Budget Friendly: Stocking up

Whenever I`m visiting my parents in the Canary Islands, I always make sure that I`ve got an extra suitcase to bring back home. Living in Norway is very, very expensive, especially when you`re living on student loans and grants. Which is why I usually stock up on things when I`m in the Canary Islands, as there are practically no taxes there, with the price level being generally very low. Take the cans of sweet condensed milk for instance. In Norway, these would cost me 9$ per can. When I bought them on the Spanish Island it cost me 1$/can. That`s a 8 dollar difference! The amount of money I save each year just by buying some products with me is rediculously huge!

This time I stocked up on sweet condensed milk, honey, my favourite chocolate, a jar of peach jam, two boxes of sprinkles, some luxurious goat cheese, Serrano ham (Spanish version of the Italian Parma ham), and some  bio-degradable garbage bags.

I love being able to stock up on things that I use, but only  to a fraction of what it`d cost in Norway. This is one of the ways I save a lot of money each year, as everytime I visit I always make sure to buy certain food items with me.

What do you like to stock up on when you got the chance?

Making the most of one piece of clothing

When I went shopping the other day, I was looking for a nice top that I could use on Christmas but also on other occasions, as it`s such a waste for me to buy beautiful dresses that`ll only be worn once a year. In addition, I`m also one of those who freeze all the time. I`ve often been seen covered by a blanket on a summer`s day! Which is why I prefer using a pair of nice pants or a skirt combined with a nice top on special occasions. As you already know I did find one beautiful, budget friendly, blue sequin top with a 3/4 sleeve; which got me thinking about different ways of wearing it, with an emphasis on everyday use. So I found a similiar looking top on Polyvore and played around for a little while and here`s the result.

Special occasion; this is how I intend to use the top on Christmas Eve Going out for dinnerA comfy everyday look, that can be used both at work and university

What do you think? How would you make the most of one item of clothing?

Spending some birthday money

I`ve had some birthday money that`s been waiting to be spent on something pretty since October, and today was the day to make that a reality. I bought a blue sequin top that I can use on Christmas Eve, but also on other occasions; a knitted cable stitch cardigan for everyday use; and a pair of black jeans. to top it all of, my mom gave me the most perfect jacket for cold winter days. I also found a very pretty hair clip that I intend on wearing a lot! The total cost was 115$ which I think is a very acceptable cost especially when I know it would`ve cost me about the double to buy the exact same things in Norway. I rarely go shopping, mostly because I don`t have any money to spend, so the last time I went shopping was in May. In other words, it`s been a while.

Though it was fun to go looking around in all the shops, I did behave very calm and thought thoroughly about how and when I would use every item. I think this is a tactic I`ll be using a lot more in the future! I`ve also started to shop only certain colours so that I can use most of my clothes together in many different ways. I`m really fond of navy blue, dark green, brown and beige as primary colours, and then I like to use a lot of pastel colours, creating a soft and sofisticated look.

How do you limit yourself when going shopping?