a 2017 shopping ban - a brief overview of how and why!

At the beginning of this year, I put myself on a shopping ban from January to May. The only things I was allowed to purchase were replacement skincare and makeup products. You might recall that this has been tried over the last few years but this time, I was a lot more successful. My reason for this time being more successful was that there was a lot more brutal honesty about what I already had in my possession and how much stuff I could realistically go through in this time frame. To help with the latter part, I decided to keep a box of my 'empties' - finished bottles, sachets and products all went in here. My goal is to look at the end of the year and see how much stuff is really used over the course of twelve months.

One motivation for doing this was to be more minimalistic and stop stocking up on things so much. In the past, shampoos, conditioners and things that didn't go off were bought whenever I noticed they were on offer in the supermarket. This would result in, on average, a bottle a week being bought when I go through a bottle every month and a half! Though this saves money in the long run, I find clutter a bit of a stressor and during the last five months, there's been a major mission to declutter stuff no longer used, needed or wanted.



Over the last twelve months, I've accumulated a lot of skincare and make-up samples through various means and this no-spend has been a good time to use up a lot of these samples. You can see a small pile in the picture above. Many of these samples have been average or below average in performance but the ones that do impress me make it onto my wishlist (below). Some of the items on my wishlist haven't been sampled - they are just there so that when I finish my current foundation/concealer/mascara, etc, I can refer to this list to see what was on my mind to try next.

Overall, this project has been largely positive and I find myself evaluating each purchase much more stringently than I used to. Though I don't think my ability to budget before was particularly poor, my belief is that there is always room for improvement, no matter how good you think you are. And I apply this belief to all areas of my life.

My current goal is to keep this going for the rest of the year and so far so good (fingers crossed!). If anyone knows of sites where I can sell good quality clothing on (other than eBay), please do let me know. I had a bad experience where a buyer abused the buyer protection programme and it's really soured my choice to sell on eBay as the seller protection is basically non-existent even when you're 100% compliant (mini rant over!).

If you want to do a similar challenge, I would recommend keeping a box of empties because it is a great motivator and allows you to see how much stuff you realistically get through.

preventing impulse buys with a thirty day purchase list: did it work for me?

Earlier this year, I decided to try out a '30 day purchase list'. This is where I'd place each item I wanted to impulse buy onto a list and then revisit it thirty days later to determine if the said item was still wanted. At first, this seemed like a great idea but it meant checking the list regularly - something I just didn't have time for!

What did work was that this prevented impulse buys and as a result, I've been spending an awful lot less.

Instead of a thirty day purchase list, I've just kept a 'wants' list of everything. The only time I refer to this list is to add something to it or when I finish an item that needs replacing. Before buying a replacement, this list is consulted to see if there was anything of the same type/category that I wanted to try. This kind of list works extremely well for make up, beauty products and, to an extent, stationery products. My list is ridiculously long now but the good thing is that, in the long run, I'll end up saving a fair bit of money by avoiding the accumulation of half-used products so I can try something new.

Here is what my (messy) list looks like:

The list will always be longer than I can get through my current collection of beauty and make-up products but that's ok. It's not intended to be one where everything gets crossed off one by one; it's purely here to prevent impulse purchases and more informed ones.

Do you have any anti-spending strategies that work for you?

how I acquired so few stationery additions in 2016

In 2016, I bought very little stationery and I did this buy just using up the stuff already in my stash. I made a few impulse purchases but nothing major and when I think about how little I bought over the last twelve months, I actually feel content. There's something very fulfilling about using up the stuff you already have and I probably have enough notebooks and ink to last me another good year or two (ok, maybe more).

A few of the purchases I made in 2016.

My goal for this year is to not make any new stationery purchases (aside from a 2018 planner towards the end of the year) and with the way things have gone, I think it should be quite easy for me to stick to this.

