Put away your purse & become debt-averse

Blackcats

I hope you managed ok on your mum's anniversary. I remember your diary last year and how difficult it was. The time has gone by very quickly but that doesn't mean it's been easy. You are doing well.
My waste of money coat type purchase was one of those very long slim cardigans that I imagined wearing in a stylish way with jeans and boots. However it never really stayed wrapped round as the belt didn't control it flapping open so it was certainly never warm. I gave up on it when I discovered after a trip to the loo that the useless belt was undone and had undoubtedly dangled into the toilet ,,,,. Need I say any more?

foxgloves

HHoD & Blackcats - Thanks for your kind thoughts.
HHoD - I would definitely be hurling bags of pears & primroses over the hedge to you, lol! At this time of year, I could generally provide enough plant divisions to set somebody up with a new garden. I always intended to have an annual plant stall on our front courtyard, but I've never got round to it.

Blackcats - Oh I think once I'd discovered that cardi was a toilet dangler, it'd have been off to the charity shop (laundered, of course!) We've all done it, haven't we, & bought the perfect stylish garment which then turns out to be anything but! Oh & now I've remembered a couple of pairs of absolutely hopeless boots too! Both complete impulse buys. They are always the worst.
F x

HairyHandofDartmoor

I'm dying to hear the story of the hopeless boots now :rotfl:

foxgloves

Well, HHoD, Basically the problems were as follows:
Pair 1 - High-heeled vibrant purple suede. Glorious. Shapely, sculptural, flattering & mood-boosting.......... as long as I remained seated. Couldn't walk in them at all. Just an inelegant tottering followed by painful feet after just a few steps.

Pair 2 - a very soft matte pale tan leather pair, stitched moccasin-style, with ornamental fringeing & tassels. Excellent choice for auditioning for 'Dances with wolves - the musical', much less use for city life in a very wet winter. The leather was so soft, the soles so flat, that there was no structure to them & before long, the leather of the foot started wearing through because it was wringing over & making contact with the ground. So water puddled in. Game over.
Two very different styles. Both bought on impulse when I definitely couldn't afford them. Both a massive waste of cash.
What a financial numbskull I was!
F x

foxgloves

It's belated greetings from me today. Have been busy cleaning this morning, then out & about this afternoon. Pleased to be able to report a few sound financial wins. The first must go to Mr F, who struck lucky in the local Oxfam bookshop, when he spotted a DVD boxset which is actually on his Christmas wishlist for £3.99. It's in perfect condition. If it's been watched more than once, if at all, I'll be amazed!
I had my long hair cut back to a sharp bob...... a lovely cut.... £8. I no longer bother with having it washed & blow-dried. I'm not very good at sitting still so a dry cut suits me. The stylist sprays my hair with water & uses straighteners to get a nice sharp finish & I hardly dare think back to the amount I used to spend on professional colouring, perming, styling, etc, which I most definitely could not afford at the time.
Well, that was the glamour, next job was re-stocking the medicine box in case any winter lergies decide to strike. Back in the Spendy Years, this would all have been branded stuff - you buy what you know - but I only buy the cheaper generic stuff now. It's exactly the same, as we all know, & some types of product, I no longer buy at all.
Met up with Mr F to decamp to Wa*trose for a cinnamon bun & free coffee. He was delighted to find an expensive brand of yoghurt on sale at £1 each for the large tub & decided to spaff a quid on trying the naughty salted caramel variety...... Nomnom nommetty nom!!
I did manage to progress quite a few jobs in town, despite the incessant rain..... Oh, & you'll love this..... a free wee because the ladies' loo block door had jammed open, so my emergency 20p remained in my coat pocket, lol.
Hope everyone's OK & ready to embrace the weekend.
F xx

Blackcats

Foxgloves - I just snorted out my tea when I read about "Dances with Wolves the musical".
I have also bought shoes that I couldn't walk in. Many, many years ago I bought pink suede pixie boots that although I could walk in them, it was an enormous struggle to get my feet down the boot part and into the foot part and out again. Despite the discomfort I wore the pixie boots with most of my outfits despite the obvious fact that fuchsia pink suede is not a good match for many colours.
Foxgloves do you remember in the eighties the fashion for coloured tights? I remember Pale blue, pale pink and peach coloured tights - very unflattering and very expensive. I used to buy mine in an upmarket department store and I think they were Christian Dior so I shudder at the cost and the thought of my ice blue legs.

