This is a blog post from one of those really annoying people who completed their tax return as soon as possible and files it nine months before the deadline.  Hello!  Honestly though, a genuine query, why do people leave it so late or until the last minute?  Every January I see people on social media and in networking groups panicking about getting their tax returns in on time.  Why not turn it around and file it as soon as the year end is up?  This way there’s no panicking and plenty of time to pay it.  My advice is to save up for your tax return through the year so you have the money ready to pay it at the end of the tax year.

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I had a really good self-employed tax year and as my tax was over £1000 I now have to ‘pay on account’ for 2018/2019.  This means I have to pay half of my predicted tax (they give me the figures) by January 2019 and the other half by June 2019.  So by the time the January 2020 deadline rolls around I will have already paid my tax or most of it.  I’ll pay it in April 2019 anyway so I only need to worry about paying the first payment on account which I’ll save up for each month anyway.

I was thinking of leaving my tax money in savings until it had to be paid in January as it makes sense to earn interest on it, but I just panic too much that I’ll forget to pay it altogether, so for my own peace of mind I have to pay it right away.

My total bill was just under £4000.  Luckily I had been saving this every month.  This bill is for income tax, class 2 national insurance, class 4 national insurance and student loan repayments.  I check the government and student loan websites each year to find out the personal allowance thresholds and the percentages they take above these.  I then add formulas to my spreadsheet so it works out the exact amount I owe from my profits.  That way I can save enough every month by popping the money into a savings account and forgetting about it.

Not all of my methods of earning money from home are taxed.  For example, matched betting and selling used personal belongings on eBay are tax-free.  Blogging, side hustles and selling online for a profit is all taxed.

To give you an idea of outgoings, I spent around £4000 on business expenses.  Take this and my tax bill off and I earned approximately £22,000 after tax and expenses.  Not too bad for my first tax year of working from home full time.  In fact I’m very impressed with myself!

I’m not sure if next year will be as successful as I know matched betting will be a lot lower as the sign up offers were most lucrative when I began in January 2017.  But on the other hand I have found a couple of new side hustles such as testing websites which I hope to do more of.  I’ve also increased my blogging fees and have more contacts than this time last year.  So we’ll see.

Here are the five ways I made money from home in the tax year 2017/2018 and my approximate total turnover:

Blogging

This has been my most successful way to make money from home.  I had a head start when I decided to monetize my blog as I’d already been blogging for five years by that point.  I then just accepted some paid posts that landed in my inbox until January 2017 when I decided to really go for it, apply for blog opportunities and get myself out there.

The best thing about blogging is you can blog about whatever you like.  If you love writing, then I’m sure you’ll love blogging.  It’s so brilliant to build a website and have something that’s mine.  Blogging has given me the freedom to seriously work from home and to have more flexibility whilst we have a young family.

Read also:

4 ways to make money from your blog without Google ads 
4 ways to find paid blog opportunities
How I save hours every week scheduling tweets with Social Oomph
4 ways to improve your domain authority (DA)

Online selling

I do love online selling.  This was probably sparked from being an e-commerce fulfilment manager for a few years before I had kids.  It’s a thrill every time I sell something online.  I sell our used personal belongings on eBay and Facebook Marketplace.  There’s a constant stream of things I can sell as the kids are quickly growing out of clothes and toys.  I also have a small online boutique on this website.  I have dabbled in a little reselling but I don’t find it very profitable and it’s quite time consuming.  It’s probably better for someone who can devote a lot of time to it and spend time sourcing good stock.

Related blog posts:
11 tips for eBay selling
7 Easy Ways to Make Money from Home as a Mum
Things I've Learnt from Running My Own Shop Business (the things no one tells you)

Matched betting

I started matched betting in January 2017 and made the majority of my profit then.  In total I’ve made over £4000 since I started.  This is even more amazing as it’s tax free!  The only outgoings are my monthly Profit Accumulator membership fees which were £17.99 per month but after 12 months they reduced to £14.99 per month.  You can also sign up for a yearly fee and save money on membership, but for flexibility I use the monthly option.  I just take the fee out of my profits.