Do you have any stationery goals for this year?

review of my last five purchases

My aim of this post is to make myself feel more accountable for the things I buy. I've got to a point where I now dislike showing things I've bought for the sake of showing so in this post, I'm going to explain what these items have been used for, why they were bought in the first place and also do a mini-review of them. This won't be a regular feature but it's a way for me to show how I use my most recent additions without breaking them up into a few separate smaller posts :)

1. midori brass number clips

I bought these with the aim of using them to prioritise things to revise during my exam period. The numbers on them were ideal for this and they came in very, very handy. Not only that, the brass metal ensures they will last for years to come and can be re-used time and time again. After all, there are always things that need prioritising, exam time or not.

One drawback of these brass metal clips is that they can rip the paper if you're not careful or leave them on for a bit too long. So although they seem ideal as markers for each month in a planner, I wouldn't recommend them for that use because of this. Or maybe I'm just an idiot - probably the most likely explanation!

2. kaweco fountain pen & other Tiger Pens goodies

So, I've mentioned this pen so many times now and my review of it can be found here - but this was one of my most recent purchases. This Kaweco Skyline Sport wasn't a purchase I had planned so soon - I had originally planned to buy it this month or next but back in March, a friend convinced me it would be worth it and that I would like it. Talk about bowing to peer pressure - something I don't usually do!

For a cheap fountain pen, it is worth every penny and the mint colour is just so adorable and perfect for the summer.

3. the Harry Potter signature box set

My original copies of the Harry Potter series are seriously battered and although I don't see myself throwing them out anytime soon, I also wanted to be able to read them over and over again (which I do about once a year). As a result, I needed to buy a new set that was durable (read: hardback) and looked as close to the originals as possible.

This boxset delivers on the majority of those fronts: the inside of the books are identical to the originals and they are all hardback editions. However, the covers are different but they all have a ribbon bookmark and the illustrations on the spines and sleeves are just beautiful.

4. a horse pendant necklace

Earlier this year, I lost one of my favourite necklaces which had an owl pendant. I've still yet to find it so I'm assuming it's lost forever so I've been hunting for a new favourite ever since. Whilst browsing ASOS, this galloping horse pendant necklace caught my eye and for something that only cost me a few pounds, it's a worthy replacement (but still isn't quite the same unfortunately).

5. lumie bodyclock

Though this is one of my pricier purchases of 2015, it was one that I had been planning for at least six months. I originally borrowed my sister's Lumie to test it out during the winter (as the early mornings were crippling for me - energy and mood-wise) and it really did make a difference for me. I know they don't work for everyone but they seem to have done my energy levels a world of good when I need to wake up before sunrise (which happens more often than you think due to this ridiculous commute).

***

I suppose this blog post was a way for me to justify my most recent purchases and also do mini reviews of them :) It's also nice to know that everything I've bought recently isn't from one main category such as clothes, shoes or stationery (though there is a lot of that latter!). For the purposes of this post, I've omitted food purchases and other essential purchases such as toiletries.

Do you ever review your most recent purchases? :)

finds for the home - from Hong Kong!

My room was decorated last year, shortly after moving into this house and I've not really made it 'me' yet. Therefore, I bought quite a few items during my Hong Kong trip to try and make it more cozy and lived in. 

On my first day in HK, I saw these money boxes and plushies. I bought one of each so that my sister and I each get a pair. In the background, you can see some A4 folders, my Kindle in its Cath Kidston case and my handbag.

The money box is small and looks super cute on my bookshelf. However, I had a shock when I figured out how to open it to get the money out - you have to twist its head and pull!

Here is a photo of the plushies (along with a chick one) hanging on my wardrobe door:

In the past, I've never bothered with duty free shopping but this time, I found that the perfume deals were just too good to leave behind. My current bottle of Chloe has barely any left and when I received a free sample of Flowerbomb by Viktor and Rolf last year, I knew I had to invest in this perfume in the near future.

I love the bottles as they are quite feminine and will look great on my shelf with my other perfumes.

