LIFE: Spending Money Wisely

Since Christmas I've been really trying to focus on when to spend money and where to save it. For me, this hasn't always been easy. I love shopping, in particular I loved online shopping but I found that I was buying things and then never wearing them. When Anna from ViviannaDoesMakeup started her capsule wardrobe I really started to question more about my own shopping habits. Though I'm never going to be as strict with myself as some people I feel like I've come along way from where I was and I actually have some savings now.

(these were definitely not purchased in one go)

Anybody who knows me knows I love to shop. In fact when I was leaving school and you get everyone to sign your shirts, one teacher wrote on mine 'SHOPPING TIME' because he used to see me walking into town most days after school. Lately, I've been trying to only buy things when I really need something. I've also been trying to buy more investment pieces. So instead of buying a cheaper pair of black trousers for work, recently, I went to River Island and got a pair that I knew fit me well and that looked stylish because I knew I would wear them a lot more than any old pair of trousers. I feel like this is the key. With some items I feel like it's okay to spend a little more if you know you're going to get a lot of wear out of them, such as black skinny jeans, black trousers and a leather jacket to name a few. I feel like for your staple items in your wardrobe it's better to invest and spend that little more if it's going to last you longer.

Also in recent months I've been shopping in places that I know fit me well, sometimes I'd buy things because I really liked the pattern or style but when I actually put them on I either didn't feel comfortable in it or it didn't fit me very well. I've still got too many items in my wardrobe but I feel like they are things that I tend to wear over and over.

As well as my shopping habits, I've been trying to spend money on less takeaways (why I was eating so many, I'm not quite sure) and using that money for myself and Scott to do things. I much prefer us actually going somewhere for the day or just going out to a restaurant rather than eating fast food all the time. I feel like it's important to do things as a couple whether that's go to the cinema, or out for a meal or if you want to go to the zoo. There's an endless amount of activities you can do as a couple and I feel like you get to a stage where you become really comfortable with each other that you forget to actually have fun. Me and Scott got to that point where we were just coming home from work cooking dinner and watching a film and it got boring so lately we're we've both been saving money we've decided to actually go out to different places. Try different pubs around us or go a little bit further away from home (my tapping in postcodes into the satnav could be better) but it's definitely been a lot more fun.

Again, this has been one of those rambly posts from me today, but isn't that what my Tuesday posts all about? Just to get my thoughts out there. Let me know you're own thoughts on spending your money more wisely.

♥

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LIFE: Valentine's Day with the Girls

Valentine's Day isn't really a day that I look forward to (unlike pancake day) from a past experience of a first date on Valentine's Day it's been a day I've dreaded for a long time. Not only that but I also don't really like the concept of the day itself, a day to tell someone you love them, well shouldn't we be doing that anyway? The cynic in me simply doesn't agree with the day. But that being said, we all love to be treated and an excuse to celebrate. Valentine's Day can be fun without having to spend a lot of money - though if you want to budget for the big day, check out these financial tools from Personal Capital.  But Valentine's Day isn't far off now, so I best get cracking to it. This is definitely a post for the single ladies out their this year.

I know how crap it can feel to be single on Valentine's Day especially if you're a teenager, believe me I spent years thinking this, but honestly it really doesn't matter. Don't beat yourself up over it because it's just another day. You can still have fun on Valentine's Day without a fella. 

Grab a few of your best girl friends and invite them over for a night of pizza, gossiping and movies. You don't have to spend a lot, first off pizza, go to your local supermarket and pick a few frozen pizza's they're usually on offer. Or Domino's pizza usually has meal deals on which actually aren't too bad in price, especially if you're splitting the cost. Try collection too if you are ordering from domino's as their meal deals on pizza tend to be a lot cheaper (can you tell I have an addiction to domino's?). For me, you cannot have a girls night in without a face mask. You can get individual sachets or pick up a full size tube to use afterwards, my favourite is the Sanctuary Spa 5 Minute Thermal Detox from boots. You could also try making you're own, here's a link to some recipes to try out. 

You've had your pizza, and your face mask now all that's left to do is watch some movies, gossip about boys and have lots of chocolate and nibbles. For me, I always have to watch Valentine's Day on the day itself, or you could have a TV series marathon of Pretty Little Liars, Netflix is very handy, or Scream Queens. None of this costs a lot but you're guaranteed to have a fun night and forget completely about what day it is. 

I'll be spending Valentine's Day with Scott, probably doing these exact things and forcing him to have a face mask with me and maybe some more pancakes. How will you be spending Valentine's Day this year? 

♥

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