A Long Weekend in Yorkshire

On Thursday of last week, we travelled up to Yorkshire to visit family and for OH to take part in a cycle cross event in North Yorkshire.

We spent Thursday night staying with OH's mum and visited his brother for a couple of hours, who is now being taken care of at home for the time being after having suffered a severe stroke. There's a lot of complicated family stuff going on at the moment though, so it's a bit overwhelming. Must be much worse for the family members concerned, but we just have to do what we can to help and support them and hope that it will all work out for the best eventually.

On Friday morning, we did a few errands locally, then packed up and headed off to North Yorkshire. OH dropped me off in the town of Malton, which is near to where some other family members live, who we were staying with that evening. Whilst he checked out the course at the event, I had a mooch around Malton for a couple of hours. I mainly visited the charity shops, which were quite good and I did buy a few things whilst there, but I didn't spend too much.

I then caught a little local bus back to where we were staying, which was an adventure. It was a lovely little scenic route through lots of little villages and cost only £1.60, which was a total bargain. It was like something out of Postman Pat. Apparently, it used to pick up the mail at one point in time. OH met me later at his relatives and we caught up with their news and had a lovely evening with them.

We were up very early on Saturday, as OH needed to be at the cycle event in Dalby Forest for 9am ish. I dropped him off this time, as the race was 5 hours long and I didn't want to hang around waiting for him to finish. I decided instead to drive up to the town of Whitby on the North Yorkshire coast, which was 20 miles away, and spend the day there.

It was a lovely drive over the North Yorkshire Moors to get to Whitby. I stopped to take a couple of pictures of the beautiful landscape.

When I got to Whitby, I caught the park and ride bus into town, as I'd read online that parking could be quite expensive. It was only a 5 minute bus ride to the centre of town using the Park and Ride and it cost only £2.70 all in for parking and a return bus fare. The buses ran every 15 minutes or so. It was a good decision I think.

I started off exploring the town a little. We'd stayed in Whitby for a week a few years ago, (probably 3 or 4) and had a great week there. I eventually traced our steps to the part of the town where we'd stayed, as there was a great cafe around the corner from our holiday let, called the Jet Black Jewel Cafe, which did a wonderful Hand of Glory hash breakfast. I treated myself to one, out of both hunger and nostalgia. It tasted even better than I remembered and definitely filled me up for the rest of the day. Here's a photograph:

I then walked down to the pier and walked right to the end of it. It gets a bit windy out on the pier, but it's quite invigorating and well worth getting a bit windswept for.

It was a super busy day in the town and the weather was fantastic. I couldn't have picked a better day for it, but I was eventually glad to get out of the crowds of people thronging the streets.

I had a little walk on the beach before returning to the town centre, crossed the swing bridge and explored the old part of the town a little before catching the park and ride back to the car park. I'd walked over 10,000 steps by the end of the day.

After picking OH up, we eventually got back to his mum's at 7pm and chilled for the rest of the evening.

On Sunday morning, I dropped OH off at his brother's house and I made a quick visit to a local car boot sale that I used to go to a lot, but hadn't been to in a long while. I didn't buy much, but I did get a complete bargain when I bought this microwave oven for £10. It looks virtually new and the seller said it was from his holiday home and had hardly been used. I couldn't resist it at this price, as we needed a new one as ours was going rusty. Serendipity, if ever there was any.

Here's a picture of it in situ back home:

Later, we packed up and headed back to London. It was a long journey, due to some road closures and having to take a detour, but we eventually got back home. We spent the evening with LB, re-watching the first Hunger Games movie on Paramount+, which was really good. It was a nice chilled way to end a very busy weekend.

A More Productive Week Getting More Organised

This week I feel like I've been a lot more productive and got myself a bit more organised. Inspite of deciding not to post weekly diary style blogs anymore, I thought I'd post an overview of the week, giving an idea of what I've been up to.

We were only home for the first half of the week, as OH and I had arranged to go up north to visit family and for OH to attend a cycling event in North Yorkshire, so I only had a few days to get my act together and get some stuff done.

The first couple of days of the week I spent doing some small sewing tasks that I'd been intending to do for a while. This cleared a couple of things off my list and has left me in a better position to start doing some larger sewing projects i.e. making some new clothing from scratch using fabric from my stash.

I also sorted through all of my work clothes, which are mainly just black clothing items. I donated quite a few of these, as they were bought specifically for work and are not really things I'd chose to wear in my everyday life. Some items I hung onto, as I may wear them, but quite a few got put in the donation bag, which was quite satisfying as it signalled the end of an era in my life.

I also put away some of the more summery items in my wardrobe, as now the weather has turned colder, I don't think I'll be wearing them again until next year. I stopped short of getting my autumn winter clothing out just yet, so I've currently got a kind of transitional wardrobe at the moment, but it's much more suited to the current temperatures.

I finally tackled the ironing basket too, mainly because I needed to photograph some clothing items I had purchased in August and wanted to include in a post. The basket was also full of towels and tea towels that I needed to get back into circulation, so it was useful to tackle it from this point of view. It was another item off my to do list and it removed some of the clutter that has built up around the house over the last few months, when it's been too hot to iron and I've been too busy to tackle it.

I also tidied up the sewing room and got future makes organised and collected together in one place ready to get on and work on them. Previously, there were piles of small and large projects spread all around the sewing room, some half started, others yet to be started. I will now be in a much better position to start work on some serious sewing once I return from Yorkshire and can carve out some time.

I got some good news this week with regard to the Gym Instructor's course I did this summer. I was notified that my certificate should be arriving very soon, which I am looking forward to receiving. This confirms to me that I have passed the course and now have a new qualification, should I choose to apply for a job in this field. It made the hard work and pressure I was under over the summer months worthwhile.

OH and I also paid a visit to the allotment in the first half of the week. OH dug up the last of the potatoes, while I harvested raspberries and most of the beetroot. There are still a few small beetroot growing, but I'm going to give them a bit longer and see if they get a bit bigger. I've got plenty for now to pickle and eat. The preserving of these and the remainder of the fruit in the freezer I will do once we get back. There's only a few raspberries left to pick and then we will need to prune things back a little and tidy up the strawberry bed. 

As a consequence, the allotment is now almost ready to be prepared for the winter. There isn't a lot of work to do, but I will enjoy doing it on dry autumn days. We just need to pull out the last of the tomato plants and beetroot and then weed the beds and dig them over ready for them to be mulched over the winter.

Before I tackle any of the above, the priority when I get back from Yorkshire, will be to do a thorough clean of the house, as we have some visitors staying for a couple of days towards the end of September. It will be good to finally get the house in order before we settle in for the colder months. I'm also looking forward to getting the new sofa covers on too.

I finally feel like I'm blowing out the cobwebs of the last few months and once I'm on top of everything at home, I feel I will be able to look ahead to the future and what I want that to look like. It takes me a while to readjust to new circumstances, but it's all good. I consider it just part of the process of moving on with my life.

