Category: SHOPPING

Autumn Acquisitions

On By samanthaIn HEALTH, SHOPPINGLeave a comment

Although I am persevering with decluttering my entire house it is inevitable that sometimes I need to buy more “stuff”. My daughter’s six year old iPhone was becoming increasingly unreliable which was worrying me as she depends on it for everything. Train tickets, ID, payment methods etc, it’s all on her phone. I decided to upgrade my own phone to an iPhone 16 and gave her my two year old iPhone 13. I resent upgrading my phone, I never seem to notice any difference in performance and it just seems like a colossal waste of nearly nine hundred pounds. Also my new phone needed a different charger – ugh!

Of course then we both needed new phone cases. I had seen Burga continually coming up on my Facebook advertising feed, probably as my phone had been spying on my conversations about phone cases, so I took a look at their website. They have literally hundreds and hundreds of lovely designs but they are fairly expensive at around £45 each for the more basic styles. A couple of days after initially browsing a “buy two get two free ” offer appeared. Slightly annoying that it wasn’t a BOGOF as who actually needs two phone cases? I eventually chose two designs and so did my daughter. I went for a bright, citrus case and a white rabbit design and my daughter, for some reason known only to her, went for lobsters and sardines. The cases are shipped from Lithuania and the tracking is not regularly updated. After three weeks I had given up hope of ever receiving the cases and contacted Burga requesting a refund. They told me that my parcel had been returned to their warehouse and they shipped it back out. Just two days later it arrived. The packaging is minimal which is refreshing. All four cases came in cotton drawstring pouches which could be reused, I keep my power bank in mine. The phone cases themselves are really excellent quality and very attractive. The have an attractive glossy finish and the colours are very sharp. Most importantly, they also appear to offer a good level of protection.

I also treated myself to some more Boots No 7 Youthful Replenishing Facial Oil. When I first received this product as part of a gift set I didn’t think it would suit my skin but I have really been impressed. I mix a single drop with my foundation to stop it looking cakey and I use a couple of drops under my moisturiser most days. I also bought a new lipstick by Revlon in a nude shade called Bare Affair It is a subtle, every day colour but I have found the formula to be quite drying despite being infused with vitamin E and avocado oil . Lastly I bought some Double Serum by Clarins. The jury is still out on this product, I find that it is easily absorbed but I have not noticed any results. I find that too much comes out with each pump of the dispenser which seems wasteful as it it expensive at £65 for 30ml.

So a little bit of a spendy month but, on the whole, I have been pleased with my purchases.

Thank you for reading

Samantha

Saddle Bags – Splurge, Spend or Save?

On By samanthaIn SHOPPINGLeave a comment

Last year I sold what few designer items I owned. I wasn’t using them and they were just taking up space in my wardrobe. My Mulberry bags I sold on a Facebook group, always a bit risky but I insisted on using PayPal Goods & Services and I sold some small leather goods on eBay. I was particularly fortunate in selling a Chanel wallet because I was sure nobody would want a huge purse anymore but I kept an eye on the Chanel buying and selling Facebook page and, by a stroke of luck, somebody was on the lookout for the exact same one. I manged to recoup almost all of my money.

So, I actually do now need a new bag. I have been using a Mulberry Anthony lookalike from Marks and Spencer but it is looking a little tatty now and I don’t like the style enough to splash out on the designer version, it’s a little masculine for me. After some online perusing I decided I’d like a saddle bag style and the Mulberry Pimlico Satchel in Black Cherry caught my eye. I managed to order it over the phone from their outlet store in Bicester for £416. When the bag arrived it was absolutely beautiful but the calf leather looked like it would scratch very easily and that’s no good for me so I reluctantly returned it. I started searching online for different options and there are many! If you happen to have won the lottery you could treat yourself to Dior’s iconic and very beautiful Saddle bag which costs £3,340. Chloe sell a style called Marcie which is very pretty at a hefty £1,490.

Then I found myself becoming engrossed in the Netflix romantic comedy Nobody Wants This with Kristen Bell and Adam Brody. Bell plays Joanne, a blonde atheist who falls in love with a Rabbi. Joanne’s wardrobe is just gorgeous, although sadly too young for me, and I spotted this Claude bag from French fashion company Sezane. Still a fairly hefty price tag of £345 but the quality looks good and it comes in different types of leather. I popped into the Sezane store in Marylebone where there were lots of bags on display but I didn’t like any of them enough to make a purchase.

