Autumn is in the - very chilly - air, and I'm feeling restless and spendthrift. The autumn Boden catalogue has come through the letterbox, and while I've not been tempted by a catalogue in a long while, suddenly I want something on every other page of this one.
This evening we went out for a mid-week supper, again for the first time in a while. It wasn't very satisfying; we visited an Italian chain we used to frequent quite regularly in the bad old days of being much more stressed and in need of treats than we generally are now. I felt slightly annoyed afterwards that we had spent money on a rather average meal, and that we could have made something nicer at home.
Apart from the weather, and darkening evenings, which do bother me, I'm not entirely sure why I feel inclined to spend money at the moment. Partly, I think it may be a back-to-school feeling; I have to keep reminding myself that I am not about to return to a corporate job I don't enjoy, but for which I feel I should have a new Autumn wardrobe as a small compensation. In fact, J. and I are about to have a week off, after which life should revert to its current varied pattern, just with worse weather. And for which the clothes I have will, for the moment at least, do perfectly well....
Showing posts with label clothes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label clothes. Show all posts
Thursday, 26 August 2010
Monday, 12 July 2010
Bill-pruning and increasing my pension contribution
Despite all my recent efforts to cut down regular bills - as part of which we've saved considerably on home and contents insurance, joined an oil-buying group, and changed our AA cover to save £137 a year, and made various other changes, there was one insurance policy that I had not thought about cancelling. It suddenly occurred to me, a few days ago, that it was something I no longer needed, and so I decided to cancel the plan, and divert the money saved on the monthly premium to my pension. While I was about it, I also made a change to my clothes and spending allowance which I had been contemplating for a little while, cutting it by a quarter and adding that extra money to my pension as well.
So today I rang the pension company and informed them of my increased contributions. The young woman I spoke to congratulated me on making the change, wondering if I had had a pay rise.
I am pleased to have taken this action; it feels good to have immediately diverted the money saved into something specific, particularly into the pension. It does not feel very helpful to save money, if the difference is then swallowed up in general spending.
However, as I have mentioned before, I do like spending money on clothes, so the cut in spending money may be a bit of a challenge for me. I will see it as a test of my ingenuity....We will see how I get on.
Tuesday, 4 May 2010
Smart shopping: any good tips?
As part of the financial capability scheme I'm volunteering for, I've been asked to prepare a 40 minute presentation on 'smart shopping'. I need to get this done before going on holiday in ten days' time, and am quite busy with various other projects in the meantime. While I gather my thoughts, I thought I'd - rather cheekily - invite suggestions.... I would love to hear from you if you have any suggestions for tips you think I should include. The audience will be a group of older people living in sheltered housing; the main things they need to pay for from their pensions are food, clothing, entertainment, and Christmas and birthday presents.
Wednesday, 13 January 2010
Clothes buying, and resisting the urge to splurge
I haven't posted anything for a while, because I have been on a work trip to the US, from which I returned a couple of days' ago.
While there, I couldn't help noticing how very well-dressed and groomed the people I saw were, and possibly as a result have been battling the urge to go out and spend money on clothes, make-up and so on since my return.
I have bought a pair of pointy-toed, purple shoes, which I had had my eye on for a while and went into the sale at a very good price, and which I had money in my allowance for, but have otherwise resisted temptation.
Here are some of the things I do when the urge to buy things comes over me:
Bookmarking links to things that are of interest. Sometimes I stalk them, see if they go in the sale. By that time, if they are still available in the right colour and size, I may have lost interest in buying them, if not, I should be able to get a better price for the thing.
Writing down the details of things I want. This works both ways: if have a list of most-needed or wanted items, I am less likely to stray from it when I do come to buy something. Also, if I have somewhere to record details of things then I can avoid an impulse buy, and return to it at a later stage, if I want to.
Unsubscribe to shopping e-mails: ignorance can be bliss!