The company I use who have enabled me to learn the process and make so much money is Profit Accumulator who I still use and highly recommend.  It’s possible to make more and it’s possible to make less.  It depends how much time you can devote and which methods you continue to use after the sign up offers.

Here are some great posts if you’re thinking of starting:
I made over £3000 matched betting in 2017
I’ve made £300 tax free cash from home in 2 weeks and you can too!
£753.62 Matched Betting Profit Month One (and silly mistakes)
Not sure about matched betting?  Make £40ish now to see if it’s for you!
Is matched betting a gateway to gambling and is it dirty money?

Side hustles

I love finding and testing other ways of making extra cash from home and have tried so many ways over the past year from surveys to mystery shopping.  My favourite ways are using Roamler and Streetbees for random tasks and mystery audits.  I have also started website testing with What Users Do for £5 per test and they’re very easy to do: Easily make money from home by testing websites

Related:
Get paid doing simple tasks from your phone with Streetbees
9 iPhone apps to make money

Top cashback

I joined Top Cashback in April 2016 so I’ve been a member for two years this month.  It was one of the best financial decisions I ever made and I should have joined so much sooner.  I get cashback on almost a weekly basis on all sorts of normal things.  I’d never buy anything just because there is cashback, but if I am already going to buy something then I’ll check to see if I can get cashback on it.  I’ve earned almost £300 cashback on things I’d buy anyway in the past year.  As a household we’ve earned even more cashback as my husband has an account too, but I don’t track his cashback withdrawals on my blog.

Learn how to earn cashback on things you already buy and be amazed with amount of extra cash you have back in your pocket!

We all want to be healthy and nowadays a healthy lifestyle is relatively easy to achieve. If we focus on bodily health alone, significant advances in both scientific and medical knowledge mean that we are more aware, than ever, of how certain habits can have a detrimental effect on our body’s functioning. But for some reason, so many of us go against or better instincts and engage with unhealthy habits even though we are well aware of their negative effects and the potential dangers that they can pose to our wellbeing. So, it’s time to start taking heed of what the professionals are saying and to start actively making some positive changes in our life. Here are just a couple of lifestyle changes that you should consider if you want to boost your health, happiness, and wellbeing.

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Become a Non-Smoker

For some reason, a large number of people still actively choose to take on the lifestyle of smoker. This is bizarre, as we are all well aware of the problems that smoking can wreak with our health and wellbeing. The fact that smoking significantly increases your risk of developing life-threatening or fatal cancers alone should be enough to put anyone off. But if you needed any further reasons, you should also bear in mind that smokers are much more likely to experience heart disease due to the build up of tar in their lungs. This in turn can cause a whole host of respiratory conditions.

To put things simply: smoking slowly kills you.

It can also have a negative impact on anyone who is near you when you smoke, as passive smoking can result in similar conditions developing in those who spend time in a close vicinity to regular smokers. It’s not all too surprising that many countries have passed laws making smoking indoors in public spaces an illegal activity.

Besides the negative health effects of smoking for you and your loved ones there are further issues with the activity when you consider your appearance. Smoking can stain your fingers and teeth, giving them a yellow tinge. It also dulls your hair and eyes. This is all before you take into account the cost of smoking. Prices are constantly on the rise, and the habit can take a huge hit in your wallet.

So, chances are that by now you’re wondering how to quit if this is something that you currently engage with. Well, there are plenty of resources out there that can help you to kick smoking to the curb. Visit your doctor and ask for advice. You can also make use of nicotine patches, gum, and sprays to suppress your cravings. Finally, you could consider vaping. This allows you to smoke without the negative health effects, as you will merely be inhaling water vapour. Take a look at the different devices and liquids available to you at vapeshop.co.uk.

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Adopt a Plant-Based Lifestyle

Now, there are various reasons that people tend to give up meat. The most common reasons tend to be for the sake of animals or for the sake of the environment. However, another good reason to quit eating meat, on top of this, is the profound health benefits that come hand in hand with a plant-based diet. Various studies have been conducted into meat consumption and have thrown up some pretty serious warning lights.