Monthly Clothing Purchases - August 2025

This may be the last of these posts for a while, depending on whether I get another job and can afford to buy clothes.  It's probably a good thing, as I have enough already. I will miss thrifting, but maybe an occasional thrifting outing might be an affordable treat, if I don't spend too much.

I'm late posting this on account of several of the items needing an iron before I could photograph them. I had to wait for some cooler weather to do this, but here goes.

I started the month of August with a visit to my favourite out of town charity shop and found a few things. No surprise there. The first was this lovely dress that I bought for a wedding next year. It is beautiful.

I also found another dress which is more casual. I've worn it a couple of times since buying it, once for an interview. I like it, as it's made of viscose and is very easy to wear. It cost £5.

The only other thing I bought were these new Primark Sandals for £3. They are a size too small, but I can get away with wearing them for a while without them being too uncomfortable. They were probably an unnecessary purchase, considering that I bought a new pair of sandals last month, but I justify it in that having a second inexpensive pair will elongate the life of the more expensive pair, as they'll get worn less. Irrational I know.

I also bought a couple of things from work, one of which I returned, as it was a pair of work trousers, that once I resigned, I no longer needed. The other was this 100% cotton floaty black wrap style dress which cost around £10 in the sale with my staff discount.

I'm definitely in a floaty dress and skirt era at the moment. They are my favourite thing to wear on hot summer days or in the autumn layered up with tights and boots. Thankfully, I've now got a few different ones that I enjoy wearing.

Later in the month, I paid a visit to my local RSPCA charity shop and bought these M&S trousers on clearance for £3.25. I really like them as they are a comfortable fit and they'll be great to wear with a long sweater in the autumn/winter. 

I also bought these lovely black leather Barbour espadrille sandals for £20, that have hardly been worn. They have a low wedge heel and I intend to wear them for the wedding next year too, so I've now got a full outfit.

The final purchase this month was made at a Car Boot Sale I went to, where I bought this very pretty Zara blouse for £1. I love the royal blue colour and the embroidered sleeves, but there are a few issues with the fit, so I'm going to alter it to make it more flattering and I will keep you updated with regard to how that goes.

In total, I spent £48.05 this month, which was less than I've spent for a few months now. I imagine that this figure will drop drastically in the coming months, as it's amazing how deciding to leave your job and give up a regular income, can instantly cure you of spending money on things you don't really need. 

Instead, I might focus on making some clothes that I've been intending to do for a while. (Using fabric I already have in my stash of course.) It should help scratch the new clothing itch and clear some of my stash at the same time.

I'll keep you posted.

More Sewing Makes and Alterations

Another sewing post this week, as I seem to be finding my sewing groove. My first make was a small sunglasses case out of some left over fabrics from making a crossbody bag. I needed a flat cloth sunglasses/glasses case that I could put in my handbag and that wouldn't take up too much space. It needed to house either my sunglasses or my regular specs when I'm not wearing them, rather than putting them straight into my bag and risk scratching them.

 

It didn't take too long to make. I just made a lined pouch with a flap, which closes using velcro. I hand stitched a little dog patch on the front flap, to cover where the velcro had been stitched on. It does what it needs to and is quite cute, but not perfect. 

I then did an alteration to a dress that I bought from the charity shop last week for £5. Here's a picture of the dress:

It's a very nice 100% cotton gingham dress, but the neck is not a style that I would ever wear. Way too much skin on show for my liking. It was, however, a very easy and quick alteration to make it into a skirt. I basically cut it off around the bust area and encased some elastic to make it into a long tiered skirt.

This skirt is a nice mediumweight cotton, so it will be ideal to wear both in the summer and the autumn/winter. I'm looking forward to wearing it in the coming months with a nice chunky sweater or knitted vest and boots. 

The only usable parts of the dress that were left over from this alteration, were the sleeves, so I've stored these away with my scraps, as I'm sure I can find a small project to use up this lovely fabric.

I also did one small mending job on this t-shirt that I used to wear for work.

As you can see from the photo, the sleeves are made of lace and some of the lace had developed holes in it, so I hand sewed them up so that they are less noticable. I was going to donate this item along with quite a few other work clothes that I've put aside to donate, but I actually quite like it and got a few compliments from customers when I wore it for work. As a consequence, I'm going to hang onto to it and see if I can get some more wear out of it in my everyday life.

One other very small mending job I did was to add a new tab to the end of the zip on this lunchbag, as the original had come loose and fallen off. It was a tiny job, using a small piece of black linen fabric from my scraps, but it will extend the life of this lunch bag, which is a good size for travelling and carrying around a big salad box. I also like this because of the lovely Ankara or African fabric it is made of. This was another purchase from the charity shop a while ago, it was new and cost just £2. It's been extremely useful ever since.

After working on a few projects over the last couple of weeks, the sewing room was looking a bit untidy with piles of stuff everywhere. I had a good sort out and re-organised my scraps, which were getting a bit messy. I also put away things that I'm not going to be working on in the near future and put to one side all the fabrics and patterns for projects that I intend to tackle this autumn/winter. To prevent me getting side tracked, I've made a list of items I want to make for the coming season. The above two items have already been crossed off the list, so it feels like I'm making progress. I'll post again, when I've completed more items from the list.

Moving Forward - W/E 7th September 2025

This week has been about moving forward with my life. As I get more and more used to not going to work anymore, I'm starting to think more about the future and how I want it to look. I'm now starting to settle into a new routine of not working. It still feels strange some days, but my body seems to have relaxed a whole lot and I'm feeling a lot more rested and ready for new experiences and challenges.

On Sunday afternoon, we had a family cycle ride over to the Olympic Park, mainly to go and see the new Sadler's Wells Theatre that has been built there.  We stopped in to have a drink and check out what's on in the coming months. There is the odd show that we'd quite like to see.

Monday, was weekly shop day, as usual. LB came with me out of town and helped me do the shopping. I had to buy quite a lot of things this week that we were running out of. I kind of frontloaded the food/household shopping for the month, as I had a £4 off a £40 spend voucher at Tesco to use. I didn't buy anything that we don't use or eat, but maybe bought a couple of things before we actually needed them, in anticipation, lets call it. This means that weekly shops from hereon in should be less expensive and just a matter of buying the essential food items we use every week.

I also paid a visit to Home Bargains, as there were a few things that I needed to buy from there. This always ends up being a £30 spend and it was no different on this occasion. I didn't buy anything that wasn't needed though, save for one food item for Xmas. I may buy one Xmas item, be it a gift or a food item, each week to spread the cost over the coming weeks. This week it was brandy sauce, which is a non-negotiable with our Xmas pudding. It really depends on the availablility of things in the shops and the best before dates. A lot of Xmas food isn't on the shelves yet.

We did visit my favourite charity shop and I did spend £8 on two items, one being a cotton dress for £5 that I'm going to make into a skirt and the other a cotton shirt for £3. Old habits die hard, but I'm not really planning on going thrifting much more this month. I did get a £20 gift voucher when I left work, which I turned into a Charity Shop Gift Voucher that I can spend at TRAID, Crisis or Sense.  I may go thrifting with LB to a high street where all these shops are located and spend it at some point this month.