During a recent stroll around Covent Garden I popped into a branch of The Cambridge Satchel Company to escape the cold. They have a small collection devoted to the Wicked movie but they also have this attractive, if slightly bulky, style called The Kate for £250. They stock another quite minimalist style, simply called The Saddle Bag for £130. Barbour sell something similar, a style called Laire, in two different sizes starting at £89.95.

Next stock this non-leather bugundy saddle bag for just £34. I think it looks almost as nice at the far more expensive options although not the Dior obviously. It also comes in black. Similarly priced at £39.50 is this glossy black bag from Marks and Spencer.

I visited Hoopers department Store in lovely Tunbridge Wells where a display of bags (featured in my header photo) made by Campamaggi caught my eye. Soft, burnished leather and decorated with rivets and lacing, they retail at around £350. Also on display were the classic Longchamp Epure bags at £295. So, far too much choice for me to be able to make a decision as usual. I headed home and later on saw a Facebook advertisement for the DeMellier sale. There was a very pretty style called the Mini Venice featured at £298. In a rare moment of decisiveness I ordered one in the colour Berry, the last one in stock according to the website. I am delighted with my purchase which came beautifully boxed. The strap is a great length, the bag holds my purse, phone, keys, glasses and a small make up bag. It also has a top handle for more formal occasions. My search is over!

Thank you for reading,

Samantha

My DeMellier Mini Venice bag featured in the middle photo flanked by Longchamp Le Foulonne and Epure bags.

Thank you for reading

Samantha

Christmas Gift Ideas for Family and Friends

On By samanthaIn SHOPPINGLeave a comment

I went to the dentist a couple of weeks ago, it was the 26th October and she asked “are you all ready for Christmas?” Huh? Christmas, we hadn’t even had Halloween. This year has flown by and I suppose I need to get organised. It will only be the five of us and my parents for Christmas lunch but I also have my elderly aunt and my parents over sometime in early December.

So gifts, I want to get on with buying them and wrapping them up as they arrive so I am not wrestling with the Sellotape for hours on end. I would like to say the presents I choose are all sourced from local businesses and, before I went back to work, that would be the case but now I have no time to go to the shops so they are mostly bought online. For my elderly relatives I now stick to Marks and Spencer vouchers and they can spend them on nice food if they wish. Here are my picks for other gifts for 2024:

Girls older teens/early twenties

Earrings, not very expensive because they lose them but no so cheap they will turn their ears green. I have chosen these nine carat gold studs from QVC, I bought them when they were on special offer, they are currently £75 which is a little expensive for a stocking filler. They will look nice with my daughter’s suits when she is on her new work placement.

Travel Jewellery Box from Oliver Bonas, because I always have to buy something when I go in to this shop, they sell so many pretty things. These boxes are reduced at the time of writing. They come in lots of pretty designs and are a useful, inexpensive gift for just about anyone.

Joggers from ASOS My daughter plays a lot of sport and all young people seem to live in joggers. Last year I bought her a fleece lined pair but I don’t think they were a hit. These are a little sleeker. I noticed while shopping for these that most of the styles now have wide legs but they’d trip my daughter up if she were wearing them for lacrosse practice.

Teenage Boys

Cash, that’s what they really appreciate but I will also buy some clothes for my younger son. Again, joggers, boys seem to prefer grey. Wide hems seem to be the trend for boys too but I have stuck to the traditional, cuffed style

Crew neck sweatshirt from Uniqlo. My younger son already has one of these in navy and the quality is great. He doesn’t tend to wear hoodies, he likes something a little smarter.

Suitcase, one of my sons is travelling to Australia next year and will need a new case. I was not terribly impressed with my recent purchase from Samsonite so am thinking of ordering this one by brand Americal Tourister from Amazon, Not a brand I am familiar with but this product has almost 1500 excellent reviews and is reasonably priced at £90.

Anti-theft laptop backpack, my older two children take very inexpensive flights where they cram clothes for a week into a backpack because it costs around £100 for them to upgrade to a small suitcase. I purchased two of these from Amazon in grey and in black, they have proved to be a winner so I will buy another for my younger son. My older son takes his into the office as does my daughter when she is on work placement. She said all the girls use similar, no one uses a traditional handbag for work anymore.