Whilst shopping in the market at Mong Kok, I came across this pair of Rilakkuma slippers, and well... I found it hard to not buy myself a pair. They were about £6 and fit perfectly. With HK houses severely lacking in central heating or heating of any kind, these slippers kept my feet nice and toasty when we were at home.

At the same market, I came across these cushions. A touch of youthfulness through these cushions is just what my room needed and I am glad I bought these (even if packing them in my suitcase was a job and a half due to the amount of space they took up!).

In a department store, I found these giant peas in a pod. $599 equates to just under £50 but they were huge. I decided not to buy them but I thought I would share this picture of them anyway as it kind of shows what HK people are into.

My mum bought some baking utensils while we were in HK too, and I am quite excited to see what baked goods she comes up with.

Overall, HK is a great place to get stuff for the home; provided your suitcase has the room to carry them home! If you love cute things, a great place to shop would be Mong Kok in and around the stores and market stalls near Fa Yuen Street and Ladies' Market. However, the markets in Mong Kok have put up their prices a lot since my last visit (I know inflation exists but some of the prices were outrageous compared to four years' ago) and I've been informed that Temple Street market might be a better bet if you want to pay rock bottom prices for cute things. Furthermore, you can get your fortune read there too (something I didn't have time to do unfortunately)!

stationery heaven... in Hong Kong

My mum always said that if you can't find it in Hong Kong, you'll probably not be able to find it anywhere. This is how I knew that I'd be able to find some stationery that were designed with people like me in mind. I bought a lot of stationery whilst in Hong Kong so this is the first post of a few on some items I had bought.

You've already seen the stickers I had bought whilst in HK but prepare to see some mega cuteness in this blog post.

For those of you interested, Hong Kong has a lot of independent stationery stores dotted all over the place. In my local area, there were four (and it's only a large village/small town) but if you look in side streets, you'll often find one or two due to the rent costing less (usually!). These stores are cheaper than major department stores and they sell a lot of notebooks, pens and all other kinds of stationery. The stores are usually look quite small on the outside but inside, there can be a treasure trove of items.

Anyway, first up, the following stapler. How cute will it look on my shelf?!

These note tabs: ideal for highlighting things in my diary pages or for bookmarking things in textbooks/my revision notes.

Of course, I took a trip to one of my favourite stores: Muji.

I picked up these pens as I like how well the ink flows but also, because the pen has a hinged clip.

There were also these Rilakkuma note tabs and some re-positionable ones in pastel and neon colours:

Some biros and double ended highlighters (similar to the Muji ones but for a fraction of the price):

They were $10 for five (less than £1!):

And here is how they look on paper:

The biros have fine nibs (just how I like my biro nibs):

Next up, some cute multi-pens and a memo pad:

I also picked up this cute tipp-ex roller:

And also some mini ones which will be perfect for me to take to uni on a daily basis due to their small size and insignificant weight:

Although I could have bought a lot, lot more; I limited myself to these things (and a few more you will be introduced to in another blog post or two). Hong Kong is an amazing haven for stationery lovers but that alone isn't enough for me to want to live there. The city has changed so much since my last visit four years ago, and not for the better either. It has become a lot busier and ruder (people were rude before but I am quite appalled by some of the behaviour I witnessed or was subject to).

Anyway, this is all the stationery I will share for now. I know this post is more of a show, than a tell, but I hope you enjoyed it all the same.

Refreshing My Room With Laura Ashley

I recently came across a competition by Tales of Annie Bean where she's offering the chance to win £1000 in Laura Ashley vouchers. What else could I do but enter? I love Laura Ashley stuff but am yet to own any unfortunately. Hopefully that will change...?!

Anyway, the challenge is to show what items of furniture and accessories I would use to refresh my bedroom.

my room at the moment

As you probably know by now, my room has been an ongoing project for the past three months (I've been doing it all bit by bit, on my own or with a little help from friends) and it is just about done now. A more detailed blog post about it all will go live soon, I promise!

Anyway, the painting has been done, curtains are up, wardrobes up, etc but I'm currently 'make-doing' with a lot of furniture that desperately needs replacing. And that is why I want to enter this competition!

