Kicking off the New Year is a new section of the blog – Favourite Finds, where every month I highlight my fave things – or new things that I’ve discovered and liked. 

From new apps and TV programmes, to online shops and cool interiors – it’s all here. So, without further ado, let’s dive straight into January favourite finds!

The Niix App

It’s tradition that the start of a new year means a new house/body/computer/life* (*delete as appropriate).

And what do us women do? Most of us commit to trying to lose weight. And I’m speaking for myself here as well of course.

But instead of just telling myself I’m going to lose weight (because boy, I’ve tried), it’s probably wiser for me to commit to getting fit instead.

It’s a whole lifestyle change – and if I’m not committed to regular exercise, then how can I expect to lose weight when the rest of my time I’m sat on my backside in front of a screen?! I rest my case.

So, all hail the Niix app, which I actually discovered last month, but I’ve been trialling it for a few weeks.

It has been designed with 40-plus women in mind and I’m mighty impressed. It specifically focuses on pilates and cardio, two things I’m a bit of an amateur in, so the fact that I get to follow the classes (from 10-30 minutes) in my own home, is a huge plus point.

If you’re looking to work out efficiently but have limited time, this could be the app for you. All subscribers to the app receive a 30 day meal plan, access to 150 classes, access to the Niix community (for motivational purposes) along with tips and tricks.

Personalisation

If there’s one topic that keeps cropping up in the travel industry year after year, it’s personalisation – and how travel companies can start creating ideal holidays based on their clients’ individual needs.

But personalisation doesn’t just affect travel – it’s everywhere! From dedicated songs that you can buy on Fiverr.com for your friends or family, to lip balm pots with your name on the tin. And that’s just the start of things.

I tried out a couple of personalised items from Personalisedgiftsshop.co.uk including this cool notebook to kick off 2018 in style – what do you think?

Not bad for £9 – and I just know I’m going to get asked ‘where did you buy that?’ which is always music to my ears.

The Sales!

I don’t know about you, but following Christmas (and all the sales that miraculously appeared on Christmas Eve), money’s a bit tight, so I’m looking to bag the best savings where I can.

Luckily, the January sales have meant that things I’ve really needed haven’t cost an arm and a leg. I’ve also discovered a website called Everything5Pounds. As the name suggests, everything’s a fiver so it really piqued my interest.

Although it’s more of a fashion and accessories’ site, it also has a few gadgets and homeware, but it’s worth a look.

In fact, since discovering the site, I’ve noticed a few YouTubers making videos about what they’ve bought from the site and what they think of it.

Quality family time

Spending Christmas with the family is always the best thing about the festive holidays for me. But I have to admit, it was a bit of a struggle at the start to encourage the kids to interact with us rather than spend hours staring at their devices.

So I was really interested to come across a game called Packtypes that has been invented to get families talking again (a fantastic concept!) and understanding that we are all unique with different personalities.

Playing this over Christmas was really good fun – the kids learned to appreciate their strengths and accept their weaknesses – especially when they realised we all have them and they weren’t being singled out!

I’ve just started to read the accompanying book, “Parented by Facebook, Educated on YouTube”, which looks at how parents can use the game and its revelations to help their children develop real (rather than virtual) self-confidence, make good decisions, find their true path in life and have authentic relationships based on honest communication and empathy.

So what did we learn about each other? Quite a lot surprisingly – and this in turn sparked even more conversation about real life examples that back up the different personality attributes.

It’s a great concept and I know we’ll be playing it again at the next opportunity. You can find out more about Packtypes from here.

New TV shows

You’ve got to hand it to us; Britain has got some of the best TV programmes on the planet – and there are always shows that I’m looking forward to watching on a regular basis.

And with the New Year comes new shows – Dancing On Ice is back on our screens this month, which will be interesting to see – and did anyone watch The Price Is Right with Alan Carr over Christmas? Wow – that show brought back memories when Lesley Crowther hosted it!

But I have to say, I’m a huge fan of Netflix and I’m chuffed to bits to see the new series of Homeland (Season 6) hits our screens on 15^th January.

My New Bloggers’s Journal!

To kick-start the New Year, I’m getting organised and have purchase the Blogger’s Journal from Paperchase.

I was that impressed with it (and I love spiral notebooks that stay open at the same page!), that I decided to buy a few to use as giveaways in my January #SnappedUp linky.The linky is for bloggers (or vloggers) who have posted about a product review or something they’ve bought – or even a shopping haul. They can join the linky, comment on each other’s posts and receive comments on theirs too.

Everyone that takes part has the chance to win the Blogger’s Journal – and I also promote them on social media and, if they’ve written about a shopping haul, on the BritMums’ website too.

If you want to buy your own Bloggers’ Journal – which costs £8 – you can get your mitts on it online.

So, that pretty much sums up January Favourite Finds! All that’s left to say is Happy New Year 2018 – and I hope you all have a healthy, happy and prosperous year!

You might also like…

• With all the new gifts from Christmas & party food from the New Year Smart Storage For Small Spaces might help!
• What happened to me last year? 99 Amazing Things That Happened To Me In 2017

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