People seem to think I am rich. That sounds cool, but it’s not. There is an automatic assumption that “Twitter followers” = money, and people seem to think all the nice lunches I get through my day job are ones I pay for (they are free, and so are my manicures and pedicures). But the facts are, I am not rich. Working in advertising and having a blog means I get a LOT of free stuff and a lot of perks. And for the rest of the things you see me get or the places you see me go, I have some phenomenal tips on my little lifestyle blog here on living a champagne lifestyle on a lemonade purse!
Book the airport lounge when you go away
Cast your mind back to the last time you went to the airport. Chance are, you fought through the crowds and made a beeline for the pub, where you spend £25 on warm beer, a sandwich and some chips that tasted like they were three days old and had been fried in the used jet fuel. I get it. Up until I went to my favourite place in the world, The Philippines in 2012, I don’t think I even knew what an airport lounge was. I always thought the airport lounge was something only accessible to the mega-rich people flying first class. Well, guess what? They are NOT. ANYONE can book an airport lounge. I like to use Holiday Extras to book lounges (this is NOT an affiliate link I just like them), as they are quick and simple. The first time I used a lounge I booked it as a little treat as I was going away for three months, and I had only ever flown furthest to Turkey. I was flying to The Philippines alone and I am not a fan of flying, so I wanted some privacy from the hustle and bustle. If you are a regular reader, you’ll know I replaced alcohol with CBD drinks nearly 5 years ago to the month this August 2022, but I DID drink in 2012 and the unlimited alcohol before a 17-hour flight was a good shout. All you need to do is be aware of the dress code and maybe get a little bit of a posher travel documents wallet, but you can just BOOK the airport lounge before your flight. The majority of airport lounges start from £30, and you just need to be mindful that you pick the right lounge at the right gate for your flight, especially in big airports like Heathrow. They usually all have hot options, all-you-can-eat snacks and completely all-inclusive alcohol. When I DID drink alcohol, I never had to ever pay extra for my prosecco or a couple of house vodkas before the flight. There are a few different main lounge brands, but most of them have hot food options, cold and snack food unlimited buffets, and unlimited alcoholic, fizzy, juice and hot drinks available for the full four hours you are allowed to use the lounge. The Heathrow Skyteam lounge even has a Clarins spa! Another reason I like the lounge is that they are never as busy as the terminal. I got over my fear of flying using the book: Soar, by Captain Tom Bunn, but there are still times I get very nervous and being around crowds makes it worse.
Get free make-up samples
If you are lucky, when you buy drug store make-up like Rimmel or Maybelline foundations, there will be a tester on the make-up stand that you can use to gauge colours, but this isn’t an article about living a lemonade lifestyle on a lemonade purse. I still strongly believe the best foundation in the entire world is Estee Lauder Double wear and I have worn it for years. Once you know your shade it is probably cheaper to pick up online, but finding your shade can be quite the process. This is why the majority of good retailers will give you a free sample in the shade or even two shades for you to try before you make a purchase. Going into a store like John Lewis or Debenhams is the best way because their member of staff will colour match you and give you a small sample bottle that will last a good week or so if you wear make-up every day. It’s also worth being very nice and friendly to the member of staff who works on your local Estee Lauder counter because then they might just give you 2 different shades to try and samples of other make-up if they have them in. I am opposite Westfield where I work, so I hit Boots, John Lewis and Debenhams and just from samples I tend to get a whole month’s worth of free foundation, and GOOD foundation as well.
Rent designer clothes
Not only is the idea of renting designer clothes cheaper than buying them, but another added benefit is the sustainability angle. Websites like Hurr let you rent designer clothes, shoes, bags and accessories, and there are plenty of similar websites that offer the same service. So if you have an event coming up that you want to dazzle at, but, like most of us, you simply cannot afford to buy a designer dress outright. A greener choice is ALWAYS the better choice.
Start a blog
Starting a blog doesn’t have to become a full-time occupation. I “hobby” blog and in the few years I have done so, I have used it as my CV to get a job at an advertising start-up, which went bust, so I worked for a small agency for 6 months to get DSP experience and then went to one of the “big four” which is where I worked my way up to director, my job role now. I have also had a free 5* holiday to Lefkas, a couple of free Spa days and hotel stays and so many free meals I cannot even count them. You can start a WordPress blog free of charge, and there are loads of tools like Grammarly that can help you along with spelling etc. The main thing to make sure of is that you are writing about something you are passionate about and that will shine through in your writing style. As you can probably tell if you have landed here on It’s More Fun In Your 30s, my two most enjoyed subjects are travel and food, but having recently been diagnosed as coeliac, I am having to be careful with the food part just now.
Spa at home
I have already written a more detailed post on “how to spa at home”, but I certainly thought it was worth mentioning here in this post too. You don’t always need to spend £600 to go somewhere that doesn’t serve one grain of food you have heard of with a jacuzzi where it takes you ten minutes to find the button because it’s hidden in a tree or something. Grab a cheap sheet mask, tell everyone else in the house to piss off and find some nice panpipe music on Spotify. Simple, yet effective.
Sign up for freebie websites
As previously discussed in the free make-up samples section, no one is saying no to free stuff in this climate. Freebie websites have long been a thing, but not many people know about them. Websites like MagicFreebies give you the ability to sign up, add in all of your details, and then just apply for the freebies you want. There are plenty of ordinary day-to-day things on there, like Persil or cat food, but you might be pleasantly surprised to find out that sometimes there are freebies for brands like Clarins and L’Occtaine. Most of the freebie websites are free to sign up for themselves, so you have nothing to lose.
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It's More Fun In Your 30s 
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