For example, I have some bedside drawers that are at least eleven years' old now! That's half of my age...!

the items i would choose to refresh my bedroom

Here are the items I chose in the end...

All pictures in this collage are from the Laura Ashley website.

Provencale Carver Dining Chair
Although designed to be in the dining room, I've been looking for a French country-style chair with armrests for a long time. I've yet to find one within my budget but this one is beautiful and makes me wish I had won the lottery!

Also, as my room is also a place for (occasionally) studying in, I need a comfy chair that also adds that little bit of charm to my room decor.

Heather Embroidered Dot Quilt and Emslie Natural Stripe Throw
For the sole purpose of jazzing up my bed and making it look more homely.

Clifton Bedside Cabinet
As I said earlier, the one I currently have is at least eleven years' old. The drawer runners are starting to stick and I will need a new one soon!

And finally...

Ceramic Rose Trinket Box
I like to have a bowl or dish to hold my car and house keys in. This is so that when I'm on my way out, I can just grab them from the bowl and head out; or if I've come home after a long day, I can throw them back in there without worrying about where they are the next time I leave the house. At the moment, I'm using an ugly green mock-croc jewellery holder but I would love to upgrade to something prettier. This trinket box definitely fits the bill!

These are my picks and would be what I'd add to my basket if I were to win the voucher. I don't need a new bed or mattress (I replaced my old ones back in October 2012) and although my room is definitely live-able the way it is now, that's not to say I wouldn't jump at the chance to refresh my room if the opportunity were to present itself :)

Like I said, a full post on my room decor is coming soon - it's all written and will go live soon!

the best and worst stationery companies

So, I've decided to review some sites I have bought from in the past and do a bit of naming and shaming, as well as praising!

I'll start with the bad first, as this way, you can see how good the great sites are!

I only have one site here and that is Tudor Office Supplies. I'm not even going to link to their website as they don't deserve the web traffic! They operate from a website and an eBay account, which gives them two chances to screw things over, I guess.

Anyway, this is speaking from personal experience. I recently bought an A5 Filofax hole punch from them. It was from eBay at a 'buy it now' price so the transaction is still covered by Distance Selling Regulations (DSRs). However, it wasn't in the stated condition ('new') as, those of you who own a Filofax hole punch will now understand: the black end bits were worn! There was a hole in one (the silver metal was visible under) and on the other end, there were scrapes.

Now, I already own a personal sized Filofax hole punch, but I have had it for over two years and the condition is nowhere near as bad as this 'new' A5 one I received! Obviously, I messaged them about it after receiving it (the hole punch mechanism was very stiff and I had to put my hole body weight on it to punch one sheet of paper - is this common? My personal one is actually quite good in comparison.) but it took them three days (after I filed a Paypal dispute) to respond. Coincidence? I think not.

So, I returned the hole punch and as per DSRs, I expected a full refund, including a reimbursement of the return postage I paid for the item. The full refund was recovered by Paypal as I sent the item by recorded delivery but Tudor Office Supplies are refusing to admit that the item was not as described! I even sent them photos to prove the condition as they say the hole punch works - well, yes if you're a body builder with massive arms - and they denied that the pictures showed anything!

Well, readers, here you are:

Now, I could probably have lived with these cosmetic flaws if the hole punch actually worked properly, but it didn't! And if this is the wear and tear from an allegedly 'new' Filofax hole punch, then the one I received from City Organiser (the aforementioned personal one) must have been absolutely pristine. 

I have still yet to see a return postage refund and to be quite honest, I do not think I will. The service and communication I received was appalling and as they have clearly broken the law by not following DSRs, I took further action by contacting Trading Standards. Oh, the joys of not being employable until January - this spare time gives me enough time to fight on behalf of others who may not have been able to take further action against this 'company'.

You might say I am being pedantic about things, but I fight for what I believe is fair. And the way this company have treated myself and other unsatisfied customers really isn't fair. Poor communication? Poor customer service? Not following laws? Yeah, these are just to name a few - and I can vouch for all three.