I always seem to be buying water bottles and then the lids get lost and they are useless. I am sure there are ten lids under my son’s bed but I daren’t look for fear of what else is lurking there. I will probably buy one or two of these from Chilly’s

Other sure-fire winners are those nylon, fluffy socks, slipper boots, plaid pyjama bottoms in brushed cotton, lip balm sets, body sprays and some of their favorite sweets.

Friends

I have about half a dozen friends that I buy gifts for, usually spending around £30 on average. Most of us complain about the amount of clutter in our homes and I am keen not to add to anyone’s burden of “stuff”.

For my friend who works from home I am going to buy this burgundy Parker Pen. I think it is a useful and elegant gift.

For my friend who takes her dog on lots of chilly walks I am going to buy her this cosy sweatshirt from Marks and Spencer which she can return if she doesn’t like it.

For my friend with whom I just exchange a tiny little gift, I am going to buy her this cute teddy keyring from Harrods. A very little bit of luxury.

So, an expensive and busy time of year, especially for women in my experience. Start writing your cards now, assuming people are still sending Christmas cards given the recent rise in the cost of stamps. My aunt writes her during August. Last year I sat writing ours for so long that my legs went to sleep and , when I tried to stand up, I fell flat on my face, not the best start to the festive season!

Happy Shopping!

Thank you for reading

Samantha

Samsonite Flux Suitcase & Longchamp Le Pilage Tote Bag: A Review

On By samanthaIn SHOPPINGLeave a comment

For my recent trip to Florence I decided I needed some new luggage, our larger suitcases were looking a little bit tatty. Whenever somebody in my family is going on a short trip they always take the communal Samsonite small suitcase. As it seems to have held up well I decided to by another Samsonite in a larger size. Amazon were selling a model called Flux and I ordered the medium for around £135. I ordered navy but it is available in black and red as well. I was tempted by the red as it would probably be easier to pick out at the luggage collection point. The case arrived and, initially I was very impressed, it is a good looking piece of luggage. The polypropylene hard shell has a matte finish with a silver strip running along the middle . The case has a two-zip system to make it expandable and it’s own TSA locking system. I thought that perhaps I should have ordered the larger size but the case is a real Tardis and the medium is probably big enough for a fortnight’s holiday for most individuals.

After one short flight I collected the case from the conveyor belt in Italy and was disappointed to see a huge scratch down one side, dents to the shell and the rubber seal was damaged. The baggage handlers probably take little care with people’s belongings but, even so, I thought my new case would wear a little better than that. I really should have returned it but I missed the window and returning big items can be so difficult as I found out when I tried to return a storage heater. The case has gone into the loft and I have made a mental note not to purchase this particular model again. The quality simply isn’t as good as one would expect from a brand like Samsonite. If I had wanted a lesser quality case I could have picked up one for a third of the price. Nevertheless I hope it will withstand more trips even if it already looks a little battered.

The other item I bought was a Longchamp La Pilage tote bag in burgundy. I originally ordered the medium but, when it arrived it was obvious that it was going to be too small to travel with so I exchanged it for a large which cost £120 from John Lewis. The medium size would be great for every day and I am tempted to buy it in navy. A backpack, make up bag and coin pouch are also available in this range in a multitude of colourways. There is also a leather version.

I am delighted with this bag. It is beautifully made with leather trim, it is lightweight and has a zip closure. The only thing I will mention is that the large size is too big to use as a carry on with some airlines if it is fully stuffed. Fortunately, due to the complete absence of any staff at Gatwick airport, nobody checked and, if they had, I could have folded the sides in to make it fit one of those plastic trays. The bag is just one big open compartment with a single internal pocket so you may wish to purchase an organiser, you can find these on Etsy. One nice thing is that it folds down to a tiny size so can be tidily stored away when not in use. There are countless, less expensive, copies of this bag available but this was worth the money, the fabric is beautiful, the zips smooth, it doesn’t slip off the shoulder and the finish looks expensive.

Thank you for reading

Samantha

Photos show the interior of the Longchamp Le Pilage tote filled with a paperback, make up bag, sun cream, smaller handbag, medication bag and various other bits and bobs and the damaged seal on the Samsonite Flux suitcase .

