July's Buyers Archive (Though It's Really June's)

Somehow what with leaving work and recovering from leaving work I forgot to do last month's Buyer's Archive.  So here it is... a month late (no surprise there) and combined with July's.  Two birds, one stone.  The perfect kind of blogging when you're running a little bit behind with your posts.

Last year in June I actually didn't spend any money courtesy of having a birthday which meant presents.  Lots and lots of presents.  Which kind of ran into July's where I only brought 2 things;  a pair of floral canvas shoes which I absolutely love and which I wear heaps.  

My only regret is that I didn't buy two pairs at the same time as I'm going to be devastated when these pretties finally fall apart.  Luckily for me they are holding on really well in terms of wear and tear so I'm hopeful that they will be with me for at least another year, maybe even two.

My other item was a 3-pack of super cute socks, which I have also managed to which a few times so complete success in terms of purchases for last year's July.

Now onto this year buys...

Well I had a bit of a blow out and I totally blame it on the fact that I was leaving work.  Suddenly I realised I needed all the things, especially some more casual clothes for all the lounging around home I was going to be doing.  So naturally of course a little spending was needed.

Purple T-Shirt - $8 from Kmart

Kmart is my ultimate bargain shop.  They have so many pretty things and all at awesome prices.  Sadly my nearest Kmart is a bit of drive way which is probably a good thing as I would be just about living there if it was any closer.

I just love this style;  long sleeves, scoop neck, super soft and super warm and all in a pretty purplish colour.  Naturally I had to buy another. 

Blue T-Shirt - $8 from Kmart

And the second one.  This time in a pretty denim blue colour.

I've already been wearing both of these heaps in past month so they have been the perfect buys. 

Orange Ribbed T-Shirt - $5 from Factorie 

A bargain buy from an under $10 rack this T-shirt is a lovely orange shade (more orange than the coral which the photo shows) and ribbed,  Like the ones above it is also super soft and super warm and makes a nice splash of colour in these dreary gray winter months. 

Mermaid Socks- $3 from Typo

I know right?  I really didn't need any more socks but as soon as I saw these I knew I had to have them and even better they were only $3 in a clearance sale.  Ultimate bargain. 

Beauty Products - $24.99 from Price Wise

Of course having brought some clothes I then went on a bit of beauty product spree.  All things I totally needed.  Well maybe not but they were pretty and hardly cost anything so really they were justified and I'm sure I will use them at some stage.  So what couldn't I resist?

For my bargain buy I brought a strawberry & chocolate clay mask ($5), 2 lip tints/gloss ($5), an emery board case with an emery board inside it ($3),  a candyfloss pink nail polish ($3) and Nature Republic's Aloe Vera Gel ($8.99).

I'm really keen to try the Aloe Vera Gel as this is one of those Korean beauty products I have heard so much about and this one has had lots of rave reviews.

Stationery - $17.50 from The Warehouse

Naturally the spending spree went on.  Sometimes you just have to do these things.  This time I stocked up on some much needed stationery.  I felt I deserved all the pretties to make my plans with.  And once again I managed to buy what I wanted at a half price sale.  Pretty awesome shopping right there don't you think?

In this collection I brought a storage box ($4), a pen holder ($1.50), 2 pink pens ($1), a small floral notebook ($1),  a notepad ($2), a large notepad for my desk ($2), and 3 hardback notebooks ($2 each).

Total Spend for the month: $66.49

August's Plans and June/July's Outcomes

If you're wondering what happened to July's plans well... I didn't have any.  Or at least nothing written down.  What with work farewells and drinks and more farewells, including my own, I decided not to do any planning for the month. 

Sometimes having no plans can be the best thing.  Especially when life has been particularly stressful like it has been for the past 8 months.

Surprisingly - or perhaps not - I achieved quite a lot in my month of non-plans.  I cleaned out 2 wardrobes, the bathroom cabinet, kitchen drawers and cupboards and totally tidied and reorganised my office so that I could actually find things for once.

The house feels fresh and new and I'm loving all the room I suddenly have.

Of course that's not all I did.... I also walked a lot and read a lot.   Which is pretty much standard for me.  But it was rather liberating knowing I could curl up on the couch with a good book and a pot of tea and totally indulge without thinking about work the next day.

This life of not working is actually rather nice... in fact it's really nice.  Of course not having any money to spend is another thing all together.  But we won't dwell on that.

Life at the moment is all about rest and relaxation and having some fun.

1.     Contagion by Teri Terry
        End of the world plagues sound like just my kind of thing.
2.     A Room Full Of Killers by Michael Wood
        As usual I have to have at least one thriller in my pile.  I enjoyed the first one in this 
        series so I'm hoping this is just as good.
3.     The Never King by James Abbott
         A little bit of fantasy for a change.  This sounds very much like something one of my 
         favourite authors, Joe Abercrombie, would write so I'm hoping it's got lots of bad ass 
         action in it.

