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As most bookworms will know, reading slumps are the worst. There are all these beautiful books on your shelf and you want to read them all, yet where is the motivation to pick it up off the shelf and actually start reading it?

Here are my top 10 tips to fighting the slump:

1. Find out why you're in a slump
Finding out the proper reason you're in a reading slump can do wonders when finding a further solution. So here is task one, what was the most recent book you read? If it was A Court of Mist and Fury or Obsidio then that's probably the reason, alas, it may also be a book that was so intense and you loved it and perhaps you're still feeling all the feels and can't move on.
OR if you think it's another reason, what are say... the most five recent books you've read and how long did it take you to read them? Sometimes we've read with such momentum and speed, your brain has finally decided to do some calculations and realised it was working real hard and just wants some down time.

2. Re-read a fave
In my experience, if I read something crazy amazing, I feel like the next book cops a lot of negative feelings as I subconsciously start to compare with the previous book, even if it had nothing to do with it. If I re-read something I've already read, I seem to have less expectations because I've already read it, you get me? Though you have to be a little careful with this one, if you start re-reading a book that's part of a series you might do the circle of life and re-read the rest and be at the beginning of another book slump. But if you get a good four or five books re-read because of it, is that really a bad thing?

3. Get in the zone
Grab your fave drink, put your phone in another room, and sit in a super comfy environment.

4. Start a new series that has a solid four of five books already released
Ok, ok, this is only for the super keen but you could do this without even realising. This might also take some trial and error but sometimes I'll start one book in a series or trilogy and find I really love it and immediately want to read book two and suddenly there's a domino effect and I'm now shipping myself with the love interests and own all the bookish merch I can find.
*Warning: may cause harm to bank account.

5. Read something from a different genre
I would specifically say contemporary since I'm a lover of fantasy and dystopian but sometimes you might have to put your thing down, flip it and reverse it. Go for something that is COMPLETELY different to what you usually read and you might find yourself immersed in a book you didn't think you'd ever like. In my own experience, I like to throw in contemporaries to avoid future slumps, it has worked better than I ever thought.

6. Do something different
Believe it or not my bookworms, but there are other hobbies we can find *gasp*. Watch a movie or TV show or seven (I am not held responsible for Netflix slumps), do a puzzle, clean your house, earn brownie points from your parents if you live at home. Just do something else for a while and then we can go back to reading.

7. Participate in a read-a-thon
If you didn't know there is an entire world dedicated just to books, yes we include our pets and food sometimes but it is solely based around books. Due to that, there is almost always a read-a-thon going on and it's a really great way to read a few books in a short amount of time. If there isn't one on during your slump, host your own!

8. Read reviews
If there's a few books you want to read but don't have the right amount of motivation to do so, look for fellow bloggers reviews. Goodreads is an option but not always the best, do some googling and find a 4 or 5 star rated one (remember to look for spoiler free!) and start reading. When someone else has read it and talks about all the great things the book has, it's a nice motivator to pick up said book and find out for yourself. Just beware of the crazy obsessed reviews, you don't want to suddenly have high expectations and be disappointed.

9. Do a buddy read
There is bound to be someone feeling the same way as you, or might just want some motivation to read a particular book. Find out on Instagram or Twitter if there's anyone else wanting to read a certain book you have in mind and suggest a buddy read. There's almost this 'have to read' feeling so that you can keep up with each other and it can be an easy motivator sometimes.

10. Just keep reading
To put it simply. If I find it difficult to get into a book I realise I might be putting it down after each chapter and picking it back up later on. Try and read a good chunk of the book and suddenly you're moving and you're getting somewhere and you want to keep going. So yeah, just read.


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WHERE YOU CAN FIND ME:



Contact: erenabennett@hotmail.com
Instagram: @erenareads & @erena_b
Goodreads: @erenareads
Twitter: @erenareads
YouTube: Life of Erena or click here

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As you may have noticed, I haven't published anything for a little while. I moved out of home almost a month ago and have zero internet; I'm currently at the library.
** Since originally writing this I have set up internet and am sitting in the comfort of my apartment.

So, I am here today to give you ideas and tips on how to save money realistically. Yes, realistically; the advice I will give you will still provide you with a flexible and enjoyable lifestyle.
I believe I'm a fairly good saver, but also a good spender (meaning I spend money wisely). I don't deprive myself from everything I want or live off bread and rice, so please read on...
*I am no financial adviser and just want to give you tips on what helps me.