Consuming the saturated fats that red meat contains on a regular basis can lead to the development of serious conditions such as heart disease and type two diabetes. However, it’s important to remember that giving up meat doesn’t automatically make you healthy. While you may have actively cut out certain unhealthy foods from your diet, you still need to ensure that you are consuming a balanced diet rich is wholefoods and plant based foods.  It's still possible to be a junk food vegan and eat a stack of unhealthy refined grains, sugars, and processed foods. Choosing a healthy plant-based diet means you'll get plenty of protein.  Opt for wholegrains, a variety of fruit and veg, nuts, seeds, naturally protein rich leafy greens, beans and legumes.

These two lifestyle changes may seem relatively minor, but they will make all the difference to how your body functions and how good you feel in yourself. The fact that they seem like small changes should only serve to encourage you to carry them out, as they simply require a strong mindset and dedication to abstinence from things that are bad for you. If you can’t dive in the deep end, try slowly reducing. You’ll be reaping the benefits in next to no time and it’ll be more than worth the effort!

More fab blog posts:
An inspirational guide to eating healthier
Easy Chunky Veg Vegan Soup | Recipe and Method
Natural Essential Oils Sleep Aid Review
Having That Sudden Urge To Change?
5 reasons you should quit smoking now
An introduction to Healthy Vix

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My Sunday soup sessions are back!  Earlier this year I decided to start making soup every Sunday.  It was a great way to use up any leftover veg from the week before, or a great start into our new organic veg box for the week ahead.  We usually have an organic vegetable box delivered each weekend.  We’d eat the soup for dinner on a Sunday evening and then I’d save loads to see me through the next few days for lunch.

I love soup, but I got a bit souped out!  I ate it every day for a few weeks until I couldn’t eat soup any longer!  So I had a little break, but now I’m back on the soup mission again.  I want to share with you how easy it is to make a batch of delicious homemade soup.  It’s a great way to use up vegetables that need using sharpish.  It’s also a brilliant way to pack loads of vegetables into your diet in the most tastiest way.  You can also batch make so much soup and quickly reheat it for healthy lunches or easy dinners. 

It will store for around one week in the fridge, thought the sooner it’s eaten the better it tastes.  You can even freeze it in single servings to grab and go!  The best thing is it’s so easy to make soup and you can put whatever you like into it.

Recipe:

My best advice for homemade soup is to stick with a lot of similar colours.  I always tend to go for oranges and spices.  This batch has carrot, sweet potato, onion, celery and white potato.  I’d usually add butternut squash too.

The beauty of soup is you can make it up as you go along or use whatever you have.  Any veg works!

Method: 

Chop these as chunky or as fine as you prefer.  I like super chunky!  Throw them all into a huge pan with a sprinkle of coarse black pepper, paprika, cinnamon, turmeric, a dash of balsamic vinegar and half a tube of tomato puree.   Mix well, then cover with water.  Bring to the boil, then simmer for as long as you can.  I leave for around one hour, but if you’re in a rush then just cook until the veg is all tender.

You can add different herbs and spices depending on what veg you have added, what you have and what your taste buds prefer.

You can also add gravy granules to thicken it up, salt if you like salt, rice, pasta, lentils or other grains.  You really can make a meal out of soup and personalise it to you.

More vegan and vegetarian recipes
Green Goodness Smoothie Recipe
Healthy Snacks: White Mulberry, Cocoa and Chia Balls Recipe
Scrumptious Aubergine & Chunky Veg Recipe
Chilli & Coconut Veggie Stir Fry Recipe
Warming Sweet Potato Soup Recipe
Pumpkin Soup Recipe

Welcome to my latest Lylia Rose scarf giveaway!

If you love printed scarves, do pop over to my online fashion accessories boutique for a good browse where you'll find over 60 different designs in stock! 

The minimum spend is only £4.99 per order and 2nd class UK delivery is free.  Perfect for gifts for her.  

Win this scarf in my blog giveaway:

The full terms and conditions are below, but simply enter using one or more of the entry methods in the Rafflecopter widget below and remember, if you win your delivery address must be in the UK.

