So you wan't to be a resolution master?

So you're thinking of, or setting a new years resolution. Since this is a (majority) a health blog, I'm going to go over a few things health related resolutions and how to approach them.

DON'T MAKE THESE RESOLUTIONS:

I want to give up bad foods.

I want to exercise more.

I would like to be X weight.

I'll try to give up smoking.

I want to be more successful.

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DO MAKE THESE RESOLUTIONS:

I will be more healthy by next new years.

I will fit in X item of clothing again.

I will quit smoking.

I will quit alcohol.

I will build the body I want.

I will achieve X goal.

*Notice the will , thisis because the words "Want" "Try" and "going to" are all approaching words not doing words. Telling yourself you WILL do something is more likley to result in positive subconscious approval over I'LL TRY, or I WANT.

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I want to be X weight by X date.

So you have an idea what weight you want to be, and while in most cases weighing less would indicate a healthy person this is not entirely true.

The real question isn't being X weight, it's rather "I want to be a lot more healthy by X date".
WARNING:
When setting any variables (dates, weight, size, anything that is reliant on a time frame) you HAVE to be realistic, most people fail this aspect I'll give an example:

"I want to lose 2 stones (28 lbs) in 2 months"

This is very unachievable without putting your health at serious risk, and since your health should come first. You will fail this goal, get disheartened and likely quit. However:

"I want to fit into X item of clothing again before summer."

This kind of goal is a lot better, even if to fit in said clothing you'd need to lose 2 stone (28 lbs), its not a giant number any more  its an item of clothing, something tangible. And also losing 2 stone within 6 months is doable at a healthy rate.

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SUMMERY:

Make resolutions:

• Precise and not vague.
• Achievable.
• Beneficial.
• Tangible (something real to you, something you can image how you'd feel if you achieved it)
• You would break your back (metaphorically speaking) to maintain, DO NOT even a little bit go back on what you set out to do.
• MOST IMPORTANTLY, because YOU want to do it, DO NOT do resolutions with friends under the illusion of support, the foundation has to be because you actually want to do this regardless of friends doing the same thing.

So you want to be healthy / lose weight / build muscle / tone / become fitter / become more attractive (yes).

Well the bad news is, no matter what you're goal is you can only BENEFIT a great deal by changing your diet.

Good news is that this is no where near as bad as people and the media make out, take it from me, I'm a hugely fussy eater.

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Little side note: while studies show the body only absorbs so much vitamin content from foods, you do still absorb an amount. I highly recommend taking Vitamin B12. It's a vitamin that increases serotonin output which is responsible for making us feel happy. Feeling happy is always a bonus when you do anything. 

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Do you suffer from heartburn or indigestion?

Well I used to, it's actually really easy to fix, eat less red meat (nobody is banning you, just limit your intake) and avoid meats that have been processed too much, more processing = more heartburn from the fatty stabilisers they add to processed foods (helps increase its shelf life).

My personal tip, always buy raw ingredients and cook from scratch, its not hard to learn a few recipes, if you buy batches of food and make large amounts to freeze and eat later or things that you can store in your fridge and eat over the space of a few days, you'll find yourself rapidly saving money.

AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE:

Processed ready meals.
Why:
They have high saturated fats and salt contents, the meat is heavily processed and the vegetables lacking in nutrition.

Low % pork sausages (I always aim for over 70% pork, you can look on the pack to see).
Why:
The rest of that % is the bad stuff, cartilage, tendons, guts, connective tissue, bits from the head and other parts of the pig. This stuff is lacking in nutrition and not great for you.

Non free range / organic chicken or eggs. (I know that it costs more for them)
Why:
Caged chickens have a terrible life, you must not ever forget to be thankful for the life you consume, and I just think if a chicken has to die for me it should at least have a life with dignity, not injected and modified and not feed altered food to make it grow abnormally fast. Chicken might be a great food source but it is also a living creature. Plus remember all the growth hormones and modifiers get absorbed by the animal and passed into the meat in one form or another.