4.     Her Backup Boyfriend by Ashlee Mallory
        Give me a good sappy happily every after romance and I'm a happy camper.
5.     Wedding Date For Hire by Jennifer Shirk
        An author who is a knew discovery for me and one that I am so far enjoying.
6.     A New Leash On Love by Debbie Burns
        More romance.  What can I say.

7.     All Over The Place by Geraldine DeRuiter
        A little bit of nonfiction and one that sounds really good.
8.     Hi, Anxiety : Life With A Bad Case Of Nerves by Kat Kinsman 
        As someone who suffers the occasional panic attack this book caught my eye.
9.     My Good Life In France by Janine Marsh
       A travel book... set in France.

10.    The Cazalets
          Having read the books years ago I am very keen to listen to this BBC audio book.  I 
          have high hopes for this one.
11.    The Camomile Lawn
          The Cazalets led me onto this TV drama - I'm starting to sense a theme here.
12.    The Durrells
          I missed this when it screened on TV so now is the perfect time to do a catch up. 

13.    Lose Weight and Get Fit
         This is going really well... or at least the get fit part is.  I've managed to do a 45 minute
         walk nearly every day, all up and down hill.  So I'm pretty pleased with this one.  As 
         for the weight lost I'm trying not to worry about it too much and will instead just 
         concentrate on eating a bit more healthier.
14.   Write More
         Would you believe I'm actually at the stage where I really feel like writing and have 
         even been working on some ideas so we'll see how this goes.

Life Lately

A little over two week's ago my life changed.

"Cue dramatic music"

21 years of working as a Librarian and I left my job.  Mostly by choice, partly by decisions that were out of my control.  And though being made redundant is never easy I feel happy to be gone.

The library I worked for is no longer the same,  Like many libraries around the world there have been cut-backs and cost saving measures and restructuring.  All of which have made working there no longer the great job it was.  Which is a little sad because I loved my job.  It was interesting and fun and something that I was passionate about.

That passion and fun though has faded a little over the last year, squashed down by corporate management who have no real understanding or love for what libraries are about and only think about the bottom dollar.   I'm being polite here.  I'd like to say they are idiotic morons who haven't got a clue and a whole lot of other things.  

But I can't.  So I won't.

So instead I will say that though making the decision to leave was hard in the end it was and is the right choice for me.

Bye bye libraries and Hello freedom 

Of course redundancy isn't exactly easy.  There's that little thing called money.  You know the stuff.  The one that buys all the pretties or the necessities... like food or a roof over your head.

Luckily for me I am more fortunate that most.  I have a roof over my head and some savings which are now a little bigger courtesy of my redundancy.  Of course it's not all a life of pink glitter and dancing - though there is some of that.  I have to be careful.  Very very careful which of course means some changes and some sacrifices.  

No more hair dye for me (sob) or chocolate (even more sobbing).  I'm not sure which is more traumatic, the fact that I've going to have to go back to my original hair colour (a scary thought in itself) or a life without chocolate.

Still as scary as it is facing life without a job it is also exciting.  My list of things I want and need to do is pretty long.  Like exercise and eat healthier and clean out cupboards and write more and knit more and learn Italian and do an online course...

In other words

May's Buyers Archive

After April's little blow out I was hoping not to spend any money on clothes for awhile but sadly my favourite t-shirt developed a tiny hole on the front so naturally I had to go looking for a replacement and found not one but two t-shirts.

As for last year's May purchases both the cardigan and the jumper have become part of my regular winter wardrobe though so far this year I haven't worn either very much as the weather so far has been really warm.

The camisole has been the ultimate bargain find as I have worn throughout the year.  Not bad for a $5 top.  The beige top unfortunately went a bit funny in the wash and I haven't worn it since despite the fact that it's still hanging in my wardrobe.  I really do need to just throw it out. 

Finally the nightie and bangles have also fared well.  So all in all the purchases were pretty spot on.

Pale Lilac T-Shirt - $10 from Cotton-On


I wasn't sure about this colour at first but having already worn it a couple of times I'm really pleased with as it goes great with my Sloppy Joe Boyfriend cardigan.  I'm predicting I'll be wearing this quite a bit during this winter.

Striped T-shirt - $9 from K-Mart

I'm still not sure about this one.  I've never been stripe person so buying this was totally not me.  I'm thinking it was the colours that grabbed my attention. An impulse buy that I'll probably end my regretting but I'm still thinking that I might give it a go.  Maybe with that navy skirt I brought a couple of months ago.