foxgloves

Blackcats - My apologies for causing tea inhalation! Oh my days, yes, I remember the coloured tights epidemic of the 1980s. I loved them & yes, I also bought a few of the Christian Dior ones. I still like tights, but chunky ones, mostly black 80 denier but I do have a few plummy purple colours, a grey stripy pair & some bright green patterned ones. The problem with the 1980s craze was that they were sheer tights, & as you say, some of the colours were pretty hideous with legs showing through. I had a mint green pair..... I think we've already established what I look like in mint green from the tale of the hideous dress I bought, made from cloth which could have made sails, it was so rough & horrible. I had another pair in powder blue. Just hideous!
I also had pixie boots. Mine were navy blue. I hate navy blue - school PE knickers colour - but I did wear those boots regularly until they dropped. After that, I bought a pair of fuchsia pink slouchy flat boots. The foot part was leather & the leg part suede. I absolutely couldn't afford them. They were £80 from an expensive shop in the city centre & that was a LOT of money in the 1980s. Even I felt very naughty going in & buying them but every time I went into the city, I'd been standing outside the shop window worshipping them. I did wear them for a couple of years & regularly until they kind of lost their support & I started feeling they were flopping around & likely to trip me.
F x

foxgloves

Well, my dears, it's been a pleasant day today on the whole. We visited a rather lovely autumn fair at a big NT house over in a neighbouring county. It was very seasonal, not overtly Christmassy, but just enough to kind of hang a little festive promise in the air. I chose a few nice gifts for people & Mr F asked if I'd like to choose a pair of silver earrings from him, to be put away for Christmas, so I did & I shall look forward to wearing them. Back in the Spendy Decades, I had a vast collection of earrings - my excuse was multiple ear piercings, so I needed plenty, but of course, it was just my usual spendyness, as I only ever wear a silver stud & a sleeper in my 2nd & 3rd piercing, so the real issue was just that I bloody loved earrings! Now I own less than a dozen pairs but I like them all at the moment, & some of them have been bought by special people so do feel more meaningful than the old system aka 'Foxgloves goes out.......ergo Foxgloves will come home with earrings'!
We did have a coffee out & a toasted teacake, but no effect on the budget, as we pay for this kind of thing from our Personal Spends cash. We made sure we were home for lunch, so as not to be tempted to revisit the cafe as Mr F had read the menu & announced that there wasn't anything on it that he didn't like. Defo time to go home! Called at the village butchers to pick up the meat items from this week's shopping list. Spent a bit more than planned, but not in a bad way. i.e I wanted 2 packs of mince, but I could have 3 if I paid just an extra £1. Ditto sausages. I also bought a ham hock to freeze. There was a great offer on those....3 hocks for £5, Unfortunately I knew I wouldn't fit 3 in the freezer, but as I can get 3 days of dinners from a ham hock, & often a packed lunch too, it is a very good deal.
I've done a couple of garden jobs this afternoon.....mostly getting Mr f to help me divide up a triffid with brute strength to pot a piece up for my sis & best friend. Then I decamped to the kitchen & I've enjoyed listening to my audiobook while baking a tin full of sausage rolls to take for my ever-hungry nephews tomorrow. I've left a a few out for the Beloved, but managed to conceal a few in the depths of the freezer, which he hopefully won't find, as they are bound to come in useful for something, even if it's just a picnic, packed lunch or a cheer-up at some point.
It's not my cooking night, so my knitting's coming out in a minute. Since the Great Error in the Pattern Debacle, & having to start the whole thing again, I've knitted quite a lot, probably about half of it, but I don't think I am on track yet to have it finished by the end of this month. I intend to give it my best shot though.
Wishing everyone a calm & relaxing Saturday night.....unless you're getting your gladrags on & hitting the town, in which case have a gin for me.
F x

wishingthemortgaheaway

I haven't got my gladrags on and I'm not hitting the town.
But I do have a gin - cheers

Wish.

Sayschezza

Have finally finished reading your post and have enjoyed every word. A few days ago you mentioned friendship cake? Can you please enlighten us.