Bottom line: Tudor Office Supplies are top-notch jokers when it comes to running a business. AVOID at all costs.

In comparison, my 'best' list is going to be quite short and sweet. These companies include: City Organiser, Artbox, Moo-t and Washi-Tapes.co.uk.

Staples would have made it onto my list if they fulfilled their promise of next working day delivery - but they are still pretty decent as I received my goods within two working days. Not too shabby.

The 'best' companies mentioned above make it onto that list for the following reasons:
- excellent prices - pretty much unbeatable on most products
- fast dispatch! Especially with City Organiser. They are super speedy and super friendly too if other reviews are anything to go by - always a bonus!
- excellent communication
- customer service is top notch.

university life: ways to save money

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to tell you what to do to save money. I thought I'd just do a post on how I saved money at university myself. Having just spent three years in London (arguably the most expensive place to live in the UK - but only after Bristol apparently!), I had to figure out, through trial and error, ways to minimise unnecessary spending.

Having now graduated, and with my plans now uncertain (I think I know where I am going but I don't want to broadcast it just yet until it materialises!), I have to continue this frugal living. To an extent, I still do quite a few of these tips as money saved means a possible new Filofax organiser, right?

So, here are my tips. Some are well-known and I don't claim for them to be my own, but some of these are things I figured out for myself :)

1) Only take £20 or £30 for your weekly shop - and only in CASH. And before you head out for your shop, write down the stuff you will buy and stick to this list. Planning your meals helps with this as it ensures you only buy what you need.

2) After your weekly shop, put any £1 and £2 coins you get into a tub, box, whatever. From my experience, these coins come in very useful for laundry and if you don't use them for that, they can be a very good surprise at the end of the year. I accumulated quite a lot at the end of my third year (though some did go towards laundry). Alternatively, they can be option if you run out of money or if you have reached your overdraft limit.

A small sample of the coins I had accumulated!

3) Continuing the topic of supermarket shopping, if you know what time the supermarket reduces food, this can be a good time to get cheap meat and then freeze them for future use. As cheap as it may sound, this actually saved me a lot of money. Most of time, I happened to do my shop at the same time as reductions (usually in the evening) and have in the past had success. An example is two lamb chops for 10p! Yes, you read that right, 10p!

4) On the subject of food again (you can see what my life centred around at university!), bulk cooking food is also a cheap way to eat. It also guarantees that on those lazy nights, you won't resort to buying expensive (and unhealthy) pre-made meals from the supermarket. Just add rice (easy if you're Oriental like me and possess a rice cooker) or pasta, or if you're feeling particularly lazy, a slice of bread.

5) Survey sites. This is a good way to save money on material goods. Here are some vouchers I have accumulated in the past twelve months:

The free Tropicana was actually from the Facebook group. I regularly scout out freebies on Money Saving Expert and in the end, shampoo, toothpaste, beauty product samples meant that at the end of term, when I unexpectedly ran out of toiletries, I wasn't stuck as I had these samples.

Basically, if you answer surveys, say a handful of times a month, you can find yourself in possession of vouchers for clothes stores and the like so clothes become a lot cheaper or even free if you have enough of these vouchers!

6) Stock up on things that can keep. Examples include shampoo, feminine hygiene products, toothpaste, other toiletries, toilet roll, etc. Here is my stash:

When I was at university, I loved to use Aussie shampoo and stocked up whenever I saw the 'two for £5' deal. Now, it is more like two for £6 or £7 so I've stopped using it since. However, I still have the stash above. I won't be buying toiletries for a long time I don't think! I probably won't be stocking up again until I have about two months' supply left (that gives time to look for a preferred shampoo brand that is on offer).

7) If you have to buy something, look out for discount codes or vouchers online. Hotdeals UK and a company's Facebook page can be good sources for active codes, as can Money Saving Expert too.

