This year I'm joining A Buyer's Archive again with Elise, to keep track of my spending on clothes and accessories. I took part in 2016 too.

This Year 

I'm all set for winter clothes, but I did buy myself a cardigan that tickled my fancy in the Sainsbury's sale - half price at £14.00 (how could I not?), and a bra from Next £22.00, it's the first non wired bra I've worn since I was about 14 and it's unbelievably comfy.

I then purchased a cute polka dot neckerchief from ebay, £4.99, and whilst there I spotted this denim jacket for £6.99 - something that I've been keeping an eye out for - and couldn't resist.

Last Year

Looking back to January 2016 I didn't buy much, but still managed to spend £58.00.



Long navy cardigan  |  £8.00
This was worn a lot over the year, it was in 3 of my capsules last year, and is currently in my winter capsule so it was definitely worth it's £8.00 price tag.

Sports bra  |  £4.00
Purchased for pilates, so this wasn't worn at all after the first few months of the year...

... moving swiftly on ...

Black heels  |  £6.00
Comfy in the shop, uncomfortable when I got them home. I couldn't be bothered to return them so I took them to a clothes swap in February, where I found a white midi skirt that became a firm favourite last year.

Next cream wrap cardigan  |  £40.00
I loved how this looked in my mind, but when I realised in reality it looked more like a bath robe, I put it away. It didn't come out of the wardrobe again until I listed it on ebay in December and sold it for a paltry 99p. I love getting an ebay bargain, but feel a bit miffed if I'm on the other end of it.

It feels like I wasted £50.00 last January. This year, I've already worn my Tu cardigan a lot, and as I say, the bra is super comfy, the neckerchief super cute and has been worn twice, and the jacket is exactly what I was looking for, so I think these will all turn out to be worth their pricetag.

I am hoping to spend less on clothes and accessories again this year, and this is an OK start. I'm not sure if I'm going to set myself an overall budget (I have been pondering £600) or to just aim for less than 2016.

Total for January £47.98

Total so far for 2017: £47.98

Total at this time last year: £58.00

What have you been buying this month?

Look out for the #buyersarchive hashtag to see others taking part. 

A Sunday night facial has become an integral step in my weekly routine, and one that I really look forward too. Not only is it a nice boost for my skin, it's a good excuse to sit and relax for a while and indulge in a little pampering. It's the ultimate 'me time' and a great way to finish off the weekend.

I get into my PJs, tie my hair up, and spend 20 minutes or so on the following;

Cleanse
The Body Shop Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter gets rid of every last bit of make up and leaves skin feeling super clean. I use this everyday to take off make up and cleanse before bed.

Exfoliate
To slough away dead skin cells and brighten up my skin, I use St Ives Apricot Scrub. I've used this for a while now and am pleased to say that it doesn't contain any nasty microbeads. It's gentle on the skin and can be used daily if needed.

Steam
To prep for a mask I like to use a clean face cloth, dipped into hot water and wrung out, draped over my face for a few minutes. Sometimes I repeat this two or three times, I find it wonderfully relaxing.

Deep Cleanse
With dead skin cells scrubbed away and pores ready, I use the Quick Fix Facial Purifying Charcoal Mask for a deep cleanse. I leave this on for 10 - 15 minutes, it really helps my dull, congested skin. Afterwards skin appears brighter, redness is reduced, and it feels satisfyingly clean. If my skin feels particularly in need, I'll use this once or twice during the week too.

Mask
For a hit of hydration, and a final bit of pampering, I smooth on The Body Shop Aloe Soothing Rescue Cream Mask. I massage this in and leave it on overnight, although it can be washed off if your prefer.

Then I take myself off to bed and slip between clean sheets for an early night with a good book. My current read? In The Company Of The Courtesan by Sarah Dunant.

When it comes to Christmas and birthday gifts, I like people to tell me what they want, because if I'm left to my own devices I always, always, end up buying something for myself in the process of choosing a gift. Seriously, I need help.

