I has gones aways...

Dress- H&M

Cardigan- Topshop

Belt- Vintage

Necklace- Topshop

Please excuse the horrendous picture quality and the lack of blog posts. Picture was taken in basic darkness and I've been a bit gloomy lately and have literally been wearing leggings and jumpers when I'm not in my work clothes so not very interesting. 

I went to the city with Jay and his brother Joe to get a bag for uni (for Jay) and to go to bank to finally change all my addresses so I am now officially a citizen of England. Scary. 

I wore my H&M tshirt dress because I just wanted to be comfy and i also hadnt worn it since i got it about a month ago (woops). The cardigan is one I got yonks ago on uniform from work and of course my trusty VANS.

Not much to catch up on on my life to be honest, it just seems to be work...gym...home...work...gym...home or sometimes even work...home. 

Not got such an exciting life since I stopped being a student and seem to have less money too, how does that work? Anybody else found that since leaving education you seem to be more skint than when you were living the "poor student" life. 

Oh my this post sounds depressing and I'm sorry.

BUT

Gaaaaaah look at this puppy that I was cuddling outside the vet today, the lady had 6 of them, a litter cocker spaniels just about ready to be taken home by a new mamma and I so nearly stole one. I think I gave every single one of the pups a cuddle before Jay dragged me away. 

I named him Fred. He looks like a Fred if you ask me.

All in all not much has changed in Amber land but in the next few months I think they're may be some changes, the good kind, coming my way... I can feel it HA.

My mum and dad are down next week so I am sooo excited to see them. I hate being so far away but I love my new city so I suppose it's swings and round abouts really. I've got a whole week of work to go and stay with my parents so that will be bliss and save me a bit if money on bus fares and petrol. 

Also, my sister moved back from holland today so I might actually get to talk to her more or maybe... Maybe actually see her for the first time since April, although by the time I next get back up to Scotland it will probably be a while away. Le sigh. 

Any way folks my dinners a cookin' And I've got a good gymathon to get through tonight, actually that's a point... Does anyone know of any good, quite cheap gym gear that I could buy?

What A Lovely Bunch Of Pineapples

Dress-H&M

Shoes- Converse

Bag- Mulberry

Necklace- Topshop

Listening Too- Owl City- Good Time 

Just a quick post today as I don't know where today has gone and I still have so much to do before I go back to work tomorrow. Euch. 

This is what I wore on Sunday when Jay and I had a wee date day, I love date days it's time spent just the two of us and we always have so much fun. This time we decided to go to a petting zoo sort of place that's a barn conversion and has little craft shops and...CRAZY GOLF. We had a wander round the adorable little shops, there was all sorts like wood craft shops, homemade ale shops and my favourite was a shop with all sorts of jams, chutneys and lots homemade niceness. We ended up getting Jays dad a really lovely hamper for his birthday. We got to pick everything that went into it so we got lots of his favourite goodies for a good olde cheese and biscuit feast.

Anyway... We then went mini golfing which I absolutely love, if I see one I have to have a go. Sadly I lost BUT I did get a hole in one on my first shot...yes first shot...all went downhill from there unfortunately. We had so much fun though and the weather was just perfect for a day outside.

I was originally wearing a blue dress from whistles but decided it just didn't fit right so returned it that afternoon when we got back. I got this dress however from H&M ages ago and it still had its sale ticket on it (£5 bargain!!!) I absolutely love t and wish I had worn it more, well worn it at all since I got it. It is so comfy and fits me really well (as in big). I couldn't go mini golfing in the sunshine without my silver converse obviously. I just can't get enough of these and my VANS, if only I could wear them to work, le sigh.

So guys... Today I joined the gym. Yeah you read right I joined a gym. About time if you ask me. 

Any good cheap ideas I could use for date days? I love them but they can end up quite pricey. 

So Many Different Dogs

Dress- Topshop via eBay

Shirt- Topshop (old)

Necklace- Topshop

Shoes- Vans

Watching- Olymipics

Hey guys and gals

Had a nice wee early finish from work today so thought i would do a quick post before I get everything ready for work tomorrow. 

I wore this the other day to go out for lunch to a Chinese tapas-esque place. It is an amazing restaurant and the food is so well priced. 

I went for something comfy to allow space to be a super fully tummy without feeling extra large  against a tight belt or as I did last time...disco pants... By the end of the meal I felt like I was going to burst out of the trousers. Not a good look.

I also wore my steeds, the vans. Probably could of done  without the polka dot socks but I don't like not wearing socks for some reason, I even wear them with pumps...yes I do.

I have had so much use out of this denim shirt, I absolutely love it and it's a good 2 years old. Also getting a lot of use from this spike necklace, I reckon I've worn it about 4 times and I've only had it about a week or so.  

For some reason different dogs always seem to creep into my blog posts... This is Alfie, Jays dog, then there is Harry my god-dog (yes that's right he is my god son) and then there is my own doggy, Chancer who is almost always hanging around on my Instagram somewhere (@ambrissa)

I am definitely a dog person, I just love love love them and miss my wee Chancer and wee Harry a lot since ive moved. It breaks my heart when I think about some animals that aren't the treated nicely, saw a man the other day dragging his dog by the collar I banged on the staff room window but he took absolutely no notice. Dogs are so loyal and it's just horrible when people take advantage of that. 

Anyway on a lighter note... I need some fresh ideas for the old blog, any ideas welcome!!

    

Splurging Ban...we can try

Hey guys,

This will be a pretty text heavy post but I have my reasons. I...yes I... Amber... Is going on a splurging ban. I am so sick of being paid then 3 days later being flat broke again, it's completely pointless so instead of just moaning about it I will do something about it...or try to. 

