At the start of 2020 I planned on doing a money diary each month. Or at least every alternate month, to show what I've spent. And then the shitshow that is 2020 happened. If you missed my three 2020 money diaries so far, you'll find them here.
Since my last lockdown money diary, I've dedicated more of my spending towards actual essentials and necessities. Like a super long coat for what will soon be freezing cold daily walks. And comfy daytime/nightime bras since I've not worn a proper underwired bra since about February.
As always, I try to never pay full price for anything that I buy, if I can help it. And I took advantage of quite a few online discount codes to save on my latest lockdown purchases. I also made a start to my Christmas shopping but I won't be sharing those buys/what I've spent on them for obvious reasons.
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But here's what I've spent in the last month or so;
Fashion
Monki Burgundy Long Puffer Coat (£95 - £80.75 with 15% off newsletter signup code)
If you saw my January 'what I've spent' money diary, you will know that I bought my very first longline padded coat this year. And I haven't really had it off since then. But now that it's getting so much colder, I wanted to invest in a super long puffer coat that practically touched my ankles. And that's exactly what I found with this one from Monki. I went for my favourite A/W colour; burgundy. But it also comes in black, dark brown, khaki and beige. It really is like wearing a duvet outside. But in the best possible way. I have never been so warm and cosy wrapped up in a coat. In terms of what I've spent, this is definitely an investment piece.
Wednesday's Child Padded Jacket in Heart Print (£40 - £36 with ASOS 10% off code)
Slightly less practical for Winter. But something that I can't wait to wear in spring, is this short padded jacket from Wednesday's Girl at ASOS. I actually saw it on Joanna from The Home Edit on Instagram. And I had been waiting for it to come back into stock on ASOS ever since. It is a lot more cropped than I'm used to. But I couldn't resist the gorgeous cream and black heart print.
New Look Brown Leopard Soft Touch Pyjama Set (£18.99 - £8 with £10.99 credit note)
I bought this exact pair of pyjamas from New Look last year in a smaller leopard print and a black and white heart print. And I pretty much lived in them during the colder months. So when I saw that they had brought them out again this year and in new prints, I obviously had to pick up some. This is such a gorgeous leopard/animal print and they really are so soft to the touch. However, they do lose some of that softness as you wear and wash them. But they fit great and definitely keep me warm in the winter.
New Look Black Star Soft Touch Pyjama Set (£18.99 - £14.24 with 25% off New Look code)
These only landed on the New Look site at the start of November but I quickly added them to my bag. And I am so happy with these too. If you're looking for an affordable pair of pyjamas that you can buy online (gone are the days of browsing the Primark pj aisles for me). I would seriously recommend checking out New Look's selection.
New Look Rib Seamless Crop in Pastel Blue, Black & Pale Pink (£8.99 x 6 or £43.20 (£7.20 x 6) with ASOS 20% off code)
Speaking of New Look. When I saw these on ASOS (even though they don't seem to be available at New Look online or in-store), I had to order a few. And I'm a big fan of these for wearing around the house or in bed. They do come with removable padding, which means that they're a lot comfier without it. But I like the option of being able to keep it in or remove it. Overall, I've been really impressed, so much so that I picked up six in total. And the regular 20% off ASOS codes have made it feel a bit better, in terms of what I've spent. I did order the white option. But for some reason the material was slightly too stretchy on them, making them all really baggy, if you're also thinking of ordering.
Total £182.19
Beauty
Mark Hill Limited Edition Dalmatian Print Hairdryer (£34.99 - £29.75 in the Boots 15% off deal)
I've been looking to upgrade my old hairdryer for a while now. And when I saw this one I honestly felt like it had been made for me and so many others who are rather obsessed with dalmatian print. I've been putting it to the test for a couple of weeks now. And it does exactly what you'd expect a good hairdryer to do, whilst also looking incredible. It's also in the Boots Christmas 3 for 2, if you're shopping for gifts from there. And I'm so happy that I bought it.
Dr Jart+ All Thanks To Cera Set (£31 - £24.80 with ASOS 20% off code)
Dr Jart+'s Ceramidin is hyped up for a reason, which is why this is such a brilliant gift set. And when you consider that the full size tube of Ceramidin, which is included in this set, is £35.50. You'll understand why I had to add it to my ASOS order when they had 20% off one night. That made it an incredible deal. Particularly when you also get a full size sheet mask and two travel sizes to round out the set. You'll definitely see this set appear in my The Top 10 Beauty Gift Sets Christmas gift guide at the start of December.