On Tuesday, LB wanted to pay a visit to a Hobbycraft store out of town, so I agreed to take her. Whilst she was looking in Hobbycraft, I paid a visit to a couple of nearby charity shops and spent £4.50 at a Hospice shop on a very cool uncut vintage sewing pattern (£1), some webbing for bag straps (£1.50), that I intended to use to make a cross body bag, some pattern making paper (£1), which will be useful for making another dungaree dress pattern. (I leant my original self-made pattern to someone on the sewing course and didn't get it back, so I need to make another one). The last item I spent £1 on was a small cotton handbag that I upcycled into an oversized bag charm this week.

In the evening, OH and I finished watching the second series of 1923 on Paramount+. It was good, but quite dramatic. We now need to start watching the 5th series of Yellowstone, which is also on Paramount+. OH currently has a week's free subscription and then he will subscribe for a month to enable us to do this. It costs about the same as a cup of coffee, which is very affordable for hours of entertainment. I may also use it to re-watch all four Hunger Games movies, which I love.

Wednesday, it was raining for most of the day. I went to the gym late morning, which was much needed. After lunch, I retired to the sewing room and started work on a new small project and an alteration to a top that I bought but never wear.  I'm a lot happier with it and I will be much more likely to wear it in it's new form.

In the evening, OH went out cycling, so I caught up with the Sewing Bee and watched the last episode in series 1 of Annika on iPlayer, which I'm quite enjoying. Luckily, there is another season to watch, after this one.

I had a lovely day on Thursday. I woke up late (as I didn't get to sleep until the early hours), read some of my book in bed, got up and ready and went down for a late breakfast, before spending most of the day in the sewing room working on projects that I've been meaning to do for a while. It felt great to properly get back into sewing again. I think I'm finally getting used to finding ways to fill my time more productively and do the things I enjoy doing again. There's still more I want to do, but I'm just taking it one day at a time and one step at a time and enjoying the journey for now.

Friday, I was back at the gym in the morning, which I enjoyed. When I got back, I had lunch, read for a while, photographed a couple of things for blog posts and had a nap. LB was going out in the evening and staying at a friend's house, so it was just me and OH at home for the evening.

After this weekly post, I think I'm going to change my post schedule and just post as and when I've got something I want to post about. Although I like the weekly format, it's probably a little boring and repetitive for the reader. Now I've got more time to do different things, I should be able to do more varied posts on a weekly basis, when I eventually get out and about more.

On Saturday, I decided to go for a walk in the morning. I just wanted to get my body moving and get some fresh air. I did almost 7,000 steps which wasn't too shabby. When I got back, I had a bit of a potter in the garden as it was a lovely day. I cut back a couple of bushes in the area outside the back door, which made the garden look a bit tidier.

Later, OH started on the paving down the side return. He's only laid a few slabs, but they look good so far. It's quite exciting to see it coming along. The pavers were given to us by our neighbours, who have just had a side return built, so no longer need them. As as consequence, it's costing us nothing but OH's time and the cost of the sand to set them in. Frugal DIY is the best kind. Luckily, OH is very handy at doing practical jobs about the house and garden.

The week ended on Sunday with a trip out. OH was cycling in an event in Chelmsford, so LB and I went along, dropped him off and then went to a local car boot sale for a mooch. We had a wander around until such time a he'd finished his event. I spent about £10 and got a few nice things for my money, one of which will be in my monthly clothing purchase post.

The only negative, was getting very viciously verbally abused by some angry van man on my way to the car boot sale. Some people really shouldn't be allowed out on the roads with the rage inside them.  That's all I've got to say about this particular person, they seriously need to chill.

When we got home, OH did a bit more work on the paving down the side return. It's coming along beautifully. I'll take some pictures and do a post once it's finished.

I hope you've had a good week this week. Mine has been a lot better. I'm feeling much more in back tune with myself and am gradually getting on and doing things and being more productive as each week passes. I'm still procrastinating with regard to some things, but hoping to get past myself and just get on with them at some point. Baby steps.

Project Pan 2025 Revisited

Way back in February of this year, I posted about starting a Project Pan in 2025. At that time these were all my personal hygiene and beauty products that I needed to use up, all 241 of them.

I'm pretty sure that progress this year has been slow. I kept on replacing items I finished and bought a few extras here and there too, whilst using up the odd item pictured here, but not many.

Anyway, in my current situation of no longer working and earning money, I can't afford to spend money on things that I really don't need or use and it would be useful to save myself a bit of money by using things that I already have to hand, so I thought it might be a good time to revisit this project and get a bit more serious about it. There's still 4 months of the year left and I might be able to make a bit of progress and at least get the number of items down to below the 200 mark.

I figured that I'd better do another count, but I was a bit nervous that it might be even bigger than it had been in my initial post. So once again, I laid everything I could find out on the bed upstairs, took a picture and wrote down how many of each item I currently had in use or waiting to be used. Here's an updated picture:

I have to say at this point, and you may find this strange considering the number of items that I have, but I'm not particularly into beauty products in a big way. I have a few tried and tested favourites that I use regularly and re-buy where possible when I run out. The accummulation of the above, has mainly been a result of trying to find solutions for problems I've faced, (i.e. treatments for dry hair, moisturisers that don't break me out, etc. etc.), trying (and often failing) to find substitutes for products that have been discontinued and I can no longer get hold of, stocking up on items that I do use, (because I'm worried about not being able to afford or get hold of them in the future), or just that insidious habit of treating myself to something small, by adding the odd lipstick or other item to my shopping basket on far too many occasions.

There is probably enough skincare here to last me a couple of years at least, but going forward, I'm going to try to use up some of the items that are not my regular favourites to try to get this pile down. I'm currently using a facial wash and serum that are not regular favourites and I don't seem to be breaking out, so I'm going to try more of these and see if they work okay for me.

Lipsticks are a particular issue, as you can see from the photo. I've divided them between summer and winter colours, as I tend to wear reds in the winter and pinks and oranges in the summer. Some of the lip balm and sample products I've had a very long time and they've probably gone off, so I might discard a few of these items.

I've been working on stopping putting new items in my shopping basket when out and about and now try to completely avoid it, but I can't say that I've 100% recovered from this habit. However, now that I'm not working and earning money, it has made me question every purchase and I no longer buy more than I need. If I run out of deodourant, toner or hairspray, I'll buy one to replace it not two or three. 

Anyway, I digress, so where am I with this project now, 7 months later and how many personal hygiene and beauty products am I currently using or have waiting to be used. The answer to this question is 214, so not many less than the previous count, but I did add some things to this count that I didn't to the last, namely tissues, cotton pads, etc. which added 12 items, so if I took these off I'm around about the 200 mark.  I was a little shocked when I recounted, as I thought I might have made better progress this year, but sadly I haven't. I just need to try harder and now I've got less money, I have the motivation to do better. 

