Spending Ban | Christmas Edition

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So back in January when I first started my blog (I cant believe its coming up to a year!!) I put myself on a spending ban to help get on an even keel at the beginning of the year. January is a horrendous month mainly because I get paid pre-NYE so most of my money is gone by approximately 00.02am. But also because there are sales here there and everywhere which are too bloody good to pass by. So this year I'm taking a different tact, I'm going to do a pre-Christmas spending ban between now and Boxing Day!

Of course this is going to a personal ban so I'm still allowed to buy Christmas presents...although I could save a whole load of money cancelling Christmas but I'm no Scrooge! 

So the rules are as follows....

1. I can only buy essentials, such as deodorant, toothpaste, shower gel etc and only if I have no back ups
2. No magazines
3. No new clothes (apart from one Christmas party outfit)
4. No make-up or skincare
5. No unnecessary lunches/dinners/coffee shop trips (I'll miss you Costa!!) 
6. No iTunes purchases 

Hopefully this will not only save a few pennies ready for my March adventure but will also help my family buy gifts for me as at the moment I just buy whatever it is that I fancy, making it super difficult to buy for!

So here we go, only 52 days to go.....

Oh damn, 52 is a lot of days :(

Daydreaming about Decor

I'd bet my last Babybel (yes I adore them!) that I'm not the only one that has gazed in wonder at Pinterest's Home Decor section, am I right or am I right? I'm not going to lie, home decor is not one of my strong points, I always have an idea of how I want things to look in my head but find it difficult to translate into real life. At the moment I'm quite thankful that I only have my bedroom to contend with as I still for the moment live at home with my parents. I'd love my bedroom to have a minimalistic vibe about it but I just love knick knacks too much, I've got decorative candles on every ledge, yes decorative - god forbid I was to light them. Whenever I'm out shopping and see something cute that would match my room I just have to pick it up without even giving it a thought as to where it would go or what I would do with it! 

When I do move out I would like to take a slow approach to decorating, as otherwise I'd be like a bull in a china shop and it would be total mish mash as there are so many different styles that I like! The plan is that I'll be moving in with my boyfriend who recently brought a flat which is currently a total blank canvas which definitely needs some girly home touches, I've already dabbled a little by buying Allan his first candle - which of course hasn't been lit yet ;)

I just love the white minimal look with adding a little dash of colour, especially in the bedroom above, purple is my favourite colour so this is definitely something I'd love to recreate! Owning a cute colour Smeg fridge is on my bucket list, and the way it fits into a white kitchen is just adorable. For now though I'll have to stick to daydreaming and pinning away to my hearts content! 

Dont forget to check out my Pinterest boards here, and leave

your link too - I love to waste spend hours

endlessly searching. 

101 Things in 1001 Days - Update

Its been 8 and a half months since I first wrote up my 101 things in 1001 days which if you didn't catch it you can read it here. I didn't think I'd chosen very difficult things to achieve as I want to make it more realistic to complete but true to Kelly form I haven't managed to tick off very many, a mere 11 to be precise! One of which I managed to complete this month. 

During my recent holiday to Greece I managed to tick one item off the list Read 12 books in 12 months. Thannks to it being the most relaxing holiday I've had in a long time I was able to read 7 books in 10 days! Yes by far my biggest achievement in my reading history! This smashed my target and I've managed 17 with 3 months left to go! 

In October I am going to make a conscious effort to tick things off and write about them as I go. One I'm really keen to complete is number 72 Complete something crafty once a month for 6 months. I think this will be really fun and I'd be able to show you guys what I got up to! 

Do you have a bucket list your working on at the moment? Is there anything you'd love 

to do in the next few months? Are there any crafty ideas you 

think I should try?

I ❤ Sundays #3

Whilst you read this I'll be in London with Allan taking in the sights and no doubt doing a bit of cheeky shopping! Way back at Christmas I got Allan a meal at Marco Pieere Whites Steakhouse but we've not yet found the time to book it with all of Allan's uni work! We finally managed to get a free weekend and booked it in for this evening, along with a stay at Qubic! It looks like a really funky hotel, so its safe to say we are both looking forward to a little break! 

Other than that this week has been pretty uneventful, apart from a few late nights at work *sadface* but a three day weekend will make it all worth it! In the evenings I've been burning my new wax tarts like they are going out of fashion! They really pick me up after a long day, you can see my Yankee Candle haul here.

Next week promises to be a lot more exciting as I have a few dinners booked in as well as a wedding reception on Friday evening which will really lovely. Keep a look out for a post on our little trip to London and also a challenge that includes my two favourite things, make-up and shopping!   

Dont forget to come say hi on Instagram! 

