Is Shopping an addiction? More to the point am I a shopping addict? (Scroll down for outfits)

Hello pretty people,

If you don't want to read my blurb there are outfits in the second half of the post xx

Well it’s been put to me by a very close and loving friend that I might be developing a serious shopping habit, (and also today by my darling boyfriend) and although I’m not spending hundreds of pounds on the high street each week, I’m buying lots of things I don’t need for the sake of buying them. I love buying second hand but I have to agree that buying 2 pairs of boots and a pair of shoes in one sitting is a tad excessive, and if I count up the amount of footwear I’ve bought since moving to Liverpool is ridiculous. There are lots of pairs I haven’t even worn yet, but that wouldn’t stop me from buying more if I see them. I justify it to myself in two ways, firstly it’s not a huge amount of money that I am spending so therefore it’s ok, secondly that the charity shops, car boot sales and flea markets are helping me to settle in up here and to some extent it is, but it’s detracting away from what’s really happening on an emotional level. I often feel lonely, I’m struggling to leave my life behind in Nottingham and start a new life here, I find it difficult that me and my lovely boyfriend spend less time together because life has changed, also that I have to share him with his family – something I never had to do because they lived so far way; and I’m struggling with the transition from being a student and now looking for employment in a slow market – I have got an interview tomorrow, and if I don't get that will be starting another role temp to perm on Monday, so it's not all bad. And I'm not a victim here because I too made the choice to relocate, and a big transition takes time to adjust to.

So anyway, the bottom line seems to be that I am either a shopping addict or verging on becoming one. I shop to escape reality, I've been to the charity shops Tuesday, Wednesday and today and bought things each time.  I love the chase – the excitement I feel on the way to a car boot sale or charity shop, the anticipation, it’s almost a thrill. I am careful when I’m there, only buying things that I like, I don’t buy things that I’m unsure about, but there always end up being lots of things that I like, so I always end up coming back with bags full of stuff – well you can see from my past blog posts how I like to shop. And the thing that sets me apart is that as soon as I get home from one stint, I’m already planning and almost fantasising about the next. I still love the stuff I've bought, ok the odd thing I look at and wonder what I was thinking but for the most part I love everything I buy. I feel sad if I can’t go to the charity shops, I want to factor it in to any activity that I do, every day out, any day off…. *cringe*

What does the dictionary say?

Addict:

1. To cause (someone or oneself) to becoming dependent one something Query
2. A person who is addicted Query
3. A person devoted to something er Yes

And the Thesaurus

Addicted:
• Hooked Query
• Absorbed Yep
• Accustomed Yep
• Dedicated Yep
• Dependant Query
• Devoted Hell yeah
• Deposed Query
• Fond Yup
• Habituated Most certainly
• Inclined Yup
• Obsessed Absolutely
• Prone Yup

Um moving swiftly on…I’ve been quite lax and blogging since I got my internet connection up and running, in fact I’ve hardly been online at all since I got it back, not that I’ve been doing anything else really, I’ve just not been online. Here are a couple of outfit posts from the week:

I wore this combo on Sunday:

Dress Primark via Charity Shop £2.89

Red Tights Primark £1

Leopard print cardi H&M via Carboot sale 50p

Red Belt 50p Flea market

Office Cowboy Boots via Charity Shop £5

And I wore this combo today:

Dress Primark via Charity shop £2.99

Mustard Cardi H&M via Charity Shop £2.99

Grape Tights Primark £1

Office Cowboy Boots via Charity Shop £5

I must be the only person who buys Primark via the charity shop, I don’t mind paying £3 for something Primark from a charity shop if it’s worth £3, mostly the charity shops over price Primark stuff but I thought these were worth buying and hopefully because Primark turn over their stick so quickly no one else will be wearing them!

Just realised that most of my blog outfit posts feature my Office Cowboy boots, they were one of my best ever buys from a charity shop and I’ve lived in them over the last year and half…I have no idea why I keep buying all these other shoes when all I wear (pretty much) is these boots. But if it’s not shoes it’s dresses…I have got so many dresses no in my wardrobe there is hardly room for anything else!

Oh well there is always more self searching to be done I guess.

Lots of Love

Queenie xx

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Hurrah an outfit post!