It might seem a little unimaginative but it helps my bank balance no end, and I can always be sure the recipient will like what they receive.

The one person I don't need a list for is my husband, we never give each other lists. I'm happy to leave large hints in the form of a blog post, that he might happen across if he so chooses, but generally we like to surprise each another.

In a few months we'll celebrate our second wedding anniversary. I'm determined to buy him something to fit the cotton theme this year. Paper was easy last year, and I have a few ideas for cotton. Two of which come from UncommonGoods.

UncommonGoods got in touch and asked if I'd like to have a look at their website, I'm always intrigued to find new online shops and this particular one is full of unique gift ideas. It's a fab shop, and I what I really like about it is the commitment to sustainability - in all aspects of the business. From printing catalogues on 30% recycled paper or paper from FSC certified forests, to helping suppliers work in a socially, and environmentally responsible manner. They don't sell leather, fur or feathered goods either. Nothing has a negative impact on the environment, and respects all living things. It's refreshing to see these things being put before profits.

My first port of call was to find Andy a gift for our anniversary. We both like personalised items and this embroidered bambo hoop immediately caught my eye. Not only does it fit the cotton theme, it's simple and effective, and would look lovely in our newly decorated entrance. The novelty of having a new surname still hasn't worn off for me.

Keeping with the personalised item idea, I wondered about something else for the home, I was drawn to this tree throw. I love the pink version as we got married in the spring, but it'd be perfect for snuggling up together in the colder seasons.

I wondered if a little look at birthday gifts would throw up any interesting gift ideas for a cotton anniversary, but I got sidetracked when I saw this small bluetooth tracking device that works with an app on your phone. He's always asking me if I've seen his keys, despite having a bowl in the kitchen into which all keys are meant to be thrown when we arrive home. Clearly I still have some work to do here...

Christmas day already seems like a dim and distant memory and we're only 19 days into the new year!

For the second year running I took part in Jo's Twelve Days of Christmas Swap. I enjoyed taking part last year, and this year was just as enjoyable.

Jo partnered me with April and we swapped parcels in early December.

April sent me a lovely array of gifts, all wrapped and numbered beautifully, and a lovely handmade Christmas card. She's a demonstrator for Stampin' Up UK and makes some beautiful cards, which you can see on her blog.

I opened my first gift on December 25th and continued opening one a day for the twelve days of Christmas.


My first gift was an adorable cat tote bag, followed by some mojito mint green tea, and then a mug cozy in soft pink yarn with the most adorable frilled button (April summed me up pretty well, don't you think?). Socks, pampering eye patches, and earrings followed, along with delicious marshmallow melts and the most amazing smelling sweet lemon sage hand and body lotion from OPI.

Glitter nail polish and mini nail files were followed by retractable animal print pencils and cute cat rubbers, a festive scented tealight, a card wallet, and to finish a hand knitted Christmas pudding with a Ferrero Rocher hidden inside!


A great selection of well chosen gifts I think you'll agree. Thank you April!

Sadly Jo has decided that not to run the swap again next Christmas. A few people who signed up didn't bother to contact the person they'd been partnered with, so some were left disappointed and without gifts. It's such a shame when people don't do what they say they're going to and let others down.

But once again I enjoyed the swap, seeking out suitable gifts and receiving them in return, so a huge thank you to Jo for organising the swap for a second year - it's a super idea!

I wasn't going to write a resolutions post, especially as the start of the new year seems like ages ago. I hadn't planned to make any resolutions at all, but the dawning of a new year turned my thoughts to a whole year stretching out before me and all the possibilities it brings. There are so many thoughts and ideas that have popped into my mind that I wanted to get them down before they become a forgotten memory.

I've incorporated some of these into my winter list already, so apologies for the repetition, but adding them to seasonal lists might give me a greater chance of success. Maybe...

I want to grow strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries, and maybe build fruit cage, I love the idea of eating sun warmed berries straight from the plant. Perhaps this year I'll just try my luck with bushes planted in pots, and see how I get on...