8) Not always possible, but not drinking (booze!) or smoking really saves money. I don't smoke and I rarely drink and at uni, if I did drink, it was only because it was free! People didn't buy me drinks (that's not what I'm hinting at!) but if my halls of residence had an event where there was free booze, I'd have one (never more). This also ensured that I kept any weight gain to the minimum and also kept up a somewhat healthy lifestyle.

9) Fairs! Fresher's, careers', etc. A good place to get free tumblers, pens, paper, sticky notes, etc. And every student needs those! My university had about five or six fairs in total each year and I took each as an opportunity to talk to companies, but also to stock up on things I used on a daily basis. Sneaky? Nah, I call it clever ;)

10) This applies to everyone, not just students, but try and keep basic costs to a minimum. Try and pay as little as possible for your mobile phone contract - but make sure you have enough included minutes, texts and data first! Same with internet contracts - do you need that phone line? If not, an internet-only contract may be better for you, such as Virgin Media. For me (in my second year), it was cheaper for me to get a phone and internet contract though.

Obviously, there are the usual tips, like walk everywhere instead of taking public transport; or do free things instead of going out.

an addition, but not quite what you think!

A Mulberry bag! I got it on sale, before you ask and I have been after a nude coloured bag for a while. I actually bought this during the last week of term (i.e. last week of June!) but had yet to track down a leather protector. 

Anyway, this is the Bella hobo in a lovely nude shade:

The usual Mulberry signature, though I think i prefer the old style as opposed to this one.

A padlock detail, which I am going to remove in case someone just nicks it (it's quite easy to remove!).

And finally, the lining:

Although not quite as flash as a Filofax, this Mulberry ranks highly on my Material Love List. 

Do you have a guilty pleasure in terms of shopping? Mine appear to be handbags and although I don't have that many, I do make sure I buy timeless investment pieces.

thriving on less: pretty clothes tags?

I'm talking about the tags that are designed so well, you don't want to throw them away; or are so pretty, that it would be a shame to visualise them going to the rubbish dump. I have quite a lot saved from various purchases throughout the years and I have no idea what to do with them! I don't mean any old tags, I mean, the nice, luxurious looking and aesthetically pleasing tags...

So, any suggestions? At the minute, all the nicer tags are hung on my pinboard as shown:

The tags shown in the image above are all from purchases dating back to 2006! I don't want to bin them as they do look too nice but is holding onto them just the same as holding onto the equivalent of clutter?

capsule wardrobe: mission accomplished

After analysing the contents of my new formed capsule wardrobe (from existing items of clothing only), I decided to calculate the value (in terms of how much I paid for each article of clothing) of this wardrobe. Many of these items were bought in sales from before my shopping ban started. For some reason, my brain is very good at remembering useless pieces of information, including how much I paid for that pair of trousers and whatnot so this exercise became a fairly accurate estimate of the cost of this wardrobe.

Anyway, I shocked myself with the final figure. I estimated that it may be a few hundred pounds (including bags and shoes), however, that figure was a massive underestimation. Because of this, I'm definitely committing myself to a shopping ban that I will stick to. I won't disclose the figure, but I can tell you, it was large enough to shock me and is big enough to buy a car with. I won't say what type of car but you get the idea. The figure was huge. And for a student, I shouldn't have a wardrobe costing that much!

This is one ban I am pretty sure I won't break - even with the temptation of Westfield Shopping Centre, High Street Kensington, Kings Road and Knightsbridge nearby! All I have to do is remind myself of that figure if ever I felt the compulsive need to break the ban. Obviously, this goes without saying that I will be flogging a few items of clothing and shoes (that haven't been worn in a good while) on eBay and the like. Hopefully I can get a fair bit back as I'm now thinking about my finances for post graduate study. Graduate medicine is still on my mind as is the possibility of doing a MBA or an MSc. Either way, you need money for that - money that does not come in the form of that investment piece of Net-A-Porter or Matches.com!