Featured

Supermarket Style

On By samanthaIn SHOPPINGLeave a comment

My son is going on a school trip in a couple of weeks and I have been nagging him to choose some new clothes. He knows what he likes so there is little point in me picking out things for him. For T shirts he usually chooses Urban Outfitters as does my daughter. They are fairly expensive at around £35 and the quality isn’t fantastic in my opinion. I bought my daughter a purple T shirt with a yellow sun design which had completely vanished after the second time of washing (inside out and with non-biological washing powder). Anyway I was in Sainsburys this week and decided to have a mooch around the Tu Clothing section for a change. They had a 20% off offer. I was surprised to see a few T shirts very similar to my son’s Urban Outfitter’s tops all priced from £9- £12 before the discount. Bargain! I chose a pinky colored one. I also bought him a lightweight, plain black hoody. I sheepishly presented them to him when I got home fully expecting to have to return them on my next trip but my son really liked them.

I actually refused to set foot in Sainsburys for abut three years after I was accused of shoplifting after a cashier forgot to remove the magnetic strip from a leg of lamb. The security guard was incredibly rude to me. I really should have made a formal complaint but, once he actually acknowledged that my receipt quite clearly showed all my shopping had been paid for (obviously) he mumbled an apology. I didn’t want to be what I believe is now termed as a “Karen” about it and get him into trouble so I let it go. Anyway, on this recent visit the alarms also blared as I left the shop. I kept walking this time, receipt firmly in hand. I tell my children to hold onto their shopping receipts until they are off the premises. My daughter had a part-time job in a Sainsbury’s Local last summer and said shoplifters came in on every single shift. She had to wear a camera. I told her it wasn’t her job to confront anyone. At this particular branch they had no security staff at all. You could say that due to the cost of living crisis people cannot afford to buy food but, according to one manager at my local branch, it is the higher end cosmetics and skin care products that are targeted.

So, back to my purchases. This week I also bought a black leather Paul Costelloe backpack from Brand Alley. I had a £15 discount code and ended up paying £45 for a really high quality bag. It has now sold out on Brand Alley so I have linked the Paul Costelloe website where the Outlet section is well worth a look. I have been on the lookout for a backpack that wouldn’t be easy for a thief to just dip into and this one has a folded zip top and zipped pockets inside and out for valuables. It is quite small but definitely big enough for days out. I really like the silver hardware and think it looks quite expensive.

After also buying my son some much needed new jeans from ASOS for £25 , this has been a successful week in terms of inexpensive but good quality purchases.

Thank you for reading,

Samantha

Header Photo by Parker Burchfield on Unsplash

Featured

Fruity Fashion & Strawberry Shirts

On By samanthaIn SHOPPINGLeave a comment

I don’t think of myself who wears a lot of prints, certainly not in the cooler months. but going through my summer wardrobe I see that I actually have lots of printed tops and, strangely, most of them appear to be fruit-themed. I have a batwing top with peaches on from Apricot Clothing, a dress with lemons on from Coast, cherry print PJs from Marks and Spencer and now I have a lovely strawberry shirt from Boden.

After my disastrous attempts at trying to buy some new trousers that actually suit me (see my post Wide Leg Woes ) I decided to refresh my wardrobe by treating myself to some new tops, all purchased online. The first one I bought was from a brand called Pieces, available from ASOS, a pink and white candy-striped formal style shirt with a strawberry design for £36. I bought my daughter a few things from this brand when she was doing her work placement in a London office and the quality is fantastic, especially given the reasonable price point. The cotton on this shirt is beautifully satiny but my youngest son (yes, I made the mistake of asking the opinion of my family again) said it looks like a pyjama top and it is also far too wide. I wish brands would stick to proper sizing and take the guess work out of XS, S, M, L etc. I also ordered from ASOS a strawberry print cardigan from Miss Selfridge for £27 but the quality of this isn’t so good and it doesn’t fasten at all which I know would find annoying so both these things go back.