As for the garden I want to plant a eucalyptus and a spindle somewhere, and a cherry tree, and an apple tree in pots.

Rather than using our greenhouse to just store my tools and the BBQ, I want to grow a few veg. Spring onions, leeks, potatoes, and salad leaves... for a start.

When it warms up I want to create a bee bath. I found a number of drowsy bees last year and revived them with sugar water. I'd love a beehive one day but have no idea where to begin. In addition I'd like to plant some bee friendly plants. They love the thyme I have in the front garden but I could do with some more.

I'd like to improve my flower arranging skills, either by going to a class or relying on online tutorials, I'd like to progress from dumping stems into a vase and hoping for the best.

Embrace natural cleaning, I decided that this would be the year I finally get round to swapping out my chemical cleaners for more gentle options, I've been thinking about it for too long.

I want to cook a veggie meal once a month, Andy really enjoys vegetarian food but I rarely make veggie meals.

We've got into a terrible habit of eating in front of the TV, mostly because our dining room was drafty thanks to an old wooden window and door frame, but now we have a sparkly new double glazed french doors, there's really no excuse not to eat at the table. I'll start with at least once a week.

I have so many ideas for home improvements I want to make, I drive Andy nuts with my constant musings. One thing I can do though is decorate, the more skilled stuff will have to be left to the professionals, but I can daub paint on the walls, hang pictures, change lampshades and generally make things look prettier.

Last year I realised the importance of looking after me, it's a shame that taking some time to focus on your own needs can be seen as selfish but it's so important. I now have a regular head neck and shoulder massage to prevent a re-occurring problem I have with my neck - thanks to sitting at a desk everyday - but I also need to make time for exercise, and time to just sit and be, and to do things just for me.

Some days can feel very ordinary, some days can feel like your just living the same day over and over again. I'd love to keep a detailed journal but it's beyond me, believe me I've tried, so I want to write at least one positive thing in my diary every day. So far, so good.

My word to sum up 2016 was Crystallise, this year I want it to be Change.

Now we've had a flurry of snow, I have a hankering for more. I know it can be a pain but I do like waking up to a covering of snow, watching the flakes silently falling, wrapping up warm and taking a walk in the crisp, crunchy snow, and then warming up with a cuppa by the fire.

There isn't much that screams 'It's winter!' in the way that snow does, sadly I can't make it snow but I can get on with my plans for the winter months - preparing for spring, indulging in lots of lovely insidoor activities...

1. Read 12 books
I want to work my way through my stash of books this year. I've made a good start, three weeks in to the year and I'm on my fourth book.

2. Plan my greenhouse growings
I want to start growing a few veg, and maybe build a fruit cage for soft fruit.

3. Make home improvements
I feel like I do this at the start of each year, I don't know why a new year would kick off thoughts of DIY, when spring is a much better time to get the paintbrushes out, but there you go, let's see how I do...

4. Mend
I have a number of items that need altering or mending - an afternoon spent working my way through this pile would be an afternoon well spent.

5. Felt
I have a friend coming over so I can teach her needle felting, and having failed to do any of my Christmas projects last year I want to get a head start and make at least one thing from my list for this year.

6. Veggie meals
Try 3 veggie recipes, I don't often cook vegetarian meals but if I do one a month by the end of the year I should have a number that we both like to weave in to our weekly meal plan.

7. Do stuff
By this I mean make plans for my weekends - an outing, a project, lunch with a friend, something to get me out of my everyday routine and shake things up a bit. I rarely sit about doing nothing but a lack of planning means I waste a lot of time - mostly on social media!

I'd like to see my weekends transform, to be free from work and put to better use. The point is to give me a focus, something to look forward to, and by making myself make plans I'll do more with my spare time. It'll hopefully eradicate the weekends that end with me wondering 'what I actually do this weekend?' I hate the feeling of time wasted.