To be honest, there are some items in the picture that I can straight away discard, i.e. most of the nail varnishes, fake nails, fake eyelashes, nail stickers. I no longer wear nail varnish, save for the very odd special occasion. I did have a period of wearing it this year, which resulted in the worst split nails I've ever experienced and I vowed that I would use it as sparingly as possible going forward, as it does more harm than good for me. I may just keep half a dozen bottles for my toenails in the summer and get rid of the rest. If they are pretty full, I will probably donate them, if not they'll be hitting the bin. Likewise, I don't wear false nails, as the glue causes damage to my nails and I don't wear false eyelashes, so it's pointless keeping any of these items too. If they are unopened they will be donated.

With regard to the rest of the items, I will endeavour to try and use as much as I can in the time that is left of this year and see where that gets me. I can't really see me hitting pan on the lot any time soon, but I'll keep you posted on my progress, which I'm hoping will be better than it has been so far this year.

A Few More Alterations

I made an effort to do a bit of sewing again this week. A few alterations were needed to a couple of things, so I started with those.

The first alteration I did was to this leopard print cotton poplin blouse, that I bought from an ASOS sample sale a couple of months ago. I paid £3 for this, which was a steal, but everytime I tried to wear it, it just didn't look right. It had babydoll type sleeves which were very puffy and just looked a bit silly on me, so everytime I went to wear it, I took one look at myself in the mirror and immediately thought better of it. 

As a consequence, I decided to alter it to make it more wearable. Initially, I cut off the sleeves thinking I might make it sleeveless, but then decided to re-add less puffy sleeves, which I did and I much preferred the look of the garment. I'm not really into overly dramatic silhouettes and these sleeves were just that, so they had to go.

Here's the finished blouse with new sleeves, which were made out of the insides of the babydoll sleeves:

I'm much happier with the new look and it is much more likely to get worn now.

There was also some spare fabric, as a result of this alteration, from the outside layer of the babydoll sleeves and I used most of this to cut out another cross body bag to run up at some point when I get the chance. I'll post about this separately once it's finished.

The second alteration, was to a small cotton handbag that I bought from a charity shop this week for £1. It was a small heart shaped bag with a ruffled trim around it and I thought it would be perfect to make an oversized bag charm for a leather tote that I sometimes use. 

All I needed to do, was to remove the bag handles/straps, stuff the bag with my mini fabric scraps, left over from various projects and then sew it closed and add a little loop to hang it from my bag. I then sewed on some cute beaded patches that I bought on eBay a while back and I was very happy with the quirky finished result.

I've wanted to make this type of bag charm for a while, but I'm not confident with regard to creating the ruffle around the edge, so this was a perfect opportunity for me to make one, without having to attempt this.

Two very simple alterations, that took very little time, but created items that I now really like.

Have you altered anything lately?

Monthly Budget - August 2025

It's been an interesting month financially for me. I really didn't anticipate at the beginning of the month, that by it's end I would have left my job and lose the income from that, but sometimes life does throw you the odd curved ball and you just have to run with it. I made a conscious decision that I am responsible for, so I just need to get on with it.

I took LB on a promised trip to IKEA in the first week of August and treated us to a very inexpensive lunch out. I resisted the urge to buy much instore, but did buy a couple of glasses for £2. I did, however, spend a bit of money in a nearby Home Bargains, mostly on food and household stuff. I also paid a visit to a favourite charity shop and spent £13 there.

It was after this that things shifted at work. To be honest, this made me a bit more careful with regard to spending, although I did visit a local charity shop and spend £30 in the couple of weeks that followed. It was a last splurge for me, as I knew that if I left work my spending habits would be changing drastically.

Once I'd made the decision to leave work and handed in my notice, my spending became a lot more careful. I did buy a few Xmas gifts using my staff discount before I lost it and I went to a car boot sale after leaving work and spent a small amount of money, but other than buying a few small things for craft projects and a set of new sofa covers for £35 on eBay, all of my spending was on food or household items.

As a consequence, my monthly spending came in at the lowest it had been all year to date, which just goes to show that I can rein it in when absolutely necessary. I could have spent less really, so I could bring it in even lower, if I resist all urges, but realistically having a few small treats here and there does make life more enjoyable.

I don't live an extravagant lifestyle, so there isn't much to cut from the budget, but I will need to find areas where I can cut expenditure going forward and the obvious place will be spending on clothing and any non-essentials. Whilst I've been earning money, I've not thought twice about spending money on things, if I saw them and liked them.  I mainly buy second hand, so I'm not talking large sums at all, but that will have to cease or be reduced dramatically going forward. I'm okay with that though. Besides, I have plenty of clothes, I don't really need more, I just enjoy fashion and buying new things. If I can't afford them, I can't buy them. Simple as.

I can't lie and say that I don't have any anxieties about my finances going forward, it is always nice to have spare money that you can save and put aside for future plans, but for now that isn't going to be possible, so I just have to get on with life as it is. Xmas is covered, thanks to my putting money aside each month for the past 8 months, so that's one less thing to be anxious about, but I will be very careful with regard to Xmas spending this year and intend to be a lot less frivolous than usual.

I did manage to put some savings away for the month of August, for the last time in who knows how long, so it was a good month in that respect and there was some money left over to spread over the next month or so to take the pressure off needing to find a job immediately. I also won £50 on the Premium bonds which got reinvested, which was lovely.

Going forward, next month shouldn't be too expensive. I don't have any major birthday gifts or expenses on the horizon. I do have my credit card bills to pay from August spending online, but I will be making sure I don't run up my credit cards, as much as I have done in the past, to keep bills to a minimum. There will be some things that I put on there, i.e. gym classes, eBay purchases (usually only for craft), other occasional online purchases if needed, but these will be greatly reduced from now on. 

The vast majority of my money will be spent on food and household purchases only and maybe the odd small treat if the budget allows.  We'll just see how it goes. I am going to put aside £35 per month towards a couple of bigger gifts I need to give next year for a family wedding and a 21st birthday. Spreading the cost will make it more managable, just in case I don't find another job.

I may round up some savings balances by very small amounts, just to put something into savings, but that will be as much as I can manage. I will be receiving some dividends from some shares I own in September, but that will really be the only substantial thing that will get added to my savings this month. I'm grateful for this though, as at least it will be something.

It's going to be a challenge, but I've got plenty of time on my hands to shop around for the best deals where I do need to buy anything and I can spend time making things instead of buying them, which should be fun and also take time to look after the things that I already own, which should keep me occupied. Some activities and pleasures in life don't cost money, and peace and balance are the most important things in life, so I'll keep you posted with how I get on.

