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Before we get ahead of ourselves, this blog post is how to claim tax back on medical expenses. You are entitled to claim 20% tax back on any medical expenses you paid, for yourself or for someone else i.e your child. You can only claim tax back if you have actually paid tax. (Not USC or PRSI) You cannot claim tax back if you have been refunded the medical expense from private health insurance. You may have underpaid your tax and Revenue can take this back. Generally people don't overpay tax but it can happen if you were out of work for part of the year. Right so now that we're clear on the above lets get started! The first thing you need to do is go onto Revenue.ie and log into 'My Account', if you haven't previously used this service you will have to set up an account. Once logged in click Review your tax 2014-2017, in the blue PAYE Services box on the left.  Once into that section you want to submit a Form 12 for the year 2017 (and any other years you haven't...

During the year I decided that I wanted to spend my Christmas days off abroad, rather than the usual lazing at home, gorging on Celebrations. So one sunny day in August, after a few vinos, myself and Dean booked a New Years Eve trip to Paris, thinking it would be the glammest thing ever. We flew with Aer Lingus and paid about €300 for two return tickets. Once we arrived we had a bit of a confusing trek from Charles de Gaulle airport to our hotel, but with one train and one taxi we were there within an hour or so. The metro system in France is quite complex but with the help of Google Maps you'll figure it out fast enough. We stayed in a hotel called Hotel Nicolo  which was small, cosy (and pricey), but close to the Eiffel Tower. While our room didn't have views of the Eiffel Tower there was fantastic views of it from the main street and you could easily walk to the Eiffel Tower from the hotel. Our hotel was in a lovely area (16th arrondissement) with plenty of boutiques, ...

Whether you've just moved into a house or apartment or have had your own place for years, decorating it is what makes it feel like home. I was so excited to decorate our new house, but of course we were on a tight budget! So here's some of my favourite and affordable homeware shops. Pumpkins - Homesense Wire Basket - Ikea  http://bit.ly/2nPHeke Sheepskin Rug - Ikea  http://bit.ly/2C0Vhq9 Aldi Ireland You may not even notice the fabulous homeware bits Aldi stock as they are usually sold out within minutes! Over the last year or so I have kept a close eye on the ' special buys ' section on the Aldi website, to see what new products are coming in in the next few weeks. And if there's something I'm eager to get my hands on I'll make sure I'm first in the queue on the day it launches. Plant, chairs and lantern from Aldi Footstool from Aldi  Homesense As far as I know there's only two Homesense stores in Ireland, one in Dublin and one in Cork. Luckily for...

This weekend was definitely a lot tamer than the last , but as per usual, there was a few drinks had. On Sunday myself, my Mam and my sister headed to Tankardstown , Slane for Afternoon Tea. It was a bit of a trek getting there but luckily my Dad was on hand to give us a lift out. Pic Credit: Tankardstown Facebook The Afternoon Tea is served in a cute and cosy outhouse, with lovely rustic decor. The service was fantastic from the minute we arrived. Our food was served pretty much straight away and we didn't even have to ask for our photo to be taken before one of the servers was happily snapping away.  Our Afternoon Tea was simple but delicious, we had three small sandwiches, a scone with butter, cream and jam and then a selection of desserts. And prosecco, of course. Unfortunately, the hotel itself is for guests only so we headed off for a few more drinks elsewhere. Our next venue of choice was the Strawberry Hall, another one off the beaten track, which is famous for its ove...

With Christmas only three weeks away, the nights out are endless! If you're looking for some inspiration as to where to head with your friends, family or colleagues here's a quick taste of where I visited over the weekend: On Friday night I headed out for dinner and drinks with my sisters and our other halves. We started off in Hogans , which is a fantastic place to start any night. It's a typical pub loved by all and is in close proximity to so many other great bars and restaurants including Nolita, Market Bar, Fade Street Social, No Name and Drury Buildings....just to name a few! Picture Credit: Hogans Facebook After one or two drinks in Hogans we headed to Fallon & Byrne for a quick prosecco. It was my first time in Fallon & Byrne and I'm already dying to go back! This bar looked like a great spot for a girly night or even a great place to go on a date, as you have to wait to be seated and drinks are served to your table. The food also looked amazing! Pictur...

It's that time of year again, when all the shops offer mega discounts for Black Friday/Cyber Week, and once again I'm back with a list of the best deals and discounts going! Some of these links are affiliate, which means I can make a small amount of commission from sales made via these links. It costs you no more to purchase, but you can open the website in a new tab if you do not want to use the link. Also for some retails it may be worth your while to shop in Sterling to get the best value. ASOS - 20% off everything, code WIN20  http://bit.ly/2AfmyHx Beauty Bay - 30% off everything, if you can get onto the site!  Bellamianta Tan - 50% off everything, code 'FIFTY' http://bit.ly/2mWfBFL Blank Canvas -30% off everything  http://bit.ly/2zZMN4d Boohoo - Up to 50% off everything  http://bit.ly/2Aeu3Pd Bradleys Pharmacy - 25% off all cosmetics  http://bit.ly/2iMbjMF  Cari's Closet - 25% off use code 'BLACK'  http://bit.ly/2mTTvP8 CatwalkHQ Tan - 30% off wit...

If you are saving for a house or planning on buying soon and are wondering how much extra you will need for contents etc. here's a quick run down of how much myself and Dean spent on the 'basics'. As it was a new house we were lucky that we didn't have any old features to remove, our house also came with a fully fitted kitchen (no floors), fitted bathrooms and fitted wardrobes. I think it's fair to say we didn't go too extravagant with what we bought but also didn't to go too cheap on the important stuff either. Hopefully what we bought will last us for many years to come! Floors We opted to go for laminate floor (cheaper and more durable) in our front room and then carpet for our stairs, landing and into all the bedrooms. This cost us about €2,000 for supply and fit and was done by Carpet Luxury Ltd . We had picked out the floors well in advance and once we got the keys the guys were in straight away to measure the floors, with samples, just to confirm our ...