Fast food:
Why:
Fast food has little nutritional value and is generally bad for you, sometimes its a nice treat but that is how it should be viewed, and if I'm honest, after having a prolonged period of not eating fast food or heavily carbonated drinks I actually realised just how disgusting and how unnatural they tasted.

Cheese:
Why:
This is a hard one for me, I love cheese and do have it now and then as treat. The problem is that it is mostly fat and a high percentage of it saturates, only one cheese is really good for you and that's cottage cheese, it has a high protein content and is great for people working out.

Carbonated (Fizzy) Drinks:
Why:
Carbonated drinks have a huge sugar content, this can help cause diabetes and will aid to terrible dental health. They offer very little actual hydration, and as for diet drinks, they have sweeteners in which are actually carcinogenic (indirect cancer causing chemicals).

HIGH SATURATED FAT FOODS:
Why:
High sat fat foods are very hard to digest, in my experiences you should't really eat anything that contains over 5grams of sat fat. Some foods will surprise you very much! I once bought a kids lunch box kit (came with cheese and ham slices and crackers) and it was over 10 grams of sat fat!! ALWAYS CHECK THE NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF FOODS YOU EAT!

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Next update I'm going to show you cost effective ways to buy raw ingredients and make healthy, good food that will help boost you in what you do.

I'm basically going to formulate recipes and foods that match the common goals people have!

On the next exciting episode of KIKOJUI EVOLUTION SAGA!!

"P o w e r  U p  M e a l s"
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Peace you beautiful, beautiful readers.

NEXT YEAR RUMBLE!!

So we rapidly approach new years, and I've not had a lot to say, however I have learned a LOT and since new years day is heading towards as at a fast pace, now more than ever people consider their health.
I'm going to push the blog into 5.0 and if you know ANYTHING about this blog then you'll realise that will bring a new feature or two, a new logo and a new feel. The reason this blogs face changes so often is to reflect the changes we make in ourselves. 5.0 is going to be awesome!!

Before I continue I feel I might refresh and go over a few VERY important things.

I'd like to go over something I find amusing, NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS.

While I personally approve of people wanting to make changes in their lives very few indeed ever make them (Myself included). This is down to many reasons but most importantly is the approach.

For example when I eventually quit smoking it wasn't the time I told myself "Today I'll quit" it was the day I thought to myself, I don't want to die before my time and at that moment threw a almost full pack of 20 into the bin. It sounds simple but you have to really want the changes if you expect them to last.

In the Gym, well in any Gym, just after Christmas the place gets packed with people unhappy with Christmas weight or just because it is their new years resolution. But this isn't your choice, not in the abstract.

You only thought about losing weight because on a specific day you're expected to make a resolution. This isn't your own thought, and since it's imposed onto you it feels more like a challenge than a option.

For you to make ANY changes in your life, be them giving up alcohol or losing weight, they all require some basic principals:

• You must WANT the change and not feel forced.
• You must ACCEPT that the changes will not happen quickly.
• You must DEVOTE yourself to the new cause, making sure to give it the attention it deserves.  
• You must LOVE the idea of actually accomplishing the goal.
• You must ENJOY doing the activity, I enjoyed every month I was smoke free, and I enjoy everytime I look in the mirror and see my changes.
• You must ACHIEVE a positive state of mind, don't look at a gym session as a hour and a half of pain, look at it as a hour and a half closer to being the person you wish to be.

Simple to remember really, WANT, ACCEPT, DEVOTE, LOVE, ENJOY, ACHIEVE.

AVOID THE PITFALLS OF FITNESS RIGHT HERE!!!

The single most important thing is that you DO NOT NEED A GYM.
Gym prices and deals are very attractive during the new year and there is a very good reason for it. The Gyms do NOT want guys like me that use the gym 3-5 times a week. They want the person who has made a new years resolution, go's for a week or two before quitting. Why? Well almost all Gyms require at least a 3 month contract, you'll be paying them for 3 months and only using the equipment for a week or so, the winners are the gym. Gyms will always have regulars like myself who sustain the buisness.