Avoid going shopping, unless going with someone else who will discourage you from buying things, or go window shopping, or go without a credit card.
Browse my library catalog if I feel in the mood for an online spree. It sounds ridiculous, but it really works. Doing this, you might rack up some reservation fees, but even if you try probably won't be able to spend more than a few pounds!
Either do something else - cooking, or housework, or reading - or give into the shopping in a controlled way, perhaps by buying something small, and enjoying the process of choosing, and the experience of going shopping.
Also, having an allowance for personal spending really helps; it means that you feel able to spend a certain amount on clothes, make-up and treats, but you know your limitations.
While there, I couldn't help noticing how very well-dressed and groomed the people I saw were, and possibly as a result have been battling the urge to go out and spend money on clothes, make-up and so on since my return.
I have bought a pair of pointy-toed, purple shoes, which I had had my eye on for a while and went into the sale at a very good price, and which I had money in my allowance for, but have otherwise resisted temptation.
Here are some of the things I do when the urge to buy things comes over me:
Bookmarking links to things that are of interest. Sometimes I stalk them, see if they go in the sale. By that time, if they are still available in the right colour and size, I may have lost interest in buying them, if not, I should be able to get a better price for the thing.
Writing down the details of things I want. This works both ways: if have a list of most-needed or wanted items, I am less likely to stray from it when I do come to buy something. Also, if I have somewhere to record details of things then I can avoid an impulse buy, and return to it at a later stage, if I want to.
Unsubscribe to shopping e-mails: ignorance can be bliss!
Avoid going shopping, unless going with someone else who will discourage you from buying things, or go window shopping, or go without a credit card.
Browse my library catalog if I feel in the mood for an online spree. It sounds ridiculous, but it really works. Doing this, you might rack up some reservation fees, but even if you try probably won't be able to spend more than a few pounds!
Either do something else - cooking, or housework, or reading - or give into the shopping in a controlled way, perhaps by buying something small, and enjoying the process of choosing, and the experience of going shopping.
Also, having an allowance for personal spending really helps; it means that you feel able to spend a certain amount on clothes, make-up and treats, but you know your limitations.
Wednesday, 18 November 2009
The case for personal allowances in a joint financial set-up
I will be writing more about budgeting in due course, including some expert input, but in the meantime wanted to write about personal allowances, as I seem to have had conversations about them with several people recently.
I think that if you are part of a couple, it is a very good idea for each person to have an allowance for their own spending, outside shared household spending. (This is assuming that your finances are generally joint, of course.)
My reasons for this are:
-It allows people to spend money on what matters to them without feeling that they need to justify their purchases to their other half. (I buy more clothes than my husband does; he buys more books than I do, but his habits don't bother me, and hopefully mine don't alarm him, because we each know that this spending is within agreed limits.)
-It encourages spending on things that each of us wants to buy. Illogically, but possibly not entirely surprisingly, before I had an allowance, several years' ago, I used to feel that buying an item of clothing for about £30 was pretty much always acceptable, but I would generally have hesitated in spending more, even for something really worth having.
I wouldn't have considered not buying anything for months, and then buying something costly, even though this might have added up to the same thing in terms of expenditure. Now, though, if I want to spend money on a really expensive item, or save up and buy several things all at once, that is up to me. Also, there is no need for the item to be useful, if it is what I've decided I want.
-It is a way of separating out personal spending from everything else that needs to be paid for, and makes it easier to keep track of your money.
How to track your allowances:
-Until the recent bank charges issue I wrote about with Halifax, we had separate bank accounts into which our allowances were paid, from our joint account. Now, though, we have closed those accounts and set up 'jars' within our offset account into which our allowances go automatically. I think the important thing is to be able to see and keep track of the money somewhere separate from the household accounts.
How much should it be?
-I can't really answer this; it depends on how much you earn, what you have decided it needs to cover, how much income you have, and how much you want to spend. For clothes allowances, I have heard the figure of 10% of net income suggested as an appropriate figure.
