Ask any of my friends, and they’ll tell you that I’m a typical Yorkshireman. I hate spending money. This means that over the years, I’ve become an expert in saving, identifying ways to claw back every penny I can. I wanted to share some of my hard-learned wisdom with all of you, so get your pen and paper out and start taking notes, as I reveal seven handy ways to budget your finances.
It’s a good idea to have a written record of your budget, which you can refer back to and adapt as needed. I use an excel spreadsheet, as it’s versatile enough to allow me to change my spending plans when necessary. On this, I record the nature of the cost (e.g. rent), the amount, frequency of the payment and whether it’s money going in or coming out, so I have a clear overall picture of my finances. Continue reading “Seven Handy Tips for Budgeting Your Finances”
Famous for its live music acts, bustling gay quarter and upscale cocktail bars, Manchester offers you the chance to enjoy the night of a lifetime. Want to start the night off right? Head to Dive NQ first, where you can drink, dance and be merry, putting you in the mood to trip the light fantastic.
Based on Tib Street, Dive NQ is ideally located for a Manchester bar crawl. A few minutes away you’ll discover popular Northern Quarter drinking holes such as Tusk, Bar 21 and Cain & Grain, while you’re also just a stone’s throw from Piccadilly Gardens. It only takes a quarter of an hour to reach the rainbow-festooned bars of Canal Street, with the neon light-strewn dance floors, from here too. Continue reading “DIVE NQ: The Perfect Place To Start A Night Out In Manchester”
Writing a CV for a content marketing role is kind of an art form, one that you might need a little help mastering if you want to nab that dream job. So I thought I’d give you a helping hand, by revealing how to write a CV that’ll win you your next content marketing role…
You might have heard that I’m back on the jobs market. That means one thing. I’ve spent the last week or two fine tuning my CV and sending it out to employers across Manchester. All this has got me thinking. Writing a CV for a content marketing role is kind of an art form, one that you might need a little help mastering if you want to nab that dream job. So I thought I’d give you a helping hand, by revealing how to write a CV that’ll win you your next content marketing role… Continue reading “How To Write A CV… That Will Win You Your Next Content Marketing Role”
I’ve had to develop a thick skin over the years. Like anyone, I’ve had to deal with various issues and challenges that have eventually made me a stronger – if battle scarred – person. Another one of those obstacles has thrown itself in my path. I’m back on the jobs market, and do you know what? I see it as an opportunity. I’m going to rise above and succeed in life…
I’ve had to develop a thick skin over the years. Like anyone, I’ve had to deal with various issues and challenges that have eventually made me a stronger – if battle scarred – person. Another one of those obstacles has thrown itself in my path. I’m back on the jobs market, and do you know what? I see it as an opportunity. I’m going to rise above and succeed in life… Continue reading “Back On The Jobs Market: Overcoming Obstacles In Life”
I recently started an exciting new job as a Content Executive for a financial technology firm. This had an unexpected impact on my fitness routine, forcing me to make changes to a regime that I’ve doggedly followed for years. Here’s how I adapted my fitness routine to meet my new normal. Continue reading “Changing My Fitness Routine For My New Normal”
I’ve become something of a nomad in my adult life, living all over the north of England, and I’ve encountered one significant problem every time I’ve moved to a new city. How do I meet people, form a circle of friends and lead a fulfilling social life, when I’ve moved to place where I don’t have connections or roots? The arrival of the Meet Up app into my life gave me the tools I needed to overcome this troublesome burden, allowing me to find lifelong friends in strange new places. Continue reading “How To Meet Friends For Life In A New Place – The Meet Up App”
I’d like to take this opportunity to apologise. Since I moved to Manchester in June, I’ve fallen off the radar, depriving you of my exuberant energy and witty commentary. But what a whirlwind the last three months have been, a time of tumultuous change and enlightening personal growth. I may have gone away but now I’m back, ready to share all the gory details about those missing three months…
Have you ever gotten just a little too comfortable? I lived in Leeds for over three years, and although it was challenging and engaging at first, by the end, I’d stopped growing professionally and personally, even if I was still having a whale of a time. So, when the bottom fell out of my world, and I got made redundant, yes it was hard, but it was also just a little bit exciting. I was ready for a change of pace, to be challenged again, and now I had no choice but to go looking for that next hurdle.
So when I secured a job in Manchester, and somehow found somewhere to live in a mere two weeks, I was ready to take on the world again. Don’t get me wrong, I felt sad when the time came to leave my life in Leeds behind – I changed so much during that time, I became an entirely different man to the one who rocked up in Burley Park three years prior. But I felt ready to become an entirely different man once again. I had no idea that even three months later, I’d be barely recognisable.
