Shopping on Budget – April

The month flew by like nothing and it was a crazy month. But I always find time for shopping so here is what I got in April.

April 1

Scarf, dress and purse - Lindex (the purse was free with the dress)

Dress – Marks and Spencer, I have also bought a necklace but I don’t have a picture of that.

This time I have spent 600 kc (30 dollars). A little better than last month, but since I have also spent some money on underwear and tights, it wasn’t stellar.

I will have to buy sandals and I need to replace my moccasins so I will have to spend a bit more next month.

 

Erfurt

Last week, we went on a small trip to Erfurt, Germany. Just as we arrived, I realized that I forgot my camera and I am left just with my cell phone. Couple of friends were taking pictures, but I don’t have them yet. So sorry for the pictures. It was almost freezing and raining but it was still one of the  most beautiful towns I have ever visited. It must be heavenly when it’s warm and sunny if it left such an impression on me with such an unpleasant weather.

We visited mainly places related to the Jews in the history of Erfurt but we’ve got enough time to stroll through the city and visit also churches and cathedrals. And there are plenty of them and all beautiful. The most monumental is Mariendom on the main square but there is also an Augustinian monastery closely connected to Martin Luther or the Preachers’ Church with an interesting interior.

Erfurt

From Jewish monuments the most interesting is an old synagogue now serving as a museum and recently discovered mikvah from the Middle ages. They have more value for people who are interested in history of Jews but are definitely worth visiting for everyone. Erfurt is trying to get a UNESCO status based on its Middle age monuments and sites.

Erfurt has a city centre built on a river with old German houses, bridges and places to sit by the river, eat ice-cream and just enjoy the serene atmosphere. And if you want something a little more substantive, there is a couple of nice restaurants with terraces over the water. And if you don’t mind a little climbing, you can visit a citadele which lies on the small hill above the city with a church dating back to 12th century.

Shopping on Budget – March

Recently, I have stumbled upon several bloggers who were keeping track of their purchases through posting them on the blog. Since I tend to buy a lot of stuff (at least according to my family) and I definitely don’t wear it all I decided to try doing the same thing. I will post regularly about what I have bought and how it falls within my current wardrobe.

I don’t have a definite style, I tend to wear girly dresses, pencil skirts, heels, Converse, jeans, miniskirts,… Almost anything that works with my body type. I often find pictures of outfits that are really appealing to me but I am unable to emulate the look since I am not skinny model with great skin and effortless hair. But I try to translate at least something from their looks into my wardrobe. Sometimes it’s just plain mess, sometimes it works.

What I should mention is that I love to shop in sales and in thrift stores. I can hardly see me buying anything over 200 Kc (about 10 dollars) and especially in thrift stores I usually buy clothes for maximum of 50 Kc (2.5 dollars). It might seem like I spend way more than I actually do. March has been one of my worst month when it comes to spending money on clothes. I have gone over my budget so I will try to keep it simple in April.

Anyway, what have I bought in March?

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From top, left to right:

Jeans, trench coat, three dresses (the blue ones are vintage and they will need some altering but nothing I wouldn’t be able to do myself) - thrift store
Dresses – H&M, Kapp Ahl
Sneakers – Promod
Top – H&M
Jacket – Kapp Ahl
Purses – Madrid (the brown one is from Blanco, the other from an open air market)
Purses and polka dot sneakers – Lindex (I got the beige purse for free in a promotion)

Overall, I spent about 2000 Kč (100 dollars) which is much more than I spend usually. Generally, I try to keep my spendingsunder 30 dollars unless I get some birthday or Christmas money.

All together, it looks like I am a shopaholic. I promise I am not! Really, I don’t usually buy that much and I think this will be a good way to track my purchases and keep me sane.

If you are interested in other bloggers budgeting their purchases, head over to Franziska’s blog.

What To Wear: Madrid

Few weeks ago, I have been visiting a friend in Madrid. The weather was extremely unpleasant – it was raining and occasionally freezing. But we had fun anyway. What did I wear? Basically, the same thing as I wear at home to school. My favourite biker jacket, which actually isn’t from leather but I want to get a leather one, two of my full skirts, skinny coated jeans and comfortable boots. And of course a cross body bag so I could take pictures and hold a map at the same time.

Madrid

Madrid girls dress quite simple but edgy. I saw a lot of skinny jeans, leggings, leather jackets, boots and mainly in black or dark colours. And their best accessory were their thick, dark hair.

If you are there over the weekend, I would definitely recommend going to Rastro - a huge open air part flea market part normal market. You can find there stands with leather goods, great scarves, jewellery and vintage finds. And number of more or less fake bags. You should save couple hours and guard yourselves with patience but it’s well worth it.

Easter

While we are not a religious family, we have certain traditions that we adhere to during Easter. The most important part of them is, as usual, food. We bake an Easter cake, special Easter stuffing, and a sweet Easter cake in a shape of a lamb. And of course we decorate eggs which we then eat for next two weeks.

Czech Easter cake is a sweet pastry made of yeast dough. I found it hard to bake it while I was in the USA as they don’t have the right type of flour. I am not saying it’s not possible, I would just need to experiment for a while to find the right ingredients.

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We usually decorate by painting pictures on them with wax and then boiling them in water with onion peels. The eggs get a nice brown-red colour with light pictures after peeling of the wax.

Apart from food and Ester eggs, there is not much else. Except this weird Czech custom when boys go around a village and whip girls with a special braided stick made of a willow branches. It is supposed to make sure girls are healthy and pretty throughout the year. They are supposed to say carols while whipping and in  exchange, they get some of our decorated eggs. This is something not very many people widely do anymore, especially in the cities but it is still a living traditions inside some families and in the countryside. We don’t get visited by outside boys in our Prague flat but my father still makes or buys the willow stick to whip us a little.

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Madrid

I was visiting my friend in Madrid last week. When she decided to spend a year there as an Erasmus student (a European study abroad programme) I wasn’t very excited as I thought it would be much nicer to have someone to visit in Barcelona than in Madrid. But of course, my wish wasn’t surprisingly taken into account and she has decided for Madrid. And I have to say that I am grateful now.

Madrid is beautiful, lively and very civil city. I didn’t feel like a tourist and I could easily imagine living there. I got to visit Toledo and see dozens of masterpieces in Prado and Museo Reina Sofia. I could walk with my eyes permanently lifted to admire architecture.

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