Some People Are So Poor All They Have Is Money

It never occurred to me that 'being poor' should effect my lifestyle. I always found ways round things. I hope when my children grow up they never feel that they have been 'materially deprived' of 'life's necessities'. I also hope they never feel they missed out on 'positive life experience's' because of our 'financial situation'.

When my first beautiful and amazing daughter was born I was 16. We had our own tiny little council house, she went to nursery from a young age and I went to college and then work. I felt an incredible burden of guilt and shame about my situation. It was a painful load to carry. I saw other people my age (especially at work) going out, buying nice clothes, driving cars etc, as they lived at home with their parents and didn't have any responsibilities. I felt so weak and incompetent. I so worked hard but had so little disposable income.

However, I was truly blessed by a friend that taught me how to live a thrifty but sumptuous, lush, beautiful lifestyle. The best things in life truly are free! ...or at least very cheap! I learned how to cook cheaply from scratch, sew clothes and soft furnishings, decorate my house inexpensively and have fun on a budget. She was the big sister I always wanted and taught me all about personal style 'on a shoe string' too.

So that was the beginning of my journey, 17 years ago... I have seen prices rise as well as unemployment, friends lose their homes, and families struggle to pay rent and buy food. Yet the media ignores the 'real world' and still tries to entice us into a fantasy world where we all have an endless supply of money to buy 'things' that will make us 'happy'. Debt in this country is rising. It worries me how many people I know have debts to catalogues, pay day loan companies, and for basic essential household items for wildly inflated prices compared to what the item is worth. This is no way to live, and not the way I live.

I have been looking for a blog that shared my passions and interests but didn't buy into the media hype of materialism and fast fashion. I couldn't find what I was looking for all in one place... So I decided to create my own. I hope I can connect with like minded people as well, as surely I am not the only person in the world who thinks like this?

Hope you have a fantastic day and here's some more songs to leave you feeling happy and uplifted! Morcheeba- Be Yourself Passenger- Things That Stop You Dreaming

Love Toria

Bringing Creative Fantasy Into Everyday Reality

I have written the explanation of what my blog is about back to front. As you get to know me you will realise that this typical of my upside down way of thinking! So please bear with me while I try to mostly explain what my blog NOT is about, and in my next post I will mostly explain what blog IS about. I have my own unique perspective on many 'bloggy' things:

• hair 
• fashion
• beauty
• make up
• food
• shopping
• home style
• craft
• family
• film
• art
• music
• books

What I Am Not

So what? There are millions of blogs out there about all these things. Yawn. What is so special about me? Well those blogs/vlogs were my starting point. I loved reading/watching them for inspiration. However that was all they could do- inspire me a bit. Designer brands, expensive products, the latest must have merchandise and seasonal throw away fashion hauls... Then there's the trips to fancy restaurants, bespoke dressing rooms and wardrobes, 'what's in my suitcase for my fancy trip', etc etc. I have never taken a quick selfie of my new bang on trend shoes outside my Chelsea apartment. They were a dream world away from my reality.It doesn't feel authentic to my lifestyle. I don't want to feel like an deficient, underdog, spectator in my creative life.

People are taking the piss out of you everyday. They butt into your life, take a cheap shot at you and then disappear. They leer at you from tall buildings and make you feel small. They make flippant comments from buses that imply you’re not sexy enough and that all the fun is happening somewhere else. They are on TV making your girlfriend feel inadequate. They have access to the most sophisticated technology the world has ever seen and they bully you with it. They are The Advertisers and they are laughing at you- BANKSY

I don't want to be a cog in a machine I believe is broken. Do we really need to be spending all this money money money on trying to fix how we feel about ourselves? There is a fine line between hiding behind a mask of a carefully choreographed media clone and richly expressing your own original and unique sense of artistic style. I want to go deeper into the roots of my creativity, finding my own new styles and ideas not just what I am fed by the media.

*Deep breath*... I am, and have been for many years... 'affluently challenged'. There, I said it. I am 'poor' and I have been pretty much all my life. However 'Necessity is the mother of all invention'. There will be more about this is my next post

So in a nutshell if you are looking for unique and creative lifestyle ideas that won't break the bank then follow this blog! Hope you have an amazing day day and here's som.e music that I love that expresses what this post is about Morcheeba- Way Beyond

Love Toria

Stay On Track

Welcome to my new blog 'MrsGeeAndMe'! I found this amazing song and video on you tube and had to share it as my first post! Meghan Trainor- All About That Bass. It's an awesome summer tune with a stylish video, and promotes body confidence (something I am very passionate about). I am a bit technophobic, so setting all of this up has been a nightmare for me! But every morning while I get up and put on my make up etc this song has set me up for the day, and plus I love the tropical styling! Katy Perry- Roar Have a great day in the sun, and I will update soon so you know what my blog is going to be about!

Love Toria