A New Week and a New Start - W/E 30th August 2025

This week, began in a much more relaxing fashion. It was lovely to get up and know that I no longer needed to go to work. My time is my own again. Don't get me wrong, I'll miss the income and I will have to be very careful what I spend money on from now on, but I'm happy to face this challenge, if it means that I can do more of the things that I really enjoy doing. Life is short and I don't want to spend more time than necessary doing things I no longer want to do. I'm lucky that my partner is supportive of me in this and that I can do it, and I realise not everyone can. It is a priviledge that I appreciate and don't take for granted and it is not without its sacrifices, which are my personal choice.

Anyway, OH wasn't cycling today, so we both headed out for the morning to a Car Boot Sale. I love a walk around the Car Boot. It was a lovely hot day, the car boot was busy with families enjoying a day out and it was lovely to just walk around in the fresh air. Whilst I wandered around, OH went for a run, as it's not really his bag, which is fine. In the end, I didn't spend a lot of money. About £12, including the entrance fee of £1. I didn't get all the way round all the stalls either. It got a bit too hot and a bit too overwhelming and there wasn't really much I needed. I just wanted to get out of London and do something different. I did buy a lovely Zara blouse for £1, I got some fruit from the fruit and veg stall and then a few other very small, but useful bits and pieces including some giant rick rack for slow stitching, which cost just 50p. I look forward to using that.

We then drove over to Sawbridgeworth in Hertfordshire and stopped off at a cafe for lunch, which was a nice treat. The food was lovely and very reasonably priced. It was a good choice. We got home by about 1.30pm and I felt so tired, as I'd not slept brilliantly the night before and had then got up and gone out early.  As a consequence, I went to bed for a couple of hours, which felt super indulgent, but I felt so much better for it. I can't wait to get some energy back, it seems to all have been sucked out of me lately.

In the evening, OH and I started watching the new Keeley Hawes series The Assassin. It was a little farcical, but watchable. 

After sleeping well for once, I woke up on Bank Holiday Monday feeling a bit more refreshed. I laid in for a while before getting up for breakfast, after which I decided to go for a walk for an hour or so. It was a good way to blow away the cobwebs.  I took my skipping rope with and did some skips at different points of the walk. 

I also dropped into a gym, that I'm thinking of joining, when my current gym closes down for refurbishment later this year. I was kindly shown around the gym, which is very new and state of the art. It will cost me more, as I'll have to pay for a monthly membership and I won't get the subsidised classes for over 50's, but I need to keep going to the gym and all classes will be included in the price, if I want to attend any. It also has a cafe and is in a brand new purpose built building whose main purpose is housing the local ice rink. It's definitely an option, as it's only a 15 minute walk through the park, so it's food for thought.

When I got back, I made some lunch, boiled up the rest of the beetroot from the allotment and then went out to do the weekly shop locally, as we hardly had any food left in the house. When I got to Lidl, I realised that I'd forgotten my phone with my Lidl app on it and I'd had a 10% off voucher to use, which was really annoying. Anyway, I wasn't going to go back home for it, so I carried on with the shop. When I got to the till, to my delight, the member of staff serving was able to input my phone number, so that I could still use the voucher, which was brilliant.  She saved me nearly £10, as the voucher was running out that day. I was suitably grateful and made sure to thank her.  The rest of the day I just chilled at home.

On Tuesday morning, I woke up and got ready to go to the gym. LB wasn't feeling well, but had to go into work, bless her. My gym session was good. I tried a few new things today, mainly because if I change gyms, the new gym won't have a certain machine that I like to use, so I need to practice new ways of doing the same exercises. When I left the gym, I went down to Boots on the high street, to buy a couple of over the counter medicines for LB for when she gets home. I hope they'll help her. We had a bit of rain whilst I was in the gym, which I was grateful for.

Later in the afternoon, I had another nap. I'm hoping that as I recover from the busyness of the last few months, that I won't need to take these anymore, but while I still do, I will. My body must need them.

Wednesday was another quiet day at home, doing laundry and tidying up a bit. I did go out for a walk for 30-40 minutes, which was refreshing, as there was a nice cool breeze. It's good to get some steps in too. I didn't sleep well on Wednesday night. One of those nights where lots of things were churning over in my mind and I couldn't quiet it down. It happens sometimes. I think it's all just part of processing the last few months. We had rain on and off on both Wednesday and Thursday, which I was good for the garden and allotment.

On Thursday, I decided to finally get around to doing some sewing. I'd cut out another cross body bag like this one that I made back in March of this year, but in a different fabric.

This leopard print one is still going strong despite being used daily since then, but the fabric is wearing a little on the back side of the bag where it rubs up against my clothing with use. It's still fine to use, but I wanted to make a couple more, so that I can switch them out from time to time.

The one I worked on today is being made of a dark grey velvet with a mustard lining. I put it together in a slightly different way to the last one, inspired by a video I'd seen on YouTube. I just need to add the webbing strap, but I had to order more webbing on eBay, as the webbing I have is not wide enough for the fixings I've got. I'm happy enough with progress so far, so much so, that I cut another out from some scrap fabric I got from the fabric warehouse last week.  This one will be a blue camo print, which I really like. I'll post pictures when both are finished.  The size of this bag is perfect for me for everyday use. I don't like to carry too much, just my phone, keys, purse and a few other bits.  I also worked on another small sewing project today, but didn't complete it. I'll post when I do.

Later, I needed to post off an order I'd received on Etsy. Only a small one, but every few pounds are welcome at the moment. I then caught up on this week's episode of the Sewing Bee and watched another episode of Annika.

I got notification of my final wage tonight, whilst I was doing some financial stuff. If I'm careful, I can stretch it out to last me until after Xmas, as I've already got money put aside to buy presents. This takes the pressure off having to find a job at least, so I can relish being at home enjoying family time.

I woke up to the sound of rain on Friday morning, which was very welcome.  It was quite substantial too, not just a sprinkle. I stayed in bed and finished reading this book, which I started in January when we were in Tenerife:

I really enjoyed it. It was still as relevant today, as it probably was 35 years ago when it was first published. It got me back into a reading mood. I picked out another book from my bulging bookshelf to read and made a start on that today too. I'm enjoying it so far. I've read Amy Tan books before and she's a great story teller.

I headed out to the gym late morning and had a good workout, picked up a couple of bits from the Co-op on the way home and then made some lunch when I got in. I'm slowly getting used to not working. I don't miss it, but it does feel a little strange not having a routine or weekly structure to my life. I'll just have to create a new one of my own. I always intended to do very little the first week after leaving work to give myself time to rest and recover from the busyness and I've stuck to the plan. I'm hoping to get a bit busier next week and make a start on a few jobs around the house.

On Saturday, I stayed close to home most of the day, as OH and I had plans in the evening. OH had booked us tickets to go to the Oval and watch the Eliminator of The Hundred, which is a one day cricket tournament, where each team gets to bat 100 balls only. We were going to cheer on the Northern Superchargers, who were playing against the Trent Rockets. We got there around 4-4.30pm and caught the end of the women's tournament, in which the Northern Superchargers women's team won against the London Spirits team. It was a great event, with lots of families there, enjoying a day of sport. Very different to previous cricket test matches I'd attended many years ago with OH.

