Remember November

Well there is another month down - it's been a funny month in a lot of ways for me but December is a new month and a time for new beginnings.
Throughout November I have been a pretty good girl and I have been really trying to keep my finances in check and I've been trying to use some things up.
This month I finished 16 items

MAC Brush Cleaner
The Body Shop Cocoa Butter Body Butter
Rescue Oil
Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish
The Body Shop Seaweed Day Cream
Ojon Tawaka Ancient Tribal Rejuvenating Hair Cleanser
MOP Glisten Body Wash
Lee Stafford Treatment For Hair That Never Grows Past A Certain Length
MOP Extreme Protein Treatment For Damaged Hair
MOP Extreme Moisture Treatment For Dry Hair
Lush Imperialis Moisturiser
Maybelline Colossal Mascara - Black
Boots Botanics Soothing Eye Make Up Remover
Clinique All About Eyes
Dermalogica Skin Prep Scrub
AVON Pearly Peach Bubble Bath

Again not too much make up but I have a few bits that are hanging on for grim death which will be hopefully be finished soon -it gets so frustrating I think I have a never ending concealer lol The one I am most please with is my MAC brush cleaner - I now have 6empties - back 2 MAC here I come :)

Anyways last month I also returned to my spending diet and I have to Say although I've gone over budget slightly I don't think I have done too badly

Primark 100 Denier Black Tights - £1.96
Beauty UK Palette No 5 - £3.49
Sleek Blusher - Pixie Pink - £3.29
ELF Order - £10.50
Red Magazine - £3.50
ELLE Magazine £3.60
Glamour Magazine - £2
CK Sheer Plumping Lipgloss 205 Enchantment - £5.00
Boots No 7 Perfect Lips Pencil 20 Nude - £1.75
Monthly Total - £35.09

So I've gone over but I have had so much temptation in my way this month what with Christmas shopping and so on it didn't work out too bad never mind its a vast improvement on previous months lol. In normal circumstances I would limit my December spends to make up for my overspend but its the festive season and with socialising etc I might need some extra cash but I'll try and stick to it the best I can despite the start of the sales argh!

The Things Life Throws At You

Huge apologies for the lack of posts or interactions this week - I have noticed I have lost a few followers this week and I hope this isn't why but this is me unfortunately what you see is what you get - my blog has always been for me, about me and by me, and I have never wanted to feel pressurised into having to post on a regular basis.
I had plans for so many posts this week but things never work out the way you want, do they? ME is a strange beast you can have a few days where you feel like a relatively normal person and then you have a phase where you feel like a cotton wool filled head alien from the planet zog. For the majority of this week I have felt like the alien - a fuzzy head, tired beyond belief but unable to sleep at the same time, and so, so mentally and physically exhausted. Unfortunately there is no way of dealing with it other than painkillers and as much rest as possible. As sad as it is ME defines me as a person now and that hurts like hell at times - this week has been a bad one for me in all senses of the word :( I also got a pretty hellish realisation this week when I received my credit card bill - OMG I am on the verge of hitting my limit - there was only one course of action - the kitchen scissors! Yes after pressure from my bestie for a long time I finally chopped them up into tiny little pieces. If I can't pay for it in cash I ain't getting it. So apologies in advance as my hauls are going to be pretty tiny lol I am keeping my £30 a month limit for the foreseeable future, and I am going to be putting my money towards Christmas shopping for the next couple of months and towards paying my debts after that. I really don't need any more clothes or make up at this stage-( hence my Christmas list is huge lol) but hey ho the reality has been shoved headlong into my face and it isn't nice. Never mind I still have loads of posts to do tags, reviews, a mini blog sale and more but they will be in my own time - don't rush me :). Thanks in advance for all your support and understanding and thanks for being there x

Hello My Name Is Louise and I Have A Problem..

I am a compulsive shopaholic!!
Whilst looking for something the other day I actually realised how many beauty products I own and to be honest I was shocked. I hope by popping some pics on here I can be shamed into stopping buying new products :(

My beauty case (actually a B&Q toolbox) which contains all my everyday make up and the things I use most often





The two sets of drawer units - the left hand side drawers contain my everyday hair, skincare, perfumes and my make up palettes

The second set of drawers contain my make up brushes, then separate drawers for new and hardly used items separated into drawers for lips, eyes, face (bases and blush, etc) and skincare - this is really bad - how many products I own and haven't used









It gets worse I then decided to look at my unused body, hair and bath stuff - bearing in mind this isn't all of it and this doesn't include things I am currently using in the bathroom , or my Lush ballistics



OK as you can see I have a bit of a problem :( Believe me though my wardrobes and drawers are just as bad - I have loads of gorgeous stuff that I just haven't worn - things have got to change! In the words of Gok - I need to buy less and wear more! -I really need to reign in my spending - I am sick of evil credit card bills.

For those reason I have decided to resurrect my spending ban - ban is far too harsh a term though and maybe that's why I couldn't stick to it- I have decided go on a spending diet and I intend to spend just £30 a month and no more on all my treats i.e magazines. beauty, clothes and so on. I am not including bill payments, and magazine subscriptions that I have already paid for or things I have already ordered (more on those later!). If by chance I don't spend my £30 allowance (LOL)I can carry it over to the next month. I am going to keep track of my monthly spends on here by putting a little section in the sidebar letting you know how I am getting on

Oh and I am also going to make a serious effort to trim down my beauty stash before I start to buy new things - so I am going to add something to my sidebar called "Trimming My Stash" In this I am going to let you know which products I finish over the course of the month and keep a count of how many things I actually manage to finish over the next 6 months

Wish me luck peeps - I really need to stick to this now :(

A New Start??