I think that if you are part of a couple, it is a very good idea for each person to have an allowance for their own spending, outside shared household spending. (This is assuming that your finances are generally joint, of course.)
My reasons for this are:
-It allows people to spend money on what matters to them without feeling that they need to justify their purchases to their other half. (I buy more clothes than my husband does; he buys more books than I do, but his habits don't bother me, and hopefully mine don't alarm him, because we each know that this spending is within agreed limits.)
-It encourages spending on things that each of us wants to buy. Illogically, but possibly not entirely surprisingly, before I had an allowance, several years' ago, I used to feel that buying an item of clothing for about £30 was pretty much always acceptable, but I would generally have hesitated in spending more, even for something really worth having.
I wouldn't have considered not buying anything for months, and then buying something costly, even though this might have added up to the same thing in terms of expenditure. Now, though, if I want to spend money on a really expensive item, or save up and buy several things all at once, that is up to me. Also, there is no need for the item to be useful, if it is what I've decided I want.
-It is a way of separating out personal spending from everything else that needs to be paid for, and makes it easier to keep track of your money.
How to track your allowances:
-Until the recent bank charges issue I wrote about with Halifax, we had separate bank accounts into which our allowances were paid, from our joint account. Now, though, we have closed those accounts and set up 'jars' within our offset account into which our allowances go automatically. I think the important thing is to be able to see and keep track of the money somewhere separate from the household accounts.
How much should it be?
-I can't really answer this; it depends on how much you earn, what you have decided it needs to cover, how much income you have, and how much you want to spend. For clothes allowances, I have heard the figure of 10% of net income suggested as an appropriate figure.
Thursday, 12 November 2009
'The Thrift Book' by India Knight
India Knight, who wrote an earlier book 'The Shops', about her love of shopping, writes here of how she recently came close to bankruptcy, from a lack of attention to her money, rather than low earnings, and thereafter changed her spending habits. She is also keen to encourage preserving resources from an environmental point of view, and her writing is influenced by that.
This book is largely about living well without spending huge amounts, and includes sections on food, clothes, beauty products and so on. It also includes a chapter on personal finance where she explains important financial terms and concepts in a very basic way.
I have a different sort of life from the author in many ways; I do not live in London, and have never had her self-confessed phobia about financial issues. However, there were quite a few ideas I liked, and some useful tips.
On clothes, she recommends buying a small number of quality items of clothing, including possibly vintage clothes, and looking after them well. (She reminded me of the existence of spray starch, and I have now bought some to use on my shirts; it definitely makes them feel newer.) The Lakeland home dry cleaning kit she mentions is something I will definitely be trying out.
On making things, she pointed out many inspiring websites and blogs.
On beauty products, she includes a section on how to look expensive, and useful information on home hair dyeing and the differences, or lack thereof, between some cheap and expensive make-up brands.
She also writes about growing food; this is something I am keen to start doing, but am rather nervous about, and her approach, and the websites mentioned, made me feel this was definitely something worth attempting.
On eating out, she encourages people to go for a set lunch at a really special restaurant, rather than either spending a fortune on dinner at a fancy place, or a fair amount somewhere less inspiring.
In summary, I did enjoy this book. I thought that her perspective, as someone who has come close to bankruptcy, was an interesting one, although many of the tips would only really apply to those who had been used to a high-spending, city lifestyle, involving a lot of shopping and eating out. It would be quite useful for anyone not very interested in, or familiar with, personal finance, as a starting point. Although it is very up-to-date, I actually much preferred 'Orchids on Your Budget', which I found more inspiring.
This book is largely about living well without spending huge amounts, and includes sections on food, clothes, beauty products and so on. It also includes a chapter on personal finance where she explains important financial terms and concepts in a very basic way.