If you fear that you, yourself are a shopaholic or even if you open your wardrobe every morning and say 'I have nothing to wear', all I can say is, seriously, sit down with a pad of paper and a pen/pencil and do a database of your wardrobe at the moment. Then, cross off the pieces you haven't touched for six months or more and now, figure out what pieces you need to complete the wardrobe - note, I said complete. This does not mean rushing out to buy another skirt when you already have five! This means buying that classic white shirt if you don't have that or a pair of skinny/flattering jeans if you don't have a pair. Now, work out how much your complete wardrobe has cost you and if that figure scares you; well, you know what you have to do. Stop shopping until you can justify that you really don't have any clothes to wear (due to holes and whatnot). Trust me, working out how much my clothes have cost has shocked me enough to attend my own controlled 'rehab' of being a shopaholic and I urge you to try this method - even if it seems unconventional.

Bear in mind that I did not get this idea from anywhere else; I was just curious about how much all my clothes have cost me and from there, I was shocked into not shopping!

i had a naughty weekend!

And not naughty in the dirty sense, seeing as Valentine's Day has just come and gone (more on that later), naughty in a financial sense!

Now, first. Valentine's Day. I hope you all had a good one - I spent mine doing a presentation in the afternoon after travelling back to London in the morning. Then, in the evening, I had a netball match but I did get a few interesting anonymous messages... I'm pretty sure I know who they are from but I'm too chicken to do anything about it! So, I will just leave the messages be.

Anyway, my naughtiness. You know the shopping ban I'm on? Well, I was a bit naughty... I came into some money after doing surveys, as well as an accumulation of vouchers from the previous few months of surveys. Because of this, I was itching to add some pieces that I would appreciate to my wardrobe so my sister and I decided to head to Westfield Shopping Centre in White City/Shepherd's Bush. It's only a 20 minute tube journey or 30 minute bus ride there so it's not too inconvenient.

The morning started off well when she dropped something off for me as a present!

Tell me that you don't think this is the cutest thing ever!

It is a hollow white chocolate duck from Marks and Spencers. We have a private joke between my family about ducks and our love of them, hence why this means so much (in case you're wondering). I'm hoping that (and what I'm about to say) does not make me come across as a complete weirdo but I really cannot bear to eat it! The expiry date is June 2011 so I will leave it until last minute before eating it I think. Of course, I'll share it with her!

Now, basically, at Westfields, I decided to head into Whistles to try on a few dresses I had seen on the website and really liked (but had not plucked up the courage to break my ban). However, I did not anticipate how much I would like one of the dresses and I ended up breaking my ban due to a 20% off voucher in Glamour magazine I knew about. (I even walked all the way to Waitrose after trying them to on, just to buy this magazine in order to return and buy this dress! How sad, but saving money is good as the money saved could go towards another dress...kidding! It would go towards those Louboutins obviously!)

From Whistles, they gave me a seriously sturdy cardboard bag for my purchase:

When I say sturdy, I mean sturdy. The cardboard is thick and it did not turn into mush in the torrential (well, maybe a slight exagerration there) rain. Now, my question is, what do I do with such a lovely bag? It would be such a shame to recycle or bin it as it would really hold a lot of things. I'm thinking of using it to cart textbooks back and forth from uni, or maybe carrying my netball or gym kit to games or the gym? This also leads me onto another bag I'm in possession of...

Again, the quality is top notch. But what do I do with it? The bag is massive and I don't think I'll ever cart around anything that big? I'm thinking of using it as a laundry bag to store my clothes and other stuff that need to be washed at the weekend; but it seems like such a waste? Ideas, anyone? What do you do with yours?

Next, I had Topshop vouchers to spend so I bought a pair of shoes and a ring. It worked out free in the end with a student discount - a definite win situation there!

So, an unsuccessful shopping ban...but if I'm honest, I'm surprised I managed to hold out for so long. I think I will start another wardrobe challenge once I've sorted out a capsule wardrobe for myself - something I've been researching about for a month or so now in order to figure out what the basics I need are.

