Sick of being scruffy.......

Floss

Just think Leedslass, a few more weeks & you will look much less "scruffy" than your work colleagues, without spending loads of your earnings :T

Hope your holiday goes well - as has been said, you don't need lots of things, and certainly not an outfit for every day, mix & match is the answer and if you need to do any laundry (undies, maybe) just wash things out in a tiny bit of shampoo & leave out to dry overnight

LeedsLass_2

Thanks Mrs Boo Boo and Floss xx

Jo_R_2

I have been feeling similarly over the past few months. With finances being as they have, I very rarely spent any money on myself, but after I had baby I was at a point where I only had two pairs of jeans which were both maternity and one is covered in paint from decorating and I was having to wear them out to pick up DD from school:o

What I did was work out what it was I wanted and how I could go about REALISTICALLY getting them. My sister is always picking up fab bits and bobs but she has the money to be able to do that, so I had to first work with what I had. I picked out a couple of dresses I liked but rarely wore, and have accessorised with them. So nude/black/patterned tights and a couple of pairs of flat shoes (cheap, nothing fancy) with a black cardigan that I throw over. Plus some really cheap bits such as hair bands and ties.

A handbag is good as well, I have a couple I got free a while ago with Cosmo or New Woman or similar so I made use of one of those.

What I tend to do to buy clothes now is to ebay stuff and buy out of the proceeds. I'm always keeping an eye out and usually have a specific idea of something to add to my wardrobe that will go with plenty of stuff. I tend to keep to black basics and add things with a splash of colour, so at the mo I'm looking for a short bright red cardi that I can wear with my black dresses and vests. If I really can justify buying something new then I transfer the money from my ebay account and take that shopping.

I've bought a bit from H & M recently as I like their accessories and they're not expensive at all.

lucy*locket

I can't spend much on clothes either so I keep it simple for work, I have lots of black trousers which are as little as £5 in Primark, and I buy clothes from boot sales, definitely a great place to pick up things for around £1 each.

Can you sell anything on Ebay? Not necessarily clothes but often if you look around your home there are things that might raise a few quid...every little helps, eg computer games, techy stuff,maybe your boyfriend has some stuff he can donate to the good cause? Could he treat you to some holiday clothes too?;) Also watch out for jumble sales, they sell clothes for aorund 20p each and I've picked up some really good quality stuff in the past.

Can you borrow some holiday clothes from a friend? How about having a no spend week, don't go out/buy takeaways, spend as little on food as possible, to free up a bit of cash and have a trip to Primark. HTH, I know how it feels when you're sick of your wardrobe but often a few new items & accessories can give everything a fresh look.

neas

if you in debt i'd suggest the debt free wannabee board too..

You know debt is pure nasty to be in. If you werent in debt you'd prob boost your 'spend/invome' so you could afford a few primarky clothes and one holiday a year.

Problem is if you 'want it now' and borrow now to pay back later it impacts 'later' big stylee. Start repaying debt asap as much as possible and do as others suggested - Primarky, car boot, freecycle

minerva_windsong

Some very good advice here!

I know exactly where you're coming from, I've spent years wearing a 'uniform' of T-shirts, jeans and trainers which started as a lack of confidence thing and it is massively depressing after a while, especially if the stuff isn't quite right for you, so my current mission is to work on that.

What I would suggest is that you maybe book some appointments with personal shoppers (Debenhams do it, as do Topshop and some Dorothy Perkins stores). You don't have to buy anything and it will give you a good idea of what kind of things suit you. If you don't want to do that though I'd recommend getting hold of a copy of Trinny and Susannah's Body Shape Bible (and ideally their What Your Clothes Say About You and What You Wear Can Change Your Life) - they are normally some cheap ones knocking about on eBay.

Secondly, get properly fitted for underwear - if you can get to York there's an underwear shop on Micklegate called Kathryn Rolfe, the manager there used to work for Rigby and Peller (underwear gurus extraordinaire) and therefore will be able to measure you properly. I'd also recommend going to get fitted every time you buy a new bra so that it fits you properly.

Charity shops and eBay are also good places to look for clothes.

As others have said, accessories will work wonders for updating an outfit, and lots of places have sales on at the moment so you should be able to find something you like.

And I agree with the advice about grooming, plus a lot of it you can do at home - face masks, waxing, manicures/pedicures etc.

Hope that helped and good luck!

Sweetpeanut

HI :hello:, did'nt want to read and run, but i know what your going through, i myself have been feeling "scruffy" the last couple of weeks, so off i popped to my local booty the other week, an bought a lunch-box full of ribbons, flowers an buttons, and in the last week ive customized, 6 vests tops with them;). An i must say they look GREAT!!! everyone has commented on them:D. The vests were only £3 each from Ethel-Austins, but ive given them a new lease life, any my jeans that i wear were £6 in the asda sale. So if you look around and are prepared to rummage, there are definately bargains to be had, so chin up and get customizing:D:D.

piratefairy

Also, always look out for salons looking for "models" - Toni and Guy are always advertising for them, that way you will get an up to date hair-do for next to nothing..I'm having a mega clear out too of clothes (total shopaholic, and 5 overflowing wardrobes), so if you're around the size 12 mark, PM me and I'll help you out with some clothes to try and brighten you up

glowgirl_2

Hope your feeling a bit better today LeedsLass, things will improve they always do eventually, trust me I've been there several times;) some excellent suggestions and really wonderful offers and support in this thread even though I'm not down in the dumps it really warmed my heart to read this, don't you just love this board, well done fellow MSErs:T

LeedsLass_2

I still cant believe all the lovely responses ive had and the kind offers!!! Thanks again everyone :A