Well I have officially written March off as far as the spending ban is concerned - I spent over £300 last month on clothes :( and probably half as much again on beauty goodies (including my fab new B&Q tool / beauty box -see pic). Today is the start of a new month and the day my spending diet starts again. Wish me luck - I promise I will do better x

Partial Redemption

Well my La Redoute order came today and you'll be pleased to know half of it is going back ! The checked shirt (see pic) and the star print t-shirt are keepers but the halter tops gave me a mono boob so they are going back -that's over £18 saved- well done me :)

A Mixed Day !

It has been a mixed day spending wise - First of all I went crazy buying Hello Kitty for MAC spending shall we say a lot :( Nevermind its what I wanted - I'll post some pics when it comes :) I did manage to claw a bit back though - I will be returning the lovely turquoise travel bag that came this morning, its just too big and heavy to be practical so its going - that's another £25 back in my purse.

The Reason Why I Shop?

I must admit I have had a crappy couple of weeks. A twinge in my ear culminated in an ear infection and a blocked ear canal. Cue a few days of feeling very dizzy, nauseaous and disorientated. I eventually managed to get to the doctors where I was given a fortnights supply of antibiotics. they have only really started kicking in in the past day or so, so I have had over a week of being totally housebound and feeling ghastly, What do you do in this situation, unfortunately for me I shop online. I always seem to want to buy something to cheer me up, using it as an emotional crutch to perk me up and keep me sane. This time I turned to ebay buying a whole load of all be it bargain silver jewellery, and some discontinued Body Shop bits. It made me feel better for a bit then the guilt kicked in when I checked my paypal account. I really don't know why I do it - my old counsellor used to say I was filling a gap in my life which at the time made sense, but now who knows , maybe its just a habit I've got myself into - who knows. All I know is I have to try and get back into the money saving and spending ban habit - well after Thursday at least - I have an exclusive online invitation to the launch of MAC Hello Kitty - Oh well I can always start again on Friday ;)

Hanging In There - Just!!!

Well I am still on both my diets both spending and foodie wise but both are proving pretty hard to stick to :(
Spending wise I have seen loads of stuff I want to buy, especially from ASOS, and I could really do with a craft storage trolley - I also have a £5 off La Redoute voucher, and due to the VAT cut my Look Again account is in credit i.e they owe me money !!! I really sound like I am trying to convince myself don't I :(
To try and keep myself going I have got a few books out of the library concerned with money saving and spending diets and have picked up some good tips, e.g. freebie hunting, cancelling policies I don't need and so on. Some of them are just wacky - hitch hiking in this day and age - I ask you ! or take too much effort becoming a credit card tart anyone?
I have also got loads of useful advice from this website - don't forget to sign up to the newsletter :)

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/

Foodie wise I am finding it a bit of a struggle too - why is it the things that taste the nicest have the most calories - My first weigh in is on Monday - wish me loads of luck!

I Survived !!!

Due to a change of plan we ended up going to the Metro Centre on Friday and believe it or not I stuck to my must buys and didn't buy anything else I got my Boots stuff using my points, and spent only £1.56 extra in the Body Shop after my refund and £2.50 on a calorie guide to help me with my diet which I'm starting on Monday. I didn't spend my Next vouchers and my mum paid for my undies ! Result!
I have also made some hefty contributions towards my bills this month, and I have a cheque for £45 to put in the bank after I ordered something on the internet for a relative - that money will go straight towards this months main credit card bill

Next Come Up Trumps

People often argue that customer service in this country has gone down the pan and to be honest certain incidents have meant that more often than not I have agreed with them but not today.
A few months ago I bought my mum a kettle and toaster set from my Next Directory, on only its second use the toaster blew up, fusing all the electric in the house with it.
Thankfully nobody was hurt but understandably I contacted Next to complain - they profusely apologised and took the kettle and toaster away for further investigation and replaced them with more expensive models for no extra charge.
To be honest I thought that would be the end of it but today I received a recorded delivery letter from Next with the results of their investigation and a £25 gift card!
Well done them I say - moreover I can feasibly spend the vouchers without breaking my spending ban ! Despite that though I can see some major temptation ahead of me as I am braving the Metro Centre tomorrow with my mum!
Argh - I only want a few bits - face wipes, undies, Body Shop Cranberry goodies if they have any (This is only because Body Shop Online screwed up my pre ban sale order - thankfully they have refunded me £14 which should be enough)- so hopefully the £20 I have in my purse and some Boots points should cover this little lot - Wish Me Luck!!!

Ooops!

Well I have wobbled a bit, OK some would call it cheating, but I wouldn't, not really...

Since last summer I have been on the look out for a long line / boyfriend style cardigan in white and low and behold the Spring / Summer copy of La Redoute has one

I have therefore taken a mini plunge and ordered it - classing it as an essential item (probably because I searched high and low for one and I am so pleased to have found it - LOL)

I have ordered it on a buy now pay July basis, and I qualify for a free cowl neck jacket which I can always ebay if I don't like, so there is a bit of method in my madness - I just have to hope I like it when it comes - otherwise the search will go on !

Why Do They Do It???

Is it any wonder that the banks in this country in are in such a state - I am in debt so what do they do ? stick another £1000 on my credit card limit !!!!

The Last Hurrah!!!!

Well the spending ban starts today !
I had a so called last hurrah last night and bought a few essential bits from ASOS (well maybe not that essential ), a couple of craft bits and some cashmere and flannel sheets!
From now on nothing I don't need comes through this door and I will hopefully go someway towards paying my debts off!