I hope that everyone had a great weekend. I don’t want to wish my life away, but I’m so pleased that January and February are now done and dusted. Despite the seemingly never-ending lockdown, it feels like the first two months of the year flew by. I guess that having a busy full-time job helps and a slightly unhealthy obsession with Netflix helps.

If you read the three personal challenge posts I published at the beginning of January, you’ll be aware that I set myself some money-saving challenges for 2021.

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If you haven’t read these posts, please check them out Challenge 1 | Challenge 2 | Challenge 3.

Challenge 1: Will I be able to get through the year without buying any new clothes and shoes?

During February, the urge to treat myself to some new clothes was strong. I partly blame Instagram for introducing me to a brand I’d never heard of called Mabel and Gin. I’ve been living in hoodies and jumpers so this bottle green 1/4 zip jumper has been tempting me to dust off my credit card. I need the weather to warm up ASAP, so I can stop looking at jumpers I don’t need.

In my previous update, I said I was a little concerned because some of my ‘everyday’ clothes were starting to look slightly frayed around the edges. I’m still hoping to spend an afternoon up in the loft sorting through all the clothes I’ve got in storage. I’m sure there’ll be some surprises up there, I just hope that these surprises don’t include mice.

Challenge 2: Can this shopaholic get through the year without entering any races and without buying any more running clothes?

This challenge continues to be difficult as I follow so many runners, event organisers, and running brands on Twitter and Instagram. One race I entered last year – the Cathedral to Castle Run – has now been deferred again until later this year. Fingers crossed I’ll be back up and running again if and when it takes place.

When I spotted a Kari Traa flash sale on SportPursuit, I very nearly bought a couple of long-sleeved base layers. Kari Traa is one of the few brands that cater to taller than average runners and I love their gear.

After reminding myself that injured runners don’t need new running gear and that I don’t need more base layers, I finally unsubscribed from SportPursuit.

Challenge 3: Can I make £2021 in 2021 through a selection of side hustles and other sources of income such as cashback websites?

And finally, how much money did I manage to make through my various side hustles and other sources of income during February? Like last month, in an attempt to keep things simple, I’ve listed each side-hustle and source of income separately.

Selected side hustles

• Prolific Academic surveys – £40.46
• eBay sales – £0.00
• Facebook Marketplace sales – £0.00
• Sponsored blog posts – £0.00

Other sources of income

• Overtime at work – £0.00
• Share dividends – £76.68
• Interest from bank accounts – £14.73
• TopCashback cashback – £0.00
• Vouchers from points and gift cards – £0.00
• Competition wins – £0.00
• Freebies – £0.00
• Roadkill finds – £2.00

February total: £133.87

Rolling 2021 total: £364.75

So, after a positive first month, February was disappointing and I didn’t manage to get anywhere near my monthly target. If I’ve got my sums right, I need to make approximately £170/month so although February wasn’t great, I’m still just about on track to reach my target of £2021 by the end of the year.

Although February was a tad disappointing, I have a feeling that March will be more positive. To start with, I should receive a local recognition award through work this month. I have a feeling the voucher will be used to buy some books. In addition, based on what has happened in previous years, I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to complete more Prolific Academic studies.

And finally, I hope that you’ve enjoyed reading this quick update 🙂