I then take a look at what Boden have to offer. I used to buy a lot of their clothes, especially their cotton shirts and winter coats but then it got to the point where I seemed to have seen all their designs a hundred times before. Their clothing isn’t inexpensive but it lasts forever, I still have a navy blue wool coat with an applique design around the hem which I must have bought almost twenty years ago. I also used to love their children’s clothes, especially what they used to call their lamby-fleeces and the pretty halter-neck dresses that I bought for my daughter when she was tiny. Come to think of it, she also had a pair of strawberry print trousers edged in gingham from Boden. For myself, I decided to order their “Strawberry Pop” Sienna shirt. It was £55 but with the discount code I paid £49.50. It has arrived and it is so cheerful without being too much of a statement – I love it! The print is the header for this blog post. I am five feet eight inches tall and the sleeves are the perfect length which is unusual. I plan to wear it with my new Zara chinos.

After the cold, gloomy and very long winter, it is nice to have something bright to wear . Even my sons liked my new shirt and that is really saying something!

From left to right, Pieces shirt from ASOS, Miss Selfridge cardigan from ASOS and Sienna shirt from Boden

Thank you for reading

Samantha

Wide-Leg Woes

On By samanthaIn SHOPPING1 Comment

I am in my mid-fifties. When should I start dressing like an older woman? What does that even mean? Beige polyester slacks and an anorak, those shoes that do up with velcro? I have been dressing the same way for the past decade at least. Most days it is skinny jeans, sweater and boots in the winter and skinny jeans with a linen top in the spring/summer. I rarely wear dresses or skirts during the day, I buy them but it has to be really hot for me to abandon my usual uniform. Am I too old to wear jeans? I hope not but I would like to smarten up a little bit.

I have several pairs of jeans, mostly from Mint Velvet, but they all look identical. I desperately need a style refresh. My daughter tells me no-one wears skinny jeans anymore. So, I take the plunge and order some wide leg navy blue trousers from Boden, a company which I used to shop with all the time but I can’t remember when I last placed an order. The style is called Westbourne. They are £80 but Boden always have a discount code and I pay £60. The trousers arrive and are such good quality, the fabric drapes beautifully. It feels very strange to have so much fabric swirling around my legs. I go downstairs to show my husband who makes the helpful remark “why are you wearing Lionel Blairs?” Of course Lionel Blairs is Cockney rhyming slang for flares. I immediately package up the trousers, ready for return.

Boden “Westbourne” Trousers

Back to the drawing board, I order a cream denim oversized jacket from Mango for £35 and some flowy but straight leg jersey trousers. I also order two pairs of tailored chinos from Zara, one full length and one three-quarter length. Annoyingly the Zara trousers aren’t properly sized, so I have to guess at a size small. I also add a couple of their basic T shirts to my basket, £8.99 each. When the Mango trousers arrive I try them on and really like them. I show my oldest son and ask what he thinks. He looks concerned, as if it is a trick question. “Fine” he mutters but my husband has appeared and they share a little sideways glance. My son then says I shouldn’t wear trousers that are five times wider than my (skinny) legs. Great, thanks a lot. I suppose I did ask! I don’t ask anyone else’s opinion when I try on the chinos and decide to keep the navy pair even though I don’t love them, they will do. The cream jacket, which looked so good on the model, just looks scruffy on me so that goes in the returns pile too.

Mango “Flowy, Straight-Fit” trousers

So, after all that effort I have a couple of cheap T Shirts and a pair of OKish chinos. If I were wealthier perhaps I could go and see a personal shopper but I think that is rather beyond my budget and I would probably end up buying a lot of clothes I don’t actually like, just to be polite. I need to go through my wardrobe, donate about seventy five percent of the contents to the charity shop and see if I can start to wear the rest, especially the summer dresses.

Thank you for reading,

Samantha

Header Photo by Harper Sunday on Unsplash

Featured

What’s In Your Bag?

On By samanthaIn SHOPPINGLeave a comment

I rarely look at YouTube but last week I was looking for videos demonstrating how to make an A Level study timetable for my youngest son – exciting I know.  On my home page was a video suggested entitled What’s In My Bag? Huh? People actually spend their free time watching women discuss the contents of their handbags?? How asinine, I thought. An hour later, having entered some sort of trance state, I had watched about five of the videos, mostly Korean or Japanese YouTubers, no speaking just soothing background music playing and clumsily translated subtitles along the lines of “let me introduce you to the contents of my elegant bag” and “this lipstick creates an elegant and stylish atmosphere around the mouth”. The contents are all almost identical, a Louis Vuitton key pouch, £240, seems to be almost compulsory, a Gucci or YSL card holder, Airpods, huge iPhone, and a flat, rectangular bottle of hand-sanitiser which they all spray in the air around their faces declaring that it smells wonderful. I can’t imagine it is very good for their lungs.

