Frugal February has got me a wonderin'... just how much do I spend a year on Clothes, shoes and accessories? £300, £500, £1,000, more? I Googled it but the results varied between £250 to over £1,000.

In January alone I purchased four jumpers, a cardigan, a dress, a shirt, a pair of ballet pumps, a pair of gloves, two bags and a scarf. This seems a lot when written down, I haven't ever kept a tally but I think I should.

I'll be adding a page so that I can keep track over the course of 2012 (I'll be keeping the total spent to myself until the end of the year). Will this figure scare me? I fully expect that it will.

How much do you think you spend on clothes each month? Do you have a budget or no clue at all?

I'm intrigued to know.

Essential spending only. Just three little words, to which I've applied three simple rules.

Use existing products.
My moisturiser, cleanser and favourite mascara ran out, and although these could be seen as an 'essential', I decided that it was time to use all the samples I have, items from Glossybox and travel size items. I'm actually rather enjoying seeing the stock diminish but that's just my inner neat freak.

Make a list and stick to it.
I pop to the supermarket on a daily basis to buy ingredients required for supper but often buy a magazine or treat of some kind. I've banned myself from doing this and to help I write a list, including my lunches for the week - if its not written down it ain't getting in (to my basket).

Avoid temptation.
I've unsubscribed to emails from high street retailers (I wonder if they've noticed the dip in sales). It has stopped my lunchtime browsing and I've avoided going into the town centre as I am physically unable to just window shop.

All of these things could be applied year round really. I think with a little planning a lot of hidden expenditure could be avoided. Taking lunches to work for example and writing a shopping list, it takes a few minutes but saves £'s.

Have you been taking part? How do you cut back?

Check out how everyone else has been getting on during Frugal February.

Love

I have been tagged by Sophie and I have to admit that being tagged always makes me feel loved. Thanks Sophie!

First, you paste in these instructions:
1) You must post 11 random things about yourself
2) Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post
3) Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer
4) Go to their blog and tell them you've tagged them
5) No stuff about 'you're tagged if you're reading this' - legitimately tag people.

So 11 Random things about me…
1) I always go up stairs two at a time
2) I collect charity pin badges
3) I have a love/hate relationship with bananas
4) I developed a taste for olives at the age of 35
5) When I was 11 crushed my finger whilst closing a door and nearly lost the top of it
6) If I don't get some time on my own everyday I start to go a little crazy
7) I really dislike the word 'moist'
8) I think I should have been born in the 1950's
9) I love notebooks
10) I am a bit of a SciFi fan...
11) I actually quite like the smell of manure

Here are Sophie’s questions for me to answer:

1) What happened on your favourite/most memorable day?
We went to Lords Cricket Ground and watched England vs Sri Lanka. It was a surprise 30th Birthday present for OH. After the game I organised to meet up with some of his best mates for a curry on Brick Lane. It was such a cool day.

2) What is your least favourite colour and why?
Pale colours in general. They're boring, almost non-colours.

3) What don’t you like eating and why?
Mushrooms. The texture - yuck. That said I quite like the flavour so mushroom soup is fine.

4) Who is your celebrity twin?
I found this website ages ago and it matched me with Alyson Hannigan. Try it, its's fun.

5) Do you have a surprising skill, what is it?
I really don't think I have any...

6) What place in the world would you most like to visit?
Bali. It's always been a dream destination but reading Eat, Pray, Love cemented it for me.

7) What is the best or worst bit of advice you have received?
Don't avoid a conversation because it's difficult.

8) What is your favourite snack?
I go through phases, at the moment its celery.

9) What would you like to change about the world, if anything?
I'd like to see less hate and intolerance.

10) Dogs or cats? Or neither?
Cats! I love my two little purring friends.

11) If you were to change your first name, what would you call yourself?
Eva, it means 'life'

Here are my questions for the people I tag to answer:
(I have to admit I cheated on some of these and googled 'random questions to ask people'. Google has an answer for everything)
1) What song always makes you happy when you hear it?
2) What movie would you most like to be in and why?
3) If you were a Disney character who would you be and why?
4) Do you have any nicknames?
5) What one thing would you take with you on a deserted island?
6) Who would you snog, marry and kill?
7) What do you miss the most from your childhood?
8) How do you spend a typical Sunday?
9) What three celebrities would you most like to invite to dinner?
10) Name 3 things you cannot live without?
11) What did you want to grow up to be when you were a kid?

I am tagging: Sherin, Beth, Dawn, Bre, The Girl, Sarah, Harriet, Cat, Anita, Val. Please join in if you wish, but if it's not your thing, don't worry I won't be offended.