So let me weight up the advantages and disadvantages to a gym, and then I'll provide you with a very cost effective solution.

PROS:

1. A range of quality equipment and facilities.
2. A good atmosphere for exercising.

3. No space in your house required for the same equipment.

4. Expensive cardio machines like a treadmill.

5. On site professionals for advice.

CONS:

1. Costs an enormous amount of money in comparison to alternatives.

2. Queuing for equipment.

3. Witnessing bad form, and maybe thinking it's the right way to do an exercise.

4. Working out in front of other people is not easy for people who are unhappy with their body or shy.

5. Travel to the gym costs money unless you live close to one.

6. Meat heads who aren't always great to be around and the attitudes some people have to fitness.

SOLUTION:

If you have a lot of disposable income, do not care to waste your money and live close to a gym, then by all means use one. If not, do the following.

HOME SET UP!

• Buy two adjustable dumbbells (ones in which you can put different weights onto) and buy a good range of weights so that you can get around at max 40KG on a single dumbbell (should be the max amount you want to life on a dumbbell eventually, not what you can lift now)
• Buy a yoga mat, this will make a lot of exercises more comfortable and also yoga is fantastic for you anyway.
• Buy a Bar to do pull ups and dips on, you can get ones that fold and rest onto your door frame.
• Either buy a bench or just get a strong piece of wood to rest between two chairs as a bench, remove a chair for an incline bench, this will be used in a lot of exercises.
• For cardio, either use a bike or just run outside, no matter where you are this is always the best option for cardio unless you're prone to knee injury's, in which case I'd suggest buying a elliptical Cross trainer, low impact high cardiovascular, the cost of one would be about the same or less than a year at the gym anyway.
• If you have the space and a strong floor you could also get an olympic barbell, but this is optional.

Once you have these items you will be able to do everything most gyms can offer, free weights ALWAYS beat machines. Why? Because machines take out the balancing some of the smaller muscle groups provide when handling free weights.

Ok I've run out of time, I'm going to expand on this a lot more over the next few weeks, and go over how just how easily you can make those lasting changes and not just phase out after a week or so.

Best of luck readers, I've missed you!!

What do you want to do?

I saw this beautiful video and it struck a cord with me, it's something I've always thought about. People working in jobs they don't really like to sustain a life of doing jobs you don't really like.

Moving house, hence the massive void in posts, I have a LOT to inform you off when I return.

Until then, I took a personality test, here are my results:

Your results: Materialistic 50% 54% Offbeat 90% 48% Thinking 36% 51% Intimate 63% 56% Vital 86% 54%

Perceived reward: (if you scored highly) Being more attractive makes me happy Being unconventional makes me happy Being rational makes me happy Serving others makes me happy Being alive makes me happy

Dangerous potential flaw(s): (if you scored highly) Elitist, shallow, lacking an internal compass/ethics Discarding customs/traditions that have value Ignoring/ignorance-of your gut/instinct/feelings Being taken advantage of, ignoring self Over contented-ness, over confidence

Dangerous potential flaw(s): (if you scored low) Failure to contribute to the world sufficiently Overly reliant on past wisdom/knowledge Believing what feels right = right/truth Cold hearted, selfish, asshole Depression, poor mental and/or physical health

The clouds call me to me.

This weekend was the unleashing of a months work, I had spent the last month planning and arranging a surprise birthday for my lovely girlfriend, I had invited her friends and picked the venue etc.
She had a lobster with candles in for her cake (She loves sea food) and we all had an amazing time, even if I was stressed and over heated (was a VERY hot weekend in London, more so in a suit)  I still enjoyed and even relished in the challenge of making it all work.

It also reminded me just how much I like having adventures, more tales to tell my kids, so now I'm trying more than ever to start crafting the money I'll require to fund such a lifestyle!

