Improving my life during Summer 2010

Mags30

Wondering why bookshops are so popular :huh: I had a mystery shop to do at a large one today at lunchtime and it was really unpleasant. Much worse than the M+S cardigan yesterday because at least there I was getting a bargain.

See I normally buy my books from Book Depository or Amazon, often for free with vouchers from surveys and today I got reminded why. The bookshop charges way more than the online stores. I paid €12.50 for a book that's only around €7 delivered online. The queue was miles long because of :santa2: and because my health can be a bit I felt weak standing there with the heat and the crowd. Couldn't wait to get out of there. Saw people in the queue buy bestseller books that are much cheaper in Tesco. I can only conclude that they do this because they aren't as familiar with shops and MSE style shopping as I am or maybe they have so much money they don't care. Or maybe they just don't think at all, the list says "book" so they go to the nearest bookshop, makes sense in a way, it's just not how I shop

Minimum spend for the shop was €12 so I couldn't choose something cheaper unfortunately and obviously I had to get a book I want to read so I got "One Day" by David Nicholls. I'll get refunded for it but not until January and I will read it during Christmas.

The Soap+Glory bags were sold out by the time I got to Boots so I need to be there at 9am tomorrow if I want one...I think I do.

Mags30

Oh and because I seem to complain all the time here are the more positive thoughts in my head today:T:T

I'm really happy with my driving compared with when I started the diary, I'm not scared of the Christmas traffic and crowded car parks any more, I don't care that it's busy I'll drive anyway, I don't think I'll ever be great at parking but that's ok, I'm better than I used to be and the car parks will be 3/4 empty again in a few weeks.

I got a lovely notebook as an Xmas gift in the post today (brand paperblanks). Might use it for 2011 plans and mind maps.

Mary Byrne X-Factor and the Rubberbandits (the people from that youtube video I posted are on the Late Late show tonight:)

Mags30

Just home from a very Christmassey evening buying my Soap+Glory box:o and a then carrying it around the city and back to the car in really heavy snow. Soap+Glory is starting to mean :xmastree::snow_grin more than Santa! People on the Grabbit board on here were up all night so that they could order it as soon as the offer went online about 3am! Glad I got it because the roads are probably going to be lethal in the morning.

Wish I could just hide in the house for a few days, it's almost impossible to not spend money this time of year.

Shoe_Gal

Money is slipping through my fingers too

Mags30

Feeling this evening. I'm all alone for the weekend (again)because I'm snowed in. The anxiety is starting to kick in and I'm worrying that I might not be able to make it home for Christmas at all, especially now that the Irish government have run out of salt as well as money. This weather makes me feel so vulnerable. Nobody has built a snowman in my estate either, isn't that just strange?

I did get out for a bit earlier, living 10 minutes walk from a shopping centre is handy in this weather. I got a paper, had a coffee and went to Tesco but didn't enjoy it all. Looked in Boots too, despite the snow the Soap+Glory boxes were sold out again.

I think I need to work on some positive plans for 2011 for a while this evening.

Shoe_Gal

I am home alone too - loads of snow here!

I am thinking about plans for next year - nothing definate yet but certainly want to tackle my weight

Mags30

Shoe_Gal wrote: »

Money is slipping through my fingers too

It's awful. It's not even the things I've bought, the M+S cardigans and S+G set were good value, it's things like food and the overpriced books, overpriced coffee, overpriced bus tickets that are making me feel ripped off. I know people on here would say I have a choice and don't have to buy things I feel are overpriced but because I'm all alone all weekend I feel the need to get out for a bit and getting out always seems to involve food and coffee for me, at least that's cheaper than clothes and cosmetics.

Mags30

Shoe_Gal wrote: »

I am home alone too - loads of snow here!

I am thinking about plans for next year - nothing definate yet but certainly want to tackle my weight

January is a really difficult time to go on a diet, it's cold and in weather like this you need to eat to keep warm. Can you imagine having to eat salads in this weather:eek: Comfort food and hot chocolate is essential in the cold. I think Valentines Day is a good time to start a diet.

Shoe_Gal

Good advice, but I am at my heaviest ever and it's really starting to bother me

Mags30

Still snowbound and starting to worry about finances in 2011. Everything seems to be so expensive in Ireland. Like how can €13.99 be a special offer price for a book :huh: when the same book costs half that from Amazon. Petrol is getting really expensive and the heating bills in January after this cold snap will be:eek:

To distract myself from this negativity I've been watching the tv programme about the lads who gave up drinking for 6 months and the corresponding life changes it would bring and it doesn’t seem to have the happy after ending.

Here’s what happened over a few episodes. They had more money that wasn’t being spent on drink so they went on holidays to Ibiza. They had an ok time but didn’t fully enjoy it because they couldn’t drink. Sounds like me going to London/New York and not being allowed to shop.

They did lots of activities like golf and surfing. They sort of enjoyed it but it was clear that it wasn’t really their thing and it was most likely only happening because the tv production company organized it.

Then things were looking up when they organized a comedy night for charity. They booked some well known comedians and put loads of work into the event planning and prepared short performances to do themselves. They were certain they could never have done this if they were still drinking and hungover all the time and were really proud of the €12,000 the event raised for charity.

But ultimately it didn’t work. At the end of the 6 months they were still craving drink and couldn’t wait to go back to the old lifestyle. I find this very disheartening because the self-help books always say that new habits can be learned and will come naturally after a while. One of them was saying he wouldn’t meet girls playing golf or at a museum. The group also seemed to have less in common and less fun without the drink.

It's like more evidence that it's just so difficult to change your lifestyle.