If I wasn't taking part in Frugal February I would most definitely be purchasing one of these KG, Kurt Geiger, Juliette bracelets.

*sigh*

Back in November Pearl alerted me to the fact that as of March 1st 2012 Google are cancelling Google Friend Connect on every platform other than blogger (you can read more on IFB here). Google are 'encouraging' us to move over to Google+, to create a page and place a Google+ badge on our blogs. 

I'm enjoying this challenge, it has made me think about how I wear items rather than just sticking to the same outfits all the time. I'd recommend trying it with any new additions to your wardrobe. See Part 1 and Part 2... only one more instalment to go after this.


Zara Jeans

On Sunday I signed up to Frugal February, the brain child of Gemma over at Big Girls Browse, the idea is to stop all non essential shopping for the month of February.

I was a little late to the party, so I have decided to tag on the days missed at the beginning to the end. So, I'll finish on March 5th.

This will give me ample time to complete my current project - Shopping My Wardrobe - and allow me to make a big dent on The Mend Pile before I embark on my big challenge of 2012, not to mention saving me a few pennies along the way.


Have you / would you signed up?

I have a feeling this is going to be harder than I first thought.

The Mend Pile, aka the pile of clothes that need mending or altering that gathers dust in my bedroom, has begun to taunt me. Which is why I made 'fix the mend pile' one of my resolutions and I have made a start, albeit a small one, by fixing a broken belt loop and sewing some buttons back onto a jacket.


My first alteration project is a Matalan dress, purchased back in March/April 2011. I haven't worn it yet, I love the material and pattern but something wasn't quite right...


It fits nicely but the length wasn't very flattering. It's a bold shape and pattern and didn't seem to match the knee length style. So, I decided to lop six inches off the bottom. The picture on the far right was with the skirt just tucked up, but you can see the difference it made.


Tink inspected my handy work thoroughly.

I'll show you the end result, properly styled and accessorised, in an outfit post soon...

Do you think I made the right decision?

I used to have a bit of a (huge) crush on Chris Packham. This was back in his Really Wild Show days, when he used to bleach his hair. Even seeing him recently on Autumn Watch I thought 'Yeah, he's still got a certain something'. And then I watched him on Room 101 last night.

Crush over.

Firstly, he wanted to banish Chris Moyles. Okay, listen up Packham, if you don't like his (hugely popular) breakfast show, don't listen.

Next up, homosapiens. Why? Because we have ruined the earth. The earth was, according to Chris, ticking along nicely in harmony and along we came, inventing technology and medicine and messed the whole thing up. I bet he takes a paracetamol when he has a headache.

Lastly, children's art. It seems the pictures drawn by people's children displayed in their own homes irritate Mr Packham. He admitted to being at a friend's house (proving he has at least one) and removing a picture from the fridge, tearing it up and putting it in the bin. WTF? I bet know one calls him 'Uncle Chris'.

He may be a nature loving man, passionate about our environment but he also seems to be a bit of a tit. For the first time in my life, if I was given the choice between snogging him or Terry Nutkin, it would be be Terry I tell to pucker up.

The whole thing reminds me of a poem by Wendy Cope

Two Cure For Love
1. Don't see him. Don't phone or write a letter.
2. The easy way: get to know him better

Master liquid eyeliner once and for all
I have tried. Applying the liner to the upper lid is a cinch but it's the flick that is testing my patience! The first time I tried my right eye looked awesome, then I had numerous attempts at trying to match it on the other side. The result was seven blackened cotton buds, a sore eye and a frayed temper... I'm going to watch more YouTube tutorials (I imagine there are hundreds that I haven't watched yet). I have discovered that 'practising' 10 minutes before your taxi arrives it not a good idea!

Finish the jumper I started knitting in March 2010
I've got my knit on a few times this month but I am going to have to unpick it all. I won't bore you with it but I am more determined than ever to get this thing finished!

Fix the 'mend pile'
I have mended a belt loop and sewn on some missing buttons, so it's a start albeit a small one.

Write at least one line in my diary everyday
This is going well. I have made a promise to myself to note down the silly things, the little things that made me smile or raised a laugh during my day, who wants to remember the negative?

Use the spa vouchers OH gave me for our second anniversary
I have used one voucher and have another appointment booked. A hot stone massage is hardly a chore now is it? This is a resolution that I could happily make a habit of.

Negotiate with work to be based at home
I don't think that this will be possible… but I haven't given up on this just yet. I have a few things that need to be put into place before tackling this one.

How are your resolutions going?