No Spend November: Update 2

This week my spending has been easier in some ways, but harder in others. I have been working a lot more, so at least am making some more money than last week. The majority of my spending on this week has been on food - two meals out and just general groceries for home. Having money in my purse means I am more likely to part with it, so trying my best to get it straight into the bank!

Week 2 empties

Finished Products

• Hello Kitty face wipes - these were from the pound shop and I loved them! So sad they don't have any left in stock.
• Vanilla nail polish remover pads - These are fantastic at removing non-glitter polishes, and really nourish my nails while they are at it. These are from NPW, I got a small pot as a gift last year, and had to run out and buy a big one too! They smell so yummy!
• Bath and Body Works Sweet Pea hand gel - Love this stuff. Picked this up in America, I have a bunch of these in all my handbags, never want to be without one! Sweet pea is a nice fragrance, bath and body works really do the hand gel better than any other company I know.

Week 2 spend: £75.97, which feels like A LOT when I write it down... but really the majority went on food and travel. I think the only thing I got for myself was £1 face wipes - not exactly a luxury! It is scary how easy money gets away from you, even when you are keeping an eye on things!!

No Spend November: Update 1

So earlier this week I decided I needed to get a hold of my spending! So far I have done pretty well with only one naughty purchase - Pretty Little Liars season 1 DVD from Amazon.My justification was that it dropped to £15.00, which was a bargain considering it was £30.00 before. And the dvds are really pretty, and I think watching these first episodes is helping me with my mountain of job applications....

Anyway, aside from that slight setback, I have done really well with the rest of my spending. I used up some beauty products / samples to help me focus on making the most of what I already have, and not be on a mission to get new things I don't need. Having a sneaky window shop is okay though :)

Week 1 empties

Finished products:

• Tesco cucumber cleansing wipes - Standard face wipes!
• Vintage Florals rose hand lotion - Think this was from Superdrug, pretty nice but nothing special.
• ELF foundation - This was pretty great. Nice to use over my Shu Uemura liquid foundation and was bargainous at about £3
• The Body Shop seaweed mattifying day cream sample - This felt more like a serum, it was nice but slightly tacky when dried.
• Nivea natural beauty range samples - The only item I rate from these three would be the radiance boosting daily scrub. Smelt gorgeous and was really nice and gentle on my face, and left it glowy, removing dead skin. Will think about purchasing this when I'm due a new face scrub!

Week 1 spend: £39.63, which is less than I had incoming so a fantastic start to my thriftiness!

No Spend November

I am a bit of a sad cat. After all the birthday festivities of this weekend, I decided this morning I should probably check my balance, and I was beyond shocked to find myself in my overdraft! This has not happened since my student days, and as a marginally employed person I really shouldn't have been as surprised as I was.

You see, my problem is that I am a complete shopaholic. And because I live very near some shops (many of them terrible bargain £1 shops), and have a lot of time on my hands, I go fairly often! These kind of shops trick you into thinking everything is SO CHEAP that it's okay to go mental (or is it just me?!), but it really does all add up - especially because you probably only could actually use about 5% of what you buy. I have so much stationary / homeware I've picked up from bargain shops, but I still live at home and have no need for things like £3 owl salt and pepper shakers (from Tiger if you are interested!).

This shock has made me even more determined to write the best job applications possible, but also to be much wiser about the little money I have. Thankfully I had some eBay earnings to rectify the overdraft situation, though I am pretty sure I will be getting a bank charge sometime this week. I am going to continue with the eBay purge, and as an avid kawaii collector I think I may set up an Etsy store to sell some of my stationary collection. I have way more stickers than one person could ever use!

I have decided to enforce No Spend November on myself, where I will limit and track everything I am spending! I may even make a spreadsheet. Because I'm that kind of girl!

Allowed purchases will be:

• Postage (for ebay/amazon sales)
• Travel
• Food (obviously!)
• Bargain Xmas presents

Disallowed purchases will be:

• Stationary (I have enough to last a lifetime!)
• Beauty/bath/skin products (Again, I really don't need to purchase anything for a good few years)
• Random £1 shop purchases that really add up and I 100% don't need

Any frugal tips?? As a big crafter I am going to try and keep Christmas costs down by hand making some presents. This will also hopefully keep me away from the shops!!