What have you been doing / want to do with your time over winter?

Image from Pixabay

Verb. crystallise - cause to take on a definite and clear shape; "He tried to crystallise his thoughts"

2016 was, and I believe a lot of 2017 will be, about crystallising.

It started in 2015 while reading The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying by Marie Kondo. Not that I did as much de-cluttering as I'd have liked, and certainly not in Kondo's do-it-all-in-a-day-and-be-ruthless way, but it did make me stop and think for a while.

It sparked a need to be more aware. Why do I do certain things? why do I want certain things? how what I want and need have changed? why I have changed?

It's easy to go through life doing what you've always done, not questioning what you're doing, or why. Not making plans, just plodding along without much thought.

I wanted, needed, some clarity at a time that felt oddly off kilter. Something wasn't right, I knew that. And it turns out it wasn't just one thing, it was a multitude of things that either changed, or I needed to break away from.

Being able to give some thought to things, over time, has helped me see my life more clearly.

It might sound strange but de-cluttering, and having a capsule wardrobe have been about so much more than a tidy living space and what I wear.

The de-cluttering has been about moving forward in life, or feeling like I'm moving forward. Letting go of the old, embracing the new and starting to move toward the life I want to lead now.

I wrote a post on this in more depth here.

Style is important to me - as shallow as that sounds. I like to feel good in what I wear, even if I'm sat at home alone (which as a freelancer happens regularly). Getting out of bed, going through my morning routine and putting on an outfit I feel good in has become a ritual that allows me to think about the day ahead, mentally prepare for it, and allows for a little me time everyday.

My capsules have helped me to pick out all my favourite items of clothing and figure out how I like to wear them, slowly evolving my style.

Putting something on that makes me feel good is a real treat. You know that feeling you get when wearing your favourite dress, or those trousers that fit just right? Imagine feeling that way almost everyday.

Some online organisation helped cut through the noise on my favourite social media platforms. On Twitter I unfollowed a lot of brands, magazines and people that I didn't connect with. On Bloglovin' I unfollowed many blogs that I no longer found interesting - when I started blogging I was interested in the latest trends, fast fashion, outfit of the day type posts and little else, but these hold no interest for me these days. Don't get me wrong, I still love a good outfit post but I like to hear about real life, thoughts, ideas, and personal style over trends and mindless purchasing of the latest thing. My feeds are now more reflective of the type of content I want to read, instead of wasting time scrolling through page after page of irrelevant nonsense.

On all fronts I'm consciously making changes to improve my life. Taking care of the now has been incredibly satisfying, a whilst I still have more to do I can look to the future with more clarity. I'm making plans and taking action.

What words best describes 2016 for you?

Although winter starts on December 21st, I start my seasonal capsule wardrobes at the top of the month, just to make it easier, meaning my winter wardrobe runs through January, February and March.

This year I'm recreating last year's seasonal capsules, and this is what I had to see me through winter last year.

This was the only capsule of 2016 to include footwear. Come spring, I decided to wear any thing I fancied on my feet. I have trouble parting with shoes, and I have many pairs, so I decided it would be pointless to let a lot of them go unworn.

Taking my cue from Caroline over at Un-Fancy I chose to have up to 37 items in each capsule, she started with 37 and I figured it was a good place to start for me too.

Having completed four capsules, I think that 37 items is actually rather a lot. In each capsule there were always a few items that were worn only a few times, and some not at all. This time around I wasn't worried about sticking to a certain number, although 36 items will sit nicely in six rows of six for my capsule posts ;)

Of what I had last year I've kept 19 items. There are four items of clothing I no longer own, and I took out the footwear and a couple of other bits I didn't wear much.

I've added 14 items from other capsules, two new-to-me pre-loved shirts purchased in December, and a brand new Tu cardigan - a very recent purchase.

I have no spaces left so there's really no point in buying any new clothes anytime soon *cough* bloody unlikely *cough*.

