Little Primark Haul & Starting a Spending Ban!!

i've been naughty this week and had a bit of a splurge in Primark. in my defence, it's the first biggish shop i've done for myself since moving back to uni in September so this is pretty good for me and everyone (including myself!) has been convincing me that it wasn't quite as naughty as it feels.

i thought i'd share the bits and pieces i bought because after this i am going on a SPENDING BAN! but i'll explain that later...

i didn't actually intend to buy anything, i simply popped into town with Rosie to go to the bank and Superdrug, but we couldn't resist! 

oo1 // skirt // £14

i knew the second i had this in my hand that i would end up buying it! i have such a huge thing for the burgundy/wine trend that's about this winter that anything in this colour instantly catches my eye! i'm not sure how well you can see in the pictures either, but instead of having a shorter opaque skirt underneath the chiffon, this actually has little hot pants - i've always loved that Miss Selfridge did this with their maxi's but couldn't justify the prices, so this is just an added bonus. i'm also in love with the belt. i usually find that Primark piece up their garments with absolutely hideous belts that don't match at all, so to actually get an on-trend belt makes a nice change as i'll wear it with things other than the skirt aswell. £14 is an absolute bargain for this, and i'm planning on wearing it for NYE this year - this is me justifying the purchase of clothes i didn't need!

oo2 // Bust // £10 £5

me and rosie actually laughed at this when we saw it - 'oh, no wonder they're reduced!'. but the more we looked at them, the more we realised that they would actually look quite nice with the right thing. turns out the right thing was the maxi skirt that was already in my hand. i tried it on on a whim and actually loved it! i've always looked at cropped bustiers in the past, but the ones i've always liked have been far too expensive and considering i very, very rarely go out to wear something like this i've never taken the plunge and bought one, but i couldn't resist for £5! this has detachable straps which is a good thing as this is nowhere near supportive enough without them. i like that the sequins have more of a matte effect than a sparkle and shine as i think it makes it look a lot less tacky. teaming this up with the skirt means i've got my NYE outfit for just £19 as i already have everything to accesorise it up!

oo3 // Jumper // £6

yes, more burgundy! i've read a lot of ootd's which have been featuring this jumper so i'll admit that i went on a bit of a hunt for one and i'm so glad i picked one up. it's more of a thick, knitted t-shirt than a jumper, but i get a bit of a hot flush on walking to uni so i prefer thinner layers. it's quite baggy and over-sized and has a slight step in the hem, making it longer at the back so this will look great over disco pants aswell. it has a sort of marl effect and comes in a blue and grey version aswell. i'm actually wearing this today, so snapped a quick iphone picture of my outfit and accesories!

shorts - boohoo.bom // belt, necklace & cross earrings - miss selfridge // rings - ebay // helix earring - topshop

oo4 // necklace // £4

i wasn't 100% sure on this, but need to build up my necklace collection, so added it to my basket. i love that it has a mixture of silver, gold and gun metal - it's so versatile with all my existing jewellery. there's such intricate detailing on the little skulls too and instantly adds interest to a simple outfit. there's actually a stunning jewellery collection at primark right now in this punky/biker look, so if that's your thing then check it out!

shirt - dorothy perkins // disco pants - H&M kids

also got some more tights aswell as they're slowly and begrudgingly working their way back into my winter wardrobe. all in all, i spent £32 which isn't all that bad after all...

NOW FOR THE SPENDING BAN

this is probably something i should have done a long, long time ago. when i'm at uni i really budget myself, but the last couple of weeks i've found myself buying lots of little bits and pieces and thinking nothing of it until i check my bank balance and all the little things have turned into a slightly bigger thing. i think i have about £160 to last me until Christmas when i'll get Christmas money and some wages from my job back home. 

money from my uni job goes straight into savings for my car and considering my car needs MOT'ing in January then i can't risk dipping into them!

so from now until christmas i am officially on a strict spending ban. obviously as a student, there's things that i'll need to buy so my exceptions are 

- necessary food

- petrol/parking

- uni supplies i.e. sketchbooks

- my boyfriends christmas present! (i've already done everybody else!)

- bills

- work christmas meal, because i've already paid the deposit!

i must only spend money on vital/necessary things. no snacks, no clothes, no jewellery, no make-up. 

i'll do a weekly update to let you know how i'm getting on and if i've been lusting over anything that week.

this also means that any items reviewed on the blog over the next few weeks will have been purchased before today!

has anyone else done a spending ban? how did you find it?

wish me luck!