I've got as much ready myself and even paierd with other artist's to create a more dynamic online store, I'm just waiting for the website, seems even if I've shaken the bad flea from the last attempt something is preventing me from getting this moving, and the amount I am trying to get in contact with the new coder it might seem almost like I'm very demanding, but I'm not, I just want to get everything finally launched and the products available online where they belong.

This week I'm going to Try my hardest to get SOME progress with the online store, I refuse to give up and I refuse to let up until I get some progress, this my dear readers may come across strong but believe me, in business you can only rely on other parties for so long, sometimes you got to grab the bull by the horns, snap them off and shove them deeply into the bulls ass.

Some point this week, as a treat IF I can achieve the Website progress, I will be having a camping adventure, maybe even by myself, so I can get some time to myself and evaluate some of life's aspects.

I'm hoping the weather remains as it is, if so I'm sure it will be a great and welcome break.

As I mentioned Earlier, I've been promoting products and collaborating with other artists, the Offical Rocket punch blog can be found > HERE <

The biggest problem was when I headed to the London MCM Expo, it seems people just do not care about copyright rights for the products they sell, so many people selling other companies logo's and designs without prior permission.

I was half contemplating on doing the same, I would make a lot of money, but after a lot of thought, I'm going to stick with my morals and company integrity. I may want to make profit, thats the main goal of most buisness's but I want to preserve my morals, I want to provide a quality product without stepping on those games and Tv shows that actually provide the initial interest and clientèle.

My products are more of a silent nod towards them, not a copy.
I felt I needed to air this, as some people might wonder why, with a market saturated by people ripping each other off why I'm not following suit.

You might agree with me, or think it's foolish to sacrifice income for base morals, but that is just how it is.

It all started with my first ever print, I wanted to test the quality of the heat press and the quality and finish of the industrial heat transfer paper, the finish was amazing, and thus was my first T-shirt ever printed.

You might remember seeing this a long time ago on the blog, I was just thinking about how far I've come, I could be very established by now if not for the whole website fiasco, but I learned an important lesson, leave  professional jobs to a professional.

I'm thinking of Framing this T-Shirt, it was the first in line, and lead the way in the direction I'm still following today even with all the issues and hurdles I've had to jump.

Recently I've started learning Traditional Mahjong, and I'm not going to lie to you, I'm still not 100% with all the scoring patterns as it is quite complex where scores can even go into the millions if you have not set a score limit.

What I will say is that it is VERY addictive.

Now I don't mean Mahjong solitaire, that is the most common mistake, that is a 1 player game, nothing like mahjong and calling it is the same as calling snap poker because it uses cards.

Anyway I won't rabble on too much about it as I'm certain its not everyone's idea of a fun game.
Where am I going with this?

Not sure... I'll move on!

That feeling of vastness, the open road and the uncertainty. All these things are for me the signs of a great adventure.

If I had to say what one thing makes me feel adventurous it would be the big billowing clouds on a hot and sunny day, where the clouds themselves look like snow topped peaks on the horizon, for me that is the loudest call to the adventure for me.

Have a great day readers!!

A Personal Tale

Hello Readers! I thought I'd talk about some things I've been up to and trying to achieve this week. Why? Well because I'd like to keep you people in the loop!

But firstly I'd like to give you something to listen to when reading todays post, something easy on the ears and a little relaxing, I want you to be relaxed... ARE YOU RELAXED YET?
NO!?
Ok, here, this is for you!

 

Today I created the basic frame of the Facebook page for my buisness, it looks ok, this will be one of the main ways I get updates and new products out to customers, you can find the page >HERE<!

I'll be posting up onto the FB page daily, just posting updates on the buisness progress etc so you won't actually be able to purchase any items until the main site is complete, and that is the next topic!!

The main site, something that has been in the centre of all my problems, issues seem to gravitate around it and due to some bad choices on people to actually help create it it's taken me nearly a year to get going.

Since August last year I had everything set up:

Suppliers, and a good relationship with them.
Machinery to produce the items.
Models to use for photographing the goods.
Designs ready to print.
A solid marketing platform and strategy.