So here's the winter 2017 line-up


I'm weirdly excited about starting another year of capsule wardrobes, I've made enough changes to keep it interesting, and know that I can create some new outfits from this new mix. I'm also looking forward to recreating some outfits from last year that I really enjoyed wearing.

After a year of reading my posts about them have I convinced you to try a capsule?

Each year I look back at what I spent on clothes and accessories, and have been doing so for five years now. In a previous post I shared every item I purchased in 2016, and here I'm doing my annual breakdown.

The numbers
My overall spend for the year was £742.39, buying me a total of 63 items, which is the lowest number since I started keeping a tally back in 2012.

The most expensive item was a winter coat at £95.00 but then there was quite a jump in price to the next most expensive - a cream cardy from Next at £40.00, the cheapest was a pre-loved bracelet purchased in September for just £1.25.

The percentage of pre-loved items purchased overall was 37% - the lowest since records began. I'd hoped it would be higher than previous years, but of these I'm wearing a higher percentage than ever before.

By reviewing my spending of previous years I'd realised that I had a tendency to buy a lot of pre-loved items but discarded most of them without being worn. Now I'm more selective, I try things on in the shop, and generally shop less.

I still own 85% of all items bought - the best figure since 2012. Proof that I'm making more considered purchases, buying things to fit my wardrobe, and ditching my old 'I like it so I'll buy it' attitude. There were a few ebay purchases that couldn't be returned, and a few items that having bought them I dithered about whether or not to return them, I kept them and wore them once - a lesson to be learnt there.

I'm really pleased with my spending this year. Not only did I spend less,  I'm also wearing the things I purchased more often than in previous years. Both of these things can be attributed to seasonal capsule wardrobes, and taking part in A Buyer's Archive.

Favourites
 


I've purchased a number of things I really like this year but if I had to choose just one item as my favourite, it'd be a white skirt I picked up at a clothes swap early in the year.


My other favourites are Next maxi skirt, dungarees, black t-shirt, Phase Eight dress (all but the t-shirt are pre-loved).


My most expensive pre-loved item was an ASOS pencil dress for £18.00 via ebay. This is another of my favourite items of 2016, I'm not normally one for a pencil skirt but I felt great in this and am looking forward to wearing it more. Strange as it might sound coming from a 40-something, but I felt properly grown up in this outfit. And did you notice it has pockets?

Unworn
12% of purchases made in 2016 remain unworn but this statistic isn't as bad as it sounds (last year this figure was just 5%). I have two items that need altering, two that I bought for an occasion and then wore something else, two items have been put away for the summer, and two items that I haven't had a chance to wear yet as they're recent purchases.

The total of these items is £89.57 but as long as I can get items altered I should wear all of these things in the coming year, so I don't feel that this money has been wasted.


A 2015 purchase - a bird patterned dress - remains unworn as it still needs altering, if it hasn't been altered by the beginning of summer, I'll pop it on ebay.


I had a few items purchased in 2015 that I only wore for the first time in 2016. My pre-loved Kew shorts were added to my summer capsule and worn a few times over the summer, a pair of Irregular Choice shoes, also pre-loved, worn for a ball, and for a night out in Aldeburgh. And my white oversized dress was worn for the first time in April, and then again several times over spring and summer.


2016 was the year I finally wore my pre-loved Monsoon pencil skirt, purchased in 2014. I won it on ebay for £5.19 and love it. I just needed to find the right items to wear with it so I stuck it in my spring capsule and went shopping. Since wearing this I've decided that I haven't found it's perfect pairing ... yet. And it looks best when worn with heels.
 
Resolutions
For 2016 I had a total ban on scarves and PJs. Also knitwear, summer trousers, lipstick and blusher.

I totally failed on the knitwear ban buying eight knitted items over the year, and I bought one scarf, annoyingly I wore the scarf once and ruined it. The rest were successful though, I even decided to forgo my usual Christmas PJs and instead enjoyed wearing the ones I purchased the previous year. That said Andy gave me two pairs of PJs for Christmas, so whilst I didn't buy any myself I do have some new ones to enjoy. Yay for PJs (and husbands)!

