catching up....

So I have fallen into the trap most bloggers succumb to- blog lapsing. I set up my shiny new blog, full of commitment and shiny new starts and what do I do? Get caught up with work, worries and nonsense! Never mind, I'm here now, two weeks off work, some sleep in the bank and good intentions restored. So just because I've dismally failed to post doesn't mean I haven't been busy! July started well on the frugal foraging for beautiful things front. Firstly, check out my homemade pizza! total cost £2.50 for two pizzas, when shop bought come to over £5 each that is a pretty good saving and whoa did they taste good.

                                 

My second frugal victory for July was rescuing and repurposing an old chest of drawers from somebody's front garden- thank you kind person! I painted the whole thing in white and pink weather proof paint and made one perfect little potting bench. Something I have been battling with my spending demons to buy for over a year. I now have a beautiful specimen for less than £10! 

                                    

Third, I have hundreds upon hundreds of glass Dowe Egberts coffee jars left over from my wedding last year. I am still pondering how to use them all but I came up with these lovely washi tape covered votives in my head. What's more, Eiffel Tower washi tape has just arrived (small lapse) so who knows what I can find to do with that - post holiday August project methinks! 

                                    

Ok, confession time! Despite huge progress this month I did have a pretty serious wobble which resulted in me crashing off the frugal wagon. The culprit? Books. I love them. And I am off on holiday. So I went a little nuts! But tant pis! I will have a super duper book blog next and I am back on my book buying ban until Christmas. Punishment (and brilliant frugal project for August) is to dust off my library card and see how many of the books from my perpetually growing lust list I can find. 

Frugal Fille starts her journey....

This is blog designed to be a motivational crutch by dint of year long experiment with myself. It is also an escape and a space for me to do something which I love, but don't do half enough, and that is write. On all these fronts this is an exercise in building willpower and personal strength.

I am a girl who loves things. Lots of things, shiny things, pretty things, unusual things, well designed things, gadgety things, structural things, crafty things, yummy things. Life is full of a million, billion, trillion beautiful and wonderful things.  Problem is, I want them all. The bigger problem is that this costs money. Lots of it. My magpie ways have landed me in financial dire straits. The irony is my love of the unusual and quirky things in life, the things that break the mould and make you feel free, have left me shackled and oppressed by our wonderful 'system'. I've played right into the hands of the capitalist dream. Without realising it, and in a kind of spendthrift sleepwalk I have become an A* child of consumer culture completely counter to any value or belief set I hold dear.

This has to stop. Things have to change. They have to stop now. I am an intelligent, politically active young woman and my bubble has burst. I want to do things differently. I need to do things differently. I won't let money and, ultimately other people's agendas control my life any longer.

This blog will chart my transition from frivolous, frantic, frenetic spending in search of the elusive ultimate thing of beauty and perfection, to a more frugal way of living that slows down to appreciate the simpler things in life.

I will set myself a 'budget for beautiful things' of £15 (come on, a spendaholic needs some outlet!) the rest must be begged, borrowed, grown or lovingly made. I have a plan to be debt free within 36 months. Can I do it? Who knows? But I plan to have fun trying. I will keep you posted on how far I can stretch my beauty budget and how much I can do for free. This blog will be a collection of tales of the things, people and ideas I discover along the way.



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