Total spend for the month: $19.00

June's Plans and May's Outcomes

Work place stress strikes again making my brain go all foggy hence the teeny tiny delay in posting.  When I'm stressed I eat and the brain goes pretty mindless so that the only thing I am capable of is watching trashy TV shows.

Still all things considered I did reasonable well last month.  I managed to read about 90% of the books on my list, watched all 3 TV shows and did quite a bit of knitting. 

As for this month well my reading list is still quite a bit crazy.  So many books so few hours in the day...

1.     Since We Fell by Dennis Lehane
        My Librarian skills were a definite bust with this one because somehow this latest 
        Dennis Lehane slipped my noticed.  I'm super excited to finally catch up.
2.     Love Me Not by MJ Arlidge
        Another author I'm really loving at the moment.
3.     Beneath The Bleeding by Val McDermid 
        Would you believe that I had only read one Tony Hill book in the past.  IKR?  Total fail 
        on my behalf.  I'm now working my way through the whole series and loving it.

4.     Dead Souls by Angela Marsons
        And yet another author I am loving.  Both this and the MJ Arlidge detective novels have 
        become my latest jam.  Only problem is that I'm always hanging out for the next one to 
        arrive.
5.     Before The Fall by Noah Hawley
        The waiting list for this book has been super long.  I'm a little bit dubious about it but 
         well see.
6.     The Witchfinder's Sister by Beth Underdown
         I really like the sound of this one, sort of a historical thriller with a touch of supernatural.

7.    Maud by Melanie Fishbane
       I love Anne of Green Gables so this fictionalise YA book on the life of her creator Lucy 
       Maud Montgomery sounds just my kind of thing.
8.    Windfall by Jennifer Smith
       YA about winning the lottery.
9.    We Have No idea by Jorge Cham & Daniel Whiteson
       Science geek that I am I love a good science book.  One that hopefully I can understand.

10.     Zoo
          Totally trashy, totally me.  Zoo is one of those shows that you watch despite yourself.  It 
          also has Billy Burke in it so you just knew I was going to try watching this show 
          eventually.
11.    12 Monkeys
          A twisty, complicated time travel show that will totally do your head in.  The latest 
          season was released all at once which means a marathon session is on the cards.
12.    Lucifer
         Will all my other marathons going on I've gotta a little bit behind on my regular series 
         watching so I'm now doing a major catch up and Lucifer is on the list.

13.    Knitting 
         The writing and the losing weight maybe be a bit of a disaster at the moment but the 
         knitting is going really well.  Cross fingers I haven't jinxed it.

April's Buyers Archive And A Look Back On The Last Year

Would you believe it's been a year since I did my very first Buyer's Archive post and it's all thanks to Elise's blog which started the idea.  I feel like I should have a party and cake to celebrate.

Curious as to how much I had spent in a year I added up all my purchase and came up with the grand total of $505.87.  I have no idea if that's a lot of money or not.  Looking back on what I brought I think I did pretty well... maybe?

During the year that was I brought:

5 cardigans
5 camisoles
5 skirts
5 pairs of socks 
5 bottles of nail polish...

...5 obviously seems to be a thing for me..., plus

1 pair of pants
1 jumper
1 short sleeve top
1 pair of PJs
1 nightie
3 pairs of shoes
1 vanity case set
1 suitcase
1 handbag
2 bangles
1 compact mirror 
3 tubes of body lotion
and 2 bottles of perfume.

A few of the items were one-off things, such as the suitcase, vanity set etc. so these are items that I probably won't be buying again for a few years at least.  The rest of the stuff I definitely needed... or at least about 90% of them... okay maybe more like 80%.  Truthfully I probably didn't need to buy the perfume or compact mirror or even the socks and nail polish.  Then again it was fun doing so, so I'm not going to beat myself up too much about it.

It'll be interesting to see how I go this next year.  Can I spend less or will I have a complete blow out and end up buying all the things?

As for last April... well of the 3 cardigans I sold the blue one (for some reason it made my skin itch which is weird because the others which were the exactly the same brand were perfectly fine), hardly wear the brownish/pinkish one (I'm probably going to donate this to charity as it really just isn't me) and have worn the apricot one heaps.  It's pretty much become a standard in my wardrobe so I'm going to be a little sad when it finally falls apart.  

The skirt got a lot of wear initially but lately it's be stuck in the back of my wardrobe being all neglected.  I'm hoping I'll wear in more when summer comes back around.  And finally the compact mirror has a permanent place in my handbag.  I don't actually use it that much but it's nice to know it's there if and when I ever need it.

Now for this month's April purchases.

