Getting Ready for the next Blogging Conference

I’m really happy that blogging is beginning to look more and more positive for me. I am enjoying the process, I am meeting new people and making friends, and financially it is beginning to look up too!

In May this year, I attended my first blogging conference in Manchester. My Blogon experience was great and I had no reason to be nervous at all, as it turns out.

This time, I am excited to see what the Blogon Christmas conference is going to be like. I know there will be a lot of familiar faces and also some new ones too.

So I am doing this post to link with other bloggers as a sort of way of introducing myself. I will also make a special effort to read some others’ introductions and then see how many new friends I can spot on the day in September.

Thanks to longstanding blogger Katy for putting these ‘introduce yourself’ questions. Hopefully, it will help to break the ice and make for a really nice experience.

The Icebreaker questions for Blogon attendees and my answers

Ok, why are there two people? This might come as a surprise to you if you are checking out this little frugal blog for the first time. Joleisa.com is really operated by me (Jo) and my identical twin sister Leisa. This photograph was taken on the site recently as we filmed for the channel 5 program Shop Smart, Save Money. Did you see us?

The pretty one who is slightly fatter is me. Ok, you still don’t see any difference? Sorry. It doesn’t matter anyway. We look exactly the same to most people.

Sadly, you will only see one of us at Blogon conference. Leisa still has school-aged kids at home. My son will be off to University in a bit so I have a bit more freedom and flexibility.

• What is the best thing about blogging? My blogging experience started as a result of a really depressing phase I was going through as a teacher at work. I started researching online jobs on Pinterest and stumbled upon this thing called blogging. I started a free WordPress version right away and it has been such a fun experience. Whenever I feel down nowadays, I just get on to my little space on the Internet where I share my knowledge and experience in money saving and living a frugal lifestyle. What I like most is that people are actually helped by the tips we share.
• What was your dream job when you were growing up? We grew up in Jamaica at a time when it was fashionable as little girls to say that we want to become air hostesses when we grow up! In my heart though, I always wanted to be a teacher.
• What is your lucky number? I’ve never followed those sort of things! But now that I think about it, I will choose 22. That’s because there are 2 of us and we were born December 22.
• What is your favourite season? It is most definitely Summer! I don’t cope well with cold weather and in fact, I find it quite depressing. I only go out of the house in the Winter if it is really important. So bring me all the sunshine and I’m happy.
• If you had to choose one what would your favourite dish from the Chinese be? Well, I like chicken or egg fried rice, and I also love sweet and sour chicken. We make our own fake away style meals a lot.
• What is your useless talent? This one will need some serious thinking about.
• If you could keep any animal as a pet what would you choose? A few years ago I would have said an ant, as I didn’t really like the idea of pets. But 2 years ago my son asked for a kitten. My instinct said no, but because he’s a cool dude (quiet, respectful and hardworking), I gave in and got him a kitten called Marley. Taking care of her though, fell to me, so I gave her up after almost a year. I did shed a few tears but I wanted him to learn a lesson. Now I would have a cat again.
• Which one meal would you eat forever? (If you had to choose one!) I love food! But I really can’t think of one that I would have forever. I just can’t choose! I also love cooking.
• What is the last thing you check before you lock your front door? I always check if I have my phone.
• If you won £50,000 what would be the first thing you would buy? I’m never one for extravagant living. I can’t think of one thing I would want to buy either. But I am always eager to pay off debt. So that would go straight to pay down on my mortgage. That would make me feel lighter and freer.
• What is your favorite social media channel? Hands down, it’s Pinterest. It keeps changing though, and I keep trying to get used to Twitter and Instagram. I hope to make new friends and followers. I love just sitting and scrolling through Instagram and interacting with the stories and photos.
• Tell us more about your best ever holiday. Destination: Jamaica. I love the little island so much with its warm weather all year,
• Name one cake you rock at baking. I like baking. I do make some money on the side from that too. I do an awesome red velvet cake but also simple cakes like easy rock buns, I need to up my game with decorating though.
• Which session are you most looking forward to? I am most looking forward to meeting some of the reps but I also love the buzz of the winnings at the end.
• What is your favourite book ever? Although we have written our own book, Living Life While Squeezing Lemons, my favourite has to be a Caribbean one like A Year in San Fernando or Green Days by the River. I always read my Literature books over the summer before school started. No wonder I got one of the highest grades for Literature that year. It’s sad that I don’t find much time for reading nowadays though.
• Which special event is your favourite? (Halloween, Christmas etc). Hear me sing: Christmas is my favourite time of the year! And it doesn’t matter that I only get one set of gifts (as my birthday is so close to Christmas. I share my Christmas story here.
• If the internet vanished right now how would you share your message or life story without a blog? I think I would quite like public speaking. So perhaps I could start off by speaking to parents at school open evenings or similar events. I would also like to share the money saving and frugal living agenda with students in small groups. I do believe we have a responsibility to teach children to start saving early.

 

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Introducing twin bloggers Jo and Leisa

Here’s how to tell us apart

Well, that was fun to complete and I can’t wait to read the others. Do look out for me and I will look out for you. You can’t miss me, I bet. I’ll be there ready to collect my goodies in a big light green suitcase with some vintage Volks Wagen vehicles on.