Video on Youtube by GrownVlog

So what’s in my bag? I have small Ralph Lauren bag that I sometimes use if I am going out of an evening but, usually, I prefer a hobo style because I like to carry around a lot of totally unnecessary things.  In fact, creature of habit that I am, I have been buying a variation on the same style of bag for the past fifteen years. My current version is from Whistles, the style is called Baye. Black pebbled leather, gold hardware and very simple. In the summer I have an oak coloured Mulberry Bayswater (bought in the sale fifteen years ago) which I plan to sell as it is too heavy and formal. I tend to buy good quality items and use them for a long time.

The contents of my bag are not very exciting I’m afraid. The beautiful young YouTubers are all about Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Givenchy, Chanel and Céline. I did have a Chanel wallet but I recently sold it as I felt embarrassed using it at the Tesco checkout. Fortunately the large Classic Flap style I owned was recently discontinued so it became a desirable collectors item and I was able to recoup my money. Now I have a small Kate Spade purse, bought for £50 in the sales. Also in my bag you will find my ancient and very scratched Harrods key ring, a reusable shopping bag, small notebook, pen, umbrella, numerous crumpled but unused tissues, a Burts Bees lip balm or three, a mirror, comb, perfume sample, gloves and, if I’m likely to be waiting around anywhere, my Kindle. I did have beautiful silver keyring from Tiffany, given to me by a colleague years ago when I left work to have my first child, but a builder borrowed my keys for an afternoon and then never returned them. He looked me right in the eye and said he’d never been in possession of them. I hope he got a good price selling it or that his wife enjoys using my lovely keyring. I really should treat myself and replace it.

There’s something comforting about having a few of your own possessions with you at all times. In Margaret Atwood’s sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, The Testaments when the women were rounded up their bags were confiscated and Atwood refers to the fact that they missed their little packets of tissues. Sadly, that was to be the least of their problems.

Now that I have wasted an hour watching this rather hypotonic content I should get back to researching A Level revision timetables!

Thank you for reading,

Samantha 

Cover Photo by Marissa Grootes on Unsplash

Purse Predicament

On By samanthaIn SHOPPINGLeave a comment

In my recent post Shopping Shy I described how much my daughter hates shopping and that I think it’s the sense of overwhelm that is the problem. There is simply too much stuff to choose from. Gone are the days of going into a shop and having two or three choices. Now we all have fingertip access to thousands of retailers offering their, often very similar, wares.

In Ruby Wax’s book Frazzled she describes how the act of buying some cushions became a huge exercise in overthinking. I remember some years ago going onto Amazon to order some new salt and pepper grinders. There were hundreds and hundreds to choose from. Goodness knows how much time I wasted comparing them all, I actually began to feel quite stressed over this inconsequential decision. I eventually bought two perfectly ordinary wooden grinders which I have never given a second thought to since. 

This week I decided to buy a new purse. I wanted something smaller than I usually use with room for a few cards, a couple of coins and a little bit of cash. How hard could that be? Having sold several bags and purses on eBay as part of my ongoing de-cluttering exercise, I was in the position to treat myself to something nice if I wanted. I Googled small zip-around purse and was immediately swamped with choice. There was a beautiful Chanel number for an eye-watering price, I discounted that immediately as I have not won the lottery. Louis Vuitton have a pretty model for £350 but it’s still very expensive and I’m not a huge fan of their Monogram canvas. Mulberry have one for £240 but it is a little plain. Oliver Bonas have some at £26 but they aren’t leather although I was very tempted by the bright orange. I choose a glossy patent leather purse from French brand Isabel Bernard for £60 but a £30 delivery charge was added at checkout so I cancelled. Eventually, after much deliberating, I ordered one from the Kate Spade sale which came in at around £50. It arrived yesterday and is perfect. Phew.

I do wonder how all of these different retailers keep going, surely there can’t be that many people looking to buy the same product? I haven’t even mentioned all the hand made options available on Etsy. I buy most of my birthday cards from Etsy but I haven’t had a great experience with other items, the quality has been lacking or they just haven’t tuned up.

