Things I am not going to buy - Day 7: Kitchen appliances and gadgets

Supporting the delusion that by spending money on things for the kitchen (see cook books blog), is the urge to buy shiny new appliances and gadgets that will turn me from a “ready-meal” kitchen slob, to a Delia Smith/Mary Berry chef extraordinaire!  If it has a plug on it, it must, therefore, do something that I don’t have to do myself, or it will do it far quicker than any other method.  If it is in shiny chrome, and looks stylish on the worktop, then that’s a bonus!  (Not that it is allowed to live on the worktop, as everything has to be put away)!  These devices usually have good intentions, and are, on the whole, very good at doing what it says on the box.  There are, however, a number of very good reasons why most of these items never get to fill their full potential.  Firstly, they lurk at the back of a cupboard, usually with other articles in front of them preventing them from being easily extricated without taking everything else out.  Too much like hard work.  Secondly, they are, in the majority of cases, a bummer to clean!  The “George Forman” griddle/grill is a prime example.  True, you can pop in a nice steak, sausage, salmon, etc, but the nightmare of cleaning the filthy black plates on a device that is far too big to fit in the sink, means that it hasn’t come out of the cupboard for the past two years!  The normal grill pan is easier to clean – especially if you line it with foil.  Finally, they often have to be used with recipes that require some planning!  Breadmakers, slow cookers, food processors/mixers/blenders, fall into this category.  They need ingredients/shopping/planning – I refer, once again, to the Cook book scenario!

None of the gadgets I have in my cupboards have managed to stop me coming home from work in the evening wishing I had planned something, and resorting to desperately rummaging through the freezer to find something that will defrost / cook quickly.  OK, so twice a year I get organised enough to put the slow cooker on in the morning and come home to a lovely casserole in the evening, but putting it all together at 6.30am in the morning is not something I wish to do very often! 

Things I am not going to buy - Day 6: Cook books

For an explanation of the 31 day blog, see Things I am not going to buy: Introduction post
  
I love food and eating, which is why I love looking through cook books.  Not the small, cheap, paperbacks, with lots of words and no pictures, but the great bit, glossy, hardback books, full of lovely pictures of fantastic looking meals, and instructions on how you can make them yourself!  I imagine myself in my kitchen, rustling up wonderful starters, mains, desserts, cakes, snacks, bread, for my family and friends (not to mention myself!)  The reality is rather different, however.  There is always something more important to do than to sit down and make an actual meal plan that involves new recipes, carefully going through the list of ingredients to see what I have (not many, usually) and what I need to buy (most of them).  On the rare occasion when I follow through and actually buy all the strange bits and pieces to make the amazing dish, I either don’t get around to making it, or I make it but either no-one likes it, or they don’t comment at all, and I don’t bother again.  Two years later, I find the remaining ingredients lurking in the cupboard, long past their use-by date. 

Despite this (and despite the fact that if I DO actually bother to cook something from a recipe, I search for it on the web!), I still have a strange compulsion to buy yet another glossy book to add to the large collection on my book shelf.  

Things I am not going to buy - Day 5: Tights

For an explanation of the 31 day blog, see Things I am not going to buy: Introduction post

Following on from yesterday's post about skirts and dresses, is the question of tights.  Not usually too expensive to buy (unless you are a fan of Wolford, or similar luxury brands), they are easy to stick in your shopping bag at every available opportunity.  They come in many colours and levels of transparency, and some of them have lovely patterns, which look lovely worn under a skirt or dress. 

The question I have to ask myself is why do I buy three pairs of tights every time I buy a skirt or dress?  I am caught up in the same fantasy of looking stylish and ladylike as when I purchased the skirt or dress.  I have a drawer full to the brim with tights that I don't wear - most still in un-opened packets! 

