Olympic Hangover

I am ashamed to say I was totally skeptical of the whole Olympics thing; part of this may be bitterness that we didn't get ANY of the tickets we applied for! However I was so happy to be proved wrong and absolutely loved watching it all. Now it's all over I feel a little lost and have lost my legitimate reason to stay in. I think I will probably be out spending more money now! Bring on the Paralympics!

Sometimes...

...you just have to forget the plans, the lists and the budgeting. 

This weekend a friend had to cancel our plans but as the weather was so lovely we took a little impromptu trip to the seaside instead. It wasn't planned and it wasn't cheap but I had the most lovely day and without wishing to be cheesy, it was priceless.

Weekly Spending Round Up

Friday 3rd August

50p reduced bread, Waitrose
£2.05 his & hers deodorant (Boots Advantage Card points)

Saturday 4th August

£29.42 food shopping Sainsburys

Sunday 5th August

£1.00 book, Poundland

Monday 6th August

£5.99 ethanet cable, Maplins

Tuesday 7th August

£1.75 2 books, bookman at work
£12.00 bag, Select
£6.40 bikini, Select

Wednesday 8th August

No Spend Day :)

Thursday 9th August

£2.50 eyebrows
£5.80 drinks

Basic Value Ranges

As previously noted I do seem to spend a fair bit on food shopping every week. I keep hearing statistics about the rise in cost of groceries so don't feel too bad about this but know it's something I need to keep an eye on. I try and buy organic and UK grown items but it's not always possible and made especially difficult if on a budget. The major supermarkets all seem to offer quite a comprehensive range of basic value items. Whilst there are some things that for me are a definite no-no (toilet paper, eggs, bread) there are some things which I think are just fine. I know Martin Lewis, Money Saving Expert, suggests 'The Downshift Challenge' where you buy the cheaper brand than usual to see if you can save money without noticing too much of a difference. So far I know my can-do's are blueberries, plain yoghurt and cordial, all of which I am more than happy with. What are your no-no's and can-do's?

Clothing Challenge

Based on my total spend on clothes, shoes & accessories last year (£290.70 in case you were wondering?!) I allocated myself a £25 a month clothes, shoes & accessories budget for this year. So far this is kind of working as it is balancing out okay, for example I was £30 over one month but managed to buy nothing at all in another month.

My commitment to this is not just based on money saving but also an attempt to reduce waste and consumption. Previously I have spent loads on things I have never worn, badly made things, hideous things that I was duped into buying in the name of fashion...I could go on! And I feel bad about that.

To make things harder I walk through one of the UK's most popular shopping destinations every day on my way to work. For the past week and a half I have been coveting a black studded bag in H&M's window. At £29.99 it's not massively over my budget so I have been convincing myself of it's worth to me to the point of allowing myself the purchase for the weekend...until...

I watched a recent haul by the beautiful moreemilk on YouTube and she had a stunning studded purse from Select amongst her goodies. She stated that it was a shop she'd never considered before but went in with her sister. I agree, it's not a shop I'd ever considered either but prompted by this purse I thought I'd take a look. Whilst I remain unconvinced by most of their clothes I was impressed by their bag selection and ended up splurging just £12 on this little beauty!

Great size, great detail and great price : )

Now what to spend that other £13's on?!...

Wardrobe full of clothes but nothing to wear?

This always seems the case for me, I have a wardrobe (& set of drawers) full of clothes but never seem to have the right outfit. 

It made me think about Gok Wan and his twenty four key pieces theory. Now whilst I could never commit to only twenty four items of clothing however, there are some simple principles I need to adopt. He suggests that when you buy an item you should be able to think of at least three outfits you could make with it from things you already own. 

Last week I got a gorgeous top in the H&M sale that I thought would be perfect for holidays. The top itself was only a few pounds but then I struggled with the outfits to make and realised that I would need to buy at least two further pairs of shorts to be able to wear it as it went with nothing I already own. Disaster. Dutifully I then went back and exchanged the top for one in a different colour that will make three outfits paired with things I already own. This is clearly where I have been going wrong previously. Must try harder!!

All Change

It looks like the San Francisco plan is definitely off which is gutting but I guess I'll still day dream and there's always holidays. Despite this I have still continued to try and keep up with the savings. I've not updated for a while as I have been mostly hanging about on the MSE Forums. It's nice to find people that are in the same position struggling to keep within budgets and feeling guilty about spending versus saving. 

I thought I should try and keep up with the blogging though, especially after reading Frugal Queen's post today about staying in your starter home. I think I will now rename the San Francisco fund as the deposit fund and plan to buy a house in two years instead. A forever house. Scary but exciting at the time. Here goes...