Good luck!

Check out my Giveaways section for more amazing prizes!

Love making cash from home?  Here are some of my favourite and successful ways:
The top 3 ways I made money from home in 2017
Get paid to test websites from home (£5 per 20 minutes)
Get paid doing simple tasks from your phone with Streetbees
I’ve made £300 tax free cash from home in 2 weeks and you can too
5 Free Daily Lotteries With Cash Prizes
9 iPhone Apps to Make You Money

ENTER HERE:

If you enter this giveaway you consent to be signed up to my newsletter to receive new blog posts, giveaways and shop news.  Subscribers are entered into a monthly draw to win a scarf from my online scarf boutique.  You can unsubscribe at any time, but only active subscribers will be entered into the scarf giveaway.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Term and Conditions:

• There will be one winner

• The prize is the item pictured above

• The prize must be claimed within 28 days of the first winner's notification email being sent.

• There is no cash alternative

• There is no limit on the number of entries per person, follow the instructions to enable multiple entries

• Winners will be notified within 28 days

• The winner must claim their prize within 28 days or it will be forfeited

• All entries must be received by the date and time specified

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• Giveaways are open to the UK only

• The winner's name and county is available upon request

• Entrants will be signed up to the Lylia Rose newsletter to receive blog posts and giveaways.  Subscribers are entered into a monthly prize draw to win a scarf of choice from my online fashion boutique -  You can unsubscribe at any time, but this will stop your entry into the newsletter giveaway.

Summer feels like it is actually here, well at least the past three days!  It’s been scorchio, even hotter than our recent holiday to Fuerteventura by a couple of degrees!  I’m not going to get too excited though as it looks set to drop ten degrees next week.  The sun is simply teasing us and leading us into a false sense of hope.  Don’t put those jumpers and boots away just yet!  Whilst the weather is lovely and I’m so much more comfortable in less clothing with a little more skin on show, it does mean it’s time to get skin ready for summer.  Skin needs exfoliating, nails need filing and polishing, but most of all it’s time to get rid of unwanted hair for silky smooth legs.  I was a religious shaver until last year when I discovered the longer lasting wax and converted.  But it’s still quite painful and expensive so I’m always looking for a better solution.  I think I may have found that solution and in this blog post I’m going to look at the benefits of laser hair removal.

What are the benefits of laser hair removal?

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Permanent

It’s a permanent hair removal solution.  Many of the hairs lie dormant, so several sessions are needed.  But the hair follicles that are zapped in each treatment won’t produce hair again.

Cost effective

In the short term it seems expensive, but in the long term it’s a cost effective hair removal solution.  Especially when compared to waxing, just imagine how much money you spend on waxing each year or even buying expensive razors, gels and shave creams.

Relatively pain free

Some people claim it’s not painful at all, but others say there is a slight discomfort or feeling of little pricks.  It can’t be as bad as waxing and ripping out the hair every 4-6 weeks.  Plus, no pain no gain!

Precision

The lasers only target the hair follicles leaving the surrounding skin undamaged.

Speedy

The lasers are super quick and as can be seen in the below video, an underarm treatment only takes around 3 minutes.  It can even take place in your lunch break! 

Improved skin

When hair regrows after shaving it can cause lumpy, sore, itchy and irritable skin.  As the hair doesn’t regrow after laser hair removal there will be none of these symptoms.

No more ingrown hairs

Laser hair removal is the only effective way to both prevent and eliminate those peky and sometimes uncomfortable ingrown hairs.

It works on shaved areas

Unlike waxing, you don’t need to fully grow the hair between each session.  You can even shave!  It works on the hair follicles so no need to walk around with embarrassingly long hair anymore.

Where can I get laser hair removal?

If you are in or close to London then you can have laser hair removal treatment at Pulse Light Clinic. They have two clinics: Bank Clinic (1st Floor, Peek House, 20 East Cheap, London, EC3M 1EB, Tel 0207 523 5158) and Tottenham Court Road (5 Percy Street, London, W1T 1DG, Tel 0207 205 4085).

For real life experiences on five different skin types, check out their video below:

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