Things I am not going to buy - Day 4: Skirts / Dresses

For an explanation of the 31 day blog, see Things I am not going to buy: Introduction post

Unlike handbags, skirts and dresses are not things that I am tempted to buy very often, nor is my wardrobe full of these feminine articles. So far, so good. HOWEVER, every now and then, I see someone (usually a young female) wearing a fab dress, or a nice skirt with high boots, looking very stylish, and I think “I could look like that if I wore that dress/skirt/boots”. Sometimes I forget about it, but sometimes a little dress or skirt catches my eye in the shops, and I buy it and take it home. I put it in my wardrobe, in the very small section allocated to such garments, and there it stays until the one day a year (well maybe two – one in the summer and one in the winter!) when I decide it’s time I made a bit of an effort, rather than shoving on a pair of black trousers and a top of some sort. What I always forget to remember is that whilst a snazzy little outfit can look super-stylish on a slim, confident twenty-something with swishy hair and proper make-up, it doesn’t quite look the same on a lady of a certain age who has forgotten how to walk in footwear with more than an inch of heel, and whose make-up routine consists of a couple of quick blobs of blusher and mascara and hair that looks like it has survived a hurricane because I couldn’t be bothered to properly blow-dry and straighten it! For those who remember “Last of the Summer Wine”, the image is more “Norah Batty” than Victoria Beckham.

I don’t even wear a “frock” (the word makes me chuckle, for some reason…) when I’m going out. Years ago, when I worked for a Consultancy firm that had lots of money, and had big posh do’s at the Dorchester in London, I used to go to town hiring an evening dress, and having my hair done, and generally scrubbing up pretty well, but I don’t go to events like that any more (can’t say I really miss them). If I can actually be bothered to go to a work’s bash, I usually wear black trousers and a shinier/sparkly top than I would wear to work. I will probably blow-dry my hair and slap a bit more make-up on than usual, but that’s about it.

There’s no reason for me to get rid of the small selection of dresses and skirts that lurk in the corner of the wardrobe, however there is absolutely no reason whatsoever for at least another 5 years, to buy another dress, skirt, pair of knee-high boots or high heel shoes! 

How I wish to look:

How I actually look:

Things I am not going to buy - Day 3: Storage containers

For an explanation of the 31 day blog, see Things I am not going to buy: Introduction post


Following on from the bag addiction (see handbags and travel bags), is a need to collect containers of every possible size and shape in which to store “things”.  On the theme of everything in its place and well organised, I start to have palpitations if I open a cupboard or a drawer and everything is…….well, LOOSE!!!!  Aaaaaaaaaagh!  Loose stuff, all mixed up!  Noooooooo!!!  Stuff just needs to be CONTAINED!  In a container.  Of the right size and shape.  

This need to organise everything into a container pervades every cupboard, drawer, nook and cranny in the house.  Drawers absolutely MUST contain boxes, trays or dividers that are neatly filled with appropriately fitting items, whether it is in the kitchen - cutlery, implements, cling film, bags, labels, etc, - the bedroom - pants, socks, bras, tights, make-up, hair brushes and accessories, earrings, nail polish, other nail bits, and anything else. Any other small/medium-size articles that lurk in drawers and cupboards throughout the house must all be suitably housed in a container of the right size and shape.  

I am forever searching websites that sell storage solutions such as Amazon and http://www.aplaceforeverything.co.uk.  I am forever buying boxes, baskets and containers, and have many unfilled containers lurking in cupboards (which isn't as upsetting for me as having stuff that doesn't have a container to house it).  

 

As well as containers for all the bits, bobs, knicks and knacks that are around the house, I have a habit of buying plastic food storage containers.  I have a dream that my kitchen cupboards and fridge will all be beautifully organised:

 

My DREAM:

However, in reality, I hardly ever bother to put food into a separate container - it normally sits in its packaging (maybe with the top folded down if it's a box), whilst all the lovely plastic containers of every size, shape and colour, sit empty filling up a large number of shelves in the kitchen cupboards!

One day I really WILL be organised and empty all my open tins, packets and loose produce into nice, clean containers (on a REGULAR basis).  Until that day comes (and even when it has come and gone), I must not by any more food storage containers...not ever... and not just food storage - this applies to ALL storage containers that do not have a very specifically identified need!

 

Things I am not going to buy - Day 2: Travel bags

For an explanation of the 31 day blog, see Things I am not going to buy: Introduction post

The quest for the perfect bag (see yesterday's post on handbags) reaches a new level when it comes to travelling!  In a bid to outwit the airlines baggage charges, most, if not all, luggage comes as hand baggage, which means I have to have the bags perfectly organised for the plane.  Not just the plane, of course, but being able to go through security with ease (rapid unpacking/re-packing of toiletries, phones and computers/tablets are a must).  I have so many “travel” bags in the loft that if I took them all with me, I would have to book every seat on the plane!  

