NEW BLOG SERIES: SKINT & FABULOUS NO.1

Hey guys, I'm introducing a new blog series here- on being skint & fabulous- just because you have no money doesn't mean you cant have a life or have to just completely be a homebody! With the right tips you can still have the things you would like, without burning a hole in your wallet ;-).

I personally love living frugally- it makes my life so much easier and so far it has meant that have a very good credit rating too! I handmake/recycle/mend a lot of my clothes, my whole online business is built this way  and I live by budgeting and shopping lists and it has meant that I save a huge chunk of my weekly income, so that I can save for other things like holidays, renting deposits and for other special occasions!


I never used to be like this, obviously- when I was younger, I used to just splurge money on things I didn't really need, but instead on what I thought looked nice or tasted good. But I then learnt how to budget when I moved away from home for a year because my parent's weren't going to support me financially anymore.

And when I started my first full-time job as a waitress the spending habits did get worse- I spent half of my first weeks wage on a pair of Doc Martens, because even though I did want them for about a year beforehand, I wanted to show people that I can afford nice things. Luckily I wear them very often, otherwise it would be a very costly mistake. However it did get worse- bi-weekly shopping trips in Hammersmith on my break, or in Westfield whenever I finished work early, because I thought- I deserved it- I worked for it, so I earned every nice thing I had in my wardrobe.

Then I decided I wanted to move out of my parent's house again, but with no intention of moving back in, mostly because I wanted to support myself fully and live a fully independent life, and a year and a half later, I'm still living that life and it has quite literally been the biggest wake up call ever... I lived in an overpriced tiny council flat with like 6 other people where there was no privacy, constant noise, and no relaxation. Since living away from home, I've had to re-learn how to budget, save up for rent deposits for when my tenancy was finishing, and have small treats rather than splurges!

Now though, I live a fairly comfortable life. I live in a cool-enough bedsit, I have nice things that I have worked towards, I finally am planning holidays, and I'm working towards better things.

This week, I am going to talk about budgeting. If you want the nice things you want, or if you are in debt, or even if you just want your wages to actually last, rather than living from paycheck to paycheck, then you have to plan!

Here are a few things to consider when budgeting-

• Make a list of all the essential things that you will need to pay for, in terms of bills, rent and groceries, and a tiny bit for going out (because we all need a life!) and if it helps- withdraw the money left over and only touch that cash for emergencies, and save for other things!
• Buy in bulk to cut costs- in terms of herbs and spices, loo roll, washing up liquid, etc.
• Plan your meals in advance so that it's easier to just buy the food you need to avoid waste. There's a good website to help with this too: http://england.lovefoodhatewaste.com/

Here's an example of how I budget:

I make about £250 a week (not including the extra money I make from my tips that I've gotten via card payments, which frankly only really pays the tax before it touches my wages)

£120- rent

£20- groceries

£10- meter key

£4- launderettes

£15- travel

£17- bills

= £186 on necessities, £64 leftover!

I don't always spend money when I go out because it's usually to go to other people's houses, or I spend very little- but I normally spend no more than £20 a week or sometimes even fortnightly.

You may read this and think- how the heck do you live in London and live so cheaply? and I won't lie I have had a lot of trial and error, so it's only really been the last few months that I have worked this out to my benefit, and I will expand on that in future blogs- you would be surprised at how much you can save if you are realistic and plan smartly.

Good Luck!

Ify Katherine xo

CURRENTLY

Rocking my new hair colour. I was really getting irritated by the fact that my once red hair was turning into a red/brown patchy mess, so I spent a lot of the time with hiding my hair under headscarves and wigs, which I like anyway, but I would also like to have the choice of letting my own hair hang out sometimes. ;)





Back from Amsterdam! I had such a great time over there with my boyfriend. Everyone is really friendly and there are some awesome sights, although when we went it was super cold, so I wasn't pleased that I travelled with just a hoodie for outerwear!



Slowly, but surely working my way through my pile of clothing to upcycle. I've had a lot of chronic fatigue lately, so I haven't had any energy to do anything besides go to my day job, and that's only because I hate requesting days off if it's not something that I can help. I have made some use of my diary again so I'm trying really hard to stay organised, so I only hope this carries on. :)

READING: I'm reading up on radical self-love, by an awesome lifestyle blogger called Gala Darling. I don't like that I always doubt myself a lot, as I think it always affects decision making for every aspect of my life, and stopping me from being the best person I can be to myself and everyone else.