I have a different sort of life from the author in many ways; I do not live in London, and have never had her self-confessed phobia about financial issues. However, there were quite a few ideas I liked, and some useful tips.
On clothes, she recommends buying a small number of quality items of clothing, including possibly vintage clothes, and looking after them well. (She reminded me of the existence of spray starch, and I have now bought some to use on my shirts; it definitely makes them feel newer.) The Lakeland home dry cleaning kit she mentions is something I will definitely be trying out.
On making things, she pointed out many inspiring websites and blogs.
On beauty products, she includes a section on how to look expensive, and useful information on home hair dyeing and the differences, or lack thereof, between some cheap and expensive make-up brands.
She also writes about growing food; this is something I am keen to start doing, but am rather nervous about, and her approach, and the websites mentioned, made me feel this was definitely something worth attempting.
On eating out, she encourages people to go for a set lunch at a really special restaurant, rather than either spending a fortune on dinner at a fancy place, or a fair amount somewhere less inspiring.
In summary, I did enjoy this book. I thought that her perspective, as someone who has come close to bankruptcy, was an interesting one, although many of the tips would only really apply to those who had been used to a high-spending, city lifestyle, involving a lot of shopping and eating out. It would be quite useful for anyone not very interested in, or familiar with, personal finance, as a starting point. Although it is very up-to-date, I actually much preferred 'Orchids on Your Budget', which I found more inspiring.
Wednesday, 30 September 2009
Clothes shopping - clippings file
I love clothes shopping, and find it easy to spend money on clothes. I am making a conscious effort to do so less, partly to save money, and partly to reduce waste; it is so easy to find oneself accumulating excess possessions, and does not feel particularly healthy or environmentally friendly to do so. I find planning ahead a bit does help, and this is a topic which I will address in future posts.
When I receive mail-order clothes catalogues in the post, I have adopted the habit of quickly skimming through them, and tearing out pages showing any looks I like, and putting them in a clippings file. When I have time, and feel inclined to do so, I review the torn-out pages, analyse what about the pictures appeals to me, whether the outfit is one that would suit my shape and colouring, and then try and work out how to create a simliar effect with my existing wardrobe. I generally find that I have most of the components for a similar ensemble already, or I may decide that the addition of one or two small items would make a difference. In that case, I write a note in the notebook I carry with me, for future reference. For instant, this week I admired an outfit which was essentially a smart shirt, tank-top, and trousers - a combination I wear often - but with a patent belt added. Rummaging through my wardrobe, I found a patent belt belonging to another dress, which I decided would work well for this.
I do something similar with online sites, looking at garments that appeal to me as part of a combination, where the website allow this function. I then bookmark the page concerned for future reference. I have, though, recently unsubscribed from the all clothes-shopping e-mails that I used to receive, so that I now make a conscious effort to visit websites of interest, rather than finding myself drawn into them unintentionally.
When I receive mail-order clothes catalogues in the post, I have adopted the habit of quickly skimming through them, and tearing out pages showing any looks I like, and putting them in a clippings file. When I have time, and feel inclined to do so, I review the torn-out pages, analyse what about the pictures appeals to me, whether the outfit is one that would suit my shape and colouring, and then try and work out how to create a simliar effect with my existing wardrobe. I generally find that I have most of the components for a similar ensemble already, or I may decide that the addition of one or two small items would make a difference. In that case, I write a note in the notebook I carry with me, for future reference. For instant, this week I admired an outfit which was essentially a smart shirt, tank-top, and trousers - a combination I wear often - but with a patent belt added. Rummaging through my wardrobe, I found a patent belt belonging to another dress, which I decided would work well for this.
I do something similar with online sites, looking at garments that appeal to me as part of a combination, where the website allow this function. I then bookmark the page concerned for future reference. I have, though, recently unsubscribed from the all clothes-shopping e-mails that I used to receive, so that I now make a conscious effort to visit websites of interest, rather than finding myself drawn into them unintentionally.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