About a year ago, I purchased, at quite a lot of expense, a Scottevest .  This is a sort of gilet/waistcoat item of clothing that contains numerous concealed pockets of varying sizes, designed to outsmart the airlines who charge for every ounce of luggage, and allow to carry lots of items concealed about your person.  

The website pictures and videos look fantastic, with travellers seemingly packing away enough items of luggage for a round the world camping trick in the pockets of the Scottevest, yet still managing to walk along looking as though they had stepped off the catwalk (see pics below!)  Huh!  In reality, I tried loading up a couple of small items such as purse and glasses, then put my iPad in the large back pocket (that's supposed to be able to take a tablet or netbook!), but I looked (and felt) like I was carrying some sacks of potatoes stuffed in my underwear.  I haven't tried again since, so that's another waste of money!

                      

Scottevest

It's not as though it's stylish enough to wear as an every day fashion item.  Still, it beats some of the cheaper variations, which look as though you are walking around in a sleeping bag with holes cut out!

Cheaper version - Rufus Roo

In years gone by (more than 10 years ago), I had a job that required me to hop on a plane a couple of times a month, sometimes more.  I was always seeking the ultimate bag in which to pack everything I needed for my 2/3/4 days away in some grotty business park, miles from civilisation in the depths of Germany or Belgium or wherever.  Not very glam!  I needed to have enough smart business clothes, plus a few evening relaxing items, plus my laptop and documents, whilst avoiding the need, where possible, to check luggage into the hold, and also avoiding crippling myself by trying to hoik a heavy hand bag into the overhead locker.  I never DID find the right bag, but the loft is filled with all my attempts!   It looks very similar to this:

No more suitcases, wheelies, travel bags, hold-alls, large rucksacks, special flight bags, special items of travel clothing...!!!

Things I am not going to buy - Day 1: Handbags

For an explanation of the 31 day blog, see Things I am not going to buy: Introduction post


 I'm going to start my month of confession with the thing that I find hardest to stop buying.  I daren't go shopping with my son because should I go anywhere near a bag shop or display, a loud voice from behind says "Walk away from the bags, mother, you do NOT need any more!"

Bags – of any size, shape, colour – small, medium, large, shoppers, travel bags, rucksacks, purses…  I have them all!  Bags are an obsession with me!  It isn’t that I love to look stylish with the latest “must-have” designer handbag (it would take a lot more than a handbag to achieve that!), and whilst I love to look at beautifully designed and crafted leather bags, it is rarely the looks that will tempt me to buy (especially if the price tag is equal to that of a small car).  The underlying motive is more psychological!  I like everything to be nicely organised and in its place, and know that I always have what I need with me, so I must have a bag that suits the occasion in terms of stuff that I have to take with me rather than to match whatever I am wearing.  There is the general stuff that is normally required to follow me around – purse with cash and cards, iPhone, keys, tissues, reading glasses, distance glasses, lip salve.  Then there are a huge number of items that may or may not be required, and which usually ends up coming with me – iPad, lipstick, perfume, mirror, pen, hand cream, note book, toothbrush/paste, spare carrier bag, tape measure, loyalty cards and bits of papers with “offers”,  memory stick, fold-up umbrella, and, depending on the weather, fold-up mac, hat, gloves… There are also the other pointless articles which seem to sit lurking in the bottom of the main bag that I am using at the time, and only come out when the whole thing is emptied into a new bag.  It wouldn’t be so bad if there was only one of each item, but somehow the articles seem to re-produce– my current work bag (large, black, Radley briefcase style), has no fewer than 4 lipsalves, 4 lipsticks (of various colours – I wouldn’t mind, but I hardly ever wear it!), 2 pens, 3 sets of ear phones, 2 half-eaten packs of mints, some throat sweets (loosely scattered…)various feminine hygiene objects.  I could go on, but I don’t have the will to dig any further into the murky depths of my bag.