For this year, I'd like my spending to be lower than 2016 (I'm thinking under £600), I want to wear anything I purchased in 2016 but have yet to wear, and have another ban on PJs. I need to alter items in a more timely manner, and sell the things I no longer want, or have no hope of ever wearing.

Do you keep a tally of your spending?

Links to previous years - 2012   |  2013  |  2014  |  2015

If you'd asked me how many books I'd read in 2016 I'd have guessed at 30 or more. In reality I only read 17 with the final pages of my last book being finished on December 31st. I'm pretty sure that I either purchased or was given more than 17 books over the course of the year!

On my last birthday I vowed to read everything unread on my bookshelves before my next birthday. I've read two books since then, so I'm going to have to ramp-up my reading if I'm going to have even the slightest chance of success!

I've got eight months to read 29 books (if you don't count the 13 books I've amassed since my birthday!) so I need to read 4 per month, that's one a week. Which is highly unlikely. I read infrequently, and slowly so I've got quite a challenge ahead of me!

I'm kicking off with Lord of the Flies by William Golding.

What's on your to-read list?

In 2016 I kept tabs on my spending with Elise by taking part in A Buyer's Archive.

I joined in as it seemed like a sensible way to help keep spending down. In 2015 I spent £1,250.86 (which includes £42.99 spend after issuing a spending ban) on clothes and accessories, and wanted to spend less in 2016.

I'd hoped for a total overall spend of around £400 but it became obvious that that wasn't going to happen when I passed that figure in July. So I set myself a new target - to spend under £745.00, as this would beat my lowest spend since I started keeping a tally back in 2012.

My overall spend for 2016 was £742.39. Seeing it all amassed here it looks like rather a lot, but I kept within my revised budget - by the skin of my teeth!



Do I feel like I made sensible purchases? For the most part yes, I still gave into temptation and made the odd impulse purchase, and I purchased items for occasions when I already had something suitable hanging in my wardrobe, what can I say? I love clothes, and I love shopping.

I often purchased things that I needed to complete my seasonal capsule wardrobes, so I'd say most purchases filled a gap - historically I used to buy whatever took my fancy and I'd work out how to wear it later. This often led to another purchase so I would have something to wear it with. I'd say this counts as progress.

I think that creating a capsule wardrobe every season helped me to spend less because sometimes I saw an item I really liked but I knew I didn't need it, so it stayed in the shop. This didn't always work, but it helped.

Keeping a tally of what I'd spent and on what also helped me to be more aware of my spending over the course of each month, and although some months I did buy a number of items, it did help me to curb my spending throughout the year. I remember thinking to myself 'you've spent enough' on numerous occasions.

So, I'm pleased that I joined in A Buyer's Archive (thank you Elise), and I'm pleased that I spent less than the previous four years!

You can see my yearly spending here 2012  /  2013  /  2014  / 2015. And you can see my monthly Buyer's Archive posts here.

Prompted by reading a similar post by Harriet a few years ago I decided to ask myself the same 10 questions at the end of each year.

I used some questions from Harriet's post and added a few of my own. I think it'll be interesting to look back over these in years to come to see how my answers change. See my 2014 answers here.

1. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
2015 - Spending more time with my husband
2016 - Having those difficult conversations sooner rather than later

2. When have I felt the most alive?
2015 - Our wedding day. The day was full of so many lovely moments.
2016 - A night away in Aldeburgh with Andy, we had a lovely meal, a beautiful view out to sea, a bracing walk on the beach, and a game of chicken with the sea.

3. What countries did I visit?
2015 - Zurich and Paris with Andy, and Morocco
2016 - None

4. What event from the year will remain etched upon my memory, and why?
2015 - Shopping for and finding my wedding dress with my Mum, our wedding day, and sleeping under the stars in the Sahara
2016 - The result of the EU referendum in June. I was shocked that, with so little evidence or truth, so many people where convinced it would be better for the country and voted to leave.

