of January.

10. Don’t go grocery shopping when you are hungry! And make a clear list of what you need and stick to the list!



Surprise…. Presents time!

Hello ladies. There is always a reason to give a present to your best friend. Not only because it is her birthday, but also just because she is the best friend you can wish for or just for fun. The only problem is, nice presents can be expensive. Today we would like to give you some pointers on how to buy or make a nice present on a budget.

Instead of going to a restaurant, save your money and try to make a lovely dinner. You can just make her favorite dish or make something special which you normally wouldn’t cook. Keep in mind that a large dinner can cost a lot of time. Try to cook as much as possible in advance so you don’t have to stay in the kitchen all evening. Also, don’t try to make it too difficult. If you cannot cook, you can choose for a simple but nice gourmet or fondue.

You can also make your own high tea with homemade cupcakes and sandwiches. If she likes to bake you can try to make the cupcakes together. There are lots of possibilities for different recipes and toppings. See our blog about budget food for more baking and budget tips.

Another tip is to be creative. You can make your own birthday  or thank you card or think of a nice present which you can create. For example, buy an empty photo frame and make a collage of your favorite pictures together.

You can organize a surprise party for your best friend as a present. This could be expensive, but if you ask to organize the party with a couple of friends it can reduce the costs. Try to think of a special cocktail for the evening. For inspiration the Dutch readers can look at the website cocktail maken  or All recipes.

Finally for more tips you can always look at some of our previous blog posts. For example organize a beauty girls night and look for some tips at the blog BudgetTips for facial hair and nail care. Or you can think of a lovely day out. See for inspiration our blog Seize the day.

Good luck!!

It’s festival time!

Spring is in the air!! And of course spring means the beginning of the festival season! In the next few months, we can enjoy the best performances at all kinds of different festivals and parties. Many festivals are expensive but there are some free and some pretty cheap ones to find!

At first, our Dutch and Belgian readers can take a look at the website of Festival Info. This website contains all the free festivals and parties in 2012. The most well-known are Parkpop in The Hague, the Vierdaagsefeesten in Nijmegen, the Gay Pride in Amsterdam and the Free your Mind Festival in Arnhem.

The website of festivals in Europe is Festival Searcher. On this website you can find a variety of festivals. They give information about the well known festivals such as Rock am Ring in Germany and Roskilde in Denmark but they also mention some nice small festivals that are just as much fun and a little bit cheaper.

The atmosphere at festival is so great! Everyone has to experience that. You can just do whatever you want and dress however you like without anyone making fun of you. And we know festivals are expensive but the free and cheap ones are certainly worth the try!

Good luck and have fun girls.