I love tater tots. I love, love, love them. They are an amazingly delicious treat and I would eat them all the time if I could. Only…
When I was back home in America on my holidays, I was offered a couple of dresses that didn’t fit just right. But as the previous owners were…
What’s a penny worth to you? Is it worth stopping what you’re doing so that you can bend over and pick it up? What if…
I like to start the New Year with a fresh, clean start (as much as possible), which means doing a bit of de-cluttering and organising.…
There’s something very berry nice about a wee nip of flavoured vodka on a cold winter’s evening. Only if you’re a starving PhD student who is working hard to…
Growing up in a large family, hand-me-down clothing was a regular part of life. It wasn’t necessarily something I hated (after all, I really wanted some of them!) but it certainly…
I love beer, I really do. So when one of my favourite local breweries, Stewart Brewing, needed some extra hands bottling a large batch of their…
[Note: This was originally posted on my PhD blog, FrancesRyanPhD. Not all posts from there are shared here, so go over and check it out if…
I decided a while ago that I would start rewarding myself for various milestones along my PhD adventure. In part because treats make things a…
Last month I set myself a simple goal of doing some shopping at a charity shop or two. And I failed miserably. In fact, it was such…
A year ago, I was excitedly talking about applying for PhDs and how I wondered how I would ever afford to actually study if I was accepted somewhere. My…
After several weeks of mulling the idea of purchasing a sewing machine, but hesitating because my meagre budget wouldn’t allow for anything decent, I lucked…
It’s time to start counting pennies again. Only this time, every little penny will count so much more than they have for the past decade.…
About two years ago, I bought a lovely skirt for about £5 at a charity shop. It was ever-so-slightly too large, but it was pretty…
For most of my life, I’ve felt as if I’ve lived on the wrong side of fashionable. And, I’m sure, most of the people I…
I decided to get a bit crafty this Christmas but wanted to attempt projects using only supplies I had on hand. So, I dug through…
Last year a friend of mine passed on a lovely summery dress that no longer fit her and I happily accepted. After all, it was…
I have finally had my first pie. Well, my first Scottish meat pie at least. Pies are a pretty big deal in Scotland – in the whole of the…
I have just learned that I was unsuccessful in my application for a full-tuition scholarship from the University of Glasgow. I am, to say the least,…
When I was accepted to my PhD programme, I went straight to work trying to determine how I would pay for it all. After all, the three-year…