Total £54.55
Lifestyle
H&M Home Storage Basket With Pompoms (£14.99)
As you may have noticed if you saw my September What I've Been Watching blog post. I, like many, have become a big fan of The Home Edit. Couple that with me spending nearly all of my time at home. And I have really enjoyed completely reorganising my bedroom. But there were a few things that didn't have a place, even after clearing out a lot of space in my wardrobe and drawers. I spotted this storage basket whilst I was wasting some time before an Invisalign appointment (more on that below). And I'm so glad that I grabbed it. It now houses a cosy blanket, my dressing gown and the current pair of cosy socks that I've been wearing that day.
Habitat Otis Black & White Spot Set of 3 Storage Trunks (£20 - £19.99 with 25% off as postage is £4.95)
There were still a few miscellaneous items cluttering my floor/the top of my chest of drawers, so I also bought this set of three storage boxes from Habitat. Firstly the print is adorable and goes with some of the other dalmatian/spot print items in my room. And now my room is basically clutter-free. The biggest box stores my new hairdryer, my ghds, my Tangle Teezer Compact and Wet Brush. The middle sized box stores an array of beauty products. And the smallest box stores my stash of multivitamin gummies and other medications.
Total £34.98
Miscellaneous
Fitbit Inspire 2 Unisex Smart Watch in White (£90 - £22 with ASOS 20% off & £50 gift card)
A few months ago I won Melis's Instagram giveaway of a £50 ASOS gift card and Carte Noire coffee. And for months I've been wondering what to spend it on. After weeks of trawling through the ASOS New In section, I knew exactly what to do when I saw the release of the new Fitbit Inspire 2.
With the gift card and the 20% off code ASOS were doing, I got it for £22, which was too good a deal to not buy it. As I've been going out for a walk for at least an hour a day, it's really nice to track my steps without having to take my phone out with me. It's also been nice to wear a watch again, as I really am trying to keep off my phone as much as I possibly can throughout the day.
Accessorize Embroidered Polka Dot Face Covering with Bag (£8 - £6 with Accessorize 20% off code)
At the start of lockdown I bought my favourite face mask (who would ever imagine that we would be talking about that) from Accessorize. They've added loads to their range and I simply had to get one to match my new burgundy coat. Plus, it comes with its own bag, meaning that it won't get as tangled up/lost as it often does in my bag.
Invisalign appointment (£10 PPE charge)
If you've been reading Ellis Tuesday for a long time you might remember that I got Invisalign a few years ago. Well once you finish up Invisalign treatment you have almost what I would describe as a year's warranty. If anything changes teeth/bite-wise during that year, you are covered. And annoyingly one of my wisdom teeth, that wasn't covered by the clear aligner at the back had come down further than the rest of my teeth, meaning that my bite had changed.
At the end of 2019 we tried a few different things to move the wisdom tooth back up. But they didn't make a huge difference. So, in February I had moulds taken for some further refinement; 'Invisalign talk for additional trays'. Then the pandemic happened. They were finally able to start seeing patients at the end of September. So I got some attachments applied to my teeth and was given my eight new trays. I'm currently on tray 4 of 8 and all things being well, I'll be finished refinement the week before Christmas. Cross your fingers for me!
Hygienist appointment (£40)
Having not had my six monthly NHS dental appointment/scale and polish, I had noticed that my gums were getting pretty inflamed. My NHS dentist still isn't opened for anything other than emergencies. But they could slot me in if I went to see the hygienist, since I needed a more intense scale and polish anyway. After phoning, I got a cancellation, which meant that my appointment was the very next day. In terms of what I've spent, £40 felt pretty reasonable given the current circumstances. And my teeth and gums have been all the happier ever since.
Total £78
Lockdown Total (Part 3) £349.72
So there's what I've spent recently. As I say, this money diary has been much more about the essentials than treating myself to things I won't be using for a while (see part 2 for that). Hopefully my next money diary, sharing what I've spent, will now be in 2021. Surely next year has got to be better than this one?
What have you been buying recently? Have you made a start to your Christmas shopping? And how has lockdown impacted your usual appointments, etc.?
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