Black Skirt with checkered panels - $8 from TradeMe

My entire wardrobe is pretty lacking (surprise, surprise I know considering the $500 odd dollars I spent in the last 12 months) so I've been actively searching for items to add.  This black skirt was a super great find for me as it fits perfectly, is nice and stretchy (great for those times when you want to be comfortable and have eaten way too much) and it looks really fab with the black and white checkered panels on the front and back.

I'm hoping this will get plenty of wear this winter as it should look brilliant with tights and my black loafers.

Grey pleated skirt - $10 from Factorie

I found this skirt on the sales racket and couldn't believe the price.  Even better it looks great on and will also go fab with tights and loafers.

Mocha jumper - $29 from Cotton On

I dithered over this jumper for the last for weeks as I couldn't quite decide if it was me or not and also the $39 price tag kind of made me reluctant to fork out quite so much money.  Luckily my mind was made up for me when it was suddenly reduced by 25% on sale.  I'm thinking it should go pretty well with either of the skirts I just brought or my trusty black knee-length skirt which I have worn for years.  Either way I'm hoping it will be a good addition to my winter wardrobe.

Coral/Dark Peach top - $15 from Cotton On

And another sale bargain because how could I resist.   The colour is so me and it's so super soft that I may never take it off.  I'm already praying for some super cold weather so I can wear this.

Total spend for the month $60.00

May's Plans and April's Outcomes

It never rains it pours - at least in terms of all my book requests turning up all at once.  So as you can imagine this month's plans are pretty much taken care of.  As for last month's plans.... well I managed to read all the books on my list, watched both movies and made a good start on the knitting so yay me.

1.     Dark Crimes by Michael Hambling
        I've been seriously getting into detective crime novels so I'm super pleased to find a 
        new series to get stuck into.
2.     Gone Without A Trace by Mary Torjussen 
        A thriller along the lines of Gone Girl and Girl On The Train.
3.     My Sister by Michelle Adams
        And yet another thriller.  Because yes they are my thing.

4.     Defender by G X Todd 
        I really like the sound of this one which has been described as a cross between 
        Stephen King and Neil Gaiman.
5.     Relics by Tim Lebbon
        I've enjoyed the author's previous books Coldbrook and The Silence so I'm looking 
        forward to reading this one.
6.     The Ninth Rain by Jen Williams  
        I'm not a big fantasy reader mostly because things like wizards and dragons etc. just 
        really don't do it for me.  This one though sounds more Joe Abercrombie fantasy with 
        bad ass chicks and battles.

7.     More Of Me by Kathryn Evans
        A YA about a girl who unintentionally clones herself every year.
8.     Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty
        Another book about clones, this is more sci-fi and more murderery.
9.     Letters To The Lost by Brigid Kemmerer 
        One of those YA's that can be utterly heart wrenching.

10.   Gilt Hollow by Lorie Langdon 
         I'm on a YA roll.
11.   Nemesis by Brendan Reichs
         This YA sounds totally dark which is exactly my kind of thing.  A story of a girl who 
         keeps getting murdered over and over again. 
12.   The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You by Lily Anderson 
         A geek girl YA who loves Doctor Who.

13.   It's Not Me, It's You by Stephanie Strohm  
         Yep another YA.
14.   The Many Reflections of Miss Jane Deming by J Anderson Coats
         I don't often read children's books but this one sounds a bit like Anne of Green Gables 
         so of course I am totally there.
15.   Unexpectedly Hers by Jamie Beck
        A romance book about an erotic fiction writer. 

16.   About Last Night by Catherine Alliott
         A chick lit book by one of my favourite authors.
17.   Puzzle by Rachael Featherstone
         And another chick lit
18.   Honeymoon Suite by Wendy Holden
         And yet another chick lit.

19.  Crossing Hearts by Kimberly Kincaid
        What can I say, I love a good romance.
20.   How To Make A French Family by Samantha Verant
         Finally something nonfiction to throw into the mix.
21.   Bloom by Estee Lalonde
         I have absolutely no idea why I choice this one. 
22.   Line Of Duty Season Four
        This show is seriously addictive.  As I write this I've already watched 4 episodes back to 
        back and I can't wait to see how it ends.
23.   Bosch Season Three
        Somehow I missed the news that this had screened recently so I can definitely see a 
        weekend marathon is on the cards.
24.  Death In Paradise
       A lighter crime show with awesome Caribbean music.  

25.   Write More
         Still on the list.
26.   Knitting
         So not only did I choose the wool and the pattern but I have actually began knitting and 
         so far this latest project is going well.  And it's not a scarf or a blanket.  So go me for 
         being adventurous.
27.   Lose Weight and Get Fit
         Due to a few minor but annoying medical issues I'm having to adjust my eating.  No 
         more caffeine or spicy food or too fatty foods for me which hopefully will have the side 
         benefit of helping with this goal.