1. INCOME
You need a job. We live in a time where money is important, so don't ask "How can I have things without working?" Don't be lazy. Having a job is beneficial in more than the 'having money' way. You sort of 'grow up'; you gain and earn respect, you learn different things and you meet new people and help yourself get out of your comfort zone. If you don't have much work experience, don't be fussy where you apply. You have to start somewhere and if it's at a fast food place, so be it.

2. BUDGET
Go get a cool looking note book and make it your budget/expenses book. I am serious when I say 'cool looking', you are more likely to stay motivated when you have nice stationary.
You will need to record your income and how often that comes in (weekly, fortnightly, monthly, etc), and your expenses within that time frame. It may be daunting at first to see your expenses all in one place, but you'll get used to it. If you have money leftover, try to include a savings deposit at least once a fortnight.

3. GROCERY SHOPPING
Don't throw away that 'junk mail'! When you receive supermarket catalogues once a week, pull them out and go through them. Get the 'Coles', 'Woolworths', 'ALDI' and 'IGA' brochures and find what's on special and what you need. When you write down your shopping list, note whether the item is on sale and where. If there is one of your staple items on special that has a decent shelf life, buy more of it; you were going to buy it anyway, you may as well get it cheaper.
Lastly, join up the free clubs (flybuys, everyday rewards, etc) every now and then you'll get select items cheaper or can save points up to use towards your next shop.

4. SCHOOL/WORK MEALS
Obviously it is convenient to buy your meals and you might tend to 'get over' your home made lunches and dinners. This might be because you think you don't have time to make anything or you're making the same meals and are beginning to find it unappealing. 1. Make your meals the night before; 2. Make something else. Here I have an opportunity for another blog post - Healthy & Easy school/work meals (stay tuned!) Have different lunches everyday and perhaps make something interesting about them so you aren't tempted to buy something from the cafeteria. In the morning we can all be a bit rushed, it's incredibly convenient to make your meals the night before so you can just grab and go in the morning; you do have time the night before.

5. BUYING THINGS YOU WANT
When following step number two (budget), perhaps consider a reasonable amount (depending on how high or low your income is) of spending money for the week. Either save up or it can be your 'treat' money for the week, keeping in mind that you only have that money for your little extras. If you don't have much money left over after your bills, etc. try your best to not buy those excess things and find new ways to keep yourself busy without spending money.

6. BEING SOCIAL
You can still be social and not spend any money at all. Yes, you may have to decline certain social outings from time to time, but you don't have to be a hermit. If you want to see a small amount of friends, invite them over and tell them to bring drinks and snacks; watch a movie, play video games or just have a nice catch up session. If you want to see more friends do a dinner night at someone's house where everyone brings a plate, if you are going to a bar where it's free to get it, eat before you go and perhaps only have one drink while you're are there and just drink water for the remainder of the time you are there.
When you do have a little bit more money to spend, sign up to emails from companies like 'Living Social' and 'Groupon' (Australia) and find a dinner deal voucher to use.
*If you would like me to give you more specific ideas on activities you can do, comment below and I'll do a post on it.

You read right.

When I first thought of this, I thought I was being original but then I thought about it and realised, no probably not. I then googled it and many images came up. But did they look as good as this?!?!?!





Super easy to make and with the right ingredients, not too bad for you!
*The ingredients I post will be what I used, however feel free to put on whatever you desire.

For one serve:

Ingredients:

• 1 wholemeal english muffin, halved
• Tomato paste
• 2-4 spinach leaves
• 4 cherry/grape tomatoes
• Dried basil
• Light mozzarella, grated
• Barbecue sauce

I actually posted a similar recipe (with blueberries) on my old blog, I was going to post it again but realised the pictures were rubbish. I wanted to make it again for both deliciousness and photos to repost however, I knew Beau (the boyfriend) would prefer apple over blueberries, so here is a healthy recipe for Apple Crumble... enjoy!

Fresh from the oven!

The perfect crumble-ness

Complete with (unhealthy) ice cream

Now before I start any of this, I just want to let you know what I am NOT a nutritionist or any kind of health professional, but my older sister is, so that's basically the same thing. No, I am kidding (she is though!). I just want to share with you parts of my experience when I started really getting into healthy eating.
Another note* I won't be telling you what to eat and such because, once again, I am not a health professional and also different things work for everyone. What I was eating might not work for someone else. I just want to give you tips!