What I didn't have left was much money, and apparently a good choice in friends.
Due to my lack of funds, and a lack of E-commerce knowledge I'd need someone to make the site for me, and through my desperation I asked a friend at that time if he could help me.
I was assured that the project was simple and shouldn't take more than a few weeks, those weeks passed and then the deadline was pushed to November. This was frustrating, but because this was a favour being done for me out of someone's own time, I couldn't really complain and besides I was thankful for having the ability to get things rolling and start making money.

Every deadline was pushed further and further away, each time a new excuse was made, and each time my patience and understanding nature where misled.
A few times during the whole ordeal I asked the person if he just didn't have the time to do it, as I was contemplating learning how to do it myself, and I would have. But again, the usual reassurances where given and I lapped them up like a fool.

So, the person had made little attempt to make the site, I had provided everything the person asked for near enough when it was asked of me. I offered a way out, and even asked it this was too much to do.

In the end, I was gifted with the money to make this happen myself, and I contacted the person stating that I had gotten money and would now look elsewhere since he had done nothing for- wait for it- 8 whole months, this is a person who claims to be a professional in the field.
Anyway, the person basically told me that if I'd told him money was involved that it would have been done sooner.
Sadly the deluded fool must have thought favours  require personal gain, the reason he was even asked was because of my lack of money... what a fool.

When you make a promise or favour to another person, that is what it is, its your word that you will do what you've stated to do, this had not happened for 8 months, and I was expected to PAY this person for 8 months of no work? so that he would do it!
To cut a long story short, I have nothing to do with the person in question, there is no need to surround yourself with people that are unreliable and selfish.
And readers, when someone tells you they will do a favour for you but keep putting it off and even say they are ok to do it when you ask them if they still can... what do you do?

In my eyes, a favour should be made in the idea that it will be undertaken, and if you can not do the task, then state that you cannot do it any longer.

This may of sounded like a little rant, but up until now I've kept this behind closed doors, I was so disappointed with the person in question it's even worse when I think back to all the selfless favours I've done for that person, even shared my home with him for half a year to help him out.

I've lost what little respect I had left for the person and sadly know that his blind and selfish attitude towards life will take him nowhere nice.

The main site is being done by another person whom is a professional, but actually works for a large well known company and has a lot of experience with E-commerce, plus a impressive list of coded products.

This new guy will hopefully be working on the website very soon and I'll be finally able to get things rolling hopefully before mid summer.
The pleasure I have knowing that this could get done and to finally have the buisness I've worked so hard towards, is almost too much to think about!!

This week it's mostly about the website as well as creating new designs!

Some Great tips!! 7 not-so-obvious habits to increase productivity!

Sourced and copied from >HERE<

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1. Monday – Ignore The Unimportant

I firmly believe that the art of ignorance should be taught in schools. We live in such an information-rich society, our focus is so deeply challenged by dozens or hundreds of stimuli each and every second, that we have a really hard time focusing on what really matters.

Especially on Mondays, when all the previous week unprocessed stuff seems to crash on us, try to apply this. Focus only on what matters. If you have a presentation to finish in one hour, cut out everything – and I mean: EVERYTHING – that is not connected to it.

Slash out Twitter, Facebook, email. Turn off the music. Close the door after putting a big sign with “Abandon hope all ye who enter here” on the other side. In time, you’ll become better at this. The hidden frustration that “you’re missing something” will fade away.

2. Tuesday – Reward Yourself Constantly

Each tiny task that you finish is an achievement. We forget too often that our big successes are in fact big chains of small tasks performed on a daily basis. So, in order to keep this chaining process running, put a little reward at the end of each small task.

Tuesdays are great for this habit, because they’re the first link after the week hast started. Just do something nice at the end of each task. Listen to your favorite tune or read your favorite blog (and that would be, of course, Stepcase Lifehack) for the next five minutes.

