Spirals takes a break & challange update & mini charity shop haul

First thing is, I'm going to take a little break from posting on the blog for a while.  Next week, I've got a work 'thing' that will take up all my time and mental energy.  After that, I've got a nice week off (will be needing it...) and I'm planning on having a good digital detox and reconnecting with the world beyond the internet.  I'll be back with some new posts towards the end of March. 

Buy Nothing New Challenge update

I confess that I have bought some brand new things.  Yep, I'm afraid I've broken the challenge, but let me explain the circumstances.  I bought:

1) A pair of winter gloves for the bike.  My partner had originally wanted to get me these for Christmas, but we had no luck finding a pair that suited.  So last weekend, he suggested going to a different shop and having a look.  I didn't have the heart to say, no, I can only have second hand ones, and we found a pair that was just right.  So we bought them. 

2) A magazine.  I managed without magazines for the whole month of February, but in a moment of weakness, I gave in and bought one.  I have made a great discovery through the challenge, though.  Susie from the lovely blog Second Hand Susie left me a comment suggesting that my local library might have magazines online. 

I checked it out, and they do, so I signed up.  It's such a good resource. They have a good range of magazines, and you can download back copies too.  So I gave in once, but hopefully I can get by with the online versions till the end of the challenge.

3) A bird feeder.  It was an emergency!  It's been pretty snowy (amber warning snowy!) here in the north-east, and I couldn't bear for the little birds not to be fed.  I don't normally put food out for them as I'm frightened of the cat getting them.  But luckily she hates the snow and hasn't been out for days, so I thought it would be OK. 

To be honest, I didn't even set out to try and find a second hand version.  I just went to the pet shop and bought a new one.  I even managed to get a metal one, which was a bonus. 

So yes, I've bought some new bits and pieces, but in the overall scheme of things, it isn't too bad.  The challenge is really about being mindful, and looking at alternatives to buying new, if it's practical. 

Small charity shop challenge

I definitely wouldn't be able to do a complete 'No Spend' challenge for any length of time, as I love my charity shopping too much. Above all, it's just so relaxing.  I can go in there, start rummaging around, and I just switch off completely from the all hassles of the day.  It really is retail therapy, but without the bankruptcy. Here are my latest finds:

1) A little orange toilet bag from Body Shop.  It came with a mango body wash and body butter but I've donated those back because I just wanted the bag.  It was £1.95 from Cancer Research.
2) Two mini-soaps from M&S.  They were 50p each at the RSPCA shop. 

3) A pair of gorgeous spotty mugs.  They're a lovely warm, deep orange, more so than the photo shows up.  I felt really lucky to find them, I love a good mug. £1 each at Cancer Research. 

4) A really delicate double necklace.  I'm not sure where it's from originally, but Accessorise often do jewellery like this.  I'm going to try and photograph it a bit better, but at least you can see the tiny charms.  £2.50 at the Mind shop. 

5) Last, a sweet rabbit brooch.  It's painted ceramic, and about 1.5 inches tall.  Again, I need to take a better photo.  It wasn't a good photo day, for some reason.  Only 50p from the Mind shop. 

That's everything for now.  I'll be back in a few weeks, and hopefully it will be spring by then.

In the meantime, keep warm!