Miserly meltdown...

Er...yes. I'm actually more than a little bit embarrassed about posting this! Miserly May was meant to carry on until next Wednesday, but it was pay day on Friday, I had some time to kill in the afternoon, and I had a voucher for 25% off at Dorothy Perkins (it's probably a bit late to head to the shops now, but it's still valid online until the end of today) and, well, it all went a bit wrong. Dorothy Perkins isn't somewhere I'd usually think to shop at, but they've got some absolutely gorgeous dresses at the moment. And you know I'm a sucker for a dress! So I ended up with this:



...and this:



And then I happened to go to Zara, and they had these gorgeous little stripy jumpers in a whole range of colours:



So I bought one in orange, and one in black. I love stripes, they're absolutely perfect for the slightly chilly spring days we've been having, and I can see myself wearing them to death...but OH MY GOODNESS, the SPENDING! I will be living on beans from here on in.

Miserly May: Week Four

Hmm. Not such a great week this week. I had a bit of a slip and bought some shoes! However, they were shoes I'd wanted for ages, and they suddenly appeared in the sale, so they were 'only' £12.49. And I can think of a million things they'd go with. I haven't actually got them yet, because I ordered them online and they're being delivered sometime next week, so I could yet decide that I don't like them and send them back!

Apart from that, it's been a good week - I haven't bought anything else apart from food! Mind you, I've been eating far too much of that, so I'm on a 'get back to a sensible diet and stop these silly bad habits' kick as well as a no-spending one!

Miserly May: Week Three

Another excellent week! I haven't bought any clothes, shoes or accessories at all. In fact, my only non-food-and-drink purchase has been my new kitchen scales.

I do think I've spent a bit too much on food lately, though - I found myself slipping back into a few of my old bad eating habits (not helped by the two long weekends!) so in order to remedy that I've been going to the supermarket and loading up on fruit and veg and healthy things. Which is a good thing, of course, but I've been tempted by too many interesting (and expensive) things - like Conscious chocolate - rather than sticking to the healthy basics. So this week I will try to focus on spending less on groceries and lunches.

Miserly May: Week Two

Or Week One proper, really, seeing as a) I spent money on clothes last week and b) it is actually now May.

This week has been very good indeed. Not only did I not spend money on clothes, shoes or accessories, but I returned the stripy dress I bought last week, so money went into my account! I did spend a bit more on food than I usually would, thanks to the Royal Wedding picnic, and I had my hair cut, but having my hair cut every eight weeks is an absolute necessity or I end up looking like Paul McCartney circa 1964.

So overall, not a bad week at all! Let's hope I can continue to resist temptation!

Miserly May: Week One

I suppose I should get this out of the way at the beginning - week one of my Miserly May effort has not gone well!

My frugal plans were scuppered by a trip to Bristol with some friends, which was great fun, but sadly the shops were very tempting! I held out for a couple of hours, insisting that I was just going to window-shop and help the others find the things they were looking for, but then I spotted a fab grey jumper with black birds on it in Primark, which was 'only' £14, and I couldn't resist. I know with Primark that if you see something good, you have to grab it! I also bought their bold stripy midi dress, but I'm going to return it because it's too big. Which is a shame, because I haven't seen it anywhere in the next size down!

I also spotted these amazing pink wedge sandals in New Look - I never, ever wear heels, and certainly not ones as tall as those, but my friends persuaded me that they were suitably fabulous and that they'd be really comfy and easy to walk in thanks to the wedge. I nearly bought them in Bristol but resisted, and felt very smug until I went to Taunton with my mum on Monday - as soon as I pointed them out to her, she said I had to buy them! Now I just need to get up the courage to actually wear them, although I can already think of lots of things they'd go with. Skinny jeans, cropped trousers, cute summer dresses...if the weather holds out!

So not a fantastic update, really - it's turned into more of a 'my recent purchases' post than a Miserly May post! However, this week I am determined not to buy anything else. And technically it isn't May yet - I could always just write off this week and carry on for an extra week to make up for it. Tune in next week to see whether I keep to my resolution!

Miserly May...

I did so well during Frugal February - but then unfortunately the weather became all lovely and warm and sunny, and I went on a bit of a spring dress-buying spree and undid all my good work!

So I'm imposing another month of frugality (is that even a word?) which I am going to call Miserly May. It's pay day tomorrow (thank heavens) and from now until May's pay day I will not be buying any clothes, shoes, or accessories. And I'll be trying to keep a close eye on my general spending, too. Which means more weekly menu planning and less 'Oh, I'll just chuck a couple of bottles of that nice wine into my basket'.

I'm already being tempted, though - especially by this gorgeous fruity dress! Perfect for the gorgeous weather we've got in London at the moment (we're forecast 26 degrees for today and tomorrow!)