As much as we won’t want to admit it, that Pavlov guy was right. And I’m not talking about the dogs here. I’m talking about you. Because you gotta be your own Pavlov and the dogs will be your productivity habits. Train them constantly. And, if need will be, feed them some sugar every now and then.

3. Wednesday – Negotiate The Expendable

It’s the middle of the week, and, by now, there must be some garbage accumulated. Some stuff that you don’t really need to do, but, somehow, it’s still in your to do list. It’s a perfect time to negotiate that stuff. Does it really need to be on your to do list?

The pressure of constantly doing, delivering, accomplishing made us forget that we do have this option too in our arsenal. I’m talking about negotiation. “Talk” with the task. Or with the person at the other end of the task. Does it really need to be done right now?

I compare this negotiation process with taking out the water from a gulf. If you’re lucky, you will see an ancient shipwreck. That’s your task. It’s not a yacht anymore, it’s a shipwreck. You will start to realize that what you thought is important, may not even be there anymore. It’s just the ghost of the task.

4. Thursday – Reuse Past Approaches

This comes from a long history of programming. I’m still doing it, this programming thing, by the way, because I enjoy it so much. Just try to look at what you have to do and compare it with previous experiences. Like “Have I done this before?. How did I do it?”

Thursdays are perfect for that, because you now must have a consistent “week work history” to dig through. And, allegedly, you’re also pretty much at the top of your potential. From now on, it will start to go downhill, somehow.

So, try to identify similarities in your work before you will do the same thing twice, just because you don’t remember doing it before. Pay attention to the circumstances, because they’re never the same, but isolate what you can repeat.

5. Friday – Ask For Help

If I would have a dollar for each time I didn’t ask for help when I should have, I would certainly be a millionaire. Seriously. Being “productive” has this aura of “I’m doing all the stuff by myself. I’m so cool.” Well, maybe you’re cool, but you don’t have to do anything by yourself.

You have a unique set of skills. Other people have their own unique set of skills. If you combine your set with their set, it’s absolutely obvious that you will get far better results than by using only yours. It’s just simple mathematics here.

And Fridays are perfect to test this habit, because, admit it, you’re a little bit tired. And it’s also a good pretext for some social interaction. Isolate some task that you know somebody else may be doing better than you and ask for their help.

6. Saturday – Switch Workplaces

Ok, we don’t have to work on Saturdays. As I told you, you can just put this tip on any other day of the week. But I chose Saturdays because they are perfect for traveling. Short trips around the town, seeing some new places, meeting some new people.

Try to do the same with your workplace. See if you can work for a day somewhere else. From home, or from a coffee shop. Or even in another office. Or, if you can’t live your office, on a different chair. Just change something in your surroundings.

All our habits are shaped by our surroundings. The more you’ll change the surroundings, the better and more consistent your habits will become. This constant stimulation will summon energy resources that you didn’t even know you have.

7. Sunday – Change Deadlines Into Livelines

I kept this from my GTD routine, you know, the weekly review. I did this on Sundays, trying to project the next week. I still try to have a look at the week just before it starts.  And now, a little bit of explanation about the word “liveline”.

I stopped use the word “deadline” long time ago, because it has “death” in it. The “task slasher” approach. I don’t do this anymore. Because crossing off tasks from your to do lists will eventually end up with crossing off your entire life from your to do lists. Rushing straight to your own death, one crossed task at a time. Change this perspective. A deadline is not the end. Make it a liveline. Make it a beginning.

And by that I mean something connected with something else. A new start. Think in terms of new beginnings not in term of endings. If you really need to reach the end of something, use the word “milestone”. And replace “deadline” with “liveline” every time you can.

It will be enlightening, believe me. :)

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Another Chilled out drum and bass song, I like the mix of energy and relaxation the melodies offer.

Lastly, as a little and somewhat pointless treat, here is how to make your very own DUCT TAPE WALLET!!

Thanks for reading, I appreciate you taking the time out to read the Blog, hope you learned something new, PEACE!

Something a little... Different.

So it's been a long time since I last posted, and for once this was deliberate.

