I packed my bag and in it I put.........

I'm going away on a trip that less than a year ago I would of never dreamt of going on. The mere suggestion of a hostel and a night train would of been dismissed quickly as 'not me'. In all honesty I don't think anybody would of even have entertained the idea with me in the first place. Me and high maintenance went together as easily as strawberries and cream.

Cue a difficult few months, a new appreciation for life and a particularly miserable lunch break in February and I had been coerced into 'backpacking', in its loosest sense. I even wanted to ditch the backpack part ..... apparently that isn't the point. 

A flight is booked to Prague. A return flight is booked from Zadar.  The intervening period is less planned. 

For someone who likes to plan with military precision this is disconcerting to say the least. The Charge of the Light Brigade comes to mind and we all know how that ended.

The travel plan so far involves Prague, Vienna, Budapest (most excited about the baths) and some Croatian island hopping for a week of relaxation. Obviously on a budget. If anyone has any tips/places to visit it would be much appreciated. I love food

Giddy with excitement I did order a map and yes, i have pinned it to my wall and marked places with a gold star : )

The travel bible.....

Obviously my aim is to make this trip slightly more glamorous. I didn't sign up for totally slumming it. Did I? Inspired by Abbie's post on swimwear I started the hunt for the perfect bikini. This is the Goddess Monroe bikini by Seafolly. It didn't come cheap but is far more substantial than the string offerings of the high street.

And as a true beauty junkie I have begun to amass an array of travel sized products........waxing, gel nail and eyelash extension appointments may have also been booked. Baby steps for the unseasoned backpacker....

I may have also ordered a sneaky pair of Havianas from Sarenza this morning using the 30% discount code from Lilyloveslola . Travel essential, right?

If anybody has any travel essentials please let me know, i've ordered a money belt and a travel towel.

Can a leopard really change its spots? We will see......

The spending diary double bill is up tomorrow, don't worry i hadn't forgotten and as predicted far worse than week one.

Elle x

Spending Diary-Week 1

"Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination."
— Oscar Wilde 

The above quote was probably my mantra when it came spending... well not quite but pretty damn close.

If you read my last post you will see that I am on a mission to challenge my spending.  Starting with the spending diary.......

Week 1

Day 1- Monday
Racked up a tidy sum of £21.85 at Sainsbury's..... intended to be my basis for packed lunches. Funnily enough this never materialized and I paid for my lunch every day. Couple of unnecessary hair products may have been added too.....

£2.99 was spent on a download of The Mark-2 Wife.... short book which provided an evening of entertainment. Probably could of picked one of the many unread books on my bookshelf....
Total Spend £24.84

Day 2- Tuesday
Lunch- Boots £4.38.... not a patch on M+S and with the £3.95 salad meal deal on at the moment i will probably be returning to the dark side of smoked salmon salad. Somethings just don't cut it.
Carpark £5.20 (bain/drain of my life)
Random machine coffee and a Nutrigrain 80p
Total Spend £10.38

Day 3- Wednesday
Carpark £5.20
Pret Lunch £5.20 (Yes, the stuff i bought for lunch was still sitting in the fridge)
Hairgrips £1.99
Apple Headphones £26.00 (I was desperate)
Paper £1.79
Vending machine spending £1.50
£2 charity bucket donation to the Spinal Injury Association (means a lot to me and would never not donate when I see them collecting)
Total Spend £43.68

Day 4- Thursday
Vogue £4.10
Taxi £5.00
Random coffee and chocolate £1.00
Carpark £5.20
Lunch £2.55
Total Spend £17.85 

Day 5- Friday
Carpark £5.20
Subway £2.29
Total spend £7.49

Day 6- Saturday
Lunch £4.20
M+S Dinner £4.45 (dining at the desk.... Saturday night glamour)
Total spend £8.65


Day 7- Sunday
My far my best day, probably more circumstantial than any massive self-control!
Tesco lunch- £4.04
Dairy Milk and three machine coffees £1.10
Total Spend £5.14

Yes that was it.... the truth be told i spend my whole weekend studying in the office and had college today.... however there were no sneaky online 'make myself feel better' purchases. Very proud : )

Total Week 1 Spend £117.03

Lessons learnt- Week 1

1. Admit making lunch is probably something I won't ever do. I cave at the first mention of a lunch out with a colleague, which is most days. That is OK, just don't kid yourself Eleanor.
2. Magazines are generally dull. The internet has a whole plethora of more exciting articles. 
3. Cheap car parking involves being on time. Must get up 30 minutes earlier.
4. I like food; especially out.
5. I can go a week without buying make up and no, I haven't run out.
6. I'm pretty sure my reckless spending would have made more enthralling reading, alas this is not the point. 

Obviously this excludes things such as my board but this my controllable spending.

Week 2......destined to be more expensive, based on the need for petrol and the temptation derived from exam related stress. I'm going to try to be strong.... maybe by name and frugal/thrifty/sparing can be mentioned in a sentence together one day?

I can safely say keeping my card in the back of my Moleskine reminded me I would have to disclose that purchase and put me off on a number of close calls. Knowing the facts had to be faced at the end of the week kept me motivated!

Did anybody else start a diary? How did you all fair?

Elle x