For The First Time...

I set foot in Paperchase! Prior to my first visit, I had heard many good things about them but just shrugged them off having never actually seen a physical store. However, I was Christmas shopping on Friday in Westfields, London only to find myself outside a store, admiring some wall calenders I had seen. Little did I know, this was the start of myself spending an hour in the store (bear in mind I only had four hours to do my Christmas shopping) admiring everything in every single aisle! How have I not come across this store before?! Have have I managed to fulfill my stationary needs in the past?!

They also had a section for Filofaxes and refills even though the store was small (when I say small, I mean small. The aisles were so narrow, it was hard to turn without knocking into something). Nothing Filofax related caught my eye, though, some other cute (non-stationary related) things did. They had cute food containers (I bought them as I needed some anyway) amongst other things, such as oyster card holders, the cutest sticky notes ever - but having raided freshers' fair and careers' fair earlier in the term, I had no valid reason to purchase them (unfortunately for me, but fortunately for my bank balance).

On the other side of the tiny shop, they had a stand full of Moleskine diaries, and having held one in my hands, I have to say that I am actually quite tempted by them! Having had a look online since, I really do like the look of the ones which have a different colour for every month - though come the end of a month and the time for a changeover to the next colour, I may start to go crazy; as planning things more than a month in advance may become difficult. Then, I thought of a solution - I can use both Moleskine and Filofax! Moleskine to carry around with me and Filofax for at home, laid flat on my table at all times. Thoughts on this? Good or bad idea? 

Needless to say, now that I know of Paperchase, I will never pass up an opportunity to have a nosy instore again!

NB: For obvious reasons, I have not posted pictures of my purchases and some of them make up Christmas presents :]

shopping ban update!

Well, it's been three and a half months (more than a quarter of my way through this ban!) and it's gone pretty well; if I do say so myself (cue a proud face). I've not actually had an urge to spend money on clothes even though I've still been browsing shopping sites and if I do feel a slight urge to whip out that credit card, I immediately start thinking to myself "is this coat/dress/top/pair of trousers/skirt/pair of shoes/bag (delete as appropriate) really worth breaking the ban for?" and usually the answer is a big, fat, resounding NO. And I'd like things to stay this way, thanks.

It also helps than in my Filofax, I have a sticky note on the 'Today' ruler saying (oh so very imaginative) "No shopping allowed" and to be honest, I will probably keep that there for longer than this shopping ban goes on for because... I love the feeling of having money! Thank goodness for my Filofax and the Today ruler :)

no shopping challenge!

So, as of the 1st of August 2010, I have decided to do a personal no shopping challenge which I want to last a whole year. Yep, a whole 365 days! I hope this will be achievable seeing as I will still be getting vouchers from survey sites so instead, I will be using vouchers instead of cash. When I say no shopping, I mean no buying the following:

• Filofaxes (sob sob), but inserts are exempt if they are   n e c e s s a r y  and only if they are;
• Clothes or any other article of clothing unless necessary (underwear, socks, etc. are exempt as these are necessaries and wearing underwear with holes in is just, well, purely disgusting);
• Shoes - oh oh oh how hard this one will be!!! Shoes are the one thing I cannot resist and cannot have enough of, which is why this challenge is necessary. I just have too many pairs and will instead have to make do with what I have instead of buying a new pair when I decide that I have 'nothing to wear';
• Bags - again, I have too many and honestly speaking, I only need two or three anyway (when I have about ten times that number...). A day bag (large enough to take into university every day for things like lunch, lecture notes, notepad, etc.) and a clutch bag for evening/formal events are the necessities and I have numerous of the previously mentioned two types of bags! 

More things may or may not be added to this list as time goes on; but the rules of the challenge are clear to me:

• No buying unless necessary;
• No buying with cash, only vouchers;
• This will last for 365 days;
• Any saved money will go into my savings account!

Simple really...and I hope I can keep this up! For the sake of my bank account anyway... roll on the 1st of August 2011!!!!