Do you know that old saying, “it’s better to be a big fish in a small pond, than a little fish in a big pond?” Since I graduated I’ve been that big fish, working my way up in small companies, the types of places where everyone knows your name, and expectations are clearly defined. I moved to Manchester to take up a position as a content writer, with a firm called Travel Counsellors. They may be the travel industry’s best kept secret, but after starting there trust me, I was no longer a big fish.
Starting at a place like Travel Counsellors, where they’re big on innovation, can be disorientating. I suddenly had to get to grips with concepts such as ‘hot desking’ (where you don’t have a desk, but work at any desk available). These were the kinds of concepts I’ve only ever read about before. Getting to grips with a new way of working, one that was so completely unfamiliar to me, was harder than I could have imagined. Not because it isn’t effective – it is, but because dealing with change is tough for anyone, even the most restless of people, and I admit that at first, I struggled.
The funny thing about human beings, though, is that no matter how disorientating change can be, it eventually becomes the norm, and when it does, we acclimatise to this new normal. As the days passed, I found myself adapting to the Travel Counsellors’ way of doing things, fitting slowly into their company culture, making friends, and even putting my stamp on the job I’d been hired to do. Three months later, I can categorically say that I’m now a better professional than I was before.
I may have been slowly making progress at work, but my home life was another matter. If you remember, when I found a house in Manchester, I decided to live with a live-in landlady; something I’d never done before. Everything was calm at first; my housemates were pleasant enough, and I just went about living my life. But slowly, ever so slowly, small issues, the kind that seem innocuous at first, but when added together begin to prove problematic, crept up. I couldn’t, for example, get the internet on my laptop in that house, hence why I’ve been absent from your Facebook feeds. Things like that start to get on your nerves after a while and eventually, it all came to a head.
To be absolutely fair, I don’t think I was prepared enough to live with a live-in landlady. I’d been independent for so long, living by my own rules, that it proved tough to follow someone else’s. I will openly admit that I played my part; I could have been more considerate, and at the end of the day, blame games get you nowhere. However, one day I found that my favourite pizza – the one I look forward to all week, had been eaten by someone else. That night I decided to speak to my landlady; we both decided that enough was enough, there was no hard feelings, but it was time I gave notice.
And so, I found myself back on the market – the housing market. I had six weeks to find a place, sign the lease and move in. This was all, by the way, happening whilst I went a fabulous Western Mediterranean cruise with my family, visiting charming European destinations such as Florence. Yeah… it was a stressful time alright. Somehow, I managed to find a place mere days after giving notice, initiate the vetting process while I was disconnected from the internet on international waters, and move in the weekend after I returned to the UK. Admittedly I had to pay six months rent in advance because I didn’t have a guarantor and for a penny-pincher like me, that stung. But I proved that I can do anything I can set my mind to, and that’s something I’m immensely proud of.
The last three months have definitely been a whirlwind, one where the tumultuous winds of change whipped through my carefully constructed life. But they’ve also been absolutely incredible. I’ve grown so much, personally and professionally, as while facing adversity I gradually came to realise that I’m a fully grown, capable man, and I can handle all that life decides to throw at me. I apologise for neglecting you these past three months, but now I’m back and trust me, the best is yet to come.
I firmly believe that we should do everything in our power to make this world a better place – not just for ourselves, but for everyone. As a busy professional, I haven’t had much time to practise what I preach. But as I’ve had some spare time on my hands lately, I’ve used it to live up to my own ideals by volunteering to help refugees and immigrants settle into the UK, so they can realise a brighter future. Continue reading “Doing My Bit: My Time Volunteering With Immigrants and Refugees”
If you’re a young professional working in the big smoke like me, you may have to live in a house share, because apartment rents are sky high these days. It can be hard to find that perfect place to call home, but with digital technology at your fingertips, discovering your new home can be a lot easier than you might think. Drawing on my own experience doing this, I explain how to rent a room online. Continue reading “How To Rent A Room Online – I’ve Found A Place To Live In Manchester!!”
Everything happens for a reason. It sounds like a cliché – one I’ve never put much stock in before, but I’ve been coming around to this way of thinking lately. Why? After seeing the pillars which have supported my life for so long fall down around me, I’ve secured a fantastic new job in Manchester! Continue reading “Moving On: I’ve Got A New Job In Manchester!!”
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