The Reading Habits Tag

In the past few months I have most definitely got back into reading, which I didnt think would ever happen. Up until I was about 15 I was the biggest book worm going, I loved reading and would choose it over doing anything else, mainly because I shared a room with my younger sister and she watched rubbish TV. Then I discovered social media and the internet and it all went down hill from there. I'm now making time to read, mostly on my lunch breaks at work and in the evenings before bed. I saw Hayley from Water Painted Dreams had taken part in a great tag and I couldn't help but join in! 

1. Do you have a certain place at home where you read?

Always in my bed, its my favourite place.

2. Bookmark or random piece of paper? 

You know when your in the fragrance department and you squirt the perfume on a bit of paper? 

Well currently I have one of those as my bookmark. I've been known to have

 a train ticket and even a bit of tissue as my bookmark in the past! 

3. Can you just stop reading or do you have to stop after a chapter or a certain number of pages?

I haven't really noticed before but generally I'll read until the end of the chapter or at a suitable stopping point. 

4. Do you eat or drink when reading? 

I love a cup of tea and a book so I'm okay with that but add food into the mix and it gets complicated. Eating just takes my focus away from the book. 

 5. Do you watch TV or listen to music whilst reading?

I dont mind it low in the background but I find if I zone in one word or sentence I lose focus in the book and pay more attention to whats on the TV.

6. One book at a time or several at once?

It depends how I'm getting on with the book. I have a couple I'm a mid way through as they got a bit heavy going so I switched to something a bit more light-hearted. I will eventually go back to them but I'll never actively read more than one book at one time. 

7. Reading at home or everywhere?

9/10 I have a book on me so I'm ready to read a chapter here or there if I have a spare moment. I kind of wish I had to use public transport so I had time to read on my commute. My sister however will read whilst walking to work !

8. Reading out loud or silently in your head? 

Always in my head, its too time consuming to read aloud. 

9. Do you read head or skip pages?

If you skipped pages you might miss out on something important! Although I do sometimes skim read certain sections if I'm getting impatient and want to get to the nitty gritty of a story line. 

10. Breaking the spine or keeping it new?

I'm totally torn on this question. I always keep my books in pristine condition, to the point where people may question whether I'd actually read any of my collection! I do think that books with broken spines do look well loved. 

11. Do you write in your books?

Nope never have. 

12. What are you currently reading? 

I've just recently started Peach Blossom Pavilion by Mingmei Yip and so far so good. Its a very interesting story about a Chinese prostitution house in the 1910's from the point of view of a young girl who was unknowingly sent to live in 'Peach Blossom Pavilion'. 

I ❤ Sundays #2

Tea is always the answer - New book - Friday - Left over pizza - I won!
- Saturday breakfast - Costa & Bloglovin session - Bills is coming to my town! - Made it to the gym

This week it feels like all I have done it eat! Although you probably cant tell that from my pictures, I'm pretty crappy at taking food pics, I'm far too greedy and get stuck in before I even cast a thought to getting a snap! On Tuesday I went out for dinner with my mum, sister and nan to celebrate my mum bagging herself a new job! I know she has been very apprehensive trying to find a new job after being in her current one for 14 years so I'm so proud! On Thursday Allan treated my to a trip to Zizzi's after he managed to get a tax rebate - why doesn't that happen to me! I got a bit dough happy, we had garlic bread and I opted for massive pizza which of course I couldn't manage so took the rest home for lunch on Friday. 

At the end of the week we had our quarterly awards at work, as I've mentioned before our awards are work are a pretty big deal. We all attend the local golf club and there's an award ceremony, I wasn't expecting it at all, but I won an award! I was very shocked as this quarter (well this year really) has been testing me a lot, but it does make me feel that the blood sweat and tears are all worth it. The prize is Luxury Power Boat Day or you can opt for vouchers. I think I'm going to take the vouchers so I can stock up on holiday clothes ready for our holiday at the end of August. 

As its was my dads birthday on Friday we went out again to Bella Italia which was really nice, I love spending time with my family and Allan, it makes me smile as they get on so well. Although me and my sister was getting quite bored with all the football talk - thank god that's over after tonight! 

If you read last weeks first I ❤ Sundays post you will know that I made it my aim to make it to the gym. Well after lots of different excuses stopping me going during the week I finally donned my trainers and headed to the gym this morning! It was so hot that I don't think I've ever sweat that much, but damn it felt good! Leaving the gym I stuck on the radio and blared Kisstory singing along to Destiny's Child, I definitely felt better after that work out! Maybe next week I'll be able to make a few more trips, as I love the after gym feeling - its just finding the motivation to go in the first place! 

Sorry about the ramble guys, I just love nattering away - I'm kind of a chatter box and it always translates into my posts, which I say is a good thing :) 

What have you been up to this week?