There are so many ways to get your shopping fix without spending s fortune and getting sore feet running round the city.

I am a fond lover of bargains and am a self confessed eBay junkie, who isn't? Right?

So this post is to point you in the right direction of some of my favourite money saving ways without even leaving your house, starting just from that, put your hands up if your guilty of a few packets of crisps, coffees and sweet treats while your shopping? there's some money saving right there. I always take a bottle of water and crips when I go shopping (I am a serious grazer and could spent a fortune just on snacks) that's £5 odd saved and I've barely even begun my spiel. 

eBay

I feel I have to start with the ultimate online outlet, eBay, you can find anything on there as myself and my boyfriend found out one night as we searched all kinds of things in eBay, it's actually disturbing what you can find, ANYWAY, it really is an amazing portal for both buying and selling to not only save money but earn it too.

What I usually do when shopping online is if I see something I absolutely cannot live without I try to find it or a similar dupe over eBay and the chances are there is usually something that catches me eye and could save me a fortune. Here are some posts were I have used eBay to get exactly what I wanted for a fraction of the price (shows my eBay junkie-ness too) these collar clips and belt, this necklace, this necklace, this dress and so many other bargains that can be seen in almost every post n my blog. I also recently received these collar clips from HK and they only took about 6 days to arrive which is incredible. 

Word of warning though when using eBay... DO NOT TRUST EVERYONE  you may be the most trusting person ever but if something seems to good to be true "oh my god Chanel purse for £25, I must have it" it probably is. Make sure you are very careful ordering high end goods, this includes makeup. I have ordered a few MAC items from eBay which have been absolutely fine but if someone says they got a Mulberry handbag as a gift and just didn't want it then something is up. Always be careful and use your own discretion when using eBay it can be an absolute wander for your bank account so be careful and keep it that way. Always check customer feedback. 

fashionvouchers.com

This site is amazing to find little voucher codes for some of the best high street and high end stores... They have voucher codes for stores like Evans to Karen Millen, and they currently have a voucher code for 10% off UrbanOutfitters which I may have a wee use of later. Voucher sites really do make such a difference, there may be a code for free postage or 15% off something which may not sound like much but it means £4 possibly £6 staying in my own pocket, I would much rather it there. Wouldn't you?

Other sites similar to this are moneysavingexpert, a great site for getting all the upcoming sales, voucher codes and money saving advice. Others I have come across are vouchercodes.com, myvouchercodes.com and also hotukdeals.com these are all great websites you can check out for completing a purchase online, you would be amazed what you can find with just a little research.

amazon.co.uk

Very similar to eBay, Amazon offers many great deals online, maybe not so fashion heavy as eBay but you can certainly get a bargain on your newest sunglasses or summer nail polishes, it is definitely worth a look before you go direct to the supplier websites, you can find all sorts from hair products to the current season of RayBans.

whatsinmyhandbag.com

This is another great website where I received a voucher code for free samples of a few REN products only to find the website already had a give away live so I purchased a few musling cloths for £5 and received 6 miniatures and 4 travel sizes.

AMAZING

Another one of those websites that really is worth a good old peek at before you buy anything online. You could be missing out on something awesome.

The Outnet

For all those high end folks the Outnet is the most amazing designer outlet. They have everything from Mulberry to Marc Jacobs who could resist? YOU CAN! No in all seriousness if your in need of a flash dress for a party this is the place to look.

There are many sites lime this but I think this one is by far the best and I have used it a w times around Christmas. Everyone loves a designer keying.

More money saving tips...

Recently on my blog I set my self the wardrobe renewal challenge and tried to reuse lots of clothes that I had completely forgotten about, it gave me almost the same buzz as going out and shopping as most of the stuff had been completely forgotten about and gave me a chance to shake up my wardrobe with some of my old beloved clothes also it was fun giving myself a fashion show of all the clothes I had tucked away. This is also a great opportunity to get a pile together to sell on eBay or donate to charity.

Another tip is when shopping online put everything that catches your eye into your basket... Revisit your basket at the end and thin it out... Do I need it? How many things do I have that will go with it? Can I live without food this month? Do I prefer it to the thousand similar I already have? 

All very va,USB,e questions when you have a basket of £237 on Topshop waiting for you to buy them. My biggest tip after this is shut the website (only if the basket saves) and have a coffee/lunch or just get up and do something then throughout the day try and remember everything you put in your basket, if you forget something you do not love t enough to buy t, even if it is just £7 in the sale, it's £7 that will sit with its tag on until you take it to the charity shop next season (guilty of that). Revisit your basket late and decide if you really couldn't live without the remaining item/items. 

Finally check all the above voucher sites for a vouchers, even free postage OR even check eBay/amazon see if they have a better deal.mif you follow al, these steps you will find yourself with a lot less clutter of unwanted, spur of the moment piles of clothes and accessories and you could also end up with some freebies to try along the way.

One last thing... DIY.

It is so fun and most of the time super cheap and simple, in June I did a DIY blog week (here, here and here) and I had so much fun doing it, I insisted some friends and we would make a day out of tie dying, studding and making things. It's such a laugh and good cheap way of shaking up the wardrobe and adding your own inspiration into the simplist of clothing.

My name is Amber and I am a self confessed shop-a-holic

I think it's time I took my own advice and really stopped taking my money for granted... It will run out then il be in a huff. It's a viscous circle that I need to break.

Any more money saving advice would be a dream, feel free to leave tips in the comments box.

Below is few pictures of a few things I probably could often without or a mass collection of STUFF that I accumulate. Just to show how serious I am about my splurging ban...hopefully.