The Ten Commandments

1. Thou shalt smile, even when you can't think of a reason

2. Thou shalt eat, drink and spend in moderation but love to excess 

3. Thou shalt not let others dictate your happiness

4. Thou shalt be the best that you can be, always

5. Thou shalt not be scared of liking someone, for fear of rejection

6. Thou shalt not worry about money

7. Thou shalt let go of the past and believe in the future

8. Thou shalt not be defined by past heartbreak

9. Thou shalt believe in yourself

10. Thou shalt follow your dreams and LIVE

Tru Dat

That.

Is.

All.

Image by the amazing Being Little.

Thrifty August: Part 2

So, we're more than half way through August now...


I get paid two weeks tomorrow and part of me cannot wait. I was absolutely dreading this month, as I knew how short of money I was going to be, BUT it's actually not been as bad as I feared.

It turns out that, once you stop buying clothes, make up, jewellery, etc, it really doesn't take that long until you don't miss it anymore. Not spending money just feels normal to me now. Bar food, a couple of nights out and a few essentials, I haven't spent any money. On anything. This obviously excludes my Ikea purchases at the weekend, which were made using the last of a loan I took out when I bought my house.

One of the main things I really wanted to do this month (as well as finally finish decorating) was cook more. I love cooking. I find it really therapeutic. But with one thing and another this year my kitchen has been barely touched. Thankfully I have finally pulled my finger out and I've been cooking up a storm. Well, a mild squall anyway.

From the top: Lemon and garlic cous cous, feta, peppers, cucumber & lettuce; turkey and vegetable curry; mega roast potatoes; mutton tagine (made using amazing Blackface mutton; recipe to follow shortly)

Aceeeeeeeed

1&2 - AMAZING cupcakes from Hey Little Cupcake! in Manchester. I work far too close to this little piece of cupcake heaven and can often be found trying to talk myself out of going in and diving headfirst into a New Yorker or a Red Velvet. They can also make pretty much any cake that you can dream up. The ones pictured were for my friend E's birthday. Acid house cupcakes. Obviously.

3&4 - Thrifty August continues apace and I've discovered the sheer joy that comes from growing your own vegetables and herbs. Yes, really. Never mind the fact I'm not really that keen on either courgettes or tomatoes, I GREW THEM!

5 - Star-shaped ice cubes make any glass of water infinitely more fun. And any glass of gin. Obviously.


The weekend just gone was unintentionally very hectic. Considering I was supposed to be having a quiet one, I barely spent any time sitting down. More sitting down is needed. Yes.

Highlights included:
++ My friend B finding the perfect wedding dress. I may have shed a tear or two when I saw her in it. For "may have", read "wept". I've gone soft.
++ Cooking a roast dinner for four on Sunday and my friends turning up with three bottles of wine and three desserts. This is one of many reasons why they are my friends. Yes.

Lowlights included:
-- Spending £773 in Ikea on Sunday. I was very nearly sick when I handed over my credit card BUT I now have virtually all the furniture I need for the palace. Bye bye home loan, you were fun.
-- A recurrence of the cold of doom. I just want to be sniffle free, is that too much to ask? WHY ME.


How were your weekends, loves? Anything exciting to tell me?

Outfit Post: Yellow Fever

A word of warning:

These Jeffrey Campbell shoes are amazing to look at but AGONY to walk in. As I found out this afternoon whilst wedding dress shopping with my friend B (the bride-to-be) and the other bridesmaids. I'm hoping a bit more wear will break them in and reduce the truly excruciating pain. PLEASE GOD.

Today I am wearing some clothes but, most importantly, and horrifically, my hangover face. One gin 'n' slim too many last night and my head is a fuzzy mess today. So I'll keep this short and sweet.

Jeans - Dorothy Perkins

Denim Jacket - New Look

T-shirt - I love Boxie

Shoes - Jeffrey Campbell

Ring - Gift

Brooch - Lazy Oaf

Satchel - Primark

Umbrella - M&S

Face - A 4am finish

I ♥ MCR

Manchester Town Hall

A post about anything other than what's been happening around the country over the last few days wouldn't feel right. When the riots came to Manchester yesterday I was genuinely very very upset. Now I'm just angry. Yes, there are problems in this country. Yes, there may be a lost generation. But a lot of the people looting and causing trouble in Manchester last night were not kids. They were not 'youths', as the BBC so loves to call them. They were grown men. The oldest person arrested was 58.

I don't have a lot to say about the subject. I don't really have a lot to add that couldn't be said better by numerous other people. All I know is that my city woke up today, dusted itself off and stuck two fingers up to the looters. 300 people gathered to help clean up. That's all I care about today. The good in people.

Of course, there are some situations that can't be helped just by grabbing a broom and a few binbags. Like the case of Aaron Biber. The 89 year old barbershop owner whose business was destroyed. He doesn't have insurance and can't afford the repairs. A donation page has been set up for him. If you can afford it, please give a little. Or a lot. 

Out of the darkness comes light.

Thrifty August: Part 1

You see those words over in that sidebar?


Under 'About Me'? Yep, you know the ones I'm taking about. Those words. 'Weapon of massive consumption'.

I wrote that as a joke y'see. Tongue in cheek, as it were. However, given the state of my bank balance, it would appear that never a truer word has been spoken.

To be honest, I'm fairly ashamed of how much money I've spent over the past year. Losing weight seemed to trigger something inside me and, all of a sudden, I thought nothing of spending £100 on a jumper. WTF. SRSLY. ASOS after ASOS order would arrive, without me so much as even flinching. I thought spending £80 in Topshop at lunchtime was reasonable. I thought that, just because I could finally fit in a size 12, I needed to buy as many clothes in that size as possible. To prove something to myself? Who knows.

Well, I've had a shock. A big financial shock. And, as a result, this weapon of massive consumption is hanging up her shopping bags.

To combat my dire financial situation I've deemed August the month of thriftiness. Aside from a few mandatory social engagements, and fruit anf vegetables, I will not be spending a penny. In fact, I've spent nothing since Tuesday morning. That may not seem like a long time but, for me, it really is.

The Plan:

I bought a Kindle last month and intend to spend August and beyond reading classic novels. Because they are FREE. Free education. YES.

My bargain-loving friend D gave me a voucher for a free LoveFilm trial (plus a £20 Amazon voucher included). So I'm watching films that I never got round to seeing at the cinema. FOR FREE.

I have enough food in my cupboards to last me for about a month, bar fresh ingredients, so I'll be bringing my lunch to work every day. I just need to be organised of an evening. Coupled with that, I'm cooking from scratch every night instead of ordering takeaways or eating rubbish.

I'm going to wear the clothes I already own, instead of endlessly buying new ones that I do not need. The key here is recognising the difference between NEED and WANT. I want many things. I need very very few.


So, what does this mean for the blog? Nothing really. Other than I'll hopefully be able to start posting as regularly as I used to. Being time rich and cash poor and all that. Outfit posts will resume as soon as I am over the cold that has been plaguing me for the past five days. More house posts will be incoming shortly (plus some exciting news). Plus, recipes, photographs, snippets of my life. The usual.

Oh, and in my next post there'll be less words and more pictures. Promise.