I had come to a point where I thought I had nothing more to say, and instead of just feeding you forced information I thought I'd take a leave from the blog until I had something to say again.

Well It occurred to me that maybe this blog could be aimed at not just healthy living and life changes. I have parted a lot of my wisdom but it is not infinite.

I realised that recently I've been learning a lot of other aspects of life, not just improvement but things like integration to environments and how to be efficient, and while i don't claim for a second that you the readers do not know most of what I've discovered I will however, like usual, impart this knowledge in the hope  that you might learn at least one thing. 

Since writing this blog I've always wanted to reach out and if only 1 person has learnt only one thing from this entire blog then it has still been as successful as I'd had hoped.

Time to unleash a couple of new topic headers!! Designed to help with the difficult economy we are facing today. 

There are thousands of ways to save cash, but I feel that the most important of them all seems so horribly obvious that it needs re-addressing.

Kikojui Cash Saver rule #1


LEARN TO MONITOR YOUR INCOME VS YOUR EXPENDITURES!!


You're probably shouting at the monitor right now, saying "WE KNOW" well you would be very surprised at how many people do not realise the power of this technique.

Now, to illustrate this easier, I'll tell you how to do this in a simple way, I'll make an example.
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(Example) INCOME PER MONTH:

Wages: £700 (after TAX)

Money owed by friend £50

Total: £750
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(Example) EXPENDITURES:

Rent: £500

Bills: £50

Food: £50

New Clothing / Treats: £50

Meals Out (Takeaway / restaurant): £100
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Total Spent £750

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Money Saved that month £0.00


Sometimes we think to ourselves where did that money go? I thought I had more.

It's the little expenditures where we spend money without thinking about it's impact on the total money earned.  Those few takeaways, or packs of cigarettes (you shouldn't smoke anyway :p) and little treats all cost money and all build up.

Looking at this list, we could say if we only cut back on 50% of the takeaways and meals out you'd be saving £50 a month, that's a massive £600 pounds Saved a year, from one small cut back!!
Stop buying new clothing / treats each month and make it every other month and you'd save another £300.
Pushing the total Yearly saved amount to £900 Saved.


Kikojui Cash Saver rule #2

Save money each month, no matter how small!


Some people have the mindset that it's ok to spend all of your wages just before the month is over because they will soon have money again.
And while this is in fact true it is unwise to assume you might not have a need for a reserve amount of money in case of emergency.

Many things in life can and do pop up, causing a strain on a months wages, be it medical bills, insurance, tax's, bill increases or even quarterly bills, things that are not factored into a normal months wages.

So to be prepared for these events it is ALWAYS wise to have money in reserve that would not be touched unless needed, and if you managed to have a large excess of this money you could use it towards a holiday or other luxuries you might desire.



Kikojui Cash Saver rule #3


Make your money work FOR you!!

Spending money is nice, BUT instead of spending all of you're money you should try to at least INVEST some of your leftover money, be it in stocks and shares or just buying commodities like gold or land that don't really change much in value.

A little well placed investment can double your money or better, so it might be nice to buy that £1000 suit you always wanted but it would feel a lot better if you earned £2000 from a £500 investment. You would be getting that suit from money that your leftover money generated.

Now with all things nothing is certain with stocks and shares, gold's value changes from time to time but it's a safer way to tie up some spare money.
Gambling is not really investing, something worth remembering.

So be wise with the money you have left over and try and make that little money work for you!

I'm currently in the process of working out the mechanics of making our new flat (I move around September time) more economical in the electricity department, and also maximize the available space.

I turned my attention towards our friends in Japan, more so in Tokyo where space in the housing there is very limited indeed! I'll be posting my findings as I discover them.

First thing I've been thinking about is a wall bed for the bedroom, the bed would effectively be stored away during the day using minimal space, this a very effective way to re-gaining the lost space a bed would normally take up while providing storage space with the shelving etc

Ever been on your way back from shopping, and you have some carrier bags and they are cutting your hands off and uncomfortable?

