City Lights

When I was a little girl, I always said that I wanted to live in New York when I grew up.  I talked about it all the time.  City living, art, culture, shopping; the Big Apple lured me like a moth to a flame.

These days my dream has changed.  I am far too close to my friends and family to move thousands of miles away from them and the current political climes mean that living in America is nothing something that I would choose.  But city living is still something that I would like to do.

When typing my current address into address verification software, I often look at all the other places that I could be living.  What it is about always wanting what you do not have?  Country dwellers lust after the city lights, city dwellers long for the quiet of the country.  For me at a mid point between the two, the city still pulls me in.

Manchester is not too far away from where I live and it holds me in its heart.  The people are warm, friendly, open hearted and diverse.  The city itself has everything that I want.  Fabulous architecture, great places to eat, art, history and museums.

I love to visit Manchester for the weekend and soak in some culture.  Manchester Cathedral is an absolute must, whatever your religion or lack thereof.  I visited recently on a weekend away and the cathedral which was built in 1847 in a perpendicular Gothic style is a sight to behold.

If you are looking for a night out in the city, Manchester has it all.  I have been there many a time with friends and as part of a couple.  There is all something new to do or a new place to try.

Go have a cocktail at The Botanist, take in a show at the Opera House, have a wander in China Town or go and see some live music.  There are so many restaurants to suit different tastes and I love trying out new tastes and experiences. There are places that cater to you no matter what your budget and there is always a friendly welcome which is typical of the Mancunians. 

While city living is not something that I can accomplish at the moment, Manchester is the place that I would live and its heart and its people are the reason that I keep returning to it.


* Collaborative pieces.  Images are my own and from Pixabay

3 Tips For Shopping The Sales When You Are Plus Size

I must confess, I am not a fan of shopping in the sales.  Trawling through racks of clothing that have been looked at and rejected by many others before me and jostling for position for that one great item that everyone spots at the same time is not my idea of fun.

That said, the "in the shop" experience is not something that I do, mostly because the nearest shop to cater to my dress size is an hour's travel away.  Which means that 99% of the time, my shopping is online. 

Shopping in the sales online is sooooo much easier and there are many tips and tricks that I have established along the way to ensure that I get the items that I want, for a cheaper price with the minimal time and effort.

Maintain an Offline Shopping Basket

Although I love looking for new clothes, if I am strapped for cash but in need of an item of clothing, there is nothing worse than trawling through a dozen websites and navigating their sales sections.  With this in mind, what I tend to do is whenever I see something I like but cannot yet afford in the regular non sale sections, I note down the link to save for later.

I have a shopping document on my laptop where I note down my favourite items, what they are, the current price and a hyperlink to it.  Sometimes there are just a few items on this list, sometimes dozens when I have a particular event in mind.

Every week I spend around an hour checking out these links to see if any items have gone into the sale.  This technique works particularly well at the end of the season when many items have moved to the sale section.  I don't tend to move with current trends and instead focus more on what I like so I don't worry about what is "in" and "out".

Shopping the Sales in One Go

One of the most frustrating things about shopping in the sales online when you are plus size is the limited options available to you.  You know what I mean.  You hit the sale section, full of hope of finding a bargain.  You click on a section, and then filter to only include your size.  The screen refreshes and you are left with five options.  Four of which you wouldn't dress your grandmother in.

My upgrade version of my offline shopping basket is a site that I have found called LovetheSales that puts together the sales from all the sites and lets you view them all on one website.  Below is a screenshot of a search that I did on the site, filtering down to dresses and my clothing size of 24.

Did you just let out a little "Eeeeeeeek!".  Because I did.  The idea behind the site is that they host all the sale items in one place and then it takes you to the relevant website like Asos or New Look to purchase the item.  Couldn't be simpler!

Look for Discount Codes

This is something that we call should do, but usually forget.  I cannot tell you the amount of times I have shopped on a website, only later to find a 25% discount code that I could have used.  I also have cashback account with a site that I always forget to use.  

By combining items in the sale and discount codes you can often end up with a real bargain and by using my offline method, many of my favourite items have been bought this way.

Do you have any tips for shopping for plus size fashion in the sales?