1. The most important: Water. For some people, drinking a good amount of water was hard, because you just wouldn't feel thirsty and some people forget. I knew I wasn't drinking enough. I went a bought a pretty cool looking water bottle and it went everywhere with me. I found myself filling it up a few times throughout the day. I think the reason was actually because I really liked my super cool water bottle! Really inexpensive, and it worked well for me!

2. Before you really kick off your new eating habits, write down what you're eating and the times you're eating at for a week. After the week is over, look back at all things you ate and try to identify what you think is okay and not okay. If you want more help with it, go see a health professional and they can tell you exactly what you're putting into your body. Once you've changed your eating habits, you might find it helpful to record your new diet, whether it's to look over your changes and find things you might want to switch around or remove and replace, or to simply help you get back on track if you're having trouble.

3. Start reading nutrition labels on packaged items. If you don't know how to read them properly, just look it up, or ask a professional. Really easy to learn and remember. Some things will come across as healthy, or a product might be pretty good for you, but you might pick up a similar product that ends up being completely different. It's also really important to look at the serving size. You might pick up a product that looks like 1 serve, but nutrition details on the back might have '3 servings per package' or something similar. I know it seems a bit silly, but it happens.

4. 'Fat Free' products aren't necessarily good for you. A lot of products, such as yoghurt and muesli are low fat or fat free but are made up for it with sugar. This is where reading nutrition labels come in handy. I am definitely not saying "Don't eat yoghurt or muesli" because in the right size they make a healthy meal or snack. You just have to watch how much you eat and don't eat the same thing every day.

5. Prepare and Organise yourself. You don't have to "Meal Prep Sunday" and cook all your meals for the week. Just grab a notebook and write down what you'll eat and just make sure you have the necessary groceries. If you plan, you don't have to think about what to eat for dinner and wondering should you just stop off at a takeaway joint on the way home, because you know what's waiting for you at home. *A relevant note to add: If you do write down what you eat, make sure it's in a dedicated 'food only' or similar notebook. Don't have anything that isn't relevant in there. If it motivates you, buy a notebook you enjoy the look of, the inside seems better when the outside looks good.

6. Snacks are important! You've got to keep your metabolism going. You might have breakfast and not really feel hungry for a while and when lunch comes around, hours later, you might find you are incredibly hungry and just eat whatever is in sight (not everyone is the same, but is happens). Once again, for more information, seek a health professional, you have to find what works for you (keep reading).

7. Not everyone is the same. If you ate the same things I ate, the outcome might be different. You need to know what works for you and you only. You might need different amounts of protein, carbs and fats to someone else.

8. Treats are okay, every now and then. I like to say "Treats are good for the soul", and it's true! If you've been working hard and you're staying on track with everything, please know, that you deserve that chocolate chip cookie with your cup of tea tonight. Don't say no or feel guilty about it if you really want it and you know you've earned it. It might be your motivation! From personal experience, I have never cut out ice cream since I started eating a lot healthier - I love it too much! I just made sure I worked for it. Just remember not to feel guilty if you do eat unhealthy from time to time. It's not necessarily 'bad food', I guess you could say it would be unhealthy to be 'too healthy'. As long as you eat in moderation, you're aware and don't have it too often, there isn't really a problem.

9. Exercise! Not my most favourite word... From my own experience, exercise wasn't my top priority, it was a lot harder than changing my food choices. Though, I got to a point where I knew I wanted to tone up - and I have to exercise for that! I knew I wanted to stay motivated and keep going with it, so I started off small. If I went to see a fitness professional and they told me to do three half hour walks, and three strength workouts in a week, I would probably make it half way and not be interested in it anymore, because it was just too hard to start off with. I started off with small workouts and a walk around my suburb here and there, and now I find myself liking to exercise and doing it a lot more. It makes you feel good!

10. Finally... Don't give up. If you don't see or feel a difference in the first week, it's okay. Yeah, it's good to keep a note of your weight and body measurements, but don't do it so often. You've got to see what works best for you and keep at it. The most important thing is feeling good and being healthy about it. Find motivation that suits you, and reward yourself on your hard work. It isn't easy at first, but it is necessary and eventually becomes natural, and you'll love yourself for it.

YOU ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON IN YOUR LIFE

I hope this helps you if it what you are looking for. Once again, I am not a health professional of any kind, I am just sharing my thoughts and opinions with you on what helped me throughout my own experience.