Small but effective fix, take a small object with you (pen knife / pocket metal torch / something cylindrical and small) And when you're carrying plastic bags from a supermarket (I'd suggest bags for life personally as they are stronger and have multiple uses) use the object under the bags handles to save them from cutting into your hand, the longer the object the more bags you can comfortably hold!!


That's all for today's post, no idea if people need to know this information but I like to think somone out there will get some use from this.

Have a great day you beautiful, beautiful readers!!

Weekend Post, why? Because I can.

So I didn't post Friday, I had a funeral of a close family member to attend.

During the week I've been trying more drinks (I Thought when I started this blog I'd be more heavily into the food reviews but it seems I have a fluid fetish)

The first new drink I tried was -

Another energy drink from Rockstar, this pink can is the new sugar free version, nothing new in that concept. once you scratch the surface however; you notice that this might just be THE greatest energy drink on the market and I'll explain why.

Firstly, the can is not exactly a manly colour, matter of fact you might say it's deliberately pink and aimed at a more feminine audience and you would be spot on the money!!

The can is small, like the original red bull and the birth of the energy drinks, but this just fits nicer in your handbag.

"I'm failing to see whats so special about this Kikojui!" you might be saying but just wait, this is it's secret weapon, why would it be aimed at a female audience? well other than its design it has something inside it that makes it special "What is this special thing Kikojui? there are a multitude of energy drinks on the market".

Ok enough teasing, I'll be blunt.

it's only 10 CALORIES!!

I don't think anything comes close in calories, more so in an energy drink. 

To get a perspective, the lucozade Revie series which, granted, taste great also are 50 calories. 

I could drink 5 of these energy drinks to match the calories.

BUT the thing that really sells this energy drink is not the fact its a sort of healthy energy drink.

What actually, and surprisingly sells this drink to me is it's taste, it's smooth with a subtle wave of flavour ( a little like parma violet sweets, but not) and its not over carbonated, in fact after the initial opening hiss it was as if it was a un-carbonated drink, this works in its favour.

Energy drinks usually have to compromise taste for energy, this does neither, it tastes great and has the energy kick needed for a little lift, plus you dont have to drink a 500ml can and deal with that chemical after taste  that relentless is famous for.

Taste: 10  Smell: 7  Texture: 9  *total* 26/30  (BONUS HEALTH: 9/10) *Bonus total* 9

RESULT: FANTASTIC!!

Next up is-

I was in Waitrose after the funeral, and I'll admit I never shop at waitrose, its not close to where I live and I don't think the selection is that amazing at the stores that are in my area of the UK.

But I saw this tiny bottle in there and thought I'd give it a whirl.

It is pure apple juice (this flavour anyway "Pink lady apple") and it's undergone a pasteurizing process known as HPP which is high pressure pasteurization, this retains the antioxidants and nutrients of the pressed fruit juice.

It tastes refreshing, crisp with a light but noticeable sharpness that only comes from fresh pure apple juice.

It's healthy as sucking the apple juice from the apple, so it's pretty good for you and as close to the orignal thing in a bottle.

There is only so much you can say about apple juice, but as far as apple juice go's this is amazingly tasty!!

Taste: 9  Smell: 6  Texture: 8  *total* 23/30  (BONUS HEALTH: 10/10) *Bonus total* 10

RESULT: GREAT!!

I don't have anythign else to add today.

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WEEK 1  ~O.S.W.G~  BATTLE REPORT!!
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Lose 4lbs. Simple task. (1 pounds lost)

Run one mile, three times this week. (Mon 1/1   Wed 1/1    Fri 1/1)

Create  three new designs for the "Hunter Series"   (0/3)

Bench press once a day (5/7)

Sort through and throw out / donate clothing that never gets used. (0/1)

FINISH WEBSITE. (0/1) PENDING...

Do not eat after 8pm (4/7) *had a slip up Tuesday night*

Finish first main ark in "A Guards Tale"  (0/1)

Blog daily. (5/7)

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