Good afternoon my lovelies, and how are you all doing on this cold and grey Thursday afternoon? The view from my office window is grey but clear so I have a beautiful panoramic view of the city centre. I had my first rejection today, my CV didn't even make it through the application stage, um I'm hoping it's not going to be the first of many but I guess it's to be expected when travelling the arduous road of job hunting. Hopefully I'll be kept busy with temp work while I'm looking. Although I’m only into my fifth week here I expect myself to be able to already have the power job, a shiny new bustling social life and be settled in fully…I need to give myself a break. Plus I don’t even know if I want a power job or a bustling social life. I’m something of a fantasist me thinks.

Please excuse these photographs, I’m trying to find the best place to take outfit shots in the new apartment, these were taken at lunchtime so I was in somewhat of a hurry – less of a hurry than trying to take them before work this morning though!

So today I’m wearing my new H&M floral skirt that I bought from the car boot sale for a measly 50p at the weekend, teamed with a Black top from Mexx £3 something from an outlet store, and faith shoes £25 in the sale. The pearl necklace is from a car boot 50p and the earrings are real pearls bought for me by my darling boyfriend at Christmas.

Keep your fingers, toes and anything else you can think of crossed that my internet is connected when I get home, please Sky, get something right for a change. I'm looking forward to catching up on all your blogs and following those of you, who are following me and commenting.

Oh one last thing, if you’re a fan of Nails Inc grab bag yourself a freebie with this month’s InStyle magazine, there are 3 different shades to choose from, I’m wearing the pink one today and feel exceptionally feminine, and I haven’t chipped it once yet which is pretty good going for me!

Lots of Love

Queenie xxx

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Shopping, Shopping and more shopping

Morning beautiful readers,


I'm blogging from work again but all going well my internet connection should be live by the end of the day tomorrow, hurrah! It's amazing how much space and time I've discovered in my life without it - not that I have filled it with much else other than self pity and grief at not having the internet. Ok that's not exactly true but I have missed it, and it has surprised me how much.

It's a dull day here in Liverpool, the view over the mist covered city looks a little eerie, and despite the weather attempting to drizzle I'm sporting some peep toe shoes I recently gave a home to, charity shop of course. I've teamed them with black trousers and a white shirt. No outfit pic today but it really is all about the shoes, where do you ladies find the time in the morning to pose for photographs before rushing out of the door to get to work. You'd think that working 5 minutes away from where I live I'd have plenty of time, but the earlier I get up the less time I seem to have, how does that work??!? So bizarre law in physics? Or rather more likely bad planning on my part.

I've got a pic of the shoes if that helps? and I'll work on being a better blogger in future *nods head*

As promised here are some pics of my weekend hauls:

 Dress - Charity Shop - £3.99

Topshop Skirt - Charity Shop - £3.99

Oasis Shoes - Carboot - £1.50

 Spotty Top - Carboot - 50p

Monsoon Suede Boots - Carboot - 50p

Brown Knee Length Boots - Carboot - £1.50

 H&M Pink Floral Skirt - Carboot - 50p

French Connection Skirt - Carboot - 50p

Bootcut Jeans - Charity Shop - 99p

Check Dress - Carboot - 20p

Oasis Slim Jeans - Charity Shop - £3.99

And I've been quite naughty on the shoe front lately, we're struggling for shoe storage as it is - please help...how do you shoe addicts store all your shoes? All my boots and in the bottom of the wardrobe (just) and my shoes are just all thrown together in two big boxes (as well as a few pairs in shoe boxes). I was thinking of investing in lots of those plastic shoe boxes and just stacking them up against the wall. The alternative of course is to just stop buying shoes, um let's be honest here...I can't see that happening any time soon, can you?

 New Look Wedges - Brand New - Charity Shop £4.99

White Floral Peep Toes - Charity Shop - £2

Green Slingbacks - Charity Shop - £2.49

Black Pointy - New Look Sale £10.00 (shocking price for me!)

The Sunday before the one just gone (still following?) I went to a little flea market in the south of the city, I felt quite brave venturing out on my own with an advert I'd cut from the local paper and my AtoZ. It was great, I got talking to some of the stall holders and managed to find out about a few other similar events in and around the city which are held monthly, well if anything they should keep me busy.

Here are a couple of bits I picked up:

I bought the dress, bag and a 50's floral apron for a fiver, I also picked up some cameo clip on earrings which are gorgeous for a quid. I always get in and have a real rummage around, asking if I can go in bags full of goodies behind the stall, when I'm at car boot sales going through things that are still in boxes in the boot of the car, I'm always polite about it and ask first and people are always happy to oblige, the best bargains are often found that way.

