Words of Wisdom | Some of the Worst Life Advice I've ever followed

This post was prompted though looking back at some of my more questionable life decisions and looking through some throwback pictures from 2007 onwards (I still have and love big hair so #noregrets there!) Today I therefore thought I would share some of my more embarrassing moments and some of the worst advice I sadly chose to follow throughout my youth and teenage years.

'Wear a bra two sizes smaller so your boobs look bigger' - courtesy of a flat chested friend.
This is something I genuinely did for a period of time when I was about 16 / 17 I stocked up on bras that were simply way, way too small for me in an effort to make my (already pretty sizable) boobs look even bigger. I'm not sure whether I was going for the Dolly Parton look or what between my babydoll dresses, big boobs and giant hair but either way this was so uncomfortable and not to mention quite bad for my back so if any younger ladies are out there reading this - heed my warnings!

'Get a better pout by pulling and stretching the corners of your mouth for one minute each day' - courtesy of either Mizz or Bliss magazine.

I actually remember reading this article when I was younger, it revolved around how to get boys to like you (I was about 12 at the time) and this was genuinely one of their tips. I remember it as if it were yesterday, I used to sit after eating my coco pops before school and pull at the corners of my mouth to achieve the perfect pout - needless to say that while this is safer than the Kylie Jenner lip challenge I've since found more effective and less painful ways to improve my pout.

'Drinking black coffee will sober you up' - courtesy of the friend who led me astray.

The first time I ever had an alcoholic beverage with my friends I freaked so hard (internally of course I had to maintain my ever cool exterior and rep...ahem) and they all agreed they'd be going home to down black coffee. Despite being an avid coffee lover and regular coffee drinker this did nothing for me and if anything the terrible 30p a bottle cider mixed something awful with the black coffee and made me feel ill - not one to replicate.

Sadly this is not the end of the list as we've only begun to see the tip of the iceberg when it comes to life advice I have naively followed throughout the years so let's simply call this part 1 of what I imagine will be many, many more posts of a similar nature.

What has been some of the worst advice you have ever received or followed? I'd love it if you'd leap out with me on to this branch of shame, embarassment and general throwback fondness. Be sure to leave some of your advice in the comments section below, come share them with me on Twitter or if you'd just like to wait on tender hooks for embarassing life advice part 2 then be sure to keep up with me on Bloglovin.

Until next time folks,

H.Elizabeth x

Buying your first home | 6 Things to consider

Since publishing our new home post just last month I have been pretty inundated with emails and messages asking for advice on buying your first home - a topic, which despite having underwent the whole mortgage process quite recently, I am still a bit sketchy on myself (my other half is a financial jargon wizard - thank goodness lest I be out on the streets begging for lipstick money!) But there are a few things I have picked up and learned along the way which you yourself may want to consider before buying your first ever home.

Expect it to take double the length of time you at first think

We visited the banks (every single bank who offers a mortgage) at the end of May / beginning of June. We then started looking at houses back throughout June, with the thoughts of finding our dream home around July and going through the process of applying for a mortgage end of July / August and moving in by the time September rolls around.... that was wishful thinking. 

There are lots of people involved in your mortgage going through, where finding the house was relatively quick for us there were lots of other parties who unfortunately dragged their feet. From the housing agent communicating with the buyer regarding our numerous offers, to our poor solicitor trying to get a straight answer from our mortgage providers solicitors, you've got to wonder if it's a case of too many cooks? Either way we made it JUST in time for our rental lease ending at the beginning of September which made our move very quick, very stressful and now we're VERY thankful it's over.

Try to see beyond the existing decor

It can be quite disheartening when you see a house you thought online looked perfect and may just be 'the one' in person and it just doesn't have that quality you thought (i.e. perfectly instagrammable photography and a lighting crew fit for Beyonce) Sometimes you have to compromise and see past the present tenants decor. So orange walls aren't for you? Try to imagine it with plain white walls and look at it as a space to make your own rather than a ready made home.

Always read the home report thoroughly and learn to decipher potential issues I remember when we were looking at houses I fell in love with one in the same area we are in now. It was perfect, the decor didn't need changing, hard wood floors throughout the downstairs and the bedroom spaces were to die for. I thought I had found my one at least, perfect. On the surface. After a browse of the home report the house was found to be needing a new roof in the next year or so, have damp issues throughout and there was a chance the heating and electrics would have to be redone... perhaps not so perfect after all.

Don't jump in and spend more than you can afford

So you've been to the banks and it's fantastic news, they can lend you all the money you had budgeted for AND more, but that doesn't mean that's what you can necessarily afford. The banks are letting you know that if you stripped yourself of all luxury, that's right, no more Nandos or Netflix and you can pretty much kiss goodbye to the bus pass that'll be getting you to and from town, then that's what you can realistically afford.

Too often I've seen people jumping in with the biggest loan from the banks only to get into their lovely house only to find they can't afford to make it a home. Be sensible, not greedy.

It doesn't have to be Pinterest worthy right away

You know in the movies where the couple move into their new home and everything is perfect straight away and they can just start going about their days just like that? Yeah I'm still sorting our house out. From buying (me) and building (Nick) furniture, organising wardrobes, cupboards, keeping fridges and freezers ticking over and the cleaning (my god it's constant) in addition to getting the family pet (Marble) settled in

Budget, budget, budget
I never, ever, thought I would say this but I don't know where I would be without (Nicks) spreadsheets. Write down all of your monthly bills, mortgage, electricity, gas, council tax and of course all of your expenditures, food , phone bill, cinema passes, travel expenses and whatever you've got leftover each month is what you can save and put towards new furniture, decorating or even just a little treat for yourself.

I hope this, relatively long post has given you a bit of an insight into my mortgage experience anyway and perhaps even helped you understand what your next steps might be if you are looking to buy your first home. I'd love to do another one of these maybe on the process of looking at houses or even the process of buying (though that may not be for the faint hearted!) Let me know if you have any questions you'd like me to answer in a follow up post or if you'd just enjoy reading one of my famed 'people are rubbish' rants.

You can otherwise catch me lurking on the usual channels for example Twitter, having a rant, Instagram, having a pose (where there will also be a cat by the way...) and Bloglovin, doing what I do best.

Until next time folks, happy house hunting.

H.Elizabeth x