If you’d like to pick out your own small purse without the over-thinking drama, then take a look at my Pinterest board below, I have done the leg-work for you.

https://pin.it/rbgjK9HJ7

Thank you for reading,

Samantha

Cover Photo by shawnanggg on Unsplash

Featured

Shopping-Shy

On By samanthaIn SHOPPINGLeave a comment

The fact that I have a category on my blog called Shopping perhaps seems rather ironic to anyone who knows me because I loathe shopping. The only person I know who hates it more than I do is my daughter who world probably rather go to the dentist than to the shops.  When I was in my teens I used to catch the 294 bus to the next big town, Romford, and spend a happy hour or two wandering around Top Shop and Miss Selfridge. I think I enjoyed the freedom of having a little of my own money to spend and having autonomy over my clothing choices. Now it just seems like a chore, especially shopping for clothes. 

When I worked in The City in my twenties I would plan my outfits out for a fortnight at a time so I didn’t repeat them too often. I was constantly buying new clothes and shoes. Now, especially in the winter, I wear a variation on the same outfit every day, a warm sweatshirt and jeans. If I am leaving the house, which I seem to do less and less since I began working from home, I might put on a smarter top, probably from Zara, but that’s about the only concession. It is as if I have become a completely different person.

The worst type of place for my daughter and I to visit is a shopping mall but, occasionally, it is unavoidable. The nearest one to us is Bluewater near Dartford, a huge place whee the shop you need is always at the other end to where you are currently standing. I took my daughter there just before she left for university as she needed some new hoodies and a couple of things for going out but it is as if she goes into trance as soon as she enters a clothing store. Even in Urban Outfitters, one of her favourite brands, she doesn’t engage in the shopping experience at all. I wonder if it is a sense of overwhelm, there is inevitably blaring music playing and racks and racks of jumbled up clothes as well as random piles spilling over every surface, almost too much choice. We hastily picked out a couple of things and left. 

Shopping malls are, to me at least, completely souless places. Maybe I am biased as, many years ago, when I was heavily pregnant I went to Bluewater to buy a few last minute things for the baby. My husband had a work meeting nearby so I was just pottering around waiting for him to collect me when I tripped over a very shallow step that I hadn’t seen because of my bump. To avoid falling on my stomach I deliberately twisted to the side and ended up injuring my ankle. I couldn’t get back up again. Not one person helped me. I eventually managed to stand and dragged myself over to a bench and sat, quietly crying, until my husband came back. Despite their lack of assistance a group of women had stood around muttering “ooh she’s pregnant” and I think my tears were due to feeling completely humiliated. 

One form of shopping I actually quite enjoy is what my friend Caroline describes as a “rummage” around an old-fashioned department store. When I lived in Upminster there was, and I believe it is still there, a beautiful old store called Roomes. My mum even worked there for while, in the children’s department. When my oldest son was a baby I spent many contented half hour sitting in their coffee shop eating a huge slab of carrot cake and drinking a latte while gazing out of the window over the High Street. My son would conveniently nap in his pushchair until he became old enough to throw a tantrum, His biggest ever tantrum was on the floor of the toy department and I remember one imperious woman making me feel like the world’s worst mother. Newsflash – young children sometimes throw a wobbly. Now I occasionally hop on a train and visit a similar store, Hoopers, in Tunbridge Wells. It is much more expensive than Roomes and I do wonder how they keep going with an entire floor dedicated to things that an eighty year old would wear to a wedding but, again, I love to sit in their welcoming coffee shop watching the world go by.

Coffee and blueberry muffin at Hoopers in Tunbridge Wells

I do think it is a case of “use them or lose them” when it comes to the shops on our local high streets. In the town where I live it is already mostly all estate agents, coffee shops, nail bars and, more recently, vape shops. There is no shoe shop or children’s clothing store anymore and we have just lost another independent boutique. We do still have a branch of White Stuff that always seems to be empty so I did make a point of buying a couple of Christmas gifts from there. The lady working told me customers tend to order online but make the returns to the physical shop. She said she processed more returns than sales which must be rather disheartening.

These days I spend my time trying to get rid of stuff rather than accumulating it. Fortunately I don’t see the need for a trip to the mall for sometime so will carry on rummaging in the quirky department stores if I do need anything new. My daughter, however, will not be accompanying me!

Thank you for reading,

Samantha

Cover Photo by Heidi Fin on Unsplash