5. Best beauty buy of the year?
2015 - Superdrug Naturally Radiant Glycolic Overnight Peel, The Body Shop Lip & Cheek Velvet Stick, and Sanctuary Spa Deep Cleanse Facial Blemish Serum
2016 - Rimmel eye liner - soft smudgy and doesn't budge until you want it to. Burt's Bees mango butter lip balm, and The Body Shop Aloe soothing rescue cream mask.

6. What did I try for the first time this year?
2015 - Needle felting and scuba diving
2016 - Making rose hip syrup, and blackberry gin. Crochet, picking walnuts, shooting a 12 bore shotgun

7. What song will always remind me of the year?
2015 - Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran, All About That Bass by Meghan Trainor, Love Me Like You Do by Ellie Goulding, Shake It Off by Taylor Swift, When I Need You by Leo Sayer, Hold My Hand by Jess Glynne, Uptown Funk (feat. Bruno Mars) by Mark Ronson (all unashamedly wedding related).
2016 - A Head Full of Dreams by Coldplay, and Ex's and Oh's by Elle King

8. What did I do to celebrate my birthday?
2015 - My birthday fell on the same day as A Photo An Hour. I had an early breakfast with Andy (it's tradition) and then spent the day with Mum and her husband, mostly eating, before Andy came home and we watched Paddington.

But my birthday was celebrated over a few weekends. I also went to Go Ape with my best friend, where we faffed around in the treetops like loons. And I also had a family BBQ with garden games and the most delicious sausages from our local butcher.

2016 - I had several celebrations - I visited Harry Potter with my sister in law, went to the cinema with Dad after supper at Ask to see Bourne, had a pizza and film night (The Lost Boys) at home with my brother and his family, watched The Tempest at an outdoor theatre with two friends, had our traditional Little Chef breakfast with Andy, visited Southwold with Mum, and had coffee with friends. It's safe to say I like to make my birthday last.

9. What did I learn this year?
2015 - You have to create opportunities for yourself, and make positive steps towards the changes you wish to see in your life
2016 - You change over time, what worked in life last year - or two, five, ten years ago - doesn't necessarily work for you today, but sometimes it takes you a while to realise the change has occurred. Also looking after yourself should be a daily priority, and 'me time' is not selfish but essential.

10. My hope for the coming year?
2015 - Lots of home improvements, and more time with Andy, family, and friends.
2016 - Same as last year, a little trip abroad too, and lots of taking care of myself.

What questions would you ask yourself?

I really enjoyed having a capsule wardrobe in 2016 and found that instead of feeling limited in my choices, I felt I had more and wore a larger proportion of my wardrobe.

By selecting items for capsules, and really looking at what I had in my wardrobe, I was more aware of what I owned, and over the course of the year I added some items to my wardrobe that worked really well.

So I've decided to continue with it.

For 2017 I'm going to replicate my 2016 capsule wardrobe, season by season. There are items that I no longer have, so I'll need to add a few items here and there, but where possible I'll be wearing everything all over again.

If I come across something I really don't fancy wearing, I'll donate it. It'll help me further weed out items that I no longer want or like, and so I'll add something else, either from my existing wardrobe or by adding something new. I'm not going to ban spending altogether.

I do anticipate that my spending on clothes and accessories for the year will be the lowest since (my) records began back in 2012. Also, I've noticed that most of my favourite clothes are preloved, so I'd like to focus on charity shopping this year, which is always a thrifty option.

Last year I had a figure of £400 in mind for my total spend, but by July I was already over this figure. However, I did spend less than the previous four years, so the capsule has already made a difference to my wallet.

That said, it's not about how much I spend. It's about making good use of the things I have, creating a wardrobe that works and making the most of and enjoying my favourite pieces, generating less waste, and making sensible purchases. Spending less is a bonus.