Me and my darling boyfriend ventured out to Southport a couple of weeks ago, it is an absolute haven of charity shops, one after another after another, I honestly think that is what heaven will be like for me (I certainly hope so anyway!) and I came across this beautiful parrot dress in the YMCA charity shop. It's so garish but I absolutely adore it, someone has made it from scratch and although when I tried it on it was way too big I had to have it. My lovely mum is going to alter it for me, sadly I seem to have lost my foot pedal for my sewing machine in the move (there were tears, but apparently it can be replaced for about £20 grr but yay at the same time)) but she's taken it home with her so I'm going to have to wait a while before I can indulge in wearing it.

Right I think that is more than enough from me...I'm sure I could have spread all this over several posts but here it is all in one, aren't you lucky :)

I'm off to check out a local gym later today to see what classes they offer and whether it's affordable enough, I'm looking for ways to get out there and meet people. It's too easy to fall into the trap of living in an online world and speaking to my friends around the country on the phone, I'd like to connect with people up here and it's only going to happen if I put myself out there. I'd like to join some sort of craft class too but my hunt for that continues.

Lots of Love

Queenie xxx

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Just popped in to say hello

Hello lovely people,

I bet you all thought I'd forgotten about you? well I haven't, I've just had very limited and sporadic access to the internet, I'm still waiting for Sky to send me my broadband equipment for my connection at home, apparently they have to put the TV in first, then the phone and then we can set up the broadband. They seemed to have installed them in the wrong order of importance for me :( but hey I don't control the way sky operate their business so I'm just having to try and be as patient as I can...but I'll be honest it's rapidly running out, but I know that venting my frustrations at someone in a call centre won't make it happen any quicker.

So the physical move to Liverpool went smoothly the emotional one has been a little more tricky, there has been more than a few tears to say the least but I'm very slowly starting to begin to settle a tiny bit, it's going to be a long journey.

True to form I have been investigating the local charity shops, car boot sales and flea markets and when I'm back up and running I've got lots of pretty things to share with you. Doesn't seem to be many jumble sales up this neck of the wood but I'm going to keep searching. My wardrobe and chest of draws in packed to the rafters so I really shouldn't be investing in any more pieces, even if they are a complete second hand bargain, will it stop me, nope. A colleague at my crappy temp job (yes it really is but more about that in a minute) was shocked when I told her that my whole outfit yesterday, including coat, bag and shoes was second hand, she commented that she wouldn't even be able to buy one top for the cost of my whole outfit. I smiled inside, I love being frugal.

Today's outfit is nearly completely second hand, with the exception of my handbag which was bought from a charity shop but it was brand new. I'm wearing Black boot cut trousers from Next £3 from charity shop, brown sleeveless River Island top 50p from car boot, Oasis Brown leather flats with sequins £1.50 from car boot, H&M Tan coloured mac £3.99 charity shop, accessorised with some wooden bangles which I've had for years.

This weekend has been no exception for bagging some absolute bargains. My mum came to visit and after showing her some of Liverpool we caught a bus up to Allerton (?) to check out the charity shops well it was like a little window of heaven. I spent a total of £16.95 and bought...

Topshop Skirt £2.99
Oasis Slim fit jeans £2.99
Oasis Dress £5.99
Strapless Dress £3.99
Dark Blue Boot cut jeans 99p

Yesterday morning we ventured out to a car boot and despite the sun shining as we had breakfast, it was absolutely freezing! We had a fantastic rummage and my total spend was £6.70:

Floral H&M Skirt 50p
French Connection Summer Skirt 50p
Asos Grey Dress £1
Monsoon Suede Knee Length boots 50p
Oasis Flats with sequin detail £1.50
Brown Brogue style knee length boots £1.50
Next Brown work trousers 50p
Black and grey checked sheer dress 20p (thinking I could use it for layering)
Silky Spotty work blouse 50p

I know it's not the same without pictures...I'll take some pics and post them up at a later date.

So more about the crappy temp job...well I'm archiving paperwork for a charity via an agency. It isn't the most exciting job in the world, in fact it's one of the most boring jobs I've ever done but having said that it's only a week and a day, so I've just got the rest of the day and and maybe tomorrow to get through because they might need my services for an additional day. It's a 5 minute walk from my apartment so no bus fares, it's close to the Docks so I get to have lunch by the water when it's warm, I have a beautiful view over the city, the people are lovely so it's not all bad really...just mind numbingly boring, but I spose I should enjoy the lack of responsibility while it lasts, I hope to be in full time permanent employment soon and life will change again.

I hope to be with you all again every day soon, I miss reading your blogs, I think I'll have to take a whole week off to catch up!!

Queenie xxxx

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