This year I want to be a lot more accountable when it comes to what I buy and what I'm spending my money on. Which is where this month's money diary comes into play.
Over the past year or so I feel like I've been a lot better at cutting down on my unnecessary spending (expect a separate blog post on that soon). And I'm hoping that 2020 is the year where a lot less purchases make their way into my life.
There are some unavoidable expenses every month such as train tickets, digs and food shopping. But what I'm focusing on here is my disposable income, aka. what I want versus what I need.
So here's my money diary of what I spent in, what just might be the longest month of the year, money-wise; January;
Fashion
George At Asda Black Padded Longline Packable Coat (£26)
First up we have a rather practical purchase. I have a puffer style jacket, which sadly doesn't have a hood (I totally bought it because it had a little Hello Kitty embroidered onto it, which might have been an impulse buy), so I have to wear a hoodie under it. And when you're going from shops and trains where the heating is blasting back out into the cold, it can actually make me feel a bit nauseous and lightheaded. So I'm hoping that a lighter coat, with layers underneath, will combat that.
What really sold this particular padded coat to me was the fact that it can roll up into a tiny little bag, meaning I can easily take it with me on days when it looks like it might rain. Or I can pack it away when I get too warm.
Skinnydip Penelope Tote Bag (£32 - bought for £24 with 25% discount code)
And now a not so practical purchase. I've been admiring this bag for well over a year now and decided to finally hit buy when Skinnydip had 25% off their whole site to celebrate their birthday. I'm already looking forward to toting this about with me in the warmer months.
Total £50
Beauty
Glow Recipe Banana Soufflé Moisture Cream (£36 - bought for £28.80 with 20% off Cult Beauty skincare discount code)
I've got what might be my last big beauty haul for a while, plus more about how I'm hoping to do a beauty no-buy for most of 2020, in a blog post going live next weekend. But I made a few purchases at the start of January to hopefully keep me going until much later in the year.
This sounded like my dream moisturiser and it has definitely lived up to the hype so far. More on that next week.
Thank You Farmer Sun Project Water Sun Cream SPF50 (£18 - bought for £14.40 with 20% off Cult Beauty skincare discount code)
After seeing Kate La Vie include this in her 2019 favourites, I had to give this SPF a try. Who else is aiming to wear SPF every day this year?
Sol de Janeiro Bum Bum Jet Set (£24 - bought for £9 with n.dulge points)
And last but not least I had some Space NK n.dulge points which were set to expire so I picked up this little travel set from Sol de Janeiro.
Later in the year I'm off to Florida and New York and I wanted to pair a fragrance with that trip. So that every time I smell it, I'll be taken back to that holiday. And I adore the Bum Bum scent so having it in fragrance mist form in this set completely sold me on it. Plus it never hurts to have another little clear travel bag either.
I regularly use n.dulge points to knock money off my beauty purchases at Space NK.
Total £52.20
SHOP THE POST
Entertainment
Call Me By Your Own Name by Andre Aciman (£2.50 in the Fopp 2 for £5 deal)
First of all, if you're a reader and have a Fopp store near you, their books are an absolute steal! 2 for £5 when they're normally £7+ each anywhere else. Even though books are now my vice when it comes to shopping, buying them from Fopp makes it so much more affordable.
I've had this on my to be read list for a while so I couldn't resist picking it up.
Calypso by David Sedaris (£2.50 in the Fopp 2 for £5 deal)
And if you saw my 2020 Reading List blog post, you will know that Anna from The Anna Edit totally inspired this purchase.
Total £5
Food
It was my goal to not to eat out in January to hopefully counterbalance the amount of food I consumed over Christmas and New Year. And apart from one family takeaway, which I didn't pay for anyway, I managed to make all my meals at home!
I wonder if I'll be able to keep this up in next month's money diary.
Total £0
Miscellaneous
Lyrical Host Domain Renewal (£11.49)
I can't sing the praises of Lyrical Host enough. But as my domain renewal was almost double that price with Godaddy (who I previously used and autorenewed with every year), I was happy to switch that over to Lyrical too. If you haven't already realised the wonder that is Lyrical Host, you can get 10% off any WordPress plan, domain or order with the code ELLISTUESDAY.
Primark Leaf Print Flat Sheet (£6.50)
I couldn't resist a leaf print flat sheet to match my next leaf print duvet set. Plus, normally when I see something I like in Primark but don't buy it straight away, it then vanishes from every Primark store known to man. So I didn't feel too bad about buying something that I've used every night since.
Paperchase Christmas Cards (90p x 2)
Instead of spending a silly amount on cards and wrapping paper right before Christmas, I took advantage of the 70% off Paperchase sale and stocked up on both.
Paperchase Christmas Wrapping Paper (£1.10 x 2)
Christmas wrapping paper, also sorted for later this year!
Post Office Small Parcel Postage (£9)
I sold a few things on Depop in January (I'm @ellistuesday on there too) so had to make a few trips to the Post Office. £3 for a small parcel isn't that bad but the PayPal and Depop fees definitely make a dent in any profit.
Total £30.99
January Total £138.49
So that's my money diary for January.
What do you mainly spend your disposable income on? Do you have any tips for saving money? And would you like to see a money diary from me every month/every few months?
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