What Sophie Said

I feel like I did a lot of ‘growing up’ over 2015. I learned a lot about myself, about what I want to do, and about where I want to be. One of the things I’ve really been trying to improve on is the way I handle my money. I’m a few months into a new job, a few months into a new city, and a few months into a new living space. I moved to London, which has made the whole money situation even more necessary to think about. Growing up, I was always the one who spent my pocket money as soon as I got it. I did once save a decent amount in my Building Society account, but then spent the majority of it on adopting an orca (a kind of whale) for one year, aged 10. I’ve improved over the course of university and my first couple of years of working, but there are definitely still improvements to be made. Recently, I’ve begun trying to switch my brain out of short-term mode, and focus on both long and short-term when it comes to my money. Throw in the fact that I’m g...

Sleep. Everyone loves it, and the health and wellbeing benefits are well-documented. But I’m just a bit rubbish at it. I’ve never been a big sleeper. For as long as I can remember I’ve been an early-riser. Even if I’d had a late night, I’d be up bright and early. That in itself isn’t a problem; I’m a real morning person, and find my mornings to be so productive. However, as the years carried on, and as times became a bit tougher and my anxiety began to make itself known, any chance of a good sleep BEFORE the early wake-up went out the window. That’s when being an early riser becomes a problem. Because even if I hadn’t calmed my thoughts enough to fall asleep until 3am, I’d be wide awake at 6am. Once or twice, that’s ok. But when you’re going night after night after night of between three and five hours of sleep, it starts to take its toll. I know some people can barely function without a full eight hours of sleep, and that’s definitely not me. I sometimes...

As you'll know by now, on Tuesday I made the move to London. I have moved in temporarily with a family friend as I hunt for a room to rent. Today I thought I‘d share 5 things the moving process taught me:- 1. It’s baffling how much ‘stuff’ you accumulate. I had a huge clear-out before the move, and couldn’t believe how many things I’d acquired through last-minute shopping trips, gifts, and things passed on from family and friends. When you have to pack up everything you own to either move with you or be stored, it forces you to take a critical look at what really matters. Bearing in mind I was moving from a spacious flat to a single room, this stage was much-needed! 2. Never underestimate the value of family (or friends) who are willing to help you. My mum helped shift things out of my flat, and with final bits of cleaning. Dad drove Mum, me and all of my stuff the 4 hours to London. My parents then helped unload the car, before pausing for lunch and turning round to...

At the beginning of our second year of university, Andy (my boyfriend) and I made the decision to move in together and commute to and from university. We settled on Darlington – a half hour train from each of our universities – and moved in at the beginning of September 2 years ago. Now, university is complete and we have temporarily moved home whilst we start to find our feet in the world of jobs, but two years of private renting has taught me a good few lessons. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made, but I’ve definitely learned some things for next time I leave home… British Gas and Sky will never, ever be on your side This was obviously the first time I’ve had to deal with bills, utilities and the like, and I was a bit unprepared for just how unhelpful the customer service departments at big companies can be. British Gas regularly tried to overcharge us, and when we moved out demanded an extra £200 that I knew we didn’t owe. Sure enough, about a month ago,...