Unfortunately, there was intermittent rain after the women's match, so the men's start was delayed and then there were further delays in play because of the rain.  What we did see was good, but we decided to call it a day early due to all the stoppages and head home. By the time we got home, rain had stopped play again and eventually the match was abandoned, which was a great pity. As a consequence, Trent Rockets went through to the final at Lords on Sunday. I would definitely go again, if the weather forecast was better, as it is a good day out, so we may go again next year. It was a nice end to my first week of no longer being at work and it was good to be able to go out and do something with OH on the weekend, instead of working every weekend. Hopefully, it will be the first chance of many going forward.

Hope you had a good week.

My Final Week at Work - W/E 23rd August 2025

This week started with my final Sunday shift at work. I was working from 12 till 6pm. It was a busy shift, but we did still get to finish a little early. It was strange to think that it was the last time I would work on a Sunday in this job, but a good strange.

In the evening, we could all have supper together and OH and I watched some TV. We started watching a couple of new series, one of which was Annika, the other being The Narrow Road to the Deep North. Both were very watchable, although the latter is quite gruesome in parts.

I've been waking in the early hours for the last few nights, which has meant that I've been tired a lot of the time. I'm hoping that once I finish work, I'll start to sleep better again and feel less shattered all the time.

On Monday morning, LB and I headed out to do the the weekly food shop out of town.  We both decided to pay a visit to a different branch of the store where I work, so we could have a last use of our discount cards, before they expire when I leave.  I didn't buy a whole lot, just a few very small bits in the final sale clearance and some food bits for OH's Xmas Hamper. I may as well get the 10% off now, as opposed to no discount nearer the time. I also bought a couple of small Xmas stocking fillers in Lidl, when we did the grocery shop.

I'm going to try to be much more considered this year, when it comes to buying Xmas gifts. I normally go way too overboard, but I don't want to do that this year. I'm really sticking to only what OH and LB ask for, with very few extras. Especially for LB, as she often doesn't actually use the extra things I buy her, which is a total waste.

We had a nice morning out shopping and then came home. I had an hour or so to chill before I needed to get ready for work in the evening. Tonight, will be the end of the last five day stretch of shifts that I need to work, which I'm super happy about, as they have been pretty exhausting.

Just before I got to work tonight, I got an email inviting me to a telephone interview for a job that I'd applied for when I first thought about leaving work. I'd really thought that I'd been overlooked, as I'd heard nothing in over a week, so it was a bit unexpected. Anyway, I booked an interview for later in the week. I assume they'll call me at the specified time.

Work was okay, apart from a very rude couple that I served towards the end of the evening. Working in retail, you do sometimes see the not so nice side of people, when they can't get exactly what they want for whatever reason. 

On Tuesday morning, I had a long lie in, after another night of not sleeping well. LB was a bit unwell in the night and then had to get up for work, poor thing. I eventually got up and had some breakfast, and thought about getting ready to go to the gym, but then decided not to. I just needed a day to myself to process, organise, chill, do some laundry, etc.

On Wednesday morning, I got up and got ready to go to the gym. I had a good workout, but felt very tired. I think the last three months of being super busy have taken their toll on me. Anyway, later, as I was printing off my wage slips from work before I leave, I got a call about the telephone interview I'd arranged, asking me to go in for a face to face interview instead. To be honest, I much prefer this. It's difficult to get a real impression of someone over the telephone.

I also got notification of something that I had a search on on eBay. It was a sofa cover for our IKEA sofa, which we've had for over 20 years now and has long been discontinued. I paid around £300 for a new cover from a different company a few years ago and when I saw this IKEA original cover in brand new condition for £35, I had a chat to OH and then I bought it. It isn't a colour I would have chosen (orange), but it should be good as a spare and will be nice to put on for the autumn (although I'm not really into seasonal decor). I just couldn't resist it at the price. I'm just hoping it is brand new when it arrives and looks okay when we put it on. I'll post when we do.

Later in the afternoon, OH and I went over to the allotment to do some weeding and harvesting. Everything is slowly coming to an end now. Another few weeks and we'll be winding it down for the autumn/winter. In the evening, I watched the latest episode of Sewing Bee and a couple of episodes of Annika on catch up. OH was out watching one day cricket at Lords with a friend.

On Thursday morning, I needed to get up early and go out to the job interview. I was there in good time and had time to wander around the store and familiarise myself with it. I saw a few other candidates who all looked very young i.e. 18 or 19, although it isn't always easy to tell.  The interview was interesting. I was asked a couple of questions that I wasn't expecting and I was very honest in my answers. Too honest, I think, and I probably self-sabotaged any chance of the job, but I'd rather set my stall out before taking a job. I'm tired of pretending and people pleasing. It gets you nowhere. I was told that over 300 people had applied and that they'd narrowed it down to 10 candidates for 5 jobs, so I did well enough to get an interview and the process is all good practice.

I was due at work on Thursday evening. It was quite busy all evening, so it passed quite quickly thankfully. To be honest, I was a bit detached. I'm just trying to get through the shifts, until I finish working out my notice. I've been feeling tired and mentally overwhelmed when I'm there recently, I think it's just from the normal process of unwinding now that I know that I'm leaving. A bit like you feel when you're counting down to a much needed holiday, which I guess is what I'm giving myself by leaving.

On Friday morning, I woke up feeling a bit low. I'm not walking away from my job without feeling anything. I have good days where I feel positive about it and bad days where I question my choices, but I'm 99% sure I'm doing the right thing for me. It didn't help that I couldn't even have a lie in, as the builders next door were banging, cursing (using very bad language) and shouting outside the window. It's driving me mad at the moment. I can't seem to get any peace, even when at I'm home.

Anyway, I moved to a different room and had a lie in there instead. I wasn't feeling the gym today, so I skipped it. I'll start again properly next week.  I'm not going to beat myself up about it.

I didn't hear from the job interview, which I totally expected. To be honest, I don't want to jump from one job to another. I need time to have a break. I need to rest and recouperate from an intense period of working. Besides, according to employee reviews on Glassdoor and things I found out in the interview, the company sounded very like a company I'd worked for previously, that I left after 6 months. I don't think I'd have lasted very long there anyway. I think I'm done with corporate retail, but I'll never say never.

In the afternoon, LB and I went out on the bus to a local fabric warehouse. I wanted to show it to her for future reference, as she's gradually getting into sewing. She'd also heard of it from some fellow students at Uni and was curious to see what it was like. I bought a few small pieces of fabric and some bits of haberdashery. I spent just £4, which was quite restrained for me. They do lots of lovely denims, viscoses and linens and I could happily have spent some money on them, but I didn't as I didn't have any specific projects in mind.  

When we got home, I chilled for a couple of hours. The builders next door finally left and peace descended at last. OH finished work early for the Bank Holiday weekend and we started watching an old movie (Gorky Park), until a builder in the house on the other side started sanding their floors at 5.30pm. OH messaged the owner who was away and the owner asked him to stop work, which he did, thankfully. 

