Embrace your inner hippie

No I don't mean donning your best tie dye flares, growing your hair to extraordinary lengths and listening to Bob Dylan. Modern day Hippies can be found everywhere, looking for a more environmentally friendly lifestyle and getting back to basics. I really believe that sometimes we need to take a step back from our busy, technology filled lives and just relax... let a bit of peace and love back into your life ;) Here are my tips to letting out your inner hippie...

Shop Fairtrade and Local

Supermarkets are really loving the 'support your local farmers' thing at the moment which I am all for! It's great that British farmers are benefiting from our custom, rather than someone in Timbuktu or elsewhere. Buying local produce also means that we are cutting down on the transportation of goods which leads to a smaller Carbon Footprint in the long run, score! As a student, fairtrade products are the cause of a major inner debate. I really want to buy fairtrade coffee, bananas and chocolate but sometimes my pennies just can't stretch that far! (It is a similar issue with free range eggs) I do always take the fairtrade moral high ground when I can... just think of happy smiling African children when you have to downgrade from birdseye to ASDA fish fingers!

Also, don't forget your re-usable bags ;)

Swap your car for a lovely Walk or Bike ride.

Here I am again, banging on about bikes. I am just so darn excited to get on my brand new bike in September; complete with basket and bell!! Obviously I don't need to tell you about the environmental benefits of cutting back your pollution levels but it's fantastic for your health and wellbeing too :)

Or you could take your bike for a walk? ;)

source

Do something Meaningful.

As a trainee teacher I fully understand the love of helping others... otherwise I wouldn't have chosen to do it as a profession :P Apparently more and more people are making their career choices based on meaningfulness and their passion rather than basing it on how much money they might earn. Seeing as I can't find a job in York at the moment, I decided to apply at my local Oxfam for some volunteer work. There are PLENTY of charity shops in York which I am pretty sure would beg you to help out, even if it's just an afternoon a week! 

Be Thrifty

There are so many DIY and upcycling ideas around lately that I just had to jump on board! Below is a picture of a couple of pots that I upcycled into a penpot/storage pot. I picked up the terracotta pots for 49p each from Sainsburys Homebase; they had a range of different sizes and shapes that were relatively cheap. Then all I had to do was raid my Sister's art supplies, spend half an hour getting messy and voila! Two lovely pots that will take pride of place on my shelf at Uni. For other DIY ideas for home interiors you should definitely check out lovely undergrad.

Get in touch with Nature.

Here I go again eh? :P You know I love to go outside, it clears my head and I think you can have lots of fun! Put down your xbox and put on your wellies. 

For the nature enthusiasts and the young at heart, check out these websites :)
http://www.kidsclosertonature.co.uk/

http://www.naturedetectives.org.uk

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/

http://www.nationalparks.gov.uk/

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/

Cue pictures of me and Nikki being all wild and nature loving.

Actually spend time with people you Love.

As we are all home for the Summer it's hard to spend time with all my Uni friends; yes we have facebook, texts and everything else but it's not that same as actual conversation or sitting in bed together until stupid times in the morning. It's lovely being home and spending time with family and friends here though. I spent a good hour with Nikki the other day just laughing at absolute rubbish on the internet, we even did the silent laugh that happens when you laugh so much all you can do it wrinkle up your face and inhale.

Cue an old picture that's full of snuggly love.

xox