WONDERING: When I am actually going to handle my money better like I used to!? Since January I haven't been that good at handling money, but lately it has come to my attention that I need to start working on budgeting again. I used to be saving as much as I was spending every week despite me living away from home, and lately I have been extremely laid back with my spending, which is leaving me pretty broke after 3 days. Thank God I actually get paid every week otherwise I'd be suffering so much right now... whoops!

FEELING THANKFUL: That I'm spending the easter weekend with my family. I always am happy to be with them and it's a nice escape from the bedsit- haha! Oh and that my wages came in early- that was amazing timing :).

EATING: Way too much junk food- lately I've been having pizza, bacon sandwiches and cheesy chips. I need to introduce some greens in my life!

WATCHING: A lot of catching up on my iPad- like Gogglebox, One born every minute, and all the soaps! I have no time for TV other than Jeremy Kyle in the mornings before getting ready for work and watching other programmes on my days off- but not watching TV that often isn't a bad thing, is it?

WORKING ON: Getting into the habit of making clothes more often. I miss creating clothes and sewing until my heart is content.

LOVING: Life!

ATTEMPTING: To (properly) clear out my wardrobe and have more basic pieces that I can mix and match. The problem with me is that I have a lot of statement t shirts and skirts, and not enough basic coloured things. It's gonna be a work in progress, as I have a lot of stuff in my bedsit AND my parent's house, so yeah it's gonna have to be something I do gradually.

WANTING: To get back into drawing again. I haven't drawn at all since I left Uni and I would love to get back into drawing and painting like I used to. I think I'll just pick up a paintbrush/pen/pencil and just doodle away randomly soon enough!

Have a good evening guys

Ify Katherine xo

STYLE IT UP: HANDMADE BY IFY CARDIE

It's been a good couple of years since I've done an outfit post, but I'm excited to do it again! I wore a thin, orange cardigan, with my Primark skirt and boyfriend t shirt, and teamed it with my African headscarf, Charity Shop necklace and Doc Martens. It's so nice and comfy to wear, and you can dress it up or down, and it's light enough to wear during the summer months, but comfy enough to wear during the winter months too! 

I think the cardigan makes the outfit that much more better and makes it more unique. 

Have a look here! 

Ify Katherine xo

NEW IN THE SHOP!

I've been sewing up lots of treats, since my shopping spree in the charity shops the other day- I bought soooo much stuff, and I can't wait to show you the rest of what I've been making recently. Summer's nearly here so these things are lovely pieces to rock your basic outfit! More pieces will be added to the shop at some point next week.

Lots of love!

Shop here

Ify Katherine

MY MICRODERMALS

So, I've had quite a few questions about my piercings since I got these done in November, so I'd thought I'd make a little summary on here, for those who are considering getting one done or are just curious.

I decided to get mine done on a whim one day, as I had seen a few people have surface piercings, and initially wanted to get that done, so that if I didn't like it, I could just take it out myself and that would be the end of it. So I dragged a friend and headed down there to get it done. The piercer told me it was better to get a microdermal so that it would be a much lesser chance of rejection- so I jumped at the chance.

It did kinda hurt for like 10 seconds, but not much more than a normal piercing. I was just so numb and tired for the rest of the day- I made the mistake of going to work right after I had this done so it's not advisable to do anything like that afterwards. 

I wore plasters on it when I went to sleep as apparently it keeps the piercings in place and I only took them off after showering to clean it with the solution they gave me. Afterwards I changed to hot water compresses for 2 months. I am allergic to certain plasters so I didn't wear it to bed for that long of a period because of the reaction, so I had to wear surgical tape for a while.

These piercings take a lot of maintenance as you have to not be so fussy over it but then you have to take care as to what you wear as well to avoid snagging it. Also these are more of a permanent thing, as it is pierced in an anchor sort of way so it's not possible to take it out yourself, which is why I say make sure you are aware of all these things before getting it done.

I've had these for 4 months now and they have healed pretty nicely. I'm contemplating changing the balls of the piercing but we shall see how that goes!

Ify Katherine xo

NEW TO THE SHOP!

I have gotten back into making button jewellery from scrap fabrics again! I still have so much fabric to get rid of, especially some of my textiles samples that I no longer like as a whole- so there will be a lot added to the shop gradually, as well as yarn wrapped jewellery.

More pieces will be added at some point next week, so keep a look out! :)

Ify Katherine xo

NEW IN THE SHOP!

It's been a while since I have been making stuff and since I have had some time off work, I've been on a mission to make a bunch of stuff, especially since I am going towards more of a bohemian/afrocentric direction with my shop. :)

They are all statement making pieces and is a great addition to the wardrobe this Spring.

Lots of Love,

Ify Katherine xo