On Saturday morning, I needed to do some cleaning in the house, as a couple of LB's friends were coming to stay overnight after attending a concert nearby. This took most of the day before I needed to get ready for work at 4pm. I had to get the bus to work, as OH needed the car. Luckily, I could catch a bus from the end of our street. 

Work was busy, which I was grateful for and passed quickly. It was my last shift. I was happy to leave, but I did feel a bit sad saying goodbye to a couple of people.  OH came to pick me up from work, which I was glad of. It felt strange to leave for the last time, but that's pretty normal I guess when you've gone to the same workplace for nearly two years.

I'm now looking forward to a rest, a new routine and getting more balance in my life. Things have been way too weighted towards working lately. I've got a few ideas of things I want to do in the next few months, so I'll let you know what I get up to. 

Counting Down W/E 16th August 2025

This week started with an 11 till 6 shift at work on Sunday. It was a slightly earlier start than usual. It wasn't too crazy busy for once, so we got to finish a bit early. I'm now counting down the shifts until I leave. I'm looking forward to taking some time for myself, to work on my health and fitness goals. Life has been crazy busy the last few months and I've neglected myself and done the minimum in terms of self care lately.

OH went to the allotment tonight to water and brought back a harvest of tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, which crossed a couple of things off this week's shopping list.

After supper he and I watched a couple of episodes of 1923. We're up to the last episode of series 1 now, and as series 2 is not yet available on Netflix, we're going to have to find something else to watch soon.  

On Monday, I woke quite early and got ready to head out of town to do the weekly shop. It was forecast to be a very hot day, so I put on a long loose cotton dress to keep me cool. I needed to be back for 2pm, as I was due at work for 4pm.

I didn't need too much today. Just the usual groceries and the odd small extra item, i.e. some vitamins I take daily. OH is really watching what he eats at the moment, so he's cutting out lots of things, including jam, so all the jars I've made will take a long time to use up, meaning there is no necessity to do any blackberry picking this year to make any more.

I did the shopping and then for a treat I went to the charity shop for a look around. I tried quite a few natural fabric items on, but none of them were nice enough that I wanted to buy them. I ended up coming out with a small item (for £1) for LB's bedroom makeover and I made a donation to the charity of another £1, which I always do. I also donated to the food bank again this week, but I might have to make my donation every other week instead of each week, once I'm not earning money again, sadly.

I chilled for a while when I got home before getting ready and heading into work. Work started off very quiet tonight. I had a bit of a chat to a colleague and found out about another incident involving the same person that upset me.  It reinforced to me that I had made the right decision to leave, as this instance was way worse. 

On Tuesday, it was glorious to wake up knowing that I didn't need to go to work. In fact, I ended up sleeping in until gone 9.30 am, after which I got up and got ready to go to the gym. I had a good workout session, but I was tired and couldn't stop yawning the whole time. On the way home from the gym, I popped into a local charity shop that I hadn't visited in a while, just for a mooch. 

Of course, I ended up buying a few things, i.e. a lovely pair of Barbour leather wedge/espadrille sandals that I'm intending to wear for my niece's wedding next year. I've already bought a brand new dress for £5 from a charity shop and these will go well with it, so I'm sorted. I also bought a pair of M&S trousers that were on the half price rail for £3.25 and two books that will keep me occupied when I leave work. Here's a picture of them:

This book is written by a qualified physiotherapist who has worked in the NHS and private practice. It cost £4, which is quite a lot for a book, but it's a thick one and I think I'll gain a lot more knowlege of the mobility issues facing older adults by reading it, in case I do decide to move into gym instructing in the future.

This embroidery book looks really interesting and has lots of transfer patterns that you can iron onto fabric and stitch, which is useful. I'm thinking that I could try to do some embroidery when I get some free time and there's some good ideas in here. It will be a great addition to my craft library. This cost £3.

When I got home, I had some lunch and boiled up some beetroot that we'd harvested from the allotment and then pickled it for use in salads. It made a couple of large jars, but I still have more to process. I hung out some laundry, so I have clothes for work later in the week and then I went to bed for a nap. Working 5 consequetive days, like I've been doing lately, leaves me quite tired and depleted, so an afternoon nap helps.

On Wednesday, I woke up knowing that I had a a full free day ahead of me.  Bliss. I wasn't intending to go to the gym, as I'd done that the day before. It kind of throws me when I get a completely free day, as they've been so rare lately. It's something that I need to get used to and I'm sure I will. There's so many things I want to do once I finish work. The whole house needs a clean, I've got lots of craft and sewing projects to do, I want to go out for regular walks and I may even add in the odd swim at our local baths. There's also the allotment to visit and our garden to potter in. I'm pretty sure I won't get bored. I'm looking forward to eating earlier in the evening. I'm sure eating after 10pm can't be good for my metabolism and creates issues with insulin and cortisol, which can cause weight gain around the middle at my age, so I'm hoping I might have a chance of shifting some weight when I get back into a normal daily routine.

On Thursday, I was back at the gym. I paid some bills and did some financial stuff when I got back. I'm doing okay with regard to spending this month. It just shows that when I really need to I can go back to my old frugal ways. I do have savings I can use if necessary. In fact, the way things are going at the moment with the Government's plans to tax savings more, I may as well spend some of it rather than let them get their hands on it.

Work tonight was okay. I was doing a different job for a change. One I've not done for a while and it was a quiet shift on this particular job.

Friday, I wasn't working until 5pm again, so I had a lie in and then got up. OH treated us to lunch out in a local restaurant, which made a nice change.  Work was fairly busy and passed without too much drama.

Saturday morning, I had a lazy morning at home. OH had volunteered to look after a neighbour's dog again, so we had a canine visitor which was very nice. He's a real sweetie. LB was at work today and messaged to say she'd made an error in the shop and not charged a customer enough for their shop. She was worried about what she should do and what her boss would say, but I told her just to tell them and be honest, as we all make mistakes. In the end she did and her boss was really good about it.

I had to go off to work later and it felt like a long shift. It was fairly busy again, but at least I had time to get the extra jobs I had to do done. I now have just one week's notice left to work and to be honest, I can't wait to leave now.

Having said that, it's been a strange week of gradually coming to terms with the idea of leaving work. At times I feel sad about it, but then at other times I'm excited to get my freedom back. I'll miss a few of my work colleagues, but I wouldn't call them friends and I know we won't keep in touch. We've rubbed along well over the last couple of years though. Some of them are very sweet and have been very supportive and helpful to me in this job and I appreciate them for that. I won't miss some of the customers though, especially the difficult ones. It's been an eye opener that's for sure, but I've seen enough and I'm looking forward to a different perspective on humanity.

A Week of Two Halves - W/E 9th August 2025

The second half of this week began in a more positive way. I was off work on Wednesday and could have a lie in reading and finish this book that I took on holiday.

