We’ve made it! This is the last instalment from me on the home-buying process. But first, a recap. After months of gruelling house hunting and putting up with buckets of drivel from estate agents, we finally found a flat. Our offer was accepted, followed by a busy period of choosing a mortgage and booking a…
We need to talk about puffer jackets
Puffer jackets are popping up everywhere from catwalks to high-street retailers, but the very thought of them is giving me chills. Why? – I was born in a puffer-jacket country, a place so cold you have no choice but to wear one, making everyone look like the Michelin Man trudging through the snow. Firstly, I…
You’ve bought a home – now you need a mortgage, right?
Congratulations! Your heroic search for a (relatively) affordable home has finally paid off and your offer has been accepted. So, what happens next? Many things, including, but not limited to, applying for a mortgage, choosing a solicitor, and getting a building survey done. M-m-mortgage Now, some buyers may already have a provisional mortgage agreement, called…
How to dress A/W16 on a budget
All the leaves are brown… and it’s chucking down with rain. Yes, autumn has arrived. With autumn come new fashion collections – first the pre-fall, then fall, and then winter, which will be variations on the same thing, with slightly warmer textures and a more festive look the closer we get to Christmas. The good news…
Damage control tips for binge-shopping
They say the first tip for saving money is: ‘Don’t buy things you don’t need.’ But is it really that simple? If we move beyond immediate needs, why do we buy things? Out of boredom? Peer pressure? Despair? Procrastination? I assume the latter is just one of the causes of the popularity of online shopping.…
Shopping hack: confessions of a former shopgirl
Around five years ago I briefly worked in an upmarket high-street womenswear shop in Covent Garden. It wasn’t my first job in retail, but the intense focus on the hard sell, the expectation to harass the customer every step of the way, was something I hadn’t previously experienced. When a customer entered the shop and…
Five free ways to keep on learning
Have you ever thought about how you could be a better version of yourself? I have. Don’t worry, I’m not trying to sell you a new diet plan or a religion. I’m talking about self-improvement through knowledge. As in learning something new every day… you know, the way we used to at school? I wasn’t…
Is summer fashion expensive? Not if you choose these sensible choices
I did a very reasonable thing the other weekend. I walked into a shopping centre close to my house. It’s not great – on weekdays it closes at 6.30pm and the selection is limited to the most obvious high-street retailers. But they have them all. Which means that you can pop from one to another…
The eight unmissable tricks I discovered while house hunting
Drum roll and deep breath… we’ve found a flat! We had an offer accepted and are now entering the mind-numbing stage of paperwork and more paperwork. While we’re still a few crucial steps away from the final exchange of contracts, I thought I would share a few lessons we learned during our hunt for the…
Frugal fashion: why I fell out of love with ‘vintage’ fashion
I remember a time when shopping at a second-hand store was a way to save money, but with ‘vintage’ and ‘retro’ being such buzzwords, you may now find clothes shopping cheaper on the high street. That is not to say any used thing is vintage. Shops that purport to selling vintage – when it’s just…