It was a great book. The author, a botanist by profession, and an indigenous American by birth, writes beautifully about both subjects and tries show how we could combine scientific knowledge and indigenous wisdom to create a better world view, rebuild and sustain what is left of the world that we live in, after it has been ravaged for centuries by capitalism and greed. I loved reading about the indigenous wisdom and beliefs of not taking more than you need from the earth, giving back to the earth and being grateful for the bounties it bestows upon us. 

It was a fascinating read from start to finish and being a plant lover myself, I enjoyed learning about the different uses of the plants she describes in it and how they were used by her ancestors to feed, clothe and sustain their lives. It really brought into focus just how badly we treat our planet today and how ungrateful we are for the gifts it offers up to us. How greed and the never ending quest for more wealth, has decimated beautiful habitats and species and how we can learn a lot from plants to help us live in more harmony and with gratitude on our planet.

Anyway, after finishing the book I got up and ready and decided to put some laundry away and put some more in the machine, so that I had some work clothes for later in the week. I then did a bit of cleaning in the sewing room, as we are having a visitor to stay in a couple of weeks and I need to get the house into some sort of order.

After lunch, I did a bit of financial stuff, transferring some savings for the month, moving some savings around to avoid tax on interest and rounding up some savings in another account. I then hung out the laundry and went back to a bit doing more cleaning. It was nice just to be home and have time to catch up on jobs around the house. I applied for another job tonight, but I don't think I'll hear anything back. I just felt like I needed to get back on the job hunting wagon.

In the evening, OH was out cycling, so I got to catch up on three weeks worth of The Great British Sewing Bee episodes, which I enjoyed. We then watched one episode of 1923 before heading to bed.

On Thursday, I had a long lie in and read for a while, before getting up and getting ready for the day. After breakfast, I made another batch of jam, two large jars this time. There's still a couple of packs of berries left to process, but I made lots of space in the freezer and rearranged everything so it was more organised.

I was due at work in the evening, so I didn't get stuck into doing anything much before getting ready for work. I wasn't really looking forward to going back.  Something has shifted, either in me or the workplace, and it doesn't feel like a positive shift.  I'll just have to see how it goes.

Work was okay, as we seemed to have more staff on duty for once, but I'm still considering my options for the time being. I'll let you know if anything changes in the near future.

Friday, I got up and ready to go to the gym. I enjoyed my workout. I then did a bit of top up shopping for things we'd run out of, before stopping off in the local shop LB works in to say hello. I'd not seen her in the morning, as I'd gone out to the gym before she surfaced.

I then came home, had lunch, sorted some laundry and then got ready for work. I set off a little early, as I needed to put some petrol in the car and also pick up a few more groceries from the ASDA  store near work.

Work was busy, but not as intense as it has been lately, so we had time to get everything done and leave a bit early, which I was glad of.

Saturday morning, I had a lie in again and then eventually got up and ready. I was due at work for 3pm, so I spent the morning chilling and watching a bit of YouTube before having lunch and getting ready for work. 

Work was okay for the first time in weeks. It was quite busy, but not overwhelming. In spite of this, I decided to hand in my resignation at work today. It's time for a change and a new adventure. I need to work two weeks' notice, which will start from tomorrow. I do feel slightly anxious, as I really don't know if I'll ever find another job, especially when I'm fast approaching 60, but I'll just have to see what happens. Sometimes, you just have to go with your gut and I'm afraid that mine is currently telling me to get the hell out. 

Going forward, money will be tight, but maybe I need a challenge to make me be more careful and responsible with the money I do have. I hope I can find another job that I enjoy at some point, where I can achieve some kind of balance between work and personal life. I'll keep you updated with any progress.

It's been a difficult week and I did not anticipate this outcome when I returned from holiday last week. Sometimes, something happens that just changes everything and that something happened this week. It wasn't big or particularly dramatic, but it was enough to change my perspective on a job that I did once enjoy, but also had some reservations about. At least the events of the week helped me to finally make a decision and move on. I'm grateful for that.

Monthly Clothing Purchases - July

I intended to have a very low spend month on clothing and accessories this month, but unfortunately, it wasn't to be, as you might have guessed. In all honesty, part of the reason was our holiday and the fact that my favourite sandals came apart on the day of LB's graduation ceremony. I ended up having to wear her trainers, that I'd taken for her to change into.

Although I managed to glue the sandals back together, I wasn't confident that they would last the holiday and I ended up buying a new pair. These are the ones I bought, and I am very happy with them:

They lasted well on holiday and we walked up and down many cobbled streets. I'm pretty sure my old ones wouldn't have survived the rigour. They were super comfortable too and went with lots of my dresses and skirts, but I did spend £23 on them, which was quite an outlay for me, as my previous favourites had cost £5 new from the charity shop.

In addition to this major purchase, I did also buy a few things from the ASOS sample sale in July, which were bought with the intention of taking them on holiday, but some things didn't arrive in time and others I chose not to take in the end.

I bought this striped top for £3, which is very cute, but sadly it is a bit too cropped and I didn't realise that it was made from a synthetic fabric, so I ended up not taking it. I will probably donate this.

 

I also bought these cotton espadrilles for £5, but they are a bit snug and I didn't want to risk getting blisters, so I've got them on shoe stretchers at the moment and I'm hoping they will stretch a little and be more wearable. It's always a gamble with these type of shoes. If they are too loose you walk out of them, if too tight they are unwearable and unfortunately these were the latter.

The items that didn't arrive in time were this one shoulder swimming costume 

which cost £2 and this cotton poplin leopard print blouse which cost £3

I also bought a swimming costume for LB for £2, but she didn't like it so I will keep this for myself.

At the beginning of the month, I also visited my favourite charity shop and came away with a few items. The first was an absolute steal for £1.

This linen/cotton dress is from Next and is a very pretty print and style. It is a bit low cut for me though, so I bought a royal blue cotton vest for £2 to wear underneath it. I didn't take them on holiday, but I am hoping to wear them now I'm home.

I also bought this lovely polycotton beach dress, made from an African design fabric, which cost £5. I do have a bikini top that is one shouldered and this dress is so light and airy that I thought it would be ideal to wear around the pool, which it was. It is so colourful too. I love it.

The only other items of clothing I bought this month were this black sleeveless tiered dress, that I bought from work for £10 in the sale. It is 100% cotton and I did intend to take it on holiday, but I took a couple of other favourite dresses instead, neither of which I wore. I have worn it since I got home and I love it as it is long and floaty. Great for days when you just want to wear something loose.

Finally, I bought this pair of viscose shorts on holiday from a small boutique. 

They were useful to wear around the pool, as I don't have many pairs of shorts, so for 8 euros they were quite a good price and will be useful for future holidays.

In total, I spent £61.29, which was more than I intended. I did get some bargains though and hopefully most items will get worn.  If I don't think that they will, for whatever reason, they will be donated, as very few of them cost more than a few pounds.

Next month, I'm hoping to do better, especially with no holiday on the horizon, to lure me into purchases. In addition, with my uncertainty about work, I'm not looking to spend money I don't need to. We'll just have to see what happens.